#North Carolina Scrapbooking

[virginiascrapbookingretreats]

Raleigh NC Spring '24 scrapbooking weekend retreat 4 days NON STOP with your friends & Creative Memories

VIRGINA SCRAPBOOKING RETREATS

RALEIGH, NC 

Cinco de Mayo Scrapbooking Event

APRIL 25-28, 2024  (Thursday 10am - Sunday 2 pm) $150

4 full  non-stop days of scrapping! Crop room open 24 hrs for you night owls!

Each cropper will have a 6' crop space, and a free custom designed scrapbook t-shirt as a thank you from us.

Door prizes all weekend and 3 grand prizes --must be present to win (one Fri & Sat evening and one Sunday at noon) 

Scrapbook vendors on site offering you classes & products. 

Pre-plan now for this retreat and don't miss out follow the link here for registration details...https://virginiascrapbookingretreats.com/raleigh-nc-april-2024/

#Cinco DeMayo '24 NSD National Scrapbook Day with Creative Memories & Virginia Scrapbooking Retreats

[powerlineprincess]

Holy Moments. 2024.

[mascrapping]

2021: Title and End Pages

[1264doghouse]

Bascom Lamar Lunsford plays his “dehorned” fiddle, with Mr. and Mrs. Lyda Brooks, and Gaither Robinson. From the Bascom Lamar/ Lunsford Scrapbook. Tennessee/North Carolina border area.

[mickimomo]

Also, I now have to ask you a random Oni question that doesn't require a drabble unless you wanna write that out: What's Oni's fave hobby/past time when she's not doing Hot Girl Priest Stuff? I know she has to have something she can relax and do in her downtime, right?

I cackled at Hot Girl Priest Stuff. 💀

Tbh, if Oni isn't sparing or practicing with weapons in the woods by herself, she's probably cracking open a book or wondering in nature (ex. exploring or hiking).

I'd imagined that dealing with people and trying to live up to her role as the priestess and vessel of Bast can be socially and physically draining. So, moments of solitude are definitely appreciated. Especially Pre-Namora.

I'd say Post-Namora, she still enjoys moments alone, but doesn't mind existing in silence or sparring with Namora either. I think Namora would expand her areas of exploration after realizing how much Oni thrives in nature. She'd take Oni to a few coral reefs, lakes, and rivers to see the flora and wildlife that live around them underwater.

Also, Oni definitely has a scrapbook filled with pressed and dried plants she's seen on adventures. It's the plant lover inside of her peeking out. Once Namora discovers it, she starts bringing her flowers and plant clippings to add to it.

Once they're married, I think Namora would build her a greenhouse of sorts and bring her plants from missions and special gift-obtaining expeditions. Oni often pretends that she hates gardening because that's technically her job with the Heart-Shaped Herb. However, with the greenhouse, she's more open to 'tending to the little plants her wife brings her from all over the world'. Namora just likes seeing her wife happy, so she's always bringing her things. 🥹

The blurb I thought I wasn't going to write, but I couldn't stop imagining:

"Eh... in lool? (my flower)"

"Mm?" Oni looked up from the book she was reading underneath a plum tree as Namora slowly made her way towards her.

"I got you something."

"You got me something?" She looked her over, taking note of her hands hiding something behind her back.

"Yes. A gift."

The vieled priestess closed her book and tilted her head at her wife. "Are you my gift?"

Namora's face purpled at the suggestion. "No." She looked away shyly. "Just close your eyes and hold out your hands."

"Aw. You're no fun, Amora."

The warrior rolled her eyes before refocusing on the priestess.

Her hands were held out, and her eyes were supposedly closed.

Namora squatted and waved a hand in front of her veiled face before gently placing a small potted plant in her palms.

"Can I look?"

"Mhm."

Oni slowly pulled the plant towards her face before gasping. "Wha- Where did you find these?!" She looked up at Namora. "I was just reading about Venus fly traps the other day."

"I know. You read seven books about carnivorous plants and kept talking about how much you wanted a venus fly trap."

"Yes, but these are native to the southeastern part of the United States. Like South and North Carolina. How did you-"

"-I went there at night with Attuma and Aj K'uk'ulkan." Namora offered a warm smile.

"Just for a little plant?"

"Nothing is little if you want it, in lool."

"But you got Attuma and the king of Talokan involved."

"I help them get things for their lovers all the time. How could they refuse to help me?"

Oni couldn't refrain from laughing at the thought of the three of them venturing around at night to find a tiny carnivorous plant. They must have fought snakes and gators and all kinds of things to get it for her.

"I almost wish I could have been there to see you all get it for me."

Namora clicked her tongue in feigned irritation, revealing a habit she had picked up from her wife.

"Eh?" Oni laughed as she grabbed her by the jaw and pulled her forward while she held her plant with her other hand. "What was that, warrior?"

Namora's cheeks purpled slightly. "P'atéen tíin juunaj. (Leave me alone.)"

"How could I ever leave you alone?"

The warrior felt her muscles stiffen as the priestess tugged her closer.

"Oni, not outside." Namora grunted as she crumbled on top of her, inhaling sharply as she was quickly flipped over and pinned to the ground with one hand and two legs.

Her lungs expanded with the faint scent of incense and plum as she looked up at her wife, her lilac veil billowing enough to reveal her soft two-toned lips.

Blowing enough to almost reveal her dark brown eyes that melted like chocolate in a fondue fountain whenever they rested on her.

By Chaac, she was in love.

"Why not?"

Oni's voice broke her from her reverie and Namora frowned at the pout in her voice.

"You can't remove your veil outside."

"Oh?" Oni leaned in, still holding her gifted plant close. "So, if we go inside, I can thank you properly for my gift?"

Namora turned as purple as her lover's dress before nodding. "If that is what you wish to do." She took in a small breath as her blush darkened. "Just saying thank you will suffice if you don't-"

"-Nonsense." The priestess whispered lowly. "There's so much I want to do to you."

Namora held her breath as her wife whispered a list of things she wished to do in her ear.

All Namora could do was gasp.

"Ok. Come on." Oni hummed before gently pulling away and getting up. "I wish to thank my wife properly."

Namora laid there for a moment, dazed as the veiled beauty walked away. "In k’áatech. (I love you.)" She groaned before getting up and slowly following Oni.

[svgoceandesigns1]

North Carolina A&T Aggies Grandpa SVG - Proud Grandpa Sports SVG PNG, Cricut File

North Carolina A&T Aggies Grandpa SVG, Proud Grandpa Sports SVG PNG EPS DXF PDF, Cricut File, Instant Download File, Cricut File Silhouette Art, Logo Design, Designs For Shirts. ♥ Welcome to SVG OCEAN DESIGNS Store! ♥ ► PLEASE NOTE: – Since this item is digital, no physical product will be sent to you. – Your files will be ready to download immediately after your purchase. Once payment has been completed, SVG Ocean Designs will send you an email letting you know your File is ready for Download. You may also check your Order/Purchase History on SVG Ocean Designs website and it should be available for download there as well. – Please make sure you have the right software required and knowledge to use this graphic before making your purchase. – Due to monitor differences and your printer settings, the actual colors of your printed product may vary slightly. – Due to the digital nature of this listing, there are “no refunds or exchanges”. – If you have a specific Design you would like made, just message me! I will be more than glad to create a Custom Oder for you. ► YOU RECEIVE: This listing includes a zip file with the following formats: – SVG File (check your software to confirm it is compatible with your machine): Includes wording in both white and black (SVG only). Other files are black wording. – PNG File: PNG High Resolution 300 dpi Clipart (transparent background – resize smaller and slightly larger without loss of quality). – DXF: high resolution, perfect for print and many more. – EPS: high resolution, perfect for print, Design and many more. ► USAGE: – Can be used with Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette Studio, Adobe Illustrator, ...and any other software or machines that work with SVG/PNG files. Please make sDisney Father's Dayure your machine and software are compatible before purchasing. – You can edit, resize and change colors in any vector or cutting software like Inkscape, Adobe illustrator, Cricut design space, etc. SVG cut files are perfect for all your DIY projects or handmade businDisney Father's Dayess Product. You can use them for T-shirts, scrapbooks, wall vinyls, stickers, invitations cards, web and more!!! Perfect for T-shirts, iron-ons, mugs, printables, card making, scrapbooking, etc. ►TERMS OF USE: – NO refunds on digital products. Please contact me if you experience any problems with the purchase. – Watermark and wood background won’t be shown in the downloaded files. – Please DO NOT resell, distribute, share, copy, or reproduce my designs. – Customer service and satisfaction is our top priority. If you have any questions before placing orders, please contact with us via email "support@svgoceandesigns.com". – New products and latest trends =>> Click Here . Thank you so much for visiting our store! SVG OCEAN DESIGNS Read the full article

[researchbuzz]

North Carolina Central University, Medicare Drug Prices, Schomburg Center, More: Saturday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, February 3, 2024

NEW RESOURCES DigitalNC: North Carolina Central University Materials Now Available for Viewing!. “The materials consist of publications from historically Black Churches in and around Raleigh, Durham, Henderson and Oxford North Carolina, a handmade scrapbook consisting of newspaper clippings detailing Black law enforcement officers and agents in Durham and educational materials pertaining to The…

[sun-undone]

New canon obx details from the Pogue Life Scrapbook Hardcover (part 1)

So this book is basically set up as if it's the pogues making a scrapbook of their lives with cute little graphics and handwritten details. Each pogue (including Sarah) has their own section where the content is more skewed toward them, but all of the other pogues write stuff in the margins, and their comments honestly read pretty in-character (at least imo).

