#i had my oppotunity and i took it

[thekillermaretwinz]

@insane-nexus during the wedding between @tired-eclipse and @dark-sundrop

[dailytomlinson]

That took a lot of pride in creating this festival. It gives me an oppotunity to also help out like bands who are up and coming and that's something that I've always had a lot of interest in. And also, I've been waiting forever to play festivals... I just thought 'Might as well just fucking make my own and headline it myself'.

Louis about the Away From Home Festival in the All Of Those Voices Extended Cut

[marvelstars]

ObiWan Show(late review)

I agree with many of the critics that said the quality of the show wasn´t the best but I believe they made it a bigger issue than it really is, yes part of it was the lighting because some scenes are just too dark to tell for sure what the characters are doing but it isn´t the worst I have seen.

I personally don´t think it was a bad show it had some good scenes, I liked seeing Obi-Wan´s emotional crisis and seeing Anakin´s ghost or the clone soldiers, those were very heartfelt scenes, I especially liked Leia and the Organa family, especially the suggestion that Leia´s adoption wasn´t something naturally accepted by the Organa family which makes sense given they are an hereditary royal family who are in charge of whole planet, I would have liked to see Leia deal with more of this kind of tension.

I didn´t like Reva as a character in the sense that I didn´t like her personally but she and her story made a lot of sense, I liked the suggestion that Vader knew all along about her and trained her with the other inquisitors just waiting for her to do her move on him. It makes sense for both of them given Vader does understand personal vendettas agaisn´t him especially her being a survivor youngling of the temple, that will not stop Vader because at this point he believes his work in the galaxy and the Empire are neccesary but he understands her motives and yet if she was able to survive their duel to go to Tatooine to try to kill Luke, this means Vader let her live, not sure if this was the writers intention or a problem of continuity.

Which leads me to the issues I had with the story are mainly because they break continuity or don´t make sense for the characters:

Why would Vader leave Obi-Wan alive after he got him in the fire, the only answer I can get is that Obi-Wan needs to survive to be on ANH but I am a sentimental Anakin fan so my take is that he let him go out of sentiment.

Why would Vader attack a whole village just looking for Obi-Wan?, yes I know fandom has this yandere image of Vader because of Anakin but this isn´t some random fanfic or fanart or fan animation this is a proffesional show and this move doesn´t make sense for Vader.

Vader isn´t an overly emotional character, given the many years he spend connected to machines this has given him a different psycology in which he sees things and events very matter of fact even when he is furious, when he kills he is overly clinical and cold about it and usually has a purpose be it his perception of a failure(ESB) in his men, rebels getting in the way in fragant attack on the Empire(Rogue One/ANH) and even in those cases he took prisoners(ANH), protection of the Emperor(ROTJ) or self defense(ESB,ROTJ,SWR). Vader killing villagers out of nowhere and just he can do it acomplishes nothing, it made him look like a monster acting in a choreographed show made to scare away tourists instead of a believable character and moment in the story.

Why would Bail Organa leave essential information about Leia and Luke for anyone to find out about when he is supposed to be a founder of the rebel alliance and knows how to be a spy in the Senate since he teached Leia how to do exactly that?. I see how this helped advance the plot for Reva´s character arc but it didn´t made sense for Bail´s character.

Why would Obi-Wan leave Vader alive if he had the oppotunity to kill him only to leave that duty to Luke, Anakin´s own Son, it isn´t a good look for Obi-Wan to leave the matter of killing Vader to his Son for some nebulous reason, this actually makes him look cruel and it breaks continuity because if he was able to do that then there is not reason for him and Yoda to keep being in hidding for another 10 years if they can team up to kill both Vader and the Emperor. This is why in the original story they no longer were able to defeat them and that´s why they needed Luke and Leia´s help.

So in short I liked the show, some scenes like Vader´s and ObiWan final duel were hearfelt and very well done but I didn´t like the fact they bassically did copy and paste of Vader´s confrontation with Ahsoka, except for the part of "I am not your failure Obi-Wan" but as a whole I believe it could have been written better to make the story work in continuity with the prequels and the original trilogy.

I would be in favor of a new edition of the show in which they correct those mistakes, yes I am also waiting for frogs to rain but well, those are my two cents about this show :D

[nickgiles]

Week 10 Photos ↓

This week gave me the perfect opportunity to capture photos from our lounge area.

Some of my family members, Grandma Jackie and Aunty Melissa came to have coffee in the afternoon, I was aware of them coming over prior and knew I had an oppotunity to capture some amazing shots.

I really liked how this photoshoot came about, it felt really natural, I felt like a ghost just creeping around the lounge snapping photos (with flash on by the way.)

Prior to this photoshoot, I did some research and looked over some previous artists I had looked at. And I keep gravitating towards Edith's indoor photography series, that we looked over last year, I was never fully able to implement this style of indoor flash, because of last year's direction I took. This gave me a choice, and I am really happy I took this route. In the beginning, you can see I didn't use the flash, this was partly for me to see the difference in the photos. Because the curtains were wide open, and a rather cold and grey light was piercing through the lounge area and I wanted to know what it would be like.

The flash added another dimension to the photos and created some really cool silhouettes that show up on the walls. This was really inspirational and I decided to move forward with this concept.

[crystal-in-nagasaki]

rice harvesting with junior high school students

The smallest junior high school in my town (which I'm not assigned to) has a small rice paddy at the front of their school, and the students plant and harvest the rice each year as a school tradition. The ALT at that school was kind enough to ask if some of the other city ALTs could join in for the event since it's a good oppotunity for cultural exchange between the ALTs and students, and the school staff thankfully agreed. So on a Friday afternoon in October, I joined the junior high school students in harvesting rice.

First, let's talk a little about rice and its significance in Japanese history and culture. Rice has been the most important staple food throughout all of Japanese history, cultivated for about 2000 years, and is included in almost every (traditional) meal. Rice was so important that in early Japanese history, it was used as currency, and the word gohan, literally meaning rice, is also used generally to just mean "meal." Rice is also used to make many traditional foods and drinks you may have heard of like sake, mochi, rice crackers, rice balls, sushi, and dango (source.)

However, in recent years Japan's consumption of rice has generally decreased with the influence of western foods on the Japanese diet. Rice reached its peak of consumption in 1962, in which the average Japanese person consumed 118 kg of rice a year, or five bowls a day. But in 2020, it was reported that consumption had more than halved to just under 51 kg a year. As the influence of cheaper and newer food options rose, in 2011 Japan saw the sales of more bread than rice for the first time (source.) Indeed, most of my students seem to have a generally split diet. Many Japanese people eat bread in the morning for breakfast, rice with lunch, and a wide variety of things for dinner like rice or pasta dishes.

But despite rice not being quite the staple that it used to be, it is still beloved by Japanese people, who consider it to be a national and cultural symbol. Almost anywhere you go in Japan, you can find large stretches of rice fields, which are to Japanese people a classic and nostalgic bit of scenery representing Japan.

Now, let's talk about rice cultivation. Rice is typically planted in the early summer in flooded paddies, gradually maturing into a green and gold plant which is usually harvested in the fall. However, in warmer climates of the south, they can sometimes get a quicker harvest and instead plant in two batches each year (source.)

On this particular early fall day, we donned boots and thick gardening gloves to step onto the still somewhat marshy rice paddy. The rice paddy was quite small compared to most larger-scale farms, but it seemed to me like it was used to create a meaningful and educational experience for the students rather than to actually grow a product for the market.

To harvest the rice, we had to use a kama, a small sickle, which looks something like this:

We were told to grab two or three handfuls of rice stalks and cut through them in one sweep with the sickle. Stalk clumps were then tied together in larger bundles with string and hung over a wooden stand to dry out.

We only did this much of the harvesting process at the school that day, but according to this helpful website, following the drying process, the rice would then be threshed either by machine or by hand. Then it is either dried again or milled before being sold and consumed. In modern times, this process has become much easier through the use of machines, but in Japan as early as even half a century ago, most of the harvesting was done by hand. If you are a visitor in Japan, it's very common to see little old ladies and men with permanently bent backs hobbling down streets, as a result of their many years of hard work bent over in the rice fields.

The rice harvesting was pretty hard work. We worked for only an hour or two, but it was very tiring to be bent over and it took a bit of force to cut through the rice clumps with the sickle.

