#Basically his parents popped him out for the sake of fortune

[downinsomanyfandoms]

Looking at my list of headcanon for Yuu and I’m restraining myself so hard from calling him Ferdinand von Aegir

[ladyseaheart1668]

Endless Summer Book 4: Daughter of Vaanu (Chapter 56)

Description: The Catalysts attempt to return to their lives as River Skye finally comes home.  tagging: @endlesshero1122 @mysteli @feartheendlesssummer @whatmcsaid @tigerbryn11

Chapter 56: Not Over

Alodia

I almost can’t believe how quickly I start to feel better once the fever breaks. The pain, which had felt like some hellish demon with teeth made of red-hot iron gnawing at my lower back, begins to recede within hours. 

“That’s how it tends to go with an infection like this once we find the right antibiotic,” the doctor tells me. “You are fortunate, though. These days, a lot of bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics. But the infection is responding well to treatment, and all your vitals and your blood work look good. And your daughter appears as healthy as a baby horse. ...I would just like to take a quick look at how you’re healing from the birth if that’s okay.” 

I nod, turning onto my back with Jake’s help as the doctor draws the curtain around the bed. Improved as I am, I know I’m not at full strength yet, because moving still hurts. I guess I must have winced, because the doctor raises an eyebrow in concern as she pulls on a pair of gloves.

“You okay there?” 

“I think so. Guess I’m still pretty sore.” 

“That’s to be expected. You probably won’t feel one-hundred percent for another week or two at least.” 

I draw my knees up and part my thighs while the doctor pulls up a stool at the foot of the bed and lifts the blanket. I keep my attention focused on Jake’s face above me and the pressure of his hand on mine as the doctor carries out her checks. Occasionally, I let my eyes wander around to the multiple bouquets and mylar balloons that have built up over the past couple days, gifts from the Catalysts, Tahira’s team, my aunt and uncle, and Jake and Diego’s parents. 

“Everything is healing beautifully. Stitches should be dissolved by next week. You’re probably going to be feeling pretty tender for a while though.” 

“Yeah, we had the whole tearing conversation with my OB in California some time ago.” 

“Good. If you have any pressing questions regarding the birth and recovery, you can of course ask me, or one of the maternity staff. We can also forward your hospital records to your regular OBGYN.” 

“How long do you think it will be before we can go home?” Jake asks. 

She pulls the blanket back down and stands, peeling off her gloves. “Well, the fact is, we want to get her and your baby out of here ASAP to lower the chances of either of them picking up a secondary infection.” She smiles at me. “Now that the fever’s gone, we’re gonna get you off the drip and onto some oral antibiotics, and we can pretty much start the discharge process immediately.” 

“So soon?” My own question surprises me, but it’s out of my mouth before I realize it’s on the end of my tongue. 

“Believe me, it’s better we get you both out of here.” 

“I know. It’s not that I want to stay here. It’s just...thinking about how we’re going to get home...how soon we can get home…” 

“That’s all taken care of, Princess. Aleister is having Castor and Pollux deep cleaned, and he and Grace are gonna put us up for a few days until Mike gets up here from Santo Domingo. Diego and Varyyn are with Estela and Quinn, and your aunt and uncle basically paid for hotel rooms for everyone else.” 

His infodump has my head reeling a little, but there was one particular tidbit I find myself fixing on. 

“Why is Mike…?” I trail off as realization crashes down on me in an icy wave. A bit of information I had nearly forgotten in my struggle to bring my baby safely into the world while fighting a fever. Jake wasn’t worrying about me for all that time from the safety of our home in California. I don’t know the details, but I have a sinking feeling that has something to do with the reason that Mike isn’t here with us now. 

Jake folds my hand between his palms, glancing at the doctor. “Hey...do you have everything you need? I’d like a few minutes alone with my wife, if that’s okay.” 

“Of course. I’ll get the ball rolling on your discharge.” 

I wait until I’m sure she’s well clear of the room before I reach to stroke Jake’s cheek. “...I know Lundgren got his filthy hands on you. ...Fiddler told me. ...I’m guessing he got a hold of Mike, too.” 

He leans into my touch. “...And Sean and Michelle. Nabbed us all as I was bringing ‘em back from the island.” 

“I don’t know if she told me that. That conversation got swallowed up in worrying about you, and then I got sick and River started coming, and…” I swallow, running my thumb along the fuzzy ridge of his cheekbone. “...Did they hurt you? Any of you?” 

He shrugs, not meeting my eyes. “Knocked us all around a little. Michelle’s the smart one, of course, so she escaped the worst. ...Mike’s in Santo Domingo having his prosthetics repaired. Lundgren ripped them out ot torture him.” 

I shudder. “Oh, god...Oh, Jake, I’m sorry...I’m so sorry…” 

I’m crying before I realize it. And as soon as I do realize, it turns into sobbing. Jake reaches down to gather me in his arms and cradle my head against his shoulder, rocking me tenderly. 

“It’s okay,” he murmurs into my hair. “It’s okay. He’s gonna be fine. You’re gonna be fine. In a few days, we’ll be home with our baby.” 

“I w-wanna be home,” I hiccup. “I wanna be home with River, but I’m scared of leaving everyone again. I just wanna bring them all home with us…” 

“Well, it’s a very big house. ...On the other hand, you cram us all into the same house long term, it might start to feel less big. Plus, it would mean a brutal cross-country commute for some of them.” 

I can’t help chuckling a little bit, which makes the sobs start to die down. Jake gives me a moment to get myself under control before he speaks again. 

“...How are you feeling, Princess? Really?” 

“Physically?” I pull back gently to lie down on the pillow again. “Definitely better. My head is clearer, and I don’t hurt as much. But I’m still worn out. And by the way, you’re gonna have to make due with blow jobs for awhile, because it’s gonna be a long time before you stick that thing in me again, if ever.” 

It’s his turn to laugh, and he bends to kiss me. “Princess, I will tug it for the rest of my life as long as you’re still a part of that life.” 

“I will be a part of your life as long as the universe allows,” I promise. “...But Jake, we both know this isn’t over.” 

He sighs, and I see his forehead crease before he presses it to mine. “I know. I know you’re right. But for River’s sake--and mine--will you let the others take care of that for now? I ain’t saying don’t worry, because I know that’s impossible. But River and I need you healthy. Can you stand to let yourself be looked after for a while?” 

I feel a rueful smile tug at one corner of my mouth. “Am I to assume that arguing is pointless?” 

A tapping at the open door to the birthing suite distracts Jake from answering. We both look up to find Raj and Diego hovering in the doorway, Raj with a paper bag in his hand, and Diego with his right arm in a soft blue sling. It’s the first time I’ve seen him since River was born, and I sit up a little straighter as he hesitantly steps over the threshold. 

“...Are we interrupting?” 

The baby has started fussing, and Jake eases off the edge of the bed to go pick her up. I open my arms to Diego. Just before he rushes into them, I see his face twist with anguish. And as he falls against me, his one-armed grip is surprisingly strong. 

“Goddammit, Allie,” he whispers quiveringly. “Goddammit…” 

“...Did I scare you?” 

He pulls back sharply, enough so he can look me in the face, but he keeps a grip on my shoulder. “Did you scare me?! You had me on my knees saying the Ave Maria! Do you know how long it’s been since I said the Ave Maria?!” 

There isn’t really a lot I can say to that, but I smile ruefully. “...Thanks for staying with me.” 

“What, you thought I’d bail?” 

I snort. “God, no. But I can still be grateful.” 

“...You’re really okay?” 

I nod. “I’m fine. The fever is gone, and the wound doesn’t really hurt anymore. I’m still pretty sore down there, though.” 

A smile finally starts to play cautiously around his mouth. “...Well, that part’s Jake’s problem.” 

“How about you?” I ask, gingerly touching the strap of his navy blue sling. 

“That’s nothing serious. It was dislocated, but they popped it back in. Just got to wear this for a few more days, and take it easy once we get back home. ...Raj brought food, by the way.” 

“Oh!” I pull back a little to smile at Raj. “Sorry, big guy. I didn’t mean to ignore you.” 

Raj chuckles. “We’ll blame it on the new mommy brain and leave it at that. Speaking of which…” He shoos Diego back enough that he can drag my bed table over across my lap, and sets an insulated lunch box on top. “I figured you could do with something better than hospital fruit cups and oatmeal, so I brought you a special Raj lunch. Michelle supervised its creation, and it’s full of stuff that’s supposed to be good for new moms.” 

“What is it?” 

“So glad you asked!” With a flourish, he opens the bag, and pulls out each item in turn, presenting them like a game show prize lady. “A sandwich of salmon, spinach, and poached egg on whole wheat bread with a garlic white bean spread; in case you are extra hungry, a side of gourmet trail mix made from an assortment of nuts and dried fruit; and to drink, a pineapple-orange-banana smoothie with extra protein powder, and just a few extra leaves of spinach!” 

I can’t help but be uplifted by his enthusiasm, and hold out my arms for a hug. “I must be the most spoiled new mother in the world.” 

Raj embraces me lightly over the table. “As you should be. You know in some Asian cultures, a new mother spends a whole month resting while her mother-in-law takes care of her and the baby.” 

“Oh yeah?” I look at Jake. “Think your mother would spend a month taking care of me?” 

“Honestly, I bet she would. The problem would be getting her to ease up and let you start taking care of things after the month was up.” 

“Hmm...probably best not to give her ideas then.” 

“Probably. We’ll have my folks over in few more months, when we’ve had a chance to get settled.” 

“...But…” Raj says, “in the meantime, do you think you guys will be needing any extra help? I know it’s going to be a pretty full house as it is, but Diego’s going to want to take it easy with lifting and stuff for a while, and Michelle says Mike will probably need time to recover, too. If you need a couple extra pairs of hands and someone to do the cooking, I have some downtime, and I know Lila would be happy to come along.” 

I look questioningly at Jake, who shrugs. “I don’t have anything against that. It’s a big enough house. And if Varyyn and I are gonna be the only ones at full strength for the time being, I wouldn’t say no to a couple extra pairs of hands.”

“And probably better those hands be Raj and Lila than anyone’s parents,” Diego adds. “I bet Varyyn would prefer not having to wear his disguise twenty-four-seven.” 

“Yeah. And,” Jake adds with a sigh, shifting River to rest against his shoulder, “it’s probably preferable not to involve anyone who ain’t already involved in the bigger picture. ...Like you said before, Princess, this ain’t over.” 

“But for now, we’re all safe and sound, and Allie has a lunch to eat.” Diego smiles encouragingly as he pushes the tinfoil-wrapped sandwich toward me. “Go on. Dig in.” 

Jake

I gotta admit, it does my heart good to see my wife savoring the meal Raj brought her and enjoying our friends’ company. She seems almost back to her old self as she talks and tells jokes and teases with them. Although, as I put River in her arms, I can’t help but be reminded that she’ll never be exactly like her old self again. Not now that she’s a mama. Not like I’m ever gonna be exactly like my old self again either. I’m a daddy now. That’s gonna change me forever. The thought scares me, like it has a lot over the past nine months. But just a look at that precious little face is enough to reassure me that I am never gonna regret it. 

Diego and Raj eventually leave us on our own again. After nursing and burping, River sleeps just long enough that we can fill out her birth certificate, nestled side-by-side on the bed. From there, it’s not more than an hour or two before they’re wheeling Alodia toward the hospital exit with River in her arms again while I walk at her shoulder, a baby carrier in the crook of my elbow and my arms laden with flowers and mini mylar balloons. Any staff we happen to pass on the way out smile and wave or give us their congratulations. I have a feeling that in a hospital, any chance to see a patient off happy and healthy is a cause for celebration, and that probably goes double for a new mama leaving with a baby. 

Grace is waiting in a car for us at the curb outside the hospital. One of Reggie’s old carseats is in the backseat. Grace settles the baby in the carseat while I help Alodia into the seat beside her. 

“There’s a surprise for you guys when we get to our place,” Grace informs us as I circle around the car to get in on the other side of River. 

“Nothing too strenuous, I hope,” Alodia quips. “I am not up for a party yet.” 

Grace chuckles as she starts up the car. “Oh, believe me, I realize that. No, everyone is pretty sure parties are off the table for you for the time being. ...But you do know that everyone is going to want to see you before you leave, right? You gave us a scare, and no one wants you to go before we all know you’re okay. ...Plus, everyone wants to see River.” 

“I am not opposed to visitors,” Alodia assures her. “Just...only a few at a time.” 

“Absolutely. We won’t let you get overwhelmed.” 

“River, either,” Alodia adds, stroking our sleeping daughter’s downy hair. “Poor thing is probably overwhelmed as it is, suddenly coming into all this noise and color and light.” 

“Birth is the craziest thing that ever happens to us, and none of us remember it,” I remark, letting the blade of my forefinger run gently back and forth across the soft back of River’s tiny hand. Her little fingers twitch just slightly, and the base of her pacifier rocks back and forth across her lips, but she doesn’t wake up. I don’t expect the quiet will last. 

River does sleep throughout the half hour or so it takes to drive to Aleister and Grace’s luxury Northbridge apartment. As we pull up to the curb, I realize what our surprise is. 

“Mike!” 

I must have been a little louder than I thought, because River wakes up with a cry that can only be described as irritated, but it doesn’t fully register until I have already launched myself out of the car towards Mike. He’s balancing on a walker, so I at least have the good sense not to jostle him, but I can’t hold myself back from grasping him firmly by the shoulders. He grins, carefully removing his hands from the walker one at a time to grasp me back. 

“Good to see ya, Grandpa.” 

“Shit, you too! We weren’t expecting you for another couple days! How are you feeling?” 

“Well, as you can tell,” he says, nodding at the walker, “I’m not quite ready to run a marathon yet. But my new legs are healing up nice. ...Good to see you, Goldilocks.” 

His gaze shifts over my shoulder, and I turn to look back at my wife supporting herself on Aleister’s arm while Grace bounces River in her arms. Alodia smirks at me, her eyes twinkling mischievously. 

“I feel like I should make a joke about you abandoning your wife and child in the car to go hang out with your buddy,” she drawls. 

I grin sheepishly as Mike carefully returns his grip to the walker. “Sorry about that. Let me make it up to you.” 

I lunge and sweep her up bridal style, and I have the pleasure of feeling her arms twine around my neck. 

“Mmm, much better. However, unlike your daughter, I am actually capable of walking.” 

“But you don’t have to. Not right now, anyway.” But I do return her to her feet after capturing her mouth in a kiss. I don’t entirely take my hands off her yet, though. After her ordeal, I don’t think she’s really that much steadier than Mike right now. Her grip as she slips her arm through mine confirms my concerns. 

I’m standing between my wife and my best friend, and neither of them are fully able to stand under their own power. I’m starting to feel that much more grateful to Raj for volunteering to help us out for a while. 

I think Mike notices Alodia’s weakness, too, because his forehead creases just a little. “You all right, Goldilocks? From what I hear, you gave everyone a real scare.” 

“It was pretty scary on my end, too. But I’m fine now. How about you?” 

Mike shrugs. “Ahh, you know. A few weeks of rehab, I’ll be a six-million dollar man again. In the meantime,” he adds wryly, stroking the frame of his walker, “it’ll be hard to call Jake ‘Grandpa’ when I’m dottering around on this thing.” 

“You just called me ‘Grandpa’ two minutes ago.” 

“And I cannot tell you how hard I internally cringed. Seriously, if you could have seen my internal expression, you’d have thought I was sucking lemons.” 

I am morally obligated to reach out and swat him for that, but before I can, Alodia abruptly steps forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders. It’s an awkward embrace, encumbered by the walker and both of them still being weak, but it’s a sincere one, and Mike leans into it gratefully. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Alodia murmurs. 

“You too,” Mike says softly, reaching up to pat her shoulder with one hand. “But can we go inside? I wanna properly meet that baby you’ve been carrying around for the past nine months!” 

***

The Catalysts come by in shifts throughout the afternoon and evening, apparently having planned it all out beforehand. No one stays more than an hour at a time, which proves to be a good thing, since Alodia is clearly worn out by about eight in the evening. We’re set up in the guest room of the Rourke apartment, with River in a bassinet beside us, and Mike on the foldaway bed in the living room. 

Alodia nurses River and rocks her to sleep before lying down herself. At first, I curl up beside Alodia in bed. She’s asleep within minutes, but I’m not as quick. And after an hour, it’s pretty clear that I’m not on my way to dreamland any time soon. I don’t want to leave Alodia or River. I never want to leave Alodia’s side again. But I’m restless. Anxious. And eventually, the desire not to disturb what precious little sleep my wife might have before our daughter wakes her up again wins out over my irrational need to pace back and forth between them. I check the windows, making sure they’re locked, then I slip out of the room as quietly as I can, heading back out into the living room. 

I find Mike, Aleister, and Grace all seated in the living room. On the coffee table are four short, round glasses and a bottle of golden red liquid that I’m guessing is some kind of whiskey. 

“We were starting to wonder if you had also fallen asleep,” Aleister says. He gestures to the glasses. “We thought you might like to wet your baby’s head.” 

“Kind of a weird expression,” I remark. Nonetheless, I pick up the bottle and take a seat in an armchair to read the label. “Ooh, Irish Mist. Fancy.” 

“It is not every day that one becomes a father. The night Reginald was born, Diego, Varyyn, and I toasted his birth with Irish Mist.” 

I crack open the bottle, and lean forward to fill each of the four glasses about halfway. I set down the bottle and raise my glass, the others following suit. 

“To River Skye McKenzie, my beautiful angel. And to her mother, my better half, who is truly the best and bravest of us.” 

“Here, here!” Grace says. We clink glasses, and I take a long, deep drink, savoring the sweet notes of honey and spices riding atop the alcoholic burn of whiskey. I return my glass to the table empty and lean back in my chair. 

“When my sister and I both were born, my grandpa had my dad and the men of the neighborhood over to smoke cigars on the porch.” I chuckle a little. “Rebecca remembers helping our grandma in the kitchen, and seeing all the men outside smoking. She says what she remembers most about the day I was born was our dad coming in from outside to give her a hug, but she pushed him away and said, ‘No, Daddy! You stink!’” 

My story prompts the expected laughter. 

“I am afraid Irish Mist will have to do tonight,” Aleister says. “I did not think to buy cigars. Nor would I know enough to ensure I was purchasing a quality product. As I understand it, Cuban cigars are the best, but those are illegal.” 

Mike shudders. “Honestly, I think the smell of a Cuban would be enough to give me flashbacks. Lundgren used to smoke contraband Cubans.” 

“Same here,” I agree. “I mean...there was that one time…” 

“...That one time what?” 

I chuckle a little, rubbing the back of my head. “Okay, no one currently in this room was there when Zahra blew up MASADA…” 

“What’s that got to do with Cuban cigars?” 

I sigh, but in spite of myself, in spite of how literally everyone else in the room with me was in some kind of bad situation at the time, I feel a smile playing around my mouth at the memory. 

“Okay, so it’s me, Alodia, Sean, Quinn, Estela, Craig, and Zahra trying to find another way out of the complex after the gondola gets severed, and when we go through a control room, Zahra gets the idea to blow the whole thing up. We figure it’s worth the couple extra minutes, so we let her do it. And while she’s rigging the system, I find one of Lundgren’s Cubans somewhere on the floor. ...And I light it up. But only to spite the bastard.” 

“But did you enjoy it?” Mike asks. 

“Hell, yeah! The hype ain’t a lie, buddy. Not saying I’d do it again unless it were one of his personal stash, but that was a real good smoke. ...Still...it wouldn’t be right to celebrate River with Cuban cigars. Lundgren and Rourke did enough to taint her birth.” 

“Nothing has been tainted,” Grace says firmly. “She and Alodia both came through it well and healthy.”

“I ain’t losing sight of what’s important,” I assure her. “But I can’t let my guard down, either.  ...We all know this ain’t over.” 

Grace sighs. “...No, you’re right. It isn’t over. ...Which means...I should probably tell you what I learned in Ireland.”

Diego

I knew that the Catalysts wouldn’t have sat on their hands while any of their own were in danger, but I am surprised to learn just how busy they were during the time that Allie and I were in Arachnid’s claws. I’m even more surprised--and frankly unsettled--by some of the things they learned. Yvonne might be alive. Lundgren flew the same plane that killed Allie’s parents, even though the twisted wreckage of that plane is the property of the NTSB. The whole mess with Allie’s mom, that weird AI message from a program made by Allie’s mom. It all leaves us with a lot more questions than answers. 

I told the police everything I felt like I could safely tell them. I went so far as to tell them that I think Everett Rourke might be alive because that’s who our kidnappers claimed they were taking us to. I don’t know if they believed me. I don’t know if the future of the Vaanti is safe. A part of me hopes that they lose interest in the case since everyone who was abducted has been recovered safely. But I also know that none of us are really safe until Rourke is either back behind bars or dead. 

Aleister and Estela make all the travel arrangements for those of us going back to California, including my folks and Allie’s. Castor carries me, Allie, Jake, Varyyn, Mike, Raj, Lila, Rebecca, and River. For once, Jake and Mike aren’t going to be flying. Pollux is taking our families. A third plane, smaller but no less luxurious, takes Jake’s parents back to Louisiana. They’re reluctant to leave him. They don’t want to be apart from their son, or their daughter, or their granddaughter. He assures them they can come visit soon, but that their daughter-in-law needs some time to recover first. 

At the airport, Allie’s aunt and uncle hesitate to part from her on the tarmac. Allie stands with River in her arms, patiently enduring as Molly smoothes her hair and kisses her forehead, asking if she’s sure Allie doesn’t want her and Rob to wait at the airport in California to drive her home. When Allie insists she’s sure; that Molly and Rob should go ahead and get home so they can rest. Rob says they’ll make sure there are cars waiting for us to take us all back to the house in Laguna. 

