#hope becomes a legacy kid so she's kind of pressured into being a Career even though klayley do everything they can to dissuade her

[vampirehizzies]

the klayhizzie hunger games au is going crazy like there is so much potential and so many ideas/lore for them

[divinadeath]

wait till you hear about this next nominee: byun junho, born on the 15th of february, 1997 and bears a striking resemblance to cha eunwoo. they’re a first year bachelor of law student and started a charitable foundation focused on providing educational resources for underprivileged kids — impressed yet? rumor has it they’re hoping to be the ceo of his family's motel chain, but personally, i think they should aim a little higher — something like the king’s club, for one. now, that suits them a little more, don’t you think? guess we’ll just have to see if they’ve got the talent for it in our upcoming recruitment round. 

hello, guys! i'm tina (23, she/her) and i'm really looking forward to writing with you all! my mind is a little… feverish right now since i'm kinda sick, but i'll try to make sense here. if you want to plot something for our muses, hmu or like this, and i'll be in your dms. more about my angsty boy junho can be found under the read more.

UNTIL 2016

coming from a new money family, junho never took anything he had for granted. as a kid, he was always seen as kind and loved by all his family's employees for being so down to earth.

he always had this dream of helping people with his family's money since the whole lavish lifestyle never really suited him (even though his parents protested). you'd often see him giving away his toys and clothes to random kids he met.

even though he was passionate about it, his parents never took it seriously. to them, it was just a silly kid's dream, and they figured he'd eventually forget about it and start hanging out with more influential people.

that actually happened when they enrolled him in a prestigious school, and junho quickly realized he could be much more helpful if he was on the good side of these kids' families.

he started to dress and talk more like them, but deep down, he knew that even with his best efforts, he could never be like them since his family and their scandalous empire were never taken seriously.

sometime around high school, he decided to focus on other things instead, like becoming an exemplary student and giving another shot at trying to help people with a charity he planned himself and that was enough to him to ended up in snu.

being recruited for the club wasn't something he expected; it caught him by surprise. but all that determination and hunger for acceptance came rushing back, and he started giving his best to get in—even though he knew beating hyungseo would be almost impossible.

then the impossible happened—hyungseo died. he was actually happy that the competition was gone, and he could finally enjoy being part of something important.

UNTIL 2024

during his time in uni, he made good use of his connections, using them to distance himself from his family's brand and build a career of his own in law.

by the time he graduated, he had the best opportunities laid out for him and started working at one of the biggest law firms in the country, using the silent power of the club to reach even higher.

he was almost certain he could just take the money from the family, build a respectable legacy, and live among the other wealthy without being looked down.

but then, of course, his dad had to ruin everything and died… leaving junho very mad about it and with a legacy he wasn’t looking for.

now he was trapped again by his family name and the chain he hated so much, this time with no escape route since all the money came from it.

he doesn’t really know how to run a business and is struggling a lot with it, which adds insult to injury. but again, he’s determined to make good use of it and maybe a rebrand in the future so people forget about his father legacy.

PERSONALITY

junho is incredibly driven, always pushing himself to prove he’s more than just his family’s reputation. he genuinely cares about others and wants to make a difference, even though this is kinda forgotten in him. he feels a lot of pressure to fit into the elite world.

he often struggles with self-doubt and frustration, especially when balancing his values with what’s expected of him.

despite the challenges—like managing his family’s business and climbing the social ladder—he stays resilient and adaptable. junho is smart and strategic, using his connections and opportunities to his advantage.

although he’s constantly seeking approval and dealing with insecurities, his charm and natural charisma help him build influential relationships.

ambitious as ever, junho is determined to surpass his family’s success and leave his own mark.

glimpses of his conflicted self are hard for others to see, but they're there. somewhere inside, he’s still that kid who just wanted to be a good guy, but it’s hard now when he’s trying not to be a joke.

CONNECTIONS

i don't have anything in particular and would love to brainstorm something unique for our muses, or maybe fit in some connection you already have in mind!

[rainiedeforest]

Attempt the impossible

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Untamed) Pair: Madame Yu | Yu Ziyuan & Madame Jin Link to AO3: [here] Resume: Seemingly vain conversations with much deeper meanings between Yu Ziyuan and Madame Jin Words: 1917

Madame Yu Birth name: 虞夜花 – Yú Yèhuā

虞 yú – to worry 夜 yè – night 花 huā – flower

Courtesy name: 虞紫鸢 – Yú Zǐyuān

虞 yú – to worry 紫 zǐ – purple 鸢 yuān – kite (bird)

Madame Jin Birth name: 星笑甜– Xīng Xiàotián

星xīng – star 笑Xiào – laugh 甜tián - sweet

Courtesy name: 星紫星– Xīng Shèjì

星xīng – star 紫星 shèjì - wish

“Why not?”

Xiaotian's question, now Xing Sheji after her naming ceremony, made her roll her eyes. Was she really asking her something like that? Was it a joke?

“Because not and that’s all,” replied Yehua, lifting her legs to the bed in the small room they had reserved for the night. “I have enough with having met him again. Is there no more inns in the entire city?”

Xiaotian took off the delicate golden crown that decorated her long black hair and looked at her best friend, raising an eyebrow and clearly amused.

“It was more than obvious that we were going to meet him. Only you thought it wasn’t going to happen something like this.” Xiaotian's words fell like a bucket of cold water on her. “He is guarding the new disciples of his sect towards Cloud Recesses. It is what is expected of a cultivator like him.”

