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ionfusionpunk · 3 years

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The Bad Batch: IMO

So! I watched the Bad Batch! TL;DR at the end 🙃

Ngl, and please don't bash me for this, but I haven't actually finished TCW? My mom and I are still only a couple episodes into season 1, but we're also trying to watch the episodes in chronological order, not release order, plus we're both busy people, so. Kinda hard. Means I haven't watched Season 7, yet, ergo I haven't watched the episode where we meet the Bad Batch. But like anyone embroiled in this fandom, I still know a fair bit about them/what happens.

I'm a little disappointed that Crosshair is the bad guy. Like, I get he's cranky? And I'm all for angst for any character, but, like. Based off the explanation they give in-show, Wrecker would have been an equally valid choice for the chip sorta working, imo. More valid, even, bc his genetic mutation has less to do with his brain directly in the same way Tech's, Hunter's, and Crosshair's mutations do.

Speaking of Wrecker, the Big Brute act? Nah. Not A Fan. I have multiple relatives on the spectrum (ASD), and I was honestly expecting Wrecker to come across like my brother does? i.e. he understands better if we don't layer our conversation with sarcasm/implications/subtext? But that doesn't make him dum, just less socially... proficient? ept? Smooth as everyone else.

Kay. Now, touching on the whitewashing, since this topic is gonna be everywhere. Look, I absolutely 100% agree that Filoni did us Dirty with how the clones all look. Echo, my poor child, you should have more melanin. Everyone, unless you have specific mutations, should have more melanin. They should also look younger, look more like Temuera, etc. etc. But. I don't stan hate of anyone on this blog, okay? We don't know why the choice to whitewash was made. I don't agree with it, but we shouldn't just hate on Filoni for that. In regards to the BB specifically, yes they could have chosen to alter appearances to be more politically correct. Consider though: identical art style connects BB directly back to TCW; art style makes the character immediately more familiar to younger/older/less involved viewers who otherwise won't have much of an opinion on the Dirty done. Please also consider that someone on the production team may have wanted to do right by our boys but for whatever reason were unable to this or the first time around, and that doesn't automatically make it Filoni's fault. Just... don't judge? Don't hate. There's enough of that in the world that I'll happily settle for disappointment and correcting my art to reflect what I believe the clones should have looked like.

Full disclosure, I in fact created a cis-female clone character a couple months ago. She was part of the Alpha batch and the first female mutation, and the trainers, looking upon her as lesser, took to calling her Omega as an insult. After proving she was very much a BAMF, she chose the name Oma and later became the Alpha trainer of other clones with mutations, including several with different intensities of albanism, vitiligo, neurodivergency, Force sensitivity, etc. I really like her and think she's a cool gal. (I don't have any art of her yet, unfortunately.)

On Omega: I adore her, okay? I love how she was copying Hunter it was so cute - akaskdjhf. And, like, is she Force Sensitive? Oh please oh please oh please let her be.

Now, I've seen some stuff about how another Dirty was done in 'bending over backwards' to make her female when she could have just been trans? Alright, look, I'm not gonna disagree, because you're right, but I also refuse to agree, because look: cloning isn't an exact science, even for the Kaminoans. Look at all the mutations they had. From what I understand (I'm no expert, so don't quote me on this, but also feel free to drop me some resources), it's not impossible, improbable, or unreasonable to assume that amongst alllll the clones created, a small percent didn't mutate female. Assuming that Jango was Near-Human, at least (the Kaminoans could have altered the alien DNA out of the base coding), the clones would have started as female fetuses before the Y-chromosome kicked in, right? That's how that works for us regular humans afaik. On top of that, there are exceptions to that rule, because then you have other mutations like mutations in the SRY gene or variations in the number of the sex chromosomes themselves, etc. Basically what I'm getting at is that there should have been more cis-fem clones, but chances are most of them were decommed or forced to undergo trans therapy (is that what you call it? Idk, I'm sorry, don't mean to offend). Omega most likely wasn't engineered to be female; she probably had extra mutations on top of that to make her more desirable to the Kaminoans to keep around for study (e.g. her Force sensitivity???).

On a final note, to end this with my Writer Brain, I would love to see them portray the side-affects of their mutations. Just - chef's kiss.

TL;DR: Dirties were done. Wrecker isn't stupid. Crosshair probably wasn't the best choice for villain, though Angst is Life and is Good. Whitewashing is a problem, but I am Aware of it and can keep myself from making the same mistakes while still enjoying SW content. And while it would have been nice to see a trans clone character, it's okay that Omega isn't, because the choice actually makes sense bc of Science. Have a lovely day :)

#the bad batch #the bad batch spoilers #tbb spoilers #wrecker #crosshair #omega #echo #tech #hunter #clone force 99 #kinda long post

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marmolady · 3 years

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A Ride to Remember (Estela x MC)

Main Pairings: Estela x (f)MC

Summary: Endless Ending. As Estela continues to help Taylor along her road to recovery after freeing Vaanu's essence, she shares with her a bittersweet part of her life in San Trobida.

Word Count: 3255

Chronology: carries on from ‘The New Taylor’, precedes ‘Inheritance’.

Tagging: @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, @greengroove

“Okay, sit naturally, with your back straight, and I’ll adjust the stirrups to the right length.”

Taylor shifted her position on a small, grey horse until she was comfortable. “Well, I’m up, and I haven’t fallen off yet, so I guess that’s a good start.”

Estela chuckled as she fiddled with the saddle. “We’ll take it slow. It’s good for your core strength and your balance, which will be really important for you. I read that it’s actually helpful for your circulation and for relaxing . The movements should sort of gently work your joints and muscles, and I think your spine too. As low-impact exercise, it’s pretty hard to beat-- unless you fall off.”

“I’ll just… try and avoid that, then.” Taylor patted the horse’s neck, swallowing her nerves. She’d ridden a freaking yeti; this should be a piece of cake. “Pepper here is the friendly one, right?”

“Ha. Right. Better him than this asshole,” Estela said, while, as if on cue, the dark bay horse she was beside made to take a chunk out of her. Reflexively, she moved out of the way. “They call this one ‘Miel’. It means ‘honey’, which is exactly what she’s not.”

“You know, I’m seeing that. I’m guessing she’s the one who threw you back when you were a kid?”

“Of course. I’m sure it’s a memory she treasures.”

A little laugh made Taylor relax into her seat. This outing had been coming for a few days; her physical recovery had been going well, thanks in a large part to her very attentive and encouraging personal trainer. Taylor could feel the progress taking place within her body; something that she’d not long ago feared had stalled. There was a way to go yet, but… the climb to get there no longer felt insurmountable. Putting the focus on complete relaxation and actually getting some undisturbed sleep had done wonders.

Estela clicked her tongue, and as Miel moved forward, Taylor gave Pepper a little squeeze.

“Okay, buddy. I’ve got this.”

The movement beneath her took a little getting used to, but as Taylor sat straight, she realised that her core really had been strengthened in those past weeks. No doubt she’d be tired by the end of the ride, but for someone who just a couple of months ago couldn’t even sit up by herself, this was an achievement.

Estela grinned. “If you do fall off, I’ll try and throw some ninja moves so I can jump down and catch you.”

“Hahaha. You are absolutely hilarious. This is a cakewalk.” Let’s just keep it at a walk though. To be safe.

“I know. Nothing you can’t handle.” Estela brought her horse so she was walking parallel with Taylor’s. It was wonderfully weird to see her wife out here in the San Trobidan countryside even after all these weeks. But now, it could never be home if Taylor wasn’t there. “There are a few different tracks I used to take from here; we’ll probably get around to a couple more before we head back to La Huerta, but I figured the shortest trail is probably our best bet for now. There’s a really nice lookout spot in this one as well, so you can take a break if you need it.”

The trail meandered through thick primary forest, the shade of canopy bringing a drop in temperature that could be felt in an instant. All was quiet but for the calls of birds and the steady plodding of hoofbeats. That this could exist in a place so war-ravaged was startling to Taylor, and she could quite imagine how such a slither of peace could become a lifeline.

“You used to come out riding here a lot?”

“Yes,” Estela said. “It was one of the few useful things I could do when I was a kid. Seňor Ruiz loved these horses, but when he became involved in the war, he didn’t have as much time for them. When I was about twelve, and then… pretty much until Mom died, I kept the horses exercised and groomed, and Tio would get me off his back. Mom was quite friendly with Seňor Ruiz as well; she used to do this with me whenever she had the time. Obviously, with everything that was going on, I mostly felt like I was trapped. Riding was freeing. There were trails off the beach and up into the hills; I could disappear for hours. Sometimes I needed that. To just take those hours away from a world that seemed to be falling down around me.”

“I’ll bet. It must have felt like a whole different world out here. Has it changed a lot? Everything else seems to have changed so much for you… this place looks like it’s never been touched.”

“It’s the same. I could probably take another shot at jumping that log if I was so inclined.”

“So you didn’t stubbornly come back and try again?”

Estela’s eyes sparkled at the tease. She shrugged her shoulders. “It was a way off where I usually ride. But, yeah, I did jump it later. Not on Miel, though-- on Pepper. I’m stubborn, not an idiot.”

Taylor laughed. This wasn’t so hard. She had a distinct feeling that her butt and thighs would be killing her the next day, but it was enjoyable. At the slow pace, her body relaxed into it.

“But, no. This part hasn’t changed a bit. It’s stupid, but it makes me feel sad. Everything is as it should be, except my mother isn’t in the picture. This was her thing. What she did to unwind.”

The mood changed, taking a turn for melancholy. Estela winced apologetically. It wasn’t fair on Taylor; this was supposed to be about her recovery, not looking backwards.

“I’m… guessing you haven’t done this… since your mom died?”

“No. No, I couldn’t. To begin with, it would have been too painful. Then I’d managed to push myself into rebellion, and if I wasn’t helping-- really helping, this time--, I was training my mind and body so that I could take my revenge on Rourke.” She looked back at Taylor with a bittersweet smile, sorrow still lingering behind her eyes. “I didn’t realise how much I’ve actually missed doing this.

“Thank you for sharing it with me. It really means a lot. I feel like, slowly, I’m being woven into the tapestry of the real world… and it’s because of you; what you’ve given me. I know so much of it is painful, but you’ve not held back from me--”

“I want to feel your touch over every part of me. You know that, right?” Estela flushed a little, but didn’t avert her eye contact. Taylor’s gaze was full of love, and she returned it. “It makes it all easier to bear. And this kind of intimacy helps you, then… it’s important.”

“Yeah, I know. Just… I appreciate you letting me be that person.”

Estela’s lips curved to a smile. She didn’t need to be thanked, not for that. “I love you, Taylor.”

“I love you too.”

Coming out at the other end of the thickest part of the forest, the sun was blinding. A downed tree had cleared all that stood in its wake, and now made for an easy post to which the horses could be tied. Having offered both horses a piece of apple, Estela helped Taylor join her atop the vast log so they could enjoy the view over the jungle-fringed coastline.

