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peralta-guaranteed · 3 years

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Jake and Amy single parents AU.

Pretty please! :))

oh! Oh, I strangely love this one!

- Amy is a police-widow with little Mac (no, Teddy was not the father, it was a non-canon detective), while Jake is at the better end of a really messy divorce from Sofia, who very quickly handed over all alimony of Maya to him to focus on her career.

-Amy tries her best to juggle the newly single parent life with her full-time position running a bookshop, while Jake is not too happy about having to bring Maya in to the precinct all the time, but it can’t be helped (and Scully makes a surprisingly good babysitter). The squad’s had his back through the entire break-up, and they all love his little girl to bits, so at least she won’t be missing the family aspect in her life - and will always have an amazing female role model in her Auntie Rosa, who’s already planning to teach her Spanish just so she can trashtalk her dad with her without Jake knowing

- Mac + Maya meet at daycare and absolutely hit it off, despite the age difference of two years. Mac has apparently seen another curly headed toddler and immediately decided to brother the sh*t out of her. He takes her along to all his games and helps her pick colours for her pictures and shares his apple slices with her in exchange for a bit of sandwich (which is much nicer anyway).

- the daycare workers absolutely adore the little duo, and can’t help remarking how much they look like siblings anyway. So of course Jake has to meet the mom of the adorable little boy who always bring his daughter over to him for pickup by holding her hand.

- he’s a bit afraid of having to deal with the usual “Aw they’re little boyfriend and girlfriend” comments he’s expecting, but obviously Amy is having none of that. Instead, she tells him how glad she is that Mac has found a little friend to protect. “He’s always trying to protect everyone so much, ever since his dad... well...”

- (Jake knew, distantly, that she was the widow of one of his colleagues from another precinct, but apart from the usual condolences they’d all sent it had never really registered in his mind that there was a wife and a child left behind.)

- “Oh well Maya is so happy too. She’s a bit shy and scared at the moment, so having a big friend help her get out of her shell is great. Your little boy is a sweetheart, too.”

- Amy smiles at him, and he’s pretty sure his heart should not be doing what it’s doing, so he beats it down and tries his best to ignore it. Which is hard, because she smiles at him a lot in the coming months when they meet up for playdates, Mac over excited to show Maya all his favourite spots at the park or the coolest fish at the aquarium.

- Jake moans during one of their meet-ups about a case that has been dragging on forever and is going to need an allnighter to finally be solved, and his partner Boyle is really trying his best alone, but he’s the primary on it and- it feels great to talk about it with someone who understands, outside of his squad, even if Amy sometimes nods with the saddest look on her face when he mentions parts of his job. But she offers him last minute babysitting if he ever needs it, considering her job finishes promptly at 5pm each day, and he can’t help but take her offer when another case hits that needs him on a stake out at 10pm.

- so Maya gets a lovely sleepover with Mac, and Amy gets the biggest box of her favourite pralines as a thank you, because Jake has never, not once, given Maya to a babysitter to go to his job without feeling remorse and guilt, not even his own mom, but he had to deal with none of that when Maya gladly ran up the stairs to Amy’s place where Mac was already shouting her name.

- needless to say that Amy and Jake become the great friends they always are over time. He brings coffee and muffins to their park playdates, and she brings over frozen meals from Mac’s abuela for kid movie marathons at Jake’s place. They know each other’s schedules to help out with the kids, Jake has convinced everyone in his friend group and workplace to only buy books at her store from now on, and Amy is already planning the christmas gift she needs to pack for Maya and her daddy.

- it would be a nice, supportive friendship of equals, and a good help in their single parent life, if it wasn’t for the fact that Jake realised about three playdates in that he was falling for Amy faster than a shooting star. It took her a little longer, but realisation hit when she was packing Mac’s lunchbox, her own lunchbox, and Maya’s lunchbox too after a sleepover, and subconsciously already wanted to bag up a fourth set of sandwiches with some gummy bears and a soda thrown in for good measure.

- Rosa tells him to ‘grow a pair and ask her out, she sounds perfect for both you and Maya’ when Jake confides in her. And that is rare praise coming from Diaz, because no one is good enough for Maya in her eyes, sometimes not even Jake himself. But he can’t take advantage of Amy’s friendship like that, not when it risks losing both her and Mac for Maya... and there is always the underlying fear that Maya will bond with a new woman in her life and be left behind yet again if they don’t work out, just like with her mom, whose biggest contribution to her life since the divorce has been the alimony payments each month.

- Kylie, meanwhile, warns Amy not to risk too much when she confides in her. She sadly remembers the many days she had to spend at her friend-coworker’s side after the funeral, cleaning out half of a closet and half of a shared home, basically. She’d been hoping that Amy would find love again, maybe in a few years time, but when she heard the news about her ‘great new friend’ being a detective himself, her heart dropped because she knew what that might be heading towards, and Amy very much shares her fears. She’d vowed to an absolute ‘no cops’ rule for her planned restart of dating in two years, perfectly scheduled with Mac’s start of school.

- as it is, both of them dance around their emotions in a perfectly synchronised waltz while still getting closer and closer as friends and parents, to the point that the daycare workers don’t even bat an eye anymore when Amy brings both Mac and Maya in, or when Jake picks both of them up into his arms with an excited ‘ready for ice cream and games?!’ before they meet up with Amy for a Coney Island afternoon.

- until one day, when the daycare offers a ‘star gazing sleep over’ event after the story of the stars and night sky was the theme of the week, and it falls right on the day Amy and Jake were planning to take the kids to a movie. “We could still go.” Jake mumbles while Maya runs into the daycare center, not shy at all anymore, and Mac follows her. “You want to go see Paddington’s Big Adventure... without the kids?” Amy jokes, but he looks so serious. “No, of course not, but I mean - we - uh - we both got the evening off now, don’t we? I told my captain I won’t be in no matter what. Seems like a waste of time just going home. We could see that period drama you talked about, that will definitely get an Oscar?”

- Amy hesitates only for a second, but they do go. They watch the drama that Jake has to admit is pretty damn good for a movie where nothing explodes or is set on fire, and that praise does not only come from the fact that Amy grabbed his hand with a gasp during a particularly emotional scene, and then kind of forgot to let go afterwards.

- but then the movie ends and Jake still doesn’t want to go home. Neither does Amy, apparently, because she offers up an ‘amazing 24h diner’ around the corner for some late night snacks, during which they laugh and flick chocolate chips at each other and end up blushing like mad when the waitress comments on what a ‘cute couple’ they are.

- he walks her to her front door, and they both kinda don’t know what to do as they say goodbye, because this kind of date night should usually end on a kiss, but it wasn’t really a date, was it, they would’ve taken the kids along if it hadn’t been for the day care event, and-

- “Ames, I’m - this is terrifying, but I think I’ll hate myself even more for not ever saying anything - and, and, I kind of, maybe, I think you might also-” She takes his hand again, a lot softer than she did in the cinema. “I think this is the kind of talk that needs a coffee and a good couch.”

- That’s how they end up at her place that Jake already knows so well from bringing Maya over, from the perfectly styled bookcases down to the absolute mess of a playroom that is Mac’s kingdom. They both grip their coffee cups tightly as they talk it all out, about what they’re afraid of, what they would risk if they gave ‘them’ a try.

- “I wouldn’t ever want to put Mac through losing another cop-dad even if it wasn’t from work, and I won’t let Maya lose another mom.” “Me neither. And I promised Mac I’d never forget his papa, but... I can clearly see him love his new daddy, too. He already looks up to you so much. He wants a flannel shirt for christmas.” “Maya introduced you as Mama Amy to one of my aunties. Which was quite a thing to explain.” Amy laughs, and then smiles at him, and his heart does that thing again, like it has been doing for months now, but this time he doesn’t beat it down. This time he lets it lead him to lean in for the most careful kiss, a kiss that Amy gladly returns, just as carefully.

- they agree to take things slow, be mindful, not drop it on the kids immediately or rush into things from the pressure of friends or family.

- and then three months later Amy finds the perfect apartment for the four of them, and Jake aks Gina and Rosa for ring preferences and proposal tips, and ‘slow and mindful’ has flown out the window the second Maya brought home a picture she did with Mac at daycare showing their little ‘family’ before Amy or Jake had even talked to them about their possible dating.

- Maya grows up with her Mama teaching her Spanish along with Auntie Rosa, and an abuela and abuelo who love to spoil her with Cuban sweets just as much as her big brother. Mac gets to ride along in his Daddy’s police car sometimes, and hears stories about his brave Papa from his colleagues. His auntie Gina is so proud of him for taking care of his little sister the way she took care of her little brother too. And Jake gets to see Amy smile all the time now, and knows it’s him and their kids that is making her smile so much.

#B99 #Brooklyn 99 #Peraltiago #Jake Peralta #Amy Santiago #headcanons #mac peralta #maya peralta

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grimsleyxwillsupremacy · 3 years

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I let an AI write Will and Grimsley's love story. It went wrong.

I let an AI write Will and Grimsley's tragic story (title included). It wasn't supposed to be tragic, but oh well. I used my headcanon family btw. This is the horrifying result. Enjoy:

WHISPERS OF MY DESTINY

Grimsley had been trying to confess his love to Will for three weeks, but it wasn't until that day that he decided to tell him how he felt.

"I love you."

Will responded by telling him he loved him, and then Grimsley asked, "But don't you have a wife?"

Grimsley was talking about Lily, and Will ran to the room and began crying, recalling Lily's death.

Will turned away from his headmaster and sat against the wall with his head in his hands, crying.

Grimsley tried to get him up and to continue their lesson, but Will couldn't even look at him.

Grimsley understood what was happening. Suddenly, however, a stray thought occurred to Grimsley: maybe he would have some sort of ulterior motive.

Maybe he was being his usual jerkly self in order to test Will.

The next morning, Grimsley entered his house and proposed to Will.

Will was befuddled, so Grimsley explained that he would win the election with the students' support if he promised to leave Will alone.

Grimsley told him that Lily would still be in love with him, but Will wanted to start a new life with Grimsley.

Will finally agreed, and it seemed like things had gone smoothly.

Little did they know, they were about to hit a major snag.

The first place Grimsley visited was his home.

He found Will's wife Lily, or rather her corpse. He smiled because he knew it was because of his own misdeeds.

Everything had gone according to plan.

Just as he thought, Will's heart wasn't broken, but dead.

Of course, Grimsley was shocked by what he had done, and he couldn't stop crying for the longest time, but he continued pretending to be happy and innocent.

Grimsley wanted Will to be happy again, so he tried to cheer him up and pushed him to continue on with his life.

Will cried for him when he left. Sometime later, Will attended his first date with Grimsley, whom he thought was a real doctor.

Years later, once they were already married, Grimsley confessed his crime to Will. He had killed Lily, Will's wife.

Will was in shock.

"You're the murderer?!"

Will started to cry, but Grimsley told him to stop.

"That's just part of the reason I love you."

Will didn't believe him at first, but soon he did and decided that he would find a way to put Grimsley away.

But he wasn't able to, because Will still loved Grimsley.

Years passed by, and Grimsley continued to woo Will and beg him for his forgiveness.

Will eventually forgave Grimsley. They ended up having four children. The oldest was a boy named Tom, followed by a girl named Reyna, another girl named Hannah, and the youngest child, a boy named Akashi.

Unfortunately, their happiness was about to be marred again. The sons decided to go into politics, and they were given the same office as their father.

One day, they all went to the beach and a terrible accident happened.

The lifeguards dove in after Tom and Reyna fell into the water, but only Tom was found, and he was killed.

Reyna managed to survive, but she was badly scarred.

Reyna could never forgive Grimsley for not saving his brother's life.

Will and Grimsley were devastated at their son's death, so they stayed to look after Hannah and Akashi.

Will managed to sell their house to a wealthy family who lived in Huddington.

One night, Will started thinking about his daughter Reyna, who had become a recluse ever since Tom's death.

He realized that the whole time he had been blaming Grimsley for not helping Tom, instead of himself.

After Reyna finally died, Grimsley decided to move to California, and Will followed him there.

There they met two girls by the name of Amy and April, who had a black fox named Edward.

Amy is very fond of animals, but she never told Will and Grimsley what kind of animal she really had.

Will and Grimsley had been oppressed by Amy and April for the past few months for being gay.

They couldn't even visit Lily or Tom's grave without people calling them perverts or killers.

One day, Will decided to visit Lily and Tom's grave.

It was under construction and the family was devastated because the mayor had decided to build a building where the graveyard had been, and now Will and Grimsley's son's corpse, as well as Lily's, were lost.

