#on a really bad day guy's physical status needs to be equivalently bad to my mental/emotional state

[mousehole5000]

more tgcf chapters 143-173 lets goooooo

PEI MING BOO HISS except actually okay he’s mostly funny i think but still boo hiss

“hey who’s this guy who’s really pissed at you?” “oh thats my sword. i broke it.” alright then!

i think i need to go back and reread the banyue pass arc bc im still confused as to whats going on with banyue and pei su

“Banyue dropped from the sky with two pots raised. Without a word, she plummeted with the mouths of the pots facing down, trapping and detaining the shocked Ming’guang and the roaring Ke Mo within.” - THATS MY GIRL

“It must be known that, to heavenly officials, it certainly was more than natural for kingdoms of the mortal realm to fight and annihilate one another; the acts of these plays progressing on endlessly. But when it came their own turn, it was often hard to let things go. If one must stand in the same court as the one who annihilated their own kingdom, and that man cavorted in the heavens, exceedingly flashy, then it must be vexing.” - hmmmm!!

“I’ve spoken too many words in this lifetime. What are you referring to?” - okay to be fair thats a mood

okay its nice to get some pei ming backstory and its funny that he and xie lian are bonding but also still whenever pei ming interacts with a female character my hackles rise like a cat lol

“Xie Lian watched as Banyue thought really hard before cheerfully pulling out a few long, wine-red scorpion-snakes, and putting them into the bubbling pot.” - THATS MY GIRL

“Although “smell” was something colourless and formless, the instant Banyue removed the pot cover, it was as if some mysterious physical object had twisted all the air around the mouth of that pot. The group stared at the sight within the pot for a long time. Their pupils reflected an endless, bottomless darkness; like it could pull them into the abyss. No words could describe the sentiment expressed within their eyes. A moment later, Xie Lian patted Banyue’s shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.” - like father-figure like daughter-figure. amazing.

“However, what if one day mortals discovered something completely new that ran faster than horses? Then, when this new invention overtook horses, worshippers of this heavenly official who controlled horses would inevitably decrease. Such heavenly officials, flashing by like shooting stars, made up the majority of the heavens.” - obsessed with this, genuinely. life and change. worship and its purpose. my religious studies diploma on my wall is screaming at me rn. ALSO i am once again thinking about celebrities

“...” It was only then that Pei Ming seemed to notice, and started to contemplate this question. A moment later, he answered, “A habit. In a dark, creepy place like this, isn’t it normal to hold women in your arms, to comfort them and calm their fears?” “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t scared,” Banyue said.” - BANYUE I LOVE YOU. I MISSED YOU SO MUCH. god this takes me back to every college party i ever went to

LING WEN BACKSTORY????? shoeseller chosen for godhood bc she wrote a political essay and got arrested...... and now she’s face to face with the official who appointed her..... do go on.....

“Ling Wen laughed out loud, seeming to be enraged, and her voice dropped. “Very well! You said I couldn’t reach that high. Then, might I ask you: had the prominence of the Palace of Jing Wen at its peak ever reached even the knees of my Palace of Ling Wen??” - GET HIM!!!! BOO HISS JING WEN

“Compared to you, I’m not that bad,” Ling Wen said. “You’d personally order me to stay in the Palace of Jing Wen until midnight, then turn around and say I shamelessly hang around ‘til late to harass you. Words murder without form; I was much nicer responding with blatant violence.” - ling wen im love you..... also this bit... feels Real

BLOOD RAIN BLOOD RAIN BLOOD RAIN!! FLOWER PETALS TRANSFORMATION!!! see hua cheng? look as how cool it can be when you leave the story for a little while!! bc then you get to return and make an entrance!!

“Not only can you bring forth bloody rain, you can also make flowers shower. I didn’t know that. How fun!” - cute!! and in that moment we were all xie lian

“Everyone was stunned by his deed, and Ling Wen arduously gave him a thumbs-up. ”Ol’ Pei, what a man!” Pei Ming gritted his teeth. “WELCOME!” - aww three two tumors buddies!!

okay yin yu is here and xie lian did the equivalent of asking someone when the baby is due only to find out theyre not pregnant at all. then rong guang taunts yin yu and no one says anything. i do love the amount of awkward moments in this book tbh sometimes there are no words.

“All around was sand and mud crushing at him, exceedingly suffocating. The sand and mud was also moving endlessly; the feeling was like he was swallowed into the stomach of a giant monster, and that monster had also eaten a bunch of other things besides him, tumbling everything in its stomach, trying to digest” - ooooh creepy!!! the red string thing... is cute.... also xie lian being able to see hua cheng’s butterfly vision by looking directly into his eye is kinda cool. and obviously homoerotic.

“Are lower-ranked heavenly officials below other people?” Quan Yizhen asked. “No,” Yin Yu replied. Were they not? It was obvious that he himself didn’t believe in his own words, and Quan Yizhen also noticed. A good while later, he said bluntly, “I don’t like it here.” Yin Yu said nothing.” - im having emotions. and then yin yu also saying he doesnt like it there either.... also idk how this scene is going to play out but as much as im enjoying quan yizhen being an icon i can also possibly see how yin yu could eventually get to the point of “i am tired of being nice. i do just want to go apeshit” even if he really cares about qyz. it happens </3

“Indeed,” Hua Cheng said. “Half a year later when Quan Yizhen actually ascends, he won’t find it so funny anymore.” “Can we watch that part too?” Xie Lian asked. “We can. Hold on,” Hua Cheng replied.” - quan yizhen king of taking things literally. also why did this turn into hualian having a movie night

jian yu seems like the kind of asshole who would purposely give someone regular soda when they specifically asked for diet soda. god yin yu is really having a bad day i really feel for him in the whole situation with the brocade immortal

awww okay at least jian yu tried to take responsibility. im still mad at him tho that was objectively a terrible idea. god this whole situation sucked :(

“Rocks and earth crushed at them from all around, forcing their bodies to press tightly against one another, their faces brushing, their ears warm. Although it wasn’t the right time, a thought flashed through Xie Lian’s mind: “‘To die buried together’ doesn’t feel so bad.” - okay... im kind of emotional.... gay people....

okay obviously these murals and the prince of wuyong have some connection (im guessing pretty direct) to xie lian and are important but everytime they start analyzing one i feel like im back in art history class fhadskfhskjdhf not that thats a bad thing!! i liked art history a lot tbh

“Don’t worry, they’re not human,” Hua Cheng said. “It’s precisely because they’re not human that we have to worry, alright….” Xie Lian thought.” - goth ghost bf problems

xie lian: well, there is one person i trust more than anyone else, someone who’s first in my mind hua cheng, oblivious: oh :/ xie lian, also oblivious: what? hua cheng: you shouldnt trust so easily its dangerous xie lian: oh. haha. yeah. well. wanna,,, know who it is? hua cheng: its :) fine :) it :) doesnt :) matter :) but of course you can tell me if you want to gege xie lian, internally: well now ive made it weird hua cheng, 5 minutes later: actually i need you to tell me. right now. its totally for your security me: gay people smh

“As they suspected, he had been captured by Qi Rong. Although no one was bound by ropes, there were balls of greasily green ghost fires hovering over every one of their heads.” - completely off track but anybody else remember the great green globs of greasy grimy gopher guts song

“Could there actually come a day when Qi Rong was embarrassed that someone might see the manner in which he ate? Before Xuan Ji entered, she put Guzi down. Guzi, ta-ta-ta, ran in, rushing straight to Qi Rong’s side. But when he saw him, he pointed his finger. He cried, “Dad is eating bad things in secret again!” “I’m not!” Qi Rong retaliated.” SCREAM IS QI RONG LEARNING THE POWER OF LOVE NOOOO also god that poor man whose body he has im starting to doubt if he’ll ever be free jimmy novak flashbacks

everytime we get another ghost king power somewhere someone should be writing hua cheng the cyborg bf in a high tech futuristic au i think thats the only other potential setting that could truly capture this wild ride

“In truth, throughout history, there was no man in the world who didn’t love bragging. A breeze could blow the handkerchief of a brothel girl into a man’s hand, and he would turn around and say the most beautiful of renowned escorts had fallen in love with him; holding shoes and wiping benches for the emperor’s mistress’s uncle’s grandson’s cousin’s mistress would for sure become him being an important administrator at the residence of royal relatives, raising his status. Thus, men who didn’t brag were a rare species.” - SCREAM this is going in my favorite tgcf quotes folder god... mxtx come here let me shake your hand

read the story of rain master yushi huang’s ascension. why am i crying. also this bit im crying again me with my stuffed animals “Thus, while Yushi Huang was cultivating at the Temple of Yulong, every time when she went to seek water and passed that door, she would rub the head of that ox. The door knocker soaked in her essence of life, and when the Rain Master ascended, the ox ascended with her.”

okay thats enough for now i have 7 more chapters to book 4!!! woo!!!

[qqueenofhades]

So, it’s Friday evening, and it turns out I have more thoughts about things that happened this week. I almost never do Discourse on this blog, on whatever subject, but sometimes even your friendly local depressed historian gotta say things. If you’re not in the mood for a long-ass meta-y text post, just keep on scrolling, no hard feelings.

In the wake of the Notre Dame fire, which obviously a lot of us were upset about, and profoundly relieved that it did not end up being completely catastrophic, the usual spate of posts began to pop up, alleging that people only cared about Notre Dame because of the loss to Western/European/Christian history, that nobody had been this upset about the National Museum of Brazil or the outbreak of arson at three black churches in Louisiana in the same week, and so on. I don’t blame anyone for making those posts, because I know they cared about those issues and wanted to ensure that their importance was communicated, especially when something major like Notre Dame was getting all the airtime. However, I couldn’t help but notice how that followed the same pattern as all Woke Tumblr Discourse (tm). An event happens, people express reactions to it, and are then attacked or indirectly shamed for not expressing reactions to another event. Or there’s the usual cycle of “nobody will care about this because it’s not happening in America��-style posts, or passive-aggressive insinuations that “you don’t care if you don’t reblog this.” And -- I say this with the greatest kindness possible, because I know, I know you guys care -- it’s... not helpful.

The culture of Tumblr and other left-wing sections of social media often rests on enacting performative wokeness, on showing that you care about the most Progressive (tm) issues, or that you have thoroughly scrutinized your fandom tastes or political beliefs for anything Problematic and/or can prove yourself to an imagined moral standard (and there have been some great metas written on how this essentially replicates conservative evangelical purity culture, with the goalposts switched). This is why we keep having to circulate (and doubtless will have to do so with increasing frequency) those posts reminding the left not to eat its young and flame all prospective Democratic challengers to Trump in 2020 to a crisp before the right wing, which is only too happy to let us do the work of sabotaging ourselves, even gets a chance. This is also why you see the posts responding to said angry “nobody cares about this!” posts, in which people mention the fact that not visibly reacting to all the (vast and terrible) injustice in the world does not mean they don’t care. The world is a big place. So is the internet. I can guarantee you that people do care, and just because you didn’t see immediate evidence and response to it when you opened up your Tumblr dash is not proof of a collective nefarious conspiracy.

Take me, for example. I am a thirty-ish academic and historian who considers myself well-informed and literate in current events. I read national and international news every day to find out what’s going on (because I live in England, the answer is Brexit, and the status is Failed). And yet, there are plenty of things that I only hear about for the first time on Tumblr, often attached to one of those “nobody cares about this!” posts. And you know what? I do care. I care a lot. And I’m guessing that most other people do as well, because no matter how it may feel, the majority of individuals are fundamentally decent people with basic empathy for others, even if our whole system is a nightmare. But the urge to demand why nobody is Discoursing about this issue (again, among a vast and exhausting sea of them) needs to take a few fundamental things into account. 

First, the American media (as a large portion of readers are relying on) simply does not report this stuff. Look at what’s happening in that godforsaken country right now; does it really seem like the kind of place that’s eager to tell you about Brazilian museum fires or black-church arson? I’m someone who makes a conscious effort to read the news no matter how depressed it makes me, and I still miss tons of stuff, because it’s not there. The Western media reported on Notre Dame, people knew about it, and were upset. But when those of them who did not know about the National Museum of Brazil learned about it, they were also upset. We can definitively say now that the National Museum was a bigger and more irreplaceable tragedy in terms of what burned. But we were also apparently 15-30 minutes away from losing all of Notre Dame. You can be upset about both these things. You can express empathy for the history lost in both cases. There is not a greater moral value attached, and you’re not racist for caring about Notre Dame if you heard about it first (unless you’re only upset about Notre Dame for reasons related to race or perceived cultural superiority and are peddling vile conspiracy theories about Jews and Muslims intentionally burning it down, in which case you are a racist). Almost everyone who learned about the National Museum fire was just as horrified.

2019 is a hard and monstrously unfair and tremendously difficult place to live. The internet has made exposure to both all the information and no real information at all simultaneously possible. Not everyone can display active engagement and empathy with every tragedy everywhere. People have jobs, lives, kids, work, school, other commitments, mental and physical health to look after and even when they read the damn news, there’s no guarantee whatsoever the news is going to report it. If they haven’t made the conscious effort to search out every scrap of terribleness that exists in this hellworld, they.... really should not be shamed for that. If they don’t care even after they learn, that’s another debate. But again, in my experience, most people do. But if they are first exposed to it by someone claiming they won’t care, that makes them less likely to engage with it, and to want to enact meaningful change. Firing wittily sarcastic takedowns at easy targets on echo-chamber liberal Twitter is one thing. We all enjoy a good roast and venting our frustration at times. But as a long-term engagement strategy, it’s going to actively backfire.

I talk a lot about being a teacher, and my experiences with my students, but it’s relevant again, so here goes. The kids in my classes come in believing some pretty strange things, or they flat out don’t have a clue even about what I consider basic historical knowledge. If my reaction was to shame them for not knowing, when they have expressly come to me to learn better, I’m pretty sure I’d be a bad teacher. My strategy, whenever a student can actually be nudged to answer a question, is to pick out whatever correct thing they said. Even if the rest of the answer is wrong and we need to work through it, I start by highlighting the part of it that was right, and to build their confidence that I’m not just going to tear them down when they respond. Freshmen are scared of not knowing things and to be made to look like an idiot, so I try to assure them that I’m not going to do that and I will constructively engage with their contribution and treat it seriously. You can then move to dealing with the other parts of it that may not be right, or even Mmm Whatcha Say side-eye. It is a long and often frustrating process and sometimes after reading their essays, you wonder how much of an impression you made. But if you actually want to get people to care about things, you can’t mistake Ultimate Wokeness or Look How Progressive/Anti-establishment/Enlightened I Personally Am for the simple requirement of being a decent person. You can have the greatest and most necessary beliefs or value systems in the world, but if your response to people is to lash out at them even before they begin the conversation, you’re setting yourself back. And I know that’s not really what you want to do.

This should not be interpreted as some wishy-washy “everyone just needs to be nice to each other!!!” kindergarten-playground-rule. I frankly think the whole system could use a good nefarious dismantle, and you sure as hell don’t get there by mistaking insipid moral equivalence for necessary action. But accepting the existence of people different from you, and considering how you want to engage with them, and understanding that issues are complicated and people are flawed, is a fundamental part of being a mature adult (and this has nothing to do with chronological age; there are 15-year-olds who are plenty more mature adults than 50-year-olds). I honestly do love the desperate desire to make people care, and that, for the most part, is why people who identify as liberal or left-wing do so, because they want to (and they do) care. But it’s also why they can be bad at winning elections and getting into meaningful positions to enact this change. The right wing stays on message and sticks together. Even if they absolutely hated Trump, plenty of Republicans held their noses and voted for him anyway. The left did not do that. The greatest virtue of liberal thought, i.e. its determination to include multiple perspectives, has increasingly reduced it to smaller and smaller camps where only the purest survive, like some kind of ideological Hunger Games. It might be great for making yourself look good to your hall of mirrors, but.... not so good for actually doing something long-term.

Once again, this is not to blame anyone for being upset and worried about things, for wanting people to know about them, and so forth. But I am gently-but-firmly suggesting, in my capacity as old, salty, queer spinster academic aunt, that perhaps you consider how you start the conversation. Once again, it’s my experience that most people want to know and want to care, but there are countless factors that mean not every bad thing in the world will be acknowledged everywhere by everyone at all times. You can care about different things for different reasons. That is okay. You can care about something because you have a personal connection to it. That is also okay. You can not care about something because you just don’t have the capacity and are emotionally exhausted and there’s so much shit in this world that you have to compartmentalize and set boundaries. That is also okay.

For example, I was obviously very upset about Notre Dame, and still am, though I’m relieved it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Am I happy it’s going to be restored? Yes. Am I unbelievably angry that a half-dozen of the elite uber-rich could just suddenly throw billions of euros at it for its restoration, when it had to struggle for years to get funding for crucial renovations? Yes. Do I feel as if that if the vaults have suddenly been opened to restore one major European Christian landmark, it’s incredibly heartbreaking that that level of instant capital just won’t be addressed to actual endemic, long-term issues like global warming and social inequality and the Flint water crisis and whatever else, and that this is a sad and troubling message for our society in many ways? Yes.  All of these things exist together. And I imagine most people feel the same way.

In short: I realize this is the internet, and therefore just is not designed to do that, but maybe we can give each other a little bit more of the benefit of the doubt, and think about how we would like to educate and engage those we come in contact with, whether virtually or in reality. We can do it wherever and whoever we are, with anyone that we meet, and I wonder what it would be like if we did.

[ebthecelebrity]

Don’t Let Mercury Retrograde Get You F*cked Up!

With the Mercury Retrograde in effect until July 31st, I have definitely been quieter. This is the dreadful time of the year where planet Mercury moves in an opposite direction to planet Earth.  Mercury is the planet associated with Communication. As a major believer in astrology, I have always been intrigued with the planets and stars and am a big believer that we are balls of energy walking on earth.  

Energy never lies.

With the retrograde miscommunication, technical errors, and angry verbal blow-ups are expected. This is the time to OBSERVE, NOT ABSORB. If you observe the energy around you, you don’t have to absorb none of it. Remember, every action doesn’t deserve a reaction.  With this being said, over the past week, I have been observant and really shaking my damn head at the things I am seeing with grown ass adults. I mean,  do I really have to write this article on etiquette?  Why yes, yes I do. Somewhere, we lost our integrity and human empathy. From childish social media posts, petty family members and high school equivalent drama at work, the retrograde’s energy is suffocating me!  It could very well be the energy bouncing off the retrograde, or it could simply be the lack of decent manners.  

I wanted to share 8 etiquette rules that I live by.  Remind you, I am only 36 years young and I have a lot to learn.  Some of these, I, too, must remember and never step outside of the lines of respect. No one is perfect. If you are over 30 years old and you have to be reminded of these, it’s time to sit down, self reflect and repair your behavior.  

1.  When dropping a friend/lover/family member off at their home, wait until they have fully unlocked their door and went inside their house before leaving.  I can’t tell you how much this bothers my spirit.  It screams, “IDGAF if you truly get home safe or not.”  A similar situation I had to learn from was when I was in my early 20s.  I dated a guy who lived in a not so great part of town.  After a night of clubbing, drinking excessively and even sexual relations, this guy would carelessly fall asleep.  I would too sometimes but then realize I had to wake up to head home as it was still dark outside. This guy would never wake up, causing me to venture outside alone.  My first pet peeve with this is if you can’ t handle your alcohol, don’t overindulge and leave your date to fend for themselves.  I would always say a silent prayer that once I walked outside to my car no one would be hiding behind some bushes to kidnap or rob me.  This behavior is inexcusable.  Always make sure your loved one is fully in the house before driving off.  I am not only discussing this as something to be aware of in bad neighborhoods, but what if that person lost their keys and their phone was dead?

2.   Please don’t talk loudly on the phone in public.   Okay, we have ALL done this. Sometimes you are knee deep into a conversation that just can’t be finished when you walk inside the store, however, to be loud and obnoxious is NOT the business.  The other day my son and I were in Food Lion picking up a few groceries.  I was strategically looking at the barbeque sauces.  Reading the back of each bottle with the goal to find the one with the least amount of artificial ingredients and no high fructose corn syrup.  Two young girls came into the store and were engaged in a phone conversation via face time with someone. “Ayeeee! It’s a hot girl summer girl! Turn up! Drink something!” I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Then, the worst happened, they strolled right down the sauce aisle where I casually stood.  The loud laughter, yelling and inappropriate conversation almost sent me over the edge. Mind you, it’s a place and a time to turn up. Hell, I still partake in a light turn up periodically.  As we age, many of us find perfect peace in the comfort of our home.  We dread leaving home to visit the grocery store, hair salon, barbershop, riding public transportation, doctor’s office, etc due to this very reason.  It’s instant anxiety.  I understand that not all public places are quiet, but it would be a lot more enjoyable if we all respected each other’s peace in any environment. PS: It’s still a hot girl summer though, but can we leave the grocery store out of it? Thanks Megan Thee Stallion J

3. Call before you stop over someone’s house.  As stated before, your home is your haven; therefore, if you see someone pop up in the driveway without a prior notice, proceed to ignore the doorbell.  Now, back in the day, this may have been common as the development of technology left room for unexpected guests.  Now in the 21stCentury, we communicate via phone or text.  You can also send a dm, type it in a status update, or email the other party.  There are too many ways to communicate a visit to show a lack of respect of popping up. The next time you even think this is a good idea, ask yourself if the other party possibly worked a long shift, has to cook dinner for their family, has extensive house chores or may be trying to find the energy to do homework with a young child.  To selfishly barge into someone’s structured day without notice, even to drop off an item cannot be tolerated.

