#this isn't even mentioning how expensive it is for me. who has no job

[timeskip]

I need to play Umineko but fuck dude. I found out there's two different translations today??? I'm already fucked up thinking about how there's the original sprites and the other sprites and apparently a patch which adds voice acting (???) and now I have to think about alternate TRANSLATIONS too??? I thought it would be the length that puts me off the game but I've been over that for a while now. No, instead it's trying to figure out THIS shit.

[aphrogeneias]

Rockstar!Eddie who has a crush on assistant!reader and has her running after him, after he comes to her with long list of demands and requests, only he doesn't really need her help at all, it's just an excuse to see her.

“These guys realize they're not Sabbath, right?” Rick sighs, “Like, what the fuck is this?”

Your boss barely even moves from where he's sprawled over one of the lounge chairs by the pool. When you arrived, he had to dismiss the girl that was sitting with him — on him, really — just to have you hand him the handwritten note without any preamble.

You don't know what to say.

“I, uh… I have no idea. Some roadie delivered me this and literally ran off. I think it's a prank, honestly.” You sigh.

It's a handwritten list of dressing room demands. A fur rug, expensive champagne, only red M&M's… the list went on. Quite ridiculous for a band on their first solo tour, playing on small venues across the country. Quite ridiculous for anybody.

To be honest, it disappointed you a little. You like these boys, which was more than you could say about the bands you've worked with in the past. Corroded Coffin came from nowhere, and while they aren't going anywhere soon, they are happy to just do whatever it takes to play their music, and you respect that.

This isn't very much like them.

Rick pinches the bridge of his nose, before pulling his sunglasses up, straightening them on his eyes. HE doesn't look directly at you as he gives you the piece of paper back, a silent dismissal. “Check it out with Munson. This bullshit has got his goblin little fingers all over it.”

You're happy the older man doesn't see how flustered you get at the mention of Coffin’s frontmen, and you're even happier to scramble out of there to hide the nervous smile that dares to rise to your lips.

Eddie Munson makes you nervous, more than you'd like to admit.

It's either his intense stare, those deep brown eyes that seem to know everyone's every secret — and you don't doubt they might — or the general aura of danger he exudes. Or, even, the sweet dimpled smile he tried to hide behind his hair, or the doodles he made during long meetings, or…

Maybe it's all of these things, but truth be told, it's probably also the way he makes you feel like you're the only person in the room when he looks at you, when you were supposed to be invisible beside Rick while he does his job.

You wonder if he does that to every girl he meets.

The elevator and the halls are a blur until you reach his door. Room 707, and you can hear the low strumming of an unplugged guitar from the inside, something that sounds like blues. You almost forget to knock, but when you do, the sound stops.

Eddie answers the door, then. “Oh, hi.”

The shirt with the cropped sleeves he's wearing shows off his arms, and the tattoos adorning it. You try not to stare at them as he holds the door open, not sparing you of his charming smile.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

Instead of answering with the same sweetness, you get too ahead of yourself. “Is this a prank, Munson?”

You hand him the piece of paper back, and his expression changes immediately. A pink flush rushes over his cheeks, and he stares at it, as if he suddenly can't keep meeting your eyes.

You'd never seen him like that.

“Oh. Uh. Not a prank, no…” He stumbles over his words, letting out a nervous chuckle. “It's a…”

“Because it's gotta be a joke, and a bad one at that.” You stand your ground. “We couldn't even do that if we had a big budget, but with the one we have? You're lucky we even have water and towels at most venues…”

“It's not a joke, I promise. It's just that…” He interrupts your rant, looking away and sighing, then he moves closer, narrowing his eyes. “Can I level with you?”

“Please do.” You cross your arms, trying not to seem intimidated by his closeness.

“I didn't know how else to get your attention."

Your eyebrows shoot up, “You what?”

“I figured that if I wrote something stupid enough, Rick would send you to confront me because he doesn't have the balls to do it himself,” Eddie's flustered expression recovers into a confident grin, “and I was right.”

Swallowing back the nervous butterflies that seem to fly from your stomach and overflow through your body, you breathe out. “You thought you needed all this just for me to talk to you?”

“It worked, didn't it?”

You take a step back, trying to understand what just happened. His grin is infectious, because you smile despite yourself. “Next time, just say something. You'd be surprised.”

As you start walking away, backwards, still looking at him, Eddie gives you an unreadable look. He nods, though, lips trying to fight a bigger smile. “Next time?”

“For any professional inquiries, of course."

Finally, you turn your back, making your way back to the elevator. You meant what you said, but you know that's not what he meant.

"Professional. Sure."

The door clicked shut once again.

[janeyseymour]

Secrets

hi! so, an anon asked for this. i had a LOT of fun with this one, and i hope you enjoy! literally not edited in the slightest because this one wrote itself and i don't have time to read over 9k words.

summary: You're Ava's friend, and that is enough to make Melissa hate you. But then, through volunteering for different events through the school, the redheaded teacher finds that she's falling for you. You have money, not that anyone knows, and when the school desperately needs money, you anonymously donate a generous amount. Of course, the Abbott crew isn't satisfied with not knowing who donated all of that money, and they sure as hell intend to find out.

WC~9.4k

You grew up with a lot of money. You don’t even need this job- Daddy still has you covered and pays for most of your expenses, as much as you continue to tell him that you are perfectly capable of making it on your own. You have enough saved up from all of the ridiculous amounts of money you received from past birthdays, as well as high school and college graduation presents, not to mention the fact that you have a good portion of money invested into different stocks, and you’re doing pretty damn well for yourself.

Dad taught you all about personal finances when you were younger- he’s a successful day trader, but he’s always been on the financial side of business work to begin with, and Mom is a lawyer.

And while you had quite a lavish lifestyle, your parents still chose to reside in Philadelphia, and not necessarily the nice area of Philly either. But it was part of their story, and they wanted to stay close to their roots, so they raised you here. And growing up, you became close friends (maybe even best friends) with the one and only: Ava Coleman. She was your partner in crime growing up, and you never lost contact with her once you graduated high school.

You went off to school to pursue a career in education, much to both of your parents surprise- but they supported you in your decision.

(“I hope you raise the next generation to be smart,” Mom had told you. “Bring up some new lawyers for generations to come, yeah?”

“Teach those kids how to make it out alive like Ma and I did, got it kiddo?” Dad had joked with you, but you knew he was being serious.)

After years of teaching at one of the other public schools in the suburbs of your city, you decided that you wanted to come back to your roots. You miss Philly and all of the excitement that comes with it. You miss the odd odor that lingers in the streets, and the way that no one could give half a shit and jaywalked. You miss the way that you could pretty much walk anywhere, and within a few minutes you could be milling around Reading Terminal Market looking for some good eats. So you call your best friend for some advice.

“Girl, why didn’ you tell me sooner?” Ava asks you once you’ve explained to her that you want to come back to the city. “I own a school now, and I can for sure get you a job here.”

“Ava,” you sigh. “What the hell do you mean you own a school? Do you mean you’re the principal of a school?”

“Same thing,” you can practically hear your best friend rolling her eyes.

“That’s awesome,” you congratulate her. “How’d you manage that?”

“You know how I’ve been helping out at the Abbott elementary admin building with financials? Well,” she cackles into the phone. “I did some deep diving, and I found out that the super intendant of the district has been sleeping around- found hotel bills and everything on the company card for quickies. All I had to do was bring that up, and boom! I get a new title, a nice raise, and I own a school! I’ve been there for a couple months now, but there are more turnovers here than there were in the last Super Bowl, so I can for sure get you in.”

“A couple months? Has it really been that long since we last talked?”

“Since we actually caught up, yeah,” she sighs dramatically. “You and your fancy teaching job out in the ‘burbs. It ain’t gonna be fancy like that though, we don’ even got money for a proper librarian.”

“Remember, we grew up in Philly,” you remind her. “I know what it’s like. But can you really get me a job?”

“For sure,” she tells you. “With Summer coming up, I be knowin’ I’m about to get a lot of resignations from these people I thought were spicy White people but ain’t. The only spicy white lady here is Schemmenti- pretty sure she’s part of the mob, but I ain’t about to dig. We’ll have you join us next school year.”

“I highly doubt a teacher working in Philly is part of the mob,” you roll your eyes. “But if you’re serious, then yes. I would love to come work with you.”

“For me,” she corrects. “Just because we friends don’t mean I ain’t about to subject you to all of my bullshit at school- you get to deal with the full Ava experience in all its glory just like everybody else.”

“I’ve been subject to it for my entire life,” you laugh.

“I’ll reach out when I can officially accept your resume and offer you a position, but in the mean time… girl, when we getting our nails done?”

By some grace of God, Ava is able to keep her word, and you’re officially an employee of Willard R. Abbott Elementary School starting in August as a second grade teacher. You walk in arms full of boxes stacked so high you can barely see over them, not dressed in your fanciest clothes- you have a whole separate wardrobe when it comes to teaching. You know how this works- clothes will be ruined. Hell, some clothes were ruined at a nicer suburban school, so you know that some of your outfits will not be wearable by the end of the school year- or even the first week with the kids if you’re that unlucky.

“There you are, bitch!” Ava grins and runs over to you as you enter. She’s decked out in Eagles apparel, it’s all bejeweled in true Ava Coleman fashion. “I’m so happy you’re here- you boutta blow the roof off this place!”

You roll your eyes playfully but smile at her. “Can you just show me where my room is so I can start setting it up before we have to do our development activities?”

“Don’t you got people to do that for you?”

“No,” you shake your head. “I am fully capable of setting up my classroom myself- without people to move everything for me.”

“Lame,” she sighs. “I always like seeing the sexy movers your Dad hires for you.”

“I explicitly told him I didn’t want him to do that for me,” you tell her. “And I told him that if he sent people here to move stuff from my car, I would never be respected. I know how it goes around here, and so does he. So, here I am.”

The principal leads you down to your room. “All yours,” she grins as she unlocks the door.

You look around once you’ve set your boxes on the ground and bite your lip thoughtfully. You can make do with this space.

“Your team is Janine… annoying ass dork, and Melissa… mean Italian lady who is working for the mob.”

“You’re still on that?”

“Guilty until proven innocent!” Ava quips.

“You’re ridiculous,” you laugh. “Care to give me a hand with unloading the rest of the stuff from my car?”

“Girl, I just got my nails done, and you sure as hell know I don’t do manual labor. I’m the principal now- that shit’s beneath me!” She turns on her heel. “See you in the library in an hour!”

You report down to the gym a little before everyone else to get your bearings, and to beg your best friend to not make a huge deal about you being here- specifically requesting that she doesn’t speak anything of your family or the business. You have a relatively common last name, so it isn’t like anyone would hear your name and immediately know of your family either.

“I won’ say anything about your fam, but you sure as hell know I’m gonna let them know your my bitch and they shouldn’t mess with you.”

You sulk back to your seat, dreading whatever the hell Ava is going to say about your arrival at the school.

The rest of your colleagues make their way in and take seats in their designated seats, you still lingering in the back. This way, you’re able to see some new faces, and you wouldn’t want to take anyone’s unofficially assigned seat. Once everyone is seated you join them. You can immediately pick out a few of the names that Ava had thrown out over the summer. Janine is sitting with Gregory and Jacob, and the redheaded woman is clearly Melissa. Sitting next to her is who has to be what Ava described to as, “Melissa’s heterosexual work wife and life partner,” Barbara Howard.

The principal heads to the stage and starts her greeting in true Ava fashion- telling them all how much she wishes they weren’t here and she was still clubbing it up down at the shore, but she supposes it’s okay to see them again. And then she begins to introduce the new teachers- she, of course, saves you for last.

“And finally,” she breaks out in a grin and does a little dance. “we have Y/N. Listen up: this girl is my ride or die, and even one of you steps out of line towards her, and we gon’ have problems.”

All eyes turn to you and your red cheeks, but you give a small wave.

“Now, onto the boring stuff,” Ava sighs. She drones on about the new school year and what is going to (supposedly) pan out over the next nine months before she dismisses you all to prep in your classrooms for the remainder of the day.

You make a break for the door as soon as you can, sweater wrapped around you tightly even though it’s sweltering hot in the school- apparently Mr. Johnson still hasn’t fixed the air conditioning because he forgot which Boyz II Men song he assigned to the air system. As soon as you’re in your classroom, your sweater is off and you’re fanning yourself with a paper fan you had folded for yourself.

You continue to prepare for your students until you hear a gentle knock on the door. Who is standing there but Janine and Melissa.

“Hi!” Janine grins as she steps in. “It’s so great to have you as an addition to our team, and Melissa and I just wanted to stop by and introduce ourselves! I’m Janine, and this is-” She nudges the woman next to her.

The redhead just huffs and rolls her eyes. “Schemmenti,” is all she says.

“If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to come and ask one of us. My room is just down the hall, but lucky for you- Melissa’s room is right next door to you!”

“Don’t need anything,” the fiery second grade teacher warns you. “I don’t got time for someone who’s gonna leave in a few weeks.”

You’re somewhat taken aback by her abrasive personality, but you just smile instead. “Thank you,” is all you say once Janine has hissed out a quiet, “Melissa!”

“Did you need any help at all yet?”

“She don’t need help, pipsqueak,” Melissa rolls her eyes. “She’s got Ava on her side.” And with that, the redhead turns on her heel and leaves.

“Don’t mind her,” Janine tells you as she steps into your classroom a bit further. “She’s got a tough exterior, and she hated me too at first. But now, she’s like my work mom, with Barbara being my other work mom, of course. She even brought me lunch to make sure I eat today.”

