#gee I wonder why a rabbit

[void-wolfie]

It's Not About Dinner

summary: After accompanying Jenna to dinner with some friends, the two of you get into an argument. It ends a bit differently than expected. [request]

pairing: Jenna Ortega x gn!Reader

tw: mentions of a toxic past, (not exactly sure what else, feel free to let me know if I need to add anything), my terrible writing lol

words: 900

a/n: so, in complete honesty, i suck at writing arguments, so i borrowed bits from the all too well (10 min) music video. i might come back to this prompt one day when my writing skills improve but for now, i think this is about as good as it's going to get.

You slammed the door shut behind you, the walls shaking from the sheer force. Jenna dropped her stuff on the kitchen table, the noise echoing throughout the house.

You were pissed, and Jenna had clearly picked up on that.

You stormed straight off to your room, more than ready to climb into bed and forget about your shitty evening. Jenna trailed after you, hot on your heels.

"Are we going to talk about it?" Her question rang out. You nearly laughed. So now she wants to talk...

"Talk about what?" You asked, not bothering to spare her a glance as you dug around in your dresser drawer for pajamas.

"Whatever has you so pissed off,"

"I'm not pissed off."

"You clearly are." She spat, "You won't even look at me."

"Gee, wonder how that feels," you mumbled under your breath, taking your clothes to the bathroom so you could get changed.

Before you could shut the door behind you, a hand caught it, pushing it back open.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She stood in the bathroom doorway, practically burning holes through you.

"I don't know, why don't you go ask your friends?"

She scoffed, "Is that what this is about? Dinner? You wanted to come with me, you didn't have to-"

"It's not about dinner, Jenna! It's about how you wouldn't look at me once tonight. It was like I wasn't even there! You barely even said a word to me once-"

"That's bullshit!" She cut you off, raising her voice.

You closed your eyes, trying not to wince at her volume. You hated shouting; it reminded you too much of your childhood. Of that little kid hiding under the bed just to get away from your parents screaming matches, flinching at the sound of slamming doors, scrambling out the window at the nearest sign of conflict. You’re not that kid anymore, you tried to remind yourself.

You set your eyes back on Jenna, the anger of the situation seeping back in, "You wouldn't even hold my hand. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"I don't- I don't even know what you’re talking about."

It was your turn to scoff, "Of course, you don't. Why would you? You were too enthralled by your fancy friends to even look at me. Do you know how that feels, Jenna? It makes you feel like shit, it made me feel like shit-"

"God, you are so annoying! I was just trying to catch up with some friends, why are you making this all about you?!"

You tried your best to ignore the jab about being annoying. She was just upset; she didn’t mean it… Did she? She didn’t actually think you were annoying, right? But what if she does think that? You shook off those thoughts, a rabbit hole for another time.

"I'm not trying-"

"Yes, you are!" She raised her hand, and you flinched back, putting as much distance between you and her as you could.

She was only trying to make a point. She had a habit of talking with her hands, a tendency of getting animated in conversations or arguments. She would never hurt you.

She took it too far. She shouldn't have fought with you. She should've just admitted she was wrong; God, why did she have to be so stubborn?

You stood with your back against the wall, tears streaming down your face. You hated crying, you were better than that. But you just couldn't help it. It's not your fault, you tried to convince yourself.

"Babe?" She took a tentative step towards you, half expecting you to run off like a scared puppy.

You pressed your back further into the wall. You pawed at your eyes, trying to get the tears to stop.

"Baby?" She took a few more steps towards you, gently pulling your hands from your face. She tried wiping the tears from your cheeks, but they kept flowing regardless, "I'm so sorry, my love."

You tried to push her away, but you were too tired, too deep in your own thoughts to really push with any force. She hugged you, despite your attempts to push her away. She held you close to her chest as she tried to soothe the sobs that wracked your chest. Sobs that she caused.

If the scared look on your face wasn't enough, the sound of you sobbing as you pushed against her was. She caused that, she did that. It nearly broke her.

It took a minute or so before you stopped trying to push her away. Instead, taking comfort in her arms, in the way she rubbed your back softly trying to soothe you.

A few minutes after that the crying died down altogether. You weren't sure when the two of you ended up on the floor, her arms wrapped around you as she kept you pressed close to her, but you didn’t mind. The warmth was welcoming.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I am so sorry,”

You snuggled further into her chest, too tired to be mad anymore, “Please don’t leave me,”

You said it so quietly, Jenna almost missed it. It broke her heart that you thought she would leave you after one argument. It spoke volumes about the hell your ex put you through, about what your family put you through.

“Never. I promise.”

[sgiandubh]

Bcac and gotraveltheworldluv are stalkers and so defensive if you doubt them. The shenanigans are getting too old and predictable. I’m not even a shipper and I think something is wrong.  it just doesn’t make sense. These fake dates are really strange. I mean it’s just not normal so it is questionable. The credibility is not there and these other bloggers are just a bunch of strange women.  I actually believe he has a relationship more with his costar then any of these fake dates it just seems so forced  and on public display. If it was real, why innuendos and why post it knowing fans will seek out? I’m not talking about relationships I mean seriously how can he have been with six women in two months and made sure that everybody knew about it. I’ve come to the conclusion he’s definitely hiding something, I’m not sure what. Even being married secretly I know you guys don’t think he’s gay, but I definitely don’t think that he is with all of these women that he claims to be.  I don’t think you’ve had any girlfriends.

Dear Hiding Something Anon,

BCAC, who? As for the other Pearl of Great Price, well... religious hypocrisy at its finest, really. I wonder what her congregation would think about her dirty, dirty little secret. Online stalking all those women, even those remotely purported to have breathed around S, surely won't get her extra brownie points, or whatever they are called, back in her red neck of the woods.

Funny you are not a shipper, but still found a way to ask yourself all the right questions. According to the Anti Gospel, you are just one step shy of apostasy 😱.

Gay, he is not. That is a lazy theory based on next to nothing, spare a questionable blogger's speculations (and the 'evidence' singlehandedly fabricated on Wikipedia, long debunked by me) and Data Lounge's almost desperate merry go round of three inconclusive pics and my dog's aunt recollections (Lola's aunt probably hails from Carmarthen and I think she has an excellent pedigree, but that's just about it). Whoever came up with this bullshit has no real knowledge of the gay world's dynamics, either and probably a very superficial, second hand exposure to it.

Speculating he fornicated with a half dozen of women in less than three months (and under public, even obsessed, scrutiny) is borderline demented. Sure, he does not need the consent of the King for such leisure activities, but come on: do they hear themselves? From me to you, Anon - I know still waters run deep, but he never stroke me as the randy devil type. I've seen way worse, including in my own backyard (and you'd give Someone your first born to babysit, without even blinking - such a mistake).

So yes, he does hide something. Once you enter this rabbit hole and provided you take a long, critical look around, you're bound to discover many interesting bits and bobs that add up and paint a credible theory.

What do I think he hides? A love story of our times, Anon. With slammed doors, pillow talk, terms of endearment and deep feelings. And yes, your assumption is correct.

And gee, thanks for your words, too. Much appreciated - why be a hypocrite?

I also strive to be informative, Anon. You can seat by my side, at the back of the bus. This is where the most fun is happening and we even have the finest Gunpowder tea, freshly brewed.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Hiiii could you maybe do some TADC with a stress toy like reader? like a squeaky toy almost, who doesn't mind and actually kinda enjoys being squeezed cuz it's like a tight hug? If not the whole cast maybe just Gangle, Pomni, n Zooble pls I just really like your hcs

Gangle, Pomni, and Zooble with a stress/squeaky toy reader!

EHEHEHEH i made a mocha Frappuccino today its very yummy suck it starbucks you suck as a company and make mid as shit coffee anyways i hope you enjoy this anon!

POMNI:

honestly i can kind of see pomni making squeaky noises when she gets crushed or squeezed or otherwise squished. to imagine you guys just hugging one another and just. you both make a squeaking sound LMAO. anyways i think pomni subconsciously squishes you, like doesnt fully realize shes doing it.. kind of gets a little embarrassed when you bring it up to her in a teasing tone.. please reassure her you dont actually mind and she can go right ahead with clinging onto you... probably more likely to squeeze you more after another day of trying to find an exit (and obviously not finding one)

ZOOBLE:

honestly i dont think they would use the fact that youre like a toy for the most part. zooble doesnt strike me as the type to like physical affection all that much, actually i dont think they like touch in general.. maybe thats just me projecting me aversions onto them but you know. srhugs. but every now and then you guys DO hug and cuddle.. probably jumps a little when they squeeze you a little too hard and earn a soft squeak from you.. probably ask if you made the sound with your mouth or something. cue them learning something new about you, unless they saw you make the sound after like. getting crushed during an IHA/j

GANGLE:

shes not strong enough to make you squeak/j ...though now that i think about it; does gangle have the same strength as she did when she was in her real body? or is she limited by her ribbons + some pity strength so she can actually support herself and her mask.. makes me wonder about the physics and rules of the digital world.. but thats off topic. i think that she would give you full body hugs, oddly very stressed (gee i wonder why, definitely not because of some rabbit/s)... its nice having someone around to let her vent her stuff out, usually hangs around you during free time and IHAs.. very nice, me thinks... building off of the possibility of her not being able to make you squeak i think it would be funny and sweet if you made the noise with your mouth (badly intimidating it, obviously).. its the thought that counts you know?

