Since giving a face to her voice, I’ve found myself saying things like “Flake needs to..” and “Flake’s worried..” and immediately people who know her, know where I’m coming from.

Whether it’s an unnecessary apology that they know is borne out of fear, or expressing an anxiety that is likely unfounded, or checking in with others cause I’m worried about them – Flake isn’t someone who would lash out in normal circumstances, so folks tend to take what she says from a more charitable angle even if I may misspeak. It’s basically the equivalent of “I need to talk about something, and I’m scared to.” This has naturally encouraged me to be kinder to myself when I find myself in such a place, too.

Asking about “Catch a Bubble” made me giggle a little, cause I’ve had a few people get curious whenever I mention it. If I remember correctly, Garnet picked it up from a preschool teacher who makes short form videos about her job. That’s one of the things she says to her students to get them to stop for a moment and try to calm down – being slow and deliberate as to literally catch a bubble. I’ve always interpreted it as “catch your breath” in a similar way to the underwater levels in the classic Sonic games, though. 😅

By the way, what does “Catch a Bubble” mean here?

Okay I see you meant “collar” now. x3 Those are flashing lights on Flake’s shock collar.

Characters? Where?