#I'm the eldest sister and therefore perfect so

[pushing500]

Where did mechi get his mechlink?

In my idea for his background, Mechi applied for a mechlink on his homeworld (one of the more developed urbworlds) and, after what probably felt like an achingly long period of review, was approved for it!

Probably the only person more excited about it than Mechi was his baby sister Yamka.

Also, the description of mechlinks on the RimWorld wiki made me grimace at how uncomfortable it sounded. I bet Yamka had a ball teasing Mechi about it, and I'm sure he had one hell of a headache for a few days after it was first installed.

[vqrtualheartss]

Hii

Every Sunday, you scanned the church's congregation for a familiar face ― Aunt Rio's son, Miles. It seemed as though she barely managed to drag him every other week given the nonchalant look he always wore. You held him as a classification of a hallway crush, never daring to do much than pretend not to stare from the other side of the alter unless you were ready to meet the god you served. Well, the God your whole family served; yeaa, you're the pastor's daughter. And I think we know how that goes, being expected to keep Sunday school each and every week, not to mention that the simplest things were prohibited like music, talking in a "ghetto" way, blah blah blah yaddi yaddi yadda. And your absolute favorite ― always keeping your appearance up to posh

"I will not have my eldest dressing like a jezebel or some boy in my own home. Go and take that off right this instant"

Were the ever present words spoken by your mother if you made the mere mistake of wearing shorts or sweats' around the house. If anything, life felt like a Greenleaf episode and not in a good way. Ranging from the secrets and scandals behind the chapel's closed doors or the fact that multiple administrators like to front that they had the perfect, picturesque family. You couldn't tell which was worse; that they had nothing like that or the fact that your own family―. Nah, in this house you had no family, not since your sister Asaria left.

With tears in both of your eyes, she barely mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to you. It could be the fact you were just eight years old to register what she was apologizing for or that the tears bound your vision so badly you mistook the statement for something else. That couldn't be it, you could see clearly the disgust-filled scowls on your parents faces and they held you back. And like all the stupid rules enforced, your family forbid you from ever contacting her, brainwashing you that they were only trying their bests at raising you. Therefore, you pushed Asaria's words and underlying warning at the back of your mind, convincing yourself that she was just paranoid.. yea. Let's just say that all the delusion wore off when it was your time to take the mic.

You never thought that they'd do this, it felt unreal, like some book with a fucked up plot. But it was happening, you were being wed off at the mere age of seventeen. You know that like all the previous fights, you'd never win. Then again here you stood, behind the chancel, arguing about the dominant latter of your life. Did it even feel like you had one of your own? You felt like a puppet being induced to what was 'for your own good' as you helplessly bantered with your parents Mr. and Mrs. Larkspur

------------------------------------

"If both parents agree to it, you may be wed" Some mother you are "I was barely sixteen last week, how am I eligible to get married" "I suggest you fix your tone young woman" "THAT'S THE LEAST IMPORTANT THING RIGHT NOW"

The frilled dress I wore swayed with the movements my hand made justifying why what they're doing is absolutely atrocious. Why isn't stuff like this illegal? Tears swung from my lash line as I flashed my face from my fathers wavering hand meant to do nothing but harm. He wasn't one to put his hands on anyone but when he felt desperate or threatened to show dominance; like right now. My mother held onto her coat tightly with that same disgust she watched Asaria flea with whilst my father balled his fist. The claps of the congregation started to die down. Grunting, he walked out onto the nave, but not before giving me a scorning glare. She stood unmoved, dragging me to our house attached to the church by my arm to give the same lecture she had over a thousand times.

"YOU have full knowledge as to why we're doing this. You're father and I are growing grey and we need someone to take over the legacy of the church and with you as our eldest we cannot let you rule over alone or by yourself"

Because I'm a girl? I managed to keep up a neutral look, not an angry or sad one. I couldn't bear to show any emotions, they stripped me of them. The teachings of her scolding me for frowning or crying stood bold in the forefront of my mind. You'd think that she'd come with something along the lines of "Strong girls don't cry" or some crap like that but nope, her reasoning was that "Smiling and frowning makes frown lines and we need to look perfect" I shook away the thoughts as I listened to my mother spur verbal diarrhea.

"If I could I'd marry off your sister because unlike you, she has sense but you know what the church would thi―" "What is wrong with you― Nyla's been sixteen for only three months― Are you insane―"

She slapped me hard, a reminder that she― "Will not tolerate disrespect from a child". As much as I wanted to retaliate, I held out, rubbing the left side of my face as she continued.

"You WILL listen to you us and meet Mr. & Mrs. Nightingale's son tonight"

Oh great, the Nightingales. Another perfect family, I wonder how'd they feel if they found out that their precious son was really up to. What's his name again? Jevaughn? Jaxon? Do I even care? Mmcht

She did a once over of me before adding "Be in the church in less than 5, you will be leading choir today" Didn't even ask me to

We went separate ways; my mother to my father and I to a powder room. Composing myself once more, I hurried inside the church in front of the choir loft, feeling relief when I spotted not a questioning stare. I've learnt to hide how I felt truly behind a faux smile quite well If I do say so myself, but no matter how much I tried my eyes remained glassy― tears threatening to betray thr façade at any moment.

I gave a tight-lipped smile to the congregation as they welcomed my appearance with cheers. I laughed when Tía Rio moved to the front row in midst of the clapping, she waved to me and I did likewise but a little more erratically. She's an amazing person to know and really a nice woman, a great woman that does her best for her family. It painfully excruciates me how these women could sit on her name and belittle her as if they were someone to look up to. She's definitely a better individual than those in this church that like to claim they are combined. But the day I go off on them, I'll let them know.

After thanking the usher for the microphone I ran back to the choir unsure which song to perform. A few members suggested traditional songs and favorites, one stuck out most to me though: Man in the mirror by Michael Jackson. I bit my lip contemplating the decision, we just started to sing (somewhat) church-related pop songs in church so I was a bit hesitant; but as I said, relating, some of these people need to hear it.

I announced the choice to the band members before returning to my position, clearing my throat as I scanned the audience. No, I wasn't scared, I've done this too many times to be. Receiving a signal from the drummer I allowed the choir to voice the opening, joining when they started the second verse. Eventually, we approached the high note as I begged for my throat to not close up. I looked around the room.

