#He's so integral to so many things having happened the way they did hehe <3 He's very important!

[krat395]

Integral Brother-Sister Bonding (Chapter 5)

Tickling Bastian is fun and all, but so is being tickled by him! :D Those furry fingers of his got Izzy laughing hard in Chapter 4 during those moments where he tickled her immensely ticklish feet. But now it's time for Bastian to properly return the favor, provided that he doesn't enjoy being petted by Izzy too much beforehand…

 Undertale(c) Toby Fox.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

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INTEGRAL BROTHER-SISTER BONDING

 Chapter 5: Embracing the Softness of a Rabbit Boy's Fur X3

 Izzy could tickle Bastian all day long. But if she did that, then she wouldn't be able to pet him as another means of showing him affection. Sure, Izzy could tickle and pet Bastian at the same time, using one hand to do the former and the other hand to do the latter, but then that would mean less affectionate petting (and also less affectionate tickling) from her. For the most affectionate petting, Izzy wants to use both of her hands, to really caress that silky soft fur of his. That's how she used to pet Basil and if Basil loved being petted that way, then chances are Bastian will too. And he did! ;) From start to finish, Bastian was in seventh heaven, Izzy's hands and fingers lovingly stroking his silky soft fur, first on his head, neck, and ears and then on both sides of his torso after willingly removing his teal and turquoise striped shirt for Izzy. And while petting Bastian (and also sneaking in a few occasional tickles, hehe), Izzy used the opportunity to also speak to him more and find out more about what his personal interests are. She didn't really get to do much of that while ticking him, what with him laughing so much and all, and conversing with him while petting him really helped him open up to her about so many things that he's been wanting to discuss with her for quite some time now, due to how relaxed he was. Izzy learned so much more about Bastian in less than half an hour and in turn, Bastian learned more about Izzy. And one of the things they talked about just so happened to be Bastian's interest in Izzy's feet and feet in general. While being petted, Bastian revealed to Izzy that he likes her feet, which, unbeknownst to Bastian at the time, was actually of no surprise to Izzy whatsoever. Izzy's no dummy. She's known for quite a while now that Bastian likes her feet and that's because she often catches him staring at them whenever they're in the same room together. He's not exactly sneaky when it comes to catching glimpses of Izzy's bare feet. He thinks he is but he's not, often pretending to drop something next to her in order to get a closer view of her soles and toes whenever her feet are bare and propped up on something in front of her or behind her in a chair while picking up whatever it is he pretends to drop. XD It's always so unconvincing, Bastian pretending to drop something, and once Izzy, feeling that she should be completely honest with Bastian, told him how unconvincing his clever but poorly executed scheme to look at her feet was, the young rabbit boy himself was rendered embarrassed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this time, he thought that he was being both clever and sneaky with his schemes to look at Izzy's feet when in reality, it was always so blatantly obvious what he was doing or trying to do. But Izzy, being the sweet little girl that she is, didn't care though. X3 In fact, she was flattered that Bastian likes her feet as much as he does. He's a barefooter with a pair of extremely durable feet so hearing him say such nice things about her pair of much less durable feet means so much to her. As a dancer, she always does her best to keep her feet in tip-top condition. And for a 10-year-old girl, she does such a remarkable job! One look at those soft, smooth soles and toes of hers and you would not believe that she's a dancer (because many dancers tend to have rough calloused feet)! And Bastian's certainly not the only monster boy that finds Izzy's feet cute. Other monster boys find Izzy's feet cute too (one such boy happens to be a certain armless lizard monster in Izzy's grade that Izzy, Brad, and Justin recently befriended X3) and if they're lucky, Izzy might let all of them play with her feet sometime. But not before Bastian can get his hands on them! Yes, as soon as Izzy finishes petting him, Bastian is going to be playing with her feet! :D If the young rabbit boy himself ever lets Izzy stop petting him, that is. Bastian really loves being petted by Izzy and every time she stops petting him, he prompts her to keep going; primarily by nudging one of her hands with his nose. "Do not stop petting (and tickling) the rabbit boy until he says to stop!" That's all that can really be said about Izzy's current situation. XD But Izzy's a smart girl though so surely she can find a way to make Bastian stop "holding her hostage," right? Right?!

 Later…

 Izzy: Heeheeheehee! Alright, Bastian, that was thirty minutes. *Izzy pointed out, right as she stopped petting Bastian* So are you gonna play with my feet now or are you just gonna keep laying here and being all cute? *she asked both cheekily and politely, eager to start letting Bastian play with her feet after petting him for half an hour*

 Bastian: Mmmmmmm… The second one... *answered Bastian, shirtless and lying face down on his bed with Izzy kneeling over him; her knees between his hips* Hey, who said you could stop petting me? *teased Bastian, nudging Izzy's left hand until she resumed petting him* Keep petting me, Izzy.

 Izzy: Heeheeheehee! Just when I thought you couldn't be any more like Basil, big bunny bro. *Izzy commented, reminiscing all of the times Basil "held her hostage"*

 Bastian is aware that he should let Izzy stop petting him soon but he just can't bring himself to do so just yet. Izzy's hands and fingers stroking his fur just feel so amazing! Right on par with Heidi's hands and fingers stroking his fur! Yes, Bastian's own mother pets him as well… and so does his father… and his aunt, Harriet… and his cousins, Benny, Robbie, and Heather as well… and even his sisters, Bekah and Bebe, who both do a good enough job petting their brother for their respective ages. XD And each and every one of those other rabbit monsters really spoils him with their affection too! And if at any time one or more of them (with the exception of Bekah and Bebe) stops petting him, he'll continuously nudge them, or something of the sort (chinning, nipping, thumping his feet, etc.), until they start right back up again. So it's not just Izzy he pesters for continuous affection. And while Bastian never means any harm with his pestering, it can come across as annoying to those that consistently spoil him at times, which is why those that spoil him often do something to convince him to let them stop petting him before becoming too annoyed with him. And what Izzy chose to do was better than anything his biological relatives have ever done. Rather than rubbing balloons against his (Bastian's) fur like Robbie sometimes does (acting like a clown XD), noogying him like Heather sometimes does, or simply threatening to pick him up and cradle him like a baby like Benny sometimes does (whenever Benny does this, he jokingly sings a lullaby to Bastian as if he actually is a baby and Bastian doesn't like that), for example, Izzy, after changing positions (from a kneeling position over Bastian to an upright sitting position slightly off to the left of Bastian with her legs crossed at the ankles, left over right), simply placed her bare feet right next to Bastian's head and teasingly wiggled her toes at him, purposely tempting him to touch and/or tickle her feet, which he did shortly after she stopped petting him (she pet his back while changing positions in order to avoid suspicion) and after a brief moment of shock. Bastian was so surprised to see Izzy's bare feet resting next to him the moment he turned his head in her direction to try and nudge her once again that he blushed red and hurriedly sat up on his bed in a cross-legged position and also put his striped shirt back on. He couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't believe that there was an adorable pair of little human feet with blue nail polish on every individual wiggling toe right within his reach. And just to be extra sure that what he was seeing was real, he took his left arm and wrapped it around both of Izzy's legs at the ankles, which were still crossed left over right, making Izzy herself squeal and giggle in response, but then scream and cry with laughter once she felt his right hand fingers dancing on her immensely sensitive soles one by one, first her left sole, then her right sole, then her left sole again, then her right sole again, and so on. ;)

 Izzy: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!! *laughed Izzy, now lying on her back and inadvertently trying to pull her defenseless feet out of Bastian's grasp as he tickled them to his heart's content* OHOHOHOHOH MY GOHOHOHOHOSH!!! *she exclaimed, wiggling her toes and pounding her fists with every passing second she felt Bastian's fur brushing against her soft, smooth soles* HAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! OHOHOHOH MY GOHOHOHOHOSH, BAHAHAHAHASTIAN!!! *SQUEAK* HAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! OHOHOHOH MY GOHOHOHOSH, THAT TICKLES SO MUUUUUUUHUHUHUHUHUCH!!! *SQUEAK* GUWEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEHEE!!!

 Bastian: Heeheeheeheeheehee! *Bastian giggled, giddily while continuing to explore every inch of Izzy's soles with his furry right hand fingers* Well, little human sis, if you were trying to get me to let you stop petting me, you succeeded! Heeheeheehee! Man, you just knew that I couldn't resist these pretty feet, didn't you? Heeheeheehee! Didn't you? *he teased, shortly before picking up the pace a little with his fingers*

 Izzy: HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!! *Izzy laughed slightly harder in response to Bastian's fingers dancing slightly faster on her bare soles* YEHEHEHES, I KNEHEHEHEHEHEW!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!! I SOHOHOHO KNEHEHEHEHEW YOU COHOOHOHOULDN'T REEHEEHEESIST THEM, HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, BIG BUHUHUHUNNY BRO!!! *SQUEAK* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *SQUEAK* GUWEEEEEEEEEHEEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEE!!!

 Music to Bastian's ears; Izzy's laughter was pure angelic music to Bastian's long ears with every passing second he spent tickling her soles. And he loved listening to it so much that he didn't want to stop tickling Izzy. Not even for a second! Izzy knew the risks of placing her feet within a feet-loving boy's reach and every second she spent laughing her guts out and flailing about on said feet-loving boy's bed was nothing but a reminder of the decision she had made. She chose to place her feet within Bastian's reach and now she's paying the penalty for it! ;) And while she does personally enjoy being on the receiving end of tickles, she doesn't handle them as well as her big brother does. And she's less ticklish than him for goodness sake! Oh, but Bastian looks so happy tickling Izzy's feet though and seeing how happy he is whilst tickling Izzy's feet is enough for Izzy herself to endure everything he has in store for them, no matter how unconventional some of the things he's planning to do might be. ;)

 Izzy: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! HAHHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! BAHAHAAHHASTIAN, NOHOHOHO!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!! NOT MY TOHOHOHOHOHOES!!!! HAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHA!!!! OHOHOH GOHOHOHOSH, GEHEHEHHET AWAY FROHOHOHOM MY TOHOHOHOHOHOES!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!! *SQUEAK* GUWEEEEEEEEEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEE HEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!!!

