Nothing special, feel free to leave feedback.

A year before I left Boston, we went for dinner one night. It was after ultimate frisbee, and Boloco was the only place open. We were still riding high from the last time, when we'd gotten everyone to swim across the Charles. Some kids from MIT had been eating grapes as they walked across the bridge, and I'd convinced them to throw some to me to try to catch in my mouth. They missed a few times before throwing down the ziplock bag, and I was able to throw one to you, which you caught.
So this time, I'd joked we should climb the fence to the reservoir and see if we could eat burritos on our backs as we swam across, like otters. You liked something I'd said, so instead of rushing it with Boloco, we wandered the grocery aisles to savor the planning. In the end, you'd proposed making a little boat by turning the frisbee upside down and duct taping two water bottles beneath as pontoons. "We could make smores," you said leaning toward me. We bought a tiki torch that we sat in the middle and then piled the rest of the frisbee with marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate squares from Hershey bars. Before we left, you ran back to your car to get a sharpie. You wrote "S.S. More" on the side of one water bottle. I posed for a photo.
The platter was awkward, and we dropped a couple pieces of chocolate in the woods. But we got through the fence easily. We broke sticks for our marshmallows and you lit the torch with a lighter from your car. I remember there were these little fish that would nibble at our toes in the shallows. It was unpleasant, but it didn't quite hurt, more ticklish. I was a more confident swimmer, so I pulled the jump rope, swimming on my back, the other hand balancing my marshmallow over the carcinogenic flame.
At some point out on the water, the wind picked up and blew out the torch. We treaded water several minutes as you tried to get the lighter, wet from where you'd stuffed it into your underwear, to work. At the other side of the reservoir, we stood and those little fish nibbled at us, and you shook out the lighter hard, and lit the torch. We ate as much as we pleased, laughing the whole way back. You took a turn with the jump rope.
That summer we drove up and stayed at the cabin your great uncle owned in Maine. The cabin itself was a converted boat, where your uncle, a local politician from Florida, spent his summers with his obese wife. They were the legal guardians of your cousin, whose father disappeared again after relapsing. It was early autumn, and you'd said it was too cold to swim. But we'd go down and jump in the water with your aunt and uncle, who were convinced the cold was soothing to your aunt's gout. I taught the little boy to skip rocks, but I got him in trouble by talking in character as Scarlet O'Hara during a game of Clue, which he wouldn't stop imitating for the rest of the afternoon. His grandfather sent him outside until he stopped. When you and I went to look for him, he was trying to split logs with an axe in his flip flops. We told him not to do that because he could lose his toes, and I told him that voices were only funny for a short time.
You and I didn't sleep in the old boat cabin, which was expectedly small. Instead, we slept in an L in a 12'x12' shed with a light bulb, which hung on an extension cord from a truss. We talked until 3am or 4am, about everything, work, girls, childhood, and the things that we'd done that had finally dragged us into sobriety.
The next morning, I'd said I wanted to see if I could swim across Lewis Cove and back. As soon as I said it, you were in. You were so lean from running all the time, and before we even got past the boats and the lobster traps, you were struggling from the cold. I'd suggested going back or even climbing out on one of the docks holding traps, but you refused. In the middle, you were worried about making it across at all. I figured I could carry you, but without a float, I didn't think I could carry you very far. When we finally got to where we could stand, you got out and tried to warm up. I stayed in the water, swimming back out a little because for some reason I thought a lobster might pinch me. Eventually, I realized how violently you were shivering. So I got out too, and we decided to go find the road and try to hitchhike back.
It turned out to be one of the islands scattered along the coast of Maine. Luckily, the restaurant, the only thing on the island, hadn't yet closed for the year. The staff, who lived on the island in warm months, were shocked to see us on their day off. You asked if they were planning to take their boat across the water anytime soon. "If you're already making the trip, maybe we could carpool?" you suggested. Two of them gave us a lift in a little boat, making thinly veiled comments about the stupidity of summer people most of the way.
The next day, you slept for hours with a fever. Your aunt was angry that I'd been a bad influence. I went back out and tried to complete the round trip swim. I did it carefully, keeping my head out of the water most of the time and swimming a modified breaststroke. I thought maybe a fast pace would help keep my body temperature up. On the other side, I kicked off the rocks and swam back, and it was cold, but I was fine. Back at the cabin, you were awake and gave me a hug when I came in. We looked up the swimming route on your phone and saw that it was indeed an island, a mile and change round trip. That night we bought a few lobsters from some place along the road, which your uncle boiled in seawater.
A few weeks later, you'd tried to set me up with a girl you knew. You showed me a photo of her, a knockout blonde from Florida. You said you'd been telling her all about me and had sent her my website, and that she wanted to visit Boston and meet me. You told me what a good person she was. "She does little things you'd do, like whenever she has spare change, she goes and puts it in the coin return of vending machines so that it'll make someone's day." I asked why you weren't dating her, but you brushed me off. We started arguing somehow at Bukowski's, some comment I'd made because you'd said she routinely got favors from an infatuated ex. I'd told you it sounded like trouble, and that remembering that beauty is fleeting was why I hadn't slept my way through the ultimate frisbee club yet. We ended up finishing our White Trash Cheese Steaks in silence.
I left Boston with some girl the following summer. It fizzled in weeks, but it was years later that I realized how much you loved me. My ex-wife had been organizing photos, and had come across the picture you took of me holding the frisbee boat. She was always jealous of other women, and she asked who I was smiling at in the photo. "He was my friend."

To start, I’m sorry if this isn’t appropriate for this sub. I spent forever looking for somewhere to post and this was the only place that seemed appropriate. i’m writing this on my phone so i don’t know how it will be layed out/formatted. I don’t know if this is something i should make a big deal out of. it feels too far to say it’s forced but either way i can’t stop thinking about it. I was at my boyfriend’s (16, grade above me) house on thursday and things didn’t go great. we were hanging out in his bed and i was feeling really tired from the school day. he knows i don’t like when he touches me on the sides of my stomach, im ticklish but to the point where it hurts. he kept slapping my ass/leg really hard and it genuinely hurt. i tried to ask him to stop, but he told me he wouldn’t and found it funny to hit me or go for my sides. i begged him to stop and tried to tell him that it hurt, but he told me that he would only stop if i gave him head. he then took my hand and made me pinky promise. he stopped hitting me, but then kept asking when it was his turn. eventually i gave in, but i told him i didn’t want to. then he took down his pants and pushed me down. before we started, he asked if it was okay. even though i didn’t want to, i said yes. i started then he guilt tripped me into swallowing even though i told him i wouldn’t because i usually feel gross and nauseous after. i ended up getting really sick after but he kept telling me that it was worth it and that it was good enough that me getting sick was minor compared to it. I feel gross about doing all of this so young and i’m hesitant to talk about it because i don’t want to be judged but i’m really worried about what might happen in the future. it seems too far to say it was assault because we are together and i technically said yes, but something about it feels really off to me. i’m scared that i’ll only ever be used for sex and i find it hard to believe there’s anyone out there who wants me for me. i’m not the prettiest, and i feel lucky to have someone like this but this is really making me question if ill ever be more than what i can do for someone.
UPDATE:
i talked to him about it. he didn’t see what he did wrong. after that he seemed genuinely caring and understanding but i’m worried it’s just to win me over. he said i told him yes “25 times” but he also admitted he was wrong and i’m so conflicted. he told me i ruined what would’ve been one of the best days of his life (buying his first car) by worrying him and not telling him what was going on right away. i feel horrible for it but not that bad because of what he did to me. he then opened up about something like this happening with a girl i know, but i can’t tell if it was just to convince me that he didn’t mean it. i’m so conflicted and hurt

Hi, so I've been together with my girlfriend for about 2 and a half years now and we've not been able to have sex for the past year or more if I can remember correctly.
When we first started having sex in the first year of being together, it was great, we could go for a few rounds in a day if we really wanted and she wouldn't have any pain.
After a couple months, we started to have sex less often as she said it started to hurt sometimes. But ever since we stopped a year or more ago, everytime we've tried she told me to stop when we try to put it in because it hurt so much she felt like her vagina was tearing.
We went to our local clinic to get it checked out and they said nothing looked off and prescribed her a numbing cream to use if we really wanted to do it and another cream which I think was lidocaine?
But even after using both of them, the pain didnt go away. She says she feels the pain at the most bottom part of the entrance of the vagina. I've tried to figure out where exactly it hurts and I figured out that an inch or so into the vaginal opening, any amount of pressure down hurts, even on the sides a little but its mostly on the bottom.
I just want her to be able to enjoy it without hurting and honestly, I really miss the intimacy we had.
Something that I feel worried about too is her sex drive, it's hit rock bottom together with when the vaginal pain started happening. She doesn't ever want to do anything related to sex at all now and when I do initiate to do anything, she shuts me down everytime. Things like making out or touching just doesn't give her any mood for sex, she just says its ticklish and nothing seems to work. I don't know why this is because in every other aspect of our relationship she's still just as loving and expressive.
The closest thing I've seen based on symptoms is vulvodynia.

Hey everyone. So to keep it short for those who dont know about my story yet. Im almost 2 months into dealing with severe T. It started after an ear irrigation. During the first month only one side was ringing. Second ear joined in after a my physio therapy session. I have been to 4 different ear specialists 3 of them said that its not possible to get T from an irrigation unless the ear drum got damaged (apperantely everything looks fine in my ears). I do remember that i still had water in my ear after the irrigation. So i layed down sideways in hopes it would come out by itself. On the next morning i woke up with a very bad case of neck strain which however got better within 1 week. My T consists of multiple tones/frequencies and it fluctuates a lot. On top of that my ears feel full and i do feel like that my hearing is worse than it used to be, though its not visible on the hearing tests. Now i did notice some things. However im not sure if its considered normal or if this could be a sign of the underlying cause for my T.

1. The most noticible sound i experince is a very high pitched hissing/static sound. Its similar to TV static. When i move my head sideways like allll the way this sound actually gets louder and higher in its frequency. The same happens if i clench my teeth tightly. Now im not sure if everyone experiences this "noise" when doing those things. If so then you now know how my T sounds like 24/7 :").
   
2. When i move my jaw sideways i do hear and feel a popping sensation on the left side. It doesnt hurt though. Chewing gum or firm food sometimes causes me to experience a ticklish sensation in my ear.
   
3. When i move my jaw foreward i can hear my ears producing a noise similar to a train that is "letting off steam". But after a few seconds it dissapears. However it does happen everytime i move my jaw forweward.
   
4. Everytime my T is getting really severe like 10/10 it often comes with pain in the facial regions. Especially behind my eyes, upper nose and forehead.
   

To those who are far more experienced with T or actually deal with somatic T. Does this sound familiar..? Could this be the cause of my severe T..? Id love to get some opinions from you 🙏

Wife 33F H 32 M OW 33 F
I have heard it said that men cheat because they have the willingness and opportunity to do so. This is because there always seems to be a woman available who is willing to accept or even initiate the offer.
Why have you chosen to become the worst sort of woman there is … the other woman? What would make you do that? Was it a challenge? The thrill of the chase? Did you stop to think how you would feel if this was your father running around? How your sister and mother would feel?
Maybe my husband initiated it, or perhaps it happened while being friendly at work, but you knew he wasn't available. Now that he met you and saw a potentional in you, he convinced himself that our marriage was dysfunctional, deeming it like his biggest mistake and painted what we had negatively. Even if our marriage was flawed, it still doesn't give you the right to interfere.
He didn’t trip and fall into marriage. He bought the ring. He wasn’t tricked. He wasn’t fooled. No one made him do it. No one held a gun to his head. He chose to be married.
If the reality is you’ve gotten involved with a married man, then face that truth of what that really means. No woman wakes up and dreams of becoming the other woman for the rest of her life.
Even if my husband left me for you, he's not free. I'm still very much a part of his thoughts and his spirit. I'll always be a part of him, even if it's a part he is trying to forget and regret.
On Sunday, he came to me in tears, seeking forgiveness, and expressing (fake) remorse, telling me that not being with us would be his greatest regret if he were to pass away tomorrow. He even told me he was wishing for an accident to put an end to everything. While outwardly nodding, inwardly, I found myself mentally rolling my eyes countless times at every lie he said.
We reminisced about how we started so good, how we talked and laughed like there’s no tomorrow. I am sure by now, he has told you that you are his soulmate. That he’s never experienced such happiness with anyone else but you. That his heart would burst from overwhelming love for you? He told me those things, too. So, does he even get déjà vu?
I admired him for the simplest things he had done, from fixing the stupid old dryer at work that the maintenance guy couldn’t, every course and exam he would pass, every great survey that mentioned his name, every promotion and commendation he got, I wholeheartedly celebrated him.
He loves head massages and believes his recurring headaches was caused by a wooden stick hitting his head during rough play with his brother when they were kids or it could be because his eye grade has changed again. Also, he’s gets ticklish on the neck.
He savors his coffee, preferring it not too hot, and enjoys drinking it slowly. However, when it comes to alcohol, we know it's a different story, which defeats the purpose of his maintenance pills. I think that’s one thing he enjoys about your company more because you drink with him, and I couldn’t because I still nurse our son.
He loves sushi. He would usually order spicy dragon roll, or any spicy rolls. He loves your cuisine, I’m sure you know this already. He would usually order chicken tikka masala, butter chicken or lamb biryani. He’s not a big fan of veggies, pop and water. He would choose his energy drink any day.
I used to set up his CPAP machine, refill the water in it, and give him his mask when he was ready for bed. When you're in bed with him, do you love it when he pulls you towards him and holds you all night? He would ask you to scoop him sometimes making you the big spoon because he loves to be baby’d like that. Do you love his goodnight kisses? And in the morning, does he give you forehead kisses while half asleep?
Oh God, He'd sing for you, in the car, in the shower, in bed, even if off-key. He’d dance with you, holding your hand gently, moving together like it's prom night or like a romantic scene straight out of a movie.
It seems he doesn't take offense when teased about his height or thinning hair, I never did that. But, I felt like he does not like to talk about that.
I hope he gets the support from your family, because I bet you will get all of it from his side.
Do you both love how I made this all easy for you?
I don’t need to be happy for you. I don’t need to forgive you. It never occurred to me that over the years, I’ve been so focused on being a Mom, I might have forgotten to put him first. I put more time into our kids than I did into building our intimate connection. We lost sight of each other.
I used to wake up everyday and felt peace in the first moments that I had my family, and what a gift they are. My husband and my children gave me all the love I needed. To you, the other woman my husband has chosen to be with, I guess you are grateful too, now that you have him.
Even if I might have seemed foolish and dumb to you, I'd rather be seen as foolish than a homewrecker. Despite the pain I felt, I'd still prefer to be in my own shoes than yours. Even with my eyes swollen from crying, I could still look at myself in the mirror without shame.

