#they should’ve done it like how they brought messaging to tumblr

[macadam]

Can you make a poll on if orange vs red Ratchet or Deep Fried Rodimus is more better and influential

I would love to. Alas tumblr has not bestowed the gift of poll creation upon me. Perhaps they fear the power I might then hold

[chaosandmarigolds]

me, laying in bed after my 12hr shift:

my gf: remember that ask you got

me: ..

gf:

me: aside from wondering how you accessed my Tumblr I’ve gotten a lot of asks which one. gf: the sad one. me: 99% of them are sad

gf: The REALLY sad one

ANYWAY here we go and bc I am horrible with titles imma go after a song-

Tourner Dans Le Vide

It was a stupid question, one someone would find on a ‘get to know about me’ section of a questionnaire, a small talkish question. But it stung like he didn’t expect it to, so as he stood in the gala, glass in hand, he cleared his throat, “Sorry, one more time mate?”

“Your spouse.” The poor person motioned to the finger that comfortably sat on his ring finger, the gold glimmering in the sunset light, “Are they here?”

You should’ve been here. You had the outfit planned for months. You knew you wanted to get your hair done the day before, insisting that you ought to look nice to represent your family name.

“No, got caught up at home unfortunately.”

“Ah, kids?”

“Two.” Not a lie, you had two young girls you had both adopted, just now he was just the only person within the household, adding more weight to their shoulders.

—

with a huff he gets into the car and then takes off the face mask, scrunching his nose as he adjusted to the cold air, and he starts the car. After a moment he pulls out his phone, expecting a notification from your name above Macey’s, the eldest, yet he was surprised to see none.

so with a hum he makes sure the phone is conntected to the car and begins to call you, shifting the car to drive, it rings….and rings until he is met with-

“hey! It’s me, sorry I’m not at the phone right now, leave me a message and I’ll get back to ya!”

the short automated message follows and he begins to drive home on the darkened roads, until it was his turn to speak, “Luv, it’s Simon, baby I know I was out really late yesterday but I brought the girls some pizza, Macey had her rugby game this mornin- she did amazin. Taylor got an A on her spelling test, so I got her ice cream after school today. What else..mm, the girls send you love. I love you. Call me when you can.”

—

“Papa,” Taylor chirps from her car seat, happily looking out the window, “Papa, when is mama coming home?”

He furrows his eyebrows to the questions and then shrugs, “I’m not sure, princess, I hope soon.”

“did you and mama have fight? Is tha’ why she go way?”

“No no, princess, mama and I didn’t fight- she’s okay, she’s just,” the words died in his throat, because maybe he knew them to be a lie but he would never admit such, “busy. You know how mama works real long hours.”

—

“How’s ya dad?” Johnny stood in the doorway of the ordinary home, peering in from where he stood as Macey stood in front of him- the young girl still in her gear.

to that she shrugs, allowing the man she had learned to be her uncle enter, “fine I guess.”

upon entering the home Johnny noticed your coat still hanging on the rack, even though it was the middle of summer so it mismatched from the girls pink pool towels, he noticed how your mug sat beside the coffee maker, hot water steaming inside- indicating it was just filled. He noticed how your spot on the dining table still had your notebook, pen still tucked where you had left off writing.

he then saw Simon walking down the stairs, and he gave him a grin, “Haven’t been answerin my calls, mate,” with a quick side hug he nudged the man, “Got worried bout ya.”

Simon shrugs it off with a brief laugh, “Got caught up here, with her off at work- got a lil busy.” his heart dropped, and Johnny clears his throat, “Mm? At work she is?”

“Yeah, more like fuckin deployed, never see her.”

it had been close to nine months since a car accident had taken your life, suddenly and harsh, and Simon chose to completely leave his position within the force to stay with the girls. Something Johnny could respect, losing a spouse was a horrid thing but until that moment he had assumed his friend had been taking it in stride. He fell quiet and followed Simon as he said he needed to grab something from the laundry room, so he followed.

His eye caught sight of the master bedroom, lit up by the summer sun (Simon had never been a fan of natural light, unless he was outside) one side of the room messy, clothes tossed about and looking like a proper grieving man’s room, and the other just how would have left it, a glass of water sitting atop a floral coaster, bed still made with the pillows creased just how you do them. The small bottle of perfume still tossed atop of it- as you put it on that morning and threw it on the bed as you ran out the door.

oh…this was not good. This was not good at all.

(um…yeah!! Based off an amazing ask! Comments mean the world to me, toodles!!)

[rgbyshipper101]

Animaniacs Reboot Season 3 Episode 2 Review

Check comments for the rest of the review since tumblr can’t post the whole thing.

Variable verse: Folding paper craneys! -Wakko

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot

They’re walking funny to me. Mint, strawberry, and chocolate flavor ice cream? I can see that.

Why do they all look like Dot? It would make sense they all like her but it seems like Gigi took her look? Gigi Soda is based off of Jojo Siwa. She’s cute. Her song was ok. Love how scared/disgusted the brothers looked. Lol

They didn’t have to do Dot dirty like that.

It’s sweet how Yakko is defending his sister. Then it gets useless since she smacks his head out of frame. What the hell, Dot? He’s defending you!

Yakko did his “uuuuuhhhhh.” The HBO Max joke was great. Too bad it won’t happen (pretty sure that’s confirmed).

I really don’t like the idea of them breaking and entering to steal an award. Now if they bargain for it or do a competition it’s fine. But this isn’t right.

Again, Wakko wouldn’t necessarily do this. He may have trouble reading the room, but he understood the assignment. Dot wouldn’t beat up her brother, either. And the fact that the bruises stay on for several more scenes makes it worse. What’s with the Warner abuse this episode? It gets worse this season trust me.

-_-

Check out her schedule. She has two days for sleep! Aw, dinner with her grandmother. Is that having lunch and dinner like actually eating or is it a luncheon and dinner with people?

I do like this message. Work and no play makes Gigi a dull girl. Not necessarily dull, but taking a break is healthy and is needed to de-stress.

“What’s the point in a lifetime achievement award if you have no life?” - Wakko

Best quote.

Lots of negative things in the first half. Like Gigi getting disgusted with the bugs and Wakko and Dot not liking their games. The scene with Wakko eating dirt has the table and chairs from the theme song as the background. I like the detail of Yakko facepalming when he sees Gigi drawing data charts. Nice detail with Gigi being left-handed because Jojo is. I love how Yakko says “lunch.” It gets better when she opens up. Probably shows her progression and immersion in the song. Did…did Ralph just die? Damn Dot…ouch. Was Wakko gonna say Hooters? It’s an actual place but did they stop because it sounds inappropriate or for copyright?

The song would’ve been so much better if it was completed. I’m so disappointed. It was funny when Nora interrupted (if it was anything else I was gonna say the song was trash) but I would’ve liked for her to do it afterwards.

That is very scary. Deciding on what age she is. I get the joke on kids staying the same age in shows; but in real life…

Good on Gigi for standing up for herself.

Good on Dot for apologizing but I agree with Gigi. She shouldn’t have done that in the first place. Also, the internet made her insane. Sub, like, and follow. It just abruptly ends.

Half of the plot where Dot steals the award was bad. As I’ve said before, she should’ve bargained for it. This isn’t a good message for kids. Now it seems like Gigi didn’t learn anything from them. And that stinks since the second half of the plot was good! Don’t worry about being an influencer or a job especially when you’re a kid. Just enjoy life and have fun. If the Warners went about it differently and the ending was more heart to heart it would’ve been such a good episode.

Starbox and Cindy

I actually really liked this one. I can’t remember season 1 but I think I like this one the best. They’re adding more characters so it’s not stagnant. Good! The ending was funny when Cindy just grabs him. Also, “she died.” Lol Woah Starbox went through a crisis until she brought her back to life.

What I do like is that you’re supposed to focus on the slapstick. Reminds me of the classic Warner Bros. Very good. The animation was nice! I do like these shorts. There’s no attachment like how E,P&TB was so it’s easier to enjoy it. Cute, funny, very good.

Pinky and The Brain

I like the idea. Based off Harry and Megan I think. The song was nice. Like the UK English and American English differences throughout the short. The fries and crisps joke was funny.

Brain keeps selling himself out. Was this from the OG? I know Pinky did it. Brain could’ve asked to be king instead of selling himself out. Or they could’ve had Charles come in and take it. That would’ve been funny. The Royal flush at the end was great.

Warners - 6

S&C - 8

P&TB - 8

Avg - 7.3

I think my disappointment was radiating when I made the rankings. I consider 8 a solid. I didn’t like the resolution in Pinky and The Brain, but the stuff throughout the episode made it great.

[eddieydewr]

'actually, terrorists who rape and murder jews aren’t the kind of people i’d support. said terrorists’ beliefs just don’t align with mine.

but sure, i’ll play along'. That's all good, I agree, but in my opinion, you seem to favor one side; you are not nearly vocal about the innocent Palestinian civilians that have been killed. What about what the israel government is doing to innocent palestinians, and what about the people who are making fun of the palestinians in gaza and claiming they are all crisis actors, including babies? I understand wanting to speak out against Hamas, because I do as well. But I am just as disturbed by what's happening to innocent palestinian civilians, so I am just as vocal about that issue. In the past I've also seen you reblogging users (I think the posts were defending Noah) who defend the Israel government and say that Israel isn't committing a genocide, etc., and that there are 'actual genocides in the world!' The ICJ judge even ruled that 'At least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the (Genocide) Convention'.

i am not as vocal about palestine because frankly, i don’t want to be involved with the pro palestine crowd. most of them are actually pro hamas, vile, and antisemitic. and they are thick as shit. everything is israeli propaganda, everyone is a zionist, having mcdonald’s means you’re *~literally~* contributing to children being murdered. but hamas stans with white, post colonial guilt will lap up anything hamas says as fact. they lack critical thinking, they don’t read past clickbait headlines, and they don’t actually care about the conflict. they want to be on the “right side of history” because they are insufferable narcs, or they’re using the war as an opportunity to be openly antisemitic under the guise of anti zionism.

but the main thing is, i wanted to use this blog for stranger things content and other fandom stuff. i brought up geopolitics in the first place because an actor from the tv show that i’m here on tumblr for was being dehumanised, months before 10/7; because some of you can’t be normal about jews who embrace their culture in their homeland. this is my blog and i used it to express my disgust. and it got worse after the pogrom. maybe i should’ve ignored the angry anons but i wanted to have a convo instead of telling them to kill themselves like they have done with me, and engaging without nuance.

now don’t think this message is directed toward you. i keep getting the same questions and i keep answering the same. maybe my opinions have adjusted slightly over time, especially with how unhinged hamas stans are becoming, but if you want to see what i’ve said about palestinians or whatever else you’re demanding from me, go to the archives and look at my asks from around november.

[cooleststeak]

Hi, I’m Sam. And this is my villain origin story.

This is a response to this post on his public blog, therefore my reply will also be public.

First off, I have been pretty constantly abused emotionally, mentally, and financially for almost 6 years by tumblr user @happysadyoyo​, or Icarus, or Isaiah, or D mun. From March 2016 to August 2022 we were friends and rp partners and I gave him everything I had to keep him happy, but it was never enough. I can’t count the number of times he’s insulted me, unfriended me, threatened suicide, and treated me like absolute shit for not just one fucking year.

You haven’t changed, Icarus. At all. The only thing you’ve truly improved at is how to twist the blame off of you and back around to other people with a more therapist-friendly vocabulary. You didn’t own up to shit. The whole fight started because you acted just like you always have and got righteous over me having a life and not doing a request that you actually did not even make. A request that if you had made, I would have turned down, because I’ve changed since 2017. I have more responsibilities, and you are fully aware of that, since you’ve had a mental breakdown over every single adulthood milestone I’ve hit while being in your life.

That old system required me to bend over backwards, become a slave to my phone, withdraw from my old friends, my family, my husband, my job, and my schooling. You once got mad at me because sex with my husband took longer than you thought it should’ve taken. You got mad at me because I fell asleep. Yet I still tried my very best to do it because back then I was a willing doormat, and still that was never enough for you. You told me you’ll never be happy. You told your (then) spouse you’ll never be happy. Why are we subjecting ourselves to this horrifying ordeal of having to please you, never thinking of ourselves, when it will never ever matter?

And on the topic of spouses. Chase, my husband of 13 years, has done more for me than you could ever conceive of doing for B. He’s held me and comforted me countless times when you’ve repeatedly driven me to panic attacks and mental breaks. He’s seen every chat log, every text, every rp you have ever sent to me. You have no right to talk about him at all, much less talk about how much you want me to divorce the father of my child when you have done a million worse things to my psyche. I invited you to spend time with me on a wonderful vacation you wouldn’t be able to afford on your own and you still weren’t happy because you wanted me alone all to yourself. You wanted me to tell my husband to leave me alone for a day. On our vacation. And you’ve brought that up to me more than 3 times and a few more to B. 

B and I have been talking a lot ever since you had your surgery, I owe them the courage I now have to say enough is enough. After telling them about the hell my rp character has been through, they told me they don’t understand why Dwayne is dating D. That was the wake up call I needed, that your (then) spouse thinks our characters shouldn’t be together. That even this reboot is filled with more drama and immaturity than is reasonable. And of course it is. D is your self insert and the things Dwayne has been put through B has also had to endure. You once got mad that Dwayne wore a dress you don’t like. The funny thing about this post is that B feels similar to how I feel about the pressure you put on your rp partners. I started rping with B with John, and Moss with Luke, and I’ve been having more fun writing than I’ve ever had in years, and my rp circle is only getting wider. 

It’s been so much longer than just a year. I mourn all the long time friends I’ve lost because I chose to stand by you. I have lost so much of my life to depression caused by the weight of every day dreading your messages, what new hell will you bring that I can do nothing about, nothing but disappoint you and then have my failures repeatedly brought up as a grudge of yours for the rest of our friendship. You made me think I am a terrible person, an idiot who can’t keep to a simple standard or write with any creativity that is even a fraction of your absurd self-arrogance regarding writing and art. I thought it was just me. B thought it was just them. We compared pages upon pages of messages from you, how you talk to us, talk about us, and we realized that the problem is not us. We did not need to improve.

I once considered you my closest friend and now I struggle to separate what was real and what was trauma bonding. I want to say I loved you. I want to say that it was real. But if it ever was, you have long since beaten it out of me. It’s been made crystal clear that I was never a person to you, just a therapy trophy, an achievement, a statistic for you to quote as proof of how much you’ve “changed”

Now? I hate you. You are NOT a good person. You are a monster.

I know we will become the next Lile and Ashley when you talk of us to your next group of friends. They will fawn over you like we once did and hate us for how we’ve mistreated you and they will never understand the mental strain that lead to this. I actually genuinely fear for your next close friend, but my soul is so light now that B and I are both free that I cannot bring myself to care. No more walking on eggshells and fearing your moods! No more verbal beat downs! No more constant “rps on you”

Also: Fuck you. Get my baby’s name out of your head. Delete any pictures you saved. You are a stranger to my baby and always will be.

Now I have a tumbleweed to lay out the welcome mat for.

[chattegeorgiana]

You keep insisting that the ending Naruto pairings are the reason Boruto's sales are nowhere near as great as Naruto's, yet how come Boruto Naruto the Movie has brought in far more income than both RTN and The last combined? The Boruto Movie has gained almost 40.000.000$ while The Last only 20.000.000$ and RTN only around 17.000.000$. The reasons boruto is not as popular as naruto was is because the plot sucks, the anime has too many garbage fillers, the artstyle in the manga sucks, the new gen characters suck, and the manga wasn't even written by Kishimoto until recently. It has nothing to do with pairings. Hell, if NS became canon, people would've hated it even more, considering how hated Sakura was, and you even admitted she is the most hated character. And you also contradict yourself. First you say she's the most hated, then you say SP missed a marketing opportunity with her... like girl make up your mind? She's the most hated character in the franchize, in a poll she was chosen as the most hated by both male and female, even Kishimoto went out of his way to say girls came at him and said how much they despised Sakura, most people don't give a shit about her, using her as marketing strategy would've done more harm than good. She's even more hated in Japan and other Asian fandoms than she is in the western fandom, and that already says a lot! You're really arrogant to assume that the "silent majority" you speak of are all NaruSaku fans. I guarantee you it isn't. In fact, most people don't even care about ships that much. NaruSakus, you along with the SNS fans, SS fans, NH fans are part of the vocal minority that has nothing better to do than bitch about ships all day long.

