#16 looks like a mess and 15 was already iffy

[inmydrcams]

People saying remake is better than reunion cause remake is more westernized truly have some nerve.....

[indecentpause]

First 20 Lines

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line.

Tagged by @ellierenae, thank you!

Going backwards from most recent, in posting order, because other than the first four who knows when I wrote what. Not me! I’m also not going to do short stories because those are a jumbled mess in my files, and nothing is dated and most of them were from before I started writing novels and novellas.

I am literally tagging everyone who is familiar with any of my work, I want to know all about your things too, whether we’ve spoken a million times or never at all. Tag me so I can see! This means you!!!

cw: drugs, suicide mention, death mention, mental illness, food

1) Many years past, in Selan, the Land of Gold and Clockwork, there lived a King and a Queen who, more than anything, wanted a child of their own.  ~The Princess and The Pirate

2) This is getting absolutely ridiculous.

Meara, you’ve been to this stupid community board multiple times this week, and it’s not surprising that you’re tired. ~The Most Beautiful Puzzle

3) Ahren was dead. ~And All the Devils Are Here

4) The curved line of mushrooms should have been Blake's first clue that they'd wandered too far off the path. ~The Fairy Portal

5) Kandi. Kandi, Kandi, Kandi.

You flop back on the bed and rub at your tired eyes with the heels of your hands. ~That Boy, That Girl

6) The door is in splinters, almost broken, the bang of a shoulder or a boot or the butt of a gun against the wood like the smashing of your heart against your ribcage. ~Until Our Hearts Go Numb

7) The sun beats down on the asphalt so hot it could liquefy, but instead just leaves the scrubby plants and too-tall billboards on either side of the car shimmering. ~Since Feeling Is First

8) It's been three years since you've arrived in the United States. Two and a half since you started seeing Dr. Kimball. Six of improperly treated symptoms.

You give up. ~In the Lion’s Teeth

9) The cat is looking at you. ~And Never the Twain Shall Meet

10) "You're high again, aren't you," my roommate says. ~White Rabbit

11) So, Jen, or Atreyu, or whatever name you're going by today. Here you are on the kitchen floor again, face pressed to the cold tile and hair falling every which way. You're in your boxers and the rest of your clothes are in the kitchen sink (because that was important for some reason) and the tile is cold and oh, wait, you said that already, didn't you? ~In the Basement, In the Sky

12) Your name is March Liu, and your life is a bigger mess than the sheet you put down underneath your easel when you paint. ~One More Time (With Feeling)

13) Jordan and his friends neared the end of the anti-war protest they'd joined over an hour ago, and everyone gathered in a huge throng under the hot mid-day Arizona sun to hear the speeches. ~Two Heartbeats on One Page (this was actually my first finished novel after I left school, but it’s been edited to hell and back and wasn’t actually finished until a few years ago)

14) The café is warm, smelling of coffee and chocolate and fresh baked scones and biscuits, a nice respite from the cold, wet streets outside. ~Footprints Through the Rosemary

15) Iffy's parents said college would be different from high school. ~The Succession of Us

16) Jackalope Hills, Arizona, was a tiny hole of a town a few miles south of the middle of nowhere and a couple blocks east of who the hell cares. ~Walking Out of Stride

17) Justin Gibson never thought he'd be the kind of guy to fall in love with someone who once punched him in the face, but here he was, head over heels in with the guy who had accidentally put his fist in his eye a year ago. ~Push Me, Pull Me

18) Danny knew running a business wouldn't be easy, but he didn't realize it would be this hard, either.  ~Cafe Latte

19) Loud, clipped voices shout all around you and the words are so foreign they may as well be in a language you don't understand.  ~Stars In Our Hands

20) Meara was daydreaming again. ~Sunflowers and Ink

Bahaha I have literally written or am in the process of writing a total of 21 longform stories, and I can’t leave my baby Cal out, so I’ll go ahead and give myself a 21, as a treat

21) "Why did you want to kill yourself, Calum?" ~The Art of Losing Touch

WELL I most definitely have a habit of starting either with the setting, or, if I’m starting with a character intro, it’s in media res.

My personal fave is Until Our Hearts Go Numb, because it was my first try at a real tragedy. You know how the story ends. Everything is terrible. But god, did they try.

I also like And All the Devils Are Here simply for the punch of it.

[furubabes]

Okay. Somebody Asked. @shoujobell and @cryptidaicat, y’all encouraged this. I’m gonna tag this #long post if you wanna filter.

So here. I got the urge to write and so I ranked the Fruits Basket couples from my favorite to least favorite. These aren’t my complete thoughts because I could honestly do multiple full meta posts on each pairing, but I tried to justify and explain all my choices. Standard disclaimer, this is subjective and we can agree to disagree.

Part 1: Just the reasonably popular ones

1. Kyoru: Someone’s gonna call me unoriginal for this but it’s fine. Kyoru is the main romance of Fruits Basket! They bring out the best in each other and build each other up as characters. Kyoru is basically my gold standard take on Sunshine Girl x Grouchy Dude, and I’m not even usually into that trope otherwise. Their romance is one of the few that feels so genuinely necessary to the story. They love each other and like each other. Kyo understands Tohru in a way no one else in the narrative does, and vice versa. They’re in love like soulmates and also like awkward teenagers. Kyoru invented romance. If it’s boring to like healthy romances with realistic development, I’ll be boring.

2. Tohrin: If Tohru didn’t end up with Kyo I would only want her to be with Rin. I guess they have some of the same appeal as Kyoru for me - Rin reads Tohru in a way a lot of people don’t. I also like how honest and raw they are with each other. They yell! They fight! Rin is down to just straight up knock Tohru over to keep her from rushing off. Also, they’re both absolute fashion icons. Goth x Prep rights. I firmly believe Tohru Honda is bisexual.

3. Yukeru: This is my favorite Yuki pairing. I followed @yunsoh way back when the reboot first started and her blog has got me absolutely hooked on Yukeru. I think Yuki’s arc would have just made a ridiculous amount of sense if he was gay. It screams comphet. Kakeru is an excellent complement to Yuki, and their bond feels incredibly natural. Honestly I feel like it’s the most organic romantic development outside of Kyoru. I think realistically they wouldn’t have gotten together until post-canon and frankly Yuki shines in his friendships much more than romances, so I’m not absolutely dying for them to be together, but if Yuki’s going to date anyone Kakeru is my pick.

4. Arisaki: Man... I just like them. They strike me as less of an epic love and more of a comfortable partnership. I also read them both as lesbians anyway lol. Honestly I think they both had feelings for Tohru at one point and bonded over it. The way I picture them happening is honestly just Arisa at 25 frantically googling “is it gay to hold hands with my girl roommate who I spend all my time with and also we never date men“ because Saki bought them rings that look like wedding bands but they could just be super close friendship rings and oh god she’s in too deep. They’re dating for four years before they notice.

5. AyaMine: But Jessie! You literally never post about this pairing! Yeah, you’re right. I never think about them actively. But when ranking the canon ships I realized that I like the two of them together because they’re chill and understated. They’re huge loud personalities on their own but as a couple, they just feel like two people who are happy together and like spending time with one another. No drama, no mess, very understated. No plot contrivances driving their relationship. Good for them.

6. YukiKyo: Okay, so I can be convinced to put on my YukiKyo goggles more often than not. It feels iffy because there’s debate about how closely related all the Sohmas are and these two are called “cousins” a lot in school, but since half of the Sohmas are dating each other anyway, I err on the side of them being more of a clan than a proper blood family. Anyway, YukiKyo is my designated angst fuel. I think it would realistically be pretty one-sided from Yuki’s side, since we see him wanting Kyo’s approval from a very young age, but I like exploring the what-ifs of their lives if they’d been friends instead of rivals. In canon, I like to think that after high school they’re not best friends in the traditional sense, but either one could show up with a dead body and the other would help them bury it, no questions asked.

7. Yuchi: Really? Yuki’s wife is my third favorite pairing for him? Look, I adore Machi, and I still like Yuchi. But as I’ve been watching the reboot and reading others’ metas, I think I agree that their relationship could have been very powerful as a platonic one, sort of running parallel to Yuki and Tohru. I like them together but I think there wasn’t quite time for a complete character arc for Machi and her growth sort of begins and ends with Yuki. I don’t object to them being a couple in canon and I think they’re genuinely very sweet, but once again, I think Yuki stands out in his friendships more than anything. I would have liked to see Machi strike out on her own a little more.

8. Haru x Yuki: I don’t have any particular feelings towards them but I love their dynamic already and I think as a couple they’d both be really easygoing and comfortable with each other. I think a childhood crush turned close friendship is honestly the narrative that works best for them so I have no need for the two to date canonically, but every time they interact in the anime it gets a laugh out of me. They’re cool. They’d make a very pretty pair.

9. Mayutori: I’m Mayutori-neutral. I think they suffer from Fruits Basket’s pair the spare syndrome, but out of the side pairings that don’t have too much impact, they’re one I enjoy. Mayu’s fun as a character, and painfully relatable, and I like that Hatori’s eventual romance isn’t with someone who reminds him of Kana or something like that. I also want good things for Hatori. Mayutori has serious heterosexual energy though. I’m not saying this as a pro or con, they’re just very straight.

10. Hatsuzu: Okay, Haru and Rin aren’t this far down because I hate them. I’m perfectly fine with them being together in canon. But I think their romance almost... functions better as individual motivation for their character arcs than it does as an actual relationship, if that makes sense? Rin’s backstory episode is heartbreaking and her motivation to protect Haru is compelling and sympathetic, but their actual scenes together just don’t move me that much. Their romance is the least interesting part of either character for me.

11. Hiro x Kisa: Yeah I never got into it that much. It’s cute, it’s a sweet depiction of childhood crushes, but I’m not a fan of the idea of them ending up together. Kisa’s a cutie and Hiro is entertaining but the two of them together don’t actually do much for me. The dynamic between them is almost like if someone did Kyoru with none of the nuance. Ultimately though, they’re kids. I don’t expect them to have a deep and complex romance.

12. Yukiru: I think it would be a disservice to their characters if they were a couple. People far more eloquent than me have already written plenty of meta on why Yuki and Tohru aren’t what the other needs romantically, so I won’t get into it, but basically I just think their canon friendship is so beautiful and meaningful that I wouldn’t want to change it. Yuki and Tohru support my thesis that not all soulmates are romantic.

13. Tohru x Momiji: Welcome to the subjective dislike corner! This pairing is reasonably popular among people theorizing who Tohru would be with if not Kyo, but for some reason it just sits poorly with me. I can’t rank it any lower because there’s nothing evil or morally wrong about it! I just really don’t like it. I’ve quit a few fics because this pairing came up and I just can’t enjoy it.

14. Kakeru x Komaki: Idk, I just think Kakeru latching onto the one girl who was nice to him and put up with his bullshit and then being with her forever isn’t compelling. Komaki’s also probably his beard. She’s likable as an individual though.

15. Akigure: There’s plenty to say about the age gap, Shigure being in love with Akito since she was a fetus because of The Dream, the implications of a 15-18 year old knowing he’d one day want to be with a then-10-year-old... yeah, you get it. But even if I was able to put all that aside because Soulmate Destiny Logic, I still don’t think I’d like Akigure. I think they’re interesting as bitter, codependent exes, but I don’t like the idea of Akito ending up with anyone who she abused or who abused her. I think she has so much growing to do as a character and staying in a relationship within the Sohma family to do it can’t be healthy for her. I can’t see them living happily ever after, nor do I really want to.

16. Kurisa: I think what frustrates me the most here is that I want to like Kureno and everything about this romance is written to dull his most interesting traits. First of all, the age gap. Yeah, it’s gross, I don’t like it. But even past that, the love at first sight, instant fixation with each other, and lack of actual chemistry just kills me. Arisa’s stated reason to like Kureno is that he reminds her of Tohru, basically piggybacking off the chemistry she and Tohru already have, and his total lack of agency means the plot just sort of carries him along. It frustrates me that Takaya could have done something pretty cool by making them simply friends who have a chance encounter and then build a friendship from there that parallels Kureno’s abusive dynamic with Akito. It would be neat if a stranger’s kindness was the push Kureno needed to get himself out of the Sohmas’ grasp, without all the nonsensical drama about them being in love. It would also be less of a disservice to Arisa, who basically just spends the whole series pining for Kureno after they meet and I hate it. I could write a whole post about this. Maybe I will sometime.

17. Kyoko x Katsuya: I don’t think their story is romantic. I think it’s tragic for Kyoko, and if it were framed that way within the narrative, I wouldn’t object so much to its existence. But... Takaya just really likes age gaps with a younger woman and an older man, so the narrative romanticizes this man marrying his student. Katsuya can be depicted as well-meaning as you want, but he’s still got a ridiculous amount of power over Kyoko. She was also still pretty young when she had Tohru, which doesn’t make things any better because it’s clear that the relationship turned physical when Kyoko was a teen, thus dashing the idea of Katsuya legally marrying her to save her but not actually doing anything creepy. I wish Fruits Basket framed this as a story of Kyoko escaping one dangerous situation by entering a relationship with a huge power imbalance, because that happens to girls all the time and it’s tragic and compelling. The events of the story could stay the exact same and if the framing changed I would be fine with it. But this is not that. This is just a really romanticized teacher/student age gap. I’m not into it.

Part 2: Rarepairs, weird shit, and others (oh my!)

1. Yuki x Kakeru x Kimi: OT3. I’m enamored with the idea of this hot mess polycule.

2. Momiji x Kimi: Chaos meets chaos. This couple would say uwu without any irony and also steal your car keys. They’re both perceptive and smart hidden under a layer of cute and I’d wanna watch them play 4D chess with each other.

3. Kazuma x Kunimitsu: Idk how old Kunimitsu is so if he’s like 20, strike this one from the record. But I saw one post once that was like Kyo slowly realizing Kazuma and Kunimitsu were gay and had been dating for years and it was funny as hell.

4. AyaTori: It’s cute. Opposites attract, black and white hair, and Aya only listens to Hatori anyway. It’s just fun to think about.

5. Megumi x Hiro: They don’t interact in canon I just think Goth x Punk-Ass Bitch is a great concept.

6. Motoko x Nao: They’re both loud as hell and Nao having a gf that towers over him is funny. Maybe Yuki would finally get some peace.

7. Machi x Kimi: I don’t see them actually being compatible in canon but I think they could have a really homoerotic college friendship.

8. Hajime x Mutsuki: This is just YukiKyo, the non angst version.

9. Akito x Hanajima: I’m so wary of shipping Akito with anyone but this is kind of fun. The two are friends in canon and Hana isn’t remotely afraid of Akito. Plus Akito never abused Hana. I can sort of see it.

10. Hiroshi x Yusuke: Makes no sense, wouldn’t be relevant, but if those two just never spent any time apart and continued being a pair for life it would be a really good bit.

11. Akitohru: I don’t think it’s healthy to date anyone who’s previously stabbed you.

12. Kazuma x Hanajima: Stop. Go to jail. Hana’s one-sided crush is funny though.

[dannybnnt]

Twice as Nice

Summary: Dan and Isley go to her first doctor’s appointment and are given surprising news.

@isleydrewwhittaker

Daniel-Yesterday at 5:28 PM

Daniel spent the majority of his morning calling around to different doctors and looking online for recommendations for the best doctor possible. When he finally found the doctor that he felt had the best reputation, he called in and they said they could get them in that afternoon. He was surprised, but the receptionist had told him that they had a last minute cancelation and they could get them in a couple of hours. Daniel stepped out of his office and walked to Isley's desk. "Hey baby, I just found a really good doctor who can get us in today. We can go to lunch and then head to the office if you'd like."

Isley-Yesterday at 5:38 PM

Isley was almost asleep at her desk when Daniel came out to speak to her. Apparently being pregnant was making her exhausted and hungry 24/7. So when Daniel came out and suggested lunch, she was ecstatic. “Oh god, yes please. I need food.” She groaned.

Daniel-Yesterday at 5:55 PM

"Let's go get you some then." He smiled, holding his hand out for her.

Isley-Yesterday at 5:56 PM

She took his hand with a big grin, following him to the car. “Are you craving anything? Because I am.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 5:57 PM

"We can go wherever you want. I'm never picky."

Isley-Yesterday at 5:59 PM

“Something spicy. Mexican is probably closest, right? I really want Indian food, though.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:47 PM

"Mexican food works. Indian food seems kind of iffy with the pregnancy, doesn't it?"

Isley-Yesterday at 6:58 PM

She rolled her eyes at him. “What do you think pregnant Indian women eat?” She said, before continuing. “Sorry, I’ve been very moody lately.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 6:59 PM

"Yeah but they eat it in India, not sketchy Chicago shops." He laughed. "I know you have. I am rolling with it."

Isley-Yesterday at 7:00 PM

“Thank you, babe, I appreciate it. It’s half your fault, anyway.” She teased him as she took his hand.

Daniel-Yesterday at 7:00 PM

"Yeah, I have to take some of the blame." He squeezed her hand as he began to drive to the mexican restaurant.

Isley-Yesterday at 7:01 PM

“So who’s this doctor we’re seeing?”

Daniel-Yesterday at 7:20 PM

"Dr...." He tried to remember. "Lewis. I believe it's a woman too. But she had like 5 stars on every review site I looked at. "

Isley-Yesterday at 7:21 PM

“Cool. Thank you, baby.” She said, kissing his hand. “We’re gonna see our baby today!”

Daniel-Yesterday at 7:21 PM

"Yeah, we are." He grinned as he stopped in front of the restaurant. "I'm so excited."

Isley-Yesterday at 7:25 PM

She groaned as the restaurant came into view. “I’m so hungry!” She jumped out of the car and rushed in.

Daniel-Yesterday at 7:27 PM

Daniel wasn't fast enough for Isley. She had a great appetite when she wasn't pregnant, so he should have known she would be this way. He followed behind her and stepped into the restaurant, telling the host they had two people. They were seated and quickly brought chips, salsa, and water. He grabbed a chip and nipped at it. "I hope the doctor is cool.. I hate going to the doctor. They're always weird."

Isley-Yesterday at 7:33 PM

Isley dug in as soon as they sat, hardly hearing Dan's words. "It'll be fine. You're not the one getting an exam, anyway, silly."

Daniel-Yesterday at 7:43 PM

"I know, but I still hate it." He laughed. "It will be worth it for the baby, though."

Isley-Yesterday at 7:44 PM

"Yeah, just remember that. I'm sure she'll be great, she had those awesome reviews." She added, continuing to eat.

