#the age thing could be tricky but late teens is right at the window where gryphonic ageing matches up with human/aquei

[thaisibir]

La Vie en Rose (Bede and young!Opal time travel fic)

La Vie en Rose (Life in Pink) Rating: T (for character deaths and language) Chapter 2/10 - Meeting Celebi (length: ~3k words) Summary: Bede doesn’t get why that loony old bat Opal wants him to be the next Fairy-type Gym Leader. To help him understand, Opal has Celebi take Bede back to the time of her youth.

(For other chapters, look up the tag “pokemon la vie en rose” or go to my profile)

As Bede carried the photos downstairs, a single burning question pervaded his thoughts: how did Opal’s nose get so long? Did she tell too many lies? Did she look at her feet too much and gravity pulled her nose down? But he thought it better to keep his mouth shut about that.

Once at the kitchen, Opal brewed tea while Obstagoon made salad sandwiches for lunch. Exactly what kind of salad sandwiches changed with each day. Today was egg salad. Opal’s hands were too frail and shaky to handle a knife, so she left that task to Obstagoon.

She had her back to Bede while she prepared the tea, but as she turned to give him his teacup, she said, “I’m sorry for getting upset with you. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“I wasn’t scared,” he quickly insisted. “It’s my fault, anyway. I shouldn’t have poked around where I shouldn’t be.” He ventured a question. “Why did you want to forget those photos?”

She settled into her chair with a shuddering sigh. “When you get to be as old as I am, Bede, you’ll learn that revisiting distant and dusty memories of people you’ve outlived can really hurt. If I was going to pick someone to inherit my Gym Leader mantle, I had to look to the future, not the past. I didn’t want to lose my focus, and I didn’t want to feel the pain. So I locked those memories away, and enough years passed so I couldn’t get up that attic and remember where I last left them.”

Bede didn’t know what to say to that. What could he possibly say to offer comfort or a solution? He set the photos over the dining table, muttering thanks to Obstagoon as the Pokemon offered him a slice of sandwich on a plate. He took that as a forgiving gesture from Obstagoon for upsetting Opal earlier. Typical of women her age, Opal avoided foods that would be hard on her teeth and gums, so it had been a while since Bede chewed on something like crackers and candy. Not that he complained. Obstagoon knew how to make good sandwiches.

“But now you don’t want to put away those photos anymore because of me,” Bede said.

Opal smiled at him. “You’re the chosen one. I’ve completed the hardest part of my task. Now that I can see the future, a future with you in it, I can afford to look back at the past without it hurting so much.” The old woman gazed down at the photos and took a long, thoughtful sip of her tea. “My, it’s been a long time since I’ve looked back at my better days.” She ran a hand through her snow-white hair. “This used to be so dark.” Then she tapped the tip of her long nose. “And this...” She glanced up at Bede with a twinkle in her eyes. “You’re probably wondering how this turned into a broomstick on my face.”

He merely hid his smirk behind the teacup in reply.

Opal tapped at her nose again. “Runs in the family, unfortunately. Got it from my dear old mum. Hers came in even earlier than mine. Ah, speaking of Mum, there she is. My last photo with her.” She pointed with a long painted nail at the two women standing in front of the Ballonlea Gym. Next to a young Opal—who Bede guessed to be in her late teens—was a woman with wild, dark hair down to the middle of her back, with wide eyes that seemed perplexed and distant before the camera. While Opal smiled for the picture and was well-dressed in a stylish blouse and skirt, her mother had a tight-lipped frown and wore a shawl frayed at the edges. “She was quite the character, my mum. Even more kooky than me, if you could believe it.”

“Hard to believe,” Bede admitted.

Opal chuckled at that, then she pointed at another photo. “Mightyena, Obstagoon, take a look. Those Pokemon next to my Roger, they are your great-great-great...great grandfathers.” She had to think and count on her fingers to say that.

Obstagoon peered over Opal’s shoulder, while Mightyena, closer to the ground, had to prop both front paws on the table to look over the table edge. All three smiled for the photo, with Mightyena sitting on one side and Obstagoon standing at the other. Roger had one hand over Mightyena’s head and the other on Obstagoon’s shoulder. The present-day pair of Dark type Pokemon stared down at the photo, pleased and intrigued to see their ancestors for the first time.

