#one of the relatively few things on the don’t do it column

[axeoverblade]

Classmate

PART ONE (CURRENT); PART TWO ; PART THREE

Earth 42! Miles Morales x fem! reader

Synopsis! For the life of you , you couldn’t understand why Miles had it out to get you so bad. If it wasn’t for the mid-year seat change, he wouldn’t have even acknowledged your existence.

MASTERLIST

Genre: light fluff, enemies to lovers like trope, light bully!Miles

Warnings: mentions of sa (nothing happens just mentioned), mentions of violence, maybe foul language but I think that’s it enjoy!

word count: 5k

Authors comment: I keep seeing School themed hcs and I had to say me sphewl(?), planned to be one shot but thinking about a part two. Sorry for any bad translations my Spanish is meh, please leave a like <3

Do not copy! All rights reserved to ©axeoverblade

It was known half way through the school year at Visions Academy the teachers changed the assigned seats. Being in your last hour, you were pretty much comfortable sitting next to almost anyone in the class.

Albeit, you did have a few in your mind you would rather not be sat with. Kids who didn’t like to do the group work, kids who talked too much, kids who always were trying to copy answers, etc.

The teacher went through the neatly organized desks column by column, starting on the left side closest to the door for the new seating chart. There were only four columns seeing as the wooden desks were double seated. You listened as she went through assigning kids to chairs, finally reaching the last column. There were about seven other kids along with you still waiting to be called to the four desks available. All the kids left were somewhat iffy options to be next to for the rest of the year.

…

Only you and three others were left. She called out to the second to last desk, “Amanda and John”. You sigh a breath of relief happy to not be sat next to John who had a crush on you, your thoughts replaying all the times he had tried to get with you. Feelings were not mutual. “ And Finally Y/n and Miles.”

You walked over to the seat from the front of the room, seeing the Miles kid already getting comfortable in his new seat closest to the wall.

You never had the chance to talk to Miles much. Actually, you don’t think you’ve ever talked to him. He was very reticent in the classroom. The moment he finished his work which was always relatively quick, he was out of the class leaving a few minutes to spare coming back before the bell rang.

There was a reason you never made an effort to talk to Miles. In fact, it was more like you endeavored to avoid him. His hedonistic friend group were known for being-, uncivil. They treated others horribly, always making someone do something that would make your stomach churn if you had to be the one to do it. And even though Miles was known to never actively participate in those things, anyone who hung around people who did those things were bound to start someday.

What confused you though, he was extremely smart unlike the jerks he was always with. You heard he was one of the highest scoring kids, every report card stamped with straight As. That wasn’t much at this school, almost everyone had straight As and high Bs, but all his grades averaged above 94.

There was also no denying he was very attractive. Surprisingly he was never seen with anyone romantically, unlike his friends who always had a girl or two under their arms. There were definitely people were lined up at his feet though, always trying to cling to him. He always just brushed them off, sometimes blunter than he needed to be.

You had seen it once, a girl you hadn’t really liked had gone up to him during passing period asking for his number only for him to look at her and walk right past her. All his friends and their shallow twats of girlfriends laughed at her, walking with Miles past her.

She cried in bathroom for forty minutes after.

You stood next to your seat, putting your bag down. “Hi I’m y/n” you said, formally introducing yourself to Miles for the first time. He looked up to you from his phone. You watched as he took his time studying you, making you slightly flustered as his eyes roamed your body. He looked back down at his phone, disregarding your presence. “I know.”

You blinked a few times processing the abrupt rudeness.

You rolled your eyes and whispered a few choice words to yourself about the interaction as you sat down, realizing you were stuck next to him for the rest of the year.

You pulled out your phone, texting your friend and roommate Mei, who was across the room, about how rude Miles was. She looked up, seeing you staring at her irritated. She giggled before texting back.

Mei: He so fine tho 😍 ask em if he needs a dog

You: Mei 💀

You: he’s so rude n for what? Like he could’ve just nodded or said his name. I know he got that whole “bad boy” thing goin but ain’t have to do allat

Mei: Ion know gl tho 💯

You: Ur no help 😭 Ima ask for a seat change

Mei: It's the first five minutes you have sat next to each other, maybe he is just nervous from ur emmense beauty 😩 I know I would be

Mei: PLUS u know Ms Reita does not b swappin seats. You know how many times I asked to be moved from Jessica only for her to say tuff luck and move on? Seventeen times. Just give it time n maybe it gets better you never know

You: 😐

You shook your head and put your phone down as the teacher started passing out the work. It was a normal worksheet due by the end of class. You went through, solving the easier problems before going back and finishing the ones you skipped.

You were on your last problem when Miles hand shot up lazily. Ms.Reita looked at him and sighed, knowing that he was going to leave for almost the rest of class period if she let him leave the room. “Is your worksheet finished?” “I wouldn’t be raisin’ my hand if it wasn’t.” “Watch it Morales, wouldn’t want to have to tell your Mom you have detention would you?” He sighed before mockingly smiling “sorry Ms.Reita, can I so humbly excuse myself?” He batted his eyelashes for extra effect, clearly tired of the interaction and ready to leave. She huffed as pointed to the door. You snickered to yourself watching the exchange. He looked at you, a glint of amusement washing over his eyes, but the look left as soon as it appeared. He looked away getting up and walking out.

_

You walked with Mei back to your shared dorm, talking about the nonsense that flooded your minds. Luckily for you, it was Friday and you could go home tonight, you just had to go grab your bag and you would be free from this hell hole.

…

“Alright Mei I’ll see you on Monday” you said, grabbing your suitcase and backpack, pulling it with you to leave. She smiled and waved, still packing. “Bye baby mama” you rolled your eyes playfully at what she said. She would constantly make jokes about how she could care for you and be your sugar momma, even though she was just as broke as you were.

You walked toward the lobby of the school, seeing the exit to the building so close. It felt like knowing air was near when you were drowning, finally being able to catch a break and breathe- “oh sorry baby girl, didn’t see you there.” You felt someone bump into you, too intentional for it to be accident. You cringed at the nickname and gathered yourself. Luckily you hadn’t fallen, just stumbled causing your bag to fall off you. “Don’t call me that John.” You said, picking up your bag and slinging it in on your shoulder. “You know you like it” he said, closer than he needed to be. Recoiling at the sound of him so close to your ear, you stuck your hand out and lightly pushed him further from you. “I really don’t, I already told you I want nothin’ to do with you.” You continued to walk to the exit, only for him to walk beside you. “Cmon baby I can show you the world, stop playing hard to get.” You looked at him, stopping in your tracks, “I’m not playing hard to get, this is me playing I don’t want you” “so you admit you're playing about not wanting me?” He said, smirking. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, just wanting to go home. “For the final time John, I am not interested.” You walked again, this time he didn’t follow because his friends were walking up to him. “I’ll see you on Monday baby!” He called out loudly, drawing attention to the both of you. You scowled and walked faster out the building, happy to not have to see John for a few days.

Unbeknownst to you, Miles was watching the interaction from the beginning, ignoring his friends talk about the girls that passed or the sexist comments they made. He noted how you reacted to John, how much disgust surged through your body language. He disliked John, but for separate reasons. John was one of those guys. Class A jock who didn’t know when to quit. Also didn’t know when to shut their mouths. Granted, those were the exact people he hung around. But at least he could tolerate their idiocy, and it was better than walking around the school alone all day. Only kid he hung around that wasn’t like that was his roommate Ganke.

He watched as you scowled and left the school. He shrugged minding his own business, zoning back into the conversation about who had the biggest boobs.

Monday rolled around quicker than you could’ve imagined. And it felt like a Monday, which never helped. You trudged into your last hour groggily, just wanting to be done with the day so you could go back to your dorm and sleep. Walking over to your seat, you looked at Mei across the room. She wiggled her eyebrows, mouthing for you to initiate conversation with Miles. You rolled your eyes, sitting down. Miles was sketching lightly on the worksheet already passed out on the desks. You tried to look at it, but the braid that draped over his shoulder covered your view. You didn’t want to seem invasive, so you just grabbed your sheet and began working.

Finishing the sheet quickly, you got on your phone, scrolling through your socials. You saw a news alert flash across the top of your screen, some message about “the prowler striking again” over the weekend. You swiped it away.

You didn’t hate the prowler in all honesty, but you would never admit that out loud. Whoever was under the mask did bad things, but usually only to bad people. Usually.

The police barely did anything anymore, making it hard to even go outside without getting mugged or groped or something bad. With the prowler being out and about, some idiots have been scared off the streets, enough to where you could at least walk to and from your family apartment to school. In your eyes, the vigilante kinda helped a little.

“Stop tapping, its annoyin” a voice rudely interrupted you from your thoughts. You looked over to see miles looking at you, semi-irritated. You hadn’t realized you were tapping the desk, something you did unconsciously when you were lost in your own mind. You pulled your hand back, putting it on your thigh, “my fault, ain need all that attitude though” you said looking at him. He rolled his eyes and started drawing again. “Whatcha’ sketching?” You asked, leaning towards him slightly. He looked at you with furrowed brows, blinking a couple of times, before going back to sketching ignoring your question. El tiene algunos nervios. Instead of just excusing his behavior like you did on Friday, you opted to invade his personal space; moving his braid, your head now hovering over his shoulder. He moved his body quickly, his reflexes faster than you could process. “Qué coño estás haciendo?” He said sternly, but you didn’t budge. “You didnt wanna respond” you said not looking at him, more focused on the drawing. “That ain’ answer my question” he said, you could feel the irritation laced in his voice, but instead of leaving him alone like he wanted, you grabbed the paper to get a better view. The drawing was a well portrayed mask of sorts, oddly similar to the prowlers, and a few weapons all sketched on the back of his paper. You raised your eyebrow at the drawing. He was actually really good at drawing, the detail for him to have started that less than twenty minutes ago impressed you. He snatched the paper back. You turned your head to him, seeing him looking at you with furrowed eyebrows, getting ready to say something. “Answer me next time and I won’t have to do that” you said before he could speak, a mocking smile laying on your lips. He rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath before going back to sketching.

One word, Regret.

You really wish you hadn’t decided to let you imaginary balls get the best of you. Because now Miles how a personal vendetta against you. Damn your pride. Within the span of few weeks he somehow had broken into your locker and trashed you books, he made sure it wasn’t anything that you couldn’t fix easily though, just a few torn pages. He constantly would shove you, which he mude sure to do lightly to not actually hurt you, into the lockers when he passed you in the nearly empty halls when he was with his friends. He would say the most outlandish things to you whenever you passed him when the halls were too crowded and others could see what he did. He made sure his friends didn’t mess with you though, knowing they would take it way too far how they had with the other kids they harassed. And even though you tried to ignore him the first few weeks hoping he would stop, he never did. You swore you could feel yourself loosing your mind.

Miles had only originally planned on pestering you for a day or two to get the point across that you should’ve left him alone, but then he realized how fun it was to provoke you. You became his entertainment, or at least that was the reason that he told himself he went out of his way to annoy you. And now that he had gotten on your last nerve, you were like a ticking time bomb every time.

You made school easier for him, giving him something to look forward to. Your reactions were always so animated, almost comical, making messing with you so funny. He didn’t just mess with you in sense of picking on you., he would mess with you feelings too. He looked for you in the halls just to go behind you and pull you by your backpack into him. You would lose your balance then he would put his hands on you waist to stabilize you, whispering in your the cusp of your ear sternly to “watch where you’re going mami”, a nickname he now would often call you just to see how irritated and flustered you would get. You would always reply with a snarky remark, something along the lines of “he pulled you into him”, always stuttering through the sentence no matter the amount of times he had done this to you, siempre fue tan mono a él. Something that unintentionally brought his face to a smirk was how you never mentioned anything about the nicknames he gave you like you did with John.

His friends would constantly make comments about how Miles liked you and now you were off limits, but every time he shot the idea down with a quick annoyed face. But perish the thought one of his friends gets talks about you the wrong way. They had seen the way Miles looked at the guy who had walked up to and called you pretty. Didn’t ask for your number, didn’t do anything weird, just called you pretty. The problem wasn’t even the compliment, it was how genuinely big you smiled but it wasn’t because of him.

Miles wasn’t going to deny he found you attractive. He had seen you the first day he walked into Vision academy a year ago and couldn’t get you out of his head for week. Hell you were probably the prettiest girl in the school, but maldito eres molestosa. When laying on the bed in his dorm room the nights he wasn’t out doing his prowler work, he could hear your pesky voice ringing in his ears, también pudo ver tu cara hermosa. He hated it. He hated how sometimes your face would pop up in his brain during a mission, and it would make him falter for a moment. Something as simple as hesitating, even for a millisecond, could’ve had him killed mid fight.

