#do you even know where the countries you're talking about are on a map?

[cytser]

so tired of white saviours and historical (not even historical in some cases) revisionism on this website. don't just reblog something because it sounds snappy and crossed your dashboard. actually RESEARCH the political topics you're posting about to make sure you're not supporting, say, genocide and ethnic cleansing.

i'm sick to death of you all making everything about america. can you decenter yourselves for five minutes? just long enough to listen to people who live in the countries impacted by world events?

do you even care about other countries or do you just want to make yourself feel better about doing nothing? you shout and scream for things to change but can't even take the time to educate yourselves from reliable sources outside of tumblr/tiktok/whatever.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Lineup of all of the characters that appear long enough to need a visual representation of them in the game lol

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Yandere Hitman // Accident

Imagine you wake up tied to a chair ducktape over your mouth and the weight of gravity weighing on your chest. Finally gaining your bearings you realize you are haphazardly hanging from a rickety-looking bridge above a raging river by a man in a black compression shirt a bored look on his face and a phone to his ear. You don’t try to struggle only watching wide-eyed as you hope this Hitman doesn’t drop you 

“Really…the wrong one? Fine, I’ll figure it out.”

Breathing is so much easier when he pulls you from the edge with one hand by the way. He doesn’t untie you sighing exasperatedly while running a hand through his hair. Finally, he takes the ducktape off your mouth waving off your barrage of questions. 

“Look things happened and I was supposed to kill someone who looks a lot like you but not.”

“So you're a hitman and you made a mistake?”

“Yup.”

“Are you going to kill me for knowing you then?”

“I don’t have to.”

“Then can I go home?”

“Er no.”

“Because I’m going to talk?”

“No more like you wouldn’t be able to get into the country anyway.”

Turns out the hitman who happened to target you was incredibly too thorough and ended up burning your ID, crafting up a reasonable missing persons case for you, and making it hard for you to do anything in the country that you can’t properly even find on a map. So to combat the absolute mess of having to go through all the legalese and interrogation you’d go through to get back to your life he comes up with his solution.

“How about you just stay with me? I’ve got more than enough room.”

And he does. It's a place that’s like a small castle, he reasons it’s best that you just help clean the place and maybe make a meal or two. You accept not that you had any other choice at this point so he’ll untie you and take you there. Wherever this backwater country is he’s got a home filled with villagers who are happy to care for it. And in a language you don’t recognize they celebrate it when he brings you home, cheering and excitedly holding your hands. He can’t help but laugh at you while you try to figure things out.

“Hey! What was she saying before?”

“You really shouldn’t just blindly nod to what people are saying. That’s what gets you in trouble.”

“What else am I supposed to do?! She was smiling so wide it must’ve been something nice, right?”

“Hahaha, you're hopelessly adorable.”

When this Hitman is not sitting around laughing at you or mistranslating your requests, he’s not so bad. As the only one who understands what you’re saying and can actually respond to you in a rewarding way. Dismissing that he ruined your everyday life, he’s decent company usually smirking to himself while he makes fun of whatever you're doing. 

“That hat is way too big for you and so are your clothes. It’s kinda cute.”

“It’s not cute! For whatever reason nobody will give me anything other than your clothes it’s really inconvenient.”

“How do you know they're mine?”

“Because they smell like–”

“Awwww are you smelling me in your free time (Y/n)?”

“NO! Wait it’s just an observation—”

“Ewww so perverted (Y/n)~”

When he’s not around to mess with you, he’s off to work. Wearing those same tight-fitted pants he did when you first woke up. It’s…a little sad sometimes. He is the only one you can easily communicate with but you manage to enjoy the thousands of books he has in his home, hang out with the kittens of the farm, and slowly but surely get a grasp on the language all the villagers speak. Maybe one day you can surprise him by being able to call him out the next time he tries to humiliate you to the villagers. It certainly keeps you occupied from thinking about going home anytime soon.

“That’s another body in the ground. Where’s my money?”

The hitman once again casually dismembers another target for his client, taking a quick picture before hurrying to the store. You did say you were a fan of a certain gaming system, he’s got more than enough to spend now that he’s completed another job. Not that he really needed to that amount he had could very well pay for the entire lives of generations to come. That is if he hasn’t budgeted for a luxurious life with you.

“Mmm, which one should I get? Hmm?”

“Oh, are you interested in some of our AAA titles?”

“Not for me but for my partner….I’m just worried they’ll leave me and our kids out while playing.”

“Well if you like we have some lighthearted multiplayer games.”

“That’s perfect!”

He does plan as though you already have kids. He doesn’t need to know if you two will conceive with him or adopt but it doesn’t matter it’s happening. Because to him, you two are already bound to be happily married—all according to his plan. He’s just glad it’s going off so far without a hitch.

“Hi I’m back!”

“Welcome welcome hope everything went well for you chief!”

“How are their studies coming?”

“Decent but they’ll never fully be able to grasp the codes, just as you planned.”

“Perfect. (Y/n) they’re saying you should be the one to massage me this time.”

“What?! There is no way they said that.”

Your hitman’s greatest power is his nonchalant attitude. It’s what allows you to accept that it was his carelessness that led to you being targeted in the first place. It’s what have you not looking twice when ‘the villager’ demands you both feed each other. It might take a while before you fully become the you–he envisioned in his plans but he can wait.

After all your hitman’s waited this long. He doesn’t mind waiting a little more.

“Don’t think too much and let’s just let fate that I’ve chosen decide.”

[ckret2]

Chapter 56 of human Bill Cipher probably not about to be the Mystery Shack's prisoner much longer:

Bill and Mabel wrap up their impromptu lesson on the second dimension, while Ford and Dipper wrap up their final preparations for Bill's execution.

Dipper peeked in through the door to the gift shop. When no one acknowledged him, he cautiously meandered across the living room toward Ford, straight between Bill and Mabel without either of them glancing at him; they were too caught up in Bill answering Mabel's question about how to see through walls with the fourth dimension.

When Dipper was nearly out of the room, Bill suddenly focused on him. "Hey stinky, what have you been up to?"

Dipper jumped. "What?"

Mabel laughed. "Yeah! You smell like burning hair."

"You smell like nightmares," Bill corrected.

Ford muttered a curse under his breath. Ford hadn't noticed a smell, but Dipper's soul had fallen into the Nightmare Realm—did its distinctive scent still cling to him? Would Bill realize what it meant? If he did—

Dipper swallowed hard. "I... was... having a nightmare?"

Bill considered that. "Ask a stupid question..." He shrugged and turned back to the grid he'd been adding notes to.

Dipper sighed in relief. He joined Ford in the entryway to watch the lesson in bafflement. Under his breath, he murmured, "Has this been going on a while?"

"At least the last fifteen minutes." That was how long Ford had been watching. He'd learned a couple things about higher dimensional physics even he hadn't known.

"Wait," Mabel said, "Bill, I get it! You don't look through walls, you look over them!"

Bill's face split into a wide grin. "Explain it!"

"It's like, if I was floating above the second dimension, I could just see over all the walls! But Flatworlders don't even know what 'above' is, so they'd think I was looking through the walls somehow! So there's got to be some kind of fourth dimensional place 'above' the third dimension, right?!"

"On the money, star girl! Give yourself another sticker!"

"YES!" She'd run out of facial real estate for stickers, so she slapped it on her headband.

Bill beamed proudly at her. "How come your brother's the one with the straight A's, huh? You could blow him out of the water if you wanted."

Mabel's smile immediately disappeared.

Dipper hissed between his teeth. "Oooh." Under his breath, he said, "Mabel hates people saying things like that. I should go rescue her." He crept back into the room. "Hey! Bill!"

Mabel turned toward Dipper. Bill only glanced askance at him. Flatly, he asked, "What."

"Uh..." Dipper skimmed the papers coating the room for anything that he could talk about, and focused on the ringed planet behind the TV. He pointed at it. "Is... that Flatworld?"

Bill shrugged apathetically. "Sure, you can call it that."

"Why are all the countries off the planet?"

"Do you think we lived underground?"

Mabel perked up. "Dipper! The shapes live in outer space! In between their home planet and the planet's rings! They only use the planet for vacations and underground science buildings and stuff."

Dipper asked, "Underground science buildings?"

Bill sighed and turned away from the grid, giving Dipper a look that said I'll give you my attention, but I won't like it. "Research facilities. Like wave pools, particle accelerators, and solar farms. Gigantic equipment like that is more stable anchored in bedrock."

(Ford remembered, suddenly, over thirty years ago, Bill telling him that he ought to dig out a subterranean cavern for the interdimensional portal. "A big machine like this," he'd said, "you want that anchored on all sides by solid rock. It'll be a lot more stable that way." Ford had never dreamed that was a trillion-year-old cultural artifact from a dead civilization.)

Still studying the map, Dipper asked, "How do you tell where your country's borders are if you're just floating in empty space?"

"How do you?"

"We use... rivers, and..."

"And sometimes you just make them up. It's not that complicated."

"Were they all as oppressive as the country in Flatworld?"

Bill gave Dipper a withering look. "This isn't a politics class, kid."

(Ford cast a dubious look at the blood-red letters reading "ANTI-MONARCHIST ANARCHISM".)

Dipper scowled, crossed his arms, and looked over the map again. "But, wait—if you were floating in outer space, and you could just... float up and down between your planet's surface and the ring, then why isn't there anything further out than that? What was stopping you from floating all the way to that moon?" He gave Bill a challenging look, as though he'd uncovered a logical fallacy that undermined the whole map.

Bill rolled his open eye. "This is what you get for coming late to class." He pointed his crayon at his star student. "Shooting Star?"

"They did float all the way to the moon!"

Dipper's shoulders dropped. "Oh."

"It was a big extreme sports bragging rights thing," Mabel said. "Like climbing Mount Everest! Except first you have to get through the rings without dying! And it'd take like thirty years to fly there and thirty years to get back!"

"Approximating the human years," Bill said.

"So they couldn't go until they invented cars, because they're fast enough to get through the rings without getting hit and it only takes a year to drive to the moon, but that means you still have to carry enough supplies for two years, and—"

"Hold on," Dipper said. "Cars?"

"Yeah!"

"But there's no ground! They're flying around in the air! They don't have wheels, do they? What makes a car different from a rocket ship?"

"Um..." Mabel looked to Bill for help.

Bill said, "Firepower." He drew a rocket sailing up toward the moon at an angle, its fiery trail cutting through the planet's rings. After a thoughtful pause, Bill added, "I know a guy that used to work at an observatory on the far side of the moon."

Dipper said, "So what happened to your world?"

And there was that hesitance, that guarded look Ford had remembered seeing whenever Bill got too close to teaching Ford enough for him to recognize the danger to his dimension. He turned away from the kids, busying himself with refining the shape of the moon. "Do the math. I'm over a trillion years old! Stars burn out, universes go cold. Your planet will barely last twelve billion years. That's the way planets go."

"Well, if you're so powerful, why didn't you just—I dunno—keep it alive?"

The crayon snapped in Bill's hand.

Mabel gave her brother an irritated look—"Dipper, don't be mean,"—but it turned to a worried look when Bill rounded sharply on them both.

Bill snapped, "Who says I didn't, smart aleck?"

"Wh—I—"

"It is alive, thanks for asking. I made sure of that."

"Then where is it—?"

"Do you think I let you sit in here so you could ask stupid questions?" Bill planted a fist on his hip and pointed toward the door. "All you've done is derail the lesson and bring up stuff we covered three hours ago. Scram, kid."

"What—? But..." Dipper looked to Mabel for help.

Mabel shrugged. Dipper sighed, got up, and trudged out of the living room to join Ford in the entryway, giving him a forlorn look as he did.

Ford muttered, "I used to get kicked out of classes for challenging the teacher, too."

Dipper snorted. "Did he ever kick you out of class?"

Ford thought. "No—but why would he? He needed me to think I was his star student."

Although one time Bill had woken Ford up at two in the morning in the middle of a dream during the portal's construction, because Ford had forgotten some measurements he'd taken in the basement and he hadn't left his notes somewhere one of Bill's eyes could see them. And then, once Ford had retrieved his notes, the irritation of being woken had prevented him from falling back asleep and returning to his Muse.

They'd laughed about it the next night.

"Do you think his world does still exist?" Dipper asked.

Ford shook his head. "The Oracle said he destroyed his dimension himself in his pursuit of power. I trust her more than him."

They stood outside watching as Mabel asked Bill if there was any way for a normal human to see into the fourth dimension without busting their eyeballs. Bill started illustrating a way to grind glass to refract light from several minutes in the future, before abandoning it halfway completed to start explaining to Mabel how regular three-dimensional refraction worked. Ford recognized the unfinished illustration. Bill had included it in his miniature grimoire, too.

Voice low, Ford murmured, "You can't tell your sister we're ready."

Dipper nodded. "She'll be heartbroken."

Ford remembered having the exact same thought that morning. He squeezed Dipper's shoulder. "I suppose I won't be going with her to that concert in Portland tomorrow."

####

"... and that," Bill concluded, "is why the Time Giants banned sixth-dimensional tourism. But by then the damage was done—which is why there's only one survivor left."

Laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, Mabel said, "I'll never see balloons the same way again."

"Nobody ever does." Bill clicked shut his marker and dropped it on Mabel's chest. "So that covers the last fifty billion years of local politics! Did that answer your question?"

Mabel paused. "I don't remember my question."

"Good. I don't either." Bill sat on the floor beside Mabel and crossed his legs. "Anyway, you owe me fifty grand. All the info I gave you today is worth at least a year of college classes on this planet."

"Pssh, yeah right!" She paused. She sat up. "Wait. Really?"

"I might've skipped a few names and dates and formulas—but sure! We covered all the important stuff!" Smugly, he said, "So, still think I think you're dumb?"

Mabel stared at him, and then around the room at all the papers coating the walls, covered in Bill's handwriting. "You did all this just to prove I'm smart?"

"You proved you're smart. I got a captive audience for the afternoon. Quid pro quo!" Bill grinned. "I wasn't kidding earlier! You've got twice the brains of any of the other morons you'll share a classroom with. I'm surprised it's your brother on the honor roll instead of you."

Mabel's smile faded. Oh. "Yeah," she grumbled, pulling her knees to her chest. "You and everyone else." This wasn't much better than Bill thinking she was stupid: now he had expectations for her.

She'd heard it a million times, any time she did anything intelligent. You're so smart too, why aren't your grades better? Why don't you make grades like your brother?

