#sophia callahan

[whatcha-reading-today]

Great reads of 2024

Bye 2024, while you were a long and grueling year but at least there were some great reads to pass the time. In total, I read 333 books according to goodreads. I read a ton of horror, sci-fi, romance, and horror romances and will list some of my favorites and surprises by genre.

Favorite horror stories:

For being creeped and disgusted. Most of these stories deal with some real world nastiness like homophobia, transphobia, and racism.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle: Misha is a screenwriter being forced to kill his popular gay characters but what's that? His monsters are coming to life? Such a fucking blast.

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due: our MC is sent to a 'reformatory' where boys behaviors are 'corrected'. This is pretty horrific and forces the reader to confront the horrors of racism.

Compound Fracture & The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White: I recommend all three of AJW's books, CF is more thriller while TSBIT is full on body horror and violence.

Fluids by May Leitz: The most disgusting book I've read this year! Want to read about lesbians doing absolutely awful things to themselves and others due to desperation? This is for you!

The Library on Mount Char by Scott Hawkins: God has a bunch of children stuck in a library and bad shit is happening. Think a speedrun of Gideon and Harrow. Wild and fun.

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo: This novella focuses on our nurse MC forced to help an Appalachian town in the 1920's. There's racism, transphobia, and some horrific transformation sequences. This has one of the most memorable sex scenes I've read this year.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters: A classic haunted house story. The creeping and building dread is so wonderful.

Favorite Romances:

These are sweet and fun romances. I enjoyed the audiobooks for each of these stories.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch: this is such a cute story that involves the princes of Christmas and Halloween. I'm not over that every time our Halloween prince curses silly plastic decorations appear.

Swift and Swaddled by Lyla Sage: Super sweet western romance with our golden retriever MMC and black cat FMC. Cute!

Favorite Horror Romances:

Come for the gorgeous covers, stay for the body horror, the rot, and violence that may end in romance.

Tenderly, I am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone (ARC-TBR July 2025): gothic romance that I found so engrossingly written. Highly recommend if you're looking for an incredible gothic romance.

My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino: Leah wishes her brother away, at which point he's kidnapped by the Lord of the Wood and has to reclaim her brother. Beautiful and sad, more horror than romance.

Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt: This is cult horror, our MMC is a sacrifice slated for his father's cult and our FMC just wants to help.

Favorite Romantasies:

More fantasy than romance, these fantastical stories are both book 1 in a series and do a great job of setting the stage for some elaborate fantasy and eventual romances.

Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole: super fun, our FMC is a healer and the MMC is the prince and also a sort of demigod.

Nightstrider by Sophia Slade: This is a great start to a fantasy with two worlds--ours and a dream world. Little romance here but a really fantastical set up.

Favorite General Fiction:

Foster by Claire Keegan: this book is like 80 pages and is so good. We follow a girl sent to live with some older foster parents because her family are about to have another kid (I believe they already have like 9?). This was just so beautiful.

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg: An exploration of queerness, gender, and power in the 1990s. This is a tough read but such an important part of queer history.

Blackouts by Justin Torres: A conversation between an old and a young man who explore and examine what it means to be queer interspersed with blackout poetry.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks: This explores the life of a horse through multiple perspectives. I'm not a horse girlie and I can't stop thinking about this freaking horse.

Favorite Nonfiction:

Truman by David McCullough: this behemoth covers ALL of Truman's life from birth to death and between. I found it enlightening especially before visiting Hiroshima.

Who Would Believe a Prisoner?: Indiana's Women's Carceral Institutions, 1848-1920 by The Indiana Women's Prison History Project: This is a collection of published articles by inmates at Indiana Women's Prison on the history of Indiana's Women Prison. The abuse and the ugliness surrounding the history of the prison is well explored.

Who's Afraid of Gender? by Judith Butler: I loved that Butler isn't fucking around this book. They postulate and describe where hatred and fear of gender come from and smashes every logical fallacy you can think of.

American Predator by Maureen Callahan: A detailed account of the murders and manhunt of Israel Keyes. Fast paced and quick true crime read.

Favorite Surprises:

These are all new authors for me. For all of these, I picked these up on a whim and was blown away.

The Theseus Duology by Mary Renault: a lovingly memoir-esque story of Theseus.

Death in the Spires by KJ Charles: this is a dark academia murder mystery. Think 'I know what you did last summer' but in old timely London. I've only read Charles' romances and oh boy was this a delight!

The Borrowed Hills by Scott Preston: this is about sheep farmers who plan a heist and things just go horribly wrong. So artfully written, such wonderful creeping dread.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim: this is a courtroom thriller told from the perspective of several characters. Sort of slow moving in parts but I found this to be a breathtaking read.

[iliketopgun]

Blue Bloods OCs

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Name: Cecilia Betty Reagan

Nicknames: Cece, Cel, Cecily

Aliases: Caitlin Russell, Jessica Dennings, Olivia Lewis

Titles: Detective Reagan (professionally), Miss Reagan (personally)

Age: Twenty-five

Job: New York Police Department criminal behavior analyst

Family: Henry Reagan (Paternal Grandfather), Betty Reagan (Paternal Grandmother, Deceased), Francis Reagan (Father), Mary Reagan (Mother, Deceased), Daniel Reagan (Older Brother), Erin Reagan (Older Sister), Joseph Reagan (Older Brother, Deceased), Jameson Reagan (Twin Brother), Linda Reagan (Sister-in-law), Jack Reagan (Nephew), Sean Reagan (Nephew), Sophia Reagan (Niece), Nicole Reagan-Boyle (Niece), Joseph Hill (Nephew), Jack Boyle (Ex-Brother-in-law)

Status: Alive

Played by: Phoebe Tonkin

Name: Sophia Mary Reagan

Nicknames: Soph, Danny 2.0

Titles: Miss Reagan

Age: Twelve

Family: Daniel Reagan (Father), Linda Reagan (Mother), Jack Reagan (Younger Brother), Sean Reagan (Younger Brother), Henry Reagan (Paternal Great-Grandfather), Betty Reagan (Paternal Great-Grandmother, Deceased), Francis Reagan (Paternal Grandfather), Mary Reagan (Paternal Grandmother, Deceased), Erin Reagan (Paternal Aunt), Jameson Reagan (Paternal Uncle), Cecilia Reagan (Paternal Aunt), Joseph Reagan (Paternal Uncle, Deceased), Nicole Reagan-Boyle (Paternal Cousin), Jack Boyle (Ex-Uncle), Joseph Hill (Paternal Cousin), Sofie Lightner (Maternal Cousin), Wendy Lightner (Maternal Aunt), James O'Shea (Maternal Uncle)

Status: Alive

Played by: Danielle Rose Russell

Name: Carina Maria Callahan

Nicknames: 'Rina, Cari, Baby Sister, Detective Badass

Aliases: Lori Valli, Victoria Williams, Quinn Johnson

Titles: Officer Callahan (formerly), Detective Callahan (professionally), Miss Callahan (personally)

Age: Twenty-six

Job: Detective out of the 12th precinct (formerly), A member of Commissioner Frank Reagan's council (currently)

Family: Jason Callahan (Father, Enstranged), Maria Callahan (Mother), Calliope Callahan (Older Sister)

Love interest: Jameson Reagan

Status: Alive

Played by: Jennifer Love Hewitt

Name: Calliope Lily Callahan

Nicknames: Callie, Cal, Big Sis, Dr. Big Sis

Titles: Doctor Callahan (professionally), Miss Callahan (personally)

Age: Twenty-seven

Job: Medical doctor at Saint Victor's hospital

Family: Jason Callahan (Father, Enstranged), Maria Callahan (Mother), Carina Callahan (Younger Sister)

Status: Alive

Played by: Liz Gillies

[dwsavideos]

Here is a guide to the Sing Street cast’s original music and other projects in case you’re a fan of Sing Street or if you’re interested in learning more about both Sing Street (musical) and the cast! Since they met in 2019, this cast has been making things together almost nonstop. It’s a very long post so just scroll through and click the links to the songs if you are interested!

