#i love kiddos and how they attach to certain adults

[libras-interactives]

Are Jack and Marius familiar with MC’s son, if they have one? Obviously they’d know there is a son, since they’re close to MC, but are they also close to the kid? I just love the imagery of a cute widdle boy and his two weird uncles

They know of him and have probably met him a few times ... babysitting duty hasn't come up (yet) however, haha. They aren't super close to MC's son because the MC doesn't want suspicious people around their apartment, in case the landlord makes a fuss, or in case Flynn's men follow them - a bit paranoid, but yanno.

.... Hooooweverrr the Christmas before the story starts, Marius and Jack got a present for the kiddo, which he remembers and is fond of :") it's a stuffed bear with a bow. They both came from v impoverished homes, so a big bear with a fancy red bow just seemed so over the top and perfect! I wanted to mention the bear in the phone call scene, but I just couldnt fit in it right ...

So the son is very fond of Marius and Jack, even if they've only met a few times! Kids are funny like that. I'm hoping to bring it up in Chapter 3~4, but we'll see :>

[fluffy-lee-boa]

Misilanious Edward headcanons bc I love him

He's chubby as an adult bc he's overcompensating for when he was starving in the orphanage and he has a big sweet tooth- namely pumpkin pie and dumb nerd has gotten sick on raw cookie dough since he's an impatient dork. Also the contrast between Bruce being angular/ toned and Edward being round and soft is s teir. He's sort of insecure about it but he's never risking starvation again since he's so used to not knowing when his next meal will be

He's taller than Bruce Wayne but shorter than Batman bc Batman wears boots and the ears on the mask (Edward takes jabs at Bruce by referring to him as a spoiled dwarf on his livestreams even tho he's literally only 1-2 inches taller)

The whole "all my strength is up here *points to head* 🥺" schtick is obviously total bs. Dude bludgeoned the mayor to death (albeit awkwardly). He just said that to let Batman know he's incharge of their dynamic since he's a simp 🙄. He's very physically strong and capable he just looks soft and disarmingly sweet so nobody would think he is

He'd sing to the younger orphans if they were having trouble sleeping from nightmares or if they were sick (predominantly lighthearted songs like Beach Boys songs or other hymns). He'd also read to them as a group before bed every night (he'd do funny voices and everything).

One of the main games he'd play with the younger orphans was a variation of hide and seek but when he found them he'd tickle them and would stop when they answered a riddle correctly ("come on you aren't even trying that one was easy! Now you're just getting them wrong on purpose aren't you? What's that? You need to speak up kiddo!"). Inevitably after everyone was found they'd all gang up on him and wreck him.

He'd cry like a proud dad whenever one of them would get adopted but at the same time be mad at himself for being sad that they were leaving. He gave up on trying to get adopted around when he turned 13-14 since he cared more about the younger ones getting out of the "hellhole" orphanage.

When he was able to leave when he turned 18 it broke his heart how sad the remaining kids were to see him go

"It's alright buddy you're all grown up now. You don't need me anymore" "But Eddie I'll always need you 🥺"

Cue Edward crying for hours on end in his new apartment when he's supposed to be happy that he's finally free but he realizes he won't feel free until all those other kids are

He forms VERY strong attachments if he likes someone/ something which is obviously evident with Batman but also extends to his pet rats and his followers. If he finds out one of his 500 followers is in a financial bind he'll send them money orrrr "deal with" their landlord. He highly values loyalty.

After he knows someone for awhile and they gain his trust he gives the best bear hugs ever (he will also use them to initiate tickle fights. He's an effective ler bc of how long/ lanky his arms are so he can very effectively trap people. Once he's got you it's hard to break free but the second you do he's done for and will start giggling before you even touch him)

He's the type of person who gets very worked up when he's angry or passionate about something/ has a tendency to angry cry which is another reason why he likes the Riddler mask so much. It hides vulnerability

He gatekeeps certain bands bc he's an annoying nerd ("*sees someone wearing a Radiohead shirt* oH REALLY? Name 3 songs!1!1!") Shut up Edward

He streamed Among Us and played with some of his followers *ONE time*. It was absolute anarchy. He raged multiple times complete with audible voice cracks and ended up banning a person for falsely accusing him of being the impostor and succeeding.

"I nEVER VENTED YOU MORONS!1!1!" "Idk... Riddler is looking kinda sus rn..."

"nO I'M N O T YOU'RE LITERALLY 14 WHAT DO YOU KNOW?" "How- how do you know that-" "See chat, Dave here wouldn't have had his personal information hacked if he used my sponsor: Nord VPN"

These are all so much and so perfect I cant even handle it-

I want to squish his cheeks. I want to listen to him sing. I love how he just feels emotions so strongly like same, the bit about feeling free matches with his journals and makes me so so so sad-

And don’t even get me started on the strength bit. He literally just went 🥺🥺🥺 im the brains here remember, you’re so big and strong and wow look at your mask heehee its so cool- and like 2 days earlier it was like a different guy at the mayor’s house.

[ramblingguy54]

Sonic & Tails R: A Love Letter To Miles Tails Prower’s Characterization

     Warning: This will contain massive spoilers for the short radio play series of Sonic & Tails R. If you haven’t listened to the radio play yet on Youtube, I’d highly recommend any hardcore Sonic fan who hasn’t seen it check it out. It’s one Hell of a treat.

     For as far back as I can remember in my childhood, Tails’ story of trying to step outta Sonic’s shadow has been such a resonating one for myself. Even when I was a much younger kid playing my Dreamcast, during entries like Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, there was some idea lingering about why Tails just stood out more emotionally in his journey to grow beyond depending on Sonic all the time for help. Now here I am a young adult in my late twenties having such a deeper appreciation of this little two tailed genius kiddo because he’s got an important element that’s made him so beloved for good reason.

     In spite of his genius being a rival to that of Eggman’s high IQ and of course proving to surpass it plenty of times when scenarios boil down to being a high stakes battle, Miles Tails Prower beneath it all is still just like any one of us. We’re all trying to find our place in this world about what defines us for who we are as unique people. He wants to be more than just seen as someone who’s alongside Sonic The Hedgehog’s never say die attitude, but prove he’s plenty capable of standing on his own two feet to protect everything the kid holds dear to himself. Underdog stories, when they’re naturally executed very well, can reel me in so easily. They are very much my bread & butter trope I adore seeing.

     To no one’s surprise, the two Sonic Adventure’s iterations portrayal of Tails’ characterization are hands down some of my favorite writing for the two tailed fox, regarding what the 3D era has done toward him, development wise. It gave him more of an existential struggle to endure like, “What happens when Sonic isn’t around to help stop Eggman? What if I’m not strong enough to accomplish what he can?”, making Tails plight to be seen as an equal all the more endearing when stopping Eggman in his climatic battle against the Egg Walker in Station Square. This here is a great use of a timeless lesson you can apply in life that if you set you heart and mind on anything, there isn’t a thing you can’t accomplish on your own, which is why many fell in love with Sonic Adventure 1 & 2′s writing for Miles Tails Prower’s journey of independence.

     As someone who comes from a large family tree of relatives, I feel the weight of my existence on my shoulders at a number of points more than I’d care to count, admittedly. Seeing Tails struggle with his sense of purpose, in contrast to observing how much Sonic has accomplished with his carefree, yet deeply compassionate attitude, means the world to me in watching another trying to comprehend their value as a whole on how much they matter, overall. This is a big part of why my fondness for SA1 & 2′s quality has never wavered over these years, besides still obviously enjoying most of their game play mechanics. People can try to debate to their heart’s content on whether the Adventure games still hold up in their own eyes, but I’ll always respect them for how they tried to develop certain characters, such as Tails, Gamma, and Shadow The Hedgehog notably, to attempt expanding upon their characters, as well as world building.

     I won’t bother going into a rant about how Sonic’s recent 3D games have butchered Tails’ personality & relatable nature, due to the current writers in charge of handling the cast of characters. More or less, I greatly empathize toward the notion many have already stated about Tails being so cowardly and God forbid, looking at Lost World, downright severely mean spirited. Rather, I’m obviously writing this lengthy post to breakdown why Sonic & Tails R succeeds, where these certain 3D games have greatly faltered in exploring Tails’ emotional dilemmas as an insecure, yet still having the courage to prove himself, talented boy full of hidden potential he doesn’t quite realize, until his back is against the wall in life threatening situations.

“That day, I realized I couldn’t depend on you forever. Not that I can’t depend on you, but like, “What happens when Sonic isn’t here?”, you know?��

     Sonic & Tails R further delves into this fundamental rule of what has defined Tails in Sonic Adventure 1 & 2′s stories of events where Sonic wasn’t there to aid his best bud in taking down Eggman’s evil efforts for global domination, most importantly his fear of defending the Earth without his role model. Besides what I already stated in SA1′s events in Station where he stopped the Egg Walker, as well as the missile Eggman launched from detonating before their climatic battle, Tails watched Sonic blow up in ARK’s capsule presuming him to be dead after Sonic imparted how much faith he has in the kid’s abilities to be truly strong in the face of any foe. Sonic & Tails R manages to use fan service in a way that doesn’t feel like “pandering” for the sake of it, using this past canon material to do more of an in-depth study about Miles’ anxieties of existing without Sonic.

     Wouldn’t put it past them if EmuEmi & crew were using SA2′s Sonic death fake out scene in that space capsule to further add trauma to Tails’ psychological attachment to Sonic, as well as his insecurities of depending on him too much, to boot. While it’s never obviously outright stated in their radio play, I definitely believe they were factoring this element into adding dramatic exploration for why Tails is so self-conscious about the worst case scenario of permanently losing Sonic. Watching Sonic supposedly die put Tails into a deeper state of self-reflection, so I very much enjoyed how they went using these past events to create a thorough exploration about him learning just as it’s important to realize you need to stand up for yourself without using someone else as a crutch all the time, it’s doubly important to remember there’s nothing wrong about asking someone for help when you’re about to be down and out with little options left.

     Sonic & Tails R beautifully builds upon the foundation these two games’ stories left behind years ago, creating new damn great material to explore with the most iconic characters of this cast, Sonic & Tails brotherly dynamic. I’ve been praising Sonic & Tails R out the wazoo for how well it captured Tails underdog story of overcoming death defying odds, but it managed to remind me how simply adorable and outright wonderfully endearing their brotherly chemistry is as a whole. This is a big friendly reminder Sonic isn’t all about being cocky wise cracking character making meta jokes left and right, but he can be plenty capable of showing serious compassion to anyone he values as an ally and friend. This is no greater evident, than with him verbally lifting Tails up in his time of need when he’s self-depreciating his own significance. It can be seen in Episodes 2, 4, and 7 giving Tails motivational pieces of advice.

    Episode 2 In Adabat’s Cavern

-Sonic: Wasn’t it your radar that helped us find these Emerald shards in the first place? How could you be slowing us down when you’ve gotten us this far?

-Tails: But, I...

-Sonic: I could never make something like that. You’re the smartest person I know, Tails. One way or another, we’ll figure this out, count on it.

         Episode 4 In Holoska After Helping Silver Save The Chao

-Sonic: So, what was that back there? At the cave, in Adabat? -Tails: What do you mean? -Sonic: Frozen stiff. Confidence shot. It’s not like you. It was more than feeling like you were “slowing us down”, right?

        Episode 7 Inside The Egg Carrier 3

-Sonic: Let’s split up! I’ll distract them and you can go after the energy source. -Tails: You’re gonna take them on all by yourself!? Let me help, Sonic! -Sonic: No time for this, Tails. Stop overthinking and just go! If I can get their attention, I’ll take the heat off of you and that room you’re going to probably won’t have any security. Take this emerald and I’ll take the other one we have. It’ll lead me right to you after I beat these guys. -Tails: O-Okay... -Sonic: Hold on, Tails! Listen to me. Don’t stop moving and be careful. I’ll be fine and so will you!

     Sonic & Tails R remembers the most crucial detail of their important relationship. One isn’t better than the other and needing to always rely upon that notion for helping one outta a jam, but instead showcases how they’re equals as a team/bros. Sonic may be super fast and strong, however Tails has his intelligence to analyze situations in a different angle Sonic wouldn’t necessarily consider, per say. Which isn’t to say Tails couldn’t put up a fight either, as we’ve seen in SA1 & SA2′s stories where he faced Eggman one on one with no outside help to best him at his own game of wits & strength.

     We get see the apex of this idea through Tails facing Eggman in his super improved mecha walker. Although Tails may get thrown for a loop here at first by Eggman, it’s his villainous speech about winners and losers in their world that ironically does the exact opposite of what he intended. Eggman wanted to crush Tails’ sense of self worth before finishing him off, but all it did was reignite the very lesson Sonic told him earlier before running to distract Eggman’s robotic minions. That said lesson of he’s more than capable of facing dangerous threats

-Eggman: Poor boy. We all have to learn this lesson, sooner or later. In every game there’s no one you can depend on. You’re all alone and you’re either a winner, or a loser. And as you know, loser’s lose all of their lives. Say goodbye, fox!

-Tails: You’re wrong! I can depend Sonic! I won’t let him down! I can’t because...Because he’s depending on me! And because of that I won’t lose to you!

     This radio play strikes a good balance in utilizing the grey moral area about depending on someone vs it being an unhealthy display of attachment derived from serious insecurity. Word’s can’t begin to describe how much I loved this moment to pieces because it’s oh so important for writing Tails’ characterization. If you’re going to tackle him being super self conscious about his reliance on Sonic, then you gotta remember why they are so close to one another to begin with. Sonic & Tails have an unbreakable connection, considering they’ve brought out their best qualities in themselves from being together as individuals. For Sonic, it’s his older brother compassion to Tails to bring him outta feeling melancholy. For Tails, the kid finally understands there isn’t anything wrong with depending on Sonic when he needs it most.

     After all, that’s what a real healthy friendship is all about. Whether you’re giving someone a dose of tough love, or simply a piece of motivational advice, it defines how much you truly care about someone, period. Sonic & Tails have this very same power from their bond, which is why new emeralds form from their compassionate friendship that hasn’t been shaken after all the years they’ve been together. Another detail worth noting is it adds to the lore in an impactful manner when Tikal expresses in Episode 8 about positive connections and thoughts from users of the Chaos Emeralds having a strong will & heart. Using the ideas they had for encapsulating Sonic & Tails’ dynamic to create new emeralds from their love for each other as brothers adds an emotional weight.

“So, Sonic’s not the only one who harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds? I can too!?”

“Yes, you have a strong heart! There is a power waiting to be unlocked within you, as well.”

          I’d always daydreamed about in my childhood seeing Super Sonic & Tails take down a threatening villain, whether it was Eggman or different powerful creature such as Chaos or the Biolizard. You can imagine how fucking giddy I was beyond belief to see this artwork of Episode 9′s cover for the radio play. Tails not only got to have another one on one with Eggman, but a team up with Super Sonic in his own respective Super form? Sign me the Hell up! Talk about an all you eat buffet of good writing for Tails’ journey reaching its climax. Getting to hear this play out, alongside the amazing song of Fly With Me, made it authentically feel like something straight outta if there were an installment of Sonic Adventure 3 being brought into reality, which certainly feels like it now.

     Episode 9 has so much awesome stuff with Sonic & Tails working together in their super forms. Particularly, my favorite scene is at the beginning when Sonic teaches Tails how to navigate his newly acquired speed in his respective Super form. My heart melted hearing Sonic help Tails through it all, while he was overjoyed about how fun this new form is for himself. Wholesome Sonic & Tails content is the perfect daily serotonin for me, easily. It’s an awesome fun fact to know they used a scrapped boss from Tails Tornado segment in SA1 for Eggman’s flying dragon three headed robot in their big final battle, once again using old canon material in a very effective manner to boost the quality of their fan made story.

     It’s been a real thrill to hear Mike Pollock play a straight forward serious Eggman making my day in more ways than one, considering that’s another thing I’ve been yearning for desperately besides Tails being a competent character again. His performance in Episode 9 when Eggman gave that speech about how long he’s been at odds with Sonic & Tails stubborn will power was simply excellent. The moment he told his mechanical dragon to crush them I got serious chills. That’s the Eggman I remember and grew up with. He could be a hammy villain sure, but Eggman wasn’t a doormat that could be swiftly beaten. Robotnik can be considered a serious threat in his own right and this radio play nailed it down to the very letter with how much he predicted their actions.

“Sonic, all I ever wanted to do was be like you. You’re not scared of anyone or anything. I could never be like that. At least, so I thought. I grew from that, but then I got so caught up in trying to prove it that thought it wasn’t okay to depend upon anyone, especially you. I just didn’t want to be that scared little kid in Station Square anymore, but now I understand. It’s okay to depend on your friends. It all means is that we’re stronger together, so the next time Eggman comes back and wants to start any trouble with you, or any of my friends. Emeralds or no emeralds, he’s gonna have to get past me and he won’t!”

Sonic By Episode 1′s End: Aww, yeah! Adventure, here we come!

Tails By Episode 10′s End: Aww, yeah! Adventure, here I come!

Turn your thoughts into power. Be all that you can be.

     The ending legit got me choked up because what of they decided to do for wrapping up Tails journey in a poetic fashion. Having Tails go off on his own separate journey to grow more independence pulled on my heart strings perfectly. Very much so, as I’m transitioning slowly, but surely, into gaining more freedom to go out into the outside world in my own life. Concluding the story, by Sonic & Tails holding onto the two Emeralds their bond had formed from positive energy, due to their powerful friendship, was so heartwarming. This is how you write an overview of what makes Sonic & Tails chemistry work so well as it does.

     Sonic & Tails R’s ending represents while some things never change, like Sonic and Tails bond for each other, it also shows there’s very much a necessity for people to grow, hence Tails’ whole solo journey in the epilogue. People can’t stay in the same place forever and will need go about finding their own path, even if it means saying “goodbye” periodically for a notable amount of time.

     It’s for these reasons I’ve listed in great explanation above throughout this detailed post cement Sonic & Tails R high on my list of favorite Sonic fan projects. They captured the magic of what made the Adventure games so beloved. Gonna be looking back on this passion project for many years to come. Everyone involved in this year long effort of a project dating all the way back Summer of 2020 ought to be immensely proud for how much their hard efforts paid off in the long run.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts here! 

Hope you enjoyed. 

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

Teddy Bear Anon has purposed yet another interesting addition to the Immune AU which gives me plot ideas! In particular, a scene that would really help give past Dream a strong push into his character arc. 

I like to image that immune!Dream’s character arc starts with the death of immune!Puffy. Sure, maybe he’s not sad yet, but he feels something for the woman who declared herself his pseudo mother. It’s what helps to crack the shell enough for the rest of the immune gang to start weedling their way into his heart. Immune!Dream after spending enough time watching the group he, starts to realize that yeah, connections to other people isn’t a weakness. It really is a strength. It’s something that takes time for him to come to terms with because Techno seems like a testament to the fact connections are a weakness. He was unbeatable until his horse got kidnapped. His only connection, his only weakness. But then there’s Tommy who seems to represent the complete opposite. 

