#responding to trolls or children one of the two

[destiny-in-the-universe]

fowlham (where Randy and Teresa walk in the park and drink coffee and then watch the sun set ) randy and theresa they no love LGBT ( they heterosexual and Straight ) a at the end of the fanfiction, you can make an art where Randy confessed his love to Teresa and made her a marriage proposal when the moon appeared in the sky

okay, so- first of all: i cannot draw which means this isn't getting art and well, i don't take art reqs, but sure let's write this puppy up (/lh) and see what we can make of it!

Headcanons for Domestic Fowlham (at the Park)

Randy is the one who would invite Theresa to the park. For what it's worth, he knows his role as the Ninja takes up a lot of his time and he wants to make it up to her

I don't see Theresa as a coffee drinker, but she does enjoy hot chocolate and you know Randy would buy some for her

Honestly, the way I see it: they decided to take an evening stroll during the weekend. Things have been settling; McFist and Viceroy have started leaving the Ninja alone and Randy takes it as his chance to spend time with his girlfriend

Randy's crush on Theresa didn't fully start until sometime after he rescued her. He'd get incredibly flustered, but this seemed to happen with both boys and girls- (it was his first bi awakening, but he's completely smitten for Theresa right now)

Theresa would likely provide snacks and just talk for a little while about the stars in the sky; she seems to be really interested in constellations, something which Randy gets enthralled by whenever she talks about it

They're enjoying the silence- Theresa wants to voice her deeper thoughts - how she wants to have a life with Randy, but she feels as if the words are stuck even as she attempts to voice it- (she used to have a small crush on Debbie, though Randy's a sweet kid- although Theresa has two hands-)

In the end, Randy is the one who breaks the silence- he confesses, deciding he can't just not tell Theresa how he feels. He can't help but wonder about their future and he begins talking about the place he'd want to live in with her

Theresa is taken by surprise but she hangs on to his every word- her cheeks are heated in a blush and she finally chuckles, "do you really mean that?"

They're not old enough to be married yet, but Randy holds out a promise/couple's ring for Theresa; he's smiling brightly, "I couldn't imagine a life without you-"

hahahah, okay- in all honesty, this ask was a brilliant example of what not to do when sending something to my inbox! this is not the page you want to go to if you're going to be spewing ant-lgbtq+ behavior, but also!! if people would actually read what i want to be sent- we wouldn't be having this kind of situation!

i am not an artist- i'm a novice artist and do not have enough skills to be creating artwork but i'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt this time

i don't know whether this was sent by a troll or a kid trying to get a reaction out of me, but either way- at the end of the day, this is my blog. with my rules and an ask like this isn't going to be tolerated. this is not to say i won't write a straight ship, but please i reblog and write and share PRIDE CONTENT (that's a lot of what i've been reblogging lately-)

that being said, if i do continue getting these kinds of asks - i'm either going to have to turn off anon or i'm going to be responding and just being kind of a menace about it

(for the record, my hc for randy is that he doesn't care in the slightest about gender if he wants to date someone; theresa would more than likely be bi, at the very least but we can talk that more in-depth later)

[atomicc]

It's that time again for assorted scraps of whatever 🎉 ID in alt and under cut

ID: A digital sketch comic of John Dory and Floyd from DreamWorks Trolls. First panel has John looking away while saying, "Yeah you can stay with me for awhile! I've got a pull out bed." Floyd absently responds in a singsong way, "Five nights and John Dorys." Second panel has John looking at Floyd and says, "What?" Floyd responds with, "Huh nothing."

Next image. A digital sketch of Viva, Poppy and Clay. It is from the perspective of Viva, looking into a mirror. The reflection shows her dying stripes onto some hair to make a raccoon tail. Clay is sitting to her left, and Poppy to her right. Poppy is reading a magazine. There is various stickers on the mirrors surface, and hair dye materials on the counter.

Next image. A digital colored drawing of Branch and his brothers as children. John is holding Branch in his arms, with a worried expression. Bruce is playing with Branch, who is laughing. Below them is Clay ,who is laying on his stomach while reading a magazine, and Floyd, who is painting his nails.

Next image. A digital sketch comic of Bruce, Clay and John as children. Bruce is holding a single strand of lime green hair up to his face while studying it. He turns to Clay and says "I mean yeah it's definitely green." Clay winces and hisses saying "Don't tell John." Bruce says "...Why?". Clay holds his hands up, and says "Are you kidding me he'll flip! We can't both be the green one!". Bruce looks mischievously at Clay and says "Hey remember how you didn't help me clean yesterday.". The two run into a room where John Dory is asleep with his dead on a desk, writing songs. Bruce is yelling John's name, with Clay chasing him yelling no. John wakes up and says "What.". Bruce holds the hair up to John's face, and says "Look at this hair from Clay, look how green it is!" while John sniffs and scratches his face. After looking at it, John gives Bruce an unamused look. Bruce, embarrassed, responds "Wh- You, you can't both be the green one!". John looks confused, and says "Clay is yellow...". Bruce seems upset and says "Yeah but what if his hair grows in green?". John says "His... It's yellow?". Bruce says "Bro!". In the background Clay is laughing with his hands up in the air and says "He's too stupid to understand!". John says "Can you guys like, go away?". /end ID

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Harris campaign kicks into high gear

July 26, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

Kamala Harris has the Trump campaign on its back foot. Whatever Trump’s advisers expected from V.P. Harris, they were wrong. Although Trump and his surrogates have tried several lines of attack, each attempt backfires as Trump offends important constituencies he needs to win. In attacking Kamala Harris, Trump is offending Black Americans, successful women, mothers raising blended families, couples trying to conceive, young people, and more. The Harris campaign has responded forcefully, using a pointed sense of humor that is refreshing and attractive to younger voters who see the internet as a battlefield of ideas.

On Thursday, the Harris campaign released a powerful television ad that was a “no-holds-barred” look at the threat to democracy posed by Trump. See The Guardian, ‘We choose freedom’: Kamala Harris campaign launches first ad. The ad is embedded in The Guardian article; I urge you to watch it. If you don’t, here is The Guardian’s description of the ad:

Released on Thursday morning, the ad opens with shots of Harris’s smiling face behind a podium, the word Kamala, the word Harris, and the American flag. The soundtrack is the beginning of Beyoncé’s song Freedom, to which Harris entered and exited her first speech to campaign staffers after gaining lightning speed momentum on the road to becoming the presumptive nominee. The ad is narrated by Harris, whose first words are, “In this election we each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in?” She continues: “There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos. Of fear. Of hate,” she says, over shots of Trump and JD Vance. “But us, we choose something different.”

On social media, the Harris campaign has been even more aggressive. The Harris campaign took a clip of Trump imitating Kamala Harris, saying, “I’m the prosecutor and he is the convicted felon.” After Trump admits that he is a convicted felon and Harris is a prosecutor, the ad immediately cuts to a picture of Kamala Harris with her voice saying, “I am Kamala Harris and I approve this message.” The Harris campaign is showing early signs of social media savvy—just as Barack Obama’s campaign did in 2008.

The Harris campaign also went after JD Vance, who described Kamala Harris in 2021 as a “childless cat lady” who should not have an equal voice in the future of America because she does not have biological children. (Harris is a stepmother to two children with Doug Emhoff.) Thursday was “In Vitro Fertilization Day.” The Harris campaign released a statement saying, “Happy World IVF Day To Everyone Except JD Vance.” See HuffPo, Harris Campaign Wishes Happy World IVF Day To Everyone Except 1 Person.

The confidence and swagger of that ad was reflected in the Harris campaign’s immediate acceptance of debate with Donald Trump, set for September 10. But as Kamala Harris demonstrated an eagerness to debate, Trump began hedging his bets, saying he “did not like the idea” of a debate on ABC. See CNBC, ‘Let’s go’: Harris agrees to debate Trump, accuses him of ‘backpedaling’ on Sept. 10 date.

The Harris campaign also used social media to troll Trump's morning appearance on Fox News, during which Trump called Kamala Harris “garbage.” The Harris campaign issued a press release entitled Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminal’s Fox News Appearance. The press release said,

After watching Fox News this morning we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok? Trump is old and quite weird [and] this guy shouldn’t be president ever again.

For their part, Trump and his surrogates were reduced to claiming that Kamala Harris is a “DEI hire,” a “failed border czar,” and a socialist who will destroy the economy of America.

Luckily for Kamala Harris, economic growth and border security both improved in the second quarter. On Thursday, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the gross domestic product grew at a 2.8% rate in the second quarter, well above the consensus prediction of 1.9% by economists. See USA Today, US GDP report: Latest data shows economy grew 2.8% in Q2 (usatoday.com)

At the border, crossings by immigrants dropped to their lowest level since 2020 (under Donald Trump). See CBS News, Migrant crossings continue to plunge, nearing the level that would lift Biden's border crackdown. Per CBS News,

July is on track to see the fifth consecutive monthly drop in migrant apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border and the lowest level in illegal immigration there since the fall of 2020, during the Trump administration, the internal Department of Homeland Security figures show.

My point in noting the responses by the Harris campaign is not to revel in the “zingers” and “smackdowns” that are long overdue. Rather, it is to highlight the nimbleness, swagger, and professionalism of the Harris campaign. The lightning-quick responses would be exemplary for any presidential campaign; they are stunning for a presidential campaign that is four days old.

Although it is still early, it seems clear that the Harris campaign will focus on Trump's criminality, incoherence, age, and hateful agenda. And it is doing so with a satirical edge that transfers easily into internet memes—which is an effective way to create viral messaging that reaches young people. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has been caught flat-footed, trying to ignore the awkward creepiness of JD Vance and Trump's part-time approach to campaigning.

All of this should give Democrats confidence that Kamala Harris will run a strong campaign against an opponent who will wage a vile and hate-filled counter-offensive. If the first few days of the campaign are any indication, Kamala Harris is up to the task.

Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

[thewertsearch]

?GG: im through humoring you, i dont even care about this stupid exploded robot mission, whatever that was FCG: OH RIGHT, ABOUT THAT FCG: YEAH WE NEED TO TALK FCG: I MEAN WE HAVE ALREADY FROM MY PERSPECTIVE FCG: BUT YOU'RE GOING TO BE REALLY BUSY SOON, BECAUSE YOU'RE ABOUT TO ENTER YOUR SESSION FCG: SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT UNTIL YOU DO, THEN JUST HIT ME UP, WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT

I'm not complaining - believe me, I'm not - but it sounds like this entire conversation was pointless. If Karkat's plan doesn't kick in until after she Enters, then all this Pesterlog really did was piss Jade off.

I suppose not every conversation needs to be this huge plot-heavy loredump - hell, half of Act 1 was just the kids chilling. Sometimes it's worth it just to sit back and watch Karkat make an ass of himself.

Plus, it's probably a good thing that Jade lost her temper - it probably cleared the air a little. Karkat's been harassing her since day one, and something needed to be said.

?TG: dude i cant believe you were just getting on our case about hitting on the troll girls ?TG: and then literally the very next memo you are slobbering all over jade ?TG: thats just perfect hahahaha CCG banned ?TG: from responding to memo. FCG rebanned ?TG: from responding to memo.

Not the double banhammer!

Damn it, I wanted Dave to stay in the mix. Every group chat these kids have is fucking fantastic.

?GG: i also cant wait for past you to past drop dead and go to hell, PAST TENSE!!!!!!!! ?GG: when are those things going to happen?? or will have already past/future happened????? ?GG: i want to put another reminder on my finger so i know when its time to throw a party!!!!

And I think I know which finger you're most likely to use!