According to the author, Joey Elkins, he was asked by the creators to write it, and he was also the script coordinator for season 1, which is why i feel like it's safe to say that the details in the book are supposed to be canonical.

((Throughout this entire book, they pretend that all of the events in the show have happened in 2019 instead of 2020, which is so unnecessarily annoying but yeah i'm just gonna try to shift the years accordingly))

With that disclaimer out of the way, here's some potentially interesting stuff from the first half of the book, going sequentially through each of the sections:

First things first, though. Map. Map.

John B

Big John apparently makes really good banana pancakes, according to Pope

Big John taught John B about the constellations and the North Star

Big John spent 2 years studying archaeology and history at UNC Wilmington

Apparently, Big John taught John B how to scuba dive when he was 10....which pretty blatantly denies the canon but okay??

John B bought the Twinkie when he was 15

I feel like everyone pretty much assumes this already, but the HMS Pogue belonged to Big John before he gave it to John B

JJ once tried and failed to spear a massive tuna when the pogues were out fishing

John B once raced Topper's Malibu 24-MXZ in the HMS Pogue and obviously lost

POTENTIAL JARAH B FIC MATERIAL: One summer, Ward asked John B to work the My Druthers for a kook party, and John B remembers not being noticed by any of the kooks, including Sarah. Sarah adds that she did in fact notice him, and that Topper even got pissy with her because he kept catching her looking at "the cute first mate with the tousled hair and unbuttoned shirt" (in Sarah's words)

John B and JJ have absolutely brought extra sunscreen to the Boneyard to flirt with Tourons

this is such a random detail but the DCS officer's full name is Cheryl Coleman, and she's from the South Carolina DCS, not North Carolina

Ward hired surfing instructors to teach Sarah to surf, but she quickly shoved them off and preferred to learn by herself

The first time Kie went surfing, she was having a really difficult time finding her footing, but after seeing a pack of dolphins in the water with her, she took it as a sign to push through

JJ

Cambank sibling supremacy anyone?? this is cute as fuck okay

One time, JJ asked Big John to lend him his metal detector so he could try to find valuable shit on the beach to pawn. He mostly just found junk, but he did find a brass necklace which he promptly gave to a girl named Shauna, claiming that it was gold. He also found a vintage Hot Wheels Ferrari, which he claims is his prized possession

JJ believes in a bunch of urban legends surrounding the OBX, claiming that one time, Ricky had to patch up some Touron hikers who had some suspicious looking bites

Another very random, specific detail that i personally live for: Mrs. Crain's first name is Alma

JJ has several hiding spots for weed in the Twinkie, including but not limited to: tears in both the back and front seat upholstery, the passenger-side sun flap, under the floor mats, and behind the air conditioning panels (John B says that that last one is a horrible idea as if there has been an incident in the past, so take that how you will)

JJ bought his dirt bike the summer before the show starts, and he apparently got the money from him and John B giving surfing lessons to Tourons

MORE POTENTIAL FIC MATERIAL: i can't even properly summarize this so here is a fourth of july story from the obx

Places JJ has worked and gotten fired from: Island Club (we know how that one ended), Kildare Surf Shop, Pelican Spa, E. Reed Mattress Mart, and Masonboro Beach

Once, the kooks teepeed Kildare High, so JJ snuck onto their football field and ripped it up with his bike. He has also gotten in trouble for selling weed gummies on school property and falling asleep (and apparently snoring very loudly) in Mr. Sunn's class

I'll go over Kie, Pope, and Sarah's sections in another post!!

[handeaux]

A Passel Of Curious Cincinnati Street Names, Part One (A to E)

Annwood Street (East Walnut Hills) Most Cincinnati streets that memorialize people recognize men, but there are several honoring women. Anne (Bryan) Wood (1780-1867), for whom this street and a connecting lane is named, is also responsible for the nearby Wold Street, named for her estate. A native of England, Mrs. Wood and her husband James arrived early in Cincinnati and made a fortune in merchandizing. Their daughter Ellen married Judge Timothy Walker, one of the founders of the Cincinnati Law School. Although she died 30 years previously, warm memories inspired the neighboring community to preserve her name through the street signs.

Arcadia Place (Hyde Park) Soon after this 47-lot subdivision was platted in 1916, the new residents formed a neighborhood association that survived for decades. Every family on the street was automatically enrolled in The Arcadians, an organization devoted to fostering neighborhood pride. The Arcadians sponsored annual Halloween and Christmas parties as well as regular gatherings. They elected officers annually. When the subdivision was first constructed, none of the houses had addresses, so the Post Office refused to deliver mail. The residents adopted addresses based on the lot number of the parcel on which they had built their houses, so today’s addresses don’t match the standard city system.

Back Street (Over-the-Rhine) When Back Street was first scratched out of the northern reaches of the city, it was literally a “back street,” and that is apparently how it got its name. That’s according to Ray Steffens, a Cincinnati Post reporter who penned an invaluable series of articles, “How Was It Named?” that are treasured by local history buffs. So invaluable are these articles that they were collected by a dedicated librarian at the Cincinnati Public Library, where they occasioned a bit of a literary spat. Steffens pooh-poohed the idea that Hamilton-born novelist Fannie Hurst drew any connection between Cincinnati’s Back Street and the titular “Back Street” of her 1931 best-selling pot boiler. Apparently, on one of her trips through Cincinnati, Miss Hurst paged through the library’s scrapbook of Steffens’ columns, because this handwritten note is scrawled through the clipping for Back Street: “Not correct. Miss Hurst researched here, because I am Miss Hurst.”

Belsaw Place (Clifton) For reasons perhaps known only to the family, the estate of Thomas Sherlock in Clifton was named Belsaw and was uniformly praised for its beauty by the newspapers of the day. Mr. Sherlock immigrated from Ireland and made a fortune in Ohio River shipping and insurance. He died in 1895. Two years later, a short street on the southern side of Ludlow was renamed Sherlock Avenue in his honor. (Sorry, Baker Street Irregulars!) When Thomas’ widow, Nancy, died in 1899, the rural estate in north Clifton was bequeathed to the couple’s five daughters along with all the jewels, horses, carriages and artwork. When the estate was subdivided in 1921, it was announced as the “most exclusive” development in the city, with no houses allowed to be constructed for less than $20,000.

Boudway Lane (Westwood) Perhaps the most maladroit street name in all of Cincinnati sprang from the unrelenting necessity of police paperwork. Right on the border of Westwood and West Price Hill lies a minuscule stretch of pavement with no addresses, but lots of traffic accidents. In the early 1990s, the police appealed to the city’s public works department to slap a name on this anonymous wreck magnet. Since the tiny strip of asphalt, no more than 250 feet long, connected Boudinot Avenue and Glenway, the poets at City Hall coughed up a portmanteau word and christened it Boudway Lane. A few years later, the dolorous Boudway was subsumed as an extension of the equally mellifluous Glenhills Way.

