#next time i level up i have to go through all my spells because honestly im starting to get a little tired of the same old lightning bolt

[b1gwings]

swashbuckler rogue my beloved

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

YOU. I LOVE IT EVERY BIT OF IT. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ITTTT ALSO IF CAN YOU MAKE A PART TWO IF YOU CAN??? ITS OKAY IF U DONT WANNA. MUAH MUAH TO YOU AND THAT ANON‼️‼️‼️‼️💗💗💗💗

THANK YOU SO MUCH, @raaaaaaahornetstinger! Here is the Part 2! I am so glad that you love Part 1! And, let's be honest, the oneshot would not have existed if not for the Anon and the headcanons XD Hope you enjoy this one!

Key Information: There is a time skip gape from Part 1 and Part 2. Part 2 is in Reader's POV, and it will begin with the Reader asleep, after the incident with Nahida and Venti. Reader does not know about Nahida and Venti's punishment given by the Imposter.

Click Me to Read Part 1!

𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞.

Warnings: Bad Grammar, Spelling Mistakes, Not Beta Read, OOC Characters, Implications of Violence, & Mind Control/Mind Manipulation.

Read if you are okay with these terms. Please also let me know if I missed a warning!

— — —

"MX. Y/N!!!" A child screams, running into my view. I don't remember the child's name, but I know who they are. They are familiar. They are someone from a village.

They grow up to be the next Blacksmith of the village, after their father.

They grow up and marry the whole-hearted, girl that would be a strong woman, working in their farm, selling their crops to make a living.

They become prosperous in their village, and make their friends and family proud.

It hasn't happened yet, but I know it would happen. Every child born in Teyvat, no matter who their parents are, I am their "Prime Parent," as the child would say as a joke. They are all my children-in-spirit.

I smile down at the child. "What is it, Little One?" I ask in a gentle tone, crouching down to get to their level. "What exciting adventure happened today?"

"Mx. Y/N! The Village Chief told me to bring you to our village!" the child replies happily, grasping one of my hands. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" They bounce up and down from their excitement. I chuckle at the child's antics, but I relent. Who could deny a child as adorable as this, anyways?

The path to the village was a fast blur, and all of a sudden, I am swarmed around by villagers, happily greeting me and hugging me, smiling and offering me trinkets and goods they have prepared for my arrival. I smile and wave, kindly accepting one or two things from each villager.

It was amazing.

It was lively. It felt like home.

"Happy Birthday to our Honorable and Forever Humble Guest!" The Village Chief shouts, raising his glass.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

—

I wake up, gasping.

Oh. Another one of those dreams again. Past memories of me being this "creator." Hah, how bittersweet. It seems like nobody can tell the difference, not even this world—Teyvat! If Teyvat doesn't even recognize me, how the heck will I ever survive this hunt?

More importantly, how the heck does someone break the mind control the Imposter has over everyone?

I sigh, finally getting my breathing under control. These questions will have to wait for another day—I still don't know much about it. It's not everyday you read a sagau fanfic about the Imposter being a smartass. It's even more rare to hear about mind control! What was this, the Zombie Apocalypse?

I sigh again, sitting up from the grass I was laying down on. Like usual, my clothes were a mess. But there was not time to dwell on that. I get up from where I slept—under a big tree—and begin to walk cautiously through the area.

I need to find a way to enter Inazuma, to get to the Statue of Seven. Surprisingly, getting dendro was a whole lot faster than getting Electro. Mainly because Inazuma is an island.

While I could just use anemo to fly across the sea, there is only one issue: my anemo powers are much stronger if I stay in Mondstadt, and no where else.

Building a bridge made of geo to Inazuma? It'll probably die a quarter way there, honestly. And there's no way in the hell would dendro be of use in this situation—unless you count walking on kelp and seaweed to be an option (probably still unlikely though).

I sigh again, exhausted. This was going to be so difficult than I thought it would be.

If only I could just use waypoints like the Traveler!

As I continue to walk, I begin to wonder what real purpose there is for my existence here. Sure, I'm the creator and all, cool, amazing, but what am I suppose to do when literally everyone I ever care and love and simp for decides to throw me out the window, willing to rip my guts open because my Imposter called me the imposter?

At this rate, now knowing that the imposter is smart and can literally mind control people, I'm starting to lose hope. After all, how was I suppose to defeat a tyrant all by myself?

I sigh again, this time more frustrated. I kicked the dirt beneath my feet. So annoying—my hope leaving me, my courage turning into fear and leaving me begging for my life...

If only I could do something about it all...

Wait a minute.

The dream I had earlier. The village. Where was it? Where did it originate from? All the details I remember...the child, becoming a blacksmith, the child's wife...a birthday surprise, a banquet...

What did all of this add up to? There had to be a meaning behind it, just like all of the other ones I've been getting every time I get some shut eye.

I hide behind the nearest thing closest to me—a tree—as I hear footsteps. I continue to think. I closed my eyes, concentrating. Where was that village...

Oh. Oh, I am such an idiot. That village.

It was where Khaenri'ah used to stand, before Khaenri'ah even stood. I don't know how I know, but I do. I know where it is. I guess it's some sort of gut feeling.

Time to look through the Abyss, I guess..? But how do I even get there in the first place? And, more importantly, would the Abyss Order attack me on sight? (They probably will, I mean, who am I kidding? They probably loathe the Creator anyways for what they've become.)

Well, one way to find out, I guess. No hope left, but this was a lead onto something. And it's better to try than to give up, right? Besides, who else would if I didn't?

I wait for the rest of the footsteps to fade, before bolting to the location that I have engraved in my mind. I will not be dying today, nor ever. That much, I will bring with me.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒏𝒅.

Ghost Rebel Side Note: I don't think this one was as good as Part 1. To this, I apologize 😭 I am so sorry for making this a lower quality than the previous part! It honestly feels so rushed—I'm so sorry 😭 My motivation ran dry.

Will I make a Part 3 for this? Maybe, but it will take some time—motivation comes in sparks and it lights a fire before it disappears once it finds no more roots to burn :')

Also, since I'm at it...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR a) 4000+ LIKES AND b) 100 FOLLOWERS! Y'all are great, I swear 😭

Check the Ghost Rebel's Blog Description to See if Their Mailbox is Open!

[yearofradicalselfbelief]

Part Four [Progess & Foundation Laying] - 16/12/23

Hello! I actually have a non-depressing update to write today, what a time to be alive. Discussions of 2024 goals, and changes to my writing schedule ahead.

I’ve spent the last week or so basically already making a start on my goals for 2024, so that once January hits, all I need to actually do is maintain the momentum instead of spending the first few weeks undoing whatever bad habits I could let myself slip into just because it’s the holiday season.

My big goals for 2024 are nothing new. I go into every year wanting to read more, write more, and exercise more. The thing is, there was a time when I’d have these goals and each one truly would be starting from scratch. Before I started writing daily as a rule, weeks would go by where I didn’t write a single word, then I’d feel bad about not writing, which would make me want to write even less, and create that great little feedback loop from hell. I also went through a ridiculous reading dry spell during/following my uni years, because nothing makes you want to read less than doing an English Lit degree, and honestly I’d never been big into fitness beyond a few weeks-long health kicks up until I hit my 20s, either.

So when I’d first have these goals, none of the foundation would be there, and I was basically expecting my habits to go from 0 to 100 the second the clock struck midnight for the New Year. Recently, I’ve been doing things smarter.

Starting my daily writing streak on 1st January 2020 was a great starting point, because I haven’t missed a day since, and I’ll be hitting my 1500th consecutive day of writing sometime in the first quarter of next year. The year that followed that, 2021, I started to take my fitness way more seriously. I worked out on and off before that, but 2021 was the year where I did my first ever 75Hard challenge – successfully – in the summer, then another the following autumn, and I’ve done several since.

2022, as I’ve said, was a bit of a write-off because of everything I went through, but 2023 has been the year of upping the reading habit. Last year I read 14 books, this year I read 41 – with ~5 more being in progress, but I probably won’t finish those til New Year. My goal for next year is 50.

The thing is though, juggling these habits means that it’s been pretty common so far for one thing to fall by the wayside while I focus on the other two. When I did flufftober this year, I didn’t have the time to do a single workout the whole month. Or when I do a workout challenge, my writing output halves because it gets to the evening time and it’s just a struggle to stay conscious during the evening hours where I’d ordinarily get my best words in.

So my overarching goal for 2024 is to have a year where I just absolutely ace all three of those habits. I want to read lots, write lots, and get a great level of consistency with my workouts. I do have more minor goals that fall within all of that too, like finding a way of using social media that isn’t all or nothing. This year, my screen time has either been insanely high, or I’ve been on Instagram breaks for months at a time. Then I hang around until I can see it’s wearing on my mentally, and disappear again for a long stretch. I really want to find a middle ground with that – one that doesn’t have me being so terminally online that I feel like shit, but also one that doesn’t have me constantly missing out on cheering on overseas friends, with whom IG is my only source of real communication.

And, as I said on my main blog, another big thing I’m changing is really controlling where my energy goes with my writing, and when. Because I do have a bad habit of focusing on fanfic more than I focus on the novel. There are a few reasons for that, and honestly I don’t even regret it – yet. But if I don’t make any changes, there will be a day on the horizon where I do.

Fanfic has been, and still is, great for me. It gave me a community of amazing, kind, supportive, and generous people when I was in the lowest point of my life (and I cannot overstate how much that made that time bearable for me), and it has improved my writing by miles. I’ve had people in my life who do openly view it as me wasting my time because it hasn’t gotten me further in my writing career when you only look at the basic facts, and there have even been times when I’ve been tempted to give into their way of thinking. However, earlier this year I read some very early drafts of the novel – from way back before I even started Little By Little – and they were just not good at all. Then, I look at the chapters I’m producing now, and seeing how much better they are, and that change is thanks to the sheer amount of fic I’ve produced in the last few years.

In part it’s because of the fact that writing so often is bound to improve said writing, but it’s also because of the feedback I’ve gotten on those fics. Feedback doesn’t always only limit itself to reflecting on the specific story that feedback pertains to. Sure, sometimes it’s a case of “I wasn’t a fan of this plot point” or “I don’t like this character”, but other times it’s “I feel like there has been too much introspection in these last few chapters” (which was a big problem with my writing at the start of this decade, and really showed in early novel drafts), or “I really enjoy the humour you put in your stories” – because allowing myself to have fun and be silly with the narration in Catch the Wind, and seeing not only how much fun I had with that, but how much people liked that, really freed me up to add the same thing into the novel itself.

It all contributes, and while I do have a tendency to get upset at myself for reaching the ripe old age of 27 without having yet even queried a single novel, I look back on the stuff I was writing at the ages when I really wanted it to happen that specific year, and I can see that my writing just wasn’t ready for it. Now, thanks to fic, it is.

But that still leaves me with the fact that I now really do need to start prioritising my time. The discrepancy with fic and original work comes in the form of instant validation. With fic, I can finish a chapter, and if it’s a popular story I might have a comment on it within an hour. And it’s not that I feel like I can’t write without that, but because it’s such a help with my own anxiety when it comes to writing. I have a tendency to finish every chapter thinking it’s shit, and I don’t believe otherwise until I have that first comment telling me someone enjoyed it. With novel work, it doesn’t work that way. And because the novel means so much to me, that adds to the anxiety, until there are times when I’m so anxious about working on it that I can’t even enjoy working on it, because I’m just telling myself “what if this is shit? What if you’ve wasted ten years of your life building this world and creating this thing, and it ends up being for nothing?”

And I mean, it won’t be for nothing. If no agent wants to take it on, I’m not averse to the idea of doing a patreon type thing with it once I’ve exhausted every other avenue, but it is just that initial anxiety. I know it’s irrational, and my beta readers are really enjoying it, but the fact remains that I am a Frightened Bitch. It’s genetic.

But I need to overcome that, and I won’t overcome that if I’m running to the safety blanket and instant validation of fanfic whenever my anxiety spikes.

This is something I’d resolved to fix for quite a few years now, but I’ve never gone in with a specific game-plan, which means I then fall back into usual habits very quickly, because “idk I’ll figure it out” isn’t cutting it here.

