#but like she is our cousin. she might be 30 but that's because our uncle is in his 50s whilst our parents are in their 40s

[chainsawworld]

Holy shit how did it take me this long to realise my gran is a great grandmother too

[thechanelmuse]

How genealogy is used to track Black family histories

Our names are important to us. They tell us who we are and often, who we come from. So imagine suddenly discovering the last name you’ve always carried… might not actually be the name you should have. 

Alex Neason began looking into her family’s history after discovering her great grandfather’s name was different from what she believed for her whole life. In her search to discover the story of that last name, she enlisted genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith.

For Black Americans, genealogy can fill in the blanks left by the legacy of slavery and racism in the U.S. Services like the Freedmen’s Bureau and Slave Voyages provide free access to records and documents to help with that search. We talk about the power of genealogy in fostering knowledge and connection for Black Americans.

Source

If you click on the word “source,” it’ll take you to the article where you’ll see a LISTEN button. It’s a 30-minute audio that discusses the info provided in the article even further. Y’all know I’m big on getting people to trace their lineage. All that “we don’t know where we come from.” Who told you that? Everything in the US is in plain sight. Everything.

Discover your fam. 

I assist others when they reach a roadblock, like getting past the “1870 wall.” But you can’t beat the feeling of you discovering them on your own. Unearthing your history, seeing photos, reading stories that were stored, and saying their names that haven’t been said for centuries. I’ve been tracing mine (scanning, logging) since my family reunion in 2005 through oral family history and obituaries (those are records), and since 2011 through databases of US archived records like ancestry.com (purchased by BlackStone) and familysearch.org (free database owned by the Latter-day Saints Church). There are others, but those are the main two I use for comparative results.  

Archiving Centers, Census Records & Other Records

There are archiving centers in every state and DC that also keep records for those particular states and the federal capital. There’s a footnote on all records that tells you where they are housed. And please...Don’t just do a simple pedigree chart of your family tree. Get to know your great-aunts, great-uncles and cousins. It’s also helpful for seeing who lived around who (fam often lived next door to each other) and puts more of the pieces together of your complete family story. You can see the land and acres they owned or your fam today still owns, as well as if that land was stolen from them.

US census records go back to year 1790. Depending on when or if your ancestors were enslaved or free: you’ll find them attached to slave logs that have been made available online or kept in archiving centers (you go there), or or they’ll be listed on census records as free persons (1790-1710), free colored male/female (1820-1840), Black (1850-1920), Mulatto (1850-1890, 1910-1920) or Negro (1900, 1930-1950). “New” census documents are put on sites, like ancestry.com, every 10 years. As of 2023, you can only trace from 1950 to 1790. The 1960 census will be out in 2030. How to trace from 1950 to today, birth, death and residential records. So again, depending on the census year, you’ll notice your ancestors racial classification change throughout documents for obvious reasons. 

Keep in mind that the the largest slave trade for the United States was the domestic slave trade. In house human trafficking and selling (in addition to property insurance of enslaved people and the selling of enslaved people as the building block of Wall Street’s stock exchange) is how US capitalism was built. So just because you know a lot of your people are from Tennessee, for example, it doesn't mean that’s where that line stayed. I’ve found my ancestors throughout 7 states (so far). Another example, people with Louisiana roots damn near always have ancestors who were trafficked from early Virginia. Going beyond year 1790, records were kept in Christian and Catholic churches and old family history books so most of those documents are scanned online and/or still kept in the churches. I’m talking books books. 

If your ancestors walked the Trail of Tears, or were caught as prisoners of war or trafficked to Indian Nations to be enslaved, you’ll find an Oklahoma Indian Territory and Oklahoma Freedmen Rolls section on ancestry.com. You can discover more info on sites, like the Oklahoma Historical Society. (Every state has its own historical society for archived genealogical records.) 

Here’s the National Archives.

Also for Oklahoma, you may also find your ancestors in Indian Census Rolls (1855-1940) as [insert tribe] Freedmen, depending if they weren’t rejected through the “blood quantum” Dawes Rolls for not being the new light to white status. You’ll see their application and the listed questions & answers with or without a big void stamp. And on the census, you’ll even see the letter I (pronounced like eye) changed to the letter B. This is also for those in Louisiana.

Freedmen’s Bureau & Bank Records 

There were Freedmen’s Bureau records and Freedman’s Savings Bank records in other states. To see if your ancestors had their records in those systems, you can search by their name. The state and age will pop up with people having that name. It’ll give you a wealth of other info, like all of the kids and other fam if they were present or mentioned to the person who logged that info in. With the Freedmen Bank records, you can see how much money your ancestors put in there (that was later stolen from them by way of the United States government), which is still there today. It’s the biggest bank heist in US history (that they try to keep hush hush) with the equivalence of more than $80 million in today’s value stored in there today. Back then, it was valued almost close to $4 million. Stolen wealth met with bootstrap lectures. 

Here’s a short video on that heist:

Today the bank is called the Freedman's Bank Building, located right on Pennsylvania Ave. Plain sight. 

Trace your lineage. 

There’s a lot more that I can list. But this is just the basics. Like I said before, it’s a more rewarding feeling when you discover your ancestors by yourself. You may reach roadblocks. Take a break. Try going the “Card Catalog” route on ancestry.com’s search engine. Don’t skip the small details. 

SN: Slave Voyages isn’t a genealogical site, but rather a database for slave ship logs and the estimates of purchased Africans who became human cargo to be enslaved by country like USA, or by colonizers like Spain, Great Britain, etc.

[artistic-pussy-power]

An Ode to the Dust and the Potholes of India 

Inside India’s most beautiful state, Kerala, is its most beautiful town: Kodanchery, my hometown of dusty streets and polluted corners. (I think if you told some Indians burning plastic is bad, they would throw their personalities into the fire just to be spiteful). 

Kodanchery is loud and, as with every town in India, filled with rickety old shops. There’s the fish shop where my brother would live if he could. I’m sure the owner would quite like him to because there’s nothing that lights up his face as much as hearing my brother’s foreign English inside his smelly shop. 

Then there’s the open market stalls my achachan limps along, browsing for fruits and vegetables. They’re gathering with fruit files, but no one seems to care. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a wash anyway.  

Today, my cousins are home for the weekend and working away in their father’s “teashop” I guess you could call it. The shop is small but about six tables are shoved in there anyway. Like all "teashops” in my little state, there are no windows or doors, just the open, inviting front and spluttering fans whirling away. As we sit, my aunt comes from the small kitchen with a smile. She has my brother’s egg puffs, my neyyappam and all our chai in hand already. The snacks are held in a heated shelf just steps away from us, but she plates them anyway.  

In another life, we would make the 30-minute trek home on foot and my achachan would spend the entire time talking about the importance of daily exercise. In this life, his grotesquely swollen leg will bid us to call our other uncle. My ‘papapa’ picks us up in the autorickshaw he’s had as long as I’ve known him and achachan gives the lecture as we bump along.  

A later day, I will drive along our neighbourhood with my dad, learning the frustrations of manual. We skitter along the asphalt road, avoiding the edges that lead to unsupervised pits (there are many of them) and turn left at the small “Cross N’ Church” (it sounds better in Malayalam). The forest of rubber trees that give our little neighbourhood its livelihood rise above us and drip with white. We go over roads that might make my friends in New Zealand faint at the sheer sight and laugh about the time we crossed the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu––how the potholes and eroded asphalt disappeared in the blink of an eye. 

On the way back, I wave to the house on the hill where my Malayalam teacher lives. Her guard dogs bark at us, and in the evening, when I go over to learn my mother tongue, the aggression will startle me. In a couple of weeks, I will start to smile at their roar. Today, I think they were cute—very cute.m

[forgot-how-catflap-works]

Don't waste your life. Consume.

Wake up! You’re wasting your life. What are you doing, reading this shit on the internet!? You should be out there, in the world, among the people. No, don’t stop to feel the cool breeze against your skin. Definitely don’t smell those roses. Those roses have nothing for you. They are ephemeral, they will rot and die just like you. Your mortal form will soon be ash, all memory of you scattered to the wind, your name lost from the lips of future generations. Soon you will be just a great grandparent or uncle or aunt or distant cousin. Everything that you ever were will cease to exist. 

But I’ll tell you what you need, right this fucking minute. Something that will dull the yawning, existential ache of your own mortality. It’s a free Hasbro board game worth up to £39 RRP when you buy four qualifying BirdsEye products. 

That’s right, lap up that information like the greasiest hog at the shit snarfing contest. Let it fucking settle in your brain, sit with it and let it ferment. It could be yours. Something that will outlast you. Something that will live on for thousands of years, long after civilization has collapsed and all that remains are towering pillars of rubble. An artefact, proof that you existed. Evidence that you were here. The box may rot, but the contents will remain. Leave your mark on this fallen earth. Let it be known that you lived, that you laughed, that you loved. 

Don’t think about it. Just do it. It’s a limited time offer. You could go out today, right this minute, and buy four bags of frozen peas. Or some chips and nuggies, like the little slut you are. You could do it, and then within 30 days you could play Hungry Hippos alone in your room, doing silly voices for all of the individual hippos, making up little stories about their messy polycule. Or you could be playing Connect 4, alone in your room, trying to outwit yourself but failing every time because you are the smartest person you know. You are the only person you know. 

Operation, Guess Who, fucking Bop It?! Are you seeing this shit? The list goes on. It’s all there for you at the end of a grocery line and a 30 day wait. Think of how different your life could be. An entire board game, worth up to £39 RRP. Unthinkable. 