Calhoun Street (Corryville) In 1843, John C. Calhoun, United States Senator from South Carolina, was very popular among the Democrats of Cincinnati. A proponent of states’ rights and limited government, Calhoun fiercely defended slavery and the interests of white supremacy. A group of Cincinnati Democratic businessmen wrote a public letter to Calhoun that year, inviting him to visit Cincinnati. One of the signers of the invitation was William Corry (1811-1880), among the children of William Corry (1778-1833) who owned all the land that was later known as Corryville. The southern boundary of Corry's property was a road named Calhoun Street in the 1840s, apparently in homage to the Southern firebrand.

Camargo Road (Madeira) A lot of folks, mostly men, are memorialized in Cincinnati street names. We have lots of streets named for presidents, governors, generals, businessmen, property owners and so on. Camargo Road – although its origins remain somewhat obscure – is likely the only street in this area named for a ballerina. Marie Anne de Cupis de Camargo (1710-1770) was known as “La Camargo” and lived the extravagant life of an Eighteenth-Century sex symbol. She was the first ballerina to wear slippers instead of heeled shoes and she is often credited with adopting the shortened skirt for the stage. As her name indicates, she had Spanish roots – Camargo is a very small village in northern Spain – but indications are that it is the dancer, not the municipality, that gave its name to our road.

Carrel Street (Columbia-Tusculum) When Columbia was annexed by Cincinnati, that venerable old town (older than Cincinnati) had its own Main Street and, of course, that duplicate name had to go. Reaching into history, the city fathers renamed the street in honor of Hercules Carrel, a legendary boat builder, whose operations were based nearby. Mr. Carrel also had a riverboat named in his honor, but don’t you wish the city would have named that street for his first name? Hercules Street! Now, there’s a name to be reckoned with!

Catawba Valley Drive (Columbia-Tusculum) Readers of Dann Woellert’s exhaustive history of Cincinnati winemaking know that most hillsides on the north bank of the Ohio were given over to vineyards in the decades before the Civil War. That was certainly true in the area around Alms Park. One remnant of those long-gone vines is a little street named Catawba Valley Drive, honoring the Catawba grapes that once grew here. At one time, Wine Press Road ran nearby, but was later incorporated into Alms Park.

Cross Lane (Walnut Hills) Walnut Hills was platted by the Reverend James Kemper, pioneering Presbyterian minister, who built his own residence there in 1794. That log house is now preserved at the Heritage Village Museum inside Sharon Woods Park. As an energetically religious man, naming a street after the cross would not be unusual, but Kemper’s intentions had nothing to do with his proselytizing zeal. He named all his east-west streets “Cross Lane” and numbered them. The only lane retaining that designation was originally named “Cross Lane No. 1.”

Dublin Court (Dillonvale) It’s a mystery why Cincinnati’s annual Saint Patrick’s Day shenanigans aren’t scheduled out in Dillonvale. Joseph Dillon, a proud son of the Auld Sod, platted the Sycamore Township community that he would christen with his own name in 1951. He remembered his birthplace by naming streets for Dublin, Belfast, Antrim, Killarney, Wicklow, Donegal, Wexford, and Limerick, and that’s no Blarney!

Elberon (Price Hill) With the popularity of J.R.R. Tolkein’s fantasy novels in the 1960s, folks could be excused for believing that this street was named for some elvish prince. In fact, capitalizing on that association a (very good) Cincinnati folk-rock group took Elberon as their band name. The actual origin of this street traces to the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881. After being shot in Washington, DC, Garfield was moved to Elberon, New Jersey, along the Atlantic shore, where it was hoped sea breezes would help him heal. That treatment failed and Garfield died in Elberon. Cincinnati was devoted to Garfield and commissioned a statue, still standing on Vine Street. Boyle Avenue was renamed Elberon in 1889, shortly after the statue was installed. Which only begs the question: How was the New Jersey town named? Turns out it has nothing to do with elves, nor (as believed for a long time) Native Americans. “Elberon” is a contraction of L.B. Brown, among the early settlers of that little seaside resort.

Eppert Walk (Mount Washington) Josephine R. “Josie” Eppert was 60 years old when she died in 1939. She had been a schoolteacher her entire adult life and was beloved by generations of children who attended Mount Washington Elementary School. She lived at the corner of Plymouth and Oxford avenues and walked home along a footpath that was later paved. Clifton Merriman, local real estate broker, suggested memorializing Miss Eppert by placing her name on the route she had traveled for decades.

[fromasgardandback]

Welcome Back, Peter Mills

Peter Mills x Reader

description: You're a firefighter on truck 81 and Peter left but came back to firehouse 51.

word count: 1.4k

warning: pure fluff :)

a/n: my first Chicago Fire fic!

masterlist

Y/N’s been a firefighter at Firehouse 51 for the past five years. She was a candidate there not long after Peter Mills moved up. And from that moment on, she knew she was in trouble seeing those bright brown eyes every day. Y/N was a lot like Peter in some ways. They both loved their jobs, cooking that eases their minds, and annoying the rest of the house to no end. 

“Alright, so this prank is going to be easy,” Peter tried to keep from laughing, “All we have to do is change out the clothes from the dryer to pink clothes. Peter and Y/N both knew that Cruz was easy to mess with, and knowing him, he’d have to deal with the pink clothes until the end of shift. “He’s gonna look like a pink peep. Those Easter marshmallow bunnies.” Laughing hard, but trying to keep it hidden, they took their hiding place to the sleeping quarters, waiting until the dryer dinged. 

Right when it dinged, the both of them took off like cheetahs, cramming all the clothes into a basket and shoving the pink-colored ones in the dryer with a red sock for good measure. After your plan was done, you hid the clothes under Y/N’s bed. Her bed was against the corner and would make room to keep it hidden than in plain sight, given if anyone looked underneath them. 

Sneakily and casually, they ventured outside. “We should pick up some of these branches or rake to make it look like we weren’t in there.” Y/N looked up at Peter. “That’s a great idea.”

They took their time getting back into the house. Nonchalantly walking into the kitchen and chatting, like they haven’t just messed with Cruz.

About 20 minutes later, everyone saw Cruz walking in with a pink uniform. “Alright, who did this. I don’t wear red socks, so who messed with my clothes.” No one spoke up but instead laughed hysterically. “C’mon guys, this isn’t funny. If Chief Boden sees me like this, he’s gonna ring my neck.” Just as Joe finished his sentence, Boden came waltzing in. A low chuckle turned into a serious conversation. “Cruz. What happened to your clothes?” 

“Chief, I washed my clothes and now they’re pink. I don’t wear red socks and am for certain that this couldn’t have happened.” Joe started to look upset, to which Y/N ducked out unseen to place his clean clothes on his bed. 

Peter ran in looking shocked. “Now?” He said. “Yeah, now. I didn’t know Chief was goanna get involved. You and I both don’t need our asses chewed out right now.” At that moment, Joe walked in. “I knew it! You two are always up to something!” Standing in front of Peter to protect him, Y/N spoke up. “But look, there are your clothes. All clean and not pink. It was a prank, not real.” No matter what you said, it didn’t help. Taking the chance, you grabbed Peter and started running.

That nice memory was three years ago. It was a nice parting memory and added to the scrapbook that Y/N gave Peter when he left for North Carolina. He’d send her postcards and small little trinkets, with her doing the same; yet, she still missed him every day. They became best friends, but Y/N would be lying if she said she wished they could have been more. She always had a soft spot for him. Being best friends was her way of seeing what it would be like to be his. It was a dangerous game she had her pawns in; although, she took all her chances. 

“Y/N. A package came for you.” Connie set down the box on the table in front of her.

“Thank you, Connie.” Y/N took out her pocket knife and opened it carefully. “What’d you get? Herrmann sat in front of you. “I didn’t order anything. This is a surprise to me.” Y/N opened it, and to her surprise, it was a framed photo of her and Peter with a letter attached. 

“Aww. I loved this photo. I can’t believe he kept it.” Herrmann smiled at his co-worker’s reaction. “What does the letter say?” She took a minute to open it and look inside. “I hope you like your little gift. I know it’s not much. I miss you and everyone at 51. Do you and everyone else miss me?” Y/N read. She smiled wide but turned around quickly when she heard that familiar voice.

“So what’s your answer? Did you miss me?” Peter stood there with his hands in his pockets. Y/N didn’t have to think twice before running into his arms and hugging him close. Peter held her tightly hearing a faint, “I missed you so much.” It wasn’t long after their embrace that the rest of 51 joined in on their hug; similar to when he left. 

