#also wanna take photos/videos of my city that’d be nice

[gay11aliens]

IK IM TAKING A BREAK (SUPPOSED TO BE) BUT I POSTED A TT CALLING OUT MY OLD SCHOOL AND ISTG IT ALREADY HAS 15 VIEWS? BY WHO? HOPEFULLY MY OLD CLASSMATES GENUINELY THOUGHT NO ONE WOULD FIND IT DAMN

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #426

“insatiable furnace, burning up our surplus  /  watching all essential life become another servant”

Are you a brunette? Yep. It is way past due time that I get it dyed... What is your favorite channel on TV? I don't really watch TV, but if I did, I'm pretty sure it'd probably be Discovery. Have you ever been to Chicago, IL? Yes!! It's my only experience with a truly BIG city, and though I'm not a city person, the experience was pretty magical. It was something I wasn't even remotely used to. Just so much life and business and energy to feel there. Who was your first friend? Brianna. She was the sister of my older sister's best friend. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas. :') Do you regret your last kiss? Nope. Have you ever taken a karate class? No. Who was the last person to tell you ‘I love you’? My mom. Have you ever been to the Statue of Liberty? No. Do you live on your own? Noooo. I don't think I ever could. I would have to stay VERY busy, or else the loneliness would kill me. Hell, even if I was very active in stuff, I still don't know if I could. With how bad my depression is capable of being, it doesn't sound smart at all for me to move out unless it was with somebody. Are your the oldest child? No, I'm the middle kid. How many X-rays have you had in the last 2 years? Two, maybe? One for my legs and the other for my teeth. Are you on good terms with your last ex? Yeah, we're best friends. Do you have scars you don’t like to talk about? Nah. Do you freak out if a bee/wasp flies near you? ... yes lol. What subjects in history interest you most? The Holocaust. It's just so... shocking and extreme that it's oddly fascinating, but of course horribly sad. Are you superstitious in any way? Nah. How do you get rid of anxiety? Do what? Are there any items of jewelry you never/rarely take off? Yeah, my two rings, my lip piercing, and tragus piercing. Has a song ever made you cry before? There are many. ^If so, what about it brought you to tears? Again, I said "many," so this would be a horribly long list. There are four though - "Eternally Yours" and "Another Life" by Motionless in White, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, and "The Mortician's Daughter" by Black Veil Brides - that I really, really try to avoid, because I WILL cry. They're all associated with Jason for one reason or another. "Stairway to Heaven," especially, is absolutely forbidden for me to listen to. Would you consider yourself open-minded? Very, honestly. Have you ever met someone online that you wanted to meet in real life? I've met Sara! :') There are a handful of others I'd love to meet, too. Tell me about the last thing that made you laugh until it hurt. Wow, I have no idea. I don't remember the last time I laughed THAT hard. When you graduate, what color will your gown be? Ugh, it was this insufferable red. We got to vote on it, and I really wanted navy instead, as it looks more formal and not as obnoxious to me, but red won. Do you own a gun? No. My household legally can't because of my suicidal history. What color of shirt are you wearing? It's a black tank top. Do you use any acne medication? Nah, I don't really get acne anymore. Are you emotional or very stoic? I'm emotional as shit. Have you ever watched an anime series, start to finish? A few. There's Fullmetal Alchemist (as well as the Brotherhood expansion), Deadman Wonderland, and Ginga Densetsu Weed. I've seen bits of others. Which baby animal is your favorite? MEERKATS!!!!!! :') Once they reach three/four weeks, they're fucking precious. I also really like kittens. Do you like jam on your toast and biscuits? Sometimes. Have you ever reread a book? It is very, VERY rare I do this. The only cases I remember are for Because of Winn-Dixie and Meerkat Manor: Flower of the Kalahari. Do you have any religious symbols in your home? I think Mom has some religious quotes on the walls? What religion do you identify with, if any? None. What is you favorite flavor of pudding and/or yogurt? I love chocolate pudding, but I'm not very big on yogurt because of the sourness. I can sometimes eat a cookies 'n cream one, but occasionally I'm like "ew." We’re going to the best amusement park ever, first ride you choose is? One of those water rides where you go down a big slope. Did you have intense night terrors as a child? No. Know anybody who works in a tattoo parlor? No. That'd be dope. Have you ever had a piercing get infected? Ugh, yes. Worst was the first time I got my tongue pierced. It was early into infection though, thank God; I ended up having to take it out and get it re-pierced later. Have you ever shoplifted? No. Do you hate when people say, "Everything’s going to be fine,“ when it’s not? Sometimes. It can feel kinda dismissive of your extreme situation, and sometimes, things simply won't be okay. Like, you can't tell that to someone on their death bed. Do you check your fire alarms when you’re supposed to? No, oops. Are you a shorts-wearing kind of person? Absolutely not. Nobody wants to see my legs, not even me. Is your grandparents’ house obsessively tidy? My grandma's sure as hell was. She was very old-fashioned and "proper" and took cleanliness and manners very seriously. Do you know how to jumpstart a car? Nope. Would you date someone 8 years older than you? Probably. What did you do today? I WENT TO THE GYM AND DID A FULL HOUR OF EXERCISE!!!!! :') For once I am SO fucking proud of myself. I left drenched in sweat, but I also left with a feeling of great accomplishment. I'm going to be going twice a week now with a personal trainer. (: Who was the last person you fell asleep with? Sara. Have you ever punched a hole in the wall? No. People doing that shit terrifies me. Have you ever felt replaced? Sure have. Have you ever kissed someone who was high? No. If you caught your significant other cheating on you what would you do? I don't have a partner, but hypothetically, leave their ass in a blink. I don't fuck with those kind of people. Do you know who Jeffree Star is? Well, yes. I watch him on YT sometimes and (astonishingly) love his music, and I find his work ethic extremely inspiring. That man knows how to hustle. What’s your favourite alcoholic beverage? Probably sangrias. When was the last time you saw a photo of your ex? "The" ex, it's been years. I've removed all pictures I have of him, irl and digitally, because it's triggering for me. How many push-ups can you do? Probably zero. Do you play any games on your phone? There's Pokemon GO, DragonVale, and Dragons of Atlantis that I play semi-regularly. Have you ever received a compliment from a stranger? Yes. Have you ever shaved your face? Just my upper lip to avoid the lady stache, ha ha. What colour is your front door? It’s white. Do you take the stairs or the elevator? If an elevator is available, I will ALWAYS use that. I have an extreeeemely hard time getting up stairs because of having just about no leg muscle. Do you get motion sickness? No. When was the last time you went to your favourite restaurant? Oh man, it's been forever. :/ Olive Garden sounds soooo good right now. Do either of your parents have any tattoos or piercings? No. Well, Mom has her earlobes pierced once, but that's it. Are you desperate for anyone’s approval, in particular? It's funny, even though he hasn't been a part of my life for years, I still desperately crave what I think would make Jason proud. There have been many times where my mind has wondered to what he would think of me now... and I know it's not good. Are there any activities you enjoy doing, but can only do for a short amount of time before you get bored or tired of them? Reading. When was the last time you felt hopeful, and why? Today, after finishing my workout at the gym. I think, finally, that I may be taking another stride forward in life. Do you find yourself asking for the same things for your birthdays and for holidays? Ha, yup: a new tattoo, 100%. What is something someone recommended to you that you disliked/hated? Girt's recommended some music to me before. He loves sharing songs he likes with me. Of course I didn't tell him it sucked, ha ha. What’s a fact about the last person you kissed? She is very passionate about animals, reptiles in particular, and is simply amazing with them. If you had a child, would you rather have a girl or a boy? A girl for sure. Has anybody ever accused you of doing drugs? No. Have you ever fallen asleep with the last person you kissed? Yeah. Honestly, do you think that you will wanna settle down in the same town you’re currently residing in? HELL no. I hate this place. Does anyone call you darling? If so who? Sara does sometimes. Are you close to any of your cousins? No. Are you a romantic person? I think I am. What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen out the window of an airplane? Mountains. Have you ever been in the mountains when the moon and stars were up? NO BUT FUCK I WANT THAT. Just lay in a grassy spot with some s'mores or something and just ~vibe~. Do people like your hair? I get complimented on it a bit. Have you ever held birdseed and a bird came and ate out of your hand? Yeah, at a bird sanctuary. Could you ever live in Alaska? Hell yeah, I'd enjoy that. On the main page on YouTube, what’re the three recommended videos? There's one by a WoW gold maker, a song by 3TEETH, and a video of bullsnakes hatching. Do you really care how many friends you or anyone else has on Myspace/Facebook? Couldn't care less. I only "friend" people I know and care about. Does your significant other have any piercings? I'm single. Do you ever get bored of yourself? Oh, all the time. I feel like I'm extremely dull and plain and, well, boring. How many band shirts do you own? Which? Oh goodness, I have no idea. I own a lot. Do you go to shows mostly for the music, the moshing, or the merchandise? I go for the music. It's nice to buy merch, but it's SO expensive that it's dumb. Moshing, I think is just stupid. Have you ever had anything pierced that you don’t have now? Many places, actually. So many holes closed because piercings had to be taken out when I was in the psych hospital. I was so annoyed. Who were you with the first time you watched the last movie you watched? I was alone. Do you have any twins/multiples in your family? Are they identical or fraternal? No. What is the highest number of jobs you’ve had at one time? One. Is your mom a good mom? She is the actual best. Last thing you threw in the garbage? The crust of some leftover pizza I had this morning. I generally eat the crust, but this time it was WAY too hard.

