#children are allowed to be stupid. block and move on

[redroomreflections]

The Case of the Ex

Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Summary: Natasha and R meet one of R's exes in an unlikely place

The Loud House universe

General Masterlist

note: no angst. just more glimpses into their lives before the move to ohio

w/c: 3.2k

As you pulled into the parking lot of the doctor’s office, you only had one message for the children.

"Alright, everyone, listen up," Natasha began, her voice firm but gentle. "We need you all to behave while we're here. That means no running, no yelling, and no fighting."

You nodded in agreement. "This is important. We don't want to cause any trouble or disturb other families. So please, be on your best behavior."

Cara rolled her eyes. "This is so stupid," she muttered under her breath.

Natasha shot her a look. "Cara, we're serious. Just because you're older doesn't mean you can act out."

Cara huffed but didn't argue further.

As you got out of the car, Charlie and James immediately started fighting over who got to hold Natasha's hand.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. How about I hold your hands?" You quickly intervened, taking each of their hands in yours.

"It's not fair that James always gets what he wants because he's the only boy," Charlie frowned.

"That doesn't make sense, Luke is literally right there," Cara rolled her eyes. The baby boy in question, Luke, was peacefully sitting in his car seat as he waited patiently for Natasha to open his stroller.

"I'm talking about my age, not Luke's."

"It's fine," Natasha sighs. With everyone ready you walk into the office. It's fairly empty save for a few families so you have enough room to maneuver with yours. Natasha finds a row of seats in the back of the room, closer to the bathroom and the toys, and she parks Luke's stroller there.

The kids all sit on the floor and begin playing with the blocks while you go up to the receptionist to check you in.

"Hello, I'm checking in for the Romanoff family, we have several appointments today for 9 am," You sign yourself in.

"Okay, Mrs. Romanoff, just fill out these forms for me and I'll get you checked in," the receptionist smiles. "Also, as a heads up, your normal doctor Horton is out on sabattical for a few months. Your physician for the time being is Dr. Whitlock. She's really good. So you have nothing to worry about."

"Great, thank you," You smile before heading back to where the kids are playing. Natasha is still seated, scrolling through her phone while keeping an eye on the children.

"Did they tell you our doctor is out for a few months?" You inform her.

Natasha looks up from her phone. "Really? Why?"

"Just on sabbatical. But our doctor's replacement is apparently really good, so there's no need to worry." You skim through the paperwork you have to fill out. All updates and things for the children that the doctor's need to know.

"Alright, well that's good. As long as they're competent."

"They're a pediatrician, I think they have to be."

"You'd be surprised," Natasha mutters. "Maybe we can go for ice cream after."

"If they need to get shots today, make sure my ice cream is spiked," You joke.

Natasha cracks a smile at that. "Well, if they get their shots without crying or whining, we can consider it.”

"That sounds good," You agree.

"Mom, can you order me this?" Cara asks as she passes you her phone. She's on a shoe website and has pulled up a ridiculously expensive pair of shoes.

"Absolutely not," You shake your head.

"Oh come on," Cara groans. "I've been saving my allowance for it."

"You don't need $700 shoes," Natasha cuts in. "Especially ones that look like someone puked all over them."

Cara rolls her eyes and returns to her phone. “Not like Mom doesn’t have the same priced shoes in her closet.”

"James, don't you dare throw that block at Charlie," You call out. James looks sheepish as he lowers the block back onto the ground.

"Mama, I have to potty," Paige stands. She does a little dance, crossing her legs one over the other, before she points to the bathroom.

"Alright, let's go," You stand, holding out your hand.

"Mommy, can I go too?" Charlie stands, reaching for your hand.

"Yes, come on." You lead the two to the restroom and wait outside of the stalls. As you stand there, you can't help but let your mind wander to the last time you were here. The last time you brought the children here, Charlie had bit one of the staff and James had refused his shots. Not a fun time for you. It ended with a lot of begging on your part to be able to bring them back. Hopefully this time is different.

"Mommy, can you help wipe my butt?" Paige yells out.

You roll your eyes. The joys of motherhood. "Just a minute!" You call back. You step into the bathroom, seeing Charlie at the sink, checking herself out. "Charlie, wash your hands. Don't forget to sing the Happy Birthday song twice."

"Yes, Mommy," Charlie responds. She turns the faucet on, lathering her hands up.

"Mommy, help," Paige reminds you.

You make your way to the stalls and help Paige get off the toilet and clean up. She washes her hands in the sink before you lead her back out into the waiting room.

"I'm tired," Paige rubs her eyes.

"Come on, sweetheart. Lay your head in my lap." You position yourself to hold her in your lap.

"Mommy, can I have water?"

"If this doctor doesn't come soon," Natasha sighs. Luke was becoming frustrated with being in his stroller and not being able to crawl around. He began to fuss. "Luke, it's alright. We'll go home soon."

"I'll take him," Cara offers. Which leaves you genuinely surprised. Lately she's not wanted anything to do with her siblings.

"Thanks," Natasha hands him off to her.

Luke leans his head back, observing his older sister. He grabs her face, making her smile.

"He's so cute when he's not screaming his head off," Cara grins.

"Aren't they all," Natasha chuckles.

"Romanoff Family," The medical assistant calls out into the waiting room. All eyes are on you as you take your slightly rowdy bunch and head to the back. "Good morning, first we're going to take height and weight for each of the children. Who wants to go first?"

"I can," Cara volunteers.

"Perfect, step up here," the assistant instructs. Cara steps onto the scale, avoiding observing the number, before she steps over to take her height. "157 cms."

"What does that mean?" James questions.

"She's short," Charlie whispers.

Cara shoots her a look.

"Alright, Cara, you can step off. Now who's next?"

"Can I do it?" Charlie raises her hand. "I know I've grown a few inches."

"Of course," the assistant chuckles. Charlie steps onto the scale and then takes her height.

"147 cms," the medical assistant smiles.

"What about me?" James raises his hand.

Eventually everyone has their heights and weights taken. Then you're directed to a big room that magically fits all of you. You sit with Luke in your lap, Natasha with Paige in hers, and Cara shares a seat with Charlie. James is the first up with his legs swinging as he sits on the examination table.

"So far, with these wait times this doctor isn't getting on my good side," Natasha mutters.

"I'm sure there are more pressing matters than the Brady Bunch's checkups," You reply.

There's a knock at the door, and the first thing you see is brown hair with blonde highlights. That familiar chin and hazel brown eyes belong to none other than Melinda Whitlock. Melinda stands at an average height with a lean, athletic build, exuding a casual yet polished style. Never in a million years did you think you would see your ex-fiancé standing here in the same room as you. Okay, sure the last name aligns. You still have some of the same social circle so of course you knew she was a doctor.

"Hi," She smiles politely. "I'm Dr. Whitlock, you can call me Melinda. It's nice to meet you." She briefly glances around the room before stepping over to the sink to wash her hands. "Sorry about the long wait time. I had a patient puke all over me. The smell's mostly gone but..."

"Uh...you too," Natasha says slowly, taking note of the way your jaw hangs slightly open. You quickly snap out of your surprise to greet her.

“Hi, Melinda,” You speak softly. Hopefully you don’t sound too excited. Not that you are excited. You’re just surprised. Surprised is good. Surprised is neutral. Surprised won’t get you into trouble with your wife. Though by the look on Natasha’s face she’s not as happy about this “surprise”. 

"Oh, wow, y/n?" Melina greets. She looks around at all of the children and back to you and Natasha.

"Surprise?" You say sheepishly.

"I didn't know it was you," Melinda looks down at her tablet to check the charts. "I didn't make the connection. That's funny. How are you guys?"

"Uh, we're good," Natasha nods.

"How's...uh...your mom?" Melinda begins. "Hi, you must be James. I'm just going to check a few things for you. I'm Melinda."

"Oh, she's great," You answer. "Still working at the library in her free time."

"That's great," Melinda smiles. "So, how have the children been?"

"Uh, they're good," You nod. "No allergies or anything to speak of."

"Cough for me, James," Melinda instructs. From beside you, you can see Cara trying to connect the dots about your connection with this other woman. She can see the uncomfortable look on Natasha's face and then her eyes wide.

"Mama," Cara whispers. "Mom." She reaches over to tap Natasha. "Is that mom's ex? The one you talked about?"

"Yep, that's her," Natasha whispers back.

"She's cute," Cara smirks. "I can see Mom kind of has a type. Short and hot."

Natasha shoots her a warning look. "Don't even."

Melinda's attention remains on James though you swear you could see a smirk on her face.

"Hey, I didn't see you guys' last month for the annual," Melinda says, glancing at her tablet again. "James seems to be a healthy five-year-old. How are his eating habits?"

"Oh, uh, he eats well," You nod. "We were kind of busy. You know my job as ADA keeps the schedule pretty packed." You unconsciously fix your shirt, hoping there's no leftover baby food or puke. Natasha narrows her eyes.

"Good," Melinda smiles. She pulls her gloves off and throws them in the trash. She picks off a new pair before choosing another child.

"Charlie," Melinda gestures to her.

Charlie climbs onto the examination table.

"Do you mind lifting your shirt up for me? Just to make sure nothing's changed since the last time you were here," Melinda requests.

"Okay," Charlie nods, pulling her shirt up.

"Does she always look at people's belly buttons?" Cara frowns.

"It's because Charlie has an outie," James provides for his sister.

"Oh." Cara nods. "So does she have to get that checked every time?"

"I'll be quick, Charlie," Melinda reassures.

Charlie nods.

"Alright, I think everything looks good," Melinda smiles. "Most umbilical hernias are harmless. Is it causing you any pain?"

"Nope," Charlie replies.

"No constipation?"

"No, I poop everyday."

"Well, that's good," Melinda chuckles. "There is a surgical procedure that she's of age to receive now. If that's something of interest to you."

"Not right now," You shake your head. "Charlie, you can put your shirt down."

"Can I get down, Mama?" Charlie asks.

