#like familys who struggle financially / families of divorce LOL

[cirillafionaelenriannon]

okay so generally for the sims 4′s next expansion pack i don’t have majorly high expectations because EA has absolutely never delivered on a single sims 4 expansion & i think the community & particularly the sims influencers love to over-blow them doing the absolute bare fucking minimum & then they slowly stop talking about what EA has done wrong and its literally enraging because as influencers and game changers they literally get half the expansions and half the content released for the game for free but anyway. 

so heres what i want in the family oriented ep. in bold is what i think we realistically will get. 

(notice most of this is stuff we got in generations for ts3)

strollers

baby carries / handheld & wraps (i don't think we will get handhelds)

(like this lol)

walkers

baby swings

video cameras

walking canes for elders

mid-life crisis

more engaging sims pregnancy. so ultrasounds, able to find out babies gender, pediatrciain appointments whether interactive or not. actual sims maternity wear. 

baby showers. this would be a great addition because infants update is coming alongside it

ACTUAL FAMILY TREE UPDATE! more functional & adding cousins, aunts, uncles, step siblings, etc. 

bachelor parties

daycare career and/or an interactive daycare? maybe not that we can go there to play as our toddlers but that it exists as a lot we can visit. idk i dont think they do that. 

school field trips

children can play tag again. more games and interactions between children in general, and toddlers too. i want them to feel more like siblings. so including tag.

slides for children. more playground equipment. merry go round. 

school plays!

play pen! we had this in the ts3 store alongside walkers & baby swings

more advanced parenting system? parenthood added some but i dont think grounding really exists. i think also including more options for children of divorce, so staying at one parents house a weekend. 

childrens slumber partys

to be honest EA has released so much stuff across several different EP’s like parenthood & high school years & toddler stuff that all could have been released in ONE EP and half of that stuff i would’ve included for the family pack we’re getting. which is why the pack i think is going to be so disappointing because what could they possible add rather than What i’ve listed when they’ve already spread everything out so sparsely. i really think they’ve set themselves up for failure with this one like maybe i’ll be mindblown w what they come up with but realistically i think it’ll just include bare minimum items, lots of new clothes and hairs but little new interactions or new items or things to enhance actual gameplay. i think itll be very shallow but i honestly will be content with just getting a stroller lol. that’s all i’ve wanted for the past 9 years. 

[doddsmountain]

okay! i've been wondering how harry gets back in touch with his family after the whole amnesia thing and how they all handle that. and how was harry's relationship with them before that, also? is there a sibling he gets along with the best? do any of them also have weird brain things going on (like the psychosis, talking to things, heck even pale exposure)? if the sister who works at the harbor knows titus, how does the reveal that she's related to harry go?

i may have more but that's a lot to start with for now. i might come back another time :3

Alrighty! Gonna put this under a cut to save people from my old-ass being cringy lol

First, I wanna introduce the OCs I’ve made for Harry’s family! (Ages as of events of the game, March ‘51)

Alain Du Bois, father, dead (died in ‘21), born January 27, ‘80 of previous century. Was absent most of the time, abusive when around

Margarette Du Bois (nee Barrach), 70, born August 2, ‘81 of previous century. Kind, loving mother.

Victoire ‘Victor’ Du Bois, 48, born July 17, ‘02. A bit distant, also struggles with alcohol but not to Harry’s extent (he won’t drink while working), lorry driver, emotionally shut off, rarely smiles, known for his deadpan humour and really bad puns. Has whatever the lorry driver version of Esprit du Corps is. Married and has 2 kids: 21 year old son, 18 year old daughter. Pale exposure up the wazzoo due to having to travel through it. He knows the pale driver, and Tommy Le Homme.

Madeline ‘Maddy’ Petrovski (nee Du Bois), 46, born June 1, ‘04. Very friendly like their mum, short and chubby, cosmetologist (works for the biggest theatre company in Revachol - which still doesn’t pay that well - definitely working class), has some of the same psychological things going on as Harry (the lists - she does the lists as well). Married and has 4 kids: 16 year old daughter, twin 13 year old sons, and an 8 year old daughter. Her husband has addiction issues and isn’t the greatest but he’s kind and loving regardless - life isn’t always what we expect it to be.

Harrier ‘Harry’ Du Bois, 44, born January 3, ‘07. We know about him.

Mairi Du Bois, 42, born December 20, ‘07. The only one to really escape the poverty of their childhood. Geology professor in Sur la Clef. She has the same weird empathetic skills Harry has. Lesbian, married to a fellow academic, no children.

Eloise ‘Elsie’ McTavish (nee Du Bois), 37, born February 2, ‘14. A bit standoffish, she is a nurse, and recently divorced. Has plenty of similar strange psychological traits similar to Harry’s and is distressed over it, tries to ignore it. Has four children: Twin 6 year old son and daughter, 3 year old daughter, and a year old daughter. Currently lives with their mum due to financial stress as her ex-husband is a deadbeat and can’t be found (he’s a former friend of Harry’s and Harry vows to beat the shit out of him if he ever sees him again).

Marcelline ‘Marcy’ Du Bois, 34, born January 4, ‘17. Exactly the same psychological stuff as Harry. Divorced because she had a few miscarriages (her ex-husband is a piece of shit - upper middle class weenie). Very outgoing, works in Martinaise surprisingly as a shipping container inspector (enemies to lovers type thing with Titus Hardie eventually) (also didn’t know her brother was the absolute mess of a detective doing the investigation into the Hanged Man). Has some issues with making relationships for obvious reasons. No children. Her favourite sibling is Harry. She is Harry’s favourite sibling (he got a baby sister for his 10th birthday). Because of Marcie’s proximity to the hole in the universe she also has some issues with pale exposure.

My headcanon for Harry getting back in touch with his family post-amnesia is a little wishful thinking on my behalf, I suppose.

So, as we know Harry has blanked before after some epic benders - purposefully. I figure it would only be a matter of time before he gets his memories back. 

In my postgame HC/AU/whatever you wanna call it I figure this happens roughly a month after the events in the game - and it happens fast and painfully - leaving Harry in a very very emotionally unstable place. Thankfully, Kim is there and Judit is also very understanding. Harry’s reaction to all of this suddenly happening is what gets Jean to finally believe Harry had amnesia. Throughout it all Harry still remains sober (this is again wishful thinking on my behalf due to my own history with alcoholism [grew up with it, know it’s damages]). 

Shortly after this is when the Kim is Revachol comic takes place (so mid- to late April). Kim encourages Harry to reach out to his family after learning about them. Harry is understandably terrified as the last 6 years have been strained due to his spiralling into further alcoholism and drug abuse after Dora left him. After university I HC that Harry dived into the Disco/party scene heavily, especially after meeting Dora, so alcohol and drugs have been an issue of his for a while before Dora left. I think that after he became a cop these addictions got worse as he struggled to cope with the realities of what he had to do as a cop and what he had to see. I imagine things were a bit tense after Harry met Dora, as I HC the rest of his family not really liking her all that much due to class differences (and I imagine her family didn’t like him either for the same reasons). Harry’s family does their best to make Dora feel welcome though and they get along well enough until finally she leaves and he goes off the deep end. His older brother quietly stops talking to him, his older sister tries her hardest to help but he doesn’t accept it. Mairi is on another isola so there’s not much she can do. But she makes sure to call him once a week and this doesn’t stop until the events of the game. Eloise is very vocal about her displeasure with what he’s doing but still tries to support him in small ways. Marcelline is heartbroken but refuses to give up on her brother. They get drunk together a few times over the years post-Dora/pre-game. Harry refuses to be around his mum when he’s drunk or high, but she is well aware of how rough he’s living. He builds her a gazebo one summer when he tries to sober up (I like to imagine him being good at carpentry). He gets Jean to help him.

Because family is important they all open their arms to him when he reaches out. Because all of them have some extent of Harry’s weird abilities they can tell he means it this time when he says he’s trying to be better, be the Harry they knew before he met Dora, before he let his life spiral. Harry slowly integrates into his families’ lives. Harry made sure to never be high or drunk around his nieces and nephews so he’s always been the fun uncle, and now they get to see him much more often. Harry cries so much when his oldest nephew introduces Harry to his grand-niece. The family also openly embraces Kim, Cuno and Cunoesse. And Rene in my AU. Harry’s sisters are excited to have a new brother-in-law and niblings. Victor quietly respects Kim for being able to help Harry pull through this time. He also teaches Cunoesse how to work on a lorry engine.

When Titus learns that the chubby babe Marcy is Harry’s sister he’s not all that surprised. Once he knows he can see the familiarities there. After the events of the game, I HC that Titus slows down on the partying and sleeping with younger women (the man is 39 after all). He kind of becomes a bit more reserved, especially after losing his best friend and the others. Marcy was close with Angus so she understands Titus’s pain. They grow close. Harry gets a bit put-off when he learns that they start dating. Kim is highly amused by Harry’s protective older brother attitude.

I likely have more to add but I’m losing steam lol

[pynkhues]

Heyy! Would you mind if i asked u to explain to what extent is lestat and his mother’s relationship incestuous? I havent read the books but i keep seeing everyone talk about lestat’s fucked up relationship with his mother altho they never talk about specifics and i’d like to know bcs i love lestat and i wanna know everything about him!!! And i also i dont trust just anyone to know bcs some people on twt just lie about having read the books😭 so yeah i trust you lol i hope it’s okay Thank you!!

Hey! Of course! It's - - mm, kind of a how long's a piece of string question to ask how incestuous they are, because on the one hand, very, haha, and on the other hand, it's more complicated than something like, say, Jaime and Cersei? I think what Anne was interested in exploring between them was an already unclear identity dynamic born out of isolation and trauma - mother-son, lovers, and avatar - and then reversing the parent-child with maker-fledgling.

In that sense, context is pretty important. To give you the short version, Gabrielle is an Italian woman (her gender identity is totally up for discussion, but I'm going to use she/her pronouns here just because Anne does) who's both highly educated and pretty independent for her time. She's an avid reader, well-travelled and wealthy, when her family marries her off to a French aristocrat from the Auvergne countryside. The Marquis - as his name implies - is titled, which means something in this era, but he's otherwise totally destitute, and also very abusive. Gabrielle is - in this sense - the total embodiment of a gothic heroine where she's isolated in a foreign country with a cruel man who basically bleeds her dry financially.

She has eight children to him, only three of whom survive childhood (and I tend to think this feeds into Gabrielle's complex relationship with her own body). Lestat's the youngest, and is pretty much immediately Gabrielle's favourite although she struggles to show this. We don't know how much Gabrielle's detachment from her children and her unwillingness to show affection stems from the years married to the Marquis, how much she's divorced herself from her body and role as mother as a result, and how much is just her, but it definitely shapes how Lestat receives love (which absolutely feeds into his relationship with both Louis and Nicki). He's desperate for Gabrielle's attention, and she loves him but neglects him to the point where she doesn't even teach him how to read, despite literature being her only solace in the Marquis' house.

Gabrielle and Lestat basically become emotionally enmeshed at this point, especially as Lestat's brothers follow in their father's footsteps and become further vectors of his abuse, and that enmeshment leads first to emotional incest and then a physical attraction that's acted on at least in kissing if not more (it's ambiguous). Their sense of intimacy is in a lot of ways perverted through trauma, but Gabrielle's really unclear with boundaries with Lestat which also leads beyond emotional incest to a sort of identity bleed. As I mentioned above, she also sees Lestat as avatar - he's her masculine self, she literally calls him her phallus in the book - which as a parent, is manifest of her own abuse of him. She, in those moments, can and would deny him his own personhood and independence and see him only as an extension of herself.

There's a reading there that that's reflective of Gabrielle being either non-binary or a trans man (and a number of parallels that Claudia and Gabrielle were both turned in the wrong bodies - Claudia as a child, Gabrielle as a woman), something amplified by the fact that she predominantly wears men's clothing after she's turned into a vampire. I can and do overall agree with both those readings, but I think it's also reflective of Gabrielle recognising Lestat has social power that she never will and that dressing as a man gives her greater freedom and mobility in an era where women had little.

