#i like that the science trio were all raised by their mums

[foreverydinger]

Sammy's Swynwrimo: Five Times Tony Told A Lie & One Time He Didn't

TW: Smoking & Fire It's also, like, way too long.

"Anthony Rydinger, you'll catch your death out there!" Harriet called out into the storm.

Her eight year old had been out in the pouring rain and ignoring all the thunder booming around him. Well, less ignoring and more waiting for the moment to strike. A child at school had claimed their sorcery specialty was storm and that the only way they would get their magic was getting struck by lightning.

Tony was determined to get struck it seemed.

"Not yet, Mum! I've almost got it!" He cried as lightning cracked in the distance. The thunder that followed was too close for comfort but Tony's face was hardened with focus. "I'm doing science!" The lie slid easily from his lips but his mother saw right through him.

What the young man hadn't expected was for his mother to go marching out into the rain and grab him by the scruff of his neck. His umbrella lay abandoned in the garden and Tony's protests could probably be heard down the block. Once they got inside he was told to "Stay" as his mother retrieved him towels and a change of clothes. All the while he dripped on the front mat.

"There's no sense in inviting death, darling," Hattie tutted as she helped dry him and change out of the fabric clinging to his clammy skin. "I know magic seems fun but you can't just gain magic from nothing. You're a Mundus just like your father and I. That's what you'll always be."

Harriet walked into her son's room to grab his laundry basket with no intention of snooping. She tried to give her son the privacy he was due, though this was 1952. Her son was in the early throws of being a teenager and, as such, Harriet had found he'd started to try to be a bit of a sneak. And Tony being a bit of a sneak included her finding his report card stashed behind the hamper. He hadn't thought that through, had he? "Anthony!" Harriet roared as she stomped out of his room and into the dining room where he was sat doing his maths homework. "What is the meaning of this!?" She shook the report card, the littering of Bs and Cs and even a D in Literature all blurring with the motion. "Mum! I can explai—" "Save it! You not only clearly didn't study but you deliberately hid this from your father and I! You know, I really thought I had raised my son to be more honest than this." Where did this boy get off thinking he could hide this from her? "Mum, I really didn't mean t—" "Buh buh buh! If the next words out of your mouth aren't 'I'm sorry' then I don't want to hear it. You're nearly grown, Tony. You can't lie your way through life forever. Your lies will always catch up to you." Hattie set the card down on the table and walked away. She'd talk to Roderick, they'd decide what to do with Tony's punishment when he got home, but for now she couldn't face her son.

Tony hid behind the firehouse with Walter and Robert, the trio of twelve year olds laughing at their conquest. Walter's father had left out a pack of cigarettes and they'd swiped it on their way out to the ice cream shop. They'd never made it to the shop, instead deciding to buy themselves a box of matches ("Don't worry, sir, we're scouts!" Robert had promised with a convincing salute) and head toward the firehouse to see what all the fuss was about.

They were soon to be men, after all, and men smoked!

"C'mon, Walter! Hand it over!" Robert huffed as the one holding the contraband hesitated. Tony leaned against the brick wall, watching his two friends bicker. They were fidgety, nervous, but Tony was exhilarated.

Taking the cigarettes and the matches from them both, ignoring their protests. He lit the match, raising a brow at Walter's gulp. He then lit the cigarette and brought it to his lips.

And the experience? Truthfully, it was awful. The flavor was bad, his lungs didn't like the smoke, and he wasn't even sure why this was seen as the pinnacle of cool.

He shrugged it off, passing the cigarette to Robert. Robert didn't say anything, just made a face that he seemed to share Tony's sentiment before passing it to Walter. Rather than following suit it seemed Walter had a different idea.

He threw the still lit cigarette in the dumpster. And the dumpster sizzled and erupted into flames. And they were directly behind the firehouse which meant there was nowhere to run. They were caught.

When each of their parents was brought to the scene the boys had their stories straight. Or, well, Tony and Robert had their version of the story and Walter had his. Each team blaming the other for the accidental fire.

Harriet wanted to believe her son and Roderick didn't. So they didn't. Dammit.

"I love you." Hannah Radcliffe was holding him close under the banners and twinkle lights of the Swynlake Secondary Snowflake Dance. They had been dating for approximately eight months and Tony didn't know why the dance had prompted this. Tony had told her a joke, something small and insignificant to this story, and then she'd dropped those three heavy words. Did Tony love Hannah? Tony knew he loved his family but that love was inserted deep into his skin, the sort of love that you were born with. Tony knew he loved his friends but that was a bond forged on the football field and on those long car rides in the wee hours of a summer morning. Hannah was different. She didn't like going to parties or out driving with the boys. Hannah barely even wanted to go to Tony's games. No, Hannah preferred sitting in the back corner of the library whispering about the future and walking through the falling snow snuggled up with some hot cocoa. Did Tony love Hannah? Tony loved music and playing sports and being the center of attention. He loved how many eyes were on him when he walked through the halls of Swynlake Secondary. Tony loved how everyone in Swynlake knew his name. "I.. I love you too.."

"Are you excited for your final year of secondary, love?" Hattie crooned as she packed Tony's lunch. First day of his final year! She wanted to make it special so she'd made him his favorite to bring with to school. How sweet, right?

Tony didn't have the heart to tell her that this was the eighth 'final year' in a row.

"Better get your Pride University application ready, son," Roderick chuckled. "There's plenty of work to be done so no slacking off, alright?"

Tony felt his heart stutter and stomach drop as he thought about having to go back to that place. Swynlake Secondary was a hell of his own making at this point. They were well past the anger and the bargaining, no, now they were in the bitter acceptance stage.

"Yeah! Gonna be great!" He chirped, trying to sound more cheerful than he felt. He ate the same breakfast his mother made every year for the first day.

Like most everything in his life, Tony was starting to hate it.

"I'm sorry your father didn't get you anything for your birthday this year, darling," Harriet murmured softly, smoothing Tony's hair while he sat at the dinner table. Tony had opened the handful of gifts that he'd been given throughout the day in relative silence, though there was little merriment in the day. "I really thought we raised him better than this," Roderick agreed gruffly. He adjusted the glasses on his face as he read from his latest book. "I always believed our son would be a leader, not a deadbeat." The anger was rising in his voice and Hattie scurried over to hold his hand. Tony had heard it all before, how their son Anton had dumped them with a child and left without another word. They were so disappointed. "That's enough!" Tony snapped, standing up from his seat. "You're all wrong! I don't have some deadbeat father who abandoned me with you! You are my mother and you are my father! This is insane! I'm cursed to relive this fucking year over and over and you keep forgetting!?!" It was 1983. Tony was FORTY years old for crying out loud! He just wanted someone, anyone to believe him! His parents looked confused and offended by Tony's outburst at first, turning to each other for support before a look of understanding crossed their faces. For a moment, a sliver of a moment, Tony's heart held hope. "Tony, honey, I'm... so glad that you see us as your parents because we did raise you. It's very important that you feel well taken care of... but, darling, it's not fair to Anton to discount him entirely. I'm sure he has his reasons for leaving and I'm sure he'll explain them to you someday. Just... have a little faith, won't you?" And just like that all hope was dashed once again. Tony didn't argue, didn't fight the immovable tide, just turned and went to his room once again. What was the point?

[simptasia]

the science squad + 13, 20 (heh) & 22 :)

thank you! i wanted somebody to send me them. and lets just assume, this means dan, char & miles unless said otherwise (sad violin for frank and naomi) because they’re the ones, i like, care about

Grudges and vendettas

every moment i find of daniel being bitter about his upbringing gives me life. like, yes, he loves his mum but he’s perfectly aware she’s terrible

miles’ longing for a father in his youth eventually got replaced with huge resentment for him not being there, so there was a time when miles straight up hated his dad that he never met. and when he did meet him, those feelings were still in play (layered over his sad feelings)

char just gets annoyed, she’s got no grudges. in limbo, dan thinks char’s gonna blame him for her death, because he always did blame himself but of course she doesn’t, it wasn’t his fault. she’s not even mad about the hydrogen bomb thing (she fucking laughs), char’s just happy they have time together now and they’ve been given a second chance

but i digress

~

What-ifs/Alternate Timelines

whats that “heh” for, you expectin’ something, lisa? :}

man, you could sum up my sci trio shipping as “WHAT IF THEY KISSED AND BANGED AND LIVED TOGETHER AND ALSO OWNED PETS TOGETHER?” tho it’s not exactly an AU since i put all this in the limboverse. but it is all a bunch a what ifs. what if these people all had a closer relationship. expanding on what if daniel faraday was allowed to be happy gosh damn it. what if LOST had a concept of polyamory. etc

my No Incident AU affects everybody but i have it focus on dan, char and miles. specifically, miles n char are still in dharma, and dan is an other. because i’m loving that concept. this AU is, a lot because i’m very into details so i’ll probs make a post about it but that is about the gist of it

the science team…. but they’re the ghostbusters (i don’t think i need to say but they’re filling these roles but with their personalities: miles = peter, dan = egon, char = ray and frank = winston. and yes. they look 80s)

i also got this lost high school au which i kinda like and in that the science team = the science club. miles is just there for easy credit

