#out i was like okay that’s fair those letters are similar)

[boomerang109]

tell me in the tags how the files in your brain are organized!

[reboundttv]

Another one of these posts? Yeah sure why not.

So I know that there's a sort of, tongue in cheek joke about how the AU that Ekko ends up in, is WAY better because Vi is dead. That's a big one that people love to harp on: "oh Vi is dead in this universe and everything is okay HMMMMMMM how INTERESTING perhaps VI was the jinx after all HMMMMMM"

and like. no. shut up.

Because there are (no less than) TWO specific canon divergences that we are aware of in S2E7 that contribute to the way the cities are in that universe. The first is, obviously, that Violet dies in the heist in S1E1.

As an aside, I 100% agree with/believe the wiki entry that says that Vi and Caitlyn are soulmates in every universe, which means that Caitlyn probably also died in the Hextech explosion.

So Vi (and Caitlyn) dies and Hextech doesn't get developed. Neither Jayce nor Viktor are shown in this universe, so one or both of them are dead (Jayce likely via suicide if he wasn't imprisoned or exiled, and Viktor because he doesn't ascend to be Super Jesus with the Hexcore).

But there is another, less obvious one that gets a fair bit of screentime but isn't really like, touched on. And that is:

ZAUNDADS.

Silco and Vander are cool with each other. That's really important. It means that either:

They didn't fight because Silco found the note from Vander (S2E6), OR

They DID fight, but stopped themselves before they did something they regretted.

See, because in the main universe, neither of those things happen. Silco nearly gets drowned and gets bunch of sump water all up in his face, so he becomes dependent on Shimmer to keep the bacteria in his eye from killing him. He would assumedly lean on Singed to iterate on the formula, which is why he becomes the kingpin and rules over the Chembarons. The production of Shimmer, and its propagation through the streets of Zaun, contributes to things being arguably EVEN WORSE for the Zaunites.

But in the AU universe, he doesn't need Shimmer. I would argue that Singed is probably still on some fuckshit, but isn't helping anyone make Shimmer or chemtanks. This means that a lot of the industrial waste and runoff that's a byproduct of Shimmer production is also not there. Zaun isn't just better off because there's no Hextech, but also because there's no Shimmer.

Now, I'm gonna point a third thing out and I'mma use big ass letters so you can't miss it:

PILTOVER STILL DOES NOT SEE ZAUN AS EQUALS.

The heist still happens in this universe, which means that Vi and the other kids are still adopted by Vander. Which means that bridge riots or something similar still happened. There is still inequity and injustice in this universe; it's just not as dire as it is in the main one. They're still talking about Piltover like "yo fuck those guys" but it's less "they're hunting us for sport and killing us in the streets" and more "we're gonna show 'em up in this STEM contest that we're doing."

They're basically farther along in the "things will get better" timeframe than the main one is after S2E9.

[sunnywalnut]

Finished watching Dead Boy Detectives. Here are my honest thoughts.

-If you're going into it expecting another Good Omens, stop. Our protagonists are all minors. Teenagers. They cuss, they have total dirty mouths and sexual humor, but they are not eternal beings pretending to be middle aged men. They're ghosts. Dead Boys, if you will. Also this might be a stretch, but I'm assuming from the slightly less good CGI that the budget for this series was a LOT less than what it was for GO

-Edwin is kind of a dick in the first episode. But it's okay. Because character growth is swag.

-REALISTIC CHARACTER GROWTH!!! I liked Edwin a LOT more during the second episode BECAUSE of the character growth. And honestly? It's completely natural that bro is more than a little prickly after only being able to trust one guy for an extremely long time. Fair enough my guy. Carry on.

- this show kinda has Nimona vibes. If that makes sense. Witty humor, somewhat sexual dialogue, funny moments during serious times, though geared towards a younger audience. If you like those kinds of things, you will like this, I'm sure of it.

- In the early episodes, the pacing/character relationships feel a little off??? I'm not sure if that was because I was expecting another Good Omens or what. But after 2-3 episodes, the dust quickly settled and we got into the actual storyline. Which was extremely appreciated✨

-these villains are FUCKED up. I'm telling you. They are HORRIFIC. Had me squirming and cringing through their intense scenes. And gosh. That was a TRIP.

-TY TENANT PLAYS THE MAIN GUY EDWIN!!!! And he plays him WELL. I did not realize this going in to the show and thought his face was VERY familiar. Only after I looked it up did I realize why. He's our sassy son of Job. (EDIT: turns out Ty plays the Doom Patrol version. Not the one on Netflix. My bad! They do look pretty similar though, so ykw. Great casting. Also my point still stands. This guy is a pretty fuckin awesome actor. 10/10)

-Cat King is such a wild card holy SHIT.

-Charles is cute as fuck. His backstory HURTS. But also. I love the way his ears look. Like in the pictures that I saw of him they were of when the Cat King impersonated him so I was like oh chill. So he's got pointed ears bc feline but NOPE. He's just like that!! And honestly? Slay. I fuckin love it.

-oh did I mention tragic backstories???? Yeah we got those :D for everyone :D

-Niko is the best and I love her. Also I love how the letters on her desk are written in Japanese. That is a VERY nice touch of character building.

-hot butcher lady with throat tattoo

All in all. A truly delightful series and I genuinely hope it gets another season because I NEED to know what happens next. My little sister LOVED it and the ending had us all staring open mouthed at the TV screen in shock.

This 15yo girl is literally ranting my ear off, having adventures with the Dead Boys in her dreams and chatting with me about it, searching up fanfics and drawing fanart, the whole shabang. And it is DIFFICULT for this girl to get into shows like this. So honestly? This is perfect. Thank you, Neil. For giving us a whole other banger.

That being said. If anybody else has some younger siblings that are around 15-17 and are looking for shows to binge watch together, this is the perfect one. I'm telling you, you will NOT regret it (except maybe emotionally)

Thoroughly recommend.

[ay-miphae]

I Am Thinking About The Source Characters Again: How A Years-Long Hyperfixation Colors My Understanding Of Each Character’s Role In The Plot

If you follow me you are probably aware that The Source (2017) by Ayreon is a concept album a lot of people are very normal about. You may not know that I was HUGELY into personality typology at one point of time (like the MBTI, Enneagram, stuff like that). I like to make connections I guess, and think about things way more than I should, so I’ve actually put it into writing now. Woohoo? Anyway yeah this requires a lot of infodumping on my part so it’s all under the cut, proceed at your own risk

A lot of people have heard of the MBTI, funky four letter tags like INFJ and ESTP that are getting wildly popular and often dismissed as fad pseudoscience. Like “I for introvert, E for extrovert” and three more dichotomies like that (peep all three of my mutuals from 16Personalities). Fair but ALSO it gets much more interesting when you bring in Jungian cognitive functions.

Basically a theory Carl Jung had that in daily life, everybody uses eight basic functions. You’ve got functions that help you make decisions, ones that help you take in information, ones that let you introspect, and ones that let you interact with your outside world. Their names bear similarity to the MBTI dichotomies (they are related). Introverted Thinking, or Ti, is the one you use when you consider facts and logic in your own head. Also, it’s classified as a Judging function, and that’s because it’s a decision-making function. Whereas Perceiving functions are those that take in information, rather than decide. 

The eight functions are Ti (introverted thinking), Te (extraverted thinking), Fi (introverted feeling), Fe (extraverted feeling), Si (introverted sensing), Se (extraverted sensing), Ni (introverted intuition), and Ne (extraverted intuition). Which ones are the four introverted functions and the four extraverted functions are in their names; you may have noticed there’s not mention of “judging” or “perceiving” yet (the J and P dichotomies in the MBTI). Ti, Te, Fi, and Fe are classified as Judging functions, since they deal with decision making (not like… you’re judging someone, more like being judicious, making decisions, you know). Si, Se, Ni, and Ne are the Perceiving functions, since they’re about perceiving information.

Okay I hope this is comprehensible.

The theory extends further than that. Out of the eight functions, there’s two you will prefer more than most and feel most in the “zone” doing. With personalities like mine, for example, you favor Ti (Introverted Thinking) most, you LIKE logic and analytical things and hard facts and frameworks, it’s just most comfortable, so that’s where your strengths lie. (Or maybe that’s not you at all, maybe your most favored function is like Extraverted Sensing, so you’re most in the zone taking in your surroundings, sensations, and what your body is doing.) Whatever it is, we call it your “dominant function”, and it can be any one of the eight. Now we need a second, or auxiliary, function. But you need one that balances your dominant function. An extraverted auxiliary function to an introverted dominant function, and a perceiving auxiliary function to a judging dominant function, for example. Balances it out. Like you’ve gotta both have some measure of introspection (introverted function) and ability to interact with your surroundings (extraverted) to be functional. Going back to the Ti example, which is introverted and judging, the auxiliary function has to be extraverted and perceiving. This leaves us with two options, Ne or Se.

You’ll notice that 8 possible dominant functions * 2 possible auxiliary function for any dominant function gives exactly 16 “types” which DO correspond exactly to the 16 MBTI types. No time in this infodump for that I’m afraid. I need to start talking about the Source, and how the characters, to me, manifest as different functions that comprise a whole.

So The Diplomat And The Counselor Kind Of Exist To Alleviate Tension But They’re Also Fundamentally Different, Why Is That

So this all kind of started from this one observation. Both exist in different mediator roles; the Diplomat is here to relieve all the interpersonal drama, the Counselor sorts out everybody’s own messiness. I also immediately recognized this as the difference between Fe and Fi. Fe, extraverted feeling, is super attuned to everybody else and their emotions and strives to create harmony. Fi, introverted feeling, is crazy introspective and constantly evaluating what they believe, how they feel, what it means about them as a person, and consequently pretty good at seeing through that for other people. From there I’m like. This is interesting. Okay cool what roles do the other Source characters play in the collective? This is also my attempt to characterize a good number of them, enjoy. Also I’m not giving any of them a full MBTI analysis here, I’m just kind of stating what I think their dominant function(?) is and how that manifests.

