#at...so I guess I won't “go” there again..I have some stuff in my queue but that's it then...strange places

[kaddyssammlung]

[doodlingwren]

Hiatus

I am going on hiatus for a bit more. I really really hoped the stuff that have been going on lately were already "sorted out" but, uhm... they aren't. I need to take a bit more time offline once again, and try to work things out.

Thank you for your patience ❤

Wren

[thessalian]

Thess vs Taking Time Off

This? THIS IS WHY I HATE TAKING TIME OFF.

Don't get me wrong - I like the time off. Hell, I need the time off. This job wrecks me the fuck up sometimes. But ... well, at the moment at least, it's looking at wrecking me up again as of this week, because it's a clusterfuck again. It's at least partly a direct result of me going on annual leave, too, which is great.

So I came in and checked the typing queue, and we were in the mid 300s. Because of fucking course we were. We'd barely started on yesterday's, despite the girls having been going for two hours. So I did some checking. Part of it is that New Girl's away today, so maybe it'll get better when she's back tomorrow. But that doesn't explain all of it. What did help explain some of the rest was that Temp was working on stuff from the 14th. Which means that someone came in on a Saturday. And I know pretty well who's who and who does what in this office, and so she was working on placenta cut-up.

She hates working on placenta cut-up, because it's long and fiddly. Or it can be, unless you have the tidy template I came up with years ago. She should have this, because I gave it to her at the time. But it would appear not, because she was unbelievably slow. I think another part of it was sheer "I won't wannaaaaaaaaa" on her part. Because she never does want to do anything that's not a simple little thing.

Which does a lot to explain why she was dawdling through those while I had multiple Monstrosities of ten minutes and up, a whole lot of Monstrosities in the 5-10 minute range, and all the Annoyances. Yes, even with Goblin working. Because Goblin was also being ... selective.

Also the doctors dropped like 300 reports into the queue today, and that was before I left, and since they leave at around 6pm at minimum... We're into the backlog stage to insane degrees. We won't get yesterday's and today's done by close of play tomorrow, so the backlog left from that will be added to tomorrow's work when Thursday rolls around, and... Well, just and. It never fucking ends, and there's no way that lazy bunch of fuckheads is going to do the amount of pushing necessary to get ahead of it. Honestly, I'm not sure we could get ahead of it even if the other girls were pushing.

The doctors come in starting at 7am now. Don't leave until at least 6pm, often closer to 7pm. So for a total of twelve hours a day, sometimes six days a week, we have multiple doctors (more and more with all the new trainees we're getting). And there's only two dedicated typists - and I mean that in all senses of the word; Goblin and I have no other duties bar typing because we work from home, and we're the only ones that regularly take the Monstrosities without an outright fight. And we're only in for five days a week, on only slightly staggered shifts. We need another typist badly. Head Honcho and Scruffman both said something about hiring someone new, but I've seen zero evidence of that yet.

It's been one day and I'm already so tired. I'm probably going to have to do overtime, and it's starting to get quite hot in the afternoon and evenings on top of my flat's pizza oven walls (great in winter, shit in summer), and I already need another week off and I just had one.

And I also know that if I have another one (well, when I have another one because I do have to take that time for several reasons, but I don't want to think about that right now), it's all going to get worse.

I can see how obvious it is that this place would fall apart without me. I mean, I guess it was probably obvious to Scruffman at least because of how my performance reviews tend to go. I kind of want to shake him or whoever succeeds him in a couple of weeks while screaming, "I MAY HOLD THIS DEPARTMENT TOGETHER BUT IT IS KILLING ME BY INCHES AND I CANNOT KEEP THE DEPARTMENT FROM FALLING APART IF I'M DEAD OF OVERWORK!"

If anyone needs me, I'll be quietly whimpering over there someplace.

[saltwaterandstars]

Hi friends. I'll be away for a few days so won't be around on tumblr. There are a few things in the queue but other than that, I'll be away till Sunday night. A bit of personal stuff under the cut.

I'm going to stay with friends - which I'm partly looking forward to. They're people I love and I'm sure we'll have a nice time together. My hesitation is that the medication I have to take to treat my autoimmune disease has wrecked my stomach lining, which means I have many foods I can't eat without feeling ill for days. At home, I eat a very bland, boring diet so that I don't feel ill all the time. My friends know this in theory, but having actual conversations about the details of it so we can plan meals is always difficult. People are always surprised at how bad my stomach situation is, and I always end up feeling really isolated because of that. This time, the friend I'm staying with said I thought it had improved when I emailed the long list of things I can't eat. And it has improved, but she assumed improved meant that I can eat pretty much anything again, when improved actually means a few changes like I can eat a small amount of apple every few days now - a slightly more acidic fruit than the banana, melon and pear I've been restricted to for the last few years. The multiple back and forth messages, the questions that show she hasn't really understood, the attempts to find a restaurant we can go to, all the fuss and time and effort about something that used to be easy, something that used to be a source of pleasure - it's emotionally draining and it doesn't make me look forward to visiting friends, even though I miss them. I guess people who don't have chronic health conditions for the most part just can't hold onto the idea that chronic means forever. And I get that - I don't want to hold onto that idea either.

So, we'll go for lovely walks and we'll maybe go to the cinema, and they live in a very nice town so it'll be good to explore that - and there'll be some underlying tension, at least for me, that never used to be there.

[tiredassmage]

47 and 48 for the Rook questions please!!

me, realizing only after reblogging that my rook stuff is still in the queue as of this writing and not yet posting, sO. I guess this is also rook reveal time, lol! to the surprise of like, nobody, probably, it's tyr xD

so! anyway! (re)meet my beautiful beloved (fantasy edition), who is a shadow dragon!

[50 questions for rook (non-spoiler edition)!]

47. What's Rook's temper like?

I've raised an unabashed smartass, your honor. 😔 Probably largely thanks to having spent a fair amount of time with the Shadow Dragons prior to Varric and Harding recruiting him for help against Solas, and having largely grown up in Minrathous prior. Rook's a version of Tyr that doesn't have to hide as frequently his opinions on how the system is broken, and what he thinks of right and wrong. I'd still hesitate to call him explosive - he still knows how such appearances might be used against him, but nor does he entirely shy away from leaning into being called Tevinter rabble. His temper is usually a vein of sarcastic venom, and it can get pretty impassioned if he tries the path of reason only to get pushed around more. Tyr's a man whose ideals have always pushed him towards the knife's edge of change and who I'd argue is just as emotional as he is logical.

He's got his patience, but it can be tested, and he's not afraid of pushing back when he's shoved around, especially if he thinks a greater good will suffer in inaction or indifference. Vindictive is not always a side of Tyr that's been shown off in his roles in other interests of mine, but not even he's entirely immune to that siren song. His temper tends to come about because he's stubborn, he very rarely knows how to quit, and he resents a harm committed without remorse - when pride gets in the way and blinds people. If you're trying to justify a harm by saying you've helped somebody, it's generally a very quick way to get him snappish.

48. A color, flower, animal, and weather to describe Rook:

Color: Storm Blue. I'm a sucker for him in darker colors, true. The N7 day gear was admittedly a bit of a lifesaver, but picking for vibes... gotta say storm blue was my first thought.

Flower: White Chrysanthemum. Because I love silly little google searches for symbolism, white chrysanthemums have associations (depending on geographic location) with grief and mourning to honesty and loyalty.

Animal: Is it too easy to say loyalty like a dog again? The Let Dead Dogs Die kind of loyal? The kind of loyal they applaud Mabari hounds for. I'd generally credit Tyr as a sound judge of character more often than not. However, his loyalty will seldom push him against his own ideals, which is perhaps a bit more of a Mule attitude about him. He's a thinker about his loyalty, but, still, once you have it... it's hard to shake him from it. Tyr would be loathe to walk back his loyalty to someone, but if he thinks you're going to only hurt yourself and/or him by sticking around, he... can choose to leave to better serve his ideals. He'll try like hell to get through to you first, but, again, he also rarely has a single bone in him that knows how to quit quietly and meekly. He'll twist himself out of shape and do some incredible things - reckless things, sure - for the people he cares about and won't begrudge them the scars he might earn in his efforts to ensure their happiness and well-being. That part perhaps remains the Mabari in this Tevinter-raised rogue.

