wish upon a star

I'm just a cricket, singing my way from hearth to hearth.  

[deb-the-damsel]

helpful habits | Deb & James

[jameshcricket-blog]

deb-the-damsel‌:

She tried to imagine what life would be like now if she had never left, and it just made her miserable. She’d still be clueless and lonely and angry– and, alright, she was still kinda those things anyway, but at least now she knew and she had a chance to change things. They’d never get her back in their house, they’d never be able to keep her away from the world again. Deb didn’t know if they’d ever try, but if they did, they’d fail. No matter what, she’d find a way out. 

She wanted to be part of the world, and that much, at least, she was certain of.

((If Deb knew that Jiminy was considering her politeness some small miracle, she’d be too polite to burst his bubble by explaining that it was just a product of her upbringing. She’d had tutors. Her parents had raised a polite, well-behaved, ignorant girl. It wasn’t about strength. It was just the only way she knew how to act, especially around an adult she wanted to take her seriously.))

Now that, hey, that was a good question. Obviously previous to Swynlake cutting off communication with her parents would’ve been so impossible it wasn’t even an option, but now it was. Here’s the kicker; would it change anything? “Day to day… No.” She said slowly, shaking her head, “I don’t talk to them. So that’s- it’s fine. Weird, but fine. But I mean, the fact that nothing would change is also kind of the problem.” Deb sighed, wringing her hands, “change would be, like, sharing stuff with me. Explaining things. Why they kept magic a secret, why they tried to cure me for years then just gave up, whether they knew it was magic or really thought I was crazy. I could learn to live without my parents- I haven’t actually seen them in two years. It’s funny. how you can be estranged from the only people you see on a daily basis, but I guess towards the end I kinda was. It’s the answers I want, though.”

Jiminy nodded, agreeing more so than Ms. DamselBu knew with her last sentiments, but he quickly moved along from that thought in order to examine what she had said earlier. I could learn to live without my parents. Key word being learn. She was correct, of course. There were many things human beings were capable of accomplishing should they be given time to adapt. He wasn’t of the mind that she couldn’t live without them, she had said she had been living in Swynlake without them for a while now and she seemed to be doing perfectly fine. But then that had not been under the impression that she would never see them again due to her own choices. 

“Alright, so nothing would change from your day to day life,” he reiterated for his own benefit. It was the long term they were looking for, which was always a handful to think about. Hypotheticals were always hard to grasp but were necessary when trying to think about the possibilities outside the world that people knew and when proposing change.

“Then, what would you do should they contact you instead of the other way around? Perhaps one day they decide to contact you via a phone call or even come to see you in person, would you answer the phone? Or the door if they were the ones reaching out after you had decided to cut ties?” he asked.

[american-dragon]

bao || jake and you

[jameshcricket-blog]

american-dragon‌:

Oh shit, thought Jake, does this seem like I’m using Jiminy for free therapy?

Jake didn’t know how it worked. He didn’t wanna like, back out of the conversation now or whatever. He also didn’t wanna stop talking because this was a good conversation. Jake liked talking to people and getting to know them and he was learning a lot about Jiminiy and just, like, about the world past high school and college. Now that Jake thought about it, there were very few adults in his life that he felt comfortable just…talking to. Without a front of being older and more responsible. Not that he wasn’t being responsible now.

“I am,” said Jake, which was the truth. It was. He felt like it was, at least. “I mean, sure, I daydream about being like the next Tony Hawk or something, but no one cares about the X games anymore. Not that they ever, really.” He laughed. “But yeah, no. This is what I like doing. I’m really stoked to, like, see other places and meet other people and I wanna do that and help people at the same time in some capacity. If the country dragon thing doesn’t work out, I wanna work for the U.N. or something.”

He leaned an elbow on the table, propping his cheek up on his fist.

“I guess I’m pretty lucky in that respect – that I like what my destiny is setting me up to do or whatever.”

Jiminy laughed, too, though it was not out of complete understanding since he did not particularly care for the X Games. They hadn’t crossed his mind for years, and the same could be said for Tony Hawk, but he could see where Mr. Long was coming from. Understood well enough to be able to laugh since Jiminy was apart of the demographic Mr. Long had been talking about. 