Some of the plants had large pink growths on them, a pest which can devastate rice fields if it spreads, as I was told by a student. I searched for an image of it online, and found that the pink growths are actually snail eggs, which feast on the rice plants after hatching. It looks something like this:

There were also many critters like frogs and spiders living among the stalks of rice. Some of the students and I started catching the tiny frogs together and offering them to each other as "presents," which was pretty funny. It reminded me of the fun I had as a kid catching frogs.

The junior high schoolers were a little shy, but very nice. A pair of siblings were half-Japanese and half-American, so they were excited to see some people that looked like them that they could connect with. We ALTs had fun chatting and joking with them while collecting the bundles of rice. We tried to get them to practice English with us, and they tried to teach us about rice harvesting, so it was a nice moment of exchange for the both of us.

After we were finished, everyone took a big group photo together (which I sadly didn't receive a copy of) and had a formal ending ceremony in classic Japanese fashion. I never thought I'd be putting so much of my desk time (yep, I write these on the clock when I don't have classes) into researching about rice, but here we are. This blog has been a fun opportunity to not only share my experiences, but to research and learn about many different and new things. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! As always, thanks for reading.

[sesikudadaryti]

Every time he saw her touch her stomach, he imagined what it might be like to know she was with his children. He knew it wouldn't be likely to ever happen, but no matter how many times he told himself it was foolish, seeing those blue eyes made it impossible to walk away. Not without fighting with every breath that he had for her heart. He had been willing to give her everything before she was sent to King's Landing. And he couldn't pass up this oppotunity.

"Princess...There is nothing that I want more than to protect you. Please do not doubt my desire to protect you."

He took a couple steps toward her. Stopping to give her some space. She had called out that their stations would have never allowed for them to marry. He huffed. If only he had accomplished more...He could have worked his way to deserving her hand. He looked down at her hand on her stomach, his jaw clenched tightly before taking her hand in his.

"Is that all that kept us from one another?" He asked, before his eyes looked up to meet hers. "Was are station the only think that would have kept you from becoming mine? And making me the happiest man in the Seven Kingdoms?"

Send the phrase: “ What are you willing to do to protect me ? “ for the receiver’s muse to tell the sender’s muse exactly how far they’d go to keep them safe.  (For criston from kaera lannister)

@abeautifulmencgerie

Criston paused in his rantings. He did that a lot recently and he looked across the short distance the two had between them in her chambers. Tensions had been high lately and Daemon had suggested after the kidnapping that perhaps they needed someone else to be charged with her protection, if something so simple as a kidnapping could be pulled on his watch.

"Princess...You must believe I had nothing to do with your brother." He reassured, his tone calmer, reminisent of the younger self she used to be childhood friends with.

Once he was in front of her he paused and looked at the ground. "I blame myself for what happened that day. Had I known that he would dare do such a thing...To his own sister." He paused, a look of disgust on his face before looking up at her.

"I'd kill anyone who might hurt you princess." He finally answered his question. "It wouldn't matter the person, Princess. If they were a threat on your life," He clenched his jaw, a tightness in his throat over the sheer idea that she would have his children. "And your children."

[suhsexual]

.

[dragynkeep]

How do Faunus work in AZRE as well amongst other things about them and such? Basically I want to know about how Faunus work in your universe.

Given that they are pretty much the main plot and component of AZRE, I really have thought a lot about them as a people and how exactly they work to the point that the Genetics doc I wrote up is primarily for just how Faunus genetics work.

If you fancy a bit of a read, the doc link is free to view here!

Disclaimer: I studied genealogy, it's very complicated, I made Faunus genetics far more simpler just for my sanity and because overcomplicated worldbuilding points aren't really that fun.

For a TDLR: Faunus traits are carried on alleles on a gene that determines their heritage. So you have a gene that carries the coding for what type of Faunus your character be, which has smaller alleles that determine what traits this individual would exhibit.

Some a dominant, others are recessive, but more non-mammalian traits can be codominant and change on just how much the phenotypes show. When you start getting into mixed Faunus, either Faunus/Human or Faunus of two different Faunus types, that's when things start getting more complicated.

Now for Faunus as a people, I've completely changed it so that Faunus have always been there with Humanity. Both have lived on Remnant since their creation, rather than the weird thing where Faunus just appeared without any sort of explanation after Humanity 1.0. In AZRE, they all make up the First Humanity, and after Salem and Ozma fuck everything up for them, these people went on to be the distant ancestors for the Second Humanity where our main cast comes from.

It's obviously hasn't been easy for the Faunus, along with other groups of people like the Ankou, Adohi, the Nitzhi, and the Islanders just north of Menagerie. Before the Great War, many of the Faunus in Western Sanus and Anima were pretty much subjugated, whereas those that lived in Eastern Sanus (That would later become the kingdom of Vacuo), had an easier time.

Before Menagerie's creation at the end of the Great War, Eastern Sanus and later Vacuo would be considered the Faunus' first homeland. They had the most rights there, most of the population were Faunus or mixed people, and most of their leaders and most famous historical figures were Faunus.

During the period just before the war, a newly formed Atlas took over the land that would become Menagerie, having been left behind by the travelling Islanders who had already migrated to the islands up north. Here, the new SDC and other mining companies specialising in metals would take over the island's natural resources, relocating Faunus to there so that they had the workforces needed to operate their machinery and work in their mines.

These included Faunus from all over Remnant, even those unfortunate enough to live in territories of Vacuo that were taken over by Atlas during it's expansion into the kingdom. Where they were from affected where they worked. Those from Vacuo worked further into the desert because of their higher tolerance of heat, whereas others worked more of the coastline. While humans did live in Menagerie too, they usually had the much higher and "important" jobs like overseers and such, so they had far better living conditions than the Faunus.

Because of the high population of Faunus, Atlas, and pretty much the world, decided to give it the name Menagerie; which would become a contested name for the Faunus who live there decades later.

The faunus would find a better chance when the Great War, or the Colour War, started eighty years before the Fall of Beacon. They participated on Vacuo's side, and those that lived in Solitas and Anima took the oppotunity to rise up, proving a vital part in Vale and Vacuo's victory in the war.

After that, while Atlas was allowed to keep many of their resources and technology, they had to give up their territories outside Solitas and Anima, which includes Menagerie, as well as having to officially outlaw slavery. The Faunus left behind in Menagerie found that they had the ability to choose where to go, with many returning to their homelands and families.

Some, however, decided to stay in Menagerie and make it a kingdom for the Faunus. The capital, Asile, was created where the Chieftain and advisors would remain. Other settlements would be created, including Vikela where a majority of Vacuo-raised Faunus remained, and using the machinery and technology left behind, they developed ways to survive and even thrive.

The islanders of Menagerie would start moving back to their home also, with their biggest city, Kuana Lio, being on the Azure Islands just off the east coast. Trade develops between these two people, and it's not uncommon to find many Islanders on the mainland as there are Faunus in Kuana Lio. 

Even with the hardships they faced, the Faunus of Menagerie grew and eventually, the kingdom itself rivalled the strength of the other four. But even to the present day, they were not given the official title of a kingdom, rather still being seen as a colony despite being independent for nearly a century. The people harshly contest this, and anyone mentioning it as a colony rather than an independent kingdom will get corrected, either angrily or not depending on the Faunus doing the correcting. 

The next major historical event for the Faunus wouldn’t happen until the Faunus Rights Revolution fifty years after the end of the Great War. It started small, with many Faunus working in the SDC and human-run companies protesting because of the little pay and poor work conditions. This would eventually snowball into protests for more equality laws, unions to include Faunus workers, Menagerie’s title as the fifth kingdom, and bans on anti-Faunus establishments that were very common in Atlas, Mistral and even some of Vale. 

Many Faunus lost their lives during the four years of protests, riots and human intervention. During this time, the White Fang was officially created by Ghira Belladonna, the young son of the Chieftain who actually lost his siblings and father to the revolution. Originally, the White Fang went about their goal through passive means, preferring protests and marching than riots and active action against the SDC.

While this gained favourable opinion of many humans, the results were slow to appear, and many Faunus were growing fed up with the lack of progress they were making. After years in charge, Ghira found that he was losing favour, and that Sienna, who preferred more direct action, was gaining popularity in the organisation. 

This ultimately ended with Ghira stepping down, no longer looked up to by his people, and returned to Menagerie with his wife, although his two children, Adam and Blake, ran away and hid in Vale to keep fighting for the White Fang. Sienna took his place, and the White Fang started going after establishments and companies that were actively taking advantage of the Faunus.