4.  Never go to a party empty handed.  Please do not be this person!  I don’t know a single soul that is not on a budget.  Even the wealthiest of people enjoy Wendys “4 for 4” and clips coupons.  Any working, middle class individual knows that throwing any type of party can be costly. You have to brace yourself for the upcoming energy bill after your summer party for the amount of air condition that you provided the guests.  Freeloaders are not welcome in 2019 and beyond.  This shit stops TODAY!   If you know someone who does this, it’s time to take his or her name off the guest list going forward.  I sit back and am puzzled on how can people show up to an event held in the comfort of another’s home and just “show up.”   Unless the host advises you that you don’t need to bring anything,  that would be the only time to show up empty handed.  It can be as small as a bag of ice or paper cups to as large as a sheet cake or a bucket of fried chicken.  My go to is always a bottle of wine.  You can never go wrong with that.  Worst case scenario, no one drinks it and you finish the bottle yourself.

4.  If you borrow money and it took you longer than expected to pay that person back, give a little interest.  Okay, hear me out.  Many of us have loaned a close person some money and they haven’t been able to pay us back in time.  We thank God that we are able to help, but there is also that possibility that your own finances get messed up in the process. I have witnessed people getting a loan from someone who are awaiting their loan to be paid back.  It could be as little as $30, which may be the monthly Internet bill.  If we were all able to acquire a loan from major banks, we’d all be paying interest anyway.

5. Never put your phone on the table while eating a meal with a guest.  I’ve struggled with this the most. I’ve learned that sacred time is just that, SACRED.  After you’ve snap chatted a pic of your delicious plate of food, place your phone in a purse or pocket and engage. In the constant need of communication and the fast paced social media interactions, having the phone on the table screams that the phone is your guest, and not your physical one.  Taking a break off technology for some old fashioned conversation is the new wave.  As soon as the meal is over, then you can check the 56 likes and notifications you received on the pics of your crab legs.

6. Don’t try to build a romantic relationship over the text messages. Tinder, Bumble, POF, and the many other dating applications have made it very convenient to meet potential mates over the phone, but once you have had that icebreaker, what’s next?  This is a lazy approach to continue to court someone you are very interested in via text.  How would you know that you hate the way they chew without more in person interaction? I understand that sometimes many introverted people urge to date too.  Being standoffish and contacting via text message will only cause the other party to look the other way when they find someone who starts actually making plans with them. Getting to know a person takes physical contact, not sex, just physical chemistry. It’s important to see if a person’s energy matches yours.  Instead, call and say “I’m making breakfast, come by”, “ face time to ask them how their day went and analyze their facial expressions or plan a weekend date at the park to have some one on one.  Actions are proven to show great results in terms of dating and for the life of God, STOP TEXTING “WYD” !

7.  Stop asking a Black Woman if she is wearing a wig/weave.  * sigh *  The fact that I am saying this in 2019 is beyond me.  I love to change my hair up, as it gives me a sense of empowerment.  I grew up thinking my hair needed to be straightened and while there is nothing wrong with that, I have grown into acceptance of the hair that grows out of my scalp. I worked with a woman who always made a big deal about when I changed my hair. In our 9 am weekly meetings, she would broadcast to the entire staff that I have new hair.  I felt all eyes on my scalp, many wondering if it was grown out of my scalp or not.  This irritated the shit out of me. I am here to do a job, not to be discussed. Please do not ask a black woman, “Is all that your hair?”  You can be another black woman and do this, making it unacceptable. Unless that woman puts the information out there for your curiosity,  then please just don’t.  Purchasing an additional hairpiece is not anyone’s business.  A simple, “Your hair looks great!” compliment will suffice.  

8. Never, Ever, Ever, Ever, EVER tell someone they look like they gained weight! This is self explainatory.  I don’t have to go any further. Next person who tells me this, WILL get punched in the face. 

Now, this is just a few and I am confident there are many many more etiquette practices that we can live by.  If you know me personally, this is not a jab at you.  It’s simple rules to live by.  Let’s make the world a better and more caring place by practicing respect and love at all times.  Now, let me go sage my entire house and myself.  Time to meditate, pray and just observe. Happy Self Care Sunday!

[hitodama89]

A meme stolen from @niuniente! I have always loved this meme format a lot:

Answer 11 Questions, Invent 11 Questions and tag people!

1. Your favorite vacation memory?

That’s a tricky one to start this with! Most of my vacations have been uhh more or less disastrous because my family just is Like That, but there have still been some great moments. One very cool was visiting Kolmården, a zoo in Sweden. There was this safari tour where you could basically drive through some animal enclosures and it was really incredible! Ostriches came to eat insects from the car windows, giraffes forced the cars to stop because they just felt like standing in the middle of the road aaaand there were some bears mating. =‘‘’D

2. Your favorite character and why?

Vegeta from DBZ. =D Obviously I have many faves, but this idiot has stuck with me for so long and I never seem to get tired of him. He is just a perfect combination of every major trope I love in characters: proud to a fault, can’t easily be classified as a good or bad guy (and goes back and froth both roles over and over again), gets beaten to ground every two seconds... All the good stuff!

3. What is the most precious item you own?

Hmm, I’m not sure! I really love one of my oldest plushies, a bird-like creature I named Vennu as a child. I got it from my mother’s mother who died when I was six years old. Other than that I really adore everything that was hand made for me by someone, be it an art piece or something practical, like these comically big potholders my mom has made.

4. In what kind of a house you’d want to live?

I honestly pretty much live in my dream house already: in a decent sized apartment close to the center of the city, top floor and in the corner of the apartment complex. I rent the place, but honestly I’ve never wanted to own an apartment unless something really extreme happened and I won in a lottery or something. I don’t want to be forever tied to a certain place, not physically nor financially! Like yeah, right now I’d never want to move away from here, but I want to be free to do so if the situation some day changes.

5. Compliment someone! Who do you compliment and why?

Well the potholders already made me think about my mom, and she is certainly someone who deserves every compliment in the world. No one is obviously perfect, but she has such an infinite amount of kindness to share that it’s really incredible. She is as close to being irl Moominmamma as any real person can! <3

6. Repeating this question, as it was really good; If you could be a fairy tale character, who would you be and what would you do differently to change the story?

A good and difficult question indeed! I would definitely be some pretty minor character haha - I’m not a protagonist type the slightest bit. Maybe someone who would face a situation where they had to choose between sticking to the status quo and doing something unconventional but undeniably right. Which one would I choose, then? I feel like my life hasn’t answered that question yet.

7. Do you support any charities or organizations doing good? If you can’t support, what would you like to support if you had resources for it?

My finances are extremely limited, so I only donate to two: Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto and APOPO. The first one is dedicated to protecting Finnish nature and the latter one is about training rats to be landmine sniffers in Africa. (I’m... Not actually sure where the name APOPO comes from though.)

8. The last trip you had?

I don’t even remember. =0 I don’t really do much traveling at all. But I’m planning on going to visit Ähtäri Zoo this summer! Now I’ve just gotta hope it actually happens hahah.

9. What is the song you most often listen in repeat?

I don’t really have songs I would often return to: I tend to listen something on repeat 24/7 for some time and then move on, only very occasionally returning to that same song (or album, or any sort of set of songs). Currently I’m having JJBA openings on repeat hahah.

10. What is a movie you never get bored with?

My favorite movie, Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s such a beautiful, bittersweet story directed by Guillermo del Toro. I basically never watch any random movies in movie theatre, but I don’t remember if this one was on some sort of discount or why I went to see it without knowing anything about it beforehand, but I fell in love instantly.

11. You’ll get 1000 euro / 1000 USD / a sum equivalent to 1000 euro in your currency. You can’t give it to anyone else, you can’t donate it, you can’t save it and you can’t use it on anyone else but yourself. What will you get for yourself with that money?

Wacon Cintiq. I’m in a desperate need of new drawing tablet and I’ve been thinking how cool it would be if I had one with an actual screen. But because 1) I have no idea how I would hadle the technical aspects of using one (I am the queen of tech problems) 2) I don’t know how durable it would be, as I would prefer it to last closer to 10 years with me and 3) it is expensive as all hell, I will more than likely just get a traditonal screenless one in the end. But if I had a situation like described in the question, I would definitely go for Cintiq!

MY QUESTIONS

What is your favorite Pokémon and why?

Did you follow the recent E3? If so, what game made you most excited?

Is there some childhood cartoon that you feel really shaped you in some way? What is it?

Name one food/dish you wish you could prepare perfectly.

What is a perfect outdoors temperature for you?

Do you feel like your horoscope is a good fit for you?

You can create a new “--- Awareness Day”; what will you choose to be the topic of it?

Which was more fun to you as a child, Christmas or your birthday? Why?

You learn to talk to animals, but only to one species. What species will you choose?

What is your favorite shirt like?

You can ask one question from the universe and get an absolute thruth about it as an answer; what will you ask?

I tag all of my followers who feel like doing this! <3

[bts-love-sweat-tears]

Change of Heart (Follower Celebration Fic #3)

Title: Change of Heart

Pairing:  Jungkook x reader

Type: shifter!au, wolf!au, angst with a happy ending, Friday Night Lights meets Teen Wolf? Idk.

Word Count: 1,894

Rating: PG    

Warnings: mentions of depression post-bad breakup, language

A/N:   The third of five for my 200 follower celebration! Requested by a lovely anon. This literally wrote itself- I think you can tell sometimes when it flows easier. It was in the notebook that I carry around so I had a fun time deciphering my own handwriting lol. I was tempted to leave it open-ended and ambiguous as I am oft to do, but anon requested happy so I hope you love it. Except for the soulmate thing, it actually has very little to do with shifters.

A/N Update: Crap there are so many typos I’m sorry. Brain and fingers while typing don’t communicate well. Working on edits now, but was excited to get it out <3 

How could you even express what Jungkook meant to you? Until now, you had always kind of taken him for granted. Being with him was like breathing. You didn’t think about it until it lost its usual ease. Clearly, you were now in the emotional equivalent of a head cold. Kook was literally the boy next door, and the two of you had been inseparable since the day his parents had dragged him along to welcome the new neighbors; apple pie still steaming in their hands.

If your parents were surprised by the small-town niceties, you couldn’t say. Kook and you had been in the midst of a stare-down, some kind of weird kindergarten dominance battle. Later in life, you would realize just how dumb it was to stare down a wolf-shifter, but at the time you hadn’t even realized what he was, let alone the finer points of inter-species etiquette. And it didn’t much matter, since had caved first, and bounded over to wrap you in a hug. Most of your childhood memories from that time were filled with warmth, whether from the hugs or the pie you couldn’t say for certain.

You thought that warmth would continue forever, and for a long time, it did. Your childhood adventures with Kook were filled with pillow forts, catching fireflies, and watching Ironman approximately ten thousand times. But then puberty hit you both like a train, and in very different ways. His shifts started, and he shot up and bulked up, while you filled out in different places, both of you mutually pimply and suddenly awkward.

Childhood warmth morphed into a flame. Pleasant in small amounts but dangerous if left unchecked. So you tried your hardest to keep a lid on your growing feelings. Jungkook had long ago explained that shifters get one mate for life, usually another shifter, so that the person wouldn’t be destroyed by the other not reciprocating their feelings. He had explained that while “mate” implied something physical, it was actually so much more than that-two halves of the same soul residing in different bodies. Not someone to fuck with, literally or metaphorically.  The way he had talked about it at the time made it seem like something far off, like college, marriage, or having kids, so the two of you worked hard in tiptoeing around what that might mean for your friendship. Instead, the two of you continued as you always had, and if his parents shot the two of you knowing looks, neither of you acknowledged it.

As high school dragged on, the two of you became busier, him with varsity football and you with drama club. Your friend groups diverged, but you both still made the time to hang out on the weekend and nerd out together, your friendship never losing that special spark.

Until he started dating a fellow wolf shifter from a nearby school. You presumed it to be serious, since shifters didn’t really date casually due to the soul bond. You were never really the jealous type, and Jungkook’s new and improved bunny smile helped you to welcome his girlfriend into your friendship.  She “got” him in ways that you never could, and not just because she was a wolf. Toned, tall, and golden, you were fairly certain that she could run both literal and metaphorical laps around you. It didn’t hurt that she was cool and genuinely gorgeous. Why even worry about competing when it was clearly impossible? And toxic?

But you would be lying if you denied the smaller, less secure part of yourself that felt jealous and displaced. Jungkook still tried to make time for your more occasional Friday night hangouts, but she kept taking up more and more of his headspace. When not actively talking about her, he was checking his phone incessantly. Maybe you were being petty, but you still wanted him to be present in your life as well.

Slowly but surely, you started staying later at theater rehearsals and investing more time into other friendships. Correspondingly, Jungkook’s text messages slowed to a trickle. The two of you still ate lunch together most days, but it had become less intense than it had once been. Occasionally, he still gave you those signature one-armed hugs that you secretly loved, his chin resting on the crown of your much lower head. Years ago, he had given you an overly vague description of pack dynamics, and the need for physical affection, which confused you now. Shouldn’t he be getting said attentions from his soulmate?A small part of you was flattered that his new relationship hadn’t completely displaced you from his pack. “Bros before….” whatever, as the expression went.

You convinced yourself it was innocent, particularly since you had started dating an equally nerdy lighting tech you had met through drama club. If his affinity for the MCU replicated someone else’s, you couldn’t say. If his penchant for video games reminded you of a childhood friend, well, everyone loved video games. Nothing to see there. If when kissing him, you envisioned someone else’s face, well you would never let on. It was never as serious as Kook’s relationship seemed to be.

Though all parties involved knew the inevitable outcome of the blossoming relationship between the two shifters, you had never actually heard Jungkook use the word “soulmate” in reference to his girlfriend. Because of books and movies, people tended to think of it as insta-love, but that wasn’t (usually) how it worked in real life. For as as much as their inner wolves guided them, they were people as well: emotions, ambitions, tics and traits as much as anyone else.  Even in the “wild” (though you often snorted at the dramatic image this conjured), there were trial periods, rituals,  and rites of passage. But from the outside, the two of them were the complementary faces of a coin, peas in a pod, tied by the strings of fate, and any other metaphor that someone wanted to use. Maybe it was one of those things Jungkook just knew,without the need to put a label on it.

Or so you thought. Clearly, you didn’t know as much about the natural world (or matters of the heart) as you had thought. Most of your knowledge you’d gleaned from NatGeo or Discovery Channel documentaries- you were a suburban kid like any other. Your knowledge of romance came from novels with Fabio or one of his five thousand lookalikes on the cover, CW shows, and your admittedly very lackluster current relationship.  When Kook had found out  he had growled slightly, and immediately tried to mask it with a cough. But you’d known him long enough to not fall for his bullshit. You were indignant though-you’d been supportive of his relationship, so why couldn’t he support yours? Sometimes, when the two of you walked down the hallway holding hands, Kook would shoot daggers with his eyes, which you would studiously ignore. But the guy was either oblivious or braver than you gave him credit for.

All these pointed looks and tension should have painted a sign for you (in neon letters) that all was NOT well in paradise, but you were working so hard to suppress what you felt for your childhood friend that it surprised you as much as anyone else when Kook’s girlfriend broke up with him. “Broke up” was giving her more than she deserved-she had simply taken off one day. Wolf shifters tended to the transient side (Kook’s family being the exception), and one day when another pack was passing through, she decided to run off with the alpha. You didn’t know if she’d found “the one” or was just flighty. And you certainly weren’t interested in the politics of the shifter world, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out the bump in status she would get from a high school kid to an established alpha. But you couldn’t spare her a second thought- your best friend was destroyed. Suddenly, the golden jock of the school was acting like one of the emo kids: dark circles from lack of sleep, appetite wrecked, small things irritating him, or at other times, complete indifference when he should have been irritated.

You didn’t know if Kook had it in him to love anyone else- maybe that part of him had left with her.  And it wasn’t particularly at the forefront of your mind, but you were genuinely worried about your friend. With the fall play winding down and winter finals fast approaching, you had extra time on your hands that you were supposed to be using to study. Instead, you spent every waking moment with Kook…and some decidedly not wakeful moments. It was around this time that your own boyfriend broke up with you, citing your emotional unavailability. You felt bad for wasting his time, but you also felt free. It was a relief, honestly, to be over and done with it.

All of the distance between you evaporated in a few weeks, if that. You watched Deadpool and Ant Man, played Overwatch, and tried to distract your friend from his heartbreak. Often, he would fall asleep, head resting on your lap, tears dripping from the corner of his eyes, even in sleep. But his parents had told you later that was the only time he was seemingly at ease enough to sleep at all.

You knew there were things unsaid, but it wasn’t the time-not when he was emotionally vulnerable. You didn’t want to feel predatory, and it was during this time, things started to fall into place for you. Your own feelings began to crystallize, and you realized that it didn’t matter in what way you had him, but that he needed to be in your life. Even if romantic love never materialized, there were other kinds of love that were just as deep and important. And you realized that you loved him, in that way too. Everything else-it was a distraction. It was thoughts like this that strengthened your resolve when things seemed particularly bleak.

Over time, everything you gave to him, he gave back tenfold. He slowly began to smile again, and sleep through the night. But the two of you continued to come and go from school together, one doing homework and waiting for the other if at practice or rehearsal. He never dated again while in high school, and you both ended up going to the local university. You for the in-state tuition breaks and well-rated course of study that you wanted, and him….well, you weren’t sure why, but if the ways his parents smirked was any indication, you might have had an inkling. After a mandatory first year spent in the dorms, the two of you got an apartment near the campus. And though neither of you were ones for lengthy confessions you had an understanding: you were soulmates in whatever way a damaged wolf shifter and human could be.  Never alone and always taking care of each other. Which was why, you were so shocked when, one average day like any other, he got down on one knee, and offered you a small velvet box, telling you that his heart was in your hands,  as it had always been and would always be.

[peilinsirpale]

We've got it good here

For the @solarpunkstoryexchange Prompt: solarpunk in SPACE (in space colonies, in deep space)

Author notes: I got really excited about the prompt, but fell a bit short due to not being able to work out a plot or time to write. Because of these reasons, this has been mostly left on the brainstorming stage - It starts with a bit of a story and changes into brainstorming bullet points, which span about 3 generations (or more) of people living in the place. I hope you enjoy reading it!

A couple wants a kid. Or, to be more precise, a lesbian couple on the Mars colony decides they want to try getting a kid. Their friends and local colleagues agree to the plan. The Mars colony is a close-knit community, and they collectively decide that they will love and support the kid, whatever they are like. Whether they are rowdy or quiet. Whether they’re scientific or artistic. Whatever gender they are. Whether they're disabled or not.

The earth control doesn't like the idea, but they can't control what the Martians do, only do their best to adapt and help.

The first try- no. Second - another loss. Every pregnancy is keeping the whole Mars base at their toes. Constant checkups. Mental wellbeing regulated as well as physical health. The possibly pregnant woman is given less intense work and sports. She isn't allowed out of the areas with best radiation screening. She does still work, she has to, but she also spends a lot of time studying various things. Stuff about pregnancy, about children, but also music and literature and other kinds of arts. About all kinds of problems that may arise, but also about how to best take care of a child in general.

Her wife does a lot of studying, too, just as everyone else on the base. But she also takes the extra time to be with her pregnant partner. In all honesty, so does everyone. In some way, the child will be all of theirs. While in some way, they will be a child of all of humanity.

When the pregnancy doesn't end near the beginning, and then continues well for months, they are hopeful. And when a baby is born, after several years of trying, the Mars base celebrates. And far away, people on Earth celebrate the first human born off-planet.

As a small kid, the Mars-born child is unaware of their celebrity status on Earth. They will learn what it means, but not yet.

Brainstorming:

"what do you mean i can’t have a hydroponics in my room"

Mars!!

Planting plantsies; Bacterial protein; Critters?

"Is this something I can plant in? What if I add compost?" "Hey can we do smth of this plastic? Melt it? Sun? New packages?" Wind power in Mars?

"Uh-huh wanna be the dad of my kid?" "I'm gay" "It is dangerous™ but I want a kid let’s do it" "Ur their dad but also godfather"

Aka a lesbian couple and a gay guy decide to get kids. The kid lives with lesbians but dad is integrated in life and lives in the neighbourhood

How is it solarpunk? Do they decide to do it or something else despite being prohibited?