He nodded in agreement with Mr. Long, happy to hear the optimism, the back up plans, the excitement. There were certain people that wouldn’t have liked to have their life planned for them, that would have split from the course they were given if only to break the bonds they’d been set with in order to achieve their sense of freedom. From what it sounded like to Jiminy, whatever foundation had been set for Mr. Long’s it must have been healthy, in a way that did not make him feel trapped nor set in this path but in a way that had given him a chance to do what he had always wanted. And it sounded like he was a very fitting candidate. 

“I think you’ve got a very bright future ahead of you then, Mr. Long,” Jiminy said, “whichever way you go. The people around you will be lucky to have someone as bright and willing to help as you are, I look forwards to seeing what you do.” 

[ashle-insecret]

Rainy Days ⛈️ Open

                       It was not often that Shan Yu ventured into any town his travels brought him to. Since coming to Swynlake he had only ventured into town maybe three times. Everything he needed was in the forest. It was his peace of mind and tranquilty. Spending so much time encased in ice had only given him a true taste of what serenity was. Serenity meant clarity, clarity meant finding the path to all that he desired.

                He knew now that to do that it would take careful planning and methodical manuevers. And it would take a great amount of ingredients.

                                                   That was why he was in town, admittedly.

               Laughter was one of the most powerful reagents and one that was easiest to collect. These Magick Friendly towns, while problematic and disgusting, were hot beds for reagents. Laughter could be gathered freely in the park where people played with pets or spent lazy days with loved ones. And even though there was a fine mist over the town, Shan Yu knew that there would be enough out there to get what he wanted. With Hayabusa flying over head, he made his way into town ready to collect all that he could.

Watching as a group giggled, the colours from it lighting up the smokey grey atmosphere, Shan Yu pulled his wand out as discreetly as possible and coaxed each one into a vial held in his other.

                                                                                          “болгоомжтой, бага зэрэг. You do not want them to catch you.” Hayabusa chirped as she landed on his shoulder with an ease that came only from a close familiarity.

[jameshcricket-blog]

Jiminy was standing with his coworkers just outside the office. He had rounded them all up at the end of the day, knowing very well that no one had anymore appointments to meet with, and made sure everyone was out the door. 

The town had gone dull in color with the grayed sky and monotone fog that had rolled in. He’d had to turn on the lamp over his desk earlier than usual, and when he realized he had stood from his chair in order to get his colleagues out from their offices. He told them all to go home or do their errands, something other than being cooped up at work. 

They carried on for a moment while they were still gathered at the entrance, before breaking off in their different directions. Jiminy, who was only going to return to his office, noticed the man lingering around the edges, and watched as a falcon joined him. He exchanged farewells with his colleagues, and that’s when he noticed the vial in the man’s hand. 

Ah, a sorcerer then, now that made more sense. Jiminy stepped forwards, smiling warmly.

“Hello,” he greeted, then nodded to the vial, “you know, you need only ask, there’s no need to be discreet here.” 

[american-dragon]

bao || jake and you

[jameshcricket-blog]

american-dragon‌:

Jake wondered what he’d be doing after Swynlake. It was a thought he had more often than he did back when he was in secondary, just because, wow, it was only three more years till he took the test to see if he’d become the American Dragon. Then – well, if he got it, that would mean traveling. And if he didn’t –

That would also mean traveling. Probably. At least to go home, definitely. Maybe he’d see more of the world. But he’d have to get a job. Hopefully in something similar to what he was studying. He did like it. He’d try, at least.

“Did you do a lot of traveling, like, after you got your degree?” asked Jake, wondering about the logistics of it all. Jiminy seemed smart and capable, definitely someone who had his life together, not like the dude who lived across the bagel shop that his mom always tsked her tongue at. “Or was it before? Or in-between?” 

He shrugged a little, and thought about asking for travel tips, since he, Jake, was going to start doing more of that this year, but instead he blurted out, “Did you always know what you wanted to do?”