Peter sat at the long dining table telling stories of his life down in North Carolina. He told one story of his sister and this guy down the street. “So one day he walks in and she’s being flirty cause she thinks he is all that, to which he’s not.” Peter beamed with a bright smile, ready to laugh, knowing the ending. “And they’ve kept this unspoken tension and seductive thing going for like three weeks. Come to find out that the next day, he walks in with his partner.” Mouch interrupted, “A woman.” 

Peter shook his head. “A man. He’s totally gay. This whole time she’d been flirting with a gay man and didn’t even know it. And the guy was so happy to introduce her to his partner like a new friend.” Peter chuckled. “Poor girl didn’t want to get out of bed, that was until that “friend” introduced her to his brother. Now, they’re engaged.” Everyone listening awed and smiled. 

“That’s a funny story. One to share when they have kids.” Herrmann commented. 

Time went on and they shared stories of things that happened while Peter was gone. He knew that this was his home, no matter what. He talked about how he was going to miss his family deeply, but there was a piece of him missing, a hole so to speak when he left. Like he was leaving his father behind. Peter could make the trips to see his family, but the reason to become a firefighter was to be close to his dad. That was his purpose, and that purpose is what he missed. 

“You know, I couldn’t sleep for like two weeks after I left.” Y/N looked up at her best friend. “Why?” She looked up at him. “I missed you too much. I remember those nights when we would watch movies and then fall asleep on the couch.” He paused to smile, the memory brought joy to his life. They would get numerous snacks, such as popcorn, candy, drinks, pizza, and other favorites. They both would lay it all out and start the binging of their favorite movies, or on occasion television shows. Later on, they would put the rest of the food away and cuddle up on the couch. Their relationship was mirroring that of a couple, but neither of them would speak on it. They would fall asleep under the television light, a thick blanket, including Y/N, snuggled into Peter’s chest.

Y/N smiled along with him. “I remember those nights. Best sleep in the world is being next to you.” She confessed. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Peter smirked. “Cause you made me feel safe. I was at home in your arms. I was comfortable, I knew that I could always be myself.” She pondered her thoughts before continuing. “I love you, Peter. Not just as a friend, more than that. I fell in love with you the moment I met you. You’re so full of life and energy… I just-” She was cut off by Peter cupping her jawline. He kissed her with such passion and desire. The crew of 51 had bets on when they would get together. They had been waiting and when they finally saw both of them kissing on the rooftop of Molly’s, they cheered. 

“Get it, Peter!” Severide clapped. “Yeah Y/N!!!” Gabby hollered. 

She pecked his lips once more. “I love you, Y/N.” She smiled. “I love you, Peter.”

[mascrapping]

2021: North Carolina Road Trip - Family Home and Haircuts

This spread is from our time at my sister’s home in North Carolina. They live up in the mountains and have a small family farm, and the pictures on the left are taken from their back porch. The sky and especially the sunsets were beautiful. The pictures on the right are of my nieces and nephew. When I was a Resident Director, I used to cut hair for the men living in my building, and so my sister…

[ask-the-usa-manor]

Hey USA,

What were the states like when they were young?

USA motioned for them to follow him. He guided them down to the basement, where they kept walking for some time. Eventually, the group got to a door. He unlocked it and opened it, revealing rows and rows of bookshelves inside.

“Oh. My. Sheetz,” Pennsylvania muttered as America pulled out many, many absurdly large scrapbooks.

“They were all so adorable when they were little!” An excited United States exclaimed as he kept pulling down the books from the shelves, “Is there any certain state you’d like to hear about?”

“…When did you have the free time to make all of this?” North Carolina asked with a raised eyebrow.

“And which one’s mine?” South Carolina cut in, watching as her father gently placed all of them in a neat pile on a table in the center of the room.

“Oh, I had some time here and there. So far, these are just Delaware’s! ” America explained, as he kept pulling down scrapbooks, “I’ve made sure to make a few for each of you.”

“…‘A few.’” Penn quoted as he spotted an entire humongous bookshelf marked ‘Pennsylvania.’

“HOLY—!” Arizona’s voiced shouted from further in the room, “Even Cuba has some! He was with us, for like, five minutes!”

The others turned to United States for an explanation.

“What can I say?” He shrugged, “I’m a dedicated scrapbooker.”

[oberlincollegearchives]

Women's History Month Spotlight: Mary Elizabeth Johnston

The Oberlin College Archives holds a personal papers collection for Mary Elizabeth Johnston (1890-1982, A.B. 1913, issued 1937). Johnston was dedicated to education as a teacher and librarian, and was a lifelong Oberlin College supporter.

Johnston was born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1890 and had two other siblings. Her father's death in 1900 led her mother to move to Oberlin so they could live with their grandparents. Mary and her siblings attended Oberlin schools, and Mary graduated from Oberlin High School in 1908. Choosing to go to Oberlin College was easy because she could live at home and work for tuition money. She entered Oberlin College in 1909, beginning her studies in English Literature. Unfortunately, Johnston was unable to keep up with her studies and work at the same time, so she left Oberlin in 1912.

Julia Finney Monroe (wife of Oberlin College professor and trustee James Monroe) took particular interest in Johnston, and recommended her for a job as a teacher at St. Augustine's College, a segregated school in Raleigh, North Carolina. Johnston taught there for over 25 years, returning to Oberlin every summer to work on her studies. Finally, in 1937, Johnston was able to finish her A.B. degree. She also received an M.A. degree in Library Science at Kent State University in 1952.

After teaching for years in New Jersey, Johnston moved back to Ohio to spend her retirement, staying active in many community organizations. She was also dedicated to funding education for Black students at Oberlin College, and signed her pension funds to the College, only withdrawing what she needed to live.

(Mary Elizabeth Johnston, pictured third from the right, with a group of Karamu House Golden Agers on a trip to Boston, MA)

Of particular note in Johnston's papers are the rich scrapbooks she kept covering her career and retirement years. One scrapbook covers the years she spent in the Golden Agers group of the Karamu House, the oldest Black theater in the United States. Here, Johnston and other retirees raised funds for shows, events, and upgrades to the building, as well as traveling in groups to see plays and experience different cities across the U.S. and Canada.

(The Karamu House Golden Agers dedicating a new flag pole in front of the building)

(The Karamu House sign, gift from the Karamu House Golden Agers, 1964)

To find out more about Mary Elizabeth Johnston and her collection, check out the finding guide and feel free to contact us for more information or images.

[mldrgrl]

Lately I've been all about reconciliation. For some reason, I want all the Mulder-and-Bill-Scully-finding-some-peace fic I can get. I'd love to see your take on this, maybe in the IWTB era? Or even revival era.

One Sorry Sonofabitch

By: mldrgrl Rating: PG Summary: See above - but be advised Mulder and Scully aren’t in this story a whole lot.  Please send all complaints to @perplexistan and I’ll be filing a lawsuit shortly for pain and suffering for having to turn Bill Scully into a sympathetic character. (Set post-IWtB)

He holds his tongue to spare his mother what he really thinks when she tells him that Dana and Mr. Mulder will be joining them for Thanksgiving this year.  He can’t believe the audacity that man has to show up at a family event.  And his sister isn’t much better for what she’s put their mother through over the years.  He can’t even remember the last time he saw her.  He thinks it might be ten years ago, just before his second son, Michael, was born.  Tara squeezes his knee under the table and he musters up a smile and a brief nod.

Now that he’s stationed in North Carolina, it’s a lot easier for him to travel with his family instead of having his mother fly out for the holidays.  It’s their first Thanksgiving on the east coast and he’s annoyed at having the happy occasion intruded upon by his selfish sister and her ne’er do well friend.  He really can’t believe she still keeps that jackass around.

He loves his sister.  He truly does.  He just can’t understand the foolish choices she’s made.  Starting with joining the FBI, but giving away her child and going on the run with her fugitive partner instead of putting her patriotic duty to uphold the law as her priority is just beyond him.  He would never.  He had hoped that whatever spell Mr. Mulder had put on her would’ve worn off by now, but alas.  And now they’re coming to Thanksgiving.

Tara gives him a look when they hear the car pull up.  One that implores him to please behave.  His wife has no business being so compassionate, but that’s just the kind of person she is.  He hasn’t forgotten how his sister nearly ruined the Christmas that Matthew was born with that strange little girl and her impossible claim to her.  It should have been a time of great joy and instead Dana had made it sorrowful and awkward.

“Fox and Dana just drove up,” his mother says, coming out of the kitchen and wiping her hands on a dish rag.

