#EC / CRASH COURSE

[watkinsglen]

Review: “My Investing Journey and Learning” by Carmen Mundt

Qualifications: I’m a journalist reporting on business, economics, and defense who’s been in the industry for 7 years — the last 3 have been at, debatably, the #1 business publication in the world.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Thoughts: I cannot believe I spent 39 euros on this.

This 39 page ebook provides incredibly basic information that can all be found in this article.

First: while the ebook is about 40 pages, it probably has about 10 pages of actual information in it, interspersed with inspirational quotes from Sheryl Sandberg and Warren Buffet, with some pictures of Carmen in Monaco.

There’s about 1 page of “introduction” from Carmen that talks about her upbringing and journey to university in London. I won’t comment too much on her personal story, but an important thing to note is that she says she came from a “traditional Spanish household” where her father was the breadwinner and her mother had no access to family finances. After the 2008 crash, her family couldn’t afford to send her to college. She moved to London, applied for a student loan, and began studying finance at a university while working part time.

Carmen very, very briefly mentioned her regrets as to her mother’s inability to access higher education, work, and family financial planning; she says she’d never want to be in that position. While literally only one sentence, I think it makes it clear who the audience for this ebook is: someone who has absolutely, positively, no idea about money.

(She also very, very briefly mentions “big changes in her personal life” that made a full-time job in finance “not sustainable,” leading to her move to Monaco. This is her only reference to George.)

The rest of the book very simply explains how to make a budget, set financial goals, invest in the stock market, and mitigate risk. The information was kinda factually correct, and was written in a coherent manner. I think that’s the highest praise I can give it.

Here’s the thing: like other reviewers have called out, I am pretty certain that Carmen didn’t write anything besides the introduction. Whole sections (and indeed the entire format of the ebook) were clearly ripped from the Female Invest introductory courses. (I spent 3 hours clicking through each course so I could find direct wording comparisons to make this claim. I really wouldn’t recommend it.) I do think she edited these sections, and she interjected a few personal sentences; but I believe that’s where her involvement ended.

From an expert perspective, a lot of the information is so simplistic as to be almost incorrect. This isn’t a “first day of Econ 101” ebook — this is a “freshman year of high school home ec class” ebook. (Did anyone else’s home ec classes teach budgeting, or just me?)

Here’s an example. In a section on stocks, Carmen/Female Invest writes: “Investing in stocks allows you to support companies and causes you care about while still making a profit.”

On a basic level, this is correct. Purchasing a stock technically means you’re buying a little bit of a company, and I guess therefore supporting it. But unless a company is IPOing, you’re buying those stocks from another investor — which means your purchase has no effect on the company. So it’s a little disingenuous to claim you’re somehow helping the company. The ebook is rife with this kind of thing.

Carmen pushed in her advertising posts that the Female Invest courses were a key supplement to her book. So obviously, I had to do those too. And holy shit, they were so much worse than the ebook. Some parts were blatantly incorrect on basic information (they claim markets are open 24/7, when most are only open 9am-4:30pm on weekdays) and have some of the most patronizing metaphors I have ever read. (One of the most egregious was comparing your investment portfolio to a pizza because “stocks, bonds, and ETFs” make up different “sizes of slices to make a whole pie”. This isn’t even an accurate equivalent — maybe a calzone, pasta, and pizza make up a whole meal? I don’t even know.)

I would not recommend buying this ebook unless you, too, were barred from even thinking about a stock by your traditional father. Even then, consider free sources.

A Disclaimer on disclosures: So, after @ohblimeygeorge sent me a reddit post also reviewing Carmen’s book that mentioned ad disclosures, I decided to dive into the regulations. In the U.S., influential advertising is regulated by the FTC — in the EU, it’s regulated by the EU Commission, which I believe Carmen would qualify under since she is a Spanish citizen who lives in Monaco. First, I looked at this legal brief on content monetization business models, and concluded that that the ebook likely falls under “affiliate marketing” as Carmen likely receives a percentage of each ebook sold through her link.

(An additional disclaimer: obviously, I don’t know the details of the deal Carmen has with Female Invest, but I’d think it unlikely that she isn’t getting paid for their collaboration. She mentioned in an Instagram story under her Female Invest highlight that she “tried purchasing equity but they were already too big for what I could afford” but “did buy a bit of their crowdfunding.” Since she doesn’t have equity, i.e. doesn’t own a piece of the company, it’d be weird if she was doing this for free.)

Back on topic. I next looked at this legal brief on advertising disclosures. It states that affiliate marketing must be disclosed: “you need to make sure your audiences understand that it’s advertising.” Disclosures can include hashtags and “mentioning” advertising in the caption. Carmen has not disclosed advertising in any of her Female Invest posts, and appears to be violating this regulation. (Interestingly, her only posts that follow disclosure requirements are her Tommy posts.)

It’s apparently not uncommon. An EU Commission study showed 80% of influencers in the EU do not properly disclose ads.

So, there’s that too.

[girlishwhimsies]

two bits mom comes over one night and brings one of her daughters baby dolls to show cherrycola how to be parents. like how to hold, feed, change, rock a baby. 😭

two bits mom asks ily

no cause i’m actually obsessed with this it’s NOT funny like cherry would be so stressed that she is gonna mess up cause she didn’t have any little cousins (she’s the youngest in all of her family) so she never had anyone to watch or mimic ughhhh. as SOON as she brings this up to two bits mom girl would deadass be pulling up with her daughters baby dolls and giving her and soda a whole crash course 😭 even better if cause she’s a nurse she was able to get one of those fake babies they use for home ec from there and have them take care of it for like 24 hours

just ughhhh cherry would feel so much less stressed when she finally is able to have every detail down!!!

[canmom]

the unity thing is a hot mess huh. they will probably find some way to walk back some of it in response to backlash, clarify the install fee if they do commit, and solve some of the cases where it's prohibitively expensive (mostly f2p mobile games), maybe delay the Jan 1st deadline because their 'install detection' tech obviously isn't there - but 'retroactively changing the license' part is the really scary one. especially since this goes against some of the on-record promises made by Unity in the past.

it's kind of impressive how like... one of the cornerstones of the entire modern game dev industry can completely evaporate its trust overnight. this has apparently has to do with the company's IPO, the loss of most of the founders, the ex-EA CEO etc. but regardless of motivation, it's extremely horrible from a game preservation standpoint if we start to see games getting pulled from stores to shield against the new install fee.

this means everyone's going to start looking for Unity alternatives. the obvious one that comes to mind is Godot, which has the advantage of being lightweight and open source. however, Godot's got significant performance issues baked into its architecture, especially in comparison to Unity's DOTS and Burst compiler. by contrast, Unreal is a beast in terms of grahpical performance (not so much CPU-side, it's beaten by DOTS there), but it's anything but lightweight - on my old laptop the editor had a bit of a tendency to swallow up my 1050Ti's VRAM and crash. still, this will probably be a real shot in the arm for Unreal lmao

Bevy is the engine with the most promise imo (pure ECS with the power of the Rust compiler underlying it), but Bevy is immature, and lacks a lot of features you depend on in Unity (which is to say, Unity has some really great tools for profiling and debugging which Bevy lacks, plus Unity has a lot of good built in systems for VFX, shader authoring etc.) particularly the rendering side needs a lot of work. if anything good comes of this, it might be a whole lot more interest in developing Bevy.

for my line of work in VR, if Unity becomes toxic, this is pretty devastating. nearly every game for standalone VR is made in Unity - I feel like I can count the non-Unity games on the Quest 2 on one hand. almost all the pedagogical information out there is written for Unity. so I can only speculate what's gonna happen there. it may be that Unity is able to stay on as the default for Quest 2/3, since Meta has made it so most games are sold on a flat one-time price rather than f2p. of course it does rather depend whether Unity's secret proprietary install-counting tool starts counting pirate installs.

all in all I guess we see how this shakes out but it's kind of a rough thing to happen less than a year after I become a game dev working in unity ^^'

[starlight1801]

Chapter 2

Monday, May 12, 20XX 

Two weeks from prom

Daciana was sitting at her desk in the home ec room, Imoda seated next to her. She had her head down, resting her chin on her arms, bored as she waited for the class to start. When the bell rang, Mrs. Robotnik took her place in front of the class.

“Okay, class. We’ve discussed our assignment of the week for a couple of days now. I’m going to pair you guys up into groups of four, and today I want you to decide what you guys will be making for a full-course meal in your groups. It’ll be up to you guys to decide after school when you will go shopping for your ingredients. On Friday, we will be making our meals and they will be sent out to the nearby homeless shelter.” She then turns to Sticks who was sitting in the front row. “This is a team effort. That means you MUST participate and do your part of the schoolwork.”

Daciana turns her head to Imoda as she whispers to her. “Mom better put us together or I’m going to crash out.”

“The groups will be as follows. Daciana, Imoda, Silver, and Shadow in Group 1. Amy, Sticks, Whisper, and Tangle in Group 2. Blaze, Sally, Surge, and Nicole are in Group 3. You may now pair up and begin work.”

Daciana whips her head around to look at Shadow and motions for him to move over to her and Imoda’s table. He shakes his head and points at her before pointing to his table. Daciana and Shadow have a silent staring contest before Shadow sighs and makes his way over to the girls’ table, dragging a seat around to sit in front of Daciana. 

Silver walks over to the table and sits in front of Imoda, rubbing the back of his head as he looks off to the side, a very slight flush of red on his cheeks clashing with his resting bitch face.

“So…What are we making?” Daciana says with sudden enthusiasm, slamming her hands on the table and causing Silver to flinch at the abrupt noise. 

“I say we do ham steaks as our main dish.” Imoda quickly recommended. 

“Sonoran hot dogs.” Shadow states bluntly.


“Udon is pretty easy and cheap to make.” Silver threw in his two cents. 

“Sushi.” Daciana blurts out.

“For the last time,” Imoda turns to the right, placing both of her hands on Daciana’s shoulders and shaking her. “Sushi is not a main dish!”

“Not with how I make it!”

Shadow and Silver look over at each other, watching the scene unfold before them in silence. It was probably in their best interest to not get directly involved at the moment.