Heeeeey ! I’m back with a review and managed to tackle it entirely before the HSR update (yes I play the game). Also sorry for the weird/lack of formatting, we don't have internet anymore for a (long ?) while and my data are too poor for my laptop to use properly, but I did my best on phone. Without further ado, let’s start !
Card review : Luke - Spice and Synergy
As always, the notation is subjective, especially the art one.
Art : 4.5/5
Story plot : 9/10
Story writing : 5/5
Total : 18.5/20
Review summary :
After finishing a co-op game together, Luke and Rosa decide to register in a cooking vlog competition related to the game in order to win limited edition merch. In a warm, cozy and harmonious atmosphere, they tackle this challenge which will bring unforgettable memories.
Review act per act :
Act 1
Luke is tossing ingredients in a frying pan from far away and as the oil is splattering, Rosa hurriedly gives him the lid as a protection. Luke comments that cooking felt more like a physical skill test than any combat. Rosa confirms, remembering how she mentioned trying to challenge themselves to cook. A few hours ago. As the credit of the game finished rolling, Luke and Rosa finally got the perfect ending in a game called Monster Kitchen. Rosa complains on how hard the last stage was, Luke agreeing and saying the game should have been called Torture Kitchen instead. Rosa recalls how they had to avoid traps, collect ingredients in a maze to be able to cook a dish called Surf and Turf to convince the devil in the castle. She says that the guides were correct when they said getting the perfect end was a matter of luck before collapsing into bed like Luke, who immediately hugs her. He says that it's not totally luck since it's because of their marvelous cooperation. He takes his phone and asks her what she wants to eat as a celebration. Rosa tells him she is going to check reviews and recommendations. As she is taking her phone, she is distracted by a Big Data Lab notification, sharing with her an article Sherluke_Polmes, an account Luke created to play Monster Kitchen, was just reading. She clicks on the article and sees it's a Monster Kitchen Culinary Competition, which consists of bringing the food from the game to reality by recording and uploading vlogs. The prize includes limited-edition merch, absolutely unique in the world. Rosa looks at Luke and she sees that he is reading the same page but he looks conflicted. She guesses he really wants the merch but considering both of their skills with cooking it might be difficult. But still, Rosa thinks that since they only have to recreate the dishes on a visual level, they still have a chance. Feeling confident, she asks Luke if he wants to join. He asks the question back and Rosa guesses that he is worried about her pushing herself to do something she doesn't want, since Monster Kitchen is a coop-game, so must the competition be, meaning they would have to enter together. She tells him that she wants to and seeing how confident she looks, he agreed too. But they underestimated their task severely. Back in the present moment, they keep on coughing as Luke turns the fume extractor on. Inside the pan is burnt rice and sauce, stuck to the bottom. Luke complains, saying he was following exactly what the cooking guide which came with the guide said. As he is doing so, smoke starts to rise again from the pan, so Rosa pulls him away, asking if he is fine. Luke says he is but on another side looks disappointed. Rosa wonders if the substitute they used wasn't good enough. Since the ingredients in the game have particular lore and background, they obviously can't find them in real life, so they used substitutes with similar looking stuff, but it failed. Rosa complains how hard it is and Luke mentions they have to buy new ingredients. Luke rubs his eyes and then explains to a worried Rosa that smoke must have got into it and he is going to wash them. Rosa checks his eye and it is red and teary. She takes a wet wipe and softly cleans the corner of his eye. Luke then blinks several times and explains that he might still have onion's juice on his hands so it might explain... He is suddenly interrupted by a loud noise. On the other side of the kitchen, white smoke is coming out from the pot they forgot where they were making soup. Luke instinctively takes Rosa in his arms to protect her from the erupting water. Panicked, she asks him if he was okay, fearing that some boiling water burned him.
Sher(lock)luke_P(earce)(H)olmes, what a genius username I love this so much hahaha ! I wonder how it is in other languages… Also Luke Rosa living the most awesome cozy dream of being a gamer couple, I live for it, like, isn't it literally the dream to just spend time with your partner (or one of your friends) playing co-op-games together and frequently ? Wow, I would love to have this omg
Act 2
Rosa asks Luke if he is okay, which he confirms but knowing him. Keeping her in his arms, he turns off the stove. Rosa asks him to see his back and before he can stop her, she tugs on his shirt and pulls his collar. She sees how red the back of his neck is red. Rosa asks him if he needs to go to the hospital but he refuses saying it's not worth. Luke reassures her again as she was expressing her worry, adding that he needs to change now since he is dirty. Rosa tells him she is going to fetch the first aid kit in case and he agrees. He wants to touch her cheek as an habit but since he is covered in oil and stains, he stops and simply says that he will be back. Rosa is searching for the first aid kit and when she takes it out, a medal falls at the same time. It seems pretty worn out and has the words "Gold Medal in Microbiology Fun Lab Competition" written in front and "National Central University" in the back. Luke comes out of the shower at this moment so Rosa tells him she found the medal while searching for the first aid kit. He asks her if she is curious about it and she tells him that she is but that he is the most important right now. Rosa wraps her arms around his waist and look at his back but Luke tells her there's no need to check as he already did and he is just a bit red. He takes her hands to stop her and she insists. Giving up, he turns his back to her so that she can check. Indeed, there are only small red parts on his back which isn't serious. He tells her that it doesn't need the hospital and she agrees. Luke comments on how he must work on gaining her confidence next time before commenting that it was a good trade. She doesn't understand so he gets closer to her and says that they have to get the ultimate victory before getting a champion medal in Monster Kitchen but he got a champion medal now without even winning anything. She laughs, then tell him to settle down so that she can check for sure if he is fine. He tenses up as she continues to examine him. At some point she asks him to turn, which he reluctantly does and she discovers a crimson swathe which he was hiding. Luke struggles to explain himself and Rosa grabs him before he manages to escape. Commenting on how he needs to improve his reliability, she tells him to let her treat him. She tells him to lay on his stomach on the bed while she applies ointment and he obeys without saying anything. Looking more closely, even the splotches on his back seem very red. As Rosa starts applying it, she asks if it hurts and Luke says that it doesn't and she can even press harder if needed. He burries his head into his arms while she continues asking how he feels. Luke asks to stop since he hasn't cleaned up the kitchen yet but Rosa, starting to feel hot and ticklish, insists on treating him first. Luke relents and rests on his elbow. Rosa guesses he also feels awkward in the situation so she changes the topic to the medal she found earlier by asking him how he got it. He explains that it was worth an experiment where they used microbes as ink to draw shapes on a petri dish. Rosa asks him about it by repeating what he said but she is distracted by her feelings as she is treating him. Luke explains to her how it works and she comments that it sounds hard. He denies and as he continues to explain, he lets out a grunt, which worries Rosa, who asks him if she hurts him. He denies, telling that he is just not used to being touched there and she can continue. Luke turns to her and smiles to reassure her and as she is about to resume, a phone call interrupts the moment. Luke picks up his phone and freezes as he was about to stand up as his habit. Rosa tells him she is going to continue putting ointment while he is talking to the phone. On the other side of the line is an event organizer for the Monster Kitchen vlog contest, who is calling to check the participants' information. To not disturb him, Rosa tries to be more careful and delicate but it backfires, making Luke grunt once again. He however manages to continue his phone call. Once it's over, suddenly, he jumps out of bed and their positions are quickly reversed. He complains to her that she probably did it on purpose. Rosa denies, but he says doesn't trust her. He nuzzles her nose with his, starts caressing her face, and says how he almost made weird noises on the phone so she must pay for mental damage she caused to his psyche. Rosa asks him how she's going to pay that, and he tells her to figure it out. She hugs him and nuzzles her nose like he did earlier. She asks him if it's enough and Luke says no, so she adds that she is going to help him clean the house and think of a way to solve their kitchen problem too. Luke sighs loudly before kissing her. He then says that now it's a worthy compensation. She hugs him, touched by his gesture.
They are so funny and cute and Rosa knows how little care Luke has for himself so the fact she knew he got burnt more than he let on was satisfying kinda.
Act 3
They tidy up everything, then take off the curtains, bedding, Luke's clothes and wash them. Once done, they each carry a basket of laundry downstairs. In the courtyard, a lot of other residents’ beddings are already hung outside. Luke picks an empty corner to set the clothesline then, as he waves at Rosa, he calls her "dear" and asks her to hand her the "item". She realizes he just said a line from Monster Kitchen so she answers back with a line from the game while handing him bedsheets. He recites another line as an answer and she feels a bit flustered. Rosa tells him to stop and work or they won't be able to dry this today but Luke jokingly answers that he calculated that they should still be able to dry even if they layer them. Rosa asks him if he can calculate things like that and asks if he has a laundry guide. He starts hanging the sheets she hands him and confirms what she just said, adding that the guides are his exclusive tricks so he will only tell about them with certain conditions. He says she should get full score achievement in the "Monster Kitchen Castle Combat" like they did in the game and he will think about how to do that in real life. What he mentioned is a challenge triggered each time the player doesn't complete the cleaning task as the requirements, where the protagonists need to build a maze castle with bedsheets before beginning a chase. When one side wins more than 100 times, they get the extra achievement. Rosa says they don't have a castle IRL, then covers Luke with a bedsheet, saying that the combat part is still doable. Luke, surprised, lifts the sheets and says no ambushes allowed. Rosa gets back saying that it's fair in love and war and he always ambushes her in game. He counters saying he lets her know every time in advance. He lifts the bedsheet even more, telling that it won't be easy the next round. Rosa asks who said there was a next round and why don't they wrap it with only one round since it happens like that in Monster Kitchen Castle Combat. She announces she is going to make her victory speech and Luke argues that he just let her win but he agrees to listen to her. She starts by calling him Monster warrior and asking for his laundry secret. While laughing, he agrees to tell her : his secret is the thermodynamic equation. By applying them to the sunlight intensity, the temperature and humidity, you can get results. Rosa asked how he even thought about doing that and he tells her it's because of the medal she found earlier. Luke explains that since microbes needs specific conditions to grow, he did plenty of preparation before the competition. He suddenly think about how they should approach their recreation the Surf and Turf dish using the same way. Rosa asks if he suggests using science to do it and he confirms, saying they should disassemble the task into a scientific experiment. Seemingly excited, Luke explains that he was thinking about it since she found the medal and now that they talked about thermodynamics he got a clearer idea. She reaches out to him, saying she is "ready to complete the greatest challenge of her life with him" and asks about him, with a line from the game, said right before the final battle. He answers with a line from the game too and after putting the bedsheet over their head as a veil, he gently kisses her, saying he "needs to borrow some courage from her before the challenge". She softly answers that she will need to borrow some too.
Okaaaaay so I never understood his living place like this ?? Wdym other residents ?? I thought he owned a 3 floor kind of residence/house with his antique shop, detective agency and private apartment on each of those floors so he had no close enough neighbors to share stuff with them… Or is that like a housing residence with a common courtyard in the back but everyone has his own house ? On another side they are so cuteeeeeee Luke's smile is a 10/10 there, he looks so soft and pure awnnn
Act 4
At 4PM, they pick up the dried curtains and sheets before going to buy some other ingredients. The rules indicate that they have two days after registering to submit their video so the deadline is the next day, in the evening. They don't have the time to replace the broken pressure cooker where the soup was nor the also broken electrical stove on which it was cooking, so they head to Rosa's house instead to cook. After dinner, they check the ingredients they bought and Luke estimates that with the amount they got they have at least five attempts to make the dish. Luke writes in his notebook their ingredients and the issues they have encountered previously as well as solutions to those. Rosa comments on how she really feels like it's an experiment and Luke tells her he has to be meticulous with it especially since it'll help later. He writes the lines describing the dish from the game and pauses, asking out loud what they are going to do for the sauce recipe. Rosa comments that doing the same as in game will be hard so maybe they should stick to their previous method of using substitutes. Luke says that's a good idea but it would require a number of experiments. She tells him they can take the time to do so. She takes his hand, exactly like the protagonists from Monster Kitchen do every time, and quotes a line, telling him their fight is about to begin. He answers with a line from the game too, looking at her tenderly. After a while, they have a table full of saucer with different sauces, their failed experiments. Rosa asks Luke which version they are working on and he answers the version 34, which is too sour. Luke, along with the observations they previously made, lists the ingredients and quantities they have to use. He scratches off a line he wrote, then starts to mix some condiments precisely. Rosa tries it and comments that version 35 is not sour anymore and feels refreshing and sweet instead. Luke comments that the color isn't red as in game though and their sauce is brown. Luke and Rosa wonder about ingredients red enough to stay the same color after being boiled and which doesn't affect the taste. Rosa suddenly has an idea and takes out some small vegetables from her fridge, which Luke recognizes as being carrots they bought just to get a discount. Rosa corrects him saying it's beetroots and that they can be used as natural dye. Luke, excited, tells her they should use it. So a while after, with 2 more pages of the notebook written on and their table filled with reddish sauces, they finally managed to replicate a sauce of the same color and texture as in the game. Luke falls on the sofa, commenting on how hard it is. While the color looks good now, the taste is still a problem. In the game description, the sauce first has a sour and spicy taste, then becomes sweet and refreshing but theirs lack this sweetness. Rosa complains that they have tried so many times that her tongue feels numb and suggests combining all their datas now and see where they can improve. Luke tells her he will do it so she can rest first. Then, taking his notebook, he tells her that despite the experiment being a hassle it's way better than doing research on his own in the lab. Rosa realizes that Luke seems really marked by his microbe drawing competition. He says that he almost forgot it but the medal made him remember. He suddenly says it was lonely. She went closer to him to listen more. Luke explains that since it was an individual competition, he had to do everything alone and he didn't even sleep properly to be able to watch the results from his cultivation. Luke says that at the time, he was thinking how it would be nice if Rosa was next to him because he wouldn't have made that many mistakes with her there. He says that he feels his dream came true and Rosa asks him why he makes it sound like she is someone special. Luke says she is since she is his goddess of victory. She burries her face in his chest, feeling overwhelmed with feelings. Luke tells her to rest since he is almost finished to what she argues that she is not tired he is just comfortable to lean on. Luke insists on her sleeping and brushes her brow and she slowly falls asleep.
I’m seriously wondering how bad they can be at cooking when they managed to break the appliances by forgetting it on the stove, which also has broken, and the way they prepare themselves to try to do the whole recipe 5 times… But wow I admire their dedication to make such a detailed experiment to recreate that dish… Honestly, I love to see someone so serious and dedicated to their hobbies haha
Act 5
Rosa wakes up in a bright room, not remembering how she fell asleep. She looks at the sofa and sees Luke sound asleep, collar and corner of his mouth stained with red coloring and she wonders if he continued to experiment with the sauce when she fell asleep. A bit amused, she decides to wipe him. Rosa is a bit surprised to see that he didn't wake up as she started to clean him but still continues and brushes at some point against his lips, which makes his eyelids flutter. Her odd feeling is confirmed then and she guesses that he is pretending to be asleep, which makes her have an idea. Rosa loudly complains on how hard it is to wipe the collar as she rubs the wipe forcefully against him. Luke stops pretending and while pouting catches her hand and sits up. She laughs telling him he was awake after all but he corrects her and says he woke up when she leaned on him. Rosa compliments him and tell him to control his eyelids next time. Luke says she has to provide a better reward for him to do that. He hugs her and make her lie down with him. A bit embarrassed, she reminds him they have to work on something serious now. Smiling, Luke snuggle against her, telling her they need to wash up first. After doing so and eating breakfast, Luke shows Rosa the result of the experiment he got by improving their findings : the version 42. He asks her to taste it and she confirms that it's exactly how she imagined what it tasted like : a hint of unami flavor and a sour-spicy mixture. Luke informs her he noted the amount of ingredients down to every grams and how to make it. He filled already half of his notebook and put stickers on each pages to sort the infos. Rosa asks him if he turned his notebook into an encyclopedia and he confirms, saying he just wanted to be as meticulous as possible. She mentions that they should film it when doing their video. Luke eyes light up before realizing that despite all the preparations, his cooking skills can't guarantee success. Rosa suggests breaking down the task again and if she makes a mistake, he can cover for her. He agrees and she tells him they should make one last check. Luke adjusts the lights and filming equipment while Rosa takes out the ingredients from the fridge. They start the recording and get to work. Luke gives out instructions to her while reading the notebook and Rosa follows, but despite this, since she isn't used to tossing the pan, a lot of rice falls outside the pot. Luke reassures her despite being nervous too. He continues to instruct her but she realizes at some point they didn't dice some of their ingredients. Luke tells her he did and shows her different containers lined up next to her. Rosa asks him when he did that to which he answers during the preparations. She tells him how she is glad he is here because she wouldn't have time to do the prep and Luke tells her that him doing the preparation and her taking the lead is teamwork and he won't let it fail. She says how she wants to win too, finally understanding why she was so eager to join the competition. In the end, they manage to finish their paella without a hitch. Rosa asks how they are going to edit their vlog now and Luke says they first need a title. She asks if he has an idea but his first two ones are rejected. After a moment of thinking, he decides on "The Warriors' Honor Challenge" and she agrees, saying it sounds like it comes from the game. Luke takes the camera still recording and moves it from the food to Rosa, saying that the warriors who worked diligently should now harvest the fruits of their victory.
They are cute and fluffy aaaa but really once again their dedication should earn them a prize even if they don’t win 1st
Act 6
On another weekend, a few weeks later, at Luke's home. Rosa is on the sofa, scrolling on the comments from the cooking challenge event. Their entry was selected as outstanding entry and despite not ranking high overall, the official account gave them the award of most outstanding innovation. Rosa laughs so Luke puts his controller away and asks her what she saw. She shows him the comments that made her laugh but he doesn't respond so Rosa doesn't know if he is stunned with joy or shocked to be called professional chefs by the netizens. Pretending to hold a mic, she asks him if Mr "Professional Chef" has something to say. Luke answers that the filming of this vlog was a pain so it's great it didn't disappoint them. Rosa asks him how he feels about receiving an award and he says he feels like he isn't confident enough but receiving the title makes him a bit excited. Looking and sounding joyful, he says that seeing her being so happy and smiley makes him glad. Rosa says that it's normal to be happy since their hard work paid off and they fulfilled a small wish. Before he can ask about it, a delivery man rings and screams for Luke, so he rushes to the door, exclaiming that it must be the prize they won. Rosa feels glad to have involved him in the competition seeing his reaction. Once unwrapped from the cardboard the gift package stills takes up the whole table. She pushes the box towards him, asking him to open it for them but Luke tells her to do so since she wanted it. Rosa pauses and tells him she wanted to participate to help him get the limited edition merch which makes him puzzled. Luke says that the Big Data Lab told him that she spent a lot of time looking at the event page so he thought she was interested. Rosa also tells him how the Big Data Lab told her he was the one looking at this, but thinking back, she was the one initiating the conversation about it and his expression made her think he wanted to join. Luke realizes that it was a misunderstanding and Rosa comments that she doesn't know if she should thank the algorithm for being smart or, Luke finishes her sentence, be happy they are so in sync they always end up on the same page. They decide to unwrap it together... Only to reveal another box. Looking closely at it, she realizes that there is a maze on it with two small balls inside. Luke explains that it's a labyrinth lock and pulls out a card from the cardboard wrapping which asks them if they are ready to face the special challenge even in reality. Luke summarizes that the instructions explain that if the two balls fall in the designated spot at the same time, the box will open. They comment on how it's like the challenge they faced with their vlog. They laugh at each other and get ready to tackle the labyrinth, Luke placing himself behind Rosa and putting his hands on hers. Carefully, they sync up and tackle the puzzle together. As Rosa was celebrating their victory a bit early, one of the balls almost ended up in a dead end. Luke reassures her, telling her to be calm. They carry on, focused and steady, in harmony. Then the balls reach their destination at the same time, the box opens and reveals a paper lantern in the shape of their playable characters in game hand in hand, which recreate the scenery of the players returning home after finishing the final boss. Rosa comments on how detailed it is but Luke says it's not good enough, which surprises her. She looks at him and sees that he is way closer to her now. He tells her to remember the perfect ending before planting a kiss on her neck and saying "We rely on each other and help one another. That's how we can reach our destination", which are the final lines in the game. Luke tells her how that is now a more faithful recreation of the scene. Both their tender feelings in harmony, he carefully reminds her how they are always in sync.
Oh wow, what a nice wrap up, I love how they in fact took the challenge to make the other happy and because they thought the other wanted to when in fact they both didn’t even consider their own feelings into the matter, that’s kinda endearing. A huge thanks to the lowkey too sentient Big Data Lab without which we couldn’t have gotten this card !
Personal opinion :
What I liked :
Okay, idk if it's because I literally JUST finished a game and felt lonely not being able to share the whole experience of playing it with someone, but the first act being just them having finished a game together was so sweet and filled some kind of void I felt IMMEDIATELY, and the rest of the card covered the rest with ointment and patched a little heart shaped band aid on all haha. I think that’s what made me like the game so much, the themes and their cute exchanges as they were saying the game’s lines and remembering when they played it, it just felt so nice, so my liking of this card is really biased.
Also, I loved the reminder that Luke is so smart and well versed in scientific topics, it was nice seeing him casually mention and remember his experiment and some notions he knows of.
What I disliked :
Not a strong dislike, but I would have loved to see a small part of their playthrough to immerse even more in the story but oh well
Would I recommend getting this story ?
If you like a fluffy, cozy card with hints of gaming elements inside, sure ! This card was very warm and enjoyable to read, especially the casual, comfortable atmosphere between Luke and Rosa. As a “Sweet Chapter SSR”, it’s not groundbreaking in terms of lore, but it feels very nice still !!

Had bilateral (left G3, right G1) subinguinal microsurgery 3 days ago. I continue to have the dragging feeling on my left nut.
Pre-surgery, too, the dragging feeling was only on the left side.
I have read enough threads to know that healing takes time, but recurrence is still a nagging thought in my mind.
I can’t find many comments saying the pulling / dragging / ticklish sensation persisted on the days immediately after the surgery. Is this considered normal, or should I be worried?

So before i started hrt i took xanax for my depression. A year ago when i started to take xanax. Due to me not drinking it at the right time because of messed up sleep schedule, i had a side effect where i hiccup for hours up to the point where my chest hurts. A few months ago. i tried to commit suicide by overdosing on my xanax 2 times. Both of those times had the same side effect up to the point where my chest hurts really bad due to hiccups. I feel like after that my chest now sometimes either feels weak or feels ticklish and not in a good way. It feels like my chest is very tired of breathing. What kind of doctor usually check these kinds of things ?

