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immaturityofthomasastruc · 3 years

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IOTA Reviews: Rocketear

The Rocketeer is a 1991 Disney movie set in 1930's America where a test pilot gets a jetpack and uses it to fight Nazis and— Wait, what? “Rocketear”? Oh, damn it!

Let's get into the eleventh (chronologically the seventeenth) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Rocketear.

We start off with Carapace and Cat Noir struggling to hold back some T-Rexes brought back to life by a scientist Jurassic Park style. Seriously, they reference the movie in the same scene.

Why wasn't this the plot of the episode again?

After managing to tame the dinosaurs with a whistle of all things, Ladybug notices something's wrong with Nino after he gives the Turtle Miraculous back to her. Apparently, he's wondering why Rena Rouge (who he knows is Alya) wasn't recruited with him today. Ladybug tells him that he was the only help she needed today. In reality, it's because Alya has adjusted to her new role of supporting Ladybug behind the scenes in her new form, Rena Furtive.

And I'm not a fan of the new form. I get the camo, but it doesn't really help her blend in when her suit is bright blue. I think it's based off the arctic fox, but that animal is able to camouflage itself because it's fur matches the snowy environment. I'm sure a bright blue jumpsuit won't stand out when she tries to blend in at all. Also, the fact that Alya can just change her hero form gives even less excuses as to why Ladybug's new form is only when she uses her Lucky Charm.

Alya is struggling to keep this a secret from Nino because they don't have a lot of secrets in their relationship. Marinette says she can kind of get it because she had to keep her identity a secret from her friend and has to keep keeping her identity a secret from everyone else. Basically, she's telling Alya to suck it up because this is what being a superhero is.

So the next time she sees Nino, Alya tells him she's no longer Rena Rouge, but not about Rena Furtive, which troubles her. The very next scene shows Alya showing Marinette pictures she took of her new costume and asking her which version looks better.

You could always try reviewing Akuma fights. I heard there's one blog that does it when they're not criticizing the famous director Thomas Astruc on social media.

Yeah, in case you can't tell, Alya was only able to rent her brain for a few episodes because she really doesn't seem as understanding about being a superhero as she was in earlier episodes. In episodes like “Optigami” and “Sentibubbler”, we saw Alya use more strategy and show discretion as Rena Rouge, seemingly taking her job more seriously, but then this episode just had to go and piss it all away. I also love how the first time the animators made Alya's skin the same when she's transformed is in a single frame for a joke.

Alya thankfully deletes the picture, but Nino overhears her talking about struggling to find more content for the Ladyblog, and decides to go to the movies with her to help take her mind off things. Nino, in turn, proceeds to give the same reaction to the in-universe Ladybug movie that Astruc gives to the PV.

Apparently, that movie's already getting a sequel and it has a teaser. So was the sequel animated at the same time as the original like Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III?

Nino gets pissed the next movie in the Ladybug Cinematic Universe will feature Rena Rouge and not Carapace... even though Rena Rouge debuted first. The teaser then shows Rena Rouge falling for Cat Noir (yet another creative liberty taken by the writers or something Astruc's self-insert threw in himself), and takes it like it's the real thing. Dude, the first movie said Ladybug was afraid of cats, and the director yelled at the person it was based on for judging it. He clearly has a hard time distinguishing fiction from reality.

Alya leaves Nino early so she can go on patrol, but Nino sees Cat Noir heading out as well. He then watches a video on the Ladyblog where Alya praises Cat Noir which is totally not Astruc projecting or anything.

I don't know what your definition of a prince is, Alya, and I honestly don't want to know.

So Nino takes this as evidence that Alya is in love with Cat Noir and decides to tell Adrien, who naturally laughs him off. And just before you think we have an episode where Adrien plays the straight man, Adrien decides to visit Alya because he's afraid he accidentally charmed Alya.

Yes, because Cat Noir is so charming, girls are just fighting over him, aren't they?

We then cut to a black and white film noir monologue by Nino (dressed like a detective with a fake mustache), who decides to spy on Alya. When Cat Noir asks Alya if she is attracted to him, she naturally laughs him off, though Cat Noir is thankfully a good sport about it, even giving her a hug to apologize. Unfortunately, Nino took this the wrong way.

The next day at school, Nino takes Adrien into his “office” (it's really an excuse to reuse the boiler room setpiece), and shows him the picture of the hug. Adrien says that Alya would never fall for Cat Noir because she's always dedicated to finding out the truth and telling her boyfriend everything. What's Nino's retort?

Okay, several problems with this bit. First of all, why would Nino even tell Adrien any of this? What would it accomplish? Why not say all this to Alya while confronting her about her alleged unfaithfulness? Second, Ladybug didn't give Nino and Alya their Miraculous at the same time until it was an absolute emergency. She outright said in “Hero's Day�� that she didn't have time to recruit Nino and Alya separately.

Ladybug: I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. I know I'm revealing your secret identities but I don't have time to find a good excuse to give them to you separately. Rena Rouge and Carapace, I need you both!

Nino and Alya kept their identities secret from each other until then, with Alya even keeping the fact she knew who Carapace was a secret as well. Nino didn't find out because “they don't hide anything from each other” (which I plan to talk about later).

Other than that, I actually liked Adrien in this scene. It was really investing to see him try to justify the whole secret identities rule while Nino blatantly said there was an exception. This is the kind of stuff I wanted to see when it came to Adrien doubting Ladybug, not him destroying things in his anger.

While Nino rants about how Cat Noir “stole” Alya from him, Shadowmoth sends an Akuma his way, turning him into Rocketear.

And the design he has is just boring. It's just a blue jumpsuit with some black spots that look like teardrops, a teardrop-shaped head and a visor. I think the reason this season's been relying more on past Akumas and using more Sentimonsters is because DQ is terrible at character designs. I mean, compare this suit with Aigraon from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger (his Power Rangers counterpart is Wrench from Dino Charge).

The design does so much more with the teardrop motif, giving him a perpetually miserable face with tear lines going all over his body. Add that to a more diverse color scheme, and you have a much more visually stunning design. And this was created in real life, not rendered on a computer. I'm not sure if this is a budget thing or a laziness thing, but if it's the former, you really need to do better, animators.

The powers are meh, giving Nino the ability to fling explosive tears at enemies. It's a clever idea, and it makes sense he gets a power that parallels Cat Noir's, but I think maybe it would have been more interesting if he couldn't control the tears at all. Like, imagine if he was constantly crying like Blue Diamond, and with every tear he shed, Rocketeer could send it at whoever he felt was causing him misery, mainly Cat Noir, all while serving as a metaphor for people who blame others for their own personal issues. Better yet, make him look like the detective outfit Nino wore for the second act. It would have made him more unpredictable instead of making his tears generic projectile weapons.

Marinette and Alya see the fight and transform into Ladybug and Rena Furtive respectively, the former summoning her Lucky Charm, a projector. Is it just me, or has this been happening with Ladybug a lot recently?

Back to Rocketear, we get a good moment where Cat Noir intentionally lets the Akuma hit him so he can get a chance to resolve things diplomatically. See, this is a moment where Cat Noir's self-sacrificing nature feels heroic and not selfish like when he does it without Ladybug's permission to spite her. Unfortunately, it doesn't really go anywhere as Ladybug shows up and plays the recording Nino took (Alya found his phone earlier), while Rena Furtive uses her Mirage to give the audio to what actually happened that night.

Rena transforms back into Alya and embraces Rocketear, who apologizes to her for his behavior. And then he just... rejects Shadowmoth's power while looking like it wasn't that much effort.

At least when Chloe and Alya did it, we saw them struggling for a little longer. I guess maybe it's because Nino is motivated by his love for Alya, but I think it should have been fleshed out more. So Ladybug purifies the Akuma, gives Nino a Magical Charm, and Cat Noir is still unsure about his feelings for Ladybug at the moment, though they still pound it.

Back in his room, Adrien ponders why Alya and Nino get to know their identities while he and Ladybug can't, but Plagg points out it's because she's the Guardian. It's brief, but I do like seeing Adrien start to doubt Ladybug's judgment, and it looks like it'll foreshadow future episodes. This is a problem I've had since “Hero's Day”, and I'm glad the writers are finally acknowledging this double standard. I just hope they don't end up blaming Marinette for whatever happens later on.

Marinette, of course, apologizes for what happened between Alya and Nino, and I have to say... yeah, no. It's obviously Nino's fault here.

Nino really pushed personal boundaries in this episode, much like Marinette's friends in “Gang of Secrets”. Yes, honesty is a valuable trait, but sometimes, people have secrets they want to keep to themselves. Nino's idea of “not hiding anything from each other” is somewhat controlling, like he's demanding Alya tell him everything whether she wants to or not. The fact that he immediately assumed Alya was cheating on him without giving her freedom to make her own choices doesn't make him look good. Let's be honest, a more realistic outcome would be Alya choosing to break things off with Nino or at least lecture him about how she can do what she wants and keep the secrets she wants. But instead...

And that's how the episode ends.

Okay, Marinette just said she trusted Alya to make the right decision, but I highly doubt she meant this. Marinette strictly said Alya had to keep Rena Furtive a secret, and now she's telling Nino this despite the risk? The whole reason Marinette and Luka broke up was because Marinette had to keep her secrets from Luka, but now it's okay for Alya to be completely honest? How is this not a double standard?

This episode was just dull, and there’s not even much I can really say about it.. There were a handful of standout moments, and the stuff with Adrien was somewhat compelling, but Nino's behavior was just insufferable and dragged the episode down. The Akuma fight was weak, only lasting about four minutes at most, and while the Lucky Charm was more creative this time, the plot was just frustrating. It's really one of the weaker episodes this season.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch the better Rocketeer.

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coupleornaments1 · 3 years

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2021 Personalized Couples Christmas Ornaments

Here comes the Holiday Season again and I am sure many of you will be shopping for your loved one's personalized couple's ornaments. Many people start their shopping as soon as Thanksgiving ends and get out of the house with all of their gift-giving. It may be very tempting to overspend and buy the most expensive gift you see, but this can actually set you back. If you buy generic ornaments that are not personalized you will spend less, but that money you spent may not go to personalize your gifts anyway.

You can make personalized couple ornaments at home for less than $5.00. All it takes is a computer, printer and a bit of creativity to make these beautiful tokens. If you are creative and don't mind buying a few extra materials to make your own, then you can save even more money. If you don't want to make them yourself then you can buy a pre-made package of personalized couple ornaments. Make sure you choose some that you can both agree on so that you don't end up with something you really don't like or that the other person doesn't like either.