“I'm starting with the man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways And no message could've been any clearer If you wanna make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make a change”

You're staring

You're still staring

Despite the song being half-finished everyone started to clap, giving a literal standing ovation. Did some of them finally heed the meaning? Coming down from the high, I took focus in my vision. Was I looking at Miles this whole time? Widening my eyes at the realization had him chuckling, he waved before continuing to clap.

First time without a stoic expression and I'm wishing he smiled more. I put a palm in the middle of my face to loosely hide my smile before waving back. A few of the young men waved even though it wasn't directed to them. Looking over to their spots Miles and I shook our heads.

Behind me, my father cleared his throat, the harsh sound reminding me of my earlier troubles. My expression died down quickly. Instead of beside my family I sat in the first row in the choir loft. Miles moved to the front of the church to his mother who began to question him about something. She turned to me and smiled, speaking softly "You did amazing" Although I couldn't hear too well over the preaching, I pieced out her words, thanking her in return.

Usually, I'd be somewhere discreetly using my phone but it was different today. My eyes moved back and forth from my father to Miles who did likewise; giggling each time we made eye contact at same.

-------------

Even though I didn't want to, I gathered the strength to partake in the seemingly mandatory post-service meet and greet

"'Ah dear, meet one of my good friends. Robert this is (y/n), (y/n), Robert"

The man whom he was introducing looked worn out, wrinkles showing in every crevice in his face despite (from what I've heard) being in his late 30's. He wore gold grills on his bottom canines, which I would hate to say matches well with his black and white suit.

"Hello, I'm (y/n). Pleasured to meet you"

"Likewise"

His voice came off hoarse, sounding as if someone who had smoked for a week straight finally took a breath.

Even though opting for a simple handshake, the man dragged me into an uncomfortable hug. And I mean uncomfortable, his hands trailed all about my back, quickening its pace heading underneath the mid-back vest I wore. I pulled back, crushing the man's toes with my heel as I did.

"I'm so sorry"

I innocently smiled at the grunting man that held onto his loafer tightly. With the hand resting on his left forearm I would've pinched him if my father didn't take him away. I saw my mother introducing Nyla to some boy of her age. Ew.

About 10 footsteps away I felt a warm hand on my shoulder that sent me tumbling. I probably would've fell if I wasn't caught by the hug afterwards.

"Tía Rio" I paused, resting a hand on my chest before continuing

"Hola hija"

She pulled me back into her embrace before stepping backwards.

"You were absolutely amazing out there― as always" "'Thank you tía, that truly means a lot to me" "Oh hush, I know you've heard that about a thousand times now" "Well, it means a lot from you"

We laughed a bit before she started to pat down her bag. "Before I forget" She dipped her hand into its largest compartment before taking out something wrapped in colorful tissue paper. "Here"

Handing it over I could tell by the texture that it was some type of food― cookies probably. At this point they were a symbolic part of our relationship.

------------ Flashback twin

The cold December air on the exposed skin on your knee was doing you no good. Said cold wind was what had you like this. With a snotty-nose you were headed to your mothers purse for a tissue. And when she was nowhere to be found, you frantically ran around in search for her, convinced this was some sick game of hide-and-seek.

Sitting in a random slide with your feet up to your chest, you felt tears rush when a boy with hair slightly longer than the others saw you crying and hurriedly turned back.

"If it's another stray cat we're not keeping it" "No mama"

The same boy came through the other end of the slide, pointing at you. Not knowing what else to do, you hid your head between your legs and chest, bringing it up at sudden speech directed to you.

"My mommy says you should come down. She wants to see you"

Bringing your head up by the slightest, you could see the boy's extending hand in front of your face. "You have to get out because mommy's too fat to fit in" The woman who you figured to be his mother had her mouth agape, her shocked expression turning soft when you two started to laugh.

Holding onto his hand you both slid down, the adrenaline numbing the pain in your knee. Immediately after standing up she noticed your blood stained shorts, rushing you to a nearby bench.

"¿Qué tal? How did this happen?" Even though opening your mouth for words none came out, 6-year-old you unsure how to explain the situation. Understanding your frustration she spoke up. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me" She gave you a comforting smile. Which in return had you smiling, then her son, revealing the front tooth he recently lost.

After she finished bandaging your knee she began to put her belongings back into her bag, leaving out just one thing. A floral pink and white decorative tissue. She handed it to her son who quickly hid it behind his back the moment it touched his hand.

"I wanted the purple paper mama. Pink is for girls" His mother crossed her arms, tilting her head "Do you want me to take them back?" He shook his head no, bringing out the stuffed paper with his free hand. His other was still laced into yours. He placed the tissue beside you, jumping up onto the bench so the pastries sat between you two. He brought one up to your face.

"Want one?" Being thoroughly instructed to never take anything from anyone in public made you decline― or try to. Opening your lips to refuse politely, he pushed quarter of a cookie into your mouth.

"MILES―" "Yes, mama" He smiled innocently, turning towards his mother. She stood shaking her head in disapproval, sighing in relief that you didn't choke.

"Do you like them?" He paused waiting for an answer, receiving a satisfied hum, he gloated "My mom made them" He looked at the cookies still stacked high "Want more?"

Even though saying yes once to the question, Miles seemingly made it a priority to ensure there were always enough cookies in case he ever saw you again. Given the amount of times he woke up to a fresh batch and reminded his mother of his constant request, it became robotic like clockwork to her.

''Mama, did you make enough for-'' ''Yes, I made enough for you and your little girlfriend"

------------

"Yeah huh?" The sudden high pitch of her voice brought me back to Earth. The one place I don't want to be right now "This is my son, Miles. I'm sure you remember him"

I hummed in response, turning my back to my family's faces to draw any unwanted press while shaking his hand. Retracting his hands he gave that signature one-dimple smile which I felt shy to return.

"Nice to meet you" He raised a brow

"We're met before, did you forget?" I literally proposed to you with a ring pop

"Ah my bad, we have to leave― Early shifts at the hospital"

"I completely understand, get home safely" She placed her hands over my balled fists, giving me a bright smile before departing. Her son lingering behind her followed in tow, waving as he left.

"What was that (y/n)? I hope you're not talking to those people outside of church matters" My mother stood closely behind my back, so she could freely show her disgusted expression without judgement. I turned to meet her wild looking eyes of age 38.