Yehua growled and dropped back onto the bed, covering her face with the pillow so that her best friend wasn’t able to see the frustration that paint each one of her features. Even though she hadn't had too many encounters with Jiang Fengmian since she was given her courtesy name three years ago in that pseudo-ceremony (which she was grateful for, because the kind smile ha gave her, though she thought he was just teasing her because of the sparkle in his eyes when he saw her in the room, had embarrassed her enough to almost annoy her), the few encounters that had happened between them were enough proof that the uncontrollable rapid beat of her heart was something she didn't like too much.

Because that implied that she wasn’t able to keep herself under the rigorous control that she appreciated so much and that filled her with calm.

Her hands absently caressed Zidian's silver ring that remained cold against her skin and she snorted, getting up to remove the outer layers of clothing.

“I don't want to keep talking about it.”

“Someday we'll have to talk about it,” Xiaotian reminded her with a certain sardonic tone, smiling mockingly before continuing to undress. They would soon get into bed to sleep, since tomorrow they still had a long way to go until they reached the GusuLan sect.

“I don’t see why we have to.”

Xiaotian turned, looking at her incredulously, before throwing her own pillow at her.

“I don’t know? Perhaps because you've been completely and hopelessly in love with him since you was twelve.” And there it was the reminder that she couldn't control something as simple as her own feelings. “Look, I don’t want to put the finger in the sore but the boy is handsome, I won’t deny that, and he is very nice, but he doesn’t look like a god. I wouldn't turn to look at him twice. And we have to think that he doesn’t particularly stands out especially by his cultivation skills,” she replied with a laugh, without a single pause, glancing at Yehua and adjusting the tie of her underwear. She expected a great reaction from her friend. “He is good with the sword, that’s true and I cannot denied it. But…”

“And here comes the but…”

“He doesn't have a gold core as strong as yours and that makes him a rather unsuitable candidate for you.”

“Xing Sheji!”

“Yu Ziyuan!”

“Agh! You are impossible!” Yehua exclaimed angrily, almost getting into bed with her shoes. “Let's see. Who, in your wise and valid opinion, is better than Jiang Fengmian?”

Her friend smiled before going to the other girl's bed, climbing on it and getting too close to Yehua. A shiver ran up and down when she felt her so close, staring her into her eyes.

“Jin Guangshan, for example,” Yehua tried to hold back the dry, scornful laugh she doesn’t wanted to share, but failed miserably, causing Xiaotian to look at her with pursed lips. “What?”

Yehua continued laughing, shaking her head before pulling back, at the risk of hitting herself with the wall.

“Tell me you're kidding.  Yes, you have to be joking because you would never name him.”

“Yu Ziyuan! I don’t get why you are laughing at me. What’s so funny?”

“Gods ...” Yehua managed to say when she calmed down a little, seeing how her best friend was not only getting angrier, but was looking at her waiting for a response with her arms crossed. She wasn’t kidding. “No way, you mean it… You really mean it… It can't be true, Sheji.” But one last look made her snort. “He spends more time thinking about his appearance and which maiden is better to seduce, than in his cultivation skills! Which are quite mediocre, if we compare them with your measuring stick.”

“That's not true. Liar”

Yehua raised both eyebrows and shook her head.

“Liar? Come on, A-Tian. He wasn’t able to beat that yao from the forest. And my little sister would have finished it in a single blink!” Yehua replied, pushing the opponent's pillow against her chest to push her away. “Though, he was very good at crying. I think I will sympathize with the poor woman who has to marry him.”

“At least she will be really happy at night,” Xiaotian commented as if talking about the weather, being hit with the pillow. “Ouch!”

“You are shameless,” Yehua chuckled, feeling her cheeks flush, and was soon accompanied by Xiaotian.

It wasn’t that the affairs of lovers were strange to them. When they reached an age, the maids were more than willing to tell them all kinds of details. The married maids, of course, the others were too suspicious to tell anything, not even for a small price. And, fortunately for them, not only the maids, but they could easily see it in the cities.

In fact, Yehua still remembered one of the first nights they met on a hunt... It was in a brothel, not because both girls went to that place consciously, and they both saw things that they would rather not have seen.

“I think one of the two had the wrong gender at birth,” Xiaotian replied once they calmed down.

“What do you mean?”

“Neither of us is too feminine.” Yehua stared at her incredulously and pointed to her clothes. “Just because I like to take care of my image doesn’t mean that I behave like a lady.”

“At least you do it more than I do. Haven't you listened to my mother?” She asked, snorting. “She says that she doesn’t make a career with me, that I should be married or with a view to be, and that she hasn’t educated me to be a little savage. I don't know what she expects from me, really.”

“Do we ever know?” She asked, letting out a big sigh.

Yehua looked at her before beginning to fiddle with the delicate necklace around his neck.

“Exactly. Sometimes I think it would have been easier to be born as a man. They can do whatever they want, go to a lot of places, improve their cultivation and they don't have to get married so soon as we. If they don't want us to behave as one… Why do they teach us cultivation then, if our only goal is to get married and have children?”

“Mm… Yes? Because we have to be able to bear strong children who can inherit, be it a sect or some kind of legacy.”

“If I ever marry...”

“Something that you will do in the end...”

“I wouldn't be so sure, A-Tian,” she replied, trying not to think about it. She didn't know if there was really anyone in the world willing to spend the rest of his life with her. “But if I marry, I will make sure that my husband doesn’t prohibit me from remaining the way I am right now.”

Xiaotian looked down and smiled bitterly, even giggling, silenced by the movement of her sleeve.

“Good luck. We both know that it’s impossible.”

“Then... I'll attempt the impossible,” she replied before laughing. Because even she knew how complicated that would be.