“Fine. Hear me out...” Daciana says, pausing for dramatic effect. “Chili dog casserole.”

“No.” Imoda gives her one last shake.

“Absolutely not.” Shadow shakes his head in disapproval.

“How would that even work?” Silver questions, a confused look on his face.

“Let’s do the Sonoran hot dogs then. It’s the closest to my suggestion and we can use this to rub in blue boys face as we taunt him, knowing he can never eat our delicious food. It’s the most perfect and ingenious evil plan.” Daciana states as she begins an evil and egotistical monologue before Imoda claps a hand over her mouth.

Shadow's lips quirk up ever so slightly and his eyes soften just a smidge. Meanwhile, Silver raises a brow clearly confused by Daciana’s sudden rant.

“What about nachos for an appetizer?” Silver suggests.

“Yeah, and we can make toreados to go with our hot dogs.” Shadow adds.

“For dessert, we could do churros.” Imoda offers.

“Let’s make horchatas for the drinks!” Daciana says enthusiastically.

“We don’t have to make drinks though.” Silver responds, his confusion growing with each passing moment.

“Do you want a good grade on this or not? Mom will give us extra points for going above and beyond. Look at the big picture Silver.  Do you want to die knowing you didn’t achieve greatness?” Daciana says to Silver, looking him directly in the eyes as she slowly leans her face closer to him across the table, earning her a weird look from the hedgehog.

“Is making drinks really going ‘above and beyond’?” Shadow asks in a bored tone, resting his chin on his hand.

“You’re supposed to agree with me, not argue.” Daciana says as she suddenly leans over the table and takes Shadow by the ear, giving it a light tug as she gives him an unamused look.

Silver leans back as Daciana hovers above the table, giving Imoda a look that says ‘She’s not going to do that to me right?’. Imoda shrugs, her gaze flickering between the others as Daciana sits back down, Shadow grumbling as he rubs his ear. “Never again. Don’t do that.”

“So. Now that we know what we are doing, when are we going shopping?” Silver asks.

“Shopping trip! Wooo!” Daciana says, throwing her arms in the air excitedly. “Shadow you gotta push me around in the buggy!”

“I am not pushing you around in the buggy.” Shadow immediately replies, shaking his head, his tone deadpan.

“You say that now, but I’ll make you change your mind.” Daciana says, crossing her arms over her chest with a smug grin.

“I’d like to see you try.” Shadow responds. 

“Sooo~ when are we going shopping for our stuff~?” Imoda butts into the conversation in an attempt to prevent Daciana from leaping over the table.

Daciana turns her head to look at Imoda. “What about Wednesday?”

The group all nod their heads in agreement, a few words spoken here and there with Daciana attempting to convince Shadow to pick her up on his bike on the day of their shopping trip. Shadow rolls his eyes as the group continues to converse until the bell rings, signaling the end of the school day. As the students all file out of the classroom, Daciana and Imoda meet up with Rouge and Fiona in the hallway before leaving the school together. 

[starlit-seadragon]

Day 8 - EC

Tried something a little different with a mostly dialogue-focused piece!

Following the Dragonsong War, Yume and Aymeric decide that, while courtship is an unreasonable course of action at present, writing letters to each other is completely acceptable; they are, after all, still friends.

The moogles of the post system find their correspondence to be quite diverting.

kupo.

My FFXIV Write Masterpost here.

The wooden hatch of Gridania's post-moogle hut slammed open. Startled, the moogles in the room stopped their work and turned towards the disturbance. Through the opening, a breathless moogle sped, skidding across a tabletop and crashing into a pile of mail.

The moogles looked on in apprehension.

From the center of the pile of mail, a furry paw emerged, a single letter clutched within. The wayward moogle's head followed. He brandished the letter like a banner.

"We got another one, kupo!" he cried.

The room erupted into cheers.

A storm swept through, various moogles flying this way and that, shouting over one another to be heard.

"Who has the knife?"

"Over here, kupo!"

"Be careful with that!"

"Grab the kupo nuts!"

"KUPO NUTS!"

All at once, the activity ceased. The moogles had arranged themselves into a loose circle, some floating, others resting atop tables or on piles of mail. The kupo nuts had been passed around, and they ate in contented anticipation as the moogle with the letter opener verrrrrry gently removed the wax seal.

Without damaging the envelope.

As was only proper, they handed it back to the moogle who had brought the letter. Whoever brought in the next part of the story held the grand honor and responsibility of its telling.

The postmoogle cleared his throat excessively.

"Friends, moogles, countrymen. I bring to you now the next installment in the story of two young lovers. What sweet nothings will pass between them this time? Will they ever tell each other how they truly feel? And what--"

"Oh for the love of -- get on with it!"

A kupo nut landed squarely on the reader's head and bounced off. A moogle below caught it and flew to a safe distance to enjoy their spoil.

"Kupopo! Settle down now! The next moogle to interrupt is getting their kupo nuts confiscated, you hear?" The moogle with the knife brandished it to demonstrate their point.

The reader fluffed out his fur in indignation.

"Well I never," he sniffed.

"Please, do continue," encouraged the letter-opener. Murmurs of assent echoed throughout the circle.

The reader cleared his throat again.

And again.

And again.

The letter-opener placed a paw on the reader's shoulder.

"Right," the reader muttered. In a clear voice, he read:

"My dear Aymeric,"

"Ohhh that one never fails to warm my pom," a moogle swooned.

"Hush, we're barely into it!"

"Your kupo nuts!"

Loudly, they shushed each other. The letter-opener pointed at the crowd with intent.

"I am writing to you from the sunlit fields of the peaks of Gyr Abania. There are butterflies here larger than I am, in all the colors of dawn. I hear tell, however, that they are quite toxic, so observing from a distance may prove the wisest course of action. The land is rugged but beautiful, with wide, open fields and sloping paths. Imagine riding a chocobo through it, wind in your hair, the smell of earth all around -- perhaps we could have a race. Have you a favored bird you think could best Tsubasa? I should like to see you try."

A chorus of "ooooooh"s echoed through the moogles.

"Let's see... she's talking about politics... blah blah..." The reader shuffled through the pages, searching. "Oh, here we go. I know that time is brief and that our correspondence is briefer--"

A moogle near the back scoffed. "Brief? Her letter is three pages long!"

"--but I pray you'll allow me a moment to address the moogles... presently reading... this letter..."

An uneasy silence descended.

"...yes, I know you've been reading these letters; the kupo nut crumbs were the least of the clues. While I am used to all of the star prying into my personal affairs, I suspect Aymeric has largely been spared this invasion, at least to the extent that I've had to endure it. As such, I'd consider it a personal favor if you ceased pawing through our correspondence, to say nothing of the sanctity of the post -- which I'm sure I don't need to explain to you."

A whimper sounded. Several paws brushed self-consciously at crumb-laden fur.

"Upon delivery of this letter, you will confess to your prying and formally apologize to Aymeric. Additionally, you will make amends by polishing armor and oiling weapons at the Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly. Do not attempt to shirk this duty, for I will know. If you're still tempted, pray ask your cousins in the Churning Mists what happens to those who do not heed me."

"Sh-she's bluffing!" one moogle cried.

"She's not," answered another glumly.

Several moogles shivered violently.

"Shirayume is scary when she's angry, kupo!"

"Why is it always White Mages...?"

Like a heavy raincloud, they sulked, teary and sullen.

"Guess we better get started then," one mumbled. A kupo nut was thrown in their direction.

Grumbling, the moogles resealed the letter, taking great care to brush any errant kupo nut crumbs away.

Hours later, the Congregation floors were covered in crumbs, but their weapons and armor gleamed.

[wishingxuponxstars]

Doesn't know how to clean the floor? Someone hasn't been paying attention in Snow White's home ec crash course.

[cringywhitedragon]

Complete random idea but what would happen if we were to put Zero against Nemesis (Or any of the Sin Vessels/Sinners for that matter from EC) (And Some AU stuff)

I chose Nemesis mainly cause of Punishment and its similarities to Ragnrok from Z4 since I can imagine a boss fight against her ala Dr. Weil/Falling Down as he races to destroy Punishment before it can take out the planet and all life on it.

Perhaps Reploids might be relic of the First Era in a possible AU? Perhaps they fled due to humans being well you know… Would that make the Gods of the EC mavericks in their eyes? I mean HERS is pretty close to the Maverick Virus and all.

This developed into something much more: Somehow Reploids fled Earth prior to the destruction of the First Era, establishing their own empire amongst the stars and free from humans/earthlings, leading to the creation of the Reploid Frederation.

Despite being free, Reploids kept a close eye on humanity and the path they were taking.Though there was a lot of disagreement between Reploids on if they should intervene but it was largely decided they wouldn’t.

However, following the destruction of Earth, the HERS crisis and humanity’s plans of resettling elsewhere did it finally make the Reploids do something.

With the original humanity now gone, they returned to Earth to retrieve two specific things (Others were brought back but that’s for another time): Two legendary heroes

X and Zero (and maybe even Axl cause he needs some love as well)

The two were rebuild but kept deactivated only to be brought back should it be necessary.

More debates, disagreements, and even a contegancy plan to eliminate HERS (they would be treated like mavericks even though at this point Reploid-kind believed they were gone until what is known as the Seeding Incidnet) but not much would happen.

An attempt destroy them was tried late in the Second Era but failed when Humans got involved. Reploids, under the newly re-established Maverick Hunters, were sent into the Virtual World and tasked with hunting down Earthlings that displayed HERS before this was abandoned (Reploids didn’t need Black Boxes due to their DNA Souls and Cyber Elves)

Reploids would eventually develop their own technology as they evolved (To a point that they were pretty much able to replicate organic life perfectly in a way) and even discover a way to time travel (Plays a major role in this AU). However to prevent it from being abused, it became heavily regulated.

Things would calm down until the Climb One incident, which would mark the decision to revive X as Reploid-kind couldn’t make an agreement on what to do.

He took over as the Reploid race’s primary leader and with the use of their newly aquired time travel technology, Reploid-kind would keep an eye on the Third Era.

