#brain game for kids preschool

[gamesonyoutube]

Brain Game For Kids Preschool | प्रीस्कूल बच्चों के लिए ब्रेन गेम | Matc...

[harveeblogs]

Brain Exercises for Your Kids Development

Children learn through observation and interaction. As parents, particularly mothers, it's essential to nurture your child's mental growth alongside their physical health. Major brain development occurs during the preschool years, making it an ideal time to engage in activities that stimulate cognitive growth. This article explores ten effective brain exercises designed to boost your child's development.

Importance of Brain Exercises for Children

Early childhood is a critical period for brain development, where experiences and activities shape neural connections, forming the foundation for learning and behavior. Regular brain exercises enhance concentration, memory, and overall cognitive function, paving the way for academic success and lifelong learning.

10 Fun & Engaging Brain Workouts for Kids

1. Puzzles and Problem-Solving Activities

Puzzles like jigsaw puzzles and Sudoku stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Encourage your child to tackle age-appropriate but challenging puzzles to build logical reasoning and confidence. Building block toys also enhance hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

2. Memory Games and Mnemonics

Memory games, such as card matching and 'under the cups,' improve concentration and recall. Introduce mnemonics—fun memory aids—to help your child remember information or sequences. Creating personalized mnemonics makes learning enjoyable and memorable.

3. Creative Arts and Crafts

Provide materials for drawing, painting, sculpting, or crafting to encourage self-expression. These activities promote imagination and problem-solving through experimentation and innovation.

4. Physical Activities and Coordination Games

Physical exercise enhances brain function. Activities like dancing, playing catch, or navigating obstacle courses improve coordination, spatial awareness, and cognitive flexibility. Encourage outdoor play to promote active lifestyles and social interaction.

5. Reading, Storytelling, and Language Development

Reading aloud, storytelling, and discussing stories enrich language skills and expand vocabulary. Encourage your child to explore different genres and ask questions about characters and plots. 

For the rest of the blog, please click here Harvee School Blog.

[femvaylin]

I should pick up a couple of sub shifts at a preschool. Haven't done that in ages.

Life protip: if you need physical contact with other human beings, daycares and preschools (at least in my country) will take on literally anyone without a criminal record as a sub. You choose your own shifts. It's not reliable as your only source of income, nor would I ever suggest doing it full time because it is SOUL SUCKING work, but one shift here and there will do more good than ill. Kids are great.

[adore-laur]

hmmm maybe dadrry where he pretends to make her jealous but it doesn’t work bc they’re so secure in the relationship they just smirk and tease them, or that yn gets mama bear when she sees other moms hit on harry at school or daycare

——

In a couple of weeks, the preschool your eldest daughter attended was going on a field trip to a petting zoo in Montebello, California. Chaperone sign-up sheets were recently emailed to every parent, and you were debating with Harry about who should be the one to tag along. It wasn't a requirement to be a chaperone, but your worrisome maternal instincts sure made it one.

Harry was lying on the couch, his socked feet dangling over the armrest. You sat normally, your legs bent over his straightened knees, as you stared into space. The conversation kept hitting dead ends, but you were insistent on coming up with a solution as soon as possible. You had enough on your plate to deal with in the weeks ahead.

"Only one of us can chaperone the field trip," you repeated for probably the fourth time that night.

"I'm more than willing to take off work for it," Harry replied, his fingers casually laced over his chest. His eyes were closed since it was nearing ten p.m. and you hadn't been able to make up your mind about which parent should volunteer their time and energy toward the field trip. You had cornered Harry when he went to shut the living room lights off and forced him to sit down before he retreated to bed. It wasn't that you didn't trust him to be a chaperone—he'd definitely handle the controlled chaos that came with supervising a group of kids in an environment full of animals to gawk at. You just considered yourself a more watchful person, but really, it was an excuse to witness your daughter's interactions with her classmates and make sure she was adjusting well to being in school.

"I'm more than willing to as well. So..." You tapped your fingers against the couch cushion. "We need to make a decision right now. Signups are first come, first served."

Harry hummed in acknowledgment. "I can go."

You slowly nodded and said, "Okay. Well, so can I. You know, if you're not able to take off work."

He snorted a laugh and shifted his head, getting more comfortable. He was going to get a crick in his neck if this conversation didn't hurry along.

"What?" you asked, unsure why your reasonability was so amusing to him.

"You're funny."

You tilted your head back against the couch and sighed toward the ceiling. "Harry, I'm trying to get us ahead of the game. Otherwise, neither of us will be able to chaperone, and then our child will be in the care of a random parent."

Your trust in the preschool was substantial, yet a part of you was still cautious about the parents. You hadn't had the chance to build relationships with them since you started working part-time again. Your little girl was a wanderer, and if something caught her attention, she was off and admiring it without notice. Other parents didn't know that about her. What if they didn't pay close enough attention and accidentally let her get lost? The mere thought was why you were determined to claim an open spot as a chaperone.

"You're not making this particularly easy, honey," Harry said lightheartedly, tiredness rasping his voice. "I am actively telling you that I would love to be a chaperone instead of a chef for a day. Getting to pet adorable animals is also a plus."

"Maybe we can write both of our names down," you replied, deep in thought. Half of what Harry had said ricocheted off your brain.

"I don't think that's allowed." He yawned, stretching his arms. "Just put my name down. If work ends up being a problem, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you taking my place."