“That’s very kind of her,” you say as you continue to set up your room.

“I like what you have goin’ on here,” your colleague nods her head in approval. “Nice and warm, kinda like my room! Well, I have to get back to my own classroom, but if you need anything, come on down! The price is right!” She laughs at her own joke before strolling down the hallway. 

Your first day at school is relatively peaceful, and before you know it, you’re allowed to leave. Of course though, you do plan on staying later because you have to finish up a few things before you’ll be satisfied with the progress you’ve made.

You see Melissa leaving her classroom, and despite not necessarily wanting to, you call out a gentle, “Have a good night, Melissa.”

She doesn’t say anything in response, just gives a short nod of the head in your direction before continuing on down the hall.

As you gather your things to leave for the day, Ava shows up at your door.

“So, we goin’ out for drinks?”

“I don’t think I can,’ you sigh. “I still have a lot of stuff that I have to prep for this, and I want to make sure it all gets done before the kids show up.”

“Girl, this would all be way easier if you just-”

“I don’t need any hired help,” you cut her off because you know exactly what she was going to say.

“Well then, I’m coming over,” your friend tells you, leaving no room for arguments. “It’s been too long since I seen you, or drank some of the good ass wine I know you have at your house.”

“Be my guest,” you chuckle as you sling your bag over your shoulder.

The rest of your development days are filled with boring meetings and time to prepare your classrooms. You find yourself a part of a committee to help with funding with a nudge from Ava.

“Girl, you don’t gots to tell them how you know all of this stuff about finances,” she tells you. “But it would be a big help to have someone like you on our team.”

“Fine. But if it gets out who I come from, I’m pulling out,” you point a finger at her. “I am not about to let my father get his hands on this and try to turn the school charter like he’s done before.”

She nods. “Whatever.”

The school year starts off strong. You’ve settled into your classroom, your kids absolutely adore you, and you adore them. You’ve spent some time with the other teachers in the school, besides Melissa, during preps, lunch duties, and recess duties. They all seem to like you, and you like them too.

Still though, you find yourself coming in early and staying late in order to get as much as you can together- you know once actual classwork starts to trickle in for you to grade, your plate is only going to get much more full. So any work that you can streamline and work ahead on, you do. The time where teachers are allowed to leave is upon you, and as much as you want to go home and take a nap, you know you really should stay and continue to work on lesson plans. Maybe you should start hanging up some of the work that your students have already done- their all about me posters and drawings. With a sigh, you gather the materials you’ll need to create a bulletin board and the footstool you keep in your cabinet and make your way into the hallway.

“Oi,” Melissa rolls her eyes as she closes her door for the night. “You know that working overtime won’t make you a better teacher.”

“I know,” you say softly. “But you know how it goes your first year in a new school.”

“Yeah, I don’t miss that shit,” the redhead huffs and starts to make her way down the hall.

“Have a good night, Melissa,” you call quietly.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t tell me what to do,” she tosses over her shoulder.

Wow. This woman was not easy to work with.

The next few days continue on like this, you staying later and later in order to stay on top of everything.

On Friday, you arrive early as you always do. While it’s casual Friday, and you’re allowed to wear jeans, you opt for a flowery sundress instead. It’ll keep your body temperature more regulated than a pair of stuffy jeans would. You know you aren’t doing anything where a student could accidentally destroy this dress either, so you think it’s a safe call.

As you enter the staff room to grab your lunch from the refrigerator, you hear the redhead’s low voice.

“You think you’re better than us, don’t you?” she challenges you, and you really don’t know why she’s doing this.

“Hm?” you hum as you grab your salad from the shelf.

“You think you’re better than us, don’t you?” she repeats. “Coming in here all cozy with Ava, wearing something or than jeans on casual Friday, already having bulletin boards up… you might’ve come from a nice school bonfire, but you’re here now- adjust.”

All of your coworkers’ eyes go wide at this unprovoked ‘fight’ you’ve found yourself in, and a few of them scold her. 

“What’s she gonna do?” Melissa fires out to Barbara. “Go tell on me to Ava and get me fired? Please.”

You bite your lip nervously before smiling tightly. “Have a nice lunch, y’all… and have a nice weekend if I don’t catch you before school’s over.” You leave the room with that and head back down to your classroom to eat your lunch while you pour over your lesson plans.

“Melissa,” Barbara sighs. “Y/N has done nothing to you, and you’re treating her terribly! There is no need; you are better than this!”

“Listen, she’s just another one of Ava’s minions who is going to reign hell on me during the school year. She already drives me nuts with the effort she’s putting in.”

“She may be friends with Ava,” Janine cuts in. “But I really don’t think she’s like her- she seems like she has drive and a true passion for our kids.”

“And that is what we need at this school,” the kindergarten teacher tells her friend. “We need people who are willing to put in the effort and love on these kiddos the way that she is. I already had Dante tell me during my lunch duty that he loves second grade because of her! Do not go tearing her down and forcing her out when we need more educators like her!”

“I don’t-”

“Melissa Ann Caterina Schemmenti,” Barbara pulls out the redhead’s full name, and Melissa’s eyes go wide at that. “Be nicer to the young girl. Give her a chance. You weren’t even this hard on Jacob and Janine when they first joined us.”

“And now you’re like my work mom!” the energetic teacher grins.

“You don’t even have to go out of your way to be nice to her,” the elder teacher says. “Just don’t be so harsh.”

“If I say sure, can we go back to eating lunch and talking about our weekend plans?”

Deciding that you’ve put enough hard work into this week and you’ll make sure you’re in here bright and early the day after Labor day, you grab your bag to head out on time and make the most of this long weekend. You close your door and begin to lock it just as Melissa makes her way out of the classroom.

“You’re not staying late tonight?” she looks at you with a raised brow.

“No,” you chuckle. “I figured that I deserve to have this weekend to relax after a hectic first week. But I’ll be back bright and early on Tuesday.”

“Mhmm,” the redhead hums as she fiddles with her door. “Shit,” she grumbles as she struggles to get the lock to turn.

“Do you want some help?” you ask her gently.

“I got it,” she holds up a hand. “I’ve been dealing with this damn door for the last two years. Mr. J will get around to it eventually.”

After watching her fight with the lock for long enough, you sigh and pull a bobby pin out of your hair. “Seriously, let me help.”

She steps aside, arms folded over her chest. Before you know it, you have her door locked, and you’re sliding the pin back into your hair.

“Thank you,” she mutters.

“Of course,” you smile at her shyly. “Hey, have a nice weekend.”

“You too, kid,” she tells you, and there isn’t any sort of bite behind her words. She isn’t smiling at you, but she also isn’t scowling at you.

Content with that conversation, you head for the doors and out to your car.

You make a pitstop on your way home into the Home Depot- you’’ just buy a new lock for Melissa’s door and install it on Tuesday when you get there. It’s a simple fix, and she doesn’t have to know it was you that did it.

The weekend is nice. You and Ava go out clubbing on Friday and Saturday night before nursing your hangovers on Sunday together. And then on Monday, you make your way over to your parents’ house with your partner in crime for the Labor Day barbecue they always hold. It’s a good time, as it always is. Your parents are happy to see the lively woman again, and they thank her for helping to get you back to your roots.

You’re back at Abbott bright and early- earlier than anybody else besides the janitor that lingers in the halls and doesn’t do his job.

“Good morning, Mr. J!” you greet him happily.

“Y/N,” he smiles back at you. “You have a nice weekend?”

“I did,” you reply as you make your way down to your wing. “And you?”

“Always a good time when you’re me,” he chuckles before continuing on his way humming a Boyz II Men song. 

You quickly drop your things off in your room before changing out your colleague’s crappy lock. You leave the new key in the hole so she has it, and then you settle at your desk to continue working on your lesson plans and preparations.

You hear her before you see her passing by your room to get to hers.

“Hey, good morning,” you greet her quietly.

“Mornin’,” she huffs. You’ve gathered that she isn’t much a morning person- at least not until she’s had her first cup of coffee and has watched the news in the break room with her friends.

You a hear a soft, “Huh,” come from her mouth as she notices there’s a new lock on her door. “Took you long enough, Mr. J.” She has no idea it’s you that changed it. Hopefully, this starts her week of well.

Your exchanges with the Italian lady in the room next door don’t much go beyond a good morning and a good night each day as the weeks go on, but she doesn’t frown at your mere existence anymore. If you squint, you can almost see a smile. The rest of your colleagues really seem to taking a liking to you, and you’re genuinely happy that you made the decision to come work here- even if it means putting up with your best friend’s shenanigans.

Everything is going swimmingly at work until one day Ava calls an emergency staff meeting at the end of the day.

Making your way into the library, you genuinely have no idea what she could have to announce so urgently. Apparently, neither do any of the other teachers.

“You’re close with her,” Melissa falls into step with you. “You know what she’s gonna say?”

“No idea,” you tell her quietly. “I’m just praying it’s not another pyramid scheme of hers. I can’t get her out of any more trouble with those.”

The redhead looks at you curiously, but you don’t say anything else. You don’t want to admit that when Ava finds herself in legal troubles, she usually calls your mother and she helps clean up the mess pro bono.

The two of you settle into the library chairs amongst the rest of your coworkers, but Ava is nowhere to be found.

“Good lord,” Barbara mutters. “This better be worth staying after. I’m going to be late to dinner with Gerald.”

Your friend enters the library looking rather frazzled. “Hey, y’all. Listen, I gotta make this quick because I have to get to a hair appointment, but I wanted you to hear it from me before word got around: the district is trying to cut our budget, and with our budget being cut, that means they’ll cut the arts programs. I know y’all don’t want that, so start coming up with ways to get us out this mess!”

Before anyone can ask any questions, she leaves.

“What the hell?” Melissa looks angry- like really angry. Her nostrils are flared, her eyes are wide, and she’s balling up her hands into fists. “Barb, you and me to the mall. I’m gonna need a new shakedown sweater.”

With no hesitation, the kindergarten teacher follows her work wife out of the school.

That night, Ava calls you.

“Girl… you know what we have to do,” she tries to convince you to let out your secret about your wealth.

“No,” you say for the millionth time. “We are going to fundraise, we’re going to get the money so that they can’t cut it… I’ll work with Janine and the budgeting committee to see where we can make small cuts here and there to scrounge up some more money… but I am not letting my dad get wrapped up in this and be in his debts. You know how he likes to hold stuff like that over my head, and he will turn Abbott charter if we let him get involved with this.”

You work tirelessly to come up with multiple fundraisers, different presentations to bring to the district offices, and work with the budgeting committee to make small cuts where you have a bit of wiggle room. You even tell them they can cut your salary by 2% if it means a little extra money- it may not be a lot, but it’s something that you’re willing to give considering your sizable bank account anyway. You do all of this, on top of continue to work in your classroom. You’re exhausted.

You volunteer for the events that you’ve helped to organize, and so have quite a few of the other teachers.

“We are not losing the arts program,” Melissa fumes multiple times a week. “I need my prep to keep my sanity.”

“Amen to that,” Barbara usually remarks after that.

“If it means volunteering a few hours here or there for these events, I’ll do it,” the redhead tells you when you hesitantly approach her crew about helping out.

So, here you are with Melissa at the art show.

The conversation is awkward and stilted for quite some time before she finally sighs.

“You’re doing good,” she tells you. “I haven’t seen a turn out like this in quite some time.”

“Anything for the kids,” you reply. “They need it.”

“Why here?” she finally asks you the question that’s been eating at her for some time- since the first day you walked in really.

“I grew up in Philly,” you tell her. “It was time to come back to my roots, and Ava offered me a position. The stars aligned for me, and I’m quite content in my decision to be back in a city school. I can help make a difference for these guys like some of my teachers did for me.”

“For someone who’s friends with Ava, you sure have a lot more heart than I thought you would,” she admits.

You smile. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“How long you two been friends? Meet in college at the clubs?”

“Nah,” you laugh softly. “I grew up with Ava living a few houses down from me. We’ve been friends since I was the shy girl in the first grade who sat by myself at recess. Next thing I know, she’s next to me rambling on about whatever first grade drama was happening and telling me I was her girl. I still don’t know why she chose me to come up to that day. Maybe it’s because I actually listened to her. But we’ve been stuck together since that day.”

“You’re good for her,” Melissa tells you. “I haven’t seen Ava put in this much effort to something that doesn’t directly benefit her before. And I think it really does have something to do with you being here and leading a lot of it.”

“Thank you,” you smile again.

That night is where everything starts to change. Melissa slowly starts to show you the other side of her personality- the kind, would take a bullet for you if she had to side. You quite like it.

As the months go on, you still work tirelessly to put together different events to try to save the arts. Melissa even helps you plan a few, and she offers her “I know a guy” line when you’re looking for different ways to draw people in. The two of you begin to work closely in order to make sure that these events happen, and that they’re good. The redhead sees how hard you work and how driven you are. She respects it.

  You find yourselves chaperoning quite a few events- choir shows, band shows, a few school dances…

And while you’re at these events, the redhead sticks by your side through most of the nights. She finds that she quite likes being around you actually. She lets you into her personal life slowly. You tell her little bits about your life while still not revealing that you come from the line that you do.

She realizes that she’s starting to fall for you- and that terrifies her to no end. But she can’t quite pull herself away from you. Not now. Not after getting to know you and see how down to earth and honest you are with what you do- not after you’ve shown her that you’re here to stay and you’re going to show up for these kids in any way you possibly can.

