#so that it's like a virtual guide that people can go too

[spiders-around]

YOU MUST MAKE A WEBSITE

Oh wow, look at that! YET ANOTHER post urging you to make a webbed site! What a completely new thing that people haven't made a thousand masterposts for already!!

• Making a website might look scary. It is Not.

At first, I too thought making a website was too much work. It really isn't! It turns out that all you need is

an HTML file,

a web hosting service and

w3schools tutorials,

and that's about it!

This post will point you towards these resources, and others I found useful while figuring out how to make a website.

• VERY QUICK EXPLANATIONS:

What's HTML and CSS?

HTML is the content of your webpage, the skeleton of it. What shows up in a webpage is what's written in the HTML file!

CSS is the way the HTML is styled; the colour of the background and the letters, the size of elements, the font, all that!

Do I absolutely NEED JavaScript for a website?

Not at all! You don't need to worry about learning it before getting started.

• What do I make a website for? What do I put in there?

ANYTHING AND ALMOST EVERYTHING. Here's some ideas for pages from a post of mine were I was very normal about websites:

You can make a page that's only pictures of your pets.

You can make an interactive adventure.

You can make your own academic blog full of your own essays or articles.

You can just post a ton of art or make a full music page.

You can make a blog and infodump eternally, give book reccs and reviews. You can host a thousand virtual pets and nothing else.

Upload entire books in a single html file. Make a wikipedia for your ocs. Make a fake site for a random fictional place (restaurant, hotel, whatever). You can make a thousand fanpages/shrines about your favorite media. You can upload your own webcomic and make it all like a fancy website and shit.

I could keep going but, for the sake of "brevity", I won't.

• WEBSITE EXAMPLES!

If I started listing the websites I know, this post would be bottomless. Here's only seven:

https://publictransit.neocities.org/ - A webbed site, for sure

https://ribo.zone/ - A personal site

https://leusyth.neocities.org/ - An art archive

https://solaria.neocities.org/ - Personal website with A Lot of stuff (it'll come up in a bit, because it offers web making resources)

https://hog.neocities.org/ - The Hogsite

https://thegardenofmadeline.neocities.org/ - Another personal site! It also has a web resources page and has made another masterpost like this one (but better)

https://spiders.neocities.org/ - My own website, which must be weird to see in mobile . sorry

• You've convinced me. I want a webbed site. Where do I start?

https://neocities.org/

FIRST OF ALL: Neocities. It is a free web hosting service, and it's the one I and the sites I linked use!

When I first started, my website was a black page with red letters and a drawing, and nothing else! It was like that for a month, till i started picking up on how to do things.

Here's what helped me get an idea of how to make things work:

https://sadgrl.online/learn/articles/beginners-guide-neocities

An absolute beginners guide to neocities -- while when you make an account there you get a tutorial page from the site, this one's extra support for that.

https://www.w3schools.com/

Learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript and MANY other coding things for free. All the tutorial/reference pages have live testing windows for you to mess with!! helped me a LOT while figuring this stuff out!

https://htmlcheatsheet.com/

https://htmlcheatsheet.com/css/

Cheatsheets for HTML and CSS, respectively. It includes a JavaScript one too!

https://sadgrl.online/webmastery/

Sadgrl's webmastery resources! Also includes the next resource listed here:

https://sadgrl.online/projects/layout-builder/

Sadgrl's layout builder; not a lot of customization at a first glance, but I've seen wildly different websites all using it as a base, plus it works using CSS Flexbox, so it generates a responsive layout!

(basically, a responsive layout is one that translates well in different sized screens)

https://www.tumblr.com/fysa/728086939730919424/wikitable-code?source=share

Tumblr user fysa made this layout imitating a wiki page!

https://brackets.io/

At some point, you might want to do things outside the Neocities code editor and get one outside the site. I recommend Brackets, because my old as fuck computer can run that and absolutely nothing else apparently, and it works wonderfully! Though I recommend either turning off the code autocomplete or using it after a good while of already using the Neocities code editor, so you get used to coding on your own.

http://www.unit-conversion.info/texttools/text-to-html/

Turn your text into HTML code! i use this kind of pages for my lengthy blog entries that I don't feel like formatting myself.

https://imagecompressor.com/

COMPRESS YOUR IMAGES.

The heavier an image is, the more your site weighs and the more time your page will spend loading. You don't want that, specially if your site is heavy on graphics. This might help!

https://solaria.neocities.org/guides

Some CSS, JavaScript and Accessibility guides! Worth checking out!

https://eloquentjavascript.net/

This is a free, interactive book for learning JavaScript! NOTE: It is very intuitive, but JavaScript is HARD!! I still haven't learned much of it, and my website does fine without so don't worry if you end up not doing much with it. It's still useful + the exercises are fun.

And now, accessories!

• Silly stuff for your page :]

https://gifypet.neocities.org/

Make a virtual pet, copy the code and paste it in your HTML file! You'll get a little guy in your webbed site :]

https://www.wikplayer.com/

Music player for your website!

http://www.mf2fm.com/rv/

JavaScript silly effects for your site :]

https://blinkies.neocities.org/geoblinkies

Blinkie search engine!

https://www.cbox.ws/

Add a chatbox to your site!!

https://momg.neocities.org/

Infinite gallery of gifs. i've spent hours in there looking at moving pictures and out of them all, the ONLY gif i actually ended up using on my site was a rotating tomato slice. it is still there. trapped.

https://wrender.neocities.org/tarotinstructions

A widget that gives you a random tarot card!

https://www.websudoku.com/widget.php

Sudoku widget!

That's about it for now! I don't know how to end this!!! Remember to have fun and google everything you don't know :]

[pathetichimbos]

First Meeting - Part One

((part two here))

Thomas Hewitt/GN!Reader

---

You've run away from home, hitchhiking around Texas as you come up with your next plan, only to find that life has plans of its own when a simple ride with a group of friends lands you at a lone gas station in Travis County, drawn to a mysterious man most seem to avoid.

---

You take another step, the heat of the steaming concrete seeping in through the soles of your shoes, making you cringe. Why you would ever choose to run away in the middle of July in blistering Texas was a mystery to all, and not even you could come up with a plausible excuse.

It's been well over a month since you up and left your home, the overbearing presence of your mother's alcoholism and your step father's compliance becoming too much to handle any longer, even if it meant heading out into the excruciating heat with nothing but the clothes on your back and the bag on your shoulder to your name.

The small amount of cash you spent months saving was slowly beginning to dwindle, the concept of southern hospitality apparently lost to most, given that almost everyone has expected some sort of something in exchange for letting you hitch a ride to a place they were already headed.

You let out a sigh, licking your chapped lips as your dirt stained jeans scrap against your legs with every step, the sun beating down against your shoulders harshly, making you wonder what exactly was keeping you from laying on the grass and giving in to the vultures watching you virtually waste away.

You continue your march forward, the quiet sound of an engine beginning to make its presence known behind you, making you turn to see a truck crossing the horizon.

You slow your pace, thumb sticking out as you watch the truck begin to slow its pace, coming to a stop beside you.

The back passenger door swings open, a young man already moving over to the middle seat as he calls out to you, "Come on in!"

"Thanks." You climb into the truck, shutting the door as the driver begins to pull off.

The truck itself was rather full, two people in the front and now, thanks to you, three in the back.

“Where ya headed?” The driver asks, the truck quickly gaining its speed again.

“Wherever.” You shrug, “Next gas station's fine by me.”

You sigh, the truck's shitty AC feeling like heaven as you lean against the seat, letting your aching body rest for a few moments.

"Can do!" The driver responds in a chipper tone, a mood most of the car's passengers seemed to share.

There were three boys and one girl in total, and over the course of the next few minutes, you learned their names.

Trent was driving, a loud younger man with a kind smile and a lack of smarts. His girlfriend, Katie, seemed to share similar traits, seatbelt forgotten at her side as she turned fully in the passenger seat to look at you while you chatted.

The two boys in the back were Kyle and Jessie, twins who seemed pleasant enough.

The conversation flow stays light and airy as the five of you chat about small things, while you do your best to guide the conversation away from yourself.

“So,” Jesse finally asks, “What are you doing, hitchhiking in the middle of nowhere?”

You shrug, glancing at the empty fields as they zoom past, the overgrown weeds and grass telling you that no one has owned any of this land in quite some time, "…Fresh start. Seeing the world from a new perspective."

“That sounds exciting!” Katie giggles, leaning against her seat as she faces you, her accent giving way that they aren't locals.

“I suppose so. Y'all are from Nebraska, right? What’s got y'all down this way?” You do your best to steer the conversation back to them.

“Trent has some family down this way we’re going to visit for graduation.” Katie smiles.

“Sounds fun.” You return her smile, turning back to the window.

You close your eyes as the rest of them continue talking, enjoying the slight breeze drifting from the front of the truck.

“Oh, look! There’s a gas station that way!” Katie's voice catches your attention as she points out a large red sign that reads:

‘Great BBQ

GAS TIRES CLOTHES’.

You sigh, your stomach clenching at the thought of food. The last people who gave you a ride were kind enough to give you a sandwich, but that was three days ago and your stomach was protesting this unintentional starving.

After a few minutes the truck comes to a stop and the five of you climb out. You stretch for a moment, weighing your options before deciding to head inside the small station, trying to see how far you could make your last few dollars stretch.

It was a dingy old station, for sure. The white paint peeling harshly under the unrelenting sun, the signs worn and tattered from years of exposure, the two measly pumps rusted and seemingly unused for at least a decade.

The four people behind you split up, the twins going to find a restroom while the couple follows you inside.

The inside was just as small as the outside looked, and didn't seem to fare much better. A checkout counter on the right and a deli counter to the left, made a skinny walkway to the small dining area, a few shelves of old products scattered about, none of it looking properly edible but all if it makes your stomach growl painfully.

An older woman stands behind the counter, leaning on it as she speaks to the sheriff on the other side, an older man as well, but not quite as old as her.

“Afternoon, sheriff, ma'am.” You greet them with a polite smile, stepping deeper into the small store.

“Afternoon.” The sheriff tilts his hat, sucking on the tobacco stuck behind his bottom lip before turning back to the woman, who simply gives you a nod in return.

Your eyes wander around the old, tattered building, miscellaneous decorations scattered about the walls,

You thought it to be a miracle that this place was up and running at all, given how desolate the town it resided in seemed to be.

As you look through the old coke cooler shoved in the corner, absent-mindedly listening to the couple make small talk with the sheriff and clerk, a thud echoes on the old, creaking wood, pulling your attention to the back of the store.

You take a few steps to the corner, peaking around it as you look for the source of the noise.

A man stands next to the open back door, stretching in front of a large stack of boxes as if he had just carried them in.

He doesn't pay you any mind as you stare for a few moments longer, not yet noticing you peeking around the corner.

He was tall, taller than most people, with wide shoulders and strong arms to match.

His long black curls hang to his shoulders, seemingly held down by some sort of straps wrapped around his head.

He finally turns, brown eyes catching yours as you realize you're staring. A heat rises to your cheeks as you glance away, feeling a bit embarrassed over being caught. After all, you had been living on the streets for almost two months now, and the dirt embedded in your clothes hid that fact just about as much as the tangles in your dirty hair did.

A low, aggravated huff catches your attention again, pulling you from your embarrassment as you glance back over. With this new angle you could see his face much more clearly, including the dark, seemingly handmade leather mask covering the bottom half of his face and nose.

He glares at the boxes in front of him, intense eyes seemingly annoyed, as if his frustration alone could make them move to the front of the store.

With a newfound sense of confidence, or perhaps foolishness, you take a small step from around the corner, curious eyes watching the stranger in front of you.

Tense, cautious eyes stare back at you as the man furrows his brows, watching you take another step closer.

"Hi…" You give a small smile, leaning back on the heels of your feet, hands wringing behind your back, "…My name's Y/N…"

He looks you up and down, as if trying to decide what to think about you, not saying a word.

Unsure what to do next, you nod towards the boxes, "…Need any help?"

His stare doesn't break, only shifting to one of confusion as he contemplates your question.

…No one ever offered to help him. In fact, most people looked to him for help. So, why the hell were you offering?

A beat of silence passes and you shrug, "I mean, it just seems like a lot for one person to carry, and I've got nothing better to do…" Another beat passes and you begin to wonder if you made a mistake, bothering this poor man and distracting him from his work, "…Not that I don't think you can't handle it or anything, I just thought I'd offer in case it was--"

"Thomas!" A voice stops you in your tracks, causing both of you to look back to the sheriff who was now staring the two of you down, "Have you finished carryin' them boxes in here?"

He shakes his head.

"Then quit your yappin' and get to it!"

Thomas sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly, a weary look on his face as he turns to walk back outside to the sheriff's car parked out back.

"Here, let me…" You offer again, this time grabbing a box off the top of the pile, "It goes to the front counter, right?"

Thomas looks back to you, the confused look still lingering in his eyes as he nods.

You give another small smile over the heavy box, arms straining as you lug it up to the front of the store. The sheriff and clerk pay you no mind as they continue talking with the couple, though the conversation seemed mostly one sided at this point, with the clerk paying more attention to her newly lit cigarette than the couple.

"No, see, that roads been closed for the time bein'." You hear the sheriff explain in his heavy southern accent as you drop the box on the counter behind him, "Kept havin' folks lose bumpers and blow tires and what not on all them damn potholes."

"Is there an another way to get there then?" Trent asks, obvious disappointment in his voice from finding out their planned route was no longer available.

"Well, sure. I can show you the way." He turns back to the clerk, "Hand me that map, Mama.

The rest of the conversation falls into the background as you walk to the back again, picking up another box and seeing Thomas had brought in two more.

You huff a little, pushing the limits of your weakened arms as you try to lift two boxes.