 Before too long, Bastian, with his left arm still wrapped securely around Izzy's legs at the ankles, tickled Izzy's toes. One by one Bastian tickled Izzy's toes as well as every individual space between her toes with his right hand fingers, starting with her left big toe (the toe closest to him) and ending with her right big toe (the toe furthest away from him) and eliciting the most precious laughter he’s heard from her thus far. Her toes are more sensitive than her soles and of all the toes he tickled to cause such precious laughter to spill from her mouth, her pinky toes, her most sensitive toes as well as her most sensitive spots overall, were the ones he gave extra special attention to. Bastian was ecstatic to find out that Izzy's pinky toes are where she's most ticklish and then even more ecstatic to find out that both of them are too ticklish to be massaged. And for what felt like a long while, Bastian actually massaged both of them one by one, simply taking his index finger and thumb and gently tugging, twisting, and pulling them in multiple directions and driving Izzy crazy with melodious laughter while she was busy soaking her face in tears and squirming and thrashing on the bed with ticklish glee and also shaking her head so much that her long blonde hair ended up in her face. It sounded so beautiful, her laughter, along with all of the squealing and shrieking she did in between her laughs. And the fun didn't stop after tickling her toes with his fingers either! As soon as he finished playing with the last toe (her right big toe since she had her legs crossed at the ankles), he uncrossed her legs and placed both of her feet adjacent to one another. But he didn't let go of her legs though. With a pair of adorable human feet at his disposal, he didn't want Izzy to get away too easily. Not that Izzy wanted to try and escape or anything, but with a secure grip around both of her ankles, Bastian's left hand around her right ankle and his right hand around her left ankle, Bastian himself faced the opposite direction and then placed her bare feet in his lap, therefore moving her legs to the middle portion of his bed where he was sitting. The sudden relocation of Izzy's legs then prompted Izzy herself to move her entire upper body to the middle portion of the bed as well; not just to make herself a little more comfortable than what she was before the sudden relocation but also to make whatever Bastian was planning to do next easier for him to do. Izzy didn't know what Bastian was planning to do after placing her bare feet in his lap the way he did but whatever it was, it had to be easier for him if she and her feet were directly in front of him rather than at an angle in front of him. And before doing whatever it was he was planning to do, he warned Izzy, informing her that what he was about to do was rather unconventional but also something that he and his cousin, Heather have done to each other before in private on numerous occasions and continue to do in private from time to time. Though in Heather's case, it's more of a kind gesture on her part rather than an actual fondness for feet, which is why Bastian then felt the need to tell Izzy not to tell Heather that he had just told her (Izzy) about their little private tradition. And Izzy won't tell. Bastian's secret is safe with her and she felt honored that Bastian wanted to do his and Heather's private tradition with her in Heather's place. Bastian loves performing unconventional tickling methods on the feet of girls his age as well as girls around his age. And unconventional they were! Once ready, Bastian moved both of Izzy's feet up towards his head and buried his face in her bare soles and took several big whiffs of them, smelling her feet and tickling her while doing so due to his fuzzy face and twitching nose brushing against them with every passing second.

 Izzy: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA!!! BAHAHAHHAHAHASTIAN, OH MY GOHOHOHOHOHOSH!!! *exclaimed Izzy through her frantic laughter, caught completely by surprise the moment she both felt and heard Bastian smelling her feet* HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHA!!! WHEHEHHEHEHELL, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHAAHHAHAHAHAHA, DO THEY AT LEEHEEHEEEHEEAST SMEHEHEHELL GOOHOOHOOD?! *she then asked awkwardly whilst continuing to laugh, despite the fact that she had actually washed her feet after playing outside with Bekah earlier today* HAAHHAHAHAHHHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 Yes! They smell like beautiful flowers, which Bastian himself even pointed out to her in between his sniffs. X3 And while his sniffing of her feet was a rather unconventional method of tickling, Izzy didn't mind. She didn't mind one bit, actually. She's flattered that Bastian loves her feet enough to smell them and finds it heartwarming that Heather does the same to him for no reason other than to make him happy, like how she herself is making him happy just by letting him play with her feet. She's such a good sister to her older adopted brother and after taking enough time to get to know her better, Bastian himself began viewing her as nothing more than another cheeky little sister; a mix of his cousin, Heather and sister, Bekah in terms of personality; rather than a potential crush. …Well, well, well, Heidi was right! Bastian only thought he had a crush on Izzy simply because he finds her cute and likes her feet. But that's not the case anymore! Sure, he still finds her cute and likes her feet but now he's fully aware that his love for her and her feet is purely platonic, along with his love of how ticklish her feet are. X3 For a 10-year-old human girl, Izzy's feet are immensely ticklish and until Bastian finds out how ticklish other humans' feet are (particularly the feet of his adopted cousins, Brad and Justin, hehe), she has the most ticklish pair of human feet he's ever seen. And sniffing them wasn't the only unconventional thing he did to them either. Immediately after sniffing them, he licked her soles as well as the tops of her feet, tickling her once more, but not like someone with a foot fetish. Instead, he licked them the same way a rabbit animal does to display affection, like how Basil used to back when he was alive, actually. Hehe. Yes, before his untimely death, Basil would very frequently lick Izzy's feet… and sniff them the same way Bastian did before licking them… along with one other thing… ;)

 Izzy: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! GYAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAA HAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!! OHOHOHOHOHOH MY GOHOHOHOHOSH, NOHOHOHOW YOHOHOHOU'RE LICKING MY FEEHEEHEEHEEHEET?!?! HAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! WHICH IS PEHEHEHERFECTLY FINE, HAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA, BUT I CAHAHAAHAHAHAN'T HELP BUT WOHOHONDER, HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA, HOW THEY TAHAHAHAHASTE!!! HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!! GOOD, I HOHOHOHOPE!!! *SQUEAK* HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEE!!! *SQUEAK* GUWEEEEEEEEEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!!

 Sweet like candy; that's how they taste! X3 Then after licking Izzy's soles, and just when Izzy herself was beginning to think that Bastian couldn't replicate anything else that Basil used to before his death, he began nibbling her toes and the sides of her feet, which tickled even more than the sniffing and licking of her feet. Seriously! Once those teeth latched onto those cute little toes of hers, Izzy went ballistic with laughter, her eyes open so wide they looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets at any given moment and only closing them once tears began rolling down her cheeks once again while thrashing on the bed and gripping said bed's sheets as tightly as she possibly could, like her life depended on it. Bastian's teeth tickled so much and once he used them on her pinky toes, she was done for. She had completely lost all control once those teeth nibbled her pinky toes. But not for very long though. Noticing Izzy's outrageous reactions to the pinky toe nibbles, Bastian drastically reduced the time he spent nibbling both of her insanely sensitive pinky toes. He's considerate like that. X3 He knows that not everyone handles the receiving end of tickles as well as he does. And that happened to be why he didn't nibble her toes and the sides of her feet for as long as he had initially intended to. For the sake of Izzy's sanity, he decided to cut things short, much to Izzy's relief. But then shortly after the nibbles stopped, Izzy started feeling guilty as well, informing Bastian that she would've let him nibble her feet as much as he wanted and that he didn't need to stop just because she was going crazy. And to that, Bastian said,

 Bastian: Oh no, that's ok, Izzy. There's something else I'd like to do instead, i-i-if you'd be w-willing to l-let me.

 Izzy: Anything! Name it, big bunny bro!

 Bastian: A-are you sure? It's a pretty odd request. *said Bastian awkwardly, drooping his ears*

 Izzy: Heeheehee! Silly rabbit, of course I'm sure! And is it something else that you and Heather do to each other?

 Bastian: Ehehehehe. Y-yes, actually. *answered Bastian in an awkward manner, rubbing his left foot with his right foot* …Izzy, w-would you be w-willing to let me… r-rub… r-r-rub… Urgh! Izzy, would you be willing to let me rub my feet on your head and neck… and f-face? *he then asked in a fast manner, simply to get out every word of what he wanted to ask Izzy* Ehehehehehehe…

 Izzy: Oh! *exclaimed Izzy in surprise, needing a moment to process Bastian's request before giving him an answer* ………Heeheeheeheehee! Ok, sure, why not? I don't see any harm in that.

 Bastian: *gasp* R-really? Yay! Thank you so much!

 With that said, Izzy then moved into a position that allowed Bastian to comfortably rub his feet on her head, lying on her back and sliding under his bed at the foot until only her head and shoulders were sticking out underneath while Bastian himself was sitting at the foot of his bed directly above her. A rather odd request, sure, but Izzy made Bastian so happy letting him rub his feet all over her head. And his feet felt so soft and fluffy too, rubbing against her head, neck, and face with every passing second. They were like pillows, white fluffy pillows. White, fluffy, TICKLY pillows! ;) Very tickly! Every time those feet brushed against Izzy's bare skin, Izzy could not prevent herself from laughing and giggling up a storm. But she didn't care though. For five whole minutes, she embraced the softness of Bastian's fluffy feet. And while doing so, Bastian himself informed her that she didn't have to smell, lick, or nibble his feet at any given moment like Heather usually does either before or after rubbing his feet all over her head. That was polite of him, since Izzy hasn't known him as long as Heather has. And while Izzy didn't smell, lick, or nibble his feet on this particular day (perhaps another time she will), she did however grab hold of both of his legs at the ankles and give his feet some kisses, several pecks on his soles one by one from his heels all the way up to the his balls/pads and then all six of his toes one by one. And since Bastian's feet are ludicrously ticklish, every single of Izzy's kisses tickled like crazy, much to both his and Izzy's delight. ;)

 Bastian: Eeeeeeeep! O-ok, Izzy, *snickers* Izzy, that… Hahahahahahahahaha! *rabbit oink* Eeeeeep! Heeheeheeheeeheeheeheeheeheehee!! Izzy, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! *rabbit honk* Izzy, you're tickling MEEEEEEEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! *rabbit oink* KYEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE…

 Before too long, Izzy stopped kissing Bastian's feet. And since Bastian wasn't expecting her to do such a thing and despite how much fun he had being tickled that way by her, he felt that some playful punishment was in order. After Izzy slid out from underneath his bed a little, until her entire upper body was exposed, Bastian pinned her down with his lucky rabbit feet, applying just enough pressure on her stomach to prevent her from sliding out any further. Then before Izzy could ask any questions, he wiggled his toes against her lower torso on the outside of her tank top, everywhere on her sides, hips, and lower abdomen, causing frantic laughter to spill from her mouth along with several high-pitched squeals.

 Izzy: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!! HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!! BAHAHHAHASTIAN, WHAHAHAT THE HEHEHEHECK?!?! HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!! WHAHHAHAHAHAHAT THE HEHEHEHECK, BIG BUHUHUNNY BROHOHOHO?!?! *asked Izzy through her frantic laughter, rhetorically while her legs were spazzing out underneath Bastian's bed* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! *SQUEAK* HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEEEHEEHEEHEE!!

 Bastian: Heeheeheehee! Just a little payback for those tickly kisses. Heeheeheeheehee! Thank you for those, by the way. X3

 Izzy: HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHO PROHOHOHOBLEM!! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!! AND I WOHOHOHOULD GLAHAHAHADLY KISS YOHOHOUR FEEHEEHEEHEET AGAIN!! *SQUEAK* GYEEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEHEEHEHEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!!

 Bastian: *gasp* You would? Oh my gosh, thank you, Izzy; Sissy Izzy. Heeheeheehee!

 Bastian was so happy to hear Izzy say that she'd be willing to kiss his feet again sometime. And to show his appreciation, he stuck his fluffy feet underneath her tank top and wiggled his furry toes against her bare skin, tickling her even more and making her squeal about every three seconds. And he didn't stop until Heidi and Bekah came into his bedroom to check on him and Izzy and also let them both know that it's almost time for supper.

 Izzy: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHASTIAN, OH MY GOHOHOHOHSH!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! HAAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! OHOHOH MY GUUUUUUUUUUUUUHUHUHUHUHUSH!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA………

 Sometime later…

 Izzy: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!! BIG BUUHUHUHUNNY BROHOHOHO, COHOHOHOME ON!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAVEN'T I BEEHEEHEEN PUHUHUHUNISHED ENOUGH AHAHAHAHHAHALREADY?!?! *SQUEAK* EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 *Knock, knock, knock*

 Heidi: Bastian, Izzy, it's your mother. May Bekah and I come in?