“Wow. It really is beautiful.”

“It is,” Estela said wistfully, staring out into a hauntingly familiar horizon. “It’s kind of a miracle it is still as untouched as it is. Around a lot of the edges of the forest, it’s all been destroyed. Of course, people would go into the forest to hide-- I know my mother and I did. When people are scared for their lives, why should they care about protecting a few trees? But a lot of it’s still okay. Us and the jungles. We’ll rebuild and get stronger.”

She frowned. Maybe something could be done to help. The resources available to Aleister through Rourke International could do a world of good here. It was difficult to bring up. Something would be asked for in return, something Estela was adamant she wouldn’t-- couldn’t-- give. As much as she fought it, though, she felt the burden of responsibility. If it could be as simple as taking Aleister and Grace out here and showing them why her home was special…. That time was coming soon.

“It’s weird to think, in just a few days we’re going to have Aleister and Grace here. Worlds colliding all over again.”

It wouldn’t be just a friendly visit. She’d had Aleister badgering her far too long for that to be the case. She knew. He had a burden to force upon her, as if sharing it would somehow distance himself from Rourke. As if cold, unfeeling money could in any way ease the suffering that had been caused. Aleister could take guidance about righting his father’s wrongs without tethering Estela to that name. After all that company had taken, it owed her that much.

“Hey,” Taylor said soothingly, her voice as gentle as the expression in her blue eyes. “They care about us, about you. Whatever conversations anyone might want to have, no one can force your hand. Only an incredibly stupid person would try, and that’s neither of them. They just want to be here for you.”

Only because of my blood. As soon as the thought came to her, Estela pushed it away stubbornly. However she thought about Aleister’s intentions for Rourke International and that blasted fortune, she did know that both he and Grace cared for her. And they cared for Taylor. And Jake. They must do, for it would take a brave person indeed to be in Aleister’s shoes and face an introduction to one Nicolas Montoya.

“I’ll have to tell Tio some more nice stories before then. I don’t know if my ‘warts and all’ approach to sharing our experiences on La Huerta have painted my poor half-brother in the best light.”

At that, Taylor chuckled darkly. Meeting the approval of Tio Nicolas had been a mighty intimidating feat to take on, albeit worth it a thousand times over. “Aleister did so much to keep you safe in the fallout, even under threat of your wrath. I think Tio of all people could appreciate what a challenge that must have been.”

“I’m lucky to have so many people looking out for me,” Estela said quietly. Then, as if she had no control over it, her tone became harsh, defensive. “But I don’t need looking after. Not with anything from Rourke.”

Taylor looked at Estela with aching affection, and saw it returned, the storm clouds clearing under a tender gaze.

“I’m doing it again,” Estela said sheepishly.

“Yeah. And it’s okay.” Taylor took her wife’s arm and held her. There was a whole lot Estela was working through right now, and she would not have her do it alone. “Maybe you could use a date with that old punching bag.”

Estela exhaled heavily. “That thing’ll be a pile of frayed string by the time I’m done with it.” She leaned closer, touching her forehead to Taylor’s, closing her eyes. It’s okay. You’re in this together. Look how far you’ve both come already? “You are amazing, you know? Taylor. You really are.”

“On a good day,” Taylor chuckled. Her whole life had been an erratic ride of peaks and troughs, of glorious highs and despairing lows. It hadn’t suddenly become easy once the world was restored and she was home with her soulmate.

“On a bad day, you’re even more,” Estela said solemnly. “You never give in.” She blushed slightly. “It’s one of the things I loved about you first.”

Taylor came away so she could press a gentle kiss to Estela’s nose. “And you still loved me when I could barely leave my bed. When I had no freaking control over my bladder,” she laughed. “And I couldn’t have sex without falling asleep after five minutes. It’s… starting to feel like we’ve made it. It’s like our future is actually possible. I don’t have a damn clue what it’s gonna be, but it’s gonna be us.”

“Yes. You and me, forever.” Estela took Taylor’s face in her hands, and brought her in for a deep and lingering kiss. God, Taylor; I’d go through every heartache a thousand times over for a day with you, a day like this. “Come on, mi amor,” she said airily as she came away, riding that wonderful high. “It’s about time those old horses got some real exercise. Let’s take them down into the sea.”

“Oh god, why do I feel like I’m about to get really wet?”

Estela smirked. “You better hold on tight, then.”

_________________________

2011

The bay horse, Miel, flicked her ears back, responding to the tension feeding from the young woman atop her back.

“You expect me to want to leave… to just turn my back on everything that’s happening here. What if I refuse?”

“You’re a minor, Estela. You could dig your heels in and refuse to leave, but your uncle won’t make a revolutionary out of a fifteen year old girl. Nicolas wants you out of here as much as I do.”

Estela bit back a retort. No, he doesn’t. He would let me be useful. “I thought you cared about this place… these people.”

“Don’t.” That tone of voice didn’t come out very often, but even Estela knew better than to argue with it. “My child being killed in this war won’t make things better. You are bright, and determined, and compassionate. I won’t have your light snuffed out before it even has a chance to shine.” Olivia shook her head. “You are too precious. To me, and to all you care about. You finish your education, you grow and you learn, and then you will have more to offer. Then, it will be your choice. But while you are a child in my care, I need you have faith in my judgement.”

How, when it’s taking you away from me? Estela chewed on her lower lip,fighting to keep her tears at bay. Who would make you smile when you had the whole world in your shoulders?

Olivia must have felt the emotion in her daughter, for her voice trembled when she spoke. “The thought of being away from you is… torture. I don’t know how I’m even going to breathe knowing you’re so far away, knowing that the violence here could escalate at any time. But I have to do this, mija. I would not put us through this if it wasn’t desperate. But it is, and I am. If working on Rourke’s island for a year means that you come through this all, alive, there is no question.”

“I’ll miss you, Mami.”

“I know, Estelita. Mi preciosa. But we’ll get through this. One week at a time, and I won’t ever let you forget that my heart is home with you.”

Choking on the lump in her throat, Estela spluttered a sob, and roughly wiped tears from her eyes. “We’ll get through this,” she murmured weakly. This will pass. She had to believe it, she had to try,for it was all that would keep aching loneliness from taking root in her heart. For everything her tio was fighting for, she’d be strong. For her mother, she’d be even stronger.

“Come now, my star.” Olivia reached and stroked her daughter’s face, tenderly caressing away the tear-tracks that Estela’s harsh brushing had left behind. She cupped her cheeks and chin, adoring her. “If these are the memories I’m taking away with me, I’m going to need to see your beautiful smile.”

What is there to smile about--?

“Mija, this is our time. You and me, holding on together. So, I’m going to race you. One end of Cala Paraisa to the other. I’m not going anywhere with you under the delusion that your mother can’t leave you in the dust.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry you’re gonna be stuck on that island, stewing in the knowledge that I kicked your ass out here.”

Olivia scoffed exaggeratedly. There it was; there was her smile. “Fighting words!” She petted the grey horse’s neck. “What do you think, Pepper? We can take them?”

With a roll of her eyes, Estela clicked her tongue, encouraging Miel to walk forwards. This hurt. This really hurt. But her mother was right; they couldn’t let this time be taken from them. This was theirs.

“I think you and your horse are dreaming. We start at that driftwood-- are you ready?”

The still of the quiet cove gave way to the pounding of hooves and the whoops and hollers of mother and daughter at play. One last time.

#endless summer #playchoices #estela x mc #estela montoya

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reversemoon255 · 3 years

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Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution - Kizuna

I’ve been a fan of Digimon since I first watched it as a kid, but I’m also one of those weird fans where I’m more excited to see the series give us something new rather than treading old ground (I’m not very nostalgic in general), so I wasn’t actually that excited for Kizuna, especially after the terrible experience it was to sit through Tri. Still, the movie surprised me, and grabbed me a lot more than I though it would. I didn’t cry at the ending, but I did well up a bit. Still, this movie isn’t without its problems.

Rather than going over the goods and bads like I normally do, I’m actually going to go through this one chronologically, as I feel it’s the best way to tackle this film’s strengths and flaws. Sit back for a long one, folks.

Chapter 1 (Parrotmon and the First Adventure): We start out with the same intro music we got in the original Digimon Adventure movie. This first section is full of a lot of very purposeful callbacks, like Greymon VS Parrotmon and the recreated evolution sequences. This is the part of the movie where I think this works the best, grabbing people’s nostalgia right at the beginning, getting them to remember the good times with the Digimon before the drama starts. My only, very minor, nitpicky issue is that the Agumon to Greymon sequence is a bit choppier than the original, but it’s also not meant to play 30+ times over the course of two years, so it’s easily forgiven. Also, I’m gonna put PIN 1 in the aurora, because we’ll be coming back to that later.

The animation here is also fantastic (the few moments of off CG aside). It’s been a while since I’ve seen fight scenes this good, and this is probably the best they’ve ever been in Digimon. I also enjoy that Taichi and Yamato are immediately on good terms. So much of Tri was them arguing with each other, so seeing them as friends is nice.

Chapter 2 (The New Normal): Something I didn’t notice the first time, but did on a repeat watch was Sora’s Digivice with its timer ticking down in the opening credits. I’m not a fan of how little Sora was in this movie, especially considering her reinterpretation in the reboot hasn’t been that strong, but I do think the route they went with her was fitting for her character.

Seeing Taichi and Yamato in a rut while everyone else is pursuing their dreams is well done. I definitely feel like I’ve been there before in one form or another, and it’s easy to empathize with. Also, seeing the two of them drinking is so surreal. And them talking about how they have a hard time fitting their Digimon into their lives, only to almost immediately have the idea of losing on them thrust upon them hits very hard on the first watch.

Menoa’s voice... As a native English speaker, hearing people who are supposed to be American in anime only to spout obviously line-read Katakana is always a little vexing to me. I definitely weigh it a bit based on the budget of the show I’m watching, but this is a very big budget movie and they could have gotten a better trainer at the very least to go over the lines with her. Her character is well done, though. I thought she was certainly suspicious my first watch, but on a rewatch I caught more hints, such as her reaction after Izumi mentioned his database.

Chapter 3 (It’s in the Internet): This is where I started falling off a bit. Let me know if this sounds familiar, “Taichi, Izumi, Yamato, and Takeru must battle a Digimon inside the internet. Just as they seem to have the upper hand, it evolves and the children must rely on Omegamon to defeat it.” This particular part of the movie is recycled from Children’s War Game. Even Eosmon darting around the arena with a timer going, being difficult to hit and having to be forced to slow down is reminiscent of how Diablomon was defeated. This really took me out of the film, and it kind of gets worse, but we’ll get there.

Maybe this is me, but I can’t help but feel the whales during Omegamon’s evolution are a callback to Summer Wars >_> I do like the new version of his sword with the flared guard.