Fe (extraverted feeling): the Diplomat

As mentioned above, my guy is constantly trying to go for interpersonal harmony and peace. Go off.

Fi (introverted feeling): the Counselor

Also mentioned above, not only is she an introspective character (i.e. The Dream Dissolves, The Source Will Flow, lots of her monologuing to herself and sorting out who she is as a person), but she’s also able to gently connect with others and heal their hurts.

Also Fi, but kind of different: the Astronomer

Oh so what is my beloved blorbo the Astronomer doing here. What does HE have to do with emotions and stuff. Maybe it’s just that I fixate on him all too much but like. He doesn’t really do a lot you know? Like I’m sure he’s off doing Important Astronomy Things but in story he kind of acts as a vote of confidence or approval. This leaves a LOT of blank space for his personality, I am totally speculating here. I think it’s also that many of my Ayreon mutuals and I have an affinity for Blind Guardian and high fantasy and such that we’ve settled on the collective characterization of “yeah definitely an idealistic and imaginative guy too”. And guess what, Fi does a lot of that. 

I also need to clear a misconception. “Feeling types” by MBTI (like INFP, ESFJ, anything with an F in the third position) are not all sentimental, touchy, romantic kind of people. “Feeling” can also be seen as an attunement to one’s own or other’s wants, desires, hopes, so often you get people who are charismatic or very idealistic. Turning that inwards, introverted feeling, gets you a very rich inner world (i.e. imaginations) or very strong values or opinions (i.e. idealism). Everything I said about Fi being introspective and evaluating what they believe and feel still holds though. These functions are nuanced.

“Stubbornly idealistic” is kind of how I’ve settled on characterizing Astro and his motivations throughout the story, he’s really holding onto a love for space and a vision of how the world/planet should be, and this holds up best with the function Fi. It’s just that every person is different so his Fi looks different from Counselor’s Fi. I need to stop sounding so serious talking about fictional characters who hardly exist outside of one earbook I’m okay

Maybe Te (extraverted thinking), maybe Fe: the President

I fear I have not thought about this guy enough so he goes under the Maybe category. Whatever it is, he is making a lot of decisions about other things and people. Both extraverted and judging functions (Te and Fe) do that. Which one he embodies more depends on whether he’s more motivated and attuned to tangible things, efficiency, and cost, or people and their desires. I see a strong case for the latter (Fe) as he spends a lot of time apologizing to others, trying to make things right. Of course, he’s different from Diplomat in that he’s thrust into a role where he has to make a lot of decisions on behalf of others and not just mediate. It’s just that both seem very other-people-conscious in their actions.

Te (extraverted thinking): the Biologist

In any case, I think the more convincing example of extraverted thinking is the Biologist. A lot of this is fanon interpretation, but she’s typically the one who takes a lot of action, if something is discussed she’s the one who confirms and approves it. Te is a lot of logic, making decisions based off what’s most effective, what’s most optimal for everyone. It’s certainly not that they don’t care about feelings and other people, they do! - but their strengths lie in the technical decisions.

Ti (introverted thinking): the Chemist

Oh it’s he who I relate to too much for my own good, of course I had to pinpoint him as the type closest to mine. Like the Chemist, Ti introspects a lot, but more of in a detached manner. They like facts, internal logic and consistency, hence the stereotype of many of them being drawn to the sciences. That’s how I see Chemist. He NEEDS to get this formula right, he’s obsessed with Liquid Eternity and the objective, rational solution to immortality. He spends a lot of time just talking to himself, wrestling with survivor’s guilt, wondering if he’ll ever find peace, eventually just giving it up and “letting go”. It holds up - as much as Ti likes to introspect, Ti also wants everything to fit in its logical, make-sense-able place. What does one do with a big unanswerable feeling like guilt or shame? It’s uncomfortable and sticky and irrational - in unhealthy cases like the Chemist lol, just toss it out I guess.

Ne (extraverted intuition): TH-1

But he’s an android. How am I psychoanalyzing a robot by human measures. 

So intuition is all about connecting dots, picking up information that’s not already there, and it’s a perceiving function because it’s taking all that information in. Combined with extraversion, it’s outward oriented, so all about possibilities and what could be. These types also have an affinity for humor and the unconventional because those are things that are just more out there.

And yeah, TH-1 is kind of cheating, he’s a robot. But he has character of his own. He runs through all the scenarios, wired to “think” miles ahead of everyone else and scout out possibilities of survival and such. I don’t know though, there isn’t much to say beyond that, except what we know of his personality says Ne to me. And once he’s exhausted all the possibilities, when there’s no more information left to gather and synthesize, he needs a new purpose.

Ni (introverted intuition): the Prophet

Intuition. Connecting dots, information that’s there. So. Prophecy. Honestly I don’t even have a satisfactory definition of Ni. Like how do you turn a function that’s already so vague and forecasting even further inward? Look I know I just went off about “everyone uses every function, they’re necessary for doing human things”. I guess this is more about forecasting what’s going to happen next based on past events, probably something of gut feelings and subconscious rumination.

With the Prophet it’s a bit easier because he does have the plot device of Literally Having Visions, he is seeing and perceiving things that aren’t apparently there from within his own mind. Within the plot, he is the Starblade’s sense of Ni since he’s the one who goes “hey I thought about this a lot, this might and probably will happen”.

Se (extraverted sensing): the Captain

Ah. The Captain. Our beloved. Literally in what universe is he not a hyperactive and attention seeking little achiever? This seems to be the one characterization for him all across the board, and he is so so distinct and beloved. I mean it’s probably that he’s played by Tobias Sammet but whatever.

This function’s all about taking in your external senses, like what’s happening at the moment, as well as what your body is doing and muscle memory, so often skills like sports or crafts. I feel like this describes our Captain quite well. He’s flashy and flamboyant because external stimuli are fun and cool, he’s constantly achieving for the thrill of doing and also for the hell of it. He probably flies spacecraft for fun, something that involves a lot of taking in a lot of information and reacting to it at once. Makes him a good captain though, he’s a silly goober, but he can take in a lot at once and react decisively to it.

Maybe Se: the Opposition Leader. Actually probably not now that I think about it

I don’t know. OL is the other similarly active and reactionary character, as well as “OL is probably feral and very street-smart” characterizations that make him fit here well. Outspoken and far too aware of everything. But I raise you. Introverted thinking (Ti).

Our other Ti guy was Chemist, and Chemist and OL don’t seem that similar. Chemist’s penchant for logic and internal consistency leads him to Liquid Eternity. On the other hand OL sees the flaws and inconsistencies in others’ plans and the world at large, so he’s quick to criticize and point out what he immediately sees as not lining up, he needs to make it right. “But he’s far too outspoken to be introverted, what about that” (oh yeah having an introverted dominant function means introverted personality type in general, don’t know why that didn’t come up earlier). Fair, but social and outspoken extraverts do very much exist. They just need an internally motivating reason to do so.

Si (introverted sensing): the Historian

And finally, introverted sensing is the one that reflects most on the past and what was. Which is quite literally does, while he narrates, he carefully documents the details and past happenings. I don’t know what else to say here. Historian on the Starblade is just a prime example of this. Often associated with nostalgia and tradition (things past, etcetera) and processing new information in the background to get familiar with it, so characterizing Historian as fairly reserved and nostalgic would fit too.

For what it’s worth my personal headcanon is the Preacher is ISFJ, so also Si-dominant, I however have no backing behind this and should actually think about it.

There’s all the characters. Why did I write all this? If you’ll excuse me getting lost in jargon and definitions and blorbodumping, it’s that the characters of the Source fit the eight “basic” functions shockingly well. I know Arjen didn’t intend this, I know I’m overthinking, but it’s fascinating. They balance each other out, together as a team, they’re, well. Functional. As a team, they have decision-makers, people who reflect and help them move on, people attuned to emotion, people attuned to what could be and more. Of course they all have different personalities, but alll of them serve a necessary role, or else they’d probably fall into disrepair.

I'm sure there's better ways I could have explained my thought process here. This turned into full-on rambling, I don't know if any of this makes sense to anyone else. Maybe I'll rewrite this another day? Who knows

[the-s1lly-corner]

hiii could i get J, P, Q an U for Slender? thanks! and i hope your day is going really well >_<

More Fluff Alphabet /w Slenderman but these letters!

my days been pretty okay! slow, but not terrible :O gonna be slow from tomorrow until next saturday so i might promote requests being open ponders not proof read!! though to be fair i dont. think i proof read any of my stuff

J (JEALOUSY)-

he can get rather possessive in general when it comes to you or his proxies so uh

don't like, try to make him jealous on purpose, it doesn't end well for anyone involved. actually don't try to tick off forest demons in general

i know i keep saying stuff like "oh god forbid someone make you uncomfortable" in these but like. slenderman is still this huge powerful creature, i know my interpretation on him is a bit silly n different but he still has roots in the 2010s fandom interpretation, you know?

there will be... a mess... is what im saying

in the case that someone is being weird with you, he's less jealous and more angry, though, of course not angry at you

though there will be hard boundaries set in place if you try to rile him up on purpose, he doesnt want to waste his time on someone whos going to toy with him like that. both in a "hey thats not really cool or healthy of you to do to me or our relationship" and also "im fucking slenderman im a old ass powerful demon, who do you think you are?"