Their relationship actually becomes a bit less incestuous when they're less isolated in Paris and Lestat starts whatever weird psychosexual thing he has going on with Armand, haha, and Gabrielle tries to help Nicki adjust to a vampire life he's never going to adjust to. She and Lestat have a pretty loving departure from one another where she goes to travel the world again, and they spend a long time out of touch as a result because Lestat can't communicate with her as his fledgling (and still can't read or write). They only actually reunite when she realises Lestat's in danger while on tour towards the end of TVL, and then teams up with Louis to try and save him from Akasha.

So yeah! It's a really complicated relationship and in a lot of ways I think goes beyond just incest and feeds into trauma and abuse as something that perverts family dynamics, but also has profound impact on personal identity. She's kind of the worst in a lot of ways, but I honestly love Gabrielle as a character and she's often really fun (her and Armand hating each other's guts is very funny) and I can't wait to see her on screen. There's a reason she's the character Sam and Jacob are both the most excited about, but I do think she's probably going to be a very polarising character for audiences.

[papirouge]

im the anon who lurks in regretful parenting subs... Honestly, i'm believing most men simply do not like being monogamous thus why they feel like they're trapped in a relationship. Even when it's the men themselves that insist to get their wives pregnant, even if through inmoral means (some women talk about finding out their husbands removed the condom at some point while having sex), it's usually because they want to pass their genes more than genuine love for their wives and wanting to build a family with this person they adore.

Like it's not only the way they talk about their wives, but also that they see sleeping around as a thing to be proud of and men who can bed many women as someone to look up to. There's also that phenomenon of older married men ogling younger women even when they're with the wife, watching porn even if they're still having sex irl, and so on.

Honestly, I do feel like only a man of God could truly remain faithful for the right reasons. I guess that does go for some women too, we all have our faults lol but even then I unfortunately know some terrible cases. Like this Christian woman I followed who seemed to have a great husband and children, always talked about the importance of putting God first in your life, and even gave dating advice to women that wasn't about being submissive (wordly) and a pick me but was quite fds-y actually while still being biblical. Then she dissappeared for a long while and when she returned she admitted her husband had raped her and beat her. I was so heartbroken for her. She had to had a divorce and thankfully the husband went to jail, but she was left struggling with the trauma and four kids to feed.

To be fair, i'm starting to believe I might be seeing so much of this stuff because God wants me to stay a celibate. I'm convinced He wants me to focus completely in my religious path and in helping others and not get distracted with a husband and children.

The regretful parent sub is a mixed bag really

I understand the struggle of people who got one child and eventually regretted bc of all the changes and missed opportunities this pregnancy caused into their life, but I couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief at people ending up with 3 kids and finally realizing parenthood wasn't for them. Sorry but that's stupid and reckless.

I think it's unfair to put unplanned pregnancy on men alone bc a fair share of women are pretty reckless with their lack of birth control. Feminists will hate me on this, but women have the upper hand when it comes to birth control. Both men and women can poke holes in condoms, but women can also deceive men in having unprotected sex while pretending to be on birth control. A man removing condom is observable, a woman with or without birth control is not.

One post stuck with me about a man who had a little girl, divorced his wife, and regretted becoming a dad because being away of his daughter was too much painful and would rather never have a child to not feel such strong attachment to another human being. This was actually touching

And yes, I'm very wary of trad people flaunting their life online. This is the anti thesis of trad imo. Remember the twitter tradwife who was financially abused by her husband for years?? You never know what's going on behind closed doors

I will never this sentence I heard from pink pilled ladies "you can be a single mom while being married" That's why it is sooooo important to chose wisely your husband. No marriage no womb obviously, but also husband and wife need to explicitly talk about they will share tasks in the house. Many sahw struggle bc they are expected to work from home 7 days a week when the husband at least have a few days away from office. IMO I would ask a share of tasks on weekend. Like, daddy would take care of the kids and the wife would have some time off to focus on other/lighter tasks.

Vetting is also important. Men who never lived alone when in their 30s are a red flag bc there are chances dude can barely take care of a house and will use their wife like a maid/2nd mom. I said that bc I knew a girl who was dating a guy who lived with his ex, and as soons as they broke up, he went back to live with his mom.... That's suspicious.

I also pray a lot to God to remove from my way all the men who aren't supposed to be in my life. I pray for my husband. God already shown him to me (in dreams) twice so I know I'm good :) As much as I craved emotional intimacy, I also realized that marriage involves a ton of responsibility (+parenthood) that's why I'm less eager to find my life companion lol The years I spend alone and free to do whatever I like will never come back so I might as well enjoy them as much as possible. It really helped me to be more content with my singleness 💙

[outrunningthedark]

The part that I’m struggling with is somewhat circular logic because if Buddie doesn’t go canon then who do Buck and Eddie end up with romantically (if anyone) because at this stage with a show that has 2-3 seasons left (or actors that might only sign for 1-2 more seasons) how exactly do you create satisfying endgame arcs for both of them amongst an ensemble show especially with the both character’s histories. And if the answer is “we can’t do that” then shouldn’t it be Buddie canon….thus the circular logic 😭😭😭. Like if they could somehow introduce well acted and dynamic LIs for them then sure could make peace with platonic “family” Buddie. I just can’t handle another “meet cute” type LI that is “cookie cutter” with forced chemistry. Would prefer to have Buck and Eddie be alone in that sense than end up in a bland relationship with no substance. TBH if I was OS and RG would peace out at that point once my contract was up IF financial stability existed elsewhere. We all know how OS felt about BT and RG was vocal in earlier seasons about Eddie not being ready to date. So wonder what his thoughts are if this “dating storyline” is going to be a thing or not.

I understand the confusion over who Buck and Eddie would end up with if *not* each other, and because I've always left the door open for Buddie not going canon 'til the very end, I have also considered the possibility that Buck and Eddie don't end up with *anyone* in the end (if they're both still on the show at that time) and that would be the show's way of saying "We would've done it if not for the backlash." The GA would still view them as platonic dudebro besties, but having them in a family moment with Chris or whatever would be for the fandom to *know*. As much as I love(d) to talk about the "If not Buddie then why" aspect of their story (together and as individuals), there has consistently been that nagging feeling that I am (and we as a fandom are) giving the show too much credit. Just off the top of my head, I can think of four instances where a show went in a "romantic" direction that had longtime viewers cursing themselves for wasting so much time hoping for a happy ending: - That '70s Show (showing my age because I watched that finale in real time): Jackie (Mila Kunis) ended up with Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), who always had a crush on her, but she showed no interest in. The audience assumed she would get back with one of her exes. (And now that the show is being rebooted, the character is in fact with one of those exes again. LOL.) - Grey's Anatomy did it twice :) First with Japril getting divorced and April going back to the guy she left for Jackson right before Sarah Drew had to leave the show; then there was Alex running off to be with Izzie and their kids (kids nobody knew they had until then, lmao), leaving his then-wife a note in which he said he already signed divorce papers! - Listen. I never got into this show, but people sure were pissed at that HIMYM finale. Not the endgame couple anyone wanted. (Notice those are all het ships that got screwed over?)

It would not AT ALL be surprising for Buck and/or Eddie to end up in relationships last minute or without much development over a full season (again). It all depends on who's *really* in charge (Is Kristen still there? Is Tim still only offering his input from a distance?) and what message they want to send. And for what it's worth, the more showrunners take criticisms to heart (because "It's MY show and I do what I WANT!!") the more likely they are to do something that awards them the last laugh.

[keshetchai]

Okay so loving the notes, tags etc except that one guy who lost his shit for no reason (blocked lol).

I don't want to direct post any tags when ppl said they might delete later BUT they are directly related to some things I didn't elaborate on in the above post but are my personal views on the matter. Also I wanted to respond to some other tags so yanno!

First:

For context I converted to Judaism as an adult, grew up with culturally xtian parents (my mom is like...a witchy lapsed mexican-catholic. Dad is a literal WASP, but also into paganism for awhile there. Idk.) Anyways my mom LOVES Christmas. So so much. She did grow up poor/lower working class. (My mom loves Xmas so much that she got married on December 23rd because the Catholic priest wouldn't do Dec 24th. ...Christmas got a little ruined for her when they divorced. I think it's finally getting better again many many years later.)

The point is, I Grew Up With Santa Is Real and Magical. 100%! And as a baby/little kid (under 7), my parents were still starting out, struggling with debt/student loans, making bad credit card decisions, etc. My mom worked fast food jobs.

but like, eventually, my dad stopped serving in the army, got an MBA on some of those loans he had, and went into managing computer engineers and with time, we became solidly middle class. I was about 7 when my parents bought their first house (instead of us living w/family or in apartments or army apartments), and then my parents divorced when I was about 14? 15? Then I got to live on the literal poverty line because divorce! Isn't that fun?

Anyways the point is that it was my mom, who grew up poor, that had the most investment in Santa. I was talking to a friend last night and she was like "yeah I mean, I eventually figured out people's handwriting so..." and I shook my head like. "No my mom always used her non-dominant hand as Santa. She changed her handwriting." My mom Believes in Santa, to be clear. Literally her philosophy is that Santa is real when we make him real, because Santa is a role — a thing parents can be/do, and the love and experience and wonder of childhood is all real, even if Kris Kringle, actual man from the North Pole is a fairy tale and made up." Her stance is that parents are "Santa's helpers" insofar as parents/guardians fulfilling Santa's role, passing on the story, etc all "help" Santa act, & that's not really a lie. It's a fairy tale, it's fiction, but Santa is just a collective belief that people take up and enact and that isn't a lie.

I suspect my mom is actually more sad that if I had children I don't want to do Santa than like she cares about me currently being like "I don't believe Jesus was a Messiah even a little bit."

Like. When I was maybe 3? My grandpa dressed as Santa to show up to the Christmas party for myself and my cousins/my mom's baby cousins. Picture the most adorable Mexican abuelito in the FULL mall Santa get up with a GIANT red sack for all the little kids and also his face was powered white so y'know. I was three. I didn't see under the massive white beard and wig I knew him. I met Santa and he was DEFINITELY real. We didn't have a lot of money yet but also this was the 90's and it's not like three year olds could even expect a $300 tablet or whatever.

My parents financial situation improving did mean "Santa" gifts could be a bigger deal as I got older, but they also imposed a 1 Santa gift limit more or less. Again, probably because my mom grew up poor and did not want me to feel better than other kids who got less but were just as "good." I was a very skeptical child so I'm not really sure how long I bought into Santa for, but I definitely Did Not Bring It Up even though I was fairly certain Santa was Mom for years. I mean, if Santa is real, then why do we go and buy angel/Santa gifts for other families and kids? So it's not hard to figure out. Especially since kids inevitably compare everything from gift value to "the rules of how Santa works at my house."

And when we'd finally confirmed I did indeed, Know The Truth (and wouldn't spoil it for my 8 years younger brother) I would be tasked with helping wrap the gifts we bought for other kids as Santa. I still remember helping my uncle do a Santa run to deliver the gifts we'd got to a single working mom cried in the parking lot when we helped her load up her car with presents.

And while I think that's lovely and we should absolutely give charity and help others in need and even just give charity that isn't only practical but instead includes stuff that is valued by joy and delight — I think Santa doesn't have to be the way to do that, and I also think that with the advent of highly expensive digital toys and gifts (above and beyond a barbie dreamhouse), "Santa" is now fully unable to escape capitalist and classist limitations.

Santa used to bring maybe a small toy and then maybe some "sweets" like some oranges, candy canes, etc in stockings, to most kids. But the divide between kids gets bigger and bigger, and the morality of kids gets tied to how much money their parents can afford to spend in fulfilling Santa and that's so deeply shitty to me.