[mikodrawnnarratives]

TW IMPLIED CHARACTER DEATH

TW BLOOD

(Just like last time, it isn't really graphic but I'm tagging just so you know)

@naffeclipse

Part 1 | This is Part Two | Part Three | Extra

It. Probably won't need a part 4

I'm doing this all on one cps file so I sure hope so kjlfdkfljs

i'm at like- 750+ layers i'm so sorry my file

...there might be a part 4 but it'll be small sketches and aftermaths

Once again, long post under the cut:

I am not the only traveler, who has not repaid his debt.

I've been searching for a trail to follow again

Take me back to the night we met

- The night we met by Lord Hurdon

Alright, I didn't make too much of an effort to hide it but how many of you guessed it was gregory and how many of you didn't see it coming?

Gee I wonder who Gregory's companions are

Okay if you don't have a nugget of who these companions are then my rambling below makes it a little more obvious

Anyway, this little comic of self indulgence to mend my broken heart says "YO what if Gregory and other characters saved Vanessa like they did in canon"

It certainly would NOT be easy for Vanessa once she wakes up to that realization. But there are factors that make it a little bit easier for Vanessa to cope compared to other children.

Since Gregory and others proved they could fight and free her as Vanny, it gives her mind a little reassurance that they aren't completely helpless.

Plus, I like the idea of the GGY story (Dr Rabbit) existing as this au's equivalent of the same experience, that would mean Gregory has had his own bad experiences with Glitchtrap and so it wouldn't be like some random kid going against a threat he was unfamiliar with

She still distances herself a lot earlier on and the more time passes, the older Gregory gets, the less he looks and sounds like a kid.

Those make it much easier for Vanessa to stand being around them as time goes by. Earlier on, she only really interacted when absolutely necessary. But she did grow a small soft spot for them.

She remained pretty closed off about herself over the years and never delved too deep about her past. Ness left frequently for her own hunting jobs and at one point Gregory asked where she went. Somethings made it seem like these hunts weren't just random and different

He didn't get an answer of course. But later that day, Vanessa told him about Y/n. In vague terms. This is the most information he ever gets about Vanessa's past.

So Gregory's got no idea who to expect to see showing up to the gravestone ltr on and is just like

Gregory: cool, ur mysterious enough for it to be believable ur related to my mysterious older sister/mentor figure Wanna hear a story

Y/n: ...yes.

Forgive him his brain is ever so foggy from grief and no slep

Anyway, Y/n picked a day to visit Vanessa when they knew they were stable enough not to lash out and attack any humans that may happen to also be visiting the graves. They had eaten pretty recently but not so recent that they were vulnerable.

It's pretty early in the morning where it is still dark and the rain provides some more protection.

If you couldn't tell before, many MANY years have passed since Y/n has been human. Think somewhere between 20-30 years. And while, they still hate who they are now and aren't mentally okay, they've gotten a semi-solid understanding of their limits and what they can and cannot tolerate and when.

And, even though they are nervous, they can manage to have this conversation with Gregory for now.

Why are they talking to Gregory so willingly? despite the risks?

well

the next part will explain that

[puffstarss]

HELLOOO!! May I ask more about the over shelter Au? I want to know more about it! Hehe Clover is my favorite fallen human for no reason! :D

The Overly Sheltered AU is an alternate universe where the characters act completely different from their canon versions,

______________________________________________

Clover is 9 years old and they get adopted by Starlo and his posse (He goes by North Star all the time in this AU), Clover tries to help around the house while Star and his crew go on missions to protect the people of the Wild East from bandits and other things but they only see Clover as just a child who needs protection and doesn't let them leave the house. (Gee I wonder why?)

This makes Clover feel like they are nothing more than a burden and it doesn't help that they are still grieving over the loss of their mother, Evelyn Ross Thorn, Eve for short ♥️🌹

To cope, Clover talks about their problems to their stuffed bunny rabbits, they see them as their only friends...for now at least ;)

[ursachaotic]

run run run run run little rabbit 🗝

Illustration WIP! I'm not super motivated to work on original work right now (haha gee I wonder why lmao 👁), but I'm super happy with how this sketch turned out and I've been debating how I want to color it for a bit so thought I would share! : D

[notsocheezy]

A Messy Attempt at a Writeblr Intro

This is way overdue, but as my one-hundred-and-first post on the hellsite, I'll go ahead and tell you a little about me. Too much, perhaps. No matter - that's what I always do.

I'm Cassandra Erica, local girlish-shaped thing carrying she/they pronouns under each arm (despite how much more difficult it makes grocery shopping). I'm traumatized and so are mostly all of my characters, and they deserved it just as much as I did (none) but that's the cards they're dealt. By me. I swear, I tried to stop writing about childhood trauma, it just didn't work.

"So," you're wondering, "what have you written so far? What are you working on? Are you going to keep up this weird reflexive second-person perspective?" To answer back-to-front: no, many things, and not quite as many things. Here are some lists!

~~~

RELEASED ON NOTSOCHEEZY.COM!

The Real Me (2022, Short Story)

There's something a bit off about businessman Mr. Shirley Jones. What's he hiding?

Three Takes on Death (2022, Short Story)

What might happen when we die?

Pink Bow (2022, Novella)

Who knew trying on one dress at the mall could change a person's entire life? Chris - or, uh, Kris - certainly didn't. Was it just a dress inside that box with the pink bow, or was it something more?

Plus some other things, don't worry about it.

~~~

BRAIN CURDS

Brain Curds are lightly edited flash fiction - practically first drafts - posted daily and sometimes written with the express intention of being terrible… but, you know, in an endearing way. Here are some of the greatest hits!

Three. Two. One. (#31)

The Characters V The Author (#28)

The Heart Wants What It Wants (#39)

The Frank Program (Series)

Frank hosts a podcast with high profile guests, and he's not afraid to tell you "what the media doesn't want you to know."

Passable. (Series)

Four trans besties live in the city and do things that are not strictly ethical... or smart. Basically gay Seinfeld.

Government Man (Series)

Government Man is from the government.

Dominic of the Darkness (Series)

The antichrist is about to celebrate his sweet 666th birthday by breaking hell - that is, going to live on Earth for a week.

~~~

WIP!

Anthill Theory (Short Film) Finished - Waiting for Soundtrack

An exploration of free will through a time loop that the protagonist doesn't know he's in.

Blue Rabbit (Short Story) Pre-Final

Sequel to A Covenant of Rust (see below). I keep telling myself I'm going to finally finish this one.

Passable. Episode One - The Virgin Fermenting

Revised from several Brain Curds, this is the pilot episode of sorts for my trans sitcom.

One Late Night Easter Morning (Short Story) First Draft

A chance encounter at a bar leads to late-night musings about humanity.

The Order of the Degenerati (Novel) Outlining

A secret society was formed after the tragedy of the holocaust to make sure it never happened again. Unfortunately, nowadays the most they can do is make YouTube videos go viral.

It Goes Up (Never Never NEVER NEVER NEVER) Complete

You will never read it.

Memories Retained (Novella?) Outlining

Ever had a dream where you were back in high school, before it all went to shit, and you decided to do something differently? Ever woke up and found out it really happened?

Seeing Other People (Novel?) Pre-Brainstorming

A story of love, polyamory, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and heartbreak. Gee, I wonder why I feel compelled to write this one?

And MORE! THERE IS ALWAYS MORE!

~~~

MY BOOK!(?)

Publishers don't seem super interested in collections of short stories, and I'm afraid a collection of short stories and novellas may make a literary agent's head explode, so expect to see Tales from Starved Childhoods as a self-published debut! It includes a fully rewritten new version of Everyone Has Their Price (2017); newly revised versions of Next Day Delivery (2017), The Real Me (2022), Three Takes on Death (2022) and Pink Bow (2022); and all-new stories such as:

A Covenant of Rust (2023, Novella)

A newlywed couple moves into a 1950s prefab home in early 2020, but finds more hidden beneath the surface than the floor plan could reveal. Will forgotten secrets and isolation bring them together, or tear them apart?

AND SOME OF THOSE WIPs UP THERE! THEY'RE WHY THIS ISN'T OUT YET!

