#I think I'm guaranteed to get at least one

[whenalltheeyesopen]

At this point @jellyskink has shown Ford losing no fewer than three separate pet shows, so I made a followup to the fic where Irene drives him home while he's having an abandonment-related mental breakdown.

Enjoy! (AO3 cross-post)

Irene paced three steps along the hall runner. She tapped the little ivy leaf that marked the midpoint, turned, walked back.

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever done," she said out loud to the empty hallway.

Then she picked up her phone and made a call.

---

Dr. Ibis almost didn't answer. Dr. Irene Oleander was a nice enough woman, but a call from her so soon before one of his regular appointments with that patient was a guaranteed migraine. It was fine when she was just requesting his most recent x-rays, but sometimes she called to tell him that she had found flesh-eating worms in the man's gums and to please be careful in case Bill Cipher had been denying his favorite pet medicine access.

Whatever this was, it would be just as unpleasant tomorrow. It was probably important, possibly time sensitive. Sometimes, the migraine needs must be endured.

"Hello, Irene," he said.

"Yusuf. How are you doing?"

"Fairly well." He gave the file on his computer screen a quick once-over. "Busy with work. I assume you're calling for business?"

There was nothing but the white noise of a poor connection.

"...Hello?"

"I'm here," Oleander confirmed. She sounded uncomfortable. "This is going to sound extremely strange, but I wanted to ask you a favor."

Ibis raised an eyebrow, even though she couldn't see. He tried to make sure the humor was obvious in his inflection: "I hope we aren't on such bad terms that a favor is outlandish to ask."

"No, no, it's just- it's an outlandish favor."

Ibis hummed. "Irene," he said, "does it by any chance have anything to do with a certain mutual patient?"

To his chagrine, she did not respond immediately.

He sighed loudly. "Just tell me what it is."

"Is there a custom trophy shop near you?"

"A what?"

"A trophy shop, or a place that does etchings or something."

"Uh-" he had never had cause to investigate, but he was pretty sure the print shop did tchotchkes. "I think so?"

"Right. Um." Oleander made a strange noise. "Um, so, after your last appointment, you asked me to try and get Dr. Pines to start flossing regularly since he hadn't been listening to you. And I did talk to him, and last I saw him he said he had been."

"Well that's peachy," Ibis said drily. "He eats nothing but organ meat and candy with as far as I can tell a side helping of stainless steel deadbolts. But at least he's flossing."

"Believe me, I'm fighting that same battle," Oleander said. There was real anger in her voice. She was much more invested than Ibis in the lost cause that was patient health.

Static again.

"Alright," she said. "Can you, um. This is going to sound stupid. Can you make him a trophy for it."

Ibis almost couldn't believe his ears. "For flossing?"

"I know it's ridiculous."

"Ridiculous doesn't begin to cover it."

"I'll pay you back for the cost, and - I don't know, I'll buy you dinner or something. Or owe you a favor."

Ibis glanced over at his computer again. He did some mental timesheet math.

"Yusuf?"

"I'm thinking."

"Please. I know it's dumb, but he's had a really bad... Uh, series of encounters."

"Yes, I saw them on TV."

Oleander's voice went quiet while she swore away from the receiver. "You were watching."

"I thought it might be fun to see how Calimari did."

"That's... Very sweet of you."

"I found Cipher's entries infinitely more entertaining."

"You-" Oleander cut her own furious response off, apparently remembering that she wanted Ibis to owe her a favor. "Will you help me cheer him up or not?"

"Well," Ibis said, "you do have a way with insurance companies."

"You want me to do your insurance coding for you???"

About eight hours of it, in fact. "If you want me to cheer up your sad little man."

"Yusuf, I swear-"

"Deal or no deal?"

She went silent again. She was definitely fuming at him.

"...Deal."

"Fantastic."

"Thank you."

"I hope you have a marvelous day, Irene."

"You too."

"I'll send you the relevant documents."

"Lovely."

He logged out if his computer. He stretched his shoulders, stiff from too much desk jockying, and headed out the door.

Maybe flossing trophies would enter his normal hygiene support system after this.

[the-100-days-of-junkan]

Day 53

Alright so I’m gonna level with you. 

I REALLY wanted to do a V3 based pic for this day. However at the time I couldn’t for the life of me come up with an actual idea for it.