My parents board the plane before I arrive at the airport. On board the plane, I nestle up with Varyyn on one of the double-width leather seats. I wind my arms around him and bury my face in his shoulder, inhaling his scent. He kisses the top of my head. 

“Are you alright, my love?” he murmurs. 

“...I’ll be fine,” I assure him. “I’m just...disappointed. I knew my parents weren’t ready to meet you. But I had hoped...I don’t know. I had hoped it wouldn’t be like this. Even if I knew it probably would be.” 

Varyyn sighs, bringing a hand up to stroke my cheek. “They may yet come around. Or they may not. In the end, it is up to them. All I can promise is that I will love you regardless of their decision.” 

“...I love you, too.” 

“You guys all set?” Raj’s voice makes me look up. The others are boarding behind us and finding their seats. Jake helps Allie settle in and get her seatbelt on, River still cradled in her arms. 

“Are you sure a plane is really the best way to travel with a newborn?” Lila asks. 

“When the choices are between a rental car, a train, or a private plane for a cross-country trip, a private plane is hands down the best option,” Rebecca declares. “I mean, if we were on a commercial plane, I’d think twice, since those things are basically flying petri dishes. But this plane has been deep-cleaned, unlike the train. It’s more comfortable than a car, and faster than both the car or the train.” 

“Yeah, but what about her little ears? All the pressure?” 

“The doctor says that if I nurse her during take-off and landing, that should keep her comfortable. Besides...I just want to be home.” 

Home. The word washes through me in a way that comforts me even as it makes me want to cry. Images flash through my mind of the house I share with my husband, my best friend, her husband, and his best friend--and now, my little niece and goddaughter. Watching movies in the living room with Allie. Sharing dinner around the table or out on the balcony. Cuddling with Varyyn in the hot tub in the evening, letting the warm, swirling water sap the energy from my body, and then sliding into bed beside him and drifting off to sleep in his arms. At home, I don’t have to hide. I don’t have to walk on eggshells or worry about losing anyone’s love. At home, I’m safe and free. I meet my best friend’s eyes, offering her a tired smile. 

“I’m with you, Allie. Let’s get home.” 

Raj

Nothing but the best for my friends, that’s my motto. I came to the house in Laguna Beach to make sure that my friends would have the best care while they needed it, and I waste no time in getting down to business. Alodia, Diego, and Mike need space to convalesce. But with a new baby in a huge house like this, there is a lot to be done. Jake and Varyyn can’t be expected to do everything, and that’s where I and Lila come in. 

River is constantly monitored. Whenever she cries, someone is ready to come running to change her diaper, or to bring her to Alodia for feeding. I prepare meals ahead of time that can be easily heated and served, so no one goes hungry. Lila helps me cook and keep the house clean. Alodia’s aunt and uncle attempt to send cleaning and catering services to her at one point, but they end up being politely refused. Lila and I have everything under control, and none of us want strangers poking around here. 

Alodia is occasionally moody, snapping at everyone to stop fussing over her, and she can’t wait to be free of this gilded cage and go back out into the world. This is usually followed by tearful apologies, with all of us assuring her that we don’t take it personally. She just had a baby, she’s allowed to be moody. Besides, the moment someone places River in her arms, it seems like everything is right in her world, and everything is right in our world, too. 

...Except it’s not. Not entirely. 

River is happy and healthy. Alodia is getting her strength back. Diego gets rid of the sling, and Mike starts to get around without the walker again. But underneath the surface, there is still trauma. There’s still fear. 

“They’re having nightmares,” I tell Lila one morning as we’re preparing breakfast. She pauses for a moment with a knife poised above an orange before swiftly slicing it in half. 

“Is that so surprising?” she asks. She doesn’t look at me as she speaks, but concentrates on making sure the thick, white heart of the orange half in her hand is positioned properly on the cone of the juicer before she presses down and begins to twist. Bright yellow juice splashes down into the container below. 

“Well, no. But it is sad. Jake and Alodia especially should be concentrating on enjoying their new baby, not having nightmares and worrying about whether Rourke’s coming back for them.” 

Lila pulls the now-deflated orange rind off the cone of the juicer and tosses it on the countertop. Ribbons of tattered orange flesh cling to the inside of the rind. She picks up the other half. 

“...Do you ever have nightmares from Mr. Rourke?” she asks softly. 

“Of course,” I reply. “Not as much as before, but I think we all have them sometimes. After what we all went through, I think I’d be more surprised if any of us didn’t.” 

The twisting of the orange on the juicer slows just slightly. The toaster pops behind me, and I pluck four pieces of perfectly browned bread from the slots to toss onto a plate. 

“...I have nightmares, too.” 

The butter has been softening on the counter, and my knife slides easily through it. The heat from the toast softens it further, and it spreads cleanly. 

“...You want to talk about it?” 

Lila shakes her head, picking up her knife and another orange. “No. Not now. They don’t really matter anyway. They’re about things that happened in the past. I’m less scared of them than I am of what happens in the future.” 

“Do you mean Rourke’s next move?” 

“Of course that scares me. ...But more than that, I’m scared of him trying to use me against all of you again.” 

“We won’t let that happen, Lila. You’re safe with us.” 

“...But are you safe with me?” 

I pause a moment before putting down my knife. I turn to Lila, put one hand on each of her shoulders, and turn her toward me. 

“Lila...look at me. ...Has Rourke approached you at all since you’ve been with us again?” 

Her eyes widen in what looks like genuine surprise. “What? No, I...that isn’t what I meant!” 

I relax just a little. “...Okay.” I slowly take my hands away from her shoulders. “...You’d tell me if he had, wouldn’t you?” 

She nods. “Of course.” 

“Good. ...Because if he approaches you again, we can help you. We can help keep you out from under his thumb. ...We’re not gonna let him just have you back.” 

A weak smile lifts the corners of her mouth. “I believe you.” She hastily turns back to the oranges in front of her. “You should...um...finish buttering before the toast gets cold.” 

Overhead, the sharp, piercing cry of an infant rings through the air. I smile. Another morning blending into another day. It’s not perfect. We’ve got reason to worry. But for now, all is well. 

Diego

I keep my head down as I move through the halls of my high school, clutching the straps of my worn-out backpack. It’s the same shabby gray one I’ve been carrying since freshman year. I’m a junior now, and the corners near the bottom are starting to fray where the sharp corners of paper-bag covered textbooks have dug into them. 

My stomach growls. I skipped lunch again today. My parents were gone to work early again, and I didn’t leave myself enough time to make myself anything this morning. I barely had time to scarf down a banana for breakfast. I didn’t have enough cash for a cafeteria lunch, either, and besides, I preferred spending my lunch period playing on the computer in the library to sitting by myself at the end of a table filled with noisy strangers anyway. 

If I can scrape together enough change from the bottom of my pencil case, I might have enough to get a bag of chips from the vending machine before I have to go to my after school job. But for now, my hunger isn’t all that sharp, and I am heading towards English Lit, the only class I currently look forward to. 

The class is taught by Mr. Hunter. He also teaches the film-making class I want to sign up for next semester. He’s in his early fifties, and not handsome. He is tall and lanky, with gray-green eyes and a dark helmet of slicked back hair that sits atop a rectangular face. He has one of those mustaches that seemed to be popular in the 1970’s that always make a man look a little sketchy. He wears paisley shirts and slacks, and his voice reminds me of Bert from Sesame Street.

Mr. Hunter is the best teacher I’ve ever had at this school. When we studied Romeo and Juliet, he started off by giving us all a printed-off list of Shakespearean insults. When one girl tried to mumble her way through a line-reading, he shouted, “Put some feeling into it, you saucy wench!” 

Mr. Hunter is also gay, and he does not attempt to hide this. When my parents ask about my teachers and which ones I like best, I leave this fact out. If they knew, they would make me switch to another class. Mr. Hunter has a picture of himself with his boyfriend on his desk. I’ve seen it when I’ve gone up to hand in assignments. His partner is bald and ruddy-skinned. He’s not handsome, either, but he has an open, friendly smile. Sometimes, I imagine them kissing. I worry that I have a crush on Mr. Hunter. 

On the post of every classroom door is a laminated pink triangle, with a message proclaiming that this is a safe space for LGBTQ students. These triangles are mandated by the school district. Not every teacher honors them. One teacher actually tore hers down and refused to put it back up. She was fired. Last year, two girls were voted “Cutest Couple” in their senior class. I look at the triangles, prominently displayed as I walk into each classroom, and I don’t feel particularly safe. I feel safe in Mr. Hunter’s classroom. 

Inside Mr. Hunter’s classroom, two boys from the football team act out a love poem with one of them in a curly blond wig and the bottom of his shirt tucked into his collar to create a crop top. They end with a flourish, with the boy in the wig jumping into the other boy’s arms and goosing him. Everyone applauds their performance, including Mr. Hunter. 

Outside Mr. Hunter’s classroom, guys of all stripes growl “faggot” in my direction, and even the girls who are nice to me seem pitying more than anything. There’s a Pride club that meets after school two days a week, but I don’t dare join. I’m slowly realizing I can’t deny the truth anymore, but that doesn’t mean I can just announce it to the world. 

I have just enough change to buy a bag of chips after school. I put it in my backpack as I make my way toward the library where I work for a few hours each day. I see Sam Dzugan eyeing me as I pass through the main doors to the school, and feel dread so familiar that it’s almost dull. Of all the bullies at this school, Sam is the worst. He also knows where I work. If he’s bored and hungry for a power fix tonight, I’m in for a rough walk home. 

But he doesn’t follow me to work. At the library, I set to work filing back the books from the return cart. As I do, my mind wanders to the same place it always does: Alodia. 

Alodia. My ideal friend. I conjure up an image of her beside me. She would be pretty, like all the most popular girls at school. I summon a small, pale figure with blonde hair, big blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. I talk with her in my head as I wander the aisles of the library with the return cart. I can picture her cheeky smile as clearly as if she were really beside me. I have spent many years getting the details of her perfect. Early incarnations of her were dark-haired. Green-eyed. Taller. I drew pictures of her. I wrote down her description in a private notebook that I kept under my mattress. But she never felt as real as when I wrote her with golden blonde hair and sapphire eyes. 

She laughs at all my jokes as I work the rest of my shift. I forgot to eat the chips I bought, and I’m hungry enough now to start feeling dizzy. ...Alodia would invite me to dinner at her house. A huge, fancy house with a pool, where a chef would have prepared a gourmet meal. 

“Don’t worry about Sam,” she would say. “If he gives you any trouble, I’ll fight him off.” ...Because Alodia would be fierce. A fighter. Alodia was a hero. A hero who loved me unconditionally. 

Alodia was never meant to be my lover. I wasn’t looking for a lover when I first dreamed Alodia into existence, which is probably why I always imagined her as a girl. I could scarcely imagine having a lover before I had a friend. That was what Alodia was to me. A friend. A friend who would always love me. A friend who I could tell my secrets to without judgment. A friend to fight for me and protect me, who saw value in me, and needed me back. 

But my friend is a fantasy. And when I leave work and Sam corners me in the encroaching darkness, Alodia vanishes…

...I wake up with a gasp, bolting upright in the darkness of my room. Beside me, Varyyn grunts in his sleep and rolls over, the moonlight reflecting off his blue skin. I stare at his sleeping form for a moment, trying to take stock of myself. I’m shaking. My pajamas are damp with sweat. I feel cold. I feel sick and empty with fear. I don’t exactly remember what I was dreaming about, but one thought keeps echoing in my mind: Allie. I have to find Allie. 

I slip out of bed as gently as I can while I’m still trembling. I don’t want to wake Varyyn. As I slip into the hall, motion-sensitive lights plugged into the sockets near the floor illuminate my path. My dream is still hazy, but bits and pieces trickle back as I shuffle down the hall with my hand on the wall. I was alone. Allie didn’t exist. It was a timeline that I have all but forgotten, and it felt entirely too real. 

I need to find her. Or at least evidence that she still exists. The door to the nursery is slightly ajar, enough that I can see the soft glow from the lamp on the bedside table. I peek through the crack in the door and relief floods through me. Allie, bundled up in her robe and slippers, sits in the rocking chair with River in her arms, gently rocking back and forth. I exhale slowly. I should go back to bed, but I am not ready to let her out of my sight yet. I start to push open the door. She gasps a little, looking up sharply. 

“Oh, Diego!” She smiles at me, settling back into her chair. “You startled me.” 

“Sorry,” I whisper back. “...Did I wake up River?” 

“No. I just fed her, so she’ll probably be out for an hour or two.” She looks up at me as I come to settle into the armchair across from her. “...What are you doing up?” 

“...Bad dream,” I admit. “...About...about you. I had to come check on you or I was never going to get back to sleep.” 

I half-expect her to joke about me being a creeper watching her while she sleeps, but instead she sighs. “...I kinda know the feeling.” 

“Yeah. I bet you do.” 

“You wanna stay up with me for awhile?” 

“Yeah. But I feel like I should be telling you to get some sleep while you can.” 

“I probably should be sleeping,” she admits. “...But I don’t really want to let her go.” 

There’s not really much I feel like I need to say to that. I understand. I don’t think there’s anyone in this house who doesn’t empathize with that feeling in one way or another. Especially now. 

“...Diego…?” 

“Yeah, Allie?” 

For a long moment, she doesn’t say anything, though her mouth opens and closes a couple times. Then, she swallows and takes a deep breath. 

“...I love you. I love you, and I love Jake, and Raj, and all the Catalysts…” 

“We love you, too, Allie.” 

“...When you imagined me. In that other timeline. When I didn’t come to be until the Island...did you ever imagine my future?” 

I can’t help flinching. Her words feel like a cold pinprick at the top of my spine. “...Allie...I...I don’t really remember that timeline…” 

“I know. I know. But...it happened. It existed. I was once born to be what you needed. What all the Catalysts needed. ...But now...now I have River. Someone new who needs me. She needs me more than any of my Catalysts.” 

“I...I think that’s true,” I say slowly. “...We all love you, and we want you with us. But River is your child. She’s helpless and new. She needs your love and your care and your guidance to survive.” 

“...I’m scared, Diego. I’m scared by how much I love her. I’m scared by how much she needs me.” 

My earlier fear is being replaced with concern that is entirely for my friend.  “...Allie...are you okay? Is this some kind of postpartum depression?” 

“I don’t know what this is, Diego. I know that I love River more than I ever thought I could love anyone alive. I would have torn myself apart for my Catalysts without hesitation. I gave up my existence to give my Catalysts the world. ...But I can’t consider that anymore. Because River needs her mother.” 

“Oh, Allie. That’s not a bad thing. None of us want you to tear yourself apart.” 

“I know. ...But I am afraid of what happens if the world asks for it. ...If I end up at the Threshold again, or a new Raan’losti…” She looks up at me. “...Diego...I think I have to face what’s in the pool shed.” 

I feel my blood run cold. I know what’s in the pool shed. The collection of objects that were left for us in the Crystal dimension when we went to rescue Tahira. Including…

“...Are you sure?” 

She nods. “...It was left for me to find for a reason. I have to touch the Andromeda idol again.” 

[luverofralts]

Post Arkhelios

Adam stayed by his nephew’s side as long as he was allowed. He hadn’t been allowed in the operating room, but there was no removing him from the recovery area.

The bullet had gone clean through Roman’s chest, so fortunately there was nothing to remove, and once the bullet was found, it could easily be compared to the one that had killed Abraham Helios. Roman had lost a lot of blood, and there was still considerable damage caused by the bullet, but everyone agreed that he’d likely recover from this attack. Malika had stumbled upon him in just enough time to save him.

Malika had been equally difficult to remove from the recovery area. Adam at least had staff privileges, while Malika was in the recovery area by sheer force of will. No one dared escort her out when she was that intense about staying. The hospital hadn’t really hired any security in the past decade since their previous most serious case had been Zane Hydes eating fifty grilled cheese sandwiches in one night and becoming quite ill from it. They’d never needed security to take on family members overstepping proper procedures before. At least both Wanda and Salem were directly impacted by Roman’s shooting, and probably would approve any budget increase the hospital asked for.

There had been another positive change caused by the shooting. Malika had actually embraced her son Adam, and he may have been hallucinating it, but he thought he may have heard her whisper that she was proud of him. After years of her being indifferent at best towards him, Adam wasn’t sure he knew how to process this sudden display of maternal praise.

Omar and Kamalani were so beside themselves with worry, they didn’t even bicker with each other as they sat next to their unconscious son. Omar left his spouses and kids at home for obvious reasons, but Wbuna had sent along homemade muffins to supplement the horrible cafeteria food in support of the family. Salem had eaten a few before Malika’s arm had “slipped” and dropped them in the trash.

“I should have had him living with me,” Omar groaned finally. “This would never have happened if I-”

“If what?” Kamalani snapped. “What would you have done? What have you ever done?”

“What have I done? I didn’t abandon him for months without any explanation or even a goodbye.”

“No, you just let your incompetent parents raise him for you, until he let a Helios seduce him into breaking-”

“Kamalani!” Malika’s voice cut across the room sharply and her ex-daughter in law’s mouth snapped closed immediately. The two women shared a knowing stare that Omar couldn’t interpret.

“Well, I’ll be fighting to get custody of him again. He’s going to need his father more than ever after this,” he declared and nearly everyone in the room tried to stifle a laugh.

“Oh honey, we all appreciate you trying to lighten the mood, but now isn’t the time for joking,” Malika chided, tousling his hair like he was still ten years old.

Someone needed to hold down the fort at the Bellamy home, and Wanda and Hunter volunteered. They chased off some reporters, and checked in every hour with the hospital, but were otherwise left alone with their thoughts.

“This is all so crazy,” Wanda said. “Nothing makes sense.”

“I know, who would want to shoot Roman? He’s just a kid.”

Wanda wasn’t entirely sure about how to broach the subject of motive with her husband. She’d been having doubts for weeks now about anything concerning Roman’s recent troubles. Kamalani was as rude to her as the blood related Bellamys, and it was no surprise that Malika had Kamalani around more than her actual son. The two of them were both vipers hiding behind a deception of sincerity. But what were their real motives? Wanda got to be included in simple things like summoning Roman, but was left out of their private tea times, and whispered conversations in the yard.

“Don’t you think it’s strange that the person who killed Abraham shot to kill him, and then shot Roman clear of any major arteries or organs?”

Hunter frowned.

“Maybe they were a lousy shot,” he replied. “It doesn’t matter, I’m just thankful that he’s going to pull through this. He could have just as easily bled out.”

Wanda picked at the corner of one of her nails absently. This needed to be said in the right way.

“Don’t you think it’s odd that your mother was walking in Factory Park so late at night, just in time to find Roman?”

Hunter’s frown grew deeper.

“No, she got a text message from the killer. That’s why Roman went too. She’s lucky to not have been a victim as well.”

“I know, but she...” Wanda paused and changed tactics. “Have you noticed anything strange happening lately? Especially around Roman? I saw him throwing chairs at his bedroom window the other day, trying to break the glass.”

Hunter shrugged.

“He’s a troubled kid,” he replied. “A lot’s changing in his life and he’s acting out.”

Wanda shook her head adamantly.

“No, it’s more than that. Kamalani and your mother talk about him all the time, but stop talking the instant I get close to them. He’s been cooped up in this house for several weeks, and never once left to see Abe who lives basically down the street. You’re telling me that Roman, the boy who runs away from everything, stayed voluntarily in this house when he could be sneaking out to see his boyfriend?”

Hunter’s shoulders stiffened, and Wanda knew she’d pushed a bit too hard, too quickly.

“What are you saying? That Roman should have died because Abraham died? That my nephew is usually out roaming the streets looking to impregnate other teens and him trying to spend a time of crisis with our family for support is suspicious?”

“Yes!” Wanda blurted out, too frustrated to care anymore. “Yes, he should have died! Just like my brother died! Your mother had no time to see and react to the text and still make it to that park in time to save him.” Her hands clenched into fists. “This family is insane, and it would be insane to expect support from them! Your brothers are thrown out of your family now, but they were never really included in the family before! Who lets their son’s ex-wife stay in their house, while shunning their son? Omar’s a bit dull, but he’s way better than Kamalani! And Roman has been a budding sociopath as long as he’s lived with your parents. He has no friends his age, and keeps condoms that he uses with someone in his wallet. For god’s sake, you could tell me that he shot Abraham and I would believe it. I try and I try with that kid, and nothing outside of being with Abe seems to get through to him. No wonder both of his parents abandoned him here!”

Wanda was practically hyperventilating. All of her frustrations, all the little micro aggressions she’d had to endure while living here spilled out of her, and for the first time in months, her chest didn’t feel burdened down by the Bellamy family.

Hunter said nothing, but Wanda could see the anger burning in his eyes. He stood up slowly and headed for the hall.

“It’s been a very stressful night, and tensions are running high,” he stated with the same bitter edge to his voice as his mother. “I think that maybe it would be for the best if you spent the night with Melvin. To clear your head.”

Wanda rested her head against the smooth wall outside of the hospital main entrance. She and Hunter had never really fought before, and she didn’t like feeling out of sync with him. There was so much adding up that she didn’t understand about the Bellamys, and about Arkhelios itself. Maybe a night apart would help give Hunter some perspective on his family. Maybe it would help her decide if she truly wanted to be a part of the Bellamy family at all. She would go spend the night on Melvin’s couch, and they would put their heads together and solve this nightmare once and for all. The constant stream of funerals had to end before the entire population of Arkhelios was buried in the church yard.

Still, she felt bad about what she’d said about Roman, especially since he was still in such bad shape. Could she be wrong about having suspicions about his injuries? Maybe he had just been luckier than Abraham and she was forcing connections to help her cope with how her brother had not been quite so lucky. She decided to pop in to see Roman quickly before she headed to Melvin’s just to ease her guilt. Maybe supporting the Bellamys when their guard was down was the key to winning them over. If they endured this all together, they would have some common ground to work with.

