#but still here everywhere is hiring but not actually hiring people and i'm scared it's gonna be that way out there

[flatoatchi]

anxious bc i haven't been able to find a simple receptionist job here so what if i can't find a job in a field i actually have experience in california

[deludedfantasy]

Trimax Vol 9 Ch 1-3

On the one hand, I'm loving the Wolfwood centric chapters because I think he's such an interesting character. On the other hand, I know what's coming and the looming presence of vol 10 haunts me the further in I get. But here are some thoughts on Wolfwood and Livio from the first half of this volume.

Ch 1

Omg more baby Wolfwood!!! And a baby Livio!!!

Damn, Wolfwood is very determined to get across this bridge. I wonder why the guard looked like he recognized him though.

Wolfwood is such an annoying big brother, just tossing things at poor crying Livio’s head. Notice though that he’s just trying to feed him and keep him hydrated. He’s always been disguising his sweetness and care as rudeness. 

Oh Wolfwood, he’s just trying to give Livio’s life meaning when he doesn’t feel like he’s worth anything. I wonder how long he’s been at the orphanage to be so familiar with that feeling of being worthless that he treats it so casually. It’s certainly not as new or raw as it is for Livio.

Oh yay, Livio!! He saved that girl and now he feels accomplished! 

Livio’s eyes looking all blank and empty while he’s standing in a dark alley…it’s so ominous. I really gotta give Nightow here that we haven’t spent a lot of time with young Livio and he’s already making me feel a lot of emotions about him. 

Oh no. OH NO. This doesn’t get any easier to handle on second read. Livio looks so scared of himself when he sees the blood on his hands and especially the look on Jasmine’s face when she sees him afterwards.

And still, Wolfwood is defending him! Once you’re his friend, once he cares about you, that’s it. He’s in it for the long haul. In reality, he has such a big heart, and the Eye of Michael tried so hard to kill that part of him. 

So, Wolfwood comes home to find it besieged by the man he once thought of as a brother, who he barely recognizes anymore. It’s pretty grim, and Livio himself looks like he has mixed feelings about being back.

Oh? I thought Livio was part of the Eye of Michael. Why was he thrown out? Also, isn’t Chapel the head? Can’t he just…reinstate him if he wants, without this whole proving himself charade? This is Chapel though so I don’t know why I’m expecting anything different. 

Also more reasons I want to hunt Chapel for sport. His love for his family is what kept Wolfwood human and what motivated him for all these years. It’s the best thing about him. (Though there’s some foreshadowing to him saying these attachments are fatal…I’m gonna take a break to sob in the corner for a sec, brb)

Where did these children get a gun from??? Actually, on this planet, I don’t know why I’m even asking that question, guns are everywhere. But still. 

These mercenaries are the worst of the worst. Like, calling children worthless and being so willing to kill them for just some money, just to get a rise out of someone. Says a lot about the Eye of Michael that this is who they hire.

But hey, Livio comes to the rescue! Though whether it was actually to save the kid or just to see what was going on remains to be seen.

Ch 2

So the orphanage kids vaguely recognize Wolfwood as someone they think they know, though he’s older than he should be. Thus begins the question that has been plaguing me for months: how old is Wolfwood??? 

Wolfwood comes in and fucks shit up, as usual. But the big thing here, as many people have pointed out, he’s giving them a chance. He’s not shooting to kill. He’s living up to Vash’s, and now his own, philosophy. To the bitter end, he’s going to try and be a better person. 

But these guys are horrible. Like I said, the worst example of humanity to contrast Wolfwood (who at least in Vash’s eyes is something like the shining example of humanity in all its complexity). The mercenaries shoot their “friend” rather than save him to get a bigger share. As if we needed any more reminding what Wolfwood is up against. 

Wolfwood is really playing up the action hero bit this time. And you know what, it’s so cool. 

But he totally learned that fake-out shooting background trick from when Vash rescued. They’re learning from each other. (Aaaaand I’ve made myself sad again)

I love a good callback! Wolfwood once told Vash this and told him he’d have to make a choice. But now we know he was also talking about himself. He hasn’t had a lot of options over the years, especially once he joined the Eye. But now, it’s time for him to make a choice. He has to decide who he is, whose side he’s on, and what he’s willing to do to protect what he loves. 

I hate to say this, but for once Chapel has a teeny tiny point. Wolfwood doesn’t have room for doubt here, and he is a man who has had a lot of doubts over the course of the story, both about Vash’s actions and his own. There isn’t any more time to run away from his situation. He has to face it head on and with surety.

Exactly, Chapel! Wolfwood hasn’t changed, he’s stayed true to himself and the man he wants to be. He’s not using his true powers because that would mean killing and above all, Wolfwood is done being a murderer. Before he was killing to protect his family, but now he’s decided that’s enough. For them, he’ll stop and he’ll save them without giving up another piece of his soul. 

Okay, Chapel, I get that you want him to be an efficient killer, but Wolfwood is 100% maiming these guys to get through them. Like, they are not coming out of this unscathed, in the slightest. He’s very much putting them out of commission as well. 

LIVIO CAUGHT A ROCKET AND REDIRECTED IT WITH HIS BARE HANDS???? INSANE!!! 

On the one hand, yay Livio saved the orphanage! On the other hand, he did it because orders and also because Chapel isn’t done using the orphanage to torment Wolfwood.

Ch 3

Awww, the kids remember Wolfwood and think of him as a protector. Because that’s who he is at heart!!! 

“We have to rely on ourselves. We cannot rely on someone who isn’t here.” BUT HE IS!!!! AND HE CAME BECAUSE HE LOVES HIS HOME SO MUCH. 

Has Wolfwood been wondering for all these years what happened to Livio? Did he literally only in the last few months find out that he’s also a member of the Eye? Either way, it’s a gut punch for him to be confronted by him and realize how much he’s changed. That crybaby Livio has so wholeheartedly taken to being a killer, when Wolfwood once tried so hard to protect him from that. 

Poor Livio. No Man’s Land is such a cruel world that people just beat up helpless kids for being in the way. He left the orphanage, a place where he was safe and loved, because he felt like he was a danger, because he felt like he didn’t deserve their love and care. Livio himself isn’t much of a fighter, but he doesn’t even try to defend himself. This is just what he believes a monster like himself deserves. 

The Razlo notes are so ominous, but Livio just laughs at them. They’re violent but they’re also offering to protect him, and he just shrugs it off. He doesn’t want anything at all. 

My favorite, though, is “I’ll be your fangs.” Perhaps like Double Fang? 

As Livio is being badly beaten, he thinks of saving Jasmine, but he’s also overcome by how much he just doesn’t care anymore. He’s sick of being a punching bag and of being helpless. What does it matter now if he’s violent if at least it gets the hurt to stop? 

I love that Razlo is literally represented as a dark shadow the first time Livio meets him because he’s literally Livio’s dark shadow, the part of himself he’s been afraid of for so long. 

Notice how we can only see one of Razlo’s eyes, his left one. The same side of Livio’s face that’s covered in blood and the same side of his face he wears his skull mask on. He’s literally split in two, between life and death, purity and blood. 

Okay, but how did Razlo know about the Eye? Was it because they’d come to the orphanage recruiting while Livio was there? But they obviously don’t present themselves as a cult of assassins when they come (at least, I assume they don’t, because I can’t imagine Ms. Melanie willing giving children to them otherwise), so how would Razlo know that they would fit in there?

I forgot Wolfwood goes for a kill shot here! Although, he knows he’s up against the Eye so it’s not gonna keep Livio down forever. But imagine reading this as it was coming out and thinking Wolfwood actually killed him! Because it certainly reads that way.

