#had to start somewhere amirite

[eiravolence]

happy birthday george harrison 😔🙏

[einsatzzz]

art time-lapse of this piece that i posted in IG b4 to try out doing reels. i really like how this turned out overall plus "yasashii suisei" (link for eng tl) really fit the vibes so im queueing this here too

[beemynumberone]

Pictures are from Pinterest.

A wild duck chase

(Have you ever seen a duck run?)

-> pairing: HS Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader (reader is Goshiki’s older sister)

-> Soulmate AU (a duck chases you to your soulmate)

-> genre: fluff, fluff and more fluff

-> format: oneshot

-> cw: implied eating of duck at the end

~ Part 1 of A Haikyuu Soulmate Series (pt. 2)

Legend has it that a duck appears when you turn 18. And that duck will lead you to your soulmate when they turn 18. 

It is at a volleyball practice when Ushijima catches sight of you. You’re Goshiki’s older sister, a third year in Shiratorizawa. Ushijima has seen you around but never really paid much attention to you. 

And when you interrupt the practice session to pass Goshiki’s lunch box to him, Ushijima still doesn’t pay much attention. He continues training his serves while a small commotion occurs. 

“Tsutomu-san is so pretty!” Tendou remarks to him, out of Goshiki’s earshot. Ushijima grunts in acknowledgment. That ball was too short. Further? That one was almost out. I have to keep practising. 

The commotion gets louder and Ushijima tries to block the noise out. Until… quack. Tendou screeches.

Ushijima lowers his serving arm. 

Quack quack 

A white duck waddles from the slightly ajar stadium door, straight towards him. 

Reon being the dedicated vice captain he is, tries his best to shoo the duck away. Tendou leaps over to try duck-whispering. 

It seemed that Tendou was successful, since the duck was now being happily escorted by the red-haired blocker to the bleachers. It sits in its place, contented. 

And after practice, the duck follows Ushijima out, back to the dorms. Ushijima simply accepts his new companion. Why shouldn’t he?

And so for the next few days, the duck just follows Ushijima around. Even on Ushijima’s weekly runs.

During which, he realises that the duck is kinda too slow for his liking, so he picks it up and treats it like a medicine ball. He trains the duck during the Saturday runs, showers it, builds a nest for it in the room he shares with Tendou. 

Until one morning, the duck decides to take off like an alarm clock on legs. It tugs at Ushijima’s pant legs, beckoning him to go somewhere. Caught off-guard, Ushijima decides to follow it. 

The duck runs across the block and goes to the female dormitories, but guys can’t enter the female dorms. Which is what Ushijima earnestly tells it. 

And the duck just sits (?) there (?). Until it starts running off again.

Surprisingly, Ushijima realises that it’s a soulmate duck when Coach Washijou tells him so. 

This adds to his curiosity when he catches up with the duck. I’ll follow the duck and we’ll find my soulmate. The school grounds are manageable, this should be easy. 

But who knew, it was a wild goose (duck) chase. 

They ran around the school compound, the duck seemingly following a trail where his soulmate had previously walked on. 

It was almost two hours and they still couldn’t locate his soulmate. Was it lost? Ushijima thinks, looking warily at the huffing and puffing duck running in circles.

At least he got his training in amirite?

And the next day, the duck is relentless. He follows the running duck (must be the training he thinks, its stamina improved over the past few weeks) all the way to the field.

Where he sees you again in the track and field uniform, warming up at the start line. Ushijima finally puts two and two together. 

Is Goshiki’s sister my soulmate? 

And at the whistle, you take off sprinting. Following close behind you is - a white duck. 

Ushijima is mesmerised at the way you soar over the hurdles, white duck strutting under the bars after you.

At his duck’s incessant quacks, he goes over to meet you at the finish line.

Panting, you walk to slow your breathing and turn back to see your new companion waddling after you.

As you turn, you catch sight of Ushijima’s well-built figure standing stoically by the side of the track. You ignore him, bee-lining for your towel to wipe dry.

Why is he here? Is he looking for Goshiki?

You spot the white ball of feathers by his feet.

Oh.

And you feel pecking at your ankles. You look down at the stubborn animal. What’s-

The ducks nudge both of you to stand face to face (or rather, your face to his broad chest, very embarrassing and awkward ngl). You could still feel the heat from the earlier run radiating off your body.

The ducks behind you two quack innocently. 

I think we’re soulmates :D Ushijima smiles down at you, happy that he’d finally figured out who his soulmate was.

You give your best grin, matching it with a shrug that definitely looked as forced as it felt. You felt conflicted. It wasn’t that having Ushijima as your soulmate was horrible, it was just that… you two never really got to know each other.

So after a good shower, you meet Ushijima at the school pond to talk “soulmates”.

You feel like you’re not ready for a relationship with him, since you don’t know Ushijima personally yet. 

And he doesn’t want to rush things either.

So in the meantime, all 4 of you (2 people and 2 ducks) go on weekly runs in the neighbourhood. 

This leaves Goshiki really confused and slightly afraid. Is his idol leaving him for his sister??

Side note for Washijou, after Tendou probes a little about his soulmate, he reveals that he had duck rice for dinner on his 18th birthday. 

Like a duck appearing on his birthday? Definitely a birthday delicacy on legs right? Nope

Ushijima waiting outside the female dorms with his duck:

[catboydogma]

'til our hell is a good life

codywan week 2024 sol master list (solsterlist)

codywan week 2024 day 1 prompts, sol edition: no/different order 66, lightsaber/lightsaber training

notes: title from our hell by emily haines & the soft skeleton. i've been having a comically disastrous week/month (it's only the 4th? jesus christ) but god willing i will post for all 7 prompts (+ bonus anniversary prompt?). im not gonna lie i had to pop out the soju to finish this beast and i think that did set the tone for the rest of the week's writing. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER AMIRITE FELLAS

wc: 3,099

cross-posted to ao3

Obi-Wan supposed it might have all started because someone gave Cody a lightsaber. No, it had not been Obi-Wan, and even if it might have been, he knew to always cover his own ass. Qui-Gon had been an excellent teacher, for the most part, and there was one thing he had drilled into Obi-Wan above (almost) all else: never drop plausible deniability.

No, he’d no idea where the lightsaber had come from. No, Cody could keep it now. He wasn’t going to take the damn thing away from Cody when the good Commander had, evidently, come across it fair and square. Obi-Wan knew his Commander; it wasn’t like there was some fresh-faced thirteen year old Padawan wandering around somewhere sans ‘saber. If he had to take a stab at the quandary, he supposed it probably would have happened the time Cody’d dogpiled Grievous with the rest of his Command Corps. No, not that time. The time after that one, perhaps.

Regardless, there came a time when Cody’s tac belt had two lightsaber clips, not just one for when Obi-Wan strategically left his lightsaber in a secure place for safekeeping. The two of them never discussed the fact that Cody was likely Force sensitive. It didn’t seem something Cody was at all interested in; given the givens, Obi-Wan was predisposed to let him take the lead on the topic. Or not, as it happened.

But Obi-Wan couldn’t let that stop him in the face of something so egregious as this, even if Cody seemed determined to duck out of the conversation at every turn.

“I am not a Jedi, sir,” Cody told him for the fifth time that day. “I fail to see what tactical advantage there would be in meditating with a weapon.”

“It isn’t entirely a tactical advantage, per se,” Obi-Wan demurred. “But it can be. It’s difficult to articulate.” Especially when most resources for teaching lightsaber forms and meditations were meant for Initiates first starting out, or struggling Padawans; not outsiders to the Order, and certainly not ones that hadn’t grown up in the Temple. If they’d had the time—if not for this bloody war—Obi-Wan might have taken Cody to Jedha for insight. “Would you learn to fight with a particular blaster even when you haven’t familiarized yourself with its base components, or haven’t learnt how to disassemble and repair it?”

Cody frowned. It was a minute thing, barely a twitch of the corner of his mouth and a slight tilt of his head.

Aha. Obi-Wan pressed his advantage, absently touching Cody’s elbow to direct him around a group of techs as they walked through the halls of the Negotiator. “It’s the same for a lightsaber. The kyber—or heart of the lightsaber—is not just a power source; a strong connection between oneself and one’s kyber is paramount to maintaining a good working relationship with the lightsaber itself. And a good working relationship leads to better results in a fight; not just anyone can pick up any old lightsaber and start swinging it around and expect good results, you know. That’s why the black market money is mainly to be made in the raw kyber itself, not in the weapons.” Obi-Wan made eyebrows at Cody over this, who simply glared at him. Ah, well. A man had to find his fun somehow.

“You have me there, sir,” Cody sighed. He was graceful in his concession, at least. Unlike some others Obi-Wan could name upon learning that, yes, meditation with a new lightsaber was practically required…

“We can clear up an evening for it,” Obi-Wan said, magnanimous even in victory. As ever. “And perhaps I can show you what I mean, rather than trying to talk in circles around it.”

“But you do so love talking in circles around things, sir,” Cody said, dry as anything. Obi-Wan mimed shocked outrage at him, and they passed the next few hours in good humor.

“This can be done anywhere, really, but for your first time I thought to make it somewhat more formal,” Obi-Wan told Cody. He’d somewhere unearthed a spare meditation mat to set in between the cramped space between his ‘fresher and desk. Incense in a lump-shaped holder wafted smoke into the air; one of his last good joss sticks. But this was a special occasion. “Many Jedi like to do it in the salles, and many Consulars perfect it in the field.” There had been the especially memorable time during Obi-Wan’s own Padawanship in that nest of gilloms…

Cody inspected his new outfitting and seemed satisfied, though it was hard to tell. He sat on the mat with no complaints and suffered through Obi-Wan running a hand across his shoulders, then nudging Cody’s legs with his own into something more closely approximating a meditative pose.

“The floating is optional, then,” Cody remarked.

“Well, yes. It’s up to personal preference,” Obi-Wan told him, resolutely not letting his flush creep above the collar of his tunics. It was Obi-Wan’s personal preference, really, and usually something more commonly found in the creche than not. “You can hold your lightsaber, or set it in front of you, or in your lap. Many Jedi like to hold themselves in the Force with the lightsaber, hence why this is often accompanied by one’s lightsaber floating in front of oneself. For today, do whatever feels right to you.”

Cody nodded, then opted to hold his lightsaber loosely in his lap. After a moment of consideration, he mirrored Obi-Wan’s own pose: one hand folded atop the other in his lap, thumbs pressed to each other, lightsaber cradled in his palms and just under the arch of his thumbs.

Obi-Wan guided Cody through the preliminary steps of a light meditation, discarding many of the more Force-oriented aspects and focusing on the connecting to one’s lightsaber, on opening oneself up and letting the kyber reach out in turn. When he felt Cody slip deeper, into a state simultaneously more introspective and more concentrated on his lightsaber, Obi-Wan turned his own attention to his kyber.

The heart of a lightsaber could be a curious thing. This wasn’t all completely altruistic; Obi-Wan had left out the bit about also needing to meditate with his ‘saber, because then Cody might have given him one of those looks. But it was good to refamiliarize himself with his kyber, in a ritual both utterly familiar and yet somehow foreign. He just hadn’t done it in so long, or at least not as thoroughly as he might have liked. They had changed, the both of them. The war, Anakin’s Knighting, Obi-Wan’s own views of the galaxy at large and perspective of self… such was the nature of having a malleable brain and being subject to the rigors of time.