The hospital wasn’t very big, and had a limited amount of rooms for Roman to be in. She found Salem and Omar napping on couches in a waiting area, with several empty styrofoam cups of hospital coffee strewn across a nearby table.

Well if they’re able to sleep, that probably means Roman is doing okay.

She peeked into the first room on the left. Nope. Empty.

She wandered to the next room down the hall. No, no Roman. She was about to continue her search when she heard familiar voices echo down the hall. Malika was crying to the point of actual sobs, which made Wanda extremely uncomfortable. Malika never broke down and showed her feelings, especially if they made her look vulnerable. It felt like an intrusion to hear her in this state, but this brief glimpse into Malika’s actual feelings may be the only chance Wanda ever got to understand her bewildering mother in law. She hid in the room she’d entered behind the door, and strained to hear what was being said just up the hall. Thank god the hospital walls were poorly made and exceptionally thin.

“I...I can’t get the blood out of my coat,” Malika sobbed, and Wanda could hear Kamalani make comforting shushing sounds.

“It’s okay, we did what we had to. Things will be better now. You can buy a new coat.”

What they had to do? That probably just means the CPR.

“And my hands, under my nails...there’s a gaping hole in my grandson’s chest, I saw it! I practically raised him! I kissed him good night every time you gave him to us.” The sobs increased until Wanda could barely understand what she was saying. “And now I’ve watched him slowly start to die! People cut him open right in front of me! His shirt...bleeding...and pieces of bone....”

Malika was barely making sense and Wanda felt shame wash over her, listening to a grandmother grieve this horrible trauma. Maybe Hunter was right, and there wasn’t anything deeper to Roman’s shooting. Malika had been lucky to find Roman when she did. The stars had just aligned correctly to save Roman. He had beat the odds, and Zane simply didn’t. Just random chance.

“Shhh,” Kamalani whispered. It sounded like Malika was calming down. “’Screw your courage to the sticking place’, remember? You know what’s at stake here, and our plan is working. That Helios boy almost came here once already. With Roman immobile, he’ll be drawn here eventually. Arkhelios can be saved. Roman will be saved.”

A chill ran down Wanda’s spine and she pressed harder against the wall instinctively. She definitely didn’t want to be discovered now.

This had been the wrong thing to say, and Malika started sobbing once more.

“His-His eyes though! I saw him look at me when he fell. When he struggled to breathe! I thought when we started this it would be easy, but I can't forget the look on his face. The smell of his blood! I can only pretend that I don't know for so long. How do I tell him when he wakes up? How can I make him understand?”

Kamalani sighed heavily, clearly growing impatient with her ex-mother in law.

“Tell him that you weren’t involved. That you found him after I left. You’re not the one who pulled the trigger after all. He may not even remember seeing you there, or confuse it for when you called Adam." A long pause and more sobbing carried over the air to Wanda. "If it makes you feel less guilty, I can shoot you too. That will throw suspicion off of you.”

Wanda had to clasp a hand over her mouth to keep from reacting.

Kamalani shot her own son? Why? And does this mean she killed Abraham too?

“You had one job this entire time,” Kamalani hissed as Malika’s sobs grew louder. “All you had to do was put him on a plane and keep writing checks until some duke or prince caught his interest and you couldn’t even manage that. Now how do you think he'll feel when Abe turns up dead? You could have spared him that pain if you'd only stopped this when I warned you."

Complete silence fell in the hospital. The only sound was the faint hum of the lights, and an occasional beep from down the hall. Wanda looked through the crack of the door hinges, and saw Malika poke her head out of the room they were in, looking for any sign of eavesdroppers. Salem and Omar were still sleeping and the woman at the front desk far down the hall seemed to be busy typing. Wanda held her breath, trying to remain as still as possible. Satisfied that they were alone, Malika ducked back into the room.

“What do you mean?” she hissed, shock replacing her tears. “Killing Abe was never part of the plan. We only need to prevent the child-”

“It’s been too long, that child could be born any day now and survive. Our only chance is to act swiftly, and end the threat immediately. You must realize how close to ruin Arkhelios is. A lot more people will die if Abe doesn’t. You know this, Malika! You were the one who chose this to begin with."

Malika sighed and seemed to be gathering her composure again. The cold mask she presented to the world (and especially to Wanda) was slipping back into place.

"You're right," she admitted. "I don't have the stomach for the act itself, but it's necessary. We've been too subtle, too timid hoping that this will resolve itself. Roman will understand one day, and if he doesn't, then maybe he'll feel pushed to leave Arkhelios on his own."

[stitch1830]

🎩

I'm fine and dandy,

Mind i ask your opinion on what became of the Gaang in LOK? I know the Toph being a cop thing ruffles some feathers and some don't accept Aang was a bad father.

HAT ANON HI glad to hear you are fine and dandy on this exquisite day of the week. And OOF this is a loaded question, but I'll do my best! :)

So I feel like there are a couple ways to answer this question based on your shipping preferences, but for the sake of this I'll try and answer everything based on what is considered canon. So ATLA, comics, and LOK.

I'll also preface by saying that I get why there are some controversial takes in LOK... I think they were trying to make the characters have more depth and show that even our favorite characters have flaws, even when they're adults. I just think that in some situations it was OOC and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you see where the Gaang went from the start to the end of ATLA, and then to see glimpses of their adult life and only seeing the trashiest parts.

Aang: If he's with Katara, it's not surprising to me that he's not a great father. Like, he has very strong opinions about his culture and while Katara is just as passionate about her upbringing, there isn't a ton of evidence of Aang accommodating the children's upbringing to also integrate SWT traditions in their lifestyle. I don't think he was outwardly trying to be a bad dad or anything, but his desperation to pass down Air Nomad traditions to an airbender overshadowed his primary need to be a father to all three of his kids. It's also really hard to see him as still this happy, lovable nice guy who treats everyone with kindness and respect when we know that he practically ignored 2 of his kids... But basically, his 'bad takes' as a dad were left unchecked, and his actions were probably defended by his wife as opposed to having to face them.

Katara: This one hurt lol. Again, it's not surprising that when she's with Aang that she chooses to settle down and be a wife and mother and healer. Aang's the Avatar, he's busy, their two oldest children are really rambunctious and are craving attention, so it's gonna be Katara to give them the love and care they need. But based on what we see in ATLA, it's just sad that we don't get to see or hear about any changes she made in the world or fighting. She really does seem to be ushered off to the side, left to retire in SWT after Aang dies. It's also sad/crazy that her strength and ability to stand up to disrespectful or ignorant people goes away when she's an adult. And I feel like this is glaring in her relationship with Aang and then also when Korra is finishing up training in the SWT. The other masters are whining that Korra isn't ready and Katara says she is and then the men keep complaining and whining. Like, no way would ATLA Katara let that go without her giving her two cents. Yes, she does help Korra leave, but she definitely would've said something to those old hoots. It's also weird that her strong resolve doesn't show up when she's raising her children with Aang. Why didn't she confront him? And if she did, how come nothing changed? Maybe it was too late, but idk. Katara doesn't seem like the person to let things go after she stood up to the problem once. Essentially, I'm upset that Katara was this strong and powerful female protagonist in ATLA, but not really hear about her amazing strides in the world in LOK (because if she did change the world, they didn't mention it... sad).

Sokka: Hmmm, he's not really ever shown in the show except in one flashback (because he's dead tears), but from what it sounds like, he didn't have any children, didn't sound like he ever really settled down, nothing like that. I think it would be sad if Aunt Wu's fortune was true and he never really ended up happy because of things he did. Would that be considered OOC? I don't think so... He was the goofy guy and the brains of the operations, but he seems like the guy that is afraid of being happy or ruins things when he is happy. My only reasoning for this is when he lost Yue, it changed him on some level, and at first he tried to push away Suki when she was initiating a kiss. Pretty light and lame reasons, but it's something....

Suki: MY GIRL SUKI NOT MENTIONED THAT'S SO OOC. Lol. Like, why didn't she randomly pop up from time to time? Are the Kyoshi Warriors just not around? I don't like that she wasn't in LOK, not even in a small flashback or anything. She was friends with the Gaang and it seems odd that no one mentioned their dear friend that helped save the world with them even if she passed away or anything. And also I don't think a casual statement about her settling in the suburbs counts as canon lol.

Toph: Okay. I don't hate that she's a cop. It's not really in character, but I don't hate it. If all of her friends settled in Republic City, and they all had their own responsibilities to deal with and asked Toph to run the RCPD, I think she would say yes out of loyalty to her friends, maybe out of boredom. I'm surprised she was in the role as long as she was, though... She was starting to get bored of her metalbending academy after a year or two once things were running smoothly, so she seems like the kind of woman that would search for the next adventure. But if she had to be a cop, I think she'd much rather be the one enforcing the rules at the top as opposed to following the rules, but... yeah. In a canon universe I struggle to come up with a long-term career for her, so I made my peace with the cop thing. Many of my friends haven't though lol, which is okay! Another thing I didn't like was how she was portrayed as a bad mother. Not that she was a bad mother (as much as it would suck, I can kind of see her being a bad mom), but they way she was a bad mom didn't really fit her character. She was neglected as a kid, doesn't seem right that she in turn would neglect her kids by giving them too much freedom. Also! My least favorite thing was how she had a 20/30 year rift with her girls, and then it was suddenly resolved. Like... No we need some more context to the conflict, and we need to see work being put into the resolution if we're going to bring this up. If Lin held a grudge against her family for 30 years, a short "sorry I wasn't a great mom, hope you don't hate me" comment isn't going to make her forgive them lol. I do like how she was portrayed as a single mother to two girls. She doesn't really seem like the type to settle down, and it was a nice surprise to see her have daughters from different men. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and it would've been the perfect opportunity to show those differences and show that there's more than one way to have a positive upbringing (Like, let's see the cloudbabies and the Beifongs both happy even though they had two very different parental upbringings? Just... there was an opportunity is all). And yeah, she seems like the one that would never settle down or have a family, so it would've been interesting to see her handle motherhood and her job! So I'm okay with that bit.

Zuko: Okay Zuko seems chill in canon, but who's his wife? Where she at? He got a partner or anything? We may never know... But it's nice that he appeared to have a happy life with good kids and grandkids... And yet I'm confused as to why Korra preferred to go to Zuko instead of the Avatar's wife for advice on what Aang would have done when choosing between saving the Air Nomads and turning herself in to the Red Lotus?? Like, I know Katara was in the SWT, but they have phones now, you're telling me they couldn't have called Katara? Why wasn't Katara the first person they thought to ask about the situation? I know the logistics would've been difficult considering Katara is holed up in the SWT, but why did everyone say that Zuko knew Aang the best? Why didn't his wife know him the best? Thoughts to ponder.

Okay. I wrote a lot and there's probably more that I do and don't like about how the characters were portrayed... But I think what it all boils down to is that there was an opportunity to still get depth in these beloved characters without us being frustrated with situations that are OOC. Then again, that would make it less about the Krew and more about the Gaang... It just seems like a bit of a slap to the face when we see glaring problems with the Gaang's characterization, and yet, we get no explanation. It does allow for canon writers to play with the 70 years in between, but idk. I much prefer AU's where there's time and opportunity to explore the characters as their best selves I suppose. Honestly, with my disinterest and disliking of canon ships, I don't see the bad takes in LOK as OOC, but it makes me wonder how different things could have been if other ships were made canon (thank goodness they weren't, we're not pigeonholed into one type of story, but still).

Does this kind of answer your question? Lol, sorry if not. My thoughts are all over the place with this one! Thank you for the ask, though, Hatty. Hope you have a great day! :)

[olivarryprompts]

Fanfic Friday #10

Welcome to Fanfic Friday! Each Friday I will post a new fanfic here and on A03. Enjoy x

Read and save it on A03 here 

{peter stark and a no good very bad day}

Ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Steve Rogers & Peter Stark

Warnings: swearing, fluff otherwise :)

Wc: 3,984

Today, everything had gone wrong. He stayed up way past his bedtime the previous night and had gotten barely three hours of sleep by the time he arrived at school. He forgot his Spanish homework in the lab and that was the one grade he needed to pull from an A- to an A. He chugged a couple shots of espresso, and his usual store on the walk to school was closed. Meaning he had no redbull to sustain him through his classes.

Also, guess which class was straight bangout first, Spanish. So he hadn't done the homework and had no time to do it. Great. Fortunately, he made it through first period Spanish, only getting slightly scolded for not handing in the assignment. Then he had a break, and the kid desperately needed a pick me up coffee and muffin. He went to the closest cafe, one he’d come to love, only to find the whole football team there. Which would have been fine, if he wasn’t so goddamn awkward. He stood there for a solid five minutes before he asked the jock in his way to move so he could order.

Then, when the kid did get to ordering they ran out of fuckin chocolate muffins. What kinda cafe runs out of chocolate muffins at ten am? This one apparently. So coffee and blueberry muffin in hand, he headed back to the student lounge to get some work done.

The next portion of his day went as planned, a welcomed change of pace. Well Flash was a bitch, but what was new there. And his senses were through the roof. But other than that. That was all until the last period. To start, he got a text from his boyfriend, explaining that he’d no longer be arriving this Friday, but instead the following Saturday. Peter wanted to cry. He missed his boy. Leaving Harley on read, he tried to focus on chemistry, but he’d done the stuff they were going over about 100 times with Dr. Banner. He zoned out the entire class.

Finally, the bell rang and put him out of his misery. He quickly texted Ned asking if he was coming in the following day. He had been sick that day. He went to leave, but the class was stopped by the announcement of a test and more homework. For fuck sake.

He did get out, though. And he got straight in the car, barely pausing to say hello to Happy. Noticing the boy's unusual quiet, he didn’t press for more details about Peter’s day. Happy, though he’d never say it, enjoyed hearing about the kids day. He had come to really care for Peter, and his accomplishments made the older man happy. Ironic, he knew.

They had arrived at the tower in almost record time, and Peter was glad to have avoided extra time in the car. What he really craved was a couple hugs from his dads, a chat with his boyfriend, and to get through the stack of busy work that weighed him down.

Happy went round to the private entrance, wished the kid a good day, and headed off to some other errand. Peter exited, scanning his pass at security and being recognized and let through by Friday. So, he’d finally made it upstairs and there the sofa was, filled with a few avengers. Luckily his parents were among them. The two were sitting close to each other, as normal.

Peter simply put his head in his pops lap, and he laid his feet on his dad. Neither Steve nor Tony said anything, but they gave each other the look. Steve ran his hands through his son’s hair lovingly. “Pete?” Tony asked, “What happened kid?” “Nothin’” Peter replied, still buried in his Pop’s lap. “You sure about that?” Steve pressed. “Just a bad day,” Peter mumbled. “What happened паук?” Nat spoke up. She is very protective of Peter. “What didn’t happen?” he sighed dramatically. “Well you mope for as long as you like, Pete,” Tony joked. “Thanks dad,” he said, closing his eyes again in search of sleep. “Teenagers I tell you,” Clint said, rolling his eyes. “Fuck you Barton,” Peter mumbled before falling asleep properly. “He really is your child, Tones,” Clint laughed. “Hey Peter just said a bad language word,” Nat remarked. “God I hate all of you,” his Pops groaned. Then Peter fell into peaceful, safe sleep.

“Pete?” his Pops said, entering his room. He moved around, noticing he’d been moved from the sofa to his own room. He groaned. “Hello to you too.” “Yes, Hi, father, Captain America, Leader of the Avengers, Man of Strengt-” “Ok relax,” Cap rolled his eyes. Peter sat up, smirking. “Wanna tell me what actually happened today?” “J-just everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong.” “Did that start with you staying in the lab way past a normal sleeping time?” “Perhaps. How did you kn-” “You are aware that your dad designed that whole lab situation, right?” “Fair enough.” “Do we have to initiate Insomnia protocol again?” “God no, it was one night.” “Promise.” “Swear. Just an awful day. Spidey senses all acting up, being annoying, no chocolate muffins. Speaking of which, can I have the day off tomorrow? I have basically no classes.” (he wasn’t sure why, but all but one of his classes were cancelled.) Steve thought for a moment. He knew the kid had been through a lot always, and a day off never hurt anyone. Also, he was far too smart to be there anyway. “Yeah. Let me just double check with Dad, okay?” “Thanks.” “We’re eating dinner now so get cleaned up?” “Yep. Coming.”

The next day

Peter awoke at 10 with a smile on his face. He’d peacefully regained energy. He’d finished his school work the previous night, and he was happy to just relax for a day. He pulled on some SI sweatpants and a hoodie he’d stolen from Harley awhile back.

“Hey parentals,” he greeted, still holding his smile. “Morning,” his Pops said as he cooked breakfast. “Morning? Is it already?” I bet you can guess who that came from. “Tones,” Steve said, voice full of its normal concern. Peter just laughed, taking a stool at the bar. “What? I’m fine. I’m having fun.” “You promised you’d at least take a nap.” “Oops,” he smiled, heading back in the direction of the lab. “You’re a great role model to our son!” “You really are dad!” Peter added. “Love you both dearly.” Steve rolled his eyes and Peter chuckled. “Where’s the rest of the team?” Peter inquired. He’d come to realize that saying team was easier than naming all the residents of the tower. “Nat, Clint, Wanda, and Pietro are training. Thor and Loki went back to Asgard last night, and Bruce is in his lab.” “Oh, Loki didn’t tell me he was going back.” “Some emergency. Sorry kid.” “Yeah, i-it’s fine.” “He told me to assure you they’d be back soon.” “Good.” “Keaner getting here soon?” “Nah coming tomorrow now. Something about something, I don’t really know.” “Ok. Made grilled cheeses and tomato soups. It's almost done,” Steve offered. “Thanks,” Peter said. “What’s with Loki leaving that's got you so down?” “I just miss him a lot.” Steve knew that his Kid and loki had come to get on surprisingly well. They were as close as he and Nat. Not even Clint had managed to get that close.

Peter practically inhaled a couple of sandwiches. “I’m going to go work with Dad.” “Have fun!” “I will.” “Love you.” “Love you, too.” He sped down to the lab, where he could hear his Dad’s ACDC blasting as usual. “Heyo, what you working on?” “The suit nanotech. Wanna give your old man a hand?” “Always. Bring up the blueprints. What adjustments have you made so far? “Just the molecule distance and expansion weight. Trying to help stabilize the structure.” “What about the build construction stacking?” So they dove into work, Peter easily keeping up with the genius.

“Nicely done, getting too smart for me. What are you even doing in high school?” “Being bored and failing my humanities classes.” “You're not actually failing your classes are you? Grades are not everything bu-” “Relax father, I’m doing well in all my classes.” “I should probably know that. In fact I’ll actually show up to your next parent teacher conference.” “Please don’t,” Peter smiled. His father was generally very embarrassing. “Friday, make sure I’m at the kid’s next conference?” “Reminder set.” “Thanks, Fri.” “Anytime boss.” “God Fri please remind me to not show up for my next conference.” “Heyyyy,” Tony said, faking offence. “Dad, you can be very overbearing.” “I know, but-” “No.” “Fine, guess I’m not coming. Trying to be a good father and parenthood isn’t for me.” “I beg to differ,” Steve said, coming in to check on us, “realise you're no match for Peter’s intelligence yet?” “No fucking way. I’m a genius. Many PHDs. Kid hasn’t even finished high school, plus he has an A- in Spanish,” Tony laughed. “How did you-,” Peter rolled his eyes. “Friday just sent them to me.” “You’re awful.” “Hey watch it, MIT is still your dream school?” “I fucking hate you so much,” Peter really did loved this kind of banter with his father. “Maybe I do agree that parenthood isn’t for you, love.” “Capsical, you are a traitor. You’re supposed to always be on my side.” Steve kissed Tony’s cheek and ruffled Peter’s hair before saying, “Pepper needs you. Something about important business.” “Really important?” “She says if you don’t come she’ll lock you out of the company.” “That important then. Fri, tell Pepper that I’m coming.” “She has been notified, sir.” “Thank you. Bye then, Peter don’t fuck anything up.” “The same to you Mr. Stark.” Tony left the lab with a chuckle. “You two will be the death of me.” “Almost certainly.” “You staying in here?” “Nah, I have some projects in my lab waiting for me.” “You know your dad was joking about the grades right? Because grades really don’t mean anything, and they don’t define you. Nor does your intelligence. You are so much more than all that. And all these suits and mechanicy genius things-” “Pops. I’m fine. I know,” he smiled at his dad. “I just read in this parenting book that something smart or gifted kids can feel like th-” “Pops, you and dad are the best parents a kid could ask for. Stop worrying too much or you’ll turn grey like dad.” Captain America just smiled at his kid because he was the best. “Right. Good. Have fun.” “Will do.”

He messed with the design for the 100th millionth time but he couldn't get the vibrainim to synthesize with the web fluid. “Fri, get me another cup of coffee, please.” “For fuck sake, why isn’t this working,” he said to himself. He began to mess with the 3d hologram again. He typed in Mock 32 for the design and started trying again. “Pepper Potts is requesting access to the lab.” “Access granted,” he said to Fri. “Hey Pete, how’s it going?” “Badly, but it's fine. IS THAT COFFEE?” “White mocha latte, triple shot espresso,” She said, placing it down on the desk. “Ok..back up. What do you need?” “What, I can’t just bring my favorite stark a coffee?” “Aren’t you busy?” he asked skeptically. “Yes. Incredibly. So it is a peace offering. I allowed a tour access to this lab to look around, and see what a higher ups lab looks like in action. Fri will hide all of the classified things, and I thought you’d be at school. Tony just told me you weren’t so, here we are.” “He actually showed up to your meeting?” “Yes, and it wasn’t my meeting. He just needed to be there, and I didn't.” “I take your peace offering. It’s fine, I don’t care. So long as they don’t touch my shit.” “Good. Greet them, let them look around. Smile your cute smile. They’ll be up in five.” “FIVE MINUTES?” “Yep. Sorry, Hun, got to run. Thanks.” “You owe me one!”