~

People who’ve influenced them greatly

daniel: 

[insert really great scientists and classical musicians here]. i’m mostly thinking isaac newton and frederic chopin. dan is a physicist (as in that’s his field, he’s clearly an expert on other sciences too) so i’m assuming newton is considered the champ of that field? (personally i think he was an asshole but that’s neither here nor there. he was important)

and that music piece associated with dan’s story - fantaisie-impromptu in c-sharp minor - is a chopin song. so i like to think chopin is his fave classical composer. also that song is a great pick because not only is it notoriously hard to do (i notice we only see daniel play the slower, easier parts for the sake of the child actor and jeremy) but if you listen to that piece, which i did, it’s the music version of daniel faraday

also. his mother. especially his mother. holy fucko did she drill her philosophies into daniel. he just wanted her to be proud of him :( …well, FUCK YOU, MOM, WE’RE THE VARIABLES

also desmond kinda changed his life. like having proof (or daniel’s idea of proof) of time travel walk up to him one day would be like, huge. and it’s clear to me that daniel loves how wrong and special desmond is. and i hc that dan’s short but meaningful afternoon with des in 1996 was dan’s bi awakening. so in just an hour and half, des had a big impact

charlotte

[insert influential cultural anthropologist(s) here] i know very little about cultural anthropology so this def applies here even more so 

her mother also, char said she only became an anthropologist because she wanted to find the island and that was because her mum was so cage-y and secretive about the existence and events of the island (repeatedly telling char it doesn’t exist and she imagined it!!) so it seems like char’s mum had a huge influence on her life and psyche 

(wow there’s something dan & char have in common. nerd scientists with emotionally abusive mums and are secretly island babies)

daniel’s convo with bb char was kind of a Big Deal on char’s psyche too

miles:

his mum also but, combo breaker, i imagine her as an actual good mum (besides the refusing to give any info on miles’ father but like, i get it) who was just doing her best. and i imagine her death hit miles really hard. most of my headcanons regarding miles cynicism and emotional walls and issues with love all hinge on the idea that his mum’s death fucked him up

yeah, his powers and missing dad are also a huge part of why miles is the way he is, but i imagine his mum (his Ma) and her death is a part of it too

i hc that miles is a ghostbuster fan and that peter is his fave ghostbuster, because that’s the most obvious thing in the world. i like to think that miles sense of humour, his attitude, his sense of snark is influenced by peter venkman (and bill murray characters in general) because he seems like the kinda guy who’d like peter the best. and also he’s got that whole “i hide the fact that i care about stuff behind snark and one-liners” schtick

miles’ friendships with hurley and sawyer made him a better person. and i like to think his post-finale friendships with richard, kate & claire will continue that (miles isn’t good at opening up. he needs random people to cling to him first)

[ontheoddoccasioniwritestuff]

Goodnight, Aaron (Aaron Hotchner x OC) Chapter 5

Summary: After being grilled about his ex-girlfriend on what is meant to be a fun birthday outing, Sebastian gets some new information dropped on him by a worn-out Jack.

AN: Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Been a bit busy with job and family stuff. Hope you enjoy this chapter. This chapter is mostly unedited sorry!

Tagging: @sunlight-moonrise, @clean-bands-dirty-stories, @genevievedarcygranger, and @davidrossi-ismydad

Chapter 4 // Masterlist // AO3 Link

“They asked you to coach?”

Sebastian watched Jack run off to warm up with his team, then he turned back to Hotch who clicked the car keys to lock, “Do they know what you do for a living? And they’ve asked you to coach before? Mental.”

Hotch let out a chuckle at how utterly ridiculous Sebastian made it sound. And, truth be told, it was “mental” that Hotch was still coaching his son and their team when he still had to wrangle together his own team back at the BAU.

Sebastian adjusted his bag strap, “You need to learn to say ‘no’ to some people, Aaron.”

Hotch shook his head, playing into that teasing tone that had worked its way ito the conversation, “Well I don’t suppose you would be up for it?”

“I know nothing about football.”

“Soccer.”

“Soccer,” and Hotch laughed at the way Sebastian’s nose wrinkled as he mimicked the accent – albeit with heavy exaggeration on the vowels.

“Dave!”

Hotch’s hand raised into the air, catching the attention of his co-worker. Sebastian felt the pressure crank up to eleven as David Rossi sauntered over. He did not look like he was about to coach little league. He looked like he was about to go to one of his many villas in Europe and lounge around there for two weeks drinking wine.

 “David Rossi, this is Sebastian Porter.”

“Jack’s nanny, of course,” Rossi shook his hand heartily. Sebastian immediately wanted Rossi to be the cool uncle he never had.

He couldn’t think of anything wittier to say than this: “And you work with Aaron. On and off the pitch.”

“Couldn’t let him do it alone,”

“My ride’s here, so I’ll see you this evening. Nice meeting you, David.”

Though Sebastian was already behind schedule, he spared himself the embarrassment of his boss watching him lightly jogging over to his companions - and said companions clowning him for said light jogging.

“Aww, a lil peewee match?” Bellamy teased loudly, though not loud enough for the team to hear her.

Sebastian wanted to give her a playful shove, but he didn’t trust that she wouldn’t slide off her rollerblades deliberately, so instead he retorted, “Bullying kids, Bellamy? I thought you couldn’t stoop any lower.”

Klaus stopped rolling back and forth on his BMX, “Which one’s the boss then?”

“Wearing the white polo and shorts, not holding the clipboard.”

Klaus squinted behind his par of wholly unnecessary sunglasses, “Hmm, both are fit.”

“Come on, you’re staring,” and Sebastian twisted Klaus’ baseball cap around backwards before climbing onto the back of the bike.

As Klaus gave an indignant retort, he pushed off and began to cycle away. Sebastian’s hands gripped his shoulders tight and he opted to send a smile in his boss’ direction as opposed to a wave. Bellamy, the embarrassing mom type that she was, waved with both hands and skated backwards as she went.

Their afternoon sesh was off to a rocking start when Sebastian refused even one drink – sticking instead to a diet soda – while Bellamy and Klaus went for bottomless Bellini’s.

Bellamy discussed what children the new term had brought her. A short summary was that they were all little shits whom she adored and would protect with her life. That had been her track record for the part three years she had taught at this high school. The trio clinked glasses in celebration to her track record.

“Honestly, they’re so ready to get to using the Bunsen burners. It’s gonna be bonkers,” She beamed as a server brought her a refilled glass, “Can’t wait to bust out the copper.”

“As much as I love you talking science to me,” Klaus paused to put on a solemn mask that was cracked from the triumph he was wearing beneath, “We have to talk about Pippa while I’m still partially sober.”

When both his friends zeroed in on him whilst sipping their Bellini’s through straws, Sebastian all but exploded with excuses, “Oh my god, I get it! You told me so! It’s been a month! Can we drop it?”

“You went back to her!” Klaus ignored Sebastian’s “I know’s” with his head craning to reach over his friend’s voice, “After everything she did to you! You that desperate for attention?”

“Yeah!”

Both Bellamy and Klaus ceased their teasing, Klaus dropping back into his chair as he said, “Woah, ok, sorry dude.”

“It’s ok.”

Bellamy took Sebastian’s glass away, “Babe, that’s really depressing, you sure you haven’t been drinking?” She took a long sniff, her nose twirling around the rim before sliding it back to Sebastian, “No, he really is that deep.”

“Ha ha.”

Both Bellamy and Klaus sobered up considerably, the tone of their voices shifting into quiet support as Bellamy draped her arm around Sebastian’s shoulders, “I’m glad you got out of it, Bash.”

“Me too. And Rachael.”

“Ooo, how is Rachael?” Klaus pushed his sunglasses up his nose. How he looked like such a douchebag, shades on indoors, yet so happy with that status, Sebastian didn’t care to think about right now.

“She’s got a job in a firm now, big proper one.”

“Oooh! Can she get me out of my parking tickets?”

Suddenly the lights dimmed and Bellamy whipped out her phone, grinning behind it as Klaus looked up and around with a baby’s curiosity.

A troop of servers marched over with the birthday cake Bellamy had dropped off earlier that day. Its bright red buttercream icing Klaus went very quiet, a bashful smile glowing in the candlelight as the restaurant turned its attention to sing “Happy Birthday” to him.

“Happy Birthday, Klaus.” Bellamy and Sebastian kissed both his cheeks at the same time, a perfect photo op that one of the servers took for them.

The birthday boy was gracious enough to share his cake and give Sebastian a ride home after a few more drinks. Of water, Sebastian insisted that Klaus sober up a little so they weren’t going to crash the bike before his night out.

At the crossroads, Bellamy turned left when they went right, her arm stretching out to them like she was watching her loved one get shipped off to war. Sebastian was dropped off shortly after, just outside the block of flats, and Klaus was already off before Sebastian could tackle him with a hug. So he shouted after him. Nothing expletive, but it was enough for Klaus to look over his shoulder and smirk, swerving not a second later to avoid an incoming pedestrian.