I think it’s because I was very tunnel visioned on specifically trying to do something with Junko Enoshima the 53rd, for very obvious reasons. This was back before I really had any opinions on Tsumugi, at that point the space she held in my brain was “Unique Antagonist that shows up semi-often in Junkan Fics.”

Which isn’t like, the best way one could view the character I can imagine. Though she had it better than Yasuke at least I didn’t even know who he was outside of occasionally appearing in these fics until like, somewhere in the first month of Project Production. I’ve never read DR0, someday though. someday. 

Anyway back to Tsumugi, mostly thanks to the local bandit, I’ve come to appreciate the character a lot more. I’m not like, an expert on the character. I'm still kind of feeling things out purely through osmosis, i’m not really an expert on nothing. However I like her a lot more than I used to, which means I have hindsight.

If I was making Day 53 right now I would probably just make some kind of art about Tsumugi being a Junkan Shipper. We’ve all given characters headcanon based on ourselves before, gender, sexuality, personal experiences, that weird clicking thing you can do with your thumb (or is that just me?), we love to impart aspects of ourselves onto these characters. 

And when the hell else am I going to headcanon such a specific fuckin’ aspect of myself such as “I ship Junkan” onto a character? It’s Tsumugi or nothing.

Honestly I’m not gonna guarantee but I might actually just make a pic based on what I’m currently thinking for a Tsumugi Themed Junkan art, and just, posted the same day as this one? If I do i’ll schedule it in advance to post like, an hour or two after this one. Enjoy the suspense of whether I actually did that or not! 

Oh, and I actually edited this image a bit. Both because I thought Junko's face just looked, bad in this. But also for reasons I'm not gonna bother getting into right now. However as a result we got this funny bit during the editing process

What if Junko was creepypasta lol . . . . . . . oh

oh god DAMMIT WAIT I LIKE THIS. Now I can't draw it until this Day gets released! DAMMIT!

[pushspacetocontinue]

"I suppose that is true," Leofric said, "Well, perhaps she could have acted endearing to make him hesitate."

Bill nodded then.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Rook, and that I did find you before something else could happen. You even had enough fight in you to make a joke. I called myself an idiot when I had to realise that Hypno Cat in there couldn't have been connected to any of this, and you just said 'you're Bill.' I'm certainly both."

"I suppose that is one small bonus," Leofric said, "But you need to be careful as well. I've almost completed the balm I've been making. If he can poison people by touching them, then the balm will block at least some of the effects. It won't guarantee total immunity; just a higher resistance."

"I certainly don't plan on that," Bill said.

"If he has trouble remembering, I could possibly help him with that," Antonio said from inside the orb.

Russell opened his mouth to answer the question, but then paused. Bill didn't hesitate. A shadowy tentacle shot out of his back to grab a chair and yank it over so that Rook could sit.

"That's what you get for being up past your bedtime, young lady," he joked, before he looked back at Russell, "So, spill the beans then, boy."

"He, he was tall, and, and white," Russell said, "Definitely at, at least six feet, skinny. Like, pretty damn skinny. B-black hair, gr-green eyes, but they changed colour when he, he was using his chemicals. Mid-mid thirties I'm, I'm guessing. Had, had a scar on, on his hand too. Can't remember which one though."

He reached a heavy hand up to run it through his hair.

"Any, any of that helpful? I think he, he was hoping to make me, make me forget what, what he looked like or, or even meeting him, but of, of course that, that didn't happen."

"Oh, you know how it is, no one's more stubborn than a fairy. Hopefully Misty blocked him before he could leave." Rook said, turning to Bill, "But waiting for consequences to slap you in the face is also part of the adult experience. I’m glad you found me before I got run over again. It's too bad I can't save my jacket."

But that was the least of their problems. Going after Lucien wasn't enough, they had to threaten Russell too. Nothing was off the table then, no matter how risky that was. That was bad news.

She listened carefully, a grim look on her face, "That checks out with what Lucien said. The good news is that he isn't just a regular human— Well, as good as anything related to this whole mess is. At least I won't have to worry about breaking the rules when I'll go after him."

It would be inevitable sooner or later. It was beginning to look like they were after a fellow hunter who knew more than he should have and was really bent on doing some smiting in a place where he wasn't welcome.

"Luck has been on our side so far. Now we have to make sure he can't catch us off guard again."

What a mess. Rook rubbed at her neck as her body reminded her she still wasn't supposed to be up and about.

