#familyyyyyyy

[maitaiwiththecorpses]

Avoidance Of The First Class

Making this a separate post bc I absolutely died trying to find it again.

@queenofapeacefuldawn thanks so much for the idea and letting me use it! It was and honor!

Avoidance Of The First Class

Coming back to the museum for Thanksgiving was weird.

Her mom was determined to make a feast, celebrate with her sisters, and just be super festive this year.

Aru had a feeling Krithika Shah was feeling lonely.

In the time since the Potatoes had gone off to college, her mom had become besties with Malini across the street, and a painful dread came over Aru as her mom said, "This weekend, beti, we're going to have a big feast. Malini and I planned it! Isn't that exciting?" She asked, bustling around the kitchen.

"That's great, mom," Aru said. She slyly left the room, pulling her phone out and scrolling through her contacts till she found one at the bottom.

Aiden Acharya

She sighed and clicked on the contact, tapping out a hasty text to her ex-boyfriend.

Aru: Did you know about this dinner our moms are hosting? Aiden: Actually? Aru: Yes... You didn't tell her did you?

The palpable pause in the conversation made her heart sink They'd decided to not tell anyone they'd broken up, to keep the dynamic of the Potatoes afloat. Aru remembered that conversation, with both of them dripping in apathy. It was the worst thing to happen-

Aiden: No. Should I? Aru: I think we can get through a dinner. Aiden: Avoidance of the first class?

She thought about responding to that- it was hilarious, it was perfect, it was so utterly them.

Aru left him on read.

THAT SATURDAY, THE MUSEUM KITCHEN.

Brynne bustled around the kitchen with Krithika, stuffing the turkey and stirring the curry as Aru's mom rolled out the roti. Mini was washing rice and Rudy was working on tunes. Hira was watching the football game with Gunky and Funky as the twins set the table.

"Beta!" Malini called. Aru, who had been at the door of the kitchen on her phone looked up to see what all the commotion was about, when she saw Malini bringing Aiden to her.

What a momma's boy.

"I want you two to go back to the house and make the peas and mac and cheese. Oh, and take the turkey," she handed the tray to Aru, who scowled at the bird. "And don't come back until it's done cooking. If you two are going to sit around then I might as well get you out of the way."

Aiden nodded as Aru made her way out of the house, not wanting to deal with anyone else's bullshit. It's not her fault she arrived late!

When they got to Aiden's house, she threw the turkey in the oven without a single thought. "Woah, there Shah. You gotta baste it first!"

Aru stiffened, rolling her eyes. "Fine. You do it. I'm going to get the peas." Who was Aiden to behave like an authority to her?

She pulled the frozen peas out of the freezer and put them on a pan, turning the heat up and throwing frozen butter on it. She rummaged through a few drawers, looking for a spatula, when Aiden came up behind her, tapping her back and handing her the spatula. Aru felt the ghost of a hand around her waist, a phantom kiss on her cheek, and she practically shook at the memories of him cooking with her.

Krithika Shah wasn't the only one who was lonely.

It had been so long since she'd been around other human beings, since she'd occupied the same space as one, worked with someone. Aru had to remind herself to breathe.

We don't need Aiden anymore, Shah. She exhaled deeply, thinking back as to why they broke up in the first place.

=================================

"I'm gonna be moving around a lot, Shah."

"I can handle it."

A pause.

"I can't."

=================================

Photojournalism. His dream. His one passion.

Their downfall.

Aru snapped back into reality when the doorbell rang, frantically stirring the peas, praying that they hadn't burnt yet.

"Is Aru home?" A voice came from the door. Probably some estranged relative, looking to see 'how much she'd grown!'

"Uh, she doesn't live here," Aiden said, an edge to his voice.

Aru turned the stove off, and ran to the door to see...

Andy?

The blond boy from college who'd been on her debate team for finals?

"Hey, Andy... what're you doing here?" She asked cautiously.

"Oh! Aru! Hi," he waved, a small grin gracing his features.

"Hi?" Aru said lamely.