But did I ever say that they were THE ONLY reason they are bad? They are an integral part of it yes, but not the only one.

Just because you saw some asks of mine here on Tumblr, you just throw these things around, like this is the only place I talk about the story of Naruto and this is the only aspect I do.

Yes, here on Tumblr I might do it through the virtue of the asks I receive, but that doesn't mean it's the only space I address these matters.

I have other social media channels as well where I discuss other aspects as well. Ya know, how like Boruto is nothing more than a tweaked "cooler" wanna-be version of Naruto, with no real substance whatsoever, a story that doesn't truly leaves a message behind, a morale, with characters that are the shells of their former selves or mechanics that are skewed and "free of" any logic.

But sure, make it as if that's the only aspect I talk about if that makes you sleep well at night.

As for the reason Boruto made so much? Well, I'll tell you why: because it had NaruSasu. Because they knew they messed-up with The Last, so they did the next best thing they could to try and keep the fanbase engaged.

Focused on the biggest portion of the fanbase that gathered around both shippers and non shippers by the virtue of focusing on Sasuke and Naruto and their offsprings. You know why? Because this way they catered to two human emotions: familiarity/comfort & curiosity.

Aka familiarity via having NaruSasu and curiosity to see the new gen kids.

Which yes, had momentum and seemed to have a perfect recipe: no focus on the ships that initially brought he whole mess (Sakura and Hinata were close to non-existent in that movie), and "repaying" the fanbase that was initially pissed at the fact that people thought this was gonna be a T7 movie because of the heavy Kakashi and Ssuke advertisement when they were there to be found for onlyyy few seconds, lol.

But you see, in the test of time, Boruto failed because of the aforementioned reasons.

You say that people would've hated the ending if NS would've been canon, yet curiously enough the number of people that are even non shippers and agree to the idea that NS should've been canon has been increasing over the years. Which in a really curious way was surprising to me too as an NS fan that returned to the fandom after so long.

So you see, I am not sure exactly about that aspect there. Not to mention, since when does a story has to do what the fanbase dictates it? The story should follow its course and intended narration and that's that.

Yes, Sakura was hated, but that's not a reason to not have Naruto end-up with her because within the story mechanics we had many proofs that indicated that they should've ended together, regardless of how people felt about them.

Kishimoto didn't say girls came at him, he said girls sent him letters, which are two different things, because to his face no one truly said that, minus the editors who kept pushing Hinata forward and their bias as well.

Lol at you saying that using her as a marketing strategy would've done more harm than good when she's the only female character being marketed right now via figurines and all those other things.

So reality seems to be contradicting you a bit on that side.

Not to mention, you say that she's the most hated even in Asia and Japan? LOL, where did u even take out these lies?

The hate phenomena has always been a western fandom thing, not an Asian/Eastern fandom one.

You say that the pairings ripped with Sasuke and Naruto as well (funny how NaruSaku isn't dead even after years of being supposedly dead tho), for a character that should've been hated??

This whole hate thing was always a western fandom mirage, sadly, but in Japan and Asia she's always been loved. Like where did u even pull out that information from?

Also what I always said about a NaruSaku ending was that they could've taken a RTN route where they could've had ALL the pairings shown within a parallel universe, but sure, nice way to twist my words and make it like "I can't decide".

There are slight nuance differences which you either purposely not address or you don't know how to do the difference. The truth in this case only you know it.

But stop trying to act that high and mighty coming here on anon making it seem like ooh, I contradict myself and spread nonsense, just because you read a faction of all the ideas I discuss over my social media.

And now to address the silent majority argument. I never said silent majority are ONLY NaruSaku fans. That's what you assumed. Silent majority included NaruSaku fans yes, but also other fans who ya know, have some common sense within them and see how the story has been butchered for the sake of poorly treating a certain aspect of Naruto, which was the romantic one.

Which btw, you say that it wasn't a big deal, yet it was the no. plot included within the story, being presented as early as chapter 3, because chapter 1 and 2 revolved around Naruto wanting to become Hokage for people to acknowledge him and create bonds.

You say that the pairings aren't such a big deal in the fandom, yet guess what, SJ and SP directed a movie on that specific subject. Makes you wonder why now, doesn't it?

And it's a normal aspect to care about if you think about it for a manga that has been focused on BONDS. The romantic plot gets weaved in within the one about bonds really easily, because at the core of it it's about relationships.

And this whole world that we live it it's a relationship: between the body and the spirit, between then heaven and the earth, between friends, between relatives. EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD HAS A RELATIONSHIP BASIS: atom interacts with atom and here we are, living, breathing beings.

But sure, come to me and paint me in this way you're trying as if talking about relationships and their quality is a bad thing.

Mhmm.

Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

You're free to have your opinion, sure.

I just happen to not agree with it.

And that's that.

Have a good day or night or whatever.

[fromthefishbowl]

People who complain about Ao3 don’t remember what sites like ff.net were like

Every few months, a bright-minded Tumblr blogger peeps up with the never-heard-before: “Ao3 is a completely amoral site. If they want to prove to us they have a moral backbone, then they need to purge X, Y, and Z tags, and then create a team of mods who will regularly check the stories that are reported because since now there aren’t tags that tell the readers about X, Y, and Z, these goddamn perverts will slip through the cracks and create toxic environment in which children shouldn’t be” take, and the posts routinely receive thousands of notes.

Well... let me tell you how things actually work on sites that don’t use tags but have a team of mods that checks the authors and stories that are being reported.

I’m a fandom old: even if I’m young, I began reading and writing fanfics back in September/October 2012. I’ve used a site that was basically ff.net’s twin, Wattpad, and then Ao3. I was there, when Wattpad slowly turned into a money-making farm and implemented micro-transactions and ads. I have seen how these platforms evolved and who they were protecting, and it really doesn’t matter how much you whine and complain about Ao3, but it’s the only platform that actually protects both its writers and readers in equal measure.

According to the many theories made by people who have already forgotten how actually lawless fanfiction sites were, having mods would solve all the problems regarding the “moral issues” presented by Ao3. In their opinion, mods would be these perfect creature who never take sides and are always impartial, ready to defend ThE cHiLdReN from the evil, amoral content. They’d scrub the site clean from the “toxic” and “dangerous” content in order to create a wholesome environment where parents and kids alike can happily frolic together.

In truth? Nothing about mods ever worked like that. No one is able to be completely impartial, and some people only need to be given an ounce of power to lose their minds and do as they please.

On the site similar to ff.net, people were encouraged to report all the stories that didn’t strictly follow the rules of the site, including the ones where the spelling wasn’t as great as it should’ve been. It wasn’t rare to find that users had reported an account or a story simply out of revenge, because said author hadn’t commented their work favorably. If you were a fandom favorite with a lot of readers, it was also possible to find in your DM box people asking you to report and ask your readers to report someone, even if you had to make up things in order for the report to go through.

Thankfully, mods were extremely lethargic (I love the idea that people think that they’d act briskly and not sleuth around the site, posting stories with their modding accounts in order to receive a higher number of comments), so most reports ended up in stand-by, catching proverbial dust, for years and years, until everybody forgot about the report itself as well as the story, the author, and whatever had happened there.

But when they acted? Ooooh, and here’s the interesting part, because there were three options!

The story was taken down, the account banned, and the only thing left of them would be a notice from the mods that they had been stricken because they had done this, this, and a little bit of that too. But do you know who was usually hit, by this? Smaller writers, writers whose stories didn’t pull in a lot of views and comments, people who were “forgettable”. It also happened a lot with writers who would put themselves against bigger authors by writing negative reviews for their stories;

The mods closed an eye because the people and storied reported where at the top of their category in a very trafficked fandom. There was a case in which people were so distressed by the presence of a very specific story (Jewish girl falls in love with the Nazi guard that abuses her while she’s in a concentration camp), that the headmistress of the site had to write a special comment that could be viewed by all the people who were going to review that story that said that there was no reason to leave a negative review nor to report it to the mods, as it followed the rules of the site (it didn’t, but it brought in a lot of views and attention to the platform, so... it could stay!);

The mods would hunt the authors on their social medias too and ban them from the site because they’d been rude. It happened more than once, that an author was reported or they were the ones reporting, and have found themselves submersed in insults by members of the mod team on their Facebook page. Two cases:

An author was accused of having plagiarized a story written by another, more famous, user. The author denied, and asked for proof of it. The mod taking care of the case didn’t offer any, but deleted their story and blocked their account until they said they were sorry to the more famous user. In order to have their account back, the author said they were sorry to the famous user, but on their Facebook page wrote that it was a crock of shit: they hadn’t copied from that person, and the fact that the mod hadn’t offered any proof of it was suspicious enough. The mod saw that Facebook post, sent them a DM with nothing but insults, and then banned them permanently because they had been rude to the administration;

An author posted a story, and two other users plagiarized it. The author reported both stories and waited a week for the mods to send them a DM telling them to screenshot all the passages that had been copied and put them all in a document because they didn’t have time to read three different stories. Although the author complied, they wrote a post complaining about this lousy job on Facebook. The post caught the eye of another moderator who blocked their account and told them they wouldn’t have had access to the site unless they apologized to the entire team of mods, to the users they had accused of plagiarizing their story, and took down the Facebook post. In the meanwhile, the first mod was caught chatting with one of the two other users on the forum. The author didn’t back down for another two weeks, when the headmistress of the site herself showed up and told them she would’ve been the one to take care of the question. In the end, although it was clear that the two users had copied the author’s story, the author still received nasty and threatening messages from the entire mod team because of that Facebook post, to the point that they decided to delete their stories and their account altogether and move to another platform.

This is what happens with mods that are always asked to answer to reports and to take care of stories personally: authors are not protected against anything unless they are big enough to be an attraction people subscribe to the platform for. Fics with “moral backbone” issues were left up if they had the views and the comments for it.

And the readers? Well, the readers used to get the short end of the stick too, as those sites didn’t have a tag system and there wasn’t a way for them to know if a story contained something they didn’t like to read about, nor a way for them to “obscure” the ones that did. Finding specific things was a mess too.

This to say: you need to curate your own fandom experience. You are in charge of what you read, and it’s not my place to take care of the children and make sure that everything they put their saintly eyes upon is wholesome. Ao3 is the only platforms that allows the readers to have an absolutely complete control of what they consume and that allows the writers to warn the readers of every single issue their story can contain that might trouble them. Learn to curate your own fandom experience, rather than spending your time whining about “moral issues” and “think of the children”, coming up with ideas that are simply not doable on a massive site like Ao3.

[kurodai-week]

The Wolf and The Bear

Kurodai day 2! Prompt: Supernatural (Written in chapters, I was feeling inspired, more to follow on my tumblr) Words: 3442 ——————————————————————————————- He waited in the dark for an opportunity to strike. She looked like she was alone. Not a very big bear, he could definitely take her if he aims for her throat. One big bite, even if she throws him off, he could try to land on his feet. He might break a few toes, but that was a very small price to pay if he could get food and shelter for the month. Kuroo stepped out into the clearing by the water’s edge, stalking closer behind the bear who seemed unaware of his footsteps. And just as he was about to lunge, he hears massive footsteps running towards him, causing him to turn wildly around- a giant bear, much bigger than the other was charging at him. Where had he come from, this wasn’t going according to plan at all. He ran back into the woods behind them, running for his life, his heart beating against his chest to carry him further. This was it, he was dying today, and for what- for a life of a petty vendor running errands between tribes for scraps. He could see his life flashing before his eyes as he scrambled into the woods- the grizzly was fast as he was big, even the trees weren’t deterring him like they normally should any bear. He managed to climb a leaf strewn slope up to a jutting rock- hiding behind it to try and catch his breath. He debated running further, calling for help from the neighboring packs- maybe someone would come after all, even if he wasn’t welcome there anymore, maybe they’d mistake his call for someone else. But then he knew, nobody would come. He was alone, and he would die alone, under the jaw of this grizzly. He’d have to put up a fight, and this was his one chance. He takes a deep breath, steels himself, and prepares to die. He aimed for the inside of the bear’s paw- a soft spot, easy to sink his teeth into and try to tear a chunk out of. As he connected with the beast, a terrifying, thunderous roar filled the forest, enough to shake new life into his body- he wasn’t all that small compared to him, his jaw clamping down on his entire paw, sharp fangs digging in deep. But the bear was bigger still, stronger, taller when he stood on his hind legs, and he was being thrashed around in the air like a ragdoll. Then finally, with one last shake, he was tossed into the side of that very same rock. His fate was cruel, but that wasn’t the thought running through his mind when the wind was knocked out of him- the only thought he had, as he whimpered loudly, tears stinging at his eyes- was the excruciating pain shooting through his entire body. His legs, his torso, his head. His head was spinning, the world was spinning- everything seemed to be going dark. This was it. This was the end. He was dying. Like the dog he is, bleeding against a rock in the middle of nowhere. He couldn’t breathe, his ribs surely broken and its contents jostled around. Only his heart seemed to beating still stronger, aching as it pumped life into his body that begged it to stop. Meanwhile, the bear seemed to be in immense pain, stumbling through the woods higher up the slope, leaving a trail of blood behind from its paw. Kuroo closed his eyes then, satisfied with at least that much. That he’d died a fighting dog. If.. if his parents knew, then maybe they’d be proud. And with that, he let the blackness take him. ——————————————————————————————————-  Kuroo opened his eyes. How much time had passed, he didn’t know. It seemed dark still, had it been a day already? No, he didn’t think so- it was his instincts driving him now, he needed a safe place to crawl into. Somewhere he could pass out in peace, not here where some animal or other would find him.

But could he move? He looked down to his legs, they looked bad- bruised dark, he could see it better now on his human skin. He was so sure he looked like a sad sack of meat as a man, but he knew he was too weak to change back, for a while at least. So not only was he on the verge of death, he was in his defenseless form- no sharp teeth or claws, or fur.

He reached down to the little bundle of rags he had tied to his thigh, and suddenly felt pain, bolts of pain running jagged through his torso. He gasped for air, struggling as he undid his clothes and managed to pull his hide-skin on. The bottoms were far worse to get into, his pelvis must be shattered he thought as he willed himself not to cry out loud. Panting, sweating, and delirious from the pain, he looked up the slope- all he needed to do was find a cave to lie down in. He wouldn’t move again for at least a week, but right now, he didn’t want to die of shock when something attacked him for meat as the night went by.

Taking in sharp hissing breaths through his mouth, he gripped at the rock beside him, and discovered that he couldn’t stand. He closed his eyes as the tears came, pain like he’d never felt before- and gritted his teeth, crawling up the slope as best as he could. Thankfully, it wasn’t too steep, and there were roots he could use to hoist himself up- his arms though bruised and hurting, could still carry him.

He managed to crawl on his knees some of the way- though it took the life out of him, which made him wonder if he might just survive this. Funny what 5 seconds of being upright can do to a man. Kuroo looked ahead of him just as the slope began to ease up, and saw the entrance of a tunnel that led into the mountain. It wasn’t used by any humans, that much was certain by the large bones strewn outside of it.

It wasn’t his best choice, but it had to do. The man managed somehow to stand then- his muscles aching, tears streaming down his face- he managed to hobble the rest of the way to the little doorway of the cave and collapse right in the middle of it, elbows hitting the hard granite.

This time he did whimper- and suck in a breath, eyes tired from staying open for so long. Crawling to the wall, he tried to sit up, but it hurt to put weight on his tailbone- so he slumped up against it instead. His peculiar gold eyes glinted towards the dark tunnel, praying that nothing came out of there while he was awake. Or that if it did, it would snap his neck first, do him a kindness.

What he didn’t expect, was a pair of eyes watching him from just inside the doorway- 

human eyes.