"Do you remember what he looks like? Lucien can't recall his face for some reason. Knowing who to look out for would help and…maybe we can place some cameras or something." She gritted her teeth, "Guys, I really need to sit down."

[emmavakarian-theirin]

so i've got my follow up appointment today to see if they finally got all the cancer this time after 3 attempts because despite being told i was meant to receive the results prior to the surgery that day i still haven't gotten them and it's been a week :)))

[spaghett-onaplate]

depression is really weird actually wdym i spent 2.5 years of my life in bed

[flockofdoves]

i really really really don't get how anyone has the time to do most assignments. like yes i know that my job takes up a lot more of my time than it does for other students but i've been working on all of my assignments i was behind on almost nonstop 12 hours a day with the exception of graduation weekend since the 11th and i'd already worked on those projects as much as was possible when school was in session too. but even just counting from the 11th if i was to divide those hours of work by the days from when most of those projects got assigned thatd be consistently every single day more time scheduled for work than i even have on my best days. and thats for shitty half finished assignments. i dont know. i guess i'm just like really really slow and also have a horrible perfectionist tendency that tends to just result in me embarrassingly crashing and burning instead of actually having nice quality things to show for

[palms-upturned]

Sorry for being late today coming online, a lot has happened and I am trying to think about the best way to organize this blog going forward. For now though I will try to get the list updated quickly and read through my messages/@'s

[mrbrrop]

fuck I hate being poor, I had to eat the most disgusting rice I've ever tasted tonight (I don't even know what was in it), and I don't even know if I'll be able to eat anything but bread tomorrow for lunch, my fridge is fucking empty, I had to say yes to my MOTHER to go eat out with her tomorrow night cause I wouldn't have been able to eat if not and it will be like that until my dad gets payed on the 28th... Fuck inflation! Fuck life! Fuck food! I want hot water, I want cold water, I want food for every meal, I want FUCKING HEATING IN THE GODDAMN WINTER! I want to know that it's guaranteed Every. Single. Month. Instead of having to ask my friend to steal bread for me at the cafeteria and then bring me food cause she's worried for me.. I am fucking tired of capitalism, it's gonna kill us all one by one until there's no one left anymore.

[kerosene-saint]

hashtag one of the few jobs I can do as a physically disabled person is like. live streaming and being a youtuber. which is generally regarded as VERY BAD FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. which really fucking sucks considering I am physically disabled and am much more likely to have mental health problems and already do and have for a long time.

[july-19th-club]

hate when i'm having insomnia and i cant point to the exact reason . which to be fair is a problem i have elsewhere but i want to be able to pin down a specific thing i did and go welp won't do that again and then the problem would stop . but instead i do everything 'right' according to what has worked perfectly every single night for a month . and then it doesn't work for some bullshit reason .

[sysig]

Tainted batch (Patreon)

[ronanlynchbf]

basically there's been a void inside of me since i was 6 and that's what's wrong with me.

[mirrortouchedsea]

getting motivated to work on that kaokana fic finally and i have added like 1k this week.... so much progress for me i'm so happy

[callixton]

also no offense but if i don't end up getting into nti next year and i Don't get the student full length. when i am the only director in our year who actually plans to go into this professionally and hasn't decided to change paths post college. well i will be so so so upset

[crehador]

ok taking a serious look at who the pt 2 cards might be, possible candidates are ichiro samatoki jyuto kuko doppo saburo

number of events since last appearance: ichiro (3), samatoki (12), jyuto (2), kuko (2), saburo (9), doppo (4)

number of gacha appearances since last free appearance: ichiro (1), samatoki (1), jyuto (3), kuko (2), saburo (1), doppo (2)

so if jyuto is one of the pt 2 ssrs then i feel like he absolutely must be free, but he and kuko showed up so recently that it feels like they aren't likely to be ssrs again so soon (and if they are then likely not on the same banner again since they were together just 2 events ago)

samatoki and saburo haven't been seen in the longest, and they do both have fairly unique designs (cardigan for samatoki oh my god that cardigan and the uniform + an additional vest for saburo) so imo it's looking likely they'll be cards

based solely on the numbers the third card should be doppo, and that seems possibly... likely? since he's already shown on hifumi's card? (like how the roller coaster cards basically previewed one another)

but with the smic plot brewing it does feel odd that ichiro wouldn't be an ssr as well

so

samatoki (free) + ichiro and saburo on paid banner

seems most likely to me

but doppo (free) + samatoki and saburo on paid banner is possible also.........

i guess theoretically doppo + ichiro + samatoki is possible too but seems less likely considering how long saburo's been gone

also possible that they really will just throw jyuto back in and have a jyuto (free) + samatoki and ??? paid banner

tl;dr I DON'T KNOW SHIT. BUT SAMATOKI SHOULD BE THERE. FOR SURESIES.

