#but also running away from his hometown and feeling ashamed whenever he's had to return

[xthelastknownsurvivorx]

thinking about popular high school senior li xiangyi with undiagnosed adhd doing a million academic and extra curricular things to avoid thinking about his shifu and shiniang's messy divorce and getting into his dream school, only to burnout hard core freshman year of college and drop out

[green-eyed-whumpster]

My OC Universe: Rowan 114

Chapter 114 Summary: Rowan finally meets his father’s new children. (Tags: @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi, @much-ado-about-whumping, @abitefullofeverything, @whump-me-all-night-long, @sky-or-something-idfk and @tears-and-lilies)

Trigger Warnings: PTSD whumpee, reference to domestic abuse

Rowan managed to get his tears under control just before the flurry of footsteps from before returned down the stairs. John’s head immediately turned, ready to face his children before they could swarm Rowan.

“Give me a moment,” He said softly. “I’ll stop them from barging in,” Rowan held out a hand as he went to get up and stopped him.

“You-you said I could meet them?” He said softly. “Could I meet them now?” John hesitated for a moment, his face optimistic.

“You want to meet them now?” He asked and Rowan nodded.

“If that’s all right,”

John nodded enthusiastically and stood up.

“Let me get them,” He smiled and moved out to the kitchen where the sound was emanating.

“Do I look like I’ve been crying?” Rowan asked Peter.

“No,” He answered, shaking his head. “Have something to drink, that’ll help,” Rowan nodded and picked up his icy tea, taking a deep gulp before noticing John’s form returning in the doorway.

“I have someone very important I’d like you to meet,” He said softly to the creatures around his ankles. The tallest child was carrying the youngest, and the middle child was clutching her father’s leg nervously. “This is my first son, Rowan,” The boy stood up in response and freed himself of the confines of the table to properly look at the children.

“Hello,” He said quietly, too afraid to wave.

The two sons had dark hair, like their mother’s, and huge brown eyes, the light colour of fresh honey. The daughter had light hair, tinged with red and deep hazel like her father’s, a messy fringe hid her eyebrows from his gaze and their round cheeks were well-fed and rosy.

He remembered reflections of himself, at their age, scrawny and malnourished. His limbs were nought more than skin stretched over bone, and he could feel the vertebrae in his spine when he felt his back. His cheeks were always sallow and his skin an ugly grey colour. His hair would stick out awkwardly from cutting it himself, matted with dirt and oil, giving him the appearance of a wet rat.

A part of him loathed the angelic creatures standing before him, their healthy and loving childhood, being fed and adored like he desired to be. He loathed that he was the only one who had to remember what his father was like, and how cruel he was before. And a part of him loathed himself, for thinking so horribly about children who had done nothing to him, but be lucky enough to have missed their father’s alcoholism.

“This is Michael, Lucille and George,” John said gently, indicating to the children. Michael was the oldest, Rowan turned his attention to the daughter, John had called her Lucille. Even the title his mother shared with her created a desire within him to be near to her.

“It’s nice to meet you,” He said softly, smiling slightly as he carefully lowered himself into a crouch, hoping that they would accept him.

“Hello,” Michael said softly, breaking away from his father and stepping forward to hold out a small hand to Rowan. He felt his cheeks pulling up as he smiled in excitement and shook the hand extended to him.

“Hi, Michael,” He whispered as Olivia looked over, catching the girl’s attention.

“Puppy!” She exclaimed and raced over, small hands rubbing messily over Olivia’s head.

“Lucille, honey, don’t do that,” John sighed, stepping forward.

“It’s all right,” Rowan said softly. “She won’t bite,” His father stopped and looked at his daughter again before nodding.

“This is George.” Michael held out the toddler in his arms and Rowan giggled softly as he gurgled.

“Hi George!” Rowan held out his hands and bit his lip excitedly as the child grasped his hands, Michael put George down and he toddled closer to press his face against Rowan’s stomach, arms reaching as far as they could to hug him. Peter watched happily as Rowan’s eyes lit up and he eagerly scooped up the child.

“Are you dad’s son?” Michael asked bluntly.

“Ye-yes, I am,” Rowan answered cautiously, as George reached up and grabbed fistfuls of his hair.

“Why didn’t you stay with dad?” Michael asked as Lucille fell against his leg, still faithfully petting Olivia’s head.

“I…I wanted to leave our hometown,” He said nervously, glancing up to John, who was watching uncomfortably. “I got…a job, helping a tailor. And my father and I lost touch.” Michael’s inquisitive gaze softened and he nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“So, if our dad is also your dad, does that mean you’re our brother?” He asked suddenly, catching Rowan off-guard, distracted by George’s hands grabbing his ears and trying to get his attention.

“If-if you’d like me to be,” He managed to say before George’s hand reached for his mouth. “I’d like to,” He added and smiled as George fell back to sit on his leg.

“Of course he’s your brother,” John said, crouching behind Michael. “But, he’s grown up, now, I don’t think he’d want to live with you and Lucille bickering all the time and George grabbing his face, I’m sorry about him.” He reached forward to take the boy and Rowan shook his head.

“It’s all right, I don’t mind,” He bounced George carefully on his leg and chuckled softly.

“What about him?” Michael asked, looking at Peter. “Is he also your son?”

“No!” John groaned in exasperation, grabbing Michael by the waist and pulling him back. “What’s with all the questions? You don’t usually care this much about people who visit,”

“People who visit you aren’t usually our brother.” Michael snapped back.

“He’s very clever,” Peter commented and the boy turned his gaze back to him.

“He’s very blunt.” John replied. “I’m sorry, he should have better manners.”

Amelia appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron, and smiled at the scene before her.

“Dinner is almost ready, if you’d like to join us,” She offered, it was a very tempting offer, and as Rowan turned his sight back to George, he was eager to accept.

But another part of him longed to be out of the house, away from the perfect life his father had now that he wasn’t a part of it. As beautiful as his half-siblings were, he couldn’t help but hate the way their father had loved them unconditionally always, while the only person Rowan trusted was a man he had met years ago who he lived with for only a couple of months. When a man who gave – if reluctantly – you to a group of malicious soldiers is still the only one in the world you want to be with, then what does that say about him? Or his life?

“Oh, thank you so much, but we won’t impose any longer.” He smiled weakly.

“It’s no trouble,” Amelia insisted. “We have plenty,”

“No, really, it’s so kind of you, but I promised to buy Rowan dinner,” Peter said, standing up. “Perhaps some other time, if the invitation still stands.” John nodded, pulling himself back up to his full height to show them out.

“Of course! We’d be happy to have you, whenever you’re available,” He said. “Come now, George, let Rowan up,” The small boy crawled off Rowan’s lap and he felt a moment of conflicting relief and sadness. He liked having the child in his lap, if he could not have his father bring him up with this kindness then at least he could be welcomed into the new family.

“Thank you, father,” He said as he pulled himself to his feet. “For letting me see the portrait, and telling me about her,”

“Oh, absolutely!” John exclaimed. “I only wish I could’ve done it sooner.” Rowan smiled sheepishly at him as Peter rested his discarded coats over his shoulders.

“Um, thank-thank you for your hospitality, I hope we can see each other again soon,” Rowan made his way to the door as quickly as he could without making it obvious.

~

Rowan tried to remain strong, he tried to hide his tears from Peter, but he only managed to reach the alleyway before the sobs racked at his chest and he had to stop, resting against the wall with one hand as he covered his face.

“Rowan, what’s wrong?” Peter asked softly, turning to shield his front from any passers-by.

“No-nothing!” He gasped, struggling to control his crying.

