#Homeschool Oregon

[icelynodette]

Dallas Oregon 150th Birthday Dallas Days Parade 2024

[coyotetatertot]

Promotional for Tate's company in my interp of A Better World AU.

FULL TEXT BENEATH THE CUT‼️‼️

God, I love exploring what he can do if he hadn't suffered through his father abandoning them and then YEARS of caretaker burnout as he tried in vain to heal his dad. What if he hadn't learned to fear his intellect and skill. What if Appalachia hadn't been cut out of him by being raised in the Bay Area. What if his abilities and cultural identity were both nurtured and encouraged by loving parents and a strong educational support system. What then. 👁️

I think he definitely still has his issues, because public figures often do lol. Fame causes so many problems. But fuck if I don't wanna let this lil scruffy genius out of his mental cage of repression, burnout, and depression. I think he's wild, enthusiastic, and has so much heart and spirit underneath all those layers of bullshit. 30 years of suffering and he is in his 30s, the divergence of the AU puts him on a radically different path from childhood and that makes him a TOTALLY new person.

On the highest peaks in the world, the strongest tethers aren't your rope, but the emotional ties which unite your climbing team and keep you connected to those waiting for you back home. Whether it's by blood or by choice, Tater Higgs McGucket understands the importance of family. Son of revolutionary inventor and co-founder of the Institute of Oddology Fiddleford Hadron McGucket, Tate describes his father as his closest friend, collaborator, and mentor. In collaboration with family friend and other co-founder of the Institute Stanford ("Ford") Pines, the three first designed their renowned supplemental oxygen delivery system after an expedition studying anomalies in the Himalayas.

"Our investigation took us to Camp 1 of Manaslu," Tate described in an exclusive interview with Mountaineering Monthly last week, "And I was shocked by the amount of traffic. This was some of the roughest terrain on the planet, but we saw more people out there than on some of my hiking trips back home in Oregon. . . Ford was our interpreter, and after talking with the locals, we realized that there were all these companies selling tickets to the top — with sherpas puttin' themselves on the line just to ferry tourists to the summit."

The influx of inexperienced climbers has had disastrous consequences, as Tate witnessed firsthand. "A lot of these people, they're physically and mentally capable of makin' that kinda climb, but maybe they don't follow best practice. You can summit without any oxygen, if ya stop and acclimatize along the way. But that takes a while, so it can be really temptin' to ignore your body and throw an oxygen bandaid at the problem. But then you're puttin' yourself in an emergency situation if it fails. While we were there, one of those climbers ran out, and a sherpa had to run more oxygen up there. I told him there was a storm a-comin', but he went up anyway. And we ended up losin' 'em both."

Tate's growing twang was underscored by a nervous bouncing of his leg, and he took a moment to collect himself before resuming the interview.

"Dad and I had a look at these open circuit breathing apparatuses. While they were reliable, we saw they were plum wasteful. Knew we could make somethin' better. There's a growin' culture of risk-takin' 'round them mountains. And maybe we cain't stop the industry that's causin' these problems, but we can at least make it safer for them climbers. 'Cuz at the end of the day, regardless of what ya think about these people? With an accident like that, there’s people left behind that're a-hurtin' somethin' fierce. Partners, friends, kids without parents. I mean, just the thought of losin' my dad like that is enough to break my heart — but that's reality, for both the families of that climber and the sherpa who died tryin' to save him. . . Naw, I reckon we can do better."

That was how the youngest McGucket, who had become a household name in the 1990s for his work in designing personal computers with his father's company, first ventured into the world of alpinism. But what he hadn't expected was to fall in love during the process.

"I always needed nature," he explained, "I get overstimulated awfully easy, and so I go out there to clear my head. Been hikin' and fishin' since I was a kid. . . And so, after workin' with climbers to test this equipment — I saw a lot of them eight-thousanders up close, right? And one day, I just knew I had to see it from the top."

But having become familiar with the dangers involved, Tate knew that preparing himself for such a climb would be no easy task.

Luckily, he found a trainer in Ford's twin brother, Stanley Pines.

“Stanley is a stand-up guy. Real old school. Throws a hell of a punch, catches a hell of a catfish.” Tate said of his mentor, “He’s a fighter. So I knew I needed him, because all it takes is one slip up or act of god for these expeditions to turn life-or-death. And he’s been great. Neither of us knew much about rock climbin’ or mountaineering before all this. But we’ve learned together. And having summited a few eight-thousanders now, I can tell ya, I wouldn’t be here without his help.”

Also aiding in his expeditions were his prototype real-time weather and vital monitoring systems, which have since become standard issue in all McGucket brand protective wear. But Tate is most proud of his high-frequency beacon system, which allows climbers to communicate with their partners and first responders — even from inside perilous crevasses.

"The danger of avalanche or serac collapse is real. There are times when your life just ain’t in your own hands. Our systems allow climbers to communicate when they’re entering or exiting a perilous area, and can send out an SOS. They’re also constantly pinging, so in the event somethin’ does happen, they’ll help your climbing partners or first responders find you.”

But high altitudes aren’t the only place you’ll find the twin peaks of McGucket Mountaineering. Tate’s inventions have seen heavy use by first responders of all stripes, from firefighters to wilderness search and rescue — and he has recently signed a contract to manufacture respirators for medical use.

"At the end of the day, it’s all about making it home safely.” Tate concluded, “You gotta prioritize what matters most. You can do incredible things in this world, but none of it matters if you can’t share them with the people who love you.”

[acexsmhking]

Do you think you could do some headcanons for Toby if he was in college? I think it'd be fun to see something like that for him!! ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞

(𝗻.) 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲

╰┈➤ Tobias College Head-canons

Summary: Head-canon college for Tobias Rogers

Warning(s): 18+ content, mentions of math, mentions of canonical information, mention of alternative universe

Alternative Universe

Ooo I love this idea SO MUCH OMG

Since his parents kept him homeschooled pretty much his whole life, college is the first ‘real’ school he attends

Of course now that Toby is older they deem that he’s grown enough and that the world has grown enough to let the two collide

Toby… does not like college as much as he thought he would.. a bit of fault to his family

He’s grown so used, so attentive to his mother and sister’s care that being by himself finally is very difficult

He spends a lot of nights on call with Lyra to help himself

Connie calls 2-3 times a day no matter the time difference she always makes sure to call Toby on HIS time zone that’s appropriate

Since his dad is the one good with work Tobias often calls him to help with studying. He’s never quite had to study in the same sense as now so he has zero clue as to what the fuck he’s doing

Of course.. the world is still immature when Toby is college age, though maybe not as much as before but that doesn’t mean Toby doesn’t still come across some unsavory people

IDEA!!!: Toby attending the same college as Tim and Brian??? Omg so cute anyways

Toby mostly goes to a college in Oregon or Washington. He loves the climate and season changing, the nature and funny people

HE HATES CLASSES

He loves his profs though, they’re so funny unironically and he loves when his afternoon prof just brings her dog in

…idk anything about college sorry

He was always very academic gifted and college is no different but by the gods is it… a horror movie

Toby would probably major in something like biology, criminology, Human Resources or straight up psychology. It really depends!!

LOVEW HOLIDAYS, loves being able to go back home and hang out with his family and being babied by his mom

Calls his dad at 3am like “dad… what’s taxes..”

Current Universe

This is probably while he’s in the SCP foundation, they set up college courses for him to take

Again, Tobias is stupidly intelligent so he learns fairly quick

Finds out he hates math

Hates. Math.

But is ridiculously good at long division (actually his favorite… psycho)

He also loves multiplication but DO NOT ask him to multiply beyond 11, that’s when he starts losing it

Tim helps him a lot <3

Sometime Toby has a hard time remembering how to read English words so Tim explains it for him

“What’s that thing that go dirk dirk dirk..”

“Helicopter.”

“Yes!”

Tobias is actually so stupidly academically gifted he graduated earlier, which the foundation was actually thankful for

It’s hard lying to the government

Putting my own headcanons aside, foundation set up for Tim and Toby to live normal lives (under observation of course), they both live in their own separate townhouses

Private by Toby is still close to Tim when he has breakdowns

Again… 3am

“Timothy Wright, you never fucking told me about taxes!”

