#i need to turn in a few forms for getting my disability updated at school

[saltedsolenoid]

it's rather hard to share food with someone when there's nobody there

[refinedbuffoonery]

Flawless (4)

masterlist. 

Content Warning: swearing, violence, sex, PTSD

Short update this week! I just started a new semester, and I’m taking a maximum credit load, so it’s very possible that a) there won’t be an update next weekend b) updates will be every other weekend instead of every weekend for a while. We’ll see how it goes. Thank you so much for all your love and support!

*****

Riley woke to Kalei’s lips on the back of her neck. “Good morning,” she hummed. 

“Morning, gorgeous.” Kalei’s hands explored Riley’s body as he spooned her, slowly waking her nerves with each touch. Eventually touching turned to kissing, kissing to making out, and making out to bodies writhing between the sheets and loud moans echoing throughout the apartment. 

Riley couldn’t remember the last time she had a one night stand this good. Maybe never. 

When they finally parted, Riley pulled on a black silk robe and headed to the kitchen to make coffee for them both while Kalei showered. 

She nearly had a heart attack when she realized she wasn’t alone. Desi sat on one of the barstools looking pissed as hell, and Riley instantly regretted ever giving that woman a key. “How long have you been here?” she demanded. 

“Too long.” 

“Pervert.” Riley turned her back on her unwelcome guest and resumed her coffee mission. 

“I take it you had fun last night,” Desi said coolly. “Considering you brought it home with you.” 

“I did.” Riley smirked. “Coffee?” Desi shook her head. 

Before she could say anything else, Riley’s fun entered the kitchen. “Oh,” Kalei said, noticing Desi. “Am I interrupting something?” 

“Nope,” Riley said sweetly at the same time Desi growled, “Yes.” 

Kalei’s gaze flicked between the two women, clearly confused about where to go from here. “Uhh—” 

“Why don’t you give us a minute.” Desi gave him an icy smile. 

Riley whirled on her friend, glaring. “You don’t tell him what to do. He is my guest. You, on the other hand, are not.” 

Hands raised in surrender, Kalei backed off anyway, stuttering, “I’m gonna go.” He made a beeline for the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. 

“You didn’t have to be so rude.”  

“You know why I’m here?” Desi snapped. 

Riley sighed, crossing her arms. “Why?” 

“Because I got home from work at three in the morning and found Nikki in my bed, with my girlfriend. And then I got in trouble for waking them up because apparently, Nikki had just calmed down from her rage fit because you ditched everyone during your little girls’ night!” 

Taking a sip of her coffee to hide her annoyance, Riley replied, “Nikki literally watched me buy a new box of condoms when we went shopping the other day. She shouldn’t be surprised.” 

Desi rolled her eyes. “She’s not mad about you hooking up with some guy, you idiot. She’s mad because you were supposed to be showing the new girl the ropes and then you just left. I suggest you put on your big girl pants and apologize before Nikki decides to replace you.” 

“She can’t.” Riley leaned back against the counter. “The Five Eyes are my team.” 

Desi raised an eyebrow. “With that attitude? Not for much longer.” 

“So what, you’re here just to scold me like you’re my mom?” 

“No. I’m here because I’m your friend, and because everyone else thinks you need to be knocked off your high horse.” 

A beat. “And you? What do you think?” 

“I think you need help. I think prison affected you way more than you’re letting on, and I think you still hold a grudge against Nikki for getting you arrested in the first place, whether you realize it or not.” 

Riley was silent. If those words had come from anyone else, she would’ve been seeing red, but it was different coming from Desi. There was more...weight to them. More truth. Desi wasn’t the most forthcoming person in the world, but she also wasn’t a liar. 

“Okay,” Riley said slowly. “What do you suggest I do about it?” 

“Talk to someone. Preferably a therapist.” Desi sighed. “But if that’s too scary, you can start by talking to me. I’ve been where you are.” 

“What are you talking about? You’ve never been convicted for any of your crimes.” 

“I’m talking about PTSD, Riley. I have it, and I’m willing to bet you do too.” 

Riley caught her shoulders caving in and quickly straightened up. Don’t show weakness, she reminded herself. “You don’t talk about it.” 

“I talk about it with Sam.” 

It was Riley’s turn to roll her eyes. “Whatever,” she snarked.  

“It’s not whatever, and you know it.” 

Riley was over this conversation. “Can I get back to the very hot man in my bed now?” 

Desi almost looked sad as she stood. “Please, just...think about what I said.” She walked out the door without another word, leaving Riley with nothing but Desi’s echoing words as company.

*****

Riley sat across from Jill on her couch, laptop mirroring the schematics of the Louvre onto the T.V. Slouched into the black leather cushions, Riley’s casual posture didn't match the way her eyes narrowed as she studied the screen. It looked like she was pouting, but Riley didn’t care. Beside her, Jill did the opposite—sitting up straight, eyes calmly taking in the information on the screen. 

"How would you do it?" Riley asked. 

"Huh?"

Riley turned her attention to Jill. "If you were planning to rob the most secure museum in the world, how would you do it?" 

Jill pursed her lips, thinking. She stood, stepping closer to the T.V. "I would do it on a crowded day for more cover. The bigger the crowd, the better. And I wouldn't take something crazy famous that people would immediately realize was missing.” I wouldn’t take the French Crown Jewels, she clearly meant. Riley ignored the implied questioning of her judgement, giving Jill a free pass, but only because she was new. 

“Go on,” Riley urged. 

“The way I see it, there’s two ways we could do this. The first way, we do it in broad daylight, disguised as employees. Make up some documentation that the item needs to be moved for some reason. By the time someone figures us out, we’ll be long gone.” 

Not bad, Riley thought. But she knew firsthand that Jill’s plan wasn’t as easy as she made it sound. “And the other way?”

“Cut the power, create chaos, grab it and run.” 

A small grin curved Riley’s lips. “I like your style.” A plan started to form in her mind. Cutting the power would not only provide darkness as a cover, but it would also disable all of the security systems in place. All they’d have to do is get out unseen before the power was restored. 

“So how do we put the jewels on the black market?” Jill asked, sitting back down. “It seems to me that we might as well just tattoo ‘I did it’ onto our foreheads if we’re going to be that obvious.” 

Riley smirked. “Don’t worry about that. I can keep us completely anonymous. We’ll get our money with no one the wiser.” 

Crossing one leg under her, Jill said, “So you really don’t have an ulterior motive, do you? This is just plain old doing crime for money.” She fidgeted with the hem of her jeans as she spoke. 

“Yep. I like it that way. All I have to lose is a shit ton of money I don’t need.” 

“But if you’re the insanely talented hacker Nikki said you are, then why don’t you work for the government or something?” She pushed up her oversized glasses. “Why not use your skills for good?” 

“I have no interest in wasting my life behind a desk.” 

Pressing on, she said, “Then become a spy or something. I’m pretty sure the CIA hires nerds like you.” Eyes widening, Jill realized her mistake as soon as the words left her lips. 

“Nerds like me, huh?” Riley toyed, enjoying Jill’s discomfort. The blonde’s confidence was always so short-lived. “I’m just a common criminal,” Riley said in a low, confident tone. “I get my rush from stealing stuff. Do you know where the CIA gets it’s rush?” Jill shook her head. “From toppling foreign governments and premeditated murder.” A pause. “I’m a lot of things, Jill Morgan, but a murderer is not one of them.” 

Jill seemed to think it over for a few seconds before murmuring, “You might not be a murderer, but you are anything but a common criminal, Riley Davis.” 

Silence. 

The moment passed, and Jill looked more confused than ever. Riley fed her empty answer after empty answer, but it seemed the new recruit saw right through her facade to the impenetrable wall between the real Riley and the world. For a long time, that wall was her only source of safety, and Riley wasn’t too keen on taking it down. Especially not with someone new.

Clearly Jill hadn’t figured that out yet. “What am I missing?” she probed. Jill studied Riley like she could see right through the wall if she just looked hard enough. Riley didn’t like it. “I know why I’m here. You’re still trying to decide whether to trust me.” She paused. “But what you haven’t done is give me a reason to trust you.” 

“You trust Nikki,” Riley said matter of factly. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.” 

“That’s true. But Nikki isn’t the one walking around like the living embodiment of a loaded gun.” Riley arched a brow in challenge, and surprisingly, Jill didn’t back down this time. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you’ve been gone for a while, and I bet your friend leaving the team had something to do with that. So tell me, what am I missing?” 

Sucking her teeth, Riley shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

With way more authority than she actually had, Jill said, “I’m going to refill my water bottle, and when I get back I expect an explanation.” 

“And when you don’t get said explanation?” 

“Then I will walk out that door and rat you all out to my friends at LAPD.” Taken aback by the threat, Riley said nothing. The coldness in Jill’s eyes and the set of her jaw made Riley think she wasn’t bluffing. Riley managed to school her face into neutrality, but her hand twitched, and Jill saw it. And suddenly they both knew Riley was backed into a corner she couldn’t get out of—not without this becoming very messy, anyway. 

Perhaps she had misjudged Jill completely. 

The thirty seconds it took Jill to fill her water wasn’t enough time for Riley to improvise her escape. Begrudgingly, she settled for the truth. “You want to know where I’ve been? Fine. I was in prison for the last two years. I’ve been out for almost a week.” 

“Why.” It was more of a demand than a question.

“During our last job, Nikki and Leanna—who you’re replacing—got caught. I bailed them out. Everyone else made it out just fine, and I got arrested.” 

Jill’s expression softened. “You sacrificed yourself for them,” she said, almost in awe. “Do you regret it?” 

Riley swallowed. Her pre-prison self would’ve rescued her friends—her family—every time, without a second thought. But after prison...she would rather die than go back. Jill looked at her expectantly, awaiting an answer. 

Telling Jill wasn’t the same as telling the others. She’s practically a stranger. But the others...telling them would make it all real. So in a rare moment of honesty, Riley finally admitted, “Sometimes.” 

A beat. “Thank you for telling me.” 

The air was thick with the murky truth Riley had revealed—and the implications that went with it. Confessing didn’t make her feel any better. Mostly Riley just felt like she’d lost something she could never get back. 

“So in a big crowd, huh?” Riley said to break the tension. 

The unreadable expression lingered for a moment before Jill finally looked away with a muttered “Uh, yeah.” She mindlessly pushed up her glasses with her middle finger. A nervous habit, Riley realized. Jill babbled, “I heard that some designer is renting the Louvre for an afterparty during Fashion Week. Apparently they’re unveiling some diamond and sapphire jewelry set at the party, in the same room that holds the French Crown Jewels. I think that it’s super tacky comparing something new to something so old and beautiful, but supposedly the new jewels are worth millions.” 

A thought began forming in Riley’s head. “How many million?” 

“Hundreds.” 

Nodding her approval, Riley said, “That’s not a bad idea, Blondie.” 

Jill seemed almost comically lost. “Idea?” she questioned. “What idea?” 

“Since you all hated my crown jewels plan, why don’t we get the next best thing?” 

Her eyes widened in understanding. “Oh.” 

Riley asked, “Where did you hear about the party anyway?” Jill chewed her lower lip, hesitating, but Riley didn’t have much patience these days. “Well?” she demanded. 

“Nikki.” 

Of course that’s who she heard it from. Nikki kept up with the fashion industry like her life depended on it. “I see,” Riley said. So much for escaping awkward conversations. 

“You should talk to her,” Jill blurted. “I know things are weird between you right now, but they won’t get better by doing nothing.” 

Riley hated how small her voice sounded when she whispered, “I know.”

~ Tag List ~ (let me know if you’d like to be added!) 

@macrileyedits / @hellishrose / @incorret-macgyver-quotes / @mylifequotesshowallofthem / @thecarrieonokay 

[blishwix]

❝ WE ARE ALL WEARING MASKS. THAT IS WHAT MAKES US INTERESTING ❞

huh, who’s LUKE MITCHELL? no, you’re mistaken, that’s actually JIMBO “WICK” BLISHWICK VI. he is a 35 year old PUREBLOOD wizard who is CEO OF A WIXEN TECH & MEDIA COMPANY. he is known for being CALCULATING, FRAUDULENT, HEDONISTIC, CONCEITED, and AMORAL but also CHARISMATIC, AMBITIOUS, INNOVATIVE, METICULOUS, and PERSONABLE, so that must be why he always reminds me of the song IT’S LONELY AT THE TOP BY BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY and STYLISHLY RIPPED JEANS AND SUEDE SHOES, PURELY AESTHETIC AND MISLEADING SOCIAL MEDIA FEED, NEATLY TRIMMED BEARD AND SANDALWOOD MUSK, HORN RIMMED GLASSES WITH SMUDGES ON THE LENS, MOLESKIN FULL OF ENDLESS CODE AND FUTURE TECH INNOVATIONS, EXTRAVAGANT PENTHOUSE OVERLOOKING THE CITY, WHISKEY STONES AND EMPTY DECANTERS, and CHARMING PERSONABLE SMILES WITH MALICIOUS INTENT HIDDEN UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE. i hear he is aligned with THE DEATH EATERS, so be sure to keep an eye on him.

GENERAL

FULL NAME: Jimbo Dashiel Bartholomew Blishwick VI NICKNAME(S): Wick, Jim, Dash, Bart (yes he legit will go by any of these) AGE/DATE OF BIRTH: 35, 02/16/1994 OCCUPATION: Tech & Media Mogul GENDER: Cis Man PRONOUNS: He/Him/His HOMETOWN: Dallas, Texas CURRENT RESIDENCE: London, I guess ALMA MATTER: Ilvermorny, Horned Serpent BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

BIOGRAPHY

MEET JIMBO BLISHWICK: THE YOUNG AMERICAN CHANGING THE WIZARDING WORLD ONE STATUS UPDATE AT A TIME. 

I’m not sure exactly what to expect when the invitation comes in. It seems archaic to be communicating over owl. There was even a part of me that thought I should revert to the “email” form which my subject is so fond of. What if the wixen tech mogul’s fondness for typing meant he had poor penmanship? To my delight not only was Mr. Blishwick’s handwriting clear as day, but it came with a gleeful acceptance to be interviewed. So it was on that high note that I made my way to Blishwix HQ in London to meet with the illustrious CEO. What I had expected was some pristine corporate office with dark leather and wood accents, sterile and admittedly cold and disconnected from the world. What I was met with was surprising. Blishwix is anything but old school in its style. Much like the young hip branding that accompanies its many products and services, the corporate HQ of Blishwix is sleek, modern and very accessible. It’s a open space of mostly glass walls, the bull pen dotted with standing desks and stability balls replacing wheeling chairs. Towards the entrance to the main floor there is a food bar, one which changes weekly I’m told. This week it’s a cereal bar, last week it was a sushi bar, the next week it’s expected to be a pho bar. Employees are scattered around it with tablets and laptops, giddily conversing around mouthfuls of rainbow marshmallows and corn flakes. There’s also several corners tucked away with velvet cushions where some team members curl up with headphones and e-readers or handheld video game consoles. Designated comfort zones, the tour guide describes them as. It’s the Blishwix goal to make sure the employees are all comfortable, so whenever they get stressed out or overwhelmed, there’s always a little place they can escape to in order to calm their nerves. In truth, Blishwix looks less like a company and more like an urban hang out for pretty hipsters in crop tops and flannels. Surely the big man on top would have a more professional set up, right? 

Even the display in the bull pen did not prepare me for Jimbo Blishwick’s personal office. It’s one of a few closed off areas to the side of the floor, wide with tall glass walls over looking the bull pen, and predominately empty save for another bean sack, a slim desktop atop a standing desk, and a row of bookcases displaying dozens upon dozens of novels, all of which I can’t place and among the only print media to be found anywhere in Blishwix. “They’re muggle books,” says a voice from behind. When I turn and get a first glance at the figure leaning casually against the glass door to the office, my gut instinct is that this is just another one of those twenty something year olds squeezing stress balls on the work floor. He’s tall, wearing a handmade beanie in a burnt orange color -- One that is, frankly, not a good pair with his golden hair. His neatly trimmed beard and horned rimmed glasses speak of an elegance that doesn’t exactly match the acid wash tattered jeans or the faded t shirt worn under an oversized cream cardigan. The shirt is colorful and bears a phrase that doesn’t come easy to me. Woodstock. Perhaps this is another “muggle thing”. It isn’t until he draws close enough that I recognize the bare footed man. It’s Jimbo Blishwick himself. “Call me Wick,” he easily responds to my surprised expression, knowing full well he wasn’t what I expected. Instead of holding out a hand in a formal handshake and then pulling up a chair for the interview, he engulfs me in a hug and ushers me into the love sack. It’s awkward at first, but eventually I melt into it. It’s just as comfortable as it looks, and their use in the designated comfort zones make more sense to me now. Wick opts to sit crosslegged on the floor, a large coffee in one hand and a bowl of granola balanced on his thighs. He sips the coffee as my eyes wander the space, finding small and interesting little things to ask him about. 

The first thing that draws my attention is a set of crystals sitting on the top of his desk, and when I ask he lets out a howling laugh that echos throughout the office, surely drawing the attention of his hard playing -- and hardly working -- employees beyond the glass walls. “Oh, I had a bit of a headache,” he says with a somewhat amused grin. “My wife said they might help.” The wife in question isn’t some darling stay at home mom you might expect. In Wick’s own words: She’s the reason the “Boss Girl” phrase was invented. Selene Blishwick is as shrewd a business person as her husband is, and perhaps a bit more progressive. As I attempt to shift a bit in the cushion, Wick relays some confidential information about some of their upcoming branding collaborations. Each is more unconventional than the last, and they all have one vital thing in common: Selene Blishwick is the one that found them. I’d go into detail, but Wick swears it would become a marital problem if I spill the big secrets before they’re due to come out. Instead he offers a sly grin and taps a single finger to his lips. “Our little secret, then you can be the cool hip one among your friends who knew all about it before it came out.” An exciting proposition, though I realize that I do need something I can share with the public from this visit, and as Wick’s bowl of dry granola gets emptier I fear I’m running out of time. So I set out to do what I’d planned: a profile on the CEO of Wizarding London’s premiere tech company. 