“You take after them in every way, if I do say so myself,” Opal remarked. She pulled out another photo and addressed Bede this time. “There’s me on my first day as Gym Leader.”

Bede knew from the League Card that Opal must have eighteen by that time. Framed by the photo, inside the Gym stadium, an eighteen year-old Opal posed with straight-backed pride. From her hands on her hips to the smirk on her face, she radiated confidence. Alongside her were Weezing, Togekiss, Mawile, and Alcremie: the same team of Pokemon she used right up to her retirement. Same kinds of Pokemon, to be exact, but not the very same that had been with her seventy years ago. Those original Pokemon were long gone. Bede wondered how Gym battles were fought back then. Not for the first time since staying with Opal, he was reminded of how long she had been around, roughly five times longer than he’d been alive, and the fact never ceased to amaze him.

Opal picked up the photo that was on the verge of tipping over the tabletop. “Oh, here’s my old man, Sir Lionel Roy. And that’s me with my brothers.”

The family posed before a mansion this time, clearly not in Ballonlea. Opal was a little girl—Bede guessed before ten years old—and she cradled a Togepi egg in her arms. Standing rigidly beside her in suits were two boys, one nearly identical to Opal in height and hairstyle while the other was shorter and younger. The severe-looking man standing over them, their father, had a bristling mustache obscuring the top lip and a tophat tucked in one arm. The male Pyroar sitting beside him looked just as stern. The only one smiling in that solemn, formal family portrait was a Yamper at the feet of the older boy.

“That boy is my twin, Randall. The other one is Kestrel.”

“Your family looks loaded,” Bede remarked.

“Hardly anyone knows that these days,” she replied modestly. “I may have been born in Wynwall, but I spent most of my life here in Ballonlea.”

“Wynwall?”

“Don’t you know your Galar history, my boy? Where do you think that Chairman Rose got the name for the city he built? The land he settled on for his city was called Wynwall for ages.”

At her hint of exasperation, Bede scowled and stuck out his bottom lip. “I skipped lessons at the orphanage. I had crummy teachers who hit the back of your hand with a ruler and put you in timeout with a dunce hat on your head.”

“In that case, my dear, I don’t blame you for skipping them.” Opal patted his hand with sympathy, then resumed her grip on the teacup to drink the last of her tea. “Anyways, that’s my family. The Roy family.”

Bede scanned through the many photos Opal hadn’t mentioned and discussed. Pictures of her with Jasper: exhausted yet beaming as she held her newborn son for the first time, reading a book to him on his bed, caught in mid-laughter when he put a theatrical mask over his face the wrong way. Pictures of her with Roger: posing backstage in period costumes, swept up in the passionate wind of singing a duet on stage, dressed in their best and in each other’s embrace on their wedding day. Even through the sepia tone of old photos, a distant past, Bede could really feel the vibrant color of Opal’s spirit jumping out at him. He took in the portrayals of important people who once populated Opal’s life, then looked up to find a pitiful and lonely sight as she sat alone across from him. “What happened to them?”

She turned wistful eyes to the window. “All sorts of things. I could talk your ear off all day long and my rambling will put you to sleep better than a Pokemon could use Hypnosis, or I could invite someone who will do a much better job of showing you than I ever could.” Opal lowered her teacup to level a serious gaze at him. “Bede, my boy, there’s someone special I want you to meet. But first, we have to wait for the morning of spring equinox, and I have to prepare a special treat for that special someone.”

Bede scrunched up his brow in confusion. “That’s oddly specific.”

“Indeed. Did I already mention that our visitor’s quite special?”

“So who’s coming?”

But she wouldn’t tell him. Spring equinox was a week away, so Bede spent that week passing the time with reading Ruby’s book, training in Glimwood Tangle, keeping Opal’s house clean, and occasionally bugging her with the same question. Each time she would not answer, much to his dismay.

“You should be focusing on your studies,” she would tell him with a wagging finger. “If you don’t study, you’ll fail my quizzes.”

That lady just loved asking questions. She could come up with new ones every day without effort, and Bede had to be ready for any tricky ones she would give. She wanted him to know Fairy type Pokemon inside and out, just like she had.

