#i learned my lesson early on as a kid^ if i hear a love story is sad i dont watch it. it affects me too much for too long afterwards

[scarysanctuary]

thinking about Cold Mountain, i watched it on more than one occasion as a kid, i absolutely loved it, thought it was such a well made film even then, but it also devasted me, and because of that, i have not rewatched it as an adult, ive been too scared, and thats a shame, because i actually think its very dear to me

[kakiastro]

Astrology Notes:

Mercury Edition

This is what my astrology notes look like lol

-People who have a Mercury-Uranus aspect can indicate having lots of intelligence. These are the “mad geniuses” of our world. These native may have lots of ideas on how to help humanity as a whole. You might be in a lot of controversies over your words or be misunderstood. On the flip side of this aspect, this can indicate someone who has a strong knowledge of it all personality and don’t want to hear others options. May get offended easy and loves to argue.

-Mercury/Moon aspect natives need to control their emotions before they speak especially if you have it in a harsher aspect like a square or opposition. You may get flustered or your feelings may get hurt easily. These natives are sensitive to words, they may act like they don’t care but it definitely hurt their heart. On the flip side, they may be mostly the quiet type of people. Once they open up, it’s like a whole different person lol. They also have a strong intuition, they understand people more than they let on. They also have a soft spot for babies and young kids.

-Mercury Capricorn/10h natives has a lot of wisdom within them. They start learning harsh lessons during there early years. Usually by the time they reach their first Saturn return, they may sound like a retired 60 year old giving out advice due what they’ve endured 😅 Capricorn rules over time, so as they get older, the more introspection they have on the word. These are the perfect natives to receive advice from because of the lived experience. On the flip side, if these natives use their words or actions to hurt others, it will come back. Capricorn is one of the “power” placements , hence why it rules the 10h(highest point our chart) so moral of the story, use your words for good. Make stretching your daily routine, your cap Mercury will one day thank you. Also, take care of your teeth, even if you can’t afford to go the dentist , brush them and floss.

-Mercury/Jupiter aspect natives have a thirst for knowledge and seeking the truth. They don’t believe in the theory “not everything has an answer.” Because to them it does, you’re just too stupid to them to find it but they will😅don’t lie, y’all know it’s true! These natives will make excellent historians, professors, gurus, researchers, writers. They are pretty open about their beliefs and don’t mind debating you about them.

-Mercury Pisces/12h natives occasionally experience brain fog😅 they have the ideas and creativity but they’re time when their brain is filled with smoke😭 sometimes they just be talking and we don’t know what their talking about but they have beautiful voices so we let it slide lol. Speaking of voices, they are incredibly singers, like you just get lost or hypnotized by their words. Listening to frequency music or Lo-fi songs will help soothe y’all mind. Take care of feet, clip your big toe nail and put some lotion on them. Don’t be out here with goblin feet😭

-Mercury Sagittarius/9h natives loves foreign cultures and always traveling some damn where chile😅 these natives are either anti-religious or very religious. They may also just like studying religion as an interest without really holding those beliefs themselves. May have lots of father figures growing up. May have their own library of books and publications they love to keep. These natives, like Capricorn are also good at giving advice because they’re constantly researching or reading to find answers. Take care of y’all legs by stretching, running, even if you’re disabled, if you can, physical therapy or someone you trust can stretch your legs for you. I know everyone circumstances is different and that’s ok! Do what you can with what you got!

-Chiron Gemini /3h words can be so healing but triggering at the same time. They tell it like it is and it can sting but at the same, their advice can help the collective. They may have a wound with a sibling(s) . They could’ve been bullied in elementary school. These people at their best, turn their pain into healing and help others. They may understand the misunderstood people in our world. At worst, they use their pain to hurt others , they may have started out doing that but then started learn and heal. It really depends on the person because we all have free will.

-Chiron is said to associated with Virgo since it’s a healer astroid. It’s also associated with Sagittarius because he’s a teacher and a centaur which are ruled by Jupiter.

-Mercury/Venus natives have such beautiful voices and has a way with words😍these are the true charmers, they way that they can make you fall in love with them with just their voice and words. If they decided to write a book, it would get lots of attention especially if they write romance and poetry.

-Mercury Aries’s /1h natives loves cussing and has a potty mouth on them for sure 😅y’all put a sailor to shame. They may come off as brash with their words even though they mean well. You just have to listen to the words and not the tone sometimes😅. I also notice these natives tend to get lots of headaches or migraines with this placement.

I’ll stop here but I might make a part 2 to this. Let me know what Mercury placements or aspect you want me to make note on. I’m also open for paid readings if you’re interested!

[eff4freddie]

After She Left | Epilogue

Words: 2.4k

A/N: Yeah ok, I wasn't quite ready, either. I had already started planning this one-shot but I realised, thanks to some helpful and gentle feedback, that if I was already thinking of a one-shot maybe the main story wasn't as done as I thought. You must have been right, because I have never written something so fast in my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you again for all the love on this series. Apart from the occasional one shots, I do think I'm actually done this time. Maybe.

Fifteen | Series Masterlist |

This time, you didn’t borrow Maria’s dress. Having traded a couple of old books and some promises of extra lessons for Mika, you’d secured yourself something bespoke from the seamstress in town, cut from blue old curtains soft from years of fading in the sun. You ran your hands over the gentle fabric, trying not to gawk too long in case Ellie burst in and busted you for it. You had to remind yourself she wasn’t there, spending the afternoon with Dina and a couple of her friends decorating the mess hall. She’d insisted you not do it, this time. And you’d let her have it, the ownership of the space. Trusted her, more than you trusted anyone, that she would do a good job.

You cleared your throat. You knew Joel would be there, and that he’d got in ahead of Tommy this time and volunteered to chaperone, and you reminded yourself again and again that it was for Ellie’s sake, not for yours. You still hadn’t really spoken properly, even after he’d started coming around a night or two a week for dinner after a shift on the wall, and you weren’t sure what you would say to him if he did. You just hadn’t had the time alone with him, Ellie always hovering in that way she had.

It felt different, though. Lighter. Like a storm had passed. You smoothed down the seams of your dress over your hips and sighed. This was a work thing, you reminded yourself. You were there to look after the kids.

‘It’s OK to be hopeful,’ Rose reminded you, over your shoulder where you saw her reflection in the mirror. She wasn’t aging, even though it had been years.

‘I know it is,’ you said, smiling warmly at her.

‘Are you?’ she asked.

You glanced back at your own reflection, your sister waiting quietly on the other side of the veil.

‘I don’t know if I need you anymore,’ you said, plainly to her, in that honest way you were starting to learn from Ellie.

‘Just want me then,’ she said, and then she was gone.

--

You stood on the steps of the mess hall, the snow starting to fall. Even in the cold you were hesitating, not sure what would greet you when you walked in. Not sure who.

You could already hear the band starting up, could hear Ellie barking last minute instructions to her crew of terrified workmen. She was a natural leader, even if she didn’t know it yet, you mused.

‘Hey, girlie,’ a voice said behind you, and you turned, a smile already spreading over your face.

‘Thought you were off the hook tonight,’ you said, and Tommy grinned at you. He was just wearing his usual clothes, and you realised for a second you’d been worried Joel had sent him in his place.

‘Just swingin’ back from patrol, thought I’d come by and check it out,’ he said. You knew what he meant, that he was checking in on his idiot brother, and on you, to see if you’d murdered him yet.

‘I don’t even know if he’s here yet,’ you said, by way of explanation, gesturing to your shaking hands.

‘He’s in there,’ Tommy said, smiling warmly at you. ‘I know because he royally pissed of Billy beggin’ off his shift early to make sure everythin’ was just right.’

You turned back to the door, surprise painting your face. ‘He did?’ you asked.

‘Been in there since lunch,’ Tommy said, turning to face the street. ‘Wouldn’t trust Ellie up a ladder, for starters.’

‘Smart man,’ you agreed.

You jumped a little as the younger Miller stepped up beside you, looping his arm around your elbow.

‘C’mon, my lady, I’ll walk ya in,’ he said. You leant into him, borrowed some of his strength to cross the threshold.

Inside, it was breathtaking, and you gasped a little. Ellie had taken all the efforts of the previous Prom and doubled them, the little cut out stars strung up amongst coloured streamers, twinkling lights. There wasn’t an inch of ceiling not covered in dangling decorations, some of them strung up so high into the rafters you weren’t sure they’d ever make it down.

‘Wow…’ you said, roughly calculating the mathematics of it.

‘Yeah, we helped a little, Maria and me and the Town Council,’ Tommy said, stretching his hand as if it still ached. ‘Rather take a gunshot to the head then deal with a papercut again.’

You gasped out a little laugh, trying to push the tears away. Under her paper constellations Ellie was dancing with Dina, holding the girl to her like she wouldn’t ever let her go.

‘God, she’s fucking magnificent,’ you said, seeing Tommy nod out of the corner of your eye.

‘That’s true, ain’t it, brother?’ he asked, and your head snapped to your other side where Joel stood, several paces away, his hair slicked back again and this time wearing a black shirt you were sure he’d borrowed from his little brother. The buttons strained a little in the middle, for one.

‘Magnificent,’ he said, staring deep into your eyes.

‘Teach!’ a voice called from across the dancefloor and Ellie was on you then, breaking the spell. You exhaled, not realising you’d been holding your breath. ‘Come see, come see…’ she said, grinning as she took you by the arms and pulled you across the room, in amongst the throng of teenagers and out the other side, to a table set up by the band.

There, next to the punch bowl full of what you hoped was so far un-spiked drink, there next to the plates of little cut sandwiches, there across the top of the long table ran an enormous banner, the words ‘THANK YOU TEACH’ emblazoned on it in what you knew to be Dina’s careful bubble handwriting. In every space a student had written a message to you, of thanks and of kindness. Mika had drawn you as a superhero, a cape fluttering out over your stick figure shoulders.

You bit hard into your lip then caught yourself, giving up and letting the tears flow.

‘Oh, shit, Ellie…’ you said, gripping her by the shoulders and pulling her into you.

‘You swore,’ she said, delighted.

‘Fuck off, I’m off the clock,’ you gritted out, tears sliding down your face.

She squeezed you, just long enough before she let you go, suddenly concerned she didn’t look cool in front of her friends.

You turned to her, before she disappeared, knowing that after this she would go back to the dancefloor, that you wouldn’t see her again that night until twenty minutes after curfew.

‘I don’t know what to say,’ you confessed, simply, all your nerves exposed, fizzing, in the stuffy air.

Ellie glanced back to where you had been standing, to where Joel still stood, sentinel, by the walls.

‘Figure it out,’ she said, not unkind.

--

Joel shuffled on his feet, his shirt too tight and the collar digging into his throat. He wanted to reach up and pull it loose but was worried he’d take most of the buttons along with it. He determined to remain, uncomfortable.

His back ached from the hours he spent on that damn ladder. But the look in your eyes when you walked in and saw them, the way your face glowed with disbelief and then with joy. Worth every groaning vertebra in his body.

He cleared his throat, watching as Ellie showed you the banner. When the night was done, he was going to take it back to the schoolhouse, string it up over your little blackboard, so every morning you walked in there you were shrouded in their love. You deserved that and so much more than that, but right now it was all that he could do.

He watched, even from here, the tears gather on your cheeks, and it took all his strength not to stride over to you, steal you from the moment, wipe them down with his fingertips and then his lips. He pushed something warm and bulbous down into his gut. When you glanced over at him, Ellie with her eyebrows raised at him as if this was finally, finally his chance, he faltered, his stomach doing little flips. When you turned back to her, he took the moment to slink out the door, shame turning the tops of his ears red and hot as he did it.

He so desperately wanted to tell you everythin’, wanted to push it all out of his throat once and for all. But still, even after all that had happened, there was the fear. That you wouldn’t want him, that it wouldn’t be enough. All the hurt he’d put you through, he had no right to expect you to speak to him ever again.

He raised his eyes to the stars. But he had made his promise, that night he saw off Shauna. To them and to himself. He would walk the road back to you, as long as you would have him.

‘Hey, stranger,’ you said, and he turned, fast enough to swirl away some of the snow gathering around his shoulders.

‘Hey…’ he said, gruff over a heavy throat.

‘Tommy says you have something to do with all that…’ you said, nodding over your shoulder back to the mess hall.

‘It was all Ellie’s idea,’ he said, and you smiled, the warmth radiating off you enough that he felt if he stepped forward you would turn the end of his nose pink.

‘I have absolutely no doubt,’ you agreed.

‘You two goin’ OK?’ he asked.

You nodded. ‘It’s goin’ great, love having her around. It’ll be sad when she moves back to you.’

Joel blinked at this, his mind taking a moment to catch on to the words.

‘She’s comin’ back?’ he asked, feeling tingles on the back of his neck.

‘Course she is. She always was. Not sure when, yet, but give it time,’ you said. You took a step forward, coming to stand beside him, your arms resting on the rail. He turned to peer out over the town with you, the gentle flurries of snow catching the streetlights.

‘Weird to be back here again,’ you said, simply. ‘After everything.’

He nodded, his throat suddenly raw. He knew this was his moment. He steadied himself, spread his weight evenly on his feet.

‘Teach, I…’ he started, taking a second to gather himself. ‘I felt you changin’ me,’ he said, and you froze, too scared to turn your head to him in case he lost his nerve. ‘I felt you changin’ me, and it scared me, and I did everythin’ I could to try and change back.’

‘It scared you?’ you asked.

‘So much, and I hate that it did.’ He thought for a second, of all the things he had done for Ellie out of love for her, of all the ways he had hurt and been hurt. He swallowed. Love made monsters out of men like him, he knew.

But this was different, though, felt different somehow and he had to trust that it was. ‘I’d never felt that…’cept for you. I’d never felt that for anyone.’

You swallowed, the tears threatening again, biting them back out of sheer will. You couldn’t help noticing the past tense, and you braced yourself. You had promised, back on your front step after Shauna had destroyed your cake, that you would be friends. Maybe this was where it was headed for you two. Maybe that would be enough.

No, you screamed in your head. You knew that it wouldn’t be. Don’t close yourself off now, you heard a voice say, not Rose’s this time, but your own.

‘I knew that, Joel, I knew that you were scared…’ you said, and you wanted to go on, but he was shuffling, suddenly, suddenly unable to stand still on his feet.

‘I ain’t scared anymore,’ he said, gritting it out like it hurt him.

You turned to him, finally, as he continued. ‘I know you might not want me now, and by rights, baby, you shouldn’t. I know I hurt ya, and I think about it every damn day. But I ain’t gonna walk around this place pretendin’ I ain’t feelin’ it. Not anymore. I love you, baby, have for a damn long time, and it wouldn’t right if I let you go around thinkin’ I don’t.’

He was breathless, his eyes scanning your face for any sign of revulsion, for any sign of fury. He watched, horrified, as the tears spilled over your cheeks.

‘Ah, fuck,’ he said, reaching up to brush them away. ‘I hurt you again.’

‘No, no,’ you said, gripping his hand to yours and pulling his fingers down to his lips where you kissed the tears from them. He stilled, watching you as you struggled to find the right words.

You sucked in a breath, every atom of your being thrumming, pounding along with your racing heart.

‘Not scared either,’ you said, your whole body shivering.

‘Baby…’ he trailed off, something like hope threatening to grip him by the gut and destroy him.

‘But we gotta talk more,’ you pronounced, nodding at him as he mirrored you, agreeing with all he had. ‘We gotta talk a lot more about…everything,’ you emphasised.

‘There’s so much I’ve been wanting to tell ya,’ he agreed, little tears appearing in the corner of his eyes, where they crinkled as he let himself smile.

‘You pull any of that shit again…’ you started, and he nodded.

‘Ellie already told me, she’d make sure I never walked without a limp again.’

You paused, making a mental note to add some non-aggressive conflict resolution in to your curriculum.

‘We’ll talk,’ Joel went on. ‘I wanna talk, baby, I meant what I said. Wanna give you that, and all the love ya deserve’

‘But not right now…the talking,’ you said, shaking your head as he mirrored you again.

‘No, not right now,’ he agreed.

‘Just say that one thing, that one bit, just that one bit again,’ you rambled, managing a quiet little gasp when he stepped forward, taking your jaw in his hand.

‘M’sorry, baby,’ he said, and you blinked owlishly up at him. ‘Ain’t no excuse, and it ain’t enough, and I’ll spend the rest of my days findin’ new ways to make it up to ya. But I love you, baby. I think I always have.’

You grinned at him, turned your scorching heat to him, bathed him in it, irradiated the fear right out of his bones. Illuminated him, like the sun dawning over a night that once had been freezing, over a night that had once been full of terrors, over a night that had seemed so threatening, until the moment the light shone.   

Tag (and thank you AGAIN list)

@harriedandharassed

@vickie5446

@kaseyconnour

@orcasoul

@missladym1981

@spacesoutdaydreamer

@tangled-tumbler-blog-blog

@fancyyoouu

@anoverwhelmingdin

@millersamour

@delicatetrashtree

@wand-erer5

@somedayheaven

@maryrhodalouandted

@casssiopeia

@atorturedpoetatmidnight

[leclerc-s]

snow angel - track four

series masterlist // previous // next

DECEMBER 2022

JANUARY 2023

EARLY MARCH 2023

liked by lilymhe, alex_albon, mickschumacher and others

rheareynolds the council sending me off for filming.

tagged: lilymhe

view all comments

user1 somehow all three are very grumpy about rhea leaving.

↳ rheareynolds they were. although the boyfriend has no place to be complaining. he's constantly travelling.

user2 the boyfriend is hot.

↳ user3 you can only see his hair and arms?

↳ user2 and?

vancityreynolds stop lying, i bet they're thrilled.

↳ rheareynolds just because blake always throws a party when you leave doesn't mean my friends and boyfriend do.

lilymhe you couldn't have found a better picture of me?

↳ rheareynolds i think you look very cute

↳ alex_albon that's my girlfriend!

↳ rheareynolds what's your point? she's literally my wife

charles_leclerc have fun but not too much fun!

user4 okay but her cat is literally the prettiest cat i've ever seen.

user5 see i personally love that rhea met lily and the other drivers through lando but they still picked her over him

↳ user6 to be fair they are friendly with lando but you can tell it's not the same as it was.

↳ user7 well lando cheated on his girlfriend and not the other way around.

LATE MARCH 2023

lilymhe and rheareynolds posted new stories

breakfast with the prettiest girl ever.

prettiest surprise visit ever.

charles leclerc rhea come home the children (me and lily) miss you

lily muni he please come back!

max verstappen added two people

logan sargeant bonjour!

logan sargeant i don't speak french

oscar piastri hello?

charles leclerc piastri i swear to seb if you tell nowins about this i will crash into you. alex albon jeez give the kid a chance to breathe sharl

rhea reynolds i wrap filming in may!

rhea reynolds oh hello. oscar piastri and?

logan sargeant i'm logan sargeant, alex's teammate. when will we be getting new music?

yuki tsunoda yes, when can i get new material to further torment norizz?

rhea reynolds july.

lance stroll BOOO!!

rhea reynolds but a single in june

pierre gasly IT'S BARELY APRIL?? THAT'S TWO WHOLE MONTHS AWAY?? mick schumacher sucks to suck charles leclerc YOU LET HIM HEAR IT BEFORE US?? YOUR BEST FRIENDS?? charles leclerc WHAT HAPPENED TO BROS BEFORE HOES?

george russell GIVE US THE TRACKLIST TO MAKE UP FOR YOUR SINS!!

rhea reynolds talk too much, i hate boston, poison poison, gemini moon, snow angel, so what now, the wedding song, pretty girls, tummy hurts, i wish, willow, 23.

charles leclerc claiming snow angel lily muni he claiming pretty girls max verstappen you two are too much sometimes. but i claim so what now.

rhea reynolds his ass is grass. trust.

oscar piastri trust i will be playing this in my drivers room.