Tales from Starved Childhoods is set to be the physical manifestation of my early career as a writer, so stay tuned and look for it someplace books are sold!

~~~

If you'd like to be one of my readers or vice versa, don't hesitate to reach out! I'm shy but I'm friendly.

I'm always happy to have more eyes on what I'm making and I'm always happy to read something new. It helps with the burnout. I'm open to most any genre - I don't really think much about labels when coming up with ideas.

If you work for a publisher and you see something you like, send an email to publishing@notsocheezy.com with the subject line, "Business Factory."

[just-antithings]

Speaking of MLM crossover ships getting hate ( gee I wonder why specifically gay men) I’ve been seeing lots of hate for Zerpuss ( Zero III from zero escape x Puss in boots from Shrek) Because Zero III is younger because he was created recently by Akane and Puss is much older then him, not to mention how people claim it’s abusive and toxic because Zero III is insane and wouldn’t be capable of love ( implying mentally Ill people can’t find love) plus their relationship is a more extreme version of Beabato ( battler x Beatrice) from Umineko, all and all just leave them alone and let the bisexual funny Spanish cat and murderous homicidal white rabbit hold hands together please.

ugh

[houseofbrat]

They should have never let Catherine take the blame for the photo altering. Even if she did alter it herself, it only adds to everyone’s suspicion. I think she felt the need to put a photo out quickly and it backfired. Why didn’t the RP cover for her photo blunder?

Right. Literally anything would’ve been better than her of all people personally taking the fall for this! William would’ve been better, a random, unnamed intern would’ve been better, one of the kids fucking with the computer lmao idk. Just such a strange strange tweet to send out.

Someone should call KP and tell them we’re on mega thread #4 over here and we can’t have our mods getting sick from the “stress and fallout”, so just trot her out for a second or an audio message or even just a true statement sans doctored photos. And if she’s too unwell for that well gee maybe a smidge of transparency would gain them public support back . Nobody wants her medical info , just them to stop acting shady and disrespectful.  She can have her privacy and also stop the shiftiness and theatrics.  Unlike Reddit mods, the BRF gets paid. 

I think Kate is refusing to play ball. It's entirely possible she's had setbacks in her recovery or drew a line in the sand and said "I'm out until x/y/z date, so quit pushing," but this is a woman who's been in the public eye for 20 years. She knows how the media vultures and gossip mill operate. The speculation has now turned dark. We're getting everything from she's passed and they're covering it up, to she was injured in an 'incident.' Papers are running articles on William's rage issues. Kate could easily clear this up but she's choosing not to. It leads me to believe she's pissed at her husband and is enjoying watching him squirm. 

Just found out my best friend has independently fallen down the rabbit hole—which just illustrates how out of control this has gotten.

we’re both thinking it’s just a series of ‘own goals’ but are seriously hoping Catherine makes an appearance at Easter. If not, I think KP will have to make yet another announcement, and given how inept they’ve been, it’ll probably just make things even worse.

I’m just hoping she’s chilling with her kiddos, and is either not paying attention to the whole debacle or is highly amused by the shenanigans.

I would think that she is making an appearance at Easter but then wonder why KP wanted it to be known that she isn’t confirmed the attend Trooping of the Colour? Which was stupid on their part tbh

Princess Diana’s former private secretary on the matter from a CNN interview.

He’s kinda repetitious but still clear enough. He comes out critical of William for poor communications. Williams’s office created the vacuum of information which fueled the interest which fueled the out sized interest and the conspiracy theories.)

They definitely mishandled this situation. Supposedly Prince William just got a new private secretary. Hopefully they get a proper PR team again soon. While I’m not on team conspiracy theories and believe what has happened is exactly what we heard (Catherine had major surgery and is now recovering), they were way in over their heads in how they handled this.

Crazily, her secretary, Patrick Jephson, was my neighbor 8 years ago, super nice and very genuine guy. I definitely put stock in his POV.

This has been extremely poorly managed by KP. They’ve done irreparable harm to their image. The pressure they are now under for the next step/stage/messaging is immense. This is a defining moment for the royal family. Charles is not well, to what extent is not known. Kate is MIA and now three very questionable ‘proof of life’ photos have been released. The state of Will and Kate’s marriage is under a serious spotlight. It’s an information black hole. VERY rocky overall.

Charles and Kate are unwell. That is all. Kate is obsessed with her looks and image and she doesn’t want to be pictured looking anything but perfect that’s all. She will be back once she is looking like her old self. I honestly don’t believe the marriage in trouble stuff. Kate will never leave William that too so close to becoming the Queen? No chance.

Is it possible, in light of everything that has occurred so far, that Charles is letting Will have enough rope so Charles can use this PR disaster as his excuse to shutdown Kensington Palace office so everyone falls under his office at BP? Get rid of Will's staff and his vanity projects so he has to get on with the everyday drudgery that being a royal entails? It's not just film premieres and photo ops. It's hands on in the community at events with little or no fanfare. Service rather than PR grandstanding.

With no more competing offices, Charles can have his people oversee everything. That at least might get some consistency.

I kind of doubt it. William has the duchy money now. He can spend it however he wants.

I believe the most significant thing is that - at the very beginning of this whole story- the surgery wasn’t planned at all… she had the agenda full of duties, included a trip to Italy…  The narrative from the Palace was inconsistent from the first day. 

Reposting, because I think my comment got removed.

My takeaway from all the conspiracy theories floating around out there is that no matter what the truth is, look at what the main themes have become. Essentially, there are several theories about Will's behaviour and being a less than stellar husband. Also, the feeling that KP cannot be trusted. No matter what the truth is, the fact that these are the themes that have emerged is interesting.

William has based his entire reputation on being a nice protective family man. He doesn’t really have any other accomplishments or character traits that the public cares about. He put all his eggs were in the good dad/husband basket. Somehow, the Harry & Meghan crisis only bolstered that image. Now Stephen Colbert is doing bits about his alleged affairs, and all the normies know about his anger issues. Now personally, I’m the kind of person who thinks where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But even if there aren’t any flames here, Kategate has done some massive damage to Will’s reputation.

KP PR team is giving toxic boymom energy. Anything to protect their precious son.

Is anybody else getting annoyed at all the normies acting like Rose is William’s Camilla? I mean, maybe she is. Maybe they never even slept together. We don’t really know. But the assumption is getting on my nerves. Not every side chick is a Camilla!!

My mum calls my dads best friend (another straight male) his Camilla.

I was filling in my husband about this mess, and his comment was that he thinks maybe the PR team WANTS this drama unfolding because it keeps the royals in the news. Like essentially, "all press is good press." What does this community think? I was inclined to think that as the figurehead of a political state and a future king, Charles and William really can't afford this type of bad press, especially about DV. Obviously, the royal family do bring in money and tourism for the country, and part of that has always been an uneasy relationship with paparazzi and gossip rags, but given that QE II is gone and there are a lot of people who find them irrelevant and an unfair state subsidy, I think this would be a terrible PR move. Thoughts? Could their PR team be milking this?

Their PR team are likely pulling their hair out. "All press is good press" applies to celebrities who need to keep their names front and center to remain celebrities. The Palaces never want bad press. I think the issue is that William is incredibly stubborn and won't listen to their advice.

I've never been the type of girl to need closure when things come to an end, but if the season finale to this saga doesn’t answer every single question and include some bombshells I’d never even consider, I’m going to cry.

“She deserves her privacy, though!” Shut up, we’re all here for the same reason.

I just find it hilarious that the most interesting thing Kate has ever done in her life is disappear.

The whole ''she went shopping and we saw it, trust me bro'' thing is bad for them any way you look at it.

Either she wasn't really seen shopping and the story was completely fabricated with colaboration from the media, which would be pretty sinister and in line with everything else we've been getting lately, and at the least it would be a very North Korean-esque way of deceiving the public.

or

She actually did went shopping, was in ''public'' no matter how limited and controlled the public was, which means that she's physically capable + her face isn't bad or disfigured or whatever, as some people have suggested. Which portrays her as very irresponsible and weirdly uninterested in keeping up her image and popularity. Amidst all those very damaging rumors that could directly influence and traumatize even her children (forget about adults and public), she has time and will for shopping but not for a 10 second video, which is everything needed to dispell all the rumors once and for all?

All in all, terrible PR one way or another. The clusterfuck continues.

Do they actually think it’s a good look that she went shopping on St Paddy’s Day? She’s involved with the Irish guards and cancelled her appearance at their annual event… so she can’t work but she can pop out to the shops with Willy? Sure, Jan. Just fuck the Irish guards then right?! I mean, not that I remotely believe she went shopping. But another terrible PR bungle. These KP PR people are fucking idiots and I don’t understand why they still have jobs when they’re so clearly incompetent.