Late at night before spring equinox, well past his bedtime, Bede watched Opal make a cheri berry pie that made his mouth water. But it looked too small of a serving even for him. Was Opal talking about a tiny child? At the crack of dawn, he followed her out of the cottage and deeper into Ballonlea, away from the human populace and where the mushrooms clustered closer overhead.

Bede glanced back at the house. “You’re not taking Mightyena or Obstagoon with you?”

“Our visitor is very shy and doesn’t take well to Dark type Pokemon. Best if it’s just the two of us coming up.”

Impatience gnawed at him like the jaws of a Mawile. “You’ve got to tell me, Ms. Opal. Just who are we about to see?”

She winked at him. “Someone who can’t resist the aroma of my cheri berry pie.”

That didn’t tell him anything. Bede found the old woman’s habit of withholding information maddening. A frustrated sigh slipped through his lips as he followed Opal through the tangle of moss, mushrooms, and the drooping branches of ancient trees.

“It was easier to crawl through here when I was a little girl,” Opal remarked. She opened up her umbrella to protect herself from the snagging, finger-like twigs above them. She had Bede hold the pie while she led the way through the dense undergrowth. Finally they stopped inside a ring of tiny yellow mushrooms. The tree before them was so large and old that moss hung down from the branches like a thick green curtain.

Opal folded up her umbrella and took the pie from Bede. “I have your favorite pie warm and ready for you,“ she called. “Come on out.”

All was silent and still for several moments. Bede could hear the blood pound through his ears. Then the curtain of moss rustled. A light-green shape darted from behind them. Bede’s eyes could barely track the winged, flitting blur before it stopped just in front of the pie Opal held out.

His jaw dropped. “Is that Celebi? That time-traveling Pokemon from the Johto region?”

Opal lowered the pie to the forest floor and grinned at him. “You know your Legendary Pokemon. Looks like you didn’t skip all your lessons at the orphanage.”

Bede’s cheeks warmed. “The only ones worth sitting through are the ones about Pokemon.” He shook his head in wonder. “Celebi...it really is real.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. He dared not raise it. If he did, he might just send the Pokemon flying back into hiding, he thought.

“Long time no see, Celebi,” Opal said fondly. “You still remember me, don’t you?” She pulled off the pink and black glove on her right hand. Bede noticed a large, jagged scar on her palm, and when she turned her hand over, the same scar appeared on the back of it. It was as if someone had stuck a knife straight through her hand. Celebi gently laid its small, light green hands over Opal’s right palm, then smiled at her with a soft affirmative “Bi.”

“I’m sorry that it’s been a while since I last paid you a visit,” she said. “I’m not getting any younger.”

Celebi touched its forehead against Opal’s and twirled in the air, perhaps to say that it didn’t mind and that it understood.

They watched Celebi eat the pie, then Opal glanced at Bede. “I need to teach you how to cook sometime. The quickest way to a Pokemon’s heart is through the stomach.” She looked back at the little green Pokemon. “You know, I’m lobbying for the scientific community to retype Celebi as a Fairy type.”

Bede raised his eyebrows at her. “How’s that going for you?”

She shrugged and turned up her palms. “Not making much traction, unfortunately. I’ve been trying for the past forty years. Those scientists can be a stubborn bunch, I tell you.” The corners of a smirk made small indents in her cheeks. “I did, however, manage to play a part in convincing other regions to retype many of their Normal types. Professor Magnolia and I collaborated on a thesis to present to the research community. Did you know that Galar was the first region to officially recognize Fairy types? It took a while for the rest of the world to catch on.”

Bede shook his head. “You sure are crazy about Fairy types, Ms. Opal.”

She merely grinned at his comment. “Not crazy. Passionate. You find that passion, something to live for, and that makes life worth living.”

Celebi finished the pie and wiped red stains from its mouth. Opal took the chance to address it again. “Celebi, this is Bede, who I’ve taken under my wing. He needs to understand why I chose him to be next Gym Leader of this town. It’s not an answer I can give shortly and easily. Celebi, darling, I have a big favor to ask you. Please help him understand by taking him back to the time of my youth.”