Despite this souring their public view, Sienna’s methods were getting faster results, and she was seen as a more competent leader for her headstrong personality that was tempered with caution. Despite her more aggressive methods, she had limits and didn’t go after people that she felt weren’t standing in the way of equality for the Faunus. 

However, more extremists started to grow in the White Fang, with Kaanchana, Sienna’s closest friend, being given control of the Vale branch in the last years of Ghira’s reign. Driven for equality, she had no trust in humans and genuinely believes that, given the chance, humanity would start a war against the Faunus just like they did in the Faunus Revolution. Because of this, she is becoming more pushy towards Sienna’s methods, and even implemented death penalties towards any White Fang member she believes is going to abandon the cause, wanting loyalty out of fear rather than loyalty out of admiration. 

Now, the White Fang isn’t the only Faunus rights movement in Remnant, and every faction is different. While the factions in Mistral and Vale are under Sienna’s rule, the faction that remained in Menagerie actually follow still follow Ghira and are established in the capital itself. Atlas and Vacuo are the only kingdoms not to have established White Fang factions, even if there are Faunus who share their ideals there still. 

Atlas has the strongest grip still on its Faunus population, and stomps any sign of rebellion out if it isn’t done in the restrictive ways the council established. However, another Faunus rights group, the Macaques, have managed to thrive in Mantle under the council’s nose. 

It’s led by Lou Lantana, the former White Fang banker who left shortly after Ghira did, and works to help the Faunus in Mantle in many ways; providing monetary aids, dealing in protection of Faunus businesses, providing safe establishments for Faunus to gather in, and even helping those working in the mines escape Atlas and find a better life elsewhere.

In Vacuo, their leader, Eliana Kokkinos, is a Faunus and ensures that her people have the best life in her city, as well as the lack of Faunus discrimination meaning that the White Fang and their more aggressive methods aren’t necessary there. 

Because of that, many Faunus rights groups have turned to upkeeping the preservation of Faunus history and culture, looking over relations between the Faunus and humanity in their kingdom and acting as mediators for tribes that live outside of Isidis City’s walls. Because integration is so normalised in Vacuo, many humans and Faunus see no issue in each other, and tensions usually arise from different tribes rather than different races.

Bigotry still exists, of course, but just not to the extent as the other kingdoms. Because of this, and how different the rights groups are in Vacuo compared to the rest of the world, some characters like Sun are caught off-guard when confronted with it. 

As well as their history, Faunus in different parts of the world can have different cultures, even when compared to humans who live in the same area as they do. Different beliefs, religions, customs, societal expectations, these are as diverse as they are with the different races in humanity. 

[yuus-sentient-teddy]

Hey. . . We Joined the Mountain Lovers' Club

((Happy New Year! Let's start/end the year with something positive, shall we?))

EDIT: There isn't enough Jade in here. I want to do the mushroom man some justice, so I'm gonna make this a two-parter!

Jade is in a side room in the botanical garden, examining his findings from his latest expedition in the Mountain Lovers' Club.

A voice pips up from his side, from the doorway. "Is that a Midday Blossom?"

"Hm?" A student is there. They seem quite anxious from how their fingers play around with the ribbons on their armband, but they're staying where they are.

"Um, the flower. Midday Blossom?" they say.

"I actually don't know. I found it today during my walk in the mountains."

"Oh." And then the student looks as though they're about to leave.

"Ah, but I am curious. Would you please tell me more about this 'Midday Blossom'?"

In between "um"s, "uh"s, and pauses of thinking or trying to find the right word, the student earnestly tells Jade what they know about the plant.

Blooms only once a day, considered invasive yet native to the student's hometown, mostly found near mountains, historical uses...

It's an impressive depth of information.

They can't look him in the eyes, though, and gesture quite a lot.

Jade has seen this person before. In fact, they're in some of his classes. They rarely speak and he wonders if it's because of their speaking mannerism. Still, he's not one to pass on the oppotunity to learn from someone seemingly so knowledgeable, stuttering or not.

He asks about the next plant and the student lights up. It turns out to be their favorite!

He asks a couple more questions and the conversation blooms into one about the love for nature. The student admits that they don't know much about fungi nor able to name a few of the plants Jade just found.

He could use someone like this in the Mountain Lovers' Club, nonetheless, so he invites the student to come with him on the next expedition.

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

The two of them sit quietly in the library, sifting through books about flora. It's too bad they can't bring the plants they want to identify, but they'll make do with pictures.

"Jade-senpai?" the student whispers. He knew they had something on their mind since they sat down. "Um, may I, uh, invite some friends for the next trip? They like nature too."

On the morning of the trip, there is a yawning buff Beastman, a rather quiet Scarabian, and a Pomefiore fussing with his hair in a compact mirror.

This was going to be interesting.

It's a while into the trip when the group encounters a moose. It stares directly at them and raises its haunches. Jade read instructions on how to safely escape, but there's a bit of surprise when the Beastman (I'll call him Cody) quietly asssures the moose that they're not going to hurt it and instructs everyone to slowly back away.

Turns out, he took a camping trip with his family to a national park in the past summer, where he was taught how to avoid angering a moose.

It's lampshaded how no one expected him to speak so softly. Cody shrugs and says it's a good skill to have for being out in the woods.

The Pomfiore student is grumbling and quietly seething at the mosquitos buzzing around. Jade is wondering why he is here if he hates them.

Soon after the moose encounter, the group is at a flat section and split up to look around. Jade doesn't notice that the Pomefiore student, who I'll call Dahlia, had stopped at an edge to stare at something until the first member (who I will call Mittie) and the Scarabian join the student. "Whoa."

It's a beautiful view of the treetops and distant adjacent mountain. Some birds are flying about, black against the vibrant green leaves and cornflower blue sky. Softly, Dahlia reveals that he always liked going to rooftops to see views like these. It always calmed him down.

Jade agrees that these are wonderful sights and adds that he'll miss them when he eventually leaves school.

"Not seeing these again. . . That makes me quite sad." And they all stand in silence.

SMACK! "ACK! Stupid mosquitos, now my skin is ruined! Oh, what is the dorm leader going to say??"

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

It's been five meetings and the Scarabian, who I'll call Jason, has not let down his guard around Jade. It also seems as though he is always by Mittie's side whenever the group treks. Not to mention, Jason has an intense stare whenever Mittie talks to Jade.

Overall, Jason knows quite a lot about weird plants and edible herbs, which pairs well with Dahlia's knowledge about poisonous and medicinal plants and Mittie's general extensive knowledge. He also likes talking about them just as much as Mittie.

Mittie hasn't been aware of Jason's behavior and doesn't know why he's acting like that. Later, Jade "incidentally" hears the two converse.

Jason is just super protective; he's worried Jade will coerce Mittie and the others into signing a contract. "You saw what happened when we all had anemones!" Ohhhhhh, so he used to be one of them.

Jade will probably tease Jason through wording that subtly implys a contract, but other than that, he'll try to reassure Jason that he means no harm.

(Hmmm. . . I'm getting some sort of tsundere vibes from Jason.)

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

Random thoughts:

It'd be cute seeing the club members huddling around a crazy looking flower.

I'd also like a scene where the crew does something that ends in disaster and Jade walks in just at the right time, and laughs at how ridiculous the situation is and how the members look.

Mittie is trying to identify a feather they found in the courtyard. They're sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, a couple of open books in front of them. It's their free period, and most students in their class head to the library or hang around outside during this time.

"That belongs to a falcon," someone says behind them.

Mittie jumps and turns around. It's a buff Beastman, who nonchalantly bites into an apple. "What?" Mittie utters.

The Beastman gestures to the feather. "I said that feather belongs to a falcon," he says around the mouthful of apple. He swallows and adds, "Where'd you find it?"

And that's how the friendship between Mittie and Cody started.

(Original title: Nerd Friends for Jade)

[crazy-loca-blog]

The Newlyweds Game: Friends Edition

A/N: It's Zoom time! This week, the whole gang has decided to have a Zoom party to unveil the darkest secrets of Edenbrook's hottest couple. Bree tried to choose three candidates but it was impossible, everybody wanted to participate; however, as Tobias is the newest member of this group, many of these questions don't apply to him, so he'll be acting as the moderator of this session to make sure that everybody speaks.