Even if she wasn't capable of attending a quick video message expressing her good wishes for the Irish guards etc etc would have worked wonders in terms of restoring good feeling towards them from the public and simultaneously would have quieted the conspiracy theorists. I don't buy she wasn't well enough to do a simple 1 minute video but was perfectly happy with a trip to the shops and watching sports with the kids where she would have been seen and possibly photographed. My personal view is that the trip to the shop didn't happen. There's no way that there's not a SINGLE snap taken on a mobile phone that's made it's way to social media.

I'm continually amazed at how badly the Waleses are botching all of this.

To be clear, I've been a royal watcher since they got engaged in 2010, and I'd definitely fall into more into the "fan" camp than not.

I've thought the conspiracy theories about all of this are nonsense. And even now after "Photogate", I STILL think they're nonsense and that what is happening is what they said - Catherine had serious surgery and needs time to recover.

But the artificially constructed Mother's Day photo is such a huge unforced error, made worse by Catherine then taking the fall for it.

Catherine's clearly not ready to show her actual face as it looks right now, and that's fine.

But then don't fake a picture! Post a quick video of William and the kids making breakfast in bed for Catherine for Mother's Day, or making cards or something. It'd still have the conspiracy theorists buzzing about why we're not seeing her, but it'd have been SO much better received by the general public than what they did.

She's absolutely entitled to her privacy, especially while she recovers. But the deal that the Royal Family has had with the press for decades now is that they get privacy most of the time in exchange for occasional, official, REAL pictures. It's clueless at best - and outright deceptive at worst - to do something like this and think no one will notice or care.

With the farmer’s market story, I’m even more convinced that Kate’s story is a red herring and there is something else happening they don’t want people to notice or know about.

This is still so odd. Either something is up (and I have no knowledge and make no inferences as to what or why) or a lot of people are profoundly bad at their jobs. Ok, the photoshop happens. Then they lie about it, even when they are trying to apologize for it. Why not put out a quick official and genuine photo of just her. If she isn't ready for camera's yet, put out a voice recorded statement saying, "I appreciate everyone's interest in my well being. Rest assured I am recovering well and I look forward to returning to my royal duties as soon as I am able". They could so easily kill all of this speculation and non-sense if things are as they say they are (she is taking car rides and shopping and up out and about). It would literally take 1 hour of her time at most, and instead KP's continued silence invites more speculation. You know what happens in physics why you make a vacuum? It gets filled. The same happens in the media/press. So again I say, either something is up (and I have no grounds with which to speculate what it might be) or this is the absolute worst PR advice and self-made crisis in recent memory.

Edit: Grammar

I joked about this in one of the earlier megathreads, but what if the *plot twist* in all of this is that Kate handles her own PR. I just remember when they got married how one of the little factoids that came out was that Kate did her own makeup for the wedding day. Like, royals! They're just like us!

Can someone answer why Royal Rota media are publishing these pics if there is a deal that they don't publish unauthorized photographs or was this a planned pap walk LOL? Is there a thread somewhere talking about this. I was listening to the Times (UK) Radio on YouTube today and the Assistant Editor for the paper (Kate Mansey) was unfairly criticizing listeners as strange people who are conspiracy theorists and says there isn't a pact or agreement that the family has with the media...yeah right LOL (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIKUvQB2Z_M). Have these people read about the Royal Rota and the unprecedented-in-the-modern-era pacts the royal family has made with the British media.

If the British media are posting it its because they got the ok to do so.

Their PR team needs to pick a lane. On one hand they're selling that Kate is healthy enough to be out and about twice in one weekend, walking around a farmer's market, watching her kids play sports, but on the other she's unwell to the point she had to fake a Mother's Day pic and pull out of an event in June? Which is it? Their messaging is all over the place. 

I hope that if we all take away one thing from this whole ordeal its that no matter how bad at your job you might think you are, you're still probably doing better than the KP PR team over the last couple of weeks so give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done and don't be so harsh on yourself.

what gets me and i know royal fans will call me a conspiracy theorist is that it's kinda obvious there's a story here. the impact or actual matter of it isn't what i'm questioning, but the motivation behind so many blunders. i am a writer/journalist and this entire story feels weirdly on edge of being something, anything.

like yes, let's presume kp was truthful from the beginning and she had abdominal surgery that took too long to recover from. great, but why throw her under the bus? or if all of this is a distraction, overplayed to the nines, what for? 

i am sure any tea is probably regular people tea to the max, like relationship dynamics, family stuff and whatnot. it's not like i believed she was killed and it was hidden, but usually when there's smoke there's fire and i'm curious about what fire, you know? 

i would love to be a fly on the wall and know what they disagree about, their relationship with staff and other royals. 

i find kate stylish and their wedding hype was charming, if a little gauche. i am against royals in general, not specifically them, but they could be great philanthropists if they wanted. 

the thing with Kate's personality (in public) is that it's nonexistent? i suppose that's the ideal, princess-like behavior that's expected from her. but i do wonder what happens behind the scenes with that. how curated it is x how many other blunders happened before.

The story seems to be that Will and Kate are going to find it much, much harder to be the center of the slimmed down monarchy than they realized.  Though if it turned out that they’d never really thought about how that was going to work on practice, I would believe you.  There aren’t as many working royals so the attention is on them, whether they want it to be or not.  The disappearing and the stonewalling isn’t super unusual for Will and Kate, though not previously to this extent, but we’ll see if they make any changes moving forward.  Judging from how this debacle has dragged on, I am guessing they won’t.

Well, I for one am very impressed by Kate's ability to emerge from her grueling 3 month surgical recovery looking like a radiant, bouncy 25 year old yoga instructor who doesn't have a care in the world.

[kaazukado]

Hazbin Fuck My Life

i adore hazbin hotel, i think it’s amazing, but i can’t help but wonder if i just have low standards or am an absolute dumbass because clearly it has issues that i never spotted until someone brought it up, and even then i thought it was fine(like the pacing for the eps. in general i’m cool with it but i will admit - five months passing in five eps? like are you fucking serious??? that’s insane, what the hell)

and then when i feel smart about deciding that gee, alastor was uncharacteristically crude in ep 5, suddenly i feel like the idiot again because all the comments on videos of him cursing lucifer out are saying how it’s such a good way to show how much lucifer pisses him off. i mean, i saw that too, but it still felt incredibly jarring at the time. and now i’ve conformed to public opinion and i genuinely think it’s fine too. go me. (that or it’s that the shock has worn off and i just think alastor saying “fuck you” is funny)

i fucking hate everything here. i don’t want to be one of viv’s blind stans but i don’t want to be one of her blind haters either, nor do i want to go down the rabbit hole of “what fucked up shit has she done in the past decade” or whatever the hell it is that makes people despise her so much. am i lazy? am i willfully ignorant? or am i making the wise choice to avoid potentially meaningless and petty discourse?

i don’t know why this is so stressful. i don’t know what’s wrong with me

[vexy-hexy]

I'm finally watching Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey...

I've been waiting for the longest time to watch it, and I think it's a good cheesy horror movie. Here's some of my thoughts

Spoilers, obviously:

- I love the sketchy art. IDK what it is, but it's soooo good

- The Winnie the Pooh mask is so cool. Just... it looks so creepy, especially the close ups. The almost permanent smile, the creases and the fucking glowing eyes

- Chris is a fucking wimp, just stood there and screamed as his gf was killed

- Pooh just watching that red head, standing still, before just breaking into a run made me laugh so hard, and I don't know why

- the way Pooh was just standing there when she got up

- Why did Pooh tear her shirt off? Was it just for the titty shot?

- the wood chipper was brought in much earlier than I thought it would

- I was not expecting that stalker creep flashback holy shit

- Piglet peddling for power was weirdly hilarious to me

- Why the whip???

- I think they ate the gf???

- I guess it's not a cheesy horror movie if the hot and kind of horny girl doesn't die quickly

- no, but the way my ass would have bolted from that hot tub

- where'd Pooh learn to operate a car??? I thought they gave up on their humanity? On that note, why do they wear clothes???

- NGL, a bit disappointed Owl and Rabbit weren't a part of the killing team

- Where'd the bees come from?

- POOH'S EARS FUCKING MOVED!?!

- forget the back door, barricade yourself in a room! You even have weapons

- Freak was the wrong word to use

- what was the point of the chain fishing

- Piglet coming after her in the pool reminded me of the one scene from Deadpool with the Zamboni

- I guess it's also not a cheesy horror movie without the "bury the gays" trope

- did Pooh just bitch slap a girl into unconsciousness???

- GET OUT AND CALL THE POLICE, THEY CAN LIKELY HELP PEOPLE MORE THAN YOU!!! Or at least keep your gun at ready

- Hey, gas station wallet lady

- "What happened to you?" GEE, I WONDER?!

- I thought they vowed not to talk?

- STOP ASKING QUESTIONS! WAIT UNTIL YOU GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE

- STOP WASTING AMMUNITION! ONE OF YOUR EYES IS SWOLLEN SHUT!

- I thought Pooh was going to push her into the fire

- yet again, Pooh just starting to run is so funny to me

- Hah! Hit with your sledgehammer bitch!

- stop talking so fucking loud

- at least one of them was able to kill one of the bad guys

- the machete scene reminds me of the lollipop scene in The Banana Splits movie

- I admire the chivalry, but just get the girls out of there

- Stop talking and start beating!

- I like how the girls are trying to find a way to ditch these guys 🤣

- Welp, that didn't end well

-sooo, Pooh controls bees now I guess