Celebi considered this for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

Bede took a step back. “W-wait. I’m going back in time? With Celebi? How long am I going to be traveling back?” Suddenly he wished he had spent that past week preparing for the journey ahead. If only that woman had let him know in advance! “Won’t I need to eat, drink, sleep, and...” His ears grew hot. “You know, use the loo?”

Opal waved a hand in dismissal. “Oh, don’t worry about all that. Celebi’s time-travel ability puts a peculiar effect on the human body, so that you leave and come back to find that barely a second had passed in the present day. You won’t be thinking about your usual bodily needs and functions. When Celebi takes you to another time, you’re not really there, in a sense. You’re there to observe only. You’ll have no physical presence and no power to alter the events you’ll see. Things would get quite hairy if that weren’t the case. Disrupts the continuum of time, creates paradoxes, and all that.”

Bede didn’t fully understand, but he nodded. “All right, then. And what about you, Ms. Opal? Are you coming with me?”

She shook her head. “There can’t be more than one self in the same era, which means that there can’t be young me and current me in the same time and place. I have to stay here in the present. So will your Pokemon. You won’t need them where you’ll be going. I’ll take care of them while you’re gone.”

Throughout his life, Bede had been alone and fending for himself. It had always been him against the world. Normally Bede wouldn’t trust his Pokemon with anyone, but he knew from his time with her that he could trust a seasoned and caring Trainer like Opal. He unhooked his belt of Poke balls and handed them over to her.

She hugged the belt to her chest, as if she understood the significance of his willingness and appreciated it. “You’ll be on your own, my boy, while you go see me seventy years ago. But don’t fret—Celebi is an excellent guide. You won’t get lost.”

Celebi danced a figure eight in the air and looked at Bede expectedly.

“It is ready to take you through time,” Opal said. “When it does this, take its hands and don’t let go.”

Bede stepped up to do as she told him. His fingers enveloped and closed over Celebi’s small hands. The time-traveling Pokemon from Johto tilted back its chin, closed its large eyes, and warm light emanated from its form. The light outshone the glowing mushrooms and sent ripples up the trees. Bede squeezed his fingers tighter around Celebi and shut his eyes, but that only made the insides of his eyelids go red.

Before the light engulfed everything, he caught Opal’s faint parting remarks. “Bede, my boy, you’ll find that you and I aren’t so different. You’ll understand what pink means. See you on the other side.”

Notes: Musical inspiration for this chapter was “Departing London” from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

When and how did Opal get the scar? Only time-traveling will tell!

I thought it’d be cute to have a naming pattern in Opal’s family, so everyone has a name ending in -al or -el, like Lionel, Randall and Kestrel.

[creatingnikki]

Dearest Atlas,

That is a really fun choice for a pseudonym. Perhaps, your actual name? Unlikely but for the sake of this letter and me you’re Atlas irrespective. So, hello! You’re almost a decade younger to me and I must admit, I’m a little nervous to write you this love letter. I’ve never had an issue writing or interacting with people older to me by 3-4 decades even. But talking to someone younger always takes me back to when I was their age and how much I hated older people acting as though they knew better.

Of course, now after growing up I have realized that it’s just natural for you to know more and learn more as you live more (exceptions exist always and there’s not an equal increase in age and knowledge/wisdom, as we all know). I mean, compared to a 5 year old, you know so much more. But I think the one place where most adults go wrong is that instead of looking after those younger to them, they either patronize them or exploit them. Shouldn’t we, by default look after those younger to us? Protect them, so that they don’t lose their innocence and heart due to this shit world as early as we did? This sentiment is why I love a classic that most people don’t – The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. I will warn you that the narrator is annoying but his heart is in the right place and that’s the most important thing.

I guess since I’ve already started writing this letter my nervousness is out the window. Do forgive me if at any place I come across as preachy or pretentious. Know that isn’t one bit intentional.

You know how I know I’m no longer a teenager? Because I just spent 10 minutes looking up what LB(BT) means. I still don’t know but as per Google this is what it could mean:

Let’s be bored together (doesn’t fit the context as you said ‘I’m LB(BT)’)

Something related to LGBTQ+ (Is it?)

Lembaga Bela Banua Talino (Which is an Institute for Community Legal Resources Empowerment – umm probably not?)

