#at least if i have friends there's people who can vouch for me

[ratspider]

having to do something about your loneliness is so embarrassingggggg like NO if i talk to people they'll KNOW I'M A LONELY WEIRDO

[seilon]

pro: ran into a coworker at a bar last night who I don’t really talk to usually (he works upstairs, I work downstairs) and we talked and im pretty sure we were highkey flirting and he bought me a drink and the bar merch shirt i was interested in and thanks to the power of alcohol i guess i asked for his number and he gladly gave it to me and. yeah

con: i have the second worst hangover i have ever had and have been fighting for my fucking life just to eat saltines

[funlovingfuzzball]

Oh I feel this. Not an issue for me, a Comp Sci major in the data science track, but I’m also majoring in statistics and our differential equations class makes us use MATLAB. Again, solidly not a problem for me, but the last 3-5 days before a given MATLAB project is due, I’m spending the vast majority of my free time in the course GroupMe, debugging all of my classmates’ code that is exploding and throwing constant errors. Things like “you have an extra comma there and so it thinks you don’t have a y-axis at all”.

I’ve even had people tell me to my face that MATLAB couldn’t possibly work in a particular way, because that made no sense. My response was basically that no, it doesn’t make sense (it was legitimately a very strange choice of syntax), but your runtime environment doesn’t actually care if you think something else would be more logical, so you’ll have to cope with the nonsensical answer.

So in short, this bothers me zero since I opted into programming (I don’t see the point for this stuff but each project takes me a few hours max and we have multiple weeks for each so meh), but good god am I in the splash zone of the math majors who really did not want to code thanks. My school has a highly rated comp sci program, but it’s not a tech school, so they reasonably didn’t expect major-requirement math classes to need them to code. I am not going through the same as you, but because I’m practically a third TA of the class right now and can see what my classmates are going through (mostly panic and despair), I feel for you greatly 💗💗💗

Future Biologists & Geologists in the 2000s/2010s: specifically avoid heavy computing sciences, probably for one reason or another R Programming Language & R Studio: Hiiiiiiiiiiiii Future B&G's: Awwww fartnuggets

[gothhabiba]

do you know where are the the best places or mosteffective to donate to help palestinians atm? like charities ect

In terms of direct aid it is better to give money directly to families in Ghazza than to a charity. Charities, governmental and nongovernmental organisations &c., are seldom able to use funds to distribute aid right now, as few trucks are getting through, and none to the north of Ghazza.

ETA on Charities in Ghazza:

Taawon Association (in partnership with the Bank of Palestine) are distributing hot meals in Ghazza.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is getting food parcels into Ghazza, though I can't find them sharing a more specific location anywhere. Donate here.

The Palestinian Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) is providing medicine, food, and water. Their website specifically mentions food relief in north, central, and south Ghazza, and water delivered to north and south Ghazza.

Direct aid to Ghazza:

Money given directly to families in Ghazza is used to help them cross the Rafah crossing into Egypt, and/or to purchase plane tickets and apply for visas so they have somewhere to go after arriving in Egypt.

Help Christians in Ghazza get visas to leave

Help Hala Abu Ramadan's family of six leave Ghazza (organized by Mohammed Samhouri, vouched for by @psychoticgerard)

Help Dr. Intimaa AbuHelou's family of 22 leave Ghazza (organized by professer Steve Tamari)

Help Shayma and her family of 16 leave Ghazza (organised by Fardowsa. You may remember a link to a paypal going around to help Shayma; however, paypal has frozen those funds)

Help Shaymaa's family of 13 leave Ghazza (organised by Shaymaa herself, who is in Canada)

Help Sanaa and her family of 5 leave Ghazza and establish themselves in Belgium (organised by Eyad M, vouched for by Motaz Azaiza)

Help sisters Duaa and Deena leave Ghazza and get medical treatment in Cairo (organised by Shereen Alhayek, @.littlestpersimmon's friend's acquaintance)

Help Ahmed (@90-ghost) and his family leave Ghazza via ko-fi, paypal, or gofundme (@unionfish is offering stickers and prints in exchange for donations)

Help a family of Ghazzan refugees in Egypt get medical care and relocate

Buy an e-sim for use in Ghazza

Interruption of arms sent to Israel:

Palestine Action targets arms manufacturers in the US and UK

Palestine Legal offers legal defense for those who get arrested &c. in the course of protest or sabotage on behalf of Palestine

If you have some barrier to donating or to buying e-sims yourself (someone looking through your transactions, no room on your phone for new apps, don't want to mess up the instructions, don't have time to keep up with what's being called for at the moment, literally whatever), I can buy e-sims and move funds on your behalf. My venmo is @gothhabiba; paypal paypal.me/Najia; squarecash $NajiaK; DM me for Zelle information. Feel free to leave a note about where you want it to go (specifically for e-sims; aid to people in Ghazza; &c.)

BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions)

You asked specifically about donations, but if you haven't looked into the boycotts being called for by the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), I urge you to do so.

BDS chapters in your locality may be calling for their own boycotts, so look into that as well. Think creatively about how to minimise purchase of boycotted goods (e.g., getting your union to refuse to shelve Israeli groceries).

Monday strikes

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has called for weekly strikes on Mondays. Talk to your union or coworkers about strikes or work stoppages on Mondays, if you can. At least avoid making any purchases (goods, recreation, entertainment, food, &c.) on Mondays.

[fulltacs]

fuck it. free the blocklist.

tw for ableism, death threats, cw for general rage-inducing behavior

this is not exhaustive, this is a starting point. BLOCK these people, do not interact.

- literally anyone who interacts with @/ladygoth at this point. I don’t doubt that she and her friends are responsible for at least half of the hate anons received by darkfic writers

- as for the people who were “protecting” codslut/Myka… they’ve all been in my notifs liking my update post and un-liking sheheals post and deleting anything they might’ve said on the situation. yay, I guess. I may have unblocked you, but the other nosy people following everything certainly didn’t.

- on a related note, anyone who goes by “Myka” or “Hannah” gets blocked ON SIGHT (half-joking). I don’t care if that’s your name (please don’t put your real name on the internet) you better make up a new one 😤

- /bookobsessedram, /mothymunson, @starry-eyedblog , /ghostsbimbo, @ghostlywhiskey and @ghostly-whiskey, /angelofacidx, and @ladyxtiger were all involved in being assholes in the discord as seen here. not pictured: /bjornthebearguy and someone going by “spiders” in the server (not to be confused with /notspiders, my bad). and i’m sorely disappointed in /bunnyreaper, as mod, for letting them continue to chase people off, even though it had been brought to their attention before.

AND ESPECIALLY @simonrillleyyysss and @simonrillleyyyysss2 and @joostyklein (all their known alts). As a matter of fact, fuck everyone who’s friends with them (including /konigsblog). Jordi, G***, whatever the fuck you’re going by, I am so fucking sick of seeing your name in my DMs. So many people messaged me to say it was you and your gang’s hateful behavior that drove them away from the fandom, and I can vouch for some of them because I was there the whole time. What the fuck is wrong with you guys. I have a hard time believing your apology means ANYTHING when you used the discord to lead a brigade on Bo back in January, and CLEARLY HAVEN’T STOPPED being an asshole since then (“I still don’t like soapskneebrace either way”). Bo and Madi were not your only victims, again, there were quite a few others who came forward. You bullied anyone who disagreed with you and at the end of the day you only care about your follower count.

The craziest part is that most of the people we watched you bully are open about their autism diagnosis. And this was just a casual observation I made, not even an accusation, but five minutes later you make your first-ever very casual not-at-all-sus claim of having autism.

do you think we were born fucking yesterday. Trying to get ahead of ableism accusations by suddenly claiming to be autistic, even if true, is not gonna have the effect you thought it would, cause I wasn’t the only person who clocked that as WEIRD. (Internalized ableism is still ableism, btw.)

Just shut the fuck up. For once. It’s THAT SIMPLE. Leave everyone alone. Make your little posts without feeling the need to be assholes to other people.

Fun fact: I have received no death or rape threats in my anon mail, and maybe that’s because I’m not a very big blog. Or maybe it’s cause I know what all your fucking faces look like (hello, internet safety where?). I said fuck all y’all yesterday and I stand by that. Hopefully your time here is met with the same amount of love you’ve shown your peers.

[cheolaholic]

ring of love; csc (02)

summary; agreeing to join vernon spectate an underground boxing match wasn't how you'd expect to spend your friday night. you also didn't expect to see seungcheol, someone you've lost contact with for years, become a part of the ring.

modern! au • boxer! au • hhu focused • multiple kinds of tropes • fluff, angst, smut

a/n; smol update regarding taglist, unfortunately i can only tag up to 50 people in the post and i've reached the limits and is unable to tag the remaining people that signed up om the taglist which is such a shame bcs ik a lot of yall were looking forward to be on the taglist ㅠㅠ

however, i do still want to voice out my thank yous to the immense amount of support you've all given towards this fic 😭 🫶🏻

taglist at the end !

you sat in the crowd, stunned as you watched the match progress.

gone was the unsettling and/or overwhelming feeling of being at the event. instead, you felt a surge of mixed emotions.

how did seungcheol end up being a part of the match?

how did he know vernon?

had he always been in seoul?

why hadn’t he tried to reach out to you?

a loud gasp from the crowd pulled you out from your train of thoughts. as you looked at the ring, you saw seungcheol lying on the ground, a hand over his stomach - you felt a sinking feeling in your guts.

as the crowd chanted ‘get up!’, you clasped your hands together, silently chanting along with them. ‘get up..! please, get up..! choi seungcheol, get up..!’

it seems as though he’s heard you, or possibly from the chanting from the crowd that was supporting him, as he slowly got up, the crowd starting to cheer once again. you could feel your anxiety rise as seungcheol got into his stance, preparing for another round with his opponent.