"Yeah, sweetie," Natasha replies.

"So, do you have a wife, Dr. Whitlock?" Cara clears her throat. Leave it to your fifteen-year-old to snoop.

"Oh, well, no," Melinda laughs. She's a little startled by the questions. "I'm a widow."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Natasha says. "My condolences." You’d heard about it when it happened but didn’t reach out besides words of sympathy. 

"It's fine. My wife died a few years ago." Melinda shrugs. "It's just me and my dog now."

"What kind of dog?" Paige inquiries. "So you live all alone?"

"Uh, yeah. She's a German Shepard named Lola." Melinda inputs something into her chart.

"That's nice. What's her favorite treat? We love dogs too," Charlie replies.

"Charlie, you can sit over here," Natasha cuts in, gesturing to the spot beside her.

"We had a dog," James pipes up. "But she ran away. We never found her." Melinda eyes the two of you for confirmation.

"Well, I accidentally left the gate open," You muster up the courage to confess. "She was always a flighty little thing. She wasn't really our dog. It was Natasha's sister's dog."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure your sister wasn't very happy," Melinda frowns. "You always were a little forgetful."

"Mom? Forgetful?" Cara looks at you incredulously.

"Oh, well, you know. There's a lot on my plate," You defend.

"Of course, I understand," Melinda agrees. "I mean, when we were together you would forget a date, we had all the time."

"What date was that?" Cara smirked. She was loving this right now.

"Uh, our anniversary," Melinda replies.

"Oh, wait tell me more," Cara nods.

"Actually, by the looks I'm getting I think we should keep this professional," Melina excuses herself to check a few things. "Paige, it's your turn." She directs to the three year old.

Paige gets up from her seat, walking over to the doctor.

"I don't want any shots today. Okay?" Paige protests.

"I can't promise that," Melinda offers. "But we do have delicious lollipops for after. Would that appease you?"

"Hm...okay," Paige gives in. "You better be quick. Mommy says you should always be quick."

"I'll try my best," Melinda takes her stethoscope to listen to Paige's heart and lungs. "She has a healthy set of lungs. Breathing seems normal."

"So far so good," Natasha sighs.

"So, what are we looking at for shots today?" You ask, hoping the worst is over.

"Hm, it doesn't look like the children had them last round," Melinda continues. "I'll have a medical assistant come in soon. I just need to check out baby boy over here." Melinda gestures for you to bring Luke over to the examination table. You remain holding onto him as he finds curiosity in Melinda and her tools. He drools all over her hand when she checks his teeth. Then his ears.

"Oh, well, he's not fussy," Melinda chuckles. She turns back to her tablet, writing a few things down. "He looks healthy and is up to date on all his shots. Have you introduced solids to him yet?"

"Just a little bit. He's getting more and more every week," You explain.

"Alright. Sounds good. Is he sleeping okay?"

"Yep. Most nights, anyways. We're lucky if we can get through the night without a wake up." You smile.

"He'll get better with time," She nods. "Now, for the final child. The big one, Cara, right?"

"That's me," Cara gets up from her seat and hops onto the examination table.

"Cara, how old are you again?" Melinda asks.

"I just turned fifteen."

"Do you participate in any sports or physical activites?" Melinda goes down the list of questions she has to ask.

"I run track and field, soccer, and sometimes dance," Cara provides. "Though dance isn't really my thing."

"Any injuries recently? Stomachaches?"

"Uh, nope. None."

"Have you had your period yet?"

"Yes," Cara nods.

"Okay, this is the part of the exam where I need you to step out of the room." Melinda gestures. "Just for routine questioning. It shouldn't be long. You guys can wait out in the hall."

Right. The questions parents aren't supposed to hear. You gather your crew and you all wait out in the hall.

"She looks good," Natasha speaks. Oh, no. You know what this is. She's fishing for something and you're not going to take the bait.

"Oh, yeah, she does." You say nonchalantly. Not like you noticed. "Is this weird for you?"

"Kind of," Natasha admits. "It's not every day we see an ex out in the wild."

"Yeah, " You shrug, shifting Luke on your hips. "But she is a doctor."

"A nice doctor," Charlie cuts in.

"Nice is subjective," James adds.

"Kid is on my side," Natasha snorts.

"She's got a dog," Paige points out. "And she has lollipops."

"I don't think any of you guys will ever see her again. Unless one of you get sick," You explain. "So, no need to form a crush."

"If she's your ex that means you dated her?" Charlie questions. "You cheated on Mama?"

"No, no, absolutely not," You rush out. This was not a conversation to be having in public - or the hallway of a doctor's office. "I was with her before I met your Mama."

"Oh, well, why didn't it work out?"

"Just adult things," You end the conversation there. "Nothing for you to worry about."

Adults things where you both were quite toxic for each other. Also, missing the anniversary was a one time thing. Well, two time thing. Only because you’d been in college and prepping for law school. You’d both simply grown apart and wanted other things. You think everything has worked out how it’s supposed to be. 

***************

Meanwhile inside of the room Melinda and Cara are having a conversation.

"So, I have to ask you these questions," Melinda begins. "Just know that anything you say stays between us unless I feel it is harmful to you."

"I gotcha," Cara replies.

"How are your eating habits?"

"Uh, good."

"Any weight fluctuations or loss?"

"Nope. My coach says I'm gaining muscle."

"Any recent injuries?"

"No.You asked that one already.” Cara points out.

“Right, it’s on here twice.” Melinda swipes to another screen.

"Stress levels? Have they increased recently."

"Yes," Cara admits. "We're moving out of town soon. To Ohio."

"Why's that?"

"Mom's got a new job," Cara explains. "Which is fine. I'm just worried about leaving all of my friends behind. I've known them forever."

"That's understandable," Melinda nods. "When was your last period?"

"Last month."

"Has it ever been irregular or heavy?"

"Sometimes. Like when I'm stressed."

"Okay, have you had any unprotected sex?"

"No, never." Cara slightly blushes.

"Do you understand that if you do there are contraceptives that are available to you?"

"Yeah, my Moms taught me about those a long time ago," Cara nods. "They make sure I am prepared."

"Any drugs or alchohol?"

"No, none of that," Cara denies. "I'm an athlete. That stuff isn't good for me."

"That's a good mindset," Melinda offers a small smile. "I know sometimes when people go through stressful situations they feel like they want to take some sort of release or relief."

"I don't want that," Cara insists. "I'm happy. I have a great family."

"I'm glad."

"You were Mom's fiance?"

"Yes, many moons ago," Melinda nods. "It's all water under the bridge now."

"Were you close?"

"We were," Melinda replies.

"Why did you guys' breakup?" Cara wants more of the story.

"I'm not sure your moms would like me telling you this."

"Right," Cara tucks hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry about your wife. That must be lonely."

"I have my moments," Melinda shrugs. "I appreciate the concern. I occupy my time with sports and things outside of work."

"Do you run?"

"I used to," Melinda says. "I was a gymnast for a while."

"Me too," Cara smiles.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but then I got into other sports." Cara continues. "Moms allow me to choose so I try out everything."

"You should try boxing," Melinda suggests. "I'm trying to convince a friend of mine to start teaching it."

"I will. When are the lessons?"

"I'm not sure," Melinda laughs.

"You should come over to dinner sometime," Cara offers. She really likes Melinda's vibe. That and she wants to be nosier.

"I don't know if that's appropriate," Melinda smirks. "I'll invite your family back in.”

 "Okay." Melinda opens the door to gesutre for you all to pile back in.

"Well, I've reviewed the children's charts and everything is in order. I'll have the nurse come in to administer the vaccines."

"Thank you, Dr. Whitlock," You nod.

"You're welcome," Melinda responds. She turns to leave. "You know, after all this time the both of you still look the same. Still beautiful. " She looks at you for a few seconds longer. Before she leaves the room.

"I don't like her," Natasha mutters to you. "Are you blushing?"

"No," You insist. "The room is just a little hot."

"Right," Natasha rolls her eyes.

"Can I have the lollipop now, Mama?" Paige tugs at Natasha's hand.

"Of course, baby girl," Natasha hands Paige a lollipop from the tray. "I think we're done here. What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

"Let's wait for the nurse then we can go," Natasha smiles.

"What about ice cream?" Charlie asks.

"Is it still too late to get it spiked?" Natasha reminds you. You chuckle. 

[astraystayyh]

everyone who still believes that all of this started on oct 7 and that israel is only targeting hamas is fucking stupid and there is no excuse left for your ignorance and blatant discard of genocide.

the goal was always to drive out people out of gaza so that israel can settle its people in it. that's why they're bombing residential areas to ensure that even if a ceasefire is installed then the people won't have houses and buildings to live in. that's why they're targeting and killing civilians, erasing entire families and murdering babies and children to ensure that Palestinian blood lines would stop. that's why they're attacking schools and libraries to ensure that palestine's educational system collapses and with it all the cultural heritage of its people.

that's why they're attacking hospitals and ambulances and leaving premature babies to decompose on hospital beds all alone to ensure that the injured won't be able to be treated adding to the massive death toll. that's why they're blocking food and water to ensure that whoever isn't killed by bombs will die by dehydration and famine and hypothermia due to the cold and the absence of electricity and heating.

every move of israel is well planned and well thought every thing they do is with the goal to drive people out of gaza, forcing them to abandon their lands and stripping them of the possibility to return to it ever again. that's why they're attacking the north and telling ppl to move south only to attack the south so that everyone would go to the egypt borders fleeing from gaza. that's why they're killing journalists to ensure that none of their crimes get out, to kill the fighting spirit in the people outside of gaza.

just because Palestinians are willing to die for their land doesn't mean that they want to. they love life if they find a way to it. they have dreams and aspirations they're living human beings like you and me why are we allowing this mass genocide against them???? don't be complicit don't stay silent don't treat this as a trend please. the least we could do is amplify their voices, the very very very least, from the comforts of our home. the very fucking least.

