#ramona my beloved

[honeyjars-sims]

3.38 Common Goals

Things have been busy over the past couple of weeks. The channel is planning some special videos and the cast has been filming at different locations. That means I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to Lacey yet, which I’ll admit is a bit of a relief. 

I’ve been pretty distracted anyway. My dads already have a buyer interested in the house so that doesn’t give me much time to find a new place. Lucy suggested I get in contact with Paul since he’ll need a roommate when he moves to San Sequoia, so I’m meeting with him to look at a townhouse he’s had his eye on. 

When I arrive at the address Paul gave me, it’s not quite what I was expecting. It doesn’t look like any rental property that I’ve ever seen. There’s a little market area on the other side of the parking lot where booths of fresh flowers and produce are set up. Before I have a chance to check it out more, Paul's Jeep pulls into the parking lot and he hops out.

"You ready?" he asks. I tell him I am and we walk to a gate with an intercom. ”I just have to let the property manager know we’re here.” After a couple of minutes a woman who looks to be in her 50s arrives to greet us. She looks like she’s been working outside; her jeans dusted with dirt and her cheeks are pink from the sun. 

 "Hello Paul, it's nice to speak to you in person," she says. She looks at me. "This must be the roommate."

"Hi, I'm Johnny," I say, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Johnny," she repeats. "Johnny and Paul. I'm Gail. My wife and I own the townhouse you’ll be viewing. Let’s go take a look."

We walk down the path. There are two buildings on either side and Gail takes us to the one on the right. “My son just moved about a week ago. He’s going to do some conservation work in Sulani,” she explains as she unlocks the door to the unit.

When we step inside, I'm surprised by the size of the place. Going by the rent price, I was expecting something much smaller. "Are you sure you got the price right?" I ask Paul. Maybe he transposed some numbers somewhere. It seems unlikely, but even future doctors make mistakes.

"I thought I did when I first saw it, but it really is that cheap," he insists. I raise an eyebrow, sensing that there's more to the story. "There is just one little catch," he admits.

Gail catches wind of our conversation and smiles. "It really does sound too good to be true, doesn't it? The community here is a little...atypical, but I promise it's worth it."

"What do you mean?" I ask incredulously.

"Well, Ellie and I started this community once our children got older. Initially we just wanted a way to keep us all together, but we saw an opportunity to create affordable housing here in San Sequoia and foster our community at the same time. At Hopewell Commons, helping out your neighbors isn't simply a courtesy. Everyone contributes, whether it's through tending the garden, making repairs, providing childcare, offering goods and services...everyone finds their place."

"So we have to earn our keep?"

Gail laughs. "I wouldn't put it quite like that. As renters, you’re not required to put in the hours that our homeowners do, but we encourage you to get involved. You'll not only be helping out others but you'll have a built-in support system when you're the one in need."

I’m feeling pretty skeptical, but I want to see if this place is worth the effort. Gail shows us one of the bedrooms upstairs. 

“That’s a nice view of the garden,” Paul comments. I peek out the window. The garden is pretty quaint with a small greenhouse and a few rows of plants. There’s an older woman and a young girl talking near the chicken pen. 

“That’s Ellie and our granddaughter, Ramona,” Gail tells us.

“How many people live in the community?” I ask her.

“Well, there’s my daughter Cleo and her family, and we’ve got about 10 other residents at the moment. But we’re growing! We’re building more houses on some land we just acquired.”

Once she's out of earshot, I turn to Paul. "This isn’t a cult, isn't it?"

"It's not a cult. It's more like a…family."

"That's what someone who's in a cult would say," I point out.

“It’s NOT a cult!”

Next, Gail leads us out into the community garden. "This is a group effort," she explains. "We have several residents who rotate duties in the garden, and once the crops are ready everyone helps themselves to their share."

I can't say that I've ever been into gardening, but Paul seems excited by the idea. I guess I should get used to it, too. While he and Gail share gardening tips in the greenhouse, I wander around the garden. It does seem like a nice idea, everyone chipping in so that their neighbors can enjoy the bounty. Plus, free food.