As promised, the class showed up in five minutes. He was fine with the concept of a class showing up, he was not, however, good with his class showing up. “Is that Penis Parker?” He heard Flash. “Holy hell that is Park?” “IS THAT PETER?” “Did Peter break in?” “How is Peter here?” He couldn’t exactly kick them out. So, embracing his inner Tony Stark charm and Steve Rogers kindness, he opened the lab door, stepping into the corridor.

“EVERYONE PLEASE BACK UP AND BE QUIET!” The tour guild, Aliah, yelled. They were a kind person who Peter knew a bit. The classes quieted down.

“Hello, Aliah.” “Hi Peter,” they greeted, “Sorry, I hadn’t realized you’d be in today. I’ll just take them to our next stop.” “No, no it's fine. If it’s alright, I’ll give them a little tour sorta thing. I don’t mind, plus I kinda promised Pepper.” “That’d be really cool. Thanks.” “Yeah. Call ‘em over.” “Yeah. We’re just waiting on their teacher, he’s in the restroom.” “Course.”

Mr. Harrington showed up, questioning Aliah about the next stop. Then, he saw Peter. “Mr. Parker!” he exclaimed angrily, “How dare you show up here without a permission slip and claiming to be sick. What is this? We will be speaking with the principal and your parents about this! I am so sorry Aliah. Peter shot Aliah the “I got this” look. “Hi Mr. Harrington, I was unwell this morning, but I felt better so I came into work. Yes, I do have an internship here,” he said, loud enough for the class to hear. “The next stop on your tour,” they said, “is to Peter’s lab. He’s been so kind to give us a run-down.” Peter simply point at the door which read “Lab #55: Peter Parker.” “Right, uh, um, sorry Mr. Parker, please let us continue.” Peter smiled through his nerves. “Right, hello there class! I will be giving you a tour of my lab. I do some pretty important work, so I’m going to ask Friday to activate the ‘Guest Protocol’ to hide the classified stuff. It’s also very dangerous, so please do not touch anything.” There were nods from the class. “Right, Fri complete guest protocol and allow tour of Aliah to enter.” “Yes miniboss.” He re-entered his lab. “So, most of the time I work here,” he said, pointing to the biggest holograph table, “I work on designs, changes, and any mockups that need to happen. I then make them a reality. I can also run simulations on any formulas to see if they would be successful.” “Fri, please pull up the WFV project I was just working on for Spiderman.” “Right away mini-boss.” “So as you can see I’m trying to get the vibranium intertwine itself with Spiderman’s web fluid. This would allow the webs to be almost 47 times stronger, and also would allow them to conduct electricity, which has many uses. Anyone have any questions?” Ava raised her hand and Peter nodded at her, “Hey, so how did you learn all this? Like, it seems really complicated and you're in my chem class, so.” “I’ve worked a lot with both Mr. Stark and Bruce Banner, who’ve taught me most of what I know throughout the years. I also took a few online courses to solidify some subject matters I didn’t quite understand,” Peter, satisfied with his answer, asked if anyone else had inquired. “How did you get an internship here?” “Mr. Stark found me on the internet and took a liking to my projects. He met me and decided I’d fit right in here,” Peter explained simply. It was a lie of course, but it functioned as their cover story. “Anyone else? No. Cool, so moving onto some other sections in the lab. Over in that corner are the testing rooms. I have some more equipment scattered around for certain projects or just overall help on making things. Feel free to look around for 5-7 minutes and ask any questions you may have.” Some kid, Peter wasn’t sure of their name, raised his hand. “Why do you have cars in here? Are they yours?” “Some of the cars are mine, courtesy of Mr. Stark, who claims no lab is complete without some collection of cars. I can’t even drive them, to your point, but I guess I will when I’m eighteen. Some of the cars are Mr. Harley Keener’s, who I occasionally share my lab with. He doesn't do Avengers related projects, but he does love to tinker here and there. ‘Specially on the cars. See that red one, yeah he bought it for 5k and fixed it up. It’s actually an electric car, he just likes the old timers look. Guess that’s on him and da-Mr. Stark.”

No one seemed to have any other question, so he allowed them to look around. MJ nor Ned seemed to be in this class. He guessed they were in another group that wasn’t coming up here, or they went to a different location.

The tour went smoothly, and Flash seemed too shocked to say anything. “Peter! Peter!” Bucky came in yelling. Peter ran over to him. “Please keep it down uncle Buck.” “Oh shit your class is here!” “Yes now please don’t embarrass me.” “Won’t do! Just wanted to ask where Loki went.” “Asgard official business,” I said with a frown. “Really? He didn’t say a thing!” “I know.” “That little shit.” Peter laughed alongside Bucky. “Did you need anything else?” “Yeah, my arm's a little fucked up. Need a hand.” “Happy to give it a look. Dad in a meeting?” “To all our shock, yes.” “Ha. Give me a sec to get my class outta here.” Bucky nodded. “Right everyone, thanks for visiting. Please head towards the exit. The lovely Aliah will take you to your next location. They are awesome!” A murmur of “thanks Peter” and “is that the winter soldier” spread through the room. “See ya round,” Aliah said to him personally, “And thanks for this.” “Anytime. Bye!” They smiled a warm smile before leading the class out.

“What’s not working so well?” Peter asked. “Just some tightness in the finger motion. “Alright, okay. Fri, get me an update of the schematics, please.” “Yes, sir.” They appeared on the holographic table Peter was working at. “Right, can I please get a current scan of Uncle Bucky’s arm?” “Yes. Shall I place them next to the schematics?” “Yep. And highlight all differences.” “Yes miniboss.” “You gotta stop with that Fri.” “Name unable to be changed under the authority of Tony Stank, Badass Boss, God of Mischief, and Fiance.” “Glad the whole team is against me living a good life,” Peter remarked with an eye roll. “You drama queen.” “Thanks,” Peter smiled. “You know what’s wrong yet?” Peter opened up the schematics, looking at the highlighted section of the 3d arm model. He didn’t speak for a moment. “So I reckon, you fucked up the wiring and section T4’s minigears. None of the important tech is messed up, it’ll be fine. Maybe a half an hour fix. Max.” “Good, good. Thanks kid,” Bucky said with an appreciative smile. He nodded, disconnecting the arm carefully. He placed it onto his table next to the holographic model. He gave a skeptical look. “Something bad?” “No, no, I was just thinking. Thinking, hmn.” “Care to share with the class?” Buck said with a sense of humor lingering in his voice. “Well, you’re not on mission all that often, and this is quite a bulky arm. Ever think about getting one that’s your skin colour, lighter weight, more, I don’t know, arm like. Less hydra murdery vibes. Help get rid of that, that time.” “I have…” “So can I make it?” Peter said excitedly. “You mean it?” “Of course Uncle Buck! No clue why dad hasn’t offered before!” “Guess he never thought of it. Maybe thought I liked the scary metal thing,” he suggested weakly. “Well that’s stupid,” Peter said casually. Bucky never understood how the kid could be so compassionate so easily. “Thanks. Really.” “No worries. I’ve been looking for a new project to throw myself into. It'll be fun. And as much as I hate to admit it, I need to work on my smaller scale mechanical work.” All Bucky could do was smile his beaming smile. “Bucky!” the voice of the Black Widow shouted. “Hey Nat,” Buck replied. “Wanna train?” she asked. “As much as I want to,” he said, pointing towards the area his arm would have been. “Oh, what happened this time?” “Nothing to major, some gears and wires,” Peter filled it, “Give me twenty minutes I’ll be done.” He’d already opened the arm and gotten to the section where the wires were screwed up. “DAN-E get me the soldering kit, please,” he asked the robot, “Oh and some new T6YU wires. Red and purple.” The robot gave a vaguely human nod. “Right, I'll be waiting. Test the adjustments out on me?” She suggested. “Alright,” Buck said. “Oh and I’m in charge of ordering food. What do you want?” “Burgers?” “You boring, bland little boy,” Nat scolded. “Thai?” Buck requested. They looked over to Peter, “Sure, yeah.” Nat headed out, greeting Tony with a “Hey Stank” on the stairs out of his lab. “Yours is so much smarter than mine, why is yours so much smarter than mine,” Tony fake (real) whined. “I’m the superior mechanic, father, deal with it.” DAN-E, almosting proving his point, dropped the materials on his desk, and he continued to work. “I’m donating DUM-E,” Tony glared at him, “What happened to the arm Buck?” “Stiff fingers isall.” “Oh, ok. Pete, need a hand?” “Nah, I’m good. Not much to do. Some wires got fucked up, just replacing them now. Going to look at the minigears in the palm too, just to make sure the oil regulation and gear’s aren't broken. I think one of the gears is, but it's one of them that's easy to replace,” Peter replied, not looking up from his work. “Right, sounds good. Your pops and I are going out for the night. Be back around 12 let’s say.” “Cool. Can I borrow some vibranium from your lab?” “Sure thing kiddo. Call us if you need anything. Fri, give Peter access to vault B3 in my lab.” “Thanks,” Peter smiled. “Anytime. Good luck with ya know.” “Shouldn’t he ask you what you're going to do with a substance that costs 10,000$ a gram?” “Something about trusting me.” “Parents trust their kids with going out later or or doing their homework not fucking multimillions of dollars.” “Uncle Bucky, my parents are Iron Man and Captain America. There was never a shot at normal.” “Fair enough.”

Peter finished up the adjustment on the arm by changing a gear. “Thanks a lot kid.” “Of course. I’m going to work on your new arm now.” “Alrighty, I’ll get out of your way.” “Oh could you ask Auntie Nat what time she’s ordering dinner for? So I know when to head up, just get Fri to tell me.” “Will do.” “Thanks.”

So Peter was left to making some blueprints and drinking many red bulls. The red bull mini-fridge was actually a gift from Shuri, and his fathers had many words with him about it. He managed to convince them that he should keep it, god knows how. Well, he used the whole Princess of Wakanda and making peace and Stark Industries relationship with Wakandan products and companies as well as international relations and blah blah. It worked, who cares.

After a few hours he was called up for dinner, and he sat there and enjoyed the absolute chaos of his family.

Save/comment on A03 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/33320938

[whimsyverse]

Family #1: The Dolans

(this is a re-upload as I made some major changes to my mod situation, specifically the CC traits I'm using...nearly all of the traits from here on out will be from Chingyu's trait pack, just for simplicity's sake)

After a long delay of straightening out my many (many, many) mods and just generally fighting with my lack of motivation to do...things...I've finally placed my first family: the Dolans! Pictures above (left to right) are: Vincent, Donovan, Lucinda, and Lillian.

You may recognize Vincent, at least, from my first Whimsyverse project...that'll be an ongoing theme, of course, since I'm remaking all of these characters again. This time, though, instead of making them all adults, I'll be defaulting most of my major characters to teenagers for no real specific reason besides that it feels like I'm starting at the beginning of their stories. Also it's more work for me to make all of their families and I

am nothing if not a masochist...

Family Bio: Donovan Dolan is a dangerous and brilliant criminal for hire, performing everything from high-profile heists to hitman-style assassinations dispassionately for the highest bidder. However, this was not the case when he first met Lillian, an aspiring model, and their whirlwind romance ended with them married and Lillian pregnant with twins. While establishing himself as one of the most dangerous men alive, the twins Vincent and Lillian were growing up with their gentle and loving mother, who all but gave up her own aspirations to raise them. Vincent and Lillian resent their absentee and dangerous father for how he neglects his family, and for his part, it is clear that Donovan expects at least one of them to continue in his footsteps...though which one has yet to be decided.

Vincent Dolan

Meta Bio: Vincent is my version of that character we all make around high school/early college - the hyper-competent badass that’s just there to be awesome and to let us write super cool scenes. He was super cool and good at everything and had a tragic backstory and was super emo and edgy and graargh! However, as I grew, Vincent stuck with me and became a character I reused many, many times over, and as I became more competent of a storyteller (I said more competent!), he grew too. He remained the hyper-competent badass he started as (a bit of self-indulgence on my part, perhaps), but the tragedy of his backstory and the psychology of him wrestling with his trauma became more pronounced in how I wrote him. He was no longer just a bad-ass, he was a more complex character who, despite appearing to be unaffected by everything around him, was really hyper-repressed to a dangerous degree. I started writing him less as that hyper-competent Gary Stu and more as a normal man (or boy) who simply didn’t know how to express himself or process the trauma of his past - in which he watches his father kill his mother and threaten to kill his twin sister - without letting the pain that comes naturally to that trauma overwhelm him. So he simply shuts it all out. At the same time, he has drilled into his head (thanks, again, to his father) that he simply isn’t good enough. This no longer manifests as a sort of infantile, impotent angst, but rather a silent drive to always do better at everything he does - an intense focus that earned him the very fitting title “a model of intense apathy” from my friend. But one of the most fun parts of the character isn’t writing him being exceptional at everything (I actually enjoy emphasizing that he is not good at everything...anything that requires a modicum of creativity or personal expression is utterly beyond him), it’s watching him, with the help of people around him, discover the young man that he could have been. I recently wrote him smiling for the first time and it was very sweet.

Age: Teenager Gender: Cis Male Sexuality: Asexual Aspiration: Renaissance Sim Lifestyle: Energetic Walk Style: Tough Style: Basic

Degree: N/A Career: N/A Skills: Fitness (4); Logic (3)

Likes: Color Purple, Color Black Dislikes: Comedy; Mischief

Traits: Reserved; Alexithymia; Scary; Unfunny; Over-Achiever; Mentally Gifted; Shameless; Unique Appearance; Slower Romance Gain; Physically Gifted; Brave; Needs No One; Carefree; Heat Acclimation; Slower Friendship Gain; Seldom Sleepy; Cold Acclimation; Quick Learner

Donovan Dolan

Meta Bio: Donovan has never been especially well-defined, and as such, this will be a pretty short bio. He only ever really existed as a vessel to drive Vincent’s trauma. He’s gone from being a petty thug to a master criminal to a dangerous madman. But I tend to enjoy playing him more as a sort of mirror into what Vincent could become - a hyper-competent, dangerous psychopath - a term I use more or less literally here, to emphasize his utter lack of empathy/sympathy. Like many psychopaths, he appears, outwardly, to be extremely well-adjusted, even charming and charismatic, but without the ability to relate to others. He is highly focused on his job, whatever that may be at the time.

Age: Adult Gender: Cis Male Sexuality: Straight Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy Lifestyle: Workaholic Walk Style: Tough Style: Basic

Career: Criminal (The Boss) Skills: Charisma (8); Fitness (8); Handiness (6); Logic (8); Mischief (10); Persuasion (4); Rock Climbing (5); Skiing (5)

Likes: Retro Music; Fitness; Rock Climbing; Dislikes: Video Games; Comedy; Backyard Music; Winter Holiday Music; New Age Music; Summer Strut Music; Tween Pop Music; Lullabies Radio Music

Traits: (*deep breath*) Abusive, Bad-Natured, Brilliant, Psychopath, Well-Balanced, Mentally Gifted, Argumentative, Emotional Control, Good Manners, Insensitive, Faster Relationship Gain, Physically Gifted, Socially Gifted, In the Know, Influential Individual, Mastermind, Natural Leader, Faster Friendship Gain, Over-Achiever, Connections, Brave, Carefree, Fortune Sim, Cold Acclimation, Savant, Great Kisser, Entrepreneurial, Shameless, Needs No One, Heat Acclimation, Hardly Hungry, Business Savvy, Alluring, Career-Minded, Dastardly, High Metabolism,

Lucinda Dolan

Meta Bio: Lucinda is even less defined than Donovan, usually. Once again, she exists simply to die and provide fuel for Vincent’s tragedy. She is usually described as being exceptionally kind and gentle, the opposite of her husband, and having made a strong impression on Vincent and Lillian during their childhoods. For the Sims version, I liked to imagine her as being full of life and energy and happiness. She leans a bit more into creative endeavors, which neither of her children took after. She still lives for her children, though, and the decision to give up her dreams as a model was her own...she wanted to be a parent more than she wanted anything else.

Age: Adult Gender: Cis Female Sexuality: Bisexual Aspiration: Super Parent Lifestyle: Close-Knit Walk Style: Feminine Style: Basic

Degree: Drama Career: N/A Skills: Acting (3); Charisma (4); Comedy (2); Dancing (4); Fitness (2); Painting (2); Parenting (6); Piano (4); Singing (5); Wellness (2)

Likes: Alternative Music; Singer Songwriter Music; Pop Music; Easy Listening Music; Americana Music; Color Black; Color Purple; Dancing; Painting; Piano; Singing Dislikes: Baking; Cooking; Mischief

Traits: Emotional; High-Spirited; Tender; Light-Hearted; Family Oriented; Role Model; Mediator; Kindness Ambassador; Responsible; Beloved; Incredibly Friendly; Good Manners; Emotional Control; Compassionate; Family Sim; Domestic; Gregarious

Lillian Dolan

Meta Bio: Unsurprisingly, Lillian, like her parents, has never been extremely well-defined, but I have had her appear occasionally in stories - I just never really cemented what kind of character she was. In the past, she was the polar opposite of Vincent: energetic, cheerful, impetuous. Other times she took more after their mother and was more quietly calm and confident. In this case, I decided to make her sort of a high-strung workaholic who doesn’t really know how to relate to people, mostly because that’s how she was in one of her more recent appearances. So hey, maybe that’s now her canon personality!

Age: Teenager Gender: Cis Female Sexuality: Bisexual Aspiration: Figuring it Out Lifestyle: Coffee Fanatic; Workaholic Walk Style: Normal Style: Preppy

Degree: N/A Career: Lifeguard Skills: Logic (4); Persuasion (2); Research and Debate (5); Rock Climbing (2); Writing (3)

Likes: Wellness; Research and Debate; Rock Climbing; Fitness; Writing; Color Black; Color Purple Dislikes: Video Gaming; Comedy; Mischief; Cooking; Baking; Dancing; Color Pink

Traits: Serious; Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Smart; Avoidant; Knowledge Sim; Top Notch Toddler; Physically Gifted; Mentally Gifted; Over-Achiever; Seldom Sleepy; Speed Reader; Independent; Learning about Life; Career-Minded; Quick Learner

[iheartsunset]

Papa Louie Prudence HCs

(Nobody asked for these, but I gotta show love to my 8 year long favorite character)

Edit 9/23/20: Sorry I didn’t realize Pickles was a girl, last time I’ll ever listen to the forum lmao anyways I’m about to fail a test tomorrow even though I’ve studied nonstop, but that’s probably just how science goes

-Prudence Carmichael-Wagner is 22 years old and lives in a fabulously rose colored loft in Tastyville. She doesn’t plan to leave her job at the Pancakeria any time soon, but she is studying hard to become a veterinarian. She is the half sister of the famous Rudy Diamond; the daughter of Arugula Bank’s owner, Anselm Wagner; and his ex-wife, Lola Carmichael, the headmaster of Eclair Academy. Prudence has a strained relationship with her emotionally manipulative parents who care more about her achievements than her wellbeing and tried to avoid them whenever she can. Prudence’s mother loves dropping by her loft unannounced, which makes Prudence upset and anxious.

-Prudence can mostly be described as a kindhearted socialite with a strange obsession with the color pink. She is very hospitable and doting on everyone around her, making her seem like more of a mother/older sister figure. She also carries assorted sweets and mints in her purse for both emergency consumption and to cheer up anyone who’s sad. Prudence does also have a habit of panicking at first under pressure, but has learned to adapt very quickly. Prudence also loves to volunteer and help those less fortunate than her. But call her a dumb blonde and we’ll see how many teeth you have left afterwards (as a result of either her purse or Rudy’s fist).

-Her and Rudy were born on the same day only a few hours apart. Many people joked that the two were twins due to their shared birthday, blonde hair, blue eyes, and close relationship. However, she didn’t know that her father and Rudy’s mother, Carla, (his chief financial officer) had an affair that led to Rudy being born. After this was found out by Lola, Carla’s reputation was ruined and she relocated with Rudy to Powder Point, much to Prudence’s dismay. After reuniting years later when the Cheeseria opened, the two found out about the affair and realized they were siblings. They share a close bond now, but still have terrible relationships with their parents.

-As previously stated in Cooper’s headcanons, she is in a polyamorous relationship with him and Taylor. She met Taylor at their shared night school and met Cooper at their shared workplace. While her feelings for either of them weren’t very strong, Taylor’s heartfelt confession made her fall for both of them hard, thus starting the third most wholesome relationships in Flipline’s history (Penny and Alberto have the top spot filled and second place is definitely Olga and Edoardo). She loves to buy them roses or chocolates and see how flustered they both get when they’re delivered. Prudence’s parents definitely don’t approve of this relationship, but she actually doesn’t care this time.

-She and Trishna’s parents were very close in business growing up, so they both quickly became best friends, along with Rudy. She is three years younger than them and is still stuck attending high school. While Trishna isn’t too close to Rudy anymore, she and Prudence still hang out and text all the time. If Trishna is somewhere, then Prudence is probably nearby or at least on the phone with her. Trishna also offers Prudence discounts at Fashion Flambé, but Prudence always declines saying that it feels weird to not pay the full price if she didn’t have any coupons.

-Prudence was given Pickles as a gift from her father. However, he said that she could only keep the dog if she would have good grades and continued with being a debutante, meaning most of her effort was for Pickles’ sake. When she earned a C on a test, Pickles was almost taken to the pound, but she quickly entered them in a dog show to make up for her “mistakes”. The dog show started out as sort of survival, but Prudence continued doing it since she and Pickles actually enjoyed it.

-She and Trishna both attended Croquembouche Preparatory Academy along with Alberto, Penny, Joy, Roy, and Mindy. Prudence was notably crowned prom queen her junior year, all around tennis and cheer star, student body president her senior year, and salutatorian. She also joined multiple clubs. Unbeknownst to her classmates, having to keep up with these high expectations from her family and teachers almost broke her from the stress. However, a pep talk from Vicky allowed Prudence to drop many clubs and sports and take it easier in school, much to her parents’ dismay.