When older people would be so clueless with slangs like LOL and TTYL and BRB 10 years ago I would think, ‘Are they serious? What’s not to get in that?’ But this is a WTF moment for me because I have crossed over to the other side, clearly. Anyway, now I’m quite curious so do let me know, please! Haha

Though, I do have a really embarrassing and silly story related to internet slang and ‘brb’. So this was back in 8th grade – 2010 – when I had just joined Facebook and had started to talk to this senior in school who I soon developed a crush on. Now, you need to know 2 things for context:

Back then everyone in school would type in “chat language” which was very “cool”. For instance, ‘What is up with you?’ would be typed as ‘wht is up wth u?’

This guy would use terms of endearment for me like sweetheart, darling, etc. *pukes*

So, for a whole week when we would chat, and he would use ‘brb’ during our conversation I had no idea what it was but I just assumed it was another term of endearment. Oh my god. Shall I even say it? Okay…so I thought it was….barbie. YES WHY WOULD HE CALL ME THAT. It’s bloody weird but my 14 year old brain worked in weird ways, and yes you’re a whole lot smarter than I was at 14, and I just assumed that. Why I continued talking to a guy who I thought called me ‘barbie’, I do not know. From entering the world of social media at 14 and not knowing slangs like the back of my hand to reaching here – writing a letter to a 14 year old and not knowing another slang’s full form – a I believe I have reached a full circle. Thank you? I think it’s very humbling but also grounding to realise how old you are or just how much time has passed by. Adulting is quite disorienting and moments like these are needed.

And thankfully, I know what you mean when you say you’re Wiccan. And I think that’s pretty cool! Around when I was 16 I read a Jodi Piccoult book about teen Wiccans and I was so fascinated that post that I did 3 things:

Convinced my friend to become Wiccan with me

Installed an app for spells

Convinced my mom to let me get a tattoo with a sentence from the Wiccan Rede

My friend ditched me, the spells on that app needed things that weren’t accessible to me and I was too much of a chicken to actually get inked (still don’t have a single tattoo!) and none of those things ever really materialised.  In yet another way you’re so much smarter than I was back then. I keep saying this not to be weird but to admire you and just express how in awe I am by certain things you mentioned.

Shall I just paste the Wiccan Rede here for everyone to see how beautiful and solid it is? Or perhaps the end of it that hit me the most?

“With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.

Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.

When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.

Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

“An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will”

And the sentence I wanted to get a tattoo of? Any guesses?

Well – An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will.

While I didn’t get it, I do want to talk about it.

People will always tell you what to do and what to be and what to think and how to behave and what to not wear and what to see and what to not talk about. These people will be your friends, parents, teachers, siblings, relatives, strangers, lovers, the government, employers, enemies and bullies. A lot of them will be well-intentioned and that’s where it will get tricky. But you should always do what feels right to you. No matter who says what. Stand up for what you believe in no matter who or how many people are against it. That’s from the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and another book that I highly recommend.

As you grow older, the lines between good and bad, black and white, brave and weak will quickly and confusingly blur. You’ll have to make a million choices, a lot of which won’t matter in a few years while some will stay with you for the rest of your life. And sometimes it will feel like you’re in a maze and thick fog (all the confusion between what’s right and what’s wrong) is surrounding you and there is this loud, piercing noise (other people’s voices) that won’t stop until you find your way out that maze. What’s waiting for you outside? Some people think it’s success, money, love, or even death. It really depends on how you see things and what’s the most important to you.

To me? I think what’s waiting out there for me is peace and truth. Lately, I’ve been able to find my way out but it’s only seconds until I’m dragged back inside. So, how to figure a permanent way out this maze is my journey next. I don’t know anything. No one knows anything. But yet people insist on pretending to know. And sometimes that’s important too (like at work). But I hope when you’re on your journey of figuring things out for yourself, you do what feels right to you and only remember – An ye harm none do what ye will.

A picnic with your friend family where everything was so happy sounds like such a precious and beautiful memory. I’m glad you got to experience that and I can only hope that while you navigate your way through the maze, you find such absolutely lovely and blissful moments in plenty. And as for your ex who sent you anon hate – so glad that such an ass is out of your life. As someone who has received a lot of nasty anon hate on tumblr, I know it hurts the most when you suspect (more like just know it) that it’s someone who used to be close to you. I guess that’s the other stuff hiding in the maze – bitterness and pain. But I think as long as you have a few people who have the best interests for you at heart who hold your hand and figure the way out together, you’re going to be okay.

