#i started driving and forgot to post this and then saw that other unnamed people had already posted their comics

[hamsternamedmarinette]

Hello everyone, here is a comic. I drew this the way I draw all of my comics: with one person (me) and with a punchline planned from the start. Any other way to draw a comic would be very silly and would require me to tag people like @buggachat and @ladybeug if they were somehow in any way involved in the comic making process. Which they weren't. I drew this solo and by myself.

[zeppelin-and-unicorns]

15 and 18

15 - If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names?

Just answered that one here!

18 - Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Oh my God, I have so many!! Beware, this is going to be a very long answer. Click on the thingy to read more!

Last year, back when I first started writing fanfiction, I had a lot going on in my mind, and at one moment I had to choose which stories I would actually work on, and which ones I would have to drop it for now. There were five stories in total, and I dropped three of them.

Two of those five stories evolved and they became When The Levee Breaks and Map of the Problematique, the other three are still unnamed and undeveloped.

I'll give you the main summary of them, because why the hell not?

The first story is a pretty fluffy one, I've abandoned it because there are already a few stories like these in the fandom and because I got too invested writing my other stories. Also, a huge chunk of it is written in the first person, because I started writing it at the beginning of the last year, and I've learned that I don't really like writing in first person anymore... Writing WTLB is hard enough already lol.

This story would narrate the beginning of Jackie and Hyde's relationship while Donna and Kelso were still in California, but there are a few twists: Eric doesn't mope around in his room most of the time, and he develops a really nice friendship with Jackie (that friendship would turn into a small crush later), and Eric and Donna would not be endgame.

There's a lot going on at first, in this story, Hyde actually plans on "wooing" Jackie once he's sure she's over Kelso, they flirt a lot and he's aware that he's going to make a move on his best friend's ex. Jackie's also very interested in Hyde, but for a while, she thinks he'd never be interested in her.

Their flirting wouldn't last long though, I had planned on making them get together at the beginning of the story (I think it was in chapter five?), the rest of the story would narrate them hiding their relationship from their friends and how close they are getting to Eric and Fez.

I've planned on writing lots of sweet friendly moments between Jackie, Hyde, Eric, and Fez. In fact, there are quite a few scenes written out already, and in one of them they're all in a circle and it's the first time Eric realizes that Jackie's not as bitchy as he thought she was. Here's one of the circle scenes I've written:

"You know what?" Jackie announced, ignoring Fez's sobs and passing the joint to Hyde, thanking God that he was probably too high to notice how goosebumps rose all over her body when his fingers brushed against hers "I hope Michael gets syphilis from a random beach whore and goes blind."

"Odds are pretty good of that happening." Hyde nodded as he took another hit "Of him getting an STD, I'm not so sure about becoming blind, but I'm sure once he gets back to Wisconsin we can convince him to stare at the sun long enough for that to happen"

Eric snickered "Yeah... I hope Donna just... Never comes back, I hate her... Yeah..."

"No, you don't," Jackie said flatly to him "You'll probably marry her if she ever does come back."

Eric stared at Jackie for a few seconds before sighing dejectedly "... yeah, you're right..."

"But, hey, we can bash on Michael some more if you like, it's fun!"

"You're right, it is fun! " Eric nodded, smiling at the petite girl sitting next to him on the couch and wondering when did he start to actually enjoy her presence.

The whole google doc for this story has over 7k words of random dialogues and random moments I came up with. I'm not going to lie, it has potential, lots of it actually, but I don't have the time to work on it now.

The story would be overall a light read, it would've been M-rated because I did start to write a sex scene, but it would be overall something funny and cute. For example, one of my favorite moments is this one where Eric almost catches Hyde and Jackie:

"Oh my God…" Eric muttered in awe, glancing at the two very guilty-looking people sitting on the couch.

Hyde and Jackie exchanged a look, they were caught. Crap.

"Is this what I think it is?" Eric said

"Look, Eric…" Jackie started to explain, but stopped when she saw the huge grin forming on Eric's face. She looked at Hyde and apparently he was just as confused as she was.

"You're watching Star Wars!" Eric said in glee "You're geeks!"

"What?!" Hyde protested and looked at the TV, where he could clearly see Leia and Luke kissing on the bridge "We're not geeks, you're crazy"

"Steven, stop," Jackie said "Fine Eric, you caught us, we like Star Wars"

This story would end in a nice place, but... well, there would be a lot of changes.

Here's the thing, I was kind of really hating Kelso (and Donna too, a little bit) when I started writing this, so I chose to write something that might be a little weird for a few people. In this story, Donna and Kelso would have a fling in California, and Eric would catch them on the spot when he arrives to get Donna back.

It's not something Eric would be able to forgive. And even after a lot of talking, he wouldn't be able to get back together with Donna after seeing her with Kelso.

Coming back to Point Place, Eric would try to make a move on Jackie, he would kiss her for like, two seconds, and she would've pushed him away and blurted out that she's in love with Hyde. Hyde would arrive at the basement a few moments after that, and Eric would be completely freaking out. It's a funny scene lol.

Things would get messy for a while, but in the end, Jackie and Hyde would go public and have the happily ever after they deserve, Eric, Fez, Hyde, and Jackie would continue their friendship, Donna would move to California for good, and Kelso wouldn't hang out with them anymore.

There are a few stories that are somewhat similar to this one, like Summer Lovin' by leoasc, One Difference: Donna and Kelso Have a Fling by MistyMountainHop, OPERATION: REBOUND by ShanghaiLily, and there are probably a few more that I can't remember the names right now.

The second story is a heavy one, like, really heavy.

I got the idea of writing this story when I was watching a Grey’s Anatomy episode, so yeah, its a dramatic one lol.

The episode that inspired this story is the one where Richard is in between life and death, and Meredith is the one he chose as his next of kin. Which means that she’s the one the doctors report to, and she’s the one who decided how he was going to be treated. Meredith took some risky decisions and they’re literally the reason why Richard is alive.

I remember that when I saw this episode, I was also reading a fanfic... Being more specific, I was reading The Right Road Lost by zpplnchick, and an idea just popped into my mind... What if Jackie was the one with the memory loss? How would Hyde deal with that in a post s8 universe?

I know there are a few fics that deal with that subject, like Steven Who? by kezztip and Redemption Road by SkittlezLvr79, but believe me, my story would’ve been waaay different than these ones.

