#*points at Ire* That's our mom

[doueverwonder]

the urge to make the pacific siblings (particularly Alfred and Jack) straight up not understand the concept of aunts/uncles when they were little bc actually all of the British isles are basically their parents :\

[righteousliar]

not to be sad on main but I miss my mom

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

Carmilla: "Incidentally, I'm assuming you did not inform your partner about our weekly sessions."

Vaggie: "Of course I told Charlie I'm doing dancing with you."

Carmilla: "You call this dancing?"

Vaggie: "You're the one who said battle was like a dance."

Carmilla: "I'm about to regret saying that."

Charlie: "Vaggie? Sorry for dropping by out of the blue- if hell HAD a blue sky anyway- but I brought DONUTS and-"

FWOOSH FIRE

Demon Charlie: "-WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO HER?!?!"

Carmilla: "The regret has just burned down my favorite axe display case."

Vaggie: "Sweetie! Hi!!!!" (rushes over) (excited hug) "Isn't this great?"

Demon Charlie: "GrEAT? She was attacking you!!!"

Carmilla: "Odette. Clara. Run, now."

Vaggie: "I know. It's pretty neat- She's teaching me more defense stuff, and I'm helping the Carmines test out which weapons are best for using against angels-"

Clara: "Mom, we are so not leaving y-"

Demon Charlie: "BY HAVING THEM USED AGAINST YOU!?"

Odette: "We will await news of your survival from a safe distance, mother. Good luck."

Vaggie: "Yeah and check it out!" (twirls) "Barely a scratch on me!"

Demon Charlie: "VAGGIE THERE ARE AT LEAST FIVE- SIX! SIX CUTS ON YOU AND YOU ARE BLEEDING!"

Vaggie: "Which is a lot better from last week."

Demon Charlie: "It's been like this EVERY week???"

Vaggie: "Yeah?"

Demon Charlie: "...C A R M I L L A...."

Carmilla: "I don't suppose offering to host a formal couple's dance to raise positive PR for your hotel with you both as the guests of honor would help deflect your ire over the current situation?"

Vaggie: "Oh hey that sounds like a great-"

Demon Charlie: "ARMOR!"

Vaggie: "-sudden change of topic uh sweetie what?"

Demon Charlie: "You, like doing these..... insane stupid anti-angel weapons tests?"

Vaggie: "Yes?"

Demon Charlie: "They make you HAPPY??"

Vaggie: "Weren't you the one who pointed out how much more relaxed I've been since I started doing this?"

Demon Charlie: "THEN YOU WILL BE DOING IT! IN! ARMOR!!!"

Carmilla: "Hmm. An interesting concept."

Vaggie: "But babe, I don't know how to move or fight in-"

Charlie: "I DONT CARE!!!"

Vaggie: "-wouldn't be moving like an exorcist anymore, kinda ruining the whole point of-"

Charlie: "I don't care. Armor. You. Wear it."

Vaggie: "Hun, the weapon data..."

Charlie: "Fuck the weapon data. Safety FIRST. PLEASE."

Vaggie: "...okay. Alright. I'll. Wear some stupid armor."

Charlie: "And a helmet????"

Vaggie: "Fine."

Charlie: "Thank you, Vaggie." (hug)

Charlie: "And thank YOU, Carmilla, for volunteering to host a ballroom dance party for the hotel! I'm sure it'll be a KILLER success!"

Carmilla: "I'm sure."

Charlie: "As long as you take good careful care of my girlfriend, I mean! Things would not go WELL if you for example oh I don't know accidentally KILLED HER or anything, ha ha ha!"

Carmilla: "Yes. I did get that impression. As did my burnt and half melted floors..."

Vaggie: "Wait so, how much armor do I really have to wear-"

Charlie: "ALL the armor, Vaggie. ALL of it~"

[unabashegirl]

Enticing 47 — Harry Styles x CEO

Summary: Harry is a young billionaire and CEO of his own company. He mostly keeps to himself, he is stern and very meticulous when it comes to business. He also likes to keep his personal life very private for the sake of his newly born son Oliver Styles. It isn't until he meets Y/N Y/L/N that everything changes. She becomes his new nanny after his previous one quits due to personal reasons. She is young, caring, and sweet. Will they ignore their feelings? Will Harry's girlfriend accept their love and leave them? Will she be able to cope with his busy agenda? What about Oliver's mother? Where is she? Who is she?

masterlist

Fury was an inadequate description. His blood simmered, muscles tensed, and an intense headache began to claim his senses. The invasion of his home by his parents, attempting to persuade him to leave his pregnant girlfriend, left him seething. His ire was particularly directed at his mother. Harry, who had been a staunch supporter of his mother, found himself taken aback by her actions. The dynamics had shifted, and it surprised him.

"I thought you liked Y/N, Mom," Harry pointed out, circling around his office desk, pulling out a chair, and taking a seat.

"Please," his mother huffed, rolling her eyes, "after that outburst in the Hamptons, did you think I would continue to tolerate her?" The word 'tolerate' cut deep, and Harry could sense that she was once again under his father's influence. "She's not fit to be with someone of your caliber, honey. Please try to understand."

Harry let out a heavy laugh at her words.

"As if you were. You were a nobody before you met my father. He made you into what you've become. Without him, you are nobody." Mrs. Styles' demeanor instantly changed. Harry realized he had wounded her in the same way she had wounded him. Despite his love for his mother, this wasn't the woman he knew.

"I went to visit you in the office, and I wasn't allowed in. May I know why?" Mr. Styles finally interrupted, sitting beside his wife. She reached for his hand, seeking comfort, but he pulled away, ignoring the gesture.

"You have no business being there. I also don't like being disturbed at work or at my home," Harry added. "I guess it's clear what's going to happen here, right?" He rolled up his sleeves and took a sip of his whiskey. "You are to forget about me and my family. I'm not leaving Y/N. I'm staying with her and our kids. Say goodbye to your grandkids because you'll never see them again."

"You can't prevent me from going to the office, Edward," his father sneered, leaning in. "I built that company into what it is today. I'm still on the board. I could get you fired with a snap of my fingers," Richard Styles warned, relishing the feeling that his son was challenging him.

Harry couldn't believe it. He was a grown man, and his father was threatening to snatch his company away as if it were some trivial possession. Adding insult to injury, Richard had deliberately called him Edward, a childhood taunt that harked back to times of abuse, when Richard would mistreat Harry's mother, and young Harry would intervene, only to be yelled at and pushed aside.