This is your opportunity to get a copy of fucking Monoply with your fish fingers. Now that’s a bargain. That’s a life worth living. Think of all the family gatherings you could ruin by whipping that out. Is that an evil glint you spy in your grandmother’s eye? Of course it is. She knows how this will end. In tears, like it always does. And she loves it. She craves it. That will be you one day. Smiling a wicked smile, safe in the knowledge that the copy of Monopoly you acquired through a promotional scheme between a board game company and a frozen food producer will be the trauma that bonds you through yet another miserable christmas.

Don’t think about what it took to make this happen. Don’t think about the long email chains, the meetings and pre-meetings, the spreadsheets and powerpoints, the circling back or where the pins were put. Don’t think about the thousands of work hours that were invested or the money spent. Don’t think about the finite resources that were extracted from the earth using heavy machinery, the vast and incomprehensible supply chain required to refine, process and transport those delicious balls for which the hippos crave. Consider not how our life on this earth is fleeting and how this moment, this exact slice of history that you are living right this very second, is the only thing you truly have. Do think not about the immutability of the past and how each second that slips your fingers is another moment lost. Do not think about how the future does not exist, and how tomorrow is not a guarantee. 

Think only about how you could own a copy of Trivial Pursuit, all you have to do is act now. You might even still be here when it arrives.

[beautifulreflections]

Blog Post 3: The Circus and Birthdays

Blog Post 3: The Circus and Birthdays

I am person who believes in celebrating life. Those who know me best often hear me say, “Happy Tuesday” or “Happy Thursday.” Really every day is a happy day to me, not because of joy inducing circumstances, but simply because it’s another day to live and grow. I believe that everyday merits cause for celebrating. Really. This is how I approach life. The only issue with celebrating every day is that most people celebrate with cake. Before this sugar fast my daily celebration was midday tea and cookies. I highly suggest this if you’ve never tried it. It’s like teatime in Britain which is normally between 3:30 and 5 pm, except it’s right in your own home.

This weekend we went to visit my family in Alabama. It’s a four-and-a-half-hour drive which entails us being cramped in the car, but it is always worth it. My grandmother who is almost ninety years old lives in the back woods of Alabama with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. When we stop seeing gas stations and well-known food joints, we know we are getting close. And they, like me, believe in celebrating life. So, spur of the moment we decided to go to the circus, since we always make time for fun events. We got in the car and drove about 30 minutes out to this aluminum building where the circus was hosted.

After paying, we walked in and saw all the treats and snacks readily available for a hefty price. “Mom, I want a slushy and cotton candy,” my youngest son said. I told Him with firm and unwavering love that He could only get one sweet treat. Childhood diabetes is a real thing, and that’s not something I want in our lives as far as I can help it. Unfortunately, I made the rookie mom mistake of getting my kids the slushy before circus started, so midway through they were asking for popcorn, but I refused to spend more money. I already spent ten dollars and that was enough.

Really, being at the circus didn’t trip me up as far as my diet goes. Everything was so expensive, and I didn’t want to spend any additional money because we had planned to eat out afterwards. And after the circus, at Zaxby’s, I ate a salad with ranch dressing and drank ice water. I had some fries with dipping sauce too. But, before the circus my mom and I went to the dollar general in town and picked up some vanilla cake with chocolate icing for the birthdays we were celebrating that night. My cousin Kinsley was turning fifteen, and my uncle John was turning sixty- five. While we were at the circus mom had already baked the cake and it was ready for the surprise party for Kinsley.

I didn’t think the cake would bother me until we got home, and then I realized it might be a bigger issue than I anticipated. As I placed the pink and gold candles in the cake, I noticed that it was especially moist. The cake was an issue. Even so, we sang Happy Birthday and Kinsley blew out the candles as I longingly looked at the chocolate that dripped off the sides. My mom heated up the icing to make it tastier. I cut the cake giving a piece to my youngest son and everyone else. “This cake is perfect. It’s so moist. What did you do differently?” I asked my mom. Apparently, she whipped it longer. This makes boxed cake mix even better.

Surprisingly, I sat at the table and served my family. I talked with everyone and cut many pieces of cake, but I didn’t partake. Food is very much a community event in most cultures. When I was growing up, we used to sit around the dinner to eat and talk. We had a lot of great conversations there. Occasionally there would be sweets, but really it was about just being together and enjoying life. I now see that we don’t have to eat junk to be apart of the fun. While sweets are tempting, it is more important to be fully present with the people that are around you.

It's been twenty-five days since I’ve had a sweet treat. Since then, there have been numerous opportunities to eat and enjoy, but I really don’t crave sweets anymore. Apparently, the less sugar you eat the less you crave. Sure, I could have enjoyed a large piece of vanilla cake with chocolate icing. Yes. It would have been delicious. But because I didn’t eat the cake, I had the opportunity to serve others and to see their happy faces as they ate. I have realized that I don’t need sugar to enjoy life. I can still celebrate life while abstaining from brownies with vanilla ice cream, apple pie, strawberry cake, and chocolate chip cookies. Sweets do give you quick energy, but they also leave you wanting more a couple of hours later.

I don’t think I will become one of those overzealous “no sugar ever” people, but I do believe this has set the stage for healthier choices. As it turns out, cutting back on sugary treats isn't the end of the world. And if I decide to do this again, I will remember these moments of strength. I’m not running to Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks for a quick and sugary pick me up anymore. And while donuts are delicious, maybe I can learn to make them at home with stevia instead. I want you to know too that it is possible to cut back on sugar and still enjoy your life. I know. I didn’t it was possible either. But I also want you to know that if I can do it, you can do it too. And maybe at birthday parties, you and I can learn to look at the people around us with gratitude instead of only the cake that’s in the middle of the table.

So yes, small steps of progress are to be celebrated, but not necessarily with a piece of cake.

[feralgodmothers]

I kinda hope that Rory ends up having a son. Mostly to break the weird “parent or friend” cycle she’s the product of. But also cause it’d be hilarious if the kid was called Lucas Christopher Richard Gilmore. Ritchie or Ricky for short. It just tickles me. You know?

Aww, that’s so cute, I like that. Naming him after all the men in her family. 💖 Plus, I could see Lorelai (affectionately) making fun of Rory for either nickname, lol.

I think part of Lorelai and Rory’s ‘best friend’ dynamic comes from having a smaller age gap than your typical parent and child. Just speaking from personal experience - I was 16 when my sister gave birth to my nephew. He ended up mostly in my care from the ages of 2 through 7, and I can tell you - our age difference really blurred the lines between us having a “guardian/child” vs. “sibling” dynamic. Rory might not have that issue, since she was about 30 when she got pregnant.

Another thing is: I think Lorelai and Rory developed their own sort of island with each other. Lorelai had cut off all ties to her parents and the whole wealthy world she grew up in, started new roots in a town full of (friendly) strangers, and Rory mainly grew up surrounded by adults, with Lane being her only friend that was her age. None of Lorelai’s friends had kids around (until Sookie got pregnant later), so even though Rory had a lot of general support - as far as stronger social ties go, it was probably 60% her mom and 40% Lane. I think something that would help break that cycle between Rory and her kid, would be if the characters were given the big, happy family they deserved. Imagine if Luke and Lorelai got married shortly after the original series ended, and had two kids. Then we’d have a 7 and 8-year old running around the house (one of which I like to think Paul Anka grew attached to, and selected as his emotional support child 😂), along with April, who would drop in for a visit sometimes from college. Also, we have Liz, TJ, and Doula in Stars Hollow, which gives Rory a step-aunt, uncle, and 9-year-old cousin living nearby (along with Jess popping in from time to time). Plus, on top of that we have Lorelai’s best friend Sookie with her kids, and Rory’s best friend Lane with her twin boys. The town is just overflowing with kids lol. So if Rory moved back to Stars Hollow (or at least close by), her child would have plenty of other options for companionship that he or she could gravitate toward.

It kinda bums me out how much the show crowds kids out, tbh. I can’t help but think of how much fuller AYITL could have felt. I mean, all those kids wouldn’t necessarily have to hog the spotlight, but they could have at least filled in some of the empty space in the background (the revival just felt so lonely to me, and it really didn’t have to). I think they would have contributed to a much more satisfying vibe, because having such a large crowd of family and friends around would have (potentially) helped Rory not feel so aimless and lost. Seeing life go on around her could have reassured her that nothing really stays still, and that things have a way of working out. And to have a show that starts out with strained relationships due to a family rift, end up with warm households full of love and wholesome chaos?

[matheotoyoursahrefortheworld]

                 SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT CLASSES The school's second-quarter exams ended, and that meant it was time for a break. From January 24 to January 30, I had a whole week off, and it happened to include my 13th birthday. But my plans for the break didn't quite turn out as I expected.

At first, I thought the break would be a blast. No more studying, no more early mornings. But instead of doing something cool or useful, I mostly just lounged around. I stayed in bed way too much, played a ton of video games, and ate way too many/much snacks. I had thought about doing some research for school during the break, but I never got around to it. Looking back, I can see that I missed out on a chance to make good use of my time.

Well in the first day of our semestral break, we planned to celebrate our fiesta on January 27 and 28. after planning, my cousins, uncle and auntie help us cook and clean the house. After our fiesta, I was very happy to see our cousins that we never saw, because of pandemic and they were very far from home.

