#<- technically. i get asked so many times how i handle college.

[meirimerens]

what's your time management mystery secret to excel at college, art, reading, cooking, working out, blogging, commuting, etc simultaneously?!. do you procrastinate never? ever need time to stare at a wall do nothing relax decompress?

I think I answered multiple asks that were just kind of parts of this one, I cannot for the life of me find them again so I'm just gonna possibly repeat myself etc

1) "excell at college"

I've had academic aptitudes/ease since I was little ("""""gifted kid""""") and they didn't disappear as an adult. My cursus demands a specific Eye (recognition), critical thinking, knowing to follow methodologies, and eventually yes some dates, this is a lot of stuff I've done my entire life and do like for fun, so I'm in my element. If I was in a scientific field I would be eating the dirt and barely scrapping passing grades. hence why I didn't choose one. The only real advice I have for this is a) TAKE NOTES BY HAND. I HELPS THE INFORMATION STAY IN YOUR BRAIN. AND ALLOWS FOR MORE FLUID ASSOCIATIONS ON THE PAGE. b) as soon as you can after the class, make worksheets of that class is done to TLDR it and keep the main things from. Small things you keep in a separate ring binder you can flip through. c) Do not go to class with 4hrs of sleep in the legs you will regret it. d) if you can, do Stuff from your cursus like. Outside of class. I need critical thinking for my classes -> I read and watch movies and go to the theater so I can use my Thinking muscles. I need greek for my greek class I read bilingual copies of greek plays to work out my Linguistic Pattern Noticing muscles. I need to describe artworks for class I go see artworks, in person or online, and think. Add: i will tell you I have multiple times exited a midterms telling to myself "I sucked so bad I'm gonna barely get a passing grade" and in the end it was more than fine. Idk how i do that.

2) "excell at [...] art"

Excelling at art is purely subjective and I feel like I've somewhat stagnated for a bit. The #realones know I used to be able to Churn Out 2 a week if not more, now it's a miracle if I put out 2 a month. I focus on one drawing at the time (or try to.....) and use my weekends and the one day every two week I have where I don't have class to work on them. Knowing I need to set time aside for them makes me want to be more diligent in my painting of them.

3) "... reading"

ALWAYS HAVE A BOOK IN YOUR BACKPACK OR WHATEVER IT IS YOU'RE CARRYING!!!!!!! I'm not fucking around. I do most of my reading in the 30 minutes of subway I have every morning and 30 minutes back at night, and between classes. This of course will not work if you have to drive or walk the whole way to campus. But for me I can. Book in your backpack. Long line at the uni canteen? get some reading in. You arrive in front of the doors 5 minutes early and the prof is 5 minutes late? reading. Exam that takes an hours out of the 2 of the class and you finish early? Reading.

4) "... cooking"

One-pot meals. I'm so serious. It's the only thing I do. I have a youtube playlist full of "easy" "quick" whatever else recipes and I alternate depending on what I have in the pantry and want. I planned my meal for the week on the weekend and go grocery shopping on monday morning as I don't have classes. I am also lucky to live In The City so I can literally go grab an ingredience on my way home from school or at 8PM monday to friday.

5) "... working out"

Oh I've gone weeks without working out. Quite frankly. Weeks because I was stressed, because I had midterms, whatever. But when I do I a) do it at home. lol. I dont got Gym Time or Gym Money. b) work out quickly after lunch or dinner (not #optimal but idgafffff I just want to workout) c) do not do it for more than 30 minutes. lol. I don't got time for that. You find tonsss of "follow-along 10/15/20 minutes workout" videos on youtube you can follow in the comfort of your own home and you feel great afterwardssss

6) "... blogging"

Oh you're in my phone. That's the easiest thing of it all. Blogging and even when I'm studying at home my puter is just here.

7) "... commuting"

You just gotta wake up long enough before to catch the bus or the subway don't you. Like there's no secret to it. I never have to take a car to move around in the city, I'm subwaymaxxing, I have a bus to and from the countryside, just gotta wake up. Every day I thank the gods that I don't have to drive to go to college thank you goddesses of fate and chance for having me born here.

8) "Do [i] procrastinate ever"

You will never guess what I'm doing now. Basically on days where I don't have class that's what I'm doing. Sometimes so hard I drive myself crazy. Sometimes I'm stuck in immobility spirals, locked in my own mind screaming at myself to get a move on, unable to do so, and it drives me insane. Maybe he's born with it maybe it's executive dysfunction.

9) "ever need to stare at a wall do nothing decompress"

Every day. That's what the weekends are for, even more the weekends where I can go back to my countryside. Built for the isolated rural monastery's scriptorium, made to study in the city. Etc.

Another thing: I am quite often in genuine, physical pain from stress and strain (recurring headaches mostly), around end of semester exams I am absolutely out-of-my-mind stressed, but you don't see any of that, and when you do I get silly with it posting. I have bad days too 👍 like reallllll real bad lollll and I have to rawdog them all. At any given point there is always one part of the ~optimal~ human life I am neglecting (not enough rest <- typical; falling behind on my coursework; not keep up with my skincare so I get mad I break out; buying sandwiches instead of making the food i planned to; not drawing or writing which pisses me of; not going outside and taking the sun on enough;...)

you just don't see that lol

[rekino2114]

I’m missing the Nayuta daughter au posts… So celebrating Nayuta’s birthday request! Could be headcannons or a oneshot, it’s up to you! (it’s not my birthday btw, mines in November, but still, I had an idea!) how far would Makima and her husband go for their daughter? How many presents? Who would be invited? Anyone from public safety? (Would her aunts be invited <.< ? And if so what would Fami and Yoru bring?) Where do you think Nayuta would want to go for her birthday? Also, (this is a bit suggestive, so only add this if you want to) what if Nayuta asked for a sibling for her birthday, and then Y/n looks over and sees Makima giving him the look. And their both like “well… gotta give our daughter what she wants-“ sorry if school is bothering you, as a college student, I know its really tiring ;-;

…imagine if Yoru brings Nayuta a loaded shotgun or smth-

You and makima celebrating nayuta's birthday

A/n:the second request was sent literally today and it fit with the second part of yours so I added it here

From the moment nayuta understood what a birthday was she was very excited to celebrate them, she gets everything she wants for an entire day? She couldn't have been happier, just as you and makima couldn't have been happier to celebrate with her

She will get the day off no matter what and no one can tell otherwise. There are paperworks to do? Aki can handle them a devil is attacking a city? She'll just send someone else to take care of it without caring too much. Nothing can stop her from spending this day with her family

Makima will literally buy anything nayuta wants, she's rich anyway so money is definitely not a problem and she probably already knows most of the stuff her daughter wants even without asking her because she has a great memory when it comes to things like that but just to be sure she will ask her and buy everything she says.

She'll even give you a little gift. She knows it's not your birthday and you don't need it, but she just can't help but spoil you on any occasion she gets and she was shopping anyways and saw this and thought of you so just take it. She won't take no for an answer

"So nayuta do you like your gifts?"

"Yeah! They're amazing! It's exactly what I wanted"

"I'm glad to hear that, what about you darling?"

"W-well I love it too but you really didn't have to"

"But I wanted to, didn't you say you liked that?"

"Yeah I do but-"

"Then there's no problem, I love spoiling my two favorite people on any occasion and this was the perfect one, so please just accept it"

"........thanks you're the best makima"

"It's no problem darling"

Even if makima wanted this to be a party on the smaller and cozier side with only you three nayuta insisted on denji being invited which turned into power and aki coming too because the fiend didn't stop yelling until she was invited too and someone had to babysit the two of them

Makima told them to leave early though and no one dared defy her

Nayuta's aunts came too (and asa too technically who was very very embarrassed and uncomfortable the whole time even if she wasn't in control of the body for most of the party)

Yoru genuinely forgot she was invited until asa mentioned it to her on the day itself so she had no time to buy a gift so she just bought an actual shotgun that thankfully wasn't a former human at least

You and makima immediately told her to throw it away and almost banned her from the party because of that

".........why did you think bringing our daughter a loaded shotgun was a good idea?"

".......I mean I always wanted a shotgun as a gift when I was little"

".....you can literally make one whenever you want"

".......so?"

Fami had absolutely no idea what to bring and almost had a mental breakdown while deciding cause she thought her niece would hate her if she brought something bad

She ended up bringing the top 5 results that came up when she searched "things human children like" (and that her boyfriend helped her choose) which resulted in tons of toys that nayuta liked

Death brought a lot of food....like a lot way more than the people at the party could eat so she just brought the leftovers home for herself and her own bf (she also definitely had to stop herself from eating more than one slice of the cake)

Death was also the most comfortable around nayuta, even if she didn't talk much your daughter liked her and said that she was her favorite auntie....which might have resulted in fami crying a bit

The whole day was just amazing for all three of you but makima's favorite part was definitely at the end of the day when you three cuddled and watched nayuta's favorite movie together. Just hearing her laugh and smile at it made her heart melt even more than usual... she really loved this so much

"Hey, Mommy, daddy today was awesome!"

"Really? We're glad you think so"

"Yeah, thank you! It was super cool and....c-can we do it tomorrow too?"

"Sorry yuta, but birthdays are only once a year remember?"

"O-oh yeah sorry"

"It's fine"

"......but thank you again! You're the best mommy and daddy in the planet!'

"......thank you......you have no idea what that means to me"

After that you put her to bed and told her that she still had one birthday wish if she wanted

"I want a sister!"

"........w-what?"

"Yeah yesterday i saw two girls who looked the same and they were playing together and having so much fun and I want that too!"

"Well we have to give our daughter what she wants isn't that right darling?"

"....I suppose you're right, but it will take more than one day for the wish to come true.......a-and sleep a lot tonight ok?"

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for calling out someone for being manipulative towards a trans friend? Names have been changed for privacy reasons and TLDR at the end because this is long.

I (24f) am cis but have had a lot of trans friends (binary, nonbinary, and neopronoun) throughout the years and am very supportive so i take this very seriously. So I met this girl my first year in college (we were 18 at the time) and we became friends. We're polar opposites, she talks a lot and I don't, she parties a lot and I like to do more sophisticated things, she's a typical extrovert basically, and I'm more introverted. Anne (24f) was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. I don't know when, she just told me this years ago. I've seen tiktoks about bpd and researched Google about bpd a little so I know all about how they have fave persons and will "mimic" people in the friend group and become clingy, manipulate, etc. I've seen pics of her in high school, noticed that she was a theater kid, she said she was good at acting and even said she thinks her bpd helped with her acting although I'm not sure how, but she said she only joined the theater club because a boy she had a crush on was in theater. That should've been my first red flag but I was naive. She has a degree in something else (not theater) because our second year in college her favorite character in a TV show did a certain job, she got interested in that, and now she also does that as a living. She doesn't talk about her bpd, she's only mentioned it a handful of times. I can count on one hand how many times. And I get it because she said someone once told her people with bpd should be sterilized and not be allowed near children. Which is really messed up and I hate that someone said that.

However on with the situation. One of our friends Mike (25m) is a trans man. We met him four years ago. He's very handsome, broody, introverted, intelligent, great listener, very accepting and understanding, similar to me but opposite to her. Now we didn't know he was trans until two years ago, because I asked him on a date and he turned me down, and when I asked why he told me that he was mostly T4T and only viewed me as a friend. We were like woah you're trans, okay that's cool, etc. He explained that he was lucky enough to get on puberty blockers and transition young etc which is why he passes. I said okay I'm not trans and you're mostly T4T fair enough.

Well last year Anne suddenly tells us that she is trans too. She says she's bigender. She says she is okay with either she her or he him because she feels like a man and a woman at the same time. Some days she's a woman, some days she's a man, and some days she's both, according to her. She says she does not like they them pronouns. Suddenly her and Mike are spending all this extra time together. Last month he confided in me that he thinks he's in love with her, after years of him only seeing her as a friend, and then they started officially dating.

Here's the problem: she has not changed her outward appearance, her name, started any kind of medical stuff, joined any groups, bought a binder etc. We all continue to call her she and her because she fully presents as female and doesn't have a problem with it. Also she's very effeminate in body language, the way she talks, etc. I know technically I could call her a he or a him, too, but she never asks me to or corrects people when they call her she because well technically she is a she too. Mike is the only one who uses he and him pronouns with her as often as she and her, but she has never thanked him. It really feels like she's saying she's trans and then going about her life exactly as a cis woman simply to convince Mike to date her.

First off, Anne and Mike are NOT compatible. She likes to party, smoke weed, talks a lot, I'm not sure how she graduated with such good grades or why she does so well in her job because she is honestly a LOT to handle and I'm saying that as nice as possible. Mike would never touch weed or go to clubs and he says he would be fine staying home while she does those things but how could you trust someone to party while high and not hook up with others? I've seen her make out with five people in one night at a frat party. They also had wildly different childhoods, such as she grew up in a conservative community and doesn't speak to her family, and he grew up in a liberal area and is close with his family. But more importantly she has a history of joining theater because she had a crush on someone in theater (plus she admits she is good at acting, so maybe she is acting now?) and getting a degree and job in a field because a favorite fictional character did that and now this? It feels like she was attracted to him, found out he usually dates other trans people, and found a way to continue being cis but claim to be trans without having to do anything trans related, basically mimicing her favorite person. As soon as they met they hit it off, or should I say she clung to him and pretended to have the same likes and dislikes whenever they were alone I assume.

