#has no one ever looked around and wondered “gee i wonder why so many of our guys just randomly die”

[gardening--tools]

You know what tickles me pink about the Disciples in Nuka World?

Decomposing bodies release toxic gas. They're just sitting in that mountain, breathing in so much hydrogen sulfide.

I'm too lazy to write an essay. What I'm trying to say is all Disciples are asthmatic.

[ach-sss-no]

So Ive been curious about this latley, back in the old days when Tolkien hadn't provided a detailed description of Gollum, and artist were making all sorts of vastly different interpretations of him, which of those were your favorite?

OK I know I haven't seen probably even a fraction of the Weird Gollum Takes that exist, but of the ones I have seen, my favorite is ABSOLUTELY Friendly Brontosaurus Gollum.

Source: http://tolkien.com.pl/hobbit/collection/hobbit-polish-1960-1st.php

That's not going to deceive you and lead you into a cave to sacrifice you to a spider. That's going to be your beloved companion in an adorable 1950's children's novel that doesn't understand paleontology.

Second favorite: Sweetums from The Muppets, Swamp Thing edition, by Tove Jansson.

I jest, but Jansson's work is wonderful and I have a lot of respect for anyone who gets that much value work out of pen and ink.

I think when Tolkien went 'oh gee whiz people are drawing him huge, i have to specify he was about bilbo-sized', it may have been after he saw either this one or the literal dinosaur.

#3: Cor Blok.

This loses points in this particular competition for being something I can believe to be Gollum and for being the right size and shape (when the goal is to get everything wrong). Wildly imaginative take nonetheless.

An honorable mention goes to:

1: Rankin Bass

2: The Fuzzball, from the WILDLY inaccurate 11-minute adaptation of The Hobbit from 1967 where Bilbo marries a human princess.

In the early 1960's, animation producer William L. Snyder (founder of Rembrandt Films) told his director and collaborator, Gene Deitch, that he had purchased the rights to an unknown 1927 children's novel, THE HOBBIT. In order to hold his option, Snyder had to "produce a full-color motion picture of THE HOBBIT" by a certain date in 1966. So to meet this deadline while he tried to interest the studios in a much bigger motion picture, the very first version of THE HOBBIT was produced by Rembrandt Films and directed by Gene Deitch.

(and that's exactly what it looks like, but IMO the art style is still pretty neat, even if only loosely related to the hobbit. That image of Gollum above might have some details wrong but the vibes are great. I can't tell if he's supposed to be wearing a scavenged pelt (accetable?) or is just fuzzy like a baby bird (cute. but inaccurate))

Fun(?) fact, though:

>unknown 1927 children's novel

Rankin Bass also claimed to be adapting 'the original version' of the book. They're all lying. This is NOT the 1927 version of the hobbit. This is CLEARLY the revised edition that ties into The Lord of the Rings, and you can tell because Gollum is very upset when Bilbo takes the ring which he wasn't in the 1927 version! They parted amicably. No, really.

I don't know how many times Gollum begged Bilbo's pardon. He kept on saying: "We are ssorry; we didn't mean to cheat, we meant to give it our only only pressent, if it won the competition." He even offered to catch Bilbo some nice juicy fish to eat as a consolation.

That's why LOTR has all that stuff about Bilbo lying through his teeth about what happened in the riddle-game and Gandalf having to get the real story out of him.

So, if you ever see a take on The Hobbit where Gollum gets really upset and vows to hate Bilbo, the way you would expect and the way we all understand the story went, that is not the original version and if the makers claim it is, they are lying in the grand tradition of Bilbo Baggins, and were possibly even comitting some kind of rights infringement because they were drawing on material Tolkien wrote later that wasn't in the version of the book they purchased.

Cool!

To bring it back to your original topic of 'Bad takes on Gollum', while looking up illustrations I found the worst one I've ever seen. (Subjectively.)

See, I hate it when Gollum just looks like a regular dude. (He should be humanoid, but not just. A random guy.)

https://tolkienbooks.net/php/princess.php

That is THE most regular dude I've ever seen. And he's in fullbody thermal jammies I think. That's not Gollum that is a character from The Smurfs

No I take it back. Straight up pasting in a pic of Gargamel actually would have been better than that

[quitealotofsodapop]

since in the Cicada Lily AU Macaque turns into a street cat to play with Bai He, was there a moment where she noticed that one of his eyes is gone and thinks that her cat friend is hurt and needs help (cause she's a little kid and doesn't understand that the injury is healed) so she just drags cat Macaque inside and tells her parents that the kitty is hurt and Macaque just kinda has to deal with being dragged around by the kid?

I imagine they probably take him to a vet or Sandy, and he has to get all the shots for strays and this is his first check up since he's been dead so he probably needs a few of them

referencing this post.

Oh gosh XD

Macaque does his best to play an "aloof but kind alley cat" (he's an actor deep down) so he can keep an eye on LBD's host, only to underestimate how much the little girl comes to adore him.

Bai He is like four when she tries to befriend the local alley cats around the resturant, most often getting swatted or hissed at or accidentally scaring the animals away (loud toddler = cats going "no thanks"). She gets really upset; cus why dont the kitties understand that she wants to be their friend?

Then she hears a deep "Meow?".

Standing at her feet is a long-tailed cat that looks like it's made of pure shadow. A single orange eye staring up at her with curiosity.

Bai He squeals so loudly that Macaque nearly jumps out of his glamour. She scoops the cat up, even with him being almost her size, and cuddles him like he's the best thing she's ever seen.

Macaque feels a sense of warmth at giving the child that was destined to be a demonic host a friend.

Then as she's looking over his features one-by-one ("Fluffy tail! Big paw beans!") the little girl makes a gasp!

And goes running inside the restaurant with her new friend in tow.

Bai He, sobbing: "Baba! Kitty hurt!!" Pigsy, busy cooking: "Huh?" *sees weird cat* "Oh!" Tang, leaning down: "How is he hurt, sweetie?" Bai He, inconsolable: *points at the cat's missing eye* Pigsy & Tang: *share a look* Pigsy: "Sweetheart, it looks like he was hurt a long time ago, but it got better." Tang: "Remember when your big brother scraped his knee really bad and it was under a bandage for a long time? And when the bandage came off, it left a little pale line? It's like that." Bai He, trying to understand: "Really???" Tang: "Yes really, bug." Bai He: "Oh." Pigsy, realising: "Wait, where did you find this cat?" Bai He: *points to the backdoor to the alley* Pigsy: "...Oh we are so getting that thing vaccinated. Probably has fleas or something." Macaque: *insulted growl!*

And cue them taking the weird alley cat (now named "Mr Moonlight" via Bai He) to the vet to get him all his shots. And Macaque having to play "nice kitty" the whole time, even as he's getting weighed, given his shots, and a flea bath. The topic of "fixing" comes up at some point but Macaque quickly glamours himself the tell-tale TNR scars to avoid further mutilation.

In the waiting room they run into Sandy, taking Mo in for his regular check-up. This leads to the old friends reuniting, and Bai He meeting her favorite uncle ever.

"Mr Moonlight" is very protective of Bai He, and spends a large amount of his day lazing around, watching tv (he enjoys joining Pigsy for "Cooking with Chang'e"), and slipping outside for his regular walks.

To everyone other than the noodle shop fam tho, Mac is far less accomodating...

One time Bai He got hassled by kids at the park, and Mr Moonlight seemingly appeared from the shadows and started screaming and scratching at her bullies like a tiger. He got many treats that night.

MK whines about his baby sister being allowed a pet, but his parents are firm that Mr Moonlight ultimately chose them. MK isn't alone for long however, as a large sunshine-orange bird takes a liking to him and becomes his frequent companion. MK names him "Mr Sunshine".

Gee, I wonder who that could be...

[lucajayms]

i sincerely apologize for the rant

pre bullets gerard plsplsplspls!!!! they have an office crush at cartoon network then she moves away without telling anyone and they replace her (CUBICLES BEST SONG EVER) so then he just keeps wondering what may have happened, until mcr are playing like in another city during revenge era then mikey sees her in the crowd before a show and he goes to gerard right before going onstage and its like hey gerard remember that girl you talked about 24/7 in 2001, shes here tonight. and gee just freaks out while trying to play down the whole performance becase hes scared she wont like the whole fake blood/gay/screaming thing. then they finish the performance and he goes to find her and shes like all happy bc she knew he was gonna do much better things than to work at a shitty office. and shes a big comic book artist and does really weid like blood and vampire stuff so shes so happy that gerard also does weird blood vampire stuff. and then theyre happy and then the umbrella academy happens and yea

yea youre free to ignore this, i just have too much free time to imagine shit like this 👍

HELP I LOVE THIS SO SO MUCH!

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CUBICLES

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gerard way x reader she/her used use of y/n

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masterlist

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warnings: swearing!

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"Maybe you could draw her more like this to bring out the background more so she's not just stiff," I instructed him. Gerard is a very talented artist, he just has a little bit of trouble deciding what to put where.

"But I feel like if she was a little different, due to her design, she'd go flat," Gerard argues, putting his pencil where he was describing.

I sigh as I place my hand delicately to my chin, trying to see what he's talking about. The deadline is soon and he's not done pitching these characters. "Honestly, Gerard? Whatever feels right. You'll get her."

"You sure?" He asks, seeking confirmation in my words.

I smile, nodding my head, "Yeah. Deadline is tomorrow, just do whatever feels right!" I say before I'm off to my cubicle to continue my project.