When Sebastian entered the flat, Hotch and Rossi were in the sitting room, lounging in the settee over a bottle of whiskey artistically placed on the coffee table.

“Hey, how was the training?”

“Tough, but those kids are tougher.” Rossi raised his drink to his statement, and Sebastian thought about how he could subtly slide some adoption papers across the coffee table.

“Do you want a drink?” Hotch asked.

Already going to the kitchen, Sebastian checked in the stew he’d prepped that morning in the slow cooker, “I’m good, thanks.” He was a little peeved that he’d spent the afternoon sober, especially during the bashing of the ex-girlfriend, but he could always grab a nightcap later on. “Where’s Jack?”

“I SCORED A GOAL!”

Sebastian smile strained as he saw the state of Jack’s shorts once he rounded the corner to the kitchen. His shirt was off; clearly he was in the middle of getting changed.

“That’s brilliant, but if you come at me with them muddy keks, I’ll score a goal with you! Come back in your jammies and we’ll celebrate properly.” And he shooed Jack away to the bathroom. The star striker to be disappeared, his muddy rear skidding into his bedroom with the door closing quick behind him.

“‘Keks’?” Rossi repeated with an eyebrow raised.

So Sebastian clarified, “Trousers.”

“You mean pants.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Hotch’s so-called correction before saying again, “No, keks.”

Thankfully they saw the funny side of it, allowing a hint of strain to drop from Sebastian’s shoulders just in time for Jack to come running back in. This time, he was wearing pyjamas.

Sebastian caught him neatly and plonked him on the countertop, “Tell me all about practice!”

As Sebastian prepared the rest of dinner, Jack babbled away about the training and his teammates. His energy by comparison to the other conversation between Hotch and Rossi caused theirs to stagnate in favour of joining in. Sebastian carried Jack across to the other counters without impeding his speech, keeping an eye on him and the food, while Hotch and Rossi joined in the storytelling.

At Jack’s description of Hotch and Rossi’s demonstration of a paired-up passing game, Sebastian’s abandoned phone began to buzz.

“Sorry Jack, I gotta get this. But why don’t you set the table?” Sebastian took him back down to Earth and shuffled him in the direction of the cutlery drawer before he picked up his mobile, “Hey, what are you doing up? Go to bed, young lady.”

Rachael replied with a heftier helping of snarkasm, “I’m in bed at the moment actually. Have you rung Mum and Dad yet?”

“I have, don’t worry,”

“Ok. Just checking.”

“Texting exists, you know? Not that I don’t delight at the sound of your grumpiness.”

“Yeah, well, you’re starting to sound more American.”

Casting an eye over to see Jack was nattering away to Hotch and Rossi, Sebastian whispered, “Shut your goddamn mouth.”

“I’ll call you after work. Love you, bye.”

“Bye.”

Sebastian hung up then slapped his free palm against his face.

Hotch caught his attention, leaning ever so slightly into his range of vision with concern, “Are you alright?”

“Forgot to say I love you, she’s gonna hold that against me for five years at least.”

As the person dishing up and the last to get to the table, Sebastian sat beside Rossi with Jack opposite him and Hotch diagonally across. There was a tautness in Sebastian’s back as he tried desperately not to gauge Rossi’s reaction to his food.

Instead Rossi reminded him of their meeting earlier, “Interesting choice in mode of transport today.”

Like a deer in the headlights, Sebastian tripped his way through his explanation, “Thanks, we’re desperately trying to reclaim our youth.” Then he popped a forkful of meat into his mouth to excuse him from further conversation.

Except Jack didn’t get the memo. “Who were you talking to on the phone?”

“My sister, Rachael, she’s got a big case on tomorrow.”

“She’s a lawyer,” Rossi pointed across the table with his fork, “Hotch was a defence attorney.”

The information was so shiny and new to Sebastian, that he forgot to implement his “you’re my boss” filter and he said, “You look for ‘intimidating’ in your job descriptions?”

No time for regret, Jack once against filled the space. “Intimidating?”

“Yeah, intimidating, big into justice, likes his suit,” and instead of back down, Sebastian leant over his plate as if to tell a secret, and Jack opposite him leant close too as Sebastian said, “Your dad’s basically Batman.”

Jack’s face lit up at the comparison, one he had made in the past, and he continued to grin as he ate his stew.

“Anyway, our kid’s following up on some advice about getting my deposit back from my bedsit. Landlord’s being an absolute bad word.”

“If you want, I can take a look at it,” Hotch offered.

Sebastian looked back at Jack with fond bemusement, “Told you, your dad’s Batman, just no billions minus the brutality.”

Hotch’s cutlery slipped and collided loudly with his plate as Sebastian said, “It’s all good, thank you. I just sent him some photos of what the mattress looked like when I first moved in, should get him to give up.”

The conversation stagnated from Sebastian, still worn out word-wise from his afternoon drinking non-drinking outing, so he was grateful for the fact he finished first and Jack finished second.

“We can leave the grown-ups now,” he said in a loud whisper, already walking off with Jack to his bedroom.

Over his shoulder, he heard Rossi say not so quietly an I-told-you-so about how “men can be nannies” and that Sebastian was a good choice. While Sebastian was relieved at he had made a good impression on Rossi, he was not so much feeling the inferred sexism his boss held. Still, he was hired now. Microaggressions could be tackled when he got to them.

Cross-legged on the carpet, Jack set about demolishing the rocket. Bricks flew across his little zone of construction. One stray red brick hit Sebastian right between his sock and his cuffed jeans.

“What are we on today, bud? Pirate ship?”

But Jack was quiet. His energy levels were definitely crashing after such a big day. Sebastian gave him space to answer if he wanted, taking charge of organising the bricks into sizes for Jack to pick from.

When there was no reply for a solid minute, Sebastian asked, “You ok?”

For a while, Jack continued his silence. He was busy looking for a very specific shape of brick. His fingers searched over the top of the pile then dove into it, fishing out the perfect piece. Then he spoke.

“Batman beats up the bad guys,” Jack said, his voice hushed, “But so does Daddy.”

Sebastian blinked then recovered just as quick, “Oh I’m not sure about that.”

But Jack shook his head with his eyes still on assembling his boat, “He beat up the man who killed Mommy. Don’t tell him, it’s a secret.”

“A secret from him?” Sebastian didn’t know he was whispering too until he had already spoken.

“He doesn’t know we know. Can you make the mast please?”

And Jack held out a square block. Sebastian blinked again and accepted the piece. Clearly Jack thought this was a very casual conversation, something that Sebastian should keep from Hotch very easily. And he was making a ship.

“Jack, have you told that to anyone else?”

“No.”

“How tall do you want the mast?”

Jack measured with the space between his hands. Taking note, Sebastian continued to stack bricks until the desired height was reached, and Jack took it off his hands, placing it in the middle of the boat.

“I’m gonna get a drink. Do you want anything?”

The little guy shook his head, now completely absorbed in his construction projects. With a pat on his head, Sebastian twisted his legs around to stand and went to stand in the hallway. The door closed behind him and he pressed his forehead against the wall. He took a deep breath, rolling his head to the left, and pushed back his shoulders. A crack from his neck introduced him to the kitchen, where he tossed a half smile at Hotch and Rossi. Then he busied himself with getting that drink. A few drops of water splashed against his wrist.

“Hey Sebastian?”

Said person looked around to see Rossi rocking on the back legs of his chair, “I don’t suppose Hotch ever told you that, when you were taking your trial day, he nearly called you every hour to see how you were doing?”

“Dave,” Hotch said with something that was clearly intended to be a warning tone. The smile he was fighting to keep off his face betrayed him.

“No, he didn’t.” He hid his smirk in his glass. It dropped fast though. The Batman comments were still heavy in his mind, and now with Jack’s context on the brutality aspect, he wasn’t really jazzed to crack another joke lest he stumble across some more unfortunate information.

Rossi didn’t seem to care about that so much, “I had to micromanage his micromanaging.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t’ve minded that.” Sebastian’s foot idly dragged across the tile in front of him, “I’m sure Jack wouldn’t’ve either. And speaking of-” He pulled out his phone and pulled up the website he and Jack had browsed during breakfast, “I have a very important question for you: can we get this bouncy castle for Jack’s birthday?”

He showed the photo of the dream castle to the two men.

“You mean a ‘bounce house’?”

“No, I mean bouncy castle. He was telling me all about wanting a slide one, he’d be over the moon if he got to bring his classmates around to go on one!”

“I suppose if we removed all my furniture and knocked down the walls, we could fit it in here,” Hotch said smartly. His eyebrows were raised as he looked away from the screen at Sebastian, who snorted. God, it wasn’t even that funny.

Once again, Rossi chimed in with his brilliant contributions, saving Sebastian from utter shame, “You know, we could have the party at my home.”