You manage to drag them to the front of the store, this time electing to leave them beside the counter rather than on top with the first one.

"…And after you pass the old meat factory right here, you'll take the second left and hit the highway again." The sheriff's directions fade back into earshot as you huff again, your lack of food leaving your muscles especially weak against the heft of the boxes.

The tingle in your forearms slowly begins to subside as you turn to walk back for another, only to see Thomas carrying the last of the four boxes as if they were made of air.

Your eyes follow him as he sets the boxes on the counter before picking up the two you had left on the floor as well, dropping them next to the others.

You let out a small huff of laughter at his pure strength, watching the originally closed off and curt clerk soften as she thanks Thomas for carrying the boxes for her.

Meanwhile the sheriff waves off the couple, the honk of the truck horn echoing through the thin walls as the twins become impatient with their friends taking too long. The couple thanks him profusely, hurrying out of the store as they rush to join their friends and get back on the road.

The older man watches through the dusty screen door as the group sets off, letting out a low chuckle as he seemingly forgets your existence, "The Lord's lookin' out for us today, Mama. Tell Tommy to get his ass to the house!"

You blink in confusion as the sheriff rushes past the two of you, the clerk quickly yelling after him, “Damnit Hoyt, the boy's right here--”

He ignores her as well, slamming the back door shut before you could hear the loud squeal of spinning tires set off onto the highway.

She huffs from behind the counter, obviously annoyed with the sheriff's antics, “You better head on home, Thomas, Lord knows he'll make it everyone's problem if he makes it there before you do.”

Thomas sighs and nods his head, already heading to the front door.

You watch as he leaves, the creak of the old screen door screeching through the otherwise quiet store.

"You gonna buy somethin' or stand there with an empty head all day?" The clerk asks, pulling you back to reality as she raises an eyebrow through her thick glasses.

You blink for a second, "Oh, uh, yes ma'am."

You turn back to the small selection, grabbing a couple of snacks and a bottle of water from the cooler,

You set them on the counter, digging through your bag and pulling out a couple of ones.

"Ain't got no change." She takes the crumbled bills, smoothing them out as she opens her register.

"That's fine…" You sigh, deciding losing a few extra coins was worth it to get some food in your system.

She shuts the metal drawer with a bit of force as you thank her, shoving everything into your bag before flinging it over your shoulder and heading out into the Texas heat once again.

[kikyoupdates]

Heartbreaker ⭑˚💔⭑ 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒

bnha x f!reader

reverse harem, isekai, my hero academia x fem!reader, slowburn

You awaken one day with virtually no memories. The only thing guiding you is some strange system that likes to dictate your every move, and for some reason, it insists that you make certain people fall in love with you. Desperate for answers, you decide to go along with its demands. After all, how hard can it be?

story masterlist | next

When you opened your eyes, everything was dark.  

There was very little that you could feel, apart from your rhythmic breathing, faint as it was. It was eerily quiet too. You weren’t sure why exactly, but you got the sense that this wasn’t how things should be. It didn’t feel natural to be all alone, no sign of life as far as your eyes could see. You couldn’t move your body even after trying for a good while, so you eventually gave up and allowed yourself to settle into the silence.

As it turned out, total silence was loud in its own way. It made your ears buzz from the ever-present nothingness; made your brain feel like it might split in half. 

You didn’t know what in the hell was going on, but the longer this continued, the more likely it was that you would go insane.  

Then, as if by a miracle, the silence broke.  

["𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞."]

Someone was talking to you. Well, not really talking to you. It was strange. You couldn't hear a voice or anything like that. Instead, you could see the words pop up in front of your eyes, like some sort of weird projection. The projection made a slight ping as it popped up, but otherwise, no words were exchanged aloud.  

“Hello?” you called out fearfully. Ah. So, you could talk. Your voice wasn’t lost, thankfully. It was just that you couldn’t move your body forward. Not that you’d even know where to go. Everything was pitch-black.  

["𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠?”]

“Scared,” you admitted, swallowing hard. “I don’t know what’s going on. And I don’t... I don’t remember. Anything. I don’t remember a single thing.”

[“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 [𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞] [𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞]. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞.”]

[Name]. Alright. You had a name too, and when you mumbled aloud just to familiarize yourself with the sound of it, you were relieved that it sounded familiar. You were a real person with a name. You had that much, at the very least.  

It was too bad that everything else was a total mystery to you.  

“Why am I here?” you managed to ask. “Actually... where is here?”  

[“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”]

“Who are you, then?”  

[“𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦. 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲. 𝐎𝐭𝐡��𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬.”]

You felt yourself frown. “Tasks? What sort of tasks? I still don’t understand. And my head... it’s starting to hurt a lot. I’m really scared. Why don’t I remember anything?”

[“𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐥𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?”]

Your head was now throbbing without abandon, but you couldn’t so much as move a hand to even press down on the points that hurt and try to ease the pain. None of this was making any sense. You hated that you didn’t remember anything, and even though this system was trying to claim that it harbored no ill-intent, it wasn’t exactly answering your questions either.  

“I want to leave,” you breathed out. “Please. Let me leave. Are you the one who took my memories? If you did, I’m begging you to give them back. I’m terrified not knowing what’s going on. I don’t know how to explain this, but... it feels like a piece of me has been ripped away. I don’t even know who I am.”  

The system didn't respond for a long time, and you felt as though you might drown in this sea of emptiness.

Eventually, you heard another ping.    

[“𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭.”]

The more of its messages you read, the more you doubted whether this system was truly an ally.  

But what else could you do? You couldn’t even move a muscle. You were absolutely helpless, so you could only bite back your tears and try to stay strong.

“Okay,” you agreed. “I just want my memories back. As long as you’re not going to make me do anything crazy... then I’m in.” 

The next ping sounded more chipper, somehow. As if the system was pleased with your response.  

[“𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.”]

You didn't even manage to protest before the scene changed.  

Suddenly, you could move again. It wasn’t dark or quiet anymore either. There were crowds of people all over the place. Most of them seemed to be in a hurry to get someplace; some even accidentally bumped into you as they scurried about.  

Unsurprisingly, you didn’t recognize where you were, but for now, it was better than being trapped in darkness.  

“Where is this?” you asked. You must’ve looked rather silly to all the bystanders, since you were talking to thin air, as far as they were concerned. But you could care less about maintaining appearances right now. What mattered was getting some goddamn answers.

[“𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐮, 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.”]

“Alright...” 

It was strange how they said you would be living here, not that you had been living here. Yet another cryptic answer, although you shouldn’t have even been surprised at this point.  

[“𝐘𝐞𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧.”]

“Okay. And... do I have a family?” you couldn’t help but ask. “Is there anyone who can help tell me what I’ve forgotten?”  

The system’s next response made your heart sink.  

[“𝐍𝐨. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲. 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.”]

You briefly wondered if they were lying to you, but you supposed you had no real way of confirming the truth right now. This was all so frightening. You desperately wished you could remember something—anything—so that it would ease your nerves even just a little. 

[“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲. 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤. 𝐈𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐲.”]

That sure made you perk up. A person, they’d said. Whoever that person was, maybe they could help you once you told them you were struggling with a severe case of amnesia. Maybe they would know what to do, and you wouldn’t have to rely on this stupid system who just kept stringing you along without even giving you a chance to breathe.  

So, you nodded.

“Alright. Tell me where I need to go.”  

[“𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐈’𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐩. 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.”]

Just as they’d said, the next screen that popped up provided you with a clear visual as to which way you needed to go. You followed it dutifully, somewhat nervous that you were being led into a trap. After all, maybe this system was leading you straight towards a serial killer or something. Maybe it’s true purpose was to get you murdered.  

Fuck. Maybe I should reconsider. Maybe I need to go to the police first.  

Except it was too late for that.  

[“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐲? 𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”]

The guy in question was a teenager, presumably around your age, with spiky ash blonde hair, crimson eyes, and a rather nasty expression. He was angrily chugging a can of pop, and once he was finished, made the can explode in his hands before tossing the smoking remains to the ground.  

You gaped. “He just littered, but also... how did he do that? I swear I just watched him create an explosion with his bare hands.”

[“𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐬. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.”]

“Wow,” you mumbled breathlessly. “Do I have a Quirk too?”

[“𝐈’𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦.”]

“What do I say?”

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”]

Huh?

You could’ve sworn you misread the message. What the hell were they talking about? Why did they want you to put the moves on some person you’d only just seen for the first time in your life?

Or... was it the first time, actually? The longer you stared at this guy, the more you were starting to feel like he looked familiar somehow. But maybe that was good. Maybe that meant he could help trigger some of your memories.  

The system continued to coax you. 

[“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬. 𝐎𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲, 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”]

You figured that would be easier said than done, but... okay. All you had to do was be friendly, you supposed. Just walk up to him and make polite conversation. Yeah. You could do this. It was going to be just fine.  

Taking a deep breath, you picked up the pace and walked fast enough to match his stride. Thankfully, he was alone, which would hopefully make this whole thing a lot less awkward. 

Key word being hopefully.

“Hello!” 

It was the only thing you could think to say. How else were you supposed to greet a total stranger, after all?  

At the sound of your voice, he turned towards you, and his brows furrowed so tight that it looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel. 

“The fuck do you want?” he spat.  

Oh no. 

You hadn’t expected him to be so confrontational. Granted, most people would probably think it was a bit weird to be called out by a stranger, but the normal response was, “Yes?” or, “How can I help you?”

Yet this guy was glaring at you like he wanted to bash your face in, and all you’d said was one freaking word.  

“H-Hello,” you said again, stuttering this time because you were nervous. “Um, I... I saw you walking by and thought you looked really cool. I’m [Name]. Would you mind giving me your number?” 

Internally, you were face-palming. God, you didn’t know what the hell to say, and the fact that the system said they wanted you to make him fall for you was sending your brain for a loop. You didn’t have any memories about the person you were. Was this something you would normally say? Were you actually good at flirting, but your charisma had disappeared along with your memories?  

The system seemed mildly frustrated as well.

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭. 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐎𝐡, 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬.”] 

What happened was that the guy’s scowl deepened tenfold, and on top of already being angry, he now looked considerably disgusted as well.  

“Piss off, dipshit,” he snapped. “I’m not in the mood. You think I’d just give out my number to some random creep? Get lost.” 

He then shoved his hands deep into his pockets and stormed off, muttering curses under his breath the whole while.  

You didn’t need your memories to know that had just gone poorly. 

A new message popped up, but it looked slightly different than the ones you’d been receiving thus far.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄:

[𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐞.]

[-𝟏𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: -𝟏𝟎/𝟏𝟎𝟎]

“Bakugou Katsuki,” you mumbled. Huh. Even his name sounded familiar, but you just couldn’t place it. You winced and clutched at your head. It had begun to throb again. You felt like you were on the cusp of remembering something, but there was some sort of wall blocking your memories and keeping them from you.

While you were busy fending off the pain, the system chimed in again.

[“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝?”]

The system didn’t have a voice, which meant that you couldn’t hear them speak, but there was something mildly threatening about the way the message was phrased.

story masterlist | next

More chapters are available on Quotev and Ao3!

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💔 main masterlist ♡ oneshot masterlist

[eponastory]

I know you most likely already realized this, but I was just thinking about Aang as a father in LOK, and realized something. If Katara ended up with Zuko and eventually had children together, Zuko would likely end up being a better father than Aang. Aang never even met his parents, and only had instructors as parental figures. They're like parents but mostly just in the way that a school teacher would be. But Zuko understands what good parents and what bad parents look like because he knows what his own parents are like. His memories of Ursa and Iroh would be his guide to what you SHOULD do for a child, and Ozai is an example of what you should NOT do. Zuko doesn't have the pressure of repopulating firebenders because firebenders aren't virtually extinct, so there wouldn't be as much (if any) pressure to pay unfairly extra attention to one child over the other. Zuko knows what it's like to be neglected by a parent that's supposed to love because of something you can't control. Aang clearly doesn't, hence why he neglected Bumi and Kya II in the first place. Zuko also has experience with Azula, and would know to recognize any bad signs of sibling jealousy and/or hatred, and put an end to it because he knows what bad sibling dynamics look like.

I feel like he would also be a better husband to Katara. He's not as naive as Aang when it comes to marriage; Zuko has the experience of growing up with two married parents, and would know what not to do. Katara would relax better because the distribution over who watches the kids would be more fair, as Zuko would give them ALL attention. While Aang made Katara jealous from always being around the Air Acolytes (in the comics), I feel like Zuko would not give polite attention to women who are rude to Katara/flirting with him because in the show, Zuko knows exactly how hurtful it feels for a romantic partner to flirt with/give polite attention to people who are obviously pursuers. Imagine being in an alternate dimension where Zutara was the main endgame couple, and we get to see their parental dynamics in LoK. There would probably be a flashback of Katara getting worked up about one of their children, and Zuko would ease her into calming down because he sees a solution that she didn't.

Aang's issues are more than he doesn't know. He is selfish by nature. Selfish parents aren't good parents. I know this for a fact. It's an endless cycle of 'It's your fault' or 'what about how I feel' every time you try to say something. It's not fun, and it's damaging. I can totally see Aang using this behavior as a way to get what he wants. As far as him being naive... yes. He is very naive and doesn't take anything seriously.

Like the war, for instance. He was only there for the last year of it. He wasn't born into the war like Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki. They aren't naive. They know what war is like. Toph is the same age as Aang, and she is much more mature than he is. He's got this idea that killing anyone is bad, but he is responsible for a lot of deaths. Honestly, he has a kill count from the Fire Nation attack on the NWT, and a lot of people overlook that for some reason. Actually, the show overlooks it because Aang is the Hero, and it's okay if he killed people. So, when all is said and done, all of the things that he does afterward is overlooked too. It's a huge writing flaw with the show. So how does this translate to him as a parent?

