#documenting toddler learning

[jambandatl]

Universal Development: Year Three - Year Four

Weeks 1-52 Week 1-4: Physical Sciences Focus Areas: Exploring basic concepts of physics through play (e.g., rolling balls down ramps). Simple experiments with water and sand to understand volume and weight. Nature walks to observe physical phenomena like gravity and motion. Week 5-8: Social Sciences Focus Areas: Learning about family, community, and basic social roles through stories and…

[sheep-from-rad]

Crossover anon here

Yandere batfam vs SAGAU, you say?👀

I would very much like to hear your thoughts on it.

(Also, thank you for reminding me that SAGAU exists)

✨️✨️✨️

Masterlist also welcome back Anon! Hello! SAGAU and Batfam will get along swimmingly /s. Here’s the thing: How do you think the family would react if the accidentally neglected offspring (if neglected reader) or the normal child of the family started acting suspicious, started to become more withdrawn and spent more time with video games, and started muttering about how their game is becoming self-aware? 

Did you guess it right? Yeah, it’s a trip to Doctor Leslie or better yet a trip to Auntie Harley. They are most likely to dismiss it as a psychological disturbance first because let’s be real, if Gotham is a person and then it’s that person who lives permanently in a padded cell in a mental hospital. You can never really go around the place without the 50/50 chances of you dying in broad daylight. Also loneliness is a breeding ground for anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Your game will likely be confiscated too but to be checked if you accidentally get hacked or if the game is bugged. 

I’d like to think that the moment they realized that the game is really self-aware like what you believed, it’s already too late. The game has already transported you somewhere else in Teyvat and now you’re trapped in the SAGAU plotline. 

Here’s a mini plot bunny (it’s just a plot bunny because I want to focus on the Blood bound series [I wrote it without drafting the series’ whole storyline so now I’m scared everytime I open the doc]): 

In most SAGAU plots that I have read (at least the non Impostor AU ones), Teyvat and Abyss are almost always buddy-buddy. Like ‘if the divine creator wants us to be neutral and then we’ll be neutral’ and most of the time Celestia is forgotten. Imagine Batfam being pulled to the SAGAU plot but the one who pulls them in is Celestia. 

My lore is rusty but I know for sure Celestia will try to brainwash Batfam into thinking that Teyvat and Abyss are evil and that they are lying about your divinity to keep you in the game. Celestia will weaponize the apparent yandere tendencies!  Batfam wants you back and Celestia wants the controls back, two birds in one stone. 

Is Batfam powerless in Genshin? I say around 60/40. They can fight but when it comes to vision users they might need to upgrade their contingency documents. Not to mention that not every user uses their vision the same. They will need to study those elemental reactions too and how each element interacts. But of course, Batfam is not stupid and sooner or later they will see it through Celestia’s agenda and they will have to break away and find their own way in Teyvat. 

SAGAU will be a fun ride especially if it’s a neglected reader x Batfam who wants forgiveness and just wants a sense of  family over again. If anything, the game characters aren’t simple-minded and they know how to listen (I’m looking at Ga Ming’s lore here of how him and his father became okay again on that lantern rite), I’d like to think that if the character sensed that Batfam is being genuine and then they might even become a bridge to forgiveness. 

What if Yandere Batfam learns that the game is really self-aware before you get transported to Teyvat? Prepare for a technological lockout. Devices gone? Passwords? Changed! TV time? Limited. If you need to get homework done and then you’ll be using it with anyone’s supervision. No more isolation! If making you go out and bond with your siblings might play a role in breaking you away from the game and then they will do it. If you really need your devices, then you’ll be treated like a toddler with some apps being locked. 

All those precautions will fill them with sense of protection until a citizen comes to the GCPD reporting that an accurately dressed Dottore cosplayer was spotted working with Joker. 

[creekfiend]

I wanted to make a bonsai kitten recovery post that outlines some of the stuff that I've been doing. Because I don't think that you need to ✨see a therapist✨ to start dealing with a lot of this stuff and I get really frustrated when that is the answer that everyone is constantly giving. Firstly a disclaimer, because I know what website I am on: this is a guide for things that have worked for me! I am not everyone and if there are things on here that do not work for you or even that you think are stupid, that is fine, but please do not make it my problem. If you are reading it and you're like "that sounds like it would actually be detrimental to my specific mental health because of my specific issues" then please disregard it. Use your critical thinking skills and do what you think is right for you!

My second disclaimer is that I didn't make any of this up myself; most of these are collected from various places either in therapeutic guide books or various websites about emotional regulation etc. Some of it is stuff that I have extrapolated from those places based on experience with what works for me or does not work for me. A lot of the way that I treat myself when I need to get my body and brain into a place where I can think about stuff productively is actually directly from gentle parenting guides, because frankly cptsd recovery stuff is very often like parenting a toddler. And the toddler is you. ALL THAT SAID,

The first skill that I had to get good at, that many of the other skills depend on, is to learn how to understand when I am Reacting to something. If I am Reacting it is extremely likely that that's going to only escalate the situation and make it much worse. I HAVE to be able to tell if I am Reacting emotionally to something in a way that is coming from a place of fear and panic. This is important because it involves not being prescriptive about your emotions. You could be Reacting to something that you do not logically feel is at all justified in making you feel that way and that doesn't matter! You can't be doing math equations to try to come to the answer of how you SHOULD be feeling; you have to be observing your mind and body to see how you factually ARE feeling and then respond to THAT. This can be really hard to learn how to do especially if you were abused as a child. (If you cannot think of yourself as someone who is abused as a child perhaps it would help to think of yourself as someone who simply was not taught various emotional regulation skills for mysterious reasons that have nothing to do with your parents' inadequacies.) I need to be able to glance inward and see what the physiological reaction that I'm having is and identify whether or not I feel like this is the biggest emergency in the world that needs to be addressed right now immediately! That is a sure sign that Mr Fight and Mr Flight are in the building and it is bad to make declarative statements or important decisions when that is the case. So, I have to work on dismissing them first. That is literally the first step to any of this. One of my friends calls this "fire mittens," which is to say, if you are wearing mittens that are on fire and you try to touch stuff, the stuff will also become on fire. You have to put the fire out first before you can touch other things.

Once I have determined that I am indeed Reacting and in a physiological state of fear, I have a document in my notes app that is a "what to do when you are in fight or flight mode" guide and it has several helpful things that I will try to outline here.

Firstly, the really important thing for me for trying to get back into an emotional state where I'm capable of making decisions and being thoughtful is to feel safe and comfortable. So I actually have some stuff in my document that is straight up just like "go in the blankie nest. put on this specific music album. light this specific scented candle." etc. You might want to have a specific food or drink that is comforting to you or some other sort of stim toy that helps you regulate. If there's any calming medication or supplements for anxiety that you take as needed, now is also the time to do that. Physical sensory grounding is really important for this. This is probably especially true if, like me, you are neurodivergent, but I think it is also true for everyone because we are animals! And you can't just think about it, you have to actually do it. Which sounds obvious but is the thing that has often tripped me up in the past. Once you start getting into the habit of actually physically doing this it DOES become easier though.

One of my rules is that if I want to respond to something but I am in fight or flight mode, I don't get to respond to it for at least 24 hours. I'm only allowed to respond once I've gotten myself out of fear mode. If it is some kind of comment on Facebook that has set me off, often this means that 24 hours later I realize that I actually don't want to get into it to begin with, which is great. If it's something that is pretty serious and interpersonal with a friend, sometimes that means I have to communicate to them that I'm going to take a while to process it and then get back to them. IMPORTANT: You CANNOT do this passive aggressively or else it undermines the whole thing. You can't phrase it in a way that will make your friends think that you are guilt tripping them for "making" you feel a way. It is VERY tempting to do this when you are in the first stages of trying to form this habit and you simply need to resist the urge because it will render this step worthless. I know. It sucks.