On second day, I thought of something new, something fun like making my own ingredient to make food.it is my favorite thing to do while I’m getting bored; the foods that I thought were biscuits and cakes. After making it, the result was very good. I couldn’t  stop eating the food that I made.

On the third day was very boring because they forced me to clean the house for tomorrow. It’s the eve of our patronal feast after our cleaning thing all I did was playing mobile legends. Guess what? I got a winstreak and my rank was epic and turned into legend; my favorite hero was Nana. You see Nana is a leonin and she is the most powerful leonin but she doesn’t know how to use it. Luckily there’s some one leonin who helped her control her magic.

 In the days that followed, things felt pretty ordinary. I couldn't shake this feeling of wanting something more exciting. I thought about going back to my old school, but instead, I just stuck to playing on my gadgets. I really wanted to have some fun, but I didn't know how to make it happen, so I ended up experimenting with different foods again.

Each day seemed to blur into the next, with nothing special happening. I spent a lot of time thinking about the good times I had at my old school. The classrooms were always full of laughter, and the hallways were buzzing with activity. But now, everything felt quiet and lonely.

I tried to distract myself by playing games on my gadgets. It was easy to get lost in the virtual worlds they offered. But deep down, I knew it wasn't really making me happy. It was just a temporary escape from reality.

Then one day, I had an idea. I decided to try my hand at cooking. I had never really done much cooking before, but I figured it might be a fun way to pass the time. So, I gathered up some ingredients from the kitchen and got to work.

I started off simple, with basic recipes that I found online. I made things like spaghetti and meatballs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and chocolate chip cookies. It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but as I got more comfortable in the kitchen, I started to have fun with it.

I began experimenting with different flavors and ingredients, trying out new recipes and techniques. Some of my experiments turned out better than others, but I didn't let the failures discourage me. Instead, I saw them as opportunities to learn and improve.

As I spent more time cooking, I found that it was a great way to express myself creatively. I loved experimenting with different flavor combinations and presentation styles. And the best part was getting to share my creations with my family. They were always excited to try whatever new dish I had whipped up, and their encouragement motivated me to keep cooking.

Cooking also helped me to feel more connected to the world around me. Instead of just mindlessly scrolling through my gadgets, I was actively engaging with the world, using my hands and my senses to create something tangible. It was a refreshing change of pace from the digital distractions that had consumed so much of my time.

As the days of the break went by, I found myself looking forward to my cooking experiments more and more. It became a highlight of my day, something to break up the monotony of the endless hours spent at home. And even though the break eventually came to an end, my newfound love of cooking stayed with me.

After those days all I did in my brothers apartment was eat many foods and play mobile legends again because it is boring but the worst of all, the internet! The internet was so slow I couldn’t even watch my favorite video my story animated (MSA) I was about to cry but I didn’t.

As the days of the break went by, I couldn’t help but think about my best friends Nash Ivor T. Bacani, Lia Venisse M. Cabasag, Oscar G. Basya, Raissa Palalay, and Ma Nina Gabiran. You see they are seriously my best friends anyone could ask for. They were always been there for me.

As the break continued, I started feeling kind of bad about how I was spending my time. So, I decided to change things up.

Looking back, I’m very lucky and grateful for the break and all the memories I made. It wasn't perfect, but it taught me some important lessons. And I'm ready to take on whatever comes next, with Nash by my side every step of the way. Because of it I will never forget all the moment and the time that break gave me to spend it all with my family.

[bayouette]

Maybe because I’m #enlightened because I have two close relatives with higher needs/intellectual disability autism, but some people want to “cure autism” as a beneficial thing for their children so they can live “full” lives and not for eugenics shit (disabled people pollute the blood line) right? Growing up I wanted to study neuroscience to cure autism because it affected (so called “took energy out of”) the women in my life so much. All of us are aware that my cousin is alive and deserves to be alive and is able to love and have likes and dislikes and we love him so much we would do anything for them you still have to recognize that he will never have a “normal life”. Possibly a “bad life” because of it. And it’s kinda like oh that’s why autism is a disability.

So that’s why even though I am a “#gtkidburnout kid who turned out to be high masking autistic” I recognize that I am the minority with what is actually autism. Many times I think I am more OCD or anxious than having high sensory over loud (which I do) or having trouble communicating (which I do, but I can hold a professional conversion in so called “masking” even though it pains me to look them in the face and I’m sweating and wishing to kill myself”. My uncle or cousin could never do anything other than simple or physical or “disciplinary’ (don’t run away from me don’t run into the street please youre my baby im scared you might die or get taken advantage love I’m so tired I loved you more than I love my anxious maybe sub-clinical daughters but maybe just a little anxious and antisocial, if you’re beautiful soul ever got hurt before me—) therapy. Showing love in our family was taken care of them if something happened to their parents. My mom cried when I was 10 and said if anything happened to grandma I would take care of my uncle (her older brother) at any cost. My mom never ever cries. My (born during ww2) grandmas whole life was her clearly autistic (r word stupid possessed he should be put somewhere and never see his loving family again)son who was the first generation of autistic kids to get equal (special ed) education within public schools. My grandma (who was born working class first-language-Spanish) and used her smart wit with stocks so became somewhat upper middle class’s) life is of course her own, but very much donated much of it to her son who only likes a particular style of clothes and we need to hide snacks from him because he’s diabetic but we don’t know if he knows that like I’m just like stop stop we’re not supposed to talk about this if I say this I’m “ableist” against people who are billionaires won’t you just listen to me 30% of ppl with autism are intellectually disabled most of us don’t have a job (I had a 2 “jobs” first time it was a temp position that I was never called back after the first day and never officially fired me and never gave me money? And then I became an intern at a company because I told them I’m organized because I “may have autism” and then went to the mental hospital for a week after 2 months of doing one speed sheet because she wanted me to do daily meetings and I want to fucking killl myself so I had to go the hospital to get out of the internships but never tell my college or the company that it was because I was fucking neurotic anxious fucking autist.

Look oh “autism speaks is bad” isn’t because they want to cure autism. Autism is a disorder. Most people don’t like have disorders. So when they impact your day to day lives 24/7 can’t be left alone remember to close the bathroom door please say more than yes or no do you remember me I’m your niece yes it’s because he is smiling and nodding and thumping his chest I love him I’ll do anything with him I could never have a conversation about lord of the rings like with my other uncle who may have been a diagnosed with “a little bit of the autism” if he was a tween today to someone who you love like a son a precious baby son who sometimes does tricks that’s shows that he loves us (do you want to hug me? No? Come on I’m your aunt?? Aw, okay, oh, OHE HE GAVE ME A KISS!! OH BUESO BUESO BUESO MY LOVE MY DARLING” (I CANT BE AUTISTIC BECAUSE I FORCED DOWN MY DESIRE TO HURL EVERYTIME SOME HUGGED ME “please don’t hurt me where do I put my arms you’re smelly you’re kinda creepy is this what uncles do??? Mexicans are just more touchy I watched too much law and order to feel something to explain why I felt so alone and in grief and in rage I tour up my leather chair I need to bleed so that explains someone must have molested this is why because normal people don’t fucking feel this way!!!!! When they touch their uncles????? WHAT HAPPENED TO ME??”

Autism speaks sucks because it endorses autism as a death sentence. “I want to kill my ‘heavily autistic’ daughter because she’s violent and dangerous to her other siblings and I’m so tired and my misogynistic husband doesn’t love me anymore let’s just go to heaven and meet Christ heaven anything is better than this” that IS MURDER!!! AN Autistic CHILD IS NOT A FUCKING ANIMAL!!! THAT GIRL IS RIGHT THERE SHE KNOWS WHATS GOING ON ITS NOT THAT THEYRE ARE STUPID THEY HAVE THOUGHTS MY UNCLE GENUINELY LOVES SEEING HIS COUSINS AND NIECES AND NEPHEWS HE LOVES ME ‘IM HAPPT (name) IS HEREE’ he types on the print-out keyboard (he technically isn’t talking (is that non-verbal selective mutism TikTok) because my 4’11 mid 80s grandma is guiding him with her beautiful old wrinkled calloused veiny beautiful could stare all at day I could paint that and be put in a museum fingers) and he can’t do it on his own. But I love him like a fucking human not a fucking lamb to be slaughtered!!! I refuse to have my uncle or cousin of Isaac!!!!!!! They are not damned!!! We are weird and I’m the least weird but I’m fine I keep in my grimace mom mom you have no friends mom That’s NOT NORMAL Mommy.

But my cousin from my dad’s side just got diagnosed over the computer with AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER and she cried out in glee!! ‘Finally!!! I’m in the special club!!! That’s why I’m so QURIKY IM SO ALONE!! Hehehe.’ And she said ‘oh your maternal uncle must have been hidden inside’ ARE YOU ISNANE??? MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD KILL HERSELF TO SAVE HER AUTISTIC SON. SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST IN FUCKING THE USA TO DEMEND EQUAL TREATMENT (WITHOUT LABOTOMIES WITHOUT EUGENICS) FOR HER YOUNG BOY ONE OF THE FIRST IN OUR COUNTY THEY SAID SHE WAS A BAD MOM THAT IT WAS ALL HER FAULT R WORD DEMON SPAWN YOU KNOW THE SPARTANS KICKED CRIPPS OFF THEIR CLIFFS WHEN THEYRE BABIES TOO BAD THEY DONT HAVE THAT NOW!!