Will felt guilty and distraught.

He returned to Amy and April's apartment only to see that they were engaged to be married.

He asked Amy how she was going to marry April when they had been oppressing Will and Grimsley for being gay before!

Amy screamed at Will and told him that she was so sorry, and that she had told April everything about them.

But when she told April, April was not in the mood to talk to her at all.

Will giggled and forgave her.

A few months later, Will tragically and very painfully lost his right leg when a Sharpedo attacked him while Will was trying to protect Grimsley.

He was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he learned that the loss of his leg was fatal and that he only had a week to live.

Grimsley did everything he could to save his husband's life, but... Would Will su rvive?

Was that week enough for him to forget that he had loved his evil brother?

If Will didn't survive, Grimsley was going to be alone again.

A week passed, and Will miraculously survived, after having lost his leg to the hospital.

He was going to leave that hospital, with very few things.

Grimsley and the rest of his family were shocked and worried, but he wanted to see the pokémon that his youngest son had caught for him, which was a Fearow named Blaze.

After Will left the hospital, he decided to leave for Sinnoh, where he had made a promise to Lily's brother, Max.

Max was evil. He was afraid to be in a marriage with his soon - to - be - wife, Chelsea, and didn't want to take responsibility for the family when she died.

So he decided to run away and join Team Rocket, leaving his friends and family behind.

Meanwhile, Grimsley temporarily left his job to take care of his husband, Will, and their two remaining children.

Will's leg was still recovering, so he could only use a wheelchair.

Grimsley tried to work from home, but the accident made it impossible for him to do that.

He was going crazy, and so was everyone.

The children were traumatized. Blaze the Fearow was the only sane creature remaining now. Luckily for Will, his family and husband (and Fearow) were there for him.

Grimsley heard rumors that Team Rocket was looking for new recruits.

He quickly told the children that he would train them to be strong, so they can go to their mother's grave and set her free.

Then Grimsley remembered that the kids didn't have a mother because Will and himself were their gay parents.

The children were horrified at the mere thought of having a dead mother somewhere, so Grimsley and the children went for a walk.

They all talked about Grimsley's sudden decision and how hurt they were.

The Fearow and the children decided to sing a song, which they wrote while looking for their apparently dead biological mother.

The song was... interesting. It said: "Only a mother can sing a lullaby". They soon heard a voice.

It said, "Will, Blaze, Hannah, Akashi, Grimsley, thank you for coming here.

Don't be sad, or be happy!

When you get to the pokémon center, a nurse will take a look at Will's leg... or what 's left of it."

The voice was very mean.

All three asked what the voice meant, and it said, "Fearow, it means we're on the right path."

The children and Fearow were amazed.

They decided to set out to catch their own Xatus, because they were also traumatized beings.

Akashi caught a Xatu. He looked into his Xatu's eyes and saw the deepest darkness, which frightened him.

Grimsley caught a Xatu as well. But couldn't bear the pain that the vision of his child's death was bringing him.

Eventually, Grimsley decided to do something morally gray and he forced the Xatu to grow wings on its back.

Then Grimsley instructed it to fly him to Lily's grave, so he could set his mother free.

Fearow didn't like this idea, because it reminded him of his dear Spearow, which was waiting for it back in its nest.

Grimsley finally decided to stay with Will, who was still traumatized at the loss of his right leg.

Grimsley gave him a wheelchair to use and became the parents of Will's kids, Hannah and Akashi. The girls soon evolved into Pansage.

And that is the ending of this amazing story.

You made this for your friend, but he didn't want you to post it.

So I decided to post it.

By the way, I have no idea who the f*ck Lily is, but apparently she's Will's ex-wife now 😂

#gone wrong #pokémon #elite four grimsley #elite four will #wildcardshipping #this is art #i'm laughing so hard

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that-shamrock-vibe · 4 years

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Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review the day the movie is first released in the U.K, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie do not read on until you have.

General Reaction:

It's difficult with today's movie going audience to predict how movies like Sonic are going to perform and be received. Especially when the ad campaign did absolutely no favours for this movie other than convince Paramount that Sonic needed a more truthful redesign than what they originally put out.

Here's the thing. Sonic the Hedgehog to me is trying to be 2020's Detective Pikachu capitalising on that nostalgia of a beloved classic franchise.

However, I do feel that the haters and internet trolls out there are not going to be able to get past the comparisons this movie draws to 2011's Hop, which was a live-action/CGI-hybrid movie starring James Marsden who becomes the companion of a somewhat overbearing CG creature.

But, I encourage all movie goers, including the haters, to go into this with an open mind...particularly if you have any history with Sonic because you will get some enjoyment and walk away afterwards feeling happy overall.

My personal history with Sonic is slightly less-so than I would like. I played the original 2 SEGA games countless times and did watch some episodes of the earlier animated shows.

Having said that, my main Sonic fandom actually comes from the mid-noughties series Sonic X, which I feel this movie could have adapted but alas. Also I played the Shadow the Hedgehog spinoff game and more recently Smash Bros where I actually won as Sonic recently.

Now this movie reminds me of those shows and games practically in no way. I mean there is that opening sequence where you see Sonic running around and looping like he does in the SEGA games, I do also feel like James Marsden's character could easily be an older version of Chris, the boy from Sonic X, but aside from that, the gold rings and Robotnik...there's not a lot for the Sonic fans to spot.

I can't say this is a perfect movie, because it really is not. There are a lot of super speed gags and some of them do stick but some just fall flat and at times feel repetitive.

The worst crime this movie commits in my opinion is stealing Quicksilver's gimmick of speed scenes. By which I mean there are not one but two occasions when time is slowed down to almost a halt and we see Sonic running around still. They even have songs specific for these scenes.

Also, because I'm not fully aware of every Sonic incarnation, I did not understand why Sonic is effectively The Flash with being able to generate lightning. I mean I understand the laws of physics of generating enough friction can create static but I have never known Sonic to have any electric attacks.

I did like how the static electricity was preserved in his quills when they fell off though. In animation and the games you don’t think about Sonic’s realistic hedgehog qualities such as having quills so it was a nice touch.

I am also aware that Sonic has turned Super Saigen before with the help of the Chaos Emeralds I believe, so the fact we see a similar transformation here is quite good to see for that reason.

In terms of story I do think this is a simple plot that has been done numerous times, Hop is definitely one example that comes to mind, but I feel it’s also a very accessible story for non-Sonic fans.

I don’t know if Longclaw the Owl is an original character or one from Sonic mythology but I did not really vest much interest in her. Baby Sonic I thought was cute, but I refuse to accept anyone saying he is cuter than Baby Yoda as no one is cuter than Baby Yoda.

On the subject of age, it was good to see them acknowledging Sonic’s age for a change as opposed to just presuming because up until now I did always think he was some sort of teenager but this confirms it. If Baby Sonic is around 5-9 years old then Sonic in present day is late teens which makes sense with his temperament.

The gold rings being used as teleportation devices, I don’t know if they’re meant to be in the games but loved their use here.

I enjoyed the use of technology in this movie and particularly Robotnik’s commentary on how technology is more reliable than people which ties into his ultimate fate of being stranded alone without another soul on the planet he is sent to which forces him further into insanity.

The fact Sonic’s story is about fitting into society while James Marsden’s character is about figuring out what’s right in front of him are great parallels and do balance each other out rather well.

Also where he ends up with effectively being part of a family as well as a town hero was a nice way to wrap things up.

However, that mid-credits scene showing the arrival of Sonic’s faithful protege Tails to the real world looking for his friend screams for a sequel, especially if this means that more of Sonic’s companions could be introduced in the future like Knuckles, Shadow or even Rouge the Bat.

Characters:

Dr. Robotnik:

I don’t want to say he is the best character because I feel all four of the main cast members do a great job, but my favourite definitely is Jim Carrey as Robotnik. This is Carrey back on form and there were so many great shades of back when he was at the top of his game in the 90s with work such as Ace Ventura, The Mask and The Grinch.

From his first scene he stole every scene he was in. You could tell that he was taking the role seriously while also having the time of his life with it and this is why, back in the day, he was on such high form.

He may not have been the overweight bald megalomaniac, at least with the latter two not until the end of the movie, but he was the evil genius and mad scientist and almost every line he delivered he nailed.

I think “rockonnaissance” is going to be the new “joygasm” for him but it worked for The Riddler and it works for Robotnik.

I’m also happy he was nicknamed Eggman in the movie by Sonic because of the shape of his drones, I thought it was fitting. I can’t wait for Sonic to see the new bald version.

Sonic:

Yes Sonic is second but I said it before, there were times when he was overbearing.

Ben Schwartz by the way does a fantastic job voicing the character, I know he voices Dewey in the new Ducktales series and also for some reason voices BB-8 in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but this is my favourite role of his voice is so realistic for a wide-eyed and somewhat innocent “alien” hedgehog.

I enjoyed how when he first came to Earth he was this urban legend around Green Hills who spent those 10 years people watching and either making up nicknames for the citizens while also longing to fit in with them but knowing not to.

Also the movie’s comedy was never as vulgar as Ryan Reynolds or immature as Russell Brand. I think they had one fart joke in the movie but the rest was generic comedy movie material which was hit and miss in comedy.

It was quite touching also that he was so protective of Green Hills and the status quo so much so that when Tom said he was planning on leaving to move to San Francisco, he was so offended and I thought it was going to be that trope of “Oh now they’re going to separate only to discover they need each other later” but instead it was a few digs and then they got over it.

I am so happy they did redesign the character because the movie’s original look for him was horrendous and did make Cats look reasonable whereas this is more like the Sonic everyone knows and I did not realise he didn’t have his traditional running shoes until Jojo, the niece of Tika Sumpter’s character, replaced them for him.

I will keep saying I want a sequel just because I am interested to see where Sonic’s story takes him next, especially with Tails now on Earth and the potentiality that others could join.

The Wachowskis

Again I thought James Marsden and Tika Sumpter did very pleasant jobs. This is my favourite James Marsden performance to date. Up until now his roles have been either corny or simply bland for me but here, yes there were a couple of dodgy jokes and moments but overall I thought Tom was a very likeable character and at the very least a driven character.

His wife Maddie, first of all props to the movie writers for having a mixed-race couple front and centre in the movie. But also, Maddie, who is also an accomplished career woman alongside her accomplished career husband, did not weigh Tom down or the story down as simply being “just the wife”.

I also enjoyed Maddie’s sister and niece, Jojo is quite cute and for the little screentime that she has does well with it for a child her age. While Natasha Rothwell continues to grow in my estimations after her fabulous turn in Love, Simon as the very sassy teacher.

Others:

As for the rest of the cast, this was a great who’s who for spotting the great jobbing actors as Lee Majdoub, Neal McDonough, Michael Hogan and Adam Pally all have minor supporting roles that do not go unnoticed.

Meanwhile Colleen Villard (née O'Shaughnessey), who voices Tails in the video games as well as voicing Wasp in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes series and Sora in the Digimon franchise, reprises her role as the anthropomorphic fox in an uncredited mid-credits scene. I am hoping she returns for the sequel because it is good to hear her acting again.

Recommendation:

I do see a future for this movie in terms of a franchise. I do not quite see it crossing over with Detective Pikachu as I know there were rumblings of some sort of Super Smash Bros. movie cinematic universe.

However, if the movie does warrant a sequel, and with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 64%, considering this seems to be a deciding factor for some cinema goers, I don’t see why not. I am hoping the future of this franchise does see the introductions of Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge and even Amy.

Potentially also spinning off from this franchise, there could be Donkey Kong, Mega Man and maybe even Mario to create that Super Smash Bros. universe.

Overall I rate the movie 8/10, it’s a great movie and definitely has some rewatchability to it.

Having said that I can see where some cinema snobs or even haters may come from as they inevitably target the movie but I encourage everyone not to be taken in by other people’s opinions, not even mine, make up your own minds and see it for yourself.

So that’s my review of Sonic the Hedgehog, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews as well as other posts.

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doof-doofblog · 4 years

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"I Think They Want You!"

Tuesday 22nd September 2020

Hello everyone! Hope you've all had a good week, I do realise I am late (again!) I can only apologise for my lateness! Tonight I'll be posting about Tuesday's episode and tomorrow I shall do two posts following Thursday's and Friday's episode! Let's waste no time and get right into it!