He didn’t actually care for you, at least that’s what he told himself. So you can understand why it bothered him so much that he hated weekends now, knowing it was extra days where he couldn’t see you, feel you. Even if it was just a brush on the shoulder when doing partner work, or him shoving you lightly when walking past, glaring at you like you were the one that bumped into him.

It annoyed you to no end you were stuck next to him for the rest of the year. What annoyed you even more was how attracted you were to him. He was so dismissive toward you, and for some reason you would sit in your room giggling with Mei about how his laugh, even though the only reason you had heard it was because he was making fun of you, was the most attractive thing you have ever heard.

…

Luckily today was Friday so you could enjoy the weekend.

It had been a few months since you had been moved next to Miles, a few months since you decided to overstep a boundary you wish you hadn’t, a few months since you’ve been slowly loosing your sanity. Miles had taken it upon himself to mess with you in class, staying for almost the whole period now a days to do just that.

“If you would finish your work then we could be done already” you mumbled under your breath, looking at the shared work you had to do that Miles hadn’t even looked at, too engrossed in his phone. The two of you had been going back and forth since the start of class, now only roughly fifteen minutes left. He looked up to you, squinting from annoyance, “do you ever just, I don’t know, close your mouth?”. You rolled your eyes “If you, I don’t know, finish your half so I can go turn this in then yea maybe I would.” He scoffed, pulling the paper closer to him. A few minutes passed and he slid the paper over to you “don’t say anything else”. You looked at the paper, seeing he had completed his half of the work in record time, you must really annoy him. “Well if you just did that earlier” you said sarcastically, picking up the paper and walking over to the turn in bin, placing the paper in it.

As you walked back to your seat, John started to talk to you. You pursed your lips, walking past him heading to your seat behind him. That didn’t stop him, as all he did was turn his chair around to face you. “So the party is tonight, you can come-” he paused, putting emphasis on the word winking at you, hinting at something else. You looked at him disgusted. “And we can have a lot of fun, perfect chance for you to see how much you truly like me.” You blinked a few times, “yea no” was all you said before looking at your phone. You didn’t fail to hear the small, quiet breathy laugh that fell from Miles lips as he stared at his phone, overhearing the conversation. His laugh alone could make your knees buckle. You quickly brought yourself back to reality, not letting your mind flow with any positive thoughts about Miles. “Cmon’ baby, promise I’ll show you a good time.” “Ain’ I tell you not to call me that?” You said, annoyed that John just couldn’t leave you alone. “You know we locked in, you keep playin.” “John-” “aight hear me out, you come to the party, if you don’t have a nice time -which I can guarantee you will- I’ll leave you alone, how does that sound?” “You’ll leave me alone?” You said, intrigued by the offer. “If you come.” You sighed, “lemme ask my momma.” He smiled widely, happy to have finally convinced you. Miles secretly looked between the two of you with his eyebrows furrowed, thinking how pathetic John was.

A few minutes passed as John sat facing you, waiting for a response. You sighed, causing him to perk up. “I need to be home by 11, and you have to send me the address. My mom also needs your number and your mommas number, comprende?” He nodded quickly, typing all the information into your phone so you could send it to your mom. You sent the message, already regretting your decision.

Sure enough.

You sped walk home, the time nearing 10:45. Wiping the tear that trickled down your cheek, you scoffed. The party started off great, you and John had a great time, initially.

Then things got weird, he tried to take you to a bedroom upstairs, you declined, him being intoxicated, grabbed you forcefully to take you up. You were glad you were taught basic self defense. You kneed him in the bolas and grabbed your bag, quickly leaving. You wondered what would’ve happened if you had dranken something, where you wouldn’t have been fully aware of your surroundings. You hurrying to dismiss the thought, happy to be out the party

Normally you would be much more aware of the world around you, had you not been so lost in your thoughts. “Hey there pretty lady” you heard, you couldn’t catch a break tonight. You started walking quicker, almost jogging with your eyes focused ahead of you, as you just wanted to get home safely. “You ain’t hear us talkin to you?” Your eyes widened at the mention of us, realizing there was more than one. You searched for your switch blade that would usually be inside your pocket, but it was no where to be found. You figured it must’ve fallen out at the party, you silently cursed to yourself. Three men were now matching your speed, and suddenly were next to you.

“What’s a little momma like you doing out here all alone, don’t you know there’s bad guys out here?”

“Don’t worry baby, we’ll keep you safe”, they grabbed you forcefully covering your mouth so you wouldn’t alert anyone, not like anyone would help. They pulled you to the nearest alley. You bit the hand of whoever was covering your mouth, causing them to let go of your face. You took this as an opportunity to scream for dear life, only to be smacked into a state of drowsiness. You quickly shook yourself out of it, feeling the stinging sensation spread across your face. Your ear was ringing lightly, and you could’ve sworn this dude knocked your tooth loose. You spit at the guy across from you, seeing bloody saliva land on his face. The guy behind you who was holding you let go and moved to the side. Before you could react to the new found freedom, you were pushed roughly into the wall behind you. “Tonto puta, all you had to do was cooperate” the guy in front of you said, wiping the spit off his face.

Ready to accept whatever was going to happen, you closed your eyes and scrunched your face, only to hear screams of pain from the three men, followed by an uncanny silence.

You opened your eyes, seeing the prowler standing where the man in front of you once was with a bloody claw. The three men were laying on the ground, damn near lifeless. Your eyes widened, your mouth parting from the sight. The vigilante stared at you, you could see the eye like symbols displayed on the mask slightly widened at the sight of the hand-mark on your face before recomposing into a stoic, neutral setting. You were too shocked, and mostly scared to say anything.

The figure got closer, to which you could work out was a male. You took note of the two braids cascading down their neck behind the mask, as well as the oddly clean Jordan’s they sported. You didn’t have much time to take in their lanky appearance, as they took a final step towards you, making it so you had to look up at their mask. Their presence loomed over you eerily. You gaped at him, your pleading eyes filled with fear. You knew he wasn’t necessarily a villain per say, closer to the flip side if anything. He did just save you. But the thought of an individual being so much more powerful than you, knowing that at any moment he would always in control no matter what you did, threw your brain into a constant state of unease. Feeling your heart beating out your chest, you raised your hands lightly placing it on their chest to stop them from getting any closer, even though you knew they could easily overpower you no matter what you did. His heartbeat was slow, almost calming to feel. “Please” you whispered, voice barely leaving your larynx.

As quickly as he had come he left. You looked around, finally spotting him lurking on top of the building across from you, crouching along the ledge looking at you. You looked at the Prowler one last time, making eye contact with their mask silently mouthing a ‘thank you’. He flipped away to wherever else he goes, not acknowledging your gratitude. You nearly collapsed, sliding down the wall. Your hands aggressively wiped your face before meeting your hairline, resting there as you breathed ruggedly. The adrenaline you had was wearing off, and the bruises the men left you with became more prominent on your skin, as well as more painful. At least your opinion about the prowler was correct, he was a good guy after all, to you at least.

Returning to school on Monday was a catastrophe, news spread like wildfire about you being attacked by the three men, as well as your encounter with the Prowler. Random people were approaching you asking what is what like and other random questions revolving around your attack. No one however, was talking about what happened at the party. But you couldn’t blame them, not many people saw what had happened.

…

It was finally the last period. You wanted nothing more for this to blow over, and for you to be done with the day back in your dorm. You walked in, wavering slightly seeing John leaning on your desk. You noticed Miles sitting in his seat on his phone, eye bags deeper than usual.

You quickly sat down, trying your best to ignore John's attempts to talk to you.

“Y/n please it was an accident-”

You ignored him getting your pencil out of the top zipper of your bag.

“Y/n please just listen I was drunk and I didn’t know what I was doing you gotta believe me” he leaned toward to take your hand, causing you to flinch and pull back. You looked at him angrily “you think being drunk excuses anything?” Your voice was calm and almost at a whisper despite how you felt, trying your best to draw the least amount of attention. He sighed desperately, “No it doesn’t but you gotta see it from my perspective-” “what perspective John?!? The one where you tried to force yourself on me? Or the one where you tried to take me upstairs against my will? I swear if you come near me again, I won’t hesitate to cut your polla off, comprende?” Ms. Reita asked everyone to take their seats, causing John to look at you solemnly before scoffing and turning to his seat.

You huffed, putting your head between your crossed arms on the table. “What happened at the party?” You looked over to Miles surprised. You hadn’t expected him to ask you any questions, but if he did you figured it would be something about the prowler incident. “Nothin’.” You said dismissively. He looked at you skeptically. Before you could even react, he grabbed your phone off the desk and tucked it in his pocket. “You ain’ gettin’ it back til you tell me what happened.” “Why do you care so much?” “Your wrinkles n’ dark circles look worse than usual, wanna know why.” “Could say the same for you” he looked at you blankly. You sighed, “John got a lil’ too handsy is all, don’t worry ‘bout it. Can I have my phone back-“ “mami, how handsy?” His stern voice caught you off guard. He looked at John's direction for a split second, you could’ve sworn you’d seen Miles look at John with a look of determined death. He looked back at you eyebrows furrowed, “he tried to take me upstairs n’ I wasn’t feelin’ it, so he tried to make me” you uttered, a little quieter towards the end of your sentence. “Left before he could do anything” you finished, “can I get my phone back now?” You looked at him tiredly. He let out a simple huh and gave you your phone back, his full attention now on johns figure ahead in the seat diagonally ahead of him.

…

The class had been dismissed, luckily Miles had decided to leave you alone today, you were too tired to deal with his antics anyway. Walking over to Mei dismissing John's stare, you two began walking out of the class heading to the lobby so you head back to your dorm room. As you were walking back Mei stopped at a vending machine to get a couple snacks for the dorm so you two could have a movie night. You waited as she inserted her money, clicking which snacks you both liked to buy them. As she was stuffing the snacks in her bag zipping it up, a student screamed “FIGHT”. You looked over seeing a crowd forming and walked over to see what was happening. Bullying your way to the front you saw Miles on top of John, pounding John's blood stricken face damn near permanently into the floor. Your eyes enlarged at the sight. Miles was clearly irate, and from the looks of it, had no plans of stopping. A security guard quickly ran in and grabbed miles off John's limp body. Miles spit at John, yelling something at him in Spanish that you couldn’t hear over the commotion. You looked at John's body, seeing him look almost unconscious as he coughed violently and rested on his elbows, trying to catch his breath. You gaped at Miles, shock written all over your face. His chest rose and fell quickly as he looked around the room seeing all the people watching. His eyes stopped as they met yours, his gaze softening slightly before he looked away. A huff fell from his lips as he was dragged to the principal's office. He jerked his arm away, muttering something about how he knew how to walk.

John had to be sent to the hospital.

Miles was in the principal's office, sitting silently as John's parents screamed at the principal while Miles’s mother sat next to him upset. “My child is a great kid! And how is he supposed to feel safe in this school anymore knowing this can happen again, huh?” John's mom spewed mindlessly, ranting about how she was going to press charges. Miles scoffed, causing Rio to look at him with a look of “watch your mouth before I watch it for you.” He just looked down at his hands in his lap.

Miles walked out of the classroom to head back to his shared dorm. He couldn’t get out of his mind what John had done to you. As vague as your response was, he knew more had happened between you and John. He didn’t know why it bothered him so deeply, it wasn't even really his business. He knew the thought of someone being touched like that made him upset, but he felt pure outrage from this specifically, and he knew deep in his heart it was because it was because it was you who had gone through it.

As much as he hated to admit it, he knew he felt something different for you when he intervened the night the three men attacked you. He almost added three bodies to his belt, for you.

Usually, as bad as it sounds, he would mostly let people get robbed or thrown around in alleyways. He would help occasionally if it sounded gruesome or of dire need for assistance. But he had to save his city from the sinister six, and petty crimes that were bound to happened weren’t the ideal way to do that. But the voice screaming sounded familiar, kinda sounded like you. The thought of you being in danger offset his nerves, and he knew a you were going to a party that night so he went, just to check.

Sure enough.

He stalked you from above the rest of your walk home just to make sure nothing else happened.