YOU KNOW NOTHING BESIDES TUMBLR! YOU DO NOT TRUST YOUR ELDERS (many queers are autistic?)!!! MY GRANDMA MY MOM MY AUNT MY UNCLE MY COUSIN MY SISTER MY DAD ARE THE ELDERS DIPSHIT!!!! SOME OF THE PEOPLE ABOVE ARE THE somewhat NEUROTIC ANTISOCIAL NOBODY TALKS FOR THIRTY YEARS BUTS THATS NORMAL. — BUT THEY SPEAK FOR THE ONES WHO CANNOT SPEAK!!! WHICH IS A LARGE FRACTION OF AUTISTIC PEOPLE!! WHICH IS WHY ITS CALLED AUTISM SPEAKS DUMBASSS!!!!!!!!!!! DUMBAESSSS!!!!

I WISH I WAS FUCKING NORMAL AND IM NOT ABELIST FOR WISHING THAT. I WENT TO FOUR HIGH SCHOOLS. IM MAYBE GOING TO MY THRID COLLEGE AND IM A SOPHMORE STILL.I HAVE TWO FRIENDS!!! IM 20 and HAVE NEVER BEEN ON A DATE!!! NOT TALKING ABOUT GREEK MYTHOLOGY??? SHUT UP SHUT UP LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE LAYERS OF TROY OH WHAT ABOUT SIGNING UP FOR CLASSES? NO IM SCARED IM SO SCARED WHAT IF THEY SEE IM NOT NORMAL IM A FREAK IM MONSTER IM A BAD PERSON!!! I WISH I WAS MORE AUTISTIC SO PEOPLE WOULD BELIEVE ME!!!! I’m not gonna make it past 25!!! I have been near bed ridden for 5 months ish.

In the end I made it about me..:… I’ve been depressed/anxious for what’s seems like my whole life I went through diaries that said I never was a child because I was so careful and scared and neurotic and shy and please don’t scream at me please don’t touch me!!….. and I wished I was like my cousin who is “level 2” who they asked if it was okay to touch. But they never asked me… it wasn’t until I started questioning our fundamental autistic anxious antisocial please don’t be estranged like that one uncle and said “oh my good I think I’m autistic” that people went softer. Only a handshake. A wave. Didn’t chase me down to demand a goodbye hug. Then I got my diagnosis (which comes with its own sense of grief) and it’s like “:))) it’s okay”” and it’s like finally finally!!!! You understand!! I love you but I don’t know you!!!! Why do you love me??? I’m so hopeless!!!!

Goddd I’m making it ABOUT ME AGAIN!!!!

I’m sorry to all autistics. Autism does not make us monkeys or dogs or demons or freaks or deserved to be choked in their crib we are human beings!!!! And I love my uncle and cousin and my family so much but I can’t talk to them I’m so scared.

And you can make the best of it! You can say, “oh because of my autism I’m really into aquariums!!!” And get special interest energy (respect) and be really passionate about your job as a marine biologist and you’re super organized as a person you are a technology whiz!!! You devote all your time to work and aquariums (and maybe some other special interests like anime figures that make her literally squeal) instead of hanging out with family or friends or coworkers or potential partners because you’re so odd and hahahaha sorry I actually have a headache yeah I can go to that company party but really you’re just so scared you’ll say the wrong thing). But you live with it. You don’t need much affection or attention—but sometimes from the right couple people it feels nice. And you don’t like many people anyway, few ‘get you’ And you may be happy like this. You never get married. Sometimes people talk to you like a baby but you never get why. You know the most about random details that come in handy sometimes. People trust you but aren’t necessarily affectionate towards you. And you have your parents who are cool and siblings that are okay and a couple friends who really ‘get’ you and you be happy. You may love being autistic.

It’s a spectrum, remember? I wish my uncle and cousin were happy and full. I want to be functional and half-way normal. I want every kid who thought they were a secret alien who didn’t know when to look into peoples eyes to be acknowledged and be told ‘ you are not normal but that in no way means you cannot be happy.’ And I wish special ed had more funding. You can make an argument that gifted is special ed whatever but it in should no way get more money than special ed.

I

[gaysindistress]

Don’t mind my ramblings 😂

I have to go to the town I grew up in with my dad this weekend and I’m dreading it because I haven’t been back in like 5-6 years. That and it’ll be a 2 hr drive on super winding roads.

Anyways….I’m feeling ✨angsty✨ so if y’all want some insight into where my self proclaimed angst writing powers came from, read ahead.

Or don’t, I might delete this later. I haven’t decided if this feels like oversharing or not.

Warnings: mentions of racism, religion, and country music

I usually don’t listen to country because it’s awful most of the time and it reminds me too much of home. But when I do, that shit s l a p s and Im not talking Zach Bryan or any of that mainstream shit. ZB is great but I’m talking Colter Wall, The Death South, Uncle Lucius, the Devil makes three, and even late Johnny Cash.

I grew up in a tiny ass town (the population is literally under 200) and the only thing for miles are ranches and hundreds of acres of open land. We didn’t have wifi or cell service until 2018 and i learned to drive on a forgotten forest service road in an old manual farm truck that didn’t have seatbelts. It barely had seats to be completely honest. We would walk to the church on the hill every Sunday wearing our Sunday best where the preacher would be drenched in sweat as he spoke about the Bible and told us that the End Times were coming. We needed to ask for forgiveness, pray any chance we got, and turn off the radio. The songs that out society loved were the Devil’s music and gospel was the only thing acceptable. I couldn’t say the Lord’s name in vain or my great grandma would whack the tops of my hands and make me help her clean. God was something to be afraid of but to be loved reverently as he was out Father.

Afterwards, my great grandma and grandma would make supper for all of us. The staples of homemade jams and bread were always there but the meat and veggies would change depending on what we had available.

We did laundry in a ringer washer and dried the clothes on a line in the front yard. I learned how to sew and mend anything you could think of before I turned 10. My dad and uncles made sure I was the best shot in the family. My mom taught me how to befriend a horse so that you became one when riding. She’d say that there was nothing more dangerous than a rider and a horse who weren’t in sync. It was a running joke that I was Annie Oakley and my grandpa tried for years to get me to do rodeos but my parents wouldn’t let me. Granted I didn’t want to either, the people could be vicious and as I got older, the racism grew worse. My dad was whiter than my grandpa so few people said anything to him but if I was with my grandpa, people would say some of the foulest things you could think of. When I was probably 8, I remember asking him why that group of men yelled at us to “go back to the Rez” and to hide the alcohol. He didn’t answer me and dropped me off with my great grandma. When he came back maybe 30 minutes later, his knuckles were bloody and he tried to wipe them off before he sat down next to us but I still saw them. I knew better than to ask him about it because the look he gave me when he noticed me staring at his hand was one full of hatred, anger, and a deep pain that could never be erased and it told me everything.

My mom wasn’t safe from it either and in their ignorance, people would say whatever they thought might be the most hurtful. Her mom used a mix of Arabic and English when she spoke to my brother, cousins and me but that stopped when all the news would talk about was the war in Iraq and terrorist groups infiltrating America. My mom was terrified that someone would accuse us of being connected to these groups even though her family was from a different country entirely. So my Sitto stopped speaking Arabic and no matter how hard I try to learn it again, nothing sounds as beautiful as hers.

For the most part, I blended in but if anyone looked at me long enough, they’d see what I’d learn to hide. I bleached my dark brown hair and straightened every curl until it no longer held its shape. I covered my face in makeup so that it looked pointed and no longer held the soft flat planes it used to. I used accents of gold and similar colors to lighten my nearly black eyes. Before only the sun could bring out the yellow flecks but I refused to go out for long in order to keep my skin a lighter shade. During the summers when I spent all of my time outside and away from others, my skin would brown until it looked like the dirt and clay beneath my feet. I did all that I could to make myself blend in better and when I failed, my work ethic of sun up to sun down and my ability to keep my mouth shut made it so I was forgettable. No one bothers the average in a town like the one I used to call home.

We’d spend every weekend in late summer and early fall cutting wood for the elders in town. My dad knew everyone’s addresses by heart and didn’t need navigation when he dropped off the wood. After those long days, my great grandma would lay out old quilts she’d made over the years on the lawn so all of us could sleep under the stars. We’d laugh and giggle as we pointed out the constellations and told each other stories. It was then that I learned how our grandparents painted the multicolored hills that surrounded us. Sometimes when we all began to fall asleep, we’d hear the coyotes and once I swear I heard a wolf howl even though my dad said they hadn’t been around in decades. Rarely did I see the big black bear that liked my great grandparents’ Apple trees. I would see the aftermath of his feast though as the raccoons took their share. Sometimes the turkeys would scare them off but that was only seasonally.

I can’t relate to most country music because that’s not the world I grew up in. We didn’t have bonfires on Friday nights after the football games or go mudding when it rained. We didn’t hunt or fish for fun because it was a necessity as the nearest store was an hour away. My childhood in those rural ranch lands was beautiful but harsh and makes any spaghetti western that featured Clint Eastwood or John Wayne look like child’s play. People try to liken to it Yellowstone but i always say it was closer to the prequel 1883.

Country music has always been deeply intertwined with religion but I can’t relate to the way that Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan sing about their god even though I should. I didn’t pray to the God they sing about because the one I grew up with was something from the Great Awakening. The God I grew up with was an old one that demanded sacrifices in the form of our days spent in service to Him and forgoing what modern society offered us because it was deeply sinful. I feared the Devil would one day walk amongst us because that’s what our preacher told us would happen if we listened to the radio or watched any new movies. I imagined when he did claw his way to earth from the depths of Hell, he would wear a suit and tie with a great grin full of teeth sharp enough to snap my bones in one bite.