Gail’s granddaughter is playing nearby and when she sees me, she skips over. 

"Hi, I'm Ramona! What's your name?" "I'm Johnny." "Oh, okay. Do you have any pets?" "Yeah, I have a cat named Taco."

"Taco??? That's a funny name!” She giggles. “Can I see it?" "Well, she's not here right now." "Why?" "Because I don't live here." "Why?" I'm not completely sure how to answer that one. "Because I just don't." "Oh. Are you going to live here soon?" "Maybe." "Can I see Taco when you do?" "Well, you should probably ask your parents about that." "Why?"

Gail comes around the corner.  "Because it's not a good idea to go to someone's house alone if you don't know them." Ramona seems satisfied by her answer.

Gail turns to me. "You'll have to excuse Ramona. She thinks everyone is her friend. You’re a nice young man, but it's important that she learns the difference between a friend and a stranger."

"No problem," I tell her. Ramona runs off to examine a tomato plant. It seems like she has the type of childhood that I wish I had. I learned way too young that not everyone can be trusted.

Paul walks over to me. "So, what do you think?" he asks. "I understand if you're not feeling it. I know it's a little strange."

So far everyone looks happy, like, genuinely happy and not like people in a cult who are being brainwashed. I sigh. "Okay, as long as the rental agreement doesn't make us promise our souls to The Great Leader I guess I'm open to it."

"Are you sure? Because we can keep looking if you're not."

"I'm sure. I trust your judgment."

We tell Gail what we've decided and she takes us to fill out our applications. She says we should hear something in a couple of days.

When we head back to our cars I spot Ramona again.

"Bye Johnny!" she tells me cheerfully. "Tell Taco I said 'hi!'"

"Sure thing, Ramona. See you later!"

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

[scottpilgrim4everr]

Does she know she exists?

Yes but only sometimes

[starboy2461]

Ramona flowers my beloved

Art by myself, no reposts unless you credit me. This is also going onto my Pinterest or Peach_bun24

[groovyarouraios]

They are so important to me

Inspired by @jjcattt ‘s post about amputee Sam

[noanziexx]

ramona was so real when she said "i just can't help myself around him"

[livingintheighties]

what kind of scott pilgrim did yall read???

[eahtheramblings]

Your rewrite post appeared on my dash today and I'm loving everything that you've written! Do you think you could do a rewrite of Cerise? I saw her mentioned in Kitty's post and I'm interested to hear more of your ideas!

Cerise holds the title of one of my favorite characters alongside Raven, Apple, and Duchess, which means I put her through. So. So much. 

Also to talk about Cerise I have to talk about Ramona for a bit too, so y'all can consider this a 2 in 1!