So, Atlas, I do think this turned out to be a tad bit didactic but know that’s only because the part inside of me that’s still 14 is cheering on for you and sending you much love.

xoxo

Nikki

PS I know I’ve given you 2 book recs already but here’s a third one cos I think you’d quite like it – Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson. It’s a book about two high school best friends who are Wiccans and one of them kills herself and the other uses a spell to bring her back to live temporarily to figure out what really happened.

Guys, February is 29 days of love letters. I’m writing love letters, as part of The Love Project, and if you’d like me to write one to you, drop me an email at creating.nikki@gmail.com

There are 10 more spots left, and you can still be a part of it if you’d like :D

I wrote this letter for Atlas based on some questions they answered. You can read their answers here.

[gryphons-of-aentha]

had a dream last night with a young adult/late teens Iadros which has me thinking more about him as a character moving forward. which I hadn’t really done because he’s like three years old in the current canon (which is the equivalent of like a five year old human because gryphons age insanely fast as cubs but still). but anyway he’s kind of great and a ray of sunshine but also has the typical gryphonic inability to chill and I love him.

he has a very “this will be a good day and that is a threat” energy

[namethatghostling]

both loid and yor were canonically like raised into their professions presumably from a young age right so i feel like this wouldnt even be that hard to swing

twilight/loid is a teenager orphaned by war and raised as a highly capable junior strix agent. hes used as a sort of secret weapon because his age disarms people and causes them to underestimate him, also allowing him to navigate certain areas where it would be harder for a full grown adult to travel inconspicuously. thus his latest mission, enrolling eden academy to gather intel and infiltrate the social circles of several prominent heirs.

two adult agents are originally supposed to pose as his parents (the pair arent exactly thrilled that theyre being made to "babysit" the supposed spy prodigy, and loid knows it) but right before hes set to apply a conflicting mission and probably some Wacky Shenanigans pulls them away at the last minute. loid is sure hes capable of handling things alone as usual but he cant enroll without a parent present.

enter mama anya, a social worker in her late thirties. growing up anya was shuffled around from foster home to foster home until she aged out of the system, and since then has resolved to use her telepathic powers to try and help people in similar tight spots. she was able to bluff and mind-read her way into a good college despite her little formal education and started on a career where she felt her powers could be put to good use. despite this, the temptation to use them for personal gain is constant, and makes it hard for her to connect with people outside of work, since it can be tricky getting close to someone when youre always concentrating on not snooping into their mind. and when she meets this kid who is apparently a wholeass spy! hoo boy, self restraint kinda goes out the window.

even though getting to be a part of a secret mission does seem like an exciting way to shake up her tiring day-to-day, her motivations for helping loid are not entirely self-serving. she feels for loid as a child forced to grow up far too soon, something she can relate to, and quickly sees how seriously he takes his position and how desperate he is to prove himself. so when he bullshits a story about it being his parents dying wish for him to attend eden academy, she just kinda nods and agrees to be his pretend mother for the duration of his attendance.

after making it into eden by the skin of his teeth (even with strix smuggling test answers for him and anya's uncanny skill for saying exactly what the housemasters want to hear), loid soon meets yor, a fellow student who is pretty and well-liked but very socially oblivious. her looks and accidentally aloof attitude make her a target for jealousy and vicious rumors. since loid is also dealing with some bullying of his own due to his lack of pedigree, the two of them form an alliance and pretend to be dating to help pass as Normal Teens tm.

yor of course is a fledgling assassin who was only able to enroll because a recent target just so happened to be the ceo father of one of the accepted students and her "manager" pulls some strings to allow her to take his spot. her motivations are purer than her methods. she just wants to succeed in school so she can secure a good future for her younger brother. she knows her work could potentially make him a target if she slips up, so she wants to have options in case she needs a sudden change in career and/or residence.

naturally anya is just barely not losing her entire shit when loid brings home his new gf and she realizes shes about to have two extremely dangerous kids shes gonna have to keep an eye on.

hold on hold up i just saw spy x family highschool au art on twt and now im Thinking Thoughts about something vaguely age-swappy

[oliviasmithnicholls]

Things I did when I was 27

With my 28th birthday looming over the horizon (tomorrow to be exact), I've been lamenting the loss of my early and mid 20's, and facing the fact that I will definitively have reached my late 20's. Having come to end of a job contract 3 months into being 27, and not having found work since, I realised  this had shaped the way I have viewed this age, and perhaps defined it too much. Life is obviously a lot more than your job or career, and with that in mind I have decided to make a list to remind myself of the things that I did at 27.