And I thought ursula didn't exist

"No mother, I would never do such things" She said nothing but a hum, which on her part would be 'not gracing me with an answer'

"Be at the south porch at evening. We have something to discuss"

What the heck did I do.

In the Larkspur mansion there's a total of four sub-buildings: The north porch used for house-warmings, general church meetings and such, pool house to the east, church to the west, and the south porch. The south meant nothing good, being the farthest sectioned from the house it was an analogy for things to be said in the dark and only in the dark, something grave like an affair. Things like that, things that could change a person's life and given by the term 'we', probably meaning my father, mother and I. I know that whatever they had to tell could change my life for the better or worse. But by now we know that anything 'for the better' would be just for them so that's not even an option.

----------------------------

Sitting down with his legs spread my father watched as my mother pranced back and forth the hardwood floor, prepping herself to say whatever it was. She looked as if the words she were about to speak pricked her tongue before they came out and whenever they did. I watched with a blank expression, hands crossed on my stomach as the fluffed material radiated heat to every crevice of my body.

"Cecelia" His paitience wore thin as the whiskey from the glass ran low. My mother repeated the same words she had over 100 times since we've been here

"This is ridiculous, certainly there's something else" My father sucked his teeth reverting all the attention to him and he chugged the last of the liquor. Although not meaning to I stared into my his eyes with some hope he'd continued what my mother couldn't start. His stare got intense, hardening every minute the contest went on.

My grandmother always told me that "It come like puss bruk coconut in yuh fada yiy" meaning that he was one with seemingly dry eyes or that he was an ill-mannered person to hold a stare to absolutely no limits or regard to who it be with. She always told me that it was something I inherited from him but unlike my father it looked better on me.

"You're changing schools"

I swear to you my eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets is a sign?

"Recently there's been a spike in teenage pregnancies at CHS and with such a tainted image we cannot have you attending there so, we had arranged a transfer for you to Brooklyn Visions"

Despite the sudden relief radiating from my body I sat still, muttering a compliant response before getting up to the exit. "And you're meeting with-" My father got cut off by my mother placing a hand on his upper thigh. Through my peripheral I could see her smirking as I went off.

I love my parents right, but sometimes (most times really) I swear— I'm going crazy in this house

--------------------------- like 2 days later

If it's one thing I know though— the sexism is gonna get you right. Long nails, lashes makeup and everything was one point but maybe there was one teeny tinyy thing you despised, clothes. You knew that Cinderella princess wardrobe of yours was too much and so you were going to argue for it.

------------------------------

As we were leaving I contemplated asking for some new clothes — speak now or forever hold your peace.

"Mother "

"Y/N?"

"Aren't we getting new clothes"

"And why would we do that? You have a plethora of dresses back home"

"That's it, the dresses are a bit.... pricy and might get the attention of the wrong crowd. I mean other than the great neighborhood around Brooklyn Visions there's its opposite too" I sucked in a breath knowing that this could go one of two ways— I could get what I want or they'd put an ankle monitor on me.

"I guess I'd never look at it from that perspective. Atleast that brain of yours works"

Excuse me.

Despite that little backhanded thing I smiled, that's 1 point for Y/N.

--------

So that's it, I'm too lazy to decorate ATM but I will

[literatureatthebowofnails]

I would love to see something for excerpts for Odin's A+ Parenting Playbook.

Thank you so, so much for this ask, buttercupcookies!

This piece is for my 100 Followers + 34th Birthday Party. Please consider making further requests! These events only work when there's reader participation.

Midgardians say "Children are like pancakes; you always mess up the first one."

I'm unfamiliar with pancakes, and I have no knowlege of servant's duties, but it sounds as though pancakes are both disposable and of minimal value. Therefore, I must agree with the assessment that children are indeed like pancakes.

One must consider that for a king, children require minimal effort to create. It takes but a single act to get a child upon a queen, or for that matter any woman. In the event a king is unable to do so, it is just as simple to slaughter a race, invade a sacred place of worship and kidnap save an infant doomed to die of exposure. A death which the infant or the infant's parents were surely the cause of, and which had nothing at all to do with the recent actions of the king.

🏰

Raising an only child has its benefits, though raising siblings together presents significant, distinct rewards.

When a king has but a single child, he can mold that offspring into a weapon of war. Together they shall lead campaigns throughout the Nine Realms, pillage and plunder every worthless little civilization, hoarding resource for themselves and leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.

All shall worship a king who has but one heir. All, unfortunately, but the heir.

I've learned over my many centuries that it's rather difficult to prevent an only child from becoming narsisistic. Particularly when the child is a princess of Asgard and the goddess of death.

We are all bound to make mistakes; it is how we right those wrongs that truly matters.

As stated previously, children are like pancakes. Having learned more about the lower lifeforms that inhabit Midgard, it seems the ideal method of addressing damaged pancakes is to have a servant throw them out.

By such reasoning, I ordered an elite force of warriors to imprison Hela so I never had to think about her again. She killed the entire batallion, and I must continuously siphon my power to maintain her imprisonment, but it's a small price to pay to keep her a secret and avoid awkward conversations, such as "what world will we ravage next?" and "why didn't you tell us we have a sister?"

🏰

I started anew; fresh, with a son. And though I told Hela I no longer wished to fight wars or commit genocide, old patterns oft maintain themselves. Jotunheim began an ice age on Midgard, and it was a perfect excuse to put the Frost Giants in their place.

What's more, I obtained a tiny baby icicle to take home as a little brother for Thor. My new eldest was very young, so we told him all babies come from Jotunheim. I don't believe we ever got around to correcting that story...

As is custom, Frigga and I had received the birth and anointing announcements for Laufey's son. Thus, having slaughtered the child's mother and left his father dying in ruins of what had been a grand castle but days before, I decided to keep the child's name.

This served two purposes: I didn't have to come up with another name, and when I needed a bargaining chip in the future, Laufey would recognize it as his child, despite Loki's Asgardian appearance.

🏰

When raising children together, one must always choose a favorite. For me, Thor was the obvious choice; he wasn't adopted or a monster.

A king must ensure not just his children, but all his subjects know which is the better child. Then courtiers might know one child is greater in every way; that despite brutish, stubborn incompetence, he deserves to inherit the throne, whatever the cost to the realm.

One may even do this subtly, by having the favorite child served first at dinner, always giving them better toys, or in the way they speak to their children.