- that mask in the red light is so fucking creepy

- this is why you wear seatbelts

- that was a fast beheading

- THE FUCKING WINDSHIELD WIPERS 🤣 🤣 🤣

- how the hell did she not get hit???

- oh, Chris finally showed up again

- not Pooh just walking off a beating and 2 car accidents like it was nothing

- I THOUGHT SHE WAS THE FINAL GIRL, WHAT THE FUCK?????

- Winnie the Pooh is a yandere, pass it on

- IT JUST FUCKING ENDS?!?!?

[broken-clover]

Digging more into Windy X Windam only leaves me with more questions. Hopefully some will be answered when I finally figure out how to get a working ROM (I’ve seen a couple, but I’ll admit I’m no emulator expert and I really don’t want to fuck up my computer by downloading something sketchy), but based on the couple of playthroughs I’ve found it hasn’t made much sense and that only endears it more to me. I’m a little bummed because I get the impression that there was at least a modicum of effort put in regarding the character concepts. I mean, basic as it is, the cover art style has a decently charming style to it

But everything else just fumbles the bag so hard it’s sorta cute.

That and I’m still amused at the GG bootlegs they got away with. I know no tropes are exclusive to one single game, but...come on. Nearly half the base roster is like this. Just look at them:

First, Big

AKA Not-Potemkin, also holder of the most creative name. You literally could have just called him ‘grappler’ and it would not have been more on-the-nose. I know I only found so much gameplay info but for what little I saw of him he has no personality. The most interesting thing about him is that in his stage there’s a sign with a scantily-clad woman on it, and the only reason it was noteworthy is because that’s the most un-Potemkin thing about him. I have confused his sprite for pre-Xrd Potemkin’s numerous times now. The color palette is literally the same minus the tiny hint of white

Jack

AKA Not-Slayer, also holder of an incredibly generic name, though I’ll admit I have a bit more fondness for this one (because he reminds me of Slayer. I choose to believe they’re related) The fact that he fights with his shapeshifting scarf does give off Millia vibes but tbh it’s just charming enough to where I actually sorta like him. He also throws lanterns as a weapon, and that plus the magic scarf and sunglasses gives him just enough unique quirks that I’m kinda bummed he’s not in a better game

And Stin

The not-Bridget. He’s basically the only character I’ve seen that has any kind of fan content and only one of two that I could find gameplay for (gee, I wonder why...) but concept (and lack of pants) aside, he does have a few interesting quirks. Instead of a mechanical teddy bear, he fights with the moving hands on his hat, which is a neat concept that predates Cerebella from Skullgirls by a couple of years. His brief storyline reminds me a lot of Taokaka, in the same genre of ‘I have no idea what I’m doing here and I don’t care about the (admittedly minimal) plot stakes bc I just wanna mess around.’ And, while I can’t say this for certain due to the limited info, I believe it’s implied that Stin is some sort of artificial human/robot thanks to his mechanical hat, super move that involves a rabbit mech suddenly appearing, and his final cutscene mentioning his ‘programming’ (which could also offer some explanation towards his name, as I have seen it translated both as ‘Stin’ and ‘Stein’) Curious...

The original character concepts and designs aren’t necessarily bad, but I think of the remaining roster Ashley and G are the only other ones that invoke any sort of reaction in me. It’s still a bummer I can only find so much info on the internet about the game in general

[starwriterulia]

Tomb of the Goshenite Stargazer Dragon - Chapter 7

SUBJECT MATERIAL WARNINGS FOR THIS FANFICTION ARE INCLUDED IN THE MASTERLIST POST OF MY BLOG AND THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THIS FANFICTION.

Sun and moon divider by @saradika

Banners for scene cut and creator support by @cafekitsune

A/N: New cover and dividers to mark the second part of the story! I might stick with these dividers for the final third of the story, they're so pretty, but we'll see if they continue to fit. Those who read Chapter 6 know that the new divider was the end of chapter banner of that chapter! Another long chapter summary this time, sorry! I keep making summaries that are two or three paragraphs (it's four, this time @_@) long instead of just one paragraph long because I put so much detail into my writing, WHOOPS. This is a breather chapter. No drama, today! Gee, it's almost like I changed the cover image to reflect a change in atmosphere! *wink wonk* Tag list in the replies! If you'd like to be added or removed from the list, please let me know!

Chapter summary: Wonder Woman, Zatanna and Faith arrive at the Queen Mansion, and Cissie King-Jones answers the door, asking who Faith is and noting Faith's hair, apologetically. Faith's response confuses Cissie. The heroines ask to talk with Oliver and Dinah, if they're home, and Cissie says they are, indeed, home, and lead the guests to the drawing room, where Oliver and Dinah react to Faith, asking what happened and Dinah approaching Faith, asking for a hug, saying she didn't care about the smell, and receiving permission. Off-screen, Wonder Woman and Zatanna retell what happened at the Belfry. Oliver, Dinah and Cissie watched Faith's expression and panicked movements and noises, and knew she felt remorse. Oliver says to Faith that her body language confirmed that she wouldn't have acted on her desires and didn't want them at all, after the Batfamily's reaction. Faith began to mutter, shouting in alarm and apologising, Oliver kindly shushing and telling her she was OK. Faith reiterates that she was only looking for friends and honestly would not have approached the Batkids sexually or romantically, and that she's now too scared to think about them in those ways.

Cissie asks why Faith didn't drop the rabbit toy, and Faith replies that Santa and the Snow Elves would have fixed it, and that she couldn't leave for Thalassic Space, where she would be welcomed, although it was an option. She wanted to know if she could actually help, adding her trademark lore and apologising for that, to light laughter. Oliver says that Faith made the right choice, and the present members of the Arrow family accept Faith's apology. Oliver says they'll continue her training as part of them, and Dinah says they'll help Faith learn to socialise better. Faith thanks them, then Cissie acts on Dinah's request to get Faith to a bathub and really scrub her hair.

Dinah remarks that Wonder Woman and Zatanna mentioned the audio of the visit to the Dragon Tomb was broadcast to J'onn J'onzz at the Watchtower, and J'onn had offered to take Faith in. Dinah asks why Wonder Woman and Zatanna brought Faith to the Arrow family instead, Zatanna answering that Faith deserved a second chance from people similar to the Batfamily. The heroes ponder why J'onn is interested in Faith and Thalassic Space beyond learning why the asteroid belts that had appeared when Ra's brought Faith to their world had disappeared, and why the one near the sun had no magic while the other did. Oliver asks what was Faith's answer for that, and Zatanna says it was due to their galaxy lacking a magic O-type star, which Oliver agrees makes sense. Wonder Woman volunteers to speak with J'onn, and the heroes agree to meet in Boston near her home, as J'onn lives in Detroit, where Zatanna's home is, as they shouldn't bring J'onn to the Queen Mansion, where Faith is.

Zatanna brings lunch up to the girls, Oliver quietly waiting against the wall as the door was open, seeing Faith chatting as normal with Cissie and glad for that. She asks if Faith feels safe, now that the loophole has been taken care of, Faith saying "yes" in slightly less long-form way. Zatanna asks if there would be anything for Martians or Lanterns in Thalassic Space, and Faith says "yes", but any non-peaceful desires would be met by the heroes of Thalassic Space. Zatanna accepts the answers, saying she was just curious, and Faith is content with that, saying that even if it was for other reasons, she trusts Zatanna, and Zatanna is thankful. Zatanna walks by Oliver, who follows, whispering to him about his nosiness and Oliver saying that he had questions, too. They go to the door, Oliver letting Zatanna out, then Oliver returns upstairs to invite Faith to the Arrowcave for training after she's done eating, and Faith accepts, Oliver telling her to find him back in the drawing room. Faith's second ride in a fast car to the underground level of the mayor's office is alluded to have been exciting for her. Oliver helps her out, and walks her in, Faith in awe of the lair, and as they walk further in, Oliver asks what they taught her.

Fandoms: DC Comics, Batfamily, no Batcest, Arrow family, Thalassic Space (OC; takes inspiration The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and other sci-fi, fantasy and horror titles, as well as original concepts, such as the science and lore of the galaxy.)

[In order of appearance] Characters: Faith Lawson (TBA; self-insert), Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), Zatanna Zatara, Cissie King-Jones (Arrowette), Dinah Lance (Black Canary), Oliver Queen (Green Arrow).

Word Count: 5246 (A reasonable length, for once! Yay! LOL)

Content warning: None!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8

Wonder Woman and Zatanna touched ground at the front door of Queen Mansion, which had lit a sparkle in Faith's eye. Colour and a smile had returned to her face during the exciting first-flight, which took the women about thirty minutes, sparing Faith their full speeds. Faith wasn't holding the disgusting rabbit plush, but the side pocket of her dufflebag was now filled. "Pretty neat place they've got, huh?" Said Zatanna, as Faith unfurled her legs onto the asphalt. Faith nodded. "Whose mansion do you like more: Wayne, or Queen?"

"Gee, they both look so cool, and they both have beautiful interiors and lots of history, in the comics. You're really gonna make me, a person who made a castle magic university, choose between two big, epic mansions?" Faith said. Wonder Woman and Zatanna snickered and laughed. Wonder Woman rang the doorbell. Approximately fifteen seconds later, the door opened, Cissie King-Jones peeking out behind.

"Oh! Hi, Wonder Woman and Zatanna!" Cissie said, opening the door wide. "Who's this?" Cissie sniffed, and looked Faith in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, I just couldn't help but notice you smell like bacon grease."

"It's fine, I deserved it." Faith said, frowning. "Batgirl dumped dishwater on me."

"Batgirl dumped━?" Cissie whipped her head to look at Wonder Woman and Zatanna, who nodded. "Wow, OK. Um, I'm sorry, are you looking for Ollie and Dinah?"

"Yes, are they home?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Yeah, in the drawing room." Cissie said, opening the door wide. "I'll walk you there."

"Thank you." Wonder Woman said, as she, Zatanna and Faith entered, Cissie closing the door and leading them onwards.