As you all know, Monday's episode ended with Stacey making an iconic return to the square, and as we can see, it starts just right we left off! Firstly I've got to say how amazing it is to have Lacey Turner back! Stacey is such an iconic to the show and she makes every scene she's in just amazing!! I love how Stacey is acting so nice and polite to Ruby as she returns, even though Ruby is fuming after finding out that her best mate has been stealing money from her! Ruby instantly lashes the insults at her .... only we hear a voice from behind Stacey, and there stands Lily!!!!! Sorry but, how grown up does she look?! She is definitely her Mum's daughter! The spit image!! Such a little superstar, as much as I loved the younger Lily, I can see this little madam causing a stir on the Square, perhaps getting into her own little bits of trouble?! As Stacey finishes her little pow-wow with Ruby, she turns away to see Jean looking at her from a distance, poor Jean, it's been a while since we've seen her! How has she been able to cope during lockdown?! I'm interested to see what she's got to stay to Stacey!

Ahhh yes, Ben is still being questioned by police. Ahhh and of course the Mitchell family lawyer is there to help! To be honest, I've always liked Ritchie, she's always done her best to support the Mitchell's! She also makes a VERY good point, if they really think their evidence is so solid, what are they waiting for? I'm kind of guessing it has something to do with the Detective waiting on Callum to give up Phil?! As he stated to Ben, he's just waiting for that one phone call where someone can collaborate his story?! Or something among those lines?! As Callum is coming out of his apartment, little Lexi approaches him asking whether he's had news on her Dad. Can I just say, all the little actors and actresses in this soap are such superstars! Little Lexi is such a gorgeous little girl, as is Amy, Bailey, Ollie - they are all so young and such brilliant little actors, I love them all! But of course Lexi is going to be worried about her Dad, the poor girl hasn't been able to see them the past few days, since he was arrested. As Callum explains to Jay that it's look that Ben could be charged for his involvement in the robbery, Jay is right when he says "It's gonna kill him, isn't it?!" ... it'll kill Ben and everyone else in the family. Phil, Lola, Lexi, Callum, Jay, Kathy - it'll affect everyone!

Meanwhile, in the café, Stacey is waiting for Martin! I still can't get over how glamorous she looks! Her hair and make-up and outfit just looks perfect! I think from the very beginning since she's been on the Square, Stacey has been my favourite character! She just absolutely MAKES the soap for me, along with Phil Mitchell! Martin enters the café and, to me, it looks as if he is shocked to see his ex-wife looking so beautiful! Considering, as Stacey points out, he hasn't seen her for a whole year! The main thing Martin is wanting though, is being able to see his daughters. Stacey basically tells him that he can see his daughters, if he makes sure Ruby doesn't go to the police about Stacey nicking her money. Martin makes it perfectly clear he doesn't care what she's done, as the situation regarding that is between her and Ruby. He then makes a statement saying to her that she has no idea what he did for his family! Which - as many of you will remember, he got himself caught up in Ben's business, having to collect rent from struggling families, to then to Ben's outrageous plan to murder Keanu! Stacey has no idea about what Martin has done in recent months, but he had to lie to her to protect her - I think to this day, Stacey still believes that he cheated on her with Sonia, which of course, we know was untrue. Will Stacey ever find out the truth about what Martin got up to during the months she was absent?!

In the Vic, Ian is still being off with Sharon! As Kathy brilliantly puts it, he's punishing her for not having the same feelings towards him, which is really not her fault! He needs to grow a pair, be a man about it, accept it and move on! The way Ian looked back at Sharon after she walked off, I'm hoping Kathy has finally talked some sense into him! He and Sharon have been best friends for years and years, it'll be awful to throw a good friendship away over something like that! Maybe Ian will start to back off a bit?!

Ahhh Denise! Gosh it feels like ages since we've seen Denise!!! She must be feeling absolutely devastated about Chantelle passing away?! She explains to Jack as she gets off the phone, that she was speaking to Sheree! Patrick is living with his son Anthony?! And from what we can make from her phone call, Patrick came down with Coronavirus? He seems to be getting better slowly! As Denise is having her conversation with Jack, Amy is in the background playing on her phone, what is this little girl up to? Denise suggests going round and making some food for Patrick, Amy pipes up and instantly asks if she can go with and quickly rushes to get changed. Both Jack and Denise seem surprised by her request but it looks a if Denise is pleased for her to tag along. But what does Amy really want? What is she trying to get out of? Or why is she wanting to go with Denise?!

Kheerat is still grieving for Chantelle, we see him alone, still coming to terms with her loss. Mitch walks in, thinking he's there to collect some on Chantelle's work things. But Kheerat brings his attention to a bin liner, Mitch looks inside and finds Chantelle's memory box. He looks inside and instantly he's wanting to know how and why Kheerat has it. Kheerat explains to him that Chantelle trusted him in getting it for her the previous night, Mitch comes to realise it was become of Kheerat that Gray got the notification of the house alarm. Kheerat explain to Mitch that Chantelle wasn't happy and that she was ready leave to Gray, Mitch remains quiet as he explains what he knows, he then asks him "Why you?" and then it drops - "You were going with her?!" - just as that moment, before Kheerat can respond to him, Suki walks into the room, realising what she might have walked in on, she instantly acts sympathetic towards Mitch, saying she's sorry for his loss and claiming how much they all loved Chantelle. Mitch decides then to leave the room and as he leaves we can Kheerat reeling about how much he knows he needs to tell Mitch, there's still plenty more information they need to know!

At the Slater household, Martin is finally spending time with his daughters. Hope has also grown up so much too! I might be wrong, but how long has it been since Stacey left with her daughters? Nearly a year? Over a year? A round the year mark? In that space of time, I can't believe how much their daughters have grown! Even little Arthur is growing up! Kat is in the living room explaining to Jean and Shirley all about the situation between Ruby and Stacey. As Martin is bonding with his daughter, Stacey is coming down the stairs, she sneaks towards the kitchen door and listens in on their conversation. She smiles softly as little Hope talks to her Daddy, it's then Martin whispers "I've missed you, so much!" - Stacey looks so guilty and upset as she realises how much her ex-husband dotes on his children.

Back at the cafe, Sharon appears to be looking for someone, or something? Linda sees her in a state and Sharon begins to let off a bit of steam to her best mate. She explains how much Ian is getting on her nerves when it comes to him running the Vic, still treating her like she's the bad guy because she didn't feel the same way about him. Linda gives her friend some brilliant advice, it doesn't matter who's name is on the lease, she insists the Vic belongs to Sharon. She advises her friend that if she was to make the first move and threaten to leave first before Ian chucks her, he will be begging for her to stay behind the bar. Only, will Sharon act upon her advice and will it work?!

Meanwhile, in the Mitchell's, Jay and Phil are discussing the possibility of Ben getting charged for his crimes. Phil brings up the fact that he could be looking at 8 years in prison for armed robbery if he's convicted. Jay begins to panic, for Lexi's sake, as he's been trying to tell the poor girl that everything is going to be okay and her Dad will be fine. Phil instructs him to keep telling her that until they know for certain that everything isn't. Suddenly, Ben makes his way into the room, happy as Larry! Both Jay and Phil are shocked to see him there, Ben makes himself at home, helping himself to a cup of tea! Phil instantly wants an explanation from his son, what is he doing there? Why have the police let him go? Ben makes a jokingly comment saying that the police might not have believed Danny's statement - then he brings up the possibly that Callum might have found a way of getting rid of the CCTV! Phil is clearly surprised about this information - is that true? Has Callum really got rid of the CCTV? Or has he actually gone ahead and decided to give Phil to the police, like they wanted?! Phil warns Ben that he's best trusting him in future, to which Ben responds "I trust you both!" - Hmm but something feels very wrong here. Has Callum betrayed Ben here and given up his Dad to the police? Just so Lexi can be with her Dad?! It's very interesting this one!

At Ruby's - Ruby is getting all her bank statements and all her information together, she's ready to go to the police and drop Stacey right in it! Martin finds her and before she can leave, he pretty much begs her not to go to the police. He explains that he hasn't seen his children for a whole year, he's only managed to spend 20 minutes with Hope. He was hoping to spend some time with Lily, but she sadly didn't want to talk to him. He begs to his girlfriend not to go to the police, not for Stacey, but for his children and for him. It's true that the kids have been through so much the past year, they need both their parents. They might not be together, but time with them is precious.

The next scene we see Denise making food for Sheree and Patrick, it looks as if Isaac has been staying at their house while Patrick is at Anthony's? Sheree appears to be asking for Mitch, she goes to the salon in search for him. As Denise and Sheree are having this conversation, I can make out in the background that Isaac and Amy are having another conversation, it sounds as if Amy is wanting to follow Isaac on social media. At first, it all seems a bit jokey as Isaac laughs and says she can't follow him, but it's when Amy says "Why not?" that things get a little more serious. Isaac is her teacher right? As the conversation goes on, Denise gets closer and listens in, Isaac makes the comment that Amy could be a bit too young to use social media, it's then Amy states that in some countries, some children younger than her get married. It's then that Denise decides to intervene, she instructs Amy to go and wash her hands so she can help prepare food. As Amy groans and leaves the room, Denise clicks to what is going on in the child's head, she informs Isaac that Amy has a huge crush on him! It all makes sense now why she wanted to join her - plus can I just say how grown up Amy looks too! The spit image of her Mum, Roxy! (RIP) - Denise questions Isaac whether he's not the slightest bit worried, but he explains that being a high school teacher, it seems to happen all the time - it'll be a phase and she'll grow out of it. Denise tells him to the best thing and keep his distance, but something tells me this little crush that Amy has will escalate and perhaps get a little out of control? Will a crush become something more of an obsession?!

Back a the Vic, Sharon appears to finally have picked up the courage to confront Ian. Ian tries to start the conversation, he looks as if he's beginning to apologise, but Sharon stops him in his tracks. She wants to her words out before he can. It looks as if she's taken Linda's advice, she starts to say that she'll always remember and be thankful to him for supporting her through her tough times over the past few months, but she goes on to say that with the way things have been between them recently, perhaps its for the best if she was to find someone else to live with her baby boy, for a minute he looks devastated - he says to her that he bought the Vic for her so she could have a home, and as much as she is grateful for that, Sharon points out that he has been treating her the past few weeks, she can't stay unless they can work things out - suddenly Ian is acting the BIG I AM - deciding to agree with what she's saying. It's looking as if Linda's advice has backfired on poor Sharon. He informs his ex-friend that he'll expect her to be gone the following day! Poor Sharon is in absolute disbelief! What is she going to do now? Where is she going live?!

Back at the Slater household, Stacey is finally coming face-to-face with her Mum, after being away for so long. Jean is still visibly upset with her daughter. Stacey begs for her to talk to her and if she'll let her stay they can work things out. Jean says she'll never turn away her grandchildren, but as long as Stacey is there, she'll only tolerate her for the children's sake. It's horrible seeing Jean so upset, but you can understand why, Stacey wasn't there for her Mum when she needed her the most - during her cancer treatment, when Daniel passed away, when she got poisoned for taking too much of her medication (unbeknown to her as you'll remember) - it's only been Kat, Kush and Shirley looking out for her, when really Stacey should've been there. I think it also upset her the fact that Stacey never actually got in touch, poor Jean didn't know where she was for a very long time. Jean informs Stacey that Ruby has come to see her, Stacey leaves the room as Jean's eyes fill with tears. Stacey joins Ruby in the living room, Ruby informs her that there's a piece of paper on the counter for her and on it is basically everything that she has stole from her. Stacey is reluctant at first, claiming that Ruby can't prove anything, but then Ruby says she's trying to do the right thing, as long as Stacey does the right thing, if Stacey pays back to her everything she owes, not for her, but for Martin's sake, then she wont call the police.

Back at the Mitchell's, Ben is really happy to be back at home, he's on the phone to his boyfriend, really excited to be home. We hear Callum on the other end of the phone saying how amazing it is that his boyfriend is finally back at home with his family. Ben says he has him to thank for it, as Ben is relaxing at home during this phone call, we can that Callum appears to be at the police station. His face is looking kind of happy but kind of devastated at the same time ... has he done what I think he's done?! Ben informs him that his Dad will be out that night and he decides to invite his boyfriend round, Callum agrees. As they end the phone call, Callum looks down at his phone, not looking as pleased as you'd think you'd be if your partner was let out of prison. It's then we hear a voice from above him "You made the right decision Callum!" .... *GASP* ... No!!!! Callum!!! Why? This is a devastating situation right now!!! Callum has basically given Phil to the police, just so Ben could be free? I have a horrible feeling about this - Ben is going to find out and it'll all kick off, Ben will see it as a huge betrayal! Phil will never trust Callum again, will Ben ever trust him again?! Ooooh - I kinda feel annoyed at Callum for doing it but also feel sorry for him as he probably feels he was pushed into a corner and that he didn't really have a choice, has he been cruel to be kind?! Oh no!!!! I dread to think what's going to happen to Ballum and to Phil after this!!! I don't understand why the police think that Phil is a bad man? Okay he's had his demons in the past, perhaps a robbery or two? Set fire to a few buildings (ie:- car lot and the Vic) But he's never physically killed anyone! Phil is not a murderer! Phil Mitchell has a history of being the hard man, the gangster - the one man no should ever cross, but it's a true fact that Phil Mitchell has never killed anyone!