Falls off his bed laughing

“Why don’t they just tell me what I owe??? WHY DO I EVEN OWE ANYTHING.”

Toby might shoot a billionaire himself

Toby’s college experience in Canon-universe however is definitely 100% online with profs working FOR the SCP to help Tobias

They even set up for Tim to continue his own college courses since ya know.. he only finished somewhat and not everything he wanted to do

: ̗̀➛ This was such a cute idea thank you so much koa bear😽

[baalzebufo]

some additional doodles and a Lot of Headcanons... sorry if im spamming these a little bit. ive got so many thoughts in my head, lmao

theres my older pacifica- after weirdmageddon, her and gideon become friends. theyre both sort of ostracized from the town as a whole bc of their past attitudes/actions so they cling together and become buds. its nice having someone else who 'gets' it.

pacifica moved out as soon as she could to get away from her folks and has a job at a local mall. gideon enables her to enjoy at least SOME of her old luxuries by taking her shopping and to get their nails done together and stuff. also his prison buddies help ''kindly persuade'' her parents not to break her enforced no-contact rule from time to time. i know the two have the bitchiest gossip in the entire town together. sometimes when its hard to be 'nice' they know they can at least vent to the other and they wont get judged for it, yknow?

also some backstory doodles! he was a Normal Kid, Once. or close enough to it. gideon was a sickly child and was sheltered and homeschooled for most of his life. the gleefuls moved from texas to oregon when he was about seven (yes i know this breaks canon a little. its fine shh.) and he found journal 2 shortly after. things went downhill from there

other notes. he's always kept his hair long, but used to either let it down or tie it into a long braid. he very briefly attended a public school and he didnt fare very well there (fat kid + albino + 'girly' + general weird interests is basically painting a massive target on your back) he used to stay up and watch late night televangelists when he couldnt sleep in hospital and copped his aesthetic from there

sorry this post is so long i have a lot of thoughts about him </3

[polaroid-petals]

Meet the characters: Stray

A comment asked for some more details about the Stray cast, more specifically the dynamics between Rowan, Flower, and Basil—and since I had fun typing that up, I decided to make a character guide for the most prominent Stray characters. Also on AO3.

Last updated 16 February 2025.

Main characters

💻 Omori Hirano

Born on the 20th of July 1996 – 21 years old

An outsider wouldn’t know who Omori is. After all, why would a family of renowned musicians have a talentless shut-in child they don’t acknowledge in public, and why would the Hiranos pass up on another potential prodigy? Only a conspiracy theorist would argue his existence.

Born as the twin to Sunny and the little brother of Mari, the twins’ arrival was a blessing to the Hirano family. While his parents, Heather and Ukon, stood at the cradle of what would become a successful musical career, they agreed that their children should be free to pursue whichever path they wish, be it music or something else. 

Still, Omori grew up with music as a central part of his life, and like his sister with the piano and his brother with the violin, he picked up playing the cello and several other instruments when he was just five. Omori learned quickly, faster than his siblings, and was soon branded with the label prodigy. He took comfort in his twin, as they were both silent, unusual children, and his relationship with his siblings was an important part of his childhood as he navigated his shy and quiet personality.

Omori never liked the unfamiliar, but his parents’ career continuously took him there. Shortly before his tenth birthday, they moved to Oregon—far away from home, and into a strange environment—to pursue music. With his progress came expectations, and with that, questions. Am I ready to stand in front of a crowd of people to show what I can do? Is this what I want to do with life? Who am I? Do I have a choice?

Although Mari had been strict with Sunny, she’d let Omori loose after seeing how much her perfectionism harmed her brothers—and as a result, Omori didn’t practice as much as would’ve been ideal for his development. His musical career would come to a screeching halt when, as a part of his debut to the world when he was ten, he’d be set to play a solo piece at one of his parents’ concerts. Mari and Sunny already nailed theirs, but something was wrong the day Omori was to play. His cello felt too large. His hands didn’t feel like they were his. He hadn’t eaten well, his head hurt, his legs were weak. He wasn’t ready.

The concert would ultimately lead to Omori seeking permanent refuge in their house in the woods, afraid to be seen by the prying eyes of the world and desiring to just be forgotten so that he, too, could forget about what happened. To this day, he still refuses to leave, unless under very specific circumstances.

Omori can at worst be described as an antisocial jerk who needs to pull that stick out of his ass already, though a more charitable interpretation would paint him as a tired boy whose childhood passed him by and who now lacks the means to save himself. There is little doubt that he’s selfish and struggles to factor others into his life. He has since grown to despise Sunny, blaming him for reaping success while all Omori got was trauma, and Mari is the only family member he has a good relationship with, though he wonders how long this will last. He’s not happy with the person he has become, but he feels like too much of a sad sack of shit to do anything about it.

Throughout his isolation, things initially looked hopeless. While homeschooled in theory, he mostly stayed inside and rotted behind his laptop. Still, by some miracle, he met one of Sunny’s friends when he was twelve. Some angry prick named Rowan. Big anger issues. Red flags even to Omori. Hated the guy, until he learned that he was also born a girl and seeking to be accepted as a guy. 

Rowan changed everything. Omori had just faced two years of being by his lonesome, yet this Rowan felt like he belonged in Omori’s life. They became friends, and although Omori had grown to hate music, Rowan would introduce him to new genres so far removed from the classical music that filled his life at home that if you were to catch him during a vulnerable moment, Omori might even admit that he loves this new music. They would enjoy alternative rock and metal together, though any genre that goes hard is fine. The more chaotic, the better.

The first time Omori left the house again during the night was to join Rowan to his home. The first and only time Omori left the house again during the day was to be there when Rowan woke up from his top surgery, though this event sits repressed in his mind. Rowan could move mountains, and Rowan could mean the world to Omori. Rowan invited Omori to his band and allowed him to create again. Rowan could make Omori accept that he might love again, and when Omori was sixteen, they would even start a romantic relationship. Rowan could do anything to Omori.

What Rowan can’t do is get Omori back out of the house.

Both Rowan and Mari have made many attempts, but it’s starting to look like it’s hopeless. Every step forward, Omori darts backwards two steps to stay within the cover of his home. No one can address the fundament of his agoraphobia, and he has thus far resisted all attempts at professional intervention.

No one can save Omori, and he doesn’t want to be saved. It would be better to just die, but he lacks the energy and drive to do it.

Because of his lifestyle choices, Omori never finished elementary and high school. He’s officially homeschooled, but he never ended up actually learning much, instead keeping himself busy as his parents weren’t exactly available. As such, he has learned to keep his empty mind semi-engaged, mostly filling his time with video games, drawing, and picking fights with people online. He doesn’t have any prospects of finishing his education or pursuing anything, as he has no clue who he is or what his role in society would even be.

He has developed at least some interests, despite everything. He loves trash metal and noise music, and he loves the music Rowan has brought into his life. He likes roaming around the internet doing nothing. He’s learning Japanese and hasn’t missed a single daily Duolingo lesson in over five hundred days. He likes to watch the stars from by the pool, and he likes space. Sometimes, he still draws, and he’s gotten into coding lately. But in the end, absolutely none of that changes anything.

Though he wants to get better, he has very little drive to do so. He’s deep into depression, and his motives are lower than ever. Constantly pulling Rowan closer only to push him away has become second nature. Deep down, he’s scared that Rowan will give up on him, and Omori needs to test these waters to feel briefly secure. Frustrations with Rowan have recently caused him to break things off abruptly, this contention the only way he can feel anything anymore.

No professional diagnosis has been made as the idea of meeting strangers sends him panicking. Were he to see a therapist, evidence would be more than sufficient to diagnose him with agoraphobia, depression, a cluster B diagnosis, more specifically something along the lines of borderline personality disorder, and a cluster C diagnosis, somewhere in the area of avoidant personality disorder. While this helps him understand Rowan’s specific anger disorder better, it also is an intensifier of their fights, and Omori’s attitude ultimately leads to an unhealthy, unsustainable relationship.

So what’s left then, really? Unless an earth-shattering event takes place in his life and scrambles his psyche into something workable, what chance does he stand?