Where Dream represents strength from caring too little, Tommy represents strength from caring far too much. Now I’m a sucker for bamf Tommy, and I like to personally imagine that maybe the Immunes hold out for a year or two before they cave and try to make the portal. So Tommy has what really boils down to a two year training arc on top of already being a child veteran (I like to canonize SMP Earth as well because personal preference and it gives me even more room to make Tommy suffer. SMP Earth being canon? God, so much fucking trauma considering how the others treated him, a 15 year old child, like an adult.) Anyway Dream slowly realizes connections with one another are what kept the remaining Immunes alive, and he tries to force his younger self to understand that. Tries, but doesn’t really get far. Up until what everyone else calls The Fight.

Tommy’s always just kind of screwed around in fights as long as there’s only a threat to him. We know he has a tendency to throw if MCC is any indicator. But then they time travel and maybe they spend some time in the past trying to get the situation sorted and the past’s Dream maybe just kinda does something to Tubbo. Doesn’t even have to be big, it just needs to clock as a threat to Immune!Tommy who’s already lost his Tubbo and refuses to let his younger self go through that. So Tommy goes completely ape shit on the younger Dream. Sure, it’s only been two years for this Tommy. He’s probably, like, 18 or 19 at most. Still a child as far as a lot of people are concerned. He shouldn’t be stronger than Dream or Technoblade, and in the few cross group sparing sessions they’ve had he isn’t. He’s stronger than his younger self but no where near these two demi gods of combat. But then Dream suddenly registers as a threat to Tubbo in Immune!Tommy’s eyes and he makes the mistake of mocking Tommy while he’s at it. He knows that immune!Tommy lost his Tubbo and maybe the past Dream is lashing out slightly or trying to get some kind of foothold in Tommy’s psyche. He isn’t doing anything near what immune!Dream has done, but it’s enough to piss Tommy off. So immune!Tommy challenges Dream to a fight and Dream immediately realizes the mistake he’s made when Tommy starts to destroy him. 

Say even Techno’s there for some reason or another and he realizes what’s going down so he tries to calm Tommy down, joining the fight just as Dream is loosing it. The situation quickly turns into the first time Techno’s ever gotten his ass thoroughly kicked by Tommy, leaving everyone spectating baffled (Tommy’s younger self partly included). They’re certain this kid is going on some rampage and none of them can stop him but the moment Dream and Techno are both taken care of (wounded, not killed, the older Tommy is always careful about that. He even throws a splash healing on them with some indifferent kind of disgust that hides the fact he does still care to some extent even hurting as he is.) Tommy immediately just switches focus to outright doting on Tubbo, ignoring any muttered Clingyinnits in favor of ensuring Tubbo is fine. Tubbo is completely find and just as confused, but the point stands and neither Tommy ends up leaving Tubbo’s side for the rest of the day. The younger Tommy, after all, is the only one the older Tommy’s told the full story to regarding the future (even when he couldn’t trust his own family he was always able to trust himself with the secrets that mattered, so he prepares his younger self in case the worst comes to pass.)

The older Dream, immune!Dream, he doesn’t get involved. He sit on the side lines and just kinda laughs, the sound drowned out by Sapnap’s loud encouragements and Sam’s half hearted attempts to get Tommy to stop (he could have stopped Tommy immediately if he’d stepped in. Sam is after all the only person on earth Tommy listens to without hesitation, but Sam lets it happen and pretends he tried.) 

Immune!Dream just kinda smirks at his younger self later that night and mentions something about attachments really making you weak. After all, it’s not like the only time Tommy takes a battle seriously is when someone he cares about is in danger. It’s not like Tommy would turn the world into a seared ball for Tubbo, and Tubbo would do the same in return. It’s not like they’ve watched the people they care about temporarily rebuke the Crimson just to give the Immunes those precious extra seconds needed to survive in a fight. Attachments, they’re just a weakness.

The younger Dream doesn’t know how to respond to that. It’s the first time he thinks about his older self maybe being right.

Before I go I wanna leave you with two more ideas for the Immune AU

First up, Wilbur is eight years older than Tommy give or take. Wilbur had Fundy when he was around 16 and Tommy was around 8. Tommy was the best damn uncle he could be and for a while Tommy and Fundy were really stupidly close. They were both apart of the raised by Wilbur club and Wilbur was trying his damn best. Fundy aged/matured (physically and mentally) faster than a regular person for a while. They believed it was because he was a fox hybrid and Wilbur was ready to lose Fundy too soon. When Fundy was equivalent to 18 in human years though his aging process suddenly slowed to a crawl and his tail split into two, at which point the group realized he was actually a kitsune and it was just those first 8 years that passed by quickly (and Wilbur had a lot of questions for the now missing Sally who he’d thought was a salmon hybrid, genuinely, but became exceedingly less sure.) His family knows he’s a kitsune, but Fundy hid it from most of the rest of the server. A good thing considering later events. 

Fundy was part of the Immune group for a while and I like to imagine that he and Tommy had a falling out during the Pogtopia era but after the egg started to take over they started bonding again and acting like, well, family. Unfortunately when it came time for them to activate the portal, Fundy ended up getting separated from the group and getting caught. The eggpire didn’t actually know Fundy was fully immune or a kitsune so he just kinda pretended to get infected, using his illusions to make his fur look crimson. I personally like the idea that Fundy at some point managed to get back to the time machine and being a little code wizard manages to get the thing working and yeets himself in. He shows up a little late but after fixing his appearance manages to catch up with the rest of the group.

Fundy is underrated. Tommy being a good uncle is underrated. Sam would absolutely adopt the traumatized fox baby in Eret’s honor. What’s not to love?

The last concept I wanna bring up that I really like is hybrid Tommy. Tanuki would be good since it’s another reason for the Sam Nook bit. Maybe Sam specifically picked Sam Nook since Tom Nook was Tommy’s favorite character on the grounds he was the only representation Tommy had ever gotten and it made the kiddo happy. However, I also personally really like phoenix Tommy and it would make an interesting plot point. Tommy accidentally losing his third life at some point and realizing he’s an immortal creature of fire would have led to him taking a protector role for his new family. He can’t die, but he can burn anything around him, why not send him out to get supplies when the worst the eggpire could do would be capture him. Even then he just literally cannot hear the egg. Which could lead to both some interesting comedic moments and some really good angst if Sam agonizes over his desire to protect Tommy and let him be a child suddenly being at odds with the fact Tommy is literally the best person for the job so to speak. Not to mention Sapnap, who I headcanon as a Blaze hybrid, would be even more attached the moment he found a new fire proof friend to burn forests with him. Regardless of which hybrid type he is, I could see him hiding it from everyone except for Fundy when he was a child and only ever admitting it later to the other Immunes once they become a found family.

Personally I like the idea of Tommy being part tanuki hybrid and part phoenix hybrid, but is that too mary sue? Is it just a little bit too cheesy to have him be both? I will never not try to incorporate phoenix Tommy into my fics but also tanuki Tommy would be such a mood for this au.

Like image Tommy just builds a den that’s in reality a vault/panic room a la Techno and he hides it under Church Prime since that is The Safe Spot in Tommy’s mind.

~Snapdragon & Firefly

[immortalcoelacanth]

HLVRAI Oneshot: Blankets and Burritos

I am weak, I crave gay fluff and family fluff...

Word count: 3428

Summary: Sometimes, Benrey has nightmares. It's a good thing Joshua has a plan to help out!

Gordon had long since accepted that Benrey was a naturally disruptive being. Between how absolutely chaotic he could be at times to his naturally blunt and occasionally abrasive attitude, the second he had moved in Gordon knew that his home would never be peaceful again. 

Granted, he had been surprised when Benrey began showing restraint when interacting with people, especially Joshua as the last thing he wanted was to upset the young boy. His jokes also lacked the more intimidating edge they held while they were in Black Mesa. Overall, his more destructive qualities had been toned down and he seemed to be far more at peace than the last time Gordon had seen the ex-guard. 

It was… nice, and while he had been hesitant at first to welcome Benrey into his home, he did not find himself regretting that decision. 

This did not mean that things were perfectly fine, of course. 

Benrey was… not the best at acting human, and it showed. There had already been several instances of Gordon getting up for a midnight snack and seeing at least two glowing eyes staring down at him from the ceiling. 

Absolutely horrifying. 

Plus, he had been forced to give Benrey a crash course on how humans acted and that no, he could not try and swallow the milk carton whole and please don’t walk up the side of a building and lean into a window to ask someone to play Smash Bros with you. 

Y’know, pretty simple things. Things that honestly would have made Gordon’s life a living hell if it was not for how accepting and understanding his neighbors were. 

Marguerite, a lovely, partially deaf old lady, had been especially happy to learn that Benrey had moved in with him, although Gordon was pretty sure that this was simply because she thought they were dating. She had been a huge source of help after his divorce, especially during some rather rough days. 

She had constantly pushed him to find something, or someone, that he could be happy with. Whether that was a hobby or a partner. 

He would never forget how scandalized he had felt when she first visited and saw Benrey. How she had looked the ex-guard up and down before turning to Gordon and winking at him. Her words forever burned into his mind. 

“This one will keep you busy, hands and mind.”

It had been one of the few times he had heard Benrey genuinely laugh, too. A loud, somewhat wheezing noise that made him curl up in a ball as he tried to control his laughter. It sounded nice and was something he wanted to hear more often.

And then... there were the nightmares. 

Moments where Benny's joy was smothered by something else, something he never expressed a desire to discuss. Gordon honestly had no clue what their source might be, whether caused some traumatic moment in Benrey’s past, or even the final fight between them, but whatever it was it could get bad.

Fortunately, these instances of nightmares were fairly quiet with Joshua never having woken up during them. Less fortunately, Gordon tended to be the one being startled awake since the ex-guard often slipped into his bed after he went to sleep, not that he cared all that much. In the beginning it had been a bit annoying to wake up and find Benrey downright spooning him, getting all into his personal space, and it had been a source of combat for several days until he and Benrey managed to sort things out. 

… Not that there was much of a conversation or anything like that. It was more so him listening to Benrey quietly insisting that he “needed someone”, and the gamer body pillow he purchased after that conversation had not helped in this regard. 

He loathed to think about it now, the wide eyes and flirtatious pose. Every so often it would move locations, going from being stuffed away in a closet to ominously being attached to the back of a door, and he was fairly certain Benrey was the one responsible for such a thing. 

Especially since Joshua claimed to have never seen it before, and he knew for a fact that the ex-guard was diligent in preventing Joshua from being exposed to more… mature jokes. 

Anyways, with Benrey continuing to seek out Gordon as a cuddle buddy and Gordon accepting his fate, and enjoying it, a solution to the nightmare problem still needed to be found. Aside from the growling, hissing, thrashing, and mutterings in some other language, Gordon had also nearly been crushed at one point after Benrey had, without warning, grown larger at some point during the night. 

He was thankful that the bed had not broken due to the sudden increase in weight. 

Currently, the physicist was seated in the living room, trying to put together some sort of solution that might help Benrey. Notepad in hand as he absent-mindedly chewed at the end of his pencil, thankfully lacking an eraser, he wrote down all the methods he had tried so far and what he might try next. 

Lists had always helped him keep his thoughts organized, and this was especially helpful given the mild chaos going on beside him. 

Otherwise known as Joshua and Benrey playing a racing game. 

Naturally, Joshua was currently speeding ahead of the ex-guard, throwing the occasional item back in an attempt to increase the distance between them. Unfortunately, with some quick maneuvers and calculated tricks, Benrey was able to dodge the attacks. 

“vroom, vroom, better watch out.”

“Nooooo!” 

“beep, beep!” 

“NOOOOOOOOOO!”

“you... you gotta go fast little dude, it’s the only way.”

“I am!” 

“gotta go faster.” 

“Faster?”

“faster, faster!” 

Gordon chuckled to himself as he listened to the pair break out in song, reciting the lyrics to some cartoon that they both watched. Saturday mornings were Benrey and Joshua’s designated bonding time as Benrey “educated josh bro on some pro gamer cartoons.”

As the race reached its conclusion, Joshua winning overall, the young boy carefully placed his controller down and then scrambled over to his father. He flung himself onto the sofa and leaned against Gordon’s side. Wide, eager eyes took in the notes. 

“Is this some work stuff?” Joshua asked, his eyes lighting up upon seeing the mention of blankets and pillows. “Are you guys gonna have a sleepover?! I can show you how to make an awesome pillow fort!”

“naaaaah,” Benrey casually slid into the conversation, both literally and figuratively. He perched on the armrest of the sofa, a smug grin on his face as he poked at the notepad. “he-he’s just writing ‘bout his crush.”

“Ooooh, so he’s writing about you?” 

“ya.” 

Gordon snorted and lightly thwacked one of Benrey’s fingers with the pencil, causing the ex-guard to let out a yelp before nursing the wounded digit. The exaggerated pout on his face made the physicist chuckle. 

“C’mon, don’t tell me that hurt you-”

“You gotta kiss it better, dad!” Joshua interrupted, placing his hands on Gordon’s leg and pushing himself up into his father’s face, eyes wide and pleading. “Like you did when I hurt my arm! Kisses make everything better!”

“yeah, feeman you-you gotta give me a biiiiiig old smoocher.” The smug grin had returned to Benrey’s face, and it grew wider at the exasperated look Gordon sent towards him. “it’s... it’s a joshie law, feetman, you gotta.”

After rolling his eyes, Gordon ultimately relented. He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss against Benrey’s wounded finger. Despite how smug he had been about the entire situation, there was no denying the heat that took over his face. 

Was Benrey flustered? Yes, but he would never admit to it!

“u-uh…. nice smooch there, feetman. g-gotta give it a perfect score.”

Joshua giggled at the look on Benrey’s face, from the happy smile to the warm glow in his eyes, it was good to see the ex-guard so happy. When Benrey was happy, his dad was happy, and that made him happy! It was perfect!

However, speaking of his dad…

“So, what’s those notes for, then?” He asked, poking at the notes once again. “Benrey’s definitely wrong-”

“owie, ouch, your-your words hurt my bones, little joshie dude.”

The young boy stuck his tongue out at Benrey before he focused on his father and continued speaking. “Is it for work stuff? Or something else?”

It was impossible to miss the look the two adults exchanged upon hearing Joshua’s question, and it made him suspicious. Was this some adult thing he was not supposed to know? Oh, like that thing his classmate Danielle had mentioned-

“Erm, Benrey has been having some trouble sleeping at night and I’m trying to figure out how to help him.” Gordon explained, snapping Joshua out of his thoughts. “These are just some of the ideas I had that might help him relax.”

Joshua blinked, understanding what his father was saying but also wanting confirmation from Benrey. “So, you have nightmares and stuff?”

“uh... yeah.” The ex-guard shrugged as his hands twitched and knit themselves together, an expression of the general anxiety he felt towards the situation. Talking about himself, something he was always uncomfortable with despite the problems it caused. “like... i got some rank e dreams, little bro. i... i keep getting t-posed on and… stuff.”

“Oh!” Joshua lightly clapped his hands together, an idea immediately coming to mind on what he could do to help. “Stay right here, I’ll be back!”

As the young boy rushed to his room, Gordon and Benrey exchanged a confused look. 

“you... you, uh, know what joshie’s doing?”

“Nope, no idea.” Gordon shrugged before sending a smile Benrey’s way. “It’s nice to see him helping us out with this.”

Benrey looked down towards the ground, casting more of his face and the associated blush in shadows. “yeah. h-he’s a good kiddo, feetman.” 

“Damn right he is.”

Not long after this short conversation reached its conclusion, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard and Joshua rushed back into the room with something rather large and bulky held in his arms, the ends of it dragging across the ground. 

It was his blanket, his weighted blanket to be specific. 

From a young age, Joshua had suffered through many bouts of nightmares and periods where he struggled to feel comfortable when going to sleep. This ultimately culminated in both his parents, who had been separated at this point, agreeing to take him to a sleep therapist and figure out what they could do to help. One of the methods they had been recommended to try was getting Joshua to use a weighted blanket to help him feel more secure and relaxed. 

While not solving all of his problems, he still occasionally visited the same therapist when dealing with a particularly bad bout of nightmares, the blanket, and the other coping methods he had been taught, had certainly helped. 

But the blanket continued to remain his primary source of comfort and seeing Joshua rush over to Benrey and hold the blanket out for the ex-guard to take made Gordon’s heart feel like mush. 

It was such a wholesome sight, and even if Benrey did not know the details behind why Joshua had this blanket, he was honored to see that Joshua wanted to use something of his to try and help. 

“awwww, little dude, you didn’t have to get this for me.” Benrey said, voice strangely soft and quiet. “you-you really didn’t need to.”

Joshua swiftly shook his head and once again thrust the blanket towards him. “This helped me a bunch, and now I want it to help you! Try it!” 

After sending an uncertain glance Gordon’s way, and being met with a reassuring thumbs up, he reached out and carefully took the blanket. He studied it for a moment, unaware of Joshua rocking back and forth in front of him and rubbed the material between his fingers. 

It felt… nice. Soft, but not too soft. 

The blanket was quickly wrapped around Benrey, and the ex-guard closed his eyes for a moment as he took in the sensation. It felt… comfortable. The added pressure of the blanket as it was draped across his shoulders did help him feel a bit more relaxed, reminding him of that.

That which he would never speak of. Old memories and forgotten places, a history that he never wanted to come to light, a name before Benrey. 

He quite liked the name Benrey, anyways. 

“Oh, oh dad!” Joshua suddenly shouted as he turned to look at his father, eyes shining with excitement. “How about you make a Benrrito!”

“... a wha?”

“Y’know!” Joshua spun to face Benrey as he made a rolling motion with his hands. “Burritoing! Dad does it to me a bunch!” 

Upon seeing the somewhat panicked look on Benrey’s face, Gordon quickly stepped in. He stood up, the action helping to calm the other two down, and gestured towards the floor. 

“If you wanna try it, we’re gonna need space.”

“you... you coming on to me, feetman?”

“NO, I AM NOT!”

Joshua giggled at the banter, not quite getting it but happy to see that his father had managed to get Benrey to relax a bit. He watched as the blanket was spread on the ground, patted out so there were no wrinkles before Benrey laid down on top of it. 

… Actually, Benrey looked a bit smaller than he normally did! Joshua knew most people would find such a thing strange, but he had long since gotten used to the occasional shape shifting that the ex-guard tended to do. 

Be it helping him reach food that was too high on the shelves or giving him piggyback rides, Joshua instinctively associated Benrey’s shape shifting with fun, unlike his father. 

Perhaps it was quite fortunate that Gordon was unaware of the shenanigans that these two sometimes got into. 

Regardless, as soon as Benrey was set up and ready to go, Gordon got to work. He flipped the edge of the blanket, so it was covering Benrey, and slowly started to roll the other man up. As he was turned over and over, the ex-guard’s smile began to grow larger and larger. 

Oh yes, he could just feel the potential chaotic energy. 

Once the burritoing process was complete, Gordon stepped back to admire his handiwork. At this point, only Benrey’s head and feet were sticking out of the burrito, and the constant glowing of his eyes seemed a bit duller than usual. A stream of pink to red sweet voice floated into the air. 

Joshua giggled and immediately started playing with the bubbles while Gordon lifted a brow and crossed his arms. “What’s that mean?”

“bbbbbbbb,” The string of noises made Gordon smile as he patiently waited for Benrey’s response.