 Bastian: H-Huh? Oh… oh yes, of course! *exclaimed Bastian, hopping right off of his bed and pulling a giggling Izzy out from underneath said bed moments later*

 Heidi: Heeheeheehee! Fantabulous! *said Heidi, opening the door to Bastian's bedroom and then entering said bedroom with Bekah, who currently doesn’t have her usual denim jacket on, by her side*

 Bekah: Hey, Bastian, do you like Izzy now? *asked Bekah bluntly, but innocently at the same time, which alarmed Heidi*

 Heidi: Bekah! Goodness, my dear, I specifically told you not to ask such a question! *exclaimed Heidi, irritated with Bekah for not listening to her*

 Bastian: Hey, hey, Mom, it's alright. It's alright, Mom. Don't be upset with her. *said Bastian, before turning his attention over to Bekah* …Bekah, go ahead, ask me your question. *he then requested, lovingly placing both of his hands on Bekah's shoulders*

 Bekah: Ok! Bastian, do you like Izzy now?

 Bastian: Heeheehee! Oh, Bekah, of course I do. I have for a while now, actually.

 Izzy: Heeheeheehee! Yeah, he just didn't know how to show me how much he liked me… Heeheehee! Until today! *added Izzy, giggling and standing directly behind Bekah* And all I had to do to get him to open up to me was this. *she stated, briefly petting Bekah's head and ears*

 Bekah: Mmmmmmmmmmmmm~ *moaned Bekah happily in response*

 Izzy: Heeheehee! And THIS! *exclaimed Izzy, briefly wiggling her fingers against Bekah's stomach from behind, causing her to squeal, giggle, and laugh and also dance in place a little*

 Bekah: EEEEEEEEEEEEK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHA! IZZY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! IZZY, STOHOHOHOP! *pleaded Bekah, despite the fact that she was enjoying tickles from her big sister* HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! IZZY! *SQUEAK* HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 Heidi: Yes, Izzy, please don't tickle her too much. Your father and I tickled her for quite a while downstairs, you know, right after she helped us tickle each other. Heeheeheehee!

 While Bastian and Izzy were tickling each other in Bastian's bedroom, Heidi, Harvey, and Bekah were all tickling each other downstairs. X3 And baby Bebe was so tired that she ended up sleeping through a lot of it. XD

 Izzy: Wait, you, Dad, and Bekah all tickled each other downstairs? *asked Izzy confusedly, since she didn't hear any laughter from downstairs all the while she was with Bastian*

 Bekah: Heeheeheeheehee! Yeheheheah! *answered a giggly Bekah seconds after Izzy stopped tickling her* Heeheeheeheeheehee!

 Heidi: Why, of course, my dear. What? Did you not hear any of us laughing downstairs?

 Izzy: Pfft! No! Not at all!

 Bastian: What? Really? I could hear all three of them loud and clear.

 Heidi: Heeheeheehee! Yes! And your father, Bekah, and I could all hear both of you loud and clear as well.

 Izzy: Heh. Well clearly your hearing is better than mine.

 Heidi: Heeheeheehee! Yes, clearly it is, if your father, Bekah, and I could all hear you clear as day but you couldn't hear any of us.

 Bastian: Heeheehee! Wow. So humans don't hear as well as rabbit monsters do, huh? Heeheeheehee! Well, gee, that sure is good to know! *said Bastian cheekily, placing his right arm around Izzy and pointing out to everyone listening how Izzy's inferior hearing might make her a relatively easy target for harmless pranks and sneak tickles*

 Izzy: Wait, what's that supposed to mean? *asked Izzy nervously* …Mom?

 Heidi: Heeheeheehee! Oh, it's probably nothing, my dear. I wouldn't worry about it. Heeheeheehee! Alright, now who's hungry? *asked Heidi, deliberately changing the subject*

 Bastian: This bunny rabbit is! *exclaimed Bastian in response, pointing at himself with his right thumb* Heeheeheehee! Race you downstairs, my precious little sisters?

 Bekah: *gasp* Eeeeeeee! Yes, Bastian, yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Heeheeheehee!

 Izzy: Heeheehee! Sure, why not? Heeheeheehee! (I’ve got my eye on you, mister. No funny business! Heeheehee! Ok, maybe a little funny business. Heeheehee!)

 And with that, Izzy ran downstairs alongside her older adopted brother and the older of her two younger adopted sisters. And while the former acted a little mischievous towards her moments before heading downstairs for some supper, she was very grateful to have spent so much time with him today. She learned so much more about Bastian and in turn, Bastian learned so much more about her. And they had so much fun together too, tickling each other. And at the end of the day, Izzy and Bastian cuddled together on the very bed they tickled each other on until both of them fell asleep; Izzy in a light pink and white striped tank top and pink flannel pants and Bastian in a pair of teal lounge pants and shirtless for Izzy to snuggle against his silky soft fur. X3 A fantabulous end to a fabulous day as both their mother, Heidi and aunt, Harriet would say. :) And from that point forward, both Bastian and Izzy had many more adventures together, along with the other members of their family. But that's another story. ;)

 THE END.

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #14

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

[AO3]

~POV Mori~

I woke up when it was still dark out. Only the faintest light came in my windows.

I hadn't done anything yesterday. Just laid down and rested for the first time in a long time. The doctor's were convinced I needed one more day of rest, but I knew I was already better. When was the last time I had just let my body rest like that when I wasn't sick? I couldn't remember. This peace was nice.

The quiet of sunrise was only broken by the faint sound of bird calls in the distance. I sat up and closed my eyes. I focused everything on my other senses. I couldn't hear the ocean easily from here. I had wanted to use the sounds of the waves to meditate, but I would just have to do without.

It had been a few days since I last checked in with myself and really focused inward. I could still feel them, all of the Black Rukh that had merged with me back in Balbadd. They were much calmer than before. And they felt like a part of me now, like I might be incomplete if they were suddenly gone. I knew each one from the dreams too. Their lives were mine and each also now knew my life as their own.

Going through all of their lives on the ship would have been painful even without being sick. These were angry souls and they did not welcome the inner peace I was offering easily, but a person's Rukh doesn't lie. After reading this world's truth through my memories they all calmed.

All of us lived lives of loss and poverty and trauma. That must have been another part of why we were able to fully merge in such a short time.

As Black Rukh they couldn't return to the Great Flow where the rest of their loved ones were, but they at least had each other within me.

It was a very strange feeling.

And along with their lives and Rukh, their magoi was also now mine. What had felt like a small pool now felt like a large lake. I had a lot more magoi at my disposal now that they were fully integrated with me.

The Great Bell range and I grounded myself in the present.

Only then did it occur to me that I was probably sick, and suffering from the influx of Rukh separately at the same time. It had been both all along. Whatever illness I had was worsened by my situation with the Rukh. I hadn't lost my magoi manipulation during it, but it was probably learning it ahead of time that had saved me. There's no way such a large amount of Rukh entering me wouldn't have made my body unstable.

Would the doctors understand if I explained it to them? I should ask Sinbad before saying something unnecessary.

The dim light from my windows called to me. I got out of my bed, put on my glasses, and sat on the sill of one them at the encouragement of the waves.

Like this, I could look down and see the Palace court yard. On the other side of the court yard were the Silver Scorpio (martial arts training), and Black Libra (libraries & schools) Towers, behind them to the left was the Red Cancer Tower (military) and fully to the left was the Purple Leo Tower where Sinbad lived. Since I was on a high floor I could easily see all of the towers of the Palace from my windows -all except the White Capricorn Tower where Ja'far does most of his work since that building was on the other side of this one.

It was so strange. Looking at all this made it real that I was really here. How many times had I reread or rewatched scenes wondering what it would feel like to be here?

I rested my head on the window frame as I watched the growing light from the sunrise.

The guards changed.

The sun was fully risen. Ja'far would be waking up Sinbad soon if he hadn't already.

Two people walked out of the Purple Leo Tower -a guard and a woman. She wasn't wearing a uniform. In fact she was wearing less than the citizens I saw the other day.

"Oh, right."

Sinbad has a call girl see to him after Ja'far wakes him up.

I had the 3rd fan book for the anime which contains a day-in-the-life for a bunch of the main characters. It was only in Japanese, but I had learned enough (and could look up what I didn't know) to at least read his schedule.

The direct translation was for a "temporary woman" which from what I've found is the Japanese term for a fem sex worker. I've seen some translations for Magi's extra material refer to them as "call girls" so that was the term I chose to use.

The franchise used the word "harem" in a bunch of places, but purposely didn't use it here. That combined with an omake of Sinbad having a nightmare about being married and having a harem made it clear that Sinbad did not have a harem; he had the whole red-light district of his country to choose from.

Hold on... That book wasn't supposed to reach my house until after I had Isekaied so how did I know it's contents? There were barely any scans or photos of pages online-

*Knock knock*

My thoughts

were cut off when breakfast arrived -with more medicine of course.

---

~POV Sinbad~

Nearly a week had passed since King Sinbad had arrived home. There was a lot to catch up on. As much as he wanted to finally relax after everything that happened in Balbadd he didn't really have the time for it. Even after catching up he would still have to prepare for his trip to the Kou Empire. And Ja'far wasn't letting him forget either responsibility.

None of this stopped him from having his slow mornings. He at least gave himself that little slice of heaven.

This was business as usual -at least it was supposed to be- but Sinbad couldn't shake a growing feeling that he couldn't name. It was making him unsettled. The waves didn't give him any answers and drinking hadn't made it go away. It felt similar to missing important.

He wasn't missing any paperwork. There had been an issue with one of their supply ships going missing, and another being delayed, but he had already decided how to proceed. He was definitely interested in the progress the Black Libra Tower was making with testing Mori's theories, but the experiments would take time and they had already scheduled a meeting for an update. The new guests were still settling in. Alibaba was a mess and Aladdin was only marginally better the last time he had visited, but Morgiana was fine and already training with Masrur regularly. According to the doctors reports, Mori would be better in another day or so, and the reports he got from the maids said she was resting every day after giving that partial scroll.

Maybe this was impatience. Aside from his paperwork, everything interesting was either done or waiting for the next step.

Sinbad often walked his country in the evening, but there was no reason he couldn't check on things now. He didn't have time to go for a walk at that moment, but he could spare the magoi needed to use Zepar and fly around the country using the bird he had possessed with the Djinn's power. This wouldn't be the first time he'd done this while working on paperwork.

The bird was sitting on a railing in the city center when Sinbad took over. From this spot he could make some quick rounds in the city and then maybe make a stop in the Black Libra Tower to get a sneak peak at what they had found out so far.

The same old gossip filled most of the streets. Some price complaints, who just had a child, how work was going...

"You're serious? A prophet?”

"My husband saw the scrolls she made from her visions with his own two eyes."

Now that was new gossip.

Sinbad had the bird land near by the two women.

"Oh? What was in them?"

"He said it was like reading secrets of the world."

"Really???"

"Mhmm." She nodded. "Not everyone believes it though so they are all working to test her writing."

"Didn't you just say she was brought in by our King? Do they really think he'd be fooled by some false prophet?"

"I said the same thing! And you know what my husband said? He said that they need to find proof even if they believe the Prophet because otherwise we won't be able to prove it to our allied countries."

"I guess that makes sense..."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Oh! I think I might know what she looks like!”

"What? How? You only learned about her just now."

"When King Sinbad came home, there was a girl on some magical flying cloth, remember? That has to have been the Prophet!"

"I think you're right!"

To two moved on to some other gossip and King had the bird fly towards the Palace. Listening to talk about his Beautiful Prophet reminded him of his mission to peek at what was happening in the Black Libra Tower. Being able to bypass the stairs and the gates made the journey much faster.