His sons jump up from the game they’re playing in the family room, excited to meet their mythical aunt they’ve heard tales about.  

“Don’t run in the house,” he barks at the kids.

“Yes Sir,” they say, stopping short and taking slower steps to reach the door.

Tara is the one that greets them and his mother is just behind her.  Bill is the last one to the door and waits for the hugs and excited chatter to die down before he gives his sister a stiff embrace and Mr. Mulder a requisite handshake.

“Mr. Mulder,” Bill says.

“Just Mulder,” Mr. Mulder says.

“Matthew had a growth spurt this year,” Tara prattles, laying a hand on their son’s shoulder.  He’s taller than her by an inch, thin and reedy.  “As you can see.  Can you believe he’ll be thirteen next month!?  And we’ve got Michael turning ten in February.”

Matthew’s cheeks darken.  He embarrasses easily and his fair skin gets blotchy at the drop of a hat.  Both his boys are soft, like their mother.  He’d like to toughen them up, but Tara is fiercely protective of them.  A regular mother lion.  He doesn’t get it.  When he was a kid, he idolized his father.  Those few weeks or months a year when his dad came home were the best.  He was interested in everything his father did and how he did it.  His sons don’t express any interest in him and he barely hears more than a ‘yes, sir’ or a ‘no, sir’ out of them on a good day.

“Maureen is napping,” Tara says.  “You’ll meet her later.”

His daughter, Maureen, well she’s a different story.  She’s only a toddler, but she reminds him of his sister Melissa.  She’s headstrong and unafraid, particularly when it comes to her father.  She sasses.  She rolls her eyes already.  She ignores his orders and does what she wants when she wants.  She’s also cute as a button and has her brothers wrapped around their little fingers.  Tara calls her their little threenager.

“We’ve still got time before dinner,” his mother says.  “Why don’t we head to the family room.”

“We brought pies,” Dana says.

“I’ll get them,” Mr. Mulder says.  He has his hands on Dana’s shoulders and gives them a squeeze when she looks back up at him.  They seem to hold some silent conversation.  To Bill, it looks like his sister is begging her friend to please don’t leave him alone in this house.  He doesn’t know why she’s here.

They gather in the family room and make small talk.  Tara finds the scrapbooks she puts together for his mother every year and shows off all the photos of the kids from their school activities and family vacations.  Dana nods and smiles through most of it.  Mr. Mulder is more talkative and asks all the questions.

A half hour slips by and finally he hears a cry from upstairs indicating that his daughter is up from her nap.  Tara is on her feet in an instant.

“That’ll be the little princess,” Tara says.  “I’ll go grab her and get her ready to come down.”

“I’ll help you,” Bill says.  Tara looks at him strangely as he follows.

Maureen is jumping up and down in the playpen in their room when they walk in.  She smiles brightly and holds her arms up to Tara.

“How’s my girl,” Tara coos.  “Let’s get you into the dress Grandma bought you for dinner and then you can meet your Auntie Dana and Uncle Fox.”

“Don’t call him that,” Bill says.

“Oh, Bill.”  Tara sighs and stands Maureen on the bed to start undressing her.  “You’re going to have to accept him sometime.”

“I most certainly don’t.”

“You know, one of the things I loved the most about you when we were dating was that you always said that family was very important to you.”

“It still is.  You know that.”

“I’m just saying that sometimes your actions don’t say a lot about what I know is in your heart.  Will you grab me one of the Pull-Ups from her bag?”

“I’ve been cordial.  Hell, I shook his hand.”

“Hell is a bad word,” Maureen says.  She scrunches her face and shakes her head as Tara tries to pull her red curls into a ponytail.  “No hair up, Mama.”

“Listen to your mother, Maureen.”

“No.”

“Hair up or it’ll get washed tonight in the bath,” Tara bargains.

“Okay, hair up.”

“She’s the one that abandoned everything, you know.  Not giving a damn about how it would affect our mother.  Tara, she gave her own child away for that man.”

“Damn damn damn!” Maureen shouts, jumping up and down on the bed.

Tara gives Bill a weary look.  “William Scully Junior, you know better than to use that kind of language.”

Maureen laughs and bounces.  “Daddy in trouble.  Daddy in trouble.”

“Yes, Daddy was being very naughty.  And so are you.  Get down.”  Tara holds her hands out and helps Maureen off the bed.  “Billy, Dana had her reasons, I’m sure.  Have you ever even asked her what happened back then?”

“No.  Why do you always take the other side of the argument?”

“I don’t know, Billy, why do you like to argue so much?”  She smiles and pats him on the chest as she leads Maureen past him out the door.  “I’m just putting myself in her shoes and I know that if I were to have to do what she did, there would have to be a very good reason.  You saw how attached to she was to that little Emily and how devastated she was.  Think about that.”

“Hmph.”

Downstairs, his mother oohs and aahs over Maureen’s green velvet dress and Maureen twirls appropriately, delighted to be the center of attention.  His sister smiles warmly and kneels down to introduce herself to her niece and tell her how big she is and how pretty.

“Thank you, I know,” Maureen says.

The women laugh.

“Where are the boys?” Bill asks.  “And Mr. Mulder?”

“Outside playing basketball,” his mother answers.

Basketball.  They should be playing a real sport like football.  The last time he’d tried to teach them how to punt and tackle it had ended in tears.  Matthew complained that the roughness might hurt his chances of moving up in his piano lessons and Michael said he preferred to work on his model cars.

Bill lingers in the mudroom, watching surreptitiously and listening to boys play with Mr. Mulder through the open window.  There are a lot of high fives and hair tousling.  They don’t even seem to be competing, just taking turns with the ball, which seems a little ridiculous.

“Good job, Matt,” Mr. Mulder says, even when Matthew misses a shot that should have been easy.  “Loosen that wrist and hold that follow-through.”  He takes the boys’ hand and guides it with his own.  “That’s it.  Let’s try it again.”

Matthew shoots again and they all cheer when the ball makes it in the basket.

“Nice!” Mr. Mulder yells.  “Nothing but net.”

Both boys whoop and laugh and jump up and down like monkeys and grab onto Mr. Mulder.  He laughs with them and they have another round of high fives and hair tousling.

“How do you know so much about basketball, Uncle Mulder?” Michael asks.  Bill cringes.

“I played in high school and I used to be part of a team at my gym.”

“Did you like being part of a team?”  Matthew asks.

“Yeah, it was great.”

“I think I want to join the debate team at school next year.”  This is news to Bill and he’s surprised.  Matthew is notoriously soft-spoken.

“Your Aunt Dana used to be on a debate team when she was in school.  You should ask her for some tips.”

“Dad said that you guys used to be FBI agents,” Michael says.  “He said it’s like being a glory fried policeman”

“Glorified,” Matthew corrects.  “Not glory fried.”

“Glorified, whatever that means.  He told Mom before that Aunt Dana should’ve kept being a doctor so she’d be more normal.”

Bill grits his teeth.  He doesn’t recall ever saying something like that in front of the boys, but he’s sure he’s said it.  He wonders what else they’ve overheard through the years.

“Well, that’s probably true,” Mr. Mulder says.  “She’s a great doctor.  But, you know what?  Your Aunt Dana was the best agent the FBI ever had.”

“How come she quit?” Matthew asks.

“Have you ever done something that made you really happy for awhile and then it just stopped making you happy?”

“I used to like playing MarioKart,” Michael says.  “But, now I think it’s boring.”

“It’s kind of like that.”

“My favorite is SimCity.  Have you ever played that?”

“No, I can’t say I have.”

“Do you like Guitar Hero?” Matthew asks.  

“Yeah, do you like Guitar Hero?” Michael echoes.  “We brought our Playstation and we can play.”

“I’m not much of a musician,” Mr. Mulder says.  “But I’ll give it a shot.”

“Cool!” Both boys yell.

Bill chooses that moment to emerge from the mudroom and steps out onto the porch.  Both boys go instantly quiet and Michael starts dribbling the basketball he’s holding.

“You boys should run and get your jackets on,” Bill says.  “It’s getting cold.”

“I’m not cold,” Michael replies.

“Yes, Sir,” Matthew answers and takes Michael’s arm.  “Thanks for the lessons, Uncle Mulder.”

“You can keep playing,” Bill says.  “I just think you need to get your jackets on.”

“That’s alright, we’ll go help Mom and Grandma in the kitchen.  Come on, Mikey.”