“pink’n red means… i’m gonna bed.” Benrey yawned. Okay, chaotic energy replaced by exhaustion, which was… strange to say the least. 

And clearly Gordon agreed with that thought as his brow lifted higher in surprise. “Really? A burrito did you in?”

“ya.” Benrey bluntly replied as he wiggled around a bit, smushing his face into the blanket. “s’nice, cozy… me likey.”

“Operation Benrrito is a success!” Joshua cheered, high-fiving his father in victory. He then let out a sudden gasp and started bouncing in excitement.

“Dad, this means we gotta help him get a blanket! Can we go shopping tomorrow? Please? Pretty please? I can show Benrey all the super cool patterns they have, and the special stuffed animals too!”

Gordon spared a glance at the absolutely blissed out Benrey, who was currently radiating the energies of a content cat going for a nap, before smiling at his son and nodding. “Looks like we’re going to need to.”

“Yay!” Joshua exclaimed and crouched down in front of the ex-guard. “There’s a whole buncha space patterns and stuff like that one! There’s also ones that’re swirls of colours and they look super cool!”

“bbbbbbbbbb.” Benrey grinned, sharp teeth glinting in the light. “Alright then, little dude. let’s... let’s goooooooooo.”

And with that, Benrey slowly started inching towards the door as Gordon and Joshua watched on. The young boy took a step forward, thoroughly intending to join him before his dad placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. 

“No way we’re going out now.” He frowned. “It’s busy, and-”

“the karens are out?” Benrey cheekily added. 

“... Yeah, the last thing I want to deal with.” Gordon sighed, placing his face in his hands as he recalled the various interesting encounters he had at that specific mall. It was located in the more affluent section of the neighborhood, and the customers tended to reflect that. 

Ugh, with his luck he would probably end up running into her there-

“Joshie, I know you’re excited, so we’ll go tomorrow as soon as the store opens.” He exhaled as he lifted his face out of his hands and opened his eyes. To his surprise, Joshua did not seem disappointed in the slightest despite how enthusiastic he had been earlier. 

Granted, it definitely helped that Joshua had been the one to suggest going shopping tomorrow. It was not unusual for his father to forget minor details after experiencing some stress and recalling those lovely interactions has certainly been stressful. 

But the young boy felt there was no point in mentioning it, so he didn’t. 

“It’s okay, dad!” Joshua chirped. “But you should probably stop Benrey from escaping.”

“Wha?!” Gordon whirled around and noticed that Benrey had continued to inch towards the door and was now pressed up against it. Probably trying to clip through it since his arms were stuck at his sides. 

The physicist sighed once more, this time in annoyance, before striding over to the door and looking down at Benrey. “What’re you doing?”

“uhhhhhhhh.... y-yo mama.”

“I...there’s no words to describe how disappointed I feel, and you can’t go out like that anyways.”

“i’mma worm off the string, man. look at me gooooooo.”

“You’re not a worm! You’re a burrito!” Joshua chimed in, leaning around his father and smiling at Benrey. 

“noooooo, m-my evil plot… has been foiled.” Benrey dramatically, and somewhat lazily, wailed. He started rolling over to emphasize his apparent defeat. “i’m worming, woooooorming.”

At this point, Joshua had broken down into a fit of laughter and even Gordon had a small smile on his face. Deciding to play along with Benrey’s shenanigans, the physicist made his move. 

Now, it goes without saying that Gordon was not a weak man. Even without the added benefits of the HEV suit, he was no stranger to some forms of exercise. 

Primarily lifting Joshua up into the air as his son loved to feel like he was flying. 

In other words, without warning Gordon crouched down and scooped Benrey, in all his burrito’d glory, up. Rather than being slung over his shoulder, as the ex-guard was still heavier than Joshua and the last thing Gordon wanted was to potentially hurt his shoulder or back, he opted for an easier carry. 

Bridal style. 

Of course, he had not completely thought his plan through, so when he suddenly found Benrey’s face very close to his, his response was immediately and instinctive. 

He blushed, badly. 

Upon seeing this blush, and realizing his sudden proximity to Gordon’s face, Benrey smirked and made a move of his own. 

By leaning forward and quickly kissing the tip of Gordon’s nose. 

Needless to say, at this point both men were blushing. 

Joshua could be heard happily clapping his hands together in the background, and it was this noise that snapped Gordon out of his stunned state. He, somewhat awkwardly, shuffled over to the sofa and plopped Benrey down on it. The, still blushing, ex-guard did nothing except try to sink into the blanket burrito further. 

It was obvious he had no intention of being unburrito’d, for now. 

Gordon sighed and looked over at Joshua. “You okay with using your other blanket tonight?”

“The cowboy one?”

“Yeah.”

“Mhm!” The young boy quickly nodded. “Can you wash it first, please? I don’t want it to be smelly and gross.”

“You got it.” Gordon replied with a thumbs up. As he left to go and fix up Joshua’s other blanket, Joshua could be seen joining Benrey on the sofa and huddling beside him, quietly discussing the different kinds of blankets he had seen and how comfy some of them were. It was quite an adorable sight, and one that held potential. 

The potential for Gordon to make two burritos today, that is. 

                                        xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was actually kind of a struggle to finish this oneshot off, it kept getting longer and longer and my muse keeps spitting more ideas at me XD

Also, 10 bonus points to whoever gets the cartoon reference I added in!

I hope you all enjoyed reading!

- ImmortalCoelacanth

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: The Queen of Asgard, 7

The Tower: The Queen of Asgard An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 1717

Warnings: none

Synopsis: The twins are now three and while the Avengers know that Clint and Thor are the biological father’s none of them know or care which blond, blue-eyed baby is related to which man.  When Riley gets the power to control wind and it becomes evident that she is the heir to the Asgardian throne, Elly, Steve, Thor, and Tony take the twins to Asgard to train her.

Not every Asgardian is happy with their king’s choice of consort, nor the impurity of the heir’s blood.  While others expect Thor to make things more official.  What’s clear is, the role of Queen of Asgard is not easily filled.

Author’s Note: Written with @fanficwriter013​ who is practically dead.

Chapter 7 - The Palace

Thor led us through into the grand entrance of the palace.  It was a massive hall almost a football field wide with large doors coming off it and staggered stairs up, so it gradually rose up.  Everything was ornately decorated in gold.  From the gilding on the marble floors to the intricate artwork on the ceiling.  There were pillars at even intervals on the way down and in the distance ahead was a large doorway and light spilled from it.  Guards, dressed in gold, were stationed at the pillars on either side of the hall.  It was clear that the hall was built to hold the city if need be and was used for official events.

“Ahead is the throne room, but we are heading to the royal wing,”  Thor said taking a right turn before we reached the throne room

This hall was much smaller but still bigger than any in our house, which was bigger than the average house.  The light coming through the large arched windows and skylights seemed golden too.  It was as if the whole of Asgard was just dipped in gold.

“This palace is vast,”  Loki said.  She was carrying Pietro still who was now looking around a little.  “You could be easily lost.”

“And no FRIDAY to help,”  I joked.

“Was that a challenge?”  Tony asked.

“No.  She’s just not here so I don’t get lost.”  I said giving him a look.

“Sounded like a challenge to me.”  Tony insisted.

“It wasn’t, Tony!”

“Steve, tell her,”  Tony said.  “No, wait.  Bug, didn’t mommy just challenge me?”

Riley nodded her head sagely.  “Is a chawenge.”

“Thanks, Bug.  And what do we say to those?”

“Chawange assepted!”  She roared.

I started laughing and shook my head.  “Oh, god.  What have you been teaching her?”

“Nothing, she’s just my little girl.”  He said.

“So what does that actually mean?”  I asked.  Are you installing AI into the palace?”  I asked.

“No, not the palace.”  He said.  “Maybe you can have a personalized AI butler,”  Tony said.

I looked at him quizzically.  “For me specifically?”

“Well, duh.  You get lost in your own room.”

Steve snorted as he tried to stifle a laugh and I smacked his arm.  “Well, thank you, Tony,”  I said.

He wrapped his arm around my waist and gave me a squeeze.  “Oh, good.  I thought I was going to get in trouble for that one.”

“For making me something because you’re worried about me?  Never.”  I said.

“So, my little bug.  Should I make mommy a bracelet or a robot?”  He asked.

“Robod,”  Riley said without even pausing to think about it.

Tony ruffled her hair.  “You got it, kiddo.”

Thor smiled and turned, opening a door.  “I thought you might like to invent while you were here, so I had this made for you and Banner.”

Tony looked at the lab and then at Thor in shock.  “You made a lab for me?”  He said coming in and slowly walking around the room.

“Yes, of course.  I want you to feel at home.”  He said.

There was the briefest of moments where Tony looked at Thor with the softest and most loving expression.  I think he was starting to see what I had been seeing this week and missed.  Thor was in love with us.  Completely.  We weren’t a side project for him.  He wanted us to be with him here.  Being king was his side project keeping him from us.  Not the other way around.

“Alright, kiddos.  Who wants to look at the space lab?”  Tony said, clapping Thor on the shoulder.

“Yeah!”  Riley said, bouncing a little.

Pietro picked his head up from Loki’s shoulder.  “I wanna.”

Loki put him down and they both toddled off after Tony as he moved around the lab looking at things.  Pietro grabbed Tony’s hand and tugged on it.  “Wanna see, pwease.”

Tony picked him up and Pietro started clambering up onto his shoulders.   “Oh, you want to be up, up, huh?”  He said helping him to get all the way up.

“So how’s it look?  You got everything you need?” I asked.

“I mean, I don’t know what half this stuff is, but finding out is gonna be fun,”  Tony said, a huge smile plastered on his face.

Riley tried to climb up onto a chair to reach one of the workbenches and Loki swooped in and scooped her up and put her on her hip.  “How about we don’t do that?”  She said.

“Look at you being the responsible one.”  I teased.

“Don’t get used to it.”  She snarked.

Riley started to stroke Loki’s hair.  “Little one, did you not learn to leave people’s hair alone?”  Thor asked.

“Is that what happened to the almighty royal hair?”  Loki teased.

“I dot stuck,”  Riley said poking out her bottom lip.

Loki chuckled and kissed Riley’s brow.  “Very good.  Well, it has been 800 years since your last haircut, brother.  You were well overdue.”

Thor rolled his eyes and looked over at Tony.  “Have you seen enough?  Shall we continue to our living quarters?”

Tony agreed and we all headed back out and down a hall.  Thor led our little group to a door at the end of the hall and opened it up.  Inside was what looked like a large living area.  It had a circular couch in the middle of the room around an ottoman and there was a large dining table that would easily fit the entire family.  Around the room were 12 doors.  All closed.  The room still contained a lot of gold, but here they were more highlights to the reds and whites that were decorating the room.

“Oh wow,”  I said coming in.

“This is not my primary dwellings,”  Thor explained coming in.  “I had them built for you when the twins were born.  I hoped that Riley’s lineage might convince you to come to spend time here eventually.  Each door leads to a bedroom for each of us.  And one for the twins.  But you will find the beds are large enough in the adult's rooms to accommodate all of us.  The door directly opposite leads to the main bath.  There are smaller ones attached to each room.”

I looked around the room with my mouth open before turning to Thor.  “How long have you been hoping we will visit, Thor?”

Thor shrugged a little but didn’t answer.  I shook my head a little to clear it.   “This room is for you, my queen,”  Thor said, showing me to one of the rooms.  “It’s second only to mine.”

I looked at him and blinked.  “Why?”

“Asgardian tradition,”  Thor said, not really addressing the question at all.

“What?  What tradition?”  I asked.

Loki rolled her eyes.  “The one where the mother of the heir gets special treatment.”  She explained.  I scrunched up my face and Loki laughed.  “He has really left you in the dark, hasn’t he?”

“Yes.  What is going on with you and not telling us stuff?”  I asked.

He shook his head again.  “I apologize.”  He said and let out a breath.  “As the king’s consorts, you are all considered royalty.  I have chosen you.  As the mother of the heir that puts you in the position of Queen of Asgard and will be treated as thus.”

I am not sure I could have dropped my jaw any lower.  Here I was, still having trouble accepting gifts from Tony after so long together and now I was the Queen of Asgard all of a sudden?  “Right,”  I said and shook my head.  “So, are we expected to act a certain way?”

“No,”  Thor said.  “But you will be treated as Royalty.”

“Should I change?”  I asked looking down at the t-shirt I’d stolen from Sam I was wearing over yoga pants.

“You are not obliged to,”  Thor said.  “At the feast tonight, you will be required to dress up.  Here you can be comfortable.”

“Right,”  I said.  “The feast.”  I looked over at Loki who still had Riley in her arms.  “Loki, would you like to have some alone time with the children?  I know Pietro has a lot of books to show you.”

“You brought me lots of books?”  Loki asked.

Pietro wriggled and Tony put him back on the ground.  He ran over to Steve, getting his bag and then dragged it on the floor over to Loki, sitting down on the floor and immediately starting to pull out books.

“Wouldn’t you like to go to the library, little prince?”  Loki asked.

Pietro looked up at Loki and then down at the books he had just pulled out like he’d just made a huge mistake.  Loki chuckled and crouched down helping to pack them back up.  She swung the bag over her shoulder and scooped Pietro up too so she was holding both of them.  “Say goodbye to your parents.”

“Bye, daddies.  Bye, mommy.”  They said waving as Loki carried them from the room.

I took Thor’s hand and led him to the couch, sitting down with him.  I entwined my fingers with his and looked into his eyes.  “Alright, spill.  What’s going on with you?  Why aren’t you telling us things?”

He let out a breath and lowered his head.  “I didn’t think you would come if you knew the extent to which you would be revered.”

“Of course we would, Thor.  You are part of our family and this is your world.  I would have come much sooner if I’d ever even suspected it was possible or something you wanted.  But even if I didn’t feel that way, Riley is your daughter.  She needs to be prepared for what that means.  I’d be here for her.”  I said.

“Oh,”  Thor said looking down at my hand.

I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled into his neck.  “Is there anything else we need to be prepared for?”

He shook his head.  “That should be it.  The feast will be grand.  It is in yours and the children's honor.  But you aren’t expected to do anything special.”

“Okay,”  I said and pulled back, looking into his eyes.  “How long have you wanted us to come?” 

He frowned and leaned his head against mine.  “Since the day we met.”

// NEXT

[draftingtides]

Lucifer

AO3

Words: 2182 (Sorry to any mobile users viewing this directly from my blog)

Rating: G

Summary: Six fledgling!angels (with no explanation as to why they are fledglings ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) and a little bit of angst quickly fixed by fluff.

Notes: I wrote this over a year ago with plans to turn it into a multi-chapter fic, but I could never find the time. I still don't have the time, but I do really love this ficlet, so I figured I'd post it here. It's set after Sam lets Lucifer out of the Cage, but before Lucifer does any bad stuff. (I never write Lucifer as good/redeemable if the fic is set after the Cage.)

"Lunch!" Dean shouted from the kitchen.

Sam glanced up from Green Eggs and Ham, which he'd been reading to Castiel, Gadreel, and Gabriel. He could smell burgers.

"C'mon, guys, let's go get some food," he said, setting the book on the coffee table. He got a former grip on the youngest angel (who was apparently a cuddler as a toddler) and stood.

Gabriel looked up from where he was sitting on the floor with his stuffed corgi. "But you didn't finish the story!"

Sam suppressed a sigh. "Gabe, I've read it to you three times today."

"You didn't finish it now!"

Sam felt a tugging on his pants and looked down. It was Gadreel.

"Can we eat?"

Laughing, Sam said, "Yeah, we can go eat. Let's go, Gabe. We'll finish the story later."

Not looking entirely with their compromise, Gabriel trailed after Sam and Gadreel, still holding his dog.

The table was already set, complete with placemats under the plates and phonebooks on the chair. Michael had already claimed a seat. Dean was just putting out a plate of hamburgers when Sam and the three angels entered.

Castiel's eyes lit up at the sight. He leaned forward in an attempt to escape Sam's arms and made gimme-hands. "Buggers!"

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, Cas, burgers." He took the youngest angel from Sam and plopped him down on the chair with the tallest stack of phonebooks. Sam lifted Gabriel up and set him on the chair next to Castiel.

Gadreel tried to clamber onto the chair next to Michael, but the older angel leaned over and slapped his hands over the chair. "No! Lucifer sits here!"

Gadreel's bottom lip began to tremble. Sam quickly said, "Whoa, hey, don't cry. Look, you can sit next to me, okay?"

Gadreel brightened at that, and he happily allowed himself to be lifted onto the chair next to Sam.

"Where is Lucifer?" asked Dean, setting down a bowl of salad next to the hamburgers. "And Bobby and Raphael?"

"I'll go find them," Sam said.

Bobby and Raphael, it turned out, were in Bobby's study. Bobby was asleep in a chair at his desk, and Raphael was sitting on his lap with Gadreel's wooden puzzle spread out in front of him. Sam couldn't help but grin.

"Hey, kiddo," Sam said quietly. Raphael looked up. "Want some food?"

Raphael nodded and held his arms out to be picked up. Sam lifted him up carefully, trying to disturb Bobby as little as possible.

Sam set him down in the hallway. "Do you know where Lucifer is?"

Raphael shook his head.

"Okay, thanks anyway. Go eat some lunch, and tell Dean that Bobby's sleeping."

Raphael ran off toward the kitchen.

Sam looked in both of the bedrooms, the bathrooms, and even the pantry, but he couldn't find Lucifer anywhere.

He poked his head into the kitchen to make sure Lucifer hadn't gone in there while Sam was looking for him, but neither Dean nor any of the other five angels had seen him.

"Maybe he went outside," Dean suggested. "Want me to go check?"

God knew Sam hated spending more time with Lucifer than was necessary, but he declined the offer. He knew Dean would scold Lucifer harshly for going outside without supervision - not that he shouldn't be reprimanded, but Dean was likely to go over-the-top with his punishment.

Sam went out on the front porch. He cupped his hands around his mouth, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Lucifer!"

When no four-year-old came running, Sam sighed. He was not looking forward to the prospect of looking through all the junk cars on the lot. Then, a flash of white in the front seat of the Impala caught his eye. Sam was suddenly very grateful that Dean was still inside. He'd flip if he knew Lucifer was in the Impala unsupervised

"Lucifer," said Sam, crossing to the car, "it's time for lunch."

The white edge of Lucifer's wing didn't move. Sam opened the driver's seat door and almost laughed. Lucifer's three sets of wings were cocooning his body. Not even his fingers or the tips of his fingers could be seen.

"I can see you, you know. Feathers don't make you invisible."

"Go 'way!"

Had it been Cas - or, hell, any of the other angels - Sam probably wouldn't have hesitated to simply pick him up and carry him inside, but this was Lucifer, so hesitate he did.

"Lucifer," he tried again, "c'mon. Dean made burgers."

"I don't want any!"

"Dude. Hurry up, or I'm gonna have to put you in time-out."

Lucifer's head poked out of his wing cocoon, making him look like a bizarre turtle.

"No! I'm gonna stay here forever."

Sam remembered something he'd read on one of those parenting websites he'd found: "You probably won't understand most things your child does or says, but ask them to explain and do your best to support them."