"Uh, I'm probably interrupting something, I can leave-" Andy's eyes ping-ponged between Aiden and her, and Aru desperately stepped out of the door, grabbing his arm.

"No, it's ok. What's up?" She looked at Andy searchingly- could this be the rebound she'd been looking for?

Andy took a deep breath, as if psyching himself up, and Aru heard Aiden shift behind them.

"I was wondering if you maybe wanna go get some coffee with me?" He asked hopefully. "Like. Now?"

Aru's heart sank a bit, despite having a cute boy actively ask her out. No, she couldn't go now, she was helping with dinner. She was spending time with her family. She was trying to get not-so-lonely.

But this was an opportunity to get not-so-lonely!

"Shah, did you turn off the stove?" Aiden asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, it's off," she said quietly.

"Aru?" Andy called softly. She hadn't answered him. Oh.

"I can't go right now, Andy. It's, like, Thanksgiving, and I'm spending time with my family-"

"Seems like an awfully small family with just your boyfriend," he mumbled.

"He's not my- Andy! Come on, you can't expect me to drop everything and be with you!" She yelled as he walked away to his car.

Rude.

She turned to Aiden, glaring at him like a surly teenager, and stormed inside.

She sat on the couch, flipping through the channels when Aiden came in, closing the door softly.

"I'm sorry he did that."

"What? Asked me out? Please," she scoffed. Aru sounded pathetic, and she knew it.

"That he doesn't understand how important family is to you," Aiden finished, leaning over to her. He put a hand on hers, and static shocked him a bit, but still Aiden would not move.

These things were always easier when she was with him. She didn't have to choose between spending Thanksgiving with family or him. They were one and the same.

He did this.

And I can't do it.

The oven beeped. The peas were loaded into a Tupperware container, and now all they had to do was make the mac and cheese.

As the macaroni boiled, Aiden and Aru bickered about what cheese to use.

"All of it." Was Aru's argument.

"Just the string cheese." Was Aiden's.

Aru won with her famous throw-all-the-shit-in-when-they-least-expect-it method.

The mac and cheese was incredible.

Aiden chopped up pieces of bacon to put in the dish before it went into the oven, and Aru made the most awkward conversation ever.

"So. What did you think of Andy?"

Aiden whipped his head to her at breakneck speeds. "He's... blond."

"He's quite nice."

"Not the most understanding one you've found," he remarked, going back to the bacon. Right. Andy had just thrown a tantrum.

Fucking hell, Andy, can't you just make my life easier?

"And you? How many girls have fallen over themselves to have you?" Aru eyed him, slowly stirring the thick mac and cheese.

"A few."

"And how many have you taken?" She asked sharply. He knew what she was asking, but he was making Aru spell it out.

He set the knife down harder than necessary, turning to glare at her. "None. You know that."

"Do I?" She said, raising her voice.

"Yes you do!" He yelled back. "I was ready to wait my whole life for you, I died for you, and I was ready to do it again!"

Right. Aru had forgotten about that part.

=================================

"I can't."

"Why not?" She was on the verge of tears.

"I can't handle being away from you. And I don't want you to waste your time waiting for me."

"Aiden."

"I'm setting you free, Shah. I'll wait and wait and wait my whole life, but the thought of you doing that..." He paused, as if picturing a horror. "You've got better things coming your way."

=================================

"You didn't need to do that," she whispered. It had been a hero-complex moment, unnecessary, unexpected, and painful for the both of them.

"Yes, I did," Aiden said, walking towards her. He reached behind her, turning the gas off, and then took her hands in his. She looked up at him, and in his eyes she knew she would find galaxies. She didn't look for them this time, though.

"Aiden," she said softly, as if that were it. That was the whole sentence, that was everything.

"I'm back, you know." This time she looked him in the eye, shocked.

"What?" She dropped his hands, moving out of being in between him and the stove.

"I did my work. I took my photos, got my money, and lived everywhere. I'm writing now. Poetry. I'll pair the photos I take with a few of them, but yeah. Basically," he shrugged. "I'm back."