Kuroo sucked in a breath, his adrenaline kicking in for a few seconds while he tried to sniff them out. He smelled dangerous, it made him want to roll right out of the cave he’d so painstakingly brought himself crawling into.

What was that smell.. strange, human but, unlike any human he’s ever smelled.

The stranger came forward then, his face illuminated slightly by the moonlight outside- dark hair, dark eyes, his body covered in dark furs, and a rugged face that spoke of immense strength. He didn’t seem hostile.

The two men stared at each other for a while longer- till Kuroo finally becomes aware of the smell of blood on him. Injured, like him, taking refuge in this cave then. But, a quick glance over his body revealed to him that he was nursing his hand behind him, the blood draining from there no doubt.

His gold eyes flicked up to his face just as he’d connected the dots, and so had the other man apparently,

“You should’ve run when you had the chance- I didn’t want to make a body bag out of you-“, the young man said plainly, bringing his bleeding hand out into the light, bandaged roughly with some leaves.

“I didn’t think you’d let me go with my life, after I almost attacked your mate”, Kuroo answered, his eyes studying the man’s affect, his body language was calm, composed. It wasn’t like he was a threat to anyone in the state he was in of course, and clearly he was more in danger than this bear man was.

The stranger didn’t say anything, only looking down at Kuroo’s legs, then at his torso. “Why were you hunting her- didn’t expect a wolf to hunt a grizzly on his own, the stupidest thing you dogs have ever done”

That comment got his hackles rising- a low rumble in his throat, which died as fast as it had come. He was far too much in pain to care about his pride.

“I was hunting for my tribe in the village nearby.. fish was drying up over the fall, deer running far from here- bear would’ve given them fur and meat for weeks-“, his voice was weak, his mind focusing on breathing more than his story.

“You were hunting for humans? You live with them?”, bear man asked, scooting forward to hear him better. He had a curious look on his face, clearly out to get as many answers as he could from the man he’d just maimed beyond repair.

“I.. I travel, and sell my wares..”

“What do you sell..”

“Meat.. clothes, I’ve carried messages and found wives for tribes-leaders”

The man squints at him, not fully understanding, “You’re a matchmaker?”

A little laugh sounded from the injured other as he cranes his neck backwards, reminiscing almost, “Ah h.. I’m a salesman.. I make deals in return for some food, shelter from other tribes”

“So you’re a conman-“, the brown-eyed fellow shot back at him, quick as ever to pass judgement, much to the chagrin of the wolf. However, he wants to continue this conversation, he wants to humor him, play him with his words if he can. “It’s only a con if they’re not happy.. and besides”, this he says with a little more pride, “I sell medicine too, not stolen, crafted by me”

“You don’t run with a pack..?”

Oh, the real questions were starting now. The ones that were difficult to answer.

Kuroo shook his head at him, keeping his eyes cast at the fur that hung over the man’s chest. Grizzly fur.

“Your home..? Home pack?”, he prodded some more, unknowing of the look he would see on the man’s face at the mention of it. Kuroo turned, the dark black hair that hung over half his face was facing him now, eyes cast away from his prying brown orbs. 

Kuroo saw flashes of the faces again, he could smell the fire, the blood. He’d tried to make sense of it, not fully remembering any details only just piecing together what might’ve happened to his home, to his parents and his pack. His siblings, a sharp memory of a chasing game, and his mother.

It took him a few seconds, but with a slow blink of his eyes, he turned back to him, “You..? Your home pack?”

This topic seems to lift up bear’s spirits entirely- causing a wide smile to spread on his lips. Pride in his voice when he says, “Yep- lived here all my life, parents raised me here past the under-fall river, cliffs over there”

Kuroo watched him, nodding at the words, exhaustion climbing over his body slowly but surely. And it seemed that the other man noticed, his dark brown eyes showing some concern, maybe even warmth if he wasn’t imagining it.

Another minute passed before he said, “I can take you to my pack.. heal you there-“

The injured man looked at him, tired eyes, shaking his head, “What, let you take me to a forest full of bears? I don’t think so-“, he started off- but could not shake the look in his eyes as they bore into him, his wounds.

“I’m not going to survive another two days-“, Kuroo said to deter him further.

That’s when he came forward, this stranger who owed him nothing, and locked his eyes into his gold, his voice betraying no hesitation as he spoke the words. “I’m not going to let you die”

Kuroo’s head lolled a little now, which caused him to come closer, holding at his neck with his good hand, supporting his heavy, weary form with his strong arms. His strength was leaving him, so he whispered, brows knitting together as he shook his head at him again, “It’s not your place to save my life.. I tried to attack your family today- you can leave me here and go on with a clean conscience knowing they’re safe-“

“I’m not going to let you die”

His words were spoken even firmer, an air of finality about them, the stubbornness of a bear perhaps. The wolf could only watch those eyes, full of conviction, like they defied death itself to take him from him. And though he didn’t want to be moved, though he didn’t want to fight this awful, heaviness that was setting in his bones, he just knew he couldn’t say no to him.

Or maybe he was too tired to try.

The bear understood that this defeat meant a silent agreement to being in his care, which brought an impossibly warm smile to his face- the man who could have killed him, who came very close to doing just that barely a few hours ago. “Want me to carry you?”, he asked with clinical concern, but the response Kuroo gave was one of misplaced pride, “N o ..?”

Of course, that earned him an amused look.

A heavy sigh before Kuroo nodded, feeling his pride wilt, his tail between his legs at the thought of being carried like a cub to his cave- but the pull at his neck that he somehow expected instinctually, did not come. Instead, strong, capable arms despite his own injuries scooped underneath Kuroo’s torso and his legs carefully. Before he could protest, he was lifted in the air, and held close to his chest.

Swaddled then, like a baby. His mind seemed to snap when he saw the ground below them, a good way away, and he scrambled just a little to wrap his own arms around the man’s neck, wincing in pain from the movement.

And the gall he had to laugh at him. “Just like you dogs~ always the same, put you on a little shelf and all that pomp dies in seconds-“

Kuroo fumed at him, not appreciating the commentary as he was carried out of the cave-

“Alright alright, I’ll stop cause you’re injured”

“Dying-“

“Injured”

Stubborn. Big. Stinky. Bears. —————————————————————————————————

He was carried the rest of the way, past the river, and to the forest beyond the shallow fishing pool. The climb in the forest was gentle, the terrain naturally flowing back towards the riverside till it tapered to the side of a mountain. The rocky ledge he walked on was the worst hurdle- Kuroo didn’t dare look down to the depths below, burying his face into his shoulder, and closing his eyes shut.

But then, it cleared out onto a wide shelf overlooking the water- the bear cliffs were beautiful, something he’d only seen in the distance. The side of the mountain had several hollows inside of it- each one, full of sleeping bears.

His mouth hung open when he saw them, hardly believing his eyes.

“This is my home.. and you’re welcome here till you’re healed and ready to leave-“, he spoke finally, carrying him in the dark past several occupied caves and into a smaller, empty one.

He set him down on furs that lined the stone, gentle as a feather, showing exceptional control despite his severely injured hand- which the wolf suddenly felt so much guilt for giving him. Gold eyes heavy with sleep followed him as he walked about the surprisingly warm cave for where it was situated- then watched him as he kneeled by his side, a hollow shell in his hand.

“It’s a salve, should take away the fever and the pain for a little- help you sleep tonight..”, he said softly to the man in his care, trying to ease his worries. Looking down at his body now, the next words spoken were, “Strip your clothes off-“

Kuroo shouldn’t have- he shouldn’t have been able to ignore the exhaustion taking over his body, and look up at the man, a little smile building on his lips. But he did just that, eyes heavy lidded with sleep, but also something else-

The bear nearly huffed at him, raising his brow sternly, disbelievingly.  Was he being, suggestive? Of what? “Or I’ll just cut it off of you, you’re not going to be needing them anyway-“

“Alright alright, I’m doing it-“, he said with what bear could’ve sworn was a giggle. After all that he’d been through, the man was giggling and chortling like a pup as he winced and sat up to pull his hide-skin rags off of his torso. He even had the gall to reach for his skirt, which gave good enough access as it is, “This too..?”

A firm little slap on his ribs seemed to do the trick. The man reeled, and gasped for air as he lay down instantly, to the delight of the brown eyed other,  “Blood seems to be leaving your head, do better to lie down-” 

The sun seemed to be filtering through the air, it was morning after already. Orange rays of light fell on the bear man’s face as he leaned over him and applied the salve to his body.

Kuroo watched him as he did it, carefully, taking all the time he needed- first over his chest and under his ribs, then down to his abdomen. As that hand pressed soft circles into his skin, he watched its fingers travel lower, to his hips, and then to his thighs underneath the rags of his skirt. He went still lower to his knees, his shins, his feet and his toes- leaving a trail of burning-cooling tingles in his wake.

When he was done, Kuroo found himself wishing he wasn’t, waiting for another round of this, whatever it was that he was doing to his body. He’d used salves before on himself, but none hadf felt quite like this.

Oh but he wasn’t done, his warm fingers found their way underneath him, rubbing soft lines down his spine to the small of his back. His face was so close to his body while he touched him, his palm cupping over firm buttocks, and travelling.. between them.

Kuroo’s eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when the firm fingers rubbed at his pelvic bone. There was not a moment of hesitation or awkward reluctance in the man’s eyes, only concentration on his task. A true healer at work, and a man of his word. He wasn’t going to let him die.

The wolf’s eyes poured into his, the words catching in his throat as he watched the bear put the shell down and wipe his one hand on the wall behind him, the other still covered in a bloody bandage and clotted, dirty. He came back to his patient’s side, smoothing over his forehead with the salved hand, a cool sheen of the stuff masking his skin and instantly giving him relief from the throbbing in his head.

“I’ll go find some crystals for you, they’re in a cave not far from here-“, he said to him, eyes full of not sympathy or even empathy really. They were full of care and quiet devotion. “They’re magic, they’ve healed the worst injuries we’ve had- broken bones, bleeding wounds, cured bad appetites and ailing hearts too”

Kuroo smiled faintly up at him then, “Thank you..”, he whispered, the events from the day fully settling on him as his eyes searched his brown. There was nothing there to read, only, inexplicable warmth. The bear’s thumb rubbed a small circle into his forehead, returning Kuroo’s smile with his own.

“Get some sleep..”

He didn’t have to be told twice, going out like a light as soon as the man had left the cave- sinking into dreamless slumber, and a deep one.

[sssn-neptune-vasilias]

I know you said you've blocked Kob but p sure he read your post anyway and is saying that you all brought this [the toxicity vs differing opinions] on yourselves because you guys were toxic as well. Thoughts?

Tl;Dr: Typical Kob bullshit. Shift the blame and introduce whattaboutism so that no one can ever call him out on his bullshit. Frustrating that people still don’t see how transparent these tactics are. I don’t wanna spend too much of my blog discussing Kob because he frustrates me but I also think it’s important to protect people voicing their opinions and that obviously involves condemning the asshole.

Gonna preface by admitting that RWDE hasn’t been an entirely non-toxic environment. There’ve been its fair share of death threats, creator intimidation, etc. same as any fandom! I think it might’ve been a bit more visible because RT used to really care about its audience back in the day and any toxic hatred and vitriol was really jarring to them and us as fans. This was back before they got bought by AT&T and were still just a “small” company. RWDE has never been a toxic free zone, but no fandom ever has been. The reason the RWDE tag was made was to specifically isolate critical, toxic, shitpost, or angry posts away from people who didn’t wanna see that kind of content. A lot of blogs are critical of the shows they watch- why wouldn’t they be- while a lot of people don’t like seeing any kind of criticism! What do we do? The FNDM created the RWDE tag JUST so that people can STILL follow blogs like mine and hundreds of others and blacklist the RWDE tag if they so desired. It was an accommodation for people. Have people tagged death threats with RWDE? Absolutely. Have people been super toxic and then tagged their toxicity with RWDE? Sure fucking thing. Is any of this okay? NO! All of those individual bloggers who did things like that should be punished! RWDE or not, that’s not okay! Sending death threats to Miles and Kerry and the crew isn’t okay! No one should be doing it in or out of the RWDE tag. The thing is, there’s no RWDE police that go around sniping people for being toxic in RWDE- that doesn’t exist on tumblr. This isn’t Discord. We can’t ban people, or stop them from using a tag.

Now, I wasn’t around when Kob was first starting out. I think I first learned about him after he’d already been around for a few months, and was already making a name for himself doing the kinds of things he’s known to do. I have no idea if someone told him to kill himself once and he’s been on a downward spiral ever since. I don’t know who fired the first shot, and honestly, considering the fact that his original blog got deleted, I don’t think we’ll ever find out. The issue is that even if Kob was reacting in self defense, he then went on to harass dozens- if not hundreds of people- who had nothing to do with it. He’s accused EVERY RWDE blogger of suicide baiting him- something most rwde bloggers obviously have not. He’s been entirely unable to distinguish between individual people, and has just been aiming 100% of his vitriol at ANYONE who uses the RWDE tag, be it people who HAVE told him to go jump off a bridge vs people who he’s literally had zero interaction with. Kob is 100% in control of his own actions, and chooses to attack people for no reason other than he’s bored and wants attention.

Have I seen people tell Kob to drink bleach? Yup. Have I seen people tell Kob to kill himself? Absolutely. Have I seen people tell Kob they hope he dies in a fire? Mhmm. What’s in common between all these events? They were always after multiple replies in a thread where Kob was super gross and incendiary towards the OP and they got tired of dealing with his shit. Does that mean NO ONE has ever told him to go fuck himself out of the blue? Nah, I’m sure a lot of people have. But the pattern remains that Kob starts the fire and then cries to the FNDM at large whenever he gets burned. “GUYS LOOK! THIS RWDER TOLD ME TO GO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE! RWDE IS TERRIBLE!” “Yeah but... you literally called them a terrorist for not liking the show???” Should people be telling others to kill themselves? Probably not. Out of context it’s always a bad look and it’s real easy to take anything you say out of context over the internet when screenshots can be cropped, messages can be altered, etc. Am I surprised that Kob pissed off so many people that MULTIPLE people told him to go kill himself? Nah, and tbh, he kinda deserves it imho. You can’t keep attacking everyone around you and expect the world to have unlimited amounts of patience to deal with your tantrums. Eventually someone’s gonna tell you to piss on the third rail.

I can’t tell you whether Kob made his tumblr day 1 and decided to act like this, or if someone did something that triggered him into it, but honestly, it doesn’t matter. Kob is an adult who’s responsible for his own actions, and these are the kinds of actions he’s responsible for:

I don’t know what Kob’s relationship with @/kaedeichinose was before this. Idk if she told Kob to kill himself, I don’t know if she personally walked into Kob’s house and fucked both of his parents in front of him, I don’t know if she burnt Kob’s pancakes or straight up has never had a single interaction with him in her life. All I know is that Kob knew she’d blocked him, and this is how he responded to her. “Not my fault you willingly excluded yourself from the conversation. I never agreed to stop talking to you and I never have. Ain’t my problem.” This in and of itself should’ve gotten Kob banned from Tumblr and ostracized from any and every fandom circle on the internet. This is entirely unacceptable behavior. It literally doesn’t matter what Kaedichinose did to him- if she did anything at all. Acknowledging the fact that you went behind tumblr’s block system to continue to harass someone who explicitly told you to leave them alone, and affirming that you will continue to do so, is egregious behavior. This in and of itself disqualifies him from any sympathy or leniency. He’s already admitted that he is committing himself to continue harassing her. This is one person. He’s done this to dozens of people, myself included. He did this to me in August and I’ve had him blocked for years.

Kob can say whatever he wants about RWDE being toxic. There are some toxic parts of RWDE, this isn’t debatable. There are some parts of RWDE even I hate looking at. Wanna know how I deal with them? I block and blacklist the OP. Then I never have to see their opinions. Ever. Instead of taking the civil, smart route, Kob takes the route where he purposefully harasses dozens to hundreds of people. He can’t keep blaming ALL OF RWDE- anyone who’s EVER used the RWDE tag to say “I don’t like Crescent Rose’s design” to in depth Jaune analysis and why they don’t like his character- for the actions of the specific people who’ve done what he’s claiming to do. He can’t keep attacking RWDE for this. He can’t say “oh I haven’t done this in a really long time so it doesn’t cound anymore” when I have evidence of him doing it seven months ago. Sure, some members of RWDE are toxic. That doesn’t excuse KOB HIMSELF from being toxic towards people who’d NEVER DONE the things he was angry about. That doesn’t excuse him block evading and harassing people.