MAY 2023

rheareynolds posted new stories

💞💞

i just woke up why the fuck is everyone blowing up my phone? did my nudes get leaked, not that i have any, or some shit? worse, what the fuck did ryan do now?

mick schumacher who fucking spilled??

esteban ocon i spilled milk earlier, why are you asking?? and how do you know??

rhea reynolds how the fuck did some spanish paper find out that i was dating mick??

charles leclerc oh no.

max verstappen YOU TOLD CARLOS??

charles leclerc HE PROMISED ME HE WOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING!!

pierre gasly HE'S FRIENDS WITH NO BITCHES!! WHY THE FUCK WOULD HE KEEP IT A SECRET??!!

oscar piastri this is bad. so bad.

lily muni he OH COME ON!! SERIOUSLY CHARLES??

charles leclerc I FUCKED UP OKAY?! I GET IT! I WILL SPEAK TO CARLOS!

george russell NO! NO MORE TALKING TO CARLOS!!

charles leclerc HE PROMISED!!

max verstappen HIS PROMISES MEAN SHIT! WE BOTH KNOW THAT!

rhea reynolds WHAT THE FUCK CHARLES??

charles leclerc I WAS ALSO DRUNK AND I TRUSTED HIM!!

pierre gasly i thought we learned our lesson after last time?

alex albon this is bad. this is so fucking bad.

rhea reynolds yeah no shit alex.

alex albon you didn't read the article did you?

lily muni he i swear to sebastian that i will be castarating both sainz and norris for what's being said. rhea reynolds oh fuck me.

are you dating mick schumacher?

rhea?

i know you're seeing these

are you seriously dating mick? my friend?

that's rich coming from the guy who cheated on me with a friend.

and if i am i don't think i owe you an explanation.

i also wasn't aware you guys were friends. you take one picture with a guy and suddenly you're friends.

are you fucking kidding me reynolds?

you're dating him?

him of all people

literally fuck you norris.

tell carlos to pull the fucking article or i'm suing his ass for defamation.

for what? telling the truth?

you and i both fucking know that article is straight bullshit. i never did anything to you. i was committed to our relationship more than you ever fucking were.

either he pulls the article or i swear i'll sue him.

fuck you and i hope you choke.

taglist: @emilyval @ihateyougunthersteiner @lesliiieeeee @firetruckstuckley @cashtons-wife @landonorizzz @yoremins @nikfigueiredo @badassturtle13 @cataf1 @silentreader128 @taylorsatl @alessioayla @greeneyesandsunshine @wisteriafence @mrscharlesleclerc @sesamepancakes @localwhoore @vettelsebastianvettel @Pinksstrawberry @yourbane @bborra @aandreea2005 @nichmeddar @asparklysoul @landossainz @scarletwidow3000 @cha-hot @ssararuffoni @cherry-piee @vroomvroommuppett @shineforever19 @kissesandmartinis

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¡leclerc-s speaks! i do know that the mick quote in the grill the grid video is in reference to seb, but the opportunity was right there so i had to go with it!! if i had a nickel for everytime i made carlos out to be an asshole i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. I PROMISE I DON'T HATE HIM!! I ACTUALLY LIKE HIM BUT HE'S LIKE BESTIES WITH LANDO AND IT WORKS OUT SO WELL.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[alexa-fika]

Some headcannons for youu ♡ :

Izou just having the time of his life designing outfits for dokusha.

Thatch teaching dokusha to cook bit by bit and supporting them no matter how bad the food is (think like Sanji's mother)

Related to Puppy love/escapes - Shanks secretly writing to dokusha now and then to check up on them

Dokusha sneaking into whitebeards room after having a nightmare, and whitebeard knowing that the kid is there but pretends to be asleep

Marco not leaving dokusha's side while there sick, not because it's serious but because he doesn't want them to wake up with no one there

Vista helping dokusha make flower crowns while telling stories

Ace breaking the rules and sneaking dokusha away while their grounded do to fun things

Tried to include a bit of everybody for ya, remember to eat water drink food and rest ♡♡

Let me start by saying that when they read the end my first reactions like HA they din’t include Vista, ima throw one in but then I saw you DID. Include him and I was damn they got ahead of me. 😂

Izou is one hundred percent ensuring Dokucha is always on flick 💅🏽 . Not only does he have a good eye for them on stores but he also comes up with both cutest and fanciest things for the kid. One day you wake up to them in the darnest dino costume

Another day you woke up to them in the fanciest outfits

You bet that Thatcher is gonna always have his little assistant even Baby Dokucha, he will always have them on his hip as he cooks (as long as it’s safe) trying to get some early lessons on the baby, making sure to narrate every step of what he’s doing.

Listen the crew don’t know this but Dokucha has bribed one of the delivery birds to come to them after they have dropped the usual new’s coo. In exchange for some quality food and perhaps a coin here and there they maintain contact with Shanks.

Dokucha is a kid, and with that comes scares wether from a nighmare or from a suspicious sound they keep hearing on their room, even though they sleep with the commanders on their room, nothing will provide more safety than good ol grandpa so Whitebeard always makes sure to ‘forget’ to lock his room, if you’re lucky he might even ‘accidentally’ leave out some blankets…

Listen, he might not do this for the rest of the crew, that dosen’t mean he doesn’t care for the others he just thinks they can toughen it out plus when it cones to stubborn pirates sitting next to them as the lie injures their pride but Dokucha, they don’t know any better. The others don’t know this but Marco sneaks some books into the clinic to read to the small child to help them rest better.

They know to nurture all sides of Dokucha and that means the innocent meaningless activities, just like izou Vista is more than willing to take on that role, helping them make flower clowns and teaching them of the different plants they might encounter in the different islands.

Oh remember how I said the commanders know better? They do but they also recognize when they have learned their lesson; sometimes the time frame of the punishment is longer than needed so they do kind of see what the situation calls for. However when the punishment do seem to be longer than what they need, Ace asks special permission from Pops to give the child a ride. Whitebeard most usually says yes but he does on the condition that Ace will also have a talk with Dokucha to make sure why they were being punished and try to find a middle ground to make sure the behavior gets curbed. (He does have to ask Whitebeard, Even Ace is aware he wouldn’t be able to sneak past the man)

I love making these with you guys, do you guys have any more takes?

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (10/29/2024) Episode: Wholesome Morning Fun

Luigi and Noemi had successfully launched Watcher Tales right before their originally planned New Year’s Eve release date.

With that deadline off their backs, the family was able to relax and enjoy the holiday in style. In honor of all the relatives who had helped with his game launch, Luigi orchestrated a charity stream at the local gaming center, raising money for the family's foundation for at risk youth.

They kicked things off early in the morning, gathering a group of sims to participate in a timed Watcher Tales build challenge.

“You’ve got 2 hours to create a rockin’ party venue” Luigi told them “I’ll be checking in throughout on your progress, and at the end we’ll take turns touring all your creations, while our online viewers vote on their favorite. Good luck everyone!”

The winning build wound up being a futuristic nightclub lot, designed by the foundation’s volunteer computer science tutor, Mauricio.

Luigi had known this fellow computer lover since their teen years, when he’d been captain of Copperdale High’s computer club. The now much more mellow sim had put his interest in technology to good use both at the foundation and as a teacher at their old alma mater.

“I love your game, and so do my students.” he told Luigi when he came over to offer his congratulations. “The logic and data puzzles you added to the gearhead career are genius. It’s a fun way for kids to learn some of the basics of programming and I’m excited to work it into my lesson plans.”

As the attendees enjoyed placing their creations into their game worlds, Luigi was setting up breakfast with Grandpa Don and his friend Anderson.

“Anderson, this is Lalani. She wants to open her own catering business someday and today she’ll be helping you prepare your famous waffles for our event. Meanwhile, our volunteer Bradley here will be helping Don prepare drinks for all our guests. Nothing too potent now, he’s still a teen!”

“Brunch will be served shortly” he hollered to the crowd. “In the meantime, feel free to enjoy any of the fun activities we’ve setup throughout the center and thank you again for coming out to support this great cause!”

While Luigi was busy hosting the event and gathering footage for the foundations future promotions his son was unloading his most recent woes onto his friend Elyse “…then a clown with pliers started yanking out my teeth. It was awful! That wasn’t just a dream either…” he finished with a sigh “A bunch of my baby teeth are loose, and I hate how they’re all wiggly in my mouth. Daddy said I could just pull them out but I’m afraid to.”

“I totally get it” Elyse replied “I have nightmares too, and losing teeth is the worst! I yank mine to make sure I don’t swallow any in my sleep!”

“Oh, I don’t want to swallow them” Skye whimpered, more scared than ever, just in time for Bruce to jump into the conversation.

“I heard when you swallow a tooth it stays in your stomach for SEVEN YEARS!” their feisty friend grinned evilly at Skye’s horrified expression. “Now quite your bellyaching and come upstairs so I can kick your butts on this HUGE Space Invaders arcade game I found!”

After the meal Noemi gathered the children and teens for a little programming workshop. “Today I’ll show you how to program a simple music player and synthesizer so you can make your own tunes. I’ll also show you how to add your music tracks to Watcher Tales so you can hear them in game!”

Luigi filmed the kids working on their players, providing tips and tricks as he went. The sight of his friends, relatives, and the at-risk kids playing and learning together warmed his heart and made him proud of the good work the foundation was doing to help sims who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

Checking the donation counter Lugi was excited to see they’d already raised a healthy sum, and the day was just getting started!

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[7cakerolls]

not my gif!!

romancing he who is most misunderstood.

pairing: lo’ak x fem! metkayina! reader x platonic neteyam

fluffy oneshot w some misunderstanding and a little bit of fake dating

prompt: you’ve been tasked with teaching the brothers the way of the sea. you become interested in the younger one, and develop a strong crush on him. he shares your feelings, unknowingly to you. you ask the older one for help, and this is the result.

“dude. i need your help.” lo’ak pleads to his brother. he is currently thinking about the young metkayina tsakarem, younger sister to ao’nung and twins with tsireya. “i think she thinks i’m weird, man…” he says as he shakes his head in disappointment.

of course, neteyam knows all about how the girl feels about him. she is completely head over heels for his younger brother, and she has been asking him for advice on how to represent her feelings for quite some time now. but she asked him to keep that a secret, which he will do.

“hmm, i don’t know. have you ever just fried asking her what she thinks?” he sighs in exasperation. playing the middleman for two teens in love is never easy, but this is his brother and the kindest girl he’s met since arriving here, so he’ll suffer through it. “i honestly think you should just officially ask to court her. what’s the harm?” he asks.

lo’ak stands and looks at his brother in complete shock and horror. “no, bro! that could go super bad… i don’t even know if she feels the same!” he exclaims and facepalms aggressively, falling back into the sand. unbeknownst to him, the girl of his dreams had just seen that, as she was looking for neteyam to gain some wisdom about his brother.

holding back a giggle, she walks up to the boys, signaling to neteyam that she wants to talk. lo’ak looks up with an embarrassed blush, hoping that she didn’t see that. neteyam sighs, standing up, mentally smacking himself and the others for not realizing. “well, bro i’ve got to go for lessons. figure it out, and soon.” he said, hoping that he would understand quickly.

he wasn’t getting lessons. he was helping you make an armband to give to lo’ak as a gift. he helped you choose a pattern and pick out shells and beads his brother would like, all while telling you information about him. you wanted to win his heart well and proper, and even though asking his brother for help was probably skipping a few steps, you didn’t want to take any chances.

“thank you for helping me neteyam, i think it is almost ready.” you said calmly with a hint of excitement. as much as you adored him, you still felt nervous when it came to sharing your feelings. so, you chatted with neteyam until sunset, learning funny stories about lo’ak as a kid, and things like his dislikes and favorites.

lo’ak sighed, watching you talk and laugh with his brother. it should’ve been him. of course you didn’t like him, he was just like payakan after all. an outcast. a girl as perfect as you couldn’t ever love him. so he went back home, downtrodden and feeling low. he went straight to sleep, only muttering small greetings to his family. he was halfway asleep when neteyam arrived at their marui.

“hope your date with (yn) went well…” he grumbled under his breath. neteyam looked in confusion and cocked his head to the side, not understanding what his brother was talking about. “what date? i had lessons, you know that.” he said, defensively. he could see the jealousy in his brother’s heart, and wished this whole thing would just fix itself.

“just save it. i saw you two making jewelry by the cave. guess the mighty warrior has no empathy.” he said, coldly. how could his own brother do this to him? and lie about it? he simply shuffled around and went to sleep, not bothering to hear his brother’s explanation. ‘whatever…’ neteyam thought. he would find out in the morning.

you woke up bright and early to go to the sully’s marui, making sure you looked your best. you had it all planned out, you were going to take him on a ride to your favorite cave, then present him with the armband. saying goodbye to your family, you quickly left while the sun was still rising, to execute your plan.

“good morning!” you beamed, standing at the entrance of the sully family home. lo’ak pushed aside the entrance, looking groggy. he was quite handsome even still, but it looked like he had been crying all night. “oh, (yn). looking for neteyam?” he said, with a hint of attitude. “no…” you said confusedly. “i was looking for you.”

what? why were you looking for him? wasn’t neteyam your little boyfriend? this made him angry, so he responded rashly. “for what?” he spat. “look, i don’t know what neteyam told you but…” he started. you understood that he had the wrong idea, so in your attempt to do damage control, you blurted,“nolo’akilikeyoupleasetakethis!!” showing the arm cuff in his face. so much for your plan…

he only stood there dumbfounded. you…liked him? not his brother? he wasn’t saying anything, so you took it upon yourself to explain. “i was too scared to ask you directly, so i learned more about you through neteyam. he was just helping me show my feelings for you. please don’t misunderstand…” you looked down sadly. “i understand if you do not return my feelings, but please take this! it was made to fit you perfectly.” you began walking away when he gently grabbed your wrist.

“follow me.” he said quietly, leading you to the shore. “(yn), i… i see you. i have liked you since i arrived here, i’m sorry for getting stern with you because of my jealousy.” he began spouting out apologies and telling you every little detail he loved about you. you quickly shut him up by hugging him and cupping his ear to whisper. “oel ngati kameie, lo’ak. i hope now you feel my heart’s position…” you pulled back and smiled at him, holding his hands lovingly.

he finally had someone that understood him.

[otakuworks]

❛ 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆.

i commend your sharp eyes for noticing the linked part, unless you found this because you're early, but still, enjoy!

<< PART 3

". . . And they lived happily ever after. The End!"

A chorus of querulous whines reverberated in the small classroom as the children began to inquire what happened afterwards.

"Did they ever reincarnate again?"

"Is the man still immortal? What happened to him?"

"What was causing their reincarnation?"

"Teacher, we need more!"

Everyone is up on their feet, desperately catching the attention of the instructor, but not everyone share the same sentiment. A young child seated at the very back of the class frowned at the sight of the crowd gathered at the very front.

They weren't particularly a fan of crowd as it has been causing them anxiety because of their lack of social skills.

They, too, badly want to inquire a few questions to the teacher as the short story 'See You Later' greatly piqued their curiosity.

Out of all stories, why that? Children stories are mostly fun and interactive, some can even pick a few moral lesson. But this? They can't wrap their mind of what benefit they can get from romance.

Children are listening to this, they need to learn anything but romance at their age. Sure there's a lot of stories that has romance in it, but it doesn't entirely revolve in that genre.

Like what? A love story between a simple villager and a dragon? How does that even make sense? At least Princess and the Frog has more narrative context behind the Frog Prince.

What a trash story that starts with Hello and not once upon a time

"Hello!" A yelp escaped their lips as they fixated their eyes on another child with soft amber eyes, he was subtly smiling and they can immediately tell he's being sincere to spark a conversation which greatly baffles them.

As the quiet kid in class, some have tried to ignite a topic to discuss but nothing seemed to interest them so they prefer solitude over nonsensical exchange of words.

It's not the kids fault if they find them boring to talk with, and they wouldn't have it the other way around. But this boy is so bright it nearly blinded them.

[ source: pinterest. pls comment if you know the artist so i can credit them ]

Before they can say something, the child spoke again, "I just want to say hi since I don't really see anyone talking to you, that must have been lonely." Children are indeed brutally honest.

They huffed, "I'm not lonely. I like it better this way."

His ardor countenance didn't falter and sat beside them.

"Do you really? I can't imagine someone seeking to be alone everytime, you gotta at least talk to somebody."

"I'm talking to you, is that enough?"

"Nope! I noticed how you were staring. Do you have questions?"

"What about you? Everyone's eager to get answered." They motioned at the rambunctious individuals.

"I do, but I basically know the full detail of the story so I don't really have to ask anything." He smiled sheepishly.

". . . You do? Then you must know the reason behind their curse?"

"The reborn stuff? I don't know, the story didn't specify anything."

"You said you have questions too. What are they?"

He blinked surreptitiously, his gaze landing on the window pass their shoulders, "I only wonder if the story is based on true events." Their eyebrows shot at his deep curiosity.

"It could be fictional, or just another legend. I heard the story is the oldest and most famous folklore in the modern world, so it's mostly filtered with different versions throughout the generation."

"Yeah. . . probably. I mean, there isn't even an author."

*RING* *RING* *RING*

The children scampered from the bell and a few of them conveyed their disappointment loudly by whining incessantly.

The boy stood up from the seat and held out his hand for you, "I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name is Zhongli."

As they blinked at his hand, they meekly muttered their name.

"Huh? I didn't hear you."

"My name is Y/N." They shake his hand.

"Oh! That's a cool name. Let's be friends from now on!"

Friends. What a foreign concept to them for there isn't a day that passed without them distancing from everyone.

Zhongli hauled his backpack and smiled cheekily, "I think we have different class after this, but we can see each other later at lunch."

"Yeah. . . that sounds good."

"Great! I'll see you later, Y/N!" He waved before sprinting out of the classroom as everyone dispersed leaving you standing in the almost empty classroom.

"See you later, Zhongli."

[musingsbylucia]

Im reaching the end of my twenties… time to be vulnerable.

I’m 29.. I am approaching 30 and it’s a thing. Not a big thing but a transformation of sorts. 

Thinking about Turning thirty and what that means and what it doesn’t mean has given me the opportunity to take the time to do a lot of inner reflection. To look back on my life and all of the lessons that I have learned. To think about how many challenges I have faced and lived through. To see all of the things that I love about myself and all of the people that have been in my journey, those who I am so grateful for, those who I feel really just didn’t understand me, those who were unhealthy in my life.

Realizing that all of it has brought me to where I am today. I’ve also only really begun to understand that life keeps moving and the unknown can be really scary while also exciting …. because it means that things you haven’t even dreamed up yet could happen and they could actually be really great. 

My past is my past…. I don’t actually have to feel ashamed of it. My past does not define me. These expectations I have of myself actually come a-lot from society and insecurities that influenced me to feel like I have to reach all of these expectations to feel worthy. Now… hears the thing…  I can know that and tell myself that but … My body is a little behind my self awareness. 

. . . 

I don’t like feeling vulnerable. It’s makes me feel like I’ve just been completely analyzed inside and out. Making me want to run away, hide, and burrow under a blanket until I’ve fully calmed myself and licked all of my wounds. 

. . . 

Sharing makes you vulnerable.

Telling someone what you have experienced, realizing that your not alone…

maybe….. just maybe not all people are like that one person who really hurt your feelings that one time … realizing this can be disappointing to the part of you who wants to stay stuck.

Who wants to push everyone away.

Who wants to remain unseen, quiet, misunderstood… alone.

Alone in your suffering because if you stay there then no one else can use it against you.

No one can see that you are actually a whole person experiencing being a human who just needs to feel like it’s okay to process what they are feeling in a space free of judgement.

…  so here’s to life …

I’m leaving behind so much and I’m taking so much with me that I’m thankful for. Something’s I’m still working on. 

… 

My childhood…..

that’s a whole other story.

… right now what is coming up is…

I keep looking back and remembering the work that I’ve done to get where I am and how when I was younger I was really obsessed with how I looked and dressed because I thought that I needed to be really put together.. if I looked good on the outside then everything was okay and I could walk around without any vulnerabilities, any problems and no one would know i was anything except a shining star without flaws. 

Unrealistic obviously.. I’ve learned that I had to be that way to be where I am now. 

somehow I felt like my identity was determined by how I looked…. This was like early teens.

Misinformation. My self worth is not valued by how I look.  . . self talk. . .

My outer appearance is a direct look on my inner self so of course I want to look good because I want to feel good. 

Rebellion has definitely been a thing. Not wearing makeup, not wearing a bra, wearing whatever I want has been me taking my power back and sitting with the uncomfortable feelings of the still fleeting thoughts that someone is judging me by my appearance. 

Ehhh, I enjoy wearing what I want and wear what I want for me. And that’s okay. 

 Anyway The social pressures of being a kid and wanting to fit in were a real thing for me and I’m sure for other people.

Here’s to my teenage self… I made it.

. . .

I’ve lost people in my circle to suicide. 

I’ve lost grandparents who I cherished and a grandmother I never met.

I’ve lost friends and loved ones.

I’ve met mean girls, mean boys, rude adults, and broken humans who have challenged me. 

I’ve met myself.

faced my deepest fears.

not known the difference between reality and my mind showing me fears

. . .

I’ve checked my self into the hospital 

And been taken to the hospital.

Suffered from anxiety and depression.

