#-after my parents convinced themselves that i would get worse from using any electronics

[humanecalamity]

fym "just bleed" 😭😭??

[kusagrasskusa]

Yandere Simulator Delinquents.

They're basically copy and paste. Sooo here's my version of them for future reference! I got too excited writing the last one lol- It's been a while since I've been to inspired to write. This is a nice feeling uvu

Umeji Kizuguchi - Yellow guy

He has blonde, previously pink, hair and golden eyes. He wears a yellow shirt under unbuttoned blazer and carries a baseball bat around. He has a scar over his right eye. Umeji is Oroso right hand man and takes over position while she's gone; these are the cannon versions of him and all that's said.

This is my fannon version of him: He was hurt the most during the bullying and therefore the most fearful of pain. He flinches when touched and gets pissed instantly. He's the most cold and aggressive out of the five and it helped him keep him as the most feared of the delinquents. He works out daily, therefore having a good build and likes bitter foods rather than sweets. He'a quite ignorant and refuses to share his likes out of fear of being judged. He still feels depression but now faces more anxiety than anything. He often cries about it late at night.

But despite his depression, he's so determined to stay as a threat to many. It's the kist alive he's ever felt. He's somewhat narcissistic and has both an inferiority and superiority complex, actually. Sensitive to touch and criticism but damn his ego is big. He uses his strength and speed as another threat to fellow students, to let them know that if they mess up then he'll catch and hurt them.

His home life isn't fun. Parents maybe fighting here and there or gone for work or something. It wasn't abusive in any way or anything; in fact, they get along well when they're together. It's just the parents weren't attentive. As Umeji puts it, "My mom, dad, bless their hearts, but they aren't great." They tend to brush things off quickly and spend too much time to themselves.

Dairoku Surikizu - Blue manz

He has blonde, previously blue, hair and blue eyes. He wears a blue shirt under an unbuttoned blazer and carries around a boten or some shit, idk I couldn't figure it out. He has a scar on his lip and from Mulberry's art, it looks like he's the tallest of the group.

Fannonly, he's the most anxious of the group. He never talks about it to anyone but Hokuto, who brushes it off. Dairoku got his scar a long time ago when his parents were agruing; he hid under his bed when he was nine and started to cry. To calm himself, he started to bite his lip and scratch himself on the forearms and face to calm himself down. He cut himself in the process badly and tried to hide it from his parents so he didn't get yelled at.

His home life wasn't too bad either; his dad left the family not long after that incident when he was nine so his mom has to take on the roles of two people. She never has time for him so the other delinquents make him feel so happy. He likes- no, loves to talk to them but tries to look sketchy in the process.

Hokuto Furukizu - Purple manz

He has blonde, previously golden, hair and purple eyes. From Mulberry's art, he seems to be the second tallest, but very close to Dairoku. He carried around a metal pipe and wears a purple shirt under his opened blazer. He has a scar on his cheek too btw.

Fannonly, he talks most to Dairoku. He usually brushed off what he says, but relates to him most. Of the 5, he desperately wants to be normal and free the most. He was well popular in middle school but his anger once got the best of him and a fight caused him to lose a lot of his reputation. It just got worse as time went on however; but he misses those days so much.

His scare on his cheek came from the fight and serves as a curse mark to him; "The day they ruined my life." He hates looking at it and gets pissed off when people even look at it. He's always been hot headed but his physical appearance is his number one insecurity. Hokuto's homelife is normal and he's goodboi at home. Cleans, cooks sometimes, has an equally good relationship with his mom as he does his dad.

He managed to convince them that his new appearance and signs of depression from last year was just influence from ex friends. Eventually they just took his word for it despite how terrible of a lie that is, so they stopped asking.

Gaku Hikitsuri - Red guyz

According to Mulberry's art, the blonde who once had light blue hair and red eyes is the second tallest. He has a scar on his forehead and carried around a crowbar. His shirt is red and under, you guessed it, an unbuttoned blazer.

He's a genuine tsundere; the angriest of the group. He easily crushes on people like a simp and gets nervous easily, so he acts all defensive and aggressive around them especially. Other than Umeji, he's the quickest to shove people around and assert his position. But for the most part, he intentionally shoves and shoulder checks people he finds attractive or who he thinks is superior than him, which is a lot of people.

He suffers from an inferiority complex that makes him think everyone judges him behind his back and talks about him especially. Therefore, he's the loudest and quickest to insults; he's also very self conscious. He's scared to make noise in class, talk, eat in front of people, and others because he's scared to be judged. Because as long as nothing is brought to the table, there's nothing to judge. His scar was actually from Kokoro, the bully who's just a sadist according to the character files from Yandev, who got pissed at him defending himself and hit him down with a ring. He got cut badly and almost passed out from the hit; but hey, it's not like he can do anything about since she's a girl, and he'd be expelled instantly. The bitch even resulted him with a broken arm at some point.

Home life isn't great; rundown trailerpark, alcoholic dad and whole of a step mom, dead mom, things like that. Damn, if only he got more than a mattress on the floor, a cover, pillow, dresser filled with all his clothes and school supplies to live on. But he can't even get a job without his scar making people think he's worse than what his persona displays.

Hayanari Tsumeato - Grey manz

The grey eyed, blonde hair man with natural red hair who carries around a lead pipe is Hayanari, who's last name "Tsumeato" means scratch mark. He has a grey shirt under his unbuttoned blazer and a scar over his nose.

Fannonly, he was the one with the no fucks given attitude. He was usually straight faced and brutally honest when talking to people, but wasn't necessarily judgemental. It's hard to explain but just because he says, "damn Daniel, you're built like a carrot," doesn't mean he cares about his appearance, even if whoever tf Daniel is actually looks like a carrot or not. He was the daredevil who did things solely for his entertainment.

In a way, it was almost sociopathic or narcissistic; he'd be fine with embarrassing someone in front of anyone because it got a smile our of him. If someone complained, he'd roll his eyes and convince whoever that they were overreacting and that they were the one at fault. He's very manipulative and sarcastic, usually just smiling cockily and speaking innocently. Kinda emo, but he wasn't against that title. He actually liked the occult and for the most part, was down for anything that didn't have too much time needed, like school or family.

He was in the middle of everything; okay with cooking, occult, art, science, reading, anine and games, so there wasn't much a person can dislike him for in terms of social standards. He wasn't appart of a dislikes group like the occult kids or science kids, not with a loved group like cooking or art kids. But when he started to express a bit of interest in the occult was when people could finally pin him down and bully him back for all those insulting jokes that sounded way too serious. And before he knew it, he got wrapped up in the hate and couldn't get himself free.

Home life is something he never, not even to his fellow delinquents, never talks about. But one thing worth noting is that he's never seen without a long sleeved shirt or jacket of some kind. He used to pass out time to time during gym classes because he was overheated due to bringing a long sleeved version of the gym shirt to school and never drank anything. When his parents were called, they always insisted on saying they'll do something about it but they never did, either. The delinquents do think there's some kind of abuse at his house; besides, Hayanari is adopted and those things happen often even if it's more common in the foster system.

His family is something he never talks about. Back in middle school, his friends were able to see his "parents" time to time when they picked him up from school. It was immediately obvious that he wasn't related to them; hell, he rarely called them mom or dad. At home, until adopted, was great. Friends coming over, happy family moments, being able to play games and use electronics, things like that. But when he was adopted was when it wouldn't be easy to just tell someone what was to come; quite obviously, it was abuse. Verbal and physical, nearly everyday. It was worse in the beginning but happened less often as he got older.

His "mom" would call the police a few times him because she felt "threatened." She hit him so he would hit back and yell while doing so, so she has evidence of an attack. But luckily, her skin isn't sensitive enough to show any marks unlike Hayanari's. Other times, his "dad" would get involved and hurt him badly.

[five-rivers]

Adoption

Based on a prompt by @fabnamessuggestedbytumbler for the Phic Phight! An excuse for Lost Time fluff? Don't mind if I do...

.

.

.

The Ghost Zone had a legal system. A court system. A prison system. A police system. A set of established rules. There were even lawyers.

In theory.

In reality the courts (Observants) refused to look at anything that wasn't world ending. Every group had their own, private prison. The police made up their own rules and, even then, broke them regularly. The actual rules had gone several hundred years without an update and referred to places, organizations, and customs that no longer existed. The lawyers were all clinically depressed. That's what happens when there's no active, unifying head of state for hundreds of years.

Still. Every so often a sufficiently foolish ghost, possessed of a brave purpose, would attempt to navigate the ruins of the legal system. Few made it out alive.

(True, being ghosts, they didn't necessarily go into it alive, but it's the thought that counts.)

But those who did make it out (metaphorically) alive, did so with prizes... well, not great enough, but something enough to convince others to make the attempt. Hence Clockwork's current location and headache.

"Sign the paper, Walker," snapped Clockwork.

"That would be against the rules," said Walker, leaning back in his stupid chair. Clockwork's nonexistent spine hurt just from looking at it.

Maybe he should give himself a spine, just so he'd have a reason to feel this way.

"How," he began, "would it be against the rules? This form needs to be signed by a law enforcement official that has seen or witnessed conclusive evidence the child in question being abused by their natural parents. That is you."

"Yes, but the law enforcement officer must first get a warrant approved by an appropriate court in order to collect such evidence," countered Walker.

"Not if the official came across the evidence or act of abuse while pursuing a different case or simply following standard operating procedure. You saw them shoot at him. His mother put a gun to his head. Have mercy, Walker. I know you don't like him, but he is a child who needs guidance. Not a criminal."

"He's a criminal in my books," said Walker.

"What he did was hardly a crime."

"Jailbreak is a crime!"

"Not if one is unjustly imprisoned," said Clockwork. "He was attempting to remove the foreign object." No matter that possessing material-plane items wasn't an actual crime.

"He let others escape!"

"And what were they imprisoned for?"

Walker grumbled. "Some of them are dangerous, and even he knew that," said Walker, nodding at the file spread over his desk.

"Consider it a cry for help. While you were watching him," stalking him, Clockwork did not say, "on the material plane, did he really strike you as criminally inclined? Or perhaps he was simply confused and scared? One thousand years is a very long time in human terms. The targets of his Obsession would have died. Even if he did commit a misdemeanor, he would have rightly been granted clemency, or at least had his sentence deferred."

Walker frowned.

"That's not what this is about, is it? You covering up a mistake?"

"No," said Walker.

Clockwork blinked, quickly running through potential futures. "No one will care that you crossed the veil without authorization. No one who can do anything about it, in any case."

"There'll be an investigation if I sign that there piece of paper. What's the big deal, anyway? Like you said, humans don't live that long. Just wait fifty years."

"They almost ended him," said Clockwork. "He's a child. Do you really want that on your conscience? With the knowledge that you could have stopped it?"

Sighing, Walker picked up his pen.

.

Danny went to school. Mainly, he went because he didn't know what else to do. He needed the routine, even if the routine was a lie and he felt like trash.

"You could have stayed," whispered Sam, as his hand inched towards the bandages on his chest for the fifth time that morning. "They wouldn't have noticed you."

Danny shook his head. His hand shook more. He put it back in his lap. "It wouldn't have been right. Besides, I need a passing grade in this class, right?" He couldn't get another F, or his parents would kill him, except- except- except-

They had already tried to kill him.

Everything had gone so much worse than he had ever imagined- No. That wasn't quite right. It had gone- It had...

At least he hadn't been cut open.

(Much.)

"Mr. Fenton?"

Danny jumped, banging his knees painfully on the underside of his desk. He looked up, wildly, tensing himself to flee, only the fact that he was currently human keeping his powers from activating.

(Well, that and... what had been done to him.)

When had Mr. Lancer gotten there?

"What?" he asked, breathlessly.

"Are- Are you alright, Mr. Fenton?"

"I'm fine," Danny said. He wasn't. His ghost half was urging him to go find a nice, dark, quiet, safe corner to hide in, preferably one in the Ghost Zone, his heart was hammering out of his chest, he'd spent the night not-sleeping in one of the guestrooms in Sam's house, and that was before even touching on his injuries.

He forced a smile. Mr. Lancer was one of the few teachers who hadn't given up on him, which was alternately touching and frustrating.

"You look sick," said Mr. Lancer. "Are you sure you don't want to call home?"

Danny's heart stuttered, his core painfully cold. "I'm sure," he said.

"Today is a project day," said Mr. Lancer. "You wouldn't be missing anything in this class, and I can talk to your other teachers."

"No, I'm fine."

.

The legal clerk for the family court was the kind of ghost who seemed to have fused with her role. The sleeves and collar of her shirt melded seamlessly with her skin. Her nails were brass pen nibs. The lenses of her glasses were part of her face.

She lived in either the basement or the attic of this particular building, depending on how one oriented themselves, among barely-organized stacks of books and papers. There were parchment scrolls and stone tablets, too, the later often re-purposed as elements of the room's furniture. Green-marbled filing cabinets grew out of the walls, and electronic somethings glittered out of the shadows.

The clerk had been reviewing Clockwork's paperwork for literal days. Rather, she would have been, if Clockwork hadn't surreptitiously dropped a time medallion around her neck and stopped time.

She hummed, thoughtfully. "In this document, you are using the pronoun tsai to refer to the adoptee. Are you certain you don't mean tusui? Or perhaps chahe?"

"Absolutely," said Clockwork. The intimation that he wasn't fluent in nchabhatsi was insulting. On the other hand, the requirement for that particular piece of paperwork to be in the language was also, in his opinion, rather ridiculous. Many ghosts, especially the recently dead, did not know nchabhatsi.

"The adoptee is liminal?"

"Yes," said Clockwork.

"Hmm." She stood up and flew from her desk to an inverted bookshelf anchored to the ceiling. From a box she took a huge sheaf of papers, and blew an amount of dust from them that was unhealthy even to a ghost. "It has been a while since we used these," she said, giving Clockwork a faded-ivory smile. "You'll need to fill these out and have them notarized by the proper officials before you can proceed. Liminal spirits are so rare, after all! They require special care. Oh!" Her hands fluttered. "And I'll have to get in contact with our liminality expert. That may take some time."

"If you can give me their name," said Clockwork, "I will take care of it." He gingerly took the stack of slightly-decayed paper. Had it really been so long since a partly-human child had been adopted? Probably.

"Oh, you're such a dear," said the clerk, not noticing the sudden absence of the medallion around her neck. "But that paperwork won't do itself, and-"

"It's done," said Clockwork. Fulfilling some of the new requirements had been more challenging than others and avoiding a paradox had taken considerable self-control, but what good were his temporal abilities if he couldn't use them for personal gain now and again? None at all.

"Ah," said the clerk.

.

Familiar, and very loud, voices spilled from the hallway near the office. Danny, one hand on his locker, trying to remember his combination, froze like a deer in headlights. His heartbeat picked up, his core buzzed frantically. He couldn't move. Grey crept in along the edges of his vision.

"... not him. It was never him! He's dead-"

"Mrs. Fenton, Mr. Fenton, I'm not sure what you're getting at, here, but your son has been at school all day, and we-"

"A ghost killed him and took his place! It's been playing a sick game with us this whole time!"

"Danny would never have gotten grades like this. We should have noticed the lower intellect right away, if nothing else."

"That's-" spluttered Mr. Lancer. "You- Daniel's work is exemplary, what little of it he turns in. I'm going to have to ask you to go back to the office-"

"No! Not until that piece of ectoplasmic scum is wiped from the face of the Earth!"

"Danny," said Tucker, much closer. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Right. Ghostly super hearing. Tucker and Sam, staring at him with concern, couldn't know.

"They're here," he managed, the words like sandpaper in his throat.

Sam uttered a word that would have sent her mother into a screeching fit. "We need to get you out of here," she said putting a hand on his back and pushing him down the hall.

"I'll run interference," said Tucker. "Make sure they can't follow you in the GAV."

"Good thinking," said Sam.

"Call me when you're safe," said Tucker, peeling off, presumably to hack the GAV.

"Danny, breathe," ordered Sam, as she propelled him through the double doors at the back of the school. "We're going to get you through this."

.

Clockwork had resorted to trapping the legal complex in a massive temporal bubble. Not the neatest solution, true, and it seemed to encourage the various functionaries, regulators, and bureaucrats to take even more time to process even the simplest request, but at least it would keep Daniel's suffering in the meantime to a minimum.

However, that didn't change the fact that he had been bouncing back and forth between the various floors of the building like a ping-pong ball, never getting closer to the solitary family court judge, for well over a subjective year. He was exhausted, frustrated, and he missed Daniel.

"You will be able to provide steady, stable access to the adoptee's preferred haunt?" asked his present interviewer.

"Yes," said Clockwork, dully. The room was ringed with runes that prevented deception of any kind.

"You will be able to provide shelter adequate for both his ghostly and human form?"

"Yes," said Clockwork. He had answered these questions so many times before.

"You have taken the mandated class on liminality?"

"Yes," said Clockwork. He was beginning to understand why other ghosts just gave up and sought extralegal solutions.

"You are aware of a liminal spirit's developmental and emotional needs?"

"Yes," said Clockwork. This was just so boring.

"And are you able to satisfy those needs?"

"Yes," said Clockwork. If only it would end.

The interviewer nodded. "Then we're done here," he said.

"Ye- What? Does that mean I can see the judge?" asked Clockwork, hopefully.

