#and that he wishes i’d drop dead so he wouldnt have to deal with my shit anymore

[drivemysoul]

me looking at my likes right now

[serendipitys-lie]

Harry Hook x Reader Imagine “Trust Me” Pt. 1

Harry hook imagine

Authors note: Again I take requests on any fandoms I’m always free just ask away! This wasn’t requested but I thought about it haha :)

Also the part where you start with “I’m the girl who loves my island” is basically a passage from the reprise song that Moana sings in the movie Moana and I thought it’d be nice to include lol

Also i split this into two parts (maybe even three) because tumblr says its too long ;-;

Summary: You are the daughter of Moana and after the events of its going down you are left behind on the isle to fend for yourself. You run into Harry Hook who will end up being your best chance on getting out and along the way you will learn more about each other and grow closer in relationship.

MAJOR WARNING: BIG MENTION OF RAPE, I DONT REALLY MENTION IT ITS MORE OF ME IMPLYING IT BUT ITS STILL THERE SO

~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up from your dream in a daze panting slightly. Taking in all your surroundings you realized, yes you were still in the same place and yes, that place was the isle of the lost.

Normally the isle of the lost was not a place where a princess should be, let alone the daughter of Moana herself yet you were here. You had begged the VKs to take you on their rescue trip to save your closet friend Ben who had been kidnapped on the isle. Sadly a mist the battle between pirates and royalty the group fled in a hurry and had forgotten that you were on the other side of the plank once Mal had kicked it off.

As soon as they realized their mistake they tried all they could to get you back, you assuring them you’d be fine and that they just needed to go. The last thing you saw Mal word to you was “we’ll come back for you” before they disappeared into the pipe and you fled from the pirate scene hoping to stay out of view from any villains.

That had been nearly three months ago when it occurred and they still hadn’t come… you still hadn’t left. Yet it all consisted of the same. Everyday you’d hide out in Mal’s old apartment and leave when you needed food and such making sure no villains or crew members of Uma found out there was a princess on the isle.

You had learned to steal, it wasn’t a favorite of yours but sadly you learned you’d need to do it if you were to survive anymore on this gosh forsaken dump of land. You hated it here, not for reasons many would think. You were homesick, tired, and alone. You’d give anything to be back in Auradon smiling with Ben and your friends yet, you were not.

You sighed preparing yourself to head out for the day. You put on your beige shorts, red top, white sneakers, and your signature Hawaiian flower (given to you by your mother) in your hair. Lastly you tied the look all off with a big, old, dirty cloak so no one would recognize you and you left.

~~~~~~~~~~~

You had been “shopping” around for what felt like hours before you began to grow tired. Your feet were starting to ache and you only wished to go home when something shiny had caught your attention from the corner of your eye. You quickly turned to see the object more clearly and couldn’t help but feel your curiosity grow. You definitely felt your mother’s childlike wonder grow in you more and more as you inched closer now in a more secluded area of the alleyways.

You had decided that you’d just take the item and be on your way. Yes stealing was wrong and always would be but you only ever stole food and you didn’t see why you couldn’t steal for your own pleasure for once. And so you did, you inched closer and closer till you finally grabbed the item, yanking it from its position, and running.

You ran as fast as you could feeling the wind in your hair and your cloak hood fall. You could hear footsteps approaching faster and louder and quickened your haste. When it suddenly seemed like you had won and the steps had died down you reached a dead end in a dark ally way and ran into the wall, falling to the ground with a thud and mentally cursing yourself for being so clumsy.

You were just about to get up and sprint when you suddenly felt a grip on your wrist and chills go down your spine. You were pulled to your feet and pushed in the hold of whoever had caught you. Your back was pressed against the strangers front, whoever it was clearly being taller than you and being able to keep a strong, tight grip.

You wriggled and squirmed but just could not break free of the hold they had you in. You suddenly felt a warm breath down your neck and the words, almost a haughty whisper by your ear,

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you that stealing from a pirate was a mistake?”

Your face flushed at the voice, feeling uncomfortable and hot at the same time. With one strong big push you were able to break free from your attacker, hitting the wall once more, dropping the stolen item, and falling on your butt. As you looked up, one hand shielding your eyes from the sun you saw it, those beautiful blue eyes, the shadow of the figure putting the shiny, stolen item onto his hand. you knew instantly who he was! You had recognized him from the battle to save your friend and what you had just happened to steel was his pirate hook… ouch.

“Harry Hook” you spat out.

“Well well well, you do know me. That’s a shame lass I don’t recall who you are?” He said holding one hand out to you to help you back up with a cheeky grin. As you stood up and were able to give the pirate a better look at your physique, many things seemed to finally come back to Harry.

“I know you doll, you were at the battle! To save king beastie! Oi you must be some kind of princess now aren’t ye? Let me guess lass, go on gimme a princess name” he said with a menacing grin.

You rolled your eyes at the pirate annoyed with his behavior and the fact that you had finally been caught.

“I’m not a princess, I’m the daughter of the village Chieftess. There’s a difference and frankly I’d rather if you didn’t know who I was thank you very much” you answered calmly seeing it as an opportunity to start walking away when he grabbed your arm once more and moved closer.

“Tsk tsk tsk” he began, “you’ve made two mistakes in one day lass. Never steal from a pirate and never walk away from Harry Hook. Now judging by your snarky attitude and rebellious behavior ima say your Y/N, the daughter of Moana ye?”

“H-how… how did you know that?”

“I know all royalty love, I’m a pirate, makes for good loot stealing plans.” You just simply nodded and gave him a straight face hoping he wouldnt ask why you were here.

“Now, what’s a good little lady like you doing all washed up on our shore hm? Are you lost? Stuck? Oh- oh ho ho!!!” He began chuckling and smiling all along. “Did the mean wittle villain kids leave their least favorite friend behind to rot on an island with no one but herse-“

“ENOUGH!” You yelled cutting him off by surprise but not long enough for him to smirk realizing he had gotten to you. “I chose to stay, no one left me, you can stop bothering me now.”

“Oh come on love, no one chooses to stay on this dreadful place, not even I wish to stay here, only madmen and witches. If you did so desperately wish to stay what was the reason? Did ya miss me?” He asked with a cheeky wink at the end.

You rolled your eyes and thought of a quick, untruthful, reply.

“I just wanted to know what it felt like… to fend for myself, to steal, to not be good for once. It’s not to much to ask for!” You began realizing your answer may not have been the best and quickly changing the topic. “Anyway what you did you say about even you wanting to leave?”

“Ah its true lassie, not even the most handsome devil on this island wishes to stay…” he took a seat on a barrel nearby, you taking up room next to him on some crates, listening to him begin to speak. “I wish to go to a place, I don’t expect you to know. Tis a place I come from. My sisters are there and my father, the one I am sure to make proud. I miss them… they were lucky to make it to the unreachable land were as me, I was too slow and got put here. I dream about the beautiful island everyday, a place I’d rather be with my mates and my family just chillin happily. Ah yes, what a glorious place it is… Neverland.”

You choked once hearing the last word… “Neverland”. No not Neverland. You wished to never think of that place again. You wished you’d never have to go back. You couldn’t. You wouldn’t.

“Only thing not too glorious about Neverland is Pan” he mumbled clearly annoyed with the thought.

“N-never. Never mention that name to me. I never want to hear of that man again, got it?” You snapped.

Hook smirked, “Finally someone who hates him as much as my family does! Welcome to the club lass! Whaddya hate em for?”

You didn’t respond. Rather than listen to Hook babble more about his “dream island” you began to think long and hard. You were tired of waiting for rescuers who were sure to never come. You needed off the island now, and you now had a better chance because you had something you didn’t have before. You had a useful persons motive.

Cutting the pirate of you stood up right in front of his sitting figure, gaining his attention and, looking dead into his serious eyes.

“Hook,” You began, “I have an idea and just hear me out. We both really want off this island for different motives but our goal is the same. To just get off the island. If you show me a way to get off the island I promise I’ll take you to Auradon and get you a way back to Neverland.” The last words leaving your mouth left a sour taste… you couldn’t go back to never land you couldn’t…

Hook was not the least to say intrigued at the idea you were proposing and didn’t know what to think. He really wanted out of this gosh darn smelly town but he didn’t know if he could trust you, yet something told him he could.

“How do I know I can trust ye?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

You paused for a second before responding with a smirk.

“You’ll just have to trust me and find out. Deal?” You said sticking your hand out towards him to shake.

He smiled for once, not a smirk but a genuine soft smile and took your hand sending tingles all over your body.

“Deal”