[iconocon]

what about me | verstappen

⚔︎ ✧ (short)

there he was.

a wet max verstappen stood in the doorframe of your apartment smelling like the mini-bar of a cheap hotel and it was not a good look on him. your eyes went from the bird's nest of a hair on his head to the dark wine-red half-smudged lipstick stain on his white collared shirt to the belt around his waist that was left on one notch too big.

"i didn't know where else to go"

"why would you come here"

"i needed you please don't make me go home"

you hated him. hated that he always knew exactly what to say to suck you in, to forgive him for the stupid shit he does but your heart was too big to kick the wet beaten-down puppy anymore so with a big sigh you stepped backward allowing him into the hallway.

"max"

you two knew each other well enough by this point that he automatically tried reaching to take off his wet black dress shoes but I'm sure the rain mixed with the cheap vodka was too much for him and he went tumbling to the wooden floor in a mess. if anything your patience with him was wearing thin and with one glance into your living you would see the big clock above your sofa laying out the time of 3:25 in the morning. so slowly getting down to his height you reached for one foot while he reached for the other, of course, you managed it way before him and even chuckled at the frustrated look on his face as he struggled with the knot he himself made which did all but distract his gaze to your face. the way he stared at you was unnerving, as if he wanted to say something so bad but didn't have the guts to do it and that probably scared you the most because if he of all people was scared to say something it was not something you wanted to hear.

"come"

before you could even say no or turn down the offer the man himself nudged your knee out from underneath you with just his foot laying you flat on ur butt/the wet footprints he made himself minutes before.

"what the fu-"

"i don't know who i am anymore" he interrupted and before you could say anything he stopped you with a hand on your knee as he stared mindlessly with glazed-over eyes into your beige wallpaper abyss of a hallway, "I'm not happy not at home, not on the track, I don't know how to make it okay again" you wanted to reach out and touch him but every time your fingers moved closer to his body he shifted around them so he was just so out of reach which at this point should have been a normal occurrence for you but it still didn't stop the pain in your chest. "i went out and i did what the guys wanted, i drank and drank, and i danced with some girl who only liked me fo-" the hiccup stopped he sentence but the lipstick mark on his collar told the story for him. "i wanted to be okay just for one night" this time you didn't allow him to push his body away from you and instead sat shoulder to shoulder with him grabbing his damp head and pulling it down into your lap. as you ran your fingers through his hair you hummed a familiar song that you both loved as children even going as far to label it as ‘your song’.

max was a tough guy. growing up in the way in which he did he wasn't allowed the luxury of being a crazy teen or a child that could talk back to his parents. he was a prodigy meant to be something greater than all the other kids on the block and you saw it in him the moment you met on track. at that time you wanted to be something too, you wanted to be bigger than all the stars, but reality set in for you too young making you realize that you weren't cut out for the same dreams as your peers however that didn't stop you from being a selfish child then adult and keeping him.

your crush on max was visible from day one, he was all chubby bright pink cheeks and fury. you want to say the first time you realized your crush was the same day he yelled at pierre gasly (one of your now both good friends) for pushing you off track after he broke late in one of the corners making you cry your eyes out because you were finally able to compete for a podium. it was dumb and it was stupid but he was your savior even as children making sure to do everything he could to make you laugh even making himself look stupid to onlookers in restaurants by putting straws up his nose one day when you were sad your mom said you couldn’t have ice cream.

when he too grew up and left it was probably the hardest thing you had to go through because to you he was your peace, your home, but as a teen, it was hard for you to realize at the time that you weren't his. racing took your best friend away, and it was bittersweet because he was so good. he was better than you thought he was, and now your drunk sad best friend was a two-time world champion who could be recognized around the world. for fucks sake he raced in countries you could only dream of on a normal person's salary and even when it felt like you grew so far apart you knew he still needed you as he did now. you were the one person in the world he knew he could come to and cry and cry and do it again until he couldn't feel any more but yet maybe he didn't understand why that hurt you. why right now as he was laying in your arms you were so focused on the way his heart skipped a beat when he snored that your own heartbeat fell in tune with him.

you loved max verstappen and even though you could never be enough for him you selfishly hoped now as you did as children that he would always need you even if that meant waiting forever but, for now, you slept dreaming of what it could be like if maybe just maybe he did too.

⌯

AN

this is so short and probably bad but i was SAD and i might delete it idk i haven't written in so long but i have a few in the chamber anyway pls send prompts I love u!

[bleep-bloop-boo]

OMG PLEASE TELL LIBRARY STORIES

i would love to work at a library one day

iugfbnwqkwsdjf AWW THANK YOU FOR THE ASKK IM GOING TO RAMBLE NOW <33 AND SAMEE i hope you do get to work at the library :)) i need to wait 9 more months before I can applyy

First off all, background In my 7th grade i did Semester 1 online school and Semester 2 in person. I didnt get a choice in elective cuz i switched over so i became an office aide tho i would be sent to the library most of the time to help the librarian. another thing, the librarian started the same time as me. the old librarian quit and the new librarian was just out of college (and also lowkey traumatized but we dont acknowledge that heree) so she was like in her early 20s I LOVE HER SM OMG!! BEFORE BEING A LIBRARIAN SHE PLAYED COMPETITIVE VIDEO GAMES AND SHE HAS AN ANIMATION CHANNEL AND NOW SHES ILLUSTRATING CHILDRENS BOOK AND SHE WAS IN FANDOMS TOO!! SHES AMAZING AT ART, LIKE WHEN YOU ASKED HER TO SIGN YOUR YEARBOOK SHE'D DRAW YOU (i can find the picture of me she drew if youd likee) IN 2 MINUTES!! AND SHE TOLD ME ONCE SHED DRAW A FANART OF NICO GETTING MCDONALDS WITH WILL FOR ME CUZ I TOLD HER I LIKED PERCY JACKSON AND SOLANGELO (i never told her bout the mcdonalds thing, she knew) and it was so much fun cuz id be sorting books and reading books and scanning books and helping kids and fixing books and organizing and just talking with peoplee i loved it smm and speaking of her, she did so much cool stuff!! she had no idea how the library worked or how to do stuff and she did end up crying the first month because of how lost she was but she got a hang of it and i so proud of her for that <33

She made a cozy corner where there are tons of blankets and pillows for people and with cozy curtains and lights

she bought (using her own money) nearly 40 boardgames and made a shelf for people to play with fidgets, cards and games

she brought her switch in so kids could see and watch her play

she made a suggestion box and read every single one

she started a thing where she made slides for the elementary schoolers and read to them every week

she let students come in during lunch and play games and talk and chill (which is amzing cuz our school was HELLA strict, like middle schoolers could only sit at the tables or on the grass. you cant walk anywhere else.)

and we all loved her sm, she was the best <33 i miss her cuz now im in high school and the kid i tutored told on me thursday she moved and she doesnt work there anymore and now i miss her even moree but ill see if i can find her insta time for the actual stories of me and the one other office aide 😭😭😭 - we built a throne out of old textbooks and made a whole photosoot using paper decorations - we spent an entire hour just reading and laughing at this book about toilets - we spent 15 minutes learning how to use a key cuz we locked ourselves outside of the school (we had keys with acsess to the whole school and all the gates, were just stupid) - had so many debates with elementary schoolers who snuck in about the best pjo character and other books - kicked said elementary schoolers out because the school didnt allow them to be there after their school ended (then snuck them back in) - we spent an entire period just playing random songs and videos on the TVs and kept trying to change it to Never Going To Give You Up - kirby. so much kirby. EVERYWHERE - SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR omg, the books come in the shelves pre-pepared but the shelves are like tall, metal blocks on wheels you need to open up yourself and move around. we ended up creating a labryinth and getting trapped then i stacked a rolly stool on a chair and that didnt work cuz the stool was bigger than the chair and even tho i would have surived, they said it was too dangerous so i had to climb on a booksehlf to jump over these 6 foot tall bookselves we opened wrong and escape the maze - selling at said scholastic fair which was so fun <33 (i want a retail job so badd) - the amount of times i just sat and read while sorting books- - theres prolly more im forgetting lol, this is getting long tho so ill just end itt TYSM FOR THE ASK, THIS WAS LITERALLY MY FAVORITE CLASS IN ALL OF MIDDLE SCHOOL (barely beat geometry) AND I LOVELOVELOVE TALKING ABOUT ITT

[sleepcrisis]

"You're Finally Asleep."

Moon x OC

I was bored and I made this whole shebang with my oc in an hour soooo

Let's fucking go

____________________

"Sleep."

That was the hundredth time he has said that word in an hour. Lue was surprised that he didn't even give up already.

"I told you a thousand times, I can't. I'm working."

"So?" Moon rotated his faceplate upsidedown. "That does not mean you can ruin your sleep cycle like this."

"I still have an apartment y'know? I can sleep there." Lue shrugged, continuing to stare at the computer's security desk. Thankfully enough he was never allowed behind it, due to his protocols. "I still have a life outside of work."

"And what life would that be?"

Okay, ouch.

"Wow."

Moon had that raspy chuckle again, mocking her. "I'm surprised you didn't even kill me just yet."

"How can I? Sun..means a lot to you." Moon sighed, "As much as I hate that thought, maybe even thinking about strangling y— I know! Shut it."

"Well at least we both know that was a lie." Lue snickered.

Ah, at least Sun wasn't blocked from his line of vision again. That was a good step so far.

"Don't make me change my mind."

"Whatever you say, Starboy." That nickname almost always makes him annoyed.

"Please do refrain from calling me that, stupid kid."

Lue raised their head up from the computer, "You used to talk to kids like that Starboy?"

"Oh I oughta-" Moon was so close to grabbing them by the neck, his right optic was blinking rapidly with anger. But he couldn't even move another inch, making him angrier. But the static between his fingers stopped him.

He faced away from the desk, trying to cool himself down.

A few moments of silence has passed.

"... You still need to sleep, starlight."

"I told you," Lue shook their head, "I can't. I have insomnia anyways. Can't sleep that easily even if I wanted to."