Finally, the biggest event that you’ve planned, and your last attempt at hitting the quota to keep the arts program around for another year (you don’t even want to think about having to go through this charade all over again next year) is here. 

It’s another AvaFest kind of deal, but you’re able to utilize the outside part of your school grounds this year. Inside, there are smaller games, a few tables from local vendors, music provided by Janine’s ex-boyfriend. Outside though, is a whole other story. It practically looks like a carnival.

There’s a ball toss, a free-throw game, a balloon dart stand, a game to throw footballs through some holes, the dunk tank has been moved outside and a handful of teachers have volunteered to partake in it… all of the ticket stands and games are being run by various teachers and aides in the school. And the assortment of goodies around? Apparently, Melissa knows quite a few guys who participate in the food industry because you have a grilled cheese stand, a lemonade stand, a guy who’s making hoagies… she even knew a guy to come head a cotton candy machine for the event. And that’s not even naming all of the vendors.

You don’t have any assigned places to be because you’re overseeing that the event runs smoothly. So you’re milling about with your clipboard in hand, checking over the different stands. And while you expected Melissa to sit at the ticket table with Barbara, she follows you around and is your right hand man throughout the night. She checks in with the people that she knows, shoots the shit, and helps you solve any issues that arise through the night- not that there are many. You worked your ass off to ensure that everybody participating in this school wide event was compensated for their time and hard work.

“You really outdid yourself, hun,” Melissa comments quietly once you’ve found a moment to just stand and take it all in.

“Oh, I couldn’t have done it without everyone else helping,” you brush off her compliment. “You were a really big help, so thank you.”

“We all pitched in, but you’re the brains behind all of this,” she tells you. “Don’t sell yourself short. This jawn just might have to become an annual thing.”

“Oh, don’t remind me of what I’m going to have to pull of next year,” you groan playfully. “After this, I’m done with ideas for the year.”

“That ain’t true, and you know it. If something else comes up, you and I both know you’ll be the first one organizing something.”

“I know,” you sigh. But then you smile softly. “It’s all for the kids though. They deserve it.”

“They do,” she agrees. “And because of you, they’re gonna get it.” She gently hip checks you.

You blush and shrug.

“You got a real knack for this. If you weren’t such a good teacher, I’d tell you to go into professional party planning,” the redhead quips. She doesn’t know that you’ve been helping plan company parties with your parents for years now.

“It’s more a hobby,” you tell her. “I’m a teacher at heart.”

“A teacher with a damn good heart,” she corrects you.

“You think this is all gonna be worth it?” you ask her nervously. “Think we’re gonna hit the mark?”

“I’d put money on it,” she tells you honestly. “With the last events you’ve organized, and this one being our biggest success yet, I think we’ll exceed it.”

“God, I hope so.”

You don’t make enough money to keep the funding for the arts program. You’re devastated. Absolutely crushed. You burst into tears when Ava announces that bit of information sadly at the next staff meeting, rushing out of the room to try to compose yourself.

Melissa runs after you. You don’t really know why, but she does. 

“Hey,” she comes into your classroom, grabbing a tissue on her way over to you. She gently wipes your tears away. “We did our best. You did your best. And that… is enough.”

“It isn’t though,” you choke out. “We’re losing the arts program, and those teachers are going to be let go, and I-”

“I’m sure Ava will find somewhere else for them to be placed,” Melissa tries to comfort you.

“And- and we’re going to lose our preps, and… and the kids deserve to have the arts!” you cry. “When I was in school, that was my favorite part of the day, and now they won’t be able to experience that joy!”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to incorporate it into your lessons,” the redhead tells you gently as she pulls you into a hug. “You did everything you could… but sometimes at the end of the day, life sucks.”

“It’s not fair,” you whine.

“Life ain’t always fair, hun,” Melissa reminds you. “But we do our best with what we’ve been given. And now, all the money that we raised can go into buying supplies for the kids next year.”

You sigh and wipe at the last of your tears. You take a deep breath. “Y-yeah. Okay,” you whisper sadly.

“It’s gonna be okay, hun,” she promises you. “And who knows, maybe a miracle will happen, and we’ll get to keep the programs.”

And just like that, her words give you an idea. You know how you can make a miracle happen. You have to contain your excitement as the thought pops into your head. The two of you return to the staff meeting where Ava is rambling on about who knows what, but you’re itching to get out of there.

Once you’re dismissed, you head back to your classroom, open up your laptop and log in. You check your bank account balances, and pleased with the numbers, you pull up the GoFundMe page that was up for the school.

“You’re stayin’ late again tonight?” Melissa knocks on your door, purse slung over her shoulder and sunglasses already on.

“Just a few minutes,” you look up and smile at her. “I have a few emails I have to respond to.”

“Alright,” she taps the doorframe a few times. “Try to have a good night, yeah?”

“I will,” you tell her. “You too, Melissa.”

“Thanks, hun.” 

With that, she’s off, and you can go back to what you were doing. You click on the “Donate Now” button without hesitation.

You donate the first $50,000, and then another $50,000 anonymously, and you absolutely beam when you see that you’ve hit your goal and then surpassed it. Satisfied, you close out of the tabs and close your laptop. Now, you just have to wait for tomorrow morning when Ava, the organizer of the fundraiser, sees the email. You know she won’t see it tonight- she’s off the clock.

A few hours later, you get a text from your best friend.

Hey, you still holding up ok? she sends.

I’m alright, you text back. So she hadn’t seen the donations yet. I’m drinking wine right now if you want to come over.

Girl, say less.

She’s over at your house in less than fifteen minutes, and it takes everything in you to not tell her what you had done. She heads home after finishing off the bottle, bidding you a goodnight and a see you tomorrow.

You sleep like a baby that night.

The next morning, you’re back in your classroom setting up your science experiment for the day when Ava’s voice comes over the intercom.

“Attention Abbott Elementary: there is a mandatory staff meeting, right now. Start heading down to the library. That means you, Schemmenti.”

You grin as you stand back up straight and make your way for the door. Right before you exit, you put on your best neutral face.

“Damn,” Melissa groans as she leaves her room. “Tell your friend not to call me out like that. I skip on meeting, and she’s all over me.”

“I don’t control what she does, and you know that,” you chuckle.

���What do you think this is about?” she asks you as the two of you make your way down the hall.

You shrug. “For all I know, it could be that she got a manicure and wants to show it off.”

The two of you find seats at your table, Barbara arrive a few seconds later.

“What on Earth could this woman have forgotten to tell us yesterday?” the kindergarten teacher huffs. “I have things to do!”

“I was setting up my science experiments for the day,” you grumble. “If this isn’t worth it, I’m making her set the rest of it up.” You know it will be worth it.

“Good morning, subordinates!” Ava makes it known that she’s entering the library. “I have some great news!”

Everyone silently urges her to go on.

“I have no idea who did this- sure as hell wasn’t me- but, we got some donations after school yesterday!” She projects the webpage up onto the screen.

Everyone gasps when they see how much money had been donated last night. To keep up appearances, your eyes widen, your jaw drops, and you well up with tears. Acting classes from when you were younger sure are paying off now.

“Oh my- Oh my god!” you shout, and Melissa is hugging you tightly.

“So, thanks to these very generous donations, we’re able to keep the arts programs up and running for at least the next three years!” Ava grins.

“Well, who donated?” Janine asks. “We have to find out so we can thank them!”

“Who cares?” Ava rebuts. “We got what we wanted! Now back to work, slackers!”

You stay in your seat, pretending to be in complete and utter shock while everyone else starts to get up. Almost every teacher comes up congratulating you and telling you that your hard work paid off. Melissa sits with you, happy as can be, and only reaffirming what everyone else is already telling you. Only once everyone else has left does she say anything else.

“Y/N,” she grins. “This is incredible. I told you your hard work would pay off. It’s a freakin’ miracle!”

“Y-Yeah,” you match her smile. “God, this is great.”

The two of you sit there for some time, chatting about how you could use some of the funding to buy more supplies and the likes until you remember you still have to finish setting up your science materials.

“Oh shit!” you whisper. “I- I gotta go finish setting up before the kids come in!” You take off in the direction of your room, and the redhead can only watch you as you go with a lovestruck look in her eyes.

When you’re halfway there, you hear Ava’s voice over the speaker again. “Y/N, my office.”

“Fuck,” you mumble as you halt sprinting down the hallway and turn to make your way down to her room. There was no way you would be able to finish preparing for today at this rate.

“This better be quick. I have to-”

“You donated that money, didn’t you?” Ava gets right to the point.

Your eyes widen. Your cover was blown with her, meaning it was going to be blown quickly among your colleagues as well.

“Well, was it?”

You nod subtly. “But please… don’t say anything. Please. I did it for the kids, and I have enough stashed away, and-”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” your best friend grins. “Why you think I didn’t say nothin’ at the meeting today?”

“You’re the best,” you sigh in relief.

“Don’t I know it,” the principal cackles. “Now, fo’ real. Come shoot an instagram video with me to announce that we met our goal.”

“Ava, I actually have-”

“I’ll tell,” she singsongs. “C’mon. We need our fearless leader and organizer to be part of the video.”

“Fine.”

The two of you finish the video about five minutes before the kids will start to show up, and you practically sprint back to your classroom to attempt the impossible task of finishing setting up.

When you get there though, Melissa is in your room just finishing up the last station.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you say quietly as you make your way into the room.

“Nah,” she shrugs. “But I wanted to. I got the time.”

“Thank you,” you grin.

“Noticed your coffee cup was empty too,” she notes. “So I made you a new one. Hope that’s alright.”

You walk over to your desk and take a sip of the warm drink. It’s perfect.

“Thank you,” you make your way over to her and squeeze her shoulder gently. “Seriously. You just made my day.”

“Nah, that mysterious donor did,” she chuckles. “But I’m glad I could help. Have a good morning, and I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Yes, ma’am,” you mock salute her. “Thank you again.”

You greet your children at the door, coffee mug and heart both full. Melissa greets her own students, but she can’t stop watching you. You’re just… so perfect. She knows she’s falling for you hard. Maybe at the end of the week she’ll confess her feelings- no, she will. She makes up her mind: she’s going to confess her feelings to you by Friday, if not before. She just has to work up the nerve to do it.

At lunch, the conversation is almost solely on who the mystery donor is. You play dumb, and you tell everyone that you’re just happy the school gets to keep their program from next to Melissa.

“I know a guy who could find out for us,” the redhead tells your colleagues.

“Oh, do it,” Janine grins. “That way, we can have our kids make cards and send them to the person to thank them! Oh my god- do you guys think our donor is Taylor Swift?! She does stuff like this sometimes!”

“She usually puts her name to it,” you chuckle. “But seriously, I think we should just be grateful. Ava and I already thanked the person on the school’s webpage and social media, and I think that should suffice.” You really don’t want to be found out.

“I already got the guy on the line,” Melissa rolls her eyes as she types away on her phone. “I’m gonna have to make a tray of ziti and some meatballs as payment though.”

You bite your lip. You really, truly pray that her guy won’t be able to find you out. But, her people usually come through for her… maybe just this once, they won’t be able to?

“Oi, Y/N,” Melissa taps your elbow gently.

“Hm?”

“We lost ya there for a second,” she tells you. “I asked if you would come over to help me make the food, since we’s in this situation because of your fundraiser.”

“Oh,” you blush. “Uh, sure. When?”

“You got anything goin’ on tonight?” she asks. You shake your head. “Then tonight. I’ll text you my address. Bring a bottle of wine.” At that moment, she silently promises herself she’ll talk to you about her feelings for you.

You nod and continue to eat your lunch quietly, letting the conversation around you continue as you continuously plead with the lord that they don’t find out it’s you who donated all that money.

You show up to your coworker’s house promptly at 5:30, like she asked, with a nicer bottle of wine in hand. You hope she’ll like it.

When she opens the door, you have to stop yourself from blushing at the sight of her. You’ve seen her at school, and you wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but you find her attractive there. In the comfort of her own home though, she’s almost even more gorgeous.

“Hey,” she opens the door. “C’mon in. I got all the stuff ready.”

You enter quietly, offering her the bottle of wine. She pulls her glasses from off the top of her head and puts them on before inspecting the bottle.

“Damn,” she says. “You got good taste, but expensive taste.”

“I figured I could splurge for a celebration,” you offer up.

She leads you to the kitchen and pulls out two wine glasses before pouring some into each. Once you have yours in hand, she quietly raises her own in a toast.

“To this mystery donor,” she says quietly. You clink your glass with hers before sipping on the wine.

By the time all of the food is in the oven, the two of you have gotten through about three quarters of the bottle and plan to finish off the rest on her couch.

“This was nice,” you tell her quietly.

“Yeah,” she hums, but you can tell her mind is clearly somewhere else.

“Hey, penny for your thoughts?” you ask her. 

She hums again, still wrapped up in her own inner turmoil over telling you that she has a thing for you. 

“Mel,” you tap her gently, the nickname rolling off of your tongue for the first time. 

She snaps out of her trance.

“What’s goin’ on in that pretty little head of yours?” you ask softly.

She bites her lip nervously before whispering, “Please don’t hate me for this.” And then she gently presses her lips to your own.

Your eyes widen before you kiss her back just as tenderly. When you need air, you pull back.

“Oh, god,” she whispers.

“Hey,” you set a warm hand on her knee. And then you lean in and kiss her again so she knows that you aren’t upset with her; you don’t hate her.

“So…” she hums when you two part again. “I- I have a thing for you.”