You contemplated his decision, then asked, "Did you read the chaperone responsibilities list?"

He frowned. "No, but there's time. The email was only sent this morning."

"You have to read it," you said firmly. He needed to be as prepared as possible. This was the first field trip of many, and rules have most likely changed since you were a kid.

In a lull of silence, Harry's hand caressed your ankle. "What are you so anxious about? Talk to me."

You wanted to say everything, but not even someone as wise as Harry could procure a remedy for that. "Nothing," you mumbled. "Just trying to have a solid plan in place."

"Are you worried the moms will be all over me? Pulling me aside and asking me"—Harry paused for dramatic effect—"burning questions?"

You looked over at him, taking in his sly little smirk. He was being like this on purpose. Not to make you jealous, since you were years past that phase—instead, it was a way to distract you from ruminating over minuscule matters.

"I’m not worried at all," you said confidently, flashing him a grin. "Because you know what to do if that happens, right?"

Harry wordlessly lifted his left hand, showing off his gold wedding band snugly fit on his long ring finger. Exactly, you thought to yourself.

"And what if they persist?" he asked, enjoyment clear on his face. You knew he loved this type of banter.

"You show them the picture of me that you keep in your wallet." You leaned toward him. "Then your last resort is calling me and putting whichever mom is flirting with you on the phone."

His teeth bit into his soft bottom lip. "Yes, ma'am."

You crooked your pointer finger, beckoning Harry closer. He sat up with a groan, his face now mere inches from yours. The hypothetical scenario caused misplaced jealousy to surge through your bloodstream, and you had to remind him of some things.

"You're my husband."

Harry traced the tip of his nose along your cheekbone and said, "Loud and proud, baby."

Your breaths became shallowed. "Father of our two children."

"And counting."

You pinched his waist, and he writhed with a heavenly laugh. "You're conventionally attractive, which piques a lot of people's interests. And while it used to bother me in the past, I know that your soul is tethered to mine."

His hands traveled an intimate path up your thighs. "It always has been," he said, his eyes sincere.

"So," you said with finality, your heart racing from his words, "I will let you chaperone the field trip. Because you always come back to me and our family, and I know work has been keeping you away from our girls."

"How do you turn the most mundane thing into a romantic declaration?"

"With you as my muse, it's pretty simple."

Harry moved closer and brushed his lips against yours. "If you keep melting my heart, I'm going to lay you down on this couch and make love to you until the sun rises."

"Risky," you whispered, smiling against his mouth. The kids were asleep down the hall. Any lovemaking would no doubt be interrupted by the baby monitor.

"Tell you what," he said, stealing a hot, deep kiss from you that left you briefly stunned. "This weekend, I'll have my parents take the girls for a day so you and I can love on each other without any distractions. I miss having you all to myself."

"I'm right here," you said, cupping his face. "And I'd appreciate it if you kissed me some more."

"I thought you needed to sign me up as a chaperone."

You kissed him three times in quick succession before saying, "Shut up and make out with me."

"Roger that," Harry murmured, towering over you until your back sank into the couch.

——

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

Some things I’ve noticed on my second viewing of “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (2023)

(Some of these are obvious, don’t @ me, I’m autistic and I had work the day I first watched the film so my brain was all over the place)

Once again, SPOILERS ARE UNDER THE CUT, PLEASE DONT READ IF YOU ARE AVOIDING SPOILERS!!!!

On my first viewing I thought that showing the security guard at the very start loosening the bolts of the chair straps was a fake out to make us believe he’d escape, but actually he loosened the bolts which is how Mike was able to escape later on

Just want to say that the opening credits are fucking cool and I love them so much

In my previous post about things in the FNAF movie, I incorrectly said there was no Golden Freddy - Golden Freddy is in fact in the film, he’s the one who goes to the house/kills Aunt Jane/is in the taxi

Following on from the above point, I said last time that I thought the cupcake was the fifth ghost child but I actually think it’s Golden Freddy to be honest - the blonde girl was obviously Chica, the boy with the bunny ears was Bonnie, the ginger boy was Foxy, and then there was the blonde boy and another boy with a top hat on. I originally thought that the blonde boy who wore the brown shirt was Freddy because he seemed like the leader, but now I’m wondering if the boy with the top hat was Freddy and the leader boy was in fact Golden Freddy (given his blonde hair)? I’m interested to hear what everyone else thinks

This is obvious but the doctor foreshadowed the ending because she told Mike that drawings are powerful tools for children to express things and understand things, and that’s exactly how Abby communicated to the gang at the end that Afton was responsible for their deaths

^side note but as an early years practitioner at a nursery/for preschool children, it’s actually true that pictures are used to help children learn things even before they can read, write or talk. I don’t know, it just interested me to be like “oh yeah that’s true!!”

There was not that much focus on Mike’s dad, like he was seen so briefly compared to his mom, which makes me wonder if there’s something to it that might be revealed in a future film. Like maybe his “dad” isn’t his dad or something? Because in the game canon, William is his father, so… I don’t know. I also saw someone else point out that in the training video Mike watched, there was a man working on the animatronics who maybe looked like the actor playing Mike’s dad, so maybe his dad worked there with the animatronics?