~~~~~~~~~~~

You arrived at what seemed to be like one of the far corners of the isle. A cliff that lead to a straight drop into the murky green water and the bright yellow barrier ahead. Straight across you could see a small rift in the barrier, a part that never seemed to have closed when they locked everyone up here. The hole was too small for even a human infant to fit through but barely big enough to fit a small rabbit.

“That’s our ticket,” Harry whispered behind you sending shivers down once again, man he really loved doing that.

“I’ve known about this hole for ages but never been able to get through it, no one has. It’s just there… taunting us and all we can do is stare at it.” He stated looking at the small tear coldly. You studied more of the surrounding and found out something amazing. The ocean water in the isle never listened to your call despite being friends with the ocean, it was like this water was hypnotized or poisoned. But the water just outside the hole was still blue and filled with life… what if…

“I can get us through,” you said to Harry. “Just umm…” you trailed off looking around. You grabbed him by the arm and sat him on a wooden fence not that far from the cliff. He seemed amused watching you walk back to the edge with excitement. As you reached the side you could feel his wandering eyes on you and just picture his evil smirk.

“YOU KNOW IT DOESNT HELP WHEN I CAN FEEL YOU STARING AT ME!!!” You yelled back at him not even turning around to know.

“Well excuuuuseee meee princess!” He said sarcastically with another huge smirk knowing he had gotten to you again and turning to face the other side of the fence.

You began to feel more calm and at peace. You took a deep breath and tried what had always worked before, you began to sing.

“I’m the girl who loves my island I’m the girl who loves the sea It calls me”

Harry rolled his eyes seeing as it was clearly no time for karaoke. He began to open his mouth to speak for you to knock off the foolishness but stopped as he felt the passion in your beautiful voice grow stronger.

“I am the grandaughter of the village chief We are descended from voyagers Who found their way across the world They call me”

You began to look out onto the horizon and sure enough the ocean seemed to be moving but as you had remembered! Your friend was listening to your pleas!

“I’ve delivered us to where we are I have journeyed farther I am everything I’ve learned and more Still it calls me”

You began to feel a smile creep on more and more on to your face as you watched the ocean rise higher and higher to greet you. Harry not being able to stand not knowing what was going on turned around to witness a giant mass of water squeezing through the rift in the barrier and reaching up to your forehead as if to give you a kiss. To say he was baffled was an understatement.

“And the call isn’t out there at all, it’s inside me It’s like the tide; always falling and rising”

You witnessed your great grandmother, a beautiful spirit Manta Ray leap into the air and splash into the water. You were filled with so much passion and determination tears began to brim your eyes.

“I will carry you here in my heart you’ll remind me That come what may I know the way I am Y/N!!!!”

With the last words you sang, you began to walk backwards a reasonable amount preparing to do the unthinkable. It took Harry less than a second to realize what you were about to do. Oh no, a fall from this height was certain death, there was no way.

Harry reached out to grab your arm but barely missed as you had already sprinted off the cliff and into the waters down below making a huge splash into the mass of crystal clear waves that were still floating.

You began to laugh happily, content to be with an old friend again. After what felt like ages to Harry and seconds to you the ocean hoisted you back up onto the cliff just enough for you to reach your hand out to Harry.

“Let’s go home.” You smiled at him extending your hand for him to grab. He reached out to grab your hand when a booming voice scared the three of you.

“HARRY!!!!” It screeched really loudly. You saw her surprised eyes and remembered instantly. How could you not… Uma.

The ocean immediately became frightened and set you down safely back onto the cliff with Harry, scattering it’s way back through the hole and far, far, away. However it wasn’t fast enough for Uma to notice you could have just found a way out for her.

“Well well well,” she began. “What do we have here? Little y/n! Daughter of the stupid ocean girl… blah blah blah. Grab her.” You suddenly were grabbed on both sides and couldn’t move. You tried struggling but nothing seemed to be able to break you free.

Uma began to circle you as she spoke. “Little poor y/n. Far away from her precious royal friends and even farther from her precious island! How cute! I’ve been rotting on this island for longer than you’ve been alive sweet pea and I was starting to lose all hope off getting off after that whole Mal and Ben fiasco. But now… now it seems fate has brought me something. You. And I’m not failing this time.”

Fear struck your heart listening to her speak “what are you going to do?” You asked. “Kill me?”

“Oh dear” she laughed maniacally. “Of course not… I wouldn’t dream of hurting you! Besides I still need you alive if I am to leave this wretched place, let’s just hope you’re really worth something.” She finished having gotten closer to your face and grabbing your mother’s flower from your hair.

No. You could feel the panic attack setting in. You needed the flower. It couldn’t leave you! It would protect you!

“UMA!” You begged and shouted. “PLEASE DONT TAKE IT FROM ME NO!!! PLEASE!!!! IT WAS MY MOTHERS YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO ME!! GIVE IT BACK PLEASE PLEASE!!!” You screeched, sounding like you were calling for bloody murder. The sobs became harder and the panic began to set in all the while pleas and begs leaving your mouth.

“You’re so cute when you beg!” She laughed evilly. “Harry, lock her up.”

You turned to look at Harry, your bloodshot eyes and sobs escaping your mouth directed right at him. Harry didn’t know why but he could feel his heart break and it broke even more when he heard the next words leave your mouth.