“You wouldn’t say?” you tease her. “If it wasn’t clear, I like you too. I just didn’t think you would ever go for someone like me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she frowns. “You’re… you.”

“Yeah,” you laugh weakly as you run a hand through your hair. “I’m me. Shy, quiet, dorky… always working… friends with Ava.”

“Mm,” she hums as she shifts closer to you. “You are you: hard working, driven, down to earth, kind… heart of gold… gorgeous.”

You roll your eyes playfully. “C’mon, Mel.”

“I’m serious,” she tells you as she tucks a hair behind your ear. “I like you because you’re you… I tried to hate you so hard at the beginning of the year, and I just… couldn’t.”

“Oh yeah?” you ask her.

“Nope. From the moment I found out you were the one that changed my lock and fixed my door,” she admits.

Your eyes widen slightly at that confession. “You knew?”

“I thanked Mr. J that day, and he told me it wasn’t him,” she shrugs. “That he saw you come in early with a bag from Home Depot. I put two and two together.”

“You’re ridiculous,” you laugh. “You could’ve told me you knew.”

“There was never a right time for it,” she chuckles. “But I figure now is the right time to say thank you the way I wanted to then.” She kisses you again.

That night, the two of you talk over how you’re going to continue on with this little… situation you’ve found yourselves in. You’ll take it slow. You bid her a goodbye with a lingering kiss before climbing into your car and heading back to your house.

Sleep washes over you easily that night, content with what had just happened at Melissa’s. 

The next day continues on as it normally does, although when no one is around in the corner that your classrooms are in, the redhead will sneak into your room and kiss you passionately. She’s found that she quite likes kissing you, and you don’t mind one bit. She hasn’t heard any news from her guy, and you feel like you’re in the clear. They won’t find you out. 

But come the following day, as you’re sitting in the break room with Janine, Gregory, Jacob, and Barbara, the redhead comes storming in.

“You!” she points a finger at you. In her other hand is a stack of papers.

You practically jump out of your skin when you hear her booming voice. “Me?” you whisper.

“When the hell were you gonna tell us who you really were?!”

“Melissa,” Barbara furrows her brows. “It is too early for this.”

“No, I think now’s a great time for this. When the hell were you gonna tell us that you were the donor?! When were you gonna tell us that your Y/N, daughter of one of the most famous day traders and one of the most prestigious lawyers in the area?!”

You turn bright red, and you can’t help the tears that spring to your eyes.

“What?” Janine gasps. “Melissa, you have to-”

“See for yourselves!” She throws the papers in her hands on one of the tables.

The rest of your friends gather around to look at the papers. There’s a screenshot of the transaction with your name, and then there are a few papers from an article that ran a couple of years ago about one of your dad’s parties and being able to secure a deal. In the image, you’re in the background drinking a glass of wine next to your mother. They all look to you with wide eyes.

“Wow,” Jacob whistles. 

“When the hell were you gonna tell us?” Melissa asks you again. “You know the trouble I had to go through to get this information? How much deep diving I did once I saw your name? You coulda saved me a trip to the grocery store and hours of cooking and cleaning if you would’ve just fessed up!”

“I- I’m sorry,” you whisper as you wipe at your tears and make your way out. You head back to your classroom, coffee abandoned at your seat, and lock the door. You keep it locked despite the various knocks that come and go to check on you after your quick exit. 

“Melissa,” Barbara tries to calm her friend down. “I know you’re frustrated that you went through all of that effort, but… Y/N was doing it out of the goodness of her heart, and she clearly didn’t want to be found out.”

“I know,” the redhead sighs once her fire has died down a bit. “I was too hard on her, wasn’t I?”

“I’d say so,” the kindergarten teacher admits.

“Shit,” she mutters. “I gotta fix this.”

You only unlock it when you know it’s time for your students to start arriving, but you don’t dare go stand at your door like you usually do. You don’t want to face Melissa- not yet. You don’t think you can. You’ve only just started to explore what could happen between the two of you, and you’ve already ruined it by not telling her who you were. You avoid her for the morning.

Come lunchtime, you don’t even bother to head into the break room. You just suppose a granola bar from the stash that you have in your room will have to suffice and hold you over until you can go home today.

You lay your head down on your desk- it’s pounding because you didn’t get to finish your caffeinated drink.

You hear her boots against the floor before you can see her. You think she’s just going to pass by your door and head into her own room, but she stops in your doorway. In her hands, she has a mug full of coffee, your lunch, and dozens of handmade cards from the students.

“Hey,” she says gently.

You don’t answer. She makes her way into the room and sets everything on your desk before she makes herself comfortable.

“Eat,” she instructs.

“Not hungry,” you shrug.

“Then at least drink the coffee I made you,” she tries. “I know you get headaches when you don’t have enough caffeine in your system.”

You shrug. She raises her eyebrows though, and you meekly reach for the cup. “Thanks."

“The kids all made you cards,” she tells you gently. “Thanking you.”

You look at them with a sad smile.

“The staff put some cards in there too.”

“That’s nice,” you say numbly.

“C’mon, hun,” she sighs as she lays a warm hand on your shoulder. “This stuff normally makes you happy.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, resigned. “But I fucked up. I didn’t tell you who I was, and now you’re mad at me, and I probably ruined whatever we have goin’ on here. I’ll pay you back for the money you spent on the food by the way.”

“No need for that,” she waves you off. “Was I pissed when I saw your name on that paper? When I realized who you actually were? Yeah. A little. But… you single-handedly saved our arts program. You organized all of the events, and then when that wasn’t enough, you donated so much that we get to keep that program for at least the next five years.”

“Yeah, for the kids,” you sigh. “It’s all for them.”

“And besides,” she chuckles quietly. “If I didn’t have to make that food, I probably wouldn’t have kissed you that night, I woulda found out who you were before tellin’ you how I felt, and then I really would’ve been pissed with you, and what we have going on here wouldn’t have happened.”

You shrug. “I ruined it though.”

“You didn’t ruin nothin’. I’m not mad anymore, and I’m sorry I was as hard on you as I was,” she promises you gently. “I still like ya. I still wanna see where this goes, if you do.”

You look up at her, glassy eyes and all. “Really?”

“Yeah, hun. If this showed me anything, it’s that you’re a really good person, and I made a really good choice fallin’ for you.”

You blink a few times in disbelief. So you didn’t ruin this. You still have Melissa in your life- she doesn’t hate you.

“Do you wanna see where this goes?”

“I do,” you say softly.

Her lips meet yours, and you only part when you hear a collective gasp from the teachers who had quietly followed Melissa down to ensure that she wasn’t going to cause any fights.

The two of you pull back, cheeks red.

“Uh, surprise?” you say nervously.

[triforce-of-mischief]

legend is a peacekeeper, not a bully. in this essay i will-

heck yeah i'm doing this for real, let's go.

x

let's take a closer look at his initial list of traits:

"chooses not to be a leader type." so, this is a guy who has the experience and maturity that he could take charge, but has consciously decided to leave it to the elder links. taking responsibility for eight men and boys is a lot, and legend simply doesn't have the energy and/or personality to keep it up at all times.

"the most reliable, you want him on your team." legend is a good person to be around! the others genuinely appreciate his company! i love how this is worded; out of a lineup, legend would be chosen.

x

instead of calling out to wild or trying to physically stop him (both pretty dangerous moves around somebody with a nocked bow and arrow), legend simply shoots wild's arrow out of the sky with his own. which is a pretty sick move itself. sure, now wild will have to replace that arrow, but it's hyrule. you can't go two feet without finding a vendor. anyway, we don't get to see wild's reaction but it must not have been extreme because legend is calm around wind moments later. even when they're still getting to know each other, legend makes the right move.

x

legend just gives away an entire freaking fire rod. that's pretty significant if you ask me. he doesn't trust the others with his secrets, but he's willing to provide tools for the job.

x

this is a playful quip during a lighthearted moment. wild probably knows about the impression that he gives off, and he doesn't seem upset about legend pointing it out.

x

then, legend's mood immediately shifts to serious as wild reveals the full extent of his scarring. he settles into a mediator role between wild's casualness and time's concern.

x

as stated before, legend is worried about people breaking his stuff. wild isn't bothered by the veteran's attitude, as he clearly just wants to get in, grab his stuff, and get out.

twilight: "i don't know what his problem is, but you shouldn't let him push you around like that." sky: "oh it's fine. it's harmless. he just doesn't give a second thought about his attitude is all. trust me, people like him aren't bullies." twilight: "hmm. that's very true."

x

THIS. COMIC. any time legend is stereotyped as a bully, i just point to this comic. sky says it himself: people like him aren't bullies. i could stop there, but why would i? sky mentions legend's attitude; i think that legend genuinely isn't always aware of the tone of his words. he says what he wants to say, and it can sound blunt but he never means harm by it. also, note legend's body language in the panel i chose. his hand is behind his head, likely touching his neck. that's a self-soothing gesture and a telltale sign of nervousness. whatever legend's saying, he's not as confident as twilight thinks he is. sky sees legend as he truly is, and that's what's important.

x

the prior subject being everybody else fruitlessly guessing at the monsters' motives. it's late at night, the heroes are probably tired, and the conversation is clearly going nowhere. therefore, legend takes it upon himself to lighten the mood. heavy topics can wait for tomorrow; now, the mystery of wild's arrows will make for a sufficient distraction.

x

legend may be used to being a loner, but he pays just as much attention to the others. he frequently joins small conversations and, at the very least, will observe from close by.

x

this is arguably the only time that legend's teasing continues at the expense of somebody else. it's not an isolated attack, though. all of the eldest heroes are in on the bit, except for time who lets it happen with a resigned look on his face.

x

apologies for the lack of legible conversation, but i really wanted to demonstrate the range of emotions that these two go through. legend and warriors bicker like true brothers; tempers flare for a split second before legend realizes that warriors is purposefully making a mountain out of a molehill. they take turns balancing snark and sincerity, and no harm is done from their initial disagreement.

x

once again: THIS. COMIC. legend is a bit disappointed by the thwarted attempt to tease, but wild makes it obvious that this is not the right time or place so legend acts accordingly. legend tries to make amends by asking a question as he returns the diary, and all hints of prior teasing are gone when he offers not one, but two apologies. legend and wild might be different in many ways, but legend knows all too well how it feels to lose a loved one.

x

legend is aware that he's not the best with words. this is both a subtle jab at himself, and at time- since the elder has taken the leader role, he needs to act like it. legend is reminding time that he needs to be better about praising his group after a hard-won battle.

x

by bringing up the topic of magic swords, legend is the one who caused a moment of tension in the first place. when four quickly tries to ease the mood, legend easily agrees.

x

legend loses another few points here: he's too fast to assume the worst, then snaps at wind as tempers run high after a rough battle. thankfully, things seem to be fine again by the time they make camp.

x

all right, old man, angst time is over. legend isn't thrilled to have to be the one to speak up, but at least time is done being cryptic and creepy.

x

it's not the most ideal subject change, but thinking about ganon is certainly easier than being helpless to wild's plight.

x

can we just... appreciate how legend didn't hesitate before stepping through the portal first, alone? if that's not selfless, i don't know what is.

x

once again, it's time who doesn't realize that his words are hurtful. legend diffuses the situation, leaving twilight to console sky about the master sword.

x

this argument has clearly been repeated for however long legend and wild have been traveling together. even though legend is likely older than wild, he doesn't attempt to force the champion to go with his plan. even one on one, legend chooses not to take the leader role, simply trying to get wild to listen to reason. when four shows up, wild reignites the bickering before legend sighs and admits defeat. as long as they're actually going somewhere, legend knows that there's no point in arguing anymore.

x

legend is pretty set on making twilight admit that he's the wolf- until they're attacked, and legend's thoughts go right back to the group. he then touches the crystal which causes another distraction, but it's important to note that, yet again, legend quits teasing when there's something more important to focus on.

x

twilight points out that legend's teasing isn't supposed to be hurtful. self-defensive, yes, but legend chooses to be this way- even if it's not ideal, he thinks it'll stop him from getting hurt again. so why would he use his quips to bully the others, if that's exactly what he's avoiding himself?

x

legend isn't used to asking for help, but what's the first thing he does? he says thank you! then sky picks up on his awkwardness and it's the skyloftian's turn to introduce a distraction.

x

while the others heroes look nervous or just solemn, legend is embarrassed. twilight and sky were egging four on just as much, but legend still sees it as a personal failing that he didn't act more maturely.

x

legend coming in clutch with another small quip that he hopes will cut the tension. time's interrogating the kid, who clearly doesn't want to give away the elder's story. legend lets them carry on with their important conversation, but kudos to him for trying to lighten the mood prematurely.

x

twilight is out for the count with time, sky, and warriors going to help. so, legend acts as the temporary leader even though he's not accustomed to it. nobody listens to him unless he physically drags them away from a fight, but he still tries to keep the team safe.

x

legend so badly wants to check on twilight, but he knows that four is right. his restless energy then returns and he wastes a few minutes arguing with the smaller heroes before storming out of the inn to look for help.

x

and finally, we have the rare instance of legend wanting to be the peacekeeper, but not knowing what to say. he hasn't left twilight's side since he recovered, but that doesn't mean that he knows how to react to wild's poking at midna. thankfully, wild backs off and legend is able to remind twilight to save his worries until he has his full strength back.

x

so, there you have it! hopefully that was more than enough proof to convince you that legend is a pretty great guy, not the bully that people are so set on making him out to be.