Daniel-Yesterday at 7:44 PM

"That is very true." He agreed, pausing to look over the menu. "What are you getting?"

Isley-Yesterday at 7:44 PM

"Burrito." She said with her mouth full of food.

Daniel-Yesterday at 7:45 PM

"Okay." He laughed. "I think I'm gonna get a salad."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:01 PM

"A salad? Lame." She teased as the waiter came and took their orders.(edited)

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:11 PM

"Do you want a hot boyfriend or?" He scoffed before giving their orders to the waitress.

Isley-Yesterday at 8:11 PM

"Um, no? I'm about to gain all the weight in the world, you should too."

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:12 PM

"What? Why do I have to?"

Isley-Yesterday at 8:13 PM

"I'm gonna look like a whale next to you!"

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:13 PM

"You are not!"

Isley-Yesterday at 8:14 PM

"I'm not that big, so my stomach is gonna look huge!"

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:14 PM

"Yeah but your stomach won't make you look like a whale. You'll look like a beautiful pregnant woman."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:15 PM

"You're sweet. You better say the same thing in eight months when I hate my body."

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:15 PM

"Of course I will. You're hatching my baby."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:15 PM

"Hatching? Oh my god, I take it back."

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:18 PM

"Hatching. Cooking. Growing. You're doing all the baby things."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:27 PM

"Lordy, what have I gotten myself into?" She said, though she was laughing.

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:27 PM

"A whole mess. I tried to stop it." He joked as he ate another chip.

Isley-Yesterday at 8:29 PM

"You're the worst." She nudged him with her foot under the table.

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:30 PM

"I'm the best. Don't try to fight that fact."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:34 PM

"Okay, okay, you're the best." She acquiesced as their food arrived.

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:41 PM

"I know, thanks." He poked at his salad. "Food just isn't fun for me anymore. I'm so jealous of you.."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:41 PM

"I may get to eat for two, but you get to keep your body." She said before shoving a mouthful of burrito into her mouth.(edited)

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:42 PM

"That's true." He agreed with a playful smile.

Isley-Yesterday at 8:43 PM

"And you don't have to push a 20-inch, 8-pound baby out of a tiny hole."

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:43 PM

"Doesn't it like.. Grow when the baby is coming out."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:44 PM

"It stretches, very painfully. A lot of the time it rips, and afterwards you have to get stitches. So."

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:45 PM

"Ugh, what? That's so weird."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:46 PM

"You can tear your perineum, too." Isley said, continuing to eat despite their topic of conversation.

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:46 PM

"Okay, let's stop talking about it. All of those things are like, rare, right?"

Isley-Yesterday at 8:48 PM

"I think so." She nodded.

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:49 PM

"I know I'm not supposed to compare but Avery seemed... Normal. So hopefully it's all good down there after." He scrunched his nose.

Isley-Yesterday at 8:49 PM

"Really, we're talking about your ex wife's vagina?" She said blandly.

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:49 PM

"No..." He shrugged.

Isley-Yesterday at 8:51 PM

"Uh huh." She turned back to her food. Even not hormonal, that comment would have upset her.

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:52 PM

"Sorry." He apologized shortly before returning to his food.

Isley-Yesterday at 8:54 PM

Isley fought back the urge to roll her eyes, finishing her food in silence although she had lost her appetite.

Daniel-Yesterday at 8:57 PM

He sighed as he picked off his salad, then asked for the check when the waitress came by. "We still have a little bit before we have to be there."

Isley-Yesterday at 8:59 PM

"How much longer?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:01 PM

"Like.. An hour."

Isley-Yesterday at 9:01 PM

"Jeez. Okay, what do you want to do?" She said, pushing her frustration aside.

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:02 PM

"I don't know.. We could just head over that way and then go for a walk."

Isley-Yesterday at 9:03 PM

"Okay, how far away is it?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:08 PM

"Just a few miles. I actually think it might be by Avery's real estate place so it should be easy to find."

Isley-Yesterday at 9:08 PM

"Cool, we should stop in and ask her about her vagina."

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:09 PM

Daniel rolled his eyes, unable to stop himself from snapping. "I already know about it."

Isley-Yesterday at 9:09 PM

She scoffed, appalled. "Yeah, and her best friend's, too."

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:11 PM

"Yup. I do." He shrugged.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:11 PM

"Wow." She said, lost for words.

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:11 PM

"I mean, I don't know what else you want me to say. You're trying to be hurtful."

Isley-Yesterday at 9:12 PM

"You won't stop talking about your ex! It's like you wish I were her instead!"

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:12 PM

He scoffed, shaking his head. "That isn't true. I don't even talk about her that much."

Isley-Yesterday at 9:13 PM

"Every since I told you I'm knocked up it's been Avery this, Avery that."

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:14 PM

Daniel felt a little frustrated by that. Avery's pregnancy had been the hardest thing he had ever gone through and he didn't realize that talking about it was so upsetting. "Fine." He said with a nod as he left money on the table and stood up. "Let's go."

Isley-Yesterday at 9:16 PM

Isley was confused. Why was he upset? She hadn't done anything wrong. She stood, though, and followed him out, waiting until they were outside to speak again. "Wait, why are you upset?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:16 PM

"I'm not upset. I was ending the conversation. I won't talk about Avery anymore." He opened the car door for her.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:22 PM

She nodded her thanks as she got in sitting and rubbing her belly. "You seem upset. I know you've kind of been through this before with her, but it just makes me feel like...you wish you were doing this with her instead of me."

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:23 PM

He took his time walking around the car, telling himself that fight with Isley when she was pregnant was not what he wanted and unfair. She was hormonal, he had to drop things. But she wanted to keep it going when he got in the car. He silently began to drive "I said that I won't talk about her anymore." He said softly.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:25 PM

It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Usually, Isley would push, but he was being patient and gentle with her, so she let it go, too. "I'm sorry." She finally said after a moment.

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:33 PM

"Don't apologize if that's how you feel." He shrugged.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:35 PM

"I mean, that's how I feel when you bring her up like that. I don't feel like that all the time."

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:37 PM

"Okay, then I just won't bring her up." He said with a nod.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:38 PM

"At least not her pregnancy, that's all."

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:38 PM

"Fine." He didn't understand why out of everything Avery's pregnancy was the one thing he couldn't bring up, but he decided he just wouldn't talk about her at all.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:39 PM

"Okay, thank you." She took his hand, noticing that he was being short and not liking it.

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:40 PM

He let her take his hand but stayed silent until they were parked in front of the building. "I think there's some stores or something to look at across the street."

Isley-Yesterday at 9:41 PM

"Hey." She said as he parked, leaning across the console and turning his face towards her. She kissed him firmly.

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:44 PM

He gave her a small kiss "If I wanted this with Avery , I would have had it, okay?" He said quietly.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:45 PM

She nodded, tearing up a little. "Oh god, I'm crying again." She laughed, wiping her face.

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:51 PM

"Don't do that." He smiled. "We good?"

Isley-Yesterday at 9:51 PM

"Sorry," She said, laughing again. "Yes, we're good. I love you, Daniel,"

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:52 PM

"I love you too, baby." He gave her another kiss.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:53 PM

Isley smiled into his kiss before they finally got out of the car. "Alright, let's see what's around here."

Daniel-Yesterday at 9:54 PM

He stepped out and reached for her hand before he crossed the street. "There's a baby store." He pointed out as it came into view.

Isley-Yesterday at 9:55 PM

"Oh my god, we have to go!" She squealed.

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:05 PM

"Let's do it." He said as he walked into the store. "Oh man, it's weird to think we need like.. Everything in here." He laughed.

Isley-Yesterday at 10:07 PM

"Look at all these clothes!" She said, grabbing the nearest outfit. It was a little boy's onesie with a bear that read 'unbearably cute'.

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:08 PM

"That is cute." He said as he picked up a tiny dress. "It looks like barbie clothes." He joked.

Isley-Yesterday at 10:09 PM

"I'm in heaven. These are all so frickin' cute." She laughed, sidling up next to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:14 PM

He put an arm around her, still looking around the store. "Man, I really want to have that house so we can get absolutely everything we need for peanut."

Isley-Yesterday at 10:14 PM

"Maybe we should get a storage unit?" She suggested, wandering to the cribs.

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:15 PM

"Yeah, I might need to. We need to go meet with that contractor and get things figured out."

Isley-Yesterday at 10:17 PM

"Sounds like a plan. What do you think we should do for a nursery?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:18 PM

"I think we should get an ETA from the contractor on how fast things can go up and decide if we should put a nursery in the guest bedroom."

Isley-Yesterday at 10:18 PM

"That's a good idea. What about themes?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:19 PM

"I don't know.. Baby.. themed.." He looked at her with a playful smile.

Isley-Yesterday at 10:19 PM

She laughed, bumping her hip with his. "I want a super girly-princess one if Peanut's a girl."

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:20 PM

"I don't want like over the top stuff. Simple and classy." He said with a nod.

Isley-Yesterday at 10:20 PM

"Yeah, classy, but like...spoiled."

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:21 PM

"Classy but spoiled is exactly how to put it." He laughed.

Isley-Yesterday at 10:23 PM

"Perfect." She smiled widely up at him as a saleswoman approached. "How are you two doing today? Shopping for a new baby? Let me know if you need any help!" Isley smiled at the woman, placing a hand on her stomach. "Yeah, we are. I think we're good though."

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:36 PM

Daniel's focus moved back to the items in front of them, imagining their baby playing in the crib. It was such a surreal thought. "Do you want to get anything today?" He asked.

Isley-Yesterday at 10:36 PM

"I don't think so. I'd rather wait to find out the gender before we start getting stuff, what do you think?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 10:52 PM

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll look up a list of things we need before the baby comes so we're super prepared."

Isley-Yesterday at 10:54 PM

“Sounds good baby.” She checked her phone. “Fifteen minutes, let’s go check in.”

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:03 PM

He nodded his head and grabbed her hand again to lead the way to the doctor's office. Stepping in, he took a seat to let Isley do everything she needed to do.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:07 PM

As they entered, she walked up to the front desk, answering all the woman's question. Name, date of birth, reason for visit, and then she explained that her boyfriend would be paying for the appointment as she had no insurance. The lady seemed a little surprised, but agreed anyway, saying that Daniel had paid over the phone. She smiled to herself, grateful she had someone so good to take care of her. Finally, she took the paperwork she was handed and returned to the lobby, sitting beside Daniel to fill it all out. "So many dang questions." She commented.

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:08 PM

He put his arm around her as she began to fill the paper work out. "I can imagine." He leaned over to press a kiss to her temple.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:09 PM

After a few minutes, Isley finally finished the paperwork and gave it back to the receptionist. "I can't tell if I'm more nervous or excited." She said as she sat back down.

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:10 PM

"Excited. We're gonna see our baby."

Isley-Yesterday at 11:13 PM

"Isley Whittaker?" A nurse called before Isley could reply. Smiling at him, she took his hand and followed behind the nurse. In the room, Isley hopped up on the table. The nurse did the routine stuff, taking her height, weight, and blood pressure before leaving.

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:14 PM

Daniel tried to stay out of the way, sitting in the chair in the corner of the room while he watched the nurse take Isley's vitals. He was nervous that they would tell her she wasn't actually pregnant and he tried to just keep his cool.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:15 PM

"Why are you all the way over there, babe?" She asked. "Bring that chair over here, don't you wanna be up close for the ultrasound?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:15 PM

"I'm just trying to stay out of the way." He said with a shrug as he moved the chair closer to the  bed.(edited)

Isley-Yesterday at 11:16 PM

"It's your baby, too. You're supposed to be somewhat in the middle of it." She teased him.

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:17 PM

"Hey, I just wanna get to the ultrasound part." He laughed.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:22 PM

She laughed as the doctor entered. "Hello, Ms. Whittaker, my name is Dr. Marie Lewis. How are you doing today?" The doctor was a friendly looking middle aged woman with dark hair. Shaking her hand, Isley replied, "I'm good, have a little bit of heartburn. We ate Mexican." The doctor laughed. "That's quite common with pregnancy, which leads me to my next question. It says here you're not sure how far along you are?" Isley nodded. "I just took a test yesterday and it came out positive. It was a very bright positive on all three tests, too." The doctor made some notes. "Huh, usually pregnancy tests aren't all that bright. Nothing to worry about though. So let's see this baby!" The doctor instructed Isley to lie down before snapping on her gloves and lifting Isley's shirt. "Alright, this gel is a little cold. What we're gonna look for today is how far along you are, and we're going to make sure the baby has implanted in your uterus properly. Sound good?" Isley nodded as the doctor applied the gel, taking Daniel's hand. "Ready, baby?" She asked him.

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:35 PM

Daniel listened to Isley talk to the doctor, then nodded his head with a smile when she asked if he was ready. He squeezed her hand, watching the screen as the doctor began to rub the wand along Isley's tummy. When she spoke and pointed out the baby, Daniel's eyes widened as he leaned closer to look. "Wow... It's really in there." He whispered.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:37 PM

"Yeah, it is." Isley said in awe as she stared at the screen. "Alright, you look to be about six weeks along, and everything looks great. I do have some good news for you, though." Dr. Lewis turned to smile at the couple. "You're having twins!"

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:39 PM

Daniel felt his stomach drop at that news. Twins? They were having twins? He stopped breathing for a moment, his eyes stuck on the screen.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:40 PM

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed before turning to Daniel, her face filling with concern as she saw his face. "Baby? Are you okay?"

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:44 PM

One baby was a lot to grasp, but two? He finally got himself together enough to nod his head and looked over at her. "We're having twins." He repeated.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:45 PM

"We're having twins." She said again, expressionless as she tried to gauge his reaction.(edited)

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:47 PM

"Two babies. At once." He was beginning to feel a little more excited but terrified all the same.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:48 PM

"Yes." She nodded, allowing a smile to break out across her face.(edited)

Daniel-Yesterday at 11:52 PM

"Wow." He let a long breath out, still in shock.

Isley-Yesterday at 11:55 PM

Isley turned back to the doctor. "What else?" She asked. "Everything seems to be in place, the babies are in good positions. Do you want to hear their heartbeats?" Isley nodded immediately, and the audio came on. She squeezed Daniel's hand and put the other to her mouth as she teared up.April 11, 2018

Daniel-Today at 12:06 AM

Daniel listened to the heartbeats, biting his lip as tears filled his own eyes. He couldn't believe this was really happening, it felt surreal. He held tightly onto Isley's hand, then turned to look at her with a smile.

Isley-Today at 12:07 AM

As tears began to fall down her face, she pulled Daniel's face to hers and kissed him, not caring the doctor was there. Dr. Lewis was smiling when they parted, so she was probably used to that reaction.

Daniel-Today at 12:16 AM

He kissed her back, pouring his emotions into the kiss. Sitting back down, he shook his head. "I can't believe this."

Isley-Today at 10:25 AM

“Me neither.” She said, taking his hand again and squeezing. Finally, she turned her attention back to the doctor as she began to speak. “So you’re having twins, that means you’ll be full term at 36 weeks instead of 40. It also means that you’re going to be eating more than other pregnant women, I recommend about 2000 to 2200 calories in the first trimester. You should gain anywhere from 30 to 50 pounds during your pregnancy as well. I’m gonna go ahead and write down some prenatal vitamins you should be taking,  you can pick them up at any supermarket. Any questions?”

Daniel-Today at 10:26 AM

Daniel listened carefully as the doctor told them everything. "When is her due date?"

Isley-Today at 10:30 AM

“Should be sometime around November 7.” The doctor said smiling. “I have a question, too. Do we need to change anything about our sex life?” Isley added. “For the first trimester, no. After that, though, avoid any positions that will have you on your back.” Isley nodded. “Anything else, babe?” She asked Dan.(edited)

Daniel-Today at 10:32 AM

Daniel nodded his head, thinking November was so far but so close. They had so much to get done before them to have TWO babies. He rolled his eyes with a smile as Isley was proven right. "I don't think I have any other questions right now."

Isley-Today at 10:43 AM

“One last thing,” the doctor began, “make sure to avoid any uncooked meat or eggs,soft cheese, unpasteurized dairy products, fish with high levels of mercury, or lunch meat unless you cook it first. A little bit of caffeine is okay, but try to avoid it. And as for your body, you can expect to have mood swings, frequent urination, sore breasts, nausea and vomiting...the list really goes on. If you’re worried about anything, just call the triage line here.” The doctor finally finished, and Isley spoke up. “Wait, one last thing. I’ve been spotting a little bit the past week or so. Is that normal?” The doctor smiled again. “That’s very common, especially during the first trimester. You were probably experiencing implantation bleeding. As long as it’s light bleeding, it’s nothing to worry about.” Dr. Lewis wipes Isley’s stomach off, allowing her to sit up. “Alright, if there are no more questions, you guys are good to go.”(edited)

Daniel-Today at 10:45 AM

Daniel hoped they could remember the list of things that Isley couldn't eat. He supposed as long as he cooked their meals and they avoided eating out often they would be safe. They had been planning to do so anyways. Standing up, he reached for Isley's hand, ready to go.

Isley-Today at 10:48 AM

She took his hand and hopped off the table, unable to resist giving him a hug and a kiss. When she pulled away, she turned to the doctor. “Thank you so much, Dr. Lewis!” The doctor smiled kindly. “My pleasure. Make sure you come in again in four to six weeks so we can see how everything’s going. Nice to meet you.” She shook Isley and Dan’s hands once more before leaving.

Daniel-Today at 10:50 AM

"Yes, thank you." He said quietly. When they were out of the office, Daniel let out a long sigh. "Holy shit.. Twins?"

Isley-Today at 10:50 AM

“We’re having twins, baby!” She exclaimed, jumping into his arms once more.

Daniel-Today at 10:51 AM

He hugged her back tightly "I've never been so terrified and happy at once." He laughed.

Isley-Today at 10:52 AM

“Me neither, but I’m glad I have you to do it with me. I love you.”

Daniel-Today at 10:52 AM

"I love you too. So much."

Isley-Today at 10:53 AM

Isley planted another kiss on him before he set her down on the ground. “I’m also glad you’re a freakin’ millionaire, because this is gonna be expensive as crap.”

Daniel-Today at 10:54 AM

"It really is." He agreed with a laugh. "It will be okay though."

Isley-Today at 10:55 AM

“I know it will.” Suddenly, her eyes started to water again. “Jesus Christ, can I get a break?” She asked laughing as she wiped her eyes.