Interesting that it was Mr. Long that was asking the questions as it was normally Jiminy who was doing such a thing. Though, in this case, it seemed as though sharing his life experiences were of some form of help to the young man sitting opposite himself. And, anyways, it was not as though they were in his office. This was a casual conversation. 

“Yes, I didn’t leave New Zealand until I was in my thirties so, long past after I had gotten my PhD and certification to practice there,” he nodded, looking up and off to the side to confirm with his brain that yes, yes that was right. He hadn’t left home until after he had opened his own office in Wellington. 

“Did I always know what I wanted to do...,” he repeated, then hummed a moment as he thought. “Well there was a while there that I did proclaim to wanting to be a limousine driver, but other than that yes, I suppose I did. Talking to people and learning about them had always been enjoyable, so imagine my surprise in finding out there was a job dedicated to just that when I got older.”  

Jiminy smiled, “Your path seems to be clear cut for you to a certain extent. Are you satisfied with the way things are progressing for you?” 

[jameshcricket-blog]

Which Till Now Has Been Silent || Claude and Jiminy

[jameshcricket-blog]

hellfire-damnation‌:

Claude looked up, though he did not raise his head, and nodded once, a thin smile gracing his lips. That had been difficult, it was true, but it was necessary. If Dr. Cricket was meant to help him, then he needed to know what it was that was plaguing him. And that meant everything or, at the very least, everything he needed to know. But he was grateful, all the same, that the man had sat and listened, quietly, had not asked anything until he was through. In a way, it had made it easier. 

He listened to the man’s words, his questions, with bated breath, wondering all the while what it was he would ask of him. However, when it was merely something about the behavior he had experienced, Claude sighed quietly, releasing the breath that he had been holding. Again, he nodded. 

Keep reading

At first Jiminy thought he knew where this was going. Blackouts were not common but they were not unheard of when connected to large traumas. They were mostly connected with very severe forms of disassociation. It was, again, due to the brain protecting itself from the memories and trauma it had to endure. He was concerned that this was only the first time Mr. Frollo had sought help for such a thing as they were not only dangerous but something no one should have to live with. 

But, as Mr. Frollo continued, things became a little more complicated than his original thought process. The additional mention of his sister seemed a bit out of place but Jiminy waited for him to explain, the possibility of DID r waiting in the sidelines as the key phrases such as, “I never saw her, not at the same time as myself.” and, “she looks like me, in various ways,” were raising the flags of DID.

Still, perhaps he was interpreting Mr. Frollo’s recollections incorrectly and he would not jump to conclusions so hastily. There were a number of tests to go that could be performed in order to prove that theory, but he wanted to be sure before he even suggested the concept to Mr. Frollo. 

“I understand. It can be very hard sometimes when your brain is trying to process and protect you from certain things to decipher what it real versus what your brain has filled in for your safety. So, yes, I agree, it would make sense that the two were connected,” he said. “Your blackouts, or loss of time, are they the only time you feel disconnected with the world? Or yourself, perhaps? Do you ever...you mentioned night terrors, do you ever feel as though you are in a dream like state when you’re awake?” 

[american-dragon]

bao || jake and you

[jameshcricket-blog]

american-dragon‌:

Jake did know that New Zealand was more open about Magicks than the regular country, but it was different to hear it from someone who was actually from there. He wondered what it’d be like to live somewhere where Magicks outnumbered Mundus. Not that Jake hated Mundus – but y’know power differences and stuff. It’s like how he wondered what it’d be like to visit China and be somewhere where he didn’t stick out like a sore thumb.

(He still needed to go to China; that was supposed to happen sometime next year, all these international trips, according to the Dragon Order).

“What brought you to England?” asked Jake, because, y’know he was pretty curious. Though, Jiminy probably wasn’t a Magick (not that Jake could tell anyway), but still, he wondered why people left their countries. Especially, since like half the population of Swynlake wasn’t actually from England. Heck out of his friend group, there were maybe two people (??) who were from England.