It makes him a hypocrite.

Plain and simple.

He's so focused on reviving the Air Nomads that he has little knowledge on what they actually believed. What we are given is a few Taoist, Hindu, and Buddhist proverbs to go off of. Then, it's completely disregarded (disrespected as well) for 'Love'. This 'Love' is actually deep infatuation fueled by jealousy and possessive behavior. Which is actually frowned upon by the three religions mentioned above. It is a 'poison' to the spirit. And disconnects you from being enlightened (I think that is what the proverbs/scriptures are eluding too, if I'm wrong, please do not hesitate to explain, I'm super interested in cultures and eastern religions) or granted a place in Heaven (or their version of it). Letting go of all earthly possessions is common place in most religions. Aang does not do this. But I digress.

So, while there is the Nature vs Nurture aspect of parenting... where Katara does most of the Nurturing because that is how her character is written post-war and LoK. Notice how is said Written. Written by two misogynistic men who stripped her of a lot of her characteristics from the original run of the show. This is the problem. And it's the same with Aang. I can't take him seriously because he doesn't take any of it seriously. Especially with his children. He's not a serious character. He acts like he's serious, but he never really left the 12 year old boy behind to mature. Probably because in his fictional relationship with Katara, she enables him to keep doing what he always does. Which is to not grow. Relationships grow sour when the two people in them do not grow. It's not really about who grew up with parents at that point because it's the current parents that are the ones that should be to blame.

Now on to Headcanon space...

Zutara is a Headcanon ship. Did it almost happen? Oh yes I believe it did because the writing supports it heavily and Bryke's actions post show also scream 'lairs'. Sorry, but I have a pretty good Bullshit metor and Bryke set it off big time by their immature behavior.

But I digress.

Zuko grew up with a Narcissistic Sociopath as a Father and a Mother who was caught in the middle of a choice she was essentially forced to make. Ursa was also forced to forget her own parents never existed after she married Ozai. This is all canon, by the way. Her life before her marriage was great, but then it was taken away so she had nothing left but her morals and beliefs. However, while she loved both of her children, her influence on Zuko is essentially what made him who he is. Ursa didn't get to influence Azula like she did Zuko. Why? Because of Ozai.

Ozai pit his children against each other. This was apparently a Fire Nation Royal Family tradition because it sounds like Azulon did this with Iroh and Ozai as well. This kind of parenting style is abusive to its core. What Ozai did to Zuko isn't neglect... it's straightforward abuse and control. How do you make a child do what you want? You hurt them, or you take something away from them. Ozai both hurt Zuko and took away his home by banishing him. If Zuko wants to go back home, he has to find and capture the Avatar. It's that simple, but at the same time, it's also near impossible.

Flash forward to Canon Zuko and we see he has one child and he is a very loving father. Actually, he's the best father in the show. His experiences with growing up as the not so favorite child has made his choice to have one child easy. Probably because he and his spouse had a less than perfect relationship. This also may have influenced him to be protective of Izumi (as we can see he's still protective over her even at 90 years old) because of the loveless relationship his parents had. It was enough to damage him deeply when it came to relationships. This is likely also why he had trouble with Mai as well.

Headcanon space now...

Zuko loving Katara is what makes the difference here. Love is giving your partner the freedom to make their own choices and support them. As long as there is good communication, trust, and honesty. Something Maiko does not have, by the way. So it stands to reason that even with Nature Vs Nurture in the way of parenting, both win here. I'll tell you why Zuko's relationship with his parents here have no effect on why he would choose to have more children with Katara.

Because if written well, it's a very good relationship between them. We already know they work well as a team. The show gives us this. We know that Zuko absolutely cares about Katara. The show also gives us that. We also know they become lifelong friends. So why do they make great parents?

Because they rely on each other.

It has nothing to do with how they were raised individually, but everything to do with how they support each other narritively. They trust each other to make good decisions together. They rely on being honest with each other. They also communicate with each other. This by itself is the building blocks for a healthy and stable relationship. With that in mind, parenting is easier. There is no need to be afraid of becoming a bad parent because they hold each other accountable. It's a deep relationship. Having multiple children is easier because it is a loving relationship. There's no conflict besides the silly little arguments over simple things that happen all the time. It's just an overall healthy dynamic.

And that is what appeals to Zutarians.

While it was almost canon, I'm glad it isn't because Bryke would definitely not get it right. They tried to make Korra and Mako happen out of spite because they believe Zutara is toxic. It's not. Their children would turn out absolutely fine because Zuko would not change a thing about Katara. It's in the show. He doesn't try to change her because that's not his job. His job in TSR is to let her find closure. He offers it to her because he cares about her. Bottom line.

Anyway, I probably forgot what you said at this point because I just tend to go on and on, but I tried my best to stay on topic... ADHD is both a blessing and a curse.

[kafus]

how to transfer your old pokemon to pokemon home before it's too late!!!

the wi-fi services for the nintendo 3DS and WiiU are shutting down in early april 2024, and while it specifically lists pokemon bank and poke transporter as being available post-shutdown, there is no guarantee of how long that may be for. there will likely come a time when these services shut down, and it could be in the relatively near future.

it is also pretty much impossible now to transfer pokemon to the switch's Home service with alternative methods such as PKHeX (popular pokemon save editor for the uninformed) due to the implementation of server-side Home IDs tracking pokemon at all times - the details of that aren't super important for this post, but point is, whenever bank shuts down, unless nintendo makes an offline way to transfer to home, it will be impossible to move pokemon from the old gens to the new, even with alternative/hack-y methods.

i write this guide with the intention of making this process easier for people since transferring pokemon has changed so much over the past two decades that it's a bit of a mess, and in a timely manner to give people time to finish the process. i'll be organizing by generation so feel free to skip to any part of the guide you need. (keep in mind that transferring is permanent, your pokemon cannot go back afterwards!!)

(by the way it would mean a lot to me if you weren't overwhelmingly negative of pokemon in the tags/reblogs. i get that pokemon transferring being an online service sucks but reading that stuff in my notifications constantly is really tiring </3 make ur own post to talk about that)

to walk you through, i'll be transferring this random shiny spinda i hatched in emerald version all the way up to pokemon home. her name is Moss :]

below the cut since this is long as fuck sorry LOL

GEN 1/2 -> 3 (aka RBY/GSC -> RSE/FRLG)

this is impossible! as for the Virtual Console releases of the gen 1/2 games on 3DS, more on that later in the gen 5 -> 6/7 section.

GEN 3 -> 4 (aka RSE/FRLG -> DPPT/HGSS)

what you need:

a copy of RSE or FRLG

a copy of DPPT or HGSS in the same language as the RSE/FRLG copy that has beaten the champion and has access to post-game areas, preferably HGSS because it lets you transfer unlimited times as opposed to DPPT's once-per-24-hours limit (unless you happen to have korean DPPT/HGSS, which is not language locked in terms of transferring)

either an original DS or a DS lite, the old ones with the GBA slot at the bottom

the steps:

#1. you can only transfer 6 pokemon at a time, so get whatever 6 pokemon you want to transfer up together in gen 3. if you're intending to transfer less than 6 pokemon, you'll need to catch some extras since you have to transfer the full 6 every time (i usually just catch a bunch of extra mons on the first route, which is what i've done here with the poochyenas/wurmples)

#2. put the gen 3 game into the GBA slot of the DS, and the gen 4 game into the DS slot. both games should appear on the home menu after turning on the DS.

#3. load the DS game and spam A past the title screen. before loading your save, scroll down. you should see a "MIGRATE FROM (GAME NAME HERE)" option. if you don't, either the GBA game isn't reading properly, or you have not visited Pal Park in your gen 4 game of choice. in HGSS, the Pal Park is located in Fuchsia City, and in DPPT, the Pal Park is located at the end of Route 221 below Sandgem Town.

#4. select the aforementioned migration option and pick the pokemon you want to transfer.

#5. navigate to the Pal Park and complete the Catching Show, where you re-catch your transferred pokemon in the wild. this does not overwrite what pokeballs they were originally caught in! you will need to bring a pokemon with Surf if you have any Pokemon that spawn in the water areas. you can check what location the pokemon you transferred will be in on bulbapedia.

#6. say yes to storing the caught pokemon in your PC boxes and they'll be there!

important things to note:

pokemon with HM moves will be blocked from transfer, so make sure to use the Move Deleter to remove HM moves from any pokemon you're transferring in gen 3 before trying to transfer. in RSE, the Move Deleter is in Lilycove City, and in FRLG they are in Fuchsia City.

gen 3 -> 4 is the only step in the transfer process where held items transfer up as well, meaning that if you attach a valuable item such as a rare candy, master ball, or TM to a transferred pokemon, you can take it off that pokemon and put it in your bag in the gen 4 game.

an aside about colosseum/XD gale of darkness on gamecube:

you can transfer pokemon from colo/XD as well! unfortunately you'll need to have beaten colo/XD, and then you will also need to beat the gen 3 game... in FRLG, you even have to complete the postgame ruby/sapphire quest on the sevii islands to unlock trading with the gamecube games. once you do all that though, you can navigate to the pokemon center basement in Phenac City to trade with your gen 3 GBA title. to do this, you'll need a gamecube or wii with gamecube compatibility, a GBA (or GBA SP), and a GCN -> GBA link cable to connect the two consoles.

GEN 4 -> 5 (aka DPPT/HGSS -> BW/BW2)

what you need:

a copy of DPPT/HGSS

a copy of BW or BW2 in the same language as DPPT/HGSS copy that has beaten the champion (or N in the original BW) and has access to post-game areas.

two DS consoles of any kind (3DS is also fine!)

the steps:

#1. get the pokemon you want to transfer together in your gen 4 game's PC boxes. you can only transfer 6 pokemon at a time. if you have less than 6, catch some extra pokemon, since you need to transfer the full 6 every time. save it and turn off the DS with the gen 4 game.

#2. turn on your gen 5 game and navigate to the Poke Transfer Lab. personally i just fly to Black City/White Forest and head west.

#3. talk to the NPC in the lab to start the transfer process. you will be prompted to turn on your other DS again and open DS Download Play with your gen 4 game inserted. do that and download the Poke Transfer app that comes up.

#4. select the 6 Pokemon you want to transfer when prompted.

#5. play the transfer minigame! just drag the... bow? (lol) on the bottom screen to aim your pokeballs. there's technically a time limit, but it's very generous, and your final score doesn't matter.

#6. say yes to transferring the pokemon once you're done and they'll be placed in your PC boxes!

important things to note:

pokemon with HM moves will be blocked from transfer, so make sure to use the Move Deleter to remove HM moves from any pokemon you're transferring in gen 4 before trying to transfer. in DPPT they're in Canalave City, and in HGSS they're in Blackthorn City.

the level the pokemon was obtained at and the date it was obtained is changed upon transfer to gen 5 - it will have the met date of your DS clock and the met level of the level it was at the time of transfer. if you'd like to preserve a pokemon's met date, make sure to change the DS clock to the proper date.

GEN 5 -> 6/7 (aka BW/BW2 -> 3DS TITLES/BANK)

what you need:

a copy of BW/BW2

a copy of any 3DS pokemon game (XY/ORAS/SUMO/USUM)

a 3DS (or 2DS, i'll just be referring to them all as 3DSes here) with the poke transporter and pokemon bank apps installed. these were free apps that were once downloadable from the 3DS eShop, but the 3DS eShop is no longer available, so if you don't already have them installed you will need to explore alternate methods, AKA hacking your 3DS and injecting them in. that's outside the scope of this guide but you can find more information here on 3ds.hacks.guide. (do not attempt to follow any 3DS hacking guide not on this website, they could be outdated and harm your 3DS!)

a nintendo network ID that your 3DS is logged into (also outside the scope of this guide but if you don't already have one, it will prompt you during the process to make one)

internet connection

the steps:

#1. poke transporter defaults to trying to transfer every pokemon located in Box 1 of your PC, so go into your gen 5 game and put every pokemon you want to transfer into Box 1, and take anything you don't want to transfer out. if you want to transfer more pokemon than you can fit in one box, you'll have to transfer multiple times.

#2. open poke transporter with your gen 5 game inserted into the 3DS' cartridge slot. after pressing A through some menus and selecting the gen 5 game when prompted, it should ask if you want to transfer the pokemon in Box 1, with a preview of the pokemon inside. confirm and let it do its thing. after poke transporter is finished, the pokemon you transferred will be in the special Transport Box in bank.

#3. make sure you either have a 3DS pokemon title downloaded onto your 3DS, or swap out your gen 5 cart for one, it doesn't matter which.

#4. close out of poke transporter and navigate to pokemon bank. at the time of writing this guide, bank is still online and is free for everyone without a subscription - the main menu has an infinite "free trial" period number.

#5. select "use pokemon bank" and pick a 3DS game to connect with when prompted. it doesn't matter which one, but if you're looking to see your pokemon in a gen 6/7 game right now, pick the one you want to move it into. viewing a pokemon in a gen 6/7 game isn't required to move to home later, though!

#6. the Transport Box is located one box to the left of Box 1 - navigate to it and drag your pokemon out into a normal bank box. now you can move them to any gen 6/7 pokemon game you want, or home later!

important things to note:

even though bank connects with both gen 6 and gen 7 games, once you place a pokemon into a gen 7 game (SUMO/USUM), you cannot transfer that pokemon back to a gen 6 game (XY/ORAS), so be careful!

an aside about the VC releases of RBY/GSC:

poke transporter can also be used to transfer pokemon out of the VC releases of RBY/GSC. these pokemon are changed pretty heavily, converting all their old gen data into pokemon's modern data structure. you can find more information about all the changes/conversions made on bulbapedia. these pokemon are considered gen 7 pokemon afterwards, and cannot be moved into XY/ORAS. pokemon with held items also cannot be transferred from VC titles and will fail to transfer.

if you want to transfer pokemon from cartridge RBY/GSC and have a save dumping device, it is possible to inject the cartridge's save file into the VC versions with Checkpoint on a hacked 3DS and then transfer that way. for GSC specifically, you'll need to edit your save slightly to make it compatible with VC GSC's save format. i personally made a converter for that here that you're free to use in-browser.