Been to too many parties and drank way to much which led to being in situations that i really hate talking about. But it happened. I didn’t fully understand alcohol at the time. There were unprocessed grief, emotions, depression, and hidden things that I was coping with by using substances. :::Late Teens:::

I’ve struggled to keep jobs, find housing, find inspiration, find compassion, find time to feel like I can actually sit down and work on projects that I am passionate about because for the moment it’s okay to prioritize myself…. To find peace with my family, find peace with myself for not living up to the expectations that I think the people in my life have of me and also the expectations that I have created myself. 

I’ve Found ways to heal and cope by painting, hiking in nature, writing, sound healing, meditation, plant medicine. 

My twenties have been …. me on a journey back to myself. Learning about relationships… learning about what has shaped me and why I react the way I do in relationships…. Back to self awareness and finding coping methods to live life without continuing down a self destructive rabbit hole. 

To find the parts of me that I had forgotten about. To learn new things. To learn about what I really love and what is really important to me. 

I definitely am one of those people who sees their friends go off to college, get married, have children and a small part of me feels left behind because I haven’t done those things. But the Truth is 

My worth is not measured by my marriage status. My parent status, or even by my education.

I do think that education is important. I just don’t measure myself or others by their education. Your either a human with integrity or not. Educated or not.

Im okay with being the free-spirited, mystical artist who is on a journey of self love, wander love and finding the wild woman. 

My head is full of color, my heart is full of love and so is my life. 

I’m good with that. 

I’ve found loving and supportive human beings with open hearts.

A strength to keep moving forward.

The awareness that my past doesn’t define me.

That I’ve forgiven myself for the things that I was holding on to. 

I sang,

Painted,

Danced, 

Talked,

Prayed, 

Journaled journaled and journaled…

my way through my twenties.

. . .

Here’s to my younger self.

Here’s to my present self.

Here’s to my future self. 

I love them. 

Here’s to all the people who molded, shaped, loved, and taught me that there are good humans. 

Here’s to those who also showed me that the world has those who have tainted hearts. 

To my thirties

I will keep going, keep learning, growing, and follow my heart. 

I can be accountable for my mistakes and also be gentle With myself.

I can tell my self a better story that leaves blame and shame behind. 

Allowing myself to keep moving forward. 

Life will keep going forward and I will make more mistakes.

Because it’s okay if I haven’t figured everything out yet. It’s one step at a time. And I’m only just beginning. 

If anyone suffers from anxiety or depression..

Has lost people to suicide.

Struggled with addictions and alcohol.

Your not alone.

I feel like these three words are said a lot.

And that they need to keep being said.

Because you never know who needs to hear it. 

There are people out there that can help.

Art therapy is a real thing.. it works.

I hope you can find help if you want to

 …..  I know that you are strong. 

[countessofravenclaw]

To grow up…Love…let go: act four

Growing up is hard when you're trying to find your own path. You live, you learn, you fall in love, and when you find the one, your heart will never break... ...or at least thats what Laura Perida thinks right before she's about to start high school. She's ready to find her own fairytale romance, just like her parents, but maybe she doesn't realize that life is not always that simple, especially given what we know about her parent's actual romance.

“14-year-old female, bad landing on rollerskates. Collision to the head, multiple open fractures, dislocated patella, possible torn ligaments, tendons and bursae.”

“Morphine and fentanyl administered on the field, splint…” The paramedic’s voice trailed off as Laura was taken into a treatment room. 

“Hey!” Aurora had been following them ever since getting out of the ambulance. She moved really quickly so they weren't able to slam a door to her face. “What are you doing with her?”

“Someone handle her.” A person who looked like a doctor stared at her for a moment. “Get ID and get the information of the parents!”

“Hey! Let go of me!” Aurora had been grabbed by a nurse and dragged out of the treatment room.

“Listen,” The nurse let go of her, “this is probably really scary right now. Your friend is in good hands.” 

“I am not scared,” Aurora scoffed. “and she’s my sister.”

“Okay,” The nurse nodded and made some notes on a tablet, “how old are you?”

“16.” Aurora crossed her arms. 

“Well then, how about this?” The nurse nodded again, “We are gonna look after her. If you could do us a favor. Could you call your parents?”

Aurora went pale. Mom and Dad… “Yeah, I—I can do that…”

***

“Emilio, can you go check the backroom for another adapter?” Gastón said to his TA as he walked into the lecture hall.

“Yeah, of course,” Emilio Coroa had been looking something through on a tablet, “By the way, are we adjusting the lesson plan, since we’re ahead?”  

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Gastón shook his head, “We can go just ahead. If we finish the material early, we can revise. Freshmen always have questions anyway.”

“Yep.” Emilio nodded, “I’ll check on that adapter.”

Gastón opened his computer after Emilio had gone and quickly looked through the lecture material. He honestly didn’t need to do that, he knew the material by heart—Yes, he did use the same slides for every year, especially for the freshmen classes. He wasn’t crazy and didn’t love his job that much. 

He placed his phone on the table, or he would have done that if it hadn’t started buzzing at that moment. 

He looked at the screen and furrowed his brow for a moment. Aurora was calling him. 

None of his kids called almost anybody, they were teenagers. It was facetime for log chit chats with friends or texting when there was actually something to talk about. 

Obviously, the kids were always allowed to call him, but unless it was urgent, texting would have been much more convenient since he was at work. 

But he had come early, and the lecture didn't start for another 30 minutes if you accounted for the academic quarter. 

“Hey.” Gastón raised his phone to his ear. 

“Dad?” The voice of his older daughter came from the other side of the line. Gastón knew at once why whatever she was about to tell him had not been conveyed by text. Aurora sounded like she was holding back tears. 

“Aurora? What’s going on?” He pulled his hands free from his bag and put it on—Mom and Dad had been right about how useful those things were—so he could hear properly. 

“It’s a really long story…” Aurora’s voice started breaking. 

“Honey, take a deep breath. Start from the beginning.” Gastón started getting really worried. Aurora did not get in trouble, none of their children did, even if she had a quick wit and never hesitated to let her feistiness show. 

“Okay. Laura dragged me onto the rink today and…” Gastón placed his hand on the desk for support as Aurora kept talking. “...I don’t know what’s happening to her, but they told me to call you.”

“Okay,” He nodded and looked around the classroom for a moment. At that moment, he also noticed that Emilio had walked back in and was now looking at him. Gastón made a hand gesture to show that he was on the phone. “Are you at Swiss? Is Laura so you can give her the phone?”

“No.” Aurora’s voice broke again, “She…she hit her head or something. I don’t know if she was like awake. I don’t know what’s going on. They’re not letting me in there. I’m all alone here.”

“Okay,” Gastón thought for a moment, “April is still on vacation, and I don’t think they would believe you if you mention the Alzamentis… It’ll take me about 20 minutes. Tell them I’m coming.”

“Okay,” Aurora sounded so resigned, “Uh, do I call Mom?”

“No,” Gastón shook his head, “I’ll do it. Just be there, and do what they tell you, okay. Can you do that?”

“Of course.”

“Okay. I’ll be there.” Gastón nodded before adding, “Firecracker, it’s gonna be okay.” He wasn’t sure if he believed that himself, but this wasn’t about him.

“Everything good Prof?” Emilio walked to the desk and placed the adapter on it. 

Gastón looked up at him from his phone. “The class is canceled.”

“What?” Emilio stared at him. 

“I need to go.” Gastón closed his laptop and started putting it in his bag, “I already put the exercise packed and the slides online. Last year’s lecture recording is also on there and we are ahead anyway. Send an email blast, so no one comes here for nothing.”

“Uh.” Emilio didn’t seem to keep up. 

“Can you do that?” Gastón stared at him. 

“Yeah, of course.” Emilio nodded, “But… Is everything okay? You never cancel, especially with almost no notice…”

“My daughter is in the hospital.” 

“You have a daughter?” Emilio stared at him. Gastón reminded himself that he was still pretty green at this, only having started this year after his former TA had graduated. Emilion was recommended to him by another professor and extremely efficient but still new. 

“Two, actually.” Gastón nodded, “It’s not a secret, but still private information. Not something relevant in class. Believe it or not, there was a time when I didn’t exist according to my parents. The tabloids in the early 2020s were extremely disappointed that the child of the city’s business power couple was in fact a well-adjusted college graduate with a fiancee. You can look that up if you want, but I need to get going. Handle the emails.” 

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Gastón sighed as he got onto the hallway from the lecture hall. He sincerely hoped that he wouldn’t run into anyone. He took his phone and pressed the call button, begging that Nina had her phone on her.

***

Nina stared at the wall after drawing on for what had probably been hours. What was the time even? The diagrams she had drawn up were a complete mess, now that she was looking at them…

She needed a break. It would probably make more sense after a little while. 

She walked toward the kitchen as her phone started ringing. She hadn’t even realized that she had left it on the living room table. When the inspiration hit, she really lost her ability to focus on anything else. 

It was Gastón. Nina could have sworn that he was usually giving a lecture at this time, but maybe she was wrong. 

“Hello?” She raised the phone to her ear. 

“Nina?” Gastón’s voice came from the other end and it sounded like he was walking in some sort of a hallway. “Are you home?”

“Yes.” Nina answered, “I thought you’d be teaching right now, or did I mix up the schedules? Are you coming home early? The girls are at Roller, and I don’t think Oscar is planning on staying in the whole day—”

“Yeah, I know the girls were at Roller.”

“How do you know that? Laura wanted to go there while it was closed and dragged Aurora with her so she could use those independent hours. She’s probably just reading a book at the bleachers—”

“Nina, listen to me.” Gastón cut Nina off, “Are you sitting down?”

“No,” She answered, confused.

“Please sit down.”

“Okay.” Nina sat on the couch, “What is going on?”

“The problem is that I don’t really know either,” Gastón sighed on the phone, “but listen to me carefully. I know that the girls were at Roller…”

“Were?”

“They aren’t there anymore because… Aurora called me saying that Laura had done some sort of a trick that made her land badly and she got really hurt. She had to call an ambulance.” 

“WHAT!!!?!?!?!” It was a good thing she didn’t drop the phone. “What, what happened to her?”

“I don’t really know. Aurora said that she might have hit her head…”

“You mean…a concussion?” Nina stared blankly ahead of her. 

“Maybe. Aurora didn’t know. They’re at Swiss Medical. I’m going there now, but I can swing back around to get you.” Gastón’s voice continued. 

“No no no no,” Nina protested, “You’re in the completely wrong direction. Go straight there. I’ll come from here.”

“Are you okay?” Gastón's concerned voice came from the other end. 

“Yeah, I am,” Nina nodded, “That’s not important right now. You need to go.”

“Already going. I’ll see you there. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Nina let her phone fall after the call was cut. Laura was in the hospital? How was that even possible?

She got to her feet, taking support from the back of the couch. She really tried to shut all the images out of her mind, but… 

This couldn’t be happening again…

***

“You gotta be kidding me.” Oscar walked out of his room while speaking on the phone, “Don’t worry we are going to ace it.”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like we took too much on our plate, just to impress Mr. Sirata.” The voice on the other end said. 

“There is nothing to be worried about.” Oscar countered, “And like you are super smart. We can do this—” 

He had stopped at the top of the stairs where you could see the whole living room from above. What his eyes fixated on was that Mom was just standing there, almost frozen. She didn’t look good. 

“Uh, Eliza, I have to go.” He said to the phone, “Talk to you later.” He cut the call abruptly and rushed down the stairs. “Mom!” 

“Wha… What?” Nina eyes snapped up at him.

“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Oscar rushed up to her. 

“Yeah, yes.” Nina blinked. “I…”

“What’s going on?” Oscar repeated.

“Laura.” Nina got out of her mouth. It was very clear that she wasn’t okay. “She’s…”

“She’s what?” Oscar asked. Hadn’t Laura dragged Aurora to Roller, which was an achievement, but maybe Aurora did possess some sort of empathy somewhere deep within. 

“In the hospital. She hurt herself on the rink.” 

“Seriously?” Oscar furrowed his brow, “Like how?”

“I don’t know.” Nina shook her head. Her gaze was not focusing, and her breathing had gotten heavier and more rapid. “I need to go there…”

“No,” Oscar quickly got out of his mouth. He maybe wasn't in medical school, yet…and Mom was having a kind of unusually strong reaction to this, but he wasn’t stupid. “You can’t drive right now.”

“I’m okay.” 

“No, you’re not.” Oscar shook his head. “I’ll drive you.” 

“You shoul—”

“Mom, I am being serious. LET ME DRIVE.” 

“Okay.” Nina finally nodded.

***

Gastón walked into the Swiss Medical hospital’s ER, and was scanning his surroundings. 

“Dad!!” A short figure wearing a blue blouse ran toward him and hugged him straight out.

“Aurora, hey.” He held her tight for a moment. “Are you okay?” He looked over her thoroughly after releasing her. His eyes fixated on her light washed-denim jacket’s sleeve that was stained with blood. 

“Yeah, I am.” Aurora nodded, scrunching her sleeve. “That's not mine.” 

“Do you know who I should talk to?” Gastón looked around the ER again. 

“Uh,” Aurora looked confused and resigned. “No… They just told me to stay here. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry Firecracker,” Gastón brushed some hair out of her face. “This isn’t your responsibility. I’m so proud of you. You did exactly what you are supposed to in this situation. I’ll handle this.” 

He walked to the nurse’s station in the center. “Hello?”

“Hello, how can I help you?” A nurse greeted him. “How can I help you sir?”

“Where is my daughter?” Gastón asked her. “Her name is Laura, Perida.”

“Perida?” The nurse looked through files on a computer, before looking up at him, “14-year-old girl, roller skating injury… You’re her father?”

“Yes.” Gastón nodded, “Where is she?”

“Follow me.” The nurse nodded and got out from behind the desk. Gastón gestured Aurora to follow him as they started following the nurse, unwilling to leave her out of his sight.  

“Dr. Corvo,” The nurse led them into a small room, which wasn’t a treatment room. “The father of your ped-trauma.”

“Gastón Perida.” Gastón shook the doctor's hand, even if he really wanted to move past the pleasantries. “You’re treating my daughter? Where is she?”

“Laura Jakinda Perida, yes.” The Doctor nodded, “She is right now in radiology.” 

“So, I can see her?”

“Not at the moment.” 

“You can at least tell what is happening?” Gastón tried not to sound too frustrated. Radiology took its time, he had experienced it himself. 

“Of course.” The doctor gestured to him to sit down. “She didn’t have any ID on her, so we only got her age and name from her sister. We aren’t allowed to ask intrusive questions of minors.” He handed Gastón a tablet, with a questionnaire.

“Okay,” Gastón nodded, while making a mental note about getting the girls ID cards, since they didn’t have driver’s licenses, and you couldn’t just carry your passport everywhere. “She was born 15.11.2032, DNI: 49283765. She was born here and was three weeks premature.”

“Okay, good.” The doctor nodded, “Is she on any medications?”

“Loratadine.” Gastón said, “For seasonal allergies.”

“So she has taken it today?”

“She should have, but I wasn’t there to see it.” Gastón nodded as he handed the doctor the tablet back after signing his name at the bottom.

“Good enough for us.” The doctor handed him another form on a tablet. “She has multiple open fractures, so we had to give her a blood transfusion. It was an emergency order, but I’d like retroactive consent for that.”

“Of course.” Gastón signed the form. “What is wrong with her?”

“We are still trying to determine the full scope of her injuries, waiting for the radiology report.” The doctor took the tablet back, “But as of now, it looks like she has a low garage concussion, and severe trauma to her left leg. Multiple open and closed fractures and soft tissue and ligament tears. What I can say is that she is stable and not in imminent danger as of now.” 

“Okay,” Gastón sighed in partial relief. 

***

“Hello? I am here for my daughter.” Nina said at once as she got to the ER. She had been able to gather herself enough during the drive, so she was able to somewhat function. 

“Mrs. Perida I presume?” The nurse at the station asked. 

“Yes.” Nina nodded. 

“Follow me.” 

“Well, that went swimmingly,” Oscar remarked from behind Nina, “I guess Dad’s got it covered… You said that he came here from campus.”

“Yes, he should be here,” Nina nodded. She was happy that Oscar was staying focused. Because they were at the ER, he usually loved to look at everything and anything and ask questions, since his aspirations were to become an ER doctor. 

The nurse led Nina into a hallway— 

“Gastón!” She ran straight into her husband's arms, as he had turned around as soon as they had entered the hallway. 

“Hey,” He closed his arms around her for a moment. 

“Where is Laura? What is happening with her?” Nina started asking. 

“They weren’t able to tell me much,” Gastón answered, “They were still in the middle of examinations.”

“You haven’t seen her?” 

“No, they haven’t let me,” Gastón shook his head, before looking at the nurse, “Which is getting ridiculous by the way. You can’t keep us in the dark, here, so can you please do something about this. Or do I need to get our lawyers involved?”

“We are doing our best. I’ll see if I can find a doctor for you.” The nurse nodded and walked away. 

“Do you actually think we need a lawyer?” Nina asked after the nurse had gone. “Is it that bad?”

“Not yet, but I thought maybe the threat could maybe get their attention,” Gastón ran his hand on her arm, “Maybe I was little harsh, but this… I don’t know, but they can’t keep us in the dark forever. If it keeps going on like this, we might actually need to at least call Ambar, even in an unofficial capacity.”

“Did they not tell you anything?” Nina asked him. 

“They did say that she was stable but had extensive injuries…” Gastón had moved his hand on Nina’s back and was moving his fingers in a circular motion. “Her leg, it seems to be quite messed up.” 

“It was completely bent.” Nina turned around at Aurora’s voice. She only now noticed her clinging to Gastón’s other arm now, and felt horrible. “I didn’t’ know what to do.” 

“No, no, no,” Nina rushed over to her, and pulled her in a hug. “You did everything right. You probably saved her life.” 

“Mr. and Mrs. Perida?” The nurse had returned, “Dr. Corvo wants to speak to you. If you would follow me.”

“Dad.” Gastón had just been about to follow the nurse when Oscar seized his arm. “Wait.”

“What is it?” 

“Uh, you need to know something.” Oscar ran his hand behind his neck, “About Mom, but I don’t know…”

“Tell me.” Gastón put his hand on his son’s shoulder. 

“Uh, okay, uhm, after you called her about Laura—” Oscar glanced in the direction where Nina had walked with Aurora, “—she… Okay, I know she gets anxious, but this wasn’t like that. I could have sworn she was about to pass out. I practically had to strong arm her to let me drive her.”

“Okay,” Gastón nodded, “Thanks for telling me. I know what you’re talking about—”

“You do? How?” Oscar looked at him, confused. “What am I even talking about? I don’t even know.”

“Trust me,” Gastón looked at him in the eyes, “I know. I’ve known her a little bit longer than you have. Don’t worry.”

***

“Your daughter has two compound fractures in the tibia, a complete fracture in the fibula, and multiple of her tarsals have displaced fractures. All of these need separate surgeries to be repaired. Unfortunately, we will have to wait before we proceed with those, because of excessive swelling. Also, we need to focus on the dislocated patella, which has caused the ligaments ACL, MLC and LCL to tear and the bursae to burst, which needs an immediate surgical intervention, if we want her to have any chance of walking again.”

“She might never walk again?” Nina asked, alarmed after the doctor had finished explaining. She grabbed Gastón’s arm for support. 

“We cannot know that for certain until all the damage has been repaired. With intensive physical therapy everything is possible, she’s young and does sports if I was correct, so her chances are quite high.” Dr. Corvo nodded. “The head CT didn’t allude to anything concerning with her second-grade concussion.”

“Can we see her now?” Gastón asked, while placing his hand on Nina’s shoulders. 

“No.”

“No?”

“I am sorry, I understand that this is distressing, but right now our first priority is to get her prepped for the OR.” The doctor handed them a tablet, “We’ll need the signed consent.” 

“You sign it,” Nina handed it to Gastón. “My hands are trembling so much; I won’t be able to write anything.”

“Here,” Gastón signed the form on the tablet and handed it back to the doctor. “Please take care of her.”

“Of course,” The doctor nodded, turning to the nurse in the room, “Get Laura Perida prepped for surgery and page the trauma team. I’ll be scrubbing in momentarily.” 

“Thank you,” Gastón nodded as the medical personnel left the room, before looking at Nina. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“She’s only 14,” Nina looked at him, distress evident in her eyes, “This is not happening. It’s happening again.” 

“Guys, can you give us a moment?” Gastón looked at Oscar and Aurora, who had been standing next to the door of the room. 

“But…” Aurora tried to protest.

“Just do it.” Gastón gave Oscar a meaningful look. He nodded, took his sister by the shoulders and ushered her outside.

***

“Get your hands off me!” Aurora recoiled out of Oscar's grasp as soon as they got to the hallway. 

“Okay,” He quickly answered back while glancing through the half open window on the door of the room they had just come through. “but… Something’s going on.”