I knew he was looking at me. For weeks now, it had become a pattern—one I could almost draw if I could figure out how to capture that lingering gaze in ink. He thought he was subtle, keeping his distance and asking me barely relevant questions about some “project” or “character design” he’d been working on. Gerard was charming, though; there was no denying that. Quiet, a little too good at staring at his desk, and adorably oblivious to how easy it was to read him.

“Hey, uh, (Y/N)?” I looked up from my sketchbook, where I’d been mindlessly drawing a graveyard scene—something I had an odd fascination with lately. Gerard was standing there, hands stuffed in his pockets, wearing that awkward half-smile that looked better on him than it should.

“Gerard,” I said, glancing up with a smirk. “To what do I owe the honor?”

He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “I…uh…just wanted to see what you were working on.”

I flipped my sketchbook shut, even though I knew he was dying to see what I’d been drawing. “Just some stuff. You’d probably think it’s too creepy.”

“Try me.”

Maybe it was because I wanted to test him, see how he’d react to what was under the surface, but I opened the book back up and turned it to face him. His eyes widened as he took in the vampires, blood, and dark cemeteries I’d sprawled across the pages.

“You…actually drew all of this?”

I shrugged, trying to keep my cool. “It’s not much. Just whatever’s in my head.”

He laughed, this soft, surprised sound. “Whatever’s in your head is amazing.” He paused, his eyes lingering a second too long.

I grinned, leaning back in my chair. “Well maybe not everything, Way.” I tossed my pen onto my desk, feigning nonchalance. “Can’t have too many weirdos like me around. Bad for the office’s reputation.”

And that's why I left.

Maybe I should’ve told him I was leaving. I hated the idea of going without a goodbye, but part of me figured I’d see him again. He’d get over it. Life had a way of carrying people in different directions, and honestly? I couldn’t stand the thought of another month behind that desk. I needed to be somewhere I could let these ideas out, somewhere that didn’t expect me to keep my weirdness behind a closed sketchbook.

The day I left, I watched the office fade from my rearview mirror, fingers tapping the steering wheel as a familiar guilt crept in. I didn’t leave him my number or my address or even a hint of where I’d gone. Some part of me hoped he’d figure it out. But after that, there was just silence.

Gerard

She left without a word. Just…gone. I tried to keep going like I didn’t notice, told myself it wasn’t a big deal. But the absence gnawed at me, creeping into every sketch and unfinished character. (Y/N) was gone, and I had no clue where she’d gone or why. I stopped asking questions after a while, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. The thought became like an echo in my mind, constant and inescapable, pushing me to drown it out with anything I could find.

And I did.

One show after another, one drink, one line, whatever I could find to keep the silence at bay. The stage helped a little—at least there, I had the lights in my eyes and the noise blocking out the mess in my head. I’d stand in front of the crowd, hands dripping with fake blood, trying to exorcise whatever pieces of myself felt missing. But then the high would fade, and I’d be left in a dark room, trying to ignore the question that refused to die.

Where did she go?

I kept the band going, kept pretending it didn’t matter, kept letting the weight build. It wasn’t like I had any choice. The shows were packed, and the screams of the crowd felt like both a relief and a punishment. They had no idea. No idea that some days, it felt like I’d never get off this damn ride, that maybe I’d crash and burn right here. But something shifted in 2004. I couldn’t explain it—maybe it was seeing my friends’ faces or feeling the burn of another empty night. But I knew that if I kept going like this, I’d lose everything. I’d lose myself.

I finally made the decision to clean up, and in August 2004, I was clean. Free. My body hated me for it, and my brain wasn’t much friendlier, but I had to get clean. I couldn’t keep living on the edge of destruction. Every day after that, it felt like I was shedding pieces of the person I’d become just to survive. By the time I left, I was…well, I was alive. And that had to be enough.

It had been nearly a year since I’d gotten clean, and for the first time, it felt like I could really breathe on stage again. I could look out at the faces in the crowd and see them. Really see them, not just the blur of movement and lights I’d been numbing myself to. This was what I’d always wanted. This was where I wanted to be.

"MANHATTAN!" I scream into the mic and the crowd before more goes wild. "We are going to FUCK SOME SHIT UP TONIGH!"

And as I say that, Mikey plays the beginning of Give Em' Hell Kid. The set goes without hiccups, the crowd is perfect, and the most I've seen in a few weeks. Right as we leave the stage before the encore, Frank grabs me by my collar.

"Holy shit, Gee," He starts, and concern bubbles in my stomach. Did I do something wrong?

"What? What is it?"

He shakes his head vigorously, "I don't know if I'm tripping, but I swear to God I saw the girl you keep drawing in the crowd."

Fuck.

"What?!" I exclaim.

"Thirty seconds to encore!" One of the stagehands yells.

"Frank, where did you see her?" I ask, frantic. There's no possible way she could be here tonight. Why would she be here tonight.

"Our left, by the barricade. I think?" He explains, looking up to recount exactly where he saw her. My heart thuds against my ribcage as Frank’s words sink in, and I feel my throat tighten. (Y/N)? Here? After all these years?

"Ten seconds!" the stagehand yells, clapping his hands. Mikey shoots me a quick look, and Frank gives me a small, reassuring nod. There’s no time to think or even process—I’m barely holding onto the last traces of composure as we rush back on stage. I grab the mic, trying to get my focus back on the crowd, but every nerve in me is lit up, wondering if (Y/N) is really here tonight.

“MANHATTAN!” I shout again, forcing energy into my voice, hoping it’s enough to cover the wild surge of emotions that’s slamming through me. “YOU READY FOR ONE LAST ROUND?”

The crowd screams, and the band jumps into Helena, the encore I should be ready to pour my soul into. But all I can think about is her—her face, the way she used to sketch, her laugh. The lights are blinding, and I try to keep my focus on the crowd, but my eyes keep searching, desperate to find a glimpse of her. I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but by the end of the song, I swear I see her—a flash of her hair, bright eyes, her face half-turned away in the crush of people, but unmistakably her.

The song ends, and we give a final shout before exiting the stage. As soon as we’re out of sight of the crowd, I turn to Frank, breathless.

“You’re absolutely sure it was her?” I ask, gripping his shoulder.

“Fuck, I don't know how accurate your drawings are,” he says, his voice serious. “Bit it was her, Gee. I’m sure of it.”

“Holy shit,” I breathe, running a hand through my hair as the adrenaline surges through me again. "Where do I even start looking?"

Frank raises an eyebrow. “I’d start by getting your ass back out there before she disappears again. You just finished the show. You’ve got maybe five minutes before the crowd starts spilling out.”

I don’t waste another second. I dart down the steps, half-running, half-pushing past crew members as I head toward the audience exit. It feels like the longest, most insane few minutes of my life, weaving through the backstage area until finally, I’m in the thick of the crowd, scanning every face I can. And then—I see her.

She’s lingering by the side of the barricade, glancing around, half-smiling to herself like she might leave at any moment. She’s a little older, a little different, but I’d know her anywhere. I take a deep breath, feeling my hands start to shake, and then I call out, loud enough to cut through the noise.

“(Y/N)!”

She turns, her eyes finding mine, and for a moment, it’s like everything around us goes still. Her face lights up, and I swear I feel that same electricity that ran between us in the office all those years ago.

"Oh my god, you guys did so good!" She laughed, too, shaking her head. “Gee, look at you! Rockstar Gerard. I always knew you’d end up doing something wild, but I never expected…” She gestured at my blood-stained shirt and smeared makeup. “This.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, heat creeping up my face. “Yeah, well, it’s, uh, a little different from Cartoon Network, that’s for sure. But I never thought I’d see you at a show.”

“Oh, please,” she grinned, giving me a playful nudge. “I knew you’d be doing something big. You were always too talented to be stuck behind a desk, remember?”

I laughed, surprised by the surge of relief that came with her words. “Guess it’s been a while since anyone told me that.”

She softened, and something flickered across her face. “I'm sorry I disappeared. I had to move, and things got in the way, and…” Her voice trailed off, and she shrugged, a little awkwardly. “I never thought we’d run into each other again.”

“Same here,” I admitted, looking down. “But I’m glad we did. Even if it’s, uh…” I glanced at my blood-streaked hands, shaking my head. “Like this.”

She laughed, a bright, genuine sound, and I felt my nerves ease a little. “Honestly, I kind of love it. I’m doing comics, Gee. Lots of, you know…gory, bloody, vampire stuff. Seems like we’re both into weird stuff now.”

“Every time I go into a comicbook store, I look for your name.” I say, feeling a familiar spark of admiration light up in my chest.

“Yeah, well,” she shrugged, but her smile told me she was proud. “I kept drawing, kept pushing for it, and here we are. I got some stuff out that's been somewhat successful, but you—you’re the one really living the dream.”

It felt surreal, standing there with her, years and miles from where we’d left off. She was still (Y/N)—the girl who got me, who somehow saw through everything. But she was different, too. Confident, sharp, like she’d grown in ways I never got to see. And she was right here.

We fell into silence, the crowd thinning around us. Finally, I took a deep breath. “You know, after you left…I wasn’t great, to be honest.”

Her brow furrowed, and she gave me a sympathetic look. “I figured,” she said quietly. “It was a pretty messed-up time for both of us.”

I nodded, knowing she got it. “Yeah, I got pretty lost for a while. It took me…a lot to get back on track, but I’m good now. Clean, you know? And I’m just trying to keep my head on straight, one show at a time.”