As usual, thanks to the lovely @jamespotterthefirst for sending this weekly challenge. Girl, you have no idea how much you've helped me to have some distraction from work this week! It's been insane! I really needed it!

Tobias: Well, are we all here?

Ethan: Why do I suddenly feel like we're under a microscope?

Casey: Because we are... well kind of.

Kyra: This is going to be so much fun, we've been reading your answers for weeks already!

Casey and Ethan: *in unison* You have?!?!

Elijah: *smirks* Yeah, we even read the spicy ones.

Jackie: *smirks* Especially the spicy ones.

*Casey and Ethan blush furiously*

~~*~~*~~

Questions for the friends:

Tobias: How did you first find out about their relationship? Were you surprised?

Jackie: Duh, the kiss at the gala...

*Everybody laughs*

Jackie: *not understanding anything at all* What? We all saw them kissing that day! That's how we found it out! We teased this poor girl for days after it!

Kyra: I second Jackie, but I think that was more of a confirmation... so it wasn't a surprise because we all kind of knew it way before that...

Bryce: Jackie, I can't believe you didn't see it before! I confirmed something was going on before the softball game... I remember Ethan didn't want to play with us, but he changed his mind as soon as Casey asked him to do it...

Rafael: During one of our conversations after the attack, I remember Casey telling me that Ethan had been there with her that night after I went into a coma. It made sense with the fact that Ethan had confessed right before the attack that he wasn't single. That's when I knew it.

Sienna: No, no, no, it was way before that...

*While Elijah tries not to laugh, Casey and Ethan look at Sienna... are they scared?*

Sienna: If you were observant, you could really see the looks between them during Casey's trial... you just knew that something was going on there, that's when I found it out.

*Casey and Ethan breathe a sigh of relief*

Harper: *surprised* Really?!?! I mean, I know I told Ethan that he was biased, but I thought you had waited until Casey made it to the team to close the deal!

Casey: *smiling* What do you think, babe? Maybe it's time that we finally tell them the truth... they've been incredibly loyal to us...

Ethan: *smiling* Do you think they'll forgive us?

Casey: Yeah, they will... Naveen is definitely the one who found it out first, and he was right about us... would you do us the honor?

Naveen: Of course, my dear Casey... I'm sure that if you weren't surprised before, you'll be surprised now... I found it out after they returned from Miami, when they attended that conference during Casey's intern year...

*Everybody is in shock, and for like 5 seconds no one says a word. Naveen, Casey and Ethan just chuckle*

Aurora: Wow, you did manage to fool us after all! Have you been in a relationship since Miami?

Casey: Not really... Miami is when we knew we had feelings for each other. About a year after that we decided to give it a shot, just to see where things were going, and then we became official about a year and a half later.

Tobias: *surprised* I think none of us saw this coming. Okay, next question.

Tobias: How was the rumor mill at Edenbrook once they went public? Did you have to defend their honor?

Naveen: Maybe I'm the one to blame here because rumors started even before they had an actual relationship. Many people thought that Ethan had given Casey the spot in the team, when it was actually me. And that led to people saying things that weren't true.

Jackie: Interns and residents can be tough, I've had to deal with a couple of them in the past. They know better now.

Bryce: People will always talk, no matter what, even if they don't know you, I know from experience.

Aurora: I know what you mean, Bryce. Of course I think people are entitled to have their opinion and to believe what they want to believe, but they have no right to make up things just for fun. That hurts.

Kyra: Life in the administration can be very boring, so talking about other people's lives is like an everyday thing. But they wouldn't dare saying a negative thing about them in front of me, they knew we are friends.

Sienna: The nurses asked me a lot about them. There were mixed opinions, especially when they began dating in public, and they still say a lot of things about them, but they make sure I'm not listening to them because I may have had to stand up to some of them in the past.

Ethan: One of the reasons why it took us so long to have an actual relationship was because of that. I don't care about people talking about me, but I couldn't stand the idea of people talking about her, especially when she was an intern and she was proving to be an incredible doctor.

Casey: I honestly don't think you ever got my point when we talked about that and maybe the girls can help me here. You kept saying things were complicated, but especially when you're a woman, the chances that people say awful things about you are pretty high, no matter if they're true or not. It's sad, and unfair, and plain stupid, but it's like it comes with the package.

*All the girls nod in agreement*

Ethan: I will never understand that...

Harper: That's because you're a man and you don't gossip about anyone...

Kyra: Exactly, it's said that women are usually the worst enemy of another woman for a reason... I'm so glad that any of the people in this room follow that motto.

Tobias: What was your first impression of Ethan? Did he fit into the friend group right away?

Aurora: It was weird! My aunt's ex was dating one of my best friends, I had to process it for a while.

Harper: *laughing* But we had already broken up a long time ago!

Elijah: I think it was particularly strange for us, the roomies, basically because it was our boss dating one of us, so we didn't know how to act at first. But then we all learned to relax and you could tell it wasn't too long before he was one of us.

Kyra: He was the one who introduced me to Casey and then I worked with him when I was part of the administration, so it wasn't a big deal, we were used to have these informal interactions. He looked happier though.

Rafael: Same as Kyra. Ethan, Bryce and I go together to the gym, so it wasn't a change at all... it was an added bonus to the relationship we already had.

Tobias: We can't talk about Ethan, but I think me, Harper and Naveen could talk about Casey and we all would agree on our opinion. If someone had told us 10 years ago that Ethan would meet a person who would make him question all his morals and principles, that he would fall in love with that person and that he would end up marrying that person, we all three would have thought it was a terrible joke. She definitely turned his world upside down.

*Harper and Naveen nod in agreement*

Tobias: What’s the most adorable thing they do as a couple?

Sienna: They way they look at each other... it melts my heart.

Jackie: They're annoyingly cute... I can't believe I just said that, I need a drink now...

Rafael: They are very affectionate, maybe not with words, but with actions. Like they're always hugging, holding hands...

Harper: You could tell they are each other's best friend without even knowing they're married.

Naveen: They know how to communicate. They don't even need to talk to each other and they know exactly what the other wants to say. And it's been like that since they were friends.

Bryce: They are definitely couple goals. I think they have the type of relationship we all would like to have in our lives.

Kyra: Especially because of the big house and the money.

*Laughs*

Tobias: Which of their dates would you have liked to crash?

Bryce and Jackie: *in unison* All of them!!

*Laughs*

Naveen: I missed my oppotunity to crash their dates at Derry Raosters. I saw them so many times when they weren't officially together. They were so focused on each other that they never saw me and I'm sure they would have made up any excuse to try to convince me they weren't on a date. *chuckles*

Ethan: We used to go to Derry Roasters to work, those weren't dates.

Tobias: Wrong answer, Ethan! After all this time, I highly doubt that any person in this room believes that.

*Everybody nods in agreement, including Casey*

Ethan: *looking at Casey, surprised* You too?!?!

Casey: Yeah... I mean... it took me a while to realize it, but they actually looked a lot like dates, especially when we went there for no reason, just to escape from the hospital for a moment.

Elijah: I would crash their getaways... they go to the greatest places! I wouldn't mind going to a beach with them to get some vitamin D for a weekend.

Rafael: Or when they go skiing on winter... that resort looks so warm and cozy...

Sienna: Or those restaurants! The food and the drinks look so good! They definitely know how to pamper themselves!

Tobias: Did you ever witness a walk of shame (or anything else of the sort)?

*Elijah and Sienna can't hide it anymore... they cackle*

Tobias: Oooh... you did see them...

Elijah: Sorry Casey, but we've been keeping this secret for too long already... Sienna and I saw Casey sneaking Ethan out of the apartment not too long before the end of our intern year...

Casey: *furiously blushing* You traitor!

Jackie: *surprised* Wait, where was I?

Sienna: Sleeping

Jackie: Damn, Landrat was right when he said we wouldn't hear other people having sex when we moved into that place... anyway, I remember seeing Casey coming home early morning a few times, but I never asked... I assumed she had stayed at the hospital with some patient...

Aurora: You're so naïve that it hurts... anyway, I think we all have seen them leaving offices and the on-call room more times than we can count, so...

*Everybody nods in agreement*

Ethan: *visibly uncomfortable* Well, there is always paperwork that we don't have time to do during our shifts...

Harper: Well, as soon as the team office remains immaculate...

*Casey and Ethan look at each other in silence and smile*

Tobias: Oh, come on, guys! That's more than I wanted to know! I'll never look at that desk... or the couch... or those chairs... the same way now! I'm definitely asking the board to sanitize the office after this.