Looking into the future, X and Many others became disturbed of how things would eventually turn out (“The cycle of destruction will only repeat! X! You have to do something about this! Send someone, anyone and have those Vessels destroyed. It’s only going to cause more HERS to appear and we know how this will end!)

(“We made that choice years ago that Reploids would remain out of human business. As much as I would like to, this would only bring our kinds more suffering or even another war.)

Reploid-kind would let the Third Era play out as it was supposed to.

However… Not everyone wanted things this way.

A renegade force, determined to finally put an end to the cycle of destruction steals one of the Reploid Federation’s top secret ships capable of time travel (The Time Drive) and head for the now repopulated Third Era Earth.

Of course the Reploid Federation doesn’t take this lying down and after a small skirmish, the renegades manage to escape with another important piece of cargo.

The still deactivated Zero

The slumbering Crimson Hunter is acidently ejected when the rebel’s vessel gets hit and crashes onto the planet. Awakening from the ruins of a broken capsule with no memories save for his final stand against Dr Weil and Ragnarok many many years ago, Zero finds himself on an unfamiliar world and contacted by a group who has “inlisted” his help on “saving the future”.

Working with the renegade faction, Zero fights his way throughout different time periods of the Third Era to retrieve and destroy the Vessels of Sin all while dealing with forces of familiar and supernatural and possibly uncovering the truth of what happened to those who came before.

A world of magic and gods built atop the ruins of a once thriving planet.

Those of the old world who had fled to the stars now return to the birthplace of their species.

Old friends whom once fought side by side, brought back from their mechanical graves, now stand on divided sides over the future.

Can this endless cycle of death and destruction be broken for good, or is it doomed to repeat thanks to the Sins of Man?

This AU I will call Megaman: Sinhunter

[bike-safety]

A Step-by-Step Guide to Ensuring Helmet Safety for Bike Riders

As a seasoned powersport bike rider, I've learned that the road is full of surprises, and the key to enjoying every ride is being well-prepared, especially when it comes to helmet safety. This comprehensive guide is designed to walk you through the essential steps of ensuring helmet safety, a topic I am passionate about. Whether you're a beginner or a veteran rider, these insights will help safeguard your journeys.

Understanding Helmet Safety: The Basics

The Role of Helmets in Rider Safety: A helmet isn't just a piece of gear; it's your primary line of defence in an unforeseen incident. It's designed to protect your head from impacts, reducing the risk of serious brain injuries and saving lives. Statistics consistently show that wearing a proper helmet significantly lowers the risk of fatal injuries.

Step 1: Choosing the Right Helmet

Fit is Key: A helmet should fit snugly but comfortably. It shouldn't be too tight or too loose. A good test is to put the helmet on and try to roll it off your head with your hands. If it comes off easily, it's too big.

Understanding Helmet Standards: Look for helmets that meet safety standards such as DOT, ECE, or SNELL. These certifications ensure the helmet has passed rigorous safety tests.

Types of Helmets: Depending on your riding style, you might choose between full-face, modular, open-face, or half helmets. Full-face helmets provide the most comprehensive protection, while open-face or half helmets offer more freedom and airflow but less protection.

Step 2: Proper Helmet Maintenance

Regular Inspection: Regularly check your helmet for cracks, strap integrity, and signs of wear. The helmet’s protective capabilities can diminish over time or after a crash.

Cleaning Your Helmet: Use mild soap and water to clean the exterior. For the interior, remove the pads and liners if possible and wash them according to the manufacturer's instructions.

When to Replace: Replace your helmet every five years or after a significant impact, even if there are no visible signs of damage.

Step 3: Understanding the Technology

Impact Absorption Materials: Modern helmets use materials like expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam that effectively absorb impact, protecting your skull.

Shell Materials and Design: The outer shell, usually made from polycarbonate, fibreglass, or carbon fibre, is designed to withstand hard impacts and distribute force.

Innovative Technologies: Look for helmets with additional safety features like the Multi-directional Impact Protection System (MIPS), which helps reduce rotational forces on the brain during an angled impact.

Step 4: Fitting and Adjusting Your Helmet

Proper Sizing: Use a tape measure to determine your head size. Match this measurement with the manufacturer's size chart.

Adjusting Straps and Pads: Adjust the chin strap so that it fits snugly under your chin. Use the pads to fine-tune the fit, ensuring the helmet is secure but comfortable.

Step 5: Enhancing Safety with Additional Features

Visors and Face Shields: Ensure your helmet has a high-quality visor or face shield to protect your eyes from debris and wind. Look for anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings for better visibility.

Ventilation: Good ventilation is crucial for comfort, especially on long rides. Look for helmets with adjustable vents.

Communication Systems: Consider helmets with integrated communication systems for easy communication with fellow riders.

Step 6: Staying Informed and Updated

Keeping Up with Advancements: The world of helmet technology is constantly evolving. Stay updated on new materials, designs, and safety features.

Training and Awareness: Regularly participate in rider safety courses. These courses often provide valuable tips on helmet safety and overall riding strategies.

Final Thoughts

Wearing a helmet is just the first step; understanding and maintaining it is crucial for ensuring maximum protection on every ride. As a powersport bike enthusiast, I believe that a well-informed rider is a safe rider. Invest time in choosing the right helmet, maintain it properly, and stay informed about the latest in helmet technology. Your helmet is more than gear—it's your guardian on the road.

[moongirlwidow]

You got it

Always. And I mean at least they’re somewhat edible? And he came back with the milk?

@official-pietro-maximoff we’re doing a crash course in grocery shopping and sending you to home ec

Ready for school?

@moongirlwidow

Never

[goldtinged]

                         EMMA CARSTAIRS  //  A  CRASH  COURSE

            ❝  kit  thought  about  emma  with  her  sword,  emma  saving  his  life.                  emma  hugging  cristina  and  looking  at  julian  like  he  hung  the  moon  ❞

CONTEXT

emma cordelia carstairs is a character appearing within cassandra clare’s shadowhunter universe. she is a shadowhunter (half angel, half human warriors mandated to protect the world from demons)

she appears as the central character in THE DARK ARTIFICES, a trilogy published in 2016. 

She also appears in THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, specifically as a side character in city of heavenly fire (book 6). she is 12 years old during the events of the original trilogy

If you’ve seen shadowhunters  TV - she does not appear in the show but some people related to her do. JEM CARSTAIRS (aka brother zachariah) is her uncle and HELEN BLACKTHORN is the sister of her parabatai, Julian. 

CONTEXT PT 2: IMPORTANT EVENTS / TERMS

the dark war: civil war between shadowhunter factions which led to the destruction of large swarths of shadowhunter society and the death of family families. Emma’s parents (supposedly) died in the dark war. evil side is led by Jonathan Morgenstern. This shit is basically based off of Harry Potter so just think deathly hallows adkakd

the endarkened: shadowhunter’s who were turned from angelic to demonic, and became part of Jonathan’s army. Some did so by choice, others by force. 

the clave: shadowhunter government, whose seat is in Idris. Idris is the shadowhunter capital, a small city hidden somewhere between france and germany that cannot be accessed by non-shadowhunters. all the good characters hate the clave (and rightly so)

downworlders: name givern to non shadowhunters. eg, werewolves, vampires, warlocks fae ect. 

the cold peace: a policy enacted by the clave at the end of the dark war, that punished faerie’s for supporting Jonathan Morgenstern. Leads to the exile of shadowhunters with fae heritage, regardless of their allegiance during the war. it makes interacting with faerie’s illegal.  basically any character who is decent fucking hates this policy

parabatai: soldiers who take a vow to become twinned and fight side by side until death.  After the vow they are bound together magically for life. It is physically painful to be apart from one another, and the pain of losing a parabatai is considered to be unendurable. They are closer than siblings, and fairly rare within the shadowhunter world.  it is illegal for them to fall in love and doing so is punishable under the strongest laws. eg, stripping of runes and exile

BASICS:

Emma was born in 1995. Her parents are John and Cordelia Carstairs. She emigrated to Los Angeles at the beginning of the Dark War as her parents wanted to help assist the Shadowhunter’s they knew there. 

She was raised alongside The Blackthorn family, training at the institute they run. Her childhood best friend is Julian Blackthorn. 

Emma is a skilled shadowhunter, regarded by some to be the best of her generation, and the successor to Jace Herondale of the title. 

She is the current owner of Cortana, a shortsword held within the Carstairs family, forged by Wayland the Smith, it is said to be one of the great swords and therefore is her most valued possession

SKILLS + ATTRIBUTES + RANDOM CHARACTERISATIONS:

extremely dedicated and driven. is considered the best not because of her raw talent but because of how hard she trains. considers the same for herself, she cares most about being good so that when the time comes to enact revenge for her parents she will be successful

distant within the blackthorn family: although she grew up with them, and they consider her their extra sister, emma does not feel comfortable within the family. partially because she misses her own, partially because she believes they don’t consider her family. always refers to them as “julian’s family” “julian’s siblings”. realises by the end of the series she is integral to the blackthorns and how much she loves them / allows herself to be loved by them

funny and blunt: she is sarcastic, both as a means of deflecting attention but also because it’s her sense of humour. she is extremely blunt, bad at lying, and will pretty much always just say what she thinks. not one to maintain relationships she doesn’t value

she is confident and outspoken, especially in terms of her sexuality

skill with music is a family trait but emma can’t play the violin for shit which makes her feel bad. 

FAMILY:

Her biological family: John and Cordelia Carstairs (parents, deceased), James Carstairs (uncle), Mina Carstairs (cousin)

Her adopted family: The Blackthorns

consisting of;

Mark and Helen Blackthorn: the eldest Blackthorn siblings, half siblings to the rest. They are both half faerie, half shadowhunter. Both are exiled at the end of the Dark War as part of The Cold Peace (a policy to punish all fae for the involvement of faerie in working against Shadowhunters)

Julian Blackthorn: the eldest sibling living in the family home during the war. He is Emma’s parabatai

Ty and Livvy Blackthorn: twins, two years younger than Julian. 

