#i think i hate the ouran coloring style

[sonic-rider-art]

old kyoya study. Ignore the logo i wasn't fucking drawing that. <3

[Commissions open!!]

[Do Not Repost My Art]

[highly-opinionated-nerd]

Read in 2023:

Seven Against Thebes, and The Persians (~525-456 BCE), by Aeschylus- his works were surprisingly fun to read!

Strip Tease (1993), by Carl Hiassen- I grew up in Central Florida, so of course I’m a fan of Hiaasen’s. My first time reading one of his adult works- I enjoyed it! There was only one glaring moment of ‘female character poorly written by a man’, for the most part it was fine, haha

The Bacchae and Other Plays (484-406 BCE), by Euripides- the Bacchae was my favorite, because the women-hating man got ripped to shreds at the end! But they were all interesting I have many thoughts about all of it

Ven Polypheme novels 1-3 (2014), by Elizabeth Haydon- absolutely delightful, love the world building and the way she talks about magic.

Homestuck (200-2016)- my 4th or 5th reread I think? and I still haven’t read Rose’s sburb walkthrough. This is so lame but I got great entertainment from reading out loud to myself, using character voices.

Ouran High School Host Club (2002), by Bisco Hatori- also one of many rereads. It’s one of the first manga I ever read. My family moved states when I was in high school, and the library where we ended up didn’t have the last couple volumes for me to finish the series...so I bought the box set, haha! No idea where I got the money for that at age 16. I kept catching myself smiling while reading. I’m still madly in love with Mori.

Tiger, Tiger (2018-present), by Petra Erika Nordlund- I used to read a ton of webcomics all the time, but I stopped for some reason. Most of the ones I’d been following ended and I never bothered to start new ones, I guess. While I was in the process of moving and all my books were packed seemed like a good time to start a new one. And I was not disappointed. The art? Awe-inspiring. The story? Delightful. There are a lot of really good names, too. If you’re insane about names, like me, just know, there’s a dude named Rakkatak. Highly, highly recommend.

Treasure Island (1883), by Robert Louis Stevenson- quick read, and highly enjoyable! GOD I love pirate stories. Treasure PLANET has long been a favorite of mine, but this was my first time reading the original. The line towards the end ‘I think we were all pleased to be so cheaply quit of him’ will stick with me as a succinct summary of the differences between the two tellings, I think.

Shadow Raiders (2012), a novel by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes- I picked this one up at a book sale because it had a dragon on the cover. It is a completely unnecessary 700 pages long, and it doesn’t even end at the end, it’s part of a series! It took a long time to get into it, but the part in the middle where the two main story lines converged and there was a big battle was very compelling. Then it got slow again immediately after. I like the concept and worldbuilding, I have mixed feelings about the storytelling, and I have serious doubt that the characters were written to their fullest potential. Not sure if I’m gonna go looking for the rest of the series, hmmmm

Sakana (2010-present), by Mad Rupert- longtime favorite webcomic started updating again after a long hiatus, so I did a reread so I’d be refreshed and ready for new pages. God, I love Sakana, Sakana is so good

Metamorphoses (8 CE), by Ovid- took a little bit of a hiatus in the middle of this one but I finished it! I still have a hard time believing that this work is considered a comedy- there’s a lot of individual tragedies on parade here if you ask me. But it was an interesting read, I liked it

Holes (1998), by Louis Sachar- first reread in (checks watch) 16 years. I’ve thought about this book a lot ever since first reading it in fifth grade. I saw it at Target one day and it was in my basket before I could even blink. I still love it, I couldn’t put it down. Finished it in like 3 sittings.

Wayne Family Adventures vol. 1 (2021), by CRC Payne and Starbite- love, love, love the art style and all the colors. The individual episodes themselves were very short but still highly entertaining, fun quick read.

Darth Bane trilogy (2006-2009), by Drew Karpyshyn- to say I was obsessed with reading Star Wars books as a kid would be a grave understatement. Before I had a personality, I had Star Wars. Now that I’m an adult and building up my own book collection, I’ve been slowly bringing a few back into my life. The Bane books truly captured my imagination when I was younger, and I still love them so unbelievably much. I could go on all day about outwardly opposing philosophies and Force specialties and the way wielding power changes and harms you and, and, and... not quite done yet, so this series’ll be finished up in 2024!

[nerd-chocolate]

So I made more headcanons about Ms.Mendeleiev’s class + The Austins ( @artzychic27 ocs) and these are sloppy since I’m running out of ideas. These are probably going to be the last ones for awhile because my creative brain is tired so enjoy. Also some of these headcanons are ones I projections on to these characters. So have good day or night everyone seeing this post.

Mireille’s mom is a nurse who usually works very late but still tries to make room to spend time with Mireille and Théo.

Reshma has a lot of Sailor Moon merchandise, especially ones that have Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus in it (Her favorite characters).

Simon is not that much of a fan of rock climbing because this one time he got into a tangled mess with the cord while trying to get down and was stuck for one hour while being upside down. He still tries it but is much more hesitant.

Denise is that one mom friend that can sense that you didn’t eat yet and will feed you whenever you can. And they force you to eat if you try to refuse.

Austin B rages quit whenever he loses at any video games especially at cuphead. He got akumatized because of it.

Austin T lets his friends pet his hair because of how soft it is, especially Jean.

Cosette almost drowned at the pool once when she was like seven or eight years old since their siblings weren’t watching them when they were supposed to. Cosette tells their friends this story a lot and they’re like “HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU ALIVE?!” and Cosette just smiles and walks away never telling them how they survive.

Austin A, Mireille, Cosette, and Austin B would be in a cheering leading team if given the chance. And Austin A would be the bitchy team captain that no one likes has to follow his orders.

I don’t think Cosette can’t hate her siblings truly even if they been terrible to them. Cosette just wants them to treat her fairly and give her some respect.

Austin Q never likes André or his true love ice cream junk and gets pretty annoyed whenever André tries to preach it as being true. He just got tired of André for a long time (especially when Andre gave him a vanilla ice cream meaning he was never going to find love in André’s eyes).

Ismael has black mail of all his enemies including the akuma class. He is a short menace. What do you expect?

Marc, Denise, and Lacey workout with each other sometimes and even have Nora as their instructor.

Cosette used to think Nathaniel’s hair was dyed (Even if they had dyed their hair multiple times) because they had never seen a redhead with that type of color other than Ariel from the little mermaid.

Zoé has strawberry blonde since Mr.Lee has red hair and Audrey is blond. Audrey bleaches Zoé’s hair more blond so she looks more beautiful but gets her regular hair color after meeting the class.

Simon will always send his friends the most curse videos in the world just to see their reactions.

Mireille’s favorite anime is Ouran highschool host club and she had a crush on all the host members when she was a kid.

When Cosette first moved to Paris, she met Aurore and Mireille first when they were at the park and noticed Cosette. They got along pretty well and even exchanged phone numbers. (This is before the school year started for miraculous aka the origins episode just want to clarify)

Aurore is part of the journalism club at school since she wants to be a news anchor someday.

Marc changed school before the events of miraculous happened and had a different look before his canon one because of Lucien. But he grew to be more confident again and getting his old style back, thanks to his friends and his family. (This is one year before the miraculous events started)

Mireille iconically loves romcom movies and her favorite movie is She’s All That (because it is my favorite romcom movie).

The class doesn’t find out that Cosette has white streaks in their hair until a few months later and they encourage them to wear it like that for now on.

Both Reshma, Mireille, and Zoé have a lot of unique earrings and necklaces and they all switch most of the time.

Zoé convinced Reshma to dye her hair light pink but it sort of went wrong and Reshma had light pink hair for a week, but Reshma didn’t mind.

Austin A and Cosette have rivalry when it comes to makeup. Even this one time Austin A stole some of her makeup and she ended up scaring him to death because of it.