Chapter 4 (Some Old Yet Newer Friends): I don’t agree with Menoa’s explanation for why Digimon disappear, but my evidence as to why hasn’t appeared yet, so we’ll put PIN 2 in that. Menoa’s assistant on the other hand was a decent red herring. I wasn’t sure which of them it actually was until the full reveal.

I can’t properly express how excited I was to see Miyoko and Hawkmon after Tri. The 02 crew got so shafted that seeing them here and how involved they were in the plot had me legit excited. There’s actually a ton of 02 love in this movie in the background that I was very appreciative of. That brings me to another point, though, that this movie feels very responsive to Tri. The heavy inclusion of the 02 cast over many of the other original Adventure members, the number of cameos from the final episodes of 02, and a very certain plot point that we’ll stick PIN 3 in for now all point to this. Heck, it was even revealed to be in production near the end of Tri, which was supposed to be the series finalé, except people didn’t like Tri so they apparently didn’t want the series to go out on a sour note (though not a bitter-sweet one).

Chapter 5 (People Change): Can we talk about how Agumon finds Taichi’s stash? It’s a little too real, man. But this scene also brings up the point that the Digimon haven’t really changed since 1999, yet the children have significantly. The Digimon change their appearance and the humans change on the inside. It’s also a little weird how the Digimon aren’t that beat up about saying goodbye. I mean, they don’t want to, but they aren’t crying their eyes out. But we’ll talk about that more when we actually pull out PIN 2.

Also, seeing Sora at the end of this chapter, knowing what’s happening to her is really sad on the second watch.

As a little bonus, I was questioning the Digivice Smart Phones until Taichi turned his off and Izumi’s name popped up. Good show-don’t-tell. That scene also has some great lighting...

Chapter 6 (Better than Himekawa Maki): You definitely feel bad for Menoa. Her story is very (and probably purposefully) similar to that of Himekawa Maki’s from Tri, but in this case we feel more for her because she went through what our leads are going through right now. Her plan makes sense to her because of her tauma. And as we’re talking about the similarities to Tri, I’m going to pull PIN 3 and mention that Taichi and Yamato are going through the same thing that Meiko did. It’s strange that they’re recycling the Tri plot for this, but it works so much better here because our connections to these characters, that we’ve known for years, are so much stronger than those of the new ones introduced in Tri. And it’s 1/10th of the run time, too. It’s almost like Tri was terrible or something O_O

Chapter 7 (Touching Down like a Revenging Hurricane): So now we’re on to a Digimon trapping Chosen Children and reverting them back to children all for the sake of one Chosen Child who has aged up. Man, that sounds familiar. It’s almost as if this plot point was taken from another movie or something...

Look, I wouldn’t harp on it so much if every Adventure + 02 Digimon movie didn’t have plot elements recycled for this film. The beginning was Adventure, the first battle with Eosmon was War Game, Tri is sprinkled throughout, we’re currently on Touchdown, and everything from here up to the final is Revenge of Diablomon. Don’t get me wrong, this was probably on purpose, and they are well integrated, but it pulls me out of the movie super hard. As I’m writing this, I’m on the scene with the 100 Eosmon reveal, just like all the Kuramon. They also do the thing all the Kuramon do where they combine together and defeat Omegamon (by removing his arms, weirdly), only to have two Digimon achieve a new evolution to defeat it.

That being said though, it is, again, handled very well. The damage you see done to Omegamon in these scenes is heartbreaking, and you can certainly feel the weight of the situation.

I also want to pull PIN 1 here, because they bring up the aurora again. There’s never actually an explanation for it, is there? It just shows up one day. It helped Menoa make Eosmon, it drove Parrotmon and apparently other Digimon crazy, but where it came from and why it’s here is never actually explained. I feel like this is bait in case they’re ever at the point where they need another big nostalgia push again and a plot for another movie. But I also don’t want to see that. After Reboot wraps (even though I like it) I’d like to see a new cast, Digimon, and story please.

I also don’t believe a word of anything Menoa says in these scenes, but she does a very good job of pushing Taichi and Yamato’s buttons. I also want to point out, it’s Greymon that isn’t phased by all this and goes on the attack when they’re doubting themselves.

Chapter 8 (An Unreliable Narrator): Time to pull PIN 2.

This is the reason why I don’t believe Menoa. This scene. Menoa kept going on about children losing their infinite possibilities and being unable to supply their Digimon with power, but the Digimon we see going through this situation don’t reflect that. Evolution is a two-way street. We help the Digimon evolve, but in turn they help us evolve, and it is when we reach the pinnacle of our evolution, when the job of the Digimon is done that they disappear. Menoa sped through her evolution because she wanted to become an adult, and when she finally achieved the dream she had set for herself is when Morphomon disappeared, but she’s so traumatized by her disappearance that her views on the situation are negative. This has to be a bad thing, there can’t be a positive reason why the Digimon would disappear. But Agumon and Gabumon are happy. Happy that they could see the great people that Taichi and Yamato turned out to be.

Gotta say, the CG fight with Omegamon and Eosmon (Perfect) isn’t as great as the previous ones. Definitely gets better when we get to Eosmon (Ultimate). This is also a scene where they very easily show the stakes by having Taichi and Yamato getting injured, which we don’t see a lot of, not to mention Omegamon getting sliced up as I said previously.

Also, how many kids got stuck with Numemon as a partner?

Chapter 9 (We’re All Together): I hate that whistle. Every time I hear it in Adventure I start crying. And seeing Sora without Piyomon in these scenes is also heart wrenching on a repeat. I enjoy the others getting involved in the Eosmon fight, but I would have liked it if all the Chosen Children who were captured helped out (though I understand the nightmare that would be aging up all those 02 designs). Overall, just some good, back-to-back emotional moments.

Agumon Bond of Courage and Gabumon Bond of Friendship are decent designs. They definitely feel more newer Digimon than anything that would have appeared in the first season, but that’s ok. It took me a while to get used to Agumon’s new face (it’s kinda weird how human they get; makes me feel like wanted this to be a Bio-Merge). Though brief, their appearance is also beautifully animated.

Seeing Menoa lose Morphomon is also pretty emotional. Actually, this whole ending sequence (y’know, the part of the movie that’s the most itself rather than rehashing old material) is very good, and it’s constant heart-tugs one after another.

Chapter 10 (Goodbye for Now): As I said, there’s a lot of tug-at-your-heartstrings moments throughout the film (especially the ending), but this is the biggest one. This is the one that almost got me. I’m choked up a bit even writing this. It doesn’t help that they end it with a non-movie, realistic cry. But as Gennai said, as long as you have infinite possibilities...

This movie does feel like it embraces the epilogue from 02, and in that epilogue everyone has their Digimon again. And when’s the moment in your life when your life becomes chaotic and hectic and full of infinite possibilities again? The unifying thing everyone in the epilogue has? Kids.

I know that sounds weird, but it makes sense. I can totally imagine Taichi sitting on the couch, and his wife walks in and tells him she’s pregnant, and there’s this stunned silence for a moment, then Agumon pops out from under the cushions and says “How did that happen!?” I’m sure there are other ways it could happen, but that’s the most comedic and “Toei pushing having kids to help with the Japanese population crisis” way I can think of doing it.

I’ll also give special mention to the credits, where they go out of their way to show the 02 Crew with their Digimon, but the main cast without. But, again, we know they get them back. And hopefully they don’t make that movie anytime soon, because I’m sick of Adventure. I’d like new things, please!

Overall, this is a good movie, but it is, to me, heavily hampered by the fact that it is too nostalgic. The animation and writing is fantastic, but that writing is built on the back of elements from the previous movies. If you haven’t watched all those movies multiple times like I have, you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did (and I enjoyed it a lot, still), but be aware. Next time we talk Digi-Shop will probably be about Reboot.

Unless I manage to get my hands on the rest of the Xros Wars toys. (Where are you, MailBirdramon!)

#Digimon #Digimon Adventure #Digimon Adventure tri #Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna #Last Evolution Kizuna #Last Evolution #Kizuna #Review #Movie

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spacetimeconundrum · 4 years

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For the fanfic ask jawn, let's get some writer commentary on a paragraph from Knots in Time that you're particularly fond of. :D

Oh hey, the Metacrisis/Rose wedding fic! Sure, we can talk about that one. :)

I dunno that there’s one particular paragraph that stands out, so you’re gonna get a few highlights and behind the scenes thoughts, bearing in mind that I wrote this story in (checks publication date on ff.net) 2012, so it’s been a solid 8 years since then. (Actually had to do a quick re-read and poke through my files for a bit to refresh my memory to answer this.)

Popping the rest behind a ‘read more’ because it got long and also, spoilers?

There was a sharp "CRACK", a brilliant flash, and the scent of ozone in the air. The Doctor stood stupefied, part-Time Lord senses tingling, staring at the empty space where Rose had been standing.

"What?"

He blinked. "What!"

The guests looked as shocked as he was. But they weren't left staring with him for long; they were interrupted by a distinctly curious wheezing sound. The Doctor's eyes raised in disbelief in time to see a very familiar, very blue police box appear at the back.

"What?"

Ah yes, I thought I was very clever here, with this call-back to Ten’s favorite reaction to anything unexpected happening / Donna’s first appearance on DW. Feels a little too cutesy-clever now, but maybe it’s fine and I’m just being hard on my old writing.

Also! Why does it matter that the police box is blue here? Of course the Doctor’s TARDIS is always blue, you say, what other color would it be? This is actually because of a different story I hadn’t actually written yet at the time, Unsinkable (and later And Then There Was One), wherein I posit that the Pete’s World Universe actually does have its own Doctor, and his TARDIS is red, because in this parallel universe, most police boxes came in red instead of blue.

(Incidentally, there ARE in fact real red police boxes in the UK, or there were, see proof here.)

I had originally intended (spoilers for a long unfinished/abandoned fic) to have Rose and the Metacrisis Doctor meet the Pete’s World Doctor in Parallel Adventures, which takes place chronologically before Knots in Time, and thus, they’d recognise the red TARDIS if it showed up unexpectedly, so having a blue one pop up means Something is Definitely Up. Well, okay, since I hadn’t actually written those other stories yet, when I did go to write them, I realised I needed a reason why the TARDIS appearing here would be so shocking to everyone, thus the color change for Pete’s World Doctor’s TARDIS. (Overthinking details, in MY fic writing? It’s more likely than you think.)

Other fun things - at the time I actually did some little sketches of a few scenes / bits from this fic, and this is one of them:

Next!

Rose dug through her skirt until she found the hidden pocket she'd had sewn into the dress. Her mother had protested, telling her it was her wedding gown, why would she want to risk spoiling the lines of the skirt with pockets? What could she possibly need to be carrying anyway? Rose was glad she'd insisted. Grinning, she pulled out the two items she never left home without: her Torchwood communicator and the sonic screwdriver the Doctor had made for her as a surprise when he'd recreated his own.