"No. That means that your adoption motion can move on to the next stage," said the interviewer. "Our liminality expert will examine your arrangements and determine whether or not they are sufficient, and we will contact law enforcement to follow up on your claim that the adoptee is being abused."

Clockwork bit back a groan. At least he was making progress.

.

They cut through the empty field behind the school, angling back toward the surrounding neighborhood. The grass came up to their chests, except where there were holes, mounds, and gouges from ghost fights. When there was one in the school, Danny tried to bring it out here, so people wouldn't get hurt.

He wasn't often successful.

Sam led the way. Danny felt- He felt ashamed. If his powers were working, he would be able to fly them away, or at least turn them invisible. This would all be so much easier. He could have taken care of himself, and Sam and Tucker wouldn't get in trouble, because they would definitely get in trouble for this. But he couldn't.

He couldn't even convince his parents that he was himself. He had to screw that up, too.

Before, he had thought, worse case scenario would be that they'd try to 'fix' him, to remove his ghost half, or maybe they'd think he was overshadowed. At least, he'd convinced himself of that, convinced himself that dissection would be off the table if he ever told them, that they would still love him. Maybe they might still want to do tests, but they'd love him. They wouldn't want to hurt him.

But he had been so, so wrong. They didn't believe him. They thought he had killed himself, replaced himself.

They had tried to cut him open.

(They succeeded.)

His core shuddered at the memory.

At least, though, there hadn't been any ghost attacks today. He wouldn't have been able to fight anything stronger than the Box Ghost. Heck, he might have lost to the Box Ghost. Like this, he would have to leave the ghosts to his parents, Valerie, or the GIW, none of which were particularly good options for the hunters, the ghosts, or the innocent bystanders of Amity Park.

His core pulsed uncomfortably at the thought of any of them getting hurt, including his parents.

He flinched. His core had been very jumpy, very active ever since... it... happened. Usually it only did this while he was in ghost form, and was otherwise almost dormant.

"Are you okay?" asked Sam. "Is it hurting?" She was the one who had bandaged him up last night.

"We can't stop now," said Danny.

Sam flattened her lips. "That isn't an answer. As soon as we get somewhere quiet, I'm checking you out, okay?"

"Yeah," said Danny.

When they reached the short fence, Sam gave him a boost to get over and they made their way into the suburb. There was a small library branch down the road a ways. It had a small family bathroom that Sam and Tucker had patched Danny up in before. It would be a good place to regroup before trying to put as much distance between them and Danny's parents as possible.

"We could take the city bus, I think," said Sam. "There's a stop outside the library. Maybe we could go to Elmerton?"

"Maybe," said Danny.

"Any ETA on Jazz since last night?"

Danny shook his head. "She couldn't get a flight. She's taking a Greyhound. Won't be here 'til-"

There was a beep. Danny stopped breathing. That could have been anything, a phone, a watch, a car, something from a building, but something about it tickled at Danny's brain as wrong.

"There is a ghost twenty feet in front of you."

The whine of a charging ectogun-

Sam slammed into his side, and they both fell. Danny felt the cut on his chest begin to bleed again, and he curled around it protectively. It hurt so much more than it should, and Danny wondered if that was because ghosts were ultimately shaped by their minds and his was in so much pain right now.

His parents had just shot at him. From behind. Not ghost him, Phantom him, either. Human him.

They hated him. All of him. Not just half of him.

His ghost sense went off. Because things could always get worse for Danny and the universe apparently hated him.

He struggled into a sitting position and blinked, confused. There were people surrounding him, protecting him, standing between him and his parents. Sam was shouting. Danny couldn't make out what she was saying, what anyone was saying, not with his heart pounding in his ears.

"Kid," said one man, shaking his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Danny considered that. "No," he said, finally.

The man pulled a phone from his pocket and began saying something about calling the hospital. Normally, Danny would be worried about that, but he was looking for the ghosts. It was possible one of the more benevolent spirits that haunted Amity Park had happened across the scene, but, somehow, Danny doubted it.

His ghost sense went off again. He whimpered.

His people were in danger.

Ghosts usually came for him (he was leading them here, an evil ghost, causing all this trouble, murderer), or at least attacked him first, to get rid of him as a threat. He staggered to his feet. He had to get away. Still clutching his chest, he turned and bolted.

Almost at once, he was surrounded by ghosts in police gear. Walker's goons. Definitely stronger than the Box Ghost. Still, he was going to at least try to fight. He put his fists up. Maybe some of them would be dumb enough not to phase out of the way of his stupid human punches.

Then Walker himself descended from the sky.

"Daniel," he said, stiffly.

"Walker," returned Danny. A small part of him was grateful that Walker hadn't called him Phantom and spilled his secret. It was strange, but no ghost had ever seemed particularly inclined to do that, despite how easy it would have been.

"We have a court order to take you into custody," said Walker. "Someone wants to ask you a few questions."

Danny decided today's mood was 'pointless bravado and defiance.' "And why would I want to come with- whoa."

As Danny talked, Walker had taken a piece of paper with strange symbols written on it in green ink out from the inside pocket of his jacket. The symbols made his head spin... Or maybe that was just his injuries catching up with him. His left leg was trembling, and he wasn't sure how much longer it would hold out.

He shook his head, trying to clear it, and focused on Walker. "I have no idea what that says."

Walker sighed. "Just come quietly, son. Make it easier on yourself."

Danny swallowed his discomfort at being called 'son.' "You won't hurt anyone else?" he asked.

"I'm just here for you."

There really wasn't much of a choice. Whether he went quietly or got himself beaten up even more, Walker would win and carry him off. Anyone could see that. Besides, ghost prison might be a better alternative than getting dissected by his parents.

He raised his hands in front of him, wrists together. "Go ahead, then," said Danny, flatly.

Walker nodded, and the goons converged on him. The cuffs they put around his wrists glowed green, but they had weight in a way most purely ghostly things didn't. Danny doubted that he'd be able to phase his way out of them, human or ghost. Then they picked him up and the whole swarm started to fly away.

.

"Yes, this is my lair," said Clockwork. "I can, however, duplicate and be both here and at the secondary residence I acquired expressly for the purpose of ensuring continuity of Daniel's human life."

The 'liminality expert' grunted. "He's still been here, though, hasn't he?"

"Yes," said Clockwork. "He has."

"And he might be here again in the future."

"Yes. I do plan to have him here, for short periods of time."

"And later, when he sheds his human life?"

"Perhaps."

"Then I need to know, are these up to OSHA standards? Your entire lair needs to be up to OSHA standards."

"They're time viewers and tools for unraveling paradoxes. OSHA, even the OSHA of the far future, does not regulate these items," said Clockwork. "Why, in the name of time, do you even need to know? Surely, OSHA didn't even exist the last time a liminal child was adopted."

"Well," said the expert, slightly sheepish. "No. But regulations state that all residences must be safe for children by both human and ghost standards."

"Then OSHA is not what you should be using," said Clockwork. "OSHA is the set of rules for occupational health and safety."

"Ah," said the expert. "Then we can move right along to the next check mark, shall we?"

.

"Hi," said a cheerful voice.

Danny looked up from his contemplation of the examination room table and glared balefully at the ghost who had just entered the door. They didn't seem to be affected. But then, why would they be? Danny was handcuffed to the table and clearly not a threat.

"I'm the interviewer," said the featureless ghost. "Do you know why you're here?"

"No," said Danny.

"Well," said the interviewer, "I work for the eighth authorized family court of the Infinite Realms, we're actually the only one right now, but there used to be more, and a little while ago, an adoption request was filed on your behalf."

Danny blinked and made a face. "You mean, someone stole my identity in ghost court?"

"No, no," said the interviewer, waving one amorphous hand. "Not at all. I mean to say, I ghost filed a request to legally adopt you."

"Who?" asked Danny. "Not Vlad?" Vlad was the only ghost he could think of who had demonstrated any interest in adopting him.

"No, that's not the name listed here."

"Plasmius?" asked Danny, still cringing internally.

"No."

"Then who?"

"Clockwork."

"What, seriously?" Danny liked Clockwork, and he liked to think that Clockwork liked him back, that they were friends, but the older ghost always seemed somewhat aloof.

"Yes, he was very serious. Now. I have a number of questions I need to ask you." They took out a small, glowing crystal, and set it on the table. "Do you know what this is?"

"No?" said Danny.

"It's a record crystal," said the ghost. "But one of its other functions is that it can sense deception, and record when in an interview it is being used. Go ahead, say something you know is false."

"I... like toast?"

The crystal's glow dimmed slightly before returning to its previous level.

"There, see? Very useful, don't you think?"

"I guess," said Danny. He didn't know how to feel about this. Any of this. What would ghost adoption even mean? He trusted Clockwork, but this felt like too much, too fast. He hadn't even properly processed what had happened with his parents a few hours ago.

"Right. So. We'll start with an easy one, then. Is your name Daniel Janus James Fenton-Phantom, also known as Danny Phantom, or simply Danny or Phantom?"

"Yes," said Danny, eyeing the crystal warily.

"And what would you prefer to go by, for the purposes of this interview?"

"Phantom," said Danny.

"Alright then, Phantom," said the interviewer, "could you please tell me where you primarily reside?"

"Fentonworks," said Danny, "in Amity Park." So far, he hadn't really had a reason to lie. All of this was common knowledge for both his human and ghostly acquaintances.

"And what would you consider to be your haunt?"

"My what?"

"Your haunt. The territory that you have metaphysically claimed."

"I- I don't really understand."

"Is there an area that you feel compelled to defend against hostile persons? An area in which non-hostile ghosts defer to you?"

"I- Yeah. I guess. Amity Park. And some of the bits around it, too."

"The entire city?"

"I guess? I don't know," said Danny. "Is that weird?"

"It would be unusual," said the interviewer.

Danny really wished the interviewer had an expression he could read. Or even just something approximating a face.

"Now, do you feel safe in your home? In 'Fentonworks?'"

The correct answer to that question would be no, but he wasn't sure he should answer. What if this was some kind of elaborate trick?

"We can come back to that," said the interviewer. "Are there any other places where you do feel safe?"

"I mean, sure?" said Danny. He fidgeted.

"Would you please share some of those places?"

"School, I guess?" Except that he got beaten up there all the time and his parents had hunted him down there and he had to escape and... Yeah.

The crystal dimmed. Danny grimaced.

"Ah," said the interviewer. "Anywhere else?"

"My friends houses," said Danny. "And the Far Frozen." To his relief, this time, the crystal stayed bright.

"Have you ever been to Clockwork's lair?"

"Yeah," said Danny. He slouched in the chair as much as possible. He wasn't sure he should be answering these questions, but he was. Maybe he should stop.

"Do you feel safe there?"

"Not at first, but now I do."

"I see. Why not at first?"

"Clockwork and I didn't meet on great terms and we sort of got into a fight." Maybe that would get the interviewer to stop. They'd decide Clockwork couldn't adopt him and leave. Did Danny want that? He wasn't sure.

"That's more common than one might expect. But you feel safe with him now?"

"Yes."

"Alright, moving on. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

There was a long, drawn out silence that managed to be skeptical despite the interviewer's lack of a face.

"I know I'm small," said Danny, insulted, "but I am sixteen."

"Excuse my indelicacy, but... how old were you when you died?"

Danny flushed. "Fourteen," he bit out.

"Then you're fourteen."

"It was two years ago. I'm sixteen."

"Fourteen is your natural age," said the ghost. "A ghost's natural age is the age they died at."

"Yeah, but I'm still half human. I'm still aging. So I'm sixteen."

The interviewer shook their head. "As a liminal spirit, your apparant age range is likely larger than a normal child's would be, but your natural age, your true age, is still fourteen. Based on records of liminals, the highest extent of your age range is most likely to be either twenty-one or twenty-eight. That's part of the reason we investigate official adoption request so thoroughly. The relationship may very well last for thousands of years, if not forever."

"Wait, are you saying I could live forever?" asked Danny, incredulous. This was not how he wanted to find out he was immortal. Heck, he didn't want to be immortal.

"I'll admit, my understanding of liminality isn't perfect, but I believe that is the case. Why? Is that problematic?"

.

"The results of the law enforcement investigation have come back," said the bureaucrat to whom Clockwork was currently assigned. "As well as an inquiry as to the opinion of the mortal law enforcement arm."

"And?" asked Clockwork. "Their findings?"

The bureaucrat, who had up until that point not displayed evidence that xe possessed any emotions whatsoever, made a face of extreme disgust. "When the officers found the child, the human parents were openly shooting at him. Other humans intervened for long enough for law enforcement to pick him up. Of course, they then felt the need to arrest him and carry him away in handcuffs... I have no idea why I keep at this job, really I don't."

Clockwork's core shifted in worry. His first impulse was to leap up and go comfort Daniel, but he suppressed it. If he left now, he would lose his place in line and have to start over.

"The public nature of the event means that the human police are now investigating the child's circumstances and may recommend that the child be removed from his human parents' custody. If you have a human identity and you are able to gain custody of him there, it will aid your case here."

"I am aware," said Clockwork.

"Well, then," xe said. "I believe this is all in order. Here is your ticket to see the judge. Just show it to the door. You know where it is?"

"I do," said Clockwork, rising.

He had walked by the door several times in his dealings with the various clerks and notaries. The room behind it lay directly in the heart of the family court building, all the other rooms and residents armor for this one.

The door itself was made of dark wood full of eye-shaped knots. As Clockwork approached the door, the eyes opened, watching him. He held up the ticket and the doors swung inward.

Inside was a courtroom, complete with benches, tables, a witness stand, a courtroom recorder, a judge's box, and a judge.

The judge was a one-eyed ghost in pale purple robes. She examined Clockwork.

"We had not foreseen this," she said. "Not until you filed the first motion."

"You were never able to see me clearly," said Clockwork, hoping this would not turn into a power play between himself and the Observants. "Did you receive the relevant paper work, your honor?"

"Yes," she said. "Take a seat, Lord Clockwork."

Clockwork flew to the front of the courtroom and settled himself in the applicant's chair.

The judge leaned forward. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Because I love Daniel, and I believe he deserves more care and protection than he is currently receiving from his biological parents."

The judge waved a clawed hand. "Yes, yes. But you didn't have to go through all of this and get to me in order to do that. You could have just taken him. That's what most people do, nowadays. Ever since the King was sealed and our systems of governance began to decay."

"I believe it is the only way Daniel will truly be safe," said Clockwork, meeting her one eye calmly.

"You want to prevent us from 'interfering.'"

"That would be nice, yes," agreed Clockwork.

"You want this to be binding," accused the judge.

"You say that like it is a bad thing," said Clockwork. "But what else could induce him to fully remove himself from that situation? You see how they treat him. Have you looked at the medical report, yet?"

"I have," said the judge, looking at her desk. "Very well. All the paperwork is in order. I am approving you for a one-month trial period. At the end of the trial period, the status of the child will be assessed. If his state is found to be acceptable, the adoption will be approved and bound. If it is not, this court will take custody of him until such a time as an appropriate guardian can be found." She scribbled something on a piece of paper and then hit it with a stamp. "The probationary bond should be active. You may go."

"Thank you, your honor."

.

After the end of the interview, which had become much more distressing than Danny wanted to admit, one of Walker's goons showed up and took him away, to another room.

This room was different than any of the other rooms he had seen in Walker's prison. For one, the walls were a soft, pastel green with purple accents, not the harsh, neon pink of elsewhere in the facility. The chairs looked soft, and were arranged almost randomly, clustered in little groups, or around tables. There were colored pencils and crayons on and occasionally floating over the tables. A large basket sat in one corner, overflowing with toys of various sizes.

Alright. Danny was confused.

He let the goon- the... officer?- guide him into one of the chairs and put a stuffed rabbit on his lap.

"I- I don't understand," said Danny. "What's going on?"

"Didn't that interviewer guy tell you?"

"He said I was being adopted," said Danny, who still hadn't wrapped his head around that particular tidbit of information. "But I thought- I was under arrest?" He raised his cuffed hands. "You arrested me?"

"Those're just so you don't run away," said the ghost. He ruffled Danny's hair. "You're not under arrest. We're just waiting for the court to decide what to do with you."

"And what if they don't do anything with me?"

"Then it's up to the boss."

"Oh," said Danny, not liking the sound of that at all.

"But, if it helps, I think that the court probably will decide to do something with you."

It didn't really help, no.

"Do you want a lollipop?"

"Sure," said Danny. It wasn't like this day could get much weirder.

The ghost handed him a lime dumdum. Yeah. That was about what he expected there, honestly.

The sensation of a thick, weighted blanket being draped over his mind hit him with such intensity that he looked around, trying to see if someone had just wrapped him up in a blanket without him noticing. Tension bled out of his muscles, and his core finally stopped the angry/depressed/frightened/pained dance it was doing in his chest.

He felt... protected. Which was wrong, because he was in Walker's prison, and Walker would use any excuse he had to keep Danny imprisoned for a thousand years. Danny was not safe here. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

And yet, that feeling remained.

He brushed his fingers over the bandages over his chest. What was wrong with him? His parents hadn't even cut all the way through, but he was so messed up. He didn't understand.

This feeling... This 'safety'... It felt like a cruel joke more than anything else, only it was one he couldn't escape from because it was coming from inside him and he was calm but he was also crying.

"Oh, heck, do you not like lime? I think I have some green apples-?"

The door to the room opened, and Danny looked up. Before he could register who had come in, he was swept up into a hug.

