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cursedkeyboard · 4 months

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Babies shouldn't grow up ☆ Jason Todd & GN!Reader (PT.5)

What does Jason do after he tries his best and fails spectacularly to keep his nosy family away from his kid? Make sure he is still your favorite when everyone starts spoiling you rotten, of course. [PART ONE ♤ PART TWO ♤ PART THREE ♤ PART FOUR ♤ PART FIVE ♤ PART SIX]

Pairings: Platonic Jason Todd & Child GN!Reader / Batfamily & Child GN!Reader

When everything was said and done, Jason explaining why he didn't want to expose you to more dangers by introducing you but also the reason why he felt compelled to be honest with you about their identities, the bats soon started to try and bond with you

Dick was the first one, as always, and introduced himself as "little wing's one and only older brother"

You giggled when Jason groaned at that, embarrassed, and Dick took that as a win

Dick's older bro charms 1 - Bruce's gloomy dad stare 0

After getting called out by you so directly and plainly, Bruce had been awfully quiet as everyone interacted with you

It wasn't every day he got called out for the worst mistakes he comitted

But he also was still reeling at the fact that he was a damn grandfather

Steph cooed at how small you were, pointing out how even Damian was taller

Which, in Jason's opinion, was totally unfair since you were only eleven while Damian was thirteen, going on fourteen, and had been trained for along time

Also, excuse him, only he could tease you

Dick would be asking Jason one and a million questions about how he'd been taking care of you, your education, health, etc

"Of course I– You think I wouldn't send my kid to school, Grayson?"

His kid, they thought, part giddy part dumbfounded

"Woah, woah, I'm just asking! Technically you're legally dead and the little angel over here doesn't exactly look like you."

Wow, for some reason that really pissed Jason off

He tucked you under his chin, squeezing you gently as you rested your head on his collarbone

"I signed the papers. I'm not fucking dumb, Dick, I've been the legal guardian for about a year now."

At that, Steph stopped trying to take pictures of you with her eyes alone and quirked one of her eyebrows

"Legally?"

"... For the most part."

No one said anything at that, it's not like any of them really followed the law, especially not the old man behind them

You huffed in amusement at that, making Dick and Steph's hearts warm up

Damn, not even an hour into meeting you and they were already feeling those fuzzy, soft feelings in their chests

Needless to say, it wasn't a casual evening but it wasn't what Jason had been dreading, not at all

There was no screaming about him being reckless, no one tried to take you away from him, Bruce didn't even say much

Damian was still a brat and tried to pick on you, judgy little shit, only to get the nastiest clapback that made Dick choke on his spit

They all knew he was just feeling jealous, like every kid feels when a younger, cuter child shows up in the family

Boohoo, Jason thought as he watched fondly as you and Damian bickered, the demon brat was never as cute as my kid

Bruce, despite his melancholic gaze and awkward nature, managed to talk a bit to the both of you

He'd tell Jason that if you ever needed anything, to just use his credit card, no questions asked

Bruce would always be a call away and with Cass slowly taking over the mantle, he had a bit more time in his hands when the League didn't need him

He'd support the both of you to hell and back, his own way of repenting, and all he asked in return was...

For Jason to visit more

Because he was still upset about not having all of his kids home for Christmas

And bring you with him

it was high time you met everyone and became an official member of the family, he already knew exactly where your portrait would go

And despite his hesitance, you wanted to be a part of Jason's entire life, not just a hidden piece

Jason could never say no when you did a terrible impression of puppy dog eyes

So this is how it started; the start of the bats spoiling the hell out of you

After a couple of dinners together, lunch, and a tour around the manor and the batcave, seeing all of their old and new suits, ("Tell me you didnt actually wear this." "Shut it, I was a child." "I'm a child and I'd rather die than ever touch this."), with you glued to Jason's side always, packages started showing up at the doorstep

At first it'd be cute and silly things like a plush of the newest Pokémon and matching scarves for the incoming winter

Maybe even their own merch, because they're all losers deep inside

Then it was Bruce taking over any kind of expenses you and Jason had because, in his words, he wanted Jason to focus on raising you instead of worrying about rent

–Not like he wasn't already using Bruce's money to pay for everything

But he still felt begrudgingly soft at having his dad care for him and his kiddo like that, though he'd never admit it–

And then Babs and Tim upgrading the cyber security all around your block in the chance of a villain attack or any creeps following you home

From Duke and Cass asking Jason to spend time with you for some bonding time to your entire wardrobe turning into designer and your school materials updated by Wayne tech

Fuck, you even had terribly expensive yet thoughtful action figurines from your and Damian's favorite animated shows

The brat tried to hate you for ripping everyone's attention away from him, for making Bruce and Dick all... gooey, but it was hard when you had Todd's knowing eyes and a developing charm that always cracked a smile out of him

Infuriating, like father like kid

But... he liked you, quite a lot

And, throughout it all, Jason was panicking bad

Look, Jason Todd was always a jealous person by nature

He never liked his things touched, never liked sharing his interests in case someone also got interested in it, and he was particularly possessive with the few romantic partners he had

So when your attention was suddenly split among all of his family, Jason felt a little upset

It's like when a cat that usually only likes you allows other people pet it

Jason didn't quite feel betrayed but... that childish fear of not being your favorite person was very real in his head

So he upped his game

Whenever any member of his family gave you a gift, he'd get something better the next day

If they took you to a cool place, say an arcade or the mall to hang out and get to know you better

Jason was already booking tickets to go to Universal and taking you out for nightly motorcycle rides

Damian was insisting on watching the new season of your favorite show?

Next weekend he'd have prepared the living room to look like a cinema, with snacks and popcorn, for a movie marathon

Babs and Steph got you interested in makeup?

Regardless of gender identity, you know Jason would watchevery YouTube tutorial known to man about makeup so you won't have to ask the girls about it

Bruce would grow all fond of you once you got past, but did not forgive nor forget, the things he's done to Jason and started interacting more with him

So once he's talking about how he learned multiple different languages growing up, during one of the monthly family dinners, Jason would already be Googling how to learn another language fast

And god forbid Dick messed with your hair

He was not above picking a fight with Nightwing for ruining the hairstyle he spent hours doing for you

Look, Jason wouldn't be as petty as to keep you away from his family

No, in the contrary, he really, really loved watching you be coddled and loved by some of the most powerful people on earth

Getting the childhood he had so desperately wanted

It allowed that restless part of his soul to settle knowing you had them looking out for you, always

But Jason also would always want to be your number one

Your favorite person

Your hero

You dad

Yeah, he could admit it now without fear, he's definitely your old man

How could he not be when he's cutting apples for your school snack and making sure you go to bed before nine?

Never mind his age, Jason even bought a grill so you two could barbecue on the rooftop, there's no other more dad move than that

So, after a few months of this real life sitcom, when you were both on the couch watching Pride & Prejudice (Jason's choice tonight), all cuddled up and cozy

You'd rest your head on his shoulder and sigh happily

"You don't need to do all this, you know?"

"Hm? Do what, kiddo?"

"Trying to one up everyone. It's funny and I'm not exactly opposed to being spoiled as hell–"

"You're such a brat."

"Shut up– but you'll always be my favorite, you know that, dad."

Oh.

Ok. Wow. He was tearing up.

"Oh, fuck off, don't do this to me."

His voice would be a little wobbly as he hid his face in your hair, squeezing you gently in his arms

And you'd giggle and hug him tighter too, your face warming up nervously but no longer afraid of muttering that one little word that had been stuck in your throat for so long

You two were so, so similar in that regard, afraid of overstepping despite the bubbling emotions inside you, the overflowing love threatening to spill out

So much faith and trust, devotion, care, and adoration

And all it took was one sentence to make it all better

"I still wanna go to the convention next week, though."