Closed loop system

Growing culturally significant stuff even though it’s inefficient - Doing, too

Everything that can be recycled, is recycled

Outside soil made usable via mixing with compost and growing stuff that can extract nutritients from it

3d printing

What plot? Everyday life plot?

Is there a lot of scarcity?

Do they have their own internet places? Earth internet connection, but slow? Friends at earth or other space colonies???

What if someone wants to move there? Exchange student? Could someone from earth be?

Friend with the aforementioned Mars-born kid? A science enthusiast - space kid more of an art person

Jump jump!! Very popular and also healthy. Climbing too!

Exchange students bring lots of Earth stuff with them. Some personal items, but mostly small things. For all, some spices not grown on mars, and other stuff they may need/ want / have requested.

Exchange students/new residents, how many? Five or ten? An nb person too!

Had lots of stuff to digitally read when on long travel. Travel is tiring and they ate mostly packed food bc it’s easy in zero-gravity (but also fresh vegetables that grow fast, and stuff grown in poo made compost - or is it just collected for use in mars? Probs. Other grown veggies)

Getting to know each other on the flight, also gotten to know each other on the before-launch stuff. One had to drop out at the last minute due to health problems :(

When on mars: “whoa there’s gravity!! How do I get used to this again??”

People of different professions. Some doctor, some scientist, some engineer, some person person like psychologist or smth

People exercise but also do crafts. Lots of 3d-printed stuff. Games!! Also on space flight! Full body sport games! Brain games! Very regular favorite games!

Lots of lag on online stuff though :( But lesser quality = ok and faster

Gardeners!!

So much focus on learning. And everyone got to do something, whatever they can. Even if they’d rather do art? Are ppl forced to exercise? Ableism what? How much is there of it?

Growing lights and lamps. Some, in living areas, syntethise daylight and night, some, in agricultural areas, are continuously on

Mostly plants that are small but wield lots of fast food, but some less fast food for special treats (like fruits from small pruned “bonsai trees")

A large open hall for sports, including stuff like soccer, tennis, and various team sports

At first the place is very small. It grows. The amount of ppl grows from less than 10 to more than 30. When the exchange students come, more than 50 - maybe around 70?

Someone rich gets there with their money? But is made to learn to do work and use the money not for themself but for the community. Is taught social and coworking skills etc.

Most people: problem? Research!

Several do digital art to some degree - or blog! Blog a lot. Or tweet or such. Videos! Of what life on Mars is like. Everyone must be aware that the public is interested.

Most time is spent in public areas. Work is often done in small groups. All specialised in something, but can do basics in everything.

Solar panels! Lots! On top of where the hub is underground.

Marswalks done rarely, and remote-controlled robots are used a lot. Robo bees! Roombas! Farming robots!

“Exchange students" the first few with not much previous experience. A bit less that 200 into tests, then maybe a hundred into further ed and evaluation, then a few dozen into training. Finally, about 10 best chosen. This way, younger people. Around 25 to 30 when to Mars. With a few more qualified people.

Biologists manage gardens. Engineers manage repairing and building new and 3d-printers.  Doctors manage health. Chemists manage various stuff. Earth can always tell info and such when needed.

Downloaded books, online searches and videos though slow-ish to load. Calls and video conferences. New clothes from hemp grown on Mars!

Induction stove. Lots of food made by once. Stable food: beans? Sugar from where? GMO is used a lot. Sugar beets? Lots of new seeds brought every time something arrives - about every 2.5 years or longer. Good thing: no/few pests. Not many animals, possibly rats?

Most walls filled with stuff, esp. in older areas. Everyone owns not too many clothes. Maybe up to 5 outfits. Every time stuff is brought, they can wish for some. Not much though. A lot is 3d-printed on-site. Few personal belongings - most is co-owned. Works when there are few people and everyone knows everyone.

Baby gets clothes, most made of stuff grown on mars. Cutting made so it doesn’t trash fabric. Clothes are mended because making new takes a lot of resources. Kids’ clothes made a few sizes too big or so they can be easily expanded when they grow.

When exchange students come, there are a few kids. Maybe 3 who were born on Mars.

Kids are familiarized with work on Mars. Curriculum specialised for life on Mars. Made in unison with teaching experts on earth. No rigid school days, but a lot of learning. To work with the adults, though with an extra person to make sure they don’t mess things up.

A lot is automated. Taking care of the automated stuff is important.

Kids are not let into older parts. There are lots of things they may accidentally pull, and worse radiation filtering. They have some toys, 3d-printed. A few plushies, part or mostly made of extra fabric scraps

Space travel done in sleeping bags, they keep them when they come to mars.

Phones/laptops/equivalent for all. VR for games and learning! AR glasses?

Jewelry? Someone likes making it. Clothes, too - and customising! Recipes have to be fitted for Mars. Some people love trying them out.

Kid has a bit bad eyesight.

Main languages English & Russian

When did ppl first decide to *stay*? And not just spend a few weeks/months/years? “Hello we're looking for people willing to live on Mars" or “Hello we’re not leaving" ?

Mars colony grows. Also “Hey we’ve lived here for ages and I like my home planet I want to be independent"

There have been a few generations. Maybe this is the third gen. Someone child of one of the first marsborns. Is older - in 20s or 30s or smth

There is a growing community. Mostly scientists. But maybe a few other professions there too

Someone gets to make food! Communal eating almost daily or more - lunch or dinner? Dinner probably. Lunch often in work groups

Cultural feasts and celebrations are shared if applicable. Seasonings are valuable

Lots is made in laboratory. Even food like meat, but mostly medications etc.

People have to do some work and learn new stuff as long as they can. However most get significant osteoporosis when older. Eyesight loss is another difficulty, but there is an optical station that can make glasses. Things also start being adjusted for use with reduced eyesight.

Should it be somewhere else than Mars?

Over the years, parts of the base are adjusted to become as natural as possible, introducing new species into their ecosystem. Main agricultural areas are kept hydroponics, and some get turned into aquaponics systems (=includes fish, which also can occasionally be used as food)

Settlement at around equator or at middle to pole, on a flat area

Room- or apartment-like parts connected to each other by hallways. Old parts and newer parts. 1 floor and sometimes 2 OR MORE!!Like a department store!! Especially some housing areas. Or like a cruise ship with a “promenade" and rooms with windows there? Elevators?

Climbing is loved and easy because of the lower gravity, but it needs to be made safe because breaking a bone is very not good.

[beelieveinfandom]

Healing and Hijinks

What happens after the events of Haunted and Hunted.

The kids meet their new caretaker and figure out the specifics of their new living situation. 2651 words. 

AO3 Link

Renee glowered at the person at the other side of the table from her, Charlie, and Vin. Charlie was looking at the floor, fiddling with zir hands. Vin was looking around absently.

 Renee had no idea why she agreed to this. This was a mistake. This was so obviously and unmistakably a mistake. They would have been fine on their own. It wouldn’t have been great, but it would’ve worked. They didn’t need some interloper, whom they knew nothing about besides that they worshipped a demon, to inject themself into their lives to take control of everything. It wasn’t going to end well for them and she should have known it from the start. She should have put her metaphorical foot down from the start. But she didn’t. And now she was here, full of regret. She wondered what Alcor would do if she called this off right now. He had said that she they could end the arrangement for any reason. But he would probably get mad at her for not being willing to actually give the person a chance.  And she really didn’t want to make Alcor, Maker of Archipelagos, mad. Even if he had assured her that he wasn’t going to do anything to her or her friends, she wasn’t willing to test his temper.

The person, an older werewolf in their midform, smiled gently at the teens. It was clearly supposed to put them at ease. She wondered if that was why they were in their midform, if they had been told that they might not trust humans so made themself physically inhuman to help relax them. How dumb did they think she was to fall for such obvious tactics?

 “Hello,” they said. “My name’s Jarled. Jarled Thornbaker. Feel free to use whichever name you’re more comfortable with. I use pronouns like he/him/his. Would you like to introduce yourselves?”

 Jarled sat like a statue: solid and still. He was a large man, even for a midform werewolf. He had two meters of height, broad shoulders, and a fair amount of fat all over. His fur, patterned like that of a grey wolf, was short and soft looking.

 “How much did they tell you?” Renee asked.

 “About what brings you here? Not much. I was simply told that Our Star had requested that someone ensure the three of you have what you need,” Jarled said. “From that I can assume that you have probably been through a significant ordeal, as Our Star isn’t well known for rehousing those who don’t need greatly.”

 “Why are you the one to look after us?” she asked.

 “I have the space to house you and have experience adopting teen wards,” he explained.

 Renee crossed her arms. “What makes you so interested in adopting teenagers?”

 “Well, the first time I did it it was mostly because someone had to, and that went well so I kept doing it.”

 Vin extended his neck, placing his head between Renee and Jarled. “So, um, hi. My name is Vin. I’m a him, I guess. It’s nice to meet you or whatever. Charlie, do you wanna introduce yourself?”

 “Um, alright.” Charlie pulled zir eyes away from the floor to meet Jarled’s. “I’m Charlie. Ze/zir. Thank you for being willing to take us in.”

 “The girl with absolutely no cares about basic etiquette is Renee, I’m sorry about her, she’s not normally this aggressive unless politics are involved.”

 “Vin! Don’t apologize for me.”

 “Well I wouldn’t,” he said, “but it didn’t seem like you were gonna apologize for yourself is all.”

 “I don’t need to apologize! In absolutely no way am I in the wrong.”

 “Ya being rude, Renee,” Vin said, pausing for a beat. “Rudenee.”

 “Oh, it’s quite alright,” Jarled said, putting his hands in front of himself. “I wouldn’t expect you to trust me, we just met after all.”

 “But you will expect us to trust you once we’ve known each other for a while,” she said.

 “Not necessarily,” he clarified. “I can’t demand that you trust me, that’s not what trust is, and although I would love it if you grew to trust me I understand that sometimes that’s just not going to happen.  That said, I will be expect a certain amount of respect. There are going to be rules, and I am going to hold you to following them.”

 “What are the rules?” she asked.

 “I was planning on coming up with the household rules with you, once we got to know each other a little. We could do it now though, if you’d prefer.”

 “You want us to make the rules that we are going to be living under?”

 “Well, yes. They are going to have a pretty significant effect on your life for the next few years, so you should get some say in them. And these rules don’t just affect you - I’m going to be living by them too. They’ll govern how we will operate as a household. It’s a good way to formally set boundaries and make sure needs are met.”

 “So what if we want to make some completely unreasonable rules?” Renee said.

 “Then we’ll have to talk about it.”

 “What if we don’t want to talk about it?” Renee said. “You don’t know anything about us. What if we’re just fundamentally unreasonable people? What would you do then?”

 “Well,” Jarled said slowly, “are you a fundamentally unreasonable person?”

 “I might be.”

 “Oh my god,” Vin interjected. “I will not have my position as the unreasonable one usurped by you of all people. You’re like, the most reasonable person I’ve ever met when you aren’t being difficult for the sake of being difficult.”

 “I am not being difficult for the sake of being difficult.”

 Vin cocked his head. “So why are you being so difficult then?”

 “I’m not being difficult,” she said. “I’m being cautious. Something you could really stand to be more often.”

 Vin shrugged. “Caution’s overrated. Constant vigilance takes effort.”

 “There’s a difference between constant vigilance and actually caring about what happens to you.”

 “Nah.”

 Renee pinched the bridge of her nose. “ Anyway . Rules. I’m sure you have some in mind; why don’t you tell us what they are and we can get this over with?”

 “I don’t have too many, myself,” Jarled said. “I need it to be quiet when I’m sleeping. You don’t need to be silent but I will need to to be quiet. I’m going to ask that you go to school or do something equivalent - we can set up an independent learning plan if public school would be a problem for you. While we’re still fairly unfamiliar with each other I would ask that you don’t wake me during the night unless it’s an emergency. Being on the moon constantly pushes me towards my canine form so when I’m sleeping I go full wolf, and can be a little excitable around people whose smells I’m not familiar with. I’m going to expect you to do some of the household chores, but we can divvy up the specifics of those a bit later. I’m fine doing anything so you can take your pick at what you want to do.

 “Do you have anything in mind for rules you want?”

 “It’s not exactly a rule but I want a door with a lock,” Renee said. “Ideally my own room but I would be content enough to share a room with Vin or Charlie.”

 “It’s a four bedroom living space, so you can all have your own rooms. And yes, the doors lock. Once the lock is keyed to you the only way I could cause it to open is by starting a fire, as safety protocols will then unlock all the doors.”

 “I want a physical lock, one that can’t be opened by a computer.”

 “That can be arranged,” said Jarled. “The doors slide open so it wouldn’t be hard to attach something for a padlock. I will warn you ahead of time that the bedrooms are a little on the small side; there isn’t much more room than is taken up by a bed, shelf, and desk.”

 “That’s fine. I’m used to confined quarters.”

 “So,” Vin said, “why does one guy have a four bedroom place, anyway?”

 The wolf sighed. “When I was younger, I had a bit of a hoarding problem. As most places here don’t have that much storage space, and I had a fair sized disposable income from my job at the solar plant, I decided to get a place with extra rooms to hold my things. I’ve gotten a lot better since then, but the communal area might be a little cluttered for the first few days while I get rid of some things.”

 “Is having us move into your space going to be a problem for you?” Charlie asked.

 Jarled’s head shook as he spoke. “Oh, no, no. I can - and should - get rid of a few things. I’m nowhere near as bad as I used to be. It’s just, when the place is empty and I have so much space, it’s really easy to pick up a thing or two that I don’t need, and, well, it adds up. When I have people living over it’s actually a lot easier for me to restrain myself, because I know I wont have anywhere to put things. Normally I would already have cleaned the space out but this was very short notice.”

 “Uh, I have a rule, if it’s alright?” Charlie said.

 “Of course it is.”

 “Could we always warn each other before inviting someone over?” Charlie said quietly. “Sometimes people I don’t know well are really overwhelming and I’d like to be able to prepare myself.”

 Jarled smiled. “That’s fine. I would even add to it and say that any of us can deny a request to have someone over if they aren’t up to that person being in their space. And the moon has plenty of places to hang out, so you don’t need to worry about being unable to see your friends because of that rule.”

 Charlie, who had basically wanted just that but hadn't had the nerve to say it for zirself, said, “That’s a nice addition.”

 “Do any of you have or require a service animal?” Jarled asked, going through a mental checklist.

 “Not unless Charlie’s been holding out on us,” Vin said.

 “No, I’ve never had a pet.”

 “Well, if you end up thinking that an animal would be beneficial to you just let me know.” Jarled moved onto the next item. “What foods do you like? We’ll mostly be eating algae, but it comes in a wide variety of flavors and textures, so I can get some that are based on foods that you like. I also might be able to get the real deal every now and then as a treat, depending on what you like.”

 “Oh man, chocolate. Have you had chocolate? It’s pretty great. Really great. You know the internet? It’s like that but in your mouth. Only tasty. And less full of porn. And it’s nothing like the internet, actually.” Vin tilted his head upwards. “Outside of that I’m not sure. Tofu was pretty good. And like, noodles? Noodles were fun. Loved the cronch. I’m going to have to say no on protein bars though. I’m done with the protein bar. That chapter of my culinary history is behind me, evermore.”

 “I am going to agree that, on the off chance that an ‘unflavored protein bar’ variety of algae actually exists, I want nothing to do with it.” Renee shook her head slightly. “That said, I’m not picky, and Vin doesn’t know what he’s talking about. If you get a variety of options I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

 “I’ve always liked fish,” Charlie said.

 Vin leaned back and said, “You’re a walking stereotype, Charlie. Ya just like ya fatha.”

 Ze stared at Vin. “I really don’t understand the things you say sometimes.”

 “Well, I don’t understand the things I say all the time so you’re doing better than I am.”

 “How are you planning on doing meals?” Renee interjected. “Are you going to expect us to all eat together or do you have something else in mind?”

 “Well, I like cooking, so I would be happy to make something for all of you, but if you would rather eat alone I’m certainly not going to stop you,” Jarled answered.

 “Well… good,” she said.

 They continued to talk about the specifics of living together until Jarled stretched out and said, “That should be enough for now. And keep in mind that nothing that we’ve discussed here is set in stone; if anything isn’t working for you we can always change it.”

 Charlie nodded. “That’s good to know.”

 “Now, would you guys mind being left on your own for a little while I go and make some final preparations for your stay?”

 “That would be fine,” Renee said.

 “Excellent. I’ll be back soon.”

 “Well,” Charlie said after a moment. “He seems nice.”

 “A little too nice if you ask me,” Renee said, glaring at the door.

 “Aw,” said Vin, “Is someone a little suspicious about the new guy?”

 “It’s just… he seemed to know the right thing to say for everything!”

 “Well, he did say that he had done this before,” Charlie pointed out.

 “Which is the perfect excuse, isn’t it?” Renee said. “He’s trying to get our guards down.”

 “That is generally the goal of taking care of trauma victims,” Charlie said.“Getting them to a place where they can relax and lower their guard, that is.”

 Renee crossed her arms. “It’s also generally the goal of someone with an agenda.”

 “Not everyone has a agenda.” Ze paused before adding, “Or, at least, not everyone has a bad agenda.”

 “I’m not saying that everyone would abuse the power they hold over us, but that anyone could ,” Renee said. “We don’t know this person at all. We have no reason to believe that he won’t try something. Literally the only thing we know about him is that he worships a demon. That’s not a point in his favor.”

 Vin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but it’s Tyrone. He barely counts as a demon.”

 Renee stared at Vin. “He killed thirty-five million people in a matter of hours.”

 “Happens to the best of us.”

 “ Anyway , I am in no way unwilling to give this Jarled a chance. We presently lack options, and I’m not in denial about that,” she explained. “I’m just saying I don’t trust him, that I find his behavior suspicious rather than reassuring, and I don’t see that changing.”

 “And we wouldn’t expect you to. After all, if you didn’t have severe trust issues, how would we even know it was you?” Vin asked.

 She glared. “I do not have trust issues. My suspicion of strangers with power over me is perfectly reasonable, considering my life experience.”

 “Ah, the good ol’ ‘it’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you’ argument, huh?”

 “I don’t think that trust issues have to be irrational. I think most people with trust issues had their trust violated at some point,” Charlie said. “You have problems bringing yourself to trust someone new. I think that’s all that trust issues are.”

 “Well, fine then, maybe I do have trust issues. But I don’t see that as a problem,” she said. “It just means that when things finally go wrong I won’t be taken by surprise.”

 “I don’t think things are going to go wrong, though. At least, not like they went wrong before. It would be pretty improbable for something like that to happen to us twice.”

 “I do hope you’re right, but I’m certainly not holding my breath over here,” she said. “Who knows? Maybe he really is what he seems. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Hey everyone. It's been awhile. I currently have the rough drafts of two other short bits typed up, but it might be awhile until they get posted because I want to have the option of changing things if something doesn't work like i hope it will.

Basically, I'm currently writing the first role-playing campaign these nerds have, and I want to make sure that I can actually get the three characters to work with each other narratively before I post the character creation bit. I think it should be fine, but anxiety.

[skeletorific]

Heeeey, what's up! I just started following your blog and it is the best thing ever! your characterizations are A+++ on point. Anyway, have you considered the UT/UF/US/SF bros reactions to... Soulmates? like meeting them for the first time? or just being with them?(I believe your ask box is open, if not or if you just don't like this ask ignore:) Thanks for your time!

……Is it weird that I’m pretty sure this is the first request I’ve gotten for soulmate AU? Weird with how common that concept is in this fandom. Anyways for the sake of this the clearest indicator for SOULMATE is a strong buzzing sensation in your SOUL when you touch. However, Soulmates will likely be drawn to each other personally before any physical touch and quickly developed romantic feelings can be taken as an indication of at least soul compatibility, if not mate status. Also thank you so much for the compliment

UT!Sans: Honestly, always kind of assumed he was the kind of guy without a soulmate.

He’d heard others describe the feeling. A tugging, an emptiness, sometimes faint echoes of emotions you couldn’t really explain, like a magnet or a ghost pulling you towards your other half. He’d never really felt that. Well, maybe the emptiness, but he’d always chalked that up to his old pal depressive tendencies (soon to evolve into full on depression).

Not to say he was terribly disappointed. He’d seen plenty of people work out without being soulmates. Undyne and Alphys for instance. They weren’t soulmates, and they were working out just fine. Toriel and Asgore were, and look how that turned out. Soulmates wasn’t a guarantee that you’d workout as partners, or everlasting love or any of that. It just meant there was something deep inside you that resonated. Love or hate, you couldn’t be neutral towards each other, and the universe would do its best to throw you together in some capacity.

So when he’s selling hot dogs to a decent looking human on  a street corner and he feels a strange buzzing in his chest as his phalanges brush yours when he hands it to you….he’s honestly not sure what his reaction is. There’s a thrill, sure, and a cold sweat,  but also a strange urge to just let you walk away and never speak again.