“t-traitor! TRAITOR!!!!!” You screamed. “I TRUSTED YOU! GIVE IT BACK PLEASE I CANT BE WITHOUT IT PLEASE!!! I HATE YOU TRAITOR!!!!” You cried all the way to your cell, Harry having to cover his ears with his hands and his heart with a mask.

[aauuuggghh]

END TIMES

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (KJV)

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

Everyone Before always talked on this...end times bullshit. How “man” would become broken, far from god, wicked. Et cetera. But honestly? Now that we’re all here, i don't think anyone really wants to talk about it. They don't want to admit its over, we failed, because we’re all so fucking sad about it.

When everyone you know, and who they know, and who they know, on and on, is horribly conceited and evil and malevolent, you get depressed. I don't think they anticipated that. Its the end of the world, and no amount of zoloft will help us now.

It seems that it was the whole late stage capitalism and large fascist governement structures that just...did us in. you lie to get a job, to have friends, to have a partner, to succeed. Honesty is failure. Love is vulnerability. And vulnerability leads to honesty. Which then leads to failure. We didn’t even realize it was happening. “White lies” were no big deal when we were kids. But now your whole personality is structured. Your emotions are constructed and hidden. Your job is something you hate, but you put on a smile because you need to eat. You don't feel passionate. You don’t do what you like. You feel alone. Like the ultimate facade has been pulled....and no one even cares enough to drop theirs for a moment to help you drop yours.

I wish i had listened to them. My partner. They were so caught up in the pain of the world. Their compassion was too large. They sobbed over any political happening, knowing someone, somewhere, was hurt by it. They wouldnt eat for fear of taking my money and harming animals and those who work in the larger parts of the food industry. Their uterus, sitting softly between their hips, lay empty. All we had wanted was a child. But they refused. They couldn’t bring a baby into this world. This life.

It hurts to think about how much they begged me to run. To hide. Back in 20XX, they literally doubled over and screamed to get out, in bed, twitching and eyes glazed. I knew their fear. I

knew it well. But i couldn’t get up and leave. Or at least, i thought i couldn’t. If i had known their fear, their awareness of the truth of our situation, would drive them away....i would have gone to the ends of the earth to protect them.

But i felt so trapped. So anxious. I needed money to feed them and myself. I needed to pay rent, and for transportation. Their meds. Their doctors. My meds. My hormones were all i took for a while. I wouldn’t throw food away, force myself to eat their leftovers. Just dumb poor kid bullshit. And it ate more at my health than i’d like to admit.

But i don’t know, man. The end times hurt. They burn. There’s no horsemen, or dude coming back, or collection of the chosen. It’s just us. Tearing each other to shreds, either physically or with this looming anxiety of “we could blow you to shit”, and the response is, “if you do we will too. And we’ll all die.” everyone is clamoring for therapy, for religion, for community resourcing.

But no, we’re all just going to die. There’s no hope. That’s all, period.

And it’s not even that i’m cynical. The earth is dead, just 100 companies killed her. God doesn’t exist. If he does, he wants to see us go own in flames on par with the dinosaurs. It’s hell here. I’m more scared to die than ever, knowing i might go somewhere somehow worse than this. Seeing people die on the street each days, war after war announced, peaceful protestors killed, whole countries blacked out, the president of our country on twXtter everyday spouting off hate speech, closer to adolf than reagan? How would you feel?

How do you feel?

I wish i had hope, i wish i had my partner, i wish i had an antifuckingdepressant. They’re all gone since big phXrma closed its doors, telling us jesus would come and soothe our anxiety. He didn’t. He’s not coming. We’re alone, and we did this to ourselves.

I wish i had my partner back. I just want to hold them close again. So full of hope and life. Something i’d give anything to feel again. I’ll be chasing that high till the XmXzon drones come and collect me for reconditioning out in the midwest. And i’ll go quietly. I’ll go easily. I’d do anything to have a reason to die. But i can’t fight. I won’t. I just want to go to sleep and wake up to them. Them, and the baby we never had, and an unexplained lack of money so i never have to worry for our safety again.

[swordart0nline]

Happy SAO pride week!

Virtual world vs Real world Fanfiction under the cut! ^_^

Kazuto closed the door behind him and sat on his bed. His room, an androgynous grey to his design, surrounded him with comfort. He didn’t even need to look when he reached for the amusphere, which had been sitting in it’s familiar spot on his bedside table like always. Setting it on his head and closing the visor over his eyes, he closed them and welcomed the split second of darkness before he could say “Link Start!” Whenever Kazuto closed his eyes, he couldn’t help but remember the hours that came before. Usually the most interesting thing that happened at school came to mind. Other days’ topics were things like dinner. Today was different. He could feel himself wince as he reminisced on the most spotlight-worthy interaction of today.  “You look like a boy,” Mixed reactions filled his head. What would’ve been considered an insult on regular terms made him filled with joy. But what followed...

“Yeah that’s actually really weird. Why do you do that?”

He remembered the feeling of being at loss for words. He remembered being alone like always and praying that a stranger would come and interrupt the situation. It’s not that they were intentionally singling out. Or maybe they were. It was just an incredibly difficult question. Why?

Why is it such a difficult thing to do. To dress and act the way I truly am? I’d say it’s far more stranger to put on that stupid mask every day and act like I’m happy. Truthfully I can’t stand it. I don’t know how you guys can. For as long as I can remember, it’s made me feel awful. I’ve finally made the choice to act for myself. Is that so bad?

Kazuto sighed as he regretted not saying those words in that moment. If only he could’ve frozen time in that moment to give himself enough time to think about something cool like that to say.

Realizing almost 5 minutes had passed of him sitting in complete darkness making faces to himself, he said the command to boot up the amusphere.

“Link start!”

Kazuto loved the virtual world. He had since he was a kid. His virtual name, “Kirito” was the first masculine name he chose for himself, and it felt so strange, but so good. When he first put it in the system, it felt so different compared to his given name. Every time he put his given name on anything, it felt like there was a sickness ready to make his brain collapse in on itself. 

This is normal, he grew up thinking. 

But why does he have to settle for what he’s handed? What’s the matter about taking matters into your own hands and fixing what’s broken? Is it so “weird” to find happiness for yourself? “Kirito...?”

He looked up to see his only friends looking at him. Their vibrantly colored elven avatars crowded the living room of his virtual home.

“What’s the matter? You look upset.” Silica said to him.

“Oh, sorry. Don’t worry about it, some girls just got on my nerves today. No big deal.” 

“Wow look at you, chick magnet!” Lisbeth smirked. “You must be so popular to have enough girls on you to get annoyed about it!!

“I-”

“Bad news for them! You got the best girlfriend in the world sitting right here!” she exclaimed, pointing at Asuna, sitting on the couch just a few inches away from Kazuto. She had somewhat of a worried look on her face, staring straight at him.

“Girl, you gotta be tougher on him.”