-Allan has thought that Prudence would play a very good Sandy, but Prudence can’t really sing well. She would, however, make for a good Elle Woods (as in the movie version) or any kickass Barbie protagonist (which is all of them, I stan Barbie). Prudence can dance amazingly, but she just doesn’t fit Cha Cha’s sassiness and overall nastiness. She’s a great cheerleader, so she’s a good fit for Patty Simcox, but then again Patty also sucks, so looks like Prudence is just a background dancer.

-She thinks of Johnny as her father, Hank as he other father, and Vicky as her mother. She also considers Trishna, Scarlett, Utah, Clover, Nevada, and Mindy her sisters. Chuck, Marty, and Greg are her brother figures. Rudy is also thought of as her brother, but he’s also her actual brother, so it’s actually very accurate.

-If you smell pickles on the bus, it’s because Prudence opened her big ass jar of them and started eating it. I personally hate pickles, especially when people eat them on some sort of vehicle. Sure you can eat pickles ain’t nothing wrong with that, but I’m not tryna smell pickles when I’m trying to get to school.

-Prudence is a master at fashion and makeup. However, she mostly wears simple cropped shirts and jeans everywhere for comfort. Her only standout accessories are her purse (since she carried Pickles in it) and her bow (she had to find some way to be twinsies with pickles, and she wasn’t wearing no dang collar).

-She and Maggie are both queens and often converse about how to maximize their joint slay. They also love finding examples to disprove the dumb blonde stereotype.

-She likes to get the good dog food for Pickles, but she sometimes gives her some pickles or vanilla ice cream. Cooper and Taylor spoil her with other types of human food when she’s away, though. Not chocolate or any of that kinda stuff though.

-Prudence likes to sit in the stands and drunkenly cheer really loudly for Cooper and Taylor, which actually encourages them even more. Dang they’re just all so cute together like aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

-She basically lives at the mall and salon, earning her closer relationships with their workers. She and Kaleb like to drink tangerine pop together and she always gossips with either Mindy or Vicky. Sometimes she takes Cooper and Taylor to get their nails done together. Taylor prefers his nails in ultramarine with white flowers while Cooper likes a classic French manicure better.

-Rudy can’t dress for shit and neither can Johnny, so she tries to help them both out together outfits better. They’re very close to her, but none of them take her advice and she is very sad. She hates flannel, but whatever makes him happy, she guesses.

-My favorite girl and has been for most of my life. I love her so much.

[axther]

Heyo, can I get a bnha matchup? I'm a bisexual ENTP, but am mistaken as an introvert often due to being bad at social interaction and liking alone time. I talk a lot with people I'm comfortable with though. Sometimes I joke in serious situations. I don't worry that much and am carefree, though I can get randomly anxious sometimes. I'm a bit bad with emotions, but I've been told I can cheer people up because I'm optimistic. I'm a deep thinker and have been told a lot I'm smart.

Fnkdaofdnskao i really took a hot second with this one tbh 🥴 but here u go!! Also, since there was no gender listed, i just went w they/them pronouns!! If u want smth different, then just hmu and i can change it!! Also, i am so sorry i made the second one as more of a scenario?? And it was...oof. yikes. Sorry. This has become my style. Scenarios disguised as matchups. Im a liar 

AS OF 05/25/2020 IM A LIAR ITS OUT TONIGHTTTT

#1 is…Denki! 

okokokokok SO

Y’all meet during a training exercise! 

It’s something similar to USJ, except it’s across several different schools and classes

And y’all had to find a bunch of objects 

So there’s a mixed bundle of people 

It’s a sort of competition

And everyone is sweating bullets 

And honestly??

You’re just vibin

And i mean this like, you don’t really seem concerned. 

You’re just chilling while everyone’s fighting, trying to find the best solution. 

Naturally, you’re worried, too

But you know that it’s kinda useless to try and talk over Monoma and Bakugou 

Now

Denki’s staying pretty quiet, too. 

While it looks like he’s just vibing, too, but honestly? 

He’s crazy nervous 

Because here are all these super talented heroes-to-be, he feels like he’s gonna be glossed over 

So as everyone’s duking it out, the two of you are just kinda...hanging in there

Now the thing is 

You guys are avoiding eye contact. 

Not in the sense of ‘oh my god, you atrocity to man,’ 

But in the ‘two bros chilling in a hot tub’ way. 

So as the entire thing is falling on its head

You look over and notice that he’s trying desperately to remain chill. 

He’s kinda fiddling with himself

And you nudge him a bit 

And as he turns to look at you, you may or may not be screaming ‘what the FUCK did I just do??????’ in your head

But when he faces you, you just give him a thumbs up 

Like that 

And he’s kinda at a loss 

But he takes it, and gives you a smile and a big ol’ thumbs-up, too!! 

There’s no interaction again, until he nudges you 

“Do you think they’ll come up with something?” 

You shrug. 

“Considering that the only brain cell in my class went to the Class Rep, and it doesn’t look like these guys their class brain cell, I don’t think so.” 

Denki pulls back a snort before wiping his smirk off his face. 

“Do you think...we could try? On our own?” 

“Maybe.” You shrug again. “You’re the shock quirk user, right?” 

Denki is stunned

Did someone remember him? 

Woah

From here on out consider him whipped 

“Yeah! What’s your quirk?” 

“Crystallian.” 

You watch his face go through a journey of emotions before settling on muffled confusion. 

“Warping, basic elemental magic.” You play with some of your hair. “It’s all tied to a crystal I keep at home. If it’s safe, I’m safe.” 

Denki nods.

He hadn’t heard of quirks where they have a variety of unrelated uses 

But he’s there for it!! 

You two begin to make your own plan to succeed in the exercise 

And once y’all look over and realise that the arguing isn’t going to change, thanks to Monoma egging Bakugou on 

Y’all dip 

And by that, I mean you warp him and yourself to the highest point in the building 

Took one (1) look at the lights 

Shared a glance 

And y’all took out the power

Within about thirty minutes, y’all have all the goods!! 

Most folks are still trying to get used to the lack of light

So when your group presents the stuff to the teachers, Aizawa is tired but takes it 

And so you guys pass!! 

You and Denki talk more after 

And he finds out that you’re part of a special school for kids with special quirks

Which off the bat sounds really bad 

But you meet folks that are like you

and you tell him that he’d probably fit right in. 

He’s over the moon!!! For once!! 

Someone that takes him seriously!! 

Y’all exchange numbers and the entire class can’t begin to fathom that holy shit Denki Kaminari got a s/o before anyone else in the class

Throws them all for a loop

And meanwhile Denki’s thriving w hugs and cuddles 

#2 is…Momo! 

Momo is...complicated

She’s in a rich family with a strong quirk

She’s got more than enough pressure on her shoulders

Especially since she was in 1-A, so the entire literal country of Japan has their eyes on her 

And all the while she’s doing her best to focus, focus, focus

She wanted one day where she could be like Mina, Ochako, Tooru, Jirou, Tsu…

Normal.

So she does it

One morning, while her parents are gone, and before anyone else is awake

She ties her hair up and places it into a gaudy blonde wig 

(Which was a massive pain in the ass, but that was the price of freedom) 

She dons sunglasses, an outfit that in any other case she would die being caught in

Leaves her phone on her bed

Tiptoes down the stairs 

And leaves 

The moment she’s past the gates of her house and out of view, she lets out an enormous sigh 

She has no idea what she’s going to do 

But her heart races a little, because that was the beauty of it!!

She finally had no rules, short of the law 

So she waltzes down the road, the city wakes up, and as the first hour drips by, she notices a distinct wave of youth

They’re not doing much, just relaxing in cafes and alleys

and Momo wonders if anyone is planning to send truant police

but considering she’s doing the same exact thing, she’s not gonna call them out  

But as she passes by an arcade, she notices a group

They’re a bit more subdued than most of the others, just watching one of their friends play a dancing game and fail horribly

But most notably, Momo sees you 

You’re snorting at the lanky girl who’s tripping over her own feet, but at the same time, it looks like you’re cheering her on 

Momo’s curious, of course, but she also doesn’t want to intrude 

But then one of them, a boy, turns and waves her over

She jumps because oh my god and makes her way over 

“Hey, did you want to play? Sorry that Tsukki was hogging the game.” The boy says, and you turn and glance at her. 

At first, Momo’s wondering if she should really join in, but then she sees you, fully…

Ohnotheyrehot.jpg

Unfortunately, you seem a bit closed off because you start talking to the last member of the party 

Momo brushes it off and nods quickly

because goddamnit that’s what she’s here for

being a normal teenager

So she starts playing Tsukki

And Momo wipes the floor with her 

Tsukki takes it well, fortunately, but it sparks conversation 

“Where’d you learn to play?” The boy, Seong-Jin, kept on asking 

Momo wasn’t crazy comfortable telling the Korean transfer student that she had ballroom classes 

But as she’s about to make an excuse

She sees Present Mic out of the corner of her eye 

And immediately panics 

But before she can tell the four that she needs to hide, you come in clutch

You notice her look of panic and take off your jacket

And you drape it over her and pull up the hoodie. 

At that point, all you can see is the bottom half of her face 

(seeing as she never took off her sunglasses) 

And a tuft of blonde hair 

Present Mic even pops by for a second to ask how the kids were doing, and he didn’t recognise Momo

So crisis averted 

Almost immediately afterwards, the five bail from the arcade and ask Momo why she freaked out 

But then you speak up 

“She doesn’t have to tell us. But next time you might need to bail, feel free.” 

You gave her a soft smile, and when I tell you Momo’s face lights up 

You two stick together for the rest of the day 

And Seong-Jin, Tsukki, and the last person, Keito, are here for it

Bit by bit, they start separating into groups 

That is, the Momo/YN group and the Everyone Else group 

Soon enough, the three disappear to do something while Tsukki is shouting

And you and momo decide to take a break by a cafe, on a wall with foliage hitting your back 

and you guys are talking as the sun begins to set 

You guys talk about everything and anything 

And Momo confesses it was the most fun she had in years 

The way you talk to her is almost methodical, with how you seemed to tip toe around any insinuations or trauma.

“I know I only met you today, but if you ever need a place to crash…”  

You trail off, playing a bit with your hands, but more out of awkwardness than anxiety.

Momo’s heart swells. 

She manages out a ‘thank you’ before hesitantly leaning on your shoulder 

And you take a deeeepp breath in 

But you don’t nudge her off

And slowly she begins to fall asleep, and her wig is tilted and her sunglasses are askew

but you glance at her out of the corner of your eyes and give a soft smile 

(that was not the last time you two met, and five years later at the altar, she’s wearing the same damn wig) 

#3 is...Kirishima! 

PINING

This sounds really simple 

But Kirishima would absolutely pine after you for 3.8 million years

Y’all went to the same middle school and you were friends 

And he’s all over you 

Sometime between the first and third year of middle school he just fell head over heels 

And so he tags along with you the entire time 

But after the Giant Figure incident, and he says he’s won’t go to U.A., you get lowkey pissed 

You tell him that he’s worked so hard, he’s come so far, why give up now, he’s only fourteen for god’s sake. 

But he doesn’t listen

And you two don’t talk after that 

After he decides to go for it and not live a life of regrets, he’s doing his best to become someone he wants to be 

But the biggest looming regret he had was the fallout with you

And it was a nasty fall out-parents stopped talking, kids took sides, teachers knew 

You went to a completely different school than what he thought you were

And he was pretty sure that due to the fallout and the constant movement of time, you changed your number 

So he knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as just saying ‘You were right, sorry.’ 

It starts consuming him

Half of U.A. knows that he’s thinking about something 

But it comes to a head when he’s sparring against Bakugou 

And all he’s really doing is blocking

And bakugou loses his shit

“Get your fucking head out of the clouds and focus!” 

“Sorry, dude!” 

“What the fuck has you acting so damn stupid?” 

Kirishima tells Bakugou, who gets it, but doesn’t really try to help 

“Just tell her.” He hisses 

But Kirishima’s nervous 

And by the end of the week, he’s gotten a flurry of suggestions 

People are coming up to him left and right, telling him what to do

And he just gets overwhelmed

On Saturday, he locks himself in his room until Mina knocks 

She comes in and they start talking about you 

And she mentions that she has your number, and that it really would matter if Kirishima was the one to text first

“YN supported you, and then it got rubbed in the dirt, and then ignored again. You need to be the one to say it, honestly, otherwise it’ll mean nothing.” 

So he gets to work

He spends the rest of saturday trying to write it all out his emotions 

But eventually he gives on getting them all neat and tidy, and just lets them ooze out 

Sunday morning he gets up early and types it all out, willing his hands not to shake too much 

Mina and Bakugou are there with him, and though Mina keeps making jokes and Bakugou doesn’t offer much in way of help, they’re there to support him 

So when he sends it and lets out a sigh, Bakugou pats him on the back

“And now, we wait.” Mina murmurs, watching the phone with wide eyes. 

And watching

And watching

And watching

And three days pass before Kirishima gets any sort of response 

He’s expecting to be chewed out, to get the text equivalent of a teary welcome back

Not fucking eight ball. 

But he clicks on it 

And he wins, surprisingly 

There’s a moment between his win and your text where he doesn’t dare breathe, just stand still 

Before you text back 

So. 

ur in ua huh 

guess you did it after all. 

Yeah. 

Again, sorry. I didn’t think a lot of stuff through back then. 

figures lmao 

u free next week? 

For you? 

I always am. 

[olivedoesmagic]

Journal 19: Everything I wanted [Billie Eilish]

Journal 19: Everything I wanted [Billie Eilish]

I’ll start this journal with an entry. I met a griffon like spirit who wished to be my “spirit guide” he introduced himself as Whether. He was a shining blue griffon who claimed to exist outside the multiverse. He took me on a guided mediation sort of trial where I reality shifted through his help, the exercise was as follows.

“Imagine a white portal or door with one thing changed (you dr) and focus on it. Step through visualize it then imagine a blue door back to here and take that thing with you and thrust it through that's how you shift this reality to your liking”

He gave me instruction for a sigil for him.

So I start off this log with the fact that I reality shifted in my sleep. I visited a whole world where your dress code determined who you were and I was essentially rebelling against the order by choosing to dress emo with a few others. That and also getting wrapped up in a cult like religion at the same time. The pacing was really strange because it was a dream and I don't remember it fully but it was the second time I "fully” shifted by technicalities sake. The second time in my sleep as well. I have a long history with the emo fashion of going in and out of it so this shift isn't completely out of place for me. But the environment and choices of it were quite strange.

The next shift was super brief I was in the shower and met a cat humanoid person who was surprised and shocked to see me because "humans are long since extinct" she looked like one of those cats from the cgi movie Cats that recently came out. She made note of water falling on place across me that seemed out of nowhere when in reality I was shiting from the shower. This shift was different from others because I was shifting my whole person there appearing like physical rather then as a spirit coconcious with myself previously as I normally do. The shift of this reality basically boiled down to "you don't belong here" so I quickly left. 

I visited Z again. I’ll just tell you the character’s name. He goes by Zone. He's my fictional character. I was in his home. He took me to a new location in his home that I recently established in my writing. A room with the number 7 on the door frame. Inside it he showed me a box with the decapitated head of his former companion. I was spooked. I knew he was going to keep some kind of momento from when CH his friend eventually dies in the stories I write about the two, leaving Zone heartbroken and alone but the whole decapitated head thing was wild and something I never would've written or even come up with. He confronted me about being “his writer” on earth C which is what I call this reality that we are currently staying in.

Last shift was at 2 in the morning. It was a fictional universe. I was ages between 11-13. I slit my wrist. I was in the Twilight universe and Alice bit me and fully fed off the blood from my wrist unable to control herself. This universe was mildly scripted using parameters in my mind which I hastily did as soon as I saw I was headed there. This has to do with some stuff from the past when I was skiso which is the only reason it was scripted at all. Basically in this universe around 11-13 I don’t know quite young, I turned into a vampire. Carlile offered to adopt me admitting he had never taken one so young before. He told me we would have to fake my death and separate me from my adopted parents (I’m adopted in our reality as well) which I was upset about asking for one more day with them. He told me no, that I'm a vampire I couldn't do that. He told me as a vampire I would no longer need food or drink and I couldn't consume it and he knew that that would be hard for me. He seemed familiar with me. I had reality shifted here before once with within a dream, and I think that’s why the Cullens knew me here. Alice apologized for being unable to control herself. Say what you want about Twilight as a work of fiction but the world building in those books is insane. 

Still not a fan of reality shifting to fiction but the multiverse seems to want to take me to fictional realities. I’m not a fan of the atheistic views of chaos magick. But pop culture magick holds a strong horse. The multiverse wants me to value this. It wants me to see this. It wants me to view these things as valuable. So I’m stuck here and I have to. I didn't intend to go to the Twilight universe. Where Bella was nowhere to be seen. But I quickly put in some scripts aka some manifestations as I saw that I was going there. I'm a fan of twilight in fact I'm re-reading the first book as I write this but I digress.

Overall lately I've been struggling with what I call "reality sickness". Reality sickness is basically when you become obsessed with the aspects of reality shifting and courses of your actions in correlation to reality shifting or generally get confused about realities or start to experience unreality due to reality shifting. Ie, overthinking actions because of how they will change timelines, experiencing general unreality and so on. I think this can be a general effect of shifting too much and as someone who's been doing it every other day unreality is generally something I'm starting to suffer from. 

I'm on antipsychotics though and they tend to keep me grounded but this unreality still poses a danger to anyone less fortunate or not on any meds. It's also why most witches suggest you do grounding. I can handle it but just know it's a struggle and it's there. I don’t feel “real” anymore and reality shifting has become almost like an obsession for me. So much so that I’ve taken a break from other forms of magick which have suited me better over the years. I don’t reality shift to escape. I reality shift to explore.

I’m a magician because I want freedom. That’s why I do magick. I want exploration, power, and excitement. Traveling is something that’s always caught my eye. But this isn’t doctor who. We’re not gifted with unlimited funds or the ability to go anywhere we desire. So reality shifting in many ways is a way to quench that thirst of mine. Reality will always be stranger then fiction. But I want it stated clear and strong right here and now on thick white and black paper, that I do not reality shift to escape.

-Olive Brimstone

9:16 PM

10/5/2020

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 174: Fancy Rich People Tea

Previously on BnHA: Mirio and Deku took Eri on a whirlwind weekend tour of U.A. We learned that class B is putting on a play for the festival which sounds amazing and also appears to be infringing on no fewer than three copyrights. We ran into Hadou and Amajiki who were doing some preparations for Hadou’s Miss Con campaign. We learned that the support department has a tech exhibition at the festival each year which is a big deal for them. We also learned that Shinsou is Still At It. Not sure what it is. But he’s still here guys! Finally we ran into Midnight and the Rat Principal at the cafeteria and learned that Rat Principal had to pull lots of strings and jump through a bunch of hoops in order to run the event this year. Basically security is going to be crazy, and if someone so much as sneezes something that sounds like ‘villain attack’ they will immediately call the whole thing off and evacuate. Sounds fair. All in all, Eri had a good time and is looking forward to the actual event! Also Deku got fired from the dance squad. That’s rough, buddy.

Today on BnHA: Mina explains that they need Deku to help the staging team turn Aoyama into a human disco ball. Deku agrees so long as he still gets to dance a little bit. The next morning Deku and All Might run into Mei while training in the woods. We learn that she’s working on a new support item for Deku which will be ready soon. That evening Momo makes some fancy tea for everyone while Deku fucks around on Youtube and accidentally stumbles across one of Gentle’s videos. We then cut to Gentle and La Brava, and Gent breaks down the details of his plan. They’ll take a sneaky route to approach U.A. on the day of the festival, using back streets and side roads. Then they’ll stop and drink tea (the same fancy brand that Momo uses) for an hour and a half. Then they’ll approach U.A. from the woods, and La Brava will breach U.A.’s security barrier with her mad hacking skills. We learn that she used those same skills to track down Gentle after she first saw his videos, and afterwards she devoted herself to his cause. Gentle says he is putting his heart and soul into this new plan for her sake and for the sake of his own dreams.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 199 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.) 

look at this sweet girl trying to soften the blow

yeah because Aoyama totally ditched them. sorry Deku, they need a new disco ball

...or maybe not!

sorry Deku we need a new dispersal method for our disco ball

so wait. they’re really going through with this, huh. this wild stream-of-consciousness rambling from Mina really became the centerpiece for the entire dance floor

and Aoyama is FULLY ON BOARD now

so now this job is perfect for you huh. well you sure are a good sport

so they want Deku to break off from the main group at the same time as Aoyama and help him out

so once he has been “dispersed” you can probably still go have your dance with Eri, Deku! you can do that thing where she stands on top of your feet and you waltz around. it’s going to be so cute omg. make sure your mom videotapes it

speaking of are the parents going to get to come to this thing too? or will it really only be the kids. let their moms and dads come see all of their hard work!

(ETA: I was hoping we would see some of the parents but if they were there we missed it. booooo)

now Kiri is doing that hands-clapped-together pleading thing and apologizing to Deku, but he says they really need his help

lol so they’ve realized that they can’t put all their eggs into the “Aoyama as disco ball” basket

this is an honest-to-god serious conversation these kids are happening. with note-taking and everything. Todoroki fucking Shouto is in on this. “how long can we hold people’s attention by transforming Aoyama into a disco ball.” science

okay but. you guys... are planning other stuff too. right. ...???