[idyllic-affections]

Hi there! So thank you for your feedback about Kokoro. Im glad you her since she is my sweet bby （＾∀＾） .Kokoro is one of my more recent OCs that i have, so im still making her, which is why i thought asking a feedback but after reading your feedback, yeah you’re right. She’s my OC, someone i love and makes me happy, i shall do whatever i want with her! Which is make her have a happy life ^_^ (and make her unintentionally torment Gorou, she lives with Yae Miko for god sake) I also decided to let Kokoro have a hydro vision, while there are many points that i like with Kokoro having a dendro vision. Something about her having a hydro one feels right idk why tho :p (but she would actually get along with Nahida really well, crap now im reconsidering, guess it’s back to the drawing board then (⁠ب⁠_⁠ب⁠) ) why must i be so indecisive about an fictional character’s element (⁠ノ⁠ಥ⁠,⁠_⁠｣⁠ಥ⁠)⁠ノ⁠彡⁠┻⁠━⁠┻

Also PLEASE DO HONKAI STAR RAIL IF YOU EVER GET THE CHANCE TO DO SO, the found family in this one is STRONG. Like there’s the Astral Express which is just (≧∇≦). I wont spoil anything so you can enjoy it firsthand but the ideas and potential for platonic stuff is HIGH

Also im honestly excited and scared for Fontaine with how the trailer set the plot. Lynette’s death!?!? Lyney’s ARREST!? CHILDE’S ARRIVAL!?!?! What in archons name is going on!?!?? I honestly feel bad for Freminet since 1. His sister is “dead” 2. His brother is the suspect and possible murderer of said sister’s death. Really not a good time for him huh? Also can i talk about Navia for a second? I love her. She just gives off Chaotic good vibes which she probably has. I first thought she was gonna be like a phantom thief character but then the 4.0 trailer came out and there are security guys with her which now makes me think she is some sort of bodyguard for hire??? I just love her and i like to imagine her lovingly teasing my Fontaine OC for her famous pastries (i might talk about her here, so keep an eye out for that)

(Sorry for the many “also” btw ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ)

- 🐱 Anon

hi again dear!!!

yes!!!! do whatever makes you happy!!!! and indecisiveness is totally okay, too. you can switch backk and forth until you feel completely content! there's nothing wrong with changing up details and whatnot. you'll eventually settle on something that feels right <3 for me personally, i often go through many phases where i change important character details. it's usually while i'm writing their backstory or just their story in general that something seems to click in my brain, and all of a sudden, i have decided on the detail i wasn't sure about.

I GOT INTO HSR YESTERDAY ACTUALLY i am having so much fun with this game... it's so pretty??????? the characters are so dynamic????????? genshin feels so flat compared to hsr which is interesting to me, but hopefully hoyoverse takes steps to fix that lifeless feeling that genshin has sometimes in-game! or maybe i'm just burnt out? who knows! either way, i love hsr. it aligns with my interests so well.

CHILDE IS MR. WORLDWIDE HE IS EVERYWHERE AHSKSJSJGJFJ tbh i cannot WAIT for fontaine, i am so so so excited to see what this archon quest has in store.

i'm thinking about making a fontaine oc myself actually. lawful evil to lawful good kind of vibes, like.... they're evil-aligned at first but slowly change for the better once they realize how much they are hurting their beloved people. character development <3 but i would love to hear about yours, so i will definitely keep an eye out!

(and no need to apologize!!! i do that too sometimes <33)

[ooohyou]

Submitted to r/nosleep by u/NemesisLuce

Please support the original author.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. Cute little bookstore in a quaint little town. I love helping customers find the right book for their mood. I love showing cute children’s books to curious kids. I love talking with sales reps and figuring out exactly which new releases to order from them.

I also fucking hate my job.

It was ten minutes past closing time, and I had my brightest, fakest smile on while trying to get the last customer out of my store. No sir, I cannot look up a book on the computer if all you know is the cover was red when you saw a poster for it 5 years ago. No sir, “I think it was about the cold war and a detective who drank too much but maybe it was something else” does not help me at all. Look sir, all my historical thrillers are on this shelf. Does anything ring a bell? No? Was it made into a movie? You don’t know? Oooookaaaay then, I’m sorry to inform you that we are already past closing time, here’s the store number, if you remember the title give us a call and we’ll order it for you if it’s still available. Thank you, good evening to you too sir, goodbye. Yes you have your umbrella, it’s right here in your hand sir. Okay bye bye.

I sighed and gave my cashier the biggest eyeroll I could manage before locking the door and turning over the sign that previously said ‘come in, we’re open!’. I heard the coins clanking in the coin counting machine (do these have a name? I don’t know. Coin counting machine is pretty self-explanatory and I’ve never bothered to check if they were actually called that), signifying that Alice had started to sort her cash drawer. I would only need to take out the profits of the day, make sure she had enough cash for tomorrow, and send her home. I went through the motions mechanically, only thinking about the nap I was about to have in the breakroom. It was going to be glorious. I really needed it if I wanted to be alert for the night shift.

Oh, yeah. We’ve got a night shift here. It’s my store’s most… peculiar aspect. We close at 6pm, but we open again at 11, up until 5am. Then we open again at 10am. So when I said ‘nap’ earlier, I actually meant the first half of my night, since I am working both shifts. Yes, I live in my store. Please buy books instead of reading stuff on the Internet, I would really love to be able to afford another employee.

So there I was, counting money fully on autopilot, daydreaming about drinking a nice cup of herbal tea and hugging my pillow, when Alice said something that ruined my plans.

“I forgot to tell you, something weird happened when you were on break.”

I snapped out of my daydream instantly and shot her a questioning glare.

“Yeah, this old lady came in, looking for something about fairy tales. I showed her the section but she didn’t want to have a look there apparently, and she asked me about something from the back. And I was like ‘do you think we’re hiding books from our customers or something’ so I just told her everything we had was on display in the store but we could order any book we didn’t have if she wanted. And she just shook her head and mumbled something and then she handed me this pamphlet and I was like ‘okay feel free to look around’ and didn’t even look at the pamphlet before shoving it in my pocket because a kid entered the store holding an open juice box and that was a disaster waiting to happen so yeah but that was weird right?”

She had actually run out of breath by the end of her sentence, and I wasn’t surprised. I was pissed though.

“Alice for FUCKS sake. Give me the pamphlet, don’t look at it. I’ll write that you were fired because of the store’s financial situation and give you a glowing recommendation.”

All color drained from the young girl’s face. I wasn’t mad at her, but I was still mad. She was supposed to know the rules. Hell, I even had her train the temps we hired to help around Christmas time. In retrospect, it was a miracle nothing bad had happened.

Okay, I was slightly mad at her. But I really didn’t want to be.

I saw in her eyes that it had finally clicked. She understood the gravity of what she had done, and handed me a crumpled pamphlet from her pocket, making sure to avert her gaze. God damn it. She had one momentary lapse, and it cost me a good cashier. Fucking hell.

“I’m sorry…” she started.

“It’s okay Alice, you didn’t mean to. You were alone on the floor, she was an old bat, it could’ve happened to anyone. You’ll be missed around here, but please don’t visit.”

She nodded. She finally remembered the rules, and she understood that there was no other way.

I put the cash drawer in the safe while she gathered the stuff she had left in the break room. I opened the back door to light a cigarette. She had tears in her eyes as she exited the store. I gave her a smile and clasped her hands in mine.

“You were a good employee, Alice. You’ll do great in a regular bookstore. Don’t doubt yourself and avoid this street for a few weeks. Call me if you run into any trouble, okay?”

“Thank you for the opportunity, boss. I really loved working here.”

“I know you did. Now hurry home. Don’t answer to anyone knocking on your door. Be safe.”

She nodded and scurried away, her backpack bouncing with her steps. I crammed my half-finished cigarette into the already-full-but-I-keep-forgetting-to-empty-it ashtray and went back inside.

The pamphlet was sitting on top of the safe, and as I grabbed it I felt the urge to read it. Nope. In the bin you go. I was accustomed to those old tricks. First rule of working with my clientele is to know when you can’t trust your instincts because something’s fucking with them. Second rule is to trust your instincts. Confusing? Welcome to my life.

So I ended up sitting at my desk typing furiously on my computer instead of napping. I still had a few hours until night shift, but I absolutely had to start interviewing prospective employees in the next couple days �� in the meantime I just had to hope one of my part-time employees would like to work a few extra hours. I just have too much work to spend all my time manning the register and keeping the tables neat. While the store isn’t that big, it still is a lot for one person.

