#atlas williams: 003.

[cheyohara]

“Of course I would,” a slightly stressed smile turned the corners of her lips up, “but it doesn’t take away from being a little surprised as I never knew that about you.” Though, Chey supposed there was much she didn’t know about the tall man who’d spent most of his time with her older brother. A person she did her best to avoid. “Has it always been a thing or is this something you’ve recently found and have a growing interest in?”

Another reference to the sweet girl in his hold drove hazel to flicker in the toddler’s direction and move over her before quickly catching back up to Atlas’ earthy tones. Even there, the professor couldn’t hold his gaze and she’d end up focusing obscurely off or completely panning around as though she were checking out the scenes of life unfolding around them. Of which, Chey was, and it was reasonable, there was just a certain nervous quality to her movements that indicated something uneasy was bubbling under the surface. 

“Maybe you can take her when you go,” she shrugged with mild anxiousness. “It could be a cute daddy and daughter thing.” That made her smile. This was the first time really seeing him in fatherly form and nearly having been a parent herself the thoughts alone were endearing. 

“It’s okay,” the brunette assured, “I don’t mind one bit.” Perhaps her heart was cracking within her ribcage, as though she were experiencing loss all over again, but it was a pain she was more than willing to take when it came to the opportunity to hold such a sweetheart. It felt like a cruel tease of the universe of what might have been and what was no longer her future, yet this was a torture that Chey welcomed as the small warmth pressed against her side. “Aww,” the professor tucked her chin and attempted to snatch Maggie’s angelic gaze, “I hope she knows I really like her, too.” Voice soft and sweet, the back of her index finger ghosted the child’s doughy cheek.

“DNA is an interesting thing, and she might just do better than the both of you.” It was meant to sound more of a tease than the tightness of her throat allowed. Emotion was tough to keep in check and at bay, and Chey cleared her throat gently in hopes of reigning it in and willing it away. Later she could break down, right now she wanted to be present and soak up the experience. Hazel jumped up from the toddler who was sounding out some words and giggling at the rest, catching Atlas’ invitation and answering with a nod. “Shiny, and I’m sure you know how kids are, they want whatever is in your hand or someone else’s hand if it caught them.” It was how they explored and learned. “She’s okay,” another smile flashed his way, until Maggie wanted to go back to her dad Chey would hold her until her arms fell off. “Maybe it’s not the same but I’m used to lugging stacks of books and papers across campus and sometimes art materials. I’m stronger than I look.” Which was true and false, almost equally. Part of her was completely falling apart at the seams while the other was used to holding it together. / @atlaswilliams

As a teenager, he'd radiated an energy far from that of which he'd actually been. While he posed as an asshole jock with nothing better to do than stir trouble, he'd been far more layered that. His comic collection had grown weekly and his love for classic film and music had been well hidden beneath his facade.

"Would you believe me if I told you I've been thinking about joining a D&D league? I guess the comic book shop over in University meets up. I was watching a game with Mags earlier. She seemed interested too," he mentioned as his gaze fell to the toddler who had taken an unbridled interested in Chey, despite the mention of her name that was normally enough to capture her attention, if only for a few seconds.

He'd given it best shot at redirecting the toddler's curiously elsewhere, but much like her mother (and himself, he supposed), she wasn't willing to budge. "Funny, I swear she normally doesn't do this. She always latches onto me." Some days, it was hard to get anything done when all the blonde child wanted was to snuggle into his chest and tug at his beard in between fits of giggles. "Guess she really likes you."

Curiosity tugged at him as gaze swept over glossy hazel hues. He'd held a similar look plenty of times, perhaps Chey was finding as much beauty in those baby blues as he always had.

"Still trying to figure that one out. Her mom is an even bigger a-s-s-h-o-l-e than I am and that's saying something." He watched in silence for a moment as Maggie's own curiosity showed in the form of a wide eyed look. She'd always been a friendly kid to everyone, but her willingness to linger in Chey's arms was a first. A first that flooded his chest with warmth.

A drawn out 'yes' fell from the toddler's mouth, followed by the attempted echo of the word swords and a giggle from Chey's animated speech. "You want to come check out the stand with us? There's a guy making them just around the corner. I think she just likes how shiny they are. I can take her if she gets too heavy. You never know how much a kid weighs until you lug them around for awhile."