P (PETNAMES)-

he calls you; love, darling, my dear

he likes being called; really anything under the sun, because as long as its something coming from your mouth hes pleased, because it ultimately means hes yours and youre his

q (QUESTION)-

for more context see this post! dives into lore stuff for my au/hcs but it'll help add context to this segment!:

here!

hope the link copied well enough </3 if not you can find it on my blog, titled "all entwined in one web" or something along those lines

anyways

some variant of "why do you stay"

you could have decided to be with literally anyone else, but you chose a solitary self loathing demon who eats people in order to survive, created for the sole purpose to cause issues and harm to humanity

on one hand he wants you to stick around and keep him company; but on the other hand he wants you as far away from him as possible so you can go out and live your own life without being in danger or having to put up with his whole deal

please give him lots of reassurance, its going to take a lot for him to stop asking those kinds of questions; assuming he stops asking at all

U (UPSET)-

i feel like him being upset is similar to the jealousy part of this post, but just more. broad. like hes not going to take shit if youre going to try to upset him on purpose

hes more patient if its accidental, though. diving into a previous fluff alphabet, if its an accident and something that can be helped in terms of future instances hes likely to work through it with you. he knows his time with you is short, if his partner is a mortal, and he doesnt want to waste that time

soft slenderman my beloved, let this man have complex emotions and desires and whatnot

kinda just. vanishes when he gets real upset, though, since he cant control his anger that well and generally just doesnt want you to see him like that- best way to help him like that is to just give him time

if youre the one upset hes going to listen to you, if you need someone to talk to. man of few words, advice can go fifty fifty

either gives good advice or not good advice; and thats on him being around for a long time but not really spending a lot of that time you know... interacting with others in a meaningful way

bonus if you still live at your place he's going to do a bunch of your chores for you. in. varying degrees of success, similar reasoning as above since he doesnt really have a home of his own to do like. dishes or laundry at. still bouncing between if im going to have the mansion be a part of this au of mine or not, and if so, how its going to tie in to everything

shrugs

[asha1010101010v2]

wip wednesday—04/12

for @rainy-weather-supremacy, @oriharaizayadividesintoslytherin, @sourb0i, @spindoctor3875, @violet-prism-creatively, @wizisbored, @stonemaskedtaliesin, @lizhly, @kallisto-k:

from never love an anchor:

“Thanks for bringing me back,” Newt mumbled. “I get lost. Sometimes. Um, I don’t know why. I suppose the castle is quieter than—than the outside world. Oh, and—and I know you’re always at the Academy, now, so—so you should know Mum had the crutch again when she came to pick me up from the station. I think she’s taking something for the pain.”

“She came to pick you up?” Theseus asked, realising too late that it sounded a little jealous. “Wait. How do you know?”

Newt shrugged and chewed on the edge of his sleeve. “Recognise the bottle.”

“From where?” Theseus thought back to it, to the days when he’d made their mum’s medicines.

They’d always tried to do it out of sight of Newt, who’d been the closer child to Leonore, who’d cried curled into her side during her flare-ups, believing the lupus to be partly his own fault for being born. Or so Leonore had told Theseus, and Theseus had never been sure how to broach it with Newt. Maybe he’d said something; maybe he hadn’t. He was trying to survive the Academy in a different way. His instincts were altering.

They were on the platform, now, and he kept tracking the train out of the corner of his eye.

“The others—they’re bullying me, you know,” he said, even quieter than before, if that was possible. “At school. Not at home. They don’t know what to do at home.”

“I think Mum and Father are pretty out of practice with raising children,” Theseus said offhandedly, earning him a small smirk from Newt, barely visible. His brother didn’t turn around as Theseus continued: “Or, at least—well, we’ve never been normal.”

“Apart from you.”

He felt a glow of pride that almost horrified him. “Yeah.” He hesitated, and then took the plunge. “Is it bad? What are you doing about it?”

Newt stopped walking. He took a deep breath. “I knew that’d be the first question you’d ask. Like—like I can just fix it.”

“Well, no, maybe you can’t…” Theseus trailed off as Newt spun on his heel and took the trunk from him.

Thirteen years old. Newt was thirteen years old, now. Theseus knew his own letters had grown less and less fair, something in him jumping out at this abandonment, a frenetic irritation similar to those dreams. Those nightmares, really, where the house had been on fire and he’d been packing to leave it: where full disaster rested behind each decision he made, where everything had to be gathered and held close.

“It’ll be okay, Newt,” Theseus said. “Just—just study hard, and keep your head down. This—this will be different to before, remember? It won’t be like the other places. And if you can try to do well—“

Newt shook his head, slowly at first and then faster: a few clean jerks like a dog shaking off fleas. He batted at his head, his messy hair, and then let out a slow sigh. “No,” he said. Not angry, but something else. “No. No, Thes. I c—can’t. You don’t understand. You don’t understand what the lessons are like, what—what my marks—“

“They’re bad?” Theseus asked, concerned, staring at Newt to try to divine something simple from the complicated mix of emotions on his face. His training was making him precise at determining the subtleties and nuances of speech and body, but it was somehow harder when it was someone he knew so well—and now, was starting not to know well, at all. “Newt. You should have told me. I asked. I sent letters; I asked.”

The train whistle blew, startling him. Newt looked away, blinking hard, and began to haul his trunk towards the waiting carriage doors.

[echoingalaxies]

Content/CW: branding, injury and blood, past torture, medical whump, team whump, post rescue

Words: 2608

This isn’t a chapter of anything. It’s more like a scene from the middle of a (mostly) non-existent story. Since I don’t introduce the characters properly here, have a little guide:

Josephine: head medic / Otto: caretaker / Laurent: whumpee / Frankie: field medic / Riina: team leader / other mentioned names less relevant

-----

“Are you sure?” Josephine looked hesitant. She had her arms folded across her chest. “It won’t be pretty. Maybe we should wait until morning, when the others get here.”

Otto ignored her question.

He couldn’t tear his eyes from the sleeping boy behind her, his body moving slowly with deep, steady breaths. It was slightly assuring to see him be so calm, momentarily unaware of all the agony he must’ve been put through, but Otto couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling caused by Josephine’s secretiveness.

Laurent’s broken fingers were now in a cast. The wounds on his arms had been bandaged. His previously long, beautiful hair had been buzzed nearly as short as Otto’s. The rest of him was covered under a light blue blanket.

That was what Josephine was preparing him for. To reveal whatever horrors were hidden underneath.

Otto had been the first one to inspect Laurent’s condition during the car ride home, but hadn’t had the opportunity to see under his clothes. They’d been glued to his skin by dried blood, but Frankie had assured him Laurent wouldn’t bleed out on them during the half an hour it took for them to safely return home.

Not a second went by Otto wouldn’t have praised the angel that Josephine was in his mind, for she had been there waiting for them when they’d brought Laurent in, dressed in scrubs and ready for action. Otto had spent the following hours sitting in the hallway right behind the hospital room door, his mind replaying images of Laurent’s beaten face like a never-ending slideshow. He had gotten himself through two panic attacks. Frankie, Hayden, and even Riina had stopped by every couple of hours to see if he had been let in yet, staying for a minute to console him each time, offering him food and water.

Otto had denied. Nothing mattered to him until he’d know Laurent was okay.

Whatever was under that blanket, whatever Josephine tried to protect him from, he had considered during those past hours.

“Otto.”

“Just… just let me see, Jo.”

Josephine gave him a look, disapproving his demanding tone, but stepped back to stand right next to Laurent’s bed, and with a final nod of confirmation from Otto, pulled aside the blanket.

Otto had experienced a fair share of pain in his life. The tendon on his calf had once been sliced, he’d been stabbed, yet neither of those things had been as efficient to bring him to his knees than the sight currently in front of him. His knees hit the tiled floor with a hard thud, but he instantly scrambled back on his feet, trying to get away, take back everything he’d thought about how he could take it.

He had noted Laurent lying on his side, and assumed there must have been injuries on his back. The guess had been accurate, but the specifics of what those injuries could have been like was where he’d been gravely mistaken. He’d assumed scars similar to the ones on Laurent’s arms. Bruises or stab wounds.

But this…

Rows upon rows of identical burn marks covered Laurent’s back like a pattern printed on a fabric, all the way from his neck to his pelvis, shaped like a coat of arms with something pointy in the middle. The skin surrounding the burns glowed fiercely red from infections.

Otto didn’t need to take another look to know what it was. He’d know the symbol from anywhere.

After Laurent had been taken three months ago, the team had received an anonymous letter, only containing this very same symbol, pressed on the paper in blood. The laboratory had confirmed the blood belonged to Laurent.

Riina hadn’t talked for four days after that, and anyone who had tried to talk to her had had a knife thrown at them. Everybody else had expressed their devastation in slightly healthier ways.

They had fought these people enough times. They had lost team members to them. Now, once again.

Otto’s skin crawled.

The Crowns, and their family crest, forever burned deep into Laurent’s skin, dozens of times.

“Otto?”

Otto’s vision was blurred by fury. He squeezed his trembling hands into fists, nails digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood. He took a reluctant glance at Laurent again, and noticed Josephine had pulled the blanket over his shoulders once more.

Good. Never let those repulsive marks see daylight ever again.

“Otto, I need you to breathe.” Josephine’s voice was coming from somewhere afar, and when there was a sudden touch on his forearm, though likely intended to be comforting, Otto flinched away. The initial shock was now rapidly making room for rage unlike he had ever known.

“Breathe?” He must have been yelling, because Josephine was shushing him, but Otto couldn’t contain it. Had there been something within reach he could just grab and break – there were supplies on Josephine’s medical cart, but no one was allowed to touch them if they wished to walk out alive – he would’ve smashed it to the ground.

He had no idea where to put all this anger.

Otto pointed at Laurent’s covered back. “Look at him! There’s… there’s like a hundred of them! He looks like a fucking Louis Vuitton bag!”

“It’s terrible, I know, but you have to lower your voice,” Josephine said. If she was feeling any distress about the situation, she didn’t show it. “If you need to lash out, by all means, I understand, but do it anywhere but here.”

As if on cue, Laurent let out a small whine, and Otto fell silent in an instant. He held his breath until Josephine, who was by Laurent’s side in a second, gave him a thumbs up signalling Laurent hadn’t woken up. She marched back to Otto and grabbed his arm, this time with way more force, and dragged him out of the room.

The hallway was empty, but despite it being late at night, Otto could hear noises from elsewhere in the building. He could vaguely make out Riina’s voice from her office two stories above, screaming at someone. He could hear Frankie and Hayden from their bedroom at the end of the hallway.