As an adult, I am utterly disillusioned by Santa. Not the joy of parents participating, not kids who get toys they wanted. Not even because parents are lying, because big whoop. But because the fantasy is less and less feasible for kids whose parents don't have money. Because I worked for a bank financial assistance dept trying to help people for awhile, and when you see hundreds of people who go thousands of dollars into debt to maintain Christmas, it sucks!

It's a literal cycle SO MANY Americans go through btw, like to the point where banks/creditors all *know* to account for it. Debt goes up in Nov/Dec for Christmas, people struggle financially in Dec/January, and then Feb-April is when folks try to recover with their tax returns (because a lot of people gamble they will receive enough return in order to pay off or down the debt they couldn't afford). And when your job is "helping people who are financially struggling with getting out of the hole, understanding their budget better," lemme tell you, no one wants to be told: "look, you can't afford this kind of Christmas. It's setting you up to start the new year underwater financially, every single year. It makes you stressed and miserable, and you can't always manage to catch up with your tax return. This is unsustainable and is something you have the power to completely change in order to achieve way more stability for you and your family. It won't fix everything but wow is this gonna help!"

So you don't say that directly. You talk generally about cutting down unnecessary expenses (people rarely willingly consider their Christmas spending as unnecessary), about the plan after the tax return comes in, about how to cut costs of the expenses you do still have.

This isn't the fault of the concept of Santa, but like, Santa is part of this cycle now. And people are MISERABLE doing this debt cycle. Lots of people hate that they feel they HAVE to rack up all this debt to buy big presents and then even more santa presents and they often don't even believe in this holiday religiously! Sure, thoughtful presents are nice, but if everyone was like "actually I can't afford $2,000 in debt this year to make a big Christmas." Most people would feel a lot better! Depression due to Christmas holiday stress is real and measurable and people who know that and hate how it makes them feel STILL keep doing all of it.

So it sucks, Christmas's commercialization and Santa's accidental classism is just...truly awful.

I hate tying morality to class, and I hate making poor kids feel unworthy, I hate that people feel obligated to prepare to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars.

...parents lying to kids about Santa or the tooth fairy doesn't bother me, but like. Santa's elves probably aren't even unionized! Terrible

Do you ever just get obsessed with how cultural Christians (esp atheist or agnostic ones) often openly choose to maintain Santa Claus for their kids?

Like think about this with me:

A group of people who don't actively align themselves with religious life, religious institutions (churches) or other traditions, and may even be total atheists STILL sometimes choose to do Santa Claus for their children, because THEY had Santa Claus as children.

The parents give their child a folk demigod (lesser deity?) of outsized importance to children SPECIFICALLY, and teach them the demigod is definitely totally real. They maintain this active belief as long as possible through childhood. They may encourage and actively engage in this belief with their children moreso than anything else involving the religion it comes from (aside from perhaps, the easter bunny). They know Santa isn't real, does not exist, and is a fiction.

They know their children will learn this demigod is a lie. Subconsciously or consciously, the child then learns that Santa Claus is really only as real as the parent intention to make him real, and the child belief in that truth. The child grows up. Knows Santa is a fiction. And then they make Santa for their children too, because that's the only real thing about Santa — parents knowing it's a fiction and then passing it on anyways.

I just like...am deeply fascinated by this unique cultural training of accepting that the Santa deity isn't dead or anything so extreme, and even though he's made up, he is still extremely important and the fiction gets passed on while explicitly knowing and acting upon the fiction. Parents have to be Santa, they can't just encourage belief and sit back. No no, they must actively CREATE Santa's existence for the belief to work. And they do this willingly!

It's not that I think believing in a myth is unusual in any religion (like we don't need to believe hundreds of thousands of Israelites fled Egypt all at once to observe passover or even to think some Hebrews did flee Egypt and the legend developed from there, or w/e), so much as like, this is an incredibly obvious and well known one that every adult Knows 100% is Not Real, not even based on any kind of reality or possible actual legend, Santa doesn't have all those powers, he does not come to your house or get your wishlist (prayers).

No adult has a pure and genuine belief that Santa is a real being who visits and brings children gifts.

I just want to study everyone who actively is like "I don't believe in God or go to church but like, I'll obviously still do Santa for the kids, that's fun."

(Regina George voice: so you agree? Religion doesn't need to be grounded in imperial facts of science in order to provide substantial benefits to people, foster positive emotions and connections within communities, and for people to derive meaning from it? It doesn't matter if God is real, if you yourself make the benefits of God being real happen for yourself and others?")

[acnelli]

Any ship is fine, lol

So, finally we get to the smutty fic recs. It's a mix of several ships. Please make sure to leave kudos/comments/reviews on the stories you enjoyed reading, no matter how old the fic is or how many comments it has already.

I answered an ask for smutty fic recs for Rarry and Romione some time ago. You can find those for Romione HERE, and those for Rarry HERE and HERE.

The following fic recs are for different pairings. And, surprisingly, not all of them are Ron-centric. These are all M/E-rated.

you did a number on me (but honestly, baby, who's counting?) theheadgirl [Perciver, 4k+]

One late night at the Ministry, Percy forgets a date. Oliver decides to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

the missing sock by theheadgirl [Perciver, 3k+]

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Molly asks Harry if a Puddlemere United sock she found is his. Harry says he doesn't support Puddlemere. How did it get to the Burrow? Maybe if someone had thought to ask Percy ...

Quintuple Meter by @krethes [Wolfstar, 7k+]

"Sirius knows magic isn't real—that's the stuff of story books and fevered dreams—but now, watching Remus play, he reconsiders his convictions."

Pianist Sirius Black has worked his entire life for this opportunity and considers himself a master of his craft. Remus Lupin, the most sought-after cellist in Europe, proves him wrong.

Whisper, Soft and Dark by @fantasyborn [Pavender, 500 words]

She gasps at the brush of fingers on her skin and it’s disconcerting that she can’t hear it; it’s terrifying to Lavender that she’s adjusted to her new stronger senses so quickly. The only reason she doesn’t spiral and panic is that, despite not being able to see or hear, she can smell Parvati in the room.

Jackalope Junktion by RavenpuffLove [Luna x Hannah, 9k+]

Jackalope Junktion: Home of the Great American Jackalope!

157 Sightings! An adventure for the whole family!

That's what the sign said.

Unfortunately it seemed people were getting less and less interested in the idea of seeing a jackrabbit with antlers.

Or they didn't believe that one actually existed.

Hannah couldn't really blame them for that. She didn't believe it either.

Red by @kedavranox [Ron x Teddy, 28k+]

Teddy is a rockstar; Ron is his muse. (Or a love story fueled by drugs, sex & rockn'roll—but mostly plain old awkward and embarrassing young love.)

Strike a Pose by mercurial_cool [Dron, 8k+]

Struggling financially in the midst of his costly divorce, Ron runs into a muggle woman at a pub who offers to pay him generously if he poses nude for her pornographic website. Ron accepts on the condition of anonymity, only to find out when he arrives for the shoot that the photographer is none other than Draco Malfoy, who has changed since his Hogwarts days in ways that Ron never could have expected.

A Private Celebration by Rickey [Rarry, 2k+]

One year later Harry and Ron have a public appearance followed by a private celebration.

Finding Home by RogueWhimsy [Dron, WIP]

The war ends and Ronald Weasley disappears. He returns a different man. This is a story of change, willing and unwilling, and of falling in love despite knowing better.

Try and Resist by @ultimateundesirable [Rarry, 1k+]

Trying to resist your base desires is hard, but over the years Ron has learned some self control. He never would have been able to learn how to control it without Harry.

Hush Hush by ForgottenChesire [Dron, 5k+]

“We need to elope.”

It’s a simple statement, said like discussing the weather. It’s a statement that takes a moment to sink in. And when it does, Ron sits up, his eyes wide. His mouth opens and closes and the noises he makes aren’t quite human. A glance out the window tells him more time has gone by than he had thought, dinner will be served soon in fact.

Ron Weasley and the Clothes of Doom by Liesha130 [Blairon, 32k+]

Do the clothes make the man?

Ron Weasley thinks he has no chance, until one night when he dresses up and Blaise Zabini can’t take his eyes off him. The solution is easy, then, right? Ron just has to keep dressing up, and Blaise will keep wanting him. But every time Ron puts the new clothes on, he’s sent spiraling off into a past filled with insecurity. Will he really be able to keep this up without going completely bonkers? And what does Blaise actually want from him, anyway?

[gizkasparadise]

cdrama rec/review: go ahead

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: go ahead Episodes: 40 Genres: family, healing/melodrama, slice of life, romance Spoilers in the Rec: for the first 20% ish/set-up If You Like, You’ll Like: reply 1988, le coup de foudre, find yourself (same production company/main male actor), rain or shine/just between lovers, found family stories, meet again stories

Rank: 10/10** (see Drawbacks section)

PREMISE

widower hai chao and his 6 year old daughter jian jian live happily above his noodle restaurant despite the recent, tragic death of his wife. one day, dysfunction junction a married couple (he ping, a police officer, and chen ting, a real piece of work) move into the same building with their 7 year old son, ling xiao. immediately, jian jian attaches herself to ling xiao, who is unexpectedly grim for a small child. 

because ling xiao’s family is less-than-healthily grieving the loss of their youngest child, ling xiao’s sister who died in a terrible accident. The Apartment of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms eventually implodes, ending with chen ting abandoning her husband and son. he ping, suddenly a single father, and hai chao come to a friendly partnership that is clearly alluding to gay marriage where they co-raise both of their kids--hai chao as the primary caregiver, and he ping supporting them financially through his job as a policeman.

meanwhile, the neighborhood busybody is dead-set on getting hia chao remarried. eventually she introduces him to a divorced single mother, he mei, and her son zi qiu, who is ling xiao’s age. they sort of start to date, but it culminates in he mei skipping town and leaving zi qiu behind. hai chao, man with a heart of gold, informally adopts him and zi qiu becomes jianjian’s foster brother.

from there, the trio grow up happily and become inseparable. but once zi qiu and ling xiao graduate high school, the bullshit parade their respective childhood skeletons reappear in their lives. circumstances lead to the boys moving overseas, leaving jianjian and their fathers behind. 

they reunite after 9 years, when the boys return to a home where they hope to pick things back up from where they left off. things are more complicated than that, as jianjian finds herself in a new life and surrounded by new people. 

MAIN CHARACTERS

li jian jian

hai chao’s daughter and the only girl in the family. she attended the required short-hair-low-grades training program required of all cdrama youth female leads. super positive and outgoing, as well as the youngest of the three pseudo-siblings, jian jian grows up spoiled and over protected by her father and brothers, and as a result is completely devastated once her family falls apart. it’s so sad.

after the time skip, she’s an on-the-verge successful artist who makes woodcarvings, and exudes big art bro energy. inhales sugar like it’s nobody’s business. she inherited her father’s disease called caring too much, and it’s incurable!! 

ling xiao

the eldest brother and resident fun police. ling xiao comes from a seriously toxic home that finally seems to improve once his mother leaves. but then she comes back. fucking great. introverted to the point of being withdrawn to anyone but his chosen family, ling xiao’s had to carry a lot of emotional weight that takes a larger and larger toll on him as the series progresses. please get this boy some therapy. 

becomes a dentist because jian jian needs one. wears a lot of monochromatic outfits with low necklines because heavy angst but make it fashion. has been in love with jian jian since high school and is still carrying that torch 9 years later.

he zi qiu  

the middle child who grows up in hai chao and jian jian’s home, and is her foster brother in all but paperwork. hotheaded, zi qiu and jian jian basically share two brain cells that ling xiao routinely takes from them for safekeeping. he spoils jian jian, sneaking her snacks and junk food and wants to become a pastry chef so he can open a sweet shop for her!!

my favorite character. just wants to be wanted 8( him and hai chao’s relationship is my favorite dynamic in the series. will sob while driving a pink moped. is too proud to beg

li hai chao (left) and ling he ping (right)

the greatest (hai chao) and okayest (he ping) dads in the world! noodle dad/hai chao has never done anything wrong in his life, ever, and we know this and we love him. he ping isn’t a bad person, but demonstrates pretty classic absentee parenting/isn’t as emotionally present in his son’s life as hai chao. hai chao is the heart of the family, and would do anything for his kids 8( 

SOME SUPPORT CHARACTERS 

tang can (left) and qiu ming yue (right)

jian jian’s #GirlGang and roommates. they, like literally everyone in this drama, have some severe mom issue hang-ups. tang can (left) is a former child actress who is struggling with her lack of success as an adult and gives well-meaning but absolutely terrible advice on the regular. 

ming yue (right) is jian jian’s best friend since childhood and as an adult is trying to break free from her mother’s controlling nature--she’s also had a thing for ling xiao for the last 9 years. raises fish for symbolism purposes.

chen ting

ling xiao’s mom and certified garbage human. unable to cope with the death of her daughter that was her fault lbr, she abandons her family and disappears for ten years. she forces her way back into ling xiao’s life when he turns 18, where it’s revealed that she’s remarried and ling xiao has a younger half-sister chengzi (”little orange”). shit goes down, and soon ling xiao is forced to move back to singapore to serve as primary caregiver to both his mother who abandoned him and the half sister he barely knows. 

emotionally abusive and basically hits every single square on the toxic parent bingo card. i just. i just hate her. even typing this out is making me mad.

he mei

zi qiu’s mother. after a few dates with hai chao, she ends up ditching her kid and disappearing for unknown reasons. is a slightly better parent than chen ting but that’s like saying some poison kills you slower. the show tries to bring us around on her but it didnt work for me. 