Because Mabel liked art, music, motion, and stories (and usually not even the stories they read in English class); and Dipper liked—or at least was good at—math, science, and history. Because Mabel's brain fuzzed over with TV static when she tried to read a textbook, and the static got louder the more she was forced to reread it to "study"; whereas Dipper could read a chapter once, retain everything that mattered, and then skim it a second time right before a test to remind himself of the important names and dates. Because Mabel's bulb was just as bright as Dipper's, but hers had faulty wiring, making it flicker on and off outside her control; and she could only get it to glow steadily for things her brain was interested in; and she couldn't choose what her brain was interested in; and school wasn't on that list.

But how did she explain that when her parents were disappointed in her C+ test because Dipper came home with an A? When they told her she just needed to apply herself, how did she explain she was already applying herself five times harder than Dipper and still trailing behind him when the whole family knew she had just as much brains as him? It might have been easier if she actually was stupid. At least then they'd know she was doing her best. But she wasn't doing her best.

She got it from everyone. From her parents, day in and day out; from aunts, uncles, and grandparents; from teachers she'd taken by surprise with a particularly passionate essay; sometimes even from friends. Why aren't you making A's like your brother? So why shouldn't she hear it even from Bill Cipher.

Bill leaned back in surprise when Mabel curled in on herself. "What? I'm calling you smart, kid. Most humans like that."

Mabel shook her head, pouting at the floor. "Forget it. It just—it doesn't matter what my stupid grades are, all right?"

He stared at her in bafflement for a moment; and then said, with a tone of growing horror, "Oh. Ohhh. I sound like your dad."

She hated how much he knew about their home lives. She never knew when he was going to reveal he'd combed through one of her most shameful memories. "Just forget it," she repeated. "I just don't make grades like Dipper, okay?"

"Kid, I didn't mean it like that. I..." Bill floundered for a moment. It was weird to see him struggling for words. He leaned forward, cheek in hand, putting himself eye level with Mabel. "You know—I don't think I'm fond of your brother."

That dragged a small laugh out of Mabel. "Really? You hide it so well."

"I know! I'm a real gentleman," he said. "So when I say 'hey, why aren't you getting A's,' I'm not saying you should be more like him, ugh. I just want to watch the alpha twin trounce that little nerd."

She laughed louder. "Bill! Be nice, that's my brother!"

"And you have my eternal sympathy."

"Bill!" She punched his arm. "I don't want to compete with him, though. Even if I try a zillion times harder, I'll never get grades as good as his." She sighed loudly. But Bill was watching her, full attention on her face, expectant, so she continued: "I don't want to be a slightly worse Dipper, I just... want to be a really good Mabel! And—and maybe a really good Mabel is just okay at school. It's fine if I just... graduate with C's and go to some boring local college to get a boring degree for a boring job... while Dipper goes to some... big, fancy stupid technical college... or..." She trailed off, chin in her hands, staring at the carpet.

"Or while he gets private tutoring from some genius with too many PhDs?" Bill said wryly.

Mabel didn't answer, trying to swallow around the lump in her throat. "I know he wouldn't have actually left me behind."

Bill grimaced, sucking in a breath between his teeth. "Yeeeah, no, he would have," he said. "Sorry, kid. If it weren't for Weirdmageddon, he'd have taken the apprenticeship."

Mabel's stomach flipped. "Oh."

"So, you're welcome," Bill said.

Mabel socked him again, more seriously.

Bill just laughed. "Hey—if it helps, he woulda been worse off for it! He made the right choice sticking with you."

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?" He paused. "Poor choice of words. I'm not lying to you. He'll be better off suffering through a middle-upper-class Californian high school beside you than he ever woulda been hiding in the woods catching gnomes in butterfly nets."

She nodded. That was some comfort. Even if, in another life, apparently Dipper would've ditched her.

Bill gave her one of those long, piercing looks he sometimes did; and then he nudged her. "Hey. Don't worry about school—that's your parents talking, not you. And don't worry about what your brother does. Let him bust his butt at a big stupid technical college! Flunk every class and draw flowers on the SAT bubble sheet! You'll have plenty of your own things going on, and your dumb grades won't matter for any of them—"

Mabel flung her arms around Bill. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey. You're gonna be fine, kid." He leaned his head on Mabel's, one shut eye pressed to the crown of her head. "I—know it's hard. But you'll be fine."

She didn't know how he could know it was hard. He already knew everything, it wasn't like he ever had to worry about grades. But—the fact that he cared (that he cared) meant a lot. "Thank you."

"Buuut, if you ever decide you do want to be an honor roll kid, call me up! I can give you some advice."

Warily, Mabel asked, "Study tips?"

"No way! What a waste of time!" Bill rolled his eyes. "But I can teach you how to cheat."

####

After Ford told Stan and Soos the news about the Dontium, he headed downstairs to fuel up his Quantum Destabilizer. It had been waiting on a worktable in his study for weeks, the corded power adaptor Fiddleford had made plugged in where it usually took fuel, its empty fuel tank laying nearby.

Fiddleford had said the adaptor he'd invented only gave the destabilizer enough power to act like a common laser—not enough to completely destroy matter and energy. It was insufficient for the job at hand. Ford unplugged the power adaptor, carefully coiled it up, and slid it into a storage pocket in the destabilizer's carrying case.

He picked up the fuel tank, retrieved the milk jug of NowUSeeitNowUDontium, and poured it into the tank, eyes never wavering from the jug until every drop had been poured inside and the tank re-sealed. He triple checked the destabilizer's safety before he plugged in the fuel tank. Then he put the destabilizer in the carrying case as well, and shut and latched it.

As he headed toward the door, Ford spied Flatworld laying on his desk—Dipper must have left it downstairs. He picked it up... and then sat down, studying the cover. It showed a square with arms and legs peering through a telescope.

How much did the book really matter? The kids must have cracked open something in Bill's psyche by reading this book, with how talkative he'd been today—Ford suspected he'd learned more about Bill's world in less than thirty seconds of staring at the crayon drawings in the living room than he had in all the years he'd known him. He itched again to start recording revelations in his journal.

Would Bill have been this forthright years ago, if Ford had remembered more about the book then and asked about it? Or was Bill only willing to share so much because the Pines already knew the truth about his cruel intentions and he had nothing more to hide? No, that couldn't be it—just a year ago, long after he'd revealed his plans, Bill had been willing to guardedly confess to Ford that he'd "liberated" his dimension, but nothing more. The only descriptor he'd given of it was "flat." He hadn't even shown Ford an accurate illustration of his home world.

Then was it because he'd died since then—a ghost desperate to share his life story before he dissipated completely? Or was it just because Mabel had asked?

If Bill had been honest when he'd said he wanted to be Ford's friend... then, Ford supposed, it was possible Bill was also sincere in caring for Mabel. No, Ford was sure that was sincere. How many times had he seen Bill lost in thought, staring at the friendship bracelet she'd given him?

Ford idly flipped through Flatworld, choosing a passage at random to read, wondering how much he'd remember.

SQUARE. Most illustrious Sir, I can observe plainly that you are a Circle, though I know not by what magical means you have found an ingress into my dreams. Would your Lordship deign to satisfy the curiosity of one who wishes to know the identity of his esteemed Visitor?

SPHERE. Your question is more difficult than you may realize. To begin with, I am not a Circle, but rather a Sphere, the definition of which I shall explain to you in due time; and you, my humble pupil, if you exercise the full extent of your intellectual and rhetorical capacity, I hope shall be the Square who changes Flatworld. 

SQUARE. Your Lordship both honors and confuses me. I shall strive to be worthy of your high estimation, but I am naught but a mere Quadrilateral and know not how I could contain the potential to achieve such a feat.

SPHERE. I see I have gotten ahead of myself. I shall explain the purpose of my visit. I hope to find in you—as being a man of sense and an accomplished mathematician—a fit prophet to receive the Gospel of Higher and Lower Dimensions, which I am allowed to preach to only one brilliant mind in a century. 

SQUARE. Pardon me, my Lord, if I am speaking blasphemously in my ignorance; but would not a messenger from beyond this Plain who delivers Gospels to Prophets be better described as an Angel?

SPHERE. You may refer to me as an "Angel" if you so wish, as my nature is not so different from the creature you call such. However, I have come not to offer a revelation of the truth of the Higher Dimensions, but to bless you with the inspiration to discover the truth for yourself. In this manner, I am less like unto an Angel than I am to a Muse—

Ford threw the book on the floor.

####

When Ford headed back upstairs, he resolved to tear down all Bill's crayon drawings and throw them away, lest he give into the temptation to waste the rest of Journal 5's pages meticulously cataloguing them.

But when he reached the living room, the walls were bare, with no sign the papers had ever been there aside from some stray crayon marks and a little extra damage to the wallpaper where the tape had peeled up, and a faint smell of smoke.

Ford followed the smell into the kitchen. There was a cast iron skillet on the dark stove, embers and the last few strands of smoke trailing up from it. Bill was sitting at the kitchen table in the dark, staring out into the night, nursing what looked like the second cider can of the night.

"What's all this?" Ford asked.

Without turning around, Bill said smugly, "I knew you'd be back to try to get those papers."

"Wh—? I was coming to throw them away."

"In the middle of the night?" Bill scoffed. "Please."

Ford frowned at the skillet. Well. Temptation removed, just like he'd wanted. Although a petty part of him was miffed that now Bill thought he'd been coming to rummage through his detritus for secrets about his home world, rather than seeing Ford confidently throw it in the trash. "How did you get the stove on?"

"Oh, is it on?" Bill asked innocently.

Ford double checked. It was not, and the knobs to operate it were still removed. But it radiated heat as though it had been; Bill hadn't just dropped the papers in the skillet and ignited them there. (Which would have been an entirely new concern.) Ford checked the cabinet where they kept the stove knobs—all still there. If he asked Bill how he'd achieved that, he'd probably just profess ignorance.

Fine, Ford had plenty of other questions he wanted to ask. "How long have you been able to levitate objects?"

"You mean like this?" Bill lifted his empty cider can, tapped it twice with his index finger, and left it suspended in midair.

"Yes, like that."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I can't do that," Bill said.

Ford sighed in frustration. "Was it the eclipse? You said you were—what was it, 'better at floating' than us? Did it... unlock something? Or have you always been able to do this?"

"This is what I used to like about you, Stanford. You're so curious. You come up with the most interesting connections between things. Sometimes connections I'd never thought of! And you keep—asking—questions. Even when nobody answers you." He finished his second can, used both hands to crush it, and left it floating in the air next to the first. "You used to be such a good student."

You used to be such a good teacher, he wanted to shoot back—but that was a lie. Bill had never been a good teacher, he'd just pretended to be one.

He'd been a good teacher to Mabel today.

Why isn't he always a good teacher? Why had he chosen to be a poor facsimile when he could have chosen to be the real deal? Why hadn't he been better? Why hadn't he been better? Why did they always seem to have these conversations in the middle of the night?

"Why are you..." Ford spread his hands helplessly, gesturing at all of Bill, everything he'd ever done—golden god of infinite wisdom, poisoned by lies and cruelty, trapped in a slowly rotting body. "Why are you like this."

Ford wasn't expecting Bill to get out of his seat and round on him so fast. He didn't even see the blow coming before Bill punched him.

Ford seized Bill's wrist and only barely caught himself before he broke it.

Bill didn't even acknowledge Ford's grip. "I'm so sick of you." His voice was hard as iron. "If you ever ask me that again, I'll burn down this shack with all of us inside."

Ford stared at Bill. He let go of his wrist.

Bill silently swept around Ford and out of the kitchen.

"I'm sorry."

Bill's footsteps fell silent. After a moment, he muttered, "Might've overreacted."

Something about the grudging not-apology hit Ford harder than a proper apology ever would have. He remained standing in the kitchen until long after Bill had gone upstairs.

The cans had fallen at some point during Bill's departure. Ford knelt to pick them up. Experimentally, he tapped one twice, and let it go.

It fell to the floor again.

It occurred to him that, depending on what happened tomorrow, those might have been the last words he'd ever say to Bill.

####

Bill shuffled to his sleep spot under the attic window, flopped unsteadily onto the cushions, pulled Journal 4 from its hiding spot, and carefully stuck the gold star Mabel had given him earlier that day to one of its pages.

And then he filled half a page with all the things he should have screamed at Ford.

####

Mabel came into the bedroom, shut the door—it had been patched earlier that day by Soos—and flopped face up on her bed. Staring at the ceiling, she said, "Dipper I know everything now."

Dipper was already under the covers, eyes shut. "About what?"

"Bill."

"What shape was his dad?"

Mabel paused. "I know almost everything about Bill."

"Pfff."

"But I do know his mom was some kind of supermodel or something! He says that's where he got his good looks. I don't know if he's actually good-looking by Flatworld standards, or if he just has really high self-esteem, but if his mom was a model I guess he could have inherited whatever Flatworlders think is good-looking—"

"How do you know he's not lying?"

"Why would he lie about that? I'll never meet his mom."

"To make his family sound cool?"

Uncertainly, Mabel said, "I guess." After a pause, she loud-whispered, "Did you read Flatworld?"

Dipper figured he wasn't getting to sleep any time soon. He pushed his covers down and sat up. "Yeah."

"It was really messed up, huh?"

Dipper thought about it. "I... guess it was, yeah." He hadn't thought about it much earlier—he'd been trying to wrap his head around the math and visualize the fourth dimension, and then his quick tour of the Nightmare Realm had pushed it from his mind completely; but... "The author's really obsessed with dead baby shapes, huh."

"You remember those old 70s cartoons with singing numbers we watched in class to try to teach us multiplication?" Mabel asked. "I was expecting it to be like that but for old timey people. Not about shapes getting executed for having short sides."

"Or squares getting locked in insane asylums for heresy if they tried to say the third dimension existed."

"Or major sexism against lines."

"Yeah, what was that about? Did they really think lines went around stabbing everyone to death just because they're pointy and they could?"

"I don't know, maybe lines really did do that. If I kept being told to shut up because my head was too skinny to hold a brain, I'd stab my husband too."

"I guess that makes sense." Light through the attic's triangular window illuminated the room a deep gray-blue; but as Dipper watched, the room darkened as a cloud covered the moon. It was probably going to rain tomorrow. "And... this is where Bill grew up?"

"Yeah," Mabel said quietly. "Some details are different from the book, he said so. Like he told me colors weren't illegal and peace-cries were just a dumb etiquette thing. But..."

"What about the executions? Or—or triangles being treated like servants by everyone else?"

"I don't know. He didn't want to answer questions like that. He talked about stuff like dance clubs and gardening in space, but he got super mad when I tried to ask about the serious stuff."

"Maybe he got his power as part of some... triangle uprising? And then he went crazy and decided to destroy everything?" Dipper was thinking, again, about the Axolotl's half-remembered prophecy. That maybe Bill was here to help them against some threat even worse than him.

"I can see why he destroyed his dimension," Mabel said.