🧩 Rowan Dorian Finley

Born in 1994 – 23 years old

At first sight, Rowan may seem like a handsome, well-mannered, and charming young man who has his life together. Those who know him more intimately understand that it cost him blood, sweat, and tears to get to where he is today.

Born to a Scottish mother, Rowan spent the first thirteen years of his life with her as his single mom. Growing up, he fell victim to extreme anger issues stemming from an unstable home and his sense of helpless directionlessness in life. He suffered from critically low weight due to an emerging eating disorder, not like he cared. The two often fought, and Rowan ended up learning about the identity of his father. He could leave for all she cared, and since Rowan had zero ties to his home country due to his inability to make friends, he ended up meeting his biological father, Olivier Moore, and his wife Camellia. 

Rowan’s existence was a tough to swallow pill. Camellia knew that her husband had cheated after the birth of their son, but she didn’t know it had happened before too. How many more times had it happened? Still, the two had compassion for this teen who travelled across the ocean to come see them and who begged them to let him stay, so Rowan ended up being dropped off at their two other sons, who stayed with Olivier’s mother at the time. Rowan was well aware that he was once again being a problem child pawned off to someone else, but he was eager to meet the rest of his family.

Although he was dropped between two apparent brothers he didn't even know existed before he arrived, they were the nicest brothers he could ask for. He quickly got accepted and bonded with them, and they became as inseparable as they might’ve been had they been together since birth. Rowan would go on to become fiercely protective of them. At the time, he was in denial that he had any responsibility for his issues and angry at the entire world, and he hid his problems from these new people he respected. He couldn’t keep them hidden forever, though, and would eventually struggle with harming people he didn’t want to hurt.

Then, he met Omori. So similar to him, it’s almost terrifying. Just as angry at the world as Rowan, but actually committed to shutting it out, and initially even rejecting Rowan as part of that world. Wearing the same dishevelled look as Rowan, though Rowan went all-in on the black clothes, hair dye, and washed-out eyeliner. Somehow, Rowan got a place in Omori’s life, and the two became tight friends, pulling each other deeper into pessimistic subculture. He was also the one who convinced Rowan to fully pursue living his life as a man and seeking transition.

Rowan faced a balancing act between his brothers’ constructive efforts to find him help and Omori’s lack of care for anything. In the end, improvement ended up winning, and Rowan finally got the professional help he needed when he was sixteen, missing the final years of his high school education to get ambulant care and therapy. He started taking care of his appearance, he got medicated and learned how to handle his anger, and he became a generally pleasant person to be around. As Rowan got better and Omori did not, he could feel them growing apart.

After a few years of effort and classes taken independently, Rowan goes on to get his high school degree at age 21. His life’s stable, his weight is under control, his transition is going swimmingly, he’s happy with Omori, and he starts his college degree for pharmaceutical technician the same year. And things will keep going well, until changes in Omori’s behaviour destabilise Rowan and he falls back into his old habits of undereating.

🦌 Florence “Flower” Delaney

Born in 1999 – 18 years old

It’s easy to underestimate Florence when everything about his appearance invokes the word “meek”, but if one were to get to know him, they’d find that between his brimming positivity and altruistic spirit, there sits a core of unwavering strength.

Born to a Canadian mother, Florence is the youngest of the three known sons of Olivier Moore, and one of his two extramarital children. While he was born to a kind mother, she wasn’t ready at the time to have a baby and chased Olivier down to step up as the child’s father. 

Florence initially grew up being raised by his father and his wife, Camellia, having no ties to his biological mother. Growing up, he always had strong ties to his half-brother Basil, and they have long been emotionally tight. Florence and Basil both went through the same cycles of parental abandonment, as their non-committal parents would eventually leave them at their grandma’s for extended periods of time, leaving them with only each other as the constant factor in their lives. Florence in a way feels responsible for their parents leaving, as he was the cheat baby, and he was probably what made his parents decide to take their distance from their children in an effort to mend their broken relationship. Despite the guilt, he learned to value voluntary bonds over familial ties, and the fact that both Basil and Rowan chose to stay with him gives him the strength he needs to stay hopeful.

When Rowan joined the family when Florence was only eight, he was quick to accept him as his brother and over the years became just as tight with him as he is with Basil. Florence went through the opposite journey compared to Rowan; as a teenager, he craved reconnection with his biological mother, and he ended up meeting her. Now, he still visits over the holidays, and they share a positive relationship.

People assume that based on his appearance and stature, he must be weak, and Rowan is immensely protective over him—but in his spare time, he commits hard labour working with wild animals, and he has slowly been working his way up to becoming a champion in his featherweight youth boxing class. He’s the type of friend to wrestle a bear to save you. Diligent and sometimes a little unhinged, Florence is fiercely protective of his friends and will do anything he can to support them. He has friends of his own in the animal care field, but he’s been known to roam around Basil’s friends and even potentially had (has?) something going on with Aubrey. While initially not that close to Omori, he stuck around Rowan enough to get a little place in Omori’s claustrophobic world and be considered one of his few safe people.

He finished high school this year and is embarking on his veterinary studies when the summer vacation ends so that he can more effectively work at wildlife shelters, and ultimately wishes to become a Yellowstone veterinary park ranger.

🌘 Stranger

<distressed whines>

An enigma. Perhaps getting to know the creature better will clear up some mysteries.

Artwork by @atempause-art.

🐈��⬛ Mewo

Estimated to be born in 2006 – 11 years old

Lazy and mischievous, Mewo is the Hirano housecat.

Sunny and Omori initially found Mewo in the woods surrounding their new Oregon home while exploring beyond the property’s fence. She was a kitten of several months old, emaciated and barely hanging on by a thread. The boys took the kitten inside, and she was quickly taken to the vet, making a full recovery.

Mari ended up getting ownership after she’d wanted a cat for ages and the boys decided to give Mewo to their big sister, and she named her Mewo. After her brush with an early demise, Mewo lets herself be spoiled by her new owners, growing attached and fat and happy. She absolutely loves to laze around and cuddle in her owners’ laps, but she’d chase down a cougar to keep her beloved humans safe and alive. Even when she can’t win the fight.

Mewo’s breed never got determined. She is a black cat, and that’s about it. She’s most likely a bombay, though the thickness of her fur and her stature hint that the maine coon tomcat sometimes seen in the backyard may be her father.

Sunny, Mari, their parents, Basil, Aubrey, Hero, and Kel's info can be found below the cut to keep this post shorter.

Supporting characters

🎻 Sunny Hirano

Born on the 20th of July 1996 – 21 years old

Prodigal son and skilful violinist, Sunny isn’t so sure if this life that was chosen for him truly fits him. After so many years, does he really have a choice anymore?

Sunny is Omori’s twin brother and Mari’s little brother, born to Heather and Ukon Hirano. Growing up, he had a tight bond with his twin brother and with Mari, though both would go on to become tainted. 

Like his siblings, he picked up an instrument when he was five, in his case the violin. While he struggled with this immensely, he steadily improved with plenty of practice. Though close with both of his siblings, the presence of music proved to be a point of immense stress in his life, and in his relationship with his family. After Mari was asked by her parents to help tutor Sunny to catch up, he was pushed too far, and the two ended up having a fight that was only broken up because Omori intervened. With Omori’s encouragement and Mari stepping back, Sunny managed to successfully perform his debut to the musical world, though it planted anxiety within his heart that would go on to pervade the rest of his career.

After moving to Oregon, he met new people through school and made his first friends: Basil, Kel, and Aubrey. Though he was often busy practicing, they were the first people in a long time who allowed him to be a kid, and they would go on to become life-long friends. They accepted his silence and awkward shyness, and they understood that despite these traits, he still craved to be social. He’d introduce his friends to his family, and when he was seventeen, feelings that had been growing for a long time finally germinated into a romantic relationship with Basil.

It’s no lie that Sunny is a musical wonder, weaving touching melodies through the strings of his violin. Still, his interests lie elsewhere. He has always been a creative soul, and he spends a lot of his time daydreaming and escaping from this world into one where his brother didn’t turn against him and he is free to write and draw for a living.