Kob can shift the blame and say “well those guys did this” all he wants. Kob’s actions speak for themselves. Anyone who can look through all those links I posted in my last thread and not see a problem with his behavior probably shouldn’t be on this website either tbh

[artificialqueens]

Baby, don't make me spell it out for you (Jankie) - Mar

A/N: Based on a classic tumblr prompt.

Jan peeked around the corner where she was hiding. From her vantage point, she could see her friends sitting at their usual spot in the school yard.

This is so stupid, she thought. These were her friends. Jackie was her friend. Worst case scenario, things would be awkward for a while, and then they would both move on. Probably. Hopefully. Oh, God.

A little crinkle noise let her know she was on the verge of crushing the letter in her hands.

Jan peeked around the corner where she was hiding. From her vantage point, she could see her friends sitting at their usual spot in the school yard, under the shade of a jacarandá. She could see Nicky and Jaida’s faces, but her target had her back turned. All she could see of Jackie was her mass of curls and the faint outline of her glasses.

Jaida looked in her direction and Jan hid behind the school building again. With her back against the wall, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart.

This is so stupid, she thought. These were her friends. Jackie was her friend. Worst case scenario, things would be awkward for a while, and then they would both move on. Probably. Hopefully. Oh, God.

A little crinkle noise let her know she was on the verge of crushing the letter in her hands. Jan relaxed her fingers and smoothed out the envelope. It was a simple, sage green envelope, subtle enough that she could hand it discreetly without attracting the eyes of their very curious, very invasive friends. The glittery hearts and starfleet sticker were a bit cheesy, maybe, but whatever. Jan was cheesy, and Jackie had never made her feel stupid for it. Plus, she had bought that sticker sheet weeks ago and had been dying for a chance to use them.

The loud cackles from her friend group brought her back to the mission. Recess was almost over, which meant she needed to hurry. Jan slipped the letter in the front pocket of her hoodie and pushed herself off the wall.

Act like there’s nothing wrong, she told herself. And there is nothing wrong! You’ll be fine. She’ll be fine.

Nicky was the first to spot her.

“Where were you?” she asked. “I waited for you outside of class but you didn’t come out.”

“Oh, I wanted to finish tomorrow’s homework,” said Jan, avoiding Nicky’s eyes.

She sat on the grass next to Jackie, who bumped her shoulder. Jan swayed from side to side and landed herself on Jackie’s shoulder, smiling up at her. Jackie smiled back and poked Jan’s nose. By Jackie’s side, surrounded by the sweet smell of the tree flowers and her friends’ quiet chatter, Jan felt at peace. It was almost nice enough to calm her nerves entirely.

Except Jaida kept sending her curious looks everytime she so much as glanced at Jackie. At one point, Jan picked up a flower and tucked it behind Jackie’s ear, making her smile and mutter a thank you, Jannie. When Jan looked up, Jaida was staring right at her, eyebrow raised. Before Jaida could call her out, Jan threw a diversion:

“Did you guys watch Dream Desserts last night? I thought Emma should’ve won the challenge.”

Not even ten seconds later, Jaida was passionately arguing with Nicky about the merits of fondant in decorations. Jan sat back, hiding her smile. It was too easy.

Jackie, however, saw right through her. She leaned into Jan and whispered:

“Why did you throw blood into that shark tank?” she asked, pointing at the other two girls.

“Umm, just to see what would happen.”

“Oh, we’re making social experiments with our friends, now?” teased Jackie.

“Yeah, taking mental notes,” Jan said, tapping her head. “You’re next, so watch out.”

Jackie laughed and Jan beamed at her. If she had the girl laughing at a joke that silly, maybe she was right to hope.

The school bell rang and the girls stood up lazily, brushing off grass from their clothes. Jaida and Nicky led the way, engaged in a much calmer conversation. Jan walked a few steps behind them with Jackie, and once she deemed the other two were out of earshot, she tugged on Jackie’s sleeve.

Jackie stopped and turned to her with curious eyes.

“What’s up, Janet?”

“I wanted to give you something before class,” Jan whispered.

“Okay,” Jackie whispered back, amused. “Why are we whispering?”

Jan gestured towards their friends’ backs.

“I just don’t want them to hear. It’s a little personal,” she said, with a tiny smile. Jan pulled out the letter and held it in her tight grip. “I, uh, I wrote this letter. And it would mean a lot to me if you would read it,” she said, pretty much shoving the letter into Jackie’s chest.

“O-kay, what is this?” Jackie took the letter and examined it. Jan could pinpoint the moment when she realized what she had in her hands. Her eyes widened and she let out a little oh. “Is this…?”

“Yes. That’s why I only wanted you to see it. So, um, if you could read it…” Jan noticed Jackie was not saying anything, so she backtracked. “But you can totally say no!” she said, reaching out for the letter. “I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, so I can- I can take it back.”

“No!” Jackie said, holding the letter close to her chest. “No, it’s okay. I’m completely comfortable!” She took a hesitant step towards the school building. “We should get going, though.”

“Yes! Yes, we should.”

Both girls walked inside in tense silence. Outside of Jackie’s classroom, Jan lingered, not sure of how to say goodbye.

“Do you- I, can I walk you home after school?”

Jackie tightened her death grip on the letter, and Jan considered taking it from her before it became illegible. Instead, she made her hands play with the strings of her hoodie.

“Oh, I don’t know, I think I have a meeting with the debate team today, so…” said Jackie, inching towards the door. “I’ll let you know, yeah?”

“Yeah. Alright. See ya, Jacks.” Jan waved and walked away.

All throughout her class, she wondered if she should’ve mentioned that the debate team only met on Thursdays. ________________________________________________________________

Jan didn’t see Jackie for the rest of the day. She’d waited for her outside the school, but there’d been no sight of the girl. After a few minutes, Jan shot her a text.

are you coming? i’m outside!

The message didn’t even send through. Dejected, Jan made her way home. ________________________________________________________________

“Ma! I’m back!”

Jan went into the kitchen and shrugged off her backpack and hoodie. The oven was on and the room was too stuffy, even with all the windows open. Her mom was stretching dough on the counter, next to where her little sister sat, sorting through a box of baking tools.

“Hi, honey. Did you have a nice day?” asked Luisa. Jan nodded and kissed her cheek.

“Jannie!” called Lemon, holding out the box to her sister. “Pick a cookie cutter.”

Jan lifted one shaped like a flower, but noticed Lemon frowning, and put it back down. She then picked the bunny shaped cutter and Lemon nodded in approval.

“This one,” said Jan, placing it on the counter with the others.

“All ready?” asked Luisa, to which Lemon nodded. “Start cutting the shapes, the oven’s probably ready.”

They ended up with more than forty cookies, because Luisa only knew how to cook in army proportions. She fit them all in the oven and shook the flour off her hands.

“They’ll be done in ten minutes. Jan, can you set a timer?”

Jan nodded and went to grab her phone. Still no new messages. Once she set the timer, she opened her conversation with Jackie and saw that the girl had seen her last text, but hadn’t replied. Jan frowned and started chewing on her nails. It wasn’t like Jackie to leave her on read. That probably meant she had read the letter, and was either happy and waiting to discuss it in person, or…

Jan shook her head. The alternative was too awful.

“Ma, can I invite Pri over for cookies?” asked Lemon.

“You can. Tell her to bring a tupper, I’m sending her back with extras.”

Lemon hopped off the counter and ran out the door.

Jan saw that her mom was putting the kettle on, so she put her phone away and sat at the kitchen table. Luisa leaned back on the counter and looked at Jan.

“Sooo, how did it go?”

Jan sighed and stretched her arms on the table.

“Well, I did it. Now the ball’s on her court, and I’m trying to be okay with that.”

“And what did she say?” asked Luisa, eyes wide.

“Nothing yet, she hasn’t texted me. I’m thinking she wants to talk about it face to face. I hope.” Jan looked down at her hands and started running her nails through the lines in the wood. “I guess she could be avoiding me, if I upset her,” she said. “If- if she hated the letter, and thinks I’m… I don’t know, disgusting,” Jan sighed, burying her face in her hands.

Luisa took Jan’s hands off her face and lifted her chin, gently.

“None of that, Janine. That girl loves you, that was never in doubt. Maybe as a friend, maybe as something else, but she loves you, and she won’t toss you to the curb over a crush. Not Jackie.”

Jan smiled and rubbed her eyes.

“Thanks, ma. And I know you’re right, I’m just nervous. But even if Jackie says no, I’ll still have her as a friend, and that could never be a bad thing.”

“Exactly! So you’ve got that scenario covered. But I’m more interested in what you’ll do if she says yes.” Luisa leaned forward. “Have you thought about it?” she said, in a confabulatory voice.

Jan furrowed her brows.

“You seem to be having way too much fun at my expense.”

“This is exciting!” said Luisa. “I’ve been waiting for it since the first time you had Jackie over.”

“Ma! We were like, nine, back then.”

“And I already knew this would happen. You were so cute, showing off your cartwheels and trying to impress her, with little Jackie beaming at you like you were the most wonderful thing on this earth. Argh, young love.” Luisa pinched Jan’s cheek and went to get the kettle.

Jan had to smile at the memory.

“Jackie had her braces, remember?”

“Mhmm. And you had your freckles. But you see my point?”

“That you’re way too involved and in need of a hobby?” teased Jan.

Luisa carried the mugs to the table and smacked her daughter upside the head, making her laugh.

“So disrespectful…”

Jan went to grab her mug, but Luisa took her hand in both of hers. They were always warm, and a little rough, and Jan thought about how nothing else made her feel as safe.

“My point,” Luisa started, “is that, from the beginning, you two have been the same. Little stars in each other’s orbits. And it will be the same tomorrow.”

Jan looked at her mom in silence, and let herself believe that.

“You are a very wise woman, has anyone told you that?”

Luisa fought back a smile.

“Drink your tea, Janine.” ________________________________________________________________

There were twenty minutes left before the bell rang. Jan had asked to be dropped off early that morning, and her mom had agreed, much to the annoyance of Lemon, who’d been woken up half an hour earlier than necessary. The whole car ride, she’d done her very best to glower threateningly at Jan, but with her tousled hair and chubby cheeks, the result was as scary as a moody lion cub. Whatever, Luisa was taking her for breakfast at Starbucks to make up for it. Lemon would be fine.

Jan, on the other hand, was waiting to find out whether her very best friend in the galaxy would even look at her again. Alright, that was the nerves talking, but still. High stakes.

“Where are you, Jaqueline…” she wondered aloud, tugging on the straps of her backpack.

The wind was picking up and whipping her stray hairs in her face, messing up the very pretty, very intricate braid she had adorned herself with. Maybe she should wait inside…

As soon as she had that thought, she saw the Rose’s van parking in front of the school. Jan started bouncing on her heels and only noticed it because her backpack started hitting her. She forced herself to be still and breathed in.

The door opened.

Jackie looked so, so pretty. She had her gold hoop earrings and one of her nicest shirts. Alright, maybe that was a good sign, Jan reasoned, because maybe she had also wanted to look good.

The car drove away and Jackie turned around and- no. Oh no. Jackie looked sad. She looked sad like she needed to let a best friend down easy, or not easy at all, sad like she was about to take Jan’s heart in her delicate hands and crush it to little bits.

She also looked surprised to see Jan waiting for her. Jan caught the way Jackie plastered on a big, strained smile before walking up to her. What was that about?

“Morning!”

“Morning, Jacks.” Jan tried to be cheery. “You look pretty.”

That seemed to soften Jackie’s expression into something more genuine.

���Thanks. You’re early, today.”

“Yeah, I wanted to see you before class.”

They stood in silence, neither wanting to start the conversation.

“So…”

“So… Did you read it?”

Jackie let out a shaky breath.

“I did. Hold on.” Jackie put her backpack on the floor and kneeled to riffle through it. Jan tilted her head to the side.

“What are you doing?”

“I put it in my notebook so it wouldn’t crinkle,” said Jackie, standing up and holding out the envelope. “Here.”

Jan frowned in confusion, but still took it. She opened the envelope and checked to see if Jackie had put something else inside, but no. Just her own letter.

“Why are you giving it back?”

It was Jackie’s turn to look confused.

“So you can edit it?”

It occured to Jan that, maybe, two different conversations were taking place, and she had a hunch about where the miscommunication came from. But she found it hard to believe that this girl, this brilliant leader of the debate team, this absolute nerd who could talk for hours about globe politics, could also be so extraordinarily dumb.

Jan unfolded the letter and, sure enough, dots had been added. Commas had been replaced with semicolons. There were even comments on the margins.

“You marked it.”

“Hmm?”

“You marked my letter.” Jan couldn’t look away from the paper.

“Yes, I ran out of post-its, I’m so sorry! I used a really soft pencil, though, so you can erase it and it won’t show.”

“I gave you a love letter, and you marked it.”

“Yes? You asked me to read it? You looked nervous, like you always get when you show me your essays-”

“Jackie.”

“-because you think you can’t write but you can and that letter is beautiful, really, and your person is so lucky. You even got it revised, because that’s who you are. You put your heart into everything you do, it’s my favorite thing about you-”

“Jaqueline.”

“Huh?”

Jan placed both hands on Jackie’s shoulders.

“I gave the letter to you. Who did you think it was for?” She looked into her eyes, waiting.

Jackie frowned a little and then, slowly, her eyes widened.

“It has Star Trek stickers, Jaqueline.”

Jackie buried her face in her hands.

“I’m an idiot…”

Jan wanted to say something encouraging, but she opened her mouth and all that fell out were giggles. Jackie slowly lowered her hands. She was crimson red, but Jan’s laughter was contagious. The tension dissolved with their fits and Jan forgot why she had been nervous in the first place. This was her person.

Jan went back to fiddling with her backpack straps, still grinning.

“Okay, grammatical errors aside-”

“Jaaan,” whined Jackie, still embarrassed.

“-now that you know the letter’s for you, what did you think of it?”

“Oh! Ha,” Jackie let out, looking down. “It’s a lot.”

Jan looked at her, panicked.

“A good lot!” corrected Jackie. “It’s unexpected, I mean, I knew you liked me, but not- not like this. I didn’t think I’d earned this, and basically this is a long winded way of saying, I like you too.”

“You do?” Jan looked at her, all bright eyes and years of love on her face.

Jackie had to look away. A few years down the line, she would find the words to tell Jan that looking at her felt like looking at the sun, sometimes. Magnetic, breathtaking, and almost unbearable. For now, she could only nod at the ground.

Giggles bubbled out of Jan’s mouth again. She couldn’t help it. All the buildup, pining and hope had led to her bravest moment, and the rewards had her on cloud nine. With her leftover bravery, Jan reached for Jackie’s hand, wondering if a gesture that familiar to them would feel different under unfamiliar circumstances.

It both did and didn’t.

“What happens now?” she asked Jackie, pulling her imperceptibly closer.

“Well,” Jackie started, lacing their hands together. “I have calculus, which I hate. And you have geography, which you hate. So we could go to class and think of each other and not pay attention all morning, which is a waste of time anyway, or…”

“Or?” 

“Or, we could skip and go to the skatepark and, um, talk…” she finished, looking up at Jan through her lashes.

Jan’s heart stuttered at the way Jackie said “talk”. That got a firm yes from her. She really hoped this time they were both on the same page.

“Definitely, let’s do that one,” Jan nodded, eager, already dragging Jackie away from the school.

“Alright, let’s.” Jackie followed her easily. Some things wouldn’t change.