Austin T gets embarrassed a lot by his parents especially when he brings Jean to his house. His parents just thanked Jean for showing Austin T the light and stuff like that while Austin T is covering his face with his hoodie paws and Jean just found them pretty funny when they did that.

Austin Q loves sharks so much because his parents are marine biologists and they showed him one time when he was a little kid.

Reshma gets pretty sassy when she and Ismael are teaming up with each other or she sees terrible fashion trends/choices.

When Cosette loses or can’t find its beanie, it wears a boater instead. (Sorry I’m running out of ideas at this point)

Zoé says the most random shit in English and no one understands her most of the time.

Ismael can play the ukulele.

And last but not least…

The class + The Austins are tiring of the adrienette drama. Half of them are working on getting these two together already so they can be done with it while the other half wants to see how it ends and see the half react to it.

[lennox-levin-little-lilith-did]

Hi again people who follow me!

I’m bored and I’ve decided to make fun facts about our DID system and the four known alters!

So before I start- Lilith has a bit of a show today, but the body was too tired for her to start anything. Like I feel asleep as soon as I got to class. The reason I know this is because of my outfit and she decided to put on lip gloss (which I never wear personally). She’s not conscious currently, none of the other three are, and I’ll get to that later!

Oh! And just so you know, this is Lennox.

👋

Let’s start with Levin!

Levin is the alter that co-cons often or will switch with me

He knows a lot about our system, but is very secretive about it so~

He is the only male alter in the system that I know of

He also goes by Levi and Lev

He likes more soft songs and songs with a good message

His favorite color is forest green

He’s the only alter that Lilith does not take her anger out on

He’s an introvert with really bad social anxiety

He hates sexual songs (so of course being me, I put two of the worst sexual songs I know in his playlist, he doesn’t know)

He has insomnia and ptsd

He’s extremely competitive when it comes to card games

He likes educating people on animals and wants to do gigs, like birthday parties and events, to teach people about reptiles and birds specifically

His favorite subject is English

He is white with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He’s thin, well more twig like, but whatever. He’s around 5’8 (two inches taller than the body)

His clothes style is baggy shirts with either baggy sweatpants or leggings. He wear plain colors, like pale blues, grays, and black. He, surprisingly, likes boots, even heeled boots

His favorite anime is... probably Durarara x2 any season

He has no sexual desires, but romantic likes girls

He’s 18

He’s very comfortable singing, he loves it. That a major way he expresses himself

His favorite song is... I think LA Devotee by P!ATD (idk why but that what he likes)

^^ What he likes to wear ^^

Next on our list is

The demon queen herself, LILITH

She is named after Adam’s first wife, the demon queen, Lilith (yes she liked to go church, but we stopped going)

She is a bisexual

She’s ageless (she has no age, or if she does she hasn’t told anyone)

She’s an absolute bitch and she knows it.

She has violent mood swings and anger issues (respectfully so)

She is also an introvert, but not because of anxiety, no it’s because she wants to strangle every single person that looks at her weird

She hates Little with the burning passion

She gets repressed the most because no one wants to be expelled from school

She likes cooking

She hates cleaning because of her ocd

She wants to pursue a culinary job

Her favorite subject is science

She rarely fronts and when she does it’s quick or someone is co-con with her (ex. What happened with aleia-clownery)

Lennox(me) has to clean up her messes as always.

Her favorite anime is... The Promised Neverland (she likes Ray a lot)

She likes aggressive songs, or songs that swear a lot

Lilith has wavy black hair with blue highlights. Her eyes are a brownish red color. She’s short, like 5’2, and likes to wear heels because of it. She’s black as well

Her favorite color is dark royal blue

Her style of clothes is black shirts with skulls on them and tight, but comfortable, pants. She also likes a certain denim dress I have

She likes drawing and doodling ways to kill people and I have to say she’s pretty good

Her favorite song is Sarcasm by Get Scared (very fitting for her)

^^ What she wishes she can wear ^^

Next is Little!

She likes to bake

She enjoys going to restaurants, specifically Asian style ones

She’s loves animals and wants to work with them so bad.

She’s an extrovert with ADHD

Little is Hispanic and on the chunky side. She has a caramel skin tone. She can understand it way better than me (Lennox) and she wants to learn Japanese and French (I’m interested in Japanese so we’re probably going to learn it)

Her favorite subject was College Writing Prep and before that was Language Arts, but the writing part of it. She really likes writing

Her favorite color is... honestly black. She likes that it matches with everything and likes the science of black too

Her favorite anime is Ouran High School Host Club (I hate it with the burning passion) her second choice is Black Butler (any season) which we allow her to watch

She likes baking and cooking, tho she prefers baking, she likes the way it calms her, I guess

Her favorite song is Voices in My Head (she listens to a lot of nightcore so I don’t the artist)

I’m not saying much else about her (I don’t want creeps harassing her)

^^ What she prefers to wear ^^

Last, and certainly least, Lennox (aka me!)-

My favorite anime is Kakegurui or... BNA... or BNHA... or Hitorjime My Hero (My Very Own Hero)... or maybe Given? Idk I like a lot of anime...

The first anime I’ve ever watched was Wolf’s Rain. I was seven I think, but it was on YouTube so I didn’t get to watch the whole thing. I recently found it, but I’m afraid to watch it lmao

I like the colors teal and turquoise, as well as blood red and jet black

I like anything P!ATD, Halsey, Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boys, Set It Off, Alec Benjamin, OneRepublic, and Nico Collins and AJR(granted so does everyone else but 🤷)

My favorite songs are Control by Halsey and Lonely Dance by Set It Off and Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time by P!ATD and River by Ed Sheeran and Eminem and Not Afraid by Eminem and I’m Ready by AJR and Karma by AJR... I can go on for hours, but I’mma stop here

I’m Non-binary and the only gender nonconforming alter. I’m also pansexual

I hate being touched, I hate talking to people that act ignorant, and I hate this body I’m in

I look like the body so no description for you 😝

I have anxiety and depression. Everything else I’ve been diagnosed with can really be related to DID

I’m a neutral party in everything, so when I say I don’t know, I don’t care, whatever, or not my business, I’m literally saying I have no standing or opinion in this

I like cooking, baking, organizing (not cleaning), writing, reading, doodling, and doing self introduced projects for fun

I like plaid clothing, hoodies, and pride shirts. I like sweatpants and sneakers. I also like things on my neck... it keeps me ground I guess

(Oh my god I’m writing this with Ella, right? I told her to stop clawing at the furniture, right? All of a sudden her focus is on the ground and I wiggles my toes, testing if she was looking at my feet, and I started moving them around. I told her, ‘stop looking at my feet.’ This cat, this puta, liked me in the eyes before looking back down and got in position to lunge at my feet. My heart stopped and I pulled my feet onto the couch. And she was going to do it because the moment I moved my feet, she jumped from the top of the couch she’s on... she scares me sometimes 😣)

^^ What I would wear if Lev was a little shit and let me wear pride stuff and jewelry ^^

Now-

Onto how our system works!