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

Family Fights - Chapter Two

Summary: Even the strongest bond, the most loving family, can be broken by nightmares, and the librarian is soon to learn this. As she learns sinister things about a person who she had thought was lost forever, she realizes she will need the help of another witch to get her family back.

Notes:  This is a repost. When I re read the first chapters of this fic to write the third, I realized that it was packed with grammatical errors and that the pacing was terrible. Unfortunately, I can’t (or at least i don’t know how to) edit posted chapters on ao3, but I can at least re-post a slightly better version of the chapters here.

Read the first chapter here

She was gardening outside. The moonlight illuminated her extensive flowerbed, and for the first time since she was five and dropped an acid potion on them, her roses just wouldn’t bloom. They laid wilted on the ground, the bushes not strong enough to support themselves. It was a truly macabre vision, especially with the putrid smell coming from the rotting plants. But then, the bushes began to move. The twigs began to intertwine and form a figure. Maven watched horrified as her deep red roses began to melt into blood, and the plants formed a four meters tall troll-like creature. As the blood dripped down the leaves, the librarian raised her gaze to see strings attached to her once-a-rose-bush, just the way a puppet would have. At the end of the strings, controlling the troll, was her sister. Her face bigger than the Moon, her body seeming to disappear behind the trees staring down at her with angry, green eyes and a Cheshire like grin

“You failed me.” Myra hissed. “You failed me, and I’ll never forgive you. You failed me and you shall DIE” Maven’s surroundings dropped as if made of paper, like would happen if one cut the corners of a cardboard box, giving way to nothing but darkness all around her, her sister’s legs dipping below the ground horizon, making her feel like an ant on a platform. “Myra, I’m sorry!” Maven cried, tears streaming down her face. “Sister, please come- please c-come back!” She stuttered as she dropped to her knees before the flower monster, her tears mixing with the blood on the ground. “NEVER” The Marra shouted, and with a movement of her hand, made the troll raise it’s hand, ready to strike the librarian. “Madam!” The librarian woke up with a start at the child like voice and the small hand on her shoulder. When she could focus better, the nightmare finally releasing her from its crutches, she saw a young face and long blue hair. The Hilda girl, she recognized. “Where am I?” She asked as she tried to control her beating heart. “Safe.” Came another voice, a more mature one. Johanna offered her a cup of coffee as she sat on the bed at Maven’s feet, and she happily accepted the beverage. “The kids found you this evening passed out near the woods. We didn’t know where you live, and we just couldn’t leave you there, so we brought you here. I hope you don’t mind.” “Um, no, of course I don’t. Thank you. Can you tell me exactly where you found me?” “You were lying at the gates to the Huldrawood when we went out to get a badge. Why were you there?” “You were crying in your sleep.” Hilda pointed at Maven’s puffy eyes and wet cheeks before she could answer the first question. “Are you okay?” The librarian took a deep breath and looked out of the window near the bed. “I’ll be fine.” “What happened?” Asked another kid from the other side of the room, near the girl Maven usually saw him with. So, the whole trio was there. “That’s was none of you business, kid” Maven spatted and regretted it immediately when everyone’s faces fell. They had taken her out of the streets and welcomed her into their home. The least she could do was be grateful. “I think I just lost the person I love the most.” It was obvious in the boy’s face he had come to regret his question. “Who?” Hilda asked, aiming at gentleness and failing, and Johanna glared at her. “Hilda! That’s not polite!” “No, that’s fine.” Maven said as she sipped her coffee. “It was my sister.” “Oh.” Johanna’s face filled with sympathy for the librarian. “I’m sorry for your loss. How did she die?” Maven twisted her nose. “Die? Who said anything about dying?” “W-well, but if she didn’t die maybe you can still get back to her.” The girl she recognized as the biggest bookworm in town after herself spoke for the first time, and Maven sighed. “I doubt that. She made a bad decision. And I didn’t stop her. And when I realized it, I only judged her. I promised I’d always protect her. And I failed” She spit out, choking with unshed tears. “Hey, if you don’t try, you’ll never know!” Came yet another voice. She looked at the bedside table and gaped at what she saw. “An elf?” Maven spat in surprise. “You can see him?” Hilda asked, just as surprised the librarian could see Alfur as the librarian was at seeing him. “You have signed elf paperwork?” “Well, I’ve yet to meet a witch who hasn’t”

Maven realized those were the wrong words the moment they came out of her mouth. She just couldn’t believe her carelessness; that was supposed to be kept a <em>secret</em>.

“You’re a witch?!” David asked wide-eyed, and Maven stood a little straighter. “Yes, I am.” “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Alfur chirped. “Witches are the only kind of humans elves usually get along with. No offense.” He said looking at the other people in the room. “Witch or not, it doesn’t matter. You need help. What can we do?” Johanna asked, and Maven sighed in relief as she realized that this friendship wouldn’t be ruined by ignorance as many others had been before. “I’m afraid there’s nothing to do. Nothing can undo what happened to my Myra.” Maven lifted her head abruptly, an old ritual coming to mind. “Unless...” She turned her head and faced Hilda, a plan forming on her thoughts already. “Unless what?”, the child asked. But before she could get her hopes high, Maven realized she couldn’t be selfish enough to let her wishes get in the way of a kid’s safety. “Forget it, Hildie. It’s nothing.” A heavy atmosphere intruded the room, and silence hung heavily around them. “Frida, David, your parents must be worried. Hilda, can you walk home with them?” Johanna asked softly to her child, who looked like she would oppose. Her mother lifted her eyebrows, making it clear that there would be no discussion.

“Yes, mum. I’ll take the opportunity to take twig out for a walk. Come on, guys.” The door closed behind the children, and Johanna took her gaze from them to her guest. “There is a way to help you. You just don’t want to say it.” It was more a statement then a question, and a right one. “I’ll go get us something to eat, and then we can discuss it, okay?” Maven nodded with her head hanging low, until Johanna put her hand on the librarian’s shoulder, making her look up at the slightly older woman, a blush warming her neck and creeping up to her face at the proximity. “Okay.” She whispered as her host left the room. After a few minutes of uneasy thoughts and shifting movements from Maven’s part, Johanna was back with a bowl full of cookies. Before she could even offer the snack, the librarian began speaking, wishing to end this as soon as she could. And if there was any remote chance that she could get what she needed and have her little sister back, she was taking it. “Who is the father?” She asked rather harshly. “Who is Hilda’s father.” Johanna sat down at Maven’s feet again, blushing prettily, and the librarian had to admit the colour looked rather nice on her. “I- er, I don’t know.” Maven lifted her eyebrows, surprise clearly written on her face. She’d never been one to judge people, and she was a firm believer that one could do whatever they wanted with their body, but the sweet artist hadn’t given her the impression that she was that kind of person. At Maven’s reaction, Johanna was quick to clasp her hands over her mouth, and the pink on her face turned to green. “What, NO! Oh Gods, it’s not what you’re thinking! Hilda- Hilda was adopted is what I mean!” Maven’s jaw snapped shut and she cursed herself for jumping to conclusions. The poor woman looked like she was going to faint before her. “I beg your pardon. I should have worded my doubts. So you mean you didn’t get to meet her biological parents?” “Er, no, I didn’t.” She murmured as she fiddled with a biscuit on her hand. “I found her in the woods, actually. I had gone to my grandfather’s cabin to see if I could find some inspiration. The day I ventured farther into the forest, I heard a baby weeping. Oh, Maven, she was so young and she was alone. I couldn’t leave her there. I took her in and fell in love with her.” She finished with her eyes wet.