As Phil is giving the money to Ritchie for getting Ben out, he reveals that thanks to her work and Callum, Ben is out. Ritchie looks a little confused, Phil explains to her that Ben thinks it was Callum who got rid of the CCTV. Ritchie can't imagine how as Callum's position is just a junior copper. She explains to Phil that the only reason they probably would release Ben is if they were to get something bigger. She then drops the bombshell to Phil that the police could be potentially after him. Does this mean that Phil is going to go on the run? She's warned him to watch his back! Phil instantly looks as if he knows who could be behind it, has Callum grassed him up to the police?! I do have a horrible feeling about the outcome of this. I said it earlier - my two favourite characters of the soap are Stacey and Phil, they MAKE the soap for me. Walford wouldn't be the same without them! I do hope Phil will get away somehow, there always seem to be way that Phil will escape from the police, they sometimes do catch up with him, but he always somehow seems to get away. What do you guys think will happen? What's going to be in store for Ballum and Phil in the up-coming episodes! I'd love to know your thoughts!

I'll be back tomorrow following Thursday's and Friday's episode! Thanks again for reading everyone! Love you all xXx

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chaos-societies · 4 years

Text

Episode 6, The Seven Chaos Princes’ Crowns

Fire was burning all around. It was inescapable. The distant sound of rushing water was not of comfort however. Waves flooded the scene and there were no means of staying afloat. It became impossible to breathe. The shadow of a man was letting out hearty laughs all the while.

“Past…Future… ”

The words cut through the chaotic event. They were clear and soothing, but there was an air of concern in the voice.

“The plant for creation, the plant for destruction... They’re waiting for the controllers.”

A light began shining. It wasn’t clear where it came from but it was blinding. Suddenly there was no more drowning, no more inferno.

“The servers are the seven chaos…”

…

Amy’s eyes slowly creaked open as a ray of sunlight had slipped between the closed shades of the window and landed right upon her face. She rolled out of the sun’s piercing brightness and let out an accompanying grown. “Five more minutes…” She mumbled mindlessly.

After a decent bit, Amy moseyed out from the bedroom and joined Sonic who was already in the kitchen stirring up some breakfast. “Sleep well?”

Amy let out a yawn. “Yeah…” She said without much conviction.

“Oh come on Ames, don’t lie to me. You were tossing and turning all night!” He quickly flipped the contents of the skillet before placing it back down on the stove. He moved over to the table where Amy was sitting and slid a cup of coffee in front of her. “Tell me, what’s up. More dreams?”

“Yeah…” It seems that was as much of a response she was capable of at the moment, at least until she woke up more.

The two discussed them more over breakfast. Amy told Sonic how Chuck comforted her about these dreams of hers and she made sure to remember as much as she could in case anything from them came to fruition. She even wrote some of them down and started her own dream journal. The one from the night prior for sure being noted as the new voice was surely telling some important information about ‘creation’ and ‘destruction.’

The world outside was moist after a light rain during the early morning. The sun was out but clouds occasionally obscured it and gave the air a cool brisk feel to it. The two walked around the wood surrounding the main village. The faint sound of waves mixed with the rustling of leaves in the wind. The two came across a ring of mushrooms and made sure to go around lest walk through. They discussed many things, mostly around the speculation of the recent events – Stark Ruins, the library in Cap, their run-in with the Reds from Rockbase, Chuck’s concern something menacing was afoot. They pondered what could be; evil spirits coming for vengeance, a forewarning of death. Nothing of their speculation was of the positive nature.

Meanwhile, Chuck was reading more from the Stair na Seacht at his place of study in his hut. The cool moist air battled the warmer sun as the two took turns pouring in through the window overhead. Birds were singing outside and the ambiance added peace to Chuck’s focus.

“Come ere spires…blocking…light? Blocking sun?” He looked over to another book and scanned some pages, turning them with a slow pace as he searched the text. “North the South city of trade…” He stopped reading a moment and thought aloud, “The South city of trade…”

Chuck stopped and looked out the window to see the trees. He thought of anything to avoid what he knew was inevitable if he were to find out what mysteries were starting to reveal themselves. But his concern for what may transpire outweighed his desire to keep those closest to him from venturing out in the world outside the haven of South Island. He let out a heavy sigh.

Outside, Sonic and Amy were walking back from their excursion. Knuckles and Rouge were off talking under an oak tree. Tails was sitting around with his nose deep in another book of some sorts.

As Sonic and Amy came around to the main area of the village, Chuck walked out of his hut in good timing. He looked over at Sonic with a non-verbal message that he needed to speak with him. Sonic said some words to Amy and they split as Sonic walked to join his uncle.

“Sonny boy. Enjoy your morning?”

“So far, what’s up Chuck?”

“I’ve been reading and trying to decipher the Stair na Seacht. I haven’t gotten far but there is a passage that uncovered something nearby. It doesn’t say much but something close is much more manageable than anything if it may bring more clues to what may be going on.” He explained.

“Another adventure!?” Sonic asked enthusiastically.

Chuck smiled behind his bushy mustache. “I knew you’d take pleasure in the prospects of possibly another trek into the wild. Despite my concern for your well being.”

“Uncle Chuck, you’ve done so much for us here. And you know we can keep our own. If there is anything we can do to help out your research.”

“There is.” He said quickly. He began to walk and Sonic began to follow. “There is not a lot of definitive phrasing in the book. It’s almost entirely written in riddles it seems, although I can’t tell if that’s intentional or just so old that what it tries to describe and explain was based on limited information of the world at the time.”

“What kind of riddles?” Sonic asked inquisitively.

“Some of it is plane information…mostly lore and ancient beliefs and mythos. Other parts be like directions to pieces of a puzzle that it didn’t even intend to create. It’s got me arsed if I weren’t lying.”

“So what do you need from me?”

“You and the gang, don’t you forget. Not only do I fear this involve the lot of you, you all have a tight nit that surely come in handy in a pinch. I need you to go north again, to Cap and even a bit past. I will have to owe Eiméar more for your visit a second time but–”

Sonic took the chance to make jest, “She was kind but I think we may have put up a nerve on her while we were there.”

“Oh I’ve not a doubt you did you kook.” Chuck answered with a chuckle. He got back to the topic at hand. “The book mentions a place. I think it refers to somewhere at the base of the Sléibhte Scáthaigh north of Cap. If you can’t find anything, don’t mingle about as it doesn’t define a precise location. But it talks about something there, a text or message of sorts. I couldn’t determine exactly. But it was under a chapter referring to the emergence of ancient calamities with the talks of fire and flood. I think it’s relevant based on the runes you saw at Stark Ruins. Might give some extra clues, whatever it is there referring to. And…it wouldn’t hurt to investigate as it will still take some time for me to study the book further.”

“Chuck, you know we’re your guys for the job!” Sonic said with a bounce of his words.

“Ha!” Chuck laughed a bit. “Oh I know you are lad.” His cheery tone at Sonic’s response faded back to emotions of concern as his deepest fear still lingered on his mind; the world could be consumed with darkness and he wouldn’t care so long as he knew Sonic and the rest of his friends and all those in South Island were safe from harm. But he knew there was much at stake and feared it directly involved those he was trying to protect. “Go grab your crew. I’ll let you all decide on when you want to make this journey. The last one was more trying on you than I had ever hoped it to be.”

With that, Sonic departed and bolted off to join the others. Tails was the first one he told as he wouldn’t even consider going anywhere without his best friend and ‘little bro’ as he says. Next was Amy who showed a fair share of concern but also intrigue at the prospect of uncovering more of the world’s secrets. Her dreams were definitely a factor in wanting to know more as well. Knuckles acted annoyed as he would with even the simplest of requests but took the opportunity to give Sonic some slagging saying he saved them last time and they could use his help. Rouge felt similar in the sense of watching out for the group, not so much in the poking fun at them part.

They decided to give it another day or so before heading out. Knuckles took this time to go back to Angel Island. Nack and Bean made jest on how Knuckles was leaving his own chapter of Reds for the Cyans but he was used to this with how much of his time was divided between the two factions of the two Societies. Mighty and Ray were supportive and wished him luck as they knew the dangers of the Greater Area since they too helped rescue the Cyans from their not-so-friendly Rockbase brothers and sisters on their journey back from Cap the last time. Bark was silent as ever.

The time came for the group to depart and was once again sent off by Chuck and Vanilla. The rabbit innkeeper, always the mother, even prepared another care package for them.

The journey to Cap was much like their first, uneventful. A good thing too. They arrived again in the market and were lucky no one remembered their faces based on their last scuffle with the locals. They are a rambunctious crew but were smart and learned quickly. They didn’t want to draw any attention or break out any of their ‘abilities’ as Chuck put it. But that didn’t stop their gaze at the goods and merchandise. Knuckles was particularly fascinated by the hustle of the city. He was too used to the quiet life of Angel Island – the village at South Island was sometimes even too much for him. He would moan and scoff at every Mobians that bumped into him which was a lot based on his larger stature as they walked through the crowded streets.

“Psst, miss.” A voice called out. Amy stopped and turned her head. “Yes you! Lovely pink quills you got.” An older lady called. “I ‘member the days my quills were so well kept. What’s your name lass?” The lady was an old hedgehog covered in a shroud and had many chains beads and pendants hanging from silver wire adorned on her head and shoulders. She had a few gemmed rings and long hanging earrings.

“Um… Amy?”

“Amy, lovely. Short for Amelia?” Amy didn’t respond and continued to stare inquisitively. She looked back at the group who stopped and noticed Amy fell behind. They stood with similar curious looks as to why she stopped. “Ah, no matter.” The gypsy continued. “I can tell you’re special.”

Amy turned back to the older hedgehog. “What?”

“Dreams is it?” Amy was stunned. “Come now, I only wish to help.” Her words were warm and sincere. Amy turned back to Sonic and the others and raised a finger for them to wait a moment for her. She slowly but cautiously followed the gypsy back behind her booth and into a small dwelling.

Amy passed many odd trinkets and oddities as she continued back. The place had a warm earthly glow to it and plants were all around in pots on the floor and hanging from the ceiling. Not too far back, as the place was rather small, the gypsy was sitting at a table. On the table was a cloth with a delicate design and repeating patterns. On top the cloth was a hookah.

“Aye, no need to be alarmed. Tis as much I can say for an old hag pulling a stranger off the street.” The lady said as Amy took a seat. The lady grabbed a hose from the hookah and drew in a large inhale of the substance. She offered it to Amy but she kindly shook her head mostly not even knowing what the thing was. “I saw your lot walk by and must say you are a peculiar bunch.”

“How so?” Amy asked, trying to keep as many words to herself.

“Strong energy coming from the lot of you. Not only that, I remember you all brought quite a stir to these parts a few moons back.” She explained. Amy’s curious yet cautious expression was washed away with a pang of fear. “No need to fret lass. I don’t mind a good show every once in a while. Just happy to catch your lot back through here. Now, last I wish is to intrude but you’ve got something on your mind, something heavy.”

“You seem to already know.”

“So you’re plagued by some dreams. Foreboding yet shrouded in obscurity. I have something to help.”

“Why?”

“Why what lassy?” The lady said as she took another toke of the hookah before standing up and walking over to a shelf full of odd pieces.

“Why are you helping me? If it’s tokens you’re after I don’t have much and am less willing to give them to you. I need them for other things.” Amy explained.

“Ah, though that’d be normally what I’d ask for. Not this time.” She came back with a small box and opened it up to reveal a deck of cards. “On the house this time. However if you ever stroll through and wish to take a gander at me lot then I’d be happy to fulfill those wishes.”

Amy took out the deck of cards and scanned through them. They weren’t any normal cards she had seen being played by the locals in the tavern or out in the street. They each had separate pictures on them, trees, symbols, imagery. “What are they?”

“Tarot cards my dear. To help you translate the messages the world sends you.” She sat back down and grabbed the hose of the hookah except did not take a drag just yet.

Amy continued to look through the cards but then turned to the gypsy with a raised brow. “You never really answered. Why do you want to help me?”