He walked into the lobby consumed by his own thoughts, snapping back to reality as he overheard John talking to his friends about how “y/n finally let me hit, she was so tight-”. He paused in his tracks. Ain’ no way acaba de escuchar lo que pensó que hizo. He turned to the direction of John's voice, this was now his business. He walked over, becoming increasingly irate the more John talked about “how much you loved it”. John turned, hearing footsteps approaching alarming quickly. He saw Miles, John knew Miles had heard about what really happened at the party. John scoffed, somewhat anxious he had been caught in his lie and afraid Miles would try to embarrass him in front of his friends. He quickly spoke before Miles even had the chance to say a word,“You ain’ needed here Miles-” John was cut off by a fist colliding with his face, not what he was expecting at all. Johns friends gasped or yelled in shock, Miles didn’t stop though. Miles didn’t even say anything, small grunts of anger being the only thing leaving his lips as John hit the floor. Miles siguan latiendo la mierda fuera de él.

“What you won't even speak huh?” John's mom said, facing Miles. He furrowed his eyebrows at her. “You wanna send my baby boy to the hospital and have no reason why? Why are you picking on my kid huh? You-” “You think your kid is the best thing on Gods green earth”Miles scoffed, cutting her off. “Cause he is, my kid wouldn’t hurt a fly and you-”“your oh so wonderful kid tried to rape a girl then went around yappin’ bout’ how much she enjoyed it.” The room fell silent. The principal eyes went wide, “Uh-Uhm, how about we resume this tommorow-” “well hold on,” Rio spoke for the first time, “My son intervened and helped someone in danger because their son was making girls unsafe in the school? Why is he being punished?” “Well Mrs.Morales we didn’t know that happened-” “so you immediately assumed my son was the cause of this not even getting evidence before?” “Well he did start-” “uhn-uh, their child is making the school more unsafe than Miles ever did. Why aren’t they being scolded for this?”

The principal apologized, saying Miles would be suspended for the rest of the week for starting the fight, but no charges could be pressed to avoid anybody getting into serious trouble.

Miles sat in the passenger seat of his moms car, the leather caressing his skin as he looked out the window. A hushed silence had fallen over the two a while ago. Silence is always worse than actually being screamed at, the anticipation is always so suffocating. “So.. who’s the girl?” His mom said, looking at the road ahead. Miles glanced at her before looking back out the window, “classmate.” She nodded, humming. Rio knew her son, and she knew Miles wouldn’t damn near end a kids life just just for some classmate.

“Ella tiene un nombre?” He sighed lightly, “Y/n.” Rio nodded and hummed again, looking at miles through the corner of her eye. “At some point throughout the week, I expect her over for dinner.” “I don’t even have her number, how is she supposed to know” Rio clicked her teeth and smirked,

“Encontrarás una manera”.

©axeoverblade

[logarhythm-bees]

The Carousel Kingdom 🏰 CH1 Junkyard Gold

Masterlist

Next

---

21-violets: hey patton

kitty-pat: hi virgil!

21-violets: u want to come help me find stuff for my apartment later? On the corner of Foley and Mian?

21-violets: mian*

21-violets: main*

kitty-pat: uhh hold on let me check it out

kitty-pat: virgil this looks like a junkyard

21-violets: yea

kitty-pat: r u sure that’s the right place?

21-violets: yeah i saw some cool stuff drivin by earlier. But tbh i am kinda nervous which is why i asked u to come 

kitty-pat: aw virge!

kitty-pat: ok, I’ll come!

21-violets: thanks pat : )

“Woah.”

“Yeah,” Virgil says, whistling. “Glad you brought your truck, ‘cause this stuff isn’t fitting in my car.”

“Why do we even go shopping if people are just throwing out purr-fectly usable stuff anyways?” Patton says, picking up a little vase with a cat on it, and frowning when it comes into two pieces in his hands. “Well, maybe not perfectly.”

“If you want that, we can glue it back together.” Virgil replies, looking over a relatively unscathed dining chair. “And the answer is probably somewhere between ‘capitalism,’ and ‘I don’t know how often this happens, I saw a guy dump a bunch of stuff here earlier so I thought I’d come by.”

Patton nods. 

“Whoa, Patton, look at this.” Virgil says, beckoning him over to a weathered section of scrap, where, piled underneath some old car parts and lumber, is the little faded head of a children’s carousel horse.

“C’mon, help me get it out.”

Patton obliges, and together they manage to gradually remove the scrap, bits of metal and wood coming away, slowly revealing not just one carousel horse, but the whole carousel, an antique little thing clearly meant for little kids but still pretty big compared to the rest of the broken-down things surrounding it.

“I wonder who dumped this here, this is sick,” Virgil says, hovering around it and brushing off the accumulated dust. ‘“I mean, I don’t think we could get it back to my apartment, and even then I don’t know where I’d fit it, but this is rad. We gotta take pictures, at least.”

Patton nods enthusiastically, clearly in favor of Virgil taking an entire children’s carousel home so he can ride it whenever he wants, but he curbs his excitement in favor of practicality, knowing they can’t put a carousel inside a studio apartment. 

“My phone’s got a better camera,” Patton says, taking it out of his pocket and handing it to Virgil. “Are you ever going to update yours?”

Virgil grimaces as he sticks his own phone into his pocket, riddled with cracks and chips, but…

“It’s still functional,” he says. “And I dunno, maybe I can get the screen fixed soon. It’s not at the top of my list, y’know? Anyways, smile!”

“Wha- Oh!” Patton laughs as Virgil pulls him into a selfie, flashing bunny ears behind Patton’s head. “Send that one to yourself!” Patton shout as Virgil jumps into motion taking angled shots of the worn carousel.

“Look at this paint here, it’s worn a lot but the pattern is gorgeous.” Virgil says, snapping a photo of one of the horses. “It’s like, gothic wallpaper. That’s so cool.”

“Look at this part, Virge,” Patton says, stepping closer to the carousel to inspect the middle column. “There’s a whole landscape painted on here.”

Virgil’s jaw nearly drops, immediately scuttling closer to take a peek and a photo. “You’re right! It’s so detailed. Man, I wish I knew why it was dropped here. This all looks like it was done by hand.”

“Mhm,” Patton replies, a little distracted by the streetlights flickering on and the sky starting to show little pinpricks of light. “Buuut, I think we should get going soon. Those chairs aren’t going to chair-y themselves!”

Virgil groans good-naturedly, looking back and forth between Patton and the carousel. Patton sighs quietly.

“C’mon Virge, we can’t keep horsing around all night!”

“I know, I know, just a few more photos,” Virgil says, and Patton relents, giving him space and a couple more minutes. Virgil is as cautious as he as eager, touching the faded paint and metal furnishings with a carefulness that Patton has always admired about his friend.

“Okay, I think I’m- just about done,” Virgil says, stumbling back off the carousel, and curiously, over a little wooden crown. “Oh dang, this must have fallen off.”

“Mhm, mhm,” Patton says, looking up at the nearly-nighttime sky with nervousness. “Are we leaving now?”

“Yeah, just one more photo,” Virgil says, picking the crown up gingerly and inspecting, carefully, the heads of the little horses until he sees one with a ring of missing paint.

Virgil holds one thumb over the photograph button and places the crown on its head, adjusting it with one hand, and just before he can take the photo, there is a bright flash of light.

And very abruptly, one horse missing from the carousel, is a person standing dizzily in its stead.

— 

Patton and Virgil don’t dare say a word as the person stumbles, groaning with one hand to their head, until the person collapses, and they both rush forward at once to assist.

“Owwie.” The person says, in a loud voice that immediately breaks the peace, and makes both of them flinch “Must’ve…had a dizzy spell. It’ll wear off, I’m sure.”

“Are you good, dude?” Virgil exclaims before he can stop himself, and Patton looks at him in alarm. Virgil doesn’t blame him- if he could look at himself talking unquestioningly to a stranger, he’d be staring at the scene too.

“I’ll be fine,” this mysterious person says, sitting up to better reveal two white protrusions- antlers? They must be antlers- they had better not be bones, good gravy- sticking out of their head. Their eyes, scrunched closed, finally blink open, looking around for a moment before quickly locking on Virgil and Patton sitting beside them. “Wait, who are you? Where are we?”

“Uhm. I’m Patton?” Patton says, motioning to himself, and then to Virgil. “And that’s Virgil. You’re in, uh, Gainesville, Florida?”

The person snaps to their feet, tail- tail?- swishing agitatedly behind them as they look around. “Did you bring me here? To this- this dump you call Flor Ida?” their antlers begin to glow, complex inlays becoming a soft red. “Tell me the truth! How did I get here? How far are we from Innova?”

“We don’t know!” Virgil starts, nervous energy overtaking him. “We just found a carousel here, and then one of the horses, it turned into you- and I don’t even know where Innova is- hey-!”

Before he can protest, Virgil is being lifted by his collar and looking straight into the eyes of a very angry stranger- odd, white- edged eyes with similarly white pupils, seemingly gazing straight into Virgil’s soul in a way that Virgil really is not liking.

“You’re right,” they say, seemingly finding what they were looking for, as they release Virgil and begin to pace. “You’re not of my world. But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook yet- !”

Before they can finish, however, they sway again, tail waving behind them for balance. “I- this conversation is not over!”

And then, the anger leaving in a huff, they faint.

[fehtism]

Hello! I just reinstalled FEH after a few years (I dropped off during Book 4), and someone pointed me to your blog for help with figuring out the newer skills because DEAR GOD

I’m going to start digging through your posts, but if you take requests(?), I’d really appreciate a breakdown of how Smol Chrobin’s kit works because it consistently takes me 2-3 teams to take them down in Tempest Trials, my old blue mage haters don’t seem to work on them, and I have no idea why or what I should be doing better.

hiiii thank you for your ask!

you seem to have encountered the problem of duo f!robin being Unfair.

luckily you have some things going for you !

1) the youngins cannot counter at 1 range, if you smack with a strong melee unit you should be able to take em out

2) a good far save can take One hit and get some good damage on duo robin

there are also quite a few things against you

1) threat range is larger than you think due to getting another action after using reposition + orders warping

2) has after combat healing + healing with flare

3) hits like a truck

4) stupid fast ... if you haven't played for a while most if not all of your units will get doubled

...

the tldr of young chrobin kit

after using reposition buffs self. gets atk/spd stat stack , extra damage , and canto 1. also after reposition debuffs any of your units within 3 rows and 3 columns . has tempo to make sure you get pranked by special. also has a really stupid "solve for X" stat stack formula which in short gives more stats if foe is equipped with low cd special. also gets bonus damage from multiple parts of kit.

for the long explanation ...

duo chrobin prf weapon has a stupidly long description so lets see if i can break it down in a way that makes sense

duo chrobin has a exclusive debuff called "hush spectrum". the effects of hush spectrum are as follows:

1) afficted units get -5 to all stats in combat

2) afflicted units get affected by scowl at start of combat. (scowl is special cd +1 at start of combat. this happens before your first attack and regardless of who initiates. this means even if you attack with a pre charged special you will not be able to activate it on your first attack. scowl does not affect aoe specials or defensive specials)

hush spectrum is a mid turn debuff and activates after duo chrobin uses an assist skill. this will occur practically every turn in practice due to duo chrobin getting a second action (similar to legendary chrom's "to change fate") after using an assist. using an assist will also grant special cd -1 to duo chrobin allowing them to easily precharge specials.

as for other effects of the weapon, duo chrobin gets 30% pierceable damage reduction on first hit (similar to skills like remote sparrow) as well as a bonus to all stats.

feh is making you do algebra here so the formula for the stat bonus is as follows:

X = 16 - (foes maximum special cd x2) min 8

in practice the stat stack is:

+14 to all stats vs foe with 1 cd special , +12 for 2 cd , +10 for 3 cd and so on.

important to note that the current weapon description is incorrect and states that this formula is for stat debuffs on foe rather than in combat stat buff for duo chrobin. the feh twitter account stated that this would be corrected in a future update.

as for the rest of the kit...

reposition is a standard movement assist

flare is a relatively new infantry mage locked special (released with brave soren in ... august ?) it has a dynamic effect based on the user's hp when special activates.

if hp is at or above 70%, increases damage based on 60% of foe's res stat. if hp is below 70%, increases damage by 40% of foe's res stat AND heals for 30% of max hp. unlike skills like sol and aether which heal for a percentage of damage dealt, flare heals a flat 30% regardless of amount of damage dealt.

the damage increase from flare is incredibly variable making it less reliable than specials like glimmer. however, flare is a high scoring special in arena and the healing has some use case.

duo chrobin has a prf A slot skill called "Fell wyrmscale." this skill has a bunch of effects that only trigger if units hp is at or above 25% at the START of combat. (meaning that if you start below 25%, heal to above 25% with flare, you still do not receive the effects). the effects of fell wyrmscale are as follows:

1) grants unit +8 to all stats in combat (woo ! no solving for X this time)

2) deals bonus damage = 15% of unit's atk (in practice this is generally around 8-12 damage)

3) fully pierces damage reduction when special triggers (does NOT apply to flat damage reduction from sources like laguz friend 4 or brave dimitri's weapon refine. also does not apply to defensive specials or to damage reduction from specials like armored floe/beacon. also does not apply to the damage reduction provided by emblem ike's engage effect)

4) heals 7 hp after combat

i miss when prf skills were simple...

duo chrobin's b slot skill is atk/spd link 4 which provides buffs to unit and minor debuffs to foe in combat after using a MOVEMENT assist (will not apply after using rallies) the effects granted by atk spd link are as follows:

1) grants visible atk/spd +6 buff. (this visible buff means that after receiving it, unit is ineligible to receive additional atk/spd buffs provided by sources like rally atk/spd+)

2) grants canto (1) to unit and ally targeted by the movement assist

3) inflicts atk/spd -4 and def/res -2 on foe in combat

4) (more solve for X sorry) grants + X bonus damage where X = highest bonus on atk+spd among unit and allies with canto (1) active. (in practice, X usually = 12) (bonus damage does not apply to aoe specials)

luckily, the C slot skill is rather simple in comparison. inf. null follow 4 grants null follow up effect to unit and infantry allies within 2 spaces. also grants unit "orders" warping (orders warping gets its name from the skill "ground orders" allows unit to warp to a space adjacent to any ally within 2 spaces.)

i am sorry that this unit is Unfair and i am sorry for the current state of feh. i hope this explanation is thorough but if there are any terms that i did not explain feel free to comment or send another ask.