(ETA: they sure are. that ice stuff that Mina also suggested. I’m telling you guys, she’s the undisputed MVP of this whole arc, and without her their festival program would have been shit)

lol well okay then. this is going to be so interesting

anyway so Deku’s all “I guess it’s okay then as long as I have a turn dancing,” and he’s agreeing to it

now we’re cutting to 6:30 a.m. on some random unknown day and Deku is training for his new move under All Might’s supervision

All Might is chock full of sage mentor wisdom

“always remember: bleeding internally is bad.” good stuff. write that down, Deku

he’s asking All Might if he has any tricks for maintaining control of the attack, since this is the first move he’s learned that he can’t just use freely

sage mentor wisdom

so apparently All Might was some sort of OFA prodigy and was able to control 100% OFA almost instantly. so he really genuinely has no idea how to teach it, because to him it just came naturally

was he just that buff when he got the quirk?? how old was he when he got it? did he actually attend U.A. as a quirkless kid? because middle school Toshinori sure as hell wasn’t ripped just yet, I can definitely tell you that much

I’m very, very, very curious about this, ngl. because I feel like the series has yet to clarify whether you need to be built like a Marvel Chris in order for your body to have the stamina to withstand OFA, or if that actually doesn’t have that much to do with it and the control needed to master it is actually more mental/spiritual than physical

like obviously physicality has a lot to do with it, though. but All Might could still use 100% for a long time even in his withered and weakened body. and Shimura, the only other OFA user we’ve seen at this juncture, was obviously super cool and tough, but it wasn’t like she was a female body builder or anything

and then of course there’s the question of exactly how much stronger Deku’s version of OFA is, though. how much of a difference is there because All Might’s strength was added to the mix? that obviously makes a big difference as well

basically I still have a lot of questions! maybe I should get back to this training scene and see if it answers any of them!

so he’s telling Deku to visualize the image of OFA -- the egg in microwave image again, I guess? -- and remember that sensation in his body. basically he’s trying to coach him on bringing it out intuitively

and Deku’s thinking to himself that even though they were both born quirkless, there’s a big difference between them still

so this does make it sound like a lot of it is mental

honestly that’s exciting and very important to me because it means that if Deku ever has a breakthrough, he could potentially make a huge leap forward in progress very suddenly

(ETA: LOOOOOOL good god I’ll say.

also! now that I know more about future developments with OFA, I’ve been thinking that I wasn’t giving Deku enough credit here. he is, in fact, just as much of a prodigy as All Might, I think. the difference is that All Might was able to master the physical aspects of OFA, whereas Deku seems to be more in touch with the spiritual side that All Might (supposedly) never really awakened. or to put it in Avatar: The Last Airbender terms, All Might was more of a Korra and Deku is more of an Aang. fortunately for Deku, it seems that being in tune with the spiritual part of OFA gives you access to some really neat stuff, holy shit.)

HOLY SHIT

THIS DUDE’S STILL GOT IT

holy shit that came out of nowhere at top speed and he caught it without looking like a total badass. WHO EVEN NEEDS ONE FOR ALL. OR ORGANS

so now Mei’s traipsing out of the woods and asking if anyone got hurt. nope, but you almost killed my husband and my son so try to be more careful next time

Deku’s belatedly realizing that this looks kind of weird, him being out in the middle of the woods having SECRET TRAINING with All Might at the crack of dawn

so All Might, master of improvisation that he is, is switching to Kansai dialect for some reason. to try and disguise himself. because of course that’ll work

thankfully, out of everyone they could have stumbled across in the woods, Hatsume Mei is the most singularly one-track-minded person they could have possibly met, and she’s barely even batting an eye

hmm?

new item, eh?

and he’s surprised and says he thought it wouldn’t be ready until after the cultural festival

but she already had the materials, so she says it’ll take no time at all

so he’s thanking her and now she’s walking off again

and by the way, this thing that All Might caught literally is a golden snitch, though

All Might > Harry Potter confirmed

(ETA: and by the way, this makes two HP references two chapters in a row, given the title of 1-B’s play. Horikoshi must have recently marathoned the films or something)

now he’s asking Deku about the new item

Deku says there was something he wanted to try out with his new technique

All Might is mentioning that he also tried using support items at one point back in the day, but apparently they only ended up getting in his way and tended to break whenever he went over 20-30%

oh hey

haven’t seen this in a while. here I thought his suit was way too fitted to accommodate this sort of thing anymore. he’s probably ruined it now

(ETA: you can actually see that the top button is about to pop off lol)

anyway, he’s telling Deku that using support items is great, just so long as he doesn’t end up relying on them too much

he says he’s seen a lot of instances where heroes that relied too much on their items had a bad time when those items were lost

this kinda seems to go against what Aoyama was saying a few chapters earlier. he’s an example of someone who does rely on a support item, and he seems to do all right. but I get what All Might is trying to tell him though

so Deku is all “got it!” and clenching his fist determinedly

aww

it is, though. I was just thinking that. I adore these All Might/Deku training scenes and it’s been great to have a return to this

so now we’re cutting back to Heights Alliance, and I’m assuming it’s the evening because the moon is up

Bakugou is squabbling with Kaminari and telling him he he plays too fast. Kaminari says Bakugou is the one screwing them up because he keeps improvising

obligatory posting of this panel of MomoJirou being lesbians

I live for the little things, I really do

omg

okay, (1) this is the cutest thing that’s ever happened ever in history, and (2) I just remembered that that was the chapter title. “imperial golden tips.” so it appears the chapter is named after Momo’s fancy tea that her mom sent her

everyone’s all excited to try it because it’s fancy rich people tea

lmao. Ochako’s asking if Deku’s going to have any, and

“am I... a bad nerd??” Deku berates himself while lying awake in bed that night sobbing uncontrollably

so I think that while Deku and Ochako are being clumsy dorks here they’re going to accidentally click on one of Gentle’s videos perhaps?

yep

in a way it’s kind of charming to know that Youtube’s suggested videos algorithm is still complete shit even in the BnHA universe 200 years from now. Deku was looking for All Might support items. Youtube: [brings up villain tea videos]

so Ochako has no idea who he is, but Deku’s actually heard of him although he says he’s not too familiar. but he knows he’s an infamous Youtube Villain

:) the answer may surprise you!

though it shouldn’t, actually. you guys should just go ahead and assume you’re the targets of every upcoming villain plot from here on out. that’s the way the dice seem to be falling nowadays

now we’re cutting to Gentle and La Brava

Gentle is writing something out with a feather quill like some sort of Harry Potter character. I couldn’t come up with a more creative simile because my mind’s still in that mode thanks to the golden snitch earlier

this man just sits around in full costume writing letters with a quill even as a laptop sits inches away. he’s just that committed to his gig. he lives this life 24/7 huh

he says that the public is growing more and more dissatisfied with heroes nowadays, and it’s because they’re “feeble-minded”

I’d actually argue that at this point, them being attacked is the predictable thing

now La Brava is asking if he’s going to involve the kids that will become future heroes. YEAH, GENTLE

I’D ARGUE THAT THEY’VE HAD ENOUGH WAKE UP CALLS BY THIS POINT

like. can they live. can they just have this one little thing though, god

oh my god

thanks La Brava. this is why he keeps you around

so now they’re going over the route!

so they’re going to approach at 5 a.m. that morning, taking a route that passes by the fewest hero offices

then they’re going to turn onto a side road, go through a residential area, and then they’ll end up at a park

blah blah so about an hour will elapse during this time and they’ll end up at a rundown house that’s actually a cafe

and he says they’re going to stop there to get some tea

apparently they serve the same tea that that Momo was coincidentally serving to everyone earlier. the imperial golden tips stuff

so... they’re going to wait until the shop opens, and then take a 90-minute tea break

let me tell you, it sure is riveting going through every detailed step of this elaborate criminal operation

then they go back outside and pass through a construction site and then climb a hill

ah, finally!

yeah probably at like 5pm at this rate. the festival will have already ended and you shrug and turn around and head back home

he says that since Hounddog will probably be guarding the area, they’ll rub themselves with dirt and leaves to mask their scent

then they’re gonna hit the famed U.A. barrier, which is impossible to get through without a permit

but apparently La Brava is A HACKING PRO, so she’s gonna hack U.A.’s network and shut down their sensors

is it really that easy? shit. doesn’t U.A. have any IT heroes? little did we know this whole time the password to their network was 1234

lmao we’re flashing back to when they first met

“corrupt businessman scolded” sounds like the kind of shit that should have gone viral tbh

then one day La Brava tracked him down and said she was a huge fan and she offered to help him

she apparently hacked his address. since the police haven’t found them yet, I’m assuming they’ve since moved, or taken down that initial video, or both lol

so now he’s proclaiming that this time around he’ll proudly put his life on the line

aww

yeah so that’s basically it. and now time is progressing to the night before the cultural festival OH GOODNESS

BONUS:

so as promised, we’re gonna do two pages today since I flaked out yesterday!

page one - class B painting the prop dragon

nothing much to say about this one except that obviously they’re going to keep painting it until they’re fucking done painting it, Colander Man

page two - Kenrazaki Bibimi’s profile. I couldn’t find a scanlation for this, so my Google Translate-assisted version is below lol

likes: glittering people, glittering things

the beauty gal

“too beautiful. it’s fun to draw her eyelashes.” lol

is it weird that now that the shock of said lashes has died down some, I actually do think she is really pretty? lol what is this manga doing to me

[parabellum-rpg-archive]

Congratulations, Marie! You’ve been accepted to play Sofia Costello. Your request to change her FC to Zoey Deutch, has also been accepted. Please make your page and send it in within 24 hours.

Admin note: This audition was incredible, and it was so hard to pick from because we had three different Sofia auditions. You were so detailed, even just in describing Sofia’s names. You’re an incredible writer - welcome to the group! - Admin V

CHARACTER DESIRED.

I will be applying for the lovely Sofia Costello.

SOFIA ( soh - fee - uh ) — “wisdom, skill” :

Not many people see it, the intelligence that hides in Sofia Costello’s eyes. When they hear that she’s a socialite, and aside from that, uninvolved in the family business, frivolous to a fault and with a dramatic streak to boost, it’s not exactly something they look for. But there’s a reason Sofia practically breezed through private school, there’s a reason she does live up to her first name, even without her parents knowing when they picked it out what she’d turn out to be like. When she applies herself to something Sofia can be a whirlwind of ambition and determination, pushing herself until she masters whatever her goal is.

GUINEVERE ( gwin - iv - eer ) — “white enchantress” :

There was no surprise that her middle name became a tribute to her recently deceased mother. The terrible accident, the twins’ first few weeks of life spent in the NICU, Sofia still believes there must have been some higher power, someone watching over them, to make sure they actually made it out of that hospital alive. In her heart, she believes it was Guinevere herself, who couldn’t pass on to the afterlife until she knew her babies were safe. Not one typically for religion, this is the one belief she clings onto tightly, with both her hands and one that has made her carry the middle name with nothing but absolute pride.

COSTELLO ( cos - tell - oh ) — “little castle” :

Despite her never caring much about the family business, Sofia would do anything, absolutely anything, for the other Costellos. Much like her middle name, she wears the surname with pride, not for the power it’s associated with ( though, despite her disregard for the business, she still quite liked that part ) but for the people. Her parents, her siblings, her cousin — she loves them dearly, which is quite possibly also why she’s so against her darling brother, her twin, her Luca marrying Paisley Sinclair, not when Juliet already brought him so much heartache. Not when he deserved so much better than that.

DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

There are so many things Sofia Costello is to me. From reading her biography, I immediately got the sense that she is not the type of girl that can be described with a single trope, that she is probably a lot more than people give her credit for, too. Then I started reading through the other biographies related to her own, saw that Marcel saw her as assertive & unafraid of a challenge and that Luca’s noted that the twins could get away with almost anything, especially when Sofia flashed the doe eyes her parents adored. I kind of fell in love with her even more, and I also started to understand just how broad this character is.

I think the first thing that came to mind for me when looking at Sofia was mafia princess, though mostly focussing on the latter part. A socialite, who basically ignored her family’s business, but enjoyed the luxuries of it anyway. Taking after the mother that raised her, being good at getting what she wanted, and throwing a fit when she didn’t. I think I’d build on this by saying that Sofia is probably very dramatic and overindulged, but also that she is very confident and charismatic. That there is a regal air around her, and that it makes it easy for people to have a skewed perception of who she really is, for people to underestimate her, but never test out of she is really naive, in fear of her family’s rage. I also think that it makes her powerful in social situations, knowing she can snag the attention of a room with just a few quick gestures, knowing she can play the game of power struggles as well as anyone.

The second thing I really thought about was her being a bit of a trouble maker. Sure, she focussed on her studies and goals enough to make sure she was the best, but when she could talk herself out of almost anything — how does it not become tempting to try and indulge. I think she kind of embodies that ( I hate myself for making a Gossip Girl reference in the year of our lord 2019 but it’s been burned into my head and I can not get it out ) Serena van der Woodsen feel, where she is legendary for partying and getting into trouble, but still beloved enough for none of it to really matter. I also think that like Luca, she probably held the Costello name over her peers, letting them know that she could do anything, get away with anything, because of the family she hails from.

Finally, I think that currently, at this moment in time, Sofia is changing. I think she realized that with her twin brothers’ marriage to their enemy, she could no longer remain uninvolved. After never really having any interest in the family business, she suddenly wishes to push herself right into the middle of things, for her brothers’ sake, to keep him out of a loveless marriage, especially when Juliet Carmichael had already dragged him down a hole of addiction and obsession. I think her interest in their family affairs is also growing, and I think that once all of this is done, there is no way for her to go back to her regular life.

WRITING SAMPLE.

writing sample one.

So. Getting involved in underage drinking and then mistaking a police officer for a stripper, Sofia could admit it to herself, this was not exactly one of her finest moments. She had done worse things, of course, but those her parents did not find out about. Yet. This one, unfortunately for her, they had. In her defense, the police officer looked exactly like that new stripper at the Venetian, and she’d thought he’d definitely recognize his owners’ daughter. Also in her defense, the drinks at Sapphire were not to be messed with. She’d only had a few glasses, but was already swaying on her feet — and considering someone had tried to champagne shower her, she now reeked of alcohol too. “Please officer — I’m so sorry”, Sofia had looked at him with those pleading eyes that only very rarely were denied. Apparently, the cop was a little too insulted at how she’d tried to use his handcuffs in ways they definitely weren’t meant for because he wasn’t buying it. Not even the slightest bit.

She’d considered calling Luca, or even Mia when she reached the station, hoping they could just come get her out without much hassle, but as soon as she entered the building, one of the officers’ superiors recognized her, and after berating the man for picking up Marcel Costello’s daughter, he placed her at his desk, a blanket to keep her warm wrapped tightly around her shoulders and a mug of hot chocolate in her hands as he called a secure contact to connect him to her parents. “Damn it”, she swore under her breath, knowing that all she wanted to do was fall into her bed and sleep for the next ten hours — not being forced to work her magic on both her parents in the middle of the night.

Luckily for her, it was not her parents that came to pick her up, but one of their underlings, so she had time to prepare the speech. I just went out for a little celebratory drink, I promise. My friend Nadine got engaged yesterday, and us girls had to take her out for the night, of course! She’s absolutely ecstatic about it, I’ll make sure to get some extra invitations to the wedding, her father is the CEO of some large, Fortune 500 company, so you know the nuptials will be lavish. Sorry, I’ll get back to the story. So, Christie — you know her right, with the nose job? She ordered the drinks, and I guess there was alcohol in them, I didn’t even taste any, I swear! And then we get outside, and Nadine thinks that lovely police officer was a stripper we hired just for her, and when we realized he wasn’t, it was already too late. At that point, she’d let those beautiful doe eyes of hers fill with tears, and a regretful expression would fall over her face. She’d apologize at least twice more, come up with some more excuses, and eventually, they’d tell her to just go get some rest, that it was all okay.

And Sofia would never hear about it again.

writing sample two.

Her rage was like a burning, living thing. It was fire, coursing down her veins, into every single cell of her being, taking over, turning her into pure, undiluted anger. It had been building from the moment the family discussion about this betrothal had started. She’d seen some slivers of feelings about this whole situation in her family’s eyes, some of her own feelings reflected in those, too, but she didn’t think any of them were as powerful as hers. Sofia had retreated into herself, the rage building up as she sat there, silently, barely being able to hear what anyone was saying over those feelings. When finally the attention shifted to her, to the way she seemed to glow red hot, she’d looked up at her father, her words almost like the hiss of a viper, so sharp. “You are not whoring out my brother to some enemy bitch,” The last word had been spat out, and it was like her self control snapped. She’d raged and cried and yes, even begged, but there was no budging, not this time. So she’d stormed out, telling them they’d all rot in hell for this and didn’t let anyone near her for weeks.

It had been hell — absolute torture for her to refuse contact with her family. She did not want to see any of their faces, did not want to hear any of their pleas to just come back, to just talk to them, at least. She flinched every time she saw Luca’s name pop up on her phone screen, and wanted to smash her phone against the wall every time she pressed the deny call button. Sofia learned a surprising lot about her own power of self-restraint during those weeks, how long she could hold out, how to hide her hurt and anger behind a blank, emotionless face. Let them see her empty space at the table and realize what they’d done. Just like her father, she refused to budge on this, and only when she realized it herself, by her own intelligence and being let alone with her thoughts for so long, did she return to them.

When she barged in after weeks of no contact, Sofia strutted towards her father with that sense of confidence she had always possessed, showing absolutely no sign of anger or how upset she was, she just looked him into the eyes and told him that if this was happening, she wanted to be more involved in the business. She only offered a brief ‘family duty’ as an explanation of why. To be fair, it was true. But it was her loyalty towards Luca, specifically, that was the reason behind it. During her self-imposed exile, Sofia had realized that they all probably just saw this as the only solution to their troubles with the Sinclairs, and if she wanted to get her brother out of it, she’d have to know all the pieces involved in the game they’ve been playing since the Medici’s were chased out of Chicago.

After all, you can’t win in chess unless you have a proper view of the entire gameboard.

[komatsunana]

So the other day I binged THG movies and, naturally, a Hunger Games AU popped into my dreams - strangely mostly centered around Marion lmao. But, like, I thought up other deets about everyone else’s circumstances??

So just to set a couple things: Exandrian Hunger Games have a wider net of ages who can enter THG, just since fantasy races are still a thing which means sometimes young adults of human (and similarly aging races) end up in the games.

Aaaand just because of plot stuff - Districts can ‘trade’ their HG-eligible children to other districts in exchange for rations and stuff. These children often end up with lotsss of slips in the reaping ball, because they either end up homeless or a family ‘adopts’ them into their house in exchange for them buying plenty of rations. Trading can only go from a higher district to a lower district - they cannot go higher.

Also, just for giggles, Wildemont and Tal’Dorei both have their own separate Hunger Games so like....................... yes, Vex definitely volunteers herself in Velora’s place Katniss style (Of course Vax, subsequently, volunteers himself with the intention of sacrificing himself for Vex).

But this post isn’t about the VM Hunger Games, but the M9 sooooooo...........

(spoilers about Caleb’s past and some details about Jester’s mom)

Caleb is from the equivalent of the ‘2nd’ district - a career district and the district where peacekeepers are made. He’s been training for the Hunger Games along with his 2 friends under Trent Ikathon for, a Mentor in The Hunger Games, since before he was of age to be in the Hunger Games. 

Much as in canon, Trent tests his student’s loyalties and, in a similar set of circumstances, has them kill their parents for disloyalty to the Empire. Caleb does so but has regerts, which Trent senses.  Trent decides it’ll be Astrid and Eodwulf who volunteer for this years’ games - because in this district that’s decided before hand I guess??? idk. 

Anyway, Caleb ends up volunteering before Eodwulf can and Trent is piiiiiiiiiiiissed. The whole district is piiiiiiiiissed. Caleb don’t care. Caleb has plans. I’m not even sure what they are, but I’m sure they are drastic.

Meanwhile, over in the equivalent of District 4, the fishing district, Jester’s mother Marion is a previous victor of The Hunger Games - her nickname naturally being “The Ruby of the Sea”. After the horrors of the games, and the later horrors that the Capitol gave to her as a victor, she has agoraphobia and stays inside her living space much of the time. Her daughter, Jester, stays inside with her for the most part. Only the day of the reaping does Marion leave her house, because luckily there are three other victors in their District - one being Vandren though he had unfortunately recently died in a mysterious accident a few weeks before the reaping.

Jester has her name in the reaping ball only the minimum amount of times, so Marion is horrified when Jester’s name is picked. Without even needing to be asked, one of the other mentors immediately allows Marion to take her place as one of the two mentors for the games. Fjord volunteers himself soon after - not at all for Jester’s sake but to uncover the truth of Vandren’s death - the only clues he has being the names Uk’otoa and Avantika. 

Marion asks that Fjord promise to stay close to Jester and protect her, to which he promises he’ll protect “her little girl” as best he can - but he also reminds her that he wants to live as well and that if it comes down to the two of them... well. Marion promises that it won’t come to that, plans of rebellion in her mind. She doesn’t just want to save her daughter from the horror of the games, but the horror of survival and what the Capitol does to it’s victors as well.

Jester promises her mother that she’ll be okay and win for her mama, though meanwhile Jester has made friends with a man named the Traveler, who no one else can see, but who encourages her to break the games. Jester is also a huge hit with the audience, winning everyone’s heart quickly.

Beau was born in the luxury district “1″ but after proving too difficult to even train as a career, she is a rare ration trade from District 1 (career districts generally aren’t pushed to the brink of needing to give away their children for measly rations) to 7 - the lumber and paper district.  A previous victor Dairon takes an interest in Beau, however, and trains her for The Hunger Games.  However she does not train Beau to win, but to destroy the games and even the country if she must.

Beau doesn’t really give a fuck about the mission that Dairon wants her to undertake (though she volunteers when asked) until she meets the rest of the tributes - by which I mean the M9 - and starts taking her mission more seriously. She is absolutely not beloved by the Empire’s Capitol audience.

