#Zola Royal

[lilakartoffelbrei]

Blume/Smith/Bär 9

Kennt ihr das Apfelblütental noch? Zwar ist der letzte Teil "nur" 8 Monate her, aber diesen Haushalt hab ich zuletzt vor drei Jahren vorgestellt. Neben einem stressigen Alltag habe ich tatsächlich auch ein wenig das Interesse an dieser Nachbarschaft verloren. Ich hab noch viele Bilder übrig (bin spielerisch am Ende von Teil 9) und hab die letzten Wochen auch immer wieder gespielt.

Genug langweilige Worte. Viel Spaß mit dem Apfelblütental

Der Sommer bringt Veränderungen ins Apfelblütental. Eine davon der Umzug von Larissa und ihren drei Kindern in das kleine gründe Häuschen zu Andrew und Anton. Arthur kann es nicht fassen, dass er jetzt endlich bei seinem Vater wohnt.

Die Zwillinge freuen sich über den Umzug, besonders weil der Spielplatz direkt gegenüber ist. Dennoch vermissen sie ihr altes großes Haus. Luna findet es so eng wie in einer Gefängniszelle. Und Ilias vermisst "seine Tante" Selma sehr. Zum Glück ist das Apfelblütental klein und überschaubar und alle haben weiterhin engen Kontakt.

Albert freut sich für seine besten Freunde, dass sie unter einem Dach leben. Schon länger wünscht er sich eine Jungs-WG, so wie es seine Halbschwester Eileen mit ihren Freundinnen hat. Das Erwachsenenleben rückt näher und kann es kaum erwarten.

Auch Anton träumt von der Zukunft, aber die Träume der beiden könnten kaum unterschiedlicher sein. Er möchte eine kleine Familie und ist schon jetzt ganz wild auf seine Rolle als "Onkel Anton". Auch wenn seine Beziehung zu Yasmin aktuell ruht, pflegt er eine enge Freundschaft zu ihr und Yvonne.

Ilias ist von solchen Zukunftsplänen weit entfernt. Und Mädchen findet er aktuell sowieso doof, ganz besonders Nina. Da sie die beste Freundin seiner Zwillingsschwester ist, kommt sie fast täglich zu Besuch.

Oft schaut auch Ninas Vater Hannes vorbei. Zwar ist der Kontakt zwischen Ninas Mutter und ihm unterkühlt, er versteht sich aber prächtig mit seiner Tochter. Und er hat im deutlich älteren Andrew inzwischen einen guten Freund gefunden.

Gwendolin wacht als Geist über die Familie. War sie zuerst tief getroffen, dass Andrew und Larissas Liebe so schnell wieder aufflammte, so sieht sie jetzt wie glücklich alle sind.

Doch trotz der vielen glücklichen Momente ist der Alltag oft sehr hart. Die finanziellen Probleme durch Gwendolins ambitionierte Ziele bestehen noch immer und haben sich mit der sechsköpfigen Familie nur verschärft. Dazu gibt es nur ein Kinderzimmer und zu wenig Betten. Die Teenager teilen sich das Sofa im Wechsel und Vater Andrew genießt die lauen Sommernächte auf dem Liegestuhl. Alle sind erschöpft.

Die Situation spitzt sich zu, als das Sofa gepfändet wird. Larissa verbringt so viel Zeit wie möglich in der Bäckerei, aber ihr Gehalt entspricht nur einem Bruchteil der Ausgaben. An Rente ist für Andrew nicht zu denken. Besonders da aktuell weitere städtische Gebäude in Planung sind.

Jede Geldquelle wird genutzt. Darunter auch ein prächtiger Geldbaum im Garten, den Yvonne organisiert hat. Die Familie rückt in den harten Zeiten nur noch näher zusammen.

Besonders in der Liebe zwischen Andrew und Larissa zeigt sich dies und so ist sich Andrew inzwischen sicher: Larissa ist die Liebe seines Lebens. Das letzte Ersparte wird für einen Ehering mit funkelndem Kunststein ausgegeben. Natürlich hat Larissa ja gesagt!

Steht Anton der Sache noch etwas skeptisch gegenüber, so ist Arthur komplett aus dem Häuschen: seine Eltern wollen heiraten! Schon seit längerem ist ein kleines Gotteshaus mit Friedhof für die verstorbenen geplant. Doch auch schöne Momente wie eine Hochzeit könnten dort stattfinden. Die ganze Familie sucht nach alternativen Geldquellen und findet diese im edelsteinhaltigen Boden des Apfelblütentals.

Das meiste Geld verdanken sie aber Andrews Gehalt. Die Stadt steckt in den letzten Phasen des Schulbaus. Ihm wird zwar ganz anders, wenn er an die Kosten denkt, aber für die Zukunft der Kinder wäre dies ein wahrer Gewinn.

Larissa ist viel im Fitnessstudio um ein wenig Zeit für sich zu haben. Auch wenn Larissa weiß, dass Andrew ihren Job nicht unwichtiger findet, möchte auch sie mehr beitragen. Wie gut, dass sie im Fitnessstudio auf alte und neue Freunde trifft, die sofort anbieten ihr ein wenig Geld für Trainingsstunden zu geben.

Sie genießt aber auch die Abendstunden mit Charles, der fasziniert von ihrem Aliennachwuchs ist und ihr erstaunlich viele übernatürliche Erziehungstipps geben kann. Von Erziehungstipps ist Timba noch weit entfernt. Aber auch er genießt ihre Anwesenheit (vielleicht sogar ein wenig zu sehr?).

Und dann ist der große Tag gekommen. Das Gotteshaus ist fertiggestellt und das glückliche Brautpaar steht vor dem Altar.

Alle Freunde und Nachbarn sind zur Feier gekommen und gerührt von der ersten Trauung im Apfelblütental. Selbst Selma und Gwendolin, die jetzt auf dem angrenzenden Friedhof ihr Zuhause gefunden haben, sind bei der Feier dabei.

Die Kinder vergessen die harten zurückliegenden Sommertage und genießen den Abend. Alle haben sich herausgeputzt.

Die Feier geht bis tief in die Nacht. Am Ende ist nur noch das glückliche Brautpaar anwesend und genießt die Stille und einen letzten Happen vom Buffet. Die Kinder sind schon lange im Bett.

Die Hochzeit war nicht die letzte Sommerparty im Patchwork-Haushalt. Die Zwillinge feiern ihren Geburtstag und laden viele ein. Das Haus ist voll.

Und mit diesen zauberhaften Teenagern endet der Sommer im kleinen grünen Häuschen. Beide sind Wissenssims.

[crown-queen-bambee]

[ROYAL SERIES] - Henford Royal Family

King Richard and Queen Afia were 16 when they were arranged to be married. Neither one thought they would be this in love with each other. King Richard fell in love first. He loved how beautiful, intelligent, confident Queen Afia is. He made sure she was apart of everything he did. Queen Afia once saw her marriage as her duty but King Richard charm and loving nature soften her. She fell in love. The two rule England side by side. They have 3 children; Prince Amari, Princess Zola and Princess Zahra. Prince Amari is heir to the throne. //Lol I think this my last Royal Family (don't hold me too it 🤣. Now off to the nobles.

Follow my Royal RP/Storyline on Instagram: crown_queen_bambee

[chelseajackarmy]

[auxyp]

Beast in the Beauty - Kanon ~Request~

[margmarig]

Hmm. Chaosbay is still on here. I don't know who they are.