When I ask Wick what was the event that kickstarted his long journey to bringing the wixen world into the 21st Century, he answers in one simple phrase: “A pen pal program.” I was surprised to say the least, but it all became more transparent as I urged him to elaborate. What ensues is a story about the overweight son of a MACUSA politician who was teased and bullied all his life and struggled to maintain platonic connections. “I had no friends,” he says, a sad truth but it comes out with a light and airy laugh. “But I didn’t make it quite easy for people to be my friend.” Despite his laid back and easy going charm, Wick reveals a disabling shyness and insecurity that kept him from engaging with the world. The only one privy to his thoughts and personality was the journal he carried with him wherever he went. “I always thought I sounded better on print than in person. I could be whoever I wanted to be on paper -- Handsome, smart, clever and fun. I just could never bring that outwards, you know?” I think we can all sympathize with the young Blishwick’s plight. It didn’t help that he had quite the shoes to fill. Sixth in his line, the Jimbos that came before the media mogul were all tied to American politics. They’re all charming and ambitious men, but Wick says he just didn’t have it in him to be a lawmaker. “Big Daddy” -- yes, that’s the moniker his father, Jimbo the fifth, goes by -- “He’s just built to be a Senator, I’m just the apple that fell a little too far from that tree.” Secluded and distant, educators began to worry that Wick’s development would be halted by the lack of socialization between him and his peers. So one Ilvermorny professor had suggested Wick be one of a handful of students elected to partake in a cross continental penpal program. “Fabricating friendship,” he called it. What they didn’t know is that the program would lead to a lot more. When I ask him who his first penpal is, if it’s someone he still has direct contact with, he lets another one of those amusing grins slip. “Oh yeah, very much so. I’m actually married to her.” 

A fifth year at Ilvermorny, Wick was matched with a Hogwarts student a handful of years younger than him by the name of Selene Rowle. According to Wick, their correspondence lasted throughout both of their schooling and beyond, until he had taken a chunk out of his trust fund in order to travel to the United Kingdom to meet in person. He says that’s the only time he used his family’s money to get where he is now -- literally using it to transport across the Atlantic. Leaving behind his family’s estate in Texas and the promising job at MACUSA his father had acquired for him, Wick came to London in order to meet his long distance friend for the first time. The only person “who really knew what he was about” he says. I ask if it was for romantic reasons. He thinks about it while he sips his drink. “I guess in hindsight it does seem a little romantic.” Whatever his reasons, Wick came and he never turned back. He said that one of the first times they interacted in person, he and his future bride had lamented on their past communication and the long waits between letters. “We felt like we’d left things off on cliff hangers so often, and you’d have to wait forever just to get some kind of answer to those burning questions the last letter gave you. It was one of the most frustrating things.” The pair wondered what it would have been like if there had been a more instantaneous way to talk with wizards across the globe. After all, Wick had concluded, the muggles did it just fine. During his teen years, the Texan said he had grown very interested in what nonmagical civilization was like. A “No-Maj Studies Class”, as they call the Muggle Studies program in the states, had a unit on the technological advances of the nonmagical community during much of the modern era. The professors tried to teach the students that this was all building towards a very dangerous threat to the magical community: exposure and the fast spreading of information over the internet. Wick saw something different. “As I thought about how I wished I had a better gateway to my penpal during my teen years, I just kept thinking about how muggles had that already figured out. They could instantly send letters to anyone anywhere in the world. No long wait times for traveling owls or anything like that. It was instantaneous.... And why shouldn’t we be like that?” 

It was this very thought that birthed the company the Blishwicks lead now. 

So how do you bring the magical world safely into the 21st Century as dictated by the nonmagical? That was no easy feat. For his part, Wick said he had to learn all about something that didn’t exist in their world, something that didn’t interact well with magic. And how do you study muggle tech without magic interfering? Simple: You “become a muggle”. That’s when I realized there was a book I recognized on his eclectic shelf of reading material. Daisy Hookum’s best seller My Life as a Muggle. It’s the first book on the shelf, in the most pristine condition. A first edition, and it’s even signed by the author herself, though Wick doesn’t remember the meeting. It has a simple message in it: I hope you enjoy the time you spend in the nonmagical world and make memories as fond as my own. “Oh yeah,” he laughs, “I did tell her I was also voluntarily giving up magic in order to help kickstart my company.” He says it with an air of unfamiliarity, like he only vaguely remembers the moment. Still, he presses on with the story. A controversial choice for the son of a self proclaimed “conservative-traditional” pureblood senator, Wick was shortly disowned by the American Blishwicks for his choice to give up his magic for two and a half years to live among the muggles. But it had purpose. “I may have lied my way into an internship with a tech company in Edingbrugh. I was trying to learn as much as I could about this muggle innovation. If I wanted to create something similar for our community, I needed to master their version.” He says it took more than the two years he gave himself to live among them, and he’s still studying it to this day, but after that amount of time he had the ground work he needed to then create his tech and media empire. The biggest obstacle wasn’t even in creating the highly secret magically encrypted network which allows smart phones to be used in the wizarding world. No, for Wick the biggest hurdle to pass over was the longstanding traditional values the community had. “I think there’s an innate fear in not just advancing the community, but in mirroring any sort of progress than the muggles have done. There’s nothing wrong with it, I mean we have adapted enough of their inventions into our own world already so why not take it a step further?” He refers to radio and electric hook ups that appeared in a lot of wixen homes in the past century. 

Blishwix started out small, creating and selling smart phones and desktops primarily with the idea in mind to change the way we communicate. Email was one of those first muggle digital contraptions that made its way into the wixen mainstream and has stayed, but within a short decade the company’s offerings expanded to mirror exactly what the digital world of the muggles looks like now. It’s becoming more and more rare to see wixen without a Loquix* in hand, or a Blishwix desktop at home. The Wixpix social media app, in which users post photos taken from the cameras on their cellular devices and add witty captions which can then be “liked” or “commented” on by users across the globe, continues to grow in popularity. And now the media and tech giant is rolling out a “streaming platform” -- a sort of home theater in the form of an app that catalogues film and television programs created by wixen for wixen. There’s Accio, an application that allows you to ask random questions and receive an answer instantly; Portky** which allows users to request forms of transportation when they desperately need it, including ministry-approved portkeys (or so it claims, we haven’t used it yet here at the Prophet). There’s even applications for those lonely wixen looking to find a love connection. Erised is one such app where user profiles are made with a handful of photos, a small ‘about me’ section, and a few small details that can be provided to prospective dates in order to help connect those with similar interests and hobbies. The married Wick does not have an Erised profile, but his assistant allows me to scroll through her’s and even swipe a few times on other profiles. I accidentally match her to someone she admits she can’t see herself interested in, but we all have a good laugh about it. These are only a few of many “experiences”, as Wick refers to them, offered by the company in order to branch the magical people from across the globe. “What is more beautiful than seeing people from different cultural backgrounds and walks of life coming together and sharing ideas and thoughts so quickly?” I realize as I’m sitting there in that bean cushion, scrolling through a prototype of the next Blishwix tablet that I know so little about the world beyond my little corner of it. I suddenly understand Wick’s enthusiasm about expanded communication. 

It’s all pretty exciting to see coming together, it’s almost impossible to understand what more could be done by Blishwix. So when I ask him what’s next, Wick gets a very eager look in his eyes. “There’s a lot of places we still don’t have our tech in that I think would be all the better for it,” he solemnly reveals, and I’m shocked to hear it. Since visiting Blishwix, I have seen their product seemingly in every corner of Wizarding London I explore daily. Who isn’t using connected to their expansive network at this point? “I would love to do a partnership with the Ministry. As the governing body, I feel like we can offer them so much that could continue to further develop the community and continue progressing us into the future. If we could get our desktops in every Ministry Department, we can further the sort of work that keeps our world moving. Just imagine how we could expand Law Enforcement, Education or Wellfare departments if we can make all the relevant information they need all the more accessible to their employees? Think about how much easier it would be for them to process information on our fast and reliable network.” 

On the topic of Education, Wick reveals his ambitions don’t stop with the Ministry. “I would love to see Blishwix in schools like Hogwarts,” he says, revealing what may be the biggest bombshell yet. “This whole dream started because of a chubby boy who had no friends in school and wanted a faster way to communicate with the one he made far away. I think a lot about that and how my life would have been different had I had this kind of technology available to me. If there are lonely kids like me who could have that, or even kids who are just struggling to get the information they need to be successful in school, and I could give them what they need to advance in life? Then I could say I’ve done what I initially set out to do. Until that day, I would say that Blishwix hasn’t been a success yet. Even teachers could benefit from the use of the internet and all the resources we have out there which we now have access to.” I begin to wonder if the technological genius is actually more of a philanthropist. “I don’t know, you tell me,” he quips when I muse out loud. Our interview comes to a halt by this point, and I’m left with so many more questions. What is Blishwix cooking up for the wizarding world next? What kind of innovations will define the company’s next decade? These, and so many more, questions are left unanswered as I walk out of Blishwix HQ, a takeaway bowl of fruity cereal in one hand and my previous generation Loquix in the other (scrolling through shopping apps in order to find that “love sack” I spent much of the afternoon lounging in).

The same day I begin writing this piece out, Blishwix has announced the Loquix VI, their most advance smartphone yet. They livestream details of their upgraded OS and hardware reveal on the company’s social media, an event I watch while typing this article up on my worn out typewriter. Halfway through and I’m out of ribbon, and I silently curse myself as I order a new set online. All the while the Blishbook Pro is being revealed on the stream, its sleek wireless keyboard and slim expandable monitor shimmering under the stage lights. I join in with the loud gasps from the shareholders crowding the conference room where the event is being held. The irony of this isn’t lost on me, and as I sit here writing out these last few paragraphs with a quill in my cramped hand I begin to realize exactly why I admire Jimbo Blishwick and his forward thinking. At least he’s not sitting here with ink blotches in obscene places, running to his editor’s office just barely before deadline with a mess of typed and handwritten article. I remember in that moment, drenched in the rain while rushing through the offices of the Prophet, the first line in his owl response to my inquiry for the interview: 

You should have just emailed. 

Touché, Blishwick, touché. 

*Portky app idea comes courtesy of Kim ( @strvngemagics​ ) **Loquix phone name comes courtesy of Vic ( @cfdiggorys​ / @moodyparis​ / @aarlingtons​ ) Both gave permission to use / mention these galaxy brained concepts in the intro and credit for their conception goes to them. Thank you guys so much!!

TL;DR: Wick is full of shit. What can I say? Here’s the ‘Murrican lad who claims to be some hip and cool CEO of a wizarding tech and media company. Okay he’s I guess apple meets zuckerberg. Idk I’m not galaxy brained enough for this afheiahfpea hence the very oddly written bio. Wick’s a pureblood from america who supposedly forsake his family’s purist ways and then decided to create a company modeled after muggle tech in order to “bring the wizarding world into the modern era”. In actuality? He’s a fucking bigot who created a network that he could use to spy on people who may be enemies of the cause. At least that’s how it’s being factored into the DEs. His theme song is “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell bc he’s always watching you. Gives off this very laid back and down to earth and charming persona just so he can gain your trust and meanwhile he’s leaking your information to the DE and helping them further their agenda. Some extra tidbits not seen above: 

He’s got some daddy issues which are leaking into his parenting. Aka he is not exactly excited to be a father but you wouldn’t know that from his Wixpix feed which feature so many “cute” dad photos with his baby boy. In order for him to become his best self, his dad had to make his life a living hell and he believes that’s how he’s gonna have to handle Zephyr as well. 

He is smart, yes, but he’s not some brilliant innovator like the world thinks he is. His empire is built on stolen material which he simply “adapted” to the magical world. He’s not original, but he is clever. 

He’s not a fighter, clumsy with a wand, had a severe stutter as a kid which made it very hard for him to cast spells etc, so he avoids battle often and instead offers up his company more for espionage for the DEs. He’s better suited to behind the scenes mayhem, and that’s kind of the way he likes it. 

He’s a coward. He’s hiding behind computer screens and tbh if things get really sticky he’s likely to try and sell out the DE in order to save his skin. Has an escape plan to the states if things get really sticky but the likelihood of him succeeding are slim to none. 

He acts very charitable and humble and kind but he’s conceited as hell and he’s a real shady bitch sometimes. Talks shit on everyone behind their backs

He’s had a few affairs here and there despite being married. Even with that, he is in love with his wife and feels a sort of fealty towards her. She’s a very important part to the company, she’s pretty much the brand of it and so he relies on her a lot to help manufacture their image even just as individuals to help the rouse. 

BODY IMAGE TW/EATING DISORDER TW. Wick has some body image issues due to his past tbh. He got bullied a lot as a kid for being overweight and quiet, his solace was in food and he was a binge eater. As he got a bit older, he made some desperate choices in order to lose weight to gain a slimmer figure. It wasn’t healthy, it landed him in hospital a few times, and eventually he had to meet with nutrition specialists and therapists in order to work out a more healthy mindset on food. He’s still harbors body imagine issues, but he’s learned to be better about it. Still, he maintains a very strict diet and work out regime because he feels his image is one of the most important things about him. He did meet Selene when he was slim and athletic and therefore thinks it’s best he maintain the figure even just out of fear she wouldn’t find him attractive otherwise. 

is any of the stuff he said in this interview true? Idk, idk

Idk, I hate this man and this bio afheuiahfpea I’ll end up rewriting it eventually. 

MISC

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Biromantic LANGUAGES: English FAMILY: Jimbo Dashiel Bartholomew Blishwick V (but they call him “Big Daddy”; father), Cricket Blishwick née Berkeley (mother), Beaufort Harland Blishwick (younger brother), Cora-Lou Blishwick (younger sister), Selene Blishwick née Rowle (wife), Zephyr Blishwick (infant son), and by extension all the fucking Rowles I guess PETS: TBD FACE CLAIM: Luke Mitchell ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius MBTI: hm PINTEREST: (coming soon)

WANTED CONNECTIONS

interns - a couple new grunts at the blishwix HQ. they can be any affiliation, but if they are DE affiliated then they’ll know a little bit more about what is going on behind closed doors at the company. could be fun for future plotting purposes. 

co conspirators - other DEs who similarly to wick lead a double life in the public eye. philanthropists, media stars, all sorts of “do gooders” who are banning together in order to break “harmful stigmas and stereotypes and join the wixen community globally”. blishwix mission statement aims to create a platform for wixen of all types across the world to interact free of prejudice and judgement and to bring the magical community into a modern era free of harmful ideologies. of course that’s a fucking lie, so if you play a baddy bad who’s pretending to be goody good then this could be a fun collaboration. 

partnerships - alternatively, let’s see some honest to good people and groups get schemed by these fuckers. this would involve some potential screwing over but no worries, at the end of the day blishwix will tank and then your character can get their sweet revenge on this man and his corrupt business. 

idk hmu with ideas. 

[camgirlsurvivalguide]

Is Any Advice Good Advice? Where and who to look for direction in online SW

First of all, long time no see. If you haven’t already heard, there are a few major changes that have happened in my own life personally which have affected this blog. Number one, I have retired from live stream webcamming. After six and a half years I made the decision to step back from streaming, for both personal and pragmatic reasons - and I have been really thriving ever since! I’ve moved from my original site (MFC) to OnlyFans, which has changed my daily routine for the better and improved my income while reducing the amount of hours I need to work. The tl’dr is that I’m loving it over there, and have PLENTY to say about how I’m finding success - over on the newly formed Camgirl Survival Guide OnlyFans page. 

onlyfans.com/camgirlsurvivalguide 

After years of offering insight and advice for free here on tumblr, I’m now opting to ask for support from those who are interested in what I have to say - so for $10 a month, you can access my new pieces that focus (for now) around OnlyFans, but will also continue to speak about live stream camming in the future occasionally as well, in the event that I feel I have something useful to say.

Why pay for advice when you could access stuff here for free, or simply learn things yourself? Excellent question: and it’s one I don’t necessarily have an easy answer for, to be honest. I personally went back and forth for a long while about putting any advice behind a paywall, because for one I truly believe in supporting other SWers and for the other ... I mean, who am I to tell you how to run your business? Time and time again on this blog I’ve insisted that my advice is formulated around my hustle, and that what works for me may not work for you - so putting a price tag on something that may not necessarily benefit an up and coming content creator or camgirl felt ... off. 

Then again, people sell stuff that might not help ALL people all the time. Gym routines, study guides, tutorials of any sort ... loads of other professionals sell advice. Self help is a booming industry, and writing self help requires zero qualifications. 

So how is this different when it comes to SW? To me, it boils down to the audience looking to consume it. Joining the industry is not always someone’s first choice - and if it IS a first choice, a lot of the time, newbies are not totally aware of the extent to which stigma and discrimination can truly harm them down the line. People are often in tough positions before choosing to join SW, whether they’re suffering from some sort of a disability, in danger of or experiencing poverty, or attempting to support themselves through school - and while SW can seem like a saving grace (which it is, for some), I worry that without proper disclaimers, entering the industry can do more harm than good. I wouldn’t want to lead someone into thinking listening to my *~*~10 Simple Tips to SW*~*~ would help them transform their lives instantly without any repercussion. 

That, and people are gullible and susceptible to influence. Lots of younger girls will look at a pretty, thin, white and financially successful camgirl and think “I wanna be her!” without really considering things. I mean, it’s just selling nudes, right? How hard can it be? How bad could things really get?

But I remember the headlines of SWers raped, murdered, beaten. I hear stories from friends about abuse, violence, death threats from strangers online; of having their nudes or p*rn sent to their families, their bosses, plastered all over websites that they’ll never be able to remove. I think of friends who are turned away from housing opportunities despite handsome income because the renters just “don’t think it’s a right fit” after finding out their involvement in the industry. I think of the camgirl moms I know who struggle to get visitation rights for their own children because of their line of work. I think of the woman who attempted suicide after her school ran her out of her nursing program after it was discovered she did porn.  I think of being run out of my own program after being outed. I think of the last year of my own life. 