She smiled, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. “Good,” she said, her voice full of warmth. “That’s what you deserve, Gerard. You don’t need anything dragging you down.”

I felt something click into place then—a kind of peace I hadn’t felt in years. “Thanks, (Y/N). Really.”

She grinned, glancing around like she was taking in the whole scene again. “Hey, I think we’re due for a major coffee catch-up. I want to hear everything.”

I chuckled, feeling that old sense of ease wash over me. “Deal,” I said, grinning back. “But only if you show me your sketchbooks. I wanna see all the vampire blood and gore.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “You got it. Only fair, since I’ve got a feeling you’ve been drawing me for years anyway.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, and together, we walked out into the night, talking like no time had passed at all. And this time, I knew she wasn’t going anywhere.

(Y/N)

What a fucking life. Leaving Gerard like that in 2001 did something to me, you know? Fucked me up. I felt really fucking bad.

But it's okay. We're good. And by good? I mean my boyfriend is the fucking lead singer of My Chemical Romance. Like, who gets to say that?!

After their final tour ended, Gerard was bugging me more and more about his comic that he was writing and that he desperately wanted me to illustrate for it. Apparently, he had been working on it for around three years, and he wasn't getting anywhere by himself.

"I don't know, baby. I got deadlines," I always say, but God, who could say know to that pretty face of his.

And so I finally agreed to illustrate The Umbrella Academy.

And boy, did that change my life.

[mikodrawnnarratives]

TW IMPLIED CHARACTER DEATH

TW BLOOD

(Just like last time, it isn't really graphic but I'm tagging just so you know)

@naffeclipse

Part 1 | This is Part Two | Part Three | Extra

It. Probably won't need a part 4

I'm doing this all on one cps file so I sure hope so kjlfdkfljs

i'm at like- 750+ layers i'm so sorry my file

...there might be a part 4 but it'll be small sketches and aftermaths

Once again, long post under the cut:

I am not the only traveler, who has not repaid his debt.

I've been searching for a trail to follow again

Take me back to the night we met

- The night we met by Lord Hurdon

Alright, I didn't make too much of an effort to hide it but how many of you guessed it was gregory and how many of you didn't see it coming?

Gee I wonder who Gregory's companions are

Okay if you don't have a nugget of who these companions are then my rambling below makes it a little more obvious

Anyway, this little comic of self indulgence to mend my broken heart says "YO what if Gregory and other characters saved Vanessa like they did in canon"

It certainly would NOT be easy for Vanessa once she wakes up to that realization. But there are factors that make it a little bit easier for Vanessa to cope compared to other children.

Since Gregory and others proved they could fight and free her as Vanny, it gives her mind a little reassurance that they aren't completely helpless.

Plus, I like the idea of the GGY story (Dr Rabbit) existing as this au's equivalent of the same experience, that would mean Gregory has had his own bad experiences with Glitchtrap and so it wouldn't be like some random kid going against a threat he was unfamiliar with

She still distances herself a lot earlier on and the more time passes, the older Gregory gets, the less he looks and sounds like a kid.

Those make it much easier for Vanessa to stand being around them as time goes by. Earlier on, she only really interacted when absolutely necessary. But she did grow a small soft spot for them.

She remained pretty closed off about herself over the years and never delved too deep about her past. Ness left frequently for her own hunting jobs and at one point Gregory asked where she went. Somethings made it seem like these hunts weren't just random and different

He didn't get an answer of course. But later that day, Vanessa told him about Y/n. In vague terms. This is the most information he ever gets about Vanessa's past.

So Gregory's got no idea who to expect to see showing up to the gravestone ltr on and is just like

Gregory: cool, ur mysterious enough for it to be believable ur related to my mysterious older sister/mentor figure Wanna hear a story

Y/n: ...yes.

Forgive him his brain is ever so foggy from grief and no slep

Anyway, Y/n picked a day to visit Vanessa when they knew they were stable enough not to lash out and attack any humans that may happen to also be visiting the graves. They had eaten pretty recently but not so recent that they were vulnerable.

It's pretty early in the morning where it is still dark and the rain provides some more protection.

If you couldn't tell before, many MANY years have passed since Y/n has been human. Think somewhere between 20-30 years. And while, they still hate who they are now and aren't mentally okay, they've gotten a semi-solid understanding of their limits and what they can and cannot tolerate and when.

And, even though they are nervous, they can manage to have this conversation with Gregory for now.

Why are they talking to Gregory so willingly? despite the risks?

well

the next part will explain that

[reythenerdypisces]

things that I overlooked in PJO the first time / small, funny things I noticed during my reread

Part 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth

it's been way way way too long, I'm sorry, but I'm back with part 4 and part 5 will be uploaded by Monday!!

Whenever I thought about her [Rachel] (and I'm not saying I thought about her; she just like crossed my mind from time to time, okay?), ... this is after meeting her once!

She bared her fangs. I was so paralysed I couldn't move but Rachel through a snare drum at the empousa's head. Rachel is a beast with inanimate objects

We'd [Percy & Annabeth] fought together so many times we knew each other's moves. We could do this, easy.

Annabeth's hand slipped into mine. Under different circumstances I would've been embarrassed, but here in the dark I was glad to know where she was. It was about the only thing I was sure of. CUTEST

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except... well, it was Luke." She [Juniper] blushed a little greener. Grover huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

I stepped away from Annabeth. "We were just looking at maps," I said stupidly. Malcolm stared at me. "Okay."

"Percy, the spider's getting away. Do you really want me to explain the exact details of how I was born?" "Umm...no. That's okay."

Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. Then she did something that surprised me even more. [...] I probably would've sat there for the rest of the day, staring at the lava and trying to remember what my name was, but the sea demons jarred me back to reality.

"They sent you to me, my brave one, knowing that you would break my heart." "But... I'm just... I mean, I'm just me." Percy has everyone in love with him and he still asks 'me?'

For the rest of my life I would always be thinking about her [Calypso]. She would always be my biggest what if. must be weird now that she's back and with Leo

"He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. He..." Then she saw me. Her face went blood red. "He's right there!" then cut to: "You are the single most annoying person I have ever met!" And she stormed out of the room. I stared at the doorway. I felt like hitting something. "So much for being the bravest friend she's ever had."

Without waiting for us to protest, he picked up Annabeth and me as easily as if we were kittens, slung us both on his back, and galloped off towards the Big House. picturing this is hilarious

I left him in his wheelchair, staring sadly into the fireplace. I wondered how many times he'd sat here, waiting for heroes that never came back. ouch

Annabeth laughed. It was the first time, I'd heard her laugh in a long time. It was nice to hear.

The number had washed off my hand a long time ago, but that was ok. Without meaning to, I'd memorised it. he memorised Rachel's number!

How could this be a temple for my dad? My dad was a nice guy. He'd never asked me for a Father's Day card much less somebody's skull.

Ethan sneered. "There's no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn't I-" "Sign up with an army that makes you fight to death for entertainment?" Annabeth said. "Gee, I wonder." I love annabeth so so much

"Ow!" He yelled. For a moment it was only Luke's voice, full of surprise and pain. :(

Paul scratched his beard. "I don't know if it's permission, so much, but she's your mother. And I know you're going through a lot. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't talk to you about it first, man to man." [...] I thought about Paul and my mom, how she smiled and laughed more whenever he was around, and how Paul had gone out of his way to get me into high school. I found myself saying, "I think that's a great idea, Paul. Go for it." Sally and Paul are so wholesome

"And you Percy, are my favourite son." He [Poseidon] smiled, and at that moment, just being with him in the kitchen with him was the best birthday present I ever got.

the last olympian is left! on Monday, I promise :) let me know if you want the series to continue into heroes of Olympus, I'm really enjoying my reread

[book-nerd-emi]

“Doctors Suck” (part 1)

TW: This story talks a lot about death and leukemia and this chapter takes place in a hospital!!

As I open my eyes, the searing lights above me scar me. I blink rapidly, trying to get the pain to go away faster, even if it never indeed does. Once my eyes semi-adjust, my nose is hit with the burning-my-nosehairs-off smell of the chemicals. Every time I smell it, I just imagine the people who clean the rooms frantically scrubbing to try and scrub the death that occurs here. But can you honestly do that? It’s always there, never gone; the smell and everything that comes with it may leave, but the thought, the reminder, if you will, is always there. Somedays, I wonder if anyone’s died in this room I’m in. I wonder who they were and why they were here. Who misses them daily; who has that ache in their hearts that makes it hard to move on? Who can not look at a hospital anymore because it reminds them of that person’s last moments? Those last breaths? Those last “I love you”s? I make stories about those kids. I think I do it to make me feel more comfortable with the idea of dying.

Now, I know that leukemia has one of the higher survival rates, but there’s always that little voice in your head telling you, “This could be your last day, you know?” or “You could die today.” Like little Layla. She was 11. She loved animals, everything from snakes to dogs, fairies, and princesses. Her favorite color was blue for two reasons. One was that blue reminded her of her dad’s eyes. The second is that her favorite princess, Cinderella, is dressed in blue. She had a pilocytic astrocytoma brain tumor, but they caught it too late. I like to believe she’s having so much fun dancing with a prince in a blue dress; her kingdom is full of fairies and animals. Or how about little Miss Maeve? Maeve got diagnosed with leukemia, like me, but at seven years old instead of 10 like me. Even though she was so young, while she was here, in this bed, she found that she loved computers. She was exceptionally good at coding. I knew Maeve. She went to school with me; we were the best of friends. I sometimes see her sister Bronwyn around. I don’t think any of the Rojas will ever be the same. I think that’s the other scary part about death. The idea that I’m leaving all these people behind without me. I don’t want to leave them hurting like that.