“No she doesn’t!” Kazuto managed to inerject, remembering their time in early Aincrad. Asuna may seem like too much of a sweetheart for her own good on the surface, but when it comes down to it she can, will, and has kicked Kazuto’s ass.

“You know what Kirito, I don’t blame them. You really are a cutie.” Asuna said.

“Get a room.” Sinon joked.

“Eeh...”

“I’m serious Kirito!” Asuna began to get upset. Half joking with a side of concern. 

“Yeah, listen to your girlfriend, Kirito. You’re a hansome boy!” Lisbeth added. “Everyone knows this!”

“That’s not funny. I’d never compliment Kirito. It’s against my moral code. I’d compliment anyone but Kirito” Sinon joked again. Kazuto let out a quiet chuckle at her teasing.

“I don’t blame you. He looks like a boy who’s just discovered punk music and is dipping his toes in the water. Like, he’s not dedicated enough to the genre, but he wears black in appreciation.” Lisbeth began the tease session.

“That was weak. He looks like he washes his clothes in nothing but coal because he spilled the detergent and is too nervous to go out and buy a new bottle.” Sinon followed up.

“Oh, oh!” Silica chimed in, “Kirito looks like a wannabe manga protagonist!”

“Please. He IS a wannabe manga protagonist”

The room erupted in laughter, but nobody was wheezing nearly as hard as Kazuto. He was nearly tearing up.

“Stop it you guys!”

He was grinning ear to ear, and his face red from laughing. As his laughing fit calmed slightly down, Asuna leaned over and looked him straight in the face. She had that terrifying, dead serious, determined look on her face that she made all the time in Aincrad.

“If people are giving you trouble, you tell them that your incredibly powerful girlfriend is on her way to get them with her intense gaming skills.”

The room interrupted in laughter yet again.

“I love you guys.” Kirito said when the laughter died down. “I’ve never met any of you in real life, but I want this to be my world so bad. Is that weird of me?”

“We spent two years in Aincrad. Those were undoubtly the best years of my life, because I could spend them with you guys. If i could be completely honest, I want more than anything to drop my real life and live in this world forever.”

Silica, Sinon, Lisbeth, and especially Asuna were listening attentively.

With this confession, Asuna knew just the slightest bit more about Kirito’s life in the real world. That it wasn’t as fortunate as hers. Although it made her feel slightly bad, she became determined to help and support Kirito even more.

“Kirito,”

“Hm?”

“Let’s meet up in real life.”

Sinon, Lisbeth, and Silica lit up in unison. The three were now excited to hear more about this plan.

“We can save up money and the whole gang can vacation to some place fun together!” Asuna said.

“Maybe a weekend in the summer somewhere? We could go some place like Osaka!” Silica added.

“Oh my gosh, yes! And maybe-” Lisbeth was suddenly interrupted by a saddened Kirito.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can...”

Kazuto truly wanted to be able to meet his only friends in the real world. You could see it on his face. But he was being held back by something.

“If you aren’t comfortable with it it’s totally fine, we don’t have to go this summer!” Asuna reassured. “Is everything okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. It’s getting late where I live. I should go to bed.” Kazuto said depressingly.

Everyone worriedly wished him goodnight and watched his avatar dissolve out of their virtual world.

“I really do hope everything is okay,” Asuna started. “I don’t want to pressure him to open up when he isn’t comfortable with it. I just want to be able to be there for him. I wish I could just teleport to his home in the real world and tell him everything is alright. Whatever he’s going through, I don’t want him to be alone in it.”

Kazuto removed the amusphere and looked out at the dusk sky. With the rollercoaster of emotions that today was, he was exhausted. Or at least that’s what he told himself.

He let down his ponytail and hid under his covers, wishing he could just skip trying to fall asleep and teleport to the next morning. Kazuto dreaded the thoughts that would flood his mind while he would try to fall asleep.

Closing his eyes harder didn’t prevent the floodgates from opening as he hoped.

In his time in aincrad, Kazuto was himself. He was Kirito. Although the Black Swordsman identity wasn’t exactly his cup of tea, he rest assured knowing that at least everyone saw him as he truly was. Male.

Kazuto remembered the moment Kayaba switched everyone’s avatars to represent their real selves. His stomach dropped as he saw his hair flow down his shoulders. As soon as the spectacle was over, he ran into an allyway, took his beginner sword, and sliced the length clean off. In that moment, he felt the literal and metaphorical weight off his shoulders. It wasn’t the best cut, but it got the job done. The rage and anger of the unfairness of it all manifested in that one cut. If only he could do that in the real world.

That’s when Klein found him, and where he left him. Part of the reason he left was so he wouldn’t feel guilty about lying to him, and he knew that. But what was he lying about?

Had he been lying to Asuna for those two years? Building their relationship off of a lie? Kazuto tried to stop the thought train from going to the place he dreaded, but it kept on rolling.

What if I told her and she hated me?

I wouldn’t blame her.

No. He has been living the truth. It just wasn’t the truth that reality wanted him to live. But it was the truth that he was. If Asuna hated him forever, then they weren’t meant to be.

But then two years wouldn’t have been wasted. If you told her in the beginning and she hated you, you wouldnt waste two years with her.

Tears started to manifest in his eyes, one slipping away into his long, tangled hair. What an awful way to think of his girlfriend. What an awful reality. He wished for nothing but to slip back away into the virtual world in that moment, just to be able to distract himself from this torture. But he had already told his friends he was going to bed. He would be caught with another lie on his hands.

Why not bring the virtual world to here?

Something, some force, made Kazuto shoot up out of bed. He wiped his wet eyes on his blanket and stormed to the bathroom. His footsteps echoed through the empty house. His sister and only other person in the house, was gone on a kendo trip. But even if she was home, nothing could stop his forward force. Nothing could stop his mysterious determination.

No. It’s not mysterious or weird. It’s what has to be done. It’s what has had to be done for a long time.

He opened his sister’s drawer and located the scissors, and grabbed the length of his hair with reddened knuckles and a furious grasp. Just like that, years worth of agony were draped on the bathroom floor. He swing his new, light head to the left and to the right. Not an unfamiliar feeling thanks to the likes of full dive, but surely it was different. It was new and refreshing, and it felt beautiful. Kazuto looked straight back at himself in the mirror and for the first time in what’s felt like a lifetime, he smiled. And with that, uncontrollable tears came flooding down his face.

This wasn’t the same crying that he’d been doing for years. This was liberation. He swept his own hands through his new look, and grinned ear to ear through his swollen, tear-stained face, and proceeded to make his way back to his room. With the weight of what felt like the world off his shoulders, Kazuto proceeded to sink into the most comfortable rest with a genuine smile on his face.

[mocurlyshepard]

I was gonna marry her|Curly Shepard One Shot

Curly is stuck raising a baby on his own.

I was never expecting to see her sister on my front porch. She left me a while ago without telling me why. I never got a call or a letter, I was just left heartbroken and confused. "What're ya doing here?" I asked her.