SOME OTHERS

zhuang bei, zi qiu’s best friend growing up who i would like a lot less if he wasn’t played by the same actor who played my beloved dachuan

zheng shuran, jian jian’s first boyfriend and fellow artist who’s got a weird thing for women’s waists and pretentious artists’ statements

du juan, jian jian’s friend who co-owns their woodworking studio. has absolute trash taste in men

chengzi, ling xiao’s half-sister who can be a brat but dear god does she need to be protected/saved 

**DRAWBACKS

so this is a weird one for me. what i didn’t like i really didn’t like, but what i loved i really loved. ultimately, the factors/uniqueness of this show and the loveability of the main characters outweighed the negatives and it’s one of my favorite dramas.

THAT SAID. i got some #thoughts on this one. 

first, there are literally no positive mother figures in this show. not a damn one. they are all negligent or controlling at best or down right abusive at worst. no woman over 30 is portrayed positively and that’s a big No from me. 

the last 10 eps have some pacing issues and focus on the wrong people. spending the remaining episodes focused on one of the most universally hated characters vs. the main family was a bad move 

the show tried to redeem or make us sympathize with characters that were, to me, completely irredeemable. one case is worse than the other, but both of them were terrible people that deserved to be cut out of the main family’s lives.  

REASONS TO WATCH

the main family. the characters are so wonderful and nuanced, and their dynamics with one another were amazing. you’ll fall in love with hai chao aka noodle dad and the trio. they go through so many trials but they still stick together and it’s ultimately a healing drama and i loved it very much.

the central romance was less in focus, but the pining is enough to make jane austen emerge from the grave. i loved the leads together, and while LOL ling xiao’s attachment to jian jian was not always healthy, they supported each other and it made me smile. i love me a tortured pining dude.

#Acting. everyone played their parts to perfection. the child actors in particular were so well-cast (esp baby zi qiu)

the soundtrack lmao. you watch the opening credits and know you’ll need to buckle up

idk it’s a very unique show, and i haven’t seen one like it. reply 1988 comes close, but it doesn’t tackle the same issues and it was all just very real and earnest. 

Final Thoughts.

GOODNIGHT, GOOODBYYYYYE MY CHILDREEEEEEEN

[diana-amari]

Diana Sahar Blackwood-Amari // 34 // Local news anchor

Gender/Pronouns: cis female; she/her

Date of birth: November 13, 1986

Age: 34

Hometown: Crescent Harbor, Washington

Length of time in CH: All her life.

Neighborhood: Sunstone Beach.

Occupation: Local news anchor.

Relationship status: Divorced.

Sexuality: Bisexual.

Mother to: Ibrahim Luca Blackwood-Amari.

third times the charm ?? lol. changes are listed first for the people who already know her so they don’t have to read the whole thing <3 everyone else better read the whole thing <3

CHANGES:

The crossed out Blackwood last name is no more. The hyphen lives. She claims that family.

However, to make it so I don’t have to make her URL an eye sore, she does go by just Diana Amari professionally. So she’ll respond to it too!

She’s very concerned about the image of her family.

Journalist no more! Lady has the face for TV and embraces it. She still uses her platform for her political activism, but she’s a lot more comfortable being the face of other people’s stories. 

She writes some articles on the side for things she’s truly passionate about, but mostly sticks to reporting.

She has a really great relationship with both of her parents. Daddy and Mommy issues are no more. While she has her problems with them as any daughter would, it’s nothing dramatic and she loves them both dearly, and they love her.

Bisexual but has sworn off men forever<3 thanks for ruining all men for her, ryder<3

FULL INTRO:

Niece to Raymond Blackwood Sr. Her mother is his sister. Born to Rebecca Blackwood-Amari and Nasir Amari.

That makes Nate & Anna Blackwood her cousins, who she considers more like siblings than cousins due to being an only child and always wanting a little brother and sister.

Went to Crescent Harbor Prep. Was a cheerleader, captain of the debate team, and worked on the yearbook every year. Popular and sweet, was friendly with everyone, and had good grades on top of it all. Annoyingly Perfect (tm).

Didn’t have pictures of boy bands and actors in her room growing up, but a shrine dedicated to Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, and Nellie Bly. Was never interested in either sides of her family’s business -- always dreamed of being in the news cycle, especially CNN or 20/20.

Met @ryderirving when she was a teenager, fell madly in love with that idiot, and he proposed the night before their respective high school’s graduation.

She said yes, because she was also an idiot. Both of their families disapproved -- for obvious reasons, they were children -- and instead of listening to reason, they doubled down and eloped.

Her parents were shocked and hurt by her act of rebellion, so they did the only thing they could to teach her a hard lesson -- they cut her off financially. They still supported her emotionally the best they could, but they weren’t going to fund the life they thought she was throwing away.

Worked her way through college where she majored in communications and minored in journalism, paying for everything herself. On the day of her graduation, seeing that she was fully capable of taking care of herself despite her choices, her parents allowed her access to her trust fund again.

Things went downhill from there with Ryder. The two stayed married for ten years out of pure stubbornness, but when Diana found out the dude got a secret vasectomy, she finally found the reason she felt she needed to divorce him.

Her eyes still shoot lasers whenever someone mentions his name. Will never 4give, will never 4get. He ruined ten years of her life and he doesn’t deserve peace <3

She never goes to Hemlock because of him -- she wants to avoid him at all costs.

She changed her name from Diana Irving back to Diana Blackwood-Amari the same day she filed for divorce.

While her career took off and she was thriving, she struggled doing the one other thing she always wanted to do: be a mother.

Sick of waiting for a relationship to work out, and knowing she was running out of time to be able to safely carry a pregnancy, she found a sperm donor and got pregnant through artificial insemination at the beginning of 2020.

Ibrahim Luca Blackwood-Amari was born November 18, 2020. She calls him Rahim (sometimes Little Rahim when she’s feelin cute) and is obsessed n in love.

Has plans to have more children through adoption later!! 

Her best friends are @johnbernsteinx and @larawinter​

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

Sperm donor: Diana is too much of a control freak to do this the anonymous route. She would approach your character and ask them point blank, however she’s uninterested in co-parenting with anyone, so she would have asked your character to sign a contract before they started the process. She isn’t concerned about disabilities, just scandals. She hired a private investigator to make sure u dont have any skeletons :-)

...which leads to: potential sperm donor ? Diana’s first choice, but found somethin shady shady that scared her off. So she knows somethin about ur chara they don’t want her to

Old friends: Diana always had lots of friends, so I always need these thank u

New friends: self explanatory

Failed relationships: Nothing dramatic or traumatic; she would have left before it got to that point. It’s been six years since her divorce and she hasn’t fully recovered, so cold feet would have happened. She gave up on dating towards the end of 2019.

[bobbiehoney]

⌞ʾ⁎ ⊰ phoebe tonkin, cisfemale, she/her ⊱ i think i just saw BOBBIE LANGDON walk across trafalgar square, singing to SHE* ( HARRY STYLES ). you know, the TWENTY NINE year old MARKETING EXECUTIVE? people claim that they are just like BOBBIE from COMPANY**. it must be because they are CHARISMATIC and INDECISIVE as well… though i could be wrong. all i know for sure is that they live at BALTIMORE*** apartment. { violet, 23, est, she/her }⌝

yaaaaa’ll ! hi!! i’m violet! I admined the first little version of this group with fie and i’m so excited to join this community of musical theatre nerds, my fave people. i’m 23, I use she/her pronouns, and i live in the est time zone. i’m a (struggling lol) actress and writer. i’m a slut for any and all sondheim, and i first saw company when i was 16 and I didn’t really *get it* but I loved it. since then i’ve seen a lot productions (except the current broadway cast) and i always find something new in it. I was in a really cool gender-swap-y production of the show earlier this year (seriously it was so queer and inclusive and great) and while I didn’t play bobbie we spent a week just talking about the show and the dynamics of all of the characters and I have many ideas of how I would play bobbie....and muse.....SO ANYWAYS - ya’ll ready for a character study? 

bobbie. bobbie, the very best wingman. bobbie, the perpetual third wheel. bobbie, the reliable. bobbie, the undependable. bobbie, the warmest. bobbie, aloof and mysterious. bobbie, the very best listener. bobbie, the cluelessly insensitive. bobbie, the romantic. bobbie, the heartbreaker. bobbie, the sentimental. bobbie, one of the guys. bobbie, the tease. bobbie, the magnetic. bobbie, the zombie. 

background

bobbie’s name is actually elizabeth, after her grandmother (her fathers mother), and her grandmother’s mother. but most folks, her many dear friends included, don’t know that. her family never really called her anything but bobbie, and when asked if bobbie is short for something she’s always taken aback for a moment because she kind of forgets that it is. 

she’s a born and bred new yorker and while she fits very easily into the london lifestyle, she’s still grouchy about how the bagels aren’t “right”, and things like that.  she’s been living in london for about five years now, but she also travels a fair amount for work and visits nyc often.

she was definitely born into wealth, but bobbie isn’t materialistic, really. she lives a very “comfortable” lifestyle, but doesn’t hoard her wealth and donates a large amount of her income to charity. she isn’t financially dependent on her family, and hasn’t been since she graduated college, which she’s a little proud of. is she a yuppie though? a bit.

she works for a large corporation and kind of dislikes that, but she’s very very good at her job. she’s always had a natural ability to know what attracts people, and that translates perfectly into marketing. 