"Try me," Harry retorted, "No one on the board would support it. I'm making them too wealthy for them to ever let me go, father. Something you failed miserably to achieve at my age because you were too busy indulging in recklessness and fucking drowning your life in alcohol."

Richard rose to his feet, lunging across the table to grab Harry.

"You insolent fool. I should have put an end to you when I had the chance," Harry remained composed. "That woman is going to be your fucking downfall, Edward."

"Get out!" Harry demanded, his voice escalating. "Get the fuck out of my house and erase any memory of ever having a son! Both of you," he shouted, pointing to the door. "OUT. I've had enough of your nonsense!"

Harry harbored an indescribable hatred for his father. Richard was selfish and cold, devoid of any merit for politeness from Harry. When Harry became a father himself, he had hoped for a revelation, a sense of understanding or sympathy for Richard. Yet, it turned out to be the opposite. Harry loved Oliver unconditionally, placing him above all else. The profound contempt Richard held for his own children remained an unfathomable mystery to Harry.

As Richard rose and surveyed the room, Jacqueline took a moment to compose herself.

"Harry, I—" she began, attempting to speak before leaving.

"I said get out, Mom. I don't want to hear it. You've betrayed me beyond comprehension. I don't want to see you again," Harry asserted firmly, his tone unforgiving. "I don't want to hear it again." Jacqueline, laden with guilt and remorse, didn't utter a word. She simply adjusted the end of her Chanel suit and exited the room.

Y/N arrived much later than anticipated. The meeting had extended far beyond her expectations, leaving her unable to leave promptly. Upon entering the apartment, she kicked off her heels at the front door and hung her purse on the foyer table. The entire place was eerily silent, with all the lights on the ground floor turned off except for the staircase. A brief moment of unease set in until she spotted Mrs. Johnson descending the stairs, which immediately put her at ease.

"Why is it so quiet?" Y/N inquired. Typically, when she arrived, the TV was on, lights were ablaze, and Harry and Oliver were somewhere in the kitchen or on the couch.

"Mr. Styles is taking a nap upstairs. Oliver just settled down too," Mrs. Johnson explained.

"A nap? Is he okay?" Y/N questioned, surprised by the unusual resting.

"It's been quite an eventful evening, Ms. Y/L/N. Richard and Jacqueline forced themselves up here," Mrs. Johnson revealed, hinting at the unpleasant news they might have delivered.

"How bad is it?"

"He has been sleeping since five," she replied, and Y/N frowned. It was already nine-thirty, and Harry rarely slept that much.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Would you like some supper?"

"It's alright, Mrs. Johnson. I made sure to order takeout already. You can retire for the evening if you'd like," Y/N smiled before ascending the stairs, one hand on the railing for support.

The bedroom welcomed her with its cold and dark atmosphere. Y/N illuminated the space with her phone, ensuring a safe path to avoid any accidental mishaps. Noticing the balcony slide door slightly ajar explained the chilly temperature. Moving quietly, she tiptoed across the room, spotting Harry's suit on the floor. Approaching his side, she switched on a dimmed light.

He lay there, one hand covering his face, phone nearby. Still clad in the light blue button-down shirt he wore with his suit during the day, Y/N gently traced her hand down his back in an attempt to rouse him. She planted a few soft kisses on his cheek, watching as he gradually opened his eyes.

"Hello, darling," she greeted, kissing his nose. "How was your sleep?" Harry hummed in response, attempting to fully wake up.

"Hi," he smiled with his eyes slightly closed. "You're late," Harry pointed out, stretching out his arms. “Too much work?”

"My meeting ran longer than expected," Y/N explained as she unbuttoned her shirt and pants, contemplating the idea of getting pregnancy clothes for work. Harry smiled at her lovingly, his gaze drifting to her round belly, unable to contain the inevitable smile. He reached out and gently caressed her, reveling in the softness of her skin against his.

"Complaining about work, Mr. Styles? That's quite unlike you," Harry grunted with a broad smile, pulling her onto his lap. She laughed heartily as his fingers playfully tickled her sides, prompting her to burst into even more laughter. "I guess I'll just have to start coming home early for the missus."

"Oh, stop it!" Harry laughed. "You stood me up! I waited for you all night!"

"Stop!" she pleaded. "I am going to pee my pants or have the baby if you don't!" Y/N warned as he loosened his grip on her. "I love you," she whispered as she calmed down.

"I love you." He kissed the tip of her nose, a hand caressing the side of her tummy as she rested her head on his bicep.

"I've got great news," Y/N added after pushing some of his hair away from his face.

"Do tell," Harry whispered, kissing her uncovered shoulder.

"I got a call from Dr. Williams, and the genetic test results are ready. He sent them over today."

"All right. What did they say?"

"I don't know." Y/N bit her bottom lip as Harry's kisses on her neck and shoulders abruptly stopped. "I haven't checked them out yet. I wanted to wait for you. Plus, the gender is also attached." She was beyond nervous. Every time she opened her phone, it felt like the email called out to her, begging her to open and read the results. Y/N hoped that their baby was healthy.

"Well, let's read it then."

"I am nervous," she whispered as she reached for her phone, which had been placed on the nightstand upon entering. Harry grabbed both of her hands and kissed them.

"We will be all right." Harry sat up and pulled her onto his lap as she held her phone close to her body with shaking hands.

TAGLIST: @0oolookitsme, @happycupcakeenthusiast, @kennedywxlsh, @hsfics, @stylesbrock, @bluemoonedwings, @cherriesrae, @vornilla, @mellamolayla, @harryscurls21, @stilesissaved, @be-with-me-so-happily, @harryssattelitestomper, @jerseygirlinca, @tenaciousperfectionunknown, @lomloliviam @stylesfever, @daphnesutton, @n0vaj3an, @breezykpop, @kathb59, @sassamanda77, @sherbitdibdab

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[mama-qwerty]

for the wip ask game I am quite curious about “Chasing the sun”

Chasing the Sun is basically my Eclipse origin story for my verse. At the moment Callie has just rescued him from dying from an infected injury on his arm, and he's thinking he'll simply play the secret agent to get the goods on humans for his father. (Even though he's not quite sure why he's on Earth to begin with.)

Got a bit of the next chapter started.