There were no clouds in the sky, but the sun was still taking its sweet time warming up the morning. Jan spared a thought for the jacket she’d forgone that morning, but mostly she thought about how Jackie was more susceptible to cold weather and also wearing a skirt. So, in a totally smooth and not-at-all clumsy move, she hooked her arm around Jackie’s shoulders and huddled closer to her side, for warmth.

Jackie tensed, but grabbed Jan’s hand before she could take it back.

The girls came to a fork in their path, and stopped to choose the best street to the park.

“We should take sixth instead of seventh,” said Jackie, “because that’s your mom’s route to work, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Although I don’t think she would mind us skipping that much, considering,” said Jan, starting down that street.

“Considering what?”

Jan gestured vaguely between their bodies.

“You told Luisa??”

Jan looked at Jackie with an expression that clearly said duh.

“You’re right, I don’t know why I asked.”

Jan laughed and bumped their hips together.

“If it makes you feel better, she was totally rooting for us.”

“It does, actually. I don’t think I could handle mama-bear Luisa telling me to stay away from her precious daughter.”

“She literally likes you more than me.”

A store came into view and Jan slowed down the pace.

“Oooh, we should get chips and sodas for the park. Oh! And sandwiches!” she said, already pulling Jackie into the store.

“You’re the best person to skip class with.”

Jan grinned and rushed inside. They ended up with two paper bags full of drinks and food, and some sparkly hair clips Jan had liked and Jackie had decided to buy for her, because she never displayed any self-control when it came to making Jan happy.

Outside of the store, Jan insisted on being chivalrous and carrying both bags. It was such a simple gesture, but it still got Jackie to gush over her.

“I’m really liking being your girlfriend, Janessa.”

Jan stopped walking.

“I’m your girlfriend?”

“I mean, I think so? At least,” Jackie cleared her throat, “at least that’s what I want. If you want that, too. But there’s no pressure.”

Jan took a step closer. Shuffling the bags in her arms out of the way, she stood on her tiptoes to breach the height difference and pressed her lips to Jackie’s. She felt Jackie place a shaky hand on her shoulder, which made the paper bag creak. When she pulled away, she waited for Jackie to blink the daze out of her eyes before flashing her biggest smile.

“I’d love to be your girlfriend, Jacks.”

Jackie was still a little awestruck, but she managed to find her words.

“Okay. Alright. Girlfriends.” She nodded once, determined, and kept on walking. Simple as that.

At the park, they found a good patch of sunshine to sit down and share the spoils. With practiced ease, Jackie handed Jan a grape soda and Jan opened the Sprite bottle for her.

“Do you wanna come over for dinner tonight?” said Jan, after a sip. “I kind of wanna see my mom’s face if we walk into her kitchen holding hands.”

Jackie smiled at the image.

“I’m up for it,” she said, but then winced. “But, um, do you think we could not tell her about the little hiccup on my part?”

Jan tapped her chin.

“Hmm, I don’t know. This could be a really funny story, I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”

Jackie took her hand.

“Jannie, please?” she begged sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes at her. Jan could only stare, spellbound.

“Oh, you’re so going to abuse that now, aren’t you?”

Jacks shook her head, curls bouncing. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, hiding her smile behing her bottle.

Jan smiled in disbelief and opened her own soda.

Yeah. Just another regular day.

[creativeskullcreations]

Chapter 10: A Real Guilty Feeling

Hey everybody, here's chapter 10! But, unfortunately, it'll be the last chapter you see for a while. I need to take a break from writing for a while, do something else and recharge a bit. Maybe also knock out some drawings too while I'm at it.

Current timeline is looking like this: Couple of weeks without writing, and then maybe build up a bit of a buffer of chapters for <i>Outside</i>. But first, I'll be working on episode 2 of <i>Happy Times at Handeemen HQ</i>. Y'all are starting to show an interest in that, and I wanna put something new out for it.

If you want to keep updated, or even just see what I'm drawing, you can follow my art Tumblr here. Also check out my YouTube, in case of livestreams or speedpaints!(Am I plugging my own stuff too much?)

Whenever I'm ready to start posting again, I'll make sure to leave an announcement on here.

I'll see y'all later.

When Will got home, he dumped Stacy's stuff and scout on the couch. He then pointed out his locked workroom, and told her that she was never to go in there no matter what. That done, he left her to her own devices, and went off to bed. He took off his shirt and jeans, then crawled under the sheets. The last thing he did before passing out was shoot off a message to the group chat about how DnD Night was canceled until further notice.

When he woke up, far too few hours later, it was to a light weight on his chest. He stared at Scout for a moment, then picked her up and dropped her on the floor, rolling onto his front. He grabbed his phone, squinting at the too bright screen. Several messages were in the chat, and he sighed as he opened it up and scrolled to the top.

Masonary: um, excuse me?! i asked for that day off u can't cancel!!! somebody better be dead! D:<

Blooming_Stitches: Mason, shut up. We don't know what could be going on.

drWEED420: ugh, stacy. I told you to call me.

Masonary: y would stacy need to call u sam?

Masonary: is it because she hacked ur account and changed ur name again?

 drWEED420 has changed their name to DrSamIAm

DrSamIAm: no but it is something we'll going to talk abaout.

Will_and_a_Way: Stace is in the hospital for infected surgery stitches

Blooming_Stitches: I'M SORRY WHAT

Masonry: dude i was joking about som1 being dead

DrSamIAm: goddamit stacy

 DrSamIAm has left the chat We're ALL Idiots Here

Masonry: ok first of all what happened to stacy

Masonry: second who changed the chat name again?

Blooming_Stitches: lol

Will sighed, the went into his phone and pulled up his drop box, where he'd sneaked the file into a while ago. He hesitated briefly, then sent it to the chat. Stacy could be mad at him later, but he was too tired to think up a cover story for her right now.

 Will_and_a_Way posted a file in We're ALL Idiots Here

Masonry: ?

Blooming_Stitches: !

Will_and_a_Way: read that if you guys want to know what happned.

Will_and_a_Way: I'm going back to sleep now try not to kill each other

He clicked his phone off, dropping it to his mattress and letting his head fall on his pillow. Within seconds he was back asleep, completely oblivious to Scout Jumping back on his bed and climbing onto his back. She curled around the small Kirby toy, using it as a pillow as she settled back into sleep herself.

()()()

When Will woke up again, it was to a light weight in the center of his back, right below his shoulder blades. He huffed, glaring at the wall. He took a deep breath, then heaved himself up with all his strength. As predicted, Scout was catapulted off, and he quickly got out of bed, heading to the kitchen.

He made himself some toast, checking his phone on the way. The group chat was mostly just full of the various reactions from Lisa and Mason. Sammy had come back at some point, going on a rant about what Stacy hadn't told him.

He read over the various comments as he  ate, able to tell where they were in the document. Unsurprisingly, Mason finished it first, and Lisa was intent on meeting Scout. Sammy had told her Scout was nothing special, which Will privately agreed with. He finished the back reading and, seeing as nobody was online at the moment, locked his phone again. He picked up his toast and moved into his work room for the time being, deciding to get something done.

It was easy, really, for Will to get lost in his work. Dissecting the "toys" he brought home, taking them apart and recording it in his notes. He was currently working on the body of the head he'd been looking at last night. The brown, fuzzy thing was strapped securely onto the table, the front having been sawed apart and spread open.

He shifted through the innards, making careful, detailed notes about what was in there. He would compare them to the stolen blueprints later, figure out what was supposed to be in there and what wasn't. For now, though, the intention was to make a catalogue of parts.

When his phone alarm finally went off, signalling it was lunch time, he straightened up with a sigh. He pulled off his rubber gloves and, making sure the straps on the table were tight, went out to the kitchen. He made himself a simple sandwich, eating it in the kitchen as he glanced through the group chat. Mason and Lisa were on and currently discussing things, but Sam hadn't been on again since his rant.

He lurked a bit longer after he finished his sandwich, then got up to go back to work. On the way through the living room, he paused when he saw Scout sitting on the couch. She was curled up in the corner, Kirby plush on her lap as she stared at it. Even as a Puppet, he recognized the look on her face as one Stacy had often worn in the first year after her mother had died.

'Why the hell do I feel so bad for that thing?' He sighed, rubbing at his face. Making a snap decision, he went over to his DVD shelf and pulled out The Iron Giant.  He turned on the TV and player, then loaded in the movie, skipping the previews. When he reached the main menu, he selected play and dropped the remote near Scout. He then left, heading back towards the basement and his work.

Scout watched go, staring silently after him as he once again disappeared behind the locked door. She didn't even try to follow him, instead settling in to watch the show he'd turned on. With any luck, it would be violent and/or funny enough to take her mind off of things.

()()()

'That is the saddest shit I have ever seen...' She sniffed, rubbing at her frustratingly dry eyes. 'I can't believe he let himself get blown up like that. What the fuck.' She rubbed at her eyes some more, then tried to figure out how to choose a different show. When she couldn't figure it out, she threw the remote down in frustration. 'Fuck it! Where's Will?'

She Jumped from the couch, heading over to the locked door. She peered in the crack between the door and the floor, but couldn't see anything. She could hear, however, and what she heard were power tools. The sound sent a shock through her system, dredging up unwanted memories of Riley's lab. She drew back, then jumped onto a nearby table when the noise stopped. Thinking quickly, she opened the drawer that was there and tried to pretend that she had been going through it.

Will came out of the room a minute later, wiping his hands with a dirty towel. He glared when he saw what she was "doing". "What the hell are you doing? Get out of there!" It wasn't quite yelling, but his voice was definitely louder than it needed to be. Scout suppressed her fear and scoffed.

"Fine. There wasn't anything but batteries in there anyways." She slammed the drawer closed, feeling a small, petty joy in how the contents rattled around when she did. She watched him cross to his bedroom and, when he'd closed his door, opened the drawer back up in order to snoop for real.

Batteries, keys, some weird plastic clips, and other odds and ends she didn't have words for had been organized neatly in the drawer. Working quickly, she shuffled everything around even more, then shoved a handful of what was sitting on the table into the drawer. She then closed it again and sat back as innocently as she could, tilting the shade of the lamp next to her. When Will came back out, now dressed in different clothes, he sighed and fixed the shade.

She watched as he gathered up a couple of things, then came over and grabbed up a set of keys she hadn't dumped into the drawer. There was a pause, or maybe more of a hesitation, and then he scooped her up and left the house, ignoring her protests.

"Hey! Hey lemme go! H-mmph?!" He easily covered her mouth with one hand as he locked the door. He made his way to his car, not letting her go into he'd climbed in and dumped her in the passenger seat. "What was that for?!"

"Okay, here's the deal." He told her, ignoring the question. "We're going to go see Stacy. To do that, we have to go through a whole hospital full of people. And you will be quiet and good the whole time, or you will be going out the nearest window."

"We're going to go see Stacy..." That was the one thing she had really comprehended. Her Host was alive, Scout knew she had to be. If she wasn't, then the Puppet wouldn't have long to-

It didn't matter. She didn't matter, not after what almost happened. Not after what she almost did, accidentally or not.

She was jolted out of her thoughts as Will started the car, realizing belatedly that he'd continued talking to her. She hoped he hadn't noticed she wasn't paying attention. Whatever he'd been doing behind that door, she did not want to become his next patient.

In the silence of the car ride, Scout easily lost herself in the thoughts swirling through her head. The most prominent were thoughts of guilt, knowing she was to blame for this and wondering where she had gone wrong. Maybe she hadn't tried as hard as she should've to subjugate her Host back in the Studio? Or maybe she shouldn't have stayed with her after they escaped. Maybe she should have left after making sure Stacy was okay.

'Maybe I should leave anyways.'

She missed it when Will parked, only noticing when he picked her up. She let herself stay limp, though not so much out of compliance than a desire to try and keep working on the plan that had come to mind.

Vaguely, she was aware of the clean white halls Will was taking her through, as well as a nauseating smell that reminded her of Riley. A few other unclaimed Hosts like Will, though wearing clothing that, again, reminded Scout of Riley. She watched  those ones carefully, just in case. She may not like Will, but Stacy did and she didn't want something to happen to him.

Will came up to a door, opening it and peeking inside. Scout tried to look, but could only see the very end of a weird looking bed. Whatever he saw he seemed to like, as he fully entered the room, kicking the door closed behind him and approaching the bed.

"Hey Stacy." He began quietly, and Scout felt her stuffing go cold at the sight of her Host in the bed. Her normally warm brown skin was several shades paler, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was mostly upright, though leaning heavily against the pillows behind her. The scariest thing, though, were the several tubes connecting her to various machines by the bed.

Scout felt another cold rush of guilt when she saw how Stacy's eyes lit up when she spotted them. She waited for her to say something, anything, but the Host didn't speak, instead lifting her hands to use that weird hand language.

"She can't talk right now." Will translated. "She had to be intubated and her throat still hurts. But, for some reason, she's happy to see you." He sounded annoyed by that, and Scout couldn't help but be confused. Surely Stacy knew about what she did.

'Unless she doesn't.' The Puppet realized. 'She doesn't know shit about how it works. She had no idea what I almost did to her.' Somehow, that didn't make it any better.

Against her will, she was handed over to Stacy so Will could go set down the bags. Stacy hugged her tight, and Scout couldn't help but curl up in her hold, clutching at the weird shirt she was wearing.

She ignored the humans as they talked, or rather as Will talked and Stacy did one handed signing. Instead she stared at the tubing connected to Stacy's arm, watching the clear liquid slowly drip it's way into her body. She didn't know how long she stared for, but she must've dozed off at one point because she suddenly became aware of her hair being stroked.

It couldn't have been too long, as the room was still bright, though she couldn't hear Will anymore. Instead there was a quiet, steady beeping that matched up with Stacy's heartbeat. It was relaxing, and brought up memories of when Scout had first woken up, all those years ago. Before she'd been made to take part in Riley's "tests", or found that TV. Even before she'd met her siblings and learned who and what she really was. Those first few moments when it had just been her and Daisy, enjoying the gift of life.

She almost wished she could go back to that point. Things were so much better back then, when her world consisted of Daisy's sewing room and her siblings. When she didn't have a Host to worry about accidentally killing, or her own people coming after her.

But she wouldn't have to worry about that for long. If her plan ended up working, Stacy wouldn't be in danger ever again.