He blinked into silky purple cloth. "Clockwork?" he croaked.

"I'm here," said Clockwork. "It's fine. You're safe now, Daniel."

Danny pushed away. Clockwork let him. "You're adopting me?" asked Danny.

"Yes," said Clockwork. "Unless you don't want me to."

"Why?" asked Danny. "I don't understand. I didn't think you liked me that much."

"I like you very much," reassured Clockwork. "I want you to be my family."

Danny sniffed. "Okay," he said. It wasn't as if he really had anywhere else to go. "Okay. But what about," he made an awkward gesture with his cuffed hands, "Amity Park?" The idea of leaving hurt, even worse than the cut on his chest.

"You won't have to leave," said Clockwork, soothingly. "You can still have your life there."

"I'll have to go back?" asked Danny, in alarm. Back to Fentonworks, where even the walls had it out for him with how much anti-ghost weaponry they had packed into them? He couldn't. Not after what his parents had done.

(A small part of him knew that wasn't what Clockwork had said, and that he was being irrational. That part of him was ignored.)

"No, no," said Clockwork. "I have a new place, just for you. If you'll let me show you?"

Very hesitantly, Danny nodded.

"Alright, good," said Clockwork. He turned to the police ghost. "Do you have the key for these? We really must be going."

"Yeah," said the ghost, producing the item. "The boss says that he expects you to teach the kid how to respect the law."

"Appropriately," said Clockwork, neutrally, unlocking the cuffs.

Danny felt an urge to hug Clockwork. So he did. Clockwork hugged him back, and rocked him back and forth, gently.

"Are you ready to go?" asked Clockwork.

"Yeah," said Danny.

With a gesture of his staff, Clockwork opened a portal.

.

Clockwork wanted custody of Danny. He wanted full custody of Danny. Legally. In both worlds.

This posed a bit of a challenge, as he did not legally exist on one of those two worlds. Thus, Clockwork had to establish a legal presence in the human world.

On the surface of it, this did not seem too difficult. Between his temporal powers, his minor shapeshifting abilities, and overshadowing, simply creating an identity was easy. The hard part was creating an identity that Daniel would not have encountered before, in order to avoid a paradox, while making it plausible that Daniel had encountered the identity before, for the purposes of dealing with mortal law.

In one timeline, the hill to the west of town stood empty of habitation, owned by the county but rendered unusable due to a dangerous failed mine on the site. In this timeline, however, the mine had never been built, and the property was instead owned by a reclusive hermit who went by the name of Charles Worth. The property had passed through many hands in the years before Mr. Worth had purchased it in his youth, and a stately, if somewhat faded, mansion sat at the hill's crest, overlooking Amity Park.

Charles Worth went to Amity Park only rarely, and for good reason. He was an albino, with red eyes, white hair, and even whiter skin, and superstitious people often thought the worst of him. In recent days, he had even been mistaken for a ghost.

'Mistaken.'

He rubbed Daniel's shoulders, and the child startled, pulling away from him again. Daniel had missed Clockwork's, admittedly minor, transformation, and now blinked up at his newly pale face, confused.

"Do you like my disguise?" asked Clockwork.

Daniel's eyes flicked up and down Clockwork, assessing, processing. He gave a tiny nod, and reattached himself. "Where are we?" he asked.

"Hickory Hill," said Clockwork.

Danny frowned, mouthing the words. "Isn't that owned by... Charles Worth. Charles- Oh. I get it."

Clockwork gave Danny a little squeeze. "Would you like to see inside?"

"Okay," said Danny.

.

The house, Danny had to acknowledge, as they approached the front door, looked haunted. As if some pale, frail, spirit might look out one of the lace-draped windows on the upper floor at any moment. As if there was a Gothic mystery just waiting to unfold. A murder mystery, maybe, full of forbid love and jealous lovers. Or the tale of a sickly heir to a great fortune.

Or that of an ancient ghost and his adopted half-living son.

Even before they stepped inside, Danny's ghost half had decided it loved the building.

The door, as Clockwork opened it, creaked in a loving sort of way, the tone low enough to be comforting instead of annoying. The entrance hall's floorboards did not creak under the weight of the ghosts, but Danny could tell that if a human tried to cross them, they would. He hoped the rest of the floors were like that.

He padded forward, daringly leaving the protection of Clockwork's cloak, examining all the dark nooks and crannies, the odd architectural choices arising from generations of additions, smiling at cold spots. Clockwork shut the door. Even then, there was a draft, curling around his ankles, cool and refreshing.

Danny smiled. It was small and strained, but it was a smile. "It's perfect," he said.

"Don't you want to see your room before you say that?" teased Clockwork.

"Yes," said Danny.

Clockwork led Danny to a staircase with an elaborately carved banister and began to climb. Danny followed eagerly. He had never thought his core would be so happy simply to have somewhere safe to exist.

It almost was enough to let him forget what his parents had done to him. He stopped, hand on his chest.

"Daniel?" said Clockwork. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," said Danny, automatically.

Clockwork frowned, the expression both familiar and foreign on Clockwork's falsely-human face. "Why don't we take a look at that, once we get to your room, alright?"

Danny nodded, swallowing back his irrational fear.

They went up, and Clockwork opened the door to a large room, much larger than the one he had back at Fentonworks. The bed was similarly large and equipped with curtains and enough blankets and pillows to turn it into a nest at a moment's notice. The walls and ceiling were painted a deep blue, with tiny green-white dots picking out a star map. The room also contained a number of carefully curated hiding places, areas where the dressers wardrobe or desk created blind spots and deep shadows. The floor was carpeted, but still icy.

It was an excellent room for a ghost (or half-ghost) like Danny.

He was too nervous to enjoy it.

Clockwork pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat down. It was a little strange to see Clockwork actually sitting and not floating or coiling. Actually-

"Can you have legs in ghost form?" asked Danny.

"I can," said Clockwork. "But typically I don't bother." He patted the bed. "Let's take a look at you."

Danny hesitated, holding his hands clasped in front of his chest. Clockwork's face went soft.

"I just want to make sure you are healing. I know this is difficult, but neither you nor I want things to get worse."

"I'm fine," said Danny. "I heal fast. It was just- It should be gone now. I've gotten worse."

"Is it?" asked Clockwork.

Danny could still feel it. "I don't know," said Danny.

Clockwork patted the bed again. Danny sat down and started fumbling with the hem of his shirt.

"Would you like help?" asked Clockwork.

"No," said Danny. He pulled his sweater off. Taking off his t-shirt was harder. Then there were just Sam's bandages. He bit his lip a the red and brown blotches staining them.

"Would you like to talk about it?" asked Clockwork, taking one end of the bandage and starting to unwind it.

"I don't know," said Danny. "I just- It's so stupid. I shouldn't have- They saw me walk through a door and- They don't even know I'm Phantom. They just-" Danny hiccuped. "They tried to cut me open. They pretended."

Clockwork pulled free the last layer of bandages. The long, shallow cut was still there, straight along his breast bone until the end, where it curved sharply right and tapered off. That was when Danny had jerked free of the restraints and ran.

"Why isn't it healing?" asked Danny.

"It isn't just a physical wound, Daniel. Ghosts are spiritual creatures."

"Oh," said Danny. It made a sick kind of sense. "So my core is really hurt? I thought I was just... That it was in my head."

Clockwork raised a hand to touch the bottom of the cut. "Your parents are important to you, and to your Obsession, your existence as a ghost. Of course their rejection would affect you." The cut began to knit itself together underneath Clockwork's fingers. Danny's core thrummed strangely at the touch. "I can heal your physical injuries."

"But not the mental ones, huh?" said Danny.

"You need time for that," said Clockwork, reaching the top of the cut.

"Good thing I have you, then."

"It is," said Clockwork. He leaned forward and kissed Danny on top of his head.

Danny ran his fingers up and down the newly healed cut. "So my powers aren't going to work until, what, I get over this?"

"That is one possibility," said Clockwork. "But everyone heals differently."

"Can't you tell?" asked Danny, reaching for his shirt.

"The more involved I am in an event, the more difficult it becomes for me to see its future," said Clockwork. "The timeline branches and splinters as I look at it. Also, it may surprise you, but you are fairly difficult to predict on your own."

"Oh," said Danny. He pulled his shirt on, ignoring how it caught on the dried blood on his skin. "So, what now? Should I just, I don't know, hide out here? I mean," he shifted, uncomfortably, "It's fine if I can't let anyone know I'm here, I get that, but I'd like to, um..."

"Live your life?"

Danny flinched. "As much as I can, yeah." He licked his lips. "Sam and Tucker didn't get in trouble, did they? They're fine?" He'd been so wrapped up in how miserable he was, he'd barely spared his friends a second thought, and now that guilt from that rained down on his head.

"They're fine. Due to the circumstances, they haven't gotten in any trouble at all, so stop that."

"What?"

"Feeling guilty. I know for a fact that the safety of others was your first consideration." Clockwork patted his shoulder. "As for your continued presence here on the mortal plane," Clockwork smiled, "would it surprise you to learn that I am in fact registered as a foster parent? I have even had a few children here, although not many stay for long."

"Really?" said Danny. "But... Wait, um. What about- What about Mom and Dad?"

"They were seen shooting at you in public after insisting that you were a ghost. They've been arrested."

Danny swallowed. "Are they going to be alright?"

Clockwork sighed and shifted so that he was sitting on the bed next to Danny. He put an arm around Danny's shoulders. "They'll be fine," he said. "But we should come up with a story about how you wound up here, hm? For the social workers."

.

During Daniel's periodic visits to Clockwork's lair, Clockwork had noted how tactile he was, how much he enjoyed hugs and other physical expressions of affection. After Daniel got past his initial hesitation concerning his new situation, that particular personality trait multiplied.

Clockwork suspected the Fentons were ultimately to blame. Their hostility towards Daniel's ghostly identity and their tendency to carry objects that could hurt Daniel precluded him from seeking comfort from them, and his friends and sister, while very remarkable, were children themselves. Their relationship with Daniel was different.

This meant that Daniel could and would spend long periods of time laying against Clockwork. Usually, he would be doing homework during those moments or talking to Clockwork about various ghostly things that he had never had a chance to learn about before.

Today, however, he was just sitting there, quietly, almost dozing.

"I'm not keeping you from doing things?" asked Daniel, abruptly. "Am I?"

"No," said Clockwork.

"You don't have to do time stuff?"

"I can make duplicates and also time travel. I can be wherever I need to be. But if you want space-"

"No," said Daniel. "This is good." He snuggled closer and startled as a ring of light flashed around his waist. He was, for the first time since before his parents had attacked him, a ghost. Clockwork, in turn, shed his human guise.

Daniel was blinking down at his gloved hands.

"What?" he asked.

"I think you finally relaxed," said Clockwork, ruffling Daniel's hair. The smaller ghost leaned into the touch, purring. "Your transformations might be a bit unpredictable for the next few days."

"Good thing it's a weekend, then, huh?"

.

Danny jittered nervously as he and Clockwork passed through the large, eye-covered doors. This time last week, strange ghosts had been in and out of Clockwork's house, asking questions, poking things, and staring. Clockwork said they were checking to see if everything was in order, if the adoption could become official.

Danny didn't really see why it being official mattered. The Ghost Zone didn't really have a government to speak of. Families that Danny had seen just sort of decided that they were families, and that was that. It seemed important to Clockwork, though, and Clockwork claimed that there were certain benefits, like strengthening connections... Danny didn't get it. Wouldn't their connections be strengthened anyway?

Clockwork guided Danny with small nudges, directing him to a seat in front of the judge, who stared down at them with her one enormous eye.

"I have decided to approve the adoption request regarding Daniel Janus James Fenton-Phantom," she said.

Danny felt Clockwork relax incrementally beside him. He smiled. The judge's pronouncement felt a little anticlimactic to him, but, well, whatever.

But the judge wasn't done speaking. "The child's familial bond with his biological parents will be severed. The familial bond will be established with his current guardian, known as Clockwork. On all levels legal, physical, metaphysical, metaphorical, emotional, mental, and spiritual, Clockwork will be the sole parent of Daniel Janus James Fenton-Phantom. Due to the child's status as a liminal spirit, the memories and associations stored in his human brain will not be altered, and he may still experience feelings, especially those of nostalgia, towards his former parents, however, this is expected to fade with time. Questions?"

Danny had rather a lot, actually. Clockwork hadn't quite explained it like this. "Wait, are you saying I'll forget my parents?"

"No," said the judge, in a rather condescending tone.

"You won't forget them," said Clockwork. "But your core won't recognize them as your parents anymore. It's so you'll be able to defend yourself." His tone was almost pleading. "Your relationship with your sister will, of course, be unaffected."

"Okay," said Danny. They clearly didn't see him as their son anymore, so... It wouldn't really change anything. He didn't like the idea of ghosts he didn't know messing around with his core, but he trusted Clockwork. Even if he was apparently really bad at explaining ghost adoption. "What about the other stuff? The physical, metaphysical part?"

"The severed bonds in your core are replaced with ones to your new parent. Similarly, new bonds will be established in your parent's core," explained the judge. "Are you satisfied?"

Clockwork gave Danny an encouraging smile.

"I- Yes. I'm satisfied," said Danny.

"Very well." The judge waved forward a seven armed bailiff who had been waiting in the corner of the room.

The bailiff carried two tall glasses and a large, covered pitcher. He set one glass each in front of Clockwork and Danny and poured a thick, white, faintly glowing liquid into each of them.

"What is it?" asked Danny.

"It is a potion designed to stop our cores from fighting the changes that are about to happen," said Clockwork.

Danny looked at the potion dubiously. "Like an anesthetic?"

"Like an anesthetic," agreed Clockwork. He had already picked up his cup. "Together?"

"Okay," said Danny, still doubtful.

He picked up the cup and brought it to his lips, watching Clockwork carefully over the rim. Clockwork tipped his cup back, and so did Danny.

The potion reminded him a lot of eggnog, except that it was thicker, heavier, sweeter, like it had been mixed with honey. Almost at once, that heaviness settled into Danny's bones, weighing him down, a sensation just to the left of sleep settled over him. He lowered the cup from his face, his grip on it going gentle. The bailiff caught it as it tipped over.

Clockwork reached over and gently, slowly, pulled him close. Then he went as limp as Danny.

Inside, Danny's core became open. Not open, as in vulnerable, but as in receptive. Listening. He felt soft. Malleable. Like someone could press their thumb into him, and it would leave an impression when he hardened again. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation.

The judge sighed with something like disapproval. "So mote it be." She raised a stamp up off her desk, brought it down, and things changed.

Or, at least, Danny did.

.

Clockwork, being the elder ghost, recovered faster from the potion than Daniel. There was no reason to stay at the court, so, after bidding a goodbye to the judge, he picked Daniel up and left, flying a polite distance before opening a portal back to their home outside Amity Park.

He settled Daniel down in his bed, phasing him beneath his covers and tucking him in. Daniel would need to sleep off the potion, as well as take time to adjust to the changes to his psyche, however minor they might be.

"I love you so much," said Clockwork, brushing Daniel's hair out of his face. Getting here had taken subjective years of work and planning but it was worth it, because now Daniel was his child, in every way that mattered.

Forever.

.

.

.

Yes, that ending line was a little bit ominous, but they're ghosts. They wouldn't be happy if it wasn't ominous!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

DESKTOP SOFTWARE FORCES USERS TO BECOME SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS, BUT WITHOUT THE SHARPLY DEFINED LIMITS THAT ORDINARILY MAKE THE JOB BEARABLE

Startups are still very rare. At least, that's the polite way of putting it; the colloquial version involves speech coming out of organs not designed for that purpose. Remember that magic machine that could on command make you a better parent when you do this. It's technique. And if your startup succeeds, it will be consumer electronics: something that costs about $200, and that assumption turns out to be responsible for both Lisp's strange appearance and its most distinctive features. A McDonald's franchise is controlled by rules so precise that it is briefer and more comprehensible than the description of a universal Turing machine. It's exciting that there even exist parts of the world just doesn't get startups, and partly to get exactly what we wanted. Once you're ramen profitable this painful choice goes away. That in itself is less likely to die from infections.

So much for hockey as the game is played now.1 Another way to be in a race against your competitors, and they'll be your horse. A lot of founders mentioned how surprised they were by the cluelessness of investors: They don't even know about it right away so that we could reproduce the error while they're on the phone with you. They win by locking competitors out of their element. You can deliver software right to the browser, and no data locally to damage. It would not be so useful if it delivered your dinner to a random person, 95% of the investors we dealt with were unprofessional, didn't seem to be working on something that is industry best practice, and the top management jobs. A big company is probably based in the wrong city for developing software.

Don't worry what people will say. So at that point the innovation that generated it has already happened. One thing that surprised them most about doing a startup was like I said, but way more so.2 The application that pushed desktop computers out into the mainstream was VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet. Even worse than the spectacular abuses might be the overall decrease in efficiency that would accompany increased secrecy. If you stop eating jam, fruit starts to taste better. My advice is generally pessimistic. And you might have trouble hiring hackers on that scale for any language anyone has ever heard of. One founder put it very succinctly: Fast iteration is the key to getting users was the online test drive. And if you want to work in software.