It sounds terrible I know, which is why I discussed this with a group chat first that neither of them are in, and the group chat not only agreed that she is far too "obnoxious" for him (those were NOT my words!) but that she is faking being trans in an attempt to make him fall in love with her (which seems to be working.) I would NEVER have gone further without making sure with them first. So then a few of the people in my group chat and I held an intervention with Anne alone. The six of us (the others don't live close enough to come) met up with Anne at her place and told her what she was doing was wrong and gross and that she needed to get help for her bpd and to stop catfishing Mike. She didn't take well to what was said, which I anticipated, but she went crazy. She was screaming at us, insulting us, sobbing while yelling etc, literally said if we ever contacted her again she would call the cops, so we left.

I immediately called Mike before she could and asked him to meet me at a restaurant nearby and that it was very important. Since Mike doesn't know anyone in the group chat I went alone and I explained EVERYTHING before she could gaslight and manipulate him even further. He left, did not finish or pay for his food. I messaged him several times, but a few hours later he texted me to never to speak to him again, and then blocked me on everything. I showed up to his house and Anne was there. Mike said if I ever contacted him again he would get a restraining order on me so I left. I've discussed this with the group chat and now suddenly half of them changed their mind and don't want to talk about it anymore. Several of them left the group chat. Not only that but several of my friends who know either Mike or Anne or both have blocked me on everything. When I've tried to contact these friends through other means and explain everything, they either didn't respond or said for me never to contact them again because I was being transphobic. Listen I know under NORMAL circumstances you shouldn't question when someone comes out but this is NOT a normal situation, and now I am concerned Anne is unsafe for Mike but also an unsafe person to know, as she literally is trying to destroy my life because I called her out on some seriously messed up and abusive behavior.

TLDR am I the asshole for trying to protect my trans friend from a potential stalker?

What are these acronyms?

[celestialiron]

Echoes of Courage: Chapter 1

After much consideration (asking from you guys here!) & my best friends also telling me to "stop being a little bitch & post it!" (with all of their love lol) I'm going to be updating my story here too! I posted the link to the prologue since it ties in with the story too! I'll still be posting chapters to my AO3 for my story too, it'll be paused until I catch up to both here & AO3! Finally, it's my OCs time to shine!

But without further adieu, here's chapter 1 of my story!

WARNING: Everyone in the story are all adults (unless there's a flashback then I will mention it)! As well as a lot of harsh language, suggestive themes, violent scenes, and other triggering moments that will progress throughout the story (which will also be warned beforehand). So minors & TCEST shippers, DNI. Please be respectful of not only myself & my story, but also of each other. Be kind to one another.

Summary: This is a story of love, lost, family, friends and trying to get a hold of everything being thrown at them. This will be a tale for the people involved, but with the help of loved ones and getting to trust one another, they're hoping that everything will be put to an end once and for all...

The day started like any other Friday for a senior college student: stressed and tired. Izra Montague sure knew how to handle it, especially with all the classes as a senior music student who took so many credits to graduate on time with her college friends and start up her career. ‘Oh lord, it’ll be from today, 2 weeks until graduation and I don’t even know what to do for it,’ thought Izra, arm over her eyes as she lay in her bed, mind still blown as she found out she’s able to walk and graduate on time and hadn’t even thought of anything to do for herself. The amount of graduation parties from her close college friends were able to help her decide if she even wanted one or not, but still going to theirs. Deciding to do something more productive, Izra sat up from her bed, checked the time to see if she had enough time to make something to eat before her class. The clock read 12:00pm , to which she proceeded to get something quick to eat before her class. While getting dressed, deciding to wear dark blue jeans with regular van shoes with a plain black strapped shirt, wearing a flannel over it, Izra checked her phone for any messages from school, friends, whichever she can see first. The first thing she read was from the group chat with her friends April O’Neil and the Hamato brothers. Smiling while reading the text messages, Izra groaned as the group continued to ask whether she was going to have a graduation party or not. 

LoserLeo: can you please make up your mind for once, Izz-Bizz? This will only happen once in a lifetime if we don’t celebrate your day! :( 

Don-Bot: I mean if we really want to be technical-

Razz_Mikey: yeah, what Leo said! WE’LL PLAN EVERYTHING LIKE WE DID FOR APRIL’S GRAD PARTY

April’sNews: Well, let’s double think about that now, ESPECIALLY from that grad party :o

BigBearRaphie: I agree, we don’t want a repeat of certain people getting so drunk they don’t even remember they were calling their boyfriend, RIGHT LEO?

LoserLeo: HEY, WE AGREED TO NEVER SPEAK OF THAT OR MY EX!

Laughing at the last message that was sent in the chat, Izra started typing out her response, hoping it’ll calm the fire that will be set to burn someone soon. With the last message sent, Izra left her place and went off to class.

MysteryIzzie: thank you for bringing it up, I thought I was going to be the one to do the job, but thanks Raph! xD

MysteryIzzie: BUUUUUUT I will let you guys know AT LEAST an idea soon, I promise you all that! :) I’ll talk to you guys later, gonna head to class!

Meanwhile, the four Hamato brothers were up at the lair, all sitting in the projection room trying to plan what to do for their friend. “I mean, how bad would it be if we planned something soooort of similar to what we did for April’s party?” Leo suggested, trying to at least get the ball rolling if Izra was going to be indecisive. All three brothers glared at Leo, Donnie speaking up, “out of the question! We’re not going to be dealing with any repercussions to your dum-dum exes or booty calls if you get too drunk again and start making calls!” Glaring at him, Leo tried to say something (most likely the lines of ‘ it won’t and you guys need to stop bringing it up!’ ) Mikey exclaimed, very excitedly, “WE CAN DO A HUGE GROUP PARTY!” looking over at Mikey, who suddenly brought in a white board (most likely taken from Donnie’s lab, to which he was not too happy about), and started planning out ideas. “We don’t necessarily need to do single parties for everyone, when we can just combine it for everyone to enjoy! And this will be good for Izzie to meet more people than just her college friends, April, and us!” Once finishing up what he was writing, he showed a very large timeline of various names and in the middle read * PARTY* in huge letters and circled multiple times following it. Looking at the board, Raph was the one to speak first, “well, while this is nice and all Mikey, don't you think they should all at least, I don't know, meet each other first? Like what April did before? Also, Alexis can’t come that Saturday, she starts her new job soon and always has Saturdays to work.” A little saddened by the news, Raph gave Mikey a reassuring pat on the shoulders, smiling while staying positive for him, “you know she’ll want us to have it anyways bud, besides what you got going looks great!” With a nod, they all continued on, deciding who could come and who couldn’t come.

While figuring it out, with now the help from April who came over about an hour after they were still planning it out. It seemed perfect, however a couple of them were still a bit on the defensive side on whether Izra should meet with these other people earlier or not. “I’m just saying, we all know how Val is, I think it should be a first meeting at least with her of all people!” Leo exclaimed, already knowing how one of his other best friends was going to react to meeting new people, especially those she really didn’t know. Groaning in agreement, April dejected, “hey, maybe this will be a good exercise for her too! She’s got to be better at meeting new people! ALSO CONTROL ONE OF YOUR SUPPOSED “BESTIE” THEN LEO!” “Awe Apes, no one could replace youuuu!” Leo said, trying to get April to hug him, knowing she was joking about the last bit. Rolling his eyes, Donnie brought up a good point to them all, “well, as you should know too, Kira, Ruka and Valeria are long time friends so if anyone should also be able to “handle” her, it’s the both of them too. Especially since Ruka was nice enough to agree to this idea in the first place.” Nodding their heads in agreement, Leo smirked, deciding to mess with his twin, “awe see, they’re not even together and he still chooses Kira over us,” was said while chuckling, Raph and Mikey joining him about Donnie’s very much obvious crush on Kira while April sighed, patting Donnie’s battle-shell before letting him decide if he should kill his brothers or not. “You better sleep with one eye open Nardo, I know just how to mix specific herbal flowers with tea. You can thank Kira for that too,” Donnie growled, going on the defense about Kira (absolutely trying to block out his feelings at the moment). Making Leo swallow his saliva quietly before returning to the board, “ any-who , so it looks like we got ourselves the final people who could actually make it! Now the next step: asking them if they could or not,” with that in mind, all 5 were on the mission to get everyone ready to meet each other for the first time in such a huge setting.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day, Izra was heading out to a coffee shop before meeting up with April and the guys, needing some caffeine after the day of classes, glad it was the weekend to spend a break with friends. ‘Man, I can’t wait to hear what the guys had planned, almost had to turn off my phone so I wouldn’t get distracted in class.” Thought Izra, while waiting on her mocha frappe from the cafe she loved coming to since she started school. Thanking the cashier for the drink, she started to head out, deciding to sit at one of the tables that just sits closely by the cafe to catch up on missed messages and any assignments to work on. While mindlessly scrolling through her phone, Izra wasn’t made aware of someone looking at her, almost as if they were having whiplash at who she was. Before long, Izra heard someone call her name.

“Izra? Izra Montague?”

Stopping dead in her tracks from what she was doing on her phone, Izra froze, ‘Oh my god, is that…?’ she thought as she turned around to face who was calling to her. There stood a woman her age, about a height taller than Izra, a light caramel tan to her skin, her long brown curled hair up in a bun, wearing black leggings with gray flats and a plain grayish white shirt with a loose black cardigan to go with the outfit. Apparently, she had also ordered coffee from the same cafe, to Izra’s surprise that she didn’t even notice her there.

“Ruka? Is that really you?” Izra asked, wanting to pinch herself believing it was all a dream and she would wake up from it eventually. “Yeah, it’s really me…” Ruka answered, also seeming a bit hesitant on asking her the same question. “Am I dreaming or am I actually seeing you, Izzie?” She ended up asking, also wanting to believe that Izra was here and not stuck somewhere else and far from home. Tearfully, Izra got up from her chair, fully facing Ruka, smiling as bright as one can, “yes, I’m here… I’m the real thing, unfortunately,“ she laughed as Ruka covered her mouth from shock, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks as she smiled, running up to her long-time friend for a tight hug, as Izra gave her an equal amount of hugging too. They both stood there hugging for about 10 minutes, not wanting to let go as if either one would disappear from each other, letting people walk past them without a care in the world. Slowly they let go, very happy to have found each other again, Izra was the first to speak, “I would’ve never guessed for you to be living here ma’am! How long have you been here?! Who else is here?! Did you come here alone?! What happened-” before she could continue her questioning, Ruka stopped her before anymore was said, “I didn’t think so either, but if you have some time, we can catch up here, if you want to…” she asked hesitantly, thinking back to the old days and remembering what had happened back home. Noticing her hesitation, Izra paused, feeling a bit guilty about the things that happened back then, but she isn’t who she was back when she left home, not anymore. 

“Of course I have time! I understand why you would ask though. Natalie almost couldn’t believe it either…” she started, staying a bit quiet before continuing, “listen, I’m sorry for what I said, what I did back home. I never intended to make ANY of you feel that way or the words that were spoken that day too, I was angry at the world, mainly myself really…” Izra looked to the side, not feeling confident about looking at her best friend at the moment. “I know it doesn’t excuse what I did, but I want you to know how guilty I’ve felt ever since and I worked hard to find myself again and then-” before she can continue on with her apologies, Ruka hugged her again, squeezing tightly, giving Izra reassurance, “I know you are. I know you felt guilty about it, we wouldn’t be best friends if I didn’t know you like the back of my hand.” She said, letting go for a bit to look at Izra, already knowing her best friend has well improved since her days away from home. “I already forgave you. We ALL have.” Ruka squeezed her shoulders, once again reassuring Izra everything is okay, “let’s continue this conversation sitting, as much as standing around is nice, I’ve been walking around all day and I need a break,” she said, both woman giggling while sitting back down to where Izra had just been, finally getting a chance to talk about everything .

Once the time hit 5 in the afternoon time, both Izra and Ruka were still on the table chatting away, happy to catch up on times they’ve both missed out on. In the midst of their conversation, Izra got a text from April, giving her details about the now planned graduation party they got going for her, except now it turned into a huge one since her other friends/co-workers are also invited, apparently also graduating from school too. With a sigh, Izra put the dates on her phone, seeing multiple events coming up after graduation. “Whoa, that sigh usually means you’re nervous and stressed. What’s the problem?” Ruka asked, already sensing her friend’s stress from across the tables. Sighing again, groaning in the process, Izra explained, “so, remember how I told you I’m graduating? One of my friends and her brothers are planning this huge graduation party but it’s the same day you asked me to come over for Kira’s and Val’s graduation/ceremony party too, which even after that is when I’ll actually catch a break from everything, LITERALLY.” With that said, Izra laid her head on the table, coffee long gone and now stressing about what to do for the issues she had going on. Laughing softly, Ruka patted her head, hoping to help her friend out in any way possible, “so how about this, you asked them what time it starts and whatever time they pick, you can meet us earlier. Think that’ll be fine with them?” Sitting up, Izra looked to Ruka as if she had just grown wings and was an angel sent above, “oh my god, yes that’s genius! I’ll ask when I see them later tonight!” Getting out of the chair, she ran towards Ruka, hugging her while tearfully thanking her, “I missed you so much, no one would’ve gotten it except you. Should’ve tried to find me sooner bitch!” Ruka laughing while hugging her back. Also getting up and throwing away their empty cups, they both stood still, not wanting either one to leave back to their places. 