Xiaotian helped her get rid of the ornaments in her hair in silence, neither of them speaking since neither of them knew what else to say. The topic of marriage was something that had been weighing them down since they first bled. And as they approached a suitable age, their families put more and more pressure on them to put aside everything they enjoyed and had known since childhood to become the women they wanted.

“In the next life, one of the two will have to born as a man,” Xiaotian commented casually, setting the decorations on the small table.

“So that we can marry each other?” Yehua asked amused. “You know? I would be a great husband.”

Both girls shared a knowing look before laughing, but their laughter was soon silenced by a high-pitched moan.

“Oh, Young Master Jin!” They heard a woman exclaim through the thin doors of the room they shared.

Xiaotian and Yehua shared a surprised look. Young Master Jin? They only knew one young master, the heir of the LanlingJin sect, but he didn’t stay at that same inn as they. What's more, they had no record of them going to share lessons in the Cloud Recesses with him. However, both girls couldn't help but laugh, covering their mouths so they won’t be too scandalous and attract the attention of both lovers. This was such a coincidence.

“At least someone is going to enjoy the night,” Xiaotian replied before getting out of bed. Although they hadn’t seen him at the inn, because they knew that the Jin clan always reserved the best inn of all for themselves, even if they didn’t fill all the rooms, they imagined that he would also be escorting more disciples or that he would go to attend himself to the readings, the latter somewhat improbable given that he was older than them.

“Yes... I just hope that their enjoyment will let us get enough sleep. Or I will have to visit him with Zidian,” Yehua replied, closing his eyes. “Seriously, couldn't he have gone to his own inn?”

Xiaotian ignored the latter and smiled as she moved provocatively by the room.

“Mm... You better not give him too many ideas. Maybe he will even like it.”

The look of horror on Yehua's face was enough to make her friend laugh again before running to her bed. She loved to make Yehua rage, because she blushed very easily despite the fact that she believed she gave an image of a hard and impassive woman, but she wasn’t so stupid as to stay close to her, especially when she had Zidian in her hand.

“As I have said before, poor of the woman that has to marry him. She is going to have to carry it straighter than a stick.”

“Mm... It can be an interesting challenge,” Xiaotian murmured more to herself than to Yehua, covering with the sheets.

Yehua looked at her confused, frowning slightly. She hoped she had misheard, but when she received no signal from her best friend, she snorted.

“Xing Sheji! You cannot be serious!”

Xiaotian was silent for a few minutes, as if she was really thinking it up, before smiling.

“Mm... why not?”

And after a few seconds in silence, Xiaotian asked, talking again:

“Do you think they will do the postures of the book that we took from your brother?”

“Xing Sheji!”

[tothewaterhq]

ACCEPTED // ALEXIS NOLAN

district three → trainer →  Tessa Thompson fc  → she/her

three strengths: dexterous, knowledgeable, determined three weaknesses: quick to anger, overly competitive, critical

tw: death, teenage pregnancy

what made your character decide to become a trainer?

Alexis spent most of her youth at the Academy, with the intention of volunteering for the Games when she was old enough. When this didn’t pan out, she didn’t have many other prospects, but she retained the skills she’d learnt throughout her childhood, and figured that working as a trainer was as good an opportunity as she was going to get to support her daughter. Maybe, on some level, she hoped that it would placate her father’s disappointment, but she came to love training, and when the opportunity to work in the Capitol presented itself, she jumped at it.

specialist station/area: throwing knives

bio:

You’re born with one purpose, and one purpose only – to win the Hunger Games.

Slate Nolan was the Victor of the 39th Hunger Games, a pearl of District Two, the perfect career tribute, and your father. He spent all of three days in his arena, emerging victorious just as he’d always imagined he would, and stepping into the life of a Victor flawlessly. He married your mother six years later. Terra Smith, a seamstress with gentle hands and a gentle heart. You are born less than a year later.

To say your parents have different parenting styles would be an understatement. Your father wants a legacy. By the time you learn to walk, he trains you to run. You learn to handle a weapon before you do a pen. He never tried to keep it a secret from you, what you’re destined to do, the words you’re a winner, Alexis ringing in your ears with everything that you do. When school finishes each day, you head out to train with your father, learning to handle swords and axes and bows. Your mother, on the other hand, wants a daughter. Where your father is harsh, she is soft, where he pushes you, she allows you to do what you like. Your mother is the kind of woman whose inner beauty matches her outer – she teaches you to sew when you need a break from training, and she helps you with your schoolwork and learn to bake. If she disapproves of what your father is training you to do, she hides it well.

You start at the Academy as soon as they allow you. You’re already far ahead of your peers by the time you set foot into the training centre, which is only natural given how long you’ve trained even before you hit the age of twelve. The Academy is more about refining your skills than developing them, your father explains. You’ve already learnt much of what they can teach you there. You’re a novelty at the Academy, the Victor’s daughter, and all of the other children look up to you as such. You think they can be your friends, but your father tells you otherwise. They’re the enemy, Alexis. They’re your competition. You’re smart enough to know not to make friends with the enemy, but perhaps not smart enough to figure out that they’re not your enemies, after all. If you want a chance at being selected for the Games, you’ll need to be better than everyone else here. You can’t let them learn from your expertise.

You put the Games above all else. You go to school when you must, the Academy at every opportunity, and set aside time each night to watch tapes of past Games or train with your father. The only time you’re not thinking about the Games is during the moments you spend with your mother. They’ve made a compromise, while your father believes every moment of your time needs to be devoted to perfection, she argues that you need some downtime. She shows you old films, and takes you shopping with her, and lets you taste whatever she’s cooking that day. You come to look forward to the short moments of solace you get to spend with your mother, though the guilt at enjoying something other than training eats at you.