“Come now, Rowan, you’re a wreck,” Peter gently cupped Rowan’s cheeks to stop them from freezing as his tears hit the icy air. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, or don’t know, but I just hate to see you so distraught!” Rowan shook his head softly and sniffed heavily.

“I’m ashamed,” He whispered. “I’m so ashamed, even while holding my…my brother, I couldn’t help but feel such a strong hatred for him.” He turned his wet gaze up to Peter and swallowed. “I’m such an awful person.”

“No you aren’t,” Peter said firmly. “Why shouldn’t you be jealous? You’ve been running from people who hurt you your whole life, and your father was the primary abuser. Now you learn that he’s picked up his act, gotten married and had more children, that he actually loves, why shouldn’t you feel slighted?” He stepped closer and embraced Rowan in a loose way that he liked when he was upset. “Your father may not have intended for all of the pain you were put through, but it doesn’t change the fact that you were tortured. And maybe you have reason to resent them somewhat –“

“I don’t resent them!” Rowan exclaimed. “No, no, they’re gorgeous! But, I only…I want to be a part of it. And I can’t. I’ll always be at the edge of their happy family. Even if father is a different person, I still represent who he used to be, and I can’t be anything else.”

“Just remember, you’ll always be an important part of my family,” Peter said softly. “You don’t need to worry about your place here,” Rowan’s arms finally lifted to embrace Peter back and he smiled slightly.

“Thank you, Peter,” He said as he pulled them closer. “I’m going to stop crying so much, I promise,” He added playfully as they stepped apart.

“I don’t want you to bottle everything up, though,” Peter insisted. “I don’t mind you crying.”

“Ugh. But I’m always crying. I want to try and stop.” Rowan said as they began walking to the mouth of the alley. “I like being happy.” Peter smiled as he rested an arm across Rowan’s shoulders, keeping him tight to his side.

“I like you being happy, too.” He replied. “Now, enough of that, I promised you a dinner, and I’m going to buy you a dinner,”

[ofsage]

is that [MATTHEW DADDARIO]? no, that’s just [SAGE SLATER]. [HE/HIM] is [TWENTY-EIGHT] years old and is a [PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR]. rumor has it they’ve been in town for [ALMOST HIS ENTIRE LIFE]. on a good day, they’re [ASTUTE & JOCUND]. but watch out! they can also be [RECKLESS & UNRULY]. [LOWLIFE BY NECK DEEP] plays in my head whenever i think of them. can’t wait to see them around springhill! [sam, 23, est, she/her]

hey there demons! it’s me...sam, and i was here briefly once but i decided it might be time to retire the muse i had brought in, so i’m back with a brand new muse that’s still a lot like the last one so please message me if you would like to plot!

i. stats

𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕖: sage silvestre slater

𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕠��𝕟: springhill, new jersey

𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕓𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕙: june 1st, 1991

𝕫𝕠𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕔: gemini

𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: bisexual

𝕠𝕔𝕔𝕦𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: private investigator

𝕚𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕗𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪: dr. rosemary slater good ( mother ), professor of psychology at ucla & corwin slater ( father ), retired detective of the springhill police department.

𝕡𝕠𝕤. 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕤: astute, jocund, ebullient, well-meaning.

𝕟𝕖𝕘. 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕤: reckless, unruly, flippant, puerile.

ii. history

sage silvestre slater was born and raised in springhill, new jersey. at the time, his mother had a small practice in town while his father was an officer rising quickly through the ranks at the local police department.

he was a precocious kid, but more often than not his natural intelligence was overshadowed by an ostensible inability to sit still and constant antics. ( a diagnosis of adhd later on would explain some of this behavior. ) his teachers were nonplussed and unsure of what to do with him, but his father had a plan.

sage’s father saw potential in him and decided that he would train his son, honing his raw skills and molding him into the perfect detective. five years old when the lessons and lectures began, sage was too young to question his entire life being planned out for him, which often led to feelings of confusion and dejection when he was scolded for spending his time on the things he had a genuine interest in : games, movies, television, spending time with his friends. typical kid stuff that he wasn’t allowed to enjoying.

he was eleven years old when his parents officially divorced, an event he could have handled well by itself, but it led to his mother accepting a job offer all the way in california. he felt abandoned and his father floundered. he was never the parent who dealt with emotions. he eventually decided that his solution was to simply ignore it. he didn’t even try to talk to sage about the divorce or his mother leaving or any of his problems ever.

fishing trips ( something he’s always hated ), rides in the passenger seat of his cruiser ( dampened by lectures on police procedures that he had no interest in ), regular visits to the shooting range ( where it was quickly discovered that he’s a crack shot but he hated it after trying it once ). his father tried everything except talking and listening.

sage was so frustrated and angry that he started acting out. he was getting constant detentions at school and his perpetually middling grades plummeted. he argued with his father every day and broke curfew every night. he bought a motorcycle at sixteen and at seventeen, he dropped out of school and left town in the middle of the night.

it was the first time in his life that he had ever felt freedom. no teachers, no arguments, no controlling father breathing down his neck. he spent a couple months simply wandering around the country, picking up random odd jobs just for the fun of it ( and for the cash ). he had no permanent residence, no responsibilities and no attachments. it was practically paradise for him except for one thing : he can’t turn it off.

he was working as a cashier at some convenience store in the middle of nowhere when it was robbed by several figures in masks that completely covered their faces. sage solved the case with minutes to spare before the police arrived and he immediately told them who to go arrest. the story generated headlines that went viral, and for once in his life he hated the attention he was receiving...until the offers started pouring in.

he found out that people were willing to pay him to solve their mysteries : everything from people asking him to locate their missing keys to assisting police departments around the country with cases, often ones that were labeled unsolvable until he came along.

maybe he wasn’t a police officer at heart...but he was certainly a detective.

by the time he returned to his hometown, sage felt like he was gone for several lifetimes when it had only been a few months. he started renting a cheap apartment and avoided his dad for as long as possible. ( he found out through the local rumor mill that the man had finally retired while he was gone. ) a steady stream of cases kept him busy until one in particular left him stumped and he didn’t know where else to go for advice, except the person who taught him everything he knows about solving a puzzle.

his father disapproved of the business ( which didn’t surprise sage at all ), but would ultimately begin to offer advice whenever his son approached him with a difficult case. the two are currently working on improving their relationship, but often fall back on their old habit of petty squabbling.

PERSONALITY : the textbook definition of man - child. spends his free time playing video games, watching movies and eating snacks. has a joke or sarcastic remark prepared for every single occasion and he takes almost NOTHING seriously. constant obscure pop culture references mixed with eerily accurate statements about a complete stranger can make him difficult to hold a conversation with, but he’s also affable and witty. he’s an extremely loyal friend who’s always there when it counts, but not the best person to trust with the little things because he will fuck up somehow. does ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING purely for the fun of it. a literal genius who’s borderline ashamed of his intelligence.

iii. extras

sage is hyper - observant and highly skilled at deductive reasoning. he can look at something for all of five seconds and then hours later he’s describing it perfectly, right down to even the tiniest detail. he often learns things about people through his observations rather than through conversation, which he sometimes forgets and so he slips up and says weird things to people about themselves.

he loves movies and television. there’s always something on in the background when he’s working on a case, and most of the time it’s something obscure and / or 80s.

takes adderall for his adhd, but he’s really irresponsible about it so from day to day whether or not he’s on his medication is honestly a toss up.