I would love to believe that the majority of people offering advice are doing it out of a place of genuine desire to be helpful. I think there’s a big part of most of us that, upon finding success, wants to figure out how to raise others up with us. The Psychologists Fallacy is the belief that because I can do it, so too can anyone else - but this isn’t really the case, and when the drawbacks are as immense as they can be with SW, being naive as an advice giver can do more harm than good.

So who gets to give advice, then? The demand is there, so there will be supply. With how easy it is to make money off of referrals on OnlyFans (and with pressure being put on live streaming websites to implement similar features), it’s even easier for established creators to profit off of people who want to do what they do. I think the people who think twice about giving advice, or think long and hard before they publish advice let alone charge to access it, are probably the safest bet - but the people who are less experienced will probably do it first. If you’re looking for advice, I suggest seeking out credentials like time spent in the industry, variety of SW experiences, which skills that you think they could teach you in ways you couldn’t learn quickly or easily on your own, and/or whether or not they’re able to TEACH their experiences to others (because teaching and knowing are two completely different skillsets). Follower count or income matter less these days than meets the eye when we consider viral success stories - yet at the same time, I understand looking at the lure of luck and wanting to find a formula for your own instant rise to fame and fortune. Sadly, I’m here to tell you that I don’t think there is one, regardless of who might be selling their version of a How To.

I want to say to anyone seeking advice a simple, age old “do your research” -- but I also recognize that time is of the essence when many of us want to take the plunge. We need to make a paycheque right now and whatever comes our way first will likely be the only bit of direction or advice, if we get any at all, that we consume before diving in. I recognize that those who take their time, are able to discern which creators would likely give the best advice, pay for that advice and then have the time to study that advice and put it to use (paying for equipment, shooting and stockpiling content, so on and so forth) are likely considerably more privileged than the rest, which stands to further widen the gap between marginalized survival SWers at the bottom and those at the top. 

I guess, in reality, this message has tilted from one for advice consumers to one for advice producers. Think before you offer help. Remember that what helps you is not guaranteed to help others. Remember the immense amount of responsibility you have when you offer tangible, procedural steps to entering an industry that can forever irreversibly damage someone’s life. Remember that wanting to help is good, but that sometimes helping is worse than choosing not to.

As far as this blog goes, I imagine I’ll still update from time to time, but I will be focusing my efforts over on OnlyFans moving forward - until the CGS book is ready, that is. Stay tuned~

[by-mana]

Commissions Redux

Hi Folks!

This has been copied from my main blog and cleaned up a bit, since I’m trying to separate the fan stuff from the main to keep something like a semblance of an order. Commissions are therefore moved from Mana-chan’s Corner to here. They are still open and perfectly free, just read the rules, please. In case you wish to support me, you can do either of these things:

» Leave a Tip

» Buy Me a Coffee

As I am currently jobless (thank you Corona) every bit is appreciated. 

» Full Update

For a long time I didn’t take any commissions because the fandoms and pairings I have inspiration for is a limited fraction of my active fandoms (i.e. the fandoms I engage with via reading fic, commenting, enjoying content, reblogging, etc.) and I didn’t want to disappoint. 

Recently, in an unexpected strike of utter genius (which only took me like... 5 years to work out), I had the epiphany to compile a list of fandoms+pairings I’d be more than happy to write as you desire.

» Commission Rules/FAQ. Please read before commissioning.

» For full list of available fandoms/genres click below.

» Fandoms

» The Untamed | Mo Dao Zu Shi

The most recent fandom, also the one that currently dominates my mind. 

Including: CQL, Novel, Movies. I haven’t read a lot of the source material, but I’m intending to and I already did some research. For now I think I prefer a mix of canons. 

» Pairings

» Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian

» Jiang Cheng & Wei Wuxian (mostly gen, but I believe I could do something sexual/romantic as well, but please ask first if you have any specific ideas)

» Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing (please read the rules)

» Jiang Cheng/Wen Ning (tentative)

» Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian

» Nie Mingjue/Lan Xichen (tentative, though I mostly see myself as writing them on the side)

» Any version of the 3zun (same as above)

» Lan Xichen/Wei Wuxian

» Jin Zixuan/Wei Wuxian

» Specific Canons / Prompts

The Untamed basically exploded over my head and didn’t leave me alone. In the past few months a few plotbunnies developed which I’d all love to write at one point. You can chose to prompt me either of these or pick any general prompt, or anything you’d like to read, as long as it aligns with what I can write.

» The First Witness

Genre: Case Fic, Modern AU, Canon retell, Drama, Tragedy, Romance, M/M

Pairings: WWX/LWJ

Includes: Forensic Medical Examiner Wei Wuxian, Inspector Lan Wangji, Single Dad Wei Wuxian, Wei Sizhui / Wen Yuan, the dead ones are dead, Badass Grandmother Baoshan Sanren, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Businessman Jiang Cheng, Murder Mystery, Pining, Getting Together, HIV positive character, past off-screen rape (mentioned only). It’s basically what it says, a canon retell wrapped in a modern day case fic. It was the first thing that I had inspiration for.

» Nurse Wei Wuxian slice of life Modern AU

Genre: Modern AU, slice of life, recovery, drama, tragedy, adoption, M/M, hurt & comfort, getting together, romance, fluff

Pairings: WWX/LWJ

Includes: pediatric nurse Wei Wuxian, pediatric nurse MianMian, elementary school teacher Lan Wangji, pediatrician Lan Xichen, intense care nurse Jiang Yanli, intense care doctor Wen Qing, teacher’s aide Wen Ning, Yunmeng reconciliation, only some are dead, Wen family+WWX living together. 

Premise: Former convict Wei Wuxian, fresh out of nursing school, applies for a job at Dr. Lan Xichen’s pediatric practice. Lan Xichen (who sometimes takes pro bono foster children abuse cases) isn’t quite sold on the idea of a former felon turned nurse attending to already traumatized children, but upon interview decides to give WWX a chance. Not only does he never regret it, it turns out it’s to be the best decision he’s ever made, not only in regards to his practice. Meddling ensues, love blossoms, truths are revealed, happy end. Probably the fluffiest story on the list.

» ABO Yunmeng Shuanjie Fake Marriage AU

Not what you think. Does not involve pseudo-incest (at least not for a long time, haven’t decided on the end results yet). First ABO I’ve ever considered writing, but all the more exciting, since I know now what I want of it.

Pairing: WWX/LWJ (temporal, non-endgame - so far, platonic), WWX & JC (gen, ruling partners)

Includes: fake marriage, extra marital affair, male pregnancy, abo (mostly non-traditional, I think?), not actual pseudo incest, adoption, canon divergence, not everybody dies, Wen Chao being a monster, sexual assault (interrupted), golden core loss, NO golden core transfer, misunderstandings, complicated political situations, the Wens are saved and live in Lotus Pier, a-Yuan is still adopted, “sometimes love is not enough”

Premise: shortly after concluding the studies at Cloud Recesses LWJ starts courting WWX. Engagement is discussed between the two clans, but the Wen indoctrination and the burning of the Cloud Recesses gets in between. When LWJ refuses to lie in order to save WWX from Wen Chao’s assault, JC steps in and pretends to be the one engaged to WWX to save his brother from a forced bond. To prevent this from being debunked and to ensure a future marriage (which will now be more challenging to achieve, given the state of Cloud Recesses), LWJ and WWX mate and bond in the Xuanwu cave. Then Lotus Pier is sacked, JC loses his golden core, the Jiangs are dead and the Yunmeng siblings flee for their lives, find refuge in Yiling, etc. Plays out as in canon except they find out WWX is pregnant and transferring the golden core would cause an abortion. WWX still says do it, but changes his mind in the last minute, leading to JC finding out about his plan upon waking up and remaining coreless. They flee to Meishan and marry to protect WWX’s reputation (since a marriage would now be impossible for a long time on both sides - Gusu and Yunmeng, AND JC needs WWX more than ever and WWX is not abandoning his little brother) Sunshot happens, WWX invents the control tower & still saves the Sunshot campaign. The sixteen years that follow are utter chaos.

» Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian arranged marriage AU

You know what this is inspired by. 

Pairing: Nie Mingjue/Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (unfullfilled, for a long time)

Includes: arranged marriage, some characters die, Nie Mingjue dies but later, revenge, wwx adopts a-yuan, canon divergence, slow burn, learning to love, the Wens live, political intrigues, wwx and nhs teaming up against jgy

Premise: To save the Wens and himself from qi deviation Wei Wuxian marries Nie Mingjue (in spite of being in love with LWJ). Slowly some truths are revealed and feelings blossom but some tragedies cannot be prevented. NMJ realizes the feelings that are between WWX and LWJ, but they both marry regardless. Later WWX realizes that NMJ is similarly in love with Lan Xichen. With time they learn to love and respect each other, NMJ learns about what WWX did for JC, WWX learns clarity to play for NMJ when JGY nearly succeeds killing him (WWX suspects but he has no proof). NMJ still dies (disappears) and widower WWX spends the next decade or so seeking revenge and searching for his husband’s body so that he can rest in peace. It’s all very bittersweet, but there’s a happy ending.

» Hakuouki + Extended Universe 

The longest active and steadiest fandom. I know exactly what I’ll write and what not.

Including characters from: Urakata, Toki no Kizuna, the most recent overhauls (Kyoto Winds, Edo Blossoms). I’ve seen all three anime seasons, played a few routes of Kyoto Winds and read some walkthroughs. I’m not completely done with all of them, but I’ll take the time to research if the commission demands it.

» Pairings

» Harada Sanosuke/Nagakura Shinpachi (I lovingly refer to them as my naval battle cruiser)

» Harada Sanosuke/Shiranui Kyou

» Shiranui Kyou/Takasugi Shinsaku

» Kondou Isami/Hijikata Toushizou (tentative)

» Hijikata Toushizou/Saitou Hajime (tentative)

» Nagakura Shinpachi/Saitou Hajime

» Saitou Hajime/Toudou Heisuke

» Yukimura Chizuru/Sen-hime

» Ibuki Ryuunosuke/Kosuzu (please read the rules)

» Specific Canons / Prompts:

I’ve had a number of inspirations for this, which I’ve never written, but would love to delve into. You can chose to prompt me either of these or, of course, pick a general prompt.

» Fabulous Family Series

The one in progress, you can check it out on AO3. You can prompt me in this, if there’s something you’d like to read.

Pairings (current and planned): Harada/Nagakura, Kondou/Hijikata, Okita/Chizuru (casual), Heisuke/Saitou, Takasugi/Shiranui, Chizuru/Sen-chan, Ibuki/Kosuzu, Ibuki->Saitou (one-sided crush), Saitou/Chizuru (temporal)

Tags: adoption, modern AU, lgbtq+ issues, M/M, genderfluid character, disabled character (future), teenage pregnancy (future), slice of life, sexual assault (future), child abuse (future reveal), romance, ace/aro character, casual sex, underage sex, 

» Gender Swap AU

Main Ship: Harada/Nagakura

Side Ship: Ibuki/Kosuzu

Summary: Sannan secretly tests a version of his experimental Ochimizu on a few of the captains. The result is that the new day dawns with some drastic changes to their bodies that have nothing to do with white hair, glowing eyes or bloodthirst, but with a whole other set of complications. 

Premise: Original story was supposed to be about Shinpachi developing and unexpected attraction to Sano, them “experimenting” together and Sano falling pregnant. While the others manage to turn back to their original bodies, Sano doesn’t and it is all very complicated. Eventually he does (after giving birth), but instead of it being a good thing it just makes things more complicated. In the end, he choses to live in a female body instead of death and marries Shinpachi. Would include trans issues, gender dysphoria, friendship vs. love, the nature of attraction, respect, feminism and female issues. I wanted to write it as a multi-chapter, but never got around to it. But I’d love to put it out there in any form I can.

» Prince of Tennis

Tentatively putting this down as one of my oldest fandoms. I never wrote for it as cosistently as with other fandoms, but a few years back I rp-ed it for quite a while and could probably still write for it, if the pairing’s right. 

Including: ShinTeniPuri characters up to Pirates and Black Holes (I haven’t read much further, but I’ll probably catch up at one point? I always do.)

» Pairings / Characters (mostly Shitenhouji and Higa centric)

» Oshitari Kenya/Shiraishi Kuranosuke

» Oshitari Kenya/Chitose Senri

» Oshitari Kenya & Oshitari Yuushi (gen, ask me about cest)

» Shishido Ryou/Oishi Shuuichirou

» Oshitari Yuushi/Kikumaru Eiji

» Oshitari Yuushi/Hirakoba Rin (this relates to that rp)

» Kai Yuujirou & Hirakoba Rin (both gen and slash)

» Kite Eishirou/Hirakoba Rin

» Watanabe Osamu/Sakaki Tarou

» Higa gen

» Shitenhouji gen and casual relationships (ask me about specific ones)

» Hara Tetsuya/Taira Yoshiyuki

» Mori Juuzaburou & Hara Tetsuya (mostly gen, but I probs could do casual slash as well)

» Ochi Tsukimitsu/Mori Juuzaburou

» Marui Bunta/Hara Tetsuya (you will never get this, but it derives from that rp I did and would still def write it if people are interested)

» Tango Pair (Sanada Genichirou/Atobe Keigo)

» Specific Canons / Prompts

Most of what I had in my head has faded but a few things remained. Of course you can also come with your own prompt at me.

» College AU, future fic

Premise: Everyone has grown up and moved on. The Oshitari cousins are now rooming together, both studying medicine at Tokyo University. They’re upper neighbors with Shishido Ryou (paedagogy) and Oishi Shuuichirou (medicine), who both miss their doubles partners, but have seemingly moved on from their middle school days and broken hearts. No such thing can be said about Kenya, who can’t get over his break up with Shiraishi following their graduation, or Yuushi, who seems to hold secrets of his own.

I haven’t developed much for this, most of it are scattered ideas, but I’d love to explore it. I’ve thought of some pairings for it, but none of them final. It would also leave a lot of room for casual stuff or one-night stands. It’s actually an ideal prompt premise, from that standpoint.

Pairings (at start, no necessarily final): Oshitari Kenya/Shiraishi Kuranosuke (past), Oishi Shuuichirou/Shishido Ryou (current), Oishi Shuuichirou/Kikumaru Eiji (past), Shishido Ryou/Ootori Choutarou (past), Oshitari Yuushi/Kikumaru Eiji (current, secret), 

» It takes two to Tango / Tango towards Destruction

An old fic that was supposed to be a series which I never finished, but could pick it up and remaster it. It’d be a nostalgia project. 

Pairing: Tango Pair

Premise: Atobe’s father finds out about him and Sanada dating and threatens to disown him if they don’t break up. In the original Atobe runs away, but I’m thinking now he simply might not take it seriously enough and then it would escalate. He ends up moving in with the Sanada family. Your typical rich boy loses everything and struggles through poverty, finding meaning, building a life for himself, coming off age. 

» One Piece

A fandom older than even TeniPuri it’s been with me the longest. Unfortunately it doesn’t inspire me anymore the way it used to, but I’d still be able to write some things for it, if the right muse struck me. I kinda want to. Nostalgia, you know.

» Pairings

» Zoro/Sanji

» Ace/Zoro

» Ace/Sanji

» Luffy/Law (tentative, like, I ship them hard but I don’t know if I’d be able to write something for them? Oh but I’d like to try)

» Mihawk/Shanks

» Mihawk & Zoro & Perona family dynamics

» Zeff & Sanji adopted family dynamics

» Usopp & Yasopp gen

» Izo? I’d like to try an Izo.

» Canons

» Canonverse

Set in the original canon of the fandom.

Including (not limited to): backstory - past canon, present canon, future fic (please specify), canon divergence

» Modern AU

Including (not limited to): no powers, modern with magic (potential, please ask), slice of life, mystery, case fic, ‘job AU’ (coffee shop, doctors, idols, etc., please specify/ask)

» Sci-fi AU

Including: original sci-fi canon, Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, Dune (tentative), Hyperion (tentative), for everything else ask. I know a lot of sci-fi, but not enough lore for each of them to set a story in. I might be interested but it'd necessitate research.

» High Fantasy AU

Including (not limited to): original fantasy canon, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Witcher, but overall I’d prefer if you ask about this. I haven’t read/seen a lot of the most recent and popular franchises (mostly because I’m writing my own high fantasy and don’t want it to be too influenced by other things, and someone already told me it sounds like Game of Thrones, so that one’s a big no. Sorry...)

» No Powers, other than modern AU

Including (not limited to): everything that doesn’t fall under the modern AU list, but has no powers in it, i.e. historical AU (specify time & culture), future AU (near & far), cyberpunk dystopia (possibly), post-apocalyptic (possibly). I don’t write zombies.

» Superpowers / Hero AU

Including (not limited to): X-Men, Avengers, Wildstorm Universe, original superhero canon

» Genres

I do mostly serious stuff, like drama, tragedy, intrigues, arranged marriage, tragic backstory, etc. I like to put my characters through a lot of suffering. I always joke that it’s very easy to spot my favorite character by the amount of torture I put them through. I feel that it makes the happy ending weigh even more. Sometimes I even prefer a bad ending, if it gives the story more meaning (I mean, imagine LotR trilogy have a happy ending. It would totally take away all the development and the lessons the characters went through.) I wish I could write light stuff but so far I have not succeeded. I use a lot of sarcasm and irony though? 

My shorter fics tend to be fluffy and sweet rather than funny, if full of playful banter and teasing. Relationships are usually depicted in a naturalistic rather than romantic way (I’m ace/aro myself, and I have lots of opinions about the nature of love and attraction, and how a functioning relationship ideally looks like and it tends to seep into my writing). Instead of traditional romance I like to write a non-traditional one. Slow burn, instead of love on first sight. Learning to love instead of falling hard. But it also depends on the pairing. I can write most things if I put my mind to it, so don’t hesitate to prompt me and I’ll let you know whether it works for me or not.