Here’s the main plot: Jackie and Hyde talk things out, and Hyde asks Jackie if she could ever take him back, promising her that he would never, ever give up on her again. She says no, because y’know, she’s a freaking self-respecting woman, but this talk would make her think, a lot, because she can see that he actually meant it every word, and she has never seen him this determined before.

As she was driving home, she would crash her car, and things would get pretty serious pretty quickly.

Her situation would be very critical, I planned on making Hyde suffer a lot in this, guys. I’m just downright cruel to him, because I believe that nothing would hurt him more than seeing the person he loves the most going through absolute hell.

Decisions would have to be made, and that’s when they find out that Jackie’s next of kin is no one other than Hyde. After her mother left her and her father went to prison, Jackie asked her father’s lawyer to provide her with a few papers that put Hyde in charge of her well-being if something ever happened to her. She forgot about it after they broke up, and well... She is going to be very thankful for that later.

Hyde’s shocked, but very pleased to find out that he’s responsible for her, especially since everyone seems to think that her death is inevitable and that they shouldn’t prolong her suffering.

After a very enlightening conversation with Mrs. Forman, Hyde decides that he’s not going to let anyone tell him what to do, and that he’s going to follow his gut.

The next few months would be complete hell, Jackie’s situation is very critical, she would go through a lot of complications and Hyde would’ve been a complete mess. He would watch quietly as Donna, Kelso and Fez stopped showing up to see Jackie, disgusted at how quickly they just gave up on her. He would listen as Donna rambled about how what he was doing to Jackie was torture, and that he must really hate her if he’s not willing to just let her go (which would end up causing a major fallout between Donna and Hyde), but he would never question his decisions. He just knew that he was doing the right thing, and no one but the Forman’s seemed to understand that. 

Hyde showed up to see her at the hospital every single day for months. The whole hospital staff knew him as “the Sleeping Beauty’s prince”, and he hardly ever left Jackie’s side.

After a few months, she wakes up, and he’s right next to her when that happens. It’s honestly a pretty touching scene, he’s just so happy and so relieved to see her awake after everything she went through, and they have a beautiful moment.

Seriously, I cried hard when I wrote that.

They would both cry, share “I love yous” and a few kisses, and it would’ve been beautiful, but the magic’s killed when Hyde realizes that Jackie thinks that they’re in 1978. She doesn't remember the nurse, the “get off my boyfriend” incident, Chicago or Sam. The last thing she remembers is him driving her home after they emptied her family’s ski cabin.

Hyde is divided between telling her the truth and losing her, or not telling her and being with her again.

He would let her think things were okay between them for a couple of days, until Eric shoves some sense into his head and he comes clean about everything. After telling her everything that happened, he also tells her that he loves her and he wants to be with her, but that he completely understands if she never wants to see his face again.

It’s safe to say that Jackie’s absolutely crushed. This breaks her, but she had the Forman’s by her side to help her go through everything, and Hyde also never leaves her. Sure, he gives her some space, but he doesn’t stop checking up on her, and slowly, they begin to form a nice friendship.

He takes her to her physical therapy appointments, and her doctors appointments, he helps her in every possible way he can, and she falls in love with him all over again.

The story would end with her making a full recovery and giving them another chance.

I've abandoned this story for three reasons, reason number one being: I was at a point where I really disliked Donna, and her character is not a nice person at all in this. Now that I understand Donna's character better, I refuse to publish a story where she behaves the way she did in this one. I could've changed her behavior, but the whole point of the story is "Hyde is the only one who hasn't given up", and having Donna acting like herself (nice and supportive) would kind of kill part of the plot.

Reason number two is: There’s already too much drama in Map of the Problematique, working on this story along with WTLB and my other WIP’s would drive me nuts.

And the last reason is... I didn’t know if people would like reading a story like this. I was afraid that some people might think that all of this determination is extremely OOC for Hyde, and I can kind of see why they would think this way. 

The third story would’ve been an angsty one, and I started writing it after I finished watching the first episode of season 6. You guys can probably already guess why I was inspired to write an angsty story after that episode...

Here’s the thing: I absolutely HATE the way Hyde treated Jackie in the first two episodes of season 6. I hate that he cheated on her and had the audacity to be offended that she didn’t take him back right away. I wanted to kick his ass for acting the way he did, it was truly disgusting of him and he did not deserve to be with her again after everything he’d done.

I do like that Kelso was the one that brought them back together, but the rest of that storyline is just... yuck. I truly hate it.

I wanted to fix that. I wanted to give Jackie a very girlboss moment, and I wanted to see Hyde groveling to get her back, so well... I came up with a story idea.

The story would be a short one, it would have 10 chapters, 15 if I got too inspired, and it would consist of Hyde groveling while Jackie didn’t give him the time of her day.

Sure, Jackie and Hyde would be endgame, because it’s me and I would never write a story without a happy ending, but Hyde would have to fight for it, a lot.

@snookstheallmighty is currently writing a story that is very similar to the one I was working on. It’s called “Friday I’ll Be Over You”, and it’s pretty great! You should totally check it out later! I’ve sent her a few parts of my story draft a while ago, and I gave her full permission to use it on her story!

I think this is pretty much it... I have plenty of story ideas and many, many google docs with random drafts and dialogues that popped up in my mind out of nowhere, but these are the ones I’ve fully abandoned and will probably never work on again.

[winters7soul]

Fictober 6 (Original Work)

Fictober 6: "that was impressive"

Original Work (This is How the World Ends)

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Mature language, weapons, guns, knives, mentions of killing unnamed characters offscreen

"That was impressive." Miki didn't jump. She was a trained mercenary and knew better than to look like she was surprised, so she didn't jump. But she did turn around very fast. Standing in the doorway behind her was Case, with that stupidly vibrant mask he liked to wear pushed up on his head. Not like it actually hid his identity if it was recognizable, but apparently he didn’t care. 

"Really, I'm serious. Most other people can't steal a kill from me." He was grinning while he said it, flipping one of his knives. Miki narrowed her eyes at him and started dismantling her sniper, without turning her back.

""You're never serious. Why are you here?"

"Well, since you took my target out, I figured I'd come up to see how you did with the rest of yours." So he could make her miss her shots?

"You aren't supposed to know where I'm posted." 