[expatesque]

Oooo if you’re open to helping us shop please help me find my wedding dress (big ask)? I feel like I’ve tried on every dress in London and am about to give up! I’m not tied to it being white (blue? metallic?) I just want it to feel special enough that I don’t look like my own guest, but not a full meringue moment because there’s only going to be 15 people total. Vibe is casual Saturday afternoon picnic in the park and drinks at our local afterwards, my budget is £2k!

Sorry I should have added that I’m super short so midis tend to fit better, maxi not really my vibe and I’m worried it might feel too formal for the picnic!

Oh my god this is my dream task. First off - congratulations! Sounds like it's going to be a beautiful wedding. Okay so I've got a few thoughts first before we dive in: (1) You can get anything shortened - I'm also relatively short (well, actually I have long torso and short legs, but works out the same) so 90% of my bottoms are tailored. And what better time to invest in some good tailoring than your wedding! Assuming the dress isn't beaded / heavy on appliques, it's usually<£30 to have something shortened, and it's the same price to have something taken up half an inch vs taken up a foot, to make a maxi tea length. So I'm going to recommend a few things that are longer but know that I always mean you should have them shortened if you want. (2) Have you thought about a veil? I just think it's the easiest, most obvious way to say 'Wedding!' but still keep things cool. Personally I love a birdcage moment but I'm also partial to a short veil, particularly if you get something meaningful embroidered on it (this one is fully customizable and I love the look of the phrase running down the side).

Okay now that we've done that, some thoughts: Rixo makes cute, special but low key dresses. For a city wedding feel, I love the shorter ones (60s vibes! This CAPE) but there's loads of cute options (remember, you can have the longer ones taken up!). They're also v affordable which is always nice.

On the less classically bridal end of the spectrum, we have La Double J who go big on color and pattern. Again, I'd consider adding a veil (maybe in a fun color?!) to feel more bridal. I'm not sure your body shape but this top and skirt combo! With a pale blue veil?! Come on. They also do have more classic bridal pieces as well. There's also Zimmerman - flirty and flouncy, their dresses have pure romantic vibes. Something like this could definitely read bridal (+ a birdcage viel and a little shrug maybe?). If you're not put off by black (again, veil and accessories can help) then this is to die for and super re-wearable. Or embrace the chill vibes and go yellow! They have loads of great options.

I'm sure you already know this but just in case: Reformation does bridal. Like their normal dresses, the options skew towards people with model proportions but they've got some gorgeous ones - love this minimal take. I'd also recommend Wolf & Badger again. Do you want to be a hot and cool minimalist? A sea foam mermaid? (I'd personally have the slits closed a bit and the whole thing taken up but that's me). A ball of spring flowers? The Badge has you covered.

And then of course, a net a porter troll. Are you a disco queen? The most elegant woman alive? (Prob not best for the park, but def could work for a pub). A garden fairy? A jumpsuit (!) babe? A queen of less is more? (maybe with tulle gloves!) A column queen? (I'd style with blue shoes that match, I have this pair from Ferragamo that I love).

Again for lots of these I think accessories are key. You add a veil, a glove (consider short too!), a white shoe and all the sudden, bang it's clearly bridal. I hope some of that is helpful, and good luck!

(okay also you did not ask about this but just a thought: you can get really beautiful, affordable, old embroidered white table clothes fairly easily online and at antique shops. How gorgeous would your wedding picnic be on all white 'blankets'? Maybe with something waterproof underneath because, London).

[sometipsygnostalgic]

hi! in re to your post about your diagnosis, do you mind saying a tiny bit abt the process? im asking bc i have thought RLLY hard over the past few months on the possibility that i may be autistic- like, a lot of things ive wondered about myself would make more sense if i was and the idea of that has brought some peace to me. but i have NO idea how to go abt the process of talking with a mental health professional abt it and/or getting a diagnosis. i totally understand if you don’t want to share abt your process at all and i don’t want to make you uncomfortable with this question, so please feel free to ignore it. but if you are willing to share like the first step that you took in the process, i would rlly appreciate it! im just confused rn. anyway, i hope you’re having a good day/week/month lol :^)

hi anon!

I live in the United Kingdom, there are two options here, you can ask for a referral from the NHS, or you can self-refer privately which will cost £2000 for an assessment...

so what I did for my autism assessment is go to my doctors surgery, and explain to a doctor that I suspected I was autistic. I gave my reasons why - difficulty at school, difficulty with crowds, I talk really bluntly, sometimes i can become very anxious very fast - and the doctor recognised there were enough symptoms for a referral.

the autism referral centre eventually sent me a series of questionnaires, some were for me, some were for my father or for some other person who has known me since i was a child (i dont know what you're supposed to do if you have nobody).

i didnt' like the questionnaires because they were confusing, you have to give relative answers for what you think your own behaviour is, some things i would have problems with relative to friends but not relative to people with severe learning difficulties (like my cousin who is also autistic and is 8 but cannot speak more than a few words), so i wasnt sure what exactly i was meant to answer with there.

i procrastinated for like 5 months on submitting those forms (it was hell). then they decided i sounded autistic enough for a proper assessment and put me on a waiting list.

when it came time for the actual assessment which took place 15 months later, I was referred by the NHS to a third party because of the backlog, so it was all done remotely rather than me going to a centre.

my father and i were given more questionnaires (which were bugged, make sure that any online forms you're sent don't delete your answers in one column when you're filling in another column). my dad's questionnaire was MASSIVE and went really into my early childhood, asking whether i had brain injuries or stuff like that. the idea is they want to rule out the possibility of misdiagnosis, whether my autistic traits are a result of something else.

i was given a questionnaire too and i found it somewhat confusing, they asked me how i would feel if i got a positive/negative result on the diagnosis. i thought this was to catch me out. it's probably to make sure people aren't going to kill themselves if they're told they're autistic or not autistic, but i think the questions were weird anyway. i answered as much of the other questions as i could in relation to autism.

when it came to an actual assessment, i was asked questions for an hour and a half over camera, largely about my own emotional responses to things. i was also asked to help narrate a visual storybook, and to tell stories with inanimate objects. it was part of the adult assessment, and again it was to rule out other conditions, rather than to indicate whether i was autistic, because lets just say that i am very good at making stories up on the spot.

my dad meanwhile was interviewed for 3 hours about my childhood. when i was done with my assessment i joined him for that questioning and filled in the blanks, because my dad wasn't actually around for a large part of my childhood.

a few hours later we had the diagnostic call and they told me i was autistic and that they will send a report (still waiting) with information on this and also on post-diagnostic support services in my area, which i think is going to be very useful.

[merrybrides]

How Many People Should I Invite to My Wedding?

When it comes to wedding planning, there are certain tasks that are just more fun than others. Cake tasting? Fun. Choosing a gorgeous venue? So much fun. But figuring out how many people to invite? This can be a struggle. Whether your natural instinct is to invite everyone you’ve ever met, to make it an intimate event, or just something in between, it’s definitely not an easy task. Often, parents and in-laws will have opinions, too, which can complicate the process.

To help you figure out what your final guest count should be, we break down a few things to think about when it comes to creating your list.

Things to Consider

If you need help figuring out where to even begin, consider the following factors when deciding on a number.

Think About Your Budget

The golden rule when it comes to weddings? The more people you invite, the more it will cost you. A sliding scale exists based on the guest count for food, beverage, rentals, linens, flowers, stationery, and transportation, just to name a few. It’s just an extra 20 people, right? Wrong. The trickle effect is real, and it is something to consider when you’re down to those last few people you’re on the fence about!

Consider the Overall Vibe

Think about the various weddings you’ve been to in the past. When there are weddings with over 300 people, doesn’t the vibe feel different from a 50-person wedding? If lots of dreamy details or personal touches are what you love most about weddings, then perhaps scaling the guest count back to accommodate being able to do more would be worth it for the big day.

Don't Assume People Will—or Won't—Attend

Throughout your planning process, you’ve probably heard someone say, “Oh I know they won’t come, so just invite them to be polite.” This kind of attitude can get you into trouble. Especially in the post-pandemic era. Guests are more excited than ever to celebrate love and happiness. If you invite them, they will come…so do not rely on the typical 75 to 80 percent return on RSVP rules, as they may not apply.

The Process

Chances are, you’ve probably never invited this many people to a party before. Here's where to start.

Determine Your Budget

Yes, we already touched on this, but it really is one of the most critical components in figuring out what size your guest list should be. I encourage you  to have an honest conversation with the key players about their budget. Establishing your overall budget range will help you determine the price per head you're projecting.

Make Your List

All great writers are told to write first, edit later. Take this same approach when making your guest list. Write down everyone you’d like to be present on your wedding day. It might feel very middle school-esque, but it’s an important step. If there are some people you’re on the fence about while making your list, put them in a separate column. You can decide later in your editing phase if you really want them there or not. When you look at the numbers, it can help make prioritizing easier. For instance, if you know that your projected cost per head is $100, you might reconsider inviting someone who is an acquaintance to save a little money.

Think About Your Venue

No matter where you’re getting married, chances are your venue has a capacity limit. In rare cases when they don’t (like you’re getting hitched on private property), then you have a little more wiggle room. Another capacity factor could be if there is lodging on-property that cannot accommodate your entire group as you had hoped. This could be directly relative to adjusting your list to fit in the box of your dream venue.

Who Gets the Final Say?

This is a tough one. Unfortunately, there’s no correct answer. As far as wedding etiquette goes, if a family member is contributing financially to the wedding in some way, they’re entitled to an opinion. However, if they’re only contributing to a portion of the wedding (like the catering or your attire), then their jurisdiction for decision-making falls in line with those specific elements. But that’s easier said than done right? I do believe being collaborative amongst families, hosts, and between partners is the best way. While the decision of the hosts is very important, I also feel the couple’s vision of their big day should be reflected with equal weight.

At the end of the day, everyone is going to have their opinion (about pretty much everything), but it’s you and your partner who are going to think back and care about who was and wasn’t there. So when the guest list going gets tough, think about who matters most to you and go with your gut.

[alecbicheno]

Forefront post: Incredible run-down environment

21/07/2024

This run down environment is a great example of what I aim to achieve in my scenes. I have been looking at many environments online since I’m in that work mode as the environment artist for this project, and I really liked this one and felt I could use it for inspiration.

This environment was made by Jinkun Chen, an environment artist, who used a few bits of software to achieve the final result, and it only too him two weeks to do so.

He talks about his inspiration from the popular game (The Last of Us, 2013), specifically the subway level.

He talks about his modelling process and offers some helpful advice on making modular parts in Unreal Engine. “From my experience, the height of the walls and columns can be any amount you like, while the width of the modular should be an even number: 0.5m, 1m, 2m, 4m, etc.