Maeve, however, had a saying. “I’ll be in a better place with better beds.” I have to agree with her on this. The beds here are so uncomfortable. It feels like I’m laying on a bed of rocks with a scratchy sheet. Why are the beds so uncomfortable? Isn’t the whole point of hospitals to help people with their problems? If so, then why are we having the most uncomfortable beds on the face of the Earth in a place where you are supposed to be focused on healing yourself? Half the time, I am focused on the fact that I can never get super comfy in this stupid bed. This bed is covered in a total of 5 blankets, four pillows, and ten stuffed animals. And even still, it is not that comfy. All this just made it slightly more bearable.

a/n: RAGHDHSODNRKR first (writing) post!!! this i think will probably be one of the longer sections for this chapter mostly just cause it sets the tone and whatever. this chapter is just so long that i physically couldn’t post THAT many words in one post. the amount of just stuff that NEEDED to be said in this first chapter is crazy. anyways i hoped yall enjoyed oh em gee!!

tags: @wish-i-were-heather , @shattered-glass-roses , @a-menace-to-society-01 (im sure others said yes or something like it but i don’t remember who sooooo just tell me if you want to be tagged ig)

[beacedocrime]

Welcome to

Artemis reads:

(JONATHAN IS BACK!!!!!)

"Then write now, my young friend," he said, laying a heavy hand on my shoulder: "write to our friend and to any other; and say, if it will please you, that you shall stay with me until a month from now."

"Do you wish me to stay so long?" I asked, for my heart grew cold at the thought.

I want to personally stake him through the heart actually

and besides, while Count Dracula was speaking, there was that in his eyes and in his bearing which made me remember that I was a prisoner, and that if I wished it I could have no choice. The Count saw his victory in my bow, and his mastery in the trouble of my face, for he began at once to use them, but in his own smooth, resistless way:—

While reading, externally, I was calmly sitting in a café, reading on my phone.

Internally, I was (and still am) turning the Count into a pincushion.

One of the letters was directed to Samuel F. Billington, No. 7, The Crescent, Whitby, another to Herr Leutner, Varna; the third was to Coutts & Co., London, and the fourth to Herren Klopstock & Billreuth, bankers, Buda-Pesth.

Oh, I wonder what sort of importance these people might have in the future. Which ones might be there just to fill names and which ones might actually appear.

"Let me advise you, my dear young friend—nay, let me warn you with all seriousness, that should you leave these rooms you will not by any chance go to sleep in any other part of the castle. It is old, and has many memories, and there are bad dreams for those who sleep unwisely. Be warned! Should sleep now or ever overcome you, or be like to do, then haste to your own chamber or to these rooms, for your rest will then be safe.

Oh, gee, I wonder what could be so dangerous about going to sleep around the castle. Surely Jonathan isn't going to fall asleep on a couch partly just to spite Dracula.

I quite understood; my only doubt was as to whether any dream could be more terrible than the unnatural, horrible net of gloom and mystery which seemed closing around me.

I love this man far too much for my own good, how am I gonna withstand the later entries when just this sentence makes me feel so bad for him.

Jonathan Harker why are you so lovable aghhhhhhh

I am beginning to feel this nocturnal existence tell on me. It is destroying my nerve. I start at my own shadow, and am full of all sorts of horrible imaginings. God knows that there is ground for my terrible fear in this accursed place!

I knew this was gonna start affecting his psyche sooner or later

I looked out over the beautiful expanse, bathed in soft yellow moonlight till it was almost as light as day. In the soft light the distant hills became melted, and the shadows in the valleys and gorges of velvety blackness. The mere beauty seemed to cheer me; there was peace and comfort in every breath I drew.

Yes, yes, grab whatever shred of happiness and joy you can find, and hold onto it, kicking and screaming if you have to, because you're going to need it, my friend.

As I leaned from the window my eye was caught by something moving a storey below me, and somewhat to my left, where I imagined, from the order of the rooms, that the windows of the Count's own room would look out.

Is this. Is this what I think it is. Oh my god I completely forgot today was Lizard Fashion Day

What I saw was the Count's head coming out from the window. I did not see the face, but I knew the man by the neck and the movement of his back and arms. [...]

But my very feelings changed to repulsion and terror when I saw the whole man slowly emerge from the window and begin to crawl down the castle wall over that dreadful abyss, face down with his cloak spreading out around him like great wings. [...]

I saw the fingers and toes grasp the corners of the stones, worn clear of the mortar by the stress of years, and by thus using every projection and inequality move downwards with considerable speed, just as a lizard moves along a wall.

LIZARD FASHION DAY.

I was at first interested and somewhat amused, for it is wonderful how small a matter will interest and amuse a man when he is a prisoner.

Also this line 😭 Jonathan please stop making me sad The HorrorsTM haven't even properly started yet

What manner of man is this, or what manner of creature is it in the semblance of man? I feel the dread of this horrible place overpowering me; I am in fear—in awful fear—and there is no escape for me; I am encompassed about with terrors that I dare not think of…

screams into the abyss

Not to worry, my newest blorbo going through SituationsTM is causing me no stress whatsoever.

Anyway on a completely different note, I need you all to know that if Dracula has haters, I am one of them. If Dracula has one(1) hater, I am them. If Dracula has no haters, I am dead. That is all. Thank you.

May 11 / May 16

[vellichorom]

speaking of which, regarding the last post I’m a little curious, how would YOU design Stanley according to his canon design? Feel free to ignore this though it’s just a little silly thought.

same anon that asked about drawing goreguts fanart,,, don’t worry it is in my thoughts I just have art paralysis 🫡

watch in AWE ladies & gentlemen, as i paint myself as a massive hypocrite

not like i'm really designing stanley to be super pretty & handsome but-

so,, in the beginning, my sibling designed a stanley that i fatefully gave a narrator to! so when they made a narrator design themselves, it seemed only befitting that i again, supply & give that boy a stanley;

thus, for my sibling's narrator Evelyn, a narrator turned multiverse overseer after his game was destroyed by dataminers fucking around, i gave him a stanley that narrowly survived the destruction - but not unscathed;

behold the derogatorily dubbed " Glitch, " who went from having a face to Not having a face,

( his ruined texture face based off of The Theater creepypasta's swirly head man, because i thought it was really cool at the time )

...but i'm not very proud of " Glitch " these days; i admittedly kind of made him on a whim a couple years back, vaguely based off of popular fan designs i enjoyed, & didn't put a lot of time or effort putting any special twist on his design beyond... the obvious,

if i had to redesign him now, i'd make him look MORE akin to a broken game model, more OBVIOUS than just the little face quirk. & i'd just use the GIVEN stanley design that the game gives us.

that goes for just designing the man as is as well.

FEW people these days seem to embrace or even refer back to stanley's canon design, painfully basic though it may be, the fact remains that he HAS a design already. it's kind of odd seeing so many people diverge so FAR from it, changing the basics of turning his curly hair straight or going AS far as to making him an anime-looking little boy. & i get why, to some degree - AT LEAST regarding the simpler aspects of switching up the design a little bit for interpretation's sake - adding a Bit more variety when your character IS just the most basic white guy alive. nothing really wrong with that, i'm dabbling in the same in other fandoms, but going SO FAR in making that Middle Aged Man a magical hot anime guy to go with your magical hot anime " Old Man,, " makes me a bit sick to think of tbh!

of course, saying all this & wondering " oh gee why don't people stick with canon more... " i'm heavily tainted by bias in thinking @tomiechu's stanley is one of the best alternative designs ever & the ONLY one that could ever go with my narrator.

NOT like his design or attitude has gone terribly far FROM the given path, & he CERTAINLY isn't a little handsome pixie twink boy. he's just stanley ❤️ & the one i'd rather fall back on ANYWAY rather than make a design of my own. look at him

[vexxandra]

intuitive messages from your person (really specific so probably not gonna resonate lol)

first time doing this! a bit of practice, since im not good with listening to my intuition. but were trying new things this new year. lool lets get started :D

m tellin u its like super SUPER specific ;D

pile one:

things that could have significance : genshin, but more specifically, wishing, debate clubs, when you wish upon a star, steven universe end credits (love like you), lavender or mint, milk, the name sofia?, sweaters or oversized clothes,  telephone (the song or the object), dial/tone, closet

hello dear. have i been away for too long? apologies, work is very hard nowadays and i find that ive been losing myself more and more. but ive been thinking about you quite a lot. especially at night. dreaming of you. ive been irresponsable, not answering your calls quickly enough and leaving things to pile up between the two of us. but please know that im working very hard and trying the best i can. you must be furious with me, and i can understand that. give me more time, and i promise i wont let you down. id never let you down. i love you too much to ever be able to do that. ive been losing sleep, and thats tiring because i get to see you when i sleep so i find that ive been taking meds more often to help with that. thats stupid, and id know you tell me the same. god, i wish you were next to me right now. then id fall asleep quicker than a light flicks off. music. ill speak to you through our favorite songs, and ill listen for things you say to me in yours as well. its time for me to say good bye though. know that nothing has changed between us, and i care for you as much as ever before.

signed, yours.