Turning on the communicator, she wasn't exactly surprised to find it was out of range of the Torchwood network. Brilliant. She keyed in the code for the 'Agent in Distress' locator beacon and was rewarded for her efforts by the lights in the room flashing green and a mechanical voice announcing what could only be some sort of warning or displeasure at her actions.

"Didn't like that, did you?" She grinned up at the ceiling, tongue between her teeth. "Just wait for my next trick."

So, I may have a thing for competent!Rose. It was important to me that she not end up the generic ‘helpless companion in need of rescue’, even though, yes, she does need a little help getting back to her wedding from the space ship she’s been teleported to, because plot, but Rose has agency here beyond plot McGuffin, dammit!

See also, Rose engaging in diplomatic relations (good grief those aliens look lame, what the hell, 2012-me) with her captors:

And...

Rose stared at her, struggling to think of something to say as the pieces slowly came together in her mind. The girl had a soft London accent and her mannerisms felt so like someone she knew, it was unsettling. It wasn't until she looked down and noticed the scuffed blue Converse trainers that it finally clicked. She couldn't be.

As if to confirm her suspicions, a familiar voice called out and Rose looked up from what could only be her daughter to see the Doctor come jogging around the corner.

"Jane! How many times have I told you not to wander off? If you're not going to listen then you can go back to wait in the Tar-" He paused mid-sentence when he saw who she was standing next to. "-dis. Hello, Rose."

Fun with time travel! You never know when you’re going to run into your own future, whoops. :)

Sudden, unexpected kid!fic! Because if you’re going to write a ‘happily ever after’ fic, might as well go all-in, right? Not that everyone’s happily-ever-after should or would involve marriage and kids, but it seemed like the sort of future the non-Metacrisis Doctor very specifically can’t have, so why not give it to his half-human double? I dunno.

Upon reflection, this might be the fluffiest thing I’ve ever written, I think.

Future Metacrisis!Doc and kiddos:

That’s probably way more information than you wanted or expected about this story, huh? Hope it was entertaining at least!

PS - still kinda proud of myself for the terrible pun in the title of this story

#STC answers questions #writer commentary ask meme #knots in time #metacrisis!doctor/rose #my writing #badxwolfxrising

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thewriterandthestoryteller · 6 years

Text

Lets look at an older piece of writing...

Hey guys! First of all, I want to apologise for the meltdown that I had about wanting to delete my account. That was all absolute trollop that I ranted about when I was feeling down earlier today. I also want to thank all of the people who took the time to leave me lovely messages that really lifted my spirits and gave me the motivation to post. Thanks again you lot, you know who you are!

Now onto the juicy stuff. I was scrolling through my drive, minding my own business, when I stumbled across a piece of writing that I wrote for an assessment in Year 7. As @cog-writes explained in one of her recent posts, I actually wanted to ‘curl up into the fetal position’ as I read this monstrosity. I’ll quickly mention that it was that same post that made me decide to post this mistake instead and look at how much I have improved, rather than deleting it and trying to forget about it. (The post is titled Top 5 Things We Can Learn from Our Artist Friends, I highly recommend you read it, it is incredibly well-written!)

This piece was for an assessment on detective fiction, in which I had to write part of a detective story to get a final grade when we finished looking at that topic. This was back in the days when I was obsessed with BBC Sherlock, so I essentially used identical characters with different names and wrote them into my own story. The grammar in this story is incredibly wrong, but I miraculously got a ridiculously high grade for it. I haven’t touched in since then, just so you can see how truly bad I was at writing.

I hope you enjoy it much more than I did reading it for the first time in years!

Nervously, I opened the door to slightly reassuring chatter filling up the space around me as I scanned my surroundings. Then it hit me. I had no idea who I was looking for. I decided to use the process of elimination. There were four occupied tables. The first consisted of a group of young women in short skirts and white blouses. The second was occupied by a middle aged man , a ham sandwich , a packet of Walkers Cheese and Onion crisps , and a bottle of water. The next table along, there was an elderly man seated an on the other side of the room were a young couple talking in hushed voices.

Now, which table do you think my potential boss was seated? Place your votes now ladies and gentlemen….

It was none of them.

I know , I know that was a bit unfair. But if you were paying attention , I did leave some clues for you. The first table was a no go ; one of the few things that his letter told me was that his name was Joseph. Clearly not one of those girls. Would you bring a date to a job interview? Unless you were one of the weirdos who thought I wasn’t going to open a mysterious letter I found at my doorstep that same morning , probably not. That eliminates the couple on the fourth table. The ‘elderly’ man ; clearly not fit for a job like detective work. Table three incorrect also. I eliminated the second table as well - there was nothing that made that man look like he ran a successful business like the Black’s clothing line. If you guessed that table , that one was tricky and I thoroughly understand your mistakes. D-. Don’t be bitter about it, I got it right!

But the point is none of the guests met the criteria. I was about to walk over to the gentleman with the ham sandwich and introduce myself , but then I heard the door close. I turned around to inspect the new arrival. A man of about average height. Quite skinny , with skin the delicate shade of ‘ I never go outside ‘ pink. Messy dirty blonde hair the respectable side of too long. Dazzling blue eyes. Arched eyebrows , and cheekbones that would have put Benedict Cumberbatch to shame. Stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. What , one can admire a handsome face! He was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans , tight button up shirt , and Adidas zip up black hoodie , and Nike trainers. Expensive taste. Young. Fit. Perfect match to my criteria. I watched him study the inhabitants of the café, frown , then turned around to face me and smiled

‘ Mr Watson ‘ he said and offered his hand

‘ Mr Black ‘ I replied as I shook it.

‘ Can I get you a drink? ‘ he asked as he awkwardly smiled at the table of girls.

‘ I will admit, I have already eaten. I didn’t want to look like I was greedy’ I muttered a little self-conscious.

He smiled sympathetically and indicated to a vacant table nearby. I took a seat opposite him.

‘ I suppose I could settle for a Sprite ‘ I said as a waiter came over to serve us.

After our order had been taken, we then went on to talk about more important business.

‘How is this ‘interview’ going to work then? ‘ I enquired

‘Well I am currently working on a case, and I am very confused’ he muttered

‘ What seems to be the problem?’

‘I haven’t found any evidence I can use to convict the murderer.’

‘ What murderer? ‘ I snapped

‘Just hear me out, I could really do without any interruptions’ he muttered slightly irritated

‘ Now, I’ve been left these notes at the scenes - I’m guessing from the murderer’

He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out two crumpled pieces of paper. He handed them over for me to examine. On the back of them , they were labelled one and two - I guessed that would be chronological order. Naturally I opened number one first, it read;

A detective was in his hotel room when he heard a knock at the door. He went to answer it and there was a young man in a black suit at the door. When the detective answered the door the man apologized and said that he thought this was his room. He then left and the detective called security. Why was the detective so suspicious of the man in the suit?

‘Huh’ I murmured

‘Anything?’ Joseph enquired

‘Surely you have heard this riddle before’ I said shocked. Joseph shook his head in response

‘ I don’t suppose you could offer any insight, I have no clue as to what these notes mean’

‘It is one of my favorite riddles’ I declared ‘ The detective called security because you wouldn’t knock to come into your own hotel room. If it was sincere, the man would have walked straight in the room to be met with the detective!’

Joseph sat in silence.

‘ Out of curiosity where was this note left? ‘ I asked ‘ And what was the case that came after? ‘

‘There was a murder in a hotel room’ he explained ‘I was checking into this hotel and found this note blu-tacked onto the door. I then heard a squeal down the hall and a poor young woman had been stabbed in her room’

‘Was anyone nearby when you were investigating?’

‘ Nobody unusual. Just very concerned staff members for the most part’ he muttered ‘Why?’ he asked.

‘ I would need to see the second note to confirm it is the same person, but I believe this killer is trying to get your attention’ I continued

‘ How could you figure out that from a riddle? ‘ he countered

‘ It is not the riddle but the note itself that tells us that. When you were younger did you ever leave a note on the table for your parents when you were going out?

Joseph nodded so I took that as an indication to continue.

‘ It is meant to tell you about something. From this riddle I can already guess that the man we are looking for is or typically wears a black suit’ I concluded

Joseph stared at me in shock.

‘ I really have overlooked that. You’re definitely hired now ‘ he said surprised as he handed over the second note

I smiled, knowing that I would not have to go back to that Tesco anytime soon. I discarded that thought and focused in figuring out the second riddle. It read;

A rich man lives alone in a small cottage. Having a disability, this man had everything delivered to the cottage. The paperboy was doing his rounds on Thursday when he noticed that the door to this man's cottage was open. Through the door , he could see a dead body in a pool of dried blood. A police officer arrived to inspect the scene. On the doorstep was two bottles of milk , Monday’s paper , a catalog , flyers , and and unopened letter. The police officer suspected foul play. Who does he suspect and why?

‘ Hmm’

‘ Well..’ Joseph chided

‘ I know the riddle , but I don’t really know what it is implying’ I muttered concentrating

‘ Well let's take things one step at a time’ he suggested ‘what does the police officer think?’

‘ The police officer suspects the paperboy; He had been doing his rounds on Thursday and on the man’s doorstep was Monday's’ paper but not Tuesday or Wednesday’s. The boy must have known not to deliver it because it was him that killed him’

‘ I don’t understand quite how you do it’ Joseph wondered out-loud

‘ Mum’s favorite dinner party game’ I replied

‘That must be fun’ he said sarcastically

‘Tell me about it’ I responded dryly ‘ But I still haven’t got a clue what our murderer could mean by that second riddle. Do you think it is to throw us off?’

We were interrupted by a waiter serving us our drinks; for me a can of Sprite and Joseph ordered a Diet Coke. I quickly noticed my can looked slightly off balance, almost as if it wasn’t properly balanced on the table. I turned it over and saw another note blu-tacked to the bottom. I tugged it off and showed Joseph.

‘ Open it quickly’ he hissed ‘One thing I have observed is I always find one just before a crime’

I unfolded the note and scanned the riddle. This one read:

Two girls ate dinner together and they both ordered iced-tea. One girl drank hers very fast and finished five glasses in the time the other girl took to drink one. The girl who drank five survived, but all the drinks were poisoned. How did the girl who drank the most survive?

I heard a loud cry from the other side of the room and one of the ladies in the blouses cried , ‘SHE'S NOT BREATHING SOMEBODY HELP HER!’

Following was a loud clatter from the kitchen. I saw a flash of black and Joseph followed at speed.

‘HURRY SHE NEEDS HELP, IS ANYONE HERE A DOCTOR?’ the lady screamed.

Panic set in - I was needed in two places at once and I knew that I couldn’t do both. My colleague was most likely apprehending a murderer, I made a good first impression I didn’t want to throw it away by letting him get killed. But this poor lady is dying , an ambulance can’t save her now and it didn’t look like anyone has the experience to help. I focused on my breathing and used my instincts to do what I felt was the right thing…

#old #writing #writer #write #wrote #cringey #bad #rubbish #mistake #why #ew #omg #wtf #writersproblems #onceuponatime #timehaspassed

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mala-sadas · 7 years

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whats your take on pokespe´s timeline?