He was envious of all of them. He wanted to shout. He wanted to be the one in bed with his lover instead of witnessing his suffering.

“I swear I’m going to kill them,” Otto spat the second Josephine closed the door behind her. “I’m going to rip them apart, all of them.”

“Yeah, you’re not going to make it to the next mission’s team with that attitude.” Josephine leaned her back to the door. She had dark circles under her eyes, and Otto realised how exhausted she must be, having worked relentlessly to treat Laurent, for hours in the middle of the night, mostly alone. Frankie might have been helping her for a moment at some point. “Riina has asked to see him as soon as he wakes up to gather information about the captors before creating a plan.”

“But we already know who did this,” Otto said. He let out a hollow laugh. “They’ve literally put it all over him. We’ve known it was them even before.”

“Sure, but Laurent might’ve heard a lot of valuable things we need to take into consideration before going after them.”

“I wanna go.”

Josephine looked at him almost pitifully. “You’re too close to this, love. Riina barely let you join the rescue crew, so she won’t let you join the searches. And not that I have a say in it, but I think that’s for the best. Laurent’s going to need someone around when he wakes up.”

“He’ll have you –”

“Someone he knows,” Josephine said. “I joined after he was taken. He’s never met me. He’s going to want a familiar face around. Someone to calm him down as I have to poke at his injuries. We’re short on anaesthetics and won’t get a new supply until the end of the week, so you better be there to hold his hand through all the pain we won’t be able to help him with.” She paused, eyes fixating on Otto’s poorly bandaged shoulder peeking from under his torn shirt. “You need any? I’ll gladly give you some since we’ve still got some.”

Otto shook his head. He had completely forgotten about his own injury. The pain in his body was secondary to the one in his mind. It couldn’t compare to a single thing Laurent had been through. “It’s fine. Save it for him.”

Josephine didn’t look pleased. “Can I at least take a look?”

“You should go help Laurent inste–”

“For heaven’s sake, Otto,” Josephine groaned. She straightened her back, suddenly standing almost as tall as Otto did. She took a keychain out of the pocket of her scrubs and began to unlock the door opposite to the hospital room. “I’m not asking anymore. Let me fix you before you die from an infection, because if you always keep acting like this, some day you will. In you go.”

She pushed the door open and pointed inside. Otto stood still, glancing between her and the hospital room door.

“Laurie –”

“Is asleep and will manage a moment alone.”

Josephine crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows. Otto still wanted to refuse, but he knew if he did, Josephine would likely sneak into his room to stitch him up in his sleep. As kind-hearted as she was, she’d rather tie her patient to a chair to finish a procedure than let anyone walk away from her hurt.

“Be quick then.”

He had been to Josephine’s office a few times before. It was where she stored extra medical supplies, and performed minor procedures that didn’t require space for the patient to lie down.

“Why on earth didn’t Frankie take care of that?” Josephine asked as Otto sat down on the stool. Otto glanced down. He had bled through his shirt and the bandages he had quickly wrapped around his shoulder and upper arm while still on field. It had been a dumb, avoidable injury. They hadn’t come across a single soul while rescuing Laurent – Otto had managed to cut himself on the rusty, crooked fence around the mansion.

“I didn’t let her.”

Josephine let out a long sigh. She flicked her hair over her shoulders and tied it on a low ponytail, and ordered Otto to take off his shirt while she washed her hands. Moving his arm up and down, Otto realised how much in pain he actually was. He bit his cheeks to stop himself from gasping.

“You’re going to kill yourself at this rate,” Josephine said, starting to peel the bloodsoaked bandages off Otto’s skin. “This is deep. You have to let people take care of you next time.” 

Otto felt a pang of shame. Josephine was clearly worried, and he hadn’t meant to stress her out any more than she already was.

“Thank you,” he said quietly as Josephine began cleaning the wound. “And… Thank you for helping him.”

From the corner of his eye he could see how Josephine half-smiled.

“Do you only ever think everything through him? Did anyone ever tell you you’re allowed to think about yourself once in a while?”

Otto didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to for Josephine to know the answer. Her face turned serious again, and she slightly shook her head.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said. “Patching up someone unconscious is easy. I can’t tell what he’ll be like when he wakes up. I pray they haven’t broken his soul like they did to his body, but either way he’s been through hell on Earth.”

Otto thought back to the dungeon they had found Laurent in, hazy but conscious, shackled to the ground. The memory of Laurent crawling away from the team like he didn’t know them, like he was afraid, hurt like a knife. Laurent had passed out almost as soon as he’d been carried to the car. From fear, pain, or exhaustion, or possibly a combination of any, Otto didn’t know. His cries and pleads to not hurt him still echoed in his head.

“It isn’t over yet,” he said in a lifeless voice. A wave of exhaustion washed over him. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted to sleep next to Laurent, his lively and loving Laurent. He wanted him to be okay.

Josephine frowned, taking notice of Otto’s tone. “This isn’t your fault. You know that?”

Otto shook his head. He shut his eyes, trying to breathe through the guilt.

Josephine gave up cleaning his shoulder and kneeled in front of him, squeezing his hands.

“Look at me,” she said, waiting patiently until Otto’s eyes found hers. Her hands felt cold against his skin, and he could feel her steady pulse from her fingertips. “Those Crown people – they’re to blame. That Michael guy I replaced, he is to blame. Not you. You didn’t know.”

Otto winced at the mention of the old medic’s name.

Josephine tried to be sweet, but she was wrong. She was new, only been with them for two months, and she didn’t know everything. It had been all his fault. He’d trusted the wrong person. He’d made enemies, he’d been their target, and Laurent had sacrificed himself to protect him.

Otto sniffled, hanging his head. “I trusted Michael.”

“I’m sure all the others did too.”

Josephine held his hands until his breathing evened out and he managed to give him a convincing enough smile affirming he was okay. He let Josephine finish patching him up without protesting. He even accepted a pill, not stopping to ask what it was.

Half an hour later, he flicked on the lights to his room. His and Laurent’s room.

He had tried to plead with Josephine to get to sleep in the bed next to Laurent’s in the hospital room, but Josephine had been unbending. Deep down Otto understood her reasoning, but as he lay down on their bed, alone for yet another night, he gravely considered sneaking in to sit beside Laurent until morning and deal with the consequences later.

The alarm would wake him up in a few hours. The team would have an early meeting regarding the previous day’s operation, then assemble a crew of a few of them who would go and seek out the people responsible for what had been done to Laurent.

Laurent would wake up and be heard.

The crew would prepare.

Otto would not.

Josephine had been right. He needed rest. He needed to be there for Laurent. The medicine Josephine had given him had been a great help in calming the storm inside of him, and with most of the rage gone, staying behind and getting to take care of Laurent had started to sound like the best possible thing. Isn’t that what he’d been praying for months? To be with him again? Why had he been so eager to leave his side at the first given chance?

Otto hugged Laurent’s pillow against his chest. It had been so long since they had been together. He just had to wait for a bit more, until morning, when they would finally get to talk again. Otto would hold his hand. He would never let him out of his sight.

Yet before all of that, there was one more night to tackle, undoubtedly either entirely sleepless or full of nightmares.

The Crown crest might have been permanently burned on Laurent’s skin, but Otto felt like it’d also been carved on the insides of his eyelids, because it was all he could see when he closed his eyes.

[looking4hermez]

The Magic Within / Old Friends, New Memories - 29/11/24

Character sheet | First draft of the second half of chapter one along with some information | Next chapter

Alabaster wasn’t at all like how he expected to be—for starters, a wealthy financial advisor adopted him and went to a school where he learned magic. Alabaster could not use magic. It wasn’t in his system, nor was he believed to be, or at least as of current. Why, though, did the Vespertines, his adoptive parents, enrol him in a school he was certain to fail at? To put it simply, he was their son now, and that made him their legacy. And a legacy is something you don’t want to die.Now Alabaster Ledger Vespertine had a mission: to learn magic to the best of his abilities. Fortunately, he had the chance to learn magic. He was on the wealthier side now, and that meant he could buy a Direction Stone or four. A direction stone, a gem of sorts, can help control kinds of magic. Those kinds of magic are elemental and correspond with the directions, as the name suggests, North, East, South, and West. Depending on which element Alabaster feels closer to, he can choose a stone, but perhaps he takes after his parents and brother and chooses all four. Did I mention his brother?

Gaius Julius Caesar (Kae-ser, not See-ser like how the public is so fond of saying) Vespertine, no, that is his actual name, is the adoptive older brother Alabaster. Though, by how much we are not sure, since Alabaster’s proper date of birth is unknown. Gaius, like his namesake, speaks Latin and enjoys his time reading books on ancient Rome. He has similar traits to Alabaster, but overall, the brothers look different. Gaius has fair skin while Alabaster has dark olive; Gaius has brown eyes, while Alabaster has seaweed green; and to finish the short list, Gaius was an early bloomer, and by that, he was taller than most kids in his grade, while Alabaster was only 5’4. Alabaster loved his brother, and Gaius felt the same, but that didn’t mean they didn’t compete for their parents’ affection.

Alabaster and Gaius battled over small things like places in their grade’s spelling bee to records on track and points in tri-state chess. It was a never-ending war, but that’s how they liked it. No hard feelings, they would both say; besides, our parents love us equally.

Now, I suppose I should get back onto the topic of Alabaster, but it’s always okay to wander. Alabaster would know, since it’s what the young man was doing at the moment. At around 9:00 or so at night, when the sun had already set and it had already been one week and three days since that day, November 5th, Alabaster walked around the edges of the garden. He walked around the tall bushes pruned into different sacred animals. There were cicadas, owls, snakes, cats, jackals, and many, many more. It was pleasant, seeing the variety of animals and reading the plaques below, explaining which gods or myths were associated with them. Alabaster felt an odd connection with the tall, bucking caribou. He ran his fingers over the dark plaque. The plaque’s inscription remained unknown to him. He crouched down, trying to read the plaque, or at least try to make out some letters, and hopefully, words.