[eros-vigilante]

issues w/ the octopath fandom, racism, and ableism

whats from the source

octopath does some racist bs quite frequently.

cotc (the mobile gacha) has an entire storyline filled with anti-indigenous and racist tropes.

the mainline octopath games have yet to design a traveler with curly hair, and frequently whitewashes the tan and dark-skinned characters in official artwork (compare these with the real ones; here's partitios official cotc splash art). ochette's hair especially is straight-as-a-ruler and silver. also worth considering eye colors. partitio is sad because his concept art had only one design where he's white and a couple even had dreadlocks, and yet his splash art refuses to match his sprite colors.

the beastlings... i'm white and have done more research on the tropes in cotc since i play it more, so while i did have thoughts of my own while playing, here is a better post i found that lists off all the bad choices about them.

also worth mentioning kaldena. one of the few dark-skinned characters in the game is a villain (and also has straight silver hair). other people have also broken down what choices in temenos' story around this were bad better than i could. i can't find a post with a quick search so if you want to reblog this to talk about it i will reblog/link it.

ableism. while i am a big fan of the autism-coding in the franchise, it's still true that there are a lot of jokes made in the games at the expense of osvald and cyrus (moreso cyrus). it's setting accurate for people to be mean to autistic people, but you're still supposed to laugh at "i guess cyrus isn't actually that smart!" which pushes the idea that autism affects intelligence and maturity. i think overall the autism representation is great (pspsps my essay) but it's definitely the source of some awful shit i've had to read people say about cyrus and osvald.

edit 1: friend reminded me of something i forgot that i only learned after talking to it about it a while ago: therion's story is actually really really weird in how it tries to frame cornelia and especially heathcote as helping therion when what they did is enslave him.

whats from the fandom

fanart whitewashing. there is a lot of fanart of therion and partitio with pale skin tones. there is fanart of olberic and ochette with significantly lighter/barely tan skin tones. i'm not going to find any to link because harassment and arguing is not the point of this post, but if you've looked through fanart you've seen it.

here's their skin tones blended. even with the highlights included, they're not white. i get it, their splash art is very ambiguous from the colorism, so if you weren't using the sprites: here's your new references.

ableism directed at cyrus and osvald. i've seen people complain about osvald's personality writing and then cite ptsd and autism symptoms, so many people call cyrus stupid, an idiot, or imply he is not mature. people assume/default hc that he is bad at adult activies. he is a thirty year old professor. it is his job to be mature, good with children, smart, etc. this is infantalization of an autistic character. it's a default assumption that the autistic man is below-average at adult functions.

infantalization of ochette. there are hcs and portrayals of ochette to be far less responsible and mature than she is in canon. she is the protector of her island, it is a theme of her story that she was forced to grow up more mature than everyone else. yes, she is funny, cheerful, energetic, but some fandom portrayals of her reduce her to just that, like she's a puppy. always being irresponsible, impulsive, etc. this matches to her dynamic with castti going from the sweet found family of their crossed path into "castti is the mother who needs to rein in this wild child"- and also consider how it looks to portray the only (consistently portrayed as) dark-skinned character as wild when she is responsible and mature in her story. similarly to cyrus, people tend to default to hcs that she would be bad at normal adult activities just because she has 'childish' traits.

what do you want me to do about it

eyedrop skintones from sprites or go darker for the guys who aren't white. consider changing their hair up, like using the concept art design for partitio. drawing characters of color differently from canon doesn't solve the racism in the game industry, but it is good practice for drawing poc and representing them more accurately.

don't... insult the autistic characters. there are things cyrus is canonically bad at that have nothing to do with his autism, like singing, but don't act like he's bad at everything that's not part of his interests. real people act how osvald does due to trauma. neither of them are two-dimensional in personality, they're written with nuance and a range of emotions outside of Being Autistic.

respect ochette more. are you portraying her as only silly or the savior of her home, or both? would someone who hasn't played ot2 know that ochette has overcome challenges based on your portrayal of her, or would they think she's a comedy relief?

learn about racism. learning about what kind of racist tropes are common in media and games helps a lot with recognizing it in other places, like the beastlings or kaldena. and most of all, learning about racist stereotypes and tropes makes you less likely to perpetuate them unintentionally.

putting the cotc racism essay down here so i can say that it has spoilers for Bestower of Power if you're a cotc player. it's different from the post i linked at the start; way more focused on just the anti-indig stereotypes in the villain's design.

the last thing i want to say is oh my god i love talking about this stuff so much. if you are confused about ANYTHING i talked about or want to talk about it more, or add your own experiences, or ask for recommendations, i love that shit. i made this because i believe most people who are really active in this fandom don't do this kind of stuff maliciously, and would benefit from just having a chance to talk about it. for some reason i am very into explaining/taking apart bigoted language, where it comes from, what it means etc. Please

[reallyromealone]

Can't find the ask but

Sanzu x male reader

First date

Fluff, guns, threats, mentions of cheating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(name) was unsure as he looked in the mirror, dressed in the clothes Sanzu purchased for him.

Tonight Sanzu was taking him on a date and... (Name( didn't know what to make of it. On one hand he was excited albeit a bit nervous to go on a date with the handsome man but... He also knew Bontens seconds dating streak.

And it wasn't great.

He's broken many hearts and did not care and that worried (name).

Because he wasn't about to be added to that list.

A knock on his apartment door alerted him to how much time passed and rushed to the door to see Sanzu dressed nicer than at work, his piercing eyes locked on (name) who looked like every dream he's had--well clothed that is.

"So are you going to tell me where you're taking me?" (Name) asked as the pink haired man led him to the elevator "you look nice" Sanzu said, trying to make small talk and brush past his question "thank you, how did you get my measurements?"

"Lucky guess" total lie but neither bothered questioning further as Sanzu led him to his car and opened the door for him.

Sanzu was actually making the effort to impress (name), pulling out his nicest car and everything to woo the assistant who looked so pretty under the city lights "I see you still live in that shit box of an apartment"

"The rents good! And Mrs. Sato needs help with groceries on Sundays!" (Name) huffed playfully "even with the job you have you're still somehow a good person" Sanzu was confused but attracted to him "just because I work for Mr. Sano doesn't mean I can't do good things from time to time"

Sanzu hated the fake nice people but (name) was never fake, he was always himself and put Bonten and Mikey first before himself.

"You're weird" Sanzu said softly as he drove them to the restaurant, the hostess immediately taking them to a private room that was incredibly expensive, (name) only seeing rooms like this when he accompanied Mikey to take notes for meeting's.

"Wow... Isn't this place hard to get into?"

"Bonten has private rooms reserved here... We do own it after all"

"Ah yes, I forget Bonten owns most of Tokyo" (name) joked as Bontens second poured them both a glass of wine "so why are you suddenly interested in me? I thought you hated me" (name) said shyly as he took a sip of the wine "I did" Sanzu said simply and (name) frowned "so why did you ask me? If this is for a fuck I'm leaving" (name) said seriously as he looked at Sanzu almost upset and the other raised an eyebrow"I did hate you but... We both have more in common than I realized and... Youre not awful to be around" Sanzu was as romantic as a cactus on meth that was high praise.

"I think you're pretty nice company too Sanzu" (name) said softly with a smile as two waitresses came in with food for them, silent and leaving as fast as they came "how did you...?"" I did research" he stalked him.

"I shouldn't have expected anything less from you"

Sanzu was stiff, this was his first...real date and not just him bored and looking for a fuck and honestly enjoyed the company the other brought, he kept Sanzu on his toes and it was invigorating.

When the two stepped out of the restaurant, (name) wrapped his arm around Sanzus bicep with a soft giggle "forgot you are a total lightweight" Sanzu smirked as (name) who was a bit tipsy pouted "mm n't a lightwh't..." He stuck his tongue out and Sanzu laughed a bit "this was really fun" (name) said "wanna go out again?"

"Who said the night was over?" Sanzu grinned as the valet brought the car around "we still need dessert right?"

Sanzu didn't know what he was doing but he knew what (name) liked.

The two ended up at a (dessert if choice) shop and sat close in a booth "you really worked hard..." (Name) smiled, sobering up and looked at Bontens second with admiration.

"I'm glad you liked it" Sanzu said as they locked eyes and Sanzu gently tipped (name)s face to kiss him "(name)?" A voice rang out interrupting the moment and (name) froze slightly as he saw his ex boyfriend, the one who broke his heart.

Sanzu knew exactly who this asshole was, he remembers when (name) broke up with him and ran let him beat a printer with his baton.

"Let's..let's go" (name)s mood shifted considerably and looked down anxiously... Sanzu wasn't going to tolerate an asshole like this ruining his date.

"Fuck off" Sanzu hissed out and the ex looked startled at the pink haired man but immediately tried squaring up till he saw the tattoo on his forearm "you're dating... One of them?" He said horrified and immediately reached to pull (name) away from Bontens second but that was a dangerous mistake.

You see, Sanzu had men with him in the shadows, in case he was ambushed or the likes so the second (name)s ex grabbed (name), twelve men had guns raised at his head.

"(Name), are you seriously going out with a criminal?" (Name) stared at his ex almost bored "at least he doesn't pretend to be caring and sweet and then turn around and cheat" (name) said simply as he ate his food "I apologized about--"

"And I didn't accept said apology seeing as I moved across Tokyo to not have to see your face"

"You know... Bonten despises traitors and you are a traitor to (name)" Sanzu said methodically and (name) placed a hand on his dates hand "baby, no" he said strictly before looking at his ex "leave before I let him act on his thoughts"

The ex looked hesitant but... People knew what the boogymen of Japan could do.

"Thank god this place is owned by Bonten, no cameras in here" Sanzu said smoothly as the ex left.

"Thank goodness" (name) said "hopefully our next date is ex free but who knows maybe an ex of yours will crawl from hell" (name) joked and Sanzus eyes widened "you want to go on a second one?"

"Yeah, I mean this was really fun and you were pretty cool just then" (name) said simply and Sanzu grinned "awww you think I'm cool" he teased and (name) rolled his eyes "I regret saying that now"

(Name) stood outside his apartment door as Sanzu caged him in-between the door, the two kissing slowly "wanna come in?"

"You or the house?"

"Nevermind!"

"I'm kidding I'm kidding!"

[moonswolfie]

can u write for iwaizumi +2, 3, 7 and 8 for the event? congrats on 200 followers!

Prince!Iwaizumi x Knight!reader (gender neutral)

Thanks so much 🥰🥰

Seriously how do these anons accurately guess every fic plan i've ever had because I wanted to write a prince!Iwa x reader au for a while now😣😣 like are yall psychic i'm genuinely scared

The thing you would have least expected to happen was travelling back home in the same carriage as the crown prince. You were sent on this trip with him as a means of protection, of course. It's your job as a knight.

But knights don't usually sit with the person they're protecting.

You realise what this means for you. The royal family trusts you a lot more than you thought. You grew up during the same time as the prince, sure, but you were never super close to him, only seeing him in passing or during training sometimes.

Even so, Iwaizumi has always been a very amazing man to you. Both looks and personality wise. He is a little rough with others, but kind and strong willed nonetheless. You respect those qualities a lot, especially in a leader. Have you mentioned how attractive his muscular arms are yet?

In fact, it was about time for him to get married now. A wedding with him painted your deepest fantasies.

You know you shouldn't think of his majesty that way, as you are just a knight working for the royal family and it would be very arrogant of you to even attempt a relationship with him. So you've settled on gazing at him from afar.

The grip on the sword in your hand increased, you tried your best not to stare at him for too long. You're supposed to be protecting him, not crushing on him!

"Here is our stop for tonight." The other knights outside announced in a firm voice, the carriage stopping in front of a luxurious inn. They really are pulling out all the stops here, aren't they?

Well, you probably should have expected that the royal family spares no expense for their son. The carriage driver opens the door, and you step out first, standing to the side to let his majesty exit.

As the knights, including you, sorround him for protection while walking inside the inn, the royal advisor who was assisting Iwaizumi with the work on the trip calls you over.

"WHAT?!" Everyone in the room turned to you, and you quickly corrected yourself. "I mean excuse me, sir?" The royal advisor glared at you for a second before explaining again, now with everyone's attention on the two of you. Yet that didn't make you feel any less mortified.

You were to share a bedroom with Iwaizumi Hajime. Nobody said anything in response but you could tell by the look on Iwaizumi's face that this was not a pre-arranged matter or atleast it wasn't discussed with him. It was as much of a surprise for him as it was for you.

And so the two of you walked to your room for the night. "I'm sorry about that. It wasn't my decision." He apologised, and you immediately reassured him that everything is fine. Well, mostly.

The two of you entered your room... to find a single bed.

"I'll sleep on the floor, your majesty." you offered before he could say anything. You've slept on the dirt as a knight before, and while it wasn't the most fun, you are not about to let the prince sleep anywhere but on the bed. And besides, the clean floor is much better than dirt.

"Absolutely not." the conviction in his voice surprised you. He was that unwilling to let you sleep on the floor?

"I will go back and request another room for-" Iwaizumi walked to the door, fiddling with the door handle that looked to be stuck. "Hold on- A new room just for- you!!" the door refused to budge.

"What the hell?" Iwaizumi muttered. He isn't a weak man, and you know that well. So that must mean...

"...The door is locked." both of you came to the same conclusion, saying it out loud at the same time. You would smile at the timing, but that meant you were stuck together. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but rumors will spread and you do not want to dirty the prince's image.

"Dammit... who did this?" the door was locked from the outside, and neither of you could discern a good reason as to why someone would want you two in a room together.