"What about school?" She asked, ignoring that open-ended unsaid question. Him being back meant that she didn't have to wait any longer, and neither did he, and they could be together-

"Getting my degree in English. It'll be chill." Aru stared at him, shocked. "Shah, I came back because, sure, I'm tired of moving every month, but also..." He smiled gently. "Family, right?"

She put the mac and cheese in the oven, he sprinkled the bacon bits on top. Family.

"I don't want Andy," she said suddenly. "I don't want to choose family or dating, I don't want to wait for someone else to find me, and I don't want you to hide from me anymore." She glared at him, tears pooling in her vision.

"Oh, Shah," he said sadly, hugging her.

"Are you going to leave me again?" She asked softly.

Aiden paused thoughtfully. This wasn't hesitation, and she knew it. This was him thinking and calculating, giving her the most honest answer possible.

Because Aru would not accept lies.

"No, I don't think I could."

She slumped into him, out of relief, exhaustion, or just starved for comfort. "Good, cause I was dying of boredom these past few months."

He laughed and kissed her once, swiftly and softly, then pulled away searching her face for something telling him to stop. He grinned when he found none, Aru smiling softly, and she leaned in this time.

The oven beeped.

They brought the food to the museum, barely four hours later. No one knew that they had ever broken up, her sisters making jokes about them, her mom smiling sweetly at them, as if to say, "look at the happy couple," but Malini, she looked at Aru and winked.

"When you marry my son, Arundhati, you will mention me in your toasts at the wedding," she said, a hint of menace in the apsara's voice.

Family.

Things were easy with her family. Rarely simple, but easy, yes. She did not have to compromise on her values, she could eat happily, watch movies.

And in the middle of it all, Aiden would be there.

Because family, right?

[koolaidashley]

I think they would b like Haley and Alex dunphy in a human au

[alicentgwayne]

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON | Season 2 promo ↳ Tom Glynn-Carney, Olivia Cooke, Fabien Frankel and Ewan Mitchell

[somethingaboutmint]

Breaking news capital wasteland veterans meet again in goodneighbor

[slymanner]

Sonic x shadow generation's story trailer spoilers

I'm sick to my stomach the fact shadow and maria just IMMEDIATELY felt each other's energy from MILES AWAY GUY'S IM GONNA CRYYYYY

THE FACT THEY BOTH IMMEDIATELY KNEW EVEN WITHOUT BEING NEAR EACH OTHER THIS MAKES ME WANNA THROW UP ITS THAT SIBLING BONDDDDDD

[maitaiwiththecorpses]

@queenofapeacefuldawn thanks so much for the idea!

Avoidance Of The First Class

Coming back to the museum for Thanksgiving was weird.

Her mom was determined to make a feast, celebrate with her sisters, and just be super festive this year.

Aru had a feeling Krithika Shah was feeling lonely.

In the time since the Potatoes had gone off to college, her mom had become besties with Malini across the street, and a painful dread came over Aru as her mom said, "This weekend, beti, we're going to have a big feast. Malini and I planned it! Isn't that exciting?" She asked, bustling around the kitchen.

"That's great, mom," Aru said. She slyly left the room, pulling her phone out and scrolling through her contacts till she found one at the bottom.

Aiden Acharya

She sighed and clicked on the contact, tapping out a hasty text to her ex-boyfriend.

Aru: Did you know about this dinner our moms are hosting? Aiden: Actually? Aru: Yes... You didn't tell her did you?

The palpable pause in the conversation made her heart sink They'd decided to not tell anyone they'd broken up, to keep the dynamic of the Potatoes afloat. Aru remembered that conversation, with both of them dripping in apathy. It was the worst thing to happen-

Aiden: No. Should I? Aru: I think we can get through a dinner. Aiden: Avoidance of the first class?

She thought about responding to that- it was hilarious, it was perfect, it was so utterly them.

Aru left him on read.

THAT SATURDAY, THE MUSEUM KITCHEN.