The Sun was already in the western side of the sky. Shadows were cast onto the court yard from the Black Libra Tower. The stone of the Green Sagittarius Tower was nearly blinding white from the direct light. Color flashed in the corner of his eye as the bird flew past the upper levels of the guest tower. Before his thoughts had fully registered the familiar shade of nearly black indigo, Sinbad was guiding the bird to investigate. He landed on the railing of one of the windows and looked at the young woman resting against that same window's frame.

Mori looked just as surprised to see a bird land right in front of her as he was to be there. Sinbad had purposely been avoiding using Zepar to spy on Mori since she somehow knew that he had eavesdropped on her before. It had been days since he last saw her, so when she was suddenly an option-

"Heh hehe"

Mori's chuckle and smile took his full attention. He didn't know what had made her laugh, but he hoped she'd do it again.

"Sir, are you aware you are a bird?” After the words passed her lips she was struck by a giggle fit.

Sinbad had no idea what she was thinking or why she had said that to a bird, but he was hearing her voice for the first time in nearly a week so he'd worry about figuring it out later.

When Mori finished laughing at her own joke she leaned her head to the side and watched him. Her hair shifted and another lock spilled over her shoulder. The sight brought attention to the low neckline of the dress she was wearing. If Sinbad was there in person he would have brushed her hair out of the way just to have an excuse to touch her.

"Did you miss me that much?" Her voice was soft and a bit playful. "You didn't have to use Zepar to visit me."

Mori knew it was him! Sinbad jolted and his head hit the back of his chair in his office. How could she tell? Only magicians could see magoi and Rukh to see the spell active on the bird.

"Sin, is something wrong?-” Ja'far had just entered the room to give his afternoon report.

King Sinbad raised a hand for him to be quiet and tapped Zepar's ring to explain the situation. He didn't want to talk and miss something Mori said or did.

The General's expression turned serious and nodded as he went quiet.

When Mori didn't get a response from the bird she added, "Are you surprised that I knew it was you?" Her smile was warm as the sun. "I have read your Fate many times, so I will always recognize you, my King."

Normally, the idea that someone could see through Zepar's magic would concern him, but this didn't. It strengthened his belief that Fate had guided Mori to him.

And the affectionate way she said "my King" at the end made him smile. The waves had moved like this a few times like the last time he had seen her in person, and when he learned she could also feel the waves. The Great Flow of the Rukh was guiding them to the Fate he could see, the one where she lived the rest of her life by his side.

Ja'far sighed. "Just let me know when I can give you my report."

Mori whipped her head towards the door to her room. "They're here early."

There were the sounds of people walking in the hallway, but no voices to denounce who, or their destination. All the same, Mori got up and walked to the door. She opened it before the doctors had a chance to knock.

"How did you...?" One of the doctors asked.

"I recognized the sound of your footsteps," was her answer.

"I see.... And how are you feeling today?"

Mori walked into her room, and spared a glance at the bird still watching her from the window. "I feel fine. Just like yesterday." She turned back towards the door and sat on the edge of her bed. "So can I finally leave this room?"

The doctors were understanding but they still were going to do a full check up first.

Even without the waves it was obvious that Mori was going to be marked as full health. Sinbad would prefer to go see her immediately and give her a tour of the Palace personally, but he was still a King with responsibilities. "Ja'far, Mori has just been declared healthy. What do you think of everyone having dinner together to get everyone better aquatinted?"

"I didn't hear anything about-” Ja'far started and then cut himself when he realized. "Were you just using Zepar to spy on her??"

"Of course not." Sinbad said with all of the confidence of the King he was. "I flew directly to her and she recognized me instantly. I wasn't spying at all."

"She recognized you??" Of course he'd be shocked.

King Sinbad laughed. "She did. Though she was surprised to see me."

"I bet she was surprised to suddenly see a bird in her room. What made you think to use Zepar instead of visiting her in person? You're already getting regular reports on her condition." Ja'far always acted as a buzz kill.

It didn't stop Sinbad from laughing at the situation before finally asking for that report he postponed earlier -conveniently avoiding answering Ja'far's question.

The magician in Mori's room was talking. "Would you be interested in visiting the Black Libra Tower with us? We can show you how the experiments are going. And if possible, would you be willing to answer some questions?"

That was an understandable request, but it could wear her out.

The Prophet was facing away from the windows so Sinbad couldn't see her expression. "I'd really like that actually." But he could hear the excitement growing in her voice.

"Let me get changed real quick." Mori disappeared behind her folding wall and emerged in the outfit he met her in.

Sinbad did not drop control of the bird, but he also didn't follow Mori out of her room. Instead he waited in the window sill until he saw her enter the courtyard and then had the bird fly to the Black Libra Tower.

---

As soon as he finished whatever last minute things Ja'far was about to add to his pile, Sinbad would go to the Black Libra Tower and surprise his Beautiful Prophet in person.

~POV Mori~

In the manga and in the anime the only areas shown of the Black Libra Tower were Yamuraiha's office/lab and one of the libraries. I was more than curious about the rest of the facilities.

The first room seemed to be a reception area and had a map of the tower. I only got to glance at the separations between the libraries, offices and class rooms before a tall and lanky magician walked up to us.

"Is this her??” Her short ponytail bounced as she looked between me and my guides.

Isa, the magician who had been taking care of me the past few days, introduced me. "This is Lady Mori, the Prophet!” He acted like he was showing off the coolest toy on the playground.

The tall woman got right up in my face. "I knew she had to be the Prophet! The Rukh don't normally move this way around people."

Before I got to respond she started rambling comments and questions that covered everything in maroon and peacock blue getting sponged across a cream canvas. I stepped back and Isa cut her off. "Lady Mori will be answering everyone's questions in time. We were just on our way to see Yamuraiha so I can show her how everything has been coming along. You are welcome to join us."

She definitely joined us. As did many others who spotted us or were called over by others in our procession.

We walked through a few library areas, and up a few flights of stairs. As we passed various rooms and areas I was told what or who would be inside, but I wouldn't remember any of the specifics until I had a chance to use the space and explore on my own. What did stick was that most of the classrooms were next to the libraries and the labs were near the offices.

Yamuraiha must have heard our group from down the hall because her head popped out from one of the rooms ahead of us. "What is going on out here??” Then she made eye contact with me. "It's you!!"

That made me smile. I fought back responding 'it's me!' like I would with my friends. "I'm Mori. I'm glad I'm finally getting the chance to meet you, Yamuraiha!” I stopped walking when I got 3 yards/meters away.

She immediately pulled her staff against her chest with both hands. Her shoulders tensed but she had an enthusiastic smile. "The pleasure is all mine!"

Yamuraiha was amazing, smart, and endearing. I really wanted to be friends with her.

I out stretched my hand to shake hers. "I'm really excited to work with you, and learn more about magic even though I'm not a magician."

"The feeling is mutual!” She took my hand more than matching my excitement. And when she released it said, "Since you're here, would you like to see what we've been working on from the scrolls you gave us?"

"Yes please!”

---

The lab she lead us to was a little down the hall. All of my scrolls were spread out on one table and a bunch of notes and different materials were on an other.

Yamuraiha pulled out parchment that had a complicated magic circle written on it. "We can't do much yet, and it still takes a catalyst and many magicians at once to control the amount of magoi safely but our alchemy magic has made a breakthrough from your writing."

She asked a few of the magicians that came with me to join her. They pointed their staffs and wands at the magic cycle. A large crystal in the room started glowing, and the Rukh lit up the space from within the circle. Specks were pulled out of the pile of ingredients nearby -dirt, scraps paper, a small potted plant- and gathered at the center of the circle. The light got too bright for me to look straight at it and when it faded there was a small dark grey cube in the middle of the circle. It looked like a die with no markings.

Yam explained. "After reading about 'atoms' and 'bonds' in your scrolls it was like finding the missing piece. It will still be a long time before we can perfect the process, and we still can't make anything bigger than this yet, but soon we will be able to make anything we want!"

((In the future I intend to: reference more old memes, describe more of my experience with synesthesia, and explain more basic history and science. SO you all have been warned lol))

I had to respond; I couldn't just continue staring in awe. When I tried to answer I ended up gasping since had forgotten to breathe. I chuckled at my own shock as well as the situation. I looked up at them. "You're all amazing to be able to develop this already from the little I wrote!" I looked back at the stone. "I knew I wrote the keys to Yunan's signature alchemy magic in those scrolls, but to think you've already gotten this far with it -its amazing."

With this -when developed farther- we could make certain materials without having to worry about the pollution, and break things down easily so we won't have to worry about garbage piling up everywhere.

"Did you say Yunan? The Magi, Yunan?" Yamuraiha looked at me with wide eyes.

"Yes." It was my turn to explain. "Yunan is able to use alchemy magic like this on a grand scale. In the Fates I read he will have reason to visit Sindria in about 2 years. He creates a cabin and food in the middle of the Palace court yard so he has somewhere comfortable to stay."

The bird in the window ruffled it's feathers.

"Yunan explains the basic concept of how that magic works when asked, and since I know the science of the physical world I know the details to what he was talking about." My smile widened. "I hope my notes were easy to understand. Please let me know if you have any questions."

[longinglook]

I may or may not have spent my entire Sunday binge watching all of I told sunset about you and Gaya sa pelikula and now I have so many thoughts and feelings that I need to write about them so here we go! Under a read more (if tumblr allows me to) because it’s 2k words hehe

First of all, I knew next to nothing about both shows before starting them. I had seen a couple of gifs here and there, but really had no idea what I was in for.

I started with I told sunset about you, which has 3 episodes out of 5 out. All I knew is that it was going to be beautiful and possibly sad, and it was. Everything about this show is so high quality, from the audio to the dialogue to the locations to the acting, just wow. The production is better than a lot of movies I’ve seen, and every technical aspect is perfect. I am really loving the plot so far as well, I find the childhood friendship to stubborn rivalry to grown up friendship again very relatable. I think it’s a very common experience for a lot of non straight folks to develop an extremely close bond with a same sex friend when you’re too young to realize what you’re actually feeling for them until you’re a lot older and suddely the jealousy and possessivenes all make sense.

I love the recurring themes sprinkled throughout the episodes, starting from the chinese vocabulary that expresses the core thoughts of the two main characters: rival, intimacy, secret, male protagonist, as promised. They could easily be the episode titles, or the names of imaginary sections the show could be divided into. It’s a great way to integrate metaphors and deeper meaning into the plot.

That’s how most of the communication goes in this show, deep emotions are never conveyed through words because words are scary and loud and they can’t be taken back once they’re out there. The plot advances though stares and gestures and touch and gorgeous shots of the landscape. The pace is slow with hour-long episodes that could each be a movie of their own. This worried me a bit before starting, and I have to admit that at times I struggled to stay focused, especially during scenes that set the mood but don’t do much plot-wise. This is just a personal preference, though, and in no way I see it as a flaw. 

The dancing around each other the main characters do, sometimes literal, is frustrating but it determines an emotional build up that’s just starting to reach its peak. This is one of those shows that has me screaming if only they talked to each other, but the silences and unspoken words are so well directed and acted that it works. I struggle a lot with keeping in mind that they’re still in high school, they’re very young and I can’t expect them to act rationally just yet. 