“Mom?” Silver’s voice wavered a bit as he called her, and she turned to find him peeking out the front window closest to the door. Callie moved closer, giving his bristling forehead fan a quick brush flat. “What’s up, Bug?” A quick check made her frown. The Pearl Clutchers were here. A group of xenophobes who had paid her a visit after she’d taken in Silver, touting the utter tripe of “Earth for humans!” and generally making it very clear that the alien children who’ve come to call Green Hills home were decidedly and completely unwelcome. She uttered a soft grunt, before looking down at the hedgehog with a little smile. “Why don’t you head into the kitchen for a snack, huh?” she said, giving him a little stroke on the muzzle. His eyes flicked to the window. He wasn’t stupid—he knew these people. And he knew why they were here. “Go in the kitchen, Silver,” Callie said, her voice a little quieter and more serious. She didn’t want him anywhere near these people, or overhearing anything they had to say. “Take your friend with you. Go on.” The boy hesitated for a moment, before nodding and heading back. With a breath to calm herself, Callie opened the door and offered the group on her porch a tight lipped stare. “I was expecting you people at some point. I imagine you’ve got a book burning to get to later, so let’s get this over with.” Her comment was met with disgusted noises, and a few of them exchanged glances. There were six total, and while she recognized them from around town, none were any she would call friends. Or even acquaintances, really. One of the group stepped forward. Callie couldn't immediately place her name, but had seen her and her twin around town. Had a run in with them, in fact, as she and Silver had been shopping one day. They were both in their late 60s, at least, and wore identical frowns, their mouths pulled down and deepening the lines at the edges. “We understand you’re keeping a dangerous creature in there.” Callie cocked an eyebrow. “That’s an odd way to say ‘a hurt and lost child’, but in the interest of moving this along and getting you people the hell off my porch, let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” That drew another few glances, when a younger lady spoke next. “Is he in there or not?” Her brows furrowed, a look of annoyance on her face. “I think we have a right to know when there’s a monster in town.” Callie turned and pegged her with a cold stare. “He’s a child, and if you must know, yes, I’m looking after him. I fail to see why that’s any concern of yours.” “The safety of our children is our concern,” she replied, her eyes flicking down to the bandage on Callie’s arm. “He injured you. What’s to stop him from going after any of us? Our children?” “He bit me because he was delirious with fever and an infection that nearly cost him his life,” Callie said, and kept from speaking through gritted teeth by sheer will. These people really got her ire up. “He has done nothing threatening since.” “He’s a danger!” the woman said, and Callie finally placed her as the mother to one of the brats who came to the library every week. “He should be muzzled, at the very least! For all our safety!” There was a murmur of agreement behind her, and Callie took a small step forward, ready to bite steel and spit nails. “Your precious little Jacob bit me three times last month,” she said, her voice tight and sharp. “I assume his muzzle is on order?”

My girl has no time or patience for this bullshit.

[meekmedea]

Ok, this has been nagging at me almost all week, but the epilogue for fatum faciendum est got me thinking…

Do Clemensia and Coriolanus end up having more than one child? Probably. They both seemed open to the idea.

And then I fell down a rabbit hole of random thoughts. I think it’d be a bit funny if their daughter in the epilogue gets their wish granted. So without further ado, let me present my ramblings: 

Clemmie’s doomed to be the only one in the family with pin-straight hair. It’s kind of funny because she’ll just be waiting, bored to death as the rest of them go through their 12 step hair routine. (Coryo probably takes the longest to style his hair 😆)

At the same time, Coryo’s fated to have children that mostly take after Clemmie in her eye colour and hair colour

Pandora - their eldest is a little bit of a blabbermouth (she’s like 5 - let’s cut her a little slack). When she next sees Tigris and the topic of gifts comes up, she mentions to Tigris that she’s getting a sibling for her birthday.

Tigris tries really hard not to laugh at Clemmie + Coryo, while these 2 are like “huh, maybe we should have a talk with our kid about what info should stay a secret.” Because there’s no way in hell that Coryo wants to deal with that info being shared to Clemmie’s parents. 

Number of kids? Hmm…maybe 4?

Pandora, their eldest (dark curly hair, and brown eyes)

Eirene - another daughter - this is their only child that has his blond hair + blue eyes

To everyone’s amusement, Pandora is disappointed that her new sister has blue eyes, but says she guesses it’s acceptable (Pandora’s parents are amused - Clemmie more so than Coryo)

A boy follows very quickly, this time it follows Pandora's request lol (dark curly hair and brown eyes). Eirene and Aurelius could be considered Irish twins with how small the gap between them is. 

Then there’s a considerable age gap between Aurelius and their last child. Unplanned, but it’s another daughter –Lytta. (Another dark curly haired child, but with blue eyes)

When asked if they have a favourite child, they both say ‘no’. But whereas Clemensia means it, Coriolanus doesn’t. (Hint it’s his eldest.)

Their parenting? 

Clemmie is a bit more involved than he is

At her behest, the children have some sort of artistic education whether that be music, art, dance etc...

And at some point, each of their children have probably approached Coryo for something that Clemmie has said ‘no’ to. When asked why they’re asking him then, they’ll say, “because Mom isn’t the boss of you.” 

The first time he’s hit with that, Coriolanus wonders if it is a trick question. He has now learnt that there is a correct and an incorrect answer. Being President of Panem doesn’t exempt him from Clemmie’s ire. (He really wished it did though.)

Very quickly, he realizes that most of their children have taken after Clemmie's ability to charm just about anyone. Especially their eldest. Despite it not being as efficient as Clemmie’s - he’s fallen for it more times than he should

~

Bonus: one of Persephone and Festus’ kids falls HARD for one of Clemensia and Coriolanus’ kids. 

Worse yet (for Coryo) - it’s his eldest AND it’s reciprocated 

[shadowbrightshine]

I have to keep stopping myself from softening my own compliments about my writing ability for this essay. She asked us to talk about our area of excellence.

For me it's writing. Ir always has been. But I don't want to brag but that's the point. To prove how good I am at this

And I am! My mom says "we're Midwestern women, we downplay ourselves."

I'm autistic. I downplayed myself to survive school.

It's hard to be confident but writing is the only thing I can 100 say I'm good at and be confident in.

I am good at this. I cam always improve.

But that itself is part of being good at it.

I am talented, I'm published in a poetry collection.