Brynne bustled around the kitchen with Krithika, stuffing the turkey and stirring the curry as Aru's mom rolled out the roti. Mini was washing rice and Rudy was working on tunes. Hira was watching the football game with Gunky and Funky as the twins set the table.

"Beta!" Malini called. Aru, who had been at the door of the kitchen on her phone looked up to see what all the commotion was about, when she saw Malini bringing Aiden to her.

What a momma's boy.

"I want you two to go back to the house and make the peas and mac and cheese. Oh, and take the turkey," she handed the tray to Aru, who scowled at the bird. "And don't come back until it's done cooking. If you two are going to sit around then I might as well get you out of the way."

Aiden nodded as Aru made her way out of the house, not wanting to deal with anyone else's bullshit. It's not her fault she arrived late!

When they got to Aiden's house, she threw the turkey in the oven without a single thought. "Woah, there Shah. You gotta baste it first!"

Aru stiffened, rolling her eyes. "Fine. You do it. I'm going to get the peas." Who was Aiden to behave like an authority to her?

She pulled the frozen peas out of the freezer and put them on a pan, turning the heat up and throwing frozen butter on it. She rummaged through a few drawers, looking for a spatula, when Aiden came up behind her, tapping her back and handing her the spatula. Aru felt the ghost of a hand around her waist, a phantom kiss on her cheek, and she practically shook at the memories of him cooking with her.

Krithika Shah wasn't the only one who was lonely.

It had been so long since she'd been around other human beings, since she'd occupied the same space as one, worked with someone. Aru had to remind herself to breathe.

We don't need Aiden anymore, Shah. She exhaled deeply, thinking back as to why they broke up in the first place.

=================================

"I'm gonna be moving around a lot, Shah."

"I can handle it."

A pause.

"I can't."

=================================

Photojournalism. His dream. His one passion.

Their downfall.

Aru snapped back into reality when the doorbell rang, frantically stirring the peas, praying that they hadn't burnt yet.

"Is Aru home?" A voice came from the door. Probably some estranged relative, looking to see 'how much she'd grown!'

"Uh, she doesn't live here," Aiden said, an edge to his voice.

Aru turned the stove off, and ran to the door to see...

Andy?

The blond boy from college who'd been on her debate team for finals?

"Hey, Andy... what're you doing here?" She asked cautiously.

"Oh! Aru! Hi," he waved, a small grin gracing his features.

"Hi?" Aru said lamely.

"Uh, I'm probably interrupting something, I can leave-" Andy's eyes ping-ponged between Aiden and her, and Aru desperately stepped out of the door, grabbing his arm.

"No, it's ok. What's up?" She looked at Andy searchingly- could this be the rebound she'd been looking for?

Andy took a deep breath, as if psyching himself up, and Aru heard Aiden shift behind them.

"I was wondering if you maybe wanna go get some coffee with me?" He asked hopefully. "Like. Now?"

Aru's heart sank a bit, despite having a cute boy actively ask her out. No, she couldn't go now, she was helping with dinner. She was spending time with her family. She was trying to get not-so-lonely.

But this was an opportunity to get not-so-lonely!

"Shah, did you turn off the stove?" Aiden asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, it's off," she said quietly.

"Aru?" Andy called softly. She hadn't answered him. Oh.

"I can't go right now, Andy. It's, like, Thanksgiving, and I'm spending time with my family-"

"Seems like an awfully small family with just your boyfriend," he mumbled.

"He's not my- Andy! Come on, you can't expect me to drop everything and be with you!" She yelled as he walked away to his car.

Rude.

She turned to Aiden, glaring at him like a surly teenager, and stormed inside.

She sat on the couch, flipping through the channels when Aiden came in, closing the door softly.

"I'm sorry he did that."

"What? Asked me out? Please," she scoffed. Aru sounded pathetic, and she knew it.

"That he doesn't understand how important family is to you," Aiden finished, leaning over to her. He put a hand on hers, and static shocked him a bit, but still Aiden would not move.

These things were always easier when she was with him. She didn't have to choose between spending Thanksgiving with family or him. They were one and the same.

He did this.

And I can't do it.

