#celebrating their life in real time

[atths--twice]

Faith and Hedy

Faith has been chosen as star of the week at preschool. You know Mulder is just as excited as she is with this news. ❤️ Number 54 in the family series.

March 16, 2023 9:30 p.m.

“Scully,” Mulder said, as he walked into the office and sat down on the overstuffed gray chair. “We need to talk about something.”

“What is it?” she asked, turning from the laptop to face him. “Is everything okay?”

“I just got an email from the school,” he said and she frowned looking over her shoulder at the laptop.

“I didn’t see an email,” she said. “But I haven’t checked it in a few minutes. Is everything alright?” She looked back at him, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

“Well…” He sighed and she drew in deep breath.

“Oh… it’s not something awful is it? Please don’t say it’s a virus. They already had the foot and mouth warning and I can’t take-”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Mulder…”

“Faith is going to be the star of the week,” he said with a grin. “They wanted us to know because it involves bringing home the class stuffed animal and taking pictures with it while she has it and then putting them into the class book, that will also come home with her, telling about what we did while it was with us.”

Scully stared at him and then turned back to her laptop with a shake of her head.

“What-”

“Mulder,” she said as she opened her email and clicked on the message from the school, reading it with a sigh. “You need to work on your delivery of good news as opposed to what could be a detrimental situation for all of us.”

“I thought you’d be happy. Faith has been wanting this for weeks now. She talks about it all the time.”

“I am happy,” she said, turning toward him again. “But you scared the shit out of me. I thought something awful was happening. Good news needs to be shared in a different way.” She raised her eyebrows and he smiled.

“Yeah. I suppose I probably could have had a better approach.”

“Probably?” she scoffed and he laughed, rising from the chair, coming closer to kiss her. But she pulled back, narrowing her eyes at him, then turned her head so he could kiss her cheek instead. “Oh, it’s like that is it?”

“It is for right now as I’m still imagining all the horrible things that could have been wrong.”

“Be more positive, Scully. See the light and not the darkness,” he teased and when she turned her head, a sarcastic comment most likely at the ready, he kissed her quickly on the lips and then jumped back before she could do anything.

“You dick,” she laughed, shaking her head. He winked and walked out of the room, laughing as a small couch pillow flew out behind him.

__________

“Daddy! Daddy!” Faith yelled as he walked into the classroom to pick her up the next afternoon. She ran to him, her smile huge. “Daddy! I get to be the star! I’m the star and I get to bring Hedy home with me.”

“Hedy?”

“Hedy the hedgehog! That’s her name, remember? I get to bring her home and have her for a whole week. That’s seven days, Daddy,” she said, as he picked her up and smiled, the shamrocks on her green headband bouncing.

“That’s right. So you’re the star of the week?”

“Yeah!” She threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly as he closed his eyes and hugged her back.

“That’s fantastic news, my love. I know you’ve been wanting this for a long time.”

“Mr. Mulder?”

Mulder opened his eyes and smiled at Faith’s teacher Miss Cole. She smiled back as she held the hedgehog, a large book, and a manilla folder.

“As you heard, Faith has been selected as our star of the week.”

“Yes, I did. We’re very excited.”

“Very, very excited,” Faith said, smiling and nodding at Miss Cole.

“Good, I’m very glad,” she said with a small chuckle. “This is Hedy’s book where you may add pictures, stories, stickers, drawings- whatever you’d like to do. Within reason, of course.” She gave Mulder a look and he nodded with an understanding smile. “Please only use four pages maximum, so we will have space for all of our other friends.”

“We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time. Those pages will be filled in no time,” Mulder assured her.

“Wonderful. I’m excited to see what you will do with Hedy,” Miss Cole said, handing the hedgehog to Faith, who grinned as she took it, squeezing it happily.

“Honey, can you go get your backpack and stuff from your cubby while I take this stuff from Miss Cole?” Mulder asked Faith and she nodded. He set her down and she ran off to get her things.

“I want you to know,” Miss Cole said. “Every time Hedy is returned to us, she is washed, dried, and then placed on the shelf where we can see her, but not touch her. I fully understand if you also want to wash her, but I just wanted you to be aware that we do wash her when she is returned.”