Dipper winced, "Okay, but—sure, it was bad, but that doesn't mean his entire dimension deserved to die."

"No, of course not," Mabel said quickly. "But like I get it. If all that was going on."

"If it was. Just... how much is different from the book, and how much is true?"

"I don't know."

The room fell silent again.

"Welp," Mabel said brightly, "I've got the rest of summer to get the whole story out of him! Goodnight, Dipper!"

Dipper's stomach flipped with guilt. "Yeah." The rest of summer. Mabel left for Portland in the morning. "Goodnight."

He lay down, pulled his sheet back up, and stared at the ceiling.

Friday, 11:00 p.m.

####

(Next week's chapter is exactly what you think it is. But before we get there, I'm looking forward to hearing what y'all think about this week!)

[skyfallscotland]

Ok so Rebecca did a one hour panel today in Sydney with Lynette Noni hosting, where she asked questions and then they opened it to fans. I've kind of summarised the things I haven't seen mentioned over and over, but I don't frequent the subreddit anymore or use TikTok, so there might be overlap. In any case, it's long. Settle in. I've sectioned it into plot/character relevant first, then themes and interesting facts about her and her writing. Basically, you all came with me. 💗

• In book three (and every book thereafter) we'll be going to more and more new places. She specifically worded it as "watching the map expand" whether that's significant or not, I don't know. (I was thinking Isle Kingdoms for OS, but maybe that's just my wishful thinking).

• She implied Jack will have a reason (explained) for uh...being a power-hungry prick? lol

• She's hella defensive of Dain, which I love. #DainApologistsClub 😌 Some highlights include:

"You guys give Dain so much shit for the same thing Xaden does. You really do and you're so fast to forgive Xaden and not Dain. Why? Is it because he's hot?"

And, "when push comes to shove, all Dain did—yes he violated her boundaries, as does Xaden—but all he did was trust his dad when his best friend no longer spoke to him. That's it."

"When Dain looks at her (in the interrogation chamber) and says 'if you had just told me, none of this would have happened', he's not just talking about the interrogation, he's talking about Liam, he's talking about if she had just trusted him (in Fourth Wing) it never would have happened." 😢

• She was asked about Liam's appearance in the interrogation chamber and definitively put to rest any signet theories involving that. "She's so alone in that moment and...I don't read fan theories but sometimes they reach my ears; she's completely disconnected from her magic in that moment, she can't even reach out for Tairn or Andarna, which are the bonds that are actually most important to her. She can't reach out for Xaden. And that's the one person who would have prevented that from happening the last year, so it's natural that's who her mind would summon."

• She's thought about a spin-off series, but she's just trying to survive this series.

• Someone asked her if there'd be any redemption and romance for Jack Barlowe and honestly, thanks guys, I don't think she's ever coming back to this country 💀 ("Are you getting enough sleep? Uh...I mean, from his prison cell maybe? No.")

• Someone asked "what is Garrick's signet and why hasn't it been shown yet?" (shoutout to this girl, she's the real MVP) to which Rebecca said "it's very much in book three, I love it."

• Someone asked about the orange dragons and unpredictability re: Amber, Jack, Varrish and then Imogen and Brennan. Rebecca said some dragons might look for traits like their own and some look for balance because it's a partnership; and that Brennan as a strategist needed that little bit of unpredictability in his life (lol, I think he got it).

• She didn't always plan for Violet to have two dragons. Originally it was going to be one (Tairn) and the editor had hoped that she would sway towards a weaker, smaller dragon and she thought that was a little too close to Abraxos in ToG, and so they compromised and gave her both. She also went on to say she doesn't like overpowered heroines and since Tairn is extremely powerful, Andarna balanced that out. (I'm not...I'm not sure how that works out? But that's what was said.)

• We are definitely going to find out more about the original six (and Lynette asked if that was a spin-off possibility and was shushed, so she's thought about it at least, but I get the idea she's thought about a lot of possibilities 😂)

• There's no timeframe for the release of the final two books.

• Someone asked if Violet's dad was Malek to which she was kind of shocked. He's not a god, guys. And low-key I JUST WANT TO KNOW HIS NAME. 😤

• On Sgaeyl: "You do (get more of her) but holy crap is she pissed. So—I'll tell you that about Onyx Storm—she is really, really mad at Xaden and she's not exactly speaking to him at the moment. So it's hard for her to speak into that bond when she's not speaking to him." 💔

• She was asked about the Violet dated Halden theory (which was fucking hilarious because the poor girl misspoke and asked if Xaden dated the prince and we were all really confused about which TikToks the poor thing had seen (note to self: consider cam/xaden), anyway after we got to the bottom of that, Rebecca replied, "I think you should read the third book." Which I'm taking to mean, the man is making a damn appearance and we're gonna find out for ourselves 👀 Hey, if I'm lucky maybe we'll even find out his surname

• Finally she said she has EP on the Amazon series, they've all been exceptionally protective of it and that she's happy with how it's going (they're not near casting yet and she doesn't want to really comment on that ever, to leave each role open to as diverse a cast as possible). She said the production team has come to the signings in LA to meet readers and see what they love and are passionate about when it comes to the series to make sure that's honoured.

"Like I mean, I've seen certain...like what can I say without getting tackled to the ground? Let's just say they've already taken steps to make sure that what you guys love about the story is envisioned and that it's not run amok. And I'm very happy with it, they're super protective of it." Which could just be me reading into it, but the first place my brain went was the dragons 👀🐉 and the CGI or whatever.

• She was asked about where the inspiration for the universe came from and she said that when her Entangled decided they were going to do romantasy they asked her for five pitches and Fourth Wing was one of them (she won't say what the others were because she might still write them someday). She said she likes the fated mates trope but she wondered what that would look like if the dragons were the ones mated, not the humans and the humans who couldn't stand each other were forced to be around each other because of this. 

• Her first ever book was romantasy but it didn't sell

• She's never really written enemies to lovers before.

• She likes found family themes because she was raised in a military family and moved around a lot, so that makes it hard to keep in touch with your extended family, and after she married her husband and became a military wife, it was their found family that was there for her—it was her found family who helped her move her house, who sat with her when her husband was injured in Iraq, etc, so she thinks it's very important to show that your family is also the people you choose and that can be just as strong as any blood tie.

• She was asked (by Lynette) why she wanted to show death and the reality of war and she said, "I've been surrounded by it. My husband's been at war since 2003, he spent 22 years in the army, first as a 19 Delta cavalry scout and then ten years as an apache pilot and we buried our friends. And I saw what it did to him, and I saw what it did to our friends, I saw what it did to our children, to us, and I love being able to examine it from a fantasy perspective just because I think fantasy gives us a unique environment from which to critique our own world by viewing it through the lens of another. And I've always delved into those themes as to why we do this to each other and where is there hope to stop it?"

• As an author her favourite scenes in Fourth Wing were the dagger stealing scene (very important to their chemistry and romantic development—"she's the only person he's taught ever, how to actually kill him") and the first kiss scene.

In Iron Flame it was the interrogation scene and how that ends with Dain and Xaden and everything coming together.

When asked about a similar scene from Onyx Storm that elicited the same strong emotion from her she said "you're not gonna like it" and that's it 💀

• She would consider writing fantasy again after she's done with the Empyrean world, maybe one of her other pitches, but she won't truly think about it until she's survived this one.

• She spoke about the "kill your darlings" writing advice and how if you love a scene but it doesn't move the plot, you've gotta cut it, and how she did that with the final scene in Fourth Wing, which was originally 7k words of Violet POV pulling information out of Xaden.

• When asked about fan theories she actually said something I found a little sad. "I don't listen to fan theories. One, I'm not on TikTok—it's a little bit more important for me to be alive than to listen to what other people think they know about me, and two, I don't ever want fan theories to bleed into my writing."

〰️ And that's it! If anyone's going tomorrow, please voice record the whole thing and report back lmao 🙏 🫶🏼

ETA: part two is here, x

[pomefioredove]

Can I have a sugar cookie, #5, with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle please? 🥺

I really like this format! It's like getting a secret Santa gift 💕

smirks eveilly. what a specific combination of tropes with this character... I wonder if I can force a certain au here

order #5, sugar with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ a whole new world

tropes: exes to lovers, royalty AU characters: kalim additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, aladdin!yuu, jasmine!kalim, grim is the monkey, a little ooc, this is an au after all, obviously inspired by aladdin and the songs from it which are not mine, etc, word count: 1.5k

Poor, poor you

No, really.

Literally, poor you. As in, broke you. As in, Prince Kalim al-Asim royally dumped your ass, and now you're back to stealing bread off the streets.

And things were going so well...

You really liked him, after all- and that was before you knew he was the son of the richest man in the world.

He's just... something else. He's fun, and pretty- no beautiful. He's got these eyes, and that hair, and then his smile... but when you met, you had no idea who he was.

Now that you know he's a prince... yeah, not a chance. 

You can't just make him fall in love with you. You can't even talk to him.

That is... unless you were also royalty.

And now, here you are.

"Who are you, again?" Kalim's advisor- what was his name?- asks you, eyes narrowed, arms crossed.

You adjust your clothing for the millionth time- expensive silk is an unfamiliar feeling on your skin- and you come up with some nonsensical name and title on the spot.

A noble from a foreign land, come to win the heart of the prince.

And, with that magic lamp of yours, it's almost believable, right?

"Right," he says, drumming his fingers across his forearm. It's obvious that he doesn't quite believe you, but he's in no place to say so.

Not when Papa al-Asim is so excited to have a new guest.

He's got an arm around your shoulder, talking to you like you're an old friend, showing you all of his jewels and gold trinkets.

"And Kalim has been ever so glum, lately, I can't imagine why! Teenagers," the man sighs.

You nod along, though you're not exactly sure what you're agreeing with.

"Pardon my curiosity, but where is this country you're from? I can't seem to recall it on any map," the advisor asks.

Papa al-Asim waves him off. "You're too worried, Jamil. Go oversee the kitchen staff, would you? We need to host a proper welcome banquet for our esteemed guest!"

Jamil sneers and mutters "esteemed, indeed" but leaves without being told twice.

There's something strangely familiar about him, but you put that thought aside for now... still, you feel the urge to double-check that your magic lamp is still safely tucked away.

"S-so... where is this prince of yours?"

"Oh, you'll meet him in good time. He's in one of his moods," Papa al-Asim shakes his head. "He's been rather sad lately. It's so unlike him..."

That is unlike him. You suppose you'll get to that, later.

...But you don't. Kalim isn't at dinner. He's not at dessert, either. He's not at the music performance that was arranged for you, and he's not in any of the rooms you tour with Papa al-Asim.

It's nerve-wracking.

Long after dark, you decide to take your chances.

"Prince Kalim?" you call out from the balcony attached to his room.

No answer. You don't dare venture any further, and you turn to your magic carpet (it came with the lamp) to shush it.

"Prince Kalim? It's... it's me, your... suitor...?" that word tastes sour on your tongue.

After a longer moment of silence, the silk curtains part, and Kalim pokes his head out. He seems to glow in the moonlight, and you can't take your eyes off him.

You also can't quite tell what he's thinking. His eyes narrow, then widen, then narrow again, and he comes outside.

"Do I... know you?"

"Kn-know me?" you stammer, leaning against the banister, trying to put some distance between you so he can't get a good look at your face. "I-I don't think so."

"You just..." he takes a step closer. "...Remind me of someone I met at the market."

Has he always been this perceptive?? "The market? Uh, no... I... have servants who go to the market for me, I even have servants that go to the market for my servants! Y-you must be thinking of someone else,"

Kalim sighs, his face falling. "...I must be. Sorry. I get confused sometimes,"

Enough about you. Say something about him! Anything! You clear your throat.

"Prince Kalim, you're very..." fun, interesting, sweet, thoughtful, punctual- "Punctual!"

"Punctual?"

"I-I mean beautiful!"

He raises an eyebrow at your save, but doesn't question it. You're all over the place.

"Well... I'm rich, too, you know," he says, leaning against the wall. "The son of the wealthiest man in the world."

"Uh... you are,"

"A fine prize for any suitor,"

Something about this is setting off alarm bells in your head. "Yes, you... very rich,"

Kalim almost pouts for a second. "That's what I'm told. You must see me as nothing but someone to get things out of, just like the other suitors. I-I have to go,"

Those alarm bells get louder as you watch him turn and disappear behind the silk again.

Way to go. "You're right!" you blurt out.

"What?" he reappears, an eyebrow raised. Great. Now what?

"I-I said you're right," you say. "You're not some prize to be won, or a wallet to use. You should... be able to marry someone who likes you for who you are. I'll go now,"

You make a swift exit before you can embarrass yourself further, stepping backwards off the balcony and onto the floating carpet below.

"Wait!" Kalim gasps, and you pop back up.

"What? What's wrong?"

He blinks his big eyes at you, a look of wonder coming over him as you float upwards on the carpet. "How... are you doing that?"

"...It's a magic carpet,"

Kalim steps closer, admiring the intricate weaving and the golden tassels. "It's beautiful. My father has one, but I'm not allowed to use it. They're all afraid I'll get hurt..."

You frown. "No one seems to trust you with anything important, huh?"

He doesn't answer, but he's smiling as he walks around the carpet in circles. The space between you is silent, but warm now.

You return his smile. "You wouldn't wanna... take it for a ride, would you?"

Kalim's eyes light up, but then he shakes his head. He swallows, with some difficulty, whatever he was about to say.

"I... shouldn't. I'd worry Jamil,"

You reach out a hand. "No one has to know. Do you trust me?"

Something in Kalim's eyes change. That familiar glow of excitement almost has something... a little untamed in it. His hand is suddenly in yours, and in a breath more you're high above the palace.

Soon the golden lights of the city are all you can make of it, a sea of stars beneath you as Kalim clings to you. The wind carries his laughter with it.

You smile back at him. "Tell me, Prince, when's the last time you let go like this?"

"This is... unbelievable! Indescribable!" he shouts, the wind whipping around you both.

You chuckle. His hair is the same color as the clouds beneath your feet as you breach the endless diamond sky. He fits in well with the heavens, you think.

He clings closer to you, his arms around your waist as you dip back down, soaring, tumbling, weaving across the sky, taking him wonder by wonder on the carpet.

Kalim marvels at the moon, the inky water of the sea, gardens and statues, a hundred thousand things. He points out everything to you, the same smile on his face.

"How does it feel, no one to tell you no, or where to go?"

"Like I'm a shooting star!" he exclaims, reaching towards the heavens and pulling wisps of cloud from the sky. "I almost don't want to go back to where I used to be!"

Your carpet eventually comes to a gentle stop on the roof of a palace, far from his own.