No such luck. You felt it too, and unlike him had no context to explain it.

“Uh….sorry, kind of a magic  equivalent of static electricity.” He says, pulling an explanation out of his ass.

“Oh.” There’s a pause and then something in your eyes glinted. “So is the hotdog free then?”

“….what?”

“Cause you already…charged me for it.” You burst out laughing before you even finish it. “Sorry, couldn’t resist, that was bad.”

His face slowly stretches into a crooked grin. After a few more bad jokes he asks you if you’re doing anything later.

He doesn’t bring up the Soulmate thing. Doesn’t want to put any kind of pressure on you, he knows the concept is pretty unique with humans. Not to mention he’s not sure himself where this is going. But you seem cool. Definitely got the same shitty sense of humor. Papyrus seems to like you too (he doesn’t tell him either, doesn’t need that wrench in the works).

He tells himself it’ll be fine. Just platonic friends, maybe something more, but why rush himself. But he’s falling faster than normal. Its like something inside him…..ever seen a door slightly ajar get pushed into place so the latch clicks? It feels like that. Not a big change, but something feels right that wasn’t before. The connection is simpler, and yet deeper than he’s used to having, and….he’d never forgive himself if he let this turn into another unchased possibility.

Chances are he’ll never tell you you’re soulmates. He doesn’t like how compulsory that sounds, doesn’t want you to think he only became your friend and later your partner because his magic told him to.

UT!Papyrus: He believes strongly in soulmates but is a little too paranoid about it. Any kind of strong immediate feelings (he assumes) could indicate soul compatibility, explaining his tendency to commit quickly to relationships. Soulmate spotting doesn’t come with a hard and fast list of symptoms. It hits everyone differently and young monsters grow up hearing “You’ll know it when you see it”. Frustrating, to say the least. Thus his tendency to fall hard and fast. He keeps getting disappointed, but as always, Papyrus is an indefatigable optimist.

But for as alert as he is he could never have predicted how it would hit him. He and Undyne were out walking when they saw someone’s purse being stolen. Naturally Undyne pursued, with him close behind. She cut the thief off while he came on them from behind, preventing any escape. The thief whirled on him, face meeting chest……and right where your nose brushed his Soul buzzed excitedly.

Both of you stop in surprise. You drop the bag, yelping as you clutch at your chest. What the hell?! Papyrus staggers a bit, and his eye sockets go unbelievably wide. Undyne is confused but takes advantage of the opportunity to sweep your legs and pin you to the ground. Before she can get too far though Papyrus calls out “WAIT, THAT’S MY SOULMATE!”

All three of you are struck dumb.

“What the hell, Pap, are you sure?” She lifts up your head, none too gently. “This scum?”

“E-EVIDENTLY.” He kneels down and picks up the bag, fixing you with a kind smile. “BUT IF THEY ARE MY SOULMATE THEN OBVIOUSLY THERE MUST BE SOME GOOD IN THEM!”

Naturally at first you want nothing to do with this bizarre monster, chest buzz or not. Especially after his friend made you return the purse and forced you to say you’d come see them tomorrow or Undyne would report you. You show up determined to rebuff any attempts at kindness, you just want to move on.

But slowly, he starts to wear you down. He’s too sweet to hate, and besides, he keeps the angry fish lady off your back. His brother doesn’t trust you but seems to default to his brother’s judgment.

As time goes on the relationship blossoms. Papyrus never forces you to a place relationally you’re not ready to go, but he insists that you can’t not be involved in some respect. He’s one of the few people in your life convinced you’re not a bad person. And somehow he manages to convince not only the others, but you.

Papyrus, with his infinite patience, unbeatable optimism, and genuine sweetness, slowly wins you over. You become a better person because of him. Not that he’d ever admit he did anything. “JUST BROUGHT OUT THE GOODNESS THAT WAS HIDING IN YOU ALL ALONG, DATEMATE!”

UF!Sans: Meeting your soulmate while drunk probably isn’t the ideal scenario, but given the ratio of drunk to sober days he has most weeks its not mathematically that surprising.

Unfortunately for him at the time he’s unable to distinguish the buzz in his soul when his arm slings around your waist from any of the variety of buzzes human alcohol gives a skeleton monster. Given that you’re half in the tank too you likely aren’t really aware of what’s happening either. But he likes your eyes and you’re decent company, and that pretty soft body, damn……one thing leads to another and he wakes up with a splitting headache, a naked human in his bed, and a tugging in his soul that’s becoming more noticeable the more you cuddle up to him.

Fuck.

Red’s never really been into the idea of soulmates. Namely because he doesn’t want to see whoever pairs perfectly with this dumpster fire. So he tamps the feeling down. Probably bad booze. He waits till you get up, you exchange numbers, and you’re out the door.

You hang out a few more times. Sometimes to hook up. Sometimes just to drink or get some food when you’re in the same area. They’re not officially dates, he’s certainly not going out of his way to make it romantic. But you’re funny, sexy, and fun to be around. Seem to think the same about him (for gods know what reason), so he doesn’t feel the need to justify it. The tugging and ache….well, they don’t go away. But he’s getting better at ignoring it.

Or, well, he was. He notices you pawing at your sternum until finally you break down. “Hey, look, I’m not saying its your fault, but there’s like this weird feeling in my chest whenever we hang out. Is that like a magic thing?”

“Uh…” Fuck, he’s usually a better liar but you hit him out of the blue. “Yeah, maybe.”

You’re smart enough not to buy it. You slowly start prodding him for the actual answer until he snaps and tells you. Before it can sink in he vanishes. You don’t seem him for a few days and he doesn’t answer his phone.

You: Red?

You:?

You: Look, its not……I don’t want to be rude but its not a big deal I guess?

You: If you don’t want to be with me like that or whatever

You: But you’re a great guy, be a damn shame to lose my drinking buddy over this dumb universe shit

You: so what do you say?

One hour later

Red: grillby’s tonight?

You: If you’re buying

Red: yeah, yeah, my tab

The two of you do this for months, insisting that this is fine. You’re soulmates. Its whatever. If you wanna hang out, you’re gonna hang out, it’s not because of that.

If he flirts, it’s because he does that all the time, not cause you’re soulmates.

If kisses start lasting longer, outside the context of the occasional one night stand, soft pecks when he’s dropping you off, it’s not….it’s not because of that.

At some point the lines between a relationship and friends with benefits slowly blur into each other faster and faster until you’re officially partners. It’s only then that you start to realize…..shit, guess this soulmate junk may have something to it.

UF!Papyrus: You don’t know what you totally expected when you went out shopping that day. But it definitely didn’t include brushing by two skeletons, feeling a weird thrill in the center of your chest, and having the taller one turn around and shriek “YOU?!?!”

Edge believes in soulmates too. But he’s got something very specific in mind. Someone who will follow orders, keep their space clean, shower him with kisses RESPECT and who’ll help him keep Sans’ ass in line. So coming across a random stranger in the mall and boom, that’s your soulmate?!?!?! Not allowed. Unacceptable.

Alright, alright, he can work with this. He chases you down, and if he somehow manages not to scare you off in the first five seconds of charging towards you your number is demanded requested and you are ordered to show up at his house first thing tomorrow morning.

You don’t know why you’re playing along, but….soulmates, huh? You’d never really thought it was a thing, but that buzz in your chest. That was definitely real. And there’s something charming about his overblown bluster, in a cartoon villain kind of way. You do it. You show up at his house. No one seems more surprised than his brother.

Naturally you’re going to fall short of at least a couple of his standards. You’re only human. He’s furious. How could you possibly be the soulmate of the Great and Terrible Papyrus. In the end he’s not that great at hiding his displeasure, and you storm out after telling him off. Some soulmate, this asshole Pygmalion Project douchebag is supposed to be someone you can resonate with??? Damn, the universe must hate you. For his part he claims its far more convenient that you go, but he can’t help but feel a pang of regret as he watches your retreating form.

You see each other around a bit. You refuse to change stores just because you might see him, but try to avoid him whenever you encounter him. He doesn’t approach you for weeks, but there’s something stirring within him. For the first time he’s feeling…..guilty? N-Nonsense! He never regrets his actions. Only rethinks his strategy!

And currently that strategic rethinking involves paying for your groceries by slipping the cashier some cash when he’s ahead of you in line. Leaving anonymous flowers outside your doorstep. Telling off someone who was getting a little too close for comfort and disappearing before you could…..thank him? Confront him? You aren’t sure.

Finally you steal your nerve and go to talk to him. You do have the address at least. You end up having a lengthy, extremely awkward conversation, in which he comes (and you’re not sure of this) extremely close to an apology. Red is still picking his jaw up off the floor.

Edge gave up on the idea of a romantic relationship after that first night. But maybe….maybe you could be friends. It’s not easy. Nothing with Boss ever is. But that soulmate quality exists for a reason. You find you empathize with his need for control, with his drive and his emphasis on holding himself together. You understand him in a way you haven’t understood many people. He finds you balance him out, and challenge him in a way he isn’t used to being challenged. He can’t get away with his usual bullshit with you. When he crosses the line you stand toe to toe with him and let him know. And while it’s infuriating…..it’s strangely intriguing. You get away with shit Red wouldn’t in a million years. Seriously, how the hell are you doing that?

Whether or not it progresses into a romantic relationship is kind of up to you, but at some point Edge will want to. Maybe his soulmate wasn’t how he pictured, how he wanted. But…..he can’t imagine it being any other way.

US!Sans: Just another night at the club. The only thing (at first) separating that night from any other was that your dance partner was a skeleton. Not your usual fare, but he had a sweet face and had asked you so excitedly that you couldn’t turn him down. He was a good dancer, very energetic, almost running you into the ground with his quick pace. Every touch is gentle, non-intrusive, yet sparks with…something, magic maybe? Either way, it feels good, making the color in your cheeks rise.

As the song comes to an end he straight up dips you down, panting a bit with the energy expended, and as his eyelights meet yours….Both of you feel a buzzing sensation that surprises him so much he drops you.

Sans apologizes profusely and helps you to your feet, then asks you if you want to come home with him. You hesitate, you’re normally not the type to go home with strange guys, but something in the look on his face and the powder blue flush on his cheeks (though stars know how a skeleton does that)……you feel like you can trust him. You agree and take an awkwardly silent walk home with him. He seems more excited than before, and keeps looking at you like he wants to say something but holds it back.

His home is a small but clean one story a few blocks away. On the couch is another skeleton in an orange hoodie, smoking a cigarette that is hastily put out and stowed when you come in. He raises a brow at your presence but doesn’t question it, trading some banalities with Sans. Seems their brothers. He clears out pretty quickly and Sans guides you to the couch.

He explains the buzzing. You’re soulmates. On some fundamental level, compatible. Made for each other, in a way. His eyelights are shining brighter and you swear you can see the outline of tiny stars in the center as he tells you he’s been looking for his for a very long time, and he can’t believe it was someone as pretty as you!

His enthusiasm is catching, and in the end you’re swept up in it. He takes you home and chastely pecks your cheek before running off into the night, practically beaming. You start dating regularly. Sans is almost….overwhelming in his perfection. He’s enthusiastic, kind, sweet, affectionate, solid, honest, and completely infatuated with you.

And that, in a way, is the problem. Sans is already in love with you, but doesn’t know every side of you. While he never brings up anything that disappoints him, you can’t help but feel he fell in love with the idea of you before bothering to get to know you as a person. Not to mention things are moving way too fast. Sure, maybe you’re soulmates, but everything in you is screaming that you can’t be fixing yourself this firmly to a guy that, from a time perspective, you barely know.

Finally you have to end it. It breaks his heart, but you convince him to settle for being friends, for now at least. Someday maybe you’ll be ready for the type of closeness, but for now, you want to spend some time getting to know each other. And though you’re cautious, you find you’re not disappointed in what you find.

US!Papyrus: Stretch sighed and resisted the urge to reach for the cigarettes in his pocket. They didn’t allow smoking in this place. One of the only downsides about living on the Surface, everything was catered to delicate human lungs. They didn’t allow outside food either so he didn’t have a lollipop to fall back on. He was this close to giving in and chewing on one of the toothpicks just to get something in his mouth but he hated when wood slivers fell in his mouth.

Only about an hour left in this thing, and he was seriously looking forward to it being over. Speed dating hadn’t sounded awful honestly. Blue and Tale (he never did feel comfortable calling him Papyrus in his head) had been coming to this place almost every time the restaurant held an event. They seemed to take it as a speed round on making friends. Most of the time they didn’t even end up with an actual romantic date out of it, just another dinner guest for Spaghetti Taco night. They’d been trying to get him and Classic to go for weeks. Classic had made his excuses but Stretch had been….kind of curious. He liked flirting, he liked food being paid for by people not him (Blue and Tale had footed the bill), and with the seven minute thing at least the creepier ones couldn’t stick around too long.

Still, he was reaching his limit. Kind of hard to get past the “Hi, my name is” stage in seven minutes into anything actually fun. Not to mention he was tired. Still, Blue and Tale showed no signs of flagging and he was their ride, so he had a feeling he was in this till the end.

New partner. You sat down across from him. You looked a bit shy, which he guessed was fairly endearing. Cute enough.

“Hey P-” you started a bit. “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were….” your eyes skirted to Tale.

“ ‘saright.” he says. Not the first time that had happened tonight. “People say we could be twins. Name’s Stretch, ‘m Blue’s brother.”

“I’m really sorry, that kind of came off…..racist, I guess? Speciesist? Whatever it is when you imply all skeletons look alike.”

He snickered. “Hey, what’s that saying you humans got? No matter what we’re all flesh and bone underneath. We just skipped the first part.”

You chuckle. “Something like that, I guess.” You told him your name.

“Regular, I’m guessing? You seem to know Paps.”

“Sort of. I’ve been a couple of times when my apartment feels too empty for the eighth night in a row.” You pause. “Sorry, wow that sounds depressing.”

“Nah.Sounds about like my weekends when Blue’s out somewhere.” He leaned back in his chair.

“Anxiety, depression, or just a shut-in?”

“Hmm, mostly the first but hey, the second pulls its weight.”

“I’m the first with the third thrown in for shits and giggles.”

“Well, we’re well-rounded at least.” He pulled a hoodie string in his mouth and started chewing.

“At least.” You chuckle.

“….so not to be rude but that’s kind of upfront for a seven minute encounter.”

You passed a hand over your forehead. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, I’ve been trying to sell myself all night and I think I’m….I don’t know.”

“Reachin your burn out point.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. “Don’t worry about it, me too. I don’t mind talking, but if you want we can just sit back, check our phones, get some silence if you want. Sound okay?”

The waiter brought in fresh drinks and you smiled. “Well, I’ll toast to that.”

He chuckled. As you both reached for your drinks your fingertips briefly brushed his hand….and suddenly it was like static electricity, straight to the chest. You were startled a bit but Stretch nearly fell out of his chair.

You….you were…..

Looks like not talking wasn’t gonna be an option.

He runs you down on what’s happening, both of you stubbornly refusing to move from your seats during changeover. When finally the staff tells you you have to he grabs your hand and takes you out back, running you through what just happened. And for once the skeleton with the most chill is looking unbelievably stressed, lighting up a cig as soon as you’re outside the no smoking area.

Soulmates? The very idea is terrifying to him. Talk about fuckin pressure…..he can’t handle this, not after a long night. You exchange numbers and agree to meet up later.

The next few weeks are a roller coaster of Stretch’s wavering commitment levels. Sometimes he’ll ghost on you with no explanation, only to show up on your doorstep with an awkward apology. He takes you for a date but looks like he wants to die through most of it, but then you come over to his place for dinner and he loops an arm around your shoulder. You can never tell which version of him is coming over, and to be honest he feels guilty as hell about it. You’re a good person, hell, he could actually picture himself being friends, even dating you even without the soulmate thing, but that weird spiritual significance the bond adds to the whole thing just takes him places mentally he doesn’t want to be. He has a lot of internalized expectations for how soulmates are supposed to act and doesn’t really feel up to any of them.

Assuming you don’t ditch him during those mercurial few months things do settle down. He starts approaching it like any other relationship, with the same casual savoir-faire. He decides to take the soul bond as more of an added bonus than a bar-setter, and it helps his approach. He’s a good partner, casual and funny, but dedicated.

SF!Sans: You were storming down the stairs of your apartment building as the deafening alarm bells rang, absolutely pissed. You had three projects to finish by the end of the week and the last thing you needed was YET ANOTHER fire alarm. Especially when nothing appeared to be in flames.

You joined the small cluster of your fellow building mates, hugging your sweatshirt against the chill evening air. You walked among them, trying to piece together from various conversation who the hell deprived you of precious.minutes of work.

“Did you see anything?”

“Kitchen fire-”

“Maybe, but who-”

“Fucking asshole-”

“Look, Chief, all I’m sayin is if smoke’s pouring out of the oven, turn it off.” You pause. Bingo.

“I WILL DO NO SUCH THING! THE SMOKE IS WHAT GIVES MY BURRITOS THEIR DISTINCTIVE FLAVOR!” Its the two skeleton monsters you’d seen around a few times. The shorter one was the one yelling, while the taller one looked exhausted and mildly annoyed.

“Look, all ‘m sayin is the firefighters are getting pretty pissed off about having to come back so often. Not to mention stoves are expensive.”

“THOSE FIREFIGHTERS SHOULD LEARN SOME RESPECT FOR THE CULINARY ARTS.”

You’d heard enough. Stomping slightly and eyes blazing, you walked up to them and tapped the shorter one on the shoulder. He whirled on you. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?”

“Hi, excuse me, don’t mean to intrude, but what the FUCK is your damage.”

He looks stunned, for a moment too much so to speak, and his brother is shooting daggers at you but frankly you’re too pissed to care.

“Can you fucking control your damn stove so that I don’t have to tromp my ass out here GODS KNOW how many fucking times this week?! Some of us have work to do that isn’t setting food on fire and you’re getting. In. the fucking. Way.”

He found his tongue. “HOW DARE YOU-”

“I’m just saying, dude, after the fifth time maybe you’d get a clue!”

“Hey, back off.” The taller one said, looking at you with a dangerous eye.

You pointed an accusing finger at the other’s chest. “So get. Your shit. Toge-” Your finger had jabbed his chest at that point and suddenly a buzz erupted in your chest. You reacted instinctively and backed off, yelping a bit. The other felt something too and collapsed to a knee.

“Chief?!” The taller one knelt down beside him. “Sans, you okay?”

He was breathing hard for a minute and he looked up at you with a bizarrely intense face. “…..I’M FINE.”

“Sans-”

“I’M FINE!” He jerked his shoulders out of his brother’s grip and got to his feet. “COME ON, THEY’VE TURNED OFF THE ALARMS.” He walked away. The taller one shot you a dirty look before following.

……What the hell?

Somehow you managed to get the work done. There are no other fire alarm issues. You’re celebrating with a tired glass of wine a few days later when there’s a knock at the door. When you open it, there’s nothing but a plate of burritos there. What the- You flash back to the conversation. Is this….his way of apologizing? Maybe. You’re never one to turn down food and with the high from getting your work done you’re less inclined to be pissed with him, so you take it in and sample it.

Oh gods. If this is how his cooking usually is you can understand why smoke might help. At least it might mask some of the other flavors.

He keeps leaving burritos outside your room and you don’t have the heart to turn them down, but you can’t stand dumping food this much, so finally you show up outside his door and offer to show him a new method. His brother is shooting you dirty looks and he’s very resistant to most changes you suggest, but in the end you manage to churn up something, if not exactly tasty, at least approaching edible. Despite being stubborn and bossy, you kind of find yourself enjoying it. He’s got a sort of charm to him, and definitely has a lot of passion. Somehow he manages to convince you to stop by for dinner sometime.

Blood never tells you you’re soulmates. It sounds….gross and sappy and romantic and NOOOOOO. But he slowly works his way into your favors, toning down his aggressiveness a bit. He surprisingly smoothly transitions you into dating, and before you quite know what’s happening you’re having your first kiss outside your apartment door with the guy who keeps setting off the damn alarm. And somehow….you wouldn’t want it any other way.

(Oh, and Syrup does eventually forgive you).

SF!Papyrus: Last delivery of the night, and you’d finally be off. Least it was this place. You’d delivered enough late night takeout to know the guy tipped well. You knocked.

The door opened, revealing Syrup’s lanky form. “Hey kid.”

“Hey, dude.” You forked over the takeout. “Usual. Your bro not cooking tonight?”

“Staying the night with a friend. On my own for tonight.”

“Ah, explains the smell.” You say, indicating the faint fumes of weed wafting from the living room.

“Our little secret, sweetheart.” He winked.

You grinned faintly. Syrup was just enough of a casual flirt that you always kind of looked forward to him popping up on your route.

“How much do I owe ya.”