HUGE COMMITMENTPHOBE. it’s likely part of his abandonment issues. he tries to avoid relationships altogether, but if he gets into one then he’s a total disaster and usually resorts to self - sabotaging when things are going well so that he isn’t abandoned again.

in high school he was captain of the baseball team and he played football and basketball. he had his letters and probably would’ve gotten noticed by scouts if he hadn’t dropped out and run away from home.

he has a sweet tooth, which is obvious due to his diet of nothing but candy, snacks, and junk food. he’s always hungry and usually always eating because he somehow always has food on him.

he was probably born late and has continued the trend by never ever being on time even once in his life.

wears mismatched converse high top sneakers : one green, one blue. a decision made because one day he just could not find either of the other shoe has turned into a fashion statement and is now one of his most distinctive quirks.

drives a norton motorcycle that he basically built from scratch himself and it’s his child. he loves it and he drives it everywhere to the point where’s racked up A LOT of unpaid parking tickets in town.

he’s well known for sticking his nose into the local police department’s cases. he might occasionally provide useful information, but for the most part he’s probably viewed as a nuisance who gets by on his father’s goodwill.

iv. wanted connections

lifelong best friend / watson to his sherlock *wc on the main

cousins ( maternal and paternal, don’t necessarily have to be from springhill so almost anything goes for this )

friends

clients AND people he’s investigated

enemies / people who find him annoying

high school friends

exes / flings / one night stands

( these are just a few base ideas, so please don’t feel limited by what’s listed here! )

[baromtm-blog]

⋆ ╰  another  year  at  hollingsworth  ,  another  year  of  the  big  six  rivalry  .  i  hear  that  BAROM  BANG  is  ensuring  PHI  GAMMA  IOTA  gets  a  solid  pledge  class  and  stays  at  the  top  of  the  ranks  . oh  ,  you’re  not  familiar  with  HIM  ?  ROMY  is  the  KIM  YUGYEOM  look  alike  from  CHARLESTON  ,  SOUTH  CAROLINA .  apart  of  PC  ‘16  ,  he  is  majoring  in  FINE  /  STUDIO  ARTS  and  has  plans  to  DEBUT  HIS  ARTWORK  AT  A  RENOWNED  MUSEUM  after  undergrad  .  it  makes  sense  they  pledged  their  house  ,  their  SAGACIOUS  &  CHIVALROUS  attributes  make  them  perfect  matches  .  however  ,  their  PUERILE  &  CONCUPISCENT  attributes  keep  their  name  alive  on  greek  rank .  if  you  don’t  catch  them  dancing  to  PLAYING  GAMES  -  SUMMER  WALKER  at  a  fraternity  band  party  this  year  ,  you’ll  be  sure  to  catch  them  nursing  their  morning  hangover  at  THE  LOFT  APARTMENTS  . cheers to  another  wild  semester  !

          hi  babies ,  it’s  ares  again  with  another  muse  !  he  is  a  slight  mash  of  the  chara  i  was  originally  gonna  bring  to  the  group ,  but  decided  that  i  like  this  version  much  better  !  i  won’t  talk  your  ears  off  about  myself  or  anything  since  i  know  this  intro  is  about  to  be  ...  how  do  i  say  ...  lengthy  as  it’s  very  background  /  family  history  heavy .  but  as  always ,  i  can’t  wait  to  write  with  everyone  (  again  !  )  and  i’m  not  ashamed  to  admit  that  j*stin  b*eber’s  ‘ journals  ’  helped  a  lot  with  muse  lmao . i’m  also  a  complete  IDIOT  who  reblogged  the  same  gifset  twice  but  i  refuse  to delete  it  because  yugyeom  is  beautiful ,  don’t  fight  me  on  that .

trigger  warnings :  detailed  talk  of  religion ,  minor  mentions  of  death ,  poor  writing ,  and  sugaring .

korean name  :  bang  ba-rom .

preferred spelling / arrangement  :  barom  bang .

nicknames  :  romy  /  romey  and  romeo  (  by  his  older  sister  only  ) . 

birthday  /  age  :  february  14th ,  1998  /  21 .

zodiac  :  aquarius .

pronouns  :  he  /  him  or  they  /  them .

gender  :  genderfluid .

sexual  orientation  :  bisexual .

romantic  orientation  :  biromantic .

height  :  6′0″  (  six  foot  ,  zero  inches  ) . 

hometown  :  charleston ,  south  carolina .  (  click !  )

current  location  :  savannah ,  georgia .

nationality  :  korean - american .

ethnicity  :  korean .

languages  spoken  :  english ,  korean ,  japanese ,  elementary  latin ,  and  conversational  mandarin .

bang  family  inspo  :  the  greenleafs  (  greenleaf  )  ,  the  gemstones  (  the  righteous  gemstones  )  ,  and  the  osteens .     

          𝖎𝖙  𝖜𝖆𝖘  𝖙𝖍𝖊  𝖘𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖗  of  1958  when  𝑘𝑖𝑚  𝑗𝑖-𝑚𝑖𝑛  was  born  in  sydney ,  australia  to  dong-wook  and  sook-ja ,  immigrants  from  seoul ,  south  korea .  the  family  was  small ,  but  loving  as  it  was  fueled  with  love ,  patience ,  and  the  parents’  love  for  the  lord .  ji-min  grew  up  in  a  home  that  was  religious ,  but  not  to  the  extreme ,  as  she  was  expected  to  go  to  bible  study  on  wednesdays  and  attend  service  on  sundays .  dong-wook  and  sook-ja  were  pillars  of  their  community  --  they  hosted  potlucks  after  service ,  always  had  small  cookouts  whenever  they  felt  the  need  to ,  and  they’d  give  the  clothes  off  of  their  backs  if  someone  needed  clothes .  overall ,  the  kims  were  the  neighbors  that  everyone  wanted ,  so  everyone  around  them  was  crushed  when  the  kims  decided  to  leave  behind  australia  for  the  states  --  specifically ,  south  carolina .

          𝖙𝖍𝖊  𝖋𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖞  𝖔𝖋  𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊  settled  in  the  city  of  charleston ,  south  carolina  and  during  this  time ,  dong-wook  and  sook-ja  came  up  with  the  idea  to  open  their  own  church .  so ,  in  the  late  1960s ,  songbird  church  was  born .  of  course ,  the  congregation  was  small  (  as  was  the  church  building  itself  )  and  the  kims  paid  their  way  through  divinity  school  in  order  to  become  pastor  and  first  lady  respectively .  through  the  years ,  the  congregation  at  songbird  began  to  grow  to  the  point  where  they  were  able  to  purchase  a  bigger  building ,  and  the  kims  were  once  again  pillars  of  their  community .  during  this  time ,  ji-min  met  a  member  of  the  congregation  named  𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑔  𝑗𝑜𝑛𝑔-𝘩𝑦𝑢𝑛  who  was  only  a  year  older  than  the  then  fourteen  year  old .  the  couple  dated  for  four  years  before  getting  married  in  1982 ,  about  four  months  after  ji-min  turned  eighteen .

          𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍  𝖙𝖍𝖊  𝖉𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖕𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙  𝖔𝖋  technology ,  it  was  the  start  of  1986  when  songbird  was  first  televised  and  thus  changed  from  songbird  church  to  songbird  ministries .  dong-wook  and  sook-ja  drew  in  a  large  amount  of  viewers  through  their  channel ,  and  it  was  soon  that  they  were  moving  their  church  once  again  to  a  bigger  building .  ji-min  and  jong-hyun  decided  to  head  off  to  harvard’s  divinity  school  to  help  run  the  church  as  co-pastors .  soon,   the  televised  services  were  being  given  in  english ,  spanish ,  and  korean ,  one  of  the  first  churches  to  do  so .  three  years  later ,  ji-min  and  jong-hyun  welcomed  their  first  child ,  𝒏𝒂-𝒚𝒆𝒐𝒏 ,  in  the  winter  of  1989 .  after  the  birth  of  na-yeon ,  the  bangs  were  soon  having  the  second  child ,  a  son  named  𝒋𝒊-𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒍 ,  in  1993 . 