Weather: The beginning of a storm - clouds building, the first scents of rain, and thunder rolling in. Fairly common for me when I think of Tyr, admittedly. A type of weather that can involve anticipation or reflection, perhaps a beginning, or perhaps an end. A coming storm is often used as symbolism for troubles or challenges ahead, and sometimes a more optimistic twist is that storms bring change and life-giving water.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

blog maintenance!

nothing exciting to add, don't worry!

just realized i'll be hitting the s2 finale soon, so once i do i'll update my pinned, and from that point on you can expect s1 and s2 related content in my posts. i don't reblog a ton of stuff because i'm still dodging spoilers, but i do have one mutual on my main i get some things from now and then and throw them in the queue :)

(and once i get far enough into the series to not be constantly hiding from spoilers, i would love to follow back from my main <3)

((also i'd be happy to tag each season if that is of interest to anyone))

also, when i do finish with s2, i'm gonna do more of those "things we learn about x" and "favorite s2 moments with x" for each of our main duo! i had a lot of fun with those, and i get to go through All of my notes again making them, so it'll be nice to revisit. i'm considering someday making a masterlist of links to each episode for ease of reading in chronological order- maybe it'll happen, maybe not.

and i have been watching an episode and doing a recap almost every night- obviously i'm having a great time, but i'm not sure for how much longer i can sustain a post every night, it's hard to say. the episodes are like 45 minutes and then it takes about an hour to type everything up on top of that. i'm very lucky with my current schedule that i am allowed this, but what the future will bring remains unclear! guess i'm just saying that if my posts decrease in quantity, don't worry, i won't abandon this blog- i'm in far too deep at this point.

last, thanks again to everyone who comments and reblogs! i love reading the tags, hearing peoples thoughts on each episode, asking questions and getting answers, learning if any particular scenes made you yell at the screen, how you reacted the first time you saw it, fun behind-the-scenes facts- they seriously make my day. i've been in lots of fandom spaces but never one quite like this, where everyone is so welcoming and enthusiastic. i'll be doing work and then giggling because someone noticed something cool and shared it with me and how great it is to do such a thing!

[twoidiotwriters1]

Almighty (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Forgot to queue this jsjsjsj -Danny Words: 2,283 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Wide Awake' -by Katy Perry

XXXIX: I'm What the Kids Call 'Unwell'

"Honey cakes?"

"I hope you're not calling us that," Meg frowns.

"No, we need honey cakes. Did you bring them or did I?" 

Ara and Meg share a look. "You never said anything about honey cakes."

"But I just remembered! We need them for the snakes!"

"Snakes." Meg tenses. "Why would there be snakes?"

"Good question! I just know we're supposed to have honey cakes to appease them. So... we forgot the cakes?"

"You never said anything about cakes!"

"Well, that's a shame. Anything we can substitute? Oreos, perhaps?"

"Oh, you really are a pathetic little thing," Ara sighs, slinging her octopus off one shoulder. "Let me see if I've got something..."

"I ate the snacks you had there," Meg grumbles in frustration.

"Hmm. Okay. I guess we'll improvise." Lester hums.

"You show us how to improvise with snakes. We'll follow."

"I'll help!" Ara takes a step forward.

Meg grabs a hold of her shirt. "You're being weird."

"Yes, I know," She looks down at the girl. "Do you know what's wrong with me?"

"No. But don't follow him."

"I saw lots of people in my head," Ara continues while Lester guides them. "And they're not dead, I saw them because they were calling me."

"Calling how?"

Ara ponders. "Thinking about me. Dreaming and daydreaming. They need help."

"You can't help them right now, you're with me," Meg grunts as they push through a narrow corridor.

"I know why!" Lester interrupts them again.

"You know why what?"

"Why snakes! You asked me why we would find snakes, didn't you? Or was that someone else? Snakes are symbolic! They represent prophetic wisdom from deep in the earth, just as birds symbolize prophetic wisdom from the heavens."

"Uh-huh."

"So snakes are attracted to Oracles! Especially ones in caves!"

"Like that big snake monster we heard in the Labyrinth, Python?"

Lester frowns a bit, then smiles again. "Well, yes, I suppose it's like that. Anyway, the snakes should be right up ahead! That's why we need honey cakes. You have some, you said?"

"No, I—"

"Excellent!" 

Meg growls. "I hate him."

"He needs help," Ara shrugs.

"Ta-da!" Lester opens his arms showing what's ahead.

Meg blanches. "Apollo... you'd need a zillion honey cakes for that many snakes."

"Oh, but you see, we need to get to that little island in the center. That's where we'll receive our prophecy."

"But if we go into that water, won't the snakes kill us?"

"Probably! Let's find out!" 

Lester jumps in, so naturally, Ara follows without hesitation. The snakes surround them easily and Meg shouts at them to sing, but Ara doesn't know what to sing about, so someone else should sing first so she can help with harmonies or stuff.

"Sing that song you did in the ants' nest!" Meg pleads.

Ara remembers the day, but her ears were covered then so she doesn't remember the song. She looks between them, unsure of how to proceed. She looks at the snakes, but she isn't afraid of them, or what they could do to her.

"I think you should do something, Lester," Ara says with confused distress. "If you don't, I can't help you."

"Oh! You're worried about me! I'm about to die!" He laughs delightedly.

Meg starts singing, frustrated by the way they're acting. They listen to her, trying to understand her lyrics. Ara sings along, about some void she used to have, some hunger... but that's not relevant now, her demigods are. She sings of them, and she about the way she suffered loss, and how much she loves the ones who remain, and how much she wants to help them.

"It's my fault," Meg's song trembles. "Your blood on my hands. The crushed rose I couldn't save."

Ara sings as a backup but her throat tightens a few minutes into the song. Her mind has landed on the things that are slipping away: The struggle to get here, the way sweat used to drip down her brow, how her stomach would grumble and muscles would stiffen. Training. Growing. Being human.

"No! No, Meg!" The snakes go away and Apollo pulls Ara against him. Around them, Meg's memories reflect on the wall: her father, what she lost, and Nero's abuse. 

Ara frows at the images. "Oh, that is no way to treat demigods..." Meg was alone like Ara had been. She has to help her.

"I need you to be more diligent in your studies, do you understand?" Nero's voice echoes around them. "Whatever the swords-master says, you must do. It would break my heart if something else happened, something even worse than this. Look. Remember."

New projections join Meg's, and they're all from Ara's memories, things she's thought, things she's heard.

"I gave up on having my own life to look after my loved ones forever, because that's what you do when your love is real."

"You can trust Ara to go above and beyond to keep anyone safe."

"She makes things happen."

"I think of all the friends I've lost, of how lonely they must've felt in their last moments. I think of all the lives it could save to have someone who shows up when we need them."

"You will lose, Ara Jackson, and that will be the beginning of the end."

"Meg, stop singing!" Lester screams. A bright flash of light pulls all the projections onto itself and forms a body. "Trophonius! Leave them alone!"

"Apollo," the swarm of bees forms a single eery voice. "I've waited a long time, Father."

"Please, my son. Meg and Ara are not your petitioners. I am!"

"If they are not my petitioner, why did they summon me with their song of grief? They have many unanswered questions. I could answer them, for the price of their sanity."

"No! They were—They were trying to protect me," the boy sobs. "They're my friends. I am the supplicant to your holy Oracle. Take me instead!"

"Take me instead," the voice repeats bemusedly. "The very prayer I made when my brother Agamethus was caught in a tunnel, his chest crushed, his life fading. Did you listen to me then, Father?"

"Don't punish the girls for what I did."