Levin and I co-con often. If I’m not in control, then he is

On instances where I get angry, Lilith takes control

Little co-cons with me more than everyone else because she enjoys annoying me

Lilith and Little are both so stubborn and hardheaded, it’s unbelievable. On the other hand, Levs and I are open minded and calm. So we often clash on what we should do as a collective

Lilith is a Christian, Levi and I are atheists, and Little is a Seventh Day Adventist (the religion I grew up with). However Lev and I hold more say, so we don’t go to church

I guess you could say there’s a hierarchy in the system. I have the most important say, then Lev, then Little, and lastly Lilith

Levin and I enjoy co-conning with each other only, anyone else gives us headaches

Everyone loves Nico Collins, Alec Benjamin, Set It Off, and AJR the most

Everyone’s favorite albums are Death of a Bachelor (p!atd), Cinematics (set it off), and American Beauty/American Psycho (fall out boys)

Everyone loves sushi and sushi rolls (California and Philadelphia rolls are the best)

We all really want to try takoyaki and pork Katsudon. When we do try them, I’ll probably make a post about it

We all love Ella and we all want to start a rehabilitation center of all animals and a pet cafe

We love reptiles, like all reptiles, venomous snakes included

I think there are more alters that just aren’t as prominent as the other three, Levin would know but he doesn’t like to discuss our system often

We really want to buy these specific no pierce cuff earrings

Edit: this total slipped my mind- when I’m on my red week (you know what I’m talking about) the others let me deal with it on my own, especially Little and Lev (Lev hates that week and recedes completely)

That’s all I’m willing to share about us (or that I remember)

My part was short because you guys talk to me all the time

Sincerely,

Lennox... with a sprinkle of Levin

I’m tagging some people because why not-

@one-pissed-off-child @liveto-100 @madame-ree @martinidrinkingmartin @anon-nom-nom95 @queenzie-xo @scalybunnypapi69 @gogetyoselfsomesoup (still bitter) @cristinaweeb @aleiakit @aleia-clownery (I’m still so sorry about what happened) @studiesboie @bloomyboithatemoji @pumpkineiji @penelopebakugouburrito1

[bluinary]

gag anime that you need to watch maybe

 hi hello my name is juli and i will now gently guide ur attention to some top-notch shows, please pay attanetion

(this list is for people who don’t watch much anime or who are new to it. if ur a fucken weeb youve probably seen it all. dont @ me i want to help the kids)

ONE PUNCH MAN (the obvious 1st choice lol)

Genre: Action/ Shounen

Expectation: OP protagonist with riveting backstory fights to become the strongest hero, makes many friends along the way who recognize his talents and pure heart, big bad scary villains make him stronger

Reality: OP protagonist is already the strongest hero. His backstory? After fighting a lobster-man with nipples drawn on him with a Sharpie, Saitama decides to do a workout routine every day, and somehow ends up becoming the most powerful known being in the universe. His main issue is that now, he literally can take down any villain with a single punch, and he’s very bored of it.

Best Qualities: Animation is bomb, music is dope, humor is funnie, and Best Boy is a man whose superpower is riding a bicycle. Also Saitama egg head

If you were in a coma for all of 2015, this is the main thing u missed. Moving on.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki)

Genre: Romance/ Comedy/ Slice of Life

Expectation: Smol shoujo protag girl grows closer to her oblivious crush through a fated, if awkward, incident which reveals an embarrassing secret that has to be kept at all costs. Through one another they gain more quirky friends, help each other grow, and, eventually, the male lead realizes that what he needs has been beside him all along.

Reality: The crush writes romance manga, and that is literally all the man cares about. It’s not a secret, but when he told people they didn’t believe him. Nozaki and Sakura grow closer, but only because he confuses her confession with a request to be his Beta. They gain quirky friends through one another, but there is zero character development throughout the entire fucking cast. Every episode is run by Idiot Plot. All the characters share a singular brain cell. There’s a tall butch lady turning every girl in the school gay. Please watch

Best Quali-teas: Everyone is baby, lots of gay shenanigans, and toxic masculinity does not exist, the OP is pretty nice, too

I literally heard about this damn show, like, two months ago. This shit was released circa 2015. Pleeze watch

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. / Saiki Kusuo no Psi Nan

Genre: Shounen/ Supernatural/ Fucking Everything tbh

Expectation: Slice-of-life supernatural where protag has psychic powers, albeit limited ones, and has to keep them a secret at all costs for fear of his safety. He has a few friends he loves and cherishes, and at least two girls who are in love with him that he has to choose between-- all of which are people he wants to protect from his double-life.

Reality: Kusuo is very aware that he is the protagonist of an anime, and he does not want to be. Born with pink hair? He rewrites the human genome to make colored hair normal. End of the world looming? He just keeps rewinding time so he doesn’t have to deal with it. Harem situation? He actively uses his powers to avoid all love interests at all times (see the above). The plot of each episode is him trying to stop the plot as quickly as possible without killing anyone. The main issue is that everyone around him is either dumb or just generally attractive to plot-driving circumstances, and they all, for some reason, want him to be in on their adventures.

Best Qualities: Heavy “me and the boys” energy, plenty of Idiot Plot, so funny that my 47yo mom who hates anime admitted that it’s funny, meta as fuck, occasionally sweet scenes, equally good dub and sub, Saiki is babie

The fandom for this shit is like. Nonexistent. Apparently it came out the same season as Mob Psycho 100, so that might be why. I almost didn’t watch it, but I got bored and it turned out to be a serious gem. Go watch if ur having a bad day, it will make u cry laughing

Sakamoto Desu Ga/ Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto

Genre: Slice of life/ Comedy

Expectation: God I don’t even know. I’d say a typical slice of life where the quiet kid is bullied but makes friends, there’s a love triangle as they grow up together through high school, yadda yadda, but look at this dude. I can’t imagine him being anything other than what he is-- a legend.

Reality: The entire show is just a question of how extra one man can be, and how well he can pull it off. Sakamoto is an “average” high school senior (in the sense that he has no supernatural abilities), but he’s....far more than that. He’s Sebastian Michaelis if he’d never been a demon. Everything always works out for him in the most ridiculous of ways-- he’s just that good. He makes a McDonald’s uniform look like Prada. He’s so smooth his bully ends up having a crush on him (and yes, it is a gay crush. no heteros in this show). 

Best Qualities: lots of homo content. the side characters, inspired by Sakamoto’s grace, all become better people, and you root for them. The circumstances are always average, but the presentation is fucking riveting. Watch to send ur depression into remission.

Another one no one talks about????? U all were so busy with ur broku no hero macadamias and ur Nartoes that you slept on this. Now’s the time to take back what was lost. Love yourself and binge this shit. 

Nichijou/ My Ordinary Life

Genre: Slice of Life/ Comedy

Expectation: Cute girls do cute, girly things and have fun with Their Close Good Friends (TM).

Reality: Cute girls get into very bizarre situations with extremely manic energies. Sometimes, the situations are normal, but the girls react in a bizarre, manic fashion. It will make you alarm-laugh.

Best Qualities: Adorable art style, little continuity, relatable as fuck

A nice little watch if you’re bored. I think the eps are on YouTube.

Pop Team Epic/ Poputepepiku

Genre: Only God Knows

Expectation: Probably a cutesy 4koma-type thing with 2 schoolgirls having shenanigans.

Reality: A regular acid trip with lesbian icons Popuko and Pipimi who are not schoolgirls, but gods. Like if Eric Andre and Hannibal Buress were turned into omnipotent anime icons. Watch at your own risk.

Best Qualities: Lots of unexpected parodies and references amongst a shitpost of a show. The OP is a bop. Popuko terrifies me, but also empowers me as a young woman because she will not hesitate to kill a bitch. She and Pipimi love each other a whole lot, so it is LGBTQ content, which is always a plus. 

I’m sure you’ve seen this one floating around. It will make you feel fear, and then laugh. Now, finally...

Ouran Highschool Host Club

Genre: Romance/ Comedy

Expectation: The protagonist is a girl who is mistaken for a boy and must be the servant of six rich, handsome young men, all of which are in love with her, and her secret must be kept at all costs. A reverse harem anime with plenty of fanservice.

Reality: Haruhi is a genderfluid queen who doesn’t give a fuck what others think she is. Because she broke a Conveniently-Placed Vase and is relatably poor, she has to pay off her debt by being a host herself-- which means male-presenting when flirting with her female classmates to make her dough. The six rich, handsome young men all share three brain cells, and most of those cells go to the character who has one line per episode (usually, it’s “Yeah”. I hope that VA got paid well). The only love interest-- the “leader” and most popular of the six men-- is so dead-set on their club being his Found Family, he confuses his romantic feelings for Haruhi with paternal ones. This is obvious to everyone but him. He never gets the brain cells. 