          (  death  tw  )  𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖇𝖎𝖗𝖉  𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘  𝖍𝖆𝖉  𝖎𝖙𝖘  first  tragedy  when  dong-wook  passed  unexpectedly  from  a  heart  attack  in  1995 .  considering  that  dong-wook  and  sook-ja  never  had  any  other  children ,  the  position  of  lead  pastor  was  given  to  ji-min  and  jong-hyun  was  considered  to  be  the  ‘  first  husband  ’  of  the  church .  sook-ja  took  on  the  role  of  co-pastor  as  she  was  getting  older ,  and  would  often  lead  women’s  retreats  and  things  of  the  sort .  three  years  after  dong-wook’s  unexpected  death ,  jong-hyun  and  ji-min  welcomed  their  third  baby ,  another  son  named  𝒃𝒂-𝒓𝒐𝒎 .  it  was  a  year  later  when  sook-ja  decided  to  formally  retire  from  songbird ,  leaving  the  church  in  the  hands  of  jong-hyun  and  sook-ja .  the  two  of  them  brought  new  ideas  to  the  table  and  soon ,  the  church  grew  even  more  than  it  had  in  its  near  30  years  that  it  had  been  open .

          𝖎𝖓  𝖙𝖍𝖊  𝖘𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌  𝖔𝖋  2000 ,  the  final  bang  baby  was  born ,  a  healthy  baby  girl  named  yuna .  the  family  continued  to  hold  high  positions  within  their  community ,  and  everyone  knew  their  names  wherever  they  went ,  and  in  the  fall  of  2008  the  family  opened  the  doors  of  the  songbird  ministries  campus ,  where  they  were  able  to  seat  16.9k  congregates .  by  this  time ,  na-yeon  was  attending  duke’s  divinity  school  with  aspirations  of  becoming  a  co-pastor  at  songbird  while  ji-cheol  was  a  youth  pastor .  so ,  where  did  that  leave  little  ba-rom  ?

          𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒  𝖆  𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖌  𝖆𝖌𝖊 ,  barom  knew  that  he  didn’t  want  to  be  a  part  of  songbird .  while  he  did  love  the  church  and  everything ,  he  knew  that  being  a  pastor  wasn’t  in  the  cards  for  him .  much  like  many  middle  children ,  barom  felt  like  he  was  often  overlooked  or  ignored ,  so  his  parents  didn’t  really  pay  much  attention  as  he  did  what  he  wanted  to .  it  didn’t  help  that  na-yeon  would  often  cover  for  him .  barom  was  the  child  who  only  embraced  his  church  boy  image  when  it  was  necessary  for  him ,  and  when  he  reached  high  school  and  would  often  find  himself  sitting  across  from  the  principal ,  his  favorite  phrase  was  ‘  don’t  you  know  who  my  parents  are  ?  ’   barom ,  even  though  he  was  often  overlooked ,  was  ridiculously  spoiled  by  his  parents .  during  his  summers  away  from  charleston ,  he  was  often  spending  time  at  the  family’s  summer  house  in  the  hamptons  or  when  winter  break  rolled  around  he  was  jetting  off  to  the  aspen  mountains  for  some  snowboarding .

          𝖉𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌  𝖍𝖎𝖘  𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖙𝖍 ,  𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖒  had  an  affinity  for  the  arts ,  particularly  fine  arts .  he  liked  going  to  museums ,  he  enjoyed  getting  new  art  supplies  for  christmas  or  his  birthday ,  and  he  often  took  home  first  place  whenever  he  entered  into  his  school’s  art  competitions .  this  explains  why  after  he  graduated  from  high  school ,  he  began  to  look  into  art  programs  at  various  schools .  the  summer  before  attending  college  (  ultimately  at  hollingsworth  u.  )  barom  goes  off  to  italy  to  take  a  summer  long  art  course .  he  was  staying  in  venice  and  spent  most  of  his  days  sketching ,  painting ,  and  making  memories  until  he  encountered  a  man  a  few  years  older  than  him .  at  only  twenty  six ,  the  man  was  wealthy  and  liked  to  flaunt  it ,  especially  with  a  wide - eyed  barom .  they  spent  time  on  the  man’s  yacht ,  partying  with  other  wealthy  italian  locals .  funnily  enough ,  at  that  time ,  barom  only  wanted  one  thing  from  the  man  --  his  money .

          𝖔𝖋  𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊 ,  𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖒  𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉  pay  his  own  way  and  do  whatever  he  wanted ,  but  there  was  something  about  being  able  to  bat  his  eyelashes  and  make  someone  weak  in  the  knees  that  made  him  feel  powerful .  in  essence ,  barom  had  become  a  sugar  baby ,  and  he  was  perfectly  content  with  that .  no  one  could  tell  him  no ,  and  boy  was   he bratty  if  they  even  attempted  to .  the  summer  comes  to  a  close  and  he’s  back  stateside  to  attend  his  first  year  of  college ,  and  all  goes  well .  during  this  time ,  barom  decides  to  pledge  phi  gamma  iota ,  the  epitome  of  nice  boy  frats ,  but  barom  was  nothing  close  to  a  nice  boy .  during  his  second  semester ,  barom  became  involved  with  his  second  sugar  daddy ,  a  rolling  in  dough  man  in  his  forties  who  was  bound  to  take  over  his  father’s  oil  company  in  texas .  the  man  was  on  vacation  in  savannah ,  ga  (  with  his  wife ,  no  less  )  when  he  encountered  barom  at  a  lively  nightclub  in  town .  he  may  have  only  been  eighteen ,  but  barom  soon  had  the  man  tipsy  and  wrapped  around  his  finger ,  whispering  sweet  nothings  into  his  ear  while  getting  what  he  wanted . 

          𝖙𝖍𝖊  𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕  𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖚𝖊��  𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓  after  the  man  returned  to  texas ,  but  that  didn’t  stop  barom  from  going  to  live  his  best  life  in  new  york  over  the  summer .  once  again  he  spent  time  focusing  on  his  art  in  a  new  city ,  but  he  also  found  himself  playing  the  same  tricks  on  a  man  in  his  thirties ,  who  became  trapped  under  barom’s  thumb  with  only  a  few  kisses  on  his  neck  and  his  skilled  usage  of  his  ‘  fuck  me  ’  eyes .  out  of  the  sugar  daddies  that  he’s  had ,  the  one  from  new  york  was  the  only  one  that  he  had  ever  been  intimate  with .  to  barom ,  this  one  was  a  bit  different  for  whatever  reason  and  the  two  decided  one  night  to  go  out  to  an  upscale  club  in  manhattan .  the  two  sipped  alcohol  until  the  early  morning  hours ,  soon  leaving  the  venue  so  wrapped  up  in  one  another  that  they  missed  the  paparazzi  lingering  outside  (  did  i  forget  to  mention  that  his  man  was  ahem  ...  ~famous  ?  ) .  so  anyways ,  some  risque  photos  of  the  couple  get  taken  due  in  part  of  these  fools  not  letting  up  the  window  to  their  car  (  nothing  bad ,  but  let’s  just  say  that  barom  looked  as  though  he  was  thoroughly  enjoying  himself  ) .

          𝖙𝖍𝖊  𝖌𝖚𝖞  𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖘  𝖚𝖕  ending  their  relationship  when  he  gets  blackmailed  for  them ,  and  maneater  barom  had  his  heart  broken  for  the  very  first  time .  thus ,  when  he  returns  to  #hworth  for  his  junior  year  ,  barom  avoided  getting  another  sugar  daddy  for  an  entire  year .  he  focuses  on  his  fraternity ,  schoolwork ,  and  really  buckles  down  on  his  art .  his  junior  year  goes  well ,  but  an  old  dog  won’t  learn  new  tricks ,  so  the  summer  before  his  senior  year ,  barom  picks  up  his  fourth  (  and  most  current  )  sugar  daddy ,  a  guy  who  lives  in  buckhead ,  atlanta  and  honestly  don’t  ask  me  why ,  but  i  picture  him  as  a  young  matthew  mcconaughey .  again ,  DON’T  ask  me  why .