Some interminable time later, the soft beeping of a timer brought Obi-Wan up out of the depths of his meditation. He cracked his eyes open and took a moment to settle himself back down onto his mat, still feeling like a great river was still carving its way through his skull in vast, sweeping currents.

“Don’t give me that face,” was the first thing Cody said when he finally deigned to open his eyes.

Obi-Wan, caught mid-insufferable-smirk, quickly arranged his face into something with less smug. “I shall endeavor to do nothing of the sort. So?”

“I see what you mean,” Cody grudgingly allowed. He looked like he was still chewing something over, so Obi-Wan let him stew in silence while he packed up the remains of the incense and their mats. They shared a quiet dinner over formwork together, as well as a quick update sent to Mace when they dropped out of hyperspace to shift to another lane.

They continued to meditate together. Over time, not always with their lightsabers; Obi-Wan didn’t say anything about it, because a Commander Cody was—at times, very rarely—a creature easily spooked, and Obi-Wan had to be careful in his approach to certain things. But it was—good. To have someone else to share time and space together like this. He hadn’t realized how much he missed it until it became a regularity in their schedules; oh, he meditated plenty with Ahsoka, when the 501st and 212th was berthed together or they were sharing missions, and sporadically with Anakin in these same instances, but it… was somewhat another thing, to come to look forward to meditation with another.

Now it wasn’t just Obi-Wan—by himself, in his silent quarters—but it was Cody-and-Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan was also realizing how much he had missed teaching. It wasn’t the same flavor of interaction as between a Master and Padawan, but Obi-Wan enjoyed that Cody was an excellent listener and genuinely enjoyed hearing Obi-Wan ramble on about whatever topic of the day it was. Or topic of the hour, as it sometimes happened. Not only that, but he was the most delightfully clever conversationalist—something that Obi-Wan had always known, at heart, yes, but was coming to explore more and more, as of late.

And then there was the other side of Cody’s learning how to wield a lightsaber.

“You’ve been holding out on me, darling.” Obi-Wan reset and swiped his hair out of his eyes with his shoulder, sweaty fringe just flopping right back over his brow. Of course. He needed a trim was what he needed, but first… he had this to sort.

“I bet you say that to all the men who try that shoulder lock on you.” Cody snorted and readjusted his grip with a quick twirl of his lightsaber. Obi-Wan felt something molten and shivery slide through him, because he had taught Cody that. He manfully ignored the quiet whisper in the back of his head that Cody’s fighting style, after this, would have the hallmark of Obi-Wan’s hands all over him.

The good Commander took Obi-Wan’s split second of distraction as his cue. Bastard. He’d probably been doing it on purpose. Obi-Wan very carefully ignored the frisson of feeling that thought gave him, focused on defense, and then, when Cody had settled into a rhythm, pressing the attack.

“Only you, my Commander,” Obi-Wan said warmly. He ducked under Cody’s guard when his step faltered at that little exchange and the quick twist of the wrist Obi-Wan gave his ‘saber, but didn’t quite press his advantage. This match wasn’t about beating Cody into the ground, though Obi-Wan had no doubt that his Commander would give him a run for his money even if that were the case; no, this was about teaching Cody, and drilling the muscle memory into him.

Cody had taken to lightsaber fighting like a quacta to slime. They’d rotated through each form, but Cody had returned to the first they had drilled for a strong foundation, and Obi-Wan had to say that it quite suited him. This variant of Shii-Cho focused more on lethality than disarming, something which might have given pause to the Jedi Obi-Wan of five years ago had been—but Obi-Wan of now couldn’t argue with results, if those results were what kept Ghost Company alive and well and the Sith from overtaking them. His Commander fought with a combination of focus and brutality, utterly utilitarian but almost elegant in its most efficient economy of motion. Obi-Wan found himself almost comparing Cody’s style to that of a Nabooan ballet dancer’s, famed for their relentless discipline and endurance.

The bout ended when Cody broke through Obi-Wan’s guard with a clever bit of bladework and bashed the crown of his head into Obi-Wan’s face, narrowly missing breaking his teeth in.

Obi-Wan laughed through the blinding pain—literally, his vision was still sprinkled with bright lights and strange afterimages—and said, lying on the floor, “I was right.”

Cody narrowed his eyes at Obi-Wan, lightsaber—now off—imperiously leveled at Obi-Wan’s chest.

“You have gotten better, now that you’ve been meditating with it.”

So, yes. It might have started when Cody found that lightsaber—and held onto it—and learnt to wield it properly. Obi-Wan had a suspicion—well, he had a number of suspicions. This primary suspicion, however, was how it ended.

It was supposed to be a routine inspection; rote, trivial, something necessary but not a thing anyone truly looked forward to. But a gaggle—or perhaps drove—of senators had decided to invite themselves along, some kind of publicity stunt, Obi-Wan didn’t know. Usually Adi handled these sorts of things, or else one of the other PR- or legal-inclined Masters. Thus, of course, Chancellor Palpatine had to say some words at the landing pad—some inane drivel about whatever the hell sentiment Palpatine was using to drive through his bill of the week. Obi-Wan tried not to grimace too obviously at the thinly-veiled warmongering the Chancellor was using to drum up support and inclined his head toward his Commander, about to comment on the daring sartorial choices of one bold politician, when Cody tilted his head towards Obi-Wan and nearly knocked him on the temple.

“I didn’t know the Chancellor used to be a Jedi,” Cody said.

Obi-Wan’s comment died halfway up his throat. He blinked at Palpatine, then at Cody. “Pardon?”

Cody shifted infinitesimally backwards on his heels, allowing Obi-Wan a better view of where Palpatine stood on the other side of Cody, with Anakin flanking the Chancellor’s left.

“He’s got a lightsaber in one of those concealed carry holsters at his back,” Cody told him, eyes still forward, settled in a textbook-perfect parade rest. “I was.” His eyes shifted to Obi-Wan and then back forward in a rare—and unsettling—display of trepidation. “Doing a bit of meditation. As it were. Haven’t had the chance to get the ‘saber out in too long with all these… press tours. So I felt it. First.”

Obi-Wan gaped, forgetting all about the attendant senators and cam droids and the battalion of clone troopers at his back. There were… well, very few reasons he could think of to explain why Senator Palpatine, of all people, had a lightsaber. In a concealed carry holster meant to hide it away even from the eyes of Jedi, of all things. Because—“He most certainly is not, and never has been, a member of the Order,” Obi-Wan said. In fact, he had never been a part of any Force sensitive sect. In fact, Obi-Wan had it on good authority and as a matter of public record that the Chancellor was as Force sensitive as a brick.

Allegedly.

Well. This would either be very, very funny, or disastrous for all of them. Obi-Wan held out a hand and yanked, not letting himself think of any other outcome. A cylinder of cool metal slapped into his hand, stinging his palm and sending an unpleasant shock down his arm. If not for his long history of battling Sith, Obi-Wan might have dropped it on the spot for how it reeked of the Dark, now out from Palpatine’s immediate sphere of control.

Mas Amedda’s blathering stuttered to a halt. Obi-Wan stared at the hilt in his hand, then at Cody’s expression slack with surprise. He thought he knew what the color of the blade would be even before his thumb hit the switch; it was almost like a dream, or a barely-remembered dreg of an old nightmare.

A venomous scarlet light sprang forth.

“Well,” Obi-Wan said after a moment. “I suppose now you can say that Sith lords are our specialty.”

Palpatine shrieked something hysterical and reached out, fingers curling into hooked claws and expression contorting from that of a kindly grandfather into a spitting tyrant. Obi-Wan braced himself for something—he didn’t even know what—and—

Brilliant green light split the morning. Cody caught Palpatine’s chain of Dark lightning on his blade and bared his teeth in a fierce challenge. The stark shock on Palpatine’s face was almost enough to make Obi-Wan laugh. Instead—he leapt forward with his own lightsaber raised in a cross with Palpatine’s—cutting off whatever poison Palpatine had been about to spit at his Commander.

In the end, it came down to the timely and swift intervention of the Coruscant Guard. Anakin had been too busy torn between shouting at Obi-Wan that there must be some mistake, and being goaded by Palpatine into drawing on Cody. Palpatine kept trying to say something to Cody, or else to the nearest officer—Gregor, taking potshots at the Chancellor or else keeping the other senators away from harm—but every time, Obi-Wan or Cody drove him back to the edge of the landing pad and parried another round of lightning or dodged Force shoves.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Fox said to Cody, after, as the scene was taped off and various senators’ statements were taken. He’d shot Palpatine just under the heart, giving Cody the chance to take Palpatine’s head off. Obi-Wan would have been shiningly proud, except he was currently trying to keep his ribs from puncturing his lungs and steering Anakin away from going into histrionics.

“Er, Cody,” Obi-Wan said, tugging on the sleeve of Cody’s blood- and char-spattered greys. There was something very pressing he had to do, right before Mace got here, and his ribs were as supported as they were going to get until a medic got to see to him.

Cody turned, resplendent in his sweaty flush and still breathing hard. Fighting with him in a duel like that had been exhilarating; just as on the battlefield, they worked together like a well-oiled machine, and if not for the circumstances of it all, Obi-Wan would have been enjoying himself immensely.

“I’m tendering my resignation as an officer, effective immediately,” Obi-Wan told him, watching the way the Coruscant sun limned Cody’s tight curls from behind and gilded the edge of his cheek. With that out of the way, he fisted a hand in the front of Cody’s stiff uniform and pulled him down to kiss him soundly on the mouth. Quite a few troopers whooped at the sight; that was likely Gregor who was wolf whistling in a truly obnoxious manner.

“You had to do this in the most dramatic way possible,” Cody said, but he sounded fond, despite it all. He pulled back, cast a critical look at the way Obi-Wan was holding his ribs, then ducked back down for another—more chaste—kiss. “As long as you’ll take me with you when you go, my General.”

From just beside Obi-Wan, Anakin let out a sound previously only heard from gravely ill massiffs and tipped right over his breaking point.

[bengiyo]

Last Twilight Ep 5 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Mhok took Day’s teasing that he has no tenderness in him as a personal challenge, and spent the entire episode flirting with Day through all of Day’s other senses.  Meanwhile, we ran into Gee, who was a friend Day had through badminton. Day managed to reconnect with her and hang out with some of his team members (but not August). Meanwhile, Porjai broke up with that cheating fiancé of hers, but not before he and Mhok got into another fight. We also learned that Porjai is pregnant, and is going to be staying with Mhok for now. Everyone kept saying how hot Mhok is, and after flirting with Day constantly, Day decided to sneak next to Mhok at night and look at his face.

It’s early and Mhok is already starting.

Oh ho! We’re playing around with honorifics again.

This breakfast scene is great. Day got himself up, made his own jellied bread, and didn’t balk at posting a picture to Facebook about it. It’s a good sign that he’s moving back into interactions with others.

Wait, why are we back to reading the book? I thought we were heading to the badminton match?