I obviously had to update the employee rulebook as well. Just emphasize that you can’t take chances with crazy old people. You never know if they’re truly crazy or something else.

“Never accept anything a customer hands you directly if it’s not (real) money. If they’re promoting something, make them leave any cards, pamphlets, posters at the register. If you end up accepting whatever they gave you, don’t look at it, and come to me immediately.”

Yes, it’s weird. I know it’s weird. Look, I pay my employees a fair enough wage that they make sure to follow the rules. I don’t care if they think I’m crazy. I probably am. It doesn’t matter.

I pressed enter and added:

“If a customer asks if they can see what we have in the back, politely decline and offer them to order whatever book they need. If they persist, come get me.”

God damn it, Alice actually handled this part well. But she grabbed the pamphlet, and I had to protect her.

I don’t write the rules to make my employees better workers. I write them to make sure they survive. The main reason any infraction is cause for termination is that, well, it could be the cause for the actual termination of their existence on Earth. Getting fired from a job is a way better alternative.

Alice accepted the old lady’s pamphlet. It could’ve been anything else. A tissue, a cigarette, a glass of water. She unknowingly made a bargain with whatever the woman was. ‘I gave you something, now I’m free to take something’. Entities like the old lady abide by archaic rules. In a store, this is what applies. I lost a regular day customer that way. The poor lady was watching over her kid, who was merrily making a mess looking through the 3-5 years old section, when a young girl came up to her. “Look miss, look I made a drawing”, she said. My customer grabbed the piece of paper and the girl ran off. A couple days later, posters popped up everywhere in town for a missing toddler.

I was obviously pissed. I’d been waiting to see that little girl again and tell her that business rules applied only between merchant and customers and she had no right to force an innocent, unaware person into a contract. My night clientele is well aware of that, and treasure having a place to find literature enough to not risk jeopardizing the fragile balance between both worlds. Nonhumans can be facetious little shits though, and I’ve never seen that girl again. Some entities enjoy chaos just for the sake of it. This one just danced around the rules, grabbed what she wanted, and ruined two lives. My customer sank into a deep depression and ended up gouging her eyes out during a manic episode. Her toddler was never found, but I don’t think he will grow up to be a respectable, human adult.

I checked the time and decided I could get 2 hours of sleep before having to get the store ready for night shift. So obviously I went to check out who – or what – was knocking on the glass window near the entrance because who needs sleep anyway.

It was an old lady, her wrinkled bloated nose pressed against the glass, her skeletal fingers tapping against it in a rhythmical fashion that was getting on my nerves. She had piercing, blood-injected eyes that were fixed on me and a grin so large it couldn’t possibly be natural.

I didn’t have time to be scared, but I still felt the fear creeping up on my stomach, slowly making its way through my body. No matter how hard I tried to reject it, I couldn’t. Stupid human nature. I adorned my best customer service smile and walked up to the old lady.

“My apologies, you seem to be a bit early. We will be open for business at eleven.”

I didn’t need to yell. I knew she could hear me clearly in spite of the glass separating us.

One… two… three taps on the window. Her already impossibly wide grin grew even wider, revealing rotten teeth sticking out of black, putrid gums. Thick, yellowish saliva was dripping down in strands from her non-existent lips. By the time the corners of her mouth reached her temples, I was sure I would lose my fake confidence and run in the opposite direction. No matter how many times you deal with unnatural entities, being mere centimeters away from a nightmarish mouth full of rot and decay will shake you to your core. I tried to breathe calmly, being secretly thankful for the glass that separated me from what was probably the foulest smell I’d ever submitted my nose to, hoping the old lady would see me standing my ground and respect the rules of business. I could deal with her inside my bookstore, where she would be a customer. I just needed to stay brave and meet her transfixed, unwavering gaze. Her eyes were more blood vessels than pupils, and I found myself focusing on those instead of whatever was moving in her mouth. I did not want to see her tongue, not after seeing the state of her teeth. And I sure as hell did not want to see whatever I clearly caught moving around her mouth if it wasn’t her tongue. No, her eyes were scary but I could deal with them, no matter how unsettling it was to see them bulge in and out of her head in a slow motion, almost as if they were breathing. The glass became foggier and foggier on her side due to her heavy, animalistic panting, but I kept my gaze straight, only catching glimpses of fog and movement in my peripheral visions. If I were to treat her like an animal, I needed to assert myself as the alpha. I don’t yield to rude, entitled customers, and I wouldn’t yield to rude, entitled nonhumans breaching the unspoken contract that allowed them to enjoy my store.

After what felt like forever, she stopped tapping on the window. Her grin reverted back to a normal, almost friendly smile. She blinked, soggy wrinkled eyelids covering those eyes I had stared at for far too long.

“I guess I’ll see you when you’re open, then”. In spite of the glass panel separating us, I felt her putrid breath against my ear as she whispered her parting words.

Just like that, she turned and left.

Understandably, I was not looking forward to seeing her during the night shift. My regular customers were unsettling enough, I did not want to add the batshit-insane-nightmarish-grandma to the list.

I’m a business owner. The customer may not be always right, but they are always my priority. I will have to open tonight, because while some may not consider books to be a necessity, I guarantee you that it is vital not only for my business, but for some of my night customers that I open every night. I complain about my life a lot, but some of them face issues they can’t simply look up on the internet nor ask a friend or even a therapist. They may urgently need something from the night inventory, and I will do my best to provide it for them. I’ve always loved being a bookseller, but helping nonhumans find whatever fits their very specific needs has given me a sense of purpose I’m not ready to give up just yet.

I will open tonight. And I will protect my business and its rules, to ensure that I can open tomorrow night.

(Note: edited some words to fit in with the location LOL)

[whitehairedclea]

Red Roulette part VIII

Helena sat in her office remembering Chang's words from last night. “As if I didn't know about my intuition, if it wasn't for my intuition I wouldn't open casinos in the States or raise such amount of money, you idiot” she thought. Then, for a split second, she remembered his hands holding her hand and her waist. Gently, yet firm enough to keep her from talking any more. She lit a cigarette and tossed the lighter at the corner of the desk. She quickly dispelled her memories, returning to the issue of the diamond. From the words of Chang showed that the guy did it on behalf of someone, and so probably the diamond has already been transferred to the client.

"Sebastian!"

A seconds later he appeared in the office waiting for an order.

"Bring the Spider over here immediately, maybe he will know something today that will be helpful"

"Of course, I'll get him right away," he replied and left the office quickly.

If someone did order the theft of the diamond, there must have been some trace of it on the streets. So many informants were fooling around deceiving every single profitable handful of information that such a fact of handing over the diamond could not have escaped them.

“ Mrs. Roulette! How nice ... "Spider began as soon as he entered, but Helena quickly cut off his greeting. 

“Okay, finish this cirrus. Fast. Have you heard of any strange meeting last night? "

"Virtually every one in this city, as if you could be more precise"

“It's mainly about the diamond, so focus. Whatever you heard, whatever you know "

“Let's start 600,000,” he smiled.

She had no desire or time to bargain with him, so she just nodded, trying to trust her intuition that he was the only person who could move her search forward.

"I heard one guy brag about a huge amount of money earned for one thing, just one Job. Maybe not a diamond specifically, but quite a similarity"

"Well, who was it then?"

"One of the people coming to the Yellow Flag, long brown hair, possibly American, weird that’s why I remember and that's all I know."

This was more than she could figure out so far, so she thought she had found the lead. All she had to do was find this man and find out who told him to do the job. Time was running out and there was also a risk that someone would want to sell this diamond abroad. Probably worth more than all of Roanapur .

***

  Sebastian headed for the Yellow Flag, a dingy bar on the main street. Inside, it was swarming with suspicious curiosities - dealers, bounty hunters, dirty workmen, prostitutes who could be hired upstairs. In all this hive, he was looking for an American with long hair. 

"Hi Bao " greeted the owner "how's the deal?"