"Hm..." Kalim hums, resting his head against your shoulder. His hair is messy, thrown around by the wind. "It's sad that Grim had to miss this."

You sigh, feeling content. "Nah. He doesn't really like flying," Maybe a little too content. "Uh- I-I mean-"

Kalim sits up suddenly, pointing at you. "You are the person from the market! I knew I wasn't making things up!"

"It's- uh, um- it's not-"

"Why did you lie to me?" he pouts. "Did you think that I wouldn't like you if I knew the truth?"

He seems genuinely upset. You cough, choking on your own words. "No! I just- I-I thought-"

"And Jamil told me you had been executed!" Kalim exclaims, running a hand through his messy hair.

You blink. "He what...? O-okay, um, we're gonna come back to that, but I- I just thought that you- um, you know. I was told you never wanted to see me again, and-"

"Who told you that?"

You bite your lip. "...The guards,"

Kalim crosses his arms. He narrows his eyes. He stares. You let him make an attempt to read you, staying perfectly still, as much as you want to squirm under his stare.

"Who are you? Really?"

Your teeth sink further into your lip. He's still staring, expectant of an answer.

Those alarm bells start ringing again. Tell him the truth, you think. Tell him the TRUTH!

"You want the truth...?" you start, unsure of where you're going with this. "The truth is..."

[aebeism]

it's time to go — bada lee

synopsis : stress takes over your brain, to the point where you wander through a world you can’t remember much about. while your memories are gone, bada, love and sadness are the only things you carry with you for a while — as well as your limitations in having and offering each.

wc : 2.1k

warnings : angst, ex!bada, reader suffers from temporary memory loss, homophobia, clichés, mention of reader as y/n, lowercase intended. inspired by paris, texas by lana del rey.

'how long would it take for you to forget me?' you would ask. 'a lifetime wouldn't be enough' bada would always say, without fail. it's been months since you last saw your ex. or smiled. and you're back in the country, nervous to see her again, when she insists on taking you for a walk, which seems to be going smoothly . . until she gets weirded out by all your questions and the fact you seem genuinely lost at everything.

but, even though you're not together anymore, she cares a lot for you, enough that she doesn't mind retelling bibles and bibles of the endless moments you spent together. that is, until your eyes light up at the map you come across on her phone case.

"we've been to france before, haven't we?" your voice echoes through the place you're in, the moonlight shining through bada's blonde strands as she seems to glow softly, as a whole.

she only seems to be able to whisper, as if that’d keep her feelings suppressed well enough. "we have. paris, with barely anything but a suitcase" she slightly smiles at the memory. "i'd take you there again, if i could."

silence floods the air around you.

"why can't you?" you stare at her face, intensely, waiting for her answer as you clench your hand into a fist.

"you know why" she says, and your heart aches at the familiarity of her look. "because i loved you, so i can't anymore. and you remember i hardly ever change my mind, don't you?"

“i do” you nod, even more confused, eyes stuck on the map that she had let you take from her hand. the tiny map tucked inside her phone case is covered in doodles — lines and hearts mark so many places. "why does spain have a heart?"

"that's where we performed together for the first time" she sounds happy until you question further.

"you still love me, right?" your voice is soft, you don't raise your tone, nor did you try to force the sentence into her head. yet, bada seems like she was struck by a thunder right next to her ears.

it's no surprise that bada was caught off guard, her head tilted from an angle that would make her eyes stare at yours directly. "why ask that?" she says, her voice a bit shaky.

"hm . . you said that in the past. and you still keep this thing, with hearts on both countries."

"ah. yeah" bada shifts her attention back to the paper, her eyes slowly direct themselves to your shaky hands and your shivering body, and it makes her question why you're shaking so much even though what surrounds you is a warm summer breeze. she gives you a look, her eyes taking a peek at your face as she slowly says the next sentence. "for the memories. i don’t know about now. people never really understood our love, y/n. all of my friends could show off their lovers, and some were more loved by people than others, but you always had to be my secret just because we're both women. . and i hated that."

you don't seem to recall that, you can't seem to remember what she's talking about. yet, for some reason, as painful as a heart-wrenching breakup could be . . it still burns all over your chest; the pain seems to spin, and twist your insides, in flames. perhaps, the pain was made from acid and was turned into acid as it burns your whole body. your eyes water for a second, and you frown. your expression shows that you're a bit too lost by your own emotions.

"the more they knew, the worse it got. we've been over this, y/n, don't cry" bada's words seems to pierce your heart, they make your stomach churn as you stare intensely down to the ground beneath you.

the new sentence only adds to your confusion, and although you understand every single word, you don't even know why you're here anymore, or why it hurts so much, why a woman so pretty remains by your side. it feels like your brain is trying to reconnect to reality in the middle of the night but can't catch up on anything.

“this isn’t funny” you mumble, your hands shaking, and your jaw closes up as you furrows your brows. your brain tries to work to its max as you try as hard as you can to figure out what's going on.

"it really isn’t. i proposed to you here, in venice, not long after you joined our team. and we broke up in california, remember?" she shows you the circle around italy and a small dot in the united states. "it was sweet while it lasted, though, wasn't it? our friends would get drunk on any shit they could get their hands on and pass out, and you'd just be talking and dancing with me. my memories of you are really pure, y/n."

her tone is warm, her words are just as lovely, her eyes still sparkle whenever they glance at you. but there's something so heavy behind all of that, that knowing her, you can feel it even though you can't tell what it is.

"but it really was time to let you go" bada says, a deep sigh leaves her mouth as she shifts her gaze up to look at the sky, and you think you can see the corner of her eyes starting to turn red as her eyes sparkle so brightly.

while your mind remains empty, malfunctioning even, you stare and stare as it starts to get a bit too hazy. bada's mind, in another case . . is running through all the flashbacks of the flight you two took together back home, the time when you had to leave as you two were breaking up, the many times she agonized as she wanted to call you but knew she shouldn't, she let herself sink into her own loneliness . . everything burns behind her eyes. and staring at the pain she possessed hurts you just as badly.

if you could remember all the good things she did to you right now, at this moment, you think you wouldn't be able to live with yourself anymore.

. . but, in reality, you really can't live with yourself. because you do remember.

that's why life's been so stressful. that's why suddenly your memory has a gap.

"i hope you can forgive me for that" bada says, her tone ever so softly as she still looks up at the sky. her face lights up a smile, so, so bitterly.

your brain unwires slowly as she speaks and you're met again with that look on her face, one that could make your heart ache and your stomach churn from the pain it feels. bada's watered eyes make your cheeks wet unintentionally as you dodn't realize how a cheeky tear softly rolls down the surface of your skin.

"and i'd rather you didn't ask me about love anymore, if you could" bada speaks up again. this time, she turns her head to look into your eyes, and you feel like she's begging you with how intense her gaze is.

"but our love is so sweet, why wouldn't i?" you say, your hand raises up to wipe the tears that are waiting to sneakily roll down your cheeks once again before you clench your hands into a fist, as an attempt to hold your tears back. "people don't understand it, but does that really even matter if we understand each other?" your voice is yet again so soft, unlike how determined bada sounds like when she asks you to stop asking about your relationship. you don't know why you clenched your hands, or why you cried, you don't even know why you asked bada that question, but you eagerly wait for her answer, like a puppy waiting for a treat.

the bitterness in bada's stomach feels like it's climbing up her throat and staying stuck in the middle of its way, her eyes are burning as they bore into yours, and perhaps the pain she's feeling has taken its toll on you as you can feel your heart drop for a split second. you never really want to know why you're feeling her pain, you just always do.

. . but you're content with feeling that pain, because that's the closest you can get to her heart now.

"didn't you just hear me?" bada says, her voice cracking as her eyes water once again. it's as if she's taking all her will power to hold back the tears in her eyes. it's as if she could breakdown at any moment if she let her guard down.

yet, it seems like everything suddenly goes away; you can't recall why bada is crying, and a confuse look displays on your face.

"not sure i did" you blink, your head tilted as you see the map in your hands once again, a glimpse of a memory brings you back as you quickly say . .

"oh, that's cute. we've been to france before, haven't we?"

“i just told you, y/n” bada's voice is shaking as she stares at you, her brows furrow as she starts to think that this is some kind of joke; a sick joke that you thought of to make her feel embarrassed, to remind her of how sweet you two were, and how she can never achieve what she had always wanted with you.

bada stares intensely into your eyes, she tries to get pass your facade. she wants to rip off that mask, that unfunny joke that you're trying to make. she wants to scream to your face that this isn't funny. yet ,your innocent look and your sweet smile catch her off-guard as you still wait for her answer. you even have a confuse look on your face, as if you don't understand a single word she's saying.

. . as if . . she's the mad one.

"you really don't . . know?" bada asks, worried. "do you even remember what we are?"

you nod, a weak smile on your lips as you sound way happier than you should, even though tears stream down your face just because they're streaming down on bada's face. "girlfriends."

even when bada's panicking slightly, her pretty presence still glows, and it's distracting enough. she rushes to get you in her car and you don't understand a thing, yet you let her do whatever she wants. and that's how your first hanging out in months ends.

while you're in the passenger seat, your eyes scan her whole being. and your chest does flips as you stare at her form.

"why are you so worried?" you ask. "where are we going?"

"we need to get you checked out, y/n."

you go quiet for a moment, not enjoying the concerned look on bada's face, not enjoying something despite not being able to tell what it is. you feel uncomfortable, your head's light as a feather, and the pain is spreading and slowly taking over your whole body on its own will. "ah, maybe. maybe . . everything feels . . fuzzy" you mumble. her hands grip the steering wheel harder as she speeds up. "don't worry, though. it's fine. i'm fine" you reassure bada, a weak smile shows up on your face as you hold your head.

that reminds her of how she died a little inside every time you'd say that, whenever she'd see your suffering. it doesn't help how you'd say that so many times whenever you'd both be upset about how others seemed to hate seeing you together, and the way you're saying it now only reminds her once again that her heart still aches for your words.

it reminds her that she can't put you through anything as heartbreaking again, it doesn't matter if she still cares enough to keep you alive in her memory.

letting you go was the right thing to do, and when she's right, she's right. even when she's wrong.

and she feels at home when she's alone, anyway.

© aebeism 2024

[powerfultenderness]

Oh, really? You wanna hear about the idea that's been floating around in my head?

Cool! But, mdni/18+!

(König x Reader (f) (hinted König x Reader x Horangi)

(Cw: cnc, in porn and acted on after discussions on safety and boundaries/limitations. When König speaks German, it'll be in italics.)

Here's the scenario:

Horny ideas are bad ideas, but usually the post nut clarity would save you from acting on those ideas. Except you were extra horny because you were ovulating and kept getting interrupted while masturbating, leaving you unintentionally edged.

You know horny ideas are bad ideas, did that going to stop you from making a new porn blog and ranting and crying about how much and how hard you want to be fucked? Nope. Did it stop you from reblogging the rape fantasy/cnc posts with a little "fuck I need that too" comment? Nope.

And did that knowledge stop you from posing nude in front of an open window and posting it online for the enjoyment of every horny stranger that stumbled across your blog? Big ol' Nope.

Horny ideas are bad ideas and now you've got an online dom who wants you to call him "König". (Actually, it's kind of refreshing after all the men who want you to call them "daddy").

For someone who's suddenly controlling a part of your life (your edge), he's actually quite nice. He let you come twice the first week you started talking to him! And when you answered him unenthusiastically one night (because you had a rough day), he showed genuine concern and his only orders were for you to get some food and water and sleep. He made sure you were in a good place mentally and emotionally before playing with you again.

"My Princess needs to feel good, she needs to come." And boy did you.

Look, horny ideas are bad ideas but somehow you're now in a more stable relationship than you have been in years.

-

König was acting strangely. Well, stranger than usual. He was glued to his phone these days, the little device always in hand and drawing his attention every other minute. He wouldn't even tell anyone what was so interesting. He'd just glare and hold the screen close to his chest or stuff it in one of his pockets (only to take it out less than a minute later).

And Horangi, well, he didn't mean to spy on König, one of his friends. It just so happened that König was on his phone as Horangi was walking up behind him. And he caught sight of the map that König was looking intently at.

That was strange because that was König's personal phone, there was no territory to memorize for a mission. And maybe Horangi took another second to study the map too before alerting König of his presence. It looked residential. Not a business center where shops or restaurants were. König, ever the military man, lived on base. If he had a house in his home country, he didn't use it much. Even if König was planning on buying a house closer to base, why so secretive about it?

König leaving base looking like he was about to go on a stealth mission? Also strange. So Horangi followed him.

There's only so much he could write off as reasonable. Staking out a civilian house? Maybe a target lived there. Looking into a woman's room? Questionable. Climbing in through her window? Not acceptable!

Horangi cursed under his breath as he raced to follow König in hopes of stopping him from doing anything reprehensible.

"König!" He shouted as he dove through the same entrance König used, side arm already drawn and aimed at his teammate.

He was too late. König already had you pinned to the bed, a hand clasped over your mouth as he forced himself between your legs.

"Horangi?" König blinked at him, though remained where he was. "What? How? What are you-?"

"Let her go and back away."

König quickly raised his hands as he turned towards Horangi. “It’s not what it looks like!” He motioned towards you with one hand, “she wants it! She asked for it!” 

“König,” Horangi gave a disappointed growl while you let out a scoffed laugh. 

You sat up, holding your blanket close to your nude body. König extended his arm in front of you, obscuring you from Horangi’s view even more. 

“Uhm, I actually did.” You spoke up, drawing Horangi’s eyes towards you. 

“...What?” He finally started to lower his gun.

You nodded with a sheepish smile, “we planned the whole thing. We have a safe word and gesture and everything. You know, role play.” 

…

Horangi sighed and glared at König. “You fucking freak.” 

“Hey!” 

As Horangi turned and left the room, he could find his own way out, you rapidly tapped König’s arm. “Go stop him before he leaves!”

“What? Why?” 

“Just go!” 

“Fine, fine.” He muttered as he adjusted his pants and chased after Horangi.

“You know, I’m offended you thought I’d really be doing that.” He started when he found Horangi nearing the front door.

“Don’t act so suspicious next time.” Horangi coughed awkwardly and averted his gaze, “look, I’ll forget what I saw, and you never bring this up.” 

König nodded, “good, but that’s not why I stopped you.” 

“Huh? Then why-”

“Oh, good! You haven’t left yet!” You said as you rushed out of the room. The clothes you scrambled to put on were hardly any better than a blanket, just a thin cropped shirt and short shorts. “I wanted to talk to you real quick.”

Horangi, face flushing, cleared his throat. “I apologize, ma’m-” 

“No, no. You don’t need to apologize for anything.” You waved off his apology as you stopped in front of him. “I just wanted to thank you.” 