The real answer to the question was long. It was complicated. It was awful. Whenever someone asked it the answer rose up in his chest, sitting there waiting for him to finally let it out as he had been harboring it for years now. Maybe this time, it always thought. 

Mr. Long was young. Mr. Long probably did not care to sit here and listen to an old man spin a tale of tragedy before him. Mr. Long did not know Jiminy well enough to have to endure hearing about his past, and Jiminy, like always, did not want to hand that pain off to someone for them to hold. So he would give him the short, uncomplicated, half real answer he gave everyone else. 

“Ah, well, I’ve been everywhere really. I didn’t stop for a long time, going from one place to the next,” Jiminy said, a shrug on his shoulders. “But when I came here, I felt as though I didn’t have to move on. So I just...never left I suppose. And I like helping people where I can, I just thought maybe this town needed that.” He paused, then smiled. “As I’m sure you’ve seen from living here, I was quite right.” 

[deb-the-damsel]

helpful habits | Deb & James

[jameshcricket-blog]

deb-the-damsel‌:

I never want to see you again.

Deb had screamed it at her parents more than once, promptly locking herself in her bedroom. She had once succeeded in avoiding seeing them for an entire week, convincing the soft-hearted chef of the time to bring her meals up to her. But sooner or later they’d coaxed her out again, and life had returned to its routine. 

Even before Deb had known the truth they’d thought a lot. Things had never been perfect. Things hadn’t even been good all that often! Then she’d gotten a taste of the real world, and even while her status as mundus was being debated she was enjoying life more than she ever had.

The world was so big. Even the bad experiences had been fascinating for their newness. Her first boyfriend, heartbreak, human friend, Halloween party, prom, Starbucks iced coffee, tequila shot, cinema visit, stumble over a loose cobble stone in the street, cat call, New Years party.

Life was more enjoyable without them, even while thought of them lingered in the back of her head. Was it easier to live with doubting them, or knowing she’d never be able to forgive them?

Health and happiness. They’d drugged her, and made her cry, and lied to her, and abandoned her. Deb thought about seizures, about feeling the muscles in her body tense and spasm, about the smell of burning rubber and spotty vision. The second time she’d had one she’d bitten her tongue, and needed to have it stitched bad together. Because of drugs they’d made her take, that she’d ever actually needed.

“Mum called me.” Deb shared, breathing slowly out of her nose, “She contacted me first- and I hung up because I was freaked out. Threw my phone across the room first, actually, but then, y’know, I got in touch. And I just- how many times can you beat your head against a brick wall? Y’know? I- look I get it, I shouldn’t give up right now, but they… Have always been this way, and I don’t have much hope they’ll change.”

“That’s alright, that’s alright,” he assured her kindly, holding up a hand to show that he held nothing against her, that he was not here to judge her in any way shape or form. If those were her thoughts, those were her thoughts, and there was nothing wrong with them. 

It was considerably heartbreaking that this young woman had gone through these things, that she had to think about these kinds of things. To have to grow up so quickly when she had been robbed of any sort of childhood. It was astounding how polite she was, how well mannered she was, how she spoke, how she acted. It showed him, once again, the strength of human beings. 

Speaking with people like Ms. Damselbu allowed him to see and understand that people were so much more than what they chose to present to the world. No one, besides perhaps an empath or telepath, could look at someone and understand who they were, what they had been through, what they were carrying. Everyday people who were damaged beyond recognition went out into the world to continue on and no one really seemed to notice what a feat that was.

Jiminy noticed, though. He chose to look those things square in the eye and acknowledge them for what they were. 

“Again, I do not want to be the factor for which you make your decision, that should entirely be left up to you. I’m here to try and help you reach that conclusion,” he said. “So, think. If you were to cut off all communication with your parents, would anything change?” 

[american-dragon]

bao || jake and you

[jameshcricket-blog]

american-dragon‌:

Jake was gonna make a joke based off some Tweet he saw about how England raided the whole world for spices and then still didn’t use any, but Jiminy went right back to being serious, which, y’know, was a-okay. Adults did that. Jake was used to being mature and responsible, because he’d had to talk to the Dragon Order and talk around Fu and all that.