"Do you know how long I wandered the mortal world after killing my brother, Apollo? After cutting off his head, my hands still covered in his blood, I staggered through the wilderness for weeks, months. I pleaded to the earth to swallow me up and end my misery. I got half my wish. I dwell in darkness now because I am your son. I see the future because I am your son. All my pain and madness... Why should I not share it with those who seek my help? Does your help ever come without a price?"

Lester gets on his knees. "Please, Trophonius. I am mortal now. Take your price from me!"

"The girls have already volunteered! She opened her deepest fears and regrets to me," he points at Meg. "And this one, the daughter of Olympus... well, losing your mortality can be a tough process, I'm only being merciful like you were, speeding her process."

"No! No, Meg didn't drink of the two springs. Her mind is not prepared. She will die!"

"She is precious to you... Would you give your life in exchange for hers?"

"Yes. Yes, I would die to save Meg McCaffrey."

"Very good! Then promise me that you'll grant me a wish. Whatever I ask, you will do."

"Y-your wish?" Lester blinks. "Yes. I swear. Whatever you ask. Then we have an agreement? You will take me instead of the girl?"

"Oh, I didn't promise anything in return! I just wanted to exact that promise from you. The girl's fate is already decided." The bees fly to Meg and take her, surrounding her and leaving Ara alone.

She looks up, still not afraid, only annoyed. "Why spare me?"

"I did not spare you," Trophonius points at Meg. "You will take from her like the gods took from you—you will feed from the bad as much as they do."

Lester jumps back into the water and swims over to get Meg. "Trophonius, stop it!"

"This is not my doing. Your friend opened her mind to the Dark Oracle. She asked questions. Now she is receiving the answers."

"She asked no questions!"

"Oh, but she did. Mostly about you, Father. What will happen to you? Where must you go? How can she help you? These worries are foremost in her mind. Such misplaced loyalty..."

Ara swims to Meg too. "It's okay, sweetheart," she pants. "I'll help..."

"Meg, stay with us. Concentrate on my voice."

Ara presses a hand on the girl's forehead and shines pink, white, then purple. "Oh, this is disturbing her deeply, Lester. We must get the poison out. Would a song work?"

"So about this favor you promised—"

"Shut up!" Lester snarls at his son. "Not you, Ara, you keep talking. Use charmspeak, keep her afloat."

"Meg, you are feeling sleepy," she absorbs some of Meg's nonsensical emotions. "You're sweating the illness away..."

"She's just fallen into a deeper trance. That's not necessarily a good sign. She could still die," the oracle says casually.

"Meg, don't listen to Trophonius. He's all about fear and pain. He's just trying to make us lose hope." Lester says.

"Hope. Interesting word. I had hope once—that my father might act like a father. I got over it after a few centuries of being dead."

"Don't blame me for you robbing the king's treasury!" He barks back. "You are here because you messed up."

"I prayed to you!"

"Well, perhaps you didn't pray for the right thing at the right time! Pray for wisdom before you do something stupid! Don't pray for me to bail you out after you follow your worst instincts!"

"Did I follow my worst instincts?" Ara mumbles deep in thought, taking more of Meg's grief.

"Ara..." Lester chokes out, not knowing what to do. "No, you two are one of the best, you... I wouldn't be here without you... Meg, flowers grow back. You have deep roots. You have strong stems. You have... Your face is green. Why is her face green?"

"Interesting. Perhaps she's dying—Ah. They're here, waiting for you," Trophonius mentions a second later. "The emperor's servants. Blemmyae. An underwater tunnel just there... it leads into the rest of the cavern system, the part known to mortals. The blemmyae have learned better than to come into this chamber, but they're waiting for you on the other end. That's the only way you can escape."

"Then we will."

"Doubtful. Even if your young friend survives, the blemmyae are preparing explosives."

"WHAT?"

"Oh, Commodus probably told them to use the explosives only as a last resort. He likes having me as his personal fortune-teller. He sends his men in here from time to time, pulls them out half-dead and insane, gets free glimpses of the future. What does he care? But he'd rather destroy this Oracle than allow you to escape alive."

Ara fixes her posture and checks Meg's pulse, a lavender tone forming as she mixes some blessings. "Lester, the same way it went in, it can go out."

"I have no idea what you mean with your crazy talk!" He snaps at her.

"Suck out the venom!" Ara urges him. "I'll help you!"

"Sorry, Meg!" He presses his mouth to Meg's and pulls in. 

Ara glows teal and pictures the venom in her mind, Lester starts to choke, so Ara places her other hand on his back and teal mixes with purple. Three people in a single mind hive, Ara sees everything, Lester processes it, and Meg collects it. Voices speak their prophecy, an unfiltered power Ara's only been vaguely close to throughout the years now seeping through her veins.

Lester and Meg are begging for rest, one way or another, and Ara is trying to carry them out. She thinks one sentence at the same time as them, and it resonates so strongly it saves them."I cannot give up. They need me."

Ara yanks Lester away from Meg and he falls beside her, panting and pale. Meg faints, but she lives. Lester glances up at Ara through heavy eyelids. "I love you."

"Thank you," Ara's mind starts to go back to normal now that she's halfway done with the process.

"Oh, well," the oracle sighs with disappointment. "The little girl might still be insane for the rest of her life. That's some consolation."

Ara and Lester glare at him. "Some consolation?"

"Yes. You'd best hurry. You'll have to carry the girl through the underwater tunnel, so I suppose you might both drown. Or the blemmyae might kill you at the other end. But if not, I want that favor."

Lester laughs dryly. "You expect a favor? For attacking a defenseless girl?"

"For giving you your prophecy. It's yours, assuming you can extract it from the girl on the Throne of Memory. Now my favor, as you promised: Destroy this cave."

A pause. "Say what, now?"

"This location is too exposed. Your allies at the Waystation will never be able to defend it from the Triumvirate. The emperors will just keep attacking. I do not wish to be used by Commodus anymore. Better that the Oracle is destroyed."

"I can understand not wanting to be used," Ara nods approvingly. "I'll destroy you."

"But, Trophonius... what will happen to you?" Lester wonders.

"Perhaps my Oracle will reappear somewhere else in a few centuries—under better circumstances, in a more secure location. Maybe that will give you time to become a nicer father."

"How do we destroy this place?"

"I may have mentioned the blemmyae with explosives in the next cave? If they do not use them, you must."

"And Agamethus? Will he disappear as well?"

"Eventually. Tell Agamethus... Tell him I love him, and I'm sorry this has been our fate. That's more than I ever got from you."

"What about Georgina? Where did Agamethus find her? Is she my child?"

The ghost laughs. "Ah, yes. Consider that mystery my last gift to you, Father. I hope it drives you insane!"

Ara watches him fade, fully sober now. "Can you carry Meg?"

"Yeah..." He eyes her. "Are you okay?"

The girl examines herself, bone dry even though she was soaking wet a minute ago. "Yeah, I just... yeah. Let's go get those explosives."

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh @ebony-reine-vibes

[cooperscreosote]

So, after satisfying my educational needs by reading a bunch of books about asexuality (with mixed success, as some weren't very helpful) and trying to connect with the community on Tumblr (with no success, probably won't try again because memes about garlic bread and subjugating whole countries aren't very funny to me) I can finally go back to ignore and repress this issue in peace, haha.

I still greatly dislike it and yeah, I would give a lot to change it if I could - especially since people told me before that I'm unable to love (in an insulting way, not just as a fact) and I desperately wanted to prove them wrong. But alas, I can't change it. No one can, and sometimes you just have to swallow it and face the facts. So I guess I'll just have to learn how to feel like just having myself is good enough and get used to a life of solitude. I still dread the thought even now, but I consider myself a practical person...so if there's no way around it there's also no need to cry about it any longer, right? (And who am I kidding, I wouldn't have found a partner anyway :D) Still, that comes with the knowledge that a part of me will always be unhappy, which is not that nice, but there's nothing to be done about that either :/

Anyway, the people who followed me for other things will probably be happy to hear this...I must have been such an annoyance, lol. There might be one or two related posts in my queue (can't remember rn, but it's possible), but that's it. Time to go back to more important things, aka fandom stuff!