This way, there will not be a seam on the tileable texture. The pivot of each modular part needs to be at the corner, not the center. This ensures that the modular parts align perfectly in the Unreal Engine.” (Chen, 2023)

I personally find this very helpful as I don’t really know the fundamentals of creating modular environments, and informs me on things I wouldn’t have thought of like having the pivot be in the corner of the modular parts.

He then talks about his texturing process; however, he used Substance Designer which I have never used. Though I may consider having a go at using it since the outcome of this project is of a very high quality and he offers helpful advice on using the software.

He goes over his set dressing, where he wasn’t focused on creating the assets but more so on the materials, so he found a variety of assets online, and any that didn’t match very well he imported into Substance Painter to adjust.

This is something I want to do in the future. If I want to make a scene or cinematic, whether it be for a portfolio piece or just for fun, I would like to focus on making the materials and the scene as I too often want to make absolutely everything myself and get too overwhelmed by the workload.

So, doing this allows me to work on my skillset, specifically my texturing and scene creation/ set dressing like I mentioned above, to really see what I can do. This is because ultimately, I want to become a 3D generalist, however at the moment my focus in on hard surface modelling and prop creation, and I’m relatively inexperienced with character and environment creation.

Lastly, he goes over the lighting process back in Unreal Engine.

“This project is fully lit with the Lumen system. I use a giant mesh light on the roof hole. Unlike the directional light, mesh light does not generate sharp shadows, giving the scene a soft bouncing light.” (Chen, 2023).

I know the fundamentals of lighting a scene, but I’m still an amateur at it, but reading this is intriguing me, so I’m going to find out how mesh lights work and attempt to use them in a scene at a later date.

“For objects with strong reflections like water and glass, I put them into a separate light channel, so I can control the reflection individually.

Typically, the normal light cannot generate sufficient reflections, so these objects need additional fill light.” (Chen, 2023).

I still have more to learn about Unreal Engine functions as admittedly I haven’t used sperate light channels in a scene before, let alone using them to better control objects with different reflections. So, this will also be something I look up how to do.

To reiterate, lighting is something I’m also inexperienced with, so reading his processes was incredibly helpful, and searching for what it is and how to use them will be a must as lighting is extremely important, often being the make or break of a render or scene.

So, to summarise this environment is wonderful and is the level of quality I aim to achieve. The article detailing the process was incredibly helpful, informing me about helpful techniques, and helping me understand what specifically to research to improve my skills. This being said, I would have liked to see more detail when he discussed the set dressing and lighting sections of the article. Such as his process of how and why he placed assets where they were in the scene, and a bit more detail on how he did the lighting for less experienced readers like myself to understand what he did without needing further research, because even though I know what to research to help improve my scenes now, it would be more helpful educate less experienced readers then and there.

References

Chen, J., 2023. Apocalyptic Metro. [Online] Available at: https://gamesartist.co.uk/apocalyptic-metro/ [Accessed 21 July 2024].

The Last of Us. (2013). PlayStation 3 [Game]. San Mateo, CA: Sony Computer Entertainment.

[paullicino]

On Relaxing

Taken from my Patreon.

Sometimes I’m getting fitter. To help me in this ongoing endeavour I have a hugely supportive personal trainer who I usually see about once a week, and who very patiently guides me through various fumbling attempts to pick up progressively heavier objects while I wobble like a weathervane atop an old church. At the same time, we talk about lots of things, because she’s a great conversationalist and because there’s almost always something interesting that we want to exchange ideas about (I also think she might secretly enjoy making people try to form words while they struggle with all their hoisting and hauling, but who knows). During one of our recent sessions she asked me both what I would like to be doing next and how my current rest period was going. That’s when I shamelessly stole the idea of The Bingo Card.

First, a little context: I’m not really working right now. I don’t want to be and I don’t need to be and I’m lucky enough that I can afford to take a lot of time off. It’s been fantastic, but also a little alien. This is a position I have never, ever been in before. I’ve certainly spent stretches of time not working, but these have been more likely to involve me worrying how I’ll pay the bills, combing through employment listings or making another futile trip to what in Britain was hilariously known as the Job Centre (and has since been rebranded, for utterly unknowable reasons, as Jobcentre Plus, perhaps reflecting how it is now even more potent in its ability to be both punitive and pointless). That means I don’t associate not working with concepts like relaxation or security. Instead, a better way of describing things would be to tell you what I associate the concept of working with. Chiefly, success and survival. And, in particular, survival.

Staying afloat.

By the beginning of December I’d wound up all the game writing that I needed to do and had already set off on the first part of a long, relatively complex rail trip down the west coast of the United States. I busied myself by booking multiple things across a four leg journey in three states. I arranged to meet lots of people. I went to a work-related event. I had museums to visit and sights to see. I was endlessly stimulated, delighted and inspired.

It was all extremely good. It also probably wasn’t what you’d call relaxing. Or a rest.

As the year wound up and January chilled its way across the calendar I booked every appointment I might have neglected or delayed during the previous year. I saw my dentist and my doctor and my therapist and made sure to go to the gym more often. I snatched up furniture that I’d procrastinated buying for so long. I resolved to create all kinds of new routines for myself based around fitness and completing personal projects. I was Getting Organised and I certainly had all the free time to devote to this. I did indeed get a lot of things done.

It probably doesn’t sound like what you’d call relaxing. Or a rest.

And as my personal trainer and I talked about the year gone and the year to come, she told me about an idea shared amongst some friends of creating a sort of bingo card of goals, tasks and ambitions. Not so much a to-do list, but a grid of things to tackle, perhaps with a reward waiting when some are ticked off. Perfect, I thought. Great. Another way to organise myself, to motivate myself. The card could be categorised, I said. Rows are types of task, while columns are a ranking of how challenging they are. The rightmost task in the writing row is the most difficult. The leftmost apartment-related task is something I could do in a day.

I built The Bingo Card a couple of days later, collating a few different to-do lists that I had lying around (because I always do). I sorted and ranked it. It was a very effective act of organisation, satisfying, but it probably doesn’t sound like what you’d call relaxing. Or a rest.

A little while ago I talked to one of my closest friends and they told me how, now that they’re finally enjoying a period of downtime after a couple of stressful years, their body is tense and confused. They feel both strangely anxious and sometimes depressed, like there is some sense of urgency coming from somewhere, even manifesting from thin air, and at times this is exhausting.

I hadn’t yet said anything about what was going on with me.

Some of my old anxiety symptoms have returned. It’s not a big deal and it’s nothing I can’t deal with, but it’s confusing in light of there being nothing I need to be anxious about. Still, there’s that shortness of breath or that pressure on my chest, or those occasional strong reactions to the silliest or most mild of things. At times this is exhausting and some days I don’t seem to have the energy that carried me through all the work I managed last year.

Another friend sent me information about a potential job while I was drafting all this, which came about two weeks after yet another friend sent me information about another potential job. I have six listings open in my browser. I feel like I should apply to something, perhaps to all of them, even though that doesn’t sound like what you’d call relaxing. Or a rest.

My mind writes at night. As I climb into bed and pull up the covers and turn out the light, it offers me all sorts of ideas about what I can do next. It creates characters and concepts and forms complete sentences that quickly grow into entire paragraphs, somehow already fully formed. It remembers things I haven’t finished and suggests new projects I could begin. It can be exciting, inspiring, but it probably doesn’t sound like what you’d call relaxing.

Or a rest.

I know all of this is ridiculous, because at the same time I’m so happy. I have freedom, I have the ability to indulge in so much more and I’m enjoying things I haven’t had time for in months. I feel very good about myself and the choices I’ve made, as well as acutely aware of how fortunate I am. But things happen when you have time and money to burn, and one of those things is the rise of a nagging guilt about how you could just not burn those things and instead apply yourself to something much more practical or productive. You could even sit down and write something to help you dissect and deconstruct all the experiences and the feelings you find you’ve been having.

All of this is far from the worst problem a person can face. I’ve certainly had to wrestle with things infinitely more difficult, but it’s a reminder that a change in circumstances doesn’t mean an immediate change in outlook, in attitude. I am trying to alter the way that my mind operates and, at some point, my body will also decide to make some alterations too. I have no timeframe for exactly when that may happen. In the meantime, I will try to get on with as little as possible and, armed with the knowledge that I'm not about to sink if take a break from paddling, I may almost be on the verge of relaxing.

[sfarticles]

Browsing stores for cookbooks is time well spent Foodies will love the gift of a cookbook, and it won't be hard on your wallet.

Check out my latest column for gifts those who enjoy food and like to cook

I hope you had a joyous Thanksgiving. For me it was a dual celebration, celebrating my parents’ 68th anniversary, as well. They are snowbirds, so it is a great opportunity to enjoy some warm weather and explore Florida’s food scene while in the Sunshine State. Visiting local bookstores to check out their cookbook shelves, especially those books by local authors and restaurateurs, has been time well spent. One thing I learned years ago, don’t take mom along when I am scouting out cookbooks, since mother is not like son when it comes to cookbooks and cooking. To mom’s credit, she still saves the food section from her local newspaper, so upon my arrival, I have plenty of columns upon which I need to catch-up. Dad, who is 91, on the other hand, enjoys cooking, however, he won’t follow a cookbook recipe, so cookbooks are out for him. I am his “go-to” when it comes to recipes.

With the eight days of Hannukah beginning the evening of Thursday, December 7, and Christmas about three weeks away, the race is on to find that desirous, perfect gift. I am asked by many people, “what cookbook do you recommend for my foodie friends and relatives?” It isn’t easy to pick just a few suggestions. My list is quite extensive; cookbook collecting for me is addictive — I read cookbooks the way one would read a novel. I am sure I am not alone; some people on your gift list — perhaps you, too — are like this. Some of these will fit the bill for a welcome addition to one’s cookbook shelf. And a cookbook gift won’t be hard on your wallet.

For Pennsylvanians, or those that wish to explore the culinary scene in the Keystone State, “Pennsylvania Good Eats: Exploring the State’s Favorite, Unique, Historic, and Delicious Foods,” by Brian Yarvin (2021, Globe Pequot, $21.95)  gives the recipient the “tip of the iceberg” of Pennsylvania’s eclectic and vast food culture. The author gives the perfect starting point for exploration. Those who crave food prepared by older relatives now long gone, there is a place out there preparing those dishes, perhaps using techniques now not common. He writes,  “Pennsylvania, is so filled with nooks and crannies that any food, no matter how archaic or obscure, can find an out-of-the-way place to thrive. Anytime you hear somebody say, ‘Nobody cooks that anymore!’ you can be sure that somebody in the Keystone State is preparing it.” He mentions scrapple, buckwheat cakes, smoked sausage, and fried noodles.  His exploration via car, foot and train made him realize there is no “best.” From John’s Roast Pork Shop (Philadelphia), Appel Valley Butcher Shop (Lancaster), Caputo Brothers Creamery (Spring Grove), Patterson Maple Farms (Westfield) to Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium (Orrtanna), you’ll visit food landmarks, where some of your food memories can be rekindled again.

Those interested in food and history will welcome “The Gilded Age Cookbook: Recipes and Stories From America’s Golden Era,” by Becky Libourel Diamond (2023, Globe Pequot, $34.95).  This excerpt was contributed by food historian and culinary stylist, Dan Macey: “Theatrics were an integral part of fine dining. Lavish centerpieces, ranging from floral arrangements to ornate sugar molds and plaster-cast animals, were front and center on the banquet table. This same pageantry was often applied to the centerpiece of the meal—the main meat course.” It gives a glimpse of that “perfect” table that impressed guests in the day and still do.  I enjoyed the tasteful combination of recipes that are approachable, the artistry and history. The recipient of the book will get a sneak peek of what the Gilded Age looked and tasted like through the beautiful pictures, historic menus, and recipes. My friend, Diane Jacob, the author of “Will Write for Food,” gives the book her thumbs up by saying, “A beautifully designed and photographed cookbook, filled with intriguing stories. The parties and events may have been excessive, but the classic recipes here look simple and doable to make. Bring back a bit of the past and celebrate it today with a copy of “The Gilded Age Cookbook.”