“The two of you are perfect together. I’m glad you found each other. Does she know?” Johanna gave her a dry little laugh. “Yeah, she does. Not like it’s easy to keep something from her, anyway.” “And do you know why she was abandoned?” Maven quirked an eyebrow. “Of course not! All I know is that they were monsters if they couldn’t even care for the safety of their child!” Johanna spat and Maven could feel suppressed rage beneath her skin. The mother might not know, but the witch? Oh, the witch had seen this story a thousand times. “Let me ask you something: have you ever seen anyone other than Hilda with natural blue hair?” Johanna furrowed her brow as she searched her memory for the image of someone with such unusual hair colour. “No, I can’t say I have. But I imagine it’s some kind of genetic mutation or something? The doctors could never put their fingers on it.” Maven pinched the bridge of her nose, stressed to see the culture passed from mother to daughter amongst her kind so lost to most people. “Oh my- no, Johanna, I’m afraid it has nothing to do with genetics. Or science, even. When one is born with an unnatural hair colour, it is believed that this person has magical gifts. That they are, let’s say, prone to engage in witchcraft.” She paused for a moment, letting the other woman try to wrap her head around that information. “It can be passed down to generations... or pop in suddenly on a child coming from a non-magical family. When it happens, the children are usually abandoned, given away, mistreated, and murdered even.” Maven knew she’d gone too far when a sob erupted from the sweet artist, and she tried to give her what she hoped was a reassuring look. “Don’t fret. These things would happen on old times. Now this knowledge has been practically forgotten. Your Hilda just had the fortune of being born into a family of cruel magicphobes who happened to know of this.” Another sob came from her. “How can you say she was lucky?! It was awful what happened to her! She could have been hurt!” “Well, but instead you found her, didn’t you?” Johanna was silent again, and she stuffed her mouth with a vanilla biscuit. “Yes, I suppose I did.” She answered when she finished chewing. “But if it’s such an obvious sign, why don’t most people know about this? How come no one suspects?” Johanna gesticulated as she spoke, throwing crumbs around the room with her movements, and Maven scoffed. “Why, since they created hair dye no one can tell natural from fake hair anymore. Before it existed, witches would usually hide their hair in some way. But nowadays there’s no trouble. Some of us still keep a part of our hair natural to let others know we are one of them.” The librarian lifted her hands to her scalp, separating the hair strands so that the gaping woman in front of her could see the purple sprouting from the roots. A few moments of uncomfortable silence went by, and it was only broken when the mother opened her mouth again. “Why did you tell me all that?” “Because the only way to save my sister is if Hilda helps me” Maven answered after taking a deep breath. Johanna was silent, but she nodded in a sign for her to continue. “The Marra are a society of kinds. They seek teenagers who want more power, more control, more... freedom. They twist their minds to make them believe that spending the rest of your immortal lives giving people nightmares is the best way to live. And when they convince them of such, the adolescents go through a ritual, in which they gift their soul to the goddess Niorun, acquiring, in exchange, immortality and the ability to enter people’s dreams.” “Why would that goddess do that?” “She doesn’t know what they use their abilities for. As the goddess of dreams, Niorun thinks that the Marra’s loyalty to her comes from the desire to give pleasant dreams to others, the way she does, and not nightmares. But the point is, my sister has joined them.” Johanna lifted her head as if she’d been electrocuted, her jewel bright eyes wide awake. “Beg pardon?” She stuttered with effort. “You heard this right. My sister has joined the Marra. And that was two years ago. I- I believe that she has already performed the ritual” Maven felt the stinging of tears behind her eyes, but she refused to let them drop. “She hadn’t aged a day...” she whispered. Johanna squared her shoulders confidently. “And what can we do?” She asked in a strong, unwavering voice. “You said you needed Hilda. I’m sure she’d have no trouble in agreeing to help.” “You don’t understand!” Maven protested. “Not only is the spell we’d need to do dangerous, but the training Hilda would need would unlock her magic forever!” She hugged her legs and looked away from Johanna. “And I can’t let her hurt herself to help Myra! Best case scenario, the ritual goes smoothly but everyone looks at her like she’ll curse them!” Maven cried, unable to contain her tears any longer as she realized the depth of the situation her sister had put herself in. She only heard the gentle padding of Johanna’s feet getting lower and then higher, right before feeling her hand on her shoulder. “Here” Johanna offered a napkin and a smile as the librarian looked up at her. At that moment, Maven was painfully aware that she had broken down in front of Johanna. Wonderful. “Calm down, and talk to me. Why do you need Hilda for that spell?” “Because it requires the energy of two witches to work. That’s also what makes the spell so dangerous. There’s no way to get my sister’s soul back,” <em>unless you want to fight a goddess</em>, she added in her mind. “And so the only way to make Myra human again would be by making a new soul for her.” “Can... can only witches do that?” “Yes, I’m afraid so. Witches have more energy, and more control of it. A normal person would probably die with that spell.” Maven sighed, knowing there was no way Johanna was allowing Hilda to help her now. “And Hilda is the only witch in Trollberg?” The question was met with a nod. “You said she’d require training... can the training make the spell... safer?” Johanna had left the bed, now pacing hypnotic circles on the wooden floor. “Certainly. The better the witch can manipulate the energy and elements, the safer the spell is.” “Could you train her?” The answer took the librarian by surprise. A small spark of hope ignited in her chest. “You’d let me?” Johanna sighed. “Hilda will kill me if I don’t let her try. But if it’s been too long and we still don’t think it’s safe, I’m afraid I’ll have to put my daughter first.” Johanna had barely finished speaking before Maven had gotten up and raised her arms as if to hug her, letting them drop again as she got a hold of herself. “Thank you. So much.” The librarian whispered with true gratefulness, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and biting on her bottom lip. There was something about the woman in front of her that made her incredibly soft, and she’d have to be cautious.

“You’re welcome” Johanna smiled shyly at Maven. At any sign of danger to her family, she would make Hilda back down immediately. But why cut down all the options before even trying? Why not allow Maven a little happiness? _#_#_#_

Hilda closed the door behind her and looked around to find her mother and the librarian sitting at the table, and Twig sniffing Maven’s shoes, where he had ran to as soon as the girl had opened the door.

“Hey mum.” She said as she approached the women. The walk to her friends’ houses had been a tense affair, the three of them too immersed in their own thoughts to speak. The tension in her house, however, seemed to have dissipated.

“Hey Hilda!” Johanna greeted her with a nervous yet encouraging smile. “Are you up for an adventure?”

[ohstardust]

Rose Coloured Boy - [1/11]

Summary: Sebastian Stan & Eleanor Egan spent the better part of six years being the European outcasts of Rockland Country Day School. Despite growing through their teens as best friends, college soon broke down their friendship until nothing remained. Ten years later, a turn of events in a city as large as New York City, finds them running in the same social circles once again with nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. 

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x OFC

Word Count: 2k

Masterlist / Story Background / Playlist / AO3

A/N: Happy Birthday to Sebastian! I thought it was very fitting to start this series on his birthday so I hope you like the start and please let me know what you think. Part 2

1995

Eleanor Egan had befriended Sebastian Stan on an overcast morning in late August of 1995. No one had forewarned Eleanor how tragically horrific, and anxiety inducing, being the new kid at school would be especially when in a foreign country. Where she knew no one besides her mother and entered a school where most students had already grown up together. By 8am she’d already felt like a fish out of water and classes hadn’t even begun yet.

There were few things that could have eased her nerves that day more than another foreign new starter in class, she was thirteen years old with little inclination to start making new friends. She already felt too old to start that, past the point of starting fresh and trying to be social so she could avoid being the outcast even further, but someone else in her position eased her worry, and it lessened the pressure and cooled the heat that had been rising in her cheeks since breakfast. Eleanor didn’t like being the centre of attention at the best of times, especially not when she was being singled out for being the new different European student in a foreign country that was far more vast than her birthplace. With the other new student stood up before the class, she sighed in relief with the knowledge she now had someone else to share the first day spotlight with.

Rockland Country Day School was nothing like Eleanor had imagined. With only 120 students across PK - 12th grade, it was a far cry from the 1200 student populated high school she had known for the past year. Everything was so small despite the vast district she’d found herself now inhabiting and she cursed every life changing moment that had led her to Rockland. But her mum had reassured her that this was right, this was what they both needed, and they had each other, what more did they both need besides that and stability? The calming arms that embraced her still left her with an ounce of concern, but she trusted her mum was doing right by them both. She had no other choice. She had her mother or nothing.

After a day of few whispers and stares and more nice to meet you’s and small smiles, she worried less about returning the following day, and the years that were still to come. This wasn’t like the school’s they showed in American movies, this was civilised and welcoming and oddly comforting. She supposed she could stick it out here for the duration.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Romania. That’s where Sebastian Stan had been born. It had caught Eleanor so off guard that she stared wide eyed and bewildered at the young boy for a good five seconds after learning about his nationality. It was clear as day he wasn’t American, she’d been quick to realise this as soon as he introduced himself to their class of students, she just wasn’t expecting him to be so European. But it calmed her knowing he was in the same situation as her, the pair a million miles from home surrounded by people they were yet to know. She’d left England only six weeks prior and it felt so daunting to be thrown back into education somewhere that felt uncomfortable and new and unlike anything she’d experienced before.

Before the end of the first day, Eleanor and Sebastian had become firm acquaintances with all the promise of a firm friendship in the making.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

“What were the chances that in this tiny school, there were two brand new European students starting the same day in the same grade?” Eleanor wondered aloud in a muted whisper on that first Thursday afternoon, her chin resting in her left hand as her right repeatedly tapped her pen on her book in Science class boredom. Their teacher’s words circling and swirling around them in a haze that stopped just short of reaching Eleanor’s ears.

“Stupidly low, yet here we are.” Sebastian responded, scribbling notes in conjunction with the regaling of information, his hand working overtime, curious eyes darting from the blackboard to his paper and back again.

“I don’t believe in all that fate rubbish, but if I did, I’d probably put all the blame on that.”

He stopped his hand for a second and lifted his head to seek out the young girl wearing an amused smile, “Let’s just pretend it’s fate then,” Sebastian flashed a rounded, toothy grin at her before turning back to his notes.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

There’d been some mild excitement when she shyly spoke to her mother about Sebastian for the first time, it was strange, and she couldn’t put her finger on it, she’d had plenty of boy friends back home, but he felt different. Something about his confused accent from his time in Romania and Austria, his chubby cheeks that were impossibly rounded when he smiled and his earnest curiosity for learning all he could both in and outside of class, it twisted her in a way that she hadn’t felt before. He was a dorky nerd, yet so was she, and she’d smiled wide when she told her mum that she felt she’d met the boy version of her. Statistically it was bound to happen one day, but not this early on in her life. They were scarily alike for all their differences.