[auxiliarydetective]

Thank you for your response but literally I'm not sure how to take it at face value because I witness on real time you reblogging stuff for the fyeah blog and there's a number of people you passed over whilst acknowledging others. I just take it because you know them but it's put me off big style because handpicking 'popular' creators to interact with is pretty common on here. I know you can't interact with everyone but it's just suspicious you only pick people with their posts commanding a lot of notes. There's a lot of random people making OCs so I'm guessing you're making sure what is most beneficial to you subconsciously

Don't worry about it we interact with the community in different ways so it's cool you do it your way and I'll just keep away and do my own little thing and won't tag the fyeah blog etc

I think there's been a misunderstanding here. If you want reach, tag the fyeah blog. That's the best way I know and how I met the friends I have right now. I reblog stuff for the fyeah blog, yes. But I only reblog stuff for the fyeah blog that has the fyeah tag. That's how fyeah blogs work. The fyeah blog is an old concept and I'm just a worker bee for one of them. The people whose posts I reblog have that many notes probably because they got reach through the fyeah blog or through the ocappreciation blog. You've got your causalities mixed up, but I get why that would happen. There's no way to tell when a post got its notes. Also I tend to be fairly late on some of the reblogs because I'm busy studying, so that might be another reason.

If the people I passed over have the tag #fyeahonepieceocs on their posts, I honestly don't know how I managed to miss them. We had a phase where all mods were busy and nobody had the time to reblog anything, but I was convinced that we had caught up. If the posts are older than the fyeah blog then that's also a possible reason. The only other reason I could think of is that I could have someone blocked, but I don't block any blogs except ones that look strikingly like bots. Which, for any new Tumblr users: If you haven't changed your profile picture and don't have a description or anything, people will assume you're a bot and block you just to be safe. That's nothing against you personally, that's basic Tumblr safety.

Either way, my point being: I don't reblog posts based on popularity, I reblog posts solely based on whether they have a certain tag, which is stated in the blog description. If there's posts that I'm missing, please let me know. The process for fyeah blog reblogging is literally: I check the fyeah tag, then I queue all the posts since my last check in chronological order. That's it.

My second point: Please, do the opposite of what you said in your last paragraph. I'm asking you to send me a message so I can get to see your OCs. How do you expect me do find your OCs if I don't even know what your URL is? Or just send me your post somehow? If you want me to appreciate your OC, I need to see it, so let me see it.

I hope this cleared things up in case you were confused about how reblogging for the fyeah blog works. If this is a me problem of me not seeing posts in the fyeah tag, I can try asking someone else to help out, but otherwise I don't know how to help you. We as a mod team do not have the capacity to go through the entire one piece oc tag, especially since I'm currently solo-ing the blog because everyone else is busy, so we narrow it down to just the fyeah tag. If your post isn't in that tag, that's not our fault.

Once again, hope this helped, hope it didn't come off as rude and hope to get a message from you with your OCs!

[standfortheangels]

So on Monday evening, I got an ask from a blog I hadn't seen before (not naming them) asking me to share their post asking for help with vet bills.

I was able to check out that they were a real person and not a bot, but I was confused about why they would ask Me, because again, never seen them before, and they also followed me right after sending the message, which seemed odd? So I left it alone and went to bed.

The next day I was waaay too tired to handle my own life, so that was a write-off. I'm in not so much a 'dip' in my health, it's more like.. a sinkhole, that hasn't stopped moving yet, so uh, yeah. That's limiting me a hell of a lot. Deciding what to do and writing a message back to them was just outside of my capabilities that day.

But yesterday, at one point early afternoon, I thought I had enough energy to throw some kind of reply together. I actually was going to reblog their post too. I just wanted to be able to tell this person- in case they picked me because they thought I'd have a lot of reach or something- that I actually don't tend to get seen by a lot of people, so it probably wouldn't help them much, but that I'd share it anyway and I hoped they could get their pet treated soon.

Except, there was no message there, and the follow notification vanished too.

Which means unless Tumblr fucked up in a very odd, very specific way.. they blocked me.

I hadn't responded in the maybe... 40 hours I'd had the message for, and I'd already been blocked.

Everything posted on my blog in that time, by the way, was through the queue and was tagged as such. I also have it in my blog description that I have health issues. Being unavailable for 40 hours doesn't mean someone is ignoring you regardless, but it's already public information that I have health shit to deal with and it slows me down. I would hope that would lead to a little patience as it is, but I mean, I could even have been in hospital for all they know!

Besides which, like, what good does blocking me do? If I'm not responding or posting, sure, maybe I'm ignoring you and don't want to share your post. But if I'm blocked, I definitely won't be sharing it! Because now I can't fucking see it can I?

Honestly, I'm almost glad now that my Monday sucked so much. Because that kind of anger in such a short amount of time (when, again, I didn't even post, stuff was queued and tagged) is a pretty big red flag tbh. I can understand being stressed if you're in that situation, but like.. I was basically off tumblr For A Day, a day and a half. To deal with health shit. And I got blocked for that.

Maybe it was a bizarre and highly coincidental glitch. Maybe they saw something on my blog they didn't like (though they should be vetting blogs better Before they send messages and follow if that's the case.). Or maybe they genuinely were impatient and defensive, and decided to block me out of anger when I had a perfectly reasonable explanation for what was actually a pretty short delay, certainly for me at least.

So yeah. Guess I kinda just wanted to vent that out, because, honestly I hate when people get mad at me for being sick, or for things in general I can't control. It isn't fair. And it's like, don't you think I would change it if I could? If I had any control whatsoever, do you genuinely believe I'd choose to be too exhausted to write a fucking message? I wouldn't. And I guarantee it sucks a hell of a lot more for me than it does for you, and I don't get to walk away when it's too much. So you can suck it the fuck up and Wait.

I know it doesn't Quite work like that in this case. They don't know the extent of my health issues, but that's the thing. If someone doesn't reply to you for a couple days, there are all sorts of things that could be happening. Maybe, like me, they're ill and don't have the energy to reply. Maybe they're stressed up to the eyeballs and they just can't handle a social interaction politely right now. Maybe they have severe social anxiety and they're trying to build up the courage or get their message perfect before they send it. Maybe their internet went down! They may not even know they have a message sat there yet! Maybe someone they love like, Just Died that same day.

Maybe it isn't their fucking fault, you know?

Anyway. Ultimately they've shot themselves in the foot. Because for whatever reason, they acted on the assumption that I was being mean and chose to ignore them, and in doing so, they've made it impossible for me to do what they were asking for, when I was actually willing to. And they'll never know that part either, because I can't tell them, because I'm blocked. So, y'know. They'll never get that help from me, and that's more their fault than mine.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Change of Plans

Yeah, I'm going to have to shuffle a few plans. Because I only got in ten minutes ago. That should not have taken an hour, but it took an hour. It did remind me, though. how much I hate public transport, especially on the rush hour, and particularly especially when disabled.

So I walked down to the pharmacy for my prescription, and the little grocery store next to it for my various rolls of cookery apparatus. That was no problem - no queue at the pharmacy, found everything I needed quickly... The worst that happened was that my cane slipped on some wet leaves on the way and gave my arm and leg a bit of a wrench. Which, okay, it hurt, but there you go.

Then I had to wait a full half-hour for the 363 home (because I can't walk up that hill even on a good day). And when it got there, it was packed. There was exactly one seat left on the lower deck, and everyone in the priority seats ... well, either hiding in book, pointedly looking out the window or anywhere that they could pretend not to notice the people with walking aids staggering onto the crowded bus, and one lady who glared antagonistically at me as if daring me to open my mouth and ask if I could sit down. Anyway, that one seat on the lower deck? There was an elderly gentleman who got on the bus after me, and he had crutches, so I thought I'd be nice and let him have the seat. He barely nodded acknowledgement to me, which ... well, fine, okay. But the guy in the window seat next to that one leftover seat saw that, and actually got up and moved to the top deck to let me have the seat. Of course, that seat was immediately taken up by another woman who I guess had been on the bus awhile and while I know she saw me, she joined the people in the priority seats in pretending not to pay attention to anything.