Those on your list who enjoy entertaining, perhaps it is you, a copy of “Butter Boards: 50+ Inventive Spreads for Entertaining,” by Alejandra Diaz-Imlah and Jamison Diaz-Imlah (2023, Cider Mill Press, $27.99) is a must. The “Board craze” is amazing. A plethora of books, websites, and videos, teaching the art of creating food boards (charcuterie, cheese, dessert) are available. There’s even a company that ships beautifully prepared gift boards.  Boards make entertaining easy, whether it be for a formal dinner, brunch or a casual afternoon tea. A new concept is butter boards. You might be thinking, what is this? It’s quite simple…softened butter is spread on a board and paired with ingredients, savory or sweet or both. Then, take a piece of bread, a cracker, vegetable or fruit and swipe some delectable butter spread on it. I suggest you use good quality butter for the best flavor. The author describes cultured butter, Irish and European butter as well as plant-based butter, the latter welcomed by vegans and those who don’t eat dairy products. Savory recipes include: bacon butter with bacon and maple biscuits; Christmas butter with radishes and cranberries; pesto butter with rosemary focaccia; dill, caper and cream cheese butter with lox and bagels. For those with a sweet tooth: cinnamon and honey butter with butter rolls and candied almonds; lemon and ginger butter with strawberry rhubarb jam; Spanish chocolate butter with churros.

The use of mason jars has gone beyond making and storing preserves. “Mason Jar Cocktails,” by Shane Carley (2022, Cider Mill Press, $19.95) is perfect for those on your list who would like - as the book jacket says, “to combine the best aspects of your favorite creative cocktails with the rustic simplicity of the Mason jar; you’ll be sipping at that martini with country-living style.” Included are cocktails based on a variety of liquors as well as creative mocktails such as Mason Jar Fuzzless Navel and a virgin mudslide.  

For the bakers or want-to-be bakers on your list, “I’ll Bring the Cake: Recipes for Every Season and Every Occasion,” by Mandy Merriman (2023, Harvest/HarperCollins, $40) will be a welcome addition to their baking cookbooks, especially those who enjoy or want to learn the art of decorating. The beautiful cakes that are truly works of art, begin with a boxed mix and then several ingredients to the mix. She said, “there’s a special way to make a cake mix taste like it’s from scratch, and my recipes are the best way to make that possible.” What is handy about her recipes is that they can be converted to make cupcakes, Bundt cakes, 9 x 13 inch cakes, etc. The section on buttercream essentials, baking tips and troubleshooting, assembling, and frosting are accompanied by step-by-step photos. One tip that she shares (and I agree with) is to avoid substitutions, with the exception of those avoiding ingredients for allergies. She writes, “I don’t recommend changing a recipe the first time you make it. If you change an ingredient,  know that you may end up with a different result.” The flavor combinations are mouth-watering: Cannoli Cake with Cinnamon Mascarpone Buttercream and Ricotta Filling; Creme Brulee Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream and Custard Filling; Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake with Grapefruit Poppy Seed Buttercream and Grapefruit Curd; Gingerbread Cake with White Chocolate and Ginger Buttercream; Eggnog Latte Cake. The stunning photos of every cake will entice the recipient want to make them all! 

If you’ve noticed, small plates and tapas are appearing on menus like never before. For many people, this is the preferred way to eat, grazing on a few small plates to experience flavors of different food. Entertaining this way at home, rather than preparing an elaborate meal is the trend. “The Complete Small Plates Cookbook: 300+ Shareable Tapas, Meze, Bar Snacks, Dumplings, Salads, and More,” by the editors of America’s Test Kitchen (2023, $34.99) explains how to put it all together…think about what each dish “brings to the table” (no pun intended), flavor, texture, and color. The recipes are categorized into nibbles, little bites, and heartier bites. The editors give pointers on how to create a small plates menu by asking…What’s the occasion? How much to serve? How much time do you have? The editors share strategies to use when choosing what small plates to prepare. Sample menus, some themed, along with recipes, are provided to make the decision easy. For example:  Indian Tea Party (Orange-cardamom spiced nuts; Pakoras with cilantro-mint chutney; Naan with ricotta, sundried tomatoes, and olive tapenade; Gajarachi Koshimbir; pine nut macaroons; Masaka chai). Maybe the recipient will invite you to enjoy the small plates prepared from this gift!

A recent study has shown that Chinese food is the most Googled cuisine in the United States The research, conducted by foodfirefriends.com, analyzed Google search data. Chinese food is Americans’ most-liked food. The ingredients used in preparing Chinese food are now available in many supermarkets due to the popularity of the cuisine, and the number of folks preparing it at home. To assist in this endeavor, Kevin Pang and Jeffrey Pang, the father-son hosts of the video series “Hunger Pangs,” teamed up with America’s Test Kitchen and published “A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China & Not China (But Still Really Chinese),” (2023, America’s Test Kitchen, $35). General Tso’s Chicken and dumplings to not so well-known dishes, this gift is perfect for people who love Chinese cuisine and would like to prepare it at home. The tips, techniques and step-by-step instructions and illustrations along with the authors’ stories, hosting a Chinese New Year party just might be on the horizon.      

With New Year’s Eve around the corner, “Friday Night Cocktails: 52 Drinks to Welcome Your Weekend,” by A.J. Dean (2023, Collective Book Studio, $19.95) is perfect for those cocktail afficionados on your list, especially if they are staying at home to celebrate and wish to experiment with new cocktail ideas. The fifty-two recipes are a collection of classic, contemporary and unique drinks. They are divided by season and month, so the libation can be matched with the weather and holidays. This time of year, the Pumpkin Pie Cocktail, Cranberry Mule or Apple Jack Sour would be appropriate to celebrate the season. The Summer Shandy would be a good choice for the warmer weather. The author writes,“ with a little understanding of the roles of the main components—alcohol, water, sugar, bitters—you can begin to experiment on your own. For example, the French 75 cocktail (gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, sparkling wine); Why not try grapefruit juice in place of the lemon? Or make the same recipe but use different gins?” This joyous holiday season, try something new, but don’t forget the tried-and-true. 

Let the shopping begin!

Stephen Fries, is Professor Emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, CT. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 15 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, CT. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Stephen@stephenfries.com For more, go to stephenfries.com

[mando-abs]

TOTK Progress Update

As I run from many responsibilities in my life, I have made significant progress in TOTK also SPOILERS BELOW

Both the Rito Village and Zora Domain bosses are done

I’ve gotten all of the Great Fairy Fountains

I’ve also upgraded Tulin’s sage…thingy? Idk and idk how

Most if not all of the Zora Domain side quests are done

Currently doing shrines and caves and side quests and things before I complete the remaining two mini bosses are done

Oh yeah I GOT THE MASTER SWORD (but I haven’t used it yet, thought I might have needed it for the mini bosses) it was a pain in the ass to get tho. I will explain my methods on how to obtain this below (only if you want)

To get the master sword, you must find all of the dragon’s tears memories. This of course takes a while, but they’re relatively easy to access. There’s plenty of guides online on where to find these.

BUT then you must go to the Korok Forest to help save the Deku Tree and koroks. You cannot go the way you came in in BOTW. You must go down the chasm near the forest, hop a buttload of trees as to not fall in the gloom goo, and try not to get killed by gloom hands. Fun. I encourage flipping back through the surface map to ensure you’re going in the right direction, which is the center of the Korok Forest but underground. You’ll know you’re getting close when the trees start changing into those strange smiling trees from the forest.

Anyways, there will be a lightroot shrine thing near a temple of sorts? It’s not really a temple, but there’ll be columns and pedestals and lights that’ll be outta the ordinary. Use the Ascend feature in the center of the temple to reach the forest.

To help save the forest, you must go the way you normally went to the shop and inn in the heart of the Deku tree and jump down into the chasm. BUT BEFORE YOU DO THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Make sure to have these

Sturdy weapons (plural). I like to fuse horriblin horns to pretty much anything sword-like. They always come in clutch.

Don’t go in without like 8 hearts, unless you’re confident. (But also why are you reading this then if you’re confident)

Enough arrows, like at least 20

Bomb flowers for the arrows. Make sure to have at the very least 10 of these, maybe 8 but you’re pushing it

Sundelion foods. This will help replenish hearts lost from gloom and give you health also. I cooked salted prime meat with sundelions. (I also got this tip and the bomb flower arrows from tiktok) Make a butt ton of these. There’s a place to cook near the entrance (although you may have to light it).

Attack foods. Foods that boost attack. A mighty fish mixed with a couple of mighty thistles and razorshrooms will do extremely nicely. Or you could cook these based on what you have, just make sure it’s mighty. Eat these to replenish the other hearts the sundelion foods couldn’t, but I wouldn’t recommend eating another in battle until the attack boost is about to wear off. Make quite a few of these.

You’re set :)

Okay so what’s down there anyways??? Gloom hands. The bastards. The best way to attack them is to hit bomb flower arrows in the middle. This way you’ll hit more hands at once (hopefully all at once but it’s not a perfect science). You may have to die a few times to get the hang of it if you’re inexperienced with gloom hands like me, but don’t let them intimidate you. Blast them to hell.

And of course, after you kill them, there’s the dreaded phantom ganon. The goal here is to outlast ganon with replenishing hearts and unlocking hearts from the gloom. Try not to get in the way of his long sword attacks (and if you’re great a parrying, all the better). This will help you from eating away your supply. But he’s tricky so it’s okay if he clocks you a good one here and there. Use those sturdy weapons and whack the shit outta him. You will defeat him.

And when you do, the Deku tree will reward you with where to locate the light dragon. And get there to the dragon immediately after, whatever warp is closest. You’ll see her. And it shouldn’t be too hard to get to her??? Maybe have a stamina elixir or food boost just in case.

Also, this is important. Last important thing I’m sorry.

You must have two complete stamina wheels. Don’t try cheating with the yellow wheels either. Two full green stamina wheels. Otherwise she will fling you off when trying to grab the master sword.

And then

Da na na na naaaaaaaaa

You’ve got the sword.

Good luck soldier

[blahandwhatever]

Keep putting off really writing in here due to tiredness or other reasons, but here’s a survey...

What was the best job you’ve ever had? A few of my freelance editing jobs, but my main current one has to take the cake for being a combination of relatively enjoyable, flexible, generally low in hours (by my own choice), and exceptionally high-paying. There is still a special place in my heart for the exceptionally low-paying wikiHow one that was at times more like writing an advice column. Would you rather open a used clothing store or an antique store? The former, I guess, but neither really.  Do you have a troublesome medical condition? No. 

What’s your most annoying neighbor’s name? There’s only been one really annoying person in this building—who I don’t think even lived here but visited his ex-girlfriend and their kids and created chaos—but thankfully it’s been a long time since I saw/heard anything. They may have moved out. Yesterday I saw a couple of packages addressed to that unit with an unfamiliar name. Would you have started a business in high school if your parents had let u? No.

What sport would you have joined if your parents had let you? None. I never wanted to play sports; my parents—my father specifically—were the ones who pushed me to do it.

Do you have any tough life decisions to make soon? Not really.  At what time of the day do you usually have the most energy? Depends.  Do you consider yourself gifted and talented? I mean, I have talents, but phrasing it like that when talking about yourself sounds obnoxious.  Magenta, aqua, or coral? Aqua.  Do you like the color orchid? Based on the Google image results I just looked at, not particularly, though, as with almost every color, interpretations of what exactly it looks like seem to vary.  Would you rather be a wedding photographer or a nature photographer? Nature. Have you ever had an ulcer? No. Do you have a canker sore right now? No. Are you interested in health and wellness? Yes.  Would you ever be a fitness coach? No.  Do you ever question whether something that makes you uncomfortable is a good thing or not? Yes. When was the last time you spent time with God in nature? I don’t spend time with God as far as I’m aware, but I generally spend a lot of time in nature through the fall. I really need to do more of it in the winter, especially when it snows.  What color is your bike? Black. Do you have too many hangers? No.  Have you ever created a themed scrapbook? Yes.  Have you ever had someone tell you NOT to trust your gut? Haha, my parents most of my life. Not in those words, but, as in countless unhealthy families/relationships, following my own feelings or intuition was not generally supported. Do you get irritated by people who lack common sense? Depends on the specifics.

What’s the best drink you’ve ever had at Starbucks? The white mocha has always been my favorite.  Did you pull an all-nighter last night? No, I don’t do that anymore, though I do have an extremely late sleep schedule.  When was the last time you wrote an essay? Not sure. Do you enjoy writing essays? I can. Do you enjoy learning? Yes. Do you get irritated by know-it-alls? Sometimes. What is the most dominant color in your closet? Black. Do you have any Irish in you? No. Do you know anyone who thinks they’re good at something but really is not? For sure. What color are your running shoes? I don’t really have running shoes. The closest things I have to athletic shoes are black and gray. Do you wear hoodies? Occasionally.  How many pull-over hoodies do you own? One or two. Do you own a princess crown? No.