Michael reluctantly hands the basketball over to Mr. Mulder.  “Thanks, Uncle Mulder,” he says.

Mr. Mulder nods and then it’s just him and Bill outside.  Mr. Mulder turns and dribbles the ball a few times before he sinks a basket.  He picks it up again and holds it one-handed in Bill’s direction.

“You play?” Mr. Mulder asks.

“I’m more of a football guy,” Bill answers.

“USNA is on a great streak in the Army v Navy games.  Think they can keep it up?”

“Wouldn’t be much of a Navy man if I thought otherwise.”

“Were you on the team?”

“No.  We won all four years I was there though.  Tied one year, actually.”

“I think Scully mentioned that you dad had played one year.”

Bill can’t believe Mr. Mulder is still calling his sister, Scully.  It makes no goddamn sense.  “1957,” he answers.  “14-0, Navy.”

Mr. Mulder nods.  The conversation stalls.  Mr. Mulder rubs the back of his head for a few moments and then he looks at the door and straightens.  Bill turns and sees his sister in the window.  She comes outside, pulling her sweater tighter across her waist and crossing her arms as she steps off the porch.

“Mom says there’s about an hour left until the turkey is ready,” she says.  “Everything alright?”

“Talking sports,” Mr. Mulder says.  Dana stands close to him.  He puts a hand on her back.

“It’s good to see you, Dana.”

“You too, Bill.”

The three of them stand in awkward silence.  A wind picks up and blows dead leaves across their feet.  Bill shoves his hands in his pockets.  Dana turns to Mr. Mulder and lays a hand very lightly on his chest.

“Can you give us a minute?” Dana asks.

“Of course,” Mr. Mulder answers.  He kisses the corner of Dana’s mouth and Bill’s cheek twitches irritably.  He spins the basketball on one finger as he walks away and then tucks it snugly into the corner of the porch before he goes inside.

“I can tell you don’t want us here,” Dana says.  Straight to the point.  His sister has never been subtle.

“I think it’s you that doesn’t want to be here.  You know, every holiday Mom would always bring up the fact that it would be so nice to have all her children at the table.  I have to say I agree with her.”

Dana stares at him with a cool gaze.  “Are you trying to make me feel guilty?”

“No, I’m just telling you how it’s been.”

“All her children?”

“Alright, we don’t need to fight.”

“I’m not fighting.  I’m just wondering if she includes Charlie in that, when she yearns for all her children.”

Bill shifts uncomfortably.  “That’s between them.  Charles is…”

“Charlie is married.  His husband’s name is-”

“Patrick.  I know.  I do speak with him on occasion.”

Dana gives a brief nod.  “Were they invited to Thanksgiving?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry that we didn’t turn out how you wanted.”

“What does that mean?”

“You always wanted to follow in our parents footsteps.  Be just like Dad.  Have the doting wife, the Navy career, a house full of kids.  Everything in ship-shape order.  They made it look ideal when we were kids, but it was never ideal.”

“What kind of nonsense has that man been filling your head with?”

Dana snorts.  “The irony is, Mulder is a lot like you, Bill.  He values the sanctity of family even more than you.”

“Oh yeah, so much so he forced you to give up your only child.”

“Mulder wasn’t even there when I had to give William up.”

“Exactly.  Where was he?  Not with his family.  You can be sure I would-”

“You would, what?  Step away from the Navy?  Reject a deployment order?  What would you do, Bill?”

“It’s my job,” he says, curtly.  “It’s what I do to make sure not just my family, but every family in our country is protected.  Tara understood that when she married me.  The kids understand.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Do you know what losing her grandchild did to Mom?  Dad’s namesake, Dana.  My namesake.  How could you?”

“You sanctimonious sonofabitch,” she hisses.  “My son’s name is William Fox Mulder.  Named after Mulder’s father.  Not you, and not Dad.  And you have no idea how difficult it was for me to make that choice.  None at all.”

“Then why did you do it?  If it was so goddamn hard, why isn’t he here with us now playing with his cousins instead of with strangers?”

Dana looks away and licks the corner of her mouth.  She used to do that when she was a kid before letting loose with a temper tantrum.  He remembers her red-faced and stomping her feet, licking her lip before she exploded.

“Did you know that my life was in danger for all of my pregnancy?” she asks.  “Did you know William was kidnapped twice before he was eight months old?  Did you know that I had friends that were almost killed trying to protect him?  Did you know that I killed people in order to protect him?  Did you know that I made the biggest mistake in my life when I asked Mulder to leave us because I thought he was the one endangering our son?  Did you know that my heart felt like it was ripped out of my chest when I thought I had lost both of them forever?  Do you know that it took years for me to trust in the fact that Mulder forgave me for what I did?”

Bill feels uncomfortable and clammy.  He’s never seen his sister like this, as a child or as an adult.  She’s like fire.  Hot and terrifying.

“No,” he says.  “How could I?  Why didn’t you come to me?”

Dana raises her brow at him like he’s said something completely incredulous.  “We’re family, Bill, not friends.”

“Do you even have any friend, Dana?  Aside from Mr. Mulder?”

“I don’t need or want anyone else in my life except for Mulder.”

“Including your family?”

“Mulder is my family.  A fact I don’t ever think you’ll accept.”

“That man has poisoned you against your family.”

“That man is the reason I’m here today.  You’re right.  It is me that doesn’t want to be here.”  She turns and walks away.

“Dana.”

She doesn’t turn back though, just walks up the porch and into the house and Bill is left alone.  He doesn’t understand how he could have grown up in the same house as each of his siblings, but how they all turned out so different.  He seems to be the only one that appreciates the values his parents instilled in them and not blatantly reject the status quo.  

When Bill comes back into the house, he sees Dana and Mr. Mulder in the dining room, having a very low and animated conversation.  Her hands are in his and his head is bent towards her.  She’s shaking her head and pulling one of her arms free to gesticulate with, but he catches it and clasps their hands gently to his chest.

Bill turns away and heads back to the family room.  The boys are on the floor with Maureen, helping her arrange her dolls to her satisfaction.  Tara and his mother are on the couch in conversation.  He sits down, feeling glum and perturbed.  Dana comes into the room, Mr. Mulder behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m not feeling very well,” she says.  “Mulder is going to take me home.”

Tara glances at Bill and he shifts his gaze away from her.  

“What is it?” his mother asks.  “Do you need to lie down?  You can use the spare room.”

“No, I wouldn’t want to disrupt dinner.  I think I have a migraine coming on and I have medication at home.”

“But, Dana, it’s been so long since we’ve all been together.  Can’t you just…”

“Let Dana do what she wants to do, Mom,” Bill says.  “If she wants to go home, let her go home.”

His mother wrings her hands together.  He can’t stand the disappointment in her eyes and he doesn’t know how Dana can either.  The hugs goodbye are awkward.  The kids are confused.  

“Uncle Mulder was supposed to play Guitar Hero with us,” Michael says, after they leave.

“Some other time,” Tara tells him.  “Go wash up for dinner.”

Dinner is somber.  His mother looks like she’s on the verge of tears.  Tara tries to compensate by engaging the children in conversation, but the boys unhappily push food around on their plates and Maureen whines to be let loose.  Before they’re even done, his mother starts gathering up the dishes and bringing them into the kitchen.

“What happened?” Tara mouths at him from across the table.

Bill shrugs.  “Mom, stop.  Tara and I will take care of the dishes.  Boys, take your sister and...show your grandmother that guitar game.”

The boys looked relieved.  Matthew takes Maureen’s hand and they head to the family room.  After the leave, the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall sounds immense in the silence.

“Bill…”

Bill raises his hands in surrender.  “Dana and I had a talk,” he admits.  “It didn’t go well.”

“Is that why she left?”

“She left because she didn’t want to show up at all.”

“This really meant a lot to Mom.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Maybe the only thing you can do is just accept the fact that this is all there is.”  Tara gets up, collecting dishes before she makes her way to the kitchen.  It takes Bill some time to follow, but he gathers up plates and silverware and goes in after her.  She’s got Tupperware spread out on the counter and is trying to match lids.

“I don’t want to accept it, Tara.  I can’t.  She’s my sister.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

He scratches the back of his head and thinks, watching Tara empty dishes into plastic bowls.  “Pack me up enough of those leftovers for two.  I’m...going to go out there.”

“You should take the boys with you.”

“Why?”