Daniel-Today at 10:56 AM

He kissed her cheek "I have the feeling this is gonna be a long pregnancy." He said with a laugh.

Isley-Today at 10:56 AM

“At least we only have thirty weeks to go instead of thirty four!”(edited)

Daniel-Today at 10:57 AM

"That's true. When do you think we should start telling people about this?"

Isley-Today at 10:57 AM

“I don’t know. The rule is usually at the end of the first trimester, but what do you think about telling Ellie now? She’s gonna notice I’m being weird at home.”(edited)

Daniel-Today at 10:59 AM

"I don't know.. I guess we can. I feel like she's going to react weird."

Isley-Today at 11:01 AM

“We can wait a little bit longer, but I’m probably going to start showing soon since there are two peanuts. What about everyone else? How long should we wait?”

Daniel-Today at 11:01 AM

"I guess until after the first trimester. Just in case."

Isley-Today at 11:02 AM

“Sounds good. Although...Margot might already know. She’s the one who told me to take a pregnancy test. I didn’t tell her it was positive, though.”

Daniel-Today at 11:03 AM

"In other words, everyone will know." He scoffed.

Isley-Today at 11:03 AM

“Well I asked her not to tell anyone this time. I was texting her about my symptoms because I thought I was sick and I was going to see her about it, so...I’m sorry baby.”

Daniel-Today at 11:04 AM

"It's okay.. I guess we should probably just tell everyone."

Isley-Today at 11:05 AM

“I don’t know, maybe she won’t tell anyone. I mean, I don’t think she will since I asked her not to. We didn’t ask her not to last time.” Isley pointed out.

Daniel-Today at 11:06 AM

"I just don't want a bunch of drama if she does tell, you know? Last time, it kind of made a mess."

Isley-Today at 11:07 AM

“Okay, whatever you want to do. If I had known I was pregnant I wouldn’t have texted her!”

Daniel-Today at 11:08 AM

He sighed "We'll figure it out."

Isley-Today at 11:09 AM

Isley felt bad that she had possibly ruined it, but somehow managed not to cry this time. “So I’m gonna gain up to fifty pounds?” She tried to change the subject.

Daniel-Today at 11:09 AM

"That's a lot for your little body." He laughed.

Isley-Today at 11:14 AM

“I know! What if I never get my body back?”

Daniel-Today at 11:15 AM

"You will... And it's okay if you don't too. I kind of like a little booty." He joked, his hand moving to hers.

Isley-Today at 11:19 AM

She laughed, feeling comforted by his words. “Okay, okay, sounds good. This means my stomach is gonna be even bigger than we initially thought!”

Daniel-Today at 11:20 AM

"Yeah, it will be huge." He laughed. "This is so crazy."

Isley-Today at 12:04 PM

“I know, and I’ve never been more excited.” She squeezed his hand.(edited)

Daniel-Today at 12:04 PM

"Me neither, baby." He walked to the car. "We should probably get back to work for a couple of hours."

Isley-Today at 12:07 PM

“Probably.” She had her hand on the door handle when suddenly, a fresh wave of nausea came over her. She ran to the nearest bush as she began to throw up.

Daniel-Today at 12:36 PM

Daniel watched her, appalled that she had started to throw up in public but he quickly rushed over to her to rub her back. "Okay, baby?"

Isley-Today at 12:38 PM

Isley groaned as the Mexican food finished leaving her stomach. “Fuck.” She said. She had been trying not to curse in a strange attempt to protect the babies from expletives, but she gave in at that moment. “Can you get me a napkin from the car, please?” She asked, still hunched over.

Daniel-Today at 12:40 PM

He walked back to the car and grabbed a napkin, bringing it back over to her. "Here you go." he said softly.

Isley-Today at 12:40 PM

She took the napkin from him, wiping her face off before standing up straight. “That was humiliating.” She said quietly. “Can we go get a toothbrush before we head back to the office? I might have to start keeping an extra in my purse.” She groaned again.(edited)

Daniel-Today at 12:45 PM

"Yeah, of course we can." He led her back to the car and started to drive to a drug store. "I wish you weren't so sick all the time. "

Isley-Today at 12:55 PM

“Me too.” She said laughing weakly. “And tired.” When they got to the drug store, she asked, “Should we get those vitamins while we’re here?”

Daniel-Today at 4:52 PM

"Yeah, we can get them." He said as he walked through the store to the toothbrushes. "Want a vibrating one or just like.. Normal?"

Isley-Today at 5:08 PM

Isley laughed. “I think a regular toothbrush is fine.” She said, grabbing a toothbrush, a case, and a mini toothpaste.

Daniel-Today at 5:09 PM

He headed to the vitamins next, looking over their options. "Should we just get the most expensive ones and hope they're the best?"

Isley-Today at 5:58 PM

She laughed again. “Sure, babe, that sounds good. She said folic acid, iron, calcium, and then a generic prenatal vitamin.”

Daniel-Today at 5:59 PM

He grabbed one of each, then held them in his arms "Is there anything else we need?"

Isley-Today at 6:01 PM

"I think that's it, let's go." She said, going to the checkout and dropping down the items she had.

Daniel-Today at 6:27 PM

He paid for everything and carried it to the car. Once they were headed home, he reached over for her hand. "Thanks for making me a dad, baby.. I know I have been back and forth but it is really important to me."

Isley-Today at 6:28 PM

Isley brought his hand to her lips, kissing it tenderly. "You're gonna make me cry, baby. Thanks for making me a mom."

Daniel-Today at 6:32 PM

"I love you." He smiled.

Isley-Today at 6:33 PM

"I love you too. And our little peanuts." She took their grasped hands and placed them on her bump that looked more like bloating.

Daniel-Today at 6:34 PM

He lovingly placed his hand on her belly when she did so. "I can't wait for that bump to grow and make this even more real."

Isley-Today at 6:35 PM

"Me neither. I've always loved baby bumps, so I can't imagine how much I'll love mine." She laughed. "Although I'll probably hate it in a few months."

Daniel-Today at 6:36 PM

"I hope you don't hate it. I think it will be amazing and cute."

Isley-Today at 6:37 PM

"I just mean it'll be hot and heavy and hard to maneuver around. But of course I'll still love it."

Daniel-Today at 6:37 PM

"Ah I guess that's true. We'll try to figure out how to make it as comfortable as possible."

Isley-Today at 6:45 PM

"It'll be worth it, anyways." Isley smiled. "So when we get back to the office, can I take a nap on your couch?"

Daniel-Today at 6:52 PM

"Unless someone comes in." He chuckled. "Do you need to go home and take a nap?"

Isley-Today at 6:53 PM

"No, I just need to lay down for like, 45 minutes."

Daniel-Today at 6:54 PM

"Okay, okay. I think it should be okay."

Isley-Today at 6:55 PM

"Have I told you you're the best?"

Daniel-Today at 6:55 PM

"I am." He smiled over at her before parking in front of the office.

Isley-Today at 6:56 PM

She got out of the car before entering the building, then his office. She kicked off her shoes by the couch, then climbed on. "This is actually quite comfortable."

Daniel-Today at 7:02 PM

"I wouldn't buy an uncomfortable couch." He kneel down beside her so he could give her a kiss.

Isley-Today at 7:03 PM

Isley giggled, taking his face in her hands and kissing him back before rolling over and quickly passing out.

Daniel-Today at 7:04 PM

He stood and went back to his office to get back to work, checking on her every so often.

[writer-and-artist27]

10Q x a billion

Tagged by: @owlsofstarlight

Put under the cut for the sake of not being long.

1. What’s one genre you really love the idea of, but are disappointed when you go to read/watch it?

Romance, because so many harem shows and so on just make it way too dramatic and painful to get through. Aside from Cardcaptor Sakura and stories like @langwrites‘ Catch Your Breath, which did amazing Slow Burn, I rarely go into Romance genre stuff.

2. Feelings about fire in general? (where my fellow pyros?)

Neutral. As long as it can help keep the house warm and cook food, I’m good.

3. Which of your OCs is the kinkiest?

In terms of hints/innuendos? Hikari, since she does tease Judai on occasion when they’re alone. Of course, this happens when Tomoko is not around. Hisako does troll Tomoko a little bit herself, but not in that category since sex-related stuff is very iffy for Tomo in general.

4. What is the one thing you most want a fan to say someday?

“Could I draw fanart for you?” or “I was hoping if I could write a fanfic of your fanfic?”

I’d be squealing all day if that happened.

5. Which OC do you think readers will like the most?

From personal opinion? Tomoko, Hisako, and Hikari, since those three ladies stand out so much in CP and in S&S. From what I’ve seen of FFN reviews though, Hikari’s the Ensemble Darkhorse, and that’s awesome.

6. Were your OCs born naturally, with pharmaceutical assistance, or via c section?

Aside from Hisako, because Nobody status for Tomoko, all my OCs were born naturally. I honestly think Judai was the only one that came from c-section, because his mother (and in turn, Tomoko’s paternal grandmother) suffered from some health problems. I can’t expand on it aside from that because I haven’t exactly thought about Judai’s parents. For as long as Judai himself knew, he was an orphan.

7. What is the single emotion that is the absolute hardest for you to write? (loneliness, loss, hopelessness, joy, etc)

Seething anger to the point of extreme action. I can get close with my empathy and sympathy to many different emotions, but anger in that level (where a character might even kill or something) is something I can’t imagine. Nor the simple mess that is Orochimaru’s craftiness, because all he is in my head is a pedophile snake that deserves to die.

8. If your OC were a cookie, what sort of cookie would they be?

Tomoko would be a sweet red velvet cookie. Hikari would be macademia nuts, Judai a chocolate chip protein cookie (because ninja status), and Hisako would be peanuts and M&Ms.

Tomoya, on the other hand, I see being birthday cake, because she’s still figuring out who she is past her assigned male gender.

The Hitoshi family would all be oatmeal cookies that got badly burnt in the oven. :d

9. How important do you think it is to describe a character’s appearance?

Pretty important, but not so much to where you dedicate entire pages to them. The reader should get an idea of how they look, but also leave some room for interpretation/fanart opportunities. Hence why when I do describe appearances in writing, they’re simple and sweet so that art has a leeway to come in.

10. And, spitballing off that, which OC do you think is the prettiest?

Right now? Hikari, since she can rock almost any outfit. Also helped by how she makes her own clothes. Tomoko is still growing, but she’ll get there.

11. Your absolute most evil OC is startled by a toaster popping. What happens next?

Mamoru (the original Drunk Guy) would kinda smash it with an alcohol bottle. Only for Natsumi to go on and yell at him because that was still a perfectly okay toaster. Satoru would be rolling his eyes and heading out the window to avoid another argument on his parents’ parts.

12. One of your OCs is in a Disney animated movie. What’s the “big” song of that movie? (Pocahontas’ was “Colors of the wind,” Aladdin was “A Whole New World,” Hercules was “Zero to Hero” etc.)

If it was Tomoko, the song would be Let’s Just Live from RWBY Volume 4. Simple as that.

For Hisako, it’ll be Neon, also from RWBY, this time being Volume 3.

For Hikari, it would probably be Taylor Davis’s violin cover of My Heart Will Go On from Titanic.

Judai naturally gets Teardrop by BOWL.

Tomoya would probably get something like Mirror Mirror, Part 2 from RWBY Volume 3.

13. Do you think having to write while stuck out in the wilderness by yourself (in a heated cabin, food and water but no wifi, tv, or phone service) would help or hurt?

I think it would help for a while, since I get peace and quiet, not to mention my laptop already having offline editing accessible. But after a few weeks, I would just get worried about how to get back to my family, since I’m still living with them and I love them very much.

Leo and Josh would probably be the first ones to blow a gasket out of worry about me, aside from my Mom and Dad.

14. You have written or thought about writing dirty fanfiction. What is it?

…Really? You’re asking this? From the sex-repulsed, demiromantic?

Well, I thought of fanfics where an adult Tomoko and Kakashi went and did it, but got too much second-hand embarrassment to even think of writing. I’m not even going to bring Kei into this, because Lang kinda had to witness my reaction to the revelation of Kei and Kakashi’s relationship going sexual by OSF firsthand last year, and it’s sorta painful to look back on because getting triggered sucks.

15. Someone offers you thirty million dollars to ghostwrite a book about how Hell is real and all dogs go there, good or bad. Do you do it?

Nope. My uncle has a sweet Corgi dog by the name of Yuko, and I do not want to think about a story where all dogs go to Hell. Yuko deserves better, and I can get the money elsewhere. If anything, I’d just point at that person with a blank face, say, “You’re just a scam,” and walk off.

16. You will automatically get a million dollar contract for anything you write, but it has to be at least five thousand words long AND you can only use as many letters of the alphabet as complete pullups you can do. How does that work out?

I’d have to exercise more, because I do more push-ups and rollerblading than pull-ups. So no. I’d prefer writing for fun, not for the money.

17. Your dog turns into a person and writes a book about your lives together, and it gets turned into a movie. During the premiere of the movie, your dog turns to you and tells you that Hell is a place of our own making. What kind of popcorn do you order?

I would order a medium popcorn with extra butter. And I don’t think I should worry about the dog part since I actually don’t have a dog. The only dog I interact with is the aforementioned Yuko, and she’s too sweet to say something like that.

18. What’s a genre of fiction you don’t think you’d ever get the hang of writing?

Smut, because sex-repulsed demiromantic here. And any despair-inflicting stuff since I know fluff runs in my veins so much better, hence why I’m still surprised about the Danganronpa crossover that’s been going in my head. Hell, the things my head has come up with for S&S Tomoko past the Memory Arc have been less than cheery, and I have to thank Lang and by extension, Os and Abalisk for getting me out of that mindset many times, because the things she has coming up hurt.

19. How similar is your story world to the Earth we live on?

Aside from the ninja and feudal Japan-like aspects, pretty similar. The only thing Tomoko misses is freedom of speech and democracy, because despite America’s flaws, it did allow Vy’s parents to immigrate and find better lives to meet each other.

20. What inspired any of your WIPs?

Catch Your Breath. I’ve said it enough already, and owe Lang many things.

21. What song best explains the squad in your WIP?

Let’s Just Live from RWBY. Because it’s the main theme for CP in my opinion, and going onto S&S, the message of moving forward is something I think everyone in the squad tries to aspire towards.

22. Do you use Pinterest for your characters/stories?

I have a Pinterest account, but I don’t use it. It’s kinda clunky, and Tumblr and FFN has been shown to be better in my opinion.

23. Do you have an Asshole character?

The entire Hitoshi Family. Even if Satoru hasn’t shown up in S&S (because all the flack surrounding him in his initial arc in CP was bad enough), the family’s bad.

24. What superhero is similar to or is idolized by your OCs?

I feel like Tomoko would idolize Starfire and Wonder Woman, since both had to deal with coming to new worlds and adjusting to life with new people. Not sure on the others though. Judai might sympathize with Batman, but aside from that, I’m blanking.

25. Do your protagonist and antagonist get along?

Nope. Tomoko would probably want to yell her head off at Madara for being so stupid in her opinion, and grab her Wayfinder to slash Black Zetsu with. Hisako agrees with the Zetsu sentiment, but would probably want to kill Madara more than yell at him.

Danzo on the other hand, is someone Tomoko and Hisako haven’t exactly encountered. Judai, though, would want that bastard as far away from his family as possible, since Danzo has offered Judai a place in ROOT back before he met Hikari. It was not pretty, to put it lightly.

26. How many of your current WIPs do you plan to publish, if you are publishing?

I’ve published most if not all of my WIPs on FFN. I don’t know about cross-posting on AO3, since it’s a pain in the butt, but yeah. The Danganronpa thing should come out when I get more chapters of S&S done, and when I finish the anime.

27. Is there a song that inspires you to write, or inspired any of your WIPs?

Let’s Just Live comes up yet again in this long post, but I also have to credit many of Kyle Landry’s piano covers of Kingdom Hearts, because his work on the already great soundtrack gave me the idea to make Tomoko into a pianist in the first place.

28. What trends do your OCs use/wear/etc.?

Anime-inspired kimono stuff. And casual, comfy wear that’s simple and pleasing.

29. Do you listen to music or ambiance while you write? Or just silence? If it’s music, what genre?

When I need to write somber moments, I use silence while sitting in a corner of my room. For everything else, I bring up piano music to keep up the theme of CP having piano themes.

30. Are any of your characters sassy?

All of them can be sassy in some ways, but the people that really dominate the “sassy” category have to be Hikari, Tomoya, and Hisako. Those three can really rip into someone if they want to.

31. How did you come up with the idea for your current WIP?

For CP? The simple question of, “What if Kakashi had a best friend from the near beginning?”

For S&S, though? “How would things be better or worse for Kei if she met Tomoko and they worked together?”

32. How long have you been working on your current WIP?

CP: a little over a year.

S&S: nearing a year, since its first anniversary is coming up in 2 months.

33. Are you planning to publish your current WIP?

Uh, they’re already up on FFN if that’s what you mean. Because honestly, I don’t see myself writing past fanfiction.

34. If your MCs were youtubers, what kind would they be? (ex. vlogger, artuber. booktuber, comedy, etc.)

Tomoko would be like Kyle Landry in putting up various piano covers of the songs she finds.

Hisako would be half comedy, half vlogger/booktuber as she comments on the many things she sees in Tomoko’s head and through Tomoko’s eyes. The booktuber part comes from Hisako’s home being Tomoko’s mental library, so she might be reviewing the books/memories that come her way while in front of the camera.

Hikari would probably be another musician, teaming up with Judai on occasion to be like the real life Videri String Quartet, only as a duo because they both handle stringed instruments.

Tomoya would probably put up piano covers like Tomoko, but also film advice videos for those who are trying to transition like she is.

35. What season do you associate with each of your characters, and why?

Hikari is spring, since she brings along the most cheeriness in the house when Tomoko can’t.

Tomoko is autumn, since she picks up the pieces after summer passes.

Tomoya is winter, since she’s still unsure about herself and trying to find her way in the world.

Hisako and Judai both share summer, since they can be pretty hot-headed when it comes to people they care about.

36. Is there one scene that you are particularly excited to write, or had a lot of fun writing?

In terms of scenes I’m excited to write:

CP has me waiting for Kakashi’s ANBU arc to come by, since Tomoko and Kakashi are already in a relationship at this point, and I’ll be able to flesh out both civilian and ninja sides since the two are going to be kinda separated as a result of ANBU forcing Kakashi to get his own apartment in the ninja barracks for security purposes.