A lot of people are using personalized couple's ornaments this year to give to their loved ones. It is a great way to show someone how much you care about them and that you are there to stand by them through thick and thin. Personalization also gives couples more to talk about during the holidays. If you are trying to keep your family busy and out of the spotlight this year, personalizing your couple ornaments is a great way to do that while still letting everyone know that you love them.

One of the most popular personalized couple ornaments for 2021 is a photo collage of pictures put together into a collage-style poster. It is a fun project that both partners can do together. You will need at least four photos that you can both get hold of free. You will need a projector to project your picture onto the wall and a hot-glue gun to hold the collage together. Most people prefer to make personalized couple ornaments using pictures they have taken themselves rather than using stock photos but either way is fine.

Another very popular personalized couple's ornament is the tree of joy. You can find this ornament online or in any craft store. You will need to have holes drilled all around the perimeter of the tree so that you can hang it from the tree with Brad nails. These are very inexpensive and will make your Christmas lightings and other decorations look much better. If you are having this ornament custom made then you may want to get some ideas from a site that specializes in personalized ornaments.

If you want something less expensive but still as cute as the personalized Christmas tree of joy, then get a couple of small stuffed bears and glue them onto a clear sheet of plastic. Use a red ribbon and decorative ribbon to tie the two sets of bears together. This ornament is not only cute but it also makes an excellent personalized gift.

If you are having trouble thinking of something to get a wife that might interest her, then maybe a personalized note from her husband would do the trick. Get some paper and pencils, jot down some ideas and write her a personal message. Have her sign the note when she opens it up. If you are feeling creative, you could even get a pen and paper and draw her name!

These are just a few inexpensive and fun ideas for personalized couple ornaments. If you are looking for something a little more meaningful, then try looking for religious symbols or scripture. No matter what design you choose, make sure you have enough space to hand write the details so that they will stay on the place and won't come off. That way, you will be able to use them again and be reminded of that special someone during special times of your lives.

#ornaments #couple ornaments #personalized ornaments

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avaantares · 4 years

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My New Ventilated Social-Distancing Movie Theatre

(or, how I bought a 2020-proof social life for less than $100)

So the USA is (still) a hot mess in terms of pandemic response. Because both my father and I are at increased risk for complications from COVID-19, and my sister and I have to work together in person to run our workshops, my entire family has been in a state of self-quarantine for six months straight (with no end in sight). But it’s hard being in constant isolation, so the four households that comprise my local family have been doing weekly outdoor gatherings -- with plenty of hand sanitizer and safely-spaced tables -- so we can see each other and socialize at a distance. However, that’s only feasible when the weather cooperates.

I’ve also really missed watching movies with friends, which prior to the pandemic had been a regular activity. I have a 70-year-old tripod screen I inherited from my grandfather and a projector I use for running panels at conventions, so we’ve watched occasional DVDs outdoors, but we could only do that on evenings without wind (which could tear the brittle screen) or rain (which would damage the projector), and we have to be careful not to have the sound too loud because it might disturb the neighbors.

A couple weeks ago, when our city delayed reopening again due to rising COVID-19 case numbers, I decided to convert half of my garage into an outdoor movie theatre. It turned out pretty well, and it only cost about what I would spend on movie tickets in an average year (and since I’m not going to any movies in 2020, it’s pretty much a wash). I’m sharing the details in case it gives anyone else ideas for making a health-conscious social hangout!

Obviously YMMV, and in areas with higher case numbers (hi, FL & AZ), this still might be too much contact. Be safe and follow official recommendations to prevent viral spread, folks!

The Space

Before I settled on the garage, I considered building a movie space under a tent canopy (nixed because they’re almost impossible to anchor through Midwest storm winds) or carport kit (too expensive and high-maintenance for me), so there are definitely other options depending on where you live, your typical weather, and what space you have available!

My garage has an unusual layout that allows for better-than-average ventilation. When it was first built, it was a 2 1/2-car garage with the doors facing the street and windows on the side. About 40 years later, the owners decided to move the driveway to the other side of the house, so they built a second garage attached to the drive-door side and knocked out an end wall to put in a new overhead door. This means that by square footage, the garage could hold four cars, but the way the drive doors are situated, it’s a divided two-car garage with a bunch of extra space at the far end. The two sides are connected by one of the original overhead doors, which means that three of the four walls have openings that allow for air movement. (More on that below.)

Normally there’s a car in each side of the garage, but I decided I was willing to park outside all summer for the sake of having a social life. Over the course of a week, I emptied and thoroughly cleaned the half of the garage that has the windows.

Air Flow

Constant fresh air flow is critical to flushing aerosolized particles that can spread the virus, so in order to make a safe indoor space, I had to simulate outdoor air movement. I opened all three overhead doors and both windows, then placed several fans to draw air through the building: One in each window, one along the side wall, and a box fan in the connecting door between the two sides of the garage to pull more air in from the outside. To make sure air was actually moving through the building and not just circulating within it, I turned on all the fans while I was sweeping the (very dusty) floor and walls, and adjusted the fan angles until the dust blew straight out the overhead door, rather hanging in the air or gathering in the corners. (Experts recommend that to prevent virus transmission, indoor spaces should have 100% air turnover every 10 minutes; obviously I have no way of testing that in a garage, but there is a constant light breeze through the building and stuff seems to be blowing out, so I feel pretty good about it.)

Projection Setup

I already had the projector and DVD player (I took the one out of my living room, since I usually just watch DVDs on my game console anyway), but I wanted a larger wall-mounted screen, since my grandfather’s 1950s screen was designed for showing vacation slides in a living room, not wide-screen films. Hanging fabric screens are very cheap, but I opted for a 120″ retractable screen so it would stay clean in the dusty garage. I also have an old set of monitor speakers that provide nice stereo sound.

Seating

The beauty of setting up in a garage is that it’s basically outdoors, so you can use lawn furniture or bean bags or old chairs you pulled out of someone’s trash (I do this regularly; it’s how I got my entire patio set). Measuring out at least 6 feet between each table and staggering their positions so nobody was directly downwind of another table, I set up all the card tables and folding tables I owned, and put a pair of chairs by each one so that couples from the same household could share a table but not be in close contact with any other groups. I put my largest folding table (which was also salvaged from the trash -- seriously, it’s the best way to get stuff!) against the wall right by the open door to serve as a snack table, so it’s on the opposite wall from the seating and nobody would be breathing on the food. I covered all the tables with decorative heavy-duty vinyl tablecloths (mostly for sanitation purposes, because those tables have been sitting out in my garage and I know I’ve had raccoons and opossums out there -- not to mention the colony of bats that lives in the loft off the back of the garage).

This setup can seat up to eight people, and even provides a place for serving food. (I put pump bottles of hand sanitizer on each table and on the food table, and people wear face masks when they’re loading up their plates, so there’s minimal contamination risk there.)

Total Cost

My out-of-pocket cost for this whole project was only about $83, though that’s because I already had a lot of stuff lying around. Here’s a more complete breakdown:

Fans: I already owned the box fan ($25 new) and a couple other fans that I’d picked up super cheap at garage sales ($5 or so), because my house is old and the HVAC is not very efficient. The only new fan I bought for this project was a refurbished air circulator from Amazon ($14), because I needed a small but high-velocity fan to fit in a window.

Projection setup: The only new thing I bought was the screen, which was $65 including shipping (though non-retractable fabric screens start around $10-15, so if you’re on a budget you can get one very cheap). I bought the projector used on eBay about eight years ago. I think I paid around $40 for it then, but prices have come down since; I’ve seen discount projectors for as low as $20. The DVD player is a cheapo region free model, which I got a decade ago for maybe $30. The speakers were secondhand; I’ve also used an old set of external PC speakers ($10 from Goodwill) when running video off my laptop, and they worked well enough in the indoor space.

Seating: Almost all the outdoor furniture I own came from other people’s trash, so I didn’t pay anything for it! Any kind of seating or tables will work, though. I did invest about $4 for new tablecloths, which I got on seasonal clearance.

Bonus Perks

I’ve discovered that the garage walls block a LOT of light and sound unless you’re standing directly outside the drive doors, so we can watch movies for half the night or stay up late chatting and we aren’t disturbing the neighbors! We couldn’t run movies out on the patio late at night because the sound would carry to neighboring houses.

Also, when we’re watching a film in the evening, we get to watch my bats fly through the garage on their way to and from dinner! (Which might be an annoyance to the bats if we were out there all the time, but we try to keep our volume low and we’re only out there about once a week, so I don’t think we’re disturbing them too much.) Bats are protected in my state, as some of the native species are critically endangered, and we try to encourage nesting as they’re essential to pest insect control. I love watching them fly around!

The setup also works well for video games. A local friend and I had been playing online, late at night because it was the only time we could get enough bandwidth to maintain connection (the ISP in my area is not super reliable), but now we can sit on opposite sides of the garage and play local co-op with no lag:

So, in summary, my “movie theatre” is by no means a luxurious setup, but it was cheap :) and it’s a great way for my small pandemic social bubble to get together and chat, have a movie night, or play games without risking being in a closed room together.

#social distancing #home theatre #my rock star life #2020

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tev-the-random · 4 years

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A Miraculous Sorting

(I’m writing this under the Christmas tree’s lights, because they take a lot less power than my room’s actual lights, and if I’m going to throw an all-nighter today, I want the electricity bill to be as cheap as possible.)

You know something I really love? Pulling a Sorting Hat at random times. You’ll see me making a sandwich and rambling to myself as to why Rivaille Ackerman is a Hufflepuff. You’ll see me doing the dishes and quietly wondering why Mabel Pines is a Gryffindor. You’ll see me taking a shower and just arguing with myself about whether Ciel Phantomhive is a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin.

The fact is: I love Harry Potter with all my soul and I’ll take any opportunity I get to sort random characters into Hogwarts Houses.

So I thought to myself: hey, why not make a post about it? Mixing my most recent Thing-I-Won’t-Shut-Up-About-For-a-Few-Monthstm (Miraculous Ladybug) and my unexplainable need to analyse characters and put them in Hogwarts? Sounds cool to me. And that’s why you’re reading this. Also, I’m bored.

Anyway, let’s get to it!

Warning: be aware of Spoilers! If you haven’t finished Season 3, I’m afraid you’ll find a buzzling nest of spoilers here, so do be careful!