Oh, whew, it was a flashback providing some emotional context before we meet more people.

Okay, Day teaching Mhok how to comment on badminton is fun. He’s not an amateur, and Mhok doesn’t know the rules.

Film looks good.

I am a fan of sports. I was moved by Gee’s win and cried a little bit.

I love Mhok beginning to integrate into the banter with Gee.

Our first interaction with August and Day flees.

I’m loving this backstory. I am such a fan of sports drama.

Aof and his double entendres. “If you want to pick it up again, handle it with care.” I will fight him.

Thank you, Pride flag in the locker room, for letting us know there are gay stakes between Day and August.

Ohm Thipakorn is whipping extreme ass here with these eyes. You are upgraded from “Baby Ohm,” sir.

I am crying again because of the bonds between men. Even Mhok approves of August moving to singles rather than compete with someone else.

So, how mutual are the feelings between Day and August, and how much does the other know, because August took his hand in such a meaningful way before asking him out to dinner.

I’m with Mhok; I like him pushing Day to hang out with August.

Oh yes. It’s time for a practice date. We’ve gotten a few of these this year, and it hits every time.

Porjai ain’t shit, and she’s not gonna let Mhok go without getting a dig in.

I love how Mhok responds to all of Day’s teasing by going hard on the flirting.

This whole cake scene was cute as hell.

Oho, we’re getting back to the Night and Day stuff. Day thinks Mhok has also been fooled by Night.

Oh no. Please don’t spill water on yourself immediately and panic, Day.

It’s always 4:20 somewhere, amirite? (I don’t smoke)

Now where the fuck is August?

I’m glad Mhok stuck around to salvage this outing.

They went back to see if August ever arrived? I’m mad at August.

I AM LEANING IN. Day hadn’t confessed his crush on August, and today felt his heart break at some sort of final piece of reality he had to face.

August picked the most dramatic time to show up, and then just walked away after sensing something between Mhok and Day.

There’s so much going on! Mhok was about to admit his own feelings, but stopped because of August.

This was an excellent episode. I’m so proud of Ohm for being able to do more than just be adorable. We’ve got a great form of romantic angst here where the board isn’t completely set, but we know the players. These two definitely practiced a lot for this role. Jimmy has found his smolder.

[zipzapzopzoop]

There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Chapter 3: The Future Has Arrived

“Wilbur! Little buddy! Oh man-”

Carl was running up the street like a chicken with its head cut off. He was getting quite a few looks from people he passed, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was finding Wilbur before he got himself into trouble again.

He ran across the street when he saw an electronic store with a window full of old television displays.

“Ladies! Have you seen a dark haired kid? About yey high, probably has a stupid smug look on his face?”

They… just sat there. They were TVs. What, did you think they were gonna say something back?

Frustrated and no closer to finding Wilbur, Carl stormed off to keep calling for him. Had he stayed any longer, he would’ve seen the news story on a woman stealing a train and taking it for a joyride…

----------------

A dark haired woman stormed up the steps of Joyce Williams Elementary School. She was already having a shit day if she was being honest, and now she gets a call that her son is in the principal’s office. Getting in trouble at school 17 years before he’s even born. Only Wilbur Robinson.

Stopping in front of the doors to the office, Franny took a deep breath and smoothed back her hair. At least she knew her son was safe. At least there’s that.

As she stepped in, she saw that familiar pointed hair and smug look on his face. Franny had never been more relieved, and yet furious to see it.

The principal seemed to do a slight double take at her hair, but nothing more.

“Good afternoon. Mrs.Robinson, was it? I’m afraid your son has been trying to ditch class during school hours-” “Ditch class? Ma’am, my son doesn’t even go to this school.”

That paused the principal in her tracks. She glanced at Wilbur, who was still sporting that stupid look. “Then… what was he doing on the campus?”

Wilbur faltered slightly, but Franny didn’t miss a beat. “Visiting a friend, no doubt. What kind of reckless school lets some kid in without identification or an adult? Couldn't you just check the student records to see if he attends? He kept telling you he isn’t a student.”

Franny was never one to start a fight over her son’s behavior.

But she has had quite enough of him goofing around with time.

------------

Little Franny was on her way to be picked up from school. A woman had passed by moments before, and she did not look happy. Jeez. She was interrupted by her thoughts  when she heard barking. Outside of the fence, there was a dog… wearing glasses? And a saddle? The girl stopped and stared for a moment.

“Hey friend. What’s your name?” The dog looked back at her. He sniffed the air and took off suddenly, leaving Franny confused. She was gonna tell her brothers about it when she got to the car. No time to wait, she was gonna be late for karate practice.

-------------

The moment they left the building, Wilbur’s expression dropped. Franny’s, however, did not. Wilbur chuckled nervously. “Man, heh. Who knew schools in the past were so harsh, amirite?” 

Franny scowled at him, not even cracking a little smile. “Wilbur Robinson, I have had it up to here with you!” She hissed. “You may have Carl wrapped around your finger, but not me,” she glanced around to make sure nobody was nearby to overhear. “You just wait until we get home, mister. There’s no telling where anyone is, and you’d better pray they’re alright. Because if they’re not, you’re never going to hear the end of it, do you understand me?” Wilbur couldn’t get himself to meet her eyes. He had really gone and made a mess of things this time.

Franny sighed, all out of steam. “It’s getting late. We should find a motel or somewhere to sleep, but we don’t want to mess anything up.”

“Wait. Mom. I know someone who can help us.”

---

Check the chapter out on my archive!

[toinfinitywinning]

this is get to know you time. the cringy name game at every camp in the world you do with toilet paper. enough.

Conversations and thoughts resembling the same level of random and incongruence of my Apple Music library. like Josh Groban is to Eminem: Mercy Me. a lot about everything that’s not a hashtag bc it just needs more attention.

Let the first (post) be first:

Hi. I’ve never done this before (like a seriously grown up blog on purpose. Just when just followed sad somewhat desperate poetry with a random live-laugh-love meme in there somewhere.) and Pitch Perfect.

BUT.

For 2 years I’ve had Long-Haul COVID. It’s a different kind of lonely

Thanks so much, amirite? —Gen-Z apologies if I didn’t use that jumbled acronym-word correctly.

It’s hard to keep up.

See? What am I talking about now and how did I get there…

Due to a very common symptom of LHC…

Again—hard to keep up. It’s there. Tho

And I have a lot of quirk so it’s possible I think you’ll “get” but are just nice not to tell me

BUT.

It’s already gone. Train left the Station yesterday.

Slipped on a penny.

Not Good. not even funny.

Teens with the gorgeous graffiti have to Go elsewhere. I’ve always been jealous of that kind talent.

Whole lot better than something else shiny thrown on the track and it’s derailed. There’s at least some innocence in a paint can.

WOW.

I have major attention and Brain Fog hurdles to conquer or shortly bypass. You might not be able to tell b/c of how My writing jumps around so infrequently.

Not true but still easier.

Mostly innocent and playful.

Sadly the attention part is this many years young.

Writing comes naturally. As it always has, strangely...

And why is healing so exhausting? Writing is therapeutic but My body says—can you not?

i know im not the only one asking that!

As if I have time for that too.

find a community of people suffering just as similarly and gain strength, tips and tricks.

Just, speak-screen edit my writing for me. Maybe a clarification fact-✔.

Just not wherever Tr*mp gets his.

Could be Truth Social. Monthly fee tho will cost you your Red Hat.

MYGAbad

Speaking I struggle with processing w/e skills I must have held onto.

BUT.

Since 2 years is quite. some. time.—I’ve shared many struggles and victories.

Like a Bell curve. Or a punk Domino falling then lining them up takes longer just to go down again in half the time. Repeat.

It’s very likely I Will try to talk about many things at once.

I really can’t help that. LOL.

Jury’s still out but I get most of my writing and miscellaneous musings from mom.

Dad can write the best, longest, and precious prayers and notes.

Almost delicately but like you KNOW he’s giving you a hug.

A Good mix tape’s paper Version.

Enter Run on sentences. Truly a stream by now.

Although my brain muscle is weak I’ve been encouraged by several people to Start a blog. Someday I’ll include the past 2 years of w/e pics are on other SocMed.

I can’t think of anything worse.

Yea, okay LOL.

Judgment free. Occasionally… like normal doses then have to work through that.

Mostly that’s because I knew nothing about anything before I opened My computer and started sharing My thoughts under zero context ridden or form at all.

More likely as well to offend and piss someone off. Well done you’re now one less friend popular. There’s an App for that tho-tracking people Who don’t like you.

Not sure where I’ll land with this. It may not land you either.

Because like a lot of us. Sometimes you don’t get to talk actually. No Room.

I like routine; that’s out. So it gets dull.

I’ve learned I hadn’t yet given myself the space to see all of things I can do sitting down.

But. By ���given” I mean to say that perhaps I didn’t know it was there.

One Good thing I’ve gathered from this Hell.

Hell fresh by the Day! Never frozen.

So at that time and in this case of my life; sitting is fine.

Some of it isn’t too bad. The writing. You will find questionable punctuation. Run on sentences that I was running.

Relevance at all.

All around Confusion…altho connect the dots could have been seen as practice.

Or annoying even. I’d have no words.

I truly don’t set out to be funny. I could never do stand-up or improv. Or act.

Humor forced just takes and receives too much energy that might come off insincere.

Nothing on command.

Like Matt Perry’s brilliant improv wit it just doesn’t hit the same.

B/c it was scripted.

A syllabus for it Imagine.

The horn to jump off the swim block.

It’s when Life feels more scripted a lot of people close up.

That’s because you’re not in charge anymore. I’ve lost the Power.

Don’t prefer caring about whether someone likes me like I used to.

I believe you can snooze me for 30 days or say ‘I’m done w/ her’ and send Me to the cyberarchives.

Okay. Okay.

So—90% of the time I’m witty and sarcastic with a bit of cynicism, discomfort (for you), and pettifogging.

I write primarily about the questions of intersectionality.

How do things fit.

Let’s Fit it.

Until I figured out physics and calculus and basic math were behind a career in architecture and the classes I would have to take, I enjoyed taking things apart to make something else.

Not always pretty.

Could be Good what I took apart was the best thing we can’t see.

Like I’m writing questions but with wisdom not meaning to do that either,

A lot of people don’t like that. You do you! Baby.

I don’t mean to be at all harsh or hurtful. I try not to say that anything vainly.

I say it b/c a lot of what I’m writing is all of every piece of stream of consciousness tallied.

And it was a synapse connecting another.

Maybe that’s the creative part? The other side of My Brain is telling Me to ✔ on the other side so I’m like…crickets.

What I write is stream of consciousness, brutally honest and to some might be lightly offensive. In College writing this Way would’ve absolutely driven Me crazy.

Then life steps in and bonks u on the head with a newspaper but 15 years later returns the favor with an iPhone.

Or too blunt. And comes across as harsh. And that’s mostly because if I don’t have an emoji to match my real-life broken ღ I’m breaking up with you.

Self reflection: impulsive

I used to journal so much growing up.

When did I lose that innocence?

We can’t talk about folding paper into cranes and witchcraft finger fortune games anymore?

No more MASH?