Max Bartos (OBC Darren): Max’s biggest musical inspiration is Green Day plus he’s a huge fan of Spring Awakening. His music really reflects his musical favorites and his talent in his album called “Such Is Life” and his single “Playlist of My Life.” You can listen to those anywhere you stream music. Max is also in the process of writing a musical, another album, and he has a podcast called “Clowns ‘R’ Us” where he talks about all things horror! Max also has his own theatrical group who will be putting on a Spring Awakening Concert at the Laurie Beechmen Theatre in NYC on June 17th. Former Sing Street cast mate Skyler Volpe (OBC Anne Lawlor) will be in this concert playing bass in the band. (Tickets are on sale for my many Spring Awakening fans if you’re interested and live in NY!)

Ilan Eskenazi (OBC U/S Conor): has a sensuous song out called “Next to Me” which features the voices and musical talents of himself, along with former Sing Street cast mates Skyler Volpe (OBC Anne Lawlor) and Brendan C. Callahan (OBC Gary). “Next to Me” is available on all streaming platforms.

Skyler Volpe: As mentioned above, Skyler is one of the featured voices in Ilan Eskenazi’s song “Next to Me”. Skyler also plays the bass in an NYC band called “Themme” and also occasionally plays other gigs around New York- a few being with former Sing Street cast mates Gian Perez, Anthony Genovesi, and Sam Poon; and she also sometimes plays at 54 Below. Skyler is also in the Original cast recording of a show called “The Hello Girls” which is really good. That cast recording is streaming on all platforms. Skyler also wrote a play called “One Drop Cool” and is currently working on staging it!

Sam Poon (OBC Eamon): releases music under the name “Spoonuel”. Some popular songs of theirs that I personally like are “B With Me”, and “A Manic Hello”. They also produce music for their girlfriend and fellow DIY music artist Chloe Berry. Both Sam and Chloe constantly have music coming out, and their music can be streamed on all platforms. Sam also produces music for former Sing Street cast mate Brenock O’Connor, and sometimes plays gigs with other Sing Street alumni such as Gian Perez (OBC & Boston Kevin), Anthony Genovesi (OBC & Boston Declan), and Skyler Volpe. Sam and Brenock’s most recent song together is called “Macho”.

Anthony Genovesi: is a drummer who plays gigs in NYC with many with his former Sing Street cast mates’ bands such as Gian Perez, Jakeim Hart (OBC Larry), and Sam Poon. Anthony also has his own song out titled “Swim ‘Til You Die”.

Sophie Hearn (OBC Raphina U/S): has a beautiful song out titled “Wasn’t I” streaming on all platforms.

Gian Perez: Is in a band called “Office Hours” and also in a band called “SU$HI” with Anthony Genovesi. He also releases music as a solo artist under the name “No Love For Cowboy”. He is also still acting in theatre and TV.

Brenock O’Connor (OBC Conor Lawlor): is in England currently playing gigs and releasing his own music under the name “McGovern”. Brenock often collaborates with his former Sing Street cast mates, especially Sam Poon. Brenock also has one song out with former Sing Street cast mate Michael Lepore (OBC Conor, Eamon U/S & Boston Gary). Their song is called “When Your Lips Disappear”. Brenock just recently released an EP titled “Maybe Everything Could Be OK” and the bitter-sweet music video for one of the songs “Let Me Know When It’s Yesterday” features nostalgic footage of fellow former Sing Street cast mates Brendan C. Callahan, Ilan Eskenazi, Anthony Genovesi, Jakeim Hart, Gian Perez, Sam Poon, and Skyler Volpe.

Michael Lepore: has a few songs released, one with former cast mate Brenock O’Connor as mentioned above, and one of his own titled “Tongue Twisted”. Both songs are streaming everywhere.

Zara Devlin (OBC Raphina), Johnny Newcomb (OBC Barry), and Gus Halper (OBC Brendan Lawlor) do not have any music out- but Zara is still doing theatre and film in Ireland, and Gus is still doing TV and film as well.

ALSO: Brendan C. Callahan, Ilan Eskenazi, Jakeim Hart, Gian Perez, Brenock O’Connor, Sam Poon, and Skyler Volpe were in a band together (before Covid) called “The Kings of Positivity” and there are fun videos on YouTube of their performances and one-take covers.

[falconcrestalbumphoto]

Sophia Stavros (Julie Carmen) et Eric Stavros (John Callahan).

[pupsmailbox]

hi me again.

do you have names similar to Buck or Callahan?

asking for a friend.

BUCK︰ aaron. ace. alan. alayna. alison. allie. amelia. ava. axel. babs. baja. bak. baker. baki. baqia. bash. basia. bass. basye. baz. bear. becca. beck. becka. beretta. bessie. bevis. beyza. biagio. bice. bijou. bijoux. bo. boaz. booker. boone. bosco. boyce. boyko. boyne. boys. bozica. bret. brock. bronco. brooks. burke. buse. bush. buster. busy. buz. buzz. cash. chea. clayton. colt. crash. cupid. damon. danner. delilah. delta. denim. diana. diesel. doe. draven. dublin. evelyn. fallow. felix. flat. franken. grayson. gunner. hunter. isabella. jake. janna. jayce. joe. john. kaitlynn. kamina. kevin. king. laura. lollia. lucky. lux. mace. maile. mary. moose. mycah. nike. nora. ranger. remington. rhett. ripp. rocket. sargent. sawyer. shooter. slide. striker. tabitha. tank. tesa. tucker. uda. walker. whitney. wolf. wyatt.

CALLAHAN︰ acey. adelaide. ahlia. alen. allan. allen. amelia. anders. asher. avary. bailey. beckett. bellamy. benjamin. bennett. brady. branigan. brennan. brina. brooklin. brooks. caelum. cailean. caillen. cailyn. calan. calhoun. callaghan. callan. callen. calloway. callum. calum. calvin. camira. canaan. cannon. carrington. carter. cayleen. caylin. celaeno. celie. celine. celyn. chailyn. chalina. charlotte. chelan. cheslyn. chilion. chisholm. cholena. clem. cleme. cleon. coilin. coleman. colin. colleen. collin. colm. colman. colon. conal. conifer. connolly. connor. corin. cullen. declan. deimos. delaney. donovan. dorie. driana. eleanor. elixir. ely. emerson. emma. emmett. eszti. evelyn. everett. exa. finley. finn. finnegan. finnian. finnigan. fletcher. griffe. griffin. harper. harrison. hudson. itai. jack. kalvi. kannon. kason. kelan. kellan. kieran. killian. kimmie. kincaid. kylan. lachlan. lady. larami. liam. lile. lincoln. macaulay. madigan. maeve. magdala. makena. matthias. melitta. melrose. mozelle. murry. oakley. oliver. ottie. owen. parker. ponk. quest. quinn. rorie. rowan. salomon. sawyer. seamus. sebastian. shanti. sloane. sophia. sullivan. talen. tetra. theodore. thursday. tryphena. vick. violet. wren. xil.

[amberjazmyn]

to build a home💔

pairing : widower!max verstappen x fem!reader, single father!max verstappen

summary : after losing his wife elena to a freak accident, the only thing max and his three kids, sophia, gianna and noa have left to remember their wife and mum are the photos that are pictured around their new home that they built after the loss.

warnings :  just a lil sad, widower!max, crying, single father!max, some bad words, flashbacks, allusion to deceased wife's accident

a/n : apologises that i am once again throwing max through the emotional ringer but it was time i went back to another sad one. as always, flashbacks are in italics and present time is in the normal font and it'll be written in lowercase, we know the drill by now. 

f/c : kelly piquet for elena verstappen

max could feel his heart completely shatter in his body as the voice of the nurse speaking to him faded into white noise. a very high-pitched noise that almost brings him physical pain as he closes his eyes. his forehead creasing as he tries so hard to get that squeal out of his head. of course, this then worried the nurse who once again tried to get max's attention but with no avail due to the continous noise that made max feel as though his eyes were either on fire or bleeding. sophia, max's eldest daughter immediately knew what was going on and told the nurse that her dad was fine. he just needed to sit down for a little bit so the high-pitched frequency that plagued her dad could stop and to explain to him later.