For S&S, I’m looking forward to the Commencement and Memory Arcs, since October Tenth and Sorayama were two events that really impacted Kei’s life originally in CYB. Tomoko being there will lead to significantly different emotional aftermaths, so exploring that has me shaking in my shoes (in the good way).

In terms of scenes that I had fun writing…

CP had Kakashi buying his signature outfit for Kannabi in Chapter 42, because Tomoko (the innocent dork) is finally starting to recognize for real that she loves her best friend and honestly doesn’t want him to die while in the field. Also for Hikari being that fashion badass that I wanted her to be.

S&S had Tomoko’s bulging duffle bag of things in Chapter 16, since that was something I had in mind since the beginning of the brainstorming stages for the story, because Kei’s shown that she can be reckless already. Our civilian pianist, on the other hand, takes things to a completely different level, and I’m kinda sad no one commented more on that scene in the reviews anyways.

37. What would the ship name be for your favorite romantic pairing in your WIP?

For CP? KakaTomo, taking the first 2 syllables from Kakashi and Tomoko’s names to get this.

For S&S? It’s a crack and sunk ship at this point, but KeiTomo kinda grew on me since writing S&S.  More so since Tomoko has been shown in S&S to be very dedicated to Kei in a way that’s different from her CP counterpart’s love for Kakashi. It would’ve been pretty interesting to explore, but talks with Lang confirmed it wouldn’t exactly work (as KeiRin shippers from CYB can probably attest to), but thoughts of it are cute to think on.

38. Are you a planner, or a pantser, or in the middle?

In the middle. I plan, but also leave enough holes for the characters to fill in with their actions.

39. What’s your favorite detail that you put into your worldbuilding?

All the family relations between the characters and how a simple network of loved ones can easily make so many changes in the Narutoverse. I’m still happy about how everyone on FFN was so receptive to the CP version of Kannabi, because that was planned from the very beginning of the story. To know that all the build-up, family and fluff moments and all, showed the natural progression of how a canon-doomed mission turned into one that was mostly heartwarming and partly bittersweet.

40. How long are your chapters, usually?

From 5k to 10k words on average. The most I’ve done, I think, is 14k words.

41. If you could meet one of your characters, who would it be?

Tomoko, since I’d be able to assure her that everything will be okay and that she doesn’t have to worry too much.

42. If you could meet any fictional character (not yours), who would it be?

Kei, since Kei’s a dork, and I think I’d be able to get her to relax a bit more by introducing all of RWBY to her and updating her on what’s happened since her past self’s death.

43. Which character is the most fun to write?

Hisako, because she’s a nicer version of Monokuma. She can say so many things that Tomoko just doesn’t say, and without any consequences.

44. Which character is the most painful to write?

To be honest, Judai, since I’m still lurking on his Interlude that expands his backstory leading up to Tomoko’s birth, and trying to make all the Yugioh GX elements transition into Naruto-terms hasn’t been easy.

45. What are some of your favorite tropes?

You Are Better Than You Think You Are, You Are Not Alone, Glomp, and True Companions.

46. What genre is your favorite to read? What genre do you usually write?

Hurt/Comfort as well as a good Mystery mixed with Fantasy are my favorites to read. For genres I write, it’s obviously Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, and Fluff.

47. Earbuds or headphones?

If given an absolute choice, earbuds because portability, but both are fine.

48. What made you want to write what it is you’re currently writing?/ What was that first spark of an idea?

As I’ve said many times before, Catch Your Breath from Lang. The next spark was actually Inoue Shiori by Hermionechan90, since her take on civilians and their relationship with ninja got me thinking.

49. What are your project’s main themes or undertones? (Yes, I do really like this question)

“Keep Moving Forward for Yourself and the People that Care for You.”

“Don’t give into your own doubts — use them as a motivation to improve yourself.”

Also, quoting Madoka from the last episode of the TV series:

“If someone tells me it’s wrong to hope, I will tell them that they’re wrong every time.”

50. Which of your characters do you relate to the most, or has the most of ‘you’ worked into them? And what aspect of you is this? (If you’re comfortable with sharing).

Tomoko obviously has the most of “me” worked into her, because of her status as an SI-OC. The biggest aspect though? Her heart, emotions, and desire to help others. That’s something I still share with her greatly, despite maturing, so seeing her grow as been a wonderful thing to witness.

51. What are the main points of inspiration/original concepts or aesthetics behind your main characters?

There’s a reason why I keep turning back to Let’s Just Live, because it shows just how much aesthetic these characters take from the song and in turn RWBY. You shouldn’t give up just yet, even when life is unfair. You have to keep moving forward, because the ones who have passed on and loved you would’ve wanted you to. If you can’t live for yourself, live for the people that are still alive and that still love you. That’s why I believe Chapter 13 of CP and Chapter 9 of S&S are still so powerful, because it’s something that Sakumo and everyone else needed to hear, and why it still stays despite all this conflict.

52. What’s your favorite quote from your project so far?

From Tomoko herself:

“Don’t take the coward’s way out. Face your pain, your mistakes, head on, and recognize what happened. You can’t change the past, but you can change the present. The future. Don’t start to cherish something when it’s long gone. Recognize what you have now, and treasure it with your life. Remember all the positive moments you’ve had, all the people you’ve loved, and just live. Don’t fear loss or pain. Take it in, endure it, and use it to help others. Because in the end, life is a gift, but short, and with the world the way it is, wouldn’t it be better to impart love and care to our loved ones before the inevitable?”

53. What’s your favorite book and why?

Don’t know if I have one aside from manga and fanfiction.

54. Do the books you like/ genre you read influence your writing style at all?

Yep. Cardcaptor Sakura was all about fluff and positive relationships, for one thing. I can’t list more off the top of my head right now, but that’s a big one.

55. Do you have a weird writer thing? Like a habit or obsession or something that’s just generally unusual when it comes to scribbling words?

Sometimes, when I’m really stressed, I just put on my headphones and pull up hairbrushing ASMR videos, because the sound of hairbrushing is surprisingly relaxing and nice when I need to get into the right working-mood.

56. Are you a hand-writer or a screen-typer?

Screen-typer.

57. What’s your favourite character from a text you’ve been forced to study and why?

Surprisingly, even though I haven’t finished the book yet, Werther from Goethe’s The Sorrows of Werther stands out, because he’s the first male protagonist I’ve seen in historical texts that is so emotional and open, and considering how my HUM professor likens his development to that of the Romanticism Movement that I already unconsciously took from, all the right bells were hit.

Tagging: No one. Whoever wants to do this, go ahead! Just pick 10 from the questions up above. :)

[whyldkratts]

for the ask meme: all of them, but if thats too much maybe just the last 10?

Sorry for the long post aaaa1: Let’s start with a tricky one; what is the real reason you are confused right now? [I bought lottery tickets bc I was in texas and they’re not legal where I live and the cashier at the gas station didn’t even ask for my id. I tried to show him and he just shook his head and let me go???? He didnt even care wtf]2: Do you ever get “good morning” texts from anyone? [Nah]3: If your significant other smoked pot, would you care? [Yea a little bit. I mean if it was just occasionally that’s probably fine? But a lot of my family has fucked up their entire lives with drugs so anything like that is iffy for me. It depends on how often they smoke ultimately]4: Do you find it easy to trust others? [I’d say yeah, probably. As long as you don’t fuck me over or guilt me within the first few weeks of knowing me id probably feel comfortable messaging you if I needed someone to talk to]5: What were you doing at 11PM last night? [Scrolling Tumblr]6: You’re drunk and lost walking down the road; who is with you? [Probably my irl bffs lindy and raven!]7: What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on? [Dump them. Adios fucker. I hope they’re happy with whoever they cheated on me with]8: Are you close with your dad? [Yeah I’d say so? I love him and he usually let’s me do my thing]9: I bet you kissed someone last night, right? [Nah]10: What are you listening to? [Run by hozier]11: You can only drink ONE liquid for the rest of your life - what is it? [Sweet tea!!!! I’m from the south baby]12: Do you like hickeys? [Never has one so I don’t know!]13: What time do you go to bed? [Uhhhhhh 5am?]14: Is there someone who continuously lets you down? [My siblings.]15: Can you text as quickly with one hand as you do both? [Nope I fuck up spelling a lot and have to go back and fix it no matter how many hands I’m typing with]16: Do you always answer your texts? [I try!! Unless I’m emotionally tired or forget]17: Do you hate the person you fell the hardest for? [No. She’s my best friend now, actually]18: When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends? [LIKE 3 MINUTES AGO I was complaining about how long it car ride home is]19: Is there someone that makes you happy every time you see them? [My irlbest friends, the cars discord chat I’m in, and a lot of my wk friends]20: What was your last thought before you went to bed last night? [I was writing ducktales fanfiction in my head]21: Is anyone else in the room with you? [I’m in a car with my mom for the next uhhh 7 hours?]22: Do you believe what goes around comes around? [Karmas a bitch]23: Were you happier four months ago than you are now? [I was visiting family in Indiana, so yea probably? Tho I am pretty happy now too]24: Is there someone you wish you could fix things with? [Sometimes, with my old pal cat. She did some bad things so I stopped talking to her, but sometimes I want to catch up and see how she’s doing.]25: In the past week, have you cried? [YEAH over a darkwing duck episode]26: What colour is the shirt you are wearing? [Grey. It has Mickey mouse on it!]27: Do people ever call you by your last name? [Noooope]28: Is anyone ignoring you right now? [I wouldn’t know]29: Do you have a best friend? [YEAH everyone in the cars discord and raven and lindy]30: Would it be hard seeing someone else kiss the last person you kissed? [No it was my great grandma lol]31: Who was your last call/text message from? [Call: red cross asking for my blood. Text: raven saying “dang”]32: Are you mad at anyone? [Not really? I don’t get angry very easily at all]33: Have you ever kissed someone older than you? [When I was a freshman I was dating a junior]34: How old will the last person you kissed be on his/her next birthday? [My great grandma! 88 I think]35: How many more days until your birthday? [LIKE a whole entire year. August 2nd]36: Do you have any summer plans yet? [Help my friend after her spine surgery p much. Visit family around the 4th of july]37: Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex? [I have tons of girl friends!! All my best friends are girls (except em but they’re a good friend still!!!)]38: Are you keeping anything from your best friend(s) now? [Lindy doesn’t know I’m trans]39: Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone? [Uhhhhhhhhhhh next question]40: Have you ever regretted kissing someone? [I try not to regret things like that]41: Do you think age matters in relationships? [UH YEAH?? An adult dating a minor ain’t my deallll]42: Are you available? [Lmfao yeah but don’t hold your breath I’m awful at relationships]43: How many people have you had real, strong feelings for since high school ended? [My ex and bff dksdkdiajsai kill Me. I’ve had small crushes but I don’t rly let them grow too much if I realize they’re poppin up]44: If you had to get a piercing (not ears), what would you get? [Septum]45: Do you believe exes can be friends? [Yeah!!!!! I just reconnected with my ex from freshmen year and he’s cool]46: Do you regret anything? [Times where my mouth moved before my head could think and I hurt someone I cared about. Times where I didn’t listen. Times where I hesitated. But the past is a different country, and I try not to waste the present lamenting what I could’ve done.]47: Honestly, what’s on your mind right now? [Home. And the mistakes I’ve made.]48: Did you ever lose a best friend? [Yeah. She moved away and we just… talked less, and less, and less.]49: Was your last kiss a mistake? [Nah it was my great grandma]50: Why aren’t you pursuing the person you like? [They have a bf and also dont like me plus im unlovable and bad at relationships and feelings *shrug emoji* the other person I’m interested in lives too far away and also doesn’t like me like that]51: Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry? [Twas my gg and probably when I was a baby]52: Do you still talk with the person you LAST kissed? [All these last kiss ones are so angsty and sad and it was literally my grandma 5 hours ago I’m laughing]53: What was the last thing you ate? [McDonald’s French fries!!!!!]54: Did you get any compliments today? [Nah I’m in my road trip attire so I look like a mess]55: Where are you going on your next vacation? [New Orleans in October for voodoo fest!! Gonna see the foo fighters B)]56: Do you own anything from other countries?[I think I have Canadian money somewhere…]57: Are most of your friend guys or girls?[girls!!]58: Where have you lived most of your life?[Sweet Home Alabama]59: When was the last time you took a long drive?[DOING IT RN!!!!! 13 HOURS]60: Have you ever played Spin the Bottle?[yea but it was like, mashed up with truth or dare. Instead of kissing we asked them truth or dare]61: Have you ever TPd someone’s house?[nah I’m pretty mild]62: Who do you text the most?[raven probably? Or max]63: What was the last movie you saw?[spirited away I think??? First time I ever saw it]64: What’s preventing your current boyfriend/girlfriend from going back to their ex?[I’m single, don’t remind me :P]65: How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2011?[I was 12 and right smack dab in the middle of my ugly awkward phase (thays still going on today!) So I had none lmao]66: Is the last person you kissed younger than you?[nah]67: Do you curse around your parents?[GOOD LORD NO]68: Are you happy with where you live?[I? Hate Alabama. My city is okay but I want to move somewhere nicer]69: Picture of yourself? [I have a selfie tag. I would upload but I’m lazy. Maybe if I find a pic I like later I will]70: Are you a monogamous person or do you believe in open-ended relationships?[polyamory All the wayy!!!!! But monogamy is cool too]71: Have you ever been dumped?[probably in elementary school but I don’t remember? I usually am the one to end it bc I get freaked out and skittish around people genuinely caring about me so I break it up before they’re disappointed]72: What do you most like about making out?[being comfortable and close enough with someone to do it.]73: Have you ever casually made out with someone who you weren’t seriously involved with?[yup!]74: When you kiss someone for the first time, is it usually you who initiates it or the other?[depends? I’ve asked to kiss someone and I’ve been asked equal amounts.]75: What part of a person’s body do you find most attractive?[eyes? Idk there’s a lot that goes into finding someone attractive it’s hard to narrow it down]76: Who was the last person you talked to last night before you went to bed?[my mom]77: Had sex with someone you knew less than an hour?[virgin]78: Had sex with someone you didn’t know their name?[virgin]79: What makes your heart flutter and brings a big cheesy smile to your face?[Any cartoon character I’m currently hyperfixated on]80: Would you get involved with someone if they had a child already?[yes. But i would go slow and I wouldn’t want to meet their child until we were both sure this was something we wanted long term.]81: Has someone who had a crush on you ever confessed to you?[no its usually me? Wait i take that back!! One girl did while I was in hs but I’m pretty sure she only did it bc she just figured out her sexuality and I was queer and there.]82: Do you tell a lot of people when you have a crush?[nope I bottle that shit up!!!! But if it’s a long standing crush I’ll tell a few people eventually]83: Do you miss your last sweetie?[No.]84: Last time you slow danced with someone?[my friend Franklin at prom. We pretended to be spies on a mission forced to act casual as we scoped out potential enemies]85: Have you ever ‘dated’ someone you’ve never met?[??? Don’t like the skeptical quote marks. I’ve been in long distance relationships before, yes.]86: How can I win your heart?[just like…… be nice to me, ever, and I’m into it. Talk about things you like, ask me about things I like, try and get into/understand my interests and I’ll do the same?? Don’t make fun of me and don’t belittle my interests. The bar is low]87: What is your astrological sign?[leo]88: What were you doing last night at 12 AM?[sleeping]89: Do you cook?[pasta!!!!!!!]90: Have you ever gotten back in touch with an old flame after a time of more than 3 months of no communication?[yeah!!! 3 years of no talking and I reconnected with max recently]91: If you’re single right now, do you wish you were in a relationship?[uh it’s complicated. Yes but idk if I’m in a good place for a relationship. I haven’t even begun to transition at all.]92: Do you prefer to date various people or do you pretty much fall into monogamous relationships quickly?[you say that like I could get multiple people to date me]93: What physical traits do you look for in a potential interest?[nice dress style?? Glasses are good too. Idk questions like this are hard augh]94: Name four things that you wish you had![money, a job, plush darkwing duck toy, a car]95: Are you a player?[no]96: Have you ever kissed 2 people in one day?[nooooope]97: Are you a tease?[hahahahaha no]98: Ever meet anyone you met on Tumblr?[nope!!! Not yet]99: Have you ever been deeply in love with someone?[maybe. But I don’t think you can love someone too deeply who doesn’t love you back]100: Anybody on Tumblr that you’d go on a date with?[sure, plenty]101: Hugs or Kisses?[both??? Both is good]102: Are you too shy to ask someone out?[It’s Not shyness, it’s rejection I have a problem with]103: The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?[girls are pretty]104: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you babe?[Yeah I guess]105: If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was in relationship, would you go for it?[If it was an open relationship and everyone knew the situation, then yea prob?? If not, then no.]106: Do you flirt a lot?[not really]107: Your last kiss?[my grandmaaaaa]108: Have you kissed more than 5 people since the start of 2012?[not in a romantic way]109: Have you kissed anyone in the past month?[not in a romantic way]110: If you could kiss anyone who would it be?[next question]111: Do you know who you’ll kiss next?[nope!! It’s a hopefully nice surprise for future me]112: Does someone like you currently?[probably not lol but ive got no idea!!]113: Do you currently have feelings for anyone?[sure]114: Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings?[I want to fall in love.]115: Ever made out with just a friend?[yeah]116: Are you happier single or in a relationship?[in a relationship I think?]117: Your own question that you want me to answer. Just write it.[just send me an ask and ill answer it]

This got a bit of self hatred dashed in there whoops sorry!!!

[junker-town]

Bad officiating could cost the Lions and Browns a playoff spot

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The refs aren’t the only ones blowing it this week. Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are also costing themselves money.

Everyone knows NFL officiating is a mess right now. Well, anyone with eyes — so, not NFL officials. Amirite?

That’s a big topic of conversation at fall league meeting this week, not that that helps the Browns or Lions. Both teams found themselves on the wrong end of officiating that could, at best, be described as controversial. At worst? Well, it’s probably not safe to print, so we’ll just say the equivalent of watching the Titans-Broncos game this past weekend.

Let’s start with the Browns. Less than a week after getting manhandled in San Francisco, the Browns got to flee to the Cleve to host the Seahawks. The home team led for a majority of the game, but the mistakes started piling up. The most egregious call from the refs was thinking this is an illegal blindside block on Jarvis Landry:

This was not even close to a blindside block by Jarvis Landry. Refs hate the Browns so much pic.twitter.com/AwsseApyfs

— Sir Yacht (@SirYacht) October 13, 2019

That came right after a questionable ineligible man downfield penalty.