“Well, geez, wonder how you came to that conclusion,” Aurora snarked back sarcastically, “I was there. You think I don’t know that?”

“No, I didn't mean Laura,” Oscar looked back at their parents again, “but I get that you’re freaked out.”

“I’m not freaked out.” 

“Really now?”

“Okay…I’m freaked out.” Aurora nodded, “But, what are you talking about.”

“There is something else going on with Mom,” Oscar explained, “She said to Dad that “It was happening again”.”

“What is?” Aurora looked confused. 

“I don’t know.” Oscar shook his head and moved closer to the door.

“Nina, talk to me.” They heard their father say through the door. “Oscar told me about what happened after I called.”

“I… It’s just—It’s all coming back.” Nina said with a wavering voice. 

“I thought that might be the case.” Gastón said with a reassuring tone. “This is kind of similar.”

“It is similar. I just can’t get the image off my mind. Like I’m back there, in 2027. Watching you…” Nina’s voice broke completely, “I thought you were going to die. I thought you were going to die.” 

“What?” Oscar and Aurora looked at each other confused. 

“When has Dad almost died?” Aurora repeated.  

“In 2027 I guess,” Oscar responded, “But I don’t get it… He didn’t die—”

“Obviously—” Aurora rolled her eyes. 

“I know,” Gastón continued, from the window it looked like he had pulled Nina into a hug, “but I didn’t die. I’m right here.”

“I know,” She mumbled, “I thought I had worked through it; this is just…triggering.” 

“I know, but it’s not happening again. Laura’s head trauma was very limited, she had not been unconscious for an extensive amount of time. She is alive. I’m alive. Our little girl is going to be okay.”

“How do you know that?” Nina seemed to respond, but there was a slight laugh in her voice.

“I don’t. I can’t know that. This is really scary.” Gastón continued, his voice breaking a little bit as well, “No one probably is equipped to deal with something like this. But we can only hope and believe. Have faith in a greater force.”

“You’re the one of us who actually got a religious upbringing.” Nina responded, breathing in a deep breath. “Okay…”

***

“Watch it Dad!” Matteo had walked up from the cellar of the house, which Luna affectionately called the Cave of Wonders, where he wrote most of his music, and almost crashed into his daughter. Stella had been dashing from her room with her skates on her shoulder. 

“Okay, you almost ran into me here,” Matteo protested, “so I am not the one who needs to watch out.”

“Oh, okay.” Stella shrugged. “You just never know when you emerge from down there. What were you working on?”

“Just a song,” Matteo responded. 

“Is it a love song?” Stella jumped briefly. 

“Aren’t you a curious creature?” Matteo laughed, “I can’t reveal it yet.”

“Okay,” Stella shrugged again, “I’m gonna go on my skate run.” And she bounced toward the door, leaving her phone on the living room coffee table. 

“Wasn’t it cute?” Luna, who had been lounging on the sofa, looked at him. 

“What was?” Matteo asked her, “That she almost ran into me? We all know who she has come to with that.” 

“No, when she asked you, is it a love song or not?” Luna shook her head, “I keep telling you. She’s in love.” 

“What are we doing for dinner?” Matteo avoided the subject and went to sit in the armchair next to the couch. 

“I don’t know. Leftovers?” Luna started staring at him, “Don’t change the subject. What do you have against Stella having a crush?”

“Nothing…” Matteo said defensively, “Just, I think you are grasping at straws here. She’s 15. They change their crush every single day. Who would it even be?”

“I don’t know. Someone from school? Uuuu, or maybe someone from the Roller team. Wouldn’t that be amazing, that she finds love there as well… Although, she has been acting like this before the team started—” Luna looked at Matteo again who was now lost in his phone, “—Matteo! Where did you go?”

“Nowhere,” Matteo's face snapped back up, “Just checking something.”

“What?”

“Nothing, just…Gastón hasn’t responded about that thing I asked him about three hours ago. That’s not usually like him, but he might be busy.” Suddenly his phone dinged. It was a message from Gastón. 

“Chico Fresa, what is it?” Luna raised her head in concern when Matteo covered his mouth with his hand.

***

“Hey.” Oscar and Aurora had been sitting in the hospital’s hallway when their parents walked up to them. 

“What’s going on?” Oscar asked. Few moments ago, a doctor had come and talked to them, this time Gastón and Nina not letting Oscar and Aurora into the room. 

“Nothing bad,” Gastón started. “They just, uh, well, there was just more damage than they initially thought, so they needed to change a few procedures in the surgery. They needed consent for that.”

“Okay,” Oscar nodded, “What’s gonna happen now?”

“We need to—” Aurora tried to interject.

“Look, we talked,” Nina and Gastón looked at each other, “and agreed that you two should go.” 

“Go where?”

“Here’s what you are gonna do.” Gastón continued, “Oscar you take the car and take yourself and Aurora home. There grab the things that you’ll need for a few days, and Kelvin obviously, and go to Luna and Matteo’s.” 

“When are you coming home?” Aurora asked. 

“We don’t know.” Nina shook her head. “We’re gonna wait here until Laura gets off of surgery, and they said it could take a long time. It’s not good for you to stay here, you still have school tomorrow, but we also don’t want you two to be home alone.”

“But…”

“No buts.” Gastón shook his head. “We promise that we’ll let you know if anything changes.” 

“You technically can’t tell me what to do anymore.” Oscar looked at them. 

“We know that,” Nina placed his hand on his arm, “And we aren’t trying to undermine your autonomy. We are asking you to understand us.”

“You can’t stay here, you have school and it’s getting late,” Gastón continued, “And Aurora shouldn’t be alone. This is for the best for you too, trust us on this. You’ve been 18 barely three months.” 

“Okay.” Oscar relented. 

“Aurora, come here for sec,” Gastón placed his hand on Aurora’s shoulder and he and Nina led her little bit further on the hallway. 

“What?” Aurora stared at them. 

“We just want you to know that, if you need to talk about what happened,” Nina started, “you can talk to Luna and Matteo. They know everything that’s happened. And you can always call us.”

“After we get Laura’s affairs sorted, we can see that you can talk to a professional,” Gastón added, “If you want.” 

“Okay.” Aurora nodded, “I’ll think about it.”

“We are really proud of you.” Gastón and Nina pulled her into a hug.

*

“Come on girl,” Oscar tapped the backseat of his car and Kelvin hopped onto it. Oscar ran his hand over her silky head, before burying his fingers in her fur for a moment, “Good girl. Aurora! Come on!”

“Coming.” Aurora emerged through the garage door and flung her bag into the trunk of the car. 

“Okay, let's go.” Oscar got into the driver’s seat and backed the car out of the carage. 

They didn’t speak at all during the 15-minute drive to the Balsanos. The close proximity had been intentional, it had been their grandmother who had found the house for Luna and Matteo, when they had been seeking to move to a proper house after Stella’s birth.

Oscar drove through the house's gate and parked the car next to Matteo's SUV. Luna didn’t drive, so they had made do with just one car, which was a bit of a contrast to home where they had three cars, plus Dad still kept his old car at Grandma and Grandpa’s. 

“Hey!” As soon as they had walked in, Oscar and Aurra were tackled into a hug by Luna. Even if she was a small woman in her forties, no one gave a bone crushing hug like Luna Valente-Balsano. “Are you guys okay?”

“What do you think?” Oscar laughed slightly and dryly as his godmother released him. 

“Of course you’re not.” Luna shook her head, while also patting Kelvin on the head, “This is horrible, but everything’s going to be okay.”

“And what she says, always goes,” Matteo laughed, as he also hugged the children. “We were going to eat leftovers, but now we’re just gonna order in.”

“Stella’s still on her run, but should be back soon,” Luna wrapped her arm around Aurora’s shoulder as they started walking toward.

“Yeah, actually…” Matteo had picked Stella’s phone up from the coffee table. “We really need to tell her to keep her phone with her, in light of the recent events.” 

“Yep,” Luna nodded. “You’re right…”

“Kelvin?” 12-year-old Milo walked out of his room on his phone, only looking up as Kelvin had padded up to him in search of a greeting and some scratches. “Cool! I didn’t know you were coming.” He put his phone away and ran to Oscar and started pulling his arm. “I got a new game on my SpectraX Elite. I need to show that to you.”

“Milo, leave him alone.” Matteo detached his arm from Oscar. “Come here for a sec.” 

He pulled his son on the side for a moment and spoke to him seriously. 

“Oh,” Milo seemed to understand. “I’m sorry.”

“No worries.” Oscars shook his head. 

“Can I take her out?” Milo asked, as Kelvin had parked back on his feet, waiting for belly rubs.

“Sure,” Oscar nodded, “She needs a walk.” 

“Don’t go far!” Luna yelled as Milo left out of the door. 

“Okay, that’s the food handled,” After a while, Matteo walked back to the living room, with Luna. “So, do you want to—”

“When has Dad almost died?” Aurora looked at them straight into the eyes. 

“What?” Luna and Matteo stared at her. 

“Mom went into a full crisis after finding out about Laura,” Oscar explained, “And then we heard her talk to Dad, and she kept going on about how she thought he was going to die and something happening in 2027.”

“That’s…” Luna and Matteo glanced at each other. 

“You two know what we’re talking about right?” Aurora continued, “There is no way you don’t.”

“You’re better at explaining this than me.” Luna said to Matteo. 

“Yeah,” Matteo nodded, and a grave expression fell to his face as he sat on the couch, “The direct answer is: Yes. We were there. How much do you know about the trip we took to Finland?”

“Uh, Laura found some pics before Christmas,” Aurora noted, “It was after Flor and Oliver’s wedding, right?”

“In 2027.” Oscar filled in the blanks, “Then you went to Finland, because Dad had a lecture at some Uni…and then you went skiing and met Santa Claus.”

“Yep.” Matteo nodded, “but they probably didn’t tell you how the trip ended.”

“No.”

“Yeah,” Matteo nodded again, “I thought not, since you don’t know. The thing is that…” Matteo seemed to kind of have a hard time recounting something. “We spent most of the time in Lapland skiing.”

“Mom doesn’t ski.” Aurora piped up. 

“No, Nina didn’t with us,” Luna shook her head. 

“So, what happened?” Oscar kept asking. 

“Okay, so we skied, and there was maybe a week left before we were set to leave, when the three of us. So, we and Gastón…” Matteo gestured to himself and Luna, before taking a deep breath. It seemed like Matteo didn’t really want to talk about this, “...we decided to take on a black slope. We really shouldn’t have done that…”

“Something happened there, right?” Oscar asked, “That’s why Mom once flipped out at me when I mentioned skiing.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Matteo nodded. He was still avoiding eye contact with either Oscar or Aurora. “There was probably ice on the slope, so he—he derailed on the path and fell into the trench. There were trees there, he got hit quite badly…” 

Matteo took a small break, breathing heavily. “He was unconscious for hours and they were saying that he most likely had a brain bleed.” 

“Brain bleed?” Oscar stared at Matteo. 

“He didn’t have a brain bleed,” Matteo added, “thank God. In the end he got away from it quite lucky. High grade concussion.”

“Why haven’t they ever told us this?” Aurora questioned. 

“Gastón doesn’t remember it,” Luna piped up, “I'm the only one who saw it.”

“I was facing away at the time.” Matteo added. “You have to understand, it was extremely hard for your mother. They were telling Nina that he might need brain surgery, or that he might have amnesia. It was probably a bigger possibility that he could have died than they ever even told us. It really put her through it…” Matteo took another break, “...which I understand. It was extremely hard for me too. You know how important your father and your grandparents have been for me.”

“So that’s why Mom always freaks out when Dad has a headache?” 

“I’m home!!!” Stella hopped into the living room, flinging her skates around. She clearly hadn’t looked around. “I’m starving, do we have food?”

“Stella.” Matteo raised his voice slightly to get Stella’s attention. 

“Oh,” Stella stopped and finally realized who was in the living room. “What’s going on?”

***

“I can’t believe this,” Stella shook her head as she turned the blender on in the kitchen. “I mean, I won’t say no to a sleepover…”

“Girls, it’s getting late.” Luna walked up to them. “It’s 10:30, already.”

“Yeah, we’ll just grab these.” Stella poured the smoothies into glasses and she and Aurora started carrying them to her room. 

“Stella,” Matteo stopped them, when he came from downstairs of the house with Oscar. “Oscar’s gonna drive you to school tomorrow.” 

“We’re gonna leave at like 7:30 or something,” Oscar added after Matteo had left them. He looked at Aurora, “Mom and Dad texted me, saying that the surgery should be done soon. There haven't been any more complications.”

“Okay. That’s good.” Aurora nodded. She started walking toward the hallways…before realized that Stella had not followed her. 

“I’m so sorry that this is happening.” Aurora held back a frustrated grunt, when she saw that Stella had stayed back to talk to Oscar. Even this sort of situation?

“It’s probably really hard for you…I mean all of you. Good thing we are here for you, and everything will be okay.” Stella was giving her best puppy eyes. Thankfully Oscar had proven himself to be the most oblivious person in the world. Which probably worked to his favor as Stella decided to hug him. 

“Uh, thanks.” Oscar looked kind of uncomfortable and confused as Aurora quickly came to his rescue and pulled Stella away, “Good night.”

“Good night!” Aurora started pulling Stella toward her bedroom. “Look, I am way too tired to start saying anything about that now, but can you not?”

“Okay, I’m sorry.” Stella shook her head as they sat on her bed with their drinks. She looked at Aurora with a concerned expression, “Laura seriously tried to do Abigail’s trick? She specifically has told us not to try it.”

“We’ll Alex had told her that he didn’t believe she could do it,” Aurora sighed, “He’s so lucky he’s going to Spain. If I’ll get my hands on him…”

***

“Mr. and Mrs. Perida.” Nina and Gastón got up from the waiting room chairs as Dr. Corvo walked in—wearing scrubs—with another doctor. 

“Yes?”

“We have successfully completed the surgery,” Dr. Corvo started speaking. 

“Thank god.” Nina gripped Gastón’s arm. 

“Is she awake?” Gastón asked. 

“Should be waking up as we speak,” the other doctor started speaking and offered her hand to them, “Anesthesiologist Dr. Anna Seth.”

“She’s going to be transferred into the PICU, for close monitoring. So, if you follow me.” Gastón and Nina started following him down a hallway. “We are hoping to proceed with the next surgery as soon as possible, but first we need to see how she fares overnight. She is still suffering from a concussion as well.”

Gastón placed his hand on Nina’s back as they entered the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

“Clara, there are the parents of Laura Perida,” Dr. Corvo said to the nurse on the station. 

“Of course.” Clara nodded, “Room 6. Follow me.” 

“Laura!” Nina, who had been able to somewhat steady her emotional state during the waiting, but now she almost got paralyzed again—seeing her daughter in a hospital bed…

Genetics worked in curious ways. Oscar looked like Gastón, while Aurora was almost a carbon copy of Nina. Laura had always been more of a mix, with everyone having their own preference over which one of her parents she looked like. For Nina it always depended on the situation, and right now, Laura resembled Gastón so much. 

“Mom? Dad?” Laura opened her eyes slightly as Gastón and Nina rushed to her bedside. 

“We’re right here sweetie.” She looked so small and fragile, but at least she was talking. 

“Vitals were all good?” Dr. Corvo asked one of the residents in the room.

“Yes.” 

“Sander, make sure everyone keeps eye out of infections.” Another doctor suddenly walked into the room. “Open fractures are extremely vulnerable.”

“Dr. Alzamenti?” Dr. Corvo looked confused.

“Serena?” Gastón and Nina turned to look at the older woman. 

“Came to see the condition of this case personally.” The older woman, Dr. Serena Alzamendi, the head of the trauma department of Swiss Medical continued, “You probably weren’t yet aware, but these are Gastón and Nina Perida, the godparents of my youngest granddaughter, close friends of my daughter.”

“How did you know?” Gastón asked, “We haven’t told Delfi.”

“I think I can be trusted to know what happens in my own hospital.” Serena responded. “I’ll review everything about this personally tomorrow. Don’t worry.”

***

“There you are!” Oscar was pulling his backpack strap better on his shoulder as his best friend, Ethan Miller, almost crashed into him−that fast he had been approaching. 

“Yes?” Oscar looked at him, kind of confused. Ethan looked pretty concerned, which didn’t make sense since he didn’t know what had transpired. 

“You hung up on Eliza,” Ethan grabbed him by the shoulder, “What were you thinking? That is not the way to get the girl, my man.” 

Ethan was American and had moved to Buenos Aires when they were in sixth grade. He was fluent in Spanish but often spoke English when he really wanted to make a point. 

“Look, it’s not—” Oscar started saying.

“Is something wrong?” Ethan’s tone turned concerned at once. “I mean it was kind of odd that Eliza started asking me where you were. You didn’t answer me either. That's really not like you. Where were you yesterday?”

“How dare you hang up on me like that?” Oscar got interrupted when locks of absolutely gorgeous deep red hair filled his vision, as Eliza Topacio—his lab partner who had transferred to Blake in March of last year—rushed toward him. “I couldn’t reach you the whole evening. Where did you vanish to? I got worried.”

“Is everything seriously okay?”

“Guys, how can I even answer if you don’t let me get a word in!” Oscar let out frustration, looking at his friends, “No, everything is not okay.” 

Ethan and Eliza quieted. “What happened?”

“My sister happened.”

“What did Aurora do to get you in such a state?” Ethan asked. 

“It’s not Aurora.” Oscar shook his head. “Laura. She’s been going through a breakup with her boyfriend because he’s moving, so she lost all common sense and got her leg completely fractured and she might never be able to walk again. Not to mention that in the midst of this came a revelation that Dad almost got himself killed 20 years ago on a skiing slope, which they never told us about. So… It has been fun.”

“Oh my god!” Eliza’s face had turned horrified, and she jumped to hug Oscar. “I’m so sorry.” 

Behind them, Oscar saw Ethan smirking and made a few facial gestures toward him. 

“So… I forgot my pencil case.” Ethan quickly said, “See ya in class.”

Oscar almost rolled his eyes at Ethan’s very obvious hurried exit, before hugging Eliza back. Even if the situation was—It wasn’t great since he was worried about his sister—what it was, he couldn’t help but savor the fact that he got to hold Eliza close, even if he wasn’t brave enough to actually entertain any hopes about what it could mean. 

Although he also had to keep himself from getting too lost in the moment, so he didn't sink his fingers into her hair, no matter how much he wanted to do that. That and so much more, when it came to Eliza, and it was becoming increasingly harder every day.

“Is there anything I can do?” Eliza asked after Oscar pulled away from the hug—yep, it had been him to pull away first. He would think about what that meant later. 

“I don’t think so,” she shook his head, to avoid looking too deeply into her hazel eyes. Argh, what was with him? Had all the emotions of Laura’s and his family’s situation made him so much more vulnerable or something? He could usually control himself better than this. “There’s barely anything I can do. Mom and Dad sent Aurora and I to my godparents.”

“It must be hard,” Eliza nodded, “What exactly is wrong with Laura?”

“Multiple open fractures in the tibia and fibula, most of her knee ligament got torn. That kind of stuff.” Oscar explained. Something that he and Eliza had bonded over since the beginning had been their shared aspirations. She wanted to be a pediatrician. She would be amazing at that. 

“I’m sorry to say this…but sounds kind of fascinating,” Eliza said while they started walking onward to their class. “If it wasn’t like your sister. That is obviously horrible.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Oscar adjusted the buttons on his vest, mostly so as not to get his eyes fixated on how she brushed some hair behind her ear. “I hate to admit that it is really interesting. I don’t know if Mom and Dad would let me read the patient reports, but I don’t know. I’ll need to ask about that later. Not now obviously when it’s still going on.” 

He quickly glanced at his phone. “I texted them today, but they haven't responded yet.”

“They’re really lucky that you care so much,” Eliza smiled at him, “It’s really sweet.”

***

“Aurora!!” Aurora and Stella had just walked out of their classroom from their first period when she saw Ivory run toward her. As soon as she reached them, she started spewing something out of her mouth that could not be comprehended. 

“Can you maybe slow down?” Aurora asked her, even though she probably knew what Ivory was trying to say. Surely other people from Mom and Dad’s circles had been told about what had happened to Laura—certainly Simon and Ambar. Obviously Ivory would be worried about her. 

“I can’t believe this!! Arg, Alex’s so lucky he doesn’t go to Blake. Laura would never do that… I wanna kill him!” Yep, she knew. Ivory turned her crystal-clear blue eyes back to Aurora, “How is she?”

“Came through the first surgery fine.” Aurora started speaking, “But there are still a lot of things left.” 

“Mom and Dad didn’t let me go see her yesterday!” Ivory crossed her arm.

“What time did you find out?” Stella asked curiously. 

“10 pm.” Ivory shrugged, “Like that’s supposed to matter.” 