Trained a Team- So ok, this one is job related, but hear me out, the list has to feature a true representation of the year. With a few months to go on my job contract, I was asked if I would travel to Bristol and train a team so that they would be able to do my job. Now some people I imagine would see this as a kick in the teeth, especially if they had been with  a company a long time, but I hadn't, and  I also saw it as an interesting challenge. I got to go somewhere different, meet some new people, and have a crack at teaching people. It turns out I wasn't actually too bad! I also had a rare chance to get to know one of my colleagues a bit better whilst we lived in a hotel for a little bit. Plus my boss said I was an invaluable part of the process, and lets face it, it's always nice to feel needed sometimes.

Signed with more recruitment agencies that I can remember the name of- Those first few weeks of job hunting are the most fervent. Your CV is updated, the job applications are flowing and you find yourself double checking the year you did your GCSES and then gasping in disbelief, as you fill out forms that some sadist decided to make in word so that one sentence could lead to half an hour of re-formatting. Never fear though, because then come the phone calls from the recruiters and you find yourself in a stuffy, sparse office having your passport given more attention than it has at the airport the last few years. Just got to try not to mix everyone up when they call as they seem to have a habit of having exactly the same Christian names..

Finally got a phone contract- Now this isn't a particularly exciting one, but I think it represents a move towards adulthood. People have previously mocked me for my pay as you go status. In the past I had refused to commit to a man in a shiny suit asking me to sign a very long looking form filled with terms and conditions I don't wish to peruse in my own time. I guess times are changing.

Completed taking part in a clinical study- This is kind of a cool one. For anyone who is interested, the study is called MooDFOOD and involves 9 European countries. The study is exploring the link between food and depression. I was initially interested because I wanted to go in a BODPOD like I had seen on TV, but then I learnt a bit more about the study, and I was keen to take part and do my bit for science. The BODPOD does make a cool whooshing sound like a spaceship though..

Got back into swimming- Finding myself with a bit more time, I felt this year was high time to get back into a hobby that I used to do a lot more when I was younger. I was a lifeguard when I was 16, and I used to teach children to swim as well. I began heading back to the pool a couple of times a week and I find the exercise not only physically, but mentally rewarding. Just have to be prepared for a bit of afternoon lane battles!

Became an exercise DVD queen- This is quite similar to the above, but it takes a different kind of will power not to throw your trainer at Davina or swear at the impeccably dressed, sweat less, Californian babe gracing your television screen. Sure, exercise DVDs can be irritating in part, but they are a convenient building block for getting back into fitness when you can't afford the gym, and they are also a good way of measuring your progress given they are the same every time.

Made some new friends/acquaintances- Sometimes when you cast your mind back over a year it can be easy to focus on large events like a holiday or a big surprise of some sort. One of the nice surprises is realising you've met and got to know some new people. Although I am no stranger to a touch of social anxiety, I love the unexpected nature of an evening where you meet someone new and get to know a bit about them, and sometimes gain a new perspective on things.

Went to Barcelona- I always think if you managed to get some travel in, you can't declare a year a failed year. This is going to sound truly pathetic (and give away the fact I was a true 00's teen) but I have wanted to go to Barcelona for over a decade, ever since it featured on an S Club 7 TV series. Let me tell you reader, I was not disappointed! Incidentally, don't panic, there wasn't a 00's pop band in sight. The architecture, the culture, the art, and the food were all mesmerising. I may have almost cried over how beautiful the Sagrada Familia was inside, with the light shining through the stain glassed windows. What can I say, we all have our weaknesses, apparently mine is excellent light..