“Thank you,” Mulder said with a nod. “That’s good to know and I’m sure she will also be receiving a wash once we’re home.”

“Completely understandable,” Miss Cole said as she smiled, looking down at the stuff she still held. “Here is everything else that you’ll need and instructions on what Faith gets to do when she comes back to school next week. I know we sent you an email, but it’s good to have a physical copy as well.”

“Thank you,” Mulder said, taking everything from her as he saw Faith talking to Sadie and showing her the hedgehog in her arms. “She’s really been excited for her turn with Hedy.”

“She’s a sweet little girl,” Miss Cole said, looking at Faith with a smile. “Always so kind and curious. I’m glad she’s so excited.”

Mulder smiled proudly at the praise bestowed upon Faith, nodding his head in agreement.

“Daddy!” Faith said, running back to him as she called goodbye to Sadie. “Can we take Hedy to the park? I think she will like the swings.”

“Sure we can. You ready?”

“Yes! Bye, Miss Cole. We’re going to take Hedy to the park.”

“Have fun with her, Faith. I can’t wait to see the pictures you will add to the book.” Miss Cole gave her a side hug and booped Hedy on the nose. “See you soon, Hedy.”

“Bye, Miss Cole,” Faith said, waving Hedy’s small foot, smiling at Miss Cole.

“Bye, Faith. Goodbye, Mr. Mulder.” She nodded at them and walked back to the other children.

“Alright! You ready to go try out some swings at the park, Hedy?” Mulder asked, shifting the things in his hands to take Faith’s backpack from her.

“Yeah!” Faith shouted, dancing the hedgehog happily in the air.

______________

“These are so cute,” Scully said, as they sat on the couch later that evening. She was looking through Mulder’s camera roll after Faith had gone to bed with Hedy, who had been washed and dried when they arrived at home. “She had a good first day. Mulder… you climbed up that small enclosed ladder? That was very ambitious of you considering that you nearly got stuck last time.”

“That was only because I had the backpack on,” he said, smiling as she looked at him. “I didn’t have it this time and well… I made it.”

“Barely, I’m sure,” she chuckled, scrolling to the next picture.

“Yeah, but look how great that picture turned out. She’s so beautiful, Scully. And kind and curious, Miss Cole said earlier today.”

“Did she? Oh, I love this one. The way she’s looking at you. God, she is so beautiful.”

“Like you,” he said, watching Scully look at Faith, running her fingers over the screen.

“Mmm,” she hummed, selecting pictures and sending them to her phone.

“Scully, I added them all to our shared account. You don’t need to do that,” he said.

“You always say that and then I find pictures in your phone that I’ve never seen before. And then when I am scrolling through them, you tell me that next time you will be sure to remember, but you don’t.”

“Whatever,” he said with a smile, knowing full well that she was right.

“I’d rather cover my bases than miss out.” She handed his phone back to him as she picked up her own and looked at the pictures that had arrived. “There. Now I have them.”

“Mmm,” he hummed, echoing her earlier response, smiling as he changed his phone's wallpaper to a picture of Faith, Hedy’s head poking out from the top of her jacket, as he pushed her on a swing.

“What other plans were you thinking of doing while we have Hedy with us?”

“Well… I’m glad you asked,” Mulder said, opening his notes app on his phone and showing her what he had jotted down.

“Oh… you’ve already made a list. It’s serious,” she said, scooting down a little and snuggling into him as he began to read her his list of ideas.

______________

Saturday, they went to the library for story hour, as well as for the planned arts and crafts activity. When everyone was seated in the reading room, Miss Lauren, the librarian, welcomed them and asked how they all were doing, Faith raised her hand.

“Yes?” Miss Lauren asked with a smile.

Faith stood up from her spot on the floor and walked up beside her. She turned to the other children and held Hedy out in front of her.

“Mulder,” Scully whispered as she grabbed his arm, her eyes huge as she looked at him.

“This is Hedy. I got her from my school. She’s a hedgehog and she’s excited to hear the stories.”

“Oh my God,” Mulder breathed, taking out his phone and quickly snapping some pictures.

“Well, that’s fantastic,” Miss Lauren said. “I’m so glad Hedy is here with us today. I’m sure she will really enjoy the stories that have been selected.”