“Thank me?” His question was echoed by König’s confused, “what?” behind you.

You nodded and glanced at König then back at Horangi. “You guys are friends, right?”

Horangi nodded slowly, unsure of what you were thinking.

“Well, you saw your friend doing something horrible and tried to stop him. You tried to save me.”

“I wasn’t actually-” König tried to protest behind you, still a little offended by the implication that he would do something like that, but you shushed him and turned back to Horangi.

“So many men would just look the other way instead of confronting their friends. But you didn't hesitate at all to help me.” 

Horangi blushed, glad that he had his mask pulled up but unaware that you could see the rest of his face and the tips of his ears flush. 

He cleared his throat, averting his gaze again, “you don’t have to do that.” 

“Still, I appreciate it.” You coyly looked up at him through your lashes, subtly biting your lip and held your hands clasped together, pushing your breasts up. Yea you were playing it up, but he was hot and you were still horny from the interrupted role play with König, it didn’t make what you said any less true. “Can I hug you?” 

“Wh-uh,” his eyes flicked up to König, who just gave an amused shrug.

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, imitating König’s shrug, “if you want to.” 

Still feeling a little raunchy, as you wrapped your arms around his neck, you pressed your body close. Horangi was hesitant at first, but settled his hands on your hips as he leaned down into you. He could see why König was obsessed with you, he would be too if you were his.

You softly murmured a final “thank you,” as you pulled away slightly, still wrapped in each other's arms, in what felt like a trance. A trance that wasn’t broken until König loudly cleared his throat, and then Horangi was letting go of you and stepping back instantly. 

He coughed once, mumbled something about seeing König back on base and then quickly left. 

You didn’t even have time to turn around before König was behind you, pushing the door shut on locking it. “Now, no more distractions, Princess.”

As König was fucking your brains out, with the drapes in your bedroom still open, he mutters about how Horangi is watching. And maybe that made you come even harder.

-

“Where did you find her?” 

König laughed, setting his coffee down. After he realized that Horangi was watching the two of you, he knew Horangi would ask. 

“By the way,” König started as Horangi was already looking up your blog. “She wants me to ask if you’d be interested in a three-”

“Yes.”  

End Notes: Yep, that's just an idea. If I were to turn this into a real fic I would go into more detail on the evolution of the online sexting relationship between König and Reader to a real relationship. And I would also write out the smut. But that might turn this into at least 15k words, and I don't have the energy to do that, so I'm just sharing my pseudo outline.

[viktheviking1]

The scariest people are never the ones who immediately creep you out. They are the ones who are expert at seeming trustworthy. You may already know someone like this, and not realize it yet.

Be it on the Internet or in real life, it is important to be cautious around anyone who starts suggesting things you aren't comfortable with or asking for information that is none of their business.

Things no one taught you about the Internet!

Starting with minors (17 and under in the US)

DON'T POST YOUR AGE! Or age rage. Or birth year. Do not write 'minor' in your bio. This is probably the most common and most dangerous mistake! You will be actively targeted.

Don't pretend you're an adult!!! If a creep sees that you wrote 18 or older but act like a minor, they will do all the same tricks to become your friend, and know they have a legal loophole because they can always claim they didn't know! This is almost more dangerous than just saying "I'm a kid, come hurt me"

Instead just don't say anything! Don't post it anywhere, and don't add it to your bio. If someone asks you for your age, just block them.

Don't share your name or nickname! Even if you don't share your last name, they can pick up enough details about you over time that even a first name is enough to find you.

Instead, use a totally different name! Something like Eli_Bloodsucker is way more fun, just don't use it if your real name or even a real life nickname is Eli, Eliza, Ellie, or anything else even remotely similar!

Don't talk to anyone directly! Be it in comments or asks or in direct messages, they're all dangerous. It doesn't matter if they say they are a minor or an adult. If you can't see their face, don't talk to them. If you find a real life friend you didn't know had an account, don't talk to them. That might not be your friend. You can text your friend directly or talk to them in real life about it later.

Instead, just spread positivity purely form likes and reblogs. Pretend the comment and chat buttons are lava or acid or something. Don't touch them.

Don't share ANYTHING about where you live. Not even country. Don't tell someone about how it's always humid where you live or that there's a storm where you are.

Instead, you can share about weather vaguely later. For example, "a few months ago it snowed and I slipped on ice."

Don't, talk about an activity that would even hint that you are a minor. Don't talk about school, don't talk about piano lessons, don't talk about martial arts class, or football practice. Don't mention growing out of your clothes. Don't mention how your mom grounded you. Don't talk about your little brother barging into your room.

Instead, before posting any stories from your real life, ask yourself if this could also easily apply to someone in their 20s living with roommates instead of family members and working a full-time job. If the answer is yes, then post it, if not, don't. (Good example: I burnt my eggs but I didn't want to waste it so I still ate it. Bad example: My dad made me eggs this morning even though I hate them, and made me eat them.)

Don't post or share pictures or videos of yourself online. Someone can either use it to find you or steal them to lure your friends or other people your age into trusting them.

Instead, find a picture of a duck with a mustache online, and make that you're profile picture. Find a map of Australia and post that as your "outfit check". Way more fun.

Do not trust the person who reblogged this. Do not trust the original poster. Creeps will sometimes post about Internet safety as part of their plan to make you trust them.

So how can you tell who to trust, and who not to? You can't! That's the Internet. Better to play it safe than to risk your actual life over a post or a trend

Adult Internet safety:

Idk, it's your life. You know the consequences you might face. Make your own damn decisions. If your dad can't tell you what to do, then I sure can't.

Oh, and don't interact with people you know, or think, are kids. There is help available for those who are tempted to do this. Don't go down that path. There are resources, there are other ways. Having thoughts isn't a crime, acting on them is. PLEASE talk to a licensed professional.

[ninigummysmile]

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲 - 𝐉𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐨

Summary: Your girlfriend needs to stop the car to relieve some of the desire she’s feeling for you

Jisoo x Fem!Reader

Category: Smut

Warning: This story contains +18 content. It is not the responsibility of the author if minors read it.

Important: English is not my first language so, please, forgive me if there are any mistakes

Words: 1.257

Early in the morning the sun shines brightly, giving you the certainty that your family's country house will be great for hiking and entering the lake, which normally has very cold water.

You've taken this road trip many times before, but it's your first time with your girlfriend. Since you were a little girl, you memorized some parts of the landscape and every time you do the route, you check to see if everything is still the same despite the several years that have passed.

When you and Jisoo go on car trips to nearby cities, you already have a road map that you like to follow. You go from the drive-thru to breakfast in the car as you watch the sun get higher and higher as the hours pass, put on your travel playlist (something that when you first went traveling, Jisoo insisted that you make a special playlist to cheer yourself up in the car until you reach your destination), you make small talk and many times you take a nap, even though you say you're going to keep your girlfriend company.

At the moment you just enjoy the traffic-free road, you hum along with the background music as you wait for the next question she's going to ask you.

“Okay, what about that dice game?” you have the intimacy to talk about anything and even if in the beginning you were shy of some subjects, nowadays it is something very natural.

“What dice game?” you have an idea what she's talking about, but you need to make sure it's what you’re thinking.

“The one where you have two dice. One for a body part and one for an action”

“Like, kiss on the boobs?”

“Yeah, like that” she laughs at your example.

“You want to buy? I’ve heard of it, I think it would be cool if we tried it”

“Do you think you would be able to come just from that?”

“I don't know” you shrug. “But I'm sure it must be pretty exciting. Better than the last card game we bought”

“Hey, don't talk like it's my fault” she defends herself. “You were the one who insisted we buy and didn’t have the patience to follow the rules”

“It's because it was too complex! An erotic card game shouldn't have so many rules, the only objective is to feel pleasure and the only thing I wanted to do was lie down and sleep” you laugh.

“Alright” the subject seems closed all of a sudden, until her words escape her mouth without a second thought. “Now I need to buy these damn dice because the image of us playing while you're in that red lingerie won't get out of my head”

“The red one, your favorite… I even think it's the one I'm wearing right now” you smirk.

“Don't do that, baby” she swallows a moan. “I need to focus on the road”

“I didn't do anything, you're the one who gets wet with your own dirty thoughts”

“Because you are the one who induces these thoughts” she replies, taking one of her hands off the steering wheel and placing it on your thigh.

“No way, both hands on the wheel, Jisoo”

“I'm multitasking, I can drive and touch you at the same time” her eyes don't leave the road.

“What kind of touch do you mean?”

“And I'm the one with dirty thoughts, huh?”

“Always with the answer on the tip of the tongue” you mutter and roll your eyes.

“Unbutton your shorts for me, love”

“Are you serious?”

“I will stop at the next exit, but until then I need to prepare you”

“Fuck” your curse is camouflaged by the buttons and the material sliding down your legs.

“Don't take your panties off,” she warns. “Like I said, the red one is my favorite”

She moves her hands up as she massages your thigh and tucks the lacy fabric to the side.

“Hmm” the sound comes from the back of her throat as she feels your wetness.

She collects your discharge to lubricate your clit and makes small circles on it. You sigh and spread your legs to give her more space.

Her finger teases your entrance and enters you at once, she groans low in surprise at the ease with which you swallowed her.

She likes to take her time appreciating every detail of you, whereas you're impatient and like to feel overwhelmed with pleasure and this leads you to move your hips in search of more friction. The second finger is added and your loud moans begin to mix with the music that plays low on the radio.

One of your hands grips the seat belt as if your life depended on it and an avalanche of intense pleasure rushes through you. When you open your eyes, the car pulls to a stop on a small dirt road and is parked near a thicket.

“Back seat, my love” she instructs as she wipes her fingers with her mouth.

With wobbly legs, you take off your seat belt and sit in the back seat, while she sits next to you, you remove your blouse and panties, wanting to give her the satisfaction of your breasts covered by the red material.

She takes off all her clothes and pulls out a double dildo from a backpack that's on the floor in the backseat.

She lays down with her back on one of the doors and you do the same on the other. Lubricating one end in her wetness, she inserts it and is momentarily gasped for breath.

“Come here, angel. Let me help you” she calls you with her voice full of desire and slowly inserts the other end inside you.

You stand still to enjoy the feeling of the dildo tearing you apart from the inside. She moves her hips and moans escape your mouths.

With her head thrown back, she grabs her breasts and says “Baby, I need you to move too. Your pussy is so tight that the fucking fake dick barely moves inside you”

You whimper aloud as much from the pleasure as from Jisoo's uttered words, you know it won't last long and you'll come again quickly.

Your girlfriend pulls you closer and you practically scream when you feel the material seem to touch your stomach. You're lost, dizzy in the oncoming climax, but you can hear her ask between moans “Are you going to come with me?” you nod fervently. “Yeah?” you nod again “So rub that pretty clit of yours for me” she begs doing the same to her own sex.

You are a mess. Sweat pouring from your foreheads, moans being screamed inside the hot car and liquid oozing from both sides of the dildo as you come together, moaning each other's name incessantly.

Your heartbeat finally slows and you hiss as she takes the dildo out of you.

“We better go because we have at least an hour to get there”

“I don't know if I'm able to drive with my legs now, they feel like Jello” she notes with a smile.

“Take your time, love” you kiss her temple. “In the meantime, I'm going to get ready for my nap, enjoy that you made me tired” you laugh in her face and put your clothes back on.

“You're lucky that I love you” she says even though she knew before leaving home that you were going to sleep whether you were tired or not, breaking the promise to keep her company.

[eyitzme]

ᵗᵒʳⁿ ᵖᵃᵍᵉˢ ;; ᵈʳᵈᵗ

Summary: You can tear a page out of a book for countless reasons. The book can have things you don't want to read about, things you don't want others to know, or you simply felt like ripping it out. Whatever the case is, it's impossible to act like the pages were never there. No matter what, there will always be something to prove to you that there are pages missing, and the chances are that you'll know exactly why they're missing. Or, Ace Markey thinks about moments in his life relating to his childhood best friend, Min Jeung. Word Count: 427 A/N: My laptop can only work when it's being plugged in because the battery is dead. I have to use my mom's old one for now, but the fan gets turned on the moment you open it and it bothers me. Anyway, on a note that actually relates to this, this is the first chapter of a short multi-chaptered fic I started working on after Chapter 2's final episode because I started liking imagining Min and Ace as best friends, and them being childhood best friends made it even better. They literally are that in my heart, and you can't convince me otherwise. You can just take this as an advertisement to read this on other sites because Tumblr isn't the best place to post multi-chaptered works. If you're interested in reading more, the links to where you can read it in places where it will eventually have the other chapters will be provided at the end. And don't forget your daily clicks!

the future marks a path unknown to us. pebbles poke at my feet, while thorns poke into yours. we will still walk side by side. do you remember?

The first time Ace Markey met Min Jeung was on the first day of first grade.

Ace didn't want to go to school. He had no friends there. In his first grade class, he already knew were going to be some people from kindergarten, but he didn't like any of them, and none of them liked him. Everyone else there were strangers. With so many people telling him not to trust strangers, it made it hard for him to understand why he was being put in a place with so many of them for so long.

Ace's first grade classroom had desks arranged in rows where there were two desks were pushed next to each other. They were placed randomly to help give the children an opportunity to talk to someone they might never have seen before. His desk was next to a stranger. The first thing he noticed about her was that she had really long hair, and some of it was falling over her eyes. He had immediately wondered if she had ever gone to a barbershop before and if he could introduce her to his. She always smiled when he told her his first opinions about her.

His first words to her were a simple, "Hi." He had decided that the new girl couldn't be that bad and was trying to get someone to play with at recess. He had no one else, so he might as well take advantage of what the teacher had tried to do.

The girl looked at him with really bright purple eyes. They looked so unnatural that, back then, he thought they looked weird, and it was good her hair was starting to cover them up. "Hi," she said.

"My name is Ace," he said. "What is your name?"

"Min," she said.

"Where do you come from?"

"My country?"

"No, school."

"Another town."

"You moved here? From where?" Ace had never moved before, but he saw it a lot on TV shows. His past self could never see himself leaving his home to move into another one down the street, let alone leaving the United States of America to live somewhere else entirely.

"I can show you on a map."

"What is a map?"

Min gave him a look he never saw anyone have before. She was suddenly interested in her school supplies. Now, Ace knew Min had thought he was stupid, but back then, he didn't know what he did. All he did know was that he wasn't going to be playing with anyone at recess today.

Short chapter, but that's really how they all are. Anyway, if you want to read more, you can read it on Wattpad or AO3! Please note that the rest of this work will have spoilers for Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. It's just this chapter that didn't have it. If you would rather read more on Tumblr, just ask me for the next part. I won't constantly be updating this on Tumblr though, especially with my laptop deciding it lived a long enough life, so it's up to you to keep asking for new parts. Still, if you got this far, thank you for reading!