“first timer, eh?”

turning your head to the side, an older man who seems to be in his 40s gave you a gentle smile.

“pardon?” you responded.

"it's your first time experiencing this, ain't it?" he repeated. nodding your head, you turned to face seungcheol who threw an uppercut towards JK, causing him to stumble back a little.

"don't worry about scoups. he always gets back on his feet. that's why he's been the champion for the past year!"

past year…? he's been doing this for a year?

before you had a chance to ask the old man any further questions, the announcer's voice boomed through the speakers.

"and the winner is - scoups!"

the crowd erupted in cheers, accompanied with a loud applause as scoups and JK were escorted out of the ring, a text from vernon lit up your screen.

vrrnonie: come on back

vrrnonie: i'll introduce you ;D

when you got to the back, it took you ten minutes to argue with the bouncers before vernon showed up to vouch for you.

"she's with me boys, don't worry 'bout it!"

walking beside vernon as you both walked towards the waiting rooms, your nose scrunched up at the smell of sweat and body odor invading your nostrils.

"vernon, how long have you known these people?" you asked, the statement the old man made still lingering at the back of your mind.

if seungcheol had been doing underground for the past year, that meant he either knew vernon before or after he got in.

at least that's what you assumed.

"hmm, i knew mingyu first since we're in the same major!" he answered, "though, he's a year older than me, but we share a few classes together. then, he asked me if i've ever been to underground boxing matches and that's how i came to know wonwoo and coups hyung."

nodding your head, he stops in front of a door with a hanging sign that wrote "SCOUPS". just as vernon was about to open the door, whoever was on the other side decided to open it first, startling you.

standing in front of you was a tall muscular male - his skin was a nice tan and reminds you of a puppy with his curled locks.

you blink once. then twice.

what the hell is pledis' top model, kim mingyu, doing here?

it took you a few minutes to put two and two together - top model kim mingyu, is friends and in the same major as vernon.

"where’d you disappear off to, bro?" mingyu asked, sounding worried.

"sorry, man. went to pick up a friend," pointing to you, it was then mingyu noticed your presence.

"oh, hi!" he greeted, stepping aside and motioned you to enter the waiting room, "come on in, girlie~"

taking a step into the waiting room, you look around, hoping to find seungcheol but to no avail. as if he had read your mind, vernon asked where he was.

"he went to the toilet to freshen up," mingyu answered, "wonwoo hyung went with him. so, who's your pretty friend?"

reaching out a hand to the model, who gladly shook it, you introduced yourself.

"i'm lee ___, vernon's frie-"

"-bestie," said boy corrected, giving you a goofy smile when you side-eyed him, "the day you accepted my coke and made that comment on my outfit, you've signed an invisible contract to be my bestie for life!"

"ah, so you're the poor girl who has to deal with his ass when he isn't with us," mingyu commented, earning a laugh from you as vernon whined.

30 minutes go by and you find yourself enjoying the conversation you're exchanging with mingyu. you found out his father owns a famous art gallery while his mother works as a model (you've seen her a few magazines and it amazes you how she doesn't look like she's aged one bit). his parents want him to follow in a similar career choice as they do, which is why he took up art as a college major; and took modeling as a part time job.

you were extremely invested in conversing with mingyu, you don't realise two other people entering the room until-

"...pup?"

whipping your head around at the nickname, you felt your heart in your throat as the air got knocked out of your lungs.

there he stood, right in the flesh.

it felt like a fever dream.

"pup, is that you?" seungcheol asked, taking cautious steps towards you; his eyes full of hope.

when he's finally stood right in front of you, his body towering over yours, your breathing quickened and your heart thumping so loud you could hear it. seungcheol cups your face in his shaking hands, as if he couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing; as if they were deceiving him (and honestly, so did you).

"...cheollie..?"

your voice came out quieter than you expected, but he heard it.

a wide grin spread across his face as he heard that oh-so-familiar nickname, pulling you into a bone crushing hug.

"it really is you! oh my god, i can't believe you're here!"

you were stunned, frozen in place. thankfully, you weren't the only one as you noticed vernon, mingyu and a male who's wearing glasses, which you assumed to be wonwoo, watching you and seungcheol with both amusement and confusion evident on their face.

"you two… know each other?" vernon asks.

"ah-" pulling away from the hug, seungcheol steps aside as he wraps an arm around your waist, the action that has your heart thump harder against your ribcage, "boys, this is ___. she and i go way back."

vrrnonie: i can't believe you knew coups hyung

vrrnonie: and didn't tell me

vrrnonie: i feel so betrayed

vrrnonie: i thought we were besties

traitor 💔: BITCH

traitor 💔: I DIDN'T KNOW CHEOL WAS SCOUPS

traitor 💔: HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW

vrrnonie: …

vrrnonie: okay, fair enough

vrrnonie: but how come you've never mentioned him tho?

vrrnonie: he said you both went way back

vrrnonie: yet i never heard you talk about him

traitor 💔: you never mentioned about him before too asshole

traitor 💔: you only brought him up TODAY

traitor 💔: technically yesterday

traitor 💔: yea, the stage name sounded familiar

traitor 💔: but how was i supposed to know it was the same cheol

vrrnonie: you should've majored in law instead lmao

vrrnonie: but yea, fair point

vrrnonie: but still tho

vrrnonie: when he said way back

vrrnonie: how far back did he mean?

traitor 💔: can we not talk abt this

traitor 💔: i'll tell you when i feel like it

traitor 💔: but really, i just don't want to think abt it

vrrnonie: yes ma'am

vrrnonie: you must be tired after that tho

vrrnonie: get some rest, bbg <3

traitor 💔: vernon wtf

vrrnonie: hehe

vrrnonie: but fr tho, get some rest

vrrnonie: tonight definitely exhausted you

vrrnonie: see ya on monday

letting out a sigh you set your phone down, staring up at the ceiling of your bedroom - replaying the encounter repeatedly in your mind.

how long has it been since that day? the day your teenage love-struck heart got shattered into pieces?

you don't even remember.

you were about to close your eyes, a not so brilliant plan into trying to sleep the feelings away and deal with it in the morning, when your phone chimed.

unknown number: hey, pup

unknown number: i got your number from vernon

unknown number: it's me, cheol

you stared at the texts, unsure of what to reply.

you do, however, hit up the boy who gave out your number.

ma bestie 💅🏻: YOU GAVE HIM MY NUMBER???

vrrnonie: yea?

vrrnonie: oh shit

vrrnonie: was i not supposed to?

ma bestie 💅🏻: nono

ma bestie 💅🏻: it's just

ma bestie 💅🏻: i'd appreciate it if you'd let me know you gave him my number

vrrnonie: ah-

vrrninie: sorry bout that

ma bestie 💅🏻: it's okay

you received a few more texts from seungcheol, but you've decided to leave it up to morning or future you to deal with. part of you felt bad for ignoring his texts, mainly because you haven't seen him in years; and as he's currently making an effort to reconnect, your plan is to ghost him (at least until you're ready to face him).

another part of you felt as though he deserved the treatment. it may seem childish and petty, but you kept trying to justify it by telling yourself that he went on for years without talking to you; surely he’s able to handle a few hours of the same situation.

but as minutes go by of tossing and turning, the blinking notification light of your phone eventually gets the best of you.

cheollie: i know it’s been years since we last saw each other

cheollie: i was wondering if you wanted to meet up this weekend?

cheollie: for lunch, dinner, anything?

cheollie: to catch up and well, explain myself

sweet pup: hey

sweet pup: uhm, it’s currently 2am

sweet pup: so i don’t think lunch is an option

sweet pup: dinner sounds good tho!

cheollie: ah yea, sorry for texting quite late

cheollie: but i couldn’t help myself and you know how i am

cheollie: dinner it is!

cheollie: we’ll figure more of this out later in the morning, okay?

sweet pup: sure thing, cheollie

cheollie: get some rest, pup

cheollie: wouldn’t want you falling sick or be too tired for tomorrow <;/3

sweet pup: i could say the same for you

sweet pup: you must be tired from the match

cheollie: goodnight pup

sweet pup: goodnight cheol

you set your phone aside, rolling onto your side as you made another attempt to fall asleep. but with the anxious feeling pooling in your gut as your heart was beating rapidly in your chest, that was proven to be giving you a hard time.

that’s how you ended up on the floor of your living room, back leaning against the couch as a random netlfix series played while you drank your third bottle of soju.

sure, it was a bad idea and you knew you’d wake up with a killer hangover.

but, in the end, you managed to finally sleep - albeit it being on your couch.

taglist (unable to tag a few ㅠㅠ)

@yoonclip @1004luvangel @catjunhui @mystikha @spk93 @tinkerbell460 @yoozuku @dnylwoo @christinewithluv @limbomoon @plutoxxxworld @i-give-up-1234 @m1ngyuc0re @yunloyal @leclercloverbot @bettybeako @billboard-singer @ocyeanicc @krupyadoorrahe @seobinnieshi @xcynthiaaa @k411z @disneyprincesshuri @sunnyapp @khxsh @staygenezy @loufi8iepuff @ursweetener @noisypapergalaxy @wonwootakemyheart @sugainpinksweater @leah-rose03 @thisisnotthelastofus @yearnoclock @kwonhoeshi @minhui896 @ohmygodwhyareallusernamestaken @ru-lin @deobiforever @belladaises @cheoliekkuma @duskunt1ldawn @hyneyedfiz @marshmallowshouse @ak6ko @chwevernonlover @jejuboo-s @tsukinluv @atinytinaa @gyros-cum-sock @soupbinlily @jungwoos-luvr @ener-energy @watermelon-sugars-things @cyberpunkhwx @ddaengpotate @nightwingsrobbinhoods @chaerrylov3r @joshuaahong @wonussmile @uliceeeeeeee @wonwoo24 @shinetogether17 @simplejihoon @luvkpopp

[gnome-of-writing]

Here are some OFF headcanons centered on elsens that nobody really requested but my friend and I wanted me to write teehee ^_^

Elsens in Zone 2 are really nosy and gossip-prone. However, it isn't malicious-- it's more oriented towards keeping the community safe and alert. In fact, almost all of Bismark is aware of who has damaged what books, besides the Librarian of course-- the culprits are already at risk of getting themself papercuts, it would be so cruel to also get them in trouble too.