What me and her shared was something special. I was gonna marry her. Her sister looked at me, and I knew something going on when I saw a baby in her hands.

"Charles can we talk?" her sister never took a liking to me, always calling me by my real name. I nodded and joined her outside the house.

"This is Laura. Laura Shepard, this is your daughter." I looked in disbelief. Couldn't have been my daughter. I couldn't have a kid, I was in my last year of high school. I was about to go to college! I was in a gang.

"Who's to say she's mine?" I asked. I knew she would never cheat on me but I was bitter and it slipped my mouth.

Grace stared at me with anger and disappointment. "I knew you were an asshole but I thought you cared about her!"

"I'm the asshole huh? She's the one who left me, y'know. Where is she? Why couldn't she tell me we had a kid?" I asked getting angry. Man I was wanted a cigarette.

"Curly.." Grace said softly. I turned to look at her and she had tears in her eyes. "Curly, she died. During childbirth."

I felt my stomach drop.

She couldn't be dead. I shook my head and sat down on my porch steps. Grace followed. I put my hands in my head. "No." I said. I repeated over and over and over.

"You're lying. Please Grace tell me you're lying." I said desperately. "I loved her." I had flashbacks of everything we did together. Making out in the backseat of Tims car. Sneaking in her room. Walking around town. Watching movies. Everything. And she was gone just like that.

I didn't want to cry. I didn't cry I was Curly Shepard, but I found myself crying anyway. I pulled my shirt over my face and let out a long sigh.

"I was gonna marry her." I said.

"I know....she was gonna back Charles. She was. You know daddy, he hit the roof when he found out. She didn't even get a chance to tell you before he packed us all up and moved us. She was gonna run away cus she wanted to raise the baby with ya. I swear." she said softly.

I looked up and looked over at the baby. "Charles I know you're young but it's what she wanted. And it's the only thing left of her."

I couldn't deny her, she had my eyes. But everything else looked like her mama. A spitting image. How could I do this? Look at her face every single day.

"Wanna hold her?" Grace asked.

"Sure."

Grace passed her to me, making sure I held her right. I couldn't deny it, it made my kinda happy. I could see her whole life ahead of her. "What do I do with her?" I asked.

Grace laughed. "It ain't that hard when you get the hang of it. She cries when she's hungry, cranky, pooped. Y'know. I got all the stuff you need."

I remember when Angela got pregnant. Tim gave us a huge speech about how we were family and we were all going to make it work.

It was worse when she lost the baby. Her depression kicked in. She was cussing and angry at everything, picking fights with everyone in the house.

"Yeah like I know how to do that Grace." I said. Laura looked at me and she looked just like her, this really was the only thing I had left of her. I wanted to treasure her, keep her close.

"See, you know what you're doin already." Grace said.

I told Tim when he got home. We talked, he was disappointed. We established that I was still going to school and still going to college, even if I stayed local. I couldn't go out anymore. Things I already know. He took a liking to her I could tell. Underneath the tough guy, Tim liked kids and I could see him having a few of his own.

I thought of her when I was alone in my room with Laura. I felt bad because all this time I was angry. I thought she found another guy, ran away or something maybe even got married. I thought, if she came back I'd forgive her. I would marry her. Right after high school.

It wasn't that bad taking care of Laura. Angel told me I was lucky because some kids were worse than that. "You mean they cry more than that?!" I asked.

It made it worse that I couldn't get any sleep thinking about her. How we stayed together late at night, talking about our future. But then Laura woke up and started crying. I couldn't figure out what she wanted. Her diaper was clean, she didn't want any milk. "Geez kid what do ya want?" I groaned.

The crying didn't seem to wake Angel or Tim so that was good. I picked her up and rocked her in my arms. I think I was doing it right. Cus she stopped the crying. Now she was looking up at me with her blue eyes. Her fingers were balled up in tight fists. She was perfect mix of the both of us but she reminded me so much of her.

She finally closed her eyes and went back to sleep. I checked my watch and it read 2:00. It was a good chance that if I went to sleep now, I wouldnt fall asleep at my desk.

Angela and I made a deal, she would watch Laura and I would give her 5 bucks a week. I didn't have a problem with it.

I put her back in the cradle but she cried as soon as I put her down. I didn't want to ring the number Grace gave me because she probably wasn't home. And I needed to figure this out.

I picked her up again and she stopped crying. I think she just wanted to be held. Reminds me of myself. I leaned my head against the headboard, and closed my eyes.

She woke me up again around 4. This time I think she was hungry. I don't know what was worse, being sleep and dreaming about her, or being up sleep deprived. I was just starting to get over her and now it was worse. I was grieving.

I felt a black hole in my chest, an emptiness. Would it ever go away? I snapped out of my thoughts as Laura's cries got louder. This time, she was hungry. I gave her the bottle and remembered that Grace said she can't hold it on her own.

I cleaned everything up and I thought she was gonna go to sleep but she started crying again. "What now?" I questioned.

I checked her diaper and saw the mess. I nearly puked on myself. What the hell? I had to clean that?!

I took a deep breath and took the diaper off. I held my breath so I didn't breath anything in but it wasn't helping much. I put the t shirt of my nose as I rolled the dirty diaper. Laura made noises and stretched her feet. "You think this is funny huh?"

"Yeah yeah." I said while cleaning her up. "Let's make a mess so daddy can clean it up. I put her in a clean one and then back in the crib while I threw everything out. Grace said be sure to not leave her unattended.

Laura cried when i stood by the crib. She wouldn't let me put her down. I picked her up and sat back down, putting my head on my pillow. "Don't get used to this miss lady." I told her.

I looked at her. I wonder if she got to see her before she died. I wish i was there, so she wasn't scared. So she didn't feel alone.

When Laura gets older, I'll tell her everything about her mama. How she smiled, her kind heart, everything. And she'll know that I loved her. And that Laura was the best gift that I could ever ask for. And I loved her already.

Because in the end, it was just me and her. I know I can do it, we're gonna make it. And I knew she was watching us, wherever she went. And she'd watch how Laura and I would do everything together. I promise to love her and watch her grow and take care of her. Just like I told her, that I would.

@pips69 gave me the idea for this one shot, thanks!

Enjoy everyone, once again my requests are open so please send them in 😄 Btw Curly doesn't say his girlfriends name or Y/N because he's grieving and going through heart break and it would make it worse.

BTW this is not edited yet

[comicteaparty]

July 12th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on July 12th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on The Guide to a Healthy Relationship by Dani .

Featured Comment:

Chat:

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY START!