Molly woke up in District 8 (Textiles!!) with no memories. He’s not even really sure he always lived there, because no one seems to recognize him, but no one can give him answers. Not that Molly looks for them, of course. When his name is picked from the reaping ball... Molly decides to dedicate the rest of his life making everyone deal with him and make it hell for those that put him there. He basically accepts he’s going to die in the games, but would like to die saving someone else if he can manage that.

Caduceus is from District 10 (livestock).  When his name is called, Caduceus calmly accepts it as a trial the Wildmother has given him.  Cad is completely unprepared when the Hunger Games actually begins and is pretty much traumatized by the violence in the Blood Bath.

Aaaaand then there is Nott, from the District 12 equivalent - mining.  This District has all of the Empire’s Goblins and the non-Goblins of the District take advantage of that - every year 2 Goblins are chosen as sacrifices in which they are forced to trade for enough extra rations for the entire District, so many times that they are pretty much guaranteed to be chosen for the reaping.  Nott is one of this year’s sacrifices and she really has no say in it.

There aren’t even any victors from District 12 for Nott to be mentored by - which really just cements how bleak things are for Nott. During training, Caleb helps Nott out of a scrap with some other tributes and she vows to dedicate herself to making sure he survives.

Meanwhile, Yasha was a trade-in switch from 5 to 9 (Grain)..... Or so the story goes. Another child who’d been traded from 5 to 9 was kidnapped and swapped out with Yasha. That was frankly to the kidnapped child’s fortune as she went back to District 13, which secretly still exists, from where Yasha originally came. 

Yasha was switched out so she could volunteer herself for the Hunger Games under orders from The Storm Lord. She isn’t sure what she’s meant to be doing there, but she follows the signs as best as she can. While training at the Capitol of the Empire, Molly and Yasha make quick friends much to Yasha’s befuddlement. Receives a score of 11 in training.

Also I guess Shakäste is from District 13 and works with Marion?? To stop The Hunger Games????

Idk, maybe Kiri is a tribute from District 11 (Agriculture) that the M9 is desperately trying to save.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAand that’s pretty much it???? Or at least that’s all I got. Though I guess with that set up the M9 gotta form to destroy the fuck out of the Hunger Games????  Right??? Nobody dies ok lmao

If anyone is ~inspired~ by any of this, feel free to take it further and/or change w/e you want lmao.

[wizardsuniterpg]

CHARACTER BASICS

Name: Nikolai Aleksandrovich Orlov (Nick Orlov) Date of Birth: December 8th, 1983 Place of Birth: Moscow, Russia Actual Age/Age of appearance: 36 Marital Status: Divorced Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual Pronouns: He/him Religion: None Health details: Sometimes walks with a limp from a previous injury on the job Occupation: Auror for the British Ministry of Magic

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION (OR WRITE A COUPLE PARAGRAPHS)

Height: 6’4" Eye Color: Blue-Gray, gray-blue Hair Color/Style: Brown, shorter on the sides, longer up top, usually swept to the side with an off-center part Style: Dresses more modern than the average wizard but still in dark colors; usually wears long coats/robes, with popped collars. Closet probably needs a makeover and colors need to be introduced.  Aesthetic: one last cigarette before bedtime, which is late; smell of cold rain, basil, and cedar wood; late hot showers; black coffee in the morning; early morning rain;  Other: Scars from life, work; birthmarks in particular areas, such as right side of torso, back of the neck, and tiny specs on the forearms. Grown-out stubble or light beard. Play-By Used: Alexander Skarsgard

BACKGROUND AND CHARACTER

Personality: Nick is shrewd, brooding oftentimes, yet loyal and generally willing to absolve those that aggravate him, unless they have grievously crossed him. He is particularly loyal to those closest to him, including co-workers, other Aurors, like Eve Maitland, whom he’d gone to school with. He will do anything for them. However, to achieve such a level of respect from him is difficult.

He has high standards and a strict work ethic. He tolerates those he must tolerate, bureaucrats at the Ministry, for example. He does have an ego and it will often time come out when he’s dealing with junior Aurors or anyone below his rank. An individual must prove themselves to him. Some people, however, impress him without trying. It doesn't happen often, but it happens.  

Being a restrained and methodical individual, he is mostly in control of his emotions. He rarely loses his temper in an outright explosion, but he can show great potential for violence when pushed. He expertly harnesses this while on the job and is a leader, which is why he holds rank as a captain.

He is a very honest man, is known to be blunt, and is generally not sentimental on a surface level; although when the happiness and well-being of someone he cares about is at stake, he will show his concern and care through actions and can most definitely put their needs above his own. At present, there is no one he loves more than his mother, his sister, and his son.

Nick is a good father. He’s such a good father that he ended up divorcing his wife for pouring all of his affection into their son, Thomas. He feels guilty for separating because of how it affects Thomas, but Gloriana was the one that initiated the divorce. She no longer wanted to be with Nick. In her mind, he didn’t give her the attention she deserved, he didn’t understand her, and although she never admitted it, she didn’t understand him.

If an individual is within Nick’s circle, he will return loyalty and respect wholeheartedly. He might not be one who is open and expressive, but it is characteristic of someone who has gone through what he has. He values everything he has. He takes nothing for granted. During moments of happiness and enjoyment, he’ll let his dark, dry sense of humor slip. People have seen him smile, really.

Regarding romance and partners, Nick is also restrained, perhaps even a bit reserved. He doesn’t lament over divorcing his ex-wife, has become jaded, and he has not entertained the idea of another marriage.  

History: Nick was born in Moscow, Russia, but at an early age, he and his parents moved to London, England, where his father started working at Saint Mungos as a healer. Up until attending Hogwarts, Nick had a fairly uneventful life. They were immigrants, and there was always something to prove for his parents. It’s the same whether you’re a muggle or a wizard in a different country. Alexander Orlov worked nights, was always on call, striving to prove himself as a young healer. Valeria, his wife, took care of Nick meanwhile. They never visited Moscow when he was a child. He hadn’t known why then, but his parents were avoiding going back. Something about their extended family that they left behind.

The secret death eater ties on his father’s side didn’t start to unravel until Lord Voldemort made his presence known during Nick’s first year in 1994, which was the year of the Quidditch World cup and the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Nick’s mother, Valeria, suggested taking her son out of Hogwarts. He’d only been in school for a year. It was all right, she had argued with her husband. He could’ve started elsewhere without interrupting his education too much. Beauxbatons, perhaps? Or better yet, they could’ve taken a risk and moved to the United States, and Nick could’ve gone to Ilvermorny.

But at that point, no school was really safer than Hogwarts, Nick’s father was confident in the legendary Albus Dumbledore, and he couldn’t just up and leave his job, start his career anew in America. Valeria lived in a constant state of paranoia because of their decision to stay, and the death eaters in their own family. He suspected the dark ties in their extended family, but he never got answers, not until later.

So instead, Nick’s parents advised him to stay as far away from Harry Potter as he could, study well, and most importantly, to be careful. Nick never spoke to the famous orphan, and it helped that he was in Slytherin. Slytherins stayed away from Gryffindors, after all. However, try as he might, it was impossible to ignore the whisperings about dark magic, prejudice, and the coming change for the betterment of purebloods everywhere. Nick had kept his mouth shut about not being one himself. 

Within the cunning house, the older kids boasted about their own families’ death eater connections. Most were outright lying. Their parents were just blood-elitist. A few Slytherins, like Draco Malfoy, was legitimately in line to become a Voldemort follower himself. Most of the younger years, including Nick, stayed away from such talk, afraid or uncomfortable. Some were intrigued and often snuck into late night conversations while someone in Potter’s year professed their hatred and whispered the name Voldemort with sneaky little smiles. The kids were more often than not caught by the older students and punished. Nick was smart and didn’t stick around to get his ass beat by an older year. He socialized with his own year and those younger.

Eve Maitland, a Slytherin in his year, was in his small group of friends. They kept to the fringes of the house. They were there at Hogwarts to learn, not to meddle with house rivalries, or worse, do anything that could endanger their lives. 1997 was the most difficult year that Nick and his friends had to go through. That was his fourth year and the year of the Battle of Hogwarts.

When things rapidly changed at the school, Snape becoming headmaster and death eaters taking teaching positions, Valeria wanted her son out of there. Out of there immediately. His parents were smart enough to realize that the Ministry was corrupted and that dark things were happening at Hogwarts. Finally, Alexander had agreed, but it wasn’t possible to arrange Nick’s departure when the school was essentially in the control of Voldemort. Nick ended up staying for the full year. During that year, he finally learned that his uncle, his father’s brother, was a follower of the Dark Lord, and this was perhaps what spared Nick the many punishments that were dolled out by the new teachers. 

Mikhail Orlov visited his brother in London while Nick was away and asked him to join the cause. A healer is needed in all situations. Upon Alexander’s refusal, Mikhail threatened to take Nick over to the Dark Lord’s side, by force if need be -  reports from the school mentioned that Nick had much potential, a fourteen-year-old boy could be molded, after all. Alexander engaged his brother in a duel, a duel that took his life. Valeria was spared because she managed to get away with Nick’s sister Vera, who was only a toddler then. When their son heard of his father’s death, it was days later. Unable to do anything, Nick only had the support of his friends and Eve while they waited out the year.

During the Battle itself, they were evacuated with the rest of the younger years while the older students who wanted to fight stayed. Nick wanted to stay, too, he wanted to kill the uncle he’d never met, but of course, there was no way in hell he was allowed to. Instead, finally he reunited with his mother and baby sister. When it was all over, after Voldemort was defeated, all they could do was continue living for the sake of each other. Fortunately, Mikhail Orlov was caught, along with other death eaters who remained alive, and was sentenced to Azkaban for life.

Nick resumed school. The relief of Harry Potter and his friends finally being gone was palpable. He and his friends finally settled in their places comfortably as they should’ve been allowed to all along. The atmosphere within Slytherin lightened significantly. While the other houses avoided them most of the time nonetheless, rumors died hard, all that mattered was that the students of the house, those who simply wanted to learn and graduate could do so with peace without the threat of darkness over their heads. When he graduated in 2000, Nick became an Auror in order to channel his need for justice. Eve Maitland also joined the Ministry. Later in his career, she became his partner in the Auror department. It was almost like they were back in school again. 

During a Ministry party seven years ago, Nick met Babs Mimzy, who wasn’t yet a Hogwarts professor. Despite his standoffish nature, the two hit it off and two years later, they got married. Shortly after, Babs became pregnant and they had a son named Thomas. As soon as he learned to talk, it was clear that he would become a precocious, solitary boy, just like his father. The birth of his son changed Nick for the better, surprisingly. Becoming a father was a good thing for him. He became less of a cold asshole. He smiled more. He laughed more genuinely. His overall physiognomy became less dark. But Nick started to spend more time with his son and less with his wife.

He and Babs divorced when Thomas was three, just two years ago. Nick and his wife were just too different. Babs needed more out of him, more emotion, more attention, just more understanding. It was all good that he doted on their son, but he couldn’t just leave his wife out. In the end, perhaps they were just too different. Their paths were also different. After their divorce, Babs got hired at Hogwarts as their new charms professor and moved away. Distance made it hard on Nick - just knowing that his son is in another country - but he does visit as often as he can.

Presently, Nick doesn’t regret their divorce - there was no way that he and Babs could make it work - but he's aware of how difficult Thomas’ life will continue to be with their parents separated. Also, Babs has a new man as of late - Alex Fraser. They’ve been engaged for a couple months too now. The guy's a ex-quidditch player (with a scandal that had him off the team) and isn’t too smart, in Nick’s opinion. At least he’s nice to Thomas, but Nick swears that he doesn’t have any brains. He doesn’t stimulate Thomas enough. He just buys him things, like that children’s quidditch set on Christmas. Thomas was too scared to try the kid’s broomstick. Nick tries to suppress his irritation for the sake of his son. He’s all that Nick has - besides his job.

When he was offered the opportunity to be involved in the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, Nick hesitated in taking the offer only because doing so would take him away from Thomas - visiting is hard enough. Even Eve couldn’t convince Nick to take a new position. But the little boy, far smarter than most kids his age, told him to go. So with his son’s blessing, Nick is one of the senior Aurors overseeing the task force. 

Connections:  Eve Maitland: Probably his one and only best friend, although Nick doesn’t use the word best friend, he’s not a teenager. She’s been through many things with him together, whether or not they affected her own life. He might not share her self-interest in recognition at the Ministry, or agree with some of her dubious, less-than-legal skills and talents, but she’s been there for him too many times to count - like after his father’s death, his divorce - and her friendship and loyalty mean more than anything. Equally, he’d do anything for her.

Valeria Orlov: His mother, whom he visits but probably not often enough. She’s a reserved, graceful woman in her late fifties who lives for her children and grandson. Otherwise, she works with sick children at Saint Mungos and attends various clubs and activities in her spare time with other witches her own age.

Vera Orlov: Nick’s younger sister with whom he’s not too close with. They have a 12 year age gap between them. He was attending school, then went off to work for the ministry right after. They’ve tried to connect, but they’re just so different. Vera isn’t too aware of the dark times of Harry Potter and Voldemort. She was also born in England. She’s of a different generation. She’s more open, expressive, and has gone toward an art career. She’s lucked out, exhibiting in several cities across Europe for her dancing colors collection.

Babs Mimzy: She once attracted him with her wit, her intelligence, and impressed him by the fact that she wasn’t trying to impress anyone, she never did. Nick was able to open up to her enough that she fell in love with him and vise versa. But they reached a stalemate in their relationship. After five years, it turned out that he couldn’t give her what she wanted, and they couldn’t find a solution to make their relationship work. They divorced. 

Future plot ideas: Purist ties to his family in Russia. His sister, with whom he doesn’t have a relationship with. Drama with ex-wife and her new fiance. 

FAMILY

Mother: Valeria Orlov, 58  Father: Alexander Orlov, Deceased Siblings: Vera Orlov, 24 Pets: None Children: Thomas Miller, 5 years old.  Ex-Spouse:  Babs Mimzy

MAGICAL

Wand: Bog oak, 13.5 inches, Dragon heartstring Basic education: Hogwarts, Slytherin, started in 1994, graduated in 2000 Lineage: Half-blood. Dad was a pureblood. Mom was a half-blood. Skills: Animagus -  borzoi. Best at defensive and offensive spells, including all of the spellwork that his job requires. Spells for the ordinary such as cooking, cleaning, housework, he doesn’t use. They make him feel lazy. But he’s also good at potions, as this was his best class. He was once taught by the great Severus Snape, not that Nick was a favorite of Snape’s. Snape had no favorites. Nick is great at apparating, uses it when in a wand fight.

Some facts

Smoking: Yes, he’s a smoker. He should quit. He likes Muggle cigarettes, Parliaments Drinks Alcohol: Yes, however, no issue with it like alcoholism. He prefers gin.  Religion: None Worst Habit:  Allergies: Most fantastic beasts with fur.  Most Common Misconception about them: He’s aware of how he makes people feel; it’s a matter of whether he cares from one situation to another Biggest Fear: To lose his son - that could just mean losing the ability to see him. Greatest Strength: Confidence, experience, intellect, honesty, loyalty; generosity toward those closest to him Greatest Weakness: Can be ruthless on the job, cold, harsh, closed off emotionally; a difficult superior; can be impatient and not understanding Weapons: His wand

Intimate Facts

One Wish: That he doesn’t lose anyone important to him. Greatest Secret? Ideal Kiss? One that’s deliberate Sleeps In? Never, unless by accident Virgin? He has kid. What turns them on? Challenges, surprises when he expected something else

Random facts

Most Uttered Phase/Word? Tends to Always? Slouch a little, glower Is Ticklish? His feet Oddest Thing?  Most likely to find them? Knows they’re really sorry if? You can see it on his face, even if he tries to hide it. Or in his actions, you can tell that he feels guilty.

[gracewithducks]

#blessed (Matthew 5:1-12)

I am so glad to be back with you all today. I’ve been feeling a bit of whiplash, though, making the transition from a week with my family in the happiest place on earth… back into the real world. We spent several days rubbing shoulders with families from all over the world, where we heard many languages spoken, where my girls lit up with wonder to see that It’s a Small World after all; we spend a week in a place where – for all the tantrums, and yes, there were plenty – a place where nevertheless we were surrounded by people who smiled at us, who helped us, who went out of their way for us, who treated my children like royalty, who did everything they could not just for our family but for every family there.

 And then we came home… we flew home on Inauguration Day, and it quickly became apparent that things are changing and changing quickly. I don’t know about you, but my head has been spinning – trying to keep up with “alternative facts” and executive orders and gag orders, hearing the voices of neighbors fearing for their immigration status, families terrified of losing their health care, couples wondering if their marriages could be overturned, not to mention the sheer number of people who do not see the painful irony of closing the doors to refugees on the very same day of a “pro-life” march and remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust.

 And what hurts my heart the most are the number of our Christian brothers and sisters who don’t see it. I keep hearing in my head the echo of Paul’s words to the Galatians: I am astonished that you are turning away from the truth of the gospel, that you are being fooled by a false gospel – because that’s what we’re seeing. So many pastors, so many of our neighbors and colleagues and friends, are falling in line behind and preaching a gospel where might makes right, where God’s favor can be earned, where riches are a sign of God’s blessings, and only the strongest survive.

 That’s not the gospel I know; that’s not the gospel Jesus preached… that kind of gospel is really only “good news” to the rich and the powerful – and a gospel that is only good news to the rich and the powerful is one Jesus wouldn’t recognize at all.

 That is, I think, why these familiar words from the Sermon on the Mount, why they are so profound and radical indeed. What’s happening here is, it’s very early in Jesus’ ministry. He’s been tempted in the wilderness, he’s just called his disciples, and then he went on a tour through the area of Galilee. And this area, it wasn’t the richest area. It was an area populated by fishermen and their families, by farmers and their families, by working people just trying to take care of one another. Jesus went through the area teaching, and giving good news, and healing many who were ill. And the news began to spread, that there was a new young teacher in Galilee who spoke good news and offered healing, so that people started to travel from all around to find him, bringing their sons, their daughters, their parents, their neighbors, themselves, looking for relief from pain and possessions and all the suffering that they faced. And Jesus welcomed those desperate people, and he healed them, and this large crowd of those looking for help and those who’d found it, this large crowd started to follow him.

 And Matthew says, when Jesus looked at the crowd, that’s when he went up on the hillside and he started to teach. As he looked out at the crowd of local families and foreigners, the crowd of hurting and sick and poor and grieving people, the crowds of people hungry for bread and hungry for hope – Jesus started to speak. And he said,

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit…

“Blessed are those who mourn...

“Blessed are the meek…

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…

“Blessed are the merciful…

“Blessed are the pure in heart…

“Blessed are the peacemakers…

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, lie and say all kinds of evil about you, because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward.”

 Those crowds, just like the crowds today, had long been told that they didn’t matter, that they weren’t important. They’d been taught that God’s blessings came in the form of money and power – and because they had neither, they didn’t matter to God, and they didn’t matter to the world, either. They were nobodies. They were expendable, bit players in the corner of the global stage, and while the high priests and the caesars were off shaping the world, they were forgotten; no one saw them, no one heard them, no one even knew their names.

 Jesus looked out at those crowds – and he didn’t see nobodies. He didn’t say, if you just worked harder, if you just tried harder, if you had enough faith and did all the right things, then God would bless you, because God helps those who help themselves.

 No, Jesus said:

 You are already blessed.

 You are already blessed, when you can’t help yourself. You are already blessed, when you can barely get out of bed in the morning. When your heart is breaking, when you’re alone and afraid, when you’re hungry for justice, when you’re just plain hungry – God has not forgotten you. You are not abandoned; you are not forsaken. God doesn’t look at you and see a nobody; God looks at you and says, You, I love; You, I know; You are mine, and you are blessed.

 Is anybody on Twitter at all? Basically, Twitter is one a way that, if you have something you want to say, you can “tweet” it – you put it out on Twitter and send it into the universe. And there is this thing on twitter called a hash tag. What you can do with a hash tag is put a tag, a label, on your post, so that everyone who’s interested in a certain topic can find what people are saying about them. People hashtag politicians, they hashtag disasters and popular TV shows, they hashtag #MissUniverse and #WomensMarch and #love and #cute and #SuperBowl.

 And this week, I decided to see what people were saying that they chose to label with the hashtag #blessed.

 Let me give you just a sample of what I found:

 The very first thing that popped up was this – someone posted, “Got pulled over doing 42 in a 30. Told the police officer I’m in a rush [because] Popeyes closes at 9:30 and he let me go. He a real one #blessed”

 Many of the posts were similarly – we might say, trivial? Like the college student who tweeted, “I just realized I only have one class tomorrow… at noon #blessed”

 Or the food fan who posted, with a picture, “There’s a twenty-layer rainbow crepe in Queens #blessed.”

 One young lady gushed, with an ad for a clothing store attached, “I have this sweater in pink and its my favorite thing and now they’re 60% off (hearts for eyes emoticon) (crying my eyes out emoticon) #blessed”

 How about the – I hope sarcastic? – post: “I have lived to see the era of Artisanal Pop-Tarts #blessed.”

 Ah, yes, I remember well when Jesus said, “Blessed are you when your artificial breakfast pastries are slightly less artificial, for yours is the breakfast of heaven.”

 There are, of course, plenty of #blessed posts about boyfriends and girlfriends and spouses and children; I found a surprising number celebrating the blessing of snowdays and school delays. There were the obligatory folks bragging about days on the beach or trips-of-a-lifetime, and others giving thanks for new jobs or promotions or raises. But there were also many about make-up and mac and cheese and new cars and cups of coffee… And it really, really amazed me to discover that, at this time of year, more than half of the #blessed posts have to do with offers to play college football. I lost track of how many times I read “I am committed to play at” or “Proud to have an offer from” (insert university name here) #blessed.

 Don’t get me wrong: there’s a lot to be said for celebrating the good things in our live, the big ones and the small. There’s something healthy about celebrating hard work paying off with good grades or scholarship offers; there’s something healthy about celebrating friendships and relationships; and there’s something healthy about being thankful for the little things, for favorite socks and a good cup of coffee. I get that.