And Jason would laugh, teary and almost breathless, and press a kiss to your forehead, feeling happier than he's ever felt

"Yeah, okay, you nerd."

Wonder who you got it from

That night solidified it for him, calming his anxieties and petty jealousy

Jason would always be your favorite person

And you wouldalways be his favorite little one

Nothing would ever change that

To be continued... for one last time.

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i-have-a-wonky-eye-too · 11 months

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Always Meant To Be...

Ransom Drysdale x reader series Part 18/?

<Part 17<

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO THE TAGLIST!

Warnings: 18+ readers only, swearing, Ransom's family being assholes, Linda being creepy/nice, Walt/Richard being mean to Ransom, reader being called a whore, reader defends Ransom (again)

For the first time in his life, Ransom was excited to share some good news with his family, and it wasn't just because he was looking forward to the chaos that was bound to erupt from it. He was genuinely happy. Happier than any of his family ever have been and it wasn't because of money or being treated like the spoilt rich kid he once loved. It was because he finally had your love.

"Hey," You placed your hand on Ransom's knee as he put the car into park. "You good? You seem, nervous?" You asked.

He nodded. "I guess I kinda am..." He let out a nervous chuckle. "I've never had anything like this to tell them before. I guess, although I know what's going to happen, I'm kinda excited to tell them." He sighed. "Stupid, right?"

You shook your head. "No, Ran, it's not." You smiled at him. "They're your family and telling them should be an exciting moment... If they were normal."

The pair of you chuckled.

"At least, Harlan, will be happy." Ransom smiled as he laced his fingers with yours.

"Yeah. And, I'm sure, Wanetta, will be." You smiled back at him before leaning over and kissing him.

Ransom nodded and let out heavy sigh. "C'mon, lets get this over with, shall we?"

The two of you got out of his beamer and walked around to the front where Ransom took a hold of your hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it making you roll your eyes as you blushed. You walked up to the front door but before you opened it, Ransom stopped. He reached up and held the back of your head as he crashed his lips against yours.

You wrapped your arm around his waist as you gladly let his tongue assault yours, moaning into his mouth.

The door suddenly open and Linda stood their with a scowl. "You're starting to look like one another." She said as she looked you both up and down.

You looked down at your clothes and chuckled, you hadn't even realised toud put a sweater on similar to what Ransom was wearing.

"Good job we're both fucking hot then." Ransom smirk as he pushed past his mother and entered the house pulling you close behind him.

"Your grandfather says you've got something to tell us. What is it?" Linda asked as Ransom helped you take your coat off.

Ransom rolled his eyes and pulled his own cost off. "Can't you wait five minutes? Fuck, I need a drink." He pressed a kiss to your cheek before going off into the kitchen.

You looked at Linda as she silently stared at you, "I'm not apologizing." You said firmly.

Linda's brow furrowed, "For what?"

"For the other day." You said turning to face her.

"Oh, the cunt thing." She raised her eyebrow at you with a smirk, creeping you out a little.

You nodded.

"Sweetie, I wouldn't expect you to..."

You frowned at her, trying not to throw up in your mouth. Sweetie? "Excuse me?"

"You have some balls, speaking to me the way you did. There's not many people whom get away with it." She said as she stepped closer to you. "And there's not many people who defend my son like you do. Nor care about him. And there's no one who loves him like you, either. That's why I'm fine with how you spoke to me, Y/N. You put me in my place and it showed me how you really feel about him."

You gulped and nodded. "He didn't deserve to be spoken to like that."

Linda sighed. "I know you probably think I don't love my son, but I do. I'm terrible at showing it. I hate showing it, makes people weak... But I see with you and Ransom, it only makes you stronger... I've never seen Ransom love anyone the way he loves you." She turned with a smile and left you alone in the hallway stunned.

You don't think you'd ever seen Linda smile. You didn't think she could with how much work she'd had done.

Ransom walked out of the kitchen and stopped in his tracks, not expecting to find you stood where he left you. "Beautiful?" He walked up to you and handed you your drink. His eyebrows shot up as you effortlessly knocked your drink back in one. "What's wrong?"

You shook your head and looked up at him. "Your mother... smiled."

Ransom's brow furrowed, "Did her face crack?"

You shook your head and took his drink from him, downing that too. "She-" You shook your head. "Was nice to me." You shivered.

Ransom began laughing, "Don't be ridiculous. Mother doesn't do nice." Ransom wrapped his arm around your shoulders and kissed your forehead. "I'll get another drink, why don't you go on-"

"Hell no. I'm staying with you. What I just witnessed was creepy as shit." You quickly walked off towards the kitchen.

Ransom rolled his eyes with a chuckle and followed behind you. "What did she say? Maybe you misunderstood."

You shook your head as you walked into the kitchen saying a quick hello to Fran before you leant against the counter. "I didn't misunderstand, Ransom. Linda, said she didn't expect me to apologise for what I said to her."

"What? Are you sure?" Ransom frowned at you. "I can't imagine that. You basically called her a cunt."

Fran almost burst out laughing, quickly covering it up as a cough and apologising.

You chuckled, "She said, Sweetie, I wouldn't expect you too..." You held your hands out with your eyes open wide. "Creepy right?"

Ransom nodded. "That's pretty weird."

"Oh, that's not all she said. Apparently she thinks I have some balls for talking to her the way I did. And that, she could tell that I really cared about you and loved you, because I wasn't afraid to put her in her place... Then she said something like, I love my son, but I don't show it because I hate showing it, it makes people weak... But I see it only makes you stronger..."

Ransom's eyes widened. "Maybe she's drunk."

You shrugged, "Whatever, as long as she doesn't call me sweetie again." You shivered make making Fran chuckle.

"Maybe our news will turn her into a bitch again." Ransom smiled at you reassuringly.

"News? Are you two expecting?" Fran gave you a hopeful smile.

Your eyes widened a little. "Uh, no, Fran. Not that kind of news."

"I asked, Y/N, to move in with me." Ransom explained.

Fran smiled back, "Oh, wonderful. Congratulations." She then let out a soft sigh. "Although, it would be nice if you were having a baby too... I think you'd have cute children."

Ransom nodded, "Yeah, me too."

You turned to Ransom shocked. "You do?"

"Of course. We're hot." He shrugged. "Our kids would be super cute."

"Kids?" You raised your eyebrow. "Like two?"

Ransom nodded. "Or more. Whatever."

Your eyebrows shot up as you looked at Fran.

"You've thought about having children, Hugh?" She asked sounding equally as surprised as you.

Ransom frowned at her, "That's none of your business." He snapped at her defensively making her jump. Ransom grabbed his drink and stormed out of the kitchen with a huff.

You let out a soft breath and looked at Fran. "Don't pay him any attention, Fran."

She shook her head. "I didn't mean to anger him. I was surprised to hear him talk about children, that's all."

You nodded. "Me too."

"You haven't spoken about them?"

You shook your head. "I've always assumed, Ransom, wouldn't want them."

"I think perhaps it's time you have this conversation with him, Y/N." Fran offered you a warm smile and a pat on the arm.

You thanked her and grabbed your own drink, leaving the kitchen and making your way to the lounge where everyone else already seemed to be bickering.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Walt huffed from where he sat.

You rolled your eyes and walked over to Harlan. "Hey." You smiled at him as he stood.

He cupped your face in his hands and smiled. "It's good to see you, kid. How are you?" He kissed your cheek before hugging you.

You gulped, feeling a lump form in your throat as you hugged him back. "Better, thank you. How are things going?" You asked looking at him.

Harlan nodded. "Fine. We'll talk later." He smiled. "Now, what's this news you and my grandson have to share with us?"