Warning 2: Sorting is a very sensitive thing and can be interpreted in many ways. This is how I interpret it. Feel free to disagree, I’d love to discuss different opinions!

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug – Ravenclaw

This was an easy one. Despite her clumsiness and social awkwardness – which make her look a lot more air-headed than she actually is –, Marinette is a perfect match for Ravenclaw!

First of all, we’ve been signed over and over again in the show to how she’s quick-witted, resourceful and strategic, and has got incredible problem-solving skills – even if she’s terrible at managing her time. Practically every episode shows us how quick she is to come up with plans to defeat the villains and how she always makes most of what she has – the Lucky Charm may be the most ridiculous object in the world, she’ll always manage to make a use of it.

Not only as Ladybug, but also in her normal daily life, Marinette seems to be able to strategize and negotiate very well. Take as a few examples: how she manages to hide with Adrien using various strategies (Gorizilla); how she talks to Roland and convinces him to come visit Tom in his birthday (Bakerix); how she hides and runs away with Kagami and Adrien using various diversions (Heart Hunter/Loveater); how she pulls her – in my opinion – most brilliant and convoluted plan to retrieve Tikki and Plagg and keep her identity hidden (Kwami Buster). I mean, we get distracted by her silly shenanigans every now and again, but this girl has some pretty smart moves!

She also operates the team work most of the time, directing when and where to use her fellow heroes’ powers. Not to mention she’s the one to choose who gets to have which miraculous, and she mostly seems to get it right – in this house, we do not talk about the stupidity that went down with Aspik, thank you very much.

Furthermore, Marinette is just plain intelligent. She jammed the Wi-Fi signal using a microwave in Lady WiFi; she engineered her own diary-protection device in Darkblade; she made a home-made projector in The Mime; she neutralizes evil perfume with a chemical explosion in Princess Fragrance; she makes a freaking propeller in Glaciator. She was also mentioned in Ladybug (this name doesn’t get confusing at all) to always get good grades.

As the series goes, Ladybug gets to become a much wiser person. She seems to learn from most of the problems the akumatized victims go through, as well as from her own mistakes – let aside all the Adrien stuff. Yeah.

Last but not least, Marinette is exceptionally creative. I don’t think I need to exemplify this, do I? I mean… If you haven’t noticed how artistically inclined she is and how she is constantly praised for her creativity as a designer and as a superhero – again, think of the Lucky Charms –, I doubt we’re watching the same show.

Not necessarily a Ravenclaw trait, but I’ll add it as a bonus: Marinette handles so many responsibilities at the same time, what a multitasker! She is an independent fashion designer, she does small fashion services – as seen in The Mime, for example –, she is a designer for both Kitty Section and (apparently) Jagged Stone, she babysits Manon and Chris, she helps her parents at the bakery, she studies – again, it’s said that she has good grades, so even if she spends a lot of time saving Paris, she also doesn’t lay off at school –, she makes time to keep her friendships together and she has all her responsibilities as Ladybug, and now as a Guardian. This is all some new level of bullshit a 15 year old human being shouldn’t have to deal with. I’m seriously amazed it took her three full seasons to have a breakdown.

Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir – Hufflepuff

Ok, this was a bit more difficult. I was seriously torn between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, but, after some deep thinking, I believe Hufflepuff is where Adrien belongs!

Firstly, we’ve seen numerous times how inclusive Adrien is. He was, since day one, willing to give everybody a chance at friendship. This Nino boy I literally just met? My best friend. This Ladybug girl who fell from the sky out of nowhere? I’ll trust her with my life. This girl who hates me because of Chloé? I’ll give her my umbrella and she’s just a friend – Goddamnit Adrien. This Kagami girl I just fenced with and who almost killed me? Friend material right there.

What makes Adrien’s inclusiveness most clear to me, however, is Lila. Despite everything she does, despite all her constant lying, despite her getting people he loves in trouble, he’s still willing to be her friend. We see in episodes like Chameleon, Oni-chan and Ladybug that he’s always willing to give Lila a second chance, to help her out when she needs it, to extend her the hand of friendship and to let her learn with it, because even if he knows she is a jerk, he still wants include her. Is that a bit of a stupid move at this point? Yes, it is. But we appreciate your try, Adrien.

Another Hufflepuff trait that this boy has is patience. I mean, he lives with Gabriel Agreste, the cold critical father who shows affection – or any presence, really – only once every few months; he lives with Plagg, the demanding, pestering kwami who’s determined to not give two craps about doing his job; he’s childhood friends with Chloé “the arrogant and annoying and other things I can’t say out loud” Bourgeois; he’s trying to keep good terms with Felix, who’s competing for “most despicable brat of the year”; and he’s “friends” with Lila. All of this can only be handled by an enormously patient person.

Despite that, Adrien is still somewhat just and fair. This can be seen in Despair Bear, as he says he’ll stop being friends with Chloé if she doesn’t start acting nicer. He also claims he won’t be friends with Lila anymore if she doesn’t get Marinette out of the trouble she caused. It’s also important to note episodes like Riposte, where Adrien’s determined to get a rematch with Kagami due to his believe that her loss was not fair.

The thing that defines Adrien the most and that made me decide for Hufflepuff in the end, however, is his loyalty. Despite everything to ever come his way, he’s extremely loyal.

Firstly, he’s loyal to Chloé, his childhood friend and, for the longest time, his only friend. We can see in the second part of the Origins episode that he won’t tell on Chloé’s behaviour because he “can’t throw her under the bus”. He instantly goes back to being her friend after the events of Despair Bear and seems to be the only one to get sad for her almost leaving Paris in Malediktator.

The person Chat’s the most loyal to is undoubtedly Ladybug. We can see it in multiple instances, as he sacrifices himself in order to protect her in several episodes, stays by her side no matter what and, despite his own desire to know who Ladybug is, doesn’t actually actively try to find her identity (Chat Blanc aside) because that’s what she decided. Even if Chat Noir is constantly portrayed as her mere sidekick and gets the least attention of the duo, he doesn’t show jealousy. He trusts her.

I’ll refrain from making the “Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders” joke.

Alya Césaire/Rena Rouge – Gryffindor

Oh dear… I feel like this one almost reached a Hatstall! It was so hard! Her extreme curiosity and fascination with the world around her made me think of her as a Ravenclaw, while her ambition to get the best information for her blog and connection to the Fox Miraculous – the fox being an animal strongly connected to cunningness – seriously made me think about putting her in Slytherin. But again, after deep thinking, I do think Alya fits incredibly well in Gryffindor!

Let’s start with the fact that Alya is an icon of bravery. She is daring and determined to the point where she is reckless. She is always ready to jump right into action, no matter how dangerous the situation is. If she can either get interesting footage and information or be of any help at all, she will be there, often putting herself in danger in the process. She rarely ever gets intimidated, nonetheless, showing that she has very strong nerve. This can be seen throughout various episodes, ever since Stoneheart and all the way to Feast!

It’s safe to say that Alya has also got a sense of nobility, in a certain way. As seen in episodes like Stormy Weather, Sapotis, and Timetagger, this girl’s got a way with kids and is always willing to protect them. Rena Rouge also shows willingness to help save Paris no matter what, as seen in Sapotis and Syren, for example.

I don’t know if this can be considered nobility as well, but I’ll just leave it here that Alya “Wingwoman” Césaire is a very determined best friend and will do about anything to set Marinette with the boy she loves. I can’t even exemplify this, because this happens way too clearly in almost every episode, folks.

Well… Say what, I’m still confused about this. Alya confuses me. Does anyone have any comment to help me out with this one, please?

Nino Lahiffe/Carapace – Hufflepuff

Ok, I won’t lie: part of this decision is because Nino’s just got too much of that bro vibe for me to imagine him anywhere else. But hear me up, I’ll tell you why he is an amazing Hufflepuff!

First of all, Nino’s absolutely loyal. He’s loyal to Alya; always willing to protect her with his life – that’s how he got his miraculous, after all! –, but they still act as very good partners, friends and couple, and he recognizes she is strong on her own, too. He’s ready to help her out with her “wingmanning” – I’ll exemplify with Puppeteer 2.0 – and with her Ladybug investigations – as seen in Lady WiFi. They even parkour together in Miraculer! (Sorry, I just need more DJ-WiFi in my life)

He’s also loyal to Adrien. We’ve seen it in several episodes: how he wants to make his friend happy and let him be free from his very strict household – good examples would be The Bubbler and Party Crasher –, showing that he is fair to his friend. It’s also important to mention episodes like Simon Says where, after the akuma attack happens, Nino’s first instinct is be to make sure Adrien is alright.

Nino’s also shown himself to be quite loyal to Ladybug, as he never faltered to follow her instructions, even after he gets the Turtle Miraculous.

His friendship with Adrien and Alya overall shows he’s also very inclusive. I mean, Adrien is friends with Chloé, the most hated girl of all school, but Nino just straight up offers to be his new best friend anyway. And although Alya keeps dragging him around to her messes, as soon as they start to talk and notice they have a lot in common, he falls in love with her (Animan).

Nino is a hard worker as well. He is seen DJ-ing almost every party that showed up so far, and he showed himself as extremely dedicated to his movie project in Horrificator.

As a generally laid back guy, Nino can be seen as someone very patient. It is quite difficult to tick him off, therefore it’s rare to see him mad or lashing out at someone. One might say he’s too relaxed at times…

Kagami Tsurugi/Ryuko – Slytherin

Ok, first of all: I love Kagami. And I love Slytherin. So if anyone wants to shit on any of them, you’ll have to go through me first! Wands ready, buddy, I’m a duellist and I’m ready to fight!

Kagami was another difficult one, but mostly because we rarely get to see anything from her personality, given how stoic and reserved she is at the beginning – besides, she’s a newer side character, so obviously she didn’t get to have that much screen time yet. But with what little we’re given, I’ve managed to figure she’d do nicely in Slytherin!

Let’s start pointing out how ambitious Kagami is: during her first appearance in Riposte, she is determined to get to enter the most prestigious fencing school in Paris, and doesn’t even falter upon the challenge of defeating their most talented student; while episodes like Oni-chan show that she’s ambitious to get Adrien (and finish Lila, but that’s all of us). Her acts as Ryuko also goes to show this, as she’s clearly not willing to back down and is always willing to fight and win.

However, she is not unfair, as seen again in Riposte, as she accepts her loss to Adrien was fair – it wasn’t, really –, even if it meant not getting what she wanted.