“Oh yeah,” said Jake. “And, I mean, I come from New York City, which is super duper diverse, so I really wasn’t expecting much from some tiny town in England. But I think I know more people who aren’t English than I know people who are English?” 

He paused, trying to count all the people he knew, but that was, uh, a lot of people, so he gave up. “Though, I guess a Magick Friendly Town would attract more diversity in general. Most of them, at least. There’s a whole class on that in my major – well, like about the history and make up of Magick Friendly Towns. I know a bunch about the U.S. ones – what’s it like in New Zealand, though?”  

Jiminy would have to agree with that conclusion, as it was the same one he had come to over the years he had spent in Swynlake. If the small town had made him, someone who thought he was never going to settle back down again, someone who had come from several countries away, chose to create a home here then it could attract anyone, Magick and Mundus alike. 

He smiled, nodding as Mr. Long began talking about his schooling. It was always nice to hear about how university was treating people these days since he had not been in a classroom setting for quite some time. Which also reminded him that he was old, but that was fine. He’d learned to accept adulthood, though a chore it may be there were a few perks thrown in from time to time. 

“Oh, well,” Jiminy said, then smiled as he thought of New Zealand more as he tried to recall on how to describe it. “It’s far more open with magic than anywhere else I’ve been. Relatively speaking, of course, due to circumstances but...there isn’t really any stigma towards magic there. It’s the norm, you know, no one bats an eye over it for the most part. The Magick population there far out weigh the Mundus, and there aren’t really any specific places that are magick friendly so much so as the whole country is.”

[bidavebayley-deactivated2020053]

taika waititi in green lantern (2011)

[american-dragon]

bao || jake and you

[jameshcricket-blog]

american-dragon‌:

Jake didn’t really know the answer to that. Sometimes he felt like being in New York might be better, mostly because he could still see his family and friends, but also because he’d have Gramps’ guidance and even though his Gramps was a tough teacher, at least he, y’know, was a teacher.

Out here, there were no other Dragons.

But then again, this town was absolutely chaotic. And New York, even though it was a whole different kinda chaos, didn’t have the same wide-blown magical disasters that Swynlake was known for.

So he shrugged.

“I guess so,” he said. “A lot more chaos happens here than back home, that’s for sure. Well, a lot more that I directly deal with. Like when prom caught fire.” That’d probably been his biggest hero thing, the one that Fu bragged about to the Order the next day, but Jake had just felt pretty shitty because prom had been ruined. “I mean, I wish it didn’t happen, don’t get me wrong.” He paused, then laughed a little. “The ‘and stuff’ is supposed to be, like, getting used to being abroad and meeting different Magicks and, well, different people in general. I think my biggest complaint is that British food just sucks. No offense – wait, but you’re not British, are you?”

His mouth formed into a grim line at the mention of the prom fire, as that had been the same night of that terrible disaster at the other prom as well. Over all, not a very good night for Swynlake. Though he lightened up a little as Mr. Long talked about his roll in the situation and the line turned into a soft smile. 

He noddedd in understand, because of course no one wanted tragic events to happen, but Mr. Long was correct. They were inevitable and it was up to people like him to step up to the plate in order to ensure the safety of those who needed his help. Just as Jiminy wished that everyone in this world did not have to suffer from mental illnesses or had trouble with their mental health due to circumstances in their life, but he also made a living off of helping those who did.

Jiminy laughed at the last part, and shook his head. “Oh, no, no. I’m not, no, thank you for noticing, I’m from New Zealand. And I would have to agree with you. It’s all just meat and potatoes, isn’t it? Really rather dull.” 

He sighed in a mockingly wistful way, “But I hope you’ve fulfilled the former part of that. There are many different people in Swynlake, yes?” 

[american-dragon]

bao || jake and you

[jameshcricket-blog]

american-dragon‌:

“Nah,” said Jake. He didn’t allow himself to get homesick often, just ‘cuz if he let himself think about how much he missed home every time he thought about it, then he’d be real down. Thanks to the marvels of modern technology, he could easily Facetime his parents whenever, and he was set to go home during winter break.