pile two:

things that could have significance: grocery stores at night, denki kaminari vibes honestly!!, mixtapes (like old cassette ones), guitar, dog or pets, crescent, artic monkeys, blasting music super loud, summertime, you get me so high - the neighbourhood, electric (or electric love)

gee, its really been a while since we’ve talked last. you’re my best friend, ill love you forever, yknow that? you’re super cool. cooler than popsicles on a summer day. cooler than penguins in the north pole. wait-- penguins live in the south pole? no one told me that?! hey! its not my fault, i never knew that. jeez... still teasing as ever, huh? sometimes i wonder how it would have been if i hadn’t moved away/transferred schools. we’d be tightknit! and we already are. there are so many stupid pictures of us in my camera roll that i jsut scroll through them when i feel like i miss you. nahh im just playing! i always miss you! we should totally hang out sometime soon! lets race grocery carts!

see ya! - your best friend

pile three:

things that could have significance: notebooks, preppy or academia aesthetic, fandom or into dnd, pearls or pearly whites, ‘shade’ colors (white, grey, black-- but emphasis on grey), 505 by artic monkeys, classroom, bunch of school imagery

dear you

why do you have to be so perfect? ive always been top of my class, such an overachiever, but with you, its like all of my accomplishments are suddenly fade away. you’re awesome like that, you know. stop letting your parents control your life. you’re a super smart person, dont let anyone EVER tell you otherwise. oh, and you can let your hair down too. im not gonna judge you, and plus, i think you look nice without your hair all tight like that. meet me at our spot. the spot that’s only ours. a place where we can just be ourselves. what? stop playing around, trying to get me to tell you again. what if someone sees this letter?! its just something between you and me, and i know i can trust you. id trust you with my life, pile three. im serious. stay the way you are. dont become a product of society. you’re absolutely perfect the way you are.

from, yours

pile four TW: Harsh truth! Please don’t read unless you’re ready and willing

things that could have significance: floating, or sinking(into a mattress, or in water), bath/bathing, milky way or space in general, being loved by a ghost, anxiety/confusion, salt or minerals. lots of comparisons here, so that could be something too. also francis forever - mitski and last words of a shooting star -mitski

this person didn’t have a letter to write to you. they were very blocky and choppy and took long pauses in between of answering. also, these are just sentences, so everytime there’s a period, its a sentence ending, and a new idea beginning

i dont need you. i have everything i need. so why are you here? what am i missing? what do i not understand? stop getting into my head. ive been thinking of you. you look nice. (dont) call me. please trust me, i can keep my promises. that, i can swear. bandaids cant heal my scars. sometimes i just want to fall asleep for a long time, and you cant stop or save me. they mean more to me than you. forever. i still care about you. they lied. im getting bored. you used to be the sun. what dont you understand? i still loved you. goodbye. (bonus message: they wont last)

[oh-gee-no-way]

Rambling about Gerard and my gender identity

Please read this charitably if you can this is very stream of consciousness!

I have been recently wrestling with my attachment to the identities of those I feel affection for (parasocially). These thoughts have been sparked by an amazing TikTok creator (and Tumblr too hi if you see this!) who was recently talking about their choice to use she/her pronouns for Gerard Way and the negative response from transmasc people. As a transmasc person myself who normally uses he/they (though mostly they) and has been on the “Gerard is probably nonbinary but lets not assume” train in the past (though since the tour my thoughts around that have been changed I will talk more about that later) I immediately knew why (at least for me) I was attached to that line of thinking. There are two main reasons why I cling to the identities of those who I look up to. Number one: I am naturally defensive of those I view as being stereotyped based on presentation. I have spent a large amount of my life worrying about balancing expressing myself with still being able to socially flag enough that people will at least second guess themselves before calling me a girl and I want everyone to have that freedom of expression. That was the easy one so I put it first the second one is less so. Number Two: All my “masculine role models” end up transfemme. Now of course this wonderful for them but if the people you look up too as nontoxic masculine rolemondels all transition you start to worry about being transmasc at all. I have a hard time finding straight men who have a queer masculine quality to them besides some trans guys and not having any rep at all feels so lonely. Sometimes I find these people but the egg always cracks and then I can’t really count them as masculine role models anymore can I. This is obviously an emotional reaction and not a rational one. Of course I see who these people are I have always seen them. I can see gender from five miles away I just saw a bit of me in them too. People like Gerard or Kurt Cobain felt like men I could be and if they aren’t men then who am I? This is not just a thing with singers. YouTubers, tiktokers, actors, my real life friends etc many end up transitioning. It made me feel like I must just be a girl after all or that there was no way to be a guy in a way that was not awful or just a front. But then I realized that I think what I see in these people is just transness. When I was younger and went into queer spaces as a lesbian people would assume I was there because I was transfemme not a cis lesbian. (I felt oddly pleased with that but I didn’t unpack that till I was older) online people assumed I was transfemme, people I recently met also assumed this; however most importantly cis people never assumed this only trans people. Because even when I presented femininely I was trans and I guess people pick up on that. No matter the gender of the people I see myself in they are trans; because I am trans. And honestly the more flexible and fluid gender gets the better things go for me so I am trying to cast my parasociality aside and embrace the flags in front of me. When I saw Gee on stage this most recent tour they shined brighter than I have ever seen and the way they looked to me seemed really similar to the peace I feel when I am able to be myself. And when I scream cried to Mama I realized that the art that I get to enjoy comes from a queer place and I am glad to have so many amazing queer role models to look up too.

[theartisticgamingwitch]

How did a Art witch meet a Cyberpunk dragon?

Zodia, to people on the outside looking in, is a beautiful online city loaded with so many realms, adventure, and information.

Christina Conlin Also known as L1M80 logged in and lives in a town called Covehallow. It's a Tradeport on the northeast side of Astoria. She is an art witch in this artistic plane which is widely noted for its Polymaths and artistry. This is mainly why the police force is owned by the theoretically most corrupt mafia to ever exist. People can identify her by her dark chocolate almond-shaped eyes hidden by pastel blue reading glasses with small butterflies on the prescription side because she had far-sighted vision. She was deep in doubt as she was reading the latest crochet book by Ava Phoebe Parson. Her long, straight, fine, Void black to blood red at the tips hair is worn in a wavy, beachy ponytail. Her long bangs slightly blocked her right eye. She is on the slightly wide-hipped side for a 4'11" woman stuck in on the crowded train. Not that she's fat! She was just born like this. She blamed the gene pool roulette table. Mostly on her height. Today was a bit on the chilly side, so she chose to wear a pastel dress under a black sweater with various patches from bands and things she likes. She was on the Hermes 98 train for a reason. She was having a secret meeting with Rosalie Kendall Cadwell. Rosalie is a matchmaker in Tolos that got her swan friends paired up. As much as she appreciated their help, Christina just assumed she was a lost cause and that they were just doing this so she wouldn't act like she needed to barf when they were all cute with one another.

The ride lasted about an hour, and she arrived at this large house that looked like an old castle. It should have been torn down. How is it STILL STANDING?! The yard was decently large and was sort of neatly trimmed. Not too short for the grass to die but not too long for any HOA to harass. After a small breath, she put her book in her bag and went inside. The interior is done in colors that remind her of an old factory. Maybe it was once a woodworker's shop? It would explain the stone exterior. Also, besides that, her friends recommended this lady, and this house was once featured in a magazine series showcasing unusually-decorated homes. Gee, she wondered why.

"Hello?" She asked nervously, looking around and getting startled to see a woman in maybe her mid to late 30s poke out from the kitchen, and her aura intimidated Christina cause it puts her in the mindset that she is not in a good mood at 1st. She has hooded blue eyes that look like she hasn't slept in 2 days. Her thick, wavy, blonde hair is worn in a style that reminds anyone of a mysterious enchantress. She is very tall and has a narrow build. Her skin is porcelain, and her lips are so thin she almost thought she didn't have a mouth! Her wardrobe is risque as well. A red dress with slits on BOTH SIDES that looked like it was either in a burlesque show or is some rich matriarch. Talk about a GREAT 1st impression. "Ah, you must be L1M80… SIT SIIIIT! My name is Rosalie. I am SO HAPPY to finally meet you!" The woman said in a Russian accent. Christina nodded in acknowledgment and sat down nervously. "Y-you have a nice place." She said, trying to hide her nerves.

The woman looked at her up and down, seeing her mark as she took off the sweater. "Aren't you steampunk horse types supposed to have that assertive, extroverted personality? You seem to behave more like a jade mouse." Rosalie said a bit bitterly. Christina just stared, annoyed. "And aren't doves supposed to be nice?" she slightly sassed back. Rosalie glared back at her and showed her gray dove on her left arm." It's.a.GRAY.dove! I am not that pure and innocent!" Christina panics for a sec before bowing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude!" Rosalie takes a deep breath and sighs as they both sit down, a droid coming by and giving them tea. "Look, Dahling. From your paperwork and the phone call interview..you just want a simple life. I get that. Dahling, I do. But why come to me of all people?" Christina sighed and looked down at her tea. "A friend mentioned that you gave great advice when looking for love. And I was lonely..like sure I have friends, but I want my missing piece. Someone that won't burn me out .Someone that can detect that I'm about to burn out and put me somewhere quiet. And yet.." Rosalie looked up curiously. "I also want someone to show me what real fun is..what I'm missing out on." Rosalie then looked oddly amused. "Have you tried actually going out and saying hi to a guy you think is cute? It's not that hard." She said, drinking a blue liquid in her teacup. As she drinks, her body turns to more of a 16-year-old girl. Then on her computer, as she looked at her matchmaking profile, bricks of low self-esteem, shyness around people she doesn't know or trust, trauma with some men that sound or look intimidating, and INFP-T popped up, making the girl shocked and pity her a bit "That bad huh?" she asked, seeing her client nod. Rosalie nodded before reaching into the drawer to pull out a pendant and gently toss it to Christina. As she caught it, it pricked her finger. The amulet absorbs it like a hungry child and then turns from a clear crystal to a blood ruby red.