I think bobbie had a normal childhood, not a perfect one, but nothing traumatic I don’t think. I do imagine that her parents were pretty distant from each other and that they got a (somewhat expected) divorce when bobbie was in college. she’s definitely an only child, and her parents are proud of her...but, like everyone else, they don’t understand why she won’t settle down.

personality

the thing about bobbie that kind of defines her whole personality is that she is just super magnetic. she’s personable, witty, and people are just very drawn to her. she doesn’t really understand that, though, if that makes sense? bobbie is definitely confident, but she doesn’t really see herself as much different than anyone else. people just love being around her, and she loves being around people. 

bobbie is the biggest extrovert, a complete social butterfly and the life of the party. can make friends with anyone. she...really hates being alone, in truth. and has a penchant for hanging out with couples, she’s basically an eternal third wheel, but she enjoys that.

in denial. just always in denial. large capacity for denial.

important: bobbie is an observer. she’s always watching, listening (not just hearing), judging, and taking stock of people. (“she always looks like she’s keeping score. who’s winning, bobbie?”) that’s why she and joanne are the closest relationship that bobbie has in the show, among both friends and lovers. they’re both watchers, they’re like cats. (”sometimes i catch her looking and looking - i just look right back.”) the emotional climax of the show happens because of joanne. 

the wild thing about company is that you’re mostly told and not shown what bobbie’s personality is like, because the scenes are focused on the couples/dates and the songs are introspective thoughts. the couples describe bobbie as being dependable, helpful, loving, and basically the glue that keeps their lives together. the three characters that bobbie has romantic relationships with describe her as withholding, cold, and undependable. that’s because that’s the two sides of the bobbie coin, if you will. 

bobbie is an incredible friend. the four couples in the show are definitely her best friends in the world, and she would go anything for any of them. but they are definitely the only people the bobbie is dependable with, aside from her family. she also loves them dearly but sometimes she is this meme after hanging out with them or their kids lol. she says yes to them way too much and sometimes she is....incredibly burnt out and overwhelmed.

she’s an amazing friend, but one things change from platonic to romantic, she’s usually pretty quick to flee. she doesn’t know why. she tells herself that they just weren’t the one, that it just wasn’t meant to be because if it was she wouldn’t run so hot and cold. she’s very affectionate and charming with her lovers, she almost always seems to share a connection with them, and then she disappears. no one ever really knows why. she feels bad ghosting people, but she always says it’s for everyone’s best interest. 

in all honesty bobbie could have settled down, she did find someone who could have been her “one” in pj/kathy. they both wanted to marry each other, but neither made the move, and bobbie feels deep regret for that. so the problem is her, not anyone else. she just can’t commit.

bobbie probably drinks too much, but she says it’s okay because she’s a fun drunk and she rarely gets sloppy. but she drinks too much.

bobbie definitely has bad impulse control, and often doesn’t really think things through, especially when she’s hit with a big emotional shift. i.e. when she proposes to amy/jamie in the show. 

she’s lowkey kind of a square.....like she definitely smokes weed (canon!) and drinks but she also refuses to smoke a cigarette when joanne pressures her to (which, i get is an emotional thing and not really about the cigarette but stick with me here) and she’s very put off by peter and susan’s polyamy so AND she’s super taken aback by how *radical* and *wild* marta/theo is (which...isn’t much these days, it’s all just kind of aged material lol)......bobbie is not *as* cool as she thinks.

a line I always keep in mind about bobbie, which paul says - “a person like bobbie doesn’t have the good things, and she doesn’t have the bad things. but she doesn’t have the good things.”

notes on company (mostly for anyone who might consider playing a character from the show)

i’m playing bobbie at 29 about to turn 30, rather than 34 about to be 35. honestly i just had trouble finding the perfect fc, and so i aged her down. (why doesn’t aubrey plaza have more resources? ugh!) 

she’ll turn 30 eventually, but whooo i just wanna have fun being dumb bobbie before she becomes slightly more evolved bobbie.

my bobbie is VERY bisexual. I would really enjoy a mix of the original genders of bobbie’s lovers and the revival’s. so april/andy, pj/kathy, and marta/theo are all welcome! as is jamie/amy. (though honestly I would prefer an amy) and i would like to keep the romantic/sexual undertones with joanne, if possible, unlike the revival. (& her lil flirtation with jenny because idk if they change that to david in the revival or not?) my version of bobbie would basically sing about all of her pals in “someone is waiting”, she sees things that she loves about all of them and would want in a partner.

connection ideas (I am very bad at these but i’ll try to think of more)

bobbie would have a million acquaintances. from work, from the grocery store, from the tube. she talks to strangers, she flirts with everyone she encounters, even if she is silently judging them at times. but she’s nice, I promise.

friends! of course, all of the friends. let’s see how they could know eachother!

 bobbie is definitely besties with her neighbors, or tries to be.

look...bobbie dates casually, multiple people at a time, always. i’m open to all sorts of different relationship dynamics! bobbie may or may not break their heart a little bit though, i’ll warn ya’ll lol.

and of course!!! SPURNED LOVERS or exes of any type and on any terms!

[secretobsessionstuff]

Ok wow senpai noticed me, before i lay on the floor fangirling i have a few or questions if dats ok: What kind of childhood did they have?What makes them insecure? Who wants children(inspired of pervious question)?

Haha hello there :) I tried giving you the abridged versions of their childhoods.

Childhood:

Madix: His childhood was uneventful. His parents were supportive when he came out as bi, and when he wanted to spend a fortune on med school.

Riley: Childhood was fine. He got dragged to church every Sunday which he didn’t care for. Then all hell broke loose when he and Micah came out to their families.

Dakota: Until age twelve ish, life kinda sucked because of issues with his mom being drunk. But later his dad divorced his mom and got full custody of him and his sister.

Blair: Her childhood was good. She put a lot of pressure on herself to do well in school, to stay active, and keep up with after-school stuff. But she’s proud of herself.

Micah: Same as Riley. He struggled with being trans (because his mom’s side of the family wasn’t supportive) but he loves his stepdad more than anything because he gave him a safe home.

Alexi: His childhood was made up of bopping back and forth between Quebec and France. His family traveled d a lot which was exciting. He was super close with his brother and parents.

Mateo: He is the middle child of five, so he often got lost in the crowd. He learned to do stuff on his own because his family wasn’t too secure financially. He felt invisible but at least his parents were trying.

Shawn: He loved his childhood! His moms are both doctors, so they didn’t really struggle with money. He was really close with his siblings. The whole family is quite colourful and proud.

 Insecure and kids:

Madix: He is insecure about feeling like a burden or letting people down. Yeah! He wants a normal number of kids.

Riley: He is a pretty nervous person. He gets insecure about how people perceive him and the way he acts in public. He wants kids once he is financially stable and ready to devote his life to someone else.

Dakota: He gets insecure about his lack of book smarts. Yes, he wants kids! One girl and one boy.

Blair: She sometimes thinks Dakota’s friends don’t like her. They obviously do like her, but you can’t help what you feel insecure about. Dakota and her talk about kids a lot so he kinda convinced her (btw they're not married or anything) 

Micah: He is insecure about his height, his voice, his body. Top surgery has helped but he’s still working on it. Yeah, he wants kids someday, but he’s sacred he’d be a pushover parent.

Alexi: Insecure because he never really feels like an adult. He thinks he’s not taken seriously. Dude wants like four kids lol.

Mateo: He doesn’t like being vulnerable so insecure about showing too much emotion. If life takes him in the direction of kids, he’d be fine with that. He won’t rush it though.

Shawn: Insecure about people disliking him. He never wants to come across as anything other than friendly. He wants a lot of kids!

[kukuandkookie]

This is the version with ALL the bios!! For the individual drawings, go here!

Star Butterfly: When Meteora decided she didn't want to be the future queen of Mewni, preferring to travel around the world with her best friend Mariposa, Star was once again reinstalled on the throne. She was hesitant at first, but Eclipsa reassured her that she and Moon and all the queens after Festivia had earned their place as part of the Butterfly family—because no matter how flawed, they had served Mewni and made sure it fluorished till modern day. After her coronation, getting married to Marco, and having twins, Star has become much more mature. She's still playful but also very powerful, and even when magic comes back to Earth-ni, Star still doesn't fully trust it. Marco Diaz Butterfly: Star's husband and knight and the king of Mewni/Earth-ni, Marco is as caring and adventurous and strong and careful as ever. He can be quite overprotective of those he loves, but he's also always ready to battle. While Star is often frazzled with the duties of being queen, sometimes making her a little less aware of what's going on between her children, Marco is quicker to pick up on the conflict between Crescent and Celeste. Jackie Lynn Thomas Lucitor: Calm, cool, and collected, Jackie is as chill as ever. She really helps Tom's temper, and she enjoys teasing her husband a lot. She is a very carefree parent who doesn't push a lot of expectations on her son Tyrian, and while she often steps in when Tom is too harsh, her serene outlook on life can sometimes cause her to misunderstood her son's struggles to meet the kingdom's expectations. Note: I made Jackie and Tom a couple and designed Tyrian back in 2017! I didn't want to change everything in my next gen AU, so they're still together. Jackie is pansexual in this AU, and she did date Chloe. I do think Chloe and Jackie are cute btw! Tom Lucitor: While much calmer than he was as a preteen, Tom still occassionally loses his temper—especially since the duties of being the king of the Underworld can be very stressful. He's especially concerned that his son, Tyrian, seems to have such weak demon powers (since so much of him is part-human), and he worries about Tyrian and their kingdom's future. He doesn't mean to, but he piles a lot of expectations on Tyrian which really stresses the boy out. They were closer when Tyrian was younger, especially because they both do really love rabbits. Janna Ordonia Greason: Janna and Oskar sort of just happened. They're not a very dedicated or romantic couple, but they found their quirkiness compatible with one another. Still being her clever, manipulative self who can always get what she wants, Janna now acts as Oskar's manager for his music career. With her help, he's become a sensation—and she's trying to get him to rival the iconic boy band Love Sentence. Janna is still very interested in magic and the occult, and she is very good friends with Tom (sometimes much to his chagrin). Oskar Greason: Spacey, quirky, and sometimes rather strange, Oskar has since grown into a talented musician with many fans. His music style resembles Bill Wurtz in terms of uniqueness, but he also has a lot of popular "indie"-style songs that are more suitable for being played on the radio. He's often got his head in the clouds and has a coffee addiction (which he shares with his wife Janna). Oskar is often seen with dark bags under his eyes due to a lack of sleep—he seems most alive when singing or making music. Brittney Wong: Since growing up, Brittney has become a rather embittered woman. She runs a business empire and is still filthy rich, but she can still be quite rude and grumpy at times. Even then, she sometimes softens up, especially after Star tried to get to know her more, so she no longer dislikes her old classmates so much. She's also quite good at manipulating relationships to help her secure her spot on the social ladder, and she piles a lot of expectations on her daughter Whitney. Even then, Brittney isn't exactly a terrible person, and has a strong sense of morality in a cutthroat world of business. Note: Her adult design is based on Eliza Biskit from Littlest Pet Shop 2012, since I designed her daugher based on Whitney Biskit from the same show lol. Justin Armberg: Justin and Brittney got together awhile back, and their relationship has frayed quite a bit since then (perhaps they are divorced?). Justin is a professional football player, and despite his big size, he's got a pretty big heart. He loves his daughter a lot and does care for Brittney, but her attitude sometimes does get grating. StarFan13 (aka Amanda Jacobs): While still a giant fan of Star (and Marco!), StarFan13 does focus on other things after becoming an adult. She works at a library and reads to children and even writes picture books and children's novels (many inspired by Star), but she also got popular online for blogging about the royal queen and king of Mewni/Earth-ni. She's still quite hyper and quirky and excitable, but StarFan13 is also very nice and genuine. She recently got to know Kelly and they are growing quite close... Kelly: After she and Marco didn't really go anywhere as a couple, Kelly focused almost entirely on her fighting. She had a few relationships, but most of them were short and not very dedicated, and eventually she ended up with her son Kyle. Still, she's never let it get her down. She's still incredibly strong in battle, often duking it out with Jorby, and she's very kind and intelligent. Kelly enjoys reading, especially after her son got really into it (way more than sparring), and since visting an Earthen library, she got to know StarFan13 and they're growing quite close... Zeke: Friendly yet a little oblivious, Zeke has become a successful tattoo artist. He also enjoys skateboarding, spray-painting, and rocking out. While seeming mostly chill on the outside, he can get quite emotional over small things. Becky: Still dating Zeke, Becky is still a high-maintenance girlfriend, although she's less demanding than she was as a teen. She and Zeke have broken up a few times before, once being apart for a very long time, but they eventually ended up back together. She's fairly traditional in certain regards, and is currently a stay-at-home mom that does also do work from home. Alfonzo Dolittle: Alfonzo is still adventurous and goofy, but has since grown more into using that adventurous personality to pursue science and computer science (especially computer science and programming). He and Ferguson live together, and they collaborate on making video games. Ferguson O'durguson: Eccentric and sometimes a little crude or grumpy, Ferguson has grown into a sharp-minded businessman who is always ready to seek out a financial opportunity. Along with his partner (in crime) Alfonzo, he works primarily on promoting video games. Ruberiot: Always working on his next musical hit, Ruberiot wasn't too sad to pass the role of songstrel onto Angelo, a younger musician. Now he works on making his own music, having even collaborated with Oskar and is seeking a collaboration (and friendship) with Love Sentence. He hasn't changed much, still being easily frazzled yet fairly playful. Sometimes he gets overwhelmed with his wife and children's goofy antics. Foolduke: No matter how old she gets, Foolduke will always hold onto her sense of humour and cleverness. Still playful and fan, Foolduke enjoys teasing her husband. She has a lot of fun performing and even exploring the role of drama. Mime Girl: Basically an auntie to Foolduke and Ruberiot's children, Quince and Harley, Mime Girl is still very close to Ruberiot and Foolduke. While silent, she's very expressive and playful. She enjoys helping Foolduke and Harley practice performing. She also acts as a mentor to Quince, as he's so terrified of performing, easily scared, and has social anxiety, but miming calms him down, and he finds performing as a mime is easier for him than as a jester like his mom and sister. Princess Ram: Princess Ram is known to be fun-loving, often hungry, and kind of spacey. She loves beautiful things—especially shiny things—and keeps a careful eye on her Kingdom of the Green Pastures. Heartrude Butterfly: After marrying Princess Ram, he has since moved into the Kingdom of the Green Pastures. He's a little arrogant, high-strung, and competitive, but Princess Ram has helped him be more friendly and carefree. Penelope Spiderbite: Known for her kindness and friendliness, Penelope accepted monster refugees and helped them rebuild after the battle with Mina. Whenever kingdoms were hesitant to befriend monsters, Penelope was quick to join Star in the pro-monster campaign. She also works hard at modernizing her home, the Forest of Unlikely Spider Bites, and making sure her citizens have antidotes for all the spider bites they get.  Slime Spiderbite: Penelope's husband, Slime has since become king of the Forest of Unlikely Spider Bites but still doesn't really enjoy the spotlight. Despite that, most citizens like him because of his kind and helpful nature—he was the main inspiration for the antidotes to spider bites that has since become a bestselling item. Slime is also very inoffensive and having basically become the mascot for the antidote, he's a very effective spokesperson for the pro-monster campaign. Lilacia Pony Head: Not exactly having grown humble with age, Pony Head is still brash and loud and arrogant. She's not an unproblematic queen in the slightest, but her citizens enjoy watching her and the drama or chaos that follows her on "The Pony Head Show!". She's not even always the best wife or mother, often getting on her daughter Starlight's nerves, but she's very protective and fiercely loving of her family. Seahorse: He's still pretty robotic and hard to talk to, but he's been a really good influence on Pony Head (despite them having an on-and-off relationship for a really really long time). He manages her show and does damage control—the citizens all approve of him quite a lot. He's also getting a little back into heavy metal, especially since his daughter, Starlight, has a strong interest in it. He can be kind of overprotective and baby his daughter, but he's been there for her when Pony Head is off doing whatever. Katrina: One of the many children of Buff Frog (aka Yvgeny Bulgolyubov) and a very smart/talented fighter. She spends much of her day working out, and since the monsters have found more peace on Mewni, she's joined the Butterfly royal guard in a sort of integration program. She (and Mona Lisa, the Septarian that is found as an egg by Crescent and Celeste and later added to the Royal Guard) both mentored under Meteora a little bit (but especially Mona Lisa). She also still really enjoys cornball and loves her family very very much.