An abstract assasinaton plan? But then why would they need you to be locked in for it? You're extra protection, the opposite of what an assasin would want. Are they scheming something with the royal advisor? Or are the two of you just overthinking it?

Iwaizumi sat down on the bed. "Well, nothing bad has happened so far. We can relax our guard for a bit." he stretched his neck, removing the sword from his belt and placing it on the ground.

"You can take your armor off. Wearing all that crap on you all day makes your back hurt. I would know." he said, looking off awkwardly into a random corner of the room.

He takes on a surprisingly gentle tone when talking to you. And you know that isn't the case with all of the other servants. Not because he's arrogant or overly bossy to them, but there's just this... kind, gentle undertone to his voice when talking to you.

You slowly and cautiously take off your armor, looking to him with a sense of uncertainty. He simply gave you an encouraging nod in response. Without armor, you look a lot less intimidating, or so you would like to think.

"Why are you just standing there? Join me." He tapped the bed beside him.

"But your-"

"Just shut up and join me. My reputation will be fine." Somehow he knew exactly what you were thinking, and you silently joined him by his side. He looks even more handsome up close.

You didn't even realise you were staring before his eyes met yours. You quickly looked down. It's quite embarrasing for a member of the royal guard to be so easily distracted, no?

"Um, we should get to sleep, you know?" he suggested, albeit a bit awkwardly. Despite your inhibitions, you are to follow the prince's orders and suggestions. (You definitely were not over the moon to sleep in the same bed as him deep down.)

You lay down next to eachother, your entire body stiff and too afraid to move. There's no way you're getting any sleep tonight.

Even so, you close your eyes. After god knows how long, you got a bit more comfortable, rolling over on your side, facing away from Iwaizumi. Though you still felt far away from being able to sleep. You're living every noble lady's dream right now.

You tried your best to steady your breathing, trying not to make it obvious how much this is affecting you. Agh, he's probably asleep anyways, why are you so worried?

Suddenly, you felt two arms wrap around your waist, and you had to hold back from flinching. You heard a satisfied huff behind you as his chest pressed against your back.

Eh?! Is this a dream? Is what you think is happening actually happening?

"Mm, I love you..." he mumbled, and you damn near died on the spot. You tried your hardest not to show that you're still awake, not wanting to make things awkward. And besides, with how flushed your face is right now, you worry that you might not have the confidence to adress his words anyways.

He chuckled slightly. "God, I'm such a coward..." he sighed before resting his head on the back of yours, slightly squeezing you in his hold.

You weren't going to lie, his arms were a very comfortable and warm place to be. But you had bigger issues right now.

He... loves you. Huh.

If you couldn't fall asleep before, you're definitely not sleeping now. Not with your heart beating a thousand times a minute.

.

"Was it a success?" the queen asked the royal advisor, who nodded briefly. "Well, when I checked in, they were all cuddled up, so I assume it was atleast somewhat successful."

The king huffed, satisfied with the answer.

"Ahh, the plan is going along swimmingly! We'll have that knight falling for our little Hajime in no time!" the queen clasped her hands, happy at how things turned out.

"Shouldn't we atleast apologise to them for locking them together so abruptly? They must have been scared." the king reasoned.

"And reveal our plan?! No, that won't do. And besides, you know Hajime. Being the good respectful son he is, he would just help our knight get a new room if I hadn't done this."

hahaha i'm sorry i didn't know how to include the "locked in a room" prompt realistically so i just made iwa chan's parents sneaky lil bastards

[fobnsfwdoodlesbackup]

Hi y'all, I just wanted to talk a little about the behind the scenes of what I've been up to, to give y'all a little transparency and to open myself up for any tips or input! 🙏 Thank you for your continued support and for taking the time to look at my art 🫶

First and foremost I wanted to give some transparency about my art capacity.

As og followers may remember, I started this blog when I was doing art full time. Eventually my living expenses grew and I had to go back to work. I find myself in a cycle of "I'll make more art soon, once I get a job!" And "I'll make more art soon, once I am done with this job!" I lost my most recent job suddenly, having had an extension waved over my head until the last day(October 7th). Now I'm excited to have more time for art, but I am also feeling a rush to get a new job ASAP as I've been living paycheck to paycheck. I dream of doing this work full time, I'm just scared it's not quite there yet and I worry that I come off as scammy or dishonest when I anticipate more stability around the corner.

Second, I've been struggling with the Patreon. It's taken me a while to come to terms with this, but from what I've seen Patreon is not intuitive at all from the creator end. It doesn't do a good job of organizing addresses, emails, showing who or who isn't subscribed to me, or organizing and displaying the work I put on there. I've been really shocked by this experience, since lots of big names use Patreon. It's been a great way to streamline support, but it's been unhelpful in every other regard. I would like to continue using it, but I will most likely post more wips or process videos there in the future.

Which brings me to my third point, zines. I love making zines so much, it feels personal and fulfilling and fun! However the Patreon issues make it harder to keep information in order about where to send zines, or even where to message folks about them. In addition to this, the post office has been a big barrier to me, oftentimes only being open at the same time as my dayjob. Making zines can take days, then sending them out is a whole other monster.

This work is so important to me. Drawing peoples fantasies, representing body types, creating work around sexuality and the human experience feels like what I'm meant to do. I've made comics since I was a kid. This is the dream to me. The friends I've been able to make through this work are so important to me, and the conversations have been invaluable. Not to mention fun! I wanna doodle, I wanna draw hot stuff, I wanna thirst over these dudes! I want to play!

But I also just want to be transparent about the barriers I'm working around to share that experience. I'm completely self taught, both in art AND in running shops, building websites, running 8 accounts, etc. I take a lot of time to learn the logistics of these things, and try to make them make sense for my relationship with y'all (I do not want to paywall my art!! I don't want to!!!). This year my desktop broke down (the main one I use for all paintings and digital art). I've paused my Etsy shops and my Patreon to try to catch up with things. Trying to learn to paint in a completely different program. Then lost my job with no savings.

At the end of the day I don't want anything to come between me sharing my art with you. I wish I could doodle a thing, take a picture, and post it here. No third party site, no shop, no subscription. Just sharing my art with you. I promise I'm trying to figure out how to stay as close to that as possible, and I want to thank y'all for sticking with me as I untangle all of that.

So, what can you expect in the near future?

I'm working on a couple of painting commissions right now, which you should be able to see in the next couple of days! I want to catch up on kinktober and get those posted as well. There's a comic commission in progress which I'm very eager to work on, and which I think y'all will be excited for! To ease the weight of the Patreon I think I may do less zines/polls there and more wips and process videos! If possible, I want to do more full colored work too.

Thank you again for enjoying my work, and if you have any input or tips my inbox is always open 🙏🫶💕

[ceasarslegion]

My advice regarding tattoos or any kind of body mods:

-don't shirk the expense. It's a labour intensive job, so what you're paying for is the effort and time and attention to detail. It's going to be on your body forever, so you want to make sure you have the best you can get.

-if your pain tolerance is very low, reconsider any tattoos that are super big or in bony places. I'm not trying to yuck your yum, but I am saying that if you can't handle the pain of it for multiple hours over multiple settings then you should reconsider redesigning it to something you can handle. You can build up your pain tolerance over time, but never push yourself past your limit for it or you run the risk of associating a permanent mark on your body with physical trauma.

-don't get tattoos from your kinda sketchy friend who bought a tattoo gun and says they want to practice on you for free. They aren't a licensed artist and they don't know proper sanitation and health and safety procedures. That is an infection waiting to happen, not to mention it's probably gonna look like shit

-tip the artist. Budget a few hundred for them, they do an extremely hard job where one fuck up is permanently embedded into people. A good tip will be greatly appreciated and they'll be more than happy to welcome you back for any future work and put even more effort into you if you show yourself to be a good client who treats them well. A good rapport makes for better art.

-its gonna be uncomfortable. It just is, that can't be avoided. Think of it on the same level of pain as a cat scratch but spread out for a really long time, so it won't like, kill you or make you regret being born, but it will hurt. If you get it all done at once, it'll be easier but you'll be pushing your body more than if you take breaks and come back. Talk to your artist about how you want it done and let them know what your plans are. That way if you like, wanna take a break to get coffee and lunch across the street and come back they both know you didn't like, dine and dash and they'll know what to tell you to do to take care not to damage it during your breaks. If you're getting a multi session tattoo, expect it to be spread out over a long time, so it's not gonna look great the first few times. But letting it heal and recover a few times will be essential for the final product. Make sure you're willing to go through that before you decide on like, a giant dragon with spread wings across your entire back.

-just... don't get face tattoos man. You're not Post Malone who has famous public figure status, you're some guy who has to be able to get and hold down a job. Every other part of your body can be covered in professional settings and piercings can be taken out, but unless you wear a face covering of some kind, your face is always on display. This isn't a moral or a judgemental statement, it's just the reality of the world we live in. Face tattoos make your life a lot harder than it has to be and you just dont have to go through that. Before anyone pisses on the poor about this one, I am obviously not talking about cultural face tattoos like the ones the moari people have

-do not get tattoos on an impulse, especially not tattoos of media properties. I'm not telling you NOT to altogether, I actually plan on getting tattoos of the truman show and back to the future at some point because those films really shaped me as a person in ways others haven't. That's what you have to think about though: do you just really like it right now, or has this media shaped you in some way regardless of your current enjoyment of it? Because the last thing you want to do to yourself is permanently draw something into your body that in a few months you just don't care about or even dislike anymore.

-do not get tattoos to make you feel better when you're sad. See above, but with an added dollop of regret. Get them in a completely sober and level-headed state of mind so you can be objective about them and if they will bring you joy for the rest of your life, not in the moment as a response to something negative.

-LISTEN TO YOUR ARTIST WHEN THEY TELL YOU WHAT YOUR RECOVERY WILL LOOK LIKE!!! If you throw out everything else on this list but one thing make this the one thing you keep. If they say you can't put it in water, don't put it in water, they'll tell you how to bathe. If they tell you it can't be exposed to sunlight, do not expose it to sunlight. If they tell you you have to apply a certain skin disinfectant or something to it every day, I don't care if it stings, you have to apply it. If they tell you not to scratch it, suck it up if it gets itchy. You have a massive open wound on your skin that is a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses and dirt and filth and is incredibly sensitive to everything. You can do everything from ruin your tattoo to contracting flesh-eating bacteria from shirking your recovery process, the latter of which is not that uncommon, but almost always happens to people who don't listen. Do not fucking do that.

[shrimpalbuspotter]

Cc dark world au stuff yet again

The relationship between Delphi (whos full name will be Delphini Black) and Albus.

I said In a previous post that Delphi views Albus as a pet. This still stands.

Delphi, unlike her father, was born without any love potion to affect her. She is shown to feel genuine want for a loving father in the play

Delphi IS capable of love! But the love she has for Albus is unlike one you'd have for a child or even a sibling. She sees Albus as a cute little thing, who she can teach to perform tricks and do her bidding. But she does love him, its just more similar to how you'd love a dog you've had since you were just a little kid.

She buys him gifts, I've also mentioned this before, things like expensive jewelry and robes, so that she is seen as more wealthy when she is strutting around on meetings with him (or he is away giving someone a message for her). This is still something reserved for only the richest purebloods who can afford a mudblood (although usually an imprisoned halfblood, as a lot of blood purists hate the idea of a mudblood even being in their sacred home) to have as a servant. Its incredibly expensive and the best job a halfblood slash muggleborn can have. The only difference between them and Albus is that Albus isn't really a servant, and was free

Then, she makes sure he's well groomed. When she was still a teenager she'd sit and prune him for hours, cutting his hair, filing his nails, and making sure he looks clean. To her it was just a bit of fun, but Albus was grateful to even get bathed. From ages 7-10, Albus actually had his hair dyed a bright cyan colour at the tips, but when Delphi turned 18 and "matured" as she called it, she decided it looked stupid and turned it black again. Similarly, she taught him some basic etiquette so as to not look like her pet didn't know how to behave, so he walks and talks like a pureblood when he isn't half way to a panic attack (which is almost all the time)

And there's the fact she dotes on his every move. It had gotten better now she's 22, but when she was 15 she'd make him do all sorts of silly tricks and would instantly order all the human servants to come and look and berate them for not being as talented as her little Munin (the name Albus is given). It got to the point Voldemort had to punish her for continously disrupting them from their work and she threw such a teen Bellatrix esque tantrum Albus had to do 10 whole hours of damage control. Now that she's older she'll mostly just dote on him in private, but she feels all the same. If she's at a ball or its voldemort day, she'll have him do a few tricks on stage for the people.

She tells him everything and doesn't even stop to think "maybe this is a bad idea". Like, you know how you have a long day and you just come home and vent to your dog even though it doesn't understand you? That's what Delphi does. "You wouldn't believe it, Munin. How dare they speak to me like that? Right? It was as if they forgot who I was! I sorted their behaviour out easily, ofcourse, but it still made me angry. Stupid kids... Anywho, i need you to go to Hogwarts and hand this to my Headmaster, Umbridge. Off you go." It's so fucking stupid but Albus is bored out of his mind and just happy to get the gossip, even if Delphi is known for being slightly dramatic.

Speaking of, Delphi is prone to temper tantrums that often lead to something or someone being thrown against a wall or out of a window. Delphi usually crucios people atleast 30 times a day, yet she has only used crucio on Albus around 20 times in the 7 years she has had him. All spread out. But Albus has been physically Injured by her, accident or not. Sometimes he'll simply be standing there and she will go into a huff, throwing a vase at the wall that just so happens to smash against his face. All of his injuries are dealt with almost immediately after. But even then, she usually just resorts to yelling or shouting as a reprimand, grabbing him by the scruff of his feathery cloak and screaming in his ear.