"What is it?" Chrissy asked curiously as she quickly found a bandaid in her purse. "Call it a type of good luck charm, sunshine." The woman said, smiling. "It'll help you find your match. Or matches since your mark is a special case." "Special?" Christina asked, and Rosalie hums, "You will see, dear." As Rosalie saw Christina leave, she smiled. "I finally found you. My beautiful Trojan horse. Have fun ruining what my ancestors helped build."

An hour or so later, Christina arrives home at her cottage. The place looked like a crafters paradise with one side being a painter's corner and then there's the other side where a worn-out pink plaid couch was where yarn patterns and semi-half-done yarn projects were on one side. Christina was emotionally drained from being on a crowded train for so long and feels like her social battery is almost dead. She sits on a stool near her gamer chair and looks at the amulet to get a better look at what that 568,597 credit appointment paid for. It was a cobalt blue dragon with sapphire blue eyes and its tail shaped like a heart and its claws holding the heart-shaped bloodstone. The design alone looked like something out of a magical girl anime. "How the fuck are you supposed to help? Also, you know you cost me about a year's worth of rent!?" she asked, looking at it slightly annoyed.

After saying that, she hears a ping from the computer screen and her witch avatar saying, "You have mail!" over and over. Christina sighs and types in her username and password, and gets into the email from Cypher Tech Guild. Her eyes widened more on the message.

Dear Miss L1M80,

My name is Adrian T Bellerose. Leader of the Cypher Tech. Yes, the same guild that builds not only our cities' security but also weapons of war and safety. I would be honored if you would join our guild. If you are worried about housing and benefits we will cover that free of charge. We would love a beautiful witch like yourself in our guild. Also i am interested in one of your paintings. I await your reply.

Signed

A.T Bellerose.

When reading this Christina blushed and thinks Beautiful? Me? This guy's standards must be sewer-level low or he says that to all the women in his pools. Also, is this guy SERIOUSLY USING A CELEB NAME FOR A SCAM!?! She looks at the amulet and then sighs. "What have I got to lose? Why not?" She takes a breath and starts emailing the reply.

Dear Mr. Bellerose,

Thank you sir for the kind request and offer. If you give me at least an hour to prepare the studio, You can surely come to do an interview.

Signed Christina Conlin.

"And send," she said as she pressed the enter button. And with that, she began cleaning and prepping for the visitor while listening to hard rock and metal music. She even wondered if her paintings or even her trash writings alone would be put in a museum or a bookstore that's in the higher-class area. She giggled at the thought, almost squeaking when she heard the doorbell. Almost forgetting he was arriving thinking it was her groceries. "Ok ok, I'm coming, can you hold your lack of…pan…ties."

What was in front of her as she opened the door wasn't the asshole grocery guy that tells her that she looks like a shut-in sponge that mooches off her parents. But the Matrix dragon himself, Adrian T Bellerose. His cobalt eyes can convince anyone of a deal or make them piss their pants with a glance. His matching short cobalt-blue hair is wild and untamed like the ocean in a storm. He was wearing a reflective black trench coat, a cobalt blue suit, work boots, and glasses that looked more like they could hack into her computer to see if it had anything useful. He overall looked like a guy who was frank, sincere, moody and had creative ideas all into one. The moment they locked eyes there was a twinge of pain in her left arm and his right arm. Her horse mark changed to a pastel coloring and his dragon was also steampunk, changing to a more pastel shine and their eyes had more sparkle.

Soulmate found beginning new questline.

This was Infront of them in a heart shaped screen.

After some silence, they realized what this meant. Soulmate binding. They were soulmates. Christina smiled nervously. "Exsqueeze me for one moment.." She said as she slowly closed the door and made a slight scream.

HOLY FUCKBALLS! Adrian Bellrose…MY SOULMATE! Ok ok….be calm…there is a 30-day pause for the binding… He might not love me back just yet..so just open the door and just.. do the sale. And explain that there MUST be some misunderstanding.

Christina takes a few panicked breaths trying to be as professional as HUMANLY possible and opens it again and sees he had the look of a kitten that just got adopted. This was gonna be a LONG month. "Sorry about that Mr. Bellro-" "Adrian…please…As my soulmate please call me Adrian..and yours?"

"Christina..now please come inside before my landlord assumes shit again. He already thinks I sell Fairy dust and pot on the side because I give teabags with my paintings and collect jars.."

Adrian walked in and looked around the studio. His interest in her as a soulmate activated his curiosity but now it peaked with her tastes. Homemade statues of things like frogs and fairies scattered around, a sphynx on a fairy-themed cat tree with a luxury bed with clear domes revealing their toe beans. Sketchbooks scattered about some open with written chicken scratch handwriting. He was loving this and wanted more. Normally women around him were haughty or bloodsuckers wanting only his money and an heir to get his company. He hates women like that but this one..she was somehow different. He can tell. Such a young-hearted one this girl is. Adrian thought with a smile.

With all these decorations, am I meant to be her soulmate?Her Oberon? Decent enough decor and some fine sketches though.

Christina comes back pulling out the 8x10 painting. He just adored it! seeing how she put work into it. He saw the water coloring brush strokes on the details of the trees and leaves, he can feel the emotions in each stroke and that she put in so much work. AND THIS WAS UP FOR 2 MONTHS! He pulled out his black credit card and his cellphone and Chrissy made a happy squeal of 'oh my god he's buying it.' But froze when he said. "I'll take your entire stock." He said as a blue screen appeared and he began going to the payment screen. He chuckled at Christina's now goldfish face. It was cute. "C-come again?" "Did I stutter?" He asked with a serious face. "N-n-no, sir. I just thought it was only 1 painting, not 20 paintings, and a lame statue of a lizard in a tophat. D-do you have?" She noticed him already calling someone to pick it up and sighs "Of course, you have someone to pick it up.." She was about to ask for his credit info but hears him say "How much is this place to buy?"

Excuse me? Is he BUYING MY COTTAGE NOW? "About 10 million credits… It is a single-bedroom studio" "So about pocket change.." He said in a slightly monotone voice. "YOU CALL 10 MILLION CREDITS POCKET CHANGE!" Adrian then looked at her confused "Why yes…oh you're part of the middle class of the island."Then he saw the sass of his new lover. Christina was not fond of being called poor. "Well no shit sherlock." Then he finished the credits and handed them to her. about 30 million credits in total.

Christina was shaking. She was just HANDED money to keep her studio and impove it into a dream home. She wanted to refuse it cause she ain't no gold digger. "NOnononononoo I can't take this. This is too much money!" she exclaimed gently and pushed the check away only for it to be gently pushed back into her hands. "Take it. The rules of this soulmate binding mean I have to take care of you, yes? And Your dream of a quiet place in the woods is quite nice. I am curious as to why you don't cater to city life however, I will not pry into your closet of skeletons until you are ready to share. I have my own skeleton closet myself. Well…it's more like a walk-in closet. With two floors."

Christina blinked in some shock, concern, and fear but eventually shook it off and smiled. This guy was quite sincere about his motives despite confessing to a two-floor skeleton closet.. "Ok ok, Romeo you can have a chance. But, if you want this to work we need to find a compromise between ourselves. Mostly because…I'm more country and arty and you're more technology… And shooting people in the face." Adrien was about to object but..the girl had a point.

After a proper conversation they agreed to give each other a gamers level of a chance. How hard could the quest be?

[flydotnet]

Can't Have Shit in Okinawa

WHUMPTOBER 2023, DAY 8: “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.” Overcrowded ER | Outnumbered | “It’s all for nothing.”

I didn't go into this Whumptober expecting to write so much comedy or comedy-adjacent entries, but oh well, may as well embrace it now.

I took the ER prompt because all of the others sounded too… hardcore for me, I guess? I'm way too damn soft. Even then, I decided I may as well make it humorous. Not sure I'm into the spirit of Whumptober this year.

I only recently realized that I had never written anything KojiMaki in my entire life… which is weird, since would you ask me, I'd tell you they're the best romantic character dynamic in all of CT. Yeah, I know, the bar is cosmically low, but it's true, right? Good parallels, actual chemistry, agressive support… it's got it all. WY really fed us well, man. They're not my fav ship (as my stupidly high number of MatsuYoshi fics will happily demonstrate for me), but they're the best written one imho.

------------------------------

Can't Have Shit in Okinawa

Summary: It's not because your date has ended in the ER that you can't bicker about it with your partner!

Fandom: Captain Tsubasa

Word Count: 1K words

AO3 version available here.

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It’s not where their date was supposed to end; but sometimes, you simply don’t have control over what happens. Sometimes, a last-minute idea from your partner brings you a good surprise! And at others, they get hurt and you end up in a spot that’s not quite as fun.

Or, like, the complete opposite of fun.

“I thought the emergency room was meant for that. Emergencies.”

She’s lost count of how many times her boyfriend has sighed since they’ve arrived here.