“Aha,” Aurora nodded. 

“Hey, Aurora,” Oscar walked up to them in the hallway, which usually was quite an unusual sight. Seniors didn’t usually talk to sophomores or freshmen.

“What is it?” Aurora turned to him a bit confused and concerned. 

“I just asked Mom and Dad for an update,” Oscar explained, “They don’t know yet when Laura will be taken into the second surgery, but she’s doing fine. We could probably go there after we're done here. So prepare to change quickly.” 

“Oh, okay.” Aurora nodded. 

“She’s really fine?” Ivory turned her attention to Oscar.

“Well, not fine,” Oscar shook his head, “but it could be worse I guess.”

“Is it true?” Lucas Arias—Delfi and Pedro’s son who was a junior—walked up to them, “I heard Mom and Dad talk about it this morning.” 

“Yeah, it is,” Oscar nodded, “Laura’s in the hospital.”

“That’s awful.”

“What is this?” Everyone rolled their eyes internally as Mrs. Kalais walked into the hallway. She was their social studies and philosophy teacher—which was quite a subject compo—who no one liked. She was always 100 % sure that every student was out to get her, even the starlet straight acers like Oscar and Aurora. “Why are you gathered into this hallway?”

“We’re talking,” Lucas retorted. 

“Really?” Mrs. Kalais stared at them suspiciously, which wasn’t that different from her normal expression. “You really think I’d believe that a senior, a junior, two sophomores and a freshman are just talking. What are you planning?”

“Nothing.” 

“What is going on here?” Suddenly they heard the voice of Jennifer Gyléne, the dean of Blake South College. She was the one everybody liked, and hoped she was going to succeed Mr. Ramirez as the headmaster.

“I was just about to break up this devious gathering,” Mrs. Kalais said to Ms. Gyléne. 

“Devious?” She looked almost amused, “How to make that out Agenes?”

“This is a very colorful crowd to just gather her for social purposes.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Ms. Gyléne looked over the kids. “You can probably see that this group is composed of an Arias, a Balsano, an Alvarez and two Peridas. All children of our alumni.” 

“I don’t see how that has to do with anything.” Mrs. Kalais protested. 

“Then let me explain,” Ms. Gyléne gestured to her to follow her.

“Why is she so awful?” Ivory huffed. 

“It doesn’t get any better the longer you are here,” Oscar shook his head. “I heard she once screamed at her finals prep class for an hour, because there was a sheet of paper on the floor.”

“I am not looking forward to that—” Lucas shook his head, before his face turned into few shades of anguish as they heard a high-pitched voice.

“LUKIE!” a girl with excruciatingly bright blonde dyed hair, Mirella, Lucas’ girlfriend—speaking off of people no one liked—ran to them and grabbed his arm. “Here you are! How many times do I need to tell you not to vanish!” 

“I didn’t vanish,” Lucas protested. “I had things.”

“More important than me?” Mirella gave everyone a look with narrowed eyes and tight lips.

“Of course not, but…” Lucas tried to diffuse the situation. 

“Let’s go.” Mirella started pulling his arm. 

“I still need to—” Lucas protested. 

“No you don’t.”

“I’ll text you if anything happens.” Oscar assured him. 

“Lukie?” Aurora made a face. “He needs to break up with her.”

“He has been trying for the whole summer.” Oscar shook his head. “Believe me, we have had lengthy chats about that, but he always chickens out.” 

“Oscar and Aurora?” Ms. Gyléne suddenly walked back into the hallway. “Can I talk with the two of you?”

“Yeah, sure.” Oscar and Aurora looked at each other and then back at Ms. Gyléne. 

“If you come to my office for a moment.” She gestured to them to follow her. 

“I’ll see you at class,” Aurora said quickly to Stella, before following Mr. Gyléne and her brother. 

“Is something wrong?” Oscar asked as they stepped into the dean’s office, “because, truth be told, we don’t need any more problems right now.” 

“I know,” Ms. Gyléne gestured to them to sit down. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. Your father called the office this morning. We know about the situation with Laura.” 

“Okay.” Aurora nodded.

“What I wanted to say is that we are aware, and she has the whole school’s sympathies,” Ms. Gyléne continued, “We hope she’ll recover as soon as possible, and we are committed to supporting her once she is ready to come back. Also, I want you two to know that we understand that this must be hard for the whole family, hard for you. The whole faculty is aware of this, and I want to assure you that you two have the understanding and grace of everyone.”

“Thanks,” Oscar just nodded too.

“Gastón and Nina are extremely valued alumni of the school. Your family’s legacy and importance cannot be measured, and we don’t take it lightly to have their support.”

“Well, that was unexpected.” Oscar remarked as they left the office.

“Yeah,” Aurora laughed sarcastically, “Wonder if they actually would even bother if our last name was Gonzáles or something.” 

“I don’t know,” Oscar looked at her, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Aurora didn’t meet his eyes. 

“Come on. You don’t need to be tough all the time.” 

“Okay, I’m scared, and I hate the fact that Mom and Dad just sent us away like tiny children.” Aurora huffed. “Not to mention the fact that Mom and Dad have kept some pretty important information stuff from us for 20 years, that basically almost made or broke our existence.”

Oscar didn’t say anything but pulled her into a hug and Aurora didn’t fight it. 

“I’ll see you in the car after school?” He said after releasing her. 

“Yeah.” Aurora nodded, “We will never speak of this to anybody.”

“Definitely.”

{}

Sooo, that was fun wasn't it? Gastina gets to relive some trauma (full experience being my 2023—2024 holiday fic). These are not great circumstances in the slightest, but I do love it gives me a chance to highlight everyone else, especially Aurora and Oscar, because I believe in a very strong Perida sibling dynamic. If you mess with one, you mess with all of them. I finally also got to write Oscar, who has been the most sidelined of the siblings this far even though I absolutelyl love him. Obviously as the oldest and tecnical adult he is given more responsibility when his parenst are busy with his younger sisters condition. We also got a glimple of his own things related to his own story, if you could tell what it was. The poor boy is totally oblivious on what to do when he finds himself being head over heels for this amazing girl—just like his father and grandfather before him. That what you get being the first born Perida son (Gastón's case the only one but it still counts). I don't know if people who read multitude of my fics have noticed, but I ahve taken this angle when it comes to portaying Blake. That place kind of sucks. The school has incrediple reputation, high demands on the level of it's education and gets it's sudent far, yes, but it also has elitist tendencies and tends to pander to their legacy over their important alumnies and influental families. You cannot tell me that this wasn't also the case in canon. Also, everyone say hi to Lucas Arias, the second oldest child out of four. It just makes sense for Delfi's son to have a terriple girfriend, and Milo Balsano, Luna and Matteo's second child.

[strongestseed]

Arnolds 77 Lessons

1. Everything starts with vision. You have to see it before you can achieve it. You will never regret the time you spend to develop a very clear vision. When I say clear, I mean so clear that it plays in your mind like a movie. Before I stepped on a bodybuilding stage, I saw myself standing on the podium holding the trophy. It was like a memory — one that just hadn’t happened yet.

2. Put down your phone. Let your mind wander. I had all the time in the world. We didn’t have a television. We didn’t even have a telephone. My only escape from boredom was disappearing into my own thoughts and dreams. I was lucky. You aren’t. You have a machine in your pocket that can tell you everything about the world. Put it down. Don’t let it tell you who you want to be. Let your mind do that.

3. If you don’t see your vision right away, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. It’s normal. You need to explore, try new things, read, meet new mentors, learn. You need to…

4. Be curious. Read books. Read magazines. Watch documentaries. Find a subject that gets you going and dive in as deep as you can. If your vision isn’t clear, curiosity is your best bet. Even when it becomes clear, never stop learning.

5. Decide who — not what — you want to be. Make your vision a part of your identity. Don’t say, “I want to be fit.” Say, “I want to be the type of person who can keep up with my kids and grandkids,” or “I want to be the person who everyone looks at on the beach.”

6. Don’t worry about your motivation sounding silly. When I talk to people in the gym, I hear all kinds of motivations. Some people get motivated to prove their naysayers wrong. Some people get motivated to look good for potential partners. Nothing that keeps you moving forward is too silly.

7. Make sure you know the why behind your next move. I hear from people all the time, “I’m finishing college, and I don’t know what I want to do yet, so I’m going to law school or graduate school.” There are fantastic reasons to go into debt for law school or grad school, but you better know who you want to be. If you want to be the next great constitutional lawyer protecting democracy in front of the Supreme Court, or if you want to fight for justice for underserved people, I could go on and on. If you know why you want to continue your education, your tuition becomes an investment. But if you don’t have the “why” yet, suddenly, that debt isn’t an investment but a burden. Instead of doing something that fulfills you, you’ll spend your life doing whatever it takes just to pay those bills.

8. I hear from a lot of people in their 40s and 50s who have a great family and have found success in their profession, but they still feel that they are missing something. They always ask me if it’s time to look for a new vision. I tell them before they leave behind their job, spend some time giving back. Volunteer to coach kid’s sports. Tutor at an after-school program. Feed people at a homeless shelter. Find some way to give back. I think that 40 to 50-year-old itch isn’t always a sign that you need to change your life completely. Often, I think it’s your mind realizing that you’ve become successful, and you have a responsibility to help others because…

9. None of us make it alone. I am not a self-made man, even though I came to America without any money. Claiming I made it on my own would mean disrespecting my parents, the mentors and early coaches, the training partners and friends like Franco, and every single person who reached out and gave me a hand when I needed it. No matter who you are, someone helped you or laid the groundwork for you along the way. Once you accept that, you can see the tremendous responsibility that comes with it. You have a duty to help the next generation.

10. Your vision will grow and change throughout your life. I love the story of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to climb Mount Everest. The press asked him about the view at the top, and he told them that he saw another peak he’d never seen before and started planning how he’d climb that mountain. When you find success, more doors will open. You can find yourself passionate about something you would have never imagined 20 years earlier. Because the truth is…

11. The joy is not in the victory or in standing at the top of the mountain. The joy is the work that gets you there. If you think that the success you envision is the key to happiness, you’re going to be very disappointed when you achieve it. Once you learn to love the work, you’ll never have to worry about being happy or fulfilled because there is always work to be done.

12. Reps, reps, reps. You might think you only do reps in the gym, but repetitions are the key to life. Whether you want to improve at speaking in public or reading books or just eating better, you will need to do reps. Whatever you work at, it becomes easier and less uncomfortable with every rep you do.

13. Discomfort isn’t a sign to stop, it’s a sign to keep going. Being uncomfortable means you are growing. In the gym, your muscles and strength don’t grow from the first 10 easy, fast reps. They grow from the last 2-3 hard and slow reps. It’s the same with everything in life. Learning something new isn’t supposed to be easy. Doing something you’ve never done before will always be hard.

14. If you can make discomfort your friend, you will find that most limits you’ve placed on yourself or others have placed on you are totally fake.

15. Start small. Do one rep of something that takes you out of your comfort zone every day. The more reps you do, the easier it will become to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

16. There is nothing more comfortable than sitting on the couch watching some great TV. But nobody ever changed their life or changed the world from their couch.

17. Train your mind and your body. The Romans had a saying: Mens sana in corpore sano. A healthy mind in a healthy body. One of my earliest mentors, the first person to really encourage my weightlifting dreams, was a local politician named Fredi Gerstl. Fredi supported our weightlifting club and helped us get the equipment that we needed. All he asked for in return was that we train our minds as much as we trained our bodies. He gave us the classic Greek and Roman texts and talked through them with us. Since he encouraged our physical training, we were more than willing to train our minds with him. There is also a lesson in that…

20. If you don’t love failure, how can you love success? It’s the failures and the struggles that give our success meaning. Why would you care about winning if you didn’t know what it felt like to lose?

21. Many people overestimate the risk of failure and let their fear hold them back. In most cases, if you really assess the risk, you’ll see that your fear is overblown. If you fail to get the promotion you want, you won’t be homeless. You’ll just be right where you are right now. If the furthest you can fall is your current status quo, what are you afraid of?

22. Your mind will also exaggerate the embarrassment of failure. It’s important to be honest with yourself about this. First, very few people will know you failed. Second, anyone who knows you failed and takes joy in it — schadenfreude — wasn’t going to cheer for your success anyway, so why do you care what they think?

23. There will always be people who doubt you, who root against you. Let them. You have your vision, and you know the work it will take to bring the vision from your mind into the real world. So ignore the naysayers.

24. Or, if it helps you, use them as fuel. Do the work to prove them wrong.

25. You will find out throughout your life that your own mind can be your greatest enemy. It can be your biggest naysayer. Learning to

30. Don’t bottle anything up. When you feel grief, let it out. When you feel love, let it out. Anything you hold in and bottle up will eventually find a way out, and the longer you wait, the bigger the pressure becomes. Don’t let it become an explosion.

31. Tell people what they mean to you now. I’ve always hated that everybody stands up at a funeral and gives a beautiful eulogy but they didn’t share those thoughts when the person could hear them! I started a new tradition. You might not know this, but every newspaper pre-writes the obituaries for well-known people. Some newspapers have even asked to interview me for my own obituary! It sounds morbid, but it gave me an idea. When one of my dear friends was facing terminal cancer, I knew that I would write a eulogy. Instead of waiting, I did it early. I was able to share it with her before she left us. It was so meaningful that I’ve done the same thing for friends and mentors who are getting older. Trust me — tell them what they mean to you now, and you won’t regret it. Don’t save your thoughts until it’s too late for them to hear them.

32. One thing you learn as you get older is that none of us will get to live forever. It sucks. The older you get, the more death you see. Parents, siblings, friends, mentors. It can seem cruel that the reward for living a long life is outliving so many people that made your life what it is. But I’ve always found comfort in realizing that none of the people who die are gone. They’re with us every day. I once heard a pastor at a church say that they’re like ships sailing out of the harbor. Yes, at some point, as they get past the horizon, we can’t see them anymore. But that doesn’t mean they’re gone. I don’t think we ever lose the people who pass away. They stay with us every day, in our memories, but also in the way they shaped our lives. call it Mickey Mouse. But, I was always willing to try it out. I remember Vince Gironda, who owned one of the biggest bodybuilding gyms in LA, showed me this side-lying deltoid exercise with a light dumbbell. Of course, I called it Mickey Mouse, but then I did a bunch of sets to test it for myself. The next day, I couldn’t move my arms. They were so sore that the Mickey Mouse exercise became a staple for me. It is very easy to look at someone who thinks differently or does things differently than you and just decide they’re wrong. That’s the comfortable path. Why not just try their way? What’s the worst that can happen? If you act like you’re a scientist doing an experiment instead of like a televangelist who knows it all, then you’ll confirm some of your beliefs, but you’ll also challenge others and learn new ones.

35. Surround yourself with people who think differently than you. In the age of social media, it’s easier than ever to build your own chamber and protect yourself from ideas you don’t agree with. Don’t do it. When I became Governor, I appointed almost as many Democrats as Republicans to be part of my administration. Some of the Republicans I appointed were much more conservative than I was. I appointed more women than any Governor before me and more minorities. I didn’t do that so people would praise me. I did that because I know how a white Republican man thinks. I don’t need people to tell me that. I need people around me to fill in my blind spots because the job isn’t to be the Governor of all the white Republican men in California. The job was to be the Governor for 40 million Californians who all think differently and come from different backgrounds. Having people who thought differently than me around the table helped create lively debates, and those debates resulted in out-of-the-box ideas to serve the people. If you’re only talking to people who agree with you, you’re missing out on at least 50% of the brainpower available.

36. Don’t fall for the “Yes Man” trap. The more successful you become, the more people will want to massage your ego. Your true friends and mentors and advisors will be willing to push back. Encourage it. Every big decision can benefit from debate. In fact…

37. Do a “murder board” before your big decisions. I do this for any big interview, press tour, or appearance. You can do it before job interviews or presentations. Get together a couple of people you trust. Tell them to ask you every single question they can possibly imagine. Hard questions, crazy questions. Answer them. When you have trouble with one, talk through it with them, and then try it again. This way, when it’s time for the real thing, nothing can take you by surprise. I told you: reps, reps, reps.

38. Sometimes, everything matters. My team sometimes makes fun of me because I will notice little things like one light bulb out of a hundred that needs to be changed or a spot on the carpet. I believe that getting the little things right is the low-hanging fruit, and if you don’t do it, you risk getting sloppy and taking shortcuts when it really does matter. When you can control something, it doesn’t matter how small it is. It matters because you have the power to change it. And every time you change something when you have the power, that’s a rep to remind yourself you can create change. It’s a rep to remind yourself the shortcuts just cheat you. It’s a rep to remind yourself to get the basics right.

39. Sometimes, nothing fckin’ matters. There are other times that my team makes fun of me because I am so relaxed. We will come to someone else’s event where I’m supposed to speak, and they’ll tell me they’re sorry, but we don’t know when I’ll be on stage. I say, “It doesn’t fckin matter.” Because it doesn’t. We don’t have control. Trying to control something we can’t will only make all of us stressed out, and that won’t help anybody.

40. In fact, most of the time, nothing matters. Focus on the basics. Focus on what you can control. Nothing else matters. I will have people who have never worked out in their life come up to me and ask, “Should I do a push-pull split, or a bodybuilding split, or full body workouts?” I say, “It doesn’t matter. Anything is more than you’re doing now. Just do something.” People will ask about supplements to help their diet when all they eat is processed food. It doesn’t matter. Get the basics right!

41. Don’t major in the minor. There are so many people who worry about the last 5% so much that they never start working on the first 95%. Which supplements should I take? Which workout is optimal? Which diet is best? If you haven’t gotten the basics in order — training routinely and eating mostly real food — you’re wasting your time. Approximately 95% of your results will come from a basic foundation of training and good food. 

42. Don’t optimize. Just start. Stop your research. It’s how you procrastinate. Most of the time, we all know what we need to do. This is where our brains become our enemies. Instead of just starting, our brains tell us we need to research and find the perfect plan, so instead of doing some squats and pushups and drinking a protein shake, we can sit in front of a screen reading about the perfect diet while eating a donut.

43. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of progress. I know a lot of people who will start a workout plan that’s supposed to be every other day, and then as soon as something comes up and they miss a day, they give up. You’re never going to be perfect. None of us are. Just accept it. Progress is about moving forward. So you can only do two workout days this week instead of three? That’s still progress compared to zero workouts. Just keep moving forward.

44. Show up—for yourself, for others, just show up. The biggest difference between successful people and everyone else is that successful people get up over and over again when they fall and just keep showing up. Giving up has killed more dreams than failure ever will.

45. Follow through. Don’t start things you don’t finish. Follow through to the end, and then follow through and make sure everything worked. When I was Governor, there were horrible fires in San Diego, and thousands of people had to be evacuated to their football stadium. Everyone immediately felt the echoes of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, so even though I had total faith in my team, I got down to San Diego immediately. I went to the stadium and the other evacuation site at the fairgrounds, and I asked the people on the ground what they needed. Baby formula, diapers, cots, dialysis machines. I got on the phone and called the grocery stores and the military bases and hospitals to marshal supplies all night. The next morning, before I went to sleep, I came back, and the people who had told me what they needed were surprised to see me. I needed to hear from them that the supplies they needed had arrived. I needed to follow through. Don’t assume things are finished. Make damn sure they are.

46. Don’t do half-reps. It hurts me every time I see someone in the gym doing a lat pulldown or a curl or a bench press halfway. Sure, they can do a lot of reps. But if they half-ass their basic exercises, what else are they half-assing? When you cheat an exercise, you only cheat yourself. Whatever you do, go all out. Otherwise, you’ll always have to wonder what would have happened if you gave it a full effort.

47. There is no magic pill. Believe me. I’ve been around the fitness industry for 60 years of trends and fads and shortcuts.

48. The only shortcut is doing something the right way the first time so that you don’t waste any time on the shortcuts.

49. Sell, sell, sell. No matter what you do in life, you need to learn to sell. Whether you have a product or whether you are the product, we all have to sell something. Become comfortable with selling.

50. Like it or not, EVERYONE has to sell, People tell me, “Arnold, I’m a teacher, I don’t need to sell anything.” Bullshit! You need to sell those students on why they should listen to you. You have to sell the principal on why they should hire you.

51. The first step in sales isn’t talking. It’s listening. You need to know your customer. What are their needs? What are their dreams? Learn to ask questions and then really, truly listen to the answers. That’s how you find the message that will connect.

52. Speak to their heart first, not their mind. If you can develop an emotional connection with someone and understand their feelings, you are already a step ahead of the person who is going to bombard them with logic. There is a time for the logic, but first, get into the heart so the brain is ready to hear your arguments.