The film appears to be set in 2000; I’m 90% sure the security cam of Mike in the careers office showed the date as being in 2000, but if someone else can clarify or confirm the exact date then that would be great. It would make sense though because Garret presumably went missing around the same time as the ghost kids (in the 80s), so the film being set in the present day (meaning Mike would be in his 50s) would make zero sense. Also the mobile phones/computers all seem like they come from the early 2000s

Someone on Twitter pointed out that one of Abby’s drawings on her wall appeared to be a red airplane, which could just be an indication/foreshadowing of her knowledge of Garret’s disappearance (his toy airplane) but also someone else said it could have been 9/11 which….?!?! If this film is set in 2000, then that’s FUCKED

(I think it’s either a random drawing or to do with Garret’s toy tbh but the idea of her having foresight of 9/11 is fucking horrifying)

I’m still not totally sure which animatronic the gang were going to force Abby into, like it’s one with spring locks and at first I thought it might be Circus Baby but it doesn’t really look like her. It looks almost like a marionette or something? And I mean, yeah, it could be that they changed the design a bit but they literally stayed faithful to the designs of all the animatronics in the series so… you know.

Desperate to know if Matthew Lillard is aware of the fact that his DILF status has been multiplied by one hundred after this film like can someone check in on him and see if he’s alright? 💀 the FNAF girlies fans are frankly RABID about Afton

On that note, I wonder if Josh Hutcherson or Matthew Lillard have ever played any FNAF games, like were they fans before being cast or…? I really wish we could have content of them talking about the film or promoting it, but Hollywood refuses to pay their actors fairly so 🤷‍♀️

Listen, I ADORE both Josh and Matthew anyway but in this film I feel like Matthew especially stood out??? Maybe it’s just the character he’s playing but he ATE this role up (so did Josh but still)

I feel like the springlock scene was actually more terrifying upon a second viewing like at my first one I was like “that’s not as bad as I imagined” but this time I was like “holy shit he’s in agony” like his screams were PAINFUL to listen to

Speaking of painful to listen to, Freddy gave this really guttural and pained roar/scream at one point during the ending and it really made my heart hurt, it’s like the child inside of him was reliving the memory of their murder or something??? I can’t describe it but it was such an intense moment

I honest to god feel like I enjoyed it more on a second viewing and I don’t know why??? Maybe it’s just because the other people in my cinema weren’t laughing every five minutes but still.

I now have the urge to rewatch ALL of Markiplier’s playthroughs of ALL the FNAF games so… yep!

Once again begging for people to talk about FNAF because I’m not the most knowledgable on the series but I do enjoy it!

[idk1027]

imagine if Basgiath was a preschool…

I don’t even know how my brain came up with this but imagine nap time.

Violet: *in the corner furthest from the teacher whispering with Rhiannon* Did you see, today at snack time Xaden gave me his apple juice and during recess he said I could join his game of tag

Xaden:*Closet to the door with all of the marked ones* Ok, here’s the plan when I say go Bodhi will go and wake up Dain then while he distracts the teacher we all run and meet up at the swing set

Bodhi:*pouting* why does it always have to be meee? Butttt fineeeee

Dain:*near the teachers desk, wakes up hearing Violet and Rhi talk*ExcUSe Me, Mr PaNcHEk BuT I sIMpLy caNNoT SLeEp unDEr tHE-*Bodhi runs up screaming and jumps on him, the marked ones run out the door violet and this following cuz why not*

Panchek:*crying* Fuck, not again I cannot deal with this again, I quit, I’m done, never again

Ridoc: *Holding a plastic microphone like a reporter* And the race begins so far the marked ones are in the lead, mr panchek is still at his desk and has yet to inform anyone but that doesn’t mean the marked ones are safe yet, more at 6

Bonus

In Principle Sorrengail’s office

Lilith Sorrengail:*pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing* Violet I honestly expected better of you, your my child and yet you won’t even follow the rules I put into place, as for the rest of you I get that nap time isn’t very exciting but you cannot just run away every time, O’ve already had to replace your teacher’s aid once please don’t make me do it again

*the kids not listing at all*

Lilith Sorrengail: great don’t do it again I’m tried of see your faces, even yours violet, get out.

[transparencyboo]

For the last two weeks or so I've been playing the Mega Drive dungeon crawler Shining in the Darkness. I've recently been going through all the various action-RPGs the system had to offer and kinda found myself lusting for more, so I expanded the scope.

Shining in the Darkness had one of those cover arts I vividly remember seeing in game stores during the 90s, I understood already back then that whatever this was would be too complicated for my feeble preschool brain, but it had a shiny glossy allure that still beckoned to me with promises of daring adventures and grand battles. Questions lingered in my head: Who is that evil bastard zapping sparks at Cavin from the Gummi Bears? Why has the king entrusted the safety of his kingdom to a meagre boy and his two misfit friends?

Well, it turns out that big bad guy is called Dark Sol, the bane of all game difficulty discourse, and the reason the king has enlisted three poor kids is because there is no one else to rely on after your daddy went missing. Everyone else just sorta gives up along the way.

My initial conclusion of this game was to commend my young self for the striking assessment, my five year old self would never get anywhere in this game between the English text, abstracted navigation and number crunching battle mechanics. Shining in the Darkness is a bona fide classic dungeon gauntlet endurance simulator, where you traverse vanishing point block tunnels and encounter enemies. I've played one or two games like this before, like the original Phantasy Star, but this time a new desire struck me. I wanted to draw maps. Maybe I'm just getting older and more patient, leading me to wilfully ignore easily available resources online.