Although Kagami doesn’t seem to be entirely selfish, she’s one to look after herself (the two are easily mistaken, hence this is seen as a Slytherin “bad trait”). We see it in Desperada, when she ditches fencing class to be able go out with Adrien; in Ikari Gozen, when she disobeys her mother in order to finally make friends; in Loveater, when she comments she doesn’t want to hurt Marinette, but would not give up on Adrien either.

Ikari Gozen also shows that Kagami is level-headed, a natural leader, and rather cunning, given not only her strategies to deceive her mother in order to play the friendship game, but also her behaviour during the game and as Ryuko. This episode, along with Riposte and Frozer, for example, demonstrates that she strives to be the best at what she does.

We see it in Animaetro how she doesn’t let herself be intimidated.

Kagami is decided, as seen in Frozer, Desperada and Loveater. She doesn’t hesitate.

Luka Couffaine/Viperion – Hufflepuff

Oh, you thought I was going to finish this without sorting my snake boy?

Easy one. Very easy. Once you put aside the thought of Snake = Slytherin and Blue = Ravenclaw, it gets quite visible how Luka is the perfect Hufflepuff!

First of: he’s an extremely just person. One of the main themes of the episode Silencer is how he demands justice for his band and friends.

Luka has also shown himself to be immeasurably selfless. This is seen in basically all of the episodes he has an appearance on, but I’ll name Captain Hardrock (he gives his guitar pick to Marinette upon seeing that she likes it + stays behind to help her escape The Liberty), Desperada (he puts himself in harm’s way to help Ladybug and Adrien escape + he lets Adrien borrow his guitar without a flinch), Felix (literally everything he says in this episode), Miracle Queen (he sacrifices himself to the evil wasps) and Loveater (the scene where he drops his bicycle and his beloved guitar to comfort Marinette is some symbolic selfless beautiful shit and I’m about to cry).

In the same theme, he is notably kind. He’s never a hostile person – safe for Silencer, but that was a special occasion – and always seems to greet everyone with a smile and – when he finds them – kind words. I’ll exemplify using Adrien: despite knowing pretty well that Marinette is in love with the model boy, Luka was never once bitter towards him, treats him like any other friend (watch Desperada, Frozer and even Chat Blanc. Watch closely) and even states that he’ll be happy for them if they end up together (Felix).

I’ll also mention how supportive of a brother he is (Reflekdoll is our main example, though I need more Couffaine Siblings’ interaction, please) and how he gives Marinette a bicycle ride to the Grand Paris Hotel (Loveater) to help her; he didn’t need to do that at all.

We can see that what he wants the most is for Marinette to be happy, even if it’s not with him. He’s there to support the people he loves no matter what and respects their wants and needs. Take some notes, Chat Noir (ok, kidding. I love you, Chat. But do take notes).

Luka is the definition of patience. I mean… Let’s talk about Desperada, where, right after he confessed his heart to Marinette, she just ignores him and straight out treats him like trash to favour Adrien (I’m not blaming Mari, tho; I know she’s a confused little bean and didn’t mean any harm). What does he do? He shrugs it off with a smile and keeps his cool unfaltering. Furthermore, he never seems to expect anything from Marinette after that declaration.

Plus, when he’s chosen to receive the Snake Miraculous, one of the things he does best is to watch patiently for the opponent’s moves to know the best strategy to take.

Plus plus, he lives in a houseboat with Juleka, the Anxious Horror Loving Sister, and Anarka, the Chaotic Havoc Mum. I love the Couffaines, but living in The Liberty must be a nightmare sometimes.

Another point to take in consideration would be how Luka is a hard-worker. Despite him being pretty chill and laid-back, we often see Luka composing and/or practicing for Kitty Section. Not only that, but we also see in Loveater he has a job as a delivery boy through Paris. On a bicycle.

To wrap this up, I’ll say that Luka is pretty empathic. Just take his whole “reading people and translating them/their feelings into a song” thing we see in Captain Hardrock, Frozer and Loveater. I rest my case.

Phew, we’re done!

You headcanon these in different houses? I’d love to discuss it!

#Harry Potter #Hogwarts #Hogwarts Houses #Sorting #Sorting Hat #Ravenclaw #Hufflepuff #Gryffindor #Slytherin #Miraculous Ladybug #Ladybug #Chat Noir #Alya #Nino #Kagami #Luka #Marinette #Adrien #Character Analysis

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icosmohunters · 4 years

Text

chapter one : haunted ship

chapter one of cosmo hunters!

word count : 4.3k words

synopsis : hope is stranded on an ice-covered moon whilst out on the hunt for a particular ship terrorist, fixing her ship whose engine was malfunctioning. in the days that come, she notices that some things have gone missing. that’s when she starts hearing sounds from the basement . . .

“ day three on europa . . . nothing has run out yet, and i finally realized what the problem is with the engine, it seems like one of the cables burnt out and now i have to replace it. a.j is helping me sort it, but i don’t know whether i’ll make it in time to catch crimson at the j-colony. i’m in deep shit. “

hope held the recording device to her lips, her eyes darting across a star-lit, black vacuum of space. she found that putting and sorting her thoughts into a recording helped her more than typing it out on her monitor. even though she knew a.j was listening, she felt better speaking rather than holding all of the thoughts in her head. going through her problems often helps her understand them. well, some of them.

as of now, she sat with her legs perched on the smooth surface of the control panel, her spine resting against the soft cushion-like material her chair provided her. she’s been stranded, that was obvious. and being stranded, for an introvert, can be quite frankly, the best thing in the world.

because as devoted as she was to her job, hope just didn’t give a fuck sometimes.

three days on the moon europa, one of the four celestial bodies attracted by the dense monster that was the planet jupiter. europa used to be the ice ball that scientists often fantasized about, holding craters within its sea of ice which potentially held the essences for life like on earth; water, lava, magma flowing in the core.

and after having spent a while on its surface, hope could say that there wasn’t anything on this useless ball of ice! sure, she didn’t like using her weapons on dumb things, she often tried to avoid encounters with monsters and aliens but she had been hoping that there would be a challenge aside from the burnt cable in the ship’s engine.

nothing, nothing at all. not even a single insect.

at this point in her isolation, her fingers were burnt and aching from meddling with cables, her energy drink supply had run out and a.j’s battery was slowly running out. and the only way to charge him was to head down to a ship dock and ask a professional to do. because she didn’t have the clearance to do it herself.

“ i swear, ever since these fuckers left earth, they think that anyone outside of their corporation isn’t capable of handling things themselves “, hope complained, sitting up from her chair and tapping the button on the recording device, turning it off. “ do i need a certificate to charge a damn a.i? “.

a voice broke through the echoing silence, “ it’s the law. you just have to follow it considering you already made them bitter by leaving the corporation. “

“ stop reminding me, you ass “, hope grunted, looking up to the small screen planted on the roof of the navigation cabin. considering she had decided to make a.j a voyage companion, she couldn’t design him a physical appearance like that of other ships she’s seen belonging to the corporation. so she had grown accustomed to his sultry, matter-of-fact tone of voice. always condescending. “ you’re supposed to be on my side. “

“ i was not manufactured to be biased, hope. i was manufactured to have a middle-ground set of morals “.

the bounty hunter rolled her eyes, sighing a small yeah, yeah because she’s heard it all too many times. one could say she had fucked herself over by choosing a.j to be like this, it would mean that he would easily turn her in if she did something wrong. hence why she’s careful with almost anything she does.

having recorded as she does every morning, hope got up from her comfortable seat rather reluctantly, not showing any intention of doing a lot that day but her mission was four days away. and in case you were wondering, a jovian day is roughly nine fours. meaning she had thirty-six hours to get the ship fixed and her ass down to the j-colony.

why didn’t she contact the emergency board? because they’re a bunch of assholes, and they don’t act unless if someone is on the brink of death.

plus, hope has pissed them off all too many times. they don’t like her too much.

so, yeah . . .

“ fuck! “.

it had only sunk on her now just how much trouble she was in, putting her hands over her pallid face and releasing a frustrated sigh that echoed loudly. only now had she realized what the problem with the engine was and how long it would take for her to fix it was unpredictable. her mission was going to be a failure because she didn’t switch a cable. a fucking cable.

oh, how she wished to take the cable and strangle herself with it.

fighting the urge to procrastinate considering her life was on the line, hope approached the elevator and stepped into the booth, over-looking her cabin for a tender moment and then press the button down to the basement where the engine was stored.

the ship she chose was, of course, manufactured by voyage inc, the biggest tech company helping in the colonization process around the solar system as well as advances for galaxy exploration. the ship wasn’t the latest model, it was at least three seasons ago but she loved it nonetheless. besides, the newer models had removed the controls which she liked, now it was all buttons and waiting, no action, nothing, just letting the ship do everything for you. quite frankly, that’s vile. and lazy.

the walls were a pastel grey, decorated with trails of neon lines in particularly purple colors, especially lilac, hope really liked the color lilac. because it was lilac. and any other color beside it was awful. most of the ship followed this pattern, lilac, and grey, lilac, and white, but never lilac and black.

in a way, her ship was a masterpiece because she helped piece it together, choosing the elongated shape to allow many rooms and space for the navigation cabin, making the back of the ship slightly wider to allow another two propellers for extra power. the ship was rather large, painted in an ebony black as to blend into the vacuum of space in which it traveled.

needless to say, the ship was beautiful inside and out, unlike its owner.

“ a.j, turn the lights in the basement. “

when the elevator had reached its destination, the transparent glass doors slid open and hope stepped out into the lower part of the ship. below her would be the storage floor. but she didn’t care for it too much at that moment considering she had an engine to fixed.

gloves on, goggles on, hope whistled and tapped on a button against the elevator panel. a screen appeared, holographic and following the bounty hunter as she walked away towards where work was required. on this screen, she typed something and then sent it flying back to its projector. she was putting on music.

for an introvert like hope, who isolated herself from people and who rode solo, music had become a secondary companion when a.j wasn’t in the mood for a chit-chat. the passion for lyrical masterpieces came mostly from a theatrical mother who studied music in her time at school. her father wasn’t the biggest fan, but hope felt it like it was more than that.

she supposed that maybe music was just always a part of her.

anyway, her song of choice that evening was some mac miller, what’s the use, to be more precise. groovy and smooth, it put her mind at rest and her feet moving even whilst opening up the hatchet for the engine and exposing herself to the possibility of getting burnt.

usually whilst enjoying some tunes, hope doesn’t like to be interrupted, and a.j knew it all too well. but at least half an hour into the mechanical process, hope began to feel a sense of discomfort. she’s not accustomed to being with people, so of course, she didn’t realize that the discomfort came from that feeling of being watched. and it took her a while to detach herself from the focus she was pouring into the work, so when she looked up, she had forgotten about the worry.

a swift lift of the head and a glance over both shoulders. nothing. she knew there was no reason to be paranoid, what kind of life would exist in a deserted place like this? she wasn’t expecting a strange ice octopus to seep out of the craters to smash her ship to pieces, so she assumed it was only the anxiety getting to her. after all, she still had to fix the ship.