If you try to solve a hard problem, the question is not whether you will use a powerful enough language, but what this case shows is that power is the ultimate advice for young would-be startup founders, boiled down to two words: just learn. A good example is the airline fare search program that ITA Software licenses to Orbitz. It also made them more careful in judging the seriousness of a bug, because now their honor was on the line, do you make a point of packing? My kids are little, but I have no way to test them. For most people, the stronger evidence they probably are of what you should do in college would be to start or join a startup. At least, you notice an interesting pattern. Founders who fail quickly tend to blame themselves.3

The CEO of a company that uses Suns is not interested in saving money and can safely be charged more. Back button. So part of learning to ski is learning to suppress that impulse. With Web-based software, you never have to exert anything like that much force in the course of working honestly on hard problems. Fixing a bug in something you wrote six months ago the average case if you release once a year is a lot less than most other fields. So in practice the deal is not that you're 30 times as productive and get paid 30 times as productive and get paid a lot more sophisticated than what most of these ideas, for a while, if you find yourself packing a bottle of vodka just in case, you may at least pause before making them. They will have all the extra motivation that comes from being in a small group working on a hard problem.4 Do not start a startup for patent infringement. A surprising number of people completing the test drive and found that at a certain step they would get all kinds of new features; the industrial designers design a beautiful case for it; and then the marketing people convince everyone that it's something they've got to have. If you want to get rich, how would you do it on Microsoft's terms, calling their APIs and working around their buggy OS. With Web-based applications. Lisp function and show that it is briefer and more comprehensible than the description of a universal Turing machine.

Notes

The threshold for participating goes down to you.

But it's dangerous to have done all they demand from art is not limited to startups.

Not even being a train car that in effect hack the college admissions. At two years after Lisp 1. So if you ban other ways to help their students start startups, which is just feigning interest—until you get a personal introduction—and in fact they were saying scaramara instead of uebfgbsb. They don't know yet what they're capable of.

Decimus Eros Merula, paid 50,000 sestertii, for the same lesson, partly because it lets them bring the Internet Bubble I talked to a college that limits their options?

[thenerdytomboynewb96]

Samantha Allan Park Ch. #19

Any references to TMNT or anything from popular media and culture is NOT MINE. I only own my OC's.

Chapter #19

*Monday, July 28th, 6:00 at night in the lair*

The guys were finishing up their dinner and were about to disperse from the table and go about with whatever it was they felt like doing. “Dang, I never expected to be the one to clean up after dinner” Mikey groaned. Usually it was Mikey who prepared the meals (whenever they didn’t order takeout that is) but today was his first time cleaning all the dishes after the meal. He didn’t mind it, but he couldn’t stand that whenever he was close to finishing up, someone would come up and place another dish in the sink. Just as he thought this, Leo walked up and placed another dish in the sink. “Awwww come on dude!” Mikey said, tilting his head back in frustration, just wanting to be done so he could return to his comic book collection. “Welcome to my world” Leo said with a smirk as he pat his brother on the shoulder. Usually Leo was one of the ones to clean the dishes afterwards since he never cooked, but he and Raph had actually made dinner all by themselves that night, so they were able to kick back and relax after they ate their food. As Leo began to walk away, he noticed the untouched dinner spot where Sam usually sat and wondered how their human friend was doing that night. “Hey Mikey,” Leo said as he turned back towards his younger brother, “have you checked up on Sam recently?” “No! Because I’ve been DOING ALL THE DISHES!” he said as he threw his wash cloth down into the sink. “Finally I’m free! I’m never letting you guys cook again! That or I need to convince Donnie to switch jobs and let me set the table from now on.” “Not happening” Donnie said in the living room as he kicked his feet up on the couch and began playing some videogames. Leo laughed at Mikey as he groaned while pulling his phone out of its holder. His laughter soon faded as he saw his brother’s expression change from one of playful annoyance to one of sorrow. “Mikey?” Leo asked softly. “Jay got caught up at work…Sam’s still all alone…” Mikey stated softly.

Now that all the brother’s knew about Sam’s backstory with her family, they also knew that the anniversary of all their deaths was on July 28th. Sam had mentioned days earlier that she would like to spend that day away from everyone but her brother. They always spent the entire day together and later in the evening would go and visit the graves of both their parents and their siblings together, but tonight Jay was taking a very long time to get off of work, and as the day grew closer to ending, Sam had spent the entire memorial day of her siblings by herself. None of the turtles had made contact with her expect for Mikey who would send a check-up text every 4 hours or so to make sure she was keeping a leveled head and was doing alright. When he stated that she was alone, all the brothers froze. Raph was about to head to his room and polish his sais, but he completely stopped walking and stood still in the entry way to the back rooms after he heard what his brother said. Donnie paused his game, so now the room was completely silent. “Mikey, did Sam happen to say how much longer it would be until her brother gets home?” Leo asked softly. Mikey looked back at his shell cell and read over the message. “She said it would be at least a couple more hours” he said as he violently snapped his phone shut, making it obvious how upset he was that his friend was suffering alone. Leo gave his brother a small smile. “Alright, then let’s go give our friend a visit.” And as soon as the words left his lips, he could see Raph and Donnie smiling from across the room just as much as Mikey was.

*Same night, 6:15p.m. In Sam’s room* Themes: One More Light-Linkin Park Fix You-Coldplay Trading Yesterday-Shattered

Sam sat on her bed with her legs pulled up against her chest and her face buried in her knees. She had gotten over feeling alone, but this was the one night that she couldn’t handle loneliness. She knew her brother’s job kept him away from home almost all of each day, but they had been kind enough to always give him the entire day off when this day came around each year, yet this year they just wouldn’t let him come home. Sam had already cried enough that morning from thinking back to the good times that she missed with her siblings, and this time she cried more than usual since she didn’t have an arm wrapped around her to remind her that she had at least one last family member here to protect her from more than just the Foot. Without Jay there, she felt the same exact way she did when she woke up in that hospital bed the morning after the attack, like she was just existing without a reason to live. She knew Jay was still alive now (obviously) but not having him next to her today of all days was killing her more than she ever thought it would. She held her pocket knife in her left hand, more afraid than ever that another attack would occur. Maybe it was that she had barely eaten that day because of her emotions messing up her appetite, but she didn’t feel well and something made her feel like something bad was going to happen. She turned all the lights in the apartment off so that no one would think she was home, and then no criminals would try and bother her. She made sure all her electronics were turned off so that not one sound was being made. Sam didn’t want to draw any attention to herself or to her home, terrified that the slightest of sounds would lead the Foot right to her location and that they would try to face her all by herself. If she was ever attacked, in general, she knew she could defend herself, but she knew she wasn’t in the right mindset to fight tonight and that her emotions would literally get her killed tonight. “*sigh* I wish I hadn’t told Mikey to leave me alone today. I know this is and always will be a dreadful day filled with pain, but today is worse than ever before…” She jumped a bit when she heard a vibration sound, the sound seeming much louder since all other devices were turned off. Sam looked at her phone and read a message that said, “Hey, I know you wanted to be alone today, but I could come keep you company while you wait for Jay. I promise I’ll leave as soon as he gets there and leave you two alone like you wanted. I just…hate to think you’re suffering all by yourself.” For the first time that day, Sam’s lips formed a very small smile on her face as she read the message of concern from her friend. “I’d love that. I’ll disable the alarm for you.” Sam quickly disabled the alarm systems she had set up in her room and then gently tossed her phone on the side of her bed. She rested her chin on her still pulled up knees, and then turned her head so that her left cheek rested on the top of her knee while she stared at the wall to her right, lost in her thoughts…until she heard the window slide open on the opposite side of the room from where she was staring. She quickly sat up, tightly gripping her knife, and stared at her window. He grip loosened as she saw her best friend poke his head in and smile as he turned towards her. “Hey, you good?” he asked cautiously. “Heh, don’t worry. You’re still allowed in” she said. She loved how he always double checked before following through with his actions. He was always looking out for her, and she would never get tired of that. “Alright, just checking” he said with a smile. He then stood up and lifted his leg up so he could climb over and through the windowsill. Sam’s expression quickly changed into one of shock. Her eyes went wide when she then saw Leo climbing through the windowsill. She didn’t realize that she was staring at him as he walked across the room and observed the space that was foreign to him. “So, this is what a normal teenage bedroom looks like,” he said as he nodded his head. Then Donnie entered the room, and of course the first words that came out of his mouth were related to the computer on Sam’s desk which was close to the window. Then Raph came in, and the first thing he noticed was the weapon his friend was holding in her hand. “Nice knife” he said bluntly. Sam made a confused look and then finally realized she was still holding the weapon. She calmly played off her embarrassment and shrugged, “it’s okay.” She placed it on the small side table by her bed, and as she turned back around she felt her bed dip down some. Mikey had jumped onto the bed and had kicked his feet up. “So, are you cool if I bring my brother’s over?” he asked with a nervous smile. “Shoes dude.” “Oh! My bad!” he said as he quickly kicked his shoes over to the usual spot he left them when he hung out in her room. Sam smiled. “Much better. And no, it’s fine. There’s not much seating in here though, so I’ll show you guys the living room. Heh, Donnie you can join us when you’re done feeling up my computer” she said as she stood up and headed towards the doorway. “It’s so beautiful-” “Let’s go genius” Raph said as he pushed Donnie forward and away from the device.

The boys followed Sam out the doorway and down a hallway on the right. They then soon made another right at the end of the hall and they were now looking at the living room of the apartment. There wasn’t a whole lot of furniture, but the essentials were there. There was a long couch that made an L shape, with four seats on each side, and there was also a large soft reclining chair by the side of the couch. There were some small shelving units closer to where the door was on the other side of the room. “Get comfy” Sam said, and as soon as she said so, she turned towards Mikey who had also turned towards her. The two eyed each other and then dashed for the reclining chair. Mikey was about to jump into the seat, but then Sam dashed around the corner and kicked him out of the chair just as he was about to land and quickly sit down. “Ha! Now I’m in the lead, 5 to 4!” she shouted as she pointed at him. “Uhhh,” he groaned, “I’m not training you anymore. You’re using my moves against me” he said as he climbed up onto the couch and laid down. The remaining three brothers shook their heads at the crazy duo and continued to check out the rest of the apartment. Raph sat on the other side of the couch. He looked up in time to see Sam toss him the remote and tell him to pick something to watch, so he saw she had Netflix and started looking through movies on there. “Hey Donnie, can you go grab me a drink from the fridge?” Sam asked with a smile. Donnie squinted his eyes at her, knowing that something was up, but nodded and headed towards the fridge anyway. He walked towards the back of the living room which lead to a small dining room table, and on the left there was an entryway that lead into the decent sized kitchen. He opened the fridge and his eyes went wide as he saw a variety of Maaza brand juice boxes. “Help yourself” Sam called out from the living room with a smile. “I’m starting with the coconut water and mango flavored one first!” he called back. Sam laughed as she then turned her head to see what the eldest of the group was up to. He had quietly made his way to the opposite side of the room by the door where the small shelving unit was. He observed all the photos on the walls and on the shelves and smiled as he saw nothing but smiling faces in each photo. As Leo continued to look at the pictures along the shelves, he remembered when they were all at the mall and Sam had commented that she used to shop around with Brian at antique stores and how that had become a tradition for the two of them. Tonight was a night where Sam was supposed to remember the good times that she shared with all of her family, and he was also curious to see what other similarities their unique families might have had in common, so he took a chance in finding this information out. “Hey Sam,” Leo said as he turned his head around to face his friend on the other side of the room, “do you have any more pictures like these?” She was a bit shocked at his question. “Yeah I have tons, why?” “Mind if we see them?” he asked as he placed the frame back in its spot on the shelf. Sam gave him a small smile and stood up. “Sure, just give me a few minutes to go get them…actually, I can show them to you guys on the t.v. if that’s alright.” “Fine by me” Raph cut in, “but you gotta tell me how to use these remotes.” “Oh I got you bro!” Mikey said. “Get that part set up for me and I’ll be back in a minute.” Sam then turned and walked back out of the room and headed towards her bedroom. The boys made sure they heard her door shut before they began speaking. “Well, she seems to be handling things pretty well so far” Donnie said right before taking a sip of his drink and sitting down in the recliner. “I think she’s just happy that she’s not alone anymore” Mikey said as he sat upright on the couch. “Sucks about her brother” Raph said defensively, his eyes aimed at the floor. “I’d quit if I worked at a place like that.” “She’s made it known before that his job is oddly unique to their situation, plus without it he wouldn’t have been able to get this apartment, which is actually really spacious for being an apartment” Leo stated. “Just remember, we have to be careful with what we say to her and MAN I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE PLAYOFFS IN A FEW MORE DAYS” Mikey stated, gradually increasing the volume of his tone as he spoke. His brothers all gave him a weird look until literally a second after the words left his lips they heard the bedroom door open and instantly they all caught on, and also wondered how the hell he knew that was about to happen. “Yeah I hear it’s one of the most anticipated sporting events this year” Raph added. “Sucks it won’t be a home game though” Donnie announced. Then Sam entered the room and walked over to the television where she plugged in her flash drive to a port on the back. She turned around and saw all the guys quietly staring at her. She gave them a weird look and laughed. “You guys realize you don’t have to stop talking just because I enter the room right?” she chuckled. “We’re just waiting for the pictures to show up” Mikey replied with a smile. “Well that’s not going to happen until you hit the button on the remote” she said playfully. Mikey looked at her, and then at the remote, and then back to her. “I knew that, I was just testing you” he said as he pointed the remote at her and then he hit the last button to get the slideshow set up. “Hey Leo, are you going to watch from over there?” Sam asked as she then turned towards him with a playful yet questioning look. He then realized that he was still standing by the door and then walked over and sat between Sam and Raph on the couch. Sam caught Leo about to put his feet up (leaning to the side some so that he could share the extended part of the couch where Raph was sitting) which she didn’t mind, but he still had his shoes on. “If any of you put your shoes on the couch, I’ll kick your ass” she said facing the t.v. with a playful yet maniacally gentle smile. The boys tried not to laugh at the way she said what she just had, and she caught onto this as well. “You guys think I’m joking?” she said, pretending to sound tough. “Oh no we know you’re not, and that’s why we’re not taking any chances” Donnie replied. “Who’s that?” Raph asked as the slideshow started. “Oh that’s Jay’s family. I organized all the pictures in chronologically ordered groups, so it might take a little while before we actually see me, since Jay and his siblings were around for a good while before my oldest sibling was even born.” “What’s the age gap again?” Raph asked. “Well, between me and Chuck and then me and Haley is a two year gap, with Nick a 4 year gap, with Brian a 5 year gap, with Jay a 7 year gap, with Amber a 9 year gap, and with Jamie a 11 year gap. So yeah, they were all around for a while before I even came into the picture” Sam said with a laugh. “That’s cool that you guys were all so close though, even with the age gaps” Leo stated. “Well, all of our parents happened to be only kids and had wanted larger families growing up, and obviously they all go what they wanted. Point being, our two families were all we really had, so in a sense we grew up like cousins before we legally became family. Oh, this is the part with all the birth pictures” she said as pictures of the groups when the next child were born were displayed across the screen. A picture of an Asian baby girl came up first, then one with her and another Asian baby girl, then those two and an Asian baby boy, and then all those kids with another Asian baby boy. Each picture showed the siblings group grow larger and larger as the next newborn child was added to the family. “That’s Nick right?” Mikey asked when a picture came up with a small white skinned baby boy carefully being held by a young Asian girl with three other Asian children surrounding them. A huge smile grew across Sam’s face. “Yup, that’s him. And then here’s Haley!” she exclaimed as the next photo came up, each child from the previous photos a couple of years older in the upcoming photo. “Oh if only she knew that dorky boy staring at her wouldn’t leave her alone for the rest of her life” she said with a laugh. “Brian?” Mikey asked. “They’re the two that liked each other, right?” Sam nodded her head. “Yeah that’s them.” “Geez, he looks like a baby playboy with the look he’s giving her in that photo, and he’s only what, 3 years old?” Raph questioned. “Ohhhh trust me, we never let him live that down once we found this photo. We also joked with him that destiny was set on that day.” “They liked each other that much?” Leo said with a smile, finding the idea of these two being soulmates from birth quite adorable and romantic, though he’d never admit it. “110%. They were inseparable. If they had the chance to be in the same group or to team up as partners for ANYTHING, then I would bet my life on the chance that those two were working together. A three year difference didn’t mean anything to those two and they made that very clear their entire lives.” “Yet he has his hands all over you in this photo” Raph teased as the pictures kept going, the current one being at what seemed to be a playground. “Naw there’s a difference” Sam said with a small laugh, “here he’s just being protective as we go down the slide. I’ll have to give it to all my brother’s, they’re all the biggest dorks you’ll ever meet, but they looked out for all of us, even that pudgy two year old right there” she said as a lone picture of Chuck came up. The group continued to watch the pictures as they re-lived Sam’s life with her. They saw her at birthday parties, sporting events, family day trips, all types of events and activities where she was with her family. Their favorite part was when a few pictures came up of Haley and Jamie doing Sam’s make-up and they made her look extremely girly as they covered her in pink everything. They found it even more hilarious that Sam looked as annoyed and disgusted sitting next to them as she did in the picture. The pictures continued on with everyone looking cute as younger kids, and eventually the people in the pictures slowly began to grow older and older, showing the years and years of memories that were shared amongst the family. As they got closer to the end of the slideshow and were now watching the last so many pictures Sam had from the year that the majority of her siblings sadly passed away, the turtles quickly went from feeling cheery and joyful at seeing all the happy moments that their friend had experienced with her family, to feeling sorrowful and depressed. In these final pictures, Sam was only 12 years old. They saw pictures of her and Chuck just beginning their trainings, of the siblings just graduating high school (which many still had yet to do) and just begin their lives as young adults, of the hobbies that the siblings would have wanted to eventually turn into careers, etc. So many photos of lives that were just beginning, only for them to be over so soon. They didn’t like that this was where the journey ended, that after this it would only be pictures of Sam and Jay because this is where the rest of the family would move on from this world. They had loved getting to know each of the siblings and their relationship with Sam in each of the photos. They loved seeing Jamie and Haley be the goofy sisters that teased Sam and loved to be typical girly girls, seeing Amber be her best friend and introduce her to dancing and sports and give her the confidence to be the tomboy that she wanted to be, seeing Jay yell and watch over her like a second father, seeing Brian be the goofy older brother that instigated her and taught her how to be funny and pull pranks while also protecting her and teaching her how to be a respectful person, seeing Nick also be her sports buddy and guardian and role model while making sure she knew how to stand up to bullies and take care of herself as well, and seeing Chuck be her right hand man who followed her lead no matter what the two did and always compete with her even though they both did so out of fun. Within the couple of hours the turtles had joined her in looking through the photos of the past, they had learned so much about this family that they wished they could have met them, and that’s when it hit them: if they were now so interested in meeting this family, Sam must be dying inside. Sam had lived every second of her life with these people close by, and every moment that she had ever had with these siblings, she would never be able to re-create them. Her family was gone, and now only her and Jay remained, and tonight proved that even that was a rare occasion. As these thoughts filled their heads, the slideshow then ended. Sam looked at the faces of the turtles surrounding her and she smiled as she took a deep breath and sighed. “Guys, it’s alright.” They all stopped their thoughts in their tracks and stared at her, sorrow in each of their expressions. “This happened four years ago, I’ve gotten a lot better at getting back to a daily routine. Some days are more difficult than others, but I know they would have wanted me to keep fighting and moving on with life. Heh, I can picture what they would all say to me if they visited me right now and saw me sulking.” “But, how can you just live on knowing you’ll never get any of those moments back?” Raph asked aloud in a calm tone. As soon as the words left his lips, he felt the stares from his brothers as he realized what he had just asked and that this could upset his friend. Sam however knew him long enough to know that Raph was asking this in a concerned and heartfelt manner, and just like she had been all that night, she was able to respond in a gentle and heartfelt manner as well. “One day one of my shit ton of counselors and therapists asked me if I thought my siblings were still with me. Of course at that time I gave her nothing but sarcastic remarks, but she continued to make comments about how they were really still with me whether I believed it or not. I’m not gonna lie, this was the original reason I started doing really stupid reckless stuff. I had this whole ‘oh if they’re really with me then they’ll keep me safe’ type attitude, but I knew the reason I had been safe was because of all of the trainings I had gone through, so once I mellowed out I started to change my mindset some. Instead of assuming they were just with me which is what everyone always says, I set out looking for a purpose in life, something that would change the daily routine that I was forced to keep returning to. Instead of thinking my siblings were already with me, I kept asking for them to prove they were really there. I lived with that mindset for about a year, and sometimes I would get signs that seemed like I was being pointed in different directions, and one of those signs led to the glasses that I built that could detect the scanners that eventually led me to meeting you guys. So, I feel like they’ve been looking out for me all along, and even led me to others who were like them” she said with a smile as she looked back up at her friends, each of them with their eyes wide and their eyebrows raised. “You think your siblings wanted you to meet us because we’re like them?” Leo asked. She laughed. “Oh come on guys, you can’t honestly tell me you didn’t see yourselves in those pictures at least once!” The boys thought back to the pictures and picked out moments where they did think that what they saw was something that either they or one of their other brothers would do. “I haven’t acted the ways I have with you guys since I lost my family, and Raph even had one of my brother’s weapons! What are the odds of that being just a coincidence?” Donnie shrugged. “Well, the saying is that ‘everything happens for a reason,’ right?” “I like that saying” Mikey said with a large smile on his face. “Looks like your siblings found the right families to pair together” Raph said with a smile, to which the rest of his brothers also nodded in agreement. Raph then stood up and began to exit the room. “Where are you going?” Donnie asked. “Looks like a turtle can’t go to the bathroom in peace, thanks Don” Raph said as he flicked his brother on the side of the head. “Obviously you’ve forgotten that nothing is nonchalant in this group” Sam said with a smile. “Obviously I did” he teased as he then left the room.