Thank you for asking this, it always surprises me when people don’t agree on the chronological order of all the arcs, let alone the time between them. I’ve actually put a decent amount of work into constructing my timeline and all of the concrete time gaps are supported by canon evidence.

Updated as of 10/31/2021. This timeline is consistent with the one that was given in PokéSPedia.

RGB

+2 years

Yellow

+1 year

GSC

+2 years

+6 months

FRLG

+3 months

Emerald

+3 years

HGSS

+a month or two

ORAS

+3 years

+two weeks

Platinum

+3 years

+2 years

B2W2

concurrent with

+5 months (2 months from the epilogue)

While it’s currently impossible to tell exactly when the SWSH arc takes place, the scant references to previous arcs tell us that it at least occurs after XY.

Now, as for why I think this timeline is accurate, allow me to present my evidence. I’ve limited it to mentions of the passage of time rather than ages for the sake of simplicity and clarity.

Under the cut, because there are a lot of images.

First off, it’s explicitly stated at the beginning of the Yellow arc that it takes place 2 years after the battle at Silph Co., the climax of the RGB arc:

Then, in the first chapter of GSC, Elm mentions a big battle in Kanto a year prior - the climax of the Yellow chapter:

RS, unfortunately, doesn’t state explicitly when it takes place relative to its preceeding chapter. However, when Ruby and Sapphire were playing together as kids, 5 years prior to the chapter, Ruby said:

This is obviously referring to Red, who won the League at the end of RGB. So, RS has to occur at least 5 years after RGB. A little math tells us that this would be at least 2 years after GSC.

FRLG is stated to occur 6 months after the incident with Kyogre and Groudon in Hoenn:

Since the Kyogre and Groudon incident happened in September, FRLG takes place sometime in March.

Emerald takes place a few months later, during the first week of July:

(Fun fact: this timeframe is a reference to Tanabata, the Japanese Star Festival, which is likely the inspiration for Jirachi’s ability to grant wishes.)

ORAS confirms that this is the year after RS:

When Carr of the Three Beasts first appears in HGSS, his opening monologue contains this line:

Since Carr made his debut as one of Giovanni’s admins in FRLG, it’s safe to assume that this three years metric is talking about the time between FRLG and HGSS. If you want further proof, the ages line up, too:

On the left, Crys in GSC. On the right, Silver in FRLG. Supplemental age data confirms they’re both 16 in HGSS. Thus, a five-year gap between GSC and HGSS and a three-year gap between FRLG and HGSS.

ORAS is pretty clear about when it takes place; I believe the first specific time mentioned in the chapter is when Ruby’s accident with Salamence took place:

That was five years before RS, meaning ORAS is four years after that. So, ORAS and HGSS take place in the same year. As for which comes first…

Archie and Maxie’s appearance in ORAS confirms that they left the Distortion World when Giratina re-entered it at the end of HGSS. Presumably it took them some time to master Mega Evolution and re-locate the orbs; thus, ORAS takes place maybe a month or two after HGSS.

Now, explaining the time gap between ORAS and DP gets complicated. ORAS and HGSS both make it abundantly clear that they take place before DP. In ORAS, Palmer has returned from Johto (where he was seen at the end of HGSS) and is living with a younger Pearl and Diamond:

It’s not really clear just how young they are at this point. It has to be a decent amount of time before DP because in DP, Pearl says that he hasn’t seen his dad in some time, and Proteam Omega has had time to go from a proposal to a full-fledged cartoon that’s popular enough to have a substantial amount of merchandise produced. But to come up with a more concrete estimate, we’ll have to look at the special Mt. Silver Training Chapter that was published back in 2011.

At the end of GSC, Red and Gold go off to train at Mt. Silver, during which the events of the Mt. Silver Training Chapter take place. At the beginning of this little two-round story, it’s stated that Red and Gold have been training there for three days:

A few days later - so, about a week after GSC - they return to Red’s house, where you can see two familiar faces on Red’s TV spouting some familiar lines:

These comedians, Abbot Clef and Costello Jiggly, performed this routine for Diamond and Pearl when they were four years old, which inspired them to become comedians. Since Diamond and Pearl are twelve years old in DP, and we can assume that this filmed performance aired around the same time that Diamond and Pearl saw them live, that would mean that this training session -and therefore GSC - takes place eight years before the events of DP. As I previously mentioned, the gap from GSC to HGSS is five years, meaning that the gap from HGSS/ORAS to DP is around three years.

Platinum is mercifully a lot simpler - two weeks after DP ends.

Platinum also gives us a hint as to where Black and White fit in the timeline, since it ends with Looker being sent off to Unova:

We learn during a flashback in B2W2 that Team Plasma and the Seven Sages started acting in Unova three years prior to BW (when N becomes the king of Team Plasma):

It’s safe to assume that Platinum occurs around the time that the Sages first become active, since Lady Caitlin grows up quite a lot between the two arcs. On the left, Caitlin in the Platinum arc; on the right, Caitlin in BW:

So, BW is three years after Platinum. And, like the games, B2W2 takes place two years after BW:

Specifically, the main events take place during September-October of that year:

Then, XY…ooh, boy, XY. For a long time we didn’t have any concrete place for XY in the timeline – just some cameos and Easter eggs indicating it takes place a few years after DP, which were easy for the casual reader to miss. But the epilogue of B2W2 finally gave us enough information to place XY on the timeline. Unfortunately, it requires a bit of working backwards and logical reasoning, so we’ll put a pin in that for now and skip to the XY-SM gap.

In a flashback in the final chapter of XY, Professor Sycamore sends Sina and Dexio to Alola to investigate the Zygarde Cells spotted there.

In SM, when Sina and Dexio first appear, they state that they’ve been in Alola for five months:

Sina and Dexio were sent to Alola immediately following the final battle, not during the epilogue, which takes place three months later. Thus, SM takes place 5 months after the final battle of XY, but only two months after XY’s epilogue. This is an important distinction to make, because we know the timing of XY’s epilogue:

In the Japanese schooling system, the third term starts in January. Despite the region being based on a non-Japanese country, the schedule of the Aspertia Trainers’ School follows the Japanese schooling system, so it’s safe to assume that the Sky Trainer Academy follows this same schedule. Thus, the main events of XY take place in October, with the epilogue taking place the following January and SM beginning that March.

Now, keeping that in mind, let’s go back to B2W2’s epilogue. At the end of the main story, we’re treated to this conversation between the head of Interpol and the Magician:

The very end of the epilogue shows the Magician and Colress leaving for Alola, so it must be the following March. In this scene (left), Colress is wearing the same outfit he wears in the Alola games – and the SM arc as well (right):

While it is possible that Colress goes to Alola in the March after B2W2 and SM begins in March of a later year, it seems unlikely that it would take him so long to develop Beast Balls for the Aether Foundation. We already know that he spends at least six months on the project, as when Anabel makes her first appearance in SM, she implies that part of her and Looker’s mission in Alola is to find Colress:

And Colress delivers the Beast Balls to Lusamine after the six-month timeskip in the middle of the arc. So, that seems like more than enough time for him to develop the Beast Balls – and it would explain why the Aether Foundation didn’t have any Beast Balls earlier in the arc.

(Why Anabel talks about needing to capture Colress when he was literally escorted to Alola by an Interpol agent is unclear, but it wouldn’t be the first time that the Interpol higher-ups have deliberately withheld information from their agents. Additionally, this chapter was published a good two years before B2W2 was finished, so from a meta perspective, Kusaka might not have decided yet exactly how B2W2 was going to end and the lines will be changed for the full volume release.)

So, in short, it’s possible that XY and SM could take place a year or more after B2W2, but the simplest solution is that XY begins the same October in which B2W2 is taking place, and SM begins the March following both.

Lastly, let’s talk about the placement of SWSH in the timeline. Of the small handful of allusions to the events of other arcs in SWSH so far, the one that references the latest arc timeline-wise is this one:

Given that Lysandre’s whole thing is that he’s a philanthropist who lost faith in humanity and tried to eliminate everyone except his “chosen ones”, it’s a safe bet that Piers is alluding to him and the events of XY here. So, SWSH takes place after the main events of XY have concluded.

Additionally, Raihan has a couple of lines where alludes to the actions of the evil teams of previous arcs. While it’s true that he’s a history buff and could have read about these incidents happening hundreds of years in the past, these lines sound to me like “ambitious people awakening Pokémon that have the power to destroy the world” is a contemporary issue, not a historical one. That is to say, I don’t think SWSH takes place hundreds of years after the other arcs or anything like that.

So there you have it…my take on the Pokéspe timeline, mostly factual with a tiny smidge of assumption. I really hope this clears things up for people.

#pokespe #pokemon special #pokespe timeline #i spent like 4 hours on this someone shoot me now #anon ask #Thanks for the ask!!#storm's stuff

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ciathyzareposts · 4 years

Text

The Black Gate: Open Your Eyes

Having woken up after 200 years, Penumbra really needs to hit the head.

We leave the troubled Vesper behind us–planning to return once we have the “Unlock Magic” spell and some more money–and head east across the channel. It has been long enough since I played an Ultima that I have forgotten the specific configuration of the islands that house Moonglow, the Lycaeum, the Shrine of Honesty, and the Dungeon Deceit, so I decide to start at the top (which turns out to be Dagger Isle) and work my way down.

Piling into a cave.

We land on the island, between the Shrine of Compassion and a small mountain range on the island’s southern tip. As we enter, I realize two things for the first time. First, the dungeons actually exist on the same scale as the outdoor maps, and on the same plane. Previously, I was thinking that we were transitioning to different areas, but now I realize that when we entered the dungeon above Cove, for instance, the corridors wrapped around to the east and south in a perfect imitation of the mountain range that houses them. This is an interesting approach, but it means that the developers were far more constrained in the shape and size of their dungeons than when dungeons were on the -1 plane. I can’t help but woner why they did it this way. Second, the game wastes no space, housing a dungeon in every mountain range–at least, every one I’ve seen so far.

Punny gravestones have long been a specialty of the series.

The small range south of the shrine turns out to have a little cemetery. The gravestones have Ultima‘s usual mixture of the goofy and the sentimental:

Here lies Argent, died a sergeant.

Targ, a worthy opponent.

Lynn. She had the grace of a swan.

Here lies Mystral. Shined like a crystal.

Rover. Man’s best friend, over and over.

Felcore. Age-old love never dies.

At the end of the corridor is a grate with a sign that says “pauper’s grave.” Opening the grate reveals a gruesome collection of skeletons.

I don’t know what I expected.

North of the cave, we find the Shrine of Honesty, which is in good shape. Based on what we’d heard in Cove, I expected to find the shrines in dilapidation and disrepair, but this one was clear of debris and eve had a little bell on the altar. (Double-clicking it caused it to ring.) As usual in this game, double-clicking on the altar does nothing, which was a bit disappointing.