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Gojid Refugee Patreon Subreddit Discord Paperback NOP2 Species Lore
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Memory Transcription Subject: Taylor Trench, Human Colonist
Date [standardized human time]: June 25, 2160
The next generation of humans were a third of the way through development in ectogenesis. Soon, there wouldn’t be only thousands left of my kind. When I remembered what I was fighting for, it gave me the willpower to push through the hell General Radai was throwing at us. Ever since our engagement with the Sivkits, the Resket seemed hellbent on trying to break us, more than he had before. He’d made us run laps for hours, having some surprise when that didn’t crack us—well, it dropped Quana and other non-humans, but not the Tellus recruits. His next resort was extreme weather conditions, depriving us of the cooling systems of our helmets; sweating proved a handy adaptation.
I’d grown accustomed to aching all over at the end of each day, collapsing in my bunk with little energy to expend. Sleep was no guarantee, since Radai loved to burst in at the late hours of the night, forcing us to get up and hustle to a “mission.” The Resket definitely had it out for us, and the way he’d spoken to Tellus’ soldiers as of late resembled Mafani’s vitriol. At least boot camp was almost over, though I was seething at the lack of activity on the warfront. Why hadn’t the Consortium sent out the cavalry? They’d had a hundred years to plan for this eventuality; there was no reason progress should be so slow!
“Back up, Cherise,” Gress was saying, as I returned to the dorm from a half-assed shower. “You’re telling me that you wear these ‘high heels’ to look taller, balancing on that tiny stilt? Why does everything you do have to be so cute?!”
She rolled her eyes at the Krev. “Maybe in another life, back on Earth, I’d be a fashionista. It’s interesting to think of all the trends we had, the styles that gained popularity. I’ve never been a girly girl, but still…I want the experience of just wandering one of those retro malls, and shopping for the hell of it. Carefree like we were before aliens.”
“Then we should set up one of these ‘malls.’ I mean, I myself prefer online shopping, but—”
“What do you shop for, Gress?” I interjected. “Obor combs?”
“I only asked to brush your hair once! You’re the one who grew it out and tempted me.”
Quana’s head snapped toward us. “Gress forgets you’re a sapient being yet again. He treats you like some ‘cute thing’ without your own wants and desires.”
“All I did was ask, Quana. Taylor turned me down, so I dropped it. I can’t help that his face screams adorable; that doesn’t mean I don’t know he’s sapient.”
“Where did your daughter get the idea to beg to ‘keep him?’”
“I should’ve never told you about that,” I scoffed. “Lecca is a child. It was unbelievable, but a little humorous.”
Gress slumped his shoulders. “I was horrified when she said that. She doesn’t understand what she’s asking.”
“Taylor wouldn’t make a good pet. He’s too temperamental,” Cherise commented.
“Exactly!” I declared, grinning. “See, everyone knows that.”
“You weren’t supposed to agree with that.”
“Well, I did. And Quana, you can fuck back off to whatever you were doing before you butted into our conversation.”
The Jaslip pinned her ears back and bared her teeth. “You already make a great pet, and you don’t even see it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Heard. So Gress, back to your shopping habits. What do you even do for fun, other than raising obors or Lecca?”
Quana angled an ear toward the conversation. “He watches Jaslip kids die.”
Gress drew a shuddering breath, but ignored her. “Well, I used to do improv classes before I got married. That was how I met my wife, Nevi. I always had a knack for getting into character on the spot. Knowing what I know now, maybe I’d have gone into theater. I got a lead role in most school plays I auditioned for.”
“You were a theater kid? You know what: I can see that,” Cherise commented.
“I’m picturing you doing a really dramatic reading of Hamlet right about now,” I offered.
Gress leapt toward me, jabbing a claw in my face. “Get thee to a nunnery!”
I snickered. Someone’s been reading The Bard’s works in his spare time. “How about no?”
“That’s not your line, Ophelia. Try again!”
“I think that Hamlet had more to say before Ophelia talked, Gressy boy. Go brush up your reading.”
“The only thing I intend to brush up is you! Get over here.”
The Krev pulled an obor comb out of his bag without looking back, and extended it toward me. I leapt away, holding out a hand to swat it away. The brush clattered to the ground, but that didn’t stop Gress. I yelped as the comms initiate chased after me, and grabbed at the underside of my upper arm with his claws. The green-scaled mammal’s machinations proved devious, lightly prodding and scratching the ticklish area. Involuntary laughter took over, as I jerked my arm away from the persistent fiend; it was difficult to breathe through the hysterics. Unrelenting, he tried to poke at my sides next, but I managed to fend off his plans.
“What are you doing?” I protested.
Gress paused for a moment. “Primates play through tickling. Your laughing fit betrayed that humans do as well.”
“You can’t just do that.”
“I can, and I did. What are you going to do about it?”
I lunged toward the floor, swiping the obor comb. Rather than resisting, Gress issued a happy sigh as I scratched his spine; his dark blue tongue flitted out of his mouth with contentment. That move hadn’t produced the intended results. What an irritating creature he was—he’d probably ask for me to do this again. I was glad I’d gotten to club him over the head once, that day on the landing pad, and I was thinking of braining him a second time right now. What had I been reduced to, all for some exchange program nonsense? To increase my humiliation, General Radai walked in as the Krev was leaning into the comb I grudgingly kept moving. I leapt to my feet in a hurry, trying to straighten up.
“Trench, with me. You’re meeting with Mayor Hathaway and myself in the command center,” the Resket squawked.
I tried to smooth over my still-damp hair. “Yes, sir. I’m right behind you.”
What is this about? If Hathaway wants me back in his office…first off, I thought that he hadn’t forgiven me for the drill fuck-up, and secondly, I wouldn’t take it. I don’t want to be a “pet” anymore; because I was his pet much more than I ever have been with Gress.
The training camp had become a permanent base, with its advantageous location on the Tellus hillside. Ever since the Federation incursion, the Trombil had diverted their resources away from building up our colony; everything that they had went to generating more ships and weapons, as many as they could possibly crank out. The metropolis was all but complete, yet most humans weren’t enjoying the new amenities—word of our system’s invasion caused almost every settler to volunteer for some wartime role. The abandonment of our build-up, after all, meant that there would be no cage around Tellus to safeguard our home.
“Sir, if this planet falls, the only humans left are the ones still growing in artificial wombs right now. I hope we’re doing something about the threat,” I ventured. “If I may, you seemed a bit hesitant when the Sivkits arrived. Almost as if you didn’t want to attack them.”
Radai’s steps became more forceful and pronounced, his lanky legs shoving down into the dirt. “I would’ve preferred to gather information and weigh possible attempts of other methods, because now, we’re locked on the path of all-out war. I don’t take that lightly.”
“Neither do I. My entire species got wiped out, sir, in our last bout. I sure as shit want my revenge. What made you decide to attack the Sivkits, if you preferred to sit on your wings?”
“I recognized that the crew would not heed my commands if I didn’t order you to annihilate them. You, and the majority of the human forces at my command, displayed gross insubordination. You panicked at the mere sight of them. I hope that I have not made a dreadful mistake. Either way, I’ve cemented a ghastly place in the history books, and I have blood on my wingtips.”
“We…we couldn’t let them bomb our home. We couldn’t let them find us. Not again.”
“I know you humans feel that way. However, you’ve proven that you’re not reliable assets in the field. Too obstinate, too headstrong. While your close-quarters combat skills are excellent, I can’t justify trusting you to the command of any non-human officer. This is why I’ve been testing you by the elements, because the only way you’ll see direct action is if electronics go down.”
“But sir—”
“Silence. Humans being briefed on our plans is a courtesy; you’re only here because you’re the liaison from Avor. You wanted this war, Trench, so let me fucking win it. Drones are more efficient than you could ever dream of being.”
I held my tongue as Radai stormed into his command center; I had to jog to keep up with the nine-foot-tall avian’s lengthy strides. A holographic starmap was projected from a large display, not dissimilar from those Terrans once had at the center of our bridges. It seemed to be a full display of the thousand-light-year bubble composing Federation space, with all known systems highlighted. Mayor Hathaway, riding a resurgence in popularity with the drastic improvements Tellus had seen, barely acknowledged me. He’d rebranded himself under the motto of a new era of workers’ rights, though he didn’t deserve the credit he’d received from that. I resented having been his fall guy and kissing the ring for so long.
The mayor stroked his graying beard in thought. “We need to reassure the populace of Tellus that they are safe, and that we have everything under control. The last thing we need is unrest; the citizenry is all too fickle. How do you suggest we go about this, General?”
“Management of the colonists here is in your domain. I’m here to relay the Consortium’s plans for the initial phase of the war, since you are a member state,” Radai responded. “Our plan is to utilize a decapitation strike. We’re sending an overwhelming drone force against the homeworld of each of the enemy’s founders: the Farsul and the Kolshians. We take down the peak of the Federation’s power.”
“Only two targets? What about the other 300 worlds?” I blurted.
Irritation flashed in the Resket’s eyes. “Three targets, swarmed by a hundred-fifty thousand ships each. We do want to leave a significant bulk of our force here, to protect Consortium worlds in case they come looking for us. Aren’t you the one who was so focused on protecting Tellus?”
“Yes, sir. That is sensible. Who is the third target you mentioned?”
“Nishtal, the Krakotl world.” Radai’s words brought gleefulness to my brain, at the thought of the birds who’d eliminated us getting their just desserts. “An old, powerful member that spearheaded the extermination fleet. As one of the most anti-predator factions, they must be crushed to break the Federation’s will.”
“I love your plan. It’s great.”
Mayor Hathaway heaved a sigh. “Let the grown-ups speak, Taylor. General, I’m certain that last target will buy us some political leeway. But how will we maintain contact with the vessels, so that we can know the results? Or touch base in case they need an update to their directives.”
“Our drones will be out of range of our FTL comms network,” the Resket replied. “We’ll try to drop buoys discreetly behind us, though each departure from subspace risks detection…and leaves traces of our tech that they could find. It’s also just flat-out a soft target that could be neutralized. In range of their primary systems, we’re better off tapping into their infrastructure.”
“Then it’s possible that we’ll lose contact with the drones for large chunks of time?”
“That’s correct. If they can’t uplink with us after the battle, they’re slated to make several attempts by doubling back. The footage of their battle and any intelligence gained is invaluable. Regardless, barring an immediate surrender, the secondary targets will be powerful and loyal Federation members, such as the Malti, the Drezjin, and most certainly the Duerten. The last one is extremely influential and well-connected.”
I cleared my throat. “Okay. And what about the Arxur?”
“The Arxur, while monstrous, can be left until after the Federation’s fall. They’re on the opposite side of Fed space, so they don’t directly threaten us. We can worry about them after what we hope will be a quick, utter collapse of our dear neighbors. They might surrender after decisive wins in the places I mentioned, preventing the need for further loss of civilian lives.”
Hathaway pursed his lips. “In the event we did need to go further, I must ask about our allies, the Venlil. For all of their flaws, we remember that they tried to help us, and planned to fight with us at Earth. I doubt public opinion is in favor of killing them.”
“Venlil Prime is designated friendly, and will be avoided unless we are given no choice. We listened to your story; we heard that they aren’t like the rest.”
“Thank you. We greatly appreciate being filled in and having our concerns met, as part of your organization. It’s delightful to be included.”
Radai dipped his head. “You’ll also be apprised of the war’s developments as they happen. We’re in this together, Mayor. Let’s just make sure your people don’t forget that.”
“I’ll do what I can to keep them in line. You’ll find me to be a dependable advocate for the Consortium; it’s the least I can do in exchange for your bountiful aid.”
“We did gift you many things to get you off the ground. All we ask in return is respect and support. You’re dismissed, Trench. As Mayor Hathaway said, the adults have things we need to discuss on our own.”
“I’ll see myself out, sir,” I retorted.
My mind was whirling as I strolled out of the command center. I was the first person on this base to know that we were taking the fight to the “prey” xenos, and it’d brought my enthusiasm through the roof! Humanity wouldn’t have to fear the Federation coming after us if we ended their threat; we’d bury them in their crib the way they’d done to us, over two decades ago. It was a shame that Radai ruled out future action in person, though I grasped that drones had higher efficacy. It was a glorious view when I’d watched the Sivkits blink out of existence live, as particle beams lit them up like a firecracker. A goofy smile lingered on my face, imagining the first images of a dead Krakotl homeworld.
An eye for an eye. I wonder what Gress would think of that saying. I can’t tell whether he’d say it exemplified a primate’s violent tendencies, or straight up agree. Cherise, and probably Quana, want those blue birds flayed as much as I do.
In my distracted stupor, I didn’t notice a blur of pink out of my periphery. A Resket bowled his head into my side, flinging me backward several feet. Pain signals shot through various parts of my body like a pinball machine; I struggled to pick myself up, and look at my assailant. Trainer Mafani had ambushed me when I turned back toward the dorms. He must’ve seen me tailing after Radai earlier, and despite the general’s warnings to stay away, he seized his long-awaited opportunity when I exited alone. Wasn’t it dishonorable on Tanet to utilize the element of surprise on an unsuspecting victim?
“You! You terrorist-loving, chatterbox snitch! You sicced General Radai on me, and now, I might never train recruits again.” Venom dripped from Mafani’s voice, as he stamped a foot onto my spine: pushing me back to the dirt. “I was humiliated because of some lesser cloacasucker who tried to govern my speech. You’ll pay for everything, Taylor!”
I struggled to breathe with the weight pressing down on me. “It’s over. I don’t want…to quarrel with you.”
“It’s not about what you want, primate. I want you dead for what you’ve done to me—and I have no moral qualms about fighting dirty with anyone who sides with terrorists!”
“That someone isn’t me! Stop please…you’ve made your point. I’m a refugee from a dead world; you don’t want to k-kill anyone from an endangered species. You can’t! What happens if Radai finds out about this?”
“Radai is preoccupied. He’s not here to save you this time. I’m going to tie you up, leave you out in the desert that I hear you wanted to explore, to bake in the sun I hear you craved on your face so badly. I’ll put a beacon on you so that you are found in a few days, and they see the pitiful way you died. They’ll find you bound like an animal, having soiled yourself and struggled against the restraints until your fingers bled. When you hallucinate for a drop of water, I hope you think of me.”
“That’s sadistic! You…I don’t want to die. Please, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“I’m going to inject you with a paralytic, so you won’t be able to struggle—or talk—until it’s too late. Enjoy being locked in your own mind, Taylor Trench.”
Mafani jabbed a needle into my neck, while I tried to scream for help; unfortunately, I couldn’t generate much noise with his weight pressing into my lungs. As my mind remained conscious, my body refused to obey my commands within minutes. I found myself wishing that Gress was here to save me, to play the role of hostage negotiator as he’d done in the past. However, as the twisted Resket trainer began carting me off toward a tucked-away vehicle, there was no one around to save me. I’d made plenty of mistakes over my lifetime, but I didn’t deserve to die like this!
Terror plagued my mind as I was hurled in the back of a truck, and rope was coiled tightly around my limbs.
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Gojid Refugee Patreon Subreddit Discord Paperback NOP2 Species Lore

Prompt: Time Traveling Harmony Child

The son/daughter of Harry and Hermione travels back to the past. (Whatever age for whatever reason - let's see some Harmony babies)

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So u/Val_shadowhunter reminded me of this prompt which honestly I'd really love to see more of too in Harmony fics! So here's a prompt spotlight and a drabble to go with it. Plus if you're interested here's some Harmony fics which have this trope:
Time Warped by Twitch E. Littleferret
An accident turns Ryan's life upside down. As a result, the beautiful Head Girl, Hermione Granger, is seriously crushing after him which seems to raise the hackles of Harry Potter who is determined to make his life a living hell at Hogwarts. Oh, and did I mention that Ryan's last name is Potter and that Harry and Hermione are his parents?
Time-Traveling Meddler by Harrys Mistress
A boy from the future who has a problem keeping his mouth shut. Harry and his gang are in for a little suprise. You all know I suck at summaries, so please read. Rating may go up in later chapters
The Next Potter by Lysander12
Lily Potter was supposed to be helping prepare for the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration and memorial of the Battle of Hogwarts alongside Cassie Malfoy. Instead, she wound up standing before Cassie's father, just in time for the battle itself. A.K.A. a time-travelling Harmony Child contributes to the peak of her parents' legacy and the hurricane of emotions in the aftermath.
༓ ∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘ ༓ Drabble:
༓ ∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘ ༓
Twenty-year-old Harry sat between Sirius and Hermione on the sofa his head leaned back and his eyes closed. A glass of fire whiskey was in his hand. “I should have been smart like you and just ended things when I realized it wasn’t going to work out.”
Hermione patted his knee sympathetically. “I’m sure Ginny will calm down eventually—I mean, we’re all friends first, right?”
“She was trying to kick me the nuts before I disapparated.”
Sirius, who had dodged his fair share of witches out to maim him, winced. “Well, at least she wasn’t cursing you?”
Harry sighed contemplatively, still not opening his eyes. “I think I would have preferred her to try hexing me.”
At that moment, someone pounded on the door.
“Oh shit,” Harry muttered, sitting up and looking toward the door before glancing back at Hermione. “She’s probably come after me again. Remind me never to date anyone with red hair ever again.”
All three sat there unmoving while the knocks echoed through the house.
Hermione, who had her share of red temper tantrums, asked thoughtfully, “We can just pretend we’re not here, can’t we? And not answer the door?”
“Answer the door! I know you’re in there!” A muffled voice shouted.
Sirius, who liked the Weasleys well enough in small doses, but definitely not when they were ranting at him, straightened his shoulders. “I’ll answer it. I’ll just tell her to go away.”
Hermione and Harry gave him skeptical glances.
“What? I can be commanding. I am an authority!”
The skepticism increased exponentially in both their gazes.
“Fine! Watch me!” Sirius stood sucking a deep breath for courage. Then he straightened all his clothes and flipped back his hair.
“Ah, he’s going to try de-escalation by flirtation,” Hermione said quietly to Harry.
“I feel like that’s wrong in some way.” Harry shrugged. “But if it works to get her to go away — flirting offensive it is!”
Sirius placed his hands on his hips as he faced their ungrateful gazes before zeroing in on Harry. “I would be offended by that, but you get a pass since you’ve finally managed to get the balls to break it off with her after being miserable for six months and making me listen to it.”
“Oi!” Harry called after Sirius as he turned away to walk to the door. “Don’t be mean to me!” Harry turned back to Hermione. “I was not afraid of breaking up with her. I was trying to make it work like a responsible adult.”
Hermione bit her lip, eyeing him dubiously. “Uh, huh.”
Harry reached out and pinched her side, making her laugh. “Don’t give me that, uh, huh. I was!”
Hermione caught his hand grinning at him before repeating herself. “Uh, huh.”
Harry leaned forward and put his drink on the table with intent. “I’m going to tickle you if you say that again.”
“Look, I’m just saying that you avoid awkwardly emotional things at all costs,” Hermione said, jumping up to get out of his reach and holding out her hands placatingly.
“Hermione, you owled Ron to break up with him.”
“But I did in a timely manner! And—and I was really busy at the time!”
Harry smirked back at her. “Uh-huh.”
“You!” Hermione jumped forward as Harry laughed and they fell over onto the couch, wrestling and muttering things at each other as they tried their best to get to each other’s ticklish spots.
Sirius clearing his throat made them both look up. Hermione had managed to climb on top of Harry while he had both her wrists caught and held above his head. Seeing Sirius looking unnaturally serious made Hermione panic that Ginny was going to come in at any moment. And Hermione was not about to deal with any unfounded accusations of her and Harry being more than friends again. She pulled away from Harry abruptly, who didn’t let go of her hands in time and they both tumbled from the sofa with Harry squashing her flat.
“Ew. So you always behaved this way,” said a young feminine voice.
Harry and Hermione looked up to see a young girl with messy black hair and bright green eyes standing next to Sirius. “Uh–” Harry muttered, getting off of Hermione and helping her to her feet. “Sirius, who is this?”
Sirius, who still looked entirely too solemn and a bit pale, motioned to the girl next to him, “Harry …. Hermione…. This is…. Uh…. this girl…. She says….”
Giving him an annoyed look, the girl stepped forward and put her hands on her hips, her head tilting familiarly. “It wasn’t my fault! Jamie was being stupid, trying to tell me what to do, and I wasn’t even doing anything wrong. I just thought that maybe Dora had gotten into Mum’s research lab and I was looking around and he has such a big fat head it got in my way and then I knocked over something on the desk—which really Mum why would you leave it unlocked—and then it started to glow and then I picked it up and then poof! I’m home, but there’s someone else living there who starts screaming, so of course I started screaming—”
Hermione and Harry had no idea what to make of the babbling which continued on and on in a faster and faster rate as if there was a time limit about to expire on the young girl's spiel. Sirius’ eyes widened as he listened before finally interrupting the story. “Calanthe Potter–”
The girl stopped and scowled. “Don’t call me Calanthe! I told you! It’s Callie.”
“Harry has a cousin we didn’t know about?” Hermione asked, trying to figure out what was going on.
Harry, though, was staring wide-eyed at the girl who looked so much like him and yet had the same scowling face as Hermione. He asked the only question that made sense. “When are you from?”
Callie’s lip jutting out with the barest hint of a tremble and her eyes watered as she held out a necklace that closely resembled the time turner Hermione had used in their third year of Hogwarts. “Twenty, twenty-four.” She paused for a minute, then dashed forward, throwing her arms around Harry. “I know I’m not supposed to mess up time, but I’m scared, Dad.”
Sirius cleared his throat and gestured to Callie, who hadn’t let go of her tight grip on Harry. “And her parents are Harry and Hermione Potter, as you’ve probably figured out.”
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Apologies for the formatting and mistakes in advance. I am on my phone.
I (20s) met M ( 20s) on a social app recently. We have been texting for a couple of days and decided to hang out over the weekend. We went on walk and started getting to know each other better.
For context M and I are both from the same country and from the same region but currently live and work in a different country where being gay is not legal . I don’t want any trouble to come out of this post, so I am trying to keep things as vague as possible. So please don’t repost this anywhere else either.
During our conversation it came up that M was ticklish. M is in the education field and is a very chill person in general. He mentioned that sometimes his students pokes him in a ticklish way and runs away. And he would jokingly shout after them “ are you LGTV?” ( a term people use in a joking manner to make fun of the community these days). I was lil shocked and surprised to hear that from him. He went on to say that sometimes in the class the boys would hold the other ones hand and break the knuckles and fingers ( to get that pop sound ) . So he tells his students something like “ hey don’t disturb the class . Are you LGTV ?”
I kinda looked at him dumbfounded and asked “ do you seriously not see what you are doing ?” “ You don’t think it’s wrong ?”. I explained to him that I get he is trying to be a cool teacher and says it in a friendly banter with the students. But it’s homophobic and gives the students the impression to the students that it’s ok to joke about it .
He got defensive and started saying it’s not like that . I don’t know his students . I am talking it the wrong way. The next 10 to 15 minutes of conversation was me trying to explain my side and him simply being unable to see it.
I asked him if he was made fun of growing up being called gay and how it made him feel. I talked about my experience too. He said it’s not the same because this generation is different and they would have reacted/ spoken up if they had an issues with it. I disagreed. I told him sometimes you know something is wrong but you don’t react to it because you don’t want to bring all the attention on you. Because you don’t want to be made fun of or isolated . I talked to him about my high school biology teacher, who was a good teacher when it came to teaching. But i remember this one time he asked the class if any of us were attracted to the same gender or had any such thoughts towards the same gender. He went on to say how that’s wrong and if we have such thoughts we need counselling. Did I want you react back then? Yes. But did I react ? No. Why? Because I didn’t want people to talk about me, to start rumours , to be ostracised. I gave him another more recent example of how one of my supervisors was making fun of another colleague who was a little feminine by imitating his walk behind his back. Did I react ? No. Why? Same reasons.
When I told him these he said it’s just my life and my experiences and my view and I am trying to impose that on everyone and how this generation is not like that. That I do not know about it because he knows his students better.
I asked him if he thinks all 100 of his male students are going to be straight? Won’t there be atleast 3 who are not? Won’t there by atleast 1 who will have a problem with this but will never react because he has to be around his classmates for most of the 365 days of the year and wouldn’t want be to be made fun of or talked about and so would just laugh along .
Somehow the response for this was something along the lines. They will react react if they have issue. They can’t be weak . How else are they going to survive in the outside world. He mentioned survival of the fittest.
I was quiet for a bit and asked him . What you said is the same logic someone uses for supporting bullying. He said that’s not What he means and I am taking a different issue. I told him his logic for it sounded the same.
He kept on talking along the lines it’s just my view and my experiences . This situation is not the same. I asked him if a 100 people told him he is wrong , can he then accept that it’s not just my view . He said yes. I made a mental note to post it here and since I felt the conversation was not going anywhere and was just getting heated , I told him let’s leave the topic. We talked about other things for a while and parted ways.
My point of posting here is two things. First that even though I don’t feel like I am in the wrong , it’s pretty easy to get stuck with my ideas and be guilty of the same thing the other person is. Second so that I can get him to see the perspective of others and share the link with him.
So Reddit AITA? If not how can I put across my point better to him?
Thanks in advance

This chapter, and any following chapters unless stated elsewise, is post epilouge. Luz and Amity are 18 and in college.
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The couple of Luz and Amity laid on the couch after an Azura movie marathon. After moving in together, the two always cuddled after a long day of both college and work. They were inseperatable and loved being in the other's embrace.
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Luz's pajamas consisted of an otter patterned pair of pants and t-shirt with the good witch Azura on it. Amity's nightware was cat pants with a purple crop top that showed off her well toned abs. Luz was spooning Amity, her hands supconsiensely drifting to Amity's midriff. Upon contact, Amity's eyes opened and let out a small yet cute sqeak. Luz awoke at this, wanting to make sure her sweet potato was okay.
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Luz: You okay?
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Amity: Yeah, I just felt something touch my stomach. It's rather sensative, and I'm really ticklish there. Y'know, it felt like someone's hands were-
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As she said this, she realised something. And then, she looked at her girlfriend with a smug face.
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Amity: Ah, that was you, wasn't it?
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Luz immediently blushed. She admitidly adored her girlfriend's belly, thinking it looked so cute and well defined. She didn't stare at it when Amity wasn't looking nor did she bring it up with her, as she didn't want Amity to feel like an object to be looked at. But now the cat was out of the bag, and Luz was about to get teased.
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Luz: I'm so sorry! It was an acc-
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Amity: It's fine, it's fine, we all have things we like. In fact, why not explore these feelings further?
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Luz: What do you-
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Luz was then pinned down by her partner, who after giving her a smug grin pulled herself up so her abdomen was an inch and a half from Luz's face, which now had Amity's signiture blush.
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Amity: Like what you see?
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She then started to roll her belly in her girlfriend's face, chuckling as her partner looked so cute when she was flustered.
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Luz:(thinking) Oh no, oh no no no no no! I'm both in heaven AND hell. If this is payback for teasing you, I'm sorry. I-
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???: Hey, is everything-
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It was Alador.
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Yep, Amity's dad heard sounds from the room and wanted to check on the girls. He opened the door to see if they were okay, only to see something unexpected. The entire room went dead silent, as all the blood in Luz's face started to transfer over to Amity, as her father could not have come in at a more embarrasing time.
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Alador: I. Am. So sorry. I'll leave you two be.(closes the door)
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Amity:(rolls to her side of the bed and screams into a pillow) EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! DAD, WHAT THE CRAP!
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Luz: Are you okay?
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Amity: No! Now I have to clear things up with dad in the morning, this is so akward!
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Luz: I'll be with you there.
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Amity: Luz?
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Luz: Yeah?
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Amity: I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable back there. I never meant to make you feel bad, I just wanted to explore that new information with you.
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Luz: Well, can I do anything to make you feel better?
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Amity: Well, we could tickle each other when dad and the twins are out for a meeting. Neither of us have anything to do tommorow.
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Luz: You sure? You did sqweak when I, y'know....
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Amity: That was more surprise than anything.
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Luz: Okay, how about noon?
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Amity: Sure.
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After a very akward breakfast that morning, and Amity explaining the situation to Alador, the patriarch of the Blight family and his twin kids left the two to their own.
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Amity and Luz went about some side stuff, before meeting in the living room at about 12. Luz had her usual clothes on and so did Amity, albiet with last night's crop top. The two sat longwise on the couch, with Amity on top of Luz with both girls facing up.
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Luz: Ready sweet potato?
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Amity: Yeah.
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Luz then started to gently tickle her girlfriend on her tummy, both parties giggling like mad. They enjoyed this moment, happy to be in eachother's presense.
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Meanwhile, just outside the Blight manor.....
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Camilla just pulled up to her daughter's new home. She saw a sale of Azura merch and just got a, well deserved I might add, hefty bonus from her manager and thought to give her daughter a farewell gift. She respected her daughter's space, but still wanted to see her every now and again. She used the key Alador gave her to open the back door and lock it behind her. She stayed silent while looking for her daughter, but then she heard what sounded like laughing.
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As she slowly went up the stairs, the laughing grew louder. She saw the door was cracked open, so out of curiosity she peaked inside, only to see her daughter tickling her girlfriend's stomach, all the while they were laughing like lunatics. She chuckled, seeing the two so happy together.
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Luz: Hey, did you hear something?
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Amity: Yeah, I think it came from-
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The two then looked at the door in horror, as Camilla accidently opened it so much that she was visable to the couple. The room froze in time, only broken by Luz passing out.
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Needless to say, another akward conversation ensued.