[cards-onthetable]

Seems I'm wearing grumpy pants again... sorry

(LOL OOPS I get notifications for asks and messages but not submissions for some reason, so I’m just seeing this. Sorry if it’s been sitting since last week...)

Thanks for the review. I needed that laugh!! But I had questions, oh so many questions. So I watched the Jamko bits on instagram. I tried to send an ask but not enough characters (do you wanna punch me yet)?

1. Why does arsehole Janko have Jamie's mobile number? Do they have a relationship independent of Eddie? Maybe it's just me being stupid for assuming, but wouldn't Jamie's number be unlisted to avoid dealing with BS from those he arrests?

I’m sure Jamie’s actual cell number is not public knowledge - Maybe Armin knew which precinct Jamie’s at, and went through Police Channels to contact him? Like maybe that’s his duty phone as a sergeant or something? Or maybe Lena had passed on an NYPD courtesy card to him in jail lol. Hooray for plot holes. Who knows.

2. Did Lena know more about her husbands shady dealings than she lets on/Eddie is aware of? To me that would explain why never divorced. Or she may just be the marriage is forever no matter what type. Given the strained relationship between Eddie and her mother and also the way Lena seems to have treated her, I'm not so sure Lena was totally clueless. She may have moved a bit because people give her grief but she sure is not struggling financially so maybe her husband in jail is worth the high life.

It wouldn’t surprise me. When I wrote (and named, yo) Lena Janko I characterized her as a petty, materialistic person who was a knowing bystander at least, if not actually complicit in Armin’s crimes. But lol I also wrote Armin as a reformed, sympathetic, Good Guy out of prison so what do I know? But we saw that Eddie does not have contact with her father so I do assume Lena still has contact with him at this point - how else did he know Eddie’s engaged, which precinct to find her fiancé, etc?

3. Does Eddie still drive her Porsche? Given that it came from a dubious money source, it seems odd to me that she would still be driving it. The fanfare of the wedding will invite media attention so why make it so easy to make nasty comments? You know Garrett is all about OPTICS and she is about to be a REAGAN aka NYPD ROYALTY. What if Frank is asked about their relationship at a press conference? OPTICS PEOPLE! OPTICS! 

No idea dude. When’s the last time we actually saw that car? I don’t know but previously I accepted the headcanon that she kept it at her parents’ suburban McMansion most of the time, with rare times she’ll bring it to the city for a few days. Parking in NYC is expensive af, yo. Like an actual assigned space costs as much as a second rent in some places. But now we know Lena’s been moving around the city for the last 5 years, not up in Westchester babysitting Eddie’s car, so your guess is as good as mine. As far as the optics, I’m not sure how they’ll play it. Lena has brought up the Irony of Eddie, daughter of a criminal, marrying the PC’s son but nobody else has said very much. Maybe the show will address it in a typical Who Cares way and it’ll just be a non-issue.

4. REDACTED because I have some Thoughts about this topic that I hope to address in this fic I’m hoping to finish soon. 👍

5. Why do you hate Anthony? I personally enjoy his sarcasm.  But then I also enjoy Gormley's putting the mouth in gear before the brain so frequently. 

WHY DO I HATE ANTHONY? OH HERE’S A CAN OF WORMS, AUSSIE. But I’ll be succinct. Anthony’s entire existence bothers me. He’s only here to make Erin’s lawyer-y storylines into detective-y storylines. How often do we see Erin actually act as a lawyer? We usually see her and Anthony Investigating or maybe arguing/discussing a case. We rarely see her actually going her job (except when her ADA position conflicts with Frank’s NYPD agenda). It’s like the show runners have no faith in their audience, and think the viewers only want to see detective/police storylines - as if lawyer storylines, and that whole branch of the justice system, would be too Boring for tv. So I hate Anthony because he takes away any opportunities for Erin - a supposedly powerful and successful woman - to do her actual job, and her entire position as ADA is minimized in the show. It’s insulting to the audience and insulting to Erin too. Anthony’s entire existence is unnecessary for the show to go on. Let us see Erin actually be a lawyer in a context other than being the Reagan Family Bad Guy (and maybe that would humanize her a little bit! We all know she gets some pretty shit writing/characterization lately) and drop this whole charade that investigative, action-packed storylines are the only interesting or relevant storylines.

The whole Jamko and the precinct secret is still BULLSHIT. There is no way there is no push back if their coworkers do in fact know. Does anybody know if this is actually allowed in the NYPD? A superior can date a direct subordinate? Seems ridiculous if that is actually true. Corruption allegations would be made daily. (Agreed yo. We all know it’s ridiculous. And like, does the precinct know? Are they still in the dark? Jamie and Eddie can discuss wedding plans in front of everyone, but it’s still a secret? Coooolcoolcool.)

Jamie not understanding Eddie's messy family situation is BULLSHIT for someone about to be married. If Eddie can't talk to Jamie about this because she fears being judged/not supported then really they should not be getting married. I'm not saying spouses have to share absolutely everything, but what you go through in life often does shape how you see the world generally, so the fact both Eddie and Jamie have chosen to not discuss important aspects of their lives with each other should be a massive red flag. (AGREED AGREED AGREED. I have so many issues all the time. If they’d dated like normal people before jumping into rings and vows, they’d have worked out the majority of this Big Stuff before deciding to commit to one another for life. Like, you typically want to know these things as relevant info when making that decision to get engaged - not after. This “get engaged and figure everything else out later” shit was/is terrible. If the show insisted on doing it this way, they AT LEAST should have moved the Armin situation and the Baby Discussion to the first few episodes of the season. Don’t talk to me about the weird time lapses and inconsistencies in this show, I don’t care if a month of ~actual time~ passes in one week between back to back episodes... they should not be introducing these topics for the first time in the two episodes leading up to the wedding. GOD I HATE EVERYTHING.) There's a reason divorce is so prevalent. I wonder if Eddie feels she should reconcile with her parents because of the closeness of the Reagan family. Or is it something Eddie herself actually wants? Family or not, sometimes people are just toxic and you need to cut them off for your own sanity. (I hope the Reagans don’t put pressure on Eddie to fix things with her parents, ugh. That would be overstepping in a major way and yeah, your relationship to someone shouldn’t trump their toxicity - like Eddie doesn’t have to forgive her parents just because they’re her parents.)

We've already discussed my thoughts on the Reagan siblings getting arsehole sprung from jail before the show aired (spoiler: they were not nice thoughts folks), but as for the  BB continuity, consider this: the only consistency is the inconsistency!

@kwannemacher and I have kinda discussed the whole prison fiasco and I think arsehole lost his temper one night after watching a TV show that drove him insane so he started a prison riot and got extra time. He didn't just throw things at TV, he tore TV off wall, set fire to his mattress and started an all in brawl. So 5 years extra for totally losing his shit.  BB has the capacity to ignite tempers here so it's feasible arsehole Janko totally lost it. Probably watched one of those dating shows where they pick the so called love of their lives and he couldn't believe who the guy picked. We all have bad days!! (😂😂😂😂😂 omg I can be on board with this)

In closing I hope @ontherockswithsalt has insurance because I am wondering if her TV can withstand the wedding viewing party if you will be enjoying with her (lol I think I will be, and I plan to wrap myself in whole body bubble wrap for the protection of myself and everyone/everything around me). I'm already emotional 🤮🤮🤮 if they go with their own vows. I may be wrong, but I think Will  shows Jamie's soft side next week. He won't be dead face or whatever it is you call him. (Dude I am ALL IN on those ridiculous vows. If they’d only said them once, I’d be rolling my eyes @ the grossness, but it would be whatever. BUT THEY MADE A POINT OF SAYING THEM TWICE so they’re committed at this point. Make Jamie recite those ridiculous words for the third time. I want to see the pain on his terrible face as he suffers through that again. If we don’t get those vows I’ll riot.)

Enjoy your week

Aussie

P.S. Yes I realise his name is Armin, but that guy is a narcissistic ARSEHOLE

[deathby-discozombies]

A little more about ME

1. If you could buy any type of food what would you buy?

-right at the moment I would have to say cheese fries and wings from the hood store where I used to live.