“So, wanna walk together until we actually have to go back to our places?” Izra shyly asked, not wanting the great time the two just shared together. Smiling softly, Ruka agreed, both continuing the conversation they had on their way back. Once reaching the subway station, Ruka finally asked what had been on her mind, almost hesitating on asking in general “so since you’ve seen Natalie, have you seen Alexis yet?” Hearing the question, it took Izra about a couple of minutes to respond, smiling softly, which surprised Ruka, “yeah, I saw her too. It was Natalie’s idea for us to meet again and oh boy did I get an earful.” Closing her eyes, remembering seeing Alexis for the first time in what felt like forever, but it had only been about two and a half years since seeing each other from home. Opening her eyes, they both went inside the subway cart, as she continued on, “it was brutal, which I understood from her point too. I let her have the moment she deserved, it wasn’t fair what I did to her too,” looking out to where each station was then down to her hands, “but in the end, she did the same thing like what you did. Forgave me.” She sighed, nervously twiddling her fingers, “forgiving me for leaving and not even letting anyone know I was okay. Though it was hard, in the end, the three of us hugged it out, while Fred was waiting for us too, giving me the biggest hug while calling me a loser in the process.” Both chuckled, Izra remembering fondly how her brother-in-law had taken upon himself, while using their cat Aria, to bicker like they used to back home.

Realizing she was almost close to her place, Ruka stood up to get ready to leave, taking Izra’s phone in the process. Confused, Izra waited until Ruka was done, realizing that she was putting her phone number in her phone. “Here, since you apparently upgraded your phone, I added mine again since I also got a new phone just recently.” Happy with the number, Izra exclaimed to Ruka, “I feel so honored. Before you forget, send me your address so I know where to go for whenever you’re not too busy with anything!” Once more, they both shared a hug, letting Ruka leave the cart to head to her house while Izra waits for the next stop to see April and the guys. Getting up, ready to leave from the next stop, she heard her phone ring, signaling a text message was sent to her. Once the subway stopped, Izra stepped off, walking towards the direction of the brother’s home, checking her phone for whoever sent her a text message. Smiling even more, realizing it was from Ruka, all the message read was:

Ruka: I’m really glad I saw you today. Something in me felt like I was going to run into someone & it turned out to be you :) I know it sounds cheesy, but I guess the spirits knew what they were doing apparently lol

Ruka: Also, I didn’t get the chance to say it when we were talking, but I’m proud of you. You look like yourself again & that’s what's most important. I know it must’ve been hard to learn to forgive yourself on your own, but as always, what happened wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t any of our faults. Everyone is going to be happy and proud of you when they see you again too sweetie! I just know it! <3

Having to stop to finish reading what she sent, Izra almost started crying right there on the spot. Wiping away the pre-tears that threaten to come out, she didn’t realize that Leo and April were on their way to get her, but stopped once they saw Izra fully stopped from walking, almost on the verge of tears. Looking at each other concerningly, having not seen her that way in a long while, walking slowly, with April speaking softly, not wanting to make matters worse, “hey, you okay? Do we have to go beat up someone? Or make a professor cry?” After that was said, Leo spoke up, “making a professor cry? I’ll go get Donnie,” turning around to make his move, before getting stopped by Izra, shaking her head smiling. “Guys, I promise you I’m okay. These are happy almost tears,” Izra said, looking at the two, happy that they were concerned about her wellbeing. 

Making the quick decision to move on before much else was said, the three started making their way over to the projection room where everyone else was. Izra spoke before the two could question her, “do you guys remembered how I mentioned my friends from home? How I thought they couldn’t ever forgive me for leaving?” Confused, but the two nodded in agreement, remembering about a year and a half ago where they had comforted her that day from her guilt and depression. Smiling, she continued, “well, after so long, I ran into one of them from the café I go to before coming over. That’s why I was running a bit late tonight,” she finished, looking down to the ground while continuing their walk over. Surprised by what she just said, Leo was surprisingly the first one to ask, “what happened? I’m going to assume you both reconnected your friendship again seeing from your reaction not 10 minutes ago,” chuckling, Izra nodded her head, looking over at the two, making them stop walking to listen to what she had to say.

“It was…… Amazing. I knew you guys were right from the start that they were going to forgive me, but hearing it today from her felt….. Wonderful. We caught up on so much, we lost track of time, which also leads me to what I need help from you both too,” Squinting his eyes and before he could get a word in, April interrupted, “oh boy, what do you need help with?” She questioned, having the feeling that Izra was going to request anything from them. Hesitantly, Izra started, “well you see, she invited me to her home the day that it’s done being renovated, just a couple of more things to be done to the house and it’ll be complete!” It then turned into rambling, “the only problem is that the day it’ll be done is the day we have my graduation party with your coworkers too and it’s going to be my old friends from home, so we were going to meet up earlier before the party time start and they’re also busy with something else too, but if there was anything else that needed to be done earlier than I’ll gladly help if you guys need me and-” before the rambling could get any worse than it already was, April stopped her, putting both her hands on both shoulders, saving the three of them time and energy from it all. 

“Girl, relax! I’m just happy you’re reuniting with your friends from home! I’m sure the rest of them will understand, well at least Donnie and Raph yes, Mikey however…” April hesitated, thinking about it clearly until Leo joined in, easing both their worries, “don’t worry about Angelo, mis amigas ,” Izra rolled her eyes at that, “I’ll sweeten the deal if it goes awol, but I’m pretty sure he’ll understand for the most part too. Just as long as you could help me with any of them too, guy or gal, y’know how I roll” Leo finished, a quick wink with a smile on his face too, evident that he too was happy for his close friend, going to be seeing her childhood friends again soon. Smiling brightly, happy for the help and support from her close friends, Izra hugged them both. Letting go afterwards, she gave Leo a good smack upside the head, exclaiming how she “was not going to set him up with any of them, no matter what he says!” 

Laughing on the way to where the rest of the Hamato family was, Izra finally felt like she could take on anything now. Especially with the return of her old friends, being with new friends, and hoping both worlds would get along just fine, maybe even be much more closer like she was with April and the brothers. ‘Oh yeah, I think it’s going to be great. I have a good feeling about this,’ thought Izra, before reaching the room to explain her situation, excited to get everyone on board.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Prologue: Current: Ch.2)

[generational-atrophy]

What if Japan and America taught p/o martial arts along with firearms because they wanted to be like John Wick? P/o stands for platonic other.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xSM_nz6gKOI&pp=ygUVam9obiB3aWNrIGZpZ2h0IHNjZW5l

hetalia japan and america teaching their friend martial arts

0.5k words ~ gender neutral headcanons

tw: guns, but thats it!

a/n: guys im so sorry i have 3 extracirculars n a full load of college classes with my high school ones and also russian lessons all the time im TRYING to get to requests 💀

Japan

Kiku would be a little apprehensive about teaching you that kind of thing. Although he can't help but maintain his skills, he likes to think that that stuff is behind him.

Although if you pestered him enough, he'd give in.

During feudal times, he felt that joining any clan would be betraying his country. By swearing his loyalty to an individual, he would be giving up his promise to protect his people above anything else.

Because of this, he lived as a ronin for many years. He trained extensively in kyudo, tanto, kenjutsu, and other now-extinct forms of battle.

But if you're serious about this, he is not going to be a kind teacher. He's going to train you like he was trained... or well, as close as he can get. It's hard to get completely connected to the natural world when there's a plane overhead every hour.

He acts completely different to how you've seen him. He's not afraid to be rude and hurtful anymore, to the point that he may hurt you pretty badly in your training. But, you can tell how much this is his element.

However, he's going to teach you the spiritual aspects of the fighting techniques as well. He expects you to follow bushido if you're going to use these skills. At least, as much as you can nowadays.

He's not big on firearms though. You'll have to go to Alfred for that. Kiku finds them too... gruesome. He believes strongly that it's an unjustifiably terrible way to die, so he wouldn't teach you to use them.

America

Alfred would be the perfect friend to ask for that kind of thing. Although he's lacking in a lot of technical knowledge, he's very good at pulling off those movie stunts.

(When he was younger and being trained by others,  he always insisted on doing the flashy stuff first. And uh... none of those mentors lasted very long.)

As a teacher, he'd be very patient but not very... good at teaching, exactly. He'd do the thing you wanted to do, but he wouldn't know the steps. It'd just be a lot of “Just do it!” which, obviously, tells you nothing.

He's quite good at teaching you self-defense stuff specifically. It's the only thing he's super good at. Though, he really has no handle on his strength. He might push you to the ground, or he might throw you out a window. It's a roll of the dice.

Also, he's a firearm collector! He's even kept some from when he was first born (Yes, he had guns when he was a baby. He's an American, after all!) You can't play around with the older ones, but the modern ones, you always have permission to take ‘em.

But he's gonna make sure you're super safe with them, also. Like, you can borrow them, but you can't take off even a single safety measure unless he's watching. Even after months of you doing crazy trick shots with them, he's still paranoid.

He loves you showing you cool tricks to do that you just... can't physically do. Like it's great that YOU can basically tear out your arm to do that, but I CAN'T!

But he'd be great at that (: he's a good friend.

[aurosoulart]

Hey, sorry if this is bad(?), but I was wondering if you had any advice for getting into the xr world/career. I think I've seen you mention the topic (encouraging others to join the field?) at least once, but I don't know how to even get started. Thank you for your time!

(If you could answer this not publicly I would appreciate it, but it's fine if you do, or like, if you don't answer at all)

not a bad thing to ask at all! I've actually been in the middle of writing a guide about this for some time that I will.... hopefully finish sometime soon ghskgh.

I hope you don't mind me posting this publicly - I ended up writing a short novel and figure it might be useful to others who are curious as well! anyways, the advice I give to people with a background in illustration is to start out with a Quest 2 headset. they retail at $300 new, but you can get them used via eBay, Craigslist, FB Marketplace or someplace like that for around $200 or under. the Quest 2 works without needing to be plugged into a PC, though you will probably want to buy a more ergonomic head-strap to make it more comfortable. (the head strap that Meta sells is overpriced, but this third-party one is really good) if you're interested in working with augmented reality (the type of work I do!) and have the ability to save up some extra money, I'd recommend waiting for the release of the Quest 3, which will launch this fall and cost $500. totally not a requirement at all to start learning, though.

other than that, I'd recommend starting out with free art programs like Open Brush and Gravity Sketch to familiarize yourself with creating in-headset. both of these programs have a large amount of tutorial videos up on YouTube - as well as an active community of other artists who are all generally very friendly and eager to help people learn. VR Art Live and The Spatial Canvas's Discord servers are the communities I'm part of. :)

after that, it all just comes down to posting your new artwork online to as many platforms as you can mentally handle (this is the hardest part for me, ghsghs), and also looking at paid XR artist programs/gigs. Mozilla Hubs, Horizon Worlds, and Figmin XR (that's me!) all have some creator opportunities where they pay people to create things on their platform.

you can also find work doing XR concept art, art performances, and I've even seen grant programs for XR artists from art galleries. these things are harder to find, but if you make a LinkedIn page and a modest portfolio of your XR art, chances are high that you'll get some eyes on it.

it's ridiculously easy to be a big fish in a small pond right now if you have any kind of skills with these programs. I will say that there does seem to be a push towards people who can create things that are interactive and can be shared with others (like AR Snapchat/TikTok/Instagram filters, experiences created and published to platforms like Mozilla Hubs, Figmin XR, etc.), so that's something to keep in mind while learning - but not something that should stop you!

going from 2D illustration to creating things in 3D space is a whirlwind of learning new skills that can often feel overwhelming, but the most important thing is that it should feel fun and enjoyable to you. I started out by just listening to music while painting in Tilt Brush (Tilt Brush was the original version of Open Brush, before Google made it open-source) and creating whatever felt the most fun in the moment. everything else just came from natural curiosity and connecting with other artists in the space.

lastly... I have no technical (coding, traditional 3D modeling) skills. I am a 2x college dropout with chronic mental illness, and prior to my current employment I was never able to hold a job for longer than 3 months. and yet....... this new industry has changed my life completely, and at 29 years old I finally feel like I have a purpose. I'm somehow a software developer now, without needing to know anything about software development. that's wild!!!

this is why I'm so excited for the future. if this brand-new technology (still in its infancy! viewed as frightening by so many!!) was able to help me in such a radical way... what will that mean for even more people discovering it as it becomes more accessible?

I don't know the answer to that yet... but I do know how wonderful it is to see people learning about all of this for the first time. helping with that alone is more than enough for me 💖

[edgy-ella]

A new era begins!

(It’s hard to hear, but Sebastian said “criiiiinge,” which is why I told him to shut up)

I’ve wanted to play Sonic 06 for a long time. Not because it’s good, obviously—this is one of the most infamous video games of all time, perhaps the most to come out of the new millennia. No, I wanted to play it because I felt obligated to.

Of course, everyone “knows” 06 is bad, but how many people have actually played it? I hadn’t, and I don’t think it’s fair to shit talk a game no matter how bad its reputation is. I mean, I have my fair share of games that I like that have been critically panned as well as my fair share of games that I dislike that have been critically praised. No amount of lets plays and reviews can substitute actually experiencing a game for yourself. So, play it I shall. I also see it as a sort of hazing ritual as a Sonic fan.

A few years back, I got a used copy of the game on PS3 at GameStop for $10. Problem was, I didn’t have a PS3 to play it on. I thought one of my friends had one, but it turns out that she has basically every Sony console except the PS3 (as it truly had no games). This turned out to be a common trend with more and more people. But now, finally, I have a console to play it on—the PS3 at my college’s gaming club. So every Friday from 5-7 from this day on, I’m gonna be playing Sonic 06 until I beat it.

(A lot of people have asked me why I don’t just emulate it; you don’t understand. This isn’t just any game. This is Sonic 06. I don’t want to even for a single second blame any of the game’s…quirks on my computer’s poor specs or the emulator not being properly optimized. I want to play 06 the way God intended.)