So, I’m imposing a rule where I can only post one fic chapter, total, a week. Not one chapter of each fic, just one chapter of one fic. Fridays will be fanfic days, and I’ll post my chapter, and then I’ll go back to novel work. If a few months go by and I’m especially happy with novel progress, I might up that. I still want to take part in flufftober, but I’m really hoping that by then novel work will be so far along that doing so won’t be a problem, because it’ll be a nice break from edits rather than all-out rewrites. The plan is to also decide at the start of each week what will be updated next, let you guys know what it will be so you’re not waiting only to find out it’s a fic you don’t even read, and then rotate between that and the novel during that week. My current way of doing things is to have like 12 word docs open at any given time and just add to each one here and there until something is finished, but that isn’t the most efficient way to go about this.

I do have other set outlines as to how I’m going to achieve my other goals, rather than just “read more” and “exercise more”, because breaking them down into concise weekly targets to hit makes so much more sense. As for the screen time/social media dilemma, I’m going to be taking every Monday off of social media – with the exception of answering IG messages, because I use that in place of texting and I don’t want to completely self-isolate, just lessen the scrolling and the posting. I’ll also be limiting how often I can post, because the folk who follow me over there will know that my IG stories get a bit unhinged re: length at times. If I need more than that, which I think I will, I’ll extend the break to Tuesdays, too.

And the 50 book goal is pretty neat, because I can then just set myself with the goal of one book per week, or aim for 100 pages a day, which is fairly doable most days.

It’s going well, so far! I worked out five times this week, I’ve done quite a bit of reading, and I’m currently in the progress of updating every fic that I want to update before this once a week rule comes in (HTWA, Free, and Fallen Through Time are the top priorities – then, I think HWFG should roll around to be the first thing I update come New Year).

And to finish things off, I mentioned in my last post that I’m forcing myself to go out and do fun things for the sake of doing fun things at least once per month, beyond just errands and stuff that needs to be done, even if it just means a solo cinema trip or whatever. I did that this month, so have my proof of that in parting. Went to the city centre for lunch with a friend, and to take in the Christmas lights and snoop at the pretty clothbound classics.

So happy to be able to post something actually positive on here for once! I intend to keep that up, and I’m very grateful to the people who are following along on here!

[toffyrats]

saw your bored post, gimme your best hcs abt racetrack and spot, and also jededaius (christ idk how to spell his name i did a wholeass paper on the man) and octavious :3

SPRACE AND JEDTAVIUS YIPPEE

okok i have so much rly random and specific stuff for them sprace especially

ok for sprace i’m gonna do some individually and then collectively

RACEEETRAAACKKK

-race is definitely the little love coach/gossip girl in the lodging house, he definitely picks up on every little hint of feelings between the boys (and bothers spot and jack with it). -for some odd reason i just. feel like race had a crush on davey at some point or at least found him attractive but he slowly turned into javid’s biggest supporter LMAO -he trusts albert with his life (bad idea). probably had to go through the “uh can i tell you about something” shit with him before he started dating spot. it rly stressed him out for a while but he’s good now albert’s fine race’s fine. -he and katherine were probably the first people davey told about liking jack, and he was so fucking exited about it on like an unhealthy level. davey asked him if he could keep a secret, let’s just say he didn’t. -actually like never smokes, just has the cigar bc it makes him look badass and allows him to do fancy flourishes with it at the end of every sentence. -that being said, he gives major theater kid vibes. -jack was his first friend, and crutchie kinda just joined the group later on. he’s the second youngest of the trio, and they consider eachother brothers.

spit concord

-gets no bitches. likes to think he does but doesn’t. race loves him for that honestly. -hotshot became a newsie before he did even though he’s slightly younger. he probably found spot in a trashcan somewhere and dragged him back against his will -they’re besties i’m here for it -huge dog person. i could see him stealing food and then giving it to some street dogs instead of feeding himself 😭 -can not down any amounts of alcohol ever without getting insanely drunk. one shot and he would pass out bro -hotshot was the first person he told about dating race, and he was NOT happy about that 🙅‍♀️🙅‍♀️🙅‍♀️ -not because he’s homophobic just because he didn’t want to lose spot :(

SPRACE MY BELOVEDS

-race met spot at the races in brooklyn and nearly got beat up for being in his territory, but it was still love at first sight for both of them -so naturally, race came back the next day to say hi. they had like a normal conversation that time and settled on a compromise for race to be able to sell at the races but nowhere else. -they became pretty good friends and were still gay pining over eachother but theyre both dumbasses and didn't realize -race told jack about liking him, and jack nearly went all the way to brooklyn just to tell spot to keep his grubby paws off his brother -eventually they started dating, probably during or right after the strike -race still isn’t allowed to sell anywhere in brooklyn 💀 -race got caught in a storm once and spot forced him to stay in brooklyn for the night because he didn’t want him to get sick or cold (not that he would ever admit that ofc) race didn’t want to make jack worry, but he took it as an excuse to cuddle with spot so he did it anyways -race calls spot short all the time. like all the time. to the point where it’s annoying to everybody not just spot -cheek kisses, neck kisses, occasionally hand kisses but they’ve probably only kissed on the lips like once (they’re too panicky and nervous to do it again) -hotshot and jack are prolly like decent friends actually, just because they can bond over worrying for their gay little younger brothers

wow i love jededaius and octavious from the hit movie trilogy nihgt at tge musiem

i have like a lott LOTT less for them but let’s begin

-were never truly enemies, closer to rivals. they just felt like it was their duty to fight eachother and gave them something to do all night -octavius is a huge hopeless romantic, wrote a whole bunch of love poems about jedediah even before the feeling was mutual. jedediah eventually found them, good thing he can’t read, much less in latin 😀👍 -guYS PLEASE CAN YOU STOP MAKING THE WESTERNERS HOMOPHOBIC LET THEM BE HAPPY PLEASE (clearly they’re aware they’re museum exhibits so they’re definitely caught up on modern standards) -jed is asexual. yep -octavius literally cannot ride a horse idc if he’s a roman centurion he’s unable. that’s why they use the rc car instead of jed’s horse -they have movie night with the other exhibits once a week, and they always cuddle together away from the others :) -jedediah is really cocky and arrogant most the time, but is really sweet and gentle with octavius. probably brags about him

ok that’s it 😭 ik it’s not a lot but

TY FOR THIS ASK!

[masterwords]

sunk deep in the night

Summary: Hank is colicky, Savannah needs to sleep, and Hotch is happy to help get the baby to sleep so Derek can take a break too.

Pairings: Derek/Savannah

Warnings: none that I can think of

Notes: Inspired by an ask about Derek realizing that he has people he can trust in the team. I'm sure this isn't what you had in mind, and I do have another more case-related thing in store for you as well but this one just captured my heart and I had to make it happen. I've been very very obsessed with Hotch & Morgan & babies lately. I don't know why. This is like...completely unedited. I wrote it while my family was watching a football game so if it's bad I'm sorry.

Words: 2.1k

**

“Baby, go to sleep, I got this.”

“You haven't slept a night all week,” Savannah replied around a jaw-cracking yawn. She couldn't seem to stay awake longer than an hour or two lately, her body just wasn't bouncing back as quickly as she would like. No matter how hard she tried to push through, she hit that wall. One minute standing up and doing the dishes, the next minute the inside of her thighs was burning and her lower back began to ache and she had to sit down...after that, she was done. Sitting always led to sleeping, which led to Derek being on baby duty nearly all day and all night long.

He said he didn't mind. And she believed him. He was so sincere and he did everything with such a genuine love that there was nothing not to believe.

“I'll be okay. You wake up in the morning, I'll sneak in an hour or two. Promise. Now getcha sleep, girl. I didn't just push a baby outta my hooha.”

She leveled a soft glare at him and rolled her eyes. “I didn't either, Derek.”

“Yeah, well, you know what I mean. Sleep woman.”

He was exhausted, though. His eyes burned, his head felt like it was full of cotton balls and sometimes he walked around like he was drunk on nothing but air. Savannah called him on it, forced him to lie down with her on more than one occasion before he collapsed. They would put Hank in the bed with them for a while, until one of them got too stressed out and then he would go into the bassinet right beside the bed...neither of them slept much. Derek less. Every shift of the blankets, every sleepy little baby whimper and his eyes were open and he was waiting for the cry.

Only tonight, Hank hadn't stopped crying for hours. His diaper was dry, he was well-fed, he was burped...he was just crying. Savannah gave it the name colic and and no matter how she assured him that it wasn't a big deal, that it would suck but it would eventually pass...he hated it because he couldn't do anything but guess at how to help his son.

At 11pm, after what seemed like endless nights of screaming and wandering through the house. Holding the baby close to his chest, bouncing him lightly while he wore a path around and around, past Clooney's sleeping body always in the way, staying clear of their bedroom door. It was raining, but the sound outside was a distraction, so they stood on the back deck and stared out over the soppy backyard, listened to raindrops hitting leaves and splatting against the roof.

“Take a drive,” his mom said sometime around midnight. “That always calmed Desiree. Your dad would put her in the back of the car late at night and take her around the block a few times while I got some sleep.”

He left Savannah a note, tucked it beneath her phone on the nightstand and made for the car. Honestly, he would try just about anything. With a coffee in hand, quickly heated up from the mug Savannah had thrown in the fridge when she couldn't finish it earlier, he hit the road. First around the block, and Hank kept crying, but just before he was ready to give up...there was a brief spell of quiet. He hadn't even recognized it for that at first, it was so otherworldly. And then there were whimpers, sniffles, then coos...and then silence. He was three blocks from home, and something inside of him said not to turn around, just keep going. Just keep going. So he did. He drove. Hit the wide empty highway, twinkling rainbow lights from buildings splattered like paint over the melting black asphalt. His eyes were so tired he could barely keep them open.

A stop for coffee at McDonald's woke the beast, and there were the hectic screams again. This time worse, probably because he didn't want to be woken up. The shrieks sounded panicked and pierced his ears.

“Heyyyy, heyyyyy...I'm sorry, your highness...” he said, throwing the car into drive with a hot coffee already pressed to his lips, scalding his tongue. Driving, he hoped, would return him to that peaceful sleepy place.

No such luck. Hank screamed and screamed until he found himself pulling over just to pull the kid out and hold him, hoping maybe that would help. It took him a full minute to realize he'd pulled over within view of Quantico. Right there, his old home. And an old familiar light was burning on the top floor, corner.

It was hardly even conscious thought when he pulled out his phone and dialed Hotch's number.

“Morgan?” Hotch asked, his voice deep and groggy.

“Hey, man. You uh...” he paused, suddenly flush with shame. Was he really standing outside of Quantico, outside of doors he used to be able to walk through every single day, asking to be let in because he couldn't handle a newborn? He was the man of the house at ten years old, and he'd handled his sisters and his mom and making dinner, he'd survived Carl Buford and his cabin. He'd gone through the police academy, SWAT training, the FBI academy, law school, marched into battle on the football field...but this tiny baby in his arms was undoing him. “You mind if I come up? I need some help.”

He'd always been able to handle things on his own, and he'd always found it hard to ask for help when he was drowning. Hotch and the team showed him that he could, he could ask for help and they'd give it no questions asked. They'd never let him down, but it had taken years for him to trust that implicitly. And yet...he still wavered. He still wondered if he would take too much, ask for more than he should. And he left the team...he walked away from them. What right did he have coming back now, weeks later, like he hadn't turned his back?

But Hotch appeared in the glass, pushing the door open, beckoning him inside. There was a security guard, he could just have called down and had them give Derek a visitor's pass, he didn't have to come all the way down himself.

“What can I do for you?”

Derek thought about the night he told Hotch he was leaving. About what happened before even that. About crying out to Savannah to call Hotch call Hotch call Hotch. Trust. That's what trust looks like, that's what it feels like. No fear lacing those words. He was afraid for his life, but not all afraid that Hotch wouldn't charge the gates of Hell to drag him back. That Hotch wouldn't jump headfirst into the river Styx, fight the devil himself...

“Thanks, man,” he said while Hank screeched in his ear and he didn't have to explain it, Hotch knew. He held the door open to Derek, nodded to the security guard, and stepped into the waiting elevator without a word. “This is late, even for you. Why are you still here?”

Hotch sighed and punched in the button, leaning into the wall for support. “We just got back from a case about an hour ago. I had a little too much coffee on the jet I'm afraid, so I figured I should use it to my benefit and get a head start on the reports.”

“Messy?”

Hotch nodded solemnly. “You could say that.”

Hank's cried echoed in the tiny elevator, increasing briefly when it jumped and started rising, and then dying off as he stared around. The strange feeling of movement seemed to momentarily lull him. Stopping, walking into the BAU, he picked right up where he left off.

“Colic?” Hotch asked quietly, leading Derek up the stairs to his office. The BAU was dark, only the light from his lamp spilled out to guide their way.