“She will. She likes to hear all kinds of stories.”

“Good,” Miss Lauren said with a smile. “Thank you for sharing her with us, Miss…?”

“Faith.”

“Faith. That’s such a beautiful name,” Miss Lauren said, touching Faith’s back. “Thank you for sharing Hedy with us. Now if you take your seat, we can start reading the stories.”

“Okay,” Faith said, grinning at her and then sitting back down, Hedy held in her lap.

Miss Lauren smiled and looked over at them, shaking her head when Scully mouthed I’m sorry to her. Reaching for the first book, Miss Lauren began to read and Mulder showed Scully the pictures he had taken.

“God, but she’s adorable,” she whispered and he laughed silently, putting his phone away and watching Faith as she listened to the story.

_______________

Sunday afternoon, they went to Skinner and Rachel’s to celebrate Rachel’s birthday, which was coming up on Wednesday. Faith excitedly showed Hedy to everyone, telling them about being star of the week and getting to take care of Hedy.

“Have you been having fun with her?” Rachel asked as she held Hedy and exclaimed over how special it was for Faith to have her.

“Yes. We went to the library yesterday and she had pancakes with me this morning. She liked the syrup best. She said that it’s sticky like honey. Hedgehogs like honey, Raycho.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that, thank you for telling me, Faith,” Rachel said, handing Hedy back and winking at Mulder and Scully.

The twins each got to hold Hedy, Faith telling them about her, showing them her eyes and little feet. When Jacob put one of the feet in his mouth, Faith gasped and took it from him gently.

“No, Jacob. She doesn’t like that. Don’t put her in your mouth,” Faith said, wiping off Hedy’s foot.

“Maybe we put her up where the twins can’t get to her?” Scully suggested, squatting down to be at Faith’s level, and Faith frowned as she contemplated it.

“No. I will hold her and they can touch her, but not put her in their mouths. I want to share her, but not all the time.”

Scully stared at Mulder as she stood up, shaking her head in disbelief. He laughed quietly as he turned his attention to Faith, who was indeed allowing the twins to touch Hedy, but not hold her.

“The things she says. The way she thinks… it amazes me,” Scully said softly.

“She’s truly becoming her own person,” he agreed, snapping pictures and shaking his head.

____________

Monday afternoon they walked over to Violet and Denis’s house to show Hedy the life-sized wooden giraffe, Jafadine, that stood in their yard.

Faith carried Hedy on her shoulders, singing a song she had learned at school, stopping every once in a while to show Hedy flowers or rocks that she found interesting, continuing with her song when she began walking again.

Scully slipped her hand into Mulder’s and squeezed gently, Bella’s leash held in her other hand.

“Remember when walks used to take so long? Her short steps and love for the same things that still give her pause, halting us as we walked?” Scully asked, letting out a deep sigh.

“I do,” he agreed, squeezing her hand and glancing at her with a small smile. “Those days and the days of necessary seclusion seem so far away and yet also like it was yesterday.”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“But you know,” he said, letting go of her hand and putting his arm around her shoulders. “It’s like that video from ticky tock that Rachel showed you yesterday-”

“Do you mean TikTok?” she asked with a chuckle.

“Whatever it’s called,” he replied, pulling her closer. “That video she showed you, the one that made both of you cry, about how the baby you loved is replaced with a toddler you love just as much and then that toddler is replaced with a child and so on until all versions of the child leave all at once.” He stopped walking as the realization of the words hit him differently than they had when he had overheard them yesterday. “Oh… now I know why you were crying.”

“Yeah, thanks for the reminder. That was super great of you,” she said, wiping at her eyes.

“Ohhhhhh, Hedy, I love you. You’re the beeeeeest hedgehog in the whole entire universe,” Faith sang, spinning around with Hedy still on her shoulders.

They watched her dance around the dirt road in purple shoes, rainbow leggings under the sparkly green tutu she had worn on Saint Patrick’s Day, a pink fuzzy hoodie, her hair in two long ponytails, and they each sighed simultaneously.

“That day is far off, Mulder. So very far off. Let’s not taint today with those thoughts.”