“ a.j, could you-- “.

“ on it, hope. “

whilst a.j ran a search through the ship’s mapping and tracking system, checking through surveillance, hope tried to distract herself with the work she was originally completing. of course, she was tense, and with tension comes the unbearable heat. soon, she removed her grey t-shirt and now remained in her leggings and sports bra, both with the grey and lilac design like that of her ship.

yeah, hope just really likes being shirtless.

after being away from huge crowds and society as a whole, she’s developed a lack of care when it comes to her own comfort and decides that sports attire is the best for her, hence why she wears it on a daily basis unless if she’s leaving the ship.

patting her solid abdomen for a moment, the bounty hunter took a small pause to admire her work. the cable had been replaced with another one she could but now she needed to connect it in and then sync it into the control panel and ugh, just boring technical shit that she wasn’t cut out for. but she had to do it in order to get herself to her scheduled mission.

“ hope, there’s something wrong. “

her expression dropped along with her stomach. gulping, hope fixed her posture and stood with her shoulders wide and chest broad. she wasn’t a coward, that’s for sure, but if there was a problem, she had to deal with it face-on. “ what’s wrong? “, she quickly asked.

“ it appears that the cameras sensed movement moments ago but nothing’s happened. or so it appeared, something seemed to have shifted in your room “, a.j explained in a tone she didn’t recognize. he sounded . . . worried, unlike him. very unlike him.

“ my room, you say? “.

“ correct. “

that sounded incredibly stupid considering she was the only one in the ship, the last time she checked, which was about . . . an hour ago. brows furrowed together, hope bit her lip and threw her gaze towards the engine. maybe the cameras weren’t working properly because she was tempering with the main source of energy.

“ i’ll check it out later, a.j. simmer down for now. “

being an obedient piece of technology, a.j shut up and went idle based off of a jingle that hope heard. the bounty hunter sighed for the hundredth time that afternoon and shook her head, maybe she was starting to go insane because of her worries. she needed to get this engine fixed soon.

time skip ﹏

around two hours later, the bounty hunter was attempting to get through a full meal without getting distracted by something else. usually, when sat in peace, she’s interrupted. and today wasn’t that different. it was around lunch-time and she was trying to enjoy a microwaved meal and what remained of the energy drinks in the fridge, until a.j tuned in.

“ the cameras have picked up more movement, hope, this time in the basement. “

the girl held her hand over her eyes and tutted, “ maybe they got confused considering i was there two hours ago. nobody would be on this ship, a.j, so stop scaring me as if this ship is haunted or something! “. she didn’t know her a.i was capable of jokes, but it turned out he was.

it wasn’t that hope was scared of ghosts. she’s seen enough to know that there are worse things out there in comparison to spooky beings out of campfire stories. she’s seen giant centipedes over twenty meters long, she’s seen sea octopuses with spikes in the suckers, she’s seen seven feet long cave beasts with enough strength to crush a person to a single atom.

it was that everything pointed to a malfunction in the cameras because of the lack of a properly functioning engine. nothing pointed to the idea of ghosts or someone having invaded her ship, and besides, she had other things to worry about.

so hope stood up and slammed her plate on the table with a semi-amount of force, not enough to break the plate but enough for the sound of the perasima dinnerware to echo. she went down to the basement, tapping her trainers impatiently against the floor and stepping out when the elevator dinged.

clapping her palms twice, the lights flickered on and hope’s eyes hunted for something out of place. the shirt she had taken off was still by the chair, her toolbox hadn’t moved an inch and the hatchet remained open. nothing seemed out of place and if a.j was a person, hope would have turned to pull at his ear.

“ i need to reboot your system if you keep this up, a.j “, the bounty hunter voiced forcefully, but her statement brought no response. considering her job was done there, hope ultimately turned to come back to her meal but something caused her to stop in the middle of her tracks.

footsteps.

now, that was definitely not right. yet hope remained still, completely still before suddenly turning in hopes of actually finding someone standing there. but instead, she was met with the same room full of the same oxygen as before. nothing out of the ordinary. except for the fact that she heard footsteps when she was supposed to be alone.

“ a.j, has the emergency response team replied to our distress signal? “.

“ nothing from them, i believe. “

hope bit her lip, her eyes darting across the basement before she found herself unable to go upstairs, she had to stay here to ensure that her sanity wasn’t going haywire and that she could fix the engine in time for her mission. it looked as if she wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon, which was fine by her if it meant catching whatever fucker had decided to start messing with her.

so she walked to the toolbox, slipped the gloves and goggles one, and continued to work, attaching cables to more cables, fidgeting with copper and other moldable metals, backing away at certain moments to avoid catching fire. all whilst looking over her shoulder and ensuring that nobody was creeping up behind her.

god, since when was hope, the bounty hunter, afraid of ghosts? “ not ghosts, not ghosts “, the girl repeated to herself underneath her trembling breath, blinking every once in a while to keep herself awake. a.j came online many times to tell her to relax or lay down, but now she was too disturbed to even think about resting. “ you scared me from my sleep, you fucker. how am i going to sleep after hearing footsteps? “.

“ perhaps your lack of sleep and fondness of replacing rest with heaps of energy drinks and caffeine pills is what’s causing you to have hallucinations. rest, hope, please. “

“ no. “

a.j persisted a couple more times until he gave up, hope could just imagine him shrugging before going offline.

she must have been up working for a good hour until her exhaustion got the better of her. hope recalls slowly dozing off and soon, she had passed out against the hatchet, at least she was far enough from it to avoid being burnt. having slept for a small amount of time, hope had regained enough energy and awareness to suddenly hear a.j coming online.

“ hope, wake up. “

rubbing her eyes with her bare hand, the bounty hunter yawned and paid a quick glance around her surroundings, forgetting her fears and worries for a moment. “ for god’s sake if you’re going to tell me you heard more footsteps i might start crying, a.j “, she complained, voice droopy as she tried to rid herself of the last few cobwebs of sleep.

except for this time, a.j most definitely did not have to alert her of anything. if anything, she caught on quite easily when she saw that the toolbox that once had rested beside her was, in fact, gone. hope didn’t react at first, but then she threw herself up and bolted to the elevator, slamming the button until the doors slid. it was like a bomb was about to be set off.

for some reason, she first chose to go to the top floor where the navigation cabin was just to check that nothing had seeped into her lockers or the cabinets, but hope spotted nothing at first. upon taking a level down, she started to rush through the halls, throwing all the doors open. first her bedroom, then the spare bedrooms, then the lounge and even the toilets and the kitchen once again.

she kinda regretted not bringing a weapon now.

a.j had gone absolutely radio silent, which wasn’t comforting for a girl in such a turmoil. it didn’t really dawn on her that perhaps a.j had moved the box via some robot arm that he had access to in the basement, it seemed unlikely that he would scare her that much. or that he held those bad intentions.

so the bounty hunter was left frozen in the grey and lilac halls, in a dying ship on an icy moon with no means of being saved by any space shuttle passing by. with no means of being helped. nothing, she was alone in this instance.

for the first time, the bounty hunter felt fear.

especially when she heard footsteps to her right. they echoed for seeming ages, they weren’t loud, they were gentle like the soles were guilty of causing noises and disrupting the peace, careful and sneaky. like a thief had broken in and that’s when it landed on her for the first time that she had been reading it all around, completely wrong!

no ghost would haunt her, no camera would malfunction like that. nothing like this would be possible unless if the scum of space had somehow found its way into hope’s ship.

pirates.

immediately, hope turned and bolted towards the weapon room, unaware that the footsteps had ceased at the sound of her own rapid ones, weaving through the halls in search of the double doors that were thrown open at her arrival without her having to do much. hope rose her gaze in hopes of finding the weapons as they were, except the shelves were nearly empty, in no way untouched. it looked like someone had clearly broken in and pillaged everything. all of her guns and tools, everything!

all except for a potent little ray gun that would be quite useful considered it fired nothing but sleeping darts. and poison darts. she hadn’t planned on using it before her mission yet here she was, fingers just craving to wrap themselves around the neck of a pirate in hopes of strangling them for all the terror caused.

of course, hope was incredibly nervous as her hands wrapped themselves around the gun, she hadn’t planned on shooting anyone until her mission in the coming hours but now her ship was being invaded and the bastard had to get off whether they liked it or not.

from what she quickly recalled, she had heard the guilty footsteps on the hallways leading to the lounge. so that’s where she went, her steps just as gentle as feathers touching a body of water. hope had lost the sense of feeling stupid in walking through her very own ship like she was a stranger to it, because she was angry at this point, and blood-thirsty, one could say.

honestly, she would really like that cable now.

upon approaching the lounge area, she suddenly became very still. because never once has she been so willing to be prepared for an attack. wherever this pirate was, she was going to find them and once she does . . .

well, she’s not too certain what she’ll do.

but then the footsteps came, louder this time and from directly behind her. and instead of flinching, hope turned herself around and fired first before they could approach her. and by the grunt she heard, she’d hit her target. the dim lights of the hallway suddenly flickered on properly and what hope was staring at now was a man on the ground, his chest heaving.

“ you didn’t have to shoot. “

hope’s eyes flickered to his hands, where he held her taser gun, probably the one which he had stolen from her very own weapon room.

“ you were gonna tase me, asshole! “.

looking at him now, hope found him to be a rather good-looking man with enough muscle power to be considered as a muscle pig, but through the way his face contorted with pain and the way he winced like a little kid, she was left feeling unimpressed. her left hand dropped to her hip, the ray gun still in her right hand.

this was the pirate on her ship?

“ stand down, guys. “

oh, there’s more. how didn’t she think of that?

hope looked to her sides and saw two figures emerge, both seemingly female from the long hair. one was a brunette, the other a blonde, both seemingly the same age or around the same age. to her left, hope saw two men emerge, both carrying the expression of either distaste or displeasure, she couldn’t decide between the two.