Huh, maybe you weren’t born this Way. Ur Parents just drew circles nearest each other or your apple stem twist broke too soon and you want a partner whose name starts with P.

Very often I overshare. If you’re reading this this is not brand new information. No ability to say things simply. Think I’ve already. That can put me really vulnerable to more bitcoin hacks.

And then you need to figure out what bitcoin is. And whether Mario can collect coins as well in place of the hackers.

I’d say ask Tom Brady b/c of his investments but since retirement he’s been pretty deflated.

Mean people that mean to hurt.

First of all I feel sorry for you. Not in a poor you tho.

People Who hurt on purpose don’t often have any Way to vent or get a rise other than evoke feelings in and deflect toward a schoolmate.

Skip back to the part I tried talking about vulnerability. It truly is the invisible cloak and no one can see you but nothing makes sense still and you’ve only fixed what’s on the outside. Now you’re peeved AND cloaked.

At this conjunction junction next I’d suggest try shopping at Target opposed to Abercrombie then.

Feet in the water right above bankruptcy to see how things could be different only what…if?

Good ♧ seriously.

So there’s more grace given when you fall. When it’s not your month Day or even year!

Nobody is there for you!!

And My cloak is getting rained on.

Maybe gathering strength from falling will come a common sense with a 6th one but with seriously meaningful things I’ve learned and less hard knock’s Life for us.

The hard Way.

The bottom’s still there and it actually stinks stinks. Discouraging b/c there are two sides to the bottom of the cave full of stalagTITES and mites.

All the up’s and down’s. Right there. And the COVID-19 bat OMG!

You know you may not be able to fall any further further but once you’re up again you’re wondering whether you should get some cement to close that thing off.

Choose to live! But welcome to the real world—it sucks—ur gonna Love it.

Almost 4got. In the cave you dont always have to wait for Jesus to be resurrected if that metaphor comforts you but if change comes and it requires a whole new worm can of Life we already can’t handle that gets us outta the dank I don’t think we need to ask permission to the rights of that Bible passage.

BUT.

Until YOU are ready for change...

Forget it. At least you meant well. Someone can guide that horse to water but it stays pretty hydrated, so he says he’s Good. Promise. The only talking animal and it was Me Who got to hear it. More importantly, who’s gonna ☊? Care? There’s a country song finding out Who your Friends are. A lot stay lost and it’s not helpful all our Friends aren’t the same.

Missing a Good chance to find out if you’re in a similar predicament and that not always a bad thing.

At times I have literally had to be lifted off the floor.

I don’t do this at all for pity. As you read, My Pride is the biggest obstacle to let Go.

When you do?

The hard way through this.

I am angry and irritable for bouts. Sometimes I’m silly and invite karma punishments.

Go all Brimstone and every type fire and the Old Testament has nothing New-thinking and no one new to add to it. SMH. Nail a list on the wooden church door reading it is nearing endgame. Or, Just open your hotel drawer and tear out the back half.

So change then— If it were Me and it has been just not an actual hole I’d be outta there due to the spiders and crickets alone. Jiminy’s Cool.

If u can’t change and just stay a novice bunny hill—fine! Stay there. Build some confidence through experience.

And isn’t that another thing? Something specific motivates the fire under your (cuckoo!) and before you’d see the dark without any End of the tunnel and more importantly with the light aspect. All the sudden you care b/c what? It applies to you of course be selfish. Fascinating yet humbling.

Then there’s the ‘Why Me’ (?) phase? Not fully pitiful but just pretentious enough to resume the trailblaze. Bad attitude with a healthy dose of are we there yet and trying to Balance whether someone is saying …’they get it; you always feel bad’ so…KY Basketball banter? Ashamed accompanies too bc thing is a few times I did kind of scoff at phrases like I always feel bad. Like, here’s 2 Extra strength Tylenol.Alright, Ok, come test for Covid 1/29/22. It shouldn’t take going through something to empathize with or change but you could’ve listened for longer with a clear mind. Just cannot wrap your head around it and I think sometimes that’s okay. What’s next I’ll try so hard.

+ It’s 12:01am of 1/29/24 (so last night), you still can’t do math and/or struggle to add or subtract 12 so aren’t entirely sure its your sophomore year orientation, and you already surrender to what you didn’t want to get up for in the first place. Kind of silly u set the alarm! B/c Pain, confusion, Discomfort and a Deep loneliness that has very little to do with people awaits. That whole scenario is a disaster but look who’s standing and GOT. UP. period. 15 years ago that’s where I’d be. Just defeated.

THAT. Is enough some days. I say that to you struggling to believe the same but know Deep down.

Year 2 longhaul and youre wondering why there are anniversaries at all given about half are always sad or tragic. Evoking the worst on what could be the best. Might be something To think 2 minutes ago you’d ended your prayer to have a better Day. Of anything is true about everything happens for a reason I’d say having to chooose how to respond given you have the privilege at all to that just means were normal. B/c ill be honest I would not

I’m angry. WHAT is so complicated about your lack of Faith or belief prayer must go into an encrypted iCloud even the FBI can’t retrieve or interpret. Never had a chance! But I’ll add that it’s worth noting prayer doesn’t deal with its existence in transaction currencies..

Feel less Pain but feel more with it or stronger now. Or, just plain ‘ol numb. Similar to Addiction I suppose people get so used to being healthy one Way or another they don’t even notice better OR worse and no one is getting married.

Truth is.

Yea.

I’m in Hell, but I’m not on a ventilator. I’m not without relentless Support.

I still can smile but laugh just a bit before it hurts.

Something is always worse.

SomeONE is doing worse.

Somewhere and definitely rn.

I never knew I’d be dealing greed of perspective for this Long.

Something you’ll never find out about that changed your life’s trajectory where an explanation would have only confused things.

Then we still have the chance to be astonished and then genuine bc of that. Thankful. Expectant. With Faith somehow. Maybe carrying someone else’s Hope for a while might burden you less for a short time.

You dont need to see eye struggle and suffering. You dont need examples. You just know. There’s a fleeting peace u might not see again for 2 days but in knowing it’s not just you with the same bs going on.

Like here. Here is someone who needs support but in a different Way but how unique it could be to trade just for a bit. It’s not leg day this time remember u agreed a temp trade.

We don’t have to know everything. Most of the time I don’t give God the time to keep up w/ Me let alone do anything miraculous before I just hang up.

Although My Life was headed in a completely renewed direction in so many ways of recovery—

I got sick. Not because it was meant to be.

Because COVID. Possibly a rabid bat. Cracked vile or petri-dish

Everything does not happen for a reason and ppl dont like hearing that bc its an easy out. Says time might go on but this thorn wont ever heal. How do we respond? that’s the most authentic and a strength yes or no wand.

I hate cliché. Thing is tho…I think we all hate it b/c it doesn’t hold us accountable. Eh it’s fine.

Unfortunately we wouldn’t have the pretty, surprise, one of the Walk to Remember walks. All up to the of healing and forgiveness individual to each of us.

If for Me that means ive healed all I can and I’m counting on research to help Me out some more maybe I just keep going. Trust Me nothing is forgotten but you do know now that at least you were strong and capable enough to figure all that at all. And—I can do that. Some days aren’t that kind.

Maybe it becomes a goal we never anticipated but ✔ your resilience at the ticket line and saddle up, honey.this donkey only holds ____ lbs. let some things Go. That thing will still only walk in a circle but you’ve evenly distributed your baggage.

The feeling of pure joy. Which btw does still require a thesaurus b/c it is NOT the same as joy. Like a preventative Med to an acute one.

Then feel Accomplishment.

Not knowing what’s next but trying to be prepared.

It’s a surprise party we never RSVP’d and don’t regret it.

And it’s a Good thing u got outbid for that yacht.

Hell, tho, you won’t be forgotten but pushing helps the donkey move faster for now that is acceptable.

Unshun. Reshun. (This will make sense if you Watch the Office)

Flee fly. Be gone. Thankfully we hope to come out more resilient after the rip and tear and often not fully repaired sewing lessons.

But perhaps the biggest trait I’ve had to work on is My Pride. I want to do it.

I’ll give myself 3 strikes. 4 balls.

Then I walk to First.

Please do not get Me a gift.

I Love you and that was so sweet.

Would I be as generous?

Do u work, yea. It’s just one really hurts more and being tough isn’t tough at all if it’s not helping the worst hurt.

Those are sitting down, timeout thoughts.

The compression socks need to breathe.

But once the Pride slides over, let go, I get to know how it feels to very tangibly be taken care of and watched over.

Patience. The other side of a rant.

Later on that.

My main goal is to learn. Connect. Be called out if something comes off really tasteless.

Laugh at things that don’t have anything to do with being chronically sick. Laugh about what Medicine u had to administer and royally failed.

Sometimes all coupled with a handicap car-tag. No crutches either b/c I don’t like hearing I Will get better. It is a nice statement but it is impossible to be sure. Ive struggled with that b/c I know everyone believes that and means well I’ve just taken prior sick Gentry’s generalization and multiplied.

I am not making light. I think part of me is using the sarcasm as a coping mechanism.

Praise God there is something that does help the pain or at least distract from that Pain just not the one in your legs.

A codependency just a bit less severe. Embarrassing. Reason for judgment. Too easy.

If you can believe it—-I am not the same person I was 2 years ago.

For now I truly don’t know how. Pain can leave, anything traumatic can be worked on. You’ve got your scars.

I actually really think a scar is just unique as a snowflake or fingerprint. Telling so many stories. B/c a scar does mean something has healed. And it never forgets at one time it was painful. I’d prefer to see what I accomplish but I see wonder and beauty in them.

Things get pretty deep, complicated and downright pitifully sad. Vulnerable. Frighteningly true and relevant.

So I take what Good I can get in that day and pray those with LHC (Long-Haul COVID-19)

Be released.

However. On the flip tail’s side.

I’m 35 years aware there are some people who just don’t like me.

Until recently I wouldn’t have meant ‘sorry not sorry.’

I do now. To a respectable extent.

Reader discretion is advised. I promise I never set out to hurt anyone.

definitely not on purpose.

Because. Idgaf. Not bars being held. Que sera, sera.

complete transparency and seriously tho this doesn't mean i dont care. i wear my heart on my sleeve like a ding-dong ready to get hurt.

call it a diversion. we were on a break.

i just might take all of whatever hits wrong and turn that in to whatever ounce of assurance I can with the openness and to the best capability to learn new things and grow with compassion.

And back to writing—may already be just engrained but I don’t ever have a thesis, 3 supporting ideas or a better word then a conclusion.

You might find yourself confused. Reading it again prob won’t help.

Some will be really bad. Ugly. Waste of time. it was at least therapeutic for me.

Already is.

Even more might not make sense.

Read at your own risk, basically.

I have confidence but not really. Just enough not to care to change.

But I think about it. Because I’m wrong a lot.

challenge me. ill try to get through the fog.

But a lot of things have changed. in ways i might not even know Beauty in the Mess.

To sum up the above (sorry, there won’t be another summary after this disclaimer’s commercial intermission.)

I want to be as positive as possible.

Be in control of what I can. Ask for help for what I cannot.