FCG: HOW'S THIS FOR A PACT, EVERYBODY. FCG: PAST KARKAT ONLY TALKS TO PAST JADE FROM NOW ON, AND THE TWO OF THEM CAN BICKER LIKE SHITTY LITTLE CHILDREN FOR HOURS/YEARS RESPECTIVELY. FCG: AND FUTURE KARKAT ONLY TALKS TO FUTURE JADE, AN ARRANGEMENT WHEREIN ONLY INTELLIGENT DISCOURSE TAKES PLACE BETWEEN TWO CIVILIZED, MATURE, GROWN ASSED ADULTS.

Woaugh,, so you're saying, like, your conversations should respect the linear flow of time, thereby sidestepping the headache-inducing complexities of Trollian's nonlinear messaging?

Dude, that is such a good idea. Why didn't you think of it sooner? Why didn't you think of it sooner, Karkat?

You consult your reminders to get your bearings on what to do next. But you can't remember what they mean at all. You have a feeling these are all useless now.

Many of those reminders were tied to Skaian prophecies, and were probably stored in Dream Jade's brain. To you, they're useless - and it's not like you can make any more.

Jade the Seer is dead.

The hour of the Witch is upon us.

[jobrookekarev]

You're Never Alone With Me

Chapter: One of One.

Words: 3,634

Summary: 20x05 But with Jolex instead. Jo and Alex have a pregnancy scare and go through all the emotions before finding out that they might actually be having another baby. 

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson, 

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson, Carina DeLuca, Eden Karev, and Luna Wilson.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences.

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Romance, Humor, Family, Love, Kissing, Light-Hearted, One Shot, Happy Ending, Drama, Domestic, Blood Draw, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Children.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

AN: I'm on vacation this week so I edited this by the pool while semi-drunk, so there are probably some mistakes, but enjoy!

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“How was your day?” Alex asked her as Jo gave him a smile. 

He met her in the hallway as she wrapped her arms around him, and avoided his question with a long kiss. Alex smiled and melted into her lips as they reunited, letting their lips greet each other with passion and eager romance. His tongue begged for hers as she moaned. He wondered if she would let him pull her into an on-call room before they picked up the kids. However, Jo pulled away before his tongue could dance in her mouth.

“My day was long. I had six laboring moms and three C-sections and ER consults in between that. I was running around all day. How about you?”

“It wasn't so bad, I did my first couple of surgeries and then mostly rounded and helped out the interns. Are you ready for tonight though?” Alex said with a smile as they walked towards the door. “I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse.”

Jo looked at him with her eyebrows raised. “What?”

“It's movie night,” Alex said as Jo shook her head. 

Friday movie night was a long standing tradition in the Karev household, dating back to when they first started dating. Jo usually loved movie nights but these days she was too tired to stay up late with him.

“I’m on call, we should just sleep,” Jo said, she wanted to close her eyes right now, but she had to amp herself up for the energy of their toddlers. Once they got to the car, she could take a quick nap on the fifteen minute drive home. 

“How come you're only tired on my movie nights?” Alex asked, giving her a look that was a half-hearted joke. 

Jo rolled her eyes. “That's not true, I sat through that one wrestling movie you picked out the other week.”

“That was like a month and a half ago, Jo,” Alex said as he chuckled at her and they approached the desk to check out the girls. 

“No it wasn't, it was like 4 weeks ago or something,” Jo said with a shake of her head as he logged into the tablet.

“No, that was six weeks ago. Remember because we watched your cheesy rom-com. Then we let the girls stay up and watch the Barbie movie, then I chose Jason Bourne and then you wanted to watch Scream. We watched Trolls with the girls last week, so it's my turn again, 6 weeks.”

Alex casually smiled at her, but Jo’s heart stopped. He was right, it had been six weeks.

Her movie had been this Western romantic drama. She clearly remembered because she had been on her period and Alex had helped her relieve some pain with a couple of orgasms. Then two weeks after that, they watched his Jason Bourne movie and had sex on the couch, which would have been when she was ovulating. 

“I'm late,” Jo said, staring at him as he looked up at her. 

“No, we're right on time,” Alex said as he checked the girls out and set the tablet back down. 

“No Alex,” Jo whispered to him. “My period is late.”

“Are you saying you could be pregnant again?” Alex asked, his jaw dropping open as he stared at her.

Before Jo could respond though her phone beeped and she looked down at her notification. “I’m being paged, it's the ER.”

“Shit, is it urgent?” Alex said as Jo just glared at him telling him it was. “Should I get the girls or do you want me to follow you?” 

“Stay with the girls, but check them back in and have dinner with them, then you can go get something to eat and I'll text you when I'm done. Then we can take a test together,” Jo said, sure of her plan as she turned to leave, but Alex grabbed her hand. 

He pulled her in, giving her a quick hug, and kissed her forehead before he let her go. When she looked back up at him, he had the biggest smile across his face. “Hey, we'll be okay, regardless of the results.” 

She knew he was giddy at the prospect of potentially knocking her up. When they found out she was pregnant with Eden, he was so happy that he walked on air for weeks. Everyone knew before they told them, and he told everyone how excited he was. However, she didn't return his smile and just nodded. Jo loved Eden and she loved being pregnant with her, but the first trimester was rough and Jo labored for hours. She wasn't sure she was ready for that again.

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Nearly half an hour later Jo finally paged him to come to meet her in the ER’s stock room. He wasn't sure how Jo was feeling but had settled into the idea of having another baby. He had gotten time to think about it but he had also gotten time to analyze Jo’s expression. Her eyebrows were timorously married and her lips were parted in a frown. He wasn't sure if she would want this baby. Although he had gotten excited and browsed online for baby onesies. Still, he waited to purchase one until she had taken a test, then they would know for sure.

“Hey, did you find one?” Alex asked as he found her rifling through the packages, trying to find a pregnancy test. 

“Not yet,” Jo said, her shoulders tense as she went to another shelf and ransacked the supplies. “This is the worst possible time to be having a baby! You're working all the time as the co-chef with Bailey, Meredith and I have our Mini-Liver final publishing paper due. My oral exams are coming up, Luna is starting preschool, and Eden is going to be moving up to the two-year-old room. We’ll have three kids in diapers. Oh my God, Alex the diapers. It’s like seven diapers per kid every day, that's like a thousand diapers a week.”

“Your math isn’t quite right on that one,” Alex said, shaking his head as he chuckled. 

Jo turned around to glare at him and he schooled his features and crossed his arms. “Okay, but Luna’s going to do great in preschool and Eden is doing amazing too. You're going to ace your exams and you love writing papers, plus you can get the interns to help you write it! And I can step down from the chief position for a while until things get easier, but let's try not to panic until you take the test.”

“How could this happen?” Jo was still going on with her rant as she moved to another section. “I'm an OBGYN, half of my job is to not get women pregnant and we've only had like one pregnancy scare before, but then again, it only took us one try to get pregnant with Eden. Oh my God, here it is!” 

Jo grabbed the pregnancy test and turned around, staring at it with wide eyes. Alex took in a breath as he felt his heart beat faster and sweat beads on his neck. He knew could feel the butterflies in his stomach. He glanced at Jo to see that she was just as tense and was rubbing the package with her fingers as if it was covered in a dust, he knew was not there.

“Jo take a breath, you’re spiraling,” Alex said, stepping up to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. 

“How are you not?!” Jo said as her wild eyes stared back at him.

“Because I've had time to sit with this and you haven't,” Alex said, taking a breath as he reached up to hold her face and rub her cheek with his thumb. “Whatever happens, we can't handle it. And we’re lucky enough to live in a state where you can get an abortion if you want. I know that we're married and you’ve been pregnant before, but you said you didn't want another baby and I respect that.”

“If I'm pregnant with another baby, I think I want to keep it,” Jo said, letting out a breath as she stared at him. 

Yet, she closed her eyes as a few tears appeared in the corner of her eyes. She leaned in to kiss him before she pulled away. Then her phone rang and she pulled it out. 

“It's another patient in the ER with abdominal pain,” Jo said, handing him the pregnancy test and walking away.”

“You know I can't take this for you, right?” Alex asked, holding up the test, although she had already left the room. 

Alex looked down at the test and smiled again, then he pulled up the onesie on his phone and added it to the cart. He wouldn't buy it just yet, but the second it was positive, he would buy it. Alex had always wanted a house full of kids and he hoped that dream would come true.

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It was another hour before Jo called him, saying that she was in the fourth floor bathroom. By then Alex said caught up on all his paperwork and done some more online shopping. Although he would never admit to it, he had started a registry and had saved some baby clothes he liked. 

He also thought about how they would turn the playroom/second bedroom into another nursery. They had always planned on only having two kids, Luna and Eden. But they had a three bedroom house, and the two girls shared a room for now. They hated to be separated and would refuse to sleep without each other. The plan was for them to eventually have their own bedrooms when they wanted. 

He had also done the calculations on how many diapers it would be. When the girls were newborns, they would go through diapers like crazy, so it would probably mean about an extra pack a week. They had done cloth diapering with Eden and Luna and they could do that with the new baby as well, which would cut down on the cost. Also, he was pretty sure he could get Eden potty trained by the time the new baby got here. By then she would be almost three and she was already eagerly sitting on the potty with a few successes here and there. 

He thought about all of this as he approached the fourth floor bathroom. However, he was brought back to reality when he was faced with the door to the woman's bathroom. He knocked on the door but didn't get a reply right away.

“Jo it's me,” Alex called out to her, but he didn't hear anything and knocked again, wiggling the lock. 

“I'll be out in a second,” Jo said as he heard the sound of the toilet flushing.

A few minutes later, Jo came out of the bathroom and handed him the test. “I took it 5 minutes ago, but I can't look at it.”

He knew she needed a moment of comfort and brought her in for a hug. He held her close as she melted into him and kissed her forehead. However, when he breathed in, Jo's hair smelled. He sniffed her hair and pulled back looking at her. 

“Have you thrown up?” Alex asked her, studying her for a glimpse of sickness in her face.

“It's been very stressful!” Jo said as she huffed and wiped her mouth.

“Or maybe it's just morning sickness,” Alex said with a half-hearted smile. 

“Just look at the test!” Jo demanded as she huffed and pulled away from him and she leaned against the wall.

Alex smiled as he took a breath and flipped over the stick. Staring at it he almost cried, his voice a shaky whisper. “It's negative.”

Jo let out a breath and buried her face in his shoulder. She hugged his waist with a tight grip and he felt his shirt get wet. Alex was surprised, as she didn't react the way he thought she would.

“Are you relieved?” 

“I don't know.” 

Jo sighed as she pulled back a bit but still held him looking up at him with watery eyes. “I thought I would be, I kind of am, and it's just been so overwhelming I just want to cry. But a part of me wanted another baby.”

“I know, and I did the math. It would be like 120 diapers a week give or take a blowout or two. Plus I think I could get Eden potty trained before the baby arrived.”

“There's no baby, but it'd still be good to potty train her though,” Jo said in agreement. 

“Jo, I love being a dad and I would love to do it all over again with you anytime you want, besides you know I love getting you pregnant,” Alex said, grabbing her hips and pulling her into him as he kissed her.

Jo giggled, but she pulled away from him. “But being a parent is so hard especially when they're babies.”

“I know, so if you say you didn't want a baby, then I don't want one either. You know I would have a million babies with you, but realistically I love you and I love our two girls and the three of you are enough for me.”

Jo smiled as she leaned in to kiss him again, before he gave the test to her as Jo's eyes widened. “Alex! It’s not negative!”

“What do you mean it's not negative? There's nothing there!” Alex said, staring at the test. 

“It's not positive either, Alex it's a dud!” Jo said, shoving his chest. “One line is negative, two 2 lines is positive.”

“What does that mean?” Alex asked with wide eyes. “Should we just get another test, maybe we should do a blood test? They're more accurate anyway?”

“We are not doing anything. I am the one getting stabbed and having to pee on sticks and…” Jo put a hand over her mouth before she ran for the toilet again and this time he followed her in. 