I also had to look up Virgil Fox. Apparently he was the guy playing that organ music I was listening too.

[zuko-always-lies]

Rating my list of Azula AUs by how much they appeal/are interesting to me now

It's a long list, and some of these ideas are actually quite old, so I thought it would be worth giving each AU idea a rating out of 10. Note that some of these aren't my ideas and I intend no disrespect to anyone. I just want to rate how interested I would be in a story if someone used the AU idea as a basis.

Better parenting Ursa (8/10)-Would be a banger.

Azula raises Katara AU (and continued) and more (9/10)-I've never seen anything quite like this and would be very interesting.

Azula and Katara get friendly postwar and talk about their brothers. (7/10)-Good idea for a short story?

Mai is significantly older than Azula and Ty Lee AU (Older “sister” Mai) (4/10)-Could be interesting but honestly I find canon Azula-Mai's dynamic plenty interesting on its own.

Jin works at Iroh’s teashop but finds out about his past (5/10)-Perhaps worth a shot.

Zuko tells Azula about the Spirit Water (5/10)-Too close to canon?

Ursa and Ozai get along better, and it’s not a good thing AU (4/10)-A little dark for my tastes.

Imperialist Lu Ten survives the war and tries to regain his throne afterwards (9/10)-Now that would be incredible. Lots and lots drama and lots of lighting fandom takes on fire.

Zuko finds out more about his nation AU. (5/10) Somewhat interesting.

Revolutionary Azula takes over Ba Sing Se AU. (2/10) In retrospect it feels a bit too imperialist in tone.

Three different AU ideas in one (4/10) None of them are really that great.

Favoritism in the royal family is a little different (5/10) moderately interesting.

What if Zuko had a nonbending twin sister (who he doesn’t get along with). (10/10) The Zola AU. One of the most interesting and subversive ideas I've had.

Zuko’s daughter changes how he sees Azula (7/10). Could be worth a short story.

Zuko and Ursa try to isolate Azula (“for her own good”) (9/10). Brilliant dark AU, very subversive of fandom expectations.

Ozai gets exiled and the Gaang stupidly ally with him (6/10). Could be entertaining.

Earth Kingdom ends up with custody of Azula postwar and support her bid for the Fire Nation throne when Zuko starts another war with them. (10/10). Pure, wonderful chaos and Team Avatar are really in a bind.

The Gaang tries to figure out why Zuko joined them. (3/10). Might make a good short story.

Dangerous Ladies find Ursa in Book 2. (10/10). Ursa setting canon of fire is always worth it.

Azula and Toph fake dating (1/10). Not that interested in Tophzula.

Zuko/“world leaders” try to force Aang to take away Azula’s bending and he’s very much not OK with it. (4/10). Not too interesting.

Azula is thrown away to the NWT postwar as a trinket and Chief Arnook adopts her. (9/10). Wonderful idea for how to get a fire sibling adopted by the water tribes and have it make sense.

Comics! Ursa’s letter about Zuko being a bastard gets out. (2/10). Too associated with the comics.

Zuko and Katara lie about what happened during the Agni Kai (4/10). Shrug.

An exiled Azula finds Fire Imperialist! Ursa postwar. (10/10) Absolute banger of an idea, although quite dark. Azula and Ursa unite to overthrow Zuko.

Aang has to save Azula from being executed by Zuko (5/10) OKish

Zuko’s defection during DoBS goes very badly for Mai (4/10)

Zuko joins the Gaang at Ba Sing Se, but it ends poorly (10/10) let's make the writers of all those bad Zvtara fics suffer!

Zuko killed Azula during the Agni Kai, and now he has to deal with the consequences. (6/10). Dark/

AU idea where Zuko keeps Azula permanently imprisoned in bad and torturous conditions postwar, and Izumi finds out about when she’s relatively young, and draws exactly the sort of conclusions about her parents that you would expect. Not to mention being terrified that she might be treated the same way if she missteps… (7/10). Could be interesting.

Ozai never declares Zuko and Iroh traitors (7/10). Clever idea, would destroy canon as we know it.

Iroh-Azula roleswap au (9/10). Would be absolutely incredible.

Zuko asks Azula for help with his firebending. (5/10). I really don't like the fire siblings having a good relationship very much at this point.

Zuko wants Azula to like him but doesn’t get why she doesn’t like him (postwar) (8/10). Good idea for a shorter fic.

Katara has an arranged marriage with Zuko and Azula tries to get into the good graces of her sister in law (7/10). Might be interesting.

“Katara is supposed to have an arranged marriage with Zuko, but she falls in love with Azula instead.” (10/10). No explanation needed.

Another take on Zvtara (arranged marriage) and Maizula. (6/10). Good idea but maybe a little boring.

Azula-Katara AU idea (or: Katara runs into an Azula who has changed a lot in some ways and not very much in others) (7/10). Never could quite gets this to work.

Zuko is actually Ikem’s son (2/10). Enough about the comics!

Firelord Azula ends her brother’s exile 3/10. Nothing particularly interesting.

Azula raises Izumi (it’s complicated) (8/10) Really would be worth engaging with.

“AU idea: Azula commits suicide out of despair, and just about everyone is convinced that Zuko had her murdered or at the very least “encouraged” her to do it.” (3/10). More Zuko angst.

Dangerous Ladies get banished/declared traitors and Azula basically gives up. Mai has to step up her place. (9/10), would be a very interesting look at Mai.

I have to say, “Zuko has to deal with finding out that Ursa very much isn’t who he believed she was” remains excellent fanfic fodder. (8/10). Ursa for the win!

“AU idea: Ursa is more aware of Ozai’s abuse and potential for abuse than in canon, so, right after her exile, she seeks out Iroh and charges him with protecting both of her children.” 6/10. I don't find like Iroh enough to really like an idea which had him be so central.

Firelord Iroh treats Azula in a really screwed up way. 9/10, very dark but could have great payoff.

“AU where Azula dies during the latter stages of the war or right after it, and Mai is the only person who ever morns her as a person, not as a politically convenient symbol (Ty Lee runs away from her complex feelings on Azula as much as she can).” 7/10, could be a good oneshot

Dark idea (5/10).

“Since so much of the fandom is convinced that Azula is Zuko’s older sister, I need an AU where this is true and Zuko is just as throne-obsessed as canon and spends all his time trying to usurp his older sister.” (1/10). Not really an idea which stands on its own.

“AU where Ozai has a heart attack and dies right after the fire siblings return to the Fire Nation, and Zuko and Azula have to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile, the Gaang are plotting to overthrow them and bring the war to a close once and for all…” 8/10. Could be a banger.

King Kuai adopts Azula as his heir 7/10. Interesting idea

Things get complicated, darkly (Azula exiled postwar AU) 6/10. A little convoluted.

What if Zuko tried to be a good brother 5/10. Zuko is boring.

“I really need an AU where Lu Ten returns and is pissed over Ozai’s usurpation, so he kills Ozai, seizes the throne, and continues the war. Of course, Iroh ends up supporting his actual son in all of this, and the conflict in the Fire Nation ends up boiling down to Zuko and Azula vs. Lu Ten and Iroh as the situation spirals toward civil war, at the same time the 100 years war continues.” 8/10. Nice chaotic edge.