Elsens in Zone 3 have a very competitive and toxic work environment. When one elsen succeeds, another elsen is punished. Rations certainly aren't coming out of Enoch-- no, Enoch has it arranged that for every percent increase in rations that one elsen earns, there's a percent decrease for a less productive elsen.

Elsens in Zone 1 have a very cooperative and supportive work environment. The success of one elsen in a district is treated as an inspiration and something to model for the rest of them-- especially if that success gets noticed by Dedan. Dedan might be a loud asshole, but he knows how to make a productive work culture at least-- if only there were clones of Dedan like there are of elsens, he'd be a lot less stressed and pissed off. And unlike in Zone 3, Zone 1's elsens have some days off.

Elsens under the effects of sugar are referred to as "glazed," as opposed to "high" or "stoned." Additionally, that one elsen in Area 1 of Vesper whom we see looking out over the plastic sea was definitely glazed.

I see a lot of people think that wearing the necktie made The Batter be visually perceived as another elsen, but I disagree. The Batter didn't trick the elsens of East Bismark into thinking he's an elsen by wearing a necktie per se; what wearing the necktie really did was give them a sense of security in thinking that somebody there knew the Batter personally and let him borrow their necktie as a way of vouching for him to travel through. That vouching went right out the proverbial window the moment that the Batter began making the elsens there feel ill at ease though.

As a follow-up to the previous headcanon, I also like to think that-- although the valzong-burnt sprite and the overworld elsen sprite stay generic-- there wasn't actually a real prize to winning the Balloon Game in Zone 2's Theme Park, but the elsen in charge of the game knew that prizes were typically rewarded upon completion of those sorts of games, so he'd take off his necktie everytime he had to work the booth just to fix it onto the balloon in the middle. He never imagined that somebody would actually win that prize though, which is another part of why he was so freaked out (and the sound of the balloons popping certainly didn't help his nerves either, even he did know the source.)

Liquid plastic is occasionally referred to as water by the elsens-- primarily the ones of Zone 2 who've read about water in certain books, and then related the concept of water to the liquid plastic that they've got instead. Liquid plastic is not something you want to get on your skin though, and even less, ingest. But you'd find it in the same places you'd find water, so it works out. Reading about touching or ingesting water in books freaks elsens the fuck out though-- combined with the fear of ripping pages, the library might as well be considered full of horror novels.

Elsen clothing is all made of polyester. Thankfully, elsens don't really emit body odor (even when they sweat), though they can accumulate a general funk from where they've been, which they do wash off with a nice metal dust bath. The exception to this is that elsens under immense stress and on the verge of going burnt do have a very slight smell of caramel about them. Burnts themselves have a very strong smell of charred caramel. On that note, the air in Zone 3 can be like a horrible punch to the nostrils to anybody not from there-- especially the farther North in Vesper you get. Sugar consumption can make the sugar smog more tolerable though.

Most elsens do their laundry communally, but some (mostly in Zone 2) prefer to do their laundry themselves and at their own pace. Honestly, everything happens at its own pace in Zone 2, besides trade with the other zones.

Most residents of the Zones, including elsens, make up for a general lack of water by getting all their hydration needs met through consuming meat... Somebody ask me my thoughts on Zone 1 cows please.

Zone 1 elsens tend to stay in their assigned districts for long periods of time, with various promotions scattered throughout. However, if an elsen is starting to become disillusioned or even burnt out with their current stations, there is a process for them to start anew in a different district (though it is lengthy)... Unless they're in Alma, but who would want to leave such a good job?.. Under normal circumstances, your average Shachihata worker can take years to become truly worn thin by their job, but in Alma, it usually only takes a month for the disillusionment and anguish to set in. This is why everybody but those who actually work in Alma sing Alma's praises so high: dead men tell no tales. And a month is not long enough for an elsen to completely deconstruct their preconceived views on Alma (and warn others of the pipedream)-- they'd much sooner just straight-up burn from the sudden influx in disappointment and doubt.

Also, this is not my own headcanon, not at all, but I am 110% a believer in that all the elsens originate from the giant elsen in the Room, forming on that guy like fungus on a log and then falling off... Onto something a bit more original to that though: the other elsens we see in the Room are in direct contact with the big elsen and-- along with having very streamlined, simple routines-- that's why they're so steady and confident. Meanwhile, the vast majority of elsens elsewhere had been taken from their progenitor so quick they can't even remember him, and they remember the Room just barely. So they couldn't even develop that essential part of identity that comes with having a connection to any sort of nurturing figure, though many in Zone 1 have imprinted on Dedan. A few in Zone 3 exalt the Director like that too, though much less directly, and it's almost always from those who have never met the Director. But then you've got the elsens in Zone 2 who've got no guardian that they know of-- no protection nor leadership... Japhet, unlike Dedan and unlike Enoch (who views the elsens more like peons), returned the feeling of kinship though-- which is not so much headcanon as it is canon actually haha.

[itsabouttimex2]

Read your villain thing, just to be clear, do you think redemption means a character had to be punished? Because you talked a lot about punishment and I think you mean that if a character isn't punished as equally as they harmed, it's not a redemption. Which I guess is a view you can take, but it's not mine at all

A punishment is literally anything that counts as a “consequence for being an evil person who hurts others for fun/power”.

The only qualification I have is that they have to happen outside of being immediate self-defense. Losing a fight doesn’t count.

They don’t have to be equal- but having characters face something as simple as generic consequences for their actions helps polish a redemption arc and make it seem more authentic- the world feels more alive and real when characters are allowed to have negative responses to those that have hurt them.

Here’s a few “punishments/consequences” Red Son faces for all the shit he’s pulled:

(And thinking on it now, I might move Red Son into my “actually redeemed list” if I ever remake it. He goes through quite a bit of development- I might be being way too harsh on him. Then, he’s still totally unrepentant for hurting innocent people and trying to take over the world… hmm.)

(Footage gathered for Red Son)

Vocal and vitriolic distrust from at least two people who have every reason to distrust him. These people dislike the idea of working with someone who has openly and happy hurt them.

MK at least questioning working with him- he vouches for Red Son anyways, but it’s clear that he has at least some doubts, too.

Clear and open distrust from someone he was constantly hurting/trying to hurt/actively working to subjugate to his family’s whims by attempting to take over the world. Mei performs a “team-up” because the world is in danger, but still actively dislikes him.

Physical assault (played for comedy).

Teasing and mockery (played for laughs).

The butt of more disrespect- the characters have no reason to trust or respect this guy, and it’s portrayed very clearly that they don’t.

It takes an entire training arc that leaves Red Son sincerely opening himself up for this to changed- Red Son has to actively work to help Mei before she’s willing to cozy up to him.

And even after all this?

He isn’t given an immediate and universal pass that makes every character magically okay/friends with him.

THIS is what “punishment” is to me.

I don’t want these characters to break and bleed and die. I don’t want them getting dragged to the underworld while screaming in terror. I don’t want them on the ground with their teeth broken and their pride destroyed.

Consequences don’t have to be violent. They don’t have to be vengeful. They can be, but I don’t need them to be.

So what do I want?

I just want; in-universe, for people to care enough about how they and their loved ones have been hurt to have negative reactions to the pain and suffering they were caused.

And Red Son is actually a pretty good example of that, as it turns out.

As opposed to Macaque, who actively has potential consequences REMOVED-

Tang telling Wukong to not attack him after Macaque forces Tang to complete the Samadhi Fire ritual under the threat of ending Mei’s life.

Why? Why does Tang blame himself for something he was forced to do to prevent a dear friend from being murdered in cold blood?

Tying him up was good- especially with how MK snapped at him to be quiet and how Sandy flipped him around- they dislike him for his crimes, so treat him as a pest- that’s nice!

And then one of the worst moments in the series occurs-

MK giving him an awful “you aren’t a bad guy” speech before Macaque has done a single kind thing for anyone.

Macaque is not “playing” at being a bad guy. He IS a bad guy.

Up to about 27:49, Macaque spends nearly every last moment he gets being an unrepentant and murderous individual who takes open joy in hurting others. It’s not like he’s trying to spare unrelated individuals or going out of his way to avoid hurting people- he openly revels in attacking Ao Guang, assaults Tang, etc.

HE IS NOT SECRETLY A GOOD GUY DEEP DOWN.