Alex locked the door behind them as she kneeled in front of the toilet and threw up. She heaved several times more as Alex kneeled next to her. Once she stopped he wiped her lips and they sat back together. Then, Jo had a burst of emotion and started to cry as Alex instantly wrapped his arms around her. 

“I want another baby.”

Alex nodded and just held her. “I know, so we’ll call Carina and then she can tell us for sure if you're pregnant and if not we can start trying again.”

Jo nodded her tears drying up as she did and he leaned in to give her a quick kiss. The gentle reassurance was enough for him as he kissed her back. He pulled her up off the floor and wrapped an arm around her, Jo gave him another quick kiss before she sighed and let him pull her over to Carina's office.

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“Ow,” Jo winced and looked away as Carina put the needle in her arm. 

“I'm sorry, Bambina,” Carina said as she released the tourniquet and drew her blood into two vials. 

“I told you not to look,” Alex said as he held her hand pulling it up to kiss her knuckles.

“No, nobody else can know about this,” Jo glared at him as she flinched again when Carina withdrew and put a cotton swab over her wound.

“I still think we should do an exam,” Carina said, giving her a knowing look as Jo huffed.

“Fine,” Jo said as Carina just smiled and handed her a gown and a paper blanket before she went to the door.

“I'll be back in a few minutes with the results,” Carina said as she left with the blood.

Jo hopped off the table and handed the gown and paper blanket to Alex before she started to undress. 

“We should have just done a blood draw the first time around,” Jo complained as she slipped out of her jeans and tore off her shirt quickly. Then she turned around and reached for her bra clasp. “Can you get it?” 

Alex easily hooked the latch and Jo handed her clothes to him in exchange for the gown but found his eyes were not exactly following hers.

“Alex!” Jo said, turning around and forcefully taking the gown from him.

“I don't know Jo, your boobs are huge,” Alex said, a little smirk as he stared at them. 

Jo huffed and pushed him away forcefully, turning him around as she got dressed again. She finally hopped up on the table and put the paper blanket over her knees before she cleared her throat. When he turned around again, he still had that stupid smirk on his face but he sat down in the chair next to her and grabbed her hands. 

“Isn't it normal for pregnancy tests to malfunction when there's too much HCG levels?” Alex asks as Jo thought about it for a second. 

“I don't remember, I think so,” Jo said as she shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, what if you're pregnant with twins, Jo?” Alex whispered to her his smile even wider. 

“I would probably kill you, Alexander,” Jo said as she scowled, Alex chuckled, but his smile dropped when she continued to glare at him.

“Well we can talk about it when we get the results back then,” Alex nodded as she dropped her eyes and picked at the seam of her gown before he took her hands again and gave them a squeeze. 

There was a knock at the door as Carina came back in. “There is a back up at the lab due to a trauma in the ER. The results will take several hours. So we're going to find out the old fashioned way.”

Jo took a deep breath as she laid back, putting her feet in the strips as Carina sat in front of her and put a hand on her leg.

“Okay Jo you're going to feel my fingers enter,” Carina said as she gently pressed inside of her. 

Jo squeezed Alex’s hands and tried to relax her muscles but she remained tense. Carina reached up to feel the top of her uterus and pushed in a few places, holding her womb before she smiled.

“How long ago did you say your period was?” Carina asked as Jo floundered, knowing what Carina was feeling inside her. 

“I don't know?” 

“Six weeks ago,” Alex answered for her. 

“I'd say you're more like eight weeks along, so you must’ve had some implantation bleeding. You've definitely got a baby in there, Jo,” Carina said with a small smile. 

Jo took in a breath as she looked over at Alex. He had a smile but he quickly bit his lip as he looked over at her giving her hand a squeeze. He held his breath, but then Jo smiled too.

“We're having a baby!”

“Yeah, we are yeah we are!” Alex said as he smiled and leaned down to kiss her. She cried happy tears that fell down her cheeks to her ears, but she smiled. 

“Well I suppose, we should confirm it with an ultrasound?” Carina asked as she pulled back, smiling at them both.

“Yes,” they said together as they both nodded. A few minutes later they were looking at their new baby on the screen. There was just one, Jo made Carina double check, but they were ecstatic nonetheless. Jo hasn't stopped crying and even Alex shed a few tears as they stared at their baby.

“They're so beautiful,” Alex said in awe, his eyes never leaving the screen. 

“They're already measuring big too,” Jo said, finger tracing her fingers along the femur bone. “I think our original estimate of six weeks is correct.”

Carina nodded as she agreed with them. “Well keep an eye on it, but as you said, Karev babies tend to be on the bigger size, so I'm not worried.”

She finished up the ultrasound and gave Jo some paper towels to clean off, then left her to get dressed again. But not before pulling Jo into a hug. “Congratulations, Bambina.”

“Thank you,” Jo said, hugging her back tightly.

Alex smiled as she got dressed but when she pulled her shirt on, he pulled it back up and leaned down to kiss her belly, before looking back up at her.

“Hi baby,” Alex said as he stared at her belly. 

“What are we going to do with you?” Jo asked as she pulled him up and put her hand over his, intertwining their fingers. 

But Alex just smiled and said, “We are going to have an amazing family, you are going to be a great Mom, again.”

Jo smiled as she leaned in and pulled him down to kiss him again. Alex gave her several kisses as they lingered on each other's lips. There was such joy and happiness between them it felt like fireworks on her tongue. 

Then they pulled back and looked down at their baby, hidden under their hands. Alex hugged her shoulders and kissed her head as they smiled sharing a giggle between them. Despite how nervous she had been, Jo couldn't wait for this new baby to join their family.

[pinkrose787]

Amnesia Branch AU! Chapter 3

After a long wait, I have finally finished writing chapter 3! I hope you enjoy! :D

AO3 Link

Chapter 3:

Silence used to be normal in the bunker. It’s only inhabitant, Branch, never made much noise, aside from him occasionally talking to himself. Even then he never talked too loudly, for fear that an enemy might manage to hear him deep underground.

That was before things changed. When Branch’s color returned, he brought sound to the bunker. Singing to himself, playing music, even having friends over. The silence started to become more unusual until it disappeared entirely when his brothers moved in. �� 

But now, the silence is back. Clay and Floyd sit at the dinner table in the kitchen not saying anything to each other. They aren’t really sure what they should say. John Dory is too focused on cooking dinner to start a conversation. He’s thankful that he has a task that takes his mind off the day’s events, even if it is only for a brief moment in time.

John Dory puts the finishing touch on dinner. He dreads being done. Cooking has been meditative for him. But he can’t come up with a good reason to continue. After all, he’s already cooked enough food to feed ten trolls a full three-course meal and still have leftovers for a week.

He plates all the food for his brothers. From past experience, he knows that if Clay and Floyd were to do it themselves, they wouldn’t give themselves enough to eat.

As he piles the food onto the plates, an unwanted memory pops up of what they were like right after their parents got eaten, a time just before Branch’s egg hatched. His brothers were despondent, much like they are now. John Dory was depressed too, but he didn’t give in to his depression because he told himself that he had to be the one to care for his brothers.

The hardest task was getting them to eat anything. John Dory tried to make his food taste amazing, hoping that it would encourage them to eat something. Though often times, it didn’t matter how delicious his food tasted. His brothers would still refuse to eat it. Now, he’s faced with the same herculean task as all those years ago.

“Soup’s up!” John Dory says. His voice projects a positivity that he isn’t really feeling. He places the plates of food in front of Floyd and Clay.

The two of them barely look at the food. Floyd pushes his plate away. “I’m not really hungry,” he says.

“Yeah, me too,” Clay adds.

This reaction from the two of them doesn’t surprise him one bit. “I know neither of you have eaten since breakfast.” John Dory pushes the plate back towards Floyd. “So, eat.” His voice is a lot sterner than it was before.

“I went without food for two months. I’ll be fine missing dinner,” Floyd says.

“We went without food all time at the golf course. I’ll be fine too.” Clay pushes away his plate like Floyd did.

John Dory finds both those statements concerning. He worked hard to keep them fed back when they lived at the Troll Tree. Hearing that they were used to hunger is distressing. But that’s something that he’ll address later. Right now, he needs to get them to eat dinner. “You two are acting like children. Just eat your dinner,” he says.

“Well maybe, I’m acting like a child, cause you’re treating me like one,” Clay says. He crosses his arms in the same way he did when he was mad at John Dory as a kid.

“I’m not treating you like a child,” John Dory responds. He knows that’s a lie. The way he’s acting is the same way he did as a teenager before BroZone disbanded. But he feels like he has to be the leader again, or else these two are going to fall apart. “I worked really hard on making dinner for you, and I can’t believe that you’re not eating it.”

Clay jumps out of his chair. He starts to get in John Dory’s face. It takes all of John Dory’s self-control not to push Clay away. “Well, I didn’t ask for you to—”

“Guys, can we not do this?” Floyd says, cutting Clay off. “Look, I know we’re all worried about Branch, but us fighting won’t help him. Let’s all just sit down and eat.”

“Whatever.” Clay sulks back into his chair with a huff. He pulls the plate of food towards him and starts eating.

John Dory sits down at the table, and eats with his brothers. Though the meal he made tastes amazing, he barely wants to eat any of it. He wants to push the plate away like his brothers did. But if he did, they’d immediately call him out on his hypocrisy.  So, it takes all of his mental strength to fight against his melancholy and take a few bites of his food.

The three of them eat in silence. Their silverware clinking against the plates as they eat. None of them are really looking at each other. Floyd is pushing his food around the plate with his fork. “I can’t stop thinking about what Poppy said,” he says.

“What that Branch hates us and doesn’t want to see us ever again?” Clay says, not looking up from his food.

“She didn’t say that he hates us,” John Dory says.

“No, that was just implied,” Clay says.

Floyd shakes his head.  “I’m not talking about that!” He rises from his chair. Slamming his hands on the table. The sound causes John Dory and Clay to jump. “I mean what she said about us not being there for Branch when he needed us the most.”

Clay lowers his head. He starts to fidget with his hands. “I tried to, but I couldn’t leave the Putt Putt trolls behind…” he mumbles under his breath.

“That’s not fair.” John Dory stands up. “I tried to come back. When I did everyone was gone.” He’s said this almost a thousand times. Yet no one seems to listen or care about the fact that he really did try. 

Floyd looks at John Dory. His expression is sympathetic. It’s not what John Dory expected. He expected rage or sadness, but Floyd seems to understand. “I know that you did. And I did too, but when I came back everyone was already gone.”

“So, you get it.” He didn’t know that Floyd came back. In the year that they’ve all been reconnected, he never mentioned it. Then again John Dory never asked him if he tried to come back. “We didn’t know they escaped. We thought the bergens had eaten them.” John Dory says. 

“I know that, but before that,” Floyd says. John Dory thinks he know where Floyd is going with this, and he really doesn’t want him to say it. But he doesn’t stop Floyd from asking the dreaded question. “Do you know how long we had to go back to visit Branch after BroZone broke up?”

John Dory knows. He tries not to think about that period of time. Every time he does his brain is flooded with what ifs. What if he came back before Grandma died? What if he had found Branch afterwards? What if he had never left? When the night is quiet and he’s all alone, these questions haunt him.

But John Dory knows the reality. He missed his opportunity to come back, and Branch grew up alone. There’s nothing he can do about that. The past has occurred and now he must deal with the present. “Over two years.” His voice is low.

“That isn’t very long,” Clay protests. “I was on a mission of self-discovery. Trying to find my place with other trolls. There wasn’t any time to go back.”

Floyd sighs. “I know it wasn’t long. But we still should have at least checked up on him.” John Dory knows that’s true. Leaving a baby with an elderly woman wasn’t the best idea. But they were all just kids themselves. They couldn’t be expected to raise Branch.