“As I said, I sense a great deal of energy coming from your crew. I sensed it back at your last visit and that was just from watching you tussle around with the street folk. I too have dreams sometimes. And I’ve been waiting to come across you all again. I believe I was told to help you and that is all. I don’t make it a habit to quarrel with the will of the world.” Finally she took a long drag from the hookah and whisked out a heavy cloud of vapor.

“Is…is there anything else you know?” Amy placed the cards back in the small box and rested her hands on it.

“It is not my place, nor yours, to ask questions to the ether. But only receive their answers. This was all I know about you and for both our sakes it may be better that way. Now, I’m sure your friends want to know where you slipped off to ey?”

Amy arose out from the lady’s dwelling to see everyone there waiting for her.

“Ames, what was that about?” Sonic asked.

“I…don’t really know.” Amy answered as she held the box in her hand. She slipped them away in her small pack.

“Probably just some desperate merchant trying to sell her something. Don’t fall to these guys’ scams there girl.” Rouge said as they all started to walk off. Meanwhile the gypsy peered out from behind a curtain in the only window of her home and watched with curiosity as they left.

They made it back to the library and walked in. It did not take long to find Eiméar again, slaving over the task of sorting the books in the magnificent study. “Hello Miss Eiméar.”

They were now back in her living quarters once again drinking tea as she set up for their short stay. “I knew I’d see yer lot soon but I shant have expected this soon.” Eiméar said as they sat. “That coot decided to have you bother me yet eh?”

“We won’t be staying long, no longer than last time. Just two nights.” Rouge explained kindly. “And we again appreciate your hospitality.”

“Well if that old hedgehog keeps his word I won’t complain. As long as you stay out of trouble this time ‘round, that clear?”

“We’ll keep to ourselves.” Rouge answered once more.

“And you got a new lad with you this time. What’s your name?” She said to Knuckles as he stood off to the side.

“The name’s Knuckles. It’s nice to meet you ma’am.”

“Knuckles, well geez, ah could have placed a bet on that one with those sluggers of yours.” She motioned down to his fists. “Another friend or are you some bodyguard of sorts.”

Knuckles smiled and glared over at Sonic to which he just rolled his eyes in response to Knuckles’ leer. “Maybe a bit of both.” Knuckles answered through a grin.

“Aye. Well, what be it dis time?”

“Chuck wants us to look at some place north of here. Said it should be at the base of the Sléibhte Scáthaigh.” Sonic stated.

“The Stair na Seacht is pretty cryptic Sir Charles says. But he said there may be something there that could fill in the gaps to his studies. Maybe in a cave or a hollow. Know of anything?” Amy asked.

“That I do. There’s an old cave I’ve been told up there with old carvings on the walls. Typically an old smugglers den so best be careful if yer plan to be ‘sploring any. Could that be it?”

“Possibly!” Tails answered. “Do you know anything else about the place?”

“Afraid not. Never been meself. Just heard ‘bout it. Not too far though and quite noticeable I’ve been told, but best go in the morning before the sun is past high. They don’t call em the mountains of shade for nothing.” She looked over at Knuckles again. “And best bring your bodyguard of sorts too. It’s abandoned I hear now but ya never know.”

The morning came quickly and the group set off to see this place. They initially ventured east to hit the base of the Sléibhte Scáthaigh and paralleled it north. There was nothing of particular interest for a good distance. They scanned out to the west in the open area before the mountains rose out from the land like towers but also checked directly at their base in case it was hidden before the sudden cliffs.

“Look!” Tails shouted as he was flying high above the rest for a better vantage. “I think I see something!” He zoomed down to their level and dropped down stirring up a little sand as he landed. “There is an outcropping of rocks and boulders not too far from here. Looks out of place, could be what we’re looking for.”

“Great job buddy! I’ll go ahead and scout it out to see and to make sure no one is around.” Before any objection from the crew Sonic sped off in the distance. It took not even a full minute for him to return. “I think he’s right! There is a sizable opening in the rocks. Didn’t see anyone around either.” Without another word he zoomed off again. Tails quickly sped off to join him. Knuckle and Amy ran as quick as they could in the looser ground and Rouge fluttered alongside them.

They reached the structure and saw it to be exactly as Sonic loosely described, a cave with an opening big enough for the tallest of Mobians to walk right in. They made their way down the entrance. Tails dug through his small pack and grabbed a flashlight. It flicked on and they ventured down. The light wasn’t entirely necessary however as a short bit past the entrance was the darkest part. Natural light began to illuminate the burrow through openings in the ceiling.

Soon they came into a decent sized room, one slightly bigger than any of their huts back at South Island. Closer to the hallway that was the entrance was some crates covered in sand and dust. They seemed abandoned and forgotten but the group took note not to stay long in case their owners made a return.

[x]

The sight beyond that was strange and mystical but beautiful. The light from the high sun poured down through the openings and glistened along the yellow and red rocky walls. It was surprisingly moist there and small puddles were scattered on the cave floor until they grew in size where they reached a small pool at the end of the cavern. The grotto there had two large very out of place trees arising from the pool. They arose tall through a large hole in the ceiling. They were amazed they couldn’t see the trees from outside but figured they may have been shielded by other taller rocks that jut out around the place.

One tree was an ash tree, forked into two halves. Intertwined with the ash tree was a white fir that rose up strong. In the pool were some reeds as well. The fact that all these trees were found in a cave was surprising. The water there must have softened the ground to make for a strong root system and the sun shining through must have been sufficient to keep the trees alive but the less than ideal environment surely stunted their growth.

“Hey guys, there’s something along the lines of what Chuck was thinking I think over here?” Knuckles was over by the wall and pointed to some carvings and etching there.

“Ogham!” Tails shouted as he and the others moved over to investigate. Sure enough, a series of lines with hatches and marks were all over the walls of the cave. There was too much scattered around to take note of all the etchings but they examined them nonetheless.

“Surely we won’t be able to write all these inscriptions down for Sir Charles, there are just too much!” Amy pointed out.

“He told me that more than often the writing was used more to inscribe names for memorials or markers for tribes and boundaries. There are a lot of random inscriptions. I don’t want to miss anything but maybe many of these are like that.” Tails said.

“Kind of like a ‘Sonic was here’ thing?” Sonic said half joking as he scratched his finger over some of the carvings.

Tails gave a chuckle. “Probably. Let’s try and see if anything sticks out.”

“There’s something over here.” Amy called out as she was over closer to the trees. “There seems to be more structure to these. Not only that…” She signaled everyone over, “runes!” There were only a few but the symbol ᚦ was followed by the laguz ᛚ that they knew from Stark Ruins. Then again with the first, followed by cen ᚳ and above both was the symbol ᚫ.

“There’s one on the tree too.” Rouge pointed out. On the white fir was an aged engraving, hardly made out but appeared to be another rune, ᛇ.

Surrounding the runes Amy found was a long vertical line of ogham inscriptions that appeared more like text than the others which just resembled single words.

“If anything let’s write these down for Sir Charles.” Amy suggested. They did so and stayed a little while taking more looks around. They wrote down things here and there that they thought might be of interest. The sun that illuminated the grotto was now passed and little light was shining through the ceiling. They took this as time to make their leave and head back to Eiméar. It was early afternoon and with how close to the Sléibhte Scáthaigh they were, the sun was already starting to fall behind the mountains to the east.

They made it back to Cap with no trouble and divulged to Eiméar what they had found. She again told them that though she was familiar with every text in the library, she wasn’t so familiar with all their context and that Chuck would know more. She also suggested Chuck hand them some transcript to readily read runes and ogham if they were to be out doing more of Chuck’s ‘research.’ They made sure to suggest the same to Chuck once they got back.

The day had past and they settled in their own ways for their trek the next day. Tails was running about in the library picking up and reading books of interest. Rouge dragged Knuckles to the market and they promised not to cause any trouble. Sonic and Amy were talking together over tea.

“So she just…gave these to you?” Sonic asked as Amy had the tarot cards sprawled out in front of her.

“Yeah, it was…odd. She said she knew we were special. Also recognized us from our fights in the market last time. She somehow knew I was having strange dreams. I couldn’t say no to taking them especially as a gift.” She explained.

“As long as they aren’t ‘cursed’ or something.” Sonic said in his typical manner of unserious humor.

“No, I think she was sincere. I just am not entirely sure how to go about using these things. There is a placard describing each of the cards but… it’s still a bit confusing.” She was focused hard on trying to remember the cards and their descriptions and the different meanings behind them and how to read them.

Later that evening Rouge and Knuckles returned and Tails was back with a tired brain. The crew went to sleep and awoke to get ready to travel back. They gave their regard to Eiméar once again and thanked her for her hospitality. She now was surer than ever she would see them again and this time expected it to be soon.

Thankfully the journey back was much less exciting than their last trip from Cap back to South Island. They made it home with enough time for Chuck to not grow any concern. He met with them at once on what they had found.

“After last time I was concerned about setting you out again but I guess you have proven that you don’t always run into trouble.” He said with a smirk.

“I told you we were the guys for the job!” Sonic said proudly.

Chuck shook his head lightheartedly. He looked at the notes they made for him and studied them. “You said these were carved in the wall of a grotto?”

“They were. It was weird, in the middle of the barren land north of Cap, here was this little cave with two large trees growing in the rock!” Amy exclaimed.

“Two trees huh?”

“Yeah, an ash and a white fir were growing together. Some reeds too in the pond surrounding them.” Tails continued to explain.

“An ash tree, a white fir and reeds…?” Chuck seemed interested.

“Yeah. And then a BUNCH of ogham inscriptions on the wall.” Sonic spoke up. “Too much for us to write but Tails said you said most of ogham was used for names and markers so we only wrote down a few. But there was one in particular.”

Chuck cut him off. “The one by the runes?”

“That’s the one.”

“Hmm…” Chuck started stroking his mustache as he did when in deep thought. “Cen and laguz like you saw at Stark. And what seems to be thurisaz before them and ansuz above them.”

“Yeeaahhh… Sure.” Sonic said unfamiliar with the seemingly foreign language his uncle was speaking.

“There was another carved into the fir. It was faded but it should be there on the notes too.” Rouge added.

“Ihwaz.” Chuck said all the while writing down his own notes and flipping through a book in doing so. The group sat patient and with intrigue, with the exception of Knuckles who was in the corner chewing on a stalk of grass. “Interesting…” He said aloud as he continued to investigate.

It took a moment before he finished up and turned back to the group. All of their ears perked up simultaneously with interest at what he had to say. “The thurisaz is a rune meaning giants or strong ones, often in association with a conflict. Ansuz quite literally meaning ‘the gods’ and you already are familiar with cen and laguz, fire and water. So these tell me something about giants or gods of fire and water, possibly in some conflict.” He looked up at Amy as he and her were likely thinking the same thing – her dreams seemed to show some stalemate battle between the two forces. He continued, “And the ogham, seacht anord flaith coróin. Seven Chaos Prince Crown.”

“Seven chaos prince crown? I mean, I get the first half Chuck.” Sonic called out.

“There is an old legend saying the Lords of Seven each wore a crown that had a different shard of chaos bestowed upon them. I don’t know much more beyond that in terms of their significance. But these Lords were said to have immense power.” He answered.

“And the rest of the ogham? Any more hints from that old dead language?” Tails insisted on knowing more.

“Hmf,” Chuck scoffed, “dead language. It’s not just dead, and much less a language in the way we use the common tongue. It’s ancient. Found only in old text about ancient times and myths. I had forgotten entirely about it until you came across it at Stark Ruins. But you were right in that it seems the other inscriptions were nothing more than names and markers. An ‘I was here’ kind of thing.”

“Ha! I knew it.” Sonic said gleefully as he was softly elbowing Amy.

“Shh!” She shushed him so Chuck could continue.

“Why was the ogham in Stark in the common tongue then? And also the rune in the tree?” Rouge asked.

“Ah, well that is another mystery. Maybe whatever forces did that horrific deed at Stark knew who ever would stumble across it would only know the common tongue. But then again, why even make it ogham…” He said more so as a question to himself. “As for the tree, it was ihwaz or yew. Odd to label the tree as if anyone wouldn’t recognize the kind of tree it was. But the yew and even the ihwaz was a symbol in lore of death and resurrection.”

“From Chaos comes creation and creation ends with destruction.” Amy muttered.

“Yes, but creation also come from destruction.” Chuck mused. “And endless cycle of death and rebirth. You should all know this from our,” Chuck and Knuckles made brief eye contact, “from your respective ceremonies. One of the few beliefs all Societies have in common.”

“What of those crowns you mentioned?” Knuckles finally spoke up. Though stoic as he liked to be, he couldn’t help but also be intrigued by the information.