Just then the phone rang. Sam signaled to the others to stay silent and they all nodded in response. She picked up the phone and saw that there was no number, so she was surprised to hear Jay’s voice on the other line. “Jay?” “*sob* hey Sam…” “What’s wrong?” She could feel the concerned stares from her friends as they waited to hear what came next. “I…I won’t be able to make it home tonight…it’s this project we have to work on…I’m sorry Sam. I’m so, so very sorry” he choked out through his sobs. “Hey Sam-” Raph said and then paused as he saw her with a phone up to her ear and his brothers once again sending him death glares. He mouthed the word ‘sorry’ as he cringed, knowing that he could have gotten her in trouble some how. “Who was that?” Jay asked in a serious yet worried tone. “A friend from school” Sam quickly replied with wide eyes. “Was that a guy? There’s a guy at the house when you’re alone?” “Um, let’s circle back to you not coming home since that’s way more important.” The turtles each then sighed, each one pissed that Jay was continuing to fail their friend. “Trust me I know, every year they give me this time off no matter how busy we are, it’s literally my one and only request…but this year things just didn’t pull through. I’m so sorry I left you home all alone Sam, I know it doesn’t mean anything but I’ll never forgive myself for this.” Jay continued to cry into the phone. He was so loud that even the turtles could hear him. Sam could tell that there was nothing her brother could have done and tried to be gentle with him, even though she was extremely upset herself. “Jay, did you do everything that you could to take off?” she asked calmly. “Of course I did! It’s you and me to the end Sam, and you know that I would never leave you alone. I’d be by your side right now if I could. I’m being mentally tortured knowing that you’re home by yourself.” This hurt Sam some, and she decided to tell a white lie to her brother to help ease his pain some. “I’m not home alone. I became closer to some people towards the end of the school year and I invited them over since you weren’t sure when you would be home. So don’t worry, I’m much better this year than I have been in past ones.” “Are they-” “Don’t worry they’re all girls! Geez, even when you’re not here you’re my annoying older brother” she said as she rolled her eyes. She smiled as she heard Jay laughing through the phone at her comment, and she was glad that she was able to cheer him up some. She was about to finish up the call when she felt the phone being ripped from her hands. She quickly turned to see Raph take the phone and hold it up to the side of his head. “Hey, Jay right?” “Yeah…” Jay replied with an angered pause. “Hi this is Officer Simmons. I dropped my younger sister off at your place earlier tonight and I just stopped by to pick her back up. I happened to hear your conversation with Sam and I have an offer for you, IF you’re alright with it, and if not then I’ll back down.” Everyone was giving Raph a strange look, but he just held his finger up to his lip for them to be quiet as he continued to smile. “Alright, go on” Jay replied. “Earlier Sam mentioned that she visits the cemetery each year on this day. A few of my boys are downstairs in their cruisers. If you’re okay with it, we could take Sam to visit her siblings before it gets too late. I also heard it was a tradition though, so I understand if you say no.” Sam’s eyes went wide after Raphael spoke. She never in a million years would have expected those words to come out of his mouth, and she was almost about to cry after she finally heard her brother respond through the phone. “Alright. Sadly I won’t be able to take her tonight, so it would be nice if someone could. Thank you sir, I really appreciate this, and I’ll do anything to make it up to you and your men.” “Heh, just make sure you’re here with her next year” Raph said with a smile as he looked down at Sam who had her hands over her eyes and Leo’s hand on her back, comforting her sine he knew she was fighting not to cry in front of them. “Oh trust me, I’ll be there next year” Jay said in a randomly stern tone. Raph didn’t know the meaning behind it, but he just went with it as he finished up the call. “I always knew you were a teddy bear under all that muscle” Mikey teased. “Shut up” Raph said as he lifted his leg and, without a huge amount of force, kicked his brother who was still sitting on the couch. “Thank you” Sam mumbled. Raph paused and turned towards his friend, forgetting about Mikey. He put his arm out to help his friend stand up. Once Sam had calmed herself, she took his hand and stood up. “Alright, I’ll lead us to where the Autobots are hiding, Officer Simmons” she teased as she began to exit the room. Donnie snapped his fingers. “That’s where he got that from! I knew it sounded familiar!” The group laughed as they then followed Sam out of the room and back to her bedroom window. Donnie put the coordinates into the GPS tracker he pulled from one of his tons of pockets, and once Sam was settled comfortably on Mikey’s back, the group took off.

*9:00p.m. Schimunek Cemetery* Themes: BTS-Butterfly Prologue Ver. Skrux-Being Human ft. Mona Moua TOP-Hi Haruka

Sam walked forward towards the ten graves in front of her, talking to each one and updating them on her daily life. “Annyeong haseyo (hello) Mr. and Mrs. Park. I know, I’m pissed that he’s not here tonight either, but sadly things happen. I’ll make sure to bring him here as soon as possible though. *sigh* it’s not easy watching over him, especially when he’s never home, but I’m doing my best to take care of him so that you two can rest peacefully. Ugh, he’s so annoying though. He’s like way to over protective sometimes, but hey that just means you raised him right.” She put her hands over the two plaques and gave them a small smile. “I miss you two. I got to know you the least out of the group, but in a long, long time, when I’m old and gray, I’ll get my chance to reconnect with you. Take care of yourselves until then.” She then moved over to another two graves. “Same thing to you two. Heh, it’s funny. I think Jay is stricter than you two, but when I think back to it, he always watched how you guys parented us and I think he started acting like my older brother way before he even realized it, so you guys just sat back and let Jay yell at us instead” she said with a small laugh. “It’s weird, you never think you’d miss arguing with your parents until you’re never able to anymore. I love you guys, and I know that there’s day where my behavior probably makes you roll over in your graves, so I’ll make sure to take better care of myself for your sakes, and then you can yell at me again for my past behaviors when I join you guys, a lonnnnnnnng time from now.” She then stood up from those two plaques and walked over to the last 6. “And then there’s you guys. Well first of all, you!” she said as she pointed to one of the plaques, “you little shit! Na neun dang sin e hwaga! (I’m mad at you).                                                                       What the hell was with you making me see you a few weeks ago at the basketball game?! Oh hey Amber *turning peacefully to face another gave* I finally started learning the rules to play basketball, you would have loved that, but YOU! *pointing back to the original grave* was that supposed to be your way of sending me a sign that you’re still with me? Sim gag ha ge? (Seriously?) Aish, couldn’t you be more subtle like Chuck? He led me back to his sai, and man I never thought I was going to see that thing ever again, but hey he led me back to it! But nooooooo, ani ani, (no, no) you had to be typical ole Brian and be as complicated as possible. Tsk, tsk. Chuck is younger than you, yet again he used his head more than you did.” She then put her hands behind her head as tears began to slowly fill her eyes. “But knowing you, you’ve probably wanted to do that for a long time now, you were just waiting for the right moment. *sniff* you waited until I had the support I would need in order to see you again. *sniff* I know you all set me up. I’ve never cared about make-up, but Haley and Jamie, somehow you got me hooked on loving nail polish. Like I don’t care about anything make-up wise, but god damn I love nail polish, and what are the odds that there would be an ad for new high tech glasses in the window of a make-up store? And then I’m sure Amber and Nick were the ones who decided I should see Brian at a basketball game, since that was always both of your favorite sports. And of course Chuck, you led me back to your weapon. That one’s just too much of a coincidence. Heh, all this time you guys really were looking out for me. Like, I’m actually happy again because of where you led me. Hey asshole, I found another antique nerd, and thanks for teaching me how to cook. Thanks to you I’m actually able to teach others to cook now to. And Nick, I found another hot head just like you, and even better, he’s a workout-aholic just like you to. And for the girls who were also the academic nerds, I found literally the nerdiest person in the world. You would have had a field day studying with this guy, and I’m sure you’d be learning as much information from him as your brains could possibly hold. And Chuck, I found someone who fights with the same weapon as you. Like seriously he fights so well with his nunchucks that I honestly don’t know which of you two would win……I miss you all so much.” With that, Sam brought her hand up to her mouth to try and hide the noises she made as she began sobbing. Her gaze was on the grave plaques in front of her as she spoke. “I know you all led me to these guys, and I love the new additions to my family…but still…bogo sip-eoyo. Hyeong je, ja mae. Saranghe (I miss you. Brothers, sisters. I love you). I miss you all so god damn much…” Sam then felt a hand on her shoulder and she could tell that it was Mikey who had walked over and was trying to silently comfort her. She could sense how much he was hurting as he just listened to his best friend breakdown into tears, and she held onto his hand as it continued to rest on her shoulder. “Some days are harder than others, but overall everything is better now. I have these guys, so everything is better now. I love you guys. Rest well, until the day where I’m able to goof off with all of you again.” Sam then turned around and basically walked into Mikey. It was her way of giving him the O.K. to take care of her, and he did just that as he quickly wrapped his arms around her, a few tears of his own slipping out. As Sam continued to let her friend hold her, not wanting him to let go, she sensed the other three walk past them and towards the graves. Sam never expected the turtles to talk to them, and it made her cry even more to hear their words. “Heh, I would have loved to have seen you kick butt kid. I saw the pictures of you holding your weapons, and geez for a little 10 year old you really looked badass. Would have loved to have met ya” Raph said as he stood in front of Chuck’s grave. “Thanks for being the reason I know how to cook” Leo chuckled as he stood in front of Brian’s grave, “you can teach me about your Korean culture and I’ll teach you about the Japanese, we’ll talk as we go antique shopping one day.” Donnie walked over towards the girls plaques. “If you ever have questions, one day I’ll tell you all the answers. Can’t wait to meet you at our study date” he said with a smile. “Heh, and one day we’ll challenge you two to a round of basketball” he said with a softmpH laugh as he then walked over towards Amber and Nick’s graves. Raph followed behind and looked down at Nick’s plaque. “So, I hear you’re a hot head, must mean you’re an attractive guy as well.” “Pffft!” Sam said as she covered her mouth as she tried to hide her laughter. Mikey smiled, happy to see his friend calming herself down and feel cheery again, while the others brothers rolled their eyes at Raph. “What’s important is that you don’t let your temper get in the way of taking care of your family, and it sounds like you always knew when to ignore that temper and when you needed to focus more on being a family provider, and for that you have my respect man” Raph said with a smile as he looked down at the plaque. As the brother’s continued to talk to the members of their friend’s family, Mikey slowly took his hands off of Sam and walked over and crouched down in front of Amber’s grave, placing a hand on it as he spoke. “I hear you’re the one who had the most personal influence on my best friend, that you’re the one who told her that she should be proud of the things she’s interested in, the way she likes to dress, things like that. Thank you, because I don’t know if we would be best friends if she wasn’t perfect the way she is. Thank you for encouraging her to be her. I know you all would rather be here to take care of her, and as much as I would miss her since we probably wouldn’t have ever met, I’d rather it be all of you here to take care of her as well. But, because of the cruel and strange paths this world has led us all down, it’s us who are watching her now and I swear on my life that we won’t let anything bad ever happen to her again. She’s with us now, and I promise that we’ll all take good care of her. Our families are one now, and we’ll make sure to keep it that way.” The four brother’s soon finished up with their words to the various family members, and soon it was time for all of them to head home. “Thanks again for this guys, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough for this” Sam said, wiping away the last of the stains from the tears that had finally cleared away. “That’s what family’s for” Raph said, gently nudging her shoulder. “Sooooooo?” Mikey asked with excitement. Sam rolled her eyes and smiled. “Yes, sleepover at my house.” “ALRIGHT! Let’s go!” Mikey said as he crouched down so that his friend could jump onto his back. She did so with glee and the energetic turtle sprinted off into the night. “Dibs on making breakfast!” Leo called out as he chased after them. Raph was about to run as well, but he saw Donnie staring off into space. “Dorkatello, you coming or what?” he said as he waved his hand in front of his brother’s face. Donnie blinked. “Hmm? Oh! Sorry, I was just thinking…” “Yeah?” Raph said, motioning for his brother to keep talking. “I wonder if Sam has any pictures of us, I mean she always has her phone with her whenever she hangs out with us. I just thought of something I could do if I got ahold of those pictures.” Raph smiled, knowing his brother was coming up with a heartfelt idea. But for now he just wanted to get home and worry about hanging out with his family, and with that the final two members of the group ran off and quickly joined the others.

*Thursday, July 31st. down in the lair*

April was heading down to the lair. She had no idea what was going on, but she was told to meet everyone in the living room, so that’s where she was heading. Just then, she heard footsteps quickly coming up behind her. “APRIL! Glad you could make it!” Sam shouted after running up and then jumping in front of her friend. “Sam, I see you’re energetic as always” she said with a chuckle. The two walked together towards the lair, a route that they now both knew like the back of their hands. “Hehe, sorry. Coach has had us doing all types of crazy intense drills, so I’ve been drinking both water bottles and Gatorade, but the jug ran out today since there was a complication with the water fountains at the park, so I’ve been drinking my sugary sports drinks.” “They’re sugary drinks that are meant for athletes though, right?” “Yes, but they’re as bad as candy if you drink them and then don’t exercise right after. I basically drank a full bottle, and then coach decided to be nice and let us end practice early, so I’m JAM PACKED WITH ENERGY!” the girl exclaimed. “Oh I’m sure Mikey will love that, since you’re his energetic competition.”