“Well, we didn’t.” John Dory’s voice is a growl. “And you know what? I thought that out of all of us,” He points at Floyd. “You would have been the one to go back for him.”

Floyd looks down at his plate, avoiding John Dory’s accusatory gaze.

“None of us went back for him,” Clay adds. “Not you, not me, not Floyd, and not Bruce.”

There’s silence for a second. The mention of Bruce made John Dory remember that they forgot to do something important. Looking at his brothers he can tell that they suddenly remembered too. “Oh my God. We never told Bruce that Branch is in the hospital,” he says.

“Should we tell him?” Clay asks, voicing the question that John Dory is thinking about. “He’s got a lot on his plate with the restaurant and his kids. Telling him would only freak him out.”

Floyd looks at Clay shocked that he could even suggest that. “I think he should know. If I were him, I’d want to know.”

“Floyd’s right. We should tell him.” John Dory says. Even though he himself is not very keen on the idea of telling him. Leaving one of their brothers behind is what lead them to this horrible situation in the first place.  

He heads over to the holophone, a piece of tech from the Funk Trolls that allows for phone calls with holographic imagery. It doesn’t take long for John Dory to find Bruce’s name on the list of contacts. There really isn’t anyone that they need to talk to that is too far to do it in-person.

Every time John Dory looks at the contact list, he’s always shocked with how many names of royalty there are. From Queen Barb of the Hard Rock Tribe, Prince D of the Funk Trolls, and even King Gristle and Queen Bridget of Bergen Town. Branch really did make an impact while they were separated.

He clicks on Bruce’s name. The holophone starts to ring. Its ring echoes throughout the bunker.

Soon, a holographic version of Bruce appears. He looks a little disheveled. Behind him are sounds of clattering plates, clinking silverware, and kids running around. “Hey John Dory. Why are calling so late? We just started closing up for the night.”

John Dory shifts uncomfortably. He really doesn’t want to give Bruce the bad news, especially since it seems like Bruce is so busy. “Sorry, but there’s something we need to tell you.” His voice is somber.

Bruce seems to pick up on John Dory’s tone. His eyes are wide. “Is everything alright? Did someone get hurt?”

“Well,” John Dory clasps his hands together. He takes a deep breath. Telling bad news has never been his strong suit.  “Branch is in the hospital, right now.”

“What?” Bruce jumps upon hearing that news. “How did he get hurt? How bad is it? Is he going to be okay?”

The barrage of questions knocks John Dory off his rhythm. “Branch is going to be fine… physically.”

Bruce sighs like he was holding in his breath. “Oh, thank God.”

“But…” John Dory finds that he’s struggling to tell him about Branch’s amnesia. Saying it out loud makes it feel too real. He still can’t believe that only yesterday, Branch was here with them in the bunker perfectly fine, and now he’s in the hospital. 

“But what?” Bruce asks.

Thankfully, he doesn’t need to say it. “Branch has amnesia. He doesn’t remember anything from the last four years,” Floyd says.

Bruce silently stands there for a second. John Dory doesn’t say anything to him. He knows that he has to give Bruce some time to process. This is as much of shock for him, as it was for the rest of them.  The only difference is that he’s hearing it over 12 hours later. “Are you sure?” Bruce asks.

“Yeah. Four years of memory are just gone. Poppy said that he apparently doesn’t even remember that they’re dating.” John Dory says.

“Poppy told you? Did you see him?” Bruce asks.

“Nope. He wouldn’t let us. He hates us now,” Clay says, leaning back in his chair.

Floyd glares at Clay, who is unfazed by Floyd’s cold look. “He doesn’t hate us. It just might take some time for him to adjust to us being back.”

“Because he hates us,” Clay adds.

“He hates us?” Bruce looks hurt.

John Dory hates seeing his brothers all hurt like this, and he hates that there’s nothing that he can do about it. There’s nothing that he can say that will make anything right. No words will make Branch regain his memories and heal his injuries. And as much as he wants to refute Clay’s claim that Branch hates them, he’s not sure he can. “It’s more complicated than that…” he adds.

But is it really? He remembers how angry Branch was when they first reunited. How Branch barely looked at him. How he said that none of them were his brothers anymore.

At the time, John Dory was shocked to see his little brother acting that way. He truly believed that Branch would have been happy to see him. And that was supposedly Branch at his happiest. He can’t possibly imagine what Branch felt towards them at his lowest.  

Bruce sighs. “You know what. It doesn’t matter. If I leave now, I could be there tomorrow morning.” 

John Dory looks at Bruce. He can see the determination in Bruce’s eyes. “You don’t have to. There’s a chance that you won’t even be able to see him.”

“That doesn’t matter. If Branch is in the hospital, then I need to be there,” Bruce says.

John Dory sighs. He knows that there’s nothing that he can say to dissuade Bruce from coming. “Alright. But don’t blame me if you don’t see Branch.”

Bruce ends the call. Leaving them alone in silence.

--------

It’s not unusual for Poppy’s pod to be filled with trolls. Being the queen and one of the most popular trolls in the village, she always has a revolving door of friends coming to visit her. Sometimes they come with problems that they want her help with. But more often than not, they come just to hang out with her.

Tonight isn’t too different. Poppy is surrounded by her friends, more so than usual. Normally being surrounded by all her friends would normally excite her. Not tonight. She can’t find it in her to be even ten percent as peppy as she normally is.  

Poppy sits on her bed clutching one of her pillows. Cooper, Smidge, Biggie, Holly, and Val sit on bean bag chairs strewn about the pod. Viva, who’s sitting next to Poppy on the bed, gathered all of them to help support her. She’s braiding and unbraiding Poppy’s hair.

“This is unbelievable. He doesn’t even remember that he’s dating you?” Smidge asks.  

Poppy nods her head. “He’s just like how he used to be. So grumpy. So angry.”

“How bad can he be? We’ve got lots of grumpy trolls in the Hard Rock Tribe. He can’t be any worse than any of them,” Val says.

“I’ve never met a grumpy troll that I couldn’t cheer up lickety-split!” Holly proclaims.

Smidge, Cooper, and Biggie share looks of shock. Poppy doesn’t share that feeling. She knows that most trolls that never met the gray version of Branch cannot comprehend exactly how miserable he was.  “You don’t understand. Branch wasn’t like any grouchy troll you’ve ever met,” Biggie says.

“Yeah, he was the ultimate party-pooper!” Cooper says.

“It took Poppy years of nonstop trying to get through to him.” Smidge says. “Even then, he didn’t become happy until we were almost eaten.”

Val and Holly’s jaws are on the floor. “Until all y’all were almost eaten?” Holly repeats. She looks around for some answers. “Did I hear you say that correctly?”

“Yeah.” Smidge nods her head.

“I couldn’t understand it at the time, but then there was so much about Branch I didn’t understand.” Poppy smiles a bit at the memory. Seeing Branch happy for the first time after trying to help him for so long was amazing. “That night was the first time I ever heard Branch sing. His voice is what pulled me from my despair.”

Poppy sighs. “I’m really going to miss hearing him sing.”

“Me too.” Smidge nods sympathetically. “He has such a nice voice. Who knows when we’re going to hear him sing again.”

“C’mon y’all, this is Branch we’re talking about. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that boy not sing. He can’t keep up this silence for long,” Holly says.

“All we gotta do is get Branch somewhere where he has to sing! Like make him the headliner of a major music festival. Having all the pressure on him will get him to sing for sure!” Val says.

Poppy shakes her head. “No. That won’t work. I’ve already tried it.”

“Oh my guh. The Stoutberry Festival was a disaster that year,” Smidge says, looking into the distance with a thousand-yard stare.

Biggie puts his hand on Smidge’s shoulder. “We do not talk about what happened at that year’s Stoutberry Festival,” he says with a solemn voice. 

“Maybe if we get his brothers together, we could do another BroZone reunion concert He’d probably go for that,” Viva says, while still fidgeting with Poppy’s hair. “Clay told me all about how when Branch was a baby, all he wanted to do was perform with his brothers.”

“I don’t think that would work. Branch is still so mad at his brothers.” She clutches the pillow closer to her. The memory of how angry Branch sounded when he said that he didn’t want to see them replays in her mind. Never in all her time of knowing him did he sound so angry.

“Can you blame him?” Val leans forward in her beanbag chair. “They left him as a baby for over twenty years. If I had siblings that did that to me, I’d be pissed too.”

Viva stops braiding Poppy’s hair for a second. “That’s not fair. Clay wanted to go back, but he was too busy helping me lead the Putt Putt Trolls.”

“But what was he doing before that? Because from what I heard, there were at least two years between BroZone breaking up and the Putt Putt trolls getting separated from the rest of the Pop Trolls.” Val’s voice is filled with venom. It’s a tone Poppy has only heard a few times, usually it’s when Val is defending her friends. “He couldn’t have at least bothered to visit his baby brother for one day?”  

Val’s anger isn’t surprising to Poppy. She was there when Branch explained the whole BroZone thing to her. When he brought up how they never came back, she was furious at his brothers and livid that Branch forgave them so easily. It took the combined efforts of Branch, Poppy, and a few other trolls to keep Val from confronting Branch’s brothers herself.

Viva is a different story. Despite both her and Val being close with Poppy, the two of them have never particularly gotten along, not for lack of trying. Though up until tonight, they’ve always been at least friendly with each other. “Clay was on a journey of self-discovery. He didn’t have time to go back.”

“Well, it seems like he discovered that he’s a bad brother,” Val says.  

Viva jumps off the bed. She marches over to Val. “Clay is not and never has been a bad brother. Clay was great to his brothers.”

Val sits back in her beanbag chair, unbothered by Viva’s attempt at intimidation. She laughs a little. “Yeah, he was such a great brother that none of his brothers talked to him for twenty years.” Val crosses her arms.

“I cannot believe this!” Viva points at Val. “You don’t understand, because you’re an only child!”

Val rolls her eyes. She rises out of her beanbag chair. Points right back at Viva. “I don’t need to have siblings to understand that you don’t just leave them behind without a word.”

Viva gets in Val’s face. Everyone in the room is watching them. Waiting for the impending fight. No one dares to get between them for fear of getting caught in the crossfire. “He didn’t just-”

“Stop!” Poppy shouts.

Everyone looks at Poppy, who had been quiet for most of the night. Poppy sighs. “Can we not fight please?” She sounds like she’s on the verge of tears, because she is. Seeing two people so close to her fight is painful.

Immediately, Viva and Val stand down. “Sorry, Poppy,” Val says. She doesn’t apologize to Viva though. In fact, she doesn’t even glance at Viva. She sits back down in her beanbag chair in a huff.

Viva climbs back on the bed, next to Poppy. “I’m sorry too.” She gives Poppy a hug. “I just can’t stand to hear people talk badly about Clay knowing everything that he’s been through.”

“I know,” Poppy says. But she knows that there’s more to Viva’s anger than simply defending Clay. Even though she never says it, Poppy knows that she still feels guilty about never venturing out from the golf course to find her. Hearing Val talk about Clay being a bad brother must have brought all those feelings back.

The atmosphere in the room is oppressive. Trolls don’t usually fight like this, especially this group of trolls. No one’s too sure about what to do or what to say. All of them are exchanging glances, waiting for someone to say something.

Holly Darling is the one to break the silence. “You know what would cheer Branch right up? Making him some get well soon cards!” She pulls out some construction paper from her hair.

Though that’s slightly unnecessary, given that Poppy’s pod is filled with construction paper. It’s on the floor, on every surface, and in every single drawer. Branch once spent days at Poppy’s pod trying to organize all of her scrapbooking supplies, only for it all to be undone in less than a week. Still, Poppy appreciated the effort, but most of all she loved that she got to spend so much time with Branch.