I was really worried about Teh possibly going the insufferable Theory-of-love-khai way, and I am still not 100% sold on him. When he started helping Oh-aew again it felt like he was just doing it to make himself feel better about the whole thing. It was frustrating to see him so possessive and jealous while also so deeply in denial about his own feelings, to the point where he had me rooting for Bas instead. He was getting better, but then he fled at the end of episode 3 and now I have no clue what’s going to happen next. About this, I really have no idea if they’re going for a happy ending or a sad one. I’m really hoping it will be good, because so far there has been barely any emotional payoff for all the repressed longing and misunderstanding the show has put us through.

I do like their dynamic a lot though, I have a weak spot for childhood friends reconnecting and an ever weaker spot for informal mentor/mentee relationships. Oh-aew asking Teh to tutor him until he passes the admission exam was an almost exact mirror of Yuri on ice Yuri begging Victor to be his coach until he retires and I loved that a lot.

Now on to the one issue I have with this show: it feels too much like an art film. It reminds me of Moonlight and Call me by your name, in the way that I wasn’t able to connect with those movies because they are too perfect. They are so beautiful and carefully crafted that I can’t fully immerse myself in them. There’s a filter that stops me from relating to the characters and constantly reminds me that this is not reality. It’s pretty, it’s extremely well done, but it feels like art. It has some quirks, some scenes that feel too artificial. One scene in particular, the one where Teh buries his head in the paper Oh-aew wrote with his coconut scented pen to sniff it, which is a direct parallel to Call me by your name, bothered me in particular. Just as it felt over-the-top and purposefully weird in the movie, so it feels in the show. It’s a way of showcasing how a confused teen deals with attraction he barely understands, it’s raw and animalistic in a way, but it’s so quirky that all it accomplishes is to remind me that I’m watching an lgbt show. It makes me wonder if a scene like this would make sense in a straight relationship because here it seems to highlight how different and primal his attraction is. If I had to pinpoint it, I’d say that I have a problem with media showcasing queerness though peculiar, purposefully awkward scenes like these instead of normal kissing and cuddling.

Overall, I can’t wait to see how this show ends and I still think it’s one of the best bls to air in 2020, if not ever. It’s refreshing to see something with a big budget used well! So far my rating is 8/10, which I know is a lot lower than what everyone else seems to think but it’s still very much subject to change! Just hoping they won’t pull a Make our days count, but I doubt they’ll go there.

And now Gaya sa pelikula. Wow. Again, I knew next to nothing about this show before watching, and I was coming from a 3 hour I told sunset about you binge watch, so the bar was pretty high.

And boy, did this show deliver. I was blown away by the depth and the humor of it. It feels like the writers had fun taking all sorts of common tropes and stereotypes just to show everyone how well they can be evolved and made complex. Two strangers who somehow find themselves sharing an apartment sounds like the start of so many fanfictions out there, but it’s so well executed and interesting that you don’t even stop to think about how weak the premises for their meeting are. It doesn’t matter and it’s not even that far-fetched, either. The sister and the neighbor are also two characters that start off as extra stereotyped, but in just a few scenes they unveil an incredible depth and backstory. It blew me away.

Each character is so realistic. Everything they do and say makes sense, they all have their reasons and their past and they react accordingly, it’s so coherent. It’s impressive how everything takes place inside the house and you barely realize it because things happen and the plot moves anyways, and the way information about external events and people is conveyed is so seamless that you don’t even notice it. In only 7 episodes (so far) they have managed to give everyone a complex background and personality through the use of objects and small details and wow don’t get me started on the music.

The soundtrack is SO GOOD. I never really pay attention to music in shows but it plays a very important role here in my opinion and, well, it’s exactly the kind of music I like listening to and ahhh I just spent 4 hours playing the first kiss song on loop so I might be biased. Right from the start in episode 1, when Karl gives in to Vlad’s music and starts dancing to it, it’s established that it’s an important element to the mood of each scene. I love how the dancing I talked about for I told sunset about you comes back here, but while I saw it as a hesitant dancing around each other there, here it’s the opposite, it’s freeing and it’s about accepting yourself. And the end of episode 6 highlights this, with the beautiful quote “You are entitled to a love that lets you dance without fear and shame.” It made me cry a looooot.

I think the development of their relationship is masterfully done. It doesn’t happen too quickly nor too slowly. Karl goes through some needed shocks that act as his wake up call. When I’m watching bl shows I care the most about them feeling real and relatable. I don’t want to feel like they were written by a straight person trying to guess what it’s like to be gay. Now I didn’t look anything up about the Gaya sa pelikula writers, but I’d be very surprised if they were straight. I can relate to both Karl and Vlad for different aspects of their stories and their worries and thoughts. There was one part in particular that hit so close that I had to take a few breaks because it hurt too much. I am a lesbian, I’ve had relationship with a girl that lasted over a year, I am out to some friends but not all. I never came out to my parents, who are both very open minded and friends with a lot of gay people and would love me just as much if I told them, and yet I can’t. It’s not just that, I am terrified by the idea of them already knowing or being able to guess. When Karl freaked out over his uncle guessing, it hit me so hard because I’ve felt the same way so many times.

Episode 7 was amazing. I hate badly written drama the most, and 99% of shows can’t come up with any good reason for drama but they have to put it in there anyways and it sucks. This was the complete opposite, I adored it and I say this as a lover of fluff. It feels right, I think it’s an issue that would come up between two people like them. They are both right and the only thing that could happen there is what actually went down. I definitely think things will be fixed by the end and I am looking forward to it, but I am very glad this issue was included because it’s so important and so true to many lgbt people’s lives.

Another aspect I absolutely adored are the multiple references to lgbt theory and language, and Vlad has some of the best lines I’ve ever heard coming from a bl. When he tells Karl not to be afraid of the word, when he explains that “you don’t look gay” isn’t a compliment, when he scolds his sister for not acknowledging the things she used to say to him by covering them up with her ally act, those are all such important and educative moments that I hope everyone listens to. I love that Vlad is not correcting some ignorant bad guy, but it’s his accepting and loving friends and family that make the mistakes, because sometimes being supportive your own way isn’t enough if you’re not actively learning from the ones you want to support.

This is a 10/10 for me right now. I can’t find anything I don’t like about it. It never feels boring, it never feels overdone, it never feels cheap or unoriginal. It went straight to the top of my favorite bls.

And now I can’t help but compare the two a bit, because yes they are two different shows but right now the relationships they portray have reached the same point: there has been a climax and now the one who is more confused about his sexuality is panicking and taking a step back. It’s a coincidence that I watched both shows on the same day when their last aired episodes end in such a similar way, but it really leads me to compare the two. I don’t want to put them one against each other or say which one did it better because that’s not the point of this, they are both two amazing and important shows who are excelling in what they’re doing. 

Gaya sa pelikula is down to earth, it’s explicit and it’s straight to the point in explaining what’s going on inside each character’s head. It feels like watching real people deal with real struggles. I told sunset about you is a lot more subtle and quiet, and since we don’t really have a clear insight in the characters’ heads sometimes it’s hard to completely understand what’s going on with them. It’s a completely different way of narrating, and while Gaya sa pelikula makes me feel like I’m a part of the events, I told sunset about you feels like I’m just spectating from an outside perspective. They are different choices, but one of them ends up feeling a lot more emotional to me than the other.

To wrap it up, I highly recommend both shows and I can’t wait to see how they’ll end! They are both among the best shows of the year, both free of all those annoyingly stereotyped characters and plot points that most bls tend to overuse.

[masterbeta29]

My review of Pokemon SwSh!!!! (or just Shield, cuz it was the version I play, LOL)

Finally, after finishing the game (including the Post game) and fully exploring the region, I think it’s time for me to say what I think of this 8 gen…

I know it’s obvious, but I mention it just in case: This is MY OPINION!!!, if someone disagrees with me its totally valid, I just ask for respect.

ALSO, English is not my first language so I might have certain lack/erros of spelling out there, or I repeat many words, hehe.

It is important to clarify that this review is based on SwSh base, everything that refers to DLC will NOT be included here, my opinion of the game is already done, the rest is extra content.

I wanted to give this review a more ‘’silly’’ tone, since giving negative opinions on the internet can be quite delicate and I wanted to relax the mood. Do not take this seriously, I still have my CONS with the game, but it is still genuinely enjoyable, which for me is the most important thing in a game.  I will talk about everything in general, so I will try to summarize certain points.

LET’S GO!!!

NEW FEATURES

Poke Camp, Curry Dex, Boxes and more

It’s like a dream come true for me, visiting other camps, seeing my whole party next to each other in the screen playing, discussing, running, is something really magical helps, me connect with them and know their personalities better, although I admit that I miss petting them lol and the minigames like in Gen 6. I also really liked the concept of curry as an alternative way to cure your Pokémon maybe I just wish there was a simpler way to know how to create new recipes (ALSO TMs).

Access to boxes anywhere is wonderful especially when you are breeding, just like, changing the name of trade Pokémon and the move reminder.

Rotomphone

It is not used as much as a phone, more than in the post Game (I can be wrong tho) but it serves as Dex and that’s what’s important really, the new feature is that now it includes the bicycle, that can ride both on land and water and in my opinion it is a degradation of what the concept of  “Poke Ride” was, but as I said before, it fulfill the function it should.

Trainer Cards

The concept of being able to share and customize them with other players is super entertaining, although it is a bit annoying that you always have to make a new code for each small modification. As for the cards of the main characters of the game, I will talk with a little more detail later. 

Dynamax

At the beginning it was fun and exciting, but in the end it just became a gimmick that sometimes I had to use by obligation in raids. It is not as epic as the Megas and does not have the weight of the lore and cultural/regional connection like the Z-moves.

The Giga forms, although some are great, and I am happy that they gave Pokémon like Garbodor love, I also think that there were many missed opportunities, starting with the starters of the region or in giving forms to Pokémon that in previous generations already had like Gengar and Charizard.

Raids

They are incredibly fun, it is an activity that you can spend hours and hours enjoying, especially with friends but if we talk about NPCs… OOF, I understand that the purpose of Pokemon is that we all make friends and work as a team, but DAMN, if it is stressful when you lose a raid with 3 friends and an NPC, because the Pokémon only killed the NPC, it is almost impossible to defeat a 5 star raid with only NPCs, and as I said before I understand why they do them weaker, but there are some that are completely useless, I see you Martin Solrock lol.

Poke Jobs and Rotom Rally

I  will be honest, I have not used these features enough to have a solid judgment on these lol.

CHARACTERS

Magnolia

OK, I need to get this off my chest: I am incredibly disappointed and sad with this character, especially since she is/was our first old female professor, to be simply pulled into forgettable land.

It started pretty well, but then it just disappeared until almost the end of the game to give the role of professor to Sonia … REALLY ?! I hate to say this, but she felt more like a device to give character development to Sonia, when she could have been used in scenes with Rose or repeatedly going into further detail about Dynamax for the MC (you know because she’s an expert about that topic…), before give the paper to Sonia. At least I am grateful that I had a little more screen time in the post game, although not even as a professor.

Sonia

Thank you Sonia, for allowing us to discover and know the story with you, honestly she was the one who saved mostly my interest in the story. 

But speaking of the character, I like her, I like her dedication to get out of the shadow of Leon’s achievement and to show her grandmother that she is capable, which she finally manages to fulfill, she still has certain insecurities, but that makes her more human, she’s the real professor (I’m still salty for Magnolia tho)

Leon

Everyone knows from the posts on my PT on Twitter that I constantly bullying the character, but I really like him a lot, he is an excellent guide/brother through the game, charismatic, EXTRA, but very involved in his role as champion, in the sense that he is always aware of what is going on and helping in the process, in addition to being strong (one of the most difficult battles in the game). Definitely among my fav champions with Cynthia, Steven and Kukui (I count him as champion, SU!)