Heeey ! I Am back with a new review !! I was so unmotivated for the card review as I was busy and then I saw how the vid was 1H30, and was even more unmotivated as this card was so long omg… But the card was good so I’m glad ! So here is the review !
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Card review

Artem - Love for the Ages
As always, the notation is subjective, especially the art one.
Art : 4/5
Story plot : 9/10
Story writing : 5/5
Total : 18/20
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Review summary :

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Birthday preparations, warm memories and cozy homey atmosphere… While preparing for Artem’s birthday, Rosa learns about a special birthday he had while being young. Between romantic everyday moments and fun preparations, their comfortable bond shines even brighter.
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Review act per act :

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Act 1
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In the elevator of their residence, Rosa informs Artem that the decorations she bought for his birthday arrived but he may be surprised since she bought too much. Artem reassures her by saying he will sort them out then asks her if she is tired and wants to rest. She denies and tells him she wants to sort out the things with him. He tells her they can take their time since she already told him about the plan for the day. She starts to recall how the discussion went, a week ago. Artem is sorting out the fridge while Rosa watches him, quietly. Artem asks her what is going on and she tells him they should think about how to celebrate his upcoming birthday. Artem asks her if their previous plan is wrong but after she shakes her head, he wonders if it's because she had another idea. Rosa confirms, saying a birthday with only the two of them might be lonely. Artem denies, saying it's more than enough. Rosa pauses, then asks if they should still invite friends. Artem is surprised so Rosa asks him if it would be inconvenient, but Artem reassures her that it's not. He then comments that they should move the party on the top floor to have more room. Remembering the pool, Rosa tells him they can have a pool party. She describes it to him and he says it could be fun so they should invite friends. Back to the present, they arrive at home and start unboxing the decorations. Artem reads the seller card asking them to check if everything is functional and comments on how it might be hard to do so seeing the number. Rosa tells him they should at least check if they have enough for the decorations. She tests out a party popper, which explodes and sends on Artem loads of sparkling confetti. Artem is stunned for a moment, then smiles while Rosa, panicked, rushes over him. He grabs her by the wrist and tells her he is fine and they should check out the other party poppers. Artem takes another one and this one launches heart shaped confetti on Rosa. He takes one which landed on her head and then tells her that although he saw other use this kind of stuff, he never used one himself, adding that it is fun. She takes the confetti he gives to him, then drags over a big party popper and suggest testing that one. It starts launching countless of bubbles, leaving wet marks where they land. Sitting on the floor, they continue to test out different decorations, sorting by type. At some point, Artem stands up and reaching out to Rosa, tells her they should go to wash. She stands up and, noticing how much confetti is sticking to him, suggests helping him taking it out. Artem runs his hand through his hair, wondering if he looked like this the whole time, which Rosa confirms. They head to the bathroom and Rosa starts removing the confetti stuck inside his hair while he sits on the bathtub edge. She remembers how Artem mentioned he never used party poppers so she starts wondering how he celebrated his birthdays before. She asks him directly and he answers that he celebrated with his parents and never with his friends. Rosa now understands why he was surprised when she mentioned celebrating with friends and tells him so. He explains further that he never thought about doing it this way until she mentioned it. She says that then they should do everything she mentioned before then. Artem laughs, agreeing, then Rosa asks what he did with his family. He tells her that they didn't have set traditions so they would just eat meal. His father asked him some questions about work or school and then rewarded him with a birthday present using those as pretexts. Rosa asks what his father gifted him so he tells her that when he was in school it was something related to academics and when he started to work, it was stuff related to the legal. She then asks him about his mother and as he was about to talk, he suddenly sounds like he is in pain. Rosa stops cleaning his hair and check on him. As she asks if she hurt him, he denies and tells her a sharp confetti pricked him under his clothes. She says she is going to help him but before Artem can tell her to stop, she is already touching his skin. She stops when she hears him but he tells her that it's fine even if it was sudden. She awkwardly announces that she will start to search for the confetti and Artem agrees. At some point, she slowly moves upward which makes Artem stiff. Rosa asks him what's wrong and he says that since his waist skin isn't used to contacts, it's ticklish. However he tells her to go on. As she continues to search for the confetti, she realizes that she indeed has a unique occasion as Artem is the one usually bending down to hug her. She continues her search as she hears his breathing become faster. Rosa pauses and Artem breathing becomes softer. She takes out the sharp confetti that was bothering him and asks if it is the one, to which he nods. He grabs her hand but doesn't do anything more, so Rosa simply hugs him. She tells him that more confetti could be hidden so she is going to check. Once done, she confirms nothing is left and Artem agrees, ears blushing. She hugs him for a long while longer, before remembering the topic they were talking about. Rosa asks again what his mother did for his birthday and he answers that she cooked longevity noodles. He continues saying that his parents were busy so the only tradition meal was his mother's noodles. Artem recalls something and says the only exception was when he was 12.
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Nothing to say except that they remind me how well off they are at the most random time and it makes me laugh every time. It is also nice to learn a bit more about Artem and his family even if it’s crumbs.
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Act 2
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Rosa asks what exception and he explains that this day both his parents were absent so they asked Professor Hume to look after him. Neil Hume had transferred recently to Stellis University at the time. 15 minutes later, after cleaning up the confetti, they go back to the living room, where Artem starts telling her the story as he is cooking. Professor Hume started to prepare his birthday meal as soon as he arrived. Rosa starts imagining the scene. Little Artem is watching Neil cooking and is impressed, until he sees vegetables fall out of the wok. He immediately cleans them up but Neil tells him that since it's his birthday he doesn't need to clean up and should only rest up on the sofa. He pushes Artem out of the kitchen but the young one stops, saying he wants to watch and then, remembering the vegetables that just ended up in the trash, asks him if he wants help. Neil, misinterpreting the situation, asks him if he finds him cool while cooking. He continues saying that if Artem wants to be taught how to cook, he should ask directly by asking "Uncle Neil" in a rather cute manner. Artem thinks about the pros and cons and then says that he wants to learn from Uncle Neil. Professor Hume compliments him but tells him to stay a bit away since the wok is dangerous. He puts him at the entrance of the kitchen, as if to tell him to stay there and finishes cooking. After asking where the plates are, Neil serves the food in the ones Artem gave him before continuing cooking his best dish : the pickled mustard with fish. Artem asks him what he should do and Neil tells him to take the bowl and to stay a bit away so he can show him how he cooks. A bit later, the table is filled with the dishes when Neil brings out on the table longevity noodles his mom specifically told Professor Hume to make. Artem thanks him, but frowns a bit when smelling and seeing the soup. Still, he doesn't say anything and starts eating. Artem starts sweating, becoming red and, after trying his best not to, finally coughs uncontrollably. Neil, surprised, comes closer to him and, panicked about his reaction, asks if it's too hot or spicy or if he is choking. Artem tries to talk but coughs again. Neil, panicked, immediately calls the ambulance, saying he has an emergency and asks what he should do if a child starts coughing after eating noodles. He asks if it's an allergy, if he should make him vomit and how to do so. As he is listening to the phone, Artem recovers and manages to tell him he is fine, which Neil immediately relays to the phone, asking what he should do. Then, after processing the words, he is surprised and asks again if Artem is okay. Professor Hume, looking happy, asks him if he wants to talk to the woman on the phone, which Artem declines, saying it was too spicy so he doesn't need an ambulance. Artem apologizes for the worry, then Neil apologizes too on the phone before hanging up. Professor Hume starts to blame himself that he shouldn't have put so much spice and he did it out of habit. He asks Artem how he feels and if he wants to drink something to wash down everything while pointing to some milk. He then tells him he will remake one without spice but Artem shakes his head, saying that the noodles are good and he doesn't need to remake something, saying the amount of spice is just right for him. A tear suddenly drops into the bowl and Artem is surprised that he is crying. Neil asks if it's really just the right amount when he is crying. Artem becomes redder and, after looking at him for a bit, Neil compliments him for being able to handle spice like he does, adding that his noodles are so delicious that he is crying of joy. He adds that to thank him, he will make another bowl even tastier with a different flavor. Artem wants to refuse, but Neil's look makes him give up and thank him instead. Finally, with a serious expression, Neil wishes him a happy birthday.
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NEIL HUME CRUMBSSSSS FINALLY AFTER SO LONG (giving a +1 point on the review only for this I am not joking). Also, does that mean that baby Artem is 12 on the art ?? Wow omg, baby faced, I thought he was 6, maybe 8-9 at best woooow
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Act 3
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Back to the present. Through Artem's expression, Rosa can figure out how Neil looked when he said this to him : serious and gentle. Artem says he must have looked like a stubborn child trying to put up a strong front. Rosa denies, saying he must have looked like a cute boy Professor Hume loved. Rosa says that she too would have thought he is cute if she saw him as a kid. Artem says that he wasn't mature enough as a child so it's better that they met as he is now. Rosa counters saying both would have been fine and she says that it would be great if she could walk through every stage of his life with him, even if the thought might be greedy. Artem reveals to her that he feels the same, adding that if they share their memories, it will still be a way to participate in each other's lives. He caresses her hair and she rubs against his hand. They serve themselves dinner and while they eat, Rosa looks at Artem. After dinner, she prevents him from working more, and insists on showering and going to bed earlier. But once there, she doesn't feel like sleeping, so she puts her head on Artem's shoulder. She tells him they can start decorating the top floor tomorrow and that she will come back earlier in the afternoon. Artem says he too is almost done with the case so he can help decorating. He adds that the pool needs to be cleaned so he will take care of it. Rosa explains that the buffet is the only thing left and she booked the caterer already so they'll have to deal with it once it'll be delivered. Rosa comments how she is glad their case is going smoothly and as she is starting to say that his birthday will be going well, she thinks that it sounds like foreshadowing. Artem repeats the last word of her sentence, wondering what she wanted to say while lowering his head to look at her. She says that she takes back what she was saying in fear of jinxing it. Artem pats her back and reassures her which makes her calm down. They look at each other then kiss, hugged together. The next day, Rosa and Artem finish work perfectly like they anticipated. Once back home, Artem turns on the automatic pool cleaner, then he and Rosa prepare the party next to it. She suggests to hang balloons at the balcony next to the pool and Artem puts some where she pointed at, asking for her opinion. She agrees and they continue to decorate the whole top floor like this. They admire everything they have done, Rosa commenting on how his birthday will be festive. Artem confirms, saying how unforgettable it will be as he reminds her how she said they needed pool, games, singing and champagne... Feeling shy when he keeps looking at her, she suggests doing a practice run, which confuses Artem. Rosa, seeing him confused, starts to MC, taking a lollipop from the decorative stand as a micro which surprises him. She starts reciting lines she learnt when she did the job in the past, then mouth at Artem to play along. A bit helpless, Artem acts like he is opening champagne and pouring it down on a glass tower. Rosa starts recording it and manage to get a quite long footage of him. Artem is embarrassed but she finally makes an okay sign which makes him relax. But Rosa start another video then and ask him to sing while handing him the lollipop. He grabs it, still helpless, and agrees. Right after, they sit on the sofa to watch the footage she just took. Artem is blushing, closing his eyes, when they reach the singing part and once its over, he simply ask that they cancel the singing part at the party. Rosa tells him she likes the way he sings and why not instead change the song. Artem says it won't be solved by changing the song so she adds that she likes his voice and since the birthday will be with close friends, they'll also be happy. He finally nods and right after the automatic pool cleaner beep, having finished its work. They go to the pool and Artem warns her it might be a bit heavy to lift. They take out the machine from the water, splashing themselves in the process. Artem says that since it's windy and they are wet, they should go back inside to warm up, so they take each other's hand and head downstairs.
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Bro, the mature children are \**usually*** broken (traumatized) so it's good you weren't mature ? 😭 Beside you sound polite and considerate as heck, meeting the child version of you would be so cute omg*
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Act 4
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Back inside Rosa realizes how cold she is. In the bathroom, she gives a towel to Artem, telling him to wrap himself inside to not get colder. Artem notices how Rosa is shivering a bit and asks her if she got a cold. He tells her he will make ginger soup for her later then hugs her. Rosa reassures him by saying it's just because of the difference in temperature. She mentions how he should feel it and he agrees. Rosa hugs him back and tells him they should warm each other up. After enjoying the embrace for a while, she mentions that his birthday is soon and she wishes time would move faster as she wants to celebrate it now. Artem asks if she is really that impatient and she excitedly answers that she is. He then mentions he suddenly remembers a quote he read about birthdays which never seemed special before now : "A day that brings joy to everyone around you, which then brings you happiness in return". Artem finishes by saying he is really happy, which makes Rosa emotional. After drinking the ginger soup and checking her temperature, they go to bed. During the night, a cell phone vibrates, waking her up. She sees Artem frowning at his phone and asks him what is wrong. Artem says the opposing lawyer uploaded some new evidence, so Rosa immediately goes to check and sees the notification : "Attorney Howard Syter has uploaded evidence at 4:14 am. Size : 100 pages''. Since attorneys have the right to check every evidence before the trial, they already checked previous evidence uploaded, but they wouldn't have thought he would upload something at this time. Artem comments how it's a low blow but still viable strategy since the trial will start soon. Rosa worries about Artem's birthday and they only have one work day. Not planning to sleep anymore, she gets up, but as she is trying to go to the study, Artem stops her. He tells her it's sleeping time and that he will handle it. Rosa tells him the time is tight and there will be his birthday, but Artem insists it'll be fine. She tells him she won't be able to sleep, so it's better if she reads the document with him to be able to be reassured. Artem doesn't object anymore and they head toward the study. At the end of the day at the office, they continue to review all the 100 pages of evidence. They progress so well that Rosa feels they will be able to make it to the party tonight without trouble. She was about to bring back two cups of coffee to Artem's office when she meets Celestine, who was about to head there too to see them. Worried, she asks if she can help them but Rosa informs her they have almost finished, though still feeling a bit angsty about the timing for the party. Celestine informs her that she is heading to Artem's place to finish the organization as planned and encourage her. They informed all of their friends about the incident in the morning, but decided to not cancel since they could make good progress and manage to finish in time. Rosa thanks Celestine and then goes into the office. Inside the room, Artem is frowning at the monitor so she guesses there is trouble. He confirms, saying a piece of evidence is troublesome and they need to go to the cinema to check up something.
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ARE U FOR REAL 4 AM UPLOAD OF 100 PAGE EVIDENCE ??? I remember a certain someone in a certain event commenting how Baldr isn't efficient/doesn't have balance and it seems hecking true, especially much more just to be a pain in the guts 💀 Not sure if I should be scared, angry or impressed at the pettiness... So foul… they literally have no time urgh-
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Act 5
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The evidence Artem saw was a cinema ticket, with which Howard Syter wants to use to prove his client came here so giving credit to earlier testimonies which Rosa and Artem refuted because of lack of evidence. If the ticket is real, a lot of their conclusions would be overturned and they would have to redo the whole investigation. The surveillance having already been overwritten, they only have the electronic sale record to check if it is real, so they have been waiting for an employee to check it for a while. Rosa is wondering how the party is going, thinking they might miss it. Suddenly, Artem's phone rings. He thanks the person at the other end, promising they will review the data here and destroy it when they are done as well as not leaking any information. He hangs up and informs her the data got sent, so Rosa opens her laptop she brought with her to check if the person really came to see the movie. They both check the information for a while and neither of them find the client, so Artem concludes that the ticket is invalid. Rosa feels relieved to have finished this task, but since they need to go back to the firm to wrap up the case, they probably won't be able to make it to the party. Before Artem can comfort her, they phone buzz, Celestine having sent videos of the party. She starts one where they, Celestine, Jeremy, Kiki and other friends are opening the champagne in a lively way, standing near the glass tower. Celestine and Jeremy pours the alcohol down and everyone cheers and whistles. Celestine talks to Artem in the video, telling him to not obsess too much over work, spend more time with Rosa, not worry much since she is still there as an associate so he can ease up a bit. Jeremy then wishes him happiness in work and life, encouraging him for the next step of it. Kiki then joyfully shares her hope of him staying the "king of the court", that they have a happy relationship and stay happy forever. Rosa and Artem both smile at each other while people in the video clink their glasses together. They look at the other videos, with lots of fun and warm moments, and the last video being everyone singing to him Happy Birthday. Rosa is both happy but feels a little sad since they have been preparing for so long but didn't manage to finish work in time. Wondering what Artem feels, she turns toward him and sees him looking at her. She asks him what is wrong and he starts caressing her face. Since they are in the cinema, the light is a little dim, which makes it harder to look properly at each other, but Artem tells her that he thinks she doesn't look very happy. She remembers that she was the one who insisted on a more lively celebration for it to be ruined. She thinks about the fact that Artem should be the one sadder and she shouldn't be the one receiving confort. She tells him that she's not unhappy and the videos mean that the party is going well. Artem says that it would have been great to be there too since they have this much fun. He gets closer and kisses her, then tells her that she shouldn't feel down since this birthday is very special for him and he was happy. Rosa asks if he is saying this just to comfort her and Artem answers that she should be able to see it clearly if he was lying, laughing a bit. She asks him why he thinks such a situation is a happy one and he reminds her how he talked about his 12th birthday with her. Rosa recalls and he adds that he didn't tell her entirely why he thought that day was special. If it were normal circumstances, his parents would have celebrated with him but because they were away, Professor Hume looked after him. Artem felt a bit upset beforehand and was reading legal codices before Neil got here, trying to convince himself that the day was nothing special. When Professor Hume arrived, he was carrying so much stuff that he couldn't get through the door. By watching how enthusiastic Neil was when unloading the groceries and cooking, he forgot about the legal codices. Now when Artem thinks of that day, he just remembers how warm and soft it was. He looks at Rosa gently and she starts caressing his face, hair... Not feeling gloomy anymore, Rosa says that they can't avoid disappointment and people's warm wishes, blessings and love is the most important thing, like Professor Hume did. Artem confirms and says that the reason why he is happy is because he feels her warm wishes and love. Her hand, still on his face, is being kissed and then Artem repeats the quote he said earlier, adding that if he can make her happy when he feels happy, he would like for every day to be her birthday. Feeling warm, Rosa suddenly kisses Artem, surprising him in the process. They lightly kiss each other again, while Rosa feels she can't let such a special day pass like this.
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CELESTINE JEREMY AND KIKI ARE SO ADORABLE, I love them all, they sounded so happy for Artem Also, Howard Syter, congratulation for being an even bigger piece of trash than I expected (nevermind earlier when I said feeling "impressed", yuck)
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Act 6
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Back in the office, they head to Celestine's office to finalize the documents after getting her permission since the authority for this manipulation is limited to her computer. Artem tells Rosa to sort the other documents while he is analyzing the evidence linked to the movie tickets. While working though, Rosa is thinking of the new celebration plan she just thought about. A while after, she finishes her job and asks him if he wants to review it. Artem checks it as she is patiently waiting and after a while, he looks up at the time, which shows past 11pm. He tells her everything looks okay and he will wrap up. He then adds that she should rest up on the sofa in his office and they'll go home together once he is finished. Rosa wants to refuse at first, but the idea in her head makes her accept. She tells him to not work too late and he reassures her. Rosa leaves Celestine's office and goes to the work area. Since the company sometimes celebrates birthdays, there are often decorations left from those. Rosa goes to where they are stored and checks the lantern she found. Thankfully it is still working and there are also unused balloons there. Rosa takes them with her, saying that they're only missing the birthday cake now. She goes downstairs and searches for bakeries still open and at walking distance. Since the office is in the CBD, she manages to find one and buy their last cake. Rosa is relieved to see the lights still on in Celestine's office as she comes back. She opens the cake as well as the alphabet cookie she just bought to decorate it herself. Carefully, she tries to arrange it but despite doing her best it still looks a bit weird. Rosa tries to arrange it but stops, not wanting to damage the cake. She then takes the decorations and the cake to Artem's office after having taken a picture of her work. She arranges everything with no lights to not alert Artem while preparing. He sends a message to her when she is just finished, informing her he is coming to get her. Rosa replies to him and then crouches behind his chair to wait for him. Holding the cake, she remembers over and over the steps she has to do as soon as he comes in : switch the rainbow lantern, stand up, sing Happy Birthday. Artem enters the room and she feels her anxiety shoot up. She hears him dropping something off, probably his own laptop. Then he turns on the lights and Rosa stands up. Artem looks shocked to see her and she starts singing for him. Him looking at her softly makes her smile. He comes closer to her once the song is finished and takes the cake from her hands while never breaking eye contact. Artem asks her when she did prepare all of this and she explains what she did. She blushes and says that she did her best but the spelling looks a bit ugly. He interrupts her, saying that he likes it, or rather he really likes everything she did for him. She represses a laugh when noticing he almost said "thank you" and Artem helplessly tells her he promised not to thank her anymore, which she is happy he remembers. By looking at the time on her phone, she realizes there is only two minutes before midnight, so she urges him to make a wish. Rosa puts the cake on the table, lights a scented candle she found lying around in the office. She says that since they can't have open fire in the office, they should be quick. She turns off the lights, puts a paper crown on his head and tells him to quickly make a wish. Instead, Artem gets closer to her and gently says that his wish is right in front of him. Rosa asks him if he doesn't want to make a wish and he laughs. He tells her he doesn't need one anymore because his wish is only about her and she is here with him so he is satisfied. Rosa says that they missed the party so she wanted to at least fulfill one of his wishes so it means she won't be able to do anything for him. He gets even closer to her and tells her that they can't avoid disappointment forever but with this they can see the desire in their heart clearer. Artem tells Rosa he wants nothing else other than her. Her heart beating faster, she tells him she received his wish. Moving the candle closer to him, she says they should blow it off now and Artem obeys, extinguishing it easily. They look at each other with a smile and Rosa declares that today, the next day and every other day, she will stay by his side and fulfill his wish. Artem answers that for today, the next day and every other day, he will be the happiest person alive. He gets closer to her and hugs her tightly, kissing her with happiness and passion.
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Help, the dedication to their work is insane, I respect them so much but 4/5 AM to 11+ PM is so hecking WILD to me even with short breaks 😭 And wooooow the animation when he blows out the candle and the screen becomes black woooooow. It was so cute, this improvisation and simple moment, literally so romantic despite being rushed !
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Personal opinion :

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What I liked :
This card is exactly the vibes ArtemRosa cards should have. The mix between daily life, work, cozy and romantic moments, it was just very good. I’m surprised there aren’t that many cards of them with such an atmosphere when it suits them SO MUCH !
Also the Neil Crumbs. The best thing ever. I hope we find out what happened with him in the Main Story soon ;;
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What I disliked :
More details about the case they were treating ! Like 2-3 sentences to explain what kind of case it is, just to fuel the imagination ! But it’s really a small issue.
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Would I recommend getting this story ?
Yes ! It’s not heavy on lore, but it’s basically what I would consider to be a perfect example of ArtemRosa dynamic, or at least what it SHOULD be. I feel like it’s definitely the kind of card you might want to pull if you like Artem.