Thinking of Branch, Poppy smiles. Even though helping Branch through his recovery is going to be incredibly difficult, she has to be strong. She has to be there for him. Because if the roles were reversed and she had been the one to lose her memory, he would be there every step of the way for her. She doesn’t have a single doubt in her mind about that.

“Yeah, that sounds fun,” Poppy says.

The atmosphere in the room lightens. Everyone grabs different scrapbooking materials and gets to work. The sound of scissors cutting paper fills the room. Soon, Smidge starts talking about the latest gossip that she heard.

And for a brief second, Poppy feels like everything is normal. Like Branch could walk in with his vibrant blue colors that Poppy loves so much, and sit down next to her. Maybe he would join in on the crafts. Usually not. Usually, he was contented to sit next to Poppy and join in on the conversation.

As they work on the cards, Poppy can’t help but feel a bit sad. Normally, when Poppy gets too stressed or upset, Branch is able to bring her back with ease. He had an understanding of grief and pain that most trolls don’t. Not only that, he understood Poppy better than anyone else. But he’s not here.

It’s taken six of her closest friends to cheer her up half as well as Branch could. She feels a bit guilty for feeling so dissatisfied with how they’ve helped her. Of course, she appreciates their efforts. She loves them all so much for trying. But no amount of their efforts are going to ever be able to fully replace Branch.  

------

Spending the night in the hospital was not as restful as Branch thought it would be. Nurses kept coming in and out checking on his vitals, giving him medicine, or whatever random reason they had to barge in. He felt more like a medical experiment than a patient.

Even if the nurses left him alone, he doubts that he would have gotten any rest. The events of yesterday run through his mind on repeat. It still all feels like some strange dream that he expects to wake up from. Poppy really can’t be his girlfriend. Can she? And his brothers are back?

He read some of the scrapbooks that Poppy left for him. She wasn’t kidding when she said so much has changed. Bergens and trolls being friends is something he still can’t fully understand. They used to eat trolls every year. Did everyone collectively forget that? Did he forget that? Because it feels like he forgot that with how many of the scrapbooks show him being all buddy-buddy with the bergens.

While reading the first scrapbook, he felt a small amount of vindication to learn that everything he’d ever suspected about Creek was correct. That Creek is selfish jerk who doesn’t really care about anyone but himself. Though he never thought that Creek would go so far as sell everyone in Pop Village out to be eaten. That’s too far even for him. No wonder Poppy doesn’t like him anymore.

Thinking of Poppy, Branch wonders when she’s going to visit. Normally, Branch would push away the idea of her visiting as ridiculous, but yesterday she promised to come visit him. When Poppy makes a promise to someone she doesn’t break it.

There’s a first for everything though. Maybe she won’t come. Branch hopes she doesn’t. At the same time, Branch feels like trash for hoping that. Every part of him yearns to see her again. He just isn’t sure with everything he’s learned that he could handle being around with her without breaking into a thousand pieces.

How is he supposed to act normal around her when he knows that they were in love? When he knows that he isn’t the same troll that she’s in love with? He’s bitter. He’s angry. He’s nothing like this happy troll that he’s read about in the scrapbooks. The one who is probably a million times more pleasant to be around than him.

And shouldn’t she have better things to do than come visit him? She is the queen after all. There must be hundreds of tasks that demand her attention at any given time. Visiting him really shouldn’t be a high priority.

He looks at the brown scrapbook that lays on his bedside table in all its poorly constructed glory. It’s the one scrapbook he’s read through the most, and it’s the one that he loathes the most. The whole scrapbook is one big reminder of what he’s lost. He wants to throw it into the garbage, light it on fire, tear it apart, anything to get rid of it.

The only thing stopping him is how much that scrapbook means to Poppy. As much as it is a reminds him of the life he doesn’t remember, it’s the only thing that Poppy has left of the one she lost. That scrapbook is the only thing left standing of the thoughts and memories of the troll that Branch was before. A troll that Branch knows he will never truly be again.

Thinking of what he’s heard about his life before, how much he changed, how much he healed. It feels like he walked a thousand miles only to wake up right back where he started. Simply thinking about the amount of effort it’s going to take to even be half of what Branch was before the accident is exhausting. How he did it once before is beyond him.

The door to Branch’s room opens. At first, he thinks it’s a nurse there to do some medical thing to him, so he doesn’t really look at who entered. “Hey, Branch!” Poppy says in an incredibly cheerful tone given the circumstances.

Hearing Poppy’s voice, Branch’s heart skips a beat. He looks at her, and he’s shocked at what he sees. She looks so tired. There are bags under her eyes that she’s clearly tried to hide with make-up. Her hair is in a ponytail like it usually is, but it’s so frazzled. He wonders if she got any sleep at all last night.

“Hey,” Branch says back. He notices that Poppy is holding two more tote bags. Both of them are filled to the brim, though they don’t seem to be as heavy as the scrapbook tote bag. “What’s in the bags?”

“They’re ‘Get Well Soon’ cards!” Poppy holds up one of the bags. Branch can see that they are filled with Get Well Soon cards of all different shapes and colors. There’s so many that it seems like there’s one from every single troll in TrollsTopia. “When people heard that you were in the hospital, they kept giving me cards so that I could give them to you!”

Branch has barely been in the hospital for over 24 hours. The fact that so many trolls thought to give him “Get Well Soon” cards is almost unfathomable. Sure, every time a troll ends up in the hospital they get quite a few. Mostly from their friends and family. But never are there usually this many, especially not so soon. “There’s seems to be a lot.”

“There are!” Poppy sits in the chair next to the bed. She pulls out a few cards from the bag and starts handing them to him. “This one’s from Viva, this one’s from Cooper, this one’s from Val. Oh! And this one is from Tiny Diamond!”

She hands Branch a card that is covered in silver glitter. Branch learned about Tiny from the scrapbooks. He’s Guy Diamond’s son. It’s strange to think about Guy Diamond as a father. Even stranger that Tiny doesn’t have another parent. Though he isn’t surprised to find out that Guy Diamond is Tiny’s only parent. If trolls have a big enough ego, they can make a kid all by themselves. And Guy Diamond definitely has more than a big enough ego.    

Branch looks at the other cards in the tote bags. There’s so many names that he doesn’t recognize. But he feels like even if he did have his memories, he still wouldn’t know most of these names. There’s no way he could have known so many trolls. Most of them are probably Poppy’s friends who know him via her.

Poppy digs through her bag. She pulls out a pink card covered in glitter. “I made this one for you!” Though that’s completely obvious to Branch. He’d be able to recognize her cards anywhere. After all, he’s kept every single card and invitation that she’s ever given him.

“Thanks.” Branch gently takes the card from her.

He looks at it. There’s a little cut out of Branch in a hospital bed. A little cut out of Poppy is dressed in a doctor’s outfit. The words “Get Well Soon” are on the top of the card. At the bottom of the card in Poppy’s cute handwriting is written, “I’ll be right by your side, no matter what! I love you!” with a little heart next to it.

Looking at the card, Branch wants to cry. Poppy’s cards have always drawn emotion from him. Mostly because she was the only one who bothered to invite him to anything. But this one feels so special. “I love you.” Those three words haven’t been said to him since his grandma died. And here is Poppy, the most special and wonderful troll of all time, telling him that she loves him.

“I mean what I wrote. I love you,” Poppy says. She takes Branch’s hand. “And it doesn’t matter what happens, no matter how hard you try to push me away, I will be right by your side through everything.”

Branch’s heart rate rises through the roof. The golden morning light streaming through the hospital room’s large window illuminates Poppy making her look like she’s sent straight from the heavens. With her being the only kind troll to him, she might as well be.  

As much as he loves Poppy, he doesn’t know if he can say “I love you” back. There’s too many emotions tied up in those words. Too many emotions that he doesn’t like dealing with. Saying that one three word phrase feels too vulnerable. It feels like there’s an army of bergens searching for him and he’s trapped in an open field. How is he supposed to express love when all he’s ever known when it comes to love is abandonment? And with what’s happened, it probably isn’t going to be too long before Poppy abandons him too.

Sure, she tells him that she’ll always be by his side, but how long can that last really? Because soon she’s going to realize that the Branch she knew and loved is gone and never going to come back. And when she does, she’s going to leave Branch behind and find some other better troll who is far more deserving of her. Someone who isn’t him.

“I know,” Branch says in response. That’s all he can say. Anything more and he’d say the wrong, hurting her. It seems like every word and every action that Branch takes now could end up hurting her. Maybe that’s all he’s capable of doing. Were they even a good couple before or did he constantly say the wrong thing and hurt her?

Even then it seems like his tepid response hurt her. Poppy’s smile drops a little. Not much but enough. Most trolls wouldn’t even notice the change, but Branch does. He’s seen the change in her smile when he’s turned down her invitations a hundred times before, usually being ruder than he should be. 

“Well, I also have great news!” Poppy says. Branch can tell that she’s trying really hard to continue being positive. The way her smile doesn’t fully reach her eyes. The strain in her voice. The way she’s using her free hand to fidget with her dress. It’s so unlike her. In fact, it’s so like him.

Oh, God. Has spending time with Branch brought Poppy down? Has he destroyed the one good thing in the world by simply being around her? He hopes not. He hopes that maybe Poppy is just having a couple of bad days. But she’s Poppy. She should never have bad days.  In fact, the only reason that she’s been having bad days is because of him. He really is bringing her down.

“What is it?” he asks, trying to sound calm and not at all freaked out by the revelation he just had.

“Bruce just arrived in TrollsTopia about an hour ago,” Poppy says.

Oh right, Spruce had changed his name to Bruce. Branch wasn’t really sure why he changed it, just that he did. But what Branch really doesn’t get is why would he come all the way here. From what he read in the scrapbooks, Bruce lives so far away and has so much going on in his life. Why would he bother to come visit Branch while he’s in the hospital when he didn’t bother to come back after their grandma died?

“Is he here? In the hospital?” Branch asks.

Poppy nods. “He’s here with the rest of your brothers.” She squeezes his hand. “You don’t have to see them if you don’t want to.”

There’s two sides to Branch right now. The side that is still a little kid sitting alone in his grandma’s pod staring at the door. Desperately wishing that his brothers would walk through it and end his loneliness. And the other side that’s an adult sitting alone in the bunker he designed for him and his brothers, filled with anger knowing that they never came back. Deciding that if they never wanted to see him again, then he never wants to see them again either.

But as conflicted as he is, he knows that he can’t avoid his brothers forever. Three of them live in the same village as him now, and it seems like two of them live in the bunker with him. They aren’t going to be easy to avoid. It’s probably the best that he sees them again in here where he can kick them out if they piss him off. “No, I want to see them,” Branch lies.  

[braveclementine]

Part 18

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. Also, all of Severus and Elizabeths' childrens names are mine and mine alone.I also do not condone any copying of this.

HARRY AND GINNY POTTERS HOUSE, KITCHEN

🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶

Severus, Harry, Hermione, Elizabeth, Trang, Ginny, and Weasley were sitting in the Potters' kitchen, eating together. It was Chinese noodles, rice, and orange chicken that Severus was pretty sure Harry had cooked and it was very good, as it always was. 

"I've told Draco again and again- no one in the Ministry is saying anything about Scorpius. The rumors aren't coming from us." Granger sighed as she twisted her fork in the food. 

"I wrote to him- after he lost Astoria- to ask if there's anything we could do. I thought maybe- as he was such a good friend to Albus- maybe Scorpius might want to stay over part of the Christmas break or. . . My owl came back with a letter containing one simple sentence: 'Tell your husband to refute these allegations about my son once and for all.'" 

"He's obsessed." Hermione said. 

"Wouldn't you be?" Trang asked, putting the piece of chicken she was going to eat down. Severus thought she looked pale, which was certainly saying something. She looked almost sick and Severus was worried about her. "I mean, I can only imagine how I'd feel if people made allegations that Katie and Thomas weren't actually my children! And that's excluding the fact that Scorpius is being accused of being Voldemort's son of all people!" 