The “country” I grew up in is nothing like what people imagine when they listen to its music media. It’s not like Yellowstone, any of those homestead shows, or whatever else is labeled as western. The “country” I grew up in, the one that feels most like home albeit a distant one, was more like the one that Colter Wall, Delta Rae, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Death South, Uncle Lucius, the Devil makes three, and of course Johnny Cash all sang about.

[jeannedarkterraguard]

So after reading through my last post again now that i'm not sleep deprived (and also now that we watched more of them) i feel like i should address a few of the things i said even though it probably doesn’t matter to anyone but me

first the thing about there being no tall girls in hololive:

I really wasn't talking about the actual average height (which google tells me is about 160 cm for women so i guess from that perspective Nerissa is quite tall) i meant from my perspective.

For reference: i am 187 cm tall... sooo... yeah...

and i know what's going to happen because it always happens when i tell people on the internet this

"Oh LiSa Is SuCh A lUcKy WoMaN!" well... i like to think she is but not because of that, because she's actually taller than me at 191 cm... in fact i am not even that tall compared to friends and family:

my mom: 197 cm

my sister: 186 cm

Lisa's parents: both 190 cm

my best friend: 193 cm

my uncle: 180 cm

my cousin: 178 cm

my sisters husband: 205 cm!!! (he regularly hits his head when walking through doors. It's kinda funny)

really the only outlier was my dad at 168 cm... Yeah, HE was a lucky man

so when i hear someone being 175 cm tall it just doesn't seem tall to me

next the EU-Time thing

and i know every time this is mentioned someone will inevitably go "oh but you have Vesper and Kiara and the ID girls and you can just watch VODs" and this wasn’t actually meant to be a complaint but well...

yeah of course we can (and do) just watch VODs but sometimes you just want to watch live (and we do watch several non-hololive vtubers live if we can but hololive just seems to hate Europeans sometimes)

With the ID girls and Vesper a big problem is that they might stream during the day in Europe but just "during the day" doesn't translate to "at a good time to watch live" you see they usually stream during the early morning... when people are either at work or still in bed...

also Vesper is still MIA

and Kiara... well to me at least she struggles from a combination of three problems

her time slot: her streams usually start at 3 pm in our timezone (which is the same timezone as almost all of Europe with the exception of the UK and Portugal) so even if we assume just a regular 9-5 job and an average of 30 minutes to get home you're already missing the first 2,5 hours of her stream which wouldn't be much of a problem if it wasn't for point number 2

her choice in games: Kiara tends to stream long story driven games like Fire Emblem, Zelda or Yakuza. This means that missing 2,5 hours of a stream could mean missing significant portions of story and feeling completely lost for the rest of the stream which brings me to point number 3

her long streams: While i personally really like long streams they do make it hard to catch up. Let me give you an example...

Kiara starts streaming Zelda while I'm at work. I come home 2 hours later and can't watch the rest of the stream live because i have no idea what's happening in the story so i decide to watch the VOD the next day but she streamed for 8+ hours so watching it takes me 2-3 days...

now if she decided to stream Zelda again during those days i can't watch that stream either even if i am at home when it starts... and so the backlog just grows and grows...

Funnily enough the best schedule for European timezones is faunas...

you see fauna usually starts her streams at 10pm for us and streams for about 3-4 hours max so you can easily put one of her streams on, watch it and then go to bed once it ends... at around 2 am which probably isn't the best time to go to bed when you have to wake up at 6 am but let's not get into that...

anyway i hope i managed to clear up what i was trying to say in the last post... bye

[sad-boy-mono]

Ima be whiny and rant about my morning getting ready for a roadtrip. Idc if I sound like a whiny bitch IM FEELING LIKE A WHINY BITCH SO

My mom said we'd start packing up the car around 10 (to quote her directly, she wanted to "haul ass at 10") but she didn't even get home from a doctor's appointment until 10:30.

I woke up at 9 anticipating we'd be hauling ass at 10 (I've been waking up at 1pm everyday for the past 2 weeks) and went to bed at 4 (not by choice) so I could've gotten at least a bit more sleep.

I'm already overstimulated cuz I'm tired and now more so cuz we're off the given schedule.

So much time just getting shit into the car.

A CD I got in May is stuck in my dad's car. My dad's car recently was taken into the shop for some repairs. My mom said she brought up my stuck CD. Is my CD unstuck? Nope!

(Also secondary rant but this CD being stuck has caused me so much more stress than it should. It was $12 so not a huge financial loss but it's also my favorite album and the CD is sold out. My family doesn't have a good way to listen to music from phones in our car cuz we don't have Bluetooth and auxcords always end up hella staticy so we use CDs and I was so excited to finally have some new music in the car but I got to listen to it once before it got stuck and won't even play music because my mom messed with it trying to get it out. And then there's the added feeling of when you're upset about something that isn't a big deal and you KNOW it isn't a big deal so you feel dumb about getting so worked up about it because it's just a fucking CD and you could probably figure out a way to download the album and burn a new one but you bought this one from an artist you love and want to support so now you just feel dumb and stupid and wanna cry everytime you think about it and WHY DIDNT THE REPAIR PEOPLE GET IT OUT DID MY MOM LIE ABOUT TELLING THEM? IM SO PISSED. SECONDARY RANT OVER)

I have much less space then I thought I would in the car.

I remembered I'd have to spend a lot of time around my cousins (not necessarily a bad thing. But my social battery is a constant 0%. Also I came out to my uncle as trans a while back and he reacted badly and I really don't wanna be around him :/)

We're on the road and I forgot how loud and bumpy highways are in this shit stain of a country (#americacore)

Also my mom smokes. The smell + open window being loud is not helping.

Did I mention the roads suck? Because the roads suck.

I'm crammed in the back and everytime we make a turn I'm crushed by my aunt's wheelchair.

I love my family so much like genuinely, but being around them is hard cuz they're always up here 📈 all the time and I'm always down here 📉 all the time so being around them is hard due to how our energies don't align for lack of a better term.

Did I mention the roads suck? Cause the roads really fucking suck-

I didn't eat this morning and am hunger. I cannot reach any of the food/snacks we packed

I spent like 30 minutes fighting back a meltdown low-key.

Having boobs is actually such an icky feeling? Like not binding was a good choice but when roads are as bumpy as there are here maybe I should've just worn a binder?

HAVE I MENTIONED THESE FUCKING ROADS-

I don't have the money for Spotify premium (#brokecore)

Also I packed my laptop and every moment it isn't in my sight I fear it is being destroyed viciously (it is literally at the top of the bag pile and surrounded by clothing)

Did my hair this morning and it just like. Wasnt working with me :/

HOW DO ROADS MANAGE TO BE SO FUCKING LOUD WHAT THE FUCK-

Anyways I'm excited for this weekend :]. I'm going to a powwow in my extended family's town and supposedly it's gonna be hella big. We're staying in an AirBnB and it has a lake n shit so we can go swimming n shit. I might have my own room? Idk tho if not I'll live. I got my headphones.

[boxed-chardonay]

So look, I have this cousin (in his mid 30s I think) who is in jail for numerous offenses few of which are substance use/dealing and illegal possession of a firearm (this will become more relevant later) . He was arrested at burger King Like All great criminals are. He's Been in rehab, corrections, and prison for about 5ish years now.

Now this is where it gets twisted. He is soon to be released, which for numerous reasons we will talk about I don't agree with. But i know somebody who has evedance that he hasn't changed despite what he is presenting himself to be. But to understand that, let's go back to just before he got arrested.

The leading days to his arrest (keep in mind he was on illeagal substances) he harassed everyone in the family. From his mom to the 7 aunts and uncles and everyone in between. With out going into detail he harassed both if his sisters. Calling it harassment is taking it lightly. That same week he broke into my home and stole my father's cloths and one of his uncles duffel bags to "deliver" "goods" that same day the previously mentioned illeagal firearm was brought to my mom's attention. Nothing was said nothing came out of this man's ill mouth. Just a blank, emotionless stare right at my mom. On the same day as well my mom was babysitting my 2 younger cousins. He purposely told them that a tornado (it was storming out) was going to kill them and left the house. Quite a few things after that happened that I vaguely remember, but I can't pull them forward for some reason. Anyway. The next week he was arrested at burger King and sent to a rehab/corrections facility. Things genuinely seemed like they were turning around for him, which was strange because he's been in jail before and he came out with noting different about him. Some time goes by as his mother updates the family. People asked me to send him money to which I did not. Last year, around this time his claim was he was becoming an ordained minister for the church. Which once again struck me as odd. He was never a church going person. But the pastor of the church that I occasionally frequent that all my family goes to saidhe was doing better and how he was meeting with him every so often to help him get ordained. Hopes started increasing that things might potentially be changing for him.

I now believe I was wrong. Recently our uncle had passed over a substance overdose. And strange things happened (that's for another story). He claimed he saw our uncle with our deceased grandmother. His mom. It was an entire thing for a different story. One of my cousins stayed with me during my uncles service because she came from Kentucky. I was brought to attention of a list of things he wanted is girlfriend pinpal to search for him. One of which was a very specific illeagal substance traid in my state.