“Not meaning it” or whatever is not an excuse for doing evil things!

Like, the most “kind” thing he’s done by now is drag an extremely exhausted and injured Mayor to the team- with no effort or work put in on his part. It’s not like he was out fighting the guy.

It’s the equivalent of your cat dragging in a dead bird and pretending they caught it themself.

Like, oh, “he doesn’t get a bowl of noodles” from MK or whatever, but it’s pretty clear MK was saving those for himself- and Wukong steals them to be petty.

And then comments on the caliber of Wukong’s character in Season Four like Macaque has any right to say anything about anyone- especially the people he’s openly tried to murder and in general be unpleasant towards.

“Wukong was power-hungry,” whines to MK the simian who was so power-hungry that he spent days/weeks manipulating MK to steal his powers.

How does MK respond to this?

Oh, he doesn’t. Because if you’re Macaque, the writers… I don’t know, actually.

Why wouldn’t they have MK defend his mentor, or call out the blatant hypocrisy that he was a victim of?

Seriously, what the hell?

How does Mei respond to a team-up with the guy who violently attacked her uncle and held her life hostage, leading to a chain of events that very well could have killed her?

She doesn’t! Because if you’re Macaque, the writers will write out character traits like “fiery and prone to losing her temper” or “loves her friends and family” to justify her not having a negative response to him doing genuinely awful things so they can have a team-up.

Like, revisit pictures one, three, and four.

Mei is not a gold-hearted sweetie who “simply can’t bear to hold a grudge”! or anything. She should absolutely have a comment here. She should be distrustful. She should be at least cautious.

But she’s not, despite Season Four working to exemplify her negative traits like being trigger-temper and impatient.

Because she’d be going against Macaque-

And the writers will do anything with him BUT acknowledge his crimes or genuinely having intriguing or complex moments between him and his victims.

——

There’s one last comment I’ve got to respond to, and then I think I’m done with the “redemption talk” stuff. ​

I’ve pretty much spilled out all my feelings on Macaque’s arc by now- there’s nothing left I can say.

But I’ve enjoyed talking on it, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the counterarguments! It’s been nice to see why people like his redemption arc, even though my own personal feelings on it are unchanged.

One person pointed out that Pigsy does at least have a moment of apprehension about trusting Macaque, which I hadn’t remembered, and I’m glad they brought to my attention! (This only makes the writing worse. Pigsy cares more about a secret being kept by Wukong than someone trying to murder him and his son in cold blood, because… because.)

I also noticed that I got something else wrong- Macaque wasn’t yet infected with the Lady Bone Demon’s power when he sieged Ao Guang’s palace- which actually makes it harder to justify, because we can’t even say that he was “rushing to save himself from an internal and imminent threat. He was just being a monster.

Also I’m pretty sure people are getting sick of seeing it, haha.

[ronwestbreeze]

TO YOU , WORLDS AWAY : PART TWO : CHAPTER TWELVE

pairing: jake sully x fem!reader

summary: in which it is the year 2159

word count: 2.4k

author's note: hello hello! TYWA part two has arrived! now updating is going to be a bit different for this. i'm thinking posting each chapter once a week will be what I will do from here on out that way I can have time to write future chapters whilst you all read the one's I have already written! just remember, don't demand me to post, it doesn't help with motivation or make me want to keep writing it! anyways, thank you for the patience! and without further ado, part two!

AO3 | prev | next

“I keep having these dreams. About this girl. Every time I saw her, it felt like I knew her for years. Like she was my best friend in the whole world. And I couldn’t imagine a life without her.”

“Tell me about these dreams.”

“Well…they always start with fire and…”

“What’s wrong? Baby girl, what is it?”

“You’ll think I’m weird, Daddy.”

“I won’t, I won’t. I promise.”

“When I wake up, I’m sad. Like I’ve lost someone. And it feels so heavy…Daddy, I hate it!”

“Sssh, ssh, it’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve got you, alright? I’ve got you.”

“I miss her, Daddy. I miss her so much.”

“Miss who, baby girl?”

“That’s the thing. I don’t even know her name…”

Year 2159

It had been five years since the RDA were exiled off of Pandora and Dr. Chloe Parker was still trying to find her footing on this planet. 

Before the battle, she had been well into the late Dr. Augustine’s Avatar Program. Trained and studied learning to control her own avatar and then using her time to explore all of Pandora’s plants and herbs. And it was interesting, learning about all the medicines here, the potential use for them.

Then the battle at the Tree of Souls happened. Killing dozens of wildlife, many humans and Na’vi alike. It was a sad day to say the least. But after Jake Sully took over as the clan leader for the Omatikaya Clan and exiled the RDA off of Pandora, things began to change for the better.

Dr. Chloe had been one of the humans allowed to stay on Pandora, mostly because she didn’t contribute to the war that struck the planet and because Dr. Max Patel vouched for her and some of the other scientists and avatar volunteers. Now she had spent her time continuing to explore all of Pandora, working with the Na’vi in different clans to study their ways of medicine and perhaps teach them some of the stuff humans do, even though she knew they would probably never use it.

For the past few months, Dr. Chloe, and her small research team, took their avatars and their next journey to the Olangi Clan. A very nomadic clan that worked very closely with the Omatikaya so their home wasn’t too far from the former’s. Their clan leader, Akwey, had allowed them to stay and start their research there as long as they didn’t pose a threat to his people and were respectful of the lands and their ways. Which wasn't a difficult task, especially when there were no more military men flanking the planet anymore.

But as of recently, Dr. Chloe had been requested to retrieve the Tsahik of the Omatikaya Clan, Mo’at since the Olangi’s Tsahik had died in the battle against the RDA. So, instead of researching like the rest of her team, she had been made into a messenger, going back and forth from each clan speaking of something called Eywa…Dr. Chloe wasn’t really too spiritual to care much of who this Eywa was. But if it made the people happy and content, and kept them from shutting down her research, then Dr. Chloe would take one for the team for now.

On the other hand, she wasn’t entirely too comfortable leaving her very first patient alone so much. A patient very important to her research.

When Dr. Chloe found Mo’at, she was with her daughter, Neytiri if she could recall correctly. Dr. Chloe never really had a conversation with the woman—mostly because of her obvious distaste of Dr. Chloe’s presence—and today was no different. Once she arrived in her avatar form, Neytiri hissed and walked away. One of her children, a young boy, followed after her closely.

“Why has Akwey sent you now, Chloeparker?” Mo’at greeted her while crushing up what looked like herbs in a small wooden bowl. Dr. Chloe’s Na’vi wasn’t perfect but she could understand a lot of it after years of listening to both Dr. Augustine and the people talk expertly in it.

“An elder died yesterday.” Dr. Chloe informed her, stuffing her hands into her shorts. “Akwey wishes for you to perform the ceremony.”

Mo’at hummed, not looking up from her work. “One day, he will have to come to my daughter as she will be the next Tsahik of the People. And I will finally rest.”

“Let’s hope that day isn’t soon then.” Dr. Chloe commented with a thin smile. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your daughter doesn’t seem to like me much.”

“You are Sky People. Of course she doesn't like you.” Mo’at stood with the bowl and finally looked at Dr. Chloe. “I am not too fond of your people either.”

Dr. Chloe could understand that in a way. But she was a bit tired of being grouped with the people that tried to destroy Pandora and take it over. Then again, she really couldn’t blame them. If she were in their shoes, she’d hold a grudge too. It didn’t matter if they were the same or not. That anger, that resent, it was uncontrollable and rightful. Dr. Chloe could do nothing but shrug.

“Touché.”

“Mmph.” Mo’at then handed her the bowl. Dr. Chloe took it, surprised at the sudden gesture. “I understand you are a doctor among your people. This can be more useful than whatever technology you Sky People insist on using.”

Chloe held the little bowl delicately but frowned, “The technology is not all useless, you know. It does help sometimes.”

“Sometimes.” Mo’at pointed out. Dr. Chloe tried not to roll her eyes.

There was small movement behind Mo’at and Dr. Chloe did a double take. She hadn’t realized they weren’t alone until Mo’at had stood. It was a little girl that didn’t really look like Na’vi. Actually, when Dr. Chloe looked at her closely, she realized the little girl looked awfully similar to someone.

Before she could wonder just who the little girl reminded her of, her earpiece suddenly beeped, alerting her that one of her team members was calling her from back at the Olangi Clan.

Dr. Chloe excused herself before answering her earpiece, “This is Dr. Chloe—”

“You need to get back here fast!”

She blinked in confusion at the urgency in her fellow researcher, Simon's voice, “Why, what’s happening?”

There was a pause, “…Okay, don’t get mad but we decided to take her out of cryosleep—”

“WHAT?!” Dr. Chloe covered her mouth when Mo’at gave her a disapproving scowl and the little girl watched her curiously. She cleared her throat and lowered her voice before continuing, “Why the hell would you do something like that—she’s not even stable enough to take her out—”

“Just let me explain!” Simon interrupted with an exhausted sigh. “We connected her to the machines we’ve been working on for months ever since we first started working on her, remember?”

“Those aren’t even ready yet!” Chloe hissed into the earpiece, walking out of the tent where Mo’at and the little girl still were. “Simon, what the hell were you thinking—”

“It worked, Chloe.”

She went quiet. Her eyes wandered aimlessly around the forest, unsure if she had heard him correctly. When Simon called her name again she finally responded in a hushed whisper, “You’re not shitting me, are you? Y-Your saying—”

“It worked, Chloe, it worked.” She could practically imagine the growing smile on his face as he said this. “She could wake up at any moment now. But with her condition, it’s not exactly permanent and I don’t imagine she herself would be happy with the results, but they are supporting her. They're keeping her alive until we know how to deal with the heavier wounds.”

