Through the Web

Leo

It all started with Space Heroes forum, a site where spacniks from all over the globe could gush and debate about their favorite, if slightly cheesy, sci fi show. The young terrapin was scrolling through the forum threads when he came across a rather aggressive user trying to convince everyone that Dr. Mindstrong is the worst character in the series. Frowning, Leo scanned the responses, disliking the user more with each post. Whenever someone tried to defend the doctor, the user would flip out and start personally attacking whoever did so.

Just when Leo was about to exit the thread in frustration, someone else replied. Their response was two well thought out and carefully written paragraphs. The first explained while it was perfectly fine to have opinions and speak them, this is what the forum was created for after all, one must in return accept that others have those rights as well. The second paragraph then stated that personally attacking other users and using the forum to bully and attack others was not only morally wrong, but against the site's rule as well. The author of the response also advised the user that if they did not stop, they would be reported and potentially have their account deleted by the owners of the site.

As he read, Leo couldn't help but admire the fellow spacenik. Their words were carefully thought out and non aggressive. They were calm and collected, wise almost. They reminded of how his father could so easily calm disputes between his brothers and himself. Curious, he clicked on their name to go to their profile. Upon reading the username, he couldn't help but laugh. CrankshawJustNeedsaTrumplet turned out to be a teenager just like himself. They also happened to be a female. Though not exactly surprised, after all who says girls couldn't love Space Heroes, Leo was curious. He had never interacted with a girl who was a spacenik and, on a whim, sent her a message through private chat. To his surprise, she responded almost instantly.

CaptainRyanjr: Hey, I just wanted to say I think it was really cool how you handled that guy on the Dr. Mindstrong thread.

CrankshawJustNeedsaTrumplet: Thanks, that actually means a lot. I kind of have some experience with being mediator.

CaptainRyanjr: How so?

CrankshawJustNeedsaTrumplet: I'm the eldest and have two younger siblings, brother and sister. My parents work a lot, so I usually am the 'adult' of the house. And when you have younger siblings, well, you have to know how to handle them, you know?

CaptainRyanjr: Totally. I have three brothers that can be quite the handful sometimes.

CrankshawJustNeedsaTrumplet: Oh lord. I don't know if I could do that. I'm barely surviving with two!

Ever since that day Leo spent hours a day chatting with you about, well, everything really. While most of the time the two of you rambled on about the show, quoting lines, etc, sometimes you talked about your personal lives. You told him about your classes, the teachers and kids at your school, and home life. Sometimes, when you had a rough day, you would vent to him and after all was said and done, he'd cheer you up. Sometimes, when he had a particularly stressful day, or after he had let too much stress build up over time, he'd vent to you. While he kept many details out and stayed pretty vague, you never pried. He appreciated this.

One day, after typing up a practical novel about everything that was going on, although still vague, you didn't reply instantly. Just as he was regretting bothering you with his problems, your response popped up.

CrankshawJustNeedsaTrumplet: Leo, you need to stop being so hard on yourself. I understand you feel you need to protect your brothers, but you can't close yourself off to them. By putting so much on your shoulders and taking blame for everything, you're only hurting yourself. It's okay to let others help you. You don't need to take on the world alone. And if there really is something you just can't tell your brothers or father, you know I'm practically always online. Literally, I have no life outside of school and Space Heroes. You can always talk to me, okay?