By my recollection, this is the first time I've dedicated myself to playing a game like this. Usually I just resort to my sense of direction, which I've gathered seems to at least be above average, since anytime I go anywhere with anyone I always end up playing shepherd so they don't get lost. Worst case scenario I'll just fall back to mapping efforts by online heroes from years past. For Shining in the Darkness I persisted blindly about halfway through until I admitted to myself charting a map of the labyrinthine caves would be a lot easier. Luckily, the game allows you to spend 1 MP to see a chunk of where you've walked, meaning I could get neatly organized segments to copy by hand.

Perhaps my biggest takeaway from this endeavour was how much of the game experience was expressed through this map project. I spent just as much time slaying beasts as I did counting tiles and filling them out with my pencil. It became a natural counterbalance that provided vital pacing to the game mechanics. Walking, fighting, charting. In turn, through the principle of learning by doing, I gained a more intimate familiarity with the environments by just replicating them out on a sheet of paper. I found that while the map helped, I actually didn't need it much for backtracking because my drawings had helped me remember the layouts of the corridors anyway.

I guess the lesson learned is that while old design sensibilities may appear to be arcane and cumbersome when easier solutions exists, the obfuscation is part of the fun. The game hands me an intentionally hard to navigate world, shows me that it's fully capable of displaying maps of it, but still asks me to provide that dimension myself. Through doing this, I discover that drawing maps is both surprisingly enjoyable and cognitively stimulating. I realize that had I downloaded some pre-packaged maps online and used as my bible, Shining in the Darkness would've been a vastly different experience, one of monotonous meandering through endless fights while confidently striding along the known path.

Perhaps that's why the game was called Shining and the Darkness in Japan, it doesn't flow as well as the western title, but at the same time it poetically reflects this act of discovery. I am Shining, the game provides the Darkness, we work together, we must unify to become whole.

As for Dark Sol, he turned into a big monster boy and was vanquished by a spunky cartographer child and her two cohorts. The unknown has been made known and the kingdom is once more saved.

/Kiki

[snows-2am-thoughts]

Dazai Headcanons

I have a few headcanons on how Dazai acted before he came to be in Mori’s care. There are a lot of theories about where Dazai came from and I love most of them honestly. There are so many possibilities about how Dazai came to be and honestly, I need a light novel about it. Unless they’re going to make it important to the plot and it gets revealed in the next arc or sometime later in the manga. 

My favorite theory that I came up with was that Dazai came from a wealthy family. He’s probably the youngest of 2-3 siblings and his parents were the cold and distant but loving type. I like to think that Dazai had a nice family but something happened that pushed him to where he ended up. I am taking inspiration from the protagonist of the No Longer Human book by the irl Dazai Osamu so tread carefully since I will mention some of that stuff. I am trying to keep this one more lighthearted and introspective so some stuff like the se*ual ab*se Ōba Yōzō went through won’t be mentioned. 

Warnings: I talk about ADHD, some implied mental illness along with some trauma because Dazai. All of the warnings that can apply to Dazai should be warned (aka his unaliving tendencies)

Anyways the headcanons

INFANT Dazai (0-1 year old)

Was a quiet baby, never really cried and babbled

It actually worried his parents at first because their other kids made a lot more noise as babies

Only really cried if he got super frustrated when he couldn’t communicate his wants effectively

Did started making noises and saying small words around the 10 month mark

Wasn’t very interested in the baby toys that made noise

Building blocks held his interest a tad bit more but even then he grew out of them fast

TODDLER Dazai (1-3 years old)

Started walking around the 1 year old mark

Still wasn’t a big talker but he would give one or two word answers, he just didn’t feel like any more words were necessary

Would walk and point to things if he could, words once again weren’t necessary

Wasn't very interested in toys the kids his age liked

Did have a small interest in listening to his parents work, mostly because his brain was a sponge soaking up all it could

Taught himself to read around 2.5-3 years old, he would memorize stories that the maids would read to him then open the book himself and memorize the words. Basically he worked backwards to learn to read

With the early reading came the early education once his parents noticed his only interests revolved around his brain

Numbers and the lot came easy after learning the basics

PRESCHOOL Dazai (3-6 years old)

Didn’t really understand people and even more so after starting school and started being around kids his age

He observed and copied the actions of the kids around him to not draw attention to himself (*cough*masking*cough*)

Started to make himself act like more of an outgoing and friendly child even if he didn’t understand why that seemed like the preferred personality that people wanted from children. (aye practice for his future self)

Although he transitioned into his persona slowly as to not raise suspicion of an overnight personality change

Thought that his persona could let him understand people a little more but it made him more confused

He totally gave his teachers so many headaches when he first started school

As I said before, tried to mask and hide his intelligence for a while because he didn’t need any attention on him

This failed as he got way too bored of sorting shapes and numbers but he was already reading at a 16 year old skill level at 6 years old

His teachers tried stimulating his academically until they deemed it was better to just move him up grades

Went from his 6 year old class to a class filled with 9 year olds to test the waters

They had to move him to a 12 year old class only a few days later when he made multiple children cry after a multiplication game

SCHOOL AGE (6-12 years old)