“I think there might be more to them than just ornamental pieces associated to folklore. I only know of one currently in existence and even then there is speculation on whether it is in fact one of the Lord’s crowns or just an ancient artifact from a time long passed. Last I heard it lay locked away in secret in a museum in the city of Westport, many many hundreds of miles from here.” Chuck further explained.

“If it’s locked away in secret, how do you know of this thing?” Sonic asked.

“Because I’m the one that found it.” They all froze in perplexion. “But that is a story for another time. I will need to read the Stair na Seacht more to see if this trail of crumbs is worth following. Go get a pint of gat at the tavern and rest up from your journey. I’ll let you know if I uncover anything of worth.” They all got up and moved out the door. “Amy, a word if you don’t mind dear.”

Amy looked at Sonic and he gave her a shrug. She’d join them shortly. Chuck moved over to the sink and began washing his hands. “I know you and I are both thinking similar thoughts.” He finished rinsing his hands and turned to further explain. “Whether from ancient myths or omens of future, your dreams are connected to this vast riddle we’ve been investigating and exploring. Fire and flood…” He paused, “I fear something of the sorts may come to transpire. And a human you said?” Amy nodded. “I think we need to find these ‘crowns’ before whatever man in your dreams does.”

#ooohhhh it's getting good if I do say so myself #chaos societies #episode 6 #seven chaos princes' crowns #sonic au #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #amy rose #rouge the bat #knuckles the echidna #uncle chuck #sir charles #just wish there was an extended version of 'Natural Cause' so it could play though the end of the chapter while reading & not end short

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ettadunham · 4 years

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A Buffy rewatch 7x01 Lessons

aka redemption, nostalgia, and the circle of storytelling

We did it, guys! We made it to the last season! Also, hello if you’re new, and stumbled upon this without context. As usual, these impromptu text posts are the product of my fevered mind as I rant about the episode I just watched for an hour (okay, sometimes perhaps two). Anything goes!

And in today’s episode it’s the beginning of the end, as it’s relentlessly signaled towards the audience.

I’ll be honest, in the pantheon of Buffy season openers I find Lessons to be somewhat… middling. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good stuff here, but there are parts of the main storyline that are just frustratingly inconsequential.

Let’s not beat around the bush – I’m mainly talking about Dawn’s new friends here. It’s obvious what the show is doing here, having Dawn form a friendship with two other misfit students and fighting demons on her first day of high school. We’re clearly going back to the beginnings. It’s what the Master aka the First tells us as well. Invoking the show’s very first episode and showing the next generation taking on that mantle.

(Also, that scene of the Fist appearing to Spike as all the Big Bads is still a lot. The music! Drusilla! You got me there, show. You got me right in my nostalgia feels.)

Which is a nice and cool thought. I love that. I love Dawn here. I just wish that the friends she makes actually appeared beyond this one single episode.

Imagine if one of those kids were Cassie! Or Amanda! I know that it’s tough to plan out these kinds of things, but the show’s done it in the past – or at the very least, set up a consistent group of background characters they could always go back to.

There are so many minor characters all over the Buffyverse, who were plucked out of that canvas and had their own little arcs through a few cameos. Think of Chantarelle, Amy, Harmony, or even Jonathan. And these characters weren’t set up to have as big of a role as they eventually got; the writers just saw an opportunity to develop them.

Meanwhile we’ve got these two kids, who this episode codes as part of our new Scooby gang. And we never see them again.

That’s just a bummer.

And it takes away a lot from the main action for me. Again, I like the idea of doing this, going back to high school as the beginning of a new cycle, where life as a teenager is hell… But I also wish I was more invested in the fate of these kids beyond Dawn.

On the plus side, I’m definitely a fan of Prinicipal Wood, and his lack of subtlety when it comes to his involvement with the supernatural. He’s like dropping hints that he knows what’s up, instead of just straight up telling Buffy that his mom was a Slayer. So is it any wonder that it’s getting picked up as shady on Buffy’s end?

He’s doing his best though, guys!! He’s got a lot of mommy issues. Give him a break.

Spike too has his own issues (which we’ll talk about in relation to Robin too). It’s a stark contrast, seeing a newly ensouled Spike here, laughing maniacally at Buffy asking him if he’s real. So are the cuts on his chest, marking his attempts at trying to cut his own heart out.

I don’t feel adequate enough to talk about that in depth. This is self-harm territory. But there’s also obviously something very specific about Spike trying to get at his own heart too in a metaphoric sense. Sure, through the heart is one of the ways a vampire can be killed, but he didn’t try to stake himself.

Spike’s a romantic. It’s one of his core traits that’s followed him through all of his incarnations. Even as a soulless vampire, he was a romantic. Except then, that side of him became twisted. As he was incapable of experiencing love in its entirety, this alter ego of his focused on what was left. Dependence. Obsession. Possession.

Spike as a vampire also reveled in his passions, and so to him violence, sex and love were all the same. They all came from the same place.

It’s no wonder then that the first thing Spike does after getting his soul back is to try and get rid of his heart. The thing that made him do all those things, even before he became a vampire.

Discussing redemption on Buffy is interesting to me, because this isn’t the show where that’s a central motive. Those stories happen over at Angel.

So, from that perspective, seeing how Willow’s story is handled here makes complete sense to me.

You know, I’ve read the hot takes about how Willow should be facing more consequences for her actions. But let me ask you this: what could possibly be worse for Willow than losing Tara?

Here’s another: how would punishing her be helpful?

And if your answer is “because murder should be punished because we live in a society”, that’s a good point. It is indeed how most of our society functions. For a reason.

But the show has been proposing for many seasons now, that normal societal rules don’t always apply in Buffy’s world. As a result, Buffy herself is positioned as the one with the power to decide how to handle any situation. Something that Faith already tells her in season 3; but Buffy rejects that idea then. At that time, she hasn’t even severed her ties with the Council yet, and was unprepared for that level of responsibility.

The Buffy of season 7 however not only recognizes her power, but embraces it. She is the law.

Which means that she can set her own principals and examples outside of society. And you can call Buffy self-righteous or whatever anyway you want, but she was never one for punishments.

Buffy always protects. If there’s a threat, she fights it, and if it’s neutralized, she lets it go. That’s why she never killed Spike after he was chipped. That’s why she didn’t kill Ben.

Buffy’s not vindictive and gives everyone the chance to grow; and in turn, so does the show.

“But… what about Faith?” – you say, predictably. I of course knew you were gonna bring her up. Mostly because you are currently just a voice in my head, arguing with my much more advanced logic.

Ah, yes. Let’s talk about Faith.

Specifically, let’s talk Faith in Consequences.

Hey, remember Consequences? The episode in which Buffy is trying to make Faith face up to her actions while also protecting her? The one where they argue about them being the law, and Buffy rejecting that specifically because Faith posits that they shouldn’t take responsibility for what they do?

More importantly, I want to emphasize this: with the gang, Buffy argues for Faith. She may not have quite embraced her role here yet as the law, but it’s clear where her head is at. She even asks for Angel’s help to keep Faith from becoming a threat.

Faith of course has her own set of issues that pushes her over to the dark side, but that doesn’t become evident for a few more episodes to the rest of the group. And I’d argue that it’s largely due to Buffy that Faith is even welcomed back for that short period of time.

Of course, comparing that to Willow’s murder is still not a good fit. Faith killed someone by accident at that point. Willow was going on a vengeance trip.

So let’s fast-forward to season 4. Where Faith wakes up and the gang doesn’t know how to deal with her.

Now, I criticized Buffy’s approach there, saying that she only seems to be preparing for two options here. Faith is either still a threat that needs to be dealt with, or she regrets her actions, in which case, there’s nothing to worry about.

Faith’s state of mind is of course a bit more complicated than that in the episode, but notice something important. Buffy doesn’t want to fight or punish Faith if it’s not necessary, even though at this point, she definitely did more than enough murder. When they meet, she tells her so. “It doesn’t have to be like this, you know.”

And for Buffy, that’s genuinely true.

After what goes down, Buffy’s pissed at Faith though. And yet we only see that side of Buffy on Angel the series. Where redemption for Faith becomes a central conflict, and one that’s ultimately resolved by her taking responsibility for her actions, and giving herself up to the police. A justice system that’s operating under normal societal rules.

And for Faith’s arc, that works. Part of her ongoing struggle was facing up and dealing with what she’s done, so this gave her the opportunity.

That however, isn’t always the case. Mostly because prison systems overall are largely unhelpful in actually rehabilitating people, but that’s a hot take for another day.

Narratively of course we still want that sense of fulfillment. We want to see the characters we love redeem themselves, and we want to be satisfied that it’s earned. But for me, that’s there with Willow as much as it’s there with Faith. It’s just that beyond the difference in thematic approach between the shows, their arcs just aren’t a one-to-one comparison.

Willow isn’t in denial about what she’s done. And she’s been dealt enough punishment as it is, even if it wasn’t any consequence of her own actions. By societal rules, she should be in prison, but because Buffy operates outside of those, Willow instead gets to have help, support and lessons.

And that’s kind of fascinating.

GILES: “Do you want to be punished?” WILLOW: “I wanna be Willow.”

I haven’t talked about Dawn nearly enough, but just know that I love her.

That is all.

#buffy rewatch 2k19 #btvs talk #btvs

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alexthegamingboy · 5 years

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Toonami Weekly Recap 9/21/2019

Dr. Stone Kingdom of Science Arc EP#05 - Stone World: The Beginning: With Senku seemingly killed after Tsukasa delivers a fatal blow to his neck, Taiju and Yuzuriha use his gunpowder to set off an explosion around Tsukasa, allowing them to escape. Realizing that Senku wouldn't simply sacrifice himself, Taiju and Yuzuriha discover some petrification on his neck, giving them the opportunity to heal the injury by using the revival fluid. Meanwhile, a flashback shows how Senku first emerged from his petrification and developed the tools needed to survive.

gen:LOCK EP#08 Season 1 Finale - Identity Crisis: While preparing for their next skirmish, the gen:LOCK team receives a transmission from Migas, who reveals the Anvil and everyone inside is safe: the late Dr. Weller had figured out Union sympathizers were given a chip that could broadcast a signal to nanotech so that it would not affect them, and manufactured a copy for the Vanguard that was put into effect when the Behemoth's nanotech attacked. He then reports that the Union is making another move in Chicago, and needs the gen:LOCK team's help. As the team prepares to leave, Dr. Jha lets Chase know that they're always welcome at RTASA and reassures him that Dr. Weller was proud. The team touches down at a pier in the South Side to draw Nemesis to them: after taking out some Union forces they are horrified to realize Nemesis has been upgraded with flight capabilities and nanotech that can repair any damage. The team uses mindshare to get an edge on Nemesis, but when this does not completely work they decide to all mindshare at once. Chase shows reluctance to do so, questioning what this means for him, but before they can try anything they receive a notification that they are almost at uptime and need to download. Chase chooses to stay in his Holon, exceeding uptime and leaving him unable to return to his body, in order to buy the rest of the group time. Nemesis and Chase continue their fight, but when Nemesis realizes how important the team is to Chase he heads to where their real bodies are in front of the Museum of Science and Industry. Before he can attack them, however, he is ambushed by Miranda and Jodie in their tanks, and Leon (who had earlier learned he was gen:LOCK compatible but too old for the program) using the Holon intended for Sinclair. Chase realizes without the limits of uptime he can mod himself and overclock his Holon without any consequences, and continues his fight with Nemesis, buying enough time for the rest of the team to upload back into their Holons. The entire gen:LOCK team engages in mindshare, using their combined skills to disable Nemesis's nanotech and damage him beyond repair. Before Chase destroys him for good, Nemesis hints that he was a mere copy of the real Chase's brain, and that the Union made many more. With the battle over Leon tries to download back into his body, but because of his age the download is not entirely successful, leaving him in a coma that they cannot confirm he will ever get out of. Colonel Marin congratulates the team on helping them win the battle, and offers them a chance to return to the Anvil. Chase has a talk with Miranda, who sadly remarks that the people they were four years ago died in the Battle of New York, but tells Chase not to be a stranger and that perhaps someday they can try things again. The gen:LOCK team decides to move their base of operations to RTASA, with Migas serving as their chief engineer and liaison to the Vanguard, and Leon moving there to aid in his recovery.

In a post-credits scene, the real Robert Sinclair is revealed to be alive. His actions and appearance indicate that he may have escaped his captors and is now trying to find a way out of Union controlled territory disguised as a Union soldier.