“Maizula AU where Mai married Zuko, but he died not long after Izumi was born, and Azula and Mai are secretly carrying out a relationship while raising Izumi and ruling the Fire Nation as her regents.” 8/10. Maizula for the win. Could work as a short story.

Azula joins the Gaang with a twist… 7/10.

“The chaos which would result if Lu Ten showed up alive again in Book 1 and launched a rebellion against Ozai in pursuit of “his” throne.” (5/10). Less interesting than the other Lu Ten ideas.

Ursa opposes Firelord Zuko 7/10. More good Ursa content!

Iroh tries to kill Azula during “The Chase” (5/10). OKish.

Mai and Ty Lee on trial for “war crimes”“ and Azula has to save them 9/10, would be wonder with a great Maizulee dynamic.

[thegrimalldis]

Transcript under the cut

Has anyone seen Bridget Jones’s Baby? This scene was inspired by it 😂 I’ve had this moment on Chris’ milanote for over a year! I can’t believe I finally reached it! 

[News]: The royal family is gathering today for the private christening of Crown Prince Maximilian’s first grandchild, Lady Clarice Thompson.

-

[Thomas]: Alright, let’s have a picture of the godparents.

[Christopher]: So...how are you?

[Emilia]: I’m well, thank you.

[Thomas]: Smile.

[Emilia]: Are you here with Zola?

[Christopher]: Zola? No, I’m not here with anyone. You?

[Emilia]: No, no I’m not either.

[Thomas]: Come on, you two give me a smile. This is my daughter’s christening not a funeral. How about you give her a kiss, Chris.

- Chris kisses the side of Emi’s head.

[Thomas]: I...I was talking about the baby.

- Chris and Emi both look shocked 

[randomnameless]

Yeah, the argument that "oh Hoshido is completely pure and good while Nohr is completely corrupt and evil" is complete bs and falls apart once you analyze the information you're given throughout Fates, especially in Birthright and Conquest.

Hoshido takes little to no interest in the issues of neighbouring countries once their usefulness is at an end, to the point of Sumeragi refusing to shelter Shura and other Kohga refugees after Mokushu conquered it, just because he wouldn't benefit from helping a now-destroyed nation; Dehumanizes the fuck out of their opposition, with even the royal family being raised under the assumption that the vast majority of Nohrians are inhumane, cowardly beasts who attack other countries for fun and pleasure instead of out of necessity, as is the truth, with things getting so bad that the general populace starts killing anyone in Hoshido who has even the slightest connection to Nohr, with Haitaka going rogue and forming a small platoon for the sole purpose of kidnapping, torturing and killing Azura (with that plot point being conveniently erased from the localization, with Azura claiming that she was the only one targeted in EN); Is so misogynistic that Mikoto and Hinoka were only allowed to take the throne due to the male heirs being either too young or dead to do so themselves, with multiple of the female playable Hoshidan cast having suffered through sexism in the military in the past; And is hypocritical af when it comes to what makes them any better than Nohr in terms of their behaviour on the battlefield, doing the exact same thing Garon did to Sumeragi by ambushing both him and Corrin while they were minding their own business, only to have the gall to call Zola dishonorable for ambushing them in return.

Nohr has it's issues, like the massive resource disparity caused by the nobles and soldiers getting what little food the country has for themselves while the commoners are left to starve (solved by the end of every route thanks to Leo and/or Xander) and it's history of invading and conquering other nations due to being too proud to ask other nations for help with their resource issues (also solved at the end of every route, with Leo or Xander taking pride in the fact that the two countries will be having much better and more open cooperations between them from then on), and is ultimately more morally at fault than Hoshido when it comes to the war, since they're the agressors, but it's also a genuinely better country than Hoshido in a few ways, most notably it's people being much more open and trusting of foreigners by default, with them happily accepting Shura into their midst despite also gaining nothing from doing so, and most Nohrians having no real preconceptions against Hoshidans and being much more respectful of them than the other way around: women are also, generally, much better treated in Nohr, with few to none of the female playable Nohrians having had any issues relating to gender discrimination in the military and being free to choose what they want to do with their lives without fear of being shunned for breaking away from their expected societal roles.

Thinking that Fates in any way portrays Hoshido as solely good and Nohr as solely bad implies a heavy misunderstanding of it's story and themes imo.

(Also, yeah, idk wtf the anon was talking about with "oh Birthright is just a more simplistic version of Shadow Dragon's good blue units destroy evil red units and bring peace to the world story"; an entire chapter of that route is dedicated to showing how rough the average Nohrian has it and how they still band together and overcome adversity by living in the underground, Ryoma's character arc is to understand and soften up to Nohr, ultimately deciding to share Hoshido's surplus resources with it once he's crowned king, multiple of the Nohrians Corrin fights are portrayed in a sympathetic light, and Xander and Elise's deaths are meant to be the emotional high points of the story lol)

(Also also, Ryoma himself never knew that Nohrian land was infertile and it's commoners were suffering prior to reaching Nohr and being told as such by Silas, with him vowing to share food with the country as soon as the war was over once he found out; the Nohrian monarchs prior to Garon were too prideful to ask Hoshido for help and tried to solve all their problems by themselves and the Hoshidan monarchs prior to Ryoma didn't give a fuck about what happened outside of their own country, causing Nohr's resource shortage to only get solved by the end of Fates, though it is likely that at least one Nohrian monarch swallowed their pride, asked Hoshido's monarch for help, and got told to fuck off; no real proof of that tho)

Oh thanks!

Yeah, in general both Nohr and Hoshido are flawed, in different ways, but flawed nonetheless!

Hoshido's extreme isolationism leads them to, not understand why Nohr feels obliged to attack them (but then Mikoto makes her special "and they don't want to fight anymore!" magic, so what happens to the Nohrians who are affected by her magic? Are they killed, or do they return to Nohr or... what?).

FE, in general, always tries to have some sort nuance, not the kind that would excuse imperialism or declaring a war, but it often took the time to explain circumstances that led to the war, so the blue lord doesn't repeat the same mistakes as his forefathers.

Imo, that's why in FE1 we learn about Medeus' motivations and why Jugdral's Travant is so well liked. Zephiel even gets a prequel!

It's never as clear cut as "red empire is evil and invades for shit'n'giggles and blue lords saves the world", or at least, it never was.

[topazadine]

Writerly Questionnaire

Thanks to @the-golden-comet for the tag! I enjoyed reading your answers, especially the part about your characters!

Alright, here goes.

About Me

When did you first start writing?

I wrote my first story at age 7, started my first book at age 12 (no you can't read it, it's terrible) and published my first poem at age 15.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

Despite writing fantasy, I actually don't read much of it myself. My undergrad career focused most on British literature (specializing in Victorian lit) so that's what I'm most familiar with and what I like the most.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared?

I don't really seek to emulate anyone because I have my own unique voice, and I don't really get compared to anyone else either. If you have suggestions of what I might sound like, fire away lmao, because I don't really know who I emulate. However, I take a lot of inspiration from Willa Cather for atmosphere and Emile Zola for realism.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

I exclusively write at my desk. My setup looks like this:

I need my little guys and my Emotional Support Stuffed Cow (her name is Bluebell the Moobell because she has a little bell in her). Note the knitting I'm procrastinating on at the bottom right lmao.