[eaterofsoupwrites]

for wittetober day 31 – Ghosts

Words: 1068

don’t b mad i catholicized them 👉👈

“You know the dead can’t hear you, right?”

Caleb frowns but keeps his eyes closed and his hands clasped together.

“Who says I’m trying to talk to the dead?”

Philip rolls his eyes and props his chip up with his palm, resting the weight of his arm and head on the back of his chair. His other hand idly pokes at and smooths over the well-worn wood as he rocks in boredom, back occasionally bumping against their desk behind him. He’d been using Caleb’s light to sneak some reading in before he realized Philip was up past his bedtime, but the lack of reprimand after so long a time concerned him into pausing until he’d put the pieces together—candles burned late into the night, the ever creeping frost outside of their home, and a prolonged prayer from an often imprudent follower of Christ.

“‘M not stupid, Caleb. I know it’s that time of year.”

Caleb’s lips twitch even further down.

“I’m just trying to do the Lord’s prayer. Stop interrupting me!”

“Y’know it’s selfish to try to talk to them, right? They’re with God—you’re only distracting them from their purpose. Whatever you’re trying to say isn’t worth it. Do you think anything you do could compare to God’s eternal love? They’re dead, Caleb. They don’t care about us anymore.”

Caleb finally breaks his prayer to scowl at Philip. 

“What are you being so mean for? And sit in your chair properly!”

Philip puts his hands up in surrender, but does not correct his sitting position. How he sits isn’t a sin, after all.

“I’m just trying to save you the energy. Maybe you should go to bed so you’re better rested for tomorrow’s work. If you make enough money then you can pay a monk to pray them out of purgatory for you.”

That maddens Caleb to spit. Part of Philip feels warm from the attention as his brother yells.

“That’s never made sense to me! How come a priest’s or a monk’s prayer is better than mine? Didn’t God make us all equally– and doesn’t He love us the same? How come I can’t pray someone to Heaven?”

Philip points out the obvious moreso to prolong their argument than to really bring Caleb to any sense, “Well, you can’t dedicate masses to anyone, so. That’s probably it.”

“Why does any of that matter? Why’s– why’s it not enough if I do it? It’s so unfair that God gets to kill them and then keep them, too.”

Philip gasps, though he’s not sure he really cares.

“Caleb, you can’t say things like that! You- you shouldn’t even think them!”

Caleb throws his hands in the air.

“Well I can’t help it! God shouldn’t have made me a sinner if He wanted me not to sin!”

Philip shifts in his chair, glad for the barrier the back of it provides him. Caleb’s ire being directed at God and not Philip is both a good and a bad thing, but Caleb bringing his own human nature into it is no fun. 

“Look, I really don’t want to argue about this.. Just stop trying to bother Mom and Dad, okay? They’re where they’re supposed to be. It’s just you and me—and God—here. That’s enough, right? I’m- We’re enough for you, right? Or are you just too selfish that you need to disturb the dead forever?”

Caleb’s pale face glows red in the dim candlelight, angry perspiration glinting as a drop of it slides down his pulsing forehead.

“What do you know? You’re just a little kid. I’ve– I’ve seen things, okay? Can’t you go one minute without criticizing your older brother? I know lots of things.”

Philip keeps from smiling, but only just. He’ll tease Caleb a little more before bed.

“Yeah, you know a lot of devil things.. Did Evelyn teach you to pray to the dead? Our parents weren’t saints, you know. It isn’t allowed. She doesn’t know anything proper, I think she’s a–”

Caleb interrupts him with a pointed finger. He’s just too easy to fool..

“Don’t talk about my friend like that! Evelyn knows waaay more than you do.”

Philip rolls his eyes, “Sure she does.”

Caleb is quiet for a moment—his body goes quiet too, caving in on itself as he bites a knuckle and thinks, eyes staring through Philip rather than at him. It irritates him for every excruciating second his brother tries to think of what to say. Finally, his eyes refocus, losing their prior heat and instead turning… shy? What does his brother have to be shy about with him?

“Look, don’t tell anyone but me and Evelyn.. we saw a ghost.”

Philip scoffs. Oh, of course it’s something stupid.

“Yeah right, it was a trick of the light. Ghosts aren’t real.”

“You weren’t there. She took me somewhere she said it’d happened to her before—and there was this purple stone it came out of, and it spoke a little and it was like�� like.. magic.”

Philip snorts, then yawns.

“What, is she a witch? I think maybe you had some bad milk before bed.”

Caleb frowns.

“I know what I saw. You’ll find out one day and you’ll eat your words, Philip, you really will.”

“Yeah, yeah. Ghosts are real and I’m wrong. What kind of a world is that.. Come on, I’m actually tired now, let’s put out the candle.”

Caleb nods, face hard as he comes out of his kneeling position to collect Philip and the candle. Despite their argument, Philip can’t help but giggle as he’s picked up, smiling wide since he knows Caleb won’t see. One day he thinks he might get bigger than his brother and they won’t be able to sleep in the same bed anymore. Caleb must hear him, because his grip softens and he lays Philip down rather than dump him as he might otherwise do when he’s angry.

A cold gust rattles the old house. Philip snuggles closer to Caleb—they’re saving the firewood for the real winter winds. If Evelyn had abducted his brother on a night like this, Philip could forgive them for hearing voices in the shifting leaves. 

Caleb holds Philip in the dark, whispering his final question like a cool breeze of his own:

“Do you really not miss Mom and Dad?”

Philip sighs.

“I don’t really remember them… Besides, what do I need ghosts for when I have you?”