Try these examples:

"Only one of you can ascend to the throne, but both of you were born to be kings." Simply growling when the lesser child tries to speak. Avoiding sleep until your adopted child has an exestential crisis, then choosing that very moment to take a nap. Remember, awkward conversations with children should be avoided at all costs. Putting a spell on a hammer in front of your adopted child, ensurring only people you consider worthy can pick it up. Your adopted child, by default, will never be worthy.

Each of these examples instills your favoritism, while simotaneously suggesting that you're simply parenting and governing, in a fair and reasonable manner.

Thank all for reading and please continue to send in requests for my 100 Followers + 34th Birthday Party!...going on until 11:59 PM CST November 22. These are just a few excerpts from the A+ Parenting Handbook. There are many more passages, which I'd be happy to write!

Would you like to read more? Check out my masterlist!

Tag list (please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed):

@peaches1958, @javagirl328, @loopsisloops, @goblingirlsarah, @buttercupcookies-blog, @cakesandtom, @ladymischief11, @km-ffluv, @coldnique, @glitterylokislut , @eleniblue, @lokiprompts, @lokisgoodgirl, @muddyorbsblr, @princess-ofthe-pages @jennyggggrrr

[kogetanotenshi]

RATING NARAKU'S INCARNATIONS

Yay! Another opinion post!

I really want to do this because as I've already established, Naraku is one of my favorite villains of all time, therefore he will be out of this top, because he would obviously be N° 1.

This top will focus only on the nine children of anime's best single father.

Let's START!

8. These two

Yes, these two. Because I don't even remember their names (I think they both end with "maru'' I guess?). Let's put it this way: I totally skipped these two's arc because I found it to be incredibly uninteresting!

Rate: 1/10.

7. The Infant

I like this little ball of sociopathy more than the first two, but I still think he was too... "meh". He wasn't bad, I think he pulled a good threat but there's not much you can do as a character when you're just a talking baby.

Rate: 4/10.

6. Byakuya

I really like his design, let's start with that. He is a total bishounen and undeniably pretty, his dub VA was very well casted, and that tramp he put Sango in to force her into almost killing Rin? Damn.

The only reason he doesn't have a higher spot? He is basically a replacement goldfish for Kagura (Face it, he is). He has the same way of air transportation as Kagura, fills the same role as Kagura (keeping an eye on the Inugang, giving them info Naraku wanted them to know, all that jazz). Unfortunately he has no deep desire to be free like Kagura so he's just... Fine, for me at least.

Rate: 6.5/7.

5. Goshinki

There's a way to summarize Goshinki's whole character: Small Role, Big Impact.

Goshinki (as much as I can remember) only appeared for like 4 episodes and was an incredibly OP monster (and also I think the only child of Naraku that doesn't look human at all). He was fast, strong, agile, and could read freakin' minds! He might as well be almost the most powerful (behind Naraku himself)... My only problem? Remember I watched InuYasha last year, when I was in my 20s already. Therefore it was almost too easy for me to figure out something was gonna happen. Rumiko wouldn't have introduced such a powerful character so early in the story if she didn’t know there was a hidden reason for it. And lo and behold, Goshinki breaks Tessaiga (very cool moment) but also unleashes InuYasha's Superpowered Evil Side. And I said, I KNEW IT! Because it was kinda obvious. Again, small role, Big Impact.

Rate: 7/10.

4. Muso

For some reason I was unable to find a gif.

Muso was basically introduced to gives us an idea of how was good ol' Onigumo before he was mauled by fire and found by Kikyo. He is a hedonist, a murderer, a (possibly) rapist, and was proud of being a pure son of a b*tch. And you know what? It works, at least we know why someone like HIM would sell his soul to demons in order to move again. And his body horror, turning into a scorpion monster was very squicky, kudos to Rumiko for her body horror! Perhaps the only thing I don't like about Muso is his design, he looks too human. He is still supposed to be an Incarnation of Naraku and therefore should at least have eye makeup like his daddy or pointed ears. But whatevs. I really liked Muso. The Reincarnated Onigumo.

Rate: 7/10.

3. Hakudoshi.

Aka the Only one who acknowledges Naraku as his dad and proudly names himself "Son of Naraku". I really, really like this young punk, I like his weapon, his design, his battlehorse, his voice, and I find it hilarious how his 11 years old ass bosses around Kagura, it’s really funny. The problem is that he doesn't know his place and got killed because of it. Imo he needed more screentime, he had way more potential.

Rate: 8/10.

2. Kagura.

The fandom's favorite.

And I can really tell why. Her story is very sad from a certain perspective, she didn’t want to be working for Naraku and she clearly hated the guy. Her wind powers are on point with her "Lady of War" character and her necromancy is a very interesting contrast to such a lady.

The thing is, while I like Kagura, the only reason she's not number one is because, guys, let's remember she's not a misunderstood puppydog? At least not completely, she (in her first appearances) enjoyed fighting with the Inugang and didn’t seem too bothered with the idea of slaughtering Koga's whole clan. She might hate that Naraku bosses over her but I can't say she's a boohoo poor innocent sunshine baby who deserved better, sorry 🤷‍♂️

Rate: 8.5/10.

And the top spot goes to...

1. Kanna.

Ah yes, the firstborn, the eldest sister, the soul-taking, hole-digging white girl! I LOVE Kanna and you can tell with how much I bring her up in my Incorrect quotes that involve Naraku. This ghost-looking creepy child is a character I'd totally like to adopt.

I'm sorry but I have a soft spot for unemotional characters who end up becoming emotional and having feelings. And also, of all the Incarnations, you can tell Kanna was the only one who was NOT inherently evil. She just followed Naraku's orders but she didn’t enjoy anything she did (because she seemingly didn’t feel anything by the time?) and her death in the anime? My eyes watered more with her death than with Kagura's.

Kanna is and always will be, my favorite Naraku Incarnation.

Rate: 1000/10 because she's perfect and I want to adopt her!

Please remember this ranking is based only on my own opinions, you can share them or you can not, if you want, you can let me know if you agree or disagree with this ranking, I'd love to read your own opinions!