Next stop, more people got on and a guy actually took his small child and moved to the top deck, leaving his partner behind to mind the stroller, because he also noticed I needed a seat. Unfortunately, there was this one guy who'd got on the bus at that point and he had me blocked off in a corner, and the seat got taken by someone else who'd got on at that stop, who again made every effort to avoid looking at me. So I just closed my eyes, clung to the rail for dear life, and tried to ignore how badly I hurt for the next two stops, when I finally got off the bus. Then I stopped briefly at the corner shop because however expensive it is now, I deserved a can of Coke, and then I hobbled home. And now I hurt. I hurt so much I cannot even begin to describe it.

So I figure, if I put the minced pork back in the fridge, it'll probably keep until tomorrow, where at least I won't have had everything flare up worse because of public transport nightmare so I should be able to make my cabbage rolls. And maybe a hot bath will improve the aches a bit. So I'll do that, stuff some emergency calories into my face, and then go back to the overtime. This means I'll be working until at minimum 10pm, because even finishing all of yesterday's work means eighty-plus bits of dictation, at least four of them over ten minutes ... but I just can't right now. Then I'll probably throw some tuna broccoli pasta together. I'd do takeout, but my flat buzzer's still broken and I can't face going up and down the stairs just for food.

Right. Bath. And pray that at least makes the spasms stop. I can deal with pain; I can't deal with my right leg spasming while I'm trying to press a foot pedal.

[shaydystheshadowqueen]

Guess what! It's that time again! (ok it's 10 days earlier than when I first sent this) Ok so since I realized that my handwriting is illegable, here's an updated text version of the above chart (also I'm too lazy to redraw this but if I did it would star Hoodie Scarecrow and Friends)

Hi Internet! Shaydys here with a Halloween message! With October on it's way, many Halloween haunts are getting ready to open and perhaps you are planning to go to one. If you are, then let me present...

SHAYDYS'S HAUNT SURVIVAL GUIDE

*not a real survival guide unless your idea of survival is keeping out of trouble

Beware of Hazards: Haunts are loaded with special effects and some can be hazardous to those with certain health problems. Haunts will list these hazards at the front of the queue entrance. Feel free to bring whatever you need (earplugs, masks, etc) and ask staff if you have any concerns. Hazard examples: strobe lights, fog machines, loud noises

Respect the Monsters: All actors are still human (and the sweetest people when they aren't being creepy) even if they look like ghouls. Please show respect by not harassing them or wrecking/stealing from the haunt. Edit: I will forgive accidental breakage of stuff cause hey you're scared running blind and half the haunt's held together with staples and tape. HOWEVER messing with or banging on the drop panels is very much considered disrespectful as is (and I can't believe this actually happened) spraying the actors with any kind of spray including silly string, pepper spray, air cheese, etc. And scare actors? Don't harass the guests. You don't touch them, they won't touch you.

Minor not recommended: Please be aware of the age recommendation for your local haunt. These events are designed for teens and adults, not toddlers and especially not babies. Edit: I understand some kids are perfectly ok with horror, but not every kid is gonna be the cute pink parka going through the clown gore haunt twice and also VVV Remember the hazards? Please don't deafen your kids haunts are as loud as concerts sometimes.

Don't be afraid to ask: I mean yes be afraid of that screaming ghost, but if you need help of any kind (getting out of a haunt cause you got too scared, finding an item you lost in the haunt, etc) feel free to ask any staff (usually wearing a safety vest or holding a light baton in the haunt) and they will help. Scare actor can and will also break character to help you in serious situations or direct you to someone who can help before going back to terrorizing screaming teens and happy old ladies. We want you to have fun, not get hurt.

Bonus Rule - Do not feed the ghouls: Please keep food and drinks put away or left outside during your experience in the haunt. Less mess = Happy Spooky

Remember, Halloween is for acting like a witch, not like a bitch

Be respectful, Be prepared, BE AFRAID

[papermint-airplane]

I promise I will be a better Simblr soon! 😭 There's been such an adjustment period coming back to Tumblr for the first time in years. I'm like... what do I do with this thing? Stories? Legacies? Random screenshots with no context? All of the above??? Is it ok to interact with other Simblrs? Is me liking every post annoying? Because I genuinely like everything. Teach me the rulesssss. 😭😭

No but seriously, I have a ton of stuff I want to post and I'm going to set up a queue one of these days. I don't know if I can do continuous narratives since my brain is all over the place all the dang time these days but I wanna get more involved here. The Sims community is one I have such deep love for.

Like, not to get too personal but... you know what, it's my blog, whatever, fuck it. The Sims games and the community as a whole has given me so much comfort in dark times. When I got the Sims 1 at 16, I was trapped in a shitty home with abusive Fundie parents, no friends, and newly developing mental illnesses. The Sims gave me something to do to get my mind off things. Gave me some of the control I never had in my life. When Sims 2 came out two years later, I discovered the community through image boards (remember those, fellow Millenials?) and never looked back. At a time when I desperately needed friends, these strangers with their cute little pixel people showed me more love than my parents ever did.

Years later, due to circumstances, I fell out of the community and couldn't even play the game anymore. Things changed, I changed. I got medication, I got into therapy, I started trying to make sense of what happened to me. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, I was so scared and confused like eveyone else. I ended up turning to the one thing that gave me comfort 20 years ago when I was a teenager. I am so glad I did.

Not only do I absolutely love my game, I've made so many wonderful new friends from r/sims3 on Reddit. I'm able to express myself again in a way that I thought was lost forever. I've always been a writer but the years of trauma and mental illness took my words away from me. Playing the Sims again has brought the words flooding back. I get so much joy from writing about my beloved Sims and reading others' stories.

I'll never say anything like "the Sims cured my depression" because that's a total lie. I'm still depressed, I'm still traumatized, I'm still on meds and in therapy and will be possibly forever. But this community gives me an outlet that has turned out to be one of the healthiest, most positive hobbies I think I've ever had. I will always be grateful for that.

So yeah. That's all I have to say. I didn't think this would be so long but I guess I just wanted to express my appreciation for this community. I look forward to getting to know other Simblrs and sharing my little world. I just enjoy being here and posting what makes me happy.

If you read this far, I feel like I owe you an apology lol. I won't apologize, though, because my therapist says I do that too much and I shouldn't be sorry to be myself. So, if you're still here, I'm just going to say thank you for seeing me.

[highwaydiamonds]

So, now that I'm all gradjimatated from cardiac rehab - I took myself over to exercise in the regular portion of the health center ( it's a whole medical/exercise complexy thing. kinda weird but not worth going into) ... I didn't go over Monday but i probably should have but whatever- i didn't - because i had stayed up too late sunday and i kinda just felt like "bleh - monday. don't wanna - don't hafta so i'm not gonna." Which... Is fine. The only one losing out when I don't go is me. It also means I I have to accept that when I don't go I'm not progressing toward my goals. So whenn I decided I would go today (after therapy) it was from a place that wasn't one of obligation or petulance... More just one of, " ok, I'm gonna go and do it - take the opportunity." Doesn't mean I enjoyed doing it, just that I did go and do it and did it for a bit longer like I had wanted to during rehab. Felt like the machine I was on today was hard than the one I used in rehab but it's ok. Also used one of the resistance machines for core stuff and dude - I am WEAK lol. Two dudes way older than I am were using it at higher levels for more reps - had to laugh internally. Room for improvement there methinks.