It was during the second week that Sebastian and Eleanor had come to befriend Nina Riley, a New Yorker that laughed loudly at weak jokes, spoke so animatedly that she encountered many near misses of smacking her dinner off the table with her gesticulations and had the longest hair Eleanor had ever seen in person. It was evident Nina was going to grow up to be a bit of a heartbreaker one day, yet Eleanor couldn’t bring herself to feel jealous every time a boy looked at Nina before they looked at her because she was so bright and had a smile more blinding than the sun itself.

The trio became thick as thieves, the three musketeers they often referred to themselves as. Odds were, if you were ever looking for one of them, you’d find the other two in their wake with wide smiles and shaking shoulders. They were the outcasts, no matter how nice and welcoming the other kids were, Sebastian, Eleanor and Nina were still on the outside of everyone else’s groups. And that was fine, they had their own and nothing was going to change that. Well almost nothing.

Nina left Rockland in the summer of 1999 with a promise to keep in touch and a sad smile reserved for those who knew her the most. The crack in their group left a hole that Sebastian and Eleanor didn’t know how to fill, hadn’t needed to fill in the four years they’d all been friends, so they grew even closer in their remaining two school years until the space was filled with just the two of them, comforting and complete again. They didn’t ever hear the full story for Nina’s departure, her family life a closed book, with mere snippets and glimpses at the odd pages, they simply had to accept she must go and wished her well through the tears and sadness of the fracture and loss of their best friend.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

2001

She didn’t tell Sebastian how thankful she was to have him beside her during that first year, and those remaining ones, until they were graduating high school. But she’d said it with a pink tinge to her cheeks as she curled up beside him on a shared picnic blanket surrounding DeForest Lake as they mused over their future with the young, naive curiosity only two eighteen-year olds could, full of hope and fear and excitement for the unknown. Old enough to make their own decisions and steer their life how they wished, but still young enough to have forever stretched out in front of them with endless possibilities. The clouds were few and far between, shifting at such a rate regardless, and the blue sky felt poignant and deliberate for one of the last afternoon’s they’d unknowingly spend together for another ten years.

Eleanor’s eyes wandered over the landscape rolling out before them, the towering trees, the flowing water, the tranquil sounds of the peace and quiet. The lake had been the place they could escape when things got too much, or they needed a break from the world, where they told each other endless secrets and make silly promises they thought they would keep. It was their place with all it’s cliches in tow.

“I’m scared, Seba.”

“Of what?”

“Of leaving. Home, school, this safety blanket we have around us, you. Everything’s gonna change, the world is so vast out there and I feel so small and lost in comparison.”

“Me too, El. Me too,” he sighed and tightened his grip surrounding her lower back, sniffing back the tears that were forming, he wouldn’t cry, he had to be strong for her, wouldn’t let her see just how scared he was of everything changing too, “but college is going to be amazing, we’re gonna have the time of our lives. We can be free.”

“I don’t feel ready, just wanna stay here a bit longer and pretend we don’t have to grow up yet.”

“You’re going to be the most successful person this school has ever seen, you mark my words, draguţă.”

Her head lifted off his chest and she grinned down at him, eyebrows raised teasingly as she ruffled his thick curly hair, “Wasn’t it you who was voted Most Likely to Become a Celebrity?” 

Sebastian eyes rolled, and he scoffed, “I’m never living this down, am I?”

“Not as long as you keep me around you’re not, I’m never letting that go.”

“What a shame, time to get rid of you then.”

Sebastian certainly deserved the jab in the side and bite to the shoulder he received from the smaller girl, his soft smile forming.

“I’m kidding, couldn’t let you go even if I tried.”

“Me either, and god have I tried Sebastian Stan.” She dramatically dropped her head back to his chest in mock exhaustion and fisted his soft marl grey shirt.

Sebastian pressed his lips to the crown of her head and snorted at her comment, “You’re terrible to me sometimes, absolutely horrible.”

“Get used to it darling, I’m not changing anytime soon.”

“Good.”

“Oh and Seb?”

“Yeah?”

“I think you’re gonna be the most successful Rockland graduate. I can just see it now, a big hotshot actor with a legion of adoring fans and a pick of any girl you want. It’s what you deserve.”

His cheeks turned pink and he grew bashful, hiding his smile in her hair. He didn’t allow himself to dream this much, it was too dangerous and uncertain, he was too afraid to jinx himself and feel the disappointment further down the line. But the thought made him feel warm and content, knowing the faith Eleanor had in him. He was certain he could do anything he put his mind to with her belief.

“Only if you’re by my side, being overly emotional and lame as always.”

“I resent that, idiot,” she protested, “but yeah, I’ll be there.”

They didn’t know everything would change in a matter of months, both so sure they’d be around each other for the rest of their lives, in the audience cheering each other on through every theatre performance, attending premieres together for each others films, maybe even working together on a few occasions, and for them, that kept the dream alive longer than their friendship, it felt like an attainable goal if they were aiming for it together.

The regret would settle in years later when they were old enough to properly reminisce; they’d remember this day with a fond sadness, through a haze of why did I let you go? that would last for a moment or two before they shook themselves free and continued on with their lives.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Rose Coloured Boy tags: @lovingfionn​, @lowdenglynnstyles, @outofworkactress

[theupsidedownunderblog-blog]

FORGET CROCODILE DUNDEE - NOW WE'VE GOT KANGAROO DUNDEE!

No doubt you've heard of Mick "Crocodile" Dundee but what about Australia's real-life "Kangaroo Dundee" - Chris 'Brolga' Barns? It's early morning and a human call travels across the red, scrubby earth of central Australia. Little heads begin to pop up all over the landscape. Soon, a mob of red kangaroos is bounding towards a tall man in an Akubra, holding a feed bucket. Breakfast is up at The Kangaroo Sanctuary, just outside Alice Springs.

Chowin' down at the Kangaroo Sanctuary Chris 'Brolga' Barns established the kangaroo sanctuary near Alice Springs, in the middle of the Australian Outback, in 2009. An animal lover since he was a child, the 41-year-old worked at various zoos and sanctuarys before devoting himself to saving joeys (baby kangaroos), whose mothers are frequently killed on Australia's roads He is now widely known in Australia as the joey rescue man, and often gets calls from people who have found animals in trouble hundred of miles away from where he lives. The distance never deters him, however, and if he can't pass the joey on to a carer closer by he will drive to collect it.

A trio of joeys at the Kangaroo Sanctuary There are currently about 30 kangaroos at the sanctuary, run by Chris 'Brolga' Barns. Most were brought in as orphaned joeys. A few were once kept as pets. Some joeys have been brought in by Aboriginal people after being orphaned by hunting. Mr Barns told One Plus One's Jane Hutcheon... "When they heard about this tall skinny bloke (who) set up this place in town where people can drop a baby kangaroo, they would travel out of their way - In the car with 10 people and three dogs is a baby kangaroo that they're bringing in to give me" The Kangaroo Hospital The Kangaroo Hospital has been a dream of Brolga’s for over a decade. Brolga has always seen a need for a hospital in the centre of Australia, as the nearest wildlife hospital is over 1,500km away. The Kangaroo Hospital provides specialised care for kangaroos.  It is also a place where many baby orphan kangaroos will be cared for and raised by volunteer wildlife carers until they are ready for release back to the wild.

The Kangaroo Hospital has been a dream of Brolga’s for over a decade. Brolga has always seen a need for a hospital in the centre of Australia, as the nearest wildlife hospital is over 1,500km away. How you can support the Kangaroo Sanctuary The Upside Down Under rarely promotes causes however if you feel like supporting this most worthy cause then please feel free to do so.  Your donations are directed to the rescue and care of  orphaned baby and adult kangaroos at the Kangaroo Hospital. Donations are debited in $AUS.  Click here to  be redirected to the kangaroo hospital donations site..

The Kangaroo Hospital How it all began... Brolga grew up in Perth in the 1970s. By his teens he was already 6 feet tall (1.82 metres) which may have contributed to a little shyness. He says he did not shine at school, but was always drawn to TV shows featuring the outback. "I remember rushing home from school ... to watch Skippy," he said.