“That's what Savannah calls it.”

“Jack was colicky, it made for a lot of challenging nights. Haley bore the brunt of them, but I helped when I was able.” Hotch paused, chewing the inside of his cheek a moment while he watched Hank squirm and cry in Derek's arms. “I could have helped more.”

Derek wouldn't argue with that, but he wasn't here to shame Hotch for being an absent father. The man's life was a cautionary tale. “May I?” Hotch asked, extending his arms to Derek who didn't hesitate to pass the baby to his boss. No. Not boss. Friend. To his friend.

“My mom told me that driving would help, and it did for a while...but then I stopped for a damn coffee, and it woke him up. He's been yelling at me ever since.”

Hotch's eyes met Derek's for a second before fluttering low, looking at Hank who went quiet. Staring up at this new person holding him. “You remember me?” he whispered with a small smile. “I remember you. Your hand was barely big enough to hold my finger and now look at you...”

Derek sat on the couch, leaden and exhausted. It was even less comfortable than he remembered. He'd seated himself here so many times over the years, long long years. Coming in to visit, to talk official business, to complain and to vent. When Hotch first inherited the office, he wanted to get rid of it. The couch smelled funny, like cigarette smoke and moth balls. But Derek had gone and gotten himself hurt on a case, and instead of going home he fell asleep on the couch while Hotch worked and something about that moment...see a need fill a need...compelled him to keep the raggedy old thing. He had it all but fumigated, until it smelled only faintly like thirty years of good old boy cigarettes and whiskey, and there it remained. He ran his hands along the almost pilled velvet surface and watched as Hotch rounded his desk and sat down, Hank cradled happily in one arm. The baby was still complaining but quietly now, little grunts and grumbles, not unlike the man who held him. Hotch cradled Hank against his right side, a pen poised over his paperwork with his left, and every now and then he would look down at Hank whose eyes were wide and as focused as they could be on the strange man holding him.

“What the hell is this?” Derek asked, leaning back into the cushion, completely beat. Hotch smiled and shrugged.

“Babies feed on our panic. If you're worked up, he's worked up. Haley told me that once.”

“You do this with Jack?”

“No. I tried, but I could never manage to calm myself down enough to make sense of it.”

“Well, you're doing a hell of a job now...he hasn't been awake and quiet this long in...I don't know man.”

Hotch just smiled, glancing up at Derek and then back to his papers.

“Thank you, Hotch.”

Nodding, Hotch smiled. “My pleasure.”

Derek knew, without a doubt, that what he said was the truth. It was his pleasure. He could tell that something about holding Hank was helping Hotch, too. The case, he could imagine, had been rough. Usually Hotch didn't flinch, would just say it was fine, but tonight he admitted it was messy. Messy, for Hotch, usually meant that it cut him deeply. And maybe if they'd gotten home earlier, he would have gone home, spent time with Jack and Jessica, but getting home so late he was alone.

Maybe they both needed this, Derek thought as his eyes drifted shut. He couldn't help that part; he hadn't slept in days. Not really. But Hotch wouldn't mind, not really. Hotch was engrossed in his paperwork, Hank was falling asleep to the sound of Hotch's slow heartbeat, and Derek didn't need anything to help him fall asleep except this blissful silence. The white noise, the hum of the air vents and the swishy sounds of cars driving in the rain and an occasional frustrated hum or scratch of the pen or flip of paper.

Derek slept until his phone buzzed and it was Savannah's tired voice on the end of the line. Until she asked him where he was and when he'd be home because the house was too quiet. When he explained where he was and she told him never mind, just stay, and tell Hotch she said hi and thank you and she was going to order his favorite coffee from Seattle in bulk because he must have had some kind of magic about him. She couldn't thank him enough, and even if Derek insisted that Hotch would never feel like this small act warranted such a gift she insisted.

Trust. Derek smiled, curling back up on the couch after asking if Hotch minded, if he'd just wake him when he needed to head home...trust. He trusted Hotch with his life, and with his wife's life, and now with his son's. The first time he fell asleep on this couch he'd just barely started to tiptoe around the first of those things, and now he couldn't imagine his life without the comfort inherent in all of them.

[concoctionboy]

Expedition Masterpost

So, this expedition of exploration of the area east of Lofiathan has been going on a lot longer than I expected. I honestly didn't have anything planned in advance for it and had no idea where it was going, and I expected it to be kind of a brief jaunt that would maybe be a few days' diversion. Instead, at the time I write this it's now been going on for about three weeks and I have no idea how much longer it'll be going for. And it's split over numerous posts, which may make it a bit hard to follow—or to catch up with what's going on if you're just joining in.

So, for anyone new who wants to catch up, or for anyone who has been reading along but wants a review, I decided to put together a masterpost with all the significant events so far, and links to the posts where they happened. I'm not going to pin this post, but I'll put a link to it at the beginning of each new exploration post from here on.

Prelude

@jimkinnz suggests that I "break out and cause havoc", which is ultimately what inspired this exploration.

Departure

I set off on my expedition.

@kingwizard suggests I take a Wind Barrel to fend off mischievous beings called Revelers.

@jimkinnz suggests that I eat someone whole. I, uh, politely decline.

Mount Anguish

Arrival at Mount Anguish; first map, and my first request for suggestions. (I didn't mention it at the time, but I guess let's assume I encountered Revelers and had to use the Wind Barrel while passing through the Faerie Forest.)

@hummingbird-hunter suggests I walk into the ocean

I head off in the direction of the ocean, and pass some interesting landmarks. @silver-weaver and @hummbirb suggest I check out the mysterious tower.

Into the Tower

At @kingwizard's suggestion, I ooze through the bars of a tiny, ground-level window to get into the tower's basement. (I guess I had to leave the Wind Barrel outside to do this; I'll pick it up on the way out if @kingwizard wants it back.)

Level Two

At @plurinerd's suggestion, I seep through the crack in the floor, arriving in a room in a lower level with various objects to investigate.

@hummingbird-hunter suggests I eat a bone. And another bone. And the cage.

@smg34-shipper suggests I investigate the boxes, and the mirror, and the doors, and then go through the door in the curved wall.

Stairwell

I go through the door and find a stairwell, which is good, because it means I know how to get out of this tower now when I want to leave. Instead of going up or down the stairs, though, @kingwizard suggests I jump to the opposite landing, so I end up… well, not jumping, but throwing myself there.

Symbol Room

At @smg34-shipper's suggestion I go through the door on the landing, and find myself in a room with, among other things, a bunch of hooded cloaks on a wall and a mysterious symbol on the floor.

@smg34-shipper suggests I take a closer look at the symbol on the floor, and then at the robes on the wall. (The robes look child-size, but @wizarddaycare confirms they don't belong to them, so maybe they belong to goblins or gnomes or something.)

@hummingbird-hunter suggests I stand in the middle of the symbol, but that seems horrifyingly dangerous, so I agree to do so only if someone else seconds the suggestion or no one else makes a suggestion by that evening.

Fortunately, before I'm forced to follow that suggestion, @smg34-shipper comes through with a suggestion to go through the door with the big skull on it.

Skull Room

So the door with the skull on it turned out to lead to a room full of skulls. There's also a desk with a skeleton slumped over it.

@hummingbird-hunter suggests I lick the skulls.

@smg34-shipper suggests I look through the desk. There's some potentially interesting stuff there, but when I try to take some things out of the desk an alarm spell goes off and the skeleton comes to life and chases me into the next room, where I lose it by hiding behind a tapestry. Turns out there's also a hidden door behind the tapestry, but at @smg34-shipper's suggestion instead of going through the door I go through a different door, behind which I hear running water.

Pool Room

So there are some pools of water here, and, perhaps more significantly, there is a purple man sitting in one of the pools. Fortunately, he's facing away from me, and doesn't seem to realize I'm there.

At @smg34-shipper's suggestions, I look at a few items in the room, but the purple man notices me… and nods for me to come sit next to him.

After initially demurring, at @vanilla-extracter's suggestion I go ahead and sit next to him. We talk for a while; he says I can call him Xil. At @smg34-shipper's suggestion, I ask Xil to come with me, and we go through the wooden door opposite the one I came in through.

Interlude

Because this expedition is taking so much longer than I anticipated and I don't want to be away from Lofiathan too long, I decide to divide the copy of myself I left in @mostevilscientist's lair and have one part come back to Lofiathan. That way I have a copy of myself in Lofiathan while one copy's out exploring, and I can continue my expedition while still being available if @kingwizard needs anything.

Mold Room

We come out into a room full of moss and fungi.

At @hummingbird-hunter's suggestion, I try to mess with a man-eating plant and end up bitten in half. Oops. (Of course, as a liquid being that's amorphous except for the shape I choose to give myself, I'm fine, except that I'm, well, half the size I was before. Also, the man-eating plant is now telepathic.)

Then @silver-weaver suggests that I kiss Xil. It goes… better than I expected. Also, Xil gains shapeshifting powers.

At @smg34-shipper's suggestion, I throw a mushroom at the man-eating plant and tell it to leave us alone, and then split a mushroom with Xil, and then knocked on one of the mushrooms that look like they have doorways and windows.

A little snail person came out of the mushroom. It didn't seem to speak a language I understood, but the telepathic man-eating plant offered to translate if I let it eat me afterward; at @hummingbird-hunter's suggestion I talked it down to accepting just an arm. I talk a bit with the snail person, whose name is apparently something like Squit, and then at @smg34-shipper's suggestion I examine the waterfall, and then the bridge. And then I asked Squit about the properties of the mosses she tends.

I ate some eternity moss, which according to Squit makes my effects last longer. I then look in the moving pile of moss and see some kind of weird creature... It turns out her name is Floscle; she's hiding from the tower's inhabitants; and I invite her to come with us.

I made an attempt to teach Flocsle English and learn her language, and then we were ready to leave the room, so I went to give the man-eating plant my other arm as agreed. I ended up giving it a little more than that. Oops.

Skull Room Redux

And then we went back to the skull room.

And that's where things currently stand. I'll update this post as more things happen.

[dungeonsandkobolds]

Heyya! Thanks for your advice the other time.

I thought I'd give you an update about my first one-shot as DM with one player. The game ran long - I thought we'd finish the entire adventure in 2 hours - more fool me! Instead, we only got through half the story in 4 hours. Here's what happend (Long Post, sorry in advance)

Simply put, I misunderstood how the player liked to play and the PC's motivations.

The plot was intended to feature a Lvl 10 rogue (the PC) whose mouse companion was kidnapped, and had to infiltrate the BBEG's dungeons to rescue it and also save the town.

I did not realise that the player was (overly) cautious - stopping everywhere and making perception, insight and other checks to see if anyone was lying, spotting any traps etc, rather than just allowing the play to happen and dealing with anything that occurred (espcially since she was Level 10, i wasn't going to kill her straight up). This led to more problems:

The time blew out - I started the PC pretty much at the dungeon, and intended the backstory to be told through a flashback scene (selfishly, making it a fait accompli that the incident already happened). But because I gave scope for the PC to roleplay in that scene, she interrogated everyone and distrusted the information the NPCs provided to her, went off on her own tangent and explorations, and basically refused to be 'helped along' to get to the actual story.

She had a +13 to perception, so i had to artifically raise the DC for any checks she wanted to make, and I had to (unconsciously) railroad her into finishing the investigations and go straight to the dungeon. For example, the NPC told her about the BBEG and directions to the dungeon. She wanted to ask the rats who lived in the town about intel. I had to do some tap-dancing and tell her the rats are gone becuase the BBEG experimented on them so they all fled. (I did allow her to make a History check and find basic information that way though)

I wanted to make the encounter a 'ticking clock' - save the world in 4 hours kind of thing - but she basically "refused" to accept that and spent 1 hour casting Find Familiar and other spells just to make it so that she had extra eyes etc. As a player, she refused to be hurried along by me.

The main area of contention was when she entered Room 2 of the dungeon where she would encounter Animated Armor that activated (1) when she moved to the centre of the room and (2) because she didn't pickpocket the guard and got his security amulet. The Armor had False Appearance as a feat, which meant that despite her 19 perception check she wouldn't spot them. When they activated, she pretty much threw a tantrum because I told her she didn't spot any traps. I had to metagame at that point and say that the armor had False Appearance, although my bad was I didn't give enough details about the guards's uniforms or the room/statues to potentially hint that there was the amulet.

She did defeat the Armor anyway like i knew she would - those Armor were only CR 1 with like 30HP.