“It’s unlikely they’d turn the kids away.”

That hurts because it’s probably true.  He finishes clearing the dishes for Tara and she neatly packs up leftovers and stacks them on the counter.  He grabs a sweatshirt and then goes into the family room.  The boys aren’t playing the video game, they look like they’re playing Go Fish with their grandmother and sister.

“Boys, we’re going to take a drive.”

They look at each other and then look at their father.  “Are we in trouble?” Michael asks.

“No, son.  We’re just going to take a drive.”

He can tell they’re reluctant to get up, but they do.  Tara brings them their jackets and loads their arms with the Tupperware and walks them to the car.

“Where are we going?” Matthew asks, buckling his seatbelt.

“We’re going to go see your Aunt Dana and...Uncle Mulder.”

“Really?” Michael asks.

It’s an hour-long drive.  Bill can’t think of a time he’s been alone in a car with his sons for that long.  They don’t talk and the radio isn’t offering anything decent.

“You know, Matthew, your Aunt Dana was there when you were born?”

“She was?”

“She and your grandma had come out for Christmas that year.  They visited you in the hospital and you were only a few hours old.  And...your...Uncle Mulder was there too.”  Bill shifts a little in his seat and adjusts his grip on the steering wheel.  He was a little disgruntled at the time that Mr. Mulder had shown up with Dana at the hospital, but even more so when Tara insisted he have a chance to hold the baby.  He knows photos were taken that day, but he’s never seen them.

“Did Aunt Dana and Uncle Mulder visit me too, Dad?” Michael asks.

“No, they were...they weren’t in town at that time.”

“Oh.”

“Have I ever told you the story of when your Aunt Dana won a shooting contest when she was eight?”

“Um, I don’t think we know any stories about Aunt Dana,” Matthew answers.  “Except a couple Grandma has told us.”

“I see.”  

“I want to hear it,” Michael says.  “I want to know the story.”

“Me too,” Matthew adds.

“She learned to shoot pretty young.  My Dad had taught us.  She was the best out of all of us, even Dad.  She just never missed.  Some kids in the neighborhood caught wind of it and said there was no way a little girl could beat them.  They were older than us, maybe your age, Matthew.  Dana said she could beat the pants off of them, just come out to the woods and name the target.  She whipped those boys good.  Six older boys against one little girl.”

“Did she win a prize?” Michael asks.

Bill thinks back on that day.  He’d felt a mixture of pride and anger.  He wanted Dana to win, but he also looked up to those boys.  Their pride had been injured and therefore he’d tried to convince Dana to throw the competition at one point, pulling her aside and telling her she was hurting their feelings and should let them win.  She looked him straight in the eye and told him no way in hell would she lose to a stupid boy just ‘cause.  He’d been afraid the boys would retaliate in some way, maybe hurt Dana or even start a fight with him, but they hadn’t.

“Respect,” Bill says.  “She won a lot of respect.”

“Sounds like something Maureen would do,” Matthew says.  He and Michael chuckle together.

“Maureen is more like your Aunt Melissa.  Dana was a real tomboy.  She had to do everything me and your Uncle Charles did.”

“How come…?” Matthew starts, and then clams up.

“How come what?”

“I know Aunt Melissa died a long time ago.  But, how come we’ve never met Aunt Dana before now?  Or Uncle Charles?”

“Is it because Uncle Charles married another boy?” Michael asks.

“Who told you that?” Bill asks.

“Mom said that’s why Grandma doesn’t like to talk about him and we should try to understand that Grandma comes from another time where that wasn’t ok, but that doesn’t mean it’s not ok.”

“She said that?”

“Mmhm.  She said that if anyone at church or other kids say it’s not ok, we just don’t listen to them because God doesn’t make mistakes and love is love and God wants us to love each other.”

Bill is quiet.  He can’t believe his devout and traditional wife has said something so progressive and even went so far as to instruct his children to go against the church.  Good for her, he thinks.  Maybe if his mother had thought for herself once in awhile they wouldn’t have such a fractured family.  He can’t believe that thought just crosses his mind.

“You boys listen to your mother,” Bill says.  “She’s a good woman and I’m glad you’re both more like her than like me.”

“You’re good too, Dad,” Matthew says.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, you do a really hard job and it’s important and you’re in charge of it.”

“And Mom says that’s why we shouldn’t bother you with trivial things,” Michael says.  “So you can relax when you’re home.”

Bill is quiet for a few moments and he glances at both boys in the rear view mirror.  “I want you boys to know that you’re never a bother to me.  Not ever, alright?  You can come to me with anything.  You understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” they both say.

“And to answer your question, you haven’t met your Aunt Dana or Uncle Charles before because I think...I think it’s hard for them to feel welcome.  That’s why I’m taking you out to Dana and Mulder’s house right now so I can make sure they know they’re welcome.”

“Will we get to meet Uncle Charles one day, too?” Michael asks.

“I promise that when we get home I’ll call him and ask him if he wants to come for a visit.”

“Cool,” Matthew says.  “Three new uncles and an aunt.”

The roads start to become more rural and desolate.  It’s only twilight, but it feels even darker without any streetlamps or other passing cars.  Bill turns off onto a dirt road and slowly bumps along the unpaved path.

“I think this is it,” Bill says, pulling up to a gate.

“Do they live on a farm?” Michael asks.  “It looks like a farm.”

“I don’t think so.”

Bill is about to call Dana’s phone when he sees Mr. Mulder step out onto the porch, holding what looks like a long-barreled shotgun.  He turns on the cab light of the car and then lowers the window and leans out, raising a hand in greeting.  Mr. Mulder looks like he’s squinting and then he goes back inside and turns on the porch light.  When he comes back out, he’s no longer holding the gun and he jogs down from the porch and down the path behind the gate.  Bill sees his sister come out onto the porch a few moments later.

“Bill?” Mr. Mulder asks once he’s close enough to be heard.  “What’re you doing out here?  Everything alright?”

“The boys and I brought leftovers,” Bill says.

“Uh.  Okay.  Let me just unlock the gate, just a second.”  Mr. Mulder begins to unlock some chains around the gate.  “Scully’s been nagging me to put this on a remote, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.  Drive on up, I’ll be right behind you.”

Bill drives slowly down the lane and Mr. Mulder stays in the shadow of his taillight.  He parks behind the car in front of the porch and the boys are quick to unlock their belts and scramble out of the car.

“Is this a farm?” Michael asks, running up to Mr. Mulder and taking his hand.  “Do you have cows?”

“Sorry, buddy, no cows,” Mr. Mulder answers.  “I think there might have been horses here at one time.  There are some stalls out in the field behind the house.”

Bill gathers the Tupperware from the floorboards of the passenger seat and Matthew is right behind him to help him get everything out.  Dana stands on the porch in a defensive pose, guarding her territory.

“Come in,” Mr. Mulder says.  He guides Michael up the stairs ahead of him.  Dana gives Mr. Mulder a look, but then smiles at Michael.  Tara was a genius to tell him to take the boys.

The interior surprises Bill.  It’s cozy, almost cabin-like.  There are afghans on the couch and a well-used recliner.  They’ve got a wood burning stove and a fire going.  His sister is wearing slippers.  

Mr. Mulder leads them all to the kitchen and takes the Tupperware from Matthew and from Bill.  “Be sure to thank Maggie for us,” he says.

“I will.”  There’s a few beats of silence and Bill eyes his sister.  “Dana, would you mind if we talked for a few minutes?”

She hesitates and glances at the boys.

“You guys can go on the porch,” Mr. Mulder offers.  “Maybe...these guys might like some ice cream?”

“Can we?” Michael asks, turning to Bill.

Bill nods.  Never in his life did he expect to feel gratitude towards Mr. Mulder for anything, but he does in this moment.  The boys cheer.  Dana doesn’t look happy, but she takes her brother out to the porch.

“I’m not here to fight,” Bill says.  “I just want you to know that up front.”

“Why are you here?” she asks.

“Because I don’t like the way we left things.  I want to start by apologizing for...not giving you the benefit of the doubt.  Or supporting you when you needed it.”

Dana looks surprised and a little chagrined.  Her eyes water a bit.  She wraps her arms across her middle and looks at her feet.  “Thank you,” she says.  “That means a lot.”

“I was telling the boys on the way over about that time you won the shooting contest when you were a kid.”

She snorts softly.  “You were so mad at me.”