He squinted. There were odd lines where the name of the deity the animal represents should be. The lines were odd, and perhaps, in a language Alabaster just didn’t understand. Alabaster pulled out a small yellow notepad and black fountain pen. He uncapped the pen with a click He wrote exactly what he saw—something that looked like ‘ᚹᛁᚾᛏᛖᚱ.’ He would have to ask Gaius about it later. Then, Alabaster heard a roar he could only describe as ‘thunderous.’ His head snapped to his left. He stood up and sprinted towards the second outermost ring of the gardens.

In this ring were maple, oaks, pines, and more types of fir trees. He jumped over a few roots, trying to stay upright. Then, he tripped and fell face first. Alabaster pushed himself up by his arms. Alabaster sat up. He dusted the leaves off his black sleeveless shirt. It was new, and he wasn't about to cry to his moms and ask for new clothing. He stood up, still trying to pluck the leaves from his now unruly hair. He shook his head, giving up on trying to proon himself like a bird. A speck of dust, or perhaps a leaf, made its way to his eye. He yelped, stumbling backwards. Steadying himself, Alabaster took of his rectangle glasses and rubbed his eyes. He blinked, bringing his glasses down to the hem of his shirt and wiped them, attempting to clear the dirt from the lenses. In his line of blurry vision, Alabaster noticed something.

He saw a giant blob of brown and a much smaller blob of a few colours: tan, light yellow, black, and blue. He assumed it was a person. As he placed his glasses on—still dirty, but clear enough for him to see—he stepped back. Alabaster gasped, stepping backwards. He bent down, grabbing his notepad and pen. He placed the cap back on the writing utensil and shoved both things into the back pockets of his blue jeans.

It can't be her, he thought. It couldn't!...Right? He shook his head once more, trying to clear his mind. That method did not work. It really couldn't be her, but...maybe it was?

Then, he noticed the person, now actually confirmed to be a person, lift up a weapon. It had one large spike on the top with a hammer head on one side of the weapon below the first spike, and a curved blade on the other, similar to that of a scythe or crow's beak. Alabaster knew what that weapon was, after all, he and Gaius liked playing medieval weapon trivia, so it was impossible for him to not. It was a Bec de Corbin, or Beak of the Crow, a lethal weapon from the Middle Ages. And the estranged person in front of him was wielding it and aiming for the monster ahead. But the monster wasn't what Alabaster was the most worried about. She was.

Besides, Alabaster wasn’t expecting to see her again—not here and not now. This isn’t how his story should go. It shouldn’t start with a girl with dark brown eyes lighting up his miserable life, then take an intermission where they fall out. Nor should it have that same kind and comforting person lead a monster to its doom. Alabaster wasn’t sure at first glance what kind of monster it was—though he recognised its skin made of bark. He’d have to ask Gaius about two things about the garden today—but he knew for a fact she could take it down. Gods, I missed that confidence, he thought. His mind swirled with memories from their days by a river at a—now doomed—foster home.

He ducked behind a large maple tree and watched her. Noting how she had grown since their last meeting over 8 years ago, he squinted. Sure, it was only half of his life as a teen he had seen her, but she looked like she had more than 8 years of life under her belt. Alabaster was so lost in recollection and mindless admiration that he didn’t notice his grip on the bark of the tree was slipping. It was too late. The brunette fell on the fallen leaves below him, landing on his knees still dirty knees. The garden, being in a dome and quite a quiet place now that the monster had met its fate, gave the crunch of the leaves an echo that she surely heard.

As her foe collapsed on the ground dead, she turned to the maple tree. “Shit…” Alabaster muttered. She heard you, you idiot! Way to get caught! His mind screamed at him while his heart pounded in his chest. She came closer, dragging her Bec de Corbin’s hammerhead on the ground. Alabaster shifted so that his back was to the rough, mossy bark of the tree. She was coming closer to him with a bloody weapon in her hands.

He shut his eyes, trying to wish her away and pretend this was all a dream. That was when a raspy voice spoke: “Baster?” He opened his eyes. A head of wavy blonde hair peeked out from the side of the trunk. He let out a sigh of relief. Thank the universe; she doesn’t want to kill me! Alabaster looked up at his old friend, a smile on his face. “Hello, Sophia,” he said. Sophia tossed her Bec de Corbin on the ground. She grabbed Alabaster by the shoulders and hugged him. “I missed you, you Kiwi idiot!” she exclaimed. Alabaster was stunned for a moment.

When Sophia let go, Alabaster let out a chuckle. “You missed me so much that you almost broke a rib of mine in that hug.” He scratch the back of his neck, “As much as I would love to stay and chat”—that was a lie, he was about ready to cry just seeing her and he needed to get back to his dorm before Gaius called the headmaster—“can you explain how you got into the Vevesstus school gardens for students?” he asked.

Sophia rolled her eyes fondly. She nudged Alabaster with her arm. “I'm a student, idiot! I get it's shocking that I made my way here, but I got here on scholarship! Cool, right?” She looked him up and down, examining him. Alabaster did the same to her.

“You look great,” said the two in unison. His hand went to his other. He twidled his thumbs as he felt his dark olive face heat up. Sophia took a couple steps to her left and crouched down. Picking up her Bec de Corbin, she grinned. “I missed you, Baster. And this little friend of mine,” she gestured to her weapon “did too, even if I got it years after we were 8.” The two laughed at that.

Alabaster took a deep breath. “Since we're both students, how about we share our classes? I'm in the Marble class,” he said. Sophia leaned against the tree trunk, crossing her arms again. Alabaster did the same.

Then, she said the worst thing she could have ever said.

“I got into Rumble.”

[stayandot8]

Track Nine: Time Out

Genre: Fluff

Relationship type: established boyfriend/girlfriend

Important Contents: Thank you for reading :)

WC: 2.2k

Next part I Last Part I masterlist

9. Time Out

A year into this relationship and I had never been happier in my life. He made me feel like a queen even when I was waiting up for him late, late into the morning. Like this instance. I had gotten a text earlier that day from Chan saying he would be late, which was nothing new. But the thing that caught my eye was what he said after. 

Channie ❣️: I’m sorry, this is taking forever. Han can’t get his take right. 

Me: It’s okay, your bed is comfortable. Would be better if you were here but I’ll suffer for your art. :) 

Channie ❣️: Such a good girlfriend

I could feel his eye roll from here. 

Me: And don’t you forget it.

Channie ❣️: I couldn’t. You won't let me. :P 

Channie ❣️: I did get you something though. It just got delivered today. I can’t wait to give it to you when I get home. 

Channie ❣️: If Han would hurry the fuck up… 

A shiver went down my spine. I loved anything he got me, however small it is. The man could bring home a jar of dirt from outside the company building and I would still be giddy that he thought of me at all. The way he tells me that I occupy his mind helps me feel less troubled that I’m always thinking about him too. When I miss him a little too much when he’s away, I love to watch compilations of him on Youtube or watch the playbacks of his lives. Which coincidentally was exactly what I was doing when he texted me. 

Curled up in his blanket and wrapped in his sweatshirt, I put my phone back on the nightstand to the side of the bed. I pulled the covers closer to my chin and watched my boyfriend on the TV screen until my eyes just got too heavy to keep them open. 

***

I could tell he was home because the creaking of his bedroom door woke me up. I had yet to open my eyes just in case I was wrong, but my ears picked up the sounds of him scuffling around his room, trying to put on his comfortable clothes to sleep. I peeked one eye open to see exactly that. He noticed. 

“Go back to sleep baby, I’m coming to bed.” I groaned, lifting my arm up straight to the ceiling. He knew what I wanted as he chuckled at me. He dove for the spot next to me, forgetting his shirt somewhere on the floor. I hummed in satisfaction. That was how I preferred it anyways. He tucked into my waiting embrace as I brought my leg around him to bring him closer. His arms snuck around my waist and squeezed.

“Present.” I grumbled into his hair. His breath hit my neck as he laughed again. He knew I took my presents from him very seriously. When it came from him, I was very impatient. 

“It’s in my bag by the door.” He made no move to retrieve it. 

“Why is it in your bag when it’s supposed to be in my hands?” I did not release my hold on him. He huffed and released my waist to insinuate that he was prepared to grab it.

“You realize you have to actually let me go for me to grab it right?” I could hear his smile in his tone.

“That fact remains irrelevant. You’re mine, Bang.” I loved saying those words aloud. My grip got tighter.

“You now realize you only leave me with one option.”

 When I didn’t let go, he unleashed his tickle hands, making me squirm enough to let himself loose. “No fair.” I said to the now empty space beside me. 

“Do you want your present or not?” He grabbed his bag by the door and riffled through it, searching.He pulled out a box, similar to the one that my ring currently on my middle finger came in. He sauntered back over to me, box in hand. I sat straight up, noticing what he was carrying and suddenly very awake. His smile was immediate when he turned back to me, seeing my excitement. He sat in front of me, holding the box open for me to grab from him. I couldn’t take the lid off fast enough.

Inside the box was a pendant on a chain. On the pendant was a series of numbers, a date. Accompanying the pendant were charms. The letters ‘C’ and ‘B’ hung loosely from their chain. The chamber in my soul with Chan’s name on it fluttered as I brought the chain closer for my inspection. I felt the familiar pinch behind my eyes. 

“Chan…”

“It’s so you can always have me with you. And do you know what day that is?” I looked at me with those big eyes, full of hope and the familiar spark that I loved. I had to think for a split second and then it dawned on me. 

“Our first date, right? You took me to that beach a few cities over.” I smiled at the memory. He nodded, watching me remember that day.

“I love it, Chan I do. Put it on me?” He nodded again, motioning for me to turn around. I gave him the necklace. His fingers brushed the sides of my neck as he brought the chain around me and closed the clasp. He kissed my neck as I brought my fingers to fondle with the charms, already used to the feeling of them. Like they had always been there. 

“I miss that beach. We haven’t been back since then.”

“You’re right, we haven’t.” He responded, snuggling back up into my arms and closing his eyes. “We should go back there when I have a day off.”