There were still some positives over the night:

It did provide an opportunity for me to improvise and change my story. I was initially going to make the NPC who gave the information doing so for nefarious ends, but because of the player I had to play the NPC as just someone who was honestly motivated to save the town. This would be a much more interesting motivation when (spoiler!) the NPC would appear at the end and fight the PC.

I got to actually play out mechanics of combat, storytelling and roleplay. Even though I had to artifically inflate DC checks to compensate for the PC's high ability, I could justify it in the story (and told the player verbally when I did).

The story is still mostly on track.

I did have the learning experience of making more notes to tell players, specifically things that could be considered hints to players to allow them to avoid or better beat my encounters.

I am concerned when we play again though, because the next encounter is a puzzle one with more traps, and she might not like it if I carry on with my plans (basically, she has to pick 5 locks. Every lock she fails a 'ghost' emerges and tries to banish her from the room. How do I alert her without a perception check basically telling her what is going to happen?)

Overall, it's a bit of a mixed feeling. I really enjoy the roleplaying aspect of DnD and it's difficult when this player is almost fighting me as the DM and not letting the story go on. I do realise that it's unfair to think this way though - it's a collaborative story - but I wish that she would be a little bit more collaborative in trying to tell the story, and realise I want her to win as much as she does (just making it slightly more challenging)

I also admit it wasn't a shining positive first example of DM-ing, but I'm hopeful I get to learn more by doing more.

Apologies for the long text, let me know if anything is unclear. I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback!

Omg I love an update! Some of this tbh is just teething issues (although time always either goes longer or shorter than you think, that's just the facts of DM-ing haha). And I love that you're dissecting it to learn from the session (genuinely a fantastic thing to do)

With the collaborative story - remember it's collaborative on both ends, you both have to meet each other in the middle (and it sounds like your player may not have always been doing that? It's the player's first time too yeah? sounds like at least). So it's not always on the DM to 'fix' everything

I'd say most of it is teething issues but there's 2 things just to like watch out for with your player (remember I'm not at the table tho) - not following the ticking clock scenario, and not accepting that sometimes even a skill check can't beat everything. That kinda goes into territory of resisting the basic concepts of the story and sounds like it probs wasn't fair to you. I might when describing the guard mention that there's like a chain poking out of his pocket and then it's up to them to investigate? But apart from that...

I think my suggestion for the ghost thing would be some kind of riddle/cypher/note that she has to solve to get the clue about what will happen? Doesn't always have to be a check per se and it'll give her the option of just going ahead or having more info. Plus solving those kind of puzzles can add to the interactivity of the game

It sounds like you're doing really well though!!!! And have put a lot of care and thought into the session!!

I hope you had some fun even despite frustrations :)

Feel free to come with more questions or just updates! I love hearing people's DnD stories

[mdhwrites]

You mentioned wanting to talk about titan blood so I'm curious what's there?

So if there is one element I will admit to being truly screwed over by the shortening, it's any plans with Titan's Blood. Either for it going to magic that makes more sense to need it or for it to just be paced better how often it is used. As such, I want to be clear that most of what I'm saying here is nitpicks that you can learn from but the only real flaw with it in my opinion is the climax of its arc.

So let's actually first just talk about how in fantasy, the Titan's Blood isn't anything new. It's just a special, key item for a spell or brew. It's the same as saying this one of a kind flower that lives on top of a mountain infested with monsters is the only way to brew a revival potion. The only thing remotely special about it is that it's both multi-use and… not?

So something that is more of a problem is that I might argue that King being a Titan wasn't planned until S2 and that's in part because I think Titan's Blood wasn't thought up until S2. This is pretty clear with the S1 finale actually. There's Titan Blood in the key so Luz should be able to use magic when she goes through the portal with Lilith. She can't and that's a pretty obvious plot hole.

I would argue that the key in general is just a PROBLEM for the show after it decided Titan's Blood was so useful. Rather than repairing the key after all, Belos just breaks it and feeds it into the machine for his door. But we never get a clear answer as to WHY the key has Titan's Blood. In fact, with it having Titan's Blood and being necessary for opening the door, even to the point where Belos crafted a key without it to try and open his prototype, why didn't Belos ask for the key instead of the briefcase? He knows which component is just straight up more important.

Now, it could be that the key isn't actually a part of making the door or that it needs the blood as an identifier for the door but doesn't use it when simply used as a key. That opening the portal doesn't take as much energy as creating a connection between two realms of existence. You can explain it away but just about every explanation is clunky, weird, still doesn't explain Belos at the end of S1 and the show never even tried that much.

But let's actually get into what the show does with Titan's Blood itself because… It's kind of hilarious.

The first use is a single finger to make a crude, kind of but not properly functional portal. It still takes you to another realm but not to the realm you want. Honestly, as far as magic goes, this is still INCREDIBLY powerful. Like masterclass wizard. In D&D, the Planar Shift spell which is as close to the portal as D&D comes without an artifact, is a SEVENTH SPELL. Out of a max level of nine. And that's only one way.

And remember: The Titan's Blood is effectively the only magic source for that spell when we first see it. No one else there even could provide more magic for it and we don't see much else that could be giving it more juice.

So this is the baseline. This is how powerful something needs to be to need Titan's Blood.

The next spell is just Detect Magic is level 1 in D&D. That is a bit harsh as supposedly these time portals are very hard to find but like… Lilith makes a device that in theory helps with finding magical disturbances and you would think that time portals would be kind of severe magical disturbances. Or that you could date the magic coming out of them and it would tell you that somehow 50 year old magic is at X location.

But, to be fair, the time portals themselves are high level magic (that make literally no sense in how they're described because they're constantly contradicted in the one episode as to how they work) so… Somewhat justified to use Titan's Blood I guess?

And then we get just… Fucking three+ times as much Titan's Blood being used for a spell Eda cast in the first season without any trouble. That's not even a joke or exaggeration. She treats Gus' interview as more strenuous than a spell to put people into other people's minds. And yet now this potion, which we see Darius empower at the start of the episode with no effort, takes Titan's Blood. A lot of it.

So not only is a spell presented as basic in S1 now being elevated to "ONLY THE POWER OF A HUNDRED MAGES WILL DO!" but we also have that retcon happening MID EPISODE. Against itself! Which of course raises the question of why Darius and crew didn't empower it before giving it to Eda. Admittedly, none of them should be able to do potion magic but just… ignore that in the first place.

Hollow Mind is a very good example of how the whole show has issues with its writing S2B is not just abysmal but doesn't give a single shit. You want suspension of disbelief? NOT WHILE I HAVE PLANS!

Because… All of this is just in service to the question of "How will we get more?" And thus making King being a Titan actually significant. Because without Titan's Blood being powerful and scarce, it doesn't matter that he's a Titan. There's not much really added there except for the episode where he considers leaving everyone to go be with people who look like him and can teach him about himself. A powerful episode regardless of context almost because those themes are powerful (and I think Titan Hunters ruins it because they don't let the audience have any time to question if these people are good or not for King before tipping their hand) but it's not powerful enough for TOH.

Not without a question only the 8 year old brings up when he offers to free the Collector and doesn't even have to use his blood for that. All that build up, all the unnecessary uses of Titan's Blood, for a pay off that doesn't even use Titan's Blood and is instead only fueled by the fact that King is a Titan at all. That is the payoff for dumbass questions, breaks in magic, etc. like that.

And here's the thing: The break to magic doesn't only apply to the explicit ones. The less impressive the magic that requires a special item to be performed, the less impressive ALL of your magic feels like. It's a cascade effect. What are the limits of magic then? Is TOH's magic in general so unimpressive because witches are actually incredibly weak? Despite literally everything we've seen up until now?

From a narrative standpoint, making such an obvious question like how is Luz going to get home if we use the last of the Titan's Blood, literally asked in show, is a problem if you do nothing with it. Luz NEVER talks about it. Never even considers or reacts to it. It's questionable if Luz even knows… Which makes sense because the show is running out of time to do the Day of Unity and setup King as a Titan.

There isn't room. And yet… Making the fandom sweat for a couple of weeks, and at best making a viewer sweat for an hour if they're binging for the future, was more important than making sense with the rest of the magic of the universe. More important than keeping this resource actually special.

There's a reason why resources like these, whether it makes sense or not, are made one use in fantasy. Making it so you can use it over and over again complicates failure because there's a chance of improvement. That is actually a neat, different thing to follow up on… And TOH simply didn't have the time.

And what's lost by just ignoring the Titan's Blood? I mean, we only care about the Titan's Blood as viewers because it lets Luz go home eventually but literally only two episode in S2B will even bring up the portal door properly and only one of those is about actually getting more info… And that's part of why Elsewhere Elsewhen is almost completely pointless as an episode unless you REALLY think we needed pointless, angsty Luz for half the final season and don't agree with me on how almost evil Luz's character becomes during that period. Definitely evil if this were in the romance genre.

Again: Any real plans with the Titan's Blood almost certainly got messed with by the Shortening and it was too late to write out getting it in the first place. I can sympathize with that. I just can't sympathize with the fact that it's another element that the writers apparently decided was crucial to the story because of a few dramatic moments… Regardless of sense.

But S2B especially suffers from the moment a writer wants rather any of level of sense or build up or characterization to that moment. Not that the whole show doesn't suffer from this but you had to look a lot closer to see the Hand of the Author moving the pieces.

In S2B, Titan's Blood is clearly just a chess piece on the board and you can never stop seeing it, hovering over as it works for the moments and plot points it just cannot give up.

=======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[princessbettina]

Birthday Surprise-part 2: Horatio Godkin x Arabella / Fem!Reader

Summary: It's a few months later after getting meeting and making it offical with Horatio Godkin. Your gal friends take you on a trip to Paris where Horatio discovers his true and secret feelings about you. When you return from the trip, Horatio and you decide to take things to the next level in your relationship

A/N: This is once again heavily inspired by Thomas Doherty's 'The Inventor's Apprentice' spicy Quinn audio / ASMR(ish) series he did a few months back. If you know... you know ;) ;)

I applogize if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes in this.

*

A few months later… A lot of persuasion and convincing happened from my handsome king, who just so happens to be my boyfriend. But because of my eagerness and readiness for love, Horatio and I ended up buying the cottage together, in which he and I first met.

It was more of his idea, but still. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I'd be foolish to let that go.

Falling in love with Horatio Godkin was like an out of body experience in a way. He knows every element of romance and most definitely has the romance factor in him.

He always knew how to woo me, really sweep me off my feet, of course while being gentle. His kisses always tasted either of red wine or the goldest of honey. The way he grabbed hold of me as his hands either snaked around my waist or thighs, always winning my full, undivided attention as my breathing hitched.

That is something I've never experienced in a relationship romantically before and it had me desperately wanting more and more of it, and Horatio of course.

*

Making up for lost post belated birthday time, Shay had organized a girls trip for us and today was that very day.

Shay ended up getting a luxurious hotel room in Paris. Something I never expected but honestly was excited.

I was bummed however because I couldn't bring Horatio with me. It was a girls trip, which meant boys were not allowed. I really wish I could change the rules haha.

"These three days will go by real fast. And before we know it, we'll be back together again, right in each other's arms" I reassured Horatio, gently rubbing his arm for a moment.

Smiling softly at me, he anchored onto my arm while pulling me close to him just a bit.

"You go on, go have the best time, darling. I'll be right here waiting for you when you return" Horatio leaned into me and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you, my handsome king" I whispered softly to him as our heads touched.

"I love you too, my precious queen" Replied Horatio softly too and we quickly shared a kiss that I wanted to last forever.

After saying bye to my gorgeous boyfriend, and getting on the plane along with Shay, and Celeste and off to Paris we went.

*

The entire trip to Paris was incredible. The sights, the views, literally everything! Pretty much, the whole time there was spent by each of us doing spa and shopping spree days, and sightseeing the entirety of Paris.

Oh yeah! I Almost forgot to mention that Celeste and I kept in contact after the birthday cottage situation a few months back and are already the goodest of friends.

Celeste has a bubbly personality and she's always cheerful, can make you smile and laugh, and she's understanding and honest.

I love her and I'm so happy that we became good friends. And it's also wonderful how Shay and her became good friends too, we're all now like a happy trio of friends and I love that.

It was our last night in Paris. Celeste, Shay, and I were gathered together in the living room area in the hotel, painting each other's nails as the room was dimmed slightly with candles that flickered through the room.

"How's your Scottish lover doing, Ella?" Asked Shay, letting out a giggle or two. Instantly making me blush.