Sam knelt down next to the Impala, wincing a bit as his knees popped.

"Lucifer," he said. He made his voice quieter, less sharp. "Why don't you want to eat lunch?"

"I do."

Leaning back on his heels, Sam frowned and asked, "Then why won't you come inside?"

Lucifer mumbled something unintelligible and covered his head with his wings again.

"Dude, seriously. I can't help if you won't tell me what's wrong."

An odd noise was coming from underneath the wing cocoon, and the cocoon itself was visibly trembling. Sam took a deep, calming breath, then took a wing between his thumb and forefinger and gently lifted it. The back of Lucifer's head was revealed. He was shaking.

"Are you crying?" Sam blurted out incredulously. The toddlers cried, sure, but it was usually loud, violent crying that begged for attention. The way Lucifer was crying now was near-silent sobs, punctuated by little gasps and hiccoughs.

"No," insisted the angel.

Sam closed his eyes and reminded himself, he's powerless; the worst thing he can do is bite you. Then he lifted Lucifer out of the car by his armpits. Ignoring his squawk of protest, Sam sat down on the dirt and set Lucifer on his lap.

"Look at me. No, hey, look at me," he repeated when Lucifer avoided his eyes. When Sam was certain he had Lucifer's full attention, Sam asked him, "Why don't you want to go inside?"

Lucifer's bottom lip trembled. Then, "You don' wan' me!"

Startled, Sam said, "What?"

"You won' let me sit by you an' Dean'll not cut my burger an' Bobby'll make the mean face!"

Sam was taken aback. "You're upset because Bobby's grumpy and Dean won't cut up your food?"

"An' I never get to sit next by you! You hate me!" With that, he covered his face with his tiny hands and burst into tears again.

Oh. Oh. Lucifer was upset because the adults weren't treating him like the other angels. They were holding grudges against him for things he didn't remember doing. The kid was four, and they were treating him like he was still a millennia-old, nearly-omnipotent fallen angel.

Sam thought back to a couple days ago, when Lucifer had asked Sam to play with him. Sam had claimed he still had research to do, and now he recalled how lonely and forlorn Lucifer had looked as he played with his plastic army men by himself.

Then, yesterday, Lucifer had wanted to sit next to Sam, but Raphael had sat there instead. Later in the day, Lucifer had crushed Raphael's fingers with his miniature fighter jet and thrown a tantrum when they put him in time-out.

Just a few hours ago, Lucifer had asked to sit on the couch while Sam read Green Eggs and Ham, but Sam had told him that, between himself, Castiel, and Gadreel, there wasn't enough room.

How long had they been treating him like a pariah without noticing the effect it had on him? No wonder the toddler thought they hated him.

Tentatively, Sam wrapped his arms around the boy, being mindful of his wings, and pulled him to his chest. Lucifer immediately threw his arms around Sam's neck and started sobbing into his shoulder. Sam rubbed light circles between his shoulder blades and carded his fingers through Lucifer's hair, all the while rocking him back and forth and murmuring, "Shh, it's okay, it's okay."

When Lucifer was all cried out, Sam asked, "Do you want to go eat lunch now? I'll let you sit next to me."

"Dean," Lucifer mumbled.

"I'll make him cut up your burger."

"Bobby."

"Bobby won't even be there. He's sleeping."

After a moment's hesitation, Sam felt Lucifer nod.

"Okay, up we go." It was a tad bit difficult to stand up when he had a toddler attached to him like a limpet, but San was getting used to it - toddlers were clingy.

"Wait! My stuff!"

"What?"

"My stuff is in the car!"

Sam looked in the backseat of the Impala, and, lo and behold, there lay Lucifer's pyjamas, a t-shirt and pants, and the Ziploc bag filled with plastic soldiers.

"What's this in here for?"

"Was tryna run away," mumbled Lucifer into Sam's shirt, "but I di'n know how t' make the car go."

Sam snorted. "I'll bring it all inside after we eat."

At the porch, Sam set Lucifer down, but when he held out his hand, Sam took it in his own larger hand and led him into the house.

Dean raised his eyebrows at the hand-holding, but Sam shook his head at him, silently asking him to save his questions for later.

"Heya, Sammy," he said. "I was about to send out a search party for you."

"Sorry. Lucifer had to have a talk."

Dean furrowed his brow in silent question. Sam mouthed I'm okay and Dean relaxed. Any other interaction was stopped by Michael shouting, "Lucifer! I saved you a seat!"

"No, I'mma sit with Sam now."

Michael frowned, like he didn't understand. "But I saved it for you."

"Lucifer can sit next to you at dinner," Sam assured him, "but he's going to sit next to me for now."

"No, me!" piped up Gadreel.

"You can still sit next to me. Lucifer can sit on my other side."

Throughout lunch, Lucifer smiled so much that he could hardly chew his bite-sized pieces of cut up hamburger. His good mood continued when Sam agreed to play with him afterwards.

"Pew! Pew! Pew!" Lucifer made high-pitched gun noises with his little kid voice. He gestured with his plastic army men like the were shooting down the tiny plane Sam was whooshing around.

"Uh oh!" exclaimed Sam. He pretended to crash the plane.

"It's hurt!" said Lucifer. He scooped it up and ran over to Raphael. "Raph'el, its wing is hurt!"

Raphael looked up from his own wings, which he was examining with great interest.

As Sam watched the little boys interact, Dean came up behind him and ruffles his hair. Annoyed, Sam pushed his hand away.

"Quit it, jerk!"

"Make me, bitch," Dean shot back with a grin, but it soon melted. "What the hell is up with you and Lucifer?"

"Whaddaya mean?" asked Sam, even though he knew exactly what Dean was talking about.

"You went out to find him at lunch, and since you came back, you've been acting like he's your own damn kid, and not the actual fucking devil!"

Sam flinched. "Volume, Dean. The kids are still in the room." He leaned against the bottom of the sofa and tilted his head back to look at his brother. "Dean, he's a kid. He barely remembers anything from before. The rest of them are exactly the same. I'm not gonna be a dick to a little kid because of something he doesn't know he did. And you shouldn't, either."

Just then, Lucifer came running back, Raphael at his side.

"Raphael made the plane better!" He held it out so they could see the pretend gunshot wound covered by a fabric bandage from Raphael's toy veterinarian kit.

Dean stared down at the plane for a few moments, and then, in a shockingly kind voice, said, "That's great, guys."

Lucifer looked up at Dean uncertainly, but then Raphael tugged on Dean's hand and said, "Play with us." In no time at all, Dean was laying on his stomach and laughing as he helped Lucifer and Raphael wage war on Gabriel's stuffed corgi.

The battle quickly devolved into chaos. The other angels joined in, too. It seemed to be Sam, Lucifer, Gadreel, and Michael against Dean, Gabriel, and Raphael. Dean tried to recruit the Castiel, too, but the littlest angel seemed more interested in hiding the army men than in playing with them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw Bobby standing in the doorway. He tensed and got ready for an argument, but Bobby only grumbled something about idjits makin' a mess in his living room and walked out of the room. Sam caught a glimpse of a smile under his beard as he left. Sam smiled then, too, because he knew everything was going to be fine.

[cianmars]

#10 for the domesticity prompts for Red Snowing? (Because I am trash for this family and it is your fault.)

You sent this in like 8 days ago and I know it’s only supposed to be short but like I have no self control and you should know that by now..... here’s Number 10 - the in-laws come to visit.

I’ve done it so it’s Regina and Robin visiting them for dinner at the behest of Henry, who’s wanting to have a meal with his step-sister (which is weird considering their grandmother/grandson relationship in canon) and her family, and introduce them to his fiancée.Henry- 23Roland- 21Robyn’s now Rowan - 19They also adopted two kids they used to foster but neither will feature in this - Matthew and Kai who are both 17. 

Neal- 18Tyler - 16Emma- 2 (just.)

Fanfiction.net

David sat on the side of the sandpit in the park as Emma played. A little while after Emma had been born he decided he wanted to be a stay at home dad, he and his wives had talked it over and found it worked out perfectly for them all especially as Emma seemed to be the clingiest to him, he had taken to it like a duck to water. 

As Emma had to have regular check ups at the hospital they knew full well that Emma hated the hospital visits, David figured that if he could at least wear the two year old out a little it wouldn't be quite as bad, at least that was what he was hoping but she was so much more stubborn than he could remember either of her brothers being so the hope wasn't exactly massive. 

“Tap the top of this bit, Koala.” He helped her pat the top of the bucket before he pulled it off and showed Emma the sandcastle underneath. “Wow! Look at that, your very own castle.” 

“Yay!” Emma cheered, before a mischievous look appeared on her face, she hit the castle knocking it down. “Uh oh.”

David chuckled and tickled her sides. “Uh oh indeed.” He spotted Ruby walking up to them ready to go to the hospital with them for Emma’s checkup. “Sickness bug?”

“And here I was thinking I looked nice today.” She sat down and Emma immediately started to climb onto her lap. “Hey, pup.”

“You look as beautiful as you do every day.” David wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into a deep kiss, the boys had long since decided that their parents being in love was the most embarrassing thing possible, but they still had a few more years before Emma started to complain. “No, just an idea, I mean no one wants to catch the sickness bug and Snow said that they’re meant to be visiting Peanut at college... Regina won't want to visit us if there’s a chance they’ll be too ill to go.”

“She’s nineteen, nearly twenty, I doubt Rowan would appreciate you still calling her Peanut.” Ruby smirked. “Anyway, do you really think that Snow would let us?”

David sighed, he sent Emma a happy smile when she looked at him, but as soon as she looked away to play in the sand again he sent Ruby a pout. “It’s alright for you, Regina hates me, I swear she thinks I’m gonna break one of the kids somehow!”

Ruby sniggered. “In her defence, you did get her stepdaughter pregnant, before the age of twenty...” She distracted Emma from trying to taste the sand by moulding a fish. “Wow, look, a Dory fishy!”

“If I remember correctly, you were there for the baby making part too.” He smirked.

“Mama, Nemo, no Dory! ” 

“Oh my apologies, pup, of course that’s Nemo!” She feigned a sincere apology before looking back at David. “Yeah, but Regina knows basic biology... and I don’t have the parts.”

“Well, I can certain attest to that.” David remarked with a flirty smirk. “Neal’s eighteen now, he’s technically an adult, when’s she gonna let it go?”

“...Maybe when Em’s forty.”

David gently pulled Emma into his arms, wiping the sand off of her overalls, he hugged her close. “Nope, you’re never going to grow up are you, Emmy? Just be my little girl forever, you won't be a traitor and grow up like Ty and Nee, will you?”

“Nee’s big, big, big.” Emma nodded her head in agreement though she didn't understand what he meant. They were still getting her to understand that Neal would be moving out the next year, to go to college, they knew it was really going to upset her. 

Ruby chuckled and kissed the top of Emma’s crazy blonde curls. “You’re very right, babe. How about daddy gets you into your stroller then we can walk to go get mommy?”

“Okay.” Emma smiled but then the smile faltered. “Go the doctor?”

“We do, pup,” she said, as David strapped the wiggling toddler into the stroller, “but it’s okay you know it’s easy, plus you get some stickers.”

“Stickers?”

“Stickers.” Ruby confirmed tucking Emma’s blanket around her before kissing her nose.

“Okay mama.” She started to play with a couple of the toys they still had attached to the stroller.

“Maybe I could give Regina a sticker every time she’s nice to me.”

Ruby linked arms with David as he started to push the stroller. “So, you’ll only need to borrow two of Emma’s stickers?”

“You’re curiously optimistic today.” David joked, as they walked towards Snow’s school, where they’d all drive to the hospital together. 

“One, two, three!” 

“That’s my very clever girl, Emma.” Snow praised as they walked down the hospital corridor after having seen the doctor. Emma had now stopped crying after being given her vaccinations, Emma decided to half skip-half run down the corridor, in the sight of her parents.“You do have three stickers. Sweetie, come hold my hand please or one of us will carry you, it’s going to be busier in a minute we don't want to lose you.”

“You could distract Snow, and I’ll find a red felt tip, we’ll claim Emma has the chickenpox.” David suggested quietly, coming up with another plan like they had been while they had been waiting for Emma’s appointment (Ruby out of bored and David out of a genuine need for a plan), but not quietly enough that his other wife didn't hear. 

“David.” Snow turned on him, with Emma in her arms, looking stern. “You are not lying to Regina to get her not to come.”

“...Snow-”

“-No. I know you two don't always get along, especially when you have to spend several hours together when none of the kids are ill or there’s not a family event of some form, and I appreciate it, I do - I know she’s hard on you even if she doesn't really mean it. But we’ve not seen Henry for a while, and he’s only going to visit us less now that he’s settled down in Seattle, and next year Neal will be gone, he’ll be hours away. How long until we all get to just meet up for a meal again?”

Emma looked up at them with apt attention. “Uncle Henry?”

David felt bad all of a sudden, he knew that family was important to all of them especially Snow, it was only when Neal was born that she and Regina had become close after almost a decade. “Yeah, kiddo, we’re gonna see uncle Henry, uncle Henry’s girlfriend, grandpa, and grandma.” He leant down and tenderly and lovingly kissed Snow. “I’m sorry, Snow.”

Snow placed her hand onto David’s chest. “It’s okay, you know she doesn't really hate you, right? She just... acts like she does...”

“Sure...” David said dubiously before he laughed and took Emma from Snow’s arms. “You want to ride on my shoulders to the car?” He asked, he knew she wouldn't be quite as happy when the shots came into full effect, so he wanted her to be happy for as long as possible. 

“Daddy horsey.” Emma said holding onto his hair as David carefully kept hold of her on his shoulders. 

Ruby and Snow both laughed as Davidstarted to gallop down the corridor clearly not caring about what anyone would think of him. Ruby slipped her hand through Snow’s andpulled her into a kiss, before they resumed walking, Ruby swinging their joinedhands. 

“What’re you thinking?” Snow asked knowing full well that her wife was startingto plan something in her mind.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Rubysmirked.

Snow rolled her eyes and pulled theirhands up to her lips to kiss Ruby’s. “What’re you thinking?” She asked again.

“Well, I know that the kids love ourtrips away from the town, the further away the better, but maybe we should go somewherenew… and, well, we always wanted to go to England, maybe we could go to London forspring break.” It was a trip they had talked about since the three of them had gotten together as teenagers, then Snow had fallen pregnant, and there had just never seemed to be a right time.

Snow beamed and stopped in thedoorway leading outside where David and Emma were, she gave Ruby another kiss,this time a lingering one. It was hard for all of them, getting used to thefact that Neal would be leaving them in under a year, it only became moreapparent when Henry had chosen to settle on the other side of the country, hewas only five years older than Neal.“Have I told you that I love you?”

“Not yet today.” Ruby couldn’t resistkissing her again, she could still taste some fruit tea Snow must have dranknot too long before they had picked her up from the school, her lips were assoft as they had been when they had first fallen in love as mere teenagers. “ButI’m sure you can make up for that.”

“Neal!” David called through as he and his wives moved around the kitchen putting together the meal and desserts, Emma was balanced on his hip clinging onto him, the shots side effects starting - really it would have been better if either the shots or the meal had been a different day, but such was life. 

His eldest son appeared in the kitchen doorway. Freshly showered after his swim practice and changed into a turquoise shirt which brought out the brightest blue hues of his irises, he had already dried and styled his hair so that there were no hints of any of the curls which had been present in his wet hair, yet he continued to run his hand through his dark locks to make sure it was sitting right. ”What’s up, dad?”

“Can you quickly get your little sister changed while me and your moms sort out dinner? I know Ty’s in the shower so he can watch her while we all get changed.”

“Sure.” Neal shrugged. “Hey, Emmy, let’s go get you changed.” Neal went to take Emma but she squirmed away and held tighter to David. 

“No! Want daddy.”

David sighed and kissed her head. “Sweetie, I promise I’ll hold you again as soon as we’re all changed.” He felt her hold even tighter and just whine in response. “You can wear your Dino onesie, I’m sure Uncle Henry would love to see that, you can show him how you can roar really loudly.”

Snow caught sight of Emma’s face and knew she was close to crying or a tantrum, but that wasn't her fault, she walked over and kissed Emma’s forehead. She sent a look to Ruby who nodded and grabbed the baby medicine from the cupboard, she, too, kissed the top of Emma’s head as she passed it over. 

“Okay, baby, you can stay with daddy.” Snow soothed, measuring out the syringe of medicine for Emma, and getting it ready to give to her daughter. “You’re a little warm, sweetie, open up please, it’s the cherry one.”

Luckily Emma had decided not to refuse to take it and just opened her mouth. She still pulled a face at the medicine but didn't spit it out which was a plus. “Stay daddy?” Emma asked them quietly.

“Yes, you can stay with daddy,” Snow said without pause, “he’ll get you changed into your onesie, you’ll be comfiest in that.” She had planned for Emma  to wear something bit smarter than that but her toddler’s comfort came first. “Neal, can you help in here, please?” 

“Sure.” Neal shrugged as David carried Emma out of the room, he rolled up his sleeves and wandered over to the kitchen counters where delicious food had been made or was in the process of being made. “Erm, mom, mama? You guys realise that it’s only us, Grandma, Grandpa, Henry and Ella... right?” 

Ruby smirked, she had clearly already had this conversation, she looked amused as Snow gave her polished answer.

“It gives us variety, it’s kind of like a potluck/ banquet style,” Snow answered as she opened the oven to check on the lemon roasted chicken with its chorizo stuffing, “there’s meat and vegetarian options and starters, a couple of mains, and desserts.”

“Ah... so you’re planning on scaring her off by over feeding her?” He joked looking at the desserts, which David had made during Emma’s morning nap, he had to admit that they looked just as delicious as the whole house smelt.

Ruby snorted with laughter. “Yup.” she said at the same time that Snow said -

“You are so like your father... and your mother.”

Neal just shot her a charming smile but didn't deny the allegations, nor did Ruby, they all knew that they three kids were three perfect mixes of the three parents. “What’d you need mom?” 

Snow looked at the mess of pots around the kitchen. “Erm... can you please put the desserts into the refrigerator, then take the carrots off the heat, drain them then add a knob of butter to them, thanks honey.”

Ruby took hold of Snow’s hands when she saw how frantic her wife was looking. 

“Rubes? What’s wrong? I need to -”

“Snow.” Ruby said firmly gaining her attention. “It’s all okay, she’s going to love us, it’s not how it used to be like when we were younger, and there’s no way Henry would end up with someone bigoted, and he especially wouldn't let her around the kids.”

Snow took a shaky breath and nodded her head. She knew she was being a little silly, but she remembered what it was like when polyamory was only just becoming accepted, she remembered the fear of having to come out as both bisexual and in a polyamorous relationship, and watching the loves of her life having to do the same. She watched David’s step-father decide it was enough to fully and completely disown him, influencing David’s twin in becoming estranged from him at the same time, David’s mother fully accepted them and was happy for David, but she had died shortly after their wedding. Granny hadn’t really minded, she could tell that they were in love, but when her mother had decided to suddenly make an appearance in Ruby’s life she had tried to force Ruby to choose between them - she had blamed Snow for Ruby’s choice, they hadn't seen her since either. Snow supposed it was good that Regina had accepted their relationship, not that they had really been close before then plus she kind of hated David for a while there, but she knew full well that her father would never have approved of any of it. “I know. I just...”