Moon paused, his neck rotating as his head was facing them. Totally was not uncomfortable by the sight of it.

"... You're kidding."

"No, I'm not?" Lue raised a brow. What was his deal anyway?

"Step away from the desk."

"N-"

"NOW." Now that surprised them.

"Okay, okay! Jesus, man what is your problem?" Lue then hopped off from the seat of their desk, now walking in front of him. They crossed their arms, annoyed. "Now what?"

Moon then grabbed them by the shoulder, hoisting them up bridal style right. Lue's eyes went wide, "H-Hey!"

The skyline was hooked right into Moon's back almost immediately, lifting then up into the air.

"Moon! Put me the FUCK down!"

Lue screeched, holding onto the lunar animatronic for dear life. That only made Moon raised a brow in amusement, leaving another raspy chuckle escape from his voice box. "What? Is our pessimistic and fearless Luanne Simmons is actually a wimp? You really need to tone down your swearing."

"Put me down!"

Even with her struggling in his arms, they were right on top of the daycare's balcony, stepping inside the curtains. Lue sighed in relief, "Finall—!"

They were soon enough dropped to the floor, making them groan in annoyance. "You're a twisted son of a bitch, you know that?"

Moon snickered, "Charmed."

What an asshole.

"You little-"

"Wait here."

Lue raised a brow, slowly sitting up straight as Moon left outside the curtain. They dusted off any imaginary dust from their pants, looking to where they are as of the moment.

God, it was a mess everywhere. Cluttered clothes and messy drawings from children all over the walls, hell even mangled security bots were laying around in the corner.

There was even a beanbag couch right beside it.

Wait.

Is this Sun and Moon's room?

How can cleanfreaks like them even leave their room like this to rot? That concerned them a little.

"I'm back." Lue turned around to see Moon walking inside with something balled in his fist.

"What's in there?"

"A moondrop candy. It helps the little ones sleep."

"Oh, so basically like a melatonin gummy?" They should really be worried about what Fazbear treats their guests. Especially on how they had the bright idea on how giving melatonin to kids would quote on quote, "help."

"In a way, yes."

Moon walked up to them, sitting on the dirty floor right next to Lue. "Here." He grabbed her wrist, placing the candy inside her palm. He held onto her fingers, closing the candy within it.

Lue took back their wrist, opening their hand. The moondrop candy was covered in bluish purple plastic, littered in stars with a moon in the middle. Cute, and fitting.

They opened the wrapper to see soft blue candy, before popping it right into their mouth.

It tasted sweetly like flowers and honey. With a hint of vanilla and lavender. It was rather nice.

"Now sleep."

Lue sighed, remembering why they were even there in the first place.

"Like I said, I can't sleep that easily at all."

Moon furrowed his eyebrow, now pulling them right over into his lap. They looked rather smaller that way.

"What the-"

"Shh.." He placed a finger over their lips, trying to keep them quiet.

Lue grumbled, grabbing onto his wrist. "... But I'm on the job, Moon. I can't just slack off!"

"I can cover for you, y'know."

Is he serious right now?

"... Really?" Lue eyed him suspiciously.

Moon rolled his eyes, "Yes. Really. I have your database files in my head, I have them for anyone who works here."

"Oh."

Lue bit their lip, fiddling with their fingers. "Is... there a particular reason why are you doing this for me? Is it just your protocol or something else?"

"Who knows, really?" Moon shrugged, being the cryptic little shit he almost always was. "Kind of felt like it."

The bloodthirsty Moon? Doing something like this? The guy who absolutely hates any coworkers he had to deal with? What the hell is happening?

"You're unbelievable."

"I know."

That left a small chuckle escape their lips, shaking their head. Lue hesitantly leaned over to Moon's chest plate, hearing the mechanical whirring that was most likely his hard drive.

Moon's body went stiff the moment they were in contact with his chest, staring at them. "You want me to sing a song for you so you could actually sleep for once?"

Lue hummed, shrugging. "Go for it."

Surprisingly, he actually had a really nice voice that could lull any children into sleep. It felt so calming, so relieving than to the Moon they were even used to seeing for the past month. What happened to him in the first place anyway? Why was he like this?

But even before they could have more of those thoughts, a small yawn escaped their lips. Their eyes started to droop, falling deeper into the abyss.

Moon stared at them for a good minute, now realizing they were finally asleep. "Finally.." He sighed, lifting their head up with support.

"You're finally asleep."

[undead-discourse]

Hey!! Are you a proshipper? Are you an anti? Please read this post, I want engagement from as many people of as many different opinions as possible!

I have a question that I made a temporary sideblog for because I’ve gotten completely different answers depending on who I ask this question (pro vs anti ship)

I fundamentally disagree with a lot of the “talking points” on either side, so I’m not really sure which camp I fit into (and the one I’m assigned usually changes to the opposite of whoever I’m talking to). So I thought it’d be really interesting to see what people have to say about this. I dunno, I like talking, and discussing media. Talk to me about media.

I’ve sorted these into two sections: opinions usually grouped with “proshippers” and opinions usually grouped with “antis.”

Proship Opinions:

Censorship is bad.

We should not censor the internet and banning legal content here is fruitless. It just doesn’t work, and it takes away efforts from restricting actually harmful content.

Harassment is also bad.

Even when the person being harassed is objectively disgusting and vile.

There is never any excuse to tell someone to kill themself. This feels so obvious, why are we even arguing this.

Restricting the content allowed on some sites (AO3) is kinda stupid.

FF.net and Wattpad are living examples of what happens when you restrict written content: it still gets in, but this time completely untagged and with no warning.

I hate AO3’s current policy and I don’t use the site because of that, but the alternative is so much worse, especially considering they can’t afford the extensive mod team that would require.

Just use the block button.

Getting all bent out of shape in someone’s askbox because of their content is completely pointless. You just exhaust yourself and waste your own energy thinking about this person when they definitely don’t give a fuck what you, some bitch on the internet, think of their content.

The easiest solution for your own wellbeing is just to block them and move on. Then you can never think about them again.

Fictional content is never the same as the real thing, and it’s insulting to survivors to insinuate it is.

No children are harmed by the creation of fictional content. Comparing it to real CP is a slap in the face to real survivors.

The concept of “problematic content” being bad by design is kinda dumb.

There are ways to handle anything in fiction tastefully. Your story can cover topics of sexual abuse, murder, exploitation, etc. without being “problematic.”

The reason for the content’s creation and posting greatly changes how it should be viewed and how the creator should be treated.

I’m reminded of Alfred’s Playhouse. It’s so obviously a cry for help, but everyone ignored it because of the gross and shocking subject matter shown. The creator is a disgusting person, but that is unrelated to her creation of Alfred’s Playhouse, a representation of her own real experiences.

It’s… So obvious to me when someone is suffering and using art to vent or call for help. These people aren’t the people we should be talking about when we discuss the handling of sensitive topics in fiction.

Anti Opinions:

The things you create/enjoy completely change the way I view you as a person, fundamentally.

I don’t think you can be a good person and enjoy thinking about fictional children being molested.

I cut people off if I find out they secretly enjoy this content.

Including ex-friends. It hurts and I feel betrayed, but I was not friends with, nor will I ever be friends with, someone who enjoys (whatever).

I think people deserve to know if one of their favorite artists is secretly into something reprehensible.

If a big artist I like had a secret twitter where they posted incest porn, I would be pissed if someone who knew didn’t tell me.

AO3 sucks.

Specifically because of their policy on RPF in reference to (underage) streamers. If someone requests that the NSFW content featuring them be deleted, AO3 should delete it. If someone goes to AO3 and requests they take down a specific fic about them, AO3 should delete it. But they didn’t, and they don’t. So I don’t use AO3.

“Problematic content” should be criticized when it is handled in offensive ways.

There are ways to handle topics such as child abuse, sexual exploitation, etc. tastefully and respectfully to victims, but when creators fail to do this, they deserve to have their treatment of the subject pointed out.

SEE MY ABOVE POINT ABOUT CREATORS WHO ARE SUFFERING, vent art does not fucking count and pointing out the way someone handles their own real experiences in their vent art makes you an asshole.

Proshipping as I’ve seen it looks like such an unhealthy coping mechanism.

To my knowledge, “shipping” means that you enjoy the dynamic between two (or more) characters, typically in a romantic or sexual way. Enjoying the romantic or sexual dynamic between a minor and an adult you headcanon to be grooming them is… So beyond fucked.

This is 100% not my business and I’m never gonna tell someone this, but it’s an opinion I personally hold that I’ve seen attached to antis before.

[atopvisenyashill]

What is Corlys loyal to, during the Dance? What are his ambitions, as you see them?

Corlys wants

To keep his family safe

Access to power

To prove he’s as good as a Targaryen

His family name on the Iron Throne

A dragon rider in his family

Very similar in many ways to most of the other adults during this time, especially Otto Hightower. I think in many ways, he’s kind of an echo of Tywin here - he’s trying to prove that the Velaryons are worth just as much, that they’re just as Valyrian, just as special, just as ~chosen by the narrative~ as the Targaryens are. To him, proving that means he has to have a Targaryen wife, dragon riding children & grandchildren, and in a perfect world, his own family on that ugly spiky chair.

[not quite a sidebar but - while I do think Aegon makes all the right choices in his initial conquest of the seven kingdoms, I think the Velaryons resented not being made a powerful, Paramount house in their own right. Installing them as overlords for the Riverlands or the Reach would be a bad idea the same way that both conquests leaving a Tyrell in Sunspear to help take over is a stupid, malicious idea that probably made both wars worse bc it pissed Dorne off. AND YET. they’re a valyrian house! one of the last lines of valyria left!! but all they have is driftmark!!!! i do think this sticks in their collective craw a bit but it seems to especially bother Corlys!]