          𝖆𝖘  𝖋𝖔𝖗  𝖍𝖎𝖘  𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖞 ,  barom  is  quite  wise  for  his  age ,  and  he  partly  blames  that  on  the  fact  that  he  grew  up  in  the  church .  if  you’re  in  need  of  some  sound  advice ,  he’s  your  man ,  but  he’s  gonna  beg  you  not  to  ask  as  well .  despite  his  sugaring  ways ,  he  is  also  very  independent  and  likes  to  do  things  on  his  own .  his  family  may  have  provided  him  with  the  best  of  things  ranging  from  maids ,  butlers ,  and  a  slew  of  foreign  cars ,  but  he  liked  to  do  things  on  his  own .  he  found  doing  his  laundry  or  washing  his  dishes  after  dinner  as  quite  therapeutic ,  and  he’s  still  the  same  way  to  this  day .  negatively  speaking ,  barom  can  be  very  childish ,  but  i  would  say  leaning  more  on  the  bratty  side .  as  a  man  who’s  used  to  getting  his  way ,  being  told  no  will  turn  him  into  a  pouty  baby  in  no  time  and  he’s  the  worst  because  i  swear  he’ll  sit  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  and  pout  until  someone  says  yes .  he  can  also  be  lewd  in  his  speech  and  it  mostly  stems  from  the  fact  that  he  is  extremely  confident  with  his  sexuality .  it’s  even  worse  when  he’s  had  alcohol  --  this  is  when  he  gets  more  relaxed  and  he’s  more  likely  to  start  turning  those  sweet  nothings  to  tender  touches  and  soft  kisses .  also ,  you  should  know  that  he’s  the  biggest  blackpink  stan  so  if  you  hear  him  blasting  their  music ,  chances  are ,  he’s  wearing  a  face  mask  with  his  hair  pulled  back  by  a  pikachu  hair  band  and  living  his  best  life .

as  for  most  wanted  connections  :

i  would  really  love  the  drama  of  someone  figuring  out  that  he’s  a  sugar  baby  and  holds  it  over  his  head  all  the  time  ?  and  barom  always  is  whisper  yelling  at  them  to  not  tell  anyone  or  his  life  would  literally  be  ruined .

hmm ,  i  think  it  would  be  interesting  for  him  to  have  a  crush  because  he  wouldn’t  know  what  to  do  with  himself .  he’d  be  a  little  awkward  baby  around  them  with  blushed  cheeks  and  probably  stuttering  all  the  time  ....  i  need  it  !

i’m  literally  so  desperate  for  an  angsty  friends  with  benefits  or  ex  friends  with  benefits  because  i’m  such  trash  for  plots  like  these  it’s  not  even  funny .

um ,  i’m  also  down  to  brainstorm  or  work  based  on  chemistry  but  i’m  really  excited  to  plot  and  interact  with  everyone  again  ! 

[linoholic]

Prince!Hoseok

So I have so many things to in my drafts that need to be finished, but as a Brit all I hear people talking about at the minute is Prince Harry’s engagement. So that paired with me watching the Princess Diaries again for the first time in a few years made inspiration strike.

For future reference, here are the pictures of BTS arriving back in Korea after their US activities that I drew a little inspiration from at part of the story.

Pairing: BTS Jung Hoseok x Gender Neutral Reader

Warnings: Has literally one swear word in it and that’s it

Genre: Fluff, Prince!au, The Princess Diaries!au

(Look at my boy. He is beautiful and glowing and gorgeous and talented and am I making it obvious he is my ult? Because he is and so it’s about time I wrote for my ult bias and 1/2 of the namesake of my blog)

Ok, so, to start off

There is a smallish island off the coast of South Korea

Very similar to Jeju (though bigger)

Except for the fact that it is it’s own country

With it’s own monarchy and government and all that jazz

(If Meg Cabot could make up a country for the sake of plot so can I)

It is still very Korean in language and culture, it’s just independent from the mainland

As I mentioned, it has it’s own monarchy

It’s current ruler, the King, is known for his kindness, generosity and big ideas on peace

Now, you, the reader, are very close to the King

No, you’re not related to him

You are the child of his closest adviser and best friend

So you basically grew up around the royal family; which isn’t big

Only the King, his parents and his daughter Jiwoo

You considered them family; just as they did with you

As a child you were always running around the palace causing mischief

You had all the benefits of living in the palace without the workload of a worker or the pressure of being a royal

The life you lead was one every parent wishes their child to have

Now you are in your early twenties and life is normal

You graduated high school early thanks to personal tutors who started your education early and helped you achieve your very best

And you have now also just graduated university early too

It was quite the media circus, because the Kings parents;

Which you simply called Grandmother and Grandfather;

As well as Princess Jiwoo (who you addressed as your sister) turned up to your graduation ceremony

After this you returned to the palace

Although you weren’t wanting to take over your father’s job or anything

You decided to get some work experience shadowing him

Because while you had an education anybody would love to have

Your lifestyle growing up, plus the fact that you spent a lot of your spare time studying, meant you had no actual experience in a workplace

And even though you could easily get any job you wanted with one simple recommendation letter from your father or your surrogate family

In the future you wanted to be able to say that you got where you were from your own hard work

As you arrived back at the place you called home

You were greeted warmly by all the staff and workers

But you still hadn’t seen the King or your Father yet

You were just about to go searching for them when your father’s personal assistant told you that you were being summoned by the very same men

So off you went to the King’s own personal office

After entering the room you reunited with your father and the King with hugs a plenty

Which is when you realised there was somebody else in the room

It was a woman

A woman you recognised very well

You had seen various pictures of her throughout the palace

As well as seeing bits of her in Jiwoo

It was he King’s estranged wife and Jiwoo’s mother

 Despite having never met her, you had been told all about her

She had tearfully said goodbye to them when Jiwoo was four because the stress of the royal life was too much for her young self at the time leaving a heartbroken husband and daughter

And she as time passed she felt too ashamed by her actions to get back in contact

So she laid low living in her hometown of Gwangju back in South Korea

But here she was once again, sitting before you

Greeting her politely, it was she who told you the news

It turns out that she had been in contact with the King for a couple of years now, slowly rebuilding their relationship

And finally, after about 23 years, she was coming back

Much to the joy of everyone who had missed her

This wasn’t the most surprising news however

After all, you had noticed the King slowly regaining a certain spark in his eyes that had been lacking over the past months whenever you had seen him during breaks from Uni, so you almost saw this happening

The most surprising news was the fact that when she had first left, she had been pregnant

The King had a son

Princess Jiwoo had a younger brother

And you had been asked to meet escort him from the airport to the palace the next day

That night was spent restlessly tossing and turning in your bed, trying to wrap your head around all that has happened

And before you knew it morning had arrived and you were getting ready to go to the airport

Joining you on the ride would be the driver of the car and a single bodyguard

Arriving at the airport you were told that the newly discovered prince, who you had been told was called Hoseok, would be arriving in the economy area instead of the first class arrival area like you expected

You earned you fair share of looks as you walked through the crowds of people

You weren’t exactly unknown in the country, and anybody that didn’t know who you were still looked

Two burly men in black suits tend to draw attention after all

Soon enough, the flight Hoseok was on arrived and you waited amidst groups of tourists and reuniting couples for the man whose face you had only seen in a photograph