“ a.j, it seems like you were right about the rodents in the ship. “

the a.i tuned in quickly, activating what seemed to be a shock effect on the ship floors that sent all the pirates to their knees and then to the ground. hope was unaffected, as she was stepping on a structure on the floor which kept her from being affected. had she stepped on the ground, she would have collapsed just like all of them. the shock stuns the nervous system and weakens it. quite a useful trick for intruders. it was also why hope would never upgrade her ship to the newer releases from the corporation.

“ ok, that hurt “, one of the females said, seemingly the short brunette who held a rather sweet and docile voice carrying no danger at all. hope refrained from trusting it. “ c-can you warn us next time? “.

“ there won’t be a next time considering i’m throwing you rats out “, hope decided and the first guy who tried to attack her with the taser gun rose his head and turned his neck to meet her unbothered gaze. “ unless if you can give me a reason to let you stay? “. she was kidding, she wanted them all out.

“ uh . . . we’re stranded and hungry and need to get back to pluto? “.

pluto? is he kidding?

hope sighed and couldn’t help but chuckle, a coping mechanism for her disbelief in this situation. “ listen, dipshit. i’m not in the mood of being a taxi service. i have places to be. and i’d rather get there than be distracted by shitty space pirates who can’t sneak around to save their lives. seriously, your footsteps were loud enough to be heard in china “, she complained.

one of the boys, with curled brown locks held back by a black bandanna, stared at her right in the eyes. “ we’re stranded, we need food and weapons and a way back to our base “, he grunted, struggling to move against the small electric shocks that came from the slightest movements. “ have some kindness, rumplestiltskin! “.

hope blinked, she’s going to pretend he didn’t just call her after a fictional villain. she wasn’t that ugly, she believed . . .

“ okay, is it just possible for you to let us explain ourselves? the floor is hurting me and i really just want food, w-we can explain it over dinner . . . “, the blonde woman spoke up, meeting hope’s gaze. the young woman was almost swayed by the proposal.

“ what’s your name, blondie? “.

the woman seemingly hesitated and then replied with a softer tone, “ vivienne. “

hope nodded, a lovely name. “ okay, vivi can definitely talk to me over dinner because she asked politely and has acknowledged the position i hold here. as for the rest of you, i’ll just let you starve until you start acting nice “, she decided, tilting her head to the side.

“ you’re mean “, the buff dude spoke.

“ that’s my middle name “, hope sassed back and sighed. “ i’ll repeat myself. whoever’s in charge between you freaks will have to decide whether you want to have dinner with me and explain just what you’re doing on my ship. either that or i’m throwing you out into the cold. “

the buff guy who had fallen first suddenly grunted, and looked at hope, so she returned the gaze. his eyes suddenly hardened, jaw clenched as if he was contemplating the next move and she hoped it was a smart one.

and thankfully it was.

“ fine, we’ll discuss it over dinner. “

#chapter 1 #space pirates au #writing #original writing

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newagesispage · 4 years

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JUNE 2020

PAGE RIB

FX and Ryan Murphy will bring us season 10 of American Horror Story next year. The cast includes Mac Culkin, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan peters, Billie Lourd, Lily Rabe and Finn Wittrock. There will also be a spinoff called, wait for it, American Horror Stories. Woo Hoo!!

*****

Reno 911 is back

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I happen to have a clementine in my butt. –Jimmy Kimmel

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NASA got their dragon launch. It is unfortunate that they had to compete with the current cycle.

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Sam Springsteen (son of Patti and Bruce) has been sworn in as a Jersey City firefighter.

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Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood is great. I don’t know how to feel about the fast and the loose and the nice made up endings like Once upon a time in Hollywood. Will this be a trend??** Another great one on Netflix is, Have a good trip.

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Are there biopics in the works for Michael and Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, the Bee Gees and Bowie?? That is the word.

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Days alert: Look for Lani to become pregnant. Eli and Justin are both thinking marriage. Claire is back which will bring Shawn and Belle back. Gabi may be kidnapped. Word is that July will have a wedding every week that will lead to a funeral. Allie Horton is all grown up and heading back with a secret. Will she be like Mom, Sami?? Brady thinks that ruining Titan will get back at Victor. Sonny and Will may get a chance at another child. Eve may be back later in the summer. And, C’mon Xander, do something wonderful to get your woman back. Lucas may be on the way back and Orpheus is leaving. ** Judi Evans (Adrienne) had a serious horseback riding accident on May 16. She had broken ribs, a collapsed lung and 2 chipped vertebrae. The good news was in the hospital they discovered a blood clot so the whole thing saved her life.

*****

Morton Buildings is being sued by 2 women for harassment and discrimination. One incident claims an employee said, “God created women by lining up all the men and castrating the stupid ones.” Another lawsuit was filed in 2009.**Thanks for the tip, Di.

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If you expect elementary school children to endure the trauma of active shooter drills for your freedoms, you can wear a mask to Costco. –Sara Elizabeth Dill

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House republicans have sued Pelosi to block proxy voting.

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Seth Rogan, Steve Carell and Ben Schwartz are donating funds to bailout Minneapolis protestors after the death of George Floyd.** The country has been turned upside down as another cop kills another black man. No need to rehash, we have all seen it. I wonder if those four horrible cops are proud of what they have done to their city. Could we finally have a tipping point in this time when racism is spotlighted with our racist President? After many incidents in just the past couple of weeks and everyone on edge with coronavirus, it has boiled over. Scary Clown threatens to start shooting as Minneapolis burns down. Burn down a police station, get a cop arrested (finally)? Seems worth it to me. The way the killer looked into the camera as if he was just so proud is gonna stick with us as it should. ** A CNN crew were arrested live on the air but released later after Jeff Zucker spoke to Gov. Walz.** Liberate Minnesota was the Trump tweet, well, they are working on it.** I am hearing people saying in all sincerity lately that it is time for the humans to go, we are ruining each other and the planet.

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If you have not seen the Killer Mike speech from Atlanta, you need to check it out.** Netflix, Hulu and Paramount are taking a stand and showing support for the Black lives matter movement.

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John Cusack put out video of police coming at him with batons and pepper sprayed him as he protested in Chicago. More than 1000 were arrested and it continues.** In Flint, Sheriff Chris Swanson and other police put down helmets and joined the protestors. Police in Schenectady took a knee and joined the march. The behavior is spreading and look what a difference it makes, could they be starting to get it?

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Never thought I’d say this but in light of everything that is happening, the DNC made a big mistake in not backing Berne Sanders. –Pete Buttigieg ** Ok, first, of course he is right but you helped set this all in motion. It is a bit late for that …or is it? Biden is not the OFFICIAL nom, the deal is not done yet. Will Bernie jump back in the race?? Perhaps we will soon see BERNE FOR PRESIDENT again.

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American carnage was a self -fulfilling prophecy, alas. –Susan Glasser

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Scary Clown 45 has designated Antifa a terrorist organization. ** There is no legal authority for designating a domestic group, any such designation would raise significant concerns. –ACLU

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In any season, police violence is an injustice, but its harm is elevated amidst the remarkable stress people are facing amidst covid-19. Even now, there is evidence of excessive police initiated force and unwarranted shootings of civilians, some of which have been fatal. –American Medical Association.

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Washington Week had a great discussion about how all the ills in US history have played out in 2020. Impeachment, pandemic, depression and civil unrest are all here at once.

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Word is that Trevor Noah has been proven much more popular than the other late night hosts since they have been at home.

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I predict the picture of the upside down flag with the backdrop of the burning liquor store will be the lasting image of the Trump Presidency.

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This is the Presidency George Wallace never had. –Max Boot

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Spanish flu, Polio, Aids, Covid-19: Why don’t people get any smarter? The masses (and sometimes those in charge) can get it wrong over and over again. From Dr.? Phil and Dr Oz and their cavalier attitude toward death to Rosie wanting her son to take a leave of absence from the grocery store, we just do not learn. Even before that, I can’t forget the woman who wanted to change her vote after she found out Buttigieg was married to a man. Is she even a dem? Do your research people! Respect others, people!! Have compassion, stop being so selfish and use your brains!!** Puerto Rico was a pre curser to the pandemic response.

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Amy Cooper Chris Cooper? WTF? Another liberal who is not really liberal.

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Crime in general is down and police shootings are up. And yes, now the opportunists are out of control and anger is boiling over but protests against police brutality causing police brutality is WRONG!

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Check out the book, What makes a marriage last, from Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue.

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Ben Taub, Barry Blitt and Colson Whitehead have won the Pulitzer Prize.

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Word is that Nick Cage will play Joe Exotic of Tiger King fame. Of course he will.

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I refuse to wear a mask because God did not have us born with one.- Nino Vitali** How many people have you heard say, “The President isn’t wearing a mask, so I don’t have to.”

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It looks like Apple will partner with Paramount for Scorsese’s adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon.

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Oh my: Scary Clown is having a twitter feud with twitter! He has to, of course, lash out and now signs an executive order targeting social media. He is going on about section 230 which gives immunity to social media companies against being sued over content. It could curb liability protection. Experts say it will only encourage lawsuits because he does not want to be edited.

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If Native American tribes were counted as states, the five most infected states in the US would all be native tribes. –Nicholas Kristof

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Did ya see that Jeff Epstein doc from James Patterson. It is lays blame in all directions. Why does it seem like all these old guys on there with all that money have such yellow teeth?

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Lindsey Graham is urging Federal judges in their mid to late 60’s to step down so they can fill the spots with republicans.

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Richard McGuire tried to live at Disney World in a zoological park that was closed down.

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Caterpillar, Levi, Black and Decker and others have cut jobs but gave millions to shareholders.

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Axl Rose and Steve Mnuchin had a twitter feud.

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China announced plans to introduce a National Security law in Hong Kong. The law enables mainland Chinese National security agencies to operate in the city for the first time. Using a rarely used constitutional method, they bypassed Hong Kong legislature. Since the former British colony became a semi-autonomous region of China more than 20 years ago, they have manages its own affairs. The law will affect media, education, politics and international business. Many acts will now be criminalized. Hong Kong is party to international treaties guaranteeing civil liberties that China is not. The U.S. is urging Bejing to reconsider. Pro- democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong were tear gassed as they yelled, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”

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The Michael Flynn charges were dropped.

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Holyoke soldier’s home in Massachusetts lost 70 souls to Coronavirus. AP photographer David Goldman got a projector and cast big pictures the vets onto the homes of loved ones. Each one had a story including one vet who was sent to Nuremberg to guard Nazis. He claimed to have filled Hermann Goring’s glass with toilet water.