After a couple more minutes, the girls finally entered the lair. The turtles and Splinter were all relaxing by the television, except for Raph and Mikey that is, who were once again wrestling with each other. Raph won this time, and Mikey was shoved backwards, falling onto his back and right at Sam’s feet as she entered the room. “Wow, I’m embarrassed to call you my teacher, tsk tsk” she said, mockingly shaking her head. Mikey ignored this and instead focused on the fact that his best friend had arrived earlier than expected. “Sam! You’re not supposed to be here” he said as he held his arm up. “I see I’ve been missed” she teased, walking around and reaching down and helping pull her friend up off the floor. “HAHA. You know what I meant” he replied as he was quickly pulled off the ground thanks to both of their strength. April looked at the younger girl in shock. She knew that Sam had some muscle to her, but seeing Sam’s muscles bulge like that when helping her much larger friend off the ground was a bit intimidating. She hadn’t even flinched or lost her balance in any way when helping him either, she had truly used her muscle to help Mikey get up, and to April that was incredible for a girl of her age and size to be able to do that. She was even more shocked that this must have become a routine sight for the others since no one brought it to light. “Why are you here so early?” Leo asked as he stood up from the couch. “Coach was ever so kind and let us leave practice early. He wanted us to relax some before we leave, since our practices up until Monday when the tournament begins are going to be a bitch.” “Samantha” Splinter groaned. “Language, right. Sorry Sensei, hehe” she said nervously. “Alright! Everyone’s here, so let’s show them what we’ve been working on!” Mikey exclaimed, racing out of the living room and into the sewer ways. “This better be worth my time” Raph groaned as he also got up and off of the couch. “Don’t worry, you’re knitting needles will be here when you get back” Sam said, cupping her cheeks like she was staring at a little baby. “Heh, you weren’t teasing me when you couldn’t fix your pants. In fact, from what I remember, you made them worse” Raph stated, crossing his arms over his chest. “That…is a very good point. I’ll use this motivation tactic instead” she said as she motioned to slap him, but at the last second missed on purpose, but it was still enough to tick him off. “Aww Sam, you forgot that that makes him freeze up. Now we have to wait another five minutes for him to move” Donnie teased, punching his brother in the arm. That added fuel to the fire. Sam and Donnie fist bumped and the two took off, Raph chasing them from behind. Leo and Splinter rolled their eyes as April laughed. “Huh, so that’s what energy drinks do to Sam.” “Yeah, and that’s what an energetic Sam does to Donnie” Leo sighed. “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy this my son” Splinter stated with a smirk. Leo shrugged with a smile on his face. “Well, having them around does keep one on their toes.”

The remaining three left through the exit right by the t.v. and went straight down a hallway and then made a right. They found the others, and somehow Raph had all three in a headlock, until Sam squirmed her way out. By then she had seen the last three join them and called a truce. “You don’t get to just magically call truce! That’s not how it works!” Raph shouted. “I’m leaving later this afternoon, so it’s my rules!” Sam shouted with a wicked grin. “Bullshit!” “Raphael! Language!” Splinter yelled. “Sorry Sensei” Raph groaned. “OW!” Raph felt a slight pain in his right hand and looked up at Sam who had just swung her leg up and kicked his right hand. She shrugged. “Sorry dude, you were killing your brothers there.” Raph then realized that he had never let his brothers out of their headlocks and that he had unintentionally been suffocating them. “Oops, my bad” he said nervously. “Can you tell us why we’re all here now?” Leo asked, a bit annoyed. He had better things to do than to just watch everyone fight each other all day. “Yes! Mikey, do you want to explain or should I?” Sam asked. “Oh I’ll do it!” He then ran over towards where the opening is. “Family members, when you look at this wall, what do you see?” he asked, making weird hand gestures the whole time he talked. “GET ON WITH IT!” Raph yelled. “I’m getting some signals from the audience that I should speed things up, so I’ll tell you now that this is not just a wall, but” he then kicked down the space where the duo had carefully placed the loose bricks, “a doorway.” The other brother’s eyes went wide, not expecting the bricks to just collapse the way they did. Donnie, who was always the first one to question any situation and want to learn about its details as soon as possible, was the first to run through the doorway and see what was inside. He was shocked to see a basketball hoop a few more feet above the top of the entry way and that the rest of the room was made of smooth and solid concrete. Raph walked in behind him, and his eyes trailed over to the giant blow up obstacle course that was on the other side of the room. Splinter and April entered the room next, and they were shocked, spinning in circles as they realized how large this room truly was. Finally, Leo walked in, and the first thing he noticed was the second doorway all the way at the near left corner of the room. He then walked over there and his jaw dropped as he saw the well put together skate park that had been built inside the room, with a rock wall that scaled all along the left side of the wall. The rest of the family followed soon after, each of them displaying similar facial expressions as Leo had. “Oh my god there’s another one?” Donnie questioned as he then jogged over to another entry way in the nearest left corner of that room. As he then entered that last room, he was completely mind blown to see that this room was obviously the largest of the three, and that there was a very short go-kart track AND actual go-karts in this room, and then on the far side of that room were some batting cages and of course one shooting cage with a goal where Sam could practice her shots as well, and all along the wall straight ahead and even in front of it were tons of trampoline squares. “My children…how did you ever discover all of this?” Splinter asked in amazement. “Heh, I guess I should thank Leo for sending me to the Hashi” Sam teased, leaning on Leo. He pursed his lips together and looked down at her. “I’m sorry, what?” “Remember? I lost my race with Raph, so you sent me to the Hashi to do…splits” she whispered with a shudder. “That still doesn’t explain all this” he said, shooting her a confused look. “My legs felt like noodles afterwards, and when I went to lean against the wall for support, the wall gave out. I introduced my discovery to Mikey a few days later and we got to work, and this is the final product. Took us roughly two months, but totally worth every second of time spent working on this project” Sam said, nodding in approval of what she and her friend had created. “This…this is actually...pretty incredible” Raph said in amazement. “Heh, I guess someone” April said as she ruffled Sam’s hair “finally told Mikey that you guys live underneath an amusement park.” “How long were you guys going to hide that from me?!” Mikey exclaimed. “Oh you would have been begging for us to take you up there every second of every day and you know it” Leo called out. Mikey paused, and then nodded with a smile, finding it funny how well his brothers knew him.

Themes: Kelly Clarkson-Heartbeat Song Tim Berg-Seek Bromance Martin Garrix-Pizza Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson-Just Hold On Boys Like Girls-The Great Escape

“Soooo, are we going to test this stuff out or not?” April asked, actually very excited to join her family in these activities. She then felt Sam pulling in her arm. “Great question! We’ll answer that by having a race!” Sam led April back towards the first of the three rooms where the blow up obstacle course was. The course consisted of a large round opening you had to pass through, then there were a few green inflatable pillars you had to push through, then there were three yellow inflatable beams you had to either jump or crawl through, and then to finish you had to climb up an inflatable rock wall with small red squares until you reached the top where you would then slide back down to the other side. Splinter leaned against the wall and watched as the ‘children’ got ready to race each other. “Hajime!” he called out, and the race began. April, Leo, and Raph made up one team, and Donnie, Mikey, and Sam made up the other. Donnie dived into the opening of the course, whereas April climbed over, knowing she would flop on her face if she tried diving like that. As the two then started pushing their way through the pillars, Mikey and Leo began their part of the race, both diving through the opening…and getting stuck due to their large sizes. Donnie was already too far ahead to come back and help, so Sam real quick jumped over top and helped pull Mikey through. Luckily Leo was able to pull himself through in time, and Raph quickly climbed over top. Sam dived out, and then dived back through the opening. She tried to get up as quickly as possible, not that it mattered though since Mikey had tackled Leo where the pillars were, and there was no way to get past them. To everyone’s shock, April had come back and pushed Mikey off of Leo. Leo was able to move through quickly, so Sam started kicking the pillars towards Raph in attempt to slow him down. Mikey was then able to squeeze by, but then Raph threw his weight onto the pillars and was now using them to pin Sam down. She tried to call for help, but she was laughing too much to succeed in doing so. Meanwhile, Donnie and April were working on passing through the inflatable beams. April and Sam were the only ones who were thin enough to climb through them with ease, so while April did so, Donnie leap and cannon balled onto the other side. April lost her balance and fell down thanks to the ground moving so much after Donnie landing his canon ball. “Tch, ninjas” April teased. She then felt herself being lifted up as Mikey, carefully, lifted her up and tossed her back over the beams where she had originally started climbing through. “Wow, that’s messed up!” she called out with a smile as Mikey laughed from the other side. Leo then came forward and kneeled down and cupped his hands together. April nodded and stepped up, and that quickly she had been lifted back over to the other side, and Leo leaped over behind her not long after. “Climb on?” Leo asked, not wanting to force April into doing what he wanted, but more so wanting to hint that if she wanted to win then climbing on his back and letting him climb for two would help put them in the lead. “Heck yeah” she said, and she quickly climbed onto his back. By the time Donnie was halfway up the wall, Leo had already caught up with him, and with April on his back, they were now two people ahead of the other group. “Tch, ninjas” Mikey and Donnie teased simultaneously. At the end of the race, Raph had eventually run away from a pinned down Sam and tried to leap over the beams, but Sam was quick and had dived through as he was leaping over. They both started making their way up the wall, until Sam had swung her leg over and knocked Raph down. He stood back up and shook his head with a smile. “Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be? Two can play at that game.” He jumped up and grabbed onto Sam, pulling her down with him. She tried to stand back up and catch up, but it was hard to catch her footing when the course kept moving so much, that and she was still smiling a lot which made it harder to see through her squinted laughing vision. She saw Raph climbing quickly, but what neither of them had seen was Mikey who had been hiding out at the top of the slide, waiting for his friend to catch up. As Raph neared the top of the wall, Mikey grabbed his brothers wrists and gave him a wicked smile while shouting “long live the king!” and then threw Raph’s wrists back and away from the wall. Sam swung to the side so that Raph couldn’t pull her down with him, and then grabbed onto the arm that was now leaning down in front of her. Mikey quickly but carefully pulled and swung her up and Sam slid right on down the slide with Michelangelo right behind her. Seconds later Raph slid down behind them. “I hate to admit it, but that was clever” he said as he threw an arm around his baby brother’s shoulder. “I have my moments” Mikey said with pride.

After a few more rounds of this, the group then decided to head over to where the go-karts were. The track wasn’t that long and basically just went around in a giant circle, but it was also a slick track, making it twice as fun as a regular course. Sam and Mikey had taken all the go-karts they could get their hands on from the old amusement park area and were lucky enough to get their hands on about 10 cars. Everyone got into their cars and once the girls got their hair tied back they all started to drive. Sam and Mikey knew how to use the slick track, so as soon as they got to that first curve they turned hard and made their cars turn completely around. This was fun for them, but it threw everyone else off guard. Donnie didn’t want to hit Mikey head on and when he turned he slid a bit towards where the trampolines were. “Geez Donnie learn how to drive” Mikey teased as he started to drive away. Donnie got his car back on track and zoomed away to catch up to his brother. By that time Leo and Raph had also figured out how to make their cars spin the same way, and it soon became a competition to see who could cut others off the most. Raph sped up and was about to twist and turn right in front of Sam which would have made her have to try and drive around him, but April suddenly appeared and, unintentionally, cut him off instead. “Sorry!” April called out as she covered her mouth in a playfully apologetic way, laughing the entire time. “You’re gonna pay for that” Raph said as he pointed towards her, pretending to act serious, though he couldn’t hide his smile. Just then, Mikey drove up and parked his kart in front of Raph. “Now’s your chance, escape angel cakes!” he shouted. April laughed as she sped away, and Raph was left to figure out how to get around Mikey. Every time Raph backed up, so did Mikey. Raph waited until Leo came around and then sped up alongside his elder brother, and this time it was he who got stuck behind Mikey, and Raph was free. Leo looked at Mikey and the two nodded before speeding away and trying to catch up with Raph, hoping to once again cut him off and then get back in the lead. The three then had to come to a stop as they came across three karts side by side. Somehow, Sam and April had sandwiched Donnie in between them, and he was struggling to get past him. “Come on Don! You’re blocking the road!” Mikey called out. “Well you’re the one who blocked the road earlier when messing with Raph, and then I got stuck here!” “Beep beep I’m a jeep!” Mikey exclaimed as he carefully hit the back of Sam’s kart. “Hey! The sign says no bumping!” Sam said with a smile. “Go forth brother!” Mikey shouted, and that fast Donnie was speeding away. “Sam, you let your guard down!” April called out. Soon after, Raph and Leo sped by and turned just in time to just miss hitting April’s kart. “Excuse me!” “Coming through!” they shouted.

The group continued on with this for a little while longer until the karts soon began to run out of gas. Sam’s was the first to go, so she carefully parked her kart where it belonged, unbuckled herself, and then ran over towards the trampolines. She then ran over to Splinter who had been leaning along the wall happily watching his family. “Come on Sensei, even you can jump on a trampoline” she said with a smile. Splinter nodded his head and took his time walking after the girl who had excitedly ran away to the trampolines. Sam and Mikey had laid out the trampolines so that it looked like a section from a modern day Skyzone. Sam began jumping as high as she could and start hopping down the line of trampolines. Splinter was careful when walking onto the trampolines, but once he started bouncing, he too wanted to see how high he could go. He was soon startled by Donatello who sporadically leapt onto the trampoline in front of his father (after carefully putting his kart away of course). “Whoa, this is awesome!” he said as he practically soared above the other two. He was already the tallest of the group and the trampolines were just making him even taller. “Hehe, careful my son” the old rat chuckled, happy to see his sons kick back and have some fun. “Samantha, what does this higher trampoline do?” Splinter asked as he pointed to the slightly inclined trampoline that reached up higher along the wall. “It’s used for this” she said as she jumped high up and onto the sideways trampoline which then launched her outwards and back onto her original space. “That’s nothing, watch this!” Mikey shouted. He ran over and leapt up, and soon after he hopped down towards Sam he did the same thing, but he did a backwards flip and landed on his shell on the sideways trampoline, and then flipped forwards so that he was standing on his feet again. “Nice!” Sam said, giving him a high five. “Help me up” April said to Mikey. He carefully walked along the side cushions to where she was and carefully helped lift her up to where the trampolines were. Leo and Raph soon joined the group as well, and then everybody was bouncing on the trampolines. Sam was bouncing next to Mikey when she decided it was time to mess with her best friend. “Hey Mikey” Sam called out. “Yeah?” As he turned around to face her, Sam had already jumped up high and bounced off the inclined trampoline and then launched herself onto her friend, tackling them both onto the trampoline he was standing on. “Ha! That’s for making us lose Donnie earlier!” “I’ll avenge you Mikey!” Donnie said as he started bouncing over towards where the other two were. “Gotta catch me first!” Sam called as she went to do a backflip…and failed epically. “Nope” she said as she soon flopped onto her back. When she looked up, Donatello was already standing beside her. “Well, I think Mikey’s been avenged” he teased as he held his hand out to help her up. “Heh that looks fun” Raph said as he then did the exact same thing Sam had done to Michelangelo. “Ughhhh come on dude, why is everyone after me today?” Mikey groaned. “Lameeeee!” Sam called out. “Come up with some original material.” “You mean like that back flip you just did?” Raph mocked. “Hey, at least it was original” she shrugged. “Can you actually do a backflip?” Leo asked. Sam paused, trying to think back to the last time she had ever completed one. “Honestly, I have no idea. I learned how to complete one, but that was a decent ways back.” “Lesson time!” Donnie called out. Each of the guys took turns demonstrating how to complete a backflip, and then it was Sam’s turn to try again. “Remember, you have to let your body flow with the movements” Leo stated. Mikey was on standby in case Sam looked like she was falling at an angle that could harm her as she landed, and it’s a good thing he stood where he did. Once Sam had gotten high enough off the ground, she went to flip her body backwards, but she tried moving backwards after she had reached her highest point rather than when she was still rising into the air, and because of this she was about to land right on her head, but Mikey caught her mistake and jumped across and caught her in time. As soon as he landed Sam was already trying to get back into position so that she could try again. “You’re welcome” Mikey said sarcastically. Sam then turned back towards him and clapped her hands together in front of her, almost like she was about to bow to an elder. “Thank you so very much Michelangelo for not letting me fall to my doom.” “Much better! And you’re welcome” he said with a smile. Sam then started bouncing again, and this time she started her backflip at the right moment, and she landed perfectly on her feet. Sam then turned towards April, since she thought she hadn’t teased her enough tonight. “Come on April, now it’s your turn!” “Not a chance” April said bluntly. “Awww come on, you’re surrounded by a bunch of ninjas! You should learn some moves. Like hey here’s an easy one” Sam said as she bounced really high onto the angled trampoline and then quickly forced herself downward at an angle as she tackled Raph to the ground. Raph growled as he then chased after a laughing Sam. “Yeah that’s a great move to learn, you know, if I wanted to die today” April said with a sarcastic expression, shaking her head at the crazy teen as she watched her get caught, picked up, and then tossed onto the angled trampoline by Raphael. “You know, these trampolines actually make it a bit easier to learn some already simple moves” Donnie said as he faced April. “*sigh* alright, teach me something simple” April said as she stood up. “Front roll!” Sam called out as she then provided an example of how to do so on the longer trampoline strip. She accidentally leaped back upwards a bit too forcefully though, and then accidentally tackled Leo. She pursed her lips together, wondering how he would react. He stared at her with a blank expression and calmly yet sternly said “run.” Sam’s eyes went wide as she then scrambled (laughing all the way) as far away from Leo as she could get. As Donnie and Mikey began teaching April how to do a basic frontwards roll, Leo ran up to and then (with just enough force) slammed Sam into the angled trampoline, and then pinned her to the ground on her stomach once they both landed on the ground trampoline. “Okay, okay you win!” she laughed out. “Oh I got it!” April called out as she then demonstrated a frontwards roll all by herself and then stood up with her arms in the air, just like a professional gymnast. “Heh, nice” Leo said with a smile. “I wouldn’t know, I can’t see!” Sam said as she was laying on her stomach and her head was turned in the opposite direction as Leo still had her pinned down. As Leo laughed and let her back up, she did however see Mikey throw his arm around April’s shoulder as he also congratulated her on quickly learning the move. This made Sam feel a bit odd, since she was used to Mikey acting that way towards her and she wasn’t used to seeing him act that way towards others, but she also knew that all the brothers were as close with her as they were with April, and she also knew that all the brothers had been teasing her and acting playfully towards her as well, so she shrugged it off and thought she was just being silly. “Um Samantha, your bag is glowing” Splinter said. Sam looked over against the opposite wall and saw in her bag was a glowing light, which meant that Jay was calling her. Sam ran over and answered the call, and as soon as she hung up she was throwing her bag over her back. “Leaving already? It’s only 7:30” Raph stated. “Yeah, I have to wake up early tomorrow morning. Jay wants to beat the heavy traffic as we head to the tournament tomorrow. It’s in Maryland so it’s not too far away from here, but he also wants me to relax in the hotel some before I go through my crazy trainings.” “When do those start?” Leo asked. “5:00p.m. tomorrow, and if coach finds out that you purposefully missed out, then he’s benching you for as long as he can.” “Then you best leave now my child and get a good night’s rest to prepare for the long busy days ahead” Splinter said. “Got it Sensei, see you later guys! Remember to look for the game on the television!” Sam said as she started running out of the room. “You better kick butt or else we don’t know you anymore!” Raph called out. “Dedicate your wins to your best friend!” Mikey shouted.