I say “family” and not “blood” because Corlys is clearly willing to stretch the definition of “family” if it means he gets continued access to power. It’s why he is extremely forgiving in the Laenor/Rhaenyra marriage - I do think he realizes to an extent that he put them both in a weird situation and is willing to look past it a) because looking past it gives him access to power b) because Rhaenyra didn’t do it to sleight him, as shown by her friendship with Laena & the betrothals of their children and c) he grows to genuinely love and care for Jace & Lucerys, and probably Joff as well. There is that theory that it was Corlys who killed Harwin & Lyonel and I think it has its merits! Despite his affection for the boys, I do think he takes insult at the way Harwin & Rhaenyra so publicly carry on - he himself has a long(ish) standing love affair that he keeps hushed up and I imagine he felt Rhaenyra should be more discreet, and was insulted when Joff was born because like, you already have an heir and spare stop cuckolding my son jfc. Do I think he actually killed Harwin? Eh, up in the air about it tbh (seems more Viserys’ style if I’m being honest) but I can absolutely see the justifications he’s making here that Jace & Luke are necessary sacrifices of his pride but Joffrey is a step too far.

Now, while I put “keep his family safe” first because I DO think it comes first, notice I used “safe” and not “happy.” He doesn’t give a shit if they don’t like his decisions but Corlys does actually keep an eye on all his kids to make sure they are not being harmed. He doesn’t just wash his hands of Laena when the sealord he betroths her to turns out to be a dud, he actively puts off the marriage, and allows Daemon to get involved. He turns against Rhaenyra when Addam and Alyn are put at risk, then turns against Aegon II, even making the extremely risky move to kill the king, in an attempt to protect Baela.

I shittalk him a LOT for completely usurping his own daughter/granddaughter as well as counseling Rhaenyra away from a more proto-feminist stance, but I have to commend him here the way I do the Tyrells. Aegon II has gone mad with grief over Sunfyre, he’s probably in a lot of pain, high off his ass, we get that convo about him taking the black so he’s also running out of steam, which makes him erratic and dangerous, and he turns all of those built up feelings on Baela (if there isn’t snot and tears and spit dripping down both their faces when he takes her to the block in the show i’m suing!!!). Corlys attempts to calm Aegon but when it reaches a certain point, he doesn’t dick around trying to rationalize with an irrational person when it comes to the safety of his granddaughter - he just fucking offs the problem. Power and the Throne mean little and less if his entire family is dead and he knows this. It doesn’t mean he’s not willing to gamble, not willing to force his kids into shitty situations, not willing to usurp his own fucking granddaughter because a son is worth more, but in the end, Corlys really does love his family. It’s why he rages when Rhaenys dies. It’s why he’s devastated when Jacaerys dies. Corlys is very much A Man Of Westeros but in conversation with others like Tywin, Ned, Doran, Jon Arryn, Robert, etc., Corlys is willing to admit when he’s in over his head, grab his family, and get the fuck out of dodge. We are scraping the bottom of the barrel here on what a good father means, but well, that’s Westeros!

[yournightowl]

Your Nightowl #056

For all of human history, we've struggled with the perennial question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Which is a stupid question to struggle with.

The egg came first. (￣▽￣)

Eggs have been around since before the dinosaurs, and chickens were invented sometime in the 20th century as agricultural scientists raced to breed a bird with as much breast and thigh meat as physiology would allow. "So where did the first chicken egg come from?" (ΦwΦ)Ψ From a bird that was very much like a chicken but not quite enough of a chicken to be considered one, scientifically.

If that answer gives you a headache, well then congratulations: you've started to realize that speciation cutoffs (along with most cutoffs in general) are arbitrary.┐(￣ヮ￣)┌

We didn't, at the time, set aside that first chicken and its not-quite-a-chicken mother, but for other, similar conundrums, we can in fact point to where the cycle began. Like, say, the six day workweek and the six day school week. (ﾒ﹏ﾒ) They came in that order, by the way-

that's what i'm getting at.(￣��￣＠)

Businesses were getting busier. There was more (busy) work to be done, and five days a week wasn't cutting it (according to the powers that be).

Some wouldn't go home Friday, and some would come in on Sunday, but everyone was getting in the habit. The habit of cutting off one more kg of flesh for the performance evaluators to inspect.

This new paradigm created a need, nay- a demand!(ﾉ´ з `)ノ A demand for more childcare. And schools stepped in to help with the supply.

A lot of people claimed then, as they do today, that we really needed that extra day of schooling in order for our precious children to catch up with the rest of the world on our reading, riting, and rithmetic. (↼_↼)

But if that ever was true, it's not true anymore. (￢_￢) We're about even with every other nation out there, and every country with a capitol city and a capital letter in front has moved on to the 6-1 system. Maybe we caught up, maybe they slowed down- Point is, now we're one day short of a proper weekend- another block of our freetime offered up to the vicious cycle of inflation that fuels our work-life im-balance.

Fun fact: inflation is really, really hard to undo. You can slow it, kinda, if you work at it hard, but that's just changing the rate, not reversing it. I'd go as far as to say it's impossible to reverse inflation o(〒﹏〒)o

With the tools of economics.

It's a different story if you use the tools of psychology.(^人<)〜☆

Introduce a completely new story, still backed by the same state, then slowly phase one out for the other… …And eventually you get yourself a reset.

Nothing's fundamentally changed about the government, the banks, people's spending habits All that's changed is people's perception And that's all that matters.(っ´ω`)ﾉ(╥ω╥)

So maybe someday a big psychological shock will come along and give us back our day off

Makes for a nice dream, at least. When you go to bed early on another goddamn schoolnight.( `ε´ )

penned into the calendar, your nightowl

[horizon-verizon]

Viserys may have loved Rhaenyra above all, but he didn’t protect her as much as he should have. He allowed his wife to make political moves against his daughter way too much. He allowed Alicent and Otto to turn his Green children against Rhaenyra. He allowed Rhaenyra and Daemon to remain away on Dragonstone while he grew too sick to rule and let Otto and Alicent run things which strengthened the position of the Greens at court. Otto is my number one most hated character because his schemes are what caused most of this mess. But I’m very critical of Viserys too because of his weakness. He was a good man overall, but an awful king.

Maybe anon is referring to the bulk of this POST. Or just the thoughts present there that circulate amongst fans.

While I still say that he loved and cared for Rhaenyra above all other people except maybe his other kids and grandkids, I do agree with what you pointed out. I'm not sure he was an all-around good person, much less a good father (comparatively, yes...Tywin, Jaehaerys I, Aegon IV, Otto for examples...could have been a lot worse, but still not good enough), since he:

[show & book] refused to annul Daemon's marriage to Rhea Royce (which would have made things so much better for him and Rhea)

[book] refused to allow Daemon to have his first child (Mysaria being exiled and her subsequent miscarriage)

[show & book] forced Rhaenyra to marry a gay man and thus forcing her into a position where she already would be battling suspicions and accusations of infidelity after her kids her born, even if they were really from Laenor's body

[show] blatantly killed his own wife & mother to his current child (what makes it murder is that she never knew he was going to do anything until moments before her death. She died betrayed and screaming. Jeez, Alyssa Velaryon of F&B was given that choice, at least [not by Rogar her husband who was too much of a bitch to stay by her side, but by the maesters and her real family]).

[show] went in on Rhaenyra and castigated her for her "desires" and [book & show] still forces her to marry Laenor when he is the one to choose an older girl instead of Laena Velaryon (yes she was 12, I am saying that Viserys is a big hypocrite who wanted his cake and forced others to pick up the slack he left and then rebuked them for not behaving "right". He wanted the Velaryon alliance without actually making a sacrifice and made Rhaenyra do it).

And a lot of people, esp greens, argue that Show!Rhaenyra was at fault for leaving Viserys to the greens and/or she shows herself stupid and politically unintelligent, like this anon HERE. It's rare to see someone blame Viserys for Rhaenyra staying at Dragonstone.

Which I must remind people that:

by the age of 16 she inherited the castle and authority over it as a right, like any other lord in their age of majority. She was always going to use it as some sort of home or base.

it is where she and her family could develop and she could raise her kids away from Alicent and Otto's machinations, and this is more obvious with the book!Alicent's dogged antagonism against Rhaenyra since she was 10 (so even though we do see Alicent dismissing and blocking Rhaenyra from politically participating in episode 6, because there f the jump cut between 6 & 7, show fails at showing how abusive Alicent would have been)

her sons could develop without the pressures from being suspected bastards

it was where Rhaenyra could both practice actual uncontested rule (which many argue she never received or willfully chose to do) and gather/accrue any necessary materials while establishing a fortress/fortification/seat of power against would-be attackers. All things that she and her family both politically and emotionally needed.

And who's fault is it that she's at Dragonstone? Who married Alicent? Who allowed Otto to come back?!

Viserys.

Better than Tywin and Otto for even choosing Rhaenyra and taking her seriously to an extent, but not good enough.

[aeoki]

White Brim - Battle Royal: Chapter 4

Location: Forest (night) Characters: Touri, Tsukasa, Eichi & Hiyori

TL Note:

Sports chanbara is a type of swordplay originating from Japan that involves using soft swords to attack and block the moves of your opponent.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< That night. Tenshouin private property – venue for “Clam Digging”. >

Eichi: Alright! It’s time for the game that the evil nobles like to play when they have too much time on their hands – In other words, it’s time for “Clam Digging” to begin…☆

Touri: Ohh~...

Tsukasa: *Clap, clap, clap*

Hiyori: Come now, young ones. Let’s learn from Eichi-kun and be silly and loud too!

“Clam Digging” is a game to drive away the gloomy emotions you’ve accumulated during the year!

It’s not “correct” to be serious and obedient children this time! Ahahaha ☆

Tsukasa: I cannot keep up with your Excitement.

Touri: Same here. But well, I know you guys always do the right things, so no matter how stupid it looks on the outside, I’m sure there’s a deeper meaning behind it…

Tsukasa: Yes. Let’s believe that. I already threw a tantrum and said I would never crossdress, so I’m afraid of what others may think if I were to make any more complaints.