Ruby placed her hands on Snow’s cheeks, green eyes looking into green eyes, a shared past and struggles. “I know.” Snow’s hands came up to hold onto hers against her face. “It’s all been worth it though, right?”

Snow smiled full of love for her wife. There wasn't a single thing they’d change, they all had each other and their children, the price was worth it. “Of course.” She pulled Ruby down to quickly kiss her. 

“Eww.” 

Ruby and Snow broke apart as Tyler came skidding into the kitchen dressed in a similar outfit to Neal, just his shirt was a darker denim with a t-shirt underneath, and complained immediately. “Mama, I’m hungr-” He started to whine before he spotted the sheer amount of food in the kitchen. “You know that Matty and Kai are still on that geography trip... right? Are Rowan and Roland coming as well?”

Ruby watched Snow bite her lip, as she looked at the food, and Neal laugh as he sorted out the carrots. She tried not to smirk for her wife’s sake. “Well, you definitely won't still be hungry after a three course meal.” She simply pointed out to their younger son as David walked back in with Emma in his arms, the pair changed into clean clothes, Emma into a dinosaur onesie and David into a deep blue shirt and slacks. “But first you can come with me to pick up some wine.”

“Sure,” Ty quickly threw on his trademark leather jacket he was almost never seen without, “so long as I’m not having to help cook, at least that way I cant be blamed for anything going wrong.”

“Beer please.” David called as Ruby said bye to Snow, he leant down to peck her on the lips when she went over to him. 

“No class.” Ruby teased knowing that neither he or Robin drank wine if they could avoid it.

“This coming from someone who likes a drink which tastes like vinegar.” He winked. 

Ruby just rolled her eyes and gave Emma a kiss goodbye. “I’ll be back soon baby.” She promised before calling over to their first born. “Bye Nee.”

“See ya mama.” Neal called back over, as he leant against the counter, now texting his friends.

David wrapped his spare arm around Snow, who leant against him, Emma rested her face against her mom’s. 

“I went a little overboard.” Snow admitted quietly. 

“So we’ll just have some leftovers,” David shrugged his shoulders showing that it wasn't a big deal, “we’ll go on a picnic with the kids with some of it, though the boys will probably have eaten it by tomorrow morning.” 

Snow smiled at David’s talent of making her feel at ease. She gently moved Emma’s head away from her and onto David’s shoulder, so she could kiss her husband. “I love you.”

David’s mouth smiled against hers. “I love you more.” 

“Love you mommy.” 

Snow giggled at Emma feeling the need to join in. “And I love you, my brave, brave, baby.” Snow nuzzled her nose against hers. “Mommy’s going to go put on a pretty dress-”

“Red.”

Snow smiled Emma didn't know the names of too many colours so it was a fairly high chance out of all the colours Emma could have chosen it would have been that one. “Okay, I’ll wear a red one. Do you want to come with me or are you going to help daddy and Nealy?”

“I help.” 

“Aw.” Snow let slip out, Emma’s certain tone and look was adorable on a toddler so young, especially with Emma’s now red little face and blankie clutched in her hand. “Okay Emmy, you help, I’ll see you in a minute.”

Soon Snow was dressed in a classic red dress. As Emma drank her sippy cup, and ‘supervised’ Neal and David setting the table, Ruby and Tyler returned with the drinks which they put in fridge to chill, before Ruby went to change into a shirt the same shade as Snow’s dress and black leather pants.

Soon enough the doorbell rang, Emma was still being clingy but with a little more energy than she had before thanks to the medicine working its magic. Snow shot up to answer the door, Tyler quickly followed her with Neal trailing behind trying to look unbothered. Emma’s head shot up towards the doorway as she heard voices, she pointed towards the doorway and the source of the noise as she, David, and Ruby stayed on the couch. “Daddy? Doooor.” 

Ruby and David laughed as she dragged out the word as the boys usually did when they were trying to get other people to answer the door. “I know, Koala, mommy’s got it.”

Emma nodded her head before looking at Ruby. “Mama, mommy’s door.” 

Ruby smiled at her daughter’s need to inform her that Snow had gotten the door, she thought it was sweet Emma’s insistence to make sure no one was left out, of activities or knowledge. She was also pretty sure Emma had forgotten who was coming around. “Maybe it’s a tiger coming to dinner.” She teased.

“No mama.” Emma giggled, her nose wrinkled up as she did so, suddenly her eyes widened and her laughing smile changed to her surprised but bright one. “Grandma! Grandpa!” She shouted happily, she scrambled to stand up on David’s lap.

“Careful, sweetheart, we don't want you to fall off your daddy’s lap.” She scooped her and shot David a glare as she cuddled Emma close to her chest. 

“It’s lovely to see you too Regina.” David rolled his eyes.

Ruby sniggered and moved out of the room to go say hi to Henry before Emma saw him, Emma hadn't seen Henry in a while and they weren't sure if she’d be unsure of him or immediately become attached to him.

Robin bit his lip trying not to laugh, he had been married to Regina for thirteen years, and with her for four years before that, yet he still thought that the twos digs at each other were hilarious, especially as they had proved time and time again that they would go out of their way for each other. “Hey Dave.” He grinned as David clasped his hand and shook it.

“Hey Robin.” He watched as his kinda-step-father-in-law’s eyes flicked to the doorway leading to the kitchen. “Don't worry, Rubes got us some beer.” He chuckled as Robin looked relieved.

“Hey there, dinosaur.” Robin took Emma from Regina and grinned down at her. “Have you seen my granddaughter? Her name is Emma, she has wild lion hair, and she gives the best cuddles.” It was a little weird being a grandfather to Snow’s kids, especially as Neal and Tyler were around the age of his own kids, but he loved them all, they were his family. 

Emma pulled down the hood so he could clearly see her face and hair. “Boo!”

Regina took in Emma’s little red, hot, cheeks as Robin pretended to be surprised. “Is she ill?” She asked David, her voice and look was sharp with concern for her granddaughter. 

David shook his head, that was one similarity they shared, their protectiveness over the kids. “Nah, she had some vaccinations, she seems to get the side effects worse than the boys ever did.”

Emma was twisting back towards David to go into his arms when she caught sight of someone coming into the room, it was only then that remembered who she had been told was coming to visit. “Uncle Henry!” Emma shouted, as always her ‘r’s came out sounding like ‘w’s, she started wiggling in Robin’s arms as she tried to get to Henry.

Henry beamed, he had feared that she wouldn't have remembered him from last Easter, she was only very young after all. He strode over and took her from his step father’s arms, as soon as she was in his arms she cuddled close and he rocked her a little as he held her. 

“Emmy, David, this is Ella.” He introduced his girlfriend to the last two Charmings, as he had to the rest of them in the hallway, with great pride in his voice and love in his eyes.  

“Nice to meet you, finally, Henry won't stop going on about you.” David smiled as he tried to tease Henry.

Ella looked proud. “It’s nice to meet you too, you have a lovely home.”

“Auntie Ella?” Emma asked confused.

Henry and Ella shared an alarmed look and both scrambled for an answer, though luckily for them, neither David nor Robin noticed their worry but Regina did, though she was kind enough not to question them just yet. 

David just smiled and shook his head kindly at his daughter. “No, Emmy, that’s mommy, mama, and daddy’s friend, Uncle Henry’s girlfriend’s called Ella too. Two Ellas.”

“Two auntie Ellas?” 

David just chuckled and shrugged “Eh, close enough.” 

“Hello Emma, it’s very nice to meet you, your uncle Henry’s been telling me all about you.”

“I’m not Emmy.” Emma told her seriously as the rest of the family rejoined them in the lounge. “I’m a dinosaur.”

Emma smiled as her whole family laughed at her seriousness, though she didn't take on that that was the reason for their laughter, she just like having them all around. “Grandma!”

“Yes dear?”

“You have dinosaur friends.”

“Do I now?” She smiled back at the toddler, not noticing David suddenly grimacing and sliding down in his chair to try and hide behind Snow. 

“Yup!” Emma popped the p of the word as she decided to squeeze to sit between Ella and Henry. “Daddy told me.” 

“Oh did he now?” Regina glared at David as everyone else, particularly Robin, started to laugh. 

“I, er,” He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to explain, “we, were, er playing around?” 

Regina rolled her eyes, she tapped Robin’s chest with a playful glare to stop him from laughing quite so hard, though it didn't have much effect. The family all eventually settled into comfortable conversations before they moved through to the kitchen to settle down to eat.

Towards the end of the appetisers Emma started to become a little whiny again, and they knew that if she was simply left in her highchair she’d only become worse. 

“Do you want to sit with me, Em?” Henry offered with a kind smile, he had missed his little niece.

“Nooooo.” Emma whined making Henry’s face fall, “Daddy.” She whined looking at David, with a pout, who was already getting up to take her.

“I wouldn't worry about it Henry,” Ruby grinned, “she’s always choosing David over me and Snow, too.” 

David smiled proudly down at his daughter as he sat back down in his chair and passed her her sippy cup. “My girlie.” He kissed the top of her head before resuming his own meal. “You can sit on my lap to eat, Emmy.” He assured her as the empty plates were cleared away by Ruby, Snow, and Neal. 

Ruby went to pick up one of the dishes to take over to the table when Snow shot her a look telling her to sit back down. She could tell she was a little worried again, Ruby didn't blame her there seemed to be a lot of secretive glances between Henry and Ella, more so than usual lovey-dovey ones. There was something going on, they had been through enough to be slightly frazzled around these sorts of things, even if the chances of Ella being against their relationship dwindled the longer they spent in her otherwise pleasant company. “Here, Snow, let me help.”

“Nope,” She shook her head at her step brother, “you’re the guest, sit down.”

“And you cooked all this,” Henry argued, “it’s the least I can do.”

Snow stared him out as Robin stood up and walked over. 

Henry tipped his head back dramatically before he sat back in his place with a sigh. 

“And that’s where Neal gets it from.” Ruby murmured quietly to David.

“Thanks, Robin, I can take it from here.” Snow said.

Robin levelled her with a look, he may only be a decade older than Snow, but over the years he had become a slightly paternal figure in Snow’s life. “It’s okay, I can help, from the look you gave Ruby I’m pretty sure that you’re not going to let her help.” 

“You’re a guest too.” Snow argued but Robin just gave her another look. She rolled her eyes dramatically as Robin picked up a couple of the platters. 

“And there’s Ty.” David murmured back to Ruby, who snorted some of her wine out of her nose, the picture of sophistication.

Regina rolled her eyes at her son-and-daughter-in-law, but there was a hint of a smile, ‘Idiots’ she thought fondly. She too could see the characteristics of her son and daughter in her grandsons.

At the end of dessert, Henry tapped his clean spoon on his wine glass to get everyones attention, he got it, he also gave his niece inspiration as she tried to reach David’s glass. “Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly as David quickly moved it and quickly distracted her with more chocolate dessert.

Everyone looked at him with curiosity, even Neal and Tyler seemed to take a particular interest in what Henry’s next words would be, he sent a warm smile to Snow. “Thank you so much for the meal, well meals...” He smirked good-naturedly knowing that they had only eaten a small percentage of all of the different dishes, but he understood Snow well enough to know why, family was important to her beyond anything else and she just wanted it to be perfect, and it was. “It’s been amazing being able to visit.” Ella added with a smile. “Thank you so much.”

Henry nodded, and gave her a knowing smile, as though they were waiting for something which they knew was inevitable.

“But we’re not just here to see you all. We have some news we’d like to share... a week ago I asked Ella to marry me.” 

“And I said yes.”

“Damn.” Neal said before anyone else spoke.

“Told you, now pay up.” Tyler grinned holding his hand out to receive the $10 from Neal’s wallet. 

“You bet I’d be engaged?” Henry asked amused.

“It was either that or you would have gotten hitched in Vegas.” Neal shrugged handing the money over. 

“I tried to tell him that grandma would have killed you if she hadn't gotten an invite.” Tyler said proudly.

“Too right I would.” Regina said completely seriously, making everyone laugh, there were tears in her eyes, she had adopted Henry when he was a couple of months old but now he was most certainly a grown man. She pulled Ella into a hug as Snow hugged Henry. “Congratulations.” She told her genuinely. 

Snow released Henry and hugged Ella. “Welcome to the crazy family.” She joked as the room filled with excited talk and everyone saying congratulations, or in Emma’s case trying to.

“’Lation, ‘lation, ‘lation!” Emma copied as Henry cuddled her tight and the toddler let Ella do the same to her, she had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was it got her excited.

“This calls for a celebration!” David decided. He walked to the fridge and pulled out two bottle of champagne. 

“You just happened to have two bottle of champagne in your fridge?” Regina rose her eyebrow at him.

“What can I say, we’re just that classy.” He didn't mention that it was an accidental purchase when he was meant to be buying wine the other day, while trying to shop with Emma babbling a mile a minute and being clingy, Regina didn't need to know everything.

After they finished off desert, and the bottles of champagne, they moved back to the lounge. Neal and Tyler set up the games console and started to try teach Robin how to play the game, with a little teasing from Henry. 

Ruby, Snow, and David revealed the spring break trip plans to the kids, the boys were over the moon and Emma was just happy to join in with the excited cheering, Regina and Robin quickly talked it over with the trio and the plans were amended so they would all be going over together, 

Regina and Snow talked to Ella about weddings, while Ruby and David were only really interested in learning about her in general (they were still avoiding talk of weddings after the hassle of the planning of their own nineteen years before). 

Ella was interested in learning all about how the various couples met. She shared details of her own relationship with her stepmother and stepsisters and how nice it was to see from Henry’s family that they’re not all like that (Regina and Snow shared a smile at that, a lot had changed since Snow was a teenager and the two couldn't be in the same house, to the extent Snow had spent a lot of nights at Ruby’s her ‘really good friend’). Ruby and David shared with her their own terrible relationships with parents or step-parents, and that David wasn't even sure where his twin brother was.

Regina remembered her own abusive relationship with her mother, Cora, and how she had vowed to be nothing like her. While Snow remembered the show her father made of his relationships in public, but the fact they were as fake as his ‘nice’ personality were. But neither woman spoke of those aloud.

Henry took time to catch up with his nephews and nieces, learning about the hassle of applying to colleges Neal had gone through, and how soccer was going for Tyler, and he read stories from the book he had written to Emma.

And Emma spent most of the time going between all of the members of her family, cuddling them, or telling them stories, or getting them to play with her toys with her. Ella took a shine to the toddler which made everyone even happier to know that Ella would be joining their family. Memories were shared, drinks drank, photographs shown and stories remembered. 

Ella found herself becoming more and more fond of the town, simply by spending time with that family and hearing their stories, she was beginning to wonder if Henry would ever want for them to move from Seattle to Storybrooke, she thought she’d be okay if he did.

“I think we’re going to have a visitor in our bed tonight.” Ruby said quietly, she passed Snow a wine glass full of sparkling flavoured water, with her own glass of wine in hand she wrapped herself around Snow, sitting sideways on the couch both facing David and sleeping Emma. The two boys had gone to bed but the adults had yet to take Emma up, they knew she’d wake soon, and want feeding as she always did.

“Don’t we always?” Snow stroked some of Emma’s hair from her face, she leant back against her wife in her embrace, as Ruby passed their husband a cold bottle of Coca-cola (he wasn't one to drink too much, he knew its effects). She had a point, Emma usually slept in their bed with them either half way through the night or from the get-go. “It seems like only yesterday we used to spend most nights being kicked by Neal and Tyler in bed.”

“And now we have to kick them out of their beds if we want them up before midday.” Ruby said fondly. 

“Y’know Henry and Regina have always had a close relationship,” David mused hopefully, “maybe Regina will lay off me a little bit in favour of focusing on Ella...”

Ruby and Snow burst out into laughter, just about quiet enough not to wake Emma, but for long enough it gave David the answer to his musings. 

“Sorry, dear, I think you’re the only in-law she’s going to be hating.”

“I knew she hated me.” David pouted, but Snow kissed the pout from his lips, he figured having a monster-in-law was a small price to pay for having her perfect step-daughter as one of his two amazing wives.

[speckeh]

2017 Book List

BACK AT IT AGAIN. JUMP IN THE CAR!!! I’M STILL READING A SHIT TON OF BOOKS!!!!

1. How It Works: The Cat. 2.5/5 stars. I read this at a book store in Bergen because my brother laughed while he read it. I picked it up and it was ok?? I don’t understand why people who write about cats always, ALWAYS talk about how much of an asshole they are and how they don’t truly love you. And I just sit there like, have you ever owned a fucking cat??? Some parts of the book was super cute but I hate the trope that cats are “assholes.” yeah they’re dicks sometimes. But they’re not assholes 24/7 unless you’re an asshole to your cat.

2. The Greenest Island. 3.5/5 stars. This is another small book that I’ve been meaning to read for a couple of months now. It was pretty interesting and like Mrs. Dalloway I read last year, I’m not sure if I want to sell it or keep it. It’s beautifully written, the story is strong, but some of the characterization is just sort of annoying. Like I get that it’s a very real sensation and issue a young couple who get pregnant WAY TOO SOON without knowing each other. But only a man would think of something so drastic as the end in reference to raising a child. 

3. Letters for Lucardo: 5/5 stars. I saw this comic advertised early in 2016 and I’ve been watching the project closely. I help funding the gofundme and I bought a download and a signed copy of the physical book. The story about a 60 year old man falling in love with a Vampire stuck at the age of 36 was SO INTRIGUING plus the artist had a webcomic which I absolutely adored so I knew not only would the art be excellent but the storyline would be solid. This is one of four volumes and I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. The story line was so cute, the art was beautiful, the smut was *mwah* beautiful. But the best part was that it left me wanting for me and I can’t WAIT until the next three volumes are here. Support your local tumblr artist and enjoy some gay vampire storylines with well drawn wrinkly aging men. 10/10, 100/100 please read and enjoy.

4. A Special Study Set of Fine Art Reproductions. 4/5 stars. A little black spiral bound book of black and white copies of famous art works. It’s cute, it’s a good bite sized art book to get the gist of Western Art history. I knocked it down because the art pieces are in black and grey when I know for a FACT some art pieces are in color. So that was a bummer. But overall a nice rendition of some of the classics.

5. Alphonse Mucha: Masterworks. 5/5 stars. I bought this book probably 2 years ago? I’m in a reading funk right now and flipping through art books seems pretty doable. This book is chalked full of history of Mucha while I will read later. But the art quality is excellent, the sizes are big enough to view with pleasure. This is a excellent excellent book full of his art work. I love it. It makes me feel better for the fact I’ve only been drawing girls for the last year because I love drawing delicate features and strong women. If Mucha can just draws women for most of his career, I don’t have to feel guilty in only drawing women for a year.