Gym Leaders

I love them, their designs, personalities, the animations, they are all incredibly memorable, my favorites are Opal, Kabu and Piers. 

But even so, I wish I had more to go on besides the lore on the back of their cards and their battle animations, I would have liked to see them more integrated in the story, and I feel that it lack a little more interaction with some of them, especially Allister and Melony in my case, but at least the trainer cards were a good addition to know them a little more, outside of being a Gym Leader.

RIVALS

OK, I’m prepared for everyone to hate me, *sigh*:

I… I DONT LIKE BEDE AND MARNIE THAT MUCH?… I mean, I don’t hate them, and they are both far from being the worst rivals, but I did expect a little more from both…

Bede

I am one of the few of the fandom that does not like rivals flat jerks, because for me, that is not a character but rather  a trait.

But I wanted to give it a try, and when I was just beginning to gain interest in him, they force his backstory in my face… And as I said, I like trainer cards…but more in characters, like G.leaders because these are characters that we don’t see much around the trip, but in the case of rivals, that appear several times and develop in the story, I personally like to get to know them little by little, discover their story and understand them in the course, here I felt it more as an excuse for me, to feel bad for him, especially at the moment he gives you his card.

His relationship with Rose is not explored enough imo. 

And a complete turn-around that happens offscreen, like no joke, the MC literally didn’t see any of it, he just disappears after the Opal scene (but to give him credit, that scene is one of my favorites in the game).

But you know, I understood that he was just a lost boy, and I’m happy that he found a better place, and I admire his effort to want to change, so in the end I ended up liking him a little more.

Marnie

Marnie is interesting, because although I agree with many people that she would have benefited from having more screen time, I consider that a good character does not need all the screen time in the world, is about what but what they do with it, and the problem I have with her is that her time was not well spent.

I like her dream and I really like her relationship with her brother, however there was no moment when I really connected with her. I feel partly, that I don’t know her character, like her various personality facets. 

Untapped opportunities: fight with her more times or with her…would have helped the character a lot imo.

Hop

Hop is the best rival of the three hands down, his trainer card contains the right and necessary information to make us have an interest in the character, but also the story lets us know him more: a competitive boy, but who has insecurities, fears of failure, that is reflected not only by the dialogue but also in his Pokemon team (no really, it broke my heart when I realized that he didn’t have his Wooloo in his team), that he is frustrated and suffers, but he gets up, discovers other tastes and with these finds a new path, ugh perfect, I adore him.

Forcing the player to defeat him is torture, it is like defeating Hau in USUM and Wally in ORAS breaks my heart.

Rose

In short: ok character, decent /meh antagonist, and a horrible villain. 

Like the climax of the story, Rose is forced in the end to be the villain, when he worked best as an antagonist, his plan makes no sense, his battle is disappointing, although his battle theme is awesome, but it just does not fit the character, the plan, nor the situation at all.

But the character has a certain charisma, especially in his ‘’suit especially in his incognito suit.”

Oleana

Interesting character, with a potential backstory, with motives and characterization, who is underused in the story * sigh *… I LIKE HER THO

Overall, I would have liked to see much more of the relationship between Rose, Oleana and Bede, I think it would have benefited the 3 characters…

Team Yell

They are … ok, it is cool to have a team that is not villain, that bother the player from time to time even for good reasons, I admire his dedication and loyalty.

THE REGION

The region is aesthetically beautiful, the details, the structure, the contrast for example between Hammerlocke and Ballonlea, and despite not living in the UK or having had the opportunity to travel to the destination, according to my friends the region in which the games are based is very well related, which I think is excellent. However, despite the visual beauty, when it comes to routes and exploration it feels a bit limited, there are really some towns, where the most interesting thing to do is complete the Gym, there are almost no reasons to return to the previous town after having passed them…

But, what I missed the most was the lack of exploration, discovery, the charm of the NPCs…

Many have told me: what about the Wild Area? Because of the ability to explore in an open area, it is probably the best in the franchise! and yes, the Wild Area is a very attractive part of these games (I will talk a little bit about this, later), but as I said, everything that is considered part of the capacity of the new console, I will not take it into account, it is unfair, because a portable console can NOT stand a concept such as the Wild Area although the developers had the idea before, not at least at SwSh scale.

And as I said before and again, the T.Cards are an incredible idea, but for me NOTHING compares to getting to know the characters through the world, dialogue, interaction… I’m going to use pokemon Moon as an example to make me understand better: (because it was the last main pokemon game I played before SwSh and that’s why I have it more fresh lol) Where you can enter Olivia’s shop, buy jewelry and visit her room and discover that she is a desperate single woman, or enter Gladion’s room and talk to the receptionist and that she tells you part of his story, that kind of things…

Let’s see for example Melony, we know she has more children besides Gordie, but only for concept art, and yes, probably do unique models would take a while, but I honestly wouldn’t have be bothered  if they use generic NPCS, they did it with Lana’s sisters, then the anime can dedicated to giving them unique designs.

Speaking of NPCs (mainly of those inside the houses), many lost the charm and authenticity they had… I mean, where is the lady who told us the story of her husband’s accident or the men of the coffee shop, who every time he prepares us a drink told us the story of where such a drink came from, ect… the NPCS on that side are boring…

EXCEPT BALL GUY, he / she is awesome!

I know this look like extra or unimportant things, but these little details really give life to the region, personality to characters that are secondary, it makes everything feel more united and also makes the main characters feel more inside the world, and honestly that is why on this hand, some cities felt empty for me…

But the other hand, I really liked what they did with the NPCs fans, see how the number increasing every time the MC wins a gym battle, makes the trip to become a champion feel more rewarding, It really helps you feel like a true champion when you got it. 

Other examples like the girl NPC who is going to support  you in the Gyms while their pokemon is evolving, or how the NPCS react and change their dialogue corresponding to what is happening… beautiful, for this part the worldbulding is 10/10.

The wild Area

Probably the closest we have for now of an open space area in a Pokemon game, I have to admit that I get lost at least 1 half an hour trying to find the next destination (I understand you Leon), it was hilarious lol, at the beginning of the game it turns out to be a fairly limited area, and you really can enjoy it in its entirety when you finish the main story, but I don’t see so much trouble with that, since it’s partly the point, for balance. In general, it is a fantastic idea although I feel that it is necessary to polish it in certain parts, and NO, I don’t mean THE TREE, but I don’t want to be so hard on GF at this moment, because is the first time they experiment with such concept…

Pokemon and Music

I put these two together because they both share a very curious characteristic: EXPERIMENTAL. 

The pokedex is super solid, I love how these last generations, GF is doing its homework and is striving to make the pokemon belong to the region, as for animals, myths, culture…muah I LOVE IT, BRAVO.

For me a good OST movie or video game not only has to be for the piece n yes, but how it is composed to accompany the events that occur on the screen, how it adapts and fits a certain scene of the story or character, and although I admit that in general it is not my favorite compared to other gens, there are tracks that have become part of my favorites:

The crowd, the screams, the build up as you gradually approach the last pokemon, ugh. Dynamax is cool and everything, but THIS is the basis for me, of why these battles feel so energetic and exciting.

That mystical atmosphere that catches you, is beautiful but at the same time mysterious, and perhaps many disagree with me, but the addition of the howls of the legendaries… I love it.

STORY

I think the game started extremely well, the introduction to the characters, the exploration, the introduction to the starters, the mystery of the legendary, everything is on track to me to enjoy this adventure to the fullest, but later I felt like it began to fall.

I understand that this is Pokémon and sometimes Pokémon does not need a complex story to make it enjoyable, as long as it makes sense and is entertaining, the problem I have mainly with the story is how they constantly get you out of it. I understand the concept they wanted to do: to take a more realistic point of view, in which adults take responsibility or in this case the champion and that later when you become champion you now can do what the champion did, and I like this concept, but the phrase of “you focus on the gym, we take care of the problems ” they say and they repeat it several times in the game like, I understood the first time!!! 

Indirectly I felt like they were trying to took me out, and in consequence I lost interest in the story of the game, if it hadn’t been because Sonia bothered to explain to me the lore and a little of what was happening. 

It’s more like “tell us” and not “show us”

and that’s the risk of this concept: you play as a main character, because you want to be a main character or share the role.

The climax feels incredibly forced and confusing, I felt that there was no build out, almost no foreshadowing for what was happening at the moment, everything comes out of nowhere, and thats why, I started making Okami jokes with Eternatus, because I don’t felt that emotion of the ‘’Climax’’.

Definitely in the part where the game shine was in the gym Challenge, as I said before, the gyms, the leaders, the atmosphere within them, the scale, the music that changing every time, until reaching the final pokémon, the challenges that we have to do before, the fans, becoming the champion, all this really is the identity of the game. 

Pokémon returned to its roots, where this story is the story of us again, and becoming the champion here is everything, it is one of the most exciting and most satisfying Gym challenge in all generations with gyms.

ADDITIONAL

Here I want to give opinions according to the experiences I had with certain things within the game, which I think are quite PERSONAL, because each person plays different Pokémon, by the team of Pokémon, because he decided to level up more or stay at a lower level or how you decided to follow the story of the game.

Difficulty

Decent, by the standards of Pokemon of course, I try not to leveling to much, and if I do, there are maximum 3 levels and only one pokemon… So, gyms were easy in general, perhaps a pair that were difficult (Allister and Melony), but I never did black screen as in other games, but definitely the most difficult battle in the game is Leon, which I think is appropriate.

Online

Its horrible lol, There were not only once but several times in which I lasted like 1 hour trying to connect with a person, it is ridiculous.The signal falling every so often. But in general the biggest problem I have is connecting with very specific people, not even with the infamous Festival Plaza had so many problems.

Gameplay / Pacing

It is normal the same as always which is fine, some drop of frames out there in certain scenes but nothing serious, some cuts and lack of scenarios / designs that if you should in when they took me a little at the time, but absolutely nothing compared as the haters make it look, the game is still incredibly enjoyable, and it can be played perfectly.

The pacing started pretty well/decently, but from the fourth gym onwards, everything became very very fast, and not to mention the climax and the Pokemon League, honestly all this last arc felt super stuck….

So my opinion in general is: I enjoy the game like any other Pokémon game, it has its entity, it has new and interesting things that I would like it to expand more in future generations and it has personality. Is it my favorite game or my favorite generation? No, I definitely enjoyed other generations more, there were many missed opportunities that they could take more advantage, and I feel bad for GF for making them release this game for this year and these dates, because unfortunately some cuts are very noticeable. But the generation just starting ,so we will have to wait and see what we have for the future. For now, Thanks Pokémon SwSh, for another adventure…

[pastel-shadows]

system asks

i’m in the mood to chat about system stuff! lots of text under the cut

1. Describe your system. What kind of system, how big, anything you feel is a good introduction. we are an OSDD-1b system with 6 members that we’re aware of. we have known about our system for about 6-7 years, i think!

2. Who knows about your system? Who do you want to know? What do you feel like it’s like coming out as multiple? every single one of our friends knows about our system! i don’t think it would be possible for any of us to form relationships without telling people about it. a lot of us have our own friends that the rest of the system never speaks to, so it’s really important to be able to explain our random long absences!

