#Mike Weber

[whatareyoureallyafraidof]

These people never seem to tire of showing us what complete pieces of shit they are!

[edwardsdeathcabcd]

I think what really drew me in to twilight when I was a teenager is that, despite the epic vampire whirlwind romance, the teenagers actually do feel like they have REAL lives, and it’s a real shame that that doesn’t translate to the movies (bc a movie with pointless scenes of the main character making enchiladas & doing homework would be crazy boring). I like that Edward enjoys skipping class to sit in his car & listen to Linkin Park CDs, I like that Bella spends her weekends doing laundry and drafting her Macbeth essay, and on sunny days she lays out a blanket to read in her backyard. I like that she drives to her best friend’s house after school to watch him fix cars and do homework together, I like that they have joint family dinners that are just eating spaghetti on fold-out chairs on the deck. I like that her friend group piles in mike’s mom’s van to go hang out at the beach, and when she brings a camera to school they all start a “picture war.” I like that she has a part-time retail job and sits at the kitchen table filling out uni applications with her boyfriend. It definitely loses that quality around eclipse when the focus has to stay on the actual plot, but I like that twilight & new moon feel pretty grounded in what introverted lower-middle class small-town teenagers are actually doing.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Parker Molloy at The Present Age:

During his acceptance speech as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee on Wednesday night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz shared a deeply personal story about his family’s struggle with infertility. As he concluded by saying, “Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you,” the camera caught his 17-year-old son Gus standing up, tears in his eyes, pointing to his father and exclaiming, “That’s my dad!”

It was a sweet display of familial love and pride — a rare moment of raw emotion in the ordinarily carefully choreographed world of political conventions. For many viewers, it was surely a timely reminder of the human beings behind the political personas we see on stage. However, what should have been universally recognized as a beautiful father-son moment quickly became fodder for cruel mockery from pro-Trump social media accounts. The contrast between Gus Walz’s sincere emotion and the derision it provoked from the right offers a troubling glimpse into the state of political discourse and the depths to which partisan attacks have sunk. This not only highlights the lack of basic human decency in certain right-wing corners of our politics but also raises important questions about how conservatives view emotional expression, particularly from young men, in the public sphere. Not only is Gus a minor, but he’s also neurodivergent. People recently ran a story about the Walz family and what Tim and Gwen Walz have come to refer to as Gus’s “secret power" — a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD, and anxiety disorder.

Tim Walz told People:

["When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates," the couple tell PEOPLE. "Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself." The statement continues: "When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have."]

It’s a sweet article that makes the attacks that would follow Gus’s display of emotion that much more unacceptable. Anti-LGBTQ activist Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project mocked Gus Walz, writing, “Tim Walz’ son Gus wears eyeliner.” Prominent pro-Trump Twitter accounts Dom Lucre, Colin Rugg, and Autism Capital all mocked the 17-year-old. “Get that kid a tampon already,” wrote a right-wing podcaster Alec Lace. Trump ally Mike Crispi called Gus Walz a “beta bitch.” Right-wing radio host Jay Weber called Gus Walz a “blubbering bitch boy.” Ann Coulter called Gus Walz “weird.” You get the idea.

Right-wing beta losers doing what they do best: insult people.

This time, it’s Gus Walz, the son of Tim Walz.

#DNC2024

[favorite-characters]

𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥

Anna Kendrick as ᴊᴇꜱꜱɪᴄᴀ ꜱᴛᴀɴʟᴇʏ × Michael Welch as ᴍɪᴋᴇ ɴᴇᴡᴛᴏɴ × Christian Serratos as ᴀɴɢᴇʟᴀ ᴡᴇʙᴇʀ × Justin Chon as ᴇʀɪᴄ ʏᴏʀᴋɪᴇ (dir. Catherine Hardwicke • 2008)

[therealvinelle]

What if Forks' high school organizes an educational trip to the Hårga, to celebrate midsommar, for it's students (including Bella and her human friends)? 👀 Who gets to be the May Queen?

(Anon is referring to the movie Midsommar, in which a friend group of American students are invited by their Swedish friend to his hometown. They discover that their friend is the member of a cult, and the cult practices human sacrifice, copulation rituals, and ritualistic suicide, to name a few.)

Well, the thing about the Americans in Midsommar is that they're recruited by their friend to be human sacrifice. There are British tourists there as well, recruited by a different Swede: the cult wants as many sacrifices as possible, but you have to be recruited by somebody.

The recruiters in Midsommar used the "You should come to my home village and eat the jordgubbar and enjoy our Swedish traditions!" excuse, and while it's not inconceivable that they could have planted a teacher in an American school who would then take his students to Sweden, there is the matter of getting away with it. I imagine when the authorities realized there were tourists who had gone missing, the cult would claim the Brits and Americans never arrived in the first place.

It's a different ballpark to disappear students from an excursion. Besides, they only need four people, the six in the movie was a luxury.

It would have to be a high school student, inviting his friends over to his home country over the Summer.

Olof the Swedish exchange student arrives in Forks, and draws all the interest in the school towards him like a moth. Mike proves approachable, and he has an outgoing girlfriend in Jessica, and after a few months Olof airs the idea of a trip to Sweden. They'd be staying there for free so it's really only the journey they'd have to pay.

"Awesome!" Jessica says when hearing she can go see Europe, Mike who is thinking of beautiful Swedish women agrees.