Best Qualities: Trans characters!! Lesbians!! Extreme “me and the boys” energy, except they’re all rich, so shenanigans skyrocket. Many 4th wall breaks. The most powerful Host looks like he’s 5. Any “fanservice” is never played straight. Takes the Found Family trope to a whole new level. Nice Parks & Rec-quality balance between hysterical and sweet. Everyone is in drag at some point.

I know all of us senior citizens grew up on this shit, but you younguns need to watch the classics to appreciate the newfangled stuff. I recommend watching when you’re in a cheesy rom-com mood. 

Honorable Mentions:

I can’t count these as gag anime, but they’re still ridiculously funny.

Mob Psycho 100

Scissor Seven

Kill la Kill

Cells at Work!

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure 

Ones I haven’t seen but have heard a lot about

Osomatsu-san

Himouto! Umaru-chan

Azumanga Daioh

Gin Tama

Sgt. Frog

Okay that is all just limke put this in ur feel-good tag because these shows will make you happy and donut for get to like and describe to my channel, where I post literally nothing at all ever good night.

[fireflamedrago]

Roleplay Ideas

Hey! It’s Drago, been poking around tumblr and wanting to add to some group roleplay ideas cause I’m mostly seeing muse a and b, instead of group options, so I’m hoping this could help.

Long Term

1. Drama in Drama

Who doesn’t love Theatre? Well, a group of kids join the drama club. What kind of play are they putting on? None other than the classic Cinderella. But when romance blooms, sabotage ensues, and drama unfolds, will this play ever make it on time?

Genre: Slice of life, drama

Numbers: 7-15

Roles:

Director/Teacher

Assistant (optional)

Lead roles

- Cinderella

- Prince

- King

- Step mother

- Step sister 1

- Step sister 2

- Lucifer the cat

- Coachman

Backstage crew (2-5)

- Lighting

- props

- scenery

Understudies

Extras

Roles can change and can be edited. You can take the idea and change it to make it your own. But this can also double as a high school roleplay to get interactions amongst characters. All character types are available for this roleplay. Feel free to add what you want.

2. Voyagers

On the ocean. Nothing better than exploring the sea with your most trusted friends. But when you set off, you find yourself in a world bigger than the small place you grew up. Merpeople, pirates, monsters, and natural elements. Will you guys ever find the promise land of a new shore?

Genre: fantasy, action, adventure

Numbers: 7-25

Roles:

Voyagers

Pirates

Merpeople

Monsters

This is also a very general idea but feel free to add your own elements into it. You can add roles and put your own flare to it. You can also make it a pirate roleplay.

3. Crossing Over

You ever hear yourself saying “Man, I wish I lived in that world.” Well, what if you could? A group of online friends suddenly get a random person thrown into their server (or group chat). When they start talking strangely, they think it’s a bot. That is until they’re all thrown into a portal that brings them to the realm of worlds. And now you and your friends have to travel through different worlds to get back to your own... or... will you choose to leave your own world behind?

Genre: Any

Numbers: 3-20

Roles:

OC’s.

This is a creative one that can cross through multiple genres or fandoms. Teen wolf and gravity falls and Percy Jackson. Ouran High School and The Office and Marvel and Disney cartoons. This will be up to you and the group of how you want to cross dimensions. But basically the portal is placed in a specific place of the universe and you have to find it. You can basically have fun in the world you want, until everyone turns on you or you guys cause problems and then it’s off to the new world.

4. Help Wanted

(Warning: this one is not for sensitive role players)

You think you’re a caregiver? Think you can provide all you can? Well how about being a caretaker for an orphanage? But this isn’t just any orphanage. No, there are very little workers here for a reason. Because people expected docile children and sad souls who a hug and a cookie can solve all their problems. But what if that wasn’t right? What if these orphans aren’t as innocent as they seem? What if they hate your very presence? And what if.. just what if, leaving your door unlocked could be your end?

Genre: Horror, ‘Slice of Life’

Numbers: 7-19

Roles:

New Worker 1

New Worker 2 (optional)

Worker 1

Worker 2

Worker 3 (optional)

Worker 4 (optional)

Orphans (at least 4)

Outside Friends (optional)

This roleplay is darker than the others but it’s an option. The kids basically don’t trust new people and only want their workers. Some kids are sad and quiet, some are hyper and loud, some are troubled by demons, and some are the demons. And some are our to kill you. But you as the new worker have to prove yourself or die trying.

5. Under the Sea

In the ocean lie the mystical creatures we know as merpeople. But there are multiple kinds. There’s the surface class mers. Which contain the coral, open, and trench families of mers. And then there’s the deep sea class of mers which contain the twilight mers, abyssal mers, And trench dwellers. These two classes of merfolk do not get along well, at all. But when all of these merfolk are plagued by an evil sea witch, they’re gonna have to work together to defeat the witch, or they can say good bye to their homes as they know it.

Genre: Fantasy, adventure

Number: 6-18

Roles:

Surface Mers

- coral mers (>1)

- open sea mers (>1)

- trench dwellers (>1)

Deep sea Mers

- Twilight mers (>1)

- Abyssal Mers/Luminescent mers (>1)

- Trench Dwellers (>1)

Sea Witch

Other Species Possible:

Sharks

Stingrays

Angler fish

Squids

Octopi

Surface Mers

- Coral mers are very colorful and usually smaller to get around all the nooks and crannies. Their tails are shorter but with bigger side fins to help with sharp turns and agile swimming. However they’re not built for long swims. They’re peaceful and friendlier since they live close by and often help each other out. Some coral mers are even able to use camoflauge.

- Open sea mers have long and very strong tails. Most open sea mers are monochromatic while still being vibrant. This is to help with currents and distance. However they’re not agile. They are powerful swimmers though. These are the active hunters of the sea. They are aggressive and territorial. Open sea mers are independent and strong willed. So meeting others isn’t always common. And most of the time, is unwanted.

- Surface trench dwellers are the lower class. These are the pack hunters. They are fast and agile. They have the fastest speed of the surface class. They are also very untrusting of other species. But are the most loyal to their kind or accepted kinds. Surface trench dwellers have faded color schemes. You can also find rogue or lone mers in this species. The dynamics work pack style. They also have the easiest transition between surface and deep sea, however can not go past the twilight zone.

Deep Sea Mers

- Twilight mers have very very sharp senses and good reflexes. They are also evasive and good at hiding. Their best tactic is ambush. They also have tougher scales to better keep in heat for survival. They are usually very peaceful and respectful. They are still aggressive but usually in an act of defense. Their tails are long and quick for swimming and hunting. They are usually dark colored merfolk. It’s likely to find solid colored mers in this species than any other species.

- Abyssal mers also known as luminescent mers are the furthest species found in the ocean. However these gentle creatures are omnivores. They feed on mostly plants and small jellyfish or squid. They also have luminescent scales that help them see in the dark. They’re more independent and will often get aggressive with each other. They have thick scales to keep in heat for survival and for defensive purposes. These mers have the longest but the weakest tails because there are no currents in the abyss.

- Deep sea Trench dwellers are the most dangerous of the species. They’ve been known to be cannibals. Often mistaken for surface trench dwellers, who are more docile to invaded territory, deep sea trench dwellers are lone mers. They are the most hostile and have the most violent tendencies. These mers are the ones notorious for sinking ships and killing humans. They are silent killers because of the way their scales and fins are built, you can’t hear them approach. These mers are deadly.

6. Surprise!

You’re moving into an apartment complex! And surprise! You’re a roommate to who even knows! And not to mention your next door neighbors! Or the other next door neighbors! Or the ones beside those. Who’s having a party on a Tuesday?! What was that crash?! Who’s baby is screaming and crying?! Pizza guy delivered to the wrong room for the 8th time! What kind of crazy place did you sign end up living in?!?