 But I just can’t help but think that, when Jesus said, “Blessed” – that’s not what he meant. Could you even imagine what those tweets would look like?

 They say God won’t give me more than I can handle, but I don’t even know where God is any more #blessed

My mother just died; I am heartbroken and don’t know how I’m going to live the rest of my life without her #blessed

Got yelled at at work again today; I know it’s about them not me, but I still cried in the bathroom #blessed

I am so hungry, my check doesn’t come in until next Friday, feeding my kids ketchup sandwiches while my stomach rumbles again tonight #blessed

Tried to make peace at family dinner but plates were still broken, hurtful words were yelled, and I ended up alone again #blessed

Going to lose my job because I told the truth #blessed

I am so lonely #blessed

I can’t get out of bed today #blessed

Crying so hard, it’s hard to breathe #blessed

 But that’s what Jesus says: you’re blessed when you’re mourning, when you’re feeling weak, when you’re hungry for justice, when you’re thirsty for truth, when you can’t make ends meet, when you’re good to those who don’t deserve it, when you’re trying to make peace, when you’re lied about, when you’re losing the fight, when you’re feeling alone… when you’re feeling cursed, that’s when you’re blessed.

 Which begs the question: What does “blessed” mean? – does it mean happy? Lucky? Privileged? Fortunate? Favored?

 It can’t be the same as our usual understanding, where being #blessed has to do with escaping speeding tickets and catching footballs and eating desserts. Jesus never says happy are the rich, happy are the popular, happy are the powerful and the comfortable… He says, happy, blessed are the mournful, the poor in spirit, the hungry, the peacemakers and the meek.

 And there are lots of theories about what Jesus means when he says that, but I think what he meant was – as he looked out at that crowd that day, the crowd of people who’d been forsaken and overlooked and ignored all their lives, he said: you, and you, and you are blessed. I see you; God sees you. You are blessed, right in the middle of your mess – not because everything is easy, but because it’s real, and it’s in the real stuff of living that God meets us. You are blessed, because it’s in the real mess of life that Christ chooses to be. God didn’t send a king, an emperor, or a president to save us; God sent a child, born to two poor parents, born in a barn, raised in a modest home, taught to work for a living – God came as someone who knows what it is to be ordinary, to be overlooked, to struggle to make it through.

 Jesus said, if you look for me, look among the poor and the hungry and the naked and the sick and the imprisoned, look with the immigrants and the refugees and the outsiders, and I’ll be there.

 When we feel as far away from #blessed as we can be – that’s when we need to know that God is still with us, God see us, God loves us, God chooses us…

 Which means we have two questions before us today:

 First, do we really believe that God is with us, that we are beloved by God, even when we’re struggling, when we’re suffering, when we’re weighed down with grief and doubts and pain? Dare we call ourselves “blessed” when nothing comes easy, and it really takes an act of faith to do it?

 And the second question is, dare we call others “blessed” too? Are we making room at our table for those whom God has called beloved and blessed? Do we welcome the hungry? The struggling? The ones who are filled with difficult questions? Do we welcome the strangers, the immigrants and refugees? Do we welcome those who try to walk the narrow middle road, to make peace? Do we welcome those who speak truth and call us to justice?

 Do we really want to be blessed? Do we want to be with those whom God called blessed? Are we willing not just to “serve” but to be served? Will we listen, will we learn, trusting that as we do, we will get a clearer picture of the heart of God?

 Especially in the world we face today, we need to be brought back again and again to the real good news: God is not on the side of the loudest or the most powerful; God is not on the side of the rich insiders of the world. God is always on the outside; and when we feel left out, God is there with us; and when we see others being left in the cold – God is with them, and God challenges us to be with them, too.

 God’s grace, God’s love, God’s blessing is big enough for us all.

 You are blessed today. You are blessed, you are beloved, you are welcome, you are wanted, you are seen, you are heart, you are loved.

 Let us know that we are blessed; let us bless others, in the name of the God who loves us still.

  God, you challenge us today. You challenge us to reconsider how our priorities line up with yours. We long to be comfortable, to be safe, to be happy; we want things to be easier – but you remind us that you are closest to us in the midst of the struggle. Comfort us as we mourn today; teach us humility, and make us hungry for justice and thirsty for what is right. Help us to show mercy, to love not just the people we agree with, to help not just those whom we deem worth – but to love as generously and help as graciously as you do. Show us how to be peacemakers, and when the path leads us to persecution, when we struggle, when we stumble along the way – bless us with your love, bless us with your strength, bless us with your courage and your grace once again. Help us to make peace; help us to have peace. May we be blessed; may we be blessings. In Christ’s name we pray; amen.

[myaekingheart]

So, I haven't exactly been okay lately.

This past weekend I went to visit my boyfriend and take another tour of the university I'm planning to transfer to. I had been sick with a cold all last week and he was sick last week into the weekend, as well, so I assumed we were going to be sick kids together. We're both feeling much better now but there were moments where we both just really felt pretty shitty. Either way, Saturday night my boyfriend, my parents, and I went out to dinner and I had a moment where I thought I was almost going to throw up at the table because my post-nasal drip has caused a lot of mucus buildup in my throat and I couldn't swallow, which I instantly associate with the exact moment I start vomiting. So I panicked and ran to the bathroom but fortunately I didn't get sick. Ever since then, however, my appetite has all been kinds of fucked up. No matter how hungry I get, it's like I just can't bring myself to eat much if anything at all. This has been bothering me for almost the entire week now.

And then on top of all of this, later that night my boyfriend and I were talking and we got on the subject of his dead ex girlfriend who I already have an entire cocktail of problematic feelings towards. This is nothing new as I've felt inferior compared to on and off for almost an entire year now. Because I had very little information about her and my boyfriend's relationship with her, I had to piece together what little information I had about the subject and make assumptions which is never good. I hate having to assume things. I'd much rather just know everything and go from there but unfortunately, it's not like any of this history is hidden away in a big textbook somewhere or available on Wikipedia. If it was, this entire thing would be far easier to deal with. I wouldn't have to deal with desperately bringing up a touchy subject with people who are probably still at least a little raw from the situation. I told him of how his mom and I discussed her briefly on our very long drive back to our hometown the last time I was up and he asked me to tell him everything we had said, promising that it wouldn't hurt him if I told him. So I relayed of how his mother told me about the day she died and unearthed the mystery of all that trauma, which was good considering beforehand I had been left to my own devices in picturing what had happened and how and with an imagination as vivid as mine, that's a dangerous act. He then opened up a bit about his own experience with the day she died which I was grateful for considering I'm always scared of bringing this up with him. I know how much her death hurt him and I have always felt nervous talking about it with him for fear of upsetting him or reopening the wounds. I guess tha was never enough to stop me from crying over never feeling like I could live up to her, though. And Saturday night was no exception for the crying. In the midst of the conversation, he told me something that completely shattered my entire world. He told me that they had still been together when him and I met back three years ago. My entire belief system crumbled at my feet. For three years I had been under the impression that they were finished by the time we met but now that he had told me otherwise and seemed so sure of himself about it, I felt myself losing grip with reality. I started to wonder whether everything I ever knew about that time of our lives was real and/or true, or if everything was one big lie. I knew he had never mentioned anything about her back then until the night I confessed my feelings for him the day after he graduated and even, the way he spoke about her was all in past tense which led me to believe either he was lying now or he was lying then. The thought of him still dating her when we first met made me physically nauseous (which didn't help my already present eating issues that were bubbling back to the surface), especially considering how I had acted back then. I was so in love with him even back then and I had every intention of getting together with him right from the start, and I swore there were times when we flirted back then and everything. We even went on what I considered my very first date and I was this close to kissing him in my driveway when he dropped me off back home. Knowing that they were still together when all of that happened made me feel disgusted with myself, as if I was a homewrecker who could've gotten in the way of their relationship. I have a very strict thing with myself about taking things that aren't mine and this is no exception. If I had known this back then, I never would've pursued him in the first place. I hated thinking about them being together when him and I had first met and the thought of that being true made every memory from back then feel tainted and ruined. I grieved the loss of so many beautiful memories that I had held so dear to my heart because I felt like there was no way I could ever think of them the same way ever again after learning what I had. I felt deceived, too, because he had never said anything about her. If he had been in a relationship, I would've thought he would've been honest and upstanding enough to tell me right off the bat, which then led me to question why he even gave my best friend his number for me that night ages ago in the first place. I actually asked him that and his explanation was that he never saw giving out his number as a relationship thing and that he wasn't opposed to making new friends. I just felt like all of this new information had clashed so harshly with everything I thought I knew and had believed to be true for three full years that my head was spinning and I ended up breaking down in tears hysterically crying for a good half an hour or so complaining to him that I felt like a mistake in his life, as if I wasn't meant to pop into his life when I did if at all because he was still with her at the time, and all those age-old feelings of inferiority compared to her came bubbling back all at once. He tried to reassure me like usual about all of that all over again which helped a little bit but I still felt rather shaken and disgraced with myself. This continued to bother me for days afterward, leading to me crying late at night and panicking. Eventually I became so desperate for clarification, for reassurance that everything I believed wasn't just some lie, that I dug up my old phone with all the messages from 2014 still on it and took pictures of all of them and sent them to him asking for the truth. It had proof that what I believed wasn't all just in my head, that he had told me back then that they broke up before we met like I always thought. Maybe pulling out all of those old messages was ridiculous and taking things a little too far but I needed some kind of validation that everything wasn't one huge lie and that all those memories from back then weren't totally lost. The conversation that ensued wasn't exactly smooth sailing, it was probably closer to an argument than a conversation, and made me feel even worse about everything, basically. I think he reached his breaking point on the subject, finally went overboard about my constant fear and insecurity, and I honestly don't blame him. I've been whining about this for far too long and he had every right to snap. I think deep down, I snapped, too. It's exhausting constantly hating yourself and feeling like you're not as good as someone else for almost an entire year straight. Let the record show that none of this was his fault, though. It's all mine. Time and time again I let my insecurities get the best of me and, in turn, have probably damaged our relationship. Constantly crying and whining about it was never fair to him and I realize now that if I had just shut up about it altogether then he'd probably be in a better place, too, because his girlfriend wouldn't be there constantly ripping open the wounds every time anyone mentions anything about her ever. It's not fair to him nor has it been fair to me to constantly put myself through this. Fortunately, last night while I was taking my shower, I made some very valuable realizations about the entire thing that have kind of given me an entirely new perspective on the situation. I can't just push aside the fact that they were together and very much in love for four long years. And they were probably meant to be together but that doesn't have to mean they were meant to stay together. He said their relationship wasn't perfect, that they had split up for a time and then tried to fix things but only ended up making things worse. I know one of my biggest problems with the entire thing was feeling like second best and as if he never would've gotten together with me had she never passed away, as if he would choose her over me time and tme again. I realize now that I can't keep thinking about the if's and that we're together now and that's all that should matter. It's not like she's gonna magically pop back up from her grave and try to kill me for stealing the love of her life or something. Even though apparently that's what my brain likes to default to for the sake of losing my own sanity. But anyways, I realized that I've been so hung up on whether he had feelings for me before she died, if we had gotten together regardless of her death, whatever, but started to realize that maybe that wouldn't have been for the best after all. Would I really have wanted him to have feelings for me before her death in the first place? Like what is the real benefit here? I know I've always felt inadequate compared to her and so that was always a big part of it but now knowing that he said they couldn't make it work makes me feel like maybe she wasn't really as perfect as I kept believing her to be. But really, what other beneift would I Have had from him having feelings for me earlier on? I realized that if that was the case and we had started dating before she died, it probably wouldn't have lasted very long anyways. He said that at first, when he was going up to visit her the day she ended up dying, that he was all like "If I have to" but then got excited like reuniting with an old friend so for all I know, if we were dating at the time he very well could've just dumped me with the intention of wanting to try again with her when he went up to see her had she not passed away. But she did die and nothing is ever going to change that but if we had been dating at the time, I can only imagine how much worse things would've gotten. Like if I've been feeling this bad feeling like shit compared to her after she's died, can you imagine how much worse it would've been if we had been together when she did die? My boyfriend would've slipped into a major depression and then he probably would've broken up with me because he couldn't handle being in a relationship after that and needed time to himself. I would've felt even shittier about her because the wounds would've been fresher and he would be so incredibly depressed grieving her and talking about how much he still loved her and always would and shit. It would've been awful. The other thing I've realized, too, is that maybe him loving me while she was still alive was never possible. Maybe there was never enough room in his heart for both of us in his life because he obviously loved her a lot and he loves me a lot, maybe her death was all part of some bigger fateful plan to make room for me in his heart and in his life. After all, he did say I was the one who wanted to take care of him in his darkest time and that before me, he never thought he'd fall in love again. So yeah, maybe if she had never died we never would've gotten together but maybe that doesn't have to be a negative thing because she did die and we are together. Maybe her death was just a necessary plot point to make room for me in his life because obviously if he and I weren't meant to be together, certain very fateful things about the way we met never would've happened. I shouldn't discount his past relationship with this ex because that was all probably meant to be, too but that doesn't mean they were meant to stay together whereas with me, he came into my life at a very opportune moment and even though we didn't start dating right away or whatever, like I said, maybe that's a good thing. Maybe things are better the way they are now rather thant he way I wished they would've been. Maybe he was meant to save me as much as I was meant to save him. I shouldn't think of myself as inferior to her because he loved her first and everything. Actually, I'm superior to her because I took my boyfriend when he was broken and I made him better. I glued him back together. She died and I took over, she couldn't keep him happy but I can (as far as I know). She was his past but I'm his future. I'm better than her. If she had never died, none of this would've ever happened. I shouldn't be blaming her for my feelings of inadequacy, I should be thanking her for all of this because without her death, none of this would've ever happened. She had to die in order for my boyfriend to move on and make room in his heart for me because he couldn't have it both ways, it wouldn't have been possible for him to love me if she was still in his life. Her death was necessary for us to be together or else none of this would've fallen into place like it had. I know that probably sounds really weird and even a little sadistic, saying she had to die for the narrative, but really, this is the only way I ever could've possibly made myself feel better and stopped fretting over things I thought she had that I don't. And maybe there were things that she had or was good at or whatever that I can't say about myself but maybe that doesn't need to be a bad thing, either because whatever she had obviously wasn't working with whatever my boyfriend has. Obviously there was some sort of personality clash or at least one came to fruition down the line that made them no longer compatible with one another. They did love each other and they had their time together but it wasn't meant to last because they both changed and their relationship changed and they were no longer fit for each other. All this time I kept complaining about not being her but maybe that's what my boyfriend needs, someone unlike her. Someone whose different from her because, like I said, they couldn't make it work anymore. Whatever she had must no longer have been compatible with him. They had something special but they lost it. She no longer made him happy. But meanwhile, here I am and I make him happy (as far as I know). We're together and we have our whole future ahead of us. They were meant to be together but him and I are meant to stay together and that's far more meaningful. No more fretting and whining and complaining like an immature little bitch about all of this. They happened and there is nothing I can do to change that but what's happening now is more important and what I need to focus on. What's happening now and what will happen in the future. Him and I are meant to stay together and that's far more than what can be said of him and her, and that's only further elaborated by the fact of her death. Like they were so not meant to stay together that God or whoever controls what happens to us had to take her life. There was no way he could love me while she was still here so she had to be taken away so he could move on and realize that he is meant to spend his life with me, that I am the one who made him fall in love when he believed he never would again and that I am the one who he will wake up next to every morning and fall asleep next to each and every night, that he's going to call his wife and who he's going to have children with. The one whose going to be sitting next to him on the front porch of that retirement home shouting that we can't hear each other and yelling for those damn kids to get off our lawn. And the funny thing is that the more I think about all of this, the more I realize that I can't even picture them spending their future together regardless of whether she's gone or not. I can't picture her in a wedding dress standing next to him at the altar or holding their firstborn child or whatever. I can't picture them having a future together, if she hadn't passed away at least. I can, however, picture me and him having a future together like already stated. I've said it once and I'll say it again: he was meant to be with her but he's meant to stay with me. She no longer made him happy but I do. And that means that my not being her is a good thing because if I was her, I wouldn't make him happy either. I can't discount their relationship and I can't deny that he loved her and hey, maybe he still does but maybe it's not the same kind of love. Maybe he loves her now the same way someone loves elementary school. The memories were great and it'll always hold a soft spot in your heart but that doesn't mean you can ever go back and you wouldn't want to. She was his past but I'm his future and I think realizing all of these things has made it so much easier for me to finally lay this argument to rest once and for all. I'm not her and that's okay. I don't need to be because I make him happy and he's meant to stay with me. End of story.

[lotsofdogs]

Gifting the Household Project To Do List that Never Gets Done

Sharing a glimpse into two recent (and incredibly simple!) household projects we completed — updating our fireplace from brass to black and swapping out all the doorknobs in our home to make them look a little less dated. Thank you so much to Lowe’s Home Improvement for sponsoring this post!

Is all of your holiday shopping done for the season? If so, you’re way better off than we are in our house! I admittedly always find myself scrambling and purchasing gifts for friends and family up until the last minute but sometimes it takes a while for inspiration to hit and for me to really feel like I have a great gift idea for my loved ones.

Fortunately I am done shopping for Ryan’s gifts this year which is a relief because sometimes he’s the hardest person for me to shop for, despite the fact that he’s not overly picky and doesn’t have lofty high expectations. I just put pressure on myself to make his Christmas special every year because I love giving him gifts that make him smile, especially when it’s something he might not think to get himself.

And that’s where the gift idea I’m sharing today comes in! You know those home improvement projects or simple home updates you’ve had on your household project to do list for years? What if you gave your spouse/roommate/friend/partner a jump start in completing one of your projects? That was one of my gift ideas for Ryan this year!

Throughout the nearly 15 years we’ve been together, we’ve prioritized experiences over material gifts in our relationship and now that we’re parents and homeowners, our gift-giving preferences have shifted again. Experiences always reign supreme but home improvement-related gifts rank pretty high up there for the two of us. We’ll often gift each other something for our home — my Cyber Monday purchase of the Nest Learning Thermostat for our house was actually one of my early Christmas gifts to Ryan — and find that home improvement projects or home decor updates end up making us happier in the long run than some of the more random trendy gifts out there.

I was recently approached by Lowe’s Home Improvement about holiday gifting and I could not have replied to their email faster if I tried. (For the sake of transparency, Ryan works for Lowe’s so we’re obviously a Lowe’s-loving family, but I was actually approached for this partnership by Lowe’s unaware of our family’s affiliation to the company.) I was so excited to receive their email because a gift idea I already had planned for Ryan was the perfect fit: Updating our fireplace and all of the doorknobs in our house to get rid of the ’90s brass that’s bothered us sine we moved into our home. I initially planned to give Ryan a brushed chrome doorknob for Christmas with the promise of updating the other knobs around our house and hoped to surprise him with a revamped fireplace. Basically, I wanted to give him two simple household updates that have been on our home improvement to do list forever but, for one reason or another, just never seemed to get done.

When I chatted with Lowe’s about my idea, they were on board and our phone call simply prompted me to get started on our home improvement projects a little sooner and complete them before the holidays rather than after Christmas.

I ended up making a trip to Lowe’s with Ryder while Chase was at preschool a couple of weeks ago and picked up everything I needed to update our family fireplace and change the brass detailing to a more contemporary matte black. I had Ryan unwrap the gift — high-heat matte black spray paint, a plastic painting drop cloth and painter’s tape — and included before and after pictures of a fireplace I found online that went through a similar update. After he opened my gift, I told him I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and was going to tackle the fireplace update for him as an early Christmas gift and he was pumped! When I say we’ve hated our fireplace since day one, I mean it! We both thought it was just the biggest eyesore so this update was much-needed and ended up feeling like a huge gift to both of us. I just wish we would’ve done it sooner!

Here’s the BEFORE:

And here’s the AFTER:

I used the morning of the first snowy day of the year in Charlotte when it was sleeting outside to take apart our fireplace (it was shockingly easy the whole frame just popped off in two pieces) and laid down the plastic drop cloth in our garage and got to work.

It took only three coats of the high-heat spray paint to cover the brass (I waited about 30 minutes in between coats just to be safe) and by that same afternoon we had a revamped fireplace we finally LOVE!

The fireplace update was part of our bigger plan to update our living room and I wanted to share some before/after pictures of that with you guys as well. (Note: This is not part of my Lowe’s collaboration — just something we’ve been working on!)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

It’s absolutely still a work in progress but that’s the update so far! We had the room painted Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams, swapped out our beige couch and loveseat for a white one and two chairs (thanks to your IKEA recommendations!) and bought a new rug for the space over Black Friday weekend. Hooray for a much-needed refresh!

When I mentioned my idea for updating the brass doorknobs around our house to Ryan, he said he would happily take over that particular project thanks to a handy little tool we picked up during a prior trip to Lowe’s: The Dremel Cordless Screwdriver. You guys, this thing is basically Ryan’s dream tool and made replacing all the knobs around our house (yep, even closet knobs and bathroom knobs) a breeze. It is so easy to use and easily cut the door knob swap project time in half thanks to its ability to quickly remove and drive in screws with the light push of the screwdriver. If tools or any sort of home improvement-related gift is on your radar, Lowe’s is awesome because they price match everything, so you’re always guaranteed to get the lowest price from them.

(Chase clearly wanted in on the action.)

We replaced our brass knobs with Schlage Chrome Door Knobs and here’s a peek at the before/after of one of our downstairs coat closet doors.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

These two simple home improvement projects have been on our to do list forever and I’m so happy they’re finally complete. We absolutely love the way they look in our home and they truly feel like the kind of gift that keeps on giving because we’ll enjoy them every day in our house. Up next: Figuring out what we want to hang above the mantel now that we are okay with people looking at our fireplace again!

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