What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Funnily enough, I often get inspiration from my day job as an SEO writer, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the types of stuff I write. Sometimes I'll just be hammering away at a Construction Accident Personal Injury Lawyer page and it strikes me that I need to kill one of my characters.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Sort of. I have this thing I do where I like to mentally walk through buildings I used to visit as a relaxation activity, like my childhood elementary school, so that's given me a good memory of how places are laid out. As for actual settings? No, most of those are just made up of pictures I've seen of different places that I've never visited.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Some of my recurring themes include: Degradation/transformation of memory Struggling against fate/the unknowability of fate Found family Abusive relationships Moral relativism Satisficing (choosing between multiple suboptimal outcomes to pick the least harmful option) None of them surprise me; I recognize where they come from. For example, my obsession with the degradation and transformation of memory comes from my own struggles with dissociative amnesia, and my interest in satisficing comes from my International Relations degree. My concerns about the unknowability of fate come from the fact that I had a premonition that I'd die of a heart attack at 42. And I'm 32 right now. You can imagine that this influences my process lmao.

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character? (Current WIP, past WIP, never used, etc.)

As a lesbian, I am not ashamed to say that I am deeply and passionately horny for Uileac (who you can meet in "Cachaille" or read about in 9 Years Yearning). Like how can you not go crazy for a man who thinks this is the perfect declaration of love?

He's so scary and so devoted, yet also very chill and laid-back? And funny? And athletic? And protective of his lil sis? He's just ... (screams into pillow)

Which of your characters do you think you’d be friends with in real life?

Ono. He's a Sinan royal guard who is just so sweet but also kinda dumb.

There's a scene where he has to ask Cerie what kind of menstrual products she needs for their trip, which is both mortifying and really adorable. He's just a really gentle and nice guy who I think would get along with damn near everyone.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

I think Mordrek would scare the absolute shit out of me ngl. Like ... bro just ... does this kind of shit on the regular

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

Uileac, Orrinir, and Ono were heavily inspired by Uguisumaru, Ookanehira, and Omokage from Touken Ranbu and I don't apologize for that. Obviously they are a bit different, but their personalities are quite similar. Cerie was developed from a roleplay where I was playing as Uguisumaru's made-up sister, so that's why she's Uileac's sister in Poesyverse. Haniya, Cerie's love interest, was made up by using personality testing and astrology to come up with Cerie's Perfect Match. No one knows where Mordrek came from. He just kinda showed up.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

They all have daddy issues. Every single fucking one of them.

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc.)

All the art I have for my characters was made with AI before I realized AI was absolute garbage shit, so I'm not showing it, but I did commission a painting of Cerie from the amazing artist Caleb over on Twitter:

My Writing

What’s your reason for writing?

For me, that's kind of like asking why a bird sings. It's just what I do and what I have always done.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

Definitely when someone says that my writing helped them or resonated with them. My writing gives me catharsis and it feels really good when other people say they got that same sense of catharsis.

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who “gets” the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

As someone who takes risks that pay off.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Depicting trauma without being melodramatic.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

People have told me they like how meticulous and carefully set up my stories are without infodumping or being boring. They appreciate the work that goes into planning things, how it all pays off in the end and comes together nicely without plot holes.

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

I think I've come a long way and continue to improve, which is what is most important.

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

The last Kauaʻi ʻōʻō still sang until the end. So yes.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

I write whatever the hell I feel like when I feel like it. People tend to like it, but if they don't, I enjoyed making it anyway.

Open tag!

[ancientgreekyuri]

theres a scene in blue dragon where a bunch of townsfolk become scared of the protagonists because of their ability to use magic, it's something they associate with the Big Evil Guy.... But it's kind of an unnecessary thing in the story 😭 because it gets resolved in like two seconds, Zola shows the Village Elder that she's associated with the royal kingdom and then he's like "aight lemme go tell everyone you're all normal and not evil" and that's that

The idea of the townspeople being scared of magic isn't bad... while I'm not overly fond of it, "people are suspicious of the protagonists magic abilities until they do something that undeniably proves that theyre on the side of good" is a fairly common JRPG trope. But in blue dragon it doesn't add anything to the story...

From a gameplay function I understand it's a way to guide you to the village elders house but... there's probably other ways they could've done it 😭

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Acting is not about dressing up. Acting is about stripping bare. The whole essence of learning lines is to forget them so you can make them sound like you thought of them that instant.

Glenda Jackson

Although Glenda Jackson was absent from screen and stage for nearly a quarter of a century, when she devoted herself to her political career, she managed to appear in a wide variety of roles on either side of her time as an elected MP to Parliament. 

Almost uniquely amongst actors of her generation, she managed to straddle the line between leading actress and character actor, being both a bankable star and a fascinatingly unpredictable performer who would enliven any film or production that she was in. It is hard to think that she ever gave a bad performance.

She deservedly won two Oscars during her illustrious career on both stage and screen. The second Oscar that she won, for the 1973 romantic comedy-drama A Touch of Class, was an appropriate acknowledgement of a decorous and classy performance in a decorous and classy film, and one still fondly remembered now. However, the picture that she first received an Academy Award for, Ken Russell’s inimitable 1969 DH Lawrence adaptation Women in Love, was considerably less restrained.

When she was cast, she was by no means a known international quantity. She had achieved success on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) since the early Sixties - most notably as Ophelia, opposite David Warner’s Hamlet, in Peter Hall’s legendary 1965 production - and had reprised her stage role as Charlotte Corday, the assassin of Jean-Paul Marat, in Peter Brook’s film of Peter Weiss’s play Marat/Sade, but she had never starred in a major picture. 

Until Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, Jackson had not regarded herself as a political actor, in the way Jane Fonda or Redgrave did. She had long been a Labour party member, and gave time and energy to single-issue campaigns, such as human rights, Oxfam and abortion.

She considered standing for parliament and won despite Labour overall losing to John Major in 1992. In 1997, re-elected in the Tony Blair landslide, she served briefly as a junior transport minister, but she became an increasingly critical voice on her own side, especially over the Iraq war. She was rarely heard in the Commons, but always remained a highly popular constituency MP.

She left politics and made a surprise return to acting in 2015, making waves in a BBC Radio 4 series based on the novels of Emile Zola. It was when she played King Lear on stage at the Old Vic - a role that she later reprised on Broadway in 2019 - that the ferocity and power of her performance was a reminder to many who had been too young to see her in her earlier stage roles that she was a magnificent and multi-faceted performer.

Jackson continued to appear in television and film until the end of her life. However, her last definitive role came a few years ago, in which she starred as Maud Horsham, an elderly woman suffering from dementia who attempts to solve a mystery, even as she ebbs away. She won virtually every award going for the part, including another Emmy and a Bafta,

RIP Glenda Jackson RIP 1936-2023

[disneytva]

June 2024 Programming Highlights

Thursday, June 6 Disney Original Movie – Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD “Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation” (8:00-9:30 p.m. EDT on Disney Channel/8:00-9:45 p.m. EDT on Disney XD) Thrill-seeker Cricket Green tricks his country family into taking a “road trip” in space, which ends up endangering all of Big City. TV-Y7

Friday, June 7 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends “Zola’s Novel Idea/Greatest Hits” (3-14) (9:30-10:00 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/10:00-10:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Zola’s Novel Idea” – Zola steals the Bookmobile and the writer Millicent McKeen. *Yvette Nicole Brown (“Pupstruction”) guest stars as Millicent McKeen.