Dru Blackthorn: the youngest girl, four years younger than Emma and Julian

Tavvy Blackthorn: the baby of the family

OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS:

Cristina Rosales: Emma’s best friend, who is on a trip to LA from Mexico during the event of the series (international postings are part of shadowhunter training)

Jem Carstairs: her uncle and the only living Carstairs left beside herself (until his daughter Mina is born). 

Tessa Gray: a powerful warlock, Jem’s wife

Clary Fairchild: also her best friend and a mentor. Clary helped her and Julian after the war

Jace Herondale: her mentor and someone she admires

Kit Herondale: Comes to live with the family during the events of the book. He and Emma relate to feeling both family to and separated from The Blackthorns.  Sidenote, kit is a legend and I love him

Cameron Ashdown: Emma’s on and off again boyfriend

Diana Wrayburn: tutor at the institute, only person in the series with braincells. 

CRASH COURSE OF THE EVENTS OF THE SERIES

CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE + THE NOVELLAS //

emma and julian become parabatai, so that emma isn’t sent to the shadowhunter academy (school for war orphans lol)

We could—” he started, then stopped, swallowed, and started again. “We could become parabatai.” He said it shyly, half-turning his face away from her, so that the shadows partially hid his expression. “Then they couldn’t separate us,” he added. “Not ever.” Emma felt her heart turn over. “Jules, being parabatai is a big deal,” she said. “It’s—it’s forever.” He looked at her, his face open and guileless. There was no trickery in Jules, no darkness. “Aren’t we forever?” he asked  

julian kills his father in the dark war after he is endarkened, to protect his siblings. the clave puts him through a gruelling trial that turns both emma and julian against the clave, embedding a deep seed of resentment and mistrust that fuels a lot of their actions through the rest of the series

julian’s uncle takes over the institute but unknown to everyone, he’s mentally unable to manage it. julian starts running the institute age 12, in secret, so that his family can stay together. emma does not know about this

LADY MIDNIGHT //

emma discovers the body of faerie children, murdered in the same way as her parents were. She always suspected her parents weren’t killed in the war, but killed under the cover of the war. she begins to investigate the murders, and hopes she can enact the revenge she has dreamed of fulfilling

meanwhile, a faerie contingent who have also heard about the murders ask for emma’s help solving them. Because this is illegal, they offer to return Mark Blackthorn to the family in exchange for the shadowhunters help

meanwhile meanwhile, emma and julian realise they are in love and they fuck, even though that is ALSO illegal because parabatai cannot fall in love with each other (though no one knows why). their powers start to change as their feelings for eachother grow

emma solves her parents murder. she kills the person who killed them but realises she gets no satisfaction from it. too late realises she’s based her whole life around getting revenge and now she has nothing

emma talks to jem about the parabatai law and finds out it’s illegal because there is a curse that becomes active when parabatai fall in love. emma thinks the reason her and julian’s powers are changing is because the curse is starting

she receives some frankly terrible advice from tessa and decides to make julian fall out of love with her by breaking his heart

does so by telling him she’s dating his brother, mark

asks mark to fake the relationship, mark in turn offers they just date for real, which she goes for. END BOOK

LORD OF SHADOWS //

emma and mark are dating but it’s fallen back into fake dating because they realise they’re better friends and, mark is in a love triangle between his ex fairy boyfriend and cristina

eventually when emma is sure julian sufficiently resents her they stage a massive break-up

this is a whole ass book of emma and julian angst,,,,, and it’s delicious

julian finds out about the curse and why emma lied and he’s mad, but also, he can’t fully be mad because the curse is deFINITELY WORKING NOW

back to the actual plot: a group of pro cold war supported with extreme anti-downworld takes (they are legit just fantasy fascists) start to rise to power within the clave. honestly there is way more actual plot but it’s not relevant to this blog or emma’s characterisation so moving on

back to emma and julian: they come up with a plan to deal with the curse. emma will beg the inquisitor to exile her but not strip her runes in exchange for them not telling everyone paratabai are cursed which he agrees to

UNTIL ..... the cohort initiate violence during a clave trial and the inquisitor is killed. so is julian’s little sister, livvy. END BOOK

QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS //

i hate this book so there’s that

the leader of the cohort is made inquisitor and starts enacting shitty policies

julian is worried about the curse and how it’s starting to affect him so he just goes and gets all his emotions removed and so he feels nothing for anyone

ty spends the book bullying kit into helping him bring livvy back from the dead (AND IT WORKS LOL)

800 pages of bullshit I don’t have time to get into

the curse comes to fruition, turning emma and julian into giant nephilim with great powers but no feelings (think like, aang in the avatar state) they basically nearly kill everyone but then their family saves them

conveniently, the heavenly fire burns off their parabatai runes thus solving their problem

the cohort take control of the capital in protest of alec lightwood getting made inquisitor. all the shadowhunters who aren’t weirdos abandon the city

helen blackthorn is allowed to return and she decides to take over running the institute, freeing julian from his obligation

emma and julian decide to go travelling the world and the series ends

EMMA + JULIAN:

they are a MESS but I love them. 

essentially, they know each other better than anyone. emma understands the pressure julian is under, the weight on his shoulders, his insecurities but also his strengths. julian see’s how emma puts on a facade of strength, gives her a safe space to be vulnerable, and provides a haven of unconditional love

used to sleep in the same bed as kids to help with nightmares, developed a system of communication only they understand, tell eachother everything (until lady midnight anyway)

emma understands how much of his life revolves around his family because hers does too

“you don’t have to do this for me” emma was saying, softly but earnestly, in a voice cristina had never heard her use before“I think I do” julian said “I think I  remember making a vow to that effect”“whither thou goest, I will go, whatever stupid thing you do, I will also do? was that the vow”

I LOVE THEM!!

best friends to lovers EXCELLENCE

THIS is the biggest crash course ever and I hope it makes sense. It’s hard to condense so much information not only from the books (and each is like 800 pages) but also from the entire world and lore. But I hope this helps somewhat and I’m always willing to answer questions for anyone who has any. 

[ask-dcf]

Chara Starhunter

❌NAME: Chara Starhunter ❌ Pronounces: She/her ❌Age: 18 ❌Gender: Female ❌Personality: Despite her serious looking demeanor she is welcoming of anyone who wishes to talk to her. However she is also a no shit taker. So if threatened or looked down on she won’t hesitate to throw a punch to defend herself or others. ❌ Side: For Freedom ❌About or story: Chara Starhunter is from a Star Wars AU and is a former imperial Ace pilot and is considered the youngest Ace pilot of the imperial academy. Top marks. A strong resistance to G-Force capable of handling turns that could harm anyone. And leader of the first Commando Experiment Squad known as “Circus Squad” (Because unlike the gray hue every imperial pilot had on their fighters. Theirs differentiates with many colors, as if like a circus) She became known as the “Red Baroness” (as a reference to the red Baron) and was seen as a highly decorated star pilot. However an incident caused her to lose her whole squadron who she saw as her own family. Because of this she went rogue and began to harass the Company that abandoned her and her pilots to a suicide mission. After escaping from a chase in battle her ship had a malfunction which caused her hyper speed escape to break the barrier between worlds. Causing her to crash into the anti-void. Where she was introduced to the multiverse.

She found herself in the unnamed universe and deciding to put her skills to good use. With help of getting her ship fixed and fueled she signed up with the Red Squad. Working as an infiltrator at times but mostly eyes in the sky and air combatant. She is always looking for new missions in order to help those in need.

❌Sector: Homebased at B. Tends to go to C a lot on missions.

❌Powers and capacity: Has no magic but is good at hand to hand combat (she works out at the gym). She is also good with her blasters and doesn’t miss like a typical storm trooper. But her go-to is her star fighter.

Equipment:

Modified EC-17 hold-out blaster with proper scope setting and flash pistol function. Able to shoot a bolt that can blind her enemies when fired.

WESTAR-35 Mandalorian pistol. Usually used when having to go on team missions. Basic pistol functions with self recharging power battery.

GALAAR-15 (CURRENTLY BROKEN) Assault rifle she found along with the WESTAR on her home planet she was visiting to scavenge for supplies. Weapon’s power cell and inner mechanical functions damaged and is useless until repaired.

Modified TIE/HU Hunter multi-role starfighter. Colored Red. Call sign “Heartbreaker”. Preferred to be used by Chara. Capable of hyperdrive, shields, ion blasters, laser canons, and up to 12 proton torpedoes. The twin ion engines and S-foils helps this starfighter be deadly with both with both fire power and speed. Navigation system shotty due to being in new universe. However constantly updated when on a new mission to a new place.

————————————————————————————-

Character for @1unnamed-universe Discord server

So yeah I made a new chara combining both Star Wars and undertale XD Two my fave fandoms. Course in the Star Wars AU she didn’t go down the usual Chara path. She is an absolute bad ass and I love her. Especially the ship she flying. I loved the Tie Hunters when I was a kid playing rogue squadron.

I thought I would do something interesting by having a starfighter Chara with many modified stuff to help her in battle.

So am gonna have fun playing her. One day I hope to get her ship designed with a proper ref. I’ll give more details of her background soon but for now just gonna have the standard ref and info.

art by @xjunjox

[harveywritings92]

BNHA scenario: You can’t feel pain

You were born with a heightened reflex quirk but you were also born with a very rare birth defect called chromosome 6 deletion, that causes you to not feel pain, hunger or fatigue, and you have like zero sense of fear & self preservation , your boyfriend only knows about your Quirk, you've kept your medical history to yourself, until you have an accident and he notices something off and start asking questions!

=======================

Dabi: He hadn't see you in a couple days and got worried, he then got a call from you asking to take you to the slums walk-in clinic, (I like to think, that the villains have whole a network of black market doctors that sympathize with them and run pop-up clinics, you have to have a password to to know where and how get in.) He checked his burner phone for a pop-up clinic and found one near by. 

He got to your location and was stunned when he saw your right arm with a large knife jammed into it and a dead guy on the ground sporting a broken neck, He checked out your arm and winced realizing he couldn't pull it out without causing you anymore damage, He then examine your face, expecting tears, but... you seemed more annoyed by this whole situation then anything, Dabi was expecting you to be crying and whining at him to stop poking and moving your arm around... He thought you were in shock at first, but something was nagging at him that this wasn't normal.