After having played through Sonic’s campaign up to White Acropolis, I can say that it’s definitely the worst mainline 3D Sonic game that I’ve played. Wow, shocker I know. But, I think there’s a lot more to talk about here than just saying “game bad” and writing it off entirely. As someone who grew up hearing horror stories about how bad this game was, it is absolutely fascinating to analyze now that I’ve gotten a chance to actually play it.

I don’t think that Sonic 06 is inherently a bad game. A lot of its biggest issues are technical—the camera is awkward to control and often gets stuck, Sonic‘s physics paired with the awful camera make him a chore to move around with (though I don’t think he feels as sluggish as I’ve seen some people say; it’s more that everything else is fighting against him to make him feel slower than he actually is), the frame rate is HELLA inconsistent, yadda yadda yadda. With all that being said though, I don’t think the game is full of bad ideas, just bad execution.

The level design so far is okay. I’ve played through worse levels in a Sonic game, but I am also not very far into 06. Once again, the poor technical performance of the game is what holds the levels back, not their layout or geometry. Fun loop de loop sections are held back by Sonic being flung off them into the ocean because he was one degree off center, and the game doesn’t correct you on it like in similar parts of other Sonic games. I think the Mach speed sections would genuinely be a welcome addition to Adventure style games if Sonic had better handling (especially in the air). So the ideas there aren’t inherently awful, it’s just their execution (though you could argue that Wave Ocean plagiarizes Emerald Coast enough to say that the level design is lazy for taking so much from a level in a previous game).

Perhaps my most controversial example of this good idea, bad execution philosophy is with the boss fights.

Let’s talk about Silver.

The first boss fight against Silver is one of the most memorable things from Sonic 06. When people talk about the game, if they don’t think of the cutscene where Elise kisses Sonic or the more recent Real-Time Fandub, this is what they think of. It’s no use!, Silver’s voice line where he grabs Sonic in this game, ended up becoming something of an unofficial catchphrase of his (though the comics often have other characters say it to Silver instead). I remember seeing multiple Top 10 lists back in the day where this fight ranked among the worst video game bosses of the 2000s. Not just for Sonic. For all video games of that era.

Needless to say, I was not optimistic going into the fight. I expected to get stuck, to rage, to curse the day Italian hedgehogs ever gained telekinesis. But I have to say…

The fight really wasn’t all that bad.

Granted, I had hindsight on my side going into it. But for a fight that I expected to suffer through death after death after infinite loop after death for upwards of twenty minutes, I ended up getting through it in a little less than five minutes. And I know that exact number because I had someone else at club record me playing from the second Silver showed up in the cutscene to the second I saw my A Rank after I beat him.

(In case anyone’s wondering; I don’t want to post the video since other members of the gaming club appear throughout it, and I don’t want to publicly post a video of any of them online without their permission)

The fight is annoying for sure, but that’s more the fault of the game’s preexisting issues. Sonic's poor physics and camera control really work against you in boss fights. But this is nowhere near the worst boss fight in a Sonic game, let alone of any game in the 2000s.

Now that I've actually played through the fight, I can kinda see what the devs were going for here. You start out right in front of both Silver and a circle of rings, both of which you are naturally drawn to run towards. This will prompt Silver to grab and throw you when you get too close to him, but the timing of how long it takes each of you to reach the circle of rings means that you should have at least one ring on you before Silver catches you. The devs likely wanted to use this as a way to safely teach you how to fight him: keep your distance and wait for him to pick up something else so he can't pick up you.

This is a fine idea in theory, but there's a few things that hurt this approach:

1) It's extremely unlikely that you will beat Silver on your first try. The more you replay the fight, the more you are conditioned to avoid Silver—meaning that you will want to avoid the circle of rings he spawns right in front of at the start of the fight. This makes it much easier for Silver to come in and one-shot you, since you most likely won't have any rings to back you up. I fell into this trap once, and I'm sure there's video evidence of a bunch of YouTubers doing the same. Though, with that being said, there is a Ring container in the southeast corner of the arena (if Sonic starts facing north), so if you’re clever you can book it there at the start of the fight. Which is easier said than done, because of…

2) THE CAMERA. Once again, the game's awful, awful camera control really bite you in the ass for boss fights. This was also an issue I had with Egg Cerberus, but Silver's smaller character model and faster attacks really elevate the issue. Since there's no way to lock onto Silver and turning the camera is so clunky, he will often manage to sneak up behind you and grab you before you have a chance to find him. In that sense, Silver almost feels like an enemy in a horror game here; you'll move the camera around a little bit, get jumpscared when Silver comes into frame, and hope you react fast enough to not get instakilled by him.

3) The homing attack has a habit of locking back onto Silver even when you try to homing attack away from him, so keeping your distance after you hit him once isn't as easy as it should be. This isn’t that big of a deal because you can just drop down and walk away from him, you just really need to fight muscle memory to avoid it

Once again, this is a case of 06 being hurt by its execution and technical implementation rather than just being full of bad ideas. There’s other examples of that in the fight too, like Silver desperately needing a cooldown after he grabs and throws you. This would fix the infamous loop where he traps you against the wall as well as the problem I ended up running into where he throws you towards the sky then grabs you again before you can reach the ground and grab more rings.

Is Silver secretly the best boss fight in Sonic history? No! But I understand what the devs were going for with this fight. If the camera and controls were more polished, I don’t think anyone would think twice about fighting Silver, wall loop or not. I can see why the Project 06 mod has been lavishing in such high praise from the fandom; buried underneath 06's rushed, sloppy coding is a solid framework.

So overall I’m…cautiously optimistic for the rest of the game? I can’t believe I’m saying that about Sonic 06. Sure, the physics and camera is a mess, but the game isn’t unplayable like so many others have claimed in the past. Maybe it’s because I have a soft spot for the adventure games, but I’ve played worse games than this. I understand that the worst is yet to come, like Silver’s ball puzzle or the multiple one hit kills in the Final Story, but hey, if getting past “one of the worst boss fights in video game history” was a cakewalk for me, then maybe being pessimistic about the future is just no use.

The story is still hot garbage though lol

[drrealityslenderverse]

9, 15, and 30 for the oc question list! Any oc you wanna write for!

Ask meme

9) How does your OC handle their physical health? Do they take care of themselves?

(Aside from basic hygiene, which all my ocs do to take care of themselves)

Ash/Pawn: They're somewhat physically healthy. She's lightweight but wiry because of all the running and skirmishes. Plus Ash just likes going for walks in general because it clears her head. They also studied in the medical field in college prior to dropping out (vet school), so she can take care of herself/others who get physically hurt too if a hospital isn't an immediate option. While she does try to take care of herself, they do tend to get hurt a lot due to their, unwilling, involvement with The Operator, Slenderman, proxies and sources. Sleeping is also not something they get much of, sometimes going a few days without sleeping or with very little sleep.

Ethan: He's also really good with his physical health. I imagine he works out at a gym and does an annual general health check-up with his doctor. Most of his exercise that doesn't come from the gym would probably be from exploring places while he's trying to help Ash or just doing his own thing—he loves traveling and going new places.

Ethan is also pretty good at getting a healthy amount of sleep. He's a freelance journalist who takes jobs whenever he feels like it, since his family is well-off and he doesn't really ever need to work if he doesn't want to. Really his only stressor is fearing for Ash's well-being.

Zac/Watcher: Would call his average but it isn't great in all regards. While on a proxy job he does get physical activity by stalking around, and his job in construction also helps his fitness. But when he's got down time this man is constantly gaming. His diet isn't great, as he grabs mostly snack foods & energy drinks, but his sleep schedule is generally decent until a weekend hits where he can game all night or he has to pull an all-nighter to work both 'jobs'.

Alice/Hazard: She has to take good care of her physical health. Despite becoming a proxy and her burns being healed during the process, her breathing issues require her to wear a mask with capsules on the side that can act as inhalers if she suddenly can't breath while doing physical activity. Unlike many of the other ocs, she does get a good amount of sleep and watches her diet—although being in the ARK most of the time means she doesn't need to eat to stay alive.

Marcus/Cardinal: His physical health is wonderful! As a top proxy, Slenderman stopped his body from physically aging past his mid to late 30s while he was in the prime of his life. Still by far the oldest proxy right now but with how active he is, he stays fit. Marcus also knows the importance of taking care of his physical health and isn't against taking spare time to get plenty of rest and a good meal in before finding his next target.

15) Will your OC ever retire? Do you see them making it?

Out of all 9 ocs, I see very few living to retirement.

Emma: She'll be a lucky oc who makes it out alive. (As a minor character in the comic though this might end up happening off-screen)

Athena: She's a cat and can't exactly retire, but I see her surviving to the end as well just because I don't want to kill off the beloved pet lol

Alastor: He will technically make it to retirement, but at the moment is not guaranteed to make it to the end

Ethan: I can't exactly call what happens to him lucky, he very nearly doesn't make it, but at least he's alive after the events are over. If he had a job to retire from beyond the freelance work, I could see him making it to retirement.

Marcus/Cardinal: His fate is yet to be decided, but he'll never retire. This man loves working as a high ranking proxy so someone would have to pry that position out of his cold dead hands.

30) My OC and your OC are friends. This isn't a question. I'm not asking. (How do they respond?)

Ash/Pawn: Is already trying to push said friend away and ghost them before Slenderman or a proxy notices. Nothing against your OC, but she doesn't want more friends to die and show up in pieces because of her. They also don't want to be the reason anyone catches the sickness.

Ethan: Another friend, cool! He's a social guy and loves making friends. I really hope your oc enjoys hanging out with an extrovert. If they knew each other in college he for sure tried to get them to come to parties with him.

Alice/Hazard: I hope your oc enjoys anime because Alice loves talking about it. Prior to becoming a proxy they could've had anime marathons and gone to cons together. After becoming a proxy though, she'd ghost her friend to focus on her new job, or maybe try to convince Slenderman to make them a proxy too (if they aren't already) so they can keep hanging out.

Zac/Watcher: He hopes his friends are good with gaming since he enjoys it so much himself. If they're also proxy friends then your oc will find out very quickly he isn't just a gamer who's willing to stream and buy both of you all the snacks needed for a gaming marathon. He's not a great guy at all and can/will ask a friend for help if it means a pat on the back from the boss and getting closer to Ash. Seems very nice, but can be really creepy about Ash & his fantasy that they'll happily be proxies together one day.

[highlifeboat]

Thank you for the brain vibes ^_^ Can I ask about how you see her eventually finding Mia again? Or Mia finding her? I just really like the idea of Alcina meeting an old college roomie and wondering if she has reasons to worry (cause Mia talked about their fun times as roomies and we've seen Alcina with a jealous streak... until Mia starts gushing about her wife to Ashley, then it's all good). Meanwhile Ash is trying to handle the fact her roomie's wife is a 7 foot tall cannibal woman and she has 3 bug daughters (and possibly one human toddler) prodding at her/buzzing around and asking a million questions.

It only gets more complicated with the introduction of Melony, Mia's other pseudo-daughter. (Maybe Ash can bond with Elena or something. She's been through the "life was normal then got weird" vibe. Max, too, technically, but he also had a shit ton more trauma. Though so did Ash. *think*) Just let the roomies chill and be honest about bio-related trauma for a bit, probably neither expected the other would get it before now.

The current (actually realistic) idea is that Ashley is working with either the BSAA or another (more political maybe) organization to try and cut a deal with the Village. Basically sent her to try and negotiate terms about containing the megamycete underneath it and in return they provide various needs (like trying to reconnect them with the current world), and such. And, y’know, obviously she going to check out the giant fucking castle. She knocks but ultimately just walks in, probably signs Alcina’s little guest book. Just kind of meanders into the main hall Ethan Winters style while looking around.

Immediately she’s bombarded by the daughters, swarmed from all angles by flies (and their manic giggling), which freaks her out so Ashley runs. And the girls chase. Running her around like a mouse in a maze for probably a solid five minutes before she (quite literally) runs into Mia. They have a split second “Ashley?” “Mia?” moment before the daughters finally catch up. And just when Ashley thinks she might be eaten alive.

“You three knock it off!” The buzzing stops and suddenly Ashley is staring at three tall women, who all look like they’re about to be told off by their mom. Mia gives them a small scolding for chasing Ashley around, the three girls mutter an apology and then buzz off.

Ashley stares at Mia.

Mia stares at Ashley.

“So… Long time no see, right?”

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT-”

In other words: An intense and sudden reunion.

In terms of Alcina, there’s definitely a spark of jealousy at first when meeting Ashley. It’s not huge, but it’s there. She listens to Mia gush about all the good times they had together in college, their little movie nights, and listening to music, and going out to do things together. Ashley’s equally as happy to talk about those times, if a little nervous being stared down at. They share some stories about things that happened while they were there. Alcina finds it amusing, to be sure, but there is that pang of not fully understanding some of the things they’re talking about. (Plus it would be a lie to say Alcina isn’t a tad possessive and perhaps a tad jealous more so at the idea that Mia shared a room with this woman.)

And then of course Mia has to gush to Ashley about how amazing Alcina is and any stories she has from living at the castle. And that quells whatever jealousy Alcina has pretty quickly.

The daughters are completely enamored with Ashley (now that they aren’t chasing her around). They have so many questions, and Ashley can only answer so much before she needs a break. They’re so curious about where she’s from, and “What was Mia like before?!” and “What’s a college?” and everything she answers seems to spring 15 more questions. Rose isn’t nearly as bad (thank God) but she did pull Ashley’s hair by accident when she was holding her. Along with just… general toddler behaviour. (Ashley still thinks Rose is a cutie but she prefers not to hold her)

In terms of the S/Os, Elena and Max are probably the best for understanding Ashley suddenly being thrown into insanity, but Elena is definitely the easier of the two to talk to about it. Max understands the struggle, but he’s also incredibly deflective about his own problems so a lot of his responses are pretty… “Yeah. Shit’s fucked.” type rather than actually talking about it. I do think Ashley and Elena would get along pretty well, though. Considering Elena is probably the most normal person within the family. (She thinks Melony is very nice, but goddamn that girl has a hard time with conversation.)