The Shrine of Honesty looks like someone is taking care of it.

North of the shrine, we enter the Dungeon Deceit. Our explorations are drawn up short by a magically-locked door just a little way down the corridor. We make a note to return later.

We return to the carpet and ride it south to Verity Isle, landing at the northern tip, next to a large building. A plaque on the ground invites us to “hammer here to enter,” but we lack a hammer, so we continue south into Moonglow. During our explorations of the city, several characters remark that Moonglow and the Lycaeum have “merged” over the last 200 years. But it isn’t so much that as that Moonglow has spread out. Where once “Moonglow” was six buildings clustered in the south end of the island, now it’s the same six buildings all over the island. The island has changed shape, too, now further east than it was before, its various peninsulas shortened and blunted, making the island look fatter.

Thanks for sharing, Shamino.

The two-story Lycaeum is in roughly the same place. It’s run by Nelson and his assistant Zelda. Zelda is in love with Nelson’s twin brother, Brion, who runs the observatory, while Nelson pines for Zelda. In my conversations with them, Brion said he was too busy for love, so I convinced Zelda to accept Nelson as a “second best.”

You might, you know, not call him that.

A scholar named Jillian increases intelligence and magic. She’s married to Effram, a stay-at-home father to baby Mikhail, and he’s angry about it.

Does divorce exist in Britannia? I don’t believe anyone is ever described as somebody’s ex-spouse.

Mariah is in the Lycaeum, addled like all the other mages, though not too addled to sell spells and reagents. She doesn’t recognize me and keeps complimenting the furnishings of the building.

Is this supposed to be some kind of hint?

The Lycaeum has so many books that I begin to seriously regret my “Books of Britannia” entry, but I update it with all of them. Some highlights:

The book The Complete History of the Lute has a foreword by Iolo in which his last name is given as “Arbalest.” This contradicts the material for the last couple of games which give his last name as “FitzOwen.” On the other hand, an arbalest is a type of crossbow, so perhaps it’s meant more of a sobriquet than a last name.

It occurs to me it’s been a long time since we heard the “master bard” play anything.

Nicodemus’s Pathways of Planar Travel notes that while so far, all visitors to Britannia from other planes (like Lord British and the Avatar) have been benevolent, we must consider the possibility of a malevolent entity coming through. This naturally foreshadows the plot of this game.

A Short Treatise on Britannian Society by someone named Clayton is an obnoxious book that suggests a natural social order, starting with Lord British and moving to the Great Council. Interestingly, the book puts winged gargoyles next in the social order, followed by the Britannian masses, followed by wingless gargoyles.

Landships of War suggests using the tactic of firing missile weapons from carts at enemies, since the same enemies cannot climb up on the cart to reach you. This works with the magic carpet, too.

A History of Stonegate suggests that the former Shadowlords’ keep passed from the cyclops family to some wingless gargoyles before Lord Venelon of Jhelom evicted the gargoyles and kept the keep in his family for a few generations before it was destroyed by a natural disaster. It’s now a swampland inhabited by trolls and an ancient wizard. It makes me curious to visit.

Apparently, Spark’s father, the man whose murder kicked off my quest, authored a book: The Blacksmith’s Handbook.

The Forest of Yew gives a hint about the furry Emps living there.

As for the rest of Moonglow, there’s a Fellowship Hall run by Rankin. Carlyn runs Carlyn’s Clothes. Chad, a weapons trainer, increases dexterity and combat. Phearcy, the bartender at the Friendly Knave, has gossip about everyone. There’s a farm owned by two brothers: Tolemac and Cobalt. They have a farmhand named Morz. Tolemac is enchanted by the Fellowship while Cobalt hates it; he thinks it’s a perversion of the eight virtues. I am unable to convince Tolemac to abandon it, but I am able to convince Morz not to join. Morz has a stutter, the result of falling off a wagon as a toddler. He doesn’t like to talk about it. I thought there would be some quest related to this, but nothing developed.

Ultima VII offers the meanest dialogue option in any game so far in my chronology, perhaps ever.

There’s a dock to the south of town. Crates left on the docks have stacks of reference books, presumably for the Lycaeum. There’s no shipwright or dockmaster to ask about the Crown Jewel.

Earlier, when I clicked on a cat, my party started yelling things like “Here, Kitty!” and playing with it. So when I see a fox gamboling about, south of the Lycaeum, I think I’ll see what they do when I click on him. To my surprise, he starts talking. He introduces himself as Frank. Frank has come to mistake bluntness for honesty, and he manages to insult all of us before I kill the conversation. No explanation is given for the episode, but my head canon is that it’s somehow Chuckles.

Shamino, I think killing a small animal for insulting you would rather be proving his point.

Brion runs the two-story observatory in the northeast of the island. He has a telescope which can be used to scan the entire world. Moving east from Verity Isle takes you across the ocean . . . and then wraps around to Skara Brae. So the idea that Britannia is flat existed for only one game–Ultima VI–and even there it was subverted by the fact that sailing a balloon does cause you to wrap around, once you cross the void. That opens the question: if the world doesn’t have an “other side,” where did the gargoyles come from?

Skara Brae looks in bad shape.

Meanwhile, Brion’s orrery clearly shows every planet in the system–nine of them–to be round. On the other hand, Brion’s orrery also shows the nine planets in orbit around a blue orb while the yellow sun just sits there above all the planets’ orbits. So, really, I give up trying to understand the geography or astronomy of Britannia.

How is the orb in the middle blue? What does that even mean?

I can’t actually see the real orrery yet–it’s in a second building that requires a casting of “Telekinesis” to enter–but Brion gives me a viewer that I can use to observe it at any time. (I have to run a quick side quest to purchase a crystal from a traveling peddler at the tavern.) Brion is excited about an upcoming alignment of the planets.

After talking with everyone in town, I don’t feel that anyone has lied to me, but I decide to go with Elad the Healer as the most honest person in town. First of all, and I know this doesn’t deal with honesty specifically, Elad is just a nice guy. He lets a random traveler from out of town stay with him. When you ask him about the other people in town, his descriptions are charitable, not blunt or gossipy. Elad is struggling with his own ethical dilemma. He wants to see the world and partake in adventures–he even suggests joining the party at one point–but he feels a duty to Moonglow, and he hates the idea of leaving them without a healer. (Note that this is the same choice Jaana faced, but she didn’t even agonize about it. She just ran out the door with the party, leaving two injured patients behind.) Choosing duty is perhaps more reflective of honor than honesty, but honesty is a part of honor, and I like that he’s truthful to himself (and a stranger) about his motivations and inhibitions. I slip the rune into his desk drawer as we leave.

I designate this “surplaying.”

The most important resident of Verity Isle turns out to be Penumbra, the gypsy mage who told our futures in Ultima VI. Several residents of Moonglow remark that she put herself to sleep 200 years ago, and that supposedly only the Avatar can awaken her. It’s her house with the plaque outside the front door calling for a hammer.

The hammer turns out to be the first piece of a treasure hunt that will take us through a lockpick, a golden ring, a spool of thread, and a gold piece before the plaque finally disappears to reveal the key to the front door. These items are all found around town, and while at first I feel bad for taking them, no one objects (not even the owners), and the items are placed oddly, as if they only exist for the purpose of the treasure hunt and not as actual personal property of the residents. As each new item is brought to the plaque, it asks for the next one. The statements are perhaps meant to be cryptic (“Pick item carefully to keep going”; “Grasp not at threads”), but if you interpret them literally, it all works out.

We enter the building and, sure enough, find Penumbra asleep on a stone slab. An orange “awaken” potion is on an adjacent table, so we feed it to her and she perks right up. She’s happy to see me for about 15 seconds before she starts clutching her head and screaming in pain; clearly, the issue affecting other mages is affecting her as well. She says she needs some kind of “barrier.” The only impenetrable substance I can think of is blackrock. She says yes, yes, please go find four pieces.

Why didn’t you put yourself to sleep in the comfortable bed in the next room?

The only blackrock I’ve seen so far is one piece in the Vesper mines, although I suppose there could be more pieces behind that magically-locked door. I return to Mariah, and while she has the “Unlock Magic” spell that I need, she doesn’t have the blood moss or sulfurous ash that I need to cast it. Buying the spell from her takes up all my remaining gold anyway. Thus, the party hops back on the magic carpet and heads for Britain, first to sell our accumulated gold nuggets to mint, and second to see if Nystul has the needed reagents.

Having to buy things via the conversation system is a little awkward.

The mint gives me 190 gold pieces for my nuggets, and Nystul takes half of it for 5 of each reagent. We float back to the Vesper mines and Gideon casts the spell on the door. Fortunately, not only do we get the piece of blackrock we could see from the outside, but a barrel has three more pieces–exactly what we need.

Nice!

We return to Penumbra, who has put herself back to sleep, and arrange the four pieces of blackrock on convenient pedestals around her room. Another orange potion (she has a second in her laboratory) wakes her up. She’s feeling much better. She does some magical scrying and determines that the source of the problem is some kind of tetrahedron-shaped magic generator in the Dungeon Deceit, which is damaging the magical ether. She says I can destroy it with the Ethereal Ring, which is in the possession of the gargoyle king, Draxinusom, in Terfin.

A player might be forgiven for thinking that this is the main quest of the game, even.

I have to see Draxinusom anyway, so a trip to Terfin doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, but we decide to go to Jhelom first. Following the revelation that the world is round (or at least that it wraps again), Jhelom is just a bit to the east and south.

But the party needs gold more than anything, which is why I’ve been trying to explore the dungeons that go with each city. It occurs to me that I haven’t explored the one that goes with Britain: Despise. You’ll recall that I briefly walked into the dungeon that the game said was Despise when I got the magic carpet, but that was Shame. Real Despise should be elsewhere in the Serpent’s Spine.

As I sailed to Britain from the west, I happened to notice a dungeon entrance just to the west of the city and decided to check it out. It wasn’t Despise, but it had some interesting encounters with gazers and gremlins. Gazers have legs in this game, making them look a bit like giant spiders, and they completely disappear when killed. Gremlins make up for stealing your food in the previous games by dropping lots of food here. I find a couple of Potions of Healing and Cure Poison in a corner, which come in handy when we’re attacked by actual giant spiders further along. A battle with rats caps the experience. The dungeon offers no wealth. I find myself longing for the days when all enemies dropped a bit of gold and you could sell used weapons and armor.

Giant spiders in real life would send me running for the hills.

The entrance to real Despise is north of Lord British’s castle. We walk in and immediately find a corpse with a stack of gold and some swamp boots, so things are looking up already. A switch opens an early set of double-doors, and a key from the corpse opens a second door. A third one remains stubbornly locked. A fourth and fifth require “Unlock Magic,” but between them I find a bag of reagents and the key to the third door.

Lots of locked doors in this dungeon.