You’re fifteen when your mother gets sick. You don’t understand exactly what’s wrong, but the look on the doctor’s face tells you all it needs to. It’s only a few weeks before she passes, but at least you don’t have to see her suffer. You’re angry after that. You throw yourself into your training, to making your sole remaining parent proud, because you don’t know what else to do, and your father throws himself into training you. The kids at the Academy learn to avoid the savage girl with the hair trigger temper. You lose your patience, you lose the sliver of kindness you once held. But, naturally, the traits that isolate you from your peers are exactly what the trainers are looking for – cunning, brutality, ferocity – and, when you’re seventeen, you’re informed that you will be going into the Games the following year. You’ve done it, your father is ecstatic, but it feels hollow.

You’re introduced to your district partner a week later. Remus Styx, he introduces himself as. He knows your name, apparently you’ve been peers for years, though you’ve done little to get to know those around you. He’s an odd choice, in your opinion. Sure, he can handle a weapon along with the best of them – but he has a streak of sensitivity that sets him apart from his peers. He’s not just a fiery ball of brute strength, he’s poised, he’s intelligent. Though you loathe to admit it, he’s the perfect foil to his hotheaded district partner. You don’t like him at first, you don’t like the way he manages to keep his cool when you explode, the way he speaks softly when you yell, the way he manages to see through your blood red exterior to the pain that lies underneath. You learn to get along, though, and days at the Academy bleed into nights spent talking. You open up to him, at least a little. He learns about your mother, and the pressure your father has placed on you, and you learn about him.

You grow comfortable with Remus, and soon your partnership turns to friendship, and then to something more – something new and uncharted. Despite whatever you think you feel for him, you remain steadfast in your goals. So what if you steal moments together in between training sessions? So what if you’re both headed into the arena with a certainty that at least one of you would die? You’ve trained your whole life for the Games. Your father expects you to become a Victor, he assures you your mother would have wanted it, too. Nothing else matters except for that golden crown upon her head. Not Remus, not your feelings. That is, at least, until a month before you’re set to volunteer. It started off as feeling a little ill, but a routine check up confirms something you could never have anticipated – you’re pregnant.

You don’t know what to think, but suddenly you’re being told you shouldn’t volunteer. Everything you’ve ever worked for – dashed in one moment, but, to your surprise, you’re not upset. You’re not angry. You’re numb. You don’t tell your father, not until after the reaping where you fail to volunteer. He’s angry, the angriest you’ve ever seen him, when he realises that a replacement has taken your place. When you tell him the truth, you see his face shift from fury to resigned disappointment. You forget that he’s spent the last eighteen years waiting for this moment, too. You tell Remus as soon as you find out. Maybe, on some level, you’re expecting him to back out of volunteering, to stay with you and raise the child. Turns out, he’s as set on his goals as you were. When the reaping rolls around, he volunteers eagerly, a grin on his lips and a promise ringing in your ears, I’ll be back, and then we’ll move into the Victor’s Village together, I swear it. You shouldn’t have trusted him. He’s dead before the final canon sounds. Smart, but not smart enough.

You have your baby alone. Terra Nolan, you name her. You look into her eyes, and she becomes your world. You still feel grief, you still feel pain, but she makes it bearable. Your relationship with your father becomes strained after Terra is born. Without the Games, it became clear how little you two had in common. He’s your daughter’s grandfather, some of the only family she’s got, and so you tough it out for her, but you can see in his eyes that this isn’t the life he wanted for you, that you’re not the daughter he’d always wanted you to be. You get yourself a job at the Academy in District Two. One of their most promising students in years, it isn’t hard to convince them to take you on board. You move out of your father’s house in the Victor’s Village when you’re twenty, taking Terra and moving into a small apartment on the other side of the District.

You’ve been at the Academy for seven years when they approach you with the prospect of training in the Capitol. It would be for one of the lower Districts, to begin with, but the money is something you can’t refuse. With Terra approaching reaping age, you need to do what it takes to ensure she doesn’t take out tesserae, to ensure she stays out of the reaping bowl. It’s been five years since you started training in the Capitol. You started out with District Twelve, but you’ve moved up since then, and have been promoted to District Three as of the 78th Games. Your daughter is of reaping age now, something your father is trying to take advantage of. He may not have gotten his legacy from you, but perhaps his granddaughter could serve as a good substitute. Despite the Academy being such a big part of your life, you’re trying desperately to keep Terra away from it. You may not care about status anymore, but your competitive streak never quite left you, and you’ll do whatever it takes to see Three bring home a Victor.

PLAYED BY // JENNA

[snowgray]

Some Trash

A trashy tale: My silly Sims 4 legacy so far.