Dabi was silent the entire way to the clinic, his eyes were burning holes into the back of your head, when you both arrived... and the first words the guard said to you was. "Y/n back again, for what? out of pills?" he sighed as you narrowed your eyes at the idiot and raised your injured arm up to show him, his jaw dropped and opened up immediately letting you both in. "What did he mean by that?" Dabi's voice was tense suddenly speaking up, "Why do you need pills?" You stiffened obviously hesitant to say anything, knowing full well Dabi doesn't like people keeping secrets from him! 

"Just wait for Dr. Yuhei to come..."

"You're on first name bases with the staff now too?" 

"...Dabi."

"..."

The cremator crossed his arms as a middle age man came in looking very happy to see her! "Y/n? what the damage today dislocation? burn damage, (cue Dabi flinching) road rash, broken bones..." His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas as he oh and awed at seeing the knife lodged in your arm. "Ha! you got knifed! I love it!" he exclaimed jubilantly while slapping his knee as he took out his tools. 

Dabi just looked at this man like he was mad as a March hare! "What fuck is wrong with you?!" he demanded out getting the doctor's attention, it took a moment for the man to respond.

"Oh! Are you the boyfriend I've been hearing so much about!" the cremator's brows furrowed as Yuhei shook his hand congratulating Dabi for finding a real diamond in the rough! "Not many doctors can say they've worked on a patient with Chromosome 6 deletion!" the raven haired man blinked incredulously. "Chromo what?" now it was the doctor's turn to be confused. "She didn't tell...You didn't tell him?" he watched your face and saw your fraught expression. 

"Huh...Well I'll be. That's certainly new!"

The doctor hummed before telling Dabi what was up about your condition, your boyfriend kept a neutral face but inside his emotions were churning. "Her reluctance to inform you of this...is probably to closes adduce to fear I've ever seen her display." Your face felt hot as you stared at Dabi expecting to him storm out instead, he just watched as the doctor pulled the knife out of your arm in fixed you with no anesthetic or pain-killers , Yuhei informed you that the knife had cracked the bone so you had wear a sling for a couple weeks, then reminded you to change your bandages properly, then handed you a refill of melatonin.  

The walk back home was awkward as hell Dabi had yet to say anything... Before you reached your safehouse you felt Dabi fingers grab your jacket sleeve while keeping his eyes on the ground. "Listen... this thing you have, did I ever hurt you?" You cocked a brow bemused before recalling Yuhei asking you about your injuries, he mentioned burns... and realized where Dabi was going with this, had he burnt you any given point and not known about it due to you not noticing or not telling him.

 You really wanted to say no... You really did! but accidents happen. "Not on purpose..." He winced hearing this as you continued. "sometimes during sex or when you're in a combat high." You reach up and patted him on the head making him flinch before relaxing into your touch. "If it'll keep you sane I'll tell you if I get hurt when we go on a run." Dabi hummed holding you close to him, needless to say the cremator became a tad more wary and protective of you during and after missions insisting he check your body over any injuries you hadn't noticed before leaving. 

===================== 

Hawks: "Can you feel that?" a Nurse asks baffled as You let out a bored sigh as she and the doctor reset your left leg. "No." you huffed for the umpteenth time, wanting to leave the damn hospital already! but Keigo insisted you needed the hospital, cos your leg was swollen and turning purple after really, rough fight with a villain who had gotten a hold of you by the leg and toss you off like a rag-doll as a snapped echoed through the battle field!

I didn't take long for you to figure out your femur was broken and you were a sitting duck! until Endeavor and Hawks showed up they beat the villain, then noticed you sitting in the road with your left leg in your hand hanging limply in your grasp like a wet noddle! 

Your lack of impulse reaction caused them to think you'd gone into shock! Keigo quickly gathered you up flew to the nearest hospital! Telling you not panic everything was gonna be fine, you were gonna be alright! If only he knew the whimpering you were making wasn't from crying, but from laughing at him! 

After the docs had reset your leg (with no meds.) and put it in a cast again without any medication, you rolled your wheelchair out into the hall in time to see the doctor telling your fiancée about your one a billion condition! You can see how nervous the blond was he almost seemed skeptical, Hawks asked the doctor if he was overexaggerating a bit? "...I don't think you get it Hawks! this condition so rare that only 40 cases have ever been recorded globally!" you felt your stomach twist... this was definitely not how you wanted Keigo to find out about this. Your original plan had been to sit him down some time next week and tell him about it!

You were brought out of your thoughts by a someone's gaze burning in to your head, you looked up and met Keigo's analyzing gaze as he observed your condition, not in a bed, not hook to an I.V. and certainly not under the influence of any sort of pain medicine... He seemed a little pale as he approached you. "Hey... can we talk?" he asked you nodded as the two of you got on the elevator to the roof. You could feel him still leering at you as you arrived at your stop. 

"So..wha- what are you doing?!" You asked watching Keigo pinching your arm hard! and realized he was trying to invoke a reaction, but it was useless task as all it did was annoy you, this was the first thing people do when they find out about your chromosome 6 deletion, checking and seeing if you were faking it, Keigo felt panic bubble in his belly as he observed your reaction... or rather your lack of reaction. "Keigo..." You yelped suddenly feeling something tickling you under you chin, causing you to squirm and whimper as you tried not to burst out giggling.

You looked and saw the feather necklace Keigo had given you to be the culprit. "St-stop Keigo! stop!" When he heard you laugh, the blond relaxed, when the doc said you couldn't feel pain... he started wondering if your other senses were numb too, *of course that would be dumb!* he thought thinking back on how you react during sex and how you were acting now, pretty told him that everything else running fine. "Why didn't you tell me about this Chromosome thing?" You pretty much explained how you were, well... scared wasn't the right word, as you have no sense of the feeling, it was more like you were nauseous that his reaction would be negative... 

Hawk looked at you wide eyed. "Wait, you...can't feel fear?" He asked curiously you nodded explaining that you lack of pain has pretty much dampened your instinctive sense of self preservation, which why you tend to go on for so long in a fight even when things get dicey... "So that whimpering on the way over." you nodded. "I was trying not to laugh..." You said bluntly Hawks went oh then curiously asked if he had accidently hurt you during intimate moments? 

You were straight with him, he may have gone a little overboard during ruts, but nothing serious. Keigo didn't seem to like this answer. "Hey look at me." you huffed making gold eyes met your [y/ec] eyes. "I know you'd never hurt me on purpose, and if it makes you feel better you can check me over personally and pull me off patrol if you think somethings not right, does that work for you?" you waited as Hawks thought this over before nodding, The next day neither You nor Keigo were prepared for the tabloids headline: #2 Hero Hawks engaged to Bionic woman! You both cringed at the tacky tile!

=====================

Bakugou: "Stop you idiot!" Katsuki shouted as he watched you get up after one his explosions had sent you flying and crashing into one of the simulation buildings on the training field, as you looked around bemused as everyone was panicking, Toshinori aka your dad and Aizawa came up to you worried, the black haired teacher used his scarf as a bandage on you profusely bleeding head... which you just noticed. "Get a stretcher!" the teacher ordered.

"I don't need one I can wal-" Bakugou cut you off. "Get on the fucking stretcher Y/n!" You robotically obeyed as the medical team carried you to Recovery-Girl, who just shook her head when she saw you come in, she knows about your condition. "Y/n back again today, I'm started to wonder if you and Midoriya are related?" she teased causing you sweat-drop as Bakugou listened intently, and was very confuse when the old lady said this wasn't your first visit today....

"Oi, what exactly was she talkin' about?" the blonde huffed eyeing you suspiciously and was put off by you lack of reaction over your injuries. It didn't take a doctor to know that the knockback from his explosion should've cracked your skull and may have also broken your back, when you hit that building. "Oh, I had a little fall earlier, nothing to worry about."  you said nonchalantly Your dad who was trying to keep himself from coughing up blood on the other hand spoke up. "I wouldn't call getting hit by a car a "Little fall" Y/n." Katsuki's eyes widened, oh if looks could kill. "YOU WERE HIT BY A CAR AND DIDN'T TELL ME?!" He bellowed as All-might jumped back in shock while You stared at your boyfriend with a blank expression. 

He was frothing at the mouth as you listened to the blond rage like a chihuahua on caffeine, you looked at you dad having a metal conversation with the honey blond skeleton who nodded giving you the okay! you were gonna tell your boyfriend about your condition...With a sigh you calmly reached up and pinched Katsuki's nose between your index and middle finger. "Breath damn you!" you hissed the ash blond stilled and looked at you with annoyance for being interrupted. 

"I get that you're angry... But you need to know something." Katsuki let out an inquisitive growl as you looked at him seriously. "I can't feel any of this... at all." You chortled his red eyes widened as you continued. "I was born with a rare Condition, Chromosome 6 deletion?" You looked at your dad, Toshinori nodded you let go of Bakugou's nose. as your dad continued. " In short Y/n can't feel pain, fatigue or hunger, so naturally she lacks a sense of fear." Recovery girl returned wiped the blood off your forehead, and kissed your cheek a few seconds later your head was healed, Katsuki stayed silent as he absorbed everything you and All-Might had told him the teen was really quiet which worried you.  

Your dad sensed the tension and suggested the two of you go for a walk and talk this out, it was silent as you and Katsuki walked to a different part of the school that was more private, You turned to face you and were met with a fist flying at you! then stopping a few inches from your face, You didn't even flinch just gave him the same impassive expression from earlier. "If that was supposed to get a scream out me of you failed...royally." you hummed as as the blond frowned putting his fist down you can’t feel fear, even Half-n- Half’s eyes twitch when Katsuki psych’s him out!

"Why didn't you say anything anything about this?" he asked voice hoarse from yelling, You hummed trying finds the right words. "Well let's just say back in middle school I had a bad fricken time, kids can be cruel! you hummed not going into details on how others would exploit your medical condition for their own twisted fun. "I was...Scared is not the word, Sick the thought of you reacting the same as them made me feel sick." you were surprise when Katsuki pulled you close resting you head against his chest. "I would never hurt you like those brats did." he huffed wrapping his arms around your waist.