If I am feeling fearful and insecure about friends or loved ones, I also usually try to spend some time thinking about the people that I love and care about. Because often this stuff manifest for me as insecurity that the people that I care about do not care about me, or that they think that I'm being annoying, or that they are secretly thinking mean things about me. It's obviously not good for me to constantly be imagining that the people in my life who I care about are actually avatars of my own insecurity who are here to tell me that I'm secretly fundamentally unlovable! But crucially also it's ALSO not fair to those people to imagine them as that. They are not that guy, they are their own complex human beings with their own lives and experiences and interiority. So sometimes I do thought exercises where I will imagine my friends or loved ones doing things in their everyday lives and I will think about them as people and I will think about the things that they like to do and the things that they say and the places that they go, and I will try to imagine them fondly in those circumstances. This helps to remind me that they are just people and that the scary puppet wearing their faces is not real. To this end I sometimes will have a document of screenshots of things that they have said to me that I can use to reality check myself. I personally find reality checks to be essential for a lot of this. Things can feel true when they are not true at all. Things can feel wrong when they are actually true. The point of most of these exercises is to gently remind myself that those feelings are normal for me to be having, but that I do not need to let them dictate my responses.

It is crucial throughout all of this that you are nice to yourself. You can't talk to yourself in a mean way while you're doing this, or you will not get to a point where you are feeling safe enough to react from a place of not-fear. You can't make yourself feel ashamed or defensive for your emotional reactions. This is the particular area where I find gentle parenting protocols helpful. You HAVE to be patient with yourself.

Ok that's all for now bc I ran out of steam but I will try to think of more to add on another day maybe. Godspeed everyone

[gaddaboutgriffon]

Super Phantom

Writing prompt #3

Danny reveals his ghost half to his parents and they took it well accepting him. As a result the doctors Fenton then backed out of the weapons deal they had with the GIW and are actively protecting Phantom from them.

The GIW don’t give up even after the anti ecto acts are being repealed and sabotaged the gas tank for Nasty Burger’s grill. This causes the explosion that would Kill Danny’s family and friends there for Jazz’s graduation celebration. Clockwork foresaw of a Dan event happening and froze time to take and de-age Danny, Jazz, Sam, Tucker and Vallarta. (Clockwork is a jerk and frankly blames Jack and Maddie for making the he portals that caused both Vlad and Danny’s halfa status and a lot more work for him. He is letting those two die.)

Clockwork then sends the Deaged to babies/toddler to different places in the Yong Justice cartoon DC universe. All the kids are liminal and have powers.

Jazz now a 3 year old is sent to Hippallita on Themescira. (Excuse my spelling) liminal powers make her strength on par with Amazons.

Sam, age 1 as well and sent to Giovanni Zattarra. Three year old Zatana gets a younger sister that also has the gift of magic. Especially nature/plant magic.

Tucker I had a hard time deciding but eventually chose Lucius Fox. (If you can think of someone better go ahead and make suggestions.)

Vallarie was Supposed to be sent to Ted Kord, but Lex Luthor was trying to tap into the watchtower’s zeta tubs but accidentally got clockwork’s portal instead. It cased he basket to be dropped instead of gently set down. Startled, two year old Vallarie instinctively activates her ghost tech armor. Now that is a curious unexpected asset Lex will find a way to utilize.

And finally deaged to one year old Danny is sent in a in a basket with a solar system print blanket with a envelope sitting on top. The portal opens and the basket is carefully set on the table with the note. Then clockwork places a folder thick with other papers of to the side. He retreats into the portal closing it behind him just as the apartment door is opening.

Clark Kent has just finished his third week of work at the Daily Planet, the evening patrol and even grocery shopping. Thoughts of the paper he needs to write and turn in the morning are on his mind as he enters his apartment in time to notice a Green glow wink out of existence from his kitchen door. He drops the now forgotten grocery bags when he hears the tiny heartbeat and rushes over to the basket on the table.

A sleeping baby. A baby! Wha- how had anyone. When his brain stops stalling he notices the letter. It reads:

Superman,

The boy’s name is Danny. You are the most likely to survive him learning to use his powers as they emerge. His parents died trying to protect him. It is not safe for him here.

I have already forged the legal documents naming you as his godfather and a cover story in the attached folder. Also three gold coins will be sent to you each month as child support. If anyone else looks at this letter the text will change to simply read that you are the godfather of this recently orphaned boy.

Clockwork.

Clark stood in shock rereading the letter in shock a dozen times. Before Lois snapped him out of it.

“Hey Smallville, it may not be Gotham but even in Metropolis you shouldn’t just leave your door open.” She called as she entered from the hall. Then she noticed the spilled bags of groceries on the floor. And came in. “Are you ok? You may be a klutz but you always pick u- Oh My God, That’s a Baby!”

Well that is enough for tonight. I will add on more later. Wonder how quickly this would grow if I don’t tag anyone? Eh just a few. @bloggerspam @confusedshades @hypewinter @zylev-blog @kizzer55555

[e-vay]

A Guide to My AU ("Evay AU")

Hello! I make art for anything and everything I love, but if you follow me you'll find that a large amount of my content is centered around my own Sonic AU. I thought I'd make a handy little guide for those of you who are new and just learning about my AU or for those of you who have been following me but might want a refresher.

★This guide is a living document that will be continuously amended as I make changes and additions to my stories. ★

♡♡♡♡♡♡

OVERALL PREMISE

My AU centers around Sonic & Friends through adulthood as they navigate relationships, careers, marriage and family. The primary genres are "slice of life" and "romantic comedy" with some action/drama interspersed throughout. My AU mostly follows the video game canon and the IDW canon with some elements from Sonic Boom and Sonic X tossed in and then I created my own characters and stories to fill in the gaps. My AU DOES NOT include the Sonic Cinematic Universe, Archie comics/characters, Fleetway comics/characters, Sonic Prime, SatAM, the OVA, Sonic Underground, the 1992 Manga, etc.

SPECIAL NOTES

In my AU, I depict "Classic" versions of the Sonic cast as their younger selves with their "Modern/Boom" versions being older.

Although my canon does not include Archie/SatAM, I do refer to Sonic characters' classification as "Mobians" and the planet they are on is referred to as Earth/Mobius interchangeably. I credit this as simply "cultural variation" between humans and Sonic characters but they all originate from the same planet.

MOST IMPORTANTLY please remember this is a fanmade AU. Nothing I say, write or draw influences the Sonic franchise or canon in any way. I'm just here to have fun and I hope you enjoy the ride!

KEY

For the timeline below, Canon Sonic characters will be highlighted in blue and my original characters will be highlighted in pink.

If there is a comic or written fic that corresponds with an element of the timeline, I will include it as a hyperlink.

ABRIDGED TIMELINE

Project Shadow is created and suspended.

Domino and Phlox meet. Sonic is conceived.

Domino raises Sonic to approx. toddler age until she loses her life in a flash flood. Sonic is left alone to fend for himself and eventually represses his memories of Domino to cope with the trauma.

Clay Rose and Lulu Petula meet. Together, they have Amy and she lives with her parents until her fortune cards lead her to meeting Sonic.

Majority of the game/IDW canon takes place.

CC (originally labeled as "Code Compiler") is a spherical/ovoid robot created (August 26) by an independent inventor (no relation to the Robotniks) to assist with production. CC's intelligence rapidly evolves and she gains sentience much to her creator's dismay. After a struggle, the inventor powers her off and the workshop falls into disrepair. The building is marked condemned and CC's chassis remains hidden within the rubble.