Genre: Slice of life, humor

Numbers: 4-18

Roles:

- New Comer

- Roomate 1

- Roomate 2

- Roomate 3

- Next door neighbor

- Next door neighbor 2

- Next door neighbor 3

- Next door neighbor 4

This is a fun silly one where you can basically go crazy. There doesn’t have to be 1 new comer. There can be 5 new people or all of them can be new! Whatever you choose to do! Go crazy and have a blast or learn to take painkillers like a pro, because you’ll probably need them!

Hope you liked them and feel free to use these as an inspiration! I’ll be posting more eventually!

[cameoamalthea]

there is ABSOLUTELY a “wrong way to process trauma” and that is by retraumatizing yourself “to cope” and being a pedophile :/

Hi there Anon,

This will be a long response and part of it is under a read more. My theme is not very reader friendly (sorry - need to fix that) so I suggest reading on your dash if you have the extension for that or copy/pasting into a document. Sorry again.

I assume you’re referencing this post. I’m not sure what drama has gone in the thread from that post, because no one reblogged any commentary meant for me from me, but based on your ask I’m assuming some folks misunderstood me. Allow me to clarify.  

The point of the post is to respond to @shipwhateveryouwant ‘s post about lack of empathy by pointing out that empathy is hard, especially if you’re dealing with triggers.

I was talking to her.

The “There’s no wrong way to react trauma” refers to getting upset other things that trigger you and coming to the conclusion ‘this is gross’ ‘this is triggering’ ‘this is wrong’

It’s OK to feel that way.

It’s OK to feel anyway that you feel, because your emotions are 100% valid.

However, as my post recommended, it’s important to fact check.

A bit of background, in case you just came here because of that post and aren’t stalking my blog.  I’m a survivor of abuse, including CSA, and that left me with scars, both physical and mental.  I’m in group therapy DBT, individual therapy which includes EMDR, couple’s therapy (sometimes when two people who have PTSD are in a relationship it can be hard, since we both have to cope with the effect of our partner’s abuse on the other), and I did a year of physical therapy (pelvic floor).

I blog about my recovery, and things I learn because A) Being open about being in therapy (while making me a bit vulnerable) says ‘therapy is nothing to be ashamed of’ and neither is being a survivor, I’m not pretending it never happened AND B) So people who might not have heard about these treatment options of think nothing can help, can see what worked for someone else and know what happened (literally, it took me years to find a treatment plan that worked, and I really thought I was permanently damaged mentally and physically, so it was a big deal when I found out there were things that could help me).

So in my post I used an example of one my big triggers, drugs and the drug trade (I really really have major issues here). However, when I got out of emotion mind and checked the facts, I realized fans of breaking bad weren’t hurting anyone and weren’t trying to hurt me.

I was trying to explain to OP why empathy is such hard work, especially when you’re caught up in you’re emotions. When you’re angry, or hurt or scared.

I’m not angry that people enjoy a TV show that I don’t like…

I’m angry (tw discussion of addiction, child abuse, csa)

 that I was born with drugs in my system. I’m angry that my mother continued to use on and off while raising me. I’m angry she fell into heavy drug use and endangered my life. I’m angry I was raped as a kid. I’m angry my own mother threatened to sell me to self traffickers and tried to get me be sexually active at like 13/14 with boys my age she’d leave alone with me (whether I wanted them there or not) because she thought it would make me more willing to turn tricks for her because she needed money (she was supposed to sell drugs for the cartel, but she felt you had to sell drugs Mary Kay style using herself as the free demo, she owed them a lot of money).

 I’m angry that I lost my mother, that the person I love disappeared inside the addiction and she became a really awful person when was high. She wasn’t great when she was mostly sober, she always had untreated mental illness and she was always abusive/inappropriate verging on incest, but she’s still my mother and she was all I had and I loved her. I was a child, you love your mommy, and I’m angry that I didn’t have a mother I didn’t have to be afraid of and I 100% blame the drug use because addiction is a fucked up thing.

So I got angry when I saw artists I liked posting Breaking Bad fanart AUs and candy meth picks, because it felt like they were treating something very not funny (drugs and drug addiction, along with the pain I’ve had as a result) as a joke.

However, how I felt doesn’t dictate facts.

I had to step back, check the facts, and realize people liking Breaking Bad weren’t trying to hurt me (or actually hurting me. What other people watch on TV doesn’t effect me).

 They weren’t trying to make fun of my experiences or make light of a serious issue. I also knew from my academic research on the topic of whether media influences norm that it really doesn’t… (I did a pre-law minor focused on social justice, and Freshmen Year I set out to prove porn hurt women and caused rape, and quickly found that evidence didn’t support my thesis, video games don’t cause violence, porn doesn’t cause sexual violence – and no I don’t still have the paper, unless I manage to find it on an old hard drive and most of my sources are outdated by now, I’d have to re-research – but I’m actually not here to argue the point).

So I believed, based on evidence and my own research, that media is worthy of critique but doesn’t influence behavior directly. This is my own belief, and I don’t want to argue it. But despite that, despite the fact I didn’t think fiction causes crime, I HATED BREAKING BAD. I felt like it was romanticizing Drugs and making people not take something serious seriously…

Because I wasn’t thinking about it rationally.

I was thinking about it based on my emotions. How I felt.

In DBT we learn that to think of your mind like a Venn Diagram. Rational Mind is one circle, Emotional Mind is in the other circle, and in between is Wise Mind.

Wise Mind is acknowledging your emotions/how something makes you feel but also being able to bring in rational mind, to fact check, which means asking does how I feel fit the facts and remembering that feeling something doesn’t make it true.

If you’re just in rational mind, you can be cold and ignore other people’s feelings, which can make them feel invalidated and make you less effective in dealing with your own feelings (don’t ignore them) and others.

If you’re just in emotional mind, you’re not thinking clearly. You might break down and cry or lash out and hurt someone. You can’t really address the thing that’s upsetting you because you’re not in a place where you can even think clearly about it without getting upset.

If pure rational mind is behind the wheel you’re not a good driver, if pure emotion mind is behind the wheel you’re not ok to drive.

It’s not easy to find wise mind. Mindfulness is the most practiced skill in DBT  (it’s a year long class and six months of it just repeating Mindfulness and the other six months are bringing in those skills to apply to other issues…Wise Mind is from the unit on Emotional Regulation…I’ve been in DBT for nearly four years, repeating the class, honing the skills – it’s not easy).

But we should try, for ourselves and others.

I hope OP takes from my post some understanding of where you’re coming from anon and that it’s really hard to be empathetic when something makes you angry, let alone when you’re triggered.

That it’s important to validate.

Rational Mind says ‘people are taking fiction way to seriously. It’s just a TV show, there’s no reason to be upset’

Wise Mind is realizing that feelings aren’t rational and they really are hurting. Even if they don’t lay out their feelings clearly like I did with ‘why Breaking Bad upsets me’ it’s enough to see that someone is upset. If someone is upset, it’s serious to them, validate that.

“I’m sorry that you were hurt. I understand that this reminds you of your trauma. I will tag anything you need. No one should pressure you to deal with triggers you aren’t ready to deal with and I want to make it possible for you avoid things. You seem really upset right now, though, so I don’t think we should fight about anything. We’re not in a place where we can. be calm and get anything out of it. You seem really caught up in a lot of negative emotions. Why don’t you take a break. Go get some ice cream or color or get your mind off things for bit? If you don’t think you’ll ever be ‘not upset’, then I’ll go ahead and block you since my content is bothering you. Have a nice day.”

I hope that you anon, if you bother to read all the way here, takes away from this post that it’s ok to be angry, but realize that feelings aren’t fact and being upset doesn’t justify hurting others.

And attacking people based on what they read or what TV shows they like is hurting others.