And, finally, after all this “meet the family” stuff, Mia and Ashley have a chance to actually talk to each other, one on one. And of course Mia’s first question is “What happened?” Because there were rumours, and hearsay, but she wants to know the truth.

And Ashley explains. She was kidnapped, transported to Europe and injected with Las Plaga. They were trying to turn her into a bioweapon. A man came and saved her. They ran through the Village and people died and she was possessed and nearly killed Leon at least twice. “It was terrifying. I knew what I was doing but I couldn’t… control myself.” And there were bioweapons, and knights, and Saddler, and the island exploded. By the time she got back home she just… couldn’t go back like everything was normal again.

When she looks back Mia has this kind of empathetic look to her. As if she understands. So now it’s Ashley’s turn to ask.

Mia starts with Dulvey. Eveline, the boat crash, the Bakers, the three painfully long years of being half lucid and being unable to remember anything. She brings up Zoe. Talks about Ethan, and how she almost killed him. Very similar to Ashley’s own experience with Leon. How Ethan killed Eveline and they had three years of bliss, only for Mia to be kidnapped a second time and experimented on by a mad woman.

And they just kind of revel in this notion that they both suffered somewhat similar scenarios at completely different points in time.

Maybe they hug. Like a kind of "I understand what you went through and know how hard that is to handle" kind of hug where it's very tight and comfortable.

[msommers]

artificer, fighter, and warlock for riya and iggy!!

i give u kees mwah // d&d character class asks

artificer: How good is your muse at picking up new tools/skills? Are they proficient with any tools? How are they at making things with their own hands?

RIYA — if she's interested in the tool/skill and it's a hands on activity, then she'll be a quick learner! otherwise it takes her a bit to pick things up either from lack of intrigue or the struggles she has with continual study of text. she's proficient with alchemist’s supplies and i have to assume that's from her fucking around and finding out through her years at the college lmao. i hate that i have to do it to her but riya's a weaponized incompetence girly and i've gotta call her out on it. she's never made anything with her own hands and she'd rather flirt her way into having literally anybody else do it before she gives it an actual try. give her proper instruction and a veeeery long period of practice, then she'd probably do an Okay job on something she has an excitement for doing, otherwise it's trash. don't waste the resources babes

IGGY — unfortunately i think iggy’s memory troubles would hinder her ability to pick up new things with ease, and contributes to the fact that she has zero tool proficiencies as of leaving vyrantium. that said she would be great at making things with her hands! as long as somebody’s there giving her instructions and occasional gentle reminders to stay on task if something else nabs her attention. she’ll be a great workhorse for the grey wardens tbh, just stick her on wall/reinforcement building when she’s not out there cutting down darkspawn and it’ll get done well enough to feel secure.

fighter: What's your muse's fighting style? Are there any weapons your muse is comfortable with, or a weapon they'd like to learn to use? What drives them to fight?

RIYA — she's a little all over the place when it comes to strategy (she'd swear there's a method to it but if you ask for the explanation you'd be there for like 15 minutes hearing the debrief on how chaotic her head is during combat), but the classic Glass Cannon is a nice default no matter what her prepared spells look like. has a little bit too much fun rushing the enemy if i'm being honest. she's best friends with staffs, a few types of blades, and technically she can handle a couple of other weapons but she doesn't particularly care for them. she's learning how to use herself as a conduit for magic instead of the bestie staff. she fights out of a desire to live, for the thrill of action, to protect her allies and those needing her aid, and to make her family proud. 

IGGY — when she’s in control of her faculties, her default is protection duty as that’s been her most frequent directive for so damn long. i, tabby the player, had it to where any activation of her lycan order hybrid transformation meant that she’d fully lost control of any logical thoughts and decision making. aka it’s her going full feral mode, only animal instinct (and rage, if that’s active) pushing her forward until it wears out, she’s knocked unconscious, or one of her runes is activated to rein her in. she’s capable of wielding whatever weapon is put into her hands because of the long decades she’s spent training and fighting, though she favors a sword or axe if given a choice. she’s driven now by a desire to do good with what time she has left, devoting her capabilities to ridding the world of however many darkspawn she can because surely it all makes a difference (she desperately needs it to make a difference, to maybe in time even slightly make up for all she’s done). tbh??? she’s probably made some kind of vow to herself to never harm another person again which motivates her efforts elsewhere.

warlock: Has your muse ever made a deal to get something they wanted? Is there anything your muse wants enough to broker for it? What would your muse sacrifice to get what they want?

RIYA — i imagine a joking thing between the clairmont kids came out of their mother being The business woman where they’d make silly nonsense deals with each other, either to have fun or be difficult depending on their mood (riya would constantly make deals to have her absence at boring events be covered by one of her brothers). she negotiated with warden recruiter rasha while in a whole ass prison cell to save bastian’s life, and would have given him anything to see it through. recently made a deal with warden commander satine and she puts that down to having experience requesting insane things from her own mother. unfortunately i think she'd sacrifice quite a lot for something/someone she cares deeply for, and she wouldn't think twice about it in the moment. IGGY — her only genuine deal would have been with the magister during the oneshot, because she was actually given something of real value in return for her efforts. any deals made with the family that had her enslaved would have been small things just to appease her or trick her into thinking they were giving more than they truly were, y’know all about furthering the control and dependence.

[ckcet]

Top Things to Know Before Starting an Engineering Course in Tamil Nadu

Engineering is one of the most exciting and career-focused streams you can pursue after 12th. Whether you're interested in technology, design, problem-solving, or innovation, there’s an engineering branch that suits you. But before you jump in, there are a few key things you should know.

This blog covers all the important aspects to help you make an informed decision and start your journey with clarity and confidence.

1. Engineering Is More Than Just a Degree

Many students choose engineering just because it feels like a “safe” option. But to truly enjoy and succeed in this field, you need to understand that engineering is about solving real-life problems. It’s about building systems, improving technology, and creating solutions that impact people’s lives.

So before applying, ask yourself: Do I like solving problems? Am I curious about how things work? If the answer is yes, you’re already on the right track.

2. Each Branch Offers Different Experiences

Engineering isn’t a single subject. It’s a vast field with multiple branches - each with its own focus.

Here are a few examples:

Computer Science: Coding, app development, data structures.

Mechanical: Machines, engines, tools, thermal systems.

Civil: Buildings, bridges, roads, and infrastructure design.

Electrical & Electronics: Power systems, circuits, communication.

Artificial Intelligence/Data Science: Automation, machine learning, data handling.

Understanding the nature of each stream can help you pick the one that matches your passion and future goals. If you’re not sure where to begin, browse through the BE courses list in Tamil Nadu to see what’s available and what subjects are covered in each program.

3. Job Opportunities Vary by Stream

Every engineering branch leads to different career paths. Some branches like Computer Science and IT have huge demand in the software and tech world. Others like Mechanical and Civil are essential in manufacturing and construction industries.

Before finalizing a stream, do some research on:

What industries hire for that branch?

What is the average salary package?

Is the demand growing?

You can also talk to industry professionals or seniors to get real insights. Choosing a stream with solid job prospects is a smart long-term move.

4. Strong Academics Alone Won’t Be Enough

Today’s engineering world demands more than just classroom knowledge. You need practical exposure, project work, soft skills, and industry-ready training.

When choosing a college, look for one that supports:

Lab-based learning

Industry collaborations

Internships

Project-based assignments

Soft skills and communication training

At CKCET, we integrate real-world learning with academics so students become career-ready, not just degree-holders.

5. Choose a College That Matches Your Goals

Your college plays a huge role in shaping your future. The right institution will offer not just education, but also the tools, support, and exposure you need to grow.

Here’s what to check:

Is the college AICTE-approved and affiliated to a reputed university?

Does it have well-equipped labs, workshops, and tech support?

What’s the placement record like?

Do they offer personality development, English coaching, or entrepreneurship guidance?

If you're located in or near Cuddalore, it’s worth checking out options for engineering admission in Cuddalore. Studying close to home can offer affordability, comfort, and family support—plus, several good colleges are located right here.

6. Campus Life Also Matters

Engineering is not just about attending classes and passing exams. Your 4 years in college are meant for personal growth too. Choose a college where you can explore clubs, participate in events, work on real-time projects, and connect with peers from different backgrounds.

At CKCET, we encourage our students to take part in hackathons, innovation challenges, technical symposiums, cultural festivals, and more. It’s this balance between academics and extracurriculars that helps our students shine in the real world.

7. Keep an Eye on Future Trends

Engineering is evolving fast. Courses like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Cybersecurity, and IoT are becoming more relevant in today’s tech-driven world. So, while choosing your branch, also think about where technology is headed in the next 5–10 years.

Try to answer questions like:

Will this field still be in demand after I graduate?

Can I see myself working in this area long-term?

Am I excited to learn and keep up with new developments?

Choosing a stream aligned with future industry needs is a smart move.

8. Placement Support Is Crucial

No matter how well you study, your first job sets the tone for your career. That’s why placement training and support is critical. Before joining a college, ask:

Which companies visit for placements?

What kind of roles are offered?

Is there pre-placement training?

At CKCET, we’re proud of our dedicated placement cell, which works closely with students to prepare them for job interviews, group discussions, and technical assessments. With strong ties to industry leaders, our students get excellent opportunities across fields.

No wonder we’re considered one of the best engineering colleges in Cuddalore today.

Final Words

Engineering can be an exciting, rewarding, and life-changing journey, if you start with the right mindset. Take time to understand your interests, explore your options, and choose a course and college that align with your personal and professional goals.

At CK College of Engineering & Technology, we don’t just teach engineering—we help students discover their strengths, build their future, and grow into confident professionals. Our courses are carefully designed to match industry needs while giving students a strong foundation in both theory and practice.

Ready to take the next step? Explore our programs and start your journey with CKCET today.

[chvndlr]

MERROCK TASK #24 ALL ABOUT LOVE

A LITTLE ABOUT LOVE

What does love mean to you?

I don't know. I guess...it's someone who makes you happy and you're there for each other through all the bullshit and make it more tolerable

When is the first time that you can remember experiencing love?

You could say high school, but I'm not sure if that was actually love or just infatuation. The whole situation was complicated and messy. But for sure with my college boyfriend.

Who is the very first person that you ever loved?

Probably my first boyfriend, Cody.

How many relationships have you been in?

Two, officially. But I was also sneaking around with a closeted guy for awhile and there were feelings on both sides, we were definitely more a couple than not, but it was never official.

Has love ever gotten you into trouble?

Yeah....the whole Good Luck Babe situation I talked about above.

Has love ever gotten you out of trouble?

No, I don't think so. Not romantic love, anyways.

Do you show your love through grand or small gestures?

Showing emotion? Ew. Uncomfortable. But....probably small gestures. Cooking dinner, taking care of them when they've had a long day, doing things they like...

How do you feel about saying ‘I love you’? Is it easy for you, or hard?

It wasn't really easy before, but I think it's like...impossible now.

Is there a difference between loving someone and being in love with them? If so, what is it?

Being in love seems kinda shallow, I guess. It's easy to fall in love with someone you've just met (or so I've been told), but it's harder to keep loving them when things get real. But that's also why it's a more serious feeling.

Do you love yourself?

I used to hate myself, but now I feel neutral-leaning-positive. Still figuring out how to love myself, but I'm getting there.

HEARTBREAK & THE DOWNSIDE

Have you ever had your heart broken?

Yeah. Just Cody. The closeted guy was less heartbreak and more just...waking up to the situation.

Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

I think Cody and I broke each other's hearts. It wasn't anyone's fault, so it was hard for both of us.

What is the worst break-up that you’ve experienced?

My most recent one. I actually haven't really dated since then. But I did move across the country so that's how you all got stuck with me.

What is the best break-up that you’ve experienced?

Best break up? That's a thing? All of my relationships ended shitty. But if we're gonna count the closeted guy from high school...It wasn't an easy split, but realizing I shouldn't settle for someone who wasn't proud to be with me was a good character development moment.

How do you typically handle a break-up?

I'd love to say I'm a great communicator and we always talk things out and split amicably...But I'm not friends with any of my exes. I shut down, and then I get mean, and then they never talk to me again.

Have you ever cheated on someone before?

Not technically. But while the closeted guy and I were figuring out what we were, he started seeing this girl. Told me it was just so his teammates stopped asking him why he never had a girlfriend and nothing had to change between us. I was jealous of her, cause she got to hold his hands and kiss him in front of his friends and all that mushy shit. So I villainized her in my head and continued to sleep with him. Decided it was her fault for being too stupid and self-absorbed to realize her boyfriend was gay. After a couple months, I accidentally befriended her and realized that she was really nice and totally didn't deserve the way she was being treated. And that I deserved to be more than someone's secret. So....yeah. Not my finest moment, but I learned from it and made the right decision in the end.

Have you been cheated on?

Not that I know of. I suspect my last girlfriend cheated on me, but that was never confirmed.

What’s your go-to movie, song, food or activity that you need to get through a break-up?

I don't think I have one. All my break-ups have been so fucking different from each other. But when Cody and I broke up I listened to January Rain a lot.

Have you ever been married and experienced divorce? Or something similar?