Do you love anyone? Yes.  What’s your birthstone? Opal.  Do you have a class ring? No.  Were you ever on a dance team? No. Do you love your hometown? I don’t know what would be considered my hometown; I’ve lived in a lot of places. I don’t love the place where I was born, but I love the place where I spent the longest time living—love it in the sense of having fond memories and feelings associated with it, not in that I think it’s a particularly special place or would want to live there again.  Where are you itching to travel to? I’m not really itching to travel. I do want to finally revisit Ann Arbor this year, maybe someplace else in the US. Japan is the only foreign country that I strongly want to visit, but not for a few years. Do you own an epi pen? No.  How old were you when you got rid of all your Barbies? I didn’t ‘get rid of’ them. We moved from Poland to the US when I was 8 and left almost everything behind—including my fairly large Barbie collection. I don’t recall having more Barbies after that; it was mostly stuffed animals/Beanie Babies, then Sailor Moon and Pokemon stuff. What sounds like the most fun job to you? Creating/doing whatever I feel like.  List five people who are good role models career-wise. Brian David Gilbert. David Lynch. Rachel and Jun. Patrick Teahan. Various writers. I just listed the first people who came to mind for whatever reason—clearly influenced by the amount of YouTube-watching I’ve done in the past few years—even though I don’t necessarily want these people’s specific careers. It’s mostly the authenticity and following their own flow in their work and life that I love. And Patrick Teahan is just so understanding of some seriously important, foundational shit that impacts a huge chunk of the world’s population and that few therapists have as good a grasp of, and has been so helpful to so many people through his platform. Have you ever had an art class that you hated? I signed up for a watercolor class in college and didn’t like it that much; ended up dropping it. There was just too much nitpicky specificity about exactly how we were supposed to draw and paint, and I didn’t have a lot of patience for the pale and watery style the professor tried to confine us to. Like I know that’s pretty normal for watercolors, but it isn’t the only way to make good art with them, and I don’t really enjoy painting that way myself. Were you always one of the smartest kids in your class? Yeah.. Do you read for pleasure? Yes.  When was the last time you drank hot chocolate? Couple of years ago. Are you unique? We all are.  Do you have a headache right now? No. Are you humble? To an extent. Do you like to research things? Yes.  Are you forgetful sometimes? Not really. I mean sure, I can forget things like anyone else, but not to the extent that I would use that adjective to describe myself.

Do you boast about your faith in God? I don’t have that. Do you believe your dreams can come true? Mostly.  Magic or mayhem? Magic. Do you think you have what it takes to be a good salesperson? No. Least of all the willingness to be a salesperson. Do you go after your dreams? Yes. Do you encourage others to go after their dreams? Yes.  Are you the person you want to be? Mostly.  Are you currently trying to stay awake but nodding off? That was most of my day. Of course, now that it’s bedtime, I’m not as sleepy anymore. Would you ever want to study abroad? Not particularly.  What is the name of your favorite bakery? Don’t have one. Mornings or evenings? Evenings.

Do you think you could be a life coach? Um I guess. I wouldn’t exactly want to, though there are adjacent things I could do.  What color is your sofa? White.  Do you scrapbook? No. Peacocks or lions? Peacocks. Hipster or boho? Bohemian. ‘Boho’ sounds obnoxious. Skeletons or scarecrows? Skeletons, I guess. Do you have a morning routine? Sort of.  Which name do you like better: Jessica or Jennifer? Jennifer.

What decade were you born in? 1980s.  Did you ever shop at Deb? I feel like I may have at some point long ago.  Are you all alone? Yes. In a good way.

[outtrust]

Huniepop 2 playthrough

Huniepop 2 playthrough how to#

Huniepop 2 playthrough Patch#

You can still mitigate the affects of each girl’s Baggage or make the game easier by giving them Gifts but it can also be difficult to do that if you don’t pre-lock the correct gift for her. I just wish it was a little more balanced in terms on how good and bad they get. This could range from actually being helpful, like the Passion and Broken Heart tokens have the reverse affect on a girl, pretty benign if you’re careful, such as a girl not accepting gifts if they don’t have the right amount of Passion tokens, to the positively devastating, like draining the Affection meter if you try focusing on the other girl! I like the idea of the Baggage system as it another thing to juggle while you’re doing the Match-3 thing. Baggage basically adds a detrimental effect per girl. Mechanically, it does make sense since it’s actually easy to find four matches but it is annoying when the girl who’d benefit the most from the match doesn’t have enough stamina to use it.Īnother huge change with the Match-3 portion is the introduction of Baggage each girl has. It’s almost like the game is congratulating you for finding the match with the points but also punishing you by making the game just a little harder. But, honestly, that’s a good chuck as to why HuniePop 2 is so fun! The only thing I don’t enjoy about the new stamina mechanic is how “big” moves, like matching four or more tokens drains more stamina. Having to balance between both girls and managing their stamina meter as well as taking note as to which girl’s favorite token to get the most points and also trying to ensure both girls have high enough Affection so that you’re not just relying on one girl can be hectic. So, basically, during the Match-3 “date” game, you’ll need to ration each girl’s stamina meters and match the most appropriate tokens to get the most amount of points, making each game a nice little balancing act of planning out what to do right at the moment and in the future. Performing too many actions with one of them will deplete it and they’ll be out temporarily. Also, you can’t just concentrate on one girl during the entire date as they have their own stamina meter. Matching the Broken Heart tokens will make them mad at you for a set amount of time so try to avoid doing that, okay? But it’s not that simple in HuniePop 2 because, as the name suggests (sorta), you’re dating two women at the same time!Įven though both girls will contribute to your overall score, some girls will give you more (or less) points depending on which tokens you match. You can match Heart (Passion) tokens to add a score multiplier to your matches for each girl and matching Teardrop (Sentiment) tokens will allow you to give gifts to your dates. You score Affection points by matching three or more tokens in a row or column and you try to reach the required amount of Affection before you run out of turns. The general Match-3 format is followed for the most part. While the dating sim and adult/hentai portions are relatively the same, the team at HuniePot put in some new gameplay mechanics into the Match-3 system that makes it much more hectic than the first game. It’s still this hyper addictive Match-3 puzzle game mixed with dating sim elements and some adult/hentai scenes for some added spice. HuniePop 2: Double Date plays almost exactly like the first game but with a few added twists to keep things interesting. I have to power through writing this because I really want to get back to playing! That should give you a good understanding of how good HuniePop 2: Double Date is. I’m actually forcing myself to write this up so I can finally review it after being delayed for this long. Before I knew it, I’m already a couple of days past the deadline. I could’ve wrote up a quick review about it… but I just wanted to play one more game. That took maybe one good gameplay session. I played HuniePop 2 and managed to wrap my head around the entire “double date” system. Well, things were going according to plan.

Huniepop 2 playthrough how to#

I would need some time to play it and figure out the ins and outs (that’s what she said) of the gameplay and, like with the first HuniePop, I knew I would just need a few days to get a few hours under my belt to get a deep understanding of how to play it.

Huniepop 2 playthrough Patch#

I actually purchased HuniePop 2: Double Date and installed the “uncensored” patch on a Sunday with the hopes of getting a review out by the regular I’ll Review Anything schedule. This review was delayed for the silliest of reasons.

[rotationalsymmetry]

I gots trans stuff on the brain.

I went to CLF worship last night, and the person who was hosting coffee hour went by multiple pronouns and specifically said they like switching it up, and that was very very nice.

I talked with my partner about maybe possibly someday considering doing the hormone thing.

I gotta figure out how to come out to the people I live with. (I am…extremely not expecting any problems here, just, how do come out? It hard.) And also at some point I should do a Facebook coming out.

[prokopetz]

Hello! There is currently a TTRPG bundle for trans rights in Texas on itch.io right now. Is there anything on there that you find particularly noteworthy? (im probably going to get it anyway but it's nice to know)

My policy of not recommending tabletop RPGs I've never played is working against me here, because obviously I haven't played most of the 400-odd games in the bundle in question! However, I did spot a few that I've had positive experiences with:

AGON - A semi-competitive RPG that casts the players as heroes in Mythic Greece. Very combat-heavy, though it models some pretty unusual things as forms of combat, including poetry contests and academic debates. There are a number of setting hacks available if playing as Heracles doesn’t grab you, including the SCP Foundation inspired Chamber and the 1980s mecha anime pastiche Surge Protectors; they’re not included in the bundle, but they’ve got pay-what-you-want pricing, so they don’t need to be.

Blazing Hymn - A surreal mecha-meets-magical-girls game where the player characters are literally trying to cancel the Apocalypse by beating up angels while wearing robotic battlesuits forged from living music. Probably the most tactically crunchy game on this list in spite of its relatively lightweight mechanics – you’ll definitely want a battle grid for this one. Based on the Lumen SRD, which you can pick up with pay-what-you-want pricing here.

A Dirty World - A film noir drama with a novel approach to conflict resolution that revolves around tension between pairs related yet fundamentally opposed values – Endurance versus Defiance, Courage versus Wrath, etc. The writeup on itch.io is short and cryptic, so you might find the author’s website more informative, particularly the downloadable character sheet.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians - April Kit Walsh’s magnum opus is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin: all player characters are lesbians with swords, and the mechanics explicitly encourage everybody to constantly fall in love with everybody else and have all sorts of ridiculous relationship drama. Not quite as lighthearted as it sounds; many of the playbooks are about exploring a particular experience of homophobia (then stabbing it in the face). This system is especially well-represented in the bundle, with several third-party playbooks and scenarios also included: here, here and here.

Wanderhome - A low-stakes furry travelogue RPG based on the diceless Belonging Outside Belonging engine first seen in Avery Alder’s Dream Askew; the latter has a free play kit available (bottom of the left-hand column on the linked page) if you want to get an idea of what sort of mechanics to expect in Wanderhome. This one is literally the tabletop RPG equivalent of a walking sim, which I expect either cinched the deal for you or put it firmly on your do-not-play list the moment I said it. The bundle also includes a compendium of third-party playbooks for Wanderhome, here.

[babylonia-after-hours]

Perversion

Feeds self yan! geto/Kenjaku content because i'm personally obsessed with the idea that Kenjaku not only inherited Geto's memories, but also his obsession.

Warning for manga spoilers and brief instances of stalking.

He’s a pervert for your thighs. He’d never admit it aloud, least of all to you, but he could never complain about your wearing shorts or a skirt (especially if they’re short) and you’ll never catch him complaining if they hitch up to reveal just a little more of you. You’re a distant relative of Satoru’s, practically a servant, but he doesn’t give a fuck, he doesn’t give a fuck.

Sometimes, Satoru would drag you out with them, when he’s having one of his rebellious moments, or Suguru might catch a glimpse of you disappearing around a corner, light and fleeting like a ghost.

The Great Clans don’t treat their children equally. You could see curses in all their hideous glory, but that was about the extent of your abilities, basic defense training exempted.

It had to be you, his best friend’s favored maid, his best friend’s favorite cousin. You were pretty, too, with the same piercing gaze as Satoru, even if your eyes weren’t the same color.

And so he can’t really help but stare when he sees you again. You seem to have the day off, minding your own business, shopping for clothes you only get to wear once every few weeks. At a distance, he follows you into a store he and Satoru had taken you to in high school, and you had marveled at all kinds of things at the time.

It was just about the right time for summer shopping, late March, apparently. He follows, a little closer now, as you drift through the coming spring’s first flush and pick out something white and lacy. Utterly impractical. And, he doesn’t even hesitate to admit he wants to see you in it, as you hold up the skirt to your body, considering the size and color in the mirror.

And oh, how he relishes in the way you jump when appears beside the column, leaning on it. “Looks nice on you,” he says, because it does, and he’s never been one to withhold a compliment from you.

It hurts, kind of, to see you get all defensive though.

“Relax,” he laughs. “I missed you is all. What have you been up to, anyway? Behaving yourself?”

You seem even more surprised at his audacity to ask such a thing than his sudden reappearance.

“You shouldn’t be here,” you hiss, but he wants to tell himself there’s something in your eyes that missed him.

He laughs a little and steps closer, and you don’t shrink away, still glaring. Cute. “I really did miss you,” he says, gentler, more earnest this time. And he did, miss you something awful after he’d made his decision. He almost regretted it, not being able to go to the Gojo house and catch the delighted look you got on your face when Satoru announced they were taking you out.

And his heart hurts, and he almost regrets everything all over again when your expression softens. “I missed you too, but you made your choices, and I can’t do anything but let you.”