"We've got guests!" Cissie announced. Oliver strained his neck to look down the ways. The first half-second, ha gave a friendly smile to his colleagues, and the second-half, he had a concerned expression for the young woman whose ash blonde grown-out black hair that he could tell was beautiful and thick was slick with bacon grease and dirty water. Her hazel green eyes were dark, and not just from being inside for so long.

"What happened to her?" Oliver asked, as Dinah clicked her tongue and rose from the couch she was sharing with Oliver, and hovered her hands in front of Faith's body.

"Oh, I would hug you, dear, but I don't know if you'd like one. I don't care about the smell, really, I don't." Dinah said.

"A hug would be nice," Faith said, and Dinah immediately brought her into her arms. "If you don't care about the smell."

Cissie said, "She said Batgirl dumped dishwater on her."

"What?" Dinah said, parting herself from Faith to look at her face.

Zatanna said, "Let's sit down and talk."

Faith's face was pale again, and she stared at the floor as Wonder Woman and Zatanna told the events. Throughout, Faith muttered and released shuddered breaths. From this, Dinah, Oliver and Cissie knew that Faith felt real remorse. Oliver said, "So, you wouldn't have acted on your desires, and we can see from your body language that you don't want to act on them anymore. Is that right, Faith?"

Faith bobbed her head fervently. She muttered, "Des━" Then caught herself and said, "Aaa! Sorry!" And she snapped her neck up to look at the ceiling, shoulders cringed up and arms defensively in front of her chest.

"Sh, shhh, hey, it's OK." Oliver softly replied, meeting her gaze and holding it as Faith's eyes came down from the ceiling to his face, her arms resting on her legs.

At a normal volume, Faith said, "I wouldn't have forced myself upon them, and Damian was out of the question."

"Right. You said you're not a pedophile, and I think you were honest about that."

Faith panted. "Th-Tha..."

As soft and quiet as he could, Oliver said, "Sh."

And it was effective. Faith said, "I-I was only looking for friends."

"Yes, you said that, too." Dinah said, gently.

"Desires don't have to be acted upon, and I really, honestly wouldn't have approached them as a Batfamily member with sexual or romantic intentions. I'm too scared of them now to even seriously think about what I like about them, in those ways. Please, please just know that, for what it's worth, even if that's very little, or nothing."

"Thank you, Faith." Oliver said.

"Thank you for your honesty, Faith." Dinah added.

"What did you do with the bunny rabbit?" Cissie asked, sitting next to Dinah on the other couch, Oliver next to her.

Faith said, "I put it in the outside pouch of my bag. I asked Zatanna and Wonder Woman to do it, so I wouldn't drop it."

"I volunteered to put it in for her." Said Zatanna. Wonder Woman and Faith nodded.

"Why didn't you drop it, Faith?" Dinah asked, kindly.

"'Cause Santa wouldn't have." Faith's cheeks lifted, colour filling her face as she continued. "Santa and the Snow Elves take any toy they find and can carry, and they fix 'em. It's supposed to represent a stranger or loved one, like a new friend or family member, chosen or blood, taking time, energy and resources to mend what's been forgotten and hurt by the world. Even though Thalassic Space is a wonderful place, it has awful people because the Nero Spirits whisper about awful things to manipulatable people. People who embody Kaleido, who believe in God but look through the painted glass windows instead of examining the Bible and its merits and faults, in the past and present."

Dinah and Oliver hummed, the latter with pursed lips, Cissie bobbing her head around. Oliver said, "Interesting way to look at it, but it's also true."

"Oh yeah." Dinah said.

Faith said, "Not to say they have weak wills, they just believe that people who are not white, cisgender, heterosexual, human, able-bodied and able-minded should be punished in Inferno. Ooh, I forgot to tell the Batfamily those last two traits, though I know Batman and Tim read it, 'cause this is publicly known lore that anyone can read in the TSRPG app."

"Oh, OK."

"But that's why Nero Spirits are so powerful, and why Bartholomew and Krampus had control over two planets, and were so dangerous during the three Wars for the O-type star's Spirit. The people had to unite, although most already lived like that, but really unite so that the most powerful among them, and those who became powerful, could protect and heal the planets and people."

"You really are a storyteller, Faith." Said Oliver.

Faith smiled with her cheeks. "Thank you." Her cheeks formed a frown. "I deserved what they did to me. What they did was mean, but it could've gone worse. Like, they didn't hit me, and Damian wanted to cut a frown into my face, but was stopped by his dad." Dinah and Oliver hummed, nodding slightly.

"I could have told Wonder Woman and Zatanna, 'No, I want to end the story', but I didn't want to let go of something I'd just given myself. In The Double Eight of Thalassic Space, I guide Faina's thoughts and actions so she doesn't die when she's in dangerous places, like the Backstage of the Rondo Theatre. The narration and inner dialogue become purely narration as we temporarily merge. I enter Thalassic Space through Faina, creator and Soul Fragment return from the Undecided Corridors of Platonia to the Backstage of the Rondo Theatre, and we run on Stage when the other characters were praying for the sun to return from the Deep Sea City, where they thought Faina had died with Nero Dionysus, at the climax of battle."

"That's the biggest ego-boost I allowed myself, in the main story, and I've got ideas to appear in other stories to guide other protagonists and even antagonists with the same effect: to get people where they need to be, when they're displaced, Backstage, by Actors playing the Role of a villain. I'm otherwise supposed to be at Home, proper noun, and that's my apartment, but in Thalassic Space, that's White-Sun Harbour." Faith smiled, dreamily looking at the ceiling. "I have a room in the mansion that captain Arles owns, and I just get to write in a beautiful place, in a big house shared with friends," She looked down, among the people in the room. "And I get to go outside and have fun at a tavern where I don't need to drink to attend. There's a jungle on the island, and a few places you can slip through, over or under to acces the rest of the Realm of Tree Peoples, and the ocean of the harbour is just the caribbean!" Faith inhaled through her nose. "Wow, I really let myself go, if people let me." The others laughed quietly.

"We wouldn't change it for the world, Faith." Said Zatanna.

"Sorry, my point is, I didn't want to give up, even though I could have, because I don't want to be done, and I want to know if I could actually help."

Oliver nodded firmly. "You made the right choices, today, Faith."

"Thank you."

He looked to Dinah. "So! Are we thinking of 'yes'?" She nodded. Oliver looked to Cissie, who nodded. "Well, Faith, the Arrow family accepts your apology, and we will gladly take you under our roof to continue your training as one of us." Faith inhaled, her cheeks raising more.

Dinah said, "We can even help you socialise a little better so you can actually go outside and make friends." Faith gasped, smiling with her teeth parted. Dinah chuckled, smiling with her teeth. "Not to change you, but to help you." Faith nodded, excitedly. "You are a very good storyteller, but you need to filter your thoughts so you're less likely to give exposition or trauma dump, when you're trying to be punctual and include others in a converation."

"Oh my God, yes!" Faith said, breathily. She laughed, Dinah and Oliver chuckling with Wonder Woman and Zatanna, Cissie giggling shortly.

Oliver said, "You can leave at any time, if it's not working out and you want someone else to help you." Zatanna hummed and raised her hand, and Faith batted her lashes, blushing. "Oh, see! Someone's already up for that." Faith chuckled with the others. "But, we'd be happy to have you on our team."

Faith shook her forearms excitedly. "Thank you!" She swept her eyes from Oliver to Dinah and Cissie. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The Arrows all nodded with friendly smiles.

Dinah said, turning her face to the blonde, "Cissie?"

"Mhm?"

"Would you please take Faith up to one of the bathrooms with a bathtub and help Faith wash her hair as good as you can?"

"Sure!" Cissie said, rising to her feet. Faith did, too, and Cissie linked her left arm with Faith's left. "Come on."

Faith waved to Wonder Woman and Zatanna, meeting their eyes, the heroines waving back. "Thank you both so much, really. I won't forget how you helped me today, even though you were right there, and you didn't have to. You still did because you're both such caring women, you don't leave people in need behind.{"

"That's right, Faith." Said Zatanna.

"And the flight over here was really fun."

Wonder Woman said, "You're welcome, Faith. Call us anytime, when you've earned comms rights." Zatanna nodded. Faith nodded too, then allowed Cissie to lead her on.

"Oh, and have her pick one of the guest rooms!" Oliver said.

"OK!" Cissie replied. The heroes were silent for five seconds, waiting for the sound of the girls' footsteps to be far enough away.

"So, you mentioned J'onn was on comms with you, in the Dragon Tomb?" Said Dinah.

"Yes, does his involvement in Faith's affairs concern you?" Said Wonder Woman.

"Well, not that I'm concerned about J'onn's possible interest in Faith, just curious. He wanted to know about the status of the asteroid belts, in particular the one near the sun, and why it had no magic, unlike the one near Sagitarrius."

"Did we not provide you with the answer, as we talked?"

"No, you did."

"Oh, OK then."

"I'm curious, too." Said Oliver. "Zatanna, you weren't at the Watchtower when Urania visited, when Faith was brought to Wayne Manor, but you were, Diana. Did he display any peculiar behaviours, or was he all business?"

Wonder Woman shook her head. "No, he was all business. I do think J'onn is perhaps a little bit too interested in Thalassic Space, if not Faith herself."

"Have you thought to ask why?" Dinah asked.

Wonder Woman bobbed her head. "Yes, but I'm still trying to puzzle out why, other than perhaps why only the ateroid belts appeared in our galaxy, and in a way Platonia, through the ritual that can be performed, and not the rest of the galaxy."

"Maybe J'onn is looking for something." Zatanna said.

"He must be." Said Dinah. Oliver and Wonder Woman nodded.

Wonder Woman said, "Faith hasn't mentioned any piece of lore that would imply something is waiting for J'onn, or Martians."

"Maybe she hasn't told us something." Said Zatanna.

"Or maybe there's nothing, and J'onn is chasing a dream." Oliver said.

"That could be true, as well."

Wonder Woman said, "Well, the only way we'll know is to ask J'onn directly, or wait and see what he does."

"Agreed." "Yes." Said the others.

Dinah said, "I don't think we should wait."

"I agree." Said Wonder Woman.

"If something is influencing him, and it's not a good thing, and it gets to where it wants to go, it could be trouble."