*Laughs*

Tobias: What was your reaction when you found out Casey was moving out to move in with Ethan?

Jackie, Aurora, Sienna and Elijah: *in unison* FINALLY!!

Casey: *surprised* Were you seriously expecting me to leave?

Aurora: No, we didn't want you to leave, don't get us wrong. In fact, we still miss having you around.

Jackie: The thing is, after you and Ethan became official, you did a pretty decent job trying to balance your time with him and your time with us at home.

Elijah: Sure, we could tell you spent less time with us, but you never failed when we planned a roomies night or for a videogames or a John Carpenter movie marathon.

Sienna: But we also knew that you and Ethan were taking your relationship very seriously and we wanted the best for both of you because you had gone through a lot... so we were kind of excited when you told us the news, because we knew how much it meant for you both.

Casey: *pouting* you're going to make me cry, guys!

Who won the prediction pool about when Ethan would pop the question?

Casey: *surprised* You guys had a pool?!?!

Ethan: *pinching the bridge of his nose* Unbelievable.

Jackie: Of course we did!

Tobias: And I won.

Bryce: And Sienna and I were a close second.

Harper: Tobias had an unfair advantage though, he has known Ethan the longest.

Tobias: But remember they both said they weren't going to get marry.

Elijah: They were avoiding the questions on the topic like the plague!

Naveen: And you believed them? Casey unconsciously made Ethan break every single one of his rules, so it was obvious to me that they would get marry someday.

Tobias: Were you in the wedding party? What was your favorite part about the wedding?

Ethan: we kept it really small, so we didn't have a wedding party. Casey's maid of honor was Sienna and my best man was Naveen, that was it.

Casey: Yeah, we didn't have a lot of guests, so we felt we didn't need to have an "official" party, but believe it or not, you all helped us somehow, especially when we were about to give up on the idea of getting married because it was being too much for us to handle.

Ethan: I don't think we ever thanked you properly for that. We were exhausted and you were there to help us when we needed you the most. We are very grateful for that.

Jackie: *smirks* Well, we were the ones who were going to enjoy the party, it was the least we could do for you.

Sienna: You would have done the same for any of us.

Bryce: I don't know if you guys agree with me, but I'd say my favorite part were their vows. I think we all cried with them.

Everybody: *in unison* YES!!

Harper: The thing is that we all know your relationship, but at the same time we know that you both try to keep things as private as possible, so when you exchanged your vows it was like for the first time you were truly opening up your relationship and letting us in. It was beautiful.

Kyra: And then your first dance was the perfect complement to those vows... it was really touching.

Casey: Kyra, you're so right! I never made that connection until now!

Elijah: Honorable mention goes to the food and the booze... everything was delicious!

Aurora: Don't remind me... worst hangover ever... but Raf giving us free samba lessons was awesome! We have to do that more often!

Rafael: Anytime!

Sienna: The idea of smores and blankets station you set up with a bonefire to hang out was so clever and cute! It was perfect!

~~*~~*~~

For everyone, including Ethan x Casey:

Tobias: Okay, this will be easy and fun. Basically, let's all play Fuck/Marry/Kill the people in this room. And before you can say anything, Ethan and Casey, you're not allowed to choose each other.

Casey: Not fair!

Tobias: I'm the moderator, I make the rules... go ahead, who wants to go first?

Jackie: Easy... I'd fuck Casey, marry Aurora and kill the meathead

Aurora: I think I'd fuck Rafael, marry Elijah, and kill aunt Harper... sorry!

Sienna: Let's see... I think I'd fuck Elijah, marry Raf and kill Naveen... but only because I have to kill someone, I wouldn't dare killing anyone in this room!

Elijah: I'd fuck Jackie, marry Aurora and kill Sienna, only because I know she'll forgive me

Bryce: I'd fuck Kyra and Harper, marry Casey and kill Jackie, of course

Rafael: I'd fuck Ethan, marry Sienna and kill Harper

Harper: *laughs* I literally saved your life, you traitor!

Rafael: *chuckles* Sorry!

Tobias: I'd fuck Aurora, marry Harper and kill Ethan or Casey, just because I want their jobs

Naveen: I think I'm too old to play these things...

Ethan: No way Naveen, if I'm in this mess, then you are too... go ahead...

Naveen: So... I would fuck Sienna, marry Harper, and kill Tobias for wanting to kill Casey or Ethan

Harper: I'd fuck Tobias, marry Naveen and kill Ethan... that was fast!

Kyra: Piece of cake... I'd fuck Jackie, marry Ethan and kill Casey, because she needs to be dead so that I can marry Ethan.

*Laughs*

Casey: Still thinking on who to fuck... but I'd marry Sienna or Aurora and I'd kill Elijah for being a traitor today... oh! I think I'd fuck Bryce...

Bryce: So many opportunities wasted when you were single, Casey...

Ethan: *very serious* Lahela...

*Laughs*

Ethan: This is so childish... are you sure I can't pick my wife?

Everybody: *in unison* NO!

Ethan: Okay... then... let's see... I'd fuck Tobias, marry Sienna or Rafael and kill Lahela, because of that very inappropriate comment he just made.

*Laughs*

Tobias: And that's a wrap, people! Now we only have to set a date for Elijah and Aurora and Rafael and Sienna's wedding and we're done... Thanks for having us, Bree!

~~*~~*~~

Tagging: @adiehardfan @izzyourresidentlawyer

[wilted3sunflowers]

With the latest episode i think it was a great oppotunity for my lapis’ 

Imagining this as just a wacky hijinks episode where reset lapis’ are stuck on this place and gotta survive. Will they? Or will they throw Iris to the buds as sacrifice? 

Theres lines in the captions

More info on what my lapis’ were like as new gems. To be clear none of them were in the same batch so only met much later in their lives. 

River: Before all the drama with River and before the relationship with Iris, her as a new born gem is quite a bubbly mean girl who laughs at you cruelly with a big grin and eager to dunk on someone else to boost her own ego. Still, surprisingly charming when playing to gems. 

Iris: One wouldn’t expect this of the current Iris locked behind her own walls of barely letting emotions get the best of her in front of others and swallowing them down. She was a big wimp, a sad crybaby who felt too much and was to quote other lapis’ of her batch “Pathetic”. 

Stormy: New born Stormy is actually what you could say is a meathead jock. A brute. She had strong connection to her powers and could be ruthless like a storm at sea. She basically took charge by force a lot of times when there was only lapis’ around. Clearly, River following in line in this island episode 

Icy: Icy was still pretty cool back when she first popped out yet she was more of an Icy edge, not emoting completely and staring at you with disinterested sharp yellow edge. She was more of an ice shard than a cool and chill cube. You don’t know her thoughts. 

Glacier: Like Icy she hasn’t changed too drastically from her beginning personality. Shes a gentle dame and much more supportive and vocal for other lapis’ thus can be seen defending Iris to the others. 

[hwkhs]

anonymous requested: could you write a short fic for tanka ryuunosuke of him supporting/instilling confidence in his vice captain s/o after they're doubting their ability to captain when their third year captain retires to focus on university exams, leaving them to become captain? thank you and i can't wait to see how great it'll be!

pairing: tanaka ryuunosuke x gn!reader

warnings: language like one word but idk if it even counts as a cuss

style & genre: short fic; fluff (w/ angst if you squint)

word count: 1.2k

notes: thank you anon! i hope this fic is to your liking, i’m loving all this fluff in my inbox (you’ll see why I can’t write angst to save my life haha)

“I’m leaving it to you!”

Your captain’s - former captain’s voice rings in your head as you stare blankly at the board in front of you. Class hadn’t started yet so there were still other students coming in and out of the classroom to chat to their friends and whatnot. One of those students happened to be your boyfriend. 

“Hey, babe!” Tanaka pulls a seat out from the desk beside you and leans his head on his hand, elbow on your desk. “Babe?” He waves a hand over your face and you blink a couple of times to realize he’s there beside you.

“Oh, hey, sorry I was just thinking.” You respond and flash him a tired smile. He raises an eyebrow but deciding against asking for more. 

“Did you wanna eat lunch together? Noya-san said he brought some--” your thoughts drown out his voice as you go back to a few days ago.

“But why?” You ask, running after your captain who was unchaining her bike. They flash you a quick smile as they turns to face you. “W-Why so suddenly, we have a game in three weeks!”