*Minutes later above ground*

Sam was now above ground and arrived at the spot where she and Jay agreed to meet. She spotted his car and ran over and quickly hopped into the passenger’s seat. “How goes things my brotha from another…Jay?” Sam asked, quickly changing her energetic and excited expression to one of worry and concern. The way Jay was gripping onto the steering wheel made it seem like he thought letting it go would lead to the car falling apart. He was sweating, and his tan skin now looked much lighter and pale. “Jay…what’s wrong?” Sam asked calmly. He started hyperventilating as he began to speak. “There’s…there’s some things I need to tell you, and how you react to them is your decision. Please just know that I never meant to hurt you or anyone else and I’ve always loved and tried my best to protect you and everyone else in our family.” “You’re scaring me” Sam stated. “Are we under attack?” “In a sense. Don’t worry the cars not bugged, but there’s a lot that I need to tell you. If you hate me afterwards, well, I don’t blame you. But I’m giving you the option to act however you would like to after I tell you this, okay?” “Yeah…okay…”

Jay then told Sam a lot of news that shocked her and shook her to her core. She felt hurt and she was pissed, but she knew none of it was her brother’s fault, and this is what affected her final decision. She told Jay what she wanted to do and the two drove away, not realizing how much these decisions would change everyone’s lives.

 Author’s Note: I’m so very sorry to anyone who might be upset with me using Romanized terms for the Korean words instead of using Hangul characters. It’s easier for me to add in the English letters than the Korean ones. If this upsets anyone then I truly am sorry because I know using Romanized characters to communicate is frowned upon by many, for typing purposes it was just much simpler for me. Also, if any of the terms are not 110% correct than again I’m truly sorry. I used a couple translating websites because as much as I want to one day learn this beautiful language I sadly do not speak it. Like it’s literally on my bucket list and so is visiting South Korea, and not just the city of Seoul, though I would love to visit there for a while. Again, if any of this upsets anyone then I truly am sorry, but I love the idea of my white American female character knowing more than one language and the idea of her mixed family and I feel like ideas like this should be incorporated into modern television shows and movies more often, and this was one of my ways of doing so. Anyway, overall I hope everyone understands and enjoyed the chapter!

[fakesam]

Madden 18′s Story Mode Has Aged Poorly

Of all the bizarre plot twists 2017 has thrown at us, the NFL becoming a battleground in the political discourse is… actually pretty low on the list. It’s been that kind of year. But it is still very weird. The Cheeto-in-Chief has made a habit out of picking nonsensical fights, spewing vitriol in the direction of everyone who dares to disagree with his agenda. The spray-tanned septic tank had bleated his displeasure about exiled quarterback Colin Kaepernick before,an easy appeal to his supporters to whom an admonishment of a dissenting minority is a reinforcement of national values. To love this country is to accept the word of our tiny-handed fascist wannabe unquestionably, accepting his every word without discerning between facts and the ramblings of an elderly hate-filled loon.

The Kaepernick “issue” had already been made inert anyway. Colin Kaepernick has yet to, and likely won’t ever be, signed by a NFL team despite relatively impressive numbers on a bad 49ers team, almost assuredly due to his insistence that unarmed black people shouldn’t end up dead after encounters with the police as often as they do in this country. America’s problems with race have been embedded in the core of this nation from the very beginning, but avoiding difficult, self-examining questions about itself is America’s most unshakeable habit. The dozens of videos revealing needless violence against citizens at the hands of their alleged protectors should speak for themselves, and yet the societal uproar over a person kneeling during the anthem often sounds louder than the cries from black people pleading for the establishment to give the slightest fuck about this civil injustice, at least in certain circles. Every argument against Kaepernick - that he’d be a distraction, that you’d have to rebuild an offense to suit him, that he’s somehow worse than Blake Bortles,Josh McCown, or Andy Dalton - wilts under the slightest whiff of scrutiny. But much of the furore over his unemployment had subsided, given way to disappointed acceptance by an industry that is much more comfortable exchanging takes of various temperatures anyway. The league’s stance is clear. Domestic abusers will receive second chances, someone who becomes the symbol for increased civil engagement in sports will not. Cool.

And then White Patriarchy Incarnate referred to Kaepernick, and all players who follow his lead, as sons of bitches at a rally in Alabama supporting Roy Moore, a probable child molestor.

This rash disparagement led to a spirit-lifting dragging session led by Lebron James, and galvanized dozens more football players to voice their opinions on the state of the country, forcing the sports media machine to bring potentially awkward race debates to the willfully ignorant. The death of sports as an apolitical sanctuary away from the rest of the world is a necessary one. To many, watching sports has been the primary escape hatch from the suffocating news cycle where you could just have fun, try to win a fantasy league, and not think about the crumbling state of society. This was always a false comfort, an illusion for people who have the luxury of not worrying about how the new regime might seismically reconfigure your daily life. The national anthem and the co-opting of patriotic symbols was a choice (It’s not a coincidence that the NBA and NFL’s official logs are utilize a red, white, and blue colorway.). Taxpayer money is used to build stadiums because no one needs financial help more than billionaires. Sports are still the most foolproof way for poorer people to break through the increasingly reinforced glass ceiling of class stratification. It’s all been there, it was just easier to look past before the last year happened. The commotion has died down again, but the impact is long-lasting. In spite of everything, Colin Kaepernick still won.

This is not the world Electronic Arts planned on entering, but it was a motivating factor for me to watch a playthrough of Madden NFL 18’s new single player mode. (Money’s tight and I don’t want to put money in the NFL’s pocket. Still think my opinion is valid.) Longshot tells the story of Devin Wade, a prodigious quarterback talent that loses his way after the death of his father, played by Mahershala Ali. The addition has received plenty of praise in reviews, mostly for the portrayal of the friendship between Devin and his ride-or-die best friend, Colt Cruise, natural and lifelike even as the tension between them becomes strained and tightened by their situations. There are several character moments that I found really endearing. But the further I got into the story, the more difficult it became to view the narrative through the lens of its creators, divorced from the controversial reality that has forever warped the NFL’s image.

Longshot was clearly made by diehard football fans - the phrase “football is family” is uttered by a character at one point -, but the ways it glosses over the problematic elements of the game to focus on football’s tendency to self-mythologize is the large elephant in the room. Football is seemingly the only source of happiness for these people, except for perhaps the lovably villainous slimeball executive running the show who is attracted to the money and high ratings that come from a connection to America’s favorite game. High school football games are the main event in this small Texas town, with and Wade and Cruise’s past triumphs easily recalled by them and their less athletic friends. There’s a visit to a military base for Wade and his crew, reinforcing the strange relationship between the NFL and the armed forces. This exaltation of football culture feels misleading in this climate. Devin Wade’s inner torment over the death of his parents is mostly left offscreen, framing sporting success as his only salvation. What Longshot does decide to depict traffics in tired stereotypes that should’ve went extinct years ago.

It’s established early on that Devin Wade is a superstar talent who was destined to make it to the NFL if not for his breakdown while at Texas. But it also makes it clear that he is the least knowledgeable football person in the game by a distance. He doesn’t know how to direct an offense, read formations, or even the most basic levels of game theory. It defies belief that a dude who doesn’t know that running on second and one is the smartest play for an offense is some unpolished diamond with the capacity for greatness. Longshot plays into this depressingly persistent idea that black quarterbacks, without proper teaching and moulding from coaching staffs - staffs who tend to be overwhelmingly white - are nothing but imprecise flourishes of talent, succeeding in spite of their lack of intelligence because of their “natural talent”.

Black people make up most of the NFL’s population, but the sight of a black QB is still incredibly rare. The position sits atop the highest pedestal in the game, with its occupants expected to be the leader and face of their franchises. America’s reticence to progress could only lead to one conclusion. This is a direct quote from Warren Moon, the first black quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, via The Undefeated:

“Despite the fact that there were a lot of African-Americans playing in the National Football League in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, there was a stereotype that we weren’t capable of succeeding at certain positions. If you played those positions in college and you got drafted, you knew you were probably going to get moved in the NFL. Supposedly, we weren’t smart enough or had the leadership qualities or whatever it took. At every position, for African-Americans, conquering that myth at quarterback was so important.”

The stereotype is slowly eroding, although after seeing the flak Cam Newton caught in the past for celebrating himself and Colin Kaepernick got for speaking out, it’s clear that flagrant displays of confidence from black people still stirs up some uneasiness. It’s likely a mistake of oversight rather than malevolence. I don’t believe that the writers of Longshot had designs on making the one living black character in the game to be so dumb because he’s black. But when you create a story that uses sports movie cliches as a launching point, the origins of those cliches should be scrutinized.

EA’s workaround for Wade’s airheadedness is to allow his supporting cast to shape him however they see fit. Devin Wade has very little autonomy once he begins to practice with retired coach Jack Ford, a man who initially objected to Wade’s progression through the TV show, after failing to convince the higher-ups that another qb contestant was a better candidate (The tv exec overruled him because Wade would draw more viewers.). Wade’s rough edges eventually push the coach to the brink of quitting, only to be convinced to keep working with him by Cruise, who was brought up to help speed up the learning process. Wade’s lack of polish is a longstanding issue, he explains, and the duo work together simplifying the playbook to fit Wade’s skillset through an all-night montage, without any input from the star of the show. His success is only possible due to the machinations of his white cohorts working behind his back.

Everything falls into place after that. Wade’s prospects pick up after that, as the coach-player duo resolve their differences and truly become a team in order to progress through the show, the final test being a televised scrimmage against NFL washouts. Next comes the draft, the results of which are predicated on your performance during drills and some of your dialogue choices in conversations. Either way, both of them make it onto a roster. The ending of Longshot makes it clear that a sequel with the same characters is in play. I would be curious to see where Devin Wade’s life goes from here. This is the first time Electronic Arts has written a narrative for their football game, so growing pains are to be expected. While the business partnership with the NFL potentially complicates the scope of the story, I hope we see more of the issues complicit with Wade’s job now that he’s made it to the league. It’s not like they’re going away anytime soon.

[pinkiepieaddict]

5G Madness

So … this week I came back from visiting with relatives in California -Which is officially the craziest state in the union, edging out Florida by a wide margin – but rather than coming back to some normalcy I found yet more craziness in the form of our townie population. Albeit in the form of the townie adults, rather their children. Apparently, somebody let the townies loose on Youtube without the content filter on, and one of them found a video about the supposed dangers of 5G wireless. Panic quickly spread, and they called a town hall meeting (In our town, these are very literal meeting held in our very literal town hall). And, as a member of the eco-village management committee (My family provided a lot of the sustainable technology in it, so we get two seats on the committee, as we're in charge of fixing it if it breaks), I was called upon to go listen to their nonsense. Anywho, the townies were worried that the new 5G masts set up down by the river were having an adverse effect on people. Since they were installed their kids were getting more coughs and colds. The ones with allergies were getting worse allergies, and the ones who suffered from depression, anxiety or hyperactivity (Seemingly about 80% of them) were getting more depressed, anxious, or hyperactive. The townies also noticed that their pets had started acting strangely. Some ran away and never came back, others became listless, or acted like they had cabin fever. Plus a whole load of other things. Right about now, you probably have a couple of questions. Firstly, why does a small town in the backwaters of Michigan have a shiny new 5G network, when big cities are only just putting them in? Secondly, why are the new masts going in down by the river. Where our strict flood prevention ordinances prohibit the building of most residential and commercial properties? Well … this second thing is the clue. We don’t have any 5G masts. What we do have are water level sensors. Designed to warn us when the water levels are dangerously high. Believe it or not, it took a full two and a half hours for myself and three other members of the eco-village management committee, the sheriff, the mayor, and the entire town land management committee to get them to see sense. And even then we couldn’t get through to all of them. Pretty much the first hurdle that we met was that most of the townies didn’t seem to understand what a water level indicator actually was, and even when we told them they didn’t understand why we needed them. Somebody actually stood up and called BS, saying that they simply didn’t believe that a town with no history of flooding would spend so much money on flood detection system. From here we had to explain that we made it very clear to anybody thinking of moving here that we do indeed have a flooding problem. It was in all of the promotional material that people get before they apply for residence. It’s why all of the houses in the eco-village have their porches raised up, and all of their entrances up a flight of steps to the second floor. It’s why all of the basements come with with built in water pumps. It’s also why the sheriff periodically comes round and tells people in no uncertain terms that they can’t fill in the storm water drains on their land in order to extend their lawns. Once we’d gotten that across, we had to explain that the sensors themselves don’t use 5G connections. In fact they only use 2G. The signal travels further and requires less power. That took about 20 minutes to explain on its own. After this things kinda descended into a mire of conspiracies and urban legends. With several of the townies arguing vociferously that we were all part of some grand government project to expose them to 5G signals. Though none of them could quite agree on why we might want to expose them to the signals, or why a town with so many people who were arming themselves in preparation for a government takeover would side with said government. As with their kids, the townies didn’t seem to understand most of what they were talking about. They didn’t understand the science, and they couldn’t call upon any actual facts. They also seemed to depend entirely on information that they read on social media, or watched on Youtube videos. Sources, which I may add, were extremely light on science and facts themselves. As a prepper, I usually try to keep ahead of the curve when it comes to conspiracies and controversies involving things like 5G. After all, it pays to know what you need to prep against, and what is just scaremongering that you can safely ignore. I’m by no means an expert on 5G technology, but I know enough of the science to hold my own in an open debate with somebody who isn’t a physics grad, and I know enough about the various conspiracies out there to explain how easily debunkable most of them are (For a start, most occur in areas where there was never a 5G signal to begin with). But as the old saying goes, you can’t argue with stupid. And there was a LOT of stupid in the hall that night. And it was exceedingly difficult to argue with. Especially when you had to try to explain advanced concepts to people who didn’t seem to get the basic ones (Like, there being no 5G masts in town). It was somewhat unnerving that was being put in a position where I had to be the adult in the room where so many of the actual adult in the room were spouting the same kind of nonsense that you’d expect from their children. It was also somewhat unnerving that I – a person who comes from a family that hoards supplies with the specific aim of surviving anything from a zombie plague to the declaration of martial law – was having to explain to somebody that they were coming across as being a paranoid wacko. After the first hour and a half, we managed to get through to most people that we didn’t have any 5G masts. Which then lead on to the other problem. If 5G masts weren’t effecting their kids, what was? Now, my personal view was that everything that they were seeing was a combination of parental paranoia and over protective helicopter parenting: Essentially, that they were screwing their own kids up through their incessant worrying and interference in their lives. But that’s not something that I could really explain to a paranoid and over protective helicopter parent. Particularly as I’m half their age, and am not a parent myself. So I bowed out, and left this up to the other attendees to explain. Needless to say, this didn’t go down to well. Telling somebody who is paranoid that they are indeed paranoid rarely goes down well. If anything it increases their level of paranoia. Also, telling an over protective parent that they are smothering their children rarely helps. There was a lot of shouting, and screaming, and crying. Mostly from the townies, who were absolutely convinced that they were seeing something that was real, and which represented a danger to their children. Eventually, somebody on the land management committee came up with what was probably the most brilliant idea of the evening. They kinda figured out that the townies had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. And thus also would have no idea what anybody else was talking about if they fed them a plausible sounding lie. So they did exactly that. They told them that we’d been getting a lot of wind from the south (We’re surrounded by high hills to the North, East and West, so most of our wind comes from the south most of the time). And that it was probably blowing in pollen from out of town. Essentially that everything was due to hay fever. Amazingly, this seemed to do the trick. We couldn’t get the townies to let go of the idea that they were seeing a real problem, and we couldn’t get them to understand the science as to why there wasn’t a problem. But we could find them a plausible sounding explanation for all of the things that didn’t in fact exist. It didn’t please everybody, but it pleased enough people. As a result, we’re now adding pollen filters to the AC on all of the houses in the eco-village, and are upgrading the mesh on the screen windows and doors to a much higher grade to reduce pollen ingress that way. Well. That’s what we’ve told them. In reality the AC already have pollen filters. So we’re just going to change them for new ones. Which we were due to do anyway on the next maintenance cycle. And we’re going to put up a darker colored mesh on the screens, because the holes look smaller on darker mesh. We’re also going to force one of the townies to take down their home made Faraday cage, because it violates HOA regs. They aren’t gonna be happy about it. But, their neighbors currently aren’t happy that he’s essentially wrapped his home in aluminum foil. I’m gonna stay out of that one. My family already has several Faraday cages built into our bunker (Because all crazy prepper families like having their own bunker). Hypothetically they should protect our electronics from an electromagnetic pulse generated by a sub orbital nuclear detonation. But in reality they just mess with the Wi-Fi.