You smiled and sat down beside Ransom, letting him pull you into his side. You looked up at him and nodded. "You tell them."

"Oh God, you're pregnant, aren't you?" Joni gasped dramatically. "I thought you looked a little puffy."

Your mouth fell open in shock. "What the fuck?"

"Mind your language." Donna scowled at you as she covered Jacob's ears making you and Ransom roll your eyes.

"Jesus... Just what we need, another little shit." Walt huffed.

"Language, Walt." You mocked Donna making Marta snicker into her hand.

"Ransom." Richard said sternly as he stood in front of him.

"Father." Ransom looked up at Richard seriously making you chuckle.

Richard shook his head as he placed his hands on his hips, "You can't have a child, Ransom. You're just... not good enough." Richard sighed.

Your brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"He's right. You're a shitty person. How can you raise a child? You can barely wipe your own ass." Walt laughed.

"Oh, and the two of you are the world's greatest fathers." You scoffed. "Ransom, isn't a shitty person, asswipe," You glared at Walt. "And he will make a great father because he learnt from the pair of you what makes a shit father. He wouldn't be a fucking asshole to his children nor would he try to ruin his child's happiness to make money."

Ransom smiled at you before pressing a kiss to your forehead. "You're too sweet, beautiful." He whispered making you blush.

"Ransom, is it true, you're going to be a father?" Harlan asked with a hopeful look in his eye.

As you looked at Harlan you began to feel guilty.

Ransom shook his head with a sigh. "It's not that sort of news, grandpa." Ransom cleared his throat. "I asked, Y/N, to move in with me." He smiled to himself. "We're going to be buying a place together."

Harlan began grinning. "Well that's equally as wonderful news. The right place for you two to be taking your relationship."

You nodded. "Glad you think so, Harlan."

"Oh for heavens sake." Walt huffed as he stood up. "You can't be serious, dad. Can't you see what's she doing?"

Harlan sighed as you and Ransom glared at Walt. "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me what I'm not seeing."

"She's clearly a gold digging whore. Wasn't she fired from her job? How exactly is she going to afford buying a new house, hmm?" Walt glared at you.

"She wasn't fired, shit head, she quit." Ransom defended you.

"And not that it's any of your business, but I have a thing called savings." You stuck your tongue out at him.

"And I assume you'll be selling your apartment?" Harlan asked.

You nodded. "Yep. And I'm working on getting a new job."

"Any ideas what you want to do, yet?" Harlan asked trying to change the subject.

You let out a heavy sigh as you shook your head. "I want to do something different but I'm just not sure what."

"I told you, beautiful, let me take care of you. I make enough money. You don't need to work." He wiggled his eyebrows at you suggestively.

You covered your mouth as you laughed at him and your inside joke. A few days ago Ransom 'jokingly' suggested being your sugardaddy instead of you finding a new job. As appealing as it sounds to be spoilt all the time in return for certain sexual favors, you wanted a job. You knew Ransom would spoil you anyway and get the sexual favors he wanted regardless. You couldn't say no and why would you want to.

"Ah ha!" Walt pointed at you. "See! She's just a who-"

"Oh shut the fuck up, Walt!" Linda shouted as she stood up. "And you!" She snapped at Donna before she could sqwark about using bad language in front of her son.

"Linda-"

"No! Shut it!" She got close to Walt and jabbed him in the chest. "I've had a fucking 'nough of the same old bullshit. You complain and whine that, Ransom, is lazy and needs to grow up and start thinking of others. And when he's clearly started doing what you've been screaming about for years, you fucking complain!" Linda glared at Walt. "It ends, now."

Walt stared up at Linda in shock, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

Richard cleared his throat as he approached his wife. "Linda-"

"That goes for you, too. Can't you see for once our son is actually a joy to be around." Linda glared him.

Richard scoffed, "All he ever says is eat shit and throws insults at us."

"Maybe if you weren't all such assholes to him from the moment he walks into the room." You muttered into your glass.

"Nobody asked you." Richard hissed at you.

"That's enough!" Harlan stood up from his chair with Martha's help. "Yes, Ransom, has made some questionable decisions in his life, but haven't we all. And the positive thing to take from it is that he's making changes to be a better man. Changes that make me proud of him. Changed that make me excited to see what his future holds for him." Harlan smiled proudly at Ransom. "Now, let's go eat."

As you stood to follow everyone out to the dining room, Ransom pulled back down onto his lap.

He crashed his lips against yours hungrily as he held the back of your hand in one hand and forced his tongue into your mouth. You moaned into his mouth as your fingers tangled in his sweater.

He pulled back with a satisfied hum, "Have I told you I love you?" He smiled.

You nodded with a soft giggle. "One or twice."

"I should tell you more then." He kissed you again but this time slower.

You wrapped your arms around his neck as you got lost in the kiss.

"RANSOM!" Linda shouted from the doorway making the two of you jump. "Can you not fuck on couch. Christ!"

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super-unpredictable98 · 2 years

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The Eighth Child (~TUA AU~) - Season 3

Chapter 4: East, West, Home's Best

Warning: Strong language, mild sexual content, mention of death

(The Eighth Child Masterlist)

"Okay, gather around people," Five called as soon as we entered the hotel lobby. Most of our siblings were there, with the exception of one. "Where's Luther?"

"Haven't seen him," Diego shook his head.

"Vicky, any info on Luther?"

"Uh... ew, he's thinking about sex," I nearly gagged. "That's zoophilia, gross!"

"I don't think you can judge other people's sexual preferences, brother fucker," Diego teased.

"Ha ha, as if you didn't have a child with your sister... And you? What were you doing fighting Alphonso earlier hah? With Stanley there, you have to be the most irresponsible dad I've ever seen! Except for ours."

"Were you spying on me? This power of yours is pretty cool, but stay out of my head, pendeja!"

"Pendeja? Seu filho da puta, vê se toma jeito! (You son of a bitch, get a grip!)" I said before realizing.

"You two stop the bickering! Look at this, these are our mothers and they're all dead," Five flipped page by page showing everyone each of our moms. "They all died on the day that used to be our birthday, but not anymore because they never gave birth to us."

"That's dumb, if we weren't born, how can we exist?" Diego asked. "Shouldn't we start fading away like in Back to The Future?"

"Exactly! When we jumped here we created the grandfather paradox."

"And what's that?" Viktor asked.

"It's an old story, mom told me about it once. It was a boy who hated his grandpa so he time-traveled to the past to kill him. Only he killed his grandfather before his own mom could be born which leads to him never existing, so how could he ever kill his grandpa? Time collapses and everything goes to shit," I looked at Five for confirmation. "That's it, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's it, doesn't sound very good, does it?" he huffed.

"I'm so confused," Diego shook his head in disbelief.

"Shocking..." Allison sneered. She had been a royal pain in the ass ever since we arrived, I get how hard it is for her, but she wasn't the only one who lost people. Viktor had to give up Sissy, Diego lost Lila (at least he thought he did), and I had to see my friend Elliot murdered by those Swede bastards. Life is hard for everyone, not just for her.

"We shouldn't exist because our moms never had us, but we do, and the universe can't handle it, which is a problem," Viktor explained.

"Stanley, stop it! Now is not the time for karate!" Diego chastised my nephew who was very focused on his training.

"Mom said I need to practice," he countered.

"She's not wrong, you're pretty bad."

"And you're pretty bad at being a dad, quit it!" I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "You're talking like Reggie, only with a less posh vocabulary."

"So, we created a paradox, what does that mean?" Allison asked.

"I don't know exactly, but something very bad is coming, things are starting to disappear. Lobsters..." Five shrugged.