Calling anyone a pedophile is hurtful. (that’s a very serious accusation Anon, and not one your should use lightly. Don’t go crying wolf about child predators, it makes people less likely to take real accusations seriously - like if someone calls someone else a pedophile does that mean they’re a sexual predator and a child molester or does that mean they like a TV show I don’t like or read stories that I find upsetting). Again, your feelings are valid Anon, but someone liking a TV show you don’t like doesn’t make them a danger to anyone. Hurting real children makes them a danger to children. We shouldn’t water down terms. We need to take threats to people seriously.

Calling CSA survivors pedophiles, comparing survivors to their abusers or implying they are to blame for their abuse past or future is hurtful.

I like Game of Thrones. I think Jon and Danny are a good match, both as people and politically. I don’t see anything wrong with the relationship, she’s biologically his aunt but they have no relationship.

I like Ouran High School Host Club, and my favorite characters are the twins. Sometimes you can like a messed up story because it’s messed up. It’s just a story.

I ship Catwoman and Batman, and think they’re cute together in Gotham. I like that backstory. I also think Mike and Eleven are cute together. 

I like reading and writing fanfic about teenage video game characters that I’ve liked since I was a teenager. I relate to a video game character and take something positive from his story and his relationship with his best friend even though the relationship in game is unhealthy.

This isn’t ‘re-traumatizing’ myself and it’s not ‘being a pedophile’. 

I have a degree in creative writing and I look at books as works of art and craft, not moral guides. I look at characters as tools, not people.

That’s not ‘being a pedophile’ that’s being someone with an English Degree (I miss just being able to identify as an English major, saying I have a degree sounds so pretentious to me). That’s being a writer. 

I admit that I like relationships between predator and prey, between people and monsters. That’s not ‘re-traumatizing myself’ either.

Abuse, in my experience, has been when someone you love, someone you’re supposed to be able to trust and feel safe with instead hurts you and makes you unsafe. It’s a betrayal of trust. It makes you question if you’re lovable or worthy of love because someone who was supposed to care for you hurt you.

I like stories about monsters. You’re not supposed to be able to trust a monster. The monster makes you feel afraid. It’s going to hurt you. It’s nature is to hurt you. I like stories where instead of killing you the monster falls in love with you and changes, becomes loving and trustworthy and keeps you safe. It’s a fantasy of being so special, or mattering so much, of being so love able that that you can tame dragons. 

It’s about the inverse of abuse. A power fantasy. Exploring fear and helplessness within a safe controlled fantasy.

That’s not ‘re-traumatizing’ myself. I promise, I’m fine anon. I’m not hurting myself and I have a support network. Thank you for your concern, though, but please remember you’re not responsible for anyone else.

It’s scary, but you don’t control the world or others. If you’re afraid someone is doing something that hurts them, sometimes you have to accept you can’t change that. (And that’s hard, I know, my mother is a drug addict). Sometimes you have to distance yourself. If people are doing things that upset you, block them and that content, take a step back. 

[recentanimenews]

My Week in Manga: January 23-January 29, 2017

My News and Reviews

The end of the month is approaching which means it’s time for Experiments in Manga’s monthly giveaway. The winner of the most recent giveaway will be announced on Wednesday, so there’s still a little time left to enter for a chance to win the first volume of Kenya Suzuki’s delightful full-color manga series Please Tell Me! Galko-chan. Speaking of manga giveaways, there’s also an opportunity to win a copy of the first omnibus in Kei Sanbe’s Erased over at The OASG.

Elsewhere online, I came the Young Adult Library Services Association’s 2017 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. As usual, the list includes a fair number of manga along with all of the other excellent comics. Ichigo Takano’s Orange (which was also one of my notable manga from 2016) even made the top ten list. Out of the many other manga included as part of YALSA’s larger list, I have in-depth reviews of Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu and Akiko Higashimura’s Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 1, both of which I loved.

Another list I came across recently was BookRiot’s feature on Japanese speculative fiction in translation. Overall, I think it’s a great list–I’ve previously reviewed three of the books included (Miyuki Miyabe’s The Book of Heroes, Yusuke Kishi’s The Crimson Labyrinth, and Taiyo Fujii’s Gene Mapper) and most of the others I’ve been meaning to read for quite some time or were already high on my list of books to read in the near future.

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned Kickstarter projects here, but there are a few campaigns for print comics that have caught my eye lately: Maya Kern is looking to print the second volume of the adorable webcomic Monster Pop; Amanda Lafrenais is campaigning to release the second Titty-Time print collection of erotic comics; and Deandra Tan is hoping to release a print edition of her graphic novel Love Debut!.

Quick Takes

Aoharu X Machinegun, Volume 1 by Naoe. I picked up the first volume of Aoharu X Machinegun more on a whim than anything else but I ended up enjoying it much more than I expected. On the surface there are a few things about the beginning of Aoharu X Machinegun that are oddly reminiscent of Ouran High School Host Club–Masamune works in a host club and Hotaru, who is often mistaken for a boy, gets wrapped up in his schemes after she needs to earn some money for damaging the club’s property–but the similarities mostly end there. Hotaru has an overly-strong sense of of justice and has a tendency to get into fights because of it. Masamune is the leader of a competitive survival/war game team and has decided the Hotaru should become its third member after her aggressiveness leaves a distinct impression on him. Initially, the team’s second member Tooru, who also happens to be well-known hentai mangaka, is less than thrilled about this. They’re both completely unaware that Hotaru is a girl, too, which could cause some trouble later on. Aoharu X Machinegun is kind of ridiculous but fun. I enjoyed its action and sense of humor and this point would be interested in reading more.

Bakune Young, Volumes 1-3 by Toyokazu Matsunaga. I’ve been meaning to read Bakune Young for quite a while now but the short series is long out-of-print and can be somewhat difficult to find. (Fortunately, it turned out that my library actually owns a complete set.) Reading Bakune Young is quite an experience to say the least. Matsunaga’s artwork, while it’s frequently and deliberately grotesque and at times could even be described as ugly, is tremendous. The story itself is nearly nonsensical, but it does manage to have a bizarre sort of logic to it. The series opens with the titular Bakune Young in a pachinko parlor before he begins targeting yakuza in a killing spree. His rampage quickly escalates and eventually not only the yakuza, but Japanese police, a ninja assassin from the French Foreign Legion, psychics, and even the American military all become involved as the death count increases exponentially. Bakune Young is certainly not for the faint of heart. It’s incredibly violent, viciously dark, and legitimately absurd, but assuming one isn’t bothered by all that, it can also be extraordinarily funny. I suspect Bakune Young is a manga that readers either love or hate without there being much middle ground.

The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg. I recently read and absolutely loved Greenberg’s The One Hundred Nights of Hero and so immediately made a point to seek out more of her work. The Encyclopedia of Early Earth was Greenberg’s first graphic novel and received great acclaim when it was published. The comic’s premise is simple: a nameless storyteller as travels the world in search of a missing piece of his soul. The graphic novel shares some obvious similarities to The One  Hundred Nights of Hero in its structure, themes, artwork, and setting. Both comics take place in the pre-prehistoric Early Earth and utilize the same mythologies, cosmologies, and pantheons. Both comics, in addition to love, are also about the importance of stories and storytellers; they find inspiration in and retell existing folktales while intertwining them with those of Greenberg’s own making. Otherwise, the two comics aren’t directly related. The Encyclopedia of Early Earth feels less politically-charged than The One Hundred Nights of Hero which may make it more palatable to some audiences but as a result it isn’t nearly as powerful a work overall in comparison. Even so, The Encyclopedia of Early Earth is wonderful.