There are lots of machines I am not familiar with. (Not to mention that there are floors above and below the main level, and the pools. ) I don't know the layouts or locations of stuff or how to use certain things. However, I don't like asking people for help... Asking people for help is hard. (Guess what is another thing we talked about in therapy today... did you guess "asking for help?" you did?! good job- you win an imaginary cookie!) I always struggle with asking for guidance or help because I feel like either I am supposed to know the answer to the question I need to ask or that people will judge me for being stupid along with the judgement i will probably already get about being fat. (cue my therapist asking me " do you think YOU moralize about your weight along with other people?" my reply you ask? It was along the lines of, " oh yeah. I think i do it to myself more than most people probably do to me otherwise... If I think about others logically I know they're likely not thinking about me much at all, but emotionally? My knee-jerk reaction is always that they will be thinking badly of me." So... Did I ask for help today? >.< No. I ALMOST did, but then chickened out. So instead i did my cardio on the stepper that i already knew how to use, and watched some other people use some of the resistance machines with easy sight lines from my machine and did a tiny bit of strength work on those ( just like 2 of them) for a few minutes before i did my ending stretches and that was the hour up. Plan is to go tomorrow and maaaaaaybe I ask someone then. Maybe being there in a different space won't feel as awkward, and I'll feel better about asking for some guidance.

Oh - lastly - sorry i've been quiet here- haven't really beefed up the queue again. I have lots of things to add to it from my likes - but you might be seeing a lot of blog repeats unless i take the time to really do some organizing :/ and honestly, i'm feeling a bit lazy. I'm feeling like i need to something creative but i don't have the space i would need to do messy crafts/art ( so art journaling is kind of out - boo) and right now i could knit but that's not what i really want... I want something that can be colorful and also get some feelings out... if i was any good at drawing/painting I'd do those, but i am so not. Not that I have to be good - I don't but I'm not sure how to express the feelings emotionally if i can't literally express the feelings visually/physically... That is if i can't draw or represent the feelings in color/form on the page does that do anything to help the emotional stew? I suppose the only way to find out is to do it? Hrmmmm - Idk.- we shall see I suppose.

[stubz]

Let's get Clark home

True enough after dinner Lou introduced Chiharu to Mrs. Clark, an elderly woman who immediately dragged her in the second she saw her.

"Child who takes care of you? Tsk, your hair! When was the last time you had a bath? And your are so skinny! Have you been living in the woods, your shoes and clothes are tattered! Oh hello, Lou would you be a dear and fill the tub? Not too hot though, she'll burn easily with how skinny she is."

"Sure thing Mrs. Clark! Do you want me to grab the towels and extra clothes too?"

"Yes, thank you dear!"

"No problem!" with that she came in and headed towards the linen closet, next to the kitchen pantry. While she did that the old woman continued to look over Chiharu muttering and tsking whenever she found a new twig in her hair or a hole in her clothes. When they reached the bathroom Lou had already started to fill the tub by...turning the handle?

Lou having seen her face explained. "Oh your not from here! In Buranda stuff like this is available to everyone and not just the nobles. Pretty cool right? You don't even need to heat up the water separately, it's all warmed up in a boiler thingy! It's like...uhh, it's like a giant tea kettle I guess? it's in the basement if you wanna see it."

"Oh no, she is not going anywhere until she has a bath and a hot meal. Now get in the tub dear."

"I'll take that as my queue then, I'll be back in the morning."

"Goodbye dear, and be careful getting home."

"Okay Mrs. Clark, see ya later Haru!" with that the older girl left leaving Chiharu alone with the elderly woman.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Off with those dirty clothes and into the tub!"

"Uh, are you, are you staying? In here? With me?" the young girl stammered face as red a tomato.

"Haru? Was it?"

"It's Chiharu actually, but you can call me Haru if you want, ma'am"

"Alright, Chiharu, first things first. Don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel even older than I already am. Second, I have 5 children and 12 grandchildren, so don't feel embarrassed. It's nothing I haven't seen before. Third, I won't stay if you don't want me to. I can imagine how strange it must be to be brought into an unknown village, bathed by a stranger, especially when most strangers have probably been nothing but cruel to you."

"I-I'm not, I do-!"

"You don't have to explain anything to me. But judging by your appearance, you haven't had a place to call home for some time. And there is no shame in that, you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am- I mean, yes Mrs. Clark."

"Good, now get in the tub already! The water's getting cold and you're dirtying up the floors."

"Yes Mrs. Clark!"

in the end Mrs. Clark did stay and help her bathe. At first it was awkward but soon it became calming and nice, it reminded Chiharu of when she was little and her mom helped her wash up. By the time she was clean the water had become dark and murky, almost mud-like.

"I'll clean it Mrs. Clark!" to that the old woman responded with a towel to the face, scolding her that she would just get dirty again if she did. After drying off she was given clothes that were much too big for her.

"Looks like we'll have to go to the marketplace. Until then, you'll just have to make do with these. Now come along, I have a meat pie in the oven."

The pie was delicious, the meat was seasoned with garlic, salt, and butter. The vegetables were soft yet still had some crunch and the pastry part was fluffy and warm. For dessert, they had some fruit that she thought she would never have again, pineapple and mango. Apparently, Buranda grows them farther down south. After eating, Mrs. Clark sent her to the bathroom to wash up her face. When she came out she was guided to the spare bedroom right across from Mrs. Clark's room.

In the morning after breakfast, they headed out to the marketplace with Lou joining them on the way. It appears that since the town was rather small everyone knew each other, with everyone calling out a good morning to the woman and girl accompanying Chiharu. Because of how friendly everyone was with each other it took longer than expected to leave town. It was mostly because of Mrs. Clark, every few steps someone would come up and talk to her, the baker thanking her for a recipe, a group of huntsmen asking her to teach them some kind of complicated knot, children asking to come over for some treats, everyone knew and loved her.

"She's so popular because she's helped everyone here in their time of need." said Lou, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Everyone?"

"Mhm, everyone."

"Even you?"

"Not yet, but knowing me it'll happen soon! Didn't you listen to my story? Can't take me anywhere without something happening!" with that there was a comfortable silence for a while until the younger girl asked another question.

"Do you know why we're going to the marketplace? Mrs. Clark never said why."

"Probably to get you some stuff, like some clothes that fit."

"Oh, why?"

"Because you can't walk around wearing your old clothes, they're all tattered."

"Well, it would be nice to have some new clothes."

Throughout the week, Chiharu and Mrs. Clark went to the marketplace to buy things that she would need. Sleeping clothes, some new shoes, daily wear, a toothbrush, and a book so that she can learn more about the country. Since she had no money the young girl decided to repay her gracious host by doing chores. Cleaning the house making the bed, feeding the chickens, getting milk from the neighbors, going out to chop up some firewood. Well, really it was Lou and her friend Marie, but she carried the most home. She even helped the other townspeople since they also made her feel welcomed.

The baker always gave her and some of the other children a free bun fresh from the oven. The huntsmen gave her a slingshot, which got taken away by Mrs. Clark saying that she'll shoot her eye out. Parents and adults always greeted her and asked her how she enjoying the town. The town's children taught her plenty of new games and Lou's family was also quite nice and friendly. Her older brother taught her cool things about the country and her younger brother always invited her to play games with him and his friends. She also finally met Marie, the friend from Lou's story. At first, she thought the older girl didn't like her since she was always rather quiet when it was just the two of them. But she soon learned that was false when she herself invited her to go fishing with her and Lou, according to Lou she's just shy.

It was a nice day and the lake was even nicer. But she couldn't fully enjoy it. For the young girl was deep in thought, mind full of troubling thoughts. After a long period of silence, she finally voiced these thoughts out loud.

"Hey Lou, how long can I stay here?"

"What, you bored of fishing? I know it can take a while but it'll be worth it, right Marie?"

"Yep, nothing like eating a freshly caught fish. Especially when you were the one who caught it." replied the pale girl, never once looking away from her fishing pole, standing completely still in the shallow of the lake.

"No, I mean how long can I stay in town, with Mrs. Clark."

"Oh. Well, how long do you want to stay?"

"...how long do you want me to stay?"

"However long you want to stay."

"Yeah but, how long do-?"

"Oh for Pete's sake!" cried out the shy girl scaring them both. "You can stay for as long as you want! If you wanna stay for a few more days that's fine. If you wanna stay for a few years that's also fine! You don't have to stay and you don't have to go, do whatever you want!"