But now, he thought of his family’s apartment in Brooklyn and felt a little pang.

“So I’m, like, in the running to become the American National Dragon,” he said, not really wanting to get into the whole spiel, but, like, the story didn’t make sense if he didn’t get into the whole spiel. “And that means spending five years abroad till I turn 21. Rounding up my second year now! I’m at PrideU studying Magick-Mundus relations, but I’m originally from New York City, which is where my family is.’ He shrugged. “It’s supposed to make me a better leader and stuff.” He paused. “I do miss home, but it’s whatever. It’s not like I don’t see ‘em any less than a regular college kid!”

Well, that was a very optimistic view. One which he appreciated coming from someone so young. Already he was far wiser than Jiminy had been at his age. It hadn’t been until he came here, to Swynlake, far into his life, that he felt comfortable being away from home. He had been a regular homebody all the way up until he made the decision to leave New Zealand and see what the rest of the world had to offer. 

His eyebrows ticked up a little. It was a rather impressive feat, was it not? It sounded like it, from what he could remember learning about the Order of the Dragon, to be picked as one of the successors is quite an achievement. He almost felt as though he shouldn’t be allowed within the near vicinity but Mr. Long did make it easy to remember that he was just a person, a young man seeking an education while he worked and held up a social life. 

 “That is amazing,” he said slowly with a wistful tone as a smile spread over his mouth and reached all of his features. “And have you noticed that your time here has helped make you a better leader? And stuff?” 

[deb-the-damsel]

helpful habits | Deb & James

[jameshcricket-blog]

deb-the-damsel‌:

She’d spent her first two weeks in Swynlake drifting through her house, alone. Despite initial excitement about being able to experience the outside world, Deb had been… Hesitant. Stuck in her ways. Waiting for someone to slide a dead bolt across the door. Shirley had been the one to encourage her out, luring her with talk of teenagers and coffee shops and cute clothes. She’d met Kiara, and that had kind of kick started the rest of her life in town. Wicked parties and new friends and making pancakes with a hangover.

With the addition of magic there had just been far too much going on to think about her parents. Oddly, they’d never been incredibly close. Suppose that happened when you thought your daughter was mad and wouldn’t take her to the amusement park. 

Deb wanted to salvage the relationship, but realistically, how much was there to salvage? Maybe wanting them in her life was just part of this need they’d instilled her with to be normal. Normal people had parents.

It just… All felt like she’d been slighted. The scales hadn’t tipped. She’d found out about magic- she’d yelled at her parents! And nothing, she’d gotten nothing out of it. “Talking to them made me want to rip my hair out. I don’t think I’ll ever know why they did everything they did.” She sighs, fingers twisting together, “but it would… It would be okay, if I didn’t want to talk to them anymore? I can do that?”

Jiminy pondered the question for a moment as it was framed in a way that did not allow for his answer to be quite as breathable as he might have liked in order to keep himself from directly telling her a definitive yes or no. He gave himself the time to think on it before opening his mouth, and once he did he gave a little shrug to her.

“I will tell you that yes, it is perfectly acceptable to cut ties with them should you fully and whole heartedly believe that they no longer have a place in your life. Your health and happiness can have first priority as it is your life. Just be sure that you understand what that means to you, and to them, and that you feel comfortable with the consequences.

“I do not know what that may mean for you, as we all know the future is unpredictable. I know better than to say that your parents should be assessed on the same scale as any other human being, and you must understand that there will be a large amount of heartbreak that will come from that decision as they are your parents, even if they have caused a large amount of damage and unresolved anger for you in the past and present. 

“I would ask you to not be rash with your decision, and do not fall into the hole of “what if”s. As I said before, it may come down to you to do the hard work and overly difficult tasks with a large amount of patience and tolerance that would be necessary from trying to heal your relationship with them, but if they are not making the effort then the decision is ultimately yours because, once again, it is your life.