My aunty owns a local diner in the middle of a small town where everyone knows everyone. Recently, she had almost half of her waiters quit within a month, which she knew about but didn’t tell me why when telling my mom this and I overheard it while doing homework at the dining table.
Then she asked my mom if my two older sisters could help out, but my mom said that the oldest is moving out of town to live with her fiancé, but agreed to let my second older sister work. Then my aunty asked about me. Mind you, I’m a 15 y/o girl and the last thing on my mind to do after school is going to work, even for a few hours. Even if I find time to get home in the evening and finish my homework, I still wouldn’t like the idea at all.
My mom was quiet for a little before agreeing, since even I know that money is a touchy subject. Ever since my dad divorced my mom, I was chosen to stay with my mom 100% because my dad is an alcoholic and often liked to hurt my mom and have done some nasty things to my sisters and I. I don’t know where he is now, probably in jail, or married to another poor women who will be his next victim, but that’s partially the reason why we are struggling when it comes to money.
Fast forward a week. I went to school on a Wednesday morning like normal, except I had to pack a set of extra clothes in my already stuffed backpack. My aunt talked to me and told me I have to wear a uniform, and she doesn’t want my mom to know what I wear, so she wants me to put it into my backpack instead of going to school in it, she even said she can wash it every week since it’ll probably smell like eggs and other diner foods.
I usually take the bus to school, so days that I work, I would take another bus that dropped me off about a two minute walk from the diner. The bus drivers really didn’t care about if we got off on unusual stops, or maybe they had no idea and were just working for a paycheck, much like I’m about to do. And each end of my shift, my aunty will drop me off back home, after I changed back of course.
Once at the diner, I would go to the back, through the kitchen, which had two chefs who worked harder than any cook I’ve ever seen, and right to my aunty’s office. There I could see her computer on a desk, a whole lot of paper work, clothes all around, and just a total mess.
So my outfit is basically a button down white t shirt, a white mini skirt, and one of those tiny aprons that only cover from waist to crotch area. I kind of liked the way this fits on me, but the fact that I’m wearing all white means I’m going to get dirty, maybe every night. My sister has a similar outfit, but her skirt is longer since she sometimes does shave her legs or something, I just know that I don’t have the same issues she has.
The first night went well, I got a lot of people looking at me funny and asked if I’m a kid, to which I told them my age and some of them were upset a kid is working, some were happy that they think I’m trying to help the family business, and some were just weird and happy to just see me. Whatever the reason it was, I just like talking to people, so this was super easy, plus most of them didn’t mind if I would bring out one plate at a time instead of like five or six like pro waitresses.
Friday night comes around, and this is the night I finally meet the guy, who’s one of the main reasons why those other waitresses quit. My aunty really wanted me to meet him since he’s in about three or four times a week and orders a good portion. His name was Larry, and he seems really nice and friendly, he even treated me more like a friend than a waitress and would have me sit down with him while he told me stories about how he fixed cars, travels for work, eats at every restaurant ever, and stayed at every hotel in the world. I never told him my age, but I’m pretty sure he can tell I’m a minor.
Often enough, he sits at a booth in the corner of the restaurant and would ask me to sit beside his so he could kick his feet up on the other side bench, which I didn’t mind, but it only started to get weird when he would poke one of the buttons hidden from my apron and think it’s my belly button and ask if I had an outie belly button and if I’m ticklish. I do in fact have an outie belly button, but I didn’t tell him that, I would just fake a giggle. Sometimes I would feel his hand brush up on my chest, which I don’t care much of either, but there was a few times I felt like he was feeling my chest for my nipple, which I still don’t know why he would want to see them since my chest is still pretty flat (again, I’m 15, I know it’ll grow).
Sometimes he grabbed my arm or thigh and give me massages, which really don’t feel good, and if I tell him I don’t like it, he just tells me it’ll start to like it. Usually after every visit from Larry, I would make up a dozen excuses that I needed to go before he would accept and let me go.
I didn’t mind anything weird about Larry, he seems innocent enough, like a grandpa who just wants to spend time with his grandkids, but I really wish I wasn’t chosen to babysit him everytime he comes here. And since he spends like $100 a week here, my aunty tells me to just ignore and let him ramble on since he’s the reason this business is still afloat. Which are my aunty’s words, and I’m pretty sure $100 a week cannot cover rent alone.
After about a week of seeing Larry almost most of my shift, he came in with his laptop and showed me his Facebook and told me to look myself up so we can be friends. I seriously don’t want Larry in my life 24/7, so I just lied and told him I never made a Facebook.
He simply laughed, thought for a second and wrote my whole name out in the search bar. For a second, I was so shocked that I turned pale, even for my light skin. I had a name tag, but only my first name. But my stupid sister probably told him our last name when he asked. She may be older, but she doesn’t act like it. He found a picture of me and sent a fr, to which my phone goes off, making Larry laugh and my heart drop into my stomach.
He sent me a few messages just to hear my phone go off a few times as I pulled it out and fake laughed before swallowing the throw up in my mouth. He then proceeds to go through my gallery, which my fb is public since I was pretty stupid enough to want to make as many friends as possible, much like instagram and try to gain as many followers. He founds pics of me that I wish he wouldn’t find and could comment on how my clothes are too revealing and I should take these pics down.
He commented on my friends and how he could find me a good set of friends to be with, to which I had no idea who he’s referring to since he told me before he’s since, no kids, and lives alone. Then even seeing pics of me with my belly button revealed and comment on my outie belly button and poke my belly again. I could really feel his finger trying to find my belly button again, which just felt so disgusting that I just got up without a reason this time and just stormed to my aunty’s office.
I confessed everything to her and told her how disgusted I am, and at first she seemed to be on my side, but when I explained the things he did to me, she quickly changed sides and told me I’m just over exaggerating and he’s just treating me like a kid in a friendly way.
I wanted to burst out crying and asked my sister for help, even wanting to talk to mom about this and confess it all, but my sister calmed me down and told me how aunty would have to let us go, then he wouldn’t have enough money to keep our apartment, and then we’ll have to live with dad. I had no idea if this were true, but the things my dad did to me are in fact worse than what Larry had done so far.
Fast forward a few months to present day, I still work at the diner and still see Larry on an almost daily basis. He still acts the same and once in a while touches me, but it’s gotten to the point that it’s nothing too concerning, like my chest or thigh, which I still don’t care about too much, I only care when he tries to touch my belly button or nipple. I know that for summer, mom will make me work, and because of my age, I legally can’t find a job anywhere else.
I’m pretty much okay if I have to keep working for summer, the only good thing about Larry is that he would often order twice in one sitting, which made aunty very happy, and I would get a good tip because of it. I guess if you have advice, then I’ll take it, but I don’t think getting rid of Larry will be of my best interest since I’ve read too many creepy stories of stalker situations, and trying to escape the creep only makes things worse, but also aunty probably would fire me, and mom would be upset.
If I reveal all of this to mom, this would only make our family situation much worse since my mom relies on aunty way too much. But either way, it feels good to share this, I feel like just talking about it makes me feel better, and reading other stories makes me feel like I’m not alone and maybe I’ll find help in the best way. I might be in this situation for a while, but sharing it relieves some of the stress. Thanks again for listening, if I have any updates I will post them here.
EDIT:
Thank you everyone for your comments. I wish I could respond to all of them. I am glad everyone is so nice and helpful, and the messages of advice too. I want to talk to my mom, but I’m scared this will make her worried for me and bring her down. My mom secretly drinks to relive her problems (I think she gets it from my dad, but she’s not violent). I know she will blame herself for all of this and I don’t like seeing my mom drink and get worse. I think I’ll work through summer vacation and quit after.
Larry still comes almost every day. After reading some comments, yesterday I told him I will be deleting my fb and made it private and deleted him from my friends. He was sad and asked a lot about if I’m okay and gave me advice that I think is good. I still don’t think Larry is a bad person he just is lonely I think.
I didn’t talk to my aunty yet. I love my aunty and I don’t think she will want to put me in danger, but I think she also doesn’t think I Larry as a bad person. I really want to work hard this summer and make lots of tips for mom, maybe enough that it can make up for when I stop working after summer vacation.

I realized recently that I’m no longer ticklish - feet, ribs, sides, legs, neck, etc - and I’m trying not to freak out. It might have been this way for years (diagnosed about 15 months ago) and I just didn’t know until now? Or maybe it’s happening because I’m stressed and tired? It’s weird to me because i haven’t noticed a change in other symptoms I will have from time to time - creepy crawling feelings in my legs, pins and needles in my hands and feet, intention tremors in my left leg, etc. - that I assume are related to my spinal lesions. The bottom of my left foot feels close to being ticklish, but more sensitive than anything.
Has this happened to anyone else out there? Going to reach out to my neurologist to advise them and to seek guidance, but I was curious to know if anyone else here has experienced this.
Thanks, friends!