No, thank god. I've made a lot of mistakes but marrying some asshole was not one of them.

Did your last relationship end well?

Yeah. Super well. I didn't move to the other side of the country in the middle of the night for my own safety and privatize all of my social media accounts so she couldn't find me, not at all.

SINGLE & READY TO MINGLE

Do you enjoy being single?

Yeah, I guess. I've been a lot more focused on friends and my career and shit, haven't had much time to date and I'm cool with that.

In your opinion, why are you single at the moment?

I don't really like to get into specifics but my last relationship was straight out of a horror movie. Kinda turned me off dating for awhile, and I still think I have to relearn how to be in a healthy relationship.

Do you like to date?

I don't dislike it, and I know I wanna get back out there eventually, but it's not really a priority for me right now.

What is your favorite way to meet new people?

It's gonna sound cliche to say bars, but...yeah. I feel like all my random hookups since moving to Merrock have been from Vibrations or Anchors Away or town parties.

Are you on any dating apps at the moment?

Nah. When I decide to get out there for real I'll probably try a couple of them out, though.

Have you ever gone on a blind date?

I mean, I've never gone on what I considered a blind date. But Cody and I met through a mutual friend, and had only met in person once for like a minute before she set us up, so it was pretty blind

What kind of relationship are you most interested in?

Right now I'm not looking for anything serious. Maybe the occasional hookup but that's it.

What is the best part of being single?

The freedom to only have to think about myself. I mean, I have friends and shit that I think about. But like...there's no 'we' in decisions. I've been in this period for awhile now of figuring out who I am and what I want out of my life and going for it. And when I feel like I'm in a good enough place, I can figure out how someone else fits into it.

What is the worst part of being single?

My mom asking me when I'm gonna have a boyfriend again, and trying to pair me off with any random male friend I mention. Yes, specifically a boyfriend even though she knows I'm bi.

What are you looking for in a partner?

I'm not looking right now, but there is a checklist. They have to have patience for all of my crazy, like food enough to let me cook for them almost daily, and be down for either a crazy night out or a very chill night in 'cause I'm very into both extremes. And they've gotta trust me, and eventually I have to learn to trust them.

THE SPICY STUFF

Do you enjoy sex?

Oh good, I was really hoping you'd pry into my sexual life. But to answer your question, yeah. It's fun. I'm not like....into it the way a lot of other people are, but I enjoy it from time to time.

How long have you been sexually active?

On and off since I was sixteen.

If you have a partner, do you have a healthy, active sex life?

Okay, so I'm single now, but this wording bothers the shit out of me. A couple could be having zero sex, and that could be healthy for their dynamic. Or maybe they're fucking like rabbits and that's healthy for them. Or maybe they're fucking like rabbits and it's causing health issues.

If you are single, are you still sexually active with others?

I am, yeah. Not like...regularly with anyone. But from time to time if there's chemistry with someone and things go that way, I'm down for a good time.

Are you the casual sex type, or do you need a relationship?

Either/or. I get different things out of both scenarios.

What kind of lover do you consider yourself to be?

A chameleon, as weird as that sounds. I'm sex positive, but I'm also asexual. So I think the way I approach sex and the way I think about it is really different from a lot of people around me. It's easy for me to just fill whatever role someone else needs me to, because it all kind of feels the same to me and I get the same things out of it regardless of what we're doing. But the other side of being asexual in the sheets is that I'm not functioning on the same feelings as my partner, so it can be hard to adapt if it's something I've never done before.

Are you adventurous in the bedroom, or do you keep it tame?

I'm open. Kinks don't really do anything for me one way or the other, unless it's one I think is too weird to experiment with. But I'm generally down to try stuff if my partner wants to. This comes down to the whole thing I was talking about with the last question where I don't really need anything so I prioritize the other person. But I'm probably not gonna be the one suggesting something new and interesting, either, so it all depends on if they bring it up or not.

Sex toys in the bedroom?

Sure, see what I said in the last question. Same applies to this question.

Have you ever had sex in public?

Backstage at a theater my then-boyfriend was performing at.

How many partners have you had?

Okay, so when I was in high school I didn't really get that I was asexual. So I thought I was doing something wrong and that eventually I'd fuck someone and it would just click and I'd understand why everyone was so obsessed with it. So I had an extremely ironic ho phase AND I'm bad at keeping track of anything. I couldn't even begin to make a guess at how many partner's I've had. I know it's more than ten.

FUN STUFF ABOUT LOVE

What is your favorite love song?

Tissues by Yungblud. I don't really connect with it, and it's not sentimental to me. It's just a good fucking song.

Favorite romantic movie?

Ew, pass.

Best date that you have ever been on?

When Cody and I were together, I was always planning out nice dates for him. But on my birthday he did this whole romantic dinner - he skipped class and stayed home and cooked a four course meal for me. Honestly, it wasn't very good. There's a reason I did all the cooking in the relationship. But he had done an online cooking class and really tried. And nobody had ever done anything like that for me before. Then he gave me a massage and shit - which he actually was very good at. My birthday happened to fall on the Saturday right before Valentine's Day and he knew I would hate the crowds at a romantic restaurant, so it was a very sweet and thoughtful gift/romantic all around. Especially on our college student budgets at the time.

What’s a meal that says 'I love you’?

Just trying. I'm a snob in the kitchen, you're not gonna impress me with your skills. But actually putting in the effort and trying to make something you know I like goes a long way with me.

What type of valentines would you send out if you were in school?

I remember I insisted on getting the most stereotypical 'boy' ones I could get as a kid even though they usually didn't match my personality. Because nobody takes your Valentine's too seriously if there's a monster truck next to it.

Favorite Valentine’s day candy?

Nut Goodie sounds like it belongs in the sex part of this survey, but it's a popular candy bar in Minnesota and you can't get them in Maine or Washington.

Who was your first celebrity or “famous’ crush?

I remember having a crush on Hillary Duff when I was like...seven. Dunno if she was my first crush or not. I think there were at least a couple before her, because I remember thinking boys were cute in like kindergarten.

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?

Eh. Mileage varies depending on relationship status and who you're with. The right partner can make it alright, but by default it's a little cheesy.

Do you decorate for Valentine’s Day / the season?

Nah. Usually it's a Christmas miracle if I get my holiday decorations down before my February 11th birthday. I'm not adding in another holiday so I can play Oh Fuck I'm a Real Adult I Should Probably Decorate My House or Something on hard mode.

What are your Valentine’s day plans?

None this year. I'm opening the next morning at Pause for Paws, so I'll probably have a quiet night in.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

YOU GUYS I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS

More likely, you'll just find that for some mysterious reason good things happen to them too. Starting a startup is not like having an idea I didn't want to be novelists.1 Thanks to Sam Altman and Jessica Livingston for reading drafts of this. If you've never seen a word before, it is genuine.2 He would say that this has happened to. Another group was worried when they realized they had to do it? To change the interface both have to agree to change it easily, or at least a generation to turn people into East Germans luckily for England. Dilution Users have worried about that since the site was about bands. In server-based application now for less than you think you'll need, maybe 50% to 100% more, because software changes fast and government changes slow. And acquirers tell me privately that revenue is not what growth rate makes a company a startup.

There's no incentive that would make me eligible for prescription drugs if I approached everyday life the same way as saying that something is worth doing, especially if you have a competent startup lawyer handle the deal for you, as Google did for Kleiner and Sequoia. There is nothing more valuable than the advice of someone whose judgement you respect, what does it add to consider the cost. A stage. Once investors like you is that you actually become a better investment.3 It shouldn't be that surprising that colleges can't teach students how to write software. Reminder: What I'm looking for are programs that run on Web servers and use Web pages as the interface. This lets me get ip addresses and prices intact.4 But I don't think so. Maybe the best way to explain how it's recession-proof is to do things that would make me eligible for prescription drugs if I approached everyday life the same way I write software: I sit down and start implementing it. In retrospect, he was before he became a professor at MIT.5 Possibly not. But we could tell the founders were earnest, energetic, and independent-minded enough to start a startup, you'll probably fail.

Some investors might expect the founders to accept vesting for a sum this size, and others that aren't.6 But when you understand the problem. Going upstairs his bulk will be more of a placeholder than an actual label—like putting NMI on a form that asks what you're going to have a book about how to make them irrelevant.7 There seem to be a tradition of startups taking VC money, you should do is to treat it as an upper bound on the size of the venture business, which have evolved the way they write software. Would anyone seriously argue that Cobol is equivalent in power to founders is just don't die, but the most important predictor of success. We thought Airbnb was a bad idea was that it was valuable and dangerous, and what that will mean for you if you choose them. It will always be lots of Java programmers, so if you're measuring usage you need a window of about two years when spam was increasing rapidly but all the big email services had terrible filters. So, in practice, the way to make yourself work on hard problems.8 Number one will be the limit; the number of temptations around you.

Notes

Only founders of Hewlett Packard said it first, to pretend that the Internet was as much as Drew Houston needed Dropbox, or working in middle management at a discount of 30% means when it converts. No VC will admit they're influenced by buzz.

We didn't try to go sell the bad idea, period. This seems to them this way, without becoming a Texas oilman was not just something the telephone, the space of careers does. Correction: Earlier versions used a technicality to get them to be discovered. After reading a draft of this essay wrote: My feeling with the guy who came to work on stuff you love: a It did.

They'd be interchangeable if markets stood still. Cost, again. How many times that conversation was repeated. If Congress passes the founder of the word as in Boston, and tax rates.

You can get rich, purely mercenary founders will seem as if having good intentions were enough to be room for something new if the similarity extended to returns.

If they no longer needed, big companies weren't plagued by internal inefficiencies, they'd be called unfair. With a classic fixed sized round, or your job will consist of bad customs as well.

If there's an Indian grocery store near you doesn't mean you suck. It seems likely that in the chaos anyway.

Above. But when you depend on Aristotle more than linearly with its size.

They hate their bread and butter cases. It may have been sitting in their hearts that if you do if your goal is to be sharply differentiated, so you'd have to do that. That's probably true of nationality and religion as well. How can I count you in?

[venkidu]

Amy Terasu's AmaArcade!

Summary: Yomi Hellsmile needs to find a way to rid Kanai Ward of the scourge known as the Nocturnal Detective Agency. He also needs to find a way to punish his idiot underlings for failing him so many times. The opportunity to kill two birds with one stone comes in the form of a closed-down arcade.

Rated T for language, humor and alcohol consumption

Cross-posted on Ao3

*EXTREMELY CANON-DIVERGENT FROM THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER FOUR* *Slight spoilers for every chapter through chapter 4*

Chapter 2: Mechanical Rat Pizza And Child Casino

Kurumi Wendy likes the Nocturnal Detective Agency.

She likes the submarine, warm and cozy with its comfy couches.

The creak of the metal. The feeling of gently bobbing up and down, back and forth.

She likes the people.

Sure, some may say that the detectives working under Yakou Furio’s supervision are strange, or even scary, but Kurumi disagrees.

She knows that all of them are ultimately very kind, if not a little quirky.

That’s why she likes them.

She especially likes their trainee, Yuma Kokohead.

As Kurumi skipped towards the docked submarine, a piece of paper taped to the side caught her eye.

It’s still somewhat dry, she noticed. The ink has barely begun to run. It must’ve been placed here recently.

She opened the hatch and climbed down the ladder.

“Mail’s here!” she called out as she entered the main lounge.

Yakou Furio, the head detective, stood up from behind his desk, temporarily removing his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.

“Kurumi, sweetheart, we like you, but you can’t just go around handling our mail! You’re technically not an agent with us! We also don’t really even have a mail box!”

Kurumi skipped over to the older man and handed him the paper. “It was taped to the side of the sub!” she explained, and plopped down on the couch next to Yuma.

Yakou lit another cigarette as he studied the document.

“What is it, Chief?” Yuma asked.

“It’s a flyer…for Amy Terasu’s?!” Yakou shouted in disbelief.

Kurumi immediately jumped back up and rushed to Yakou’s side, trying to get a better glimpse of the flyer.

“No way! I can’t believe this place is opening back up!” she squealed as her eyes scanned the paper.

“What is Amy Terasu’s?” Fubuki Clockford asked, tilting her head.

“Oh man, this place was the coolest, you guys!” Yakou exclaimed. “Just about everyone in Kanai Ward has had at least one birthday party there! There’s arcade games and pizza and all sorts of rad stuff!”

“There’s this cute little robot band that plays music!” Kurumi added.

“This place sounds like my worst nightmare,” Vivia Twilight mumbled.

“Ayane and I used to go out and split a pizza and a pitcher of beer here when we were in college,” Yakou sighed fondly. “That animatronic band is actually way funnier when you’re sloshed. I think I have some photo strips we took when we were there,” he muttered as he headed back to his bedroom.

“Ugh, I bet dying was merciful for her,” Shinigami muttered.

“Hush,” Yuma told the spirit mentally. “Talking about Ayane and reliving some of their special memories together is probably helping the Chief a lot right now.”

“You know, this place kind of sounds like something we have back in my hometown. It’s called Chuck E. Cheese, but my friends and I all called it ‘Mechanical Rat Pizza And Child Casino’,” Desuhiko Thunderbolt explained.

“Casino? You have my interest,” Halara Nightmare suddenly piped up. “Why do you call it that?”

“Well, you play these games to get tickets and you can use those tickets to buy prizes. Of course, all the good stuff costs like, a million tickets, and you can end up spending a ton of money trying to get enough tickets to get like, a foam football that you can just buy at a store for $10.”

“I won this stuffed puppy for Ayane once,” Yakou explained, holding up a raggedy blue dog that usually resided on his nightstand as he walked back into the lounge “I don’t even want to think about how much I spent that night, but it made her happy.” He placed the photo strips on the coffee table.