Eichi: Well, the outfits weren’t very important in reality. The essential part of the game is that we’re deprived of whatever status we have.

Donning a servant’s outfit would only serve to make the “condition” visually clearer. There is no further meaning behind it.

After all, it would be dangerous to be in clothes you’re unfamiliar with that cause you to have difficulty moving about tonight.

Touri: W–What do you mean? Are we doing something dangerous? Just what is “Clam Digging”...?

Eichi: Hehe. We have first-time participants here today, so I’ll explain the rules once more.

Put simply, this “Clam Digging” game is a special survival game.

Just like pretend play. In other words, it’s a hunting game. No, perhaps a game of tag would be easier to understand.

Touri: ………?

Hiyori: Nothing is easy to understand when you mention those words! 

Eichi: Oh, shut it…

Anyway, the roles of a “hunter” or “prey” will be decided by lottery before the game begins.

Factors such as your movement will change depending on which side you’re on.

Each side won’t have an equal number of players, by the way – it’ll generally be 1:9 “hunters” to “prey”. 

There was a washi paper with a letter on the fortune cookie you received during the party, correct?

If it had “fisherman” on a red piece of paper, you’re a “hunter”. If it had “fish” on a blue piece of paper, you’re a “prey”.

Tsukasa: Hmm… Ah, I have a red paper that says “fisherman” on it, so I’m a “hunter”, right?

Eichi: Congratulations! As mentioned before, the chances of you receiving a paper with “fisherman” on it are one in ten chances, so you were quite lucky, Tsukasa-kun ♪

Touri: Heheh ♪ Tsukasa, looks like you used your entire year’s worth of luck right here, huh.

And since I got the blue paper with “fish” on it, that means I’m a “prey”?

Hiyori: I’m the same! We’re on the same team, Touri-kun ♪

Touri: Oh, yeah! I don’t really understand the rules, but I’m happy we’re together, Hiyori-sama~♪

Eichi: …When did you two get so close?

Well, putting that aside, the “prey (fish)” will have the freedom to run around in this large plot of land for a specific period of time.

Basically, all they can do is run around.

Touri: It really is just like a game of tag… Umm, so does that mean you lose if you get caught by the “hunter (fisherman)”?

Eichi: Nope. If you get killed by a “hunter (fisherman)”, then you lose.

Touri: K–Killed…?

Hiyori: Wait, what? I don’t know the details either, but is “Clam Digging” one of those death games that’s popular in movies?

Eichi: There won’t be any real killing, of course. “Hunters (fishermen)” will be provided with two types of weapons at the beginning of the game.

A gun and a sword.

It’s convenient to be able to shoot from afar but you only have ten bullets. Reloading is also not allowed.

This is similar to a water gun that shoots paint, so it shouldn’t hurt even if you’re hit.

The sword is also one that’s made of sponge and used in sports chanbara[⁎], so it’s safe.

But if you’re shot with the gun or hit with the sword, then you’re “dead”.

Those who are killed must withdraw from the game and return to the mansion.

In other words, it’s cops and robbers. Robbers can’t come back to life. Of course, though – since they’re, well, dead.

In the end, if all of the “prey (fish)” are caught, then it’s the “hunter’s (fishermen)” victory.

If there is even one “prey (fish)” left, then it’ll be a draw.

Hiyori: If that’s the case, then I’m sure there would have been many instances where the game had ended in a draw.

If it was a game resulting in victories and losses, then it would create a lot of grudges and it wouldn’t be proper entertainment.

By the way, is there no way for the “prey (fish)” to win? So the only way is to have one of us survive until the end to end with a draw?

Eichi: Nope. The “hunters (fishermen)” have to select one of their own to be the “king”.

Tsukasa: A “king”, you say?

Eichi: Yup. All the short-lived “prey (fish)” can do is run around, but they also have the ability to kill the “king”.

If they touch the “king’s” body, then the “king” dies.

And if the “king” dies, the “prey (fish)” wins.

Tsukasa: I see… So that’s why it’s necessary for us “hunters (fishermen)” to be well-equipped to protect the “king” from the “prey (fish)”.

Eichi: Yeah. But there aren’t many “hunters (fishermen)”, so you’ll need to think about how you’ll use your numbers.

Otherwise, you’d be neglecting the hunt and the number of “prey (fish)” won’t decrease. It’ll be difficult to completely wipe out the “prey (fish)” in order to attain victory.

Tsukasa: Hmm… Moving and positioning a specified number of personnel, hm? It seems it’ll require strategies used in games like Chess. This sounds rather intriguing ♪

Touri: Hm~ So basically, it’s just a complicated game of tag, right?

Eichi: That’s right. This sort of simple game is refreshing and interesting amusement for us wealthy humans.

Touri: I think I know what you mean… Commoner’s entertainment like manga and that sorta stuff is pretty nice.

But, hmm, a game of tag, huh… Is this something us nobles have to do in the dead of night, though?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚���˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[chordsykat]

Who could possibly be sending you hate-mail?

So, I moved this one over from Dethkomic because I have a story. A cautionary tale for those of you who might end up in a similar situation, I guess. Neil Gaiman posting about how we're all weirdos definitely jogged my memory on it, because while it was bizarre, thankfully, I hadn't thought about it for a while. And I wasn't going to answer this ask at first but I think I will, now.

First of all -- I think we all get hatemail from time to time. Especilly Dethkomic. The guy's a real dick, after all. But in all seriousness, it's never bugged me because... sorry you wilingly read something you knew you'd hate, I guess?

What did bother me was this one instance that happened sometime last year. For about a month or so, I got these asks that started stupid and harmless enough that I didn't bother blocking them (nor did I figure them to be related at first), along the lines of:

Can't believe one of my favorite artists is into evil stuff.

Absolutely paraphrasing -- but they really weren't anything more than that. I'm not Neil, but I get a lot of asks on here. And when I get ones that I think might be trolling or are otherwise just rhetorical, I don't answer them. So I didn't. But they continued, anyway. Eventually, they got more detailed, and I got stuff like:

How can you make a comic about Satanists? I'm very disappointed in you.

Like, in the style of this person taking on the role of my internet dad, I guess. It was really scummy and I started blocking them. Took a bit, but I must have gotten all their IPs off my alloweds list or they got tired of me or both -- eventually, this stopped.

One of the weird things about being known for something, and this goes doubly-so for those of us who have been involved in children's media, is the tendency for morality policing to follow us into our other works -- even when they're clearly not meant for the same audience. Even when they're behind a hundred "not for kids!" warnings. Furthermore, anonymous individuals can often border on stalker-like behavior no matter their angle, but it seems to me it's always happened way more often if the "fan" is associating the creator with their family-friendly work and appears to be having a hard time "letting go" of the idea that the creative team might have interests outside of their particular safe zone.

Just, damn it -- if I can warn young creatives about anything in this world, it's people like this. Don't talk to them. Block them. They are almost always sinister under the guise of being "upstanding." Truly one of the true weirdos of the internet I have zero tolerance for.

[choccyhearts]

90's!Eddie Headcanons

Note: I always like imagining how Eddie would adapt with the 90's since it is lowkey very different from the 80's, so here's some random thoughts ^_^

CW:

Cut his hair around the beginning of the decade

I really couldn't tell you why my brain won't let this go, but I really believe that he would've thought that The Blair Witch Project was real (like not for a suuuper long time, but maybe before seeing it he would)

(But he would NOT have made that mistake again with Paranormal Activity in the 00's...totallyyyy...)

He prepared for Y2K "just in case"

He told the others that it was stupid and that people were all worked up over nothing

But did drag along a case of beans, beer and a first-aid kit with him to Steve's New Year's Eve party "just in case"

(He left his other favorite belongings in his van)

His precious van did sadly break down but that was okay cause he ended up just getting a new one instead :)

He refuses to not drive a van, honestly

Would maybe depart from that though if he had access to hearse

Despite being the rough around the edges metalhead he is, he would find a love for Britney Spears

Like ya know how today there's a collection of metalheads who love Carly Rae Jepsen and see her as their emotional support pop girly? That's what Britney is for him

Thought Scream was a masterpiece and forced the others to dress up as the characters with him for Halloween (you can take your guess as to who he was...)

(Stu, duh.)

Speaking of Halloween costumes, the older gang would also dress up as the Friends characters (because c'mon, these are yt ppl..) (He was Joey because he refused to be anyone else) (Yes him and Steve argued over it resulting in a coin toss to make the decision) (Steve was Ross)

He's def a Seinfeld>Friends kinda guy

He's also a Simpsons>Family Guy kinda guy

Fuckin' loves DunkAroos

Got lost at a Nirvana concert (this applies to both Rockstar!Eddie or regular Eddie)

Rockstar!Eddie and Corroded Coffin went on SNL

Eddie told Mike Myers he was hilarious but kept calling him "Michael" to be "respectful" (also cause he thought it was hilarious)

Got Adam Sandler's autograph for Steve

Isn't a fan of ICP or juggalos but can accept them from afar

(Is highkey thankful he went to high school in the 80's because otherwise he would've had some juggalos sitting at the Hellfire table)

Celebrated the beginning of his 30's with a bottle of champagne and a pack of DunkAroos

Would also mourn his 20s but not entirely

His first time using the Internet, he looked up porn

Not cause he was in the mood or anything, but just to see what was there

He's not allowed to use Steve's computer anymore

Embraced the younger ones' new phases :

Lucas styling himself after Will Smith in Fresh Prince (which btw not an Eddie hc but Lucas and Max dressed as Men in Black for Halloween on year, okay bye)

Max definitely embraced the grunge style of dress

El loving riot grrrl bands due to their boldness and unabashed expression of emotions (Eddie thinks it's badass)

The boys' love for video games surging due to history being made before their very eyes (Sonic, Crash, Super Mario 64, etc.)