You will have to physically rip ADHD Dazai away from my cold dead hands, I stg (I could do a whole separate headcanon for this because him and Ranpo basically make up AuDHD)

I feel like around his 7-8 year old mark is when he really started going tired around the uninteresting things of life, he’s a severely bored kid who doesn’t understand nor have a will to live

I do think around 10-11 is when he started getting interested in suicide as a coping mechanism for all the intricacies of humanity that he did not understand and the fact he started realizing he didn’t have a reason to live

At this point he’s observed people for so long that the masks he parades around of a cheerful but academically gifted child is concrete and there’s hardly anything that can make him break it

Knows why and how people feel certain emotions or react a certain way to things but he doesn’t understand it, not really

There's an ever bigger disconnect between him and people from when he was small that he starts to think of himself as something other than human

Had a bunch of issues trying to stimulate his brain in a way that would take away his boredom as school couldn’t do it for him

While he couldn’t ever really take away his boredom completely, he would take up new puzzles or games to try and give his brain new things to think about. I’m talking like the 3D crystal puzzles or the puzzles with no edge pieces

Anything that could capture his attention was bought in bulk until he eventually got bored of it again (neurodivergent child)

Started taking university level courses around 11, he probably could’ve taken them sooner but his teachers and parents didn’t want to overload them

[h4venpha]

↳ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 — vash the stampede

fluff, slight domestic fluff, gender neutral reader, reader w a younger brother

bc i cant stop thinking abt vash and tonis’ interactions ^^

idk if i should tag this as modern au or not bc trigun literally takes place in like the year 2500+, normal au i guess ???? LOL

cw also mentions of reader and vash having their own kid, no specific mentions of pregnancy though!!

you pull into the familiar parking lot of the preschool while vash squirms with excitement in the passenger seat. and he has been squirming, practically squealing over it for the past ten minutes.

“why are you so excited, idiot, he’s not even your brother!” you laugh softly as notice vash took off his seat belt even before you could even park the car.

“i dont know!” he admits honestly with a genuine smile on his face as he steps out of the car. “maybe it’s just the fact that we’re doing this instead of studying.” he jokes, looping his arm around yours as you walk to the front of the building.

usually whenever vash visited your place it was before your mother got home and before your little brother finished with school. today was different though: apparently your mother had an extra errand to run and couldn’t pick your brother up. vash, over hearing the entire conversation over the phone, was eager to declare that he would pick him up for her! (of course without telling your mother that it was to get out of studying.)

“‘kay, just don’t make trouble for the teacher.” you say sternly as he walks up ahead. and he’s got this smug, sweet smile on his face as he shrugs while politely swinging the door open for you.

as soon as you step in, it’s so loud. children running around and screaming over toys and games, anything to fill their freetime while they wait for their parents. the teacher catches sight of you almost immediately, completely used to the chaos of the afternoon.

“ah! y/n, there you are!” she drops students’ work of scribbles out of her hands before walking over and wrapping you in a friendly hug. she used to be your preschool teacher as well. “i was wondering when you’d show up,”

“ah, yeah, i got a little caught up with this one,” you sheepishly chuckle, pulling away from the hug to motion to the eager puppy next to you. and before she could even say anything, vash was reaching out.

“hi, i’m vash, y/n’s boyfriend!” and he’s got this warm, welcoming smile as he shakes the teacher’s hand. you could see the way she smiled sweetly back, as if she had known him for years. vash had a way with people. he could brighten up anyone’s day with just a couple words and a few charming smiles. it’s one of the things you admire most about him.

“he’s just tagging alone, trust me, we won’t stay long,” you interrupt with a small laugh, hoping not to add to the chaos already unfolding in the classroom.

“oh, pshh!” the teacher laughs and brings you both in, “it’s fine, stay as long as you want!” she exclaims, mostly to vash when she notices the way he’s already beaming at the children staring at him with big curious eyes. vash gives you a quick glance with a mischievous smile before he’s walking over to the nearest group of children. the teacher waves you off as she returns to her desk.

you walk up them and vash is already squatting down, meeting the kids face to face. they ask about his prosthetic arm almost immediately. they call it weird and strange as they watch him flex his fingers, asking why he even has it in the first place. and of course he laughs it off and claims he fought a big dragon that bit it off, and the children go screaming and laughing at how impressive and cool this random guy is. vash lets their little fingers touch along his palm, choruses of wow’s and woah’s as their little brains barely wrap around the idea that he’s missing his real arm.

more of the children come over and they want him to play trucks with them. little hands waving plastic toys in front of his face and of course with a smile, he takes them and starts rolling the trucks along the ground. and the children are laughing at the silly sound effects vash makes, and it causes you to giggle lightly along with them.

somehow, in the midst of the loud classroom, you find yourself thinking about living in your own house with vash while a little boy or girl runs around your legs. its embarrassing, but how could you not when he acts like this with little kids? when he speaks softer and plays with them

at some point, he ends up pretend-wrestling with the little kids. he claims his arm has evil powers as he just barely grazes the children with his fist while exclaiming, “haha i got you!” in his impression of a “villain” voice. and he’s rolling around on the carpet when their little fists punch him back, groaning and crying out in fake pain. it makes you laugh to yourself as he lays their with his tongue out in defeat by a bunch of four year olds as if he doesnt bench press over 200.

after almost 30 minutes of horsing around, most of the children leave, except for a few others. vash finally has to leave the kids alone as their parents come to pick them up. he ends up trudging over to where you’ve been standing to wrap his arms around your waist and rest his chin on your shoulder.