Lauren, Angela, Ben, and Eric end up invited as well, and depending on when in the timeline this is Bella might also get an invite: however, I can't imagine Bella saying yes to a trip with these people she doesn't actually like that much when she could either be with the Cullens or, if this is happening during New Moon, hang out with Jacob.

Olof doesn't push it, he's got more than enough people for the sacrifice.

Off they go to the lovely Swedish village.

Mike, Ben, and Eric are all made sacrifices: they are men, they are there for the copulation ritual. The village will have no further interest in them, and the only question is what becomes of Lauren, Angela, and Jessica.

Lauren we don't really see enough of for me to say, but Angela I think is doomed. Not only would whatever happened to Ben freak her out, but Angela far and away comes across to me as someone who looks out for number one first.

Which means the moment she sees the ättestupa, she's leaving. This does not go well for her.

Jessica, meanwhile... I think her loyalty to her friends would doom her. Even if she were to catch Mike at a copulation ritual the way Dani does in Midsommar, I think Jessica would be thinking drugs or coercion or "oh god what the fuck is this place", she'd be more afraid of the cult than ever.

Like Angela (and where the fuck is Angela?!) Jessica decides she needs to leave, she tries to calmly explain as much to the villagers. If she is the last one standing, this means they save her for the May Queen to decide. If not, then someone else gets the spot.

Lauren, meanwhile, as someone we know from the modelling talent scout misadventure to be gullible and prone to taking people at face value, might just survive to the dance.

Which, if she is the last woman dancing, means she is made May Queen.

[nightingale2004]

Twilight next gen: Jessica x Mike vers.

Justin Pax Stanley Newton

Faceclaim: Alex Lange

Justin is the son of Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton. He is also the big brother to two kid sisters Mckayla and Leslie

He works at Newton's Olympic Outfitters like his dad

He plays on the Forks High School football team. He is also on the swim team

He is a bit of a jock but is insanely smart and is a straight A student similar to his mom

Jessica is what she considers "A service to the community"

Jessica is literally involved in everything from neighborhood watch to event planner which keeps her busy and out of the house

Like both of Justin's parents, he is the most popular kid in school and also helpful to his small town community as well

He is also the coach of the football team's assistant

Justin's sisters both also play sports. Mckayla plays soccer, and Leslie does volleyball

Justin hikes and rock climbs like a pro and has been doing it with his dad and a few of his buddies since he was a kid

He is a softie for his sister's and often showers them with endless teasing and tickles (which they love)

Best friends with Angela and Eric's kid and considers her the only real friend he has while others like him because he's popular

Is also considered the class clown

Wants to be a pro football player or rock climbing instructor

☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■☆■

+ Angela x Eric vers.

Fallon Amara Yorkie Weber

Faceclaim: Lola Tung

Fallon is the daughter of Eric Yorkie and Angela Weber. She is also the older sister of her kid brother Julian.

Fallon and Justin have been friends since they were babies due to their parents knowing each other and Justin became like an older brother to her

Fallon's dad is a writer and works for the newspaper in Forks while her mom works as a photographer, and she is also her own boss

Fallon works at the Forks diner, where Justin and his friends come in a lot

Like Fallon's dad, she has a creative writing flame, and like her mom, she has a fantastic artistic eye

Fallon and Justin are complete opposites.

Justin is incredibly popular, social, and active, while Fallon considers herself a shy, introverted, artistic soul

Despite Justin and Fallon's differences, they both are close and thick as theives

Fallon is good friends with Jacob's kids and is invited to the rez a lot to see them.

Fallon loves reading about fiction, old legends, and the supernatural

Despite Fallon not loving sports or anything that has her doing anything physical, she oddly enough loves hiking with Justin, Kimberly, and Ephraim along with going to the beach and watching the packs play against each other with Justin in soccer

She also does yoga in the privacy her room, sometimes with Kimberly

She also shares her mother's lobe for photography

Fallon introduced Justin to Kimberly and her brother, which started out as tense but slowly started becoming a beautiful friendship

Justin and Fallon thought it was gonna be a normal new school year. That was until the new cullen kids came in and started bringing in supernatural drama that involved both Fallon and Justin

[theinheriteddutchess]

I want everyone to make up silly ideas for twilight, like;

- Renee wasn't a shoplifter, she just constantly forgot to pay so much she had a reputation

- the only reason why Angela was so quiet when she hung around Bella, wasn't her uninquisitive personality, but she was hoping Bella would be comfortable enough to spill any beans for the book she was secretely writing about the Cullens ('models or vampires?' the similarities too many. Staying out of the sun, otherworldly beautiful, not seen eating in public, fashion sense, dating each other...)

- Mike Newton is actually a vampire, but he's so awkward and unassuming that no one figures it out. In fact no one notices he's been rotating the same 4 years in the same highschool under the same name

[drawingwithlight]

Mike Hill photographed by Bruce Weber

[heartagram-vv]

Angela Weber moodboard :]

[federer7]

Naomi Campbell with Mike Tyson and Don King 1989

Photo: Bruce Weber

[big-idiot-wolf-boys]

Headcanons i thought of at work

Jessica's middle name is Taylor

Jacob is lactose intolerant

Mike and Eric share an apartment after graduating and their neighbors have a love/hate relationship with them

Quil is scared of spiders, embry is scared of snakes

Angela majors in Photography and minors in Linguistics

[goldeneyedgirl]

this is probably a dumb question but: how do you think the saga would have gone had victoria turned mike instead of riley? what do you think would have happened if it was revealed that bree or fred was/were related to jessica or something like that?