"-doctor callahan, dad's fine, he just needs to sit down for a little bit. he's currently hearing a consistent high-pitched ringing noise which is why he hasn't been able to respond to you. whatever it is you need to tell our dad, maybe come back a little bit later or once he tells us that the noise is gone, we can come and grab you to tell us?" sophia proposed as doctor callahan nodded his head, trusting the pre-teen and left the verstappen family alone, the patriarch smiling at his eldest girl even with his eyes closed

mumbling, max thanked his girl in dutch, "dank je, sophia, dat hoefde je niet voor mij te doen," with one eye open, max grabbed for sophia's hand, happily taking it as the girl squeezed it tight as she was the only one awake, her two other siblings asleep thank you, sophia, you didn't need to do that for me

"of course, i didn't have to but, i wanted to dad. besides, i know how painful that consistent ringing in your head is and how hard it can be for you to concentrate and hear people. so, i just had to make doctor callahan aware of it and that you weren't ignoring him on purpose," sophia responded in english, shrugging her shoulders as her dad hugged his eldest girl as she smiled at her dad, hopeful in whatever the news was going to be in regards to their mum

max didn't respond to his daughter and closed his eyes again after taking a gulp of water, just hoping for the ringing in his head to fuck off so he could actually be aware of what was going on with his wife, elena. and what why she was all of a sudden in a hospital bed when she was only supposed to be on a seven-minute drive to the chinese restaurant to grab takeaway for the family. that was when sophia also decided it was probably a good time for her to also see if she could get some shut-eye as well. considering her younger siblings, sister gianna and brother noa had been asleep this entire interaction, max's sister, their aunty victoria watching over them. so, maybe it wouldn't be too bad if she tried to do it too.

🥀

it had felt like hours had passed when really, it was less than thirty minutes after sophia closed her eyes before she heard her dad and doctor callahan speaking about what happened to her and her siblings' mum. and, the moment sophia opened her eyes, rubbing them with her hands, noticing that her brother and sister were stil sleeping and how her dad's face contorted with worry and fear, sophia could tell that it wasn't good news that doctor callahan was sharing with her dad. however, doctor callahan was a little loud and, sophia heard the last part of the covnersation accidentally...

"...it doesn't look as though mrs verstappen will be waking up anytime soon, mr verstappen-"

"-what do you mean mum won't be waking up anytime soon? i...i thought last time you came by that you said she was doing fine! why did you lie to us?" sophia was fully awake as she stood up from the uncomfortable waiting room chair and walked over to her dad and the doctor who stood in shock at the 5'10 twelve year old who interrupted him

max with his widened and shocked eyes turned from his daughter to the doctor to his daughter again, "sophia! zeg dat niet! vooral nu je broer en zus nog slapen!" max silently scolded in dutch as the doctor smirked, attempting to calm both father and daughter down sophia! don't say that! especially whilst your brother and sister are still asleep

"there's no need for any apologises mr verstappen, sophia is well within her rights to react like that because she is right. the last time i came over, i did exactly, word for word, say that mrs verstappen would be fine and now all of a sudden i'm saying the opposite? it can be quite confusing for kids and pre-teens and it may seem as though i'm lying just to save face. but, in actuality sophia, the reason why i am now saying that your mum may not wake up is that, between the moment of when i originally told you to now, a lot has changed and it's concerning. especially when it did seem at first that everything was going to be okay to then find out that everything is not going to be okay..." doctor callahan trailed off with a worried look as that completely terrified max as well as his eldest girl

doctor callahan couldn't just leave them hanging like that so, he had to explain what he was going to say before he had been cut off by sophia, "...and, as i was saying before sophia cut me off earlier, because we don't think that mrs verstappen will be waking up anytime soon, we are having to think about having you guys prepare your final goodbyes because unfortunately we are not that confident in believing that she'll be strong enough to make it through another night without going into another cardiac arrest and coming out of it alive and perfectly healthy like she did in the ambulance on the way to us. so, when noa and gianna wake up, if you could all go in to say your final farewells to elena, we'll then see what happens after that. whether that is her flatlining on her own or us having to turn off the life support ourselves, we'll deal with it when it comes to that. but, right now, the most important thing for you and the kids rght now, max, is to say whatever it is you want and need to say to your wife and their mum," doctor callahan explains, max's heart breaking all over again whilst sophia felt like her entire body was breaking, not just her heart, she didn't want to lose her mum, that was her biggest fear coming true

with tears in her eyes, sophia turned to her dad and whimpered, "mum's gonna die?" sophia was twelve, 5'10 and finishing primary school

however, whenever something even remotely scary happened to her mum and dad and brother and sister, it always turned her into a scared little baby.

max had to fight against his own emotions to try to get his daughter to understand, "sadly, yes, she will, sophia. her body is unfortunately too weak and injured to stay alive. but right now, we need to take a couple of deep breaths in, don't worry about the tears, it's okay to cry baby. but, do try and stay calm and wake up noa and gia. i'll go and wake up your aunty victoria and then we can go into mum's room together and say goodbye to her, yeah?" max sniffled as sophia's lip trembled as she nodded her head, copying her dad as she took in a couple of deep breaths before walking over to her twin brother and younger sister to wake them up whilst max walked over to his sister, their aunty

listening to his own advice, max takes in a couple more deep breaths and tryng to centre himself as best as he could before he went to wake up his sister, victoria. the aunty of his three children and sister-in-law to his wife elena. his sister looked even smaller, her entire body curled against the wall, her arms loosely wrapped around her body as her head rested partly on her shoulder, her back slightly leaning off the chair. her shoulders rising up and down with her eyes closed peacefully. her hair was in messy braids, slightly wavy pieces of hair framing her face gorgeously as her manicured nails barely reaached each other. victoria's feet covered by red fluffy socks that max was absolutely certain where once his that she stole, her sneakers looking as though thet had been slipped off her feet whilst trying to get into a comfortable position, the very one she was in. max really had to hold his sobs back as he watched just how peaceful his sister was when she slept. she looked so calm and happy, clearly dreaming about her own kids, luka, lio and hailey due to the small smile that graced her lips with the accompanying soft snores that left her lips. the father really didn't want to take his sister up but, he knew he had to now that he could hear his three kids were now all awake, sophia successfully waking up noa and gianna without a problem as they waited for their dad to wake up their aunty victoria.

finally, after another deep breath, max managed to kneel down to the floor and softly shake victoria awake. even though he cringed at the sudden change in facial experession, it seemed to work.

victoria waking up and groaning, "max, what are you doing? why are you waking me up for...is elena okay?" the moment max gave the smallest hint that victoria's sister-in-law and her nieces and nephew's mum wouldn't be okay, the aunty was awake in an instant

unfolding herself from her seat, victoria asked her brother again, "is elena okay, max?" however, this time, she had more of a serious tone to her voice rather than a sleepy tone and max knew he couldn't lie to his sister

shaking his head, max shakily spoke up, "no vic, elena's not okay. we've been asked by doctor callahan to say our final goodbyes with the kids as he and the team don't think she'll survive another night if she was to go into another cardiac arrest..." max trailed off as he could tell immediately that victoria was shutting her mind down, putting on a mask so she could take care of her brother and her nieces and nephew as she nods her head

"...okay, where is she right now and where are sophia, noa and gia?" victoria questioned next, standing up straight and crossing her arms over in order to protect herself

"sophia went to wake them up and i presume they are either waiting for us just down the hall to walk over together or they are already at mum's hospital room waiting for us," max responded as victoria nodded her head as she walked in front of her older brother

but, before she did that, her facade cracked for a milisecond for max to see that his sister was truthfully terrified about the prospect of watching her brother losing his wife and the mother of their kids. victoria's crack in her facade quickly healed over and they continued walking. the brother and sister continued walking over to their wife/sister-in-law's hospital room not really knowing what to expect. and now they wished they were more prepared, including victoria who thought she had protected herself enough for this moment. not that she had ever visioned the moment her brother would lose his wife but, here she was about to do that very thing.