“$12.17.” You say, pulling the fanny pack with your change in it to your front. “Though I swear we should put this one on the house, you’re practically keeping us in business.”

“Not sure if that’s a reflection on me or the restaurant.” He handed you a twenty. You started counting out the change but he shook his head. “Keep it.”

“Dude, no, 7 bucks is way too much.”

“Hey, don’t argue, I’m a customer and the customer’s always right, right?”

“Come on, man, at least take some of it back, I feel guilty.” You press into his hand before he can protest again. The bones feel odd against your skin. Coming down to it, this may have been the first time you’d touched him instead of just handing items across…..You only have a second to contemplate this before there’s a thrill in your chest like an electric shock. Seems he felt it too: he yelped, jerking his hand back as the change fell to the floor, scattering coins.

Both of you pant a bit, cradling your hands. The buzzing stays, but is less intense. More like a faint vibration.

“What….what the hell….?” you say, finally looking from your hand to Syrup, only to find him staring at you with a dumbfounded expression. “….Syrup.”

“Uh….yeah.” He knelt to the ground, ducking his face a bit as he collects the dropped cash. “Just….just a stray magic burst. Sorry, happens sometimes.” He stands up and puts the change back to you, still avoiding your eyes. “Shouldn’t be any long term effects.”

“Um….are you okay?”

“What?” His eyelights finally dart up to hold yours, only to look away as he places a hand on the door. “Yeah, fine. Just baked. I’ll see ya later, maybe.” He closed the door before you could say another word.

Behind the door he has a minor crisis. Fuck. He’d gone this long without a soulmate, he’d just kind of assumed he didn’t have one. Now he has one, and its you, the human he’d been casually moving in on for a while now…..fuck, he’s not nearly baked enough for this shit.

Syrup’s not half bad at getting laid but a committed relationship? His confidence goes out the fucking window. Not to mention thanks to dedicating himself to looking after Sans he barely has the time (never mind that since he’s hit the surface Sans needs less looking after than he used to). What….what the hell is he supposed to do?

In the end, nothing. The next few times you deliver, he’s not rude exactly, but compared to every other encounter he’s extremely terse and withdrawn. After a while he finds he can’t resist getting back into playful banter, but he’s shyer, less likely to flirt. What the hell’s the point of getting attached. And yeah, he sees the irony.

Blood finds out, of course. Syrup’s never been much good at keeping things from his brother and after watching him mope around for an hour whenever you drop off food he puts the pieces together. He tells him to suck it up and just ask you out and keeps badgering him until Syrup finally lets it go that you’re soulmates. That seems to get him to back off…..until the next time you drop off food and he just lets you walk away.

Just as you’re about to exit the building you hear Sans barking after you. “HUMAN!”

You turn around to see him dragging his brother forward by his shirt collar, forcing the taller to bend down so he could keep up. It was almost funny. There was an orange tint to his skull that keeps getting stronger the closer they get to you and he’s mumbling protests up until Sans throws him in front of you.

“YOU AND MY BROTHER ARE SOULMATES.” Sans says irritatedly, giving you a terse rundown of what he is. “SO CAN YOU JUST TAKE HIM OUT ALREADY SO I CAN STOP DEALING WITH HIS SULKING?” And before either of you can say anything, he’s stormed off back to the apartment.

[fwopfwop]

Bongchon Gaksi

I was browsing bl webtoons and the cover caught my eye. 29 chapters later, I regret taking a look cuz I REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING AWN! Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there’s any English translations of this story (either official or unofficial) as of now but here’s hoping the bl gods come thru!

Title: 봉촌각시 / Bongchon Gaksi

Creator: Son Gaepi

Year: 2020

Status: ongoing (29 chapter so far)

Links:

Ridibooks ｜ Promo Trailer｜Manga Updates Info Page

Summary:

* * * Let me preface this by saying this is what I understood from looking at all 29 chapters and sometimes using translation apps on dialogue I was curious about (don’t use translation apps to translate entire stories btw - hard stare @ certain individuals on the interwebs ಠ_ಠ ). Ya gurl only knows the Korean alphabet, a handful of phrases and words I’ve picked up over the years & words that may have an equivalent in Japanese lol * * * 

The titular character Bongchon is a giant who lives in the mountains. He comes down every so often to sell shit and unintentionally scare the people in town with his huge body (dude is 205cm/6 feet 8-9inches jesus christ!), scruffy face and uncombed hair. One day while selling his wares, he sees a guy who’s been beaten unconscious by a group of people. The man is Sun-gap, a low born who had been working as a servant in a nobleman’s household. Bongchon buys Sun-gap from the group and takes him back to his house in the mountains. Sun-gap slowly recovers under Bongchon’s care and eventually the two begin a sexual relationship. Sun-gap’s sad past and how he came to be in such a pitiful state are revealed in flashbacks.

Bongchon is so so adorable. He’s a gentle giant and so kind to everyone, even people who may not be as kind to him cuz they’re scared of him. He takes such good care of Sun-gap - and this was even before they started sleeping together. Sun-gap has a really sad back story and it makes him keep Bongchon at a distance, even when he’s sharing his body with him. It looks like trouble is coming their way soon but I hope Sun-gap lets himself fall in love with Bongchon. Bongchon’s already a goner lol The sex is also super spicy. Bongchon may be gentle but he’s a beast in bed and surprises Sun-gap a lot lmaooo.

I’m putting spoiler-ish stuff under the cut for those who’d like to know more.

Maybe in future chapters, we’ll learn more about Bongchon but he seems to have no other family. There is an old granny he consults about Sun-gap’s injuries but they don’t live together so I’m assuming she’s not related. But what I wrote in the summary is basically all we know about him lol.

Most of the story is focused on Sun-gap and what happened to him. I wish I could understand the time frame of the flashbacks. He’s 25 so most of the stuff shouldn’t have been too long ago, I think. 

Sun-gap actually used to have a lover who was his childhood friend. His lover had an accident and became very ill. The young master of the house happened to see them having sex one day and starts getting interested in Sun-gap. The interactions between the young master and Sun-gap gave me Paint of the Night deja vu but on a more tame level lol. The young master pays special attention to him and gives him medicine for his lover. Although it seems like there’s stipulations that come with that generosity  (☉__☉”) Unfortunately, Sun-gap’s lover dies and Sun-gap is devastated and guilt ridden. The young master tries to seduce him but he cries so the young master stops. I think that’s all of their interactions for now.

The other flashbacks are about how Sun-gap got beaten up. He’s friendly with a young lady. I’m not sure if she’s related to the young master or not but she’s real familar with Sun-gap, who’s a servant. She comes to Sun-gap when something bad happened and asks for advice. He tells her to runaway with him (this is after his lover died and the shenanigans with the young master so he’s done with everyone’s BS). His fellow servant friend overhears their plans and he initially keeps quiet (like I assumed he promised Sun-gap) but chases after the pair when his sweetheart (who I’m assuming is the young lady’s maid) gets punished for losing the young lady. The three head back and Sun-gap is beaten by the other servants(?) and then he wakes up in Bongchon’s house.

In the latest chapters, Bongchon obtains a letter from Sun-gap’s servant friend and Sun-gap reads it. All I understood was that the servant and his sweetheart married and that he wants to see Sun-gap again.The young master may be a problem. While he isn’t like Yoon Seungho levels of crazy/obsessed, he is pretty fixated on Sun-gap. I don’t know what a low born hermit like Bongchon could do(not just physically mind you cuz Bongchon got like 8 inches on him) if the young master uses all his power to take Sun-gap :’’’’(

[princepriestandpirate]

Yo do them all for Ilde! (If u want!)

 FINALLY these are finished here’s a bunch of backstory about my favorite shitty girl

1. How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence - literal or imagined - did the father have?

she kinda idolized the guy tbh. she saw him as an ideal to aspire to, someone who was a hero and lived an exciting life, and ultimately he was more of a symbol than an actual person that she remembered (he disappeared when she was 8). he represented freedom & excitement that she didn’t have in her life, and later on what it meant to be a “hero” (alongside mara). the idea of him influenced her path in life a lot, even if she probably would have fucked off to travel around anyway. 

2. Their mother? How do they think of her? What do they hate? Love? What influence - literal or imagined - did the mother have?

it’s…. complicated. she loves her mom a lot, her mom is her favorite (living) family member, but their relationship is sort of muddied by ilde being the Family Disappointment�� (and fucking off at the age of 16 to be an adventurer) and the kind of weird relationship that her dad has to the family (bc she looks a lot like her father and is a lot like him). so. it’s weird. they’re very distant now.

3. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?

She has an older half-sister, who is about 6 years older than her, named Ada. i’d characterize their relationship as… distant? more than anything else? they’re just far apart in age and in personality that they grew apart as they grew older, although when they were younger ilde was a pain in ada’s ass, very loud and always wanting to play. 

at the end of the day though, ilde’s also a little jealous of her sister because she’s everything she couldn’t be– she’s smarter and more responsible and always seems like she’s figured everything out and has found her place in the work. ilde doesn’t regret her life decisions but she know that they made her the black sheep of the family, so sometimes she’s jealous that ada just seems to fit into that life so well.

4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?

i think her mom erred on the more lenient side, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, or save that try to approach the situation by talking it out rather than going straight to punishment. she probably couldn’t keep it up all the time though, ilde was a troublemaker

5. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?

not really? she had a normal family who took care of her but she wasn’t overprotected by any means

6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?

a weird mix of the two, and probably not on purpose. her family loved her and cared for her (ada will always say that ilde was mom’s favorite) but ilde, physically and personality-wise, is just a little to reminiscent of her father. this meant her mother treated her with a little more leniency, but her sister and her grandmother saw her father in a much less favorable light (that he abandoned the family or that he was too reckless and a bad example), and through either being compared to him or them obviously not looking highly on his chosen profession (which ilde idolized) she felt somewhat rejected. she just felt like she couldn’t fit their vision of what they wanted her to be, basically.

7. What was the economic status of their family?

they’re middle class, they own a small cobbling business.

8. How does your character feel about religion?

she didn’t like it when she was younger (her family worshipped waukeen but in a very ‘goes to church on sunday’ kind of thing, so ilde just saw religion as just a thing that she was supposed to do and therefore boring and annoying), but she’s grown to respect those who practice religion (hanging out with a paladin for like 3 years will do that to you) although she doesn’t want to have anything to do with it herself. she doesnt want anyone telling her want to do or believe.

9. What about political beliefs?

”fuck the government”

10. Is your character street-smart, book-smart, intelligent, intellectual, slow-witted?

street-smart, not very book-smart but that’s a good amount due to a) not liking school as an institution because it’s boring and she’s bad at it so why bother, and b) i think she has a learning disability of some sort, probably dyscalculia or dyslexia which made school difficult for her and thus she figured it wasn’t for her and kind of gave up on it

11. How do they see themselves: as smart, as intelligent, uneducated?

she sees herself as smart when it comes to life skills and street smarts, and sees herself as dumb when it comes to traditionally academic spheres

12. How does their education and intelligence – or lack thereof - reflect in their speech pattern, vocabulary, and pronunciations?

i don’t think she comes across as very educated– she’s very crass and generally doesn’t use a lot of complex vocabulary, and her speech in general tends to be very informal. she probably also has a bit of an accent that reflects where she’s from

13. Did they like school? Teachers? Schoolmates?

she hated all of it. too many rules and too much structure, and as a result she got in trouble a lot. she also didn’t have a lot of close friends and ended up getting into fights with other kids

14. Were they involved at school? Sports? Clubs? Debate? Were they unconnected?

i dont think her school had much of that? and if it did i don’t think she’d be interested in much of it.

15. Did they graduate? High-School? College? Do they have a PHD? A GED?

she’s the equivalent of a high school drop out

16. What does your character do for a living? How do they see their profession? What do they like about it? Dislike?

she’s an “adventurer” which really is just a fancy word for doing odd and dangerous jobs for not as much money as she should be making. it’s tough work and it’s never as stable or safe or as glory-filled as she’d imagined. she wouldn’t have it any other way though– nothing else affords her the same amount of freedom. also in other jobs you dont get to hit stuff w/ an axe as much? what’s even the point then

17. Did they travel? Where? Why? When?

yes, everywhere she can, because staying in one place too long is boring and she needs to keep looking for work. she’s still traveling now, really

18. What did they find abroad, and what did they remember?

a great mentor, new skills, a cool ass axe, and a sense of like... personal responsibility. she remembers what she learned from mara, both the practical skills and the lessons that she didn’t even know she was learning. she remembers bandits and monsters and getting cheated out of money and the feeling of pride in a finishing blow. she remembers seeing mara die and thinking “was it like this for dad, too?”

19. What were your character’s deepest disillusions? In life? What are they now?

the adventuring life isn’t everything she thought it’d be. it’s kind of thankless, and kind of lonely, and there’s not as much glory in it as one would expect. this doesn’t mean she wont brag about her life like it’s actually really cool tho

20. What were the most deeply impressive political or social, national or international, events that they experienced?

discovery of the other continent, but that’s about it

21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate?

she’s, uh, kind of an asshole tbh? or at least she can be very rude and crass and really doesn’t care about manners all that much. as for heroes, she thinks a true hero is someone who is willing to give up everything, including their life, for other people. sort of by extension, she hates cowards and people who hurt the innocent. the worst type of people are a mix of those two.

22. Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or ‘ideal’ partner?

she doesn’t have many friends, and most of the friends that she does have are friends of circumstance rather than long-lasting relationships. her closest friendship was with mara, but that was also very much a mentorship and born partially out of the benefits of having a traveling partner (and ilde having a bit of a crush) right now though, she’d consider her squad and some of the pirates and prisoners to be sort of friends.

she doesn’t have any lovers lol, but her type tends to be “cute girls who could probably kick her ass”

23. What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel of sex?

i think she wants someone who could match her & challenge her, push her to be better but also not make her settle down or give up her freedom. really, she wants a romantic AND traveling partner. as for sex, it’s something she enjoys but she’s kinda shy around girls unless she’s drunk so it’s not something she’s having a lot of lol

24. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

not many? if she’s in a social group she’s usual a part of one because they’re all on the same job (or, as w/ this campaign, all thrown into the same bad situation). in which case she likes to take charge and drive the group forward, even if she’s not the technical leader, although she often just ends up being the fighty one who’s maybe a leader in battle but not in the rest of the mission (or not in a meaningful way)

25. What are their hobbies and interests?

hitting things w/ an axe

26. What does your character’s home look like? Personal taste? Clothing? Hair? Appearance?

the closest thing she has to home is her family’s shop, which i think of as being very cozy and well-maintained. her room is probably kind of sparse but messy when she stays there. 

as for personal taste, i don’t think she’s very aesthetics-oriented in general, and will go for usefulness over looking good, although she’ll make an exception for anything that looks badass or has the color red in it. she’s currently wearing her pirate’s uniform with the sleeves ripped off, along with her armor. she has long red hair that she usually keeps up in some sort of bun, or in a braid or braids in her downtime. she is short and stocky, with pale skin and freckles, large brown eyes and a strong jaw. i rolled for it an apparently she’s pretty hot too, although i don’t think she puts much work into her appearance beyond the basics.

27. How do they relate to their appearance? How do they wear their clothing? Style? Quality?

her relationship to clothing is very pragmatic, but she likes anything that will carry across the notion that she’s cool and badass and not to be messed with. she wears her clothing in whatever way is most comfortable, and goes for comfort and quality over anything else.

28. Who is your character’s mate? How do they relate to him or her? How did they make their choice?

she is very single rn (altho she thinks lionheart is cute)

29. What is your character’s weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling?

a very bad mix of pride and recklessness. she’s incredibly prideful and doesn’t want to ever ask for help and it’s gotten her in trouble before. mix that with a propensity to not think very much before she acts (although she’s gotten better about that as she’s gotten older) and it’s a recipe for disaster and also lying to her mom too much

30. Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive?

kind of; she’s still holding onto her father and mara’s death, but not really in the sense of holding onto a grudge, more in the sense of holding onto those memories because she admires them, and especially with mara wants to follow in her example to honor her memory. so her holding onto the past grounds her with some ideals and morals, especially about sacrifice and what it means to be a hero

31. Does your character have children? How do they feel about their parental role? About the children? How do the children relate?

she has no kids and doesn’t want any

32. How does your character react to stress situations? Defensively? Aggressively? Evasively?

very aggressively, put her in a stressful situation and her first reaction is to fight back, either verbally or physically

33. Do they drink? Take drugs? What about their health? 

she drinks, mostly to relax in between jobs

34. Does your character feel self-righteous? Revengeful? Contemptuous?

yeah a general feeling of anger is pretty common, right now mostly directed at someone i can’t talk about because spoilers, but she’s dealing with it. she chopped of a worm’s head so she cooled down a little, even if so and so is still a fucking coward

35. Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?

unless they’re particularly spectacular failures she just tries to move on from any mistakes she makes and not linger on them too long. her first instinct usually isn’t to blame herself tho

36. Do they like to suffer? Like to see other people suffering?

she doesn’t like to suffer, but she thinks that all of the struggles (physical or emotional) that she’s had to go through have made her stronger, so she’s okay with having gone through them. she doesn’t like seeing innocents or friends suffer but if it’s the person/thing she’s fighting it’s fine. she’s not going to draw out anyone’s suffering though.

37. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories?

she tends to live in the present and focus on dealing with current problems rather than be off in her own world, although that’s more of a result of her growing up than anything. when she was younger, she was constantly dreaming about being an adventurer.

38. Are they basically negative when facing new things? Suspicious? Hostile? Scared? Enthusiastic?

a weird mix of suspicious and enthusiastic? like, she’s constantly seeking out new experiences but at the same time she’s been doing this shit long enough to be aware of potential danger and ready to fight it.

39. What do they like to ridicule? What do they find stupid?

oh so much. SO much. she generally likes to ridicule people she doesn’t like, especially people who take themselves too seriously or who are very uptight

40. How is their sense of humor? Do they have one?

she definitely has a sense of humor but it’s kind of a mean one-- she tends to laugh at other people’s embarrassments and fuck ups

41. Is your character aware of who they are? Strengths? Weaknesses? Idiosyncrasies? Capable of self-irony?

she’s gained a bit of this as she’s grown older. she’s not terribly introspective but she’s gained a better sense of her own strengths and weaknesses and is at least able to reflect back on her younger self with something resembling self-criticism

42. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain?

she wants freedom, hands down. it’s not a very tangible “want” but it’s the thing that drives most of her decisions-- it’s the reason she rebelled so much as a kid, the reason she left home, the reason she continues to travel and take odd jobs to make ends meet, the reason she want so badly to get off these islands. she’s will to cut ties and even hurt others if necessary.

43. Does your character have any secrets? If so, are they holding them back?

not to the people around her, but she’s been exaggerating how cool/exciting/good her life is to her family for a while because she’s a prideful shit who can’t admit when she’s wrong, and it keeps her from having a closer relationship w/ her family and a stronger support system. (i don’t think she went home right after mara died because of this and just dealt with it by herself because she couldnt bring herself to tell her family ‘oh this life kinda sucks sometimes,’ and she only ever goes home when she’s doing well for herself)

44. How badly do they want to obtain their life objectives? How do they pursue them?

she’s a girl of action-- she wanted to be an adventurer so she became one, even not being super prepared for what it would be like at all. she tends to jump in head-first into things

45. Is your character pragmatic? Think first? Responsible? All action? A visionary? Passionate? Quixotic?

she’s grown more pragmatic as she’s grown up, but she’s fundamentally very action-oriented and puts her heart into what she’s doing. she was very irresponsible as a kid but has grown more responsible w/ age.

46. Is your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?

she’s tall for a dwarf (like 4′11″) but short overall, her body type is pretty broad/stocky and muscular. she has pretty decent posture but it’s only because her grandmother was strict about it– she doesn’t care about her posture much but she tends to fall back into good posture. as for her body, she’s very proud of it! the way she sees it, her body is a weapon that she put a lot of work into honing and mastering, and her muscles and her scars are the result of that hard work, so why not be proud of them?

47. Do they want to project an image of a younger, older, more important person? Does they want to be visible or invisible?

she wants to project the image of someone a little older and very in-control and commanding. she wants to be very visible.

48. How are your character’s gestures? Vigorous? Weak? Controlled? Compulsive? Energetic? Sluggish?

depends on her mood. all of her movements tend to have a lot of weight to them, and her movements are either v energetic or v relaxed

49. What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rhythm of speech? Pronunciation? Accent?

uhh kind of on the lower side (somewhat deliberate bc it gives off an air of her being confident and serious or some shit), and she tends to be kinda loud. she talks very casually so she doesn’t care if sometimes her words run together a little. she speaks like she wants to be heard and get her point across. she probably has a light accent that one would probably recognize as being from Drag’t, and vaguely dwarvish (bc that’s probably her actual first language and one she spoke at home a lot)

50. What are the prevailing facial expressions? Sour? Cheerful? Dominating?

a general expression of “don’t fuck with me”

[theautumnarchive]

I wanted to write a post commemorating the official one month mark of my hrt, but I don't think I have the energy to muster faux excitement today.