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The swimming Dinosaur, Spinosaurus has been getting a lot of attention. The Sahara desert which was once massive rivers kept the first intact aquatic dinosaur. With a snout, teeth and jaw like a croc, it is so far the only known kind of dinosaur that lived in the water. The 50 foot long bizarre fin-like tail is like a giant paddle. Paleontologists encourage others to have a look at other fossils to see if there are more.

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Octavia Spencer is said to have been telling everyone she is a year younger than she is. She is turning 50.

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The $69 million ventilator scam. Really? The White House heard from a guy who told them he could supply the product so the WH told NY to order them and stood behind the guy but it was a scam. Scary Clown sure loves his shady people, intentional or not.** A Florida woman, Rebecca Jones claims that she was asked to fudge the numbers to make reopening look better. ** Georgia moved their dates around on a graph to make their cases seem flattened. ** For 17 months, Florida investigated voter fraud for Trump and Gov. Scott. They found NOTHING!!

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Amazon stock price is up 25% yet they have become notorious for the terrible way they treat their workers. Bezos is set to become a trillionaire.

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We have to remember that order comes from chaos. True enhancements can come from large scale crisis. What will we learn from this one? This is a warning!!** Universal health care? No more buffets? ** Prices will probably go up everywhere what with the closings and all the extra cleaning. I hope this means that hotel bedspreads will be cleaned after every stay. It looks like there may be no cocktails or food on planes.

*****

Take a virtual tour of the statue of liberty. All the fun without all the swaying.

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Local PBS stations are making it easier to learn. Students will be able to put on a channel for lessons that does not need cable or internet. Woo Hoo!!

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Insiders say that Trump threatened to sue his campaign manager because he did not agree with his assessment and the poll numbers in a 2 day rant.** Just one more example of Scary Clown double talk. Then: Less testing, less positives. Now: So much testing is a badge of honor.**Doctors without Borders are now here, not the third world countries that they usually help, it is US.

*****

Haven’t we had enough of powerful men being accused? A female Dem candidate would have been nice and Bernie did not seem to have any baggage that way either.

*****

Will the Senate see fit to ok some more stimulus $? 4 trillion to prop up Wall Street seems per the usual. Enough for them, let’s take care of those small businesses and those really in need.

*****

Thao and the get down stay down is one of the best in this internet entertainment era.

*****

Check out Stars in the House with Tony Shalhoub and others.

*****

The Detectorists on Acorn TV is a great little show!!

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Happy Day! There is a new season of At Home with Amy Sedaris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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It looks like Pier 1 will permanently close as well as JC Penney, J Crew, Sears and Neiman Marcus.

*****

Check out the wonderful, This is about Humanity!!

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Have U seen the trailer for The King of Staten Island?? OMG Pete Davidson, Steve Buschemi and Marisa Tomei , just to name a few!! I can’t fucking wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*****

Bill Maher looked really high on his 5-22-20 show. This working from home makes him much more mellow!!

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3 Russian doctors treating coronavirus have fallen out of windows in about a weeks time.** Russia boasts that it has more ventilators per capita than the U.S. After they made fun of us, on May 22, the first shipment of U.S. ventilators headed to Russia. They are a gift from Trump and the U.S. taxpayers. –Julia Davis

*****

State Department Inspector General Steve Linick is out. Was he investigating Pompeo? Trump never knows anything about any of it. Why are all the protectors of the rule of law thrown out? ** Was Pompeo throwing lavish foreign policy dinners with Reba, Dale Jr. and the owners of that horrid chicken sandwich place? ** The clean water rule has been suspended which cuts protections for most of the country’s wetlands.

*****

The market facilitation program has been helping small farmers over the last few years in a $28 billion bailout. Trump’s sanctions brought this on and the corona virus has made it worse. Mostly the money has helped bankers and bigger farms. Much like the stimulus $ that was earmarked for small business, there are loopholes that screw up the ‘rules.’ The cap is not being followed like they may say because the $ is going to “investors” in the farm and often not the actual farmer who works on a smaller scale. A small farm run by family members may not get the bailout. It seems to be more important to get a good lawyer who can manipulate the paperwork. Sad that taxpayer $ is used this way.

*****

Just in time, the Space Force flag and plans for the super duper missile have been unveiled. WTF??

*****

Paula Poundstone is a woman I knew I liked. She was recently talking about not liking couches. I thought I was the only one, People are always telling me how much they love their couches and I don’t get it.

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Jeff Gibbs and Michael Moore are upset after Youtube pulled their doc, Planet of the Humans. After 8.3 million views, there was a copyright claim by Toby Smith of about 4 seconds of footage. Now , this is not the first time that Moore has had problems with content in one of his movies. Many have claimed there is a lot of fiction in this latest venture. I think I would just remove the possible copyright infringement and move on. It can now be seen on Vimeo.

A Florida law that restricts felon voting is found unconstitutional by a federal judge.** The RNC filed a lawsuit against California to stop mailing ballots to registered voters.

*****

R.I.P. Little Richard, Roy Horn, Jerry Stiller, Sam Lloyd, Ann Sullivan, Mike Cogswell, Michael Keenan, Shirley Knight, Irrfan Khan, Hana Kimura, Forrest Compton, Jimmy Cobb, George Floyd, Ken Osmomd, all the corona victims, Lynn Shelton, Richard Herd, Larry Kramer, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Anthony James, Fred Willard and Carolyn Busch.

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moonlightreal · 4 years

Text

Winx Club season 8/21

In which we all do some DDR.

21 Dance Contest on Melody

More Musa/Riven stuff, strap in guys! I swear, this season turned me from not caring about that ship to hating it with a fiery passion. Come on relationship, redeem yourself already so I can go back to standing peacefully outside all fandom drama sources like I want to!

Alfea! Grizelda is teaching “magical self defense class” in the courtyard. I like how we’re seeing all the teachers—except Avalon, I wonder what happened to him! They’re doing magic shield practice and Knut and Kiko are shooting cannonballs with a catapult to be shielded against. I wonder if shields against a physical object and shields against a magic zap are a different spell. But grizelda says the cannonballs ‘simulate a magic attack’ so maybe not.

Stella’s shield is a gold star.

Musa is up next, she practiced a lot but her phone rings just at the wrong time. Riven wants to go out for ice cream! Musa does not sound enthused, like at all.

So they’re back together? I don’t really remember them getting back together. My guess is here’s what happened: the second-half writers were told that part of the plot in the first half was that Musa and Riven would get back together, and then the first-half writers… flubbed it. It happens to us all, you get to the end of the story and realize you didn’t manage to do one of the things you were planning to do.

Or else this ice cream date is Riven’s attempt to actually get back together.

Because she’s paying attention to her phone she nearly gets beaned with a cannonball, and then Knut launches Kiko from the catapult, and then the star box appears to save us from the slapstick.

...Is this a glitch? The box floats there silently and the Tecna says something about the world of music. I think the dubbers forgot to put in the sound file!

I like that the minor fairies also gather around to hear the star box. I wonder if some of them are hoping in their hearts that this time the box will say it’s someone else’s destiny to find the prime star. We never see the minor fairies being jealous, but they must be, the Winx get to do everything and they’re singers too!

Bloom asks to be excused and Grizelda says the fate of the magic universe is indeed more important than their lesson.

So Musa texts Riven that they have to go save the universe again. Flora says Musa should give him one more chance, “it’s just ice cream.” Flora, I love you but quit pressuring Musa! -_-

Musa: ‘I don’t need him telling me his feelings unless he can show me!” Uh, I agree with the sentiment Musa, but that’s what he did with the hologram projector and all that showed was that he’s a bonehead. But Musa perks up because she’ll get to see her dad.

Bloom is concerned about the Trix getting there ahead of them, but Stella says there’s no way the Trix could be there already and we cut to…

The Trix were there already! Aerial zappy battle for the star, which is on top of one of these really cool giant rock spires that have the tops carved into treble clefs. Love the geography! I want to imagine who carved these things, I wonder how people know when they move into a realm what kind of magic it will have. The girls’ home realms each have a certain flavor, while Magix isn’t associated with any particular kind of magic. Imagine being an explorer visiting new realms to discover their magic...

In the fight the prime star gets dislodged and its little hamster ball goes sailing off towards the city. Everybody follow it!

Musa says, ‘it’s flying toward the Melody disco!” wait, is that whole thing a disco? The scales of things are sometimes confusing, I thought it was a whole city but maybe it’s just one building.

Cut to… a disco! Or some kind of… do nightclubs really look like that? Colored lights, big speakers, several levels of dance floors, big screens. Very cool. The partygoers do not look particularly traditionally Asian, they’re all colors and wearing big pants and hats and sweaters. I think this is like, Asian punk clothing? K-pop style? I don’t follow K-pop and I don’t go to night clubs, but if they looked like this I might.

And there’s Galatea! The art style has actually made her look older than she was, she’s wearing the same dress as when we saw her in the sovereign council, that super skinny dress with the ruffles up front. I feel like the very classical-music Galatea should look more uncomfortable at this not-classical club, she doesn’t fit aesthetically, but she’s having a grand time announcing the annual Melody disco competition.

The Winx come in, Musa says this is Melody’s biggest party and Galatea organizes it every year. it’s like her pet project, I love it! Galatea holds up the prize for the “dancing queen”, a crown with a treble clef on it, and the prime star landed inside.

Ok, it flew from outside and landed perfectly in the crown and Galatea’s holding it up and doesn’t notice? Come on. ...was what I wrote when watching in Italian, but in English it’s even worse because Galatea did see it and she just says, ‘this crown and a special extra that just fell from above.” So Galatea doesn’t recognize an important magical item or wonder where it came from or why… groan.

So Musa goes, “Hey, Galatea, old friend, we need that star and then you can go back to enjoying your contest!” and Galatea gives it to her--

Not. That is not what happens.

Flora does suggest they just ask for the star but Musa says it won’t be that easy, “Princess Galatea takes this event very seriously.”

The Trix are here too. Icy tries some magic to “bring down the house!” and it doesn’t work and all the punk kids glare at her. She looks quite worried for just being glared at by a bunch of punk kids!

Galatea says very prissily, “Remember, the disco is protected against magic attacks, so no cheating please.” I dunno if it’s just me but I’m seeing Galatea as, she acts all prissy but she’s like a stealth nerd who pretends to be all formal but secretly just has a ball going off on nerd stuff. Or in this case, disco. Maybe that’s just me reading what I want to see into the character ‘cause it’s such a fun image of her.