Dark, cold air nipped at my cheeks and ears as I biked the seven-mile trek home to my aunt’s house after work. I was tired and my legs ached. My muscles felt as though they were being branded with hot irons.
My manager had dared me to try some of the tequila-pickled peculiarities we had recently gotten in for a few extra bucks before I left for the day. The extra 20 dollars in my pocket didn’t feel worth it in the slightest. My stomach roiled from the brine as it sat like gasoline in my gut. The nausea sent chills up and down my spine like icy waves.
I couldn’t make it up the driveway before spewing two days worth of half-digested cheap take-out all over Aunt Joyce’s garden and falling headfirst into her patch of perennials. She treated those stringy flowers better than her own children. I remembered laying there in the dirt, watching the stems of the flowers bend and sway in the dark— admittedly feeling a little jealous. The flowers didn’t have to worry about rent or working. Or even having to find food. They didn’t know pain or grief. All they needed was water and sunshine.
Had I not been totally plastered, I’d have felt pretty bad; I helped tend the garden myself when there was nothing else to do. Needless to say, I got my ass handed to me the next morning when she found the garden half-flattened and smelling like a carton of expired milk.
That was the first thing I thought about as I swayed back and forth slowly like a perennial in the night. The only difference between then and now being that I was swaying what seemed to be miles off the floor of an indoor forest like a shitty Halloween prop by my ankle.
Vertigo had taken up residence in my head from the blood rushing to my brain, face, and fingers.
I could hear Ana and Fred bickering above me, spitting creative insults at each other. I couldn’t help but feel like a tool for leaving him like I did; I wouldn’t have made it this far to answer that stupid phone without…
The phone… The sharp reminder that I had maybe one more shot at answering the phone was enough to turn my stomach.
I wiggled and spun, trying to loosen the grip of the vine wrapped around my foot. After not even 15 seconds of writhing and doing my damndest to get free, I was as winded as a seasoned smoker. I’d like to think I’m pretty fit being in my early 20s, but if this is supposed to be me in my prime, I'll be bedridden by 40.
The twisting I had done sent a stinging reminder of the patch of stripped skin on my tailbone. Pain surged up my spine, enough to leave me limp again.
The sting came with a rush of strange sounds and sensations that are hard to describe. It was as though the crescendo of noise and the electric pulse through my nerves were one and the same. All I could do was hope that like a suspicious rash, it would go away on its own.
Coldness tingled up in my toes and crept down my leg, almost like an advanced case of toilet leg. I looked up…or down? I looked wherever the ground was supposed to be and saw a foggy abyss. I used to entertain daydreams of living my own Eldritch adventures, but now that I was staring into it, I think I preferred the slice-of-life monotony more.
A brush against the back of my arm caused me to yelp. The sudden shout made both myself and whatever it was that touched me flinch. It took a few awkward and uncomfortable rotations, but I faced the wall of foliage and was met with a strange Gerbera daisy-looking… thing. It was no bigger than a normal daisy, with fluorescent purple petals that fanned out from its middle, as posh as a peacock. It blinked a blue, bulbous eyeball at me from the green curtain it was anchored into. I stared at it pensively and couldn't help but begin to feel a little frustrated at all this Wonderland bullshit. The 20 bucks an hour now felt like chump change, and man, was I the chump. I pinched myself and found that I was definitely still awake, with the added bonus of another sore spot.
Then, of course, I let my intrusive thoughts win. I poked it… right in its huge eyeball which it, understandably, wasn’t the biggest fan of. The daisy shrieked like a pissed-off baby, which summoned a tiny death squad twelve-strong of those floral fucks from the brush. The flowers began to hiss and snap at me with tiny mouths filled to the brim with tiny needle teeth.
“OW!” One of them managed to nip right through the vine holding me suspended in the air. That was one way to do it. The vine cracked and creaked like old rope. “This is gonna hurt—” When the vine finally broke, I made an attempt at grabbing for the wall. I missed every goddamn time and was left to plummet downward, but not before taking a handful of the little bastards with me.
They squeaked and squealed, and for a second I thought they might be enough to hold my weight.
“Yes!” Then followed the snap, snap-snap of their roots ripping and coming free. Their little screeches pierced my damaged ears, but I only let go when I could hear and feel the same snaps, crackles, and pops in my legs. Then gravity did what it does best.
The fall wasn’t as far as it looked, but it wasn’t short either. Upon impact, I heard a mighty CRACK and felt the knuckles of my left hand touching the outer side of my arm. Either the bones in my hand had been turned into small bags of croutons or it was almost definitely broken.
Prodding with my other hand revealed that yep, it definitely was broken. I think I might have still been partially numb from the pitcher plant slurpee because I sure couldn’t feel it yet.
There’s something really upsetting about seeing your own hand wobble like an al dente pasta noodle. I did my best to splint it with a stick that hissed at me when I pulled it off a nearby tree. My fingers began turning purplish, and I opted to wrap up the whole thing and just not look at it. I held my wrist close to my chest and hoped that whatever benefits I got from this job would cover my steadily-growing medical bills.
Looking up from where I had taken the plunge, I could barely see the pitchers from here. Wherever I had fallen, it was darker than the rest of Garden. The foliage was denser and looked downright hostile. If it wasn’t covered in big spiny leaves, it had spikes or bright colors announcing that it was no-doubt poisonous. If I really focused, I could hear layers of voices, as if I was standing in the middle of a city with crowds that only spoke in hushed whispers.
That was probably just the concussion talking, though. Or the onset of stress-induced psychosis. Maybe sleep deprivation? Perhaps it was a fun and fruity cocktail of all three.
At that point, even if I did find the phone, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to escape. Typically, when my shift was over, I’d be blipped out of my department and end up somewhere in proximity to where I was when I had been clocked in. But I wasn’t in my department this time. The thought of being stuck here and becoming a zombie pod person like Ana scared me. But looking back, it didn’t scare me nearly as much as it should have.
I mean, considering the other ways there are to die in here… maybe becoming a plant puppet wouldn’t be so bad?
Like Ana’s words, that idea came easy. It didn’t race around in my head like the million and one other worries I had. It was like sap that was slowly leeching into the crevices of my mind and hardening like amber. The thoughts felt safe but I also knew they were out of place. But did that make them wrong? Maybe the flower drugs hadn’t worn off yet.
I was tempted to just lay back down on the forest floor and let whatever was going to happen go ahead and happen, when a shrill sound pierced the canopy. It wasn’t the sound I was expecting. It wasn’t the page. It was a scream followed by a barrage of Fred-branded swears.
“You spider-mite havin’, photosynthesizin’, finger-lickin’, hottopic shoppin’ trashwagon! You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!”
These creative jabs were followed quickly by Fred… or half of Fred falling through the trees and vines, landing with a hollow THUNK.
“Fred! Holy shit! Are you okay?!”
In the short time I’d known him, I had never been so happy to see that plastic idiot. But he didn’t respond, which was a first. There was a prolonged silence between me and his upper body.
“Fred? You alright over there?”
Still nothing.
“…Fred?”
I made my way over to him slowly, keeping my eyes on the canopy above us in case Ana decided to show up again. As I approached Fred, I could see his sweater had almost been shredded to pieces. There were deep scratches in his plastic, so deep it showed the white plaster underneath. But what caused my heart to sink was seeing that his head was now completely missing.
“Oh…oh no…”
With that heavy realization came the last sliver of hope I had of getting out of here. So I laid down on the moss bed beside my dead friend who was dubiously alive to begin with and closed my eyes.
I waited for the laws of retail-distributed natural selection to come and take me.
And waited.
And waited some more…
I had waited for about five minutes before getting bored and sitting back up.
“Hey! What’s a guy gotta do to get some service around he—“
My quiet acceptance of mortality was interrupted as another shrill scream rang out from the canopy, followed by something round being fastballed downward and making hard contact with my face. I won’t bore anyone with the details of how much that sucked, but I made a mental note to add that to my list of comedic inconveniences that have happened to me working here thus far.
“Holy franks on a flatbread! That was one hell of a ride! Maxy, did’ya see that?!”
I had been hit in the face with Fred’s head. The treetops and vines above me spun and swayed for like the second or third time. The real gusher of a nose bleed I had caused me to spit and sputter.
“You jackass! I thought you were dead or… or some mannequin equivalent! You crazy freaking l hunk of plastic!”
Fred’s head rolled over to face me. It was in similar condition to his torso; the paint of his titanium white teeth had almost been scraped off completely. But the sly grin plastered across his face didn’t falter despite the damage. He gave a sharp gasp and giggled like a deranged schoolgirl.
“Maxy! You think I’m a hunk?”
I picked him up and fought the urge to shake the shit out of him. Or maybe, if I was feeling extra spicy, punt him hard enough to disband the entire NFL. It wasn’t until he spoke that I was reminded I was now hard-of-hearing. Or at least I was supposed to be. Fred’s voice was clear as a bell. It would have been hard to read the lips of a guy whose lips don’t move.
“I should get paid just for dealing with you.” I stuck him under my arm and hobbled with the fervor of an old man over to his torso that had somehow moved while I wasn’t watching.
“It’s funny that’cha say that. There used to be a guy with that job.”
“Oh yeah? And what happened to him?” I grumbled, and gently sat his head down next to his neck socket. Looking closer I could see little black fibers in his… neck hole? They slowly angled themselves like therafluid towards his head. Cool? But also, ew?
Fred fell quiet for a moment as his eyes pointed toward his other half, then back to me. His voice fell a few octaves to a tone I have yet to hear him use since.
“We ate him.”
“You… you what?”
At first I wasn’t sure I actually had caught what he said right, but the way his eyes began boring into my own, he knew he didn’t have to repeat himself.
Fred stared just long enough to make me reconsider if I should be afraid or not. The tension finally broke when he started howling with laughter.
I quickly pressed his face into the moss bed to shut him up.
“Shhh!”
He continued to laugh in a muffled frenzy for a moment longer before shaking himself free from my hand “Sorry, sorry! You should have seen your face! I’m just yankin’ your chain; we didn't eat him. Probably wouldn’t have tasted that good anyway. Beings with higher brain function usually taste like burnt chicken.”
A poorly hidden sigh of relief escaped me, and I dutifully ignored the implication of that last part. “Was he fired or something?” I asked as I tried and failed to stick him back together.
“Nah, you don’t get fired at ThetaMart. He was disassembled and repurposed. Just cause you don't thrive in one position doesn't mean you can't in another.”
“That’s… an oddly positive way of looking at it.”
To hear that getting fired wasn't a means of escaping this place hit me harder than I let show. There might not be a way out of my contract other than surviving it. The only other option would be, well…
Would be not to.
“This is probably gonna sound stupid but…”
I took a moment to really consider if I wanted the answer to this question. But the idea of not seeing it coming was just as horrifying, if not worse. I sat Fred up and began trying to push his neck joint back in place with all the strength I could manage one-handed.
“Is uh… is that what’s going to happen to me?”
“Nah, believe it or not, you’re actually doin’ okay. Not great, but okay. You should probably answer that page, though.”
“Yeah… I’m working on it.”
I wanted to feel at least a little comforted by Fred’s words. Sure my light could be snuffed out at any second, but at least I was okay at my job. Unfortunately, my unofficial performance review did nothing to lift the looming dread of my abysmal circumstances being realized in waves about as heavy as the fog around us.
I finally managed to get Fred back into one-ish piece, but not before discovering mannequins are ticklish. Using my apron straps, I crafted a make-shift baby björn and strapped him to my back.
“I bet I could make a career change to become a CPR dummy, if I could get past not having any limbs. I’ve definitely got the looks for it.”
“You can try, but you can bet your right arm I wouldn’t give you the kiss of life, dude.”
I managed to find my box cutter and the pruning shears Janis had given me. My phone unfortunately looked like it would be in tomorrow’s obituaries. The screen glitched in its death throes as it closed and opened apps on its own.
“Well, that sucks…”
I could feel Fred peeking over my shoulder. “Worst case you can come live in Sporting Goods with me!” I looked around to see if I could try to spot any of the other walls to follow back to the entrance. Even walking through a single department in ThetaMart made a labyrinth look like a linen closet.
“Thanks, but if I’ve got a choice, I think I’ll pass. You’ve probably got a giant, flesh-eating tennis ball running the place over there.”
“Oh boy, do I wish.”
Everything looked the same, as if the foliage purposefully covered anything that could be a landmark. “How the hell am I gonna get out of here…”
“Have you tried stopping and asking for directions?”
He asked. For a guy with not a joint to spare, he sure was wiggling around a lot.
I honestly couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
“I wish it were as simple as asking a plant for directions.”
“You got hooked up to the mycorrhizal network, dude! I’m sure you can hear them now.”
The throb in my wrist was quickly climbing from an annoying pinch to a debilitating throb. I quickly began to wish I could go back and get some of the plant-grade Tiger Balm I had been swimming in.
“The microwave network? What are you talking about?”
“The mycorrhizal network. Y’know, the plexus of threads that allows flora and fungi to share nutrients and recourses over a series of distances. Kinda serves as nerves and neurons that connect large systems of the plant life here to communicate information seamlessly ‘cause it’s cheaper than getting walkie-talkies.”
I struggled to unpack whatever the hell it was he just said. And failed.
“What?”
Fred sighed impatiently.
“Butt tube!”
“Oh, you mean the stupid vine!? That thing took the first two layers of skin off my tailbone? Which still really hurts, by the way!”
We walked into what I assumed was probably the garden tools area.
“That checks. It was trying to integrate with you my guy.”
I grabbed a gardening hoe, ignored Fred’s immediate comment of ‘nice hoe,’ and used it as a walking stick as we ventured mostly aimless through the self-contained jungle.
“Well I don’t speak plant, and I’m not turning green or growing any leaves… last I checked, anyway.”
After some time, we came to what could be called a clearing. In the middle sat a beast of a tree, with winding branches and large clusters of verdant vines that rooted deep in the floor and breached the surface again in arcs like the body of a coiled serpent. But from what I could see, it had no canopy.
Maybe this is where all vines lead to…
Cautiously we approached it. I gave it a gentle kick, braised myself for it to hiss or scream. When it didn’t I sat Fred down and leaned against it. His head swiveled in a similar fashion to mine. We were both expecting something to spring out of the shadows the moment we relaxed enough.
“I think we’ve made it to the center. I’ve never been this deep in Garden before. I can’t help but think Ana did that on purpose.”
“That sucks,” I said, finally relenting to the ache in my knees and slumping down by his side.
“Yeah, Ana sucks.”
“I thought she was pretty nice at first. What happened to her? Why does she… you know—”
“Look like the Corpse Bride? Well, for starters, she’s been a supervisor since before even I arrived.”
“So… is she actually dead?”
“Unless you get creamed by a Manager, you ain't dead. Just in suspended animation, carrying out the will of the store. Like Ralph.”
“What about you? You’ve never tried to hurt me. I wouldn't still be here if it weren't for you.”
Fred’s chipped smile seemed to broaden a bit. “Guess you could say I got my own agendas. Plus you’re pretty solid company, Maxy.”
“Thanks. Fred?”
“Yes, my good buddy?”
“I uh…I’m sorry for leaving you behind.”
Fred was quiet for a moment but I could still feel him staring.
“It’s okay… I was more worried about what Ana would do to you if she found you than anything she could’ve done to me. I can be put back together. You can’t.”
My mortality was something that had hung over me like an anvil ready to crush me at any second since I started this job. I didn’t expect Fred to really understand what that was like, but he spoke with the weight of concern in his voice. It caught me by surprise. I’m not sure why, but it scared me. It made the fact I could actually die here so much more tangible. Those questions every one of us more morbidly minded individuals entertained fired off one after another in my mind, each more vividly than the last. The image of me they would use on my missing poster? Who would bother coming to my funeral? How long would it take for the police to convince my sister that I wasn’t coming home and it was probably my own life choices that landed my photo in an empty coffin to begin with?
My thoughts reeled like a steam engine, but all I could say was “yeah… guess you’re right”.
I leaned my head against the pillar of vines and I could have sworn I heard deep, steady breaths, as if something was snoring. The rhythmic sound caused my eyelids to become heavy, like they were pulling themselves closed by no will of my own.
I hadn’t been this tired since exam week of senior year. It wouldn’t hurt to just rest my eyes for a minute, right?
It might have been a few seconds. It could have been an hour.
I woke to Fred lying in my lap, desperately thrashing and bashing his head into my stomach.
“Max! Max! Wake up!”
My eyes snapped open again. I was expecting there to be some Demogorgon things looking to make a not-so-vegan meal out of us, or Ana ready to string me up like a meat marionette. Compared to what happened next, I’d have preferred either. You can’t run from sound.
A strange sensation filled the air. I lifted my arm and saw that my skin was breaking out in goosebumps. The atmosphere shift made the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand at attention.
“Fred, of all the things to worry about… lightning can’t strike us indoors right?”
“Oh, it’s not lightning, pal. This is gonna be the thunder.”
“I’m assuming you’re not talking about the song, right?”
“For the love of— Max, stick your head in my torso!”
“…what?”
“My endoplasmic lining is sound-proof!”
“Your what is what?!”
“Has your hearing actually gone or are you confused? I don’t get where I’m losing you here!”
The charged sensation grew with the passing seconds, something in the prehistoric, self-preservational part of my brain told me that if I didn’t do as Fred instructed, I was gonna become premium compost.
I took his torso and held it above me, held my breath and quickly shoved my head inside.
The hole of Fred’s torso was wide enough to swallow me down to my shoulders. It was unexpectedly cold, unnaturally dark, and unpleasantly moist. It felt like I had stuck my head inside of a defrosted turkey.
“It smells like old bologna sandwiches in here…”
Fred said nothing, I wondered if he could even hear me.
There was a moment of stillness, before the auditory assault let loose outside. I couldn’t hear the page this time, but I sure as hell could feel it. The sound was so loud, I could feel the words followed by the dial tone in my fucking ribs. The syllables blared at such a high volume it caused my skin to sting, like standing in the middle of a dust storm. It took intense effort to even breathe. The base felt like it had a death grip on my entire body cavity. I tightened my hold on Fred as my knees buckled. The soles of my shoes kicked up dirt and grass as I seized. I had no control over my body. The damaging decibels had me struggling like a rabbit in a snare. It felt like every inch of me outside of the torso was almost disintegrating. I almost accepted that my organs and every inch of exposed skin would be boiled from my bones by sound alone.
The sound finally started to creep in as the plastic pressed against my fingertips began to give. Fred was melting; I could feel it under my fingernails. A slightly oily, sticky goo began collecting at the base of my neck. I could hear Fred screaming from outside of the shell. Turns out that mannequins could feel pain after all…
After the page had finally stopped, I laid still for longer than I needed to. I was afraid of what I would see upon exit.
When I finally pulled my head out of Fred’s torso, it was as bad as I had imagined. He looked like a half-melted, man-shaped candle. The whole left side of his face now sat on his cheek, his smile was lopsided…and it was all my fault.
“Y’know Maxy, being your deus ex machina isn’t as fun as I thought it would be…”
“Why did you do that!? Why didn’t you use some mannequin magic to save yourself or something?!”
Fred giggled, but I could hardly see what was so funny.
“Boy, I sure wish I had Mannequin Magic. Maybe then I could grow back an arm to scratch this nose itch I’ve had for the last hour.”
In retrospect, I wish I had thanked him. To have said something, other than call him an idiot. Felt something other than a quiet resentment for what he did. Because what came next was a beast far larger than the elephant that stood between Fred and I.
From the silence left in the wake of The Page, came the sound of cracking. Thigh-thick vines creaking and groaning like ancient ruins giving way to time and collapsing in on themselves. The sounds echoed like explosions, bouncing against the other three walls of the department that we still had yet to find.
There was a voice, like the cyclopsian daisy but deeper, angrier. I was certain of it now, it was coming from inside my head and it was accompanied by what I could only describe as a surge of electricity shooting up my spine from where the pitcher plant had been attached.
It didn’t speak, but I could hear it. Whispering curses and its full intention to rip me to pieces. A shape in the fog took form. It moved like a predatory cat, on all-fours and almost as tall as the shelves around us. Atop of the massive body was an enormous, strikingly beautiful flower. I had never seen colors so vibrant and I couldn’t help but freeze in awe. That was, of course, until I saw its maw. The creature was endowed with jaws large enough to clamp down on a car and strong enough to make quick work of it. The body was made of clusters of vines thicker than fire hoses, together as thick as a tree trunk. Pinned to its chest was a name tag that read in bold, black font: Garden Manager Maully, how may I help you?
As awe turned into… something else, I could only stare; the batteries to my metaphorical alarm bells had long since died. “So, the store has carnivorous flower dragons and speakers loud enough to kill someone, but not a phone for each department?” Fred made a sound like a clothes tag being snipped from a sweater which I assumed was the mannequin’s version of a tsk.
“You think we have the budget for that?”
“If I survive this contract, I’m suing…”
I could feel the monster eyeing me, probably wondering how hard it would have to bite down to get to my tootsie-roll center. I slowly grabbed Fred and my walking hoe, then got to my feet trying not to make any sudden movements.
The creature leaned in, barring its rows and rows of barbed and serrated teeth.
“THAT ONLY WORKS IN THE MOVIES…”
Its low, growling voice bubbled from the recesses of my mind and sent prickles up my back.
I didn’t even have to vocalize my thoughts. The moment it was in my brain, Maully already knew what I was going to say.
“Can we have a ten second headstart?”
Maully made an expression somewhere between a grin and a snarl. Its breath smelled like mildew and pondscum.
“RUN, FRUIT FLY…”
They didn’t have to tell me twice. I took off in a sprint down the nearest aisle with hoe and gardening tool in either hand. The foliage moved and writhed like snakes, making it increasingly harder to figure out where we were going and where we had been. With every stride, Fred would slip a little in my grip. The oily, semi-melted plastic layer on him made it almost impossible to keep hold of him. But I owed him now. I wasn’t gonna leave him behind again.
“Stop slipping,” I snapped, “what do we do?!”
“I know I make jokes about being a knight, but I never said I was a dragon-slayer!”
I could hear the vines of the creature rip and snap like a tree falling in a storm as it pursued us. With every pop and crack I could feel in my nerves, muscles, and tendons, It was getting a little hard to deny the fact that I might be hooked into whatever plant WiFi this place was running on. If I was a smarter man, I could have used it to my advantage somehow. But hindsight is 20/20.
Maully followed quickly and with singular purpose, hot on our heels and making a mess of things as they plowed through every solid object that got in their way. It was as though they knew every move I was going to make even before I did.
“YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER, FLOATER!”
Its voice inside my head hissed like toxic gas from a broken valve. The chill caused my shoulders to seize up toward my neck.
I wanted to say something equally imposing back to hide the fact that I was two seconds from pissing my pants, but all I could muster was, “I’m submitting a complaint to HR!”
“You hear that Maully?! If you don’t have anything nice to say, keep your psychic channels shut!” Fred yelled over my shoulder as his sticky plastic film caused him to sink lower and lower in my arms as we ran.
“If you could grow a third arm to not drop me, now would be the time to do it!”
“Half our problems could have been solved a third appendage ago! Stop slipping!”
Fred looked at me, still sliding from my grasp. I couldn’t take the now searing pain in my wrist any longer. I had no choice but to let him fall.
“Sorry, Fred!”
I took the hoe and used it like a dangerous putter to whack him forward as I ran. If this wasn’t one of the scariest moments of my life, it would have been a fun play on mini-golf.
“MAX—” Thunk! “I’m gonna get Shaken Mannequin Syndrome!”
There was a sheer drop in the floor, like the store had completely forgotten to load itself in, and we were speeding right towards it. I backpedaled, trying and failing to stop in time. My Chucks made a sound like a record scratch as Fred and I sailed over the edge with Maully quickly in tow. We fell, being flipped and snagged and thrown all the way down before becoming suspended in a web of vines. Some had sharp thorns that pricked and scratched my skin if I tried to move. Some were connected to flowers loaded with spines as thick as pencils in the center. They slowly positioned their blossoms at me, seeming eager to turn me into a human toothpick sculpture.
Maully roared as they crashed through the canopy overhead. Their heavy body caused the lattice of vines to snap and shake until the beast was just as tangled as Fred and I. They hung contorted in the air angled downward. Those car-crushing jaws I mentioned earlier were more or less a few feet and a few seconds of bad luck away from my face. I held my breath as I peered into the gaping, green chasm at the center of its blossom. Green strands of weed-dragon drool dripped on me in gluey, warm sheets and stained my apron. Fred stared at me wide-eyed and just as silent. Just as frightened.
I held my breath till I saw stars, but with how loud my heart was pounding, the sound of it probably would’ve made little difference. Maully knew I was there. They just wanted to see how long I’d last before I’d lose my composure.
Up close and still, their colors were hypnotic, like Ana’s eyes. Their petals were textured like the eyes of a mantis, but with the vibrant colors of a white and speckled violet orchid. The longer I stared, the more I realized their spots shifted and pulsed in tandem with my breath and heartbeat…
Maully huffed and hissed waiting for me to make a mistake— to shift just close enough for them to snatch me up.
This game they played was becoming increasingly harder as an itching and burning sensation began to bloom from every inch of my body that made contact with Maully slobber, the desire to begin wiggling and shifting with discomfort was nearly unbearable. Between that and the thorns… I’d have paid every cent I had to crawl out of my skin.
“LITTLE FRUIT FLY, STUCK IN THE WEB. THE THORNS HURT, DON’T THEY…”
When they spoke, it wasn’t like hearing a foreign voice in my head. It was like hearing my own thoughts, my own voice. But I knew none of it belonged to me. Sinister messages rose to the top of my mind like bubbles forcing themselves to the surface. They were loud… so loud. The longer time went on, the more impatient and intrusive Maully became.
“I CAN SET YOU FREE, YOU KNOW. I CAN MEND YOUR WOUNDS. THE THORNS WON’T HURT YOU IF YOU BECOME A PART OF THEM.”
Maully pushed against a cluster of vines, causing the part that held me suspended to tighten. The thorns slowly pressed further and further into my neck, chest, and arms, dragging along my skin like snakes. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe.
“POOR LITTLE SPROUT. LEFT OUTSIDE IN THE COLD TO WITHER AND DIE. NO ONE TO TEND TO YOU. HELP YOU GROW. YOU BECAME A WEED, WAITING TO BE RIPPED FROM THE ROOT…”
There was something poking around in my head. Tendrils slinking around in the cracks and creases of my mind to anchor themselves. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head trying to get them out.
“Fuck you! Just eat me if you’re gonna!”
“...WASTEFUL.”
A sharp pang of fire erupted in my side. My eyes flicked from Maully only long enough to see the cause. I immediately regretted it the moment my brain realized what I was seeing. It took everything in me… not to start screaming.
One of those fucking vines had embedded itself in my skin with the precision of a hypodermic needle, and it was spreading. Another pinch, then another. I could feel roots beginning to crawl under my skin, like worms wriggling around and burying themselves in fertile soil. The vines cocooned themselves around me. My body grew more slack by the second, and my throat clenched, parched and sore. My mouth began to move on its own. I sounded like I had been gargling gravel. ”Ripped out at the root…” I echoed. Flashes of moonlit perennials began to play across my mind. They sway in the breeze… no pain. Just water and sunshine.
Just sunshine…
The closer Maully got, the more they salivated. It was like having my head under a hot, smelly slime tap now. My eyes began to roll back. Weighted eight-balls in my head feeling impossible to control. With the strength I had left, I twitched, trying to fight the sensation of the coils snaking around in my insides. They poked past my stomach and brushed against my lungs.
The connection to the plexus now felt raw and real. More real than myself or any of my memories. For a moment, I questioned if I was ever separate from it to begin with. The sensation of their insatiable desire to integrate everything I was rippled across my nerves. To learn all that I knew, to show me the power of nature and how small I was. I was just a simple cell, a tiny spark in the grand microcosm of the organism that lived within these walls. My life was so small. insignificant in the grand scheme of the plexus… of Maully.
Just a little fruit fly.