I’m so ready to get My Life back. Trust Me and trust anyone Who tells your theyre in constant pain.

Really embarrassing I used to kind of scoff and be empathetic.

Funny how youre so sure of things.

Until it happens to you.

Suddenly it’s back to the drawing board and humility.

I wear my ღ on my sleeve. My greatest superpower and kryptonite.

What you read is as close to what you get as possible.

Balance can be unfair.

Please know that I care. I try harder than I ever had before. There are things I didn’t even Imagine could happen to someone when sick.

In all the ways I want to come out of this even better than what I envy I was entering into when I got sick.

There will be a WIDE range of thoughts similar to how i write. Mostly Sports and public figures and the politics I can comprehend.

B/c I know there’s someone out there who’s homeless because of this diagnosis. Or was deadly. Fired.

Divorced.

Ive become a bit of a nerd. Childish in some ways b/c you have to be creative…to be creative.

How do I even Start philosophizing that? So I don’t.

So I try My best to be the best I can. Inspire. Elicit laughter and new ways of thinking.

Questions.

Really tho? I just wanna be me.

thank you so sincerly to anything fromn a meme to a gift to a hug a prayer a smile, company, vibes if they can travel

but most of all

for holding hope when ive not been strong enough to.

For better or worse

for loving me.

making me feel heard.

idk what tomorrow holds but if its the same as today ill know at least i can make it and i am still beyond blessed and cared for and loved unconditionally.

even if forever.

wanna feel free, free.

to be me unabandoned.

changed for the better without knowing it.

some people dont have that option.

or even less the resource or safety to write about it.

Lastly mostly—I’m thankful for Insurance and the ability and privilege to work from home. And. Still have a job in general.

A Family and Family reserves holding me.

gentry.gonna.gents/g3

next. and if you made it this far, bless you.

thank you.

you mean more than you know to me. to anyone miscellaneous thanks as well and to my family and extended family and friends and job and insurance.

im in better shape than a lot. perspective sucks in the throes. selfish not selfish but my gosh turn the lights off. each journey is sooo different, but idk find the goodness and inspiration inbtw. There will be a rainbow soon enough, I wont make the bold claim and promise you one tho,

semi lastly and vulnerably, we've all been hurt. all going through something.

I say this every time something really bad happens. Ya know the ‘this is even worse,’ talk.

This one holds every candle.

Funny not funny none are the same and you’re never fully prepared.

and no one knows what it is you’re dealing.

give grace when I can’t sometimes.

cliché’s be damned lets just golden rule it b/c that one’s hard to do too but it sounds cute and Idont see a periodic table saying A! U! Be nice and welcoming.

I know I’ve forgotten something.

So I’ll fight.

But I still get to complain.

Feeling so entitled to this ill.

Sincerely,

Gentry

no ps you're welcome

[capybaraonabicycle]

OK but now i'm having THOUGHTS about that s10 thing, because i started on some "worldbuilding" as it is (literally just sitting at work and spinning ideas in my brain bc actually working is for losers amirite) and i went like ok, there is no power ON EARTH that could keep the Doctor from flying away on world-saving adventures and revealing his alien secret to Bill. SO in this version we are taking his oath way more seriously. The TARDIS herself stays grounded and won't budge because she understands that the Doctor has made a promise and you don't break those!! Because love as a promise is a huge running theme in this because i'm obsessed with it ok sorry i have taste!!

But! What about all these time he just HAD to fly somewhere to save the day or something? (The Return of Doctor Mysterio is set during Twelve's stuck by the vault era no you can't change my mind) The TARDIS has to make an executive decision! If during the negotiations she decides that the business is dangerous amd important enough, she'll concede and fly the Doctor et al whenever and wherever they need to go.

When Bill learns about it sometime into the second half of s10.1 she goes hang on. Hang on, didn't you go back in time to take photos of my mum? It wasn't a world-ending event now was it? And Twelve goes all quiet and says "the TARDIS decided it was important enough"

YES i'm here with my "TARDIS loves Bill" propaganda and even tho she as a timeless being doesn't miss her little strays (bc for her they are still there in her other times ok we are all intellectuals here i don't need to explain) but she cares for time-bound creatures enough to understand their experience and sympathize with them! She probs keeps pictures of all companions hidden away in nooks and crannies for the Doctor to find from time to time

Ok i'm done xoxo thx for listening

Okay, as I've said, I am living for the "The TARDIS keeps the promise actually and makes sure the Doctor stays true to the oath" premise! That is SO good! The Bill thing is so tender and beautiful and YES the TARDIS adores her enough to risk disaster for her, of course she does ❤️ (Also, yes, I get what you mean with Bill still being on board the TARDIS for her just in a different time, that's exactly how it is. But you know, I don't even think she has to relate to the experience. She loves Bill and she understands that she is grieving and that that is hurting her and the Doctor thinks they can help, so she lets them help. Simple as that.)

Also yes!! There are images of all companions on board the TARDIS! Where do you think 12 got Susan and River from?

And YESSS to "The Return of Doctor Mysterio is set during Twelve's stuck by the vault era no you can't change my mind". I always thought the reason he left Darillium for was being called to Missy's execution. I can't imagine a less important reason he would go and I cannot imagine any reason (except the Doctor themselves calling but let's not go there) River would leave first at all. So Mysterio must have come after.

[duhragonball]

JoJolion Ch. 99

Women, amirite?

So I kind of wanted to slow down for this chapter since half of it delves into Rock Human reproduction. We haven't seen any female Rock Humans in JoJolion so far, and one might speculate that there are no Rock Human women, but in this chapter, Araki informs us that they do exist. To illustrate the point, he depicts a Rock Woman in a bikini, surrounded by various images of carbon-based women from all over world history. Also we see Enya the Hag from Stardust Crusaders, and Ermes Costello from Stone Ocean.

Apparently, human men can inseminate and impregnate Rock Human women, but a human woman can't get pregnant from a Rock Human. Aisho Dainenjiyama, one of the Rock Humans in Damo's smuggling ring, once had a human girlfriend, so it's safe to say their genitals are compatible enough for sex, but Aisho couldn't make babies with her.

When Rock Women get pregnant, they give birth about six months later, and then they take the newborn and ditch it in the forest somewhere. Wouldn't a wolf eat the babies this way? Ha ha, no. It's not what you think. It's much, much worse.

No, the first thing the Rock Babies have to contend with are insects, because Rock Humans are only about an inch long when they're born. So here we see a hornet coming to attack the baby, when...

Instinctively, the Rock Baby just dodges the stinger and jumps onto the hornet's underbelly. Once the baby gets a secure grip, the hornet's kind of screwed, since it can't get its stinger or mandibles in a position to attack. With no other alternative, it flies back to its hive. Along the way, the Rock Baby's skin partially turns to rock, and then when the hornet enters the nest, the baby releases the hornet and starts rolling around until it finds...

... the queen. From there, the Rock Baby just bites open a hole in the queen's abdomen and crawls inside. Now it's safe and warm, and it can parisitize the queen indefinitely.

In this way, the Rock Human children mature over the next seventeen years.

Araki claims that they spend this time "learning", although I don't see how you can gain any useful life experience living inside the abdomen of a hornet that's stuck inside of a hornet's nest. Hornets don't live seventeen years, so the Rock Humans have to switch to a different queen now and then, but basically they live off the organization and nutrients provided by the hive. Then, in their 17th year, they have a growth spurt, kill all the hornets, and emerge fully grown to seek their fortune in the outside world.

This scenario raises a few questions, such as "What if a spider attacks the Rock Human baby instead?" But maybe they're born with special pheromones to attract eusocial insects like bees and wasps.

The main purpose of all of this, I think, is to establish just how solitary the Rock Humans are. It's not just that they're a different species from humans. They don't have their own civilizations. They don't have families, or schools, or settlements. They just get dumped in the woods from birth, and they grow up alone and live in the wilderness. When they need to sleep they just find a secluded spot and turn to stone, so they don't need shelter.

Perhaps the closest social connections among Rock Humans are what we saw among the characters in this story. Aisho seemed to have some sort of bond with Yotsuyu, probably from his gratitude over Yotsuyu saving his life once. The Aphex Brothers are twins, so maybe they grew up in the same hornets' nest, and they're kind of connected over that. But that's about it. There's a professional courtesy among them, and a shared contempt for humans, but that's about it.

I'd submit that the little socializing we see from Rock Humans is behavior they learned from living among humans. Aisho and Toru got human girlfriends and seemed at least fond of them. Ryo Shimosato seemed to be hoping for a rise of Rock Human supremacy over humanity, which implies a certain patriotism for his kind. But I don't see him picking that up in the middle of a forest all by himself.

Moving on, we re-establish that the Rock Humans have a silicon-based biochemistry, as opposed to the carbon-based life forms that dominate the Earth. Silicon-based life is one of those hypothetical concepts that pops up a lot in science fiction. One might confuse this with robots or sentient computers, since circuit boards are made of silicon wafers, but that's not what we're talking about. The idea behind silicon-based life is that silicon atoms can form four covalent chemical bonds just like carbon. So it should be possible to synthesize any organic molecule, but with silicon atoms in place of all the carbons. Imagine a protein or a DNA molecule, but with silicon atoms instead of carbon atoms. That might be what the Rock Humans are made of, though it's hard to say how plausible this would be.

This is kind of why I find it hard to believe that Rock Humans and regular humans could breed together. It's not just that we're different species. I think Araki was saying a human woman can't get pregnant by a Rock Human because the gestation is so radically different, but it's more fundamental than that. A Rock Human's DNA is made of completely different elements than a human's. How could you hope to combine their chromosomes to make a hybrid baby? How would its metabolism work? It'd be like trying to weld half of a gasoline engine to half of a diesel engine. The parts just aren't designed to work together.

And that incompatibility might just be the pont, as Araki suggests that Providence allowed both carbon and silicon-based life forms to evolve in parallel as a form of risk management. If one branch of life failed, the other might be able to carry on. This assumes a Creator who is both powerful enough and intelligent enough to create life and care for its wellbeing, but not powerful enough to safeguard it through the rough patches. I'd be more inclined to believe that the two forms of life evolved because why not? Rock Humans are alien to us, but no less alien than insects are to fish.

Araki also explains that Rock Humans are naturally drawn to phenomena they consider to be "Blessings from the Earth". These include the miraculous ground in the fault lines of Morioh, and the Devil's Plam from Part 7. We also see the Stand Arrow and Stone Mask from Parts 1-6, further solidifying the connection among all of these things. "Spin" isn't discussed here, but we'll get to that.

Then we see a flashback to Rai Mamezuku at his father's funeral. A young Norisuke Higashikata IV consoles him, and he's probably 39 in this scene, but Araki makes him look like he's a teenager. Anyway, Rai's dad was killed in a landslide, which everyone believes to be an unfortunate accident.

But there was a mysterious man at he funeral that day, whom Rai had never seen before. In the present day, when Rai and Josuke are squaring off with Toru's Stand, Wonder of U, Rai finally realizes that this Stand looks just like the mystery man from the funeral. Did Toru kill Rai's dad?

Wonder of U seems to hint about this. He recalls Rai's father, and his pear orchard, but he doesn't come out and say Toru wanted to kill Rai's dad or anything like that.