GEN 6/7 -> GEN 8+ (aka BANK -> HOME)

what you need:

a 3DS (or 2DS, i'll just be referring to them all as 3DSes here) with the pokemon bank app installed. this was a free app that was once downloadable from the 3DS eShop, but the 3DS eShop is no longer available, so if you don't already have it installed you will need to explore alternate methods, AKA hacking your 3DS and injecting it in. that's outside the scope of this guide but you can find more information here on 3ds.hacks.guide. (do not attempt to follow any 3DS hacking guide not on this website, they could be outdated and harm your 3DS!)

a nintendo network ID that your 3DS is logged into (also outside the scope of this guide but if you don't already have one, it will prompt you during the process to make one)

a switch with Pokemon Home installed, which can be downloaded for free from the switch's eShop. a nintendo switch online subscription is not required.

unfortunately, you WILL need a subscription to home's premium plan to do bank -> home transfers.

internet connection

the steps:

#1. open pokemon bank and make sure all the pokemon you want to transfer are in their own boxes, and any you don't want to transfer are not in the same boxes as the to-be-transferred pokemon.

#2. go back to the bank home menu and select the "move pokemon to pokemon home" option. when you get the notice about the transfer being one-way, you'll need to scroll down to hit "Begin".

#3. you will be prompted to select what boxes of pokemon you'd like to transfer, so pick all the applicable ones.

#4. you will then be prompted to put in the moving key from home, so turn on your switch, open pokemon home, and select the icon that looks like a 3DS on the main menu. when prompted, choose "Ready!" to get the moving key.

#5. input the moving key on the 3DS, submit it, and wait for both apps to do their thing. once bank goes back to its title screen, you can turn off the 3DS.

#6. home will go back to its title screen as well, and depending on how many pokemon you moved, you may have to wait a few minutes to get back into the app. once it's done, the next time you open home, it'll prompt you to choose how to organize your transferred pokemon into home. pick whatever you see fit.

#7. congratulations, your pokemon are safe in home!!

important things to note:

unlike all pokemon games before the switch, pokemon can actually go backwards in generation on switch, so don't worry about transferring a pokemon into scarlet/violet locking you out of moving it to sword/shield, for example. (the exception to this is LGPE - nothing can be moved into LGPE and once a pokemon is moved out of LGPE, it can't go back.)

pokemon home actually has decent hack checks, so be careful when transferring hacked/glitched/otherwise illegitimate pokemon around.

pokemon from a gen 3/4 game will have their met location set to "Poke Shifter" - this is an alternative translation of the japanese name for the Poke Transporter.

pokemon on switch can only transfer into games that contain that pokemon in its dex, so not everything transferred can go into scarlet/violet, for example.

and that's it!!

there's a lot of other quirks to the pokemon transferring process at pretty much all steps, so if you run into an unusual issue or have specific questions about how pokemon data is changed in minute ways across the franchise, i would encourage you to do your own research, all of this stuff is pretty heavily documented by the fanbase. this is just meant to be a guide for casual users, and a quick reference.

this guide of course does not cover options for transferring in alternative ways, but it's worth mentioning that if you have a hacked 3DS and the ability to back up save files at any point from gens 3 -> 5, you can use PKHeX to transfer pokemon into the 3DS titles, then move them to bank and transfer to home normally from there. that's outside the scope of this guide and i'd also encourage you to do your own research for that.

happy transferring!

[bluenoo42]

How I do my job and accommodate my disabilities.

So, I have the best job in the world. I'm a fossil tour guide and basically walk around the beach with people talking incessantly about my special interest and they are actually interested and pay (extremely good) money for it. I'm living the dream guys!

As awesome as my job is, there are a few challenges due to my disabilities. Luckily, I have found ways to accommodate myself so both me and the customers all have a great time. I've decided to split this list up by disability rather than by different aspects of the job so if you have one of the disabilities that I mention you can just look at the bit that is relavent to you to see if any of the things that are helpful to me are helpful to you. If you have any other suggestions of different things to try, please put it in the comments!

Autism:

To be honest, the palaeontology field is full of autistic people so I really don't stand out. When people book a fossil tour, they expect the tour guide to be a little quirky, so I do have a bit of leeway for seeming socially awkward without too much judgement.

I don't really pick up the hint that someone isn't having fun any more, so when the weather is bad I make sure to tell people at the beginning of the tour "I know it's really (insert unpleasant weather situation here) today, so if at any time this stops being fun for you, we can always head back early, just please directly tell me 'I'm not having fun any more, can we go?' because I'm not great at picking up hints." If the family are from the UK, I sometimes make a joke about them not being my hostages, but I avoid this with foreign families because that kind of humour doesn't always land well with other cultures.

I have visual materials to help keep my talks on track and to better explain the points that I'm trying to make. I also keep my initial talk pretty similar every time so I don't have to think of the words off the top of my head every time.

I make sure I give clear factual answers to questions that give both the technical terms and a simplification to all age groups e.g."That is a fossil echinoid which is the scientific name for a sea urchin." This avoids having to guess the person's level of prior knowledge and avoids me being overly technical or coming across patronising.

I try to limit my work to around 3 hours per day to avoid getting overstimulated.

Deafness:

I always make sure to tell people about my deafness right at the start of the tour and tell them how to accommodate me. I try to make it lighthearted I'll say it like "Just so you know I'm Deaf which means I can't hear well. If I look like I'm ignoring you, I'm not, I just can't hear you. Please tap me or wave at me to get my attention and make sure to look at me when you're speaking so I can understand you." Some people just ignore the instructions, but at least then they know what they're supposed to be doing, and it normally works out okay.

I have a cochlear implant which helps me a lot, but is vulnerable to wet and windy weather. I use EarGear covers on my processor to block out the wind noise and to protect it from moisture. It works pretty well, but isn't perfect.

I probably would benefit from an interpreter, however my work schedule is pretty flexible and often there are last minute bookings, also there aren't many interpreters near where I live so it would be virtually impossible to find one, so I make do without and it seems to be working okay for me.

Balance and Mobility (HSD and balance disorder):

Luckily my hypermobility is pretty mild so I'm able to weight bear fully on both legs and climb stairs etc.

If I'm going to be walking/standing for over 1 hour, I use knee supports to help prevent knee pain. I use the ones that are thin and elasticated tubes (kind of like a sock) rather than the velcro ones because they look more sleek and I find them more comfortable, also I only need fairly light support. I recommend using the lightest support that is reasonable for you to avoid weakening your joints. If you're not sure, speak to a professional.

I use an ergonomic backpack with padded straps and try and keep my kit as light as possible. I always make sure to carry it over both shoulders to avoid an uneven load on my body. I used to just use any old backpack and cram it full of examples of every single fossil you could ever find. Don't do that. You're not on SAS who dares wins.

Trekking poles. (In my opinion) The most underrated mobility/balance aid out there. Does it make me look like I think I'm scaling Everest? Yes. Does that fact make me feel ridiculous? Yes. Am I very grateful for them when I lose my footing on a pebble bank? Also yes. Most of the time I use one pole just for balance so I can keep a hand free, but I do have two, just in case. It also allows me to point at things without bending down so much which helps with my vertigo issues. If you are considering whether you could benefit from a mobility aid for your balance, especially if you're often on uneven surfaces, I would urge you to try trekking poles. You can use two at a time for extra support, they're gentler on your wrists than a crutch or cane and they come with the option of rubber or metal tips depending on the surface you're on.

Here is my relatively comprehensive guide to how I do my awesome job. If you have any questions or you would like to suggest something that you've found helpful, please leave a comment.

[astroismypassion]

Astrology observations 🌄🌄🌄

Credit goes to @astroismypassion

🌄 Mercurial Moons, Gemini and Virgo Moons, dislike permanently taking care of someone, of others. They only love the role of a caretaker for a small period, for example if they are hosting a lunch, a dinner. But other times, they don’t want to deal with other people’s needs. They have this mindset that each person is responsible for themselves and has to cater to themselves only and not others. They are very preoccupied about their own survival, own needs and when they need something from others they already plan that in advance so that they deal with others as little as possible, because they value being self-reliant so much. Negatively, this can manifest as only wanting to hang with people when they themselves have something to say and being a bad listener. They only respond to talk more themselves and discard what you have to say. Since they come up with solutions, new perspective, ideas during hearing themselves talk at aloud with others. 😬 Sorry guys, didn’t intend to come at you like that. 😅 But recently I’ve had much more Gemini, Virgo Moons interactions that allowed me to get to understand them further. And I came to the conclusion that Mercurial Moons are really preoccupied with their own everyday survival and how they will fully make true their OWN plans at all costs.

🌄 Venus Neptune aspects and Pisces Venus people become more spiritual once they have a crush on someone or are falling in love. They could watch more tarot pick a card readings, dream about them, think about what they could be doing at the time they think of them. They also become far more intuitive. Even if usually they are so rational, logical with their decisions, once they are falling in love, they really use intuitive side to guide them through the connection.

🌄 If you have Pluto in the 1st house synastry or even Scorpio Rising/Pluto in the 1st house in the Composite chart with someone, you judged YOURSELF in front of them when you were meeting them for the first time. For example: if you met them at a party, you taught “Will they think I drank too much?”. Or if you met them in a school hallway, you could have taught “Why was I standing like that??” or even “What did I say THAT?” etc. Basically there were feelings of judgement, shame, being too self-conscious, too much in your own head/mind and was probably not as present in the moment as you would like to, you felt spaced out a bit or detached. Maybe even under some substance influence, but maybe not too much, for that Neptune would have to be involved as well. I think the other person just makes you cringe at YOURSELF a little too much.

🌄 I can’t say how many times I’ve seen Aries Ascendant in the Composite chart of people who dated purely out of physical attraction. Besides that, both people wanted their OWN needs to be met by the other person. They wanted to fulfil their own agenda through that person. Also, it gives very high school, teenage, selfish kind of romance. But not the kind of high school boy/girlfriend you end up marrying, but more like that 7-months relationship. So this reminds me of when one person really badly wants to be in a relationship or they want their first relationship to happen and other more self-focused reasons.

🌄 Similarly, I have always seen Neptune on the Ascendant, Neptune in the 1st house in Synastry, Pisces Rising in the Composite when people had first meeting at a party or a gathering, where there was drinking involved (or even other substances), so the sobriety aspect of the interaction was challenged.

🌄 However, Neptune and Uranus might have been involved on the Ascendant or in the 1st house when the first “meeting” was not in real life. You might have seen their social media profile first or your first interaction was through virtually messaging each other.

🌄 Capricorn Moon women (one celebrity example would be Kourtney Kardashian Barker) usually keep a short haircut. They could go even a step further and want to straighten their hair. So they could end up looking quite strict, detached and a bit cold/cut-throat. This to some extent rings true for Moon conjunct Saturn and Saturn in the 4th house women as well. But I noticed that they have curlier hair than Capricorn Moon women, but short as well.

🌄 Capricorn Moon women also really embrace their age. They are not scared of getting older, they more like “I just LOVE being 45!”

🌄 And they have dealt with strong emotional turmoil in one or two long relationships. They don’t even experience many heartbreaks from several short-term relationships, because they often don’t even enter that kind of relationships. So I think emotion/relationship wise, their time for fulfilling relationships is around 30-35 and then again after 45. Because usually before those ages, they most often don’t get their needs met.

🌄 Often times Pluto is involved on the Ascendant, in the 1st house in Composite/Synastry chart in romantic relationships that have ended just as quickly as they have started. HOWEVER, the only difference with Mars/Aries Ascendant when it comes to relationship being shortly lived, is that the effects, CONSEQUENCES of an ended relationship with Pluto/Scorpio Ascendant fade out veryy slowly and the relationship very slowly dies out. With Aries you just move on to greater things, with Scorpio you will probably still dwell on ended relationship, analyse reasons for going wrong, go through healing first. So even if the person is no longer actively in your life, you might still analyse every aspect of the relationship you had with them at the time. Therefore, the full dissolution of the connection is far slower.

🌄 When you have a lot of Gemini, Virgo placements in the Composite chart with someone, you end up feeling confused, drained during and after interacting with the person. Take can end up making you scatter-minded, hard to concentrate, having a lack of focus as soon as you start interacting with them. When you are on your own, you’re calm and peaceful, but when interacting with them you could end up confused, make mistakes or like you can’t express yourself clearly through words in their presence. So check this in the Composite chart. Not only Pluto, Neptune, Uranus make you confused in a connection.

🌄 Gemini Moons like to have two or three homes that they go back and forth to. They spend a few days there and go back to another home other days ideally. However, if they make a PERMANENT move to another home, to another city or even country, they have hard time adjusting to the change and end up feeling dissatisfied with staying there. They love having options at which home to stay for some time. These people also need a lot of space to move around in their home. Or it can manifest as literally wanting to have a lot of rooms, even if they mostly live in just one room. They just want to have THE OPTION of more rooms they can go to. Often I noticed Gemini Moons dream big of moving somewhere, but when they do it, they have such hard time accepting new living situation. And they end up critiquing or nit-picking their new home, living area, new neighbours etc.

🌄 Sign over the 3rd house show who you drive in your own car with you.