"A shit ton of cows," Klaus added. "It was so bad, Vicky's going back to being a vegetarian."

"Aren't you supposed to be retired?" Alli asked. "You know you can't keep dragging us through hell because you have an itch only an apocalypse can scratch."

"You really think Five wants this?" I finally snapped. "You think any of us wants this? I wanted to be buying wedding decorations and tasting cakes, instead I'm here on this timeline where I don't even exist trying to fix the world for the rest of you. I'm so sorry you are having a tough time, but you are not the only one, Wanda Maximoff! This is the only place we have, if we jump again that'll only mess the timeline even more, so you better accept that this is all we have!"

"Since when did you become Five's cheerleader? I thought you were only a shield to your little boyfriend. You think life is hard? Cause you can't buy your wedding dress? Well, I lost my daughter!"

"My headache won't fix your broken arm. We're both hurting and we both have our priorities, doesn't mean one thing is more important than the other or that you are hurting more than me. It's just different."

"Cut your bullshit, Victoria, you and your stupid philosophical sayings, it was childish when we were kids, imagine now."

Fortunately, the fight didn't escalate because Stan broke a vase with the pool club he was using to practice and silence reigned over the room. "It was the wind," he tried to shift the blame.

"That's it! I'm telling your mom! Where is she?" Diego punched the table angrily.

"Oooo I'm so scared," the boy mocked. "She's in the shower, I said she could stay with us."

"Lila is here? As if things couldn't get any worse," I cried, falling into Klaus' lap. "I can't take today anymore, I hate today. Can we just take a shower and go back to our room? I need a relaxing massage and some special attention."

"Behold, she's thinking of sex... Because that's the remedy for everything," Allison taunted.

"Just because you're not having any, don't rain on my parade. I escaped a mob of angry Amish bastards, I was nearly catapulted out of a car because of a ball of twine, I saw a rabbit being skinned. Leave me the fuck alone!"

"Don't listen to her, Vicky, she's in one of her moods," Klaus stroked my hair. "We can definitely do that after the meeting is- Five! Five don't leave!"

"I'm leaving," the little man announced as he rounded the corner to look for Lila.

"Hey, none of you heartless bastards care about our murdered moms?" Klausie asked. "Look at mine, I have her eyes, her name's Rachel. Look at my mother-in-law, cute little freckles like Vicky's, and the same mischievous look on her face. We need to find out who did this! This is the main thing!"

"What? It was obviously dad," I said, thinking he would've figured that out by now. "You heard him, he hated us in 63 so much he decided to unadopt us, but just to make sure we wouldn't be born he killed our moms and eliminated the scum before it could come out."

"You really think dad is capable of killing innocent people?"

"Uh yeah! Dad kept me under a thousand pounds of metal every single day for fun, what would stop him from killing some women he didn't even know?"

"I guess you're right."

"Look who decided to show, little late for the meeting, pal," Diego teased as Luther walked in, carrying a tote bag full of Sparrow merch and even wearing a Sparrow jacket. I was completely unimpressed, I knew he was a traitor from the moment we first learned how to talk and he decided to rattle me out for stealing a cookie.

"I was being held captive by the Sparrows. None of you noticed?" he asked, slightly offended.

"Oh yeah, we missed you so dearly," I nodded. "I was worried sick... Are you hurt?"

"No, they're excellent hosts! Quite charming, and you should see their gym, their house is amazing! I really think we've got these guys all wrong."

"Says the guy they kidnapped," Allison cocked an eyebrow.

"I was obligated to enter your dirty mind and see the filth going through your head, please never do that again, it was disgusting," I took the beer bottle from Klaus to take a sip. "Why were you even thinking those things while being held hostage?"

"What do they want?" Diego cut me off.

"They want Marcus, unharmed," Luther passed on their message.

"Well, we don't have Marcus," Viktor said.

"Oh, that sucks, I thought we could solve that one quickly and go on to problem number two... The disappearing people."

"Disappearing people?" I scoffed. "That's it, let's go, Klaus. I need a shower and all the rest."

"Oh? You still want all the rest even if I'm an Amish from Pennsylvania?" he giggled, following me to the elevator.

"You speak German, right?" I pressed the button to our floor and turned to him as the door closed.

"ohne Zweifel, (no doubt,)" he smirked.

"Then yeah, I do."

"Ich möchte Dich betteln hören," he pinned me against the wall, his lips inches away from mine and I already felt the palms of my hands tingling.

"You wanna hear me beg? I can beg once you're naked..."

——————————————————

So the world was ending again. People were disappearing now, we had to run and get things done before we all die. We wouldn't be able to dodge death when it keeps following us everywhere forever, it was like that movie Final Destination. We could try all we wanted to avoid our end, but it would always arrive and find us wherever we went.

"Heeey, Schnecke... Can we go somewhere today? Just us?" he rolled over to hold me after hours of me staring at the ceiling waiting for the sun to come up.

"Klaus! Not again, don't come at me with this shit!" I cried. "Do you even want to get married anymore?"

"Of course I do, what do you mean?"

"There's another apocalypse coming, we don't know how to stop this one because it doesn't seem like Viktor is the cause anymore. We can die or disappear at any given second and instead of worrying about the wedding, you're asking me once again to follow you into one of your stupid adventures! What am I supposed to think?"

"You're right, you're right... Can we maybe compromise?"

"What's the compromise?"

"You come with me to visit dad and ask him about our moms, then on the way back we can buy our outfits and I'll talk to Chet about the venue," Klaus suggested.

"Okay fine, but how do you expect to get passed security again and get into the house without being trampled on by those assholes?" I asked.

"Remember how we used to sneak out through the window?"

"Yeah, but we can't do that, people will see us."

"There's another way inside..."

"NO! Klaus! No! I'm not doing that again, no way!"

I knew what he wanted. One time when dad shut the windows closed right after my accident falling from the second floor, we had to find another way to get out so we could get our doughnut fix. So Klaus had the brilliant idea to crawl through the sewers like we were in some Stephen King novel.

It was one of the worst experiences of my life, and that's saying a lot! I can still remember the smell and it makes my stomach churn. I couldn't believe he wanted me to do it again, and all because we wanted to... Talk to dad? It was insane.

"Pretty please?" he pouted, batting those eyes at me. "It would mean so much to know what happened to my mother. I don't wanna do this alone, Vickynha! Please? It's not like you can get hurt or catch anything."

"Fiiiiine! But we're getting the outfits on the way back, so we better manage to take a shower at the mansion, I'm not trying on wedding dresses covered in sewage!"

"I promise, I'll take another beating just so you can take a shower. Thank you so much!"

Klaus managed to find us some diving suits, swimming caps, snorkel shit... And of course, two trenchcoats so we wouldn't go out in the street looking like a pair of lunatics. It didn't really help, but at least all eyes were not on my future husband's bulge.

As soon as he opened that lid I wanted to run back to the hotel. The smell was almost unbearable, but Klaus didn't seem bothered. He, in fact, seemed nostalgic, last time we did that we were 13 and imagined life would be different, happy, so maybe that's why the smell was comforting to him.

"That takes me back..." he said, dropping his trenchcoat and making his way down.

"If we find a killer clown in there, I'm letting it eat you," I huffed, following him inside. "Ugh, the things you make me do."

"Oh stop it, you love me," he smirked.

I made a vow to myself to be totally honest and open when telling this story, but I really don't think I have the stomach to relive what happened in the sewers. I can tell you all I was never the same after that, the things I've seen in there will haunt me forever. I regret taking Klaus' deal several times while we swam through that shit (literally) to arrive at dad's office.

"See? Not that bad," he said as he helped out of the pipe.