“You said taint,” he whispered and she started to laugh, which broke through the sadness and brought them back. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, Bella whining beside them.

“Mommy. Daddy. Come on, Hedy wants to see Jafadine. She’s never seen a giraffe before,” Faith called to them.

“We’re coming, honey,” Mulder said, kissing Scully’s forehead as they stepped apart. “Don’t want to keep Miss Hedy waiting too much longer.”

Taking Scully’s hand again, they continued their walk, Faith holding Hedy high up when Jafadine came into view.

Pictures were taken with Jafadine and all the other wooden animals hidden throughout the yard, as well as with Violet and Denis themselves. They grinned happily as Hedy rested on Faith’s head while she stood between them, making a silly face.

They stayed for dinner, Faith needing to be carried home, tired from a long day of fun, Hedy safe and secure in the pocket of her hoodie.

______________

Tuesday they prepared the star of the week poster, writing down the answers that Faith gave them to the questions asked on the paper.

My name is: Faith Katherine Mulder I am: four years old My birthday is: on Halloween… ooooooo I have: blue eyes and dark brown hair My favorite color: pink and purple My favorite food: spaghetti and watermelon My favorite toy: the alien with the pink belly, the blue dragon, and the pretend kitchen My pets are: a cat named Grey, a dog named Bella, and lots of fish- but they don’t all have names. My family is: Mommy, Daddy, Unco, Raycho, Jacob and Elizabeth. I am happy: when I am with my family and my animals

“I think these answers give a wonderful description as to who you are, Faithy,” Mulder said, adding a family picture, all of them standing together in the snow at the Christmas tree farm, in the designated spot.

“What’s a describtion?” she asked, as she looked at the other pictures he had added: Faith dressed up in her alien costume on her second birthday, Bella and Grey sleeping together, Faith eating spaghetti, her face very messy, Faith helping the twins open their gifts on their first birthday, and Faith on her own, sitting on the porch swing staring out into the distance.

“Description,” he said, putting emphasis on the p and smiling at her. “It means telling someone about something. For instance, how would you describe Bella to me?”

Faith looked at Bella who was currently lying on the floor with Grey next to her, kneading softly into her side.

“Bella is a dog. She’s black and has… one, two, three, four legs and a long tail. She gives me kisses when she’s happy,” she said, looking at Mulder and smiling.

“That’s a great description,” he said with an answering smile.

“You have green eyes and brown hair, Daddy,” she said, leaning closer to him, searching his face as she touched his arm gently. “You’re tall and strong because you can carry me and Mommy. You’re nice and you love me.”

“Yes, Faithy,” he whispered, pulling her to him and closing his eyes as he held her close. “Yes, I do love you. Very much.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

When she pulled back, he glanced over at Scully who had her phone pointed at them. She smiled, her eyes shining, and nodded as his phone beeped beside him.

As Faith got down and walked over to Bella and Grey, he opened the message. Letting out a deep sigh, he looked at the pictures of him and Faith staring at each other intently and then hugging.

“Thank you,” he whispered, glancing up at Scully. She nodded as she slipped her phone into her pocket and he looked down at the pictures again, adding them to his camera roll.

____________

Wednesday, after picking Faith up from school, he took her to get something to eat.

“How was your day, my love?” he asked, taking a french fry from the basket, dipping it in ketchup, and taking a bite.

“It was good,” Faith said, adjusting Hedy on the table, making sure the straw to her small glass reached her mouth.

“That’s good,” Mulder said, smiling as he watched her. “The kids liked learning about you?”

“Yup. I got to be the line leader and to pick the after snack activity.”

“Wow, sounds like you had a great day. What activity did you pick?”

“Painting. I painted a sun and it’s wearing sunglasses,” she said with a giggle, looking at him and then taking a french fry for herself.

“Well, that makes sense since the sun is hot and very bright.”

“Yeah,” Faith said, looking at Hedy. “How many more days do I get to have her?”

“Two. You have to bring her back next time you go to school on Friday.”

“That’s not so many days,” she said with a sigh.

“No,” he said, trying not to smile. “But by the time you take her back, you will have had her for seven days, remember?”

“Yeah.”