I’m not shy of dealing with child abuse, assault, suicidal ideation, trauma, disability and other difficult topics in my writing, so if you wanna request any of these or something similar I’m a-okay with it, as long as you discuss it with me. I’m not knowledgeable in everything so it’s likely I’ll need to do research, but I’m more than alright with it. Honestly, it’s very probable that I’d love to try. 

» Kinks

I’m okay with most stuff. Where I draw the line is the really hardcore stuff like scat and kinks involving feces, some forms of humiliation, zoophilia, necrophilia, mutilation, stuff like that. 

I’m alright with both dub-con & non-con (although I refuse to depict is as normalized, or glorified), bondage, s&m, dom/sub, light bdsm (ask me about the harder stuff. I’m not against it, I’m just not always in the mood or right mindset for writing it), omorashi (tentative, ask me), daddy kink, breath play, age play, spanking, verbal humiliation, dirty talk, edging, come eating, orgasm denial,... all the good stuff. 

[undouxbisou]

The UK Election

I haven’t updated here for a while, there’s been many things that have happened in my life that led me to leaving a lot of aspects of my life behind at least temporarily. 

The UK election has been something that has been on the forefront of my mind, I have been passionate about trying to convince people to vote labour, not only for their comfort but the comfort of the whole country. Jeremy Corbyn is not a guy that everyone likes, his policies may have been a little ‘out there’ but he was the best chance that we had at having a somewhat decent society and life to grow up in. Corbyn was literally one of my last hopes that life as a student in the UK wouldn’t be so bad. 

And of course, the UK isn’t the worst place in the world to live- people aren’t living in fear of it becoming war torn or forceful killing; rather people are living in fear of the uncertainty of their lives, especially at the moment. 

As someone who has recently turned 18, it was my first chance to vote; I was hopeful about the results, the other people I had talked to involving this (who were of voting age) had also agreed that voting Labour would be the best thing for everyone- the many not just the few. I kept that hope in my hearts all the way through the day, convincing myself that the exit polls were wrong. Unfortunately, that hope was short lived, the longer after 10pm it got, the more the anxiety riddled my system.  To put it bluntly, I was terrified. 

It kept getting to a point where I was being shown that the Tories were winning by a landslide, Labour doing a lot worse than people expected. I remember crying, the absolute feeling of dread consuming my system. I explained to my good friend, Elliot, what was going on- he was sympathetic, in fact ‘heartbroken’ was the word he used to describe how he felt towards my situation. 

To explain quickly, I come from a highly disadvantaged family background- both of my parents are disabled and unable to work; I am a mentally ill 18 year old suffering with a neurological disorder, attempting to support two fully grown adults and a 16 year old who has a mild form of autism. On top of this I am a college student, a university applicant and someone with a passion for change and justice. 

The NHS is something extremely vital for my life, not just mine and my parents- but literally everyone. The NHS has been there since your birth, been there when people have died, you were sick and needed emergency healthcare- received all for no upfront cost. Free healthcare should be a right to members of a society, everyone should have access to see a doctor and to receive treatment in a non-judgemental place. 

Not only this but education should be a right for all, going to university has been something that has been drilled into students minds since before we were even sitting our GCSE’s- why shouldn’t it be free? That not even being the worst part, children as young as 5 are going to school without breakfast, no lunch and barely any dinner. Not out of neglect, no, but through the fact that working class families in the UK are struggling to continue to buy basic necessities- the living wage is staying the same with everything else increasing in price. How do the Tories expect the working class to continue day in and day out with no positive changes? It makes no sense. 

I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface on the problems with the age we’re living in now and my thoughts will develop as I upload more and more posts. Now is not the time to stay quiet, I want people to scream from the rooftops on how fucked up this whole fucking system is; stand strong and continue to spread your opinion, your personal truth.

I just really hope the tories can look into the eyes of the poor, the needy and the starving all while they live their comfortable lives filled with money. As long as rich people continue to neglect the needs of the majority, things will never change. 

Now is the time for a revolution.

[mimzy-writing-online]

A Witch’s Memory, an interview with the author, Mimzy Reiner

What is the premise of the novel?

A Witch’s Memory is a contemporary fantasy novel in the young adult age category. The story has three main characters. Ulric is a werewolf who lost his vision eight months before the start of the novel and is now legally blind. At the start of the novel he is returning to school after missing a full semester. Nobody at his school knows he went blind, not even his best friend Mason. All his classmates know is that he got sick and had to be pulled out of school. Mason is the only one who knows he’s coming back. The only person he’s ever told about his blindness is Anna, a fellow blogger he’s befriended online.

Two months ago Anna and her mismatched family of witches moved from the United Kingdom to the States so that her uncle could get a new job after being fired from his previous job as a university professor teaching Magical History. Anna and her brother Felix both suffer from partial amnesia due to a memory curse. They remember most of their lives but there are holes in their memories, memories of friendships and school subjects and special events that were erased. Neither of them is too thrilled about having to finish secondary school in America, but both want a fresh start away from reminders of their missing memories or the night they were both cursed.

On the first day of school Ulric realizes that the new student in his grade is Anna, his online friend. Anna realizes that Ulric closely resembles a friend she used to have in the U.K. and that the similarities are too eerie to be a coincidence.

And then there’s the matter that Ulric was blinded in an accident within a week of the night Anna and Felix were cursed.

Felix thinks their theory is ridiculous, absurd, and downright idiotic.

Who was deceived more?

More Below: how magic works in this world, the boarding school the novel is set in, the themes of the novel, inspiration, and many (many) pictures/visuals.

Tell us about the world of your novel, about the magic

In this world magic is as normalized as technology and science. There’s no big secret kept away from the humans. Everyone is out in the open with who they are. Witches, fairies, werewolves, and even vampires have a place in the world with no need to hide who they are. The novel focuses on two witches and a werewolf but humans and vampires and fairies have their place in the story. Ulric’s best friend Mason is a vampire. Anna’s roommate at boarding school is a fairy. Felix’s crush is human.

One of my favorite things to do in my writing is to turn the expected trope on its head. Vampires don’t kill when they drink blood because vampires only drink about a pint at a time and the human body can lose as much as two liters and still survive. Werewolves don’t need to transform during the full moon, but refusing to shift is beyond uncomfortable for them. Rather than losing control and blacking out when they transform, werewolves are completely aware and in control of their bodies. A familiar is the soul of a witch who died and was partially preserved in the form of a cat. No witch wants a familiar.

At the same time I also love playing with the stereotypes of magic. Witches do ride brooms in this world. Werewolves howl to find their fellow werewolves in the forest. Some vampires are immortal, but not all. Fairies are every bit as colorful as you see in cartoons, with interesting hair and skin colors.

Mixing the familiar and the unexpected is one of my favorite things.

What themes are present in your novel?

LGBTQA+

Anna, Ulric, and Felix are bisexual, and are at different levels of acceptance/understanding of their sexuality. Ulric’s known he was bi since he was 13. Anna realized it less than a year ago. Felix is only just starting to understand his sexuality. There are also several secondary characters who are LGBT. By my count there are eight characters who identify as queer in some way, whether in gender identity or in sexuality. 

I am bi/pansexual and I am gender fluid, and being able to write queer characters means a lot to me.

Disability

Ulric is legally blind and a huge part of the novel is his acceptance of his disability and trying to get as much of his old life back as possible. Going back to school, getting back into athletics (like his school’s running group) and being with his friends is all part of that. I am blind myself and a lot my personal experience went into this novel, both from the technical perspective of how you navigate life with blindness and the emotional perspective of living with a disability.

There are a few secondary characters with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

Mental Health

I have a hard focus on recovery and healthy coping mechanisms. Anna and Ulric both live with PTSD and experience it differently. Felix has some self esteem problems he needs to work on. All three characters have varying levels of anxiety but directed at different things. It’s never used as a gimmick or a plot filler. Their mental health is a result of the traumas and influences they’ve experienced in their sixteen years of life.

Family

There is a lot of focus on parental figures and how they are flawed. Parents make mistakes, even when all they want is what’s best for you. This story sees the good and the bad in parents.

Other

There’s a lot of humor and whimsy woven into all the drama. I want magic to be whimsical and have an every day presence. There are some downright ridiculous moments of humor in the story.

What is the setting of the novel?

The novel is set at a boarding school in Pennsylvania called Silverstone Academy, where our three characters attend. There are also moments and scenes taking place in the local, sleepy town of Aberdeen.

Are there any favorite settings for your scenes?

Some of my favorite scenes take place in the library of the school. There’s something about it that makes for a perfect setting for a serious conversation. Inside the library is a reading room with an illusion spell cast on it that turns the walls and ceiling into a sky of stars.

In general I’m a fan of using seemingly average parts of the school campus.

A dark, mostly empty drama theater makes for a perfect place to talk with your friend about all your past crushes.

A pretty courtyard cast in warm afternoon sun is perfect for getting to know someone.

An quiet hallway in the science building is perfect for an argument.

What was the first moment of inspiration for this novel?

This story began some seven years ago but was for a long time left untouched. Then last January I had a dream of Anna trying to get away from danger on a broom she only barely knew how to ride. The memory of Anna on the broom calling out to Ulric stuck with me and I began writing it again, but from scratch. This story has taken a completely different direction from its first draft seven years ago.

Other Posts and Content for A Witch’s Memory

Including Excerpts and tag games about the characters

Anna:

Excerpt of Anna’s 1st Chapter

15 Question Interview with Anna

Felix:

Excerpt of Felix’s 1st Chapter Part One

Excerpt of Felix’s 1st Chapter Part Two

15 Question Interview with Felix

Felix meets Hayden

Ulric:

Excerpt of Ulric’s 1st Chapter

15 Question Interview with Ulric

Mimzy’s parting words:

If you’ve made it this far and have read the whole thing, I don’t know what to say. Thank you for listening. If this story of mine interests you, please follow this blog where I post/reblog writing advice, share progress updates on my novel, and sometimes include excepts of my favorite parts.

If you want to be added to the tag list, just comment on this post.

You can also find me on twitter (link: https://twitter.com/MimzyReiner)

If you want to support this production of this book, you can like and reblog this post and the links above.

I also have a ko-fi and the donations go to a savings account to manage the self publishing costs of A Witch’s Memory, including the audio-book (because if I’m going to write a blind character, I should make the story accessible to the blind).

https://ko-fi.com/mimzyreiner

Thank you and good night :)

[ladyloveandjustice]

Winter 2019 Anime Overview

I enjoyed every single one of the five anime I watched this season: Dororo, My Roommate is a Cat, Mob Psycho 100 II, The Promised Neverland and Kaguya-sama: Love is War.

So here are my reviews! I’ve cut back on the anime overview a lot, so these are shorter reviews than usual (though not quite as short at I’d like. someday I’ll be able to restrain myself)

Since I liked all of the shows, these aren’t in a strict worst-to-best order or anything, but the ones I found most impressive ARE nearer to the bottom. So let’s dig into last season’s anime.

My Roommate is a Cat

Premise: An antisocial writer in his early 20s adopts a cat and they both get their worlds expanded as they bond.

My take: Much like the kitty it centers on, this show is super cute, sweet and fluffy. If you’re a cat-lover and want to bask in some kitty adorableness, I encourage you to check it out. At first, I was afraid the main character Subaru’s grumpy misanthropy might be too much- I could certainly empathize with being socially isolated and avoiding people, but the way he was just rude toward others was grating. Fortunately, his character development is swift, so he quickly went from misanthrope to anxious-introverted-mess-who-awkwardly-muddles-through-social-interaction-for-the-sake-of-his-kitty, which I found EXTREMELY relatable. Subaru is coping with the loss of his parents and the fact he took them for granted while they were alive as well, so there are quite a few heart-string tugging moments.

The show’s central gimmick is that events will be told from Subaru’s point of view and then we’ll get his kitty Haru’s side of things. Yep, the cat narrates part of the show, which is how I knew I was in it for good. And Haru’s a very good cat! She’s adorable without being cloying, and at least realistic in how most of her thoughts revolve around food. Seeing her warm up to her hopeless human is just as sweet as seeing Subaru warm up to her. As a former stray cat, she has a rough backstory, so if even a restrained depiction of kitty death is too much for you, look out for that part. This show isn’t afraid to bring the feels, but it keeps things positive overall. Subaru’s friends are supportive and help a new pet owner out, and we even get a cute doggie in the mix. Overall, if you want a relaxing, nice watch with a simple, sweet story, you could do a lot worse than My Roommate is a Cat.

Dororo (Episodes 1-12)

Premise: Thanks to his father making a deal with demons, Hyakkimaru has to wander Japan and fight monsters to get his body parts back. He meets up with a young thief named Dororo.

My take: Dororo is a very loose adaptation of the 1960′s manga by Osamu Tezuka, who’s known as the godfather of manga. I was familiar with Dororo thanks to watching the live action movie for an article when I worked at epicstream (it must not have left an impression bc I remember very little) so I was curious to check this out. I ended up reading the manga too, and overall, I find it pretty impressive as an adaptation. It does a lot to make a really dated and incomplete-feeling manga more palatable and cohesive for a modern audience. Maybe I’ll do a full post expanding on those thoughts sometime, because the changes really are worth examining.

Dororo is definitely not for everyone- it’s a grim, dark show with lots of death and destruction.The story is especially not kind to women, who tend to die or be demons. The exceptions to this (such as a lady demon actually being presented as sympathetic) are mainly anime-original. Actually, while the anime eschews the original manga’s cartoon-y, jokey tone to be more serious, it actually has a much lower body count and more hopeful tone than the original, a contrast I find pretty interesting. But “more hopeful” is still not very hopeful. The story has pretty strong anti-war undertones and criticism of how authority exploits people, and there’s a lot of “these are the horrors of war” scenes and even a scene where Dororo witnesses a woman engaging in unhappy, reluctant sex work.

The premise of the story, a guy made up of mostly prosthetics on a quest to get his body parts and senses back, is also a dicey one in how it treats disability. The anime does at least make updates to the manga that lend the story a little more complexity on that front. In the manga Hyakkimaru can basically hear and speak through telepathy already and he’s portrayed as simply joyous whenever he gets a body part or sense back, despite not having a practical need for them.

The anime wisely jettisons the telepathy thing, meaning that Dororo and Hyakkimaru have some difficulty communicating, something that adds an interesting layer to the story. It means we find out about Hyakkimaru’s personality in bits and pieces alongside Dororo, going on a journey of discovery with him. And Hyakkimaru getting senses back is treated in a more realistic mixed-bag way- when he gets his hearing back, for instance, he has difficulty adjusting to it and experience serious sensory overload. It’s not really clear how he feels about a lot of things, much less the changes he’s going through.

Dororo himself is the heart of the show, really, and I find him to be really endearing and engaging as a character. His boundless energy and chattiness balance out the aloof Hyakkimaru, but he never gets overbearing or obnoxious. He’s been through a lot himself, and has a good heart. One thing worth keeping an eye out going forward is how Dororo’s gender will be handled. Dororo is afab, but in the original manga very vehemently lets everyone know he’s a boy. The anime also lets you know Dororo’s afab halfway through, but hasn’t really done much otherwise in exploring Dororo’s gender identity. I do think it’s unlikely we’ll get a handling of it as bad as the manga’s final chapters (Manga Hyakkimaru had a lot of strong, intrusive opinions about what Dororo “really” is that I think his anime version is unlikely to have based on his restrained characterization so far), but who knows.

Overall, Dororo is a nicely animated and well put-together dark action series so far. I’m not sure I would have ended up watching it if I wasn’t so interested in examining it as an adaptation, but the ride’s been pretty okay and worthwhile.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Premise: Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya are the top students at their prestigious school, and heads of the student council. They also have a crush on each other, but both are too full of pride (and nerves) to make the first move, so they come up with schemes to trick the other into confessing. Hijinks ensue.

My take: Kaguya-sama is a wildly funny rom-com about two idiot smart kids who don’t know how to say how they feel. It’s mostly a really good time. There’s a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. The characters are a lot of fun, especially Kaguya’s friend Chica, who is pure chaos in human form and has some of the best lines in the show. The animation and direction of the show are also impressive and lavish, elevating already good gags into greatness. The finale also does that thing where it’s all suddenly surprisingly emotional and hits you really hard with all the feels, showing a little depth and true friendship among all the characters involved.

However,there are a few “yikes” moments, and the most uncomfortable one and likely the biggest deal breaker was the “Kaguya gets sick” arc, which happens roughly the last half of episode 9 and the start of 10. In it, we’re treated to tropes that are both really tired and really uncomfortable, like Kaguya being sick and her friend, for some reason???, tacitly encouraging Miyuki to take advantage of her in her weakened state. Miyuki does not, but Kaguya pulls him into bed and he falls asleep due to sleep deprivation (which is admittedly relatable) and when they wake up she believes for a time he did assault her and throws shit at him, at which point he whines about being villainized even though he “held back”.

During the next episode, Kaguya is ~secretly kind of upset he didn’t assault her because doesn’t he find her appealing~, a trope that really needs to die bc the myth girls “really want to be assaulted” is dangerous. There were a couple okay moments in the whole thing, like Miyuki deciding he should have shut the whole thing down more firmly and apologizing for an infraction, and since Miyuki didn’t cross a significant line it doesn’t ruin their relationship or make them impossible to root for or anything, but the whole thing is tired and gross and unnecessary and not all that funny. I was able to handle it because I got warned ahead of time, but it was a chore of an arc, so here’s my warning.

The Promised Neverland

Premise: Emma and her friends Ray and Norman are orphans being raised in the happy, idyllic Grace Field House. They’re never been outside it though, and there’s a wall they’re never supposed to approach. When Emma discovers the truth behind the orphanage, a tense thriller begins.

My take: I was looking forward to this one based on word of mouth, and mostly it doesn’t disappoint! The writing hooked me enough that I’ve picked up the manga to continue the story. This a rich story. It’s an intense game of cat and mouse between genius kids and unscrupulous adults where the stakes are super high. Emma and her friends pull out all the stops to outwit and escape the ones holding them captive, and the twists and turns of the narrative are delivered well. There’s also some social commentary buried under its horror to add some bite. This essay goes into how it comments on forced societal gender roles, for instance.