"He's doing great. We talked a little earlier and can't wait for when I return home. Horatio always knows how to send a shiver down my spine" I replied while sticking out my tongue.

Shay's eyes widened a little and squealed softly, "Oh my gosh! That is adorable. But you know what this means right?"

Only having a few ideas by what my best friend meant, I raised my eyebrow in slight confusion and giggled when Celeste chimed in too, joining the fun.

"Pleaseee tell me you know, sweetie!" She beamed with pleading eyes, while leaning toward me a little, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"I don't know? What do you two have in mind?" I asked, pretending not to know just to see their reactions.

"He's obviously going to want to make out with you and make love to you when you go back home" Celeste admitted while laughing softly and as her hand remained on my shoulder.

"She's right, bestie! I mean if you say that Horatio knows how to "send a shiver down your spine" that automatically means that he's in the mood and wants to take you away" Winked and giggled Shay as we all giggled simultaneously.

My face turned as red as a tomato at this point even though that's exactly what I knew that my friends were going to say.

"You two are so funny. I don't think that will happen...yet anyway. Would it really be a good idea for two people who literally are still getting to know each other, but yes are dating, to snog one another so soon?" I asked in a giggly tone.

"Come on, girl! You know you want that. It's not a bad idea at all" Chirped Celeste as she rubbed my shoulder.

"The way you've been talking about him, it almost seems like you're madly in love with this guy. I'd be surprised if making out with him wasn't on your list, just admit it already, bestie" Shay giggled and gently shook and nudged my other shoulder, opposite of Celeste.

Widening my eyes once more as my face grew hot again, making me cover my face with my hands as my mind screamed from the inside.

Once I calmed down, my two lovely friends and I finished our nails and let them air dry as we watched movies and ate snacks for the rest of the night.

"Oh! If that does end up happening, I'll be sure to let you two know!" I giggled while winking at them as they giggled too.

"We can't wait for that, girl!" Celeste smirked as Shay nodded her head in agreement.

*

Meanwhile, back at home. Horatio had been keeping busy by writing and journaling.

Lots and lots of journaling.

Writing about things that brought him joy and happiness. That includes me, but I didn't know that yet.

He was sitting in his office that he made in the cottage. His leg was crossed over his other leg and held a pen that had a light feather at the end of the tip of the pen. His elbow rested atop the table as he scribbled his thoughts on the paper in the neastest of cursive.

Horatio's pov in his journal

The private journal of me,Horatio Godkin.

Entry number 5:

"Two months have gone by. Two wonderful months that have been spent with a beautiful, exquisite, and soft to the touch young woman who I've gotten to know.

I thank whoever in the universe who brought her and I together. The incredible Arabella Bellamy. She's not like the others who have entered my life, and that's a good thing.

Arabella is independent, compassionate, funny, and completely full of life and love.

My heart had definitely been set on her from the first time we met, in a lovely cottage by accident but I always call it a good coincidence.

At this moment in time, my darling Arabella is gone. On a vacation with a few friends, for gals only as it is said. She deserves time with her friends. A time away from her life.

I can't wait to spend time together again. I miss my precious Arabella. In more ways than some.

I hadn't seen her, not truly seen her yet of what I had hoped for us to arrive in our relationship, as the photographic images of what I envision danced around and on the inside of my brain until that moment.

Like looking through a prism, dazzled by the kaleidoscopic images, the rainbow illusion coalescence until suddenly there's only her

As the beautiful, blossoming new found romance in which she and I have discovered, it has also made me discover my deepest darkest true feelings about her.

Nothing in my past, or future I wanted to keep hidden. I wanted her. I needed her. I dreamed of her taking me away, I wanted her to strip me, straddle me, laying me bare and plunder every part of me, for anything she wanted.

I wanted her to own me as I hope she felt the same way about me."

~end of entry

*

After a long but peaceful plane ride back home, Shay, Celeste, and I made it back from Paris.

It was really early in the morning when we got back, our plane was scheduled to leave at night via Paris time, which meant when we got back home in the states, it was already and about to be night / early morning here.

I had contacted Horatio before boarding the plane and after we landed, just to keep him up to date with everything.

He told me that he would keep a look out for me at our cottage and there for me when I come back, which already made me blush and my heart raced just thinking about it.

"Thinking about your lover over there, Ella?" Asked Celeste while taking a glance at me through the above rear view mirror in the car.

Glancing up at her while widening my eyes a little from the back seat of the car as the darkness from the outside came and passed through multiple times.

"Oh my goodness, can you hear my mind from the inside, Celeste?" I giggled as did she and Shay too.

"Don't worry, bestie! We're almost home and there you can let loose" Said Shay as she playfully winked at me, and then giggled more.

"Bestie woah! Haha. Can we all just stick to having a regular conversation for about one minute?" I playfully asked.

Shay and Celeste laughed with me and understood what I asked and that was exactly what we did, even all the way till we reached my house, excuse me, Horatio and I's house.

*

"Thank you for such a wonderful time and experience in Paris, bestie! I had a blast and I am super duper happy you were able to join us, Celeste!" I chirped while smiling the biggest smile.

"Aww why of course, bestie! Anything for you! I'm really happy that you enjoyed your time. We definitely need to head back again soon!" Replied Shay as she turned around to face me in the driver's seat, also smiling the biggest smile too.

Celeste turned to face me while sitting in the passenger's seat, smiling ear to ear, "I had a blast girlfriend! It was dreamy. The three of us need to do that again soon sometime!"

We all agreed and nodded our heads after what Celeste said. I then said my goodbyes and farewells after getting my suitcase from the car, with the help of my bestie, as Celeste stayed in the car but rolled down her car window.

Shay and I hugged and told each other that we'd text each other later and talk more throughout the day. The same was said with Celeste too.

Shay got back into the car with Celeste and patiently waited and watched me make my way inside before they drove away.

I took a few steps toward my lovely cottage home, my suitcase wheeled a few feet behind me atop the semi loud pebbles and rocks that rested below my feet, and suddenly I was stopped in my tracks when the click of the front door was heard and Horatio appeared.

*

I could feel my heartbeat faster, my face was becoming hot again, and a big smile splashed on my face, as did Horatio.

He quickly ran from the front door step and ran straight over to me and instantly wrapped his strong arms around me, bear hugging me and lifted me up off the ground a little as I hugged him back,and as I gently wrapped my legs around his waist and legs.

Spinning me around and swaying back and forth a little. Shay and Celeste watched the entire encounter, causing them to say cute and funny things out loud from where they were sitting in the car.

"Aww!!!" Was what echoed through my ears coming from my two girl friends. Causing Horatio and I to giggle as our foreheads gently rested against one another for a moment.

Still being held by Horatio as my back was now facing the girls, as Horatio stood behind, lifting his head up and waved while giggling more straight ahead at Shay and Celeste.

They waved back and then said bye to us again and drove off, finally letting Horatio and I have alone time again.

*

As we continued to stand still outside for a few minutes more, we engulfed in each other's love and company, whispering to one another, "I'm so happy that you're back, darling. I missed you so much!"

"I missed you so much too, love. I am really happy to be back with you!" I whispered back to him as he quickly pecked the tip of my nose.

"I hope you had a wonderful time" Horatio whispered as he kissed my cheek, causing me to blush.

I nodded my head slowly and kissed his forehead, "yes"

He nodded his head and hummed softly for a few moments while tightening his hold around me just a bit more. "Mmm that's good to hear, my love"

There was a silence for a moment but not for long, "I need you, Arabella. I want you Arabella" he whispered to me, but in a soft yet husky deep tone. Sending a shiver down my spine

"I'm all yours, Horatio. Instruct me on what I need to do, what you would like me to do" I replied softly as I gently rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thank you, my love. I will but first let's get you settled in first" Whispered Horatio as he quickly kissed my neck and then took us inside our cottage, quickly closing and locking the front door on the way in.

Thankfully, there wasn't that much I had to do like unpacking wise. I simply placed my suitcase to the side in Horatio and I's bedroom and then took off my shoes and jacket and then joined him on our shared bed.

We cuddled with each other for a few minutes. Horatio then slowly began to sit up, his hips nearly sitting atop of me as he rested his head on his hand.

"May I give you another massage, my darling queen?" He whispered as a smirk on his face appeared.

Smiling and giggling at his question, I immediately nodded my head and booped his nose, which made him giggle adorably.

"Of course you can, I live for your massages" I winked at him before leaning forward and pecking his lips.

Before I knew it, I was in his trance and only listened to him as his hands delicately moved up and down the surface of my back, immediately relaxing me as I closed my eyes and relaxed in his touch.

"Here I go, all the way up. As my fingers glide delicately across the skin on your neck" He whispered as his fingers did exactly that, causing me to flush on the inside once more.

Seconds after he did that, I wanted to step it up a notch, mainly for him and see what would happen. Make him feel the same way he made me feel.

One of my hands began to snake around from behind and gently rested atop his thigh, just barely reaching anything off limits, but hey, was that really the case?

Me doing that surprised him, but in a good way. His soft chuckle echoed through my ears and leaned towards me again, planting soft kisses on my neck.

Shortly after that, I turned my body around to face him fully, practically sitting in his lap at this point. Him and I both smiled at one another as he gently pushed me closer to him, his hand gently sprawled out on my back.

"Are you ready for this, my love?" He whispered softly as I again nodded my head,

"Yes I am. Are you?" I asked softly too. Horatio, tilting his head as he chuckled

"Always, my love! And don't worry, I'll be gentle. Or at least try to be haha" Horatio leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips, which I gladly kissed back.

The fun was unleashed and the adventure had just begun to unwind…

-end of part 2

*

I hope you all enjoyed the read. I adore Thomas Doherty so so much and all of his tv and movie characters. Writing stories of and about them is something I've always loved and enjoyed to do. Writing a story of Horatio and turning it (the story) into a mini series was something I've always wanted to do, espcially after hearing those Quinn audios! They are *chefs kiss*.

I don't think there's any other Horatio fanfics on here or anywhere (please let me know if there are! I need more of him lol) I think it's cool that I might be the first writer of a Horatio fanfic. And I will see you in the next one <3

[missizzy]

A Game Novice's Baldur's Gate Log, 141 1/2 Hours In: Finally got Minsc!

Masterpost

(Note: this will definitely contain spoilers for all I've played through, and probably quite of a bit of the later stuff I've also seen.)

I'm now pretty sure I was expected to wait longer on Minsc, especially since once I'd recruited him, he went straight to level 12, while the party's now barely 11. But I don't care. This bloke is pure delight. I look forward to hearing his words every time I click on him, or direct him to pick a lock. (That +3 dexterity's coming in handy, too.) Boo's kind of adorable, too.

The week ended up having a bit of a weird start. Having effectively noped out of one scary underground battle at the end of last week, I retraced my steps back into the sewers proper, went through I door I hadn't tried because I'd gone the other way, and promptly found myself in the abandoned cistern. With Minsc thus nigh, I decided to immediately long rest, and also swap Wyll in. Since he'd hit level 10 ahead of everyone else, I figured he'd hit 11 when I did, and we thus could have three level 11s for that fight.

That was when Astarion's siblings decided to pay the tavern a visit, and we ended up fighting them. I initially wondered at that, since of course he wouldn't be able to ascend if any of them died there, but after the battle was won, they were suddenly gone completely and he was commenting that it was a good thing none of them had actually died. If he says so...

In any case, at that point, I was a little more concerned with the fact that in the cut scene, which had triggered at the end of the fight without any clicking on him, he appeared to be talking to Gale instead of Sara. Fortunately their responses to him would be pretty similar. But also, he seemed to very much be talking as if he was talking to this elven woman who has repeatedly been far kinder to people than he's generally approved of-and his approval popped up during the conversation as well; I'm not sure that even happens if you're not on the main character. I've since read I'm not the only one that's happened to, and I *think* it's just a visual glitch.

He did, at least, finally seem to listen when Sara/Gale told him that there are people who care about him now. I've heard it's easier to talk him out of ascending if you're not romancing him. Still, I've got the feeling that ain't over yet.

The next day started with a small skirmish with cultists and their crows, which at least got Jaheira up to level 11 with the others. Much, much worse was the Sluice Gate puzzle that followed. I had no trouble finding the note to get the water and temperature to the right levels, but I spent 45 long minutes struggling to get them to do so. I couldn't get the water level up in turn-based mode, and I couldn't get it to stay out of it. I even watched two YouTube videos of other players doing it, and still couldn't. I think I must have managed it in then end, because at one point I looked down and saw the gate was suddenly open, but I'm not even sure how, honestly.