If something were to happen to Albus, like he was greatly injured by another or was given punishment by another, she'd freak out. They'd be avada kedavrad before you knew it. Once, whilst both Albus and Delphi were at Hogwarts, Delphi told Albus he had her permission to go explore. He was caught wandering the school by Umbrdige, and was petrified. He had tried to explain that he had been allowed by Delphi but she simply said "tch tch,I always knew you were a bad sort, child" before going to reprimand him with her wand. That was, until she was spotted by Delphi with her wand to Albus' chest, and by god was she lucky she was useful to the cause or else Delphi wouldn't have let her off with a mere crucio (which she then got punished for by her father. Ugh, take a hint dad!)

On that note- Voldemort and Delphis relationship leans more into the funny haha crack universe this was supposed to be. Because yes, it was originally just Albus being a deadpan dick to everyone and Delphi experiencing lesbianidm.

Delphi acts rather spoiled as a teenager, and takes her role as The Augurey more seriously when she is in her twenties. Delphi was prone to fits of anger where she'd want her fathers attention, and would get it in ways she didn't particularly enjoy, such as crucios. But alas, she was spoiled silly. If Delphi wanted some snot faced preschooler halfblood gone, they'd be found face down in the Black Lake not a day later. If she wanted her very own dungeon to keep Mudbloods in to play with, she'd get that too. And if she wanted to take in the 7 year old son of his newly dead arch nemesis as her pet, he wouldn't be able to think of a reason to oppose. Besides, his daughter would get bored quick as, and he could reunite the boy with his family soon enough.

That day obviously never came. Not that he was upset by the outcome, Albus- or "Munin" as his daughter named him- was a very useful tool indeed. He was incredibly pliant, willing, even when it came to things morally dark. Ofcourse, Voldemort was able to see the boy was truly terrified, but he could applaud the lack of expression on his face that would only slip away when Delphini was around, were the boy would begin jittering and fidgeting much more often than usual. Nevermind that, he was glad his daughter had a confidant as compliant as Munin. They were very rather useful! (Momentarily, he wonders if he would have been able to turn Harry Potter into something similar, but knew the boy was much too stubborn and morally righteous for that. He supposes the apple toppled from the tree and rolled straight down into a well at the bottom of the hill.)

On ANOTHER note... I've been thinking of giving Albus the Augurey skull mask from another au of mine, and rather add a feathered hood to his cloak or make a feathered neck piece similar to a ruff but smaller. Just any type of ruffled collar that protrudes below the chin really. This would make me redo his design as the collar would attach together at a bolo tie then turn into his cape at the back. The skull would be black, because Delphi is extra, and she isnt a fan of the yellowish white colour.

[ooops-i-arted]

I went to Gina Carano's panel at Fanboy Expo today too. I was hoping for a scrap of Cara content and honestly curious what she was like irl. I did my best to go in with an open mind. (If you've been following me you'll know I am a former fan - loved her as soon as I saw Cara Dune, dove into her other stuff and loved her as a performer and found her MMA career awesome, will not stand for her bigotry and spreading misinformation.) I took notes so everything in quotes is directly what she said, brackets to add context or when I missed exact words.

Panel started with a review of her fighting career, nothing that hasn't been covered before. She was asked "Where would you be [career wise] if not for fighting and acting?" and she said "I don't know, I wouldn't be here." She says she actually dreamed of being in romance movies and wearing pretty dresses, and now she's in action movies, which was actually pretty cute. She always liked sports. The panel person asked "How did you know you were good at fighting?" and she just said "I always knew."

She then talked about being cast in Haywire, Steven Soderergh and his wife saw her fight Cyborg and thought about making a movie around her. She said "They didn't give me an acting coach. They just put me in with all these people. [....] Michael Fassbender gave me a whiskey and sat down and went over the lines with me." (Almost all of her lines in that movie were dubbed over. Her fight scenes in it are amazing.)

About Fast and Furious 6 she said "Now I have to watch all of them? .....I didn't." Which was genuinely funny.

For Deadpool, "Let me tell you about the superhero landing. I'm going to ruin it all." She filmed it by just jumping off an apple box apparently lmao. "The first time I jumped and landed I just heard this wailing of laughter. [The director] said "That was the most anticlimatic thing I've ever seen." She also said Ryan Reynolds would riff and sometimes she'd forget she was in the scene/on camera and break character by laughing.

Mentions of her beef with Lucasfilm/Disney were peppered throughout the whole panel. She said "I have no intention of not doing what my heart desires." Which... okay, if you're a toddler. I wanna punt the principal I had last year into the sun but I remained professional and am now getting a new job. A loooooooooot of the way she said things/her general vibe reminded me of kiddos I got when I worked at an expensive summer camp whose population was mainly rich white kids - kids who had never before been denied anything in their life, and being told no, no matter how kindly, was treated as devastating. (And then they figured it out in a few days when tantruming at me didn't work. Gina, apparently, has not figured that out yet.) (Also for context, if you didn't know, she is a trust fund baby and her family is in Vegas casinos. I highly doubt she is hurting for money.)

Also after seeing Giancarlo Esposito's panel, and how well-spoken he is and how thoughtfully he chose his words even while discussing things like voting and the current state of the world, it just really stood out how she doesn't know how to conduct herself professionally. She's said herself she isn't good at public speaking, which fair, she was a bit soft spoken and shy but I don't just mean that. She doesn't have a "customer service" face like us normal people have to put on at work. She doesn't seem to think she has to. You can be genuine while still being polite - I do it all the time at work, I did it at this panel while asking my question to her, and I'm sure you all know part of life is putting on different "attitudes" for different situations.

She is starting her own production company. She wants to write, star, produce, and direct apparently (unclear if all at once or on different projects, I sure envy her blind confidence tho). She wants to do this because "She's seen where it's gone wrong." (See what I mean about beef peppered throughout?) When asked what her ultimate passion project would be, she said "It's not so much if it's a drama, comedy, or action, it has to have heart and it has to have meaning. It has to have a good story." She mentioned she was working on a movie and series and had some ideas and stories, but no specifics.

She wouldn't stop mentioning God or Jesus either (so I'd bet money she's That Kind of Christian*) and someone asked her "How do you practice choosing roles with discernment [regarding your faith]?" Her answer: "Oh I never think about it." She says she's not a prude but wouldn't do certain things, but she decided this in 2020. She did not elaborate, but apparently "God will let her know when she crosses the line." So I guess we aren't getting any more topless Insta pics lol.

(*I'm trying not to be an ass but as a queer woman, I know That Kind Of Christian when I see it, and she clocked like that hard. Ymmv.)

Finally a Mandalorian question, her favorite and the hardest scenes to film on The Mandalorian. She said the season 2 final scene was the hardest, because it was emotional "and there was more going on the scenes than people realize." The other was when Grogu was choking her. She was holding her breath too hard and passed out. (I honestly thought she was choking when she said that when the episode originally aired.) Brendan Wayne was in the scene with her and was worried, and then she did it again.

I was next, and I first (truthfully) told her that I appreciated seeing someone like her onscreen, because I hadn't looked like Rey/Padme/Leia since I was 16. I then asked "Where do you see Cara's character going in the future, and what detail about her backstory didn't make it onscreen?" She said she thinks Cara is still floating around with special forces, and "Disney could do more with that if they got their head out of their ass." Everyone clapped, I didn't, I kept my hands clasped and said thank you. She did not answer my other question. So unfortunately, no character tidbits about Cara.

Next person asked if Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson [and some other "canceled" actor, I can't remember] know about her and if they'll work with her in the future. She said maybe, she's open to it. "I'm not into chasing people to work." I had to bite my tongue because GIRL YOU ARE CHASING DISNEY DOWN TO REHIRE YOU.

She was asked about the lawsuit and if she'd take the role of Cara back if it was offered. She said "I loved playing Cara Dune" and Jon Favreau "really got into her brain" and was happy to see her at Carl Weathers' funeral, but ended with a wishy washy we'll see/God will work in his own way. She did say she still keeps in touch with Bill Burr and "He's my favorite. He's so funny. Gina, we gotta go to a UFC fight some day."

She was asked "Do you have a fight you look back on with fondness?" She said there's only one she doesn't look back on fondly (presumably Cyborg) and rambled a bit about her fights. The person asked the same question again, and she again answered "There's only one I don't look back on fondly."

She did say she's focusing again on getting healthier and training again. She says she was "the only girl they couldn't chase away" back in the day and "I'll be in my 80s shadowboxing in the basement saying I can still fight" which was genuinely cute. She also talked about how she had to figure out eating and weight control on her own, nowadays trainers have nutrition services as sponsors. She said it was tough to drop the weight, it was like losing part of her body. (She didn't always make exact weight in her MMA fights and back then, they didn't have a class heavier than 135 lb iirc.) Muay Thai was her favorite. She recommends jujitsu for women looking to protect themselves, since you end up on the floor, but "I just love to punch. They tell me I punch like a trucker."

She ended with another jab at Disney (she did have people kissing her ass the whole time about Freeze Peach and encouraging this) and "When is someone gonna stop them from treating people the way they've been treating people." Also, God is using Elon Musk, which is one hell of a sentence. And that was the panel. (Terror on the Prairie, her big comeback, was not mentioned once.)

She was very nice and sweet and all, but what really stood out to me was a complete lack of creativity. Her answers were very canned, there was very little I hadn't heard in another interview. She just sounded kinda dim, to be blunt. She didn't elaborate on her answers (she couldn't imagine another career she'd like, for my question she just repeated what Disney had already established, she had no specifics for a passion project/idea, she couldn't recall a specific fond moment from a fight or anything, so on). A lot of Disney bad, God good, I should be able to say what I want, rinse and repeat. She's said for a long while she's passionate about art and telling stories. I am too, so I relate - but I've put in time and practice to be able to make what I do. My impression is she wants the praise and adulation, but without the hard parts that go with it. (Honestly I also think CTE may be a factor. She does NOT sound like she did in interviews years ago. Like after she found out Cyborg (the only fight she lost) was on steroids her response was very graceful and kind.)

This is long and I know you're probably thinking why do you care, but I truly admired her. She was a MMA champ in a time when women weren't seen as being able to do the sport. She was positive about her body and I started getting serious about the gym and being healthier because of her onscreen on Cara Dune. She literally made me realize I'm more than a little gay because she's so gorgeous. Ironically, her behavior nowadays inspires me to be brave and speak up for what I believe in despite being naturally shy. I would still be her biggest fan if she hadn't mocked the queer community and spread misinformation and tantrumed when she was called out on it. I even have some empathy - 18 year old me would have been 100% behind her and supported her. But I listened to other perspectives and learned and grew. She clearly has no desire to change herself, or even try to listen to others. I've made the decision to go no contact with my paternal family since I came out because they're the same way. So it stings to see someone so loudly and proudly be like them and be praised and accepted for it. To look around an entire room and wonder who here is happy with people like me being legislated into silence, or worse. For people to clap when Gina says she won't be forced to be "woke" - aka to respect people who are different, like me. Remember, Disney never asked her to stop believing her MAGA stuff, they just wanted her to act professionally while she was their employee.

In any case, nothing will stop me from loving Cara Dune, and I will proudly wear my new cosplay tomorrow.

[jjsanguine]

@bengiyo talked about how Pisaeng's mother manipulated him into staying in the closet, which I didn't even catch the first time I watched the episode because her words are so twisted and layered. I knew she was manipulating him, but how long was unclear to me. But anyway I think this manipulation might be why Pisaeng has no friends except Pear. Apart from the fact that he's apparently being spied on wtf

In my experience as a woman in the loosest sense of the word, if I even mentioned a boy I knew my mother would be like oooooh are you dating??? And she doesn't even know I'm queer, this wouldn't be larger into any chance that it might just be a phase. Guarantee if Pisaeng was seen within hand holding distance of a girl who isn't Pear because Pisaeng has probably been shooting down the idea of being her romantic partners all her life and it's only as he approached 30 that he'd give into the pressure his mother would be all "marvellous, you're straight now, yes?"

So, guy friends it is, but the only guy around in secondary school was Not, and Not and Co like to drink and to be homophobic and generally prickish. It makes the chance of developing a crush fall to zero but like, witnessing casual queerphobia isn't fun, and neither is being the most sober person in the room.

Pisaeng drinks socially but he's never gotten too drunk to drive as far as I recall, so he is always pretty lucid. Not barely has a filter when he's sober, if the choice is between that as conversation and crushing loneliness, it's no wonder Pisaeng chose the latter.

At least until Kawi fell from the sky. From Pisaeng's POV, He's cute and he hangs out with the visibly queer Max often enough that everyone assumed they were dating. But Kawi told Pisaeng to fuck off in 1st year and approaching max instead was not an option if Pisaeng wanted to quash the gay allegations rather than fuel them, so for Pisaeng it was back to starting at the walls of his giant, empty house or sipping beer tersely while Not and compatriots tried to out lad each other.

Pisaeng's mother probably thinks friendship as in actual friends not just people who you fake laugh around and send some expensive gifts and then they agree to help you do insider trading to be frivolous and so doesn't care that her son is languishing because that's just the price you have to pay for money and power. And what wouldn't anyone give to live like this?