6. Assassin’s Creed: A Visual History. 5/5 stars. Ok I’m going to repeat this over and over again. But I’m such a fan of the AC series, even if the latest editions have been a u t t e r let down. But I have to admit flipping through this book I got emotional. AC was such a fun series for me when I started and it helped me through a manic depression I had after a very serious illness almost 3 years ago. I don’t pretend the history is accurate or the plot lines are all there, but they means so much to me. As a history lover to the point I’m getting a Minor in college in history. I’ll always enjoy my AC games, no matter how cringe worthy and disappointing some of them end up becoming. Shout out to my boys (and girls) of the assassin creed order. <3 

7. The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle: 5/5 stars. I’ve had this book for a long time, when my childhood best friend and I would hang out nearly every day and sleep overs every weekend. She gave me this book a few months after I watched Howl’s Moving Castle because I was so enchanted by the movie. Howl’s Moving Castle is a favorite movie, book, and soundtrack. This art concept book is beautiful, it’s like a novelization of the movie without any dialogue. The back is the FULL script, there’s concept art, and fully fledged art story boards. If you’re a big fan of Howl’s Moving Castle, this is a great book to have in your library.

8. Tango! The Dance, The Song, The Story. 5/5 stars. My father lived in Argentina for awhile so he would make dishes growing up of delicious food. I love the tango, it’s so beautiful and down right seductive. So of course finding this book for 4 dollars I had to have it. It has photography, drawings, posters, female tango singers, the history of the tango. It’s chalked full of excellent information and it’s really enjoyable to flip through. 

9. Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics. 5/5 stars. I bought this book for my birthday last year because it was absolutely silly. It features “Cat Artists” and their aesthetics and their art pieces. Warning there are mummified cats in the beginning of the book which can be upsetting. This book is really goofy and the people who write it are serious but in a fun way? It’s a great book to read like today when I’m stuck in the house because of bad weather and having my own two cats it makes me curious to see if I could make my kiddos paint like those kitties in the book.

10. Life: The Classic Collection. 5/5 stars. A decent sized photography book of the most recognizable Life photographs. Not to forget there are 25 extra prints available for you in the book you can take out and frame. I love editorial photography and seeing the most iconic photos throughout the century. Idk man if you like photography and Life Magazine this is a great book to have.

11. Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th century. 5/5 stars. Beautiful book. Beautiful clothes. 

12. The Pharos Gate. 4.5/5 stars. I saw this book at Barnes and Noble early in 2016 and the intrigue had me thinking about it for awhile. I bought it for christmas, waiting to read it in right time. Early on this week I went to my favorite second hand book store and found out it had 3 books before this one. The Pharos Gate is the final book in a series but it can be read by itself. To be honest I think if I had to read the three books before this I would have become bored. That’s three books worth of people trying to find each other but keep missing connections, that’s infuriating. But this book was lovely and the letter writing kind of reminds me of the letters my best friend and I send to one another. She just went back to school and I think she would really enjoy this book so I’m going to send it to her with my own letter attached. I think she’ll like that. 

13. Pirateology. 4/5 stars. These series were my SHIT as a kid. Dragonolgy, Greek Myths, Pirateology. While Hastings went under and into ruins, I found this book for super super cheap. I have certain niches I love to learn/read/aesthetic. Regency, 1950s murder mystery (Looking at you 007), Westerns, weird vintage novels, and pirates. I love the history the book gives you, but as an adult the information is sort of lacking. This is a book definitely for kids, the plot line throughout the guide book is meh it’s ok but it doesn’t capture you, and the interactive bits are the best. I just wish there was more about specific pirates but other than those complaints this is a great book.

14. Viking Poetry: Of Love and War. 5/5 stars. I went to Norway for New Years and I didn’t buy a lot of souvenirs. I mostly bought key chains. I think I only bought two books, maybe even just the one. I bought this viking poetry at THE famous viking ship in Oslo. It was very very cool. I read this book today because I don’t feel well, I want to go to bed but I know I shouldn’t. I have too much homework to do but I’m not motivated to read. The viking poems are unique as they are pretty. I was sometimes disappointed they didn’t have great rhyming schemes but you have to remember these were written in various old languages and then translated into modern day English. If you want to read what the vikings considered poetry, this is a great introduction without reading the giant lores.

15. The Elements of Style: 5/5 stars. Oh my god it’s been so long I completely forgot what my book tag was. February has been crazy for me. I got a internship, I dropped a class because of stress, I’ve been stressed out like crazy, I’ve been doing a lot of school work. I felt like I’ve had no time to read for pleasure. I actually didn’t read this book for please (half pleasure) but for work. It was actually a lot of fun. We studied this book in AP Literature when I was a senior in highschool and I wanted to have it for myself as a writer, but also it’s excellent for my ambitions to become an editor. The writing is a little hard, sometimes I’d read a whole page without really absorbing what was on it. But it was interesting and you can read White’s frustration with writers with certain rules they ignored. I actually loved the add on V chapter by Strunk which said that English rules are extremely important but take in mind the language of your time and how you write. Your voice is important. Which I found very important and also felt like an eye opener with Editing for my job. I’ve been wary of making sure not to change anyone’s voice but also trying to keep with proper English rules. It’s been a lot of fun.

16. The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher: 5/5 stars. This book took me me almost 2 full months to read. I’ve been so busy. I first started reading this book before my trip to Norway, took it all the way across Europe, back and I finally finally finished it today. I don’t know why it took me so long? I absolutely loved it. I played Witcher 3 last semester and really really loved the story line and characters. My sister-in-law loves the books so I gave it a try! I would definitely recommend this book if you like spins on fairytales and medieval magical worlds. I had a lot of fun but I’m glad I can finally pick a new book.

17. Shackleton: Antartic Odyssey: 4/5 stars. Today has been a recovery day and I’m, emotionally dead/it comes in waves. So I spent like 5 hours in a bath today and read this comic. The art is really good, the story is super intriguing! I was in Norway this last December and we went to a arctic ship museum because Norway was the first to reach the South Pole. But the author even said himself the comic needs to be at least 300 pages but his hand would fall off. And I wish he did do 300 pages. The story was short and choppy. I know it’s selfish, but as a reader I wish he did do his main goal because he had the perfect art style for this comic. Either way, I did enjoy.

18. Creole Folktales: 5/5 stars. If you love mythology, this book is pretty great. If you love Louisiana, black folklore, this book is pretty great. It doesn’t have 5 stars on amazon or goodreads because I think people take issue with the writing or they’ve heard these stories before. This was my first introduction to Creole folktales and I have to say i loved it. The nostalgia of reading different myths is pretty great plus the storylines can be hilarious to kind of terrifying. The author says to read this story by night and I have to agree. I read it all in one sitting this evening and I wouldn’t change that experience. 

19. I Shall Not Be Moved: 5/5 Stars. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a poetry book. Since February I think. Sundays are usually my comic or poetry days and I was in the mood for some poetry. I was going to read this book for Black History Month for my book club (if you wanna join hit me UPP) but February was so crazy and stressful that I couldn’t read anything. So this time I did read a Black Poetress but just for National Poetry month. I loved this book, super powerful and moving. I’ll probably be thinking about this poetry book for a long long time. 

20. Artists and their cats: 3/5 stars. Being stressed out in my finals week means I want to do a lot of book things just so I can procrastinate. I bought this book as a Christmas present for myself. I'm slightly disappointed in it because the book is called Artists and their Cats, but it's really more like, A mini biography of artists and oh, some cat photos. I was expecting heart warming stories about their cats. But no. I loved the photos though which make this book conflicting for me.

21. The Monkees comic book: 5/5 stars. Super cute. I feel bad because Mickey was drawn pretty horrible. But I loved the art. The choppy scenes were kind of hard to get into and that 1960s humor can be kind of cringey but I really really enjoyed it.

22. The Art of Drowning: 5/5 stars. So I was thinking this would have completed my Billy Collin’s reading, but apparently I read this book in 2014! How crazy! Well I read it and enjoyed it. That’s all. 

23. A Queen’s Journey: 4/5 stars. I’ve been having a lot of heart ache for my birth state as of late. I visited Hawaii this time last year since moving when I was 2 and not remembering a single thing about it. Everything fit and I felt like I was home (when I was in the ocean) and it was such a strange feeling. I’ve been missing it hardcore this last month and so I decided if I can’t go to the Island I’d read a book about Hawaii or a Hawaiian. I’m also a book traveler, I bring books on trips and my favorite souvenirs are books. I’m a person who can remember times and feelings by looking at books. This is one of the books I bought while on the big island and haven’t read until now. For the story itself, I definitely give it a solid 4 stars like most people have. The book is unfinished as the author died while writing it. But I actually love how the book ended, the last chapter is perfect for a finale. But everything leading up is meh. Don’t get me wrong, I flew through this book and found it so much fun but it’s written from the perspective of a white entitled reporter who doesn’t really understand Hawaiians but “loves” them because of the Queen. I would have preferred to have a story told from Queen Lili’uokalani’s perspective but it was a nice read.  

24. Lights Out and Away We Go by @naum-e : 5/5 stars. I’ve been following Naume-e for at least a year now and they draw the absolutely cutest/breathtaking spirk doodles on tumblr. When I saw they put up their formula one au book up for sale, I had to get it. They even sent me a sheet of adorable spirk stickers. I love it. The art is so professional, the cover is beautiful! The storyline is short and I wish there was more background and developlement but that’s just me being greedy. Only criticism I would have is that one page would be crisp and saturated black and the next would have a grey tone to it so it wasn’t as sharp. I don’t know if that was due to printing costs or stylistic choice but sometimes it worked, other times it was kind of distracting. Either way I really enjoyed it and loved the art!

(I’ve actually read 44 books but 20 of those are yaoi mangas/I don’t have the energy to type up individual reviews) 

25. And Three Makes Tango. 5/5 stars. I’m doing a summer class and this is a book I picked for a 5-7 page project about censored books. And Three Makes Tango is the true story of two male penguins who fell in love at the New York Zoo. They made headlines when the zoo keepers gave them a fertilized egg which made them the first male couple to raise a baby penguin. It’s super cute and the art is adorable and I can’t wait to write this 5-7 page essay on it.

26. Goldfinger. 4.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed this book! Dr. No was kind of a hot mess with a huge octopus, guano, and the girl not being entirely likable. This book was definitely a treat! It may be kind of boring because the first 150 pages is a slow burn of James finding a guy cheating at cards and like 3 chapters dedicated to just him playing golf. But I really really loved this? The only reason why I don’t give this book 5 stars is because of Bond’s very sexist and homophobic views he suddenly stated out of no where. There were a TON of lesbians in this book, Pussy Galore, Tally, and he seemed ok with them except he was disappointed he couldn’t fuck them. And then said lesbians and gays were all sissies who he had no time for (even though Bond is like super, mega gay for James Bond. SUPER MEGA GAY.) and the ending they made the strictly lesbian badass gangster woman say, “Well I’ve never met a real man before.” and UGH. WHY. I would have given it 5 stars if they had just left Pussy Galore’s lesbian nature alone and not justify it with a “She just needs a strong man.” Also I apparently bought this book for me for Christmas 2015 ahah. 

27. The Mad Kings & Queens, History’s Most Famous Raving Royals: 4/5 stars. I enjoyed this book. It’s marketed as a reference book and it discussed the insane breeding of The Kings and Queens of Europe. This book should really be called, “Inbreeding fucked me up.” because most of the insane issues came from inbreeding lines and madness from parents and grandparents being passed down to their kiddos. But there were several monarchs where I didn’t believe they fit underneath the “mad” title. Like King Henry VIII was just a pissbaby. And there a handful of monarchs included who just had severe depression and anxiety which affected the way they ruled, it doesn’t mean they’re mad. Other than that, it’s a great little book for a quick overview of Europe’s fucked up royalty. 

28. Strike Through The Mask! 2/5 stars. It’s not my favorite poetry book, it had some poems I enjoyed! I bought this from the annual library book sale because it was signed by the author and was super cheap. Though after learning about Peter Viereck, I’m not really sure what I think about him? He’s super conservative and is VERY loud about people being extremist but is sort of seen as an extremist himself. Nothing wrong with that inherently but I’m still not super sure about these poems. A lot of them were about trees talking to humans or other trees. Debating on giving them poetry book to donations because it’s really not my favorite. 

29. For the King: 2/5 stars. The premise of the book is quite interesting! It follows the assassin attack on Napoleon in 1800 on Christmas at Midnight. It cause da wave of destruction, death, horror, and a huge police investigation which resulted in more death and conspiracy. The book did not live up the potential. It kept my interest and it had some great writing, but the characters were flat, the main character was whinny, and the plot was a little jumbled. It was also strange because it’s a historical fiction but also murder mystery but you know who did it by chapter 1 and you follow the policeman’s thoughts and instincts to capture the assassins. It’s weird, there were a lot of strangely written sentences, and it was over all a just ok read.

30. The Old Man and the Sea: 2.5/5 stars. There is a lot to enjoy about The Old Man and The Sea. The story is compelling, the relationship between the old man and the boy is pleasant, and Hemingway has a way of using metaphors and descriptions which are breathtakingly beautiful. But there is also a lot to be disappointed in. It’s a lot of rambling, several sentences could have been edited, and the old man was pretty much senile in the way that he fishes. I read it in one day and still processing it. I’m pretty sure there are a few pages that I didn’t really read, I fell asleep the first 60 pages, and the story doesn’t truly touch me in the way classics usually do. But there is also something oddly charming which makes rating this book more difficult than I thought.

31. The Lost Estate: 5/5 stars. This book has been on my shelf for awhile. I bought it because you can design your own cover once you finish the book, so I bought it not expecting the story to be great but at least I can art a book. This is one of the best reads I’ve read in several months! I loved the story! I loved the characters! It felt like a fantastical children’s story with romance, magic, and French school boys. The chapters were short and the main character has such a charm. The only downside is that the story has a weird time lapse where you’re not really sure how old the kids are or how many years have passed. All in all, I’m really thrilled with this book and it’s easily going on my favorite shelf after I draw the cover!

32. Lunch Poems: 4/5 stars. Frank O’Hara’s poetry isn’t like your classical poetry. He’s irreverant which makes reading his stanzas refreshing and different. There were some poems where they were too strange and convoluted for my taste, ones I wished I could be heard out loud, and there wasn’t anything that punched me in the chest with wowing words, but it did inspire me to write my own poem. And for me, that’s the highest compliment of a poetry book, to make you write poems. I really enjoyed 14 of the poems which is a pretty decent amount to like for me. Billy Collins has the highest likes of poetry for me, and Lang Leav having the least amount of poetry I liked in her book Love & Misadventure. Frank O’Hara was a decent medium for me and a nice introduction for anyone who doesn’t particularly care for “flowery” poetry. My favorites were: Cambridge, Poem (1959), How To Get There, Pistachio Tree At Chateau Noir, and Yesterday Down At The Canal. 

33. Howl And Other Poems: 6/5 stars. Very rarely do I hold a book to my chest after I finish reading it. The books I remember doing this were The Secret Garden, Shadow of the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, and Howl’s Moving Castle. I can add Howl to my list. I first heard of this revolutionary poetry book in one of my university classes about censorship and banned films and literature. We watched the James Franco movie about the whole trial over Howl, and I thought it was pretty, but I didn’t feel a great pull to the way he read the poems. I decided to pick it up for myself and I read it today all the way through. And reading it for myself was something magical and far more touching than the movie could ever produce. All of the poems were a punch to the gut, made me feel something, made me want to create art, and that’s what poetry is supposed to do for you. I may have found my second favorite poet in Allen Ginsberg. This is definitely on my favorite 2017 reads and also in my top 10 favorite books of all time. 

34. Monstress Vol 2: 4.5/5 stars. I agree with the main consensus that the second volume is way better than the first. I actually contemplated getting rid of and stop reading the series because the first volume was very bizarre. But now I’m super invested in it. The story line unfolded in an interesting and made more sense way. The art was gorgeous and dark. THERE WERE SO MANY BADASS WOMEN CHARACTERS. Plus I finally caught on that the cats are called Nekomancer and I’m in love. If you like dark, blood, gore, and creepy storylines, Monstress is a great comic to read. 

35. Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century. 5/5 stars. I picked this book up back in 2011. I was browsing Barnes and Noble, looking at their new arrival table. I was in 10th grade, newly in high school, and I had watched the movie Cleopatra in my western civilization class. I loved the writing, bought the book, I remember my mom saying “If I had known who the book was about, I wouldn’t have let you bought it.” and I was enjoying myself. Things happened shortly after that had me pausing from reading the book for 6 years. I decided to try to read it over the summer, had summer school, then my beginning of the semester was too crazy to read this book, and after I dropped from one of my classes, I found I had time to read it. I really loved this book. It’s heart wrenching, you feel the love they had for each other, but you also saw the abuse and tragedy that became their relationship. There are only two notes of importance I would say that is this book’s downfall: 1. The book has minor editorial flaws (commas outside of quotes, periods in parenthesis, Earth wasn’t capitalized). 2. The writers are very much infatuated with Richard and Elizabeth, coming to their defense about the scathing reviews. They did a great job, but it also brings into question just how accurate they can be when they’re so emotionally charged about Richard and Elizabeth. If you want to know more about Richard and Elizabeth, how they came to be, their marriage, and how the marriage fell, this is a great book. 

36 + 37: Maus I & II. 5/5 stars. I’ve been wanting to read this collection for years. It has everything I love, history, contrasting colors, and comics. But whenever I found the books, they were full priced and too much for my wallet. Well, a few weeks ago I found the boxset at my local second hand store for 22 bucks. I snatched it. I read the first book on the 29th and the second on the 30th. This, is a heavy story. It’s gut wrenching, it hurts, I nearly cried in book 2, and it’s a poignant story about surviving, the effects of surviving horrible situations, and how it affects your children. The art is beautiful, very symbolic, and doesn't hold back from showing the ugly of WWII. If you want a heavy read to make you think about history and humanity, 100% recommend this comic series.

38. Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit: 4/5 stars. A classic fairy tale book that I read because one of my friends had it on her shelf and I wanted to read it. It’s very cute, very Peter Rabbit esq. but with more danger and violence to it. It’s not my favorite collection, I didn’t get the warm fuzzies from it, but I did fly through the stories. Though my book is so old that it doesn’t have a publication date and I’m slightly terrified that if it’s from the victorian era that it’s laced with arsenic to make the blue color ahah! But it was cute. A very short fairytale that is chalked full of mythologies of forest creatures and how their distinctive features came to be. 

39. Sword of Destiny (Witcher 1, but technically 2) 5/5 stars.  I’ve been reading this book since the end of October. I don’t know why, but short story compilation books always take me months to read while James Bond takes me 3 days. I think it’s to do with the pacing and the fact the stories tend to be more condensed and I need to think about a book for at least a day before starting a new one. I really enjoyed this book! Having played the games and adored them, I love the character building and foundations in this book! Baby Ciri warms my heart and I fucking called who her parents were in the prologue which I just realized I actually read this year. Much better than “The Last Wish,” and the angsty Yennefer romance just makes the book with its angst and Geralt just hating everything about his life except for Ciri and Yen. 

40. Bing Love: 3/5 stars. I saw a GoFundMe post for this comic book earlier this year and the art is adorable, the plot line got me, and I was so excited to get my copy of this book! I’m torn because on one hand, I love representation and the love story between Hazel and Mari, and the fact the writer took an approach that people had to settle for a fake happiness and how families can be torn apart when you realize they were built on a facade. But there’s a huge pacing problem with this story. It jumps, it skips details, I know this story would have been so much more vibrant with even 20 more pages added to it. Limiting it to 97 pages really killed the vibe of the story. The character development was lackluster, their reactions became unbelievable, and the ending felt so rushed. I would honestly probably give this story 2 stars if it weren’t for the art work making up for where the story lacks. 