[ihassheepquake]

Stargirl 1.09 “Brainwave” is out now DCU & I’m here to talk about it.

So, in a surprise to absolutely nobody, each episode that is named after a specific character is their backstory (except for episode 1, which is simply titled “Pilot” but is still Courtney’s origin story, but the show is called Stargirl so it’s fine), so naturally this is going to be our big backstory for Henry King Sr. aka Brainwave. I’m also betting we’ll see him wake up this episode, and this could hold the confrontation between BW & Henry Jr, with Henry going rogue next week in “Brainwave Jr.”

And of course, we open on BW flashback, right as he’s starting to develop his powers while being mugged, which is as good a time as any to find out you have superpowers. And so his first action is to force choke his mugger to death (or a brain fry, giving the dude a seizure). Classic super villain. Seems like all those videos he has in his secret room are him documenting the discovery of his powers and likely him training himself. As Henry starts to watch them, they can act as a good base for him to work on his powers, so he could likely use them to advance his powers faster than BW. It’s interesting to see that BW got his powers through self-experimentation, very classic villain origin, having his funding denied and saying “fuck it” and doing it anyway but on himself.

Courtney seems almost traumatized from her fight with Henry last week as he used his powers on her. She can tell that he’s scared, and she’s scared too, but she’s also sympathetic and even wants to give him a chance. Pat seems unconcerned by this, instead worrying about Dragon King and what the ISA is doing now.  But look, Pat was in a different team, the Seven Soldiers of Victory (is there comic history for that? Never heard of them) with Green Arrow, Speedy, Shining Knight (who we have met several times actually), Vigilante (who I remember from JLU where I also was first introduced to SK, Stargirl, & S.T.R.I.P.E.), and Wing (whoever that is). I guess despite Arrow being over, they aren’t allowed to say the names of GA & Speedy. And then Pat decides that they do need help and seems to at least kinda agree with recruiting Henry.

So here we cut to Shining Knight, which is clearly important. He sees himself holding the Cosmic Staff, which also has to mean something. Is he joining the JSA? That’d be cool. 