53. Even when you aren’t selling, listening is a superpower. I love that old adage that God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we talk. So many people just want to feel like someone cares. And you never know what you can learn. When I’m working on a movie set, I try to listen to all of the different crew members. I once learned all the challenges of

58. Develop a sense of humor. People love to laugh. They like being around funny people. You might think you’re either funny or you’re not. That’s not true. Like everything, you can get better with reps. When I wanted to get into Hollywood, I became friends with a very famous comedian, Milton Berle. I asked him to help me with comedy. Milton would write jokes for me, and then he would critique my timing. (He wasn’t very gentle about it, I remember a few, “Schwarzenegger, you Nazi, you fucked it up!”) The more I practiced, by getting in a joke in every TV appearance, the better I became.

59. Develop a sense of humor about yourself, too. The more you can laugh at yourself, the happier you’ll be. When you fail a lift or you screw something up, practice laughing at yourself instead of beating yourself up. We all can take ourselves too seriously. One way to stress just a little less about life is to laugh at yourself instead of beating yourself up.

60. Seriously, don’t beat yourself up, ever. You need a lot of energy to chase a vision. Don’t waste any of your energy being negative to yourself.

61. But be brutally honest with yourself. When I say, “Don’t beat yourself up,” I don’t mean that if your goal is to lose 20 pounds and you’re stuck that you should ignore that you’re eating dessert every day. You need to be honest with yourself without any negativity. Talk to yourself how you would talk to a friend you’re concerned about. Honesty allows you to figure out a plan to move on from failures. Abusing yourself over it just burns the energy for planning and moving on.

62. If you ever feel stuck, pick three small things you can focus on. Make them so small it’s impossible for you to fail. If your goals are to learn a new language, get in shape, and read more, write all three things on a notecard, and write “5 minutes a day.” When you wake up, do 5 minutes of reading, 5 minutes of pushups and squats, and 5 minutes of language practice before you brush your teeth. Make a tally for each habit on the notecard, and keep it on your nightstand. No matter what, you get that tally every day. Even if you’re about to climb into bed and you realize you didn’t do all three things, you do it and then go to sleep.

63. Slowly grow your goals. Progressive resistance works in the gym and in life, right? After a month, take one of your goals and make it 10 minutes a day.

64. Just to show you the compounding power of progressive resistance in life, if you started in January with 5-minute workouts and added 5 minutes each month, by June, you’d be training a half hour a day. It sure beats those New Year’s resolutions where you commit to training 30 minutes a day and then quit after three weeks, right?

65. Harness the power of small wins. The reason I say to start with small goals is that you need to learn the value of any wins. If you can start your day with three, 5-minute wins, then you’re going to feel that you accomplished something. And you did! Celebrate those little wins. Because here is the reality: you need fuel. Celebrating the little wins teaches you that those little wins compound and build up.

66. You need momentum, not motivation. No matter how fired up you are, motivation will run out. Believe me. I’ve been training for 62 years. There is no motivation that lasts that long. There are going to be days — probably soon — when you don’t want to get out of bed. Those are the days when you need momentum, not motivation. You need a routine. It is going to suck. Just do it.

67. You need patience. It takes time for little wins to build. When you look at someone successful, it’s easy to imagine it happening overnight, but it’s almost never true. They just kept moving forward, sometimes with big jumps, sometimes with tiny steps, and I guarantee there were days they went backward or stayed still. But the trend went upward. I see this all the time in our app. People will say, “I lost 20 pounds in the last 4 months, thank you,” and other members respond, “Wow! Unbelievable!” But at the same time, you’ll see people say, “I only lost a pound this week, what am I doing wrong?” Do the math. 4 months is about 18 weeks. The big transformation looks huge, but it’s

1. 1 pounds per month. Most people won’t get excited about progress that slow — until they see what it means over 4 or 6 or 12 months. In a year, that would be 57 pounds of weight loss. Sadly, most people will never see that success because they’ll be too impatient to see how small wins can build up into huge success. Be patient.

68. Find joy, not happiness. I think one of the nicest things anybody ever said about me came from Jim Lorimer. He said, “If I needed one word to describe Arnold, it’s ‘joy.’ When he’s working, there is joy, when he’s with his friends, there is joy, when he’s with his family, there is joy. I’ve never seen someone have joy in everything they do.” Now, I believe joy is different than happiness. Joy is deeper. People chase happiness, but I think they should chase joy. Happiness is fleeting. You can feel joy when you’re struggling. You can feel joy when you’re grieving the loss of a dear friend. Joy, to me, is having a sense of purpose. It’s what gives meaning to life.

69. We don’t have to be alike to inspire each other. You don’t need to want to be the greatest bodybuilder of all time, a movie star, or the Governor of California to learn from me. You can use these lessons to be the best mom or dad of all time, and I’m inspired daily by all of your stories. If we all took a little more time to focus on how many people there are to potentially inspire us, we’d all realize…

70. The world isn’t as broken as your phone makes it seem. Read your social media feed. Now imagine going to a gym, or a bar, or church, and hearing people talk like that. You’d say, “It’s enough already — stop fucking whining.” But that’s normal on social media! Get out there in the real world as often as you can. Talk to real people, not avatars. You will not find joy on social media.

71. On those days when you feel really hopeless about the world, just go and do something for someone else. Buy a sandwich for a homeless person. Trust me, the second you bring a little positivity into someone’s life, you’ll feel it in your own life. And you’ll prove to yourself that you do have the power to make things better, even if it’s for one person for a few minutes.

72. When you feel down, a quick walk can always get your brain moving. Some days, I wake up, and it feels like the world is a black-and-white movie. It sucks. But when I get moving, even just a little bit, it starts to turn to color. Movement is medicine, and a 5-minute walk can save you a lot of heartache.

73. They have a rule on airplanes that applies to life. You’re supposed to put your oxygen mask on before you help anyone else. Even your kid. It sounds crazy. But I (naturally) asked about it. If you don’t put yours on first, you can pass out before you can help your kid, and then everybody’s screwed. When people tell me they feel selfish working on themselves, whether it’s mentally or physically, I remind them of this. The more you do for yourself, the more you can help others.

74. When I say train your mind as much as your body, I mean in every way. If you injured your leg, you would go to an ortho and a PT and get the help you need. If you feel lost, depressed, or anxious, get the help you need. That isn’t weakness. It’s strength. It’s being honest with yourself and doing the work to get better every day.

75. I need to mention finding a vision one more time because it is that important. It is the real secret to a life of joy. You need a purpose, a reason to live. Take the time.

76. If you take nothing else from this list, please listen to this: leave the world better than you found it. That’s it. If every one of us tries to live up to that simple rule, imagine the world we’ll leave to our grandkids.

77. Put your phone down. Seriously, this was a really long list because I’m so old. Go look around. Take a walk. Find some joy. It’s out there.

[musicarenagh]

Inside the Mind of Geo Moto: An Interview with the Artist Hi everyone, we are gonna get into the details about the music industry and get to know Geo Moto, a singer with an entirely different perspective on music. It was amazing to get the opportunity to sit and talk to Geo Moto about his latest release of "Phase in Blue" and to hear some details of his own creative process and inspiration sources. "Phase in Blue" is not a regular album for Geo Moto but a mirror of his experience being in the first year of married life. In his own words, the album broadly tells about his shifting view of his place in the world and about himself during this critical point in his life. Yet, ​Geo Moto departs from the usual plot of a romantic story, and instead attempts to capture the complexity of love, which can mean being in doubt about oneself and being afraid, all without overdoing it in sentimentality and stereotypes. Geo Moto is all about handcrafted, vintage sounds when it comes to the music. His rhythmic and analog world is all about humanity and not modern digital instruments like futuristic stuff. His creative ways are equally organic, at times starting with a simple idea on guitar or keys and evolving through trial and error of using daws and samples. Yet enough from me, let us listen first to Geo Moto, and later he will talk to us about musicianship, inspiration, and the world beyond the studio. Listen to Phase in Blue https://open.spotify.com/track/25s4YTRWhBySJZIBKGqABF Follow Geo Moto on Spotify Soundcloud Instagram Geo Moto out with Phase in Blue,Geo Moto releases Phase in Blue,Geo Moto with Phase in Blue,Geo Moto drops Phase in Blue,Phase in Blue by Geo Moto ,Phase in Blue from Geo Moto ,Geo Moto ,Phase in Blue,Geo Moto Phase in Blue,Phase in Blue Geo Moto What is your stage name Geo Moto Is there a story behind your stage name? Not really. I liked the idea of a pseudonym that could be a be both a person's name and a generic phrase Where do you find inspiration? Escapism, nostalgia, nature, love, the places I’ve lived What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Some of my earliest memories are of listening to The Police on cd. Are you from a musical or artistic family? Yes, my whole family is musical and all play instruments. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? I don't want to be part of the industry, I just want to share my work with people who might want to hear it How did you learn to sing/write/to play? I did a few piano lessons at school as a kid which I hated, but later picked up bass and guitar as a teenager. Then found my way into experimenting with DAWs and the rest is history What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? Queens of the Stoneage at Brixton Academy How could you describe your music? It evolves over time, although I’ve always focused mainly on warm, rhythmic and analog sounds. Though I appreciate more digital and futuristic sounds, I prefer stuff that sounds human and has more of a vintage aesthetic. Describe your creative process. I'll usually start with an idea on guitar or keys, or program a skeleton beat and work around that. In some cases I'll have some samples to work in and try to find a groove or central motif. I spend most of the production time arranging so I try to get a loose structure mapped out as early as possible, but this will almost always change considerably before the mix is done What is your main inspiration? Other music, film, art, writing What musician do you admire most and why? Probably Bowie for his relentless reinvention and fearlessness Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? My style is always evolving to some degree, so yes Who do you see as your main competitor? This isn’t a competition for me, I make music for myself. If someone else wants to listen that’s a bonus What are your interests outside of music? Design, art, film and various outdoor activities If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing?

This isn’t a career for me, it’s something I enjoy and a creative outlet [caption id="attachment_54722" align="alignnone" width="1000"] This isn’t a career for me, it’s something I enjoy and a creative outlet[/caption] What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? Figuring out what to focus on – arrangement, recording, sound design, mixing, etc. There’s a lot to learn and it’s tough to prioritise sometimes If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? I’ve read some shocking stories of people treating artists at live shows with complete disrespect, throwing shit and heckling. I have no time or patience for people like that and they should direct their bullshit elsewhere https://open.spotify.com/artist/4o7JrX3JHCXpuSCtgnNLZj Why did you choose this as the title of this project? I made the EP during my first year of marriage. It describes the discovery and joy of falling deeper in love, but also the self-doubt and fear that comes with it What are your plans for the coming months? I’m working on new music alongside reworking older unreleased songs that never got their required attention. I have plans to work on an ambient/experimental project inspired by the film Stalker. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans I have friends who I play with in a band, however I don’t have any plans to properly collaborate at this stage. What message would you like to give to your fans? Thanks you for your time and for listening.

[bookstoreadbtr]

Unveiling Creativity: A Journey through the Literary Universe with W.K. Lawrence

W.K. Lawrence, a versatile author with a passion for storytelling that spans across various genres, invites us into the depths of his creative universe in this interview. From poetry to novels, Lawrence's literary journey has been a vibrant exploration of creativity and self-discovery. Join us as we delve into Lawrence's insights on writing, publishing, and the inspirations behind some of his notable works.

1. When did you discover your passion for writing?

My passion for writing started with a passion for story. I always enjoyed reading, and being read to and being told stories as a kid. Then it was TV shows, movies, professional wrestling. I found a story wherever I could. My writing really started with poetry and lyrics in my teens and then evolved into short stories when I was in college. When I was about 24, I started to really take writing seriously. It’s part of who I am now. Even when I was writing a lot of nonfiction academic material, I was always dreaming of getting back to the creative work, and I finally did in 2014 when I started work on The Punk and the Professor.

2. What encouraged you to make the leap of faith to publish your first book?

My first book was a collection of my early poems. I just really wanted to share something with the world. I was young and the writing was raw and blunt. There are a few good ones in there, but most of those old poems are just exercises. My next poetry collection due out later this year is a world away from the poems in that first book. There is a lot of progress in the next one in terms of maturity in both the content and style.  

3. How did you get started with the publishing process?

The process is different with each book. The first book was with an old extinct publisher that did just a few titles of local authors. I have eleven books out now and a twelfth and thirteenth on the way. Take for example, my nonfiction book, The Bell’s Book. That was a book written on accident. In 2019, I woke up with this crazy, rare, but temporary disease called Bell’s palsy. In my learning about the disease, I produced a guidebook to help others. Naturally, you take it right to a press you have connections to. As an indie writer, I like the small press options because you don’t have to compete or wait years to publish the book.

4. What were three things you learned about the publishing process?

Be patient in the process. Take another day to look things over. No matter how many people look at the book before it’s published, it’s going to have problems in the final version you discover later. And nothing is ever perfect. I also appreciate the artistic freedom indie writers have.

5.       What was a mistake you made you have used as a lesson learned?

Give cover art more consideration. But honestly, every new book teaches me something about writing and makes me better at what I do. It’s no lie that learning by doing is the best way. You could go to all the lectures in the world, all the conferences, all the workshops, and they’re not going to do what the action of writing does for you. In fact, all of those things might end up confusing you more, taking up a lot of time, and costing a lot of money. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to hear what more experienced folks have done. Reflective introverted learners learn a lot just by seeing models and hearing great advice, but you have to do the lifting yourself to really apply those lessons. 

6.       What advice would you give an aspiring author?

If you really love to write, write. Don’t write about writing. Just write. You don’t need a degree, though a program is a great networking tool and a place to really gain some wisdom from experienced authors, and if you’re lucky you’ll meet fellow writers you trust to help critique your writing. But don’t spend too much time worried about what other people think. You have to read too. Read a lot. Reading a lot of different books is what matures our craft. I truly think everyone has a story in them to share with the world. Most won’t ever tell it though. Tap into it and find your story and tell it. 

7.       What inspired the book, “Highway Zero”?

Highway Zero is my fourth written novel, but second published. It’s the sequel to Punk and Professor, and I knew when I was finishing Punk that there would have to be a sequel. I actually knew exactly how it ended, and so the first page written was the last page or two of the novel. The sequel was on hold for a while and delayed due to the distractions of the disease that led to The Bell’s Book, but once it got going the book wrote itself. It was a quick, spontaneous, and adventurous writing that mirrored the story. I’m proud of it. I think it’s a better book than the first.

8.       What is a brief summary/synopsis of “Highway Zero”?

Highway Zero is about a young man who wants to move on from everything he’s ever known, yet he’s haunted by everything and can’t really let go of it. On a quest for love and shelter, the character hits the road, explores America, and finally ends up at a university. But that doesn’t solve his problems. It probably makes everything worse with all the pressures and substances around. He goes through a monumental transformation.

9.       What was the biggest lesson you learned during publishing “Highway Zero”?

Again, tap into it. Get into the groove of writing and let it take you away. I was hypnotized in a trance as I wrote it. Much of it was in the middle of the night. Don’t resist it. Ride the wave. 

10.     What inspired the book, “The Punk and the Professor”?

The first published novel was inspired by my own adolescent troubles. Jack really has a lot of me in him, yet there are differences. I published another book titled 89 Days, which goes into the differences between me and the fictional character, and it also shares a few outtakes cut from the final novel. The book is fiction, but as Camus once said “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” There’s a lot of real people and real problems in that book. Parents who read it would be horrified that that kind of stuff goes on with teenagers, just children really. It’s a sociological case study.

11.     What is a brief summary/synopsis of “The Punk and the Professor”?

The Punk and the Professor is a school novel that shows a troubled introverted kid faced with a big decision about his future. It’s do or die. He sees a lot of trouble around his neighborhood and in his family but doesn’t know what to do about it. He’s pretty helpless, but he fights on. I’d like to think it’s an inspirational story that pays tribute to the good teachers and alternative schools. 

12.     Are there any book/author events for you in 2023/2024?

Maybe in late spring or summer, but probably not many in person events. That’ll all be explained in the fourth sequel.

13.     Where can your future fans follow you on social media?

https://twitter.com/Wklawrence  on Twitter or whatever it’s called now

14.     Do you have a website?  

15.     If you were on a twenty-four-hour non-stop flight, what three books would you take with you, and why?

That sounds like a rough flight! I’d probably want to be immersed in a completely new book so they’d be mostly books I haven’t read yet. Since that flight’s probably taking me to Australia, I’d pick a nonfiction book about Australia. Maybe I’d reread a Carver collection of stories. The third book would have to be one from one of my indie writer friends. Reading fellow indie writers has given me a fresh outlook on reading. You get fresh ideas and fresh voices. They’re not pushed by some corporation or extensive marketing campaign, and they’re not a brand. I’d much rather support someone’s art rather than make wealthy writers wealthier. David Carter, Sean DeLauder, Ben Shaberman, Matthew McConkey, Dana Vacca, all have great fiction books to check out.

16.     What lesson(s) have you learned in 2023 that you will use in 2024?

After getting really close to my characters using first person narrative in the first two novels, I’ve learned how to write better characters in third person. I got it out of my system and I’m ready to make a big transition to third person in the third one. It sets everything up for where I want to take the fourth book.

17.     If you had the chance to have lunch and conversation with any author dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Dead, it might be Mary and Percy Shelley. Not sure how much fun they’d be, but I’d have a lot in common with them. For an author who is still alive, I’d sit down with someone, but you don’t know their name yet. 

This interview with W.K. Lawrence has provided a fascinating glimpse into the world of a passionate and dedicated writer. From the early beginnings of discovering a love for storytelling to navigating the complexities of the publishing process, Lawrence's journey exemplifies the resilience and creativity required to succeed in the literary world.

Through his candid reflections on lessons learned and inspirations found, Lawrence offers valuable advice for aspiring authors, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, continuous learning, and staying true to one's unique voice. His dedication to the craft of writing shines through in each word, resonating with readers eager to embark on literary adventures that provoke thought and stir the imagination.

As Lawrence continues to enrich the literary landscape with his captivating narratives and compelling characters, we eagerly anticipate the release of his upcoming works and the development of his craft. With a website and social media presence inviting readers to connect and explore further, Lawrence's influence extends beyond the pages of his books, fostering a community of storytelling enthusiasts united by a shared love for the written word.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to W.K. Lawrence for sharing his insights and experiences with us, inspiring both aspiring writers and seasoned literary enthusiasts alike. May his journey continue to inspire creativity and ignite a passion for storytelling in all who encounter his work.

[thinking-of-thinking]

Profile on Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift… Everyone has heard the name at least once in their life. If you are 50 or under, you may have even listened to a couple of her songs and enjoyed them. I can name a few off the top of my head, such as "You Belong To Me," "Love Story," "Bad Blood," and "Shake It Off."

Her songs dominated the early 2000s, also known as my entire childhood. Every little girl was listening to Taylor Swift, singing along with her as she sang about crushes and heartbreak. Most of us didn't even have a true understanding of what each song meant since we had never experienced a first love before. Nonetheless, this did not stop us from perfectly belting every lyric to every song.

As I grew into my teenage years, I heard less and less of her; no one brought up her name or her songs anymore. The only time you would hear her music was at a middle school dance or a random fundraiser. Until recently, now that I am eighteen, she seems to have exploded in terms of pop culture and music. Out of nowhere, it feels like she gained millions of fans and is now touring the world. People are fighting tooth and nail to score tickets to hear her sing the most famous hits from every album she has ever released. The Era’s Tour flooded my TikTok; every other video was of Taylor at the center of a large stadium wearing a flamboyant sparkly outfit and her iconic red lip. What shocked me the most was the number of teenagers and adults over thirty who were absolutely obsessed with her.

The last time I heard of her was when I was eight or ten years old, so imagine my surprise when I found out that her music does not just appeal to kids or pre-teens anymore. The only thing I could think of was, “When did this happen? What did I miss?” So now, here I am, taking the time out of my day to dive deeper into her backstory and find out just how she rose to stardom. I want to know everything, from her first song, number one hit, album, signed record label, concert… EVERYTHING.

While doing some valuable research, I found that Taylor started her career at a very young age. At nine, she began taking vocal lessons, and at twelve, she learned to play the guitar from a family friend. These talents have clearly worked out for her in the long run, as Taylor is currently known worldwide for her amazing voice and her guitar skills, which she continuously incorporates into her songs.

Honestly, while looking into her story, hearing of Taylor's success made me wish my parents had gotten me interested in a hobby at a young age. Maybe in another universe, I could have been a famous singer, actor, or athlete, but this is just a small side note.

Getting back on track, the family friend also assisted her in writing her first song called “Lucky You,” which was never released to the public but heavily encouraged her to write more. Although her music did not initially gain popularity at only twelve years old, Swift hustled and took modeling jobs to get her name out in the industry. In my opinion, this was a very smart thing to do, and I respect her for her dedication.