[myhistoryobsession]

a little more about that? I'm writing a paper on ancient Egypt and am super fascinated. Thanks! x <3

[Copied from your other ask: I know that you used to post alot about Egypt and that you dont really do that anymore, but you mentioned along time ago in your 18th dyntasy spam some interesting stuff like this (copied and pasted) "The mummy known as KV21A is not Ankhesenamun, but another unknown wife of Tutankhamun. The KV55 mummy is Akhenaten and KV21A is Ankhesenamun, but Akhenaten did not father Ankhesenamun. The KV55 mummy is not Akhenaten, but rather another member of the dynasty, possibly Smenkhare." Could you explain...]

Hi, anon! Wow, I’ve been getting a lot of these lately! My area of study is primarily British history, specifically the Wars of the Roses, so I don’t know how much help I can be to you professionally, but I think I can answer your question! 

Egypt’s 18th Dynasty is one of their more famous, especially with the way it ended. There’s been much speculation on the exact relationship between the latter members, and recent studies have analyzed DNA to uncover the truth. However, we must remember that DNA can’t paint a whole picture due to regular incestuous royal marriages. For example, double first cousins will genetically test as half-siblings. It’s essential to keep that in mind when reviewing the results.

Here is what we know surrounding familial relationships in the latter 18th Dynasty:

Akhenaten fathered six daughters with Nefertiti, including Meritaten and Ankhesenamun.

Smenkhkare succeeded Akhenaten and married Meritaten but died less than a year into his reign. He may be Akhenaten’s brother or a son by an unknown wife.

Neferneferuaten, a female pharaoh, succeeded Smenkhkare - she is likely Nefertiti.

Tutankhamun succeeded Neferneferuaten. His parentage is uncertain, but he may be a son of Akhenaten by one of his father’s sisters. He married Ankhesenamun and had two children, both of whom died young.

Here is what we know about their mummified remains via DNA:

KV35EL is Queen Tiye, mother of Akhenaten, KV55, and KV35YL.

KV35YL is an unknown daughter of Tiye. She is the mother of Tutankhamun.

KV55 is the father of Tutankhamun. He may be Akhenaten, whom historians have assumed was Tutankhamun’s father. However, he is not the father of KV21A (see below).

KV21A is Ankhesenamun - she is the mother of the two mummified fetuses found in Tutankhamun’s tomb. She is not closely related enough to KV55 for them to be father/daughter.

Therefore, everything I said in an earlier post is correct. Based on what we know about the familial relationships of the Dynasty and the DNA analysis, we may conclude:

KV21A is not Ankhesenamun but another unknown wife of Tutankhamun (extremely unlikely).

KV55 mummy is Akhenaten, and KV21A is Ankhesenamun, but Akhenaten did not father Ankhesenamun (unlikely, but possible). 

The KV55 mummy is not Akhenaten but rather another member of the Dynasty (most likely).

I think the main problem here is the assumption that Akhenaten fathered Tutankhamun - there is no direct evidence suggesting this. Modern scholars have finally started to question this, and rightfully so. If Tutankhamun was Akhenaten’s son, why did he not directly succeed his father? He would hardly have been the first infant pharaoh and certainly not the last.

I also believe it was unlikely that Nefertiti ever had any affairs - monogamy was huge in Egypt, excepting the pharaoh, and she and her husband were clearly devoted to each other. If Nefertiti did have an affair and got caught, it would spell disaster for her family.

My personal beliefs are that Tutankhamun is the son of Smenkhkare, who was Akhenaten’s younger brother and is KV55.

Smenkhkare likely married his and Akhenaten’s mutual sister, KV35YL (see above), and the pair produced Tutankhamun. However, KV35YL died not long after that. After Akhenaten died without sons, Smenkhkare succeeded as the closest male relative and married Meritaten, his eldest niece, to secure the succession. However, he died less than a year into his reign. Nefertiti as Neferneferuaten succeeded him, likely via a palace coup due to her sex. She most likely arranged for Tutankhamun, whom she would have known would follow her, to marry Ankhesenamun, her daughter, again to settle and secure the succession. After her death, Tutankhamun came to power.

My theory fits into the genetic analysis above - it explains why KV55 is the father of Tutankhamun, but not Ankhesenamun. Of course, it’s not perfect, for the reasons I’ve described above, and as we uncover more about the Dynasty, I might change my theory. But that is my theory for now.

Hope that helps, and good luck with your paper! Thanks for the ask! 

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Scare

Word Count 3k

Warnings: slight angst, heavy fluff

The day after your father's attempt to end your life, you finally gave your best friend a proper burial. You and her mother wept the entirety of that day which you knew was bound to happen. You lost Thyra and you can never bring her back, but her mother informed you continuously that it was not your fault. But deep down, you will always feel a sense of guilt because the man that took her life was none other than your own father. Nonetheless, she is in a better place and is having the best time with the gods above, which brings you as well as her mother, some comfort to this tragedy. After Thyra was buried, her mother went back to Wessex, but not without having this conversation with you:

Helga "Thank you, Y/n. The burial was beautiful."

"Mmm, I am glad that I could do that for her. She did not deserve this." You began to cry again.

Helga "No she didn't, but in the end, she died for what she felt was the right thing to do."

"I would much rather have her here than her gone, Helga. She did not have to sacrifice herself-"

Helga "Your father didn't give her that chance. He killed her because she never left your side. She loved you, she still loves you."

You sniffle, "I loved her all the same. She was my sister, even if we weren't blood, she was always my sister." She nods and wipes a tear off of your cheek.

Helga "And you were hers, my sweet girl."

"Well on the plus side of life as we know it, the king is dead and Wessex will be safe again."

Helga "Oh, that is wonderful isn't it?" You nod, "But who will rule the kingdom?" You still have not thought of the concept because of all of the chaos, so you do not know what to say to her.

"I-For right now, I would like for you to gather a list of good men and women that you think will suit for being in charge, and send me the list. Once I have the letter, I will return to Wessex and give the final decision."

Helga "In charge?"

"Exactly. You see, they will not be a king nor a queen but the kingdom needs a sense of guidance and leadership in order to stay a kingdom." She nods, "But I will return every chance I get to check on everyone, especially you Helga." She smiles, "And as for a king or queen, my daughter will be queen of Wessex when she is of age."

Helga "Oh Y/n, that is so wonderful!"

You smile, "Yes. But my ruling is beside my husband. Wherever he is, I am. Ivar is the king of Kattegat, therefore I am the queen of Kattegat."

Helga "I understand."

"So, when the time comes, my daughter will rule with honor and dignity."

Helga "And so she shall."

"Now, you get home safely, yes?"