“y/n…” vash starts in a whiny voice.

“i swear if you tell me you want a kid all of a sudden-“

“no! no, no, no that’s not it,” he lies and you can tell. “they’re just so cute aren’t they?” vash mumbles softly, waving to the last of the kids as they leave.

you hum, lost in thought, “i guess so? sure playing with them is fun, but i have more than enough to take care of already.” your voice turns stern as you mockingly glare at him. and he’s all shits and giggles.

“cmon y/n, you know i was just playing around with them! and the teacher didn’t even to tell us to quiet down!” he giggles while pressing closer.

“yeah, but i bet she sure as hell wanted to-“

“if you wanted to play too, you could’ve just joined, you know,” he teases as he tenderly kisses your cheek.

you scoff and roll your eyes at this playful comments. and yet, you can’t help the way the domestic thoughts come flooding back as you watch as your little brother walks beside vash to the car, his small hand wrapped around vash’s index finger.

[sotwk]

Behind the Scenes: SotWK's Writing Process

Welcome to a little "behind the scenes" of my attempts to keep my growing list of WIPS and story requests/ideas organized!

My Fic and HC Requests are (for the most part), always open, and open to Anons. Occasionally, I also invite requests in relation to writing events or games. Needless to say, I get quite a lot of requests, and I am both flattered and thrilled by that.

However, I also work full-time (albeit always in front of a computer), and I have two little kids (who attend preschool, whew), so I have much less time to focus on writing than most creators here.

But I love writing, and I love using it to make people happy even more. My rule is, I will accept any requests (that reasonably fall within my guidelines, but I can be flexible!) as long as you can wait patiently for me to deliver on them. I always give my best effort to make it worth your while, and I will never ignore your request or give up on it without checking with you first (yes, this includes Anons).

I have no wait list. I do not work on requests "in the order they were received". I work on whatever story speaks to and cooperates with me that day, and that means shuffling amongst up to five WIPs at a time. That's simply how my brain works, unfortunately.

All my fanfics / your requests are always, and forever will be, FREE. They're gifts I am honored to give.

I am constantly saying, "I'm working on it" or "It's on my list", and I would like to offer just a bit of proof of that. So, especially for those who have been waiting a long time (and those who might have to wait even longer), I present my Google Drive's Organized Chaos to show how I keep all those WIPs in check:

Drafts in Progress: Stories that are closest to completion, and the ones I am currently trying to focus on.

Drafts on Hold: Drafts that I have started, but have stalled, so they're on the back burner for now.

Headcanons: I usually draft my headcanon requests straight on Tumblr, but sometimes they go on here.

Ask Screenshots: Where I save Asks that I responded to/deleted, but I needed to save the text for the sake of notes. Also lovely Asks that I save for posterity.

Valentine Event: I received so many Asks for this event that it required its own folder.

Gifted Graphics: Always hoping for new contributions to this one! (not subtle enough?)

And now, for my Fic Tracker Spreadsheet, which tracks ALL Tolkien fics I write, both requests and my personal projects:

I redacted the "Requestor" column to preserve some surprises. I track the estimated "Status" aka percentage of completion as a way to motivate myself, because getting to that blessed 100% is the Holy Grail for me!

WIP: Every fic that's on the "front burner" and I'm actively fighting to complete.

Requests/Concepts: Contains details of all requests and ideas I have which will eventually jump into the WIP tab.

Valentine: Remember how I said I received so many responses to this event? Yeah. I'm still determined to finish them all, though!

To Read: Yup, I track all the fics of friends that I intent to read here, too. That's how important those are to me.

I truly hope all this info doesn't scare anyone off from sending in more requests! I hope this gives Readers/Followers a little more faith in me and show that I take all requests I receive very seriously. They are the most important part of what I do as a fanfic writer.

I may be slow, but I'm committed and determined!

If you have any questions about the above, or about your requests, I'm open! Please keep sending in requests! Thank you for your support and patience!

Link to my FANFIC REQUEST GUIDELINES

Tagging some of those folks who are currently waiting on requests: @quickslvxrr @laneynoir @ladyweaslette @scyllas-revenge @lathalea @g-m-kaye @absentmindeduniverse @aduialel @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @jordie-your-local-halfling @ladyk8tie @blueberryrock @the-phantom-of-arda @tamurilofrivendell @achromaticerebus @klytemnestra13 @glassgulls @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady @guardianofrivendell @a-burr-a-hobbit @literary-eclair

[roadhogsbigbelly]

i think the reason alot of "you need to watch less kids media/media made for teenagers" and more "adult media" discourse kind of annoys is because terms like "kids media" and "adult media" are much more subjective than people seem to think it is, and often just amounts to "which age rating will make money" and "what elements does the particular group of people assigning this age rating think is too inappropriate for a 8 year old to hear about" which is also. you know extremely subjective.

like don't get me wrong there definitely ARE media that are meant for kids (like preschool shows which are "for adults" in the sense that SOME of them attempt to funny enough that parents watching won't get bored) or media meant for adults (like gangster films which while popular to reference in kid's media are not meant for kids to actual watch) but there's also like. the majority of anime, video games, comic books etc that are rated pg 13 or t for teen because that's usually the rating that makes the most money without having tp give up the majority of your artistic intent apart from like. graphic violence or full frontal nudity (which mods can fix i guess for video games)

like the reason Mortal Kombat is typically rated as "m for mature" while street fighter is rated "t for teen" isn't because Mortal Kombat is a more "adult video game" than Street Fighter, It's because Mortal Kombat has more graphic violence which artificially ups the age rating.

of course most of the discourse is less focused on video games and more on non-interactive media because like. i guess video games are more "entertainment" so it's okay to enjoy mario games because those aren't based less off of "themes" and more gameplay, while as enjoying like. shonen anime is bad because it'll rot your brain? i guess?