[my-castles-crumbling]

hi Cas!

uh so ive always been a stem girl but next year we have our country's equivalent of the GCSEs and im a freshman right but my grades in almost every stem subject sucks rn like they're at an all time low, as in i have a 77 in physics in my report card and in my country anything less than a 95 is basically shit and i had plans to change schools in eleventh grade but my current report card isnt remotely close to what it should've been and the thing is im not bad at stem, like if i practiced or studied it regularly id probably be doing a lot better but yeah that didn't happen and the fact still remains that im a natural at humanities as in i study less than a week before the midterms and get more than i did in any stem subject? my best friend thinks i should probably consider a career in humanities bc im better at it but ive always wanted a career in stem, like, ever since third grade and everyone knows that i want(ed) to work at NASA but rn i dont really think i stand any chance of getting into my country's best colleges and that might not be the end of the world but ive always been like yeah im going to go there and it's basically common knowledge at this point

so ever since third grade i have kinda had my life all planned out? like obviously changes have been made but I've always been the one who's known what they wanted to do and i always thought I'd end up in aerospace engineering or at least another stem career but now with my grades im reconsidering and see, my country and family both value stem a lot like most people take up careers in it but my parents arent very restricting but it's always just been assumed that id go into stem too and i just casually mentioned it to my mom about dropping out of stem bc i felt like i couldnt do well in the subjects and later she was joking about it to my father and ik they wouldn't really care but i don't know if i actually want to drop out of stem and the thing is, my best friend's mom was kinda talking to mine about how both her and i arent doing as well despite having the potential (my mom agrees and our families are close enough for that conversation) and my best friend still doesnt know what to do so i was suggesting international relations to her which has always been my in another life career and that got me thinking as well about it just in case this doesnt work out but i have to make a decision by the end of tenth grade bc we get to choose our subjects for our junior and senior years then

im just kinda worried about how everyone will take it but more than that ive always wanted the freedom to move from one country to another without having to retake an exam like you'd have to for law and medical which was why i dropped the idea of doing law and im a very materialistic person, in the sense that i want to be rich like, have a large living space, luxury cars and brands, and most importantly be able to travel the world (which is probably my life goal) and money is just a means to that end and for that i need a good job but i also kinda prioritise my ability to travel when considering careers so i dont want to be tied down by becoming loyal to a particular government

im not even sure if i actually want to do ir instead of aerospace engineering. im just kinda testing the waters rn by doing research but im scared bc it's almost common knowledge that i want(ed) to work for NASA and I've always had my life planned out to the exact college i wanted to go to since third grade and the last i altered it and that too slightly was in seventh grade but this choice is going to affect everything and i dont know if im even going to make it

sorry for the rant, i hope you're having a good day wherever you are

Hi!

Okay so a few thoughts:

First of all, you're allowed to change your mind about what you want to do with your life at any time in your life, but expecially when you're this young. You should do what makes you feel fulfilled and happy, and if someone doesn't support you, that's their problem.

However, I do want to say that whatever you decide, don't just pick something that's easy. Because the thing is, at some point, everything will have rough spots. First decide what will make you happy, then figure out what work you need to do to get there.

I hope that makes sense!

[dragon-appreciator-fray]

Hey.

Willow here.

I'm about to take up a lot of space.

For those of you that don't know us well, hiyas~! 'm the one who picked the name Static Chorus to represent us as a plurality.

Irene and Ire would frame me as the thoughtful one.

I love the big comfy sweaters and crave the unfeeling robot gender. I wouldn't frame myself as the least expressive. But I am definitely the least emotive.

I'm the one responsible for the character Nadir in Weight of Broken Promises: The shadowy mom with neopronouns.

Verity from Ruinous Hearts is... probably also mine.

Of the three of us, I am the one that identified with the nonbinary character in the game that cracked our egg.

I crave being... ill-defined or outright antagonistic.

The moment something starts to feel like a confining box, I want us out of it.

It's taken forever for us to settle on some idealized self perceptions.

But we feel like we're there. It's just I am only really starting to communicate with my headmates and loved ones about what some of that means.

I see myself as a Hell Hound. More scaled than furred. (Can be smooth to the touch if you stroke them one way. I somewhat fondly recall touching snakes to have the best point of comparison.) Dark sclera. Bright eyes. Sharp teeth and claws.

We have always described Ire as the one who keeps us safe. But Ire doesn't see herself as the violent one despite being the only one we trust with violence as a topic. She keeps us functioning in social situations. Ire is who we trust to turn the rest of us off and guide us with a steady head.

I'm the one we really don't trust with external violence. (Irene can speak for herself about the internal stuff.) Anyway... I conceive of myself as an absolutely damned monster.

Not going into the Catholic trauma here.

But I'm someone who took that and learned about my religion out of spite. I made being Christian miserable for everyone around me. My family stopped going to church for literally 80% of my childhood.

I was... unpleasant. Still can be.

To me, Verity was a howling storm of a character who would only ever be able to find peace if she isolated herself from anyone she could hurt.

That is genuinely how I saw myself.

Eventually I realized that the little parts of her that didn't suit her just... weren't me.

If you've had us be sweet and bright and cheery in your DMs, you know how much of a delight Irene can be.

The moment we realized we were trans, I wanted to just... back off. To let her be the one who signs the legal name and be the bright identity we face the world with.

It is an endless relief to know that the part of us that most wants to live could explode into being as wonderful as she is the moment we realized Irene has always been a girl.

But I've kinda gotten bitter about it. I'm the one who kept us going in the depression hoodie forever. I got us this far, but I still kinda delight in existing in context to negative emotions. It's what I know best and most want to explore creatively.

Unfortunately it has become me who, in my most guilty of moments, wants to give up on existing.

We know how much that sucks to hear. We've never wanted to feel smaller or hide more than putting these thoughts into words and share them.

I... genuinely regret telling just one of the people I love this.

And now here I am doing it for everyone.

But I'm the best and most articulated self we have. Gardenia was a cute lil name. Irene can keep it if she wants.

But I want to put Irene Verity Fray down as our full legal name. I wanna live too. As my whole truth.

The Hell Hound has gotta go. But I think I could get used to as being thought of as a Dragon. Means I get to keep the features of my self image I like best.

Anyway. Hi.

For now I'm still Willow.

Nice to meet you.

Maybe one day I'll go by Verity proper.

But I'm just not there yet.

I've got a lot of unpleasant things to work through first.

I think Depths of Promises Sworn is going to become the place for that. But that will mean guiding that story into far more traumatizing and upsetting content than we ever wanted for it.

It means introducing an unpleasant and ungrateful character who still receives the love and affection most of the cast will not think they deserve.

But I got it.

And I'm turning out to be a bright spot in the lives of an alarming amount of ppeople.

So you're stuck with me.

Just know that if you ever want to put down Depths of Promises Sworn, I don't blame you. I certainly wish I didn't have to live through so much of what I have.

But I just can't envision ourselves writing froofy and safe trans content.

We want it slow and messy. Full of backsliding and doubt. I want to trans the monsters or the girls into monsters.

I'm not gonna pull my punches on account of Irene anymore unless she asks me to.