“Simp,” grumbled Shinigami.

“I’m interested in this so-called child casino concept. May we go?” Halara inquired.

“I don’t know, you guys, it was pretty expensive to begin with back in the day, and we aren’t exactly flush with cash right now.”

“Do you know why it closed?” Yuma asked.

Kurumi shrugged. “I think it had something to do with health code violations?” she offered, looking to Yakou for confirmation.

Yakou rubbed the back of his neck. “That sounds about right, but I personally believe that facing bodily horrors beyond comprehension in that ball pit builds character.”

He picked up the flyer again.

In a curvy, bright red font that burned Yakou’s eyes, the flyer explained that Amy Terasu’s was holding a grand re-opening ceremony, and that all of Kanai Ward was invited to attend. The mascot, a purple and black fox, lounged on top of the logo, winking and giving the viewer a thumbs up.

Further down the flyer, a dotted line indicated the presence of a coupon, which was redeemable for “five children and one adult” to enter the establishment for free.

Oddly specific, the older man thought. He also had doubts on whether or not Halara and Vivia could pass as children.

He looked up from the flyer at the detectives in front of him.

Yuma, Fubuki, and Kurumi were examining the photo strips together, pointing and laughing at the goofy poses Yakou and Ayane had picked for each session. Desuhiko was explaining a game called “Gold Fishin’” to an intrigued Halara.

Vivia was asleep in the fireplace.

They had all been through so much this past month. Surviving murder attempts, solving crimes, hell, these kids even saved his life recently. Sure, they would sometimes gather at the agency to play board games or watch a movie, but those moments always felt so fleeting.

They deserved a day off after the events of this week.

They deserved some fun.

Yakou cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to him. Vivia lazily opened one eye.

“You know what? I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’ve had a hell of a month. I’m impressed by the tenacity and intelligence this group has shown. I think we’ve earned a day off.”

Five and a half pairs of eyes stared at him, breath held in anticipation.

“We’re going to Amy Terasu’s!”

The group cheered, except for Vivia, who let out a low “Nooooo” from deep within the fireplace.

Yakou smiled as the group began to plan their outing. Tomorrow was going to be a great day.

[roscgcld]

DAYDREAMING!AU || new reality

;request: rn i’m obsessed with your writing & the daydreaming!reader<33 but i also love angst so what would happen if she ended up getting really hurt protecting another student - hope that wasn’t too weird.. again, i love your writing !!

note: ahaha, i am glad that a lot of people enjoy my daydreaming!reader works; she is also one of my babies as well >< and originally i wasn't going to do this cause i had no idea on what to write - but i had managed to layout a rocky plan before i got some bursts of inspiration lol. ended up becoming too loud though ><” I am sorry for that~

pronouns: she/her

daydreaming!reader masterlist

“There is a chance that she will never wake up from this.”

Shoko gave the others in the room a concerned glance as she glanced up from her tablet, hating how silent it was besides the quiet beeping of the machines around the occupied bed. Laying in the bed was Y/N, a breathing tube carefully inserted into her mouth with the ventilator beside her being the only thing that’s keeping her oxygen levels normal. “The amount of damage she took was quite large. And even though she had managed to regulate quite a strong barrier of Curse Energy around her at all times, it wasn’t enough to brace her for the impact of her being slammed into the build.”

The mission shouldn’t have ended this way - the first and second year students were sent on a mission to deal with a few Finger Bearers that had appeared in the city due to the lack of sorcerers on duty at the time. They were under the care of a few First Grade sorcerers, all hand-picked by Yaga-sensei to ensure the safety of the kids.

However, things rarely go to plan in the jujutsu world.

Yaga-sensei sighs softly as he leans back into his seat, his eyes glancing over at his student that was clearly battling to stay alive. Guilt started to eat him from the inside out, since this was technically his fault. Sure, everyone knows that there is no way that you can go on a mission without enduring some casualties. But the fact is that this was not what he had expected for the outcome to be.. “I am going to kill them myself.”

“G-Gojo-san!” Ijichi hissed out as he glances over at the white haired shaman in the room with wide eyes, the man having been leaning against the wall opposite from the hospital bed with his arms crossed over his chest. His head was tipped forward with an almost too casual expression on his face, yet anyone can tell the barely suppressed anger that lurked underneath. An anger that was only a few moments away from exploding. “You can’t - don’t say things like that!”

“And you expect me to sit back as they failed to save the children?” Gojo asks in a loud voice, effectively squashing whatever confidence Ijichi had built up inside of him. The hand that was resting arm tightened, the veins at the back of his pale hands started to protrude out as Gojo’s anger started to show itself. “I need a good explanation on how their incompetency put our student in this state. 5 First Grades against 3 Special Grade Curses? With 7 talented students by their side and they still can’t handle it? Give me a fucking break.”

“Not everyone can be like you, Satoru.” Yaga-sensei finally mumbles out as he rests his forehead into his hand, fingers pinching at the space between his eyes tiredly. “If anything, it was my fault. I had underestimated the brains of the Finger Bearers, and because of that, all my calculations were wrong. I put retrieving the fingers over numbers. So if you want to find someone to be angry to, the blame is on me.”

The room went quiet after Yaga’s explanation, both Ijichi and Shoko sharing a caution look before casting a glance over at the blindfolded man. After a few tensed moments Gojo pushed himself off the wall and walked out of the hospital room without another word, closing the door behind him quietly; a stark contrast to his usual habit of either slamming the shoji doors too hard, or leaving it open completely.

That out of character move definitely had Shoko sighing in concern. “That idiot...I hope he’s not going to do anything stupid.” She mumbles softly before she turned back to face the young girl laying on the bed, quietly reaching over to brush her fingers through the soft strands that had fallen over Y/N sleeping face. “You better wake up soon, sweetheart...I worry that this might finally push him over the edge.”

Occupying each seat outside of the small waiting area in the infirmary were the other students; wounds bandaged, yet their anxiety was palpable in the air. They had heard what had happened, yet were sheild by the other sorcerers who had called for back-up. Last they heard of Y/N was a scream before what sounded like a building collasping. “Do you think Y/N-senpai is alright?”

Yuji was the first one who dared to break the silence, glancing up from his clenched hands before him to glance at the others. “I mean...it must have been bad, since she was charted off as soon as back up arrived.” Yuji mutters softly as he tightened his fingers together, trying to stop them from shaking. He felt awful - if only he had spared a few seconds to glance over at his senpai, maybe she wouldn’t be in the condition she’s in now. “It’s not every day you’re rushed straight to Ieiri-sensei’s office...”

“...If there is one idiot who can pull through, it’ll be her,” Maki mumbles out quietly after awhile, looking away from her kouhai to stare down at the wooden floors of the building they were in. “Even if it’s bad, she always pulls through it...there is no reason why she can’t do it this time.” She mutters softly just as a pair of footsteps came towards them, causing everyone to look up at the approaching figure. 

Gojo paused when he spotted the others, the question they wanted to ask was clear as day. And for once, Gojo wished that he was able to reassure them like he always does. For him to be able to put up the act that everything was alright, that everyone will be okay. 

But he knew that it’ll do no justice if he did. “Is she...is she alright?”

The question that fell from Yuta’s mouth was left hanging in the air for a few moments, the sliver of hope they had moments ago slowly dimming with each passing moment. Quietly Gojo slipped his hands into his pockets, his blindfolded eyes downcast; too scared to see their reactions. For once, he wished that he was not the one to break the news to the students. “Y/N-chan...might not recovery from this.”

His words sent shock waves through the students, yet he balled his fists up in his pockets to continue with what he had to say. “She hit her head too hard...and if she was not subconsciously protecting herself with Cursed Energy all the time, the impact would have caused her skull to crack in two on impact. But it still took a lot out of her person, and Shoko said that-”

The sound of a metal chair being thrown backwards echoed across the room, causing Gojo to look up just in time to see Yuta standing up with wide eyes as he hastily tried to calm his friend. “Maki, you need to calm down.” He tried to reason with the girl, who had her backed turn to the group, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her jacket. “This isn’t your fault-” Yuta tried to reason, only to pause when Maki just silently started to walk away, leaving with no more but a loud slam of the main door that echoed down the hallway once more. 

For a few moments no one said anything else, yet the first one to move was Megumi; who turned to face his sensei. “Can we visit her?” He mumbled out quietly, to which Gojo just glanced over at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Usually people talk to someone who is in a coma. Might jolt them awake or give them encouragement to fight harder...I am sure Y/N-senpai will get lonely if no one visited her..”

“Why not?” Gojo said after a few moments of thought, giving his students what he hope was a reassuring smile as he turns a little; nodding down the hallway. “Shoko managed to stabalise her condition. Just make sure to sanatise your hands at the door.”

Quietly the group of students followed behind their silent sensei, keeping close to one another as if they were trying to give each other comfort. The walk to the room seemed too far, the door seeming to grow further and further away from them with each step. It was if it was trying to stop them from seeing the truth; yet they didn’t stop. Yet soon they found themselves standing before the smooth door; the single grey name plaque with her name written in black resting in the silver plaque holder. “Right, here we are.”

After everyone was handed a blob of hand sanitiser and had wiped it onto their skin, the small group entered after a quiet knock to the door. “Y/N-chan, I’ve returned with the others...minus one, that is.” Gojo hummed out in delight as he made his way towards the bed, a silent gesture for the others to do the same. “You know Maki-chan though. Once she finishes beating herself up, she’ll come running back. She always does~”

Quietly the others made their way into the room, eyes scanning over the beeping machines and many wires connected to the sleeping girl. “Y/N...senpai..” Nobara mumbles out in shock, her eyes resting the ventilator; not believing that a girl that was bounding about the college earlier today now needed help to do something as simple as breathing. “No way...there is...”

A warm hand rest on the top of her head, Megumi quietly giving her a form of comfort whilst his wide eyes stared at the bed before him in shock. No one dared take a step forward, like they were standing on the other side of a fragile glass bridge that was moments away from breaking. “Y/N..”

Gojo felt the hole started to eat inside of him as he watches how his students were staring at their fellow classmate in shock. Quietly he settled down in the only seat at the corner of the room, watching from the shadows at how the others will react to seeing her in such a state. The first person to snap out of it was Yuta, who quietly places a hand on Toge’s shoulders before giving it a light squeeze. “Shall we go and say hello?” 

Quietly Yuta made his way towards the bed, only to hesitate one step away from grabbing onto her hand. He stared at the frail hand, a simple IV needle carefully taped on the back of her palm for a few moments; a clear look of uncertainty on his face. Yet he took a deep breath, and with a trembling hand, carefully took Y/N’s cold hand in his. “I...Hi, Y/N...” Yuta mumbles quietly into the hospital room, voice barely heard over the constant beeping of the heart monitor. “Sorry...we took awhile to visit...and sorry that Maki isn’t here...I am sure she’ll drop by when she is ready though.”

The only response he got was the sound of the steady beep of the heart monitor, to which he just tighten his grip ever so slightly on Y/N’s unmoving hand. He could hear the soft giggle that Y/N would let out at his words, and if he felt tears welling up in his eyes as he hears her voice bouncing around inside his head.

“It’s alright, Yuta-san! I am sure you were busy before that. And I know Maki-chan will come after you leave - but you didn’t hear that secret from me~”

The silence of the hospital room made Yuta sick to the stomach, the idea that he might never hear Y/N’s voice again started to really sink in. Her usually warm and familiar touch felt cold and lifeless, causing Yuta to carefully tuck her hand underneath her hospital blanket; as if he was trying to warm it up once more. “I...I am going to go grab her favourite stuffed animal from her room. I am sure she’d love to have something of comfort whilst she’s here...if you’ll excuse me.”

Without another word Yuta just walked out of the room quietly, Yuji being the only one turning to watch his senpai leave with a look of concern. Out of everyone Yuji was definitely the one who seemed to be able to hold himself together the most, so it was no surprise when he was the one that went next. “Yo, Y/N-senpai,” Yuji greeted quietly as he walked towards the hospital bed, easily dodging all the wires and such. After all, this wasn’t his first time visiting someone he cares for in the hospital. “Can you hear me? I hope you can - or not Fushiguro might lecture me for being loud.”

The other sorcerer couldn’t even find his voice whilst Yuji continues on; his voice soft yet soothing as he looks down at his senpai with nothing more but a soft smile. “I know you’re trying your hardest go come back to us, and you’d probably tell us that we’re not the ones to blame. That you’re a big girl now, and things like this happen all the time.” Yuji continues, the only indication to his change of mood was the slight quiver that was hard to hide. Yet Yuji continued on anyway. “I hope you know we miss you...and we’re worried sick that you’re in the state you are now. But I know that you need some time to rest up, and soon you’ll be back on your feet again, right? ‘Cause..b-because that’s how you’ve always been.”

Silence enveloped the room once more, with Yuji just not sure on what else to say to her as he stared at her pale face. The other three in the room sort of just huddled together, all of them unsure of what to say to her. They weren’t the best with emotional words - beside Toge, who usually doesn’t use words at all - so asking them to keep their tone in check whilst referring to their unconscious classmate is a little too much for them.

So after awhile Yuji decided to lead them out of the hospital room, giving Gojo a parting smile before he closes the door behind him. Leaving him alone as he stared at the slumbering figure of his student as he rests his elbows on his parted knees. Quietly he rests his head in his hands, eyes closed as he tried to push back the light migraine that was coming on. He hates that it is his duty to break the news to the others - her parents, her elders. Heck, he has to give a call to Nanami and Utahime to tell them the bad news. 