“And we did a lot with her. We’ll have to start writing it all down and putting the pictures in the book tonight.”

“Will you take a picture of us now?” she asked, picking Hedy up and holding her as she pretended to feed her a french fry.

“Of course,” he answered, taking out his phone and snapping some pictures. She smiled when she saw them, showing them to Hedy as well.

When they left, Faith made sure to ask if Hedy could also have one of the balloons the restaurant offered, asking Mulder to tie it to her small paw. He obliged and on the outside bench, letting Faith borrow his sunglasses, he took pictures of them with their matching balloons, Faith laughing as she held the sunglasses to her face.

______________

“It’s our last night with Hedy. What would you like to do with her?” Scully asked, when they had come back from the afternoon spent with Rachel and the twins at an indoor play space.

Jacob and Elizabeth had stayed mostly in the area for smaller children, but Faith ran around all over, playing with everything that drew her eye. All the while, Hedy had gone with her in the little backpack Faith wore, her little head poking out through the zipper.

“I don’t know,” Faith said with a sigh. “I don’t want her to go. I like having her with me.”

“I know, honey,” Scully said, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. “But it’s time for someone else to have fun with her, just like it was time for you to have fun with her.”

“I know,” Faith said, burrowing into Scully’s arms, who looked up at Mulder with a smile.

“Oh… I got it,” he said, snapping his fingers. “I just thought of something that I don’t think Hedy has done with us yet, maybe even ever.”

“What?” Faith asked, her voice muffled.

“She hasn’t watched the stars come out while we lay on a blanket in the yard. Remember when we did that last summer?” he asked.

“It was warmer then,” Scully said, giving him a pointed look as she rubbed Faith’s back.

“It will be a little cold,” he agreed with a shrug. “But, we’ll dress warmly and bring some extra blankets with us to wait for the stars. We might even see a shooting star.”

“Do you think we will?” Faith said, sitting up to look at him, sniffling quietly.

“You never know with stars,” he said, raising his eyebrows as he smiled at her. “What do you say? You in?”

“Yeah,” she answered, grinning and nodding her head.

“Then let’s get busy gathering all the things we will need.”

Fifteen minutes later, he was putting down a large tarp that had been in the shed, heavy rocks holding it in place. Three thick yoga mats were rolled out, large sleeping bags were zipped together, and pillows and extra blankets were added to their makeshift bed.

Popcorn and bottles of water were brought out and once everyone was ready, the lights inside and out were turned off and they lay together in the sleeping bags, blankets on top of them, waiting to watch the stars come out.

Faith, lying between them, leaned her head against Mulder’s arm and set Hedy on his chest, lying on her back so she could look up at the sky. He smiled at Scully over Faith’s head and she smiled back.

“You know what to do if you see a shooting star, right Hedy?” Mulder asked and Faith shook Hedy’s body in a no motion. “Well, if you see one flying past, you close your eyes and you quickly make a wish.”

“Can it be for anything you want?” Faith asked and Mulder nodded.

“It sure can.”

“If I see one, I’ll wish Hedy could always stay with us,” she said softly and Scully hummed. “I know I have to take her back tomorrow, but I can still wish.”

“Sure you can, baby,” Scully said, turning to look at her, smiling at Mulder.

“Okay.”

They lay there for a while, Bella running around and coming over for occasional kisses and pets, watching the sky darken and the stars twinkling. Scully pointed out the constellations to Faith, telling her about the Greek mythology attached to them.

“I like the Pegasus one,” Faith said with a yawn, snuggling close to Scully. “But Hedy likes Cassiopeia.”

She yawned again, holding Hedy tightly in her arms, and Mulder smiled at her. Scully cuddled her, humming softly, as Faith yawned again.

He looked back up at the sky, at the constellations Scully had pointed out. He found Hercules, his own favorite, and kept staring when suddenly a star shot across the sky.

“Faithy! Did you-” he asked, turning his head to look at her, but he saw that she had fallen asleep and by the looks of it, Scully was not far off. “No, you didn’t see.”

He smiled and made a wish for all of them, for continued good health and happiness.

Taking out his phone, he moved carefully, getting one last picture of the time they spent with Hedy.