Helga "Yes. Thank you again sweetheart."

"You are so welcome." You hug and say your goodbyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five Days Later…

Ivar has sent a letter to the prince of Kiev to ask for his approval of traveling to visit. It is only a waiting game as of now. 

Hvitserk "He is just going to love you, Y/n."

"Oh yeah?"

Hvitserk "Yes. He is a sucker for beauty such as yours." He caresses your cheek, making you blush.

Ivar "Yes but this time, I will be going there with my own queen." He smiles.

"A very pregnant queen, at that." You say as you rub your growing belly and sigh because you feel huge. You still have a few months to go before your little goddess joins the world but you think to yourself, 'how am I going to get any bigger than this?!'

Ivar "You are glowing, my sweet. You are more than perfect."

"Thank you, my love." He leans down and kisses your lips, "I'm just so excited to meet her."

Hvitserk "She will bring so much joy to our lives."

Ivar "Oh that is certain. As soon as she is born, she will be a new and bright, shining light in all of our lives." You smile at the thought. You and baby girl have gone through so much together and she hasn't even been born yet. She will be told stories about how strong she is and she will learn of her legacy and past ancestors. She will know all and then she will make her own story, create a wonderful life for herself, as you did. 

Hvitserk stands up from sitting down on a tree stump and walks over to join his brother in eating some chicken wings. You use your belly as a table as you snack on little bits of whatever you could find. You catch Ivar just staring at you and smirking.

"What?"

Ivar "Oh nothing." Hvitserk chuckles.

"What is it? You were staring."

Ivar "What?! I cannot stare at my beautiful wife?" He shouts, making you giggle. 

"But I am just eating, how can I be-"

Hvitserk "It does not matter, you are always beautiful, Y/n." You don't know what to say. They make you feel so special and so loved that you are lost for words most of the time. 

"Thank you, Hvitserk." He winks at you and continues to eat. After a few minutes, Ubbe and Torvi come join you three outside, enjoying the weather. Today is the first warm day of the year which brings your heart joy and warmth. 

Torvi "Uh, it is so lovely today." She says as she sits down next to you.

"It is."

Ubbe "Maybe it will melt the little snow that we have left." 

"I'm sure that my dragons are enjoying this weather.." you say as you look over at them, playing with each other. 

Ivar "Mm, do you remember when they experienced their first snowfall, my love?" 

"Oh of course I do. They were so small." You smile at the memory, "Their eyes sparkled!"

Ivar smiles, "It was the cutest thing!"

Hvitserk "Where was I?"

"On a trade shipment with Ubbe." He nods as if he remembered.

Hvitserk "Now we have new memories with them-"

Ubbe "And many more to come, aye?!"

You smile, "They are such a blessing, aren't they?"

Torvi "A true gift from the gods, just like your daughter." She places her hand on your belly.

"Mmm." That's all you can say, really. You are just so grateful to be carrying this miracle child in your core that you can only say the bare minimum. 

Ubbe "So, has Prince Oleg sent a letter yet?" 

Ivar "Not yet. He will though, I am sure of it."

Hvitserk "Will you be coming with us, brother?" Ubbe looks over at Torvi and she looks saddened. She hates it when Ubbe is gone for long periods of time, and if he were to go, he would not be home for two weeks. So Ubbe thinks for a moment before answering his brother. 

Ubbe "I do not think so."

Ivar "And why is that?"

Ubbe "Because I would like to stay home with my wife and children." Torvi smiles.

Ivar nods, "I see, well, will you look after Kattegat while we are away, huh?"

Ubbe "Of course." You three spend some time together before you all had to attend to your responsibilities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Few Hours Later…

"Do you hear that?" Ivar looks over at where the sound is coming from and nods.

Ivar "You go inside and rest-"

You and Ivar have been helping around the village: checking in your people, feeding them and making sure of their wellbeing, while Hvitserk and Ubbe tended to the hunting. You were just about to go inside to rest your body when you heard commotion going on by your dragon's resting rock. 

"No, I can rest later." You don't let him respond before you walk off and towards your dragon's. Once you see what the noise was, you were infuriated.

"Hey! They are not toys, get off of them!" To your shock, there are children attempting to get on top of your dragon's, making them very irritated.

Ivar "Aye, you four, c'mere!" Once Ivar joined your side, the kids left your dragon's alone. When the four boys got in front of you two, they could not look either of you in the eye. 

"Why would you do that to them? They are not a playground." 

"I am sorry, my queen." They said.

"You could have gotten seriously hurt, boys. I care for your safety, as well as my dragon's safety. So please, do not attempt to get on them anymore. Do you promise?"

"We promise." The eldest one said for the four of them.

"Right...you boys run along now." They scatter as soon as you give the order. But soon enough, their parents come to you, begging for their forgiveness.

Ivar "The only person or person's allowed on those dragon's are your queen and I."

"I understand completely, my king." The mother said, "I turned away from them for a second and-"

"They are fast kids." The father said.

"I understand, truly I do. Anything can happen in a matter of minutes or even in the matter of seconds. Your children could have gotten seriously hurt."

Ivar "It is a good thing that your queen heard them in time."

"And I am forever in your debt, my queen." The mother said. 

"All I ask from you is to keep a better eye on your boys. I might not be able to come to their aid the next time something occurs."

Ivar "In fact, isn't that your job, hmm? As their parents, you two should watch over them and keep them safe, no?"

"Yes!" They both said.

Ivar "Then keep them safe by keeping them close. If those dragon's weren't kind and gentle, your children could have been eaten in seconds. Do you understand?" They nod.

"Good. Now, I suggest you inform them of what we told you."

"Of course, my queen." The father said. 

"Very well, if you'll excuse me." You walk past them and towards your dragon's who are very agitated. You place your hand up for them to sniff you. Once they do, their senses calm instantly.

…

"I know, I'm here." Neith lays her head down by your feet so that you can pet her scales. 

"I won't let anyone use you as their playground. Any of you." You say as you look over at your boys. They blink at you so that you know that they understand you. 

"Tomorrow, we can go flying, how does that sound?" All three of them bolt their heads upwards in a playful manner.

"I will take that as a yes." You laugh. You feel a pair of arms wrap around your waist. 

Ivar "Are they okay now?"

"They are. They were just confused is all."

Ivar "Mm, I could only imagine how that made them feel."