(or if angela really did turn out to be a witch?)

and also, how would you go about involving the humans of forks into all the supernatural stuff if you could rewrite the saga / have free rein?

and also also (i'm done now, i promise, this ask is all over the place, i am so sorry): tara x jacob? i ship it. please tell me more :-D

Ooof, Anon, great questions. Settle in, I've never been known for short answers.

mike.

So if Mike were changed instead of Riley, that's someone that Bella knows and theoretically cares about. That's a disappearance that affects her entire community - Bella works for Mike's family, she spends time with him, her other friends have known Mike for years. I can see Bella being concerned, but not overall worried or invested in Mike's fate too much. Bella comes across as very self-centered and I think that only Jessica or Angela could inspire her to really worry in this scenario. I can see some jokes being made about Edward not worrying about Mike anymore, and having that look very dark during the reveal.

I also think that Victoria would keep Mike a secret, and not let him roam as much as Riley, to have the maximum impact. Victoria got so close to Bella, she killed one of Bella's friends as part of her army. That's extremely scary and messed up.

There's a huge emotional arc of Mike disappearing without a trace, and then Bella coming face to face with him in the battle. And Mike is so confused - he's believed the whole time that he's saving Bella (because Victoria would use Mike's affection for Bella to her benefit) from the terrible, dangerous Cullens, and that he's met his soulmate in Victoria. That Victoria is really a good person who is looking out for Bella and only changed Mike because she loved him at first sight.

I like to think that Mike would have his moment, and turn on Victoria - maybe even help Edward and Jacob destroy Victoria. A nice little framing of the three boys who loved her protecting her. And Mike backing the fuck up away from Bella because he knows he's going to want to eat her if he gets too close.

As much as I think it would be cute and fun if Mike and Bree were allowed to live, and go off together as nomads with kind of a sibling dynamic (and great potential for their return in Breaking Dawn as witnesses; Mike has the advantage of testifying that no one suspects the Cullens of being anything except too rich and fucking weird), I think Jane would have executed both of them, and that Bella and Edward's choices would finally have a human price and a face to them - especially if Mike realized he was on death row and tells Bella to make sure his mom knows that he loved her.

I don't believe that Bella was written to reflect on this kind of thing much, but I do like the idea of Mike's death weighing on her and making her question everything that has happened since she moved to Forks, and Eclipse ending with Bella 'needing to think' rather than accepting Edward's proposal. She's the reason that Mike never graduated high school, why his family will never stop looking for him, why he never got to go to college or get married or have any of the things that Bella can still have.

And then you lead into Breaking Dawn with Bella finally accepting the proposal but asking to put off her change until after college (obviously Renesmee ruins that plan, but the sentiment is enough.) I would also hope that Bella chooses a boy's name of Edward Michael, to honour her friend.

It would be amazing fun, though, to have Mike and Bree return in Breaking Dawn to help Bella, considering each other family, and Mike meets Tanya and is just in awe of this gorgeous woman who actually seems interested in him? It might not be forever, but Mike kind of gets to make lemonade out of the lemons of Victoria changing him. Plus after all his time as a punchline, Mike actually makes friends with the Cullens? He and Emmett are both super enthusiastic about Cullen baseball and video games, he's stunned by how much Rose knows about cars, he gets to part ways with Edward as friends. Feels more fun, but it does lose a lot of the lessons his execution would have for Bella.

bree & fred.

To be frank, I don't think Bella would have cared if Bree or Fred were related to Jessica. I think she would have noticed Jessica's worried and unhappiness, and *maybe* made the connection when faced with them on the battlefield, but she wouldn't have been emotionally invested in them as people. Their execution would be sad, but I don't think it would fundamentally change Bella or her story.

angela.

I've never played with this headcanon much, but I am intrigued. I think that if Angela were a witch, it would be hinted at from Twilight - maybe James' hunt with Bella broke some kind of protective circle she and her family established around Forks. One that the Cullens didn't break because they genuinely mean no harm to the people, and because Carlisle arrived with the intentions of healing and helping.

I feel like Angela's relationship with the Pack could go either way - as an ally who provides healing and protection, as well insight, or as an enemy, someone tapping into powers and knowledge they have no business accessing.

She would definitely have some kind of rune to make sure that Edward doesn't hear anything she doesn't want heard. I think it would be SUPER fun if it were Angela who rocked up to the Cullens house to let them know there was an army being formed, and they needed to do something. Maybe spilling the beans that she's done a good amount of research and worked out exactly who Carlisle, Rose, Jasper, and Edward were, but she's never been able to pinpoint which era Esme, Alice, and Emmett were from, just to really stop the Cullens in their tracks.

During the Eclipse battle, Angela would be with Bella the entire time, creating any kind of protective circle and warding charms she could manage, and be zero-tolerance with Edward and Jacob's competitive nonsense - "Bella's a person, not an object to be fought over." She'd be sent back to the Res after the battle so that she didn't run into the Volturi.

Angela wouldn't end up imprinting on the Pack or anything; she'd go to college, maybe coming back for Breaking Dawn's confrontation during Winter Break (though she would definitely be facetiming during Bella's pregnancy with ideas, tips, and generally trying to convince Bella that the risk was insane and there was only so much that could be done). I think in that scenario, Angela would be the one entrusted with Renesmee, and that Jacob would be responsible for getting both of them away from the battle. Angela becomes a friend and ally to the whole family, and gets to live out her life with a foot in each world because she deserves good things.

humans in twilight.