So, to recap this battle: Josuke has lured Wonder of U to him, since pursuing him is impossible. Now that Wonder of U has arrived, it wisely keeps its distance from Josuke, since there's soap bubbles floating around, and it sure looks like Josuke has set them up as traps for Wonder of U to run into. It looks like a stalemate, since neither side is willing to risk approaching the other...

... but Wonder of U has a way to break the stand off. He uses a Rock Insect to attack Josuke in his place. The Rock Insect is named after a Police song, but it's the only Rock Insect left in this story, so I'm just gonna call it "Rock Insect" from here. It doesn't have a Stand of its own, and now that I think of it, neither did the other Rock Animals.

What it does have is a poison stinger, which introduces a poison in its prey that will take effect when the prey stretches its limbs. When that happens, the poison suddenly causes asbestos fibers to gush out of every hole in the prey's body.

We see this happen to Josuke when he tries to avoid a second hit from the stinger. He can rip the asbestos away before he suffocates, but I think the bigger problem is that he can't see or breathe in this instant, which gives the Rock Insect time to hide in the floor and move into a new spot to strike.

So Josuke can't defend or attack, but the Rock Insect can do both. It seems like it's just a matter of time then. Wonder of U can wait patiently while the Rock Insect chips away at Josuke until he dies. Maybe the most galling thing about this is how Rai tries to interpret the Rock Insect's ability, and Wonder of U just casually corrects him. It's not jumping that triggers the asbestos, it's merely the stretching of limbs, so even if Josuke stands up or swings his arms, it'll set off the poison. Normally, this is the sort of detail characters have to suss out over three chapters, but here Wonder of U just gives it away for free. That's how hopeless he sees Josuke's odds here.

And as Josuke prepares for another round, Rai's anger at Wonder of U continues to build. Uh-oh...

[dunne-ias]

A quick roundup of my BaCC families now that generation 1 have become elders and a lot of stuff has been unlocked

So, I won't be like, posting about this BaCC other than a nice picture here and there and occasionally bragging about my scoreboard, but here's some pictures I took, not wanting to spend too much time on posing, to commemorate the state of families. At this point, basically all families are somehow connected. Blame Frona and Armand.

A note on names: I asked Behindthename to generate five names, male, female and both from basically all categories on their list and I just pick whatever names on that list I like the best. Sometimes I'm not sure if the name is male or female, but I've decided that my sims don't care, so neither do I :), but all names were randomized and so is most things that require some sort of decision on my part.

The Oberst Family

Nerys Oberst (man with grey hair) is the town's electrician and architect. He married Charles Seevey and they had three kids. Kiyo and Padmini, both married to Leslie-Barretts, moved out, but Petruska, lady in red, remained to take over the Electronics store. She married Roger Mogensen. They had quadruplets and then right after there was a broken condom so all their five kids are almost all the same age. From the left: Rizpah (the single birth) and the quads: Tullio, Alexandr, Ivo and Mindy.

The Kohout Family

Gordana Kohout is the town's mayor after winning the popular vote on Day 1. She married Veronica Chung to her right (she's close to becoming an elder herself) who was the town's only teacher for along time. Together they had three kids, twins Essi (far left) and Liam (moved out, married to an Ayers), and much later Gideon (middle). Essi married Morrigan Leslie-Barrett and together they have a daughter, Freya. More are likely to come. Gideon is working on setting up Brightshroom Island's first football team and will soon be moving out. I have no spouse planned for him yet.

The Mogensen Family

This one is a bit of a mess. Seated in the short hair is Albina Mogensen, the town's first carpenter. She ran a successful furniture store that she has now turned over to her granddaughter. She married Sophie Tellerman who founded Brightshroom Island News, the local paper and together they had twin sons. Roger is now married to Petruska Oberst and can be seen in photo nr 1, but in his teens he got Lizzie Leslie-Barrett pregnant and she gave birth to Margarita (second from the right). Lizzie later married Roger's brother Theofil and are the couple in the back. Other than Margarita, the couple also had four children. Teresia who leans on Albina, teenaged Roderick, Dragomir in the middle and not pictured: Florentina because ugh posing babies amirite? Margarita runs Albina's old furniture store and has also started up a hobby shop that sells all kinds of art and hobby supplies. She married townie Kerie Comier and had two children: Elaine sitting in her great-grandmother Sophie's lap and their son Harrish who is somewhere sleeping because again, ugh posing babies amirite? Teresia is an adult now too, and will be moving out to live with her cousin and bff Juniper in the next round. Roderick is close to adulthood and will also be moving out to live with his BFF, Natasha Ayers. I think that Theofil and Lizzie might move to a place of their own with their youngest kids too because this household is full and very stressful to play.

The Leslie-Barrett Family

Ho-boy. Frona Leslie ran the town's art store where they could buy home decorations etc. She married Armand Barrett and I liked both their names, so they've been the Leslie-Barretts ever since. Armand never had a job but did most of the child raising and boy were there a lot of children. Six, to be exact. First, a pair of twins, girls Lizzie (from photo nr 3) and Caron (coming later, married to Kiyo Oberst). Then another daughter, Morrigan (photo nr 2, married to Essi Kohout). Then came another set of twins, a boy and a girl this time, pictured on the far left and right of this picture; Sophia, who now works as a carpenter who sells kitchen furniture, eventually married Padmini Oberst but it took some time because they're both romance sims and those three bolts apparently wasn't enough to get engaged and married wants until much later. Before this, Sophia had a fling with a townie whose name I can't remember, but led to boy in blue there, Dali Leslie-Barrett, and later Padmini and Sophia had a child together, Talia. On the other end of the picture is Brentley, who took over the art store. He married townie Nathen King, and I also liked THAT name, so I didn't know what to call them and eventually decided there were enough Leslie-Barrett, so they're the Barrett-Kings. Together they have two sons, Conall is the elder on the right, and Sonder was born shortly thereafter. Frona and Armand also had a sixth child, a daughter named Meriem who lives with her boyfriend Erling Ayers. I think Brentley and Nathen are going to move out when a suitable house opens up. The Leslie-Barrett home is large, but there's a lot of sims to keep track of. Or Sophia and Padmini moves. I haven't decided. Might roll the die.

The Ayers Family

Sham'a Ayers, the towns criminal (lol gotta have one of those I guess), married Amar Jordan, a chef. Together they had three children. Twins Erling (to the right) and Darragh (who married Liam Kohout) and Natasha who recently became an adult. Erling moved in his girlfriend Meriem Leslie-Barrett in the yellow skirt and together they have a child, Evan. There's no marriage wants yet and it might stay that way. Natasha found a rare three bolt townie even though she's not a romance sim, and married Breanna Guevara the day after adulthood which was like, yesterday. She's already pregnant, and her and Breanna will be moving out at the end of next round. They'll also move in Roderick Mogensen, who is Natasha's best friend in the whole world.

The Oberst Family 2

Kiyo Oberst and Caron Leslie-Barrett somehow, despite being a pleasure and romance sim respectively, very quickly threw engaged and married wants and I pounced on it very quickly. Caron is the local Florist and Kiyo helps her out in her store. They had Juniper out of wedlock, and she has just become an adult and will be moving in with her best friend and cousin Teresia Mogensen. A little later, Leva was born and I think that's going to be enough for these two.

The Kohout Family 2

Liam Kohout married Darragh Ayers after much ado because she didn't like that he was unemployed at first, but once he started working for Albina Mogensen as a restocker, their chemistry improved much. Darragh runs the local clothing store that also sells rugs and curtains and other things she can make on her sewing machine. Liam helps her out whenever he's not busy with working for other people. Together, they have one daughter, Aurelia.

The Beck Family

I recently unlocked a subhood and made it a farmer's commune. That also meant I got to make a new sim, and because the population had grown so much I had two CAS-points. The die landed on making a pair of siblings, so this is August and Britta Beck. So far, they run the farmer's market in the farmer's commune where they are the only residents (so far). I've only played half a round with these two and not much has happened yet except August has befriended the local pack leader so we'll see how that goes.

[kyogre-blue]

I started act 3 of Inazuma but was quickly reminded that this is where it all falls apart. The NPC side questing stuff in acts 1 and 2 was often tedious, but it at least served a purpose, but making you captain of a squad? Having you fight random ronin, "investigate" some monuments? It's purely padding, and the stuff with Teppei is already racing ahead with absolutely no sense of pacing...

So I peaced out to explore Enkanomiya instead. I had opened it a long while back, but only progressed a bit of the main world quest chain. Now, it's at 100%, the shade quests are all done, and the key sigils are all used. As a result, I've also finished the Sacred Sakura's Favor.

Despite having all the islands except Narukami also at 100%, I'm a good ways off from buying out the sigil shop tho. I did get the furnishing I really wanted and finished my interior build though, and that's the important part.

When I explored Enkanomiya on my main, I was rather meh about it. I did it as it came out, and it felt like yet another dark, dreary, uninhabited place with lots of annoying climbing and holes where you couldn't see anything, like a good half of Inazuma before it. (btw, they didn't do any layered maps here either. They literally just did Sumeru because everyone must have complained, and Fontaine because of the underwater. The other old regions? lol who cares about them, amirite)

On the second go around, while I didn't enjoy Enkanomiya as much as Dragonspine, I did like it a lot more. It does have some extremely cool and striking visuals, and the sinshades really are a good touch. They tell some pretty interesting stories. I just wish this was somehow connected to the actual living characters we have. I liked both the older shades from Byakuyakoku's brutal history before the Orobashi and the newer shades from Enkanomiya's last day, talking about how they're going up to the surface. It's interesting that this was a place that was left behind purposefully. Not in a disaster, or from the population slowly wasting away like Sal Vindagnyr, but to move out into the light.

(It's really very interesting to compare the sinshades in Enkanomiya vs the lingering ghosts on Tsurumi after the fog is lifted vs the ghosts in Liyue. I still wonder what happened in Liyue to create the conditions for all those ghosts. We don't see that in any other modern nation.)

I also did some remaining world quests on the surface, for "Masanori" and Inaba Kyuuzou. It really reminded me of how full of potential 2.0 had felt, when Inazuma threatened to be going somewhere. The quests are very simple and short, but they have some actually pretty good character writing. Both these samurai guys are given very distinctive characterizations, and they portray pretty vividly the brutality of the war. "Masanori" also drops some interesting hints about Inazuma's society... But all this is ultimately aggressively wiped away in later patches, and by Sumeru, you can see how the writers have very decisively started aiming much lower.

(Hot take, but Sumeru's writing isn't particularly better than Inazuma's. It's just that Sumeru is ALL on the level of Inazuma's conclusion, so there's no sense of dissonance, like Inazuma having an interesting buildup that completely falls apart in the last act. Sumeru is just all bland, dragged out, surface-level time wasting the whole way through.)

But now there's nothing left to stall on. I have to do act 3, and then Ei's two quests, since that's required to unlock Ayato, Itto, and Thoma content.... sigh.