"He's grieving." Ginny sighed. 

"And I'm sorry for his loss." Weasley said to his sister, "but when he accuses Hermione of. . . well. . oi droopy drawers, like I say to her all the time, it could be nothing." 

"Her?" Hermione questioned. 

"The trolls could be going to a party, the giants to a wedding, you could be getting bad dreams because you're worried about Albus, and your scar could be hurting because you're getting old." Weasley explained. 

Severus snorted in amusement. "Old?" 

"Getting old?" Harry echoed him. "Thanks, mate." 

"Honestly, every time I sit down now I make an 'oof' noise. An 'ooof'. And my feet- the trouble I'm having with my feet- I could write songs about the pain my feet give me- maybe your scar is like that." Weasley said. 

"Maybe you should go to St. Mungos." Severus replied with a smirk. "Cause I feel none of that." 

At the same time, Ginny said, "You talk a lot of rubbish." 

"I consider it my specialty. That and my range of Skiving Snackboxes. And my love for all of you, even Skinny Ginny. Well, perhaps an exception for you Professor." 

Severus rolled his eyes. "Believe me Weasley, the feeling is mutual." 

Elizabeth smiled faintly, but he could tell that she wasn't really here. She was still stuck inside her head, where she had been since she'd left the meeting. 

"If you don't behave, Ronald Weasley, I will tell Mum." Ginny said firmly. 

"You wouldn't." Weasley responded, horrified. 

"If some part of Voldemort survived, in whatever form, we need to be prepared. And I'm scared." Hermione said. 

Severus frowned now, scooping rice into his mouth. There was no way the Dark Lord had survived. . . had he? 

"I'm scared too." Ginny said softly. 

Trang's fingers were clenched tightly around her fork, looking like she was going to pass out. 

"Nothing scares me. Apart from Mum." 

"I mean it, Harry, Elizabeth, I will not be Cornelius Fudge on this one. I will not stick my head in the sand. And I don't care how unpopular that makes me with Draco Malfoy, sorry Professor." Hermione said. 

"It's fine Granger." Severus said dryly, thinking of his godson. 

"You never really were one for popularity, were you?" Ron asked. 

"Something is wrong." Elizabeth whispered and the joking dies down around the table. 

"What? Where?" Hermione, Harry, and Severus demanded together. 

"It's Scorpius and Albus." Elizabeth said, looking up at Harry, then glancing at Severus. "They-" She was cut off as an owl swooped in through the window. 

"It's from McGonagall." Harry said, snatching the letter up out of the air, his eyes practically blurring as he read it, before looking back at his sister. "It's Albus- Albus, Scorpius, and Marinette." Severus' stomach dropped, hearing his daughters' name. "They never made it to school. They're missing."

[melodious-tear]

fic writer interview

Thank you @bitterflames for tagging me! this was fun <3

How many works do you have on AO3? currently 24

What’s your total AO3 word count? 189 321 words (more than I expected 👀)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. Amour phew: 112 2. Mail from Ye Baiyi and other inconveniences: 107 3. Bed hair: 88 4. Lava Cake: 77 5. Rhythm of the night: 59 Lava cake is actually a surprise lol. I do not like this one very much.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Always! Even if it's just a comment with some hearts. I appreciate every interaction and I also know how it feels to create something for the void, that goes for commints too.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I'd say that's "Evening with an old friend". Or "keep me cold?" oh I forgot about "Puppet play". hmmm 🤔 XD you see, I wrote lots of angsty stuff ("point of no return" is surely the worst (tm), but it's a collage so I won't count it in)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? That's "A ghost in the neon light", I think, at least out of the dark fics.

Do you write crossovers? no, not a fan of it at all

Have you ever received hate on a fic? not really, I got one passive-agressive comment from the XiYao troll back then, but apart from that I only get nice comments. one benefit of writing niche things, I guess :P

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? me, an ace, writes smut surprisingly often XDDDD, but only non-explicit

Have you ever had a fic stolen? not to my knowledge

Have you ever had a fic translated? yes, that silly little fic "Bed hair" got translated to Spanish

Have you ever co-written a fic before? no, and I'm not sure if I could do that

What’s your all-time favorite ship? oh, I can't really answer that, I love them all <333 And I'm sure there will be new ones. But XueYao was always the easiest to write for me!

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? hhhhhhhh ... I'll consider only the published WIPs, otherwise I'd have to cry XDDD "synchronize me with the night" is one of my faves and I really like to finish it someday :(((((

What are your writing strengths? that's a bit hard to say as an insider XDD I think I'm good at dialogues and I really like writing them, and my muse is a crack addict, so I thrive at funny things. otherwise ... I think I'm also good at being true to the original character traits even in a modern setting, but that's something others can judge better, I'd say

What are your writing weaknesses? to actually write of course, and also finishing things :)))) I mourn the times when I only wrote one-shots, but now I almost always get myself into multi chaps (multi as in no end in sight) - so I fall out of fandom until I can finish, or the lack of interaction gets to me, or something doesn't work out as I thought it would ... I deleted some unfinished fics that kept haunting me. it's sad, but I felt bad whenever I opened AO3

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? untranslatable things like suffixes are okay imo, and sometimes when two characters speak in a language that's foreign to the one from whose POV it's written for example, then it makes sense - otherwise I think it's not good for the reader's flow.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? SS-GB! that was before I fell into the cdrama trash bin

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to? there are quite a few, I want to write something about the snow boys (as I call them XD) from My journey to you, Luo Mingxi/Linlang (Legend of Anle), mmmmmaybe Ning Yuanzhou/Yu Shisan (A journey to love), and I still haven't written Yuan Lang/Lize Palace Leader (Love and Redemption) even though they are very dear to me!!! they are so complicated and one of them doesn't have a name ffs :(

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? please don't make me choose between my children :))))))

tagging @moonstone-vibe @bitterfrosts @qinghe-s no pressure ofc and everyone else feel free to do it!

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for tagging me, @omgpurplefattie!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

78 😅

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

864,062 - this is apparently just a bit more than Gone With The Wind....twice. I don't know how to feel about this.

What fandoms do you write for?

The Untamed (I have also written a handful of fics for Word of Honor and a very tiny one-shot for Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, but I'm definitely a CQL/MDZS author lol)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

You Need Tending - A very young, tiny Wangxian meet as children in Yunmeng and canon diverges sweetly from there.

Unexpected Solutions - LXC POV - What if the other sect leaders got to see the Burial Mounds instead of taking JGS's word for it that WWX was raising an army?

You Are Of Their Ilk - Sequel to You Need Tending, a LQR-centric fic examining what it's like to actually raise the Jades (and WWX) when he's got a Sect to run and parenting insecurities to overcome.

Plans To Make - A Wangxian-centric Time Travel Fix-it AU, technically the prequel fic to my first 3zun fic (in which the fixings-of-it have already been done and the post-canon, 5-years-in-seclusion Lan Xichen wakes up in the altered timeline wondering how the hell he has two husbands who are definitely not dead).

Professor Lan, Babysitter Extraordinaire - Modern AU Professor!LWJ spends an afternoon minding A-Yuan for Mature Student!WWX and is instantly charmed.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes! I used to respond to every single comment I got when I first started posting, but then I just got really overwhelmed and had to stop, and I've never picked up the habit again. If I feel particularly strongly about a comment or have something specific to say I'll try to respond, but otherwise I bask in them all silently (sorry, and I love y'all, I really do read every single comment I swear).

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The Shadow's Call - An extremely depressed Lan Xichen is violently dragged out of his seclusion in the Hanshi 8 years post-canon by fierce corpse NieYao, who definitely aren't sentient at all but still somehow feel incomplete without their third.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Aside from The Shadow's Call all of my fics end happily!! I just can't do the depressing ones most of the time 😅 I think some of my favorite happy endings for various reasons, though, are The Sculptor, After Each Midnight Begins A New Day, anything in the Orville Peck Cinematic Universe, and anything from the 90's Strip Mall AU, Tales From Jianghu Shopping Center. (Everything in the last two especially is just pure feel-good fluff, not only the endings haha)

Do you get hate on fics?

Not anymore! The XiYao troll must have found something better to do so we can now like JGY in peace 😌

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! I don't know what kind though 😅 the smutty kind? I don't really delve too deeply into kink or BDSM, and I don't write omegaverse or tentacles or anything all that creative; I just write what I would consider bog standard 'I'm ace and I understand people like doing this, I really hope the allos find this enjoyable to read' kind of smut. (Usually for me it's more about the emotional impact/character development use of it rather than the porn-y-ness of it, if that helps??)

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope! I like writing AU's of my favorite ships blended with other media I like, but not direct crossovers.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hope not!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! Вони — це ми/ They Are Us is a Ukrainian translation by sandbranco of 'They Are Us', El escultor By Eleanor_Fenyx is a Spanish Translation by ellieffect and KabiBaali of 'The Sculptor', and another Spanish Translation of 'The Sculptor' by GabyObando13. I'm always so flattered when someone likes something of mine enough to do such an incredible labor of love as translating it ❤

What's your all-time favorite ship?

3zun, my beloveds

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Plans To Make - In an ideal world I would finish this soon so I can stop being eaten up with low-simmering guilt about it (along with several other projects, let's be real), but the fact of the matter is that I never actually wanted to write the full fix-it for this universe in the first place. I started Lan Xichen's introduction into this universe after the fix-it has already happened partially because I find that dynamic of a depressed Lan Xichen suddenly partnered with a happily married NieYao really interesting, but also because I don't like all the tangled threads of a universe-wide fix-it and I knew I'd get way too bogged down in details to really enjoy it. That's exactly what's happened, and that's partially why the fic has been sitting so long without an update. I do really want to finish it one day, though.

What are your writing strengths?

I occasionally get comments praising my characterization/character voices, so hopefully that's one. I also like to think that I do a decent job with accurately communicating both relatable and not-quite-as-relatable experiences - queerness of various flavors, neurodivergence, strangely specific life experiences...I usually try to write what I know, and I'm always happy when it resonates with people in the ways that I'd hoped for while writing them.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel like I can get sooo long-winded, and I'm also kind of bad for setting up plotty bits in my longer fics that I never actually follow through on.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

The furthest I'll go is honorifics that I'm confident with using, I absolutely do not trust myself or any online translator to attempt whole lines of dialogue.

First fandom you wrote for?

BBC Sherlock - those fics are all orphaned now, though

Favorite fic you've written?

I'm going to choose three just because I can: After Each Midnight Begins A New Day (3zun), The Sculptor (Wangxian), and Main Objective : Destroy Yiling Laozu (Breath of the Wild AU, my beloved)

I'm going to tag: @little-smartass, @wei--wuxian, @scarlet-gryphon, @wishthatiwasnessiesgirl, @threephasebird, and anyone else who writes who wants to play!

[bough-25]

What kind of troll are you?

Continued of last post

All of them resurface and swim towards the shore and shake the water off themselves. "Well hot diggity dog! that was a good chase back there right Bough!?" Hickory says to Bough, who's still shaking the water off and puffs up. "Ya know that Mrs. Dawn is gonna get ya later on, Hickory." Bough responded back with a hint of sarcasm (only Hickory(and somehow Clay) known to was sarcastic)). Poppy got up and induced her and the others to both of them and asked them to help them find the Funk Trolls, before any of them said a word, Clay hopped in and asked if he could borrow Poppy real quick:

"Poppy, you don't know any of them especially the big scary werewolf-like troll, Are you sure we can trust them?" Clay quickly said to her "Clay, there is nothing to be afraid of and yes I trust them, Why? Because they are going to help us find Funk Trolls so we could ask for help, and besides he looks like you but just more scary and meaner looking than you." Clay couldn't get through Poppy's thick head and except it "sigh fine but if any one of them tries to hurt you two, I'm not thinking twice about hurting them." Clay's eyes slightly glow a hot pink color "Great then let's go" both turns and see a huge boat in front of them. All of them (except for Bough) were amazing and joyful that "Hopped on." Bough say "we don't have all day, Pops." And off they go.