_____________

He carried the big book as they walked to the classroom, Faith’s pages full of pictures and stories of what they had done with Hedy. Faith had added stickers and written her name and Hedy’s under one of the pictures, smiling at it proudly.

“You ready?” he asked, taking Faith’s hand and giving it a squeeze. She sighed as she shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, I know, honey. Hey, hang on a second.” He stopped walking and squatted down in front of her. “Mommy and I were talking last night about how much you’re going to miss Hedy.”

“I will miss her,” Faith said, looking at Hedy with sad eyes.

“I know. So Mommy and I came up with an idea, but I’ll leave the decision to you.”

“What is it?”

“Well, we were thinking that maybe we could find a hedgehog stuffie that looks like Hedy. It might not be the exact same, but it would be a hedgehog. Would you like to have one?”

“It won’t be just like her?”

“I don’t know, honey. We could look and see what we could find.”

“Like the fairy doll?” she asked. “The one I lost and we couldn’t find her again?”

“But we found one like it? Yeah. What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” she said, looking at Hedy. “I like this one, but my turn is over now.”

“It is,” he said, watching her face as she stared at Hedy.

“I don’t know, Daddy.” She raised her blue eyes to him and he smiled, kissing her forehead.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now. How about you think about it while you’re at school today and let me know when I pick you up. Does that sound like a good plan?”

“Okay,” she said, smiling as she squeezed Hedy.

“Great,” he said, hugging her tightly for a second. Letting her go, he stood up and reached for her hand again.

They walked into the classroom and she hurried to put her stuff in her cubby as he walked over to Miss Cole to hand her the book.

“Thank you,” she said, taking it and smiling in Faith’s direction. “We’ll all look at it together during circle time and discuss the things Faith did with Hedy.”

“She really had fun with her. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled as the children began to surround her and Mulder took that at his cue to leave.

Finding Faith in the play area with Hedy, he tapped her shoulder and then squatted down when she turned to look at him.

“I’m gonna get going now, love. You have fun. Bye, Hedy. It was nice having you with us this past week.” He shook Hedy’s small foot and gave Faith a kiss. “Bye, hon.”

“Bye, Daddy. I’ll think about my decision to tell you later,” she said, her tone very serious. He fought back a smile as he nodded.

“Okay. Take your time, Faithy. Bye, love.”

“Bye bye,” she said, turning back to the play area and pouring Hedy a cup of tea.

He walked out of the classroom and back to the car, his thoughts on what Faith’s decision would be.

Sitting in the car, he looked through the Hedy photo album and smiled. It had been fun to have her and see how Faith played with and shared her with others.

Nodding, he opened an app and began to search for a stuffed hedgehog that was similar to Hedy.

In case Faith decided she wanted one, he would be ready with options for her to pick from, the thought of the happiness in her blue eyes all the motivation he needed.

[aceofheartsstuff]

That last scene in a nutshell (welcome back, Eddie Diaz!)

[kensatou]

you think YOU had a bad day at work?

bonus: sid shrieking "no!!!! NO!!!!!" loud enough to be heard in the stands and on camera

[batsplat]

random throwback to fabio's response to casey saying he should've been black flagged for the whole open leathers situation

[smileytriceratops]

leverage is such a ridiculous show sometimes but it can also be so whimsical. and this is what makes it so great

[meownotgood]

it felt amazing to finally see that green checkmark on ao3, to finally move the full fic to my finished folders on docs, to finally say with my whole chest that it's really completed...

I'm proud of myself and what I managed to make, I'd been working on this fic for over a year, and I felt a lot of doubts while writing. I didn't expect to write so much. I often thought I was saying too much, or the fic wasn't good enough. when I reread it, I realized it wasn't perfect, but it doesn't have to be. I wrote something that was so unabashedly me, and I'm so grateful for that feeling. I'm so happy that I can write what I enjoy, that I can be myself while doing what I have always loved the most. I learned and progressed, and I can feel only excitement for whatever I write next!!

thank you for your patience, and if you end up reading, thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart 💞

I took off work tomorrow to celebrate lol (actually because I'm still sick but we're calling it a celebration). I don't know what to say next so here's some cute pictures of aki. three cheers for fic completion 🎉🎉🎉

[scarefox]

As a reminder because so many people seem to not realize this or have forgotten this lately the way they treat and talk about idols, actors, singers etc.