“Greatest Hits” – The villains team up to steal back their old inventions from the museum’s new exhibit. TV-Y

Friday, June 14 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel SuperKitties “Bone Bandit/Cheesy Chase” (2-07) (7:30-8:00 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/8:00-8:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Bone Bandit” – To guard a new dinosaur bone, Buddy must learn to pay attention.

“Cheesy Chase” – Sparks relies on his problem-solving skills to stop Cat Burglar and Lab Rat from stealing a giant cheese wheel. *Justin Guarini (“American Idol”) reoccurs as Cat Burglar. TV-Y

Friday, June 21 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel SuperKitties “Seed Stealer/Dastardly Dumpster” (2-08) (7:30-8:00 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/8:00-8:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Seed Stealer” – The SuperKitties teach Zsa-Zsa that if she takes care of planted seeds, they’ll grow into fruits and veggies for everyone to enjoy.

“Dastardly Dumpster” – Lab Rat and Otto drop trash on Kittydale. TV-Y

Thursday, June 27 Original Series – Series Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Disney Jr.’s Ariel “Atlantica Day/A Winner’s Spirit” (1-01) (9:00-9:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/10:00-10:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Atlantica Day” – Ariel is given the chance to write a new song to celebrate Atlantica and all of its special inhabitants.

“A Winner’s Spirit” – Ariel goes too far in trying to help Flounder win the All-Atlantica Swim Race and learns an important lesson about letting your friends go at their own pace. TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Disney Jr.’s Ariel “Ursula’s Magic Camp/Fernie’s Notebook” (1-02) (9:25-09:50 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/10:25-10:50 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Ursula’s Magic Camp” – When Lucia wants to earn a badge at Ursula’s Magic Camp, Ariel and Ursula help her learn that keeping things small and simple is the best way to reach her goal.

“Fernie’s Notebook” – Fernie worries he won’t do a good job in the Open Market Show and Tell after he loses his trusty fish facts notebook. TV-Y

Friday, June 28 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Disney Jr.’s Ariel “Crystal Cavern Caper/A Banner Moment” (1-04) (9:00-9:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/10:00-10:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Crystal Cavern Caper” – Ariel tries to stop a pesky hermit crab from stealing her land treasures.

“A Banner Moment” – When Ariel is tasked with being the royal banner carrier for Atlantica’s parade, she thinks it’s a small job and doesn’t take it seriously. TV-Y

Friday, June 28 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Zombies: The Re-Animated Series "Re-Senior Year / I Scream Zoda" (1-01) (8:00-9:22 PM. EDT on Disney Junior/11:00-11.22pm. EDT on Disney Channel)

"Re-Senior Year" - Using A-spen’s alien time warp technology, Zed and Addison start their senior year all over again, so they can redo it with all their friends.

"I Scream Zoda" - Zed creates a new drink called zoda that turns the entire school into zoda-obsessed zombies.

TV-PG

[princess-of-the-corner]

Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix Recap: Port Royal (He's a Pirate)

First of all, credit to Mudarrow and KH Wiki.

Second of all, I forgot to mention this: To complete the Titan Cup in Jiminy’s Journal, you need to finish with a score of 5000 or more. All you have to do to unlock it is clear the Hades Cup.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled recap.

In order to reunlock the last three Disney Worlds, we’re gonna have to clear Port Royal first.

The game opens on the stone chest that holds the cursed Aztec gold.

X of Organization XIII appears to be very interested in the cursed medallions.

The cutscene ends as he approaches the chest.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive at the Rampart, and Goofy notices that something (I’m guessing sound, but this isn’t a voice acted cutscene) is coming from the port.

Sora suggests they check it out, and the player is given control of Sora.

Progressing to the Harbor reveals that Captain Jack Sparrow has gotten into a tussle with some Undead Pirates.

“Zola! Some assistance!” the Captain shouts over his shoulder.

“That’s SORA, Donald, and Goofy!” Sora corrects, even though Jack only got his name wrong (in the novelization, him getting SDG’s names wrong is a running gag).

“Will ye leave a mate to perish?” Jack asks as “He’s a Pirate” starts playing.

“Aye-aye,” Sora deadpans, before running into battle to help him.

Captain Jack Sparrow rejoins the party, and you just have to defeat all the pirates to progress.

After the last undead pirate falls, Sora notes that the pirates were cursed.

“I thought we’d seen the last of the curse of the Aztec gold…” Sora remarks as he, Donald, and Goofy turn to Jack Sparrow, “What gives?”

“Some scallywag must’ve got greedy,” Jack theorizes.

SDG give him a Look.

“Oh I see,” he remarks, “You don’t trust me, do you?”

Donald and Goofy nod.

“Likely a wise choice,” Jack praises, “I AM a pirate, mates.”

“Jack! Sora!”

Elizabeth runs up to Jack and our trio of heroes.

Sora greets her, while a thought bubble reveals that Jack is aware that she’s going to try and get him involved in “sticky business”.

Elizabeth stops him from leaving, and explains that the cursed pirates have returned.

“Will had to find out why…” she elaborates, “so he went to Isla de Muerta – to check on the Aztec treasure.”

She’s not seen him since then, and so asks the others to take her to him.

Jack tells her to do it herself, much to her unamused reaction.

She reminds him (in a dry tone you don’t need voice acting to hear) that it would require sailing to a faraway island and fighting off cursed pirates.

“Well, if any lass could…” Jack starts.

“Are you sure he’s in trouble?” Sora asks.

“No, not certain,” Elizabeth admits, “But he’s been gone far too long.

“I wanted to go with him, but he insisted I stay here.

“I can’t just sit and wait! I’ve got to know if he’s all right.”

Jack remarks that Will is a lucky man, but wants to know what’s in it for him if he helps Elizabeth.

Elizabeth responds by pointing out that Jack still owes Will for saving his life, and Jack finally agrees to help.

In order to progress, you need to head onto the dock, at which point Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jack Sparrow, and Elizabeth will automatically board the Black Pearl.

You can pick up a few Puzzle Pieces (since you can actually explore the Black Pearl for the first time), and then talk to Jack Sparrow to access the ocean map.

Select Isla de Meurta as your destination to continue.

After dealing with the enemy ambush, a cutscene plays.

Goofy looks off over the open ocean.

“Interceptor off the starboard bow!” he shouts.

Our heroes (and Jack) rush up to see the ship lazily drifting towards them, and Elizabeth notices Will’s unconscious body draped over the side of the ship.

She calls out his name, and Jack pays his respects.

“Stop that, Jack,” Elizabeth snaps, “We’ve got to rescue him!”

In the hold of the Black Pearl, Elizabeth wakes Will up.

“Elizabeth…”

“What happened?” she asks.

“The medallions… and… the stone chest – someone’s taken them…” Will explains, “Next thing I knew, we were attacked… but I couldn’t see who it was – his face was shrouded… in a black hood.”

“The Organization!” Sora remarks.

“We found a way out of the cave…” Will continues, “but the villain sent a horde of terrible creatures after us… I’ve never seen their likes before…

“I think I’m the only one who made it back to the ship…”

“Will…”

“Elizabeth… I feel rather…”

Will passes out again.

“Our turn, guys,” Sora remarks.

“You’d best go prepared,” Elizabeth replies, “We’ve no idea what’s out there.”

“Pardon me, lads and lass,” Jack intercepts, “but your captain will have no monsters today.