I started off with an adorable romantic lady named Hope. She had curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and her default outfit was a white crop top and black scalloped shorts. She also wore big heart earrings to let all the menfolk know she wants love. Her aspiration to start with was the good parent aspiration. It happened to be Winterfest just as the game was starting, and I’d read that Father Winter’s children got a buff, so Hope put her moves on Father Winter and got knocked up. She also met a hunky jogger, Kane, and he seemed like a much better long-term prospect than Santa. Kane was built like a brick house, with curly black hair, dark skin and dark brown eyes. Hope got his attention and he was super into her, so despite the complicating pregnancy, Kane accepted Hope’s proposal and moved right in. Hope had her first baby, Chloe, who took after Father Winter in appearance. Kane was a doting step-father when he wasn’t at his job with the SportsTeam. Hope took up gardening. Kane couldn’t keep his hands off of her, so she was quickly pregnant again. Their first child together was a daughter, Nadia. While Chloe was a creative kid, Nadia just wanted to run and play. She and her father got along well. Hope had her heart set on one more kid, and she and Kane had another daughter, Tatianna. Tati always wanted to be like her big sisters, and joined the Llama Scouts just like they’d done. Most baby siblings are a bit wild, but Tatianna was a perfect student and a great scholar. Her parents had become expert parents, and Tati benefited from their wisdom. Feeling that her family was full (and because I have WhickedWhims), Hope began taking birth control pills. For Chloe’s first day of high school, her loving stepfather bought her a bottle of Insta-Lean. Chloe had inherited her biological father’s jowly cheeks, though her outgoing personality meant she was popular with the boys, as did her frequent trips “out” to meet her biological father, who generally wandered off to flirt as soon as he’d waved hello to his child. Chloe’s funny face, unfortunately, made her an unwise choice to inherit the throne. Nadia was a beautiful teenager, with her mother’s blond hair, ruddy bronze skin, and features as angular as a supermodel. But she was a listless child, and rarely accomplished what she wanted to do. She lacked the skills to inherit the throne. Tatianna was sad to be left behind in elementary school. Despite his busy career as a professional athlete, Kane made time to play with her. Together, they built a scarecrow, and Tatianna talked to him nearly as often as her mother did. He almost seemed like a real person, and Hope’s garden flourished as if twenty hands were tending it. Fate cannot look at a happy family and feel happy himself, but he was kind and gentle to Hope. Just when she thought that her children were nearly able to care for themselves, she found herself pregnant again! Arianna was born with rich brown hair and sun kissed skin, and everyone was charmed by her. But her parents’ careers and a full house meant that she never quite got as much attention as her older sisters had. She’d eventually look for that attention in all the wrong places... As soon as Tatianna entered high school, she started turning heads. She was as fit as her father, and nearly a perfect clone of him, save for her sparkling blue eyes. She’d studied hard in elementary school, but the memory of her humble beginnings made her eager to earn money. Perhaps too eager... Chloe wanted a family as big as her mother’s, and the day she graduated from college, she eloped with her high school sweetheart, Bennet. They settled in to a small home across town, and they graced Hope with two granddaughters in quick succession. Nadia took a while to decide on a boyfriend, but goofy looking Louis made her laugh, and she finally consented to marry him after she got pregnant. Together, they had two sons and a daughter. They lived just around the corner, with Louis’ brother. Tatianna worked hard throughout high school. She studied too hard to find time for dating. She achieved her dream of becoming a top level Llama Scout, and scored straight As. Often, her scarecrow friend Patchy helped her with her chores and homework. She spent hours discussing her dreams with him, and one afternoon, she confessed her love. Patchy whispered that he loved her back, and they embraced. But their love could never continue the family line, though they certainly tried. Each afternoon, he sighed a soft farewell and headed back to his tree. Kane retired from his job as a professional athlete, having achieved his lifelong dream. He began to take an interest in repair and rocketry, and soon the house was full of unbreakable appliances. Hope’s gardening research led her to discover a tree with fruit worth its weight in gold. She began to work from home more often, writing scientific papers and bonding with her beehives. Arianna never took much of an interest in gardening, but Tati learned everything she could from her mother. Unable to be with her lifelong love, Tatianna gave in to a classmate who’d fallen for her. Cedric called her every day, and she finally went on a date with him. He looked like her father, and even had the same haircut, though his chipmunk cheeks reminded Tati of her half-sister's wretched biological father. Cedric wore her down, and, eager to move on with her responsibilities as heir, Tatianna married him.

Cedric was not an ideal spouse. He dreamed of being a writer, but, no matter how hard he worked at it, his books were always awful. He took a job as a writer during the day, and Tatianna decided to find a nighttime job so that one of them would be home for the children. The allure of the criminal world called to her, because she wanted to become truly wealthy. When Tatianna's first child arrived, though, her husband was at work. It was Patchy who panicked in fear for her labor, and who cooed at the baby whenever he had the chance. Tatianna's first child was a girl, Jeannie. With rich dark skin and adorable braided pigtails, she was a winning child. Kane and Hope taught her as much as Tati and Cedric did, and they were thrilled to have another little one in the house.

Winterfest rolled around, and Arianna started high school. Though she'd studied hard in elementary school, when she became a teenager, the hormones kicked in. Romance was all Arianna could think about! She greeted Father Winter (not her half-sister's father) with a friendly face at the fireplace. But when she bumped into him again out in the neighborhood, she turned on the charm. Whether it was her hormones or his lechery (or the autonomous behavior that I had turned on), who can say for sure. But Arianna became another teen pregnancy statistic when Father Winter knocked her up.

Kane and Hope were furious that their baby girl had become pregnant. Arianna tried to move in with her baby daddy, but though he called her often, his abode was nowhere to be found in any neighborhood. Ultimately, her kind sister Nadia took her in. Nadia had plenty of parenting experience, and her brother-in-law moved out to be with his new wife to make room for Arianna and her daughter. Chloe was having difficulties, too. She discovered that her once-loving husband had a woman on the side, and, more than that, he had a whole second family! She sent him packing, and found herself a single mother to two teenagers. Chole's behavior took a turn for the worse after her husband was gone. She could often be spotted out at clubs in the evening, and before long, she found herself about to become a mother again- without knowing quite who the father might be.

Despite her illegal occupation, Tatianna was a good mother. She wanted another child, and she and Cedric conceived a second time. Their charming baby boy, Phillip, was welcomed into a warm, loving home.