"Well, that was loud. But yeah what she said. You're welcome to stay for as long as you want. Heck, you could live here if you wanted to!"

"Really?!"

"Eyup!"

"But where would I live?"

"Why with Mrs. Clark of course!"

"Would, would she let me though?"

"Of course she would, why wouldn't she?"

"Because I mean, she hardly knows me! Y-you hardly know me! When we first met I was running away from the town's guards!"

"True but we know enough to like you, to care about you and with time we'll learn even more about each other. Like why you were being chased, but only if you feel like telling us. If don't then that's fine, everyone is allowed to have some secrets."

"...it's because I came here illegally, by accident though!"

the two older girls turned to each other, both wearing unreadable expressions. For a while nobody said anything, at least verbally. It looked like Lou and Marie were talking to each other just by looking at each other.

'this is it, there trying to think of a way to politely kick me out or how to turn me over to the guards. I guess I really am destined for doom, and there's nothing I can-are they...laughing???'

"Are you two laughing?! I tell you that I'm an illegal immigrant and you laugh?!"

With that, the two stop trying to hide their snickers and openly laugh. Lou fell into the water holding her stomach, while Marie started choking on her own laughter.

"H-how, how do you accidentally, oh god, sneak into a country??? Bwahaha!!"

"Seriously that is impressive." wiping away tears of laughter Marie helped her friend up out of the water. "Like, you did it by accident and got away with it! I mean, how is that possible?!"

"See we already knew you weren't from around here. And given your lack of uh adult supervision and haggardness, we assumed that you having citizenship would be unlikely. But never would any of us thought that you got here by accident."

"You already knew?"

"Chiharu your accent is super noticeable and everyone saw you on the first day. I mean how could they not? You were carried through town on Lou's shoulders."

"Plus you didn't know that the water's temperature can be controlled by turning the handles."

"oh, so everyone knows and they're okay with it?"

"Yep"

"Eyup"

And that was it, that was the end of the conversation. A comfortable silence came upon them, all of them sitting there in the shallow, not caring about the scolding they would get for getting their clothes wet. Eventually, they just didn't care at all, taking off their vests and hats they flung themselves into the lake. They found frogs, turtles, and schools of fish which made Marie nearly swim for shore. Apparently she was afraid of fish, only when in the water though.

"We should probably go now, the sun's about to set."

"True. Mrs. Clark will get worried if we take too long."

"Why would she be worried?" Chiharu asked wringing out the bottom of her shirt.

"Because the animals come out when it gets dark and she wouldn't want her granddaughter out with them."

"Marie's her granddaughter?"

"Nope. You are."

"Mrs. Clark isn't my grandma, we're not related."

"Doesn't matter, she's adopted you as her new granddaughter. I heard her talking to my parents about adoption papers. So, she'll probably be adopting you before winter."

"Well it won't be for another month until the papers are all ready for the adoption to happen, but before she can you'll need citizenship so really she'll be adopted sometime this year. Legally that is."

"She, she wants me as her granddaughter? Me? The kid that you picked up from the road who was chased by the guards?"

"Weird right? But hey, some parents are just like that. Mine just found me on their doorstep and immediately went downtown to get the adoption papers."

"To me, my stepmom is my mom." piped up Marie.

"She wants me...she really wants me!"

"Can you have your realization and walk at the same time? Cause we really need to get going."

"Nope, she's crying...looks like your carrying her again."

"What!? It's like, an hour walk back to town!"

"Oh please! She's lighter than Matt and it's only a 45 minute walk. Now pick her up while I get our stuff."

"Finnne! C'mere Haru." with that Lou hoisted her up onto her back who immediately snuggled in once settled.

"C'mon slowpokes!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming Ryder!"

"Oh, so it's like that? Well then, hurry up Haddix! Let's get Clark home!"

[theseerasures]

YOu have a lot of interesting thoughts abt Winter what dyou think will happen with her this season?? Iknow you already said she won't die but. other stuff?? What do you think of the idea that she defects to salem

y’know, anon: i was actually gonna write something to this tune unprompted before the hiatus ended? i didn’t, because when it’s inevitably revealed that i was wrong about Everything and the village children throw their eggs and laugh i didn’t want to give them any more receipts, but now that someone has asked i might as well

quick disclaimer before i start! these are subjective speculations about a character who has thus far been--particularly in 8.1--sparsely and ambivalently characterized, on purpose. i am spinning from the same subtext as anyone else, and if i am reading it differently, then all that means that i am reading it differently. Mr. Teeth is not sending me secret data. i am not the Steve Kornacki of RWBY Defections, as hilarious as it is to imagine someone like that existing.

okay? okay. below are some ideas and theories about where Winter could be going this season

The Defection (no not that one yet)

yeah, i’m still an “AceOps defect as a team” truther. this one actually has the least to do with Winter, and most to do with story economy. and the story of the AceOps is this: under Clover they were “the perfect team”--efficient, powerful, professional, and the perfect emblem of Atlesian values. law and order above all else. the mission matters more than the team. don’t get attached.

Clover’s absence from the team begins in late season 7, which means all that shiny varnish is stripped from Atlas at the same time it’s stripped from the AceOps. it turns out that the law isn’t always right, it turns out it’s super easy to turn “the needs of the many” into “the needs of the few who have many,” and it turns out once you go even a single inch past their facade the “best Huntsmen in Atlas” are conflicted, directionless, and squabble like children. they have a better showing against Penny this season, but their continued dynamic shows that fault lines--particularly between Marrow and Harriet--are reaching crisis. The AceOps model is unsustainable, in the same way that all of Atlas is ultimately unsustainable.

then Ironwood puts Winter in charge, and at first i did think: well, this is probably just to accelerate the inevitable fallout. they are, by their own testimony, emotional strangers to each other, and now some of them disagree on ideological grounds to the point where they can barely stand to be in the same room; slapping an abrasive volatile live wire on top of all that is pouring gasoline on Rome while Rome burns.

but the revelation of Renvision was that they’ve been lying--about HAVING feelings, but also about their feelings with and about each other. moreover: Winter’s own emotions mirror theirs. they’re speaking, in whatever horrifically repressed way, a similar language.

i’m not going to discount the possibility that this kind of ice-water-in-the-face moment might not be enough for some of them; one thing i’ve always respected about RWBY is its unwillingness to flinch away from the idea that sometimes it IS too late for people. but when it comes down to the AceOps, i think the operating question isn’t “will they pick JOYR over setting off the bomb,” because they’re not ready to make that kind of decision together as a team yet. no, the operating question is: if it comes down to one of them, or setting off the bomb, what will they choose?

Clover would set off the bomb, without hesitation or remorse. the mission and protocol HAVE to come first, and in this case there’s a compelling argument that it’s the right call. the team under Clover would have followed suit. the team without Clover would have likely done the same.

the team under Winter...

well, the thing about Winter is that she’s NOT Clover. not a perfect soldier, but--let’s stick with “not a perfect soldier.” she cannot lead in the same way Clover did, with that infuriating mixture of self-assurance and personal charisma, but i don’t think she thinks of herself as any less in command, which means that for the time being, the AceOps are her team. i can’t be certain what Winter would choose in this situation--whether her personal feelings can win out against years of consequentialist thinking--but i do feel fairly confident in saying that she’d be more willing to sacrifice HERSELF in order to choose both.

and in this crucial moment where the AceOps are forced to re-evaluate how they feel about each other, and the team, that might count for something.

so tl;dr #1: the AceOps find a team identity separate from the Atlesian structure. whether they defect to the RIGHT people, or survive defection, and whether Winter counts narratively as one of the AceOps by that point, i’m less sure about, but a cursory stab in the dark would be: yes, not all of them, and no.