She moved around a lot as a child, but Nashville, Tennessee, seemed to have the most impact on her career. During her stay in Nashville, Swift started working with a songwriter who would lead her to gain many social connections. We all know that the more social connections one can get, the more opportunities one will gain.

This is exactly what happened in Taylor's case. This songwriter led Taylor to become the youngest artist signed by Sony/ATV publishing house. This led her to catch the attention of a new upcoming record executive; she became one of the first artists to sign with this label, Big Machine Records. Once she had become comfortable with this label, she was able to convince them to sign a producer who would assist her in her songwriting. This producer would help create her first album, which peaked at number five on music billboards.

So far, we can all clearly see that Taylor put in hard work and arguably got very lucky. Her luck did not end here, as the next couple of songs she created would all reach the top music billboards. To think that a young and upcoming star could create songs that reach billboard numbers, back to back to back is mind-blowing. You see current-day artists struggling to get traction or a sliver of attention, even by turning to social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram, where you can reach thousands of people within minutes. It is surprising to see how many people a young teen was able to reach without the help of social media, just old-fashioned person-to-person social connections.

Her success did not end here; two thousand and seven was a huge year for Taylor as she gained massive recognition. She was nominated for a Grammy and won multiple awards. She continued on this hot streak all the way through two thousand nine, but if I am being honest, her hot streak never really ended. These years were just her rise to fame; the songs she released in two thousand nine were THE songs that replayed throughout my childhood. "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me" were hits on her Fearless album. The Fearless album became super popular amongst people, so much so that it led her to go on her first-ever tour, which was also a huge success.

Now that we have established her rise to fame, I am sure you all can guess what continued to happen to Taylor throughout the years. If you have no idea what I mean by this, then you clearly have not been paying attention, since the only thing that seems to follow Taylor is success. I can go on and on about all of her achievements and amazing things she was able to accomplish, but I want to get into the juicy side of Taylor’s career. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour had been flooding my For You page. Which is what prompted me to choose her as today’s blog post topic.

However, the big tour was not the only thing; several other posts regarding Taylor Swift took over the TikTok algorithm. Posts concerning conspiracy theories, controversies, and drama, which is something I also wanted to look into more because what teenager doesn’t like a little bit of drama. So without further ado, let's get started and dig further into the spicy side of Taylor Swift.

*Full disclosure I do not claim any of this to be true as it is all fun and games so I am asking the Swifties to not get upset, thank you.*

Let us start with the conspiracy theory regarding how Taylor Swift got famous in the first place. I find this to be the most entertaining because people can just come up with unthinkable ideas of how a celebrity got famous, and others will go along with it without questioning it for a second. My favorite conspiracy theory of hers regarding her success is that she is a part of the Illuminati. If you have not heard of this yet, I am convinced you have been living under a rock, as I would say it is one of the most widely known conspiracy theories surrounding a celebrity.

The story goes as follows: Taylor is known to have a strong connection with the number thirteen. She was born on December 13th, 1989, turned 13 on the 13th, and her first album went gold in 13 weeks. Her most famous album has 13 songs on it, and her first hit song had a 13-second introduction. For every award she has won, she was seated either in the 13th seat, 13th row, 13th section, or row M, the 13th letter of the alphabet. She’s also known to write the number 13 on her hand before all of her performances, as you can see, 13 is her lucky number.

Thirteen, however, is not just any number; it is notorious for having negative energy and suspicion that surround it, dating all the way back to before Christ times. It is also rumored to have a special connection with the organization of the Illuminati, which is why people believe that the star and organization have some sort of tie with each other.

Where it gets even more interesting is the idea that Kanye West initiated Taylor into the Illuminati. Yeah, as if it couldn’t get even more absurd. Apparently, for one to join the Illuminati, they need to take part in a sort of initiation, consisting of getting publicly embarrassed. 

If you are not aware of the drama that happened between Kanye and Taylor, you are lucky enough to have me tell you. During the September 13th, 2009, VMAs, Taylor Swift won an award for the best female video category. After accepting her award, Kanye ran up on stage, took Swift's microphone, and announced in front of live television, “Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!” If that’s not humiliating initiation, I don’t know what is, but… that’s the end of that conspiracy theory.

Side note: Did you notice Taylor won her award on the 13th of September? Seems fishy to me.

Now that we are done with the conspiracy theories, let’s move on to the controversies. The controversy that sticks out to me the most is the fact that Taylor Swift is contributing the most to harming the Earth, and she and her fans do not seem to care.

PSA: Climate change is a very big and complicated issue, so I will only be getting into the surface-level problems regarding Taylor Swift. If you are interested in going more in-depth concerning this topic, I highly encourage you to do your own research, as I am not a professional on this matter, just a teenage girl.

Going back to Swift's Era’s World Tour, it is obvious that she needs to get to her concert destinations quickly and efficiently to put on an amazing performance. Taylor's private jet use contributes almost 9,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, which is around 2,000 times the worldwide average. This is clearly not healthy for the Earth, as carbon emissions are what is causing global warming to occur. Global warming leads to a whole other massive list of issues and potentially humanity's impending doom. Scary. 

Don’t get me wrong; I am not solely blaming the Earth’s doom on Taylor Swift. Instead, I am asking her and every other celebrity/standard individual who is contributing to please cut back on our bad habits and adopt a green thumb. We need to understand that ignoring the problem doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, which is essentially what Taylor Swift and her fans are being rumored to do.

Enough of our impending doom, at this point, I feel as though we covered the most interesting parts of Taylor Swift and feel this is a good stopping point for today. We have gone over her entire early life story and rise to fame while also discussing her later fame and the issues that were caused because of it. I can confidently say that I am happy with what I discovered about Taylor Swift and successfully completed my mission of finding out how she got so popular while still keeping it entertaining. I hope I was able to do the same for those reading and would like to thank you for still continuing to read up to this point. Congratulate yourselves for reading 2,000 words as I congratulate myself for writing 2,000 words. I hope you all have a good winter break and happy holidays.

P.S. I've added a link at the bottom of this post that contains Taylor and Kanye's VMA drama so you could all form an opinion for yourselves. Was this a real initiation or just poor manners?

[helloalycia]

secret relationship // wanda maximoff

summary: you're the daughter of the famous Black Widow, which comes with its own set of hurdles such as revealing to her that you're dating the newest Avenger that she also happens to be mentoring – Wanda Maximoff. What could go wrong?

warning/s: minor (implied) violence and injury

author's note: okay so the request was the reader is Natasha's daughter and is struggling to tell Natasha that she's dating Wanda. All I know is I got excited (as usual) and this happened so yeah, enjoy! Also, Wanda’s age is always a mystery to me since it’s interpreted differently with everyone, so I tried my best to explain the age gap between you and natasha so things made sense.

masterlist | wattpad

"Did you know red onion and red cabbage is called 'red' instead of 'purple' because back in the old days, they didn't have enough words for colours so anything purple was defined as red?"

"The mission, Y/N," my mum, Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, scolded.

I sighed, my attention still focused on my surroundings and my gun directed ahead. "I know, I know. But did you know that the most common internet password is '123456'?"

"Y/N," Wanda, my girlfriend and teammate said with a laugh. "Stop it."

"Yeah, please, quit it," my mum added with an eye roll.

I smiled at Wanda, admiring how beautiful she looked when she hid her laugh. My mum wasn't aware we were dating, so I settled for sending her a playful wink before looking ahead.

I knew I had to focus on the mission – scouting out this abandoned HYDRA den – but it was boring. And it was obviously empty of any threats, so talking was my only pastime.

"Did you know the inventor of Pringles is buried in a Pringles can?" I said after a moment of silence, making my mum stop walking abruptly.

"Okay, you know what? New plan," she said, looking between Wanda and I. "Everyone split up. Take a look around. Stay alert. Keep in contact. Sound good?"

I quirked a brow. "You trying to get rid of me?"

She narrowed her eyes my way. "Yes."

I frowned, making Wanda crack a smile and nudge me in the shoulder.

"You need to learn to have an off button sometimes," she joked, her Sokovian accent shining through despite the voice lessons my mum was giving her. Honestly, I preferred her Sokovian accent to her American one.

"You love it," I teased, giving her a knowing smile, my mother completely unaware of the double meaning.

"Just do as I said," my mum said, already shooing me away. "Wanda, you know what to do. If you see or hear anything suspicious, use your comms."

"Yes, Miss Romanoff," Wanda said obediently, and I tried so hard to hold in laughter at her seriousness. I mean, it was great that she was respectful of my mother and her mentor, but God it was funny to witness.

"Once again, Wanda, you can just call me Nat," my mum said with a wince, trying to be polite. "Go on."

Wanda nodded and walked off, her gun raised as she'd practiced. I grinned at my mum, noticing the way she massaged her temple with mild agitation before her gaze fell to mine.

"Go. Now." She pointed behind me, and I stifled a laugh.

"Bet you love babysitting duty," I joked.

"It's not babysitting if I'm your mother," she pointed out. "Though sometimes, you make me regret not picking the baby instead of you."

"That baby would have been six years old now," I informed her. "If anything, I spared you the whole diaper thing and the outgrowing clothes thing and the– oh yeah! Not being able to speak thing!"

"At least they wouldn't be annoying me with stupid facts," she retorted, hand on her hip. "Now be a good agent and do your job."

I rolled my eyes playfully, knowing she was kidding. Whenever I annoyed her, she'd bring up the story of how it was between twelve year old me and a six-month old baby at the adoption centre. She was worried I'd view her as an older sister or something, hence her choice of adopting the baby instead. But I never did, as she was always way more mature than any twenty-seven year old I'd met or seen at the time. And maybe, I guess, I was really desperate to have a motherly figure, and she just happened to fit the bill.

"Aye, aye, Miss Romanoff," I saluted, making her raise an eyebrow threateningly. "Okay, geez, I'm going."

I wandered off, exploring the dishevelled HYDRA den with full focus. The brief clearly stated it was an abandoned site, but I stayed on alert anyway in case there were stragglers. As usual, I only got given half the facts because of my clearance level, so I knew we were looking for a hard drive, but I had no idea what was on it.

Being a seventeen year old working in S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't exactly how I saw my life going when I grew up in an orphanage. I honestly never thought I'd get adopted, as rumours spread quite quickly through the orphanage that once you hit double digits, nobody wanted you. So, when the beautiful, red-headed Natasha Romanoff came in, looking for an addition to her family, I felt like the luckiest kid in the world because she chose me of all the kids there.

I definitely didn't expect her to be the Black Widow, nor to teach me everything she knew about espionage, stealth, hand-to-hand combat and much more. She ensured I was multi-lingual like her, preparing me for the many S.H.I.E.L.D. missions I would have to go on. There were times when I absolutely despised her, particularly when she overtrained me or stopped me from seeing my friends. And there were times when I wished she'd never adopted me, hating that I couldn't have a normal teenage experience.

But when it came down to it, I knew I couldn't have asked for a more caring, considerate and compassionate mother. I learnt early on into our relationship that she was unable to have kids of her own, hence her interest in adoption. And honestly speaking? That was probably the worst thing in the world because if anybody deserved a child of their own, it was Natasha Romanoff. I guess, in that sense, I was lucky to have all of her love to myself.

Now that I was older, I came to appreciate how awesome she was, especially when we got to go on missions together and I saw her awesomeness upfront. The only thing was, she was extremely overprotective, so it was difficult to get sent on the dangerous missions. Though, I guess, whenever I did, she was always there to have my back and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Her overprotectiveness was also a reason why she didn't know about Wanda and I's relationship. Wanda had joined the Avengers a year ago after losing her brother in the battle against Ultron. She was a year older than me, so naturally we were drawn to each other, and before I knew it, our friendship became more. But of course, my mother could never know that. At least not yet.

"Empty here," I mumbled, rounding a corner into an empty room. As I looked through the rubbish on the desk, I continued, "Empty here... and here... and oh, look, here, too. What a surprise!"

"Y/N, I love you, but God help me I will kill you if you don't turn your damn mic off," my mother's voice came through my comms piece in my ear.

For once, I wasn't trying to piss her off, so I smiled sheepishly to myself and replied, "Sorry. Love you."

I could imagine the eye roll she was giving me in response, so continued to look around for the hard drive I saw on the brief. Still, there was nothing here.

My searching was interrupted when I heard a loud crash from a nearby room, like the sound of bricks tumbling against one another. I spun around, eyes widening with concern.

"Y/N? Wanda? What happened?" my mum's voice came through my ear, slightly reassuring me as it wasn't her who was caught up in anything. But then that meant–

"Wanda! What happened?" I replied worriedly, already rushing out of the room and to the source of the sound.

"I'm okay," Wanda's shaky voice came through my ear, which did nothing to ease my concern.

I found the room Wanda was in quite quickly, seeing her sat on the floor as if she'd been pushed. She had a deep cut on her forehead and looked visibly distressed. Running to her side, I kneeled down beside her and cupped her face, studying her head.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" The words tumbled from my mouth so quickly I wasn't sure if it was understandable.

She nodded slowly, accepting my hand and holding it for reassurance. I followed her gaze, seeing a hole in the wall ahead, bricks crumbling and dust beginning to settle. Laying on the floor through the hole and into the next room was a HYDRA soldier, clearly dead from the impact of hitting the bricks.

Wanda's power was magnificent, but hard to control. A year later and she was still learning its limits, but sometimes slip-ups like this happened. I was, admittedly, in awe of her actions.

"I'm sorry, I should have kept him alive like Miss Ro– Nat said," Wanda apologised suddenly, and I looked back at her to see her shaking her head. "He just– he startled me and I didn't know what I was doing until it happened. I thought–"

"Don't apologise," I cut her off, squeezing her hand gently, before looking back to the cut on her forehead. "I'm just glad you're okay. You did good."

Despite my words, I bit my lower lip to contain a frown, worried about her cut.

"Damn."

Wanda and I both turned to the doorway to see my mum, who stopped and took in the sight of the hole in the wall with partial surprise and partial amazement.

"Mum, we need to get her back to the quinjet," I said, pulling her attention away from the wall. She approached me as I said, "She needs medical assistance."

I didn't let go of Wanda's hand as I moved to the side for my mum to take a look. Gently guiding Wanda's chin to the side, she took a closer look at the gash on her forehead, expression showing nothing as usual.

"You'll be okay, honey," she reassured, letting go. Her eyes drifted to our connected hands briefly, but I figured she wouldn't piece anything together, so I didn't let go. She continued, "Let's get out of here. There's no hard drive anyway."

Wanda nodded and my mum and I helped her to stand up, me still not letting go of her hand.

"The hard drive is on him," Wanda spoke suddenly, nodding to the dead HYDRA agent. "I heard his thoughts before I– yeah."

My mum raised her brows with surprise. "Oh. Perfect. Y/N get the drive and let's go."

I pursed my lips, glancing at Wanda with concerned eyes. She gave me a small, reassuring smile, squeezing my hand subtly before letting go.

"Right, yeah," I said, swallowing hard.

I looked back to my mum, who seemed to be studying my expression, so I cleared my throat and left to get the drive. When I retrieved it, I jogged after Wanda and my mum, checking in on her with a small smile, before leading the way to the quinjet.

When we boarded the plane, I hung around Wanda and my mum as she helped the brunette to take a seat in the back. I noticed Wanda's momentary dizziness as she sat down and felt my chest tighten.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked, kneeling before her as my mum got the first aid kit.

Wanda gave me an endearing smile as I swiped at the blood dripping down her forehead.

"I'll be alright," she said, holding my gaze with comforting green eyes before they flickered to behind me.

"Okay, Y/N, stop hanging about and start the plane whilst I stitch Wanda up," my mum said, appearing from behind me and kneeling beside me.

I nodded, glancing between the needle, thread and disinfectant in her hands and Wanda's head. Reluctantly, I got up and left them both to it as I started up the plane and got us in the air. Once we were in the clear, I flicked on autopilot before heading back to Wanda and my mum to see how things were going.

"We'll have someone look at it properly when we get back to the tower," my mum was saying to Wanda, who was now stitched up and wearing a small bandage, "but it'll hold up for now." With a playful smile, she added, "You're not dying on me just yet."

Wanda cracked a smile and whilst I appreciated how lovely it was to see their closeness in a way I never usually saw, I was still troubled by her injury. Logically, I knew she'd be okay, but it never felt good to see her injured.

"Plane is on autopilot," I announced, making my presence known. My eyes never left Wanda's bandage as I asked, "Everything okay here?"

"You need to calm down," my mum joked, making me look her way. "It's not that serious. Just some stitches."

I smiled awkwardly, but I knew it was much more than that.

"Yeah, relax, it's not a big deal," Wanda added playfully.

Her eyes met mine and I knew she was communicating the same thing through her gaze, holding a seriousness that wasn't able to be shared verbally because of my mum's presence. I tilted my head, giving her a knowing look; she knew I was aware of how big a deal it was. All I wanted to do was give her a hug and kiss and not leave her side until she felt better. And she knew that.

"I'm gonna go fly the plane," my mum said suddenly, and I almost forgot she was standing there until she spoke up. "We'll get back to base quicker..."

I glanced at her, mildly confused at her sudden change of expression. She headed to the front of the quinjet, leaving Wanda and I alone.

"Seriously though, you should relax," Wanda said, sounding like she did when it was just her and I and nobody else. She had an amused smile on her lips as she watched me worry. "I'm fine. All stitched up."

I licked my lips, sulking, as I dragged myself over to the seat beside her. She laced our fingers together, pressing a kiss to the top of my hand before facing me with an easygoing smile.

"I'm fine," she repeated gently, lovingly, sweetly.

I offered her a small smile, before leaning forward to press a kiss to her bandage. "I know. Just don't worry me like that. Especially in front of my mum. I can't take it."

"It's cute," she noted, amusement returning. "It means a lot to know someone cares."

My shoulders relaxed. "I care too much. So, please don't test that."

She laughed and I felt my heart flutter in my chest, never getting used to the sound.

"I promise not to," she said, looking up at me through her lashes.

I leaned my head on her shoulder and kept ahold of her hand, staying with her until we arrived back at base. My mum flew us the whole way back, only coming to get us once we landed. I knew I should have left Wanda's side as to not raise suspicion with my mum, but I couldn't find it in myself to do so. I just hoped she would interpret it as two concerned friends rather than her daughter having a secret girlfriend.

"You should head to the medical wing to get checked out properly," my mum said once we were back at the tower, looking to Wanda.

"Yeah," I agreed a little too eagerly. "I'll go with you."

My mum gave me a curious look. "I mean, that's not necessary."

Wanda must have sensed my eagerness, as she said, "I'd appreciate the company, actually. I don't mind."

She shot me a subtle smile, eyes bright with reassurance.

"I'm happy to accompany you, Wanda," my mum offered, and I felt my mouth go dry.

"It's okay, mum," I said suddenly, making her look to me with pursed lips. "You can go debrief and I'll make sure Wanda is cool with everything."

Glancing between us, my mum finally nodded. "I see. I guess I'll see you both later then." She paused, looking between us once more, before adding, "You did good today. Both of you."

I looked down to my shoes as Wanda shot her a grateful smile. She walked away, leaving us be, and I immediately intertwined my fingers with Wanda's as the two of us headed to the medical wing.

"You may as well write desperate on your forehead," she teased with a beautiful smile.

"So funny," I said sarcastically, though a smile of my own was present. "Let's just get you checked out."

"If it means you'll stop pouting, then sure."

"Real jokester you are. Hilarious, honestly."

Her laughter surrounded me like a warm hug and I could have listened to it forever.

—

Since our mission together, I noticed the distance my mum was putting between her and I, and I had no idea why. I thought I was overthinking it and seeing things that weren't there, so I didn't follow up with it until one evening.

It was a rare occurrence for all of the Avengers to be at the tower at once, so when they were, we'd all have a 'family' dinner for some normalcy. Only, this time, I noticed how strange my mum was acting whenever I spoke to her. She'd either act super dismissive or give one word answers to my questions – once again, I wasn't sure if I was seeing things.

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways and Wanda and I stayed in the living-area to watch some TV. Though it was playing, the volume was lowered and neither of us were watching it. We were just talking about random stuff and enjoying each other's company.

"Okay, how about this one?" I said to Wanda, turning so I was facing her, a grin on my lips. "What did the clock do when it was hungry?"

As with all of my other attempts at making Wanda laugh, she stared at me with an amused smile and a quirked brow.

"Say it...," I encouraged, motioning for her to speak with my hand.

She sighed. "Okay, what did the clock do when it was hungry?" Mumbling, she added, "Even though clocks don't eat..."

I slapped her leg playfully. "Sshhh, you'll ruin the joke. And the answer is, they go back four seconds!"