"So far so good, it's only been a week since the last damage, how r you ?"

"It's pretty good to say the casino is spinning somehow, little problems"

"Problems? What, boss has her period? " laughed, but after Sebastian's expression he retired to safer topics "so what problems?"

"I'm looking for a new stranger, he must have arrived here about two days ago, a long-haired brunette, an American, have you heard something about it?"

Bao rapped on the counter to indicate that nothing is for free. Sebastian took a bundle of money out of his pocket and asked for a mug of beer for that.

"My dear, if any connoisseur from Uncle Sam is going to roll through this town, he is sure to look into a lovely restored place like the Yellow Flag!" Bao moved closer to him so that no one would hear what he was saying "... how to tell you, the girls upstairs are definitely perfect"

Sebastian didn’t need more. He jumped up, throwing an additional tip to the bartender, and ran upstairs. Already on the stairs there were crowds of women who were Whiting for the client. Mixed voices of men and women came from everywhere. Every room felt occupied. Sebastian had to choose one to find the American.

One room caught his attention as there was no sound. He decided to try and blew the door open. Inside, a white man sat on the couch, counting quite a large mountain of money. It was obvious this guy was the one he was looking for.

In an instant, he took out the gun before he could react and pointed it at him.

"Dude what are you ?!"

"I would advise you to start talking before your brain will be on that wall over there!" he shouted.

The gun was now right at his temple.

"Who did you sell the diamond to?" Sebastian asked the distressed American.

"It's nothing personal man"

'I don't care, you stole my boss's diamond, who's not a very patient woman. If you want to get out of this, I advise you to talk, we will probably manage without you, but it will be faster,' he replied, unlocking the gun.

The American, feeling the barrel of the gun against his temple, understood how much he did not care about keeping the client's secret. He had money, keeping his life was a priority. Later he talked more than had to.

He was commissioned by an Italian named Dotti right after his arrival in Roanapur. He escaped from the Italian mafia and hid somewhere in the city, gathering his strength to take over the position of the then mafia boss. He couldn't announce his great comeback yet, so he decided to start marking his grounds with minor intimidations. Defecting Helena was to scare her and take over the casino as a new home. The plan might have worked if it had happened to someone else. Helena wasn't going to let go of such an insult, she would have pulled information about him from the city's canals to get him.

"THIS IS ALL I KNOW!" he shouted "really even the pasta makers don't know where he is. NOBODY knows, I got the money a moment ago together with the key to this room!"

There was nothing else to ask. He sheathed the gun and grabbed the bag of money, then threw them all out of the open window. Hundreds of dollars scattered across the crowded street. Seconds later, there were shouts of surprise and fights for every dollar.

"FUCKING MOTHERFUCKER WTF ?!"

'Enjoy you're alive. I'd rather blow your head off now" Sebastian replied and left.

He returned to the casino as soon as possible. It was the most important piece of information, the main puzzle to solve the whole case. They might have started working before it was too fast to spread around town that the Roulette casino could be brazenly robbed.

Sebastian shared with Helena all the clues he had obtained. Without a moment's thought, she rushed to the phone and started calling known informants if anyone had heard of Datti's location . Unfortunately, silence, no one knew him and no one heard of him since he hid from the Italian mafia.

"The little fish don't know anything or don't want to sprinkle ..." she said, looking out the window. Sebastian had the impression that she was running out of ideas on what to do next.

'Maybe actually wait for an intimidation attempt? There is a chance he'll reveal himself. ”Helena didn't let him finish, she held up a hand to silence him.

'I won't wait, Sebastian. It's a perfect night to spill some blood, "she said with a slight smile on her face, then added," If the little fish don't know anything, let's see what the shark says. "

'It means ?'

'We're going to talk to All-Knowing-Mr-Chang , I think it might be a good move.' her green eyes flashed.

Sebastian felt as if she was getting excited about this whole situation.

***

The private line telephone began to ring. Chang picked up "Cho , if they're Cubans again with cocaine in their veins, fire them, I won't play business with junkies," he dropped after a hard day. From this morning, one of the cartel people wants to sell him the idea of cracking down on cocaine in Japan. Like a drugged man, full of vision, he only wasted his time.

'Of course boss, it's just ... they're not Cubans. Red Roulette and Sebastian are here asking for a meeting'

Somewhere in the background you could hear Helena's voice, who didn't like the phrase 'ask'. She clearly tried to correct that she required this meeting.

'Let them in'

Chang began to believe that this evening was not going to be written off after all. "But there are still people in this town who can keep me entertained," he thought. A moment later he heard the clap of heels and a knock on his office door.

'Come in'

Cho entered first and signaled that they could enter. Helena straightened her red hair quickly and walked in with a serious look.

"Why do I owe such a great visit," he asked, comfortably leaning against the desk.

'I'll be short because I don't have time. I know who ordered the theft and it was Dotti , a former member of the Italian Mafia, but I have no idea where he is ' she came close enough to rest her hands on his desk. The red nails tapped gently impatiently. Her green eyes, full of fury, waited for his reply. It was only then that he noticed that there was a tiny mole on her face next to her left eye. Right at the tip , as if it was waiting to be spotted under the cover of red waves of hair. The long black dress sparkled softly in the light, and Chang wished she would take a few steps back to see her leg emerging from the slit. The louder tapping of her nails brought him back to reality. He wanted to laugh at wandering his mind, but quickly gathered his thoughts.

"Of course, I know where he is. Boss of the italian mafia still makes me laugh that he can’t find this Dotti guy. I'll help you with him, " he replied, standing to put on his jacket.

'You misunderstood me, Mr. Chang. I don't want you to help me deal with him. Just give me his location, I'll do the rest myself. '

It made the corner of his mouth turn into a devilish smile. The predator's gaze shone from behind his black glasses . 

'Sorry, I misinterpreted your intentions. Then let me accompany you on this journey ”he offered her a hand, lowering his head as if inviting her to dance.

He was eager to see this confrontation unfold. And most of all, what she can do. As a new fish in town, she had to show that she could do more than sell information, otherwise it would be difficult for her. She could slide quickly to the very bottom of that Roanapur abyss .

'In that case, let's dance tonight' she smiled malevolently.

[seyaryminamoto]

Good day talented writer! Another anon dropping by. You mainly write Azula as virgin while Sokka has experiences, good&bad, my question is if it would hold any importance for him if Azula would've been no virgin? In The Reason or in Gladiator. For example if she would engage and get involved with someone to get over him? As a girl this this girl/boy chastity thing annoys me0-o. And while we're at it: Did Ozai get involved with anyone after Ursa's disappereance? Thank you and have a nice day!

Alright, that’s a complicated question to answer, to a fault, for an array of reasons. The answer got WAY too long so… under the cut:

First off, I’ll say Azula is generally a virgin in my stories because canon outright established her as what I like to call a social inept :’D the only romantic interaction she has with anyone, genuinely romantic, is with Chan. And while she successfully manages to sway him briefly, she scares him away moments afterwards. Her conversation with Ty Lee establishes that that’s the general way boys react to her, therefore, she has very little experience in the field of romance.

Meanwhile, Sokka is the entire opposite of that. He’s had at least two relationships in canon, he tries to get into another one with a really unpleasant girl in the Lost Adventures, girls have crushes on him everywhere he goes… therefore, he’s established by canon as someone who is a thousand times more successful in terms of relationships than Azula.

This, then, is part of the characters and, if you ask me, these traits should be preserved in any depictions of them in any canon-based settings. As much as I understand the feeling of unfairness elicited by this unbalanced situation between them, it’s not something I established myself, but something established by core concepts of their characters.

Now then, on to the actual question. Due to Azula’s circumstances in Gladiator, she wasn’t very likely not to be a virgin when she and Sokka meet. If she hadn’t been one, at best it would have meant she had carried out a secret relationship with someone else before Sokka… at worst, she might have been a victim to sexual assault of some sort, an idea that really makes me sick to my stomach and so, for my peace of mind, let’s stick to the first thing. At any rate, Sokka wouldn’t have been likely to resent her for having previous relationships, though he would have probably felt insecure if she truly had held another secret relationship with someone else… not because he would have been angry that she wasn’t “pure and untainted” or any such bullshit, but because he already has a million reasons to fear he’s not good enough for her, and he might have thought any past relationship she’s had might have been with someone better, or at least less inconvenient for her, than him. So he wouldn’t hold it against her, he’d hold it against himself instead because of his frequent insecurities.