[s-dei]

IDK why but today my brain decided to recall an ancient childhood game - Reader Rabbit Preschool.

The most wild thing about it, is that in the cooking minigame they had a separated head of rabbit with blood and sometimes the eye out. Somehow it wasn't disturbing in my childhood, but now I decided to find out what the fuck was that and how did they put it in the kids game. Turned out the bloody head was only specific to a russian localization of the game (obviously pirated), and now it's even more wtf for me The screen is under the cut, CW for gore and blood

[typingdyslexiaisathing]

Too Much Hassle (Obey Me!) fanfic

summary; This particular MC hates Valentine's Day. But will put up with the chaos to keep the best boys smiling. However. The end of the day has them seeking isolation. With Leviathan.

characters: Marzena OC/MC, Leviathan.

content: romance overload, frustrated MC, casual fluff

I was going to lose my mind soon. The past two weeks had been nothing but holiday prep and gushing over Valentine's Day. The holiday I absolutely hate. But I didn't have a way to explain why without hurting all those happy and smiling people that wanted to gift me their love. So I had been putting on a neutral mood to go with the flow.

But the day of had been absolute chaos and constant chocolate gifting. I had not even gotten to sleep in. Since Asmodeus had woken me up for a pre-breakfast spa treatment. The fruit scents helped a ton. But by the time we finished with the after dinner party, I was about to rip into someone verbally or physically or both. Lucifer took the hint to tell his brothers to let me go to bed early. Beelzebub giving me a bear hug before I walked away to thank me for the small mountain of various snacks I had been sure to gift him. Which felt good, but didn't help my brain much. So I did the only thing I could do afterwards. I walked up to the second floor and texted Leviathan to unlock his door.

The door was slightly open when I got to Leviathan's room. Which I was so glad for I just walked right in to then close it. The shut in otaku looking up from his computer to ask me, "Did you come by to borrow that new manga?" I shook my head to just drop my ass next to his chair and shudder. Which had Leviathan pause to then turn off his current game. "Marzena? Are you okay?" I shook my head to hug my knees. "Overloaded... Too much everything..." Leviathan went wide eyed at the realization of what I meant. So he grabbed up the fuzzy blanket I had bought him to drop it over me. Which helped so much before he tuned on some soft techno music. His frame soon settling beside me as I heaved a sigh of relief. His tail lacing around my middle as he huffed. "I keep forgetting that you have anti-normie tendencies like me. But you get so popular around these holiday celebrations. I keep assuming you like it."

I gave a snort before I finally told the truth. "Levi. I hate this holiday. Valentine's Day is a load of absolute garbage. Ever since I was a preschool kid. My school always had us make a big deal out of this stupid holiday. Made the kids craft up shoeboxes that we decorated to get little cards. But every year... My box either got trashed or it just went missing. The one card I got the kid said his mom made him give it to me. Then the jerk ripped it in half and threw it away on me."

Leviathan goes so quiet he stops breathing. My eyes watering as I rubbed at them and continued. "I got asked out on dates. Then got stood up or saw my date was with someone else. That one group date turned out to be so everyone might show off they were a couple and I got sidelined. I hate this holiday so damn much, Levi. If people are supposed to show the ones they love how they feel, then they need to do it like it's a day to day important thing. Not make up some dumbass holiday for it." A quiet pause has me think that someone else heard me outside of Leviathan's room. But I don't get the chance to think on that when Leviathan sweeps me into a tight hug. Moving the blanket so he can look me in the face. "Tell me their names... Every one of them... I will hack their socials and ruin their lives... Bank accounts drained and jobs lost... I will ruin them for every tear you've ever cried.... Heartless bastards...!"

The fact that it was Leviathan saying this had me look to him in surprise. Only to see something I never expected from him. Pure and barely held molten hate and fury for me. His demon form out in full as he gave growls every time he breathed to have his muscles tight. Which was honestly the most impactful thing to see. So I blinked a few times to then feel a lot of my stress melt off me. My arms coming around Leviathan's waist as he gave a surprised squeak. "That's the most romantic showing of love I have yet to see. Crazy as that sounds. It was real and completely just for me based on feelings of love. Best Valentine ever."

Leviathan went rigid to yelp and stammer. But he soon realized how happy I was to blush and hug me tighter. His anger popping like a bubble to be replaced with the fluff heart of gold that was his true self. "Crap. Now you got me all flustered and mushy feeling. Natural twenty critical hit, Marzena. Cripes, my heart is gonna pop if you keep this up." I gave a huff of a laugh to nuzzle my nose to his and hum at him. "Silly nerd. You got my heart doing the salsa right back. So it's mutual, Lev. Also. I know you got me that strawberry ice cream mochi that is hidden in the freezer. You win first prize in that bet Mammon has about what my favorite treat is. So you get to rub that in his face."

