#apologies for my extensive research and subsequent word vomit regarding filipino foods

[knight-in-baggy-sweatpants]

once again cannot get this post out of my brain but this time i'm thinking about the little "diner dates" they'd go on, and also that trope where siblings, even if they didn't grow up together, have the same or similar favorite foods(as seen in The Parent Trap(1998) with the Oreos dipped in peanut butter).

i think they both really have a taste for spicy, garlic-y, and/or umami/"pungent" foods, and this further delves into my headcanons for their parents. i personally think David was either a 1st or second gen immigrant, and if it's 1st gen then the Artinos probably came to America when he was very very young(this is primarily because canon states he really loves spaghetti and meatballs which is an American-Italian immigrated version of regular Italian spaghetti). i also think the Artinos are from Northern Italy, whose food is less tomatoes, peppers, pasta, fish, and olive oil, and more rice, cheese, wine, pork, butter, and soups. this is honestly mostly because i think it blends better with Filipino cuisine and allows more cohesive fusions. Filipino foods, while very regional, commonly include pork, garlic, rice, vinegar, soy sauce, and spice(commonly paprika—as in meat seasonings—or fresh peppers).

according to my research(yes i did have to look it up), Maggie would have been plenty old enough to be eating solid foods before The Tragedy occurred, so she obviously would've eaten some of those foods, and y'know with Nova that's just obvious.

all this is to say, the very first "diner date" they go on is probably to some little family-owned Filipino food stall in an outdoor Asian market for breakfast and they decide to keep their orders a secret from each other so they can surprise each other with their taste in food and(going back to the first part of this post, you see where i'm going with this) they both end up ordering the same exact thing(in my mind i think it would be silog, which is just garlic rice and a fried egg usually served with tocino/longanisa, which is the Phillipines' take on bacon/sausage).

Nova and Maggie, Broken clasp duo (i love that name so much omg anyways), post canon, post reveal and all the drama that would bring: I love the idea of both of them going on small (PLATONIC) dates every now and then.

I love to think about how the two of them would deal with their different perceptions of the other PreReveal. The sister each never got to have. The What Ifs they've built over the years, and now have a real person to be compared to.

Reveal would come with a lot of angst i've discussed b4, but once everything (for the most part) has settled.. Nova and Maggie get to learn about each other. Get to learn who their sister ACTUALLY IS

And what better way than finding time to just. Hang out.

Once they might just walk around the city and talk about whatever comes to mind, what their childhoods looked like, maybe even show the places they visited the most.

They find a diner and order, find out what the other's favorite foods are, DO they have a favorite food, oh look there is a dish NEITHER have tried LETS TRY IT because WHY NOT

Order the WHOLE MENU over time (or all at once because Nova has MONEY NOW WAAAOOOOOOWW poor financial decisions her friends would SO ENCOURAGE) and give their reviews

Nova teaches Maggie how to shoot, the best tips and tricks she's learned over the years. Maggie doesn't know how to feel from the experience, so used to having a limited range with her telekinesis that using something like a shotgun, FEELING the bullet leave at such a speed and go so far.. it's...

It's something alright!

she'll figure out later if its a good thing

Going to an antique shop with a budget ("We have money. If i find out you steal anything I will make your life a living nightmare" "I heard you the last 80 times on the way here. Can we go in now?") and get to look at all the pretty things, Maggie easily spots the most valuable things and Nova gets to learn more about the specifics of her sisters power. They even find some uranium glass! So they of course buy it.

Just. Things like that.

And they'll get to learn all the ways they are SO. SIMILAR. TO. EACH OTHER. its MINDBOGGLING like "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE" insanity "the children's hom-" "no- yep yep I realized as I said it"

and both would get to feel the survivals guilt while also being like "why are YOU guilty?? thank GOD youre here!" (maggie to my hcs would be like "PSH im not guilty! Im great. I survived. Woo. WOO! (she's trying to convince herself cuz psshh she PRIDES herself on her survival she can't feel GUILTY FOR THAT that goes AGAINST her survival smh ur dumb for suggesting it)(survivals guilt over callum's death ahem hem hemmm))

This would be in addition to the family therapy I'd sure HOPE they'd start going to. Last of the Artino bloodline need COUNSELING