He has never understood why Omori went from being his best friend to hating him. Why he got blamed for Omori’s bad performance, and why that caused his brother to turn against him. Sunny only encouraged him to stay strong and step on that stage, the way Omori did to Sunny once and that saved Sunny from going down. It’s never been fair, but when Omori doesn’t even want to talk about it, he has given up on having a positive relationship with him at all and focuses his energy on his friends and other family these days.

Sunny didn’t pursue higher studies due to how busy practice is, but like Mari, he may join the conservatory to finetune his skills and further his education. He’d rather stay home and be with his friends, and he doesn’t look forward to the near future.

🎹 Mari Hirano

Born on the 1st of March 1993 – 24 years old

Prodigal daughter and master of the piano, Mari wishes that she didn’t struggle so badly with perfection and she could instead help. Between family tensions, a depressed brother who won’t leave the house, and tight deadlines, she holds her head high and keeps her own troubles under wraps as well as one possibly could.

Eldest Hirano sibling, Mari grew up with music and standards imposed upon her by her parents. By no means was she forced to do anything, but that push to play music was all there. And when she became the big sister to a pair of twins, she immediately picked up her role as these tots’ guiding figure, making sure she’d be the best big sister she could.

If you were to ask her what her greatest regret in life is, she’d answer not being a good big sister to her brothers.

Despite her insistence upon doing anything she could to keep her beloved baby brother safe, she struggled with her own demons. She learned to play the piano at four, and she improved at a rate so rapid that every mistake she made came with anxiety. She had to do better, and it caused her a fair share of frustration that she couldn’t be. Once it was her brothers’ turn to learn, she’d do whatever she could to help them do the best they could.

She pushed Sunny too far. He couldn’t take it. Snapped one evening, when he was practicing for his debut, and the only reason that it didn’t escalate to a full-blown shouting match is that Omori intervened and stood up for his twin. Now facing not one but two strained sibling relations, Mari made the choice to let loose, shocked by the sheer distress she’d seen in Sunny’s eyes, the fear Omori had held for his siblings. And as a result, she didn’t properly guide Omori and he ended up locking himself inside the house for good.

Mari carries tremendous guilt on her shoulders for ruining her brothers’ lives, and she has no idea how she can help them out of this unfortunate situation.

Above all, Mari is kind and compassionate. She’s a bubbly and sweet girl with quite the bit of sass, liked by all and a central figure in the friend group. She hides her insecurities well, only revealing them to Hero occasionally but otherwise not wanting to saddle him with her troubles. Even when the two started dating at fourteen, she’d kept to herself and put up that act of the sweet, careless girl, despite knowing that Hero can look straight through her.

It’s her ultimate dream to stand on a stage alone and mesmerise thousands, but she knows she has a long way to go before she’s ready for this. With her conservatory studies finished, she should be prepared, but there are too many imperfections. Too many blemishes. And to juggle her own issues with those of her family, she’s not so sure she can keep her head above the water.

Ideally, no one will ever know.

🎼 Heather and Ukon Hirano

In their early 40s

As the Hirano matriarch and patriarch, Heather and Ukon form the centre of the success that the family has faced in the musical world over the past years.

String specialist Ukon and esteemed conductor Heather were a match made in heaven. Not only did their personalities mesh together well, but they also had a strong overlap of interests that ultimately pushed them together. Heather possessed mastery over an impressive amount of instruments, from strings to the piano all the way to percussion, and proved to be a strong leader that Ukon needed to further his own career. 

They’d go on to have their first child in 1993, temporarily putting their career on hold, and once more have twins in 1996. They never pushed their children to follow in their footsteps, but were overjoyed when they did anyway and each successfully picked up an instrument. While they’d keep their career central, they enjoyed the prospect of one day getting to become a proper musical quintet. 

Things didn’t go to plan. Omori would leave the musical scene after a bad debut—and worse, he’d refuse to go to school and leave the house anymore, forcing Heather and Ukon to pull him out of school eventually. Rather than focus on the negative, the pair decided to focus on the two remaining children who were still poised to pursue music while seeking appropriate help for the third. Eventually, Omori would fade from the media, and they’d use that to their advantage to hide this blemish on their family record.

In the end, someone who doesn’t want to be helped can’t be helped. Years of focusing on their career have exposed that perhaps, they could’ve done more to prevent this fate for their youngest.

Minor characters

🌿 Basil Moore

Born on the 18th of February 1996 – 21 years old

Initially a soft and sassy flower boy, Basil has had his fair share of abandonment from his parents’ side and troubles with his mental health. Still, his friends’ support system and his brothers’ care have helped him stay afloat and develop into the person he yearns to be.

Of the three sons, Basil is the only one whose parents were married as of his conception. That didn’t exactly lead to them favouring him, though. He learned that his brother Florence was from another mother pretty early on, and he always felt weird about his parents’ absence. Still, that didn’t stop him from loving Florence and later Rowan all the same.

Basil initially struggled with making friends, so when he met Aubrey and she introduced him to Kel, that changed everything for him. He had a relatively simple childhood, being an open and sassy child despite the anxiety that loomed under the surface due to his parents’ absence in his life. His good relationship with his brothers and grandma kept him from tanking. On top of that, his friend group always formed a strong support system, and at seventeen, he started a relationship with a newer member of the friend group, Sunny, which offered him extra support while at the same time dragging him deeper into the Hirano family tragedy. He started dating Sunny after Rowan started dating Omori, so Rowan and Omori call dibs on the marriage rights. He’s not worried.

Shortly after his 18th birthday, he started struggling with his senses and his grip on reality. He ended up getting a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a generalised anxiety disorder. While initially terrifying, both his brothers and his friends did everything in their power to get him the support he needed, and with the correct connections, he ended up medicated and relatively under control with the use of therapy.

These days, Basil is on the stable side, though his anxiety and his abandonment issues have a tendency to flare up at random. He has eased into his studies and is in his second year of biology in college.

🎀 Aubrey Avery

Born on the 23rd of May 1996 – 21 years old

A headstrong girl with a bubbly personality, Aubrey has managed to turn a bad family situation around by relying on her friends to improve her life.

Aubrey comes from a dysfunctional home. With a mother who’s long suffered from addiction and an absent father, she didn’t get much support from home. She’d meet a boy named Kel who stood up for her after seeing her getting bullied, and later a boy named Basil whom she’d seen sitting alone at the playground, and those two would quickly become her entire world. Kel’s older brother Hero would take care of her, and when Sunny and Mari moved into town, they quickly became ingrained in the friend group and formed yet another new home for Aubrey in the absence of a real home. She also built a strong relationship with Basil’s brothers, in particular Florence, with whom she shared a love for martial arts, fitness, and bunnies. She’s barely ever seen Sunny’s twin, so she can’t form an opinion on him, although Florence claims he’s great.

She didn’t stay at home for much longer after she turned eighteen. With the help of her friends, she managed to find herself a place to stay during the holidays, studying veterinary sciences during the year. She and Florence hope to become veterinary partners, though she’ll finish her studies before Florence will.

🍳 Henry “Hero” Montoya

Born on the 1st of January 1993 – 24 years old

Once destined for greatness as a physician, Hero in later years would end up picking what he wants over what his family wants and has found his footing in life.

Henry is the eldest child of the Montoya family. He grew up close with his younger brother Kel, though he was always the golden child, bringing with it benefits and detriments. His parents had high hopes for him over his intelligence, and they pushed him into becoming a doctor.

One day, when Hero was twelve, Kel would meet someone new at school. A boy from down south who’d just moved here. Hero would end up meeting the rest of his family and falling for the older sister, Mari, a girl from the same year as him whom he’d simply never met at high school before. The two would go on to start dating when Hero was fourteen, and they still are going strong, now engaged but waiting for the right moment to be wedded.

Initially, Hero started premed by his parents’ request. However, as Mari urged him to follow his heart and do what he desires, he gave it all up a year ago to go to culinary school instead. It was a blow to his relationship with his parents, but he’s ultimately happier this way, and he wouldn’t hesitate for a second to start out as a chef fresh out of high school if he could do it all over again.