And there he was

The few photos you had seen of him didn’t prepare you for how handsome he was

Because he was gorgeous

Dressed in a big brown coat to keep away the cold October wind

With a hat on his head, pushing his ears down quite adorably

(I could write an essay on how much I love it when Hobi wears hats and his ears do the thing)

Under which you could see peeks of red hair

For a minute you just admired him, before walking up to the boy who was obviously looking around for someone

For you

“Jung Hoseok?” you ask, more as a way to get his attention than as an actual question

He quickly turns to face you, eyes hidden behind sunglasses widening a little

He was told that his fathers advisor, who he knew to be a middle aged man, would be greeting him

You were most definitely not that

You were around his age

And very

Very

Cute

Hoseok quickly shakes himself out of trance just in time to catch you introducing yourself and the two men standing slightly behind you

The male puts a smile on his face

“It’s great to meet you, (y/n). You can just call me Hobi” he says

You are a little caught off guard by just how bright his smile is, before simply smiling at his request and motioning for him to follow you

The driver and bodyguard help him with some of his luggage, and the four of you go to leave

It really is quite a sight

Two good looking and fashionable young adults, followed by two big men in expensive black suits who themselves are actually quite handsome

(For some reason I headcanon the bodyguard as Kim Jong Kook and this idea won’t leave my head)

Once in the car, you are sitting next to Hoseok when you see him start to fidget a little, so after making some small talk you ask

“I bet it’s nerve wracking. Not only are you meeting the king, but your meeting your father for the first time and the rest of our family. Did you know?”

“That I was the son of an actual King? Not until recently. My mother had always avoided the topic of my dad when I brought it up. As I got old enough though she sat me down and told me about him and that I had a sister and that I was technically a prince.”

You pat his shoulder in reassurance

“They are amazing people. You’ll be welcomed into the family in no time.”

And it’s true

The next couple of weeks are busy ones

Full of press conferences, interviews and all that good stuff

And any down time the royals spend together, welcoming the mother and son back into the family

And after a week it’s almost as if Hoseok and his mother had always been there

Hoseok’s bright and social nature quickly earns him the nickname of ‘The Nation’s Sunshine’

Although he isn’t the heir to the throne, he quickly adapts to having the title of ‘Prince’

But their is still a certain modesty and spirit about him due to the fact that he spent all his life living a normal life

He is basically a male Mia Thermopolis

You also become close with Hoseok very quickly

He often turns to you when he feels unsure or insecure about his new position

You also find out his passion for dancing

It’s the night after Hoseok’s interview with a very obnoxious and ignorant journalist who took any chance to make life hard and question the boy; even at one point insinuating that he was deceiving everyone as a claim to the throne

(This man was quickly fired by his company)

You are walking through the halls to your room when you hear some odd noises coming from one of the unused rooms

Opening the door slowly you’re met with loud music, furniture pushed against the walls and a sweaty Hobi dancing in the middle of it all

He is very obviously frustrated and upset

Before he can notice you, you leave, closing the door slowly behind you

Heading to the kitchens, you make two hot chocolates with all the extras and put some random snacks on a tray before heading back

Hoseok is still in the same state when you arrive back at the room

You knock on the now open door, startling Hoseok who spins to face you

Upon seeing you his face softens slightly and goes over to his phone and speaker, turning the music off

“Come on. We’re going to my room and having a movie night.” is all you say, taking the tray of goodies and walking out of the room

You don’t check to see if he is following you or not; you know him well enough by now to know that even if it takes him a few minutes, he’ll turn up

Sure enough, he turns up at your door, hesitating slightly before walking into your room

You quickly hand him a change of clothes (some sweatpants and a shirt you had stolen from him a few days before) and send him off to use your shower

“I’m not having you sitting on my stuff while all sweaty like that” you say

‘Even if you do look like a whole meal with your skin glowing like that’ 

Of course you don’t say that out loud, and instead quickly dismiss the thought

Thankfully you made the hot chocolates scolding hot so by the time Hoseok finally sits down next to you on the pile of blankets you made on the floor in front of your tv, it’s still warm

He still doesn’t say anything, so you also keep quiet and instead turn on ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7′

(I recommend you watch this movie. I love it so much)

No conversation is exchanged that night

He had told you previously about his sleeping habits and so you take advantage of this, calming him down enough to fall asleep by stroking his hair

And eventually you fall asleep alongside him

The next morning you wake up well after the sun rises

You are still on the floor, limbs tangled with Hoseok’s

Carefully, so as not to wake the peacefully sleeping boy, you untangle yourself and get up to get ready for the day

Hoseok is only just waking up as you walk out of the bathroom, fully dressed and hair slightly damp

You laugh as you see the state of his serious bedhead which gets the still sleepy boys attention and he turns to face you

“Good morning sleepyhead,” you say, earning a tired smile from the prince

Both of you know that no words need to be said for you to know that he is thankful for your silent comfort the previous night

So instead he just jokes, saying

“If we get some food now, will it be counting as breakfast or lunch?”

You are pleased to see him in a better mood than yesterday

Walking over to him, you hold out your hand to him and pull him up out of the makeshift bed

“I don’t care as long as I get waffles.”

He smiles one of his bright smiles and tells you he’ll meet you in the kitchens after he gets ready

So you go your separate ways at the end of the corridor

Him, left to his room

You, right to the staircase

~time skip~

It is now a few days before Christmas and the whole palace is buzzing with the festive spirit

There is snow covering the ground outside; lights strung up everywhere and this years tree is one of the prettiest you have seen

That night there is a big party to be held in the ballroom

Not only is it to be a holiday party, but the first proper celebration for the reunited family as the King and his Queen Consort with their two children

You are currently with the Princess Jiwoo in her room as her stylists start to prepare her for the party

“Did you ask anyone or has anyone asked you to be their date for tonight?” she asks you

To which you reply in the negative

You don’t see it because you are currently awing over her dress

But the woman’s face relaxes slightly, a small smile appearing on her lips

You see, over the past couple of months Jiwoo has been observing how you and her younger brother have been around eachother

And she was so happy when her brother came to her for advice

Not only because it was the first time she felt like an actual big sister and her recently discovered younger brother trusted her enough to confide in her

But also because of the fact that he had told her that he was starting to feel for you as more than a friend

You had never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before; never having had the time nor want to date

And Jiwoo, knowing this, was keen to act as a matchmaker for you and him

And she was hoping to set the wheels of her plan in motion tonight

And of course you not having a date made things easier for her

Soon enough you had to leave the princesses room and head to get ready yourself

The outfit that you were wearing was beautifully designed and not a hair on your head was out of place

You were looking gorgeous

(Not that you need to wear designer clothes and expensive accessories with makeup to look gorgeous, because I bet your beautiful inside and out no matter what my lovely reader)

Before you knew it, it was time to head down to the party

The ballroom was looking gorgeous

The Christmas tree was lit up beautifully, and the whole place had the winter wonderland theme

(The nerdy part of you couldn’t help but compare it to the Yule Ball from Harry Potter)

Their were buffet tables along one wall, full of dishes from various countries

By the time you arrived in the ballroom, quite a few guests had arrived

They were all dressed up in ballgowns and tuxes alike

There are also a few personally invited and trusted photographers around, taking photos of everything

You laughed when you saw two of them, Taehyung and Yoongi you thought, arguing about who gets to take pictures of the tree

You started to make small talk with the guests, welcoming them and complimenting them and showing off your diplomacy skills when somebody announced the arrival of the King, Queen Consort, Princess and Prince

All the occupants of the room turned to face the Royals, applauding as the four stepped into room who then separated to welcome people individually

You were proud to see Hoseok do the same, and do it well

Anybody he started speaking to immediately had a smile on their face

The energy he exuded was contagious

Him and his smile were quite obviously the life of the party

You smiled softly at the way he got the shy little daughter of a noble to dance with him, before you turn away and continue your own rounds

In fact, you don’t get to speak to any of them, or even your own father until an hour later

Many couples are on the dance floor, waltzing to the talented mini orchestra hired for the occassion

You busy watching two girls dance together, their colourful dresses twirling beautifully together when you feel someone tap your shoulder

Turning round you see Jiwoo standing behind you, and in her hand she clutches the wrist of a blushing Hoseok

“Hoseok here was chickening out so I decided to ask for him. (y/n), would you do me the honour of dancing with my brother?”