Fire Force (VS. Special Fire Force Company 1 Arc) EP#09 - The Spreading Malice: Shinra saves Tamaki from Lieutenant Rekka, and then engages him in a violent battle. They use all of their pyrokinesis abilities, but fight to a standstill. Shinra uses his extra mobility to attack Rekka again while Tamaki keeps the children away from harm. Shinra almost exhausts the oxygen in his body, but he leaves Rekka heavily damaged. Rekka admits that he has been searching for children in who have latent pyrokinesis abilities, creating many Infernals in the process and arousing Shinra's suspicions about the abduction of his brother. Rekka says he is working for the Evangelist whose mission is to engulf the Earth in flame and turn it into a second sun. Rekka begins to create an inferno with his flaming arms but his flames are shut down by Flam Karim who arrives and seals him in ice. Suddenly, two white-cloaked figures kills Rekka from some distance away to silence him. The assassin then fires at Karim and Huo Yan Li, and Li loses part of his arm protecting Karim. Shinra creates a smokescreen, and with their targets obscured, the cloaked figures retreat. Karim then offers to work with Company 8 to find the mysterious Evangelist. After being suspended by Company 1, Tamaki is transferred to Captain Obi's Company 8.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin EP#12 - Char, The Red Comet.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma (Training Camp Arc) EP#12 - The Memory of a Dish: Megumi manages to impress the judges with her Rainbow Terrine, which emphasises the maturity of vegetables. However, when it comes down to voting, all three judges vote for Shinomiya's dish based on the difference between their skill. Just then, Dojima gives his own vote towards Megumi's dish. Dojima states that Shinomiya has allowed his cooking to become stale, and that his status as a world famous chef has prevented him from developing his skills any further. This is revealed in flashbacks related to how Shinomiya's climb to fame involved making sure his dishes were made exactly to his recipe, with no tolerance for any kind of change. When Shinomiya tries Megumi's dish for himself, he understands how her dish was geared towards the needs of those eating it, and puts in his own vote for Megumi. With Inui also casting her vote for Megumi, the Shokugeki ends in a tie, with Shinomiya revoking Megumi's expulsion. As Megumi returns to her concerned friends, Soma laments what is, in his eyes, a defeat.

Lupin the 3rd Part 5 EP#15 - Her Relationship With Lupin: Betrayed by Dolma, Lupin and Ami escape with the aid of Fujiko, who has also claimed the Bloody Teardrop. King Rajahara Sinha has gone into hiding, whereupon the revolutionists declare martial law in the city in order to capture him and force him to abdicate. It also turns out that McGuire is really Ugo, a native Padarian, who was originally tasked with assassinating the princess, but switched sides in order to prevent the country sliding into open civil war. Dolma reveals that she decided to join the traditionalists and hopefully defeat them from within, knowing that she would not stand a chance without the support of her people. Fujiko and Ami evade the army with the wounded Lupin in their care, but Fujiko soon abandons the two to fend for themselves. Just before they can be captured, King Sinha, assisted by the Shake Hands Corporation, stages a counter-revolution. At that critical moment, Fujiko demands that Lupin state his true feelings for her.

Black Clover: Elf Tribe Reincarnation Arc EP#88 - Storming the Eye of the Midnight Sun's Hideout!!!: Asta and Noelle visit Leopold in hospital where Fuegoleon is still in a coma. Having both received encouragement from Fuegoleon Asta and Noelle swear to defeat the Midnight Sun on his behalf. Asta shares his confusion with Noelle about something Vetto said about not being able to forgive humans. Klaus warns them to be vigilant against the Midnight Sun's spies, though as they leave a shadow attaches itself to Asta and follows them. Klaus worries that despite being the strongest knights in the kingdom; most of the Royal Knights are also some of the worst troublemakers, such as Luck and Zora. The shadow attempts to spy on Mereoleona but she spots and exposes it as a spy whom she captures and interrogates. She decides they will attack the Midnight Sun in the morning rather than in three days, though Zora suspects she always intended to do so. To infiltrate the Midnight Sun's hideout they split into teams with orders to reach the centre by any means necessary. Mereoleona teams up with Asta and Zora. As the battle begins Rhya decides to join the battle, activating the Third Eye in his forehead while secretly revealing Licht is not in the hideout but is somewhere else entirely.

#Toonami #Toonami Weekly Recap #Dr. Stone #Kingdom of Science Arc #gen:LOCK #Final Episode #Fire Force #Vs. Special Fire Force Company 1 #Mobile Suit Gundam #Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin #Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma #Training Camp Arc #Lupin the 3rd #Lupin the 3rd Part 5 #Black Clover #Elf Tribe Reincarnation Arc #Marathon next week

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amieyhko · 3 years

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#HNGRY2019 Support Letter

Dear You,

You may have known me as a naive, young kid, trying to find my way through the winding paths of life. Or you may have known me just a few here-and-there's ago, where we might have talked about our hopes and dreams.

Whether you've known me for long or short, you are receiving this video letter because we've had meaningful conversations about a dream deep inside my soul.

To recap, a general timeline of my life consists of multiculturalism, endless visa applications, many plane trips, and infinitely trusting God as my provider.

After graduating from uni last year, my visa in Taiwan expired. I said see you later to the place I've spent most of my life, and finally experienced living in my passport country for the first time after my kindergarten years. It was cold, unfamiliar, and totally confusing. Staying in Korea made me realize that I don't want to waste another second wallowing in a life that just ends in an endless cycle.

Then I thought back to my second mission trip to Hungary. Working with the Roma people has often reminded me of myself. Romas are more commonly known as Gypsies but that's a racial slur. They are a group of people that lack conformity and identity. They're outcasts. Most of my life, as a TCK who's always been a big conglomeration of identities, I knew their answer to affirmation was Jesus.

I also wanted to empower them through arts—to redeem their story with crafts and use it as a platform to break their cycle. 21 year old Amie was so sure of her life long pursuit. Now I'm 24.

I was still in Uni, though. Any ideas of moving away and starting entrepreneurial or ministry work sounded crazy. But graduating, working a short while in Korea, seeing the world through a more seasoned lens got me thinking that crazy isn't impossible, crazy is necessary.

So I'm back in Taipei: cushy home; hugged a bunch of people I've missed; talked to Danny, my big brother at church who's in charge of the missions department. He invited me to be on a longer mission trip as I told him "I think I'll just move to Hungary." In return he asked me what stakes I was willing to take and I said whatever.

The plan is to be at Hungary for a month and a half starting mid June. This will be a little trial for me to experience and see everything going on in their ministry. Meanwhile two mission trip teams will visit: one from BREAD OF LIFE INTERNATIONAL and another one from BOL Youth & Young Adults. I'll work with both teams while developing relationships with the Hungarian pastors. Danny asked me to think goals, and dream wisely.

Without hesitation, I said yes. Then I caught up on the details later.

The BOLI team's main goal is to host a youth retreat for the teenagers in the Roma church in Tiszavasvari, it's the town where I went for the last three trips where lots of Roma people live near the Hungarian-Romania borders. The past three times I was there, I worked with a minimum of hundred rowdy kids. This time, the expected number of attendance is an astonishing low of twenty. I am so excited at this intimate number.

After the retreat, we'll head to Budapest to host interest nights for people to know more about BOLI as we prepare to launch there in the near future.

The BOLI team will leave on the 25th and I get a week off!

After a week-long break, the Y&Y team will come. During our month in Budapest, we'll spend our weekdays learning Hungarian and doing outreaches. Every weekend we'll go to Tiszavasvari to teach practical classes to children and teenagers.

I'm very excited about this trip. I'm very glad I'll be escaping a grueling Taipei summer, which is not the point. As ecstatic as I am, I still have a couple of worries here and there.

A few years ago, my umma told me the story of how she ran away from home to be at YWAM when she was just a bit younger than I am now. She's been repeating that story more and more to affirm me that I am fifty times more capable than she was then, how I have the support of family, friends, and an army of angels. I'm pretty sure she had the protection 7k armies of angels, but who am I to argue? She told me to follow what I think I need to do. Sometimes it's not about waiting for a calling but acting upon what brings me life and joy. If it brings me joy, God delights in it.

So with that blessing from people all around the world, I'm happy to be sharing and updating you through my newest journey that will take place from June 14th to August 1st.

Please pray for me and if you feel led, do support me financially as I do have to raise around 70 thousand NTD (2300USD).

There are several ways for you to donate:

Patreon: where you get to fund me monthly.

Make a one-time donation through Paypal

If you hold a Taiwanese or Korean bank account, you can wire me

or, if you see me often: just plain old cash will be great too.

Thank you so much for listening to my story. Don't hesitate to ask me any questions.

I can't wait to tell you my next update!

#updates #missions #hungary #europe #romani

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ilosttrackofthings · 7 years

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boooooooooooo for stressing, I do not support this, do not like. but yay for meme! for it: biospecialist and/or aos

send me a show/character/ship and I’ll tell you my top five moments

agents of shield

that time Daisy and Jemma were SO SCARED but also SO RELIEVED to find out neither of them was an LMD and they hugged and my heart cried and it was beautiful

that time Randolph called Jemma the most beautiful thing he’d seen in a thousand years and no one blamed him or questioned it

that time Hunter found out his ex-wife, who he’d spent WEEKS badmouthing to the team, was on the team and WAS THE ONE WHO TOLD COULSON HE WAS GOOD PEOPLE I’m still laughing about it

that time Robbie caught James’ flaming chain out of the air. I really don’t think I need to expand on the beauty of this moment

that time Trip and Jemma refused to become HYDRA and even though they’d only known each other a few days total, acted as a perfect team, totally in sync

special mention for that time Grant put friends first and which Amy can attest I often forget is not canon

and the biospec under the cut

biospecialist

the circling (3x09) - I am a humble raccoon and Grant creepily circling Jemma, sizing her up again after her time on Maveth, is always gonna be one of my favorites

“I made you a promise” (2x19) - how freaked out is Grant in that scene? He can barely compute what just happened and meanwhile Jemma is PROUD (her little smile when she nods? ohmygosh!) that she tried, even though she failed, even while she’s TERRIFIED

the fall (1x06) - not the jumping, the fall. That moment when we see her pulse and it’s clear it happens a while after he catches her because instead of being wrapped around each other, she’s in his arms and she pulses/passes out and he holds her up and just … best

TRACKS (1x13) - the WHOLE THING. She’s all worried over his injury and he HOLDS HER HAND while she looks at him with those big doe eyes while he tells her to go hide, he’ll protect her, then he’s all “I told Simmons I’d be back for them.” My HEART. Are the writers trying to KILL ME?

interruption (1x15) - there’s that little moment in Yes Men where Grant comes into the med pod to see Skye and you can SEE Jemma putting her feelings for him in a deep dark hole in the face of this obvious crush he has on Skye and I EAT IT UP

special mention for: last looks (3x09) - the up-and-down he gives her before going through the portal. I have NO IDEA what it means and that might be why I love it so

#the two lists are done in completely different styles because i did one last night and one today #and my brain is in different places #also the stress was for nothing!#so boo to stress but yay to not getting in trouble #biospecialist #agents of shield #five moments meme #shineyma

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rachelbethhines · 7 years

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The Antoine and Bunnie Retrospective - 126

“Say You Will” Home: Epilogue - Sonic the Hedgehog #134

The epilogue for the Home arc is one of those character driven, “lets slow down and focus on establishing the new direction” type stories in the same vain as “A Brave New World”, “A Day in the Life”, and “Changes.” I’m generally fond of these types of stories and personally feel some of the above issues are some of the best in the comic. However, while I did still enjoy today’s issue to some degree, I can’t help but feel something was slightly, well, “off” about it.

For starters the pacing has problems. The previous stories had the whole of the comic to tell their tale. This story has to share page space with a second running arc. (I’m beginning to resent M25YL a little more than I did before) The story has so many characters to catch up with that as soon as it feels like we getting somewhere with one we’re suddenly off to see about another. It’s kind of jarring.

The second problem is more behind the scenes driven and revolves around a certain writer not understanding a certain character and their relationship with another certain character. More on that later.

So what do we learn about the characters, well...

Sonic can understand his dog Muttski due to a babelfish implant he got during the Tossed in Space arc. This is a plot point that won’t go anywhere.

Doctor Quack lost an eye

Jules finds out he is still a robot due to his injures being too severe

Tails learns about his parents, and is crushing on Fiona again

Rotor has become less of a field agent and more of an inventor though that’s really nothing new

Knuckles and the Chaotix retreated to Knothole when Eggman took over Angel Island

Mina is now a full time singer and is dating her manger, Ash

Geoffrey and Hershey leave to go on their honeymoon

King Max is going on a world tour to gain support from neighboring nations leaving Sally in charge while he is away

The king also wants Antoine to accompany him as his personal bodyguard

And Bunnie explains why her and Antoine broke up....... Well, sort of.