This was definitely a development. This had been something she had been working on for two years now, hearing that it worked, on a person no less? Chloe couldn’t help but start packing up her things and leave.

“I’ll be right there! Don’t do anything without me!”

And with that, Chloe rushed back toward the Samson she had arrived in, ordering the pilot to take her back to plains.

There was a lab within the tall trees the Olangi Clan lived in. Chloe had it built when she first arrived in the plains. Even though she technically wanted to build one in one of the trees, having a lab hanging from a tree wasn’t exactly the safest position. So, they went with having it on the ground.

Plus, if they had done it in the tree, then the lab wouldn’t be as spacious as they needed it to be.

When Chloe arrived back, she came out of her link bed with Simon waiting for her.

“How is she?”

The two walked side by side with each other, leaving the link room and walking down the long hallway. Simon carried a holographic pad in his hands as he spoke, “She’s stable, still has yet to wake up, but things are looking good so far. The doctors want to start on the severe wounds right away.”

“How exactly bad are these injuries?” Chloe found herself asking. Really, when they first saw the patient, they had already decided to quickly put her in cryosleep with how badly injured she was and freeze her wounds before it became any more lethal to her body. Chloe hadn’t exactly seen it for herself but she’d always kept hearing about how bad it was.

Simon frowned, “Third and second degree burns, a broken rib, and a her lungs might've collapsed, I'm not entirely sure.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah, I hear she was a lot worse and the doctors managed to work on some of the less lethal burns, but she’s not exactly out of the woods yet.” Simon sighed as they stopped in front of the closed door. “We have twenty minutes with her before the doctors get to work.”

Chloe frowned, staring at him incredulously, “What should we say to her if she does wake up?”

Simon shrugged, “Tell of the situation, maybe fill her in since she’s missed basically five years of her life, and…I don’t know, comfort her the best we know how?”

“Comfort is not either of our strong suits, Simon.”

Simon rolled his eyes before finally opening the door.

What did death feel like? Was it this bright? This cold? Were you supposed to feel so heavy, so numb as if you couldn’t feel your body. Maybe your consciousness was floating above your body. There were stories like that, you remember reading about people who have died for a few seconds and were able to see their body outside of themselves.

Okay, maybe you weren’t actually dead. You may not have known what it felt like but you were pretty sure you weren’t supposed to be able to recall a memory as if it were another day. Then again, your body didn’t feel like a ton of anvils had fallen onto it and was pinning it down, preventing you from moving.

You hadn’t realized your eyes had been open until a shadow came into view, blocking some of the light above. Your vision was blurred, really you didn’t know when you had woken up or how long you had been staring up at the ceiling. Yes, that was definitely a ceiling.

Either hell was some bright room or you were somehow still alive.

Muffled voices echoed into your ears. You hadn’t realized, at first, that the voices were coming from the shadowed heads above you. It was like using your ears for the first time, like you were a newborn baby. Hell, your eyes felt like they hadn’t been used before.

Soon, you started registering the voices.

“You think she fell into some sort of vegetative state?” This voice belonged to a woman.

“I don’t know. It’s a possibility. Coming out of a cryosleep can be a little much.” This voice belonged to a man. Neither of them were familiar to your groggy mind. “We might need to get the doctors.”

Soon your vision began to clear.

“Wait, hold on…” The woman above you whispered. She was staring directly down at you, eyes wide with wonder. “I think she’s…”

Your eyes then moved to the second head, the man, when he came back over and appeared in your vision. And like their voices, they were both unfamiliar to you. Even in your foggy mind, you could not recall a single memory where it included these two strangers. Wait, maybe the woman. Back before you had stopped going to Hell’s Gate, you might’ve seen her a few times in passing.

Wait.

Hell’s Gate.

The bombs.

The ship crashed.

You should’ve been dead.

“Dr. L/N?”

The woman’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts, you refocused your gaze on her and she grinned excitedly. “You can hear me? Understand me?”

With great difficulty, you nodded. Or maybe your head shifted slightly similar to a nod, you didn’t really know.

“Holy shit.” The male muttered in amazement.

The woman continued grinning, “Welcome back, Doc.”

Before you could ask her where you were, before you could question who these people were, it suddenly hit you.

And it really hit you. Worse than a pile of anvils. More like an out of control train that crashed right into your body and dragged you along the way.

That was the type of pain that struck your body once your senses had begun coming back. This pain was unimaginable. It was unlike anything, unlike any pain you had ever felt in your short life.

This was worse. This was what death felt like.

You didn’t remember much of what happened after your chest jolted forward from the shock of the pain. All you saw was the two that had been standing over you, rushing away, shouting for what sounded like help. And in the next few seconds you kept blacking out a few times. The world went in and out. Every sound clashed together around you. Most of the pain, you realized, was coming from your waist, hell, just your entire upper body.

You wanted to scream. But all that came out of your mouth was choked gasps, barely any words or cries. You were crying. You were crying. Yes, you were sure of it.

There was a sharp prick against your neck.

And in the next second, it was like you were falling out of the world and back into the blackness.

Falling.

Falling.

Eventually, you would hit the ground…

And Jake Sully would wake up.

[red-riding-wood]

I’m so sorry about what happened to you and so many others. Disgusting misogynistic behavior. You all deserve so much better ):.

Also sending this bc I do believe he has made two new accounts. Drcranessweetestdoe and monsterfromthewoods. I have no proof these are him ,but it just strikes an absurd resemblance to his writing and he seemed to interact with both of them a few weeks ago. The first one hasn’t blogged in weeks either. Just seems strange. Once again though, I could be wrong. Just something for everyone to stay weary about. Stay safe ❤️

Thank you for the well wishes, anon! I really do appreciate you reaching out. <3

From my conversations with @drcranessweetestdoe, she does not behave like Kill (nor does her writing style compare to his), and I am pretty positive he is incapable (or at least very bad) at taking on different personalities since I believe I witnessed his attempt with the second account you mentioned. Aurora is very sweet, and she used to be a fan of Kill's writing and mine. I don't want people to be suspecting her of foul play because I do believe she is genuine. Kill has a pattern of reblogging fics as a way of seeing what victims he can latch onto and I see that as a coincidence with his reblog of Monster's.

As for @monsterfromthewoods... I was hesitant to make a callout, mainly because no one has actual solid proof that he is Kill. But, there is too much evidence for me to ignore, and I wanted to give my honest opinion and observations. Monster, if you are not this person, feel free to reach out and vouch for yourself, and if I am wrong, I am deeply sorry.

Fuck that. As I was typing this message up, I decided to check my DMs and noticed that my friend had said that he gave her the same name that, as of this morning, was revealed to me as his actual name along with his real picture and Facebook profile. That really sealed the deal for me. Here is the rest of my evidence to prove that this is "Kill":

Monster followed my friend around the same time that she blocked Kill.

Monster followed me the same day that I sent Kill a confrontational message, calling him out for his lies and pleading with him one last time for medical treatment and answers.

From the posts on Monster's account, and the one comment I know he made on my friend's post, his personality exactly fits Kill's. This is why I said I do not think he is capable or likely to be able to craft a believable persona.

Monster made a post about suicide, and a pro-Palestine post, the former of which Kill discussed with me a lot and the latter my friend pointed out as suspicious since Kill was also very strongly pro-Palestine. Seeing as Monster doesn't have that many posts yet on his blog, this isn't irrefutable evidence but it is very coincidental.

Lastly, I actually did my best to analyse and compare Kill and Monster's writing, since I had recalled a few things that stuck out to me when I read Kill's writing. Him and Monster share many similarities with their writing habits/consistencies. They are as follows (the examples listed are from 18+ content so please do not view if you are a minor):

Use periods and exclamation marks -- but never commas -- as punctuation to end dialogue tags.

Starter dialogue tag always facing outward. Like: ”So... Tight”

Tend to each use a snapshot style of writing, favouring incomplete sentences with frequent use of periods. Examples: K: "His mind, usually so sharp. Focused and organized like the most expensive machines. A killing machine, that worked in perpetual motion, living off killing, adrenaline used like a drug." M: "Your dear, understanding doctor. Doctor Jonathan Crane, who laughed out loud suddenly a couple moments ago. The dark colour covering his exotic looking eyes as he revealed his real nature to you."

Similarly, they both tend to avoid using possessive pronouns and determiners. Examples: K: "_ Pale, little pussy peaked from between her thighs." M: "The scars covering _ man's pale skin," _ = absence of "her, that, the," etc.

Often use adverbs after verbs in a way that feels out of place.

Capitalise after ellipses, always.

"Y/n" always has a lowercase "n".

Sometimes use three ellipses, often use only two.

Use "pants" but never "trousers".

Yeah, so, I may have spent way too much time on this. And I think most of this is redundant, now, especially after the name revelation, but still, I put work into it and didn't want it to go to complete waste lmao. I also had no idea until I was tagged today that apparently there are programs that do this sort of thing for you. Oops.