"Don't shut me out like that again," he kisses you nose causing you to blush. "fucking tell me if you think somethings wrong so I don't have to worry about your ass!" he huffed keeping one of his arms around you as you two walked back to class. After that Katsuki was a tad more protective of you often asking where that scratch/bruise came from? and checking to make sure you haven't broken anything during class or missions he was like Toshinori 2.0...

[evillious-trash]

Behind the Scenes: Venomania Edition 2.5

Mikulia: I’m booored

Nerunerune: Join the club.

Maylis: Oooh! We could make a movie! Me and my siblings used to do it, and it was always fun!

Lukana, Mikulia, Lolan, Lilien, Tette, Rindo, Annlee, Rio, Mickina, Mewtant, Lazuli, Priema, Sonika, Hakua, Mirigan: *blinks in non-aristocrat*

Josephine: Neigh

Gumina: You guys have never seen a movie?!

Tette: A what?

Maylis: That’s it, we’re stealing one from upstairs and watching it!

Yufina: Oh, I’ve already got one! *pulls out CD player and five movies from bun* Here!

Carol: H-How-

Yufina: If I told you, I’d have to kill you. :)

Gumina: Ooh, let’s watch the Matrix! That’s a good one!

Maylis: Hell no! We’re watching Harry Potter 3!

Nerunerune: They haven’t even seen the first one-

Carol: We’re watching Fast and Furious! Or else I’ll kill someone with this cooked rat-Of course not you Gumina, but the princess shall not receive such mercy

Nerunerune: For the record, I say we watch Ocean’s Nine.

Yufina: No! They’re my movies, and we’re watching Toy Story!

Maylis: Harry Potter!

Gumina: Carol, I give you permission to end Yufina’s life! I’d rather die!

Nerunerune: Ocean’s Nine is better than all of your ideas combined!

Yufina: I will end all of you, right here, right now!

Carol: If we watch Harry Potter, I will rip your head of your neck Maylis, I swear!

I.R: We’re watching Toy Story, now chill or no popcorn.

Gumina, Carol, Maylis, and Nerunerune: Yes Mo-I.R.

Yufina: Haha! I’m the favorite child now!

*after Toy Story*

Maylis: Now, we shall perform the greatest performance to ever grace this Earth, with me, your genius director at the head. Neru-

Nerunerune: Don’t call me that

Maylis: You’re in charge of casting, Yufina, you write the script, Gumina, you’re set design, and Carol, you punch people.

Carol: Hell yeah!

Yufina: Ok everyone, we’re doing Sleeping Snow Rap Beauty Little Rella. Got it?

Mikulia: That sounds like an abomination and I love it can I be the lead.

Nerunerune: Nope, Hakua’s the lead.

Mikulia: Why?

Nerunerune: Because she’s pretty.

Maylis: Ooh Neru’s got a crush!!

Nerunerune: End me. Someone. Please.

Lukana: Hakua and Neru, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-

Hakua: *Hakua.exe has stopped working*

Gumina: So far I’ve painted half the basement bright pink and the other I just threw paint at. Will we ever be able to get it off? Absolutely not. :)

Carol: Uhh, Lady Gumina….

Maylis: Oh, right, we need costumes. Never fear, I will save us in our hour of need!

Lukana: But I’m the tailor-

Nerunerune: She does this sometimes. Just go with it.

Maylis: Look at my beautiful dress! UwU

Lilien: Dear Levia, did she just say uwu?! That’s it, I’m going to go impale myself, see y’all in hell.

Lolan: Uhh, Maylis, you do realize you, uh

Nerunerune: Glued several pieces of wood together, which it looks like you took from the wall, so hopefully the house doesn’t crash down on us.

Maylis: Neru, I’m insulted, also what role am I?

Nerunerune: You’re the tailor who can’t sew.

Lukana: Uhh, Maylis, here, let me show you how to work this thing.(please don’t touch my sewing machine ever)

Yufina: Hey Neru, I need someone to be the prince’s stepcousin’s friend’s childhood nurse’s daughter’s aunt’s brother’s wart thrice removed.

Nerunerune: Hey Gumina!

Carol: *punches*

Nerunerune: Oww! What was that for?!

Carol: That’s my job. >:)

Part 1:

[izzy-b-hands]

my brain is buzzing with random au ideas and shit while im sitting here awake entirely too early

and i just. Fucking Niche AUs I'll probably never finish part two:

-Call Center AU: Ed and Stede are middle managers learning to work together (and falling in love of course) after their companies and staff merged in a new big ass building (for fun: many rumors it's haunted. It isn't, Buttons just hates getting up early for work so during the week he hides out and lives in the basement.) Badminton & Co are trying to buy out their newly merged company with plans to fire everyone. Is this one just so I can shove in Murray Hewitt references with Stede? Partially! It's also bc i can throw in The Office references for my mum, who thus far will only read fic if I have a few in there & it's mainly comedy, and she hasn't read like any of my stuff fic or original in ages so. Yeah skdnfng

-NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) AU aka did u know aviation is another special interest of mine? u do now!!:

Ed and Stede lead separate teams as part of Aotearoa's TAIC (their version of the NTSB), and are called in to assist with an NTSB investigation re: a crashed plane & a dead Badminton bro as a result ( Either of the two we've seen thus far, w/subplot abt him being a dick who was super rich bc of a shit ton of rental properties in Aotearoa that he didn't keep up well and hiked rent on constantly bc he seems like the landlord type.)

However, as it progresses it becomes clear there's more at stake than just a plane accident investigation (tho obvi also v important still) bc it appears there might be sabotage involving ppl in both the states and Aotearoa (aka hi jack!! and any other random pirates or historical ppl i might add in lol.)

This is difficult tho, bc like. they didn't like this Badminton of course so him being dead is like well this will be positive for his renters at least maybe, but also holy fuck other ppl died as a result jfc what the fuck. so then it's a matter of do we or do we not reveal the whole truth & open up what would be a can of worms re: Badminton, but would be an utter disservice to the rest of the victims' families if NOT revealed.

Substitute Teacher AU:

A school has had just. horrible luck and a few scandals and now the entire staff has been fired and the district really doesn't wanna spend that much money on new ppl yet so

enter Stede and Ed as separate teams of substitutes, attempting to cover all the topics at a decently large school where tbh they could use even more teachers (enter Doug, Mary, Spanish Jackie who actually teaches French & likes how her nickname fucks w/the kids a bit lmaoo, & Jack as additional help)

Nigel & Chauncey both have kids at the school, and expect special treatment as a reward for donating generously to the school (not really that generously tho), which means they are Nightmare Parents. Like yes it's sad they're both divorced but like if u talked to them for five mins u would Understand.

Big events in it would be Parent/Teacher Conferences (Izzy and Jim end up having to manhandle a screaming Nigel outside after Roach asks him to tell his kid to stop trying to set things on fire in Home Ec), at least one school dance ("Ed, they're vaping in the bathroom, what do I do?" "Idk join them?" "Ed!" "What? They'll do it regardless!!") and the graduation of the oldest grade (I think middle schoolers would be both the cruelest and funniest option for this au) and how they'll actually miss these goddamn kids, & don't know if they'll be contracted for the same school next year as permanent or called in to sub more or what

Topics for everyone thus far:

Jackie-French as noted above. She also enjoys that the kids always think Frenchie should teach her class purely based on his name. Doesn't tolerate any bs during class & will send u to the principals, but if everyone behaves they get an extra point added to their grade just for showing up and being polite. For some kids, for various reasons, it's a life saver.

Frenchie-joint band and choir director with The Swede. Treated like a local rock star by the kids bc he tells them how back home he plays in a few bands, and plays gigs in between teaching contracts/assignments. A couple make fan shirts after they google and manage to find out the name of the band he usually performs with. They give him one too and he can't help but well up bc. kids man. one minute little assholes the next moment doing something so kind and unexpected!

The Swede- mainly choir director but helps with the band bc they have a huge class size but of course the district doesn't care abt that.

Ed & Stede-joint principals, also Theater. Ed jokes that he's the Fun Principal bc he occasionally lets the kids get away with like. smoking near the school or playing hooky. If he catches them they get a 'guys cmon if u keep this up i gotta stop u forever so like. be mindful' talk. Stede thinks he's truly the Fun One tho bc he keeps making up ideas for those funny dress up weeks schools do in the states and Ed we are teaching here so we should do as the Romans do, so to speak! (how does that work, it doesn't really as far as i know with a lot of teaching jobs but shhhhh fiction time.)

Buttons-shop related classes, any and all, including woodworking and a v basic automotive class (obvi they won't pay for a garage set up, so he has to rely on drawing and otherwise illustrating & using texts to teach.) Also serves as the lunch room monitor bc the kids are p sure the rumor that he once ate a guy is true, and no one wants to Test Him.

Jim-Gym. Took it on purely bc they think it's funny to hear the kids go 'its time for gym/Jim!' Another beloved teacher for being supportive when kids struggle with the class, and also bc if everyone has good attendance each quarter then they'll take a day to show them knife throwing (after permission slips are signed of course.)

Olu-Spanish, but defers to Jim a lot bc then he gets to talk to Jim and no he doesn't have a crush on Jim! Also occasionally bemoans to Jim for them teaching the kids to swear in Spanish. Jim finally kisses him during one such lovingly made complaint.

Wee John-Home Ec, sewing & other textile based art. One of the fave teachers bc he always has snacks in his classroom, and will let any exhausted kids nap during class so long as they turn in finished projects (first is a lil plushie, then a bigger one, finally they have to design & attempt an article of clothing. Doesn't have to be anywhere near perfect or even complete, he just wants them to try.) Once freed Stede after he accidentally sewed his finger to some fabric while mucking abt after school in the classroom.

Fang-any and all math classes. No one knows how he handles the work load, but he's always chill af abt it. Another student fave for being kind and taking extra time with kids that suck at math, or flat out have dyscalculia & require the extra tutoring as part of their IEP.