I made my first try at the fight after that, but was way too worn out to think straight, so it didn't go well. I resumed the next day and found it a bit easier, especially once I started using a bit more variety of spells than I generally have in fights. Although my attempt it end it slightly early by putting Minsc to sleep didn't work. The game insists you knock him out before taking you to the cut scene to recruit him.

Once I'd let Jaheira intimidate the Emperor into extending his protection to Minsc, retrieved Boo, and sent the somewhat spell-drained Gale back to the tavern to make room for him, it became time to enjoy the fruits of my endeavor. After looking the cultists hideout we look the handy ladder back up in the city, and I would ultimately spend much of the week wandering around, seeing new places, and enjoying Minsc's reactions throughout. We met Jaheira's family, triggered the start of a couple of side quests, as well as restocking our healing potions, and also buying a scroll of Greater Invisibility specifically for Gale to learn, the first time I'd deliberately done that. (His now having that spell has also come in handy already.)

Eventually I decided to take us into the park to deal with whatever the cultists were doing there. Of course, once we found out they were trying to murder civilians, Sara had to fight them. Except that it was when that fight was underway and Minsc wasn't getting a turn that I clicked on him, and discovered we'd left him all the way back on the second floor of the book shop. Which felt very Minsc. At least reloading allowed Wyll to pass the test he'd initially failed with Malta the cat, whom we'd run into en route, so hopefully he'll be back, too.

I wasn't entirely happy with how many civilians got killed during the park fight, in the end, though the first two, at least, really weren't savable. I might have even retried it if I'd felt more ambitious. Poor Sara felt like even more of a failure, especially when she then got orders from the Netherbrain to kill the two people she's very much still going to kill. Nonetheless, seeing the Bhaalists murder her fellow Baldurians like that pretty much settled it in her mind. She's not waiting around while they likely kill more people, and she's not taking the longer process of taking Gortash down first either. With Minsc recruited, Sara Tully's next order of business is with Orin, and the Temple of Bhaal.

Even if Minsc said during her conversation rounds with everyone that he wanted to follow the Zhentarim he sent to the Guildhouse. Sara doesn't really care about what happens to most of the people there besides Mol and her friends, and she way well figure that kid can take care of herself. I also got Minsc and Jaheira's argument that night, which was a nice chance to give both characters and their relationship further depth. I think it says something that by then I wasn't even remembering who's voicing him; I was just taking it in.

But while it was basically him and his high enough perception that found our way into the Murder Tribunal under the gravestone shop, it turns out actually having him when we face his old adversary might not be the best idea. Not that Sara was at all happy at the prospect of making nice with Sarevok Anchev. After all, I now have it firmly settled in her backstory that she was one of the Gate's civilian inhabitants when he nearly took it over a century back. She and her wife and their dogs all lived in terror of him.

She nonetheless wanted to save Lae'zel even more than she wanted to kill him, and so initially she tried to just speak with him. But when it became clear she would have to humiliate and force Minsc into cooperation to avoid fighting him....well, honestly, I just couldn't do it. I guess that meant she couldn't either.

So I tried that battle. But it started looking like a very hard one indeed very early in, and at that point I decided to just exit, and when I go back to the autosave when I resume, I'll probably swap Minsc out for Karlach. I also spotted Dammon en route, and I'd like to talk to him with her as well.

[briarpatch-dragon]

next up in fun little guy simulator: reina, my “cosmic accountant”

the gimmick for the character is pretty simple aesthetically: I wanted a character focused around a life/death balance! so ideally, we’ll be a switch hitter between healing and damage. as an accountant, getting a book as a class feature is a really nice aesthetic bonus. so we’re going to look to get that too!

mechanically, this is a fucking nightmare.

reina is built for a long-term D&D 5e campaign, so her build needs to work well from 3rd level (game start) through high level. honestly it would have been easier on me if we started at 5th level, but them’s the breaks!

the origin of the concept was the never-published strixhaven UA warlock/druid Witherbloom archetype. this archetype RULES. I love that it does a nice mix of necrotic damage and healing, some at the same time! not all of the features really work for us, though—the potion one in particular is kinda bad.

if I was a normal person, I would simply build a warlock mage of witherbloom and call it good. however I am a crazy person and there is two-part key problem:

warlocks don’t really get healing spells and are pure damage and

they specifically don’t get the wither and bloom spell, which is exactly the bit we want

going straight witherbloom druid gives us the opposite problem—too much healing, not enough necrotic, with the extra annoyance that wild shape does nothing for the build, and there’s no pact of the tome to get us our book.

to combat these problems we’re going to multiclass.

now, multiclassing is always a bad idea in 5e. ASI/feats being tied to class levels means you’re always taking a substantial penalty for anything less than a 4-level drop. but we’re gonna work through it.

my split: druid 3 / cleric 1 / warlock n

warlock is obviously going to be our main class as mage of witherbloom. we’re going pact of the tome, so we’re going to go 2 levels of warlock before we do anything else and then go from there. this lets us start with the book, though no essence tap. my real preference would have been a level 5 start purely for that :(

for druid, we’re going to be going circle of dreams. circle of stars also would have been okay, but I liked the grab of an extra healing class feature. we will need 3 levels in druid to grab wither and bloom, which is the real reason we’re in this class at all.

i went this route because it nets the best of both worlds for aesthetics and mechanics between warlock and druid. unfortunately, it has one major downside, and that's how pact spells interact with regular spell progression. we're going to be stuck with a small pool of low-level spells, and while pact slots will eventually catch up, it's going to take a long time to get there.

what we're not short on is cantrips, so we're really going to lean into that. and that's why we're going to do a 1-level drop into arcane domain cleric.

adding a third class is almost never a good idea in 5e, but i'm arguing for it here. arcane domain gets us two things: more cantrips (way more cantrips!), and access to the cleric spell list. if we can't have power, we can have versatility, so we're going to have a cantrip for all situations. this route nets us more cantrips than a feat would and adds the same spell progression that druid 4 would, making it the better alternative to an otherwise dead level.

so how are we stacking up against our design goals?

✅ necrotic damage: we're doing okay. we've got some necrotic damage via cantrips and warlock/cleric spells

✅ healing: solid. druid/cleric are pulling the weight here and we've got some good healing via spells and class features. however, reduced spell levels hit the hardest here.

✅ utility: we've got a lot of utility casting options here. we're not doing high damage with anything that isn't necrotic, but we can fill in a lot of gaps.

✅ book: we got one via pact of the tome!

there is one crippling over-specialization in this build, and it's that it is extremely reactive. it doesn’t want to go first; it wants to go later in the round and support what other characters are doing.

I found this out the hard way from a combat that gave me nothing to react to. it doesn’t do a good job of being independently aggressive (though I do have eldritch blast, so there’s an okay fallback).

still, I’ll give this build a solid 6.5/10. it does what I want it to, even if it’s only doing an okay job of it. it would really work better if I could run a single class, but 🤷‍♀️ I’m sacrificing build quality for aesthetics.

[sono-yume]

I'm bored and want to rant about homework as an educator. I only have a bachelor's degree in education and 4 years of experience as a teacher, so feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt, or just ignore this post.

The opinion of the general population is that homework is a complete and utter waste of time, and there is no reason to do it or for teachers to assign it, and I agree with that to an extent.

I can only speak about my experience going through school to become a teacher in the US, but I can honestly say that homework wasn't really brought up, my pedagogy professors spent more of their time teaching us how to make effective assessments/tests. This leads me to my first point

Most teachers don't know how to make effective homework

Effective homework? What are you talking about? Homework is completely useless! And I would agree that most homework you have ever gotten has probably been pretty useless. But to talk about why it is useless, we really need to understand the most effective use of homework.

The most effective use of homework is to reinforce what you already know, but haven't mastered

This makes sense right? Have you ever seen something on your homework that you didn't go over in class, and got really confused and upset when you couldn't figure it out? That's a waste of your time.

Have you ever looked at your homework and thought to yourself, "I already know all this, this is a complete waste of time"? That's because it probably was.

So, through the process of elimination, homework needs to make you struggle a little bit, but not enough that you would need a teacher to answer questions. Otherwise it would be better as classwork. In education, a term you might hear thrown around like this is "scaffolding"

As you can probably guess, this is a pretty narrow range of difficulty, and giving the same homework to every student isn't going to be effective for every student as it will be too easy for some, and too difficult for others. Both are a waste of time. Which brings me to my next point.

Unless every student is at the same level and learning at the same rate, homework needs to be individualized to each student to be effective

Wait, individualized homework? Isn't that just tutoring? Yes. That's why so many people find tutoring to be so helpful.

So, how should teachers implement individualized homework? That actually depends on what subject and content is trying to be reinforced.

Let's start with skills that have a limit for mastery, like graphing a linear function, spelling words from the spelling list, typecasting in programming, knowing the names of major countries nearby, or identifying the stages of mitosis. Once you can do one of these skills, there really isn't a point to homework for it. I would argue that these types of skills shouldn't be reinforced using homework, and should be taught entirely in class.

I will mention however, that there is sufficient research demonstrating that normal math homework does lead to increased math ability in most students. I would argue that is because in Math (and several other subjects, like foreign languages and computer programming) each concept and skill builds upon the previous one, so if you miss or don't completely get one skill, you are crippled for the next several lessons unless someone catches the problem.

This is kind of a "shotgun method" to teaching if you ask me. It's just assigning homework and hoping if you don't learn in class you will learn through the homework. And yes, there will definitely be students who benefit from math homework being at the appropriate level for them, but students who learned it in class are just having their time wasted, and the students who need teacher help to complete the homework are kinda being tortured in addition to having their time wasted. (Unless they have a parent available at home with the ability to help their kid. This primarily benefits students of higher socioeconomic status, and is why it is occasionally argued that homework is racist) Neither of those outcomes are beneficial for those groups attitudes towards school and homework in general

So what is the way to do homework right in these cases? That's tricky. If it isn't important to future lessons, I would argue that it isn't important enough to justify the use of students' time outside of school. Otherwise, the teacher needs a way to track how well each student is doing every day to make sure the students who need teacher help get it, and the students who would benefit from homework get it, and everyone else doesn't get homework.

This is difficult, because that requires a lot of class time that the teacher probably doesn't have spare, (I don't know, I don't teach math), and not having homework because you did well in class encourages cheating (which doesn't help you learn) unless the teacher watches each student do the task one at a time, which they definitely don't have the time for (programming teachers might, I usually do). So usually, the most effective way is just the one that is the easiest for the teacher to check combined with the hardest to cheat on.

Next we have skills that don't have an upper skill limit. Usually these are more creative in nature, but can have a defined skill level that I would want a student to reach. Examples include, typing speed, reading ability, problem solving skills, essay writing, foreign language skills, anatomy drawing, photo editing, sheet music sight reading, etc.

Most of these skills are hard to measure, take way more time to learn than we have in class, and easy for students to adjust the level they are practicing because they are self individualizing. These are very easy to assign decently effective homework for. Though they are made much more effective with constructive feedback. An example of homework like this is "read 30 minutes" each weekday

I would like to point out that this covers most of a foreign language class, as such, homework is basically required for a class like that to learn enough to be a good use of time.

I will say more later, but because homework in this category is often just "practice X for 30 minutes". This can quickly take up way more of a student's time than necessary. This can cause problems that result in deficits in other parts of their lives, so homework does need to be minimized. Actually, I will say more right now.

Students don't have infinite time outside of school. All homework given needs to be effective enough to justify stealing time from the student.

Keep in mind I've only taught the ages of 11-19, so I can't really speak about younger students. Older students on the other hand, often have jobs, extracurricular activities, taking care of younger siblings, etc. Even having 30 minutes total of homework can be far too much for a student to actually complete. This is where you need to actually know the demographics of students at your school, as well as the students in your class. Many schools with students of low socioeconomic status, opt to ban teachers from giving homework. (I've worked at such a school) Because no matter if you make the most effective individualized homework ever, it only causes stress if the student doesn't have the time to do it.

Because homework needs to justify its existence. I believe that homework needs to apply to as many aspects of a students school/future life as possible, or be as narrowly tailored as possible to help with a specific core subject that they are struggling in.

General reading/writing practice, problem solving practice, and researching (both online and in a written text) are what comes to mind to me. As all of these will benefit a student in every class as well as after graduation.

Elective classes on the other hand (assuming there are enough electives for students to choose between) Should be allowed to give homework (student directed homework for skills without a skill limit) but the amount of time asked of students should be small, and the effect on the students grade should also be small, so a student won't fail by not doing homework.