So we saw Cindy get dragged off by Dragon King last week, and now she’s locked up by her dad, and the school thinks she left the country. Cindy, girl, maybe threatening to kill Dragon King isn't the best of ideas. And she get’s gassed. What is this machine Dragon King keeps talking about? What the hell is he up too?

So yeah, just like I thought, Henry is using his dad’s videos to teach himself, and does seem to maybe be progressing faster than his dads did, but he has help. It’s nice to see how delighted he is by his abilities. 

I like the division that the idea of getting Henry in has split the Starsquad so much. It definitely shows that Yolanda doesn’t actually know that it was Cindy who leaked her photos. (also, side note, Rick looks really cute in his yellow hoodie). I feel like these kinds of shows don’t really talk about the effects that having people like Henry join the team very often, so it’s good to see how these four are interacting about it. I definitely agree with Beth that not giving Henry the benefit of the doubt and saying that people can’t possibly change is unfair to him (especially given the additional information that we as the audience have), but I don’t disagree with Yolanda. I definitely wouldn’t want him on the team in her shoes. Regardless of the fact that he didn’t leak her photos, he still treated her terribly after it all went down. There’s some tough questions here.

Of course we have to get a tragic backstory about how sad BW is, and how awful his childhood was, blah blah blah. Those kinds of experiences are usually used to justify why the villain is so bad and make them sympathetic but I really don’t like it. Regardless of your trauma, you’re still responsible for your actions. Being sad doesn’t give you an excuse to blind a man and then throw him in front of a subway, not to mention how much other shit he’s done that we don’t know about. 

So the ISA meeting reveals the plan to us, and honestly? Kinda underwhelmed. It’s a very typical supervillain plot, they wanna use Henry to take mental control of everyone in like, a six state radius, typical stuff. 

Courtney goes to see Henry in the hospital and starts her trying to recruit him plan. She even (accidentally) owns up to being the reason BW is in the hospital. But if I’m being honest, I’m not 100% sure she can recruit him, at least not yet. When she tells him that BW & the ISA have killed people (Mr. Zarick, Joey (also the tradition of Joey still being talked about is back, he has officially been in/mentioned in 8 of 9 episodes so far this season, my boi is killing it), her dad) and his only reaction is “maybe they deserved it” and just as I’m thinking about how I’d ask “did Joey deserve it” Courtney beats me to the punch, thank you girl. Henry doesn’t say that he doesn’t think Joey deserved to die, but he says he was a nice kid, so I’m guessing he doesn’t. I’m really happy about Courtney’s response to Henry’s little speech about how awful people is. Again, that’s usually a very binary conversation in these shows but Courtney admits that people can be bad, but they can also be good. It isn’t black and white. She still ultimately gets back to “people are always good” but she can at least admit that isn’t not always so cut and dry. It’s refreshing. As I’ve talked about before, a lot of Courtney’s character in relation to everyone else is choice. As she’s leaving, she tells Henry that she believes he wants to do the right thing, and to come talk to her when he’s ready. She’s still giving him that choice, and she’s telling him that she’ll be ready when he does, whatever it is. 

I say it every week but the family bits with Barbara are the best. Unlike the typical dad/husband, he isn’t happy with leaving Barbara to do all the housework and shit. And then Pat is ready and willing to finally tell Barbara the truth, only to be cut off by Courtney, and honestly Barbara deserves to know. She needs to know actually. It leads to a lot of weird shit with Jordan, god he screams crazy colonizer it’s wild, and it leads to a great way for Courtney to learn Jordan is Icicle, having him casually pick up a dish straight out of the oven like it’s nothing. Okay, does Jordan know about Courtney? He certainly gives off vibes that he does, but he doesn’t seem to acknowledge that he does. But it leads to Barbara finding out! FINALLY!!! Love that drama!!!

Oop, here goes Henry following his dad’s footsteps and killing a man, at the exact moment his dad wakes up. What fun. And that’s where the episode ends. 

So much crazy stuff has happened this week. Each episode gets me more and more hyped for the next, and we only have four left this season. So, let’s quick recap what we do from next episode “Brainwave Jr.” The Starsquad is going to go explore in this tunnels under the city and Henry is going to be down there with them, and it looks like they’re going to be taking on Dragon King’s weird cult thing. They’re likely also going to find out the identity of at least one more member of the ISA. We also now know that Barbara is going to get the full story and I wonder how that’s going to go. 

That’s it from me this week (for now at least), which means I’ll see you back next week for Stargirl 1.10 “Brainwave Jr.”

[switchbrainedholylime]

Like Petroleum & Water - Chapter 1

Based on the prompt/AU idea by @skygemspeaks: https://skygemspeaks.tumblr.com/post/189686838998/you-know-what-dr-stone-modern-au-where-all-the

Summary: Senkuu’s new stepmother Lillian comes a family...a large, Southern one. And while Senkuu may have dreamed of going to space to explore another planet, he didn’t think that alien planet would be West Virginia.

Sure he and Byakuya were still going to live in Japan full-time, he didn’t have to move there; they just had to visit for one month every year during the summer after they got married. Lillian wanted a low-key family wedding without all the fuss of the media, so she was secretive about any details in interviews. 

Of course, Lillian had told Byakuya who blabbed excitably about all the details to Senku, but luckily for the newly-engaged couple, the teen prodigy didn’t care about leaking any of the info to the media.  

“I just dan’t wanna get my loved ones involved in all that drama, y’know? I just wanna have a nice time with the folks that made me who I am. I might have a big celebration afterward, but really deep down I guess I’m still a hometown girl. Sure, I could hire a big city caterer, have big names come to it, have a big giant cake the size of the moon, have everything big-big-big. But...that’s just ain’t who I am. It just wouldn’t feel right. I made a promise before my first major concert at 14 in Morgantown, home to my home state’s biggest university music program, to my aunt that she’d be the one that’d make my wedding cake, and I wanna keep that. She was my first official voice coach once she heard about how much all the kids on the street loved my singing. I owe it to her.”    