If I had free reign over Twilight, Bella and Edward would be the B-plot, and Alice would be the protagonist learning about where she came from, and realising Aro wants her as a weapon. Or just a super self-indulgent human Alice/vampire Jasper moment. Or just ret-con a lot of it.

But I digress.

To integrate the classmates into Twilight more, I would let the Cullens have friends. No necessarily bffs, but maybe the Cullens sit at the same lunch table as Jessica and co, maybe Alice joins them sometimes and other times Edward summons her back to the family. Or maybe Rosalie is part of a study group for STEM, or Emmett had a part-time job down at Newtons (a GREAT opportunity for him and Bella to interact in the later books - I maintain that Emmett deserved a much larger role, and that New Moon needs a total overhaul to balance out Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. But that's a full TED talk on its own.)

Just something to integrate them more with their classmates. "The Cullens are kind of weird, but they're okay - Jasper Hale can fix any electronic, it's freaky, but he makes you pay. If you need any tutoring in the sciences, Rosalie Hale is terrifying but so good at it. Alice Cullen is so cute, every year she does the school musical's costumes by herself, and she teaches kiddie ballet classes at the rec center on Saturdays." Give these people some hobbies, some way of still being apart of human life beyond freakin' high school. Give them a reason for them to be accepted on the fringes of their classmates lives.

Have Bella be a little more pleasantly surprised how easily these people accept and want to make friends with her - maybe Tara's dad used to go fishing with Charlie, and she remembers playing with Tara when she was a kid. Maybe DJ Garret's older sister baby-sat Bella once or twice. Maybe Rachel and Rebecca Black text Bella welcoming her back to 'hell' and Bella spends four books trying to conceal what's going on because she doesn't think Rachel or Rebecca know anything.

Then start using them - specifically Jessica. She's a good foil to Bella because she's so outgoing, and Jessica is so fundamentally human that she can represent all the things that Bella is willing to give up. No gift, no trauma, just an ordinary girl in high school from a content family.

It's not Renee that James pretends to kidnap, he grabs Jessica when she shows up at the Swans to study with Bella; It's not Bella that's bitten, it's Jessica. Bella has to witness all this, and the Cullens are more invested because Jessica is fundamentally a nice person to them. Bella sees the horror of vampirism, but Jessica is convinced she just had a head injury.

Then New Moon happens and Emmett attacks Bella instead of Jasper and the Cullens leave. They let themselves get too close in Forks, it's become too much. They got too attached, and this is what happened. Maybe it's not realistic to live like humans anymore. Maybe they have to isolate themselves because of what they are. Make this a family choice, make everyone be leaving something behind - Carlisle, his work; Esme's social circle and maybe a business; friends, jobs, hobbies, just little human things they really wanted but can no longer justify.

Bella's depressed, but Jessica is getting more memories back, and her hand feels kind of weird and that scar looks like a human bite mark? The story isn't fitting together right. Why didn't anyone call the police over James? Why is Bella so depressed?

Jessica has a strong personality, and she definitely isn't going to let all this go... which results in her tracking Bella down at the Res to get some answers just in time to see Jacob transform. And OF COURSE Jessica tells her friends, who don't believe her until Jessica goes digging JUST in time to confront Bella with a full binder of evidence including the fact the Cullens owned the property back in the 1920s and Hoquaim Hospital happened to have a Doctor Carlisle Cullen working for them.

"I saw a guy turn into a giant wolf, Bella, nothing is off the table. Did you know a Rosalie Hale disappeared in New York State during the 1930s? She just vanished, and then her fiance was murdered in a locked room. The photos are blurry but I have copies."

By the time we get to Eclipse, Bella's trying SO HARD to protect her human friends from the Volturi by keeping them away from where Edward might hear their thoughts. Meeting Aro terrified and traumatized her; she's having nightmares. But Jessica has her friends convinced. She has Angela and Eric helping her comb records to find out where the other Cullens came from. It's pretty futile, since she only has two surnames to work from, but she does find a marriage certificate for an Esme Platt to a Carlisle Cullen from the 60s that she's certain is useful.

Eventually, Jessica decides she wants the full story. What do the Cullens want? What happened to her when that guy abducted her? So she gets her friends and goes to the Cullens for a confrontation. And Alice insists they tell them everything because that's how it has to go. There's no way around telling the truth now.

I'd mess with the timeline a lot to so that Bella has more time to develop her relationship with Edward, and so that the actual battle in Eclipse is the night of graduation - Alice's 'party' is just a cover. And Jessica and co want to help; the wolves and Cullens might be fighting and dismembering the newborns, but Mike has a whole camping store of weapons, there's a good likelihood of some of them having shooting skills, get them in the mix - first aid for wounded wolves, starting the pyres, holding some kind of line to warn the Cullens if any get past a certain point towards town. And then someone gets hurt - maybe Eric or Ben get attacked, maybe Nicole gets hurt bad enough she ends up paralyzed. Raise the stakes some more.

Then Breaking Dawn. Jessica hears that Bella is recovering from near-death after the wedding, and she and Angela go to visit Bella pregnant, wasting away. Jessica just rolls her eyes and is like "you really are gunning for Queen of Fucking Terrible Decisions, Swan. Move over, lets watch a movie." Jessica and Angela - maybe even Tara and Nicole - immediately start coming over to hang out with Bella, and help with the research into hybrids. I really find it bizarre that dhampir legends never came up in canon because vampire hybrids are based in actual mythology.