Now, of course, Sokka has shown some jealousy in some really silly ways, such as being outraged that Azula had a crush on Zhao when she was a little girl xD but that was always meant to be a humorous thing, since he has no idea what she’d see in him, and he feels the same way about her claim that Jet was handsome. Now, Chan is her only actual romantic experience (just like in canon) before Sokka in Gladiator, and Sokka’s reaction to discovering this is NOT along the lines of “OMG HOW COULD YOU HAVE HAD YOUR FIRST KISS WITH SOMEONE ELSE!” Instead it’s, and I quote directly from chapter 115:

“I can’t think of anything I’ve not told you, honestly. You even know about my first kiss now, so I’d say you know all that needs to be known…” said Azula, shrugging.

“Uh, well, I know what happened but I still don’t know who it was, now I think of it” said Sokka, tapping his chin and eyeing Azula with curiosity “Anyone I knew, by any chance?”

“Eh… no” said Azula, with a grimace “But you know of him. It was… the same jerk I was supposed to marry ages ago”

“Wait, what?!” Sokka asked, his eyes widening as Azula sighed.

“Okay, so now you do know all there was to know about that” she said, with a smirk, as she approached the dresser and closet where Sokka kept his armor and weapons “It’s time to get ready for training, Sokka”

“B-but then… that’s why you didn’t want to marry him, isn’t it?” Sokka asked, blinking blankly “The prick wouldn’t dominate the world with you, so…”

“Yes, yes, well, that’s neither here nor there” said Azula, approaching him with one of his blue shirts in her hand “Come on. Get dressed”

“I’m very sorry you kissed that guy” said Sokka, as she threw the shirt over his shoulders “You certainly deserved better”

As you can see, his reaction isn’t that of a jealous madman, but instead he’s very surprised that the guy she was engaged to when she first hired him was her first kiss. And then he’s sorry she gave her first kiss to him, since he knows all too well that she wanted nothing to do with that guy. He believes she deserved better.

While none of this really may seem to hold a torch to the stuff Azula has to wrap her mind about regarding Sokka’s past “partners” (if they can really be called that, most of them being forced one-night-stands…), I’d like to think that this reaction of Sokka’s would apply just as well in a world where Azula, theoretically, had other romantic partners before him.

Now, though, the second thing you bring up… IF Azula had gotten involved with other people to get over Sokka? In either Gladiator or The Reason?

I’m not sure if you mean Azula finding another love interest halfway through Gladiator Part 1, back when she was sure things between her and Sokka would never work, or if you’re asking about a hypothetical breakup at some point in the future. Likewise, if Azula had found someone else halfway through the Reason because Sokka still had Suki? Or past a future, potential breakup too?

Well, I’ll try to address it all, in any case… Gladiator Azula wouldn’t be likely to find someone else just to get over Sokka, I’d hope the way I’ve depicted Fire Nation society by now should show that engaging in sex out of wedlock is a very risky thing for women to do (Ty Lee’s situation serves as the better example of the consequences of that). Azula only went for it with Sokka because their partnership started to take an unexpected turn and, as they grew to understand each other better, they fell in love. She didn’t love him from the get-go, that’s true, but once she stopped being so impulsive in the earlier chapters of the story, she realized he was “right” to put a stop to their relationship before it really begun because of the potential nefarious consequences she could have faced if they were caught together. So they even struck the deal about not trying to be anything other than a gladiator and a sponsor, and why? Because she wasn’t ready to make a decision that could put her entire future in jeopardy. And if she wasn’t ready to make it with Sokka, she wouldn’t have been likely to make it with anyone else.

Therefore, if in the wider ��will-they-won’t-they” part of the story, Azula wouldn’t have risked losing her virginity to the man she was developing feelings for, I don’t think she would have done it for someone casually, just for a fling to “get over Sokka”. She wouldn’t have risked reaching a future marriage without being a virgin because of the repressive way her society treats women.

But alas, in the off-case that somehow she had wanted to do this… Sokka wouldn’t have been pleased for it, but he wouldn’t have been outraged or angry either, since, like I said before, he has more than enough doubts about being good enough for Azula as he is. A glimpse at Azula’s birthday arc should probably help further with showing he wouldn’t have acted like some irrational jealous idiot when he thought he had no right to be one, if she had chosen to be with someone other than him. This time, chapter 69:

“I mean… I kind of had taken for granted that it was going to be the two of us, always. I had forgotten that… that you’ve got a lot of responsibilities and pressures and expectations to uphold. And… I don’t mean to get in the way of that by being a selfish prick. I’ve been selfish when it comes to you enough times by now, I think, so… so I won’t be anymore. I'm… I’m not going to tell you not to marry someone. But… I’m also not going to tell you to get married.”

“Then what are you trying to tell me?” asked Azula, looking at him with mild despair, her hand gripping his leg a little tighter than intended.

“I… I guess I’m saying…” said Sokka, sighing. “That I’ll accept whatever choice you make… I’ll accept whatever man you choose, so long as I know you’ll be happy with him. If you can guarantee you will choose whatever makes you happiest, then I’ll be… I’ll be happy too. That's… that’s all I dare ask of you.”

See? If he had thought there was someone better for her, if he had seen her with someone else, he would have absolutely backed off. Would his heart have broken? Sure! But he wouldn’t have played the territorial dumbass pretending he was entitled to her or anything as gross as that if she had started another relationship, whether a serious one or not.

The same applies to The Reason. Frankly, if she had found someone else halfway through the story, Sokka would have likely stayed with Suki and probably done his best to remain cordial with Azula and her new love interest if possible. He probably would have even tried to encourage Azula in her new relationship, because as you may recall, things between them in the Reason were more than a bit problematic, as he was still with Suki :’D he might have hoped this new love interest of Azula’s would be good for her. And of course, if the relationship was shortlived he would have worried she might be hurt for it, but if it had lasted he would have done his best to be supportive of her, even if on the back of his mind he would have likely always wondered what might have happened if he had tried to be with Azula for real.

And now, in the scenario of “if they break up after their relationship begun”, which is honestly something I scarcely want to even ponder… I’m not sure, frankly, that Azula’s reaction to losing a relationship as valuable and extraordinary as the one she’s had with Sokka in either of these stories would be “I gotta get it on with someone else to get over him”. I know that’s the popular trend in general in fanfiction these days, especially popular with multishippers who like to sprinkle their other interests in fics that are meant to be about one specific couple… but it’s not the road I generally take with stories. It’s not the one I took in my original story when I did break up the main couple (to clarify, there was a love triangle there, and the guy who had been pining after the girl makes a move after she breaks up with the one she loved. She rejects him right away because she’s in no place to have relationships as she is), and I really don’t think I’d want to take it with Sokka and Azula either.

Again, that being said, I don’t think Sokka would hold it against Azula if she ever decided to move on and try her luck in love with new people. If things between them don’t work out, the above quote applies again: he would want her to be happy. If he couldn’t be the one to make her happy, even if he wanted to be, then he’ll be content if she finds that happiness with someone else, in whatever form it might be.

Oof, so that was a lot of explanations, huh? :’D aaanyways, I do want to clarify, I understand the discomfort caused by stories and situations where men are “experienced” and women are meant to be pure and virginal and innocent, because yeah, it’s not fair. It’s stupid that men are heroes for having sex with anyone who’ll have them but women are disgusting if they engage in the same behavior. I agree 100% on that account. Nevertheless, I tend to write both Azula and Sokka as characters who are seeking a deeper emotional connection than just a quick release. If Sokka had no canon relationships, he would have been every bit as much of a virgin in The Reason as Azula was. Now, in Gladiator I had the possibility of keeping him a virgin: I didn’t because on one hand, his situation as a gladiator in Hui Yi enabled me to portray how dark and dreadful things can be for slaves in the lowest levels of the Fire Nation… and on the other hand, what happened between him and June was meant to prove exactly why he can’t have random flings: it doesn’t work for him. It doesn’t cut it. It’s pointless because the one person he wants to be with is Azula. He ended up feeling WORSE after it, not better, despite he was doing it to get over her, exactly as you described it. Therefore, he never even tried again. He has no other flings or one-night-stands after June because it’s useless and he feels worse for it.