When pop idol Lillian Weinberg posted her engagement photos with her and Byakuya in the ISS on her Instagram. The video of the engagement ring fluttering in zero-gravity until it moved towards Lillian, who slipped it on and embraced the Japanese astronaut got billions of views. 

By the time the ISS returned, Bakuya was an international sensation and people were flocked to his university office. The school security had to actually train to themselves to deal with pesky paparazzi. 

The world Senkuu inhabited was shattered like someone had taken their bare hands to a statue and crushed it like an egg. The other astronauts were clapping in the videos. Everyone in his class went ballistic. 

Literally ballistic, too; one of Yuzuriha’s friends named Nikki threw her eraser so fast across the classroom in utter shock that it matched the trajectory of an arrow at about 27.3 mph. “Oh my God! Senku, this is your dad, isn’t it?”

Senkuu shifted his head over. “Yeah, that’s him, alright.”  

“I can’t say that I blame Lillian, he’s a lot hotter than you, Senkuu.” Nikki smiled, “Of course, I’m always a sucker for a five-o-clock shadow.” 

“He’s also gotten pretty buff from all that astronaut training, too. Some of the gym photos show ‘em getting pretty jacked.” 

“He has a rustic spice about him, but he’s also smart. He raised Senkuu on his own, so you know he’s family-orientated and doesn’t have issues with commitment. He has a steady job, too.” Another schoolmate gushed.  

“Wait, weren’t you working on a bodysuit for him back in elementary school. You don’t happen to still have a model of that around, do you?” 

“I’d prefer it if you don’t talk about my dad in front of me like he’s some top 10 movie star. Sweet Issac Newton, my old man is in his mid-forties! None of you thought he was hot before he hooked up with Lillian!” Senkuu’s face was beet red and sweat as he grasped his piece of chalk for dear life. “Alright, can we please go back to the parabola formula. It’s going to be on the final exam.” 

After a frustrating pre-finals review, Senkuu left the school grounds on his own as he thought to himself. His arms were firmly planted in his lab coat. He pouted and scowled to himself, “Had I known that the main result of my old man getting into JAXA would be that he got to bang his favorite celebrity instead of getting some serious science work done, I wouldn’t have made that swimming suit-” 

His monologuing was interrupted by Taiju and Yuzuriha. “Senku! Hey, congrats to your old man. Yuzu said that she’d make a custom tuxedo, so I kinda gave her your measurements. Sorry I didn’t ask you first-”

“Great, now even my two best friends wanna bang my future step-mom and by next school year, I’ll have to submit paperwork to change my name to ‘Senku Weinberg’. What a joke,” Senku groaned. “I even heard people are starting to fantasize about me, comparing my eyes to rubies! No one even cared about us before this!” 

“Senku! You know I only love Yuzuriha. Also...you know I’ve always cared about you. Famous or not,” Taiju insisted.  

“Then why haven’t you told Yuzuriha yet that you love her?” 

“I...plan on it! I promise! After finals, and definitely by the time you get back from the wedding!”

“You better.” Senkuu gazed up at the sunset. He then high-fived his friend, “Don’t forget your summer homework assignment, big oaf.” 

“I won’t!” 

----

Getting to travel first-class was surreal, to say the least. Senkuu gazed out his window and calculated the seconds it’d take to get there or how high they were above ground by the centimeter. They transferred from Tokyo to New York to Huntington. From there it was an hour drive through the windy mountains that made Senkuu AND Baykuya nearly vomit from motion sickness until they finally arrived at Lillian’s hometown: Pickens, West Virginia. Population 40.  

“Alright, y’all! We’re here.” Lillian turned to her fiancee and soon-to-be stepson. 

“Here I thought the JAXA training was rough...,” Byakuya groaned.  

“I figured I was going straight to Hell, but I didn’t think it’d be this soon,” Senkuu muttered to himself. 

“GET UP!” Lillian kicked the car and shook them out of it. “Good grief, y’all need to build up some grit!”

“Darling!” A dark-brown haired middle-aged woman and embraced the pop singer. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much. I prayed for you constantly that you’d come back home.” 

“Thanks, Auntie Turquoise!” Lillian jumped towards her aunt. “How’re Cousins Kohaku and Ruri? The trio o’ Ruby, Sapphire ‘n Garnet ain’t causin’ the sheriff too much trouble, are they?”

“Thankfully they’re not. Though boy is that Magma a whole wreck to deal with; he broke his DUI parole again yet he still drives through the town on his truck like it’s a NASCAR ring. He’s a headache.”  

“Turquoise...? Lapis Lazuli?” Senkuu sat up. 

“There’s not a lot of people ‘round ‘ere so we don’t really bother with last names. We just go by our favorite stone. Lillian Weinberg’s actually my stage name. I actually officially changed it in order to enroll in the ISS program, though. I’m the only person in this ‘ol town with a first and last name or to have left in more than 50 years.” 

“The only person!?” Senkuu nearly choked. “And not only that, you made it to SPACE!? What even is this!?”   

“Why did you choose ‘Weinberg’?” Byakuya asked.  

“There’s a town just a few miles north ‘o ‘ere called Helvetia that’s a huge tourist trap since it’s all about Dutch and German heritage. Auntie Turquoise used to get me presents from there craftsmen there all the time. I’ll always treasure that wooden music box y’all got me when I started my first period.” 

“Well, I couldn’t help myself for my favorite niece.” Aunt Turquoise smiled.   

“We can swing by there sometime on our way back to the airport. I get the feelin’ y’all have had enough twirling for today.” 

“Yeah,"

“What happens if more than one person has the same favorite stone?” 