Sonic and Phlox run into each other on several occasions. Neither realize they are related.

Amy begins her pursuit of archaeological studies.

A mystery woman going by the name "Light" (who is secretly Aurora from the future) appears and warns Sonic & Team of an oncoming threat that is hellbent on killing Shadow before wreaking havoc on the planet. Light claims she was sent here with the task of protecting Shadow but is not forthcoming with any other information about herself or her 'previous team'. Light & the Team work together to fight off 'the threat' and along the way Shadow develops a romantic interest in Light who also has strong feelings and an allegiance to him for reasons he does not know. Upon defeating the villain, Light must return to where she came from. Shadow tries to discourage her and even asks to accompany her, but she insists that if she stays any longer, she risks causing catastrophic damage. She departs and Shadow vows to find her again.

Rouge and Omega join Shadow in his search to find Light. After combing the globe with no luck, their quest takes them off-world and they go on an interplanetary journey. The three become mercenaries to fund their space expedition.

Knuckles bulks up! His goal of spending time away from Angel Island did him some good!

Sonic and Amy begin a romantic relationship.

Sonic moves in with Amy.

Tails establishes Yellow Sky Industries, a company where he can begin sharing his gadgetry with the world as well as partner up with other innovators to put their genius to good use.

Stone establishes The Mean Bean coffee shop. Much to his delight, Eggman frequents this cafe but is unaware of Stone's affection.

Sonic and Amy get engaged. Upon hearing the news and growing homesick, Rouge and Omega return home, leaving Shadow to continue his journey on his own. While attending the wedding festivities, Knuckles and Rouge rekindle their budding romance.

During one of Eggman's many failed attempts at world domination, he falls victim to a near-fatal accident of his own making. Sonic rescues him, but Eggman loses his right hand in the process. Eggman is forced to reconsider his health and kickstarts some moral dilemmas for him. His attempts at world domination begin to dwindle.

Cream departs home to pursue humanitarian/Mobianitarian(?) efforts

Rouge uses her mercenary wealth to develop her own mining and jewelry business (she does not give up thievery). Knuckles is initially hired on as head excavator, but this job is only temporary until he secures enough money to fund a dream project of his.

With his own money and with the support of Yellow Sky Industries and his friends' investments, Knuckles develops the Young Heroes Program - a nonprofit youth organization. He works full time as a trainer at the program to help empower kids and strengthen the community. Sonic assists YH as needed, but is not a full-time volunteer.

Sonic and Amy decide to start a family. Aurora is conceived.

Rouge and Knuckles get married.

In one last ditch effort to regain Sonic's attention and to encourage Sage to follow in her father's footsteps**(See note), Eggman kidnaps Amy. This triggers her to go into labor early and Aurora is born (March 13). This is the nail in the coffin as far as Eggman's villainous efforts go and he makes an unspoken agreement with Sonic to 'retire' from villainy. He still plans to regularly annoy them by inserting himself into their lives. (**Note: This comic was made before Sage was introduced to the game canon. In retrospect, Sage would have been a part of this story and part of the reason Eggman decided to kidnap Amy, no matter how much Sage discouraged him. Sage instantly bonds with Aurora and vows to be her lifelong friend.)

Amy takes on a second job as an interior designer to support her family while Sonic becomes a stay-at-home dad and focuses most of his time and attention on raising Aurora.

Once Aurora is old enough, she begins attending the YH program. This is the closest Sonic will allow her to participating in any adventures.

Ruff Hyena is born (January 29).

As a defense mechanism against constant bullying from her peers, Aurora’s light powers begin to manifest.

In addition to attending the Young Heroes Program, Aurora begins a mentorship with her Uncle Tails for optics/physics lessons in order to better understand her powers.

Eggman and Stone begin dating.

Aurora begins to experience premonitions in the form of dreams. Amy does her best to help Aurora hone this skill, but without much success.

Tumble Hyena is born (January 30). Ruff and Tumble are abandoned and left to fend on their own before ending up in the foster care system. They remain there for many years.

Aurora develops a crush on a boy named Kyle and they go on a few “playdates”. Aurora invites Kyle over to the house to meet her parents and Sonic does not handle it well. After an argument, Aurora and Kyle agree to not hang out together anymore.

Knuckles and Rouge adopt Ruff and Tumble.

Aurora ages out of the Young Heroes Program. Sonic discourages her from venturing out on her own and convinces her to work for YH instead.

After receiving a heartfelt message from Rouge, Shadow resigns from his quest and returns to Earth. He decides his new mission will be to get to better know the world Maria had always spoken so highly about.

Feeling “stuck” in her life, Aurora broaches the topic of moving out to be on her own. Sonic talks her out of it.

While reconnecting with The Team, Shadow is introduced to Aurora. He instantly recognizes her as the woman he’s spent the last several decades looking for, but doesn’t understand how that’s possible and she is adamant they have never met before. While telling Sonic and Amy of his world travel plans, Aurora offers to be his guide around town as she knows every inch of it. Shadow takes her up on her offer and the two quickly develop a friendship.

Shadow decides it doesn’t matter if Aurora is the Light he formerly met or not. He asks her on a date. Remembering how badly things went the last time one of Aurora’s “boyfriends” and Sonic interacted, she accepts Shadow’s courtship but only if they can keep it a secret for now. Shadow is wary of this, but agrees to her terms.

Keeping secrets from her parents begins to take a toll on Aurora, to the point she is getting sick. She tells Shadow she can’t keep lying to her family, so she tells him they shouldn’t see each other anymore. In hopes to “fix” the situation, Shadow meets with Sonic and Amy to ask their permission to date Aurora. This immediately escalates into a battle between Sonic and Shadow. Aurora intercepts the fight and, heartbroken, she tells Sonic that as much as she wants his blessing, she doesn’t need it, and is going to continue to date Shadow. Sonic, Amy and Aurora have a heart-to-heart to try and reconcile things, but Sonic makes it clear that though Aurora is a grown up and can technically date whoever she wants, she has to follow certain rules while she’s still living in their house.

Tails purchases an abandoned factory to expand Yellow Sky Industries. There, he finds the deactivated CC. He powers her on but she is severely traumatized and significantly damaged. He repairs her and after understanding how advanced her intelligence is, he offers her a job as his lab assistant.

CC quickly develops romantic feelings for Tails.

Knuckles, Rouge, Ruff and Tumble legally change their last names to “Motley”

In her pursuit to become “Mobian,” CC fabricates herself a Mobian-like body.

As Shadow and Aurora’s relationship progresses, they begin to explore more of the world together.

Tails and CC host a charity banquet. Things go awry.

Aurora gets her first apartment. She also begins a singing career.

Tails and CC officially begin a romantic relationship.

Aurora begins to have recurring premonitions about Shadow being in danger. She puts her musical tour on pause to stay vigilant.

A dangerous, mysterious entity appears and attacks The Team, severely wounding several members and nearly killing Shadow. Before the threat can be defeated, it retreats by escaping via time travel where it plans to successfully kill Shadow. With most of The Team out of commission or fearful of altering the timeline, Aurora travels back in time to save Past Shadow and the rest of her family. To protect her identity, she goes by the name “Light.”

Sonic and Shadow reconcile their differences. Sonic becomes noticeably more accepting of Shadow and Aurora’s relationship.

Shadow and Aurora get engaged and move in together.

Aurora continues her musical career.

Shadow and Aurora get married.

Ruff ages out of the Young Heroes Program and in the hopes to follow in Knuckles’ footsteps, he becomes a crime fighter. When Tumble isn’t helping his brother fight crime, he’s working on his own mechs.

Eggman and Stone digitally uploadt heir consciousness to Cyberspace so they can live indefinitely.