Then they all leave for college. Jessica definitely texts Bella 'Renesmee? What are you, Mormon?' when Ness is born, but it's friendly ribbing. The Cullens defend the presence of the humans to the Volturi by offering them this choice: either you have a dozen kids protecting their home, helping uphold the secrecy laws, and knowing that walking around at night is fucking dangerous in a new way, or you have an entire town slaughtered by newborns in the age of Facebook. Alice's visions of no one spilling the beans helps, but it solidifies to Aro that Carlisle cannot be trusted, that his compassion is also his biggest flaw. That if anyone should die for these humans, it should be the Cullens.

And then the last scene is spring break; Cullens vs the Pack baseball match, and the humans are back to watch and heckle. And Bella gets this one moment that if she has to leave it all behind, she's glad these are the memories and the people she gets to carry with her. The Cullens know that things have to change, that they cannot integrate themselves like this again, so that Forks will always be special to them. The end of an era.

Fade to black.

tara/jacob.

I think most of the rest of that verse is really from Alice's POV, so you don't get much from seeing Tara interacting with Jacob, but you get a lot of Tara having the biggest crush and freaking out that she's made a fool of herself in front of him. A lot of joking, a lot of girl-talk, a lot of "Bella. Look at me. Tell Jacob you are not interested and give him my number, you are a terrible wing-man. I will make a very convincing argument."

I do know that once Tara gets her guy, she gets to spend more time around at the Cullens asking all the questions she can think of (at least half of them are inappropriate), and she and Rose... they aren't friends, but they get along. Jacob is definitely frustrated that Tara likes the Cullens, and wishes she'd 'stay safe'. At that point, though, Alice has friends like a Real Girl (the document is actually called nofriendsforalice.pages) and Tara is laughing at Jacob, that he thinks manicures and pop music and gossip is dangerous.

The reveal is pretty fun, and the whole fic is really about female friendships and autonomy, and Jacob getting a girlfriend that isn't mystically ordained and just likes him for being him.

[edwardsmate4ever]

Twilight Advent Calendar Prompts

Dec. 13- What college major did each one of Bella's human friends choose?

Jessica - Public Relations - I figure she's able to get along with pretty much anyone and can put on a great fake face -- only Edward knows her vitrolic thoughts. She's good with people.

Angela - Occupational Therapist - she loves making a difference in kids' lives and is so patient and sweet with her clients.

Mike - Sports Medicine - also good with people, very friendly, I think he's be great at soothing an athlete while doing physical therapy.

Eric - Film - I see him loving movies and wanting to work behind the scenes, maybe editing or sound mixing.

Lauren - Meteorology - she always wanted to be the pretty weathergirl on the local news, but quickly dropped out when she realized she had to know science and stuff.

Tyler - he works at Pump 'N Save, boy's dumb as rocks, sorry.

Ben - Scientist - he's smart and studious and I just see him in a lab with a microscope.

[trantrumsfromthevoid]

Twilight Advent ‘22

Day 13 (12.13.22) - “What college major did each one of Bella's human friends choose?”

Did Bella really have human friends? You sure?? Just kidding. But another time to revisit the ye olde Lexicon to remind myself who her friends were. (Edit: I actually found a couple “friends” I’d completely forgotten about and the movie didn’t include.) I’m only gonna do a couple, though, ‘cause there’s quite a few, actually.

According to the Lexicon Jessica Stanley went to college in California and probably majored in fashion design or interior design for a semester or two and then found her “true” passion. I feel like she probably would’ve done well as an elementary school teacher or some kind of managerial position (wherein she, essentially, gets to boss people around for a living). I feel like during her junior year, though, she met someone who totally swept her off her feet, fell in love, got married, and even had a kid or two; all before her twenty-fifth birthday. I think she still lives in California and really loves her life as a soccer mom. She’s known for her “award-winning” bake sale cakes, has a truly gorgeous husband (who’s a personal trainer - maybe even a legit model), twins, and organizes the cul-de-sac block parties.

I think Mike Newton always felt like he’d eventually take over Newton Outfitters and so he majored in business or economics. He probably went to Washington State or stayed relatively close to home and eventually married some plucky girl after his relationship with Jessica Stanley fizzled out and he realized Bella would never leave Edward for him, lol. I think he’s simply living his “best life” as an All-American, Boy-Next-Door type as the manager of Newton Outfitters; complete with a beautiful trophy wife, three kids, a dog (or two), and has never lived out of Washington State. The furthest he’s ever gone was on his honeymoon. Maybe somewhere like Hawaii or the Bahamas. (Not that there’s anything wrong with living in your home state all your life.)

Ben Cheney, according to the Lexicon, moved with Angela Weber to Seattle and went to the University of Washington. To be quite honest, I’ve always associated him with Eric Yorkie. I don’t think Ben was part of the movies and they just “morphed” him with Eric. But anyway, I fully believe he majored in graphic design. Or some kind of art/comic book design (like an illustrator of comic books; whatever they’re called). I think he’s actually really successful and eventually found a job at Disney and has done a lot of set design/character design for all the Marvel movies. I think he and Angela Weber are still in contact ... in fact I’ll talk about why next.