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo had an impact on Brolga's life. "Just the thought of a kid (Sonny Hammond who befriended Skippy the kangaroo) out in the open space ... he's got all that freedom and an animal that I didn't get to see ... a kangaroo - that was just a dream for a kid. "We always see the outback on TV and the farmer talking about how he's had endless years of drought and the windmill creaking - but it's a lot more to it than that. As a kid I did see this adventure, that's something I really wanted." Barnes, who also worked part-time as a bus cleaner, set up his sanctuary in 2009 after finding a newborn joey in its dead mother’s pouch by the side of a road. “There was a family of kangaroos that was about to be shot because they weren’t well enough to be set free,” he explains. “I couldn’t let that happen. I decided to build my own sanctuary for animals to rest and recover.” So, over two years, working seven days a week, he did it. He dug a 2.5-mile long trench and fixed 4,000m of fencing over 90 acres. Barnes now raises 200 joeys every year. To be near his beloved marsupials, he lives in a tin shack with no heating or running water, surrounded by snakes, dingoes and camels. The call of open space and his love of animals saw Mr Barns leave home at the age of 17 to make the move to Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, to become a zoo keeper. He worked at several wildlife parks before trying his hand as a tour guide. Driving long distances between Alice Springs and Uluru, he remembered what other zoo keepers had told him about leaving dead wildlife on the highway. So he decided to stop and check the 'roadkill' to look for little survivors. "I'd stop to check the kangaroo for a joey. But (it's also) really important to drag it off the road."

Joeys don't stand much of a chance after their mum is killed. He said other animals, such as eagles, are often killed or injured near roadkill sites as they search for food. "When I was a young zoo keeper I used to check wallabies in Broome and one day found a joey, and then years later being a tour guide - met with a very big, remote outback between here and Uluru - and no-one was doing it. "So I starting doing it ... then I wanted other people to do." Mr Barns then realised that it was not enough for him alone to save the lives of helpless kangaroos - he needed to spread the message. "That's why I decided education would be my life - teaching people how to become kangaroo rescuers themselves," he said. Forget Skippy - meet Raging Roger! Barnes found Roger in his dead mother’s pouch and raised him in his Kangaroo Sanctuary. Not being able to let Roger into the wild helped Mr Barns come up with the idea behind the Kangaroo Sanctuary. Mr Barns explained that finding a living joey in a carcass that had been left on the side of the road 'transformed his whole life.' 'I look at it like the lotto, going around checking the dead kangaroo's week in, week out. You might not have any luck…but then one day you find this little one . Sometimes they're still alive in the pouch of the mum who has been dead 2 or 3 days,' explained Mr Barns. 'What comes to you is how vulnerable the baby is. I thought, 'I'm going to have to keep this.' I knew education would be my life and I could teach people how to become kangaroo rescuers themselves,' he continued.

Barnes found Roger in his dead mother’s pouch and raised him in his Kangaroo Sanctuary. “Roger has recently been recognised as one of the ten most famous animals in the world. Photos and videos of Roger go viral all the time because he’s world-renowned as being really muscular, with a great physique.” Says Barnes.

Roger's muscular physique is capable of crushing a steel bucket. The ripped 'roo measures more than 6 1/2 feet from head to tail and weighs almost 200 pounds. Chris "Brolga" Barnes states that Roger's got a knack for crushing metal buckets and seems to enjoy sparring with other males. Roger shot to international fame after a photo of his large arms appeared on social media.

Roger's 'ripped' appearance caused a social media meltdown! So why are his muscles so big? According to Dr Natalie Warburton from the Murdoch University of Veterinary and Life Sciences the size of a kangaroo’s arms is a key factor in their ability to attract a female. "Forelimb measurements showed that whereas female musculature growth was proportional to body size, male musculature was overwhelmingly exaggerated," she says. "It has to do with youthful sparring. Much like humans, youthful kangaroos play fight and wrestle. Building their muscles as they get older and the activity becomes more aggressive "Male kangaroos establish and maintain their dominance hierarchy through sparring contests that involve grasping their opponent and using their back legs to box them. "The stronger they get, the more wrestling matches they win which make them stand out in a crowd of potential partners.

Kangaroos like to fight and wrestle. Dominant males spend a lot of time posturing to ward off physical challenges. Dr Trish Fleming explains: You'll usually have a couple of really large individuals, and they'll be very bulked up, If you look at them from front-on, they look like they're body builders and they'll spend quite a bit of time posturing and displaying to females, but also to other males. Obviously, that's part of their competitive success. Unfortunately the bulkier the kangaroo, the shorter the lifespan. The team from Murdoch University believe this has to do with the higher body mass that the kangaroo has to maintain. So if a drought or a bout of famine strikes, it will hit the males harder than the females. Sadly, Roger is nearing the end of his lifespan.  Brolga said of the tired looking red kangaroo.. ..although he is still big and strong, he is an old man and old man don't fight,' 'So  his last few years, or year, to be happy out here in the bush and I'll be keeping a really close eye on him, but is my best mate, he is my son and I love him so much.' Brolga has a run-in with Roger – once a helpless orphan, now the mob boss, and even Brolga has to watch his step. Sources: The Kangaroo Sanctuary Website http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-11/kangaroo-rescuer-chris-brolga-barns/6759582 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraphtv/10549234/Chris-Barns-being-a-mum-to-orphaned-baby-kangaroos.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3227235/Man-nicknamed-Kangaroo-Dundee-reveals-despite-finding-wife-priority-life-rescuing-orphaned-joeys.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/kangaroo-crushes-buckets-roger-photos_n_7512016 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/9852888/Tie-me-kangaroo-man-down-girls-why-women-are-lusting-over-animal-lover-Chris-Barnes.html http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/australia/rodger-the-kangaroo.aspx   Read the full article

[simptasia]

Kateclaire and the science squad?

AHH bless you, my faves!! thank you very much!!

kate/claire

when or if I started shipping it:

i honestly don’t remember but i do know that kate/claire didn’t come into my mind during my first watch of the show, it was an afterwards thing. or perhaps… season 6? season 6 made kate/claire shippers of us all, really

my thoughts:

restless, passionate…

my thoughts are, best ship, end game. i genuinely believe they ended up together after the finale (it’s canon they at least LIVE together, raising a son)

i think they love each other, and that people can have multiple soulmates damn it (i don’t care if thats not how it hurts, multiple soulmates!!!). to me, kate really comes across as bi (and i think evie was doing that on purpose, but thats just a theory) and like, claire is bi-who-thought-she-was-straight

Straight Until Kate…. fucking poetry

they’re honestly like, my (non-canon) OTP. and what with LOST lacking lgbta+ diversity, the show would’ve been much stronger if they made ‘em canon bi

buuuut whatever i guess…. we got a lotta handholding. and also the last third of kate’s character arc is dedicated to her (and one could argue, claire was a part of kate’s arc all along) and, i say this all the time but, CLAIRE IS THE REASON KATE WENT BACK TO THAT FUCKING HELL ISLAND. she found the idea of going back to be disgusting and horrible but gosh damn it, claire needed to be rescued. nobody else was gonna do it, apparently. also i’m pretty sure nobody knew is claire was alive or not at this point but kate went back anyways

the completion of kate’s character arc (not running away, accepting responsibility, opening up to the idea of family) is because of claire & aaron!!

also it’s ironic how i imagine claire doesn’t know she’s bi considering she’s the one making the moves. (that starsign scene, the hand holding…)

kate/claire = proactive sunshine femme astrology bi + tomboy hiking butch i’ve never had a job and relationships scare me but i love everyone bi

What makes me happy about them:

that it would take very little adjustment to make them canon

that kate looks 40% butcher anytime she’s near claire (and the inverse, claire looking 40% more femme. she practically glows)

the height difference

kate is so so protective over claire (kate being protective over other women is legit one of my fave things about kate)

a few days into the crash, the first time claire has ever interacted with kate and she correctly guesses that she’s a gemini and that she’s “restless” and “passionate”. A. great observation skills and B. THATS GAY!!!!

THEY’RE LEGIT CANON GONNA RAISE A SON TOGETHER (two sons, if you include my david austen theory)

that they triggered each other’s memories in limbo. that is genuinely one of the best writing decisions ever, like it’s impressive. whoever decided that they would remember together (instead of the expected jack/kate, and charlie/claire - which happens later because MULTIPLE SOULMATES) is a fucking genius. as a writer, audience member and a sapphic, i fucking applaud you

oh and that their connecting scene was the birth of aaron. such an important event to both of them. and it’s kinda foreshadowing at how they’re gonna be mums together

What makes me sad about them:

not canon [sad horn noises]

other than that, very lovely

things done in art/fic that annoys me:

there’s not an abundance of this sorta thing…?

things I look for in art/fic:

FOR IT TO EXIST

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

jack for kate, charlie for claire. of course

My happily ever after for them:

living together, married, raising two boys, honorary aunties to ji yeon, clementine, charlie (hume), dani, izzie & lara. (some of those are OCs!)

claire is an artist for a living (i thinking an illustrator) and i can’t imagine what job kate would or could get. as i’ve said she’s never had a job before… what would she do? gasp… is SHE the housewife? that’s kinda cute. there’s pictures of charlie and jack on the wall, and they are honoured as aaron & david’s fathers and as heroes

kate knows what it’s like to be in a family that doesn’t involve pain and abuse, claire eventually feels safe as the nightmares become less and less. they both have absolute trust in each other which is quite a feat for those two

[happy sigh]

what is their favorite non-sexual activity?