The oven beeped. The peas were loaded into a Tupperware container, and now all they had to do was make the mac and cheese.

As the macaroni boiled, Aiden and Aru bickered about what cheese to use.

"All of it." Was Aru's argument.

"Just the string cheese." Was Aiden's.

Aru won with her famous throw-all-the-shit-in-when-they-least-expect-it method.

The mac and cheese was incredible.

Aiden chopped up pieces of bacon to put in the dish before it went into the oven, and Aru made the most awkward conversation ever.

"So. What did you think of Andy?"

Aiden whipped his head to her at breakneck speeds. "He's... blond."

"He's quite nice."

"Not the most understanding one you've found," he remarked, going back to the bacon. Right. Andy had just thrown a tantrum.

Fucking hell, Andy, can't you just make my life easier?

"And you? How many girls have fallen over themselves to have you?" Aru eyed him, slowly stirring the thick mac and cheese.

"A few."

"And how many have you taken?" She asked sharply. He knew what she was asking, but he was making Aru spell it out.

He set the knife down harder than necessary, turning to glare at her. "None. You know that."

"Do I?" She said, raising her voice.

"Yes you do!" He yelled back. "I was ready to wait my whole life for you, I died for you, and I was ready to do it again!"

Right. Aru had forgotten about that part.

=================================

"I can't."

"Why not?" She was on the verge of tears.

"I can't handle being away from you. And I don't want you to waste your time waiting for me."

"Aiden."

"I'm setting you free, Shah. I'll wait and wait and wait my whole life, but the thought of you doing that..." He paused, as if picturing a horror. "You've got better things coming your way."

=================================

"You didn't need to do that," she whispered. It had been a hero-complex moment, unnecessary, unexpected, and painful for the both of them.

"Yes, I did," Aiden said, walking towards her. He reached behind her, turning the gas off, and then took her hands in his. She looked up at him, and in his eyes she knew she would find galaxies. She didn't look for them this time, though.

"Aiden," she said softly, as if that were it. That was the whole sentence, that was everything.

"I'm back, you know." This time she looked him in the eye, shocked.

"What?" She dropped his hands, moving out of being in between him and the stove.

"I did my work. I took my photos, got my money, and lived everywhere. I'm writing now. Poetry. I'll pair the photos I take with a few of them, but yeah. Basically," he shrugged. "I'm back."

"What about school?" She asked, ignoring that open-ended unsaid question. Him being back meant that she didn't have to wait any longer, and neither did he, and they could be together-

"Getting my degree in English. It'll be chill." Aru stared at him, shocked. "Shah, I came back because, sure, I'm tired of moving every month, but also..." He smiled gently. "Family, right?"

She put the mac and cheese in the oven, he sprinkled the bacon bits on top. Family.

"I don't want Andy," she said suddenly. "I don't want to choose family or dating, I don't want to wait for someone else to find me, and I don't want you to hide from me anymore." She glared at him, tears pooling in her vision.

"Oh, Shah," he said sadly, hugging her.

"Are you going to leave me again?" She asked softly.

Aiden paused thoughtfully. This wasn't hesitation, and she knew it. This was him thinking and calculating, giving her the most honest answer possible.

Because Aru would not accept lies.

"No, I don't think I could."

She slumped into him, out of relief, exhaustion, or just starved for comfort. "Good, cause I was dying of boredom these past few months."

He laughed and kissed her once, swiftly and softly, then pulled away searching her face for something telling him to stop. He grinned when he found none, Aru smiling softly, and she leaned in this time.

The oven beeped.

They brought the food to the museum, barely four hours later. No one knew that they had ever broken up, her sisters making jokes about them, her mom smiling sweetly at them, as if to say, "look at the happy couple," but Malini, she looked at Aru and winked.

"When you marry my son, Arundhati, you will mention me in your toasts at the wedding," she said, a hint of menace in the apsara's voice.

Family.

Things were easy with her family. Rarely simple, but easy, yes. She did not have to compromise on her values, she could eat happily, watch movies.