[mono-dot-jpeg]

[1:43am]

a/n; cute timestamp 143 (ily) i almost forgot this idea i had for twst since i was thinking about dragon reader. but this time i was thinking about nimona shark so.... an excuse for me to write for octo dorm again

platonic??? romantic??? idk you can decide.

you loved your home (back in the ocean) and all but man, you couldn't help but gravitate even more towards the ocean themed dorm. you don't like getting attached to people. you kind of live with your own school of sharks when it was feeding time, and that was it for the most part.

but you wanted a friend or two... one that wasn't scared of you at least. that was a hard ask back in your school (as if you've only lived in the sea until this exchange program).

but here, you had a chance at least!

you learned about the dorm and you were hooked from the start. when you first met floyd and jade, you were caught off guard with their sharp teeth and supposedly odd personalities. you understood the fear.. you think. but you thought floyd seemed nice despite the raving rumors around him. maybe it was because you knew that you could body him with your size and height alone.

you were a very big shark after all. and floyd seemed interested. before he had a chance to really know you, he called you a whale (not out of insult but as a nickname), and you had corrected him that you were a whale shark. "i'm not a whale, i'm a whale shark." the lack of sharp teeth had him even more interested. "very different creatures clearly."

"hehe, looks like sharky has some bite after all!" floyd snickered as this was a first meeting and he's only heard you from gossip. "we're gonna get along great."

that was a lie. he always tried to get on your nerves because of your loner-like personality. how you didn't really mind other guppies (humans) and how you didn't even mind being friends with leona's dorm members. you didn't really care most of the time when he did it, which did get him bored.

but then you met jade and the dorm leader himself, azul. your tall stature had initially startled him. but you reassued him, "don't worry, i don't eat octopus." somehow, you had amused the leech twins, both of them snickering at your blunt statement as azul stares up at you in disbelief. "i really don't."

"it's true." floyd vouches. "they eat people." he almost says it a little too seriously, causing you to smack him behind the head. "sharky!"

"i don't eat people. you do."

"well, that's just not true!"

"don't lie about me and i won't lie about you." and somehow you find a job in the lounge, becoming a host or the last line of security for the place. you certainly capture the attention of other students. you reflect most of your shark counterparts and behaviors that scare them, but you're really a gentle person.

you provide an odd sense of comfort to the guests of the lounge. it's rather endearing watching a shark-mer such as yourself try to be gentle and (mostly) nice to others.

floyd often turns to you for when he wants to squeeze something, and he just doesn't feel like chasing that magicless prefect yet. you're not really a warm-blooded person, so it's not a warm hug or anything, but you are one of the few people who can take a squeeze from the eel. and he takes that to his advantage. sometimes you are forced to carry him around when he's feeling extra clingy, but you don't seem to mind.

jade comes to you when he's done forcing mushroom dishes to his twin. you have a big appetite, so it only makes sense for him to test dishes with you around. he likes your peaceful presence as well, always commenting how people must mistake you for those violent shark movies and videos that those guppies watch. you sigh heavily every time when someone talks about those movies and if they were actually how sharks were.

azul comes to you for your calm presence. he warmed up to you slowly as you were still technically one of the few biggest sharks. but you always tell him it's okay to be scared of you because you're just used to it. and he's a little concerned now. "do you not have many friends because of your lineage?"

"no one likes a scary shark. not many people, at least." and it kind of reminds him of how alone he felt back in elementary. and he gave himself a silent pack to just not make you feel that way. he had even offered to let you swim the back lounge area for the employees. you were very happy at that. of course, he didn't fully account for how big your shark-mer form really was. but you looked so happy, he couldn't ruin that for you. and after that, he opened up a bit more and you both spend your time together in a comforting silence while he works and you rest or work with him. you're not the best with negotiating, but you do bring an energy that helps ease the clients (or scare them) into signing his contracts.

unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and you had to go back to your school because the exchange program ended. you were all kind of sad. but at least you knew that you had made a friend, and that felt like enough. they promised to visit and everything. even inviting you to school events at nrc if it was possible. and you offer the same as well.

you don't mind being a scary shark anymore.

[happyk44]

actually annabeth joining luke's army as a double agent for chb but percy doesn't know this so he just thinks alright and grabs grover and hooks it over there bc annabeth does what she wants and he knows there's no convincing her otherwise bc she's a stubborn ass and also ares fucking sucks so as far as percy's concerned the gods can suck it based on that alone

grover is just ??? bc he does NOT want to be over here and percy's just like "look, we can't convince annabeth to not be part of monster army, so the only option is to be part of it ourselves" and annabeth walks in on them trying to join (or rather percy trying to join for both of them and grover looking on the verge of tears) and she's just ??? bc what the fuck percy why are you two here

whole time percy is going on a rant about ares and how he sucks and how he's pretty sure the god has abused clarisse ("maybe we should get clarisse to sign up with us") because no one believes that he wants to join luke's army and they just thinkk he wants to spy on them so he's trying to show that he thinks gods (well at least one god) is a total ass and can get obliterated and percy will be happy to do that bc he did it once before, he can totally do it again! and if they get clarisse she can deliver the final blow as an FU

someone asks why grover's there and percy is like "um. he's my best friend? he has to come with me? what, you think I'm gonna fucking fight my best friend? are you stupid?"

meanwhile grover is having the worst panic attack of his life. like why is this how he discovers percy has no morals. couldn't it be something smaller like putting french fries in a strawberry milkshake?

and annabeth is resisting the urge to start screaming and now she's gotta vouch for percy and her vouch for percy is basically "if it came to saving me and grover or a bus full of people about to plunge into the atlantic, percy would save us, no hesitation" and everyone's like "jesus christ, the hell is wrong with this kid" because like maybe they're on the side of a cannibalistic titan but they're not fucking evil

ofc once they're let into the group, annabeth drags them both to the side and wrings percy a new one for fucking up her double agent plans and they're both whisper-arguing bc it's not his fault he didn't know she didn't really shack up with the enemy, but like fuck off percy, you didn't have to follow me here! why the hell would you choose to come here, were you going to try and kidnap me and bring me back to camp by force??

and percy is just like "yes that is 100% what i was going to do, i was definitely not joining with the intent to be by your side and blow up olympus because i'd rather destroy the world than fight my friend" and grover turns to annabeth and is just "he's fucking lying" "yeah i know"

anyway grover is released as a double agent for the monster army (but actually for CHB) bc the idea is that he can help them get more demigods to their side as a searcher being sent out to grab kids and he's mentally banging his head bc NOW he has to figure out how to get unclaimed demigods safely to camp without making it look like he took them there on purpose and if it looks like he defected back to CHB, they'll probably kill annabeth and maim or imprison percy and good gods, percy i hate you so much rn

percy? idk. it's past summer so he just goes home and luke is like "bro you can't just fucking leave" "um no offense luke but if you try to stop me from going home to my mom who i love more than life itself i will legit eat you" and then he goes home

come december, grover is calling percy up like "hey i found these fucking powerful ass kids, plz help me get them to camp without making it look like i got them there on purpose" and so they gotta loop annabeth in who's just mentally banging her head and cursing percy out over this whole thing as she strategizes a way to get the army there but have them fuck up so badly it would look super suspicious if grover just shoved them over

so first she yells at percy then she makes grover call thalia up so she can help him and it'll be okay 'cause she's in the same area as him so it won't look suspicious, it'll just seem like camp sent her in with him, like they do sometimes when there's dangerous monsters that a satyr might not be able to handle by themselves.

and then she makes percy go with them as support for grover's "nefarious" deeds since thalia's there. and it's a whole fucking thing, and mentally she's just like "oh thank fuck" when artemis and the hunters show up.

they retreat back to wherever the monster army was at this time (not the boat, but like idk. atlas' post? were they all chilling there or was it just luke and some ppl being assholes and everyone else was still on the boat, i can't remember) and curse their loss of two powerful and clueless demigods, only for percy to call annabeth up a couple hours later like "hey, remember those kids from a couple hours ago with the manticore and the hunters and everything"

"percy it was two hours ago, ofc i remember it, my memory isn't as shit as yours" "right right, you're elephant" "oh my- why are you calling me!!" "oh yeah. uh. well. they're kinda in my house" "what??" "yeah they're sitting right across from me. my mom's giving them some hot chocolate."

"how the hell?"

"i have no clue. they also have no clue. they just, uh, didn't feel safe at camp, bc grover was being weird about trying to save them. which, um, yeah, makes sense. and they don't like thalia because her spear scares them 'cause they don't like lightning. and also the girl said the hunters keep trying to convince her to join them which is freaking her out, so they didn't want to stay at camp. and then suddenly they were in my house."

"..."

"what do i do?"

this time annabeth bangs her head physically on the closest wall. and somewhere in the fine forests of new york, grover is banging his head on the nearest tree, both of them unified in their feelings of "for fucks sake percy i hate you so much rn"

[mortalityplays]

Hi there! I’m a newly graduated editor and writer trying desperately to make freelance work for me, and/or find a permanent position with a publishing house or company. Do you have any advice for how to start getting clients consistently/how to get your foot in the door? I’ve been struggling to find work since I graduated last spring and it’s been hard to figure out where to start or what I’m doing wrong when a lot of the time I am just being ghosted :”)

I had to go for a walk and think about this. I've written and deleted two very long responses because it's hard to balance what I think I've learned about 'the industry' (fake idea but we can unpack that another time) with what it has made me learn about myself. The latter is not really going to be important or helpful to anyone else's specific circumstances.

Here's what I can boil it down to:

The idea of a 'traditional path' into editing/publishing or a standard entry point and career ladder, is almost entirely made up. I don't think that's on purpose. Getting established is very slow and hard and confusing and full of unexpected opportunities and disappointing dead ends. As people who are fond of narratives, it's only natural that we retrospectively turn our journeys into storylines. Real life doesn't really work like that, though. Take all advice with a pinch of salt; ultimately all advice is just somebody trying to speak to their past self.