For starters, Cerise’s wolf heritage can appear as much more than just wolf ears. The badwolfs, like most fairytale animals, are shifters. They can shift between a wolf form and a magic “human” form. For a full wolf, they can easily choose whether they want to be fully in their wolf form or fully in their human form, but for half shifters like Ramona and Cerise, this can become a lot harder. You see for shifters, the human form is never a “true” form. Wolf Shifters are a sentient magical species native to the dark forest that evolved to mimic human looks as a way to get closer to their prey. They are inherently magical beings similar to the fey, except instead of long lifespans and magic casting powers they’ve gotten sentient minds and the equivalent of a powerful illusion/transmutation spell. Because magic is influenced by one’s intentions and emotions (like Ravens magic needing evil intention to work properly), how a shifter feels about their identity affects their ability to shift greatly. Full shifters almost never have a problem with shifting into and out of their wolf form because internally they will always associate their internal identity with that of a wolf. They are raised as wolves, most of their early years are spent in the wolf form as they don’t gain the ability to shift until later, if you knock one out that's in their human form then will revert back to wolf form and generally most see their human form as a temporary mask. This is such a common shifter mentality that most shifters don’t even have spotless human forms, instead taking these not quite a wolf but not quite human forms that get a close enough approximation to a human but with something off about them. Too much hair, too sharp claws, wolf ears or eyes. The full shifter always knows their identity is wolf  and the mask is human, so they have no issue controlling the magic that lets them shift. Cerise and Ramona can’t shift as easily however because they identify with both their wolf and human sides. Ramona stays in her wolf form for the most part, but just like how most shifters human forms are imperfect, Ramona’s wolf form is imperfect. Her face is just a bit too human shape wise, her canines and claws not as sharp. It is public knowledge that she is a half shifter, Badwolf couldn’t pass her off as a full one so he told everyone he had a “short lived relationship with a human woman from a nearby village” (the best lies are somewhat true after all). She was held to a higher level of scrutiny by other wolves because of this, so she almost never leaves her wolf form and is constantly trying to push her human identity down. Meanwhile Cerise stays in her human form almost all the time, but is constantly plagued by abnormalities within it that appear depending on how she feels. The wolf ears are a near constant, but she also has a tail that appears sometimes, thicker hair than the average person, wolf eyes and canines that show up when she’s upset, and is taller than the majority of the girls in her class. Cerise hides all of this underneath several layers of clothing, long skirts and cloaks and bonnets. but unlike Ramona who can hold up 1 form consistently Cerise has always found it hard to not exist in this inbetween space, so much so that she was homeschooled her entire childhood and kept away from the many events the destined are invited to under the pretense that she was a “sickly” child. 

The second year of highschool, Legacy year, is the first year that Cerise attends school with others, as students can choose to spend their first year at another school or homeschooled for personal reasons (although this is very, very rare). Cerise finds the whole thing rather daunting, as her interaction with others her age have been greatly stifled. Because she is from a “kids legacy” (i dont have the time here to explain the full context of that phrase; just know that for certain characters like the crumb twins, blondie, and Cerise their often treated as slightly younger than they actually are since their destinies are intertwined with themes of childhood and growing up) everyone writes it off as shyness, but it is generally just stunted social abilities. She can be moody and standoff-ish and generally awkward, which is part of why she ends up mostly alone until after legacy day and the destiny conflict kicks off. 

And oh boy, does she have strong feelings about destiny. Now there's the obvious problem she has with destiny, her being half wolf. She is constantly vigilant for signs of fur and claws on her hands, and the idea that someday there can be a world where she can wear whatever she wants and not have to worry about her hiding wolf attributes is incredibly enticing to her. The idea that there can be a world where her family can be public even more so. These two are her main motivators for being a rebel, but she also joins the rebel cause because the Red Riding Hood destiny is one that never ends. if she could just play out the red riding hood destiny and then fake her death and disappear as a wolf into the dark forest then maybe she would be ok with sucking it up and playing her part, but little red riding hood eventually becomes little red’s mother who sends her to granny’s house, and then becomes her grandmother later on. She will have to live through the red riding hood tale three times at three vastly different parts of her life, meaning she can never “disappear”. For the rest of her life, she will be juggling hiding her wolf half while also acting out her many roles. It is inescapable to her, and locks her into a motherly role that she honestly does not think she would enjoy. Even Ramona doesn’t have to do all that and she has two stories. 

And Cerise’s deep desire to stop hiding her wolf half terrifies Ramona, as she is keenly aware as someone who is publicly half shifter how draining and dangerous it can be to go against the norm. People don’t even know that Red Riding Hoods her mother, they just think it's a random human, and yet she still gets treated terribly by others. Ramona hates the destiny system but is frankly, too scared to speak out against it despite her otherwise rebellious nature as she’s seen how going against it leads to children who are discriminated against and families who are forced to live separately and in fear. And while Cerise has seen that too, she continues to take the glass half full approach of hoping for a more free future while Ramona looks at the world from a glass half empty point of view. Eventually, Cerise and Ramona do work out their differences in views, and Cerise does reveal that she’s part wolf, although this happens towards the very end of the story. 