My argument for homework for elective classes is as follows. I've found that Students with executive function problems are motivated to practice the things they enjoy if it is an assignment. (I've literally had students ask me to make something homework so they can force themselves to do it). Second, because you can give them fun things to do for homework. "Mom, I need to play 30 minutes of video games every day for my game development class" or "Yes, I do actually have to watch an anime episode every day for my animation class, here is the sheet from my teacher you need to sign saying I did it"

TLDR;

Homework can be useful to help students learn but it needs to be optimized to actually be useful to students.

Don't give homework if you know most of your students won't have the time for it

Homework shouldn't teach new things

Homework shouldn't force students to practice what they already know (waste of time)

Therefore, homework should be individual per student based on where they are at

If a skill isn't built upon by future skills in later lessons, it isn't important enough to assign homework for. In class time is fine instead

Core classes: (English, Math, Science, Social Studies) should only give homework that will benefit other core classes and life after school

Reading comprehension and problem solving skills are the two big ones

Unless it is very narrow for a specific skill the student is struggling in

Foreign language classes should be expected to give a lot of homework to be worth the time to take it

Elective classes can give homework, but they shouldn't be worth enough of the grade to make it hard for a student to pass if they don't do it.

That homework should be focused on self improvement in the elective class

[vermanaward]

dawntrail msq, 92-95

earthenshire

i'm just getting this out ahead of time. if this ends in another cheese debacle im. pls don't

apparently 'use your words to ask for things' is a concept that moblins are allergic to. god dammit

koana is that guy who studied abroad for a semester and came home all 'they do it Like This in Sharlayan We Should Too'

dont love that he's internalised so much that the foreign way is besterest, or that the writing keeps half supporting his assertions

[while standing right next to an aethyryte] whyyyyy do we have to taaaake a booooooooat

wait this is why we had that aside with the melodramatic elf wasn't it. sigh

so as well as speedrunning his character arc he's speedrun his citizenship arc. good for him i guess?

cool, role quests unlocked. time to ignore those until level 98

okay the gulool jaja fight was p fun

also i like that this whole hting isn't just. heeheehoohoo trial by combat goes brrr. he's like if izaro actually rubbed his braincells together and didn't set the empire up to fail

[koana voice] everyone will think twice about fighting us once we have advanced technology

yes that's definitely how this works. also absolutely the reason garlemald left sharlayan alone. not because sharlayan kept running away like the cowardly fucks they are.

wow. gee. lamat got herself catnapped this definitely wasn't incredibly predictable

doing the stealth section while it's pissing it down with rain so my girl has her bright white umbrella out = top tier

well. koana's not having kids the old fashioned way

and once again we all just. stand there like muppets while the bad guy retreats.

then again literally all of this could have been avoided if someone had. escorted the catgirl when she was lured into the Very Obvious Trap. sigh

either way this is going to end with one of the cats on the throne and the other in an advisory capacity. and i hate it

i had to xp grind here bc of Miscalculations. how embarassing -_-

worlar's echo

finally realising that the urqopacha day theme has the same opening as the sohm al theme. concerned about what further parallels are going to be drawn. is valigarmanda nidhogg's ex? is estinien going to get posessed again? pls say no

at least there's not a blue hair elf pld for them to kill off this time

okay so i was wrong about valigarmanda. i still expect that the seal in the city will house a boss fight, though.

new prediction: the feat of ice will start with 'strengthen valigarmanda's prison', and end up being 'actually just fucking kill it'

pretty purple bird. it's the next dungeon boss isnt it

dungeon 2 - worqor zamor

alisae green dps LMAO

how i feel during prog sometimes. tbh

krile uses aoe spells?? in dungeon??? what is this MADNESS

hot Damn i like boss 1 a lot. it's cute but also its mechanics are kinda fun

i also like that trusts don't just run to the safe spot straight away any more. little details in programming them that makes them seem more human

boss 3's no slouch either. honestly a good dungeon alround tbh

the gear is unique too. dyes too

aaay got the orc roll too

valigarmanda

...and we didn't use erenville's magic macguffin when lamat was missing because....?

WHY COULDNT WE FEED IT THE INFORMATION IN THE FIRST PLACE. christ this is so needlessly padded

the normal was pretty fun. ex hopefully will be interesting. the persistent dot on everyone after the add phase was an interesting touch. music slaps too

it occured to me about half way through that if valigarmanda is/was an auspice, it probably lost itself to aramitama at some point, which is. sad, honestly. give your local long lived sentient animal a hug before they go mad and blow the world up

also i noticed krile casting aero ii at vali and. i guess her ai script just loops aoe spells in part of it, instead of being smart enough to tell between single target and multiple targets. at least she aoes i guess.

oh. the "golden city" was amarout wasn't it. 🙃🔫

iq br'aax

so instead of using our words and just. asking someone what this recipe is, we're going to watch people and divine a particular recipe from the aether. why is this storyline so allergic to people talking to each other like adults

what am i saying this is xiv nobody talks to each other like adults. urianger least of all.

[consults crafting log] well either it's higher than level 95, requires a master crafting book, or doesn't exist. there i solved the trial can we- [dragged off stage out back]

...why the fuck is french toast a level 93 recipe

oh okay i used my words and asked someone and we were forbidden from being told this information so i guess we're just following quest markers until we stumble upon it by happenstance and exposition

oh my god alphinaud shut up about the fuckin firewood

brokering peace by appealing to a greater xenophobia is. it sure is a tactic i guess

not that he's wrong per se but like.

if there's been peace for eighty years tho, and barring the use of something like black rose, you'd have thought the cinderfields would have grown back by now. ash is a wonderful fertiliser, after all. but what do i know

(even then the east end still has more regrowth that. an old battlefield in the middle of a rainforest? okay.)

pls krile i powerleveled cul so i could afk macro my own consumables. i do not cook

i keep periodically remembering the person responsible for overseeing this expac and i'm just. yeah. the heavy handedness. yeah.

Oh Boy Parenthood Drama man

Wuk Lamat Has Two Dads (but no mom. xiv pls)

"several cutscenes" says the prompt, while there's the telltale solo instance marker around an npc. sure, jan

apparently squex did not in fact get the memo that people hate rp battles

wol: [popcorn intensifies]

mamook

we are actually visiting. an entire map during a single arc of the story. this is unprecedented. at least outide of final zones, anyway. which i know this isn't bc my shared fate and aether current trackers are half empty

you know i. i'm extremely not a fan of how it's the lizards of all the groups here that are the supremacists who are not above lying/cheating/stealing/etc. just saying

SILVERSCALES MENTIONED

actually i've been sorta wishing i could bring it up. 'yeah i beat several shades out of him for bullying harmless tonberries. who then finished him off with their knives, yes, but fucker had it coming'

why are there alkonosts here 👀 not that it really matters but. pretty birb-not-birb

man we're gearing up to Power Of Friendship the racist supremacists again aren't we

whatever. lower yak'tel is so pretty, i can't wait to fish here :3

i like how everyone assumes that we're on the level and didn't murder bakool for his blessed scales like he kinda deserved

GLOW IN THE DARK BANANAS

actually i just saw a glow in the dark skeletal alkonost and now im wondering if the glow in the dark isn't like. radiation or someshit

i guess it tracks that the one thing wuk lamat would learn from the wol would be the ability to look at an enemy who despises everything that they are and go. "FRIEND SHAPED. :D"

oh okay we're Power Of Science (And Also Friendship)-ing our way out of this

which is great and all but man. sometimes people are just power hungry dicks, you know? this is the same shit we went through in garlemald. 'waugh they were only xenophobic warmongers because they had to live in a shitty country and people were shitty to them'. which, again. werlyt author -_-

...the catboy's going to quit, isn't he

ilevel for this battle is 666. lmao

"everyone ready?" erenville: [flees]

i didnt realise roegadyn were from yorkshire

i'm going to go out on a limb here and assume the fact that kettie is still alive is connected to something in not!amaurot

im also going to crash here bc its 2am and ive been awak since [looks at clock] too early. TMORROW: WE CONTINUE

[tetsuro-wulf]

The Wulf's Eye: RP Journal #120 | Spring Joys

It seems I'll have to discipline myself into consistently writing these journals, as yet again since the engagement, much has happened that I'd like to share, to keep written memories of at least.

Word seemed to have reached out to a.. journal company? Newspaper company? Writer's company..? Something about publishing written work to the public. But a man from Kugane interviewed me a bit regarding my strides towards educating the public about the co-existence of yokai and mortals in our world. The man who interviewed me seemed more than fascinated by the thought. We went back and forth, sitting by a tea shop in Kugane.. luckily for him, I was very much talkative. But I wasn't expecting to be contacted for an interview, so this is an even better means to get the word out.

The next few days involved a lot of meditation, and guiding those who sought it at my Shrine. It was nice to review their chakras again. Plus, Nightraid ended up having a group barbeque in our yard which was filled with laughter.. even if I was napping half the time. But at least I was in the company of my lover, my sons, and my friends!

The ochaya has been growing too. We recently got three new faces to add to our variety. And bit by bit the Moonflower's reputation grows. Which I'm more than happy for.

Oh oh! And my Earth studies have been so fun.. honestly, so far it has been more fun than levin. I suppose that's to be expected considering levin was.. forced upon me by a cursed ring. But now it's useful, no~? And has.. somehow earned me the nickname 'Raiju' in the Jade Moon Kingdom. AND.. my boyband. I guess. But BACK TO EARTH! Li taught so much about the land, taking from it, and realizing the Chi that I utilizes also resonates with the Earth.. because Chi exists through the Earth just as much. I managed to grow flowers utilizing Chi, which I never thought was possible. Growing flowers without the whole.. seed and watering process. Not only that, but with our essence imbued into them, they're stronger than your typical flowers. We decided to start growing these flowers for the Spiritual Shop. Seasonal flowers that we'll change here and there, though each has a means of usage for alchemy n' as herbs. And now I've been practicing taking specific minerals from the Earth to use as my own. Specifically iron. Ended up practicing some sparring with Nish so we could both go all out against each other, using some spells I created having studied for.. hours. Ha! It's been fun.. but now it's time to take it to higher levels.

I wanted to end this journal off on well, where I'm writing from. Currently, Scilla and I are staying over at his parents' house. As we wanted to visit them to properly give the news of our engagement. I'm so happy that Scilla seems to be gradually getting along with his father.. and vice versa. Otosan is a bit awkward but, he kind of reminds me of Nishikar. Of course, they were quite happy with the news.. excited for the wedding. This reminds me, I'll have to bring Li to my village.. finally.

04.19.2023 - 05.03.2023

[poorly-translated-wagyan]

Wagyan Paradise (Super Famicom, 1994) Part 8

After taking out the space station, Takuto finds that the sinister shadow’s real job was to hide an ocean base for the Namers. He decides to swim inside and investigate it.

...So, this is probably the most shocking screenshot to get. After swimming through the ducts of the base to get in, Wagyan Paradise shows off the next gimmick level it has, being a minecart level similar to what you’d find in Donkey Kong Country (Though not nearly as hard). Onward, Takuto, on the poop trolley to go to school!

After a ride on the poop trolley, Takuto finds that Dr. Devil isn’t the only guy trying to impersonate Dr. Wily. This fishman isn’t all too pleased about the destruction of his machine that was making the sinister shadow cloud from earlier.

After defeating that mad doctor Namer, we find his name is Namerstein. Because of course it is.

The next stage follows another cool gimmick where Takuto can yell into a bubble-blowing pipe, and his voice comes out encased in a bubble that slowly floats in one direction and can be used as a platform. This series is so creative, it's a shame it tends to have very short simple levels. It's a bit like if Super Mario 3D Land/World was a third of its actual length.

So it’s about at this point of the game that the narration before levels starts to give up on any kind of actual story and just points out stuff that’s happening. It’s a bit of a shame, though it does pick up again later on, and I still appreciate the presentation trying to tie it all together. It really does make me think of the Klonoa games.

At the end of this stage, Takuto runs into Namerstein again, only this time he’s turned himself to a cyborg. That's a bit much considering Takuto only beat him at a baby japanese word swap game.

Honestly, if I cared enough, I could actually use these Wagyan Land games to probably learn Japanese. In this game, the kana slowly spell out at the bottom of the screen and you have to pick the image that corresponds to it. In this case, it's a lion. Unfortunately for my higher education into learning a new language and jumping fully into weebdom, I only play Wagyan Land games for the plot.