Good day everyone~! This week’s Comic Tea Party is now officially beginning~! Today we are discussing The Guide to a Healthy Relationship by Dani~! (https://tapas.io/series/TGtaHR) For those new or in need of a reminder, discussions about the comic are freeform, so please feel free to bring up whatever you wish. However, every 30 minutes I will be dropping in a discussion question to help those who would like a prompt. These questions are totally OPTIONAL to answer, and you can pay them no mind if you wish. If you miss out on any though, they’ll be pinned for the duration of the chat once they’re posted~! Remember, constructive criticism is allowed, but the primary focus here is to have fun and appreciate the amazing comics that the community makes~! As a bonus, each chat a top comment will be picked and featured in the archives and on an ad for CTP! All that being said, let’s get started and have a great discussion!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

snuffysam

i don't know why, but the scene where apollo is asking around and trying to find julian really stuck with me. it's not the most artistically vivid scene (there are quite a few of those), but that one stood out.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

anything particular that made it stand out to you? just asking out of curiosity cause honestly i barely remember that scene just because its not the most artisticially vivid(edited)

snuffysam

i'm not sure. i think apollo realizing he wasn't crazy in seeing julian the other night made me feel, like, emotions.

turnish

Really any scene with Julian that exhibits his psychosis are ones that I particularly like Like, I find it very relatable and the art just perfectly displays what that Actually Feels Like imo

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Hello!

snuffysam

the way the art reflects mental states in general is incredibly well done

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Just wanted to pop in and say hi.

turnish

I agree

snuffysam

hi justin

turnish

Hi!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

hi justin

yeah i have to agree with turnish that my fave scenes are probably the ones showing julian's mental problems. although i think the one that sticks with me the most is the one where julian is talking to a younger version of himself and his younger version is calling him lazy. i feel like its a great blend of mental illness but kind of normal self esteem issues perhaps. in that he does seem kind of sick yet here his younger self is berating him. @snuffysam thats a fair point. i did feel emotions when it turned out apollo was indeed not crazy. XD

turnish

HH YEAH that was like a punch to the gut

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

If I had to say anything about this comic, it's got a really nice traditional artstyle and all the detail in the characters populating the pages

And some great BG work too

DanitheCarutor

Hello everyone! I'm the creator of 'The Guide to a Healthy Relationship', I'll be helping my ma out with dinner so I won't be on much, but just wanted to pop in to say hi and answer any questions and such whenever possible.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Hi Dani!

snuffysam

hi dani!

turnish

Hi!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

thanks for coming dani~!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Great to have ya here~

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yes. i really like the day of time reflections. particularly i think the way night is portrayed is really spectacular. https://tapas.io/episode/804141 like that page. youve got the light glow effects going on, you have some excellent reflections on the door that really make it look like night. its just all really well done.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yes

it's all very well done

especially the glow from the sity

snuffysam

the colors and lighting are just incredible

in general

turnish

i reread it today entirely bc my brain is Crap and i don’t remember stuff well but man i agree

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

lol

snuffysam

yeah i probably should have done that lol

turnish

The night is still young

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

indeed

I wonder how you do sunsets cause I have a soft spot for epic sunsets

turnish

tbh big same

snuffysam

I like how the colors are shaded with completely different colors most of the time (e.g. a blue shirt has orange shading). that's super cool to me. something that very few artists do.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Same

Colored shading alone is awesome when done right

turnish

color theory is so important

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

and it also brings out the colors themselves

snuffysam

it also helps capture that feel of night time. which is when most of this story takes place.

turnish

yeah! agreed

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

This is a cool looking comic all around

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah there are really just great color choices all around. i especially like the contrasts. cause one of my biggest issues with traditionally colored comics is theres not usually enough contrasts. so everything kind of winds up looking muted and its hard to tell things apart from one another. but i feel this comic doesnt have that problem at all

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

and all in traditional too!

and I second that

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I made it. ^^ I'm inclined towards the Julian scenes too, though I actually liked the scene where he was doing his janitor stuff and tidying up, making things sparkling. In retrospect, it was nice to see him (seemingly) taking pride in something.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Hey Math!

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Also, I'm very impressed by going the traditional route with such a blend of colours.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 2. Given he was supposed to be dead, Julian’s appearance in Apollo’s life opens up many questions. First off, do you believe this is indeed Julian, or do you have reason to doubt this claim? What do you think Julian meant by telling Apollo that, “his friend is dead?” Was it just a way to get Apollo to leave, or is there a deeper meaning? Where do you think Julian has been all this time? Throughout, we also see that Julian has both physical and implied mental health problems. Do you believe this has something to do with his appearance? Do you think Julian dealt with these problems all his life or are they a new development? Lastly, where do you think Julian came from considering Apollo relays they pretty much found him in a bag?

DanitheCarutor

Ah! Thank you all! Seeing the positive reactions to Julian's mentally ill scenes is really encouraging. I've been doing a lot of research on the subject since I've never experienced it myself, and it's tough to know when it's being done well. Also I feel so bad for having Julian ruin that emotional scene with Apollo, slamming the door in his face was kind of a mood killer. Lol. @Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨ A sunset scene is going to be coming up in a couple pages, so we'll all see how that turns out. xD I've never drawn a sunset before.

DanitheCarutor

Sorry! I type a lot, and I type slow.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

SUNSET SCENE CONFORMED

and that's alright!

snuffysam

I think Julian metaphorically died when... something happened to him. Don't know what.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I think there's a deeper meaning in that the person he was doesn't exist any more. Though honestly, I'm not sure they were as good of friends as Apollo thinks; Julian seemed to keep to himself even then.

snuffysam

Julian was a nice person to Apollo, but I'm not sure if he ever really liked him.

turnish

when reading “your friend is dead” I chose to interpret that as the Julian Apollo once knew no longer exists, and Julian considers himself a different person now. or he’s running away from his past

i think i made the same point as math whoops

snuffysam

in terms of where he came from, i'd imagine russia, because he only spoke russian

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It may be worth saying that, as a 40 year old teacher, I don't think I'm the demographic for this comic. Every time I see Apollo I kind of want to get in his face and shout "shape up man!". If he was as oblivious now as he was in the past, I kind of get why Julian would want to move on from his old life.

snuffysam

yeah honestly i get why julian wouldn't be too psyched about seeing apollo again. he's kind of a difficult person to have in your life.

especially if you have your own mental health problems to deal with

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i feel apollo is a bit self involved and just wouldnt notice julian's suffering. so while julian was there to care for apollo, apollo wouldnt notice when someone needed to care for julian persay

snuffysam

i second that

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I think Julian saying something to the effect of "I don't have what you need" kind of emphasizes that.

That time Apollo jumped out of the bushes.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Lol, Prince

I lost it when you brought up "shape up man!"

snuffysam

i wouldn't want to go back to that kind of one-sided relationship either tbh

DanitheCarutor

Aw man, those are really good questions, with some really good answers! I won't confirm much because I like things being left open for interpretation, but Apollo is 100% a moron. Also I don't mind throwing it out that he's a homeschool kid, so no social skills.

turnish

I love a moronic boy

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

tbf i could also see the hes dead mean something deeper. like maybe julian was in an accident and lost part of his memories. like all the good memories of apollo and just remembers the shitty times.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Also "Get off my lawn". (Your drunk ass is scaring the squirrels.)

snuffysam

that's awfully convenient re: losing all positive memories of someone

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Interesting, so I guess Julian was homeschooled too? Since they grew up together?