🥀

victoria couldn't continue keeping up her facade that she was strong and that she could handle the death of her brother's wife a year on. she really couldn't. she was a mum herself, to three beautiful kids of her own, two little boys luka and lio and a beautiful baby girl, hailey. she couldn't imagine how her older brother was feeling having to suddenly become a single father whilst she still was blessed enough to have her partner alive alongside her. and the one person victoria would go to when she was struggling about anything when she was struggling was her brother. the other person she'd go to was no longer alive and that was her sister-in-law, elena. so, the next best person was her brother max.

since it was late at night and she knew her brother would most likely still be awake, the rest of their kids (all six of them) would be asleep. she tried to be as quiet as possible and tip-toed all the way to her brother's bedroom where she knew her brother would still be awake after an e-motorsports stream.

the second he heard his door open, he knew it was victoria, "what's up vic? you can't sleep?" max questioned, about to turn around when he heard sniffles and small sobs that were clearly meant to be held back

however, it was the sniffles and unexpected small stifled sob that caught him off guard, causing max to stop everything he was doing, "victoria? you okay, sis?" he asks as he turns around to find out that his younger sister was in fact not okay

max's heart broke in the same way it did when he heard his wife flatline a year ago, "oh, vic, come here!" max whispered as he jumped off his bed and pulled his sobbing sister into his embrace and hugged her as tightly as he could

victoria cried and cried her eyes out in her brother's embrace, all the tears she had been holding back for an entire year at this point all to help max and his children get through their own grief. and she still felt like she would cry until the end of time at this rate. and no matter what he tried to do, max couldn't get his sister's cries to quieten down or stop and it broke his heart into pieces because he didn't know how to help his sister without his wife by his side and that hurt him the most. however, slowly but surely, victoria's cries started to subside and she started to breathe again which made max feel so much better and less like he couldn't help his sister anymore, which he could because he just did it then. he hadn't forgotten how to look after his younger sister, he never did, it was just elena was the one who had done it more when the two girls were away from max's races.

waiting for his sister to calm down a little bit more, max spoke up again, "you okay now, vic? do you wanna talk about it?" max truly felt like he was speaking to his sister as though they were kids again or how he'd comfort their kids as victoria nodded her head

sniffling, victoria spoke up, "i...i miss elena, max and i'm not okay. i can't sleep, i'm scared about losing my kids father, all six kids seem to be completely okay without their mum and aunty and i just, i don't know how to be strong for them anymore when they do tell me they miss their mum and aunty. i am so tired but i can't sleep yet that is all i want! i just want to sleep, maxie!" victoria cried out softly, her voice desperate at the end as max's shoulder sagged low

he had a feeling that his sister had been struggling with sleeping for a while but never realised it was this bad until now. even when luka and lio were babies, hailey currently still an infant, victoria never struggled this much to fall asleep yet now she was.

"why can't you sleep, vic? what's stopping you? it's definitely not the kids," max sincerely wondered as victoria wiped her tears away, taking in a sharp breath before responding

"every time i close my eyes, i dream about elena. every single time, it's the moment in which i walk past elena's room and i hear her flatline and hear you completely lose it whilst sophia desperately tries to pick up gia and hug noa close to her whilst i run in to grab lio and luka, yelling at sophia to take all three of them out of the room so none of them would be watching any longer whilst you were just on your knees crying whilst elena just continued to flatline. the doctors not able to do anything to stop it..." victoria trailed off as her lip trembled as max held his sister's hand tight as he sighed softly, wishing he could take away his sister's pain and recurring nightmare of that night a year ago

that wasn't something his sister or any of the six kids the brother and sister shared between them needed to see or be reminded of every single day and night. but, unfortunately, his sister was and had been for the entire year. sighing, max shuffled over in his bed so his sister could sleep with him for the night. victoria's partner taking care of the kids downstairs hence why he wasn't assisting. even though it seemed hard at first, max knew his sister would need sleep since the next day would be a big day for her and her kids and she needed all the sleep she could possibly get.

victoria noticed what her brother was doing and questioned him, "what are you doing, max? aren't you still working and on the phone with horner?" victoria questioned as max smiled at his sister

shaking his head, max opened his arm out for his sister to lay next to, "no vic, christian and i are finished for the night, we were just catching up and touching base to see how each other were doing. and what i am doing is inviting you to sleep in here with me tonight, just like when we were kids. you can't be alone and with your partner dealing with the kids, he'll be busy the entire time. you have a huge day tomorrow with the kids and i want to make sure you get an adequate amount of sleep tonight. even if you do have that nightmare, i'll be right here next to you to remind you that you are okay and that your brother is right here, okay?" max convinced victoria to stay and sleep alongside him as she nodded her head and shuffled underneath the covers of her dad's bedsheets and immediately closed her eyes, snuggling near to her brother

and immediately, her brain went to that night that would forever haunt her dreams. the moment she would close her eyes, she knew that memory would come back to haunt her mind.

🥀

the kids of the verstappen siblings, sophia, noa, gianna, luka and lio had just said their final goodbyes to their mum and aunty as had their dad and uncle, max. max and the kids stayed in the hospital room with their dad and uncle whilst his sister victoria and baby hailey had gone to the hospital's cafeteria to grab their brother/uncle max some red bull, apple juice for the kids and a coffee for herself. when all of a sudden, the worst ever sound to come from a hospital room started to obnoxiously blare out of elena verstappen's hospital room, the emotional breakdown of the verstappen's following shortly afterwards.

"no, no, no!" victoria whispered, immediately dropping the drinks she had brought for the family, whilst magically still holding tightly to her little girl hailey as she only hoped that none of the kids, hers and max's were still in room whilst it happened

and unfortunately, as she rushed in, completely ignoring the hospital staff attempting to push her out of the hospital room, she forced herself to grab luka and lio, thankful she had dropped baby hailey off to her children's dad. yelling at her niece, sophia to grab noa and gianna and take them out of the hospital room

the aunty then started at sophia, the eldest, to get the younger two out of the hospital room, "sophia, get noa and gianna out of here now!" sophia frantically nods her head as she grabs her twin brother and younger sister, the three siblings stumbling out of their mum's hospital room within seconds as they watched their dad on his knees, his soul leaving with his heaving sobs

even though all of the five of six kids, including victoria, were out of the hospital room, they could still hear the flatlining of their mum and aunty. as though it was taunting them that it was true, their mum/wife/aunty/sister-in-law was no longer alive anymore. sophia hugged her brother and sister close whilst victoria hugged her two little boys before bringing in her brother's three kids. all of their eyes screwed tightly shut as they were held close to their mum and aunty victoria. all the while aunty victoria watched as the hospital staff struggled in turning off that dreadful life support machine whilst the sounds of her brother and dad of her nieces and nephew weeping, his body hunched over, played in her mind like a broken record on repeat over and over again.

silence had finally come to the verstappen's when the nurses finally got the life support to turn off but, that didn't mean that their dad/uncle/brother's cries stopped. hearing that machine be turned off even though it was loud and invasive, broke his heart even more now that it was just pure silecne. the only other thing being heard was max's wails.

then, finally came a squeaky, sniffly voice, "mummy's said bye?" victoria thought she was going to puke because of how upsetting hearing her niece gianna say that statement was

"yeah, she did bubba, she said bye-bye," aunty victoria confirmed as gianna just muttered an even more heartbreaking, "oh well then, bye-bye mummy,"

even though gianna was six years old and very bright for her age, she was still very innocent and wasn't very understanding and knowledgeable in a lot of things. and, it worried victoria that after losing their mum, not only gia but sophia and noa would be forced to lose their innocence and suddenly become very understanding and knowledgeable in things they shouldn't be when they should still be children.

so, at this point, victoria could only pray that her nieces and nephew wouldn't lose all of their childlike innocence and that her family, her brother specifically, wouldn't crumble to the floor after this devastating and premature loss.

🥀

max helped his younger sister fall asleep and, it seemed as if sleeping next to her brother was the one thing that would help her get rid of those nightmares. and in this momment, that was all max and victoria needed and only hoped for considering max wanted to make sure his sister didn't let this grief judge how she takes care of her own children. that was until another flashback took the brother and sister back to that frightful evening one year ago

🥀

victoria held her nieces and nephew tightly as her brother's wails continued through the early evening until her mum, sophie, walked over, "vic, give the kids to me, i know you've been wanting to let daniel, lando and charles know. i will take care of sophia, noa and gia, you ring them and ask if they could get here quickly. i don't think max's crying will end any time soon and he needs to be taken care of and comforted as well," sophie muttered as victoria felt her shoulders release, in thankfulness handing over her brother's kids to their grandmother before kissing her mum's head

the verstappen sister then rushes further down the hallway to ring her brother's f1 teammates that she knew were currently in monaco. ringing up daniel first, knowing that he'd be the best option to comfort her brother, then charles next with lando last.

danny

"hey vic, how's everything going? are you guys still at the hospital with elena?"