A costlier one was a horse collar flag that gave the Seahawks an extra 15 yards on what turned out to be their game-winning drive. But there were several others to choose from, including a possible touchdown for the Browns that never counted, an uncalled facemask penalty on fourth-and-goal that gave Seattle the ball, and an iffy Seahawks catch that sealed the game.

The Browns lost by just four points and fell two games back of the Ravens in the AFC North. A win over a contender could’ve been a turning point for them. Now, they’re tied with the Steelers and have the Patriots waiting for them next time they play.

On Monday night, the Lions never trailed the Packers at Lambeau — until the clock struck zero, that is. The officiating was indefensible enough that the NFL admitted at least one of the many, many bad calls against the Lions was wrong. Trey Flowers’ second (and, on record, an incorrect call) hands to face flag let the Packers sit on the ball until their game-winning field goal:

oh my god the refs bailed out Green Bay with a nonexistent hands-to-the-face penalty on third-and-long FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS QUARTER (both on Trey Flowers, good lord) pic.twitter.com/Hg3k0OxS3L

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 15, 2019

The Lions had four dubious calls in the fourth quarter alone go against them in the 23-22 loss. They dropped to last place in a tightly contested NFC North, while the Packers improved to 5-1 and were able to remain all alone at the top.

Both the Lions and Browns have serious gripes with the way they lost. And when January rolls around and playoff spots can come down to one game, Week 6 could end up being the deciding factor.

Panic index: The Lions and Browns need to look in the mirror a bit with how they ended up in the L column. The Lions have had fourth-quarter leads in all three of their non-wins and wasted precious red zone opportunities by settling for field goals against the Packers. The Browns are the most penalized team in the league, and only the Giants have given away the ball more. Against Seattle, they turned it over four times, including three interceptions from Baker Mayfield.

That said, these are two of the most hard-luck franchises in the NFL who are trying to overcome their history. They shouldn’t have to beat their opponent and the refs each week. The good news is that there’s still a lot of season left, and the teams usually worthy of a playoff spot are able to get past situations like this and move on to the next game.

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are blowing their contract years

2019 is the most important season for the top two picks of the 2015 NFL Draft. And both Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are blowing it.

The former Heisman winners both came into the season with just one year remaining on their rookie contracts. While a valued franchise quarterback would have been locked into long-term extensions by now, each faces an uncertain future thanks to erratic histories of uneven play. Without a track record of consistent performances to bring to the negotiating table, the pressure’s been on each to step up and prove their worth. Another underwhelming season would cast the pair firmly in the Ryan Fitzpatrick tier of unreliable veterans.

Through six weeks, Winston and Mariota are on a path to journeyman-dom.

Mariota has been by far the more disappointing player. Four injury-plagued seasons in Nashville left his status as an offensive cornerstone in the air, and he gave his detractors their strongest argument yet in a complete meltdown in Denver. Mariota put together the worst game of his pro career, going 7-of-18 and throwing a pair of interceptions in a performance so bad it convinced head coach Mike Vrabel to bench him in favor of Ryan Tannehill.

Tannehill, for the record, threw for more than double the yards Mariota had in fewer pass attempts. That left the Titans with a starting quarterback decision to make — and they’re going with Tannehill, sending Mariota to the bench.

Winston had been on a more optimistic course in 2019 due to the presence of QB-whispering head coach Bruce Arians, but any gain he’d made in the previous four weeks (a 10:2 TD:INT ratio and a 111.6 passer rating) was quickly wiped away by an absolute disaster in Week 6. The mercurial QB was responsible for SIX turnovers against the Panthers, throwing five interceptions and losing one of two fumbles.

That derailed an otherwise encouraging start to the season for a player facing free agency. Winston was on pace to set personal highs in passer rating and adjusted yards per pass coming into his meltdown in London. And while he’s still a capable big-armed passer, his ongoing lapses in judgment set a defined ceiling as an “exciting and ultimately heartbreaking” NFL quarterback.

Panic index: Actually, being completely inconsistent and untrustworthy is pretty on brand for Winston and Mariota. We look forward to their training camp QB battles in Washington and Cincinnati next fall.

The Rams’ offensive line has crumbled into a mess

There’s a long history of Super Bowl hangovers. Just a few years ago, the Panthers followed their 15-1 season that ended with a Super Bowl 50 loss by going 6-10 in 2016. By comparison, the Rams’ 3-3 record in 2019 isn’t that bad — or at least not right now. But it’s still surprising.

Los Angeles looked like a team that could easily shake off any kind of Super Bowl loser curse. The Rams have a bevy of young offensive stars with Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, and Robert Woods. The defense has back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald wreaking havoc in the middle and just traded for an elite cornerback in Jalen Ramsey.

The problem is that all that offensive talent doesn’t matter much when it has no room to work. The Rams’ offensive line — which graded out as one of the best in the NFL in 2018 — didn’t take long to collapse into a heap of garbage.

The Rams are 31st in the NFL in pass blocking, just barely ahead of the tanking Dolphins, according to Pro Football Focus. They’re 27th in run blocking.

Elder statesman Andrew Whitworth hasn’t been a problem at left tackle. He’s allowed just one hit on Jared Goff so far in 2019. That’s where the positivity ends. The interior of the offensive line is getting beat consistently and the Rams can’t run or pass very well as a consequence.

The Rams already took their first step toward fixing the issue by trading for the Browns’ backup center, Austin Corbett. It’ll probably take more than just that, though.

Panic index: The LA offense isn’t horrible. It’s still 10th in points scored and 12th in total yards. But that’s barely above average, and when it’s combined with mediocre defense, the result is a .500 football team. Unless the offensive line picks up the slack now that Corbett’s in the middle, that’s not changing.

The Cowboys’ defense has taken a big step back

Dallas dropped to 3-3 in a surprising 24-22 loss to the New York Jets, and the defense is much to blame. The Cowboys gave up 382 total yards — 332 of those coming from quarterback Sam Darnold alone.

One of the worst defensive breakdowns came in the second quarter, as Darnold found Robby Anderson for a 92-yard touchdown pass — the longest play in the NFL this season.

SAM DARNOLD IS BACK! 92-yard throw to Robby Anderson for SIX! pic.twitter.com/vP34TudMGw

— Entirely Sports (@Entirely_Sports) October 13, 2019

The problem starts with the defensive line — the unit has dealt with injuries (DL Tyrone Crawford headed to the IR most recently), and struggles with stopping the run and creating pressure on the quarterback. The defense has fallen to No. 25 in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric and is also one of the worst in adjusted sack rate (27th).

Christian D’Andrea summed up a lot of their issues earlier this week:

The pass rush has regressed as well. Jets QBs had been sacked on 24 of their 144 dropbacks coming into Week 6 — an absurd 16.7 percent of their pass attempts (though 16 of those came with Luke Falk’s behind center). Darnold was sacked just twice over the course of 34 designed pass plays when the Cowboys came to town. That’s not what Dallas had been hoping for when it signed DeMarcus Lawrence to a five-year, $105 million extension last spring.

Just two weeks ago, we had the Cowboys’ offense in the panic index after putting up just 10 points against the New Orleans Saints. But at least the defense kept them in the game. Now, Dallas has let the Packers and Jets to score season-high points against them in back-to-back weeks. As Bill Barnwell points out, an offense regressing with a stout defense isn’t all that concerning, but the Cowboys have fallen off on both sides of the ball recently:

The Cowboys offense has fallen off over the last three weeks. Another prominent offense has similarly declined, but it’s been masked by their defense. pic.twitter.com/qAJLiloBTz

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 15, 2019

Panic index: The biggest concern here is that both the offense and defense have regressed in recent weeks. But there were signs of life with what the Cowboys did in the second halves against both the Jets and Packers, although they ultimately fell short. Dallas was a top-10 defense just a year ago, and if it wants to get back to the playoffs again, the unit has to perform a lot better than how it has been.

The Chiefs (and Frank Clark) can’t get a sack

Deshaun Watson and the Texans went into Kansas City as underdogs to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. But Watson left with the big win because the Chiefs couldn’t take advantage of Houston’s biggest weakness: its offensive line.

Despite Watson being sacked 18 times already this season, the Chiefs couldn’t bring him down. During the offseason, Kansas City let Justin Houston and Dee Ford leave, and the splashy addition of Frank Clark hasn’t resulted in an improved rush. The team is near the bottom of the league in sacks, with 11 on the season, and it’s last in adjusted sack rate.

More concerning than the overall number is the Chiefs’ complete lack of production in consecutive games. They also failed to sack Jacoby Brissett in a loss to the Colts, and only managed one sack on Gardner Minshew in Week 1.

Panic index: The Chiefs have been dealing with injuries — both Chris Jones and Xavier Williams missed the game against the Texans — but this isn’t a one-week issue, and additions like Clark were expected to bring the pressure on their own. Clark hasn’t been that guy so far, and the Chiefs need an answer.

[ronaldreghan]

1-104

bruh

1. You woke up naked next to the last person you texted, what would you say?

well that would be dani and i would be very confused. “why was i naked?” i would ask. i have no reason to be naked around dani. or anyone, for that matter.

2. What’s going on between you and the last person you kissed?

well i found out he was a trump supporter (rip) so i deleted him from everything. i still feel gross and its been almost 6 months.

3. If your boyfriend or girlfriend was into drugs, would you care?

honestly depends on the drug. weed? i dont care. shrooms/lsd/acid? id be a little iffy, but i ultimately wouldnt care. heroin/cocaine/opiods? id immediately try to help them get help.

4. Is your last name longer than six letters?

ya its 7 lol

5. Was your last kiss drunk or sober?

sober (unfortunately)

6. Have you ever wanted to have someone but you messed it up?

no? i dont think so

7. What does your last received text say?

“i like that color”

8. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed?

idk we made out for like twenty minutes because i was too chicken to say “hey you were fun for ten minutes but id really rather be with my friends”

9. Where was your last kiss at?

some shitty halloween rave

10. When is the last time you saw your sister?

i dont have a sister lol

11. What do you drink in the morning?

water

12. Where did you sleep last night?

in my bed? where else am i gonna sleep? the dumpster behind my dorm? a clown car?

13. Do you think relationships are hard?

yeah. its constant work, but it shouldnt be annoying work, you know? its work thats hard but you enjoy doing it

14. If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you? 

ya i wouldnt spend so much money lol

15. You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, any problems?

YES GET ME OUT OF THERE AWAY FROM TRUMP BOY

16. Would you rather it be sunny or rainy?

rainy!!!

17. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you?

nope

18. Are you wearing jeans,sweatpants,or pajama pants?

jeans

19. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 years from now?

wish i fuckin knew. probably not.

20. Does anyone like you?

no i dont think so.

21. Have you ever kissed someone with a name that starts with an S?

nope

22. Is the last person you kissed gay?

fuck no

23. Is there a person you CANNOT stand?

the boy i last kissed

24. Have you ever considered getting a tattoo?

i already have one lmao

25. In the past week have you cried?

yeah i cried in the airport because i had to call my mom because i didnt have enough money for the uber home and i was freaking the fuck out

26. What breed was the last dog you saw?

i dont know! but he was littleand cute and i love him

27. Do you dry off in the shower or out of the shower?

out of the shower

28. Have you ever kissed a football player?

no all the football players i knew in high school were gross, and my current school doesnt have a football team

29. Do you think you’re old?

im not 20 yet so no

30. Do you like text messaging?

yes! i love texting! it makes it so easy to talk to my friends back home and also its so much easier to put things into writing

31. What type of day are you having?

eh, its ok. i met with my schools career service center and we talked about what i have to do to get my dream job, and also an actual job.

32. Have you ever thought about getting your nose pierced?

yeah, but i cant do piercings.

33. Do you prefer warm or cold weather?

WARM

34. Is there a person of the opposite sex who means a lot to you?

my dad! even though he annoys me sometimes hes still my dad and i love him a lot

35. Would you prefer a relationship or a fling?

a fling. i dont have the time, money, or desire for an actual Relationship rn

36. Are you a simple or complicated person?

id like to think simple, but i also know that my logic doesnt always make sense to other people, which can make me seem complicated so *shrug* idk

37. What song are you listening to?

im listening to the sabres/sharks broadcast sooooo

38. When you say you’re sorry do you mean it?

usually39. Is there a girl that knows everything or almost everything about you?

dani, anishka, brooke40. What made you start liking the person you like now?

well he plays for the sabres and hes super cute and i love him hes softe. he doesnt know i exist because why would he but i lov him.41. When did you last receive a text message?

well since i wrote the beginning of this post i have received two (2) texts, the most recent of which was 3 minutes ago42. What is wrong with you right now?

I NEED MONEY. I HAVE $6 IN MY BANK ACCOUNT AND I HAVE $100 IN FRATERNITY DUES AT THE END OF THE MONTH.43. How well do you know the last female you texted?

dani is one of my best friends lol44. Does anyone disgust you?

myself, mostly. but like, ACTUAL disgust? anyone who is alt-right.45. Would you date someone right now if they asked?

probably not46. Are you in a good mood right now?

relatively, yeah47. Who was the last person you talked to in person?

my roommates48. What color shirt are you wearing?

its a black parade mcr shirt...................49. Has someone recently told you something you didn’t want to hear?

yeah, that im poor lol50. Anyone you’re giving up on?

myself51. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for?

yeah, i honestly hate him so much hahaha but yet were still facebook friends so 

52. Have you ever thought about giving up on someone but couldn’t?

the buffalo sabres53. Do you like rain?

yes!!! i love rain so much!!! especially thunderstorms!!!! 54. Do you care if your boyfriend/girlfriend drinks?

no55. Have you ever liked somebody and never told them?

all the time in high school. i knew they didnt like me back, so pair that with crippling shyness and nothing ever happened.56. Do you like to cuddle?

YES. CUDDLE ME.57. Are you shy?

GOD YES. i Cannot talk to new people. 58. Do you get along with girls?

i gotta. us women gotta stick together.59. Have you dated the person you texted last?

yeah dani and i dated for like almost 3 months lol 60. What do you carry with you at all times?

my phone. i always, always have my phone with me. 61. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you?

oh fuck yeah. i love ghosts gimme some ghost love. 62. Do you think you can last in a relationship for five months?

eh. sure, lets say yeah. 63. Think back to October, were you in a relationship?

nope, but i wanted one. and now i am Here, single, bitter. 64. The person you like kisses you on the forehead, do you find this cute?

OH MY GODDDDDD FOREHEAD KISSES KILL ME AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ALSO TEMPLE KISSES GOD I AM SO WEAK FOR THOSE65. Did anything “cute” happen in the last week?

yeah, i surprised brooke and dani and they both screamed which was probably cute, but mostly made me warm inside.

66. How old are the last three people you kissed?

uh 19/20, 18, and 16 (at the time)

67. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself? 

id do them myself lol i dont fucking care.   68. Which do you like better- Zebra print or leopard print?

...zebra?

69. Do you have any stickers on your car?    

no but i want some70. Would you rather listen to Luke Bryan or Lil Wayne?    

lil wayne, i dont fuck my cousins.71. Blackberry, Anroid, or iPhone?    

iphone bith!!!72. When’s the last time you had pizza from Pizza Hut?    

like two-ish weeks ago?73. Do you like diet soda?    

yeah i like diet coke more than regular coke? idk it tastes better74. What color are the walls in your room?    

here theyre an ugly beige, back home theyre sabres blue and gold (i was in seventh grade ok bye)75. Are you 16 or older?    

ya im 19 now76. Do you watch Pretty Little Liars?    

nope.77. Do you have a job?    

not yet, but i applied for a ton! please send positive thoughts my way that i get one!!!  78. What are your initials?    

MMR79. Did you ever have braces?    

yeah, for two and a half years :/80. Are you from the south?    

do i fuck my cousins?

81. What does your last status on facebook say?    

my most recent activity was me sharing the article about harrison browne retiring, but my most recent original activity says “ED SHEERAN IS COMING TO BUFFALO THIS IS NOT A DRILL”82. Do you still talk to the first person you ever kissed?    

nope. he re-followed me on twitter in november tho lol83. Are you closer to your mom or your dad?    

probably my mom, but it used to be the other way around.84. Have you ever done cheerleading or gymnastics?    

no but i wanted to so bad when i was younger!!!85. What’s the last movie you saw in theaters?    

the lego batman movie lol86. Do you smoke?    

nope. both of my parents smoked cigarettes and i dont fuck with that. as for weed (which i assume this is actually referring to), i smoked it once over the summer,but i dont really want to again? idk i just have no burning desire to get high.87. Would you rather wear heels or flip flops?    

flip flops.88. Is your phone touch screen?    

ya89. Do you normally wear your hair straight or curly?    

my hair is limp bitch90. Have you ever snuck out of your house?    

yeah lol once i snuck out at 1 in the morning to go to noco and buy chocolate milk it was an Adventure91. Would you rather swim in a river, lake, or pool?    

pool. im not about to get some fucking parasite in my vagina, which would happen to me with my shitty luck.92. Have you ever made out in a car?    

ye93. …Had sex in a car?    

no, im a version94. Are you single or in a relationship?    

single95. What were you doing last night at midnight?    

what WAS i doing last night at midnight, thats actually a good question.96. When’s the last time you saw fireworks?    

uh new years. in person? fourth of july i think.97. Do you like the camera on your phone?    

yeah. i mostly take my picture through snapchat so98. Have you ever had a friend with benefits?    

I FUCKING WISH99. Have you ever passed out from drinking?    

no but ive thrown up.............100. Are you friends with people on facebook that you actually hate?    

a few101. Have you ever had a pregnancy scare?    

bitch do i look like im stickin dicks in my hoo ha102. Name your favorite Kesha song:    

her cover of true colors? iconic, show stopping, brilliant, amazing, never been done before103. Do you have any tan lines right now?    

yes! its amazing bc that never happens104. Would you ever wear cowboy boots with shorts?    

FUCK. NO.

[falseshepherd-ad]

yoooo do all the fickin asks

That’s a lot of questions but okayy !