2. What color is your tooth brush?

-magenta

3. If you could be any animal what would it be and why?

-a kangaroo, they have strong ass legs and I have a few people I would like to kick the shit out of

4. What is one of the things you would put on your “bucket” list?

-travel to Greece

5. Who is your favorite super hero and why?

-I'm more of a villian fan tbh. My favorite is Heath Ledger as the Joker

6. Who do you admire the most?

-my mom

7. What is your favorite summer activity?

-swimming

8. If a movie was made of your life what genre would it be, who would play you?

-I feel like they would ruin my life story and try to make it a lifetime movie or some shit. And some skinny bitch would be horrible at capturing my essence and thickness lol

9. If you could be any flavor of ice cream what ice cream flavor would you be and why?

-brownie batter, because I'm chocolate and chunky

10. Who is your favorite cartoon character and why?

-Tina Belcher, she's awkward and misunderstood. She just wants to be loved for who she is

11. If you could go any where in the world where would you go and why?

-Greece, because it is breathtakingly beautiful

12. What is your dream job?

-author of a best selling book series

13. Are you a morning or a night person?

-nightowl #vamplife

14. What is your favorite hobby?

-crafting or watching horror movies

15. What is one thing that annoys you the most?

-people who judge other people because they don't agree with their life choices

16. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

-olives and nutella when I was pregnant with my youngest daughter

17. What is your favorite thing about someone in your family?

-they are unapologetically themselves no matter what

18. What is one of your weird quirks?

-I'm awkward?

19. Describe your self in 3 words.

-GIVES. NO. FUCKS

20. If you could trade lives with anyone for a day who would it be and why?

-my youngest daughter, because she is still so young and oblivious to how fucked up the world is. And I'm tired of being an adult

21. If you could talk in your sleep what would you say?

-I do talk in my sleep and I say random shit. I wake myself up sometimes

22. What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?

-kiss my baby girl

23. What is your favorite movie quote?

-You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

Annnnnndddd: ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER! DO YOU SPEAK IT?!

24. What is your favorite joke?

-how do you make a tissue dance? You put a little boogie in it.

25. What would you do on Mars for fun?

-Fuck martians, get money

26. If you could get yourself anything, what would you get?

-the will to live 😂😂😂 nah but seriously, a billion dollars

27. Where is the worst place you could get stuck?

-anywhere with my ex

28. What would you do with your “15 minutes” of fame?

-be too afraid to say anything

29. Where would you go if you where invisible?

-a bank vault

30. What is your favorite flavor of “Berty Bots every flavored beans”.

-watermelon

31. What is the one thing you own you wish you didn’t?

-a cell phone

32. Describe the perfect kiss in 3 words.

-Passionate. Long. French.

33. What is your biggest addiction?

-it was weed. Now, I guess it's my phone

34. Do you have a song that reminds you of a relationship if so what song?

-3005 by Childish Gambino

35. How many books have you read so far this year?

-zero and that makes me really sad

36. When I dance, I look like…?

-like a hot mess

37. Who have you met that you wish you hadn’t?

-any dude I've ever fucked

38. If you were famous what would you be famous for?

-writing

39. What is the worst job you could have?

-call center. I hated all the call center jobs I've had

40. What is your favorite T.V. channel?

-I don't really have a favorite channel

41. What is the thing your most afraid of?

-losing my mom or my kids

42. If you could paint anything what would you paint?

-a galaxy far away

43. What celebrity annoys you the most?

-any of the Kardashian's

44. What is the most interesting thing you have in your purse/wallet?

-my keychains

45. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever said to someone?

-I don't care what happens to you anymore, you're someone else's problem now.

46. If you could get a yacht what would you call it?

-Rocket Juiceboxx

47. What is your life long dream?

-for me and my family to never ever have to struggle financially again

48. If you could talk to the President what would you talk about?

-I'd only want to talk to Obama, Trump can kiss my natural black ass

49. Have you ever tried to do something you know you would be really bad at, what was it?

-riding a bike. Which I cannot do btw

50. On a scale of 1 to 10 how “cool” are you?

-10, duh

51. What is the best advantage to being really tall?

-I wouldn't know

52. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

-it depends on what I'm getting ready for

53. What is the one thing you have always wanted to do?

-runaway and start over where no one knows me

54. What TV sitcom family would you be a member of?

-Black-ish but only because I would be the one who would need to put Dre in his place.

55. What store do you shop at the most?

-Kroger lol

56. What new technology will transform the future?

-none of it, technology will be the future's downfall

57. What supply in your house is running low?

-patience

58. If you could be any nationality what would it be?

-uhhhhh..... Egyptian???

59. What is the most delightful word you can think of?

-fuck 🤷

60. What is your least favorite beverage?

-beer 😷😷

61. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?

-if they have a nice beard

62. If you were stranded on a tropical island what 2 things would you want with you?

-fresh water and a fucking boat!

63. What is the first thing you notice about someone when you first meet?

-their vibe

64. If you where running for office what would your campaign slogan be?

-I know some of these words!

65. What was your favorite book growing up?

-The Napping House

66. What city in America should not be included on a map, why?

-Roanoke, Va. Because it's a piece of shit

67. What compliment does people give you the most?

-I have a beautiful smile

68. What word would you add to the dictionary if you could, what would it mean?

-shizzle dizzle fizzengarr it's a cool way to say "shit"

69. What product would you refuse to promote?

-Iphones

70. What is your favorite pet’s name?

-Zero, RIP Old man 😭

71. Use one word to describe your computer ability?

-proficient

72. If your plane was about to crash, who would you want sitting next to you?

-nobody, I wouldn't want someone I know to die with me

73. Which of the presidents was your favorite?

Obama

74. How long of a consecutive time have you spent in a car?

-5 hours

75. What is your favorite Halloween costume?

-when me and my oldest went as zombie nerds. It was our own "revenge of the nerds"

76. How can you tell if some one is a nerd?

-wtf kind of question is that?

77. If you could teach any grade or subject what would it be?

-kindergarten art

78. What fashion trend do you just not get?

-cowboy boots and dresses/skirts/shorts. Or fucking Crocks

79. If you where a wicked tyrant what country would you rule?

-France

80. What is the lowest grade you have ever been given what class was it for?

-like a 35 and it was probably chemistry or algebra

81. If you could choose your nickname what would it be?

-Rain

82. What is your best feature?

-my smile (when it's real)

83. If you could swim in any liquid what would it be and why?

-and not get hurt or die? Lava maybe? I think that'd be cool

84. What is the song you hear most often?

-Baby shark, Carl Poppa, Ew by Jimmy Fallon and Will.i.am, and Perm by Bruno Mars

85. What have you done that you are most proud of?

-divorced my ex. I got out of an emotionally abusive relationship and I'm raising my two daughters by myself

86. How many keys do you have on your key ring?

-4?

87. What is your favorite song?

-Peace sign/Index Down by Gym Class Heroes and Busta Rhymes

88. How old where you when you had the worst hair cut ever what style was it?

-I don't get hair cuts

89. What advice did you get that was the most rewarding?

-know your worth

90. If you could change one thing about your looks what would it be?

-grow 3 more inches

91. What is your least favorite type of music?

-country

92. If you where a super hero what would your powers be?

-shape shifting, mind reading, compulsion, and super strength

93. What fortune would you want to get from a fortune cookie?

-Your soul mate will find you within the month

94. What is one food you wouldn’t want to give up?

-burgers

95. If you won a million dollars what would you buy?

-a big house

96. If you had access to a time machine where and when would you go?

-whenever and wherever Woodstock was

97. If you could add a person to Mount Rushmore who would it be, why?

-Barack Obama

98. If you could win any award what would it be, why?

-I'm not sure to be honest

99. If you could teleport where would you go, why?

-to the bathroom because I need to pee right now but I don't want to move

100. What was your favorite cartoon growing up?

-Rugrats

[whatitellmyfriends-blog]

Turning the BIG 40!!!

I can't even believe I had to write the above title! How is it even possible that I am almost 40? How did I get here so fast? What did I think 40 was? What do I think 40 will be? Truth is I never gave it much thought until it was closer in front of me rather than something in a galaxy far far away.  Everyday that passes though here it comes faster and faster!

I get that 40 is just a number, deep down I still feel like an awkward teenager.  Im the one looking around thinking “oh that mom is way older than me, look at all her responsibilities” then “that mom” tell she she's only 34 and I gasp in shock! I hang out with my 26 year old clients and feel like one of the girls mean while Im almost twice their age! denial?..maybe..but i would prefer to say that with a Jamacian accent explaining it is simply a river in Egypt.

40 is something my parents once were, 40 is like real adulting, in your 40′s weird stuff happens to your body, 40 is halfway to 80, 40 is like there is absolutely no excuse to not have your sh*&t together!!! 40 is when I should be able to understand my kids math homework but somedays math homework still has me in tears!!

40 is just a number, bigger than 30 but still just a number..lol..there is nothing wrong with being something my parents once were, truth is everyday I wake up and put my feet on the ground is a great blessing that i give thanks for everyday. Looking back I just never really thought one day I would be where my parents were, but here I am killing it!! lmao! “real adulting” as I like to call it is something I have been doing for quite sometime now, managing my own business for 15 years, being a wife for almost 10, a mom for almost 9, owning our own home and maintaining it well ( minus weeds, weeds don't count they pop up faster than my grey hairs).  We pay bills and taxes on time, have a family calendar and no car alone..lol. 40 is halfway to 80 (dang maybe I'm better in math that i think..hahahahaha) wouldn't it be really awesome to be 80 one day! and Lets be honest I have my sh*t together thats never been a problem!

40 is just this new found stage.  Im not having anymore babies, or planning a wedding (just a big birthday party).  Im not buying my first house or even my first car.  Girls nights are few and far between.  Im not spending $120 on a single digit pair of jeans or even buying sexy bras and underwear (sorry dave lol) There are no more impromptu vacations to far away lands, the gym is so much work now, weight doesn't fall of like it used to, instead hairs pop up in unwanted places and i have to pluck a grey eyebrow here and there(wth??).There are no more weekly playdates with mom groups or long walks through the mall with a sleeping baby.  This new found stage I find myself venturing into has me searching out small babies to have a wee cuddle with, handing them back thankful I have some independent children.  It has me planning a 10th anniversary and big birthday bash.  It has me decorating and picking out furniture for house I am blessed to have that I Love and get to watch my kids grow up in.  It has me walking the aisles of a thrift store relishing in a great deal for a growing family.  I may not be a single digit size anymore but I am thankful everyday for a body that made two beautiful healthy children and allows me to keep up with them everyday, and lets be honest, who needs sexy bras and underwear.  I want comfortable, Id consider it like winning the lottery if I could just find one pair that fit properly.  I mean if they aren't rolling down under my mum tum I have to pull them up so high some weird stuff falls out the sides! Butt wedgies, Vag wedgies! (struggle is real don't deny) Lets not even talk about bras! Seriously ! Th prices for something to hold my boobies! Remember the good old days when boys would do that for free!! hahahahaha!! Now I have to pay like $60 for something that holds my front boobs but does absolutely nothing for my back boobs!! (oh the horror!! shock! gasp!) I never ever feel like the flawless victoria secret model when I put that on! what a scam!!

This stage finds me walking beside girlfriends going thru marriage struggles, divorces, miscarriages, financial stress, job loss, career change.  This season has me realizing I need to set boundaries for healthy relationships, that my health and well being isn't just for me anymore.  I have people under the same roof as me that count on me for their daily needs.  During this season I am most days overwhelmed with laundry and dishes, noticing the dust under the couch, resigned to one piece bathing suits and thinking about eliminating underwear completely to avoid all noted issues above.LMAO! Also I have noticed that when u are in your 40′s its totally an unwritten rule that you never go to a girlfriends house without wine and you never leave without drinking the whole bottle together.  Wine becomes a staple like salt on the dinner table, “and heres mommas wine”.  All of a sudden your drinking daily and its totally acceptable..LMAO.  Girls nights and impromptu vacations have turned into a family calendar that takes up a whole kitchen wall, gigs, events and activities are all written down.  We plan who’s in charge of finding a sitter and when gramma is coming back to us from vacation!! We do our best to squeeze things in , no one sleeps till noon anymore, there is always something to do.  Vacations circle around kids enjoyment and are never restful, but boy they are fun!!