Ok so here is the deal, the writers are trying to create a mystery around Antoine’s sudden change in behavior. He’s all brooding and serious now; standoffish in a way he never was before. Cutting ties to the people closest to him. The idea was to slowly reveal how he came to be this way and what events unfolded in the missing year that effected him so. The problem with this? The writers can’t agree on how this development should unfold!

Both Karl Bollers and Ken Penders were in disagreement over Antoine’s character arc during this era. They were openly feuding with each other, and while I don’t know if this is what started the argument, I do know that Antoine’s story became the major battle ground between them. Permanently ending their partnership and eventually leading to both leaving the book altogether.

This makes reviewing this particular era difficult. I can’t discuss character motivation without revealing the ultimate twist that would explain Antoine’s behavior. And I can’t discuss the big reveal without going into the behind the scene politics and the alternate ideas that everybody was throwing around at the time.

However, since there is a lot to cover, I’m going to try my best to drip feed you the details so that I’m not just info dumping on you all at once. So I’ll leave you pondering a little longer and let you guess your own theories before jumping into the nitty gritty.

In the meanwhile I need to address the biggest criticism of this issue, The Slap.

So some context first. All through out the story Sally had been trying to pull Sonic aside and have a talk with him about their future together. Only for other people to continually interrupt her before she could. During a photo opt. for the press she tried to bring it up again only for both of them to blow up at each other, in front of everybody!

There’s three main things wrong with this.

Sally could have waited until after the party or right before it to have this conversation. Making a scene and slapping someone in front of the entire city on a stage is forced drama on the part of the writer.

Said writer, Bollers, is deliberately writing Sally OOC in order to assassinate both her character and her established relationship with Sonic. A relationship that he never understood how to write for to begin with. Either making them uncommunicative jackasses or sickly sweet “lets plan our wedding” lovely dovey. Seriously, Sonally isn’t the type of couple who would use cutesy pet names, just saying.

The reason why Bollers is doing this is to cash in on the shipping wars that were running rampant in the fandom. SatAM and comic fans were mainly pro-Sonally, while Sonic X and and game fans were mostly for Sonamy. Unfortunately, Amy’s a ten year old in the comic and Sonally has been around since the comic’s beginning so none of this makes any sense continuity wise. But Bollers doesn’t care about continuity, even his own, and that is perhaps the most aggravating thing about him as a writer.

However, despite all of the bullshit reasoning behind this, I’m going to try to defend this development from a in-story character stand point.

If you’ve been following my reviews, you’ll know by now that Sally is clearly an abuse survivor. Her controlling dick-weed father has tried time and time again to ostracize her from her friends. Keeping her locked in the palace, forcing her to be home schooled away from her friends, preventing her from going on field missions ect. He did finally relent and allowed her to be acting ruler/heir to the throne but only because Elias ran away. There’s nothing to indicate that he let up during the past year. In fact without Sonic around, I dare say Sally would have been even more reclusive and a perfect target for a her dad’s manipulative abuse.

Now add in the fact that Sally’s been known to deflect her frustrations with her dad onto others and has a real problem opening up to people, there was bound to be a angry blow out sooner or later. Her not being able to protect Sonic on missions just happened to be the breaking point. She suffered from depression for a year due to losing him and taking a page from father’s book decided to try and keep him close to her and “safe” through manipulation. Only Sonic of course wouldn’t go along with it. He hasn’t been conditioned like Sally has.

Yeah it’s stupid and irrational, and probably not conscious on Sally’s part. Abuse survivors can pick up on manipulation tactics and other such learned behaviors and fall back on them as a defense mechanism. Sally may be in charge, but she’s not in control. She’s still doing daddy’s bidding rather than following her heart.

Unfortunately, the writers aren’t self aware enough to make this into a plot point and to build character off of it. This could have led into Sally realizing she needs to escape her father and get help rather than just being a break up for the sake of cheap drama.

In short I don’t hate the slap itself, I just hate what came after it.

Oh an there’s more M25YL in this issue, but it’s not important.

#sonic the hedgehog #archie sonic #archie comics #karl bollers #sally acorn #sonic #the slap heard around the world #Bunnie Rabbot #Antoine D'Coolette #max acorn

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tripstations · 5 years

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Travel influencers: The good, the bad and the downright ugly

(CNN) — Amy Seder isn’t used to having the door slammed in her face. Her artfully posed Instagram posts of a glamorous life led in glamorous destinations has won her an army of online admirers that the travel industry is usually eager to embrace.

But when she recently contacted one hotel in Italy hoping for a free stay in exchange for social media exposure, she was bluntly rejected.

“Blogger infestation. Not interested,” came the curt response.

So-called travel influencers such as Seder make a living by sharing their globetrotting experiences on social media and personal blogs. They get freebies, discounts or payments for promoting places, products and experiences via their accounts.

The past few years have seen a relative explosion in the number of people apparently carving careers via this route. The many travelers who now plan their vacations based on what they’ve seen on social media make it a viable proposition.

But it’s a trend that, as Seder found, may now have reached saturation point with some hotels and other travel industry organizations growing weary of the demands placed on them by influencers and becoming increasingly doubtful of the commercial benefits.

Inspirational or loathsome?

Partly to blame for the disillusionment are a slew of recent headlines about entitled and inappropriate behavior that have exposed the fine line between inspiring the online community and incurring its unbridled wrath.

Gianluca Casaccia, a beach club owner in the Philippines, took to Facebook in April to tear into “freeloaders” he said were plaguing his establishment with requests for gratis food, drinks and accommodation.In another case, a Czech couple traveling in Bali drew ire after apparently splashing themselves with holy water at a temple and posting images of it to an Instagram account with tens of thousands of followers.

These incidents, while unrepresentative of the many influencers who steer clear of controversy, have helped shine a spotlight on a side of the travel industry of which many people were perhaps were unaware, highlighting some of the hard-nosed reality beneath the surface of the soft-focused dreamscapes on Instagram.

They also raise questions about the sustainability of the agreements between influencers and the travel industry and the lifestyles they support in a rapidly changing industry environment.

While travel blogging is a relatively young phenomenon, it has already evolved into a mature and sophisticated business model, with participants on both sides working hard to protect and promote their brands.

A working relationship

Those on the industry side say there’s tangible commercial benefit, provided influencers are carefully vetted.

“If people are actively liking and commenting on influencers’ posts, it shows they’re getting inspired by the destination,” Keiko Mastura, PR specialist at the Japan National Tourism Organization, tells CNN Travel.

“We monitor comments and note when users tag other accounts or comment about the destination, suggesting they’re adding it to their virtual travel bucket lists. Someone is influential if they have above a 3.5% engagement rate.”

For some tourism outlets, bloggers offer a way to promote products that might be overlooked by more conventional channels. Even those with just 40,000 followers can make a difference.

Kimron Corion, communications manager of Grenada’s Tourism Authority, says his organization has “had a lot of success engaging with micro-influencers who exposed some of our more niche offerings effectively.”

Such engagement doesn’t come cheap though.

All expenses paid

Trips or freebies often cover luxury experiences, meaning considerable outlay for the hotel or tourism body involved.

A night in the Serenity Club Junior Suite Ocean Front at Haven Resort in Cancun, Mexico, costs between $500 and $900 depending on the season. The Insta-famous Marina Bay Sands in Singapore can be upwards of $720 a night.

That means extra pressure in finding the right influencer to convey the relevant message — particularly when the aim is to deliver real-time social media exposure.

“We analyze each profile to make sure they’re an appropriate fit,” says Florencia Grossi, director of international promotion for Visit Argentina. “We look for content with dynamic and interesting stories that invites followers to live the experience.”

One challenge is weeding out genuine influencers from the fake, a job that’s typically done by manually scrutinizing audience feedback for responses that betray automated followers. Bogus bloggers are another reason the market is becoming increasingly wary.

“If comments are just emojis or slightly out of context, it indicates a bot,” says Anne Pedersen, the head of French travel website Atout France’s public relations. “If the comments all come from the same country, they could be fake accounts.”

While some businesses and organizations may be turning their back on influencers, many still find it profitable to engage.

Seder — who fell into influencing after she and fiance Brandon Burkley quit their jobs in New York to travel full time — soon found an alternative Italian venue willing to strike a deal, despite their rejection from the first “blogger infested” hotel.

Such hustles are part and parcel of a profession that, according to those making a living out of it, is much harder work than the sun-kissed Instagram photos would have you believe.

The most successful influencers spend the majority of their time working to grow their audience and develop content — often with a team of dedicated employees.

They also spend a fair amount of time looking for handouts in exchange for Instagram posts, branded tweets, YouTube videos and more.

Posts are typically valued — depending on audience location — at about $1,000 for every 100,000 followers. Some top-tier travel influencers are also paid a per diem or per deliverable rate.

Seder makes money working with tourism brands that pay for sponsored Instagram and blog posts. Additional earnings come from her professional photography and affiliate marketing.

She says her workis often made trickier by the fact that influencers are often lumped in with traditional travel journalists on regimented press trips that fail to take into account their need to constantly connect with their audience.

“There have been times where I was forced to get up in the middle of the night to meet my contracted deliverables because there was absolutely no time to do it during the day,” she says.

“The best press trips are those with a good balance of activities and shooting time, a mix of famous and local authentic destinations, and arrangements with popular sites before or after hours, to avoid crowds.”

Valeria Hinojosa, a Bolivian private banker turned influencer with 129,000 Instagram followers, specializes in promoting eco hotels around the world, for which she charges upwards of $3,000.

“My goal is to show that every destination has a story,” she says. “From sustainable hotels, the kindness of the locals, the exotic taste and aroma of food, and the connection with nature.”

Hinojosa says she doesn’t get too hung up on audience numbers.

“If I reach my readers’ souls through my words, then I’ve succeeded,” she says. “The overflow of love I receive from the people who follow me and the brands I work with is a good measurement.”

San Francisco-based Dimag Ozgum (539,000 followers) says he measures his impact by how frequently his photos get replicated and how many Instagrammers use his community hashtag, #VacationWolf.

“After we visit a region and share it, a massive amount of influencers get influenced and end up traveling there,” he says.

Walter DeMirci, USA country manager for the Qatar National Tourism Council, recognizes the limitations of using influencers, even if his organization is still willing to make use of them.

“While creating beautiful content is part of the requirement, having a successful partnership also means creating an organic brand ambassador that will share their positive experience with friends and families outside of social media,” he says.

In other words, tourism boards try to identify good influencers who will create educational posts about their destinations that will then inspire travelers to book a trip.

Value proposition

This is where things can get tricky. Not all influencers are necessarily interested in what value their posts lend their audience, leading to scenes like the Bali temple incident or outbursts like those of the Philippines club owner.

Los Angeles ice cream truck owner Joe Nicchi is another who lost his cool with constant requests for handouts. Earlier this year he announced he intended to charge influencers double.

Tourism reps, meanwhile, recount dealing with tantrums when demands weren’t met.

“One of our executives had an encounter with an influencer who said he ‘doesn’t f——- pay for anything, ever’ after she informed him that some of his meals weren’t going to be covered,” says Grenada Tourism Authority’s Corion.

Many luxury properties in the Maldives have terminated their influencer marketing programs after getting countless requests from fraudulent influencers.

For well-intentioned influencers such as Emilie Ristevski, who has over one million followers on Instagram, the rise in irresponsible “influencers” is frustrating.

“It’s disappointing to hear this is happening, it has extremely negative effects on the industry,” she says. “It’s a shame to see self-entitlement and unethical work practices be a recurring theme for some influencers.”

When the influencer and a tourism board mesh, the results can be tourism marketing gold. Influencers bring new perspectives to destinations and reach a broad, international audience.

Qatar’s DeMirci says influencers have been an asset in promoting his destination.

“With social media on the rise with regards to planning travel, we’re tapping into influencer partnerships which allows us to showcase Qatar from a variety of perspectives,” he says.

And, says Ristevski, in an age of runaway mass tourism, where travelers are often accused of harming the places they’re visiting by turning out in such large numbers, influencers can be a force for good, particularly when promoting lesser known destinations.

“Bringing sustainable tourism into remote areas supports smaller communities and their livelihoods,” she adds, “along with helping to compensate overtourism due to photographic locations.”

The post Travel influencers: The good, the bad and the downright ugly appeared first on Tripstations.

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