All of the best clients I've ever worked with have been friends and artistic peers first, clients second. Some of them were also starting out when I was starting out, and we just traded services to help each other get a leg up. Now that they're well established in their fields, they're in position to vouch for me with bigger clients.

Having someone who can vouch for you is worth its weight in gold. Do a tiny job as a favour, then tell a small client you did that job. Do their small job for a small fee, then tell a medium client you did that job. Collect testimonials. Collect examples of past work. Let me tell you a secret: I didn't go to school for this, and nobody ever trained me. I've never landed a job by talking about paper qualifications because I don't have any. Show, don't tell.

Don't beat yourself up if you have to take other work to make ends meet. Not only will you be happier, healthier and more stable with that consistent income, but life experience will make you a better editor. I spent years working in bars and restaurants while I was doing sporadic small editing jobs on the side, and I loved it. It taught me about people, and how to speak to strangers with total confidence, and how to demand the value of my work, and how to spot when a writer doesn't know their shiraz from their malbec. All experience is work experience in the arts.

On that note, SPECIALISE. Pick out a subject you're especially passionate and knowledgeable about, or a genre or medium where you're particularly determined to excel. Study up on it. Look for clients who need specific expertise, and sell yourself to them. Generalists are everywhere, but you might be the only 'amphibious vessel technical manual editor' in your state. Learn to adapt your offering to the client and tell them why you're the key that fits their lock. Lie sometimes maybe I don't know shh I didn't say that part.

I think that's all I've got that isn't unbearably navel gazey. It's really hard work and I haven't finished the marathon either. I may still end up going back to generic office jobs on and off in the future. Mostly I try to follow the only really good advice an artist has ever given me: Do what you can, with what you've got, for as long as you can. At least then you can say you did.

[meetthegofer]

🦀🦅💕😑💀 (esp interested in the last one considering game mechanics)

THANK YOU TORRANCE MY GOAT.. once again since this will be a little long its going under a readmore 🔥 thank you though this is a very fun selection

🦀- How did they handle realizing they were in love? Embarrassed? Nervous? Mad?

fossey was absolutely the more accepting of his feelings of the two in this regard; though they were definitely pretty nervous they tended to downplay it a lot, like "welllll... people get crushes on coworkers with all the time!! plus its not like anything's gonna come of it, so its fine for me to like him.. im sure ill get over it soon" <- that. generally just didnt register that they might have a chance At All and as a result didnt really catch themself reading too much into his words/actions because "well its not like he'd like me anyways! that would be wasting my time. i have a job to do, after all".

sniper on the other hand...

for him, the realization was like being hit in the face with a brick. not because he thought fossey was particularly undesirable in any way that would make him go "i cant believe i like THEM", but rather because he was still operating under the expectation of not really getting to know them or really form any relationship/attachment past just. general coworker amiability. it honestly made him panic a bit, because he wasnt sure if this would affect his performance in battle ["if i get hung up on something like that, itll be easier for me to get distracted and hurt more easily. or worse, ill underperform" <- that sorta thing] and again, he tries to consider himself as being somewhat divorced from feelings, at least on a professional level. of course, we know this to not be true [calls his parents regularly, shows genuine care to his teammates, etc etc] but well. hes stupid. <3.

🦅- How good are their friends at being wingmen? Do they even help at all or just sit back watching the pining with a bag of popcorn?

...you could not possibly have a worse ensemble of wingmen than the options laid out for these two. at the absolute least, fossey has the support of miss pauling, who reassures them about things when they feel down. however shes not really an active wingman? like she encourages fossey but doesnt ever actively try to vouch for fossey as a potential partner for sniper, mostly because fossey has asked her Not to [going back to the whole lack of perceived desirability they feel and all]. other than that, they havent really confided in their feelings to anyone else, mostly because they know theres literally no circumstance under which it would end without great humiliation.

sniper, on the other hand, tries to be discreet when asking for advice, but everyone kind of Knows who hes got his eyes set on. so when he tries to ask for help and is immediately met with a chorus of "ooooh so youre finally gonna ask out fossey?" hes like FUCK YOU and also how did you know [fake idgafer they saw you saying good morning!! when you dont do that for anyone else!!!!]. so i think he would get frustrated and then not ask for help again

that said i can definitely see a few of the mercs trying to take things into their own hands. scout makes stupid jokes to fossey about sniper ["yknow hes got a picture of ya in his camper, right?" "HE WANTS TO SHOOT ME?" "NO"], soldier probably tries giving him unsolicited advice that literally only worked because zhanna matches his freak so well, and medic breaks HIPAA in a strange way to try and bring them closer together. none of it ever works but theyre all quite content to watch the two of them very awkwardly dance around their feelings for one another and tease them about it [though mostly sniper. since fossey does a shockingly good job at hiding her side of things + they havent known her nearly as long]

💕- Who confessed first and how? Did it go as planned or did shenanigans ensue?

oh this ones fun. they both kinda confessed at different times, but the first one just... didnt work? going back to this question set, after fossey apologizes/confronts sniper about his avoidance, he Does confess his feelings, but does so in a more vague way that fossey absolutely Did Not Clock as romantic. unfortunately this ended with the most brutally unintentional friendzone known to man

its not as though All hope is lost, though. like i said, there were multiple "confessions", albeit fossey's was admittedly much more thought out in terms of like. the specifics.

see, they have a really bad habit of overworking [mostly because they lose track of time very easily, and their work is so repetitive its easy to get lost in the sauce. they arent a very intentional overachiever], and a lot of sleep problems. as such, it was bound to happen that they would one day fall asleep at their desk, having worked themself to exhaustion and not really noticing it until they'd woken up...

sniper notices fossey sleeping at their desk, hours after they were supposed to leave for the day [being a bit of an insomniac himself, he would sometimes just. walk around. everyone on the team is kind of a freak it makes sense to me. you know]. so he goes and wakes them up like "hey dude you were supposed to leave hours ago" and theyre like FUCK right ill be out of here in a second. however, before they can leave, sniper remembers that fossey usually Walks home. so he offers them a ride, because the idea of them walking home alone at like 2am greatly unsettles him. they agree, and since its only a 15/20 minute walk it ends up being a very short drive, spent in an admittedly comfortable silence between the two. maybe a longing glance or two is passed without the other noticing.

and just before fossey steps out of the van to go fuck off to their apartment building, without even thinking they lean over and give him a kiss on the cheek, then step out and wave goodbye like nothing happened. [its not until theyre actively closing the door to the apartment building behind them that they realize what theyve done. and by then theyre like FUCK]

sniper is obviously speechless, because just a couple months ago he got friendzoned and he was still wrestling with the fact that his feelings were only getting stronger with time. he just kind of sits there for a second before he realizes he probably looks crazy just sitting there in a van outside an apartment complex that is primarily home to like. old ladies. and on the drive back to his usual parking space for the camper hes just like Fuuuck work is gonna be so awkward tomorrow.

and the next day they do talk it out.. fossey stops by his camper and is like Heyyy so can we um 😅 talk about last night haha... and they give a verbal confession but end it with like "im not really expecting you to feel the same way but since you basically already know i figured id tell you..." and snipers just there like It is unbelievable how much i feel the same way. i imagine the conversation itself would be quite awkard/seemingly "anticlimactic" for the start of a relationship, sort of like [incoming maine moment] shimamitsu's first little stint as a couple in skip to loafer where they just very awkwardly are like "do you... wanna try going out?" after a rather embarrassingly sudden confession. but both of them are autistic and awkward so <3 love is love <3

😑- How easily do they get jealous and how do they handle it?

fossey is admittedly not very jealous at all LOL though this mostly comes from the fact that they dont place very high value in themself. so theyre like "? if he ever found someone else he'd just go for it man i dont think it'd be worthwhile to keep me around just to cheat". they also just arent really the possessive type, since they do actually trust him quite a bit in this regard and are very much of the "if you love something let it go" mindset. however in the context where i ship sniper with the other mercs theyre very chill with it. because fossey has the fujoshi spirit 👍

if they ever Would get jealous i think they would handle it well enough on their own, though. they tried exactly one [1] time to make a joke about sniper leaving for someone else and he was MORTIFIED so they were like Damn i probably shouldnt do that again that was a little mean.

sniper i think would probably be a little bit more jealous? it doesnt come up very much, but every once in a while someone gets just a liiittle too close or looks a liiittle too long and hes like ? You could back up a little bit!

he mostly keeps it to himself since fossey isn't and has never been the type to pursue or flirt with others even in a playful context, so when he Does get jealous its usually directed at the other party. i think early on he mightve gone to fossey about it first and when they got confused [because they didnt think the other person saw them that way + were absolutely NOT trying to go for them] he realized it didnt make much sense and didnt really bring it up like that again. not much reason to blame fossey for how others feel when they arent the one Inviting those feelings, yknow? at most he might be like "damn that guy would Not leave you alone" but even then it happens quite rarely, so its not something they really have to address more than like. once or twice a year. that said i Do think he might get a little more clingy without really noticing it... hugging a little more tightly or casually throwing an arm around their shoulders a little longer than usual.