“Oh, Pastor Jasper keeps a record on that. If that happens, they pick the same name of the stone but in a different language. That’s why Kohaku and Ruri aren’t called ‘Amber’ and ‘Lapis Lazuli’."

“I-I guess.” Byakuya blinked. 

“Well, what’re waitin’ in the car for? C’mon in!” Lillian picked both grown men up and carried them into the house. 

[eldritchlulz-blog]

that went well

nick and moire have irreconcilable differences

LAST WEEK

eldritchlulz

so are ye gonna eat paper airplanes all through class tomorrow too or ye gonna tell me what the problem is

nickatnightwalker

my appetite for paper airplanes is endless munro

eldritchlulz

great

hope yer hungry for that shiny stuff they print photos on

nickatnightwalker

ugh cmon that shits so bitter it's like letting advil dissolve in your mouth

eldritchlulz

ye know the terms of the deal walker

ye'd be doing yer stomach a favor

nickatnightwalker

eh

it's not liver damage but we all have our vices

eldritchlulz

that's true

but yer liver's probably not gonna thank ye for bitter advil paper either

what if i made a really big one out of a whole newspaper

antonov an-225

nickatnightwalker

at least buy me a latte to wash it down with

ALSO LIKE A WEEK AGO

eldritchlulz

[moire makes good on her promise in class today. nick gets an expertly-aimed airplane to the cheek within the first ten minutes of class. it's folded from stiff glossy photo-printing paper, which she bartered from the amorphous art supply guardian in exchange for a memory. then he gets another airplane to the temple. and another. and another. long months of fucking around in class have made her an expert at predicting how long professor mothman will have his back turned to the board.] lattes are for when yer not being a dick, [she tells him after class, peeling off down the hallway to physics] i’ll make ye tea though if ye manage to eat em all

**

TWO DAYS AGO, post sharing dragon videos

eldritchlulz

so are we friends again or nah

**

YESTERDAY

nickatnightwalker

i cant read this over the noises my stomach is still making as it digests photopaper

eldritchlulz

ye could have had tea

nickatnightwalker

it was a pride thing

eldritchlulz

i didn't think ye had any left after the third airplane

nickatnightwalker

you would be shocked at how much i manage to retain no matter what i swallow

eldritchlulz

i guess we all have our talents

nickatnightwalker

damn straight munro

some are just more highly sought after than others

eldritchlulz

who knew airplane eating is so decidedly respected

nickatnightwalker

anyone in the aviation industry duh

eldritchlulz

well don't forget who helped launch yer career when yer famous and shit

nickatnightwalker

yeah ill try not to forget the little people

eldritchlulz

yer like a foot shorter than me

nickatnightwalker

oh well obviously im talking about personality

eldritchlulz

then yer like two feet shorter

nickatnightwalker

hair doesnt count

neither does punching

eldritchlulz

luckily those aren't personality traits

nickatnightwalker

exactly

which is why youre the little people and im not

eldritchlulz

lmao all ye have in yer corner is being tiny and rude

nickatnightwalker

youd be surprised how far those two things can get you in life

eldritchlulz

good for ye

nickatnightwalker

thanks it's been an uphill battle but 18 years in im starting to get the hang of using that stuff in my favor

eldritchlulz

great

**

TODAY

nickatnightwalker

since youre technically millys aunt im donating a full sentence of real talk which is that i dont really fuck with public drinkers

eldritchlulz

why not enough personality for ye

ye get high all the time

nickatnightwalker

yeah, and all that happens is i chill out

eldritchlulz

is this because of the movie night?

did we do something to ye?

nickatnightwalker

no it's just not my thing ok

i dont babysit lightweights and hanging around them always turns into that anyway

eldritchlulz

lmao i mean ye didn't and no one asked ye to

nickatnightwalker

no offense but have you ever hung out with drinkers because no matter the fuck what eventually

eventually

nickatnightwalker

it's the one sober person's job to console whoever just started crying and stop the fights and driving and unprotected sex and i have plenty on my plate right now without heading down that road so i really, really prefer not hanging with people who get drunk on wine during disney movie night like you do you and shit but it's not my scene

eldritchlulz

i know yer from like

the city and shit

but here i’ve only ever drank with misha and some of the girls in proteus and it’s never been like that

i don’t know in what world ye think ye have to take care of us

eldritchlulz

i don’t want that lmao and i definitely don’t need it

nickatnightwalker

good to know but there's still that second hand embarrassment factor and the smell of rancid grapes to figure in

like i just dont like hanging with people drinking it's not that deep

eldritchlulz

good thing ye’ve never done anything embarrassing like proposition yer supposed cousin over the pa system

that’d be real fuckin awkward

whatever walker

if yer gonna ditch cus one night out of the months ye’ve been here we did something that ye didnae like that didnae even affect ye

then seriously

whatever

nickatnightwalker

lmao at least i did it fully aware of what i was doing

nickatnightwalker

like damn munro cant a guy choose his company based on personal preferences

eldritchlulz

lmao weak

i do enough embarrassing stuff sober too kill me for having a good night where i didn’t worry about shit

and ye sure can

my personal preference is hanging out with people who don’t flake without even a heads up

evens out

nickatnightwalker

it's not flaking if we never had plans like ho ly shit why is this such a big deal you wanna get shitfaced and turn your head into a fish that's your prerogative and it's mine not to stick around while it's happening i dont particularly care why you did it im sure being drunk was a blissful reprieve from your tortured thoughts or whatever and i respect that i just dont want to be there

eldritchlulz

gods ye are literally the one who made this into a big deal nick i just said whatever like three times ye dinnae have to justify yer weird hypocritical bullshit to me

no one said ye had to watch when there were a thousand other things to do and pay attention to that night but yeah ignoring a friend for weeks and not letting them know what’s up is a shitty thing to do and i was trying to like check in but it turns out the mistake was thinking that we were friends in the first place so like i said