"that's why i'm ringing you, danny... elena's flat...she's... she's not here anymore"

"oh, vic, i am so sorry! i...is max okay? do...do you need me to drive over?"

"could you, please? he's an absolute mess, danny, he hasn't stopped crying since and i'm kind of on autopilot, as is mum and my partner trying to take care of all the kids"

"of course, i can darling! i'll be right over. are you going to call charles and lando next?"

"mhm, that was my plan too, yes. and please hurry, i feel like max is going to be sick if he keeps on crying"

"i'm in my car vic, i won't be longer than fifteen minutes. hang up and ring charles and lando,"

"okay, bye danny"

"bye hun, see you soon!"

charles

"oh, hello victoria, is everything okay at the hospital? is your sister-in-law doing okay?"

"no, she...she's...charles, please just get to the hospital, i...i need you here, please!"

"okay, i'm on my way, hun. have you called danny to tell him?"

"mhm, i just got off the phone with him and after you, i'm ringing lando!"

"okay, good job. umm, crap, okay, stupid question but how's your brother and the kids? are they okay?" 

"max hasn't stopped crying since and it seems as though right now, all the kids are okay and are preoccupied. mum had just taken max's three off me so i could ring you three." 

"good, but not good, shit, okay, umm, is there anything you want me to get for you? food? water? a jacket?"

"no, please just...just get here quickly, i...i just need you!" 

"okay, okay, that's okay, i'm on my way love. i won't be longer than ten minutes, i'm already in my car and i can see the hospital just down the road. you can hang up now hun and call lando!" 

"okay, bye"

"bye bye" 

lando

"victoria? what's up darl? is everything okay at the hospital with elena?"

"no...she's gone, lando, the thingy went crazy and it just..."

"...oh, vic, i'm on my way right now! did you call daniel and charles?"

"mhm, i just got off the phone with charles and rang daniel first..."

"...okay, i know charles asked you this and you said no but, do you want me to get you anything on the way since i'm literally just around the corner from a petrol station?" 

"umm, could you please get one redbull for max, one coffee for me and three apple juices for max's three? my kids don't need anything. i was coming back from the hospital cfeteria with them when it happened and i dropped them and i-"

"-of course, i can, darl. don't need to justify it! i'll happily buy them! i'll also buy a couple of sandwiches because it seems as though none of you has had anything sustainable to eat!" 

"thank you lando!" 

"it's nothing at all, victoria! i'll see you soon darling! you can hang up now hun"

"bye"

by the time victoria got off the phone with lando, she heard footsteps coming straight over to her. looking up from her phone, the relief she felt to see that it was daniel overhelmed her senses completely.

"...danny!" victoria whispered as she rushed over to the first of her brother's f1 teammates and closest friends that had arrived at the hospital 

pulling his unofficial sister in for a hug, daniel felt like he could have breath in his lungs, "oh my gosh, victoria, i'm so sorry hun! where's your brother?" daniel whispered as he hugged the flustered girl tightly, pulling back, his hands on her shoulders as she points to the room where max's distinct cries could still be heard 

the moment his former teammate's cries hit his ears, daniel could feel his heartbreak even more as he felt his own tears well in the back of his eyes, thanking the verstappen, he saw charles sprint down the hospital hallway to be at the side of his former rival and his kids who were his godchildren. daniel had then left to comfort the grieving husband whilst charles picked up his grieving nieces and hugged them tightly. sophie was the one comforting victoria as she only ever so tightly released some tears of her own on her mum's shoulder.

seeing the grief etched on the young kids faces only broke charles' heart more than the phone call from victoria did, "oh, come here sophia!" charles whispered as he gathered his goddaughter up in a hug as tears spilt down her cheeks to her godfather's shoulder

it was in this moment that sophie and victoria took that as their cue to grab the younger two, noa and gianna and take them out of the hospital room. so daniel and charles could take care of max and sophia whilst they awaited for lando to show up.

"she's not here anymore, uncle charlie!" little sophia weakly cried out as tears welled in charles' eyes as he shuddered, remembering the same feeling when he lost his dad to cancer in 2017

"i know baby, i'm so sorry!" charles just about whispered as he just wished he could take the pain from his goddaughter away and take it again so she and her siblings didn't have to 

"why did she have to leave me?" sophia questioned, all valid thoughts running through her head, as charles struggled to answer them because he was still wondering the same thing about his own deceased father 

"i don't know baby, i do not know!" charles whispered again as he hugged her as tightly as possible, taking her out of the hallway that he could see daniel comforting a still weeping max in elena's hospital room 

thankfully, just as charles and sophia were about to leave, lando came running through the hospital hallway with a bag of what could have only been the red bull, coffee, the apple juice and some other things like sandwiches and other bits and bobs which max, when he finally regained his composure, would religiously thank him for. 

opening up the hug to let lando in, sophia sighed another sigh of relief that all of her f1 uncles were here, "you're here uncle lando," sophia sighed with relief as lando nodded his head and hugged the girl tightly

"i'm here, hun. aunty victoria was adamant on making sure we were told!" lando whispered as he gave the girl a kiss on the head before deciding to ultimately give max his red bull and food first, his teammates piercing sobs hitting his ears instantly, breaking his heart before moving on to sophia's two siblings 

for the rest of the evening, charles took care of sophia, taking her back to his place, lando took care of noa and gia, taking him back to his place. whilst victoria and her mum sophie would go in between charles and lando to see how they were going with the kids. and daniel held max for the rest of the night as he continued to weep in the hospital room of his deceased wife. 

🥀

after max had helped victoria, his younger sister, go to sleep and stay asleep, they were up bright and breezy early all thanks to the kids, sophia, noa and gia jumping on top of their dad and aunty. the twins, sophia and noa were in their first year of high school whilst gia was in her fourth year of primary school. it was after dropping the kids off that max got an instagram notification indicating that his sister victoria had posted. and it seemed as if max knew exactly what it was that his sister had posted. then, it inspired him to also post to instagram about his wife afterwards.

liked by maxverstappen1, danielricciardo, sophiekumpen, charlesleclerc, landonorris, gerihalliwellhorner, christianhorner and 13k others

victoriaverstappen all i ever wanted for my older brother was to have a home filled with love, support and joy. since the loss of his beautiful wife elena, i worry that those things have disappeared. elena was an amazing woman, she was quite honestly one of my best friends and i was so excited when max introduced her to me, mum and the rest of our family. it was an exciting time because none of us had ever seen max fall so far in love than he had with elena. then, watching them further their relationship with their engagement and then marriage to then watching them have children whilst me and my partner were also having our kids was incredible. max, your three kids are beautiful, sophia, noa and gia are lights that fill every single room and i have no doubts about who it is that is casting that light over them. elena loved you so much and she equally adored the life out of sophia, noa and gia. anything you need, max, to help you and the kids build that home again that's gone due to the loss of elena, i hope you know that i will do everything and anything i can do help you in doing that. but, in saying that, please do not forget that you are now the home for sophia, noa and gia and i know you will do everything you are physically able to to keep that home standing strong. i love you so much, max and we all miss elena and we'll do everything we can to make sure she is never forgotten 🤍

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maxverstappen1 i love you so much, victoria! thank you so much for posting this. elena really loved you so much and she was so glad she could find a best friend in you 🤍

victoriaverstappen maxverstappen1 love you too max! and don't need to thank me, it felt like it was what i needed to do! and i'm so glad i could find a best friend in her 🤍

danielricciardo oh, victoria, this just broke my heart! we miss elena every day as well! if you, your partner and your kids also need anything, not just max and his three, please don't hesitate to call me or heidi. we love you 🤍

victoriaverstappen danielricciardo i broke my own heart with this post! and thank you so much, daniel, i'll make sure to remember to contact you or heidi if we ever need anything. we love you too 🤍

sophiekumpen love you my darling daughter! proud of you for posting this in support of max and the kids. the support they are getting from their aunty victoria is truly making this time so much better 🤍

victoriaverstappen sophiekumpen love you too mum! and it's what i need to do, max needs this help more than any of us do 🤍

charlesleclerc and i'm crying again, victoria! we miss elena every single day but never forget how happy elena was when she had you as a best friend and got to be an aunty to your kids 🤍

victoriaverstappen charlesleclerc i'm crying as well, charles! and i appreciate you saying that! elena was truly happy when she was loved by us all 🤍

landonorris love you victoria! this was a lovely post for elena and the family!