He never finished his studies as a doctor, but he has gained enough preliminary knowledge on the subjects of physical and mental health to at least offer some solid advice.

🏀 Kel Montoya

Born on the 11th of November 1995 – 21 years old

Always the underdog of the family, Kel found success in sports and aims to further his athletic career.

Kel was the second Montoya child, little brother to Hero. Growing up, the two were close, though Kel wasn’t blind to his parents’ favoritism of his older brother. Still, he managed to smile through it and built himself quite the expansive friend group—both with his best friends Basil, Aubrey, and Sunny and with his mates from his sports clubs.

After high school, he ended up pursuing sports, signing a deal with a promising basketball club.

[thesmolgoblingf]

One of the main arguments of the pushback I’m getting on deciding to homeschool my children just reminds me of this tweet:

There are so many people telling me that my children won’t know how to read, write, or do math. It’s like they forget that I know how to read, write, and do math.

Teachers aren’t super humans who are blessed by the gods to impart knowledge. Anyone can teach, it’s not something you need a degree and a license to do.

Think about how many jobs you’ve had where someone had to train you how to do something but they weren’t a teacher.

Think of all the times you had to tinker and figure something out for yourself with little to no guidance, you were literally teaching yourself.

And wasn’t there a news story that broke about how students won’t need to demonstrate proficiency in math, reading, and writing to graduate? Oh, that’s right, there was.

What’s the point of sending my children to school then, if they won’t have to display these three vital skills to get a diploma? Where’s the basis of your argument if this is the direction schools are heading?

Public and private schools serve as 13-15 years of indoctrination to sell college burnout, deprive students of critical thinking, training obedient worker drones, and creating mindless consumers. My children will have no part in that.

[study-with-aura]

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Schools were cancelled today and tomorrow because of the winter storm, which means no ballet tonight or tomorrow. I have online classes that I utilize on days like this. If anyone is curious which classes I follow, let me know in the comments or in an ask!

I'm about to start a second book for school reading, the first I started today for History. The other will be for Lit, and it's To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I think I start it next week if I'm remembering correctly. Usually reading times are built into the amount of work required for in class times, so I can still finish with my school work in about three hours. If anyone ever wonders how I manage to do so much when there's only so many hours in the day, that's how. Homeschooling means more time for extracurriculars and hobbies. But, homeschooling also means still doing school work even on snow days for the public school district.

What I'm most sad about though is that I won't be able to go to the mission to volunteer this weekend. Hopefully the roads will be safe by Sunday since this is a double meeting week for Girl Scouts. If not, we can always get together through Zoom and meet, but it's always so much better in person. H lives pretty close, but E has a farther drive. Plus, we would miss out on seeing our littles, the younger ones we're mentoring this year. I have Juniors, H has Daisies, and E has Brownies. It's cute actually because some of my Juniors are also doing their own mentoring with the Daisies and Brownies to get their Junior Aide badge, but theirs is a much shorter time period and they don't do any of the planning, only helping the younger girls with the activities.

But-- I am excited for snow! ❄️ Even if it is mixed with sleet. 😔

Tasks Completed:

Algebra 2 - Learned about exponential functions + practice

American Literature - Copied vocabulary terms + read about Saul Bellow + read about The Adventures of Augie March by Bellow + read about logic in argumentative writing + completed outline for my proposal (I think my topic is going to be whether suffering leads to success, but I want to frame it from a spiritual, not necessarily religious, standpoint and more of a focus on resilience)

Spanish 3 - Reviewed clothing vocabulary + browsed a Mexican wedding dress designer's website + listening exercise

Bible 2 - Read 2 Chronicles 32:20-33 and 2 Chronicles 33

Early American History - Began reading chosen book for journaling project, Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life by Francis Parkman; I need to read about 10 pages each day to finish it by March 6 (due date to finish book before starting project)

Earth Science with Lab - Watched a short documentary about going into space

Art Appreciation - Read about perceiving with more than the eyes + activity + answered study guide questions

Khan Academy - Completed Algebra 2 daily mastery challenge

Duolingo - Studied for approximately 15 minutes (Spanish + French + Chinese) + completed daily quests

Piano - Practiced for four hours

Reading - Read pages 73-108 of Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

Chores - Put away the dishes

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (Matthew 6)

Group Bible Study + Devotional (Job 21-23)

2 episodes of Forest of Piano on Netflix

Online ballet/pointe class

Journal/Mindfulness

[berryflavouredkoolaid]

Phoebe Mallard - PJO OC

~ General ~

Full Name: Phoebe Grace Mallard

Nickname(s): Duckie (by her siblings and close friends), Phoebs,

Birthdate: August 3rd, 1994

Species: Demigod

Residence: Ashtown, Oregon | Camp Half-Blood

~ Physical Appearance ~

Hair Colour: Strawberry Blonde

Eye Colour: Mossy green

Skin Tone: Pale

Height: 5’2

Misc: Heavily freckled, bitten down nails, lots of gold earrings, a nose stud, small scratches and scars on her limbs from gardening and exploring the forest

~ Family ~

Father: Dr. Arthur Mallard

Phoebe and her father were always very close. A botanist, Arthur homeschooled his daughter and she came with him on his research trips. He doted on his only daughter and raised her with a love of nature and the outdoors. He always had a suspicion that her mother was something otherworldly, especially when Phoebe started showing signs of some kind of magic. Arthur died when Phoebe was 11. They were attacked by a hellhound while studying the flora of New York state.

Mother: Demeter

Phoebe has always had a rather complicated relationship with her mother. She only saw her mother once. When she was 11, Demeter saved her from the hellhound that killed her father and led her satyr guide to Phoebe.

~ Camp Life ~

Cabin: 4

Counsellor: No

Years at Camp: 5

Quest(s): The Prophecy of Eight (Seven), TBD

Ambrosia (what she tastes): Her dad’s chocolate cake

Nectar (what she tastes): fresh, juicy peaches

Skills: Proficiency with various weapons, hand-to-hand combat, expert dagger-wielding skills

Abilities: Chlorokinesis, self-healing via plants, teleportation through plants

Weaponry: a pair of light, thin daggers with grooves down the center that can hold poison

~ Background ~

Hometown: Ashtown, Oregon

Despite being born in Oregon, Phoebe spent most of her childhood travelling from place to place with her father. As he was a single father and had no family to leave her with, Phoebe came with him on his various research trips and cross-country teaching assignments. Phoebe was homeschooled and spent most of her days exploring the forests, meadows and deserts of the United States.

~ Personality & Traits ~

Personality: Phoebe is a very kind and good-hearted person. She has a tendency for sentimentality and is definitely the kind of person who literally stops and smells the roses. Phoebe is quite forgiving and always tries to see the best in people. She’s trusting and a very optimistic and cheerful individual. Emotionally, she’s very empathetic and can pick up on people’s emotions easily. She often mediates arguments around camp. Phoebe is an introvert and enjoys spending time alone as much as she enjoys time with others. Despite her soft-hearted nature, Phoebe can be incredibly stubborn when she wants to be. When her mind is made up, almost nothing can make her back down. She’s naturally not a very confrontational person and prefers to avoid conflict, but won’t back down if someone tries to start something with her. Phoebe has a hard time making and sticking to boundaries.

Strengths: Caring, comforting, smart, optimistic and persistent

Weaknesses: overly forgiving and trusting, unable to set boundaries, small spaces

Fatal Flaw: Inability to accept change

Likes: The outdoors, training, exploring the forest, her siblings, friendship bracelets, making plant jokes

Dislikes: Small/enclosed spaces, overly strong smells, bugs that eat her plants

Hobbies: Gardening, hiking, making friendship bracelets, birdwatching

Favourite Place: The strawberry fields or the forest, although she’s not technically supposed to go there outside of capture the flag.

~ Relationships ~

Best Friend(s):

Piper McLean

Lila Thompson

Friends:

Jason Grace

Percy Jackson

Annabeth Chase

Frank Zhang

Hazel Lesvesque

Clarisse De La Rue

Nico Di Angelo

Boyfriend: Leo Valdez

Enemies:

Octavian

~Misc & Notes ~

Phoebe’s room on the Argo II has ivy growing on the walls and plants all over.