[gldenhours]

pictures of ANGELINA PETROVNA TARASOVA have been showing up all over my feed, and considering the last time they were #trending, it was due to a claim that a ghost had contacted her via ouija board — i'm not likely to unfollow anytime soon. with their silk , satin gown & high platform heels that bring her higher to the heavens, i'm not surprised to hear that they are considered part of the NOUVEAU RICHES. after twenty six years, they've managed to garner a reputation for being more sanguine than hedonistic, but their critics say that they're more loquacious than seraphic when they aren't too busy focusing on their pink tipped fingers laced up in secrecy ; leaving red kisses and confusion everywhere you go ; the battle between godhood and motherhood. when they aren't occupied with their work as a true crime host, they've been sighted chasing ghosts & trying to annoy demons , creating fun stories to tell her daughter . reputation.com has taken to calling them HELEN OF TROY in order to avoid a lawsuit ( again ).

QUICK STATS!

FULL  NAME :   angelina  petrovna tarasova GENDER : cis woman ASTROLOGY :    aries sun ,   pisces  moon ,   sag  rising  PRONOUNS :   she / her   ORIENTATION : bisexual & biromantic

HISTORY !

there  you  are  :  a  perfect  little  angel  born  with  a  silver  spoon  .  you're  a  daughter  so  prayed  for  ,  so  wished  for  ,  and  the  only  child   of  two  highly  esteemed  entrepreneurs  .  your  whole  life  is  already  planned  ahead  of  you  :  keep  your  head  down  ,  stay  in  the  books  ,  and  take  over  daddy's  company  once  you  graduate  from  law  school  .

but  ?  you  want  more  .  to  be  able  to  run  amongst  the  wolves  ,  and  dance  under  the  moon  .  you're  a  rebel  without  a  true  cause  ;  something  especially  evident  when  you  enter  your  emo  phase  in  middle  school  .  screamo  even becomes  a  new  staple  ,  much  to  the  disapproval  of  your  father  .

( tw : pregnancy ) tensions  heighten  even  more  after  you  find  yourself  pregnant  ;  the  result  of  a  spur  -  of  -  the  -  moment  decision  with  your  best  friend  to  lose  your  virginity  .  remember  in  mean  girls  when  they  said  :  "  don't  have  sex  ,  you'll  get  pregnant  "  ?  yeah  ,  coach  carr  didn't  lie  .  but  ,  you're  excited  !  you  ?  bringing  in  a  small  life  ?  sign  me  tf  up  !  too  bad  your  dad  feels  differently  ;  he's  upset  ,  and  throws  you  out  of  the  house  ,  telling  you  to  never  talk  to  him  again  .  it's  a  relationship  that  hasn't  been  repaired  since  ,  but  it's  all  worth  it  when  you  see  the  smile  on  your  little  bub's  face  .

and  motherhood  absorbs  you  .    .    .  it's  a  24  hr  job  !  who  doesn't  love  sleepless  nights  amirite  (  wrong  .  they  make  her  cry  )  ,  but  in  the  midst  of  delusions  &  chaos  you  begin  to  find  more  interest  in  true  crime  and  ghost  stories  ?  maybe  it's  the  mama  bear  that  comes  out  ,  a  primal  instinct  to  keep  your  daughter  safe  from  any  potential  harm  .  or  maybe  ?  it's  just  your  hallucinations  taking  over  ,  that  make  you  feel  like  somewhere  ,  there  may  be  a  ghost  .

it  takes  you  a  few  years  to  rly  expand  on  your  interest  ,  but  later  is  better  than  never  .  you  start  your  own  true  crime  show  ;  it  begins  as  a  small  podcast  ,  but  grows  into  an  actual  show  with  a  big  audience  !  and  with  heightened  interest  ?  you  become  even  more  chaotic  .  going  into  haunted  houses  and  trying  to  provoke  ghosts  becomes  a  hobby  , and mascara    ,    freckled    skin    ,    and    pigtails    become    a    strength    ⸻    acquiring    the    art    of    storytelling   become    a    reality    ,    as    a    silver    tongue    grows    so    smooth    you    emerge    as    an    orchestrator    of    ( fun ) chaos    .

FUN FACTS !

a  lil  adrenaline  junkie  if  u  may  !  spends  the  majority  of  her  time  catering  to  her  lil  broke  bestie  ,  but  when  she's  not  ?  she  has  such  a  need  for  speed  omfg  .  .  .  catch  her  outside  just  racing  ?  for  no  reason  ?  drifting  and  spinning  ,  and  all  of  the  fast  and  furious  stuff  .  lover  of  anything  fast  !  !  but  only  not  around  her  daughter  .  if  she's  there  ?  catch  her  going  the  exact  speed  limit  or  under  bc  she  loves  her  too  much  to  ever  put  her  in  danger  yup  !

embodiment  of  the  meme  with  the  little  girl  smiling  as  the  house  is  on  fire  fr  .  .  .  she's  a  lil  chaos  starter  ?  will  walk  in  the  room  and  just  instigate  bc  she  can  .  wants  to  see  the  world  burn  !!  and  why  ?  we  do  not  know  .  .  .  she  is  my  rebel  without  a  cause  for  no  reason  i  wanna  bonk  her  so  bad  dfnfjn  .

speaks  with  a  thick  russian  accent  &  curses  like  a  sailor  fr  .  you  can  be  like  "  hey  what's  up  "  and  she  will  dog  you  out  i'm  so  sorry    .  .    she's  nice  tho  !  !  just  very  aries  coded  i  fear  .

[elk-crown]

Thoughts about s4 e1

Alright I’ve been mulling about with my homies about the start of s4 and e1 and all in all we’ve agreed that, like usual, it kind of holds the tdp brand of stiff and mediocre up.

But in particular, I’ve witnessed the feeling of bad writing- and I’m kind of afraid (not really but. like. Just concerned) for the writing we’ll be seeing. 

Of course the main problem, is the timeskip. In general timeskips arent BAD. They can be great and for TDP’s story it’s definitely necessary.  But the execution is.... not great.

I feel like the ingredients for a good timeskip are a good end-point and a good start-point.  Season 3 had no good end point for a timeskip. It didn’t establish anything in terms of where the characters were going to go or do after the battle. Not even Viren and Claudia got a  good endpoint because what we saw from the endpoint was actually the startpoint of s4.

The ending of season 3 was literally just everyone meeting Zubeia and holding hands wahoo. And then we got nothing in-series to give us establishing points for what we could expect the characters to be doing afterwards.

Season 4 starts with the characters teleported into their positions with no indication of how they got there, why they are there now, and what happened between s3 end and s4 start. We can *guess* based on a few things, but a majority of it is up in the air. What happened to Rayla? When was Ezran crowned? What did Aanya do after the battle? Why is Amaya still in Xadia?

Now, the Rayla question we got answered essentially: which is that Rayla fucked off somewhere on Callum’s birthday for no explained reason. Apparently, there’s a thing on the tdp website where Rayla’s letter to Callum is available to read but... That’s terrible writing? That’s content that should be shown in the series?? It’s important??? Why are we starting at ground zero, we should’ve at least gotten some sort of... narration? At the start? Could’ve been Callum telling us what happened with some scenes showing the things happening. Just, anything to establish the timeskip in any better way than “WOW DAD IT’S BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE YOU DIED” from Claudia being the firm signal that we had a timeskip. Tell us how people in Katolis took the news of Viren supposedly being dead and Ezran being crowned. Tell us ANYTHING about how they got back home because right now it could’ve just been “yeah we hitched a ride on a dragon lololol”. Also tell us something about Janai and Amaya’s relationship growing please because as cute as the proposal scene was it felt so randomly shoved in that I couldn’t truly enjoy it bc it felt undeserved, since we had no visible character growth of a real relationship building between them.

Is this content in the books? Any comics? Random text tidbits on the website that should’ve been contained in the series? Genuinely I really don’t like how TDP spreads its main content over throughout side bits and side-franchising. It scatters the story and lore way too much and becomes so messy to follow as someone who doesn’t have the time or energy to hunt information and content of the show that doesn’t get printed in Europe of course because fuck european releases of TDP books and other content amirite.

At least viren is starting to feel like an actual character again from the few tidbits we got.

[prismatoxic]

anyway, fun story:

so @captainfkingmagic got into mgs sometime in 2008. we've been together for like 8 or 9 years now and he's mentioned it a lot (and made me watch metal gear awesome a whole bunch) but you'd be surprised how much media you have to share with each other when you get into a committed relationship. there's still a decent handful of things we haven't gotten around to

so, anyway, this year (like 4 months ago?) he got a hankering to play mgs1 again. he has the ps3 collection, and that seemed the best way to play, and he got somewhere after the ocelot fight when our ps3 (which had been having issues previously but we had repaired) started overheating again. to the point of shutting off. now, this ps3 was my ps3, and his ps3 had already bitten the dust some years prior for similar reasons (exacerbated by it being a launch version with bad soldering). so you can imagine how frustrating this was.

well, we had enough money at the time for him to just go ahead and get us a slim ps3. which took like a week to arrive, and, you know, by then i think he could be forgiven for not having the energy to go through mgs1 again up to the ocelot fight. i don't remember when he decided to try anyway; if it wasn't the night the ps3 arrived then it wasn't too long after.

so he finally gets to show me mgs1. all of mgs1. sans the meryl ending, bc fuck that, he went otacon. i mean, i had to see it, right?

needless to say, i was pretty hooked. i liked it a lot but, admittedly, wasn't super jazzed about mgs2 conceptually bc i knew raiden took over. he said he'd wait a few days to start it, then started it like. 1 day later. gamers amirite

anyway, mgs2 was great. hooked me also. but then i wasn't super jazzed about mgs3, bc it wouldn't be about snake and otacon.

anyway, mgs3 was great. hooked me also. but then i wasn't super jazzed about mgs4, because otacon cheats on snake and also snake gets old and dies.

anyway, mgs4 was... fine. like, it wraps up the solid snake arc pretty well, but it's also fucking batshit and there were several plot points and characters who i just found grating. (naomi. i found naomi grating)

so we finish mgs4 and like, okay, that's the solid snake story. fuck rising, and mgs5 is its own whole beast. so i finally said: hey. you wanna rp otasune?

and of course he did, he's been into otasune for like 15 years but never really got into the fandom aspects of it back then. so here's where things get amusing...

see, i've had trouble getting him to agree to fandom rps in the past, or if he does, had trouble getting him to stick with them. he's too oc-brained. which is fine, but after 4 games i was obsessed and i really doubted i'd find anyone better, more interesting, or more willing to put up with my bullshit. so i was like, okay, let's ease into this. we can do a silly little high school au so the pressures of the canon setting aren't present. and, of course, i'd let him play otacon.