victoriaverstappen landonorris love you too lando!

gerihalliwellhorner oh, vic, my heart breaks for you and the family! i hope you, max and all the children are coping as best as you can! christian and i send all our love 🤍

victoriaverstappen gerihalliwellhorner thank you geri! my heart breaks as well! and thank you for the love as well, it is appreciated 🤍

christianhorner we love you and the family, vic! elena is so proud of all of you 🤍

victoriaverstappen christianhorner thank you christian, we love you too 🤍

liked by victoriaverstappen, landonorris, alexandrasaintmleux, charlesleclerc, sophiekumpen, danielricciardo, heidiberger and 13k others

maxverstappen1 my wife elena was the best mother to our three children, sophia, noa and gia and it breaks my heart every single day that she isn't here to continue to see what amazing children the both of us had equal parts in creating and bringing into this world. on top of being a fantastic mother, she was an even better wife and was always making sure she'd keep to her vows, wanting to make sure she didn't do any less than others or any more than others. that day that elena flatlined in the hospital one year ago will forever be the worst day of my life but it did make me appreciate my three kids even more. thankful that it wasn't one of them that had gone in the car with my wife because if i had lost any of my three kids alongside my wife, i would have rather offed myself then live with the fact that i could have potentially buried one of our children alongside their mum way before they were supposed to be. every single thing i did was always for my wife and our children so i could build us a home that was full of love, safety and joy. and it still is, except, it'll take a long time for it to go back to the way it used to be. if only i could have the blessing of seeing my wife just once more, i'd want her to tell me that she's proud of us, the kids and myself. i just hope that i'm taking care of my children in a way that elena is proud of, even though i may stumble and fall, i still hope she can see that i'm trying my hardest in keeping our kids happy and helping then when they're upset and trying to understand what's happened to our family and our home. i thought that losing my wife would be like my parents' divorce and that i'd be prepared for it but, i was never more wrong in my entire life. i didn't understand why the loss of my wife hurt more than any other death that i'd have to go through in my life. at the time, i didn't realise there was a reason why the loss of my wife hurt worse than the divorce of my parents. and then, i realised, remembering that whilst i still have both parents but they're just no longer married, at some point in their life together, they loved one another and losing that love was painful for them. and it wasn't until i went through the loss of my wife permanently that it was the same pain that my mum went through after she and dad had their divorce. and it wasn't until i went through it myself one year ago that i finally understood why the loss of my wife hurts a million times more than my parents' divorce. i love you so much elena and we miss you every single day. i just hope you're smiling down on me and the kids right now 🤍

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victoriaverstappen i love you so much, max! you are doing an amazing job taking care of the kids as well as juggling work all at the same time without elena 🤍

maxverstappen1 victoriaverstappen i love you too, vic! and thank you so much for saying that, i really am trying my best🤍

landonorris we miss your wife every single day, max. she is always looking down on us all and is so proud 🤍

maxverstappen1 landonorris i'm glad me and the kids aren't the only ones that miss her! and thank you for saying that 🤍

alexandrasaintmleux beautiful words max. elena is for sure looking down on you with so much pride and joy for how you've taken care of the kids whilst tackling formula one at the same time 🤍

maxverstappen1 alexandrasaintmleux thank you alex, i appreciate you saying that 🤍

charlesleclerc my heart breaks for you and the kids every day, max! but do not worry, you have done an amazing job at rebuilding that loving, safe and joyful home 🤍

maxverstappen1 charlesleclerc thank god it's not just mine that breaks! but thank you, i am trying my best but it's difficult considering the kids are slowly starting to understand that mummy's not actually coming home 🤍

charlesleclerc maxverstappen1 me and alex are always a phone call away if you or the kids need anything 🤍

sophiekumpen these words are beautiful max, elena is always watching over and proud of you 🤍

maxverstappen1 sophiekumpen thank you mum! i do hope she's proud🤍

danielricciardo jesus max, first your sister and now you! in all seriousness though, elena will always be watching over you and the kids

maxverstappen1 danielricciardo after seeing vic's post about elena, i knew i had to do my own since i knew if i didn't i would be questioned at the next grand prix! and thank you so much, daniel🤍

heidiberger oh, don't do this to me, max! elena will always be watching and making sure everything is going okay. danny and i are always a phone call away if you or the kids need anything 🤍

maxverstappen heidiberger i'm sorry heidi! but i can't help it when i miss my wife. and, thank you so much, i do sometimes think i can feel her and, i'll hold you to that as well, i'm sure the kids would love to see uncle danny and aunty heidi 🤍

fin

what a shock, yet another depressing max verstappen one-shot, how predictiable right? this was actually meant to be the filler one-shot before charles' big one but, i didn't finish this one in time hence why i decided to quickly fix up that esteban one-shot that was just a sweet little smau!

©⠀amberjazmyn's original work. do not translate or steal any of my fics. 2024

[thebugthatruinsyourpicnic]

Mutual of mine prepare yourself for all of my carefully crafted headcanons because. they're special to me. and now i get to share them w u 😍😍

Obviously the two big ones are I'm a strong Paul is Richie's Uncle believer and Ted's birthday is Feb 14. They're the two big ones that a lot of people already acknowledge. Now for the ones that I hold close and personal to my heart.

Max Jagerman's half british. His mother hails from a small seaside town in Devon but moved to the US for study. The British accent comes out when he gets incredibly passionate. I also firmly believe his favourite song of all time is Barbie Girl by AQUA. Your honour, I'm taking no questions. I also believe Henry Hidgens is an uncle type character to him, and that Ethan Green is one of his truest friends.

Pete Spankoffski's full name is Peter Murphy Spankoffski because of Murphy's Law.

Ruth is convinced anyone who says their favourite dinosaur is a T-Rex is a liar. (Hers is a triceratops)

Richie's favourite dinosaur is a T-Rex

Brad Callahan is a major film bro, but built up a special friendship with Stephanie Lauter through their joint love of film

Steph Lauter has emetophobia and Max has a phobia of blood

Max Jagerman and Paul Matthews have the same birthday and it pisses Max off every single year because he sees how happy some lame ass man is compared to himself. (February 21st if u were curious. I chose Feb 21 for Paul back in 2019. I chose Max's bday bcs it's the day the NPMD digital ticket dropped 💀)

I like to make random characters played by the same actor related. E.g Ziggs and Kale, Gabe and Skud.

I'm convinced that Charles Coven has The Gift, and that he was a part of The Rollerama Tournaments long before they were called that.