[butterflywithsass]

Things I Wish I knew living on my own

This is gonna be pretty short at the moment (I'll add more later) because I haven't been living on my own for very long and I think there's still plenty that I still have to figure out. I'm also drunk as I write this so this might be rambling.

This is gonna be chock full of really obvious stuff for most people but stuff that really confused or stressed me out when I did it. It's also gonna have that obvious stuff that's not so obvious because no one really talks about it until you are on your own and you haven't the first idea how to start.

First things first. Money. You're gonna need it, so look up a bank that is in your area and look into the process of setting up an account. Some banks have this online, sometimes you need to walk into the bank and do it in person. In both cases, make sure you have a passport, birth certificate, or other ID on you, as literally everything you know about your financial state prior to this. Ask your parents if you need to, or someone who knows this, because they are gonna ask a lot of questions. Once you've got the account set up make sure to confirm your ID. I set up an account online, and since I forgot to do this step, I have now had my account deactivated and I need to start all over again. Don't be like me.

If you're in a foreign country like me, make sure you understand how the currency works, and set up a method to transfer funds without having to pay the tax every time. Set up an app like Wise or something similar so people can transfer you money and you can move it to your bank account. Make sure you have a rough idea of how much something is worth in each currency. I'm still adjusting to using pounds, and things would look really cheap until I realized that a pound is worth slightly more than a dollar.

Services. I mean stuff like wifi and tv and stuff. If you're a student, than your wifi is fine, just make sure you set it up right. Euroroam is a bitch, so make sure you google how to do it right and just follow it step by step. Ask for help. Just ask someone. I'm so serious. Another thing I'm struggling with is TV. In the UK you have to have a license for BBC iplayer. Don't listen to your British friends when they say you don't need it. You do. If you don't have it you will get prosecuted. I don't wanna get prosecuted. It's super easy, even if it's kinda expensive, and hey, you get access to everything BBC. Just google tvl.co.uk and something will turn up. You can use that super handy bank card you got when you signed up for the bank account.

Transport. buses, trains and shit. First of all, make sure you download all the apps and inform yourself on how they work. It's gonna be confusing especially if your an American country hick like me so nows the time to learn. Get the maps. Get the bus schedules and routes. Pin them on your wall. Also, There's often some super cool discounts you can get if you sign up. Where I am in Scotland at the moment there's such a thing as a YoungScot Card, where you can get bus fair free if you're under 22. If you're not in Scotland, chances are there is something like that if you look. Transport can add up. Don't get Uber or a Taxi unless it's your only option, in which case, GET THE UBER. It's better to pay a butload of money for transport than be stranded somewhere alone. Your safety is more important than money.

Printers. You will need them. Often, there will be documents that you need to sign on paper, and so a printer will be needed. Google places where you can get things printed. If you are a student, make figuring out how to print things at your campus library a priority. I'm about to invest in my own printer just so I can skip this process because it's exhausting.

Voting. Just because you're not in your own country, doesn't mean you shouldn't vote. I'm from America, and care very much about the results of the next presidential election. If you're already registered to vote, try and get an absentee ballot.

Which brings me to mail. Get some stamps, and make sure they are the right ones. There will be postcard stamps, and mail stamps, and international stamps. Get the international letter stamps for your ballot and put them on because mailing is not paid for outside of the US. Then fucking mail it! (I'm swearing at myself so I remember to do this part when I'm sober)

Phone number. You will need a new one. Get an Esim card (should be in your settings if you have an iPhone) Make sure your friends have your new number and test it out to make sure it works when you're in a new country. One thing about Europe, is that the old buildings really suck for phone reception. Also, if you want to make this simpler and can't remember numbers very well, use Whatsapp or Instagram to message people.

Mess. You may go into this with certain ideas of granduer when it comes to personal organization. Be real. You won't be any more organized or tidy on your own than you were with other people. Just make sure that the essentials are accounted for and forgive yourself for the rest. Keep a drawer or a basket for all that important shit like bank statements or that letter that says they're opening an investigation because you haven't bought a tv license so it's all in one place and you don't lose anything. If it's urgent, pin it on your wall (get a bulletin board for this). Do your laundry. If you have your own washing machine and dryer, good for you. I don't, so figure out how the system works with the communal washers and get on that. Once again ask for help. Wash your sheets. Wash your pillowcases. WASH YOURSELF.

Hygiene. I hate it too, but it will make you feel better about yourself if you are clean and your teeth are brushed. This is the first thing to go when you feel in a slump. I know. I hate showers. I hate brushing my teeth, but not doing it makes my self-esteem go down the drain and my depression goes on a victory lap. Just do it. If you can't do anything else on this list, or you feel like everything is too overwhelming, do this. It will make a lot of other things feel doable.

Food. Okay, scratch that. This might be the most important thing. I am currently making a late night dinner of dried mangos and wine because I didn't have the motivation do get dinner tonight which is a prime example of what not to do. Because now I'm drunk and hungry. Get a fucking fridge! Get a microwave! Go to the grocery store and buy food. Even if it's ramen or mac and cheese. At least it's food. At this point, don't worry about eating healthy, just eat. Since I'm not allowed a mini fridge or a microwave, I have to time my meals so I get into the dining hall on time which results in this... So if you're in a similar case, set alarms for meal times, and GO TO THEM! If you miss it. Find a place that has cheap takeout that you will eat as a fall back option.

Groceries. Find a grocery store that has the things you need, and see what kind of membership or regular discounts you can get. You will need it. Don't worry about buying too much food, or buying too much junk food. If you're gonna overspend on something, better it be this and not something else. Eventually, you will get a sense of what you actually like to eat and what you don't. But for now, don't be afraid to buy something just to try it because it might become your new favorite food. Make a running list on your phone of what you need to buy and don't worry about overbuying. If you buy something you don't eat or don't want, give it away! Your neighbors or classmates or friends might want it and food is always a good way to meet people and form connections. At my old school, I became known as the one who would always have a bag of storebought cookies on me in class if anyone was hungry and didn't have any other options. I was proud of that reputation.

Don't restrict your space. It can get easy to walk the same path every day, and never venture outside of the area you know well. But every so often, try and use that bus pass you got, and go a little further afield. Just wander. You don't have to have a goal. Just explore. Living in a new place is the perfect time to do this. I recently ended up in a random church just because the gate was unlocked and the door was open. I ended up accidentally eavesdropping on a late night discussion of eleventh-century catholic manuscripts or something I can't remember and came home with a pamphlet for the catholic church I'm never going to join but it was an experience. Make awkward conversations with the people you haven't met before because maybe you'll end up crushing really hard for her even though she's straight and has a boyfriend and you'll spend the next week hopelessly pining but at least it will be something to mark the passing of time, creeping at this petty pace from day to day. Maybe the way she describes how she's learning to dissect cadavers and the way her eyebrows tilt will inspire you.

It's okay to be lonely. It's hard to adjust to living in a new place. Especially if you're a student at a new school. It may feel like everyone is making friends but you. That may be true. You may find that your neighbor has already met a guy and they are really cute together, and they no longer really want to hang out with you. You may find that the person you connected with really well now longer remembers your name but that's okay. It is a superpower, knowing how to be comfortable on your own. It's something you must learn before you can make a lasting connection with anyone. Those people who are making friends so fast are doing it because they are afraid to be alone. You aren't afraid.

Don't overcomit. Sometimes, you might feel so guilty about not donating to a freind's program to help survivers of domestic abuse in africa that you offer to design a website for them. But yuu're swamped. You have three essays due next week and you need to have an opinion about Homer's portrayal of Ithaka and you're terrified every second you spend not working on your essays, so that yiu ccan't relax even during breaks because you're constantly thinking you're behind but now you have to design a website. Don't fucking do that, What were yoy thinking you fuckin idiot. Just give your freind the money and tell her you can't do it.

Keep in touch with people. Don't fall off the map. There are people you love who are still out there. Your gramma wants to know how you're doing so give them a call, but not when you're drunk that will just make her anxious. Call your freinds from your old school. Ask them how they're doing. When tey tell you they're going on a date be happy for them and don't think bout how single you are. Fuck.

Invest in your projects. Don't forget what you love. Join that Good Omens fanfiction group even though it's one of the few things that you're not obligated to do. Don;t forget your hobbies. Watch the thing that David Tennent was in even though you don't have any prior interest in true crime and watch yourself fall into another spiral of hyperfixation.

Read Shakespeare. Relate so hard. Spend an inordinate amount of time memorizing the Yoric soliquiy from Hamlet. Spend a fortune on tickets to see David Tennent play Macbeth in the west end. Let it be your light. The only thing you are looking forward too at the moment.

You'e on your forth glass of wine. You havent neber been this drunk before becuse you are a syupid American who has just moved to the Uk unserpivused. and you're stressing about exams. You were supposed to be working.

Goodbye!

[intellectual6666]

Some really shit happened today.

So it was economics period. A new teacher came to take our class. I got to know he took the class yesterday too (I was absent). But instead of economics, he was actually teaching geography, and with a bit of history. At first he gave pet names to every state and taught how to plot them on the map very easily. And then he talked about how our Bharat used to have such a big territory and Pakistan and Bangladesh was a part of our country.

He opted for UPSC and got 735 out of 800, but because he is in general caste, he didn't get selected.

A student, name her R, first told him, "Konsi reel dekh ke aaye hai aap ?" in the rudest way possible. Then she got up and said "I think this discussion is baseless, jo bhi hona tha, the partition and everything, it's all past". So the teacher said that the what is the point of studying history then ? Jo ho gaya ho gaya ? Agar koi kuch bolega humare desh ke baare mein, toh hum chor denge? Itna easy hai kya ? After a lot of argument between them, by when she was losing her temper (she has horrible anger issues), sir asked, "What do you think, as a citizen of India, who probably loves her country, that there are better countries than ours ?" She said maybe yes, there are many, but I cannot recall their names right now. She said that partition occurred totally because of Indians. Behen British kya mujra karne aaye the yaha ? If that bloody Viceroy didn't gave such an option for a separate country, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I tried to say that in the most decent way possible. Bro the way she barked. Then three other students told her to lower her voice as an elder was standing infront of us and she freaking shouted. All the teachers present in the corridor ran to our class and asked her why the hell she screamed. "I was trying to put my point but everyone interrupted me", bro you argues with the teacher continuously on some useless shit and no body told you anything, at last last we just told you lower your voice.

And then the savage replies by the teacher left her speechless and pale.

I, along with the rest, understand that she is short tempered and have anger issues, but who is gonna work on it ? Us ? Ofc not. She herself knows about this but she ain't helping herself. And nobody cannot blame the rest of the students, to a limit, everyonecan control, but if you keep barking, at some point people are going shout back at you. And you also need to understand where you're going wrong. You cannot say partition was baseless. You cannot say discussing about Indian history is baseless. We NEED to have this knowledge. And even if you think it's wrong, atleast you should have a proper reason behind it.

And foremost of all, you need to learn decency. You should know how to talk to a teacher. But yeah, nobody really talked about this to her today, as after this shit, no body really wanted to confront her.

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 59: Romance Dawn

''Gather up all of your dreams and go find what you're looking for – ONE PIECE! Things like compasses are the source of delays. Rising with passion, I'm taking the helm. This dusty treasure map… if we check it, then it's not a legend! It's OK if our personal difficulties, so get on someone else's biorhythm and make the most out of it! Gather up all of your dreams and go find what you're looking for! And with a coin in my pocket, you wanna be my friend? We are, we are on the cruise! WE ARE!''

– We Are! by One Piece

xXxXxXx

Sonic was standing at the railing of the Ocean Tornado, looking over at the horizon, enjoying the warmth of the rising sun, listening to the rush of the waves and sensing the scent of saltwater. It was a feeling unlike any other, the kind of freedom where you were able to go wherever you wanted and do whatever you wanted – he was on another adventure and he felt right at home.

He glanced behind him, taking note of his friends and the ship's crew walking around, doing tasks, talking or just enjoying the ride. Even if they were here to help Blaze and Sana fight against pirates, that didn't mean that they couldn't take the time to relax a little and enjoy the tour between the many islands that were part of the Surya Empire. From what he had been told by Lucas, this was the reason why it was considered an empire, being the largest archipelagic country in the world. Many of these islands were small and uninhabited, but a good portion of them were inhabited by people whose family lines would go back many generations, some even claiming to have lived there for hundreds of years and never leaving, being content with their lives and living off the sea and whatever the island provided for them. Sonic imagined that these people probably had many stories to tell and while they weren't planning on visiting any of the islands, he was curious about what this kind of life was like. He then turned back to the horizon, taking note of several fishing boats in the distance, but the moment of peace didn't last too long.

''I have to commend you for your bravery,'' Knuckles said, him and Tails walking over to Sonic. ''We are currently nowhere near any land and you haven't shown any sign of panic.''

''Heh, I told you already, I'm not afraid of water,'' Sonic said. Knuckles nodded, arms folded across his chest.

''Well, I'm proud of you, Hedgehog. After all, the depths of the ocean are quite mysterious. Not only don't we know what lurks there, but for people like you, even thinking about entering the water must be an uncomfortable experience. Just imagine what would happen if you fell into it. First, you'd be splashing in the water, desperate to hold onto something and keep your head above the waves that are constantly crashing down on you, but since you don't know how to swim, you would sink like a rock, trashing around in dismay as you slowly realize what is happening. You'd try to keep your mouth closed, but soon, your lungs would start burning, begging for air. The moment you force yourself to inhale, your lungs will get filled with water and you'd find yourself drowning, helpless and unable to escape…'' Knuckles talked, completely oblivious to the alarmed look that slowly creeped up on Sonic's expression as he listened to the very detailed description. ''…and that's only if you don't get torn apart by a shark, your blood dying the waters red.'' Knuckles then grinned, placing a hand on Sonic's shoulder. ''Of course, that's something that won't intimidate you at all.''

''Uh, y-yeah…'' Sonic replied, trying not to show just how anxious he felt. He then turned on his heel and quickly stepped away from the railing, muttering under his breath, ''I need to figure out where they keep the life vests...''

Knuckles was confused when he saw Sonic suddenly walking away, glancing at Tails with a raised eyebrow. ''Did I say something wrong?''

Tails gave the clueless echidna a deadpan look. ''I think you shouldn't have gone into a detailed description of how drowning works.''

''Oh…''

Meanwhile, Blaze was on the other side of the ship, staring at the water and feeling a pit in her stomach. She knew that this was just another investigation and that she had her friends for support, but she still felt that she should've done this on her own. She was always very independent, and while she had support from Sana and Marine, she felt that it was her sole duty to protect the Surya Empire from pirates. This was her responsibility, and not the responsibility of others.