Shadow and Aurora decide to start a family. They have their first litter of triplets: Piper, Zane and Nova (November 12).

Shadow and Aurora have a second litter of twins: Aster and Blitz (April 8). At this time, Shadow uses the wealth he’s amassed to construct a large house that can accommodate their growing family.

Shadow and Aurora have a third litter of triplets: Cinder, Diamond and Boon (February 18).

Sonic and Amy return to a life of world traveling.

In addition to attending the Young Heroes Program, Shadow trains all of his children in how to best use their powers for the greater good of the planet.

During a fight, Cinder critically wounds Diamond with his “Stellar Tantrum” power. Boon uses his powers of healing to restore Diamond to full health without any scarring, but Cinder never forgives himself. He becomes withdrawn and distances himself from his family members from this point on.

♡♡♡♡♡♡

You can learn more about my AU by looking through My Art tag, referencing "My (Major) Comics" Directory, or by looking through My AU tag.

[multi-fandom-imagine]

𝗔 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 || 𝗞𝗮𝗸𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 ||

A/n: Wrote this before going into work. Also Au where Asuma and Jiraiya ( because I am still upset when they died)

The morning had started out peacefully enough. You had come down with a fever, and Kakashi, ever the doting husband, insisted you rest while he took care of your two-year-old son for the day.

How hard could it be?

It was just one tiny, adorable, chubby-cheeked baby.

Kakashi was a seasoned shinobi, an elite Jōnin, former ANBU captain, and the Sixth Hokage. He had faced S-rank criminals, rogue shinobi, and war itself. Surely, watching his own son for a few hours would not be a problem. He has dealt with Naruto so how hard could his own son be?

Oh, how foolish he had been.

Within the first hour, Kakashi had already learned one undeniable truth: his son was a menace.

The trouble began when he set the boy down for just a moment—just a moment—to grab him a snack. By the time Kakashi turned back, his son had vanished. A quick glance at the open window sent cold dread through him.

“…No,” he whispered.

But yes.

The baby was loose.

And The Great Chase Begins.

Kakashi leapt out the window, scanning the streets of Konoha with Sharingan precision. He spotted a trail of destruction leading toward the Hokage Tower. His heartbeat accelerated. He followed the path, dodging villagers who were either laughing or screaming.

Then, he heard Tsunade’s roar.

Bursting into her office, he found papers scattered everywhere, ink splattered across the walls, and an overturned sake bottle rolling across the floor.

At the center of it all? His son.

The boy was sitting happily on Tsunade’s desk, chewing on an official document, his chubby cheeks stuffed like a squirrel’s. Tsunade stood frozen, her eye twitching violently.

Kakashi grabbed the baby and bowed so fast he nearly snapped his back.

“So sorry—gotta go!”

And then he vanished in a cloud of smoke before Tsunade could launch him through the wall.

Then came the incident with the fruit stand.

Reappearing on the street, Kakashi sighed in relief. At least he had his son now—

Except he didn’t.

His son wiggled free with the skill of a seasoned escape artist and hit the ground running, his tiny legs carrying him with surprising speed.

Kakashi lunged, but it was too late.

The boy barreled straight into a fruit stand.

CRASH.

Oranges, apples, and melons exploded everywhere. The vendor screamed in horror as a cascade of pineapples rained down onto unsuspecting civilians.

“Oh no,” Kakashi breathed.

“Oh YES,” Naruto cackled from the sidelines, enjoying every second of the disaster.

Kakashi tried to grab his son again, but the little devil was already scurrying under a cart, giggling wildly. Kakashi dove after him, only to smack his head against the wooden frame with a loud THUNK.

Naruto wheeze laughed. “You’re getting your ass kicked by a toddler, Kakashi-sensei!”

Kakashi groaned, rubbing his head, just in time to see his son disappear again.

The next explosion Kakashi heard was not from an enemy attack.

It was paint cans.

Somehow, some way, his son had found an unattended cart of open paint buckets and had gleefully tipped them over.

Bright blue, red, yellow, and green paint flooded the street in a swirling rainbow of disaster. The child, now completely drenched in vibrant neon colors, looked like an abstract art project.

Kakashi deadpanned.

A civilian slipped on the paint and landed face-first into a fresh puddle of bright pink.

Another merchant wailed in the distance.

Naruto was on the ground, howling with laughter. Because of course the brat would laugh at his pain.

“MY—HAHAHA—THIS IS THE BEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN—”

Kakashi had tried to grab his son who was still giggling maniacally until he bolted, the toddler zigzagged like a seasoned shinobi and bolted into an open-air shogi parlor, where Asuma was enjoying a rare moment of peace with Shikamaru.

Asuma, seated comfortably, lit a fresh cigarette, exhaling slowly as he studied the board.

“Alright, kid,” he said to Shikamaru, who was already looking bored. “I’ll even go easy on you today.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Troublesome.”

Then…

A tiny, chubby blur EXPLODED into the parlor like a one-man natural disaster.

Before anyone could react, Kakashi’s son crashed into the table—flipping the entire shogi board into the air.

Game pieces flew like shuriken, scattering across the floor.

Shikamaru barely dodged a flying rook piece, while Asuma jerked back, his cigarette falling from his lips in shock.

And then…

The child grabbed Asuma’s entire cigarette pack from the table.

Kakashi froze in horror.

The innocent toddler giggled, waving the pack around before-

CRUNCH.

He smashed it between his tiny hands. Then, for the grand finale—

He stuffed the crushed cigarette pack into his mouth.

Kakashi launched forward.

Shikamaru choked on his own spit.

Asuma—eyes wide with the absolute devastation of a man who just lost his entire will to live—let out a strangled noise.

“Kid—NO!” Kakashi yanked the pack away, frantically checking his son’s mouth, finding only slobbery cardboard.

The child cackled, delighted by his father’s panic.

A long, heavy silence filled the ruined shogi parlor.

Shikamaru exhaled slowly. “Wow.”

Kakashi did not have enough strength to apologize. He just bowed his head in shame.

Asuma’s soul had left his body.

His cigarette pack—his beloved, full, brand-new pack—was reduced to mush.

“…He’s a monster,” Asuma whispered, staring at Kakashi’s son in stunned defeat.

The child grinned up at him, covered in drool, completely unrepentant.

Kakashi sighed, rubbing his temples. “I swear, I’ll buy you another pack.”

Asuma waved a shaky hand. “It is not about the money, Kakashi. It is the principle.”

Kakashi grabbed his son and ran. Before Asuma could change his mind and strangle them both.

But buy the time he looked down his son was no longer in his arms, the giggling toddler vanishing around a corner.

And

Just when Kakashi thought the worst was over, he spotted his son ripping apart the pages of a brand-new Icha Icha book.

Jiraiya’s brand-new manuscript.

Pages fluttered in the air like cherry blossoms.

Jiraiya stood frozen, mouth agape, eyes empty as he witnessed the horror.

Kakashi whispered, “I can fix this.”

Jiraiya slowly turned to him, his expression that of a man who had just lost everything.

“…You can’t.”

Before Kakashi could attempt damage control, his son—now completely covered in paint, fruit juice, and crumpled pages—wiggled out of his grasp one last time and took off toward home.

Kakashi burst through the door of your shared home, panting, sweating, and disheveled.

Your son sat innocently in the middle of the bedroom, clothes still stained and playing with a wooden block as if he had not just caused Konoha’s worst day in months.

You sat up groggily from bed, blinking at Kakashi.

“…Why do you look like you got hit by a tornado?”

Kakashi hesitated.

“…No reason.”

He scooped up his baby, who smiled sweetly at him, as if he had not just terrorized an entire village.

You hummed. “Did he behave?” Your head still spinning, sleep attempting to take you.

Kakashi forced a smile.