 A thrilling plot can only shine thanks to its characters, and Emma is great protagonist. Her determination to save her family and unpredictable nature make her fun to follow. She’s a rare and refreshing example of a female shonen protag, and she sells that power of friendship stuff pretty well when she has the brains and skills to back it up. The three main kids balance each other well, with Ray’s cynicism and pragmatism contrasting Emma’s stubborn idealism, and Norman stands in the middle as someone who’s inclined to think like Ray but WANTS to be more like Emma. Despite the many conflicts and differences between them, these kids are ride and die, and the show does a good job selling their familial-friendship. A lot of the moments between them are truly heartwrenching.

The story has a big glaring flaw, though, and that’s Sister Krone and the racism regarding her. It’s not my lane, so please read Jackson P. Brown’s essay here for more info. The anime not only replicates the problem with her design but makes things arguably worse than the manga by making her personality a caricature as well. The anime portrays Krone as far more unhinged and exaggerated than her vindictive but more controlled and canny manga counterpart, even adding this weird thing where she rants at and beats up a doll. This review on episode 8 talks about the author feels the anime failed with sister Krone and his feelings on Krone as a black character well, it’s definitely worth a read.

While I have those issues with the anime’s choices, I was impressed with how the last few episodes were directed. They hit it out of the park, leaving me breathless, emotional and wanting more. Thanks to that, I’m now reading an enthralling adventure manga! This anime was definitely flawed but I can’t deny I’m interested in seeing how the second season will shake out.

Mob Psycho 100 II

Premise: Season 2 continues to tale of Mob, a ridiculously powerful psychic middle schooler.  He’s in the employ of Reigen, a con-artist who has fooled many (Mob included) into thinking he has legitimate psychic abilities.

My take: Holy wow. Mob Psycho’s first season had some incredible animation, atmosphere and direction, but season two fires on all cylinders. I’m glad I caught up in time to experience the show with everyone else these last few weeks, because it was always a treat- a visual feast full of heartpumping action and lots of sincere emotion.

Mob Psycho is an animation extravaganza, with some sequences that wouldn’t feel out of place in a high budget movie, dripping with atmosphere, artistry and aplomb. But the story and characters are really solid too and it has some nice themes and messages at its core. Mob is one of the goodest good boys in all of anime and he grows a lot throughout this season. At the core of the show is the idea that no one is worthless and also no one is more “special” than anyone else, that having power doesn’t give you the right to put yourself above others, that no person is inherently superior or inferior to any other, that even if you’re born with some super talent, you still need to try to improve yourself, value other people and the things they can do that you can’t and work hard to live a balanced life. Being powerful or born with a talent doesn’t mean you have the answers or know better-so it’s all about striving to make good, compassionate choices and taking control of your own life.

There’s a lot of stories that pay lip service to themes like these without really doing much to back it up, but this show sells it with an earnestness that few manage. Mob is a quiet and gentle boy, and you genuinely believe it when he says he doesn’t like fighting or using his powers on other people, and when he breaks down in tears because for all his power he can’t figure out how to set someone on the right path this time, your heart aches. The fact that Mob actually has difficulty coming up with the right answers and will sometimes gets overwhelmed by emotion and loses control, but keeps striving for honest communication, makes his approach come off as a lot more believable than the typical shonen-hero-converting-bad-guys-with-a-confident-friendship-speech bit.

The character relationships in the show are also good stuff, particularly the relationship between Mob and Reigen, which develops a lot this season with Reigen having to grapple with how yeah, he’s been kinda terrible and dishonest, especially with this kid he cares about and there’s a point where people have enough of it. There’s a lot of nice growth there.

All together, Mob Psycho is just Good with capital G. I do wish there were more girls in it, and there is a dark skinned character who’s caricature-ish in his design (he barely shows up in this season iirc), but otherwise it’s a quality rec and breathtaking example of the truly transcendent heights anime can reach. 

[sixwheelriker]

So the Otakon accessibility policies seem... pretty shady

Otakon is a (mostly) Japanese pop-culture con (i.e. anime convention +) that happens annually in DC, though it had been in Baltimore up until recently.

This is my first year going. I've been to other conventions in that convention center in the last 2 years, and the accessibility policies and practices were pretty good. But then I read up on this years and saw a lot of stuff that, while not necessarily an issue for me (as I will be dependent on my walker and cane while there), could spell trouble for people with invisible disabilities (which used to be me).

I copy and pasted the full text from the website, and I highlighted the questionable bits with purple and italics (I'm sorry for the color, but I'm hoping its the least problematic choice color-wise for visual issues... italics isnt enough of a highlighting format when scrolling theough text and having visual issues, so its been a catch 22). I apologise for the wall-of-text nature of my post!:

//start website text

Member Accessibility

Last Updated: Aug 15, 2017 11:10AM EDT

The Basics:

What is “Member Accessibility”?

Member Accessibility is a department that assists convention attendees who may need a little extra help, due to differing abilities. When attendees need and request it, we can provide them with elevator access, priority seating, and in very limited instances, an escort through or around crowded areas. We do not provide medical equipment, including wheelchairs, nor do we provide assistance in using such equipment. You will need to provide this on your own.

Where is Member Accessibility?

We have a desk in the main registration area. We also have staff located in many areas of the convention center, called rovers. They will have a black Otakon Staff t-shirt, with a blue reflective armband.

What are the hours of operation for Member Accessibility?

Member Accessibility will have someone on duty for all hours the convention center doors are open to the public, including Thursday’s online registration pickup period. However, someone may not be present at the desk during lulls. If this is the case, please see the next question for information on reaching us.

How do I get a hold of Member Accessibility?

During the year, you can reach us by using the email us option through our online contact system. Please select “Member Accessibility” as the topic to ensure your question is sent to the right department.

Please keep in mind that we may not be able to respond to all messages. If you have an urgent concern, please come to the Member Accessibility desk at Registration. If you are unable to travel to this desk, please ask a member of staff to page Member Accessibility. Member Accessibility will dispatch someone to assist, if they are available, but it may take some time to arrive at your location.

Preparing for the convention:

Should I request assistance from Member Accessibility?

You should ask for assistance if you have a medical need, or such assistance would prevent damage to an existing injury. For example, if you have a broken leg, or are pregnant and in your third trimester, you should ask us for assistance. On the other hand, if you have a large costume, or are tired from walking all day, we apologize, but our department cannot assist you.

What qualifies me for Member Accessibility assistance?

As stated above, any medical need will cover you. Some examples:

a condition that limits movement;

something that alters your ability to navigate stairs;

something that limits your travel distance;

a condition that causes pain while standing or walking for an extended period;

heart or lung related issues;

recent surgery; or

blindness.

The list is not complete, and only serves as a handful of examples. If you are unsure if you qualify, please contact us before the convention, so that we may investigate, and if necessary, provide alternative advice for you. For clarity, below are some examples that would not qualify for our assistance:

diabetes;

broken arm;

bulky costumes;

limping; or

“I don’t feel good.”

Regardless if you are eligible for Member Accessibility services during Otakon, if you begin to feel unwell during the convention, please take a break, and if needed, ask a friend for assistance. If you experience a medical emergency during the convention, please call 911 immediately.

Do I need a doctor’s note?

If it is not easily apparent that you are in need of assistance, we will ask for some kind of documentation of your situation. Some examples of acceptable forms of documentation are

a doctor’s note on script paper;

prescribed medication for condition in original container, with a label containing your name;

a note from a hospital or clinic on letterhead or script paper;

handicap parking identifier; or

a Maryland MTA reduced fare identification card, or your state or country’s equivalent.

The following are a few things we would not accept as documentation:

over the counter medication;

a note written by yourself or, when applicable, a guardian; or

a doctor's note dated more than two months prior to Otakon.

At the convention:

Picking up your badge

First things first, check into your hotel, if needed, and relax for a little bit. When picking up your badge, go directly to the door, bypassing the line. Indicate to the Otakon staff member (not security) you are proceeding to Member Accessibility. The staff will show you how to get there, or call for assistance if it is needed.

Already have your badge?

Unless your badge has been specially modified by Member Accessibility, you will not be permitted to use any elevator inside the convention center, except the one located nearest to the Member Accessibility desk. If this limitation would prevent you from reaching the desk, please ask any member of staff to page Member Accessibility. We will dispatch someone to your location to escort you to the Member Accessibility desk. During peak times, it may take a long time for someone to come to your location, due to limited staff available to respond.

At the desk

If there is a wait at the desk, please use the provided seating if it is needed. If seating is not available, consult with the nearest member of staff with reflective tape on their arms.

Member Accessibility will ask you to explain your situation, and provide documentation, if it is necessary. We will look at your documentation, or medication, and immediately return it to you. You will be responsible for its safe keeping or disposal.

While it is understandably frustrating, if your needs are not readily apparent, and you do not possess some form of documentation, we may turn you away. So, we urge you to please bring something with you to support your claim.

Upon verification of your claim, we will modify your badge, indicating to all staff that you are allowed to use the elevator and/or have priority access to seating.

Waiting in line

If you find yourself in a long line for an event that provides seating, please speak with the member of staff at the start or end of the line. They will provide whatever assistance they can to ensure you receive a safe seating area.

//end website text

SO, the very vague language about what is a "readily apparent" disability vs not really concerns me (for just one example: could an ambulatory wheelchair user seen standing from their chair lose their elevator access?), especially when they ask for the kind of proof they do. Just off the top of my head, some problems could include:

medical conditions that haven't been diagnosed formally because sometimes these things take years, or doctors dont believe you, or doctor visits are costly, etc (e.g. I've had a syncope condition since I was 4 that didn't get formally diagnosed until I was 29)

people who can't just pop into their doctors office within a very specific time frame because of schedules (really common! How many of us have had to wait months to be seen for even the most routine thing or urgetnt thing and ended up going to the ER because of that?). People who can't just pop into their doctor's office because of cost (and some of you might say "yeah, but cons cost money", but those are very different costs and maybe someone bought you a pass, or... really all kinds of things that arent anyone's business).

Doctors who straight up won't write you such a specialised note for this. A lot of doctors are busy and won't/can't give you an appointment for this kind of thing, and since it has to be official letterhead or script paper they can't even just send you one via email or an online patient chart portal.

How are they regulating elevator access anyway? If someone is determined "not disabled enough" and they manage to somehow make it up to, say, the 3rd floor anyway by sheer stuborness then, I don't know, find they're gonna faint, what should they do? Hope they dont faint on the stairs and injure themselves possibly horribly? Call 911 unnecessarily and incur the related hospital bills because some random person who... I'm guessing WON'T be a doctor had decided they aren't disabled "enough"?

The specific call outs for diabetes, broken arms, and "I dont feel good".... I give that side eye. If someone with diabetes gets in a bad way while in a hot, crowded, indoor venue (which I'd bet happens to many folks), and they need quick and safe egress, then just... too bad? I don't know much about diabetes but even I seriously question this con telling people who do and who have it what they supposedly don't need. I also remember having a bad shoulder i jury in jr high and high school and having my doctor order that the school ley me use the elevator to move between floors to avoid further injury from a crowded halway. Pretty sure someone with a broken arm at a major con could have the same need. And of course, "I dont feel good" could mean so many things! It could mean I'm gonna have a seizure, or faint, or a whole bunch of things, amd when your cognition is being reduced by such a condition you are hardly gonna be up to explaining to some staff member who is, again, PROBABLY NOT A DOCTOR, that you are about to have an episode and you need fast safe egress. What you probably CAN day is "I dont feel good".

And even if you DON'T have a condition, its late July and a huge convention center full of bodies and noise, and people will be in costumes that can over heat them unexpectedly. Are they really gonna deny someone a help as simple as an elevator ride down a floor or two if they get in a bad way because they aren't officially approved or whatever? People who AREN'Y disabled get sick, too. "Call a friend" yeah people, you know, do stuff alone. And badges are not free. This is not a viable option... not when the alternative is CALL 911. There are all kinds of emergencies that are not 911 emergencies, but ARE I-cant-use-stairs emergencies. WTF.

Anyway, I can go on, but honestly I haven't the energy or constitution for it 😂 But mostly it's the elevator access restriction that's worrying me. I went to Awesome Con in this same place last year and there were NO elevator restrictions, and I didnt see the elevators being over run by people who "didn't need them" (and really, taking the stairs was way more convenient if you could take them). So this isn't a convention center policy but an Otakon one.

I want to contact someone about this, maybe post something on the con or convention center facebook page, but I'm... not really well enough to put it together properly, like what to include or not include. I'm also not too sure of the law here - ADA says sonething about open access for platforms but nothing about elevators. What applies here? Can I try to effect a change anyway, regardless of legal clout behind me?

What do you all think?

[manymessyfandoms]

Hey! Your Tony and Peter writings are so cute, do you think you could do one where Peter has to protect his classmates (maybe with Tony? Idk up to u) and the reveal happens? Thank u, and have a good day!

Hi there, lovely! 

Well believe it or not, I received a similar prompt from @seyenna a few days ago so your girl’s merging them! (specifically Peter outing himself and Tony helping with the aftermath and helping Peter deal with his sensory overload)

ALSO I’m making this into a class field trip to Stark Tower because once again, I’m drunk off power and I cannot be stopped 

The field trip was something Peter had been looking forward to for awhile. He already knew everything about the Stark Tower and had access to all the floors, so he figured he’d be able to sneak away and hangout with Tony and the rest of the Avengers, which was far more appealing than school. 

“Can you introduce me to the Scarlet Witch?” Ned excitedly asked as they loaded on the bus. “Or the Black Panther! Is he there? Dude, tell me he’s there.”

Peter laughed. “T’Challa is back at Wakanda, man. He is king.”

“Your life is so cool,” Ned said as he shook his head in disbelief. 

“But everyone is actually really excited to meet you.”

Ned’s eyes got impossibly wider. “Th-they know about me?”

“Yeah, man! You’re my guy in the chair. Who else would I tell them about?” He nudged Ned’s shoulder, and Peter felt a surge of affection towards his best friend.

Ned was grinning wildly. “Today is going to be perfect.” Peter just smiled back.

“Welcome back, Peter,” FRIDAY’s voice rang as he walked into the building and Peter instinctually replied with, “Hey, FRIDAY.”

He turned and saw his peers looking at him with confused expressions. “I- uh, I have an internship here, remember?”

Flash scoffed. “You mean you weren’t lying about that? Wow, I’m shocked. I doubt anyone actually living will know you even are, though.”

It took about five minutes before Flash realized he was horribly, horribly mistaken. 

“Peter!” Steve Rogers called out with Bucky Barnes at his side. “Tony told us your class was coming in. That’s fun.”

“You’re Captain America! And- you’re the Winter Soldier!” Flash sputtered, beyond confused. “But how do you know Parker?”

Steve cocked his head. “We work with Pete all the time.” He turned towards Peter. “Anyways, come by tonight after school’s out. Bruce is making lasagna.”

Peter’s face scrunched up. “Do we really trust him to cook real food?”

“Nope. That’s why you’ll be bringing the take-out over when you’re out of class.” He walked over at handed Peter a hundred dollar bill. “Just grab whatever when you’re on your way.”

“Will do,” Peter said with a little laugh.

“Okay, go back to your learning and whatnot. Bye, Peter, bye Peter’s class.” He paused right before he left and pointed at Ned. “Guy in the chair?”

Ned nodded frantically. “Yes, sir, Mr. Captain America, sir.”

“You come by too.” With that, they duo walked away. 

Peter thought that the look on Flash’s face was enough to keep him going for at least the next few months. 

It wasn’t until about halfway through the day that everything went to shit. 

“Welcome to my lair! Or you could call it an office, whatever floats your boat,” Tony said when the class entered the room. “Pretty standard stuff. FRIDAY, will you please play the presentation video I put together?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Come on, kiddos. Gather around.” The students all grouped together, trying to get closer to the wall that just turned into a screen, except for Peter, who stayed back. 

About a third of the way through the video, Tony walked up to Peter. “How’s it going, Pete? Everyone blown away by how awesome I, and everything I own, am?” he muttered. 

“Oh yeah, because it’s not like they weren’t already.”

Tony chuckled. “Don’t sass me, kid.” Peter raised his hands in surrender. “So did you hear about dinner tonight? You’re going to have to pick something up because I’d be dead before I ate anything that Banner-” Tony was abruptly interrupted by all the lights turning an alarming red.

“FRIDAY, what’s going on?” Tony said, sounding worried. 

“It seems there’s been a security breach. I’m not sure-” Her voice shut down. 

“FRIDAY?” Nothing. “FRI, talk to me.”

Peter felt a chill go up his back. “Tony, something’s really wrong.”

Tony looked at him and Peter noted the flash of fear in his eyes. “Okay, kids. You’re all going to stay here while I go figure out what’s happening. And I mean all of you.”

Peter realized what the pointed look meant and he leaned over and whispered, “I can help, just take me with or something-”

“No, Pete. You’re going to stay here on lockdown, where I know you’ll be safe. I don’t know what’s going on, but it could be dangerous. Just stay here.”

That’s how Peter found himself pacing around Tony’s office as he waited for some update. 

“Peter?” Peter jumped when Michelle put a hand on his shoulder, but he couldn’t help it. His senses were going haywire. Something bad was going down. “Are you okay, man?”

“I- I’m fine, MJ. It’s just-”

“You need to chill, Parker,” Flash said from where he was sitting on the floor with his eyes closed. “We’re in the Stark Tower with a bunch of Avengers. There’s literally nowhere safer. It’s probably just a system malfunction.” The words were barely out of his mouth before there was a boom and the door flew wide opened. 

Peter’s class immediately screeched and stood up, backing themselves so far against the wall that Peter wouldn’t be surprised if there were body imprints. 

The figure was about six feet and was covered in metal, but the most alarming trait was the metal wings that Peter was all too familiar with.

The figure took off the mask, and Peter was shocked that it wasn’t in fact Adrian Tomes behind the mask, but a guy that Peter didn’t recognize. 