At any rate, if you’re bothered by the numerical imbalance of romantic or sexual partners Sokka and Azula have had in those two stories… then I suggest you check out my Modern AU story, It Had To Be You. While I kept Azula as a virgin anyways, because it fit her personal backstory in that AU, she is part of the “popular kids” in school, while Sokka is one of the “nerds”. Azula has had a few love interests in the past, she even recounts the story of her first kiss to Sokka, even if it went even worse than it did in canon… but she was popular, sociable and had a lot more experience in the fields of dating and romance than Sokka did. Sokka’s only kiss before the story begins is also recounted in the story: it was no kiss, it was Aang giving him CPR after he drowned at the beach :’) Therefore, while Azula was still a virgin, she’s the experienced one in terms of romance in that particular story, and Sokka instead is clueless while she teaches him the ropes, once things get started between them.

Another story of mine where I flipped things around (and this might even suit your interests better?) is The White Lotus International Games, where Sokka breaks up with Suki but doesn’t have any rebound romances. He’s Azula’s partner in the White Lotus, they’re both agents for the Order there. And while this is only referenced rather than shown outright, Azula has had many casual flings through their travels while Sokka remains completely chaste and hasn’t had any relationships at all after Suki, especially because he starts developing feelings for his partner that he doesn’t act on (it’s literally Azula who makes the first move). He doesn’t judge her in the least for her flings, she even teases him sometimes and tells him he should have had one-night stands of his own at one point:

“You should have done what I did, though. You didn’t have to stay dry for so long.”

“I didn’t really feel like doing anything else,” said Sokka, shrugging. “And while there might be something fun to having one-night-stands, they’re really not my thing as they were yours, you know.”

“Your loss,” said Azula, smirking.

So, there we go :’) in this particular story, Azula has definitely slept with more people than Sokka xD and Sokka doesn’t hold it against her AT ALL, it doesn’t even occur to him to do so. So, if that’s what you were hoping for in terms of balancing their personal dating histories better, then I suggest you check it out.

Now, as for your last question… did Ozai look for other lovers after Ursa was gone? I’ve answered it before, and Gladiator’s official stance on the matter is an absolute, resolute, undoubtable NOPE. Ozai has very few redeeming qualities as things stand, making him pine for his wife hopelessly for the rest of his life seemed just right to me. Turning him into a womanizer, giving him a harem…? Some people like doing that: I, personally, don’t see the appeal. Ozai is a thousand times more interesting a character with a handful of weaknesses, and his doomed romance with his wife certainly gives the character an interesting dimension that warrants being explored (and I shall certainly explore it further in the story’s future).

Now, as a final addendum, I’d like to say… that original story I mentioned up there? The one with the love triangle? It actually turned into a bit of a love square. Another girl fell in love with the guy who gets rejected, but he’s still hung up on the girl he likes even if it’s unrequited and always will be. He doesn’t move on for AGES and dates absolutely no one for years. Meanwhile, the girl who likes him assumes he’ll never really see her that way, for obvious reasons… and she has about a thousand flings and short-lived relationships while trying to move on from her crush on the guy, who has become her best friend at that point. She often tells him about her experiences and the problems in her dating life, and he always listens, even admires her for it, never judges her for what she does and is 100% supportive of her living her life however she pleases. They’re well into their twenties when they start a relationship of their own: by that point, this guy has only kissed one girl in his entire life and got rejected. Meanwhile, the girl has had tons of relationships. Total different proportions from the stereotypical way relationships are often presented in media, I’d hope… and yet the guy is not turned off by it in the least. He doesn’t find it disgusting, doesn’t think she’s amoral, doesn’t think she’s any lesser for having lived her life in a completely different way than he did.

And while this has nothing to do with how I write stories set in the Avatarverse, it does have something to do with how I write relationships. Like I said above, I hate the tendency of showing men as experienced and women as sluts. I’m tired of it just as much as you are, which results in certain “trope inversions”, you could say, as the one I pulled in what I just explained of my original story. I don’t usually pull it with Sokka and Azula for the reasons I mentioned at the very start of the post (nevertheless, It Had To Be You and The White Lotus International Games INTENTIONALLY switch things around for balance and variety), but it doesn’t mean that I’m on the bandwagon vouching for female purity and male experience. Absolutely not. Part of Gladiator’s eventual purpose is to have Azula stand up against all those expectations and prove her worth goes far and beyond the ridiculous trappings society imposed on her just for being a woman, even if she’s had to abide by those trappings for a very long time (and even then she has defied them subtly, despite it’s not easy and it’s very dangerous, even for someone as powerful as she is).

Aaaand that was really long. I think I’ll shut up now unless you have any follow-up questions :’D Have a nice day too!

[tarotdeckshuffle]

As someone who is high-functioning autistic, how do you think the chocobros, Ravus, Ardyn, Luna, Nyz, and Arenea would handle raising a nonverbal autistic child? I'm going to be writing some fanfics myself, so if you want links, let me know!

I’m not really familiar with nonverbal autism, but I’m always open to learning more about it! I have limited experience with higher functioning autism, but that’s about it.

For this prompt, I tried to do some research as to what nonverbal autism is like and what a child’s needs are, but found it surprisingly difficult! Autism Speaks has published a lot of material on it but they’re…a lot of nasty things. I’d love to hear more testimonials from people who have nonverbal autism so that I can better understand it from their/your point of view. 

On that note, here are some short bits for your request! Please, please, please, know that if I have misspoke or mischaracterized someone, I have done so out of ignorance and not out of malice! Please educate me!

I’d like to believe that each character would be a good parent to a nonverbal child, because they’re all awesome people in general. I think they’d all let the child stim as they needed to without judgement and that they’d be attentive to the details of their environment. 

Finally, I’d love to be tagged in your works! ❤

Taglist: @idiotflowerex, @laststory1013, @sayaoqueen, @jophinabean, @mysme-already

If you like what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon or buying me a Ko-fi!

Noctis

Noct can be a pretty low-key guy,

So I think he’d be a good father to a nonverbal child.

He makes sure his presence isn’t too overwhelming.

And tries to avoid over stimulating situations with them.

He would adjust his sleep schedule to theirs,

I mean, a normal sleep schedule is weird to him anyways.

Would only hire the best attendants around the Citadel

To help around his child and to make them feel safe.  

Has rooms just for the child, that they can “decorate” however they want.

No one is allowed to clean it or even enter it without an invitation. 

Stimming is seen as normal.

If lesser royals are around when the child begins, Noctis will glare at them,

Daring them to say something. 

As soon as he can, he’ll move the child to a better environment. 

Works to teach those around him of the child’s needs,

So that all can understand.

Likely creates better understanding of autism throughout Insomnia.

Really, just a soft, loving father, regardless of who his child is.

Prompto

Would be the kid’s best friend and defender. 

Always by their side,

Trying his best to help them feel safe.

Would do his best to describe autism to everyone,

In a simple but delicate way.

Would be amazing if the child is into animals.

Would be his child’s best friend and biggest supporter.

Ignis

Would help them find what they’re good at. 

Would totally learn sign language if that helps. 

Otherwise, really good at learning their ques. 

Always watching over them.

Things are quiet at home.

Helps find ways to calm the child in public.

From items to songs to stimming.

Even codes between them that the child needs to leave, NOW.

He’d be the perfect teacher/translator for them.

Gladio

Gets them active.

Helps find activities that they like. 

They like to go and find quiet places that don’t overstimulate,

Like the woods or a hike in the desert. 

Will take time with them so that they can examine everything. 