Leviathan gives a happy snicker before he nudges us over to his tv and the pile of cushions I set up for him to game on top of. The two of laying down on our stomachs with the blanket over us to start up Devil Kart. With Leviathan saying with confidence, "Full tournament race. Then we sneak down to get said snack."

[grogusmum]

For the Talk Shop game - How did you come up with the idea to write Grogu’s POV? It’s quite original. Do you channel your own inner child or just imagine yourself in Grogu’s shoes (wait, I’m not sure he wears any… you understand…)?

In all seriousness, you’ve given Grogu a consistent and hilarious voice, and I’m always impressed with the way you write it!

~J (@newpathwrites)

J!!

Thank you so much for asking about my Grogu fics! I don't get many questions about them 💚

So, first, I work with children, and I have almost all of my life, in one way or another and my kids always loved when I would "do" the inner voice of animals, our pets etc - the sassier the better.

So, we'd been seeing all the chickie nuggie memes, and a lot of people having him do the object-subject-verb speech pattern of yoda and everything for a year.

And all of it made me think about how he would speak and see things. He's a 50 year old preschooler... He's gonna have opinions!

The first fic was about getting brain freeze after having ice cream for the first time. I mentioned it in the main story, A Galaxy Far Far Away, but didn't tell the whole story, so I thought that would be a good place to start.

I did wonder how it would be received. lol Talk about writing for yourself! I was literally in bed tapping away on my phone, giggling away.

Then it sort of snowballed.

Inspiration for his voice definitely comes from me but also from children's literature, both modern and classics. There are some great first-person narratives chapter books with wonderfully precocious protagonists to draw inspiration from.

Shop Talk Tuesday

[astrawberrykitsune]

Sooo just a little snippet I thought of and had to write it down and get it out of my system. I thought I would share it 😬

Pronunciations:

Eimear - ee-mur

Réitlín - rayt-leen

Eimear tried to convince herself that she just wanted to check on Réitlín. She had been fussy this morning, she just wanted to see if she was doing ok. It definitely wasn’t to see the Daycare Attendant of the Pizzaplex.

Stepping off the elevator, Eimear weaved her way through the crowds. The closer she got to the daycare, the louder the muffled laughter and screams of delight became. As carefully as she could, Eimear opened the door and poked her head through the opening and found herself speechless.

Children ran around, whooping and hollering, playing one game or another. But what caught her eye was Sun. He stood among the children, laughing as they ran around him, with little Réitlín in one arm propped against his side. She watched the older kids, giggling and kicking her little legs. Sun looked down at Réitlín, his permanent smile still present, and said something to her. Réitlín grinned back before plopping her head against his shoulder. He tickled her side, the exact spot she had told him was Réitlín’s weak spot. Her baby squealed in delight, curling further into his neck in an attempt to get away from the wiggly fingers. She proceeded to dissolve into a fit of laughter as she put her tiny hands on his faceplate and gave an equally tiny push. Sun laughed with her before carrying her off to continue playing.

Eimear gave a soft smile, but an ache gripped tighter at her chest. She couldn’t deny that she had thoughts of similar scenes on more than one occasion, but seeing it in front of her eyes was just…

She carefully, quietly, let the daycare door close before Sun or Réitlín noticed Eimear. Réitlín was doing fine, perfect even. Sun would buzz her on her Fazwatch if anything came up anyway.

Eimear shuffled through the crowd, letting it take her as she got lost in her thoughts. Why did seeing Sun holding Réitlín hurt so much? She knew why. Of course she knew why, but even thinking it would make it too real. But the interaction between the two…

It was quieter, she realized. “Probably the only quiet place here right now,” she mumbled. It was just a little corner, tucked away from the majority of the crowds. There was enough noise, though, that she’d be able to follow to find her way again.

Probably.

She flopped on a bench with a groan. What was wrong with her? He…they were an animatronic. A robot. An advanced robot with an advanced AI, but still. It was impossible for something like that to happen for them. For them to have a normal life, let alone a normal life with her, of all people.

She needed to stop the images and scenes that played in her mind. She had to stop.

But they came anyway.

Sun sitting at the kitchen table with Réitlín next to him in her height chair.

Eimear hung her head, hands gripping at her work slack, willing her brain to stop.

Walking into the living room to find Moon asleep on the couch with Réitlín sprawled out on top of him like a starfish.

She could feel her throat tightening and her eyes start to sting. Her hands ran into her hair, grabbing fistfuls. “God, don’t you start. Don’t you dare start crying.”

The tears didn’t listen. They flowed as she watched Réitlín be fussed over by Sun for her first day of preschool, leaving the little girl exasperated.

She gave a wet laugh. She wanted to sob. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw something. She wanted to scream about how cruel fate is. She shouldn’t have gotten so close to the Pizzaplex’s Daycare Attendant. She knew she had a tendency to fall fast and hard.

But how was she supposed to know it’d be for an animatronic?

Her hands slipped from her hair, and Eimear leaned back on the bench. It would inevitably crash and burn, she just didn’t know how things would look on the other side just yet.

Groaning, she ran her hand down her face. “Jesus, Eimear, you’re so screwed…”

“Eimear? Are you ok, hun?”

Well shit, she thought as Eimear turned to look toward the voice.