What Is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. Online threats and mean, aggressive, or rude texts, tweets, posts, or messages all count. So does posting personal information, pictures, or videos designed to hurt or embarrass someone else.

Cyberbullying also includes photos, messages, or pages that don't get taken down, even after the person has been asked to do so. In other words, it's anything that gets posted online and is meant to hurt, harass, or upset someone else.

Intimidation or mean comments that focus on things like a person's gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, or physical differences count as discrimination, which is against the law in many states. That means the police could get involved, and bullies may face serious penalties.

Online bullying can be particularly damaging and upsetting because it's usually anonymous or hard to trace. It's also hard to control, and the person being victimized has no idea how many people (or hundreds of people) have seen the messages or posts. People can be tormented nonstop whenever they check their device or computer.

Online bullying and harassment can be easier to commit than other acts of bullying because the bully doesn't have to confront their target in person.

What Are the Consequences of Cyberbullying?

Sometimes, online bullying, like other kinds of bullying, can lead to serious long-lasting problems. The stress of being in a constant state of upset or fear can lead to problems with mood, energy level, sleep, and appetite. It also can make someone feel jumpy, anxious, or sad. If someone is already depressed or anxious, cyberbullying can make things much worse. Students who are cyberbullied can struggle to concentrate in school, which can affect how well they do there. 

[more on their page about how to prevent and help]

[justemz]

[soup-or-who-lock]

I do not trust this Sydney fella from OMITB. All that coughing, hiding his face from Oliver and Mabel (and us, the audience). Coughing like a man “too weak to kill”? Knew Charles for years and years?? That just screams murder to me

[robo-dino-puppy]

For something a little different than my usual virtual photography, here's my project for the Horizon Creation Celebration hosted by @horizon-events!

I'm really happy with how it turned out - and I'm excited to see everyone else's creations! More info below the cut ↓

I had this leather bag that I found at a thrift store, but it had somebody else's monogram on the front that I never liked. I always planned to do something about it - and I thought adding the medallion from Rost's armor would be the perfect project. The stitching of the medallion required the most work by far, but I also added a little Nora-inspired feather-and-bluegleam charm to the strap.

I didn't buy any supplies for this - everything was sourced from things I'd already collected (...hoarded?) in hopes of using them in a project someday.* The medallion uses reclaimed leather from an old purse, some blue cord I'd saved from... somewhere, and red cord of similar provenance. A stiff piece of plastic from packaging serves as interior support, and a strong magnet is currently holding it to the bag. I may attach it permanently, but I didn't want to yet in case I decided to use the medallion somewhere else!

All the feathers were found on the ground - there's an obvious jay feather (Steller's jay's in my neck of the woods), a white feather (most likely from a gull) that I colored with alcohol ink, and what I believe is a pelican feather - you can barely see it behind the purple one. The cords holding the feathers were all from my stash as well.

The "bluegleam" is a quartz point colored with glass paint. I'd had an idea for sculpting and casting the bluegleam cluster Aloy wears on her Frozen Wilds armors, but I wasn't able to get a finished product I was happy with. I'm not giving up on it, though - hopefully I can manage it someday!

*Which, honestly, is a miracle. I finally used stuff in a project! See, keeping interesting things is more than just adding to clutter!

[coockie8]

It's so weird and funny to me when antis will be like "coping with taboo fiction is fine, but don't you understand you can't post it because people might get off to this!?!?"

Like what a stranger masturbates to is any of my business at all.

[s0fter-sin]

is there any actual catharsis in the boys or is it all just suffering and scrambling for a crumb of relief

[squishosaur]

hey man. i'm just saying. why would we put inexperienced teenagers with over-inflated egos and obvious emotional issues into combat classes and make them claw their way to the top of their dorms and expect things to just run smoothly. who actually thought this

[paulodybaeeela]

Yet another example of how celebrities have ZERO critical thinking skills.

[fatehbaz]

.

[bunnyboy-juice]

spent the first hour and change at work deleting some old files and am having a grand ol time laughing at myself for not realizing i was a lesbian sooner