"Ah, Marcus can't keep any secrets from me. He doesn't even try anymore." Sounded about right. Everyone knew it was easier just to let Case have his way, he was less likely to stab someone that way. That he got away with that attitude had always been particularly frustrating to Miki. She decided not to engage him anymore, instead finishing packing her sniper away, maybe he would just get bored and go bug someone else. 

"I actually mean it though, you're a hell of a shot. I knew you were good, but I didn't realize you were better than me. Maybe I'm not so offended about Marcus telling you to double up on my targets." He was fishing, trying to find anything to stick, she knew this, but still.

"You should have a partner, going in without backup like that is a stupid way to get yourself killed." It was a challenge. She had said, I think you need a partner, but I always work alone and do just fine. It was probably stupid to challenge Case, he was still playing with his knife, but it felt nice to see his face go slack for a second as he registered the insult. But then he was grinning again just as widely as before. 

"Are you offering to be my partner, Miki? That's so nice of you! You know, maybe you're right. You seem amusing, I probably wouldn't get bored of you right away. Any other time I've had a partner it's always turned out so badly." Was that supposed to be a threat? Or condescending? She couldn't tell. Mind games were not her style. 

"I don't need a partner." Miki finally settled on, checking her watch, and brushing past Case into the hallway. He stepped back in surprise, probably thought she was weak, and surprised that she knocked him off balance. Most guys were, they saw 5'2 and female and didn't look any further. They forgot to account that she'd been doing this probably longer than they had and she was damn good at her job. Case recovered quickly and followed her down the hall. 

"I'm leaving."

"That's good, I need a ride out, mine definitely left without me." Case seemed unreasonably cheerful. It was grating. 

"Should have gone with it when you were supposed to."

"But this is so much more interesting." She glanced over her shoulder, unable to help the glare she threw at him. He didn't stop smiling.

"You make me want to strangle you." She saw Case nod, still smiling, before she turned her head back.

"I have that effect on people. Most of them are too afraid to tell me though."

"Pretty sure sniper beats knife, Case. I have nothing to be scared of."

"Except your gun is away and my knife is always here?" Was he actually asking her? Was he playing with her? 

"I'm not just good with a sniper."

"Want to spar when we get back?"  He sure didn't follow conversation cues well.

"No. Actually," Miki considered for a second, it actually might be nice to put him on the mat a couple of times. "Yeah, sure."

They reached Miki's car for the day and without hesitation Case walked around to the passenger side. She actually had been expecting him to insist on driving. Which she would have refused, but still, that she didn't have to was different. She gave him a look, but she unlocked his door and let him in. He had the mask down, thankfully, but she was positive he was grinning at her beneath it. 

"You're too happy." She said.

"Nah, you'll come to love it. It's my most charming feature."

"Oh really? I thought that was the knives." Case laughed and Miki grimaced a little. She hadn't meant to make a joke, she didn't want to be his friend for fucks sake. But, was he really any worse than any of the other assholes she worked with?

[emybain]

After Archenemies 3/?

In honor of not getting on Tumblr tomorrow, here is part 3 of whatever this is to anyone who liked the first two parts. In all honesty idk what this part is, and it might be a little soon for what follows, but I wasn't planning on making this fic long anyways so...yeah. Here is part 1 and here is part 2 if you care. feel free to check out my other works also! enjoy! warning: I dont really edit these that much, so please be kind if you see errors! this is also shorter than what I usually write, just fyi.

Edit: heck i forgot to post the links to the previous parts...ill do it later lmao

Nova’s communicator band had gone off three times in the past hour. She had taken it off and set it on her mattress after it first went off. She didn't need the distraction, especially if that distraction was Adrian Everhart.

“Why are you still staring at that thing?” Nova looked up to see Honey in the doorway of their shared room, leaning against the cracked door frame. She was examining her polished nails. “If you look at it any longer, the filthy Renegade will be able to turn back to normal.”

Nova pushed back the chair she was sitting on in front of Honey’s vanity where Danna’s butterfly was currently trapped. It remained immobile for the most part. When Nova would start to worry if it had died, it would crawl around its little prison. “Just thinking.” About her uncle. About how they would be able to free him from the Renegades. About Nightmare. About a certain Renegade boy.

She closed her eyes, feeling a headache forming at the base of her neck.

“Well, you can think and answer your little Renegade buddies.” Honey gestured towards the communicator band resting on top of a jewelry box. “That ringing is driving me nuts. I can hear it all the way downstairs.”

Nova rolled her eyes, but picked up the band nonetheless. “It’s only gone off three times, Honey. Don’t be so dramatic.”

“Me? Not dramatic?” Honey laughed, the sound like bells. “In your dreams, sweet girl.” She strutted into the room, reached over Nova, grabbed a magazine that was open on her vanity, and sauntered back out. Her perfume lingered, stronger than ever. Nova waved her hand in front of her face. Vintage fumes were the last thing she needed for her aching head.

Her communicator band went off again, and she heard Honey yelling from the first floor to shut it off before she did. Nova looked down at the device, scrolling through her notifications. The first one, nearly an hour ago, was from Adrian.

This is last minute, but we’re meeting in the HQ library in about 30 minutes, Let me know when you get here. It’s about Nightmare.

Nova froze. That couldn’t be good. This was it, she thought. They figured her out, and this was Adrian trying to lure her into a trap to arrest her.

Taking a deep breath, she checked the next message, which was sent twenty minutes after the first.

Nova? Are you busy? If not, please respond.

The third one was five minutes after the first.

Of course you’re busy. You would’ve responded by now. Ignore my last message.

The most recent text was sent two minutes ago.

Nova? We’re all here. You’re not dead or something, are you? Please tell me you aren’t because I would be really upset.

Nova snorted, shoulders relaxing in relief. She believed she was safe, for the time being. She bit her lip, thinking of a response.

Hey. Sorry. Turns out I’m pretty sick, and my uncle took anything that could distract me so I could rest.

Nova thought back to a few days before, when she had pretended to feel under the weather in order to have an excuse to leave the visit to Max. She couldn’t stand to be there any longer without being weighed down by the guilt. It was a believable lie. Besides, she didn’t have time to do detective work with Adrian on her secret identity, nor did she have the patience for it. The quicker she and the rest of the Anarchists figured out a way to free Ace, the sooner she could drop the ridiculous Renegade charade.

Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you want me to come by later to give you some company?

The smile that grew on Nova’s face was inevitable, along with the giddy spark in her stomach. She suppressed it though, and denied his offer, pushing away all thoughts of being able to curl up against Adrian while they did something as mundane as watching a movie.

No, thank you though. My uncle is pretty strict whenever I get sick and doesn’t like visitors. Maybe another time?

She received a response almost immediately.

Definitely! I hope you get to feeling better, Nova.

It was so sweet. Nova’s heart ached. Even though she wasn’t sick, she had a feeling she would feel better soon anyways.    

Thanks, Adrian.

Nova sent the text. She debated on whether or not to send something else. Something came to mind, and she immediately cringed. Then Ace’s words floated through her mind. Earn his affection.

Well.

With a defeated sigh, Nova reluctantly sent a text with a heart.

Sweet rot, her IQ just dropped by 20.

Downstairs, Honey started singing. Nova suspected she was cleaning; she tended to sing when fixing up the old house. Nova groaned. Honey wasn’t a terrible singer, but it did not mix well with Nova’s pounding head. Maybe she was actually getting sick.

Standing from the vanity, Nova brushed off her leggings. The butterfly was moving in its prison, crawling lazily along the side of the glass. Nova bent down to eye level with it. She could’ve sworn it made eye contact with her.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” she murmured. “Maybe in a different reality we’d be friends.” She meant it, much as she hated to admit it to herself. Danna was a lot like her; it was a shame they were too alike, for that’s what got Danna trapped in the first place.

Nova sighed and rose back up. She took off her communicator band, then reached for her coat lying on the bed and headed downstairs. Honey’s trilling voice grew louder. She was singing some song about the beauty of the southern countryside.

Leroy was seated in the dimly lit kitchen, surrounded by lab equipment. Nova saw the samples of Agent N she had snatched in the past few weeks. He nodded in Nova’s direction as form of greeting, too engulfed in his work. As Nova suspected, Honey was cleaning. She was standing on a towel on top of the counter, wiping a wet rag across the higher cabinets.

Nova cleared her throat. “I’m going for a walk. You guys need anything while I’m out?”

They both chorused a “No.” Nova nodded.

“I’ll be back, then.”

“Hey, Adrian...um… come check this out,” Ruby whispered hesitantly from the computer across his. Adrien looked up from his communicator band, the faint trace of a smile on his lips from Nova’s last text. The heart was unexpected, and frankly, not like Nova at all, but it radiated Adrien’s body in warmth. The concentrated set in Ruby’s eyes made the smile fade, however.

They were in the Renegade library and archives, doing research on Nightmare. Adrian had about five open tabs about her most recent sightings and activity. One of the tabs was an article discussing the identity of the Anarchist, but the information was of no use to Adrian.

He got out of his chair and walked around the table to stand behind Ruby. Next to her, Oscar leaned over, craning his neck to see the screen. There was an unopened file in front of Ruby.

“So I was thinking about what you told us, about Nightmare being Ace Anarchy’s niece?” Adrian nodded, and Ruby continued. “Well, his last name is Artino, correct?” Adrian nodded again. “I looked up the name, and well, I guess you should see for yourself.” She clicked on the file. It was a report from about ten years ago filed by his own dad, Hugh Everhart.

Four people found dead. David Artino: age 31. Tala Artino: age 30. Evie Artino: age 11 months. One unnamed man: age unknown. Suspected Anarchist or Roach affiliation.

Forensics confirm all deaths were a result of direct trauma from bullet wounds, without prodigy interference. Prints found on the gun matched both those of the unnamed man and also those of Alec Artino (alias: Ace Anarchy).

There is reason to suspect the deaths of the three family members were done as a killing for hire. The motive for the homicide remain under investigation. See the full report as filed by Hugh Everhart (Captain Chromium) here.

Additional notes: The eldest child, a six year old girl, was not found at the scene. Neighbors have reported no knowledge of her whereabouts. A report has been made to the Renegades missing persons unit.

Oscar whistled lowly. Ruby had highlighted the last paragraph. She was watching the two boys, lips pursed. Adrian read the report, over and over again. Something about it wasn’t right.

“Was the girl ever found?” Oscar asked. Ruby answered his question by opening another file. This one was a missing persons form, dated ten years ago. 

Name: Nova Jean Artino

Age: Six (6) years old

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Description: Black hair, blue eyes, parents were Italian and Filipino.

Status: Not found

If any information is known, contact the Renegades Missing Persons Unit.

Below the information was a fuzzy picture of a girl, taken by an outdated camera probably. She grinned at the person behind the camera, a wide gap below her upper lip where two front teeth should have been. In her arms was a newborn baby, fast asleep in her sister’s arms. Adrian let out a small gasp. He took the mouse from Ruby and zoomed in on the girl’s face. Her features were chubby, but the hard set of her jaw was unmistakable.

“Great skies,” Oscar breathed. “That’s not...it can’t be..”

“It is,” Ruby confirmed, disbelief in her voice. “That’s our Nova.”

[echodrops]

The Promises I Made (2018)

For the past twelve years, I’ve spent every New Year’s Eve compiling a list of fifty promises I intend to keep or fulfill over the next twelve months. The results have been truly amazing, and I have kept some promises I never thought I could. Although this year was really, really bad, oh lord... This year, for New Year’s, there will be a new set of promises for to me keep, but here are the old ones, for review!

 The Promises I Made (2018 edition)

1) I will be less anxious at work and not let passing comments from students or passive rudeness get under my skin as much. Status: Somewhat kept; I feel like I wasn’t as upset by students being rude this year as last year, but then again that might just be because I had better students. XD

2) I will be more proactive about my responsibilities for the college newspaper committee so we can make a great product. Status: Uhh… Can I count this as kept if the newspaper committee was put on hold due to decisions from the higher administration, so I didn’t have to be proactive about these responsibilities?

3) I will actually visit Mexico, not just accidentally take a wrong turn and end up there... Status: Broken. You know how some people like live next door to a restaurant for years but somehow never get around to trying it? Yeah that’s me, with the entire country of Mexico. Like, I literally live less than a mile from the border… I really should just go get lunch one day or something…

4) I will actually decorate my office with all the stuff I have had sitting around at my house for months. Status: Actually kept. I don’t feel like the decorating is really done in the office, but the decorations are no longer cluttering up my actual home instead of the office!