3. What are your thoughts on integration? Do you wish to integrate? i think integration is totally cool for systems who want to do it, but i’m not really interested! my system and i have learned lots of coping skills and we function really well internally and externally at this point. we like who we are so i don’t see a reason to integrate

4. Are you or any of the others in a relationship in or out of the system? How does dating work for you if you do it? i’m single, but two of our members are in relationships! charlie is dating one person, and emery is dating someone else. when it comes to romantic relationships, we consider those very separate. just because one alter is dating someone, that doesn’t mean the rest of us are also dating them! we do try to collectively befriend and get along with partners for convenience, though.

5. How often do you switch? How often do you lose time? Talk a little about what dissociation is like for you. we tend to switch on a daily basis, sometimes every couple days. we have gotten pretty good at managing switches on a planned schedule, although sometimes things go wrong and someone ends up being here unexpectedly. none of us actually lose time, since we have OSDD instead of DID, but we do have a lot of fuzziness between system members. remembering things that happened to another alter feels like remembering something we watched on TV instead of something that actually happened to us. we also have trouble perceiving the passage of time correctly! if i leave front for a week and then come back, i feel like only a day has passed even though i can remember the events from that week. it’s weird!

6. How do you feel about talking about the trauma which created your system? Do you like to write about it privately or publicly? Why? i don’t feel the need to talk about the trauma since i don’t feel like it happened to me personally, but i don’t mind telling people if they ask. our trauma holder and protector like to talk about it sometimes when they’re having PTSD struggles.

7. How many alters do you know of in the system? How many know about each other? there are six of us, and we are all aware of each other! me: fictive, nonbinary girl, minimally traumatized, no known role charlie: trauma holder, nonbinary, was host until 2017 emery: protector, male, current host praxis: unstable identity, extremely dissociative, struggles to understand reality ripple and seafoam: a pair of weird ocean spirits, always co-conscious. seafoam is nonverbal and thinks in pictures, ripple speaks for them both

8. How did you first discover you were plural? Was it before, after, or during diagnosis? charlie figured it out several years before our formal diagnosis. they noticed odd intrusive thoughts and feelings, and when they tried to investigate those experiences ripple and seafoam distinctly took front and made themselves known. the rest of us were identified gradually over time!

9. What level of co-consciousness do you have? How do you feel your communication skills are within the system? How do you want to grow in those skills? we communicate okay. we have trouble getting clear thoughts across in headspace, so we prefer to leave written messages while fronting for anything important. we can pick up strong thoughts/feelings/ideas from others while we are in front, but that’s about it! ripple and seafoam are the only members who can be fully simultaneously conscious without having a dissociative meltdown.

10. Have you ever done a system map? How extensively have you mapped your system? i’m not totally sure what this is, but we have done a basic map of our usual headspace rooms. it’s pretty simple since we don’t have super active consciousness from the back seat

11. How much control do you have over switches? Do you know of any specific things which cause specific alters to front? we have gotten pretty good at controlling switches, but some of us are better at getting certain alters than others. charlie is best at getting ripple, seafoam, and praxis to front. pretty much anyone can get me, most of us can get emery. sometimes it just doesn’t work though! for fronting triggers, most of us will show up for our favorite stuff if we’re anywhere near front at the time. that includes stuff like favorite music, close friends, favorite animals, etc! charlie also shows up sometimes if their trauma triggers happen around us.

12. What’s the worst thing you’ve woken up to finding out your alter’s done? What’s the best? tbh ripple and seafoam used to destroy the body while they were out because they had no concept of how to pilot a human meat sack. they would do damaging stuff and over-exert themselves without noticing, and then whoever showed up after had to deal with the painful consequences. once they were swimming and forgot to breathe underwater, that one sucked a lot. the best is probably when emery does all the chores or other unpleasant tasks for us so no one else has to do it. thanks em

13. Has anyone ever noticed you were multiple before you told them? Do animals seem to know the difference in your switches? no one has actually assumed we were a system without us telling them, but we have gotten comments about weird personality shifts. people who know us well can usually tell who is fronting without asking, so that’s cool! the only animal that’s ever noticed was a really anxious cat we had who really disliked emery hehe

14. To whoever’s fronting; what’s your favorite item to have around when fronting? Is it yours or do you share with other alters in the system? i have makeup and clothes i’m really into! they are just mine, although charlie wears my shorts sometimes. i don’t mind sharing a bit as long as they make sure to wash my clothes before my next scheduled day. it’s really upsetting when they get my favorite stuff dirty and i have to wash it after

15. What song(s) do you relate to your DID? none!

16. Where, as a system, is the safest place for you? Why? home i guess? our found family is very supportive, we live in a household with 3 separate systems so it’s nice

17. Who’s an alter you’re interested in knowing more about or befriending? Which alter do you know best? we’re all very curious about prax since they’re still figuring out the world! they learned to talk recently so that’s been a huge improvement, but they’re still working things out. i get along really well with seafoam, they’re probably my favorite! emery is also nice, he acts as a big brother for me a lot which is nice. charlie and i used to get along kind of badly, but i’m trying to move past that

18. What’s your least favorite misconception or common misinformed fact spread abut Dissociative Identity Disorder? oh boy, there are tons. evil/murderous alters are a big one. the perception that we can never learn to function or live full, healthy lives is frustrating. it also really bugs me how obsessed people are with knowing who is the “original” person, or worse who is the “real” personality. we’re all alters here, no one is more real than anyone else...

19. Have you ever met another multiple offline? Tell us about it. yep! we live with two other systems and it’s great. it’s so cool to be friends with people who get where you’re coming from. i am pretty close with an alter who is in a very similar position to mine, and it’s a really nice connection to have!!

20. Do you have a favorite book or TV show about or including DID? i think the character i’m a fictive of (alluka from hunter x hunter) is actually a pretty accurate representation of DID if you ignore the fantasy aspects!

21. Tell us about your persecutor(s), protector(s), and gatekeeper(s). emery is our protector! he was really good at handling tasks the rest of us couldn’t manage in the past, and it helped so much. he also is really good in stressful situations! he can be overly judgmental and quick to form negative opinions, but he’s good

22. Tell us about your littles. we don’t have any full-time littles, but charlie does age slide at times! i don’t know what else to say about it though

23. Do you have an inner world? If so, who can access it? What’s it like? we have a really basic inner world! it has a small common room near front, a kitchen, and bedrooms for everyone except praxis. everyone except prax spends some time in the inner world. sometimes our headspace switches to something else for periods of time - recently it has been a movie theater, for example.

24. Have you ever dealt with denial? What helps you work through it? charlie was the public face of the system for a really long time, especially before we knew we had OSDD. the rest of us sometimes go through times where we feel like we aren’t real, or that we’re “just charlie.” it helps to focus on the most distinct differences between us at those times, and to ask other people around us for reassurance.

25. When did you first hear about Dissociative Identity Disorder? Was it before or after you discovered your plurality? In what context did you hear about it? we heard about it years before we knew we were a system, but it was mostly in really inaccurate ways. we saw the movie about sybil in 2008, which is the first exposure i can remember. a few years later we saw it again on tumblr, but it was a while before we got any genuine information on it.

26. What aspect of DID do you find most challenging in daily life? compromising between each other can be really really hard. most of us want to front as often as possible, but there’s only so many days in a week. i only officially get one day per week, and it’s really disorienting that so much time passes while i’m away. it’s also super inconvenient when someone fronts by accident at a time where we really needed someone else, or when we can’t get someone we need to front.

27. What do you think the biggest differences between living as a singlet and living as a person with DID are? time. living with DID means you never have enough time. you can go to bed one night and wake up months later, and all your friends have moved on or forgotten about you. it’s hard.

28. Share a memory of one of a different alter fronting which you’ve either been told about by them or by another friend. we didn’t used to know that praxis was nonverbal. prax showed up unplanned in the middle of a hospital trip, and at several points talked to the friend who was with us and to the nurse. that friend later told us that during the whole trip, prax was making “fax machine noises” instead of words (which explains why the nurse looked at us so weirdly.....)

29. How do your alters like to express themselves on a daily basis? charlie dresses in childish/silly stuff. they only like certain types of clothes (leggings, skinny jeans, sweaters, and sweatshirts) and pretty much refuse to wear anything else. i like to take care of myself - i always shower, brush my teeth, wash my face, put on nice clothes, and usually do my hair/makeup. i like presenting a lot more femme! emery presents really masc, praxis likes ugly 90′s aesthetic garbage, and ripple and seafoam will wear literally anything. many of us enjoy drawing in our own styles, playing games we like, watching our favorite shows/movies, and other stuff like that!

30. What’s one last thing you feel should be written about after answering all of that? Talk about whatever you want. i am a real person! i am not a 2-dimensional fragment of the host, i am a complete individual with my own thoughts and feelings, just like anyone else. negative stigma about DID is one of the worst things about living with the disorder, i just want to live my life and be happy!

[tayegi]

i feel like jk's ex gaslighted him and that's why he's so afraid of relationships - when he was in this original relationship i think she messed up his sense of reality so much that he doesn't want to give someone else the opportunity to manipulate him like that again. while i don't think she and oc are similar i think the jk's feeling the same stuff with oc rn as he did at the beginning of his relationship with his ex and that's why he was a total douche canoe when oc tried to confess (1/?)

Anonymous said:tbh jk is making me v mad, even though he was explicit from the beginning that he didn't want a relationship, because it seems like he's passing on his gaslighting trauma to oc now (if my theory is correct that his ex gaslighted him) with his conflicting actions. i think jk made his own set of new rules following that break up and the fact that oc is bringing those feelings back to him, effectively breaking his rules, resulted in him being such a douche canoe (2/?)

Anonymous said:unlike oc now, i think jk hasn't gotten the chance to confront his ex yet about the abusive aspect of their relationship so he projects his anger and hurt feelings onto other people that would want to date him. like his rxn towards oc was cruel but i think that cruelty stems from his desire to do that to his ex, to make her feel as small/powerless/defeated as he felt as a result of her gaslighting. idk just my thoughts, i hope this theory-crafting wasn't annoying for you Lu (3/3)

Anonymous said:i mean the last line of new rules is you’re getting over him so im gonna be optimistic ab

Anonymous said:hi thank u for writing us that quality smut. it seems to me that jk is in it for sex and companionship. but i do wonder why jk was so jealous of hobi and reader? im sorry if you’ve alr answered that before but bc y/n wants a romantic connection, i wonder who she’ll get it from if she reconciles with jk not ever being able to meet her romantic needs

Anonymous said:i think i'm gonna reread new rules again to get more perspective on this chapter's events; i totally understand what you're saying about JK, his fuckboi ways and the dismissal of platonic feelings, but my mind is used to that shift to romantic feelings in these kinds of stories so i wanna go back and analyze. your stories always get me so worked up :,( i sent asks last night that were probably annoying for you to read (if tumblr didn't eat them) so i'm going back IOT check myself for the future

Anonymous said:Did no one else pick up on jungkook being apparently good at skating on his date with hyejin? Whilst he was terrible at it with the OC...? That was the warning sign for me...