“Of course…he was a perfect angel.”

[harunayuuka2060]

Silver: It's funny how the demon brothers were fighting over who gets the privilege of being MC's lap demon, and now they're all chasing after them since they've magically turned into toddlers.

Lilia: ...

Lilia: How long have you been here, Silver?

Silver: Since the early morning. Belphegor invited me over to ask about MC's preferences for pillows.

Lilia: ...By the way, have you seen Malleus?

Silver: He snatched MC.

Lilia: Then who are the brothers chasing?

Silver: An illusion.

Lucifer: *giving a stern glare at Malleus after he got MC back*

Malleus: Forgive me. Force of habit.

Satan: The hell you mean 'force of habit'?

Lucifer: *sigh* That's enough. And you, *to MC*, what were you thinking?

MC: Luci!

Lucifer: ...

Asmo: AWWWWW~! They're trying to get away from being scolded~!

Belphie: Lucifer, let me hold them.

Mammon: No! I'll hold them!

Levi: H-Hey! I won the game earlier, s-so I will hold them!

Beel: Your hands stink. You'll give them a rash.

Levi: Excuse me?!

Malleus: How long will the child of man be in that state?

Lucifer: Before the day ends.

Lucifer: They turned into a toddler after signing a cursed document.

Malleus: I see.

Barbatos: MC finished all the documents within this week.

Diavolo: *chuckles* They are so diligent!

Leona: Diligent, you say. But I see that as being careless.

Vil: I agree. Were they always like this back in your realm?

Diavolo: Why, yes! That's how they captivated all of us!

Azul: Your Highness, I hope you wouldn't mind me asking. How is it possible for the Prefect to handle serious matters?

Diavolo: Ah. I don't know the answer to that. *chuckles*

Barbatos: However, if you are curious, MC once argued with one of the House Of Lords members.

Azul: House Of Lords?

Barbatos: Yes. The nobles who guard the king's throne.

Leona: Sheesh. And why did they do that?

Diavolo: There was a time they doubted my skill. MC was furious when they went for me and the brothers. *chuckles* I could still recall how they challenged them to a fistfight when they could no longer hold their patience.

Barbatos: It was truly a fascinating sight.

Diavolo: Afterwards, they considered MC to be someone willing to protect and ensure the safety of the entire Devildom.

Leona: Goody two shoes.

Vil: I hate to agree with Leona, but yes.

Azul: I had seen MC fight so this was not a bit surprising.

*The brothers and Malleus walking with MC (who is still a toddler)*

Barbatos: Ah. Have they fallen asleep from all that running?

Lucifer: Yes. Fortunately.

Satan: *the one carrying MC this time*

Satan: There's no work left for them, right?

Barbatos: Yes.

Satan: *smiles* Great.

Vil: However, the headmage would like them to resume their classes.

Mammon: Huh? Why?

Azul: The Prefect is still a student of Night Raven College. And they are responsible for Grim, so they need to be there to supervise him.

Leona: Speaking of that furball, where is he?

Lucifer: *points at the ceiling*

Vil, Leona, and Azul: *looks up*

Grim: Mryah! *is being tied upside down* Get me down here!

Lucifer: You are learning to become a great mage. Think of ways how to release yourself from those binds.

Grim: THIS IS UNFAIR!

Azul: *couldn't help but laugh*

*In Devildom*

Solomon: Huh? Diavolo and Barbatos have gone on a vacation with MC?

Mephistopheles: Yes.

Solomon: ...But I didn't receive a message that they have returned?

Mephistopheles: MC tried to get ahold of you.

Mephistopheles: If you'll be here around weekends, MC will surely appear to check everything here.

[autumnmobile12]

Headcanon: Fuyumi learned to walk super early because Touya was annoyed she couldn't do it and kept pulling her to her feet when she was trying to crawl.

Internal toddler monologue: "Walk, dammit, this is stupid! Do better!"

Actually, what's also tragically funny is the fact that even though Shouto got the favorite child treatment in this family, his childhood is probably the least documented. For new parents, milestones like first words and first steps and birthdays are exciting and those get photographed and recorded in albums. By the time the third or fourth child is born, the novelty has long worn off and the sentiment becomes a pragmatic, "My only excitement is for the day that you can feed yourself and poop by yourself." Just saying, Natsuo and Shouto's baby albums are probably pretty sparse compared to Touya and Fuyumi's.

[gummilutt]

250 followers Custom Memory Bonanza

It's finally time! To thank all you lovely people for your support, I have been working hard to get this ready for upload and here we are. Today I am sharing my custom memory object, and my library of a whopping 201 custom memories. Based on the wonderful Tattered Diary by DiLight over on MTS, and the tutorial she shared of how to make your own custom memories.

I've always cared a lot about memories, to me they tell the story of the Sims life. Some of you from MTS may recall when I did the whole several year rebuild of my hood, replicating every last detail of the original. I'm memory crazy, okay? And when DiLight gave me the power to make my own, I may have gone a tad overboard. Or just the right amount, you get to decide :P DiLight taught me most of what I know about making custom memories, and the base BHAVs are from her, but as I've learned more I've added some bells and whistles that I hope you will enjoy. It's a new clone and separate GUID from the original tutorial object set up by DiLight, so if you have your own you can have mine too without issues :) Found in misc/misc, costs 1 simoleon.

Download on simfileshare

Features - Brand new form, created by me. Resized BV photo album with new mapping and new texture (seen above, in game pictures at the end of this post). I wanted something that was uniquely mine, and that you don't necessarily have to hide away in the attic or under the foundation. If you don't like it, you also have some additional model forms you can switch between through the pie menu. - Adaptable dynamic menu. Thanks to a really neat trick from @picknmixsims the menu reflects the memories you put in your downloads. If no file with the correct guid is found, the option for it won't show. Which means that although I am crazy enough to have 201, you can go ahead and only pick your favorite ones and the object will automatically detect and adapt the menu to that selection. - Memories all have a custom icon, that's made from game icons from TS2 or TS3. Some I am quite proud of, some are admittedly not great. Not everything is easy to convey through game icons, but I've tried my best, I hope the effort shows. 5 memories have icons that are not from the game, but I tried to match them to the aesthetic as best I could. - Memory subject menu shows only relevant age groups. For example, if the memory is about having a baby, only baby/toddler Sims will show as options. Goal being to keep menu as concise as possible. If you wish to assign memories retroactively, please see jonasn's excellent Memory Commander object, which has support to add my custom memories without age limitations. As well as a whole lot of other useful memory-related stuff. - Extensive documentation detailing everything you may need to know about the memories (text, icon, background, who can get it, who they can get it about, repeatability, where to find it on the object) to help you select the ones you want for your game, and familiarize yourself with them. - English and Swedish translations of memories, and object menu. If someone wants to add their language, that would be great but it's a lot of work so I don't expect it. You are welcome to share your translated versions directly if you wish, or you can send them to me for me to update files shared here :) If you want to learn how to translate the files directly, Episims has a great tutorial found here.

Examples of types of custom memories included - Extended family members memories (got cousin, got aunt/uncle, got sibling, got twin sibling, got great grandchild, got stepparent, got stepchild) - Birth related memories (pregnancy, becoming parent, late in life parent, had multiples birth, premature baby) - Marriage related memories (divorce, parental divorce, custody things, alimony) - Relationship related memories (fighting, breakups, additional love memories) - Woohoo related (memories for specific woohoo locations, repeatable generic woohoo/public woohoo) - University degree related (declared major memories, got a minor degree memories, got a major degree memories, for remembering having studied multiple things and being able to see what major your Sim chose without looking at their diploma) - Loan related, for remembering taking and paying off loans of different types - Moving memories (first apartment, child moves out, various memories for sims moving in with others) - Kids related (child's first day in school, got their own pet, nursery rhyme, giving up for adoption, living at orphanage)

Mods automating delivery of my CC memories (more to come) Learned nursery rhyme from - Found here, by me Wrote restaurant guide - Found here, part of jonasn "Novel Writing Improvements" mod

Credits: DiLight, @picknmixsims, @morepopcorn, @latmosims, @joplayingthesims, maxon, @keoni-chan. For detailed info on how they all impacted the creation of this, see readme :) Policy: Give credit to DiLight, beyond that, totally open. Enjoy!