If it was anything else, he wound be more than excited to blow their phones up. But this? He wishes that the duty was handed to someone else - because he himself doesn’t even believe that this was happening in the first place. 

He wishes that this was all just a terrible nightmare.

Maki quietly pushed the window open as she climbed in from the roof, the doors of halls of the infirmary long going silent; cicadas chirping away in the night sky. Maki quietly stuffed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, eyes racking over Y/N’s sleeping form, to the amount of machines that were working by her side to make sure that she’s alive. “Hey, idiot...I’ve arrived.”

Quietly she made her way towards Y/N’s bedside, her eyes clouding over with an unreadable emotion. If she was being honest, she didn’t know how to react right now. On one hand, she was pissed - she is pissed off because she could have done something to help Y/N. Maybe if she was just faster, just a bit more aware, maybe if she was training to try harder. Maybe if she can just try harder-

A loud slap sounded across the room, Maki having pulled her hand out of her pocket to slap across her cheek hard to snap out of the spiraling thoughts. The burning sting on her cheek reminded her to return to reality before she started to trash the room out of anger, something that she and Y/N had been working on for some time now. Y/N would always say, “You should never turn to anger and violence to deal with your issues!”

Maki wonders what her reaction would be if she had saw Maki slapping herself so hard that there was a light handprint on the side of her cheek. “You’re so annoying, you know that?”

With a tired sigh Maki settled down in the seat that Gojo had occupied earlier in the day, keeping her eyes on the steady heart monitor; her eyes following the spike that indicates the faint heartbeat of Y/N. “Who the hell knew that it took an entire building to really get you hurt.” Maki sigh as she tore her eyes away from the screen, looking down at her boots quietly; examining all the scuffs and scratches on marring the smooth leather. “Call me stupid, but I really thought that it’d take more than that. Remember when you had jumped out the window of the 10th floor and left with no more but a bruise? You were crying about it ‘cause you couldn’t wear dresses for about 2 weeks.”

Maki let out a tired laugh at the memory of finding Yuta trying to reassure a crying Y/N when she found the bruise on her knee; Yuta just patting her head with the most amused look on his face whilst she cried her eyes out at the idea that she can’t wear her cute dresses until it cleared up. “Imagine what will happen when you wake up from this? God, that is going to be a pain.”

A soft sigh left Maki’s lips as she glances over at the stuffed sheep that Yuta had brought from her room; along with a few more random stuffed animals that surrounded her head like a halo. This caused her to smile sadly as she rests her head on her shoulder, watching her for a few minutes without saying anything. Maki had always been bad with words and emotions; with all the things she had gone through when she was younger. Wording how she feels and emotions are not Maki’s favourite thing to deal with, since she wants to keep this badass, strong woman front she has on all the time to prove something to her elders.

“You better wake up from this, or not I am going to kick your ass.” Maki mutters after a few moments, getting up with a tired sigh before she casts her another glance at Y/N. Without missing a beat, she reaches over to brush strands of hair away from her face, warm hand resting on her head for a few moments before she places a few parting pats on her head; something she had always done when she needs to leave for a mission or a meeting outside of school. 

“‘Night, brat. Wake up soon, okay?” Maki mutters, and with a final sigh she made her way towards the window she climbed in once more, quietly shutting it behind her after she hauled herself over the railing. It was only in the dead of the night that Maki quietly lets her tears fall, biting her lip hard to stop whatever sounds that were threatening to leave her lips. 

Because at the end of the day she is stubborn, and refuses to believe that this might be her new reality.

A week had passed since the day that the others found out that Y/N had fallen into a coma of a sorts, and everyone would visit at least once just to see if there is any sight of change. That there might be a sign that she was going to wake up soon. And there were slight changes; a few days after she had been admitted she was allowed to get off the ventilator and rely on oxygen instead. But she was still in bad shape.

Nanami tries to make time to drop by to visit as well, coming over to quietly read pages of the book that he was reading. Whenever Y/N was sick, she would call Nanami over the phone and ask if the man can read to her; something about how she finds comfort in his voice that puts her at ease. And since Ieiri had encouraged them to talk to her more for stimulation, Nanami takes the time to read to her after a long day of work. It brought him some comfort as well, listening to the constant beeping of the heart monitor and the humming of the other machines around her.

Gojo would sometimes drop by as well, only to berate Nanami for his ‘boring’ book choices; and an unconscious Y/N has to endure two adults arguing about book choices and how Gojo’s titles are definitely not appropriate to even bring onto school grounds.

Besides the occasional argument, sometimes Gojo will prop his phone up against a vase of flowers that Yuji brings so that Utahime can FaceTime him; the students from the Kyoto side being able to see and talk to the slumbering Y/N. For the most part, everyone was shocked that she was in the state she was in; having never expected such a bright and talkative person can fall into such a state.

The most distraught one was definitely Todo, who had almost jumped out of his seat and make a full on dash towards Tokyo if it wasn’t for Noritoshi and Mai joining together to restrain the man, along with Principal Gakuganji threating to hold him back from their planned trip to Tokyo the following week that had him calming down.

But barely - the man is still more than ready to just up and run across the country just so he can be closer to his ‘beloved Y/N-chan’.

Every day, without fail, Toge will come into her hospital room with a new accessory to pull her hair back into; carefully brushing her hair out and applying dry shampoo so it wasn’t greasy to the touch. Once he was satisifed he’d carefully style her hair back so it didn’t get in the way of her checkups, taking his time with everything so he gets to spend more time with her. He doesn’t say much, he usually finds that doesn’t whenever he is around her; so he takes his time when he does her hair in hopes that she can feel that he is there for her.

Yuta and Megumi will find time after classes to go and visit her together, telling her about everything that had happened whilst she is asleep. Sometimes Nobara will visit as well, must for the most time she’d come alone in the evening after dinner to just rant to her about everything that she found annoying that happened over the day. Nobara usually stay until Ieiri comes to kick her out, hoping that Maki might come in as well to visit Y/N.

But Maki never does - yet everyone knows that Maki finds the time in her day to go and visit her like everyone else. However, no one dared to ask her how or when she does it. They’ve accepted that it was probably a sensitive subject to her, and that it’s off limits to ask her unless you want her to ignore you for the rest of the day. Gojo had learnt it the hard way when he had teased her, only to be thrown out the window of their classroom by an annoyed Maki.

Even his Infinity is no match for that woman’s wrath.

Days soon led into weeks, with slow but not so encouraging signs of improvement from the young girl. The elders of her clan and her parents had visited the college as soon as they can, and had kept tabs with every single thing that is going on with her. There was no denying the fear of her suddenly relapsing once more, and soon it will become too much for her parents to bear. The idea of keeping Y/N around, knowing that she is in so much pain, just for their selfish want of keeping her alive was a reality they want to avoid. 

The once vibrant and lively campus soon turned gloomy; the hallways of the school quiet without the familiar sound of bunny-themed slippers running across its worn-out flooring. The chime of a familiar giggle was missing in the air, along with a dreamy voice that just never seems to stop; no matter what time of the day it is. There were days where the others forget that Y/N was not there to make dinner for the night, or she wasn’t there when they want to ask her opinion about something. Her room, which once served as a sanctuary for the students who can’t sleep at night, now became too painful to even walk past on certain days.

Yet everyone tried their hardest to go on with their days, knowing that it was what Y/N wanted them to do. If they were to allow their grief to consume them whole, they knew the delicate routine they had rebuilt would crumble before them. And if there is one thing they can do to keep Y/N’s memory alive, is to live their lives to the fullest. To try and cherish each and every day, no matter how painful reality is without her by their side.

They have to try, for her sake.

It wasn’t until a month passed when Yuta had came running into the lunch hall, looking like he had seen a ghost as he tried to catch his breath. “Okkotsu-senpai?” Megumi asks in concern as he looks over at the older man, putting his tray down to try and give his panting senpai a hand. “Are you-” He asked, only to have Yuta put a hand up to stop him as he took a few deep gulps of air.

“A-Awake...Y/N...Y/N is awake.”

Within a few seconds the students were sprinting across campus, none of them believing what Yuta had said until they have see it for themselves. What is usually a 10 minute walk from the lunch hall took about four minutes with them sprinting, possibly annoying half of the cleaners of the school that they were breaking the no running rule. Yet they didn’t stop even at their annoyed outcries, the simple wooden door of the infirmary almost coming off its hinges at how hard Maki had thrown it open.

Maki was the one who pushed the hospital room door open, causing the people in the room to jump in shock. Including Y/N, who had let out a soft squeak of shock; her voice hoarse from not using it for so long. The others blinked in shock at the sight of Y/N’s bright eyes meeting theirs at the doorway, ones that blinked before she gave them the biggest smile she can muster.

“H-Hi.” Y/N mumbles softly, to which Nanami just gave her a rare smile as he gently rubs her back, Gojo smirking softly as he recorded the reactions of the others by the door. He had gotten over the shock a few moments ago. “Don’t strain yourself, Y/N-chan. Remember what Ieiri-sensei said about straining your voice.” The blonde man hummed before he turned his blue eyes over at the shocked students as well. “And that goes to you too. If you all stress her out, I am not against tossing you all out.”

Y/N made a noise and turned to try and reassure the older man, not noticing how the others were staring at her in shock. The first person to move was Maki, whose eyes look suspicious wet as she stormed into the room. “I am going to kill you.” She growled out loudly, to which Y/N jumped before she held her arms out for protection; feeling a shiver of fear go up her spine. Yet before she can make a move to stop her, Maki suddenly wrapped her up in a hug, the arms that Y/N held out to try and pacify her angry classmate freezing from the unnatural reaction from Maki.

Y/N blinks for a few moments before she smiles softly and wraps Maki up in her arms as well, gently patting her head as Maki silently wets her shoulder with her tears. “I know.” Y/N mumbles out softly before her eyes met the others, giving them a soft smile as she gently gestures to the others to enter her room. Soon there was just a huge ball of crying teenagers hugging one another on Y/N’s hospital bed; Gojo and Nanami having moved aside to give them more space for their reunion as they watched on from the other side of the room. “Should we stop them?”

“Nah, we might get murdered if we try.” Gojo said with a hum as he grins over the sound of intelligible crying, looking over at Nanami who had a ghost of a smile on his lips at the sight. “Besides, this is great content. I never had a video of Maki crying before.” Gojo admitted, to which Nanami’s smile dropped as he looked over at him in annoyance. 

“Why am I not surprised at all?”

© roscgcld — all rights reserved to me, rose, the author and creator of these works. do not repost/translate/claim my work as yours on any platform

[draftingteacups]

Hello, in a what if scenario. I wonder what if it’ll be like when Soni stayed in Twisted Wonderland, and she becomes Crowley’s deputy headmistress after she graduates.

In that scenario, just like Kalos, the world would be wondering about the sole female member of the staff in a prestigious all-boys school who is magicless. They quickly find out about her being the one to reign in the Headmaster and his flighty tendencies, mostly through her cutting through his nonsense and pandering to be straight-to-the-point.

As for her position in terms of what she teaches, she's the Pokémon Professor of Night Raven College and that brings much more attention than it already has for Pokémon as she is one of the very few who understand them as well as she does. Even those who know about Pokémon learned it from her, so that validates her importance.

Notable figures like the king of Briar Valley Malleus Draconia, the second prince of the Sunset Savanna, Leona Kingscholar, the famous lawyer Riddle Rosehearts, Azul Ashengrotto of numerous Mostro Lounges, Vil Schonheit the superstar of the world, and Kalim al Asim of the al Asim family, all have spoken about her abilities as a capable person.

Azul, in particular, is fearful of the sound of birds and no one knows why except those who attended NRC-

If you have to ask Soni, she would probably figure out a way to get home to Kalos and transport via magic portal/magic mirror or something like that. She's not going to sit on her hands when she has all the time in the world to figure that shit out as well as powerful and helpful magician friends.

So she never really stopped being the Champion of Kalos and is now dealing with being a Champion (which isn't super busy given how extremely rare those are for her) and technically the first officially recognized Pokémon Professor of Twisted Wonderland, the latter being pretty huge to her as a whole.

As a result, she's busy handling things, but with her keeping Crowley in line as deputy headmistress to make him do his work as well as hiring additional staff in the form of school counselors who are sworn not to tell any vital information on the students. Better to stop the Overblots and identify them before they get too much and cause another incident at NRC again. idk what's gonna happen in Episode 6, but let's assume that's what happens.

Ramshackle is where she lives with her farm still going strong after all these years. A few students who held an affinity for animal handling and didn't have anywhere to go in NRC end up there, and they quickly learn not to piss her off or to try anything stupid like what one dumb student tried to do with one of the Pokemon. He was sent to sleep outside in the rain unless he could produce ten cans of tuna while he dealt with the effects of Stun Spore. Another was the incident with small baby Duckletts and the aggressive AF Swanna that was older, but still as chaotic as ever.

Ace stops by from time to time, the former teasing her about being a teacher now instead of a teacher's pet. Deuce is a more common face around NRC as Blissey wants to visit her once a month to check up on her health and have snuggles with her. They all still act like they did in first year like a bunch of goofballs and Blissey was a small Happiny who carried way too many rocks around.

For all that Soni deals with on her job at NRC as well as being Champion, it's not completely bad like how it was during her student years since she has legitimate power now in the school. She ensures things will never turn out like the Magicam Monster incident ever again.

Malleus comes by from time to time to walk with her through the garden and they enjoy talking to one another as King of Briar Valley and as Grand Duchess of Kalos and the Deputy Headmistress of Night Raven College, respectively. It's nice to talk to a friend.