Eddie gets high and watches Kevin Smith movies

Misses his long hair after watching Jay & Silent Bob :(

Likes Goosebumps books and collects them for his future children

The whole crew went to go see Space Jam expecting it to be really dumb and dopey

Everyone left with their lives changed

Forced Steve and Lucas to teach him basketball

It went exactly how you'd expect it go

Fell asleep watching Titanic at movie night

Freaked TFFF out when he got high and watched the Truman Show

Then let his fear subside and would make jokes

"Steve, move out of the way, you're blocking my good angle" *is staring at a plant pot*

Wants smoke with the Chucky doll

Tried growing out a small beard towards the end of the decade

Didn't really feel it, will try again in his 40s

Rockstar!Eddie bought Wayne a house in '95

Made sure the kitchen had lots of cupboard space

Eddie didn't cry until he was leaving after moving Wayne in

Wayne didn't cry until he started putting up picture frames of Eddie through out the years

Mechanic!Eddie saved up for a house for the two of them to rent

Either version Eddie got Wayne a black labrador

Wayne was your typical "I don't need a dog to worry about, messing up my furniture" type of man

They're attached at the hip after one day

"This Green Day isn't half bad"

Despite knowing that it isn't his first actual drink, Eddie is psyched to take Dustin out for his 21st birthday, just the two of them

Steve tracks them down, upset he wasn't the one to buy Dustin his first drink

Dustin doesn't even care as long as he isn't the one paying

This would be the decade that Eddie properly settles down with someone

Gets married early in the decade

Decides to have kids towards the end of the decade/early 00s

I'm gonna cap it here ^_^

[jase-is-ace]

Back into the Pit

Chapter 10: Harsh Reality

~~~

Twist sprinted across the creaky dirty gold floorboards, not daring to look back now.

Fresh blood still decorated her previously perfect gloves. The keepers roared behind her, she forced her legs to move even faster.

Pushing down the prominent ringing and pounding in her head.

It was so much harder to run in this form, which is funny considering cartoons could usually run faster than the speed of light.

That is when she rounded a corner and spotted a place, she never thought she would ever step foot in.

A little miracle station.

There was no more thinking, only a singular objective: get into that haven.

Twist nearly crashed into the door, desperately opening the door and scrambling in.

The toon shut the door just as the keepers rounded the corner.

They slowly patrolled the room, looking for the toon demoness, before moving to the next room to continue the search.

Twist exited the miracle station and quickly bolted the opposite way, deeper into the dark studio.

To the place she was most familiar with.

 

The moment she felt she had made a good distance away from the GENT building and the signal towers, her next objective was to patch herself up, grab some food, and then hopefully find her friend.

Should she?

Twist was not stupid; she now knew her previous suspicions about the little toon Bendy had been confirmed.

He was never hostile, but does that mean he was safe enough to be around?

Twist’s head still ached, thinking hurt.

She just reverted to her instinct to guide her instead.

Making her way to the little Devil lounge, she went into the back and raided the pantry cabinets.

The demoness had been starved, so it was no surprise that she had to restrain herself from gobbling up all the food, lest she wanted to reap the consequences later.

Satisfied with the meal, she stashed some bendy bars in her pocket for safe keeping in case she couldn’t find resources later.

Twist had torn off parts of decorative curtains to create makeshift bandages.

It’s not like the curtains made the place look any less threatening…

Now smaller than ever, Twist would have to rely on her stealth to survive, rather than brute force.

Luckily, she still recalled how to be as silent as possible and had no trouble sneaking past an Umpteen number of enemies.

The toon found themselves a nice place to rest, secluded away from the dangers of the studio that she was now prey to. To know now that she was no longer the predator but prey: the thought alone sent a shiver down her spine.

She has not felt true fear in such a long time.

Scrambling together a makeshift bed of blankets, she crawled in.

The adrenaline fading away and revealing just how exhausted and sore she was.

Groaning, she let her eyes shut and allowed the darkness to carry her off to a different reality within her own mind.

Away from Wilson, away from the constant threat of the keepers, away from the inky prison she would never actually escape.

Away from her bleak reality.

What a wonderful fantasy.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bendy had never really gotten used to being alone, but he found that distracting himself made it a little more bearable.

Constantly going on “treasure hunts” and finding new toys.

It made his hellish home a hint brighter. That was enough for him at least.

Until the day Wilson made a new announcement.

“Children of the Machine, I bring fantastic news. Both looming threats that haunted your steps have been eradicated.”

Bendy paused his game of building blocks to look up at the speaker.

“Rejoice, for I have not only banished away the Ink Demon, but the Demoness that ruled over as queen!” he shouted through the speaker.

Bendy’s eyes widened, dropping a block he was holding to the floor.

No.

Does that mean…

“Yes. I have killed the Ink demoness. The Queen of the puddles!”

No, no, no.

That can’t be right.

He knew about Twist? Bendy recalled a moment where she had expressed that not all inhabitants knew about her existence and mistook her for the Ink Demon.

“Not many of you have experienced the turmoil she brings since she mostly resided in a very secluded part of the studio. But she was an obstacle non the less.”

His words were drowned out by Bendy’s racing thoughts.

She’s gone.

Twist is gone.

His only real friend.

His only sense of belonging.

The little toon pulled out an item from his pocket.

His gift to her. The last time he saw her was when he gave it to her.

Bendy didn’t register his own sniffling,

How his throat tightened at the thought of never seeing her again.

How his vision blurred at the thought of never receiving her loving smile again.

How he hiccupped.

How he clutched the doll close to his chest.

His head fell and hit the floor with a harsh thud.

Bendy broke down.

All those months he had held onto what little hope he could.

That little light at the end of the tunnel, the hope that Twist would come back.

It all shattered in that one moment. Why did Wilson have to hurt him so much? Bendy couldn’t move. He didn’t even try. He was tired. So very tired.

The little toon had to move on.

He knew that very well. He lifted his head.

 

Keep pushing forward.

~~~

Chapter 9 / Chapter 11

[asymmetricallyanxious]

So! Since some people are clearly INCREDIBLY dense, let me make myself perfectly clear. If you are buying that game, I do not like you and you deserve to feel any and all guilt that decision brings you. :)

I do not condone death threats or any other harassment or hateful/violent speech towards any human being. However,,, letting someone know they are actively causing harm and by knowingly doing so have lost my respect and any trust/validity in my eyes is NOT harassment. It is simple fact.

I personally have never gone into anyone’s comments/reblogs/replies/etc. and shamed anyone. Ever. However… this is my blog and I hope all of you buying this racist bullcrap feel shamed and ashamed of yourself. I hope your experience with it is terrible. I hope you take one look at that disgusting excuse of a “plot” and vomit. I hope you learn from your mistakes and do better.

But if you don’t… you do not deserve my respect. It’s very simple. I feel like a lot of people have said this in much more descriptive terms than me, and I’m not looking to engage in discourse, so I’m not going to attempt to change your mind. I will say that if you are thinking of buying this game, and you’re feeling guilty? Good. You should feel guilty.

We are not children anymore. I would hope for everyone’s sake that we have grown the capacity for compassion and love of human beings. I would hope we have all learned to think critically and use kindness. But if you haven’t… you should do some self reflection, because blaming trans people for your guilt over a nasty decision YOU MADE is NOT OKAY.

I personally don’t care if you disagree. I personally don’t care if you’re an ignorant misogynistic racist transphobe. But DO NOT claim to be an ally and disregard it when it’s convenient to you. You do not get to spit in my face and tell me it’s raining. Shut the fuck up and go be a bigot elsewhere.

If you disagree do not argue with me… you will be blocked immediately and I will move on with my life secure in the knowledge that my worldview is not based on insecurity and vile hatred. I am actively working on being a mindful of others as I can. This does not make me weak or soft or stupid or whatever the fuck. This makes me actively stronger and smarter than any terf has ever been.

I will be blocking anyone who comments/replies/reblogs any stupid ass comments. If anyone wants to add their rants on this post feel free. I’m tired of this shit. I’m angry. It’s okay to be angry about other peoples harmful behavior. It’s okay to call them out. It’s also okay to block them when you get overwhelmed or sad at the state of this shitty world. I highly suggest playing the block game with any terf/idiot in the replies/reblogs. It’ll help you to just slap a ban hammer on them and move on. You will live rent free in their minds knowing they took time out of their day to reply and you didn’t bother responding. And you can move on and never think of them again!!

Anyway, to any of the many people being harmed by Rowling and her nasty terf cult. I love you. You’re allowed to be upset, but just remember this is ignorance and insecurity. None of this is your fault and you are beautiful. We are beautiful. Have a beautiful day lovelies! 💜

[zerocksout]

1. My first OC ever was from DBZ. A Saiyan named Magenta (Mah-Gen-tuh) who was taken from the planet she was meant to destroy and experimented on by a rogue scientist running from the Frieza Force.

2. Yes. It's a tie between my OC from TMNT, Aria, and Titan from TSAMS AU.

3. Yes. Her name was Chusi-Chu from the Sonic Verse. She was a Komodo Dragon with fire magic who loved motorcycles, strength based and loved hand to hand combat, and playing the drums.

4. ...His name was Twitch...and he was a cicada mutant who was a horrible flirt and had the energy of a child on a sugar high. He kidnapped cats and children because he had a soft spot for them but was VERY off putting about it.

5. Andromeda

6. I don't have that... yet...

7. Uh, Dancing Through Space currently.

8. Not anymore! I wouldn't mind doing it some day, though.

9. I might make an adoptable some day. But none of my current ones.

10. Andromeda and Twitch are the most complex designs. Twitch was a cicada mutant based on Cell from DBZ's base form with a little more cicada like features. Andromeda is the first DCA OC I ever made with a bunch of tiny stars peppered all over her casing and rays and most of them were individually dotted on there.

11. Andromeda and Chusi-Chu

12. I don't have favorites. I love them all.

13. Twitch.

14. Between Aria and Magenta, I'd say they're equal in their own way. They were both kidnapped young and experimented on. Both managed to escape in young adult age. The difference is Magenta healed. Aria never did. She lived her life seeking vengeance and while she tried to love and move on, she had a lot of rage issues and tended to lash out a lot due to the trauma.