1. Who of your kins is most likely to stick out their tongue while focusing/working hard?Definitely Rhys

2. Which kin to you identify most with?Probably Matt Mur.dock

3. Who was your first kin?I realized I was Matt first

4. What is your favorite memory?Oh! When I first met August and started crushing hard! yet no one ships us together for some reasonAnd as the Unknown Woman (when I was the Outsider) I used to do a lot of childish things like possess people for fun [but when I was still human I wouldn’t have even thought about doing any of those things]And all those times I was with Daisy before shit went down

5. What is your least favorite memory?Dying all those times as Booker (especially getting impaled by a Big Daddy)And ripping off my arm and scratching at my face to get Jack outta my head as Rhys and then bleeding out on the floor until somehow I recoveredAnd also my mental breakdown that caused me to quit being Dare.devil6. Which sense most connects you to your kin(s)?Emotion.7. How many kins do you have? (Fiction only)Three; and I’m questioning two others.8. Is there a kin you’re embarrassed about?No, not really. But I am kinda iffy about talking about my BAS canon ....9. Who is your most obscure kin?Well I’m probably the Unknown Woman from Dis.honored who might have became the Outsider for a bit? So that’s pretty obscure.10. Is it hard for you to find canonmates?Kinda? I found sourcemates for biosh.ock, but I’m barely looking too.11. Are you okay with doubles?They used to make me uncomfortable and dissociate, but now that I got to know a bunch of doubles, I’m okay with them.12. Who of your kins is most likely to cause mayhem or panic?Rhys would panic, causing everyone else to panic, and it would just be an entire mess over nothing13. Which of your kins has the worst sense of fashion?Oh, definitely Rhys. Have you seen his outfits?14. Who from your canon do you miss most?Peter Park.erAnd August15. What was your favorite canon?uhhhmmm I had to go through a lot of shit in all of them.But I guess Rhys. I really miss Pandora.And my favourite Booker canon was my main one with Daisy and the Vox.16. Which canon do you have the most memories from?Booker because there’s So Many Canons.17. Which canon do you have the fewest memories from?Does the Unknown Woman count?Also for Matt. Everything is just So Vague.18. Do any colors remind you of certain kins?Red reminds me of Booker19. Do you have kins from the same source and canon?I’m like 5 different Bookers and sometimes they overlap? So, multiple Bookers in my head all at once? I probably had multiples of the same timeline. It’s so weird. prob why I refer to myself in the plural sometimes20. Do you have kins from the same source but different canons?Same as above, I guess? I had different timelines.21. Who of your kins is the biggest meme?Rhys is a walking disaster.22. Who of your kins is the mom/dad friend?Booker is the dad friend23. Does any non-kin know that you’re kin?Not really? They comment on my similarity to Matt, but they don’t outright know i’m kin

24. Is there anything you could do in a past life that you wish you could still do?Well I don’t really miss my heightened senses bc i have spd in this life alreadyBut I kinda miss fighting. maybe i’ll take up boxingAlso I MISS THE VOID! And floating.25. Do you have any kins that aren’t from media? (Otherkin)No, but I do relate to glitchkin bc I was a cyborg and also in one of my Booker timelines I was pretty glitchy too

[karmatechfiction]

Witch Talent Precure!

So, years ago before Maho Tsukai Precure, I had an idea for a witch magical girl series. At first, it was going to be a original series that didn’t tie with precure, but...yeah a lot of my ideas for it, well, let’s just say there’s a lot of similarities between my series and precure and other magical girls, including Shugo Chara. Put it short, it just doesn’t stand out much as it’s own thing, but I still like these ideas and thought, well since it’s like a Precure series already, let’s just make it a Precure fan series. Than it’d be okay to use the different ideas from different magical girls.

 I really like the ideas Maho Tsukai had but of course, the development of the plot was a bit messy and the characters in Maho Tsukai, I like them, don’t get me wrong, (well except the idiot trio) but they all are under developed. So I thought, I need some baddies and few side characters too. So this will be, what if Maho Tsukai was written better. I had plan this series for years in my head, so the plot itself will be mostly it’s own thing. The only thing I really took was some concepts such as designs. Again, I will use maybe some characters from Maho Tsukai including a certain green horn guy, so at least they will be written better.

My main precure team are from my head though. So don’t worry, I’m not just using the Maho Tsukai Cures. This is gonna be completely different. In fact, one is based more on me and the other are based on two good friends of mine. 

I may write full “episodes” once in a while but it’s mainly gonna be done using pictures and explanation to give an idea of it. This is due to me having so many projects already. This is just something I wanna come back to sometimes just for the fun of it, since again. I’ve had this idea for years and I just can’t ever seem to abandon it so, I’ll just use it as a part time, fun project.

So without further a due, this is my precure team and their story. The theme is witches, magic, talents, music and a little romance/love.

 Celina, Nerissa and Lin are in a band together known as Magic Melody Lively. They are the top of their class at Balboa Academy for Arts and Athletics being not only are they good singers, but each has their own unique talent. Celina loves to dance and is good in sports, she’s in charge of choreography in their band. Nerissa is a great painter and musician, she’s also good at writing and is usually in charge of song writing and scheduling. She’s also the lead singer. Lin is great at tailoring sweets and clothes. She’s in charge in making costumes and outfits for concerts. She’ll also make some snacks for the team.

Celina and Nerissa are sisters but Celina was adopted. Years ago, as a child, a fire broke out and killed her family. Being Nerissa’s family and Celina’s family were good friends, Nerissa family adopted Celina in. Since then though, Celina is terrified of fire but soon, she needs to face her fear for when a monster attacks her favorite dance studio that she went to when she was younger. Not wanting so many people lose their talent, she must stand up and shout “Precure, Awaken My Talent!” and rises as Cure Dancer! Together with Cure Painter and Cure Tailor, they form Witch Talent Precure! 

So, the question is, Witch Talent are you?

Name: Celina Hinami

Name Origin: Celina is French for “Sky or Heaven” Hinami; Japanese “Hi” meaning “fire” “nami” comes from “Minami” which means “Beautiful Wave” so “Fire Wave” or “Fire South”.

Age: 15 (Yes these are high school age. Something different.)

Favorite Treat: Cinnamon Roles

Personality: Celina is sweet, shy and soft spoken at times, but when she gets on the dance floor or on the concert, there is no one passionate as her! She lets herself known to the world. She’s also pretty good at sports but she mainly prefers gymnastics and dancing. She likes to teach others how to dance. Makes her feel just as special as doing it.

(Yes her design is slightly based on Mirai. I really liked Mirai’s hair style. It’s cute and perfect for a character that loves to dance! Her outfit is based on 80s/90s style clothing.)

Name: Cure Dancer

Catchphrase: “Passionate and Courageous as a Dancing Flame! Witch Talent? Cure Dancer!”

Transformation Device: A gold bell (seen on the side of her.)

Weapon: Fire Ribbons

Finishing Attack: Precure Ribbon Salsa! (Wraps ribbons around enemy until they explode into flames.)

Healing Technique: (This is used to restore damages from fights) Elegant Flame!

(Note: As Cure Dancer, she’s kinda iffy on using fire attacks due to her past. She basically needs to get use to using fire base spells.)

Name: Nerissa Hinami

Name Origin: “Nerissa” Spanish/Greek for “Water Nymph” and the Goddess of the Sea , Hinami see above. 

Age: 16 (She’s the oldest.)

Favorite Treat: Triple Fudge Brownies

Personality: Nerissa is a bit boyish. Despite having long hair, she dresses like a man most of the time and almost never is seen in dresses or skirts. She’s not someone to mess with. Despite she hates sports, she does work out and acts “ the man of the house” because their parents are divorced. When she’s not singing, working on a song, writing or drawing, you’ll often find her on the waves surfing. “Siren of the Sea”, she’s sometimes called due to this. The ocean is her inspiration. Don’t let this tough chick fool you. She does suffer anxiety issues that cause her to fall ill sometimes and actually does have a weak body, she covers up with her boyish side. Singing and being on stage, one would think would make this worse, but actually it keeps her mind clear and she’s too busy putting effort into a good performance to let it get to her. This shows her true beauty and strength.

(Note, this is the character based more on me.)

Name: Cure Painter

Catchphrase: “Beautiful and Strong as the Shimmering Sea! Witch Talent? Cure Painter!”

Transformation Device: Conk Shell Ocarina

Weapon: Shimmering Radiant Brush 

Finishing Attack: Precure Watercolor Whirlpool! (Sends massive and colorful whirlpools that surround enemy, causing them to explode.)

Healing Technique: Aqua Aurora Antidote! 

(Yes this is the character that’s a little based on Chara Spade from Shugo Chara.)

Name: Lin Shuang

Name Origin: Chinese “Lin” means “Fine Jade” “Shuang” means “Jolly”.

Age: 15

Favorite Treat: Hard to pick but loves mooncakes most of all!

Personality: Lin is full of energy! She’s always working on a costume or a something sweet! Her family owns a restaurant thus learned to cook from them. She’s also got a good vocal range but didn’t pick up on singing until meeting Sirena and Celina. Despite being the most outgoing, she does have a few insecurities. She tends to break under pressure the most but thanks to her friends, she stands back up on her feet and ready to go!

Name: Cure Tailor!

Catchphrase: “Creative and Free like a Playful Breeze! Witch Talent? Cure Tailor!”

Transformation Device: Playful Mini Ruan! (It does become slightly bigger to play properly. Just becomes small for compact size. Sorry I wanted to keep in theme and drum is taken from my special cure which I will reveal later.)

Weapon: Honey Needle (A sewing needle about the size of a cooking spoon)

Finishing Attack: Precure Sweet Sewing! (Sends out a thread of honey from the loop end, that winds around the enemy until they explode)

Healing Technique: Silk Honey

(Was a challenge making her. I wanted to of course make her more Chinese base and not just be a typical maid look.)

Some questions/accusations you probably will have.

“But Tech, they don’t look anything like witches! Least MTP had witch hats!” 

Fear not! They do have witch forms and other forms to change into. In fact, they do transform into their Witch Forms first and then the outfit unravels into their element before their cure clothes pop on. It’s a neat idea in my head and like their hair becomes their element (fire, water, wind) as it makes its transaction to the cure colors. I just haven’t design the Witch Forms yet.

“You know, you could just add original characters instead of just adding the MTP characters as side characters? Don’t be lazy!” 

Again, I have other projects that I want to finish. This is just something I wanna do for fun once in a while. Also, no matter what. Fan anything is just that. Stuff dedicated to a franchise. Even if you do make completely original characters for it, in the end, it’s something you can’t completely call your own because it’s for a universe that already exists. It doesn’t mean you can’t be creative or put effort in. It just can’t be completely, 100% be original. 

I say this because most of the projects I’m doing are original stories and stuff I want to make successful one day. So I speak as someone that does create their own content. That’s why I’m not as harsh towards people who make things for fandom. Fandom is just for fun at the end. It’s just creative ideas made for something you enjoy and you’re free to be creative or lazy as you want. It’s the real original stuff you best know how to put 100% effort in. That’s when it really counts. 

Plus, hey, some of the the MTP characters deserve to be better written. Just think of this as an alternate reality kinda thing, where instead of Maho Tsukai, you have more mature team saving the day.

“Your characters are mary-sues/too talented!”

First off, Mary-Sue is a character that is perfect. No flaws or been through anything bad. (And if they have, it’s overly unrealistically depressing.) They’re also tend to be happy all the time and everyone loves them. All my characters have flaws, they’re not happy all the time and not everyone likes them. Celina is shy and soft spoken. She has a hard time speaking out what she wants. She also withdraws when she’s scared or nervous That’s why she must learn courage. 

Nerissa is independent and tends to push others away, including loved ones. She dresses like a boy to hide her insecurities, weaknesses and to get guys to back off on her, since she kinda hates men in some ways. She doesn’t think all men are bad, but she has a negative view on them, due to having so many negative experiences with them, including a break up and well hate issues with her father. 

And then you have Lin, she’s insecure as hell. She tends to act over excited when she’s nervous and tends to annoy people like that, but she’s also conscious about that. She's afraid of pushing others away and being left alone in the world. When she’s nervous or feeling insecure, she tends to really not think straight thus cause more problems around her.

So yeah, they maybe multi-talented but people are multi-talented in a lot of things. Look at the Go Princess Precure team. They’re talented in almost everything under the sun, yet they still have flaws to keep them grounded and real. It’s all about adding the right and realistic kinda flaws. 

“What’s their Mascot?”

A black fox name Stella, that does talk and she likes to use her own magic to take care of flowers. (Hmm...Could she be a cure?)

They also get their own familiars once they grow in magic.

What are the things they need to collect?

Magic stones. I dunno what to call them. I guess Mythic Change Stones, since they’re like the Linkle Stones. They change the cures into different forms, but I’m having a twist to them and having each transformation using the Mythic Change Stones be based on a mythical creature such as a mermaid, kirin and tengu. These stones fit into the heart gems of their transformation items.

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: Sack Everyone Network

DOES this feel like 2017 or like 2018 more? 

Richmond in its premiership drought-breaking year, just two year ago, was placed almost exactly as they are right now. Sixth, poised, ready to launch into the top four, a finals date with destiny against higher-placed Geelong at its home ground…. its eery as anything.

But the West Coast, last year, sneakily got themselves without anyone noticing into the top two, almost assuring one road to the Grand Final had to go through them in Perth. This year, same same.

On that basis the Eagles are back in the Big Dance and on the other side of the equation who’s to say Richmond doesn’t repeat the process of 2017 if it gets another Qualifying Final against Geelong?

  1.       No real order to this week,  so if you stick with this to the end, go see a Doctor… Firstly why does the football media find itself on mid-season holidays? Sure, those who have jobs in other platforms could use a spell, such as those doing brekky radio for example. But why the pure football-only head overseas in July, with a university student-rivalling break in the off-season to look forward to, it’s ridiculous. I don’t blame them, I blame their employers. No wonder all our newspapers are closing, run by morons.

2.       Stick on media, so KB and SEN are no longer. If this made you upset you need better hobbies, or a girlfriend. He is 72 and very wealthy, he is fine. But interesting the backlash to it, especially as the story was ‘broken’ by a Herald Sun journalist who himself was sacked by SEN end of last season. Objective? Not even close. Non-story, its BAU for the radio industry.

3.       But I do love the comments you see to these sorts of biased pieces. I’m no SEN apologist and if I ever really want a footy fix on radio, I’ll chuck on the M’s on a Saturday afternoon, but all those saying they’ve switched off SEN and are listening to Macquarie Sports Radio – the latest survey for MSR was around 0.4. In plain English that’s La Trobe Uni student radio ratings. Hutchy and SEN are fine, without or without KB.

4.       And don’t start me on Andrew Bolt suggesting a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump. Sure, the North Korea stuff is definitely positive, but one good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness, as they say. Move alone Andy, get serious.

5.       Is there any footy? Yes. Collingwood. Shall we? So firstly: whats happening? Good footy teams are so finely tuned yet strung, look at Melbourne this year, you tell me those two finals wins last year were a fluke? Beat Geelong first week, remember. But with the Pies, that team they got together middle of last year clicked, and clicked hard, and then stayed fit. The subsequent momentum got them within a Dom Sheed out-of-his-arse set shot from a flag. This year, couple key pieces out has exposed them, and they haven’t been good enough or up to the challenge. Mind you, to be described as such a mess at 10-5, and in third, is pretty solid. But the next three weeks could undo a lot of that so it’s all much of a muchness. Not down and out, but such is footy, it can spit you out in a moment. Ask Hawks’ fans about 2009.

6.       The biggest loss for mine is Taylor Adams. Only one player, but he is as important to the Pies as Luke Shuey or Trent Cotchin. The Eagles don’t have Shuey, they don’t win – it’s that simple. Whilst different players, he is as important as Yeo or Hurn, and we all saw what happened against Sydney when those two missed. As for Cotchin, look at the Tigers when he has been out, the all-conquering Richmond of the last 18 months looked super vulnerable most weeks. The Pies since Adams has been out have been iffy, but when he was in they were premiership favourites. And let’s not forget, Shuey won last year’s Norm Smith, but based on votes had the Pies had won the judges were clearly going to award that to Adams.

7.       Last one on the Woods – it’s a bit of structure too. The good footy of earlier in the year, especially the Richmond game, was safe, short, switching play in defence, then flick a switch and go. There’s not enough dare to replicate that at the moment, sure, for the first five minutes it happened against Hawthorn, but Clarko was good enough to thwart it, as the Hawks have done against the Pies for a decade. The Eagles in Perth will be tough, but with Adams and Howe back for the Giants in Sydney the week after that’s the season-defining opportunity to right the ship.

8.       Gold Coast. Have won three games all year, last win was mid-April, and all three wins were five points or less. Could conceivably be winless, and Stuey Dew is seen as doing as good job as he can. So they’ll ask for a priority pick? Give them the first five picks, won’t do shit, we’ve seen that before. I don’t think this is irreversible, I think the right plan and player development can see something blossom ala Brisbane the last 18 months. But gee, the damage is nearing on irreparable in the most suspect of footy markets too. Carlton’s won no games in forever and got a great crowd last Sunday. The Suns could be undefeated and its only Bernie Tomic and a couple strippers at Metricon. So what then? Total rebrand, semi-reset. It’s like putting your laptop on sleep. Turn them into the Southport Sharks, change almost everything they are, and recommence with multiple, strong draft concessions. It’ll be like last time, but with a head start, an existing list that has at least ‘something’. Give them then five years with certain parameters. If it fails then, fine, it’ll never work, Hobart here is your team.

9.       Something that might help already – Adelaide has Carlton’s first pick this year. Jack Lukosius, last year’s pick 2, he wants to come home to South Australia already. Maybe not a direct swap, some sweetners can be thrown in, but that’s pick 1 and 2 already with this year’s draft top end better than the last couple for jet midfielders. So there’s some hope if nothing else is to change I guess..

10.   Superstar ruckmen. Brodie Grundy specifically but too, Max Gawn. Here’s the misconception – a dominant ruckman makes a difference – not really. Statistically speaking, way more scores come from turnovers than from stoppages. What that means is you’re far more likely to lose a clearance, find a way to force an error, get the ball and then score than if your ruckman hits the ball down the throat of your midfield and it leads to a scoring chain. The amount of teams who win despite losing the hitout count is uncanny. Arguably the worst team in the comp for ruckmen? Geelong.

11.   How’s North going? Pretty swimmingly ey? Rhyce Shaw hasn’t dropped one player since taking over, the only players to miss have been through injury. Says something for continuity, similar to what I touched on earlier with the Pies’ success last year.