[hyunggurph]

STARDEW ADMIN

here i’m going to talk about what happened and everything in between because there are some narratives out there that i don’t like and i didn’t have a chance to speak for myself because i was in class and had hw. take it as you will. but, i will not be disclosing any personal names!

me and my friend decided to make stardew back in october, but it ended up being a lot more than what my friend, and i, could handle so i brought in some people i thought were my friends to help me run it. we had our issues, we didn’t do everything that we should’ve and we had a SHIT reputation that we 100% deserved. it made me wary of adminning, so i kind of spaced a little bit (which was easy to do being back home without decent internet to even run tumblr)

fast forward a few months and we bring on a new admin, B. (this happen about two weeks ago, i believe). everything was fine and chill and we were just vibing while my other two admins, C and B1, needed the extra help because i was slacking in the admin department. which, i don’t blame them for. B1 decided to bring in B as an admin while i was asleep, without asking me or C about it. at that point, the logins had been shared and it was too late for me to voice my concern or unwant for it because she was already acting as admin. 

i was already in a pretty bad mental space with other stuff that had been going on and i was sick, so i was very on the fence with staying or leaving, but i inevitably stayed because they wanted me to be there.. and they were my friends, so i did! 

now, a few days ago, my ex admin ,that helped me create the group, was talking about wanting to join again with our mutual friend (who they had a ship with in a previous rp). it was all jokes at first, but once sharing that want in the admin group chat that we had, B1 and B were quick to judge it off with nasty comments and not even taking it as a joke. i was continuing on as it was, even throwing in things back. here’s some screenshots with MY input as well so y’all can see where even I went wrong: 

the above screenshots are when it was initially brought up, even i was going along saying that i agreed she shouldn’t be in the rp, but that was because i didn’t think my friend was serious. the second i found out she was i quickly changed up my story. i got into a call with her and my friend who had helped me make the rp originally and she expressed how upset she was because these people loved her character “isabella” from a past group we were in with her. it got to the point where she was talking about never playing this character again, and stepping down from rp entirely because she felt BAD that people hated her character this much to the point where she was being denied in a group that was run by her FRIENDS. 

fast forward a couple hours after the phone call ends and i say my apologies to her myself, i message the discord and ask them to apologize (unfortunately i’m not in the discord anymore, but i sent it to our imessage gc too bc it was ignored for a hot minute in the discord): 

now, i’ll admit how i said it was very pointed, but it’s not how i meant it originally. i was mad and upset that i was 1. being put in a weird, uncomfortable position, and 2. my friend was hurt. it was met with backlash and them basically trying to make it seem like they weren’t in the wrong for what they were saying, and saying that they were going to delete/ignore her app entirely, and because i was “agreeing with them”. when, i was joking      they were serious. a simple apology really isn’t that hard, right? evidently it was! they were pretty much refusing to apologize because they didn’t feel that they had to because it was their opinion. it’s two little words: some i had already spoken to the individual myself. once i realized the harsh messages back and the way everything was handled, i decided to step down, as an admin and member. which, i said in the group chat myself. i even had a closing message on my character about how i loved the group for 5 months and that the admins would do right and keep it alive just fine. 

i had no harsh feelings (except the fact that my ‘friends’, minus C, hadn’t even tried to check up on me to see how i was feeling after everything, but that’s not important, really). i had made my amends, but when you’re with something for that long, you develop and attachment to the group. 

after about 5 days, i messaged C talking about how i wanted to come back (this happened last night), and she met me with a weird feeling of basically being like ‘oh.... but there’s other rps in the tags!’, so that was already red flag number 1. 

which, i STILL feel that i have every right to return to a group i MADE. not as admin, but simply as a member. and i didn’t feel like me wanting them to apologize for upsetting someone and putting me in a weird position was really ALL that deep to warrant discomfort by ME. i was wrong!

i woke up this morning and saw that they accepted SIX apps, but mine wasn’t there. C said it wasn’t intentional and that they were just waiting to discuss it because they didn’t know how B would feel! turns out, they were already on the fence of me joining and it was intentional! as a quote from B1, “part of me says no, but part of me says yes i’m conflicted and waiting for B”. 

i was also met with harsh assumptions towards my intentions and sincerity saying i was joining “out of spite” when i had told C last night that i was bored and wanted to rp... i checked the tl daily while i was gone because i missed it. 

in no way did i say they STOLE my group because they did not, NOR did i have any knowledge about one of them being “racist”, everything that was thrown out today was my first time hearing it, too. what my friend posted is not what I’M saying. all i was saying was that i was unfairly denied a spot back into my group for reasons that are petty and unfair, nor do i think it should’ve been taken to the tags in such a manner. but i will not shame my friend for trying to stick up for me when they knew i was hurt, even if it was done the wrong way. 

[realfuurikuuri]

MissingArm!AU Chapter 4: I Would Give You Until The Count of Ten, but I Can Only Count To Five

Side note: I’m bad at basic math and it turns out the last chapter was mislabeled for Tumblr. Whoops.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Alright, back with a new chapter. A little later than before, but hey what the heck can you do. Regardless, I think this one is pretty fun. I’ve figured out how to put that banner at the top of things (turns out you hit share on Ao3, who woulda thought) which makes these post look way smoother than before. The song rec this time is A Left Foot Trapped in A Sensual Seduction (which the weebs among us will remember being Alucard’s theme from Hellsing). As always check out @spookylovesboba she’s great, and enjoy the chapter. 

Direct Link to chapter 4 on AO3: XXXX

Chapter below the cut

Badgerclops ran through town tired and short of breath, wondering where that feral cat bastard went. Sweetipies turned their heads when they saw Badgerclops him.

“Does Mao Mao have the hose again,”  one asked.

“Is Muffin giving out free samples, again,” asked another.

Assholes.

Badgerclops stood on top of a park bench, turning his hand into a megaphone. “Mao Mao,” he called out. “Mao Mao! Mao Mao!”

God, he felt like a green plumber looking for his brother in a haunted mansion. Badgerclops chuckled a bit at his own joke. Maybe he should have said hotel instead of a mansion to make it more current. Badgerclops stopped examining the intricacies of his own comedy when he noticed Pinky waking up to the table with a suspicious jar of mayo in his hands.

“Goss,” Badgerclops said.

“Me or the mayo?”

 “Both. Get out of here, Pinky.”

“What are you doin?”

“None of your business.”.

“Are you looking for Mao Mao?”

“Have you seen him?”

“No.”

Badgerclops shot the jar of mayo with his arm cannon. Seeing Pinky mourn did brighten his day a little. Not enough. He still needed to find Mao Mao.

“Hey! Get off of me!”

The noise snapped Badgerclops out of his thoughts. He panicked. Was it too late? Had Mao Mao already done something he’d regret? Badgerclops hurried in the voice's direction, already making plans for a quick exit. He'd already made their packs. Even a third one for Adorabat in case she was brought along, although he doubted they’d keep her. Maybe they’d ditch her at the castle? Badgerclops slapped his face and shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to be stressing about that. Now was the time to find Mao Mao.

Badgerclops rounded the corner and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t Mao Mao. It was just Rufus getting harassed by some dog. Why was Rufus still here? He should’ve skipped town ages ago.

“Hey!” he called out nearly making Rufus jump out of his own skin.

Rufus pushed the dog away from the bouquet and snacks that the dog was after. “What do you want,” he sneered.

“Okay, one: rude. Two: don’t be so rude to the guy who can throw you in jail, Three: you don’t ask me what I’m doing; I ask you what you’re so what are you doing?”

Rufus pushed Badgerclops' finger away. “I’m visiting my friend that the blasted sheriff put in the hospital!”

Oh right, the raccoon. Kind of cute that he was still waiting for his friend.

Not cute enough to keep Badgerclops from picking the fox up and shaking him like a can of soda.

“I don’t care about your friend! I’m looking for Mao Mao!  Have you seen him?”

“Mao Mao? You mean the black cat?”

“Yes!”

“The one wearing the red cape?”

“Yes!”

“Carrying the golden sword?”

“Yes! Yes! For the love of God, yes! Just tell me where he is!”

“Alas, I haven’t seen him anywhere,” Rufus said with the smarmiest of smiles.

“Okay, you know what,” Badgerclops said, setting the fox back down. "I’m trying to keep someone from being murdered and ya'll are being, like, super ungrateful.”

The dog barked in protest.

“Yeah, that includes you.”

Badgerclops picked the dog up to pet it while he thought. The dog was a milky brown Shiba-Inu. Nothing notable aside from the fact that it had a sword on its back and a necklace. No. It was an amulet around its neck. Badgerclops didn’t pick the dog up just to look at it, he wanted to know who it belonged to. Where in the hell would a sweetipie get a dog and why hadn’t he seen it before? To Badgerclops’ dismay, there wasn’t any address stamped on the collar, but there was a name: Bao Bao .

Badgerclops rubbed his eyes and read the collar again. It still said Bao Bao.

He grabbed Rufus by the collar and used his jacket to wipe at the collar until it shined. Surely enough, it still read Bao Bao.

What? What? This dog was Bao Bao! A dog! A fucking dog! What the shit? Mao Mao described him as an evil barbarian with enough guile to pose as a hero and the psychopathy to abandon a kid whose arm was crushed by a rock! Not a dog! Not a fucking dog!

Badgerclops rubbed his temples, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He should have expected this. He was the most overdramatic motherfucker to ever motherfuck, but damn dude. Whatever he resolved to accept that Mao Mao’s worst enemy was literally an animal. He just needed to kick the dog out of the valley and wait for Mao Mao to calm his tits. No, that wouldn’t do. If no one caught Mao Mao he’d definitely kill someone.

Badgerclops pushed the dog into Rufus’ hands. “Take this dog and get him out of the valley. I don’t care how it gets done. Just do it,” he ordered.

“What? I’m going to visit my friend and besides I don’t have to do anything you say.”

Badgerclops pointed his arm at Rufus, letting it shift into the high powered cannon. “C’mon just take the dog away, you know, before someone gets hurt.”

“Alright just don’t shoot me! I don’t wanna be shot!”

“There we go. Now get out of here before someone -and by someone I mean you- gets messed up.”

 Badgerclops watched Rufus turn away to finish his task.

Thump!  

Badgerclops stopped.

He turned around just in time to see a black blur with a streak of gold.

It was Mao Mao!

Badgerclops swung around brandishing his arm, opening his eye, taking careful aim. The window was more narrow than a pinhole. He watched and waited. He watched Rufus see the sword and scream in terror. He waited for Mao Mao to swing his sword with all his might.

Now!

Badgerclops let loose a net. The wound-up ball slowly spread out, snagging Mao Mao out of the air, pinning him against the wall. Badgerclops ignored Mao Mao to put his fingers to Rufus’ neck. The fox's eyes had rolled back, and foam had gathered in the corners of his mouth;The look made Badgerclops’ fur stand on end. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow when he finally felt a pulse. The fox was definitely not fine, but he wouldn't die anytime soon. Although, the scare shaved years off his life.

Once was done with Rufus; he had to deal with Mao Mao.

Mao Mao strained against the net fruitlessly. Bao Bao looked up at his old friend, shivering, ears folded back with tail between its legs. Mao Mao probably couldn’t even hear the dog’s whimpers. He screamed at the top of his lungs. It was had no expletives. It had no threats. It only had a long, grueling explanation of his pain.

Badgerclops reached over, petting Mao Mao behind the ears. “Alright dude, let’s just chill and- “

Mao Mao quickly snapped at Badgerclops’ hand. His teeth clanging against the steel.  “C’mon dude, don’t do that. I don’t want to schedule a trip to the dentist.”

He let go of Badgerclops’ hand with a huff, but he still had that dark flame burning in his eyes.

“Badgerclops,” Tanya said, dropping down from the rooftops,” Is everything alright?”

“I’ve got things all tied up,” he said pointing to Mao Mao who didn’t find his joke amusing.

Tanya faced Mao Mao with a sullen look in her eyes. She reached out her paw to wipe a tear from his eye. Mao Mao shook her comfort away with an angry grunt. “Oh, Mittens,” she quietly cried. Tears began to fall down the Tanuki’s face, but Mao Mao didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“You should probably take Bao Bao and go before-”

Badgerclops was interrupted by a screeching roar echoed throughout the kingdom. Badgerclops facepalmed his own stupidity. He was so focused on the Bao Bao part of the message that they completely forgot about the monster. He could see the smoke, hear the screams as it rampaged.

“Tanya." He gave a slight nod of his head," where's Adorabat?"

“I left her at the house.”

Damn the fact that she was a responsible adult. She shouldn’t have to see this, but he did wish she was here. He and Tanya were the only ones who could fight; the dog was a maybe, and Mao Mao was still in the net.

“You think we can take it?”

“I… don’t know. Maybe?”

Fantastic. The moment he thought he had things under control they go right back to shit.

Badgerclops didn’t know how he knew to turn around. It was instinct. He saw the wall behind Mao Mao began to crack and crumble as the monster charged through. The beast was  large, green and scaly, like a snake with four legs. It moved like one too. Delicately turning on a dime, clinging to the side of a building while it stared them down.

His small hope that the beast would leave them alone was squashed when the monster saw the amulet around Bao Bao’s neck.

It lunged forward. Mouth open to show a wide maw. In a narrow alley like this, there was nowhere to run. It could probably get them all in one quick gulp. Badgerclops supposed such a terrible end fit such a terrible day.

A naïve thought.

Mao Mao stepped in front of the beast, sword on his back to block the teeth, heels digging into the ground as he forced the charging beast to a slow stop. Tanya, Bao Bao, Badgerclops, and the Mao Mao stopped in sheer confusion and awe. The monster didn’t hesitate. Its tail lashed at Mao Mao from the left, ripping at his skin like a whip. The tail lashed Mao Mao from the right, forcing him to stagger.

The third strike whistled through the air, barely blocked by Mao Mao’s sword. The next lash came with enough force to knock Mao Mao of balance despite blocking it. He parried the next strike, yet it still sent him cartwheeling through the air.

The second his feet touched the ground he was off. A black blur with a streak of gold. The gold cut the tip of the beast tail causing the monster to howl in pain before being silenced with a plunging attack through its skull. Badgerclops hates to admit it, but the bastard cat carried the sheriff's department.

He pulled his sword out of the monster and hopped down off the corpse. He dragged his sword on the ground behind him as he walked forward. His movements were smooth, flowing like a steady stream. Despite wearing an inviting smile, the dark flames in his eyes were raging like a wildfire.

Tanya stepped in front of him before he could get any closer. “Stop. Just… for the love of god stop, and let the dog go.”

“You’re right. I just want to... apologize to Bao Bao. Wish him well,” Mao Mao said with an almost cartoonishly large and toothy smile.

“Do I look some fucking clown to you? I know you’re lying! Just put the  sword down and let the dog go.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just want to say apologize to my childhood friend-”

SMACK!

Tanya interrupted Mao Mao with a strong slap across the face.

When he turned back the smile was gone; the dark flames still burning.

“Move,” he commanded.

“Why do you have to be like this,” she asked, her voice rising in pitch. “Can’t you just let things go? Whatever Bao Bao -this dog- did to you is in the past. It already happened and you can’t change it!”

“I know nothing can change it. I don’t expect it to. I’m not trying to change anything. I’m just trying to do some justice,” he said with a voice as cold as stone, “so, I’ll tell you once again: move.”

“No!”

Mao Mao didn’t hesitate to push past her, knocking her to the ground while he brought his sword down. Bao Bao quickly hopped out the way. Mao Mao followed the dog close behind, stabbing down over and over again, the calm facade splitting at the seams as his frustration grew.

“I’ll kill you,” he screamed, finally cornering the dog. He raised his sword up as Bao Bao looked up in terror.

Badgerclops grabbed his arm before he could finish. “Calm down! He’s just a dog-”

Mao Mao spun around, dropping the sword, tears welling in his eyes. “That dog ruined my life !”

“He did this! ” He pulled back the cape to reveal the stub of his left arm.

He picked the sword back up, raising it high over his head. “And I’m going to do it to him!”

Tanya was quick.

In a puff of smoke one, Bao Bao turned into thirty. In the second that Mao Mao stopped in confusion, she dashed forward, snatching the real one away before Mao Mao cut the horde into bits.

“Bao Bao,” he screamed,” get back here!”

Badgerclops tackled him to the ground before he could give chase. “Bao Bao! Bao Bao!” he screamed and screamed until his voice went hoarse.

* * *

Mao Mao lay in bed at HQ with his blanket tucked over his head. He felt like shit. Stopping the monster’s charge wore down the flesh on his feet to the bone, despite the monster's teeth stabbed seven holes into his back, one dangerously close to his spine, but the physical pain didn’t matter much. It was his feeling that were tearing him apart. It was one part burning rage; another part nauseating shame.

He heard footsteps approach. It couldn’t have been Adorabat cause she liked to fly (where did she go); they were too heavy to be Tanya’s (not like she wanted to speak to him anyway), so it had to be Badgerclops.

“How ya feeling,” he asked.

Mao Mao let out a small grunt.

“Camille said you should be fine. Just take it easy. Don’t try to jump around or anything.”

He made another small grunt.

“You feeling okay?”

Mao Mao nodded from under the blankets.

“Good to hear. Just get some rest, man.”

“What about Bao Bao,” he grumbled out. His throat was still raw and sore from all the shouting.

“Tanya took him with her.”

Mao Mao let out a shuddering sigh.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

Mao Mao nodded more forcefully this time.

Badgerclops scooped Mao Mao up into his arms. Cradling the bundle of blankets and clutching him close. “Listen, I know we all have our issues and hangups, and I know this day has been hard for you-”

“You don’t.”

“Hm?”

“You don’t know how hard it's been for me! I hate-  hate - that dog. He’s everything wrong with me! I wanna wring his stupid little head from his silly little body!” Mao Mao choked on his words,” I wanna- I wanna…”

Badgerclops pet him behind the ears,” what do you want?”

“...I want to be alone for a bit.”