5) I will be better about focusing so that I can grade quickly and feel less overwhelmed throughout the course of the semester. Status: You know, it’s hard to say whether or not I did grade more quickly because spring semester I took on a really annoying class schedule and it screwed me over hard. I feel like I was a little faster this year, but I felt more overwhelmed than ever.

6) I will get the scratch on my Camaro buffed a bit to clear up the parts that can be cleared. Status: I just… didn’t do this. Broken.

7) I will repair the mortar on the fence outside the Utah house and seal the bricks on the window sills. Status: Somewhat kept/broken. I fixed the mortar on the fence outside but did not seal the windowsill bricks.

8) I will finish at least 26 books over the course of this year. Status: Look man. If my promise had been “Finish 26 fanfics longer than 100,000 words,” I would have blown this promise out of the water. But as it stands, I think I only made it to 10-ish printed books. I’m naughty. 9) I will retrim the grape vine at the Utah house and also spray/get someone to spray to kill the wasps. Status: Broken. I don’t know why I thought it would be smart to make a promise about trimming the grape vine, since that’s something you do in fall… when I’m not even in Utah… Hrmmmm… 10) I will get the mail man to stop delivering the wrong mail to my box because I’m getting ten times more mail for other people than for myself. Status: I had so many opportunities to do this, and I just didn’t. RIP.

11) I will have the fire escape window installed on the Utah house to make it legal to rent. Status: Broken. That’s a lotta money fam.

12) I will update Home and a Half at least four times (and no more double posts, just be chill Yehn, be chill for once…) Status: WOW. I was so, so optimistic, wasn’t I? 13) I will actually build all the furniture I bought for the Texas house and never assembled. Status: Mostly kept? I think there’s like one more thing I haven’t assembled (the spare futon), but up to this point I haven’t needed it, so...

14) I will actually watch Stranger Things since everyone keeps nagging me about it. Status: Broken. I just didn’t do this at all.

15) I will go to a dentist and get this annoying wisdom tooth removed and also see what can be done for my front tooth that got pushed out of alignment by said wisdom tooth. This really needs to happen ‘cause the partially erupted tooth is killing me. D; Status: Wisdom tooth is still hurting me… I am the worst at taking care of myself… 2019… the year of self-care?

16) I will take a road trip with my friend Karen like we’ve been talking about for a while. Status: Actually did this! Finally something completely kept. It was a great trip too.  

17) I will continue to serve as the video game club’s faculty sponsor. Status: I was too busy… T_T Broken.

18) I will lower my credit card debt by at least $2000. Moving is so expensive. T_T Status: I ended up having major set-backs this year in the form of having to pay out of pocket for a new windshield in my car and also my Playstation flat out dying on me, so this goal did not get satisfied. But now that my car is completely paid off (hell yeah!), I’ll finally be able to start making big payments on this sucker.

19) I will have ALL my lesson plans planned out in advance for Fall 2018 so that I can just chill next fall. Status: YO THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. There were still some instances of needing to fix things, but overall I did actually have all the lessons done in advance, and that was probably the only reason I survived fall at all lol.

20) I will finish painting the living room in the Utah house, finally. Status: I… forgot I even made this promise. Yikes.

21) I will be better about walking my dog because I have been slacking lately. Status: I wanted to be better, but every fucking time I go to walk my dog, the neighbor’s Chihuahua runs through their fence and tries to attack my dog, so literally every walk becomes a nightmare and there were a lot of days when I just didn’t want to deal with that stress… :/

22) I will finish a game other than FFXIV this year. Man, so many games have been piling up… Status: I couldn’t even find time to play FFXIV this year, let alone another game… 23) I will write a new, original short story. Status: I… did not write like at all this year. 2018 was just really hard for me. T_T

24) I will get my black glasses fixed this year, finally. Status: Uh… Kept… I think? At least I think this promise was referring to the damage to the frames of my black glasses, which I did get fixed. But now the lens has a scratch… V_V

25) I will attend more professional development/on-campus events and trainings to bolster my evaluation. Status: Eh, kept? I’m signed up for a conference and did some extra training thing that I can throw on the sheet, so I’m calling it good.

26) I will ink and color at least the one drawing of Yehn’zi that I finished sketching a while ago and did absolutely nothing with. Status: A whole lot of nope on this one.

27) I will really finish moving in to my Texas house, no more “I’ll fish out the clothes from the Space Bag when I need them but never actually hang them up.” Status: I’m counting this as kept, since the only thing that didn’t happen is that I never took the plastic wrap off the top of my nightstand, but like… hey that’s a really convenient way to avoid water spots so…

28) I will volunteer at a non-profit organization to fulfill my “service to the community” work requirement. I mean, I will volunteer from the goodness of my heart… yeah… Status: Shitttt this didn’t happen and it really needed to… Oh dear…

29) I will level ALL my classes to 70 in Stormblood. Status: This also did not happen. No time to play.

30) I will reach 1000 followers on tumblr. You should follow me. I’m only marginally a waste of time and space. Status: Kept and exceeded! I’m at like… 1540-ish right now I believe.

31) I will find a salon so I can get my hair dyed consistently instead of looking like a shabby blob half way through each semester. Status: Well, the good news is that my hair color fades so nicely that one of my students actually asked if the strawberry blonde was my natural color. But uh… no… it’s not… so…

32) I will find some way to pay back my coworker for all the incredibly nice things she has done for me already. Status: I mean, I took her out to lunch a lot but I don’t know if I really managed to feel “equal” on the debts I owe her for helping me out.

33) I will see an Anhinga (it’s a kind of bird!) in Texas. Status: Kept! The very first time I went looking for it, I found it, so score.

34) I will win Camp NaNoWriMo this year (because November might never be a possibility for me again, given how much grading I seem to end up doing during that month). T_T Status: Broken. Again, I wrote almost nothing this year. Too much stress. T_T

35) I will scout for new neighborhoods to move to with better internet access and closer to my work. Status: Kept. It’s still a bit too early for me to be looking for specific places, but I have a better sense of where I’ll be aiming for when I do go to buy something.

36) I will try to get better at Spanish, possibly by using my DuoLingo app more. Status: …Broken.

37) I will buy sod for the front part of the Utah house so that my house actually looks decent from the curb. Status: I COULD HAVE… But I didn’t.