I feel like Pisaeng doesn't care that much because he's got a job in University even though his parents are rich. Like you couldn't pay me lmao to have worked when I was in uni. The only frivolous things he's spent money on are eating semi regularly at a fancy restaurant, arcade coins so he could get a plushie for Kawi, and jewellery so that Kawi could give it to Pear. He could live a similar lifestyle in only his DJ salary.

That he's a DJ is notable. His job is watching people come with their romantic partners, and friends groups and even complete strangers to have a whale of a time that he gets to participate in, even if indirectly. He's getting social interaction from work and barely because he's got mental blocks preventing him from seeking out the real thing.

Until Kawi from the future appeared and said we're going to stick together like glue by force.

[fuzztacular]

Fukunaga does stand up comedy, tonight, and he's hella nervous so the team has promised not to show up as audience.

Instead, they are at your place, bullying you into wearing something very flashy - like a neon green hoodie or the giant Pikachu Hat Fukunaga won you at last year's festival - so that Fukunaga won't notice them in the background when they smuggle you into the show.

What better way of curing nerves than to be more embarrassing?

I scowl at Kuroo. I'm kinda peeved that his sad excuse for an idea isn't such a bad one. Most of the old Nekoma volleyball team is crowded into my living room on an unannounced visit. After hearing that I was the only one allowed to go to Shōhei's second ever stand up show, he did a good job of hiding his first one from them, they were upset to say the least. His feelings on the issue didn't seem to matter, they are insistent that they support their friend and ex teammate. I think their curious natures are getting the better of them more than anything though.

As soon as I turn my back Yamamoto pipes up, "Aw come on, you know it would work!"

I heave a sigh, "Yeah yeah, just let me think for a minute."

It could definitely work, with a properly thought out plan. Do I have what I need to pull this off? What about timing? Do I signal them to come in after he's distracted or should they be hiding somewhere inside?

A vague plan starts to form in my head, but there are so many possibilities of failure. I turn back and eye them appraisingly. "Okay, if we're doing this, we do it my way, got it?" The group cheers, minus Kenma, who perks up in interest. "BUT!" They groan at the mention of another condition. "You guys owe us."

Yaku speaks up this time, eyeing me back critically, "What's your price?"

"I want one of those expensive cakes from that bakery down the road."

"That's all?" Lev's surprise is apparent.

"No that's not all, you guys buy our drinks tonight after his gig."

"Obviously," Kuroo leans back into the couch.

I clap my hands, "Alright then, here's how this will go..."

-----

Sitting alone at the closest table to the stage, I feel the hair at the back of my neck stand on end. Ever since we left my apartment I've felt eyes on me. So many eyes. And not just the Nekoma guys' either. I don't love all the attention but at least we know my distraction attempt will work. It's fine, this is totally fine. Just think of how decadent that cake is going to taste. This all will definitely be worth it...I hope.

As the act before Shōhei leaves the stage, I glance back to the bar area, making sure the guys aren't causing mayhem or drawing attention. Nope, all eyes are still on me. Phase One: success. As my man is finally announced, I perk up, preparing for my part in Phase Two.

Shōhei makes his grand entrance. I shoot to my feet hooting and hollering, clapping in overzealous excitement. The man of the hour startles at the commotion, turning my way and stops, mouth hanging open gawking at my attire. He can't seem to believe it's really me in the embarrassing cow onesie, udders in full view, topped with a bright glittery orange cowboy hat.

My wink restarts his brain and with a guffaw at my expense he proceeds... to make me the butt of his jokes for the next several, long minutes. My favorite punchline ending with, "that's not a cow, that's my future wife!"

Long story short, not only did I end up helping Shōhei with his nerves, but he never even realized the group was there until he met us at the bar. After I changed out of that horrendous get up, of course.

[destinyc1020]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Tom in an interview say that he had to learn how to say no. That he thought the people who were there to protect him did not necessarily do it. So it was up to him.

On another note-- The bread winner term. I noticed that both Dom and Clare try to make a point about finances. When Clare's car needed work she made a point of how she needed to sell more jewelry to pay for it. Dom mentions the things that Tom pays for, some of their vacations, treatment for Tessa and so on. He also mentions things that the family has access to because of Tom , like being invited to golf tournaments.

I know Tom has mentioned before about learning to set boundaries and learning to say no to certain things. I recall even fans trying to fan cast him on Twitter for a certain role, and he even replied and said: "No" rofl 🤣

So I def think he's learned to make sure that he's not just willingly saying "yes" to everything lol. 😅

I think when he landed the Spiderman role at such a young age, he had stars in his eyes, and he wanted to do everything he could to become a huge star in Hollywood. I think he quickly realized that large amounts of fame isn't all that is cracked up to be. 🥴

With regards to finances, I think children who make it blog in the industry usually try to give back to their parents on some level, because typically, parents have made sacrifices in order to help their children fulfill their dreams of acting.... Whether that's driving them to auditions, moving to LA, getting them acting and/or dance lessons, sacrificing their time, energy, etc to help their child reach success and do well at their craft, etc.

So yea, most help their parents out on some level. Didn't Z say that she bought her mom a house? 🤔 I can see her wanting to do that for Claire, coz living in LA is EXPENSIVE! 😩 If your mom doesn't have to worry about killing herself with a regular day job, and can just focus on her jewelry-making business, then that's awesome! 😃

I would do the same for my family if I ever made it rich and famous lol 😆

[bluntforcespatter]

ranting, long, mentions of ableism

my apartment should be 700 a month given that it's a shithole

like i pay 1400 a month and this place has holes to the outside. it's an apartment complex and ours is just shit for some reason. we have multiple bug problems because of the holes. one of the walls isn't sealed so that room is perpetually cold and full of bugs. you can't use it as storage due to the aforementioned bugs. there was a hole to the outside in the ceiling when we moved in. the walls aren't installed even remotely properly. i can't even use my indoor wheelchair here so most days i am in bed. all day.

and accessible apartments go for 3k. you pay more for accessibility. even if i could work and could afford that somehow, working would deteriorate my health (as it already has, hence the prescribed wheelchair!) and then like. how long would it be until i couldn't work and therefore couldn't afford the apartment anymore? not to mention a job to stock store shelves requires a bachelors. i don't have a credit co-signer so i can't take out student loans. i can't afford school because i can't get a minimum wage job that would pay my rent let alone my uni fees - staying on campus is more expensive than getting a room somewhere. but i am in a wheelchair. so i can't share a house with a bunch of students because none of them are accessible. i need help washing my hair. i can't move in with strangers and live "on my own" amongst them even if the whole place had ramps and chair lifts.

disability is only 1k. so you need to find a rental that is 800-900 max so you still have 100/200 for food and like. a internet/phone package.

but then. your grocery bill is literally 200 a month, bc where i live has a 300% - 600% inflation rate. if you're american and reading this, if you can buy kraft dinner for one dollar and twenty-four cents, that box is four dollars and ninety-nine cents where i am. a single box. just as a comparison. there is no such thing as cheap food. your 25c ramen is 1.25 for me. (i am not blaming you or saying your life isn't hard or w/e use reading comprehension skills here please.)

all the food banks are up several flights of stairs and are open for only 2 hours per place first come first serve. if you wait in the line outside and the two hours are up and they haven't gotten to you (bc that's how dire shit is here!) you go home. and you can't drive, so you can't even get there anyways! starve.

can't drive? no groceries. get them delivered! can't afford a credit card interest because your phone plane is 50, your internet is 50, and that leaves you with a hundred a month for groceries? can't afford delivery. whatever, you couldn't afford delivery, because it starts at an eighty dollar fee. starve.

i am lucky, fucking blessed, to have my roommate so i can afford to be alive but holy shit. i am dependent on her entirely. i cannot drive. she sits at the edge of the tub to wash my hair. she helps me up. she pushes my chair, because i can't self propel. she cooks. and honestly, being that dependent on someone else for reasons you can't control WILL make you suicidal. every day i consider that she would be better off without me - but the kicker is that she couldn't afford rent without me here. she couldn't afford internet and a phone plan and credit card interest and groceries and gas and car insurance and the occasional non-essential all together if i didn't pool with her - because she takes care of me, i take care of her too. (and she claims she likes to care for me, that it makes her less suicidal herself to have someone who needs her and someone to hang out with. but dear god i feel like the shittiest waste of life on the fucking planet.)

my government actively pushes medically assisted suicide onto disability recipients. they want us dead, and i'm not being hyperbolic. if you don't take medically assisted, then starve, or die out on the streets in the cold. our shelters will take you in for a max of three nights, some places it's only one. our food banks are upstairs with no elevators. our livable paying jobs require a post-secondary degree, because all other jobs are for teenagers, and we believe adults do High Paying Jobs That Require Education, so you cannot afford a place on a "teenager's first job" type job. but our schools are 4-10k a semester ON BURSARIES AND GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS (of which i had EIGHT and it was still 5k!) and to afford JUST THE TUITION FEE, NOT HOUSING, NOT FOOD, NOT BILLS, on minimum wage, you'd have to work over three hundred hours a month, and going to uni (I WAS IN LAW SCHOOL which expects 600 hours a month!) is 400-500 hours a month, which in total is more hours than there ARE IN A MONTH. why are you so poor? why do you choose to be poor? being poor is a personal moral failing. you are a personal moral failing. you are a failure.

i am fucking sick to death of people who think people like me are a drain on the system or w/e. if you think like that you shouldn't be here. our system is broken. like deeply. when i became homeless and i was still in uni i asked them what they could do to get me from place to place so i could move in on campus and they told me to ask my parents. while i was homeless. what parents bro tf. their campus wasn't even wheelchair accessible i was studying from home because of that. you cannot dig a pit and put disabled people into it and then blame them for not being able to climb out. all people my age did was blame me for not going back to school. "why can't your mom and dad just pay for it? why don't you just work to pay for it?" why are you fucking stupid britney? mommy and daddy paid for your bachelor of arts so you could get a slightly-above min wage job and bitch, it's pay to play, so if you have no parents, no grandparents, if you're me, you're fucked. game over, just go die quietly so we don't have to look at you. kill yourselllllllf!

this counts for any of you, by the way. if you read this far, anyways. if you're systemically denied the opportunity to succeed because of your mental health or poverty or mental disability or whatever. it's not your fault. and i am angry too.

[darthpastry]

There's no way all the mini games in HW2 take place at the same time, right? By the time the game is played by BonnieBro, it's obviously in-between SB and Ruin, but not all the mini games take place in that same timeframe. Which, I suppose is a bit obvious given the Pizzaplex isn't absolutely destroyed in all of them, but I do want to talk about all the wonky timeline stuff going on. Well, not all. Just a couple mini games, really.

The Foxy ride is an interesting one, might not actually be a ride that ever physically existed. The idea of it is well established, since we know that Cassie knows of it, but I think the one she 'rode' was a VR version. If a version of it did exist, I would wager that it was during Fall Fest, or at the very least originated. It might sound crazy, but here me out.

Fall Fest has been pretty heavily emphasized in both VR games, despite (as far as I know) not mentioned outside of them. This poster in particular is interesting, as Foxy is at the forefront. So, why emphasize Foxy when Foxy isn't even in the Pizzaplex? More importantly, why does Captain Foxy look more like his Fall Fest version than classic version?

The long coat is something seen only in these two versions. Normally he just has the pants. I'm not saying just having the coat is evidence, I'm saying it's strange to have a depiction of Fall Fest with Foxy in the long coat at the forefront whenever you win a mini game.

More importantly, let's talk about Jack-O-Moon.

As someone who doesn't care much for the DCA, this guy is so important to the lore, I promise. One could call it something of a secret boss, bonus boss, really, on the log ride. The areas of the log ride it appears in are vastly different than the rest of the log ride. Even Jack-O-Moons design has more of a Fall vibe. Maybe... a Fall Fest vibe? That also has purple glitches and if done correctly gets you the Foxy plush?

This vital area to getting the better ending of the game hammers home the idea of Fall Fest. Also supports the idea that the DCA has been around for quite a while.

I remember someone posting some close-up pictures of it and it just had a horrible paint job, so this would have to be fairly early on, given how clean and expensive everything is in SB. Heck, even the merchandise they sell is pretty sick when you remember the FazWatch is just a novelty toy. Also, that Mr. Hippo magnet. Which is one of the small details I want to talk about eventually. Yes, they're established to be very cheap, but appearance is important, and they make sure it doesn't look cheap.

Why are these areas hidden, different? Perhaps Glitchtrap made these secret areas to show what the original log ride looked like. What the Fall Fest version looked like.

The other wonky one I wanted to talk about rq is the endo warehouse.

Basic game, right? Memory game. Try not to get killed by endoskeletons. But there's one line that HandUnit says that stuck out to me as odd.

"or TBD Pizzaplex star". What do you mean, "TBD"? It's well established that the stars are Freddy, Chica, Roxy, and Monty. Before Monty was Bonnie. That's that, no questions asked.

The only logical solution was that this recorded (in-universe) before Roxy and Monty. So why no mention of Bonnie? Maybe he was cut out because when he was destroyed but they just never added in Roxy and Monty? It still feels weird. Maybe an accident had always been planned by Glitchtrap, before the Pizzaplex was even built. Which does feel weird, and I will die on the hill that Monty destroyed Bonnie, but there has to be a reason for Bonnie to be excluded.

Still, the fact that only Freddy and Chica were always set in stone as the stars is an interesting little detail to me. If they were too cheap to put in Monty and Roxy, then they would've been too cheap to cut out Bonnie. Foxy is another post of their own.