I'm gonna strive to push this system to live its unapologetic truth. All of the good and all of the bad. For whatever that framing is worth.

Probably gonna start by pushing out out of bed when we wake up to go clothes shopping.

It's too hot for us to be running around in pants at work.

There is nothing redeeming about suffering. I will fucking cut that Catholic nonsense out of you if you disagree with me.

[anachronistic-falsehood]

EPISODE 14 TRIVIA:

- the reason vyncent wanted to eavesdrop so badly is because condi got REALLY PARANOID ABOUT WAVELENGTH

- "hey also? the fact that he can erase memories apparently is SO BAD" "you know what i dont even think ashe knew he could do that so now hes gonna be questioning his WHOLE LIFE"

- that day dakota was so distracted thinking about doug that grizzly kept saying no to perception checks- those checks were to notice summer! she was following him all that day :]

- yakko: my theory for the end of prime defenders is vyncent at home with his family so peaceful and happy and then two men in suits show up and say "we're here to collect" and its the IRS coming to arrest him for all of his unpaid credit card debt

- yakko: yknow bizly asked me one day "hey do you wanna join our fun campaign about teenagers with super powers going to high school" and now im in it and just horrible things are happening to these characters wtf man

- re: the convo with tide: hey why does the guy whos supposed to know whats going on *not* know whats going on? why doesnt he know where the prime force is?

- dakota telling le frog he had a dream about him was actually a reference to the first what if episode where they got trapped on harttowa island and turned into animals (le frog was. an actual frog)

- le frog was put in this episode to point out the stark contrast between mal and the other villains theyve faced so far (and its REALLY FUNNY that he thinks hes their greatest nemesis)

- and then they went on like a 5 minute conversation joking about "influencer le frog"

- condi wants to go scuba diving in the dead zone. im only including this because thats such a mecore thing to say. i also want to do that

- one of their prevailing theories is that the reason wavelength was being so suspicious about talking to ashe (mentioning recording and keeping an eye on things etc etc) is because they think his mom is dead and they want to find her in the spirit world to bring her back . to which bizly starts talking about spirit world mechanics "once a person dies, their spirit leaves their physical body. if theres no physical body i dont think you can actually

-> "oh, like in fullmetal alchemist" "okay the ONE LESSON in fullmetal alchemist is that they SHOULDNT BRING THEIR MOM BACK"

oh my god i didn't even think about what ashe would think of his dad being able to erase memories. yeah ofc you would start second guessing ur entire life. holy shit

I LOVE LE FROG. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. THE VILLAIN OF ALL TIME ACTUALLY. FUCK EVERYONE ELSE I WANT FORTY EPISODES OF THE PRIME DEFENDERS FIGHTING LE FROG. I WANT MORE LE FROG CAN WE HAVE MORE LE FROG

[pettyrevenge-base]

Treat Your Employee Like Crap? OK, I'll Hire Her...

My bookkeeper reminded me of this now that she's retiring, I'd forgot how she came to work for us... She's been our 'Mother Hen' and office fixture so long I forgot...

Close to 25 years ago, I was estimating and quoting a metal working job, factory expansion job, about 100 miles from my home/shop.

The owner was berating a fairly young bookkeeper about how a computer glitch was her fault, and using completely inappropriate language.

When we went to the job site, he explained how she 'ONLY' had a local collage degree in bookkeeping & business, and if he didn't keep her on the back foot she would want a raise & benefits, and mentioned she had to keep the job because she was a single mother.

We cut steel, installed it, so I saw this girl cry, work through lunch, be the last one to leave her department, etc.

I talked it over with my then girlfriend (now wife) about poaching this trained girl since we desperately needed a resident bookkeeper/comptroller... Like needed one 5 years ago... But if I did it would burn bridges with a customer.

Don't think I did anything that wasn't goal oriented for me/my business, we had SERIOUS issues with taxes/compliance at the time...

My girlfriend went to the job site with me, sit with this girl (young lady) and slipped her a business card not knowing if she would want to move from a city to the country... Etc.

She had worked there 5 years, got no raises or benefits in 5 years, desperately wanted another job, but knew the boss/owner would kill her job reference since she saw him do it before.

My wife rented her a little place for cheap, she started with us, and untangled the last 3 years of mess in about 3 months, for the first time ever the monthy reports were on time and the tax paperwork was done on time...

Even managed to talk the IRS/state revenue out of most of the fines/penalties.

She QUICKLY became "My Girl Friday" since she killed problems in minutes that had plagued me for years... (actual education AND experience, along with being sharp as a tack)

She met her husband here, had her wedding lakeside here, they built a house here, had two more kids here, and spent 25 years working here (High-Grand poo-bah of the office! Killer of paperwork dragons!).

She and my wife have become great friends since they both lived 'City' lives at one point and we are all country folks.

Although I kept a professional distance, so I was quite surprised when she broke down in tears at her retirement get-together saying she owed her entire life to us...

Well, no she doesn't, I was more than willing to throw money at the paperwork monsters to get the tax/compliance people off my ass!, She saved the company!

MODEL Employee, Wonderful Wife, Great Mom, and all around good person.

She doesn't 'Owe' us anything, she EARNED everything she worked HARD to get it. It's my good fortune to have been in the right place at the right time, and the right time in her life. I'm sure with her intellegence, willingness to work and learn she would have done well once she got away from that A-hole...

The Revenge.

I knew the customer I poached her from got into all kinds of tax, employee pay, and state/federal regulation problems about 6 months after she left... But I just found out when working with the state/federal tax people she leaked about his shady dealings, when we dealt with labor relations people she leaked about his shady dealings, and so on... She knew EXACTLY where to point the investigators and they didn't disappoint...

I've seen her use the innocent, "My LAST employer did this this way" or "My boss is going to be VERY ANGRY I messed this up" when talking the people out of fines or penalties from back when she didn't even work here! So thinking about it I know how she worked it into conversation without actually 'Snitching'... and they ran off, foaming at the mouth and left us alone... Sly girl! But OUR sly girl!

He lost the company inside of 18 months of her being here, it's still there and producing, just under entirely new owners & managment.

Don't screw with the people cooking your books!

She, by the way, got us through every audit from everybody/agency. Even a super audit from the IRS about 7 years ago and got complemented from the auditors about how organized and efficient she was, and how pleasant she was to work with.