“This was only one phone call, yes? I would suggest giving it a few more, see if they are willing to budge on something small, and judge by the effort it took to get them to speak on that. But, if you really feel as if you do not want them in your life anymore, I will not sway you one way or another. I only suggest this as a starting point in order to ensure that you are happy with your decision and do not live with any regrets, and that it brings you more ease in the end.”  

[jameshcricket-blog]

Which Till Now Has Been Silent || Claude and Jiminy

[jameshcricket-blog]

hellfire-damnation‌:

Claude felt the corner of his lip twitch up in response to the doctor’s affirmation, his answer that was but was not one. It was something he was not quite surprised about but it made him wonder, nonetheless. He was not so nervous now, but his fingers still curled into the material beneath them. Something to ground him, keep a hold of, nothing more. 

He laughed quietly, nodding at what he heard. Of course, there was nothing expected of him, necessarily, but he needed to give as much as he could to this man if he wanted help. And he did, he absolutely did. He…did not want another mistake like France to happen again. Even without having knowledge of it himself, Claude knew that Laurent had killed by his own hand now, not the person he had believed to be a sister, who he had been told was his sister. 

Keep reading

As Mr. Frollo began to speak Jiminy settled in, absorbing everything he could while it came in word by word. Right up front he could tell that this was something difficult for the other man to speak on, it didn’t take anyone with any special intuition to recognize that. It was a tad concerning, as sometimes getting into topics as serious as the one it seemed Mr. Frollo wanted to talk about before the person was fully prepared could cause more damage than it did help them to work through it. 

But he was not going to stop Mr. Frollo if this was the reason he had come in here, that showed Jiminy that he had put thought into this meeting and what he wanted to speak about. So he remained silent, allowed for the other to continue as he pleased. In moments like these Jiminy’s sole purpose was to be a platform for the other person to place their weight upon for the time being. 

Jiminy made no noises or any movements larger than a slight tilt of his head so as not to distract Mr. Frollo to pull him off his train of thought, but there was certainly a lot to take in from that small snip bit of information he was presenting to Jiminy. 

“Okay,” he said after a moment when Mr. Frollo had seemed to finish, just wanting to give everything some silence in order to settle in between them. “Thank you for sharing that, I know it must have been difficult.” 

He sighed then, sitting back so his spine pressed into the back of the chair, “Trauma does have a way of hiding itself from us because our brain wants to protect us from it. Memories of events may be stored away differently than our other memories. Rather than processing the traumatic event as related thoughts, images, emotions and sensations, the information is stored in fragmented and disconnected forms to, again, protect us. This “odd behavior,” you referenced, may I ask what that is? And why you believe it to be out of character fro you?” 

[jameshcricket-blog]

The Water’s Fine || Ariel and Jiminy

[jameshcricket-blog]

ariel-the-rebellious‌:

Do you do those things for you?

The question caught her off-guard, admittedly. “I-I’ve never thought about it before,” Ariel blinked, and her face screwed up. She looked down as she combed through her actions in the past: baking with Attina, cooking with Benjamin, helping out with laundry…

“I… I do it to spend time with them. Um- Because I’m bored or lonely, o-or-” Was that doing it for her own benefit? Even if her sisters clothes got clean and they ate the food too? It felt like it. A little bit. But nowadays everything felt selfish to Ariel. “It’s- It’s for my benefit, I think. Maybe. But also theirs, I hope. I mean-”

I just want to be good, she thought, and she could feel frustration creeping up her bones like static. She ran her fingers up and through her hair, combing it back and squeezing her eyes shut like that could help keep it at bay. She didn’t notice her leg had begun to shake, but she did notice how she bit at her lip until the skin came loose. 

“Should I be doing more? For them? Just them?” Ariel asked, and she pressed her lips together tight as she looked at Mr. Cricket Man desperately. Give me a solution, she thought, even though she knew it wasn’t that simple.

That wasn’t uncommon, honestly. Plenty of people cleaned or picked up or did the dishes without thinking, for the most part it was something people did without actively thinking about it. It was just apart of a routine or a motion that had been ingrained into them at such a young age that they paid it no mind anymore as it was just normal. For others there was always motivation behind it, more so than that they wanted their dishes cleaned, but that was a whole other topic entirely. One that did not pertain to Ms. Triton, as far as he could see. 