41. Call Me By Your Name: 5/5 stars. @haremshame for those who don’t know, was my very first, serious love. They’ve been loving Call Me By Your Name and essentially has become the spokesperson on tumblr for the book. They told me to give this book a listen to (which is something I do not do on the regular), gave me a link, and but I was in the middle of the semester. I think maybe more than a week ago I finally started listening to it, how could I not when your first love tells you the story reminds them of us??? And I have to whole heartedly agree. Call Me By Your Name reminds me very much of the excitement of a first love and the everlasting long heart ache that comes when that first love inevitably ends. I loved this story. I wish I picked up the book and read along with Armie Hammer so I could mark all the passages I loved because there were quotations that made me shiver and hum and felt a literal twist in the gut. I’m not entirely sure how this book will go as an experience for other people since I went in to this reading with heavy expectations and knowing it would remind me of Percy and the specialness of our fumbly, young and naive teenage relationship, makes me heavily biased. But the writing is breathtaking, Armie Hammer does a fantastic job, and the story will have you aching in some form or another. 

[yesterdaysdreams]

Toddler Activity Center DIY!

So, you know when you’re a parent and you have a baby/kid need but you keep putting it off because all the options out there are ugly and you don’t want to have to look at them every day? I know not every parents cares about that (e.g. my husband!), but my brain definitely does and that’s one reason I like to make as many custom baby things as I can (besides it just being fun!). Todd watches Lola at home while I work and we realized that we could definitely use an activity center-type toy to keep her busy during certain times of the day while we cooked or folded laundry nearby. But I just couldn’t find any that fit in with our decor and color scheme, so I decided to make my own! Lola has seen and played with a few different activity centers before at other houses and whatnot, so I kept an eye on what types of things she likes to do and added those elements into one for her (along with some new items, too!). Depending on the age and interests of your toddler, you can tweak yours however you like, but this is what I added to hers!

General Supplies: -12” x 3/4″ board cut into four 15” long pieces for the sides –large round wooden circle (I got a baltic birch plywood 19″ x 3/4″ circle) -drill and drill bits -wood glue -nails and a hammer

Supplies for door and latch side: -various door latches and hinges (check the hardware section of a Home Depot-type store) -3-4 squares of wood about 3″ wide and about 1/2″ thick (these would work great) –thin elastic cord -patches or stickers to decorate doors -sandpaper

Supplies for magnetic board side: -magnetic dry erase board (I used this one) –felt and matching embroidery thread –small magnets -cotton stuffing or batting

Supplies for abacus side: –1″ wooden beads –1/8” brass tube (x5) and tube cutter –non-toxic paints (check your local craft store or get some sample colors from this company) -1 1/2″ x 3/4″ trim board for abacus frame

Supplies for spinner side: -wooden shapes for spinners (I used these and these flowers) -machine screws and corresponding sized bolts and washers (a 3/16″ x 1 1/2″ long screw should be a good size)

Supplies for top: -small bead maze (I used this one but this and this are also cute) -wooden pull-apart shape toy (I got this rainbow unpainted and painted it myself with non-toxic paint) –small wooden animals that are about 1″ thick –food-grade mineral oil –spring doorstops

To make your base, stand up your four 15” tall sides to make a tall rectangle and wood glue and nail the sides together. Sand any rough or sharp edges to soften and paint the base your desired color.

Steps for the door and latch side: Buy a few squares of wood that are 3-4” wide (or cut some to size yourself) and use your drill bit to drill a small hole all the way through one side of the wood about ¼” from the edge. If your drill bit isn’t long enough to go all the way through, measure and mark a hole the same distance from the edge on the top and bottom and drill from both sides to make a hole the whole way through. Place your doors and your desired latches and hinges on the designated side of your activity center where you want them to go and install the hardware in place.

Then using a small drill bit, drill a hole into your wood panel right above and below where the holes for your doors will sit, and thread a long piece of elastic cord from the back, through the wood, and back into the center of the cube. Tie the cord so the elastic is tight enough that the door will open easily and snap back into place when closed (I repainted the doors for a different look after these photos).You can decorate the outside and inside of your doors with stickers or patches (I used a glue gun to attach flower patches on the outside of the doors) to give baby something to see when they open the doors!

Steps for the magnetic board side: Attach your board with glue or whatever adhesive pads your board may have come with to the cube. Fold your felt in half and cut out shapes or letters from your felt so you have two matching sides and stitch around the edge stuffing with cotton batting and 2-3 small magnets spread throughout so the 3D felt letter/shape will stick to the board. I would recommend securing the magnets inside the felt letter rather than gluing them on the outside so they don’t come off and become a choking hazard. You can also buy a set of whatever kind of magnets you want to use as well! They do make a lot of play magnets that kids can use on the fridge, but I liked that I could make hers with custom colors if I went the felt route!

Steps for the spinner side: Take your wooden shapes and glue 2-3 of them together if your wood shapes are really thin to make them sturdier. Paint the shapes your desired colors (I punched out glitter centers and used ModPodge to adhere them to the fronts with another coat on top to seal it). Place your shapes onto the cube, making sure they all have enough room to spin and drill a hole into each shape and through the cube as well. Place a washer onto your machine screw, then put on your wooden shape, and add a nut to the other side of the shape like above. Place that into your hole in your cube and add another nut onto the other side to secure. Tighten the two nuts toward each other but leave a little room so that the shape can spin freely.So sweet and they spin really well!

Steps to make the abacus side: Cut 2 boards from your trim that are 7 1/2″ long and 2 that are 11 1/2″ long. Place your longer pieces on the outside of your shorter boards to make a rectangle and mark 5 evenly spaced holes on the long sides of where to drill for your metal rods. You can see that I cut my boards at a 45° angle to make them fit together like a picture frame, but if you don’t have a miter saw and are using a jig saw or a hand saw, you don’t have to do that part. Use a 1/4″ drill bit to drill 1/2″ into each hole (you can wrap some tape 1/2″ up on your drill bit so you know how far to go in). Use the pipe cutter and cut your 5 rods 8 1/2″ long. Paint your beads your desired colors (you can put them on straws to handle them more easily and I used my bottle drying rack to set them on while they dried) and your 4 frame boards white. Place your beads onto the rods, slip the rods into the holes you drilled, and use wood glue and nails to attach your frame together. Wood glue usually bonds best when it’s bare wood touching bare wood, so I painted the inside area of the abacus first, glued the abacus on, and then painted around the outside to complete that side.I love all the different colors on this side—so pretty!

Steps to make the top side: For the top, I didn’t want to use a polyurethane since it’s a part of the toy that baby would be touching a lot. So I did a coat of food-grade mineral oil (it prevents the growth of bacteria) instead and let it dry. Then I used wood glue to glue the top to the bottom cube and glued on the bead maze and the cloud bases of the rainbows. To make the springy animals, I drilled holes into the bottom of three wooden animals the width of the end of a doorstop spring (I took the white rubber top off first), drilled small holes where I wanted to mount them on the circle and screwed the bases into place. Then I used some super glue to secure the animals on top of the springs and they were ready to bounce around!The little animals “boing” faster and the big ones go slower, but both are fun to play with!

This. Kills. Me!! Not only is it sooo much cuter than all the other ones I’d been looking at (IMHO), but it’s totally functional and you can customize the activities to whatever your toddler is into now or you can add a few things for later for them to grow to like. It’s fun to watch them use things differently than you thought they would, like she loves to spin the beads on the abacus more than move to them from side to side, but that’s all fine as long as she is having fun.

And as a note of caution with pretty much all kid toys, I would let them play with this under adult supervision only just to be safe. Lola is able to pull herself up to standing on this without it tipping over, but even with all the other activity cubes I’ve seen, I think a kid could pull it over if they were really determined to, so you want to keep an eye on them for safe play. And since this is not meant to be a teething toy, I went with paints that were non-toxic but not fully food-grade (food-grade paints are meant to be put in the mouth like on teethers), so if your kiddo is still in the phase where they have to taste and chew on everything, I would wait a bit to use this item.

My favorite part about this so far is when Lola “boings” the wooden animals on the springs and then sways back and forth herself while she watches them sway—it’s SO cute!! Hope this inspires you to make something fun for your toddler! xo. Laura

Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Project Assistant: Collin DuPree. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

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[storytellersinkpot-blog]

Publication Interview with Rebecca Grabill: Halloween Good Night

Author and MFAC alum Rebecca Grabill talks about her novel, Halloween Good Night. Halloween Good Night, published July 25, is a counting book starring your favorite monsters. 

Gliding through the moonlight

come the monsters big and small,

sliding up your stairway

and oozing down your hall.

They aren’t very scary,

in fact they’re rather sweet.

So snuggle into bed and let them whisper,

“Trick or treat!”

Why do you write?

I won’t be the first to say this, but I write because I must. It’s not self-expression or fame (who cares what I have to say?), it’s not some deep idealistic zeal to change the world (I’m far too cynical to do more than hope). It’s compulsion, plain and simple. When I go too long—a couple days—without writing, I feel uneasy, then agitated, then depressed, until I write again, even if all I can manage between newborn feedings and dropping teens at events is a few lines of a lousy poem. I have to write. There’s no other option.

How did HALLOWEEN GOOD NIGHT get published?

This is actually a fun story (see what a great teaser that is? That’s why I get the big bucks. Umm…). Anyway, I wrote the first draft of HGN during my MFA at Hamline, during my semester with the venerable and amazing Phyllis Root (whom I adore). I remember reading it at a student reading and thinking, “Yes, finally I figured this picture book thing out!”

Sadly editors weren’t agreeing. After graduation I did everything to the story from changing it to a direct “copy” of Over in the Meadow (super super simple and made me want to weep with self-loathing), to attempting to rewrite it in a little monster preschool setting. That’s where I realized I didn’t want to write a monster-goes-to-preschool book (well, I might want to, but I didn’t want This book to become That book). So I stopped re-envisioning it and revised to make it as sparkly as I could, and then I waited. I was also expecting a baby (#5) around then, so I was well practiced at waiting.

In fall of 2014 when I was barely able to function because of newborn and life, my agent called to say she had interest. Apparently an editor she knew was looking for a Halloween book, and she said, “Oh, I have just the book!” and passed it on to the editor and the editor happened to LOVE my story.

A few days later, on Halloween day, while I was hiding in the car and nursing the baby while my big kids were in class, the official offer came in. I got off the phone with my agent and floated around the rest of the morning. Until the kiddos were done with class, and then real life returned with, “Mommy, I’m hungry,” and so forth.

When you start writing, do you know what the ending will be?

Generally, yes. The ending is often the first thing I know about a story. Or think I know, since everything is open to change as the story and characters develop. This is especially true with picture books since these stories are so palm-sized and visual. I sometimes have an “image” in mind of the end before I even have a beginning. I certainly did with HGN. I saw a child tucking all the “scary” Halloween monsters into bed, mastering fear, being the adult, and the story grew from there.

On the flip side, I have a fantasy series in the works, and the ending has been a struggle for as long as I’ve been writing it. It’s been dormant for a few years, but now that I contemplate returning, I know that blasted ending will still be there, ugly as it is. I haven’t figured out what to do about it—yet.

What’s your writing process?

Um, cry, eat chocolate, drink coffee (decaf, see the in-utero comment above), cry some more… Just kidding. Sort of. Because of the demands of life, I have to guard my writing time (afternoons while the littles nap, big kids do independent schoolwork/pretend to do schoolwork, i.e. binge watch inappropriate Netflix or YouTube), and I have to accept that a little progress each day is better than no progress at all.

Basically, when 2pm rolls around, I put on my noise cancelling headphones and let the rest of the world shriek. And I write. I don’t do warm up exercises (please, as if I have time for that!), I don’t freewrite and brainstorm and play with my little Garbage Pail Kids figurines (ok, not much), I pick up where I left off the day before, and I keep going. I stop only when nature calls, when I need to tell one of the kids, “Yes, fine, whatever, go eat a bowl of ice cream with marshmallows and popcorn and watch Walking Dead” (not really, really I’ll just grunt and wave them away and discover later what they were asking me), and I keep going until finally I realize if I don’t stop Right Now nobody will be eating dinner.

This of course will all be blown to h@ll in December when the baby comes, but it’s what I’ll work toward even then.

As far as process for individual books, it varies so incredibly for each project it would be useless to describe. Some are written in a bout of inspiration, others are written and re-written dozens and dozens of times over the course of years. And yes, I do mean years. My current project started as an essay around 2003. It’s now almost “done” (whatever that means) and has been rewritten from the ground up at least six times, and heavily revised and restructured twice that many. AND I’m not sick of it, which means something. Hopefully something good about the manuscript and not something disturbing about myself.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I homeschool four of my five children and feed the youngest sixth child—in utero until December—copious amounts of chocolate and cucumbers, but not together because I may be pregnant but I do have standards. I also love to binge-watch Netflix in the evenings and read books about food and sustainable agriculture.

I spend an inordinate amount of time in the kitchen because of medically necessary food restrictions—some mine, some belonging to various children. And I spend an inordinate amount of time Googling bizarre medical (and other) questions, which I could say are research, but come on, let’s be real. Weirdness and the abnormal, medically and otherwise, fascinate me.

I have kept chickens, though after a recent raccoon massacre I’m taking a break, and I have a large, ill-kept garden of mostly tomato hornworms and herbs. I also do photography (mostly stock) when the whim strikes at a time when I also have time, which doesn’t happen often, sadly. Sort of like an eclipse.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Don’t try to copy another writer’s process. Seriously, I LOVE reading about how Stephen King writes, or Hemingway, or Anne Lamott. I love it because I think somewhere in their process will be this Golden Truth I’m missing in my own process. I think if I adopt their Magic, somehow my writing will go from slow-plodding-work to flying on clouds of bliss. Except then I get pissy because their process won’t work for my life. Like seriously, if Stephen King were a homeschooling mother of soon-to-be six, would he have time to write ten pages every single day? If Robert Olen Butler were a mother of ANYTHING would he be getting up at 5am to write from his dream state? So that’s to say, don’t look for the magic wand, golden ticket, mythical Dream State. It doesn’t exist. The only way writing gets done is by writing. Period.

Also, listen to feedback. Especially editors/agents, but even Uncle Sal knows a good book when he reads it (usually). Your readers know more than you think. Are they wrong sometimes? Sure. But if three of five readers are saying, “This really shouldn’t be in verse,” then try it in prose no matter how attached you may be to it the way it is. The worst that can happen is you spend some time making a change that doesn’t work. The best is that you end up with something amazing. Risk, try, and for heaven’s sake back up to Dropbox or the cloud or something. And consider Scrivener because it’s awesome, and no they don’t pay me to say that (but they should!).

What are you working on now? Any upcoming events or other info you’d like to add?

I’m finishing up a Middle Grade novel about “influence” and happy little topics like race and cruelty and beauty and friendship. Or I think I’m finishing it. I’ve “finished up” this novel before, so I hesitate to say anything for certain. Then I’ll turn my attention to maybe some picture books or an early MG about a hog, or that ending-less fantasy. Or maybe I’ll be so thoroughly pregnancy-brain-addled that I’ll decoupage everything in the house. It’ been known to happen. Or tie-dye all the diapers… Hmm, actually that does sound fun.

That’s writing stuff. Once publication happens, there’s a whole new to-do list. I have an author questionnaire to fill our for one book (with things like the names of all my local librarians, all the famous people I know, Costco’s buyer and home phone number [kidding, sort of]), and another book that will be hitting editorial soon, and I have an October full of book-release events for Halloween Good Night, plus social media/blog/etc. to keep up with.

Anything else?

Be sure to check out my website: www.rebeccagrabill.com! And if you’ve read and loved Halloween Good Night, I would love love love to see some nice reviews pop up on Amazon!

[2traveldads-blog]

We’ve got another great, easy hike with kids to share!  Our favorite hikes take us places with sweeping views and unusual sights, but we also love huge trees.  The Hoh Rainforest is at the top of our list of hikes in the Pacific Northwest with kids, but let’s go ahead and add the Grove of the Patriarchs at Mt Rainier National Park to the top too.

If you are looking for a nice hike that includes forests, rivers and epic old growth forests, the Grove of the Patriarchs is the spot.  And be sure to check out our other recommendations for easy hikes at Mt Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park.  There are boundless opportunities to get into nature in the National Parks of the Pacific Northwest.

Locale of the Grove of the Patriarchs

From Seattle, you’ll head south and east around Mt Rainier through the Crystal Mountain ski area and then down into the Ohanapecosh area.  From Portland, you head north on I-5 and then cut across the mountain on Highway 12 through White Pass.  Or, the most beautiful route is coming from the Columbia River Gorge through Gifford Pinchot National Forest past Mt St Helens through some really remote areas.  It’s gorgeous beyond beautiful.

Once you get to the general area, the Grove of the Patriarchs is within Mt Rainier Nationl Park’s Steven’s Canyon entrance.  And the trail head is RIGHT INSIDE the entry plaza.  Parking is limited, but it turns over quickly.  There is no Visitors Center at this spot, but five minutes away at Ohanapecosh, you’ll see one.

Prep for safe hiking with kids

Safety on the trail is so important.  Water water water.  Even though the Grove of the Patriarchs trail isn’t crazy difficult or long, once you’re in the old growth forest it gets hot and the air can be a bit stagnate.  This will drain you so quickly, so be sure to stay hydrated.  And sunblocked.  Even though a lot of hiking, here or other trails, takes place within the forest, you’ll still want to keep kids blocked up.  Sunburns happen faster than you realize.

Tip:  check out our article about travel products we use for some good recommendations for sun protection.

Lastly, talk to your kids about paying attention and watching their footing while hiking.  Dusty trails usually mean there are roots and wash-out spots which make for easy falls.  On the Grove of the Patriarchs trail, you’ve also got some river access spots, so you should also give your kids some solid rules about getting too close to the river in certain spots.

Note:  the Ohanapecosh River is super cold and in certain spots moves really swiftly.  There are some good spots for splashing, but also some deep areas with surprising currents.

Hiking the Grove of the Patriarchs

First, a few notes:  The only challenge to this trail is the small slope at the very beginning.  There is a restroom at the start, so be sure to have kiddos take care of business.  

As you start, you’ll see some great info placards along the trail which can help explain a lot of the trees and forest phenomena you’ll see.This is a great learning opportunity for kids and adults alike, especially if you don’t get to spend a lot of time in the forest.  

Continuing on, you’ll see several spots to access the Ohanapecosh River, as we mentioned.  We’d recommend waiting to have time by the fiver until your return trip, as the trail is a loop.  You’ll actually have to cross the river via a suspension bridge and there’s another access spot on the other side.

Tip:  if the trail seems busy, definitely hold off on your play time on the river, as the suspension bridge tends to have a line for crossing it. Only one or two people can cross the bridge at a time, so when there are many hikers it can be a twenty minute wait.  Crazy.

Once across the Ohanapecosh River you’re in the Grove of the Patriarchs.  This loop trail has some incredible trees that rival some that you’d see in the Redwoods.  One of the kids’ favorites is the hollow fallen tree that the trail goes through (between its trunk and roots).  Each turn have another fascinating sight to see.