38) I will be more proactive about commenting, reccing, and reblogging content I appreciate online because I find so many wonderful things but I rarely say as much about them as I should. Status: I think I was worse about this than last year. I miss the days when I didn’t feel like every five minutes taken to myself was stealing from my work responsibilities…

39) I will actually use my Instagram account to upload my photography somewhere public. Status: I forgot I made this promise too. Oops…

40) I will go dolphin-watching in the Gulf. Status: Somewhat kept? I mean… I stood on the pier… And saw dolphins in the Gulf. That counts, right???

41) I will clear all the photos and videos off my phone and camera SD cards because they are overflowing. Status: Kept but now they’re just sitting on the hard drive unsorted and in a confusing jumble of unnamed folders...

42) I will update my calendar with important dates—holidays, birthdays, etc.—and be productive about sending cards and well-wishes. Status: Broken, just totally broken.

43) I will complete my series of posts about Yato/Hiyori. Really. Status: >___> One day…

44) I will not work later than 10pm on any given work night. I can’t keep running myself ragged. I need to brake sometimes. Status: HA. I was really hopeful. More broken promises…

45) I will explore some new places/cities in Texas that I have not been before. Status: I… did not do this. I had a chance to do this and I didn’t. D;

46) I will get a gardener for the Texas house because the lawn is basically unmanageable by myself. Status: Kept. Because… the lawn really was unmanageable by myself so…

47) I will clean out the fridge more often. No expired milk or ancient leftovers this year please… Status: >_____> Ooopppssss.

48) I will get some sort of watering system set up so that the lawn at the Texas house isn’t a total disaster anymore. Status: Somewhat kept. I did buy hoses and sprinklers to water the lawn but mostly it’s just been raining a lot and that made the grass greener on its own.

49) I will help make one of the super complicated cookies from the new cookie cookbook I bought for Karen. Status: Actually kept! We learned much about the workings of cookie guns.

50) I will keep these promises. Status: Ouch, this one hurts a little.

Totals Kept promises: 12 Broken promises: 29 Somewhat kept/broken promises: 9

Y I K E S ™. I thought last year was crazy and was so hopeful for this year… I had NO IDEA how hard this last year was going to be. So many broken promises; I feel so guiltyyyyy. DDDD; Although I’m still at the same job and not planning on dramatically swapping entire career fields again, things are still in the process of settling and there’s still SO much more I feel like I need to work on. 2018 was the year of being constantly overwhelmed. Unfortunately, 2019 doesn’t seem like it’s going to be much calmer because I’m still working on designing classes and getting my lessons ironed out, but I at least no longer feel like I’m at rock bottom… So, I’m cautiously, very cautiously, feeling the tiniest bit optimistic?

  Let’s do this, 2019! The new set of promises will be up by tomorrow.

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

How I think P3D should go down pt 2.

(Pt 1) Woooooow 2 months later and you’re gonna continue finally? Yes (blame my hard drive for it, tho tbh I only got a paragraph in 8U). So yeah, onto the long summary. 8U

Ok, so just like P4D, this scene takes place at some point in pt 1 or 2 posts (can’t remember when I had it planned, either for this post or I forgot for the last post so yeah 8U). We are greeted with Liz by herself, in an area we don’t recognize. She seems to be talking to us, the player (just like Margaret from P4D). She claims that she got into contact with her sister and/or brother. They state that they had a new guest show up, but they refused to sign a contract (paralleling Sho), but was asked why by Theo. The New Guest responded stating that bonds do nothing but hurt them so why would they sign into a contract to make bonds. (basically it’s different from Sho rejecting bonds all together cause he views it as weak, and Kanami attempting to force bonds, this person rejects it solely because it’s “bad for/hurts them.” Yeah yeah bonds are more of a P4 thing, but P3 has SLs so bonds were important there too 8U P4’s just more in yo face about it. ) Scene ends.

 Anyway, so chapter 2 begins with the SOs all gathered together. They proceed to debrief on the matter. The similar shadow reading that they were getting wasn’t only similar to the P4D incident, but also the Dark Hour incident as well. It feels like something is trying to connect with their world yet again (similar to P4D), but it seems to be using the DH as a way to do things (hint hint this is the odd phenomenon is what happened to Ni at the end of Part 1). A few of the SOs then ask when were the DH occurrences because they didn’t even notice it. Mitsuru explains that they are brief, most not even lasting a minute (some so fast you could blink and miss it), and at odd times such that it doesn’t even occur at Midnight; so most of them could be asleep when they happen. Mitsuru deduces that this unstable DH is possibly because of an outside force attempting to get in touch with their world (aka a god coming in to wreck the place again, and no that’s not a spoiler for later it’s just a fact at this point in this series c’mon 8U) Junpei asks the location of which the incidents are coming from, and Mitsuru responds saying it’s a sea-side city. Junpei gets excited asking if they have a beach and that they should go there. Mitsuru shoots him down stating that the city is very big and that there will probably not be enough time. (concerning the size of the city, this is probably where they bring up asking Yu, Naoto, and Rise for help to help cover ground, as again if anyone would be in the area it’d probably be them). With this the debriefing ends with them leaving for the (unnamed) city.

 The next scene transitions over to Ni again. It opens with another dance song (attempting to fit songs in here because otherwise it’d be a loooooooong while before we get to dance battles), it turns out she was showing off a new dance choreography that she was assigned to make for some idols. The people who hired her to make it state they are pleased with her work and she leaves. We then get a montage of Ni running around doing various things in the studio (very inter like stuff tbh). Every so often we see her run past a group of idols (who are none other than Rise and Kanamin’s Kitchen). At one point we see Ni stopping to overhear their conversation that’s about her:

Kanami: WOAH WOAH WOAH! So fast! Rise: That girl is really booking it! Tomoe: She’s been running around all day…. Nozomi: She must have amazing stamina. Sumomo: I saw her showing off some dance choreography earlier. But now she’s….doing a coffee run? Tamami: Oh, yeah, my dad/uncle/older brother/cousin told me about her. She’s kind of the all purpose person around here or something. Her main job is a dance instructor, but if you need something she’ll gladly do it with a smile. Even coffee or food runs. She’s a valued employee but they treat her like some noob intern. They don’t even call her by her real name….just some nickname. Sumomo: What? Really? What’s her real name then? Tamami: I….actually don’t know either…. Rise: Arg? This totally not fair for her! Tamami: Yeah I think so too, with all the work I hear that they give her you’d think she’d be tired…. But her appearance says otherwise so I guess it’s ok….. *somber* Anyway, it’s not like you have a choice with this industry. Rest of the group: *unhappily* Yeah…. Kanami: Oh! W-we better get back or Ms. Ochimizu will have our butts! *the girls run off*