Aries: you like to drive by yourself, only you in the car

Taurus: you drive rich people, people you highly value and those who have have an effect on your self-worth, talents, your partner, friend

Gemini: you drive your close friends, elementary/high school friends, you go on road trips with friends to another city

Cancer: you drive your mother, sibling, your children, family members, close friends

Leo: you drive your crush, a romantic interest, someone with whom you flirt with, you drive someone who is arrogant, confident, childlike, flirty

Virgo: your co-worker, you drive your pet, your gym partner, your friends, colleagues, people you see on a daily basis at work/in your studies

Libra: you drive your wife/husband, person you are in a long-term, committed partnership with, a business partner

Scorpio: you drive with your intimate partner, someone who you share a deep trusted bond and with whom you are physically intimate with, influential people with power/wealth

Sagittarius: you pick your friend from the airport or drive them to the airport

Capricorn: you drive your parents, grandparents, could be even a boss, people who have high status in society

Aquarius: you drive acquaintances, people who share your hobby/an interest, you might not own a car, but you use car share

Pisces: you drive people to the hospital or you might not own a car lol

🌄 If you have Aquarius 12th house in the Composite chart you could still remain friendly to each other and continue to be friends even after breaking off a romantic connection.

🌄 If you have Cancer over the 8th house you are more prone to experience strong emotional turmoil after ending an intimate partnership. This could result in emotional breakdown, emotional trauma from relationship. I advise to be mindful with whom you are connecting if you have this placement in the natal chart, because you might not even be fully aware how sensitive you are and especially to people’s energies. Past person’s energy can still linger around you. Also, these people in particular I noticed, have hard time keeping a bond amicable after dating that person. They have hard time staying friends with a person they were in a partnership with. Because they emotionally connect so much with that person, that just a platonic relationship doesn’t seem sustainable for them.

🌄 If you have Mars, Saturn or Chiron in the 7th house in the Composite/Synastry chart committed partnership is more prone to not happen. I’m not saying it’s impossible though, there are always exceptions.

Credit goes to @astroismypassion

[em-dash-press]

Drafting Your Creative Time: Your Guide to Planning a Year of Creative Writing

2024 is about to start. You’re going to venture into another year of writing incredible stories, but what will that practically look like? I feel more in charge of my creativity by planning rough writing schedules. Here’s how you can do the same without locking yourself into a too-strict calendar that leaves your writing spirit depleted.

Set One Writing Goal

Twelve months is a lot of time, but anyone can handle a single goal. Make the next year easy on yourself by picking one thing you want to accomplish (and let’s not make it “publish my novel” if you’re just starting the manuscript on January 1, given how it takes roughly 18 months of work after you get an agent) (and that can take a few weeks to a few years, depending on your querying experience!). 

Try picking a manageable writing goal like these:

I will write 10 chapters of my novel.

I will make a collection of 5 short stories I write this year.

I will submit a short story to at least 3 contests this year.

I will publish one new work of fanfiction in the next 12 months.

I will write one short story in a new genre.

Publishing a book can be a long-term goal, but your 2024 goal should be easy to break down into manageable steps you can accomplish by yourself. You’ll be more likely to reach the finish line and work toward another goal.

Establish a Stress-Free Writing Schedule

Creativity comes and goes, but your writing will never get done if you don’t form some kind of schedule. Your upcoming year could look something like this:

I’ll write every Wednesday night between 7-7:30 p.m.

I’ll use voice-to-text to get my story-related thoughts on virtual paper for five minutes every morning before school.

I’ll do freestyle writing for five minutes on Mondays and Saturdays to keep my thoughts flowing, even if I don’t find more time to work on my story that week.

Your schedule should be realistic, which means it shouldn’t stress you out. Make it match your weekly and daily routine. When do you naturally feel most energized? When can you carve out ten minutes for your craft? 

Remember, you can always (and should!) adjust this set schedule as time goes on. Your non-creative schedule most likely won’t look the same on January 1 as it will on December 31.

Save a Few Writing Prompts

You might have a few weeks here or there when you’re juggling life’s responsibilities and can’t get to your WIP. It happens to all of us!

When you’re busy, try answering a writing prompt in three sentences or less. Use your phone, a sticky pad, or whatever’s nearby. You never know if it’ll inspire you later when you’re free to write.

In the meantime, you’ll keep using the creative side of your brain so your writing abilities don’t feel so distant.

Check out these prompt apps if getting online isn’t your thing or takes too much time from your busy schedule!

Find a Writing Community

There are so many ways to build a writing community. Start a tumblr about it (guilty as charged) or join a Facebook group. Find an active Reddit thread about your favorite genre or join a Discord server with writers. 

You don’t even need to start talking to others and making friends if it makes you anxious. Read what people are saying to get inspired by everyone. You’ll naturally join in when you get excited about something they’re discussing and keep creative writing at the front of your mind.

Read Lots of Books

I always feel more connected to my writing when I’m actively reading. Artists of any kind need a source of inspiration to keep their creativity flowing. Keep an actively growing To Be Read list with apps like Story Graph (a Goodreads-type app that isn’t owned by Amazon and gives so much more information about your curated reading history!).

Visit your local library if you don’t have the money for new books all the time (who does?). As you get inspired by what you read, you’ll also pick up skills from authors you admire or note things you don’t want to recreate. Study each story’s structure and character development. You’ll return to your WIPs with renewed passion.

Embrace the Scary Editing Stage

Your first draft is your thoughts and dreams poured out on paper. The editing stage is where you refine and re-write your work until it shines. Set aside specific time for editing after completing a first draft of any story. Even if your editing phase doesn’t take very long, working on line edits and developmental edits will make your work so much better.

It’s also a normal form of frustration for writers, but one that happens no matter where your writing goes (on fanfiction websites, short story contests, a literary agent’s desk, etc.).

Schedule Your Rest

Writing might feel like a natural hobby, but your brain and body still need to rest after periods of intense focus/work. Schedule rest periods into your daily or weekly calendar. It’s time to recharge in whatever ways best suit your body, like:

Sitting outside

Walking in a park

Reading

Sitting in a hot bath

Going to the movies

Sleeping in

Keep in mind that sometimes you’ll need more rest than others. Extend some self-compassion by checking in with your physical and mental energy frequently during the next year. If you take time to rest, you’ll be less likely to burn out creatively.

-----

This next year will be full of growth, challenges, and joys in your writing life. Embrace every second by resting and writing in new ways.

[three-dee-ess]

Sending some tips I've learned, so other people can learn it before making the same mistakes I have!(I figure you have better reach than me!) Pictures of 3ds as payment, one with the splasg screen and one with the home screen!

Now, onto the tips!

If you are going to buy replacement/spare styluses, make sure you look for ones For Your Model!!! I bought a 4 pack of styluses only to learn later that they were made for the old normal sized 3ds, and so wouldn't fit in my 3ds! While this isn't a HUGE inconvenience, it meant I kept losing them! (Side note: replacement styluses are very cheap to get! I now have 5 on my own, and I gave one to a friend and lost another!)

You don't have to buy the traditional grey brick chargers. Listen. We are in the modern age. You can get USB to ds adapters instead. Like the kind you use for your phone. They feel MUCH more durable than the old ones. I've gone through 4 of the old ones and I'm a bit tired of it. Plus these take up less space on the extension cord!

I highly recommend learning how to virtually access your 3ds SD card using FTPD! This makes it a lot easier to get non-3ds roms onto your system, especially with systems where you have to use a screwdriver to get to the card. It also makes it easier to make backups! You CAN access it remotely with official methods if it's a new 3ds, but honestly ftp transfer is a lot faster to me.

Join the 3ds hacking discord! I highly recommend searching any questions you have there as well as the Internet! Things are often changing, and unless it's a very popular site like the 3ds hacks guide, it's probably not going to stay up to date for long! Best to double check, and it can save you some hassle!

When in doubt, ask! Hacking communities tend to be very friendly and open to help, as evidenced by the blog I'm sending this too!

red o3DS

honestly I don't need the payment pictures but I'll happily take bribes in the form of them. >:3c

#1 if you have access to a 3D printer, all of the styluses have readily available free 3D models online so just get some printed!

#2 I've used those in the past! mine is currently missing but yeah it's huge. Super nice to have an extra long cable and everythin.

#3 thank u!! i didnt know that. I'll have to try it out.

#4 h u h. is there a perm url I can link to? (I dont like joining public servers myself but i'm willing to link to it!)

#5 yes yes yes yes!

[theamityelf]

How about a reverse mini au where the SDR2 cast have shrunk and now are taken care of by their giant kouhais. The mini-senpai au if you will. All the pairings are the same.

There could be a lot of interesting things but the main draw is tiny Nagito trying desperately trying to start the murder game or help people hide bodies or even just to be the devil on Makoto’s shoulder but he never makes it very far. Nagito is too weak to carry anything, people have to get up close to hear him so they don’t even notice his hope speeches. And that’s not counting the times when Makoto notices that Nagito is gone from his pocket almost immediately and is like “Oh no Nagito you fell out of my pocket again! You’re not hurt are you?”

And of course Makoto won’t accept any of Nagito’s arguments about helping someone kill to make the ultimates stronger. Honestly the discussions they have is probably good for Nagito, but it doesn’t fix the frustration of not being able to achieve anything.

So yeah, tiny ineffectual Nagito.

Other than those two, Mikan and Taka are together if I remember correctly right? It would be interesting seeing Mikan learning to trust Taka, and Taka learning to speak gently to Mikan since his constant yelling can be very alarming.

Oh my gosh, the mind on you! Yes!

Imagining Makoto waking up at his desk and tiny Nagito is just standing there like, "Hello! 😁"

(Still deciding whether the 77th class should have as much memory loss as in SDR2 or if they should actually remember going to Hope's Peak, like maybe their cutoff is right before helping out with the 78th class's orientation, so they still don't remember the Tragedy or anything important, but they do know each other and stuff. That would complicate the whole "It says here that Hope's Peak closed a year ago," thing in a way that might point to the memory loss thing too early, but so would calling them senpais and having them not remember attending Hope's Peak, so I think for now I'll go with 'they remember going to school together'. Though this means they would remember that Hajime wasn't in their class. I'm going to say none of them know that he was reserve course, for story reasons.)

(Hajime is a complication here, due to the THH killing game being in real life, so by this point in the timeline he should be Kamukura. In Mini THH AU, the shrinking isn't an issue because it's all virtual, so the only thing that needs explaining is how the non-survivors of the first killing game are alive to do any of this; are they AI, or did they survive in that AU? Etc. But here, either we say this killing game is also a simulation or the shrinking needs some rules to explain how Hajime can be Hajime. I'm thinking, barebones explanation, they used real living cells of the 77th class to 3D-print living miniatures of them which are controlled by the real people in pods like in SDR2. Basically, flesh-and-blood avatars. So, Izuru Kamukura is in the basement somewhere, with the other senpais, asleep in a pod, controlling a miniature Hajime with only Hajime's memories.)

So yeah, Makoto wakes up, Nagito is there like, "I'm here to help with orientation, but it seems that something strange has happened to my body. Do you think you can take me to someone who can do something about this?"

Makoto is really confused because of the whole "I was walking into Hope's Peak and then I just woke up here" thing. In the course of talking through his confusion, he reveals to Nagito that he's the kouhai he was supposed to mentor, and Nagito introduces himself cheerfully and for the whole walk to the main hall, he's acting like a tour guide despite being four inches tall.

"That room will be your classroom. That room...Huh, that door isn't normally blocked off. Eh, I'm sure it's nothing."

Then they see that the whole 77th class is tiny, and Nagito is just like, "Oh, I see! So it wasn't just me."

The whole dynamic between them would be really fun.

Tiny Nagito trying to radicalize Makoto, talking in his ear, and the only result is that sometimes Makoto makes such a bewildered face that his classmates stop what they're doing to ask him what's going on, and he's just like "Nothing. My senpai just...never mind."

("I thought Byakuya's senpai was Nevermind," Aoi muses.)

Tiny Nagito arguing with Makoto about the best ways to be of use in this situation.

Makoto making sure Nagito eats, finding foods he likes, and giving him a comfortable place to sleep.

(The need to make sleeping arrangements for their senpais complicates the matter of the tool boxes and sewing kits, because I think a lot of them might open those.)

Initially, I think Nagito would stay chill. I think he wouldn't start acting out until after the first murder. He spends most of chapter one just tagging along while Makoto hangs out with Sayaka and teasing him for having a crush.

(The THH cast has enough immediate tension that I think he would be willing to sit tight for a bit and see what they do. In SDR2, it makes sense that they need an instigator, because they're in a more relaxing setting, there aren't as many troublemakers, and they can pretty much avoid anyone they don't like, but fifteen people trapped on the first floor of a school and immediately experiencing a bunch of infighting, I think he's just watching for the first round.)

When Makoto finds Sayaka's body and passes out, the second thing he asks when he wakes up is if Nagito is alright. And he is; Nagito is sitting right next to him when he wakes up in the gym, and he wasn't hurt in the fall. (All the other times Makoto passes out or is knocked out, Nagito is the first thing he checks on.) Nagito asks if he's alright. After all, he finds it a little sad to see his cute (giant) kouhai suffer the loss of someone he really liked. (He's tagging along for Makoto's free time conversations, so he sees him making genuine human connections with the Ultimates firsthand. Sayaka maybe isn't the best example of this, but still. He's invested.)

Then Monokuma pops in and they go over how the killing game works, and Nagito gets really quiet for the entire investigation. For all of people accusing Makoto and Makoto figuring things out, he's pretty much silent. Occasionally giving encouragement or praise, but no clues. He's paying attention and reaching conclusions. Especially now that they know the rules better.

After the first trial, he's impressed by how Makoto pulled it together, it makes him smile how Makoto moved past Sayaka's betrayal, and he considers Makoto's commitment to keep his friends' memories with him admirable but misguided.