"Oh yeah, I definitely don't wanna throw up and cry right now..." I rolled my eyes, taking off my suit to reveal the bikini underneath.

"Wow, that's what you chose to wear?" Klaus stared at me and his thoughts were so loud I could listen to them without even trying.

"It made sense to me, a swimming suit under the diving suit. Stop thinking that, we're covered in shit!" I scolded.

"Sorry, but your ass looks really good right now, I'm only human!" he cried, getting out of his suit, he was wearing yet another skin-tight suit, but this one had his chest completely exposed and in between the two layers, he had a blue speedo on.

"You look like Borat and Lady Gaga had a child," I tried not to laugh.

"Have at you!" Dad finally noticed us and grabbed a wooden back scratcher in the form of a little hand to use as a sword against us. I yelped, but as soon as I noticed what he was holding I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Did you do it?" Klaus asked, grabbing one of the little statues from the mantelpiece to counterattack.

"What are you talking about? How did you get in here?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to, dad..." I muttered.

"Did you kill our moms?" Klausie asked again. "Please just tell me if you killed them and we'll leave."

"After a shower," I added.

"After a shower," he nodded. "Please just tell us."

"I don't care enough about you to lie, do I look fit to murder anyone?" dad lowered his guard.

"Not now, but I remember you, you were scary and horrible and a sadist! You'd love to make sure none of us are born!" I took the statue from my fiancé and put it back in place.

"I remember you two better now. You're the drunk one and you're the childish one."

"No, I'm Klaus, the spiritual one," he argued. "And this is Victoria, the... Hot one."

"That's all I am to you? The hot one?" I turned to him, baffled.

"Victoria, the... Motherly one, the one who bakes, the interesting one, the caring one, the beautiful one?"

Before I could respond, we heard a knock on the door and ran to hide. We couldn't see who was there but we heard Jayme and Alphonso coming in with food and pills for dad. They insisted he took them and then forced him to sign some papers he didn't know anything about. I tried to read his mind and get any clues, but it was very confusing.

"His brain is a haze, he's totally doped," I whispered.

"Who? Dad?" Klaus gasped quietly and I nodded.

The way they treated him made me almost sad for a second, I felt bad for him and that was a first! They threatened him and made mean comments, even after everything our father put us through, I couldn't help worrying.

"Oh my God, dad... What happened to you?" Klaus asked when the others left and we finally came out of hiding.

"How did we not have that idea?" I thought out loud. "They treat you like some sort of senile old man. You used to be an asshole, but you're the most respectable asshole I've ever met. Reginald Hargreeves, The Monocle, stuck in a room being drugged by his kids?"

"I sometimes wonder what happened to me as well," Reginald stared vacantly at the tv. "You kids better take a shower, you may use mine, but please leave it the same way you found it, in order."

"Thanks, dad," I dragged Klaus, who had many other questions but the smell was really starting to bother me and I couldn't handle it anymore.

That wasn't the man who raised us, that was very much clear. And though most of the changes in the timeline were concerning and disturbing, I found that one very comforting. Maybe there was a chance this father could like us. Maybe not like us, but at least not hate us.

When we came out of the shower, without saying a word to each other, we found two robes waiting, a gesture that was so small and yet nearly brought me to tears. We both got dressed and helped dry each other's hair like we did as kids.

"That is much better, is it not?" Dad looked us up and down when we came out of the bathroom. "Now why would you think I murdered your mothers?"

"You hated us so much that you unadopted us, is it so crazy to think you wouldn't want us to even exist?" I sat by him on the couch.

"Seems I might've misjudged you, after all, you ended up saving the world in 63, so you must have done something right. I must admit I didn't even think of murdering your mothers as a solution."

"If we tell you we saved the world with the power of love will you believe us?" Klaus joined, wrapping one arm around me.

"I find it hard to comprehend how love would stop an impending apocalypse, but anything is possible these days..." Reggie pointed at the TV where a news anchor was reporting on the rapidly growing number of missing people around the world, but before it was over, he changed channels to watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame instead.

"Oh, I love this movie," Klaus chuckled. "Vicky here likes the Disney version more, don't you, Schatz?"

"I am not the least bit surprised," father said, and I could hear him thinking once again about how my face makes me look like a child.

"Hey! It had some of the most beautiful songs ever, God Help the Outcasts is a masterpiece and Hellfire? The best Disney villain song ever written!" I tried to argue, but it only made Klaus' smile widen even more.

"Never turn your back, kids," dad said totally unprompted. "Especially on your children. You do your best, give them your all, but it's too much. Then it's pills in the porridge and something extra in the tea, next thing you know you signed your life away. All your dreams have been quashed, all your plans run aground, and the worst of it? No one ever comes to visit anymore. But you wouldn't understand that."

"Wouldn't we?" I quickly rubbed my eyes to stop any tears from falling.

"Reggie, you have no idea," Klaus murmured, laying on my shoulder. "Have you ever been to a Baskin Robbins?"

"Can't say that I have," dad looked at us intrigued.

"They're like... You know the ones, they're half a Dunkin' Donuts and they're open all night, and it's 3 a.m, and nobody's switching out those giant empty tubs of fudge ripple. That's me! I feel like scoop after scoop after scoop has been taken out of me. Brother... Lover... A whole world... And now my mom. I don't have many scoops left, I only have two."

"Two?" his brows furrowed, certainly curious.

"Two, my Victoria," Klaus looked up at me with dreamy eyes. "And my pretty face. Once I lose that, I lost everything."

This boy's devotion reminds me of how I used to be like with Abigail, I heard the old man thinking.

"Who's Abigail?" I asked without hesitation.

"I forgot you can read minds, can't you, young lady?" dad asked.

"Yes, and I'm getting better at it."

"I see that. Abigail is none of your concern, I kindly ask you to stay out of my head, please. I have no idea what you two are talking about anyhow."

"I just feel like if I could find out who killed them, I'd have closure on-" Klaus continued, but was interrupted by dad.

"Do you want some ice cream? Would that shut you up?"

"Yeah, yeah I do," he grinned, nudging my arm.

Father got up and I couldn't help imaging how my childhood would've been like if this Reggie was my father instead of the one we had back then. He tried to grab a couple of bowls, but one of them slipped from his grasp and fell, shattering all over the place.

"Damn pills..." he cursed, looking truly embarrassed of his own behavior.

"Don't worry," I got down on my knees to clean it up, like I've always done my entire life for everyone around me. In a literal and metaphorical way, I've spent my whole life cleaning messes. "It happens to everyone."

"I can help you with that," Klaus offered.

"The ice cream?" father asked.

"No, the pills. If you don't wanna take them..."

"No no no, that's against the rules, I have to take them every day."

"All you have to do is just pop to the side, right here," he opened his mouth and pointed at the spot with his fingers. "And ta-da! Old necessary rehab trick."

"Huh," Reginald looked at me as I gathered the shards with my hands, then at my fiancé. "I didn't care for you when last we met, I thought the nature of your relationship was perverted and honestly disgusting, but I must admit you kids are growing on me."

Those words immediately brought tears to my eyes again, and this time I wasn't able to hold them. I exchanged a look with Klaus, knowing he felt the exact same way I did. We had never heard an I love you, or I'm proud of you, we never had a hug or a dad joke, we never felt loved. So this little kernel of affection meant more to us than anyone could possibly imagine.

"Are your hands all right?" dad asked after I was done cleaning, noticing I was crying.

"I'm also super-resistant, remember? I can't get cut like that," I explained. "I'm just a little emotional, you know? PMS."

After giving us our ice cream, Reggie sat back down to watch TV. We enjoyed that moment like Charlie Bucket enjoyed his yearly Wonka bar.