12.   So does he keep the job next year? Dunno yet but it’s going to be hard to find someone categorically better if there’s a real something about what he is doing that’s too hard to ignore. He has gone 4-1, 2-1 against top 8 sides. He has West Coast in Perth in couple weeks and Geelong down the highway two weeks later. If those are the only games he drops between now and the end of the season, you have to give it to him, surely?

13.   This column has long said Nat Fyfe’s the best player in the league. Patrick Cripps a very close silver. Now I say neither. Marcus Bontempelli is better. He does what both do, ie, big body inside clearance freaks, but unlike Fyfe and Cripps he moves around like an old school wingman meets rover, at what 6”3ish? Plus is one of the best kicks in the comp, long weighted perfection or low spearing darts. And handballs like Greg Williams. The Bont, this column anoints you.

14.   Brisbane wins a final, thought it for a while, pretty much committed to it last week but now it’s a thing. At least one final, don’t rule out two. Again, it’s the clicking thing. A lesser team clicking always beats a better team that isn’t (see Collingwood’s last two weeks).

15.   So Freo was the best team in the West a couple weeks ago hey? Not anymore. Mind you, it’s worth reiterating, the Eagles are as highly strung as anyone. Don’t want to call last year lucky, that’s unfair, but in games where one of Hurn, Shuey or Yeo don’t play, its borderline deplorable depending on how far you go back, or whether you remove games against lower teams. All three play and they win Grand Finals. Shuey especially, he is the most valuable player in the league, if we focus on the true definition of ‘value’. They can win a flag without Naitanui, but couldn’t win Ammo’s D2 without Shuey.

16.   ‘Oh, the Giants can’t win it’, they said it after the Hawthorn loss and we all forgot about that pretty quickly. Then after losing to an admirable Brisbane the same thing. This is a team who is top-four lock, playing better than Collingwood and possibly Geelong, and has beaten the Cats at GMHBA this season. Move along, they are as massive a threat as any.

17.   Reckon Lance Franklin’s seemingly easy cruise to 1000 goals is under threat. So he is still a couple weeks away from a return and is stuck on 940 goals. Let’s say he gets himself to 950, 955 by the end of the year, he would need a 50-goal season to do it next year. But going by his recent fitness, that’s a tall order as playing 22 games or close to it seems a task too great for someone turning 33 next summer. Even averaging 3 goals a game when he is fit and playing, he’d need to find 20 more games, and that’s moving into 2021, which, by then, who knows how his body holds up. I hate to say it, but this has retiring only 20-30 or so short written all over it.

18.   So the Dees won last weekend, and how noble they did so with only 19 fit players. Well the Blues were down to 21 themselves so it was hardly a massive advantage, and further, especially if you saw the football played in the second half, if you could coach either team next year, respectful of the 2018 season as well, who would you rather? Carlton? Correct.

19.   Way too low but bloody hell Cameron Smith plays his 400th game this weekend, phenomenal. What makes it even better is this is a guy not limping to the milestone, he was the Dally M winner only two years ago and is three votes off the pace in this year’s campaign. Further, he has played 42 games for Queensland, 56 games for Australia as well, so in essence he is approaching 500 games in a few weeks’ time. Man is a freak, and will definitely play into next year. All the while looking like an accountant who has a gym membership but never uses it. Onya Smithy!

20.   And lastly Cricket, more so the Ashes, well, Jimmy Pattinson looks terrific. Bowled well in the County season to this point but first go with a red nut for Australia A got 4/60 and 3/12. Don’t rule out Paine at 6, Cummins at 7, and playing four quicks looking for three, four day results over huge scores and five day tests.

[thoughtfulmindings]

rant: ugh

Okay, so I haven’t really written a post describing my law school experience yet. To be honest, I’m not really sure why as there’s a multitude of reasons. Some of them being: I wasn’t sure if I wanted to document my law school experience solely in a hand-written diary or on tumblr or in both mediums, I assumed that writing a post would mean that I’d be wasting valuably study time, and finally, I just felt that I could possibly jinx myself by writing about it on tumblr. I know the last reason isn’t very logical, but it was what it was. Anyways, so I finished my first semester back in December and now I’m in my second semester. At this point, although I still do share many of the same reasons listed above, I’m going to write down a post on my feelings on law school anyway. I just really feel the need to write and just solely hand-writing my feelings isn’t working for me right now. So let’s begin. 

1. I’m not really sure how I feel about law school or becoming a lawyer anymore. The longer I stay in law school, the more I miss my gap year. I miss making money. I miss knowing what was expected of me. I miss being able to know exactly what to do. I miss freely asking questions without feeling dumb or annoying. I miss being confident about my work. I miss just feeling content.

2. Actually, maybe content might be the wrong word. I am sort of content. I have a really great group of friends. Which is actually surprising. I mean, I had figured that I’d make friends, but I hadn’t figured how close my friendships would end up being or how much I would enjoy the company of my friends. They’re all great people. But they’re not the only great people either. My other classmates are fantastic people too. I feel so happy whenever I think of all the fantastic people I’ve met. 

3. But that’s kind of the only good thing about law school; the only silver lining I guess you could say. I’m not a fan of everything else. And actually, if I’m being honest, sometimes my friends contribute to this feeling of unhappiness and dissatisfaction I have too. It’s not like they actively do anything to make me feel this way -- it’s really just me being self aware and my insecurities creeping out. All the people I’ve met are just so wonderfully talented and smart and fantastic. I adore them. But I’m also low-key jealous of them. I wish I could be half as talented and smart. 

4. I mean, I know I’m not entirely stupid, but I’m definitely average. However, due to my own self-destructive nature, procrastination, and lack of motivation and passion, I come across as below-average rather than the average I am. I consistently perform worser than them on papers and exams and I know it’s because I don’t put in half the amount of effort they do. It frustrates me so much to see how careless and little effort I put into my studying. I barely brief cases well enough, rarely figure out the right ratios, and never really manage to stay on-top of all my readings/ assignments. 

5. Actually, the assignments issue is the worst. I have literally been doing all my assignments last minute. Like, I don’t even know why. I read the cases and then let the assignment sit for a week. And then I begin the assignment literally a day or two before its due. And then when I hand it in, I feel unhappy with the work I’m submitting because I know it could be better. But then even though I have this knowledge, I don’t use it. I still consistently do assignments last minute. And my profs know this too! I get super horrible marks whenever it comes to any sort of take-home written work. 

6. And it’s even more frustrating because this was not how I was in university. I have always been on top of writing papers. My entire degree was me writing papers. But now, I can’t even do that! It’s so fucking ridiculous, it pisses me off and makes me hate myself. Like even in undergrad, when I had 3 papers in a week due, I would almost ALWAYS have the first two papers researched and planned out in advance. And the research would be legit research from a number or sources and compiled through tons of close reading of texts. So when it came to writing, I would be good. 

7. But for some reason, I’m not doing this at law school and I don’t understand why! Forget about planning and researching the papers earlier, I don’t even do a close reading of any of the texts! I literally just skim and then find quotes to support my ideas -- which is fucking insane! You’re NOT supposed to write papers like that. That’s bad paper writing. You’re supposed to research in depth and then use the sources to back up your ideas -- not the other way around! And yet, I can’t stop doing this! Can’t stop doing shit the wrong way, even while knowing it’s wrong! And it makes me furious! 

8. This was especially evidential in my most recent factum assignment. Like I read some other ones and they were so much better than mine! Their case quotes were so thorough and great and well thought out. Whereas mine were shallow and didn’t even relate! And I knew this too! But even then I was too lazy to change it! I procrastinated writing my paper too so I didn’t even have time to edit/ rewrite it a better way! And it’s infuriating! I’m paying for this shit and not even doing it properly! 

9. Which makes me introspect my behaviour. And I think the reason I’m acting this way, is because I’m over law school. I don’t think I want to do it. I’ve been saying this to others in a joking manner, but I don’t think I’m joking. I just literally don’t want to do law school. I don’t like doing the readings. I don’t like going to class. I don’t like discussing the cases. I don’t like taking notes. And I sure as hell don’t like writing papers. I honestly hate ALL of it. 

10. And it’s frustrating because it wasn’t supposed to be this way. I wasn’t supposed to hate it. I was supposed to love it. I worked so hard for this. I said this was my dream for years. I fought for it. And now that I’m here, I can’t stand it. Just thinking of the fact of going to school, doing my readings, and all of my assignments makes me annoyed. But that’s wrong! I’m supposed to be happy and excited to do this! 

11. I mean, truth be told, I was always a little iffy about law school. Somewhere in university, I lost my ambitious edge. I didn’t care about having the best career or making the most money or even contributing to society in a big way. I just wanted to live life happily, freely, and with the people I loved. If I could make an impact in their lives, I was happy. I didn’t need anything more. But my parents really really really wanted law school. So I figured why not. 

12. Plus when I took that constitutional cases seminar in my fourth year of university, I was genuinely excited. I read almost every single case and took super detailed notes. I was into it. So I figured I’d be into law school too. The class was all about reading cases and their effect. Which is basically law school. And yet, I don’t feel the same way about it. I literally dread doing my case readings. Which is horrible because law school is literally all case readings. 

13. I just really miss political science weirdly enough. I mean, I tried my hand in the political sphere and found that I wasn’t a fan of that environment. But I still miss formally studying it so much. I have two classes that I’m low-key really interested in: Charter and Transnational Law. And the only reason I like them, especially the latter, is because of their relation to political science. But like I said, this doesn’t make sense because I wasn’t made for the political scene. 

14. I don’t know man. I just feel so demoralized and over it all. And the worst part is, I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore. The older I get, the less confident I get and the more confused I am about who I am. What are my defining characteristics? What is my personality? Do I even have any skills? 

15. And law school just brings these questions to the fore-front even more. I have no idea what I’m doing here. I feel like I’m blindly just trying to float. And I’m looking to other people to see what they are doing. But then looking at them stresses me out even more because everyone seems so focused. Everyone is applying to jobs, reading and briefing each case significantly and performing admirable. And in comparison, I’m literal shit, the lowest of the low.  

16. That’s why they actually tell you -- when you enter law school, to stay in your own lane. To only look to what you’re doing. But it’s so hard because I don’t know what I’m doing. Like I said, I’m literally blindly trying to float. I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t know how to swim. I don’t know when it’ll end, or even if it will end. I just feel so lost. 

17. And that’s when I begin thinking that maybe I should change some of my study habits. Maybe getting better grades would make me feel better and not so lost anymore. So maybe study more at school. Maybe study less on my bed. Maybe try to study on a desk. Maybe try to break the study routine I’ve gotten used to while being in school. 

18. But that itself brings up feelings of panic. I have had a set way of studying for years. I’ve literally always studied by myself, on my bed, without any prodding or influence from anyone else. The last time I changed up my habits was for my first ever LSAT and the first semester of my fourth year of undergrad. I actually studied at school more, used tables/ desks instead of my bed. And the results were less than optimal. Got a much lesser LSAT score than expected and lowered my GPA too. 

19. So I’m afraid that if I change my ways, the same thing that happened last time will happen here. I’ll have lowered my already low GPA. I’ll do worser than expected and screw over my future chances at getting a job or being a successful lawyer. 

20. The upcoming exams I have in April are the last resort. They’re potentially worth 100%. So if I mess up on them, there is no going back. These exams are what employers look at. So my fears aren’t just irrational anymore, they’re legitimate. Changing up my routine might backfire on me again like it did last time. 

21. But then I think about the fact that there were other factors involved when I changed my routine last time. I was going from classes three times a week to classes five times a week. I was going from having four classes a week with no other big commitments, to taking on the huge responsibility of studying for the LSAT. I was also more involved in my community as I was part of an exec so I had less time too. So maybe it wasn’t just the fact that I changed my routine that made me receive those low results. Maybe it was a combination of that and other factors. 

22. But then again, I did have a significant change in GPA in the first and second semester of my fourth year. I reverted back to my old study habits and my GPA went up almost 6%. But then again, in second semester, I also didn’t have the added pressure of the LSAT, aside from the first month of second semester. I also only had classes twice a week, giving me three days off. So maybe it wasn’t just my old study habits that contributed to this? But also the change in other factors? 

23. But maybe this is just me ignoring reality and trying to convince myself of lies like I often do. Maybe it wasn’t the other factors and maybe it just was the change in study habits. So then maybe I shouldn’t change my study habits. Maybe I should stick with what I know and what I did in first semester of law school. 

24. Honestly, even just thinking along this line makes me so angry. I should’ve been thinking these things in my first semester of law school. Everyone told me that if there was a time to experiment with study habits, it was in the first semester of law school as it didn’t completely count for marks. But nope, I didn’t do that and instead stubbornly stuck to my old habits and ignored the advice. 

25. This is exactly what I mean when I say I’m self-destructive. I constantly shoot myself in the foot. All of my problems are caused by me -- literally 99% ARE. I’m behind on some readings because I was lazy to do them on time. I’m behind on some assignments because I just didn’t do them until it was too late. I’m getting bad marks because I don’t put enough effort. Literally, it’s all ME. I’m the cause for my own misery and I hate myself for it. 

26. And this is all because of law school. Because I sure as hell didn’t hate myself as much as I do right now during my gap year. Sure I felt quite horrible when I didn’t have a job, but when I did have one, I felt good. I knew what I was doing (sometimes). I knew I had some skills and that I was appreciated. I knew that I would get a reward for my efforts -- my salary. I knew what to expect (most of the time). But I don’t have ANY of that here. I literally have nothing except self-loathing. 

[ryanmeft]

Every Classic Mega Man Weapon Ranked, Part 4

And here it is. Mega Man 11 has just been announced, like most of us probably hoped, and it marries the past and the future, with classic gameplay and modern visuals. We've already seen one of the new weapons, which appears to drop an avalanche on enemy's heads, so it seems Capcom isn't messing around when it comes to creating cool weapons. Let's finish up our countdown with the top 18, and therefore, of course, the top 10 Mega Man weapons of all time. All previous parts of the list can be found here: http://ryanmeft.tumblr.com/post/168077242247/every-classic-mega-man-weapon-ranked-part-1 http://ryanmeft.tumblr.com/post/168128282172/every-classic-mega-man-weapon-ranked-part-2 http://ryanmeft.tumblr.com/post/168173192902/every-classic-mega-man-weapon-ranked-part-3

18. Drill Bomb (MM4) In almost any other game on the planet, once you got a flying drill that explodes you would never use anything else. You would use that shit on goombas. In Mega Man, it's just pretty cool. Really, that should tell you something about how crazy Mega Man gets. 17. Homing Sniper (MM8) The best homing weapon, because you could charge up and unleash lots of them at once, making Mega Man basically a ballistic weapons system.

16. Rain Flush (MM4) Somewhere in Mega Man's time, there's a very concerned scholar submitting a report on the dangers of giving a robot boy a weapon that can create an instant acid rainstorm. And he's not wrong. Putting aside the potential for catastrophic, widespread environmental destruction, changing the weather in order to clear out some sentry robots is less "a weapon" and more "an act of God".

15. Tornado Blow (MM9) Functionally, these weapons are all basically the same thing: expensive, screen-filling attacks that wipe out all small enemies. They're like, well, remember in old games where you'd very rarely get a pick up that just cleared the whole screen? That, but reusable. The fact that this one was finally a wind weapon with some power to it earns a lot of bonus points.

14. Commando Bomb (MM10) Like all guided weapons, it was a little hard to aim where you wanted, but man, it's still a missile you can steer. The targeting being a little finicky seems like nitpicking.

13. Tornado Hold (MM8) For being easily the least impressive of the classic series, Mega Man 8 has some seriously bad ass weapons. This one is a trap that generates a tornado. It's fun, if you're a psychopath, to drop it under an enemy and imagine they are thinking "That didn't do muuuuuu holy shit it is a tornado right up my ying yang!"

12. Water Shield (MM10) Dr. Wily finally perfected his shield technology in Mega Man 7, and henceforth they were some of the best weapons you could get. Like leaves, flowers and skulls, I'm still a little iffy on how droplets of water could stop bullets and robots, but we've long since accepted that the rules of physics are a bit different in Mega Man's universe.

11. Junk Shield (MM7) I really do think Capcom enjoys making shields out of the least appropriate materials they can think of. Junk, depending on the specific type of junk, could actually be effective, though. I mean...if your other choice is water. Anyway, this is where Capcom finally got shields right. It didn't disappear if farted on, it didn't fly away if you moved, and you could hurl it off at will. Sure, it still wasn't any good against shields, but since it's name sounds like something to protect your privates and I find that humorous, we'll let it go.

10. Gravity Hold (MM5) Yes, Dr. Wily handed Mega Man the power to reverse gravity. Watching all those annoying enemies suddenly lose their grip on the laws of physics and be sucked into the sky was extremely satisfying, even if the implications of thousands of killer robots who don't, by the way, need to breathe floating around in earth's atmosphere is completely terrifying. Concerns about the end of the world aside, the only thing that would be cooler is if you could literally summon a meteor shower.

9. Gyro Attack This one may be a surprise to see up here. It isn't well-remembered and it isn't very exciting, and it's stuck way over in Mega Man 5 which, if you agree with my list, mostly didn't have the best weapons in the series. It's here simply because it is useful. Flying enemies be all like "That's gonna pass right under me", and you be all like "Nope, gotcha sucker!"

8. Rolling Cutter Sometimes, when the razzle dazzle dies down, you need something trusty and reliable. That's the Rolling Cutter, a weapon which doesn't ask for glory, fame or riches, and just does its job, cutting down mad robots and returning faithfully to your hand. This was a godsend in the original Mega Man, where the lack of passwords and e-tanks made taking out enemies in front of and above you much more important than in later games.

7. Flash Bomb Mega Man 8 isn't exactly wonderful, but it continues to rank highly on the list of impressive weapons. Maybe Capcom knew what they'd made and wanted to atone? Either way, when you throw a Flash Bomb and it hits something---anything, an enemy, a wall, a stray atom---the explosions stays there, going off like the fourth of July. It's basically a really deadly firework. Not that fireworks aren't already deadly enough. Remember, kids, always practice firework safety.

6. Astro Crush You can literally summon a meteor shower. I don't really understand how this doesn't instantly end life on earth, but hey, you can literally summon a meteor shower. I also considered placing this lower because of the low weapon energy levels, but, hey, YOU CAN LITERALLY SUMMON A FREAKING METEOR SHOWER. It just occurred to me: DID Mega Man end human life when he did this? Is it a world of robots now? I probably need more sleep.