“It’s meant to be, at least. You’ve never been in one before?”

He stares back at her, very much unamused.

“I was unconscious the only time I did, how was I s’pposed to know they sucked ass?!”

“It’s a well-known phenomenon! I didn’t think I’d have to explain that to you!”

“Maybe you should’ve asked before, then!”

“Where else was I going to bring you anyway?”

“I dunno, just a regular doctor would’ve been fine!”

“You were bleeding buckets, you idiot!”

“Yeah, and?”

“Well I wasn’t gonna fix that myself, now, was I?”

“You could’ve, I dunno, tried!”

“I’m no doctor!”

“It’s just a damn scrape, Maki! No need to worry so much about it!”

“It’s a bleeding gash the depth of a ping-pong ball, Kojiro!”

“That’s the weirdest comparison I’ve ever heard.” He looks around. “Oh fuck, they’re all staring at us.”

“Gee, I wonder why.”

Don’t get her wrong, she loves him to bits, but her boyfriend is the loudest person on Earth. Oh, and also, he’s a world-famous soccer player. As in, “outstanding name in a list of outstanding names” famous. The guy is a world champion and stuff. That may not help much, in their case, because it did not grant them a priority queue, and also, people do stare at them. A lot.

The ER, as the legend foretold, is cramped and overcrowded. There are people who are here for all sorts of stuff, from terrifying bug bites the size of a softball glove to what Maki can only assume to be people who should’ve just to their local pharmacy. There’s always at least one of those and they will always get called before you, the legend also says.

Among the things Maki has in common with her boyfriend, one of them is a natural knack for impatience. She hates standing in one spot and waiting for things to happen. Powerlessness is an annoyance at best and a deep-rooted phobia at worst. Right now, luckily, it’s just a lot of annoyance at things being horrible, frigidly slow.

In short: the ER, with its awfully slow pace and dozens of people screaming, crying or even chatting very loudly on their phones, is stuff of nightmares for her. If she was here all on her own, a part or her would be terrified, yes – on the other hand, she happens to be here with someone else, who barely seems to care that they have to be there waiting on uncomfortable plastic chairs to begin with.

She glances back at Kojiro. He seems mildly bothered by everything around him, the now rust-coloured towel still on his thigh. Occasionally, he takes a sharp inhale mostly through his right nostril and looks even more mildly bothered. People are still staring at him.

“That stupid thing’s stopped bleeding anyway,” he says as he leans back. “Can we go back to your place, now? Fuck this ER shit, I can do a zig-zag stitch too.”

A mother with her snot-filled kid is glaring at him, her face oh so offended.

“You’re not for real, right?”

He now actually looks displeased.

“What? Do I look so, I dunno, like a brute that I can’t sew?”

“That’s not what I said! I’m just sayin’, you’re no doctor, so don’t stitch your own wounds close!”

Kojiro responds to that by getting his phone out.

“Eh, whatever. There’s probably a tutorial for that on YouTube.”

Maki can only gawk at him. That guy is considered the cream of the crop in his category but man can he be awfully stupid. She loves him for all of his highs and lows, but he’s really dense as a brick when he wants to. Also, for all of his ranting about his friends from the national team being self-sacrificing idiots, he has the tendencies as well.

Actually, come to think of it… Maybe if she tips the scales, she could make him realize how bad it’s getting. That’s what couples do, right? Communicate. They communicate so things don’t explode in a big ball of fire.

“Hey… Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah?”

The woman with the snotty kid are called. Their turn may finally come soon; which, God, not too soon. The air here is stale, cramped and overall suffocating.

“If I was gonna do the same thing to you, which is having a bleeding gash the depth of a ball and say it’s no biggie, I’m gonna stitch it myself, what would you do?”

Now, he looks downright pissed.

“Why’re you even askin’ me that? It’s damn obvious!” His shoulders rise even further. “I’m bringin’ you to the hospital no questions asked!”

“Yeah, that makes sense, right?” She pokes his chest. “So why won’t you get it through your thick skull, hmmm?”

His anger changes into surprise.

“Dammit.”

“See? Not hard to understand! I’m worried and I don’t want you hurt even further, so be a good lil’ kitty and stay put until we get called!”

“Did you just call me a kitten because of my—”

“I’ll call you a tiger again when you’re back on your feet and not profusely bleeding in my backyard!” She breathes out and tries calming down as best as she can. “I know it’s annoying, I don’t like being here either, but it’s for your own good, I swear. And, if you don’t wanna think about yourself… then think your mom would be much more reassured to know you got to see a doctor and got it stitched right!”

He scratches the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

“You’re right there, I guess.”

“I just know you, after a while!” She leans against him. “You should stop being all rough like that. You’re supposed to also lean on me when you need help.”

He leans back in the other direction, his head softly landing on top of hers.

“…Yeah.”

Eventually, a nurse comes and calls their names – finally.

[drawnecromancy]

In the Lonna kingdom and other southern countries she is the most beloved of goddesses. She's passion, she's the home, she's the will to protect your home - and, yes, she is war. But there is peace, and a protective kind of love in her. Isn't there ?

In Vano and a fringe amount of northern countries, mainly the ones that have been influenced by the University ever since its creation in the Enclave, Realva is... War. Anger. False pretenses. Love, and Destruction. These aren't opposite concepts to Vanneans.

They're both right, i guess. It's interpretations of a complex woman, fictionalized and risen to godhood over her many years of existence - as, so far, all of the people who discovered a way to immortality have been turned into gods. Temples created in their names, worshippers asking for help- and sometimes even receiving it. Sometimes receiving the opposite.

Realva is the patron goddess of Lonna as a whole. Lonna, largely, has been a kingdom that fought and conquered its neighbors.

Can you really blame them for thinking Realva is nasty ?

Can you really blame Lonna for thinking Realva is good ?

Not all of the gods are so polarizing, of course. As examples, Ninava and Volieda are largely considered neutral forces everywhere - Volieda bordering on good especially around the University (gee, i wonder why they like their founder !), Ninava bordering on bad because of her general refusal to "change the future" for anyone who asks. It takes a lot to convince her to look for ways to make a different future work. But, largely, Knowledge is a tool, a weapon, can be twisted both ways. And the Future can be scried, but is largely unmoving - or else why would the goddess claim she will not change ?

All of them have different depictions depending on countries, people have differing myths and lore. The only reason the names are largely the same, or translations, is because they are real people who exist, and walk this earth. They are immortal, or at least semi-immortal - they can be wounded. Ninava's death proves that they can even be killed. How many godlings have never reached the status of godhood because they did not have enough time to have legends carved in their names, because the others killed them before they could ?

There's one god who is an outlier, here.

Cenaldir.

He has not magically extended his life into infinity.

He is a thief, of life, of everything, and in many places a general herald of disaster.

Would people have known him this way if he had never met Realva ? Never followed her ? Obeyed her ? Worshipped her ?

None of the gods considered him to even be a godling, because he was not immortal at all - not by their standards, at least. Volieda, maybe, was the only one willing to tweak their definition a bit - knowledge is gained through change and new perspectives too - but that's about it.

And then, he became Realva's lover, and her personal assassin.

Do you need to get rid of someone for the greater good ? Cenaldir will do it. He will do it for you and your other godly friends.

And that is how, I guess, you get that reputation of appearing shortly before disaster. Before a country falls to its knees, before plagues, before, before, before something bad happens, Cenaldir will be here, pulling the strings behind the scenes. Entangling everyone deeply into a web of lies. Like a spider.

The gods were only forced to recognize him as one of theirs because the mortals forced their hand.

Because soon, some people started worshipping him when they were desperate and had run out of other options. And sometimes, he'd even be kind, and help.

If Realva didn't remind him of his role and stop him, that is.

He cannot be anything else than the pure evil people think he is, after all - have you seen how many you've murdered, Cenaldir ? How could you be anything other than bad ? If you weren't a horrible person, a failure of a human, a failure of a god, you wouldn't be stuck in this half life of stealing other's bodies to keep living. Have you seen how it ends, when you try to be kind ? You break it, either way. You destroy everything you touch. This is why mortals hate you.

Vano was, maybe, one of the first places whose opinion of Cenaldir differed a bit. Because he spent a lot of time at the University, actually. He liked being there. Volieda was polite, and almost warm at times. And after Realva broke up with him, he stayed at the University more and more. Unable to fit into a human life. Unable to function as a god. This, I think, is the timeframe in which the Vanneans associated him with good and bad luck : he was incredibly volatile. Falling apart at the seams already. You couldn't know if he would be helpful or not. But Volieda was willing to host him in their University, and it was, I guess, enough to see him as not all bad. A strange figure of extremes mixed in one person, surely. But not the god of pure evil so many other places paint him as.

He wasn't even aware that people didn't really hate him as much there. Or, well, only vaguely. He still avoided telling his name. He took false ones, until he was discovered, and withdrew, because if they knew - he would break everything. Because he broke, destroyed everything he touched.

Because he was evil. Deeply so. And there was no changing that.

And there would be no changing that even as he worked for Volieda, in the linguistics department of the University. There would be no changing that when, under the name of Velannen, he went down South to Lonna to teach 20 year old twins old languages, at the demand of the King and Queen of Lonna - and who would risk refusing them anything, since the royal families had been backed up by Realva for so long that people forgot a time where she was not there ?

There would be no changing that when he decided to kill Lohsevaar III, in revenge. And when he decided that, to spite Realva, a woman he hadn't thought of in ages, he'd pretend to be Lohsevaar III. And thus started the Empire.