Hours later, Bough was sitting on the edge of the boat and thinking about things (mostly about his people and his friends). He didn't notice Clay was quiet walking up to him and tapped his shoulder, Bough kinda jumped and his eyes quickly glowed pale red but faded away also Clay's eyes also glowed a pale pink and faded away as well

Clay: sorry if I spook you and I didn't know that your eyes can glow as well?

Bough: no worries and same here for you as well, I thought Pops' eyes don't glow like the others.

Clay: Oh! Well only some of us, the others can't, you know us Pops we are always happy and joyful 24/7.

Bough looks at Clay with curiosity

Bough: what the other emotions like sadness or anger?

Clay: well, the others don't like it if other emotions pop up.

Bough: * quietly chuckle* soooo who's the pink troll name

Clay looks behind see Poppy and returns to the conversation

Clay: hmm Oh that's Poppy, the Queen of the Pop trolls and my name is Clayton or Clay for short, what's your name?

Bough: the name, Bough and I'm the Head Leader of the Metal Trolls

Clay looks confused and also curious

Clay: Metal Trolls?

Bough: yup, we are closely related to the Hard Rock Trolls but more kind and peaceful trolls but who are built for fighting and protecting.

Clay was amazed and asked if any of his brothers were there but Bough snook his head no and said sorry I don't know any trolls with those names and he keeps an eye out for them and also why. Clay explained that he and his brothers are half Pop and metal and what he looks like this.

Bough was amazing to hear that a Pop troll and Metal Troll got together and had four children. True love he thought

They continue to talk about each other's hobbies, roles, and many more until Bough hears a familiar jazz musician (shit where did he put his gumdrops at)

[annjensenbooks-blog]

Never forget what you post may be your last words.

I've restarted this post several times and now am at the F-it stage so forgive my strange rambling.

Several months ago, my ex-husband and father of my two teenage children died of a heart attack at the age of 49. My son, who is on the autism spectrum, was staying with him at the time and called me in a panic. My daughter and I drove as quickly as possible and the three of us were present while EMTs tried unsuccessfully to save his life. To say I have large feelings on the event would be an epic understatement.

I'll save talking about the impacts from that day for other posts. What is relevant to what I want to say today is what was on his computer screen at the moment of his death:

"The pain in my jaw and chest is so bad I barely slept last night. I've done some research and am sure that I have TMJ. This is a nightmare. The f-ing medical system is an expensive joke designed to suck our money out. "

There were several friends sympathizing with his pain and agreeing that medical care was too inconvenient and expensive. Which he responded to with...

"I'm glad I took those EMT classes or I would right now be wasting thousands of dollars on going to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack or stroke."

That was three hours before his death and as far as I can tell the last thing he said to anyone. From the autopsy he'd been having a heart attack for an extended period of time. From what I've read he might have survived if he'd gotten treatment right away. Those are the facts as I know them. Now here is what I have to say after months of grief, anger, and frustration.

What the F*C%!

If you even think you are having a medical emergency, don't stall or let money concerns stop you from calling 911. Our country has laws for emergency rooms that mean they can't turn you away. Your continued life is worth risking having a debt you might not be able to pay. This is especially important if you have family or children who will be devastated by your death.

Ok I'll admit, I became his ex-wife for many, many reasons so take what I'm going to say with a grain of salt. His last post was frustrating but that was just the tip of the iceberg. He was extremely active on social media advocating for trans/gay rights, socialism, and homeless rights. On the surface all of those seem like positive things but what I'm really struggling with the fact that a man I once loved left behind a legacy of online hate and vitriol.

He was a troll. He would find people who opposed his views and go after them with personal and vicious attacks. Instead of posting the informed and well thought out arguments I know he was capable of he would stoop to name calling and petty insults. He saw it as his mission to go after anyone not on the extreme left with the same tactics as people on the extreme right use only in reverse.

If you haven't guessed yet I don't agree that hate speech or attacks in any direction is productive. Differing opinions and values are an important part of our freedom as Americans. I do hate that in the sound bite society we live in basic human respect is often ignored in favor of shock value. My favorite quote from one of the smartest women I've ever heard speak is "When they go low, we go high."

In the online world it seems like everyone feels that they need to not only share their opinions but defend them with a vigor that can only be compared to ancient gladiators. The shelter that being behind a computer has brought out the worst in people and I really wish that before hitting 'send' that people might stop for a minute and ask, "What if these were my last words to the world?"

My children in their grief scoured social media to preserve anything they could of their father. Unfortunately, they were shocked by a lot of what they found. Because he didn't set his privacy settings on his posts or keep his more extreme activities off the public forums instead of being remembered as the intelligent educated man he was, his children looked back on his words and only saw the anger.

As an author my books will live on and while some of the characters may share my morals and views what I write is fiction. I don't want this to be all that is known about me. This blog is going to be about the woman behind the words, not the perfect image that most people put on social media but the gritty truth. I'm going to write about my struggles and thoughts from the past, present and eventual future. One day I hope my kids will read this and understand who I am and be proud.

Disclaimer:

If you found this by searching specifically for me your internet-fu is strong or the AI searching gods are scary

Yes, this is the blog of the author Ann Jensen

No, this will not be curated content about releases or what I'm working on (www.annjensenwrites.com has that stuff)

This Blog is my therapy and a journal of my rants/raves/realizations about life.

Read/enjoy/hate at your own risk because it's not for you it's for me.

If you go back and read my old posts, you will be very confused by this content because I haven't posted in years (I forgot I had an account).

Why not start a new blog you ask?

Because I'm Lazy

I don't want to lose the old content (It makes me nostalgic)

This post is a new beginning for me on this platform. I plan to tell stories from my life, share some lessons I've learned and hopefully work out some pent-up anger and grief.

[teenmomcentral]

Teen Mom alum Kailyn Lowry clapped back at a troll that compared her to Nick Cannon after she welcomed twins in November 2023.

The drama began when Kailyn, 31, took to TikTok on February 10 to reveal some of the names she considered giving son Verse and daughter Valley. While many fans took to the comments section to share their opinions on the monikers, one person took the opportunity to compare the number of children Kailyn has to Nick, 43. The twins mark the former reality star’s sixth and seventh children, while the Masked Singer host is the proud father to 12 kids.

Responding to Kailyn’s comment in the caption that she wished she “could use all of these names,” the social media user wrote, “[You’re] the female Nick Cannon so it works.” Kailyn then slammed the fan for their lack of originality by sarcastically replying, “Good one. I’ve never heard any other insult like it before.”

Kailyn announced that she and boyfriend Elijah Scott were expecting twins just two weeks after she shocked fans by revealing she secretly gave birth to baby No. 5 in October 2023. She gave birth in November 2023, though did not confirm the arrival of the babies until January.

In addition to Verse and Valley, the Delaware resident shares sons Isaac with ex Jo Rivera, Lincoln with ex-husband Javi Marroquin, Lux and Creed with ex Chris Lopez, and Rio with Elijah, 25.

Kailyn clapped back at the comparison to Nick after she made it clear that she is done having kids. “No more pregnancy, no more pregnancies, no more surprise pregnancies, unplanned pregnancies, pregnancy, surrogacy, none of it. It’s all done. The chapter of motherhood will be closing as far of baby-making, but I’m excited for my kids,” she said during the November 3, 2023, episode of her “Barely Famous” podcast.

The MTV alum continued to insist that she won’t have any more children by explaining that doctors “cut [her] tubes out” when she gave birth to the twins. ‘This is taking f–king forever,” she said during a January episode of “Barely Famous.”

Elijah then confirmed that the tube removal happened, noting that he was by her side at the hospital. “You literally came to and said, ‘I want to see my tubes,’ as they were taking the tubes out,” he recalled before Kailyn revealed she saw her tubes after the surgery was complete.

The mother of seven said she was happy with her decision to not have more kids, though admitted she second-guessed having the procedure. “When I was signing the paperwork for the tubes, they were like, ‘You could have [side effects].’ In the side effects they include regret,” she told her listeners. “I was like, ‘Oh, seven kids, I would never regret this.’ I would be lying if I didn’t have quick glimmers of thought [afterward].”

“I feel done. I don’t regret it. But also, if I did not get my tubes taken out and got pregnant again it would not, like … it wouldn’t have upset me,” Kailyn continued. “But I’m, like, done. We were done. We made that decision before [the twins were born].”

[finsterhund]

bruh it’s infuriating how poor some people’s media literacy is

seeing a bit of a trend as of late with people being all “how come in heart of darkness the only sentient beings on this planet are the amigos and the master and vicious? this isn’t realistic and blah blah blah” (Mefudoka screaming in the background “I had a line of dialogue too you fucking idiot”)

Like I thought it was pretty fucking obvious that the Amigos are the only survivors of the “blight” (sorry I am so sorry) of spectre life spreading across the planet. And they’re like, one poor apple(?) harvest from becoming functionally extinct and they do not appear to have any children in their village and blah blah blah.

So to answer, the Master/spectres have (unintentionally or otherwise) done such a good job at eradicating all the natural life in that world that only this one village of flying creatures that live on a floating island and struggle to find food have survived.

what is with people who want to just completely make something new but insist on it being “HoD” because idk. Reminds me of the people who get into anything regardless of what it is and INSIST on shipping something. Won’t get into a media because it has “nothing shippable” and shit so they’re like writing yaoi about the two male characters that had the most dialogue together in some random old piece of english lit they have to read in school. WHAT. 

Like why are people so scared to make their own thing? I can see why big media conglomerates are always making shitty inferior reboots and such but bro with a twitter account and a passion for a completely different form of storytelling too? What???

There’s an opportunity for prequel material that shows what the planet was like before this problem was so widespread. And it would be really cool to make species based off of the sick as hell skeletons you see littered around the world. Mostly draconian in appearance and BIG. But nope. it’s always wanting to add clutter to Andy’s relatively basic straightforward hero’s journey plot. what.

Also I’m going to really try not to go on a tangent about people and their criminally unfitting OCs but something I see a lot is people wanting to just throw furries into the mix.

Listen, I have a fursona. I partake in the furry art. But what in the fuck you guys. At this point make your own thing??? I am reminded of the weirdo with a bunch of really stupid ideas who literally would not stop spamming me in DMs and wouldn’t even wait a day for me to respond before spamming me more who had like this whole bunny man OC idea that I thought FOR SURE was an elaborate attempt at trolling me but apparently it was genuine!!!???

Apparently “if it doesn’t have furries it’s inferior” is ALSO a relatively common mindset a lot of people have and I know this because I was *kinda* like this in my “I won’t watch anything without a dog or a cool weapon on the cover” phase in childhood.

Idk I’m just frustrated and exhausted and pissed off by people with ideas that’d be cool on their own but suck balls and do not fit and would objectively ruin shit in a “too many cooks in the kitchen” way when jammed into HoD.

They always want to “make a reboot/remaster” too. Never a prequel or sequel.

You’d do numbers at disney. You should apply 😒

[doug-lewars]

Editing 17JAN23

Banion looked into his wine as if expecting an answer to emerge from its the depths of the glass. “Well,” he said slowly, “I believe that one it is unusually fond of those kids - the girl in particular. So suppose they were somewhere in the proximity of Dwarfhome and the troll thought they were in some form of danger. It would go charging up there and woe betide anyone or any dwarf that got in its way. Then if we were on hand we could protect the dwarfs, defeat the troll before the warriors emerged and there would be no loss of life - other than the troll’s of course.”