(Also, for a moment I read that as "Apollo is 100% a mormon" and I did a double take.)

snuffysam

yeah that doesn't exactly fit with most of the stuff he's done lol

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Rebel: Maybe? I kind of feel like Julian might have faked his death to get away from creditors and people who just generally were treating him lousy though. But maybe things didn't go as planned.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Perhaps

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

What's kind of interesting is how Apollo has problems too, with his eyesight, so you'd think he'd be able to empathize a bit with Julian having his own issues. But it does seem like he doesn't have much experience with that.

snuffysam

empathy and sympathy both seem to be problems for apollo

DanitheCarutor

Math: Lmao! Oh no, not a mormon! But for the homeschool question, nah. Julian is a public school kid, they hung out almost 24/7 but they grew up in different environments with Julian staying in an orphanage and Apollo living in a fancy house.

snuffysam

especially when it comes to julian

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Ahhh, interesting. I think I misunderstood and thought he'd been adopted like a brother. That adds an interesting element of class to things too.

Apollo is very much "live in the moment". I would not want him doing my tax returns.

snuffysam

the fancy homeschool tutors may have neglected to teach him, like, responsibility

going back to what rebel said - were there any positive memories of apollo julian had to begin with?

like, even apollo's recap at the beginning paints himself in a bad light

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

probably. homeschool can be pretty lax from what i hear. so apollo's education in general might have sucked.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe they went sledding together.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

and yeah its possible that julian doesnt have positive memories

albeit there must of been a reason julian chose to ahng out with apollo

snuffysam

though that may have something to do with apollo's mental state making himself out to be worse than he was

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

and why julian didnt make an effort to move farther away

cause if i didnt want someone to find me i would not be living in driving distance of them

snuffysam

maybe he couldn't move further. relocating is hard

especially if you don't have financial means

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

true but he has had something like 5 years to make arrangements. i think 5 years. its years at least. but it really all depends where he was. it could be that hes been in the hospital or something

or a mental hospital

DanitheCarutor

Misunderstandings is totally understandable, a lot of stuff in the comic is very vague right now, and some of it will only be shown in snippets. I can't say much, but Julian does have some positive memories, there's just not many and it's harder to focus on the good over the bad.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea

DanitheCarutor

Also as a homeschool student myself, the education does suck. I pretty much cheated my way through middle school because my teacher was a Christian booklet.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Oh really?

That's... interesting

DanitheCarutor

Oo! Since this isn't super important, Julian and Apollo actually grew up in Ohio in a town based of Newark. When Apollo "grew up" he moved to a city in California based of a mix of San Diego and LA.

snuffysam

is it possible julian faked his own death specifically to get rid of apollo for a while? like, he didn't have the capacity to take care of him anymore, so he just cut him out of his life.

lol "grew up" in quotes

so yeah, julian may not have known where apollo was, and didn't intend to be in the same city as him

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

man now thats got to be the shittiest coincidence

julian is like "im free from apollo oh shit wait theres apollo"

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

No kidding

snuffysam

yeah, but looking at julian's reaction - he clearly did not intend to run into apollo any time soon

DanitheCarutor

"and Julian's evening was ruined" -ugly cry-

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i wonder if apollo just didnt even know how julian "died." like one day whoever took care of julian was just like "nah man he dead" and apollo just made a goofy face and accepted it

QUESTION 3. Despite most definitely being adult, protagonist Apollo is a little bit immature. Why do you believe Apollo is so irresponsible? Is it just his personality, or are his habits a way to avoid certain aspects of his life? Do you think his ocular albinism plays a role in why he acts the way he does? Do you think it will be good for Apollo to reconnect with Julian, or will the events of the past send Apollo into a downward spiral? What do you think Daniel’s role will be in Apollo’s life? Lastly, what do you think it will take for Apollo to get his life together a bit more?

snuffysam

if his ocular albinism plays into his irresponsibility, it's only as an excuse. "well, i can't see normally. better get sloshed!"

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

(Sorry, sometimes I have to dash off if the little one is crying.) Oh, being away in a mental hospital would be an interesting development.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

^

snuffysam

i think apollo just has serious issues with self control. he started out with alcohol and drugs to get away from some aspects of his life, and then it just got worse from there.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Snuffy: I don't know about that. If he's sensitive to daylight, it makes sense that he'd be out and about at night, which is when the parties happen.

snuffysam

true, that may be a source of some temptation. but if he was healthier, that wouldn't be a problem.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

But yeah, agree about the self control thing. Guy doesn't know when to say "no". Also doesn't seem to know a good thing when he has it.

Fair. I don't think he eats from the proper food groups.

snuffysam

i meant mentally but yes

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Can't help you feel active.

Like, if you're always eating junk food I mean.

Ahh, gotcha.

snuffysam

he doesn't have much of a support channel to help him with his issues, and a lot of the people who do try and help him out don't like him very much because of the whole personality thing

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i think the ocular albinism does play a role. cause as someone who is awake all night, there is nothing to do outside. like the options are go to dennys, go to waffle house, go to walmart, or go to a bar. so i think it more than increases the temptation for apollo. it hampers a lot of paths to recovery.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Is it cool to bring up Daniel? Because he's such an interesting counterpoint.

I cannot see Apollo as a greeter at Wal-Mart.

snuffysam

his boss puts up with so much from apollo, it's a wonder she hasn't fired him

DanitheCarutor

Math: Sure! He's going to be in the comic a lot more from this chapter on.

Apollo really does have control issues, it'll come up why later but he's never had an issue with getting whatever he wanted as a kid.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Oh cool~

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

they dont have greeters at night. in fact i think the greeters all leave before 8pm at the latest

yeah apollo's boss deserves a boss of the year award

cause man

i wouldve fired apollo 10 billion years ago

turnish

Ahhh Apollo’s boss deserves the most

snuffysam

and his other coworkers too. who was the woman he asked for help and then called a slur? galia?

DanitheCarutor

Rebel: Yeah, being awake at night sucks. I used to be a night owl, waking up at noon and staying up till 4am. There isn't anything to do, at least anything that's a good idea.

Yup, that's her name! Poor Galia, she's only been in the comic a couple times so far and it sucked for her.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I'm hoping Daniel can get through to Apollo. Challenge him without going so far as putting him off.

turnish

Same here Math

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i feel at the very least daniel will openly pull up his flaws in a way others dont. cause the others say it with anger and derision and lots of ppl just flat out tune out criticism at that point. where as i feel daniel would be the one whod be like "hey apollo maybe you should clean up your place some?"

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Or maybe Apollo will just want to, so that his date doesn't get a bad impression.