From the pine needles to the lizards.

Is amazed what the details they pick up on. 

Would help them explore the world in their own way, at their own pace.

Ravus

I think he’d understand the needs of a nonverbal child,

Because he has similar needs, but on a toned down level.

Fenestala Manor has always been eerily quiet since Sylva’s death, 

But now it’s quiet for his child. 

There’d be rugs everywhere when he figured out that the sound of footsteps on the marble floors was scaring the child. 

To an outsider, Ravus’s relationship with his child might appear cold:

They rarely touch, don’t speak, and like to sit in the same room but away from each other.

But it’s actually quite loving.

Ravus gives the child their space and waits for them to come to him. 

They like to spend time in the same room, likely Ravus’s office (that he’s made perfect for the child).

The child in a pillow nest doing whatever it is they like,

With Ravus at his desk reading up on the latest research. 

The High Commander doesn’t push his child for love or to be normal. 

He provides a quiet and calm home for them. 

Luna

I imagine Luna being a fantastic mother to any sort of child. 

She’d keep Fenestala much like Ravus would, but her presence is much kinder.

She speaks with a warm but hushed voice to her child. 

Learning their ways so that she knows what they need.

Pictures? She always has flashcards. Sign language? She knows it in four different languages. 

Her silk dresses move almost silently and give a level of comfort to her child. 

They’re soft and not over stimulating. 

So she makes them stuffed animals out of the same silk,

Or just pieces of cloth to carry with them. 

Her child is gifted in ways other people may never see,

And they are a gift from the gods. 

Ardyn

I feel like his wandering days would be over.

We’d see more of the “old” Ardyn: the healer. 

He’d still get away and travel a lot,

But he’d find a quiet home for the child

And a caregiver that the child likes. 

When he’s around, things are warm and quiet.

Gentle even. 

He can’t wear his hat around them because that’s not dad. 

Would protect his sweet gift with his life.

Nyx

In his current state, he wouldn’t make a good father to a nonverbal child. 

He’d likely move out of the city and just work as a trainer for the Glaives. 

But everything he does is as quiet as an assassin.

So that’s good for his child. 

Would likely need the most help with a special needs child. 

But he’d seek it out openly. 

Does all of the research,

And isn’t afraid to say when something “Doesn’t seem right” in said research.

His child isn’t normal, so the goal shouldn’t be to MAKE them normal,

It should be learning how to work with them and help them adjust to society.

Knows that you can’t force someone into a strict mold,

But you can help them achieve a generalized shape.

Finds ways to work with his child,

To help them communicate with the world.

To help them find people they’re comfortable with,

And a way to live that they can handle. 

Nyx would be the most open to help and finding ways for his child to interact with the world. 

Aranea

Would be her child’s biggest supporter.

If the kid gets weird looks while stimming,

She’d glare at them like they’re on her murder list. 

Which they now are.

Would give the child as much space as she could:

For them to learn what their needs are, who they like, and what they don’t like.

But she’s watching over them the whole time.

Would be the most likely to tell someone off when they insult her child or her parenting skills.

I can just imagine her child being fascinated with the mechanics of airships and becoming a master mechanic, but HATING being on them due to the noise. 

She’d totally support them. 

Can best be described as a mama lion to her child.

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “The Golden Armory of Cornelius Coot!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Storyboard by: Stephanie Gonzaga, Vaughn Tada, Brandon Warren

Directed by: Matthew Humphreys

This episode certainly isn't cor...no, that joke would be too cor...no, not doing that one either.

The episode begins in Fort Duckberg, where Miss Quackfaster talks about the about the founder of Duckberg. Protecting Fort Duckberg from the Beagle militia, he was like a ghost. He was everywhere at once; musket fire could be heard from every direction. This alone scared off the Beagles. This was all commemorated with his statue, where he is holding a musket and a saber, standing on top of his enemies. A very different interpretation of the statue I remember, and that's all I will say.

In the present time, the Fort will host a celebration, where Della Duck, who is outright said to be Coot's descendant, is going to skywrite the letter "C". According to Huey, Scrooge charges by the letter. This is not the only way Scrooge shows his penny-pinching ways; Miss Quackfaster is the only person he hired, as she also has to be the innkeeper for the snack bar while wearing a fake moustache. That snack bar, keeping with this being essentially a Renaissance Fair, consists solely of "traditional victuals" from the era: saltwater jerky and raw buttermilk. They get a lot of mileage from the latter.

We get some of the other "kids being bored at the Renaissance Fair" tropes, such as Dewey trying to find fun in churning butter, and Louie outright calling this the worst thing ever. Even Huey complains about it, but, since he's the smart guy, he's only disappointed in the lack of authenticity with the hats. Webby gives an idea to find entertainment in this place: by solving a mystery even their legendary mother couldn't solve. That mystery? The titular Golden Armory of Cornelius Coot. She knows this because she has her journal. They don't ask how she got it, but I'm sure stealing Della's journal is normal for her.

Overhearing all of this are the Beagle Boys, attempting to get their vengeance for their scared-off ancestors. All of the Beagle Boys and their Ma want to reclaim that treasure that should be in their hands. With that treasure, they can reclaim the fort and call it Fort Beagleburg! While Burger and Bouncer are here, there is one guy that's missing.

What happened to Big Time Beagle? Big Time Beagle ran all the way from the junkyard to find out, and Ma Beagle tells him the Beagle Boys need to go in a different direction. Big Time doesn't get it; even after being told that he's no longer a member, he assumes she meant he's more of a leader than a member.

Speaking of people not known for figuring things out, we got a B plot with Launchpad. This B plot continues yet another thread in the Della storyline, one that hasn't really been touched upon since "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!". In that episode, Della finds out that Launchpad replaced her in her absence, and she's none too happy to find her once her's Cloudslayer in the hands of a doofus, not that one, that constantly crashes planes. In this episode, she gets to see the plane she was supposed to fly over Fort Duckberg in shambles, and Launchpad promises to fix it in no time. One scene later:

Launchpad: (looking at the fixed plane) I did it!

(lowers photo of the fixed plane)

Launchpad: See, I found a photo of what the plane is supposed to look like, so we can piece it together.

I liked that gag from the Simpsons. To be fair, the Simpsons did everything. Even real life occasionally copies it, but that's a story for another time.

As expected, Della is not a big fan of Launchpad's way of flying. One of the major stick-ups, a stick-up that ends up being pretty literal, is that instead of using any regular way to fix various items, Launchpad, the wacky pilot just uses chewed up gum. Della, the recently-went-down-to-Earth pilot, comes in and fixes it the proper way. Della even questions if he even knows anything about planes at all, and Launchpad comforts her with:

Launchpad: When it comes to planes, everyone knows their own way.

Della: (looks at the "engine") Is that a hamster wheel?

Yes, it rotates the spinny-thingy! Launchpad's term, of course.

Back at Fort Duckberg, Huey distracts any other employees that aren't occupied with dealing with the Beagle Boys with a "historians at work" sign, which don't seem to exist. This is so the kids can try to figure out the riddle of finding the treasure "beneath the legend."

They find out that the sign on the statue hides a hidden passageway, going beneath the legendary statue. Big Time sees this as he's waiting for his buttermilk to pour out, see, they do get a lot of mileage out of that, and decides to go after them himself without telling his Ma. If Ma Beagle doesn't want him to be a Beagle Boy, he's got to make a name for himself.

In what Louie deems "their tomb" at the beginning of the scene, the kids start looking through the underground cavern, aided by Webby's smartphone light. Louie feels a shovel on the wall, which Webby thinks is meant to be an arrow, leading to a wall made up of peet moss.

At least, she claims it must be peet moss, but after falling through it, Huey decides to lick it and note that it tastes nothing like it. Both this episode and "The Depths of Cousin Fethry!" have one of the same writers and director; I guess having Huey lick gross things for science is their thing. What could it be? Let’s let Dewey’s eyes give us a hint...

GYAAH! SPIDERS!

...that becomes as much of a gag as the buttermilk.