Wolf Magic by Natsuki Zippo. So far, Wolf Magic is the only manga by Zippo to have been released in English. As far as I can tell, Wolf Magic is also Zippo’s first professional work. Especially considering that, it’s a very strong collection of boys’ love manga, and I’d certainly be interested in seeing more from Zippo translated. Wolf Magic opens with “The Water of Love for the Withered Flower” which is about Hanasaki, a florist whose severe appearance is at complete odds with what most people would associate with his profession. However, he still manages to unintentionally catch the eye of Hata. The manga then turns to the various “Wolf Magic” stories which follow Nagase, a young gay man, as he falls in and out of love during high school and then continues to look for “the one” in college. In the process, he develops a surprising relationship with Higuchi. While the two story arcs are unrelated and are quite different from each other, thematically they are very similar. Both Hanasaki and Nagase are searching for love and acceptance and both ultimately find it in unexpected places and ways. Overall, with its attractive artwork and excellent characterizations, Wolf Magic is quite well done.

United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas. I’ve often heard United States of Japan described as a spiritual sequel or successor to Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. In some ways that is certainly true–Tieryas’ novel probably would not have existed were it not for Dick’s and makes multiple references to The Man in the High Castle–but the two novels are drastically different from each other in tone and style. The underlying premise, however, is the same. Emerging victorious from World War II, Japan now controls a significant portion of what was once the United States of America. The grim cyberpunk alternate history presented in United States of Japan (complete with mecha battles and graphic torture) can be extraordinarily brutal and gruesome. The lead characters aren’t exactly the most likeable or sympathetic people, either, though they become slightly more so as the novel progresses. Captain Ben Ishimura, whose only talent seems to be hacking and programming, is a censor who comes to the attention of Agent Akiko Tsukino when an illegal video game which imagines America winning the Second World War threatens to embolden resistance against the rule of Japan.

By: Ash Brown

[lumiolivier]

Chapter Twenty-Three:  Stepford Nightmares

Word Count:  2634

Chapter No. 23/?

Notes:  I’m not going to give anything away, but I’m just going to say this.  It’s a weeeeeeeeird chapter. 

 Chapter Twenty-Two: Fireball Burns Back

A bright and shining morning.  Like any other morning, I was greeted by the sound of my alarm going off at five o'clock. However, something didn’t feel right, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  Oh, well.  I’m sure it’s nothing.  I went into my bathroom and enjoyed my shower like every other day.  Then, it’s right to my closet.  Let’s see…I’m thinking a light color.  Maybe a pastel blue on top and a white ruffled skirt on the bottom? Sure!  Sounds adorable.  Maybe a pair of white flats?  Can’t go wrong!

 Then, I went downstairs and found my mom at the island, situating her coffee.  But something still didn’t feel right.  When will this nagging feeling go away?  I had to stay positive, though.  Always.  Stay. Positive.  No sense in being bitter.  That’s why God created sugar, so everything and everyone can be so sweet! Maybe a good day at work will shake this off.

 “Good morning, Mimi,” Mr. Griffin greeted me as I walked into the café,” How are you this lovely day?”

 “I’m wonderful, Mr. Griffin!” I sang, “Ready to get to work.”

 “That’s my girl,” he praised, “Make me proud.”

 “I always do!” I chirped. And just like usual, I got to work. All of my usual customers came in. Mr. Pope with a smile on his face. Betty, Gladys, Martha, all the other Red Hats.  Everything seemed so wonderful today.  The sun was shining, everyone was in a good mood, but I still had that nagging feeling. Something wasn’t right, but everything was so perfect.  Even Kyle was in high spirits and possibly clean.

 “Good morning, my beautiful angel,” a boy came in, a bouquet of white lilies in hand.

 “Good morning, Miles,” I beamed.  Hold on…Red flag.  Don’t know why, but there’s a red flag.  

 “Mimi?” he worried, taking my hands, “Is there something wrong?”

 “No,” I shook it off, “Everything’s fine.”

 “That’s right,” Miles cradled my face in his palm, “Such a shame you have to be inside on such a beautiful day.”

 “Don’t worry,” I settled him, “In a few short hours, I’ll be off and we have the rest of the evening together.”

 “That’s good,” he smiled, “Because I have something special planned for you tonight.”

 “Can’t wait,” I mirrored him, “Until then, I have to go back to work.”

 “That’s fine,” Miles allowed, “Six o'clock.  I’ll be waiting.”

 “Bye,” I waved him off. Something about that didn’t feel right either.

 I continued with my day to day work and finished all the same.  Miles said he had something special and I couldn’t wait to see what it was. His surprises were one of the reasons I loved him.  I ran home to find the house completely empty.  Strange.  I wonder where everyone was.  Nevertheless, I skipped upstairs to my bedroom to change for whatever Miles had planned for me.  It’s not my birthday.  It’s not our anniversary.  Although, I had a hard time believing we had been together for as long as we’ve been. Five years.  Since our senior year of high school.  And we’ve loved each other ever since.  I never wanted anyone else.

 I got a text message from him saying to meet at the gazebo in the park.  One of my favorite places in town.  Especially the one on the lake, tucked back in the woods that looked like something out of a Disney movie.  If I could, I’d have a house in there and I’d never want to leave.  Regardless, I changed into a loose, lacy white dress and left for the park and noticed a crowd of all our friends waiting.  Some sort of party maybe?  When I walked up, my first thought was to find Miles.  Did he put all this together?

 “There she is,” he found me instead, “Hello, sweetheart.”

 “Miles,” I blushed, “What is all this?”

 “It’s all for you, my love,” Miles presented it to me.  I must admit, I’m impressed.  Everything was beautiful.  Right down to the big, fluffy white roses only complemented by a rich, royal blue ribbon wrapped around the rungs of the gazebo.  This was all so perfect.  Like something out of a fairytale.  Miles led me inside the gazebo, “Now, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to ask you something.”

 “OF course, Miles,” I allowed, “What is it?”

 “Well,” he took my hands, “It’s just that we’ve been together for five years now and I’ve loved you every single minute of it.  I thought that, in front of all our friends, I’d ask you this one, simple question. All you have to do is say yes or no.”

 “Oh my god,” I gasped as Miles got on his knee.

 “Mimi,” Miles opened a small box to reveal a stunning silver ring with a brilliant blue stone.  Almost the same color blue as the ribbon, “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with no one else but you.  Will you marry me?”

 “Miles,” I got all choked up.

 “Pardon me, my lady,” a man tapped me on the shoulder, “But it would be ill-advised to agree to this.”

 “Who are you?” Miles scoffed, glaring a hole through him.

 “I represent the Phantomhive household, “he bowed, “I am here on behalf of my master.”

 “We don’t know anyone named Phantomhive,” Miles snapped, “Whoever you master is needs to stay out of our business and let me get back to proposing to my girlfriend.”

 “But she is not your girlfriend,” the man in the long, black coat shot him down, “Nor is she my master’s. Master Julian is looking for you, my lady.”

 “Julian…” I repeated. The one name that made any sense. The only thing all day that felt right.

 “Come now, Mistress,” he took me away from Miles, “He’s waiting for you on the other side of the lake.”

 “Who are you?” Miles took me back.

 “My name is Sebastian Michaelis, sir,” he introduced himself, “I have a schedule to keep.  If you’ll excuse me.”

 Why did that name sound so familiar?  And Phantomhive, too.  I know we didn’t know either one, but I feel like we might not know them, but I do.  Regardless, I followed Sebastian away from Miles as he brought me to the lake. I still had no idea what was going on, but I felt like I could trust him.  Everything was still so confusing, “Um…Sebastian?”

 “Yes, my lady?”

 “What does Julian want?” I asked, “And who is he?”

 “He’s your boyfriend,” Sebastian explained, “You seem to have suffered a head injury.  You’re not meant to marry Miles, but Master Julian is going to give you something to help bring your memory back.  However, it will ultimately be your decision, who you leave with.”

 “Where is he?”

 “Right over there,” Sebastian directed me to a clearing where another man stood waiting for me.

 “Mimi,” he greeted me, “I’m so glad you’re ok.  I know you’re a little fuzzy right now, but this isn’t who you are.  This world of country club, pinky in the air, fake bullshit life isn’t meant for you.  Now, I have a present for you.”