You’re caught by surprise at the request, but before you can answer, the princess joins your hands together and pushes you in the direction of the rest of the dancing couples

“Great! Have fun lovebirds!”

You stumble slightly and Hoseok quickly helps you regain your footing

“Sorry about her. You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to,” he says to you

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that Hobi? This isn’t the type of dancing you do after all” is your reply

The prince laughs slightly

“You know, that’s the first time you’ve actually called me that, despite me telling you to do so the first time we met.”

You chuckle with him as you start to join the other dancers

For a while you continue to waltz with everyone

You’re surprised but also not at the fact that the man is also skilled in ballroom dancing

Suddenly the orchestra finishes the song and you two stop

It has been a few hours now since the party started

Guests with children have already started to make their way home

Some of the older ones are being lead to the guest rooms they will be staying in for the night

The room is still packed full of people though, enough that you won’t be missed

So you take the chance to ask

“How about we skip out on the rest of the party? I have a tv and the newest Just Dance waiting in my room.”

Hoseok agrees and you quickly go to leave when you meet his Grandmother by the door

Thankfully, she just winks and let’s you two sneak out

“Some of these people are so stuffy, I don’t blame you for wanting to escape. Go, I’ll cover for you,” the older woman says, before quickly downing the champagne in her glass and walking off

You and Hobi look at each other in surprise, grinning and quickly running off through the maze of corridors

“Loser has to give the winner their dessert on Christmas,” Hoseok says

And so you both change out of your fancy clothes before battling it out on Just Dance

In the end, you both collapse on your bed, completely exhausted

Laying down, you turn to face eachother

Before you realise it, your faces are moving closer and closer and suddenly your lips are millimeters away

You pause, before saying “ahh fuck it” and press your lips to his

It is a soft kiss, simply one pair of lips pressing against another, and barely lasts 3 seconds

But it is a perfect first kiss

As you pull away, you both smile contently

And once again, you fall asleep together

Facing eachother, legs entwined, hands together with your thumb running over his knuckles

This was only meant to be a short drabble of an au but ended up being 3,353 words and could have easily carried on longer.

Feel free to leave feedback.

Requests are open!

[thelittlegreenprince]

Story time. 

(Content warnings: derogatory language regarding LGBTQ community, mention of depression, trauma.)

I had a bad day at work last week. Like, really bad. Crying-in-the-back-room-and-wishing-desperately-not-to-exist-kind-of-bad. But let me back up.

I had a shit time finding a job after I graduated from college. I moved to two different major cities, interviewed for several dozen positions ranging from research assistant to barista, and eventually had no other choice but to move back home with my dad.

I grew up in a really conservative part of rural white Pennsylvania. It was pretty normal to hear classmates use homophobic slurs, racist language, and rape jokes in everyday conversation at my high school. Trying to figure out all of the beautifully weird things that I am was really difficult when I was a young person. Trying to cultivate a sense of self-worth was next to impossible.

Fast forward to the summer after my first year of college. My dad, a pharmacist, had just opened his own drugstore (potentially jeopardizing my family’s ability to front the fraction of tuition that I hadn’t managed to cover with financial aid, scholarships, and federal loans) and I was obligated to return to my hometown to help him run the place. It was hands-down the worst job that I have ever had. Anyone who has ever had to work for their parents knows how awful it is to be micromanaged by someone who has it in their power to not only hold your paycheck over your head to make you do whatever they want, but who also controls your ability to go home and feel safe and secure after the work day is over. 

I was pretty much the store’s only full-time employee, often working overtime (though paid minimum wage!), and our customers were the county’s most infamous. And since it was just my dad and me in there, they would come in and feel entitled to pretty much do and say as they pleased. I remember one nasty old woman who would sidle up to the counter, order her prescriptions with a glare, and pointedly say to me, “You know, you remind me of my granddaughter... She looked just like you... Used to be such a sweet person, and so smart too; she had gotten her PhD you know. But then she left her husband and became a disgusting LESBIAN. What a waste. Now she’ll never amount to anything! Sick in the head, that’s what people like her are.”

It’s difficult to reproduce the viciousness in her tone through a Tumblr post, but believe me, there was venom in those words. This happened each time she came in. Like clockwork. And like clockwork, I would look over to my dad, pleading silently for some sort of support -- to see him laughing. Cracking up! I talked to him about it after work one time. Got really upset. “It would be really nice if you didn’t laugh at me when someone said something that offends me and insults who I am. In fact, it would be nice if you stood up for me and told them not to say those kinds of things to your employees in your place of business.” He blew his lid and shouted at me that he was not going to make his drugstore a political battleground.

Anyway, after that summer, I swore to myself that I would never again work for my dad. Six months after I graduated college, two cities, and more than a few burned bridges later, right back there I was. If I didn’t have so many problems with the word, I would say that it felt emasculating. Instead, I’ll just admit that crushing depression pretty much consumed me for those first few months. But that’s a pity party I’d like to keep somewhat private.

Fast forward to last week a few minutes before I wound up in the closet crying like a ninny. My coworker Heather was talking about a gay man that her husband knew at work and called him “gayer than a three-dollar bill.” Now, Heather is the kind of straight person who manages to convince other straight people that she’s gay-friendly. But when you go around doing things like calling gay men “flamers” behind their backs... Look, if you’re not willing to say it directly to a person’s face, then you know that you’re saying something offensive, and you should really just stop.

So, I got annoyed, and said that I didn’t quite understand the phrase “gayer than a three-dollar bill.” At which point, the staff pharmacist, Harry, cut in. Harry is what some people would call crude. I call it meanness thinly veiled as humor. He said loudly, “Well I think the real phrase is QUEERER than a three-dollar bill--”

Alarms started going off in my head and I tried to stop him from talking by saying, “well, historically, that’s a pretty offensive term, and I’d prefer if you didn’t use it.” I didn’t even get the first word out. He steam-rolled me every time I’d try and his voice just kept getting louder.

“--you know, that’s what people would say, QUEERER than a three-dollar bill, but it’s because you’d never see one of those, QUEERER than a three-dollar bill, she’s saying he’s QUEER.”

He tacked on the end as an afterthought, “But yeah, that’s definitely more offensive.”

Allow me to pause here and mention that I don’t... really have any inherent problem with the word ‘queer.’ Hell, I identify as queer. I majored in Women’s Studies in college. We throw that shit around all the time! It’s a noun, an adjective, a verb, an adverb, and a whole body of academic theory. But... as with any word whose origins lie in oppression, despite the work that has been done to reclaim this term by the communities it was once used to hurt, the weight of the word is still incredible. It is still, in many contexts, a derogatory term. And this was one of those contexts.

After my experiences working at the drugstore that summer after my first year of college, I learned not to expect my dad to advocate on my behalf with regards to pretty much anything -- least of all my identity as a queer person. This is difficult when I am also his employee. At another place of employment, I would have gone to my manager, spoken to them about this upsetting incident, and worked out a solution. If necessary, I would have quit. But those things aren’t options in this scenario, where my boss is also my dad. Which means all of those years of mustering the self-worth to feel angry, to self-advocate, to know that I deserve to *not* be reduced to sobbing and ashamed of myself for it in the back closet at my place of employment -- just have to be quietly put away for another day, another year, however long. 