I've also accidentally convinced myself that Charles Coven adopted Sophia when she was a newborn just because he could, then reinvented The Rollerama to profit off of her wins

And just for funsies, I'm also convinced AJ Griffin forcefully adopted Morgan Reese and Morgan is stupidly unaware about how son-like the captain sees him as

bring it on babe

I LOVE THESE

I MAY NOT BE BRITISH BUT AS A EUROPEAN I AGREE, MAX IS OURS

Peter Murphy sounds so very him

YOU ARE SO RIGHT RUTH IS A DINOSAUR PERSON

Paul and Max sharing a birthday is something I didn't know I needed but I'm adopting this

ohhh when I tell you I made a Jeff Blim family tree to see if I could make all of them related

CHARLES AND SOPHIA???? I love that. bc he literally said that her father broke at *some monetary price I don't remember*, that might have had something to do with it

FORCEFUL ADOPTION HFFJDNF i love when characters are supidly unaware

[magicdebbs]

❛ MASTERLIST ❛ ( was the one that you needed, but you weren't expecting! )

FANDOMS I WILL WRITE FOR ➜

outerbanks. - john B. routledge - sarah cameron - kiara carrera - pope heyward - jj maybank - cleo grant the walking dead. - rick grimes - carl grimes - michonne grimes - maggie rhee - glenn rhee - beth greene teen wolf. - stiles stilinsk - lydia martin - scott mcCall - allison argent wednesday. - wednesday addams - enid sinclair - bianca barclay - ajax petropolus - morticia addams - rowan laslow millers girl. - cairo sweet (#notfinishedwithmovie) uglies. - tally youngblood - shay tju - david powers - peris stokes bottoms. - josie edebri - pj sennot - hazel callahan - isabel rose - brittney gerber euphoria. - maddy perez - rue bennet - gia bennet - cassie howard - jules vaughn - lexi howard - elliot fike waves. - emily williams - tyler williams - alexis demie - luke hedges d.e.b.s. - lucy diamond - amy foster - dominque aoki - janet ritchie interview with the vampire. - louis de pointe du lac - lestat de lioncourt - claudia de pointe du lac de lioncourt - armand zaman bodies bodies bodies. - bee bakalova - sophia stenberg - alice sennott - jordan herrold  - emma wonders - david (?) davidson.. hunger games. - katniss everdeen - peeta mellark - gale hawthorne (well!!)

a/n , this took forever oml... req some more movies/series for me to add & watch !

[martyrcore]

“When I had read the books I’d checked out over the years from the library, I used to think—like the stories I encountered—that my father had been born from the minds of writers. I believed the Great Creator had flown these writers on the backs of thunderbirds to the moon and told them to write me a father. Writers like Mary Shelley, who wrote my father to have a gothic understanding of the tenderness of all monsters. It was Agatha Christie who created the mystery within my father and Edgar Allan Poe who gave darkness to him in ways that lifted him to the flight of the raven. William Shakespeare wrote my father a Romeo heart at the same time Susan Fenimore Cooper composed him to have sympathy toward nature and a longing for paradise to be regained. Emily Dickinson shared her poet self so my father would know the most sacred text of mankind is in the way we do and do not rhyme, leaving John Steinbeck to gift my father a compass in his mind so he would always appreciate he was east of Eden and a little south of heaven. Not to be left out, Sophia Alice Callahan made sure there was a part of my father that would always remain a child of the forest, while Louisa May Alcott penned the loyalty and hope within his soul. It was Theodore Dreiser who was left the task of writing my father the destiny of being an American tragedy only after Shirley Jackson prepared my father for the horrors of that very thing.”

— Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

[castlesrp]

The Montgomery Family

Hades : Oil Tycoons CONTENT WARNING: DRUG ADDICTION, INFERTILITY

The Montgomery family, a bastion of old money and influence in the realm of oil sales, has seen the rise and fall of many financial dynasties and somehow still holds on. Once a shining beacon of wealth and prosperity, it is not without a few stumbles along the way that has led the Montgomery family to lose some of its shine in the higher circles of New York City.

First Montgomery (75) brought the company to greatness and helped solidify the family legacy within oil sales, with his legacy matched only by his wife, the illustrious First Callahan (73), a retired three time Academy Award winning actress. Together they had six children, raising First Montgomery (52) to take over the family business from the moment he was old enough to conceptualize what the oil industry was - but unfortunately he could not handle the pressure and after taking the business over from his father, within two years he faced a tumultuous downfall due to drug addiction. Supported by his resilient wife, First Montgomery (51), he continues to strive for redemption in the eyes of his father, his wife, his two daughters, and the public at large.

The eldest daughter, First Harris-Montgomery (50) took over the mantle as CEO of the company and all of the challenges that come from being a woman in charge of a male dominated industry. Facing her own trials at home with problems of infertility and the overwhelming desire with to be a mother, she and her husband First Harris (51) turned to adoption in the early years of their marriage, raising a son and a daughter now in their twenties. First Montgomery (48) has also made a splash in the headlines, both for his successes in architecture and for his newly public engagement to First Harrington (39), at the urging of his father to try and secure more stability for the family’s ever changing financial and social status.

Behind him are three sisters: First Montgomery (45), a successful political news correspondent, First Montgomery (40), a middle school teacher, and First Montgomery (38), a former prima ballerina turned studio owner and choreographer in New York City. The three daughters have seemingly been able to escape the familial pressure to go into the family business, though it hasn’t been without personal difficulty from their father.

First Montgomery: 75 Years Old, Retired Heir and CEO of Montgomery Oil, Mark Hamill, Available + First Callahan: 73 Years Old, Retired Actress, J. Cameron-Smith, Available

First Montgomery: 52 Years Old, Unemployed, (Disgraced) Former CEO of Montgomery Oil, Jensen Ackles, Available + First Montgomery: 51 Years Old, Open Occupation, Amy Adams, Available ----- First Montgomery, 24 Years Old, Open Occupation, Dove Cameron, Available ----- First Montgomery, 22 Years Old, Open Occupation, Emily Alyn Lind, Available

First Harris-Montgomery: 50 Years Old, CEO of Montgomery Oil, Rose Byrne, Available + First Harris: 51 Years Old, Open Occupation, John Cho, Available ----- First Harris: 25 Years Old, Open Occupation, Noah Centineo, Available * ----- First Harris: 22 Years Old, Open Occupation, Olivia Rodrigo, Available * * Note: Harris (25) and Harris (22) are both adopted.

First Montgomery: 48 Years Old, Architect, James McAvoy, Available * * Note: Montgomery (48) is engaged to Harrington (39)

Alyson Montgomery: 45 Years Old, Political News Correspondent, Sophia Bush, Played by Trav

First Montgomery: 40 Years Old, Middle School Teacher, Anna Kendrick, Available

First Montgomery: 38 Years Old, Ex Prima Ballerina, Choreographer/Studio Owner, Phoebe Tonkin, Played by Evy

[katha-angel]

I did some changes on an OC for a ROTTMNT fanfic Her name is Sophia Callahan

In case you feel like reading it

[iliketopgun]

Allison Nash: Really loud chewers, cannot stand it!

Carina Callahan: When someone takes her food from the break room

Sophia Reagan: When her hair is knotted

Isabella Diaz: When her bun won't behave

Andromeda Nolan: Being forced to rush her paperwork

Dr. Lara Harding: When people call her miss instead of doctor on purpose (she worried hard for that PhD, only applies to the people who she can't stand)

Lyra Claire-Mikaelson: When her wardrobe is messy (She procrastinates in the morning)

Day 3 - Daily Writing Challenge

What are your OCs pet peeves?

Do it for yourself or put it under this post.

[hausofredhq]

✦ ・—Oh, my. Was that SOPHIA CALLAHAN-ELLIS ( jessica chastain. ) I saw heading into THE HAUS OF RED? With those shoes? I guess even those who work in fashion can make a bad choice. Let's just hope they can work it. After all, this opportunity is something millions would kill for. Welcome to the HAUS OF RED, ADMIN Q. — please send your account in within 24 hours. Oh, and don't forget to review the checklist. That's all.

✦ ・— [ jessica chastain. ciswoman. she/her. ] || OMG! Was that SOPHIA CALLAHAN-ELLIS wearing the new Chanel boots? Hard to believe that a FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER could afford those. Ugh, I hate to say it but they kind of pull it off. When you're 47 YEARS OLD, I guess you think you can do anything. They've only been in fashion for 30 YEARS, but I've heard they're OBSERVANT and RESOURCEFUL. Don't believe everything you read! According to THE HAUS OF RED, they're actually COLD and WITHDRAWN. Ha! Well, I hope they know a million others would kill to be them. They better be watching their back. That's all. || [ admin q. 29. EST. ]

Their Current Rank: 3 stars.