I bring this up because most people in my family don't know this. I also bring this up for the judge mental posts that I have seen. But I have to be honest though judgemental I don't disagree. I fear my families life when he gets out because I fear what he will do. My mom tells me "he served his time" to that I say his time isn't long enough. People tell me "only one person can judge him now and that's God" Like I'm sorry. Love thy neighbor and all but love thy neighbor behind bars. I shutter to think what this man is going to do when he gets out. And if it has anything to do with anyone in my family being harmed he will be the one 6 ft under and I will be the one behind bars. I've been told I might act nice but I can mace Satan cry and if my cousin ends up in hell as a result of me Satan himself will apologize because I will be the one in his torture chamber humiliating, torturing, and harvesting his pain for eternity. Everyone has high hopes for him. But they don't know what I know. And for that I home they won't find out because if the cops don't get to him before I do there will be hell to pay and I will enjoy every second of it even if it results in me being behind bars for the rest of my life. And he will have to answer to me for the rest of eternity. Begging for me to stop, asking me to let him take one breath. Because I won't.

[astridthevalkyrie]

A Scene Popped Into My Head But Instead Of Writing A Whole AU I’m Just Going To Write That One Scene <3

---> Scene Capture Fics Masterlist

---> Today’s Feature: Arranged Marriage AU Levi!

---> Part 2

---> a/n: this one is self indulgent to a fault. like, self indulgent to the point where i was just frustrated all day (all week, really) with my family and so i whipped this out. stayed up till 1:30 am writing it. i wouldn't say it's a full fic, which is why i'm still posting it as a scene capture fic, but i may post it to ao3 too. let me know what you think!

In your anger, you nearly rip your earrings off, throwing them onto the vanity. The jewelry clinks on the table, followed shortly by your necklace and bracelets. The door closes gently a few seconds after you storm in, and you hear your husband rummaging around in his messenger bag for his glasses.

You hate this. Hate this room, hate those earrings, hate this house. It's not even yours, it's your uncle's. He's generously offered to host the entire family over for his daughter's birthday party, and now that you're married, you get your own room instead of rooming with the kids. Whoop de doo.

Truthfully, you'd prefer sleeping in the same room as a bunch of loudmouths instead of with Levi Ackerman. But as Mrs. Ackerman, it'd be extremely strange for you to sleep anywhere else but in the same bed as him.

"What's wrong," Levi murmurs in that grating voice of his. In another life, you might have found it attractive. Oh, who are you kidding, you have found it attractive, but not when he pulled the stunt that he just did,

"Nothing," you mutter shortly, unbuttoning the buttons on your top.

He sighs. It only makes your blood boil more.

"If you're not going to tell me, stop sulking."

"I'm not sulking," you spit out, taking out your pajamas. How dare he?

"You are," he retorts easily, "you didn't have fun playing minigolf?"

Sure, you had fun. You had fun when you had to hit the golf ball at least six times on each track because of how terrible you were. You had fun when your cousin clapped for Levi every time he got a dumb hole in one and then giggled when he thanked her dryly. And you definitely had fun when you and your sister got into an argument that she booked tickets to the local amusement park without you even though you were the one who brought up the idea a couple weeks ago and now she was going with some of the other family members.

What wasn't there to be overjoyed about?

"Are you still upset about that ridiculous argument?"

That ridiculous argument—those words hurt the most because they're true, the fight with your sister was ridiculous. It's certainly not something you want to waste your energy on. She's her own person, and she can go wherever she pleases with whoever she wants to go with. But it's not the fight that has you so heated.

It's the fact that during it, your sister had turned to Levi and said, word for word, "Come on, Levi, tell her she's being stupid!"

And Levi had, without hesitation, turned to you and told you that you were indeed being stupid.

That, in front of your entire family, had felt like a hard slap to the face.

You'd been able to kid yourself for a few months now. That even if you and Levi didn't love each other, at least you were becoming friends, at least he might sort of like you as a person. That you could have a husband who'd stick by you. That, for once in your life, someone would prioritize you.

But that was just a far-fetched fantasy, a dream for stupid girls who were kidding themselves. Girls like you.

"I'm not upset. We should go downstairs, pizza will be here soon."

"No," Levi refuses easily, grabbing your wrist before you can reach the door. "Go apologize to your sister first."

That, finally, makes you snap.

"I should go apologize? The least she could have done was not tell me she was going with other people and throwing away our yearly tradition!" You snatch your wrist away from him, glaring daggers. Who the hell does he think he is? "And just for your information, the two of us have never been in a fight for longer than a day. Tomorrow morning she'll see a video that's so funny she just has to share it, and I'll find it so fucking hilarious that I'll go up to her and ask her if she's seen some other video it reminded me of."

Levi frowns. "Then what the hell are you so upset about?"

"None of your goddamn concern."

"Yes it is. Tell me. Is it me?"

For someone who's so perceptive, he's also incredibly stupid. "Levi. I'm not a child. Why don't you go flirt with my cousin or something, because I can deal with my emotions just fine, like any other fucking adult, and I don't need your coddling."

Perceptive indeed. "So it is me," he concludes, "for your information, I've never once flirted with her, I try to avoid her when I can—"

"Oh my fucking God, do you think I care? Do you think I give a single goddamn shit if you flirt with her or anyone else? I'm not a jealous crybaby. Go sleep with someone else and see if I even lift a finger to stop you."

A pregnant pause fills the air for a couple seconds, and then he says, "Yeah. I do think you care."

You scoff. "Then you're full of yourself, because I don't."

With that, you whirl around, determined to leave this terrible room with its disgusting yellow color, but as soon as you inch open the door, it slams shut again, and Levi whirls you around, boxing you in against it. With one hand, he locks it, and your fingers tremble in rage.

This is too far.

"Move."

"No."

"Move, or I'll scream."

"Scream all you'd like. I'm not opening the door until you tell me."

From the hard gaze in his eyes, you know he's not bluffing. His arms are on either side of you and he’s so close that any other time you might have been embarrassed. From this point of view, you can appreciate how very pretty your husband truly is.

You have no choice.

"When we were fighting," you begin, giving him your deepest scowl, trying to cloak how vulnerable you feel as he forces you to expose your own insecurities, "you took her side."

"You were being ridiculous." Levi frowns, as though he can't fathom why you'd be upset about such a thing.

"I was." Your agreement comes naturally, but it causes a lump in your throat. Ridiculous, childish, emotional, those were traits that you were supposed to hide from everyone, because everyone had drilled it inside you that these were bad things, that you had to act mature or else face the consequences of being ridiculed. "But what would have been the worst thing that happened if you took my side? Or even if you stayed out of it? If you just..." Against your deepest wishes, your lower lip trembles. "If you just didn't call me stupid for having emotions?"

Something shifts in Levi's expression, something that you've never seen in these past few months. Something akin to softness covers his features, a stark contrast to the emotionless robot you married. His thumb comes up to brush a single tear that drips down your cheek. "You wanted me to stick by you," he claims softly, trying to understand.

Wetness coats your lashes. "I wanted you to choose me. I wanted someone to choose me. No one ever chooses me, and I wanted you to. And that's idiotic, I know, to expect the one person I was forced upon to actually want me. So just—just forget about it, Levi, I mean it." You're pleading now, anger having made way for ugly jealousy and insecurity and self hate. "Go have fun, and—"

"I'm sorry," he breathes in one quick admission.

An apology is the last thing you expected to hear. By this point, you didn't even think the situation warranted one. But Levi goes on.

"You're right. If it was that stupid, and it wasn't, then I could have taken your side. I...I'm not good with this stuff, but if you want me to support you, then I can. I will. I'll do better next time. Okay?"

Levi is so blunt that it makes your heart clench. Avoiding the problem altogether or just brushing past it would be easier for you to deal with, but this, an apology and a promise to improve, makes the tears filling your eyes to fall.

"Okay?" he repeats, quieter this time. You nod, not trusting yourself to form any words. "Okay." And then he presses a soft kiss to your forehead, one that spreads warmth across your face down to your fingertips.

The moment ends as soon as he steps back, as you awkwardly and hurriedly wipe your cheeks, while Levi adjusts his glasses and pulls out his phone, coughing into his fist. Couples who didn't have a choice in the matter aren't supposed to have moments. And yet, he's left you flabbergasted at how compassionate he really can be, and for the first time, you consider that being Mrs. Ackerman may not be the worst thing in the world.

"There's not that much traffic right now," he mumbles, eyes locked on his phone as you make yourself presentable.

"Right. And?" Taking a tissue, you silently wipe away the mascara that's staining your skin.

"If we pack quickly, we could probably make it home by 11."

Your heart leaps in joy at this prospect. "But...but we're supposed to be here for another two days."

"Do you want to stay?" Levi questions, looking at you in the mirror. Your answer should be yes, this is your family.

"No. I really don't."

"Alright," Levi decides, nodding to himself, "then if you want to, we can leave." He looks at you expectantly, seeking your answer.

Back home, you have more awkward silence and forced pleasantries to endure, along with possible disagreements and compromises that leave neither of you happy. A return to a not-so glamorous life of a couple that was pushed together not by fate, or destiny, or love, just other people.

And despite all that, you suck in a deep breath, wipe the last of your tears away, and say, "Let's go."

[theunstuffedpepper]

I saw this side-by-side comparison showing how a person’s organs move around to make room for baby and just.. wow. Our bodies are incredible.

I got the Moderna booster on Monday! Aside from a sore arm and a persistent headache, the side effects for me weren’t too bad. I also had some serious fatigue and nausea, but I’m so used to living with those things, I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy or the booster. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I took some Tylenol finally yesterday because that headache was kicking my ass. I typically try to take nothing while I’m pregnant, but it is what it is. I needed it. I also signed off work at 5:01pm knowing I was leaving some things for myself for the next day, but I just couldn’t do it anymore. Such exhaustion.