She said it was 'Easy' when we followed the rules (you know, the rules I didn't know about or understand). My eyes bulge at the mention of Taxes & Easy in the same sentence...

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

[bishiglomper]

Well I slept TERRIBLY lmao it barely felt like I was just dozing and at some point I had a nightmare. And then I got up 2.5 hours earlier than I had to. But that's aright because I've been busy the whole 2.5 hours.

The thing I could have gone without though is mom's mini breakdown.

She cried at me a few times, did a whole "if I die soon, this is what you need to do-"

We thought the IRS froze our account and it would be settled the first--

Turns out it was NOT the IRS, it was a collection agency that tried to fuck us over a few years ago. But because we don't actually have any wages for them to garnish, they couldn't do anything. All our money is government checks.

I guess they tried again without even bothering to tell us and the bank was fucking stupid and didn't see that our deposits were government. So they let them freeze it. Which means they did that illegally. But it's the weekend so we can't so anything about it until a few days.

Everything is just really stressful

Btw, we have a baby in uhhhh 26 days now? The house is horrible, that's enough to have us all manic but BABY. And now frozen bank account. Le SIGH

I don't count as an adult, I have no adult responsibilities. Forwich I'm greatful because this weekend alone is enough to want me to self medicate.

[maria021015]

“Xander!” Zaida threw open the front door of the apartment and didn’t bother to lock it behind her as she burst in like a tornado, her boots thudding heavily against the floorboards. She found him sitting on the living room couch, his leg bouncing impatiently as he twisted his phone between his hands. “You are not going to believe what I found out!”

“Do me a favour and look outside the window Zaida,” He responded, his voice cold and dangerously quiet. “What do you see?”

Zaida’s smile faded, the only sound filling her ears was the drumming of her own heart and ragged sounds of her laboured breathing from her hurried trek home. "What do you mean?”

“What do you see?” He repeated, not moving from his spot, but at least his knee had stopped bouncing.

“I can’t see shit, it’s dark out.” She frowned. What was going on?

“Exactly, Zaida. It’s dark out. How many times have I told you that I don’t want you out in the dark? That you are to walk straight home after school?” Xander’s words were controlled, but sharp. His tone was a smooth surface, but seething anger bubbled beneath.

“I-” she stumbled over her words, taken aback by the waves of searing rage that rolled off him. “I forgot.”

“You forgot?” Only now did he turn his head to look at her.

“I- I’m sorry, okay? I just…it was for a good reason. I had a lead. I-I found something huge!” Zaida dumped her backpack on the floor by the coffee table.

“You had a lead ? Are you even listening to yourself?” He scoffed. “You’re a teenager. It’s not your job to go off chasing ‘leads’. It’s not your job to be getting involved in any of this!”

“You’re the one who's not listening!” She snapped back, her volume rising along with her built-up frustrations. “You never listen! I’ve been telling you for years that I know what I saw that day. I saw it again at that bus. At the video store. I knew that whatever did that - whatever killed Mom and Dad - was not a mountain lion!”

“Stop it, Zaida,” Xander warned, his fists clenching.

“I was right.” She ignored him, pressing the issue further. “I went to Lydia’s and I saw what did it. She had a video on her phone, from last night.”

“I said stop it.” His voice shook with barely concealed fury, nostrils flaring. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“It wasn’t a mountain lion, Xander!” She threw her arms up in the air, her own ire sparking. “It was a wolf !”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” His voice boomed and he jumped to his feet faster than she’d ever seen him move. He was inches away from her face, jaw muscles clenching as his teeth ground together. “I don’t want to hear another word about any of this.”

The girl’s heart seized, tears welling in her wide eyes. She had never seen her brother like this before. For a split second, she thought she saw a flash of fear in his face, but it was swiftly replaced by that burning anger.

“You don’t believe me?” The realisation hit her like a punch to the gut. “I got proof and you still don’t believe me?”

“Where’s your proof then?” He took a step back, his body language demanding she come forward with it. “Show me.”

“I-I don’t have it anymore. It got deleted, but I saw it!” she defended. “It was huge, and black, and its eyes practically glowed red!”

“What you saw, was probably a clip from a movie.” Xander took deep breaths, trying to de-escalate the situation. “There are no wolves in California. There haven’t been for almost a hundred years.”

“I know what I saw!” Zaida insisted, still in disbelief that he was acting like this.

“When are you going to figure out that it’s all in your messed up head, Zaida!” He pointed a finger at her, tapping it against her forehead. Her heart sank at his words and she slapped his hand away from her. How could he? “You’re obsessed with this. It’s not healthy. You can’t be showing up at crime scenes. You can’t be stalking victims and going through their things. You’re seeing things that aren’t there because you’re still holding onto what happened. You’re afraid to let go and forget about it, but they’re not coming back, Zay.”

“You don’t think I know that? I know they aren’t coming back because I’m the one who found them completely torn apart by five-fingered slashes.” She shook her head, tears finally falling. “I don’t need to forget anything. It’s you who needs to remember .”

With her final words, she turned her back on him and stormed out of the living area, slamming her bedroom door behind her so hard that the frame shook. Her chest shook with sobs as she collapsed onto her bed. It was all in her messed-up head. How could he say that to her? He’d never spoken to her like that before. Not even once.

[biblioflyer]

Being a red shirt on the info literacy and empathy front lines.

This is a bit of a meta post and by "going there" I'm really just trying to generate more of the sort of "you are seen" genre for whomever it has meaning. If it has a whiff of "look at me, I'm an ally, I'm helping by yelling into the void" then I don't know really know what to tell you, maybe it is and if it is, feel free to keep on scrolling, I am not consciously demanding your affirmation, just rambling about the role of sci-fi in my life in getting me to this point ethically and professionally.

I am a red state millennial librarian. Don't feel as sorry for me as you might reflexively think I want you to. I'm not a public librarian or a public school librarian, I'm an academic librarian. Moms for Liberty hasn't directed its Eye of Sauron at us (yet.) Thus we're able to keep stocking LGBTQ literature without too much worry of people screaming at us. For now at least.

Why does this matter?

Well through a little loophole we are officially an academic library that provides services to young adults and the public in addition to formal college students without being a public or school library. I'm reluctant to share too many biographical details, but suffice to say you might be surprised at what is part of your nearest academic library collection and it may be easier than you think to access that collection.