~

Kenjaku is, at first, merely intrigued. You weren’t anything terribly special, and yet there was a terrible yearning left in Geto Suguru’s soul, like you had been threaded into his very physical existence. And, of course, it didn’t hurt that you were cute enough, all flashing eyes, and disbelieving when he decided to come to call.

It’s cute, lovely, really, the way you stand with a little knife, like you could even put a scratch on him, eyes cutting to the doors, wondering if you could get out an alarm. Not that the Gojo family would take you seriously, and no one of much importance was likely to be about at this hour. Not with Satoru sealed.

“Darling, it’s me,” he purrs, propping an elbow up on the kitchen table.

And there’s this look that crosses your face, all sweet and mournful and horrified disbelief. “No it’s not,” you tell him, and he really has to wonder, could there be two Six Eyes, just for him? But no, because he’d deceived Satoru’s Six Eyes. He simply couldn’t deceive a friend. “Suguru is dead.”

Ah, that lovely, choked-up, pained quality to your voice. “Well, that makes two people that have seen right through me,” he says. He takes a long moment to soak up all of you. You’re wearing that white skirt Suguru had seen you admiring last spring, and you do look incredible in it. These days, he can’t always distinguish his own thoughts from Suguru’s though.

Slowly something in your eyes cracks, and it’s lovely to watch, as your wavering knife sinks to your side. “Where is Satoru?”

He smiles at you, teasing. “Now, now, what could you possibly think I’ve done with him?”

“He didn’t come home today,” you say, “He always…”

“He always what, dear?” Kenjaku asks, something creeping into his good mood. “What could your cousin possibly do for you?”

Your eyes flicker with something a little too fast for him to catch. “He always tells me when he’s going to be away,” you insist, “you must have something to do with it. Why have you never… Where…”

“Why have I never visited?” he asks, approaching you slowly, gently as he could muster. Your face is soft in his hands, eyes swimming with a frustrated mess of feelings. “Well, I couldn’t exactly go giving myself up before it was time. You and Satoru both saw right through me.” He leans down and presses a soft kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Did you miss me that much?” He grins at the way your face goes blank in shock. “No need anymore, darling,” he assures you, “We’ll have all the time in the world to get reacquainted.”

[bleachbleachbleach]

Anniversary question!: how do you think soul society deals with disabilities (ie Tousen being blind or Kukaku missing an arm)? Is there a soul society ADA? What does it even mean for a soul to be disabled, and does it remain when they reincarnate?

I’m going to go ahead and broaden this from the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) to talk about whether or not Soul Society is likely to think equitably/accessibly about disability. 

Short answer: There can be no true disability justice when a society is structurally indebted to rule by war, genocide, and the uneven distribution of power.

But when has B3 ever left anything short? These are pretty unformed thoughts with lots of room for further consideration/greater nuance, but I’ve taken this ask as an invitation to do at least that first step.

13 Thoughts On Disability and the Gotei 13

(8 things that are garbage, and 5 with potential)

8 Things That are Garbage:

Authoritarian power structure

Narrow definitions of "valuable" expertise and experience

Disempowerment of minoritized communities

Pervasive culture of silence

Unsustainable work hours

Shitty meeting formats

Unimodal presentation style

Refusal to anticipate needs

5 Things with Potential:

Big doors

(Relative) openness to different ways of being

Plurality of care options (sort of)

Well-adjusted sense of liminality

Communities of care

8 Things That are Garbage

1. Authoritarian power structure: The nobility, the Gotei 13, and the Central 46 all exercise power in Soul Society, but for the average Joe Soul, rule by any of these entities is probably about the same—at the end of the day, it’s rule by the powerful. Authoritarian power tends to stigmatize difference, casting it as deviation, infidelity, and possibly ineptitude. The societies that authoritarian power produces then systematically benefit those in positions of power and their ability to stay in power (which tends to be at odds with sharing power, resources, expertise, time, etc. with those deemed different that therefore "marginal"). Examples: Execution being the penalty for Hollowfication/infection they didn’t even want. Execution also being the penalty for losing/lending one’s shinigami powers. The Den of Maggots existing. 

2. Narrow definitions of "valuable" expertise and experience: There are a few ways to become a captain, and each captain does tend to have their own special expertises, but the roster is not deep, and there are not many other ways to be upwardly mobile in Soul Society. Kaidou and kidou are *barely* honored as valuable skillsets, and that’s still just "shinigami stuff." This definition of what is/isn’t valuable lends itself to uphold the aforementioned authoritarian power structure, rather than actively seeking out different skills—of even non-skill-based ways of being—that might be valued.

3. Disempowerment of minoritized communities: I think the disabled population in even just the Gotei is minoritized, but I seriously doubt they are mathematically a minority. Untreated PTSD, anxiety, and depression are probably rampant (without the possibility of being diagnosed, since they lack that expertise), and the people who die of illness just die "of illness." Who knows what that is, or in what ways they may have been able to live longer or better. Shinigami probably have all kinds of weird things going on that they don’t take to the 4th, or that the 4th doesn’t have the capacity (either labor or knowledge) to handle effectively.

4. Pervasive culture of silence: If you don’t talk about it disability, then it doesn’t exist! Physical and mental illness, injury, body difference, neurodivergence, trauma… Heck, Aizen nearly destroyed them all and all the SC said was that the Aizen photobook would be out of print and several captains’ columns would be... "on hiatus." 

5. Unsustainable work hours: Shinigami are literally defined by the work they do. Reaping is their *purpose.* Forget a 4-day work week and <8-hour days. There’s probably not even a Shinigami Golden Week. And are captains ever not on duty, or at the very least, on call? Why is there no way to retire from the Gotei outside of death, banishment, imprisonment, being Kuchiki Ginrei, or whipping up a baller business proposal for a glasses shop? How does this culture (de-)value shinigami whose bodies cannot do this, or no longer desire to ask this of their bodies? What services to they offer to shinigami who (by their estimate) can no longer sustain an unsustainable practice (but can according to the needs of the Gotei)? THE DEN OF MAGGOTS?

6. Shitty meeting formats: To get less philosophical, you literally have to stand in two straight rows for sustained periods of time during a captain’s meeting. There’s no sitting, no vocalizing out of turn. You need to stim? That’d be a hard no. No backthroom breaks, either. When Ukitake is too ill, he doesn’t go and isn’t technically penalized, but he also doesn’t get a not-seat at the not-table. He doesn’t get the info, and doesn’t get a vote. (Or a chance to advocate his positions. Maybe no one gets a "vote," lol.)

[Chapter 081]

What might an accessible Captain’s Meeting look like instead? 

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

Imagine:

Yamamoto opens with a quick check-in. This acknowledges the personhood of everyone in the room, even if the goal of the meeting is to assign labor. It also opens the flood to all voices, setting the tone for a meeting that is intended to be dialogic rather than unidirectional/top-down. 

He reminds everyone of their Community Agreements, which might include asking questions before acting on assumptions, naming perceived tensions in themselves or between others, or remembering to consider the positionalities from which everyone might be speaking. Yamamoto also invites people to move and use the room as needed to make themselves comfortable in the space.

Yamamoto’s role may be one of facilitator rather than sole speaker; the agenda has likely been set via group inputs, and different captains will have taken responsibility for different elements of the meeting to share these responsibilities/powers. He may see his role as Captain Commander as supporter rather than governor. What can he do to support the other Captains, identify potential collaborations, or share resources? How can captains correspondingly act in the same way for their devisions?

Not only are the captains in attendance, but there are probably representatives from other walks of Soul Society there as well, with either deliberative or voting power. Rukongai district reps, unseated officer reps, Seireitei civilian rep, Academy instructor rep… There may be issues-based reps for a given cycle, like from the SWA or the Shinigami Healing Circles committee.

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

7. Unimodal presentation style: Yamamoto certainly isn’t breaking out the PowerPoint or using voice magnification to accommodate anyone with an auditory processing disorder. And if he did, he wouldn’t incorporate visual descriptions into his talk for the visually impaired. (And Hitsugaya probably can’t see shit from where he’s standing, sighted or not!)

If Yamamoto woke up one day and decided to run a Captain’s Meeting like this, it would not go well. They would all hate it, and nothing would get done. There might be a body count. But I think that what that speaks to, really, is the fact that they’ve been living within structures that have refused these possibilities entirely, and that they would have to do real, hard work to unlearn that.

These may also seem like very broad practices. What does this have to do with disability? There are two primary models of disability: medical and social. In the medical model, disability is to be cured or managed. In the social model, "problem" of disability exists in a society’s failure to serve someone’s needs. Which leads us to—

8. Refusal to Anticipate Needs: Any time a Captain’s Meeting gets called, it’s in reaction to something potentially deleterious to Soul Society as we know it. This is probably true all the way down, in the sense that the Gotei 13 tends not to anticipate needs. A village has to disappear, or someone has to die first. (Possibly a cultural effect of focusing on afterlives/afterwards.) But if you’re waiting for someone to tell you what is needed, then you’re reacting to a lack of something rather than try to build a reality that has accounted for that issue in the first place. 

5 Things with Potential

1. The doors to the Captain’s Meeting Room are very ADA-complaint.

[Chapter -108]

They are very wide, to accommodate for wheelchair users, and also open automatically, without the need for people to physically push them. (Except there aren’t wheelchairs, because THERE AREN’T WHEELS.) If you trust B3 enough to read this long textpost, then it probably does not surprise you that I have a folder filled with nothing but pictures of Soul Society’s doors, and I honestly think the 4th might be larger than other divisions’ doors. Maybe to accommodate for their diversity of guests?

2. The Gotei 13 seems reasonably open to different ways of being in the world, whether you are blind, deaf, chronically/terminally ill, or are a wolf. No one actually cared that Komamura was a wolf under that helmet, but he seemed concerned that they might, and I doubt he’d be concerned without justification. Ukitake also continues to be well-respected and isn’t asked to not be a Captain because he’s sick (even though it does actually change the ways he is able to do his job, and sometimes is acutely detrimental to being able to do that job well). No one ever seems to think Tousen or Atau wouldn’t be able to do their jobs because of their disabilities, but 1) that sentence again suggests that their ability to work is the most important thing here, 2) there are probably entire communities of deaf and blind people in Soul Society who aren’t "thriving" in Soul Society, either by labor-based or more personal measures, and 3) I don’t know that Tousen actually received accommodations for being blind, or that any of his colleagues actively thought about what practices might not serve him. The city is already unnavigable, and so much about people’s ranks/identities are tendered visually.

3. The fact that both the 4th and 12th both exist. What would the 12th possibly add to this? you might ask. They are creepy and weird. They ARE creepy and weird, but shinigami other than Mayuri do work there, and tbh despite the fact that Mayuri is objectively terrible, he probably also has relatively more progressive views on disability and body politics than many of his colleagues. But what I really mean goes back to the medical and social models of disability. For the most part, the 4th cures stuff. It tries to put you back the way you were. The 12th does, too, if you need some limbs back. But it’s more complex than that in both these places, probably, and I think the fact that neither have a pure monopoly on what medical care "should" look like, or what its goals should be, is ultimately good for the quality of medical care overall. (And probably pushes the 4th to continually improve the quality of its care and the ways care/health/illness might be conceived, either by acknowledging a valid perspective from the 12th or descrying something from the 12th as utter horseshit and vowing to be better.) It requires the 4th to have a care philosophy, and actively think about what they want that to be.

4. Given their line of work, both in terms of its focus on death and its hazardousness, I think shinigami probably have a better relationship to liminal states of being than most humans do. By that I mean they’re probably more on board with the idea that their bodies, in the state that they presently exist, are temporary. These bodies will change; their functions and abilities will change. 

Even though their lifespans may be way longer and the aging process less acute, and their whole real really being about stasis, I think this is one thing they do understand and accept: If you are not sick yet, you will be. If you are not hurt yet, you will be. There’s a dark edge to that, sure—in the sense that the Gotei really does not care if you live or die, or what your quality of life is. But it doesn’t have to be entirely fire and brimstone. A lot of that fire and brimstone feeling probably comes from systematic ableism in the first place. You can live the best and happiest most cared-for life and it will still be true that your body and mind (or bodymind) will change in ways that are difficult, painful, or make certain things no longer possible.

5. There are a lot of shinigami in Soul Society who will go to absolute town for each other. In spite of all the things working against this possibility, communities of care persist. This can be a problem sometimes when it comes to exercising boundaries and practicing self-care (you can’t help someone else if you’re killing yourself in the process), but ultimately, you have to care. You have to be able to assume that you care and the people around you care. 

And if there is one thing that the Gotei 13  has going for it, it’s that a lot of them really, really care.