They ruffle your hair before placing a hand on your shoulder. “I know that and if I’m not fully focused, I know I’m going to bring the team down. But you, you can lead them because I know how much you love this sport.”

“But--”

“And besides, you’re already vice-captain so you have that leadership the other girls have seen. You’ll do great.” They gives you a nod before mounting their bike. “I’m leaving it to you!”

The rest of the day blurs by and you aren’t acting like how you usually do. Were they okay with leaving you as captain? You knew they did most of the pep talks and leading practice, all with the personality that wasn’t you. Whlle they were more straightforward and blunt, you tended to stay off to the side and be more reserved. It was actually ironic that you and the wing spiker started dating.

Speaking of Tanaka, he takes note of your change in behavior but didn’t want to push you to talk unless you were ready, so he opted to just observe. In his head, he thinking of scenarios of if someone is bothering you or it was just school that’s been causing you stress.

“Captain!” You’re brought out of your thoughts again when an underclasman on the team taps you on the shoulder.”Could you help me out with this drill?”

It was practice, right. It had been going well, the other members understanding of the former captain’s circumstances and they were happy to know that you were stepping in to fulfill her place. But there was still the doubt there that you couldn’t do what she could.

“Of course, here try this.” You try to lead her through the basics of the drill but she keeps giving you looks of confusion. 

“Um, I don’t really understand--”

“Watanabe! I’ll help you out, I was just gonna do that right now.” Another one of your teammates takes the underclassman. The teammate pats your shoulder before giving you a reassuring smile. What were you doing wrong?

This wasn’t the first instance where things like this happened. The day after you became captain, you had flubbed over your words at the scrimmage against another school. Your teammates were kind enough to understand your nervousness, however, you exaggerated their reactions in your head.

The next day was a practice and you saw that the underclassmen preferred to ask other upperclassmen for help or advice. When they did come to you, it was a mess of explanations as what had happened only moments ago. 

“I’m going to step out for a bit,” you tell your team manager as you pick up your water bottle. The sun was setting and the outside was quiet, save for a few leaves being blown in the wind. You slide down the side of the gym and lean against the wall with your eyes closed.

“Whatcha doing out here?” You peek an eye open and see Tanaka with his own sports drink taking a seat next to you. “Should’t you be at practice?” He was on a water break and took the oppotunity to find you because of what happened earlier in the day. 

You smile and bump his knee with your own, “I could say the same to you.” Silence follows your last words and you look up at the sky. “Ryu, do you think I make a good captain?”

He stops midway to a sip and turns his head to face you. “What do you mean?”

“I think I shouldn’t be captain. I’m keep messing up and I feel like I’m not doing enough or being enough--”

“Woah, woah, baby, hold on.” He holds your wrists as your hands came up to cover your face. “Where did all of this come from?” You told him beforehand of what happened, but he didn’t think your nervousness translated to doubt in your own abilities.

“Ryu,” you say behind your hands, “I-I can’t...” you trail off and he pulls you into his arms. 

“Babe,” he tried, seeing that you didn’t make an effort to move your face from his chest, “Y/N.” He presses, lifting your head up with his thumb and index fingers under your chin.

“You’re amazing, okay? What’s all this talk of not being enough, babe, I’ve seen you play at games and practice!” He looks estatic what you can’t help but chuckle.

“That game last week, when your old captain had an injury and you lead your team for over half the game? You killed it out there! I saw the look in your eyes and the vibe your team gave off after the last time out,” he puts his hands on either side of your face. “You hyped them up all on your own. I just think you’re be overthinking all the little things. I know you’re strong enough to overcome any challenges and bring people up along the way!”

This was quite a bit coming from him who had his own days of feeling down, of not doing enough for his own team members. But when you saw him play himself, he never let those doubts affect who he was as a person. Even if he was targeted or blocked on the court, he came back stronger.

“You may not see it but your teammates do.” He nudges you to look to the side and see your team huddled near your gym entrance with worried looks on their faces. “I do.” 

You smile brighter at his words. “Thank you, Ryu.”

“Of course! Now go kick some ass at practice!” He pulls you both up and pushes you to your team.

“That’s my baby!” He yells into the gym when your teammates reassure you that they just didn’t want to overwhelm you with their questions, clearing up misunderstandings. They all look amused at his antics and laugh when Daichi drags him by the collar back to their own gym. 

It was nice to know that he would always be there to bring you up.

[notcatherinemorland]

ok i’ve thought abt it and decided i am actually annoyed by this !! a rant

did a uni thing the other day, and i took the oppotunity of the nice weather & occasion to wear my new skirt :) pastel green silk repurposed/reworked, it’s mid calf and v pretty! it was the first piece of non-alt clothing i’d bought since about this time last year so like. i am delighted with it. 

stepmother sees us off, making an underhand comment about how she needs to go to the uni also. dad politely brushes it off because i was a little shit and asked for my dad to not invite her when i booked this uni thing. my idea of hell is a tour of a uni with SM, i will not lie.

dad leaves to go get his glasses. the SECOND!! he leaves, stepmother says ‘isn’t your skirt a bit promiscuous?’ and im so fucking over her making comments on my clothes, so i play it dumb and ask her what she means. whilst she’s not wrong, the sunlight behind the silk showed a silhouette of my body... she said i “would be flashing everyone”. and helpful enough but the way she said it wasn’t an ‘oh you have spinach in your teeth’ kind of advice, with do you have another outfit to wear kind of delicate solution. if she HAD said that, i wouldn’t be gd ranting about it. it was very.. agressive? assertive? i felt very shamed for it? it felt really passive aggressive honestly. and maybe that’s just me being an utter bitch (probably yes) but i think i had my feminist ‘i wear what i want’ head on and just smiled back with ‘ah! i’ll make sure to stay out direct sunlight! :)’ and she just fucking. heal turned and left the room. i felt horrible abt it bc i’ve been trying not to rock the boat & this??? is the hill i chose to die on?? i suppose this skirt and i are in this for the long and spite-fuelled haul.

1. i am annoyed because i thought her attitude was passive-agressive. or just plain agressive, and rude, and she knew we were running late so i emphatically didn’t have time to change clothes. she knew this.

2. she talks a massive talk about feminism and respecting women’s bodies (also she’s confirmed terf!! hate this for my life) and yet she draws her line in the sand at her partner’s kid’s skirt choices. she called me promiscuous.

3. last, but perhaps most important. she was wearing a black sheer maxi skirt. im so fucking done.

[chrmiing-arc]

Oh just some moments from Audrey’s Diary about my boy I came across on here.

“ Chad has been such a good friend to me lately. It’s made things a little easier, but not much. I mean, at least I have someone to eat lunch with and walk through the halls with, and it doesn’t SEEM like I’m thinking about Ben all the time. But I guess what does it really matter if I am? If I can’t get him out of my mind? ”

“ After school today Chad and I went down to Belle’s Harbour, because I’ve been in a terrible mood lately and he thought it might cheer me up. He was telling me this story about his weekend in the Summerlands and how he can water-ski on one leg, and it was so silly and charming that for a few brief moments I forgot all about Ben, and Mal, and everything that’s happened since the coronation.

We walked along the shore and were reminiscing about spending afternoons in Chad’s parents’ castle when we were growing up, and about how Auradon used to be before all this villain nonsense. Then we saw them. Ben and Mal were sitting on the edge of the dock with their feet in the water. Mal had her head on Ben’s shoulder and they were talking and laughing and they were watching the sunset together. They didn’t even notice we were there.

Chad steered me away and we took the long way back, through the city. He just started on another story. This one was about Jaq trying to move this huge wheel of cheese, even thought Jaq weighs about .0002 pounds, so it was useless. I couldn’t stop thinking about Ben and Mal sitting there, and how that was supposed to be ME. I was supposed to be dating Ben, I was supposed to be in line to be queen”

“ I didn’t want to worry my grammy of my godmothers, so I ended up calling Chad to get me. Even after all these months apart, he still jumped at the oppotunity to see me again. I mean, I get the sense he might’ve thought we were REALLY dating (not just together to make Ben jealous), but I can’t be responsible for that. Anyway, he was there in less than six hours, and he fixed the tire on my carriage and took me back to the Fairy Cottage, and even helped get some of the mud off of my skirt. ”

“ He was happy to see me and was hoping I’d be back at Auradon Prep soon, and that he’d missed hanging out. Oh, Chad. I know he’s handsome and charming and all that, but he’s just not for me. At least I can always count on him to come through for me, though. Lately it feels like he’s the only person at Auradon Prep who remembers I exist.... ”

“ But it was weird, because for the first time in my entire life, I was one of those kids looking around, trying to figure out where I was going to sit. Fortunately, Chad was on the other side of the cafeteria and it didn’t take lon for him to spot me andwave me over. But still. Has everyone else forgotten I’m the popular one?? ”

[theangrypokemaniac]

Wee Meowth Special!