[balanceater]

The Order That My BWW OCs Appear In

Chapter 13: Adalyn Stehle/The Songstress Who Became Silent

Chapter 14: Ace Byra/The Sculptor with A Broken Heart

Chapter 15: Archie Dirkorte/The Tagger Who Desires Artistic Freedom

Chapter 16: Sarah West/The Princess Who Is Afraid to Become Queen

Chapter 17: Arabella Markeli/The Schoolgirl Who Is Afraid to Fail

Chapter 18: Ryan Novikov/The Chef Who Feared Imperfection

Chapter 19: Ivan Callahan/The CEO That Could Not Afford To Lose His City

Chapter 20: Cameron Trebess/The Writer with Writer's Block

Chapter 21: Carla Labiano/The Cheerleader Who Lacked The Courage To Defend Others

Chapter 22: James Alcantara/The Surfer Who Became Afraid Of The Waves

Chapter 23: Helena Kitt/The Soccer Player and Her Fleeting Dreams

Chapter 24: Isobel Montague/The Girl Who Loved To Do Makeup

Chapter 25: Claire Gibson/The Fashion Designer Who Lost Her Passion

Chapter 26: Lucas Harris/The Boy and The Puppy

Chapter 27: Austin Todd/The Man Who Loved Animals

Chapter 28: Stephanie Gale/The Doctor Who Was Searching for a Cure

Chapter 29: Matthew Cooper/The Boy Who Longed to Visit the Stars

Chapter 30: Julia Alistair/The Girl Who Was Afraid to Grow Up

Chapter 31: Michelle Taylor/The Ballerina Who Was Afraid to Dance Onstage

Chapter 32: Stanley Hodnett/The Guitarist Who Longed for the Spotlight

Chapter 33: Serena Veigel/The Florist and The Plants she Loved

Chapter 34: Phillip Klaver/The Auto Racer Who Sought Good Sportsmanship

Chapter 35: Louise Dascalu/The Woman Who Became Afraid of Motherhood

Chapter 36: Sally Morrow/The Woman Who Became Obsessed with Beauty

Chapter 37: Max Bennett/The Detective Who Wanted to Find the Truth

Chapter 38: Casper Goans/The Magician Who Lost His Magic

Chapter 39: Lily Glendon/The Rookie Who Wanted to Sing

Chapter 40: Vivian Parker/The Officer Obsessed with Justice

Chapter 41: Benjamin Greene/The Teacher Who Lost His Quality

Chapter 42: Ana Geller/The Girl Who Loved Baking

Chapter 43: Oliver Ikeda/The Actor Who Doubted Stardom

Chapter 44: Andre Burke/The Dollmaker and His Dolls

Chapter 45: Desmond Patil/The Man Who Lived in The Library

Chapter 46: Hanako Bankole/The Woman Who Was Afraid of Becoming a Bride

Chapter 47: Sophia O'Neil/The Girl Who Loved to Roller Skate

Chapter 48: Gabriel Moore/The Man Who Hid Behind the Microphone

Chapter 49: Henry Bauer/The Pianist Who Became a Phantom

Chapter 50: Isaac Ribeiro/The Nobleman Who Longed to Feel Love

[airasilver]

Independent bookselling expanded again in 2022, with new and diverse stores opening nationwide

By HILLEL ITALIE

yesterday

Owners Jessica Callahan, from left, Austin Carter, and Julie Ross pose at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, Pa., on Sunday, May 21, 2023. The independent bookselling community continues to grow, with membership in the American Booksellers Association reaching its highest levels in more than 20 years. Callahan, Carter and Ross opened their store last year. (Sophia DeRise/Pocket Books via AP)

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NEW YORK (AP) — Near the end of 2021, Jessica Callahan was living in Columbus, Ohio, working as a social science researcher and wondering if there was a better way to support herself. Her friends Julie Ross and Austin Carter had similar thoughts and a similar solution: Open a bookstore.

“I think a lot of people re-evaluated what was important to them during the lockdown and we realized the place we were always happy to be at was a bookstore,” says the 30-year-old Callahan, who with Ross and Carter last year founded the Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, close to Carter’s hometown. The roughly 1,000-square foot store is located on the main floor of a Queen Anne style house where Callahan and Ross live upstairs.

“We looked at our lives and thought, ‘Why not?’ Nothing else felt guaranteed anymore so why not just try to be happy,” she added. “We’re not getting rich from this, but we’re able to pay our bills and pay ourselves.”

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The new direction of the Pocket Books owners helped lead to another year of growth for independent sellers, with membership in the American Booksellers Association reaching its highest levels in more than 20 years. The ABA added 173 members last year, and now has 2,185 bookstore businesses and 2,599 locations. Three years after the pandemic shut down most of the physical bookstores in the U.S. and the independent community feared hundreds might close permanently, the ABA has nearly 300 more members (under stricter rules for membership) than it did in 2019, the last full year before the spread of COVID-19.

“It speaks to a sea change coming out of the pandemic,” says Allison Hill, CEO of the trade association, citing an overall rise in book sales as people spent more time at home.

One longtime ABA member, Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books in Coral Gables and other Florida locations, says business has been strong the past couple of years and the customers have been younger, in their teens and 20s. Some are seeking books by Colleen Hoover, Emily Henry and others popular on TikTok, but many are anxious to buy other works.

“I feel like young people are re-discovering the bookstore and the importance of community after being locked down,” he says. “And you’re seeing interest across the board. The other day I had a young person come in who was interested in short stories and wanted to buy a book of Chekhov.”

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The ABA also continued its recent trend of not just adding stores, but more diverse stores, whether the kinds of operations or who runs them. Independent stores these days range from longtime traditional sellers such as Books & Books to pop-up stores, mobile shops and one that began as an online store and Instagram account, Black Walnut Books, in Glen Falls, New York.

Once overwhelmingly white, the booksellers association added 46 stores last year that reported diverse ownership, among them Rooted MKE in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Black Garnet Books, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hillary Smith, owner of Black Walnut Books, is a member of the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians who is focused on queer and Indigenous titles and works by authors of color.

“I am a mission-based bookseller,” she says.

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Another new store owner, Heather Hall of Greenfeather Book Company in Norman, Oklahoma, also sees her job as a calling. Before the pandemic, she had planned to work in the legal profession, but found herself thinking of other possible careers and was surprised to realize that she had the financial resources and enough of a potential local market to go into bookselling — a seemingly distant dream.

Hall is a self-described “loud mouth” who soon became active in countering the state’s book bannings. After a Norman high school teacher was criticized (and eventually resigned) for sharing the QR code to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned Project — an initiative to enable students nationwide to access books banned in their communities — Hall decided to give away T-shirts with the library’s code.

“Being loud and obnoxious is a normal part of my life,” she says with a laugh. “I am 100% in with the ability to have a conversation about every aspect of books. I’m not talking from an ivory tower perspective. It can be romance novels, science fiction, genre fiction. I’m talking about graphic novels. These conversations are the things in my life that make it better and happier and more wonderful.”

Hill says sales appear “softer” in 2023 than in the last couple of years, but still anticipates further growth for the trade association, with 56 member stores added so far and 18 closing.

Prospective owners include 32-year-old Paullina Mills of Perry, Iowa, who had worked in education for the past decade until recent state legislation — including proposed restrictions on what books can be taught — made her consider a new path. This summer, she plans to open Century Farm Books & Brews, and have it live up to its name as a gathering place for drinks and books and bookish conversations.

“I wanted a place where people would come and get a glass of wine and maybe have a book club,” she says. “I think in general we have missed personal connections (during the pandemic) and this seems like a great way to fill a hole in our community. It seemed like a pipe dream at first, but then I found a building and it was like, ’OK, I’m going to jump in headfirst and see how it goes.”

People think actual books aren’t selling…they literally brought back Books A Million at Park City. Yes, it was because their rent agreement went out but still...we all thought it wasn't coming back and it did. It's smaller but seems to do much better (I've haven't been there for mobths but I know it's going good) than it was before.

Even Barbes & Nobles seem to be doing well.

Books (not eBooks or audio) aren't going anywhere.

[onwardmagicprincessselfship]

Callahan Siblings headcanons

Going by how old they would be this year, Amelia, Sophia and Leonidas are 20, Tyrus is 18, and Katrina is 17

Like Ian, Tyrus and Katrina would also be seniors at New Mushroomton High

Tyrus and Katrina’s college of choice would be Willowdale College most likely to uphold their dad’s reputation on the Willowdale College Fencing team

Leonidas highly anticipates the day that he turns 21 so he can join Barley in legal drinking (most likely doing something crazy like Barley challenging him to a drink off) that makes Ian and Amelia hesitant at the idea of the both of them being a silly and dumb drunk duo doing absolutely absurd and dumb antics that could get them in trouble