And now they have an actual killing game.

He would definitely try to get things done without Makoto knowing. He would try to see if Makoto agrees with him about their role here, first, but when Makoto rejects the first hints at his skewed worldview, he focuses more on convincing Makoto to go places where he (Nagito) can try to influence the outcome.

Probably the item whose impact-to-portability ratio works the most in his favor is a packet of pepper. Anything that can cause Toko to sneeze is a valuable tool. But while he can carry a packet of pepper, and he can open one, he can't conceal one on his person, so he has to suggest to Makoto that he wants some pepper for dinner later and hope that he can get it from Makoto's pocket when it matters. Stuff like that.

I like to imagine Makoto's luck also keeps stopping Nagito from instigating in the ways he wants to, just because I think it's funny. He finally comes up with an actual way to be of "service", and it comes to nothing because something spilled on Makoto's pants and he had to hurry back to his room to change, or the key got stuck in the lock and he needed someone's help to open it.

Makoto's company would definitely be good for him, and having someone be worried about him and take care of him would be a feeling he isn't used to. I could see him being deliberately high-maintenance, at first as an attempt to be off-putting in response to his increasing fondness for Makoto, but then to his surprise Makoto just...does what he asks him to. He isn't really annoyed when Nagito needs something. He might be surprised, he might get overwhelmed, but he doesn't get upset with him about it.

Honestly, I think being with Makoto in this way would change some things about Nagito. Makoto gets punched in the face so hard he passes out, day one, and never holds a grudge. Nagito's understanding of the inherent hierarchy would, I think, take a hit when he's faced with this guy he has every reason to feel protective of– his kouhai, who has been doing everything to take care of him –being constantly harmed, manipulated, and falsely accused by his superiors. Life was kinder to Makoto than it was to Nagito, but his classmates are, I would say, noticeably less kind to him than Nagito's are.

I think Nagito could very easily reach the point where he cares deeply about making sure Makoto specifically survives this. He honestly might reach the Ultimate Hope conclusion in, like, Chapter 3 or 4.

As for the others, I'm just imagining Sakura needs Aoi's help taking care of Hiyoko because Hiyoko doesn't know how to do things for herself and I'm thinking Sakura never played with dolls as a kid. I think that would be a cute thing for them.

Taka with Mikan would definitely have to make adjustments. I feel like Taka has difficulty managing his volume (because I can't imagine he's been doing that on purpose, lol), but when he sees that it startles Mikan, he gets so careful about it. He has her stand on his palm, instead of his shoulder or in a pocket or anything, because he's seen her trip under bizarre circumstances, and he's worried about her. He leaves the room when she is getting dressed, instead of just turning his back or covering the terrarium or something. She tells him he doesn't have to do any of that, but he insists.

After the first trial, which goes the same as in THH because Sayaka acts before any of the senpais can make a difference and Ibuki doesn't really realize what she's doing until it happens, Taka gains custody of Ibuki, Nekomaru, and Peko. (Junko's still running the thing, so who knows where Imposter is. Might just not be part of it.) He finds a different way to carry all of them at once (maybe a basket or something), and initially he plans to put Mikan with them, but she's basically like, "I-If you're tired of letting me stand on your hand, I understand. Maybe you could just, tape me to one of your fingers. E-Even if the tape rips out my hair, I don't mind! As long as it's easier for you! Aah, I'm sorry!" And of course, he's quick to protest, ultimately resulting in him continuing to let Mikan stand on his palm.

Mahiru would still whip Hifumi into shape. Probably more so now than in the Mini THH AU, because him getting anywhere near horny about the idea of a four-inch girl in his room is a problem in this power dynamic. This is the most respectful Hifumi you've ever seen.

Byakuya with Sonia is kind of an adorable concept either way you spin it, because both of them would make sure the other has a luxurious living space and is treated with respect. (Kazuichi tries to get Chihiro to talk to Byakuya so he can talk to Sonia.)

Gundham doesn't have his hamsters in miniature, which does stress him out. He ends up taming a bunch of bugs, though, which Toko grudgingly admires. She understands his grandiloquent way of speaking better than most, but she's still not great at taking care of him; she's not great at taking care of herself.

Celeste tries to get Chiaki to dress differently, because aesthetic is everything. Maybe she enlists Hifumi to make different outfits, since all of the clothes the senpais have are just the things they already wore.

[droplet-dread-cat]

Not a single moment goes by where I don't think about Sampo "volunteering" at Belobog's museum

like, listen... he has the (technically second, since he has 93 points and a random NPC has 94 but still) highest tour duration and the actual highest education value stats but absolutely zero visitor appeal

this means whenever he's uh... "helping out" (aka being forced to work by the Trailblazer) he's constantly side-eyed and sneered at and just generally avoided but when someone accidentally catches wind of how interesting his tour actually is, they can't help but stay and listen as Sampo tells them about the history of, idk, art theft linked to the paintings that are currently displayed on the wall and I feel like they don't even notice for just how long they've listened before Sampo declares the tour's end

or maybe the tours are all equally long so the tour duration stat just states how many hours in a month that character is volunteering - which I'd honestly prefer in that case, since it'd mean Sampo's basically working an entire job at the museum

it's just... aaaaah, it's such a great starting point for an AU

Museum Tourguide!Sampo AU

imagine the Trailblazer hiring both Sampo and Gepard (who btw has the second highest education value out of the non-NPC characters behind Sampo, the second highest appeal at 83 points right behind the Supreme Guardian herself who has 85, but a tour duration of 5) for the art section of the museum

first of all Gepard constantly looks like he's swallowed a lemon when he's catching sight of Sampo just casually working.

secondly, this is a great set-up. not even from a shipping perspective. there'd be an inevitable rivalry of knowledge between the two - imagine they're working five metres apart from each other and when people come to Gepard for questions (let's be real, no-one goes to Mr. Cold Feet for answers), Sampo will just shout it over the heads of the visitors and Gepard, once again, will be livid af. like it's growing into a game of who can answer the fastest and they oftentimes have disputes, since Gepard obviously only knows the official stories and not the dirty bits that Sampo can bring to light.

in any case, apart from the work dynamic with Gepard, Sampo also has to interact with Uldan, this no-nonsense gramps who was instructed by the Trailblazer to "fend off Sampo's wandering fingers" - every time Sampo tries to pickpocket someone, Uldan will play up the senile grandpa act and do a whole bit where he acts like Sampo's his actual (grand)son, making it virtually impossible for Sampo to commit any crimes within his vicinity because Uldan will just scold him super loud, like "I didn't raise you like that, young man!"

and the thing is. Sampo is good at this whole volunteer thing. he excels at it, in fact, and I feel like with every tour he guides he enjoys it more and the people, too, grow to appreciate him more the longer he works at the museum. we all know where this is headed, right? there comes a point in time where Sampo doesn't follow a lead or initiate contact with a potential client and instead heads to the museum to cover a shift. I'm definitely not saying he gives up on his ways entirely but in my mind he inevitably becomes an actual staff member. sooner or later, Uldan's going to ask him to stay permanently and I mean, come on, the angst potential? the questioning of morals and identity? the realization that he wants to work a legitimate job? come oooooon

[morgana-ren]

What IS up with kar'niss. Did he go insane because of the isolation or did the absolute scramble his brains and is the her he's referring too lothl?

Alright, so Kar'niss is described as sort of having a 'fractured mental state.' It's not exactly elaborated on as far as I know, but it is depicted as him hearing voices, speaking to entities that aren't present (the Absolute, namely) and just struggling with his perception of reality in general. I think a lot of his anti-social mannerisms can be attributed to being a drider (cast out and shunned from Drow society, abandoned by his God-Queen, etc) but not all driders have this strange, almost erratic behavior.

I'm not sure you ever explicitly and without a doubt find out what is wrong with him (and I could be wrong here) but I have some speculations.

He describes himself as 'hearing voices.' When he speaks, he more than often isn't referring to you the player or even the goblins he's with, but seems to speaking directly to the Absolute, as if in constant communication with her-- as if she is at his side constantly. He tends to use the royal 'we' when speaking, as if referring to both of them congruently. She never seems to respond in kind, but this doesn't stop him from talking to her directly.

You can actually choose to prey on perceived insecurities and call him 'ugly' basically. He gets offended seemingly not on his own behalf (not on a base and shallow level anyway) but seems to take offense on behalf of the Absolute.

"To insult me is to insult her Majesty! It is to mock the Absolute!"

And frankly, he doesn't seem to have much care for the appearances of his compatriots either, as evidenced with his line "The Absolute My queen has ordered me to guide Her followers through the dark-- however imperfect they may be." or something along those lines, although I guess this could be more of a projection than anything if you want to look deeply into it. It's said sneering at the player, however.

This is entirely speculation, but I feel like driders in specific might be more open to the manipulations of the Absolute, as with most groups 'shunned' in one form or another by either 'civilized' society, or by their own racial groups. Driders were abandoned by Lolth, and that is a brutal betrayal. Lolth isn't a distant theological concept, but a tangible part of their lives. To lose her is to lose their stability, their homes, their entire belief system, etc. They know their goddess is real, and she has spurned them without a doubt. They have their arachnid bodies as proof of this abandonment.

It creates a vacuum of sorts. It doesn't seem implausible that the Absolute could play on this abandonment and act as a sort of surrogate mother for them in the stead of the one they had before their 'failure' and subsequent transformation. Drow are raised to be wholly faithful to Lolth, and when they lose that aspect of their lives, it leaves a hole that is yearning to be filled. She could fill that hole.

However, remember, the "Absolute" is a fucking Netherbrain. They rely on mental manipulation and psionic tactics. They put a worm in your head that fucks with your mental faculties and connects with you a virtual network of basically everyone else with said worm-- some more subservient than others. Kar'niss has one of these worms.

It's entirely possible that this broke Kar'niss somehow. His mental state might've been poor enough as it was, but to have his mind meddled in by the absolute might've been the straw that broke the guar's back.

We don't meet any other driders in our adventures, so it's rather difficult to tell, as we don't have a control group to compare it to. We have other people infected, of course, but none are quite like the driders.

Also, to be considered, when you raise Kar'niss after battle, and you ask him about the pixie, he says "I hear many voices, but hers-- the loudest."

Pixies are fae. Tricky little shits, even in a sticky situation. And he was with her always. It's also entirely possible that as revenge for trapping her, she played her little tricks on Kar'niss' mind. Bane knows she had enough time to do so while he was shepherding people back and forth from Moonrise Towers.

It's also possible that she just annoyed the hell out of him and that's why he says what he does. However, that is his response when you ask him "How did you trap the pixie in the lantern?"

Another angle is the shadows themselves.

Kar'niss is terrified of them. One of the goblins, given that the appropriate dialogue options are picked, will throw a bone into the shadows, and one of their hyenas will dart off to retrieve it. You are privy to exactly what happens when you stray from the light.

Kar'niss loses it, almost killing the goblin in the process. "We do not taunt the shadows!"

It's apparent that he is afraid. Even with the light of his beloved goddess held close like a security blanket to a small child, he is still afraid.

Recall He Who Was. A Shadar-Kai driven mad by exposure to the shadows, so much so that he basically, in a way, spurned his own Raven Queen. He never strikes me as quite right in a similar way to Kar'niss. He does not necessarily hear voices, but it's clear his mental state has been equally fractured.

The shadows are not natural shadows. That is made very apparent over the course of act 2. Long term exposure, even while avoiding death within them somehow, seems to have extremely negative effects on the humanoid psyche. The main exceptions to this are those holed up at Last Light, as they have the blessing of Selune holding them at bay.

But Kar'niss? He is stealing a pixies magical aura, basically. It's not quite the same as a blessing from a goddess. Back and forth he goes, bringing initiates to and from the shadowlands towards Moonrise towers, essentially living within them.

Since we don't know what Kar'niss was like before the Absolute got her filthy tentacles on him, we can't entirely be sure exactly what the fuck is going on. It could be all of these things. It could be none of them.

Or there could be some very simple dialogue that I missed that literally explains it. I'm no expert lmao.

[starrysharks]

to people asking what brushes i use and for what: consult the FAQ. trust me i don't use that many brushes

now for the male body type stuff because like a gazillion people were asking... also please check the FAQ before you ask stuff please abeg... also also i am not an authority on body types or anatomy or art at all i am literally just some guy...

but anyway male bodies stereotypically have smaller hips and wider torsos than girls. of course there are SEVERAL exceptions to the rule this is just what i'm going by. the "standard" thin male body type for me usually looks like this:

the upper legs are usually more cylindrical than for girls, and the head is usually longer, sharper and smaller too. some OC examples of this body type include savory, angel, and clyde -

as you can see they basically all deviate from the "norm". however they all share specific features -

pointy faces and chins

larger chests and smaller hips (based on weight - savory is severely underweight and has virtually no hips, while angel is healthier and has larger hips tho angel is generally more feminine based on technicalities)

long legs

anyway i usually draw twinks but there are a few male/masc characters of mine who aren't twink-thin nor mega muscular, namely the younger characters. starsaints carnival characters all have virtually similar body types so i won't go over them, but some characters who are "unique" are minty and paro.

they have very different bodies but also deviate entirely from the "norm". paro is a young teen (16yrs old), and therefore his entire body is adapted to up the moe factor just like nova is. his build is more average than the exaggerated twigs from before and his torso isn't "separated" into two shapes like any other character. in short, when it comes to average teen characters (either masculine or androgynous - onion for example has a very similar body but isn't male) the body is generally less defined.

minty is a special case because his body is entirely "feminine." if you look at my other body type guide where i went into detail about feminine body types you'll see minty checks all the boxes - large head, large hips and smaller waist/torso/generally upper area. he has a youthful build but is canonically around his early 20s in cat years, and his body shares that same age.

i've already talked about exaggerated top-heavy characters and fat characters so i won't do it again. however i will once again acknowledge how the body rules are really just a loose suggestion when it comes to any gender, because several of my female characters follow "male" body type "rules" -

as you can see they mostly follow "male" body type rules but both these characters are cis women. in the end the body type depends on the characters upbringing, lifestyle and career far more than it does their sex! that's all i have for today and i hope it helps

[headingalaxys-spicy]

Hello darling

Can I ask for yan france, england, america and Germany with a darling that's using them to get citizenship/green card?