A fight with a troll nets us some modest money, a serpent shield, a magic shield, and a lot of food. In a hallway, we run afoul of some caltrops. They suck because although you can move them, you can’t get rid of them entirely. The best you can do is pile them in some out-of-way corner and hope no party member bumbles there.

In continued explorations, we fight giant spiders, scorpions, and skeletons. We find more swamp boots and “love arrows,” which I have no idea what to do with. A mage appears in a room full of traps and attacks, but we kill him. He has an invisible chest that includes a set of plate armor and a lightning whip. Ultimately, we get trapped behind some switch-activated doors that reset (with the switches on the other side) after we pass them. I use the Orb of Moons to escape, and we find ourselves on Verity Isle again, but just jumping back into the moongate takes us to Britain, which works out.

Looting the Dungeon Despise. All those crates and no gold bars.

Miscellaneous notes:

If people are sleeping when you want to talk to them, trampling on their beds seems to get them up. Although they scream at you for bothering them, they don’t have any trouble engaging in regular dialogue.

A crystal ball in Brion’s place is fixed on some bedroom in some building that looks like a fortress, although it seems to have a swimming pool or bath within it. Brion may not have time for love, but he clearly has time for voyeurism.

Somehow, the Avatar got half a dozen bottles of ale in his inventory. I don’t remember anything happening that would explain that.

Normally, when you drop an item on the middle of a character’s portrait, the game shunts the item to the slot in which it best fits–a weapon to the hand, for instance, and a helm to the head. But dropping armor on Jaana’s portrait causes it to go to her left hand. She’s been holding her armor the entire game until I happened to notice it.

When you encountered people in sick beds in previous Ultimas, you could usually talk with them and ask them about their injuries. Every time you run into a wounded person in a healer’s place here, he just moans in pain.

Your counterparts in Ultima V were more interesting.

You can turn on the mining machines by double-clicking on them. One in the Vesper mines produced endless pieces of lead ore. I wonder if you can take the ore to a blacksmith’s shop and smelt it. That’s the kind of thing that you would be able to do in this game.

Would it be asking for too much for the potions to say the color when you click on them, instead of just “potion”? I had to call Irene into my office twice so I wouldn’t accidentally poison Penumbra.

My party members keep complaining about being tired (in addition to being hungry) except that the “tired” icon isn’t showing on their character sheets, and I’ve been sleeping regularly.

As someone noted in a recent comment, two-story buildings in Britannia are apparently taller than mountains, as you can cross mountains on the flying carpet but you run up against the second floor of buildings.

I think I’ll finish exploring Despise before moving on to Jhelom. It’s time to get Dupre, then go see the gargoyle king. I’m beginning to understand why so many players loot the Royal Mint early in the game and then live off the proceeds, but in some ways finding ways to survive on a less generous economy is more fun. Maybe I’ll start baking bread.

Time so far: 20 hours

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/the-black-gate-open-your-eyes/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

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baileysayswhat · 4 years

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I know I kinda did a recap already from Oct ’18-19 – and I was going to write one of my rambling, lovable, GIF-heavy recap posts but I kind of like this bullet points idea.

I looked back through my calendar and feel like 2019 had a lot of wonderful in it. It was a solid year. Here’s a chronological look:

January

Rang in 2019 by watching Millie & Stanley, 2 cantankerous and lovable neighbor pugs. Also got food poisoning.

My first MINt team (Dec ’18-Feb ’19): Abominable SnowMINts

Playing with Pinafore (Nov ’18-Oct ’19) at CSz

Volleyball w Apple buds on team “How I Set Your Mother”

Continuing to teach Level 1 Krav Maga classes at Titan Gym

I go to work on Polar Vortex day! It’s pretty quiet.

February

Promotion to Senior Sales Executive at Grubhub

I’d only been there 10 months!

Flew to Phoenix for family time

Decided to visit the AZ office since my boss was in town too (for actual work)

Then worked in the office for 3 days

Work paid for my flight back

I felt v. v. fancy.

My parents drove 3.5 hours each way for me to see the Grand Canyon. On first sight walking up to the rim I cried. How is anything that vast and majestic? Whew. Full stop.

Sedona was wonderful and kooky and I need to go back.

Visit to best/favorite KBBQ – Cho Sun Ok – in Chicago with Neal AND we went to a concert – Dean Lewis & SYML

March

Started Crossfit at Windy City Strength and Conditioning

KBBQ at the same restaurant – Cho Sun Ok – 2 weeks after Neal BUT with Kalin.

I still don’t know how this happened but my stomach ain’t complaining about it.

Started final ID class w UW-Stout.

It will be the hardest class I’ve ever done in my life.

I just don’t know it yet.

Due to this ^^ took sabbatical from teaching Krav at Titan Gym

Flew to Dayton to see Trace/Dinah and Xander/Abs (PLUS YOU, COTY) and I’m so glad I did.

April

Took a Music Improv workshop through MINt with Alex

I sang a song about how I still have a Washington State Driver’s License but mid-song realized it was really was about how I missed home and cried in public, in a workshop. I’M FINE.

Went to a Cubs game IN A BOX for work

Yes, it was v chill and fancy.

Cast on second MINt team: BlooMINt Onion

Alex & Jake from the Little Rock crew came to Chicago

We get Old Fashioneds at the Broken Shaker

This is the best Old Fashioned in the city. I am convinced.

I will not be moved.

Interviewed for dream job while still in school for said job field.

Got dream job.

May

Started dream job

Saw Hamilton w Josh.

We are in the second row.

I immediately want to see it again. I do not.

It closes in 2 weeks (aka Jan 15, 2020) from now LETS GO

Bekah Brown (and Potato and Sully) in town!

We roam and nap and laugh.

Sat in with Oh Cecelia at iO twice

Being asked to sit in is bananas nice and I have done it several times this year with different teams. Thank you everyone for your trust in my make-believe!

Went to PHX for work to train 5/13 class

Do not feel prepared as I JUST started said job.

People are v nice.

I got upgraded to a suite and neither of my 2 bosses did. BIZLIFE.

Abby (L&D Boss) and I do not eat bread bowls from Panera by the hotel pool, WHICH I WAS PROMISED would happen. Still sad.

Officially resigned from Titan Gym/teaching Krav due to new job

Originating dream job position and possibly traveling every 2 weeks for it just wasn’t good for students, for the gym or for me. But I miss y’all.

Saw Falsettos (Broadway) show

it was NOT a comedy

I was NOT prepared

AND if meme photos of me crying on the train alone after ever come out it is Todd’s fault. The end.

Finish/graduate from UW-Stout’s Instructional Design Graduate Certificate program

I survived the aforementioned hardest class in m’life.

Genuinely sad/miss my group TO THIS DAY.

June

Mom & Dad come to Chicago –

Father’s Day

Field Museum

Architect River Cruise

CHICAGO HOT DOGS!

Had huge audition for something I really wanted. Felt good about it. Didn’t get it.

Did a 5 Things CSz workshop

July

Performed for the first time w Ben, Nicole & Nate as music improv team AirBRB

Had lunch with Toni Berry, writer, bud, fellow Sagittarius, former Apple co-worker

By ‘lunch’ I mean we hung out for like 4 hours. WE ARE LONG WINDED.

Decided to apply (and got) a workshop spot with RIFF; a music improv short form show that performs at iO.

Did improv set in a church service with Susan

it was a planned set; we didn’t just jump up and start, I swear

Lunch with Jenean, former work wife and also, strangely, my first time eating poke

I now love poke

WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG

Fly to Washington to drive to AZ with Mom & Em

August

4-Year Chicago-versary!

Me and the Bean are very happy together in a committed relationship over halfway to a common law marriage

Drive from Lynden, WA to Phoenix, AZ in 2 long days with Mom & Em

YES TWO DAYS

Teach 2nd training class in AZ for 8/5 class

Abby, L&D boss and of the 2 women I report to leaves the company. I hate this but still love her.

Sit in with Goat Milk Goddesses to perform at the Women’s Funny Fest at Stage 773

Dana comes to see me!

She’s the best.

I try my first Pole Dancing class at Brass Ring Chicago

Due to a Groupon I bought 6 months before that was about to expire 3 days later. I keep it up through EOY.

Compete in music improv competition “Verses” at Second City with AirBRB – we lose to some of my favorite people on Home Entertainment so I’m ok with it.

2nd RIFF show!

September

Audition for Anarchy, another music improv team

I don’t get it

But I know a ton of people in the room

I’m ok!

Speak to my UW-Stout instructor’s class about being hired to work in ID/Learning & Dev field as a Sales Trainer right out of our program.

Feel v accomplished.

Toggle from Crossfit back to LSAC gym by my house

Y’all CF is cool BUT MY WALLET WAS SCREAMING.

Play volleyball for Fall Season with people I met in Spring Season at Lincoln Park High School.

Catherine (Sales Boss) the second woman I love working for leaves the company. I hate this but love her.

I got her some goodbye cookies that Carrie makes and they are PERFECTION (see pic below) support Carrie she does amazing work and a percentage of every order supports a different charity every month. HERE IS HER LINK I LOVE IT.

I got myself a massage. I am stressed/sad about the boss situation above BUT NOT THE COOKIES.

I got it on Groupon, I am fiscally responsible.

Start meal plan service to eat Keto for the month of October (officially 9/30-end of October).

Not fiscally responsible but IT IS OK.

Keto doesn’t let me eat fruit as as a Washingtonian this is a crime I do not like.

Make it the 30 days, lost 10lbs in Oct.

I get a new boss to report to on the Learning Team side at work. He seems cool although I don’t know it yet.

October

Final Pinafore show at CSz. I have the sads that this core group of people I love is done.

Yes, yes, I know we can still play together

IT WAS A GOOD BITTERSWEET THING

I know all things must end I used to watch Lost

Started some personal training with Brian at LSAC

I warn Brian I am a talker.

Brian makes me do weird double kettlebell swings. I am not good at it right away and hate it.

Literally all I do is try to make Brian laugh to get my mind off of sweating.

Guys, don’t worry. I got plenty of sweating in still.

Started an Olympic Weightlifting class with Keith at LSAC

I AM SHOCKINGLY GOOD AT THIS.

Thank you to the Crossfit gym and also Coach DeHoag at LC, I guess.

Cry at work 3x in one day after feeling overwhelmed w my 2 bosses being gone and the announcement we are upping our hiring aka much bigger training classes.

1. After a meeting

2. In a stairwell mid-afternoon

3. In first 1:1 with new boss

Is this a record and if so please get me a medal

I go to DC for the first time and get to hang with David, Bekah, Adam & Dana (and Millie)

I needed this.

Performed in Hocus Pocus Redacted at the Music Box as Allison.

Yes, yabbos

November

Work tells me they approved hiring a 2nd person to do my role; we begin applications/interviews

Robbie becomes 2nd trainer at work and I begin trying to explain how/why I do what I do.

Audition for CSz & cast onto new Rec League team: Potluck

Watch Heather, Dan & Jess’s Bloody Christmas Carol show

My friends are fancy and sing & dance really well.