Distracting us from those spiders and any question of how healthy drinking raw buttermilk could be, we go back to Della deciding that Launchpad shouldn't be anywhere near her plane. Let's just say it is not just because the paint is still drying; she outright tells him he's a bad pilot.

Initially sad about this revelation he was apparently never told, he realizes there's only one thing he can do. No, not retire and let Della do all the flying from now on, as much as Della seems to want that, but become Della's co-pilot so he can learn from the best!

Della: How do I say "yes" without agreeing to this?

Della couldn't figure that one out, as the recently repaired Sun/Cloud Chaser/Slayer goes airborne once again, with Della as the pilot and Launchpad as the guy who is told to look to the sky to see if the plane is still flying.

Going back to the underground cavern of the legendary Coot, okay, maybe that may need to be reworded, Webby continues her journey. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are starting to see this as less of a "fun adventure" and more of a "dangerous obsession that will kill them all". After finding another thing that is totally an arrow and not just another shovel, she bumps into a pair of mine carts. She specifically calls to Dewey's sense of wanting to endanger himself to get him to jump in.

This doesn't get the other two to jump in, but another person shows up: Big Time Beagle, running away from the spiders and landing himself right into the other mine cart. Webby uses this opportunity to say that this must be the Beagle Boys chasing after their treasure, and this convinces the other two to go down this epic rail chase!

A not very well designed one, as they both get stuck between two inclines. It turns out that the mine cart wasn't anywhere near as exciting as Dewey hoped it would be. This does lead to a rather entertaining scene where both the siblings and Big Time push their carts up the hill. It's not even necessary; even if they use those carts to carry back all of that treasure, they're just going to be stuck with it for the rest of the journey! But, in their logic, they both need a good mine cart chase in this adventure.

The Launchpad and Della plot pretty much go in the way one might expect. Launchpad does something foolish, Della yells at him for it. For example, while Della is teaching him about the different meters on the plane, Launchpad talks about the Point-O-Meter and talks about his high score on it. Guess the joke.

Eventually, she just yells at him to just sit in the corner, because nothing he does could be right. As much as Della may seem to have a point, I can't help but feel sorry for Launchpad here. I just knew he would eventually be vindicated.

Huey finds the blueprints, and this whole room is just a room meant for storing corn. In other words, in Webby's quest that in no way is a way for her to measure up to the original lady adventurer of Clan McDuck. She certainly doesn't make that obvious with lines like this:

Webby: We'll be as incredible as she is...er, Coot was!

While Webby has been mostly proven wrong throughout this adventure, even with minor things like assuming Big Time got stuck in a spider-infested tunnel as the camera pans to a blocked off section, there is one thing she was right about: there is something more to this. How did Cornelius Coot save Fort McDuck if he was just an ordinary farmer?

She doesn't get the time to ponder on that, as the rest of the Beagle Boys and Ma Beagle show up. Apparently, they followed Big Time's trail, even though they were explicitly never told about this. I would argue that since there wasn't much else to do in Fort McDuck other than eat some saltwater jerky, I could see them getting distracted by that hole in the statue.

Back on the plane, it's time for that aforementioned vindication. Well, kind of, it does feel a bit forced. As she turns on the smoke for skywriting that one letter, the plane starts to fill with smoke. Launchpad tells Della that gum was better to block the vents instead of actual vents, but what does he know?

Eventually, the plots are going to converge, or in this case, crash into each other...

...because crashing is what Launchpad does best! Della, after marveling at how this crash almost got them killed, and somehow did not, sees the Beagle Boys and begins to fight them. In the boy's eyes, she becomes the hero by accident in more ways than one!

While Webby and Della escape, the Beagle Boys get a surprise of their own: the entirely unrelated Beagle shows up now with a new Ma. One that has many more legs than usual!

Big Time Beagle became Bug Time Beagle, complete with his own Spider Ma. With the power of that spider's spinneret, he traps his former family and his former family's enemies in the spider webs.

That's mostly it; Big Time, er, Bug Time's spider-beagle shtick doesn't really go anywhere. At most, it's just the payoff to the spider gag. While DuckTales 2017 is not afraid to lose the status quo, this is not one of those times, as he gets his job back right at the end of the episode.

After bonding with Dewey and Huey, Della gets to bond with someone who isn't even related to her in this episode. Webby places a candle that lit the way after her phone ran out of batteries on a table, and talks to. She tries to comfort her by saying that she got further than anyone else. That candle ends up revealing something, as it lights a nearby string.

While I won't spoil it, I will say that the revelation that comes after this scene is pretty neat to see. It's also a reference to the original comics, as DuckTales 2017 loves to do. Since Coot is shown to be a distant relative to Della, and therefore a distant relative to Scrooge McDuck, it shows that the McDuck's way of defeating their enemies with wit runs in the blood.

In the end, legends are rewritten, the fort gets more people to visit it, and while she never got to make that "C", Della just seems to just begrudgingly accept Launchpad's incredible luck of not dying due to his silliness. Yeah, that B plot just kind of ends with that.

As for the Beagle Boys, as said before, Big Time gets his job back. Considering the alternative, Ma Beagle had no other choice.

How does it stack up?

Despite some plots that I felt went nowhere, I did enjoy this episode enough to not give it a Neutral. The B plot was certainly what I expected out of a Della and Launchpad team-up, though I do wish it had a better ending. All in all, a good episode.

Next, the beginning of a sort of tetralogy, all leading up to the Moonvasion!

← A Nightmare On Killmotor Hill! 🦆 TimePhoon! →

[chelbequeen]

I don't know if I want children. I go back and forth about it because my mental health. I'm so scared of so many things. And I know I'm probably overthinking and there's really no reason for be to be thinking about it at all because not only am not ready in every personal fashion I'm not even in a relationship. But whatever. Most women probably plan a dream wedding. And if I'm honest I used to want a nice wedding but I also didn't wanna spend a bunch of money on people I don't like to celebrate me and mine. Rather put that money towards a home and baecations. That's if someone who I would want to marry proposes. I've gotten marriage proposals before. A few were serious, one person showed me the smallest diamond i ever seen in life, one even sent me a dress and I think he thought we were actually engaged. But clearly none of that was for me because a bitch is still here. And I'd want a chocolate diamond as my rock. For reasons.

Anywho eventually I would get pregnant and have babies maybe....but the idea of pregnancy and birthing scares the shit out of me. And then you have to raise and teach and feed and buy clothes. From what I've seen from the women in my family pregnancy turns them into big babies and in my opinion enhances their genuine nature like fuck logic it's all feelings. And that was good for everyone except my mother I think. She was a mean pregnant woman. My sister cried a lot and couldn't explain why she was crying. She was very emotional and loving and brave for both her pregnancies. Idk who she is now. My aunt was literally the sweetest thing in the world. So gentle and warm and loving for both her pregnancies. She's still that but less open more strict and full of gossip. My cousin laughed at everything literally peed on herself everywhere because she would laugh at the smallest thing and her saliva made her have to pee. I don't really know my cousins' babies mothers. I think there's at least 4 of them I watched get pregnant and give birth and they were all drama queens in different ways. 1 because she always wanted Haitian food but wasn't Haitian and couldn't cook. 1 because she just waited attention (the most annoying) 1 because she always wanted frenchfries and cried if she didn't get them. And the last one was quiet as fuck but when she spoke the bitch was always hungry but she sweet. She shy as fuck. Like you bouta let your baby starve cause you scared to ask for some crackers?

I can't imagine what I would be like pregnant. I picture myself going full blown crazy and crying and screaming but laughing and yelling and then falling asleep after exhausting myself with my emotions. Also I just know the cravings are going to be ridiculous. And you know food usually calms me down. It's really hard for me to be upset while I'm eating. I think food would keep me stable until I gained so much weight that I couldn't recognize myself. A whole other set of problems. I didn't even get to the birth yet or the after birth 😕

Maybe I should consider surrogacy or just opt out all together. I would really consider having a baby alone if I was rich and could hire a doula 24/7. Or maybe I should stick to plants and animals. I still want a monkey.

I just something to spoil when I want.