The therapy is going fine. Rather uneventful so far. My reaction to the last shot was a little better than it has been to every other one since the initial shot. Still itches. Still red. Just tolerable.

I am excited about the hrt, honestly, but right now I'm in the middle of a low point brought on by my own inability to keep my mouth shut. I have substantial issues with emotional, physical, or romantic attachments to people, and I thought that perhaps I had found.. Not a solution, but a lifeline, I think... But sometimes it's better not to reach for those lifelines.

It has come to my attention that any time I try to take a leap of faith for myself, at least in this regard, that I end up worse off. When I moved to Florida, I was in the middle of a divorce and I thought that would be the last relationship I'd ever be in. He was a decent person, but we were completely incompatible and his unwillingness or perhaps inability to acknowledge my emotional and physical needs and limitations left me pretty damaged. The four years I spent with him in Louisiana left me so touch-starved and heartbroken that I used to cry myself to sleep because he always pulled away from me when I reached for his hand at night.

He was respectful when I told him I'd realized I was ace. It was nice, because we'd only had one conversation about asexuality before and it went about as bad as it could go without physical violence. It was nice, but it was the last bit of physical interaction we had. I think my coming out cost me whatever bit of attraction he had left for me. Its fine, though. We agreed to part ways and I thought, well, that was the end of that. I have a hard time figuring out how to communicate and connect with other people beyond friendship. I'm not even particularly good at that, but I get lucky, I think. Proximity does the bulk of the work. I just figured that that rollercoaster of a marriage would be my last exercise in romance.

But I was wrong. I wish I had been right. Florida has been a bittersweet experience for me in really every meaningful way. I got caught off guard by a boy who I connected with on so many points that I had never shared with one person. He was friendly and interesting and brilliant and I should've been grateful to just have shared a timeline with a shooting star like that. I was, really. I had no intention of going anywhere beyond friends with him. Powers beyond myself intervened, however, and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself experiencing that sappy shit you always read about in books and see in movies. I haven't been so high on a heartstring since I was fourteen. But I miscalculated. I wasn't ready. I said my marriage screwed me up and I meant it. I was so anxious that I'd screw it up and lose that happiness that I made it a self-fulfilling prophecy. I needed him too much. I wasn't even.. I don't even think he liked me, to be honest. I think he wanted to. I think he tried. And I wasn't honest. I thought if I told him about being ace, if I told him that my chromosomes messed up and my body is wrong, that he'd realize it wasn't worth all that red tape. Maybe I was right, but it doesn't matter, because I lost anyway.

That was a hit with a harder contact than I expected. I was wrecked over some guy who I had barely known a season. I thought maybe I loved him - how sad is that? I'm so mixed up and bandaged that I think I might love somebody because they make me feel like I matter. And the truth is that he really didn't. When I was in his presence, everything was firecrackers, but then I wouldn't hear from him for days or he'd take a bad emotional day out on me when I made conversation at work. But I can't feel properly. It takes so much out of me to feel any emotional at all - anger, happiness, excitement, fear, love - that those high moments were everything. And when the person who finally made me feel again was gone, I broke.

It was embarrassing and pitiful and disappointing. Someone helped, though. I assumed that losing him would mean losing his friends that I'd met, as well. But one of them stayed. And he was helpful and patient and listened.

Maybe it was my fault for not putting barriers up right away. I don't know. I like to blame the fact that I'm quoiromantic and say that I could've been fine being friends if I'd never been given an alternative, but that's probably not true. It's probably more like a total disbelief that anyone is ever actually interested in me, and especially one who already knows all of the baggage I come with. He was the first person I came out to as trans. He was one of the few people I've met who shared my ace status and didn't need further clarification or ask if that meant I'd been sexually assaulted.

I guess I took that for granted, too. And this one was the relationship equivalent of a nuclear bomb. What a disaster. I made so many mistakes. I should've been more patient. I should've learned from the last 10 years of being a complete failure and pulled my own reigns back. But I didn't. And I wasn't there for him the way he always had been for me. I lost him, too.

We're all friends now. Or, we're supposed to be. I think I'm always going to be a sort of supporting character, especially because I was introduced because I was dating someone. You're never going to be an equal after that. And I don't know what it is that I'm trying to say here, really, except that I just keep messing up. I vascillate between still being a little head over for one or both of them and being fine without anything other than their friendship. It's really frustrating not being able to understand what you actually feel for other people. It leads to a lot of bad calls.

I am in the state I am currently because of another in a long string of bad calls. I wanted to try and see if someone knowing me, the real me, who I am supposed to be, and accepting that would make me less distraught about sexual intimacy. I asked the one person in the entire world who I trust enough with that charge if they thought it was worth testing the hypothesis. But I shouldn't have. Do you know what's sad? Out of this entire post of self-pity and disappointment? The saddest thing to me is that a major contributing factor in my confidence that I could try out this theory with this person was a single night that we spent spooning in the same bed. Honestly, it wasn't the best sleep I've ever had or the moment I realized I loved him or anything cheesy like that. I just felt safe. I felt like all the bullshit up until that point was okay because I had ended up there. I know that experience was strange and new and stressful for him, but I needed it and he cared about me and I was happy and safe. I just thought that trying to get past my traumatic sexual past by taking it slow and honest and positive with someone who is willing to go through a lot of shit for me would work out in the end. He made me feel safe in a time and place where I never have that luxury. I just want to feel normal. I want to have one fucking box unchecked on the list of qualifiers that supersedes my personality and worth. It is hard to be ace and hard to be trans and hard to be gay and hard to have arthritis and fibromyalgia and anxiety and depression and nerve damage and it's really fucking hard to be all of those things at once. I just.. I just wanted to feel normal.

But I should've kept that to myself. I never keep my mouth shut and I told myself it was going to come off idiotic and make him think I was trying to subvert his decision to not entertain relationships anymore. That wasn't what I wanted. I won't lie and act like I don't wish I had done a lot of things differently and that I had gotten it right the first time, but the feeling isn't mutual and I respect that. This was a separate thought entirely. But it doesn't matter. For a lot of reasons, or just one big reason, it didn't work out. It's fine. I'm fine. But I should've kept my mouth shut. I was embarrassed when I thought of it the first time, embarrassed when I proposed it, and I'm embarrassed now. I feel stupid because I got my hopes up. Because I keep thinking that telling people what I actually think is a good idea. Because I never learn. Because I dragged someone else into my mess and made a stressful situation when I didn't have to, like I always do. And at the end of it all, I'm still just as bad off as I was. Perhaps worse, actually, because there's a chance I'll have to watch the two people I can't let go fall into each other eventually. And the fact that that hurts me makes me feel worse because, shit, I should be happy for them. That's what a friend would do. But I'm selfish in my loneliness and neediness and I say things like, "what if we all dated," because I'm poly and I genuinely think it's a good idea and we would all be good for each other and keep each other afloat and mentally stable and because monogamy puts too much pressure on people like me who crave intimacy but need a lot of personal space, when I should've just kept my mouth shut. Again.

So, yes, it's the 24th today and it's my first month on T over with. I hope that next month ends with a lesson more thoroughly learned. Sorry, mom.

[sugirandom]

365 days of writing: day 224

Day 224: rocky start

           Good afternoon, first of al l, Poppy did help me get my sunglasses out from under the couch yesterday so I had them with me after all. Yesterday was fine at work other than the fact that our boss brought his niece in and she was a bit distracting to have around, especially because she started eating earlier than my lunchbreak and was sitting at the desk behind mine chewing rather loudly. My right ear is still ringing too, I guess it will be for a while now, but the noise in the office certainly didn’t help things any. Oh well, at least I got to go home early thanks to mom picking me up. I pretty much just took a hot bath and relaxed some when I get home, I didn’t even really watch Dragon Ball Z or any youtube videos… I was still pretty exhausted from the previous day.

           This morning I was a little frustrated since Poppy and I got into a little misunderstanding, just basically her misreading my tone of voice when I asked her if my phone was fully charged since it wasn’t sitting on the dock right anymore and I guess she though my tone was accusing her of being the reason. That and the fact that I had some trouble sleeping didn’t really help my mood any. Mom and dad didn’t really help things since mom was making a big deal about how she gets to have a week off from taking me places, which I understand, but this is like the third time she’s brought it up in the last few days so I felt like she was rubbing it in and I told her “Yeah, I got it the first few times.” And of course she got mad at me for that and said “Don’t be insulting!” So, I guess I pissed both my mothers off today but it’s just one of those days I guess.

           Hypnosis was good though, she’s giving me a lot of visualization techniques to help me when I’m dealing with pain and I do plan on using them when I’m on vacation to see if they help any. I probably won’t have any white noise at the beach house so I will really need them. Anyway, when I got home Poppy went out to the Chiropractor since it was her break and I decided to work on some shoulder exercises. I’m starting from the beginning since it’s been so long since I’ve worked out and I’m sure my body needs to work back up to where it was. After that I played the sims 4 until lunchtime.

           Franklin died of old age so now it’s only Gina, Goopy, and their son Heath. I have to play through my least favorite part of the game, toddlerhood, but actually since Heath is independent it’s not quite as bad as it was when Franklin was a toddler because Franklin was a fussy toddler! Goopy has a much more flexible schedule so a lot of times he was left taking care of Heath while Gina was at work. Gina is continuing to raise her violin skill and has written three songs but she also has her job as an entertainer. I didn’t realize this at first but Goopy is in the same career track but he’s a “Rising comedian” which I guess means he already has some fame and he make a lot more than Gina does which certainly helps with the bills. Heath is in the middle of toddlerhood so we still have a little bit of time before he’s a child but I’m not quite as annoyed with it this time since he’s a well-behaved boy for the most part.

           Once I finished my session of Sims 4 Poppy and I ate some BLTs for lunch and watched a little TV until her lunchbreak ended and then we loaded the dishwasher together and she got back to work. I watched episodes 19 and 20 of DBZ. They both switched in between Kaio training Goku and Piccolo training Gohan with just a small amount of Kami training the rest of the main group. I also got to hear the backstory for the Saiyans which is interesting for the most part, I guess they’ve come along way despite being primitive in the beginning and I admire that they had the thought to befriend more advanced civilizations so they could buy weapons and other technologies from them. As for Kaio, yeah I believe we call him King Kai in the English dub and this is well… this is a time where I can’t at all blame the English dub for making this assumption. The guy’s name is said as “Kaio-sama” out of respect for his status as a strong fighter (I believe?) and well “Ou-sama” means ‘King’ in Japanese so they tend to say a person’s name and Ou-sama after it to let you know that they are a king. -Sama is an honrofic used for people of a status higher than your own out of respect so I’m guessing that they thought he was a king named Kai. His name itself is likely a play on words since Kaio enjoys puns and I wouldn’t have caught on to it other than when he introduced himself as Kaio and not as Kai. Ehh, I’d probably have made the same mistake myself

           Other than that, I think Piccolo is a bit of the male equivalent of Tsundere (just joking!). Seriously though it’s cute how he seems bothered when Gohan tells him that his father mentioned that he didn’t seem as evil as his father was. I really like the dynamic Gohan and Piccolo have, it seems like more than just a teacher and student relationship in some respects since he’s more like a guardian figure as well. I knew what I was getting myself into in all fairness though so I’m not going to whine about the feels that I’m starting to get. Of course my romantic and sexual ships hurt but man it’s the platonic stuff that will be the death of me one day. Yes, all the various types of platonic ships will be my downfall, I think this is my weakness in DBZ but we’ll see.  At 4PM I have to go to my last session of physical therapy, I didn’t have the heart to tell them last time that I won’t be going anymore after this since I wasn’t with my usual therapist and also I don’t want to stop but I can’t really afford to go and pay for it all by myself.  This session will be hard for me emotionally but I’ll try to hang in there and make the best of it.

           When I come back Poppy and I are going to make dinner together and then I’m sure we’ll find something to watch on TV even though we’re mostly caught up on all the weekly shows we’ve been watching. We might just end up watching local TV unless we think of something to watch on Hulu. Tomorrow should be pretty laid back as far as I know, I think we’re going to pack for our vacation but I’m not sure yet what else is going on. My best bro will be over Sunday and then Monday is when we head out to the beach place so that’s basically what the next few days look like.

[thenightisland]

updates under the cut

post one

post two

on this edition of “fuck you 2017″

we had one of our techs get her head bashed in with her walkie talkie for no reason like just walking her checks like she was supposed to and the pt grabbed that beat her head in and tried to stab her with her own pen and showed zero remorse and could give no reason as to why she did it so that room was so full of blood that it looked like a crime scene and they had to literally mop it up and the tech had to go to the er obviously 

a pt got punched in the face by another pt and in trying to keep the two apart, my alpha tech got his arms literally soaked in blood trying to keep the one who got punched from getting punched again and for a while there we thought we were going to lose our tech because when we ran exposure labs on the bleeder he was positive for hepatitis so we were all scared to death our tech had hepatitis

apparently we’re running a special on bloody messes because one pt out of nowhere stood up in the dining room picked up his chair and brought it down on another pt’s head so when we came in at three that guy was going to the er with a seven inch head wound

hell, a few days ago a pt attacked a tech for no reason and he was an older tech quiet sweet harmless so naturally the pt went after him and that was so bad that /other patients were helping us pry that pt off our staff/

finally met the infant i’ve been putting off meeting since january so that was. interesting. 

oh another of my techs, she called in on a monday some weeks back and admin was bitching at her so much for it despite the fact that she was /in the hospital because she’d had a miscarriage/ and then thursday of that week her brother got fucking /shot/

fuck even i got jumped by a pt which feels like a minor detail

everyone’s morale is so low because everything is so fucked up at work right now like people who have worked there longer than me are like “it didn’t used to be like this having people in seclusion for seven hours never happened you only heard of a staff member getting attacked maybe once every few months you never had this many holds or this kind of staffing for a census of 85″ like sounds fake but okay i literally cannot imagine what this place used to be like

we caught someone mid-suicide attempt via hanging self from a doorknob like threw all their weight to the ground unconscious when we found them and as soon as air got back in those lungs they fought us like crazy and we had them in a hold for over an hour to keep them from trying to hurt themselves again it was honestly one of the most terrifying nights we’ve ever experienced bc it was also a case we’ve all been heavily invested in and worked a lot with so catching someone in the middle of hanging themselves /two days before the pt’s birthday/ was. a lot like we were all so shaken esp because most of us have at some point or another been suicidal or tried to kill ourselves so we’re really good at picking out the serious suicide attempts from the attention seeking nonsense some of our pts and we were all really quiet because we knew this one was 100% serious and it fucked us all up because we’re the only shift that’s really even taken the time to try to help this particular pt everyone else sort of gave up or just ignores them????? so it hit us way harder than anyone else and god it was chilling

i’ve had several emotional upsets in my personal life which i’m not even about to open that can of fucking worms because it’s A Lot

also like listing out all those violent and awful incidents is kind of reminding me that normal people with normal jobs are not usually exposed to this kind of constant violence and suicide like i forget that seeing the things i’ve seen would be considered really traumatic for a regular person and for us it’s just tuesday? but it’s happened /so much/ and shows no signs of getting better and tbh it feels like the entire hospital is in a crash and burn phase right now which is not good not good at all

our 76 year old house supervisor is really sick with some respiratory mess and i hope every fucking day she doesn’t die because we’re honestly really close and i don’t want to feel like i’ve lost another grandmother thanks

and as we speak, my second in command, who was having orthopedic surgery during the last update, is about to be out having more abdominal surgery. last summer she walked around with a mild upset stomach for two weeks and found out that she’d actually be walking around with a ruptured appendix for two weeks and had to have emergency surgery because she was septic and was in the icu for two weeks and almost died. she then had to have another surgery in like november because there was still bacteria they missed. so now, literally on the one year anniversary of the first abd surgery, she is in the hospital yet again with what is either peritonitis a hernia/strangulation or a perforation, or a combination of those things and will probably have to have /another goddamn surgery/. so jan 2016 acl and mcl ortho surgery, aug 2016 almost died abd surgery, nov 2016 second abd surgery, feb(? i think?) 2017, second round of ortho surgery on the same knee, and now aug 2017, round three of abd surgery because i’m pretty sure all my friends and loved ones are cursed because that’s the only explanation at this point. so like. @universe please don’t kill one of my best friends thanks.

meanwhile earlier this week, /i/ started having the exact same symptoms she had last year so i was at the doctor wednesday to rule out anything being ruptured and idk if it’s better or worse because it wasn’t anything life threatening, but after running several tests, it’s discovered that physically i’m in great shape and that the severe abdominal pain and lack of appetite and fatigue etc etc is literally just from stress so i’m off till next week with the modern equivalent of “she has a fragile constitution and needs a week’s rest in the country” yes that’s right 2017 has literally been so goddamn awful and stressful that my body low key shut me down in an effort to get fucking recovery time like ever since my life started going to shit in mid april it’s just stayed bad and nightmares are breaking through the medication which no thank you i enjoyed sleeping and so i haven’t been sleeping hardly at all lately either this year has literally wrecked me and this is all minus the several serious intense things happening in my personal life right now lol

like everyone i work with is falling apart under the pressure we love our jobs and we love each other but the job might being kind of low key killing us so when you add in the stress of our various personal lives and our health on top of you know being witness to horrible life threatening violence and trauma every day........

let’s just say 2017 has yet to turn around and i’m starting to wonder if it will at all?????? or if it’s just going to suck all the way till 2018 so anyway like i originally intended my sort of ghost status to be more temporary but literally the only reason i even have it in me to write this right now is because i’m basically on bed rest for the next four and a half days so.............i guess i’ll return to normal when 2017 STOPS DOING THIS SHIT

[attina-the-responsible]

Attina Monroe Triton - Character Sheet

all these couples are kissing / and i can't stand the heat / i lost my shoes and left the party / i wander in the street

i put my feet into the fountain / the statues' all asleep / no use wishing on the water / it grants you no relief...

Archetype — The Caregiver Birthday — June 22, 1991 Zodiac Sign — Cancer MBTI — ENFJ Enneagram — 2, the Helper Temperament — Melancholic Hogwarts House — Hufflepuff (burned) Moral Alignment — Neutral Good Primary Vice — Envy/Lust Primary Virtue — Charity Element — Water   

Overview:

Mother — Athena Triton (nee Oceana) (deceased) Father — Jeffery Triton Mother’s Occupation — Homemaker Father’s Occupation — CEO of Triton Industries (they fund coral reef preservation and ocean clean up) Family Finances — Wealthy (from shipwrecked goods) Birth Order — Oldest Brothers —  None Sisters — Andrina (Anna Kendrick FC, Birthday: February 7, 1992), Adella (Tara Lynn FC, Birthday: March 14, 1993), Arista (Lily James FC, Birthday: March 22, 1994), Aquata (Brianne Hildebrand FC, Birthday: September 20, 1995), Alana (Grace Phipps FC, Birthday: September 23, 1997), Ariel (Sophia Lillis FC, Birthday: December 4, 2002) Other Close Family — Melody (cousin, Lily Collins FC, September 2, 1994), see family tree here. Best Friend — Nala Calame Other Friends — I’m sure she has them. Her sisters. Enemies — Guys that have broken her heart or fucked w her sisters. Pets — None. Home Life During Childhood — Happy, though, had to keep being a mermaid a secret and that was rough. Town or City Name(s) — The Ocean, Boscombe Reef. Swynlake, England. What Did His or Her Bedroom Look Like — Shared with Andrina. Was constantly picking up after her. Had bright colors--yellows and oranges and reds. Any Sports or Clubs — Band/Orchestra. (Harpist/keyboard.) Favorite Toy or Game — She totally has a little blanket that she’s had ever since she was a baby and it’s all ragged but she lowkey keeps it in her purse. Schooling — Swynlake Secondary. Favorite Subject — Biology! Popular or Loner — Popular Important Experiences or Events — First time a guy broke her heart (16? Same year mom died.) Health Problems — OCD Culture — Mermaid culture. Religion and beliefs — Uhhh?? They believe in the ocean???

Physical Appearance:

Face Claim —  Sarah Drew Complexion — Pale Hair Colour — Red Eye Colour — Green Height — 5’4 Build — Petite Tattoos — a whale tail on her finger. Piercings — ear piercings Common Hairstyle — lots of various styles, attina loves to mess with her hair Clothing Style — brightly colored, trendy Mannerisms — talks with her hands, laughs awkwardly a lot Usual Expression —

Health:

Overall (do they get sick easily)? — Not really. Physical Ailments — None. Neurological Conditions — Anxiety, Depression, OCD. Allergies —  Seasonal Grooming Habits — Attina does it all--face masks, pedicures, bubble baths. She loves it all! Sleeping Habits — A pretty good sleeper, but a light sleeper. Eating Habits — Can skip meals when stressed. Probably eats more sweets than she should. Exercise Habits —  Does yoga sometimes. Emotional Stability — 5 out of 10. Tina has a lot of anxiety and her OCD can make her really hard to function sometimes, she is quick to panic and quick to anger and quick to tears. Sociability — So. Friendly. Too friendly. Body Temperature — Runs a little cold to the touch, but isn’t actually cold Addictions — none Drug Use — recreational Alcohol Use — all the time.