Ivan-Social Studies. He knows the kids find it boring, so he does his best to give it some extra shine by making up projects for the kids to do that are graded a little bit kinder than regular hw bc he's more concerned that they have fun (and might retain the info better as a result.) One of the kids' faves ends up being a journal assignment abt the Oregon Trail, aka write an Oregon Trail story that can be as dramatic and/or like the video game as they want.

Izzy-Head Librarian. Cannot believe they fired the library staff as well as everyone else at the school. cannot get over how little the district does to help keep up said library (books are heavily damaged & still on the shelf, new books rarely ordered, and literally the shelves are not in Dewey order. That makes a vein in his forehead twitch every day until he takes an evening to correctly label and reshelve everything.) Winds up staying late a lot to repair books, order new books (when he runs out of what little funding there is, he puts them on his own cc and just doesn't tell anyone, claiming them as charitable donations from 'an anon donor'), and otherwise do any additional upkeep to get the place up to par. Realizes halfway thru the year no one got assigned to teach the Health class, and begrudgingly takes it on as well. He teaches in a section of the library, with Mary taking over main library duties for that time. Has to deal with all the horribleness that is teaching middle schoolers that topic ("You can't all keep laughing every time I say penis or we'll never get through this chapter. And that's hell for you as much as it is for me!")

Roach-Home Ec, cooking class. also helps in the lunch room bc literally they did not actually hire any kitchen staff, the subs are told to do that too. He winds up telling the kids they can help by prepping the ingredients for their lunch in his classroom, then he'll take it all to be finished for lunchtime in the industrial kitchen. They end up loving it after the first week, bc he brings in recipes that are decently healthy but that most the kids are up to trying or already like.

Mary-painting substitute if Doug is out for a day, but mainly works alongside Izzy in the library as the assistant librarian. Yes they gossip abt Ed and Stede. Yes they have a running bet on when they'll finally announce a relationship and fill out that paperwork with HR (this immediately starts a side convo for them abt the shoddy quality of the paperwork & how slowly it gets filed. They admit to being sticklers at times, but also they're right.)

Doug-art, painting and sculpture. Always up for weird art ideas, and has the graduating grade (even if they don't take his elective course) make a mural before the end of the year. They each get a framed pic of it, and he plans to have each graduating class redo the wall each year, should he be contracted for another full year.

Jack-biology/gen science. Encourages the kids to 'really get into' the dissections. Does his best to try and get the district to agree to a field trip to the local morgue to see a full on embalming, but is told uhhhh no bud. Accidentally reveals a parentage issue for a few kids while using eye & hair color to teach Punett squares.

Lucius-Creative Writing. Has a loving feud with Pete bc most of the kids are in both their classes. Said kids have bets on if Pete or Lucius will propose to each other or not by the end of the year. Makes a point to be a safe place for any kids with writing that may point to some other issues going on in life (based off my hs lit mag teacher Dr. Brenda Werner. No joke, she saved my life as a kid, I think Lucius would be the same for his class.)

Pete-Newspaper/Yearbook. Very big on making sure stories are accurate, bc 'ppl doubt my stories a lot, so you need your details and shit in order.' The kids: ooooh he swore!!!! and promptly do not absorb this knowledge fully. But they enjoy his class bc he's chill and is happy to let them explore what options journalism can offer, and to research odder stories for internal class articles vs school paper ones (Missing: David, Where's Shelly? vs Cilantro: Should Roach Use It In Our Lunch Or Does It Taste Like Soap.)

[definitelynotsuzumi]

Zapped to Another World [Chapter 4}

I can finally update now that its school break! Thank you all for your patience!

[Masterlist]

Aether wiped off a stray droplet of sweat, weaving the plant fibres into the shape of a lantern. It has only been 2 days into the festival and already, he was swamped with the task of creating more lanterns to take to people who were too far from the harbour.

“Aether, Aether look! Look at this! Doesn’t it look like Paimon?” His white-haired floating fairy chattered excitedly, waving around what looked like an amber on a stick.

“What’s that, Paimon?” Aether paused in his lantern making to give the stick a once-over.

It was artfully sculpted to look like the said fairy and it smelled incredibly sweet.

“The lady said it was Karamel! I got another for you too!” Paimon excitedly fished out a star-shaped one. Cautiously, Aether gave it a lick. It tasted warm and sweet. It reminded him of home. Lumine…

“You’ve been at that lantern for the past 2 hours. C’mon, take a small break.” While Paimon may have been wrong about several things before, Aether knew that she was right on this fact.

“Alright, let’s have a break then.”

After 3 days(and night) of walking and riding on the back of wagons, you had finally reached the gates of Liyue.

Liyue looked spectacular with the lanterns adorning every corner of the street. You were in awe. You thought it looked beautiful in the game, but in the flesh…It was more than you could ever dream of.

Each lantern had its own unique design. You could hear the drums and cymbals crashing as performers danced under a giant suit that looked like the Adepti of Liyue. The scent of grilling fish and sweets wafted through the thick hair of the harbour. It felt so homely, almost like one of the carnivals you had attended.

“Woah…Ow!” You bumped into a ginger-haired man. Tartaglia.

Cold reality slapped you across your face. The Fatui is everywhere.

“Oh! Sorry, are you alright?” Concern lit his handsome features. If you were not careful…You very much wanted to pull away your hand but you hesitantly let Tartaglia pull you up. You definitely did not want the man suspecting you about anything.

“Uhm, uh yeah sorry, I wasn’t looking. This is my first time seeing all of this…” You tried to gulp down your fear of the man.

“I feel you! Hahaha, are you new here? Well, you must be. I have not seen such a pretty lady like yourself around these parts before.”  Despite your fear of the Fatui, you felt your face flush in response to his flirting.

“Yeah, very much so, I’m afraid. I’m looking for a friend of mine. About yeh high and has a white floating fairy by his side.” You gestured a rough height.

“Oh! What a small world!” Tartaglia beamed at you. He seemed so innocent as he aimed a bright and friendly smile at you, but you knew better.

“Uh…Do you know him, by any chance?”

“Know him? Well of course! I dare say that he is one of my good friends! Come, come, I’ll take you to him!”

He gestured you to follow him, and reluctantly you did so.

Tartaglia had never seen someone so shy and scared before. Is it because I am part of the Fatui?

You looked so innocent when he bumped into you at the gates. The way you gaped and looked around Liyue like you’ve never seen it before… It almost reminded him of Teucer and his sisters in Shneznaya.

“Please don’t be afraid of me. While I admit, I am not that nice of a guy, I promise I won’t do anything bad to you.” Seeing you stiffen at his words, Tartaglia felt a particularly large drop of sweat dribbling down.

Did that just backfire?

“Childe?! What are you doing here?!” A familiar high pitched voice reached your ears. You could feel her disgust all the way from your place.

Yup, that was Paimon. By her side, was Aether, with his arms akimbo.

“Relax, I mean no harm. I bumped into this cute little girlie over here and thought I’d help her out in finding you.”

“Finding us? Wait what? Who are you?” Paimon frowned.

“Uh...Uhm I’m (Y/N)…Please let me follow you on your journey!” You bowed 90 degrees, hoping you could hide the flush on your cheeks. You’ve always dreamed of this moment but now that it is in your face, you felt your tongue being weighed down by iron ore.

“What?!” The sheer shock on their faces would have been comical under other circumstances, but right now, it did not do favours for your nerves.

“If…You would let me join? I’m sorry, was that too forward of me? My dad always talks about you and I thought maybe, if I joined, he would-“

“That’s okay. Please, it would be great to celebrate the Lantern Rite with more friends.” Aether fixed you with a warm smile that felt genuine.

“How about me?” Tartaglia winked at Aether.

“No.”

Aether felt slightly apprehensive when he saw you with Tartaglia, but taking in your clothes and the lack of the Fatui insignia and signature mask on your person, he was certain that you were innocent.

“So, where are you from?” Paimon asked as your group leisurely walked through the bustling streets.

Seeing Tartaglia by your side, you decided to tell a white lie.

“Mondstadt! My dad’s an Adventurer at the guild so he’s told me all about what you did!” You definitely felt better when Aether fell in step with you, walking and talking by your side. You couldn’t help but feel bad as you realized the amount of lies you were telling was increasing.

“Wow, we’re famous!” Paimon grinned at Aether.

“Yeah! You were amazing in that battle with the Stormterror! I thought…Maybe I could grow stronger if I journeyed with you. Ah, but don’t worry, I can cook and clean-“

“You can cook?!” Paimon began to salivate.

You nodded. You were able to cook a few dishes, thanks to your Home Ec classes.

“Can we have a taste?!”

You bit your lip as you surveyed the ingredients you had. A handful of sunsettias, berries, flour, sugar, butter and half a bottle of milk. Looking at your group waiting expectantly outside of Wanmin Restaurant, you smiled.

‘Guess I’ll let them have a taste of Dorayaki.’

Xiangling had also let you borrow a little of their ingredients in case you did not have enough to feed your group. Of course, you had paid her a generous tip for lending you her ingredients.

Combining some eggs, sugar and honey that Xiangling had, you whisked it up the best you could with a fork. You carefully passed the flour through a noodle sieve into the mix. You could feel his stare piercing you from behind as you tried to focus on cooking.

Mixing it all together, you fashioned a mini ice box with your Cryo powers to rest your mix and turned to making the sweet filling. With a sharp knife, you chopped up the sunsettias and berries and sat them in a pot of sugar.

You heated the sugar and fruits together, humming a soft tune as you fished out a mandarin orange and squeezed its juices into the berry jam you had made. Sliding the jam into a clean jar, you sat it in the ice box you had made.

Taking your rested mix, you added and mixed in a tablespoon of water before readying a skillet, greasing it over with butter.

Slowly but surely, you created a stack of perfectly brown and fluffy pancakes. Taking your cool jar of sunsettia and berry jam, you spooned out equal amounts of it onto the pancakes before pressing another pancake on top.

It was done! You placed the still warm dorayaki onto 3 plates, serving it to Aether, Paimon and Tartaglia.

“Woah…It smells…Incredible!” Paimon dove into the dorayaki right away. Paimon made the dorayaki look delicious as she enthusiastically gobbled down her treat.