“Oh, hell,” the guy said. “What’re you all doing here? Shit, I don’t even care. Everyone look away. This will only hurt a little.”

Peter reacted before he could even register his movements. He leaped onto the wall and shot himself at the new Vulture, hitting the arm that was raised at his classmates. The shot rang out, and blew up a few feet away from the nearest student. 

“Well, what do we have here?” the guy said. “You must be Spiderman! You know, Toomes wouldn’t tell us who you were, Spidey. Said something about you being just a kid, but I didn’t realize just how kid you actually are.”

Peter slowly reached into his pockets and got his web shooters, his adrenaline making everything feel like it was moving at a thousand miles per hour. “Shut up, Big Bird. Nobody wants to hear it.”

“Did they know?” he loudly whispered, pointing at Peter’s class, and he faltered for the first time. “Oh, they didn’t, did they! That’s a tough break. At least you’ll all be dead anyways, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

Peter anticipated his next move and shot his web towards his arm, yanking him forward before he could attack. “You know, for a super villain, you really aren’t all that scary,” he quipped, hoping to show more confidence than he actually had. 

“Yeah?” the guy said back heatedly before grabbing the nearest student, who just happened to be MJ. “Well for a superhero, you really aren’t all that heroic.” Before he could blow Michelle’s head off, Peter shot his web at her waist and pulled her forward before jumping onto the ceiling and dropping onto the Vulture 2.0′s head. 

Peter was attacking him with his webs, trying to disable him in any way he could when Tony with the rest of the Avengers ran through the door. The guy was down not five minutes later. 

“That was close,” Natasha said.

Steve nodded. “Too close.”

“What the hell happened?” Rhodey muttered as he ran a hand down his face. 

“Peter, are you okay?” Tony asked worriedly after the fight when he walked over. The rest of them turned to him too.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” Tony was still checking him over when Peter tensed. He slowly turned around and saw his entire class gaping at them. 

Suddenly, Peter was shaking.

“You… you’re- you can’t-” Flash sputtered. Peter was about to run out so he didn’t have to deal with all of that, but then he noticed the multiple smart phones being pointed his way.

And that was when Peter knew it was over. 

It was all over the headlines the next day, Sixteen-Year-Old Kid From Queens, Student by Day, Vigilante by Night: Who Is Peter Parker? 

Peter just wanted to be left alone. He couldn’t even leave his house because of all the reporters. He stayed in his room for three days straight without talking to anyone before his door swung open and Tony Stark yanked him out of bed. 

“Come on, kid. You’re coming to the tower. You and May can stay there from now on. It’s got higher security than this place. Besides, the team’s worried about you. I’m worried about you.”

“Tony, it’s over,” he muttered quietly. “Years of hiding, gone just like that.” 

“Hey,” Tony replied softly. “Nothing’s over, Pete. This is all going to be fine, I promise. You just have to wait for things to die down a little.”

“But- but nothing’s going to be the same-”

“No, it’s not, but things can be better.” Tony sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I won’t lie, it’ll be hard at first, but one day it won’t be so hard. Then the next day it won’t be hard at all.”

Peter took in a shuddering breath and his worst fear rushed out of him in the form of a whisper. “I can’t do this on my own.”

Tony tugged him towards him so he was hugging the kid. “You’ll never be alone, Peter. Trust me, I will never leave you.” Peter nodded, feeling some of the weight lifted from his chest. In his head he knew that Tony probably wouldn’t abandon him, but the three days Peter spent alone with his thoughts messed with him. “Now let’s go. No more moping on my watch. The teams waiting for us.”

Despite feeling a little bit better, Peter couldn’t stop the full body flinch when he stepped outside and was assaulted by the bright flashing of camera lights and the loud shouts from reporters. 

“Peter! How did you gain your abilities?”

“How old were you when you became Spiderman?”

“How long did it take for you to-”

“ENOUGH!” Tony yelled and the reporters froze just as Peter was getting dizzy and the edges of his eyes were going dark. “Just- enough! Peter Parker is a sixteen year old kid, that does not need to be dealing with your bullshit!” Peter sucked in a breath as the momentary quiet stabilized him. “If I see even one of you roaches near my kid ever again, you’ll have my lawyers so far up your ass you’ll be tasting them for months.” He paused. “Okay, not my greatest metaphor, but you get my point. Leave. Peter. Alone. Now goodbye.”

None of them said as word as the two of them walked to the car. 

“Alright,” Tony said as they buckled in. “You ready, kid?”

Peter felt his phone buzzing nonstop in his pocket. He saw the shadows of reporters outside the car, and could practically feel the stares from the kids at school, but one look at Tony and he was reminded of his promise.

You’ll never be alone, Peter. Trust me, I will never leave you. 

Peter took a deep breath before replying, “Yeah. I’m ready.”

[isthemedia]

Ao3 Link

Chapter 1 NSFW

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 NSFW

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 NSFW

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 NSFW

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15 NSFW

Chapter 16

(Since I will be working on Saturday I won’t be able to post on my usual days...so here’s an early post. The next chapter should be here Friday like usual. And Next week will resume usual updates) 

--

                                                        Chapter 16

Shit shit! He had to stop grinning! He knew he was probably freaking out some of the other staff, or at the very least making them uncomfortable. But-but FUCK! H-he’s pretty much teaching!

Ok yeah substituting but still! Same diff! He chuckled to himself as he headed out of the faculty room and made his way down the hall.

Was nice of Tall Might to get him all set up with his folder, and notes. Though the guy REALLY needed help in the organization department.

Luckily he had enough time to rewrite the notes into some form of organized chaos. Didn’t wanna be completely loss on his first day.

Granted might be his only day, but hey! Still!  

“Yama-san!?”

He couldn’t stop his grin when he walked into the class and was greeted by Kirishima’s shout.

Fuck this was going to be awesome!

--

“Shouta lay down,” Nemuri insisted. She rushed to his room after getting his text...and had to wait almost five minutes before he’d let her in. When he finally did she took in his appearance.

He looked tired...but also on edge. She glanced over to the far end of the room where the window was open wide and the comforter was draped over the sill. She wasn’t going to ask.

“I’m fine!”

“You’re shaking, and you texted me.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry--”

“Shouta, you NEVER text me. Also, look at me when you talk.”

“I’m...I’m fine…”

Nemuri gave him a look.

Eventually he found himself lying down on his bed bare of all the sheets too. Nemuri wanted to ask but figured it wasn’t the best of times. She urged Shouta to lay down, having his head pillowed in her lap. When she finally coaxed him into doing so, the R Rated hero ran her fingers through his hair. “What’s bugging you?”

Shouta didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He felt his face flush as when he even thought about--

“Is it Mic?”

“Don’t,” he tried to threaten but it came out...weak. Shakey.

“Did he do something to the kids? Make a threat?” The R Rated hero asked as she looked to him.

“N-no...no he didn’t,” Shouta replied quietly. The...the blonde didn’t do anything. I-it was himself.

--

Mic eyed the electric user as he struggled with trying to write a response to each sentence on the worksheet during the entire class time. The more he looked over that kid’s work the more he started to piece together what his issue REALLY might be. The wave of relief that washed over him was apparent when the bell rang.

“Yo SparkPlug, I need to talk to ya,” Mic called causing the boy to freeze as he was packing up his stuff.

“Want us to wait?” Sero asked.

“N-nah it’s fine, shouldn’t be long, right Mic-san?”

“All depends on how willin’ you are ta talk.”

Kaminari flinched but nodded. And soon it was just the two of them. Mic tore up a sheet of paper into several square and wrote on them. “C’mere.”

Kaminari walked over, he still wasn’t sure whether or not he could really trust this guy. Sure Kirishima totally looked up to him...Uraraka and even Yaoyorozu seem to really like him too. But, he just wasn’t sure…

“Read this,” Mic said as he held up one of the pieces of paper. An English word written on it. Time to test it out.

“Brown,” Kaminari said.

“Uh-huh,” then he held up another. “This one?”

“Um...horse?” What the heck? What was this guy doing?

“This one?”

“D-B...dog.”

“Last one.”

“Crash?”

Mic studied the kid. “...so...do you know you’re dyslexic kid?”

Kaminari froze. Shit! H-how did...how did he figure it out!? “I-I’m not...I mean literature is my best subject! I mean I couldn’t read things like Hemmingway if I was,” He tried to laugh it off.

“Kid...just cause you’re reading is at a high level doesn’t mean you’re immune,” Mic sighed as he laid out the cards. “Ya got one right. Brown.” Then the next. “Hose, bog, and cash.”

“...I…don’t,” Kaminari began. “I use to have some trouble like when I was younger...I thought I outgrew it.”

“You DO know ya just do, outgrow, dyslexia right?”

Kaminari bit hip lip. Awww man this was so lame. It was embarrassing. Sure Being dumb could be thought of a some charming flaw, but have an actual learning disability…

Dude NOBODY saw those as charming or even attractive. Dammit why couldn’t he just be bad with English!?

“Gonna try something real quick,” Mic began as he tore up another few sheets of paper. Kaminari watched him as he wrote some words down, then he grabbed a highlighter. “Alright, we’re gonna do this again.”

Kaminari sighed and nodded.

“This one.”

The elecetric user blinked. The highlighter cut the word in half. “Ah...drown.”

Mic smirked. “This one?”

“Bride.”

Mic nodded. “How about these two?”

“Um...saw and...I think that one is actually spelled wrong,” he pointed to the card. The word was written as ‘peom’ when he was pretty sure it should be ‘poem’.

Green eyes lit up and grinned. “Nice catch! Tell ya what,” Mic started as he tossed the makeshift cards out; and pulled out the worksheet. Taking the same highlighter he marked every sentence the same way he did that last set of cards. “Try this again, I’ll let Tall Might know you’re doin this a make up.”

Kaminari took the sheet. “I-um….thank you.”

“Listen, kid,” Mic started as he gathered his own stuff. “You know pulling shit like, trying to ignore it, is just gonna make things harder for you?”

“I-it’s just...really lame. And...embarrassing.”

“Nah nah you frying your brain is embarrassing,” Mic barked out a laugh at the glare Kaminari gave him. “This...this is just, part of you.”

“I...guess...um…could we, NOT tell anyone about this?”

“Gonna need ta let Tall Might know.” How much did this kid know about having dyslexia?

“I mean...like the other kids.”

Mic sighed, alright good guess he knows a lot with that remark. At least, all the negative aspects of having it at least. “Sure kid, ya want it on the down low, sure I can do that.”

“T-thank you, Mic-san.”

--

Shouta let out a frustrated sound.

“Gonna talk now?” Nemuri asked with a teasing smile.

He huffed...but couldn’t stop himself. “He’s-he’s just-just...he’s...nice. He helps out so much. He helps at the food pantry. At the homeless and animal shelters. He gives piano lessons at the orphanage, h-he risked his life because he couldn’t use his Quirk!”

“Because he knew that he can’t direct it...let alone what that would have meant for all those places if word got out of who he was. And what would happen to U.A. too,” Nemuri added.

“Exactly! H-he...he wanted the school’s safety too,” Shouta agreed as he threw his hands up. “And my kids love him! He knows how to talk to them. They go to him when there’s...personal stuff that I...I just suck with.”

Nemuri nodded. “Even some of Kan’s kids are going to him too.”

Shouta threw an arm over his eyes as he bit his lip. Goddammit. Just...fucking goddammit! “He’s loud...obnoxious...and even though he’s smart he does dumb shit all the time too,” Shouta choked out.

“Oh Shouta,” Nemuri cooed. She can’t recall the last time he actually cried. Not even after the USJ, or the attack on the training camp.

“He..he risked his safety for my kids...he can’t go anywhere now. Villains hate him, heroes do too--but he just! He just keeps going! I...I can’t--”

Maybe, Emi was onto something. “When did you start liking him this much Shouta?” Nemuri asked.

“I...I don’t…”

“Shouta, dear, don’t lie to yourself.” “I-I’m...I’m not!” Shouta denied.

“Uh-huh,” Nemuri sighed.

“I don’t...like him…” He didn’t like him. He definitely didn’t hate him, but he didn’t like him. He lo--oh fuck.

Oh no.

No…

Nonononono!

“Shouta?” Nemuri asked, the Eraser hero falling quiet. She felt him shake a little. He moved his arm from his face, so he could dig his hand in his hair.

“Shit! I-Nemuri-I! I…Oh God!” He couldn’t breathe. The realization struck him so hard he just couldn’t!

“Shouta! Shouta, calm down, breathe!”

‘Breathe, Eraser,’ He could hear Mic’s voice repeat in his head. Tears stung his eyes as he choked on his next words.

“I...think...I think I love him…”

It was quite between them. Shouta’s breathes were still coming out ragged.

“Oh Shouta honey…” Nemuri whispered as the Eraser hero covers his mouth to stifle any sounds coming from him. She frowned; how did Emi see this before any of them?

--

Kaminari sighed as he looked over the worksheet as he sat on the couch in the main area of the common room. He had to admit it WAS easier to read this time.

“What are we working on today?”

Kaminari jumped. “Oh um Hey Aoy--um, Yu-chan,” he corrected himself when he saw how they’re dressed right now; long shirtdress belted at the waist and obnoxiously shiny silver leggings. Must’ve changed right after classes. “Ah the...English stuff from today.”

“Ah Yama-san is letting you redo it?” They asked as the took an open spot by him.

“Y-yeah…” Kaminari hesitated and tried to hide the worksheet. He didn’t want to explia--

“Hey Denki!”

Fuck. “Hey Hanta,” Kaminari sighed.

Sero leaned over the back of the couch, arms draping over Aoyama. “And hey there too Yu-chan. What’s up?”

“Nothing, I...I think I’m heading to my room,” the electric user said as he gathered his things, the worksheet slipping. He choked and tried to make a dive for it, only for Sero to shoot out a length of tape, catching it, and pulling it to him.

“Hey neat, what’s with the highlighter?” Sero asked as he looked over it.

“I think blue would have been easier on the eye,” Aoyama said as the nodded their head agreeing with themself.

“I-it’s nothing! Give that back,” Kaminari snapped.

“Whoa whoa alright, here,” Sero sighed. “I don’t see what has you so worked up though. I mean can you turn that in looking like that? We’re told no additional mark--”

“I’M DYSLEXIC OKAY! J-just leave me alone,” he shouted as he took off.

“Ah Denki! Wait,” Sero chased after as Aoyama got up from the couch.

Kaminari ran all the way to his room and slammed the door, pressing his back up against it.

“Denki, come on!” Sero knocked. “Open up! What’s the big deal?”

“I’m suppose to be cool! Learning disabilities are lame! A-and some think their just...gross and--”

“Who the hell thinks that!?” Sero exclaimed. “Sorry but seriously whoever thinks that is an asshole.”

“It’s true!” Kaminari shouted through his closed door. “Shit I remember in elementary school and even in middle school guys just picking on kids who had them! There was no WAY I was going to come out and say I was.”

“So you thought it would just be easier to have everyone think you are dumb?”

“Shut up Yu-chan it worked!”

Aoyama smirked at the admission, as Sero snickered a bit.

“Denki come on...it’s not that bad.”

“It TOTALLY is Hanta!”

“Sounds like you’re just not wanting to try,” the tape user huffed. “Listen I don’t get the deal with you, but, seriously...Denki, it’s not the end of the world. So you mix up letters and stuff, that’s not going to make people look at you differently.”

“Maybe.”

“Yu-chan shut up,” Sero hissed as the blonde giggled.

“Well, he’s using it as a way to be lazy and not try. Here I thought that he was just, you know...an airhead,” Aoyama shrugged. “I’m sure he’d be doing better if his...ah, ego is it, wasnt’ in the way.”

“It’s not my ego!” Kaminari argued.

“It’s so your ego,” the two said in unison.

“Shut up!”

“What’s going on out here now?”

“Yama-san!” Aoyama smiled.

“Hey Shining Girl, Spiderboy,” Mic waved. “What’s going on?”

“Denki’s just being over dramatic,” Sero sighed.

“SparkPlug? What’s going on?”

“This is your fault! You and the stupid worksheet!”

Mic blinked and sighed. “...how much research have you done on it SparkPlug?”

“I...why should I tell you?!”

The Voice villain sighed as he looked up at the ceiling inwardly praying to whatever was out there to give him strength. “Because those numbers scared you maybe?”

“Numbers?” Sero asked.

“Ya know, fucking  statistics? Hell, they state that 35%  of high school dropouts are dyslexic,” Mic stated. “Fucking 50% of teens in some sorta rehab is dyslexic? Shit,60% reported juvenile delinquents have it!”

“...it’s 70% now,” Kaminari corrected so quietly, that it almost wasn’t heard behind the door.

"Not ta mention dyslexics just feel ashamed because they are fucking stuck with this stigma that they're lazy or just dumb or just don't try hard enough. And they just buy inta it because they’re already labeled.”

“Dude...bro, you really think about yourself?” Sero asked. There was no answer. “Denki! Dude you’re so not like that! I mean...you kinda are but like do ya wanna be like that?”

“No! I-Why would I!?”

“Besides the fact that you ARE acting like it?” Aoyama pointed out.

There was silence on the other side of the door for a few moments. Then it slowly opened, and Kaminari was blushing. “...you don’t...think I’m...dumb or gross...right?”

“Dumb yes, but no for being dyslexic,” Sero smiled softly.

“And quite the opposite of gross, I ALMOST would saw dazzling, but that’s me.”

“So...Sparkplug, you gonna try on that homework now?” Mic asked.

Kaminari nodded some. “Y-yeah...t-thanks, um...Y-Yama-san.”

Mic blinked as he blushed a bit. Wasn’t he calling him Mic-san earlier? What gives?

--

Shouta sighed as he finally pulled himself out of his bed. Nemuri left a few hours ago, and he dozed off. Slowly he climbed out of bed. Maybe he could make himself some tea. Clear his head a bit.

He blushed slightly, the confession he made still fresh in his head.

Quietly he made his way to the kitchen. It was dark and really hard to see…

Ah wait when did he last up his eye drops in?