Your Character’s Character:

Bad Habits — she’s ocd so there is a plethora to choose from Good Habits — always diligent lmao she locks doors like 15 times Best Characteristic — so caring, so sweet Worst Characteristic — sooooo nosy and lowkey desperate Worst Memory — learning that her mother had died Best Memory — each time her sisters were born. Also her first kiss (even if the guy was a dick) Proud of — her degree and her sisters Embarrassed by — pfft everything?? She gets so easily flustered, mostly bc she overshares Driving Style — Doesn’t drive. Strong Points — fiercely loyal and fiercely kind Temperament — bubbly but self-deprecating Attitude — optimist but also a pessimist about her own life Weakness — uhhh so many things? Her desperateness for love she could be easily used if someone tells her they love her Fears — unlovable; something happening to her sisters Phobias — well--OCD is kind of a phobia of disorder Secrets — she’s a mermaid, lol. Also, she got a job at the great barrier reef she turned down Regrets — turning down the job offer (but not really, she’d do it again) Feels Vulnerable When — she likes someone; when her sisters tease her about being overbearing Pet Peeves — when her sisters DONT LISTEN TO HER; messy people (aka all her sisters) Conflicts — wants to live her own life but feels a duty to her fam Motivation — her fam Short Term Goals and Hopes — keep everyone safe Long Term Goals and Hopes — get married. Have a family. (have a job she likes) **disclaimer: she’s given up on all of these Sexuality — Straight Exercise Routine  — she goes when andrina drags her, otherwise she swims and walks a lot. Day or Night Person — Day. Introvert or Extrovert — Extrovert. Optimist or Pessimist — Optimist.

Likes and Styles:

Music — she likes lots of pop; megan trainor lana del ray katy perry. Basic bitches. Also movie soundtracks Books — anything romantic. Literally. Anything. She reads those 10 cent novels you buy at the grocery store that literally no one reads Magazines — vogue def. Probably whatever the british equivalent of People is (the Sun??) Foods — she’s a pescatarian. She lovesss fresh fish. But also fruits and veggies. Lovesss smoothies. Drinks — Smoothies. Also drinks lots of water or she’ll start looking like she’s dying Animals — starfish are her fave but she loves all sea critters. Especially coral reef dwellers bc she’s actually spoken with them Sports — uhhh does marching band count? Social Issues — magicks rights/a kinda skewed feminism/she’s p socially aware Favorite Saying — a boat is safe at shore, but that’s not what it was built for. Color — orange! Like her tail! Clothing — she dresses kinda like vintage but cute Jewelry — she wears like pearl earrings every day as a staple and different necklaces. Her mother’s stuff on special occasions. Games — uhh?? None rly. Tho im sure she’d loves those like shoot ‘em up games idk Halo? skyrim? Websites — tumblr def. Facebook def. Insta DEF TV Shows — god she loves trash reality. Movies — likes gore. Likes romance. Loves when ppl die. Greatest Want — to keep her family safe Greatest Need — to take charge of her destiny

Where and How Does Your Character Live Now:

Home — She lives in Castle Suites, in a three bedroom apartment with her sister Andrina. (The third bedroom has two sets of bunkbeds and probably a futon in it so hypothetically all the sisters could stay the night.) Household furnishings — Pretty modern and always, always organized and clean. Her house always looks like it is getting ready for a photoshoot, though she has to get on Andrina for putting things away. Favorite Possession — Anything that was her mother’s, or that her mother gave her. Most Cherished Possession — A handwritten letter from her mother that Athena gave her the day her tail “popped” Married Before — Nope. Significant Other Before — Jason Madison (only serious boyfriend, they dated for nine months when she was 15-16). Children — Nope. Relationship with Family — She’s very close to all her sisters and keeps in touch with the cousins (on land) the best that she can. She’s the Perfect Daughter. Car — N/a. Career — Clerk at Whosits and Whatsits Dream Career — She wants to preserve the coral reefs in the world. Dream Life — Travel the world, but then, settle down and have a family. (Preferably have a partner during her worldly travels) Love Life — She dates around. She says “non-existent” Hobbies — Trashy reality television. Hanging out with her sisters. Knitting (bc she’s an old lady.) Watching documentaries. Hanging out in nature. Guilty Pleasure — Chocolate. Attina is always trying the newest diet craze, but when she sad chocolate is her go to. Sports or Clubs — She was in the chess club as a secondary student. She was also the favorite for student body president but she didn’t run during her upper sixth years. Talents or Skills — Attina is a talented piano player, harpist, and singer, though she hasn’t practiced any of these in quite a while. Intelligence Level — Attina is very bright, but she definitely dumbs herself down for boys. Smh. Finances — Her family is rich, but she makes a pretty meager salary at the shoppe.

[lovemesomesurveys]

5,000 Question Survey--part twenty-nine

2701. What does 'equal' mean? Being identical or equivalent. Being the same. 2702. Do you believe in the phrase 'all men are created equal'? Well, I mean we’re not “created” equal. There are physical differences that are unique to each person. Our personalities differ. Our genetics differ. However, we all bleed the same. We need oxygen to breathe. We want to be treated fairly, and loved. Everyone should have access to the same to the same opportunities and resources. However, we know that is not always the case.

What about woman? Same as I said above. No one should be treated differently or denied something based on their gender, sexuality, or race. 2703. Have all persons been specifically 'created'? Yes? 2704. Are all persons exactly equal? No. Some people are taller than others, some are stronger, some are smarter, more or less athletic, faster, etc you get the idea. We are not all identical or the same. I don’t think you’d want to be exactly like someone else. But again, there are things that most people want and are alike. The point again is that we have the access to the same opportunities and resources. That we are treated the same regardless of race, sexuality, and gender. 2705. Or do they just have equal rights (in theory)? Well, we should. That isn’t always the case, though. 2706. Does art reflect society or does society reflect art? Uhh. Both? 2707. Are you living under a little black raincloud or a ray of sunshine? I have a little black rain cloud hovering over me. 2708. What do you wonder about? I wonder about a lot of things. 2709. What is better..being single and free or being in love and responsible to another person? What’s “better” is unique to each individual. You can’t really say which one is better than the other, it just depends. To me, I know that single life all too well. I would like to experience a real relationship and love.

2710. What vitamins do you take? I’m supposed to take B12, vitamin D, and iron, but I’m not too good at doing so everyday. 2711. In checkers..red or black? Whichever. 2712. Is The Crow a great movie? I haven’t seen it. 2713. Do you wear all black frequently? Not all black, but I have black clothing. Actually, most of my jackets are black now that I think of it. It just goes well with everything. And my socks. 2714. Do you ever call yourself a poet, artist, or musician? No because I’m not any of those things.

Has your writing been published, your art been hung in a gallery or your band been signed? No. The most that has happened is I’ve had teachers use my essays as an example sometimes. Does it matter? Not to me, but to a writer, poet, or artist it might. But some don’t do it for that. Some do it because they genuinely love to do it regardless of if others see it or not. To each their own. 2715. When insects get into your house, do you kill them or catch them and take them ouside or leave them alone and let them live with you? I, personally, don’t do anything with them because I am a scardy cat. I get someone else to deal with it. 2716. Name at least one person who's birthday is in: Jan.- Our family friend. Feb.- My younger brother. Mar.- My dad. Apr.- My cousin. May- My aunt. June- Another cousin. July- Me. Aug.- Hmm... I don’t know. Sept- My mom. Oct- Another cousin. Nov- My older brother. Dec- Ty. 2717. Which would you consider to be a worse criminal: a pedophile or a necrphile? A pedophile, HANDS DOWN. Having sex with a corpse is not okay to me, but someone who is sexually attracted to children... there just isn’t a word good enough for a sick person like that. Especially if they act on their urges. There’s a special place in hell for people like that.

What if it was between a pedophile, a necrophile and a murderer? Murder, but murder and pedophilia are all sick and horrible. 2718. Do we start to die the day we are born or start to live the day we die? I don’t know how you start to live the day you die. If you die, you’re dead. I’ve heard of “live like you are dying”, but the way you worded it isn’t the same. Or maybe I’m just not understanding.

2719. Have you ever called your mom or dad a four letter word? I call my mom “mama” sometimes. Ha. I’m guessing you mean a curse word or something in which case, no, I have not. 2720. Do you believe america should go to war with iraq? That happened. 2721. Agree or disagree? “There is too much concern in courts for the rights of criminals.” Uhh I don’t know if there’s too much concern. “Abortion should be legal.” You just jump right into the controversial stuff. “The death penalty should be abolished.” I’m on the fence. “Marijuana should be legalized.” Yes. “It is important to have laws prohibiting homosexual relationships.” No. “The federal government should do more to control the sale of handguns.” Such as? “Racial discrimination is no longer a major problem in America.” It still exists. “Wealthy people should pay a larger share of taxes than they do now.” They do pay more. “Colleges should prohibit racist/sexist speech on campus.” That cuts into free speech. It’s shitty for someone to spew such hate, and they as a person should prohibit themselves from saying such things, but. That doesn’t mean something can’t be said about it. We should discourage such speech. Educate people like that. “Same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status.” Yes.

“The activities of married women are best confined to the home and family.” No. If that’s what they choose to do that’s one thing, but they have the right to work and do other things if they wish. “People should not obey laws which violate their personal values.” Uhh. “Realistically, an individual can do little to bring about changes in our society.” I wouldn’t say that at all. Why did you agree or disagree to that last statement? Because I think a person can bring change. 2722. Let's say that after you die you become a spirit and you join all the other spirits. Not all of them have lived. You are talking to some who have never lived about how you HAVE lived. One of the spirits who has never lived says they think they will travel to earth in a human body soon and live. They ask you what three things on Earth should I be sure not to miss? You say... 1. Traveling and see the beauty out there that exists. 2. Experience love. 3. Discover something you are passionate about. 2723. What kind of ass is the sexiest (flat, round, tight, hard, meaty, juicy, small, big, stacked, packed, petite, barely there, curvey, muscular, etc.)? Describing an ass as “meaty” and “juicy”, though. lol. 2724. Is there something beautiful and special about everyone? Not everyone. In good people, yes. I have a hard time seeing something beautiful or special in a murder, rapist, abuser, and child molester. If yes is there something beautiful and special about Hitler? How about Bin Laden? What is it? My point exactly. I can’t see that in people like them.

2725. Have you ever moshed? Nope.

If yes to what bands? If no then would you ever? I couldn’t be surrounded by so many people like that. Especially people who are jumping up and down and moving about their arms. People get trampled sometimes. I’d be afraid of getting hurt. Especially being in a wheelchair and all, I’m right at the level to get punched in the face. 2726. Do you like sushi? Nope. I sometimes feel like the only person who doesn’t. 2727. What mood are you in? Man, my patience has been extra thin lately and I don’t know why. Like I’ve been extra super irritable. It doesn’t take much to annoy me. I just want to be left alone. Gah, I’m really not pleasant to be around. I’m sorry to my family. :X

What does your mood depend on? Sometimes nothing. I’m just a moody person. My mood will fluctuate all day. I never reach that happy level, though. I just will feel okay. Food and lack of coffee can play a role, though. Don’t talk to me before I’ve had my coffee. Or if I’m hungry. Also, if I’m not feeling especially well.

What depends on your mood? Uhhh. 2728. wHAT IS faith? Believing in something or someone. Believing wholeheartedly. Not needing proof, it’s just something you believe in your heart to be true based on anecdotal evidence.

what is common sense? Something you either have or you don’t. It can’t be taught. It’s like...something you kind of just think goes without saying. Like... you wouldn’t jump in the tiger den at the zoo. You just should know that. But there are people who still do stuff like that, it just happened recently.

Do you have either or both of them? I’ve explained this before in surveys, but I’ll talk about it again cause why not.

So, religion didn’t play a role throughout most of my life. I believe that stems from having both sets of grandparents with different religious beliefs both telling me what to believe and what is true. They both would share their beliefs with me, and would take me to church/meeting with them. How could I know what to believe if they both are telling me different things? I decided that I didn’t believe in any of it. I didn’t believe in a God at all, and wasn’t open to any of it.

Then, three years ago I took an ethics class, and one of the sections was on different religions. We learned about several different ones and what their beliefs and teachings were. It was also a seminar class, so it was mostly discussion based. I sat and listened with an open mind to people who had different religious beliefs and from someone who didn’t believe at all. Two classmates got into a pretty interesting debate. What was being said really was getting to me. I was open to it, and I was really listening. It made me start to question everything, and really think. I then decided that I should reevaluate some things, and go on a bit of a spiritual journey. From that point on, I was more open to it than I ever was.

About a year after that Ty came into my life. He is devoted Christian, and his faith is prominent in his life. He would share things with me if I was open to hearing it, and at that point I was. I hadn’t really gone on that spiritual journey I had wanted to go on the year before, but I was still open and curious. This then sparked something in me as well. I still wasn’t doing a whole lot on my own; though, until around this past November. I started to pray. Ty also had bought me this book that has daily meditations with God. It has a morning and evening passage to read each day, and mid January or so I started to read it. The day I decided to start had a passage that really related to things that I was feeling. I kept reading, and found that I was really identifying with it. They were reassuring and comforting. Things I needed to hear and be reminded of, and I believe it. I look forward to reading both passages now; it has become apart of my morning and nightly routine. I also started to read the Bible. It is something I do everyday now, as well as pray. I have completely opened my heart to God, and I believe in Him. To anyone who knows me, this would be quite unexpected. It took a long time to get to this point, but I believe it happened for a reason. Despite what happened between me and Ty, I think he was put into my life for a reason. It was through him that started something in me. Maybe he was to lead me to that path.

And as for common sense, I believe it is something I have.

2729. Is perfection or imperfection more beautiful? It’s like the saying goes, “perfectly imperfect.” 2730. Would you think a person doing the following things has a healthy or unhealthy level of insanity?: gives the finger while driving?

tells their life story to people they just met?

walks up to people and tried to convert them to a religion? says blah? 2731. Do you think this is a great line of poetry: "Journey with me into the mind of a maniac. Doomed to be a killer since I came out the nutsac" Why or why not? Ha. I mean they rhymed something with nut sack... 2732. Do you think that song lyrics are poems with music? Yes. 2733. In cases of rape which do you think is more of a crime: a stranger rapes a girl OR a girl's boyfriend rapes her? Okay rape is just an absolutely horrible, sick, cruel thing to do to someone--period.

2734. Did you know that in the USA it is considered to be LESS of a crime if a rapist knows the victim (because it is 'less of a crime' the rapist gets a less severe punishment)? I haven’t heard that, but wow I don’t agree with that at all. Like I said, rape is rape. How is it any less of a crime just because the person knows their attacker? If someone doesn’t consent then it’s rape. Period. End of story. Not up for debate. Do you agree or disagree and why? ^^^ 2735. In the USA aa few eeks ago a guy had beaten up and raped his girlfriend, for which he got 70 days of community service. He had been found guilty, got a year and a half of jail, BUT can you guess why his sentence was reduced to mere community service? I’m guessing because of what you just said? Ugh. . . . . . . . . He had a steady job. That's right. He was found less guilty, because he had a long-term steady job. What???? What in the heck does that have to do with anything at all? How does that affect what he did and make it less of a crime somehow? Wowwwwwwww.

How does this make you feel? It makes me angry. 2736. Does the character limit of notes or entries annoy you more? I use Tumblr for posts/entries, and haven’t had a character limit issue. 2737. wHO'S YOUR FAVORITE WRESTLER? None. 2738. Have you ever been trapped in an elevator? Nooooo. Thank goodness. 2739. What is more important, tact or honesty? Honesty. 2740. Do you have a mentor? Who? No. 2741. If you like guys: would you rather have a 'bad' guy (motorcycles, smokes, drinks, etc) or a 'good' guy (family, domesticated, nice guy)? I want a good, wholesome, nice, caring, understanding, patient, kind, family kind of guy. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t be into motorcycles or have a drink now and then. I’d prefer he didn’t smoke cigarettes.

Would you rather have a virgin or a more experianced guy? Well, I’m a virgin. If I was with another virgin, maybe it would be less awkward? I wouldn’t feel so... inexperienced. But then who would know what to do? Ha. If you like girls: Would you rather have a virgin or a more experianced girl? would you rather have a 'bad' girl (motorcycles, smokes, drinks, etc) or a 'good' girl (family, domesticated, nice girl)? 2742. Do you feel nervous in crowds? Yes. I get very anxious in crowds. 2743. Did you write a real entry today? Just surveys.

What about? Was it your best writing? 2744. If you were making a 'best of' entry about your BEST entries ever what would be your top 5 best entries? The closest I have to that are these surveys. This is where I do my rambling, venting, etc. I really don’t do personal posts. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve done one, actually. 2745. Do you like to play the lottery? I’ve only played once. 2746. Guess what? What? 2747. Why did you choose to live one more day? I don’t want to die. I just want to start living. 2748. What is the most beautiful myth you have ever read/heard? *shrug* 2749. Have you ever been stood up? Yes. It’s one of my pet peeves. I get if you have to cancel, but please give me more of a notice. Or a notice at all. I hate when it’s canceled at the last minute, after I mustered up the energy and got ready and have it all be for nothing.

2750. Finish the following senatances any way you want. I really don’t care much for questions like this in this survey series. I tend to skip it most of the time.

It's always darkest before.. Never underestimate the power of.. Don't bite the hand that.. A miss is as good as a.. If you lie down with dogs, you.. Love all, trust.. The pen is mightier than.. An idle mind is.. Where there is smoke, there's.. Happy is the bride who.. Two is company, three's.. None are so blind as.. You get out of something what you.. When the blind lead the blind.. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. Cry and.. 2751. What's the most interesting assignment you ever had in school? Well, that’s tough. I’ve had a lot, actually. 2752. What's the most interesting thing you ever had to do for work? I’ve never had a job. 2753. Do you feel: insignifigant? Insignificant? Yes.

unable to evoke change? I do feel that way. I’m just not motivated or driven enough, and I wouldn’t know how or where to begin. I struggle with making changes in my own life. But it’s funny because I would tell someone else they could evoke change, and I believe it when I say it. Just not about myself.

like one person can't change the world? No, I think they could. Again, not me, but someone could.

like one life and one person's suffering doesn't mean very much? I wouldn’t say that at all. If you answered yes to any of those can you describe why in detail? I already did. 2754. Do you feel like you could contribute as much to society as ____ has? Albert Einstein: Ha, no. I’m not that intelligent.

Abe Lincoln: No.

Franz Kafka: I’m not sure who that is, but probably not.

Jesus Christ: Absolutely not. 2755. Are you aware that your brain is the same size as Albert Einstein's brain? Brain size doesn’t equate to intelligence, but that was the belief at one time.

Do you realize that you have the same number of hours in a day as Abraham Lincoln? Well, yes.

Did you know that Franz Kafka wrote all of his amazing litterature during his lunchbreaks at work? Ah, he’s a writer. Anyway, nope.

Did you know that we are all made of matter and that you are made of the Same Thing that Jesus was made of? Yes.

Do you still believe that you couldn't contribute as much to society as they did? Yes.

If yes than WHY? Because. 2756. Is your mind in the gutter? No. 2757. What do you have to complain about? Health related things. 2758. Do you remember rock n' roll radio? No. 2759. Is there such a thing as a food that you burn more calories from digesting than you actually absorb from it? Uhh. 2760. Hey, if you've gotten this far than you and me go way back. We've been hanging out for a while now and I gotta know..do you like me? I still don’t know you. Your questions are interesting for the most part. Some are a bit out there, and others are just more than I want to get into or think that hard about. 2761. What are you doing, Dave? My name is Stephanie. 2762. As far as love goes do you feel it is better to become complete before looking for someone or find someone who completes you? You should be complete on your own. 2763. What attracts you about the opposite sex (or same sex, or both sexes)? It’s difficult to say what one thing attracts me the most to the opposite sex. 2764. Do you need people or do you not need anyone? I need my family. 2765. Is selfishness always bad? Not always. Sometimes you have to put yourself first and focus on you.

Is selflessness always good? Again, I think it’s good to put yourself first sometimes. 2766. Do you feel like your life is being controlled by a power structure? I feel like my life is being controlled by my health. 2767. Can you name three things in society that send the message that being completely yourself and that looking inside yourself and contemplating what's within is a good thing? -- 2768. Can you name three things in society that send the message that materialism and the accumulation of stuff is a good thing? -- 2769. What is more important, a picture or it's frame? A picture.