Anyway, we’ll just have to win the contest to get the prime star!

Bloom seems pretty happy about this, and Aisha says the star case mentioned harmony so winning a music contest would make sense as a way to get the star.

Stella says, ‘everybody, hold still!” and gets everyone dressed up. Gradient-colored outfits with neon edging. Bloom comes off worst, the designers couldn’t bring themselves to go with blue so she’s in mostly a muddy purple and her hairstyle is not good. Flora’s is similarly blah, Musa has cute banding across her top and I like her very ninties hair. Tec is cute in green and Stella in yellow. Aisha’s turquoise with purple neon looks the best, and she says this might be the best outfit Stella’s ever put together.

Are these dolls? I hope so. I not-so-secretly want Winx dolls with glow in the dark elements, because I want them to be Moondreamers. Cosmix totally granted my Winx-moondreamers wish, except for the glow in the dark stuff part!

Musa’s ready to dance but the others tell her to go see her dad while she can. The others mention Aisha is a talented dancer, yay for them remembering that. So Musa goes to visit her dad.

The Trix notice Musa’s leaving and Darcy wants to go after her to make sure she doesn’t “know something we don’t.” Smart, Darcy! Icy grabs her sister and says they have to win the crown. But Darcy says, ‘You don’t need me, you have our secret weapon.” What weapon?

Icy and Stormy get their dance clothes on and they look awesome! Way better than the Winx. Icy’s hairdo is a bit much but other than that they rock.

We cut to Red Fountain. Sky and Brandon are sparring. Riven is brooding about Musa avoiding him. Sky says he should try talking to her, but Riven says every time they talk they end up arguing. Brandon suggests they argue because they have strong feelings. Sky says, “Talk to musa face to face, show her your feelings.’ which is what Riven’s been trying to… sigh.

Back on Melody Stella offers to help explain the dance contest rules. Galatea recognizes her by name so the girls totally could call on their friendship with Galatea to get the star. it’s also cool that one royal recognizes another.

This dance contest is like DDR Twister, anywhere on the floor can light up and also spots in the air. I cannot wait until this is a real thing in AR. It’s coming, people. It’s coming.

Stella eventually flubs it, she gets catapulted off the stage and lands in Bloom’s arms. Galatea explains if a dancer misses even one step she’ll be eliminated

Icy vs Flora dance! People recognize Icy, Galatea does… and nobody calls the police to report public enemies on the loose and in the same room with the princess! People cheer for Icy like she’s a normal contestant. Maybe they don’t realize she’s THAT Icy..?

Bloom says, “Icy’s not bad!” in both Italian and English. Flora grins cutely the whole time and is pretty adorable, but she loses and gets carried off the stage in a bubble which pops, dropping her in Aisha’s arms.

I used to love DDR. I was terrible at it, but it’s fun.

Darcy is following Musa to her house. Musa meets her dad! Hugs! Musa’s house is cool, it’s Asian-ish with like, lines of music along the roof..

Inside, screens, sliding doors, Asian style tea set. Musa remembers her childhood with her parents, it’s really sweet. Baby Musa has two pigtails. There’s a huge double-harp, it has part an upright normal harp and part a bench with harp strings over it and Matlin and Ho-boe played it together. I wonder if that’s a real thing, it’s like the sofa of harps. Hoe-bo calls it the “Harmony harp” and says even the stars come to listen. It can only be played by two people whose hearts are in harmony, so hoe-bo hasn’t been able to play it since Matlin died.

Darcy: ‘What a sweet moment. I’d better ruin it right away.”

pffft! Darcy, I love you, never change.

Tecna vs Stormy dance! Stormy says it’s time for the Trix to unleash their secret weapon, but Tecna isn’t worried. She says the dance contest is kind of like a video game. And it is, but you need physical strength and speed too. If I were writing this I’d have Tecna say, “Anything where you can ‘level up,’ I can win!’

Stormy turns out to be “better than Icy… a lot better.” Tec gets farther than Flora did and ends up in a perfect tie with Stormy. Galatea chirps, “Double perfect!” and tec says ‘achievement unlocked” again. They go to a higher level that’s like breakdancing where you have to spin around on your back and stuff. Eventually Stormy wins.

Galatea should not be so chipper about public enemy numbers one and three winning her contest. She knows who the Trix are, she’s calling them by name…

Stella runs right up to icy, “wait-wait-wait, STORMY was your secret weapon?”

Stormy: ‘Five time dance witch champion.”

Icy: ‘She’s kind of a rising star in the world of dark dance competitions.”

Bloom: “Dark dance competitions?”

Aisha: “It’s a thing. Unfortunately.”

Ok that was great. and Aisha’s delivery of that last line was spot on.

Musa is eating ice cream with her dad, it’s sweet. He asks why ice cream and guesses it’s about Riven. Musa says, “It’s not about Riven. It’s never about Riven actually.” Hmm.

Darcy is lurking outside, she says ‘Musa’s making this too easy. I’ll finish it with a single shot.” O_o

thankfully riven turns up to save the day. They fight but Darcy can do all her illusion stuff and she wins without too much trouble, and puts a mind control spell on Riven. She sounds just delighted at her new plaything. Now she can cause even more havok!

Musa hears a noise outside and thinks it’s the Trix, but it’s Riven. She invites him in, and she sounds… not drama-y. She just apologizes for canceling their date and says they can have ice cream now. Darcy gloats.

Next time: more dancing! Riven and Musa! Stormy wins the contest! Gee, that’s a spoiler.

#winx club season 8 #winx club

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youngneemleaves · 5 years

Text

The “This Again?” challenge | day seven: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Times I Tried to Read E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India - and Failed

One does not risk the height of impropriety by attempting to embellish a disgraceful history of reading with a photograph of the book itself.

Because let’s face it, if you want scandal and misery and secret loves, you only need to read The Dreary Unverifiable History of An Education at University by Tori Das. Settle down, folks; this is going to get as long and pointless as the novel itself.

Attempt #1

The year was 2016. A Passage to India was part of the assigned reading in the last (or maybe the one before that) semester of my undergraduate degree course. The course coordinator had fallen from the batch’s good graces long ago. I mean, don’t even ask: she was good enough as a teacher, but a terrible coordinator. Not the worst - the worst one was absolutely peerless. But this lady was bad enough in her own right.

Anyway, this was our very first class for this course. I’d dutifully carried the text - a paperback - with me to class. I also had a notebook and a pen ready, so that I could start taking notes immediately. Since it was the first day of the semester, most of the batch was present. It also happened to be a rather humid, dark morning towards the start of the monsoon season that year.

We found a classroom and settled down.

Professor: [sweeping in] Right, as part of our classes for this novel, we’re going to watch the 1984 film adaptation today. Let’s go to the AV room!

All of us: hmm, okay, this could be fun

Incidentally, the AV room was completely dark, but we tried to settle down anyway. One of us could go up and switch on the lights and the rest. But of the fifty of us present, forty (including me) were having a long and rough time finding seats. Saddled with our bags, we ended up banging our joints against door frames and tables, stumbling into chair legs, getting pinched in tight corners and forming bruises, stepping on other people’s feet, and sweating rather badly because the air conditioner was being difficult. There were no windows, no ventilators, and the doors had to be closed for the film screening to begin.

Professor: It’s too dark. Why isn’t the AC working? Why isn’t the TV starting up? What’s wrong with the power outlet? Can we keep the door open there? Why is it so hot? Oh, of course! There’s been a short circuit of some sort here this morning.

All of us: oh no (that would explain the darkened corridors that day)

Professor: Let’s find another classroom! I’m sure we could manage something.

Now, we were well past the time when the morning classes are scheduled to start. So, by now, most classrooms were full and lessons were already underway. The only classroom available was the one most of us hated. The architecture of our faculty building already had much to be desired and very little possibility of change. This classroom took the cake. It was probably designed for twenty people at the most, but the benches laid were extra long to seat the surplus number. That meant we had to sit four or five per bench. There were two windows, neither of which could be opened. The classroom was probably designed to keep the heat in instead of out. There were only four ceiling fans, one of which wasn’t working and another being as efficient as Our Blue Site Here. Only one fluorescent light was working.

Professor: [hauling in the projector] I’m sure you have no other classes today before break?

All of us: We do, actually.

Professor: Perfect! Can someone help me set this up?

One of us stepped forward. Me and my friend, we’d found places in the front row. I decided to spend the time getting a head start on the text and began to read.

The text: So abased, so monotonous is everything that meets the eye, that when the Ganges comes down it might be expected to wash the excrescence back into the soil. Houses do fall, people are drowned and left rotting, but the general outline of the town persists, swelling here, shrinking there, like some low but indestructible form of life.

Me: thanks, Forster, that’s exactly how I want a colonial era Indian town described

My friend looked at me with incredulous disgust, too hot and irritated to read, and started fanning herself.

After fifteen minutes of struggle, we realised that the projector wasn’t working. The other one had been borrowed by another department.

Me: [to my friend] See? My effort to read the book is gonna pay off. We’re not gonna watch the film now, so, obviously we’re going to focus on the text instead!

Professor: Never mind! We can watch the film on my laptop.

Me: what

The rest of us: what

My friend: *glancing at me* you were saying?

The professor brought out her laptop, placed it on the teacher’s desk in front, and inserted the disc.

Professor: Why don’t you guys sit according to your height? Taller people to the back, shorter people to the front. Sit on the desks if you have to. Can you see this?

All of us: oh no

So we sat in that dingy, sweltering classroom, perched on top of desks, eight to ten per bench because none of us could see the laptop from that far to the back. I was sitting with three people on either side of me, giggling desperately at our predicament. Meanwhile, the laptop was playing a stream of extremely cliched, orientalist images of snakes and marigold wreaths and overcrowded railway stations. Then the professor had to answer a phone call, and strolled out of the classroom.

Five minutes later, one of us went out to check. The professor couldn’t be seen anywhere.

This opportunity was magnificently utilised by a solid seventy percent of the class, who packed up their bags and left. I was among the thirty percent who stayed back, but not for long. Me and my friend, we decided to be wise instead of dedicated, and packed up our bags as well. A Passage to India got shoved inside and angrily shut up.

Much later in the day, I heard that when the Professor came back to collect her laptop and other things, there were only three people in the classroom. They were working on their term paper drafts, and hadn’t been paying attention to the film.

*don’t stay tuned to find out how the other six attempts went*

#booklr #thisagainchallenge #e.m. forster #a passage to india #booklr times #my reads #shelf: literary fiction #personal #mine: books

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