On my first day at Monis Academy, a girl dropped out of the sky, straight onto the roof of my Uber.
At first, I don't think I fully registered what was happening.
There was a dead girl splayed out across the paintwork, willowy blonde hair glued to the windshield. I didn't think it was possible for the human body to splinter, coming apart completely.
But I was looking at it, her mangled limbs spread out like an angel.
She landed upside down, an unearthly grin splitting her mouth apart.
And yet somehow, all I could think of was my Uber driver's earlier warning.
I thought the man was screwing around when he handed me a mask before letting me in the car. I took it uncertainly, rolling it around in my hand.
We were four years into a pandemic, sure.
But I thought the world had returned to a kind-of normal.
“It's for the sickness.” My driver mumbled through his own mask, starting up the car. He must have noticed my confusion.
The guy was my Dad’s age, a stocky man in his early fifties who really liked Taylor Swift.
When I slid onto the backseat, he was blasting a love ballad. I could see her entire physical discography piled on the front seat. Maybe he had a daughter.
He didn't elaborate on his words, and I leaned back on comfortable upholstery, wearing my mask as instructed. I tried to open the window to let some air in, except they had been manually sealed.
I could see a thick paste-like substance glueing them shut.
What really set off alarm bells was the plastic screen between me and the driver. The thing reminded me of something straight out of a disaster movie.
You know, when patient zero is sealed into a plastic tent. I prodded it and he politely reminded me there was hand sanitizer on the seat next to me.
“For your hands.” He said, taking a right at an intersection.
The whole thing was giving me some serious 2020 PTSD. I had vivid memories of being fourteen years old, watching my dad set up a quarantine zone in our living room for visitors.
I understood. Dad was an ex soldier, but the whole quarantine thing terrified me.
“Excuse me.” I said, trying to swallow an uneasiness twisting in my gut.
“Hm?”
I leaned forward, trying to ignore his slight flinch, like I was carrying a disease. “What did you mean by sickness?”
The driver surprised me with a laugh, nodding his head to his playlist. “Oh, there's no sickness in here,” he twisted around, nodding to me. “I would keep that mask on if I were you, sweetheart.”
I nodded, a sour slime creeping its way up my throat.
“What do you mean?”
He didn't reply for a moment, tapping his fingers on the wheel. “You're the same age as my kid,” he said, “Do you have a phone?”
I held up my iPhone. “Uh, yeah.”
I could see the crease of a friendly smile in the folds of his mask. “Take a lot of pretty pictures, kid. The school grounds are beautiful, so just concentrate on that, all right?” my driver offered me a two-fingered salute.
“Just do not look up.
I nodded, responding with an awkward laugh.
An hour later, his words slammed into me.
Oh, I thought dizzily, my gaze following rivers of red streaming down the car’s windscreen.
So, this was what he meant by Don't look up.
Unfortunately, I have the memory of a goldfish. The Uber driver’s warning went in one ear and out the other, only making an appearance when I was admiring the school itself, a towering castle-like structure built like something from a fantasy novel.
I was drinking in the perfect blue sky, an Instagram worthy sunset, when she appeared in front of me, falling, plunging, a blur of blonde hair and pleated skirt, before crashing through the roof of my ride.
I don't remember screaming, only staring at streaks of scarlet spider- webbing down splintered glass, her mangled body sprawled across the windscreen.
I was still replaying the last fifteen seconds in my head, my expression still frozen, delayed.
I was still fucking smiling behind my mask.
She landed with a sickening crunch, her eyes still open.
Lips frozen, like she was laughing in glee.
Before I could scream, before I could make any noise, a voice came from behind me.
“Masks are not necessary here.”
I found myself face to face with Mrs Mayor, the principal. I already knew her face. I had my online induction several days earlier. Mrs Mayor looked nothing like she did on video chat. Through my screen, I was talking to a woman in her early forties, a pretty face haloed with rich, red hair. This woman was an imposter. The teacher’s smile was stretched a little too thin. She reached out and plucked my mask off of my face.
But I barely noticed. I was too busy dazedly watching the dead girl’s brains pooling between splintered glass.
I had never seen the human brain before.
I wasn't expecting it to look like a pinkish, veiny slime.
I was keenly aware of my stomach trying to violently erupt through my mouth.
“Welcome to Monis Academy,” Mrs Mayor said, two teachers appeared armed with buckets and mops.
They power washed the girl’s blood from the car, scraping her mangled body onto a piece of plastic. The male teacher dragged her away, and the female teacher started scrubbing the girl’s remains from concrete I was standing on.
I remember taking slow steps backward, shaking my head, because no this was not fucking happening.
Mrs Mayor’s hands grasped onto my shoulders, her fingers grazing my chin, strictly coaxing my eyes to her.
“Sera Ainsley was failing,” she murmured, her breath tickling my cheeks. The teacher’s lips pricked into a small smile.
Her eyes terrified me, hollow caverns I couldn't understand.
Mrs Mayor did not look like a teacher, more like a dishevelled mother with three kids. She was in disarray, matted red hair pulled into a ponytail, a crumpled dress glued to her stick-like figure.
I could smell her, sour body odour hitting my nose and throat.
“The girl was a lost cause,” her dead eyes sparkled, lips stretching into a sickly grin. “She was nowhere near the top.”
Her soulless gaze followed mine, intrigued.
She was drinking me in, studying every piece of me.
“Lucy Jun.” She said my name like I was an enigma, sharp nails digging into my chin. “You were the smartest student in your last school,” Mrs Mayor inclined her head, her expression almost childlike.
“What do you say, hmm?” her voice was like white noise, waves crashing in my ears. She both did exist and didn't, human and something else entirely, riddled in complexities I was too afraid to look into. When I was a child, I stared up at a starless sky, my gut twisting at the thought of that darkness, that pooling, unending oblivion stretching out forever.
Mrs Mayor gave me that same feeling, an existential terror creeping its way up my spine.
The more I was staring at her under the shadow of the setting sun, the teacher’s body was twisting and contorting in my blurry vision, morphing into a monster.
Her body was suddenly too thin, her head almost balloon shaped, like she had creeped straight out of my childhood nightmares.
Mrs Mayor prodded my chin with a long spindly finger.
“Will you be able to beat our current reigning champion and tear him from the top spot?”
Leaning back, the teacher's lip curled in disgust. In the corner of my eye, the female teacher was picking pieces of skull from her wire brush. “Or will you be another Sera?”
She scoffed, nodding at the ground.
I didn't realize I was standing in pooling red.
“Reduced to a pathetic pile of mush.”
Her words woke me from my trance, where I was following a stray streak of red down the Uber’s window. Now it made sense why his windows were sealed. How many students had plunged through the roof of his car?
How many mangled bodies were peeled from his windscreen?
I jumped when ice cold water from the power hose splashed my ankles.
Watching the dead girl’s blood run clear across the tarmac, I remembered how to move.
How to run.
“Welcome to Monis Academy.” Mrs Mayor said, again, when I stumbled back.
She folded her arms, regarding me with a small smile.
“As you can see, Lucy, our students take their grades very seriously here.”
“Hey!”
The voice was new, coming from above.
I lifted my head, my body already reacting, expecting another body to drop.
Instead, my gaze found an open window.
A brunette with a wide smile and eyes that did not match her frenzied grin.
“Run!” she screamed, cupping her mouth.
Another open window, this time a guy, waving manically.
His eyes were filled with mania, that exact same insanity drowning Mrs Mayor.
“Are you stupid?!” he yelled, his mouth stretched, moulded, into a laughing smile.
His voice however, was a warning.
“Get away from here!” the boy gestured behind me.
“Go!”
I followed his pointer finger.
The gates.
At first, my body confused running with throwing up. I was on my knees, heaving up my lunch, and then I was running, throwing myself into a sprint, cheered by the two students hanging out the windows.
When I risked a look back, Mrs Mayor was standing with her arms folded, lips pursed. She made no move to run after me. This school was psychotic.
I threw myself into a run, falling over my shoes, my head spinning.
I could still see her.
I could see the world stopping in front of me, the girl’s body landing with a sickening…
Crunch.
Her neck snapping on impact, her spine splintering through glass.
Throwing up again, I choked up slimy breakfast bile.
“Keep going!”
The two students were cheering me on, like it was a game.
I got as far as the main gates, panting, my hands on my knees.
Locked.
The sound of engines signalled my Uber leaving campus through a separate exit.
“Hey!” I tried to follow, when the gates slammed shut behind him.
I was trapped.
“Have you considered joining the drama club, Lucy?”
Mrs Mayor was standing behind me, holding my luggage. When I looked for the two kids, their windows were shut.
“I'm not staying here.” I told the teacher, threatening to call the police.
My phone was dead, but she didn't know that.
I told her I wanted to go home.
No, I screamed at her. I told her the school was psychotic, and I wanted to leave.
Mrs Mayor handed me my things, ignoring my freak out. Instead of scolding me, she smiled. “I’m expecting great things from you, Lucy.”
Great things.
The way she said it, the words twisted and snake-like on her tongue.
Like a melody, a hypnotising murmur lulling my mind.
Great things.
I found myself nodding.
“Good.” Mrs Mayor handed me my luggage, taking my hand and manually wrapping my fingers around the handle.
“Now, you should head inside,” her voice was like windchimes. “Your room number will be on your welcome email.”
The teacher's voice followed me inside the school, pushing me into autopilot.
“I am expecting great things from you, Lucy. You are going to excel at Monis.”
The academy itself was bland, like any other old building. I barely remember the main reception, a room resembling a hotel lobby. There were students mulling around. I dragged myself up a marble staircase to my dorm room.
The world didn't feel real.
I was pushing my way into the girls dorm, when a group of younger kids ran through, one of them holding a scary looking knife. The girls were giggling, talking in hushed whispers. When I sidled past them, the group burst out laughing.
Monis Academy was a school for psychopaths.
I was dazedly staring at our door, when it opened, a head poking through.
My roommate was a mousy blonde with pigtails.
She told me the devil lived among them, so the teachers were playing a game.
“I’m Thea.” She introduced herself with that exact same empty smile, vacant eyes that barely found mine. Thea was pretty. I focused on her face instead of the rapidly growing cavern in my mind.
I still wasn't sure how I had moved from A to B.
I was standing in front of the school gate, and then I was in the girl’s dorm, Mrs Mayor’s words still clanging in my skull. I had the potential to be great.
I had the potential to be the best.
Thea was kneeling in front of me, her head inclined.
“Hello?” she waved a manicured hand in front of my face, a frown curving on her lips.
“The brain fog should wear off after a while,” she murmured. “I smoked weed, though I'd advise against that. Unsurprisingly, weed makes it worse.”
I didn't respond. It was like being high, but at the same time, I was fully aware of my mind being contorted, rewired, which was kinda… ticklish.
Like someone was tickling the bare meat of my brain with a feather. When I lightly prodded my right ear, I could feel a certain pressure, like my mind was struggling, expanding in my skull.
There was something wet running down the curve of my neck, but I didn't care.
“Hey, new kid?”
My roommate's voice sounded like ocean waves.
Thea sighed, before slapping me across the face.
The world spun, and I blinked slowly.
I didn't remember sitting down, but I was cross legged on a plain single bed.
Thea loomed over me, her arms folded. “Lucy, right?”
I felt myself nod, drowning in Mrs Mayor’s voice.
I could be great. I had the potential to be… the best.
I could claw my way to the top, and take the Monis Academy top spot.
“Wow.” Thea’s voice snapped my thoughts to fruition. The girl’s hands were planted on her hips. “Mrs Mayor really did a number on you, didn't she?”
I found my voice, choking on words that were not mine.
“What did she do to me?”
Thea laughed, and I caught that same mania twitching in her eyes.
“She didn't do anything to you,” Thea rolled her eyes, tipping onto her side, burying her head in an impressive collection of plushies. “It's airborne. So, no matter how in denial you are right now, you have it,” she mumbled into a stuffed bear. “Like a virus, we're all infected with it the second we walk in here.”
It?” I managed to whisper.
“Sera.” Thea hummed, “The girl who dived out of her window. Think of her as a host that rejected the virus. She refused to comply, so it killed her.”
I felt sick. “And that's what I'm infected with?”
She nodded, mumbling into her plushies. “Yep. Mrs Mayor plants the seed with her witchy powers, and lures us inside like lambs to the slaughter.”
“But what is it?” I demanded.
Thea shrugged. She sat up, pulling her legs to her chest. “Think of it like a disease, but instead of illness, it's an obsession.”
“Obsession with what?”
Instead of replying, my roommate crawled off of her bed.
She held out her hand for me to shake, entangling her fingers with mine.
Her palms were warm.
Wet.
Bloody.
I could see reddish pink staining her fingernails.
Thea’s smile widened when I shuffled back, a screech clawing up my throat.
“Sorry.” she swiped her hand on her shirt. “It's from my latest attempt.”
“Attempt?”
I thought back to the girl plunging to her death.
“Yeah,” Thea said, “Nick was in the student lounge earlier, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I stabbed him in the chest, but he was, like, totally fine. He was pushed out the window last night, and again, he was okay.” her eyes found mine, “Nick is like, indestructible.”
Her gaze lazily skimmed the ceiling. “But he's also what we all want.”
A shiver skittered down my spine. “What you all want?”
Thea sighed.
“The sickness is an obsession with being the best,” she flopped onto her bed with a laugh. “It makes us crave him.”
My roommate turned to me, her lips splitting into an unnerving grin.
“Don't worry! You'll start craving him soon.”
Him.
Nicholas Cross, the smartest boy in school, who held the top spot reigning over the school. Thea was right.
Once I saw him, I couldn't get him out of my head.
It started subtly, a hollow thought at the back of my mind that wanted to get close to him. But once I was close enough, next to him in class, breathing in his scent and suddenly conscious of every movement he made, I understood what my roommate was talking about.
The parasite inside my brain planted on my first day began to slowly eat away at my thoughts until there was no-one else but him. Nicholas Cross. Rich brown curls, sculpted in the school’s prestigious uniform, a mind that I was ravenous for, a hierarchy position I needed to rip from him.
Obsession became infatuation, and then something more. I started to talk to him in class, trying to make conversation.
But I couldn't fucking think straight.
My hands were shaking, my gut twisting into knots.
His presence was suffocating, twisting infatuation to envy, and envy to hate.
Nicholas Cross was a target every day.
I walked into English class to find two boys pushing him out of the window.
He was fine, appearing an hour later, picking strands of grass out of his hair.
Two girls slashed him through the stomach in the cafeteria.
He ignored them, continuing to eat his sandwich.
The quiet girl sitting in front of us twisted around halfway through class, and stabbed him straight through the skull.
I remember watching his blood spatter on my paper, red droplets stemming across my desk.
I wanted to see more of it, my poisoned thoughts screamed.
I wanted to spill his blood myself.
That was the first thought that wasn't mine, spreading through me like wildfire until I was resisting the urge to lick the boy’s blood from my desk.
Again, Nicholas was fine. He calmly pulled out the knife, handing it back to the girl, who took it with trembling hands.
“Better luck next time, Ella.” he winked, and the girl started screeching.
The teacher didn't care, ignoring Ella’s mental breakdown.
When she slammed her head into the desk hard enough to burst her nose, he continued teaching.
I thought I could stay myself. I thought this so-called sickness wouldn't affect me.
But then I found myself falling in love with not just him, but his mind.
I wanted to understand it, to rip it open and study it myself.
So, I proposed a study session, which he laughed at.
“I'm good.” Nicholas said, raising a brow. “I'm not the one who needs a study session.”
Harsh, but I wasn't going to give up.
“How about we just hang out?” the words were spilling from my lips before I could stop them.
Nicholas shrugged. “Sure.” his lips formed a smile. “How about eight? Do you want to hang in your room, or mine?”
I told him my room, and we made plans to watch a movie.
Thea immediately suggested killing him, but I was more interested in getting to know the guy. There had to be a reason why he was the top student, why the whole school wanted him dead.
8pm came, and there was no sign of him.
I waited ten minutes.
Then 20.
Half an hour.
45 minutes.
As I kind of expected, he didn't turn up.
When I confronted him in class, he mocked a double take.
“Wait, you were serious?” Nick laughed. “Why would I hang with someone like you? Aren't you ranked, like, eighteenth?”
I was, but that didn't matter.
When I started to lose touch with reality, my grades did not matter.
When I started wanting to fucking kill this boy, my grades DID NOT MATTER.
What did matter was plucking Nicholas Cross off of the top spot, and taking it for myself.
Days blurred into one, and this sickness began to take hold.
I lost myself, sinking into a pit of envy that swallowed me up, polluting my thoughts with scenarios where I had the top spot. It was a craving I couldn't control, stronger than any black market drug. I stopped sleeping, using all my time to carry out the perfect murder.
Thea told me I was falling, drowning like her.
She told me sucking on candy helped.
Meditation.
Video games.
But I couldn't concentrate. Everything reminded me of him.
I wanted to be better than him.
Mrs Mayor said I could be BETTER than HIM.
I started losing time, and finding it, and losing it again. The academy became a prison. I forgot where the exits were.
I forgot there was a world outside this school. Sometimes I caught myself sleepwalking, my teacher's words stringing me along. The parasite in my head was in full control, and the drug I couldn't get enough of, had twisted me into a monster I could not recognise.
I found myself rocking back and forth in bed.
In my lost time, I killed Nicholas Cross three times.
I drowned him in the indoor swimming pool. I woke up when he was lying face down in the water. I should have felt something, but Mrs Mayor’s voice praised me. She told me I had done a great job, but I was yet to kill the devil.
The next morning, Nicholas came to class with a smile, his hair still damp and stinking of chlorine. He slumped down in his seat, still soaking wet.
“Morning, Lucy.” his grin snapped what little of my sanity I had left.
I suffocated him with Thea’s pillow, only for him to return it half an hour later, apologising for the blood stains.
Mrs Mayor told me to get creative, chastising me for being so stupid.
I stabbed him in the chest, only fully waking up when he was laughing, dying in my arms. Nick joined me for lunch the following day, offering me his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When he slid the knife over too, I choked on my lunch.
Nick nodded at me, grinning through his sandwich.
“Isn't it a great day?” he said loudly, leaning his chin on his fist. “Don't you think so, Lucy?”
He cocked his head, his eyes bright. “Can I call you Luce? Like, Lucy Goosey.”
His eyes, Mrs Mayor whispered in my ear.
The eyes of the devil.
Nicholas Cross was not dying, and this thing was in full control. I tried to escape the school when I regained a semblance of my mind, but Mrs Mayor was waiting for me with those exact same words that bewitched me in the first place. She told me I could be better than him, that all it took was thinking outside the box. Her invisible tendrils were too deep, too ingrained into me.
I followed her orders, and like I was dancing, floating in a dream, I crept into Nick’s room, my teacher's voice moulding my mind into her puppet.
Taking the sharpest knife from the dorm kitchen, a butcher blade, I sliced Nicolas Cross into pieces when he was curled up in bed. It was the first time he looked human, and the sight of him almost woke me up. Almost stopped me.
What are you waiting for, Lucy? Do you want to be the best or not?
I did.
So, I cut into him.
When his blood splattered my face, I fought back, fought to stop, but Mrs Mayor told me to keep going.
You're doing so well! Sever the demon!
I continued, hacking him apart, forcing the blade through muscle and bone.
Nicholas’s roommate watched me with a dazed smile.
When I caught his eye, he started laughing.
“He’ll come back,” the boy chuckled. “Don't you think I've tried that?”
The knife slipped from my fingers, but Mrs Mayor’s voice was still in my head.
So loud, like claps of thunder.
I had to be the best.
Panicking, I grabbed a piece of Nick, and stuffed his flesh into my mouth.
I chewed, barfed, forcing it down with water.
My body worked like a marionette, my teacher cheering me on.
I snapped out of it when I was chewing my way through his torso.
“Yes, Lucy! What a creative idea!”
When I was on my knees, covered in Nicholas Cross’s blood, I waited for him to come back, to magically piece himself back together. But he didn't.
I walked into class, narrowly missing a girl trying to stab me through the eye.
Thea tried to asphyxiate me in my sleep.
I took Nick’s spot, immediately cementing myself into the minds of my classmates.
With him dead and gone, I was the top student.
But I was also free of the parasite in my brain, and fully aware of what I had done.
Mrs Mayor’s voice was gone, and I was a fucking monster.
It didn't take long for the students to crave me.
They want to take my spot, their frenzied eyes following my every move.
Thea tried to kill me last night again.
She apologised, but I know she's not going to give up.
I have my own problems, though.
I'm really gassy, and I can't stop throwing up.
This morning, I knelt on the bathroom floor for three hours, heaving up nothing. But I can already feel him.
He's been in my stomach for days, slowly stitching himself back together. His fingers are there, I can feel them.
He's clawing his way back up my throat, expanding in my mouth, phantom fingers protruding through my gnawing lips, trying to force them open.
Please help me. I'm at Monis Academy, and I just ate the top student. I know we don't exist on any Google search, but I promise you, we’re here and we need help.
I'm so fucking scared of what's inside me.
What I've done.
There's a sickness here that turns us into monsters, a devil who is playing games.
Nicholas Cross wants to retake his top spot.
I clamp my mouth shut, but he just laughs.
He wails at me, telling me I killed the wrong devil.
And so did the girl who held the top spot before Nicholas, an endless echo of top students. They're never going to stop, never going to leave me alone.
All of them, inside me.
Inside Nicholas.
Because no matter what I do, they are are always going to come back.

That's the question.
What is your answer?
No, I'm not directing that question at myself ... this time around at least ;)
But I'm directing it at others, particularly others in this household.
Marriage and family? What say you?
There comes a time in a man or a woman's life where they have to decide - they must decide where they want to be, where they want to go, and with whom they want to do this things. That question is being asked of everyone here. And I think I know everyone's answer.
I'm being asked the question, and this is making others question their own futures. It's no secret that living here is difficult. So to see someone get to leave may be anger inducing for others. In addition to that, the permanence of a long-term mortgage cuts off a LOT of avenues, like having your own house for you, your future spouse and family. It's a lot to commit to. I'm not sure people knew what they were signing up for when they signed long-term documents some years ago. Situations change. People change. Feelings change. This we can see clearly here.
Things are changing. I'm leaving. I'll no longer be a financial contributor in this household. I'll also no longer be a physical member of this household. What does that mean for others? Well, it means that they will have to bear the financial brunt of maintaining a household with one less person to contribute. But then again, there are new income earners (pension) in the mix, so it's not like my meager (but significant) contribution would be missed. Everyone has to pay to live, and pensioners are no different. That's why they get money. It's to continue paying to live, as they should have been doing during their working years.
I'll also be continuing on in my adult life, and taking on adult milestones. I'll be the female head of my own household. I'll not be anyone's mother. I'll be a wife to my husband. I'll be a full-time wage earner with a career. I'll be many things - away from here. I'll take all my ability, all my potential, and invest it elsewhere, and reap the rewards of my efforts. I'm a very capable person. Everyone can see this. So to have this resource not readily available is a great loss to this household. Persons may feel incensed that they are losing out on something, and they are. They really are.
They may also feel like they may never get to take those adult steps that I am to take, namely living with my spouse in our private household. Some may see them living with their family of origin as a step down from being a fully actualized human being. Some may wonder how successful they could have been had THEY themselves been able to leave and venture out into the world.
The issue with that? These people don't want to do those things. They don't want to get married. They don't want to live with partners. They don't even want to live with their own children full-time. So what would they want to go to live independently to do? They don't want to cook, clean or wash for themselves? They don't want to get higher-paying jobs to better support themselves. So how would they? What do they want to go out there to do?
Why do they think that I want to stay here in the mire? I do not. I have things that I want to do, that are being hampered by being here. I cherish my family of origin. I really do. I feel like I've done my part to be a contributing member of the household. I've given more than my fair share for YEARS. I've taken more bad treatment and stayed just for the sake of maintaining this house of cards. And now that they are on solid ground, it is time for me to move onto bigger, and better things - independent of them.
Marriage and family? What say you?
I think a big part of the anger is people feel that they weren't given the choice. When the time came to step up and sign documents, only a few people were eligible to do so (myself not included). So they felt like it was their duty to do so, for the sake of the family. Also, there was a benefit in that they would get to be homeowners. They would live somewhere comfortable, and own a home. Not many people own homes. Look at the prices of homes these days. There are benefits, and I'm sure those persons weighed all of the sides and came to their own conclusion.
A decision made under duress is still a decision. If you chose to sign, it is because YOU WANTED TO. You may have been misinformed or ignorant of the reality of a long-term loan, but you still signed. So lean into it. It's like marriage. It's rosy at the start, but it's the enduring that is the issue. It's the staying even when things get difficult, or you're having a change of heart, that you're seeing others do "better" (it's never better, just different), and you wanting a piece of THAT pie. Long-term contracts are all the same. You have to endure.
I believe that people feel that they weren't given the chance to CHOOSE to be here So I think they are now being given the choice - stay, or go. These are all the factors - your salary, your need to live and maintain yourself, your desire to stay unmarried and not live with your children, etcetera. Stay or go? Yes, others are getting married. Yes, others are leaving the nest. Do YOU want to do those things? Yes, or no? That's always the question.
When given the choice, persons always take the easy way out. I believe that everyone here (minus me) will stay. The elderly will stay. The landlords will stay. They need each other. So they will stay. I will go because I want other things. Yes, I'd like to get married. Yes, I'd like to live with my spouse. I don't want to do those things here.
Marriage and family? What say you?
So why the anger? Is it the finality of the whole thing? Is it jealousy, that I won't have to stay, while they will? This is not the end. I don't know WHY people think that this is it for them. They can pay off their mortgage and rebuild. Build two houses and live separately. Build three houses and live separately. Build three nice apartments and live separately. Leave the house as is, and move in your people. There is enough room for everyone and a partner (minus me, of course). This isn't the end. One person moving on doesn't really mean anything for YOU.
You made your choice. You're rethinking your choice. Past you kept future you in mind. It's fine. You're doing okay. You're getting what you want. The grass is not always greener on the other side. The grass is greenest where YOU water it. That's all.
Now, onto the ticklish part, the thing that has everyone upset - daily life. Life here is hard. In between the lack of trust, the infighting, and just the mistreatment, people don't like it here. I think they can make their own paradise right here. They just have to STOP FIGHTING. They need to all work together. It's not that you're older, so you have the final say. NO. It's not that you're the landlord that you have the final say. NO. It's not that you're male that you have the final say. NO. Everyone contributes. So everyone has a say. There is no final say coming from one person. Also, stop hurting one another. Let everyone live nicely and peacefully. Pay out the mortgage. And be happy. That's all there is to it I think.
Marriage and family? What say you? Well, you're already legally bound to one another for the long term. And you are already family. So I think they already made their decision. Yes. Yes to marriage and family. With your own family. You can expand your family to lovers if you wish, but you're already married, to your relatives.
We really DO keep it in the family here, huh?
One day at a time. One decision at a time. Look after each other. Love on each other. That's all it is I think.
On we go.