@cheyohara

[rededgeevents]

ᴏᴀᴋ ɪꜱʟᴀɴᴅ ʀᴏᴏᴍᴍᴀᴛᴇ ʟɪꜱᴛ

First Floor: 001: Silas Rivers & Sienna Johnson 002: Illiana Fuentes & Kyle Hale 003: Emersyn Michaels & Flynn Gilbert 004: Luke Myers & Emma Eklund 005: Pogue O'Connor & Elena Dawson 006: Leighton Whitlock & Elliot Booker 007: Maverick Anderson & Ocean Simmons 008: Max Turner & Nova Rockwell 009: Klaus Richards & Marc Hall 010: Sloane Ross & Marisol Monroe 011: Anastasia Hill & Lucas Roden

Second Floor: 001: Aurora Thompson & Chase Knight 002: Lana & Noah Rodgers 003: Teddy Wintson & Melody Hastings 004: Theodora Murphy & Georgina Russell 005: Jeremy Fellows & Katerina Lopez 006: Paco Florez & Ivy Fitzgerald 007: Alejandro Fuentes & Nicole Balliol 008: Brooke Barlow & TJ Cohen 009: Elijah Cavannaugh & Serena Bennett 010: Kirby Sinclair & Kennedy Simpson 011: Brittany Miller & Austin Barnes

Third Floor: 001: Logan Slater & Atlas Quinn 002: Olivia Bardot & Petra Cromwell 003: Freya Smith & Killian Quinn 004: Damon Henderson & Kinsley Argent 005: Mila Monroe & Tanner Sommers 006: Tyler Dupont & Autumn Hawthorne 007: Beau Williams & Arrow Ellington 008: Emmett Hills 009: Savannah Cooper & Paris Astor 010: Archibald Deaton x Eric Rose 011: Donny Keller & Delcan Mitchell

Fourth Floor: 001: Bradley Callan & Lucia Rossi 002: Cyrus Thompson & Jared Madden 003: Caleb Peace & Jasmine Harris 004: Valentina Lopez & Bonnie Brook 005: Alexa White & Wyatt Baker 006: Callopie Adams & Jayce King 007: Lydia Brown & Vincent Baxer 008: Shane Nichols & Devin Carter 009: Jax King & Juliette Maddox 010: Mariana Florez & Kiara Langford 011: Rosalie Collins & Jack Sterling

[bookmonsterzero]

January 2018 in Pictures

001. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014/Robert Rodriguez)

002. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom ... (2008/Steven Spielberg)

003. The BFG (2016/Steven Spielberg)

004. Always (1989/Steven Spielberg)

005. Schalcken the Painter (1979/Leslie Megahey) ⪧

006. ® Twin Peaks: The Return (2017/David Lynch)

007. Super (2010/James Gunn)

008. The Magnificent Seven (2016/Antoine Fuqua)

009. The Black Cauldron (1985/Ted Berman, Richard Rich)

010. Robin Redbreast (1970/James MacTaggart) ⪧

011. Her Man (1930/Tay Garnett) ⪧

012. ® The Sting (1973/George Roy Hill)

013. Allied (2016/Robert Zemeckis)

014. The Room (2003/Tommy Wiseau)

015. The Founder (2016/John Lee Hancock)

016. Cloud Atlas (2012/Lilly Wachowski)

017. The Panic in Needle Park (1971/Jerry Schatzberg)

018. Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014/David Lynch)

019. Torrid Zone (1940/William Keighley) 

020. Millie (1931/John Francis Dillon) 

021. The Dance of Life (1929/John Cromwell) ⪧

022. Salt for Svanetia (1930/Mikhail Kalatozov) ⪧

023. Treasure Planet (2002/Ron Clements, John Musker)

024. Brother Bear (2003/Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker)

025. Into the Abyss (2011/Werner Herzog)

026. She’s Gotta Have It (1986/Spike Lee)

027. The Killer Inside Me (2010/Michael Winterbottom)

028. Freaks and Geeks: Season 1 (1999/Paul Feig)

029.The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973/Wojciech Has)

030. Min and Bill (1930/George W. Hill)

031. The Devil Strikes at Night (1957/Robert Siodmak)

032. Orphans of the Storm (1921/D.W. Griffith)

033. The Disaster Artist (2017/James Franco)

034. ® The Jerk (1979/Carl Reiner)