Part Two: La Belle Dame Sans Merci

It was all going so well for Meowth, enjoying an endless supply of saturated fat that furred the arteries of his heart, when if he didn't happen upon the girl who'd tear it in two, because he just hadn't suffered enough.

That flicker of hope must be extinguished.

Meowzie.

Face of an angel.

Soul of a demon.

Sustains herself with the dust of shattered dreams and melancholic agonies.

Just one look. That's all it took.

And nothing would never be the same again.

That face he'll remember until the end of life.

Meowth knew from that moment he would kill for Meowzie, so started as he meant to go on by causing a massive pile up in which dozens lost their lives or ended up in long-term comas.

Their sacrifice proved to be fruitless, for this cat was about to learn that beauty is often worn all too lightly.

Meowth turned on the charm that we all know and love, but for the object of his desire it proved entirely resistable. There was no way she'd demean herself by acknowledging the rough wooing of such an upstart.

The nerve of the wretch to dare approach a Lady!

Nevertheless, Meowth remained determined to win her over.

Anna-Nicole Smith here had other ideas.

Meowzie belonged to a grotesque specimen of unknown identity but possessing an inexhaustible wealth. For now anyway.

I wonder why she left her precious pet on a window sill, vulnerable to theft. What sort of shop wouldn't acquiesce to her demands and permit a cat on the premises?

Such carelessness is perhaps an inkling of the woman having no real attachment to Meowzie, that she is pretty, meaningless acquisition like everything else.

Meowzie's Owner: the face to trust.

I know a kind soul when I see one.

Radiating warmth as ever, Mrs. Moneybags took the oppotunity to flaunt her good taste and sense of subtlety by boasting of her most recent purchase:

A diamond-encrusted Pokéball.

That's rather an extravagance.

Her later bankruptcy makes sense now.

It also speaks a truth to me:

Nouveau riche.

As my nan would've remarked:

All fur coat and no knickers.

That's not a pleasant concept.

You can bet she'll have a long wait for an invitation to James and Jessibelle's Wedding Of The Century.

It's images like this that tell you all you need to know about Meowzie.

She'll be encased in that Pokéball most of the time. Out of everyone, its outer appearance means the least, and yet see, she's bewitched by how it gleams and glitters.

Why should it be any surprise?

It is often remarked that animals resemble their owners, and here it proves to be correct, for Meowzie is as dazzled by diamonds as her mistress.

How could any creature in the care of such a cold materialist develop any differently?

Unwilling to let Meowth be, Meowzie insulted him as a common alley cat without a chance of winning her affections. Not when unable to provide the luxury to which she was accustomed. Only a human being could supply the endless peace and plenty she demanded.

Oh, so it's people who impress her, then?

From that moment Meowth vowed to make himself as human as was possible to be, irrespective of the difficulties ahead, so sure was he of it as the path to Meowzie's love.

Somehow, I don't think she meant it that way.

[workingonit-currently]

(Title Pending)

Part 4: Time 'alone'

Just as Damien manages to reach his home, the cabin slightly above the others, he recieves a phone call. He has his phone on vibrate since sound annoys him and there's always a chance of him not hearing it, also mute is not an option when you have a childish, fast-texting, impatient friend like Wes.

As it turns out it's the exact impatient fast-texting friend, he indeed has, who is calling him right now. As Damien pulls out his phone and looks at the screen he sees it's Wes and decides it can wait, it's only just turned lesson time and Wes must have accidently butt-dialed him, never one to break the rules of no phones in class. So placing his phone down on the nearby dresser Damien ignores it and starts taking off his hoodie, not liking the thought of just deny the call as then the person actually knows he's actively ignoring them.

Removing his hoodie and sighing Damien takes in the dark and gloomy feel of his room. Little to no light comes in and all the walls are covered with old posters or pictures, most of them relating to Shayne because no matter how much Damien hates to think about it, he can't deny Shayne was the best part of his life.

Just as Damien intends to flop onto his bed and become a human burrito in his covers, his phone vibrates again, having just stopped. Grabbing it and looking at the screen again Damien sees the same stupid picture of Wes and finally accepts his call.

"What do you want?" Damien huffs as he puts the phone to his ear and sits down on the bed, looking very grumpy. He feel exhausted from interacting with Boze and another social interaction is the last thing he needs, even if it is with a person he's more familiar with.

"Awww, did I disturb your serious plans of becoming a burrito again?" Wes teases and Damien hates how easily he can predict him, they're not that good of friends. At least not in Damiens mind.

"Just tell me what's up." Damien instructs, rubbing his face to try and keep himself awake, done with today already. The light shining through his windows annoying him, they seem to bright and remind him how early in the day it is.

"Well you know how on the first day I was like, 'let's fly over the wall! Whoop!'?" Wes starts and Damien sighs, rolling his eyes as he tries to remember that. He has so much on his mind and doubts that he'll remember it since he can't even remember if he had breakfast today which he probably didn't, knowing him.

"Yep. Although I don't remember you saying it that enthusiastically and the morning after you told me to, 'Never mention it again'!" Damien states and puts on a serious voice to amuse Wes, knowing he succeeded when he hears Wes laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. I know what I said but...could you maybe meet me outside the Heads office in school? Turns out they have that on video." Wes states and explains what he needs, making Damien relieved that it'll be easy.

"Yes. Who knew that the best school in Shīru City would have security cameras." Damien sarcastically retorts before ending the call, not bothering to hear Wes's response to his sick burn. He knows the response would be laughing or pretending to be offended which would start a whole new joke conversation and despite loving Wes and loving he can joke around with Wes, Damien needs all the energy he can get.

.

Waiting with his back against the Heads office Damien wonders why he even bothered to come, sure Wes was his friend but could he actually be bothered to be sad if he lost another friend?

Just as Damien is about to come to a revelation about whether he needs Wes as a friend or not, the very boy he's thinking about appears, a wide smile on his face. He seems very happy to see Damien infront of him and if Damien didn't think higher of him, he would have sworn he believed Wes doubted he would come.

"Took you long enough Wesley." Damien mutters as Wes approaches and ignores his comment, consentrating on the task at hand. His eyes glance over Damien but then focus on the lock of the door infront of them, trying to figure out how to pick it.

"Now Dame-" Wes starts with an unusual serious tone but Damien cuts him off sharply.

"I told you to stop calling me that."

Wes rolls his eyes but simply carries on explaining his plan. Being, for once, the more mature of the two.

"We need to get into the office, hack the computer and then delete the security footage." Wes explains as if it would be that simple, Damien knows it won't.

As Wes goes through the do's and don't of their mission Damien takes this chance to unlock the door and open it, looking at a coral pink room inside. It's almost exactly what Damien would have expected Miss Rose's room to look like. Strange.

"There are literally so many flaws to your plan right now but I got the door open so why don't we stop standing in the oh-so-conspicuous hallway?" Damien asks as he hold the door open for Wes to enter, a happy spring in his suprisingly small step. He is only a size four after all.

"Why do you even want the footage deleted?" Damien dares to ask as he clicks closed the door and walks across the pink carpeted floor, taking in the scent of lavender and honey. He's thankful Wes didn't ask him how he knows how to pick a lock but wants to move the conversation along just in case.

Wes shrugs and tries to act casual but as that's Damiens territory he knows Wes is hiding something but chooses not to push any further, for fear of breaking the giant teddy bear.

Looking around the room it has shalves filled with soft toys, china plates and pictures, all of them happy and artsy. Damien's eyes then fall on the soft blue computer, standing out on its own in this universe of coral pink.

"Do you know how to hack because I do not!" Damien muses, pointing a finger at the computer which Wes was seemingly blindly looking for. Upon hearing that infact Damien doesn't know how to hack Wes freezes and turns his head slowly to look at the boy.