I came straight from a volleyball game and am very sweaty smushed next to strangers in this small theater.

See Robbie Ellis’s truly hilarious orchestra with Ben.

We fancy dress up.

We are seated in the front row.

We did not know we would be in the front row.

Thanksgiving week is my first week ‘off’ of training since starting my job on 5/1; I get so much work done and also contract a cold.

I do nothing except sit in my apartment alone for Thanksgiving, make myself mashed potatoes and I love it.

December

Record size massive training class (for us)

I am responsible for the learning & logistics of 20 people and gain (probably) 17 gray hairs.

Work approves a 3rd (Arizona) and 4th (Philadelphia) trainer; applications & interviews begin

I start seeing a therapist – it helps.

Nothing specific; I’m just noticing circular behaviors as I look back over my shoulder for 30+ years.

Added to the ensemble of RIFF

After performing as a sub several times since that workshop in July!

I’m added in the same class as Ben, Sarah & Will who I feel so honored to sing (and rhyme) with.

I fly home for 12 days to Lynden, WA

I turn 32 sitting at home, surrounded by my family.

I tell my family I plan on climbing Kilimanjaro in October 2020. I announce it at my birthday dinner so I can’t back out of it. NAME IT AND CLAIM IT BBS.

Yes, another blog post will come to flesh this ^^ out.

Performed with Upfront Theatre’s ensemble, including Ryan Stiles, for the 2nd time in Bellingham on the day after Christmas. My family is there seeing me do what I love and I am happy.

2019 Overall

Performances – with Pinafore, with MINt teams, RIFF and so many other opportunities to sit in and play with teams. Feeling grateful.

Shows – I saw countless shows; CSz matches, iO & SC improv, staged shows, musicals, Broadway, even just at movie theaters! Ya girl is stuffed full of stories. Also I have crazy talented friends.

People – I saw family 4 times! That’s almost a record for one year! Lunches, grocery store runs, shows and coffee times with so many friends too.

Health – Got my first ever stitches (shoulder), which was a weird first to have post-30. Overall healthy but somehow got food poisoning 3x this year. Probably won’t be asked to be on Bear Grylls show because of it ever.

Work – very happy to be working in the Learning & Development field as a trainer, instructional designer and general weirdo. Finally. GH has been very good to me.

Mental state – I’m pausing here and looking around my house, just thinking about this one.

I’m proud to be taking steps to correct patterns and behaviors that are unhealthy. Seeing a therapist that gives homework to work on between sessions is great.

I’m improving at recognizing progress as progress even when I wish the progress was bigger.

I’m proud/terrified to be setting the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro in October 2020. It scares me and excites me. More to come on this!

I’m thrilled to be an ensemble member on a long-term team. This has been a goal since I got to Chicago – I don’t need to drive my work to SNL or Mainstage. I just want to be on a consistent team of talented friends that I laugh with and improve my skills.

Hiya, 2020. Let’s go.

She’s Solid. I know I kinda did a recap already from Oct '18-19 - and I was going to write one of my rambling, lovable, GIF-heavy recap posts but I kind of like this bullet points idea.

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beauticate · 5 years

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Monika Radulovic, Model

Happy 2019 to you, our lovely Beauticate readers! To kick off our WHO profiles this year, we’re so pleased to bring you former Miss Universe, Monika Radulovic. Armed with a degree in psychology, a complete obsession with health and wellness and, it must be said, the kind of killerwatt smile and enviable body you might expect from a girl used to wearing tiaras for a living, Monika has parlayed her pageant days into working with brands she loves (including HIVITA Health Care and IWC Watches). We caught up with her to find out her favourite makeup tips, skincare essentials, designer weaknesses – yep, she even admits Louboutins are as painful as they are gorgeous - and every little detail on how she gets that real life glow from the inside out.

“Growing up, I always had good skin (I think thanks to my mum’s genes), so I never really had to worry about acne or other skin conditions.

Because of that, I didn’t pay attention to skincare products - I actually remember a makeup artist lecturing me about the importance of using a moisturiser when I was 19 and not really using much of anything. In my early 20s I delved into the science behind beauty products and their potential for having long-term benefits on the skin. Since then, taking care of my skin has been extremely important to me, and I’ve found that sticking to great quality products and being religious with my regime has made all the difference to the condition of my skin.

I cleanse, tone and moisturise daily and make sure I take off my makeup before bed. This is such a simple thing but makes such a difference to your skin.

I prep my skin with the La Prairie White Caviar Illuminating Pearl Infusion, and I absolutely love the HIVITA Luminous White Skin Renewal Cream and use it to moisturise my skin day and night. It has this velvety texture and is super absorbent, and my skin has really reaped the benefits since I started using it. La Prairie’s Cellular 3-Minute Peel is another game-changing product in my routine; I use it as a weekly booster to help renew and refresh my skin – it’s like giving myself a facial at home, and I notice results right away. I also use my Nu Skin LumiSpa cleansing device every morning and night to give my skin a really deep clean.

My favourite bases for a night out are the Dior Backstage Face and Body Foundation and the La Prarie Caviar Concealer Foundation - they feel beautiful on my skin, blend in so well and stay flawless all night.

I love the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow contour palette to sculpt my cheekbones, gently bronze my face and to highlight - it’s the perfect all-in-one palette. Finally, I believe you can’t beat a bold red lip when you want to feel dressed up and confident on a night out, and my faves include Nars Velvet Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl and Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro in 404.

I have a couple of simple makeup tips that I swear by.

Number one? Curl your eyelashes before using mascara. And number two - brush your brows with a tiny amount of hairspray to keep them in place all day.

I have a relatively simple hair care routine.

I wash my hair using OGX Shea Soft and Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner; I discovered OGX a few months ago and I love how soft it makes my hair feel. After I’ve washed my hair I distribute Moroccanoil treatment oil from the middle to the ends of my hair - I’ve been using it since high school and I’m such a fan of how smooth and shiny my hair is when I use it, plus it smells incredible! I blow dry my hair with the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer (it’s the absolute best dryer I’ve ever used; it dries faster while being more gentle), and my favourite styling product has to be Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. It gives me the perfect sexy, tousled bed hair.

I really fell into working in the entertainment and fashion industry. I never could have imagined in my teenage years that I’d be here one day!

I went to uni straight after high school to study Psychology, and it wasn’t until I graduated from my Honours degree that I started to take my modelling career seriously. I ended up working as a full time model for a few years, before I decided to enter the Miss Universe Australia pageant. I won that competition in 2015, went on to represent our amazing country in the international Miss Universe pageant, and that was the start of this next chapter of my career.

I’d like to think of my style as classic and simple, with a touch of glam. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, whether it be heading to the gym or off to a red carpet event, I always aim to look polished and put together.

My favourite pieces from Aussie brands include Alice McCall, Bec & Bridge, By Johnny and Rebecca Vallance. Another fave piece in my wardrobe is my bespoke “RAD” demin jacket. It was embroidered by Kai from All My Relations, and I instantly feel my cool-o-meter rise when I put it on.

I’m a big believer in buying investment accessories like bags and shoes, simply because you’ll wear them again and again for years. Chanel is my weakness - I think the brand is just utterly chic, and I’ve invested in a few of their gorgeous bags and shoes over the years. My black Chanel Boy bag is one of my most treasured pieces, as is my Christian Louboutin shoe collection (if only they were as comfortable as they are beautiful!). I’m always wearing my Gregory Jewellers diamond engagement ring and wedding band and complete every outfit with my IWC Portugieser Automatic Chronograph watch.

I believe that a truly healthy body is one that feels good inside and out. To me, this means eating healthy foods and working out regularly, which will benefit your physical health as well as your mental and emotional wellbeing.

I’m a serious believer in eating the right foods and for me, that means focusing on eating a huge range of vegetables, lots of healthy fats, grass fed protein and some nuts and seeds. Avoiding sugar and processed foods is something that I think greatly benefits your body, so I avoid eating these whenever I can. I know that may seem overwhelming, but you can make it a gradual process by slowly cutting down on the unhealthy stuff, and replacing it with natural foods that still taste great but nourish your body (for example, I love to snack on berries and activated nuts). I also really recommend supplementing your diet with vitamins, especially vitamins B and C to boost immunity. I always make sure I take my HIVITA Immunity and Women’s Multi before starting my day. Drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated is also very important (boring but true!), and I like to drink warm water with sea salt and lemon in the mornings to rehydrate, boost my metabolism and improve digestion.

Four times a week I head over to my local F45 studio and work out.

The 45 minutes of high intensity first thing in the morning leaves me feeling sweaty, energised and ready to start my day. I also train once a week with my personal trainer, Tony Akindoyin, at Virgin Active, to help with my form and make sure I’m doing the right thing. I also believe rest is really important so if I’m tired I give myself a break and just go for a nice long walk.

I like to maintain a healthy food regime as best I can, which for me means natural, unprocessed whole foods and avoiding sugar and artificial sweeteners.

I love packing my meals with good fats, minimal carbs and plenty of fresh veggies, so for breakfast I typically have two scrambled eggs cooked with coconut oil, sautéed spinach, avo and sea salt. Lunch is usually a huge bowl of roasted veggies with salmon or grilled chicken plus another avo, drizzled with olive oil and tahini and topped with some pine nuts. Then dinner I might have some bone broth with veggies and chicken thighs. As for dessert, my healthy chocolate brownies made with zucchini are my signature (I promise you can’t taste the zucchini whatsoever!) and I love nothing more than having a piece with an almond milk cappuccino.

I’m a huge health and wellness junkie and will try absolutely anything if it might benefit me.

This includes using my infrared sauna for half an hour most days to assist with detoxification, and going weekly to Koa Recovery for cryotherapy, which helps with muscle recovery and to decrease inflammation. I also use my Joovv red light therapy system for 10 minutes every day – I stand in front of the device which hangs from my bathroom door and emits red light (it’s sort of like a whole-body Omnilux facial). It’s amazing and has so many health and beauty benefits, including boosting the skin’s collagen and repairing sun damage, fading scars and wrinkles, speeding up wound healing, enhancing circulation and reducing pain and inflammation - I’m addicted!

My mum is definitely my biggest beauty influence. She inspires me with her confidence and total security in being her true self.

The fact that she doesn’t need makeup or any anti-aging treatments to feel confident is so incredible given the society we live in today. She doesn’t even dye her hair and celebrates the new greys coming through! What mum has taught me above all is that true beauty comes from within and is ultimately defined by the kind of person you are.

I see ageing as a state of mind, and don’t think chronological age is that important.

How many times have you seen someone who is sixty years old that’s just as vibrant, if not more so, than someone in their twenties? I think our true age is more determined by how we feel, and I plan to feel as vital, energetic and youthful as I can for the rest of my life!”

Story by Zoe Briggs. Select images from Monika Radulovic’s Instagram.

#Monika Radulovic #Miss Universe

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