America: Kei….No, don’t you dare write this while watching and making references to 90-day fiancee.

Me: Too late bitches! This ask demands it! *laughs maniacally while typing like an absolute maniac*

Germany: “Oh nein, Sie hat vier Espresso-shot getrunken…”

France: Mon Dieu

🇺🇸 America 🇺🇸

In short, he’ll bring on the hellfire like Danielle and he has actual power, so that makes it even worse for you.

He will figure out that it was all a clever ruse when you’re not giving the relationship your all when it comes to emotional closeness. The way that you refuse to cuddle with him, don’t kiss him with passion, the looks you give him are devoid of warmth that someone in love would usually. Don’t worry you’ll get your green card with strings attached.

“Y/N, I have a surprise for you.” He guides you along a cobblestone pathway down some winding pathway. You pretend to have fun with his antics until he pulls the blindfold off your eyes. You were staring at a dressing room and a few ladies who were covered in pins, measurement taps, and needles.

“Hello, Y/N, we’re going to be preparing you for tonight!” The eldest lady with a nicely made-up bun states to you with glee.

“What do you mean?” Confused, you’re sure you didn’t want the answer to it. But you try to have an air of excitement around you.

“Your surprise wedding to Alfred! You’re going to become Mrs. Jones tonight!”

‘Oh shit I thought I had like 45 more days to figure this out.’

“Aren’t you happy! We’ll be married Y/N, and that means you’ll be an American and mine. Well, I’ll leave you ladies to it I have to get ready myself!” He gives you a peck on the cheek and tauntingly whispers, “You’re mine.” in your ear as you see a glint in his eye that you’d never seen before he walked backward for a few seconds before dashing off from the place where he’d brought you.

You knew you were fucked if you didn’t because for the last week or so he’d been telling you about his exploits of having to hunt down people who were here illegally and had been convicted of fraud, robbery, or some kind of crime they committed while in the United States. This conversation always seemed to pop up after the two of you discussed how long you’d be staying in the States from (country name), saw an ad for 90 Day Fiancee about a mystery couple or something that remind you of the shortening time for you to make a decision about the future. And since it was close to impossible without it being illegal (under the table) for you to find work, you really had only two choices: go home or depend on Alfred. You, of course wanted to be in the States, so you choose the latter but since a surprise wedding, and Alfred showing his far more dangerous tendencies, you wondered if heading back home to try a different way was possible. After all, you weren’t at the altar yet!

You decide that being with Alfred wasn’t worth the green card and you decided that you didn’t want to be under someone's control for it. So you decided to make a break for it. The red flags were blaring in your head, and you were not about to be a part of this! America is going to suspect that you’d do something like that so he did have agents of his ready to tackle you as soon as you tried to make your way from the wedding venue. They’ll hit you with some heavy sedatives so that the dressmakers, stylists, and make-up artists can get you ready for the big moment. This will be televised in and marketed as a Special Episode on 90-Day Finacee where the mystery couple is you and him tying the knot.

He did this so that his nation and others will know who exactly you belong to. He will also make sure that you renounce your citizenship in (country name) so that it will be virtually impossible for you to escape back home.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

He has friends on the other side that will help him in his endeavors to ensnare you.

He’s the king of manipulation and shit-starting. So of course, it only takes him a few days to figure out that all you wanted from him was the green card.

‘If that’s all you want from me love I’ll give it to you under a few conditions.’ He will mention it causally while the two of you are having high tea at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

“So, Y/N love I know that your visitor visa is about to run out in about two weeks' time, right?”

You do your best not to choke on your lavender tea, as you dare to gaze into those toxic pastoral green eyes that held back all of the disdain that he had for your betrayal. They also brimmed over with something else you couldn’t quite place.

“Yeah, what of it, I mean you have recommended getting married soon and I’m excited about it albeit, kinda weary.” You had begun to notice some of his red flags and the fact that he never really wanted you to leave his home so that you could be at your hostel. It was so much so to where you were never allowed to be on your own without him or one of his royal guards dressed in civilian clothes. You just wanted to be able to roam the British Isles and take in the sights on your own without having to worry about a time limit, but the only way that you could do that is if….

“Well, why not? You’ll get your Green Card and become a natural British citizen. After all isn’t that all you want?” Outright accusing you of what he knew was true by your demeanor and desire to do things without him involved.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You put down your porcelain cup. You didn’t want him to try and argue with you in public and expose you.

“You know exactly, what I mean, Y/N; you only want that. Don’t lie to me. I do have the upper hand since I have connections throughout the whole government, and I’m myself a special agent and part of the royal family. There are things I can do right now that will make you tremble in fear.” He whispers-shouts at you lowly as not to attract the attention of the whole tea room.

Your throat is tight from holding back the forming tears.

“I….” Some of them fall, but you were quick to wipe them from your face so that you wouldn’t make a spectacle of yourself. “Yes.” You decide to be honest, knowing that lying would only escalate the situation further. You were surprised that he gently grabbed your free hand that wasn’t trying to wipe up tears with his black leather-gloved hand.

“I have some paperwork for you to sign. You’ll get what you want, and I’ll get what I want.”

It’s, of course, marriage registration forms and some other documents that forbid you from leaving the U.K. unless you have explicit permission from him or that he’s with you. You also have to give him your passport from (country name) and visitors visa, and it’s engulfed in flames right before you. Ensuring that you’d never see your country again. With that he will be nice in the beginning of your marriage but once the honeymoon phase is over he will start his training for you on how to love him properly.

🇫🇷 France 🇫🇷

Oh he goin use his beautiful tears to make you regret trying to use him. Sparkles. Sparkles everywhere.

Like England, France is more upfront about confronting you for your trickery. Although the way in which he does it is tame, romantic, and emotionally manipulative.

As the two of you traversed the Pont d’lena to the Eiffel Tower on a brisk cold Fall night Francis wastes no time in talking about the future that he wants with you in great detail.

“You know Y/N I never thought that you’d use me.” Caught off guard by the sudden statement all you could respond to him was with a “huh?”

“What are you talking about Francis? I thought we were in a good place in our relationship.” Trying to gauge how you’d maneuver out of this conversation and onto something else.

“You just want me for the Green Card so you can stay admit it! You’re not like Jenny to my Sumit! You don’t care for me in the sweet way that she does for him!”

“What has you like this Francis?! It’s so random!” You stated, frustrated that you have to mitigate yet another dumb argument. You brace yourself for the downpour because Francis's now shaded blues covered in massive rainclouds was about to be released in the next few minutes of tears and the realization that he’s caught onto you and your scheming.

“You don’t treat me like a lover! You don’t tell me I love you ! Like you mean it. You’re almost lifeless when we make love and you don’t eat my expertly prepared food that is made with LOVE and COMPASSION your eyes don’t spark up with joy! You look like I’ve just given you some awful canned American or British food. Plus you’re always stiff whenever I hug you! Your LIKE A ROCK!” He will just allow himself to let tears flow freely down his face like a river that's broken out of a dam.

All you could do is let the French man cry his eyes out while passersby wondered if you were tormenting the poor man. There were many raised eyebrows that looked on at you in judgment.

(Yes, I’m referring to Jenny and Sumit because I really do believe that even thought the odds are well interesting. I really do believe those two love each other despite the difficulties they face. Also, this was the best example I could think of in the moment while typing this.)

“Francis can we please talk about-“ He swiftly cuts you off dramatically by forcefully grabbing your hands as he gets down on one knee.

“If you love me Y/N then prove it, marry me!” A sudden burst of sparkles appears around everywhere along with red roses. You didn’t really have the time, energy, or headspace to question how in hell those things apppeared from thin air because you were stuck between a rock and a hard place currently.

“Fra-“

“If you want to save your own face right now and have a chance of ever coming back to France you’ll say yes mademoiselle.” Although he said it sweetly you knew that was a threat.

“Okay, I’ll marry you Francis.” You know full well there would be a much longer conversation later along with not being able to leave his bed for a week straight.

“Wonderful and I even have your engagement ring pick out which will go so well with the outfit you’re wearing!” His sudden change back into being extremely happy was jarring to you and for a few moments you did have to wonder if anything that was happening to you currently was real.

He grabbed your left hand with force and slid it onto the fourth finger. It’s glow radiated a harsh light of malice although a stunning diamond signified your permanent entanglement with him. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of your hand and it sent a shock through your nervous system. You were in danger for sure but it would be disguised as a charming prison with lace, chocolate, wine and other luxuries flowing without any other connection to anyone else on this earth.

🇩🇪 Germany 🇩🇪

He’s going to make a perfect darling out of you one way or the other and he’s going to do it through ruthless training and reprogramming your brain.

Since he’s asked Italy for help after hanging around you for 6 weeks and you still haven’t treated him like a true lover but someone who doesn’t act like their in love. He plans how he will confront you and the best way to do that is be underhanded. He overheard one of your conversations (he’d set up microphones all through your living quarters) with your friend back in (country name) that you were only sticking around so you could obtain your green card and get into the Masters Program you’d been eyeing for quite sometime. “Since you want to be a snake! I can also pull a reverse uno on you Y/N!”

Lately since you’ve been hanging around Ludwig you’ve felt sick and he’s been having to take care of you during these long sick spells. You’d feel horrendously fatigued, weak, and even somewhat nauseated. He’s been strangely sweeter to you and doting. You don’t question it since he did love helping you out with your green card situation. You never did start to question him since your brain was foggy and you were too disoriented to think about the underlying danger you were in with him. You never questioned why he suddenly became sweeter towards you and why he was so hellbent on making every meal for you.

“Y/N?” He gently placed a hand on your forehead to see if you were running a fever of sorts.

“Yeah?” You say groggily. The nap you took on his couch somehow made you feel much worse than you did before you took a nap.

“Are you really sure you’re up to the task of getting yourself home? I mean it’s across the city and it’s nighttime it’s not really safe for you to be outside anyways.” He states sternly. You could already tell what he’s about to suggest.

“Just stay here Fraulein. It would be foolish for you to get home in this state. And I can’t allow you to get hurt or sicker than you already are. I’ll go get some better blankets and pillows. I’ll be right back.” He’ll diligently march away and prepare his next round of poison for you to ingest. It’s not deadly but it saps you of energy and makes you disoriented. If your this way for long enough you’ll accidentally miss your date to exit Germany and return to (country name). He can pull a few strings with his government and say that your in his care and would be 100% unfit for international travel of any kind even on train you wouldn’t be allowed to leave. He’d have you right where he wants you. You’d be unaware the entire time.

“If Y/N wants to be in Germany wish granted Fraulien. But you’ll never be able to leave I can’t allow it there are so many men who’d hurt you!” He mutters to himself as he laces your Bavarian Griessknödel with crushed up sleeping pills.

You’re essentially going to be in a zombie like state due to all the drugging that he puts in your food and drink. After a few months he’ll light up on it and gradually hint at the fact that you no longer are a citizen of (country) and that it’s thanks to him that you’re safe. He’ll gaslight you a ton and make you believe that he’s doing what’s best for you after all you wanted a green card to his nation so badly he arranged it with the caveat that you have to be with him whenever you leave the house, you’re going to have to learn German, and you’re eventually going to have a tracker on you that will be connected to his phone at all times. You’ll be his sweet Fraulein that obeys him…. Eventually.

[cree-n-jewish-thoughts]

Idk how to share this. I’ve felt afraid to share it, and idk if you’d care.

In my country, the only synagogue in my town was torn town, the only one, Idek where I could find another one. I feel heart broken and just so sad like I want to cry and idk if I’m being dramatic but I feel like this is wrong.

No, I’m not I’m America, because I don’t think that would just be allowed there.

I feel so helpless, I feel like I could do something but I just can’t. I want to join Israel’s defense forces and my dream is to become a doctor to save the lives of people in Israel. But as of right now, I feel absolutely useless.

I am so sorry about your Synoguage being torn down. I understand you feeling so lost and helpless.

So there are programs available online in many countries. You can go to virtual Shabbat and events. There is also YouTube where many Synoguages you can subscribe to a channel and watch their services that way.

I understand being so heartbroken, I can't lie and tell you I know how you feel because I've never been through this. But there is probably a Synoguage you can find online. I know it's not the same, but it's something.

I do care how you feel by the way. And you're not being dramatic, your feelings are valid.

And as for the doctor part that's so noble of you (I respect doctors). It's a lot of work and dedication. I want you to have your dream.

I understand the fear of joining the IDF, you are risking your life. This is also very amazing of you, even with your fear.

I can tell you want to genuinely help people. That is just an amazing yet rare quality.

Can you look into programs the IDF offers? Mind you I am not Israeli, so I know a very limited amount of the recruitment side of the IDF. But they may have some kind of program to help support your education. Again I do not know about this process.

But serving in the forces is not a decision to take lightly, but perhaps do some research into the IDF recruitment programs (if any). Maybe an Israeli mutual I have on tumblr can help you out better than I can, or help better guide your decision.

I am sorry you feel helpless. I too feel helpless. When I was young I applied to the armed forces and I failed part of the physical exam because of my dependency on medications to basically survive. I know it would be no different if I were to apply to the IDF I'm sure. I understand feeling completely helpless...

My ask box is always here if you need someone to talk or vent to.