“No, I was proud of you.  I didn’t tell you that back then, but I probably should have.  Maybe it’s because of things like that that you felt you couldn’t talk to me when you were going through a hard time.”

“Maybe.”

“What I’m not going to apologize for, though, is my life or my family.”  He pauses while she looks up and opens her mouth, but then she closes it again and nods a little.  “I don’t think I’m wrong for wanting to live in the example our parents set for us.  They were happily married for almost forty years and, God willing, I’d like to make it to my fiftieth anniversary and still be just as happy.”

“You probably will.”

“I think you might too.”

Dana raises her brow.  Bill rubs the back of his neck and exhales, deeply.  

“The kids were telling me earlier that love is love,” he says.  “And, now that I’ve seen the two of you together, I think that he kind of seems like a decent guy.”

“I wouldn’t be with him if he wasn’t.”

“No, I don’t suppose you would.”

Dana looks at her feet again and rocks back and forth on her heels for a moment.  “I would also like to apologize for keeping you in the dark about so many things for so long.  I’ve been so accustomed to needing to keep things private, I forget that I can rely on other people.  Mulder has to remind me of it at times when I start to shut him out.”

“You were like that as a kid.  Tough as nails, wouldn’t show a weakness to save your life.”

“And a quick temper.”

“Yeah, that too.”  Bill chuckles.  Dana smiles slightly.

“I’m sorry I left like that.  I hope Mom wasn’t too upset.”

“I think it might be salvaged if you thought about maybe coming by tomorrow?  The boys really seemed to take to...their Uncle Mulder.”

“He’s really great with kids,” Dana whispers and two tears fall down her cheeks.  She dips her head once more and puts a hand over her eyes.

Bill steps closer and pulls her in against his chest.  She puts her arms around him and he rubs her shoulder a little.  “I can’t imagine, Dana.  What you must feel.”

“Some days are harder than others.”

“Does he help you through it?”

“Always.”

“Okay.”

After a few moments of silence, Dana sighs and then pulls away and wipes her eyes.  Bill stops her before they go back inside.

“One more thing,” he says.  “It’s important to me that you know that I don’t agree with Mom on everything.  Just because I believe that her issues with Charles are her business, doesn’t mean I think she’s right.”

“You don’t?”

“Hell no.  That’s her son.  I would never.  The thing is, Charles has told me he chooses to limit his contact with both of us so that it won’t cause problems between us and Mom, if she knows that we speak with him.”

“I know.”

“And, thinking about what you said and just...thinking about it in general, tonight, I’ve decided that if Mom can’t handle the fact that I have a relationship with my brother, that’s also her problem.  I’m going to invite Charles and Patrick out to North Carolina for Christmas.  I want to extend the same invitation to you and Mr. Mulder as well.”

“It’s just Mulder.”

“You guys are so weird about your names.”

“That’s how we like it.”

Bill puts his hands up in surrender.  Dana opens the door and he follows.  The boys are laughing at something.  Mulder gets up from the table when he sees them and Dana walks into his arms.  He rubs her back and nods at Bill.

“Can I get you a bowl of ice cream?” Mulder asks.

“Sure.”

“Dad, did you know that Aunt Dana and Uncle Mulder once arrested a man that was half-worm and lived in a sewer?!” Michael exclaims.

“Tried to arrest,” Mulder amends.  “We only caught half of him.  The tail end, unfortunately.”

“Gross!” the boys cry.

“Really, Mulder?” Bill asks.

Mulder shrugs.  Bill sighs.

The End

[fashournalist]

Just finished watching To All the Boys I've Loved Before: Always and Forever! Now I can't stop listening to Beginning Middle and End! Sigh, it's perfect for hopeful romantics like you and me.

Also it was my first time to attend a watch party via Scener, thank you for the invite, AJ sist!!! Am happy we got to hang out again even through a virtual movie date. Someday we'll attend film festivals when the pandemic is over, looking forward to the day cinemas open again!!

Time flies indeed. I just finished reading TATBILB book 3 on May 11, 2020 and I couldn't wait for the movie to come out and now it's here!! (Trivia: I shortlisted 30+ books during Big Bad Wolf 2020 but could only afford seven books. So I got six nonfiction (as a nonfic junkie) and only one novel—this was that novel.)

I'm glad it showed that love shouldn't hinder the pursuit of dreams; and they can grow together (both as individuals and as a couple) even when they're miles apart. I've seen people do that. One of my favourite power couples studied at Harvard and UPenn respectively, and their relationship made it. They're now happily married and I'm so happy for them. Relationships like these are goals :))

I can't help but compare the book with the film, but I enjoyed the movie in itself, too. 🥰

Some changes:

It rushed the proposal to Trina;

It totally simplified the promposal to Lara Jean;

It didn't show the initial conflict between Margot and Trina

It didn't show Stormy's passing (would have been a really sad scene huhu) and Lara Jean meeting John Ambrose again.

Lara Jean also gave the memory box instead of making a scrapbook.

Peter didn't give her the best tasting cookie in New York, but it's good she tried it herself.

The film also didn't show the conflict between Lara Jean and Peter's mom.

But if there's a change I liked, it's that Peter told Lara Jean their first ever meeting through the dedication he wrote on their yearbook. In the book, Peter wrote a really short dedication (and Peter gave Lara a hot photo of him so she could post it on her dorm room haha).

I also liked the little film surprise that Kitty had a happy crush on Dae!

Oh and of course, the major changes include the schools. And I actually liked it. Though the book has beautifully captured the campus of the University of Virginia, the plan B with William and Mary, and the plot twist of University of North Carolina, I think changing them to Stanford, Berkeley and NYU made it more relatable to a worldwide audience because they're more globally well-known.

Overall, it's a film that gives you all the feels while at the same time excites you to dream big. It tackles hard topics as well such as dealing with grief and growing up in a broken family.

I felt the bittersweet feeling when a trilogy or series that you love has ended.

I could relate with Lara Jean a lot, especially on the first movie when she never had a boyfriend yet and she was just writing letters. I love letters! And I never had a boyfriend, until today. Never been kissed, never had an MU or whatever haha. Though on the dreaming side, I could relate more with Margot. I'm a huge dreamer and I want to see the world. As for Kitty, I see the little me in her. Mataray, doesn't sugarcoat. But growing up, I've become more of Lara Jean with my quirks and very sentimental self. I'm also a daydreamer like her, and an idealist. Oh and, I'm a homebody! Give me books and movies and they'll be my date haha. Am a hopeful romantic. Although, I don't bake. But I make scrapbooks since I was a kid. I put art in everything I do. And I also wore literal gift ribbons on my ponytail in highschool haha. I hope, like Lara Jean, I find my Peter K someday (or actually, John Ambrose haha). But not anytime soon. Because unlike LJ, I think I want to pursue my master's degrees (yes, plural, that's the plan hahhah and yet here I am not even applying to any school so far) as a single woman haha. Well maybe unless I meet someone who can change how I feel, someone who will not hold me back from reaching my dreams, in as much as I will not hold him back from reaching his. But until then, it's best to be single haha! As a solo traveller, there are still so many countries to see on my own. Okay I'm daydreaming now hahaha!

Thank you, TATBILB and Jenny Han for giving us LJ and Peter K. Thank you for the feels and the pastel aesthetic and the great soundtrack. Thank you for introducing me to Leah Nobel's music!! (Am now in love with Coffee Sunday NYT and Talking to the Dog at the Party, aside from Beginning, Middle, and End!)

I wish I saw more of Josh Sanderson, though (I had a second-lead syndrome during the first film!! And I loved John Ambrose, too. Jordan Fisher is one of the best)

And thank you for making me want to go back to New York because clearly I have only seen less than 0.1% of it :(

I love how you captured a glimpse of NYC's splendor in just a few minutes! Of all the places you showed, it was only Times Square that I've seen in real life. But in time, will be back, experience the city, taste the same cookie Lara tasted—the best cookie in the world. And more. I'm daydreaming again haha! Here's a little selfie I had five years ago at Broadway 😄

For now, will take a break as my Dad and I are scheduled to watch Godfather II after dinner : ) Someday I will take him around the world!!! Amen in Jesus' Name <3

Omg I was just typing this and then Dad told me stories (right now) about his dreams to travel the world and we're going to places for lovers or astronomy. He's one big astronomy junkie, I tell you.

Who needs a date when I have the best date in the world, my Dad!!

Advance happy Valentine's Day, world changers!!