He fumbled and dug into his hoodie’s pouch to see if they didn’t end up falling out while he was laying down. Fingers brushing the little bottle, he grabbed it and pulled it out.

Fuck, he really couldn’t see like this.

“Eraser?”

Shouta froze. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…

Mic coughed a little. “So um...e-everything alright?”

He didn’t answer. H-he needed to get away. He needed to go. Now!

When Shouta turned around he didn’t expect to bump right into the blonde. He jumped back a bit. Shit when did he get so quiet!?

“Holy fuck,” Mic said softly as he gently cupped Shouta’s face. “Shit, your eyes look really bad...like worse than usual.”

“I-it’s...fine,” the hero managed to get out. ‘His hands...are pretty warm…’

“Gimme those,” Mic huffed as he dropped one hand from Shouta’s face to take the eyedrops from the hero’s limp hold. “Tilt your head back, yeah like that.” The other hand stayed gently guiding the Eraser hero’s head back.

Shouta’s heart was racing. Too close...too close!

Or...was it, not close enough?

He gasped a bit when the first drop took him by surprise. Mic couldn’t suppress the small giggle as he proceeded with the other eye.  “There. Betcha that feels a lot better now.” The blonde set the bottle back into Shouta’s hand as he pulled away.

Shouta blinked a few times, and the blonde came a bit more into focus. He was...smiling. That warm smile.

He ran, pushing the blonde aside. Leaving the other stunned.

Mic watched as the hero...his hero ran out. H-he looked...he looked like he was afraid. Afraid of…

Him.

W-what did he do?

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

A/N: Allow me to just put my grubby lil dyslexic mitts all over Kaminari cause I can mawahaha. Also Tactile!Sero...I want it as a thing GDit.

But in all seriousness I just always pictured Kaminari like this. He's well-read and fairly articulate for being the "dumb kid".

TEDxTalks has this amazing video that talks about how an adolescent with dyslexia can end up viewing themselves and form how they act socially

[n3rdlif343va]

Chasing Gold Zine Promo Ficlet # 2

Ficlet number 2 in my AU for the @yoichasinggoldzine!! Please follow the blog to keep up on all the latest ordering news!

The first ficlet in the series is available on Tumblr here or you can follow the whole series on Ao3 Nerd's Chasing Gold Zine Story 

The first time Minami met Yuuri Katsuki he waited in line for forty minutes, his eight year old body twitching in excitement as his mother attempted to calm his nervous bouncing. Other children had stared as Minami clutched his favorite picture of Yuuri, a pen tucked into his left hand with its unmoving fingers. The metal joints of his left leg creaked as he bounced, ignoring everyone around him and focusing on his hero at the end of the line.

When he was finally motioned forward, Minami had rushed to Yuuri’s side, declaring he would be just like the famous triathlete someday. He heard the anxious hiss of his mother’s breath, a sound she always made when Minami talked about becoming an athlete, but he remained focused on his hero as Yuuri knelt beside him.

“Well, if you are going to grow up like me, you are going to need lots of practice and a really good bike,��� softly Yuuri slipped the pen from Minami’s prosthetic hand, accepting the offered picture with a slight chuckle.

“I like to run!” Minami announced, leaning closer to Yuuri to watch him scroll his signature at the bottom of the picture. “But I don’t have a bike,” biting his lip he glanced at his mom, seeing her shake her head slightly. “Mom says bikes for me are really expensive, so I am saving up to buy one.” He was proud of the small bucket of coins and bills that he had collected over the past few months, puffing out his chest to prove he was serious.

“I saved up for my first bike too,” Yuuri capped the pen, tucking it into the front pocket of Minami’s shirt. “I still have it actually.” He moved to stand up at the direction of the photographer, when he was stopped by a hand on his arm.

He would never remember what spurred him to say it, but Minami blurted, “kids make fun of me, you know.” Shuffling his feet, Minami stared at the ground. He had counted down the days until he got to meet Yuuri face-to-face and now he was going to cry in front of his hero. Swallowing hard, Minami continued to bore holes into his feet with his gaze. “They say I can’t do a lot of things, but I know I can.” His breath hitched. His brain wanted to ask Yuuri for advice, but he couldn’t get the words out.

Sitting back on his heels, Yuuri sighed. “Kids used to make fun of me too.” Pausing, Yuuri nodded with a sympathetic smile when Minami looked at him. “They said I was too chubby to be a runner. They told me I would sink like a rock in the water.” A blush crept over Yuuri’s face as Minami watched him intently. “You know what I told them?” Waiting until Minami shook his head, Yuuri smiled. “I told them I was Kirby. And I was going to suck up all their insults and use them to become stronger.”

Minami clamped his hands over his mouth as the giggles escaped. He wanted to be confident like Yuuri but he didn’t know how. Through his shocked giggles, Minami asked, “what can I tell them I am?” Rotating his wrist, Minami looked sadly at his hand, letting it drop to his side with a thud against his leg.

Thinking about it with a finger over his lips, Yuuri broke into a grin. Sliding his phone from his pocket, Yuuri’s fingers flew over it, turning the screen to show a screen of images to Minami. “Tell them you’re a cyborg.” Using his index finger, Yuuri clicked on one of the pictures. “See this guy? He’s my favorite. He is a pirate cyborg. He can sword fight and cook and pilot space boats!”

Squinting at the picture, Minami shook his head. “They all kind of look like bad guys.”

“Well, looks can be deceiving,” Yuuri locked his phone and put it back in his pocket. “Just because someone looks different, doesn't mean they're bad, right? You can be a good guy cyborg with lots of talents.” Pushing up from the ground, Yuuri patted Minami on the shoulder. “If anyone makes fun of you, tell them you are a cyborg on a mission to collect gold medals.”

“I can do that!” Minami shouted, throwing his arms around Yuuri’s waist. “Thank you, Katsuki Yuuri! You’re my hero!” Turning to smile at the cameras, Minami continued to hang from Yuuri’s waist until his mother pulled him away.

“Ah, wait,” Yuuri took a step toward Minami and his mom, “can I ask why you chose that picture?” Pointing a finger toward the picture in Minami’s hands, Yuuri looked nervously at the little boy.

Smiling down at the picture of Yuuri rolling out of a fall and back onto his feet in the middle of a race, Minami took a deep breath. “Because you fell down. You fell down, but you got right back up and you still won the race. It reminds me to always get back up.” Feeling his mom tug his arm, Minami waved at Yuuri as he was pulled away, leaving Yuuri to stare speechless behind him.

The second time Minami saw Yuuri Katsuki in person, his hero was standing outside of his school, next to his mother. Minami had sprinted away from his friends, running as fast as his mismatched legs could carry him. He stopped short when he noticed the bike leaning against Yuuri’s leg. Lifting a shaky hand, Minami gingerly touched the modified handle bars, glancing up at Yuuri in confusion.

“This was my first bike,” Yuuri explained, lifting the metal frame to spin it around. On the left side of the bike was a specialized pedal, the kind that Minami had been circling in magazines at his doctor’s office for two years. “I had to contact a few different people, but I had it fixed up for you. New tires, special parts, it’s all set. Now all you have to do is learn to ride it.” Yuuri’s laughter burst out of him as Minami dived into his arms.

Tears streamed down Minami’s face as he buried it against Yuuri’s waist. He had been saving up to buy a bike, but it had grown harder to convince his neighbors that he was capable of performing chores for money. They had taken one look at his hand or at his leg, offering to give him the money instead of making him earn it. Minami didn’t want pity so he never accepted any of it.

The bike from Yuuri didn’t feel the same way. As Yuuri helped him take a seat, hand firmly gripping at the back of the bike, Minami didn’t feel even an ounce of condescending judgment. Yuuri’s instructions were concise and helpful without the patronizing tone that Minami’s gym teacher liked to use.

His first ride home, flanked by Yuuri on one side and his mother on the other, was wobbly and resulted in a heavy line of sweat across Minami’s brow. Every ride after that was an improvement, and he had weekly phone calls with Yuuri to update him on his progress. Even on the coldest days, Minami happily rode his bike to school, smiling as his peers rode beside him. It was his first step towards being exactly like Yuuri Katsuki and Minami loved every second of it, even the seconds spent patching scrapes and scratches from tumbles onto the ground. Just like Yuuri, he always got back up and kept going.

Now, that same teenager Minami had looked up to had become the man who ran beside him as his coach. Their relationship had started that day in the meet-and-greet line and had continued to be a staple in Minami’s life throughout every major life event. Yuuri had attended Minami’s graduation and had been there when Minami signed with his first coach.

It was Yuuri’s abrupt retirement after the last summer Olympics that had encouraged Minami to reach out. While he never asked Yuuri why he retired, Minami did ask the most important question on his mind. Thus, from thousands of miles away, Yuuri Katsuki became Minami’s coach and together they were preparing for Minami’s first appearance at the Paralympics.

Nudging Yuuri as they jogged, Minami motioned towards his watch and nodded back toward the training facility. With his own nod, Yuuri changed direction in stride with Minami to head back to the building on the hill. It was a light practice day, as they had a more important activity for that afternoon. With another nudge, Minami took off at a sprint, challenging his coach to a silent race as they tore off back to the locker room.

Ever the efficient team, Yuuri and Minami worked to hand out drawstring bags to all of the children gathered outside of the training facility doors. Each bag contained items from Minami’s sponsors. He never kept more than he could use himself, getting permission from each sponsor to pass the goods onto the children of the Katsuki & Kenjirou Kids. Every week, Minami and Yuuri would pack a new set of bags, and every week their group of children with a wide range of disabilities would gather for a mile ride around the training park. It was Minami’s favorite day of the week and he knew without asking that his coach felt the same way.

“Are we ready to ride?” Minami yelled, pumping his fist in the air as the children behind him cheered. Next to him, Yuuri laughed, raising his own fist to mimic Minami’s. Behind them, the fleet of K&K Kids were ready for their weekly ride, cheering as they set off down the path on varying forms of modified bikes.

Smiling back at his coach, Minami set a steady pace, listening to the happy chatter of the kids all around him. Of all the lessons Yuuri had taught him, the most important was to look beyond himself to see the difference he could make in the world.

What Minami didn’t know was that he had taught Yuuri this lesson first, on the day they first met, when Yuuri learned the true definition of being a hero.

[writingwithadinosaur]

“Fireproof” - Epilogue Pt. 2 (Finale)

“Fireproof” - Epilogue Part 2 (Finale)

( Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Epilogue Pt 1 )

My Masterlist - Here

My Tag List - Here

Eggsy Unwin x Reader

Word Count: 2,432

Key: Y/N = Your Name, Y/L/N = Your Last Name, H/C = Your Hair Color, E/C = Your Eye Color

Warnings: Injuries, Cursing, I think that may be it. If I missed anything, please let me know.

Summary: After a genetic mutation showed itself about 5 years ago, you became a Kingsman and worked alongside some of the best agents: Your father, Merlin, Roxy, and Eggsy. When you are assigned a mission with Eggsy, things flare up.

Author’s Note: A 2 part epilogue? Is that even a thing? IT IS NOW! Hope you enjoy this final part of “Fireproof”!

Big shout out to the ever wonderful for @the-witching-hours12-3 being my beta and my friend who has been the one to keep me going through writing.

Thank you for your support and love throughout this story! I really enjoyed this story, I hope you did too!

If you would like to be tagged in any of my future pieces, check out my tag list above and let me know! And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

<3

- DreaSaurusREX

9AM - Your normal weekend alarm sounded.

You groaned as you reached for your phone to turn the noise off. As you felt yourself waking up more, you unlocked your phone and checked for any update from Eggsy. The last thing he sent was at around midnight your time (5AM theirs) saying that they were leaving London and heading to their mission. He still couldn’t tell you any details, so now you had to just play the waiting game with him. At least you had something to take your mind off of that worry for a bit: your trials.

Charles hadn’t told you when to show up, so you got ready early. You figured you would be best off in workout clothes: your favorite leggings, a school tank top, and your trainers. You knew that you wouldn’t be able to stomach much for breakfast thanks to your anxiety, but made your way to the kitchen anyway, knowing you at least needed to be around people. Being alone would definitely make things worse. You made a cup of tea and some toast so you had something in your system while you talked to Rogue in the kitchen.

Not even halfway through your tea, you got a message from Charles:

Come to the yard. It’s time.

You apologized to Rogue and had a little bit more of your tea before heading out. She understood and told you that she would be watching once she finishes her own breakfast.