And in the middle of it all, Aiden would be there.

Because family, right?

Something Has Changed This Time

Everyone guess the new aru shah plot I have in mind and I'll reveal the real thing on Thursday. It has everything to do with the title

[twicetagramjpg]

[sakura-chan-25]

The Obey Me phase just hit in full force again🫠

[ripells]

LUCIE BEING PROTECTIVE OVER EMI

[bat-the-misfit]

just bc my favorite character is ethnically japanese it doesn't mean i'm a fucking weeaboo obsessed with manga/anime/j-pop that fetichizes east asians like my life depends on it

[yunogf]

in this ilichil shit for life

[chaosandthe-deadblog]

"ive got a lot more than that... dad" "lets go get our kid" "ive got some growing up to do" yelling yelling YELLING

[wayvsphantom]

if i say this photo made me cry would u believe me

[acanvasofabillionsuns]

[ID: A comic by @beebfreeb. The title panel reads "An Interview:" and shows a young girl sitting on a chair. Her skin is a yellowy pale green and her brown hair is long and curly. She's wearing a purple tank top with butterflies on it, jeans, and pink sneakers. Her shoulders and chest are a mechanical grey, with bolts and panels, cut out in a way that would be covered by a short-sleeve shirt. She's smiling and her hands are folded in her lap.

The interviewer is not shown, only their dialogue as light text in black squares. They start off with, "So, tell us about yourself." The girl has an arrow pointed to her labeled "Dot." She now has one foot propped up on the edge of the chair with her arm resting against it. A cable trails from the back of the chair - it's unclear whether it's Dot's or the chair's. Dot responds, "My name is Dot, I'm a PH-90 android, model... 2? I think it was 2-- I'm 26 years old and" The interviewer cuts her off, asking, "You're 26?" "That's how many years I've been on this earth, so, you know." Dot says. "My baby sister is 26 and I'm maybe a month older than her. I think my model is built to be around 11 or 10 or something, though. I'm not sure."

"How does it feel to not age?" the interviewer asks. "I do age? I mean, not in the same way as humans, I guess." Dot says, a confused smile on her face. "I don't look the same as I did 10 years ago. My hair is frizzy, my skin is yellower than it used to be, my voice is kind of crackly and fuzzy, my servos aren't as strong as they used to be..." Dot lights up, grabbing handfuls of her hair and showing it off. "This isn't even my original wig!" "It isn't?" "No!"

"Ok, so when I was about... 12 or so? My hair started falling out!" Dot folds her hands back together on the chair, looking up as she recalls the story. "My parents were mortified. I remember them absolutely scouring the internet for a new wig, but I was already over a decade old at that point. They were not cheap. Uh, luckily, they kept my original box and there was an alt wig still in it. In the plastic and everything. It was nice that they found it, but, uh" Dot turns her head to the side, looking back out of the corner of her eye with a sheepish smile. "... I don't know. I was excited, I loved it. The hair falling out, I mean. It meant that I was loved. For a moment it felt like I was- that I got to be- I wanted that to be real." The interviewer asks, "If you could change your body, would you?"

"If I could change my body? I could. I already can." Dot shrugs casually. Potential male and female bodies - conventionally, basically beautiful - are shown in their underwear. "I've been offered the chance to be upgraded into a modern android model but... I've seen my options. They're not what I'm looking for. They're not what I want." "Well, what do you want?" the interviewer asks. "...I want my sister's nose," Dot says. "I want my dad's eyebrows like she does, too." There's an image of a male face in profile. "I want hair. Everywhere." A hairy forearm. "I want my brother's eyes." A pair of eyes, smaller and more human-proportionate than Dot's. "Maybe his smile." A crooked smile. "I want that weird crease my mom has on her forehead. And all of her moles!" A close-up on the upper half of a face, with a couple visible moles and and a crease between her eyebrows. "I want to... I'd like to look like... like a"

"Like a real human being?" the interviewer fills in. Dot hesitates, but eventually answers, "...Yeah." End ID]

An Interview with Dot.

[p1harmonie]