After falling asleep on the couch yesterday by 8pm, I just gave in to it and was tucked in bed at 8:30. I slept like a damn rock (thank you, pep and b!) and I feel so much more refreshed this morning.

Christmas update (warning - this may get long and ranty!): we had decided on sleeping at my MIL’s house while we’re in NJ over the holiday rather than sleeping at my parents’. We stay at my parents’ house every year and this year has been particularly hard for my MIL, so we thought she could use the company. My mom did not take that well (as expected) when I told her over the phone. Even after we hung up, several hours later, I got a one-word text from her: “Wow.” …really? This doesn’t need to be so dramatic. Needless to say, I didn’t answer.

Two nights ago, I missed a call from my mom and she left a voicemail about Christmas Eve timing. I ended up working til I went to bed, basically, so I didn’t call back. Last night my mom asks me to call her because she’s fretting over Christmas Eve timing, still, for who knows what reason. I call and tell her it doesn’t matter to us. She then also informs me that my brother, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend’s 7yo daughter were uninvited from a big family get-together on Sunday, the day after Christmas. Immediately I knew it was because they’re the only ones not vaccinated and the word “good” popped out of my mouth. Oops. “What did you just say? Good??” …yeah. Again, oops. But I explained that I also am not comfortable with it and if they make the decision (or indecision) to not get vaccinated, they have to also understand that it is going to make some people uncomfortable.

My mom then goes on a rant about my brother and his girlfriend getting COVID in august and according to her google research, antibodies from being infected last 8 months, so he’s “more protected than she is right now!” since she got vaxxed back in March and hasn’t bothered to get boosted. I just cannot with these conversations, y’all. I can’t. My brother is diabetic, and that’s why he says he doesn’t wanna get vaxxed. If anything, that makes him immunocompromised and he had even more reason to get vaxxed before rolling the dice, deciding to just “wait and see”, and then get COVID at a concert. Of course because it wasn’t a severe case it only reinforces his (and my mom’s) ignorance. “It was barely a cold!” I told my mom to tell that to the hundreds of thousands of (sometimes perfectly healthy) people who ended up on ventilators or worse. She must regret asking me to call, huh? 😁

At this point, I’m already so done, guys. Oh, and ALSO. My aunt and cousin are sick with what my mom says is “phlarengitis” - whether she means laryngitis or pharyngitis, I don’t know, and it doesn’t much matter. They’re hosting the family get-together on Sunday so now we have to decide whether to go. Of course we’re leaning heavily toward no, but it’s breaking my heart, because it’s the only time for quite a while that I’ll get to see my grandmother who is visiting from Florida, and might be the only chance for her to meet pep. I also was stoked for my aunt and uncle to meet him, which they haven’t yet. This situation is so, so frustrating and depressing. I could scream.

After all that, I’m trying my darndest to still enjoy pep’s first Christmas as much as we possibly can. I wanna make great memories with him and see him rip into his presents. We’re going to make the best of it.. it just may look different than we had hoped.

I hope you all are dealing with less Christmas/holiday drama than this, although I know this stupid virus affects us all. Today’s my last working day until Tuesday, so time to get to it.

[cognacdelights]

What is the weirdest thing that ever happened to you?

Idk if this would also count as a ghost story but anyway, I never met my Granny because she died a year before I was born but at the most random times or sometimes when I'm really stressed (also happened once when I had a panic attack at school) I'll smell her perfume. I'll get a whiff of it and my whole body will just relax, but I never met her and I've never smelled her perfume. But whenever I smell that I just know it's her, the earliest I can remember it happening was when I was three and in the hospital. My mom was in the bathroom and my dad had left to get the two of them some food I smelled her perfume, I was super scared because I feel like shit, I have all these needles stuck in my arm and I'm by myself and I just remember I immedently calmed down. I've told my parents and brother about this and they agree that it's odd but I'm comforted by the thought that she watches over me and can help me whenever no one else can. That also happenes a lot with my papa, he was my best friend and he died when I was 13. I'll smell his colonge a lot and I even have dreams about him. Like a few days after he died I had a dream where he said goodbye and that he loves me. I'm very comforted by that. My mom also had a dream about her sister when she died where she said goodbye and that she loves her.

so the weirdest thing that's happened to me is probably very similar to yours? in the sense of just something happening with a loved one

so my gma's sister never had any kids so she was always "auntie" to me and my cousins. i had such a close relationship with her like she was my favourite person in the entire world. well, i was around 7 when she died and i don't remember much about what happened at the time but i went to sleep one night and had woken up at some point during the night. my room was completely pitch black but i could sort of make out a figure that was just a bit darker than the room and then i felt myself being tucked in and then like something warm on my forehead (like a kiss). now i know for a fact this wasn't my parents bc i could hear them both snoring (and my parents weren't the type to do tucking in or anything like that). then the day after i was told that she'd died.

then, my dad's oldest brother died a while ago but every now and then we all get white feathers on our doorsteps but it happens to all of us on the same day. like my gma will get one, we will get one, all three of my aunts will get one, my uncle, and even my cousin's will get them too. it's not very often like i'd say maybe 3 times since he's died but we all get them in the same day like he's making his rounds of the family and checking in.

then, not to be like "i'm psychic" but i know when bad things are going to happen. like immediately before it happens, i just know. so like obviously earlier this week i got the phonecall about my parents being in a car accident, i woke up like a minute before my phone started ringing with the call. there's so many other instances like this but they're quite personal so i don't really wanna put them on here rn that i just know something is going to happen

also this might not be as weird but my dad's biological dad went missing when my dad was younger and everyone had thought he'd gone back to ireland, or moved to canada, some people said he was in aus too. but we got a phonecall from someone a few years ago saying he had died (and ended up about 30 mins away from us). anyways, i had never met him ever, he went missing long before my mum and dad had met. so i've had people come up to me and shout my name (like my full birth name) and ask about "john" which was his name but at the time i didn't know bc my dad never talked ab him (as far as i was concerned my gma's second husband is like my grandad). so once we got this phonecall and details about him, we had to go clear his stuff out from his flat. it was an assisted living place for the elderly and they kept calling me by my name, saying i look just like him and stuff. so turns out he knew everything about my uncle, my dad and his oldest sister (his kids)... he knew when my parents got married, he knew that they had a kid, he had PHOTOS of me from SCHOOL like the school issued photos, my birth announcement from the paper, he had my uncle's obituary, my aunt's marriage announcement, pictures of my two cousins. the only thing that was even stranger was that he had told people i was his daughter? very weird for me esp when it all kind of falls into place

[iamdunn]

Miraculous Flash Forward part 7: The Reunion

A Miraculous Fan-Fic

Written By

AJ Dunn

The festivities were meant to begin around noon and carry on late into the night. Finishing up with the Super Hero team’s arrival and hanging out. Adrien dressed quickly, hoping that his outfit, while casual, wasn't too casual for Felix’s liking. He was wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeve black shirt, and a light blue short sleeve, button-down hooded shirt. The hood was his new trademark style and he couldn’t go without it. Although he hoped it wasn’t going to be too hot for the long sleeves. He had a few bruises fro m sparring in his father’s atrium and broke a few of his prized statuettes. It was a good way to alleviate some of the frustration, hurt, and anger he had allowed to steep in him all these years. The world didn’t need to see that side of Adrien.

He made his way downstairs to his coup and pulled it out of the garage. His phone rang through to the car stereo as Adrien clicked a button to answer it. 

“There is a tent set up at the back of the Place De Vosges park behind the stage, meet me there,” Felix ordered. “I’ll announce you at exactly 12 noon.” 

“On my way,” Adrien said. It only took a few minutes to drive there, and he had a good 30 minutes, in case of traffic. Adrien parked the car by the curb next to the tent Felix had mentioned then rushed inside hoping no one saw him. He sat down at a chair set up for him and waited. It reminded him of his modeling days and wondered if Felix had hired a make-up crew and expected him to wear a custom Graham De Vanily line outfit. No such thing happened. He sat alone for a while until his cousin joined him. 

“You look nervous,” Felix said.

“I just haven’t been in the public eye in so long, I don’t remember how to act.” Adrien stared at his hands as he leaned his elbows on his knees.

“The boy who spent most of his life as the model, sunshine boy, and face of his father’s fashion company?” Felix snorted a laugh. “It's muscle memory Adrien, just like your… your kung fu.��� he gestured with his hands toward Adrien. 

“But that’s not me anymore, and I don’t want to present as someone I’m not.” Adrien scoffed. “That’s the same as lying,” he emphasized. 

“I guess…” Felix thought for a moment. “Just be yourself.” he narrowed his eyes. “But let’s not start throwing kicks or punches while on stage save that for the drunken after-party.” Adrien laughed. 

“Only if you join me with some kicks and punches of your own.” 

“I’ll think about it.” they both laughed. “It’s time.” Felix stood up as he heard the emcee Nino introducing him. He slipped through the opening opposite the street and entered the stage. Adrien could hear the crowd clap for him.

“Thank you thank you,” Felix said as the crowd quieted.

“These past 5 years have been a time of healing for all of us.” Felix started. Adrien’s emotions already welling up in his as he tried to swallow it back. He decided to practice his breathing techniques while he waited for his cue.