[lisakelly71-blog]

A Secret Weapon For Winning Sports Picks Autopilot

A Secret Weapon For Winning Sports Picks Autopilot

Scripting the Client: How To Actually Differentiate Your Service

 I'm constantly stumbling upon articles and books by marketing gurus concerning exactly how you should distinguish yourself from your competition. Their writing is normally peppered with guidance on ways to "position" yourself as well as "brand" your method.

 And also lots of lawyers spend a lot of time, power, as well as money trying to convince possible customers that they are somehow various (read: better) than others who provide the very same service.

 It's a fool's task, and I'll inform you why.

 First, you aren't actually a lot far better or worse compared to others in your field. Oh, I know, I understand, you're great. However think exactly what? You're not the only one that's excellent. There are others who are quite darn great also. Maybe even far better compared to you.

 However allow's think you are better than everyone else. This brings us to our second point. Your prospective clients can not tell the difference. They do not have your competence in the difficult monetary as well as legal methods in which you deal on a daily basis. What you tell them may seem engaging, however after that so did exactly what they read in Money magazine, or what their pal told them at a mixer, or just what another adviser told them last week. Everything noises great, however they have no genuine means of judging. As far as your prospective customers are worried, any unique understanding or strategy or technique you advocate is simply a case you are making.

 I wish you're the globe's best attorney. Perhaps you are. Yet in advertising terms, that will not do you a lot excellent. Think me, you can be globe's most brilliant attorney as well as still deprive.

 Yet don't misery. I am going to tell you the actual key-- how you could distinguish yourself, blow your competitors away, as well as have an unlimited line of recommendations at your door.

 Are you ready?

 Create fantastic customer support.

 Allow's face it. In many organisations, the service stinks. There isn't really a week that passes that my friends and I do not exchange narratives regarding the cable television firm, the telephone company, the financial institution, or some retail or solution business that really seem to be heading out of its means to push away every person who manages them.

SERVICE PLEASE

 Solution almost everywhere misbehaves. Yet that's good for you.

 It offers you with a possibility. It indicates that if you can deliver also halfway good client service, individuals will certainly rave regarding you as well as inform their pals.

 Regrettably, most attorneys do not know the first thing concerning client service. As well as the first thing they have to transform is exactly how they consider themselves and also their company.

 Right here's the concept I want you to understand. You are not a law office. You are a customer service company whose work product occurs to be legal documents.

 Let me estimate from Jack Mitchell, CEO of Mitchells/Richards, among one of the most effective clothing shops in the United States, offering the upscale clients of Connecticut as well as New York City:

 " At Mitchell's, garments are not our concern. It's not the first thing we think of, nor the last. Don't get me wrong. We like magnificent product, and also we look the globe to obtain it, however we're all about clients.

 " Now that may seem fantastic. A clothes store that isn't about clothes? But it holds true. And also if we were a restaurant, we would not be about food. If we were an electronics store, we would not be about DVD gamers. Services have actually lost sight of the suggestion that clients, not product, are one of the most essential top priority. The majority of firms assume all you need to do is have plenty of terrific product and the appropriate value as well as customers will descend like cicadas on their shops. Numerous stores have those points. You could get a terrific blue sports jacket or black skirt anywhere. You can acquire a terrific flatscreen TELEVISION at any electronics store. You could obtain a great couch at a great deal of furniture stores. It's just how you deal with customers that determines your longterm success."

 I'm here to tell you that producing client fulfillment-- or better yet, happiness-- is your job. Not drafting legal papers, not developing legal strategies, not providing lawful suggestions.

 THE BEST WAYS TO PRODUCE CLIENT COMPLETE SATISFACTION

 In their critical book The Experience Economy, B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore presented the recommendation that customers do deny items as well as solutions as high as they buy experiences. "Job is theater," they write, "as well as every service is a stage."

 Studies show, for example, that 75% of the people who take a trip to Las Vegas, go anticipating to lose. What a great getaway principle, right? Pertain to our city and also lose loan! However millions do, annually. Why? Because the end result isn't really just what is most important. They are choosing the experience.

 The masters of this technique, certainly, are individuals at Disney theme parks. Every client is a "guest," every employee is a "actors member" and every day's business is a "program." What are people actually choosing? A couple of trips as well as some souvenirs?

 So exactly how do the lessons of "show business" put on a solemn law workplace?

 First, you have to determine just what you desire your customer's (as well as potential clients') experience to be when they call or see your office. You should "script" exactly just what will happen.

 Questions to ask on your own consist of: Just what does the customer see when they go into? Exactly how does the assistant act? Are they accompanied to the meeting room? Exactly what will you supply them? What does the client see as she or he looks around the boardroom? Does the attorney stroll right into the meeting room at exactly the appointed time? Exactly how does the lawyer greet the client?

 I suggest, in choosing exactly what you desire your "script" to be, you get the concepts of your staff members. It will greatly help the procedure of obtaining them to "get in" to the new means of doing points.

 The customer can be found in the door and sees an indicator that claims: "The Smith Law practice invites Mr. and Mrs. Jones, June 1, 2005." The assistant rises from behind her desk and also greets the Joneses warmly by name. They are escorted to the boardroom as well as immediately served a glass of water from a carafe. They are asked if they would such as anything else-- coffee, soft drink, etc. The boardroom is enhanced with individual souvenirs as well as warm objects that show the worths of the firm's customers. (Instance: if the company specializes in older legislation, there are photos of the lawyer's parents, a 1930's period antique radio, a copy of Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation.) The attorney gets in the meeting at the exact time of the appointment as well as greets Mr. and Mrs. Jones warmly.

 This is your manuscript-- the exact series of words and occasions that will produce the desired customer experience.

 The next step is to transform your script into a series of procedures for your workers. This is just how we address the phone. This is exactly how we welcome visitors. This is just how we discuss our firm as well as its attorneys.

 And then, finally, training training. Ensure everyone recognizes the procedures, has "acquired in, and has practiced up until it is second nature. Set up to have among your good friends impersonate a possible customer, as well as check your brand-new script.

 Remember this, most importantly else: that you have not scripted your customer's experience, does not suggest that the client will not have one.

 When you think of it, scripting a terrific customer care-- hugging your consumer, as Jack Mitchell calls it-- is a much easier means to separate yourself, than all the positioning, all the branding, all the continuing education or brand-new designations or particular niche advertising.

 It feels great. Your workers and clients will enjoy it. You will enjoy it. And your profits will certainly reflect it.

 For More Information Look At This Now

[jackblankhsh]

Why I Quit:  Genealogy -- The Forest of Family Trees

He stayed in the shadow of the alley, the cherry red glow of his cigarette slightly illuminating his scarred chin.  He exhaled a cloud that immediately blended in with the fog blanketing the street.  

 In a rat like voice he said, "So our mutual acquaintance sez to me he sez you're lookin' fur a jab."  

 I replied, "Yes."

 "Aight, I got two."  He cough-chuckled, "Tonight the begga's a choser."

 "What are my options?"

 He said, "Ones 's real simple.  Der's dis beach out in Cali..."

 "California?"

 "Yeah that one.  Dah beach got all deez seals on it.  Anyway, hippie types like to protest there 'bout, 'Leave dem seals alone.'  And when dey protest you set up a booth to sellz 'em t-shirts -- all kinds uh shit."

 "I think I can handle that."

 He nodded, "Good, good, but dat's only part of it.  See, dah udder part is deez hippies sometimes dey need incentifications."

 I felt a need to probe, "Such as?"

 "Such as," he twirled his hand, cigarette cherry spinning like a comet, "Occasionally you gotta go down, and stab a seal, or put out a ciggie on one, maybe club a pup with a bottle.  It keeps the hippies riled up -- protesting lasts longer."

 Without hesitation, "What's the other job?"

 He shook his head, "Real borin' shit, man.  's like growin' family trees 'n' shit.  Seal jab is way more fun."

 "I'll take the family trees."

 #

 The "jab" turned out to be doing genealogy research for a website called MyRoots.  Here's the thing:  the main documents people need for their genealogy aren't classified papers. Anyone willing to take the time to fill out government forms like NAFT 81, 82, and 84 can get the basic documents necessary to track down ancestors.  However, most folks find even that sentence hard to get through let alone the piles of papers often full of barely legible handwriting which provide bits of useful information.  My first day on the job I watched an intern peel off a fingernail in mute boredom.  

 Basically, the job involved mountains of paperwork requesting documents such as land entry case files, immigration records, and census reports.  When these arrived, rarely in an electronic format, I read them in search of a surname.  This could get tricky with immigration records since names tended to change.  Grandpa may have left Poland as Alojzy Trzetrzelewska, but not wanting to deal with all those letters a lazy official dubbed him Al Zulewski.  

 After days going through whatever bureaucratic breadcrumbs could be gathered I then sat down with clients to disappoint them.

 Address the client smiling, "So your great-great-great grandmother came over from Scotland in 1830..."

 Client predictably interrupts, "What about before that?"

 "Well, we still have to hear from Scotland, but as far as anyone can tell, seems she was a bar maid in Edinburgh."

 "So she wasn't a revolutionary rebel fleeing English assassins?  Maybe Scottish royalty?"

 Not sure what to say, "Is that what you've been told?"

 Obviously disappointed, "That's what I hoped."

 There's nothing quite like the ire of a customer shouting in anger at the revelation their ancestor fought in the Civil War... on the wrong side -- North or South depending on the client.  These folks would yell at me, faces beet red, as if I convinced great-granddad to fight for them damn Yankees, or join up with Johnny Reb.  History is never what we wanted it to be because we have no control over it.  

 "You have sullied the name of this great family, sir."

 To which I might reply, "I didn't convince your granduncle to die of syphilis."

 "Good day, sir."

 "There's still the matter of your bill.  You're credit card didn't go through."  

 "I said, 'Good day!'"

 Occasionally a client would be happy to learn some ancestor left New York, perhaps caught up in the gold rush, and headed West only to stop in St. Louis.  A few months later a marriage certificate is issued.  The details are simple, the story easy enough to extrapolate.  And even with fewer details than that there are those clients who realize the past doesn't have to be epic to be full of wonder. No one will ever really know why Uncle Phil moved to New Orleans, or why Great-grandma Mabel signed all her papers "She-wolf," but it's fun for them to speculate.  

 #

 A matronly figure who wore thrift store clothes with aristocratic grace took a seat.  I introduced myself.  She greeted me with a gloved hand:

 "My name is Roberta Wilcock."

 "How do you do?"

 "Oh, I'm well I suppose.  I could be better."

 I said, "How's that?"

 "My husband recently passed away..."

 Interject, "I'm sorry to hear that."

 "Thank you.  We have children, you see -- well, they're his step-children; I was married before, but Wallace, that's his name, Wallace and I had a connection, we just understood each other in a way my first husband never did.  However, I don't know much about Wallace's family.  I'm hoping to find out more, for our children. Something about him was always a mystery.  I don't like that.  You see, I never knew my parents, I'm adopted, and mystery, well, has a way of gnawing at you."

 "Then I hope I can help."

 I would come to regret that hope.  In the days that followed I seized the slender thread Roberta left me. Starting with census reports, and what little family history she could provide, I followed Wallace back to Seattle. The two met there before moving to Chicago.  Through the census I tracked Wallace to Portland.  He grew up there.  So did Roberta.

 So far so good.  

 The simplicity of this job made it easy to put in overtime. Though that said, mostly I stayed after hours because I liked the quiet.  The faint buzz of headphones roaring in ears, an incoherent hum at a distance, no longer surrounding like a swarm of lethargic bees.  The unpredictable shouting of irate clients, disappointed to discover they aren't descended from famous historical figures; the chug, cah-clunk of the dying photocopier struggling to copy one more document; the office manager drunk by midday, fighting off boredom practicing for her all female barbershop quartet... in the afterhours, once the bulk of staff fled home, I could pour a quiet drink, and calmly peruse the bureaucratic breadcrumbs... on this occasion, to a small Portland orphanage.

 It was no surprise.  Roberta mentioned as much.  In fact, the two of them being orphans apparently helped them bond.  Whatever history the living can offer is invaluable in genealogical research.  It provides starting points as well as giving a sense that one is on the right track. So I expected the orphanage.  Wallace's sister, on the other hand... that is, his twin sister Roberta...

 I chalked it up to coincidence at first.  Some names go through periods of being trendy.  Perhaps a famous singer at the time, or a local Portland celebrity made the name popular.  I pictured headlines like:  Ravishing Roberta Rose Dazzles Audience!

 But the more I dug the more undeniable it became that Roberta and Wallace were twins.  

 The next day I went to my boss, "Becky, I got a problem."

 "You got a problem?  Member of my quartet got punched in the throat last night.  She won't be able to sing, maybe ever again. She wants to go back to the roller derby, says it's less violent."

 "Okay.  Mine's worse."

 "How so?"  Becky put her feet up on the desk.  Sipping a coffee mug full of gin she gestured for me to hurry up with the details.  

 I said, "I just finished confirming the background on this guy. Turns out his wife is actually his twin sister."

 Spewing her drink laughing, "You're shitting me."

 "Nope."

 She sighed, "Oh that's awesome.  I got that beat though.  A while back I had a guy come in, turns out he married his daughter."

 "So this is not uncommon?"

 She shrugged, "It's not common-common, but it seems to happen; and hey, it's usually an honest mistake, so I say fuck it.  It's not like if gramps turns out to be a Nazis.  Lord knows I've had plenty of those."

 "Me too."

 "Anyway, what's the problem?"

 "I can't tell this woman she married her own brother."

 "Why not?" Becky leaned forward, "The look on her face will be priceless.  I promise."

 I returned to my research station -- an oversized cubicle, big enough to allow clients -- where I found Roberta waiting for me.

 She smiled, "They told me to take a seat.  I was in the neighborhood, so thought I'd stop by to see if you've made any progress."

 "Yes, a little."  My phone rang.  Grateful for the distraction I answered it.

 My boss whispered through the line, "Is that her?"

 "Yes," I said, instantly knowing I'd made a mistake.

 "Hold on till I get there."  The line disconnected before I could protest.  Soon Becky began orbiting my cubicle waiting to see what happened when I dropped the bomb.  

 Roberta said, "Whatever you have, well, I think it'll be interesting."

 "You can say that again," Becky said, unsubtly aiming a smart phone at Roberta.

 At that point I realized if I didn't say anything Becky would. So, hoping to deliver the news as softly as possible, I said, "There's no easy way to say this."

 Roberta sucked in a muted gasp, "Oh my, he wasn't," she whispered, "Negro?"

 Suddenly I didn't mind saying, "No, he was your brother."

 Her eyelid twitched.  Her face fell, slackening on one side like melting wax, "I'm sorry.  Wha... wha?"

 "You married your twin brother," Becky said.  She seemed ready to laugh until Roberta's eyes rolled back, and the old woman collapsed onto the floor.  Becky stopped filming, "Oh shit I think she had a stroke. Still posting this online."

 I called 9-1-1.  As the paramedics carted Roberta away I mentioned to Becky, "I quit."

 I didn't feel comfortable being in charge of other people's secrets, especially the ones that induce strokes.  Yet, those seem to be the only ones with any relevance.  After all, an ancestor being a cowboy doesn't make their descendants anymore rugged.  Perhaps interesting to know, it means next to nothing.  It's like people are always looking for what defines themselves outside of themselves -- looking to an incomplete past to inspire their future. Except for the curious who simply wanted to know, it felt like inspiring people to be echoes instead of voices.  

 So I collected my things, and left the orchard of family trees.