At her questions Jiminy shrugged a little, as if he did not know the answer because, well, he did not want to spoon feed her. That was not quite the point to him, contrary to popular belief. Yes, he was there to help and to provide some insight, but for the most part he always liked to allow for the person to come to their own realizations through their conversations. After all, people did tend to like figuring things out for themselves as it made the answers that much more satisfying. 

“I believe that decision is up to you, yes? If I told you to do chores or to do things you wouldn’t normally I would have no idea if you went back to your home to do them, giving you incentive to not. I know I surely would not do something should a stranger tell me to,” he said with a little wrinkle of his nose. “I should be asking you, Ms. Triton, would you be open to doing some of these things for your family? Or Jim? At the least, offering to do these things or helping where you can with no incentive for yourself?” 

[american-dragon]

bao || jake and you

[jameshcricket-blog]

american-dragon‌:

Oh, oh wasn’t that the therapist office? That’s what it was. Wasn’t it? Jake was trying to access the mental map of the town and nodded along to Jiminy’s words, smiling a bit at the end part. Well, he might be failing at saving the town from magical disasters, but at least he was helping some hungry people get their food quickly.

“Well, it’s my pleasure!” said Jake brightly. “Not to get all cheesy, ‘cuz I know I’m not actually the mastermind behind all this great food, but food’s just a great thing, you know? Like, it should be shared.”

That sounded really corny, so much so that Jake laughed at his own words and took another bite of his bao.

“Sorry, get that from my mom,” he said. “She’s a caterer back home. Does big fancy events and all that jazz. Our apartment always smells like ginger and chili.”

He nodded because he understood the sentiment completely. Not only from his own experience with his family, immediate and extended, but with his travels. Food had, for obvious reasons, been a constant every where he went both in actual fundamentals and what it meant to each place he’d stayed. 

Now-a-days he had seemed to have taken it for granted once more as he didn’t have family around to share it with, or differing strangers asking him if he’d had this or that, but hearing Mr. Long say that had it clocking him over the head as if it were a baseball bat. 

“No, need to apologize, I understand. My mum was the same way. Well, not a caterer, of course, but,” he gave a little shrug, and smiled. His brow furrowed slightly, “Sorry, you said back home? Does she not live with you here now?” 

[bidavebayley-deactivated2020053]

taika waititi

[american-dragon]

bao || jake and you

[jameshcricket-blog]

american-dragon‌:

Jake had no idea who this dude was, so as he reached for one of his buns, his mouth hovered over it and he had to rake his brain to see if this was someone he was supposed to know. A professor? A teacher he’d had in high school? He really wasn’t sure and he felt really bad, but also he knew that he should probably just admit it otherwise he’d get caught in some long lie like the time his Auntie Alice (not his actual aunt, but his mom made him call all her friends his aunts) spotted him at the movies and he hadn’t recognized her and went along with it and then made some passing reference to a husband, but then he remembered later that she just got divorced and – yeah it was awkard.

So! Just be honest!

“Yeah that’s me,” he said, with a little shrug. “Sorry, I, uh, if we met before I totally forgot and I’m super sorry about it.” He gave a little laugh. “Loads of deliveries, y’know?”

“Of course! No, so sorry,” he chuckled warmly, “didn’t mean to assume. I’m James Cricket, or Jiminy if you’d like. I’ve got the office just beside the book shoppe that is not the Sheriff’s Department.”

He gave a little wave of his hand. He didn’t expect people to remember him in the slightest, there was nothing very distinguishable about him. Just another face in the crowd. Jiminy found he didn’t mind that as much as some people might, but, he knew it was not his purpose in life to be in the spotlight. 

“We’ve never been properly introduced though. My apologies,” Jiminy said, touching a hand to his chest. “My co-workers and I order from here quiet often, though, when we’re on a bit of a time crunch, so thank you for that. I’m sure they’d all thank you, too.”