We savored dad's company, trying to save every second of it in our brains so we'd always remember what it felt like to just do something everyone does with their dads, what it felt like to be normal for once.

Eventually, Reggie fell asleep and we decided it was time to leave. We still had the second part of the deal to honor, so we cleaned up after ourselves and prepared our escape plan. Initially, I would jump through the window and then help Klaus down, but something caught our attention.

"Oblivion," dad murmured in his sleep.

"Oblivion?" I mouthed back at Klaus and he shrugged.

"When he's asleep like this he's not so terrible... Wait, do you hear this?" his brows furrowed at the distant sound of mom singing. I don't think I've ever heard mom singing, humming yes, but singing? I didn't even know she was programmed for that.

Without having to say anything, we both headed to the basement where her voice was coming from to see what was going on in there. The risk of bumping into one of the Sparrows and having to fight again was quite high, but we were too curious to care, even more because the song she was singing was some sort of religious chanting.

"Wow!" Klaus giggled when he saw the huge ball of light in the middle of the room, it looked like a smaller version of the sun and I could hear electricity sounds coming from it. That couldn't be good...

Mom passed us by without even acknowledging our presence, too focused on the big bright light. She stopped in front of it and started to worship like some sort of deity, which definitely gave me Destiny's Children flashbacks.

"The Lord! The Lord is upon me!" she exclaimed and started to mutter a bunch of nonsense.

"Let's go, let's get out of here before she summons a demon or something," I pushed Klaus towards the back door, I just wanted to get out of that house as fast as possible, I didn't even care if we would bump into those shitty knock-offs. "I think mom is broken."

"You think? I thought she was about to start singing the Ragatanga. What was that like? Aserehe..."

"Aserehe ra de re de hebe tu de hebere seibiunouba mahabi an de bugui an de buididipi," I said as if that exact sequence of nonsensical words were my native language.

"That's it," he carefully closed the door behind us and we could finally breathe, even though we were both wearing only swimsuits and robes.

"You remember the Ragatanga?" I laughed, thinking of that Jayme-induced dream I had the other day. "Remember how Diego was mad every time we started singing that?"

"Yeah and you taught everyone the choreography so we could do it to piss him off," he smiled, certainly assaulted by those old memories as well. "Good times... Actually horrible times, but having you there made it not so bad. Come on, let's get our trenchcoats and go shopping."

——————————————————

"I don't know how I feel about this one..." I turned in front of the mirror wearing the fifth wedding dress I picked that day. "I think it's pretty, but do I feel like a princess bride in it? Do I feel like my life is a fairytale?"

"I wouldn't know..." Klaus groaned, leaning back into his seat, I wrapped the thick robe sash around his eyes so he wouldn't be able to see my dress before the actual wedding. "I usually like being blindfolded, but right now it's a pain in my ass, just let me see it!"

"No, Klausie! It's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding, you know that!"

"You saw my suit, you even helped me choose, how is that fair?"

It was true, I did help pick the gorgeous green velvet suit that kinda looked a bit like one of those '70s jumpsuits, a little Donna and the Dynamos, but still very classy. Klaus would look so handsome in it for our big day!

"Yeah, but there are no rules about the bride seeing the suit."

"I'm the only person who can help you right now, Liebling! All our other siblings are doing boring apocalypse shit," he whined while I changed into the sixth dress of the day. "Maybe I can look as your brother, your favorite brother. That's still me, right? And there are no rules against that!"

"Ugh! Why did Ben have to go into the light? He would be perfect for this job..." I looked in the mirror and immediately hated what I saw, deciding to try on the seventh dress instead. "I can't let you see it because you might be my brother, but you are still my groom so that would ruin everything!"

You know that moment when you are talking somewhere very crowded and everyone else is being loud so you have to speak up more and more until you say something super embarrassing or incriminating and suddenly the room goes quiet and everyone hears what you just said? Well, that's what happened to me in that bridal store.

If dirty, weirded-out looks could kill, I'd be dead. Klaus certainly noticed what happened because he started uncontrollably cackling and even forgot about the stupid blindfold and his complaints about not seeing my dress.

"It's fine, we're adopted! I mean not like that..." I tried to shout, but no one seemed to care.

"I take it back, I'm loving this," he wheezed. "This is so funny, I love you so much."

"Shut up!" I finally looked in the mirror and gasped. "Oh my God, this is it... I knew I'd know when I saw it, and I do! This is my dress, this makes me feel like a princess and it's sexy, I love it, it's perfect!"

"I'm glad you found it, sis," he teased. "Can we just pick your shoes so I can take this thing off?"

"I'm gonna wear Allison's flats, those glittery ones, it'll be my something borrowed," I changed out of the dress as quickly as possible and ran to the front to pay for it and hide it inside of those big black bags where Klaus wouldn't be able to peek. I even planned to leave it with Viktor so nobody would see it.

"Are you ready?" Klaus asked before taking the blindfold off.

"Yeah, you can look now."

"I can't wait to see it, but I'd marry you even in that swimsuit... Well, especially in that swimsuit," he smirked, stealing a kiss as we left the store. "You should wear it more often."

"Oh fuck!" I stopped, my heart jumping with terror.

"What? We forgot something?"

"Jayme and Alphonso just died," I breathed. I could see them, I don't know whose mind I was reading, but I saw a blast taking them both out and nearly killing Christopher, Ben, Fei, and Sloane as well.

"Who?" Klaus asked.

"That tiny one with the black venom and the big weird-looking one from Brazil," I explained, thinking about that conversation from the day of the first fight. "Hey, maybe I should be more like him, Alphonso I mean."

"What? Who would wanna be like him? He's like a human blob!"

"First of all, that's pretty insensitive. Second of all, he told me something that day that kinda stuck with me. He said with my power if I gained more mass I could possibly absorb the impact of hits and send it back to the person hitting me."

"More mass? So you'd have to gain weight like I told you already..."

"Yeah, yeah, but maybe if I start working out I could gain more muscle, that must be amazing to absorb the impact! Look at Luther, he might be stupid, but he gets up pretty quick after a fight, he can take hit after hit after hit."

"Okay, so what I'm hearing is," Klaus squealed with joy. "Muscle mommy."

"What?" I laughed.

"Muscle mommy! You're gonna look so sexy, oh fuck, I'll want you to crush my head with your thighs, lift me up in your strong arms! You have my full support."

"O-okay, thanks, Klausie. Now let's go see the damage with the Sparrows before you get a boner in the middle of the street."

"Might be a little late for that..."

#umbrella academy fanfic #umbrella academy klaus #umbrella academy #klaus hargreeves #klaus hargreeves x oc #tua fanfic #tua au #tua klaus #tua #multichapter #fanfic #robert sheehan character fic #robert sheehan fanfic #oc x canon

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purplesurveys · 6 months

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1759

When was the last time you got more then eight hours of sleep? Several times between last weekend and the first half of this week. I had a horrible fever that turned out to be Covid, so I've spent the last few days resting away.

Is there anyone in your life that you wish you were closer to? Sometimes I find myself wishing I was close with my co-workers the same way my other teammates have become real-life friends with each other. But I don't know, I guess I don't work that way. I know I shouldn't feel regretful about setting boundaries, especially work-related ones, but I can't help the guilt every now and then.

Would you say you are a gullible person? Very, but I would say it's an endearing type of gullibility as I apparently amuse people a lot with it haha. I'll share an example of how my mom has used it to her advantage – one time as a kid I couldn't get rid of my hiccups, so my mom without missing a beat started berating me about how my school called her up to report that I've been caught stealing eggs from the cafeteria. I picked it up in a heartbeat and started panicking, only for her to quip to check if my hiccups are still going (they stopped).

Are you one to swear often? I do curse. Not as much as I used to, I would say, but still fairly often.