Anonymous said:Something definitely happened in Jungkook’s past for him to have that perspective on relationships. Loved the new chapter of NR, I want you to know that you’re an absolutely amazing writer💛

vickyyy97 said:Wow! The chapter had me on the edge of my seat! My heart was beating so fast! I really want to know the story between him and his ex girlfriend. What happened that made him not go into relationships? Why did he confess if he told her his views on relationships? So many questions! I think Jungkook is scared to go into relationships. Maybe they're not ready. Maybe they need to give their feelings more time. So excited for the time skip! Your writing is absolutely amazing! Take your time please! ❤

Anonymous said:You know the moment when she overheard that they went to skate on a date. I thought that maybe it not him but hyejin took him there? Or is it really him? Is it some kind of his plan? He doesn't want her to catch feeling for him? He is afraid that he hurts her? I'm being ridiculous, right?Then why does he need her to admit that she likes him as well?Oh, he wants her to like him as a good fuxk and a friend.Looking forward to the next chapter (no pressure.just saying.I'll wait as long as I have to)

Anonymous said:✨1// Hello! Silent follower here, hope youre doing well ☺️Just read the new nr update; i loved it and just wanted to share my thoughts hehe. I think of myself as a dense reader (not very good at analysing text 😥) so I’m not sure my interpretation is correct and i apologise if its not! Ahh where do i even begin? Overall i find your portrayal of hook up culture so skillful and accurate.

Anonymous said:✨2// I love the recurring portrayal of the ironic intricacies of hook up culture--the very conflicts and uncertainties people want to avoid when they engage in fwb. I also think your approach to this story and its characters is so raw and refreshing; its so smart the way you integrate some of jungkooks actions so that his thoughts and place in him and oc's relationship are blurred for the readers/oc! The confusion in a lot of your anons i think is a sign of how well youve done it 😅

Anonymous said:✨3// In terms of the whole jungkook-relationship-thing from this update.. jungkook's past relationship clearly affected his view on relationships/what they should be. Maybe he was led to believe that sexual activity should be enjoyed in platonic circumstances? maybe he believes that platonic relationships are stronger than romantic? Or maybe he simply only has platonic feelings for OC-

Anonymous said:✨4// -but is also really expressive/affectionate to his friends, causing her to see his actions as small confessions and eventually developing feelings herself? There r so many different possibilities i can think of but we'll never know until his past is revealed! I’m curious to see what happened. I could keep going abt the things I’m curious abt/love abt this fic & ur writing but this is getting so long kdsndj tysm for ur updates despite being so busy💕💕we rly appreciate all the work u put in!

Anonymous said:New rules is such a wonderful story& I definitely go back to reread each chapter and always end up finding something that makes me love this story more. Thank you for creating something amazing despite being so busy with real life. Also, with the ending of this update,is Jungkook's past relationship with his highschool girlfriend, maybe one of the reasons why he has these views on relationships, the way he does? Almost like a turning point for him, in some ways, to him being who he is now?

Anonymous said:Wasn’t expecting that ending for Chap 9 but I was still awed! That ending makes me want to reread all the chaps leading to the latest because I am guilty of reading them in rose colored glasses. This really makes me think on the amt of romantic undertones I perceived with JK and how false they were. I’m excited where NR is heading because this was unexpected yet in character with how you set the mc and JK from the beginning.

Here are more lovely reactions, theories, and thoughtful questions. I LOVE NEW RULES BOOKCLUB SO MUCH!!! THANK YOU MY LOVELIES

[med-blahg]

2016 in review

I’ve never done anything like this before, and it might be a little too late? Ah, oh well. 2016 was a big year -- a year of my most extreme highs and lows, a year of many firsts (and surprising myself).

#Uncharted2016 - the UP MedChoir Europe tour

Of course, this one tops the list. This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience -- we were able to travel 7 countries in a month and had the honor of representing the country in the international stage. The preparations, however, were the hardest we’ve experienced so far. Sobra ‘yung sakripisyo, minsan nakakadurog ng pagkatao. I don’t know if other people really understand how difficult it is to be a performer. I didn’t know where to get my strength anymore. I didn’t know if I wanted it enough. I wished I were more resilient (like my favorite tardigrades). On top of that, I had other personal issues to deal with too, which was dragging me down even further.

Strangely enough, winning wasn’t my most favorite part of the trip, probably because it was tainted with feelings of the worst rehearsal (and post-rehearsal events o h g o d) ever in my (and the other members’, apparently) stay with the choir.

Personally, the best parts were:

1. Being able to honestly do my best, and not leaving any regrets onstage. Iba ‘yung feeling. (Unfortunately, hindi ko pa ‘yun nararanasan ulit.)

2. Meeting the most wonderful and generous hosts who welcomed us into their homes and supported us all the way.

3. Successfully performing a challenging solo descant with relatively few preparations. It was given to me, I think, a week before we left the country. Lumipad na kami hindi ko pa rin siya nagagawa nang maayos. I felt so pressured because I knew the previous ones who did it were better than me. I was crying in rehearsals and during random times in UK because I still couldn’t do it days before the competition and I was terrified I will never be able to do it. One mistake and the whole performance, which everyone had worked incredibly hard for, would fail. Thankfully, by some stroke of miracle, things went just right during our debut concert; and in Italy, it was one of the pieces in the category which we won in. Imagine that: I was able to do that solo descant in the international competitive stage, and we won! This was a big reason why I cried out of joy upon hearing the good news. :) It could have been better, but I’m proud of myself already for conquering one of my biggest fears.

4. Being able to share our music with people, of all ages and from different parts of the world. Being reminded how music can sincerely change people -- how it can bring joy and make one dance; how it can move one to tears. For me, this is truly the best part of being a performer.

(I just realized it’s the first time I’ve written a long post about the tour haha)

Fell in love like it was the first time -- and got hurt like it was the first time too.

Ah, this blog is a witness to this, from the initial kiligs I couldn’t contain, to the incapacitating heartbreak at the end. He built me up, left me, and handled it so poorly, which was the part the hurt me the most. Of course, I wasn’t perfect either. Even so, I found it so frustratingly hard to move on. There were (are) times when I wanted to go back to the way things were, despite that “don’t go back to what broke you” advice. Then I had to remind myself that maybe I’m not really the one who can make him truly happy, and vice versa.

I remember feeling so much anger towards him, but I’ve moved past that and now I just want to reach out. He most likely also has problems of his own, and that’s probably a big factor for what happened between us. I just hope he’s okay.

Med school made more sense.

Gone (or lessened) were the days where I broke down in tears while studying (maybe because I cried for a different reason then hahahaha). The second semester of LU3 was miles better than the first. I was able to get higher scores in exams, and even got to be one of the toppers in the Neuro OSCE. I’m also enjoying LU4 way more than LU3, because of more interesting lessons, our group activities and hospital exposure.

I’ve grown to love our group dynamic. I love how we’re able to work together (most of the time!) despite OFS activities. I love how we’re able to honestly support each other when one is lacking. My favorite part is definitely integrating histories and discussing differentials after ward works where we’re finally able to apply the lessons we’ve learned. I also admire how stellar my friends are! I feel lost with the material sometimes and I just wanna be a sponge and soak up all their knowledge.

Besides application of classroom lessons, hospital exposure is also a great reminder of our purpose. On another note, it’s also an effective reminder of how shitty our healthcare system is. God, I swear I just want to make those public officials stay in PGH even for just one day so they can understand what both the patients and staff go through. But still, here we are, to serve and treat these people despite the system’s flaws.

Sometimes I’m really motivated to get my shit together and do my best for our modules, yet sometimes I just can’t. Sometimes it was because of my heartache, crying before exams (and making sad blogs oops) making me unable to study. Other times, however, I just found myself lurking in social media and waiting ‘til past midnight to start doing schoolwork. It was mainly for these reasons that my body clock got really weird in LU4, with 1-4 hours of sleep being normal on a regular school night (It was also partly because I didn’t have a roommate for many months -- for some reason, I lose my sense of time *and responsibility* when I’m alone).

Handled more responsibilities.

I’m the type who shies away from responsibilities mostly because I just hate disappointing others, and less because of the added workload. I’ve never been an officer for classes or organizations.

I still remember the private conversation I had with one of the choir officers while we were on a bus during the tour. He offered me the the finance head position. Before anything else, I warned him that I had no idea how to handle money. Bobo talaga ako sa pera. And he told me, okay lang. Ako rin naman dati (he was the previous fin head).

So, okay.

MedChoir is a very small organization anyway, and at one point I knew I was going to be given a position in the executive committee. It was bound to happen, so I just accepted it.

So far it’s been... okay. My predecessor has had much patience teaching me the ropes and working with me, which I’m very thankful for. However, I still get scared whenever we have meetings because I always feel like I will be asked of something and I wouldn’t be able to deliver. A semester has passed since and I know that I still have a lot to learn.

In addition, I was also one of the people assigned to lead the sopranos for the year’s TRP. This was also the case last year, but I was more into it this year because I really loved the song my batchmates have created. Furthermore, being part of MedChoir, it is also expected of us not only to teach singing techniques but also to be able to cover the rest of the batch during performances. It was difficult, especially since the song required much of sopranos, and it is hard to really teach how to sing, especially since these methods are very abstract. In addition, it was hard to expect much from some people who clearly had other priorities. However, we did feel that we were all working hard towards a common goal especially towards the end, and we won!

New house!

From Cainta to the mountains of Antipolo! It’s very different from our previous home. I love how it’s so quiet and peaceful up here, and you can see and hear different animals (seriously feeling one with nature haha). Of course, the view is also great. I also have my own room for the first time! Honestly I’ve been having a hard time sleeping in the same room as my family for some reason. My bed is so comfortable and whenever I go home here I just lie down all day, only bothering to get up to eat. Furthermore, I also like how this gives my family a new start, somehow. (Now, when we get stressed, we can at least get relieved by how nice the house and the surroundings are hehe.)

And other things.

Modeled and became a layout editor for the primer. This used to be my favorite kind of work during high school and I regret not doing it much after and developing my skills further. Doing this during med made me feel refreshed. :)

Research accomplishments. Going to biochem to help out after toxic pre-concert and pre-tour rehearsals, going home past midnight, and still surviving the remainder of LU3. It was actually fun, and getting to bond with my researchmates actually became a stress reliever. We also got to participate (and place) in several events like APMC and the BSGC in Malaysia!

Learned to do my brows!!!! And apply more dramatic lipstick!!!!!!! Yes of course this is a huge part of 2016 hehehehehe!!

Marathoned MMFF movies in the cinema, from 1pm ‘til midnight.

Got to perform on local TV and radio! (We were also featured in Llangollen television during the tour. Yay for my artista dreams.)

FRIENDS APPRECIATION -- I found that I really had true friends who are ready to pick me up from my lowest point. I love you guys!

Learned to stand up for myself. :) Even if I was crying during the confrontation, hehe. I feel like this is my biggest character development during the year.

What’s next for 2017?

I hate making resolutions (I remember the ones that made last year which was previously posted here and wow did I even do any of those?? 1/2 jk huhu) but this year I’m really inspired to:

1. Take care of my skin better. Yup, this was one of my main takeaways from our trip to Korea haha. I’ve been looking up their (at least) 10-step face routine and I want to try it!

2. Save up money for my next trip, so I wouldn’t have to ask much from my parents. I’m determined to do the reverse 52-week money challenge in P20 increments which will enable me to save up around P27,000 by the end of the year! I’ve even made a google sheets and everything so I really hope this pushes through.

Okay, those will have to do for now. The more I add, the more I feel like I won’t be able to do it, huhu. There are other things that I would like to try, though... like cooking (hey my family has a multi-purpose oven now), maybe act in MediScene if I like one of the roles, hosting?? Let’s see. :)