claire likes to paint and draw. kate isn’t much of an artist but claire is encouraging (imagine kate getting blushy over claire’s praise)

listening/singing to music together

claire encourages kate to take up yoga. it’s relaxing. takes a bit to get used to it tho because kate is restless (more of a rock climbing kinda gal)

yeah basically i imagine they do a lot of exercise-y things together

i was gonna say camping too but claire probably never wants to see trees and tents ever again… so avoid that

~

daniel/charlotte/miles

when or if I started shipping it

the earliest sci team shippy post i made, that i could find, is like from 2013. so maybe during my first watch? or shortly after. somewhere there

my thoughts:

okay so i’ve thought about this and i’ve realised that sci trio shipping is beloved as a concept, especially by me. whilst in canon, this supposed team doesn’t do a lot of teaming. basically my imagination has built them up to be more than what they actually are. and not just in a romantic way. they’re more friends in my head than in the actual show. it’s a tad disappointing actually. see, in the show the science team (the whole thing) is barely a thing. they drop out the sky, the show tries to convince they’re untrustworthy, and then sorta forgets they’re meant to be like colleagues and friends? or at least doesn’t pay attention to that

(miles is given no reactions to char and dan’s deaths. which is FUCKED. i blame writing and direction because no fucking way is this ken leung’s fault. i also blame time constraints which is the biggest reason for lack of sci team stuff)

the dynamic most focused on is dan and charlotte (ah, love..). so throwing miles in there is wishful thinking (i love miles) on my part. because interactions between dan/miles and miles/char in canon? little and none, in that order

but the IDEA is nice

i’m in love with IDEA of these things:

two nerds and a “jeez these nerds” guy (like he isn’t a ghostbusters fan)

a polite timid nerd, a loud passionate nerd and a snarky sardonic cynic

two sciences and a magic

miles being annoyed by, slightly jealous of and wanting in on dan/char

sweet dan in love with people with “bad attitudes” (his words. translation: okay i love you but you’re being bitchy right now and it’s not helping)

char getting the best of both worlds, in my opinion (sugar and salt)

children of the island OT3

being smooshed between people whom look like rebecca mader and ken leung is honestly the best situation you can be in. godspeed dan

and basically i use their personalities (or exaggerated versions of such. espech with charlotte) to project this relationship upon them

TL;DR: barely any sci team interactions in canon, but i adore the ship anyways

What makes me happy about them:

oh shit i make that list up there too early

in general, it feels good? and like theres a lot i can do with it. like i’ve said, i love the concept of their dynamic. like, putting these personalities together is fun!

also

miles uses his powers and dan is immediately on board which means either miles told him on the boat or dan just takes miles at his word without hesitation. both are very plausible and also great

oh and my gosh, my fave thing? these people had possibly months on a boat together off screen. we didn’t get like, any sci team content on screen but thank you for that fanfic/imagination fuel, writers

none of them moved on in the finale which gives me a place to ship them… so basically they’re only shippable outside of the island… huh

char and miles were friends in limbo (thank heavens for small miracles) and thats a great concept. and it also means with char meeting dan in the finale, the TRIANGLE IS COMPLETE. THEY MAY NOW JOIN

that thing dan does where he touches/pets everybody near him? yeah, does that with miles, which isn’t remarkable. miles, like char, doesn’t seem to mind or flinch. which is interesting cuz you’d think miles would react to that. true none of the characters react to dan’s petting (???how) but idc

dan rans to char, pets her hair, face and arms and asks if she’s alright. miles, who is standing near by, says “i’m okay, too”. that sounds like something i would write for them but that actually happened in the show

i like the idea that dan/char (and later sawyer/juliet) make miles reluctantly realise he does want love in his life, which leads to miles/richard one day. this has nothing to do with anything in the show. legit all of that sentence is based on headcanons. and thats a summary of shipping dan/char/miles

uhm… they’re fucking pretty

i’ve slowly made them more and more kinky over time. that makes me happy. it’s also funny

the fact that dan is the tallest of the three and he’s 5 foot 9

i’m certain they’ve all dealt with ableism in their lives. i just like things in common, espech angst things

everything. everything makes me happy about them. even the sad stuff

What makes me sad about them:

tho again, i wish the show remembered these people are friends

on that note, two of miles friend’s died. the show didn’t show him caring but i of course imagine he did. miles has walls but he’s not a cunt

all of ‘em had a fucked up thing happen with a parent (wait no, that’s not an OT3 thing, that’s just a lost is like that thing. anyways, sad)

i have this headcanon that miles is cynical about love (and relationships and romance) cuz like, due to his powers, he grew up with this fucked up perception of death. and throughout he’s seen people absolutely devastated about losing a loved one. this includes dan losing char, sawyer losing jules, and miles himself losing his mum. basically love hurts and he’s decided that pain isn’t worth the temporary amount of happiness. i imagine miles’ bad attitude towards life is caused by this way of thinking. we’re all gonna die, so why bother? only possessions stay so $$$$

….and there’s my miles meta, wow

things done in art/fic that annoys me:

now, sci team content is like, none but i’ve noticed a trend among fandom… their personalities being flanderized a tad too much. and yeah i do that too but i mean

dan being innocent, naive and humourless. we have no reason to assume the first two and fuck no he is humourless. dan has funny lines, he’s just subtle. innocent and naive? maybe kinda. i personally portray dan as innocent and naive in COMPARISON to char & miles (and most other characters). like, the vanilla to their kinky. but again, just by comparison. he’s not totally oblivious. plus he’s a quick learner and can pick up context. i know this all comes from him being so nonthreatening (also it’s a symptom of woobifying. and is also very mildly ableist in this context)

char being a constantly angry shrill bitch. i’m most annoyed by this one. i have some words about this. yes, a couple of times char got angry/bitchy. and it stuck out to people because she’s a woman. as somebody who has analysed like, every moment she’s been on screen, lemme tell you: she is not constantly angry. in fact, when i needed a cap of her looking angry for an art thing, IT WAS GENUINELY HARD TO FIND ONE. char is also very nice to the survivors until they start being mean to her. also she got shot in the chest, i’d be annoyed too. but the most part, char is actually rather pleasant. she’s just… loud. and has a bit of temper. but most of her screentime is with dan, so for the most part she’s soft and sweet with him. because love. i’m annoyed by all this because to this day, within fandom, char is remembered as the angry bitch who died of nosebleeds. fuck y’all, she’s a passionate, polyglottal, determined nerd with a shorter than average fuse and whom loves daniel faraday and chocolate. i know she didn’t get a lot as a character but being remembered for a trait that doesn’t even describe her doesn’t help. like, yeah, my section of the fandom has her be a chocolate obsessed mega trekkie who’s super kinky. is it self-indulgent? fuck yeah (and im proud) but it’s better than seeing her as a constant bitch because she got justifiably angry a few times

ahem anyways

miles as a constant deadpan snarker. okay i see where this comes from, my brain does it too, but miles is not daria. he has tones and inflections. when he isn’t resting grump face, he’s quite emotive. also he has feelings. inside he is very sad. also he cares about his friends. basically he’s not always deadpan. most importantly, miles is an asshole. yes. but he’s not an ASSHOLE. you get me? like, he’s a snarky dick to people but he’s not actually genuinely a bad mean person. this is kinda the point of his character. like his snark is a defense mechanism for his issues. miles would never be an actual (and ableist) cunt to say, hurley or dan. he just has issues connecting with people due to his powers and internal conflict

basically: 

dan isn’t a delicate perfect flower of innocence, char isn’t angry all of the time and being a bitch isn’t her entire character, and miles is actually (eventually) a good person who cares and emotes. i’ve seen ken’s face do things, ya know

things I look for in art/fic:

any art and fic of them existing would be nice (points at my icon)

and in fic, as with anything, i’d like it to be in character. and like, boat times, limbo times, it’s all good. have it anyways. also i’ve found like zero fic

there used to be loads of lost fics, but most of ‘em were purged in 2010

[the saddest violin]

• Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

miles/richard is another pairing i love, and thats how i imagine miles lives his life

• My happily ever after for them:

they all live together in limbo land, in dan’s penthouse. basically 80% of my sci team imagination center (the part of my brain specifically dedicated to the science team) is spent in that house. a great dymantic and lots of sex ensues

also piano. also rats. also char has a cat named jean-luc. it hates miles

fuck, i just realised between dan being a musician/sort of scientist, char being an anthropologist and miles being a detective, that penthouse is gonna be FULL of stacks of paper laying around… the sci team personally killed the rainforest

• what is their favorite non-sexual activity?

PLAY US A SONG YOU’RE THE PIANO MAN

watching tv together

i’ve pictured ‘em doing most domestic activities… right now i keep imagining them eating breakfast together in their underwear

showers

dan likes to draw on his lover’s bodies (music notes, equations, cute little pics of rats. miles says dan’d make a decent tattoo artist)

and holy shit get dan and char going, they can talk for hours. and miles can just sorta follow it (and throw in quips) but he loves ‘em anyways