whatever

nickatnightwalker

i was doing plenty of other things that night and i really dont get why you cant run it through your hair that i dont fuckin like hanging around drunks and forgive me for not realizing we were at the bffs for life stage and thinking it wouldnt be a big deal to drop off your proverbial sea charts

eldritchlulz

oh nice so i'm a drunk cus i had some wine that’s incredibly reasonable of ye top of the fucking class

i wasn’t saying we were bffs lmao yer supposed to be the human don’t ye have a basic concept of how human relationships work ye don’t have to be bffs to not be a total asshole

nickatnightwalker

you were drunk i dont know what gentle terminology you want me to use here  like was i supposed to hand you an official notice like dear mr and mrs munro this is a letter of resignation on the basis that i dont fucking roll with public wastedness

nickatnightwalker

god i thought you were buried deeper in your hypermasculinity than getting ratty because i decided i didnt wanna hang with you your boy and a bottle of something that could strip paint off a car

eldritchlulz

the utter fuckin logical leaps yer going through to make hanging out with us about drinking constantly is amazing ye gonna mentally photoshop bottles of liquor into all the times we hung out where we weren’t drinking too

and ye can fuck off with the hypermasculinity bullshit it’s bad if i am and bad if i’m not to ye sorry i don’t fit the perfect image of rambo lmao almost like the way ye stereotype everyone isn’t the way they really are

i don’t get how i’m the fucking unreasonable one here for thinking that i’d fucked something up and wanting to fix it and instead getting a thousand word essay where ye reiterate the point that got old the second time ye said it

luckily ye can consider yerself off the hook

nickatnightwalker

if ive said it so many times then why isnt it going through

nickatnightwalker

and like damn do you think youre like picking away at my layers of carefully crafted denial to get to the real reason i dont wanna hang with you guys anymore or something like i told you it's not that deep and just because i expected you to be oozing masculinity like a frat boy's sti doesnt mean it's a good thing that usually you are

eldritchlulz

trust me i'm not under any delusion that yer deep lmao

it came through loud and clear the first time

so like i said four fucking times

whatever

yer off the hook

see ye in class

nickatnightwalker

yep, this shallow bitch'll catch you later than you overhyped blowfish

eldritchlulz

also weak

nickatnightwalker

yes, i know, your muscles schwarzenegger youll be back etc etc etc

[kristallioness]

Healing herself

Summary: Kya discovers that she has healing abilities, just like her mother.

Word count: 2,941

Author's note: I haven't written anything in awhile, so I came up with this short drabble about Katara taking care of Kya. And I can't believe I teared up when I wrote the last things Kya and Katara say to each other. The little waterbender is more of a healer than a fighter, so I like to think that she would've tried to use her waterbending to heal as well (besides learning the basics of medicine), but she had never successfully done it until this moment. The way Kya reacts (grabbing her mother's hand/the stethoscope) when Katara wants to listen to her is something that I found to be quite adorable after I'd stumbled across a random video about a baby doing it during an exam. Also, when I remembered that airbenders have a special breathing technique, which helps them keep their bodies warm, I wanted to turn this into something interesting.. Read and you'll find out. There are *counts*.. four references to my older fics, including "Falling to pieces", "An afternoon at the hospital", "Playing healer" and "Recovery". I feel like my writing has become very rusty.. okay, maybe not that bad. I just need another idea, something that'd actually have a plot. In the meantime, take this or leave it *hides*.

----------x----------

"Kya? Good morning, sweetie!"

A slightly drowsy little girl peeked at her with her left eye before releasing a loud yawn.

"Aaaaahhhh.. morning, mommy!" Kya stretched and turned on her back, rubbing her eyes to clear the blur from their watering. The little waterbender had fallen ill last night and since she'd already been too tired to stay up any longer, her mother had allowed her to go to bed early and rest, promising to give her a checkup the next morning. With Kya being the one who insisted, which usually meant that she felt rather poorly. Hence why she was greeted by three gentle knocks against the door to her room a moment ago.

Katara quietly slid the door open and stepped inside. She was carrying a tray of food and medical equipment, one of which was a familiar shiny 'necklace', decorating her neck. Only the most essential things they'd need. The smell coming from a bowl containing still slightly boiling stewed sea prunes and a cup of hot ginger tea filled the girl's room.

"So, how are you feeling?" Katara asked as she placed the tray on the nightstand next to Kya's bed, then took a seat on her bedside. She had to make room for it since there was also a nightlight, a few children's books and a beautiful framed photograph of their family on the cupboard.

Kya had accidentally knocked the photo off the table by throwing one of her pillows at it once, breaking the glass and even cutting her finger while she attempted to clean up the mess. She'd recently turned two years old and had a huge argument with her daddy, about him not being home so much. It was all an unfortunate train of events, Aang really did have to visit Republic City during that time. Kya felt so sorry and was afraid that because of what she'd yelled at him, her daddy had left their family behind. A 2-year-old's logic, after all. Of course, Aang had already forgiven her and offered her unconditional love when she apologized while crying. Katara had helped heal her boo-boo, comforted her during the day and fixed the glass by replacing the shattered one with a new one. The little waterbender has been extra careful with it ever since.

"A bit warm," Kya answered her mother's question, watching intently as she laid the cool palm of her right hand against her temple. The heavy feeling in her forehead dissipated a little, even without Katara doing anything - a healer's touch, as everybody liked to say. She went into a short coughing fit while her mother pondered. That was the first symptom, along with weariness, which had appeared the previous evening.

"You are a bit warm.. do you think that we should take your temperature?" Katara wondered as she reached for the thermometer on the tray. The current reading was a bit too high probably due to the last measurement, so she began swinging it in the air to force the mercury to go down to its normal level. Kya hummed and nodded in agreement, allowing her mother to fiddle with her sleeve in order to place the thermometer under her right arm.