“Thank ye. We’re turning for home.”

“Just like that?” Elizabeth asks as Jack turns to walk towards the deck.

“Just like that!” Jack answers.

I suggest you save before going above deck.

Jack Sparrow is taken aback the second he steps onto the deck of the Black Pearl.

“Don’t remember invitin’ you,” he remarks.

The camera cuts to reveal the stone chest of Aztec gold on the deck, with X emerging from a Corridor of Darkness right next to it.

“So it was the Organization,” Sora states, “We’ll handle this!”

X briefly holds up a hand, then starts pacing and talking.

“The darkness of men’s hearts – drawn to these cursed medallions;” he opens, “and this Heartless – a veritable maelstrom of avarice:”

A large, skeletal, ghost-like Emblem Heartless, wielding a scythe-like pendulum, materializes behind him.

“I wonder, are they worthy to serve Organization XIII?”

“You want an answer now?” Jacka asks as “Sinister Shadows” starts playing.

“Precisely!” X answers as he vanishes through a Corridor of Darkness.

Cue boss battle with the Grim Reaper.

It can only attack by swinging its scythe around itself. It can also teleport to try and avoid damage.

Defeating it grants Sora Horizontal Slash (Unleashes a powerful attack that hits a target from left to right during a midair combo with [guard button]), Donald +4 Max HP, Goofy Draw (attract dropped items and prizes from a greater distance), and Jack Sparrow +15 Max HP.

The defeated Heartless falls into the ocean.

“Oh boy!” Donald cheers.

“Not over yet!” Sora reminds him, as X is standing behind the stone chest.

The Nobody pulls back his hood, revealing him to have blond hair and a beard, plus five earrings, two on his left ear, three on his right. All in all, probably the most normal-looking member of Organization XIII.

This is Luxord, and I promise you that you aren’t pronouncing that name correctly.

“Throw him overboard!” Captain Jack Sparrow orders.

“Aye-aye!” Sora agrees.

“Parley!“ Luxord declares.

“’Scuse me?” Jack replies.

“Barley?” Goofy questions.

“It’s a bit of a pirates’ code,” Jack explains, “Anyone who invokes ‘parley’ must not be harmed ‘til negotiations are complete.”

“This is no time for rules!” Sora protests.

“True,” Jack concedes, “But as we’re honorable pirates we should always stick to the Code.” He turns his attention to Luxord. “All right you, out with it!”

“I surrender the chest with my humblest apologies,” Luxord answers.

“Rather accommodating of you, mate,” Jack replies, “And for that you want…?”

“Just a few souvenirs…” Luxord answers as he reaches into the chest, “for the memories!”

“Huh?” Jack replies.

Luxord throws four cursed medallions into the air, letting four of his personalized Nobody subordinates grab one each and scatter over the edges of the ship.

“Oh no!” Goofy shouts, “We can’t stop the curse unless we have all the medallions!”

“Our friend’s about to learn what it means to cross a pirate,” Jack seethes.

“Oh?” Luxord questions as the ship rumbles.

The Grim Reaper bursts from the ocean, now rotten and surrounded by three ghostly skulls (each one alight with blue flames).

“Sora! Donald! Goofy!” Jack shouts, “He’s yours!”

The Grim Reaper swings its scythe, hitting Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack Sparrow with a powerful gust of wind that sends them flying onto the Interceptor.

Luxord raises a hand.

“Fire!”

The Black Pearl’s cannons fire.

Will and Elizabeth step up on deck, and are helpless to do anything but watch as the Interceptor is blown apart.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy wake up on the wreckage of the Interceptor to find Jack Sparrow is now undead.

“You stole a cured medallion again?!” Sora exclaims in disbelief.

“Were I only that fortunate…” Jack Sparrow remarks.

“Fortunate?” Donald questions.

“So, uh, how come you’re all skeleton-y?” Goofy asks.

“Perhaps I got a touch o’ somethin’ from that monster what attacked us,” Jack guesses, “Yet, why’s the skin restin’ right on you three?”

“’Cause we’re not greedy!” Donald declares, prompting Sora and Goofy to give him a funny look, “What’re you looking at?”

“That still doesn’t solve the mystery,” Sora points out.

Jack turns around and walks off, reverting back to normal when out of the moonlight.

“Gawrsh…” Goofy remarks, trying to speak quietly but failing, “Maybe the reason we’re all okay is because we’re not from this world.” Jack pauses in his step.

“There must be different laws,” Donald observes.

“Yeah… we’re always just passing through…” a dour Sora notes, “Wonder when we’ll see home again…”

“Sora…” a worried Donald speaks up.

“Heh!’ Sora forces himself to perk up, “Just kiddin’ you.

“Lucky we didn’t get cursed, huh?”

“Quit yammerin’, mates!” Jack chimes in, “We’ve got to find ourselves a ship that’ll float.”

Welcome to the Ship Graveyard. The Interceptor’s Hold has a Puzzle Piece, and a treasure chest that holds the Feather Charm.

The Feather Charm allows Sora to summon Peter Pan.

Peter flies alongside Sora and attacks enemies with his dagger. Sora’s command menu remains pretty much unchanged, outside of the “Summon” Command now kickstarting Peter’s limit.

Additionally, Tinkerbell flies around Sora, healing 5 HP every 5 seconds. Her face even appears in a tiny portrait next to Sora’s and Peter’s throughout the Summon. Just like in the first game, she can even revive Sora the first time his HP runs out while Peter Pan is summoned (although her portrait will disappear after this). It costs 3 Drive Gauges to summon him.

His Limit is “Never Land”.

Tinkerbell boops Sora on the nose as photographs of Neverland (as it was depicted in the first game) flash on screen, before he and Peter fly into the air. The “Attack” Command becomes “Tiny Fairy” (deals more damage and blows the enemies away) and the “The Flying Boy” Reaction Command becomes available (drags enemies into the air, dealing weaker-yet-constant damage).

Using them enough time produces the finisher: Journey’s End (Sora and Peter deal damage to surrounding enemies as a photograph of Sora sealing Neverland’s Keyhole appears on the screen).

Ahem, as for Port Royal itself, outside of the Ship Graveyard: Intercept’s Hull, you arrive at the Ship Graveyard: Seadrift Row. One of the items you can find here in a normal chest is the King’s Recipe, which allows you to synthesize Goofy’s strongest weapon, Save the King (+9 strength, +0 magic, Item Boost for the ability). Also, unrelated to the game itself, but KH Wiki incorrectly lists the “Queen Recipe” as necessary for synthesizing Save the King.

Once the party moves past Seadrift Row, they arrive at the Ship Graveyard: Seadrift Keep, where Donald spots one of the Nobodies Luxord sent out with the medallions.

Though the Nobody appears to be made of empty clothing in a shape vaguely reminiscent of a humanoid version of the Organization’s insignia, it is actually a Gambler one of Luxord’s servants. As this is a lone Gambler, it’s easy enough to defeat, but all Gambler’s actually have the following two Reaction Commands.

“Stop Dice” can be used when the Gambler prepares a dice attack. This starts a minigame. If Sora can activate the Reaction Command when it shows an “O”, he’ll win and be rewarded with Munny. If he activates it when it’s an “X” instead, or lets 3.5 seconds pass, he’ll temporarily be transformed into a living Dice (his own face displayed on the “one pip” face) and will be powerless to do anything but bounce around until the transformation wears off.