Angela Weber went to the University of Seattle along with Ben and they also lived together in Seattle. I think she probably majored in photography and minored in English or English lit or something along those lines. I think she probably got a job as a newspaper photographer right out of college and probably eventually found success as, like, an indie filmmaker or something like that, who maybe does wedding photography on the side. I think she and Ben continued dating throughout college (although they did “take a break” for about a year but eventually got back together) and eventually got married when they were twenty-five(ish). I think Angela still keeps in touch with Bella and is really good about sending emails, Christmas cards, etc. But Bella ... well, she’s Bella, you know? She and Ben probably have at least one child, maybe two.

Tyler Crowley (aka the guy who nearly killed Bella with his van) didn’t have a whole lot of “direction” after high school and joined a branch of the armed forces for awhile. He probably remained with (whatever military branch) for like five, maybe ten, years and spent a lot of time traveling stateside. Eventually, though, I think he returned to Forks and went to the local community college where he majored in kinesiology and eventually got a job at Forks High School as the football coach. I think he’s probably had a lot of girlfriends but has never really settled down. He has one kid with an ex-girlfriend, with whom he co-parents. But, again, he’s never been able to settle down.

[blackmagicforever]

stained glass windows in my mind (i regret you all the time) - Chapter One

Chapter One: a short love story of three parts

zero. point of start.

The earliest existing memory Bella has of her childhood was of her mother crying while holding her.

She remembers the coldness and wetness of the rain, how the white blankets were soft but provided no heat, and her mom. She had purple, upside down, rainbows under her eyes, glassy eyes, and rained salty teardrops on her small baby head. Her hair was a chestnut halo, and the hot pink shirt she wore looked like a wilting rose petal.

Bella theorized to herself that Renée was murmuring something, but her memory didn’t stretch that far. Just that imprint of the memory, the colors fading as time passed. If she focused on it without trying to pay attention to the memory itself, the colors became more vibrant, and the shapes became sharper.

She had a vague image of both Mom and Charlie holding her. It wasn’t as sharp, as vibrant.

The following memories were a blur of floral stamped sofa covers, the smell of lavender and her grandma’s soup. Mom had fled with baby Bella to the safety of her own mother. She grew up with Mom, and Grandma Maria. Didn’t meet her father properly until she was aware enough to ask if she had a Daddy, like the other girls in her class.

Bella remembers the lesson that came from asking about Charlie.

Grandma had made a strange expression, at that moment Bella didn’t know it was a mixture of pity and disgust. She had glared at Renée, Bella remembers, and snapped in quick Italian at Renée. Her mother’s face had flushed in deep red, snapping in rapid, angry Italian back.

Grandma had turned to Bella, huffing an angry, “Piccola, why are you asking?”

Shyly, Bella had explained how girls in her class asked after her Daddy, and didn’t she have one too?

Grandma had a severe look in her eye and asked if the girls were giving Bella trouble, but before Bella could answer, Renée cut in with a quick, “Nonsense! Children are children Máma.”

Bella kept silent about how her classmates treated her after that. After all, why try to tell Renée if she was going to shrug it off?

As Bella grew up, she kept going back to that lesson as Renée kept shrugging her off. Children are children? No, Bella thought, children are horrible. They are cruel. They are like sharks underneath calm waves, scenting blood in the water.

The good thing that came out of it was that Bella learned Italian as her second language. She hyper fixated on learning it that she caught herself thinking and cursing in Italian as the years went by. She picked up Latin and Spanish as she went.

In all honesty, Bella crammed so many inane things in her brain, so many research binges, that it was no surprise that she ended up in the AP classes. Learning came quietly, but easy to her. The less she said about her balance, or lack thereof, the better.

She held a special love for literature. She seeked refuge within yellowed pages and written prose. Bella loved how her brain turned off and allowed her to immerse herself inside a new universe for her to pry apart and build on it.

She learned to love classics on her Grandma’s lap. Black and white mute movies, old literature treasures, the passage of renaissance art, the subtle self-love of red lipstick and powerful hands.

Grandma Maria taught her with a gentle hand how to cook simple things, and whispered where to find the family recipes if something ever happened. To this day, she kept the old family recipe book with her wherever she went.

From Renée, she learnt the art of budgeting. Of growing up too fast in order to play house with her mom. Just, in the times they played house, it was Bella the mom and Renée the daughter.

As she grew up, Bella found herself becoming tired. Tired of taking care of her mother when it should be the other way around. Tired of becoming an outcast from her classmates because she was too busy maintaining two jobs, the house, and keeping Renée alive. Tired of becoming an adult before she had to.

When Renée remarried, Bella was wary.

Phil was young in a way that he could have been her older brother in another life. Not that it made Renée a cradle robber, she was still in her thirties after all. Phil in his twenties.

It was jarring, Bella concluded to herself quietly. Here was Phil, a handful of years older than her, in a whirlwind love with her mother. Here was Phil, with the nice guy act and charming smile, whose eyes followed Bella when Renée wasn’t looking.

Bella was about to do, she didn’t know, something. Anything. She was getting sick of having Phil suddenly up in her business when Renée wasn’t there. And Renée was never there. Not with the bills, not with the rent, and not when Grandma Marie was wheezing quietly in her hospital room.

pause. ap english lit. a fucking revelation in the wrong place wrong time.

“What about your dad?” Isabelle leans, long blonde hair spilling over her shoulder.