"I told them that I would fly with them tomorrow. We haven't done that in such a long time..just me and them."

Ivar nods and kisses your forehead, "Just be safe while you fly, hmm?"

"I will." He smiles and takes you inside for the both of you to rest.

As night fell, all you could think about is taking a warm bath and then placing your head on a cold pillow and falling asleep. Your feet were swollen and your legs felt like they were going to break in half so you figured that a warm bath would suffice. Therefore, you asked for a maiden to run one for you, to which she obliged. 

Ivar pulls you into his side while you wait for the water to fill up. When you are in his arms, you forget all about being sore. 

Ivar "A bath will help, my sweet."

"Mm, I know." 

Ivar "Oh look," he looks at the entrance, "the idiot's are back." 

"Hey.." he laughs.

Ivar "Sorry, I know." Hvitserk smiles as soon as he locks eyes with the mother of his daughter. He makes his way over to you and he sees how swollen you are and he frowns.

Hvitserk "Are you alright?"

"Oh I am fine. Just been on my feet for too long. The maiden's are running me a bath."

Hvitserk "Oh good." He kisses your head.

Ivar "Any big catch today, my brothers?" 

Ubbe "Three deer, a few rabbits.."

Ivar "That is good. Now that it is getting warmer, more food to catch aye?"

Ubbe nods, "That is true." 

"My queen, your bath is ready."

"Wonderful, thank you dear." She bows and tends to other matters. "I will be out soon."

Ivar "Do you need help getting in, my love?"

"I think that I can manage." You offer a warm smile before wobbling your way to the bathroom. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you undress to get into the tub, you realize how hard it is to balance by yourself. Your feet are the size of pumpkins *to you, they feel like they are* and your legs feel like they are about to go numb from the aching. You try and hurry to get yourself into the tub before you physically can't do it yourself. But in rushing, you fall short of breath and have to take a breather by the vanity. You look at yourself in the mirror and realize that this feeling is not a burden, it is a pleasure to be able carry a human within you. This calms down your breathing but you hear a knock on the door, making you hurry up to cover yourself.

"Uhm, who is it?"

Hvitserk "It is me."

"Oh, come in." When he enters, he offers a small smile. 

Hvitserk "I had to come to see if you made it in safely..."

You sigh, "I am kind of glad that you did."

Hvitserk "How can I help?"

"I can't get the back of my dress." He walks over and undoes your dress and helps you into the tub without hesitation. "Thank you." Your eyes begin to close as the warmth of the water sinks into your skin and through your bones. Hvitserk kneels down and sits by the tub.

Hvitserk "Of course, kitten. I'll always be there to help you."

"And I will do the same for you, Hvitserk." He giggles, "What?"

Hvitserk "Nothing, sweetheart. You are just so sweet is all."

"I try to be. All of the time...it's draining.." you sigh as he begins to play with your hair. 

Hvitserk "I know this to be true. I try to be as kind as you but sometimes it gets me nowhere.."

"I suppose I am the way I am because of my parents."

Hvitserk "That is why. Our parents shape us, but our pain and suffering strengthens us."

"You are right."

Hvitserk smiles, "Are you feeling a little better now?"

"You always make me feel better Hvitserk."

Hvitserk chuckles, "No I meant, is the bath helping you."

"Oh, yes it is. Thank gods.."

Hvitserk nods, "Good. That makes me happy, love. But, I will be outside if you need me, I am starving." He kisses your head.

"Okay." You say as you laugh. As he leaves, you can't stop smiling.

When you get out of the tub, your muscles are so relaxed that you had to force yourself to get out of the warm bath to get to your bed. You can't take the chance of falling asleep submerged in water, gods know what could have happened if you did. So without hesitation, you got out of your bath and slipped on a soft robe and made your way to the door. As you open it, Ivar is waiting for you on the bed. 

Ivar "My sweet, how was your bath?"

"It was divine!"

Ivar "Mm, that is good." He smiles and then he frowns. 

"Ivar, what is it?"

Ivar "Nothing Y/n, I've come to the realization that Hvitserk has not had the pleasure of your company in quite some time."

"Oh, yes I know. Just with the battle and everything, I needed to be by my husband's side at all times." He smiles and kisses your lips. 

Ivar "I love you so much, do you know that?"

"I do, I know it well. I love you too, beloved." He kisses you again but more passionately, making you both moan.

Ivar "You go ahead. You can sleep with him tonight if you'd like."

"Are you certain?"

Ivar "Absolutely. I always seem to forget that that little princess in there is not truthfully mine, she is my brother's-"

"She is still your daughter, Ivar. Just in a different way."

Ivar smiles from ear to ear, "I know she is, but I have to be kind...you taught me to be kind and loving. So, yes..go be with him tonight. If you need me, you know where to find me."

"Sweet dreams, my love." You kiss him once again.

Ivar "You as well, princess." You are so happy that Ivar said those words because you were hoping to be with Hvitserk tonight. You haven't been in his arms since the night before the battle. With great haste, you made your way to Hvitserk's room. He was already in a sleep state when you opened the door and found him on his bed. 

Hvitserk "Hey..is every-"

"I just wanted to be with you tonight, is that okay?" He rises from his position and opens his arms for you. You allow him to engulf you with his arms and immediately feel a sense of tranquility run through your body. 

Hvitserk "I was hoping that you would be with me tonight. It's been so long."

"I know. Ivar suggested it because we have not been able too, so I was not going to refuse his offer." You laugh.

Hvitserk "I am glad that you are here, kitten." He kisses your head but you pull his face down and towards your lips. He captures them with love and affection. It feels like the very first time he ever kissed you and that feeling is one of the best feelings that you have ever experienced. 

Hvitserk "I love you."

"And I love you back." He smiles and kisses you again. After a while, you both fell asleep in each other's embrace. Today had its obstacles, but it ended in a wonderful way.

@hvitserkmarcosource @youbloodymadgenius @ivarsgoddess @a-mess-of-fandoms @herestherealproblem @saldelys @heavenly1927 @conaionaru

[glamrockmonarch]

ok official request for u to tell us all the history or timeline u have in ur head of what goes down w current bri n rog that leaves them single like I'd rly like to kno what happened to sarina n anita n how the taylors n May's react to their dads having young new wives or gfs n them having kids (I'm sorry I dont mean to hound) but mostly about sarina n anita I'd be fascinated by what storyline u have about what happens to them,, I lov ur work btw adore ur blog take ur time tho tysm 4 ur work!!!