Of course, being a dumb American whose knowledge of Japanese is next to none...it's time to just spam choices til I get it with the power of Rewind!

After winning a game fair and square, the mad doctor spouts gibberish and explodes, and it's back to the water for Takuto! I assumed that Google Translate was messing up here, but I firmly believe he really was just spouting gibberish as the loss to a baby robot kaiju thing at a baby Japanese game was too much for the mad doctor robot to handle. This is the second time you've blown up a robot today, Takuto!

Takuto’s expressions just say it all.

Something else to note, I don’t think Dr. Devil is actually in this game at all. Maybe he’s on vacation, maybe it’s on the fact this game is probably done by a completely different team. First Wagyan is written out, and now Dr. Devil isn’t the bad guy? My childhood is ruined! I hate change! Namco, how dare you do this to a series I’ve been invested in for a week at this point!

<<<Back to Part 7 Continue to Part 9>>>

[captainmaplesblog]

Life of Lea Volume 3 Chapter 10: The Bad Apples' Effect

“Who should go first then?” Lea asks as she sits in a chair.

“Nick, you should go first” Mom replies as she turns to look at him.

“Ah-well…I was on my way to get new shelves but then I was knocked out from behind because I remember waking up in a cell with a headache” Nick explained.

“And then what happened?” Mimi replies as she gently holds onto him closely.

“Then once my head stopped hurting, I was brought food and water, then afterward I was taken in to check on my magic levels before they used a device to suck or harness from then the next thing I remember is waking up when you guys found me” Nick exclaims.

“Why would they need to collect magic when they already have magic?” Cloud replies confused.

“From the Orerreu’s last journal, it said something about breaking a warrior’s sacred promise that only a mother knows” Sergean implies. 

“Side question, we know of Rosetta’s personalities, brother, and mom, I was wondering who was Mr. Vendetta? I didn’t see pictures of him at Nami’s welcome home party or him at the party either” Lea asks curiously.

“Well, he is- huh…who is their dad?” Sergean replies just as confused.

“A promise that a mother only knows…did Nami say anything odd about him when you saw her?” Lady Bianca asks.

“No, she didn’t but then we got interrupted by Kitty and Sparrow’s chaos spell” Lea replies with annoyance.

“Perhaps, we should go talk to Nami then” Lady Bianca implies.

“Sounds like a plan, let me discharge you, Mrs. Lay-Jiang” Doctor Silvester replies before leaving to get the papers.

After 15 minutes, Doctor Silvester came back with the papers and Mister Silvester. Eric and Adam fixed their postures as they waved at him. Mister Silvester went up to them and hugged both of his sons.

“Dad…you’re squishing us…” Eric says uncomfortably as Adam just hugs back gently.

“Sorry about that boys” Mister Silvester replies as he lets go of them.

 Doctor Silvester then gives Eric and Lady Bianca the release papers. Eric reads through the papers. Eric and Lady Bianca read through the papers before signing the papers before giving them back to Doctor Silvester.

“Dad, will your gym be opened on time?” Eric asks as he fixes his hair into a ponytail.

“I don't think so, young man, don't even do it” Doctor Silvester exclaims in her mon voice instead of her doctor voice. 

“What?... I’m not going back to the gym, Mom, I just wanna make sure he gets to work on time” Eric replies honestly.

“We should contact Lady Molly” Lea exclaims as she blushes from Mister Silvester’s thick meat cake body.

“I’ll message, Elizabeth” Sergean replies as he gets out his phone from his jacket pocket.

"Who'll contact Nami?" Lady Bianca asks. 

"I will" Momo replies as he texts Oliver. 

"Hi, I'll bring her over to your place just let me know when" Oliver texts him back.

"Got it" Momo texts him back before they leave the hospital. 

"Meet us at my place in 5 minutes" Momo texts when on the way back to his house. 

"Kay see you then" Oliver texted back as he got his mom and went to his car. 

After getting to Momo's house, Momo lets them all inside. Nami looks around curiously as she wonders why they were here at all.

"Hi, Nami" Lady Bianca asks as she approaches her. 

"Hi, Lady Bianca, glad to see you are safe" Nami replied as she went to hug her gently.

"So, are we here to celebrate your safe return?" Oliver asks.

"Yes, but also we have questions for your mom" Momo replies. 

"Oh ok, is that ok with you, Mom?" Oliver asks her. 

"Yes, that's fine, " Nami replied with a curious glint in her eyes.

Momo nods as he gets them food and something to drink. Nami and Oliver follow him as they choose what they want to eat. Lea had her notes out as she was curious about what Nami's answers would be. After they got their food and sat down, Lea went up to them with curiosity in her eyes.

"Hi, Miss. Vendetta, may I ask you a question, please?" Lea asks.

"Sure, what's your question, Miss. Lea? " Nami replies as she looks at her. 

"Well, I heard a riddle and I was wondering if I could pick your brain about it," Lea asks with an innocent expression.

"Oh? What was the riddle?" Nami replies curiously.

"A warrior's sacred promise that only a mother knows," Lea says. 

"A warrior's sacred promise is a powerful pinky promise if made or broken there will be consequences as for the only mother knows means mothers have personal secrets or stories that they keep from their kids but also is similar to mother knows best" Nami explained.

"Oh, yeah that makes sense, thanks for allowing me to pick your brain, I'm gonna go tell Vanessa," Lea replied as she typed that all down on her phone before sitting beside Sergean. 

"Smooth move" he whispered to her. 

Lea nods as she goes to Lady Bianca and shows her the notes. 

"Oh, that is a nice picture, send me it," Lady Bianca says as she exchanges numbers with Lea.

"Kay," Lea replies as she sends her a copy of the notes to her forgetting the notes that she made of Adam and Mister Silvester's looks from an artist's observation notes on the way here.    

 "Ah yes... mountain-sized abs... yes, truly excellent sizes," Lady Bianca says with a smug and teasing tone.                                  

"Please don't read that part..." Lea replies nervously.                         

"Who are they about then I will stay quiet," Lady Bianca says.            

"Fine...they are about-" Lea whispered their names into Lady Bianca's ear.                       

Lady Bianca snorts a little bit, "Ha- But they are like that" she whispers back to her.

Lea nods as Sergean looks at them in confusion before he whispers to the others about Nami's answer to Orerreu’s last entry note. Momo then moved closer to them as he had more questions.

 "So, Nami we never did get to finish our conversation from your welcome party, may we continue that conversation?" Momo asks.                            

"Oh? Yeah...sure that's fine, Momo, what were we talking about again?" Nami replies confused.     

"About what Rosetta and her personalities did to you what they did to you and what did they want from you," Momo asked.                          

 "Oh, that! Let me think about it for a moment...hm...oh well from what I remember I was on my way to work then the next thing I remember I was in a cell and Rosetta was yelling something at me like she wanted to know about someone I knew but with the way she was acting like this or why she had her hair up in a ponytail where both a first for me, then the last thing I remember happening afterward was waking up on pavement after I didn't give her the answer she wanted but also it was no longer 1994 but 2015" Nami replied with a pout.

"Sounds like you got the Captain America and iceberg, you must have been so overwhelmed," Lea says as she frowns.                          

 "Yeah, still a bit overwhelmed now, to be honest," Nami replied as she scratched behind her head.

"Fair, have you ever made a warrior's promise, Nami?" Cloud asked curiously.

"Well...um I can't tell you that or there will be bad after-effects because it's that sacred" Nami replied with a hesitant smile.                               

 "Bad effects? Like being sprayed in the mouth by a skunk bad or not being let out when having to go to the bathroom really bad kind of bad?" Cloud asked.                              

"Both of that sounds horrible, I'm sorry you had to go through that but yes bad like being sprayed in the mouth by a skunk kind of bad" Nami replies as she feels bad for him.                     

"Oof, I remember that happening last year," Lea says as she remembers him being in the yard for 2 weeks and howling so much that he lost his howl.

"So, you can't tell us if you know anyone who's made a warrior's promise, then?" Cloud asks her. 

"Yes, I can't tell you that information, sorry about that" Nami replies with a soft grin. 

"Fair I guess this means we will have to tread carefully," Cloud says still curiously. 

"That is true, is there anything else you wanted to ask of me?" Nami replied she had a suspicious look in her eyes as she wondered what they were after.

"Yes, does Rosetta and Oliver have a dad?" Lea asked cautiously. 

"Well, they exist and I am experienced, so yes they have a biological dad" Nami replies nonchalantly. 

"Ah right...that's true, sorry for asking," Lea says awkwardly. 

"That was an obvious and dumb question" Alyssa implies as she shakes her head slightly. 

"Ah right......ok fair," Lea says as she looks down slightly. 

"It's ok, you don't have to put yourself down, Lea" Nami replies as she looks at her with slight concern. 

"H-Huh? Alright, sorry" Lea says confused.

 "Anyways, we should talk to the families of the missing, who should we talk with first?" Oliver asks as he tries to ease the tension. 

“True should we just go down the list or in alphabetical order?” Lea replies curiously. 

“Alphabetical order, we already talked with Asia & Eric’s family, we should go talk with the Erwin’s again” Sergean suggests. 

“Back to the Nature Region, then how will we get a hold of the Erwin’s or Lady Ellie?” Lea asks curiously. 

“With this of course,” Momo replies as he brings out a big phone book onto the table. 

“Hello, 90’s... whoa,” Lea says a bit surprised that they had phone books here. 

“Are phone books not common in your dimension, Lea?” Momo asks as he looks at her curiously. 

“Well...kinda but it’s fine, still helpful though” Lea replies with an awkward smile. 

“Fair ok,” Momo says as he brings out Erwin's and Lady Ellie’s numbers. “I’ll call the Erwin’s first, Lea gets a hold of Lady Ellie please,” Mom says as she dials their number Lea types in Lady Ellie’s number to text. 

“Hello, this is Erwin’s residence, Eliza speaking,” Eliza says as she answers the phone. 

“Hi, Mrs. Erwin, this is Mrs. Guerrero, you helped us through the forest” Mom replies politely. 

“Oh yes, I remember you and your family as well as the others who tagged along with you, how can I help you?” Eliza asks.

 “Well, we wanted to talk to you, your husband, and your eldest son about Ethan, if that’s alright with you” Mom replied calmly.

“Oh, yes that’s fine, I’ll let my husband and son know that you lot are coming over,” Eliza says with a smile.

“Alright, we’ll see you then” Mom replied before they both hung up. 

“Ok I texted Lady Ellie and she replied that she’ll meet us after talking with Erwin's to go over to her cabinet” Lea implies.

“Alright, let’s get going then” Sergean replies as he gets as he got up from his seat.

“Oliver and Nami should tag along, we have to take your mom to her appointment, we’ll see you at Lady Ellie’s cabin later if that’s ok with you two,” Dad asks.

“Oh yeah that’s fine, go ahead” Nami replies as she stretches her limbs before getting up from her seat.

“You can use magic?” Cloud says confused as he tilts his head to the side.

“Yes, before I became a mom, I helped the masters of the Spiritual Region, Lady Lilith's parents  Adsila & Idhant Raven, and was also going to help Lady Lilith til she was old enough to take charge of the duties so her parents could retire” Nami replied as she fixed her hair.

“Why you though? Are you related to Lady Lilith somehow?” Mom asked as they went out before opening up two portals.

  “Kinda? I was friends with her parents, so I’m like her auntie if that makes any sense” Nami replied with a grin.

“Oh, yeah that makes sense,” Mom says with a smile.

“Indeed, I can tell more after your appointment” Nami replies before they go to their portals.

Lea looked at her mom before they went their separate ways quietly. Alyssa notices her sister’s saddened facial expression once they arrive at Erwin’s house.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be ok, Lea” Alyssa says before patting her back hard awkwardly.

“O-Ow...ok” Lea replied as she grimaced at the fact that she was still in her slapping phase technically.

“What? Did you think I was gonna slap you?” Alyssa says with a smug smirk.

 “M-Maybe...just don’t get all slap-happy on me, please” Lea replies as she moves closer to Mimi and Nick.

“Hehe ok for now I won’t” Alyssa giggles.

“So reassuring,” Lea thought to herself as Sergean knocked on Erwin’s front door.

Eliza answers the door before she lets them inside her house.

“Thank you for letting us come over and talk with you and your family,” Mimi says happily.

“Of course, it’s no trouble, progress is progress as long as it brings Ethan back home sooner as well as the others who are missing” Eliza replies with a sad smile.

“Yes, everyone will come home, that's a promise,” Lea says reassuringly.