''Hey, you okay Blaze?''

Blaze looked up when she heard Silver's voice, who came to check on her. She lowered her head and stared at the water.

''I am… I guess,'' Blaze muttered.

''You look like you have a lot on your mind,'' Silver said, with Blaze looking up at him. ''Do you want to talk?''

Blaze was silent for a moment, then looked up at Silver. ''I was thinking about whether all of this was a good idea. Please, don't take this the wrong way, but protecting the Surya Empire was always my duty, my burden. I had never expected that I would call someone for help and it makes me reconsider my decisions.''

''I see. You feel a little overwhelmed by all of this, right?'' Silver asked, a gentle smile on his lips. Blaze nodded. Silver then hummed in thought.

''I suppose that this is something we can relate to. You have an entire empire to protect, while I have to protect the future,'' Silver started, giving Blaze an encouraging smile. ''Something that I have learned while spending my time here is that this doesn't have to be a burden that I have to carry alone. I have Makoto and the others, and I can rely on everyone to lend me their strength to continue with my mission. Neither I nor you are alone in this. That's why we came here when you and Sana have called us, because there is no way we would leave you handle this all alone.''

''Thanks, Silver,'' Blaze replied, a bright smile spreading on her lips. ''It is rather comforting to hear that.''

''Heh, I'm glad…'' Silver smiled, rubbing the back of his head as he felt a little flustered.

xXx

Ferra, Orbot and Cubot tilted their heads as they heard footsteps from outside the room, with Dr. Eggman entering it first. Ferra turned to him, ''Where's Metal?''

''I am here.''

Ferra's eyes widened in awe as Neo Metal Sonic walked into the room, now capable of proper speech. She quickly approached him, checking on him. ''How are you doing?''

''I'm fine. More than fine. I actually feel quite powerful,'' Neo Metal Sonic responded, flexing his sharp claws, with Orbot and Cubot gazing at him.

''Oh, indeed, you look quite powerful,'' Orbot said.

''Maybe even more powerful than Sonic,'' Cubot added.

''You will become only more powerful by copying the data of those you fought against,'' Eggman said, drawing their attention. ''Besides that, you can also transform into those whose data you have scanned. In other words, your new powers are perfect for infiltration.''

''Considering how Team Neos has no idea that Metal Sonic has now been upgraded to Neo Metal Sonic, would it be possible for Neo to go back to his base form to keep this a secret?'' Ferra suddenly asked, her gaze shifting from Eggman to Neo Metal Sonic. ''I don't think we should reveal this too soon.''

''I suppose I could revert back to my base form,'' Neo Metal Sonic said, but Eggman stopped him.

''You should try first to shapeshift into an organic form to see if your ability works properly,'' he pointed out, then grinned arrogantly. ''Of course, there is only one perfect candidate for you to take their form.''

''I agree,'' Ferra said, turning to Neo Metal Sonic. ''You should scan my bio-data and see whether it works.''

Neo Metal Sonic nodded, reaching out for her, only for both of them to be interrupted by an irked Eggman.

''I was talking about myself,'' he grumbled, with Ferra and Neo Metal Sonic giving him a confused look. Ferra rose an eyebrow.

''Wouldn't it make more sense Neo to scan my bio-data since I'm his partner?'' she asked. Eggman rolled his eyes, waving his hand in a dismissive manner.

''Do whatever you want,'' he said, clearly still a little sour about it. Ferra and Neo Metal Sonic exchanged glances, both feeling a little amused, with Ferra then reaching out for her partner and Neo Metal Sonic scanning her bio-data. He then looked at his clawed hand, flexing it as he processed the data. This was followed by him turning into a silver liquid substance, akin to liquid metal, and moments later he emerged in a new form, looking exactly like Ferra.

''Fascinating,'' Eggman muttered, quite proud of the result, but still keeping an impassive gaze. Ferra, on the other hand, was clearly amazed by Neo Metal Sonic's transformation.

''That's awesome!'' she said, staring at her perfect copy. She then smirked mischievously. ''Oh, we're so going to use this to mess with Team Neos. They have no idea what's coming to them.''

''I absolutely agree,'' Neo!Ferra said, shapeshifting into Metal Sonic. ''My loathsome copy will learn to fear me!''

''He might get confused if he hears you talk when you look like this,'' Orbot pointed out, with Metal Sonic turning towards him and Cubot.

''Couldn't he just tell them he got a voice box?'' Cubot asked, scratching his head.

''That would actually be a good cover story,'' Orbot agreed.

''I suppose that would make sense. But, you can always just keep silent until we get to the big reveal,'' Ferra said, turning to Metal Sonic, who nodded.

''I suppose I would have to copy the bio-data of all of Team Neos,'' Metal Sonic said. ''If not all of them, then at least absorb the data of Sonic, Shadow and Silver, since these three are the most powerful among them.''

''That would result in your attaining your Metal Overlord form, right?'' Ferra asked.

''I suggest you two to wait with the Metal Overlord until you can get more used to this form,'' Eggman told them. Ferra and Metal Sonic nodded, agreeing with him. For now, they wanted to confront Sonic and Lucas, then they would see what would happen next.

xXx

Omega was patrolling through Eas, having been on the look-out for Eggman Empire activity ever since Touka and Shadow told him and Rouge that they would be leaving Neos City for a few days alongside the rest of Team Neos. While Rouge wished them a nice trip, but showed no sign of interest in going on any kind of patrol, Omega took it up on himself to protect Neos City from Dr. Eggman and his robots. He took pride in the trust Touka and Shadow showed in him, and he was more than happy to take down whoever Eggman sent next to terrorize the city. He had also taken note of the fact that he was the only surviving member of the E-100 Series, having to commend Gamma for his brave sacrifice during the battle against Chaos, his defiance against his creator fueling Omega's own desire to show the Doctor that he couldn't break him nor control him. He would make sure Gamma's sacrifice wasn't in vain.

It appeared that Omega would get that opportunity as he immediately detected the presence of another robot flying right over him and fired a warning shot. The robot in question, Metal Sonic, had managed to dodge the missile, turning his head towards the attacker. Omega had already aimed his cannon arms towards him.

''You may not be an Eggman creation, but you're still affiliated with Eggman. My systems conclude that you need to be destroyed!'' Omega said, but before he could engage in a battle with Metal Sonic, Ferra suddenly flew in front of him on her hoverboard.

''Hey, give it a rest! We're not here to fight you, we're searching for Lucas and Sonic,'' Ferra told him.

''They are not in Neos City,'' Omega told her. Both Ferra and Metal Sonic gave him a bewildered look.

''Then, where are they?'' Ferra asked.

''They have gone to the Surya Empire,'' Omega responded, observing both of their stunned reactions. ''That doesn't matter. I am a sufficient opponent.''

He fired at Metal Sonic, the bullets piercing the air as Metal Sonic encased himself inside the Black Shield to repel the attack. Ferra flew away, deciding to leave this fight to Metal Sonic and observe it from the sidelines. However, her expression showed that them fighting against Omega was a waste of time, something Metal Sonic took note of. He charged up, firing a blast at Omega, with the Team Dark member countering it, cancelling each other's attacks out in an explosion and causing a cloud of smoke to appear.

''You will- disappear?'' Omega looked around, scanning the immediate area, only to realize that Metal Sonic took the opportunity to get away. He did spot Ferra, who simply shrugged as she saw Omega's perplexed look.

''Unfortunately for you, we're only here to fight Sonic or other members of Team Neos; not you,'' Ferra told him, flying off on her hoverboard and shouting as she was already a good distance away, ''No offense, Omega!''

Omega lowered his arms, still stunned as he stared at where Ferra was just a moment ago. ''Does not compute.'' The bewilderment was then replaced with a strong sense of anger. ''How dare they not fight me?! This is insulting!''

Meanwhile, Ferra and Metal Sonic managed to get away, finding a safe spot they knew Omega wouldn't find them at. Ferra sighed, turning to Metal Sonic. ''Well, this puts a damper in our plans.''

''How could Sonic just up and leave Neos City?'' Metal Sonic suddenly said, clearly furious and clenching his clawed hand into a fist. ''I was looking forward to this confrontation, and now he's gone! We don't even know when he's going to return!''

''I suppose we should tell Dr. Eggman about this. He won't be happy with this news either,'' Ferra said. ''On the other hand, he could just take over Neos City…''

''No,'' Metal Sonic interrupted her, his voice sharp and stern. ''This is our mission, and I want to see Sonic squirming in pain as he lies at my feet. I want to see the fear in his eyes as he realizes that he has been outmatched. If I have to wait a little longer, that will be fine, but I'm not going to let anyone interfere with this, including the Doctor.''

''I see…'' Ferra muttered, smirking. ''Then, I won't stop you.''

xXx

''So far, nothing…'' Sana muttered, pulling up her AR Visor, which had a zoom-in function, acting like binoculars. ''We have the description of the ship, but it won't be easy to locate it.''

''You mean the one with the robot pirates?'' Lucas asked. Sana nodded. ''Did they include descriptions of the pirates?''

''The reports say that this specific ship had no humans or ARNavs on it, and the crew was made up of robots. The captain had a red coat with skull marks and his right-hand man was green with a shark-shaped head…'' Sana trailed off when Minami, who overheard the conversation, suddenly interrupted her.

''Did they also have two smaller robots?'' she asked.

''Yeah, they had,'' Sana replied, a bit startled. Lucas and Minami exchanged knowing glances.

''Have you ever played Sonic Rush or Sonic Rush Adventure?'' Lucas asked. Sana shook her head.

''No, why are you asking- Wait, do you want to say-?'' Sana was slowly putting the pieces together, but still had trouble seeing the picture.

''The captain of those robot pirates is Captain Whisker, accompanied by his right-hand man Johnny and the other crewmates, Mini & Mum. In the video game lore, they were searching for the Jeweled Scepter, which is how they got into conflict with Sonic and Blaze,'' Lucas explained.

''I see… But, neither Blaze nor I have ever heard of the Jeweled Scepter,'' Sana explained, taking note of the rest of Team Neos, Blaze and Marine listening in on their conversation.

''Sana is right. I don't know anything about the existence of the Jeweled Scepter,'' Blaze added.

''What about the Sol Emeralds?'' Minami suddenly asked.

''I'm afraid that I don't know anything about them either,'' Blaze replied.

''Okay, hold up a second,'' Lily said, drawing everyone's attention. ''If this is Captain Whisker's crew, why would they attack trade ships? That doesn't make sense.''

''Clearly, they just want to steal the goods and sell it on the black market,'' Marine said.

''Whatever their motivation is, they're pirates and they need to go down,'' Blaze said in a firm tone.

''I believe that what Lily meant to say is that there is one more player in this situation – Eggman Nega,'' Minami said.

''Wait, there is another Eggman?'' Touka asked, being just as confused as the ARNavs.

''Yeah… Wait, didn't you read the notes I have sent you?'' Minami asked. Touka gave her a sheepish look.

''I may have just skimmed those particular ones,'' she replied.

''Who is Eggman Nega?'' Sonic asked.

''All I can say is that it's complicated,'' Lucas replied. ''He's either Dr. Eggman's descendant or his counterpart from the Sol Dimension.''

There was a moment of silence.

''Yeah, I don't think I want to hear more about that,'' Amy said in a deadpan tone. ''We don't even know if he's part of this.''

''Right, let's just focus on what we know, which is that the robots we're dealing with are most likely Captain Whisker and his crew,'' Sana said, raising an eyebrow. ''This begs the question, who created them?''

''Maybe they weren't created by anyone,'' Warren said. ''It is possible this is a similar situation as the one with Metal Sonic.''

''You mean they're Irregulars?'' Tails said. ''That would make sense.''

Suddenly, they were hit with an explosion that caused the Ocean Tornado to rock violently on the waves, with one of the crewmates shouting, ''We're under attack!''

''How?!'' Marine sprinted towards the edge of their ship, only to get splashed when another cannon bomb exploded in the water. She was quickly joined by Blaze and Sana, shouting in frustration, ''We haven't should've been able to see them from miles away!''

''They just appeared out of nowhere,'' Blaze muttered, with Sana turning to the rest of the crew and Team Neos.

''Prepare for battle! These were just warning shots,'' Sana quickly ordered everyone.

''Princess, should we replace the flag?'' one of the crewmates, a koala ARNav asked Sana. The teenager looked up at the flag they had displayed, the one that signaled that they were a trade ship that carried food and other valuables to islands. Sana narrowed her eyes.

''No, we'll keep up the act as the bait. However, signal them to stop immediately with their actions and that we want to communicate,'' she told the crewmate, who just nodded and did as told.

''What's your plan?'' Blaze asked.

''I want to see whether we can lure them closer. They'll probably think that we want to parlay,'' Sana turned to Team Neos. ''Don't show yourself yet, but be ready for an attack. Blaze and I will try to see what we can do here to minimize the damage.''

''Aye, aye!'' Sonic saluted, with him and the rest of Team Neos quickly getting out of sight. Sana turned to Marine, who took the helm and started steering the ship so the side would be facing the oncoming pirate ship.

Sana and Blaze took another look at the pirate ship, taking note of the flags. One of them as a typical Jolly Roger, black with a skull that had a bushy mustache on it, while the other one signaled that they also wanted to communicate. Sana breathed a sigh of relief, despite the tense situation. She and Blaze knew that, even if the pirates wanted to communicate, they were still in a dangerous situation. One of the crewmates quickly brought her a microphone that was connected to the megaphone on the Ocean Tornado.

''This is the Ocean Tornado! Who are you and what do you want from us?'' Sana asked, her and Blaze waiting with bated breath for a response.

''It is I, the Dread Pirate Whisker! If ye haven't noticed yet, we're pirates, so there's only one thing we're 'ere for – to pillage yer ship!'' Captain Whisker responded through his own megaphone. He was a robot that had an oval body. In the head, he wore a red hat with golden hemline and the symbol of a white skull with a white mustache. Only in the left eye, he has a sky blue iris, while the other does not. His torso and arms were covered by something like a red with golden hemline, four white buttons and skull-shaped cuffs. He also wore a brown baldric and belt with a gold buckle and tip. Sana's grip on the microphone tightened, her and Blaze's eyes narrowing. ''I have no time to chew the fat, so surrender now, lest you fancy windin' up in Davy Jones' Locker!''

''We refuse!'' Sana responded in a firm tone. ''Instead, you should be the one surrendering!''

''D'arr har har! You be just a trade ship…'' Captain Whisker trailed off when he saw the crew removing the trade ship flag and instead rising the flag of the imperial family. ''Wh-Wha-?''