Ni, neutral expression: *watches the group leave* Ni: *shadow casts over her eyes* Heh….it’s not just this place that’s unfair….. Ni: *then leaves, continuing onto whatever errand she was in the process of doing*

Scene ends (“Hey Silly what was with the ‘dad/uncle/older brother/cousin’ thing?” Hint hint it’s part of the hints, 2nd hint hint look at her last name 8U)

The next scene starts up taking place a few hours later, from Ni’s perspective again. Coach approaches Ni:

Coach: Phew, long day? Ni: Haha you said it. Coach: Man I can’t believe they still make you do all that stuff, you’re not just some part-time high school student anymore! Do you want me to talk to some of those guys to hire some lackey so you can have more time to yourself? Ni: Nah it’s ok, it makes me feel useful. Coach: Hmmm ok, but you seem down…. Oh! Is it because you haven’t gotten your acceptance letter yet? Ni: *orz* Coach: Ahhh….so that’s it. Ni: *pouting and fuming comically* They’re so late too! I know I passed the exam with top marks too, so they should just let me in already! Coach: That big time law firm right? Well I’m sure you’ll get in, third times the charm as they say! Ni: *orz* Why do you have to remind me? ;w; I-it’s not like I failed the past two times, they just won’t let me in. I-it must be the quota thing…y-yeah that it’s it! ;w; Coach: Haha I don’t know why you’re so intent on getting into a law firm so fast, just enjoy the rest of your undergrad years and ace your graduate years and you should be good to go when it comes to getting into that law firm. Ni: *suddenly really serious, her eyes are casted in shadows* Yeah but….I want to…get in there as soon as possible… Coach: Oh so serious…. May I ask what it is? Ni: *still serious*….because I want to…. *suddenly super chipper* TO MAKE SERIOUS BANK OF COURSE! ;D Coach: Woah! O_O Ni: And they’re SOOOOOOO COOOL TOO! Like, making serious dough and looking cool while doing it? Who wouldn’t want that? ;D Coach: Haha dreaming big still I see. Well I guess you are still that kid I met all those years ago. You better be careful, being a lawyer is a stressful job you might get grey hairs! Haha but then again, grey hair with red eyes might be a good look on a lawyer! Ni: *sarcastic* Ahaha yeah I’ll keep that in mind. Coach: Welp I better get going, don’t push yourself too hard mmmkay? Ni: Yup I’ll see you later. *leaves for home herself*

*scene transition back at Ni’s place* *flash back to Coach saying*” Haha I don’t know why you’re so intent on getting into a law firm so fast” Ni: *eyes covered in shadow and ominous* Because I don’t know how much more time I’ll have….. Ni: *looks at USB drive that’s by her computer* Ni: *with a serious face goes and boots up her computer and plugs the UBS drive in*

 End Pt 2

(So yeah it’s getting darker. 8U And yes that was a Sae reference, tho that wasn’t planned 2 years ago but might as well throw it in there. 8U I had to ask my roommate about how people go about becoming a lawyer in Japan. Looks like you can study about 4 years of undergrad pre-law and then take 2 years of graduate law, or 3 years of grad law if you don’t do undergrad pre-law, before you can go into a law firm to get hands on experience. Or you can take a very, VERY hard test right whenever and get into the law firm. Ni has been attempting the latter. She attempted in her 3rd year of high school so that she could go straight into the law firm when she got out of high school. As she hinted above she passed but they didn’t take her, so she’s doing the undergrad pre-law as a backup route while still attempting the exam route. As for quota, before I asked for help there seemed to be a quota some places use, even if you pass they might not accept you or something….. Let’s just say law in Japan really confuses me. ;w; But we only need to know the beginning basics so don’t worry cause I’m not. 8U

“Hey Silly, I’ve been wondering why are you telling us these “hints” we aren’t stupid we can follow along!” I know I just like to make sure we’re all on the same page ;w;)

(also sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors, I’m typing this while half awake at times and I’m trying to finish this thing before the 26th so yeah. ;w;)

pt 3

[usviraltrends-blog]

New Post has been published on https://usviraltrends.com/i-never-told-anyone-5-womens-stories-of-sexual-abuse-at-the-hajj/

'I never told anyone': 5 women's stories of sexual abuse at the Hajj

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim women descend on Mecca in Saudi Arabia each year to take part in the Hajj, but in recent weeks some female worshipers have told CNN they experienced incidents of sexual abuse or harassment while participating in the five-day pilgrimage.

Five women told CNN they were compelled to share their stories after a Pakistani woman’s account of being sexually abused at the Hajj went viral on Facebook last month. That post (since deleted) prompted an outpouring of similar stories from female pilgrims on social media.

Most of the incidents of sexual abuse and harassment reported to CNN happened during the tawaf ritual, a counter-clockwise procession around the Kaaba shrine. Only some of the women who shared their stories with CNN reported the incidents to police in Saudi Arabia but those who did said their complaints were ignored.

Responding to CNN, an unnamed Saudi official familiar with Hajj affairs said the Kingdom does not tolerate this kind of behavior anywhere, especially at holy sites and added that allegations made by the women were being taken very seriously by authorities.

“Anyone found guilty of committing these acts faces serious consequences including imprisonment and caning,” the Saudi official said. “By Royal Order, female police officers and investigators are now being added to the police force and security services including the Public Prosecution Department, so there will be a greater female security and police presence within the country and at the Holy sites to handle any issues that may arise.”

Saudi Arabia already issued a royal decree in September 2017 to outlaw sexual harassment. A new law is currently being drafted.

Below are the five women’s stories. They have been edited for clarity and length. Some women requested to remain anonymous because they fear a backlash within their communities.

Asra Nadeem, a Pakistani woman living in the US

I was 21 years old in 2006 when I did the Hajj for the first time.

First, I got stuck in the 2006 stampede during the Stoning of the Devil in Mina and that itself was very traumatic. It was horrible.