You noticed Xiangling’s eyes glitter as she stared down at the dorayaki. You looked down at your own share. You honestly wanted to dig in too, but seeing her doe eyes made you sigh and surrender your portion to the young female chef.

“R-Really?! I can have this?!” You nodded with a soft smile as Xiangling leapt for joy before biting down. You did not think it was possible, but the light in her eyes shone even brighter as she tasted your dish.

“Say, wanna join the Wanmin Restaurant instead?” Xiangling asked, her bright smile spreading wide across her lips and eyes.

“…I’ll have to decline, I wanna travel with Aether more!” You sheepishly turned down the offer. Aether and Tartaglia clearly enjoyed the treat as you noticed them both licking off the jam on their fingers.

“I don’t know about you, but I accept her into our travel group!” Paimon declared as Aether laughed, wiping off the last of the jam on her chin.

“Hey, how about me?” Tartaglia grinned hopefully.

“Nope.”

“Still, a no from me.”

Tartaglia then turned his attention to you, trying to use his puppy dog eyes on you.

“Hey, (Y/N), how about me?”

You silently turned away from his gaze.

“Why are you three so cruel?”

[thetomorrowshow]

Slower Than Words Ch. 20

First  -  Previous  -  Next

Been a busy week! I’ll let you know if I need to slow down updates! So how about we visit Virgil, see what’s up with him?

cw: a n g s t, panic attack

~

Virgil couldn't move. Roman had helped him into bed, then sat in the room for a while, trying to talk to him. When Virgil didn't respond, he eventually left, stating that he would be back later.

His world was crashing down around him.

Could he believe that just yesterday, he'd smiled? He'd laughed? Now it was all background noise, mindless buzzing that felt totally inconsequential. There was only one thing that mattered now. Patton.

Therapy had been rough, and Virgil had expected it to be. What he hadn't expected was to go over every meaningful interaction he had with Patton. The doctor had said she was “doing some tests”, so Virgil struggled to keep himself together as he talked about the one person he missed most in the world.

Then, she'd had the audacity—she'd dared to—

Virgil took a deep breath, blood boiling as he remembered that it was she who encouraged these breathing exercises. What if he didn't want to calm down? He deserved to feel, remember, Patton needed him to—

Virgil's legs started quaking, but he paid it no mind. He could not be wrong, admitting he was wrong would be abandoning Patton, he couldn't do that, he wasn't dead, he wasn't gone, he'd always been there and always would.

His breathing quickened, coming in short, shallow breaths. His entire body was shaking, and Virgil nearly puked when he realized he could smell rubbing alcohol. He hadn't had a flashback all week, he'd been doing so well!

As if summoned, there were gentle fingers on his wrist. Calm, the fingers traced. It's okay. I'm here.

“Patton,” Virgil croaked. “I—I knew it, you're here, you're here, I knew it—”

V breathe slow. Safe.

Virgil got his breathing under control after a dozen rounds of exercises. His legs were still quivering, but he knew where he was. He was in his room, in Roman's house, and he was going to be okay, and Patton—

Virgil choked.

His own hand gripped his wrist. His own hand was tracing soothing words.

“She was right,” Virgil whispered. His mind frantically grasped at straws, trying to explain what had just happened, as Virgil felt an overwhelming amount of despair.

“Virgil, you talk a lot about Patton. In every instance you told me about, however, you never hear him. You can't see him. Based on your time alone at the beginning of your imprisonment, it seems unlikely that they would suddenly decide to move you into a room with another person.”

Virgil's body had been completely out of energy, lax and unable to move, but now he was stiff as a board, locked in place. It couldn't be. It couldn't.

“We haven't been able to find out what that book was, based on your description of it.”

No. No no no no no.

“And I've seen you trace words onto yourself, in times when you need comfort. An interesting coping habit, one that might appear when a person is locked in a room with no outside stimulation.”

Virgil sobbed, full on weeping as his body couldn't move. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.

And that was exactly the problem, wasn't it?

“Virgil, I think Patton may have been a hallucination that your brain fabricated in order to keep you comfort during the year that you were alone. I may be wrong, but everything you've told me about Patton points to it. Virgil, can you be absolutely certain that Patton was real?”

He'd said yes, he'd said that there was no other option. He'd stormed out of the office five minutes later. He'd refused to talk to Roman in the car. He'd gone straight to his room and curled up on top of his blankets.

Patton had to be real, didn't he? He couldn't have made up a person so complex, so loving, so wonderful. And, more realistically, he couldn't have created something so solid it had washed his clothes on days he felt too ill. Unless he'd imagined it. Anything was possible if it came from his head, wasn't it?

One part of him was screaming, begging him to not abandon his best friend. The other part of him was mourning the loss of Patton. Virgil wasn't sure what to do, torn this way. He had to be real. He was real—but was he? Where was the evidence?

The world was crumbling. Virgil choked on his tears, crying for Patton, crying for himself, crying for the loss he'd just suffered. Patton wasn't real, Patton had to be real, Patton couldn't be real.

Roman knocked on the door, asking cautiously if Virgil wanted to come down for dinner. Virgil pretended to not hear him, feigned sleep when Roman opened the door to look in. He buried his eyes in his pillow as he heard the door quietly shut, then Roman's footsteps retreating. He was alone, isolated, and the one person he'd truly loved had probably never even existed.

What was Virgil supposed to do?

-

“Dude, what does it say?”

A long silence. Virgil groaned. Apparently he'd gotten an email as well as a letter, but Roman had insisted on reading it to him. Screen-readers were 'too impersonal' now. It wasn't like he was going to get his information any other way.

“Virgil, I . . . I'm sorry.”

Virgil's heart dropped. Roman sounded lost for words, his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. There was no way whatever the letter said was good news.

“You . . . you got in!”

In a shot of adrenaline, Virgil smacked him. Probably on the arm.

“Ow! That was my face, you heathen!”

Oops.

“Roman! Don't—why—” Virgil could barely speak. He'd gotten in? He was certain he wouldn't get in the first time, let alone twice . He got in!

“It's my job, as your adopted older brother!” Roman said, the false hurt completely gone from his tone. “I have to bully you a bit! You should've seen the look on your face, it was priceless!”

Virgil frowned, his heart still racing. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it a bit. “I'm . . . older than you?”

“Doesn't matter! I am, by proxy, older!”

Virgil snorted. “That makes no sense, dude.”

“Doesn't have to!” Roman proclaimed. Virgil could practically see him doing some dramatic arm thing. “I'm the older brother, and therefore, I don't have to make sense!”

Virgil tilted his head back in an approximation of rolling his eyes. According to Roman, it looked pretty creepy when he actually rolled his eyes, and it stung a little. Still, he would probably roll his eyes once he was around people who weren't Roman's parents.

He was really going back.

He sniffed, his nose burning. It had been so, so long. Had the campus changed? Would he be in a different dorm? Would he and Roman still share, since they were in different grades now?

He knew everything about their accessibility and whatever, about how they would accommodate disabled people. The school had actually reached out to him, informing him that he could finish his degree no problem, they had four or five visually impaired students already and could easily make it possible for him to continue his education. Virgil had been in contact with various foundations in order to work things out with his university, and he'd gotten a few scholarships—not to mention, the handful of scholarships he'd already had had gladly reinstated themselves. In fact, Virgil had pretty much already known that he'd be going back. There'd been very little room to doubt, as his therapist had told him several times.

This was real, though. Right there, in Roman's hands, was proof. He was allowed back, and would see teachers and classmates he hadn't seen in over a year. He was starting spring semester, which was still a few months away—Roman, despite his protests, had also put off starting his junior year until spring semester.

“Virge? Are . . . you okay?”

Virgil sniffed again, wiping his cheek to find a few tears there. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he said, with an attempt at a laugh. “I just . . . didn't think this would ever happen, y'know?”

Roman also laughed, albeit much more nervously. “With the way admissions was basically begging you to come back? Of course it happened!”

Neither of them acknowledged what Virgil really meant.

“So, packing?” Roman said, after several seconds of silence. “I know it's a while away, but is there anything specific you want to bring?”

With a pang, Virgil thought back to his hand-stitched hoodie. Hopefully it was bringing Patton as much comfort as it had always brought him. He'd had it for years, made it in Home Ec in high school. Until recently, he'd never been without it. It was bittersweet, in a way. Sure, it was gone, but it was with Patton. Like . . . like a piece of his heart would always be with Patton.

Virgil shook himself. That's stupid. And cheesy, he told himself. Grow up. Move on. He doesn't exist.

There was an ASL club on campus, one that Virgil planned on becoming a part of. Roman wanted to as well, making up something about having always wanted to learn sign, but Virgil knew it was just protectiveness. Virgil was pretty sure Roman had been about to rearrange his entire schedule so that they could have the same classes, despite the fact that Roman was a year ahead and in a different program of study. After a long evening of Virgil sitting in his room anxiously while Roman talked to his parents in the living room downstairs, Roman had come to the conclusion that it was best for him to continue with his intended major. Virgil was relieved—he was a grown adult, after all. He didn't really want someone trailing after him everywhere, insisting on helping him with every little thing.

Did he?

“Am I ready for this?” he wondered aloud. Roman gripped his shoulder tightly.

“I think so.” The words were soft, but no less powerful than Roman's usual loud tone. “You're so strong, Virgil. You're the strongest person I know.”

Virgil couldn't help but cringe. He knew someone much stronger. Whether that person was real or not was up for debate.

His most recent therapy sessions had involved a lot of tears, but Virgil had agreed to acknowledge that Patton might not exist. In turn, the doctor agreed to not make a formal assessment on Patton for the time being. It was still devastating, of course. It was still as if his entire world was falling apart. But Virgil was finding it easier to smile, more natural to joke with Roman.

He was healing.

Did he want to heal?

Yes, of course Virgil wanted to heal. He wanted to move on. He wanted to lead a normal life, without hurt and flashbacks and hallucinations.

But not without Patton.

There was a fork in the road approaching, Virgil was sure of it. He was going to have to choose between waiting for, hoping for Patton, and moving on. He wasn't sure what would happen when he reached that point.

But it scared him that he would have to make that decision alone.

~

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