Tip:  if you’re into painting or high contrast photography, spending an afternoon in the Grove of the Patriarchs is going to give you some epic material for your creativity to soar.  Or go hiking and then return to the Ohanapecosh campground and paint away.

Moving right along, you’ll have ample chances to relax on the trail, as it really is hiking at its most chill. Take your time and if you want to have some time on the river, the area by the suspension bridge is perfect for it. Make your way back across, enjoy the reverse view of the trail, and then head either up to Paradise for more day hikes or just over to the Ohanapecosh Visitors Center for more nearby activities.

Tip:  you know we love picnics, so if you’re not planning one already, do so and take advantage of the picnic space at the Grove of the Patriarchs trail head.

More Ohanapecosh Activities with kids

To make the most of your time in Mt Rainier National Park, camping is one of our strongest recommendations.  Ohanapecosh has a very nice campground centered around the Ohanapecosh River and Visitors Center.  From Ranger talks to splashing in the river, it’s a great place to stay with kids.  And you can get your National Parks Passport stamped at the visitors center.  And do the Junior Ranger program too!

One of our favorite waterfall hikes in Washington State is Silver Falls, which also goes out of Ohanapecosh.  Winding through the most peaceful, quite forest and past a miniature Mammoth Hot Spring 😉 it’s a pretty easy hike to a mossy footbridge and one of the most rainbow-laden waterfalls we’ve ever seen.  It’s one of the prettiest spots in Washington.

Tip:  make your camping reservations at Ohanapecosh as soon as you know you’re going to visit.  National Park campgrounds fill up quickly.

Other awesome National Parks groves for epic trees

We’re really into big trees and the West Coast National Parks have some incredible, epic old growth forests.  Depending on which species you want to see, you could make a whole road trip to learn the science of forests and epic trees:

Sequoia National Park – sequoia trees, the Giant Forest and General Sherman tree (largest tree in the world)

Kings Canyon National Park – sequoia trees; Grant Grove and the Fallen Monarch

Yosemite National Park – sequoia trees; Mariposa Grove

Muir Woods National Monument – redwoods; shooting location of Return of the Jedi

Redwood National Park – redwoods; Lady Bird Johnson Grove, amazing trail systems

Redwood Coast – redwoods; more than 20 epic redwoods you can walk or drive through

Olympic National Park – cedars, spruce and maple; Quinault and Hoh Rainforest for maple and cedars, Kalaloch and Ruby Beach for spruce

Mt Rainier National Park – hemlock, spruce and cedars; the southestern side, including the Grove of the Patriarchs

We love checking out epic trees for lots of reasons, but a primary one is teaching the kids about the age of the earth and its timeline.  They learn a lot about the life cycle, habitats and some of the most delicate ecosystems on earth.  Epic tree groves are great for grown ups too, particularly for reminding us of how small we actually are.

A final thing to know about visiting the Grove of the Patriarchs or any Mt Rainier National Park site, fall comes early to the Mountain and while you’ll be having sunshine and cool breezes in the Seattle area, Mt Rainier is making its transition to winter.  Plan appropriately with jackets and be flexible with plans.  You’ll no doubt have a great visit and will love the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.

Want to pin this for later when you’re planning some fun hikes with kids?  Go for it!

The Grove of the Patriarchs: old growth forest hiking in Mt Rainier National Park We’ve got another great, easy hike with kids to share!  Our favorite hikes take us places with sweeping views and unusual sights, but we also love huge trees.  

[darkestbefore]

Driven Within.

I’m incredibly self-centered. People who meet me first the first time wouldn’t know that. For the first time in months, I wondered how my sister is doing. What she’s up to, what it’d be like for her to know. 

Up until now, Luther has been a reason for me to drive myself further away from everyone- friends, family, coworkers, even Amy. He’s the secret that I protect. Many of my friends know but we don’t talk openly about it too often- not that we couldn’t, it’s just that I’ve withdrawn so much, I hardly ever hang out with friends anymore. I still have them, I just...don’t see them. 

Same thing with family. I really do miss them sometimes but again, I’m withdrawn. I know better but I can’t help picking between the end-of-the-day dichotomy of time with Amy versus time for myself to be alone. 

I have to wonder. Is this anxiety of Luther and revealing him what’s killing me or is it the secret itself that is beginning to weigh so heavy? Obviously telling everyone would bring a lot of support, even from the generally surprised folk who don’t hang out with me often or know me well. This is, for instance, most people at Uptown. 

There’s so much fear and worry. And with that five weeks of due date uncertainty, I have to prepare better than this. I can’t just wing it anymore. I need time off, appropriately. And I need to ask for it the right way, getting myself out in front of it all. I’ll start with Randy, Chad, Nick C, then Eric Meeler.

I’ll tell them that my parents already know but they don’t. Guessing at my parents reaction is a lot tougher but I suppose I’m a smart guy, I can predict and imagine what it’s like to be in their shoes, hearing it. Imagining now, I see shock. Like complete disbelief. A lot of initial confusion in this disbelief- they’ll want to know how it happened exactly. That part’s technically obvious- I didn’t wear a condom, she wasn’t on the pill. And then more questions will pile on, such as who this girl is, my relationship to her, our history, our plans. Then they’ll dive straight into all the control variables- what are we going to do with the baby, how are we going to raise it, finances, my education, her education, his education, cars, houses, and last but not least..making an “honest” woman of her. 

My dad’s dealt with this before. With my cousin. I wish I could call him and ask what my dad said. I remember them sitting and having a long conversation, most of it my dad lecturing and directing him. I’ve never really taken direction well from my father, though. I know he’ll push marriage, he’s extremely old-school and wants to make the other parents happy, as well as protect the child’s future. It’s like Amy said, little kiddo will grow up much happier if the mother and father are together. 

I don’t even know if I want to be with Amy forever. The further into this pregnancy we are, the more I begin to realize the romantic me is completely demolished by the new father emerging from within. It’s statistical but somehow in place of the guyish version of me was born a cute, childish me. I don’t know what to do with him. I just start in this cute voice and the character takes over, for days to weeks at a time until a fight or argument occurs and the act is dropped. Perhaps the additional child is my way of protecting myself, my innocence, retaining what left there is of it. For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction: I’m becoming a father at 24, maybe my brain is coping by throwing in several months of childlike behavior. 

But all this thought aside, I also need to consider and think from a new perspective: that of a father. 

Would Dad Chris tell Grandpa Joseph what’s going on? How much will Dad Chris allow input, how much of a foot would he put down to protect his own life? Maybe as an adult, the reveal is their right. I owe them the discovery, the story, even time with Luther. But perhaps being man enough to do that means I’ll be man enough to say No to anything I don’t agree that I’m ready for. 

Even from the Father perspective, I want to retain some privacy, some choice. So far, I’ve been able to. And also I’m a different generation than my cousin. I want to give my family happiness, not stress. I think not being certain about Amy is okay, after all we didn’t start in order (get married, have kid). The only certainty that we truly need is devotion to this kid. Our relationship needs work. And for most of this past year, we’ve been dealing with the pregnancy so as much romance as their was in it, it was always baby thoughts and parental freakouts in the end. Speaking of end, I don’t know if it’ll ever end. If there can be an us throughout it all. 

She tries hard, squeezing in dates and demanding quality time. Somehow it doesn’t connect or reach through to me. Somewhere inside, I really feel like there’s a love deep down but it’s not the same...it’s an attachment kind of love, not a romantic love. 

While I’m searching and wondering about that, I’m facing all sorts of fears. The leverage is getting to me, I might have to finally just spill the beans. 

I can deal better with known reactions versus unknown reactions. 

My world needs to know about Luther. 

[adventuresofamybee]

first week, second internship...

Here I am again. The “gringa loca” is back in Chile for the summer (well, winter here)! The words I am about to share are going to be as transparent as possible, because while I am an optimist, I will not deny the reality of life (mainly, culture shock) and possibly deprive someone else the opportunity relate to me. However, I am trying to choose my words very carefully & accurately update what it has been like to be back in Santiago (which has been, in summary, wonderful).

It’s officially been one week, and boy, a whirlwind of a week it has been! It has been overwhelming and nonstop, but full of blessings. My first day back, I got here around 7:30am, took a short time to lay down, then went straight to church. I enjoyed the rest of the day at the mall with my host brother (Seba! I missed this special family) and his cousin, just to find that it was all to stall me from the surprise welcome party that erupted from my living room when I walked through the door! Though, on the walk back Seba said “I bet you’re ready for bed, aren’t you?” (in Spanish, of course) to which I replied “yes, I’m exhausted”, walked into the house and exclaimed “time to sleep!”. I was answered with the screams of “SORPRESA!!!” and lots of balloons thrown my way. I stood there, speechless and my heart full of joy at the sight of some loved ones. So, I didn’t go to sleep, haha. 

The next day I threw myself full-force into my internship. I got my errands done, my phone number changed, and my schedule made. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I spent all day back with my beloved babes at the House of Hope.

I LOVE THOSE KIDDOS. That seems like it will be my main focus during this internship. They all remembered me from last year, and all the new ones got attached to me after the very first day. I cannot articulate the love that overflows from my heart every time one of them arrives and runs to hug me. I love to listen to them talk about school, I love to read books with them, I love to help them with math and English, I love to have them hanging off my arms & legs, I love them tangling my hair and fighting to hold my hand, I love listening to/watching them sing & dance, I love to see the growth that has happened in a year, and I love getting to know them as little individuals. Somehow, when struggles tug at my heart or tears well in my eyes, every negative feeling flees the second I see their precious faces running toward me. I cannot get enough.

Saturday and Sunday I spent at church. This is the part that gets a LITTLE bittersweet. I am struggling with culture shock a bit more than I did last time, so far. I know that sometimes irrational or exaggerated feelings can come from the ups & downs that culture shock brings. My mind could not be as open as it was the first time I came, because I am already familiar with everything here, so it is affecting me differently than before. Have you ever been in love with a place, moved away, and come back to find everything both strikingly different yet painfully the same? I left with a picture-perfect point of view of this country and the relationships I have made here. Unfortunately, life is not perfect. Some friendships fell through because of distance or because people changed in a way that simply clashed with the person I am becoming. There are people I look at and feel pangs of sorrow to see how they have transformed, and can’t help but remember the way things were the last time I was here. At the same time, there are people I look at and feel disappointed to see that we simply are not growing up at the same rate. This is not solely a cultural issue, of course, as there will always be people around us that do not realize when maturity becomes necessary. (Though Chileans would admit that it does make a difference that they live with their families and depend on their parents a lot longer than the people of the USA do- those are words straight from my host-father’s mouth). Nevertheless, it can be disappointing. My first year at college changed me a lot (but for the better, I’d say!), and I am not the same person I was when I left. I have not lived with my parents since I left for Chile in September 2015, and I understand that I cannot expect the same growth from people who aren’t in the same circumstances. This, of course, goes both ways, so I try my best to see things from everyone else’s point of view.

Anyway, this leaves me with some spread-out friendships, but not exactly the old group that I had anticipated. There is the typical church drama that occurred while I was away that noticeably divided up the youth and broke the unity I had fallen in love with the last time I was here. This, then, leaves me to find “my place” again. It is a little awkward, and at times makes me feel like an outsider. Not only is everyone more segregated, but I have also missed out on a year’s worth of events. BUT, all I have to do is remind myself that God brought me here to serve, and I am not obligated to be involved in what has come of the “youth drama”. To be an outsider does not have to be bad. I will be set apart, I will not choose sides, and I will strive to love everyone. Old friends, broken friendships, restored friendships, and new friends. I remind myself that I need to keep my head above water and not get sucked into any discouraging temporary circumstances. My time back in the USA made me see things through rose-colored glasses, so I am working on accepting the reality of things. This is life! In conclusion, that has been the hardest thing to fight with at the moment. The enemy is thrusting loneliness in my face. I forgot how isolating it can feel to be here alone at times. My personality type feels things pretty intensely, and I am very introspective, which can actually benefit me many times, as I am able to analyze transformations as I go through them. Unfortunately, it can also be a disadvantage, as the spurts of loneliness can hit me pretty hard, but I am thankful for the opportunity to be alone with God in my mind and really study the way certain aspects of the trip affect me emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. So, the good thing is, I am aware of this battle and I am fighting back. Through the doubts and the bumps in the road, I am clinging to the Word. I spit out the lies that are being put in my head, and I restore my soul with God’s truths. I am trying to take advantage of this time to grow even more. My faith has the chance to be cultivated, and I am taking action to make sure that happens. I am constantly striving to redirect my focus to how I can glorify God and serve everyone (especially my House of Hope children), instead of stressing the little things. I also acknowledge that, although I try so hard to gain more and more wisdom from The Lord, I am still 18 with so much to learn. However, it has been helpful to think “How would a mature adult react to this? Would a godly woman let these things impact her?”; that usually switches my instinctive thinking pretty quickly.

All in all, though it has been a busy, overwhelming, exhausting week, it has been AMAZING. I am sure I will continue to adjust more as time goes on! I do believe that a lot of the weird emotions and confusion about my state of being has to do with culture shock. Sure, I have been here before and I know the language, but I have to adapt again and therefore am going to experience the crazy things that the natural process of culture shock triggers. Despite navigating my adjustment, I am loving the time I get to spend with my host family and the House of Hope children. I just prefer to be vulnerably honest and not pretend that everything is perfect, because really it never is… for anyone, anywhere. I am so unexplainably thankful for the opportunity to be back here, and I cannot wait to see what God does! I want to grow in humility, denying myself and living to love others. I close out this first Chile update with a few verses that have been helpful this week! 

“Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. […] But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.” Psalm 94:17-19; 22

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:1-2

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.” Psalm 51:10-13

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

GOD BLESS❤

[ar3volut1on]

You all know that I believe we are in the last days, that soon the Lord will be coming back to for His church, His body, that means I spend a lot of time studying the end times prophecies and watching for the fulfillment of the signs we are called to watch for.  Tonight I was given a new perspective on a verse I have often studied.  I was watching a video talking about the social media, cell phone, selfie obsession running rampant in society today.  It is crazy, really.

Every where I go people either have their faces in their phones waiting for likes, scrolling endless newsfeeds, or posing for another selfie to share.  They are more concerned with being in cyber world than the real world and most seem to think that both worlds revolve around them.  I see people shopping that are too busy snapping pics of their hauls to even say hello to their cashiers, or driving and taking selfies at the same time, and being too busy scrolling their feeds in public to even look where they are walking, driving, etc, spending the entire sermon during church texting, scrolling, or you guessed it, taking selfies.  It’s not healthy, rational or safe and they certainly are missing out on real life and growing closer to the Lord in the last case, when they are continually attached to their devices, which my husband refers to as vices.  But it is the world we live in.  And I believe that Paul foretold us of it nearly 2,000 years ago.  So, rant over, let me get on with what I mean here.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.  2 Timothy 3:1-5

I will go ahead and say up front that if I step on some toes with this, I am not sorry, this needs to be said and understood before true freedom from these addictions through Jesus can be achieved.

In the last days there will come times of difficulty, yea you could say that.  Life is difficult, Christians are persecuted, nations are in turmoil, natural disasters have increased ten fold, terrorists groups like ISIS are growing in boldness and strength each day, people are starving, plagues are running rampant in many areas, need me to go on.  Times are bad, and they are going to get a whole lot worse according to scripture.  I believe we are still in the birth pangs stage and that means this is nothing compared to what’s coming.  I have said before that I believe in a pre-trib rapture or departing of the church but I am fully prepared to face the coming tribulation if my interpretation is wrong.  I am human and am not perfect so I could be mistaken and if I am then my faith will not be shaken, instead I am prepared to die for my faith if it comes to it, although if this is the scenario I will try to survive the 7 years of tribulation to see Jesus coming in triumph and glory at the end.  Ok, sorry got off track there, back to 1 Timothy.  Paul says that in the last days will come times of difficulty, then he begins to enumerate why this will happen.

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

Wow,  he couldn’t have described today’s society better.  People are obviously lovers of self – Facebook, Instagram, and selfies attest to that.  Along with that love of self comes pride and arrogance, conceit, etc.  And you’d think it was just the youngest generations but it isn’t, nope, it’s all generations.  At any given time I am as likely to see a teen, a young mom, a middle aged person and an older lady all taking selfies or scrolling at church.  Everyone has a phone in their hand all the time.  It has become an idol.  And it isn’t just older kids and adults.  Oh no!  A couple weeks ago I worked the nursery at the big church for a women’s circle meeting one evening.  I only had three kiddos so I spent the evening making some observations on the differences between them.  They were aged 4, 5, and 7 with the younger two being girls.  The younger girl and the boy are siblings and all three were pastors kids, actually both the 5 year girls parents are pastors.  Imagine my shock when said 5 year old whips out a toy cell phone and begins taking selfies that looked more like 25 than 5, “talking” to her boyfriends, Facebooking, etc.  She looked just like 90% of the adults I see when I come off our creek – lovers of self, proud, arrogant, conceited.

Paul also warns they will be lovers of money, ungrateful, unappeasable.  Yet again this sounds like a majority of people I see around me every day.  Always buying, spending, never taking time to enjoy what they already have, it’s all about more, more, more, spend, spend, spend.  My husband and I were just discussing this earlier as we noticed how certain people seem to blow money like mad buying anything and everything they want.  Only to throw it away or tear it up with in days or weeks.  They are never satisfied always looking for the perfect thing, never realizing that it doesn’t cost a dime.  Jesus fulfills us, satisfies us, in a way stuff and money never will.  When we accept him into our hearts, repent of our sinful ways (this includes the greed) we suddenly are freed to realize just how very blessed we are without all that junk.

    People will also be abusive, disobedient to their parents, unholy, heartless, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.  Just look around you and I bet you can find examples of each of these traits.  I know I can, I used to be guilty of all of these characteristics Paul mentions, but once I gave my heart to the Lord and repented of these ways instead focusing on serving him I found out what it truly means to be free.  To be blessed.  To live!  No longer am I a slave to this world, now I serve a higher world, a higher purpose, a heavenly King.

If you are struggling with any of these signs of the times then I ask you to put your faith in Jesus and allow him to change you, free you from these tools of Satan that will ultimately destroy and condemn you.  Accept Jesus in your heart, confess your sins to him, repent and turn from them and embrace the grace the Lord offers.  Confess he is the Christ the Son of the living God who died for the repentance of sin then rose on the third day assuring us of the hope of eternal life with him.

Maybe you’ve already done that, if so praise the Lord brother or sister and rejoice that you are not numbered among this list that will perish in the lake of fire if they do not wake up and repent.  Then get busy about the Fathers work and get out there winning souls still caught in the condemning lies, a trap with eternal consequences, to the Lord.  Introduce them to our sweet Savior and show them there is a better way, a way filled with love, life, blessings and hope.  Time is running out and we must be about the Father’s work while we still can.

May the Lord bless and keep you brothers and sisters.

Cult Of Self You all know that I believe we are in the last days, that soon the Lord will be coming back to for His church, His body, that means I spend a lot of time studying the end times prophecies and watching for the fulfillment of the signs we are called to watch for.