Alright, so I have already done this for Roger and for Brian with their respective so’s.

But since you wanna know about their families I will do it again and it might be a bit different (cause I want to make it that way): 

ROGER: 

You getting together with Rog was a big deal only in your heads, Roger was concerned because he had ended things with Sarina after meeting you and it was no secret among his children that you two had great chemistry - Lola went as far as to point out to her sisters and brothers that you did not even need money or attention, so your relationship with their father could not be something out of interest. 

When you and Roger finally happened it was a bit chaotic, you had not intended on going fast with him, the two of you tried to keep things on the down low and you would never be each other’s date at events - even if you were attending the same party. It was difficult for you to let people know you were together because of the age gap and the fact that Roger did divorce his wife because of you - Sarina was not happy to be pushed away by a man she trusted and loved so much, although since they did not have children together it was somewhat an easier separation for the drummer from his previous ones. For his children, it was too, even though the British press had the time of their lives destroying you on the regular, Roger’s kids were supportive of their father no matter what. Which meant that they had your back.

It was great having this kind of support, and since you worked on PR you would always lend them a hand where needed, of course, Roger loved to see how you had a more normal job and still remained relatable to his kids. Especially helping out Rufus and Lily with their social media accounts. 

It took you about three months to be living together and after that only a year to be married. Undoubtedly, you were going at quite fast, not wanting to spend any time, you got to know each other to perfection, Roger taught you about cars and music, he challenged you intellectually, which most people would not know: he was well informed of the political issues worldwide and you sometimes found yourself having arguments about something you read on the newspaper earlier. 

Having children was not exactly on the plans, you did not intend on getting pregnant during your second year together...this scared you as much as telling his children about the relationship had scared you before, with the difference that now Roger seemed to go pale at the sound of the words that came out of your mouth. 

“Pregnant!” Roger’s eyes were blown wide as he stared at you, half-hoping it was a joke. 

“Due in March, love!” You tried to give him an honest smile, but it did not reach the corners of your eyes as it should have. 

The thing was, this baby was not planned...still, Roger was not mad, how could he be? You were young, smart and gorgeous! But most of all, you were scared - he could tell. Roger was scared too, but at least he had already taken care of his other children, he knew how to do to at least half-ass the parenthood thing. You did not. Then came the topic of the press. God, they would judge him so badly for having a child at his age... and what about his grown-up children? 

Rufus was pissed. Not pissed at you, he was simply mad knowing that Roger told him last. The first to hear the news was Rory because Roger needed to vent to someone, this happened to be his eldest daughter, who listened and then shot her father back with a simple “so what?” She showed her father support and comfort, encouraging him by telling him what a great father he had always been, even through his separations all of his children always knew that things would be alright because Roger remained close to all of them, never leaving them and never turning his back on them. Rog felt a lot better, which translated into you feeling a lot less scared since your husband was so positive and supportive. When you decided on telling his children about your pregnancy half of them already knew, and they were all happy for their father, enthused by the thought of a new family member to have fun with in the future. 

BRIAN:

THE WORLD WAS COMING TO AN END THE DAY BRIAN AND ANITA SPLIT UP. Anita was simply not into Brian’s self-doubt, she was old, yeah...but she was also so full of energy! She just wanted to keep performing and her husband obviously craved for his wife to be home with him when the days were rough and the nights rough. So, yeah...Brian was left single again. And the man does not know how to be alone, he is bad at it. He needs someone to rely on, someone to share his busy thoughts with and someone to listen to when he is being too stubborn to make sense of anything but his own patronizing ideas. 

Lucky for Brian, you were in town. You met at the studio while he was working on the guitar version of 20th Century Fox Fanfare, he was on the studio for not too long but while he was there you were told to remain in the mixing booth in case the musician needed anything. Of course, working the job of an assistant was not what you intended for when you took the internship at Universal Music, but it paid some money you needed and it also got you a chance at learning a little bit more about music production. 

Brian was a gentle giant, you learnt that first time you met, and while you did not expect much more than that first time meeting you were pleased to see him again after the highly publicized separation from his wife. You did not intend on being flirty, though Brian was no twelve-year-old boy and he caught on to your hair flipping and nervous laughter. He took his chance as he saw it approach with every step he took towards the exit door at Universal, and you were pleased to hear him say he would love to have you drink tea with him sometime. The rest was history. 

You became an item, although not too fast as Roger had done with his girlfriend... no, no, no. You went at it slow and methodically, as one would do when one follows the scientific method. 

Observation. You were possibly opposites in many areas, personality wise the two of you got along, curious and creative, you hated to be proved wrong but loved to hear good reasoning. You had scientific training too, but you pursued a different career path than originally intended. With a degree in Chemistry, you were a good rival to Brian’s rhetoric. 

Hypothesis. Brian was falling in love with you at the same exact rate you were falling for him, even as you probably should not you would always try to follow him in his adventures into the farms when he worked on his environmental projects. Saving badgers was nothing that concerned you too badly, but you took interest in it after watching Brian and Anne take care of a couple of them. Animals seemed to become something you loved. 

Experiment. Telling his children about you. Uh...that was one of the ugliest diners you have ever attended. There was yelling, there was crying and sadly some of it came from you too. His daughters were not having it when you told them about your relationship, and it got worse when Ruth saw the ring already lying on your finger. 

Things were tense with his children for the whole of six months while you planned your wedding, the only moment when it softened was after the actual event when it was more than clear to everyone around that your and Brian were meant to be, each of you giving equally dorky and adorable speeches at the beginning of the reception.

It was also hard for Brian’s kids to come to grips with the fact that they were going to have a little half-brother or sister soon once you announced your pregnancy plans to them. Brian was aware that you wanted children from the moment you got together, and who was he to keep you from having them? Of course, compromises were made and you agreed on having a single baby together was only for the best. Ruth, Jimmy, and Louisa were reluctant to accept this new addition to their family, but once your baby boy was born, the storm seemed to clear off. The May children were astounded at the sight of the little man, all of them looking incredulous as the baby shared a huge resemblance to Brian - therefore to them. 

“Is that a curl?” Ruth wondered, glancing down at her own curls while Brian laughed. 

Of course, the boy had the darkest scarce hair on his head, but there did seem to be some waves already twisting whatever few hairs there were...