But a few days later I went back to Mecca to perform Umrah (a shorter form of the Hajj pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of the year). During that time, I was on my own, doing tawaf around the Kaaba.

The closer you get to the Kaaba, the more crowded it gets. Everybody wants to touch the Kaaba. I wanted to get closer to touch it, and in the last circle the crowd was moving really slowly.

I was next to the Kaaba and somebody grabbed my bum. I thought it was just the crowd; everyone was pushing. But then, when I moved up, somebody grabbed my boobs.

I turned my head and I saw this guy just smirking at me. I couldn’t do anything, and he was still holding my breast. So, I yelled at him, and then people started pushing me forward, shouting “yalla” (“hurry up”).

I reported the incident to the first two guards that I saw but both of them did not speak English and told me to move along.

I’ve met a few people who messaged me the same experience but in 2006 you didn’t want to talk about it, before Facebook or anything.

Hajj is a spiritual experience — you’re in a different state of mind. You’re praying for things, it’s very Zen-like. Your first instinct is that it cannot possibly be happening, but it’s there, in your face

I didn’t go back to do Hajj. It was very traumatic, first the stampede and then the harassment.

Anonymous British woman, now living in Asia

I had never been sexually assaulted before I went to Mecca, in 2007 when I was 32. The first time it happened I was heading into the Grand Mosque to perform tawaf. A man was heading out, towards the courtyard, and as he approached me he outstretched his arm and grabbed my breast. It wasn’t a clumsy brush. It was a grab. It was forceful and it hurt. He didn’t let go immediately. He squeezed and was looking at me the whole time.

The second time I was in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque and I felt something pressing into my lower spine. It was crowded and lots of people were bumping into each other. But the pressing continued. I turned around and saw it was a man and realized he was pressing his erection into me. He was pushing against me so hard he was almost driving me forward. He too was looking at me and holding my gaze. I ran off and found a policeman and told him (in English) what had happened. He shooed me away. He had no interest in listening to me. I even pointed out the man in the crowd and the policeman still ignored me.

The third time I was in a side street looking at Hajj-related merchandise. I felt a sharp jab from behind. An old man had put his hand between my buttocks with such force that his fingers were almost inside me. It happened really fast and I cried out in shock. He looked at me and smiled and said “Alhamdulillah” [“Praise to God”]. The person at the stall had his back turned and didn’t see anything.

I was assaulted each time in broad daylight with thousands of people around me. I was amazed at the audacity of the three men and I was angry that there was no recourse.

I was told before I left that I might get touched inappropriately. But it didn’t prepare me for the shock. I think assault happens a lot more at the Hajj than people — Muslims — would like to believe. It is the holiest place in Islam, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Talking about sexual assault is difficult enough and talking about it in connection with the Hajj, which is a pillar of Islam, is even harder because it is sacred.

I did return to the Hajj a few years later…but I was militant about my personal space. I would almost run to where I needed to be so nobody could touch me and did a lot of my work late at night or early in the morning when it was quieter outside. I didn’t perform tawaf and I would zip through the courtyard of the Grand Mosque. It was my second visit so I knew all the tunnels and shortcuts.

Anonymous woman, Indonesia

I am from Indonesia and I was going to Mecca for Umrah in 2011, when I was 17

First, I got catcalled. I was waiting in the hotel’s lobby for my room and there were two males that started to stare at me and laughed. I ignored them and they started to call me “cantik” (Indonesian for “beauty”), with smirks on their faces.

When I did tawaf around the Kaaba, another pilgrim walked behind me and stuck his erect penis into my back.

I felt angry and unsafe. I could not complain about it to anyone because of the situation and everyone thinks “it is the holy city — who would do that?”

I haven’t come back for Umrah/Hajj. I am not sure that I would. Even after it happened I could not focus on my prayer and worship, just counting down when would I leave Mecca.

It’s a terrible situation when you are in a mosque, in front of the Kaaba, where you should feel the closest to God and the worst thing happens.

I’ve told no one about this one until today. I don’t know, maybe I didn’t want to remember the situation or I didn’t like that people would be asking “Why are you walking alone?” or “Why you are not using a black abaya?”

Anonymous woman, Egypt

I was harassed two times, one verbally and the other time physically.

The verbal was while I was walking with my sisters and mom during Umrah. Heading back to the hotel after prayers, a shop clerk said something with the implication of “come over here, pretty girl.” Mind you, I was 13, I never forgot it. I was very confused and disgusted with myself.

The second time was during Hajj, at the Stoning of the Devil area in Mina, just east of Mecca. In the midst of the crowd, I felt someone grab my boobs, I looked back and it was a man with his wife next to him. He didn’t respect his wife nor the holy city so he won’t respect me either.

Again, I was confused and disgusted with myself and I was just 17. For years after I’ve always said it might’ve been by mistake or unintentional since it’s the holy city and Hajj — but Twitter made me realize I’m not the only one.

Anooshe Mushtaq, a Pakistani woman living in Australia

When I was 10 years old my family was posted to Libya. My father was in the Pakistani air force and was posted there for four years. In 1980, my parents decided to perform Hajj.

I remember I was very excited as performing Hajj is a privilege. My parents traveled to Saudi Arabia with their two daughters. My sister and I were looking forward to going to Mecca and seeing the Kaaba for the first time.

When we entered the Kaaba it was very crowded.

Suddenly a young man groped me from behind. I felt extremely uncomfortable. I grabbed my mother’s hand and moved in front of her. I didn’t know if I should tell my mum or not so I just kept quiet.

During Hajj we were supposed to travel on a bus from Mecca to Medina. As we sat in the bus my sister and I sat next to each other and our parents sat in the seats behind each us.

The bus conductor was checking tickets. The bus conductor stood beside my seat and acted like he wanted to fix something on the inside of my seat. He moved his hand on my chest and groped my upper leg and he would not leave it. I felt angry and disgusted but didn’t know what to do. He then reached out as if he was fixing the curtains while thrusting his groin in my face.

I didn’t tell anyone due to shame and honor of my family and I kept quiet. I never told anyone what happened during Hajj until I recently saw the sexual assault post.

If I get a chance I will perform Hajj a second time in the future.

— Tamara Qiblawi contributed to this report.

The As Equals reporting project is funded by the European Journalism Centre via its Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme. Click here for more stories like this.