“How would the troll even know what was going on?” asked Himcher.

“Good point,” responded Banion. “I think it would be best to Maybe we could allow the boy to escape. It would have to be done carefully so that If he thought he’d done it on his own but once he was free he’d go running for help and the most likely place he’d run would be to the troll’s cave because he’d know that the troll was strong and powerful could bring a strength and power to bear that he never could. I think that would be quite effective.”

Rimmion spoke. “No I don’t think we could do that. Yes it would work. Yes the dwarves would have to take us seriously and negotiate regarding the right of passage through the tunnel. All that would work and I realize that it wouldn’t be too difficult to grab the kids, tie them up and use them for bait.  and yes, True, once the troll believed they were in danger it would immediately rush to their rescue and attack anything it saw along the way. All that would work and might, in the long term, even prevent another elven and dwarf war that would bring ruin and death to so many here in Elfhome and abroad; however, I can’t see it as being ethical to kidnap the two children and even pretend to threaten their lives. It may be argued that it was all in benefit of a greater good - that trolls are really nothing but rather unintelligent animals on a par with earthworms and fairies but still, it is something that I, as leader of the council could never approve.”  

Himcher nodded, “Yes, of Of course you’re correct. As elves we need to maintain our integrity even if the dwarves do not and not concerned with such matters. Still, even though we can’t carry it out, it’s still a fine plan - at least conceptually. But you know? That’s the thing about ideas. They tend to get around. You think of something and you imagine that you’re the only one who’s thought of it and then someone else turns up with the exact same thought. It’s always possible that someone Someone else in Elfhome, someone who doesn’t have council responsibilities might stumble across enact that plan or one that was very much like it and take steps .  It’s always possible.”

[onigiri-dorkk]

Was going to respond in the reply section to @ackerspace's glorious tag novel but know it'll prob be a long ass response LOL but YES. YES YES YES. To everything you said!

Ackerman Titan-DNA experiments likely started right around/during original King Fritz's rule, right after he discovered Titan powers can be passed down by consumption through his children and descendants. We KNOW Fritz was crazy af about passing Titan powers so it makes sense he (or whoever soon came after him) likely started the Titan-human bloodline that are the Ackermans. In Isayama's tree it says that these Ackermans were a Clan that served and protected the Fritz royalty since then.

Actually, YES the tree says "Ackermans: Served the King long ago" which implies the original King Fritz.

What this specifically establishes is that the Ackerman bloodline is literally just as old and longstanding as Ymir's bloodline. Like I'ma just start calling them Subjects of Ackerman so that we get it STRAIGHT. The reason why the Ackerman clan SEEMS so small now (with only two KNOWN descendants; Levi and Mikasa) is only because of persecution that happened after the 145th King Fritz realized they can't succumb to memory-alteration and they actually fought back somehow. It wiped out as many as they could discover, but not all of them.

This is always my biggest point of emphasis: that it took from King Fritz #1 all the way to King Karl Fritz #145 (a whopping 145 GENERATIONS of their bloodline outspreading through the nation) before they even made their way into the Walls of Paradis. Which means whatever branches of Ackermans that made it into the Walls were already distantly connected.

Considering Kenny's grandfather was, who knows, maybe 80+ years old, and the Walls are over 100 years old, there must only be 1 or 2 generations before Kenny's grandfather of the Ackermans living in the Walls. Nowhere does it say there was only one singular branch that entered the walls -- in fact, it says that all Ackermans either A) got persecuted, B) dropped their surnames (the persecuted generations refused to tell their children of the lore or pass down the Ackerman last name until those newer generations simply just weren't aware that they're Ackermans), or C) knew/kept their surnames but simply ran away and secluded themselves, which is what Mikasa's branch family did.

We do know that Levi/Kenny/Grandpa Ackerman are part of the main family -- in Clans, the Head Clansmen often passes down the Head position to their son, and then they pass it to theirs, so on so forth. So their direct line is of this main family, which is cool. But this just means that for this line of the family, it's more important for the men to hold onto their Ackerman name.

But it's wild to think about how many Ackermans being persecuted in the Walls dropped their surnames and never told their children. Or ran away, like Mikasa's family. And MORE that actually got killed. THERE WERE MANY, MANY ACKERMANS. And if more were revealed, people would be quick to understand that Levi and Mikasa are NOT part of a small 'family' the way Western audiences recognize 'family', but that they just two KNOWN survivors of essentially a small race.

For even MORE context, if the Ackermans were not persecuted after being brought into the Walls, they would probably just as much be prominent and outspread throughout the Walls as all Subjects of Ymir. Like I said, they are to be viewed as Subjects of Ackerman. And there likely are an amount roaming the Walls who just don't know their ancestry.

And LOL YES so I don't even watch GoT (I know, I know, I'm sorry!!) but it's interesting how the general public LOVES the Targaryens and that Clan dynamic they have with each other and I love that you pointed that out. There's so much misunderstanding around them, too, and yet it's popular af anyway because the ones who get it, GET IT. I agree tho, sometimes I want to troll the living hell out of anti's. LET THE ACKERMAN BLOODLINE GO HAM. LET LEVI PROCREATE WITH ALL THE MISTRESSES AND CONCUBINES TO CARRY OUT THE BLOODLINE, BITCHES

Jk but you know what I mean LOL.

Anyway, I'm curious by what Fanlore is?!!? I'm nosey as hell and would love to see the discourse and discussion about this amongst the non-shippers. I'm just honestly happy that these canon elements are finally being talked about amongst the 'regulars' (LMAO) of the fandom, and that normal people are discovering how dumb RM anti's have been all these years. The more it's talked about, the more people learn, the more people (who don't panic over acceptable and healthy age gaps) will understand the god-tier ship that is Rivamika

ANYWAY LOL IM OFFICIALLY DONE @ackerspace I apologize LOL

Will y'all go on twitter and support this tweet?!

There's an AOT analyzer I've followed for quite awhile and they posted helping to clarify to the fandom that Levi and Mikasa aren't closely related!

On one hand, I'm very annoyed that this is all stuff that we've shouted from the rooftops since Day 1, but no one listens or wants to believe because they think ~if it's coming from a Rivamika I don't want to hear it~ even tho we've been right all along. *rolls eyes*

On another note, it has ALWAYS been so confusing to me why no one in the non-ship fandom (until now) speaks up about it. Clearly not everyone is dumb to not comprehend the info; clearly there are more people (like this acc) who actually interpreted it correctly, right?! If so, then where tf are they whenever everyone calls them cousins/uncle/niece?

LOL idk I have mixed feelings. Just sucks that it's been SO ingrained in the fandom to ridicule us and call us 'incest supporters' without thought, to the point that no one will listen to us even when we're saying the truth. And all it takes is one non-shipper to post about it and finally get the conversation rolling to the general fandom. Anyway...

a big fuck you to the larger fandom still, though

thanks favoredfire for being a real one

[sunnyyyyyyyynnus]

"Will You Marry Me?"

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Pairing: Douxie x Fem!Reader

Warning: none i can i think of

Summary: Doux proposes in the middle of a battle cus it's "romantic" and also cus there's a chance one of you could die

A/n: ( this is based of off Elizabeth and Will's wedding in Pirates of the Caribbean) I know that during the battle, both Douxie and Merlin were off fighting Morgana but for the sake of this oneshot, just pretend that they fought the Gumm-Gumm army for a bit, about 20 minutes or so, alright?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are four Gumm-Gumm trolls surrounding me and I'm having trouble fighting them off. I've taken down two but another one has already taken their place. Suddenly Douxie appears next to me and helps me take all of them down. As soon as the last toll has been turned to stone, I turn to go and help the others but Douxie grabs my arm and pulls me towards him. He stares at me for a second, gasping for breath before he asks, raising his voice so that I can hear him, "Y/n, will you marry me?"

I stand still for moment, my mouth hanging open. My body is numb and I feel as though my brain has stopped functioning. Hisirdoux Casperan, the guy I've been in love with for over nine-hundred years, just asked me to marry him. In the middle of a battle. How romantic.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I see a troll running in my direction, sword raised. Douxie lets go of my arm as I spin around to shoot the oncoming troll with my magic, screaming over my shoulder, shock still evident in my voice "I DON'T THINK NOW'S THE BEST TIME!"

"NOW MAY BE THE ONLY TIME!" Douxie responds, turning another troll to stone with his sky blue magic. We both take down another troll before Douxie grabs my arm again, this time pulling me so close to him that our noses almost touch "I love you" he says, staring into my eyes and I feel a blush creep up the bridge of my nose as I gaze back into his beautiful eyes.

He lets go of me yet again to shoot down a troll that just came out of nowhere before grabbing my shoulders and turning me around so that my back is to the trees "I've made my choice, what's yours?"

I stare at him, lost in thought: I love him, I really do, but...there are so many things that could happen, things that could hurt both of us, things that could go terribly wrong. But you love him, and he loves you, isn't that enough?  a small voice whispers in my mind, and with that, I've made my choice.

"MERLIN!"

Ignoring the very confused expression on Douxie's face, I spin on my heel to face Merlin who's fighting five trolls at once "MARRY US!" I scream in his direction.

Blasting all five trolls away from him, Merlin turns to me and yells "I'M A LITTLE BUSY AT THE MOMENT!"

He then turns to blast a spell at a troll that came from behind him as Douxie and I fight off more Gumm-Gumms "MERLIN! NOW!" Douxie screeches at the wizard.

"FINE THEN!" he turns two more trolls to stone before clambering onto a large boulder and stands there, shooting at a few more trolls. Douxie shoots at one more troll before grabbing my waist and pressing my  back against his chest. He smiles down at me as my face turns pink.

"DEARLY BELOVED! WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY..." A troll lunges at the older wizard who dodges just in time "...TO SEND YOU CREATURES OF HELL BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!" yells Merlin as he shoots a spell at the Gumm-Gumm.

Doux and I share an eyeroll as he lets go of me so that we can attack the trolls that are surrounding us "Y/f/n, do you take me to be your husband?" "I do!" I reply. Douxie beams at me "Great!" 

Several more trolls swing their swords at us like a bunch of untrained five year old children, but we dodge them easily and shoot our spells "Hisirdoux Casperan! Do you take me..." I dodge a sword and kick a shin "...To be your wife..." Douxie takes my hand and spins me around so that I can get a clearer shot at an oncoming troll "...In sickness and in health..." Douxie spins me back to him and hits a troll with the pointier part of his staff "...With health being the less likely?"

Hitting a couple more trolls so that there aren't anymore around us, Douxie answers "I do!"

"AS MASTER WIZARD I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU..." All three of us shoot the same spell at more trolls running towards us "YOU MAY KISS!" I pick up a fallen sword and stab a troll with it. Douxie traps another troll while Merin shoots three different spells, one after the other "YOU MAY KISS!" Douxie and I are standing back to back, fending off the Gumm-Gumms while Merlin turns to help Arthur "JUST KISS!" He yells over his shoulder before rushing off to help the others, a smile forming on his face. Douxie creates a small shield around us and turns to me, but before he can do anything, I grab his arm and pull him to me this time, placing my lips on his. He kisses me back deeply. Somewhere near us, I hear Steve shouting "HEY LANCE LOOK LOOK! AWWWWWWW" and I hear some clapping but at the same time, I barely register it. All the sounds around us are fading away and it's just me and Douxie, now and hopefully forever.

Douxie pulls back, but not too far, and presses his forehead against mine. "I love you" he smiles and I reply with a smile in return and a kiss on his cheek. "Y'know, as much as I'd love to stay here with you" I say "we've got a battle to win" I gesture to everything that's going on beyond his shield. Nodding in agreement, he lifts the spell, but not before kissing me one more time.

We run off into the battle, and I'll admit, despite the happiness, I'm scared. But I know that we'll get through this. Together.