 “I just met you!” I shoved him away, “I don’t even know who you are.”

 “Mimi,” Julian took my hand, “Listen to me.  You’re a weirdo like me.  And Miles? Miles is a bad guy and you know you’re not meant to be with him.”

 “I beg your pardon!” I gasped.

 “No,” he gave me what looked like a DVD case, “This is who you are.  This is what you know and love.”

 Fruits Basket?  It looked like a cartoon, “What’s this?”

 “It’s an anime series,” Julian explained, “It’s one of your favorites.”

 “This is just a cartoon,” I threw it at his feet, “It’s for children.  Why would I have ever enjoyed this?”

 “For the art style,” Julian got emotional, “For the beautiful story.  The incredible character development.  This is you in a nutshell, Mimi.  You have to remember that!”

 “I’m sorry, whoever you are,” I brushed him off, “I’m not the girl you think I am.  I’m Miles’ girlfriend.  Maybe fiancée if I say yes.”

 “Mimi, wait,” Julian held me tight.  His arms felt so comforting.  As much as I wanted to stay, I couldn’t.

 “I’m sorry,” I wiggled out of his embrace, “I have to go.”

 “I understand,” he looked so heartbroken.  I didn’t get it.  A guy I hardly knew getting so emotional over me.  Something about him, though…

 I left Julian in the clearing and went back to my actual boyfriend, “I’m sorry about that.”

 “What’s that all about?” Miles immediately jumped on the defensive.

 “Did I…” I couldn’t help but ask, “Did I get hit in the head recently…?”

 “What?” he turned skittish, “What do you mean?  Of course not!  Who said you were?”

 “Don’t worry,” I wrapped my arms around his waist, “I’m fine.”

 “Good,” he let out a heavy sigh.  Almost like he was relieved, “Now, where were we?”

 “I think you were on your knee,” I remembered.

 “That’s right,” a smile returned to Miles’ face, “Now, Mimi, would you please say yes and marry me?”

 Something felt different in Miles’ hug.  Especially in comparison to Julian’s.  His felt so warm and accepting.  Miles felt cold and distant.  Everyone waited with baited breath for my answer, staring intently.  I wasn’t sure.  The things Julian said really resonated with me.  Like the nagging in the back of my mind was making more sense. Was I supposed to be with him…?

 “Kiss, kiss, fall in love!” a voice sang out over a heavy guitar riff, “I see you come, I watch you go. You never seem to leave me though. So, is this love or hate?  We’ll see.  You’re making me crazy!”

 This sounded so familiar. Julian stood at the back of the crowd with a boombox over his head like a really crappy eighties movie that I loved so much.  Wait a minute.  This was triggering something.  This was a theme song.  I saw rose petals and cherry blossom petals.  Seven beautiful boys…No.  Six beautiful boys.  One of them was a girl.

 “Maybe you’re my love!” the speakers barked, “And I would like to find a hand like yours to take mine! And with one kiss, we can stop time and I’ll fall in love with you!”

 This was the theme song for Ouran High School Host Club!

 “Get him out of here!” Miles snapped, “We’ve already come so far!  She’s nearly perfect!  Get him out!”

 “You’re wrong, asshat,” Julian put his boombox down, “She isn’t nearly perfect.  She’s nowhere near perfect.  She’s not your little princess or the stereotypical fifties housewife you want her to be.  She’d rather sit and watch cartoons that weren’t made in this country than go to whatever benefit you have to put your fake smile on for, just so you can feel better about your miserable little life for the money.  People like you disgust me, but I’ll be damned if you drag her down with you.”

 “That’s it,” Miles rolled his eyes, digging into his inside jacket pocket, “Looks like I have to take care of this myself.”

 “Miles!” I freaked as he pulled out a loaded pistol, “What the hell are you doing?”

 “Leave,” he snarled, pointing his gun at Julian, “Now.”

 “Easy, buddy,” Julian tried to settle him, “You don’t want to do this.”

 “I don’t, huh?” Miles kept it on him, “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t pull this trigger.”

 “Because,” Julian smirked, “With the fake tan, you’re orange enough.  You’d blend into your jumpsuit.”

 BANG!

 I woke up in a cold sweat feeling like I had just ran a mile.  Just a dream.  Good. I looked over on the other side of the bed and saw Julian still sleeping.  All it was.  Bad dream. Julian’s ok.  I’m ok.  Miles is nowhere to be found.  Last I heard, after he left me, he was in Massachusetts, going to school.  Rumor has it, he got into Harvard Law.  I’m sure he bought his way in like every other Harvard Law student.

 “Mimi,” Julian woke up, “You ok?”

 “Yeah,” I lied, “Fine. Why?”

 “You sure about that?” he pulled me against his chest.

 “Lying through my teeth,” I curled into him, “Really wicked nightmare.”

 “You want to talk about it?” he offered.

 “I still worked the café,” I explained, “You ended up getting shot.  The blast is what woke me up.”

 “That does sound like a nightmare,” Julian tried to make me feel better.

 “I was back with my ex,” I cringed, “He proposed to me in the gazebo.”

 “Our gazebo?”

 “Yeah,” my voice broke, “I was nowhere near the level of nerdy that I am.  Apparently, I got hit in the head really hard and you were trying to get me to go back to you instead of running off with Miles.  It was weird, man…Like Stepford weird…”

 “Just a nightmare,” Julian held me tight, “You’re ok.  We’re ok. If anything were to happen, I got my katanas in the living room.”

 “And you know how to wield them?”

 “Yes, ma’am,” he confirmed, “I’m also trained in a couple different types of martial arts.  I’m not meant to be fucked with.  If there’s anyone in this entire town equipped to keep you safe, it’s me.  Try and go back to sleep, ok?”

 “Ok,” I started getting tired again and less anxious.

 “Hang on,” Julian rolled over, “Shit, I have to get up anyway.  You go back to sleep.  I’ll wake you up before I leave.”

 “No,” I stopped him, “I’ll get up, too.  I do have a story to finish.  The kids are getting restless.”

 “You sure?” he worried, “After that wicked nightmare?  I got shot at!”

 “No,” I corrected, “You were shot and killed.”

 “Jesus, Mimi,” Julian pulled me onto my feet, hugging me tight, “How fucked up is your little noodle?”

 “It’s not,” I promised, “I’m fine.  Just a nightmare.”

 “I better keep you under lock and key when we’re in Chicago,” he mumbled to himself.

 “What for?”

 “Don’t worry about it,” Julian brushed me off, “I’m going to go take a shower.  You’re going to go caffeinate.”

 “Good enough for me,” I went into Julian’s kitchen and played around on his coffee pot.  This damn modern technology.  Why couldn’t it be simple like the machines at the café? I knew how to work them like the back of my hand.  Yet, I stand in front of Julian’s and I’m a moron.

 “If you can’t figure out the coffee pot,” Julian called from the bathroom, “There’s assorted flavors of Red Bull in the fridge!”

 “Thank you!” I chimed, opting for the latter.  Bless you, Julian, for always keeping a well-stocked fridge.  Before I start on the Free! fic, how about a warm up? Because I’ve always been such a writer at heart, I always had a notebook on me.  A notebook and a sketchbook.  Both were small enough to fit in my bag.  I did a quick scroll on my phone of some prompt generators and one was for a daily journal entry for a main character.  This could be interesting.

 Not for a Free! character, though.  I just wanted to get the juices flowing.  There’s a good chance I’m not posting it anyway.  Let’s do a journal entry for one Colonel Roy Mustang.  Not current canon.  Not future when he’s the Fuhrer of Amestris.  I saw way too much fan fiction like that and most of them weren’t all that great.  How about baby Mustang?  When he was still studying flame alchemy with Hawkeye’s dad.  Maybe after that, I’ll do one for Hawkeye, too.  One to parallel Mustang’s.  I cracked open my little notebook and got to work.