Individual institutions are going to have their own policies, however because we are part of a broader consortium that all shares resources, we offer reciprocal services to every member of that consortium and their patrons if those patrons come to us with a valid library card from one of the member counties or a peer institution.

So if your public library has been gutted, take a peak at local colleges. They are more likely than you think to have queer literature, including queer and diverse literature in the YA genre, as well as inclusive children's books even picture books. College libraries know many of their students are either parents or are intending to go into public education (god help them) and thus have some very infrequently utilized special collections that they would love to see circulate so they can justify buying more.

This being a nerd blog, let me just speak briefly of the role of sci-fi and fantasy allegories in my development. I could very easily have been one of the people that I fear may come for my job. The people we have done workshops rehearsing how to respond professionally, empathetically, but also forcefully to formal challenges to what's on our shelves and informal challenges - i.e. people intent on making spectacles.

I don't say that I "fear" these people lightly, our head of DEI initiatives was sacked after the program was expected (and ultimately) was defunded. This person was not offered a job in a different department. I'm not super in touch with what goes on outside my department but I'm told that this person was broadly respected and other than their job title, was never involved in anything controversial or had any interpersonal disputes.

So we who are heteronormative don't get the luxury of putting our heads down and assuming this will blow over. We can't actually know with any certainty how many degrees of separation are between us and the ire of the Christian Nationalist fever that has swept the nation.

Anywho, Handmaid's Tale isn't exactly the sci-fi I meant to talk about (although boy howdy did it scare the bejeezus out of me the first time I listened to it and that was - I think - pre-2016.)

I grew up in a very rural area with minimal diversity. My exposure to diversity and later queer representation was almost entirely through media. Star Trek was a big one, but also Roseanne which ironically makes the comedian's red pilling more heart breaking than JK Rowling - its a xenniel thing, I was in my edgy ironic full of myself no time for childish things teenage years when Harry Potter came out.

I'm sitting here in 2023, and I can see the absurd falseness of the rhetoric of grooming discourse. Riker's fling with an androgynous alien or Jadzia Dax's open pansexuality didn't make me queer. It de-stigmatized being queer and left me open to taking seriously the self expressed experiences of people who I was open to befriending. As an adult, while I've found Discovery to be frustrating in many ways, one of the things that keeps me coming back is Culber and Stamets. Their performances and arcs have been a consistently solid part of an otherwise very messy production.

Much as Culber and Stamets are simply decent human beings just trying to get by and overcome crisis after crisis, so too are the queer people I've befriend. Their sinister agenda is to walk in public with their partner without people walking between them not thinking they're actually together or being harassed. Some of them are parents of developmentally well adjusted children.

I'm not looking for ally virtue signal points by praising these storylines, I'm just recognizing them for what they are: pieces of my development as a person. Which makes me happy to be in a place in my life where if nothing else, for now I get to make available a wide variety of experiences and perspectives for people to be exposed to. Its not my job to force anything on anyone and I order plenty of straight forward murder mysteries, romances, and swashbuckling epics that don't require a lot of critical thinking, but I like knowing that something I placed on the shelf might make someone accept themselves or accept someone else.

[iminthetunnels]

i mean this respectfully! How do you provide for yourself + your son w/ no income? Do you have help? My job keeps us financially comfortable but it is sucking the life out of me ignoring and (what feels like) emotionally neglecting my child for a meaningless office job 40+ hrs/wk. IDK if it's worth it anymore but i am terrified of not being able to provide. TY if you answer ❤️❤️❤️

i really like this question bc i constantly want to speak about it on my blog LMAO

i struggle hard. i get about $240 in child support a month, and if u total everything together, my car, my car insurance, gas, diapers, wipes, food after my food stamps run out, it doesn’t last long and i basically have no savings. while saying all this, before anyone attacks me for being poor and having children despite being poor, i wasn’t poor before domestic violence, and i chose my child over everything. i have always taken care of myself and my family, and now i can’t. many such cases. nothing is ever as black and white.

i will say i but my wipes and diapers from target, with a target account, so i earn money back, and whenever i earn enough back, i pick out small little toys. like he has a gardening set from target and a little car, bought entirely with points from buying diapers.

also, i have amazing friends. a little while ago, when my house flooded, a mutual sent me a large sum of money, with that money i was able to shop secondhand and purchase a lot of 2-4t clothes, meat, and things like oats, fruit i can freeze, and i’m still living off that. i do take advantage of the churches food banks (but i only take whole, real foods, never in cans or packages unless they’re like plain no seed oil raisins) not too long ago, i was able to pick out free clothes from a ministry, so i was able to get clothes that actually fit me:)

i relied on my tax return a lot for extra stuff like getting clothes, more activity sets that i don’t have to makeshift (i don’t mind doing this, like using cardboard for a little hands on activity set) but i have been “randomly selected for screening” by the IRS. LOL many such cases. i haven’t gotten my taxes at all.

basically, i struggle, and some times i get scared bc my car is old. i have amazing friends, lin, rayce, my mom LMFAOOO she’ll buy my child’s milk some times and some snacks that she knows i approve of. most importantly, i pray. and i put lots of faith in god to take care of us. i have a water dispenser, where i fill up water for around $5, three 5 gallon water containers last me around a month or so. i make my own laundry detergent, i have a costco card where i buy bulk toilet paper, use flour sacs as paper towels. i literally just try my best and it always ends up working out. i have debt for sure, like i have my car debt. but i don’t worry too much about it. i’m almost finished paying it off. i should really get into selling my precious moments figurines because i have hundreds.

thank u for such a good question. at the end of the day, i know we go without a LOT of things. but i know that gods earth is totally free, we can walk around the park and run for hours, and that’s our entertainment. i would much rather be with my child than put him in some state funded daycare and work for a dead end job that actually doesn’t care about me. i don’t pay attention to what we don’t have, but rather appreciate what we do have and love my sweet baby with all my being. i just want to be present for him. i don’t know if i’m making sense LOL. i’m sorry. but if i had to be honest, i would say, fuck a job, i’d rather be here with my son. i have been looking at farming positions, and maybe helping someone on their farm in the early mornings, i’d want to bring my child with. and at home positions (as crazy as this sounds) aren’t that much better. constantly in front of a computer would drive me absolutely batshit insane… and would still take time away from my baby. i’m just letting go and letting god. i hope this isn’t too crazy sounding :( i could rly ramble on about this topic!!!