She’s always wearing hiking boots.

Phoebe gets called “Duckie” by her siblings because of her last name.

Phoebe pretty much knows everyone at camp and is friends with almost everyone.

She unironically loves birdwatching and can recognize a lot of them by sight.

She only drinks herbal tea.

Her handwriting is really messy and sort of a mixed up combination of cursive and printing. She writes her y’s and g’s in a really weird curly way.

When she is stressed, plants grow from her hair and skin.

She’s a vegetarian.

Although she can heal by using the life force of plants, she dislikes doing it as it kills the plants whose life force was drained to heal her. She usually refuses to let it happen.

She has a lot of knowledge of poisonous plants and it’s basically a rule to not touch, or Gods forbid, eat anything in her room because it’s probably got some nasty effects.

Her abilities are stronger during the spring and summer and less powerful in winter.

{had this one in drafts for like a month…. still cooking up some new ocs so share so here’s phoebe! also i just guesstimated on the year it takes place so idk if that’s right or not lol}

[icelynodette]

Berry Picking Oregon Farming Summer 2024

[beastkeeper91]

🔥Helluva House AU🔥

(Owl House x Hazbin Verse)

[Plot]

Instead of Luz stumbling upon The Boiling Isles, she ends up in Vivziepop's version of Hell.

[Background Info]

•Luz is the only human within this AU while the others are Demons.

•Known Sinners:

Eda Clawthorne

Age: 17.

Species: Owl Demon.

Died: 1990s.

Cause of Death: Poisoned.

Sins: Gluttony.

Story: Eda was the most rebellious, yet troublesome teenager in all of Oregon from random pranks to Arson, though despite her delinquency she was a child prodigy getting A+ in all of her classes, but sadly all of that ended when she died during a soccer match due to cyanide poisoning. *cough* Lilith.

Lilith Clawthorne

Age: 18.

Species: Raven Demon.

Died: 1990s

Cause of Death: Suicide.

Sins: Envy.

Story: Lilith is the oldest sister of Eda Clawthorne who was always trying to get attention or praise from her peers and parents, but yet she never did due to her younger sister being "better than her" and so one day she slipped poison into Eda's water bottle and instantly regretted after Eda told her that she was the best sister in the world. After Eda's death, Lilith had suffered a great ammount of guilt and despair to the point where she ended her own life.

Philip "Belos" Whitebane

Age: 50.

Species: Deer Demon.

Died: 1600s.

Cause of Death: Hanged.

Sins: Pride.

Story: Belos, one of the most powerful and fearful overlord hell has ever witnessed. In his life he was known as a Witch Hunter General during the witch trials similar to Salem, but what the pilgrims didn't know, until later on, that he was actually an Occultist and was later hanged for his crimes.

Raine Whispers.

Age: 17.

Species: Bat Demon.

Died: 1967.

Cause of Death: Shot during Flower Power.

Sins: Hersey *Witchcraft*.

Story: Raine was born and raised by pagans in a commune so throughout their whole life they were homeschooled by their parents, learning herbology along with other pagan traditions. During their high school years they would participate in protests and the last one they attended was Flower Power".

•Other Sinners:

Adegast.

Adrian Graye Vernworth.

Yiyi The Bat Queen.

Darius Deamonne.

Eberwolf.

Flora D'splora.

Hettie Cutburn.

Osran.

Piniet.

Terra Snapdragon.

Tibbles.

Vitimir.

Mason.

Scooter Crane.

•Known Hellhounds:

Barcus.

King.

•Known Imps:

Amity Blight.

Edric Blight.

Emira Blight.

Alador Blight.

Odalia Blight.

Willow Park.

Gilbert and Harvey Park.

Gus Porter.

Perry Porter.

Hunter.

Angmar.

Bo.

Derwin.

Eileen.

Roselle and Dottie.

Gavin.

Jerbo.

Kikimora.

Masha.

Matt Tholomule.

Steve Tholomule.

Hieronymus Bump.

Usurper.

Viney.

Moon girl.

•Known Succubi:

Amber.

Amelia.

Boscha (Hybrid).

Bria.

Cat.

Katya.

Skara.

•Other Known Hellborns:

Bill (Baphomet).

Warden Wrath (Greed Shark).

Braxus (Greed Shark).

Morton (Baphomet).

Salty (Greed Shark).

Vee (Possessor).

Hooty (Unknown).

•Known Ars Goetia:

Malphas.

Grometheus.

Faust.

•Blight Industries along with The Blight Family themselves are mostly within the Greed Ring along with Blight Manor. Like in canon, the company provides itself with accessories with home security and weaponry along with some robotics. Blight Industries is considered to be one of the most popular companies in hell. Supplying not just for Sinners and Hellborns, but also the Overlords and Demonic Loyalty of Hell.

•King is a Hellhound, Eda and Raine found him in a cardboard box in an alley when he was only a pup and they both decided upon themselves to take him ate their place and raise him. Basically the same way in "Echoes of the Past" but different.

•Perry Porter, Gus's dad, is still a field reporter in this and he works for 666 News. Though the only work associate he has is Tom, because Katie Killjoy is a total bitch to him due to being an Imp.

•In this AU Amity and Willow are still friends, but after confronting her bitch of a mother Amity decided to runaway to the Pride Ring with Willow, also Gilbert and Harvey fostered Amity.

•All the palisman in this AU are Hell-Fauna, which are Demonic versions of animals.

•The Collector in this AU is renamed Collie Morningstar and they are the youngest child of Lucifer and Lilith Morningstar along with the baby sibling of Charlie Morningstar and the archivists who are also in this AU as the children of Morningstar, but unlike the archivists Charlie is the only sibling that cares for Collie. *Also since the archivists didn't have any names in "Fort the Future" or "Watching and Dreaming" so the names I gave them are Salem, Basil, Aaren, Draco.

•The Nine Coven Leaders in this AU are Overlords.

•When humans, like Luz, are stuck in Hell for long periods of time that they begin to turn into a demon.

•After Lilith died she bumped into Eda and tried to apologize for what she did to her which of course didn't end well. For about several years Lilith has been jumping from job to job until she met Flora D'splora, also a Sinner, who hired Lilith as her assistant at the Museum of History of Demonic.

•Hunter is one of the many Imps Belos took in (for bad reasons of course, Because it's belos after all).

•Originally Willow and her dad's were from the Wrath Ring, then they moved to Greed due to Harvey having a job at Blight Industries which lasted for a little while until Odalia fired him after due to Amity not cutting ties with Willow which made them move to Pride.

•This AU mostly takes place in the Pride Ring, within a town called Malum which is just outside of Pentagram City just a few minutes away.

•Belo's true demonic form would be his kaiju form from "Watching and Dreaming" and his normal form would be a mix between his regular emperor self and his cursed self.

•Eda has trouble controlling her true demonic form every now and then just like how she had trouble controlling her curse in canon. Her true demonic form is the same as her Owl Beast form.

•Hooty is still hooty. (🦉 Hooty Hoot 🦉)

•Hexisde is also in this AU, but it's renamed "Hexside School District." Which is surprisingly one of the best schools in hell for Hellborns, better than Glandus and St Epidermis.

•Even though there's no coven system, each character has their own set of different demonic abilities and powers.

•Luz's Demon form is that same as her titan form, but instead of her witch outfit she's in her default clothes which are a bit torn due to her transformation.

•Eda and Raine own a store called "The Owl Nest" that sells trinkets, crystals, charms, herbs *including cannabis*, and other types of goods.

Art by AnnDevil88, though the last one with Sinner!Eda is unknown but still amazing.