“Begin Game” can be used when the Gambler prepares a card attack. Sora’s Commands in the Command Menu will all be replaced with “X”-es. However, a single “O”, will rapidly move between the Command Menu’s options. Hit the “O” to win Munny and stun all nearby gamblers. Hit an “X” or let 3.3 seconds pass to transform Sora into a card instead.

With “Jackpot” they’ll drop even more Munny when you win their games, and with “Drive Converter” they’ll drop Drive Orbs instead, making them a good enemy for grinding out levels for Master Form.

When the Gambler is destroyed, it leaves behind one of the stolen medallions, with Jack revealing they only have three left to recover.

“A pirate must have a keen eye,” he explains, “Else he won’t be sailin’ free for very long. Savvy?”

Elizabeth and Will Turner sail up with the Black Pearl to pick up our heroes and Captain Jack Sparrow.

The party has recovered a Cursed Medallion and retrieved a Map of the Ship Graveyard.

In a text box cutscene, Sora explains how Organization XIII’s behind everything that’s gone wrong recently.

Goofy has no idea where they went, but Will reveals that the hooded man (Luxord, but he never said his name so only Jiminy knows that), took the pirates and his creatures with him when he left.

Thus, our party has a new objective: Track down the remaining three medallions and return them to the chest.

How do you do this?

Gamblers can be found in some of the normal enemy spawns at the Ship Graveyard or Isla de Muerta.

If the Gambler has a Medallion, you’ll have a time limit to defeat the Gambler before it automatically despawns. I don’t know if this is an automatic game over, or if it just means you have to track that specific Gambler down again, but the Gamblers aren’t particularly tough enemies either way, so the real threat will be the Undead Pirates who might protect them, as they’re COMPLETELY invincible unless you can lure them out into the moonlight.

Collecting all the medallions causes the party to automatically return to the Black Pearl, wherein they discuss what to do next.

Namely, return the medallions to the chest.

Will figures it’d be with the hooded man, and thus Sora suggests he’d take it and the Heartless to Port Royal. After all, Organization XIII is after people’s hearts.

Will is horrified at the idea of the Organization siccing the Heartless on the townspeople, and even Jack Sparrow doesn’t even BOTHER trying to contain his disgust as he notes that the Organization “makes we pirates look like proper gents!” as he’s still fed up over having somehow been cursed.

Jack doesn’t even need much convincing to go protect the people of Port Royal, as he’s just as eager as everyone else to stop whatever the Organization’s plan is.

Before you enter the boss fight, make sure Donald has Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder Magic equipped. Talk to Jack Sparrow when you’re ready, because the battle will begin as soon as you arrive in Port Royal.

Indeed, the Grim Reaper is waiting for the party as soon as they disembark from the Black Pearl, hovering above the stone chest.

“Go!” Jack Sparrow orders before running off, “He’s for me!”

The Grim Reaper chases after the captain, allowing Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Will to dump the Cursed Medallions into the stone chest.

As soon as Sora drops the medallions in, the Grim Reaper reverts back to its uncursed form.

But Jack Sparrow is still a skeleton.

It seems as if the Heartless was the source of the curse, rather than the cursed gold, and thus they’ll need to destroy it in order to lift the curse and solve the Undead Pirate Problem.

Unfortunately, right as they realize this, the Grim Reaper strikes the stone chest with its weapon, scattering several medallions and even sucking up a few in order to turn itself undead again.

Cue boss battle!

At the start of the battle, there are only 652 Medallions in the chest.  107 are held by the Grim Reaper, and the rest are scattered across the ground.

The Grim Reaper can spin its weapon above its head to create a cyclone that’ll let it suck up loose medallions. It can also direct the burning skulls orbiting its body to attack in its stead. If an attack hits Sora while he’s carrying medallions, he’ll drop his medallions, allowing the Heartless to collect them.

In order to make the Grim Reaper drop medallions, you have to use magic to make it drop them. Fire causes it to run around flailing, Thunder makes it bounce, and Blizzard freezes it in place, each attack causing it to “bleed” medallions.

Melee attacks make the Grim Reaper drop MP orbs when its in its undead form.

When Sora is near the chest, he can use the “Return” Reaction Command to put all of the Medallions he’s carrying back in the chest.

The Grim Reaper is only vulnerable when all 882 medallions are in the chest, as that reverts it back to its base form.

Once it’s vulnerable, it more or less fights exactly like it did back in its first battle, but it can ALSO strike the stone chest with a gust of wind to blow out and suck up a couple hundred medallions.

When depleted to 70% HP, it gets an extra trick while undead: It can plant itself by the chest and start sucking out even MORE medallions.

When it starts doing this, Sora needs to run up to its weapon and use the “Hinder” Reaction Command to spin around it, stopping the Medallion draining. This leads into “Loot Launch” which allows Sora to strike the heartless with its own weapon, scattering many of the medallions it had already consumed.

When the Grim Reaper is on its last legs, it will absorb ALL of the medallions and vanish into its burning skulls, supersizing the skulls so they can stomp all over the battlefield and send out fiery shockwaves. You just need to survive the onslaught.

Also, if you let it curse itself AGAIN at even lower HP, the Grim Reaper will counter the “Return” Reaction Command by planting itself near the chest to suck the returned medallions right back out, which can be used to bait it into an ideal position of using “Hinder” and “Loot Launch” to knock even MORE medallions out of it.

Defeating the Grim Reaper rewards Sora with a Magnet Element (upgrading “Magnet” to “Magnera”), Donald with Flare Force (Grants Sora access to Donald’s “Duck Flare” limit command. Donald rides on Sora’s shoulders, granting him the “Rocket Flare” Reaction Command. “Rocket Flare” sends a series of target-seeking rockets. Using Rocket Flare four times grants “Megaduck Flare” the finishing move. Donald conjures a barrage of firework rockets to home in on a single enemy and damage all the surrounding ones), Goofy gets +4 Max HP, and Jack Sparrow gets +15 Max HP.

Defeating the Heartless did indeed break the curse on Jack, but Luxord was still able to capture the Grim Reaper’s captive heart after it was defeated.

“Sora, bravo!” he praises, before vanishing into a Corridor of Darkness.

Jack Sparrow asks what his deal is, and Sora explains that he’s part of an Organization that’s collecting hearts.

“First, they release Heartless into different worlds,” Sora explains, “We defeat those Heartless. Then, they get the hearts.

“We’re never gonna stop them like this!”

“What’s the plan, then?” Jack Sparrow asks.

“We’ve got to find their stronghold and finish them off once and for all,” Sora declares.

Jack Sparrow answers, truthfully, that it’s probably the strangest tale he’s ever heard.

Will and Elizabeth ask what they can do to help, and Jack notes that there’s something they CAN do to make Sora’s job a little easier.

As the camera fades out, Secret Ansem’s Report 6 is unlocked:

My choice to befriend darkness here in the midst of nothingness was a sound one.

The moment I stared straight ahead with a calm heart, neither rejecting darkness nor fearing it, I gained a newfound power.

A superhuman power—the power of darkness.

It is likely Xehanort and the others were enraptured by this power, eventually becoming its prisoners.

I do not intend to allow my heart to be devoured by the darkness, as they did, of course.

With this new power, I uncovered a "corridor of darkness” that connects the realm of nothingness to the outside world. While it is still difficult to come and go as I please, my banishment is now a thing of the past.