[sylviareviar]

Curious but how did you come up with your OC? Is she her own fandomless OC you have verses for, or has she always been one in the Persona universe?

Truth be told, Sylvia is a self-insert OC. I have other verses of her, and her background is usually different in every one, to better explain her circumstances. It's just, her Persona verse is the most active one I have on Tumblr. I came up with her in middle school, when I was at my lowest point, and Sylvia became my go-to comfort character ever since, because... she helped me escape.

But the truth is, I have lots of verses for her. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is one (which I don't actually use on here since I don't have any 5D's moots, but I am writing a fic about it on Wattpad-- it's the kind of fic that I'm not really proud to have, but I'm too attached not to write it, so into the trash bin it goes, I guess). I also have verses like Pokemon, in which she only accumulates her trauma after going out on a Pokemon journey, or Fire Emblem, where she's a glass cannon mage tasked with defending her lord (and maybe falls a little ill because of all the magic she's got inside her).

There are others, of course, but at the moment I can't think of many, since right now I'm hyperfixated on the Persona series, but if there are any other fandoms I like that I want Sylvia to be a part of, chances are she's there, with at least a basic background that I can build on if I start focusing on it again (like My Hero Academia). Oh, but I don't actually watch popular anime like One Piece, Bleach, Death Note, or Demon Slayer. Especially not Fullmetal Alchemist; I watched it when I was younger and got traumatized by the chimera dog. It's a little bit tricky, but I mostly find myself attracted by JRPGs, which is when I start to wonder, "I wonder what it would be like for Sylvia here? What kind of background would she have? How would she interact with the characters?" Building her up from there, coming up with funny scenarios with other characters, creating mischief and angst and blending the two into a believable character... It's all a lot of fun for me.

Sylvia being a self-insert doesn't mean that I take everything personally when I RP. Instead, the way I act with her feels more like she's a "doll" or an act that I play with. If other characters have personally hurt her, that's not an attack on me, nor is it an attack on her. It is an in-character interaction, much like how two actors who act out characters on stage that fight one another doesn't mean that the actors themselves are fighting.

The way she looks and is as a character is built in ways I can relate to, and it helps me to cope with the real world and real traumas I have. In a way, Sylvia could actually be my own personal Persona-- a mask I wear to get through the real world.

Sylvia's appearance is based purely on what I would find ideal on myself, and is sorta like what I think my personality looks like if it were a person. Her background, though, is something I have fun playing around with and building with the world, and I do my best not to break the boundaries of whatever world she's in, but bend them a little bit to make her seem unique without trying to take attention away from other, more important characters.

I guess you could call Sylvia almost a "trauma response," but I prefer to think of her more as a "special interest," because through her, I can learn better how to write, how to behave myself, and simply have fun interacting with canon characters.

Also, exhibiting some of my own personal habits through her helps me identify my faults as a person, and figure out things that I need to work on versus what things may be cute or fun in an objective sense, which I could leave alone after a bit of moderation. Such as...

...m-my habit of rambling. Or my dislike of loud noises.

But not everything Sylvia does is the same as me! For example, I don't actually live on a farm like Sylvia does in both the Pokemon and Persona 5 verses. My home is actually in a suburban area. Sylvia's location also isn't exactly the same as mine, and depending on the verse, her skillset isn't the same as mine either-- the only things that remain the same are her like of drawing, singing, and writing. Sometimes it isn't possible for her to play a flute, or to play video games, or even to just ride a bike. So really, how close she is in depiction to the actual me depends on the verse, but all of it is simply to have fun.

I hope that explained Sylvia as a concept sufficiently. I know a lot of people are uncomfortable RPing with self-inserts, so I'm already very grateful for the people who are willing to RP with her, and who haven't dismissed her as cringe or disgusting. Believe me, I've tried to let her go years ago, but every time, it never worked. So I'm sort of stuck. But I think if I practice with Sylvia long enough, I could start writing other characters with their own silly nuances and overly specific habits too.