"Let's keep it under there for a few minutes.."

"Okay, mommy," Kya said as she laid her right hand on her stomach to make sure it didn't slip anywhere, just like her mommy had taught her.

"While we wait, why don't you tell me what else is bothering you besides that nasty cough?"

The only reply Kya gave to her mother was a very loud sniff.

"Ah-haa.. a runny nose?" Katara raised an eyebrow playfully, Kya nodded again.

"Nothing else? No tummy ache? You're not feeling sick?" the master waterbender tenderly ran a finger across her daughter's abdomen, slightly tickling it, which helped cheer the little girl up by making her laugh.

"Nuh-uh!" Kya shook her head and smiled back at her mother, who reached for the wooden tongue depressor next.

"Good.. but since you've been coughing a lot, do you mind if I take a look at your throat?"

Kya simply opened her mouth wide and stuck out her tongue, which was all Katara needed to proceed.

"Say 'Aahh!'," she ordered after a couple of seconds of observing.

"Aahh!" the little waterbender repeated.

"Well, it is a little redder than normal, but that's probably because you've been coughing all night long," Katara gently touched Kya's neck to be sure there wasn't any swelling, which would've indicated an infection. She was pleased that she couldn't feel anything.

"You know, Kya, we talked last night and your daddy promised that he'll go to the hospital as soon as the pharmacy opens."

Since it was a Saturday, the biggest pharmacy in the city, which happened to be in Katara's hospital and had the largest variety as well as supply of drugs that could be kept in specific conditions, didn't open until noon.

"But I don't want daddy to go! I don't need any medicine," Kya pouted, breaking eye contact with her mother as she stared blankly at her stuffed Appa plush, which was among her other toys on the carpet.

"Kya.. it's not just any medicine we're talking about. It's frozen wood frogs," Katara joined Kya's right hand with her own, softly grazing the back of it with her thumb.

"Exactly. I told you - I don't wanna suck on frozen frogs!" she whined.

"Daddy will go anyway. I tried to tell him, but he's already made up his mind about this. And who knows, maybe you'll change your mind when he comes back," Katara said as she moved on to stroking her daughter's head. She merely puffed out an annoyed breath, which sounded more like a pathetic cough.

"I'll remind you that if you eat the substance, you'll be cured within a day or two, otherwise you'll be sick for a few more days before you start to feel better.. Think about it. I sucked on some of those little critters when I was sick. And you being my healer certainly helped, too."

"I remember.." Kya sighed sadly. It wasn't too long ago when their roles had been switched - Katara being the patient and Kya her healer.

"So, will you let me be your healer now?" Katara tilted her head, gazing into her daughter's eyes, a loving smile on her lips.

"Sure, mommy," Kya eventually gave in, prompting Katara to release a short chuckle.

"Thank you, sweetie!.. I think it's ready," Katara stated before she pulled the thermometer out from under the little waterbender's right arm, then stared at the result. Her facial expression remained somewhat neutral, yet relieved, meaning it wasn't anything serious.

"37.5 degrees, that's a normal fever there," she put the medical instrument away, then grabbed that pretty and long shiny 'necklace' of hers.

"Would you like to lie down or sit up while I listen to you?" Katara wondered as she rubbed and breathed on the metal end of her stethoscope to warm it up in the meantime.

"I don't mind either way," Kya shrugged.

"Alright, in that case, I'll listen to your lungs while you're lying down. Okay?" she said while undoing the two buttons on her daughter's shirt. The little waterbender nodded.

"Would you take nice deep breaths through your mouth for me?" Katara asked once more. Kya complied, knowing exactly how thoroughly her mother would go through this procedure.

"Good girl, go on..." Katara praised, moving the diaphragm from left to right while going downwards to compare the sounds of her lungs.

"Cough," the elder waterbender ordered once she'd reached the lower half of her chest. The little waterbender coughed twice so her mother could listen to both sides.

"Nothing abnormal so far.. I wanna hear how well you breathe just a little bit longer, so would you mind sitting up now? Come sit with me," Katara smiled and patted her lap, inviting Kya over. The little waterbender slowly rose from her bed, then crawled closer to her mother, who helped by lifting her into her lap. Katara removed Kya's shirt completely and put it on the blanket, then pushed her long hair to the front and continued auscultating from her back. Kya also continued to breathe very deeply as well as slowly.

There was one thing her mother had to admit - she definitely had the proper breathing technique of an airbender, which sounded clearer, was really calm and collected. Kya must've been born with it because Aang hadn't taught her anything related to it yet, which made it even more impressive. Katara was very much aware of that. All those nights sleeping on Aang's bare chest like it was her personal pillow, feeling it rise and descend along with her own head as he breathed, the soft thumping echoing the beats of his heart into her right ear. She'd recognize an airbender anywhere based on the way they breathed to keep themselves warm.

"And one more time?" Katara finally asked, after which her daughter released a slightly rattling cough. She actually needed to catch her breath after that last one.

"Very good, sweetie.. Muah!" the elder waterbender gifted her with a kiss on the top of her head for being such an obedient patient.

"You can breathe normally now, I'm just gonna listen to your heartbeat," Katara explained while she softly pulled Kya's thick hair on her back again, which provided her with some warmth, too. She carefully ran the fingers of her free hand through her daughter's locks to comb them straight. Having taken the diaphragm into her left hand, she placed the stethoscope on the girl's chest, this time to listen to her heart. Kya gently grabbed Katara's hand with both her own, holding on to it whilst her mother moved the diaphragm around above her ribcage. Every time Kya did that, it reminded Katara of how she used to do it when she was just a baby.