"Like the disasters Faith wrote about." Oliver said.

"Yes."

"Then, our only option is to ask J'onn what about Faith and Thalassic Space is so special to him, with all due respect." Said Dinah.

"I'll pay him a visit now," Wonder Woman said, standing. "And see what he has to say."

"Sounds fair." Said Oliver. "Why don't you return here, when you've found out?"

"No. Faith is here."

"Oh shoot, you're right. That slipped my mind."

"How about we meet in Boston, somewhere near my place? J'onn is in Detroit, so we can't meet at your house either, Zatanna."

"True." Zatanna replied.

"No objections here." Said Dinah. Oliver nodded.

"Good. Until then. Bye, everyone."

"Goodbye, Diana." Dinah said, as Diana walked out of the drawing room. Zatanna gave a short wave.

"Buh-bye." Said Oliver.

"On your way out as well, Zatanna?" Dinah asked.

"Well, I'd like to ask Faith about scheduling training with me, since neither of you are magicians."

"That sounds great, actually." Said Oliver.

"But then, yes, I'll be on my way, too."

Oliver said, getting on his feet, "I don't know if Faith's eaten yet, but Cissie said she was hungry, so I'm going to make two sandwiches."

"May I help, and bring up the food?"

"Sure, yeah."

Zatanna climbed the stairs of the mansion with a dinner plate bearing two sliced chicken sandwiches with mayonnaise, a tomato slice and leaf lettuce on twelve-grain bread, and two Red Delicious apples. She listened for running water as she passed the doors, and heard Faith chattering behind one of them. Zatanna knocked with the back of her left hand. "Girls? May I come in?"

"Come on in!" Said Cissie. She opened the door all the way, standing at its end. "Aw, look, Faith!" Zatanna immediately knew that Faith's hair smelled a lot better. "Thanks, Zatanna, I was hungry."

'Whatever Cissie used worked wonders!' Zatanna thought. "Yes, Oliver said you were hungry, and he was wondering if Faith was too, so he and I made two sandwiches."

"Aw, how nice."

Zatanna said, meeting Faith's eyes. "I figured you might be hungry, after all the stress you've had, this morning."

"I am, thank you."

"Did you eat breakfast?"

"Yeah, the bacon grease was from this morning."

"Oh, that makes sense. Well, now you've got a light lunch. I would have brought something for you to drink, but I needed an empty hand."

"Oh, that's fine," Cissie said. "I'll get us something. What are you in the mood for, Faithy?"

"I think just water."

"OK! I'll be back in second!" Cissie ran out, leaving the door open. Zatanna set the plate down on the nightstand, and sat on the queen sized bed.

"It's so weird how like, I've now been in two queen sized beds." Faith said. Oliver silently approached the door, and listened, out of sight.

"You've got a twin?"

"Yeah, my apartment isn't big."

"Have you been saving money for a bigger place?"

Faith shook her head. "Money goes fast, even though I quit playing Genshin Impact."

"Oh, yeah, that'll do it." Zatanna and Faith laughed.

"I still pay for things in mobile games, but I try not to spend more than twenty dollars a month. Doesn't always work out. Sometimes I have 200 that I'm not planning to use, and then I'm barely paying my non-essential bills, like my Youtube Premium subcription, or Lord of the Rings Online premium account subscription."

"But you pay your essential bills, like water, electricity, and phone?"

"Water is paid for with my rent? But yes, I almost always pay my hydro not just on time, but keep enough in my account for it, when it goes through, two business days later,"

"Oh, I see."

"And my phone bill, I just top-up my Telus Mobile account, on my phone."

"And how much do you usually pay, for all of your essential bills?"

"620 for rent, but it's due to increase by twenty-five, in a few months,"

"Yes, that's allowed." Zatanna said.

Cissie stopped beside Oliver, holding two tall glasses of water. She whispered, "Why? J-Just why?"

"Eighty-three to ninety-three for hydro, which is really good, since I think most houses pay 200," Faith said.

"Mhm." Zatanna replied.

Oliver whispered, "I think Zatanna's got a question for Faith that I wanna hear her answer. It's about J'onn."

"But that's because I live in the dark, and the only thing that bumps up my kilowatts is charging my scooter and my computer usage,"

"Martian Manhunter?"

"If you get in there, I think you'll figure out why. If not, ask me later. Or Faith, you know she loves her lore."

"Okie dokie!" Cissie entered the room, giving a glass to Faith.

"Thank you." Faith said.

"Welcome!" Cissie sat on the armchair in the room and sipped from her glass.

"Which is every day, and the hours depend on if I have work, or there's something I want to do in town, like visit the Farmer's Market or do some grocery shopping, or thrifting." Faith said.

"Huh, OK. You've got an electric scooter?" Zatanna said.

"Ooh, you do?" Cissie said.

"Yeah, I would not be able to properly shop for groceries, without it. I wouldn't get home with frozen foods in time, with just my mobility walker, and I couldn't carry much. Though, that'd be more ideal, as sometimes I forget I've bought fresh veggies, and they go bad."

"Aw, well then don't buy as much fresh produce." Said Zatanna.

"I know, and I do better at it some months than others. It's like, I want to make a dish, and I make it, but then I don't wanna make it again, and so I try to buy or have on hand things to make other dishes with those ingredients, and that's actually been working."

"Oh, good! And, what about your phone? How much are you paying for your plan and data?"

"I pay $45 for unlimited calls and texts, and 1 GB of data."

"Hm, that's decent, but not great."

"It's Telus."

"Oh, Telus are shit!" Cissie said. "Switch to Virgin, girl!"

"I know, I should really switch. I forget what my mom has, but she says it's good, too." Faith said. Cissie hummed, and sipped.

"Oh, right, I wanted to ask you something, Faith." Zatanna said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to schedule a training session with me, to work on your magic, do a couple tests?"

"Sure! Do you want my number?"

"Sure." Zatanna said, producing her smartphone. Faith told her the digits, Oliver of course memorising it instantly. Zatanna nodded, then put away her device. "Thank you."

Faith nodded. "Mhm."

"And, um. Are you, do you feel safe, now that you've dealt with the loophole and locked Ra's out of Thalassic Space?"

"Yeah. Like, even the dark sorcerers and non-magic users of Kaleido don't want me. They want people who don't fit their very strict and narrow views of what a Christian and a human should be."

"Right."

"They're too scared of me and the heroes of Thalassic Space to be a threat. And even when they act, they fall into their Roles, as Actors. So all of their hatred is for nothing, and it's not only God's plan, but the plan of the Flytower Gods."

"The Flytower Gods are new to me."

"Oh, you haven't seen the O-type star of Thalassic Space. Batman and Tim have, since I know they've read all of the lore and can even translate Neofom and Nerobzal by ear." Faith pulled her phone from her dufflebag and opened TSRPG, spinning the 3D model of the O-star around to show Zatanna all the magic circles. "The symbols in the eight magic circles represent the Flytower Gods and protect the planets from the O-star's heat and magic. In order of power, Vishnu and the Four Symbols of Chinese astrology are Tier 1, and depicted by the blue lotus and red eternity knot." Zatanna hummed, nodding. "The Norse, Greek and Egyptian pantheons are Tier 2, and the orange bolt of lightning, purple oak tree, and golden eye of Ra are for them. Yahweh, Asherah and Lucifer are Tier 3, but those new to Thalassic Space will only recognise David's star and the sigil of Baphomet. Asherah is resprented by the Double Eight, which visually tells the story of the O-type star's spirit." Faith released her finger from the model of the O-star, and closed the app, opening her Photos to one of the Double Eight. "I'll, uh, text you a QR code to download TSRPG, so you can read about the Double Eight, and whatever else you want. Just maybe don't press and hold the 'Travel to Pàrras' button, in your virtual room, without me. You can, if you want, but it'd be more fun and worth your time with me."

"Sure, I will do that, and will not do the other thing without you."

"Thanks. I should tell you about Chandra, the daughter of Calliope and Michael. Her Dragon Persona is part Android, called SOFFFIAA, the AI that's integrated in TSRPG."

"Ah, OK. So she's a cyborg, and part of her brain is actually artificial intelligence."

"Yep. Chandra, through SOFFFIAA, is how I can access the Internet, and work on worldbuilding at any time. She lets me save my work on my novel and other projects to the Cloud, as insecure as that actually is, it's still backed up, so it's better than nothing."

"Oh, for sure. So, you're not afraid of anything or anyone, right now."

"Nope, no fear."

"Good." 'She's not considering J'onn to be a threat. Whether that's because there's no alien life like Martians, but I need to know if J'onn would fit right in to Thalassic Space, like Ra's was. You know what? I'll just ask. She's happy to share lore, after all!' "Would any members of the League, or the Titans, Teen Titans, what have you, be considered legitimate citisens or entities with special permissions, like Ra's was?"

"Oh, like the Martians or Lanterns?"

"Yes, like them."

Faith shook her head. "I don't have aliens or space wizards. However, because Thalassic Space is part ocean and part space, merfolk and Dragon Kin can survive in one or both environments. Ooh, do you know about the Dragon Kin?"

"Like, Dragon Born, and other draconic peoples?"

"Yes. Dragon Born, Dragon Skin, and Dragon Form, all self-explanatory."

"Ah, thank you."

"It would depend on the lineage, say the Mother Born and Father Born, or on the powers of the individual, and the same would go for visitors. Uh, I think those terms I just threw at you were new to you, soooo, Mother Born are of Mother Mermaid and Father Born are of Father Dragon."

"Yes, they were, and thank you. Hm, that's interesting."

"That's so cool." Cissie half-whispered. Faith giggled, and Zatanna chuckled.

Zatanna thought, 'J'onn could change his form, and then who knows what he might do. There are other powerful species in Thalassic Space that J'onn could transform into to gain advantages, like Neo and Nero Spirits, and who knows what else.' "So, say that a Martian or Lantern were to enter Thalassic Space and seek power over others, like Ra's could have, or to better their own quality of life."

Faith raised her left hand, palm upwards, and replied, "They could find both things, yeah. If it were the former, they'd butt heads with the heroes of Thalassic Space, and would fall on their ass because it's all a Stage Play, even with all of the faith I could muster. That's what it's supposed to be. For fun, for the dead citizens of Thalassic Space, the comatose of the galaxy and this one, and lucid dreamers from both galaxies."

"That's kinda grim, but also really cool!" Cissie said. Faith giggled with her, Zatanna slightly delayed.