And even when the Emperor was not all bad - he was not good. Even if things seemed good on the surface, when he did an action he was praised for - he was evil. Forever. There was no changing that.

The Emperor was an unkillable evil being.

And no one who tried to rebel, to stop him, ever survived his wrath.

Until Lumeria and Rekiev, of course.

Until Rekiev became The Mage - a godling.

Until Thelevna became The Adventurer - a godling, too.

Until they all got killed by Dawn.

And even then. For almost 500 years, the Emperor did not change. Because he could not. Cenaldir could not change. He was evil, wasn't he ? He'd caused the deaths of these two people because he needlessly embroiled them in this mess while they could, maybe, have gotten away with joining Dawn. He wasn't even sure they'd ever come back.

Cenaldir could not change.

Val, however, can. And did. And did it again.

WHAT IF I MADE REALVA EVIL AND CENALDIR MORE TRAUMATIZED AND THAT'S WHY HE'S LIKE THAT (explodes)

[obsidiancreates]

For your consideration, in the turtles meet eachother AU: 2012 Donatello 'I feel like a freak and just want to be human' Hamato meeting Casey 'Physically a human, culturally a mutant turtle' Jones Jr.

I feel like this can only end in them trying out a Body Swap.

"Hey, Other Master Donatello?"

"For the last time, please just say Donnie."

"Sorry. Um, I was thinking. You know how you wish you could be human?"

"Gee, no, I forgot about that."

"Right. Well, I always wondered- see, even though my Mom raised me for most of my life until she- well, I spent most of my time training, usually with Master Leonardo and my other Sensei's, and they kept forgetting I was a turtle like them. A lot of what they taught me was sort of turtle-specific and we had to work on how to adjust it for humans."

"Okay..."

"So, at some point it made me start feeling sort of, weird, about my body. Disconnected."

"We're just commiserating over shared species identity issues now?"

"No! I was thinking, maybe, we could try... swapping. You said it happened to your Ma- your Raph, once, right?"

"You- you're willing to swap bodies? You want to be a mutant?"

"I'm curious! And, besides, I want to try a few things I was taught but could never do myself!"

"... I... suppose as long as we know we can swap back..."

They do NOT tell anyone else because They Would Be Stopped. But boy howdy they go through with it (I just know Rise Donnie has a body-swap machine laying around somewhere that he made at like 4 am one night after too many coffees and promptly forgot about, 2012 just needs to check it over and tinker a bit and bam) and everyone else is just-

"Okay, tell me right now what you two were doing in my lab unsupervi-! Wait, something is off here."

Casey in Donnie's body is ooohing and ahhhing over how weird but strong he feels and how the shell actually has feeling, which he didn't expect, and Donnie in Casey's body is just still and staring into a mirror with wide eyes.

"Oh, no." Rise Donnie looks between them, and then at the machine. "You- I- OTHER LEO, YOUR BROTHER DID SOMETHING INCREDIBLY STUPID!"

Literally everyone rushes downstairs at that, there's a moment of confusion because 2012 Leo was certain it must have been Mikey or Raph, but then-

"They swapped!"

"They- Donnie what-"

"Look at me!" The voice is probably the only part Donnie wishes transferred over, but ah well, small sacrifice. "I- ha! I'm human! I- this is amazing! Even the sensation of the air is different, my skin is so much thinner now!"

"So this is why Sensei always worried so much about me having armor," Casey marvels, scratching at the plastron in amazement at how protected he feels. He startles. "Wow, your voice sounds weird with my speech patterns."

"I know!" Donnie is full-on giddy, bouncing in place. "And-and I feel so light! How do human ever have trouble sneaking?!"

"Sooo... this is probably unhealthy, right?" Rise Leo whispers to 2012 Leo. "Because we cannot let them stay like that forever."

"If they're both happy though, why not?" Rise Mikey whispers back. "All that could happen is instinct could cause them to misuse the bodies, and Donnie could get Casey's spine broken in a fight forgetting he doesn't have a shell and Casey could hurt himself not realizing how strong he is nooooooohhhhh oh okay, I get it."

"Well, they'll have to stay like this for at least a day," Rise Donnie says, scowling as he checks the machine. "It's going to take a while to charge enough to do that again."

"I'm going to go the park!" 2012 Donnie is buzzing with excitement. "And I'm going to get ice cream, and-and talk to other people! I'm going to wear- what should I wear? Ha, I've never had to consider clothes before! Okay, um, I always thought big hoodies looked nice, and- jeans! I want to know why people love jeans so much!"

"I have to do some sparring before we swap back!" Casey goes up to Rise Leo and grins hopefully. "You always had to hold back so much in the future, now we can spar for real!"

"This is going to be a long day," 2012 Leo grumbles.

In the end they both enjoy the experiences very much but also miss their own bodies, but I think they do like. A once-a-month body swap from then on so Donnie can enjoy Human Activities and Casey can mess around while being like 20 times less vulnerable and stronger (those mutants are strong as FUCK and no-one can change my mind, yes including 2012).

Everyone worries a little about Donnie's mental health in the whole situation and keep an eye out for if it worsens his whole dysphoria thing he has going on but for the most part it actually seems to be alleviating it a lot. They're all quite surprised as how well Casey can use Donnie's body in training (never real combat if it can helped, just in case) and realize he really was trained to fight like a turtle and BOY does he excel at it.

[theatlasrealm]

SHORT KAI HCS/SMITH TRIO HCS

—-Kai visibly Looks shorter than the rest of the ninja however he looks taller than Jay only because of his hair gel but in reality he and Jay are the same exact height

—-I said this before and I will say it again to reach kitchen cabinets or any high place kai either does one of two things :

1) airjitzu’s and sets the entire place on fire 2) becomes an Olympic gold metal gymnast

THERE IS NO INBETWEEN

—- Kai doesn’t get bothered much that cole and Zane are taller then him bc they are older… but the fact that his YOUNGER SIBLINGS are taller than him keeps him awake at night..

—-sometimes when nya or lloyd wake up in the middle of the night, scared and shaking, they go to the same person they’ve been going to all their life for nightmares: Kai

—-kai influenced/helped Lloyd a lot. And I mean a LOT, just as much as he helped nya. hair care routine? yeha kai showed Lloyd. how to deal with panic attacks? kai helps him breathe, and taught him how to handle it in case Lloyd is ever alone. Also someone else also said this btw but Lloyd’s weapon is a sword gee I wonder why

—-KAI IS THE FASHIONISTA SIBLING I REPEAT HE IS FASHIONISTA SIBLING-

nya: Kai if I was in your shoes

Kai: first of all my shoes are pieces of art second of all you shouldn’t even be in those shoes good lord we need to go shoe shopping I can’t have my dear sister walking around like that

—-guess who’s holding all the shopping bags when the trio goes shopping! Ur right it is nya and lloyd

“kai please stop we don’t need more clothes”

“lloyd, life is a runaway what do you mean we don’t need more clothes”

“kai that’s it we are going home if I have to carry one more bag-”

—--nya and Lloyd can’t hide crap from kai he just knows

Lloyd, thinking: I hate myself

“hey Lloyd u okay buddy??”

“YEAH!!”

Kai brother instinct triggered

Kai pulls out weapon: abominable hug

weapon was effective lloyd is feeling better

—-kai is a good liar/actor to most people except nya girl sees right through his facade

nya, “hey kai everything okay?”

Kai,” yeah don’t worry everything’s fine!”

nya gently hugs kai and Kai has an emotional breakdown: a sequel

—-kai,”how’s the weather up there”

nya and Lloyd,” we weren’t aware garden gnomes could talk”

—- when any one of them is sick the remaining two know exactly what to do.

Nya is sick? Give her some soup ! Give her some space! She’s independent and isn’t a fan of being taken care of (lloyd respects that!) but yk kai….Kid isn’t scared of nyas rages 💪

Lloyd is sick? give him some soup! make him laugh! hug him! Thankfully he’s smart enough to stay in bed and recover because he knows if he does that the recovery process will be faster! the real question is if kai knows that…

Kai is sick? Code red full lockdown bro is gonna go try and discover a new species while burning at a high temperature. um kai isn’t scared of nyas rages but when she yells at him for not resting while sick she’s like ten times more scarier someone save the poor boy oh look savior lloyd has arrived oh wait nope false alarm he’s yelling at Kai too

—-they all casually share hoodies, graphic tees, etc. but for Kai it looks little too big.. um…. don’t tell him that though…..

—--if things are too overwhelming for Kai he goes to nya and Lloyd. everything seems to melt away when they look up and smile at him

—-don’t insult nya or Lloyd in front of Kai or Kai’s gonna do a full sailor moon transformation and then into a VICIOUS garden gnome.

—-whenever nya’s inventions/ideas don’t work out, she gets angry and frustrated at herself due to her perfectionist nature. Kai always manages to make her feel better

“hey don’t worry nya, you have wonderful ideas and such a smart brain! you created so many things and I couldn’t have been more proud. how about we go eat a snack and then you can come finish this project later! I’ll even help!

—-Kai is really good with ‘feminine’ stuff like sewing (he probably used to stitch up ripped clothes when him and nya were kids) and hair. he knows 7384377348 different hairstyles and does nya’s hair whenever he can. he also tried to teach Lloyd but the poor kid became jumble of confusion. he managed to teach him braids though!!!

you think this is it? naw shawty I’ve got part two coming out soon.