To deceive Xehanort and my apprentices, I first used my power to change form before returning to the realm of light.

As I had suspected, Xehanort had become a Heartless.

Under my name, he commanded other Heartless in quests to snatch away the hearts of many different worlds.

At the center of the heart Xehanort has stolen was “Kingdom Hearts,” which attracts tremendous darkness itself and attempts to send any and all matter back into its depths.

The other five have disappeared. Have they become Heartless, like Xehanort?

Or did they vanish after Xehanort exploited them?

I became familiar with an unusual “entity” while pursuing the truth.

It is the soul and body that remain when a being loses its heart.

When a Heartless is born, these entities disappear from the realm of light, to be reborn as entirely new beings in a completely different realm.

Back on the high seas, Jack, Will, and Elizabeth dump the stone chest into the depths of the ocean, ensuring that it and its cursed gold will be forever lost to the abyss.

Organization XIII will never weaponize the curse again.

Jack Sparrow then claims that he only did this because he couldn’t have the Organization and the Heartless competing with pirates like him, with Elizabeth noting that they thought he was trying to help the townsfolk. Jack claims that a pirate always looks for profit first and foremost, and Sora jokingly notes that he thought he had turned over a new leaf.

“The question is, what’s beyond the leaf? Savvy?” Jack Sparrow replies.

Elizabeth realizes Jack wants a reward, and Jack confirms that he wants the Keyblade.

Sora acquiesces immediately, much to Jack’s confusion and suspicion, knowing immediately that there’s some kind of catch.

So, he’s not surprised at all when the Keyblade magically returns to Sora’s hand. While Sora implies that having the Black Pearl should be enough for Jack Sparrow, Jack just figures he can put together a pirate crew and take the Keyblade himself later on, figuring he’ll figure out a way to hold onto it for more than a fraction of a second by then. He notes that he’d like Will and Elizabeth to join his crew once he has the Keyblade, and Elizabeth agrees pretty much instantly, perhaps figuring that there’s no way Jack would ACTUALLY be able to take Sora’s Keyblade.

Goofy ponders that Jack might be able to wield a Keyblade himself someday, noting how similar he and Sora are (???).

“Are not!” Jack and Sora reply in perfect unison.

Cue everyone laughs ending!

Port Royal’s story closes on Jack Sparrow sailing the Black Pearl off into the distance as Will, Elizabeth, and Sora note that Jack’s the best pirate to ever sail the Spanish Main, “He’s a Pirate” playing in the background.

Back in Gummi Space, Chip and Dale pick up the same weird reading from before, noting that it gets stronger every time Sora helps somebody.

With that, Agrabah and Halloween Town have been reunlocked.

And with Magnera, we can continue Atlantica’s story. (Behind Atlantica, a massive city the size of five worlds is slowly becoming visible.) Next time, it’s back to Atlantica.

-

Honestly I like this boss battle.

Don’t get me wrong it sounds like absolute hell to playthrough but the mechanics, in theory, are neat!

Also Jack being sure that if anyone could go off on their own and save the day it’d be Elizabeth.

[novapark]

Full Name:  Terra Delphine Zola Novari  Traits: Self - Assured, Loyal, High Maintenance, Squeamish, and Evil.  Birth Date: June 16th, 2001 Gender: Cis Home Country: Viridis (Sunset Isles) Current Location:  SimDonia  Education: International School Graduate (basically a politics oriented private school) Occupation:  Noble  Titles: Doma (lady) Affiliations: Viridi Royal Family Parents:  Princess Estra Novari  Siblings: Poppea, Gianna, Micah, Nadia, Ashra, Zarina, Rosalina, Farrah, Petra, and Magnus Children: None Sexuality: Straight but on the aromantic side. Not to say she cannot experience a connection with someone but she loves herself first.  Significant Other(s): None   Height: 5'4 Weight: 109 lbs Race:  Darkened Kasari  Eye Color:  Green and Purple  Hair Color: Red Skin color: A Sun-Kissed Pale Glasses or contact lenses? None  Distinguishing features: Heterochromia and pointed ears.  Tattoos:  Novari House Brand Piercings:  Just Ears How do they dress? Style (Elegant, shabby etc.):  Eclectic  Hairstyle: Prefers it Long   Favorite Color(s): Yellow and Green Bad Habits:  Obsessed with her phone and social media Hobbies: Singing, Playing Piano, Dancing, Clubbing, Fashion, Modeling, Grifting, Shopping Special Skills:  Keepin that to myself rn. Fluent Languages:  Sorori, Simlish  Introvert/Extrovert:  Extrovert  Alignment: chaotic neutral, though sometimes chaotic evil when she gets spiteful  Religious Affiliation:  Sorori Polytheism General Spirituality: A devout of Cali (he's kinda like their Apollo) but largely ignores the other gods because they are "ugly and uninteresting."

[these-detestable-hands]

Ayo now that you've finished your Fire Emblem Fates game (more or less), who are your favorite characters and why?

I know Leo and Camilla are two, and you said it's because of their siblings dynamic and stuff, but I don't think you elaborated on that...

(I also kinda wanna tell you who my favorites were, but it depends on whether I have the time between my hectic-ass work. AGAIN.)

Oooo ofc!! Let's go :3

Azama! He's a sarcastic jerk and overall silly and fun and I like parent characters.

Mitama! I like that she's just sleepy and a writer, she's just like me!! Her sibling supports with Kana are adorable.

Zola! He's freaky and slimey in a fun way.

Silas. I like how he's super insistent on the fact that he knows Corrin even though we don't remember him lol.

Shura!! Messed up tragic past. He's like an old man version of Constance :]

Orochi!! I really really love her supports with Kaze and Azama cause she's just sillaayyy.

Reina. I LOVE WOMEN WHO KILL!!!!

Scarlet. I love her entire thing of being a Nohrian who hates the royal family AND she's a wyvern rider!!

Sophie!! I like that she's kinda clumsy and can't really control her horse. Huge fan of silly girls.

Midori!! Her smiling sprite is absolutely adorable and I love her paralogue. She's just very cute and I love how silly she is.

SELKIE.. Again, she's just a silly gal!! :]

Iago!! I'm a villain liker :3

Elise!! I like how she's very insistent on trying to solve all the big problems by just talking and it eventually gets her killed. I feel like I can relate to her a lot in some ways.

[this-is-the-ticket]

020 Show Notes

The ongoing This is the Ticket Top 250 Movies List!

Double Indemnity per Cinephilia & Beyond - you can read the script in here!

Janicza Bravo's Zola

Sean Penn's The Pledge with Jack Nicholson

Sally Field with Fuckface McGee (Max Greenfield)

Meryl Streep being sooooo gorgeous in Manhattan

Sam Mendes' Empire of Light

Sam Mendes' production of Company

Casey has seen these James Bonds - Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, Casino Royale (2006)

Teenagers reacting to The Beatles on American Bandstand (March 1967)

Michael Jackson doing the robot

Michael Jackson doing the moonwalk for the first time

An early draft of 10 Things I Hate About You

Every Frame a Painting on Spielberg's Oners

CANDYMAN (1992)!

People still do live in Cabrini-Green.

Candyman script for your reading pleasure

Philip Glass' score for Candyman.

Tony Todd is 6'5.

The script for Jackie Brown!