'Aha.' Zatanna thought. 'I know Wonder Woman knows that it's all a Stage Play, but it might be worth reminding her, to help with her first question. But, since she's likely already there, and greeted and began to interrogate J'onn, she'd have a new question for him. It might get him to reveal any ill-intentions he has.'

"The latter aspiration could be accomplished peacefully. It would really depend on the visitor's intentions and actions." Faith said.

"Huh. That makes sense." Zatanna said. "Sorry about the questions, I was just curious."

"Oh, no problem, I love telling lore,"

"Yes, you do." Zatanna nodded, lifting her cheeks to smile.

"And if it's somehow helping you with something I don't need to know about, you're all good. I trust you." Faith smiled with her cheeks.

"Well, that's all I wanted to know."

"OK! Thanks again, Zatanna."

"You're welcome, bunny."

Zatanna turned her body to briefly hug Faith, who said, "Ooh, that's a new one! I like it!" The girls chuckled.

Zatanna said, "Glad you like it." She stood and went out of the room, glancing at Oliver, who tailed her. "Bye, girls!"

"Bye, Zatanna!" Said Cissie.

"Bye!" Faith said.

"Eavesdropping, are we, Oliver?" Zatanna quietly said, as she and Oliver descended the stairs.

"I came to pick up the bunny rabbit and put it in the laundry machine, and thought it would be worth my time to stop and listen."

"Was it?"

"Yes."

"Good. I've already bid you and Dinah goodbye, so I'll just go to the door."

"Oh, please, allow me." Oliver quickened his pace, and opened the door.

"Thank you." Zatanna flashed a smile. Oliver returned the gesture, then shut the door. Oliver climbed the stairs again, and stepped into the doorway. The girls sat on the bed, eating the sandwiches and apples.

"Hey." Said Oliver.

"Hi!" Faith replied.

"Do you mind if I take your bunny and put it in the wash, since you're keeping it?"

"Oh, that'd be nice, thank you." Faith said.

Oliver hummed, his eyes drifting over to the satchelbag. 'What's in there, I wonder?' He opened the pouch that obviously had a rabbit plush, and grimaced as he pulled it out. "Phew! Jason really just pulled this out of a dumpster to bully you?"

"I had a bigger, pink and white one, that I threw in the garbage when I was moving out of my parents' place. I had just told them about Mr. Bunny, today."

"Oh. So he really pulled no punches, to get to your emotions."

"Yeah. I miss him."

"Why'd you throw it, er, sorry, him out?"

"Well, he was my roleplay buddy,"

Cissie cooed. "Aw! Sorry."

Faith giggled. "So its muzzle was all black, and its neck was coming apart. I was only ever allowed to wash him a couple of times, when I had him. It was just time."

"Huh." Said Oliver. "Sorry you weren't able to keep him in good shape, and had to say goodbye."

"I haven't been able to find him again, either."

"Not anywhere?"

"Yeah. Here, I've got the two closest pictures." Faith showed Oliver and Cissie the pictures, describing Mr. Bunny using them.

"Aw, he was so cute!" Cissie said.

"Yeah, he was nice. I keep collecting toys, but nothing's like him."

"Well, of course not." Said Oliver. "That was your best friend." Faith nodding, a bit of red in her smiling cheeks. "When's your birthday?"

"September fourth. I'll be twenty-five."

"Well, that's no reason to not have a fun-themed party, is it?"

"No, it's not. Only thing is, I've never had friends my age. My family do give me presents, on my birthday, or just a 'Happy birthday' text or GIF, if they can't visit for whatever reason." Faith batted her lashes, her eyes smiling with her cheeks. "A fun-themed party would be awesome to finally have, though."

"Well, September is a ways away, but you're welcome to write a list, and your wishes will be our command."

"Awww, thank you." Faith said.

Oliver just smiled with his cheeks. "Well, come back down into the drawing room when you're done eating, and I'll take you to the Arrowcave, if you're up for some training, today."

"Sure! I did some already, with the Batkids, but I'd love to start with you today!"

"Great! See you in a bit, then." Oliver said. Faith nodded.

As Oliver sat in the driver's seat of his black Pugani Huayra and buckled himself in, he looked at Faith, who looked, "Excited?"

"Yeah, this is only my second time going stupidly fast in a car."

"Oh! Well, did you like it?"

"It was insane, and yes, it was awesome. Bruce said it was a Spectre-something, 2024."

"Oh, 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre."

"Yeah, that one."

"Ah, he went easy on you. This one costs a lot more."

"How much, in Canadian dollars?"

"In Canadian dollars?"

"I'm Canadian, Ollie."

"Oh! I didn't know that. Uh, I think 4.6 million?"

"Wow! Yeah, that's a lot more."

"Mhm. Did you throw up?"

"Nope!"

"All right, well, let me know if you feel nauseous, and I'll stop 'an let you puke outside, 'kay?"

"OK!"

"All right." Oliver started the ignition.

Oliver was laughing in his chest, but not vocally, as he exited the car at the underground level of the mayor's office. He could hear Faith's hearty laughter and giggles from inside the vehicle. He sauntered around the hood and opened the passenger door, offering his left hand to Faith, who used it, but still fumbled, saying, "Aa!" But not screaming, while Oliver swiftly moved his hands to steady her.

"Kh, you good?"

"Yep! Yeah, thanks." Faith said, stomping her feet on the ground.

"OK, good." Oliver said, sort of under his breath, and led Faith on to the door, unlocking it. He turned the lights on, and Faith gasped, her mouth wide open as she followed Oliver further in, the door closing and locking behind them. "Whatcha think?"

"So cool!" Faith said, raspily.

Oliver chuckled. "So! What did they teach you?"

Click the emoji to navigate to the next chapter. ⏭️

[dangermousie]

I find Chun'er such a fascinating character because at this point, her inability to see Yan Xun's loathing of her is deliberate blindness. He has, with the last shred of kindness remaining in him, warned her at the start of his house arrest. But she has ignored it utterly - her world has overall been sunshine and fun and anything that does not fit that image she ignores as if she can will it into sunshine and fun.

Her utterly ignoring their current status difference (she's a royal princess, he's the prisoner of the throne, barely allowed to keep his life) - and said status difference can get him killed AND ignoring what happened to him as if it never did (he saw the heads of his entire family in boxes as part of a public spectacle where his torment was the entertainment event of the social season! he got tortured and mutilated! he was almost killed repeatedly! he saw his mother die in front of him!) and that it was on the orders of her father is sheer INSANITY.

The way she keeps insisting he uses her name, and not just any name, but a sort of pet name, as if they are still from friendly families, as if he's still the baby of the Northern Yan ruling clan is delusional in honestly a cruel way because he's not subtle about the loathing he feels about any connection with anyone in her family but she is not really capable of processing any worldview but her own, even such an obvious one (the man whose whole beloved family your father murdered isn't gonna want to pal around with you especially since you have no issue with daddy) - this is, in a way, a logical extension of her being supposedly kind and sunshine and stepping on the slaves' backs or paling around with aristos who hunt people for sport.

When she asked him why he didn't attend her party, full of his torturers/his family's murderers, I sort of bluescreened.

This is AMAZING in a horrifying way. And she doesn't get that all of this makes him loathe her more because it is such an insult to his grief and trauma and loss, her treating it as nonexistent but also a reminder that he's a pet kept on sufferance, and he has to perform fancy tricks to stay alive, he can't even show what he feels.

I mean are you insane, woman?

My God. Gee, I wonder what is different. The very fact that she doesn't even acknowledge the difference between now and then shows why he just feels so much loathing.

I mean, this is him after she leaves, ordering the clothes she touched burned.

PS This is her reaction to the present he gives her which is the taxidermied tail of her rabbit (that her mom killed, long story.) And the fact that she views the live rabbit and the dead rabbit memento as basically the same thing sums up everything about her character. They are all toys, not really real.

[cornfields-td-nonsense]

If u had to assign an animal to each of your TD OCs what animals would they be

Uhhh

Esther - raccoon (funny little guy, builds things out of trash)

Lara - fox (hates confrontation, avoids sudden loud noises, is red)

Reggie - rabbit (gee I wonder why)

Matt - ant (tiny and insignificant on his own but put him together with a few million like him and we’re doomed)

Carmen - swan

Nicolas - pigeon (just a little guy, misunderstood)

Ming - wasp (won't bother you if you don't bother her, but if you do bother her prepare to get STUNG)

William - peacock (colourful, dramatic, bitch)

Isla - butterfly (colourful, silly little guy)

Art - spider monkey. I dunno it just fits

Charlie - owl. I don’t need to explain

Harper and the twins are all cats

Sal - golden retriever

Lloyd - lion (idfk)

Rod - whale (majestic, gentle giant, etc etc)

Eve - snake

Alisha - jellyfish (because vibes)

Skelly - hedgehog (spiky and prickly but also soft n cute)

[nanenna]

A little update on myself as of 10/20/23, for those interested.

The short of it: writing is slowly becoming a thing again. I'm very excited but also still exhausted.

For those that don't know: I relatively recently moved two states over and transferred to a store up here, since I work for a nationwide chain. It's been... a mixed bag. The move was worth it because the reason why we moved (my husband's health) is really important. But... but work.

I've transferred before, I knew it wasn't going to be simple or easy. I was also walking into a store that had had 0 people in my position for... months? I think? Doubly not easy. What I was NOT expecting was the bullying.

But things are looking up! They hired a second person so I'm not doing two people's worth of work, and I finally had enough evidence that the bullying was happening (most of it was this person saying/doing shit behind my back) and talked to a manager about it. Unfortunately the bully still works there and in the same department, but I'm not talking to them anymore. At least nothing not work related, I don't even greet them when I arrive and only tell them I'm leaving because I refuse to be accused of being unprofessional. And this will continue until and unless they can give a full, sincere apology (doubtful). It feels petty, but then I remember the literal sabotage this person and the store fucking manager did, and... well... it feels way less petty.

The upside is that I'm no longer devoting 110% of my energy to literal survival mode. Most of my writing happens at work when my hands are busy and I get to daydream. Whatever I write about when I get home is whatever bone my brain was gnawing on that day. For some reason right now that means Down the Rabbit Hole, and has switched the focus to Sansy's feelings of being displaced. Gee, I wonder why.