💀- If the canon character is canonically dead, how did your OC handle their death? (Or did you completely omit their death cause fuck canon?)

this one is interesting, not just because of the game mechanics but also because of his canon [albeit temporary] comic death. when considering respawn compatibility + mechanics and the nature of the game, i think fossey is desensitized enough to how much violence occurs around these guys on a daily basis that the concept of sniper being hurt in this way doesnt really faze him any more than it does miss pauling or any other merc. like he knows he'll be back. its fine. though i do think in the back of his mind he sometimes worries that one day sniper might come back and not remember/not love/not care for him anymore, although this has yet to happen, and if scout's persistence with trying to court miss pauling is any proof, it likely never will.

his comic death, however, is a different story, primarily because it left him with some pretty permanent scars. fossey freaked out so fucking bad when they found out what happened [since they werent present for it] and they just like. almost couldnt really believe it? the desensitization to his death in the context of the gravel war + respawn machine and how it functions made them less cognizant of the idea that Hey he could still die for real one day. and that realization shook them pretty badly... if they were actually present for it i think they would genuinely be inconsolable for a while. but LUCKILY hes back 👍 insert i cant help myself "all clean!" image here

[dragonologist-phd]

Piper & Companions - First Impressions vs Final Opinion

Tag game: Give your KC’s first impression and final opinion of each of their companions!

tagged by @dujour13! thank you!

i've already lost track of who's done this, so if you want to do it (or do it again), i'm tagging you! yes, you!

First Impressions

Seelah: “Wonderful- on top of everything else I have to deal with, there’s also a Paladin. At least this one seems to have a better spirit about it than most.”

Camellia: "There's a rich girl if I've ever seen one. She sure does remind me of someone..."

Lann: "Odd fellow. I can't decide if he's smart or an idiot. Either way, he thinks far too highly of me. But I think I like him."

Wenduag: "Someone who looks like that has a lot of nerve bad-mouthing tieflings. Unfortunately, she seems useful right now."

Woljif: "Him, I understand. And I just might take him up on that offer to leave before things get too messy. Thieves and outcasts gotta stick together, yeah?"

Ember: "What is she doing here? Why does she insist on sticking around? Someone needs to be responsible for her, and I really don't think I'm the right person for that."

Daeran: "Ugh. All I wanted to do was steal some silverware, now I'm stuck with the most obnoxious person in Mendev."

Nenio: "She certainly has her own set of priorities. And if nothing else, she knows how to provide a good distraction."

Ulbrig: "Is he really as old as he says he is? Or is he just as crazy as he seems? It's getting harder and harder to tell the difference these days."

Galfrey: "She's a tough one to read. But I must have convinced her I know what I'm doing if she's trusting me- me!- with the Crusade. I hope she never realizes how much of this I'm making up as I go."

Sosiel: "An absolute dear! I could talk about art with him all day long. I can't imagine what possessed him to go to war, of all things, but I'm glad he's here. That's probably selfish of me, but there you go."

Regill: "Huh. I thought he'd be gargoyle food by now. Pity."

Trever: "Nobody should have to go through this. I'm going to get him out of here, and then I'm going to burn this place to the ground."

Arueshalae: "I know this voice...I just never imagined it belonged to a succubus. Maybe I'm the fool for getting close to her, but she helped us- and more than that, Desna vouched for her. That's enough for me."

Greybor: "He's shrewd; people underestimate the value of that. That's why I don't trust him beyond what I pay him. He can say what he wants, but contracts are broken every day."

Aivu: "I have no idea what's happening anymore but yes of course we're best friends!"

Final Opinion

Seelah: “She’s pretty amazing. I’d have died many times over if not for her, but it's more than that- nothing keeps her down, and she’s the most loyal friend I’ve ever had. I trust her, and coming from me? That's a big deal.”

Camellia: "I should have stopped her sooner, I know. I could justify my choices, but really...I was afraid of having to fight her. I ended up having to do that, anyway. I do wish it could have been different."

Lann: "Definitely an idiot. I thought we were friends, but- I don't know. I still like him enough to hope he stops trying to throw his life away, at least."

Wenduag: "I did give her a chance. I suppose I always knew what would happen, but- well, you can't blame me for hoping."

Woljif: "He's my best friend and my brother and still the only person who I think totally gets me. I'm proud of how far he's come- how far we've come."

Ember: "I guess she could take care of herself pretty well, in the end. She takes care of others, too. I still wish she didn't have to, but at least she's happy."

Daeran: "I still think he's the most obnoxious person in Mendev, but...he's grown on me. If nothing else, he's the perfect partner for wine and gossip."

Nenio: "It's funny- I've gone by a lot of names in my lifetime, and that's never bothered me. But I'm really glad she remembers this one."

Ulbrig: "An actual god, huh? I couldn't have made up a story this fantastical. It's going to make a great song."

Galfrey: "I wish her the best, but...things just aren't the same. Whatever friendship we might have had at one point, I don't think it can be recovered. I suppose I'm mature enough now to forgive, but still not enough to forget."

Sosiel: "Still an absolute dear. And I'm still glad to know him. He has a strength few people see; I feel lucky, to be able to see it."

Regill: "Maybe I was harsh on him at first. Not that he doesn't deserve it, but...he stuck by me, even when I really thought he wouldn't. I guess that counts for something."

Trever: "He's still a good man, and he deserves a good life. I don't know if he believes that yet, but he's getting there."

Arueshalae: "My sunshine, my miracle, my happy ending. I could write a ballad in her honor every day for the rest of my life, and it would never be enough to say how much I love her. She says I've made her a better person, but we all know it's really the other way around."

Greybor: "I don't care if he's the most feared assassin in the demon realms, I know the truth- he's a big old softie."

Aivu: "Still best friends. Still the best part about being an Azata!"

[ask-the-four-lords]

Dear Lady Dimitrescu,

While I am no noble, I’m certainly not a manthing, so here’s a list of reasons why I would be a perfect candidate to be Daniela’s spouse. (HUY SPOUSE??? exag na)

Though before I get into that, how was your day? Was it pleasant? Did something inconvenient happen? If so, please tell me about it before thinking about slicing me to ribbons..

So, anyways, I will be giving my reason then explaining, so if you’ll give me a moment of your time, that would be splendid.

Reason 1: The usual ‘I’m kind, empathetic, caring, etc.’ spiel. I have evidence to back this up because I’m the therapist friend TM (charot). I don’t have receipts but my friends can vouch for me, I swear. I’m open-minded and not easily disgusted by things, so I have no problem with being around death and all that.

Reason 2: My music taste. It doesn’t really count BUT it should, because who would want to be with someone who only listens to rap or drill? I have a diverse music taste, including: jazz, classical, broadway/west end, pop, and rock. It doesn’t say much, but it basically does. Music taste is a large part of someone’s personality, and music is a thing people use to express themselves, hence the whole thing.

Reason 3: I’m educated. Thankfully, I am, and although many are, I’m also educated in pretty niche topics, so yippee!! I can’t exactly delve deep into it as it’s a bit complicated so I’ll leave it at that.

Reason 4: My hobbies! I love reading, so I’m sure it would be a good match with Daniela. I can also write, albeit not that well to an extent, but I can be poetic when I am. I love performing, especially acting. It’s like an escape for me, and I’m good at it too, thankfully. I also love learning about niche topics, and it’s something I’d love to share with someone. I love photography, and taking pictures whenever I see something beautiful. No doubt my SD card would be filled with photos of Daniela. (it’s giving.. autism? jk) But if she’s willing to listen, I could go on and on about certain topics.

Reason 5, hopefully the last reason, though I can still give more: My personality. It goes without a saying that personality plays a big role in spouses and their compatibility, and I (firmly) believe my personality is fit for Daniela. Although I can also be quite energetic at times, I can mostly keep calm and a level head. As I said before, I’m not easily disgusted and I don’t have a weak stomach, so I can handle all the blood and the killings n stuff. I can be silly at times, and serious at some. It’s a perfect match, I swear. I’m not judgmental, and I’m extra lesbian so yea..

All in all, I’m not quite sure if you can make your mind with these. I desperately hope you won’t slice me to ribbons for even suggesting the idea, but please try to keep an open mind. As always, have a good day.

— K.D.

Oooh, I like this one far better so far. Some actual manners, *cough cough* Odysseus. Still, it's almost improbable I will give up Daniela to anyone, I will listen to this one. Well, my day was perfectly acceptable, this is also an acceptable stalling tactic as in the event I decide to "slice you into ribbons" there will be no running. Although something rather inconvenient did happen, that tragic un-babysat toddler Heisenberg tried to get Moreau to decide if my wine or his repellant moonshine whiskey was better. That blathering freak chose his whiskey, then again that does confirm how repulsive and classless he is...

To your first reason: Yes, yes, blah blah, I've heard it all before. Especially from that clown who couldn't even get national clown college certification although it's probably best you can handle the viscera.

To your second reason: Good, as you may know I was a jazz performer. I'm in support of jazz and classical as genres so good for you. And yes, the ribbon treatment would be inevitable in the event you did say drill or rap.

To your third reason: *sighs* it's something, at least you're not entirely a peasant.

To your fourth reason: And on and on you have went although you still seem a better candidate for my darling Daniela as of yet but she still most likely won't be married for another century, I imagine. Still, House Dimitrescu will only accept those with true talent, so on the off-chance you have that than that will assist your chances.

To your fifth reason: Well... I don't even know how to respond to that. Daniela will decide that in the event you get as far as meeting her.

In conclusion, you are the best candidate so far but it's still more or less improbable you'll receive my sweet, lovely Daniela's hand. And I will keep an open mind, although if you test me, even slightly, you'll find your mind far-far too open, my claws do have a habit of "opening minds."