[didanawisgi]

Abstract

Vaccinations have prevented millions of infectious illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths among U.S. children, yet the long-term health outcomes of the vaccination schedule remain uncertain. Studies have been recommended by the U.S. Institute of Medicine to address this question. This study aimed 1) to compare vaccinated and unvaccinated children on a broad range of health outcomes, and 2) to determine whether an association found between vaccination and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), if any, remained significant after adjustment for other measured factors. A cross-sectional study of mothers of children educated at home was carried out in collaboration with homeschool organizations in four U.S. states: Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oregon. Mothers were asked to complete an anonymous online questionnaire on their 6- to 12-year-old biological children with respect to pregnancy-related factors, birth history, vaccinations, physician-diagnosed illnesses, medications used, and health services. NDD, a derived diagnostic measure, was defined as having one or more of the following three closely-related diagnoses: a learning disability, Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. A convenience sample of 666 children was obtained, of which 261 (39%) were unvaccinated. The vaccinated were less likely than the unvaccinated to have been diagnosed with chickenpox and pertussis, but more likely to have been diagnosed with pneumonia, otitis media, allergies and NDD. After adjustment, vaccination, male gender, and preterm birth remained significantly associated with NDD. However, in a final adjusted model with interaction, vaccination but not preterm birth remained associated with NDD, while the interaction of preterm birth and vaccination was associated with a 6.6-fold increased odds of NDD (95% CI: 2.8, 15.5). In conclusion, vaccinated homeschool children were found to have a higher rate of allergies and NDD than unvaccinated homeschool children. While vaccination remained significantly associated with NDD after controlling for other factors, preterm birth coupled with vaccination was associated with an apparent synergistic increase in the odds of NDD. Further research involving larger, independent samples and stronger research designs is needed to verify and understand these unexpected findings in order to optimize the impact of vaccines on children’s health.

[summersauveterre]

Name: Summer Sauveterre Occupation: Clerk at the Safe Harvest General Store in Macleay, OR Age: 32 Sexuality: Homoromantic Demisexual Species: Witch Coven: Garnett Magic: Season-Based Nature Abilities Hometown: Macleay, Oregon Personality: Stubborn, a bit spiteful, patient, grounded, nurturing, adaptable

Your mother Laurel loved freely, she always said. She loved you with her whole heart, she always said. And when you asked her what would happen if she had two people to love, she said she’d love you and them with her whole heart as well. She had enough room in her heart for more love – as long as she drew breath and even after that, there would always be enough love.

For a while, it was just you and her and all your love. But then there was a man who wasn’t your dad, and even though she promised you there was enough love to go around, you got scared. Scared he’d take the love away. She told you that you didn’t have to love him if you didn’t want to, so you didn’t. But she asked you to love the little bump, the baby growing in her tummy, who was also going to take more of her love.

Unlike the man, though, the baby was carried close to her heart just like you were. Maybe that made things different. Maybe you’d love her too – your little sister. After Summer came Autumn.

But you didn’t get to meet your sister. And your mother never came back. You’d been sent to spend a few days with your aunt Therese, told you’d be home with the family soon. You were scared to see the man – but you never did. You wanted to see your sister – but you never did. And after the few days, you were told that your mother wasn’t coming home, that she’d returned to the beautiful earth and that while she was gone, you’d still feel her spirit in the magic your family shared. The magic she’d taught you, flowing with the change of the seasons. And after Autumn came the barren cold winter.

Your family had always been in nature, guided by the tenets of the Garnett coven, which had roots and branches wide and deep through the state. Your family was happy to live off the land and off the grid, going into town to trade homemade goods with the few locals in unincorporated Macleay. And while you were determined to live in the frozen throes of your grief, the seasons rolled from one to the next, and so your winter turned into spring.

You spend the years homeschooled, learning and growing in your magic under your aunt’s loving watch. Unlike your mother, though, you get the sense she can only hold so much love in her heart at one time. You occupy a space, yes, but it is diminished by the presence of others, like your cousins who were there first, so you learn to carve space for yourself. You tend gardens and kept bees, brush the animals and bake pastries. You sing while you do the work, and they say your voice sounds like your mothers. So sometimes you talk to yourself.

When you’re older, you ask your aunt Therese to tell you about the man and his daughter who took your love away. You learn the man has died but his daughter is out there, and you wonder if you should go and find her and bring her back to be with the family. But there’s a mix of fear and anger and jealousy like a bitter root inside of you, so you watch from afar. You move with the seasons, feeling the ebb and flow of your magic, the rise and fall of the confusion and grief and curiosity inside you. She’s not far. She’s in Port Leiry. They have Garnett coven there -- home can be other places. But you like having a secret, shaped like your mother’s absence. You don’t want to share that with her, the one who took the spring and sun away from you.

The magic goes like this: Spring is joy and lightness. It’s growth, where sleepy things return to life. You grow the plants better then, calm the creatures with your song, and feel a warmth worth sharing. But summer is your season, where the warmth becomes heat. It brings fire and light. Fortifying, hardy things love the summer, and you feel stronger then. Then comes the fall, or autumn, where growing stops and you gather your work. It’s also a time of rot, the overripe things falling to ruin. You love the mushrooms that grow in this time, and can hear the sounds of nature in celebration. Then biting cold winter puts it all to sleep. It’s a time of withdrawal, where time seems to stop and you can put things on pause until the sun returns. The cycle continues as ever before.

You work in your family’s general store selling the honey you’ve gathered and the herbs you’ve dried. Macleay is quiet and quaint, but you’ve been to the bigger cities. You’ve looked for Autumn without saying so, because you’ve known her and not known her for so long, you’re not sure what you’ll say first. But your aunt Therese tells you that one day, the girl’s other mother is dead – and you think, how sad. No mother and no father, just like you. But you have your aunt, at lest. You’re not sure how or why it happened to her like this, but you know you might have a chance to make things right. You wonder if your mother’s love is still inside of her, and if your heart will ever love as freely and limitlessly as your mother’s did.

You’ve always been a part of the same earth, the same safe land. Maybe there might be some common ground between you after all.

Seeking Connections: - Sister Dearest: @autumnshowell - Fellow Garnett Witches - Customers of Safe Harvest General Store

[autism-purgatory]

Hooray WIP introduction

Shirleston Academy of Mystery and Intrigue

“Everyone in that place is stuck in endless dreams and living nightmares, all while it watches.”

Takes place in a private school in Portland, Oregon where three students are wrapped in an ever-growing mystery surrounding the history of their esteemed school. Its inspirations are The Magnus Archives and K-12 by Melanie Martinez (and my own shitty experiences with private schools but this isn’t a vent post). It’s a cosmic horror mystery with hints of dark academia. Students at Shirleston are ranked by the color of their ties. Freshman have blue, Sophomore have yellow, Juniors have Red, and Seniors have green. (If I see a hogwarts joke I’m deleting this blog)

Our characters:

Ashley Yuan: 18, A senior at Shirleston Academy and trying to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. She is generally snarky but clever. She also has OCD and is demi-sexual. She’s been living on her own for about a month after her aging mother passed. She gets wrapped up in this mess of a mystery after discovering a fellow student burned alive in a ritual circle in the library. She pieces the school’s mysterious history alongside…

Erin Reyes: 15, the youngest one of the protagonists. He’s quiet but very blunt and honest when he does talk, and is internally screaming 24/7. He has been homeschooled for most of his life due to severe bullying until his father put him in Shirleston. He is autistic and is having a bit of an identity crisis due to his slow and painful process of unmasking after years. Hes terrified of Shirleston not just because he has to talk to people frequently, but also because there’s just something so off about the place. This only gets worse when he’s roped into the plot. He’s also pan but extremely closeted.

James Lyon: 17 and a junior. He’s playful, energetic, kinda stupid, but means well for the most part. His dad is the CEO of Glacé, a banking company and a major investor in Shirleston. He likes being at shirleston due to how horribly his parents treat him, it’s sort of an escape for him. So that obviously goes to shit when a friend of his ends up dead in the library. Now he doesn’t feel safe anywhere, but finds at least a little comfort in his new friends. He’s gay, but like Erin, he’s extremely closeted.

There’s body horror, found family I guess??? Chase scenes, dream symbolism, body horror monsters, the works.