But all was not well. Kane's gray hair and stooped posture had long spoken of his advanced age. His bride, though younger than he was by a great deal, finally became elderly herself. Only a day after her seventh grandchild was born, the Grim Reaper came to visit Hope. Hope's husband and progeny panicked! Cedric, usually so useless and doofy, finally came to the rescue. He pleaded with the Grim Reaper, and Hope was spared. Her husband, relieved and thankful, fed her a concoction of his own devising that would help her remain alive. Hope also researched further into the plant world, and discovered a flower that, some whispered, could save a loved one from death. She gave the stinky blossoms to her daughter and grandchildren, just in case.

Phillip grew into a popular and gregarious child. Due to a hole in the space-time continuum (or a mod conflict), his sister Jeannie had a long and fruitful childhood. She was extraordinarily accomplished, and became unusually gifted in the creative arts as well as the mental ones. Phillip himself longed only for popularity. He befriended a classmate at school who was somehow, inexplicably (or because I just got the expansion) famous. Phillip loved the strangers who would appear out of nowhere to greet his friend. He dreamed of knowing as many people as his young buddy.

The pressure of Jeannie's young accomplishments began to weigh on her. When she started high school, she vowed that her life would change. Gone would be the days of slaving over homework and science fair projects! Instead, Jeannie had one goal: banging. She wanted to go on as many dates as she could fit in a day, and found herself tagging along with her brother and his famous buddy to look for "fans" to hit on. She dug through her grandmother's jewelry box, and, spotting a pair of huge heart-shaped hoops, decked herself out.

Tatianna continued to pursue a career in crime. Though she had no love for mischief, she found that computer programming was easy for her, and she could steal money from faceless corporations without compunction. But, in the end, it was her mother's efforts that paved the way for her to achieve her dream of wealth. Tatianna looked at the tree that bore golden fruit, and a golden idea was born. She propagated that tree until the front yard was an orchard of cash. Tatianna was rich beyond her wildest dreams, and the excuse of "gardening" gave her a reason to spend time with her true love, Patchy.

It was Jeannie's fourteenth birthday that truly set Tatianna off. When she looked at her daughter, the pouchy cheeks of her husband stood out as such a strong reminder that tears leapt to her eyes. This girl, once so full of promise, could not inherit the throne. Something must be done.

Tatianna attended her sister Chloe's birthday party out of familial obligation, but a handsome stranger caught her eye. He introduced himself as Wyatt. His build was just like her father's, though he was pale, with green eyes and dusty brown hair. Tatianna looked at her sister, whose once-happy marriage had crumbled, and whose jowls had only grown more prominent with age. Wyatt asked if she was single, and, slipping the ring off of her finger, she said, "It's complicated." A few drinks later, she found herself bent over in the bathroom, Wyatt pounding away as she imagined that he was a much, much skinnier man...

Tatianna didn't exactly expect to have a third child, but the morning sickness wasn't quite a surprise, either. She waited until Cedric went to work to invite Wyatt over to visit and to tell him the good news. Did she let him linger on purpose, to make her final decision easier? She couldn't quite say for sure. But Cedric came home to find Wyatt embracing Tati, and he was outraged. It took Tati a moment to find the words (or the option in the interactions wheel), but she asked Cedric for a divorce, and he agreed. He wanted to keep living with his children, but Tatianna didn't think that was a good option. Cedric left, but he stayed in the family. Ages ago, in high school, he'd made a pass at Chloe before he'd settled on Tatianna. When she mentioned that her home had more bedrooms than people, he took her up on the offer. He'd have started working on a revenge romance if Chloe weren't already pregnant.

Wyatt's life wasn't free of complications, either. As a very young man, he'd married an older woman, and she was now gray-haired and weak. His son was almost seventeen. He couldn't look at his wife and feel love anymore, but he felt wretched betraying his son. And yet, there was no room in his new life for this old family. Tatianna's rounded belly convinced him. He divorced his wife, and moved in with Tatianna. Wyatt's love of athletics made him an instant hit with Kane. They spent hours in the basement gym, Kane mentoring his future son-in-law in all the glories of athleticism that he could no longer enjoy himself, due to old age. Tatianna promised Wyatt that they'd marry, though she couldn't quite decide when (and the game is convinced that he's in her employ and therefore can't marry her, so idk). History repeated itself when Tatianna went into labor, and her baby's father was nowhere to be found. Instead, Patchy ran to her side, fretting over her safety as she delivered her third child. In honor of another impending Winterfest, she named her daughter Noelle. The infant looked like any other, though she'd inherited her mother's rich skintone, rather than her father's pale one.

Phillip was unhappy about his new little sister, and he missed his father. Jeannie had hardly a thought to spare for her new stepfather, beyond the fact that he was incredibly hot. Tatianna was torn. Her youngest child was a chance to pass the throne to a worthy heir, and to forget the error of her first marriage. But the baby didn't belong to her true love, and no baby ever would. Could she learn to love this child... or any child? She vowed to be a better parent to Noelle than she'd been to Jeannie. In fact, she swore to be the best parent ever, just as her mother was. Hope picked up Noelle, her eighth (or probably ninth but I didn't check to see if Chloe had her baby yet) grandchild. Was this newborn to be the queen that her mother and grandmother were before her?

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

Self-Knowledge: Srentha

https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/self-knowledge-questionnaire/#

I have a feeling I already know what results he’s going to get, but let’s see what this quiz has to say!

--Ah, so in taking it I was torn between a few answers for him, so I took it twice. I got 5 different aspects for him, with “Resilience” being the only one in common (the guy survived alone on a dead world for like 6 years, so I’m not surprised). But he’s pretty multi-faceted, things change with his moods, and they’re ALL actually very important parts of him, so in order of appearance: Here they are!