“How about this,” Badgerclops said,” I can take Adorabat camping for the weekend? We’d be back Sunday. You’d have the house to yourself. How does that sound?”

“Yeah,” Mao Mao slowly nodded,” Yeah, that sounds nice.”

[ais-n]

Pt1. So this might be totally random and maybe even a little bit weird or out of place, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while and may I just say I am proud? Happy? For the way you’ve handles the whole situation and how you still are. Like I don’t wanna sound like I’m putting others down but I can think of a handful of authors who if in your place would be less mature about the whole ordeal. I know thats random but it just made me happy and really proud to look up to you.

Pt 2 Like I know what they did was horrible, but something that really stuck out to me in your statement was your kindness to even offer help to “them” if they wanted to make things right. And I’m not saying that’s always the answer but I feel like that kind of approach with the whole situation was possibly the one with the most effect if “they” should’ve messaged.

Pt 3 I know you’re probs tired of having the whole thing brought up, but yeah thanks for being so mature and as level headed as you can be about something like what happened. (Sorry for this long random weird ask)

+   +  +

I combined these into one, I hope you don’t mind! Also, jeez I’m so sorry, I have no idea how long ago you sent this. I didn’t mean to be an asshole and not reply sooner T_T I honestly don’t get how I have such a hell of a time seeing ask notifications on tumblr anymore. I swear I used to see them so much easier. Maybe it’s just that I went so long not getting asks I don’t expect them...

Anyway - 

Not a long, random, weird ask, don’t worry! And even if it were, lol, you’re talking to the queen of long, random, weird posts - so it would fit right in regardless ;)

I don’t mind you bringing it up; it’s sort of impossible not to when a person is talking about ICoS. Plus, as bizarre as it continues to be to me that anything like this actually happened in my life, it’s still a part of my life so it would be silly to pretend it wasn’t or to try ignoring it all now. That seems like it wouldn’t help me or anyone at all, really.

I still feel so bad about everything, though. It just makes me feel so sad all around. I feel bad for “them” because I feel like something really has to have been difficult or complicated in their lives for them to do what they did, so consistently, for so long. I worry about their mental health, about them getting help, about their stability. And I feel so bad for everyone who was hurt in the process of it all - all the people who were innocent bystanders who became collateral damage; all the people who were excited about something and reached out and just wanted to make a connection, and in the process felt devastated or traumatized in the long run by what they found. 

It’s so damn sad. So many people hurting others and being hurt for what feels like no good reason. I wish there had been a way to stop it all from happening, or end it sooner, or I don’t know, just - help. 

I had a lot of mixed emotions initially when it all came out but as time has passed, when I think back, the primary emotion I feel is sad. Especially because, in addition to everything else, their actions ended up casting a pall on the series, and that’s really sad to me too because there are people who felt a real connection through the story - be it the characters or the people they met in the community - and now I worry for those people feeling like they have to question or judge themselves, or even distance themselves, from something that they felt was helpful at the time but now they wonder if they were wrong.

I don’t think anyone who felt a connection to ICoS was wrong to feel that way, regardless of what “Sonny” ended up being/doing in the end. Stories speak to us for different reasons, and I tend to be of the opinion that the writer of a story isn’t the god of that story. A story or characters can still have genuinely good impact on a person regardless of if the writer is terrible. I know not everyone agrees with that, and I understand why they don’t and I can’t even really fully argue against their points because I see value in their points as well. It may simply be that I try as much as possible to always see others as humans first and everything else second, and because I think of humans as highly fallible, very prone to making mistakes or being short-sighted at times, to me I guess I always choose to think of it as a person always has another chance to make another choice. They can change how they interact with others or the world at any second of the day if they choose to do so. 

It doesn’t mean it’s a simple switch; that choice may entail a very long and rocky journey that may never be over -- it may mean making the decision to seek counseling if possible, or finding safe people to open up to, or starting to (safely) research and seek out communities that may reflect what’s happening in their mind... It may mean putting oneself into a position to constantly have to stop and question for months or years every second of the day if what they are doing fits their new code/path or not. It may mean that seemingly simply choice will lead to a lifetime of a pain in the ass - but that choice is still there. A person can still choose to make that effort. And sometimes, it’s our past mistakes that are our greatest motivation for making that choice, and going through those ups and downs. So I feel like it’s important to be as open-eyed and open-minded as possible about our past missteps (even if those rise to much higher levels than something as simple as a cute little mistake) and make an effort to change our future to better honor what we should have been in our past.

That may or may not be the right answer to everything; I don’t know. It’s just how I view the world, and so it’s how I tend to live, or at least do my best to follow. I do think that sort of mindset makes me vulnerable to taking the same steps at times of giving the benefit of the doubt for perhaps longer than I should, for holding out hope that others will take responsibility for their actions and learn from their mistakes, for continuing to believe there’s a chance things can resolve better in the future and those who were hurt will get a chance for closure. In a way, that mindset likely makes it easy to take advantage of my ongoing hope for other people, and also likely makes it so I don’t see the dangers of things as they’re occurring because I want to believe other people care about other people as much as I do. 

I suppose some people would take this as indication that they should change, but I don’t really feel like I should. I feel like it’s on other people to take responsibility for their actions, to prove themselves to be better than they were, to show they are willing to show humility, to improve, to care. I don’t personally feel like the answer to the conundrum is for me to change to be more like the things I don’t care for in response to things people have done to or around me; rather, I feel like as much as I am able, I want to keep trying to be what feels most right for me, even if that comes off as easy to manipulate, because I just really don’t like the idea of anyone else convincing me I can’t and shouldn’t be who I truly am simply because of their actions. As sad as I may be by what other people choose to do with their lives, as angry as it sometimes makes me, as frustrated as I get, I still want them to have another chance if they will use it. Because ultimately, what helps everyone is if they get help and they improve; not me changing to reflect their negativity and creating or continuing unnecessary cycles of pain, abuse, violence, or whatever else may be thrown one’s way.

I keep telling my parents that if I’m murdered for some reason in my life, they damn well better not use that as an excuse to send hate out there to the world in my name. I don’t want that. I would much rather there be something productive or positive... create a law that protects people who are in a position I was where I wasn’t protected, or build a non-profit that helps prevent my tragedy, or brings community and aid to the families and friends left behind from others like me. Something like that. Not self-righteous anger being used to justify more distance being spread between the people of this world.

That’s a tangent, but I mention it in part because I have very little hope my parents would follow through with my request. They’re much more in the mindset of retribution than I am. So hey, here’s my official request for others out there to remember I want something nice and productive and caring or protective done in my name in the event of tragedy, not something that at the heart of it is motivated solely by fear, pain, anger and hatred.

Anyway - that was a tl;dr of saying thanks but honestly I don’t know that I’m anyone to look up to in particular - there are way cooler people to look up to, like Malala, for example. I think I just have a thought process that’s probably pretty typical for people of my type of personality, and so in that way I’m probably a dime a dozen. I bet you are super awesome, yourself, and you probably would react the same way as me in this situation. But I appreciate the sentiment and I’m wishing you all the very best, and truly hope you and those you love are safe and healthy during these strange times.

PS: I didn’t bother putting this behind a cut because sometimes I have issues getting that to show on phones for people but if anyone is annoyed by this long ass thing on their dashboard and want me to edit it to have a cut, let me know and I can.

[quinistiredd]

Who Killed Jacksepticeye? (part one)

(yes this is obviously based off Who Killed Markiplier and i had this idea and went with it and here we are. also forgive me if the spacing is bad, still figuring out tumblr)

"Hey, Jack," I called as I walked in. The house was quiet, which was odd. "Jack?"

I wandered back to his recording room and listened. I didn't hear him yelling, or any noises from his room in fact. I cracked open the door and looked in. The only light in the room came from his computer. I opened the door completely and flicked on the light. I gasped. My blood froze as I stared at his. Jack was on the floor, his throat slit. Blood pooled under his head, staining the carpet. When I finally managed to tear my eyes from him, I fumbled for my phone and called the first person I could think of.

"Y/N, hey! Whatz u-" Hendrik started

"Jack's dead." I sputtered, interrupting him. "It looks... It looks like Anti again."

He was quiet for a moment, before finally speaking. "I'm on zhe vay." And with that, he hung up. Shakily, I walked out to the kitchen. My phone buzzed, and again, and again. I looked down, a few messages on my screen.

Chase: are you alright? omw

Jackieboy: You alone there? Hell no, I'm on my way

Marvin: I'm coming, He may still be there.

Marvin's text sent a chill down my spine. Suddenly, I was aware of how vulnerable I was. I swallowed hard, looking around the room for something. A weapon, an enemy? I didn't know.

A splitting pain shot through my skull. I stumbled, falling to my knees with my head in my hands. I groaned and gritted my teeth. After a minute, I finally forced my eyes open. The room was illuminated in neon pink lights. Everything was neon... except the writing on the walls. In a dark substance, various phrases were scrawled everywhere. While they all said different things, one theme was common: Someone was here.

Once more, the pain shot through my head and as fast as it came on, the weird vision was gone, and so was the writing. I shook my head before hearing a knock at the door. Quickly, I opened it. Hendrik was there, a worried look on his face.

"Y/N, you okay?" I nodded, and I watched him relax a bit.

"Yeah, I'm just scared." He put a gentle hand on my shoulder. Together, we walked back to where Jack was. As he examined him, I was unable to look at Jack.

"It'z definitely him... Dammit."  He whispered before standing up. He looked over at me. I took a calming breath before speaking again.

"Can you fix him again?"

He sighed, looking down at the floor. "I'm not zure. Last time, he wasn't dead when I got him. But now..."

Frantic knocking echoed from the front door, and we quickly ran out to open it. Outside was Marvin, Jackieboy, and Chase. I did wish JJ had come, but considering his situation with Anti, it's probably best he's not here. Chase pulled me into a hug. I laughed lightly.

"Oh thank god you're alright." He muttered. When he finally let go, he didn't move away much. He stayed close, protectively.

"We need to figure out who-" Chase was cut off.

"It's definitely Anti." Hendrik said. We were quiet for a moment, sharing a glance between us. Chase cleared his throat.

"Let me see him." Everyone looked at him.

"Chase, are you zure?" Hendrik asked. Chase nodded. Without another word, Hendrik led Chase to Jack, hesitantly, the rest of us followed. I hung back, being the last of the group. I groaned quietly as pain struck me again. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. When I opened my eyes again, the weird neon vision was back. I looked around, the writing different. Now, only one phrase was repeated: At first glance, it isn't who it seems.

I closed my eyes and tried to push the vision away. After a moment, the pain faded and I opened my eyes again. Everything was back to normal.

"You alright Y/N?" I jumped as Marvin spoke. I turned to him and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought" I smiled. He put a gentle hand on my shoulder, also smiling. His hand was cold.

Everyone had done their analysis of Jack, and we made our way to the living room. I sat down, my head in my hands. The reality of the situation was hitting me. I swallowed hard.

"Hey kiddo, you alright?" Chase sat next to me. I looked over at him.

"I'm just scared." I didn't realize how close I had been to crying before I spoke. I took a shaky breath. "What if Hendrik can't bring him back? What if..." I couldn't finish my thought.

"No no, it'll be okay." I knew he was thinking the same thing, though. I shook my head.

"Y/N," Hendrik called my attention. We looked up at him, "You found him juzt like that? Waz anything... off?"

"No, everything was as normal as it could have been." I thought for a moment. "His computer was on, but I didn't think to look at it."

We all quickly got up and went back to the crime scene. The screen was still on, and displayed on it was a video, paused. The preview was dark. I took a breath and pressed play.

"So I see you've found him." A voice spoke, but the video was still dark. A glitch rippled through the audio. I instinctively tensed. "How exciting. I bet you already know who did it. But, do you know your partners in this mystery? Like, really know them?" He laughed.

"What the hell...?" Marvin muttered. The voice continued.

"You see, two of the people in your little mystery gang are hiding their own little secrets. One of those secrets will help you, while the other may kill you.

"Oh, and don't mind the fact that the body's gone. Hope you got all your observations down." The video stopped. The screen glitched before the computer turned off. We looked towards the body. Sure enough, it was gone. I shook my head.

"Alright, who's hiding something?" Jackieboy looked at all of us in turn. I managed to choke down my anxiety and spoke up.

"Something happened." Everyone turned to me. I took a breath. "After I found him, I got this pain in my head. I closed my eyes, thinking it was just the light making my eyes hurt. But when I opened my eyes... everything was different. The room was neon and pink and there... was writing all over the walls. Something was here with me... I should've said something sooner but-"

"Y/N, it's okay." Chase said softly. I smiled warily. I saw he wanted to step closer to me, but with all that's been said, it was better if he didn't.

"Haz it happened since?" Hendrik asked after a moment.

"Only once more. The writing on the walls was different. It said some cryptic shit: At first glance, it isn't who it seems." I shook my head, sighing softly.

"So someone is still hiding something, and it may not seem like Anti did it?" Jackieboy shook his head.

"...One of us is embodying Anti." Marvin said. We all shared a glance, the tension in the room palpable.

"It's Chase." Jackieboy said suddenly, breaking the silence but worsening the tension. Everyone glanced between Jackieboy and Chase.

"What?" Chase spat, stepping back. "You can't just fucking say that!"

"You've been suspiciously quiet this whole time. Hell, you wanted to see Jack's body!" Jackieboy retorted. Chase frowned.

"Y/N was here first-" Marvin butt in. "-they're the most likely one."

Everyone averted their gaze to me. I shook my head, holding my hands up.

"Listen, we know Anti. If any of us pointed him out with a valid reason, he'd show himself."

"That's what he would say." Marvin responded.

"No, Y/N's right." Hendrik shook his head. "Anti would come forward and take credit for his work." I glanced back at Marvin, and he looked almost angry.

"We should stop fighting and resolve this amicably." Chase said.

The skull-splitting pain returned. I grabbed my head again and stumbled back. I tripped over my feet and hit the ground hard. I could barely hear everyone over the static filling my ears.

"Listen to me," Anti's voice echoed around me. I tried to open my eyes, but my body was frozen. I couldn't move. "You will figure out who I am, I know you will. Hell, you might already know. But, if you tell anyone who I am, I'll hurt the only person I can. And there's no way for you to protect him."

I was shot back to reality, and it was quiet again. I slowly opened my eyes and saw everyone looking over me. Then did I realize I was laying on the floor.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Hendrik looked stressed. I sat up, my head spinning. I slowly nodded before groaning. "What happened?"

"He's in my head." I mumbled quietly. I took a slow breath. "He told me that if I told anyone who's body he's using he... he'd hurt someone."

"He can't hurt anyone, we're all together. It'd be four against one." Chase grinned, but I shook my head.

"No, I think he'd hurt JJ."

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"Oh god, you're right." Chase swallowed hard. "He's the only one not here, we need to call him or-"

"We can't, it wouldn't work. Anti's controlling him." Marvin muttered. We were all quiet for a moment.

"So what do we do?" I asked quietly, looking at everybody.

"We go to him." Hendrik chimed. "But where is h-"

A wave of pain washed over me. I grabbed my head again, groaning.

"Not again..." I mumbled, forcing my eyes open. Neon vision was back. I looked at everyone, stopping on Marvin. Dark blood stained his clothes, and a deep cut on his neck added more contrast to the normally neon place. A smirk tugged at his lips. Another wave of pain washed over me, causing me to squeeze my eyes closed again. I doubled over before feeling a hand on my shoulder.

"Y/N?" Chase's voice brought me back to reality. I quickly opened my eyes, looking at Marvin again. There was no blood, no cut, no smirk. He looked normal, but I knew. A soft knock came from the front door. I looked at chase before racing to the door. Throwing it open, I was met face to face with JJ. I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.

"JJ!" Chase exclaimed as he, and everyone else, ran into the room. "You're okay!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He signed, cocking his head to the side. I shook my head.

"It's okay, you're safe now." I took a deep breath. He still looked confused, but Hendrik spoke before he could ask anything more.

"Y/N, he's safe. Anti can't hurt him."