[eggbem]

My version of the TMNT! I drew this a while ago and I don't really have much content for it, but I like how the designs came out :)

I based the designs largely off of the 2012, Rise, and Mutant Mayhem/Tales versions.

Closer looks at their shells plus extra details under the cut ↓

This is mostly gonna be a disorganized brain dump, but here we go:

So the working title for this version is "April's Turtlez" (the 'z' is from a typo i never bothered to correct). In this version, April is, like, 9 or 10, having been found by Splinter when she was just a toddler and raised with the turtles as her big brothers.

One focus of their story: Donnie would be the leader for a while before Leo takes over. It's focused less on Leo coming into his skills as a leader and more on Donnie giving up obsessive control in the team. It's about learning to start recognizing your younger siblings as peers rather than children.

Another focus: April would be trying to tag along with her big brothers while they take on dangerous villains, documenting the fights with her camera. It's too dangerous for her to begin with, but she learns lessons and hones her sneaking skills and eventually becomes a valuable asset to the team, as an emergency contact, "eyes-in-the-sky" and play-by-play analyst.

For personalities and traits, I stole a lot from various TMNTs, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. Did you know that Leo is a fan of pineapple on pizza in more than one iteration? Both in Rise and The Last Ronin at least! (maybe more, I can't think of any others rn). And Donnie and Raph's phobias are loosely based on their Rise and 2012 counterparts respectively.

I have a sparse Pinterest board (note: VERY SPARSE) for the concepts if anyone's interested :)

[emmg]

Imagine being such a monumental fucking loser that you grew up and thought, “You know what would fix the gaping hole where my soul should be? Becoming an HR ghoul and looking like the human embodiment of expired mayonnaise left in a hot car during a heatwave.” Just a festering blob of weaponized mediocrity with a badge lanyard and a superiority complex.

Now you, yes, you, fucking Linda, finally get to live your twisted little dream: stomping into the office like the CEO of Emotional Castration, radiating the raw, joyless energy of a DMV printer from 1998. You reek of expired Bath & Body Works, dollar store dry shampoo, and the desperate need to feel superior to someone, anyone. You’ve got the aesthetic of a haunted filing cabinet. A fucking cat litter box with tenure. You look like someone googled “business casual” during a breakdown and hit checkout on a Kohl’s clearance cart at 3 a.m. Your entire vibe screams “divorced three times and still thinks decaf is a personality.”

You literally bite your lip over policy documents like they’re fucking erotica. You’re sitting there, sweating through your knockoff blazer, masturbating to a 73-slide PowerPoint titled “Workplace Conduct” like it’s the goddamn Fifty Shades of Passive-Aggression. Slide 16: “Escalation Pathways”? Instant orgasm. Slide 39: “Maintaining Neutral Tone in Email Communication”? Linda fucking ascends.

The sheer audacity to read a mildly frustrated email from an employee who’s been worked to the bone and paid in expired Starbucks gift cards and go, “This is disgusting. I’m appalled.”

Oh are you, Brenda? Are you APPALLED? Did the very-normal font and lack of excessive exclamation marks shake your moral compass so violently that you had to clutch your pearls and convene a meeting while whispering “insubordination” like it’s a slur?

Patricia, you think it’s totally appropriate to look someone dead in the face and go, “This email is disgusting,” while in the same goddamn breath, you lecture them about communication etiquette.

Like, bitch, the fucking irony. You’re out here trying to cosplay as the Patron Saint of Professionalism while throwing a tantrum over sentence structure like a toddler who just learned what Grammarly is. How do you not implode from the cognitive dissonance? Do you practice that shit in the mirror?

You’re not a professional. You’re a glorified high school hall monitor with a LinkedIn profile. The only thing “senior” about you is how long you’ve been stewing in your own petty bitterness, waiting for the chance to slam a “per my last email” like it’s a finishing move.

You’re not the backbone, Susan. You’re the fucking sciatic nerve.

HR doesn’t stand for Human Resources anymore, it stands for Horrendous Rats. A whole department of emotionally stunted little tyrants who get off on gatekeeping bereavement leave and writing someone up for “attitude.”

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

[katzkinder]

I just thought about how Tsuna would have to learn how to put his “seal” on official documents. The guy who still hasn’t figured out “not ending up in his underwear” and only remains clothed thanks to some very generous handmade clothing from Reborn and Leon.

Which at least tells me he’s got some subconscious idea of how to not turn his clothes to ashes

Using test papers doesn’t work, and using identical duplicates of actual important items doesn’t work because of Tsuna’s stupid intuition, and using real important papers is out of the question

So Reborn asks the kids to draw something for Tsuna

It’s fine if it’s burned but Tsuna really will not want to. There aren’t any “real” consequences if he fails… Except for the ones Tsuna gives to himself

“You’re so evil…” Tsuna mutters, staring hard at the crayon drawings in front of him. Out of all three, I-pin shows the most talent, though Lambo has the most. Interesting. Interpretations. Is that supposed to be a grasshopper or the couch?

“I could have made you use your birth certificate y’know.” Reborn says it so casually Tsuna almost doesn’t register it at first. “That’s what I did to Dino”

Tsuna gapes at him, “You’re really super evil?! That’s dangerous!”

Reborn shrugs. “It also failed.”

“HUH”

“So I tried it with Romario’s next. Perfect score.”

A long, drawn out sigh. Really… Reborn’s methods always produced so much misery. “I really don’t want to burn this…”

“And why not?”

“Because the kids made it for me!”

“Don’t you think they’d be happy to have your mark on it?”

Tsuna blinks, lips parting slightly in question. “My…?”

“The flame seal is something that cannot be copied, replicated, or forged.” It’s easy to tell, now that they’ve known each other for long enough, that Reborn is just the slightest bit relieved by Tsuna’s interest. “It’s more unique than even a fingerprint. A truly, one of a kind signature.”

Tsuna mulls those words over, and his eyes slide sideways. Contemplative, and just a little bit shifty. Something about it is reminiscent of Gokudera. “Can I see yours? Like. Really look at it. You showed me but I didn’t get to observe it much…”

“Observing isn’t going to do you much good.”

“Please?” Tsuna’s voice pitches with the plea, verging on whining. “Just… One more time. Let me look at how your Flame acts when you do it.”

Reborn sighs. “Sun and Sky—“

“I know! I know they behave differently. Still… I think I’ll get something out of it!”

“… Fine.” Lately, it feels like Reborn has been giving in to Tsuna more and more. It makes him happy. It also gives him the courage to reach out and stop Reborn before he can apply the seal to a random scrap of paper, instead looking carefully at the way his Flame appears when still on his finger, face pinched with concentration.

He knows what sun flames look like usually, but this is a tighter control than that. Even if they're different, he's noticed that Sky and Sun are the most similar when it comes to their "resting" states. So, logically, this should help give him an idea of how his own should look when it’s ready. Shouldn’t it?

“What happens if you try and apply it to a person…?”

Reborn stares at him. And stares. And stares. "Tsuna,” he starts, slow, incredulous. “You happen.”

Tsuna blinks back at him. “I was born?”

“The seal, you idiot. The one from when you were a toddler.”

“They’re the same thing?!”