Rationality, Independence, Resilience, Reverence, Exhibitionism.

RATIONALITY You like clarity and intelligent simplicity and you get frustrated at messy thinking. This can make you seem unreasonably pushy to some, but it is actually a virtue: you are motivated by a horror at pointless effort and a longing for precision and insight into how things and people work. Your ability to synthesise and bring order is essential in producing thinking which is truly helpful.

Well, it’s 80% accurate! He has ADHD like you wouldn’t believe, so “messy thinking” is kind of where he lives, and THRIVES. Though he’s most productive when he’s hyperfocusing, which generally means Clear Thinking. But he’s not frustrated when he’s NOT in that state. And he . But other than that: He definitely “[longs] for...insight” (I say he’s a Ravenclaw for a reason), and he really doesn’t LIKE wasting effort or energy on something that Doesn’t Work, but rather than being horrified, he just gets really optimistically determined to Figure Something Out that DOES work.

INDEPENDENCE You don’t set out to be different for its own sake; you are more easily guided by what interests and moves you. You are more concerned about what is right for you than about the pressure to fit in. In sex you are more aware than others of impulses which are not entirely conventional. You know the value of selective irresponsibility, of forgetting occasionally about being ‘good’.

Oh, that’s DEFINITELY Srentha. From the moment he was born, he was all about doing what Felt Right For Him. HE was constantly being scolded by some tutor or other to not do THAT, do it the RIGHT way; it doesn’t MATTER if the result is the same, he’s not DOING it like they TAUGHT. (Even the sex thing? Like, I don’t want to get too into that, but he has enticed Dove to do some... borderline dangerous things with her power or his magic.) His “irresponsibility” isn’t so much “selective”, at least not consciously selecting to be responsible, as much as just pure and simple impulsivity and self-trust. But he’s all about challenging societal expectations and tradition to find New and Better Ways.

RESILIENCE You have a tendency, after a setback, to turn your emotions towards restriving. What attracts you is the idea of wiping out a humiliation by resumed action – overcoming weakness, repressing your fear. Because part of your motive is pride, you can sometimes be unwilling to admit weakness or to receive aid. But at heart, tour insistence on coming back and never folding has taught you a valuable pessimism: you know that important journeys are never easy.

Okay, so, Srentha’s backstory: He wasn’t always supported, encouraged, and fulfilled, but he did have a generally happy and contented upbringing, even if it was a bit nontraditional. (He was basically given away by his father to be raised by tutors instead, and eventually got unofficially adopted by the handmaidens and nursemaids working around him.) Even in those frustrating moments when he’d get scolded for doing something “wrong”, or something that was actually kind of dangerous, her rebounded with his signature optimism and dedication to Making Things Better. 

He was a generally just very happy kid. And then, the day ~The Prophecy~ happened, he saw Dove as she was fleeing Azarath before it was totally destroyed, and he followed her, all the way to Earth, taking a bird along to maybe send back with a message if he found her, or they needed to keep in touch when he did, like they used to do as children. But he couldn’t find her. (Her mother’s spells to keep Dove hidden were preventing anything he tried from detecting her.) By the time he got tired of searching Earth and went back to Azarath, everything was burned down, everyone was dead, and he was left in a state of shock.

But rather than fall apart, he dedicated himself to improving his spellcraft, kept himself sane by holding his memories close, practiced until he was strong enough to travel dimensions without the door they’d used on their first trip away, and periodically went in search of Dove. He never once gave up hope of finding her, and though he had moments where hope would face, he never gave up entirely. He figured, there must have been a reason he lived, despite his childhood dreams being burned to ashes, and he was determined to not give up until he found it.

And then, of course, he winds up finding Dove, falling in love after a year or two, having Leyla, and writing some halfway decently-selling books on magic and mysticism inspired by their childhood home, as a way for Azarath’s legacy to live on after they passed.

So yeah, Srentha’s resilient as frick, too.

REVERENCE One part of you dreams of giving yourself up – perhaps just for a while – to a hero or mentor. In the right circumstances you can flourish by letting go of your ego. In your inner life, reverence plays out as a willing submission to your own conscience. In the outside world, you might get frustrated searching for something worth believing in – a country, a person, a company – but you will always be open to feeling respect, admiration and wonder.

This is ABSOLUTELY an important driving force in his life! Of course he’s very spiritually reverent, and his earliest childhood dream was becoming an important leader, like his grandfather (Coman, if you know who that might be, Azarath’s high magistrate-- his word and guidance bore heavy weight in a lot of important decisions and tasks for the whole community.)

Despite Srentha’s spontaneity, he does have a good sense of judgement, especially on a moral scale. He really IS prone to feeling wonder and admiration, a general gratefulness to be alive that feeds his optimism. (The moment he finds Dove and asks for a glass of water, he spends the next few minutes absolutely DELIGHTED by something as simple as a drink of water. He had to alchemically create it for like 6 years so maybe he’s a little biased at the time, but it’s still not out of character for him.)

And when he has Leyla, he spends half his life dedicated to teaching her everything he knows about magic. Since her inherited powers work against each other (Trigonic power from Dove and Srentha’s Azarathean power), her magic isn’t very strong at all. But she’s happy to learn, and he absolutely DELIGHTS in their lessons and experiments. 

EXHIBITIONISM There’s a strand in your nature which loves making an impression – perhaps with your clothes, or conversation, or in a self-revealing blog or a novel. You like to dramatise yourself, to pose as a unique, perhaps mysterious person, to joke or exaggerate your part in adventures. Though you might more than once have been called a show off, it is actually a generous tendency: you want to please and entertain others. It could be the start of good teaching and leadership.