What is more important, spirituality or religion? I think that depends on the individual and what they believe. 2770. How many definitions can you come up with for the wword 'fuck'? Having sex, used as apart of an insult, and to not care about something. 2771. Is it less offensive when a black person says Nigger than when a white person says it? Why or why not? 2772. Do you rationalize often? I don’t often feel like I have to. 2773. Do you believe that america is an imperialist nation? I don’t think so. 2774. Would you agree that: hot topic is the new abercrombie? No.

pink is the new black: No.

you are the new you? Yes, but not in a good way. 2775. Do you have more internet or real life friends? I don’t even feel like I have any friends anymore. 2776. What IS the feeding of 5000? I have no idea. 2777. What's an easy way to make money? Sell some items of yours. 2778. What's your favorite slang word and what does it mean? *shrug* 2779. Are you uncomfortable? Yes. My back hurts. 2780. Is anything definate besides death and taxes? Hmm. 2781. Would you rather live fast and die young or live slow and die old? I don’t know. I’d just like to live. 2782. Can you name 4 people who have committed crimes against humanity? How do you think they live with themselves? 2783. If you could imagine, pure fantasy, any God you could concieve, how would you want God to be? 2784. do you think the smashing pumpkins have a strong christian theme? I wasn’t aware of that. 2785. Do you think this survey has a strong christian theme? I hadn’t noticed that. 2786. Fill in the blank for yourself

"Give me ____ or give me death!

Liberty. 2787. Have you ever heard of the USA patriotism act? Yes.

Apparently they have passed laws making torture legal. Also the FBI can sneak and peek into ANYONE'S home. They don't have to ask or even tell you they were there. This is already the law. So, whaddaya think? I don’t approve. 2788. The people in power step all over the average citizen, trying to secure all the power and money for themselves and leave us with no rights and under their control. They have the audacity to do this because they know that we will not lift a finger to stop them. Are they right? No. I think we’re seeing evidence of that. 2789. The Free State Project is a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented people will move to a single state of the U.S. to secure there a free society. They will accomplish this by first reforming state law, opting out of federal mandates, and finally negotiating directly with the federal government for appropriate political autonomy. They want to be a community of freedom-loving individuals and families, and want to create a shining example of liberty for the rest of the nation and the world. What's your opinion? Could this work? Why or why not? I don’t know. Maybe. I’m not so sure it would be that easy, though. I don’t know what impact it would have on the rest of the US. It wouldn’t be perfect, but maybe it would make some kind of change. 2790. Have you ever seent e Neverending Stroy? Nope.

Remember when Bastian has to prove his worth by looking in that mirror where you see yourself the way you really are with no pretenses, rationalizations or mental lying? Could you stand yourself if you looked into that mirror? 2791. What is soilent green? I have no idea. 2792. What are you proud that you have never done? Hmm. 2793. What things are hopeless? I feel that way about a lot of things regarding my life. 2794. What Are People For? To figure out what their purpose in life is? 2795. What book do you feel could change someone's life? I’m not sure. 2796. Didja ever want to just walk up to the Bush administration and ask them, 'What the fuck?' 2797. How do you take your coffeee? With flavored creamer or with half and half and sugar. 2798. Have you ever plaied: This is supposed to be played, right?

paintball? No.

lazer tage? No.

which is better? 2799. In what ways are you lucky? I am blessed to have my family, a roof over my head, clothes to wear, and food to eat. 2800. If Jesse Jackson wants reparations to be given to black people because he thinks that black people don't have equal opportunities in this country than why does he drive a Jaguar? I don’t know.

[asktemmie-frisk]

T & A (Temmies and Aarons) (ゴッドモードアーク (Goddomodoaku)) (God-mode Arc)

That day, none of the school or its inhabitants were physically damaged. However, they all took a sizable psychological hit. Most of the students, both monsters and humans, were scared for their lives. Some of the staff were just as bad. Frisk's friends could only look at them with pity in their eyes. Chara didn't bother looking at anyone but Frisk. She was so worried about him, nobody else mattered to her for a moment. They all took a seat in the cafeteria, waiting for the police to arrive. It took them a while to settle down, but when they finally got a hold of their nerves, Asriel spoke. "Chara?" He tried to gently nudge her. "Chara, can you hear us?" "What is it, Asriel?" Chara responded in a saddened tone. "I...I'm so sorry. Truly I am." Asriel held her shoulder. Sans broke his silence. "Hey. Dreemurr. Can we see your face?" He asked. Chara tilted her head up, and showed what her face looked like. They were surprised. Chara's face was that of an astigmatism, only she had two sets of horns, both longer than a normal one, and she could form a mouth where a monster of her type normally wouldn't have unless they closed their eye. "Does it hurt still?" Asked Undyne. "Well, that's kinda rude to ask, but no. No, it doesn't hurt anymore." Replied Chara. "I just...can't put my finger on it." Said Alphys. "There's no way Frisk should be able to absorb monster and human souls, unlesss...his hybrid status makes it so he's neither monster nor human. And if that's the case for Frisk, then the same must be true for you, Chara." "I guess so." "So sweetie, how does it feel knowing what you are now?" Mettaton said, earnest and humbled thoroughly. "It's...bittersweet. Now I know why everyone in my village hated me, but I never thought it was because I-" Chara felt herself get a mild headache. Toriel tried to run off. "Chara! It is okay, my child; mommy will-" "No, mom. It's fine. It's just a memory came back to me." Toriel sat back down. "A memory? What memory does this one show to you?" She asked. "My mother and father. I was born in Hotland. She gave birth to me in a secluded spot. They knew dad wasn't looking for human souls, but they decided to get me out of the underground. My mom gave my dad her soul, and he used it to cross the barrier with both of us in his arms. But you know what the weird part is? I didn't get left behind. Why is that?" "When the barrier was still around, in order to cross it, you would have needed a powerful soul, and it had to be the equivalency of a monster soul and a human soul." Answered Alphys. "Because of your hybrid status, it's possible that's the reason you didn't get left behind. Therefore that means...that means if the barrier wasn't destroyed, you and Frisk were free to come and go as you pleased, and no one could stop you! Not even...us." "Not even mom and dad?" "Especially not us." Admitted Asgore. "A monster that acquires a human soul becomes a being with unfathomable power, and right now, that's what you are: a soul fusion. A being with power we can only guess at for now. And it seems that one of your special abilities is being able to heal at an incredibly rapid pace. Those blows Talrok did unto you are almost nonexistent now. Are they not?" "Yeah. Now that you mention-" Chara felt her chest, and looked at it. She was shocked. "Mom, dad, you're gonna need to look at this." Chara exposed herself just enough to reveal where Talrok took her soul out. She had a scar, but it was disappearing quickly. It faded from existence only a second after her parents saw it. "Chara. You are all better now." Toriel said, finding it difficult to describe what she saw. "That scar should have stayed for much longer, but your healing process...it is...inhumanely fast. No normal human can heal that quickly from a strike like that." "Wait. Hold on." Sans said, trying to process everything. "How would she be able to? Wouldn't she have to kill a boss monster, then absorb their soul in order for her soul to be so powerful?" "No, Sans. It's like Talrok said: I was born this powerful. Which only makes what I said to Frisk true. He's an excellent fighter. He's more powerful than all of us, except for Asriel and I. Asriel's only more powerful because of those 6 human souls he has inside him. But me? I was born this way." "But it doesn't make sense." Said Undyne. "Why would Frisk be so violent with Asriel if he's half temmie? I thought those little things were stupid and harmless." "Ah, I see." Asgore said, ready to clarify. "So you do NOT know of what happened, Undyne." "What? What happened?" "A while back after I made that little policy against humans, temmies and aarons started getting at each other's throats. Temmies blamed aarons for what happened to Chara and Asriel, and aarons retaliated exactly the same. Tensions rose and tempers thinned until one day the temmies and aarons engaged in a civil war against each other. It is truly a shame. They were such good friends with each other before Chara and Asriel's death. But right then and there, they cast aside their past relationships with each other and fought. No one could stop the temmies, especially since they were too scared to do so. I even tried to get involved, but a energy shot zoomed to me until a temmie used their ear to block it. They told me 'your majesty, LEAVE NOW!' I stood my ground and tried to reason with them, but they just used their ear to grab me and take me to a safer spot. They apologized for getting me involved, but on that day, I remembered what temmies were really like, and the memory stuck with me ever since." "What happened after that, dad?" Asked Chara. "From what I remember hearing, the relationship between the two was broken, and the temmies won the civil war they were involved in. As such, the land they fought in and for was dubbed 'Temmie Village'. As for what has happened after that, even I don't know." "Would you like to, your majesty?" Everyone tried find where the voice was coming from. They looked around frantically until they saw a temmie walking toward them and bowing to Asgore. "Hey. I thought you guys couldn't speak like we do. You always do some broken English, or some shit like that." Said Sans. "That's just an act we put on so you people won't be scared of us." "What are you doing here?" A litter of temmies came out from the hallway. "We came because of Frisk. One of our own was in danger." "One of your own?! What does that mean?!" "We've always known what Frisk was. Some of us were there to see Frisk when he was born. He was so adorable back then. But he had to go away." "Go away? Why?" "Why don't you ask the king? He's the reason, after all." "Do you mean to say Asgore's why Frisk had to leave the underground?" Some of the temmies glared at Asgore with a disappointed look. "So what you're saying is I started TWO wars?" Chara said sadly. "No, Chara. Your death was just saddening to us. We thought the aarons were to blame for your death, and they thought we temmies were to blame. That little disagreement was on us. All you did was suffer unnecessarily. That's not your fault, is it?" "Actually, it IS my fault. I'd rather not say why right now." "With all due respect Princess Dreemurr, stop blaming yourself, and stop feeling sorry already. Whatever happened, it's in the past now. We can't dwell on it, or more people are gonna die wrongfully." "Wait. Hold on." Toriel said, starting to grasp the situation being explained. "If what you are saying is correct, then that means Chara and Frisk were both born in Mount Ebott, Frisk is one of your kind, and because of Asgore declaring war, Frisk had to sneak out or he would be killed? How would he even sneak out?" "Isn't it obvious, Queen Toriel? One of us snuck him out while Asgore wasn't looking. As for the king, thanks to that 'death to humans' policy, Frisk's parents had to sneak him out of his homeland. His dad gave his soul to Erica, and-" "Wait! YOU KNOW FRISK'S MOTHER?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ANYONE IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE?!" Toriel got profane, and the temmie feigned offense. "My, my, your majesty! Such language!" "OH, DON'T FUCK WITH ME NOW, YOU LITTLE CATDOG!" The temmie was actually offended this time, so she slammed her teeth on Toriel's hand, and smacked her in the face with one of her ears. Then she pulled Toriel close to her own face. "Don't ever fucking say that again, 'your majesty', or I'm gonna TEAR your intestines out and choke you with them to death. The word 'catdog' is considered a racial slur between us temmies." Toriel was actually scared. Okay, so I did cross the line this time, she thought. "I-I'm sorry. I did not know that was not okay to say to you. I shall do my best to filter that word from my vocabulary." "Thank you. If that's the truth, then that'll be the last time you have to worry about that. We'll let you off just this once." "So it's kinda like a certain bad word? We can say it, or we can't say it?" Chara said, confused. "You can say it if we let you say it. You can also say it if Frisk lets you say it." The temmie clarified. "Welp, that's another one to chalk up. A murderer, an abusive wife, and a racist. Three strikes, Tori! You know what that means?" Asked a smug Sans. "What does it mean?" Toriel asked nervously. Sans wasted no time shooting a Gaster blaster at Toriel. "AAH! Sans, that fucking HURTS!" Toriel said, doubling over in pain. "Serves you right, you racist, obscene murderer." Sans shot back. Toriel didn't bother staying angry at Sans. She knew she kinda deserved it. "Now if you're just about done, I can tell you what happened. Come with us." The temmie said, thoroughly annoyed by the situation. Frisk's friends and family followed the temmies out of the school with Frisk in Chara's hands after the police interviewed all of them, and they went back to Toriel's house. When they got inside, Chara sat Frisk on the couch sitting up, she sat next to him. "See, Frisk? I think this is much better than being near where Talrok tried to kill us. Only thing left is for you to wake up now. I'd really like it if you did." Chara said, trying to keep her emotions under control. "Chara..." "No, Asriel! I'm not leaving him alone! He's my partner, and I won't just abandon him like the humans did!" Chara held Frisk tightly to her chest, and fought back tears. "Don't worry, Frisk. We don't need humans; we have each other and the monsters. That's close enough." Chara smiled warmly while she held temmie-Frisk, who was still unconscious. "Okay, everyone. Now we can tell you." One temmie said, taking charge. "Let's start at the beginning. Long ago, even before the war between monsters and humans, temmies and aarons have always acted kind toward each other. We relied on each other for survival. We needed them, and they needed us. We provided protection to them against a lot of things like the elements and predators. When the war started, our instincts immediately took over, and we shielded the aarons as much as we could. Whoever we couldn't shield, we protected by attacking their aggressors. The humans were scared. However, we temmies knew we couldn't keep it up forever because stretching that much for that long would take more magic than we had, so we retreated alongside the rest of the monsters. When we got to the marshland, the aarons and us temmies acted the same as we did on the surface. Only this time, after Chara died, we started blaming each other for her death because we thought the humans had taken her away from us. We thought someone gave Chara the idea to go to the surface. But we were wrong. After us temmies won our little civil war, we named our village after us. We lived peacefully...for a while. Unfortunately, that wasn't to last. At some point, some parasites that feed off magic invaded our village. We called them 'dust mights'. You know, like dust mites? Anyway, initially we kept on the lookout for them, but they found out an extremely detrimental evolutionary weakness us temmies have: we can't resist anything cute. Those dust mights weren't big, but they were smart enough to find out that if they leeched a little magic from one monster and used it to make themselves cute, we would willingly let them into our village and our hearts. We thought it was perfect until a temmie lost all their magic and died. We started getting scared. Then they started using some of the magic to control our minds. This caused us to shrug off the imminent threat to our species. More temmies started dying until some of the aarons stepped in and saved us. They flexed, and flexed, and flexed some more until we snapped out of it just enough to realize what happened. After that, the dust mights died out completely without any magic. We had no choice but to thank the aarons. As a show of gratitude, they demanded we hand our village to them. We gave it up because we knew if this happened again, we might have gone extinct. For a while, the aarons lived the same as we did: peacefully. Until that changed as well. You know that picture of a dragon in the village? Well, it depicts what we did for the aarons. There was a monster that terrorized the aarons, and even went so far as to eat them. Aarons started disappearing in the same fashion as temmies until one day, it cornered every last one. It tried to eat them all in one shot, when suddenly, before it could get its mouth near the first aaron, a lone temmie slang-shot themselves at the monster. It tried to throw it off, but the temmie didn't go anywhere. Then more of us came to help the aarons by getting them away. That dragon tried to eat that temmie, but they fended it off of themselves. However, the dragon tried to go after the aarons again, but the temmie stood in the way, roaring loudly. It was our way of saying 'back the fuck off my people, or I'll kill your ass!' The Temmie roared so loudly to protect the aarons that the dragon got too scared to go after them anymore. It ran away because it didn't want to die. It submitted to our will. The aarons couldn't thank us enough. At that moment, we all realized that we temmies and aarons need each other to survive. In fact, that stupid civil war only proved that much because it was stupid to even start it! So we came to a truce. We temmies got to have our village back, but in exchange, from then on, aarons of all types were free to come and go as they pleased. We still disagree on things, and we don't treat each other like we should. In fact, sometimes we even say things to each other that we don't mean. But at the end of the day, we don't want to lose one another. We don't act like that because we hate each other. We don't treat each other badly because we don't like the flexing. We do it because we want to keep each other going. To protect each other. Because we know we can't live without one another." "What are you saying?" "I'm saying temmies and aarons are essentially family. They help us, and we help them. Now it's similar to old times, except there's still a little bad blood. But that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is one of our own. That being said, we're working together, but we don't have to like it." Everyone was surprised. The only monster in the underground that looked cute, innocent and naive, and it turns out they're really vicious predators? Well, it was certainly beyond unprecedented. Undyne was especially impressed. "We've been staying away from your village for all the wrong reasons." She said. "No, we act like that involuntarily sometimes. The bad speech, the temmie flakes, which are actually pretty good, that one chick that's allergic to us, and the occasional lack of common sense. They're all just moments of weakness." "But what about muscles? Do you actually like when aarons flex?" "MUSCLES R NOT CUTE!!" The temmie bared her teeth. "Whoa, calm down, lady. So pretty much everything we knew about you was nothing but the surface of what you really are? Kinda reminds me of our wimpy loser right now." "Your 'wimpy loser' is currently the strongest temmie across the land, and he hasn't woken up yet. And when he does, he's gonna be real dangerous, and not just because of what's happening." "Seriously? Is there something else we never knew about temmies?" Asked Sans. "There's a lot about us that you don't know. All I'm doing is telling you what you need to hear if you're gonna stay around Frisk. For one thing, there comes a time in a temmie's, or aaron's, life when they become hostile towards everyone. To help them calm down, we have a little ceremony that welcomes them out of their adolescence and into adulthood. We do this for both temmies AND aarons. When the ceremony is done, they usually acquire better control over their emotions. Also..." "What?" "During the ceremony, we have a lot of butterscotch, and we eat it. It's an aphrodisiac for us temmies and aarons, and we end up...having lots of sex. I mean, seriously, it is the fucking best! I remember last time I was at one. I rode that aaron like my life depended on it! It was great." "Hold up. I thought you said muscles weren't cute." "That's right. Muscles aren't cute. Muscles...are hot!" "So you DO like it when aarons flex! You sicko! And you're a hypocrite!" "Now don't get me wrong. We do like it when they flex; it's just that they do it all the time. If you only flex on occasion, that's one thing, but they do it all day, every day, and it gets annoying." "Oh. Well, when you put it like that, I take back what I said about you being a hypocrite. You're still a sicko, though." "That's fine. A temmie liking sex is fine. Letting them have sex with whoever they want or whenever they want is encouraged actually." "Why would you say that?" "There's no right way to say this without sounding gross, so I'll have to do it the wrong way: by nature, temmies...are total horndogs. We have a hyperactive libido. We can't control ourselves very well at all. In fact, we even have a mating season: the summertime. Temmies love warm climates, so when it gets hot enough, we get hot and bothered. And the worst part is we can't even control it." "Yikes. So what you're saying is my lil' bro's gonna start acting like his natural self, which happens to be a violent sex-addict?" "To an extent, yes, but because he's only half-temmie, he can resist his nature." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn't imagine Frisk being affectionate with everything in sight. "Our little shining star's growing up, and we can't stop what he'll become." Said Mettaton sadly. "Yes. My little brother won't be so little anymore. But he'll still be him, even if it's another part of him! And I'll still love him just the same! Isn't that right, Sans?" Papyrus proclaimed proudly. "Yeah, bro. You got that right." Sans agreed, placing his hand on Frisk. Chara was unsure of how to feel about this. Frisk is gonna be violent and horny pretty much all the time? Might need some help controlling himself, she thought. Then she realized that because he was half-temmie, that could be good for what she had in mind. She made her signature creepy face, only this time, it was coupled with an unusually perverse smile, indicating some less than wholesome ideas. "Chara, stop with the creepy face." Asriel said, trying to get her attention. She didn't respond. Sans smacked her with a bone. "Snap out of it! My little bro ain't your sex toy!" He said. "Hey! Fuck you, comedian! And what's a sex toy?" She replied. Sans refused to say anything else. Some of the temmies groaned at what Chara just said. "She doesn't know what a sex toy is." One of them said. "How old are you, princess?" "I'm 17, you perv. Why?" "So that's why. Nevermind." "Right. Well, what do you propose we do with Frisk?" "Me? What you're doing right now is fine. Just watch over him for a while. Hopefully until he wakes up will be enough." "We do not know when Frisk will wake up, or if he'll even wake up at all. Why are you so confident he will?" Asked Toriel. "He'll wake up. As powerful as he is, he'll wake up. Might take a while, but it'll happen sooner or later. You just gotta be patient." "So we just gotta wait it out for him, and hope for the best, huh?" Sans asked, taking what was said to heart. "Fine. Nothing a little cyan can't handle. Let's give my bro as much time as he needs. Alphys, let's go back to your place. We'll need to make those upgrades Frisk suggested." "Okay, sure." Said Alphys. "Hey, babe, can we help?" Undyne said, pointing at Papyrus and Mettaton. "Sure, you can. I'll definitely need yours, Undyne. In more ways than one." They both made the same perverse smile Chara made with Frisk. "Okay, ladies, that's enough. Let's go." Sans said as he, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne and Mettaton left Toriel's house and made a beeline straight for Alphys' home. It was time for Gaster's work to be tested out en masse, and the worst was coming. This was going to be a grueling test for monsters and humans alike. At this point, survival without relying on each other would be nothing short of a miracle as Chara and everyone else kept a watchful eye over their unconscious hope for the future.