035. Sherlock: Series 1 (2010)

036. Sherlock: Series 2 (2012)

037. Sherlock: Series 3 (2014)

038. Sherlock: Special (2016)

039. Sherlock: Series 4 (2017)

040. The Goddess (1958/John Cromwell)

041. Magic (1978/Richard Attenborough)

042. ® Vertigo (1958/Alfred Hitchcock)

043. Invasion U.S.A. (1985/Joseph Zito)

044. Brubaker (1980/Stuart Rosenberg)

045. Night Watch (2004/Timur Bekmambetov)

046. Day Watch (2006/Timur Bekmambetov)

074. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961/Irwin Allen)

075. Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015/Mark Burton, Richard Starzack)

076. The End of the F***ing World (2018)

077. ® First Person: Season 1 (2000/Errol Morris)

078. Black Adder II (1986)

079. Le souffle (2001/Damien Odoul)

080. A Pact with the Devil (1967/Jozef Zachar)

Best viewing experiences in bold, other recommended ones are linked. ® revisited. ⪧ YouTube.

[cheyohara]

When he sidestepped, Chey pulled away, and retreated like she always did. As Atlas rambled on about his costume, which had been very well done, hazel remained on the little glowing angel in his arms. The more she cooed the more the brunette's heart twisted in her chest. By this age, she was a master at masking her emotions on her face and her expression didn't display the hurt coiling within her ribcage.

There was some glistening in her eyes as she nodded and skillfully voided any real eye contact with the overly tall father. Chey tried her best to collect herself and hold it together.

When she was a child her hair was so light brown it could've been called dark blonde, not the same color as the golden hues Maggie possessed but enough that her thoughts ventured to the most dangerous territory.

The what ifs.

The imagined possibilities of what could have been.

"Its great," she nodded and assured of the attire he'd adorned himself with. The brunette hadn't actually expected him to go on about it as much as he had so it was easily discerned that this held some importance to Atlas. "I just had no idea this was your thing," Chey gestured loosely to the grounds surrounding them.

When the little girl shifted forward and extender her arms towards Chey, that twisting her her chest became a full on wrench. For a flash that pain was physical and a pang shot through all of what was resurfacing.

It may have been smarter to make an excuse and walk away, to save herself of the impending doom. Instead, the professor took a step closer and lifted her own arms in indication that the child could be passed to her. "I'll be your best friend, sweetie," she chimed softly as tears stung her eyes. A smile sat on her lips as bittersweet melancholy was held at bay.

"Nah, she's sweet," Chey argued and nodded that she would take Maggie. "She got this from somewhere," the brunette tacked on as she settled the toddler on her hip and smiled at the little girl while tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. Her free hand softly smoothed over the silky strands atop Maggie's head then ghosted down the line of her tiny nose.

The universe was so cruel.

When she spoke up again her voice was tight, rasped, a little shaky— "are you having fun today?" The question was posed to the girl in her arms, as Chey broke to the warmth of this little figure clutching to her body. "Your daddy says you like the swords," the brunette added as she made a wielding motion with her free hand. / @atlaswilliams

He couldn't have been any different from the teenage version of himself that he'd once put on display for the woman before him. A version of himself that, looking back on it, he wasn't too proud of. Selfish, stubborn, cold... he'd let the spite mold him into a person he barely recognized.

The cooing child in his arms fumbled with his beaded necklace in between her giggles and shy looks towards the brunette. "If you had spilled it, I would have bought you two more to make up for it. Simple math, O'Hara."

A wave of happiness washed over him as dark hues swept between the child in his arms and the woman he was getting to know all over again. To no surprise, the shy spell had passed and quiet, childish hums of a greeting were echoed into the air. "Hey, Mags, I think she hears you, kiddo," he assured with a soft kiss to the toddler's temple. Looking at the child in his arms, one wouldn't have easily guessed that she belonged to him. Her deep oceanic hues and golden blonde hair were courtesy of her mother. Though, if one looked hard enough, they'd see the mischievous grin that could easily be matched to his own.

A sarcastic exhale fell from his mouth as he side-stepped from the gentle nudge. "I'm no flower crown wearing sweetheart, but I'd like to think my friend did a pretty good job with putting me in something. Believe it or not, I only got poked a couple of times as she was trying to tailor it." It wasn't Maya's fault that he couldn't keep still, but he'd paid the ultimate price for the nervous jitters.