''Captain Whisker, this is the Imperial Princess Sana Jai speaking, along with the Blazing Guardian of the Surya Empire, Blaze the Cat. You are under arrest for piracy!'' Sana spoke again, her tone threatening. ''Surrender this instant!''

Back on the pirate ship, Captain Whisker turned to his crew, completely bewildered. ''Which one of ye bilge-sucking carousers had the idiotic idea of attackin' an imperial ship carrying the blasted Blazing Guardian?!''

''Wasn't that your idea, Captain?'' Mini asked.

''Besides, didn't they use a trade ship flag?'' Mum added. The two were nearly identical in appearance, both of them appearing as small ovoid robots. However, one of them was blue with a single horn on his head, while the other was green with two horns on his head.

''Blimey, those scurvy dogs played a trick on us!'' Captain Whisker said, only to fall silent for a moment. ''But, there have been tales of the Blazing Guardian and the… the… uh…'' He scratched his head, unable to remember what those tales were about. He then grabbed his cutlass, holding it up. ''Never mind, we will feed the crew of the Ocean Tornado to the fish!''

Back on the Ocean Tornado, Sana put on her AR Visor, observing the situation on the pirate ship. She frowned. ''I see more Irregulars on the ship and they don't appear to be robots.''

''I guess Captain Whisker decided to add more members to his crew,'' Blaze said.

''They're manning the cannons!'' Sana shouted in alarm, turning to the crew and Team Neos. ''Prepare to defend the ship!''

''Fire!'' Captain Whisker shouted, with his crew firing several cannonballs at the Ocean Tornado. One landed in the water, while the other flew over the ship, but the third one flew straight towards the middle of the deck. However, before it could blow a hole in it, Amy emerged with her Piko Piko Hammer and hit the cannonball right back at the sender. It exploded nearby the pirate ship, leaving the crew stunned, especially the captain. ''Shiver me timbers, what is happenin'?!''

''Looks like the princess and the Blazing Guardian got reinforcements,'' Johnny said, pointing at the Ocean Tornado. He was a green robot resembling a mix of a shark and torpedo, with the pirate emblem of their crew placed on his chest.

''Mum, give me the spyglass!'' Captain Whisker ordered, with the robot handing it over and the captain looking through the telescope and frowning. ''Aye, it seems that there are some landblubbers on their ship. It doesn't matter, we'll sink them all! Savvy?''

''Loud and clear, Captain!'' Johnny said, leaping off the ship and flying towards the Ocean Tornado.

Meanwhile, the pirate ship kept firing at the imperial ship, only for the cannonballs to be stopped in the air by cyan energy, that being the work of Silver, with Blaze firing fireballs to make them explode harmlessly. Shadow joined them, firing a Chaos Spear at one of the cannonballs, while Amy, with Tails' help, flew up to hit another back into the water. The unfortunate truth of the matter was that the only ones who had abilities that could fight against the pirates at this range were Blaze, Silver and Shadow, but the rest of the group wasn't standing by idly and instead followed Sana's commands to prepare the Ocean Tornado's cannons and return the fire, while Marine was at the helm, trying to maneuver the Ocean Tornado to safety.

''Hold on!'' Marine shouted, steering the ship to starboard and nearly avoiding another cannonball. Just then, Johnny suddenly emerged from the side at high speeds, dodging a Chaos Spear and knocking Shadow off the ship, before turning around and getting kicked in the chest by Sonic.

''Ugh, so fast…''

While Johnny was recovering from the sudden attack, Touka quickly ran over to the railing in panic. ''Shadow!'' To her relief, she found the dark hedgehog floating above the waves, his air shoes keeping him afloat. ''Are you okay?''

''I'll be fine once I turn that robot into scrap metal,'' Shadow growled, using his air shoes to fly up back on the deck and seeing Sonic facing Johnny.

''Heh, seems like you have never met The Fastest Thing Alive,'' Sonic said, dodging Johnny's punch easily.

''You may be fast, but you're not as fast as me! I am the sultan of speed! The unparalleled and unequaled Johnny! No one can keep up with me! No one!'' Johnny tried to land a hit on Sonic, his punches a blur. Too focused on Sonic, he didn't even notice Knuckles leaping from behind and landing a solid punch in the back of his head, followed by another kick from a furious Shadow.

Suddenly, the ship turned, as Marine realized they were getting rather close to the pirate ship, which stopped firing at them and instead launched the ropes and nets, with the Irregulars that Captain Whisker added to his crew invading it.

''Chaos Surge!''

Lucas and Sonic were the first to use Chaos Surge, followed by the rest of Team Neos, including Sana and Blaze, and then the fight began. The pirates were stunned when not only the ARNavs started to battle, but their human partners as well. Chaos ensued, with Team Neos pushing the pirates back, with Sana's hand covered in flames as she rushed towards the ropes and burned them, cutting the only connection between the ships, her eyes, just like Blaze's, glowing in a royal purple and her being covered in a royal purple crackling aura. She looked over at the other ship, noting how Captain Whisker, Mini and Mum didn't join the battle, and after glancing at Blaze, both used their fire to propel themselves and board the pirate ship.

''Makoto, let's help them!'' Silver shouted, with Makoto nodding in response and both using the psychokinesis to also board the pirate ship.

Meanwhile, Johnny realized that his own speed was absolutely nothing in comparison to a Chaos Surge-boosted Sonic, while Shadow and Knuckles went to help the rest of the crew. Realizing that this was a losing battle, Johnny suddenly flew up, out of Sonic's range and looked back at the pirate ship, where Captain Whisker, Mini and Mum were facing Blaze, Sana, Silver and Makoto. Despite being attacked by both fire and psychokinesis, Captain Whisker had quite impressive durability, swinging his cutlass through the flames and firing his own torrent of flames from his mouth at them. Makoto quickly rose a barrier out of the psychokinesis, shielding his friends.

''Heh, ye certainly are a match for his ol' seadog!'' Captain Whisker said, swinging his cutlass and Blaze dodging the attack. She countered by shaping the flames into a sword of her own that heated the cutlass to dangerous levels, the Chaos Surge boost aiding her in that. Captain Whisker was forced to step back, taking note of Johnny who returned back to help him and fighting against Silver, while Sana and Makoto chased after Mini and Mum. ''But, ye don't know about me secret weapon!''

''What?'' Blaze's eyes widened as she saw Captain Whisker taking out a device, pressing a button on it and throwing it into the water. ''What have you done?''

''A bucko of mine told me to use it if I ever came across ye, lassie,'' Captain Whisker responded, only to pause for a moment. ''Now, if I only remembered what it does…''

Back on the Ocean Tornado, Marine managed to steer the imperial ship away from the pirate ship, turning her head in worry as she tried to keep an eye on Blaze, Sana, Silver and Makoto. However, to her shock, the ship was completely gone.

''They're gone!'' Marine turned to Team Neos, who had managed to subdue the pirates and defeat them. ''The ship, Blaze, Sana… They're all gone!''

''What?!'' Lucas, who was helping the crew tie up the pirates turned his head up, and to his shock, and the shock of everyone else, realized that Marine as speaking the truth.

Blaze, Sana, Silver, Makoto, Captain Whisker and his crew were all gone, as if swallowed by the ocean itself.

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[archtroop]

No, Israeli kids are innocent of any crimes. The same as Palestinian kids. The problem is the crazy people like you. It's funny to think that your people suffered from a Genocide once and you're now the Nazis committing Genocide. You can say to yourself whatever you want to sleep at night but the truth is what it is: it's not a war, it's not suicide (what a fucking ridiculous notion). It's genocide. Shame you're so brainwashed you can't see what's in front of you.

And yet again, no.

The only Nazis in this equation are HAMAS and their infrastructure.

Anon, you have no leg to stand on this.

Attacking a well armed state, massacring 1200+ people in one day and, what? What do you call this? What you expect to happen next?

Here is the thing. You want the big picture, I'll give you the big picture.

The Islamic Republic of Iran wants to control the Middle East. They fund proxies to ankle-bite those who threaten their supremacy in the region. Like SaudiArabia, Israel and so on by employing: HAMAS, Hezbollah, Houthies etc. They settle roots in places of discord and disarray (Lebanon, Syria...Yemen. West Bank and Gaza. Places with no functional government).

They use Israel as a scapegoat to unite under (Fascism 1.01). They call upon "The Zionist Regime" rhetoric whenever shit hits the fan and they need to blame someone with something. Oldest trick in the book.

The Abraham Accorda are designed so that USA could finally leave the Middle East. UAE and others, had already signed the accords with Isrsel to manifest a solid treaty that would hold the Jihad at bay and will eventually stabilize the region (against threats like IRI and ISIS) by means of finance, strategy and military. Two weeks or so prior to Saudi Arabia signing the accords, Iran gives a nod of approval to HAMAS. The attack on the 7th was premeditated. It was planned for years. The idea is simple: make Israel look bad so that Saudi Arabia won't be happy to sign an agreement with a "weak" country (Israel is the security part in the agreement. SA enjoyed up till recently the security US provided. With deglobalization, this deal is off), and then drag Isrsel into a bloody war in urban terrain in Gaza to make Israel look very bad so Saudi Arabia won't sign with Israel in defense of the Palestinian Cause.

Yes, it was a premeditated suicide. And all of this is a geopolitical known knowledge. Nothing in what I wrote above is new or groundbreaking.

It was never about Palestinians. Or Palestine. It was all just an excuse. All of this, we all are just pawns.

On the world scale, Gaza doesn't matter. That's the sad truth. They were used and thrown away by their leaders. Israel is holding talks with both Egypt and Saudis over how to extract the civilians from this death trap, believe it or not. Both HATE HAMAS and watch all of this unfold and waiting for Israel to declare HAMAS IS NO MORE. Egypt hates HAMAS, a tie in to the Muslim Brotherhood, that has the power to topple the Egyptian secular government (funny how the most affected by Houthies attacks are Egypt, but no one gives a crap).

Gaza is a funnel for aid money. It produces nothing, it exports nothing. They are meaningless on the world map. That's the sad truth. By making Gaza absolutely dependent on UN aid (that never actually used for aid, but to cushion up HAMAS leaders), you have a society that cannot support itself in any way. They don't even have political allies. They are pawns.

Hate HAMAS. Hate IRI.

Or you can hate Israel, the only place where Palestinians from West Bank and Gaza could actually work and get paid. Now they don't have even that.

You know what's the cruelest joke? The accords are on talks and are progressing. There is a route of merchandise that goes right through Saudi Arabia and to Israel and Egypt, by trucks.

All of this. Was for nothing.

It's called Terrorism for a reason.

So, I guess whatever makes you sleep better. Jews did not survive the Holocaust to lie down and take it when another one is knocking on the door.

After the 7th, my emphaty dulled by a huge margin. That you cannot take back. Even symphaty has an expiration date.

There is no Genocide in Gaza. There is a Suicide on a national scale, and that's the harsh truth. And it didn't even make a lick of difference.

The only hope people in Gaza have, is to wake up without HAMAS. And it WILL happen.

Whether you like it or not.

[bloodyshadow1]

wishlist for Junior year

Since Junior year is happening in January I thought I'd make a quick list of a few things I personally want to happen next season. You're free to tell me what you think, disagree, agree, hell add more if you're interested.

I want the maps back- I completely understand why they did the show like they did for their live show, but I miss the Rick Perry maps that were so cool. Also Brennan has a lot of epic battles that are kind of hard for me to visualize because I have adhd and missing one thing he says can confuse me for the whole battle. Seeing mini's really helps me keep things straight

less NPC interactions- the NPC's are not bad, by any means, I love the hirelings and the romance partners, but I feel like including them on the adventure lessened the interactions between the Bad Kids. Like Tracker and Kristen for a large part of the adventure were attatched at the hip, and other places, Gorgug spent a lot of his time trying to patch up his relationship with Zelda, Ayda gets a lot of interactions with Fig and Adaine, but there isn't a lot of time for the three of them just one on one leaving the other out more. Just me personally I would like if the season focused more on the party and their relationships

(I want to be clear, I don't want no interactions with our beloved NPC's just less them being part of the adventure and more them being NPC's that help and exist but aren't the DM's Player Characters)

I hope they stay in Elmville or at the very least Solace- I loved Sophomore Year, but a lot of the charm of the first season of Fantasy High was the unique setting they were in. An urban fantasy world where a large part of the population were adventurers. It felt more unique compared to Sophomore year's more high fantasy, but with people who know modern technology. Even if they leave Elmville, I wouldn't mind them exploring Solace as a whole to see what their country is like outside of their small town. (I want to more campaigns exploring Spyre too, but even with the Seven they leave Solace by ep 3 and spend most of their time in other countries in Spyre, I want to see what a modern urban fantasy setting is like)

Adaine using the Sword of Sight, wizard or not, as a high elf she's proficient in swords and with her boosted strength and her desire to punch/hit people it's perfect. I know cantrips will still be the better option, but when has Adaine, I punch my sister in the face, Abernant done the more efficient option. Adaine is my favorite character so I'd just like to see her being the terrible chaos gremlin that I know she's capable of being.

Hallariel- I'd like to see her in battle if only once. I know I said I would like the NPC presence lessened, but I still want to see what Fabian's hot mom can do in a real fight. We've only seen her talked about as the best swordswoman in the world by Bill who himself is fearsome with a blade, but we only see her train/threaten her son. Even if it's a possession or mind control situation I'd like to see her in battle, even if it's against the Bad Kids.

For some reason I want a battle at a Fig and the Sig Figs concert- I don't really know why I want this, but I really liked the Broadway brawl ep of Unsleeping city, it made for some cool rules and the like and I would like, a less stressful, but still fight in the crowd of people while Fig and Gorgug are on stage.

Consequences for the Bad Kids and their friends/family- I don't really know where I'm going with this, but I just feel like the Bad Kids get away with a lot of stuff because that's how Elmville works, but I kind of liked how they suffered consequences near the end of Freshman year, even if I think months in Jail was a lazy way for Brennan to do a time skip until the finale battle. (I love the guy, but I believe what I believe). But specifically about YES! the god Kristen created and abandoned, creating a god and orphaning it should have more consequences than throwing out a sweater that you don't like any more. Are Adaine and Aelwyn treated differently given that their parents started a war over Aelwyn and wars have consequences, people died and have people to mourn them who probably aren't too keen on the two abernants in their country after that.

I'd like cameos by the Seven, not just Zelda.- again, I know I said less NPC presence, but still, they don't necessarily have to be NPC's just saying if someone wanted to drop by and play for an episode or 2. The Seven is probably my favorite D20 season and I would love to see what my girls are up to.

There's more that I might add, but this is it for now