“I think we should all go.” I waited with baited breath for his reaction as a knot formed in my stomach. I knew he still hadn’t shown them that place yet, not knowing the reason why. His eyes popped back open at that suggestion, his face dropping into a sudden serious look. He bore a hole through my neck, avoiding my gaze while he selected his words carefully.

“Baby, I don’t think I want to go back with them just yet. I want to keep that place just between me and you.” My stomach dropped. I didn’t mean it like that…

“Chan, it’s okay. I was thinking more about just going to the beach with them. I would love to keep that place just for us. I didn’t mean anything by it.” I earned a smile from him as he nodded and finally brought his beautiful eyes back to mine. 

“I like that idea better. I’ll talk to them and see what they think.” 

“Okay. Good night, my favorite workaholic.” He laughed too loudly for the time of night. I swatted his shoulder but that just spurred his laughter on more. He buried his laughter into my chest until he calmed enough to settle properly.

“Goodnight you workaholic lover.”

***

The sun was high in the sky by the time everyone had settled their stuff on the sand. I tried to spread the blanket with Felix but Han threw a handful of sand at his back and he took off after Han, screaming something like ‘Get back here you little squirrel!’ Han ran straight for the water just before Felix tackled him, both landing in the water with a loud splash. I threw my hands up, still holding the blanket as I watched them start trying to throw water on each other.

“Boys! At least put on…” I let my voice trail off, knowing they couldn’t hear me, even if they wanted to. “Sunscreen.” I finished to myself, shaking my head like a disappointed mother. 

“Don’t worry, the sunburn will be punishment enough.” Seungmin said from behind me, shuffling around in his own bag for the sheet he brought. He found it and made his way over to the side of my blanket where Felix had just been. “I’ll help you with yours if you help me with mine.” He reached for the corners of the blanket.

“Deal, Minnie.” We fluffed the blanket in the air before it settled, each of us placing a shoe to hold it down from the seaside breeze. I placed Chan’s bag in the middle, just in case. Chan had found himself on sunscreen duty for Jeongin and Hyunjin, grabbing them before they could run off like Han and Felix. “You grabbed the wrong little ones.” I shouted over to him, realizing he had been too busy with Hyunjin’s dramatics to notice the two that were already soaked. I tried to ignore Hyunjin’s mildly offended pout but he wouldn’t let up.

“I can say that, I’m older than you so wipe the pout off your face.” I stuck my tongue out at him, stooping to his level. He returned the gesture. Chan followed to where I was pointing and ceased his actions on the youngest and threw his hands up like I had just a moment ago. He sharply looked back to me and motioned with his hands smeared with the white substance.

“You were supposed to watch them!”  I lay a hand on my heart, not entirely feigning my shock at his assumption. 

“They’re your members!” I threw back at him, tilting my head in challenge. That was when Minho piped up with an all too familiar grin on his face.

“I’ll get them.” And then he took off as fast as he could muster in the sand. My small glimmer of hope faded the closer he got to them and winked out the moment he tackled Han into the water. I felt my brows drop in further annoyance. I looked over my shoulder to where Changbin had just sat in his beach chair, looking too comfortable for my liking. 

“Changbin.” He turned to me, his features looking as though he knew what I was about to say. I flicked my head towards the now screaming boys trying to dog pile on each other. 

“Wha?! Why me?!” His protests were slightly drowned by the yells of the squirrel boy, who, unfortunately for him, had found himself at the bottom of the dog pile. 

“Because if they drown Han, you’ve lost a third of 3Racha. You’d be down to 2Rachca. And that just doesn’t sound as cool. Now go.” He opened his mouth to protest further then snapped it shut as I glared at him, pulling out my best deadpan stare. I flicked my brows again, daring him to challenge me. He grumbled as he rose from his chair and stomped his way down to the water. I knew everyone could hear his yelling as he retrieved the rest of the group and shoved them along like cattle back to us. 

Just as the three runaways joined the rest of the group, Hyunjin and Jeongin ran past them back the way the others had just come, making a point to laugh at them as they ran. Chan grabbed towels from his bag and threw them at each of the sopping wet boys, their over-clothes now just as wet. 

“You get to wait to completely dry off. And-” He threw a bottle of sunscreen at their feet. “You get to do it yourselves.” He smirked at them as he dropped to the blanket I had spread. I chuckled to myself as I helped Seungmin spread his blanket the way we had with mine. Seungmin grabbed the soccer ball he had brought and forced the soaking boys to let him teach them how to kick a ball. They reluctantly joined him. Changbin quickly followed, unable to resist an opportunity to show off. Respectfully, of course. 

I retrieved the book I had brought from a bag of my own and took my usual place beside my boyfriend, laying on my stomach while he was on his back. 

“Would you like some sunblock too?” He asked softly in my ear. I cracked a smile as I nodded, shifting so I laid flat. His hands started to massage the cream into my back when we heard a commotion from behind us. We both turned to where Han was laying on the ground flat on his back, surrounded by the others who were throwing the ball square into his stomach while he laughed maniacally. Hyunjin and Jeongin raced out of the water to join them, Hyunjin grabbing the second ball he brought to throw at an unsuspecting Changbin.

“Do I want to know?” Chan murmured under his breath. 

“Probably not.” I whispered at equal volume. He tucked his lips into his mouth and tsked.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He said as he turned back to me. 

“Your kids are crazy.” He sighed deeply, feeling the truth of my statement in his soul. 

“Just know that now they’re kinda your kids too.”

“Oh really? How do you figure that?” My voice had shot up in surprise. I had to raise my eyebrow at him as my eyes widened of their own accord. 

“Well, since they're my kids, that makes me their dad. And you’re with me. So that makes you their step mother of sorts.” I squinted at him, considering. He waited while I stared at him, never taking his eyes off me. He had a gleam of hope and something like pride for his chosen family. Who was I to take that away from him?

“I think I can live with that.”

[blaaaaask]

I tried out one of those personality quizzes and got INTJ-T.

Didn't even realize they had that extra letter.

Anyone else take one of these and you're like 'Well, that certainly explains a lot.'

Quote from the website:

Some personality types are drawn to jobs that require nonstop teamwork and interaction, but INTJs tend to prefer positions that offer independence. By working alone or in small groups, they can make the most of their creativity without constant interruptions from curious coworkers or second-guessing supervisors. They really do believe that if they want something done right, they’d better do it themselves.

End quote.

So, this leads me to a kind of funny story. I quit my desk job about a year ago because they wanted to change remote workers(3+ years) to "hybrid" (aka, slowly change us from our remote positions to in-office for X amount of days. I'm not stupid, I know eventually this would lead to going back to full time in-office. This is just them slowly boiling the frog.)

I, of course, resisted. Sent emails, had meetings, jumped through 100 different hoops. It was literally causing me so much stress that my doctor was trying to recommend anxiety meds (please note, the anxiety was not there until this stupid debacle happened?) I would write/tell HR endless reasons why I could not return to in-office working any longer (pre COVID times), but each person I had to talk to never read half the crap I wrote. And they kept saying 'well, would it be fair though?' Which, I pointed this out, that there were numerous people in various departments who were men who were within similar driving distances as myself who were staying remote and were not being questioned. But I, as a female, and all the female coworkers I had talked to, were facing the same requests.

I didn't want to be 'that girl' that pointed things like that out, but uh, it felt like a glaring oversight.

My department head had also just changed, and instead of having a boss who was eager to help me (he said as long as you're working, do whatever works.) New boss was like 'you need to follow the rules, I am not going to support you.'

So, with the issue sitting before me of 'do I follow their rules just because it pays well?' or 'do I leave, and pursue something I love?'

I quit.

I put in two weeks, which was hellish but freeing.

I have not looked back. My department was ultra small, so it felt sad to drop the ball on them like that, but I am not to be fucked around with. And I have put everything into my art here, my writing, and trying to build my own income. It is going slow (as in, I am making nothing right now) but what can I say? I absolutely love what I'm doing now.

Will I need to go back into reality at some point and get another job? It's possible.

Am I going to keep trucking away otherwise? You bet.

Moral of the story: Fuck those fucking fuckers, hahaha. But seriously, if you have found a means to work in an environment that works for you, do NOT feel like you have to change it!!

As I told them in my emails: if you're getting into gardening, and you have multitude of plants with varying needs, you tend to them following those instructions. Some need direct light. Some need dark spaces. Some like it hot. Some like it cold. You cannot uproot all your plants and put it into one box because 'it is easier to water that way.' You will kill off some of your most unique plants this way. You will end up with all of the same plants.

Also just random tldr: Fuck office jobs. And office culture.

Okay thanks for reading my rant. :)

[cowardlychimera]

Chimera I'm staring at u w my autistic eyes please share your theories w me

I love love Yume Nikki and Omori parallels I once read someone's comment saying "Black Space is a love letter written to Yume Nikki," which is so true to me!!!!! AGHH

ah okay!! fair warning though that this might just be me getting excited over a cool idea lol and might be wrong

okay so: 2 things I noticed that seem similar in both. windows and doors.

when someone hears the word daydreamer, the first thing they think of might be someone staring out a window, right?

and we know Madotsuki and Sunny both prefer their dreams over reality. so windows = inaction. observing, going with the flow.

this fits I think, since in omori, what's one very important window?

this.