So I have decided to prove to myself that age is just a number I have made a list of 40 things I want to do before I turn 40.  I made my vision board and have started making them happen and it feels so great for the self-care aspect of life.  I mean if we don't look after ourselves how on earth are we supposed to look after others.  This year before I turn 40 I just want to push myself a little bit harder to get to somewhere I have never been before. 40 is coming and it is coming fast!!  I want to make sure that everyday I am blessed with is the best day! that I am living my best life! Wish me luck! if I figure out how to post this, the list will follow..lol!!

[13eyond13]

Do you have any headcanons about B? Like if B had an older sister what would their relationship be like? Sorry if that's weird but I'd like to think If he had a better support system he wouldn't have done the whole LABB thing

Hi Anon, thank you so much for asking! I love getting headcanonquestions, especially about B.This is such an interestingquestion! I’ve never imagined Beyond as anything but an only childbefore, just because B’s only relatives mentioned in the novel arehis parents. He was seemingly orphaned after their deaths, so you’reright, he likely didn’t have a good support network or other closefamily capable of taking care of him. We were only told a fewvague sentences about B’s past: We were told:

[1]B had a father who was murdered by a mugger.[2] B had a motherwho died in a train crash.[3] B had the shinigami eyes sincebirth, somehow.[4]B knew what the lifespans meant, and knew that he was incapable ofever changing the numbers.

I really do like the idea of Bwith a protective older sister, though, and how that might have changed things for him. I’ll run through how Iimagine this AU might have looked if he did:(this turned out VERY long and very in-depth lol, like approx. 2500 words, and I totally understand if you don’t want to read the whole thing! I’ll put it under a cut here):

B’s BABY YEARS:

B’s sister is seven years older than him, because he was a surprise pregnancy for his parents.

She hates him at first, because she’s so used to being an only child, but he’s actually a very pleasant baby – quiet and alert and cheerful, doesn’t cry much.

His sister still hates him until he’s about two. She sometimes stands over his crib whispering mean things to him, but he just gazes up at her adoringly and smiles and coos at her until she feels very guilty about it, and goes away again.

B’s TODDLER YEARS:

 B follows his big sister everywhere as soon as he can walk. He is very affectionate, always asking to be picked up and carried around. He snuggles into her neck and plays with her hair, and calls her a funny bungled version of her name, because he has trouble pronouncing his R’s. This melts her heart pretty quickly, and she soon forgets she ever resented him.

B’s sister finds she really likes playing mother with him – she loves getting him dressed and feeding him snacks, and teaching him things whenever he asks – which he does often, because he is a very curious & bright child.

B hits his childhood development milestones very early, and it’s speculated that he’s very intelligent, likely a certifiable genius. His medical checkups reveal nothing unusual about his brain or his eyes, but he always seems much older than he really is – about double his actual age, mentally at least.

B seems to daydream a lot, and to easily be distracted, especially if he’s in large crowds of people. He often says strange things that nobody can make sense of, but his family mostly writes it off as a personality quirk, or a byproduct of his big imagination.

His sister is very interested in nurturing B’s intelligence; their parents are always busy, both working hard to make ends meet, and so when she babysits B she starts teaching him to read and do math. He’s reading grade six level chapter books out loud to her by the time he’s three. B starts asking his family very strange questions soon after he becomes literate.

B’s EARLY CHILDHOOD YEARS:

B starts asking his family about all the floating numbers and the names. He points to the spot just above people’s heads and recites exactly what he sees out loud. He is shocked that nobody else can see them. He knows the name of anyone he sees, whether or not he’s ever met them before. “Why are your numbers so much longer than hers?” he might ask his sister, or “Why does the man’s name say this when we actually call him this?” “Why don’t I have any letters or numbers above my own head when I look in the mirror, or when I look at pictures of me?”

His family is astonished, and somewhat frightened. They quickly realize it is not just the strange imaginative games of a small child. 

They start doing little experiments with him to make sense of it, and find it seems to be related specifically to B’s vision; he has to see a person’s face for it to work. He can point to any person in any photograph and tell you exactly what their name and number is, as long as their features aren’t obscured. The people in photographs only have numbers sometimes, he says; for example, his family shows him a book of old black & white war photographs, and according to B not a single person in it has numbers. He says the numbers are always changing for people he sees everyday, but that their names never do; he says that the numbers only ever get shorter for everyone, not longer. 

B’s parents ask him about their own numbers. They ask about his sister’s, too, but B senses that the whole thing is making his sister feel very anxious. B trusts his sister’s intuition with all his heart and is very loyal to her, so he refuses to divulge any of his family’s numbers to anyone. His sister is very relieved by this, though she doesn’t fully know why yet; she is very proud of B and his unusual gifts, but something about the numbers part of it always gives her a queasy feeling in her stomach.

The whole numbers thing starts making sense for everyone once their elderly landlady dies and they attend her funeral. Four year old B says her numbers are completely gone now when he looks into the casket. He says the numbers are always pretty short for old people, but that hers were the shortest ones he’d ever seen.

B’s LATER CHILDHOOD YEARS:

Once it’s discovered what the numbers actually mean, B’s parents start fighting about it. His mother wants to use B’s abilities to make money, and pressures his father constantly about it.

B’s dad is just obsessed with finding out his own lifespan. He tries to coax it out of B nicely at first, then pressures him with guilt, but B will not budge on the matter, and remains very tight-lipped.

Theirparents start fighting secretly every night when B and his sister arein bed, and it’s always about whether or not they should attempt to make money off B’s talents. They try to be quiet, but the kids still overhear all of it. They could use the money to put both the kids through school and to move to a nicer neighbourhood, his mother says. It would be good for the whole family, if they were smart and careful about who they partnered up with, she says.

B and his sister become inseparable through all of this familial stress. B often asks to sleep in her bed with her when he has bad dreams, and so her pseudo mothering of B continues as he grows. 

B’s sister never asks him about the numbers or the names, and just treats B like a normal person. She tries to focus his mind on other things, and aims to keep him feeling good about his abilities instead of guilty or stressed whenever he mentions them. 

He confides in her during one of their sleepovers that he knows how to mostly work out the lifespan formula automatically now when he looks at people, but that it’s not totally flawless yet; the numbers are very tricky, but he thinks he can narrow the timeline down accurately to within a few weeks of the death date. He does these calculations automatically without meaning to every time he looks at people now, and he hates it. 

He is very sad about finally understanding the lifespans of their parents, and says he wishes more than anything he knew of a way to make people’s numbers get longer instead of shorter.

B’s PRE-TEEN YEARS:

B’s dad loses his job, and starts seriously considering his wife’s insistence that B is their ticket out of their financial struggles. They start seriously scheming about maybe contacting some talent scouts to meet with, secretly after B goes to bed. 

 B’s sister internalizes B’s morbid knowledge about their parents’ lifespans, and starts growing up very quickly as a result. She takes on two part-time jobs while finishing up her final year in high school and saves up a lot of money. 

B’s parents never end up actually monetizing his talents, but they do end up divorcing due to the constant fighting.

B’s sister moves out on her own as soon as she turns 18, into a crappy two bedroom apartment in the city near her work.

B’s parents both die soon after, within a year and a half of each other. It’s a very rough time for B and his sister, as they loved their parents dearly in spite of their flaws and have no other living family. Their parents left them with some debt, but B and his sister are each other’s emotional support all throughout the grieving, and manage to stay strong all throughout.

B’s TEEN YEARS:

B’s sister becomes his legal guardian, and he moves into her spare room. They happily stop talking about his strange abilities altogether.

They make a pretty good team when it comes to splitting the domestic duties. He loves to clean and does it for fun, so the place is always absolutely spotless. 

B’s sister is generally an awful cook, but she knows how to make a mean sandwich, and she always keeps the place cozy and smelling nice by burning incense, and furnishing the rooms with the perfectly good things she finds thrifting. She has a real knack for interior design, and plans on maybe pursuing it someday, once B is finished high school and able to better financially contribute to the household.

When B is about fifteen years old, his sister notices that he’s never once shown an interest in girls. He also is very curious about her morning routine, and watches how she gets ready for work very closely. She never lets on that she notices this, but she starts casually narrating the steps she takes to apply her makeup and do her hair.

One day, B’s sister finds some of her foundation and eyeliner missing. It’s replaced again the next day, and neither of them say a word about it.

B is consistently the top student in his high school in all grades. He’s generally well-liked, though very shy, and doesn’t have many friends. His sister senses he’s afraid of getting attached to people because of his eyes, and feels sorry for him. She encourages him to join some sort of extracurricular program, saying he’d definitely have a better chance of getting into his dream schools if he was more involved.

B joins the drama club at school, and it helps him come out of his shell socially. At first he just volunteers as a stage hand, helping the actors with their costumes and their stage makeup, but eventually he works up the courage to audition for a play, too. He is a natural, and gets the lead part. B’s sister tries to help him practice his lines when she gets home from work, but she’s often too tired. She suggests that maybe he could invite some of the other cast members over to practice sometime, instead.

B invites only one other cast member over to practice; a very cute guy with long blond hair, leather pants, and a rosary around his neck. This guy seems to have been under the impression that there were other people coming too, and looks very uncomfortable about the whole situation. B’s sister feels the awkward vibes between them immediately and wants nothing more than to makes herself scarce, but she feels too bad for the guy to leave. She hangs around all night despite B’s pointed glares, and makes a pot of mushy, overcooked spaghetti for them all to share. The cute blond guy chokes it down politely and leaves as soon as he can, saying he just remembered he needs to go pick up his best friend Matt from work.

B’s school play goes very well, and the student newspaper reports his performance as the stand-out highlight of the whole thing. B tells his sister that maybe he’d prefer to move to Hollywood someday and pursue acting. She’s torn between encouraging him to follow his less practical dreams, and wishing he’d make something of his incredible smarts and aim for an ivy league school, instead. She decides to hold her tongue and let him decide on his own.

Eventually, B’s sister gets a nice boyfriend named Stephan Gevanni, and he moves in with them after a few months. He’s a sweetheart, and a very good cook, and he fills that hole in their home nicely by making delicious suppers every night. B is very blushingly awkward around Stephan, and hides in his room all the time, writing in his diary, obsessively reading manga, and listening to dramatic movie soundtracks on repeat. He gradually stops being embarrassed about his interest in makeup, as his time as a stage hand helps him feel more comfortable about it. Soon he’s wearing subtle eyeliner and foundation every day, and it looks very good on him. That cute blond guy he invited over even asked B for tips on how he pulls it off so well, he says with pride.

At some point, B comes home from school saying he’s just had the oddest day at school. He was pulled out of class all day for some very cryptic testing, which he was told was a standardized government thing. B didn’t believe for one minute that it was, but he couldn’t make sense of what else it could be, either. He said the test was the hardest thing he’d ever taken in his life, but that he had a lot of fun with it, too.

Two weeks later, B gets an elegantly embossed letter in the mail. He’s passed the cryptic testing with flying colours, and is one of the elite few finalists being invited to meet with a man who runs some of the most prestigious private schools in the country. The one they think B would make the best fit for is called Wammy’s House in England, which they would allow him to attend on full scholarship, no questions asked. B reads the letter out loud to his sister and Stephan over dinner with shaking hands, though he claims to find it silly and acts like he doesn’t care at all.

B’s sister thoroughly researches this school for the gifted, and finds she can figure out very little about it outside of the fact that it indeed exists. She’s extremely proud of B for being selected as a candidate, but her sharp intuition is giving her a very nasty feeling about it, nonetheless. She chooses to hold her tongue and see what B will choose, deciding she will whole-heartedly support his choice either way.

B decides after a lot of agonizing to politely reject the offer from the mysterious school, saying he’s finally feeling at home in his own skin for the first time in his life, and would miss his new friends at school too much. He said he needs some more time to figure himself out, first, no matter how flattering the school’s offer is. His sister breathes a secret sigh of relief, and she and Stephan makes B a lovely cake with strawberry filling for dessert that night, because they knows it’s his very favourite.