“I dearly wish I could have started with you earlier. Much, much earlier.”

Despite the earlier acid, Reborn sounds fond when he speaks of the prospect. Tsuna thinks that’s worth something.

“Now that you’ve had your fill of looking.”

“Uuuugh.”

He manages not to turn the drawings he’s been given to cinders.

It really is all about having the right material to work with.

[yandere-paramour]

Oh....ohhh my baby 😭 your jamie & lil atalanta art is SOOOOO CUTEE 🥺🥺🥹 But it got me thinking......typically I can totally imagine in her case as a wealthy only child who grew up with parents who love her, her growth would be documented A LOT (or maybe just a normal amount?)

But what's the case for vivien & noelle? 🥺 I assume with their environment growing up they won't have as much childhood pictures as atalanta? Oh nooo now the thought makes me so saddd 😭 I have many pics of lil me that my mom took (and I begrudgingly pose cutely for every single one) and I love showing it off to people now whenever I find one (thanks mom)

I know the yans would love any pics of me but ngl if I show them MY childhood pics I'd bound to get curious and ask about theirs in return

You're right. Atalanta's childhood was very carefully documented. There are THOUSANDS of photos of her growing up, you can honestly put them side by side and see a linear progression of her evolution to adulthood. There are pictures of her being born, her preschool field trips, her kindergarten graduation, her sports games and debate tournaments, all going up until she was dropped off at college, and there's more continuing from there. Both parents have a rotating slideshow on a digital touchscreen photo shuffle in their respective studies and they would love to show you. It embarrasses Ata to no end.

And yes, she learned very young to always look adorable and perfect for the camera even if you feel like throttling someone. The Montclairs have a reputation to uphold, after all.

Childhood pictures of Noelle are few and far between, but she and Odette made out better than the younger girls Thérèse, Celeste, and Blanche (Noelle's little sisters reveal!!!). Her mother was too busy working a dead-end job and sucking and fucking to take pictures of the kids, but they do have a few baby and toddler pictures each, often with one or two sisters nearby, and a range of school pictures every year. Noelle doesn't like them much. All her childhood was spent as a skinny, bruised little brat with a choppy, uneven haircut and stained, ill-fitting hand-me-downs with holes in them from the clothing drive. Noelle never had anything new until college, and she doesn't like being made to be reminded of her shitty childhood. She does take pictures of the younger sisters now, but they're teenagers and hate it, but Noelle knows they will want actual good reminders of their childhood when they're older.

Vivien has some childhood pictures, but they're sporadic or lost to time. When he was very small, there were always "well-meaning" foster families wanting such a cute kid, and they would take him to fun places like the zoo or children's museum and take pictures of him. But they would inevitably get tired of his hyperactive and distractible behavior and they would get rid of him, sending him to the next family without any thought for his emotions or by sending on his pictures. Only a few families went far enough to develop the photos and give them to him. When he was older and had a somewhat worse reputation due to being taken in and returned so many times, he lived in a group home where no one takes pictures of you unless it's a mugshot.

However, he has tons of baby and toddler photos taken by his parents before they died. He was their first and only child and they adored him.

(Drawn by @sienna-brulee)

[moonsaver]

Veritas Ratio is so illiterate when it comes to love languages.

And as such, he makes it a mission to understand it, through a bit of loosely held experiments and documentation for his private analysis.

1. Acts of service.

It is said a person may showcase their affection or romantic interest in a person by offering services, or by doing menial tasks that may help the object of their affections.

It is not a surprise when Dr. Ratio "helps" you lug back an entire shelf's worth of books, after he offers to pick out a few based on the current topic you've decided to study. The pile behind him grew larger as his fingers tipped and pulled every book off of the shelf effortlessly, as you stood, mouth agape, helplessly observing the pile grow immensely large to your dismay.

He clicks his tongue, and sighs when you stand there, confused and unsure of how to carry these books all at once. He picks the pile up, his arm muscles slightly pulling and tensing with the weight, as he continues walking forward, droning on about the books he's picked out for you, the authors, their contributions, etc.. as you trail behind him, bewildered.

[End of experiment #01. Success.]

[Dr. Ratio, for once, has made the effort to.. listen to you, and repaired a fountain ink pen you'd previously complained about having broken. He had to scold you on your lack of awareness of things, and then decided to take matters into his own hands. The cracked fountain pen has been repaired well, and the ink runs smoothly. He scoffs and asks if you'll do better on the upcoming test he has for you,now that he's repaired it and given it back. You return a reponse with a smile. Dr. Ratio crosses out the paragraph with one strike after the last sentence describing the upward curve of your mouth.]

2. Physical contact.

A person may, with consent from the other party, display their affections through physical contact with one another.

Dr. Ratio seems a bit stumped, his mind simmering at the ways he could initiate such contact with you. Perhaps the pressing of his shoulder into yours as he explains a problem at hand counts? Or the continuous touching of the sides of your knees with his? This is unfamiliar territory.

[End of experiment #02. Failure. Next Experiment shall begin shortly.]

[Dr. Ratio seems particularly troubled. A pat on your head is too childish. A good shoulder squeeze is too professional – goodness, he's not that uptight. Perhaps holding your hand shall suffice as he guides you through a 3d simulation? His alabastor head is on as he contemplates on the idea.]

3. Quality time

A person may offer their affections through the time they share with their romantic interest. This is a branched term, as other languages such as Parallel play fall under this category, as Dr. Ratio presumes.

For once, Dr. Ratio stays put, choosing to stay for longer, sometimes hours, helping you understand and learn a topic from start to finish. He explains a book in great detail, going paragraph to paragraph, and teaches you in any way you want to be taught. For once, his racing mind comes to an abrupt slowdown, as he's forced to sit down with you and help you with.. what he considers are problems so easy a toddler could do it with their eyes closed. But.. do ask him, if you have doubts. He's willing to offer up his free time if he must, as long as it's you he has to begrudgingly explain a concept to. And for someone like him, time is valuable.

He considers time spent with you more valuable.

[End of experiment #03. Progressive success.]

[He stays quiet, deep in his thoughts as you sigh, taking a well-needed break. You chirp up with a question, and he answers without breaking his daze. Back and forth exchanges turn into pleasant conversation, and a laugh soon spills gracefully from your chest. Dr. Ratio's face seems to be still, however, his heart beat may have sputtered for a moment to the exact rhythm of your laughter.]

4. Receiving and Giving gifts.

A person may either receive or lend trinkets, assortments, and items of various degrees of sentimentality to another individual in order to display affection.

Tricky. But nothing in Dr. Ratio's eyes.

He has you analyze curios thoroughly, study them under his supervision with all necessary safety protocols and procedures, as you awe at the glow of it. A part of him wonders if it'll make a significant academic gift..? He shakes his head, and the thought is banished immediately. He will not entertain the idea of even giving you something like that. Studying it from a distance should suffice for you.

As for the gift.. it's hard to say. At the end, he decides to ask you directly if you've been saving up for a specific item that you haven't been able to get your hands on.

[End of Experiment #04. Partial failure.]

[Dr. Ratio sighs, thinking over the exact words he would use to address the issue at hand. However.. he should be able to solve this problem quite quickly if he simply scanned your daily wardrobe. If he wasn't so distracted by the curl of your mouth, that dumb joke you kept interrupting with your own laughter, and the stupid questions you'd always distract him with.. goodness. Shall he just get you a hair-piece that matches his?]

5. Words of Affirmation.

An individual may express their intimate feelings through a plethora of words that appropriately convey their depth towards their interested person.

Perhaps this one was the hardest, or easiest for Dr. Ratio. He hadn't realised he'd done it in the first place, having to delay his documentation for the purpose of suspending such activities in order to help you push past a few particularly difficult tests. He may need to continue it's suspension, as unfortunate it is.