Mari says Sunny's seen this before, when he almost drowned. he almost drowned because he gave in. he didn't believe he could do anything, so he didn't.

don't have much for yume nikki about windows tbh though, just that from what I remember Madotsuki's name might refer to windows (if there's anything I don't know of/forgot please share!)

okay now doors!! doors definitely tie these 2 games together! doors = action. choosing to do something instead of just letting things happen

Madotsuki refuses to open her door. she refuses to make the choice to leave, seeming to prefer her dreams over reality. Sunny can do the same. the front door that Kel knocks on, it's Sunny's last chance to fix things. he gets to choose.

and in white space and Madotsuki's dream room? they can leave whenever they want to, through a door! same thing with nexus/door room/whatever you wanna call it and black space! they get to choose what doors to open. they get to choose whether or not they want to accept reality. and even more in omori, the door to Basil's bedroom and his hospital room. he doesn't have to open those doors. whether he faces reality and tries to fix things is up to him. and the door to the roof too! once he walks through the door, he can't go back. he already made his choice.

and sliding glass doors? I'm not 100% about these yet, but sliding glass doors could represent a choice they might want to make, but are hesitant to for whatever reason. they're like a combination of windows and doors! in omori, they're shown in both reality and black space/after finding the photo where Sunny pushed Mari. they're Sunny's want and choice to face reality and accept it, attempting to fix things. but in yume nikki? Madotsuki wants to escape. there's 2 events (I've only triggered one of these 2 so far, so info on one might be incorrect!) where Madotsuki can fly away, and unfortunately fall, the witch event and the spaceship + spaceship event. one has her flying through the clouds, and falling from the sky, while the other has her flying through the stars, also falling from the sky (if you manage to trigger the event, that is). Madotsuki wants to fly away. the sliding door could represent her want, and her choice to escape reality.

okay okay I'm almost done lmao hang in there

now, closets! (once again, I haven't explored any closet stuff in yume nikki yet lol so I might be wrong about stuff) first, in omori! it's obvious Sunny doesn't want to acknowledge the closet is broken violin is hidden in, going far enough for it to even disappear for him! the closet represents something he's hiding. there is a phrase, "skeleton in the closet", that refers to a secret someone wants to hide. so this theory fits the closet in omori! it might also fit the closets found in yume nikki.

Madotsuki doesn't want to find herself.

(also final thing: these things probably do represent more than just this. this is just stuff I noticed seems connected to both games so far! also also I haven't finished yume nikki yet lol so once again feel free to correct me if anything's wrong)

[captain-kit-adventuress]

Look, I’ve prepared taxes for many years, and not just my own. I was a public accountant, so tax season was bread and butter to me.

Don’t get scammed into using turbo tax. It used to be a halfway decent product, but the way it’s degraded and decayed over the years is just insulting.

Tax Act is an okay place to start if you really feel you must use tax prep software—but it’s not free, and it won’t hold your hand if you don’t know what you’re doing. You can honestly download everything you need for free from the IRS website (irs.gov).

Every single tax form comes with heavily detailed, broken-down instructions for every single line of every single form so you know exactly what you need to put in, and if there’s other worksheets or forms you need to file additionally. There’s lots of examples they give so you know what qualifies and what doesn’t. Tax form instructions are honestly a goldmine. Not only that, but you can download all of the worksheets and any other forms you’d need for free from the website, too. And all of these are available as fillable PDFs, so you can absolutely still e-file. No need to use the mail unless you want to.

I can’t reiterate this enough: it does not cost money to file your Federal taxes. I believe in most, possibly all states, it’s also free. The “state filing fee” you pay to Intuit? That’s just extra money they’re charging, because as far as I know, you can download every single tax form you need, state or Federal, for free. Your state will likely have a Department of Revenue or something similar where you can get those forms, again, with instructions.

If you need, lots of local public libraries have common forms and instructions for free. Some offer tax help via other programs—library staff themselves cannot help, though, because that could count as giving tax advice, which they legally can’t do.

If you’re really stuck, look for local tax help programs. If you’re stuck and low-income, look for a local VITAS program. They’re staffed by accounting students who are intending a career in public accounting and need the hours for practice/licensure. They’re supervised, too, so you can contact them with confidence.

And the IRS or state taxing authority? There’s no need to be afraid of them. Most tax issues are resolved via US mail. Many jurisdictions allow you to send in anything else they need electronically. Just make sure the people asking for info are actually the IRS or the state authority, because there are tax scammers out there. The IRS/state doesn’t call or email, they send letters, and if you’re worried the letter may be a fake, look up your local IRS field office or state authority and call their number (don’t use the one on the letter if you’re suspicious) and see if they have a record of the issue. They definitely don’t demand money upfront. No one’s trying to hide anything from you or trick you, I promise.

They also understand that most people who prepare their own taxes are not anything close to an authority and will make mistakes. As long as you do what they need to make it right, that’s all they want. Usually, at worst, whatever you claimed on the form is denied and yes, you may have to pay, but only what you owe. Which is hard if you’re struggling but ask to set up a payment plan. They want to work with you.

The IRS in particular has been vilified by a lot of people who are trying everything in their power to pay anything but their fair share, and that’s going to be rich people. Tax law is not the IRS’ fault, it’s Congress’. Same goes for your state taxing authority.

Long story long, but don’t pay to fill in or file your taxes, especially if you don’t have the money in the first place. And fuck Intuit and throw them into a thousand suns from here unto eternity.

yearly reminder not to use turbotax this year and that the irs has a page on their website with tons of places where you can very easily free file without any fees or pestering for upgrading to pro or any bullshit. fuck turbotax 10000000 years blood corruption spell on those cunts

[basilfang]

All her notes, well most of them are in Chinese. I can't read it.

But, you are Chinese?

I am, but I don't have the language anymore.

Oh, [] sorry.

I tell my brother sometimes that the reason I steal from him is because I wish they'd taken me to China with them, after the divorce, but they didn't, and it's revenge. But that's not really true. I wish they didn't divorce at all.

Wait, your parents are divorced?

Were, they remarried each other.

I don't think I'm close enough to you to make the joke I want to make.

I think that's a good assessment, Archie. If I'm being genuine, it's a stupid part of my family's whole thing, and I wish it never happened, I mean I'm glad they got back together but separating and moving away at all? With the divorce and everything? Kid me probably thought I was never going to see my dad or brother again. At that point I hadn't been back in a while, and since they came back going to China is just something that's not come up. My brother speaks near perfect Chinese, his accent will be just like my Chinese cousins or at least similar. Even if I relearn it and become very proficient, my accent will sound like a foreigner.

Does that stop you from learning it again?

Maybe a little. I know it's a cop out.

We all go on our own journey with everything, right? I didn't start attempting pastries again until recently, after I failed miserably a few years ago and nearly set my Aunt's kitchen on fire. And this time I didn't set the kitchen on fire! Sometimes it's okay to lose your groove, or like become unfamiliar with something, and come back to it, right?

I guess. You bake? I didn't know that.

Well, I don't bake per say, I try and make sweet treats, but I'm not very good. I cook more than bake.

You should cook me a giant lasagne.

Can't tell if you're joking. You told me you're lactose intolerant.

Doesn't mean I can't enjoy a hearty cheesy lasagne. I just suffer afterwards.

Fair play. Maybe I will, you could come to mine tomorrow? We could look more at the photographs too.

About that - Willow gave me some more that were dropped on her developing room floor!

Oh cool!

I'm gonna figure out what's so weird about this town, maybe it'll stop giving me the heebie jeebies then.

-

This town is so quiet, there's barely anyone about.

I don't think it's that much of a town, if you're comparing it to Frome, and to be fair we got to Frome on a Saturday morning, it's going to be busier than a much smaller town on a Sunday evening.

Very good point. Not even a soul walking their dog though?

Maybe it's just a weird evening. Hey, O, did you figure out what that message meant?

I don't think so. The sender hasn't replied and Nora said it definitely wasn't her or Ben. They're the only ones I think might send me some sort of cryptic message like that. Might have been meant for another person.

Okay. Just ominous though, to receive it in the middle of the night.

Not on the foremost of my mind if I'm honest, a prank text message's got nothing on the weird vibe this town has. I swear my hair has been vibrating the entire time we've been in the town boundaries.

Maybe the fact you can't check Tumblr or YouTube every five mintues is forcing you to confront the grim reality of the big world we live it.

Hey, my emotional support crocheting videos can wait, it's not that. But I'm sure it's just because it reminds me so much of one of the places I grew up.

Fair. Let's check out those spots and see if you can get any good photos before it gets bats arse dark.

-

Charles, I hope this letter finds you well.

Apologies for the lateness of my response. I was hoping we could have this conversation in person, but circumstances have kept me away from London for longer than I expected. I may not be able to make Anne-May's Christmas party after all. However, that may be a blessing as you might not want to see me after your reading of this is done.

I may be old fashioned for someone my age, but I feel as though it would be unfair for me to tell you of my decision and not give you the reasoning as to why. It has been a brilliant 10 months that we've spent in each others company, and I don't regret a moment of it. But I must end our tie here. I fear you want a woman who will be your home maker, and even the mother of your children. Celia said you denied wanting to wed and make children when she asked, but - this may come as a suprise to you, and if it is this is my apologies for assuming you were a part of the decision - your mother's long letter detailing what furniture we will need in our apartment to accommodate a new born told me perhaps we are on different pages. I loved you at every turn of the night, Charles, but it's time you find a woman who can give you and your mother the life you want. Moreover, if I was ever to have children, there is no future where I raise them eating English dinner every night, I cannot subject them to that.

Now, you will send a letter demanding more as you may suspect this is not the full reason of my wanting to explore outside of our time together. So do not do so as I will tell you the other large reason. You may still find it incredible to believe, but walk with me into this. This town I am in, for my work, which you know all about so I will not burden you with a retelling, however much I love detailing the ins and outs, has left me with some experiences strange to say the least, and unsettling if I were to say a little more.

Perhaps if you did not say the things you did in February, or imply what you did when my friends were present, or my work didn't take the turn it did here, we could have seen more days together. I mean it when I say I have had a good time with you. However, Charles, for the love of all things good, stop bringing your mother into every conversation as if she was a third thumb.

Any matters to do with my belongings in what would have been our new apartment, please expect correspondence from dear Celia. As for my book collection, you can keep it, I have outgrown those volumes. Except The Haunting of Hill House. I have only read it once since it came out last year. Kindly pile it with the items that will be collected by Celia.

Lastly, I have not mentioned Old Sparky, as it upsets me so to say this, but while he was mine to begin with, it seems that you are a good owner to him, and if I'm honest, this town - I can't say how soon I would leave, therein lies part of the problem - is not suitable for dogs. Keep him happy and remember that every year on his birthday, he receives half a slice of marmalade roll.