Wanda didn't laugh, but she seemed entertained as she hid a smile. "Seriously?"

"Because of the number 'four' and the word 'for'," I explained. "C'mon, that's a good one!"

"D'you think you're funny?" she asked, eyeing me playfully. "Because you're not."

I shrugged, playing it off like I wasn't fussed. "I mean, I don't know about that... how about now?"

Before she could question me, I moved forward and began to tickle her sides, watching as she squirmed with laughter.

"Stop it!" she shouted, but her smile was as wide as ever as she was unable to stifle her laughter. "P-please! Y/N!"

"But you said I wasn't funny!" I retorted with a grin, practically straddling her as she attempted to push me off her. "I'm just checking if you still think that!"

Wanda was crying now, tears escaping the corners of her eyes as she continued to laugh. "I'm s-sorry! Y/N, stop!"

Before I could think how to respond, the doors to the living-area opened and in walked Steve Rogers AKA Captain America, a confused expression on his face as he saw me sat on Wanda.

"Hey, ladies," he greeted, raising an eyebrow. "You both good?"

I pulled my hands away from Wanda and breathed out, still smiling as I glanced down at her. She blew a strand of hair from her eyes and glared at me playfully.

"Yeah, just talking," I answered Steve, before being thrown off Wanda and to the floor with a thud.

"Just Y/N harassing me as usual," Wanda corrected, and I sat up to see her sitting up, too, fixing her hair.

Steve chuckled as he headed to the fridge in the connected kitchen. Wanda helped me back onto the couch, nudging me in the side as a response to the tickle fest, before leaning on me and stretching her legs across the couch.

"So, hey, what's up with you and your mum?" Steve asked as I continued to annoy Wanda by flicking her face.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not looking up as I grinned down at Wanda, watching as her eyes glowed red threateningly.

"Don't make me hurt you," she said teasingly, lifting a hand and summoning her powers, red wisps of energy becoming present.

I stopped flicking her and intertwined her hand in mine, watching as her eyes faded to its usual colour.

"She just seemed distant at dinner," Steve continued.

I looked up and saw he was leaning against the counter with a water bottle in his hand. Wanda continued to stretch, practically on top of me, probably to annoy me as I had been doing with her. I moved her hands out of my face as I nodded to Steve.

"So, you saw it too? She was being off, right?" I asked him, glad I wasn't just imagining things.

He nodded, gulping his water, before saying casually, "Definitely. What did you do? Finally tell her about you and Wanda?"

It took me a second to realise what he'd said, but when I did, my eyes widened and I spluttered out a terrible response. "What– what about Wanda and I?"

I glanced at Wanda as she began to sit up properly. She looked more confused than panicked.

"You know, that you're together," Steve said like it was obvious.

I cleared my throat. "What? Why would you think that?"

Steve smiled with confusion. "Wait, so you're not? But I thought–" He paused, pulling a face. "No, you are! Everybody thinks you are!"

I shrugged it off, though inside I was panicking. "I mean, even if that was the case, why do you think my mum knows?"

Steve nodded knowingly. "She's been off with you all night. And then I caught up with her after dinner and she wasn't in a very talkative mood. Just mumbled something like 'new girl, her age, pretty, nice, should have seen it coming'. I assumed she was talking about Wanda."

Heat crept up my neck with embarrassment and when I looked to Wanda, I saw her cheeks dusting a red colour, similar to the energy she could summon. She looked as flustered as I felt.

"Has your mum been okay with you before today?" Steve asked, trying to be helpful.

I chewed on my lower lip and shook my head. "Not since we got back from our last mission..."

Steve scrunched his face with sympathy. "Oof. You should probably talk to her then. You know how much she hates secrets."

I groaned internally. "Thanks for the reminder."

He saluted playfully, his stupid smile on his stupid face, before leaving Wanda and I alone again.

"Well, looks like she knows," I said to Wanda, sinking into the couch with hopes it would swallow me forever.

"She might not," Wanda tried to make me feel better, resting a hand on my leg. "It could be something else."

I gave her a knowing look. "She has to know. It's the only thing that makes sense. You heard Steve."

Wanda sighed, sinking into the couch beside me. "Yeah..." She glanced at me and I looked at her as she said, "I did tell you to tell her."

I forced a smile. "Gee, Wanda, that was helpful. Thanks."

Wanda rolled her eyes before leaning her head on my shoulder. "Sorry..."

I rested my hand on hers. "It's okay, sorry. I just– she's gonna be really mad that I kept this from her."

"Yeah, why did you do that again?" Wanda asked questioningly.

I massaged the tension between my eyebrows. "Because she's too overprotective. It gets too much to handle sometimes... Take my last boyfriend for example. He was some tool that cheated on me and, oh boy, my mum wanted to kill him. I had to physically restrain her from doing so."

"I don't blame her," Wanda quipped, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

I smiled a little, squeezing her hand. "I know... she ended up slashing his tyres and egging his car without telling me. But instead of egging the outside, she broke into it and egged the inside. A thoughtful take on a classic, I must admit."

Wanda laughed, her whole body shaking with pure amusement as she listened to the story. I couldn't help but smile myself, remembering it like it was yesterday. Definitely a fun time.

"I appreciated it, don't get me wrong," I added, smile fading. "I just didn't want that to happen again. I wanted to enjoy our relationship without anyone spying on us, y'know? But now she's gonna be super angry."

Wanda let go of my hand and rolled on top of me, leaning down on my chest so she could look me in the eyes. I wrapped my arms loosely around her to keep her steady.

"She only wants the best for you," Wanda told me gently. "You have to tell her you're sorry. Explain why you did what you did, but hear her out, too. She's your mum. Caring too much isn't a bad thing."

I groaned, knowing she was right. She smiled reassuringly, patting my chest.

"You get the caring too much thing from her by the way," she added, before leaning forward and pressing a haste kiss to my lips. "It's okay though because I love it."

I smiled, never really seeing it like that. Raising my hand, I brushed my thumb over the small bandage on her head; her injury was still healing, but she didn't let it bother her. Very Wanda-like.

"Thanks," I mumbled, meeting her gaze. "You always say the right thing."

"Which is why I'm going to tell you to get up and go to your mum," she ordered playfully, pushing herself off me and holding out her hand.

I let her pull me up before straightening up and taking a deep breath. Wanda was right. I just needed to be open and explain my piece. It would be fine.

—

So, it wasn't fine.

When I entered my mum's living quarters, she wasn't the happiest to see me. In fact, she actively turned her body to face her TV when I came through the door.

"Hey," I started with a small smile, fighting the nerves in my stomach. "Can we, er, can we talk?"

She grabbed the cushion on the couch next to her, hugging it to her chest. Her eyes didn't leave the TV, but the space next to her was free, so I took that as an opportunity to close the door and sit beside her.

The news was playing on the TV – headlines, I think – and they were talking about a new elected congressman in New York.

"Seriously? The news? Even in your free time?" I asked playfully, hoping it would lighten the mood.

She didn't even glance my way as she muttered, "I like to know what's happening in the world."

Losing my smile, I straightened up and cleared my throat. "Right, right..."

It went quiet as the TV played in the background and my mum said absolutely nothing. I grabbed the other cushion on the couch and hugged it to my chest, similar to her. It was a nervous habit that I picked up from, well, from her.

"You said you wanted to talk?" she reminded me. "So, talk."

Having the Black Widow as your mother wasn't something anyone could get used to. She could be the most caring, loving, protective person in the world, but she could also appear quiet, intimidating and ruthless like the trained assassin she was. Not the greatest combination when trying to open up to her.

"I think I know what you're thinking," I started, pinching my hand to distract from my growing anxiety.

Without hesitation, she bent forward to grab the TV remote and turned it off before turning to me with sad eyes.

"That's where you're wrong," she said calmly, and it was way worse than her yelling. I would have preferred her yelling to be honest. The disappointment in her voice was much worse. "You always assume you know what I'm thinking. What I'm going to say or do."

I avoided her eyes guiltily. "Mum, look, I know that I should have told you the truth. And I know how angry you are, but–"

"I'm not angry, Y/N!" she shouted, finally, standing up off the couch and creating space between us.

I winced. "You sound angry."

She put her hands on her hips, looking down to her feet and taking a breath. Her voice at normal volume, she said, "I'm upset. You– you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. Instead, I had to put it together when you acted how you did with Wanda after that mission and..." She paused, sighing. "Forget it."

"No, keep going," I pleaded, the guilt piercing through me sharply. "You're right."

She swallowed hard, glancing at me with glassy eyes. "I wouldn't have done anything. I know I have in the past, but this is Wanda we're talking about. I've been her mentor for a year. I care about her and– and– she's good. And she's good for you."

Okay, I definitely misread this whole thing because now my mum was upset, on the verge of tears, and I was the arsehole responsible for it.

"I'm so sorry," I said, standing up and moving forward to hold her arms. "I should have trusted you. I mean, it wasn't even about trust. I was just scared you'd react badly. But it wrong of me to assume that."

She frowned, looking down to her shoes. "I know I can be tough sometimes, but it's only because I care."

I thought back to Wanda's words and gave her a small smile. "I know. I get it from you."

"I am happy for you, you know," she said, glancing at me petulantly.

My expression softened. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

Without another word, she pulled me in for a motherly hug, making me close my eyes and relax in her arms. I still felt horrible for making her feel like I couldn't trust her when it was anything but that.

"I'm sorry," I repeated quietly into her shoulder.

"I forgive you," she said, before pulling away and giving me a small smile. "Now tell me. You're happy?"

The thought of being with Wanda gave me butterflies and I couldn't help but smile in response. With a nod, I said, "I am."

She nodded, squeezing my shoulders gently before fully letting go. "Good. I'm glad you've got her... I know you can take care of yourself, but she's strong, too. She can look out for you when I'm not around anymore."

I shoved her in the shoulder. "Don't joke about that. She isn't replacing you and you're not going anywhere, you hear me?"

She laughed, nodding. "Not yet anyway. But sure, okay."

I relaxed and gave her a nervous smile. "So, you wanna meet Wanda? Like, as my girlfriend and not your student?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "If I must."

I smiled widely, grabbing her hand and leading her to the door. "She loves you a lot, y'know. She wanted me to tell you about us as soon as we got together. She hated lying to you."

"Yeah because she knows that lying is wrong," she teased me, making me groan loudly. With a chuckle, she added, "I love her, too. She's definitely something."

"Hell yeah she is," I said in agreement, grinning to my mum as I dragged her to the living-area where I last left Wanda.

On the way, we passed Steve in the hall, who took notice of the smiles on our faces and nodded knowingly.

"Glad to see you worked it out," he said supportively.

"Thanks for the heads up," I told him gratefully as we passed him.

When we reached the living-area, I saw Wanda sat on the couch watching TV. When she saw who entered, she straightened up instantly, moving to stand and unsure what else to say or do. It was cute, the respect she had for my mum.

"Did you– I– She told you?" she stumbled over her words, starting to speak to me but eventually looking to my mum.

My mum glanced at me before meeting Wanda's nervous eyes. "She did."

Wanda licked her lips anxiously. "And you're okay with it...? Angry...? Wanna kill me...?"

I watched my mum, nodding encouragingly to her. She sighed before giving Wanda a small smile.

"No killing will be necessary," she reassured my girlfriend. "Unless, of course, you break my daughter's heart. Then in which case, I may have to find you when you're sleeping."

"Mum!" I complained, face falling into my hands with embarrassment.

"I'm just being truthful," my mum said with seriousness, before looking to Wanda expectantly.

Wanda surprisingly took it well, probably used to my mum's personality after training with her for a year. "I understand completely, Nat and I'll hold you to that. I have no intention of breaking Y/N's heart."

A rare, genuine smile appeared on my mother's lips. "I know you don't. Just–" She paused, glancing at me. "Keep her safe, yeah? She's a bit stupid sometimes."

Wanda laughed as my mum smiled with amusement, like it was an inside joke.

"Right here, you know," I reminded them with a wave of my hand.

They only rolled their eyes.

"I will," Wanda promised my mum. "Thank you for being okay with this."

My mum nodded, giving us both a final smile and once over, before saying, "I'll leave you to it. Goodnight."

Wanda and I bid our goodnights, watching her leave before a giant sigh of relief escaped our lips.

"You feel better?" Wanda asked me, grabbing my hand and tugging me to the couch.

She let me fall on her chest easily, snuggling up to her as she wrapped an arm around me and held me close. I inhaled her perfume, a familiar and comforting scent, as my head rested in the crook of her neck.

"I feel better," I answered, closing my eyes and letting her intertwine our fingers.

"I believe this is the part where you say I was right," she prompted, a hint of amusement in her words.

"Don't make me hurt you," I mumbled, making her laugh quietly beneath me.

"You're lucky I love you," she said, kissing the top of my head. "I guess opposites do attract. You're the stupid one and I'm the clever one."

"Wanda?"

"Yeah?"

"Fuck off."

She laughed again, and even though it was at me, I couldn't help the content smile from spreading on my lips.

[stillness-in-green]

Do you think it would have helped class dynamics more if there were more students in Class A (B too) that were more on the 'bully to hero' type of things, instead of it just being relegated to Bakugo. Like maybe Momo looks down upon most of the other girls for not measuring up in her eyes or maybe Sero would be a shady sort of prankster that takes your chair out with his tape. Not that I dislike the Class A we have now, but its just something I wonder would have some students stick out more.

100% yes.

(Hit the jump for venting about the way the story handles the kids.)

One of my semi-frequent complaints with my friend group is that the 1-A kids are all just so wonderfully, perfectly nice. It’s a bit different early on, when Todoroki is still Early-roki, and Iida is still wrestling with anger management issues, and even Ochaco had a money motive (albeit one with sympathetic motivations), but as time passed, all of those got worn down.

Shouto’s drama has internal aspects, but it’s mainly centered around his family and how he relates himself to or distinguishes himself from them. Iida gets periodic callbacks to the Stain material, but other than that one time he socked Deku in the face, it’s mostly been about The Lessons I Learned Then and not e.g. a reminder that, oh yeah, Iida is of a rigid temperament and easily moved to anger, and thence to physical outbursts. Ochaco only ever wanted money to help her parents, so as soon as they tell her not to worry about them and to focus on the part of her that wants to help people, she does, and we never hear a peep from her again about money or materialism.

This really only leaves Bakugou(1) to wrestle with developing as a person over a series-long arc.(2) And he does it great! But it leaves the rest of the class feeling pretty thin, too nice to root against, but too dramatically undernourished to root for. It’d be one thing if the series would lean into that more, really treat these kids—cream of the crop, up-and-coming darlings, adored by the country—as sheltered children, largely oblivious to the flaws of the system they’re training to become part of, but for the most part, while you can read that in if you want (and I do), it’s not something the story insists on.

It’s not like I think the kids lack all knowledge of hardship or anything. Even the ones without bullying or poverty in their backgrounds have still had to deal with the terror and trauma of multiple attempts being made on their lives by villains! Where they differ from the villains, though, is that even in their hardships and missteps, they don’t lack for support from other quarters: loving parents, friends at school, people in positions of authority that believe in their futures and thus want to help them.

Because they have that support, and because they’re all good kids, getting a good education, with good role models, they all turn out pretty good. It’s very reliable and it’s frankly not very interesting. For me, rooting for the students I like is like casually rooting for a local sports team to do well in their tournament bracket, but it’s fine if they don’t, because there’s always next season. I don’t fear there are ever going to be significant consequences for them—they might not get a trophy,(3) but they aren’t going to die or go to jail like is constantly hanging over the villains’ heads.

Honestly, you could take the sports metaphor even farther: I’m not deeply invested in the (hypothetical) local team because I’m not obliged to follow them closely. I don’t know about the athletes’ personal lives, their injuries, their ages, their rivalries, their history. If I knew that stuff, if I was invested in that stuff, maybe I’d root for them a lot more actively! If I knew about what hardships they had overcome to get where they are, the diminishing time they have left to go all the way before retirement, it would be a lot easier to want to root for them! But when there’s none of that knowledge, they’re just—there. Playing games. Hope they do well, I guess, but the team’ll still be there next year, so whatever.

The students feel similarly to me—even though I follow their stories actively, they’re mostly all surface. They’re smiling faces who are on a one-directional road to improvement, never any backsliding, never any major hurdles, nothing ugly in their pasts waiting to catch up to them. They’re never the underdogs in any situation they’re in—they’re elite students at an elite school who are the heroes of their own story, supported by everyone around them.

Even in the places where that support wavers, it’s off-screened (Shouto having to deal with public fallout from Dabi’s video), temporary (Uraraka gives one speech to one crowd of civilians at one shelter location and now nationwide civilian resentment is Solved, at least insomuch as it’s going to affect anyone we care about), and never harsh enough to drive them to do anything particularly permanent (not a single student in 1-A or 1-B quits the hero course over it).

The traitor plot is a particular let-down in this regard. Aoyama is nothing but an agonized saint who hates having to do this with his entire body, has no apparent sympathies towards any other villains or selfish motivations that drove him to All For One, and bears no resentment towards his classmates for their comparatively easy lives (indeed, their goodness fuels only his self-hatred; we can’t even get some interestingly nasty projection from him). Conversely, every single one of his classmates, after disbelief and questioning that last for all of three cumulative pages, is unstintingly sympathetic and supportive, even the ones who suffered directly because of his actions. Bakugou is gruff about it, but even he is relatively toned down, suggesting that a good fight where he gets to rough Aoyama up some will make them square.

No arguments, no dissension, no resentment: no tension.

And honestly? It kind of hurts the intellectual integrity of the series, I feel. If the Hero System is so bad, so corrupt, so in need of change, if so many people in the peaceful society All Might created wanted to be heroes for the money, the fame, the easy social aggrandizement, where was any of that in the student body? If UA’s methods were so finely tuned to producing only the best heroes, why did we never see a single person who couldn’t hack it? If the danger and social scorn were bad enough to drive professionals into retirement, why didn’t one single student drop out after USJ or the training camp attacks, either because they weren’t getting what they signed up for or due to parental pressure?

It’s not just U.A., either—we’ve now seen all of the prominent Ketsubutsu kids still in action, with the most unheroic thing any of them do being Yo complaining about stubborn civilians a little behind their backs, right before he throws himself into a battle with an S-rank villain for their sakes.

Likewise, I have no doubt that when we finally get to see the Shiketsu kids, they’re all still going to be there, probably even the kid with the most reason to drop out or go rogue: Shishikura. Portrayed in the canon and described in the data books as being rigid but impressionable, the warped justice of his worldview influenced by his Tartarus warden father, his father was murdered in the Tartarus jailbreak, and he’s not licensed for hero activity as far as we know.(4) I expect he’s going to be as active as ever, but if the story does choose him to be the Requisite Bad Example like Yoroi Musha and Death Arms got to put faces on the retiring heroes, I will happily take it.

Even if we get that, though, it won’t change the fact that that story was relegated to the extreme side cast, just like the retirements were, rather than BNHA having the cajones to actually fell some characters the audience has spent real, honest-to-god time with.

There’s a reason that Bakugou keeps beating out Deku in the character polls. It helps that he’s strong, sure, but it’s not just about that: it’s about him having real, compelling character growth, an inner life that is not all sunshine and daisies, things that he regrets, a struggle to work on his character flaws while not wholly surrendering everything that makes him who he is. Bakugou is not my favorite student,(5) not by a long shot, but he is by far the most compelling of the lot of them, and it would have helped the class dynamics an incomparable amount if here was a bit more of his spicy Kacchan flavor—his resentment, his pride, his temper, his inclinations towards violence—to go around.

Thanks as always for the ask, @shockersalvage!

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1: I would mention Mineta, who has several odious personal traits, but that it’s fairly obvious that Horikoshi doesn’t really look at Mineta’s gross behavior as indicative of a flawed character; they’re just “humorous foibles.” I’m glad to see that behavior mostly gone of late, and I even like Mineta a good deal more than most people, but his growth happens mostly offscreen and isn’t really ever framed like growth, more like his gags are just too comedic for the tone of the later series, so the series drops them.

2: And my greatest sympathies go out to the people who really like e.g. Bakugou and Endeavor’s series-long arcs, because the BNHA fandom has the worse case of First Impression Disease I have ever seen.

3: In this metaphor, flashy focus scenes, a place in the character popularity polls, merch available for their fans to purchase, etc.

4: His presence in the Chapter 246 work study spreads notwithstanding. Maybe he’s been granted a dispensation of some kind?

5: Tokoyami in Class A, who would be a lot more compelling if the story would go back to that bit where it’s forcing him to confront the fact of his respected mentor having murdered a man who considered him a friend. Monoma’s my overall fave of the students, though. Now there’s a narrative underdog for you.