(If anyone would like to help this anon in comments with IDF info please add, also correct me if I am wrong about anything)

[justrandomfanfictionskh]

We Should Have Stayed in Gotham ch2

(Almost every Maribat fic I read has the akuma class going to Gotham. But tell me which is more likely, a class touring the city of crime, or a class touring the city of lights? So here it is, the Daminette fic that only I asked for, where Gotham goes to Paris, and the poor students have to grapple with the fact that they have competition for the most dangerous city in the world. I wonder what will happen?)

ao3 Beginning

Once all the Parisians were gone, the mutterings began. It seemed to Damian that the class was divided into three groups. One was the group who were actually taking the threat seriously. The other was the group that still thought this was all some sort of massive joke, or prank. And then there was the group in the middle, who simply didn’t care. “We’re from Gotham!” a girl from this group said. “We can handle whatever magical bullshit this is. Whether it’s a prank or not doesn’t matter! Just download the apps and let’s go.”

Everyone obeyed as the teachers handed out phones to the under privileged students, and then they filed back to the bus. As they moved amid a series mutterings, scoffing, and nervous glancing, Damian Wayne had drawn in on himself in contemplation. On the one hand, this whole situation seemed ridiculous. Magic Butterflies? Seriously? But then again, Damian had seen stranger. His ex-girlfriend was a half demon from a magic dimension. His best friend was half alien. Magic butterflies turning people into villains was not outside of the realm of possibility. No, what really bothered him, was the Justice League.

Assuming for a moment that this “Hawkmoth” was every bit as dangerous and threatening as those girls had described, then where was the Justice League. Why hadn’t they gotten involved? Did they even know about this? He doubted it, but his father did not tell him everything. It made him furrow his brow in confusion. There was just something not adding up here. And Damian had to be prepared for whatever it was. So he pulled out his phone and began to peruse the websites, his survival guide recommended.

 The first conclusion he came to, was that this was not a prank. There was too much information, and too many details for Hawkmoth and Ladybug to be fake, even if they did seem a bit ridiculous. Just looking at the government site, Damian could tell that the “powers that be” were taking this very seriously, and were doing everything in their power to mitigate the dangers. Akuma shelters being made a new building requirement. Guidance counselors being placed in every school. Akuma victim support groups. Whatever was happening in this city, it was real.

But how real? Damian wondered as he opened the blog, SpotsOn. Are they overreacting? Is it some sort of mass hallucination? Where is the Justice League?

Damian’s eyebrow arched in surprise. It was the only external sign he gave that he was effected by what he saw. The government site had given him the basic information, the miraculous, Hawkmoth’s goals, Ladybug’s powers, her roster of heroes, and the most common akuma protocols. SpotsOn.com on the other hand was a virtual treasure trove of what was happening in the city. It had all of the government’s info, but also videos of the akuma battles, uploaded by the citizens, and a complete list of all of the known akumas organized by threat level.

Damian went to this list immediately, drowning out his peers, and came to the immediate conclusion that everyone was overreacting. The threats were categorized by the damage done, so while there were many akumas that seemed to have a great deal of power, they never did any real harm to the city. For example, Mr. Pigeon was the most common akuma with a power that could be terrifying if used correctly. But his page read like this…

Akuma: Mr. Pigeon

Threat Level: One

Power: The ability to control all pigeon, and pigeon adjacent birds in the city.

Akumatized Object: The birdcall around his neck.

Damage: Traffic Jams, Defamation of Statues and Monuments, Kidnapping of Police and Park Personnel.

Action Caused: Messing with the pigeons.

Akuma Prevention Note: DO NOT MESS WITH THE PIGEONS! RESPECT THE PIGEON! BE NICE TO THE PIGEON! DO NOT MESS WITH THE PIGEONS!

Battle Videos: Link

It was almost enough to make Damian laugh, as he perused the list. He could see where some of these creatures could become dangerous. Like this level four akuma, Bubbler. He looked like a bad toy design made by someone high on LSD, but his ability to trap all of the adults in bubbles and send them into the stratosphere was concerning. It was a legitimate threat, but in the end, he hadn’t killed anyone. None of the level 1-4s had, and they were the most common.

Damian set down his phone as they reached the hotel. He didn’t get a chance to look at the level fives, but he was satisfied in his appraisal. The threat was real, the government and this ‘Ladybug’ had it under control. Those girls had just been overly dramatic, probably because they had been akumatized before (The victims were never listed on either the government or the blog). But there was no need for this to disrupt his vacation away from his practically insane family. He could spend the entire trip just sitting on Seine and drawing. He’d tell his father about it when he got home, so that the Justice League could put an end to all of this tom foolery. But until then, he just wanted to focus on his art.

They didn’t stay at the hotel long. Now that everyone had a phone, a trip group chat had been made. And once everyone was settled in their perspective rooms, plans for their free evening began to take shape. Soon a text went out from the teachers saying that they were going to stave off jetlag by going to get lunch and traveling to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was an arrangement that pleased Damian and promised a fruitful trip. The top of the Tower was said to be spectacular, and he packed his sketchbook just in case. As it was, he spent most of the first day by himself despite being surrounded by peers. So he took the opportunity to watch the civilians and judge his fellow students, and both surprised him.

What surprised him about the Parisians was how the walked. They weren’t like Gothamites who rushed about in silence with their heads down. But there was a wariness to their steps, and a tension in their shoulders. And though they talked free and easy, with smiles on their faces, every now and then they would glance up at the sky, their eyes darting and their smiles wary.

What surprised him about the Gothamites was that the class divide was almost non-existent now. Instead, the groups had mixed into the three groups from before. And none of them were content to let the subject drop until they had come to a consensus.

“You can’t honestly be thinking this!” Chad exclaimed gesturing at the sun washed streets and the laughing families in the park. “Is more dangerous than Gotham?”

“Of course not!” said a Gotham High student, Damian remembered that her name was Kathryn. “Nowhere is more dangerous than Gotham. But that doesn't mean these villains aren’t a threat.”

“Just because Clue Master, is less dangerous than Riddler,” a Gotham Academy boy, Arthur said, “Doesn’t mean his games aren’t deadly.”

“But it’s just too…childish!” a Gotham High girl said, “I mean butterflies!”

“Condiment King,” Kathryn stated dryly.

“Touché,” the second girl said.

“Does it even matter?” It was the girl who had gotten everyone moving to the bus. She was from Gotham High, and Damian thought her name was…Alice. Poor girl, Damian thought, I wonder if I’ve ever saved her from the Mad Hatter. Alice seemed bored by the whole talk, as the line for the Tower moved forward. “Threat or no threat. They’re not here now, so can’t we just enjoy the day! I mean the sun is shining! The sun never shines in Gotham.”

Chad opened his mouth, probably to say something idiotic, when suddenly everyone’s phones went off with a distinct chime like a bell. In that heart beat every single Parisian froze and pulled out their phone. Then in the same breath they all seemed to relax, and as one moved calmly, but quickly, away from the park and the Eiffel Tower. A park employee stepped forward and called out in heavily accented English.

“My apologies madams and monsieur’s. But an akuma has been sited, and Ladybug has requested that the Eiffel Tower be evacuated as quickly as possible!”

“What?” Chad and several other “This is all a joke” students began to grumble, as everyone else pulled out their phones.

Damian did likewise, but he was distracted by what was happening around him. It had seemed that for a moment, all of Paris had operated under a strange hivemind, the moment the Akuma Alert had gone off. But they weren’t behaving like he had expected them too. If these people were really overreacting to the threat, then they should be running and screaming in terror. Instead, the park employees were gently and professionally herding the tourists through the park, as half the students argued that, “They would be fine. They were from Gotham.”

Damian took that time to look at the alert. His entire screen had been taken over by a black page with red letters that cried,

AKUMA ALERT: LEVEL 5.

Akuma: Gigantitan

 Local Evacuation Protocol in effect! All citizens in the Champs de Mars and Rue Desaix evacuate to a three block radius, or to your nearest Akuma Shelter.

Ladybug: ON THE SCENE

Chat Noir: MIA

Temporary Heroes:

Miss. Hound: ON THE SCENE

Bumble Queen: ON THE SCENE

Ryuko: ON THE SCENE

Damian furrowed his brow. He looked up as the guides ushered them behind the line of police cars that were blocking the park. He saw that a number of people and news outlets had lined up to here, and were waiting almost eagerly to see what would happen. “You can stand here and watch,” the park employee said, and Damian narrowed his eyes at the strained frustration, and almost vindictive smile she gave them. “But unfortunately, this is as close as anyone gets that isn’t a Miraculous holder. Even if you are ‘from Gotham.’”

Damian hid a groan at the implication. There was so much wrong with that statement it was physically grating, the least of it not being the sheer stupidity and incivility of his class mates. But he put all thoughts aside to focus on the park in front of him.

It was quiet. The entire park, that had once been bustling with tourists and families, laughing, and playing, was now quieter than a Gotham alleyway at night. From their position they had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, and Damian focused on memorizing this moment for his sketchbook later. It was so serine and beautiful, and…

The ground began to shake, and the reporters fell silent. Damian braced himself as the loud footfalls of something enormous echoed through the quiet city and shook the very buildings around them. A loud cry echoed through the streets, and Damian had to cover his ears against the high-pitched whine. He scanned the area with the practiced vigilance of his training, searching desperately for the creature. Then he saw it.

Damian’s eyes bulged and his mouth dropped, and he stared in wordless astonishment at the giant purple and green baby head towering over the buildings to his right. It was so…bizarre. Damian barely even processed the three figures running around it. They were just so small compared to the being that was easily four stories high, but their own colorful costumes made them stand out on the Paris roof tops.

Damian recognized the three heroes from his research, and shaking off the wonder of the giant toddler, focused on them and their actions. The heroes were quiet, practiced, and efficient. Ryuko danced in front of the akuma drawing him out of the streets and into the open space of the park. The creature cried again, with what Damian now recognized was an unbearable, ear shattering, child’s wail. And as he did so the giant flung out his arms in a tantrum breaking the buildings and sweeping them aside as one would sweep away Legos. Bumble Queen and Miss. Hound dove after the debris, but they were still preoccupied with herding the creature.

Damian stared as the creature stepped out into the park. The tree heroines carefully and efficiently driving it towards the tower. Then the creature cried out in joy and picked up one of the abandoned cars on the street. Damian could only stare as the baby began playing with it as if it were a toy as he danced around his new play pen.

Now the three heroines were focused on keeping the giant child inside the park. It was easily the strangest battle Damian had ever witnessed, as the baby didn’t seem to care for anything except for his new toy, while the heroes dodged his feet and directed his path with literally anything the could get their hands on. But where was…Damian blinked as he spotted a small bright red figure leap off of the top of the Eiffel Tower. As the figure fell, a bright, shiny, red cloth with black spots encased the tower until it was completely covered.

“Hey Gigantitan!” The figure yelled. Her commanding voice echoing through the park causing a everyone to straighten and turn towards her, even the giant baby. The baby in question cooed, and then screamed in delight. That was when Damian understood. The hero had made the Eiffel Tower look like a giant piece of colorful candy. And now the baby was stomping towards it in joy.

Unfortunately as he did so, the child decided that he didn’t want his toy anymore and tossed the car…right at the Gothamites. Damian braced himself as people screamed. He closed his eyes as the vehicle got closer and then…

“Cataclysm!” a new voice yelled. Damian blinked as a shower of rusty ash fell on his head. A boy in a black cat suit now stood on top of the police car watching the fight.

“Chat Noir!” Bumble Queen yelled landing beside the new hero in a storm of black and yellow. “Where have you been?! The battle’s almost over!”

“I’m sorry Queenie,” Chat Noir cried, as he played with his tail looking like a kicked puppy, “It took me thirty minutes just to get away! Now where does my Lady need me?”

“Nowhere,” Bumble Queen huffed, “She’s got it sorted. See!”

Damian’s attention turned back just in time to watch the giant toddler open his mouth and bite down hard on the metal structure as if he were eating a candy bar. But even as the child stared in confusion at the building for not turning into a chocolaty treat. The red figure threw something and broke the bracelet on the child's wrist. Something black came out of the broken jewelry, but it was quickly caught by the hero. The child was then encased in a black and purple substance, and the next moment the monsterous child vanished. The Tower’s wrapping as pulled down, and a clear calm voice shouted out, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Damian watched in wonder as a cloud of glowing ladybugs descended on the city and began repairing all the damages. The roof tops were fixed. Injuries were healed, and in just under one minute, it was like nothing ever happened. The heroes gathered together under the Eiffel Tower and the park employee began ushering the students back to the park saying, “The Eiffel Tower will reopen in thirty minutes, best get back in line now. Thank you, for your patience, especially if you’re from Gotham!”

But before Damian could move, he saw a random businessman check his watch, curse, pull out his phone, and say, “Hey, yeah it’s me, look I’m going to be late. Akuma attack blocked the Champs de Mars again…no yeah the tower’s fine. It didn’t even get knocked over this time…yeah sure I can pick up some cheese on the way home…is there anything else—"

Damian followed his class in a kind of dazed horror. What kind of city was this that a giant baby attacking their signature monument gets spoken of in the same manner as bad traffic? He had thought that kind of casual compliance with villains only happened in Gotham. And yet…

Damian’s phone pinged. It was the Akuma Alert, only this time it read in green letters…

AKUMA DE-EVILIZED.  

Total Damages: €5,000,000

Injured: 50

Casualties: 16

Percent Cured: 100%

THANK YOU, LADYBUG!

Damian shoved his phone into his pocket, as he watched Ladybug return a perfectly normal child to his mother, then vanish among the roof tops. He moved like a zombie through the streets as he was completely consumed by two thoughts. One, where was the Justice League? And two, I’m never going to get a quite vacation.

Next

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