5. Fire Storm That's right: despite all the twists and innovations and the fact that Capcom clearly meant ice to get the damn shaft compared to fire, the original fire weapon is still the best. Not only did it destroy most enemies in one hit, it was fast on the draw, had lots of weapon energy (twice as much as the far less useful Hyper Bomb, oddly) and generated a second's worth of fireballs around Mega Man, making it technically the series' first shield weapon. There's not much reason to switch back to the puny arm cannon as long as you collect enough energy.

4. Jewel Satellite The shield perfected. And this time, the substance comprising it actually makes sense, at least if they're diamonds. It can take almost anything and keep operating, allowing you to simply breeze through sections full of small enemies with barely a thought. Sure, you can only throw it one direction. But if you actually need to get rid of it, you're probably in such a tight spot that you're screwed, anyway.

3. Thunder Beam The power of lightning, in the palm of your hand. Other than just looking really cool, this beam was ridiculously powerful, shot in three directions at once, and could even get through some shields. It was one of the indications Mega Man was different from other jump-and-shoot games, whose weapons were mostly variant ways to shoot ordinary bullets. And of course, no old school Mega Fan can forget that classic pause trick, which was just unfair. The original Mega Man is overall kind of uneven in actual weapons, with three near the bottom of this list and three in the top 10. Hyper Bomb, Ice Slasher and Super Arm may have mostly remained in the pause screen, but Thunder Beam, Fire Storm and Rolling Cutter gave you more than enough of an arsenal to work with.

2. Black Hole Bomb You can actually fire a portable black hole. But wait, there's more! You can even control the direction it goes after it is fired! Call now, and you'll receive a special bonus offer: the ability to trigger it on command, like a grenade that can rip reality! Now available in black-and-purple, it sticks around a long time, sucking up almost any enemy it happens to encounter! Operators are standing by! Mega Man 9 did good on the weapons, but making this the likely first one you get was just insane. If you're like me (AKA a psychopath) you probably never got tired of firing it and laughing maniacally as enemies marched into it, to their doom. It's inarguably the coolest weapon you've ever gotten in Mega Man history, so why is it #2? Well, sometimes usefulness trumps coolness. Presenting the best weapon in the classic Mega Man series...

1. Metal Blade After all this talk about weapons, about things of destruction, perhaps we should ask ourselves a question: are the weapons a robot carries really the measure of that robot's heroism? Are heroes determined by whether they have a rapid firing saw blade that can be shot in any direction, almost never runs out of ammo, destroys almost anything and even makes a really cool "BZZZZZZ" sound? Or are they defined by their heart, by their nerve, by their sheer desire for justice? The answer is: they're defined by whether they have a rapid firing saw blade that can be shot in any direction, almost never runs out of ammo, destroys almost anything and even makes a really cool "BZZZZZZ" sound. Was this even a debate? After all the flash and all the dazzle, it's functionality that matters, and the trusty Metal Blade remains the weapon we wish we'd had back since Mega Man 2. The sheer utility makes it the only thing that could top having your own black hole. It slices, it dices, it makes short work of so many bosses that one would almost think Wily wants to lose, as though he's living some kind of weird roleplaying fetish. You can mull that around in your brain a while, but regardless, Metal Blade is on top, and probably always will be.

[buddyrabrahams]

Each NFL team’s biggest weakness heading into December

The playoff race is well and truly underway in the NFL, and we’re getting real separation between Super Bowl contenders and teams that just don’t have the firepower to make it. With only five games left, we’re also seeing what each team’s issue is down the stretch, regardless of whether they’re gunning for a playoff spot or more focused on draft position at this point.

Let’s take a look at each team’s biggest weakness as we head into December and the final stretch of the regular season.

Arizona Cardinals — The injury-riddled offense

The Cardinals’ playoff hopes before the season hinged primarily on their three key offensive skill players — Carson Palmer at quarterback, David Johnson at running back, and Larry Fitzgerald at wide receiver. Johnson went down in the season opener, and Palmer followed with a broken arm in Week 7. Both are likely done for the season. Arizona’s chances of contention were lost with them; Blaine Gabbert and Adrian Peterson simply are not adequate replacements.

Atlanta Falcons — Run defense

There have been some up-and-down performances by the Atlanta run defense this season, but overall, it has been the weakest part of their team. Their 4.4 yards per carry allowed is in the bottom ten of NFL teams this season, and their 113.9 yards per game is 13th-worst in the NFL. In all likelihood, they’re saved from worse because their offense and pass defense is good enough that teams have to play catch-up with them on a regular basis.

Baltimore Ravens — Offense

If the Ravens had even an average passing offense, they’d be a lock for the playoffs on the strength of their elite defense. As it is, they’re in the hunt, but are mostly at the mercy of Joe Flacco. The Ravens are dead last in the NFL with 1,807 passing yards. Yes, that’s even fewer than the Chicago Bears, who have spent entire games trying to ensure that rookie Mitchell Trubisky has to pass as little as possible. Flacco is iffy at the best of times, but he lacks weapons and doesn’t have enough skill to do it all himself.

Buffalo Bills — Run defense

The Bills’ run defense more or less fell apart during the month of November. After looking like a sturdy unit for much of the season, they gave up 194 yards to the New York Jets, 298 yards to the New Orleans Saints, and 146 yards at the Los Angeles Chargers. Perhaps trading Marcell Dareus wasn’t such a bright idea. They got back on track against a Kansas City Chiefs team that didn’t really have enough in the passing game to make the Bills respect it. The Bills were one of the biggest surprises of the first two months of the season, and if they want to get back to that standard, things have to improve on the defensive front.

Carolina Panthers — Turnovers

The Panthers look like they’re close to being back to their best after a down 2016. The defense is sturdy and there are dynamic talents on offense to help them move the ball. At this point, Carolina’s biggest issues tend to be rather self-inflicted. Only ten teams have more turnovers than Carolina’s 16, though that has improved slightly lately. Cam Newton, in particular, can still be a bit guilty of getting sloppy with the football and goes through periods where he isn’t very sharp. Their -6 overall turnover margin is an area they need to improve.

Chicago Bears — Passing offense

Mike Glennon was definitely not the answer to the Bears’ issues at quarterback, and Mitchell Trubisky isn’t quite ready to be the answer himself. The result is a Chicago offense that has not been very good in the air. Only the Ravens have fewer passing yards in 2017, and only three teams have fewer passing touchdowns than the Bears’ 10. Trubisky has a future in the NFL, but the future isn’t here yet. The Bears just aren’t very good right now.

Cincinnati Bengals — Rushing offense

Only the Arizona Cardinals have fewer rushing yards than the Bengals do in 2017, and the Cardinals can at least point to the fact that their starting running back succumbed to injury in the season opener as a valid excuse. The Bengals can’t offer that. Joe Mixon has had his moments, but he’s still a work in progress, and Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard haven’t been any better. That has put the onus entirely on Andy Dalton, which tends to not work out exceptionally well.

Cleveland Browns — Offense

From top to bottom on offense, the Browns just have very little to threaten opponents. DeShone Kizer hasn’t shown the consistent ability yet to be a starting NFL quarterback. Joe Thomas’ injury has left a weak offensive line in place. Accordingly, the Browns have allowed the third-most sacks in the NFL. Kizer is surrounded by few legitimate skill players who are of top quality. Cleveland’s 15.1 points per game is last in the league, as are their 28 turnovers in 11 games. It’s hard to find a bright spot.

Dallas Cowboys — Running game

There is a reason that Jerry Jones was so furious about the Ezekiel Elliott suspension. For all the talent Dallas has, including Dak Prescott at quarterback and Dez Bryant and Jason Witten in the receiving game, it was Elliott who keyed Dallas’ 2016 turnaround. Alfred Morris is simply not a sufficient stand-in. Elliott’s absence puts more pressure on Prescott and the defense, and they’re frankly having a hard time holding up their end of the bargain without the threat provided by Elliott. Since he’s been out, the team has failed to score in double-digits.

Denver Broncos — Quarterback

Denver is a mess in many respects right now, but a lot of it simply goes back to whoever they have under center. The Broncos have tried three quarterbacks in 2017, and none of them have been good enough. Trevor Siemian has seen the most action, while Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch have both gotten their chance and fallen short for various reasons. Only the Browns have thrown more interceptions than Denver’s group of quarterbacks (15 in 11 games). Finding a new QB will be high on the team’s wishlist this offseason.

Detroit Lions — Offensive line

The run defense has been an issue since Haloti Ngata got hurt, but that’s not the real issue that plagues the team. Matthew Stafford is a quality quarterback who is often rushed, flushed out of the pocket, and sacked — 36 times already in 2017, the third-worst mark in the NFL. The Lions have tried very hard to address their offensive line, but injuries have undone all those efforts. The result is an offensive line that struggles to protect its quarterback and is at least partly culpable for the team’s struggles in the run game as well.

Green Bay Packers — Quarterback

The Packers have given up a ton of sacks — 40, to be exact — but frankly, it wouldn’t matter as much if their regular starter were under center. Aaron Rodgers would have the Packers in the playoffs if he were healthy, but Brett Hundley isn’t close to being on the former MVP’s level. Sure, Hundley pushed the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but that good performance has not been the norm for him. There’s not a lot Green Bay can do about this, either, except hope that Hundley can keep them above water long enough for a miraculous return from Rodgers. Given how loaded the NFC is this year, that probably won’t happen.

Houston Texans — Quarterback

The NFL is cruel sometimes. The Texans looked like they were finally set at a position that has long tormented them when Deshaun Watson burst out of the gates with a series of brilliant performances that had him in the MVP conversation. Then he tore his ACL, and Houston was left with Tom Savage, who simply isn’t good enough. At least Houston can hope Watson makes a full recovery, because if he does, this won’t be a long-term problem that they will need to address again.

Indianapolis Colts — Offensive Line

It would be easy to blame all of Indianapolis’ problems on the fact that Andrew Luck missed the entire 2017 season and be done with it. Perhaps, though, it’s time to shed light on the issue that arguably played a role in Luck getting injured in the first place. The Colts have given up a league-worst 47 sacks in 11 games. Jacoby Brissett has been under every bit as much pressure as Luck always was. They’re endangering their quarterbacks at this point, which is something that needs to be fixed.

Jacksonville Jaguars — Blake Bortles

Cruel? Perhaps. But let’s be honest with ourselves. The Jaguars have an extremely gifted defense that is capable of both pressuring the quarterback and, thanks to Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, taking away the opponent’s biggest weapons. The run game is bolstered by Leonard Fournette, one of the game’s brightest young backs. Yet despite all this, Bortles is being allowed to lose games under center. Their defeat against the Arizona Cardinals, for instance, was largely thanks to an awful throw Bortles made late in the contest. If the Jaguars could just get a real quarterback, they could really make some noise.

Kansas City Chiefs — Alex Smith

Well, while we’re calling out individual quarterbacks, we might as well double down. It looked like Smith had silenced many of his doubters early in the season when the Chiefs sat comfortably at 5-0, and looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They’re now 6-5, and nobody is quiet about Smith anymore. He’s thrown four interceptions to just three touchdowns over his last three games, including a stunning defeat to the New York Giants. Smith is too conservative, not good enough to take risks, and opponents know it. At some point, the Chiefs have to do better.

Los Angeles Chargers — Run defense

Nobody has allowed more rushing yards than the Chargers have. Their 1,468 yards allowed is just ahead of the New York Giants, but the Chargers have allowed that mark on 32 fewer carries. They’re allowing nearly five yards per run. Perhaps the focus from their pass rushers to get after the quarterback has something to do with it. The Chargers have a lot of issues — their home field advantage is nonexistent, for starters — but not being able to stop the run is a huge problem that has plagued them all season long.

Los Angeles Rams — Run defense

It’s a widespread problem, isn’t it? The Rams aren’t quite as bad defending the run as some other teams, but it has been a clear issue for a team that is otherwise excellent. They’re sixth-worst with 1,356 rushing yards allowed, and only two teams — the Chargers and New England Patriots — have allowed more yards per carry than they have. They’ve held up well against the pass and have a solid offense, but it’s on the ground that the Rams can sometimes be found wanting.

Miami Dolphins — Run game

Miami’s offense as a whole hasn’t been all that great in 2017, with alleged “quarterback whisperer” Adam Gase struggling to make things work, particularly once Jay Cutler went down with a concussion. The run game, in particular, has been abysmal. They’ve tallied up only 871 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown for the entire season. They jettisoned Jay Ajayi at the trade deadline, which was definitely a surprise. The truth is nobody has gotten it done out of their backfield all season.

Minnesota Vikings — Kicking

You really have to squint to find a weakness in a Vikings team that’s running away with the NFC North. They have an elite defense, skill players everywhere, and have weathered the absences of Teddy Bridgewater and Dalvin Cook perfectly. The biggest real issue is kicker Kai Forbath. Forbath has been fairly steady going 24-28 on field goals, but he’s missed two from between 30 and 39, along with five missed extra points. The Vikings have the lowest extra point conversion rate in the league. Fine margins can matter in the playoffs. This is, after all, a franchise that has a very long history of missed kicks proving vital in playoff games…

New England Patriots — Offensive line

If you had asked this question earlier in the season, the answer would have been the defense. But that unit has really turned things around since being torched in September and hasn’t allowed more than 17 points in a game during the current 7-game winning streak. Now the biggest issue for the Pats seems to be the offensive line. In the team’s recent win over Miami, Tom Brady was hit eight times and even acknowledged he was “a little sore” afterwards. Protecting Brady so he can be at his best is the biggest key for this time.

New Orleans Saints — Run defense

In terms of pure yardage, the Saints’ run defense is pretty much in the middle of the NFL ranks, but a deeper dive demonstrates their issues. They allow 4.6 yards per carry, fourth-worst in the league. The saving grace is that there aren’t as many attempts against them. The Saints have a high-powered offense that tends to put up points quickly, ensuring that the run game isn’t really a valid option to get back into the contest against them.

New York Giants — Offense

There’s a reason why the Giants made a QB switch this week. Their offense has been non-existent all season, even before half their wide receivers went down with injuries. The team is 31st in the league in points per game with just 15.6 on average, and their 295.9 yards per game isn’t much better at 28th. They’re falling behind in games, which allows opponents to run all over them and kill the clock. They only have three rushing touchdowns all season, and it took about six weeks before they found a decent running back in Orleans Darkwa. They’ve been held to 10 or fewer points in five of 11 games this season and have yet to crack 30 points since Ben McAdoo took over as head coach.

New York Jets — Pass protection

The Jets have been a surprise in 2017 mostly because they haven’t been terrible as many expected. The offense hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been bad, either. The same goes for the defense. Very little stands out about the Jets, but it’s fair to say quarterback Josh McCown has had to absorb a lot of pressure. He’s been sacked 35 times (sixth-worst in the league) and hit 71 times (8th-worst in the league). That’s 9.1% of pass attempts that ended in a sack, the third-worst tally in the entire NFL.

Oakland Raiders — Pass defense

It’s been a disappointing season all around for the Raiders, but opposing quarterbacks have had a pretty good time with them in 2017. Opposing passers have a league-best 110 rating against them. Their 2,693 pass yards allowed is sixth-worst in the NFL. Every team that has allowed more has seen it happen on more attempts than Oakland has given up. That means the Raiders are giving up an average of 7.8 net yards per pass attempt, which is 4th-worst in the league. They also are last in the league with just one interception, which they finally got last week.

Philadelphia Eagles — Discipline

Carson Wentz is great, they run the ball fantastically, their defense is smothering. The Eagles are great and, like a few other teams, their biggest enemy is likely themselves at this point. The Eagles are in the top ten in the NFL in penalty yards taken, ninth overall with 678 yards in penalties amassed. They’re tenth in overall penalties taken. None of these figures are exceptionally awful, but it is frankly representative of their biggest problem right now.

Pittsburgh Steelers — Turnovers

In general, the Steelers are great. Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown give them two of the NFL’s best skill players, and their defense has been a dominant unit for much of the season. They just have to minimize the mistakes. In particular, Ben Roethlisberger needs to keep control of the ball. Only five teams have thrown more interceptions, though to be completely clear, five of Pittsburgh’s 12 interceptions this year were thrown in one game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They have turned the ball over 16 times this season and simply must avoid beating themselves.

San Francisco 49ers — Passing offense

The 49ers have a lot of problems — they’ve been frail defensively, too — but quarterback play has been an issue all season long. They haven’t been particularly awful in terms of passing yards, but at the end of the day, the 49ers are not throwing for touchdowns. They’ve thrown for a league-worst nine touchdowns in 11 games. One of them was a garbage time score by Jimmy Garoppolo against the Seahawks. We’ll see where they go from here with Garoppolo under center instead of C.J. Beathard, but it’s probably too late to save this offense.

Seattle Seahawks — An injury-riddled defense

Kam Chancellor’s season-ending injury is the latest blow to a defense that has taken a lot of them in 2017. Cliff Avril isn’t there, and Richard Sherman had already gone down for the season before Chancellor followed. The Seahawks have held up well so far, though their most recent opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, don’t pose much of a threat against anyone. With the Eagles looming, the depleted defense may find themselves up against it.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Defense

As much of a disappointment as Jameis Winston has been on the other side of the ball while fighting a shoulder injury, the Tampa Bay defense has simply been abysmal. No team has allowed more yards than the Bucs — 4,351 so far. That’s mostly down to 3,131 passing yards, easily the worst mark in the league. They are, in fact, the only team in the NFL to give up more than 3,000 passing yards in the first 11 games of the season. There are a ton of issues with Tampa Bay, but they simply have not been able to stop any opposing passing games and don’t have anyone who can cover outside of Brent Grimes.

Tennessee Titans — Third-down conversions

The Titans have had their fair share of issues extending and finishing drives. They’re slightly over 50 percent in the red zone, which is middle of the pack in the league, but they’re in the bottom ten when it comes to third down conversions, sitting at a poor 36 percent. It’s anyone’s guess what the issue is down to, but the Titans have a fairly talented squad. They could be better if they could buy themselves an extra set of downs just a bit more frequently.

Washington Redskins — Injured running back corps

It’s not Washington’s fault that their group of running backs can’t stay healthy, but they’re down to option number three on the depth chart. Samaje Perine hasn’t been bad, but top offensive threat Chris Thompson is done for the season, as is No. 1 back Robert Kelley. Part of the problem has been an offensive line that was riddled with injury until recently, but the Redskins are trying hard to piece it together in the backfield. As it stands, they’re tied for 23rd in the league with 3.9 yards per carry and have fumbled eight times, though they’ve only lost two.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2BxugKN