[Experiment #05 – in suspension. Yet to conclude.]

[Dr. Ratio scans through your answers, a culmination of your hard work and brain-wracking that seems to have polished your wits throughout the span of his rigorous course. He sighs, and sets down the paper on the desk, looking at you directly with a smile on his face. You look at him expectantly. Well done – 10 points. Your tense face relaxes and breaks into a bright smile. So does his.]

[scenetocause]

the child they had as teenagers :( but look they both made it to f1! and still in love!! i love these tags sm omg

this involves playing fast and loose with some timelines and/or their kid being a bit smaller than that but whatever that's why it's called fiction, i assume the photo is 2024 so this is like, somewhere in europe

Having had to take a year out, straight after he'd finished F2, wasn't ideal at the time. Mark'd nearly torn his hair straight out, Oscar's mum had bothered him more than any pregnancy side effect and he'd had to sit down and explain that, yes, he knew he could keep going with sim work and he wasn't planning to quit racing, just taking a sabbatical.

It wasn't like there was a seat for him in F1 anyway, so in a way it was the perfect timing. If you overlooked getting his once-a-year drunk in Abu Dhabi and forgetting to take a pill right before getting on fucking Lando Norris' knot, of all people.

His management had been keen to make sure Lando was, subtly and behind a lot of NDA's, forced to pay the child support. Had mumbled about even if Oscar's career was ruined, he'd be taken care of for life at least.

And he genuinely believes he will be, just not quite in the way they'd been imagining - cold legal documents and transaction records. Instead, Lando's holding him round his shoulders while Oscar keeps a tight grip on Albert, trying not to let the generalised anxiety of bringing their kid to the paddock get above base levels, even as the cameras flash.

When Lando'd set up the meeting with Zak Oscar had nearly started a fight about it, insisting he could find his own seat, had his own seat, if he waited for it.

"Yeah but," Lando had argued. "Danny's leaving, isn't he? And I know you're good, I don't want some shit teammate."

"Besides," Lando had leaned in close, breath hot on Oscar's ear. "You'll get all mardy if there's another omega in the garage. They're talking to Yuki."

They probably weren't. But it was enough to check the baby monitor and drag Lando to bed for some reassurance that he was definitely Oscar's alpha. And it would make things pretty convenient, both being on the same. team.

Two seasons in it's still pretty convenient. Being able to nest together between sessions, leave Albert babbling at their families in hospitality, keep each other together, keep what they have safe.

Some of the time, at least. The press, unfortunately, cannot be accounted for.

"Is your daddy going to win the title?" It's a photographer Oscar doesn't like in the first place, braces to move them on from this impromptu photocall and feels Lando do the same, next to him.

Albert, definitely a mix of both of their genes, seems less fazed. Glaring out from under his mop of curls, replies in a toddler deadpan. "Yeah. Both of them will."

There's a chorus of 'aww's and Oscar decides it is time to move it along, picks Albert up onto his hip and feels Lando scoot round to be the other side, hemming their child in from any other paddock freaks.

"We can't both win the title, champ." Lando says it gently, like he's trying to explain something he's worried Albert's going to get upset about.

Their child just shrugs, clinging close to Oscar as though he's sleepy. "Have to learn to share."

It's said so seriously Oscar very nearly doubles over laughing and drops his son, only just about stops himself. "I guess we will, yeah."

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Lisa Needham at Daily Kos:

Although Elon Musk’s exit from government service was the messiest breakup ever, the multibillionaire’s legacy will live on in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. It’s not just that DOGE personnel are now squirreled away in other agencies, though that is definitely the case. Sadly, DOGE’s real legacy is the mindset of cutting government to the bone with little regard for the consequences. 

We’re still playing the “Who Runs DOGE?” game

This is the stupidest game. Remember that the Trump administration played coy about Musk’s role, saying with great fanfare that he was the head of DOGE, yet insisting to courts that Amy Gleason, a random official who seems to have learned of her new role while on vacation, was running things, although she also found time to work at an entirely different agency.  Gleason is still listed as the acting administrator, but just as was the case during the Musk era, she doesn’t appear to be doing anything at DOGE. Instead, Russell Vought, Project 2025 guru, Christian nationalist, and head of the Office of Management and Budget, will now run DOGE from the shadows.  Where Musk was a mercurial toddler who slashed and burned his way through the federal government, Vought is methodical, steadily advancing toward his twin goals of putting federal workers “in trauma” and making America a Christian nation controlled by a conservative Christian government. Put another way, Vought is just as committed as Musk was to destroying the administrative state—and he might be better at getting that done. 

DOGE’s AI efforts still suck

Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Trump administration remains convinced that DOGE will somehow replace thousands of government workers with artificial intelligence. When they tried to let AI decide which Department of Veterans Affairs contracts to cancel, it was a predictable disaster. The AI tool hallucinated the value of contracts, deciding that over 1,000 contracts were worth $34 million each. The DOGE employee who developed the tool had no particular background in AI, but used AI to write some of his code nonetheless. Then DOGE let the thing loose in the VA, where it determined that 2,000 contracts were “MUNCHABLE” and therefore not essential. 

This is only the latest pathetic effort by the administration to push shoddy AI tools on federal agencies. One federal employee described GSAi, an AI tool for the General Services Administration, as “about as good as an intern” that gave “generic and guessable answers.” Another chatbot at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health has difficulty uploading documents or allowing chatbot users to submit questions. Not a big help, particularly since humans are already pretty capable at uploading documents and answering questions. Despite these repeated failures, the administration remains convinced that AI is magical and ready for prime time. 

[...]

Some of the worst DOGE cuts are about to become law

While DOGE was given free rein to hack its way through the federal government, the administration only sent a few of DOGE’s cuts to Congress for them to be passed into law. Out of the $160 billion ostensibly saved by DOGE—well short of the promised $2 trillion—the administration asked Congress to codify only $9.4 billion.  The budget’s passing would slash $1.1 billion from NPR and PBS, eliminating all their federal funding because Trump thinks they are radical leftists, a thing that anyone who listens to NPR or watches PBS knows is not true. Trump also wants to make permanent the $9 million slashed from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.  Modeling studies show that the PEPFAR cuts could result in up to 11 million new HIV infections and 3 million additional deaths by 2030. By one estimate, over 63,000 adults and 6,700 children have already died because of PEPFAR funding freezes. Those deaths are on Musk, DOGE, and Trump, but none of those ghouls care. 

Feral DOGE kids remain in agencies 

DOGE is now embedded at the General Services Administration, and new permanent government employees now include “Big Balls” Edward Coristine and Luke Farritor. It’s unclear how 19-year-old Coristine’s background as a hacker for hire and 23-year-old Farritor’s background as a SpaceX intern make them qualified to work in the GSA, but LOL nothing matters anymore.  Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum has basically ceded all his authority to former oil executive Tyler Hassen, who is now running that agency as a sort of shadow Cabinet minister after the DOGE takeover. Hassen is perfect for turning Interior from a department that protects public lands into one that exploits them by allowing oil and gas drilling instead. 

Another DOGE denizen who got a sweet government job is Airbnb founder Joe Gebbia, who is embarking on a “digital design challenge” overhauling the Office of Personnel Management’s retirement system.  Over at the CDC, all grants must now be reviewed by unnamed DOGE employees before money can be released. This occurs after review and approval by agency personnel who are public health experts rather than tweens infatuated with Elon Musk. This mandatory secondary review gives DOGE personnel the ability to block any grants based on whatever the spiders in their brain are saying at the time, which is not exactly helpful for public health. 

Even though Elon Musk is no heading up DOGE, DOGE continues terrorizing government agencies.