“Wonderful. How big of an audience will I get? I guess we’ll find out. God I wish Eggsy or Dad were available right now. No. I can’t let that get to me. It's showtime!”

~~~~~~~~

Charles did not go easy on you, nor did Logan, Storm, or Scott.

At first, you were tested on hand to hand combat with Logan, without using your mutation. You both got a few good hits on each other in the 45 minutes that you sparred before Charles called for a five-minute break.

Then you moved on to the next task which was working with Storm and Scott on using your mutation for dodging, attacking, and protecting yourself. Sometimes it would just be one of them, but every so often, you had to face both of them at the same time. You came out with only a handful of cuts and bruises from slip-ups.

After another 5 minute break, Charles thought it would be good to have you fight all three of them. Not at once, but they would tag each other out and face you until Charles told them to switch. You didn’t know when they were going to switch or where the next one would come from because Charles communicated through everyone’s thoughts. Every so often, you would get two of them at the same time instead of just one-on-one.

During all three of these trials, Charles would chime into your head and try to throw you off. Making you use the mental skills that he’d been teaching you from the beginning. You were able to shut him out 99% of the time. The reason you had a few cuts and bruises were from the 1% of the time where his comments made you lose focus and you messed up.

At one point, you were fighting Logan and you were starting to feel every muscle in your body screaming in pain. You weren’t ready for one of his punches and shot a flame at his arm to make him recoil. You saw how bad the burn looked once he patted the flame out.

“Oh my god! I--” You didn’t mean to hurt him. But then you saw the burn slowly fade back into his normal skin color. He was breathing heavy but didn’t look murderously angry.

“Don’t lose your focus, kid.” Logan went in for another punch when Charles spoke up to everyone.

“That’s enough for this section.” Logan, Storm, and Scott all took a breath while you just turned to face Charles and wait for his next (and hopefully last) set of instructions.

“Good. Good. We know you can fight with and without your powers. Now let's see how you handle hostage situations.”

You were prepared for the normal robotic dummies that symbolized enemies and innocents that you often used in training. Charles used these robots because he could easily control them and tell them how to move until they are taken out by a trainee or he disables them. While Charles made a vow not to let the robots kill anyone, they could leave some nasty injuries if he thought they were valid in the scenario.

When you turned around, you saw four robots holding hostages in different positions. But the hostages weren’t robots. It didn’t take long for you to recognize your father’s bald head, Roxy’s hair, or Eggsy’s face.

You did your best to take normal breaths even though your chest felt tight, remembering Roxy’s breathing techniques that she taught you when you were still back home. Assessing the situation, you planned out the best way to go about this rescue.

Merlin was being held all the way to the left with a knife to his throat, Eggsy was on his knees in the middle with a gun pointed to his head, and Roxy was accompanied by two robots all the way to the right, ready to break her in half.

“Remember your training! Just--” Merlin knew you were nervous and was just trying to help, but that help earned him a mechanical knee to his gut, causing him to bend a bit in pain. The robot that was holding him wasn’t watching you.

You took this opportunity to surprise not only that one but also the one that was holding Eggsy. Those two were the most dangerous because they had weapons. You quickly raised your hand to shoot bullets of fire at their hands, causing them to drop their weapons. You ran up and started fighting one while working on setting the other on fire.

“Go! Now!,” you yelled to Eggsy and Merlin. They started running off to the side and continued over to where the others were watching when Charles waved the two over to him, not allowing them to help you out in any way.

As you were fighting the animatronic that had your father, you picked up the knife from the ground and stabbed into the robot’s chest, causing it to fall and “die.” You quickly pulled the knife out of it and started to turn towards the other one.

Apparently, your flames were not as effective as you hoped they would have been. It was able to pick up its gun and shoot you. It got two shots in your dominant arm and your thigh. You have to take a step back and recover, creating a wall of fire between you and the robot. You quickly figured out how to ignore the pain and keep moving.

“C’mon, (Y/N/N). Let’s go. Kill these bastards so you can save your family!”

You tossed the knife to your nondominant hand and stood up straight. You walked through your wall of fire with a war cry, and plunged the knife deep into the robot’s chest, taking the gun from its hand as it joined the other on the ground.

The robot that was holding Roxy’s left side let go and moved to fight you. Not having the energy to do much more hand-to-hand, you quickly shot it in the head and watched as wires and computer innards flew out.

As that animatronic fell, you saw Roxy now on her knees with the last robot ready to snap her neck. You saw the fear in Roxy’s eyes. The only other time you had seen her scared was when she had to jump out of a plane for a mission. You felt Charles poking and prodding in your head.

“Aw. Look at that. How are you going to get little Roxy out of this one, eh? You’re so tired and weak, aren’t you? You probably can’t even save her because of how small and feeble you--”

You didn’t let him go any further. You knew he was wrong. Taking a second to focus your energy on the fire within you, you set both of the machine’s hands on fire, causing it to flinch and take a couple of steps away from Roxy.

“Rox! Move now!” She quickly skittered away as you held your focus the flames. Waiting until you knew Roxy was at a safe distance, you quickly pulled the flames away from the robot, aimed the gun and took the shot. A massive flaming bullet ripped through the air and cleanly decapitated the cyborg.

You stayed in place, watching the bot fall to its knees and then fully on the ground. The only sound that you could hear was your own breathing and some talking back behind you, no doubt Eggsy talking to Charles. All you could make out was Charles saying “Not yet.”

The trials were over. You knew that this was the last part, but you couldn’t move. Gun still aimed at where the animatronic head was. Slowly lowering the gun, you felt a presence behind you. You quickly snuffed out the leftover flames and took a few deep breaths and it really hit you: The trials are over. You fuckin did it!

A wave of relief crashed over you as you panned around, smiling, and saw all four of the robots on the ground and your family off to the side, both Kingsman and X-Men. Roxy was about eight feet behind you, watching you to make sure you didn’t need any immediate help. Your smile grew and tears started to form as you walked over to her and hugged her. You now felt the pain of the bullet wounds in your thigh and arm, but you didn’t care.

“Fuck! Rox! God are you okay?!” You were crying into her shoulder and you both hugged it out.

“I’m fine! But you! You’ve been shot!” She pulled away a bit to try to look at your wounds, but you fussed with her, trying to get her to not worry about you.

“Now? Please?!” Eggsy asked Charles, worry painted all over his face. Charles nodded his head and as soon as he started to move his head, Eggsy raced towards you.

You were still talking with Roxy when you heard pounding footsteps quickly approaching and looked up in enough time to let go of Roxy and get ready for the crash that was Eggsy. And boy did he crash into you. It hurt like a bitch, but you didn’t give a shit. You were in his arms and everyone was safe. You pressed your face into his neck and let out sobs of relief as he held you tighter.

“I told you I would talk to you after the trials, sweetheart.” You could feel him smirk as he said that. Playfully hitting him, you both laughed a bit. He pulled away and you got hit with the memory of him being hit by one of the training dummies. You instantly started checking his face

“Oh my god, are you okay? I’m so sorry! I didn’t know Charles would have you--” Before you could get much further into your apology, Eggsy shut you up the best way he knew how: by kissing the shit out of you.

“Are you taking the fucking piss?! You just fought for hours and then got shot. Twice!”

Then it was his turn to start fussing and trying to look at your wounds. He didn’t get too far before you hear a very familiar Scottish accent from behind Eggsy.

“That was fuckin’ spectacular, dearie!” Eggsy turned around and let you go, allowing you to painfully take a few steps and embrace your father. You didn’t too far without him going into “protective father” mode. “You gotta get those looked at right now or else it’ll get worse! C’mon!”

You saw Charles, Logan, Scott, and Storm walking towards you. They all had smiles on their faces, except for Logan, but that wasn’t new.

“Just wait. I need to hear how I did from Charles.” You tried to walk towards them but stumbled, feeling every injury you’d gotten from the past couple of hours. Within a second, both your father and Eggsy helped hold you up, trying to take as much weight off of your leg as possible. The X-Men came closer, you could see how proud they were.

“Very well done, (Y/N). Only a few have been able to handle these tasks as well as you have. Those few are what make up our team.” You knew where he was going with this. But you had told him before that if you had to choose one team to be on, you were going to go back to Kingsman.

“We have all discussed this and come to an agreement. We believe that, after you finish your first year here, you can go home and continue to be a part of Kingsman. You are also welcomed not only to come back and continue your education, but also your training.”

What Charles said had clicked in your head, but you still couldn’t believe it. “Is he saying what I think he’s saying?!” Before you could think too much, Logan spoke up, shocking you as a small smile formed on his face.

“You got a spot on this team too, kid. If you want it. You are already part of the family, this just makes it official.” Charles looked at Logan with a bit of surprise but then faced you again. You were smiling like an idiot.

“We can go over the logistics during lunch this afternoon. For now, head to the infirmary and have Hank look you over, then celebrate with your loved ones.” Charles turned his focus to Eggsy, Merlin, and Roxy now. “We have a marvelous lunch planned out in a couple of hours. All of you are invited. Thank you for coming and agreeing to help with these events today. Congratulations again, (Y/N).”

With that, Charles wheeled away while you quickly hugged the other members of your American family. Turning back around to your London family, you couldn’t help but let a few tears of relief flow, earning more hugs from them.

You weren’t exactly sure how you’d gotten thrown into this life of a mutant, but you couldn’t have asked for better support. You were excited to see where this new addition to your life would take you.

Tags - @the-witching-hours12-3 @theeactress @undersoilxnddirt @juggernaut-jones @eggsyunwinftw @boundtomyfate  @grippleback-galaxy @sarahp879 @breakfastatswarovski @fandomsandwriting @thomasstanleyhoelland @thebookisbtr @white-chocolate-mocha-fan @melconnor2007 @ashenfallsof

[lncw-blog]

The Crooked Government: Social Security Disability

           It has long been a fact that the various departments of the U.S. Government have been corrupted, and actually harm the citizens more than helping it – this is evident in the fact that the 16th amendment and the Federal Reserve Act actually were passed, but today my focus isn’t on these or the Internal Revenue Service. Today, my focus lies on Social Security Disability and mistreatment of citizens by this organization. It is perhaps easiest to simply relate my story in regards to this organization and my personal experience in order to help others gain a view of the way this agency is destroying lives.

           It started in January of 2013. I was in a car accident and my calcaneus was shattered. I couldn’t walk, even worse, I couldn’t even stand up straight when my foot wasn’t touching the ground, because by standing up blood rushes to one’s feet, and the pain caused by this was like someone slamming concrete blocks on my foot over and over again. It was excruciating, but in addition to this, parts of my foot were paralyzed. I could not move my toes or bend my foot, or do many of the things we take for granted every day. Even taking a shower became a complicated task as I was told I could not get my foot wet. The doctor’s assistant was overheard saying that she did not think I was going to ever walk again. One thing was for certain, my life would never be the same.

           About 6 or 7 months into the surgeries and rehabilitation therapies, I applied for Social Security Disability. I was sent form after form to fill out and told to mail them back to them. At one point, I received notice that they needed supplemental information before approving my disability and I had just a few days to get that information to them from when I received the notification. I filled out the paperwork immediately, and mailed it to them and waited to find out if I would be approved. The same day I mailed the supplemental information to the Social Security Disability Office, was the day they rejected my claim. I received a letter dated that it had been mailed that very same day. I was disheartened. I couldn’t work and was running out of money, living on pennies and about to be out on the street. That is when I learned that they had denied my cousin, who was a teenager at the time, a cancer survivor and an amputee. They informed him that he did not meet the eligibility under their guidelines for disability – the same thing they told me.

           So, as it goes, Social Security Disability is generally known for denying everyone the first time they apply – amputee or not. I decided to write them a letter disputing their decision, and informing them that I was aware that they denied my claim without reviewing all of the relevant information, and that when the case came before the judge that I would be sure to mention this issue. Suddenly, I was approved for disability. Suddenly, a year and three months after my accident. I also, they said, would be qualified to receive Medicaid for the remainder of my life due to the nature of my injury, and if I wanted to go to work at some future time that I could go to work. At this point I had lived on my brother’s broken couch in his tiny apartment for just over a year.

           But, some good news came. My brother was accepted to Yale University. I had to forge out on my own again, and the disability check was not quite enough to eat and pay rent somewhere, so I had to start working. At first I was part time, but a hospital visit that did not get covered by my Medicaid would soon change this. I found out when a hospital visit did not get covered that they had taken my Medicaid away from me. I reapplied, and was told to watch the Florida Access website to see any updates, and that it would eventually be reinstated. It never was, but further, all the paperwork I filled out to get it reinstated and handed in, in person, just vanished. It disappeared and allegedly there was no record of its ever having existed.

           Still, I needed to see doctors, both for issues related to my foot and for other health issues. Trying to figure out what to do about this situation, I went in person to the Social Security Disability Office in Tampa, Florida and asked them about working. They informed me in that office that I could work. I could make $1,800 a month in addition to my Social Security Disability. This sounded wonderful to me, because in all my years of working full time I never made that much with the exception of 2006, where part of the year, working 80 hours a week, I made a bit more than that after taxes. Also, returning to work full time would allow me to get the insurance I needed to once again see the doctors that I needed to see. This was the important part for me as it was a matter of my health. I made contact with an old boss who made accommodations for me and created a mostly sit down job that was not previously in his payroll.

           Returning to work full time, I thought little else of it, as I never made more than the amount that the Social Security Disability Office informed me that I was allowed to make. Then early 2017 came. I am in a cheap run-down apartment because rent has increased so much in the Tampa area, and this only following a brief homelessness of a few months, when I get the letter from Social Security Disability, claiming that because I am working full time I was no longer eligible for disability and have to pay nearly the entire amount back: $20,000 in 30 days. This prompted a new visit to the SSD Office in Tampa, and me explaining that I never made over what they told me I was allowed, and that I had no choice but to work because of them taking away my Medicaid. There response: “$1,800 is only the amount for blind people, I don’t know who told you that, but you are not blind are you?” My response: No, but that does not change the fact that I was misled by your office.

           So now, it is almost a year later. I am getting bills from them. I have filed a plea to have a meeting with them so that I will not have to pay it back. Essentially, I paid into this system my whole adult life, often from incomes from two jobs, and when I needed it they used it to hurt me. After 3 months of not hearing back from my initial filing of the plea, I went back to the Tampa Office and was told there was no record that I ever filled out any such paperwork and that I have to fill it out again, and collect all current documents pertaining to my situation anew. While in the process of doing this, I received a letter that they received my plea and will be setting up an appointment for me to come make my case. I waited, and waited, and waited, and received another bill for repayment as well as one that claims they are increasing the amount of my SSD checks – this must be the checks that I no longer receive.

           Finally, one day out of nowhere I get a call and am told that they have my appointment for the next week. I go to the appointment location and it is a doctor’s office. A doctor that works with disability and generates nearly all of his business by doing so. It is not the appointment they told me I would get, and it is not to make my case about why I should not have to pay them back, but rather it is so the doctor can make a case that I do not need disability. Sure, he asked my relevant questions, but then only recorded half answers.

Doctor:           “Do you experience any pain here and does it prevent you from working?”

Me:                  “I experience pain every day, but have had to push through it to survive.”

Doctor’s Notation: Patient is able to work a full time job.

The next letter I got from disability was to inform me that they no longer consider me disabled.

           A few months have gone by again, and now I just received a new letter to inform me that they have adjusted the amount I owe, and added $3,000 to the total, and that they have explained this in a previous letter which they sent me, and which of course they did not. Now I am contacting attorneys, all of which pretty much tell me the same thing, that it is a losing case, but that if I want to hire them to fight it there will be a $3,000 or more retainer, plus any other fees. I don’t have it. I imagine soon, Social Security Disability will begin garnishing my wages and I will be left homeless, unable to pay my rent. Because I was once the young naïve man that believed our government to be just and because I believed in the programs it offered to help the down trodden, not yet realizing that these programs are in fact there not to help the down trodden, but to trod them down further!

           At the time I am writing this, I do not know what will become of me. I do not know that I will be able to survive another year with the weight of the government bearing down on me and ready to heartlessly devour me at every turn. Am I angry? You bet I am. Just tonight I was yelling into the wind, “Fuck Social Security!” Did it do me any good? Probably not.

           Tonight, I will probably go to bed, wishing I could still cry at how my life was ruined, first by an accident, and then by a greedy government that discards its own citizens and tramples their rights. I will go to bed realizing that I will never be able to qualify for the best jobs in my field because of an injury, and never be able to pay this fictitious debt our government now says I owe. I will never be able to support a family, and my life actually ended in January of 2013.

          Did I mention, I had decided to go back to school about a year before the accident. The student loans by themselves where able to be managed, but when combined with what Social Security Disability is doing to me, I will die in debt one day, at this rate, likely sooner than later.

��ۂ��

[that-kid-aura-blog]

Living with both Anxiety and Depression

I’ve had anxiety and depression for most of my life. As a kid, I found it nearly impossible to go to movies without having an anxiety attack beforehand or within the first few minutes of it starting. I’d become close friends with the nearest bathroom, almost crying sitting on the toilet as my stomach turned and my mind melted. Because of this I hated going out- no matter where we went I’d be nervous. I knew it wasn’t logical to be nervous; it was just a movie, or just a restaurant visit, but I’d still be sick nonetheless.

The depression was the worst though. No matter what I did, whether it was drawing a picture I was proud of, calling a friend, or listening to my favorite song, I’d always be upset. I’d feel unmotivated, unwilling to do things, even though I knew I had to. Procrastination was a favorite friend of mine even though it would constantly cause me harm. I was diagnosed by a therapist and prescribed medication, but it never helped and cost too much money, so I asked my parents to take me off it. Suicide, although I thought about it a lot, was never a true threat to me and I recognized that. Around age 12 I knew how to safely handle my sadness to where I wouldn’t be a danger to myself.

The worst stage of depression for me was when I realized that I needed help. It was when I discovered that my mom had breast cancer (another blog for another day) and it almost killed me, figuratively and literally. Seeing my mother in her “bear cave” caused me to form my own; all I wanted was to hide and try to forget the world. Nothing I’ve experienced in my lifetime has been as heartbreaking as watching my mom suffer, having no way to help her get better. My depression started as situational and stemmed into something more permanent in time.

Living with both anxiety and depression at the same time is one of the hardest things I have to deal with on a day to day basis. On one hand, my anxiety wants everything done asap for fear of it not being done on time. On the other, the depression tells me it doesn’t matter; why bother? It’s this constant fighting that I have to deal with in my head that really just drives me crazy and debate giving up with trying to cope with it. Doing things like writing and drawing are the only things that help me cope with it nowadays. It’s a combination of wanting to be both a perfectionist and procrastinator that really messes with your head. In the morning, it’s anxiety wanting to get up earlier to make sure I’m at school early enough to have time to get everything situated before the bell rings. With depression, it’s almost impossible to get out of bed in the first place. Everything that I do, from writing to drawing to acting to moving to breathing- anxiety and depression are always there, fighting it out for dominance. Luckily, (and it’s sad that I have to say luckily) anxiety usually wins with stuff like doing homework because of my fear of embarrassment and failure (another blog). 

Through writing these mini blogs I hope to get a lot off my chest and if possible, use this as a sort of medicine for my mental disabilities. Any comments are awesome and I don’t mind opposing viewpoints. Debates are good for the mind. Why state an opinion if you can’t back it up with evidence?

Expect an about me blog at some point. I don’t want to be some nameless, faceless writer on the internet.. I’m here to share personal experiences and maybe help others with their own issues. Writing is a creative outlet and for me, an escape. I’ll post prompts and such on here too because I think everyone could use help with writer’s block sometimes.

Catch you in the next update,

Ari <3

“Success is not the key to  Happiness, Happiness is the key to Success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

                                                     - Buddha

[onlyonecanbeking]

Hello Dark. I, um... I deal with depression and can't really get away from the source since it's at home. I try to drown it out with music and various other hobbies but it doesn't always work... Do you have any tips that could help me with dealing with depression?...Its starting to affected my grades at school...

Dark gave a slow nod, remaining surprisingly quiet and gentle despite his previous demeanor.

“There are many common symptoms associated with depression. An inability to enjoy activities you once loved, such as reading, playing video games, drawing, etc. Feelings of worthlessness, self-blame and a lack of self esteem. Pessimism, or feeling a sense that life is hopeless, pointless and futile. This may even lead to a feeling of numbness. The worse of all is thoughts about dying, or attempts at suicide.. But there are a few steps that can be taken to ensure mind health and self awareness.

1. Regain contact with your dark Figment. Some depression results from, or is a side effect of failing to listen to your subconscious thoughts or not meeting the emotional requirements of venting stress or anger or grief.

2. Research depression to get a full understanding. Learn what you can about depression. Supplementing your knowledge about your condition will enable you to overcome it. Knowledge is an important way to reassure yourself that depression is real, that it is a concern to be treated with seriousness, and that there are many ways to defeat it. A wider understanding of depression will help to allay some of your fears and worries. It will also give you many tools to try for yourself.

3. Try talk therapy. One of the most helpful solutions for your depression is meeting with a mental health therapist for psychotherapy, or your own Figments should you be willing to converse with them. There are a range of psychotherapy treatment options, and each therapist will have his/her own unique style. Your Figments are far more open to conversation when you have reached a low point and are ready to listen to their advice.. You will have the best chance of being successful in therapy if you feel comfortable.

4. Try alternative therapies or remedies. Investigate the potential of alternative therapies such as art therapy and acupuncture. In conjunction with other healing choices you’ve made, these can sometimes help restore your emotional balance.

5. Sleep Well. Sleep is essential to a healthy, balanced body. Lack of sleep can aggravate negative thinking and easily becomes a vicious cycle whereby your negative thoughts keep you awake and disable your ability to get enough sleep. Waking unrefreshed and feeling tired is a common complaint during depression, and even too much sleep can leave depressed persons feeling tired.

6. Exercise. A recent study showed exercise to be as effective as Zoloft (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or SSRI) in treating depression. Exercise releases a natural anti-depressant chemical in your brain and gets you into doing something active. Start small with a simple walk to the local store or around the block, or to your garden gate might be the way to begin. Gradually work up to a routine that fits with your needs and enjoyment.

7. Maintain a good support network. Support from people who love and care about you is an important part of the healing process. Tell people you trust that you’re depressed and would appreciate their understanding.. It is far harder for people to help you if you’re secretive and do things that seem inexplicably strange. Knowing will help people to make allowances and support you as best they can.

8. Keep occupied. Being busy is a way to prevent negative thoughts from going around your head repeatedly. For depressed persons, the first step is often the hardest, so making yourself do things can be a huge difference in your day and getting you started

9. Do fun things and treat yourself. Feeling down feeds on itself and it soon becomes a catch-22 when you convince yourself that you don’t deserve to enjoy anything. The antidote is to do things that you used to enjoy or that are fun for people around you — "one fun thing a day to keep the blues at bay.”

10. Change your thinking. As part of progressing, recognizing and defeating negative thinking patterns is a very important aspect to concentrate on. Cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, or other forms of psychological therapy are helpful when you’re unlearning negative thinking and establishing patterns of thinking that support your self-esteem and increase your self confidence.

11. Look for the good. Sit back and try to find the good in your life. Whatever it is, it is something worth finding. Return to this list regularly and continue to update it. In your initial recovery, it might have one or two things such as “my house” or “my spouse.” Over time, it should grow as you start to experience the more joyful side of life again.

12. Change the way you talk. Alter the language you use to help yourself look at things more positively. By saying “at least…,” this turns a negative into a positive. Other examples include rather than regretting something and feeling a failure, ask yourself, “What have I learned from this?”