Caught up with my philosophy friends- As you get older, its easy to find yourself losing touch with people. People change jobs, move house, and have kids around this age. I am pleased that I have stayed in touch with people from my undergrad course, and it's always lovely to see them, although sometimes it can be tricky to get everyone's diaries to align. Also some of them are an ocean away and that can make meetings a little rarer. It was great to see the philosophy crew a couple of times this year, and in particular I had a fun night seeing some free comedy at the Angel Comedy Club.

Caught up with my uni house mate friends- As above, with it nearing 10 years since we met and started living together, I am grateful we all still find the time to see each other several times a year. If it wasn't for one very meticulous organiser (that certainly isn't me!) it would probably happen a little less, so I am glad she kicks us into action. We are a little older, but we can still pull some embarrassing moves on the dance floor, attempt to be super civilised at a restaurant, or even as was the case this year, end up invited to some random ladies house at 2am and befriend all her pets!

Brought in the new year on a roof in central London- Why is the roof important I hear you ask? Or lets say you did for the sake of this. The roof isn't especially important, (although it was fun to be able to see the fireworks) but the older part of me that is obviously ready to turn 28, found itself thinking “Well, this is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to stand on a roof in central London that isn't a bar”. What was important was I got to spend NYE with my best friend and some pretty rad people he knows.

Walked a lot- Over 821 miles since Christmas day to be exact. I have got a fitbit, and have become one of those boring people addicted to the numbers. But factoring in that I got the fitbit in December, and my birthday was in August, that's got to be over 1,000 miles this year right?

Found a museum that has got to rival The Pencil Museum in the dull yet interesting stakes- I enjoy travelling, and visiting museums, but I have a silly game I play, I like to find what has the potential to be the most ridiculous or dull sounding museum and see what it's really like. This has led me in to such places as Cork's Butter Museum, ( the man at the desk was so surprised that we wanted to go in that he let us pay the student price even when we advised him we weren't)  and The Pencil Museum in the Lake District. This year’s find though has to be the Salcombe Maritime museum, dusty and dour but with a few hidden gems. What can I say, I guess I'm kind of nerdy.

Faced the dentist- This again, sounds a little bit strange, but hear me out. I have anxiety, and one of the ways it manifests is that I find going to the dentist extremely stressful and scary. So much so that I had avoided it for over 4 years.  I finally faced my fears and went, and it wasn't as bad as I thought in the end.  I did had to have a little bit of work done, but it wasn't the end of the world, and I've been sufficiently scared into flossing by the hygienist. Also my dentist has a very charming Irish accent, which seems to help quite a bit.

Won several pub quizzes- Ok, so maybe not several, but we have won at least 3 times in the last year, maybe 4. I have been part of a weekly pub quiz team for a couple of years now, and sometimes when we get it together we are pretty good. The fact you win a crate of beer at one of these pubs seems to motivate certain members of the team. I love a pub quiz, even if we do appallingly, it's fun.

Read some good books- I always think a new year is a new chance to read more books. I haven't perhaps read as much since I left my job as I did when I was working, (got to do something during the commute) but I have read some thought provoking ones. The one that stands out for me recently is “The Handmaid's Tale,” which despite being written in the 80's seems very relevant today.

Caught up with school friends as if no time had passed- This can be a wonderful sensation, it really depends on if you wanted things and time to have passed. The festive season made for some short and sweet meetings. Looking back it has also reminded me there are people I have known from school that I wish I had taken the opportunity to spend more time with this year, here's hoping we get it together this year.

Given money to charity- I have always given money to collection tins, and  homeless people etc, as one tends to do, but this year I started donating regularly to Wateraid, UNICEF and Macmillan nurses via text. I think its actually a really handy way of getting people to donate, as often when faced with someone signing people up to a charity on the street, we shy away from the paper work. I suppose is a little bit selfish, but people expect to be able to do things at the click of a button. This is something I want to continue to do, as I think it's really important to give what you can to help others.

Find something to do I haven't done before- With less than 12 hours before I turn 28, I have an urgent desire to do something I haven't done before. Here lies the end of my list, in which I have no doubt forgotten several things I've done this year, but that's ultimately a good thing, as it means I have managed to think of plenty of things I have done, when I previously couldn't think of a single thing. Does anyone have any genius ideas about what  new thing I should hastily do?