I was injured and had to go to hospital. When I first arrived I was put on a bed. They just finished putting a cast on my leg. But my foot was completely exposed. At the time everyone at the kids section had a main assigned nurse. I got a older nurse but she had a trainee. She was just in her 20s and she had to do most of the older nurse job to learn more about it. She was extremely cute and she had those long red nylon nails. The older nurse came over to examine my leg. For some reason she checked my foot also. FYI the older nurse had not so long nails. She had all her fingers on my foot. It tickled but not so much that i could laugh. She told the younger nurse to do the same. When she touched my foot with her nylon nails the real tickle began. She barely touched them and I straight out laughed. My sister also sat there and she enjoyed seeing every part of it. The younger nurse replied: I didn't know that you have such sensitive feet. She smiled at me like she did it on purpose. Some time later she came back and put a oily substitutes on my foot that help it to get more softer. She applied it with her sides of her fingers. Then she rubbed it all in and her nails were constantly touching my foot. And i don't know what that oil was but it made the tickling even worse. And remember my foot was just hanging there taking it all and I couldn't do anything but laugh. My sister couldn't just leave me there without doing anything to me so as soon as young nurse left my sister rushed over and she said: I didn't know that you where that ticklish. She looked over at the pot with oil in it. When she looked over at it I knew exactly what she was planning. She proceeds to put a lot of the oil on my one foot. I tried to move my foot as much as possible to not make her do it but she rubbed is all over my foot. She had also long nails but she didn't clip them for some time now so they weren't sharp just pointy and that made it a lot worse. She ticked me as much as possible and it was the WORST THING EVER. After 20 minutes of tickling me non stop the young nurse came by to see me again. When she saw my sister tickling me she stopped what she was doing and threw her clipboard on an empty bed. I thought that she would stop my sister, but instead she said: That my job! I was shocked. She proceeds to go over to sister and said: I tickle my younger brother all the time, your tickling your brother the wrong way! Then she took over with my sister standing next to her and looking at my foot being tickled by the nurse. Then the nurse said: you have to look for week spots, that's why I have these long nails, so you can slowly take your time and see a big result. She proceeds to drag her long red nylon nails form bottom to top over my foot. She was very gentle, that tickled the most. I giggled when she dragged them. It was the worst. Then she went all over but still very light in touch. She went over my arch and then my heel and also my toes. Then she went aggressive. She ticked everywhere. My sister wanted to join but there wasn't enough space an my foot so she just went over to me and she jumped on my bed and sat on my hips. I am going to enjoy this she said. Then she ticked my armpits and my belly. The young nurse said what a funny laugh, but I fined your giggle even more cute, then she stopped tickling me aggressive and went back to dragging her long nails over my foot. And of course I giggled and couldn't stop giggling. Just dragging the nails on my foot was even worse then aggressive tickling. After some time she stopped and my sister to. The nurse told my sister if your brother ever annoys you, remember to rub some oil on his feet and do some light tickles with fake nails, those work the best. If you really want to annoy him, do the same to his armpits. And put a lot of oil on it to make it worse. She seems happy with the advice she got. When I left the hospital I was worried my sister would tickle me a lot .

By Sweetenlowy

Chapter 1

Summary:

The Heeler family pack for a road trip and the Bluey and Bingo learn what an eclipse is.

Sweetenlowy's Notes:

So, I wasn't getting any feedback and I thought, "You know what? screw it. Just go for it and see how everything goes." I can still implement changes later. So, here's more. I'll probably only publish once a week though.

Chapter Text

“Bluey! Bingo! What’s taking so long?”
Chillie had asked her daughters to pack an hour ago. They were to leave at four o’clock, sharp, and not delay so they could get a good spot in the camping grounds. It wasn’t everyday they’d have an outing like this. Or get to see an eclipse.
“Bluey? Bingo?” Chillie sighed. “Where are they?”
Bandit walked through the front door, whistling a cheery tune. He had just finished putting some of their camping gear into the car and was now coming in to double check if he’d left anything.
“Bandit, have you seen Bluey or Bingo?” Chillie asked, “I sent them to finish packing then they disappeared.”
“Well, maybe they’re still in their room,” Bandit replied, still looking around the living room and going over the checklist in his head. “Let’s see, um… Gas stove, propane canisters, tent…”
“Very helpful…,” Chillie deadpanned. She groaned and resorted to going upstairs to look for them. “Bingo! Bluey! We’re going to be late then we won’t get a good spot! Come on, all your friends will be there!” She checked their room and found it empty. “That’s strange… Where are they?” She looked all over in case they were just playing a game with her. If they were, they were doing a much better job at it this time.
“Come on, girls, this is no time for hide and seek.” She looked out the window instinctively and only then noticed the two were outside already, their fully packed bags sitting in the grass and the two playing a game. She smiled in relief and placed her hands on her hips. “There they are.”
Bluey and Bingo seemed to be playing some kind of make believe. Bingo was a knight and Bluey was a dragon. Bluey did her best to tower over Bingo, but Bingo held her pillow shield high and prepared to strike with her carboard tube sword. “Well well, what have we got goin’ on here?” She watched from the window as Bluey roared and startled Bingo. Bingo staggered back and fell on her bottom. Chillie gasped and giggled. “Oh no… Come on, Bingo, you can do it.” Bluey checked to see if Bingo was alright. Bingo got up and smiled, and both assumed their roles. “That’s it, Bingo... Now let that nasty dragon have it!”
Bingo prepared her strike again. She reared back and then attacked and Bluey died a dramatic death.
“Yeah!” Chillie cheered, “Way to go, Bingo!”
Bingo held a triumphant pose and put one foot on Bluey and both girls laughed. Now that they were done, Chillie decided to go downstairs and remind them of the timetable.
By the time she reached the balcony, The girls were still laughing and praising each other’s performance. “Okay, now I’ll be the dragon!” Bingo laughed.
“Okay!” Bluey put on the toy helmet and gave Bingo the dragon mask.
“Ah, no girls. We’re supposed to be packing the car and going camping. Everyone’s going, don’t you want to see the eclipse with them?”
“Oh yeah!” Bluey threw the toys down and quickly grabbed her bag. “Hurry Bingo! We can’t be late!”
“Okay!” Bingo threw her mask down and grabbed her bag to follow.
“Ah!” Chillie crossed her arms. “Toys. Away.”
“Oh, right!” Bluey dropped her bag and ran to put the carboard tube and pillow away. “Come on, Bingo!”
“I’m coming!” Bingo replied, doing the same as Bluey and grabbing the mask.
Chillie rolled her eyes and giggled as she shook her head. “I’ve got your bags! Meet me at the car!”
“Okay, mum!” Bluey waved as she and Bingo disappeared into the house again.
Chillie brought the bags to the car and put them in the trunk. Meanwhile, Bandit was sitting in the front seat and looking over a map.
“Well?” Chillie asked after opening the car door. Did we leave anything behind?”
“Mmm, nope,” Bandit replied, “Double checked.”
“Mm hmm,” Chillie arched a brow. She knew he was forgetting something. He always forgot something. even if he made the list of things to bring. Even if he packed it, there was always something. “You sure?”
Bandit smiled, “Chillie, please. I’ve done this a hundred times. I’m a professional now.”
Chillie was still not convinced. She didn’t know what yet, but he most certainly forgot something. She only hoped it wasn’t important. If nothing else, one of their friends would most likely do them a favor and lend them… whatever it is they forgot.
“We’re ready!” Bingo called, her tail wagging vigorously.
“Alright, did any of you forget anything?” Chillie asked with a smirk.
“Nope,” the girls replied in unison.
“Are you sure?” She leaned to put a finer point to her interrogation.
“Yup,” The girls nodded.”
“Hmm,” Chillie wasn’t as confident as they were, but she was more confident about their packing than her husband’s. “Alright, hop on, squirts.”
The girls ran to their seats and buckled in. “Alright, is everyone ready to see an eclipse?” Bandit asked with excitement.
“Yeah!” The car replied in unison.
“Great! Then let’s go!” Bandit started the car and drove off.
“Daddy, what’s an eclipse?” Bingo asked.
“It’s when the moon covers the sun up and makes the world really dark for a couple of seconds,” replied Bandit.
“Ooh,” Bingo and Bluey looked at each other excitedly. “Why does it do that? Is the sun playing hide and seek?”
“Yup,” Bandit replied, “The sun sees how much fun we’re having when we play, so he tries to join in and hides behind the moon.”
“Then why are we going to watch it hide?” Bluey asked, “You don’t watch us hide when we play.”
“Well, the sun isn’t very good at the game,” Bandit scratched his head. Chillie shook her head but let him play his game. “But he sure puts on quite a show trying. That’s why we like to watch. Best pretend you can’t find him, after he hides or you’ll embarrass him.”
“Oh,” Bingo and Bluey look at each other and place a finger in front of their mouths as if to shush each other. The sun’s secret was safe with them.
“Speaking of,” Chillie turned her head. “Did you remember the glasses?”
“Yes, mum,” Bandit grabbed four pairs of held them up. Good, at least he wasn’t forgetting those.
“Why do we need sunglasses to watch the sun hide?” Bluey asked.
“Well, if you look at the sun it hurts your eyes, right?” Chillie laughed, “It’s a lot brighter when the eclipse starts. So, we wear these special glasses so we can see.”
“Oh, okay,” Bluey nodded. She and Bingo began looking out their windows and watching the world go by. It was quiet for only a few seconds. “Let’s play rainbow car, Bingo!”
“Okay!”
“But we have to separate rainbows. Any cars you see have the color of the rainbow; you can use. But then I can’t use them, and the other way around.”
“Okay,” Bingo agreed. “Red car!”
“What?” Bluey looked over at her sister’s side and surely enough, a red car raced by. “Already?” She turned around, knowing she had a disadvantage. But it didn’t last long. “Blue car!”
“Green Car,” Chillie smirked. “That’s two for us Bingo.”
Bingo snickered evilly. “Yay!”
“What? Dad!?” Bluey looked at the driver’s side hopefully.
“Don’t worry Bluey, I’m already on it!” Bandit assured then spotted two other cars. “Red and Purple! That’s three for us, Bluey!”
“Yes!” Bluey pumped her fist and looked around. It was good to get ahead. But that didn’t last long.
“Purple! Hah! We’re tied!” Chillie laughed.
“Ooh, yellow car!” Bingo pointed.
“Another yellow, right behind it,” Bluey pointed.
“I see an orange!” Bandit smiled. “We’ve got one more Bluey!”
“Come on, come on… Where’s another green car?” Bluey looked around nervously.
“Mommy, I don’t see any blue or orange cars anywhere,” Bingo said with concern.
Chillie leaned up from her chair and looked around. “Keep looking, Bingo. We’ll… Blue! Blue! That’s a blue!”
“It doesn’t count, it’s parked,” Bandit smirked.
“What? Since when was that a rule?” Chillie glared.
Bandit smirked. “It’s always been a rule.”
“We’ve never played it like that,” Bluey looked over his seat.
“Yeah, you can’t make up rules as we play,” Bingo glared, just like her mother.
“Alright, alright,” Bandit smiled. It only grew wider when he saw his plan work. “But while you argued, two blue cars passed by, and I see gre-en!”
“Oh!” Chillie facepalmed and shook her head. “Bandit… Really?”
“Hooray!” Bluey’s arms shot up in victory while Bingo looked down at her feet.
“Aw…”
“What?” Bandit shrugged. “It isn’t cheating if we were discussing the rules.”
“No, but its playing dirty, which isn’t fair or nice,” Chillie scolded.
“What’s playing dirty? Like in the mud?” Bluey asked.
“No, sweety,” Chillie replied. “It’s basically cheating but you don’t break any rules. Usually. Sometimes it’s just making something happen to mess with your playmate so its harder for them to win.”
“But… it isn’t cheating,” Bandit punctuated with a finger.
“But you still shouldn’t do it,” Chillie remarked, “It makes the game unfair.”
“But you said it’s not breaking the rules,” Bluey argued, “And you said as long as we don’t break the rules we can play any way we want.”
“Well…” Chillie sighed, “Playing dirty is the exception. It just makes things unfair, and you know how I feel about playing fair.”
“Yes mum,” Bluey sighed. She looked over and saw Bingo still looking at the ground then felt a pang of guilt. “Plying dirty isn’t really that fun anyway. I’m sorry, Bingo.”
“It’s alright,” Bingo assured. “It was a quick game anyway.”
“That’s a good girl, Bluey,” Chillie smiled.
“Yeah, good on you,” Bandit smiled. “But I’m just sayin’. Gettin’ a little dirty isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sure, it doesn’t feel good all the time, but at least you win.”
“Bandit…,” Chillie threw a warning glare at him.
“What? I was just sayin’.”
Chillie shook her head and sighed. “Winning…isn’t…everything. You don’t have to win every game.”
“Maybe we could play another game, Bingo,” Bluey smiled, “This one we can play together instead against each other.”
“Okay!” Bingo’s tail wagged and she was happy again. “What about I spy.”
“Sure, you start,” Bluey sat patiently, and Bingo looked around.
“I spy um… uh… hmm. I spy something… Ooh. Something green!”
“Something green. Green,” Bluey looked all around the car. “Is it a car?”
“No.”
“What about the grass?”
“Nope. Hee hee.” Bingo covered her mouth as she giggled.
Bluey hummed and scanned the outside once more. “What about the trees?”
“Nope,” Bingo shook her head once more.
“Ugh,” Bluey threw her head back. “You picked a hard one. Are you sure it wasn’t any of those things.”
“Nope,” Bingo shook her head again. “It was none of those things.”
“Alright, I give up. What is it?” Bluey groaned.
“It was a sweater,” Bingo replied cheekily.
“Bingo!” Bluey put her slumped her body. “You’re supposed to pick things we both can see!”
“But you can still see it if somebody is walking with a green sweater!” Bingo argued. Then put her hands in front of her and made steering motions. “Just like when someone’s drivin’ a car!”
“But that’s playing dirty!” Bluey exclaimed then looked down at her feet.
“It is?” Bingo asked feeling a little bad already.
Bluey began to pout. “Yeah…”
“You see, you two? Playing dirty isn’t fair or fun for everyone playing is it?” Chillie asked with a smile, happy her point was getting across.
“Yes… I’m sorry Bluey,” Bingo apologized.
Bluey smiled and raised her head. “It’s okay, Bingo. Let’s promise to never to play dirty again.”
“Okay,” Bingo nodded.
“Yeah, but that win felt good for a little while didn’ it, Bingo?” Bandit smirked.
“Bandit! For goodness sake!” Chillie and the girls giggled.
“Alright, alright,” Bandit raised his hands and kept his eyes on the road. “But, on a serious note, love, you gotta play dirty sometimes. Just like when you play rugby. It evens out the playing field.”
“But until that time, they’ll play fair,” Chillie pocked Bandit’s ticklish spot and then started to tickle him more.
“No! Okay! Fine! Don’t tickle the driver! Don’t tickle the driver!”
“Get him, mum!” Bluey cheered. Both girls giggled as Bandit was helplessly defending himself from her attacks.
“Oi! Look who’s playin’ dirty now, ey?” Bandit asked nearly losing the wheel.
“Hmph,” Chillie sat back in her seat, leaving bandit to drive the car in peace. “Alright, bug guy, you get off easy… this time.”
“Great. I won’t play dirty in the car ever again,” Bandit chuckled in relief.
The car went quiet as the girls looked out their windows and once again started to get impatient. Bluey knew they hated it when she asked, but she couldn’t hold it in for very long. After a few seconds of arguing with herself, she
“Dad, are we almost there?”
Bandit sucked in sharply. “Uh… sorry, squirt. We still have a few hours to go. It’s a bit of a distance…”
“A few hours?” Bingo asked.
Bluey groaned and threw her head back again. “Why didn’t you say so before?”
“I did, Bluey. Yesterday. You weren’t listening again,” Chillie sighed and rubbed her head. “It’s alright. I brought the tablets. And we can play more games if you’d like.”
“Or you could always take a nap,” added Bandit.
“No way!” Bluey shook her head and crossed her arms. “We’ll never fall asleep in the car.”
“Yeah,” Bingo agreed, “We’ll stay awake for the whole trip. Bluey, do you want to play restaurant with the snacks?” Bingo asked as she took out the drink holder from the middle seat.
“Sure!” Bluey quickly shifted her body to play. “With this thing, it’ll be impossible to fall asleep! You’ll just have to listen to us play all day while you drive.”
“Oh goody,” Bandit rolled his eyes and kept driving. “Oh no… the highway’s out. That’s gonna make us at least an hour late!”
“Just turn, Bandit, we might as well start,” Chillie rolled her eyes.
Bandit began to grumble and took the exit ramp to make a detour. To their relief, the girls did fall asleep. After the first hour and a half, the noise died down and they had slowly drifted off without knowing it. Bandit stopped to pick up gas once, and let them use the bathroom, then they fell fast asleep in their seats again.
Thanks to the detour however, they were running later than they planned. It was seven forty and they were still an hour out in a part they didn’t know well. Chillie had to pick up a map and help him navigate, but eventually they arrived.
“Okay, it’s a left here.”
“Are you sure?” Bandit asked, “I think I remember this part, I’m pretty sure it’s a right this time.”
“No, left,” Chillie replied looking down at the map, “No wait! Right right right!”
“I knew it!” Bandit jerked the car and both girls were given a rude awakening as he swerved right and into familiar territory. “See, there it is.”
“Yeah yeah, don’t rub it in,” Chillie rolled her eyes.
“Hmm? Are we there now?” Bluey asked groggily.
“Yup, we’re there,” Bandit replied. “Just gotta find a place to park.
Bandit followed the swerving road until he saw some familiar faces. His headlights caught a glimpse of white and black running right. “Oh, it looks like we’re in the right place.” A glow stick lit up an open spot for them to park as a border collie started waving them for Bandit to see. He turned into the spot then put the car in park. “Alright, girls, we’re here.”
“Can we sleep in the car?” Bingo yawned and started to fall asleep again.
“We’ll just get the tent set up. it won’t take long. Are you sure you don’t want to help?” Chillie asked.
“No…” Bluey replied and fell back asleep.
Bandit chuckled. And opened his door. The border collie was still waiting with his glowstick. “Hi, Bluey’s dad.”
“Hey, Mackenzie. Not going to sleep yet? Figured you’d be tired after the long drive,” Bandit smiled.
“Nah,” Mackenzie shook his head. “My dad said that while we camp, I can stay up as long as I’d like. So Me, Rusty, and Jack are all playing with flashlight and there glow sticks.” Mackenzie showcased his green glowstick. “Can I help you unpack?”
“That’d be great!” Bandit replied, “Can you also help us set up the tent? I don’t think Bluey and Bingo are going to help any time soon. They’re pretty out of it.”
“Sure,” Mackenzie ran to the back and opened Bluey’s door. “Bluey, come on. Get up. There’s so much to do out here. Don’t you want to play?”
“No, I wanna sleep,” Bluey replied groggily and turned away.
Mackenzie shrugged. “Suite yourself. I saved you some glowsticks when you change your mind.”
“Okay…” Bluey snuggled into her booster and fell back asleep.
Mackenzie helped Bandit and Chillie unpack some of the essentials. Including the tent, air mattresses, air pumps and sleeping bags. Rusty and Jack joined in later. With their help the Heelers were set up nicely and able to rest for the night.
“Thanks for the help, Mackenzie. You too Rusty and Jack.”
“Sure!” Rusty smiled, “If you need anything else. Give us a call! We’ll be patrolling the camp. Company ready?”
“Yes sir,” Mackenzie and Jack saluted.
“Then forward. March!” the boys left with their glow sticks and flashlights then took off.
“Alright,” Bandit stretched. “Better get the girls. Come on.”
Chillie and Bandit went to their respective sides and unbuckled the girls from their boosters. Bingo snuggled up closer into Chillie and shivered. “It’s cold, mama.”
“I know, sweetie. We’ll get you in the nice warm tent soon.”
“Can’t we sleep in the warm car?” Bluey asked in a whine.
“Nah, it’ll get chilly in their soon enough. You wouldn’t like that one bit. Both girls were tucked into their favorite sleeping bags on their air mattresses and zipped tight.
“Can’t we just keep the car running?” Bluey yawned and shifted into a more comfortable position.
“No, mate,” Bandit kissed her head, “We wouldn’t have any gas to leave then. It’ll get warm in the tent soon. I’m turning the heater on.”
Bandit tuned on the mobile heater and slipped into his sleeping bag as he adjusted comfortably. “Night, girls.”
“Night, Bandit,” Chillie yawned.
The Heeler family drifted off to sleep, but Bluey was finding it a bit hard to actually fall back to sleep. She felt tired, yes, but knowing she was in new place with old friends was exciting. She heard shuffling outside and remembered the boys were still out playing with glowsticks and flashlights.
She could barely hear the boys talking to each other and when she looked to where the sound of their voices were, she could see the orange hue of light passed their blue tent. Their conversation was initially indecipherable but when everyone in the tent laid still and she held her breath she could pick up the faint reports of of Mackenzie and Jack letting Rusty know all was quiet and there was no danger.
She smiled to herself and laid her head down. Boys were so funny. Still, it was exciting to think about joining them in the morning. Bluey didn’t like waking up early. But she felt she’d have no problem waking up early this time.
Coming soon...