Cuz the Apollo/Daniel ship is sailing.

turnish

heh

snuffysam

yeah, i think that's going to be one of the major themes coming up. trying to reconnect with julian isn't healthy - julian doesn't want anything to do with apollo, and he has his own physical and mental issues to deal with without taking care of apollo. meanwhile daniel will push apollo (either wittingly through calling him out, unwittingly through apollo wanting to get better for him, or both) to get healthier and turn his life around

whether apollo goes into a downward spiral or begins recovery depends on which path he chooses

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It's a good point though, Rebel, about how to get across criticism.

I wonder if maybe Daniel starting to spiral down would help shock Apollo to his senses?

snuffysam

in that, apollo drags down everyone around him with his toxicity?

could happen, but i hope not. i like daniel.

DanitheCarutor

Oh man, I'm loving the Daniel discussion! He'll definitely be challenging Apollo in one way or another.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe Daniel starting to date Julian will shock Apollo to his senses.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i believe in daniel to be self confident enough to fall down apollo's hole. but on the opposite turn i do think julian will be important for apollo cause i think only julian can point out some of apollo's flaws from the past and give apollo pause. tho im not quite sure how outside of giving apollo more clarity of the things julian is dealing with

snuffysam

daniel can even use the perfect pickup line that he's been saving for such an occasion

"i like my men like i like my alcohol - russian, and found in a bag"

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

11/10

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Okay, you win with that one.

snuffysam

julian can point out problems that apollo has had since childhood, but question is, will he want to?

or will he just want to keep apollo out of his life?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Back on the question of why Apollo is so irresponsible, I think it comes from his position of privilege. His parents probably made sure that he never suffered real consequences from his actions.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i feel julian wont succeed in keeping apollo out of his life because 1) apollo is apollo and 2) julian's young ghost self is telling him to not be lazy and i think julian will give in to that for a while

snuffysam

yeah it absolutely stems from that

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

A restraining order might be needed to keep Apollo out of his life. ^^

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

and yeah i agree with math, i think apollo has no real concept of consequences

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Napples agrees too.

snuffysam

where are apollo's parents anyway? do they know what's happened to their son's life?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Do they care?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

they might not care? or they might not know. cause apollo does not seem the type to call home frequently and i doubt their once in a blue moon phone calls consist of apollo saying "yeah i got wasted every night this week"

cause consequence conscious or not thats just not a thing i think any kid would talk to his parents about XD

QUESTION 4. The comic’s title, “The Guide to a Healthy Relationship,” seems rather revealing of the story at hand. What does the title mean to you exactly? How do you think the story will live up to that title? Furthermore, the three chapter titles (“Hypomania,” “Monophobia,” and “Psychosis”) all share a theme of mental issues. Does this change how you interpret the title at all or how you interpret the story itself (whether the entire story or a specific chapter’s content)? What role do you think these titles play in regards to the mental illnesses we’ve seen in the story so far? Finally, do you feel the story is about relationships with others, relationships with ourselves, both, or something else entirely?

snuffysam

yeah there's a reason i've been referring to things as healthy and unhealthy all night lol

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

for me personally i feel the title is both about relationships with others and with ourselves. tho i lean more towards the latter if i had to pick one. because of how apollo treats his own self.

snuffysam

yeah, having a healthy relationship with yourself seems like a big theme

i also think the unhealthy relationship apollo had with julian growing up will keep coming back

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Wow, I hadn't even picked up on the chapter titles. Hmm, I guess at first my mind went to romantic relationships, but yeah it makes sense to be more friends and such.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

lol

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"Guide to a Healthy Relationship - Don't act like Apollo."

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

thats the real lesson we should take away from this

dont be an apollo

be the best daniel you can be

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I gotta wonder a bit about Apollo's circle of friends too. They seem like real enablers, I wonder if they have day jobs.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

probably. despite their party habits more of them seem to have their crap together perhaps.

tbf tho i think apollo is equally an enabler. so i think its just a circle of friends who see nothing wrong, enable each other, and spiral down and down

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

There is that, yeah.

snuffysam

do they know how bad apollo's life is? or do they just think he's that wild guy who likes to drink on the weekends?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Speaking of spiralling down, that one panel with the pill on the tongue was cleverly done. Just wanted to get that out there.

I think they believe Apollo's got an amazing life. Bartender with access to free drinks, his own place without a roommate to bug him, the ability to afford random merchandise for thousands of dollars... what's not to like?

snuffysam

true

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

thirded

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

If anything, the search for Julian might be helping to pull Apollo away from the bad influences.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

math has a point

cant be out drinking when youre haunting a school at night

looking for ghost friends

maybe apollo will be like "wow so this is what being sober is like"

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"I can walk without running into trees. My friends, however..."

snuffysam

though nothing stopping you from drinking before starting the search

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe julian will say something

like "please dont come here reeking of alcohol"

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Julian just needs to keep throwing water into Apollo's face. Like that first time.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yeah

Try it like eight more times

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Though the fact that he did reach out there implies that at least part of him doesn't like seeing Apollo down on his luck, perhaps?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah i dont think julian hates apollo persay. i think hes just tired of dealing with apollo

cause ive dealt with ppl like that

where you dont hate them

but man do you have your own shit going on and theres only so many hours in the day

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Truth.

"And now I have to mop the floor AGAIN, geeeez."

snuffysam

yeah, that's the thing, i think julian does care about apollo, but their relationship is so one-sided that it isn't worth it

DanitheCarutor

The answers about the tirle, and this discussion is soooo gooood! I didn't think anyone would pay that any mind. -sobs- I wish I could spill the beans, some of you guys had some really spot on theories.

turnish

Sorry I’m hella cleaning so I couldn’t participate as much as I wanted to,,rip

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Apollo knows not of this "cleaning".

snuffysam

yeah didn't you learn from the story, turnish? you have to live your life like apollo! that's the moral!

turnish

Dang ur right I should become a slob

shixjdj

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

kek

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Don't lose your glasses though. That's a bad plan.

DanitheCarutor

Yeah, man. Just throw it all on the floor, the nanny will take care of it. Everyone's got one of those, right?

turnish

Man I Wish

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah i store my nanny in my closet when not in use

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Hm, this sequel to Mary Poppins took a NSFW turn...

DanitheCarutor

Ah, I'd suggest storing them in a jar. It's more cost effective.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Anyway, last remark from me, again impressed by the use of colours and drive to experiment with some different perspectives and the like at times.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY END!

Unfortunately, the scheduled Comic Tea Party time is now up~! Thank you everyone so much for reading and joining this week’s chat~! We want to give a special thank you to Dani, as well, for making The Guide to a Healthy Relationship and volunteering it for our reading queue. If you liked the comic, please be sure to support Dani’s efforts however you’re able to. All that being said, if you would like to continue discussing this week’s comic, we highly encourage you to do so~!

For next week, Comic Tea Party will focus on Wednesday7 by Viki Kuli. As always, please use the next several days to read as much of the comic as you would like. We hope to see you next Thursday on July 19th from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat~! Until then, happy reading~! Comic: https://tapas.io/series/Wednesday7%20

[yellodisney]