...now you may be looking at my icon. and all my otacon posts. and wondering what that was about. well, see, he likes snake and otacon both, and hadn't expressed to me at any point just how much snake was his favorite (or if he had i had glossed over it). so because otacon was my favorite, i think i just assumed otacon would be his favorite, and even though he knew that wasn't true, he agreed anyway. (maybe i sounded like i really wanted to play snake? in truth i was trying to excite myself about it; i wanted otacon, but if i couldn't have otacon, i wanted to want to play snake).

he did say maybe we could switch it up sometime. i thought maybe he just didn't know who he really liked best, but i was happy to agree.

the first rp was fine, but fizzled out fairly quickly, which made me anxious. despite all my careful approaching, it seemed like we wouldn't be able to stick with it. maybe it was for the best; i found snake hard to capture. i wrote a fic in the high school setting to try and satiate myself.

well, eventually he brought up that he'd like to do something in canon instead. he'd been concerned with living up to canon settings in the past, but mgs was so zany that he figured he could handle it. so we picked after the tanker to set a rp. he asked if maybe he could play snake this time.

i found otacon way easier to write, though i was still feeling out what i wanted to do with him. within days we had a new idea. and then another... and another...

and we're still doing otasune rps. the first one started july 12th. at some point he finally said, hey, i never wanted to play otacon, he's not my favorite. and i was like. oh. well i feel silly now. but i have embraced otacon as my little blorbo now that i know i don't have to compete for him, lmao... love is all about sacrifices! it's also about being a fucking idiot sometimes

[kmp78]

When was that dancy clip taken?? - It was taken right when it was posted aka Aug 16, 2021. When VK was finally able to leave the US after Rona. … after 1.5 years.

🤨🤔 Gee. Could have sworn I saw a pic of VK and Yawn nina 🥱 chillin’ (maybe moping and eating ice cream but my memory is foggy) at the Hamptons Fashion Week event which was Aug 6-7, 2021 but who knows… details, details and more details… you know, like “Russia actually finally opened its borders for US travel after Rona” on…. “ well no, actually…they were opened on July 25, 2021 and really before that if you bothered to read the fine print).

“Take a Direct Flight: All travelers are strongly advised to route their flights to Russia either directly from the US or from another currently “open” country – as listed in Decree 635…

Stop making up shit that fits your fantasy. VK understandably hung on all Summer and was still seen in NY in the Fall of 2021 because she wanted to be there and for no other K generated bs reason.

GEE YEAH MAYBE YOU SHOULD TAKE YOUR FOG SOMEWHERE ELSE cos here you're just embarrassing yourself. 🥱🥱🥱

That look like Yan to you?

DOES IT? 👓

Literally all you had to do is LOOK IN THE FUCKING ARCHIVES, bitch. 🤦🏼‍♀️

You even knew the dates and you still didn't bother looking! 😂🙄🙄🙄

Well that's okay, I enjoy ridiculing and proving dumbfucks wrong so all good. 👌

And since we are all about details, details and more details here: Yan hadn't even been in the entire country of United States of Retardica for yeeeeeears. Like well well weeeeeeell before Rona even started.

How do I know?

BECAUSE I FOLLOW HER MOTHERFUCKING IG WHERE SHE DOCUMENTS HER EVERY MOVE. 🥱

And you really grapsing at semantics now? 😂

"Borders were actually opened on July 25" 😂

Yeah and VK & son landed in Cannes (not Russia 🙄) on Aug 13. 😂

"Dear traveling I missed you"

AKA SHE HADN'T DONE THAT SINCE PRE-RONA. ✔️

And her sister's reaction to her FINALLY arriving?

🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🤧

Oh but yeah anyway those 2 WHOLE WEEKS she waited totes prove that ruthless hoe was sucking dicks left and right like 6 minutes after breaking up with your precious imaginary boyfriend. 🍆😱

And why did she wait 2 weeks? Uhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm in case you didn't pay attention (which of course you didn't but luckily I DID because I always do 🥱), she was working in the States all through that summer. 🙄

Like basically every 4-5 days from May to August she posted from a set and shoot of some sort. 📸

Oh but yeah OF COOOOOURSE she should have flown to Cannes for 1 day the second those borders opened and then flown straight back for another Yankee photoshoot cos by not doing so she only proves what a conniving lil' shit she is! 🙄

And it's not like international travel was extremely iffy back then with borders re-opening and re-closing with barely 5 minutes warning so yeah she totes should have left the States immediately with a calendar filled with appointments and risk them all by getting stranded and not being able to get back cos did I stutter when I said that INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WAS EXTREMELY IFFY BACK THEN? 🙄

And when she did actually leave the States, it's not like she moved her whole life to fucking Cannes or anyth-... OH WAIT!!! Actually yeah she did!!! 😱🙄

Yeah. 🙄

She MOVED there.

Not visit for the weekend, but MOVED.

And imagine MOVING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AND CONTINENT but not doing it on a whim. 😱

Cos that's how we all roll, right?

Pack up our entire lives on a 2 day whim and book a flight 10000 km away.

Y'all don't do that? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Cos I sure do that like every other weekend! 🤷🏼‍♀️

And "she was seen in NYC in the fall of 2021"? 😂

How scandalous! She flew back to the States months (yes months) after moving Euroside to do photoshoots and met her Stateside friends for a few days?! 😱

How is this woman allowed to roam free?! She sure seems like a sociopath and a threat to humanity, amirite?! We should probably call immigration right now and have her blacklisted. 🤨🫣

Soooooooooo... yeah. 🙄

Fucking IDIOT. 🙄🙄🙄

But thanks once again for letting me do what I do best aka PROVE YOU WRONG WITH MAH RECEIPTS. 😂🧾✌️

[blorboclaw]

what do you think would‘ve happened if Bluestar had developed feelings for Thrushpelt upon seeing how good he was with her kits?

Alas, it changes nothing to the Thistleclaw situation. She has to give up the kits.

However we might think she would trust him enough to put him in on the plan and she gets him to help her carry them. Mosskit is saved.

For narrative parallels purposes, the Erins give Silverstream three kits who will be apprenticed to Mistyfoot (Featherpaw), Stonefur (Stormpaw) and Mosslight (Willowpaw).

Feathertail and Stormfur are not each other's whole kin since they've got another sibling (let's say Willow is female and warrior name is Willowbark). Stormfur doesn't go with Feathertail in Midnight. There's no Chosen One to get back to Riverclan after Feathertail's death. Willowbark and Stormfur are now each other's whole kin, which means Stormfur will not stay with the tribe.

Mosslight's survival also means Hawkfrost is not the first in line to be temporary deputy. She becomes temporary deputy and leads search patrols. When Mistyfoot is freed, she resigns from deputyship and lets Mistyfoot get her role back.

Everything else happens, except Stormfur is not kicked out of Riverclan. Mosslight becomes Mistystar’s deputy, but is killed in the Great Battle. Mistystar then choses Reedwhisker and the rest is history.

Now what would be interesting is if, after she became a leader, Bluestar had a second litter, this time with Thrushpelt. I don’t think she would, because of the guilt of having abandonned the first. But let’s say she does. Three kits. Named Moonkit, Rainkit and Eaglekit because of family links and whatnot. They’ll be refered to as Moonfur, Rainfall and Eaglefeather later on.

Three more warriors in Into the Wild. Maybe more if they have kits. No need for Rusty. Bluestar decides she won’t take the risk to take in one more mouth to feed, particularly a kittypet kitten, and will seek Fire somewhere else.

Then we have two possibilities stemming from here.

- Rainfall discovers Tigerclaw’s treachery and basically takes Fireheart’s role in the plot with a few deviations. They also discover that they have half-siblings in Riverclan.

- No one is the wiser and Tigerclaw takes controle of Thunderclan.

The first one is basically an AU where Fireheart is Bluestar’s son so I won’t take it. The second I don’t like either because it feels like just too much to explain in all the possible ways.

So let’s think up a third.

Moonfur and Redtail get together. Moonfur becomes Sandstorm’s mother.

Seeing a red kit be born from her blood (particularly with the fact it makes no sense dna-wise but... erins amirite), Bluestar suggests that they call her firekit and is now convinced Sandstorm (or, rather, Firestorm) is the One.

And so she treats Firestorm like she treated Fireheart.

Dustpelt and Firestorm are made warriors early. They are given apprentices early. Ravenpaw is slaughtered by Tigerclaw and Graypaw, sloppy as he is, becomes a warrior at the same time as Swiftpaw, around Forest of Secrets (the only reason Swiftpaw didn’t get his warrior name before Brackenfur, who was younger than him, was because he wasn’t there during I don’t know what battle, but his absence was due to FIreheart’s decisions, which Firestorm doesn’t take the same way). Swiftpaw becomes Swiftheart.

No Gray x Silver because of the timing of their first meeting. Let’s say Cinderpaw still gets hurt. But no Cloudkit/paw/tail.

Firestorm is none the wiser until she goes to check on her grandmother during the rogues attack and prevents Tigerclaw from killing her. Bluestar exiles him and starts spiraling down. She names Firestorm her new deputy. Gives her Fernpaw as her apprentice (and, on Firestorm’s suggestion, Ashpaw to Dustpelt).

As for the new couples here’s a brief summary:

Swiftheart x Brightheart (will have Whitewing)

Thornclaw x Ferncloud (will have all of DustFern’s canon kids)

Firestorm x Dustpelt (will have the FireSand canon kids)

(yes I tend to consider that the mother gets the kids when I change the pairings)

Anyway.

It goes basically like in canon. Sandstorm was not any less smart than Fireheart, and was actually more socially/emotionally intelligent, so there’s no reason she doesn’t figure out the whole dog pack and windclan thing etc. Actually that emotional/social intelligence gives her the advantage here: when she stands in for Bluestar after the fire, and Tigerclaw arrives all “i’m head of shadowclan now”-y, she actually tells everyone that the storm is here to support here not to silent her, since she’s is named -storm. She tells everyone what’s going on. Shadowclan probably still supports Tigerstar because... Starclan approved of him, and they’re still too weak to be left alone without leadership.

But his close guard, Blackfoot and others, don’t trust him as much as they did before. Actually it could be the start of self reflection for Blackfoot. Realizing he betrayed his clan without realizing it by bringing Tigerclaw in. Realizing some things are true while not being perceptible by him and so on. Boulder might think it best not to mention Blood Clan. Also... maybe Leopardfur/star is not going to trust him so easily, now.

Bluestar dies.

Firestorm becomes leader under the name Firestar.

She choses her mate Dustpelt as her deputy. He doesn’t die and neither do Whitestorm (who only died so that Graystripe could become deputy).

They get SquirrelLeaf. Skyclan is never revived since Firestorm would listen to Starclan and not go. I know Sandstorm did go but she was going with her mate and leader, she didn’t have to take, herself, the decision to tell Starclan to go eff themselves and to leave her clan for who knows how long.

She does the same deeds as Fireheart did basically. No Darktail because no Skyclan means no Alderheart going and all.

That alas means Alderpaw keeps being fascinated by Needlepaw and even when a full medicine cat, they keep meeting. Needletail ends up giving birth to Alderheart’s kits and refuses to give the name of the father, which is not as accepted as it was for, say, Silverstream or Bluestar, because Needletail is known to be lackadaisical with the warrior code’s application. Everybody suspects a father from out of the clan, but no one has any proof.

Alderheart’s kids end up being called Violetkit and Twigkit and might become the heroines of their own prophecy or something, with the same complicated relationship to kin they have in canon. But here they’re together and have less damage as they had when both split and one of them in the Kin and the other changing clans all the time.

TL;DR: If Bluestar had developped feelings for Thrushpelt along the way, Sandstorm would have been the Fire to Save the Clan, and Needletail would have been Twig and Violet’s mother.