15. Yes. I really do. I don't mind discussing, explaining, answering questions and even going through various scenarios.

16. Titan

17. OC x OC? No. OC x Canon Characters?

Aria x Leonardo

Magenta x Piccolo (Platonic love/bbfs)

Or Magenta x Broly

Andromeda x Kill Code

18. Yes.

Aria x Raphael (they actually butt heads)

Aria x Donatello (if he wasn't big bro material)

Zevina x Sonic (she thinks he's stupid)

Andromeda x Titan (if he wasn't a jerk)

Andromeda x Eclipse

Titan x Solar

Titan x Earth (LMAO)

19. Zevina from Sonic verse. She had a little bit of everything that I enjoy and was a bit of a self insert. She didn't pair with anyone, didn't want anyone. She adopted two small kids as her siblings and cared for them. She was headstrong, independent and homeless. She just coasted through life and did whatever it took to protect her younger siblings. Zevina was my first and only Jack of All Trades and enjoyed life to the fullest. She was perfect and spunky and I'm SO MAD the Sonic verse was so TOXIC because I'll never play her again.

20. I am a theater kid. Almost all my OCs sing. Zevina's voice was based on the lead singer of Dorothy. Andromeda is based on Ekaterina Shelehova.

21. Aria liked to draw and paint.

22. Aria and Twitch. Aria was often mistaken for someone who is demure and weak. She's vicious... Twitch is often mistaken for a feral monster. He's just a feral toddler who wants friends.

23. Andromeda was the biggest change. She was actually meant to be the lead singer of a band at a strip club that goes out of business. Her and the band get sold to FazCo but she's the only one who got fixed up and becomes the new animatronic in charge of Bonnie Bowl which would have been renamed Striking Stars. She also was first designed to have hair like Roxy does but it was gonna be silver and flat and shoulder length.

24. Aria. So I could give her a hug and apologize.

25. Uh...Aria when she was human before she got mutated.

26. No. Never. I've never allowed someone to go 'I don't like that, change it.' I've said: You could scroll along and look away or you can block me. Ain't changing sh*t for anyone but for me.

27. Some of them were, actually. Andromeda was inspired by Loves Goes On and On by Amy Lee and Lindsey Sterling. Titan was inspired by So Cold by Breaking Benjamin. Aria was inspired by my Avenged Sevenfold playlist, especially Buried Alive. Magenta was inspired by Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin. Zevina was inspired by Geronimo by Sheppard. Twitch was inspired by Sandstorm.

28. Oof...Aria and Twitch are tied again. Aria for her anger and strength. Twitch because while he is a giant mutant child he's still a mutant and he CAN and HAS devoured people. Granted, they were bad people. But he's actually very lethal and unpredictable.

29. Titan.

30. Magenta. Saiyans don't need such things. They're warriors. But that's gonna stop her from collecting all of the food themed plushies and squirreling them away.

31. Out of all of them, Andromeda would definitely have a tumblr. She'd be taking a lot of nature pictures and posting them. She'd follow other nature based accounts and compliment each one she really liked and make a folder of saved photos. She'd also post a few pictures of the tree house with the twins running around in them. Andromeda would also take a lot of pictures of bugs and post videos of different spiders she'd find.

32. A tie between Titan and Magenta because they're the most level headed out of the bunch and won't freeze up under pressure. They'd be heavy into inventory and remembering where they came from not to mention actually paying attention to lore/information AND enemy patterns.

33. Aria.

34. Not...yet? It's a thought.

35. Zevina adopted Chusi-Chu as her sister.

36. Ahahaha yeah. Titan and Andromeda. Andromeda is dating Kill Code. Titan is a sad, strange metal man.

37. ...... NEITHER OF Y'ALL ARE HUMAN.

38. Andromeda (well she's programmed so...) Aria.

39. Well the ladies got introduced (even Twitch), so hiiii...this is Titaaaan... He's smart but he's got the emotional span of a teaspoon. He's very handy and is the Moon of his dimension. A security bot by night. Mechanic by day. He's very stoic and serious about his work. His emotional matrix needs some work. I hope he grows a bit. I think he could have been very sweet if he didn't prioritize work over building connections with others.

40. No. They're all spontaneous OCs that actually made it out alive of my headspace and into the real world. They're the lucky few.

41. A friend made a hand drawing of Magenta in high school. I still have it. My spouse made art of Aria and Zevina a few years ago :3 and my header is fanart! (The artist who made the header is tagged on my pinned!) So I have 4! And I cherish them SO SO SO MUCH! My serotonin 💕

42. Aria was into biology and history. Specifically marine biology and ancient history. She did this for fun to keep her mind busy and 'zen' to occupy her mind. Greek and Roman history were actually her favorite subjects.

43. Cute, feminine and lashes. But strong. Absolutely can curb stomp a bitch while looking pretty. Also the color purple. Magenta had...well... magenta-ish hair leaning to the purple-blue side. Zevina was an eggplant purple hedgehog. Aria had amethyst colored eyes. Andromeda has purple peppered on her frame. They all sing in some way. Aria and Andromeda dance. Magenta only hummed.

Titan and Twitch are tall AF.

44. While they have some similarities, they're each their own person in some way. They each hold a different part of me yet have taken a life of their own.

45. Callista (Zevina's other sister) she just kinda fell to the way side and never really took off. She was going to be a mage but I got side tracked by focusing on Zevina.

46. I was told I bullied Aria a lot. I mean. A LOT. And I look back on it and just get a thousand yard stare and think: Yeaaah.....I wouldn't change a thing.

47. Yes. Twitch. And I just had to ask. W H Y?!

48. ✨ Andromeda ✨

49. Aria. To cope with her stress, trauma and anger.

50. Aria: If I had the chance to switch my life and experiences with my younger sister, I'd go through this hell again. I'd rather go through it a thousand times if it meant keeping her safe. Master Splinter keeps telling me that: The challenges we face in this life can either mold us into a stronger being or break us into a creature of despair and anger. Healing takes time and energy. It's up to me to use that energy wisely.

Sometimes, it's hard to face my inner demons. I still have nightmares from being stuck in that underground cell...from all the experiments. The horrors I saw...

But then...I look at Master Splinter. At Leo. Don. Mikey. Maybe Raph... Heh. Maybe not just for my sister but for them -- I'd do it again.

I guess pain is a necessary evil and a part of life if you wanna get to the good stuff. (She is in love with Leonardo but will never speak on it because she knows she's not mentally capable yet and I was getting close to her breakthrough before she left the planet to stay with the Utroms/I stopped RPing TMNT)

Some OC questions

[asoulofatlantis]

I guess Van is set on helping her. He really is actually such a softie XD

Yume basically things they should take in the Twins XD Should we tell them they are Enforcers? Than again, maybe they won't stay in that position for long, given their current situations ^^'

We have Van and Agnes out for Vans usuall late night stroll and then we get the confession scene. I will make that one short tho... as in I won't show many pictures of it, otherwise I have a few words to say about it XD

But first let me tell you that these two rode a Ferris wheel together. (It odd that this isn't leading to anything given how the Cold Steel Girls wanted to badly to do that with Rean... but I guess Van just really doesn't look at Agnes in that way.)

Oh my, I forgot we were also at the garden. Nothing too big usually happens there tho. Just the Enforcers being teasers XD

Haarwood was giving the Professor a hard time. I do wonder what that might mean tho:

I've watched the whole scene and I still do not know what Harwoods actions have to do with that comment.

Ulrica or whatever her name is the new Influencer... uh... I mean Enforcer has apparently been chosen by Vita. And given her past as "Misty" it somehow does make a lot of sense ^^'

It takes a lot of strength and determination to do this. Especially when you know your chances aren't that high to begin with.

All in all Van was really gentle with her. Careful to make sure she understands that she is important to him but... just not in that way. He also makes it clear that he understands that Agnes coming into his life was his reason for finding so many people that joined the ASO and even that it was possible for him to fix his relationship with Rene and Elaine. He even brought up how she was responsible for bringing him back, when he was in his demon form. He really leaves no room for believing he doesn't care about her at all and I really appreciate that.

However...

I wasn't expecting to get all teary eyed given I am watching this the second time.

And here lies his biggest mistake. He was not denying any feelings for Elaine but he also said he wasn't sure what to do with their relationship given the circumstances, which obviously wasn't a clear "I love Elaine and I want to be together with her" - kind of rejection and while you might assume he didn't say that out of consideration for the relationship that Agnes and Elaine have, it still was an far too open answer in that regard. And to top it off, as you can see here what he tells her end with a "right now". Guys! "Right now" as in there could be a chance at some later point. He did not overall complete reject her yet. And that is so super stupid!

Agnes ends up literally saying that her mother took 12 years to convince her father to love her and she might as well try that approach as well and that is EXACTLY what should not have happened. He should have clearly rejected her forever and thus allow her to cry herself to sleep for 2 and a half days (her word, not mine XD) but than finally, slowly but surely move freaking on.

We've talked about this yesterday when Rixia got her proposal. She and everyone in Lloyds and Reans harem will never get into a position of having a loving partner, wedding or children of their own because being part of the Harem blocks them from that forever. And while all our girls are very strong and independent woman who might be happy without a man and kids, this is surely not the case for all of them, but the game makes no difference between the ones that might feel accomplished and happy with their live how it is now and the ones who yearn for love and a family. They will all be stuck forever in Limbus. And Agnes, as there is no harem here but a canon-choice could have gotten out of that Limbus and find herself a future. Instead... Van gave her an answer that encouraged her to get her hopes up and wait for him forever and thus she too will be stuck in Limbus unnecessarily. I am not happy with that.

Other than that, I guess the scene was good and well done. Van might regret his decision later tho... just saying... *achem*

I take a short pause and then we will look at the Ouroboros Episodes from the Garden.

Edit: You know what? I don't have time for this. I don't react to the star doors. I watch them when I play the game myself.