“Some of us.” Felix paused. “Affected on a more personal level. The family of the man who wrought years of torture on all of us without anyone knowing who he was. We, the Graham De Vanily and the Agreste family felt the final blow of Hawk Moths’ actions just as much as the rest of you and because of that. We have had to work extra hard to ensure our place in YOUR lives would not be clouded by the actions of one man. We do NOT condone his actions, we do NOT acknowledge him. We DO, however, ask that you forgive us our ignorance in his actions, and accept us as one of your.” the crowd cheered as Felix went silent for a moment. “And when I say we. I am referring to myself and…” Adrien stood at the opening waiting for his introduction. “Adrien.” He stepped out of the tent hearing even the quietest whisper die out. “Now, let our Sunshine boy say a few words, then let us celebrate once again.” He stepped away from the mic as Adrien glanced nervously at Nino. Nino gave him a supporting nod as he stepped up to the mic. 

“I… I can’t tell you all, how sorry I am for what my father did to you all, but…” He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up and found Luka smiling at him. The wrecking ball in his stomach settled down as he turned back to the crow. “I had a lot to process but that doesn’t excuse my actions in leaving you all without a word all these years and I hope you can find it in your heart to…” he searched the audience until he found her face in the back. A look of shock and bewilderment as if she had forgotten to breathe. “I am sorry.” His words were meant mostly for her. He stepped back from the microphone looking for a clear path to her. As if the audience saw what he was thinking they cleared the way all turning their eyes on Marinette. Adrien ran across the stage leaping from it. Landing softly on the grass he walked up to Marinette hoping his actions didn’t scare too her bad as he approached her. 

Her face froze in shock as he reached her. Bright pink tinting flushed over her cheeks as her mouth gaped open. He rested both hands on her shoulders as he looked down at her. She didn’t move so he pulled her into a hug. Finally, her arms came up around his waist and she pressed herself into the hug. She began to tremble in his arms. 

“Can we have a minute alone?” he whispered into her ear. He felt her nod so he releases one arm from her and used the other to pull her along to the farthest side of the park. They found a bench and took a seat in the shade. He watched her as her eyes focused on the ground.

“I am sorry, for the things I left unsaid.” his voice quivered as he fought back the tears. She was crying and he knew he would be too if he didn’t focus his breathing. “I can’t expect you to forgive me…”

“But I do.” her eyes shot up to his. The moistened eyes and cheeks made him choke. He never wanted to see her cry. “I know why you left, I know it must have been hard for you to face us, to face me.” Adrien reached his hands up cupping her face on both sides as he ran his thumb over her cheeks wiping away the fresh tears. 

“About that too, but I meant…” he could feel his cheeks warm up as he remembered her words that day, how she had told him it was okay if he didn’t feel the same, but that she loved him. “I should have told you back then. But I...I do feel the same.” Her tears seemed to stop suddenly as she looked up at him in surprise. “It has always been you.” 

“But you said…” She choked. “There was a girl that you loved.” Adrien smiled. 

“How many times did you deny to my face that you had feelings for me?” Adrien released her face and folded his hands together looking at the sky. “Even you can’t deny how easy it is to love Ladybug,” he said. 

“Ladybug?” she giggled 

“Are you laughing at me now?” Adrien smiled at her. 

“It’s just. Well, you should ask her when you see her tonight.” Adrien froze for a minute. He couldn’t be Adrien while he was Cat Noir, and Marinette didn’t know that about him. 

“I won’t be staying for that part.” he frowned. “I have to return home, I have, responsibilities.” 

“Home?” Her face dropped to the ground again as her arm came up around her chest to hug herself. 

“I have another confession for you.” He said taking her chin in his hand tipping her face to meet his again. “I live in Shanghai, where I teach Kung Fu to kids and learn how to cook from the World’s Greatest Sifu.” 

“Uncle Cheng?” Marinette’s eyes widened. 

“And I stock my closet with Marinette designs.” her face lit up at the mention of her brand. “Thank you for the bonus Cat Noir Onesie.” A realization came across her face.

“That was you.” she punched him in the shoulder then pulled her hand back quickly. “OUCH!: Adrien laughed at her. “Wait, what about the week I spent there with my parents?”

“I saw you from across the street, when you went to the museum, and when I stopped by the restaurant.” He sighed, he didn’t want to get Cheng Sifu in trouble. “Don’t be mad at him. It was I who couldn’t face you.”

“So, you have been in Shanghai this whole time?” She looked confused taking his hand in hers.

“Well, the last three years.”

“But we have been searching for you everywhere.” Marinette scowled. “Don’t you think I would have checked there first?”

“Oh, uh, about that.” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I uh, I changed my name from Agreste to Graham De Vanily, because…”

“That part you don’t have to explain.” she sighed. “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.” 

“Then why can’t you be here for the Hero Celebration?”

“There is… something I have to do. I might come back afterward if you want me to.” Marinette smiled. 

“Alright stop hogging the Sunshine boy,” Alya said, grabbing them both by the arms and dragging them back to the group. 

“What about the wedding,” Marinette asked as they walked back. “Your best friend is getting married. He needs you to be his best man.” 

“I thought it was you getting married. Besides I don’t even have a tux.” he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly hoping she hadn’t heard the first part. 

“Oh, I already took care of the tux, just in case. I did a favor for Felix in exchange for your measurements. He tried to act like he didn’t know, but I knew better.'' The group was dancing to Kitty Section. Adrien began to move as he stood in front of Marinette. “Who would I be getting married to anyway?” Adrien froze for a moment

“Luka?” Adrien tried to sound casual about it. But Marinette began to laugh as she danced with him.

“He and Zoe got married a few years ago, they have twins now.” Adrien was surprised but also happy for his good friend. He glanced up to the stage watching him strum on his guitar. “He focus’ more attention on making stringed instruments, but they have a record deal and they play venues like this.” Juleka strumbed on her guitar as Rose sung and Ivan played the drums. Adrien marveled for a minute when he realized the old keyboard was set up with no one playing it. The song came to an end and as if he could hear his thoughts.

“Adrien, care to join us for old times sake?” Luka asked through the microphone. He could feel his face light up as everyone turned to him cheering. Adrien climbed up on the stage and took his spot at the keyboard. A microphone was sitting in front of it. 

“Forgive me… It’s been a long time since I played.” Adrien said shyly

“Take your time, brother, we haven’t played this one since you left, so it'll be a refresher for all of us.” Luka smiled at him. Adrien beamed at the reference to family he hadn’t heard in forever. Rose's voice hasn't changed much, it was still squeaky and meek but when she began to sing, she became a total rocker. Adrien never really understood the song about Unicorns, but it did have a feel good beat and always made everyone cheer. They played out the song as if it had been yesterday. 

“Thank you Adrien.” Rose hugged him before he left the stage to rejoin Marinette, Juleka grabbed him after Rose then Ivan and Luka. 

“Welcome home.” Adrien blushed hoping his feelings didn’t expose him too much. On his way back to Marinette, his whole class took a minute to welcome him home, grab him into a hug, high five or some other friendly gesture. Marinette waited for him where he had left her. 

“We’re going to slow it down now and give Kitty Section a Brake.” Nino said over the mic. A melodic piano tune began to play and Adrien knew it well, it was their song. The song he and Marinette had danced to every time they danced. It slipped his hands around her waist as she lifted hers over his shoulders and he pulled her tight against his chest. He had to stoop forward now that he was so much taller than her. He tightened his grip on her and slowly lifted her off the ground. He was so deeply entranced by her as her arms tightened around his neck. Her face now buried in his neck. 

“I just remembered how you loved dancing with your feet off the ground.” He could hear her chuckle a little at the reference to their New York trip. She lifted her head up from his neck as he felt her lips press against his cheek, then tucked back against his neck. As the song ended he returned her feet to the ground. “It is better this way, so you don’t step on my feet and trip us both.” He said playfully scratching the back of his neck. She swatted at him and huffed. He reached out to grab her arms as she pulled away from him. With her back turned to him he wrapped his arms around her again then placed a kiss on her cheek. He released her just as quickly.

Kitty Section went on to play a few more songs. Adrien took Marinette to get a plate of snacks from the buffet table and sit back down at the bench from earlier. The day waned on as the sun began to set. 

“Dudes and Dudettes lets’ give Kitty Section a hand as they are done for the night as we now surrender the stage to Jagged Stone his first song is a shout out to all you super heroes out there to join us up on stage. Here’s Jagged Stone playing Miraculous.” Nino ran off the stage and disappeared. 

“Hey, Marinette, can we talk… You know.. Over there?” Alya grabbed her hand and drug her away before Adrien could say anything. This was perfect though. Adrien snuck off to the tent and called on his transformation. He found his way to Marinette’s old Balcony and scanned the area waiting for the others. Ladybug was the first to land on the stage with Rena Rouge and Carapace at her side. Soon, Viperion stood beside Ladybug with Purple Tigress beside him. Polymouse and Pigella were there too. One by one the team that took down Hawkmoth took their places on the stage and held their stance. Vesperia landed flawlessly. Suddenly the entire team began to chat together led by Ladybug.

“Cat..Cat...Cat...Cat...Cat” Ladybug called out.

“Cat Noir!” the entire crowd called as his face flushed with joy. He thrust himself into the air allowing his body to sumersault just before landing between Viperon and Ladybug. With one knee and hand on the stage, his other hand on his baton he looked up to see the crowd going wild and cheering. 

“Welcome back Kitty.” Ladybug said as Viperion stepped aside making room for him and Ladybug at the center of the stage.

“What’s a Ladybug without her Cat Noir?” He recited the words from Marinette’s card. They all struck their superhero poses as the entire audience lit up in camera flashes.