Love, Edith

[the-firebird69]

We do understand how to make this work. And it is a bunch of plant-ons and at first people will make their own and it will make the car faster soft tops always go slow and you put on the dot exhaust and the top end performance kit and this car starts out with 220 horsepower no it starts out and it's with 140 horsepower and it's miserable there's a lot of looks to it that are familiar like someone went ahead and did it they did it's the max they had to do it it's code no we want to use it and you can see what you have to make changes the nose needs to be brought down for the fairing and slightly changed you need to make plant on that matches the fairing the windshield and the roof need to be changed and you take it off you have to cut it off and they're they're actually companies that make these with some glazing companies do but a lot of shops in LA will do this and that special glass it is bullet resistant and it does absorb the radar from radar detection to speed radar and it is nice. You can leave the decals off no and has to have craven industries Inc on the side and smaller lettering a lot smaller matter of fact it's in Chrome and it's a piece you attach and you lose the bottles there's nothing there but metal you want to have solid metal all around it and his front wheel drive motor is in the front so you don't need any air intake and it's faster than hell and it's a hardtop we did a conversion like this to this car it's very similar and we got about 280 mph out of the stock motor with the dot exhaust and the top end no if you add those and the tires are okay but we change the tires the rims are fine the car got up to a $350 mph it's very fast and it is a special car

And you need to widen it and needs a wide body kit and needs to be smooth and come from your door which will have a plant on the rear end can be left there it's not bad but it needs a firing underneath and you can see what it is and people buy the matchboxes and copy it

They tried to copy the Brad's version but they didn't know what to do with the wing well at least as you just take the wing off you don't need it it doesn't do anything

Alexie

We have a lot to do and you're kind of pushy okay those reports I'm getting what you say is I'm getting them testosterone overload cuz I grew a quarter of an inch but he had a little chocolate and it does affect them it does affect him it he grows the discs in his back expand quite readily and it made a difference that's what they say it is and he thinks it's probably true

I'm in love again and this company is awesome all my husband to be well and I'm going to start working on it and I want people to stop harassing us this is a great company we're going to have gear and we're going to have outdoor gear and outdoor camping gear and we have all sorts of stuff and we're going to carry it through to our planet and it's going to be fun in the future in the past and it's really really nice. And it will match what we're saying on the outdoor store so I'm going to make that little bike the Enduro mini bike and I'm going to make it a stitch and do it yourself RTA brings motor with gears and it will go about 80 and it will cost about $500 and it will be very simple like you see with a Coleman but with shocks in the back and people love it and he loves it and wants me to get going on it

Hera

What's funny is these new companies used to take off now it's almost impossible and the old companies are having trouble but what he says is you can rebrand stuff and I'm thinking of doing that it'll look like some sort of abnormal car from Europe but I think I can do it it's going to be hard to sell the craven but it will be by the motor company and she and he says it's Less Kraven and she has a name too and it's the guy's wife and it's in the comics but it is going to be craving industries so I'm going to look for these and he's waiting for people to make the knockoffs especially the truck that's what I want

Mac daddy

Olympus

[hyperfixation-or-death]

Just remembered I never actually posted my headcanons about Bilal and Romane's future timeline kids. Anyways. I have headcanons about Bilal and Romane's future timeline kids.

Okay, their scenes are blurry. But! After rewatching closely, it looks like:

Two kids. One girl and one boy. The girl looks a little older than the boy.

So. On to the actual headcanons:

Romane thought of the name for their first child. A lot of grief that she thought she had already processed had resurged with the realization that their lives were about to change, and her mom, their friends, and her sister wouldn't be there for it. And she didn't want to directly name this kid after anyone she had lost; it wouldn't have felt fair. To the baby, to her loved ones, to anyone. But maybe something more subtle. Some way to remember someone. She ended up suggesting Vivienne. (Victor and Vanessa both started with a "v", so having the same first letter was kind of a subtle memorial to both of them, while still making sure the lines between past and present were clear.) Bilal thought it was a good idea, too, so they went with it.

So, Vivienne, Bilal and Romane's eldest daughter. Headcanons for her:

A little over a year older than her brother.

Autistic.

This kid has main character syndrome the likes of which you've never seen before.

Went through a phase of wanting to be a mad scientist, so Bilal got her one of those science experiment kits for kids. She loved it, and did all the experiments within three days.

She's a Lemony Snicket kid. Camille sent her A Series of Unfortunate Events for her birthday one year, and she was hooked. She's based her entire personality off of those books.

She can cook eggs. Nothing else, absolutely not. But she can cook eggs.

She's convinced everything is a conspiracy, a mystery to be solved. Her questions range from normal kid stuff - "Can you actually prove I wasn't switched at birth? Where's the certificate? I bet I'm long lost triplets with [unrelated classmates who have a similar hair color, but otherwise look nothing like her or each other.]" to questions that Romane would really like her to stop asking - "What actually happened to Dad? I think you're lying. Where does that key go to? Mom, why won't you tell me anything?"

On that note. Bilal, Romane, and Sofia all agreed to tell Vivienne and her brother about the time travel eventually. Before Bilal went back, he wrote each of his kids a letter explaining it. Romane is keeping the letters until Vivienne is fifteen and her brother is fourteen; that's what they all agreed on.

Vivienne ends up figuring out parts of what happened before that. Just how much she figures out and what she does with that information, that all depends on the timeline. (I did have an AU where canon-timeline Victor and Romane didn't succeed in time traveling, but the bunker ends up basically overlapping between dimensions, allowing them to meet Vivienne, who is in there for. some reason. idk. it's a vague concept.)

Okay, I know I said I had headcanons about both kids. I lied. Just the older one. I don't even have a name for the second. Sorry to disappoint.

anyways! blurry future timeline kids with zero canon information. they're very cool. you agree.

[kahran042]

Yet another batch of incorrect JCGTL quotes!

Kiera: How does my hair look? Chloe: Black. Same as always. (Source: As Told By Ginger)

Connor: Let me pretend I care… Okay, I'm done. (Source: As Told By Ginger)

Jonas: I'd rather be nice than popular. Mark: Only because you've never been popular. (Source: As Told By Ginger)

Jonas: If Nate were a spice, he'd be flour. If he were a book, he'd be two books. (Source: Bob's Burgers)

Alicia (looking at Jonas and Kiera): They make a great couple, don't they? Chloe: They certainly are standing next to each other. (Source: Bob's Burgers)

Connor (to Morgan): I'll tell you what I hate in this world. That's peaches. The color, the smell, the taste, the texture… hey, you're drooling! (Source: Earthbound)

Nick: My dad's smarter than yours. Jared: We have the same dad. Nick: Yeah, but mine's smarter. (Source: Family Guy)

Connor: Sigh. Mark: Okay, just stop. You're not even sighing, you're just saying the word 'sigh'. (Source: Fire Emblem: Awakening)

Jared: Just ignore half of everything he says. Nick: Come on, be fair. At least a third of what I say is worth hearing. Mark: You do know that a third is less than half, right? (Source: Fire Emblem Engage)

Mark: The truth is, despite your differences, the two of you are quite similar in some ways. Thom: Don't insult me. I'm nothing like Kyle! Kyle: For once, I agree with Thom. To start, I'm way more attractive. Thom: *gasps* Excuse me?! (Source: Fire Emblem Fates)

Stephen: I didn’t raise you to be this irresponsible! Adrian: Dad, you want a reality check? You didn’t raise me at all! (Source: Fire Emblem Fates)

Brad: I have a new girlfriend! Mia: A new girlfriend? Is she blind or something? (Source: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)

Lydia: The love you two have for each other is so wonderful. I wish I had a sibling… Connor: Uh, sure… Morgan: I'll sell him to you. Cheap. (Source: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)

Kiera: You're actually a pretty nice person, aren't you, Connor? Connor: No. (Source: Fire Emblem Warriors)

Jonas: It's okay to be obsessed with Kiera? You know, the shrines, the 3 AM vigils, the Tantric spells? Psychologist: As long as you're not hurting anyone it sounds like an… okay way to express yourself. Jonas: So, animal sacrifices are out? Psychologist: Yes, I'm afraid so. (Source: Hey Arnold!)

Adrian: I don't have an anger problem. I have an idiot problem. (Source: King of the Hill)

Connor: We can forget happy things. We can probably forget sad things too. People have the power to forget. (Source: Mother 3)

Jessica (about Jonas and Brad): Those guys are dorks. Mark: Yes, but they're my dorks. (Source: Spongebob Squarepants)

Alicia (to Jonas and Chloe): Why don't you two lovebirds stop fighting? You sound like a married couple. (Source: Tales of Destiny)

Mark: Beautiful day, isn't it? Connor: If you like sunshine. (Source: The Adventures of Pete and Pete)

*Morgan is making fun of Connor's fear of bridges* Kathleen: Don't make fun of your brother. Everyone has a fear of something. Morgan: Not me. Kathleen: Clowns. Morgan: Where?! (Source: The Simpsons)

Nate: How do you do it, Chloe? How do you silence that little voice that says "think"? Chloe: You mean Kiera? (Source: The Simpsons)

*Kiera has just agreed to go on a date with Jonas* Jonas: There's only one thing to do at a moment like this: strut! (Source: The Simpsons)

Jessica: Hey, Mark, I have two tickets for a movie. Mark: Good for you! You can go twice! (Source: Twitter)

Therapist: You know, a great way to let go of your anger is to write letters to people you hate and burn them. Connor: But what do I do with the letters afterward? Therapist: No. (Source: Unknown)

Jonas: What do you call a fish with no eyes? Nate: Myxine Circifrons. Jonas: Fsh. (Source: Unknown)

Kiera: So you really believe me, Jonas? Jonas: Kiera, you are the last good person on the face of this miserable planet. I’d believe you if you said talking cartoon birds did your hair this morning. (Source: Unknown)