Have you ever sat down and played video games all day? In my early teenage years yeah. I was hooked to our Wii.

What is one thing in your life that is no longer there, that you miss? My grandfather. He passed before I could ever grow up and understand him better. Kimi. I just cried over him last night while hugging his cremation box.

What do you believe is the best thing about being a kid? Having only school and homework to bitch about, for the most part.

What flavor Dum-Dum is your favorite? I don't know what those are.

What is the last book you read/are reading? Did you/are you enjoying it? The only book I've read this year is BTS' memoir, hah. Yes, I liked it even though I had expected too much of the boys and thought they would have been the one to write the book. I should have known that that was too good to be true, especially in K-pop where everything is a lot, A LOT more guarded and cleaned up.

Are you on a laptop or a desktop right now? Laptop. I haven't used a desktop since high school!

If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go; why? I'd love to be back in Bangkok. I'm thinking of flying there again in March, but we'll see. I have five months left to think about it LOL

Have you ever trusted someone you wish you wouldn't have? Sure.

Have you ever been on a picnic? Don't think so. Are there even spots here you can have picnics at without getting mugged, approached by a crazy religious person trying to recruit you into their cult, or begged?

Which is better tea or coffee? Coffee. I tried getting into tea but just can't appreciate why it tastes the way it tastes.

Do you own an umbrella? Yeah.

Do you like the ocean? I love it. I can get beach fatigue sometimes tbh since beaches are all the Philippines has – but for what it's worth I feel very peaceful and happy when I find myself in front of the waves.

Is there anyone that you wish you were with right now? Nope.

Who was the last person you hung out with? Tricia, Rap, Gello, and Kaye. It was Kaye's birthday dinner and I was supposed to go with Angela, but she bailed at the last minute since she was sick :(( I didn't want to flake either because I love Kaye, but it had been a nightmare to think about attending because I didn't know the rest of her fucking guest list lmao.

Anyway, I spotted Tricia's group and just put my brave face on and asked if they could adopt me for the evening. They didn't really have a choice LMAO and I'm sure it wasn't like they could turn me down for no reason so I still feel a bit guilty about having to interfere with their table like that; but anyway I sat with them that evening and just tried my best to go with their flow.

What animal cracker is your favorite? Idk I haven't had those since I was around 6.

Is there anything you're currently holding back? Yeah. Work-related, but there is never a right time to bring it up so it may be something I just need to keep to myself as long as I'm in my current workplace.

Do you like your smile? Yes.

Have you ever watched something on the TV that truly disturbed you? Manila hostage crisis, 2010.

Are you scared of needles? Yeah, very much and almost pathetically so hahaha.

Is your current cell phone out of date? No it's fairly new.

Have you ever drank milk when it was spoiled? Yeah I drank a bad batch of Milo once, when I was around 7. Promptly spat it out down the sink and to this day I'm still scared of drinking milk because of that incident.

Would you/have you ever bought a gym membership? I haven't and I wouldn't. I've really tried to get into working out but I personally just can't catch the appeal.

Have you ever bought anything on the TV? Nope.

Have you ever done something that you knew was wrong? Yes.

What is your favorite restaurant? Yabu.

What is the last thing you spent money on? Stuff from the Korean mart. Chapaguri + samgyupsal is my favorite pairing these days and I had a bombbbbbbbbasssss meal last night.

Do you know of anyone who hates you? Nope.

Has an animal ever bit you? Cooper has.

Do you ever take out the garbage? Yes, sometimes.

Do wash your face thoroughly everyday? Yeah, at the start and end of the day.

Would you ever do a ride along with a cop? Probably not.

Are things, in your opinion, overly expensive these days? It is for a fact. Inflation has been terrible.

Where was your last car ride to? Katip to work and attend Kaye's birthday dinner. That was my last hurrah pre-Covid lol, and I don't want to go out til next weekend for good measure.

Are your nails long? Nope, I've just trimmed them.

Have you ever gotten food poisoning? Yes, once, hated every minute of it.

Have you ever had to put a dog to sleep? I have not.

What messenger services do you use? Messenger for my personal life; largely Viber for work but I also keep Whatsapp and Telegram just in case it's needed.

Have you ever lost someone important to you? Yes.

Are you listening to music currently? I am; I'm listening to Indigo.

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professorsnape394 · 3 years

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The Potions Master’s Apprentice

Chapter Four: The Three Broomsticks

A/N: This is the fourth part to my fanficiton ‘The Potions Master’s Apprentice (Severus Snape x OC)’. Chapters 1-16 can be found already uploaded on Wattpad under the same name. Feel free to leave requests in my inbox for anything Snape related you want me to write. Leave a comment below if you wish to be added to my tag list.

Pairing: Severus Snape x OC (Dumbledore’s Granddaughter)

Summary: A talented young witch is employed as an apprentice professor at Hogwarts, but who will she be working under? Severus Snape is not best pleased with his new responsibility of taking on an apprentice, however she is relentless to create a friendship between them. Will she be successful? Or might the friendship just go a little two far? With the eyes of her grandfather constantly watching over them, an attempt at a relationship might not be in the cards for Aria Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

Word Count: 1733

Warnings: n/a

Credits to Gif Creator

The following days transpired just as the day before had done; a lot of potion brewing and a little conversation. However, more notably Severus Snape was actually participating in the conversation for once. Aria could not yet say she had seen a pleasant side to the man, however he was acceptable to converse with at the very least. By the end of the third day he no longer pretended to busy himself with textbooks and he actually elected to help with the potion brewing for once. Being able to talk to the Professor and ask him any questions helped her a great deal in learning the correct procedures. She felt herself being more at ease around him, and soon enough they had developed their own way of working together, that she found quite enjoyable. Even Severus had become accustomed to the woman's presence in his classroom as she pranced around the cauldrons, laughing every now and then at his sarcastic comments he hadn't entirely meant to be humorous.

Aria had been lost in thought as she stirred the final potion to completion. "I was thinking." She said cautiously. "It's pretty hard finding things to occupy myself at nights, there isn't much to do here, except aimlessly wandering the halls. How do you feel about maybe taking a trip to Hogsmeade this weekend, have some dinner, maybe drinks? It would make a change from the elves cooking, although I admit they'd be pretty hard to beat."

"I appreciate the offer Miss Dumbledore. However you know how I feel about spending time with Mr. Hagrid, I doubt a change of setting would convince me, especially with the addition of alcohol." Severus spoke, his tone softer than it usually would at such a request.

"Hagrid wouldn't be there." She hastened to add. "He mentioned he has business out with the castle grounds. I just figured since the two of us would be here anyway, it wouldn't make any sense for us to sit alone."

"You may have forgotten, Miss Dumbledore, but I like being alone. I eat alone every night, and I do not wish to simply be your back up plan, now Hagrid has left you to do the same."

"I don't mean for you to be a back up plan Sev- Professor Snape. I just think it might do us both some good. After all haven't we been getting along better these past few days." Aria wanted to get to know the man more, she felt they had got off on the wrong foot and the way to fix this was spending more time together, and hopefully they would even become friends at the end of it all.

"You haven't been as disagreeable as I expected you would be, I will admit. This does not change my previous opinion." He stated.

"At least consider it." She pleaded.

With a sigh Snape flipped another page. "I'll consider it." He agreed, continuing reading his book, no longer interested in conversing with the young witch.

The next few days dragged in more than ever. Aria enjoyed keeping herself busy and was not used to having this much free time. The only thing keeping her sane was her passions for drawing and nature. She chose to combine the two and spend her days outside, sketching the beautiful landscape she found herself in. She preferred to opt for portraits, capturing the essence of humanity in her sketches, but trees were fine too. She shrugged.