Also! I didn’t know where to fit this in the above ramblings, but Cerise and Hunter also have a pseudo sibling relationship due to the rumors that the huntsman is her father. I pulled this idea heavily from this fanfic called Off the Path by dragons_SRSunn on ao3, and folks if you have not read that fic please do yourself a favor and read it, it’s genuinely one of my favorite fanfics for eah. 

Uhhhhhh I think that's all for Cerise for now, sorry for the wall of text and thanks for reading!

[byn3s]

whoever draws me and Ramona kissing gets 50 dollars

[djooonts363]

Old stuff with characters from Subway Surfers✌️✨

[cassmouse]

EVERYONE OH MY GOD I JUST FINISHED VOLUME SIX OF SCOTT PILGRIM AND

I

OH MY GOD??????????????????????? I HAVE NO WORDS?? I CRIED AT THE END TOO I WAS NOT EXPECTING ANY OF THAT OH MY LORD

First of all easily the best one in the series

It was AMAZING?? GENUINELY I WAS SO INVESTED IN THESE CHARACTERS THE WAY THEY DEVELOP RAMONA AND SCOTT HERE IS PHENOMENAL AND SIEUFHDBSNW THE STUFF WITH GIDEON?? I WONT SPOIL IT BUT JESUS BLOODY CHRIST

If you have any interest whatsoever in the Scott Pilgrim series PLEASE OH MY GOD read the graphic novels. Like okay they were 2005 and it shows in certain places but it's worth it this story that has just been told to me was amazing and incredibly and I'm crying and screaming in the corner right now in the best way possible

I really did not expect this series to capture my entire consciousness the way it has oh my good lord

PLEASE read these graphic novels and PLEASE read them to their conclusion this bloody volume in particular??? Volume six?? Oh my god it's one of the best things oh my GOD??

I thought the film was a pretty good adaptation until I read these last few graphic novels jesus Christ

[scottpilgrim4everr]

God made me poor because he knew that absolutely nothing would stop me from carrying this bitch around like a Barbie doll…

[axle-hates-zucchini]

Airy and Axle as Ramona and Scott

@airy-earth :3

speed paint on my yt

[msives-r]

i miss when the scott pilgrim anime had just come out

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

@bombawife's OC Week Day 2: Kitten OC

It's Tate time!!!!

Tate always knew there was... something off about him. Even when he had a human family, he knew that he wasn't as affectionate, wasn't as attentive as others of his breed.

When he met Jemima, it felt as though things just clicked. Here was a new mother for him, a mother who drew him as close as possible to her side, and snuggled him close, peppering his face with soft kisses.

He got a sister, a twin, who was fiercely and passionately protective over him, especially upon realizing that they shared similar trauma from human treatment.

Munkustrap and Demeter completely dote on their grandson, he and Ramona are spoiled rotten, and Jemima always beams when she sees her parents interacting with her kittens.

Tate struggles with completely relaxing around strange cats, but finds himself adoring sitting in Tugger's company. Tugger becomes like a second grandfather to Tate, always ready for a cuddle or to make the kitten let out a soft laugh.

As shut away and quiet as he is, Tate would do absolutely anything if it meant protecting his family. They're his world, and he's firmly aware that they deserve all the happiness in the world.

[ramonathinks]

Ooo what was the concept bae?

hiiii, basically popstar reader x rockstar choso 🙏🏾

but this is what it was originally, but then i didn’t know how much i liked this concept.

so then it was thissss. but either way the ideas were gonna be a bit merged together in the end

[a-tale-of-legends]

Look I love R.B with blue hair as much as the next person but her going natural is PEAK.

Honestly I'm debating on whether or not I should do the last portion of the violet ( when I get to it I'm focusing more on PLA...which I am procrastinating on) with her natural hair or if I should go back to her classic design but you know. Happier.

Here's a comparison btw

They both look amazing imo. Maybe I'll just mix both ( either the tips of her locs be blue or the front part of her fro be blue)