I took a breath, looking at everyone again. I close my eyes and let the pain wash over me. It was less now, dulled down. I opened my eyes again, the neon scenery had become a familiarity. I looked over at JJ. Strings suspended his arms in place, and details on him made him look like a doll. I quickly averted my eyes to where Marvin was standing, except he wasn't there anymore. In his place stood a smirking Anti. He slowly put a finger to his lips, I smirked back at him before blinking a few times. My sight returned to normal and I took a step towards Marvin, who was back in his spot.

"It's him." The confidence in my voice surprised me. It contrasted with the rising worry in me. Marvin sighed before chuckling.

"You know, I did tell you not to tell." He glitched a few times before his disguise faded. Anti stood where Marvin had meer moments before. "No one likes a snitch."

"Where the hell is Marvin?" Jackieboy shouted. Anti just rolled his eyes.

"Relax, he's fine... I think." He chuckled. I stepped forward before I could think. "I suggest you don't do that."

"Tell me where he is." I stood my ground, balling my fists. I knew I couldn't take him, but I couldn't just do nothing. We stared at each other for a moment, before a sharp pain ripped through my abdomen. I gasped, grabbing my stomach. He laughed and pushed me back. I hit the ground hard and saw a blood-red knife in his hand. Hendrik was immediately kneeling by my side, trying to stop the blood flow. I looked at Anti again and found myself unable to tear my gaze from his.

"You don't tell me what to do." His voice was low, dangerous. I heard a crash, and then he was gone. I coughed and felt blood drip from my mouth.

"JJ's gone." Jackieboy said. I heard other voices, but I couldn't focus on them past the pain pumping through me. I tried to keep my eyes open, but it was getting harder and harder to do so. Someone took my hand. I looked over and saw Chase, tears streaming down his face. I looked down at my abdomen and saw a knife gash about a foot long. I took a shaky breath but winced as I felt more pain. I coughed again, more blood flooding from my mouth. Chase was speaking, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. My vision was getting blurry, I was fading. My eyelids got heavier and heavier. Slowly, I fell into the dark.

[unfortunate-stranger-losers]

All Those Things They Couldn’t Say - A Runaway Baudelaires AU

{ao3} {tumblr} {masterlist}

Chapter Eleven - Everything gets Chaotic very fast 

Three days. That was all they got. 

On the first day, they wandered a bit, unsure of what they were expected to do. Finally, Monty brought them into the Reptile Room, and Klaus found a chair to curl up in with a stack of books, and lost himself in those. Sunny quickly fell into a routine, each day, of going to the Incredibly Deadly Viper and playing with it or crawling around with it looking for things to bite. Violet followed Monty and Gustav for a while, asking them if they needed help with anything or if they’d received news from their parents yet, until she’d wander to Klaus and read with him.

On the second day, when Klaus was still reading and Sunny was still playing, Violet finally found some chores she could help Monty with. She helped him with traps that wouldn’t harm the reptiles, and fixing locks and cages. When she was done, she’d continue to read with Klaus, or watch over Sunny and the Incredibly Deadly Viper, or sometimes she’d sit and watch some of the reptiles. She liked spying the flying lizards zip from perch to perch, sometimes landing on her shoulder and giving her a little snuggle, or laying by the larger animals and imitating their calls. 

It was nice. Distracting. 

Halfway through the second night they spent at Monty’s, Klaus called out, “Violet?” 

“Yeah?” 

He paused. “Can I sleep with you and Sunny tonight? This room’s too big.” 

Violet glanced at Sunny, and they both nodded, and they all curled up together. Until Sunny stole the blankets. 

The third day was when things started to go wrong. 

It went by like normal, though Sunny cried over lunch because she had hoped their parents would come by now, and Klaus had to step out with her to calm her down. Monty ran off to help, leaving Violet alone with Gustav. She glanced over at him awkwardly; he hadn’t spoken to her much, and she’d spent most of her time with Monty or her siblings. 

Finally, after a while, she said, “You haven’t told anyone where we are, have you?” 

“No,” he said, but Violet wasn’t convinced. 

“It’s dangerous. If anybody knows we’re alive, they’ll kidnap us, to get to our parents. Olaf’s already after us, we don’t need-” 

“I know.” Gustav said carefully. “I have not told anyone you are here.” 

Violet bit her lip, knowing that tone of voice. The kind Klaus used when he said that he hadn’t snuck out the back door (because he snuck out the back window, technically). 

“Have you implied we’re here? Or sent it in coded message?” 

He didn’t respond, and Monty walked in, then, so Violet stopped her interrogation for the moment. 

The day after that, when they came down for breakfast- Violet had offered to help cook, but of course, Monty continuously turned her down- she noticed that Gustav wasn’t there. 

“Where’s your assistant?” she asked Monty, as Klaus put Sunny down beside a bowl of apples. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure.” Monty said, glancing at Gustav’s empty chair. “He went out to get some extra groceries last night and hasn’t come back. Perhaps he went to visit his sister? I assume we’ll receive a telegram soon.” 

Violet and Klaus shared a frightened look. 

As soon as Monty left for the Reptile Room, Violet leaned over and said, “I think he’s contacted VFD about us.” 

“Then why would he leave? He’d want to make sure we’d stay here.” Klaus said. 

“I seriously think he told them, Klaus, he was suspicious yesterday.” Violet said. 

“Whatever happened, he’s probably not just late.” Klaus said. 

“Sus?” Sunny asked, which meant, “What should we do?” 

Violet took a deep breath. “Someone knows we’re here. Whoever it is, it’s not good.” she shut her eyes and clenched her fists. “We gotta dig into the bottom of my bag.” 

Klaus’s eyes widened, while Sunny let out a squeal of joy. “Are you sure?” 

“Even if it’s nothing, it’s better to be prepared.” Violet reached over and grabbed Klaus’s hand. “Remember what Lemony taught us?” 

Klaus nodded. “Do the scary thing first.”

Sunny put her hand over her siblings’, too, and said, “Eltsiht.” “Get scared later.” 

Klaus shut his eyes. “Upstairs, then.” 

They raced upstairs, and Violet dumped out her bag’s contents. “I’ll put this back when we’re done.” she said. “You two repack anything you’ve taken out, too. Keep your bags with you.” 

Then she put her bag back on the carpet, and flipped open the false bottom. 

“Get your shit.” she said. 

It happened mid-afternoon. 

Monty was in the Reptile Room, and though he did notice how on-edge the children were, he must have chalked it up to nerves, because he did little more than give them extra sweets. They politely thanked him, and stored the candy in Klaus’s bag. 

After a while, the Incredibly Deadly Viper went to take a nap, and Sunny crawled over to Klaus, so he picked her up and took her into the kitchen to look for something hard to chew on. After a moment, Violet followed them. 

While in the kitchen, she said, “Mother and Father should’ve escaped by now.” 

“They’ve never left us alone this long.” Klaus agreed. 

“No?” Sunny asked. 

“Longest was two days, a little before she got pregnant with you.” Violet said. “Couldn’t be avoided, police found us. We met up with them at a museum.” 

“They took us out for ice cream to apologize.” Klaus smiled a little. 

“We better get a triple-decker cake for this.” Violet giggled. 

“Cake!” Sunny looked excited. 

“You… you don’t think they’re hurt, do you?” Klaus asked. 

Violet considered. When they’d been next to Olaf’s house, and her adrenaline had been high, she’d considered breaking in. Finding her parents. Being the hero. But now… she was fourteen. They’d always gotten out of everything. She shouldn’t worry. 

“No, I’m sure-” 

They heard a crash from the reptile room, and knew something horrible had happened. 

“Monty!” Sunny shrieked. 

“Sunny, get to the exit! Meet you outside!” Klaus shouted, and he and Violet took off. 

Fortunately for them, Sunny had not been alive and on the run long enough to follow orders very well.

The two siblings ran to the reptile room, throwing the door open and racing in, their feet flying. Klaus slid to a stop first, reaching to yank Violet back. 

There, indeed, was Count Olaf, standing over Monty Montgomery. The reptiles were screeching, crying, as something was jammed into the herpetologist’s neck. He had already collapsed by the time they ran in. 

“No!” Violet gasped, staring at the man who’d been so kind to them. 

“Monty!” Klaus cried. 

Olaf looked up, his eyes sparkling, and he let the body fall to the floor. “Well, well, well,” he said, almost amused. “I expected it to be a bit harder to find you.” 

“Monty!” Violet stepped back, but even in her grief-stricken panic, she gave Klaus a small tap on the arm. Move, soon. 

“You see, that Sebald fool used his own code to tell his friends you were with the good doctor here. They won’t be coming, though.” Olaf smiled, and he pulled a large knife from his pocket. He pointed it at the children and said, “My associates are outside. So if you would be so kind as to come quietly-” 

“Now!” Violet shouted, her voice broken. 

Klaus reached into his own pocket, whipped out a dagger, and threw it at the Count. Violet, meanwhile, turned and ran into the hall. She heard Olaf shout- whether from surprise or pain, she didn’t know, as she didn’t bother to turn around. Instead, she raced to the phone in the hall, dialing the police station as fast as she could. 

She heard Klaus shout some kind of curse word from inside the room, just as the operator picked up. “What’s your emergency?” 

Violet shut her eyes, and, as best she could, imitated Gustav’s voice. “This is Gustav Sebald. I’m at the home of Monty Montgomery. A man named Count Olaf has broken in and is trying to kill us. We’re on Lousy Lane.” 

Before she could lose her imitation, she hung the phone up, prayed the operator took this seriously, and then turned around. 

Immediately, the bald man with the long nose grabbed her. 

Violet screamed, kicking back, and he said something about how it’d be much easier if she didn’t struggle. She promptly ignored this, reached into her pocket, and whipped out a small capsule. 

“Eat shit!” she shouted, throwing it to the ground and stomping. At that, it blew, and smoke burst from the ground. The bald man, in surprise, loosened his grip, and Violet tore away, running into the reptile room. “Klaus!” 

As she reached the room, she realized that Sunny had not gone outside. 

She realized this because Sunny was sitting beside the cage of the Mamba du mal, biting off the lock. 

“Sunny!” 

“Klaus!” Sunny pointed into the room, and Violet followed her gaze, seeing that Olaf had turned to glare at her; he was standing over Monty’s overturned desk, and as she looked around, she could see several other tables and chairs had been thrown. Klaus must be hiding somewhere. 

“Sunny, run!” Violet ordered, knowing the Bald Man would come after her soon, and she grabbed her own knife from her pocket, stepping in front of the infant and glaring down Olaf. 

“Where the hell did you little brats get all your weapons?” Olaf hissed. 

“What?” Violet asked, shouldering her bag, “Did you think we were completely defenseless, shitbird? We’re Baudelaires.” 

His eyes flashed with fury, and as they did, Klaus leapt out from behind a chair and stabbed him in the leg. Olaf gasped as Klaus leapt back, and then turned around, swinging his own knife. Violet screamed as Klaus’s shoulder was gashed, and the boy scrambled back, eyes spitting fire at the man. 

Violet heard a noise behind her, and turned around, pointing her knife at the Bald Man standing in the doorway. “Stay back!” she warned, and glanced towards where Sunny was. “Sunny, we- Sunny?” 

Sunny was gone, and after a moment, Violet heard, “Lesmis!” “Revolution!” 

She realized, very quickly, that Sunny- and the Incredibly Deadly Viper, which was hissing and waving a ring of keys with its tail- had opened the cages to most, if not all, of the reptiles, because they were all rushing out. 

“D!” Sunny called, riding the back of the broken-hearted crocodile. 

Plan D: Find something very fucking distracting. 

Olaf jumped back as the flying lizards pelted his face, giving Klaus the opportunity to get to his feet. He ran to Sunny, picking her up, as two snakes attacked the Bald Man. 

“We have to go!” Violet said, her eyes darting around the room. The Bald Man was in the doorway, there were probably more outside… 

She heard a hiss, and looked down as the Incredibly Deadly Viper waved its tail at her, tossing the keys at another lizard. She reached back as Klaus ran to her, grabbing his arm, and they took off after the snake, who seemed to know where it was going. 

Violet kicked a chair behind them when she realized that Olaf had managed to swat away the lizards, hoping it would buy them a few seconds, as the Viper banged its head against a back panel of glass. It banged again, and the panel came loose. It slithered out, and Sunny said, “Per!” “I trust it, follow it wherever it goes, it’ll keep us safe!” 

“Go, go, go!” Violet shouted, and the siblings managed to squeeze themselves out through the panel and into the yard. Sunny pointed towards the tail slithering into the hedge maze, and they ran. 

“How’s your arm?” Violet asked, rushing into the foliage. 

“Not good, can you hold Sunny? With your arm being injured, too?” 

“Got it.” 

They stopped a second, with Violet taking the toddler. 

As they did, Violet glanced out the maze, and met eyes with Olaf, who had also just crawled out of the reptile room, and was staring right at them. 

“Stick together.” Violet said. “And A-flat.” 

And, thus, they ran like hell. Klaus reached forwards and grabbed onto the edge of Violet’s sweater as they took off, following the faint hissing noises of the Incredibly Deadly Viper. They stayed as quiet as they could, though it was hard with the leaves under their feet and pressing against them. 

“Oh, Baudelaires.” they heard Olaf’s voice, much closer than they’d like, maybe only a few turns behind. “Baudelaires!” 

Klaus pulled closer to Violet, who saw the viper’s tail disappear behind a corner. 

“Baudelaires! There’s nowhere to run!” 

They raced around the corner, only to freeze and realize they had gone into a dead end. 

“No.” Klaus muttered. 

“Children,” Olaf hissed, “If you come quietly, maybe you’ll die painlessly. Don’t you want to see your parents again before you go?” 

Sunny whimpered, and Violet looked into the corner of the hedges. The Incredibly Deadly Viper was there, gesturing at the dirt. 

“Baudelaires!” 

Then they heard a terrifying thwack, and distantly, saw a wall of hedges break. 

“He’s cutting his way through, we’re fucked.” Klaus muttered. 

“We’re…” Violet stepped towards where the Viper was gesturing, and put Sunny down. “There’s gotta be-” 

Sunny, then, shoved her hands into the dirt. After a moment, she pulled up a panel. “Sacktrap,” she said, which meant, “Trapdoor.” 

“Good work, Sunny.” Violet grinned, turning to Klaus. “Get in, go.” 

Klaus ran forwards and jumped in, as they heard more slashing, and Sunny turned to the Viper. It waved at her, hissed something, and then slithered into the leaves. 

“Viper?” Sunny asked. 

Not wanting to wait much longer, Violet grabbed Sunny and leapt down with her. As soon as they landed- it was only a few feet deep, thank God- she put Sunny on the ground and reached up, slamming the door over them. She fumbled for a lock, relieved when she found one. 

Once it was locked, Violet picked up Sunny again, hugging her close. Klaus pulled a flashlight from his bag, flicking it on. 

They heard a pounding on the trapdoor, then- well, shit Olaf knew where it was. “Baudelaires!” his voice was full of fury. “I know you’re there!” 

“We have to run.” Klaus muttered. 

“You’re still bleeding.” 

“We can treat it on the way.” 

“The way to where?” 

“Baudelaires! I will break open this door!” 

“Shine your light.” 

Klaus did, and after turning a few times, he found some arrows, simple initials marked beside them. 

“These look like names.” Klaus said. 

“Where’s our next safehouse?” Violet asked, hugging Sunny as Olaf continued to pound. 

“Ike and Josephine Anwhistle, at Lake Lachrymose.” Klaus said. “I assume that’s the LL, to the right.” 

“That’s a dangerous assumption.” 

“It’s better than standing here and waiting for Count Olaf to slaughter us.” 

They stared at each other, then, pain in their eyes. 

“He killed Monty. And Gustav.” Violet whispered. “Because of us.” 

Klaus shut his eyes. “We’ll have to hope the Anwhistles don’t tell anyone where we are, so he can’t find us. Come on.” 

He started walking, not wanting to think about it. Violet followed, slowly putting Sunny on the ground to crawl beside them as she dug through the back of Klaus’s bag for medical supplies. 

They walked away from the pounding on the trapdoor, and tried to look ahead.