Aang would have her in a cradle hold in his arms while Katara carried out her regular checkups. Kya's tiny cerulean eyes were rarely open, being close to her daddy always helped her calm down and fall asleep easily. The quiet room of a healer's office also helped along, which only simplified the examination for the healer herself. So one time - when Katara wanted to listen to her heart - as soon as she'd laid the round end of her stethoscope on the baby's chest, Kya's small fingers had grasped it and held it down pretty strong, even when Katara had finished and wanted to pull it away. Aang gently nudged Katara when he'd noticed the first time she did it.

"Hey, look! She's even trying to assist you," he joked in a whisper, making his wife giggle, too. Kya stopped doing it after she'd turned about a year old, becoming more alert and timid of the process. But once Katara allowed her to listen for herself for the first time a few years later, she discovered a new exciting side to it, one that amazed her and felt rather comforting at the same time. Now - whenever Katara was about to finish - she'd ask the same question every time, knowing just how eager her daughter was.

"Sweetie? Do you wanna listen, too?"

And Kya would nod happily, a silent 'Mhm!' escaping her mouth.

"Just a moment.." Katara placed the diaphragm on the spot where the beating was the loudest, mostly palpable as well.

"Okay, hold it right there," she added, then removed the earpieces and put them into Kya's ears. The little waterbender's room remained silent for almost a minute. Katara wrapped her right arm around her small body, slightly pulling Kya closer into her embrace. She didn't mind, although she did notice it and looked up at her mother, who had a big grin on her face.

"Mommy?" she asked in a quiet tone.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Can I listen with the.. the..?" she pointed at the metal chestpiece, but she'd forgotten how the other side was called. Katara helped her out by pretending like she was holding something in her hand and sort of tinkling it.

"The bell?"

"Sure.. here, let me help you," the master waterbender took it in her hands for a moment to turn it around before offering it back to her baby girl. Kya gently pressed the hollow side of her mother's stethoscope on the same spot to listen for another minute. Katara had been teaching her other medical terms and life-saving skills too, including how to wrap up a smaller bleed or wound. Obviously that would've been much easier to heal, but since Kya hadn't shown any signs of having healing abilities, she couldn't practise it.

The little waterbender's cerulean eyes grew wide when she heard a sudden loud grumbling, Katara couldn't help but laugh.

"Looks like someone's hungry, your tummy growled," she tickled her daughter's stomach again, which made her giggle, too. Kya handed the medical instrument back to her mother, who hung it around her neck.

"Time for breakfast," Katara declared while helping Kya put her shirt back on, after which the little waterbender crawled back onto her bed, climbed under the blanket and lay down on her two pillows.

"I hope you like stewed sea prunes, cause that's what you're having," she handed Kya the bowl along with a spoon.

"Can I have some fruit pie, too?" the little girl pleaded.

"Of course, after you've eaten this and gulped down at least half of that ginger tea. Besides, I'm not sure, but I'll probably have to check if we have any left over.. And I suppose if we don't, daddy can help me bake some more for dinner. Agreed?"

"Mhmm.. yummy!" Kya nodded while slurping some of the delicious broth. Katara helped her put the empty dishes back on the tray once she was finished. By the time she was beginning to drink her tea, she also began shivering.

"Are you cold? Aww, your fever must be rising," the elder waterbender checked her temple.

"I'll go find my pouch and bring some cold water to lower your fever, be back in a few minutes," Katara stood up from her daughter's bed and, in a slight quicker pace, left her room to head to the healing hut where she'd most likely left her water skin. Kya tried her best to finish her tea sooner when she suddenly remembered that there should be some fresh water left over in her own pouch.

"Mommy!" Kya called for her, but her mother was probably too far away to hear her. Since it didn't sound like a very desperate cry either, she probably wouldn't turn around and come back.

The little waterbender decided to take matters into her own hands, so she put the almost empty cup back on the tray, jumped out of bed and went to pick up her water skin from the floor, where many of her toys were also located. As soon as she'd made herself cosy in her bed, she waterbended some of the liquid on her tiny palm and pressed it against her forehead. She attempted to move it around in slow circles, or at least in a similar motion that she'd usually feel when her mother does it. She did feel a little better, but she wasn't certain if she was doing it right.

When Katara finally returned, she'd been waterbending for two minutes.

"Sorry I was gone so long, sweetie. I heard you calling me, but I was just on my way to-"

Katara's sentence was cut off by a sharp clatter, which startled Kya, and her mouth dropped wide open. She'd dropped the porcelain plate with the only piece of leftover fruit pie she'd found in the kitchen, whereas her daughter would've almost lost control of the water she was bending. It was a good thing she didn't.

"What's wrong, mommy?" Kya wondered, a bit scared and confused. Katara remained standing there like that for another few seconds before she managed to take a couple of hesitant steps closer until she reached the bedside and could take a seat. She gazed at her daughter, her diamond blue eyes still wide from the surprise and shock. She could hear the familiar humming sound, she witnessed the radiating glow. She was definitely not dreaming.

"Kya.. y-you.. you're healing, sweetie."

"Huh?" she found that hard to believe.

"Look," Katara summoned some of the ice-cold water she'd filled her pouch with, which was hanging near her waist. She froze the fluid into a thin layer of ice, an alternative for a mirror, and showed Kya a reflection of herself. The water on her forehead, around her hand, was glowing brightly. The little waterbender's cerulean eyes grew just as wide as her mother's had been moments ago. Actually, her mother's eyes began to tear up now.

"You have healing abilities, sweetie!" Katara exclaimed in delight. She quickly melted the ice back into its liquid state and waterbended it back inside her own pouch, letting her daughter do the same with hers. Then she tenderly cupped Kya's cheeks and placed a big kiss on her wet forehead, pulling her precious baby into a full embrace. The little waterbender was still busy processing what had just happened, so she said the most irrelevant, or rather the first thing that came to mind.

"Uh.. sorry about making you drop the plate, mommy. Can I still have some fruit pie?"

"Oh, my silly little waterbender! You can have all the fruit pie you want!" Katara choked through her crying.