There was little credit he could give for his outfit of choice, but he beamed a look of pride anyway. "Thanks. A friend of mine, Maya Lee? She does this sh," he paused, his gaze dropping down to Maggie, who seemed far too enthralled by Chey to have noticed his almost mistake, "does costumes and stuff. She helped me out so I wouldn't look like a complete lost cause at this."

Maggie shifted in his arms, her own reach extended out towards the woman as if she were asking to be taken. "Mags, you're trying to leave your old man already? I'm sorry. I guess she has this new thing where if someone pays her any attention, she wants to be their best friend." Despite that trying to redirect her attention, it seemed that Maggie wanted nothing more than to be closer to her newly formed friend.

"You have jokes, but clearly you've never met her mother if you think that sweet is any way to describe her." Sage was a lot of things, but sweet? Hardly. "Gift from one of her mom's friends." Given that Yas could've even been considered as such. After a few more seconds of struggling to tame the child's movements, gaze dropped to hazel hues. "Looks like you're her new favorite. Do you mind?"

@cheyohara

[cheyohara]

As much as Chey loved literature, fantasy, and history she hadn't been to many Renaissance Faires in her time. The brunette mostly appreciated the art of that time period, and although the faire wasn't really about that as much she still did her best to check everything out.

The costumes were amazing but the mead was even better. And, truthfully, that was more the reason she attended than anything else.

There was a lighter feeling in her chest as she moved about the grounds. She stopped and spoke with some colleagues, listened to a few monologues, and even watched some jousting before she found herself crossing paths with a friend she was happy to see a lot more of these days. While the reunion with Atlas had been unsettling at first because of the memories that had surged to the surface, and Chey was going through personal hell, it was wonderful connecting with him and possibly reshaping some of her past.

An eye roll was the first response at the vertically gifted and his lame apology— "wow what a gent. You're lucky I didn't have mead in my hand. If I had spilled it..."

It wasn't the mention of the kid in his arms that had pulled her hazel attention to the precious blonde, but the sheer ethereal beauty of her under the dazzling fall sun. Despite the rapid pace of her heart and thus the flush in her cheeks, Chey smiled at the little one— "hi, sweetheart." Unable to refrain, the brunette's finger gently ghosted a soft cheek and the weight of the moment began to tighten her insides.

Tearing her glittering eyes away from the toddler, her own special mix of greens and browns met with the youthful grin on her friend's face. "I think that should be a point of pride." It was likely the shiny surface that had caught the child's attention but maybe there was a warrior spirit in that tiny frame. "Unlike your getup, though," Chey jested and gently knocked her shoulder into his arm.

"Gosh," the professor gushed, hopefully not so clearly attempting to reign in a range of emotions, "you look great! I love this." A hand gestured to Atlas efforts as she fully took in his costume.

There was some minor avoidance happening and a bit of a ringing sound in her ears.

The gentlest push put her eyes right back on that golden child in Atlas fatherly hold, and Chey smiled again. "She's so sweet and adorable," she glanced at him, "definitely not your doing." A nervous churn began in her stomach. Since... well, she hadn't really been this up close and personal with a small child, since then.

That sound Maggie made was like an angel's exuberance.

"Pleasure to meet you, Maggie. Did you make that pretty crown on your head?" / @atlaswilliams

location — first annual renaissance faire.

character — @cheyohara

Having never been to a renaissance faire before, he knew little about what to expect, despite having dressed the part for it. The breeze that tickled his exposed chest was welcomed as a smiling Maggie pulled at the necklaces he'd been directed to wear. If it hadn't of been for a friendly face helping him toss something together, he would have lost.

The flower crown atop his blonde daughter's head was all Sage's doing. While she had no interest in parading around the faire itself, she'd gone all out when he mentioned his own interest. "You know, kid, you're stealing my thunder," he teased quietly under his breath as he pressed a kiss to the child's temple. It earned quite the laugh and had triggered a much wider smile on his mouth.

One side step later and his much larger frame was brushing someone in passing. "My bad." He'd barely gotten the half-assed apology out when he recognized the smaller frame he'd backed into. "I'm blaming the kid. She got a little excited over the swords and I was trying to show her a closer look. Not sure if I should be impressed, or scared, but," he trailed off, that smale boyish grin lit up on his features. "Maggie, this is a friend of mine. Can you say Chey?"

Shy as ever, the blonde hid her face in Atlas' neck before shifting around and giving the name her best attempt with the lightest giggle the world had ever heard. "Chey, this is Maggie."