I can’t expect anyone to advocate on my behalf. And you can bet that Harry isn’t facing any repercussions for his behavior. Apparently, he brought it up with my dad at the end of the work day after I had gone home and said, “your daughter is really sensitive, isn’t she?” and my dad just shrugged and said he didn’t know what had happened. No apologies. To the contrary, I was implicitly blamed for having gotten upset.

However, I am surprised to find that I am being given the option to opt out of having to work with him this week (I can’t say anything about future weeks). In other situations, I’ve not been allowed to change my work schedule at all. To digress, there’s an assistant pharmacist who comes in once a week to help out. He’s an old man who never fails to trigger trauma-brain relapse for me whenever I have to work with him because of his tendency to get... touchy. My complaints about this have been dismissed, and I have had to keep working with him until very recently, when I managed to argue my way out of working on that day of the week for unrelated reasons.

Anyway, I am allowed to take off for the two days that Harry works this week. This is good, because I would rather not deal with the tension of working with this person. But I am upset at the idea of sacrificing my hourly wages because of this asshole.  I am angry with myself for letting him get to me enough to make me cry. But I’m more angry that his derogatory language goes without so much as an apology while my paycheck gets reduced in what feels like an awful concession to my own marginalization as a bisexual nonbinary person.

I am sorry to say that there is nothing in this story that I have heroically overcome. There’s no moral, there’s no hidden meaning, there’s no inspirational message. There’s just a microcosmic example of systemic oppression, the personal experience of traumas being triggered, and the lack of financial autonomy to declare independence from relatives or move away permanently. If you’ve taken the time to read all of this, I appreciate you.

[wildhcartcd]

↳ Oh, wow, is that MACKENZIE DAVIS? Never mind, it’s just SÉARLAIT “CHARLIE” MOIRA FLANAGAN, the 31 year old HOMOSEXUAL WEREWOLF. I did hear that she is COMPASSIONATE & LOYAL but also really MANIPULATIVE & SHORT TEMPERED. In the great war she is on the BLACKSTONE side. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

** please welcome my longest written idiot of all of the countless oc’s i’ve ever written. charlie’s been hanging out in my head for like, eight years now and i adore writing her. she’s always evolving in my head so chances are that’ll happen here but she’s absolutely open for plotting and i’d love to do anything and everything with her!

TW: DEATH MENTIONS, ABUSE MENTIONS, HOMICIDE. 

— charlie was born in windham to conor and moira flanagan; the fourth child after the flanagans had already had three boys - charlie was doted on from the moment she was born. her older brothers were fascinated by the prospect of having a baby sister and though they teased her mercilessly ( as older siblings are wont to do ) charlie adored spending time with them and the sheer amount of love in their household was something that was often commented on by the families around them. her parents were irish immigrants, having settled in the states when moira was pregnant with their first son torin. both conor and moira were werewolves - having become physicians and surgeons at that, so their time for their children was cut short more often than they liked when they were called into work suddenly but they did their absolute best to make the time they spent with their children as fulfilling as possible. though charlie lamented the days her parents weren’t able to spend with them she was fiercely loving and adored her family immensely - especially, it seemed once he was born, her baby brother aidan. 

— her childhood was, in a word: picturesque. her family was happy and healthy, she considered her brothers to be her best friends in the world and she was a bright, energetic and incredibly intelligent child. she made friends easily and was constantly running around town with various other local children she quickly came to call some of her best friends in the world. all of that beauty seemed, to her, to fade in an instant when, on their way home from a soccer tournament near new york city, charlie and her mother were involved in an incredibly serious car accident. rushed to the nearest hospital moira was placed in the intensive care unit after having surgery and prior to charlie’s own release from the hospital her mother passed away. it was heartbreaking for charlie ( she was only seven and blamed herself in several ways for the circumstances that led to her mother’s passing ).

— conor was distraught after his wife’s death and though he tried his best to maintain a semblance of normalcy in the flanagan household he slipped into a deep depression a few months after moira’s passing. though the flanagan children managed to help him out of his intense lows as best they could conor turned to alcohol to cope within a year and as his alcoholism worsened so did the way he treated his children. with two of her older brothers already out of the house and one nearly on his way to college charlie took up the mantle of caretaker for both her father and her baby brother. when her father’s moods were particularly violent she took the brunt of them and they got into several physical altercations in her mid-teenage years that she still bears the scars from.

— on the anniversary of her mother’s death when charlie was seventeen her father returned home after a full day of drinking at a local bar more ornery than charlie had ever seen him. he turned on her the moment she tried to comfort him - furiously blaming her for her mother’s death and threatening to punish her in increasingly violent ways to make her pay for it. concerned he would shift and harm both her and her brother charlie tried to defuse the situation to no avail. when he attacked her properly charlie was forced to defend herself and during the course of doing that her father was killed. it resulted in charlie’s first shift and even more than a decade later there’s a small amount of guilt in her whenever she shifts that she can never seem to shake. 

— immediately following the incident she asked her brother torin to take their youngest brother in and look after him; she was ashamed of what she’d done and after being questioned by the police and cleared of criminal charges she simply packed her things and left with no word to anyone at all. she bought a one way ticket to dublin with her savings up to that point and lived there alone for nearly ten years with minimal contact with her family before she processed what she’d done to the point that she was able to move back to windham and not feel an immense amount of guilt every time she saw one of her brothers, all of whom were overjoyed to see her when she returned to their hometown. 

— upon returning to windham charlie enrolled in the local police academy and became a member of the supernatural division of the police force where she was worked since then. she adores her job as it gives her a sense of purpose and stability that she hasn’t had in quite a long time. that’s pretty much all i can think to write at this point so if anyone wants to plot with this idiot child please let me know!

basics

Full Name: Séarlait Moira Flanagan.    Nickname(s): Charlie, Little Bear.  Age: 31. Date of Birth: 31 July 1988. Zodiac Sign: Leo. Place of Birth: Windham, New York, United States. Ethnicity: Caucasian. Nationality: American. Gender: Cis female. Sexual Orientation: Homosexual. Leans towards polyamory but is also satisfied with monogamy with extensive communication and the right person. Religion: She was raised Catholic but he rarely practices and has a loose belief in ‘old gods’ as a result of being a werewolf. Occupation: She works as a police officer for the supernatural division of the Windham Police Department.   Language(s) Spoken: English, French, some Irish-Gaelic.   Accent: She has a bit of a bastardized accent after having lived in Ireland for ten years; it sounds more or less American but certain words and pronunciations and phrases she’s adopted are distinctly Irish. 

physical appearance

Face Claim: Mackenzie Davis. Hair Color: Dirty blonde. Eye Color: Blue. Height: 5′10″. Weight: 122 lbs. Build: Slim. Tattoos: She has an intricate tattoo of a wolf bracketed by flowers on her left upper arm ( here ), a stylized bear on the inside of her right wrist ( here ), ‘i’ll never walk alone’ followed by four paw prints on her left foot ( here ).  Piercings: She has a septum piercing that she tends to turn inward during her shifts at the station, she also has two traditional ear piercings in each ear as well. Distinguishing Characteristics: Her height, for starters, as well as her tattoos. Occasionally her attitude when she’s not in the best of moods. 

family

Father: Conor Flanagan. Mother: Moira Delaney. Sibling(s): Torin, Alastar, Casey, Aidan. Pet(s): She doesn’t have any pets but she’d definitely consider adopting one.     Financial Status: Well-off.