Oh, he doesn’t do it on purpose, but Srentha is absolutely a charismatic chatterbox without trying to stand out. And again, teaching and leadership is something he wanted very badly to do before he was supposed to die at 14, even if it was just finding some TINY little way to make their society better. And then he had a family, and wound up taking a teaching role as a “career” of sorts. (Exactly what he does is hard to explain, besides the writing, but someday I’ll find the words for it!)

[theagentsharoncarter]

Decisions | Sharon + Steve [Past]

Sharon knew this day was going to come. Or at least, a conversation about the future of their children when it came to the career paths they would undoubtedly be steered towards. She just didn’t expect it to be brought up like this. “You want to move?” Sharon murmured, staring down at the file Steve had placed in front of her. Her husband was sitting across from her at their dining table, and she could faintly hear Nate playing with Amber and the twins down the hall. Sharon hadn’t touched her cup of tea as soon as Steve broke the news, and it sat between them going cold.

“Nate’s old enough to start high school there, I think it could be good for him.” Steve said a little hesitantly. When it came to their eldest, Sharon was fiercely protective and rightly so. He didn’t want to pressure Nate towards anything, but he could at least experience and see if becoming an agent or even an Avenger was something he would like. “And Phil wants us both to teach. There’s no use having an Avengers Academy without any Avengers teaching.” Phil had said that after he would be approaching James and Natasha to see if they would want to come on board as well, but Steve knew that James wouldn’t agree if he didn’t. They had made the decision to both raise their kids in New York together, and to break that was a big commitment.

Their life in New York was stable. They both had their families, the kids were attending school and living relatively normal lives aside from the pressure that came with being children of Avengers. To throw that all away to head to Malibu was an enormous decision, and possibly the biggest Steve had made in a long while. But in his heart he knew that this was a good idea, he wanted to help young people with their talents and to make sure that whoever was going to end up protecting their world knew how to do it.

Sharon just stared at the documents in front of her. She was aware of the programs on offer, the training, the high school experience...she just wasn’t sure that she wanted to expose their kids to it all just yet. “I’m not a very good teacher,” Sharon eventually said, meeting Steve’s gaze. She wanted to at least give Nate the opportunity to have a say in all of this.  

“You’re an amazing mother, I think it’s the same thing,” Steve reassured her, reaching for Sharon’s hand so he could take it into his own. Brushing his finger over her wedding ring, he looked at her softly. “Phil’s going to ask James and Natasha as well. It won’t be just us. Besides, SHIELD over on the side of the country might be nicer to work with. Less politics.” It was clear that Sharon didn’t want to do this and he couldn’t blame her completely. “Please tell me what you’re thinking.”

It was a moment before Sharon answered her husband, keeping her hands in his. "I thought our kids were going to live normal lives," she murmured. "And I know it's not realistic because they need to know how to protect themselves but I just had this fantasy in my head, I suppose.” The kids all had the serum running through their veins, they were never normal as much as she wished for them to be. It was Nate she was most worried about, which wasn’t that surprising.

Steve just felt guilty more than anything, for making Sharon feel like she had to give up what she wanted for them. “They don’t have to enrol,” Steve reassured her. “They can still attend school, I really believe in what Phil’s doing and I would like to help if you’re okay with that.”

Sharon knew that Steve couldn't help but want to help others, it was in his nature and there was nothing she would change about him in that regard. "Promise me one thing," Sharon eventually said. "That after a year, if Nate doesn't like it or the twins or Amber don't cope with the move; then we come back." That was what mattered to her the most. Better that Steve knew this now then down the track. Not that she was worried about an argument, but they had to draw the line somewhere.

"Of course," Steve nodded in response. There was no doubt that if the kids didn’t like it then moving back here was the answer.  "But what about you?" he then asked. "If you don't like it?" New York was where they always had been, where they had grown their family, gotten married. It had been the centre of their lives for a long time.

Sharon shrugged, a slight smile on her lips. "We get find a new house, don't we? How bad could that be?" she had to see the bright side in what she could.

Steve chuckled, standing up so he could move towards her and pull her into a close hug. "Pick whatever you want, that's all up to you. Maybe the kids would like being in an actual house, Malibu is different from here.” He stroked Sharon’s hair and kissed her on the head. “I’m sorry for dropping this all on you.”

Sharon shook her head as she leant against his chest. “There’s just one thing I’m worried about,” she told him, leaning back to look at him with a concerned frown. “Nate…if he’s enrolled into the Academy, you know what questions kids will start asking him.” If he would be Captain America one day and take the legacy onboard - and that was one pressure she wanted Nate to live without. There was no expectation on their behalf when it came to whether or not Nate would follow in either of their footsteps, but the outside world wasn’t so kind.

Still keeping his arms around her, Steve nodded. “I’m worried about that too,” he admitted. He didn’t want it to go to Nate’s head either. He needed to be grounded, and that was something the both of them had been instilling in their children. “But we’ll work it out. I know we will.” They had worked out everything else so far, navigated raising four kids together alongside their jobs.

“I hope so,” Sharon whispered, leaning up for a quick kiss. “When are we going to tell them?” she asked him, glancing over to where she could hear them playing together. How they were going to react was going to be interesting. The twins and Amber were too young to really understand, but they would no doubt go along with Nate.

“Why don’t we go out for dinner tonight and tell them then?” Steve suggested, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I’ve been craving pizza.”

Sharon chuckled at that and patted his chest. “Pizza it is, I’ll ring up and make a booking,” she said to him before pulling back, giving Steve a soft smile as she went to go and get the phone.