They were comically always paired together. Isabelle Hawthorn, blonde, preppy, popular, with Isabella Swan, brunette, quiet, in the outskirts. Nevermind that they had a derivative of the same name, the two girls were polar opposites. There were about five other Isabellas scattered in their grade.

In AP English Lit. Bella had a fucking revelation. What about her dad?

It came at the wrong fucking moment since they were supposed to be discussing The Great Gatsby and it’s motifs, but Isabelle was talking to a few girls who painted their makeup the same way as the celebrities did at that moment. Bella didn’t mean to listen in, she was just inconveniently right next to the gossiping girl group.

“What about him? Mom refuses to, like, take me there since- y’know… The homewrecker would be there.” Olive with the blue eyeshadow and bleached blonde hair sighs as she pops her gum. “I’d be into going if only to see what daddy dearest can give me. S’ the least he could do after running away with the homewrecker, y’know?”

Olive with pink hair and blue eyes says, “I totally get you, Matty’s got the same thing going. Only… her mom did the running. She went insane and went all hick and plaid.”

“What’s Matty gonna do?”

“What do you think? Drop city life to become a recluse? As if!” Lola with butterfly pins in her hair scoffs. “If anything, I bet she’ll have to, ugh, compromise and just spend a few days with her mom and then live full time here with her dad.”

“Moms usually have prominence over dads when it comes to custody battles though,” Olive with the blue eyeshadow sighs, “I would know after the trainwreck that was my parents divorce.”

“Imagine living in a small town though? Where everyone knows everyone and there’s nothing to do there?” All four girls shudder.

Bella stays next to them, quiet, mind whirling.

zero. follow up to the revelation. mother and daughter bonding fails.

“Bella, what are you talking about?” Renée interrupts Bella.

Bella gets this sudden urge to scream and slam something down and hear it crash.

She breathes in and tries again. And again. And again. Until it takes Phil’s third time post-wedding honeymoon phase leaving for a few weeks to do whatever his league at baseball does for Renée to start getting antsy at being left behind.

Bella angles it to view it from Renée’s love rose colored glasses instead of her more rational and tired way of view.

“Don’t you see, mom? If I stay with Charlie, Phil will have you supporting him there.”

It takes until the end of her second trimester in junior high for her mom to accept the idea of Bella leaving to live with Charlie.

Then it’s just packing and arranging things with the school administration and Forks High School with Charlie’s help.

God. Charlie. It was going to be awkward as hell. It’s been three years since she’s been at Forks. The last two summers she had to spend time with her dad had been down in LA afterall.

It isn’t that Bella hates Forks, it’s just that the wet and cold gives her hives. Not literal hives, unless you count that one moment where she tripped and fell on poison ivy when she tried hiking with some girls and boys in Forks and Charlie. Last time she saw those girls and boys her age had been when she was thirteen. She sometimes wonders about them in the vague sense you think of childhood friends that slowly left you due to time passing by.

She grew up in the comfort of dry heat, bustling city, and huge school campus. With new coffee shops and glee to find new bookstores. Hell, even going shopping the few times she said yes to Renée’s manic wardrobe episodes.

Forks was the antithesis of her usual day to day life.

In this, Bella relates to Renée. Forks does feel like it would be the death of herself.

She didn’t know how true that sentiment would be. Or what would come afterwards.

interlude. before the storm and sunshine.

She arrived on a rainy day. It kept raining, and the only day there was sun, he wasn’t there.

Bella didn’t know if it was a sign, or something, but if it rained (and she hated rain) when he was there, what did it mean that he wasn’t when it was sunny?

one. a new start. only, not. not really.

Forks was just the same as she left it. Except for the Cullens™, a rich family with drop dead gorgeous kids and parents. And Jessica Stanley, who Bella never met but the rest of the kids she used to hang out with did.

High School Politics™ has made Lauren Mallory even more stuck up than when they were thirteen and trying some red lipstick and burning smores. Mike and Tyler have given into becoming jocks, nevermind that Bella still remembers that one time Tyler slipped on wet sand and dragged Mike’s swimming briefs down. Both boys screamed in horror while Lauren and Bella laughed. Eric has found a deep passion in photography and journalism, though he still held a manly crush on comics and manga. Angela was still the same, and thank fuck for that since Angela has been and always will be the sane voice of reason.

Bella was just glad that the childhood summer friendships she had when she was thirteen survived enough for her to slip into the group as if she never left. Sure, the other kids saw her as the new girl, but this group saw her as Bella who once dared Mike to throw himself off the cliff into the water and the dumbass actually went and did it. Minus Jessica, whom Bella was feeling weird vibes from.

pause. a conversation between girls in the bathroom during lunch break.

“Relax,” Lauren soothes her, “Stanley is probably worried about her standing in the group, since we all knew each other since diapers and she’s the new girl.”

“I thought I was the new girl though?” Bella raises an eyebrow.

Lauren snorts, “You were born here, Elizabeth Bennet. Stanley came when she was eight and never settled into our group until we hit middle school.” She sighs, cornsilk colored hair being pulled into a messy bun, “You left us for the heat and city life around the time she settled with us. Bet that she’s comparing herself to you and coming up short.”

“No bet,” Bella refuses, “last time we made a bet, Mike ended up puking fifteen smores while Eric and Tyler recorded the whole thing.”

Lauren sharply moves the mascara wing away from her face before she stabs herself in the eye, she’s snort-laughing so hard she’s shaking. And there was the girl Bella knew.

two. interrogations.