[ynda44-blog]

Centricide family headcanons

(I personally see the ideologies starting as real people before ascending to ideologyland by either death or brain death, where they target more people to kill and absorb into themselves, so these are the most recently deceased persons)

ANCAP

Born to hippie parents in Portland, Oregon (and yes, they do smoke weed)

His grandparents lived in a commune

iPad kid

Had a younger sister, like 8 years younger- she had undiagnosed ADHD

Their parents tried to treat it with essential oils

Homeschooled

Went his mom’s twitter one day and it changed his life

His parents thought structural inequality was made up

His name was Neroli Wolfsong and he had curly blond hair and a punchable face

ANCOM

Born in a Haitian tourist town to parents whose livelihoods would be subsequently destroyed by the island’s earthquake

Their grandmother, uncle, and first cousins all lived in the house with them

Well it was really more of a tent

Yeah they grew up very poor

Only child

They saw their cousins manipulated into drug addictions and soul-draining hard labor

The cops arrested them all for squatting several times

Their friends and them all shared a windows 2 that they would look at the internet on

As they all grew up they started learning the history behind their country’s shitty situation and systemic racial oppression

And how to make their own drugs

Also spent a lot of time on the lgbtq wiki

[marvelmaniac715]

What got you into starkid? :]

This is actually a really good question. As a kid I was OBSESSED with Disney, but I ALSO had YouTube, which meant that I would just watch any Disney related video I could find. That was all well and good until the day I stumbled across Twisted, before I even turned ten. I watched the first three minutes in the car on the way home, completely confused when I was told to turn it off (I was NOT prepared for ‘Dream A Little Harder’ 😭). Then, during lockdown, I knew that I loved musical theatre, and I’d recently discovered the glorious online world of ‘slime tutorials’, and one day when I was meant to be doing homeschool, I recognised the thumbnail for Twisted and vaguely recalled the first time I tried to watch it, and I watched my first ever Starkid show in full. I loved it, I remember thinking that it was one of the best musicals I’d ever watched, so I clicked on the next musical from Starkid that appeared on autoplay, and it was The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. Now, I went into it with no idea what it would be about, so I watched it, completely enthralled. When it ended, I distinctly remember thinking something along the lines of “oh my god, this is it, this is my new obsession” and I went on to watch Trail To Oregon, Firebringer, Holy Musical B@tman, Black Friday, A Very Potter Musical (I’ve only actually seen the first one), Starship, and half an hour of Ani (I’m not a Star Wars fan so sadly I lost interest) and to this day I’m still trying to work up the courage to watch MAMD. I also checked out Tin Can Bros and watched Solve It Squad as well as (more recently) Spies Are Forever, and now I don’t think I can go back to other musicals without ever watching a Starkid show again. I can also thank Starkid for helping me make more friends here on Tumblr, because before my first ever post about Webby and the Lords in Black, I posted mainly about Chucky and wasn’t as familiar with the site, and now I’ve written loads of fanfiction and fan theories, and I’ve memorised so many songs and lines of dialogue, so in a way, if I hadn’t been obsessed with Disney as a child, or if lockdown had never happened, I never would have been this happy, so I’m thankful that my life has gone the way it has :).

[wickedsrest-rp-archive]

Name: Mahuika Adelaide Thompson Species: Spellcaster Occupation: Receptionist & Maid at Bearcliff Motel Age: 25 Years Old Played By: Emily Face Claim: Courtney Eaton

"Have you ever considered that maybe my perspective might be valuable?"

Vancouver was a beautiful city.

So were the outskirts, which was more where Mahuika spent the first few years of her life. Her family’s coven had formed as a convergence of her mother’s from New Zealand and her father’s from Portland, Oregon. It just so happened that the two of her parents met, fell in love, and some number of years later, had her older sister. Then she came, not two years later. Had her brother five years after that.

The forest was full of light.

Which made it extra perfect to perfect her skills in. She’d taken to mental magic with incredible ease, much to the pride of her family and the rest of her coven. Mental magic was useful, she’d been told for as long as she could remember. You could use it to help those in need, and it connected you to the universe in an untold number of ways. At least, that was what her mother told her – and she was inclined to believe her, because what reason on earth would her mother have to lie?

Her parents were in love. They showed the world nothing but love.

Her family was perfect.

Her siblings were all good and skilled and it meant that she was never alone. Which she liked, even if she didn’t like being the middle child. Though her parents liked to at least attempt to prove that she wasn’t overlooked.

When she was five, the coven had moved to just outside of a small town in Maine – Wicked’s Rest – it was different and she hadn’t wanted to move, but her parents said that it was the best choice for everyone. Something about the energies being right, and Mahuika readily accepted that reasoning.

After all, what reason would her parents have to lie?

She and her siblings were homeschooled, taught magic and science hand in hand, as well as whatever else it was that people were learning in schools not meant for spellcasters. It was easier on the coven if all of the children just learned at home. It meant there was less to worry about, and that the adults could put more time into training the children in their craft.

According to her parents, Mahuika had been a natural at mental magic from the first time she ever tried. She’d helped control one of the adults to acknowledge their love for another one of the coven, and she’d been able to cast illusions from the time she was only six. They were always little ones, but that didn’t matter: it was her birthright, having this magic. 

It was her coven’s job to help.

To help each other, but also to help those around them. Those in town, and without letting anyone know. Because true altruism meant not getting credit, meant doing things for others simply because you could. Because they’d been given extra powers, and that meant helping others more than themselves.

It made sense, at first. It made sense until Mahuika turned fourteen.

She’d been taught that what she did made her safe, and so maybe she’d gotten occasionally lax. Never to an excessive level, but still. She had been an occasionally distractible child and she’d grown into an occasionally distractible teenager.

One day, she’d gone out with a couple friends from her coven to go skinny dipping. It wasn’t anything uncommon, especially in the summer. It was a way to connect with nature, or something (Mahuika figured it was also an excuse to get away from the adults in the coven). One of the older girls – though older was relative — she was only just eighteen — had come out of the water, wrapped herself in a dress, and called out that she was going to go and get them all popsicles, potato chips, and other homemade snacks.

Except she never got to, because Mahuika saw someone grab her, pull her away and she kicked and screamed for help. The stranger wasn’t someone from their coven, wasn’t someone Mahuika had ever seen before. There was no way they were magic.

She didn’t do anything, she just watched her go. Watched her go even though she had the ability to control whoever’d grabbed her. But instead she stayed afloat in the water, mouth agape, eyes wide. 

She hadn’t done anything, and she ran back to where her coven was staying, the other friend trailing behind (they couldn’t have done anything, they didn’t do mental magic. They were something more elemental.) So it was all on Mahuika. 

It was her fault, and it was just proof that those outside of the coven were lesser than those inside of it.

Her coven was supposed to help those outside of it, but her parents had lied about that. All the adults had.

Mahuika felt a deep, deep sense of distrust, and as she lay in bed that night, she made a promise to herself. She’d be the best at her branch of magic that anybody had ever been. That way she’d make sure idiots like the one who’d grabbed her friend never did anything like that again. That way, she’d be in control. That way, she’d be strong. That way, she’d be remarkable, and nothing short of it.

So she worked at it, for years, dove headfirst, spent her days and nights practicing.

Except, in order to truly perfect all that she was, Mahuika knew that she couldn’t stay with her coven forever, and the tiny little town nearby seemed just as good a place as any to get her start. She went there for college, first, if nothing else, just to save face. Physics was an easy major, and sure, she’d managed to get a few A’s with her particular skill set that had nothing to do with academics, but what was the harm in that?

She liked how it felt. How safe she felt with all of that.

It was right, and it was gray, and it was beautiful.

Character Facts:

Personality: Self-important, generous, deceptive, enigmatic, personable, bitter, jealous, calm, self-assured, intelligent

She is fluent in a few languages and has significant knowledge of a smattering of other ones. It’s important for her craft, and she also just likes knowing things. Not all of the languages are fully “useful” in Mahuika’s daily life, but she enjoys them nonetheless.

Mahuika is actually extremely terrified of drowning, though she won’t admit that. She doesn’t like how out of control the water can be. Again, chances of her admitting that? Slim to none.

She writes letters to her siblings in a notebook that she keeps under her mattress. There’s a lot of anger in those notes, but also a great deal of love and sadness.

Has a few tattoos – on her wrist, ribcage, and upper arm, to name a few. They are mostly meaningful, except for one of a duck with a small hat. That one was Just Because.

Mahuika has a deep passion for physics.