"What?" Wes hisses quietly as he looks quite suprised, by Damiens standards. This causes Damien to shrug, having assumed that Wes would be doing something in this mission and not just leaving it all to him.

"Damien! Have I not told you technology breaks when I go near it!?" Wes complains and Damien has to state that he did not mention that so he isn't at fault, Wesley!

As Wes tries to figure out what to do now Damien sits down, lying on the soft carpet and staring up at the ceiling. This reminds him of better times. He's glad he gets this oppotunity, he's glad Wes is his friend actually. While Damien sits and thinks, Wes joins him, having given up already.

"You know, you've never looked this happy." Wes states and Damien has to agree, for once a memory of Shayne isn't making him sad. Maybe it was the memory this morning or the fact that he feels he has an actual friend for once but Damien feels lighter, happier and brighter. For once he feels hopeful.

"What's wrong Wes? What's so important about having wings?" Damien finds himself asking, thinking that if they can't do anything to delete the security footage at least they can make a plea for it to be deleted to the Head. He then realises it's a sensative subject as Wes grits his teeth and slowly breaths out, staring ahead of him blankly as his smile drops.

"It's not just about the wings Dame, it's about what they represent." Wes starts and Damien nods, not caring as much about the nickname now, it doesn't matter to him at this moment.

"I really don't feel comfortable going into it but I'll tell you what I can okay? I mean the only reason I even used them that first day we met was because I wasn't thinking and I knew you were too tired to care or ask anyway." Wes continues and Damien hums in response, not feeling the need to talk now in fear of ruining the mood of momentery bliss and calm.

"You've noticed, they're not there all the time. I hide them. In all honesty I'm ashamed of them, they're my curse. I know it's stupid and stuff but...they remind me of the worst part of me, the part I never want and because of that I never want anyone else to have to see them."

Damien understands, there's certain parts of him he finds repulsive, certain parts he'd like to keep hidden but he knows deep down inside that what Wes and he are doing is not okay. So he places an comforting hand on Wes's shoulder.

"Wes, I know you're ashamed and embarassed but this is not the way to deal with things. You have to face them head on and actually understand those parts of yourself to truely start to mold them and change them. Only as you've have been told something about you is evil or vile and you have to hide it do you start making it evil and vile and worth hiding. Wes, I will help you any way I can until you feel like you can finally face that part of yourself but please promise me you'll try to start facing that part and not just hiding it."

Wes takes Damiens hand and the stand up, both agreeing to do what they can. Damien actually thinks he might have a shot at having an actual friend now and he hopes Wes won't go and die on him.

"You know Wesley...I can actually hack. I just wanted to convince you to talk to me about your problems." Damien shyly admits as he runs away from Wes quickly and logs into the computer, clicking on a video file with security footage.

"Damien. Thank you but if you try that again I won't hesitate!" Wes teases but Damien thinks he might be serious so stiffly nods in response and gulps as he thinks about tomorrows plans. Well they're out of the window!

Damien tries to ease the tension as he finally selects the right video and skips ahead until he sees both himself and Wes approaching the camera looks extremely tired. Granted it might just be the light but he can't deny he looks utterly out of it.

.

Once deleting the video he and Wes carefully log out of the computer and slide out of the room, only Joven noticing them but being to fed up to mention anything.

"So Wes, where to now?" Damien asks his taller companion, Wes shrugging in response as he only planned to delete the video of him. He was so consentrated on this one thing he didn't think of what to do after.

Seeing as Wes can't go back to lessons, lest he face the wrath of any given teacher for skipping a part of school, Damien decides to take Wes under his wing and teach him how to properly skive off school.

"Follow me Wesley!" Damien instructs as he walks away and out of the school, Wes doing as instructed and following like an adorable lost puppy.

.

"Welcome to my crib Wesley." Damien introduces as he opens his cabins door for Wes, letting him take it all in.

"Please-please take your shoes off...." Damien mutters quickly as he closes the door and stops Wes from walking any further. He needs his room to maybe not get mud on it.

Wes takes off his shoes before sitting on Damiens bed, staring at Damien and asking, "And this is where you stay all day, everyday?"

Damien nods and lies down on his bed, his feet falling off the edge as he's not lying down correctly but he doesn't care. Wes decides to lie with him, arms touching as they stare. They let the silence hang there, happy in each others company but not sad when Wes finally speaks.

"You know, this has been a great night Dame."

"Yeah. Same here."

"And I actually enjoyed opening up to you. You're a great friend Damien."

Damien feels a small pit in his stomach open as he hears those words and gulps, sudden coldness invading his body as he knows what he's going to say next.

"Shayne." He says randomly and leaves it hanging in the air for a while, trying to bring enough courage to himself to continue.

"I had a best friend called Shayne. He died...that's why I'm unmotivated and I don't really want friends." Damien explains and breath a sigh of relief, having finally told someone. He feels Wes has earned it, a tiny bit of trust and honesty from him for putting up with him all this time.

"Do you want to tell me more?" Wes enquires softly, careful with his words as he knows this is a sensative subject. Damien nods slowly and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and thinking of it like a band aid. The faster you rip it off the sooner the pain will be gone once it is off.

"After he..left, nothing felt real anymore. Everything was duller, less vibrant and more...boring and...It's never really changed since then. I mean he was my best friend but I can't help but feel I should have moved on by now, got over it." Damien explains and sighs, closing his eyes and readying himself for Wes to confirm his words.

"Damien, you're never going to get over it. No one does. You just have to carry on with what you've got. Nothing and no one can replace Shayne, we both know that, so have confidence that letting others in and your friendship is not going to be the same as the friendship you shared with Shayne." Wes responds with wisdom Damien didn't know he had in him, who knew the person most saw as the badass kid had such layers. Damien has to think about his words for a second, leaving silence hanging in the air awkwardly.

"I know Wes. I'm really trying to convince myself of that but my head just keeps trying to say Shayne's NOT gone and he's NOT a rotting corpse!" Damien says, finally finding the right words to say something at least a little coherant asany different things fly around his head.

"Then tell me about it. Tell me, convince me that he's dead." Wes instructs and Damien opens his eyes to look up again.

"...okay, I was thirteen and dressed in my pj's. Well I had just woken up to a weird sound, crying. The howled crying you get from a mother when her son dies. But it was coming from my mum which was weird since I was pretty sure I was alive and my family isn't really serious, we do jokes and stuff, we never really cry in front of each other because we care to much to accidently make others feel sad. So I was confused and then my mum hugs me close, strokes my hair and slowly tells me my best friend is dead. I didn't believe it at first, I laughed and slowly then it began to sink in and I started crying, my mum still holding onto me tightly and comforting me while she's crying so hard. She tells me that they found his body in bed, just lying there lifeless amd stone cold. The doctors said he took too many pills and there was no way they could have saved him even if they had been informed of his location. I went to see his body the next day, it was raining and cold which I usually like but this day was the coldest by far, at least to me it seemed deathly cold. I saw his body lying there, eyes still open but with no life inside them, his mouth just bearly frozen open. He didn't look like my Shayne. He looked plastic, fake. But I knew it was him. I just knew."

"That's some heavy stuff Dame. Now come here." Wes states and grabs Damien, bringing him close and hugging him just tight enough to comfort him but careful enough that if Damien felt he needed a minute he could easily get it.

"You know, when I think about it now I acted really immature. I just kept screaming at him to wake up and saying it wasn't real and that Shayne couldn't die...I...I really hate myself for that now, I must have been really stupid." Damien mutters mostly to himself.

"Or you were just any regular person when a loved one dies. You're allowed to not be alright. That's okay." Wes comforts and pats the back of Damiens head, rubbing his back with a warm hand.

"No it isn't...not for me. I don't deserve that right." Damien shakes his head and looks at his feet, this is the first time he's told anyone anything this personal except for Shayne and he had forgotten how it feels.

"Yes you do! You are so great Damien! I swear that I'm telling the truth when I say I think you're the best person in my life right now. Thank you for being in it and letting my stupid silver hair sit next to you on that train." Wes says as he grabs Damiens head and brings him into a hug again, giving Damien some kind of comfort.

"No problem Wesley. You're the best person I know as well." Damien responds with a smile, slightly muffled thanks to being forced by Wes's bear arms ti talk into his chest.

They lie in silence again. Until Damien disturbs the silence again.

"Wes...how would you react to...me not being exactly straight?"

"I'd say you're allowed to be whatever you want to be. Go be you Dame."

"Thank you Wes."