She’s not obsessed, alright? Shut up, Lauren.

Edward Cullen was aggravatingly stupid and enchanting, Bella didn’t know why he called out to her so much.

She has so many questions. About everything.

And then the dumbass goes and saves her from Tyler’s van.

Really, if he didn’t want her to suddenly ask questions and stuff, then he shouldn’t have bothered!

Bella thinks, and she does like to think a lot, but she thinks that she’s actually making progress with Edward! Nevermind that Jessica is glaring at her, Lauren is laughing at her, and the boys are acting weird lately with all the Edward Cullen™ talk. Angela is, as always, a supportive best friend. The bestest.

interlude. nightmare.

Out of everything, Bella did not think of the consequences of poking the metaphorical bear with a large stick.

Fucking vampires?!?!?!?!

“This is way above my pay grade,” She realizes with some horror. Then, of course, that horror became fascination. Because what the fuck?

interlude pt. 2. consequences and complications.

She became distant from her human friend group as the Cullen lifestyle welcomed her. Edward and Alice convinced her that it was for the best. And, well, Bella Swan is just a 17 year old girl who didn’t know better.

pause. a conversation between two girls before a disaster.

“Bella, this isn’t you.” Lauren confronted her before Edward came to whisk her away to the Cullen's house.

“Um, what?”

“This!” Lauren gestures at her. “For fucks sake, you’re wearing the ugly blue sweater that Mike gifted you and sent it to you through Charlie. You swore that you would never wear it because the material was weird on your skin!”

“Lauren-”

“No! Bella, what’s going on? This isn’t you. You’re literally changing yourself for some rich guy who's going to leave and dump you with a baby on the way!”

“Lauren! It’s not like that!”

“Bella, this is the first time in this month we’re talking.” Lauren says. She huffs in disbelief. “Mike and Tyler are worried, they know how douchebag boys act after all. Eric tried talking to you but you blew him for Edward! Again, may I add! Angela is stress baking. And I just had it with Jessica trying to spread shit about you because you bagged a Cullen.”

“Lauren…”

“Bella,” Lauren starts before seeing Bella’s face. She became mad. “So it’s going to be like that? Bella, Edward is pulling you away from everyone who gives a fuck about you. Wake the fuck up!”

“Shut the fuck up, Lauren!” Bella throws her hands up, “God, it’s not that deep. Whatever is going on between Edward and I is my business.”

Lauren huffs out a disbelieving laugh, “Not that deep? Not that- Okay. I’m done.”

“Fine.”

“Great.”

The two stare at each other.

“Hope you have a happy whatever it is you have with the Cullens.” Lauren snaps. She pauses before storming out the house. “When everything is said and done, just remember we’re here. And say hello at least when we see each other Elizabeth Bennet.”

Bella didn’t know what to say to that. Edward arrived ten minutes later. Then they played baseball. And with baseball came James, and the hunt.

interlude. pt. 3. unnamed unspoken thoughts and conflictive violence.

She admits to herself, deep deep inside her where even if her wrong wired mind suddenly opened to Edward the thought wouldn’t resurface, that Lauren was right and that she was way over her head. But this is the same girl who stuck by her words, even when said words hurt those she gave a fuck about.

She also thought that she would live and become a published author with at least some decades under her belt before dying like her Grandmother Maria. Not, you know, dying via thirsty as fuck hunter vampire.

God, if Lauren was here James would’ve thought twice before crossing Bella.

(If Lauren was here, she would’ve brought a blowtorch with her.)

pause. consequences of actions.

Then there’s the bite, morphine, and fire.

three. the after. because it has yet to end for it to be a happy ending ever after. right?

Bella wakes up in a hospital, with a flimsy alibi that is very ridiculous, and having to convince her mother that she wants to go back to Forks.

After lights out, and ignoring how Edward hovered with self-loathing splattered all over him, Bella resolves to be a better friend to Lauren and co. Just because she has an immortal boyfriend whom she is very much in love with doesn’t excuse her for being a shitty friend.

pause. a kismet look between two girls in the middle of prom night.

Lauren is staring very hard at the cast on her leg and arm. Eric had grimaced and ran away, not before a commemorative photo though. Angela had said her ‘hello’s before ducking away with Ben Chenley, and since when did Ben fucking Chenley date her dear friend Angela? God, Bella was very behind on gossip. Mike was… Bella didn’t know where Mike was. Tyler either.

“Down a flight of stairs, and through a window?” Lauren raises an eyebrow.

Bella looks away and shrugs. Then Edward appears, because of course he does. He whisks her away, leaving Lauren next to the dance floor.

interlude. the blank time skip between parts.

During the summer she spends time between her human friends and her immortal vampire boyfriend and his family. Lauren is very anti-Edward, so is Eric and Tyler. Mike is in between making dirty jokes and fussing. Angela is there for her though, whenever the pointed remarks got too sharp and she wanted warm and not cold and unyielding skin.

endings of a three part short love story.

Then September comes. And with it, her birthday.

And with Edward breaking up with her.

---

[death-notex]

Here are some songs I think Bella Swan and her friends would listen to while hanging out at La Push:

I can just see them all jamming out till way past the sun sets over the horizon; drying their bodies, wet from the ocean, near the hastily made campfire. The smell of smoke lingering on their clothes for weeks, along with the sand in their hair and under their nails.