The Return

how much do the writers care about the Winter-Ironwood dynamic? probably less than i do, but i also care more than any human should be permitted to under the law, especially since people have moved onto speculating about all the hot NEW abusers she could have in her life. whatever--it is something that needs closure, and i think the writers know that. my preference is still that they confront each other in person, at Atlas Academy (Qrow having fucked off via either healthy decision making or force). if this does happen, i don’t think there’s any chance that both of them will make it out alive; Winter would ONLY confront Ironwood if she’s forced to--either by him or other forces--and both of them are too rigid with themselves and with each other to offer any kind of give, or forgiveness.

that’s what i’d prefer, but it no longer seems the most likely option; Winter clearly has no plans to make it back, and the queue for “people who want to slug it out with DILF Jimmy” just keeps getting longer. it’s possible that they’ll end on the same personal-impersonal teeter-totter which they’ve always resided, where they’re just voices in each other’s earpieces, and she’s giving him a report, and he is issuing her orders.

there’s a way to make that meaningful, though: Winter HAS just disobeyed an explicit order--the first she’s done when she fully had the capacity to carry it out. her own treasons are piling up, and it’s a secret that he should know, for plot and character reasons. the obvious choice among the AceOps to tattle is Harriet, but i also think there’s a nonzero chance that, if asked, Winter herself will tell him. for all her flaws, i do think Winter is capable of owning up to her decisions (it’d make a nice parallel with Yang telling Ironwood about what she and Blake did during Gravity, but that’s neither here nor there), but even more importantly...i think she’d tell him because she wants to be reassured. that she did the right thing, but also that they’re still on the same page, and that he’s still the same person he always was, with her.

he won’t reassure her, of course. especially after he finds out that she disobeyed him for Ozpin. she’ll have no one left.

tl;dr #2: Winter and Ironwood have to reach some kind of End by the finale. whether it’s with a bang or a whimper i’m again less certain of, but if it DOES end with a bang one of them will die, and it’s going to be Ironwood.

Winter Alone

i, like many others, assumed going into the season that Winter’s core dilemma would be something like “her family or her family,” meaning: her sisters or her (adoptive) father. but i think as far as the show’s concerned that conflict was resolved when she let them go in The Enemy of Trust, and it’s not worth re-litigating. since the season started she’s just missed Weiss and/or Penny TWICE by narrative contrivance--during the Amity heist, and the abortive recovery mission--and she’s been sent away from Ironwood. it’s increasingly looking to me like Winter and Weiss will not talk to each other at ALL this season (do they have Scroll reception in the whale? i guess they must if Watts talked to Tyrian), or at most will only catch a tantalizing glimpse of each other before being whisked away again. all of this points to the issue not being “whose side will Winter choose,” but “what kind of person IS Winter, when she doesn’t have anyone else’s ideology to fall back upon?”

which is very exciting to me! the What You Are in the Dark trope is an obvious staple, but i’m especially a sucker for it when it happens to characters like Winter, who lucked out in the sense that their more selfish motivations (protecting herself from Dad) have never quite conflicted with doing Good (protecting other people). the cognitive dissonance for that with Winter has already been played up to the max, so for it to come to a crisis for her, at a point when EVERYONE WHOSE OPINION SHE CARES ABOUT HAS ALREADY FUCKED OFF, is just great drama. it’s made all the better by the fact that RWBY specifically has a lot of villains whose backstories involve them being put in a similar situation, and choosing wrong: Adam chose spite. Raven chose cowardice. getting to see someone make that choice in the story proper, then, adds to and complicates what RWBY has to say the conditions of possibility for heroism and villainy.

furthermore, and this might be where my biases become delusions: that Winter is being maneuvered to make these decisions for herself, BY herself, points to the possibility that she might be graduating from a mostly region-locked character (Ilia, the Belladonnas, Beacon staff and students) to full-on supporting cast (TRQ, Maria, the villains). if Weiss and/or Penny reach out to Winter in a climactic confrontation this season, then the story isn’t NOT about Winter, but it would place more emphasis on Weiss and/or Penny, as main cast members, and their ability to save a person they love. but if their relationships are given more space and time for breathe (or fester!)--if Winter gets to change away from Weiss in the way that Weiss changed and grew away from Winter in Mistral, for example--then it points to a greater parity in terms of their mutual importance in the story.

tl;dr #3: Schneester Bowl might have to wait at least another season, because Winter’s too busy trying out independent thinking. now, whether Winter will make the RIGHT choice, or the story will LET her make that call after she’s decided...

2Defect2Salem

i actually touched on this before, so tl;dr #4.1: i do not find the ways that people talk about HOW Salem gets Winter to defect to be very convincing. the idea that Salem could easily manipulate Winter because they have similar backstories makes me...tilt my head, but i think that’s more due to my personal belief that people who are similar in those ways actually tend to be each other’s blind spots (i also think this about Blake and Winter, FWIW). more to the point: my personal reading of Winter locates a streak buried deep within that is unyieldingly CATEGORICAL. despite being embedded within Atlesian rationality, despite her mentor being James Ironwood, there is something in Winter that instinctively judges an immediate instance to be right or wrong, and she’s never been able to suppress that all the way.

and with that in mind, i genuinely don’t think Winter is enough of a long-term, big picture thinker to give herself over to despair for Atlas as a whole. oh, we see her parrot “for the good of all, not just a few” just fine, but if she was already having trouble internalizing that when it was coming from IRONWOOD, a man she loves and trusts, then why would Salem--a person she is predisposed to distrust--be better at convincing her that the ends justify the means? why would she believe that submission is preferable to extinction from someone that EVERYONE SHE KNOWS considers an enemy? it’s hard for me to conceive of a Winter who, perched at the lip of the despair event horizon, will a) think enough of herself to make a decision for everyone and b) accept that the decision is imperfect and compromise, when she could just do what soldiers do, what she’s been asked to do, and die for an impossible cause.

(also not to belabor the point, but: ...how is she supposed to deliver Atlas to Salem? are we assuming that the Atlas Military works via Klingon Promotion, or that Ironwood gave her all his passwords?)

this is not to say that i think Winter will completely no-sell Salem (though that would be VERY funny). assuming that she and Salem do end up in the same room (which is still up in the air), i can easily picture a scenario where Salem manipulates Winter into making a bad decision (though honestly, Winter’s been doing just fine with that all on her own), but the distance between “a bad decision” and “a decision that she knows will help the Big Bad” is still quite far. i can similarly picture a scenario where Salem gradually sways Winter--not a single Anakin-style dramatic reversal, but an Atris-style descent-by-inches, through a million little non-choices--but that’s the thing: manipulation takes TIME, no matter how good at it you are, and we’re running up against the fact that the season ends in 6 episodes, and Winter is only one of about a trillion dangling threads.

tl;dr #4.2: the only way i can see Winter defecting to Salem THIS SEASON, then, is if it’s not her choice at all. for me, this makes the most thematic sense--that she’s been playing keep-away so long with her own agency, and Salem ends up resolving the issue by taking it away from her completely. that she wants so much to be sure she’s making the right choice, or to not have to make the call, and Salem gives her exactly what she wants. she’ll never have to think for herself again. we know Salem is capable of something like that, because we’ve just seen the Hound. Winter won’t be another Hound, if only because churning out the same horror will only yield diminishing returns, but she might be...something else.

regardless, tl;dr #4.3: if “Winter defecting to Salem” shakes down in any way--either as originally posited or as i just described--it would be an FANTASTIC story and character engine. i’ve already talked about the potential conflict this could create within Team RWBY, but like...imagine Weiss talking to ANYONE about her sister. imagine Weiss talking to Emerald, who would have just joined the heroes, whose decision to cut herself off from Cinder would feel like a portent. imagine Winter with the villains! not just Salem, but Cinder! imagine the subtextual parallels between the two becoming TEXT. imagine the two of them having to work together! imagine how Cinder would feel to lose Emerald and get Winter. imagine how Mercury would feel! can you imagine Winter and Mercury bonding over their daddy issues?? because i can’t! but i wanna. my love for Winter isn’t contingent on her making the right choices, but on her getting the right material. this would not only be the right material, but A LOT OF IT, and if the writers do choose to go in this direction, i trust them enough to be excited about where it might go.