Sunday morning eventually came around and Aria chose to tackle something she had been putting off ever since her arrival at Hogwarts. A small pile of letters had accumulated on her bedside table, ignoring each one as they came in. She immediately recognised the scrawled writing on the envelope and could not face opening them. Every second day she received a letter and it broke her heart knowing what lay within. Reading each one carefully, she knew she could not face writing the response the sender desperately awaited. Instead she scribbled a small, generic reply, making sure to include that she would be too busy to write often due to her crazy schedule. This of course was a lie as she had virtually nothing planned for the next couple of weeks until term begun. Aria did not want to face even reading any more letters as long as she remained at Hogwarts, and so she swore to herself she wouldn't no matter how hard she knew it would be.

A firm knock echoed through her quarters just as Aria sent her letter off with beautiful brunette barn owl. "Come in." She called curious as too who would be calling on her. Shocked to see Professor Snape striding into her private chambers, Aria couldn't help but question his presence there.

"I've had time to think about your offer." He stated blankly, visibly out of his comfort zone.

"And?" Aria pressed.

"And I suppose there would be no harm in joining you for one meal. After all, as you say, we both will be here alone, we may as well keep each other company."

"Fantastic!" His colleague gleamed, jumping up from her position on her couch. "Just give me some time to get ready and I'll meet you there? Say six oclock at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Six is fine with me. Don't be late." He warned, leaving the room just as quickly as he came.

Aria entered the Three Broomsticks at five forty-five, ensuring Snape had no reason to reprimand her once again for her tardiness. It stunned her to find the sallow skinned man already sitting at a booth, firewhiskey in hand, patiently waiting on her arrival. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched him tap out a rhythm on the side of his glass as he took yet another sip. She wondered if it was out of impatience or nervousness, either way she thought it slightly endearing to see.

Hearing the click of a familiar set of heels quickly approaching him, Severus Snape looked up from his glass, almost needing to hold back the urge to smile, but managed to keep his composure. He rose to his feet, holding out a hand to greet the fellow Professor, instantly cursing himself for such a foolish action. "Sit." He commanded, motioning to the seat across from his own. "I'll get you a drink."

"Oh no, there's really no need Professor." Aria insisted, shaking her head, causing her beach-like waves to brush over her exposed shoulders. "I'm afraid alcohol doesn't agree with me at the best of times." She admitted.

"Correct me if I am wrong, Miss Dumbledore, but as I recall it was you who suggested a meal and drinks. Or did I mishear you." Snape asked, feeling almost foolish, having already down two glasses of Firewhiskey.

"I did say that didn't I." The young Miss Dumbledore blushed. "I apologise, sometimes I just cannot stop myself when I speak, I often forget the consequences of drinking, which as it happens is the ultimate consequence of drinking." She chuckled.

The older man shot her a small look of disdain, not at all as amused as she had expected him to be. He let out a small grunt of dissatisfaction, and proceed to down the dregs of his drink.

It took a few more awkward moments of silence and Severus being slightly more irritable that Aria had wished for before the two finally settled in to a rhythm of conversation. Soon enough it came time to eat and Aria took it upon herself to call over the waitress. As he ordered Aria watched as Severus made no effort to look up at the woman serving him. It crossed her mind that maybe this was a deliberate attempt at ignoring her voluptuous breast and curvature of her hips. However, on the other hand she considered that maybe he truly was not interested as she thought back to their conversation a few days before.

"She's stunning." Aria couldn't help but observe. "You should go for it, chat her up, she might be into the dark, brooding, intellectual type."

"As I told you before, Miss Dumbledore, dating it not top priority for me. If you find her so attractive why don't you, as you say, 'chat her up'." Snape replied sarcastically, not expecting the woman to take him seriously.

"I might just." She said, finding her eyes following the waitress back to the kitchen for a moment or two. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous as the witch watched the woman walk away from their table, though he was not sure why.

"So tell me Professor Snape." The young Professor began. "What are the other Professor's at Hogwarts like? Who am I took look out for? Who's my competition." She grinned, wriggling her eyebrows menacingly.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean." He hummed in response.

"You know." She shrugged. "Who are you close with? Will I have to fight them for custody of you." She laughed, although the Professors expression did not change. "What I'm trying to say Severus is, I'm new here, besides yourself and Hagrid I know no one. I'd like to consider us friends, though you may have a different opinion. I was simply trying to express my nervousness at being the new girl. I was hoping you'd be able to help me settle in, introduce me to your other friends and colleagues that is." She sighed.

"You do not seem to understand my disposition, Miss Dumbledore, that which I feel I have made abundantly clear. I am not one to socialise. I am not one to make friends. I am here to teach and teach alone. I do what your grandfather asks of me and that is the extent of my relationship with the staff. They understand how I am, and respect that. I do not bother them and in return they do not bother me. You have been the first to struggle with this concept, Professor." He struggled to grant her the title.

"I didn't realise." Aria stuttered slightly, not understanding how she had not caught on. "I had simply thought you had a vendetta against me, due to my position here at Hogwarts. I didn't realise you shut yourself off from everyone. I apologise for any inconvenience I have caused you." The tone of her voice softening, becoming almost a whisper-like volume. She was embarrassed she had forced him out of his habits and brought him to the Three Broomsticks to clear the air. She realised now it had been a pointless act. This man had been stuck in his ways for over a decade and she would not change that a fortnight into knowing him.

"I am here, aren't I." Severus stated, trying not sound as harsh as he previously had. "Had I truly despised you I would not be wasting my time here with you. I have come to the realisation that if we are to work in such a close proximity to each other, it would be best if we maintained at least some level of civility with one another."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Professor." She replied shyly, remaining silent. Immediately Severus regretted opening his mouth. He didn't entirely hate her company and in fact he had found himself starting to enjoy the evening. It took him a minute or two to gain the confidence to speak the words aloud, but he figured the pay off was worth the sacrifice of a small amount of pride.

"Will you stop fretting woman." He demanded. "I was just beginning to find your constant rambling tolerable. If I wished to spend the evening in silence, I wouldn't have made the effort to accept your invitation to come here tonight. You have managed to entice me thus far, do not spoil what may be your one chance at a friendship with me."

"A friendship?" This piqued her interest.

"You know what I mean. A working relationship. A tolerance. A chance for me to accept your position as my apprentice." Snape corrected himself, fumbling over his words.

"Mmmm." She smirked, taking a small sip of butterbeer. "I'll just pretend a friendship is off the cards for us then, Professor. Although I don't recall you mentioning trips to Hogsmeade as an exception to your reclusive personality." She raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Despite his annoyance at her persuasive abilities, and daring comments, he was glad he had convinced her back to her previously inquisitive self.

Both choosing to ignore any reservations they might have about their 'non-friendship' the two spoke for hours with ease. With each empty glass of fire whiskey Severus Snape found himself relaxing more into the conversation, his reputation becoming a distant memory. It was the first he had allowed himself to truly relax in possibly the whole of his life.

It seemed in one evening Severus had gotten to know all there was to know about Aria's life, although strangely she mentioned nothing regarding her family and Snape chose not to pursue the subject. He loved listening to her talk, she was a rambler, rarely needing any interjection from him except the odd mumble here and there and that's the way he liked it. He was a listener, he loved taking in new information no matter the subject. Most importantly it meant he did not have to share anything about himself, unless the woman specifically asked, and even in those rare occasions, she knew better than to pressure him when he chose not to provide an answer.

Aria told him of the schooling she received in Ilvermorny, her school in America. She told him of her job working in a local alchemists after she left school. She confided in him of her dream to become a professor, or an auror even, really she was just desperate to make a difference in someone's life and her dream would not succeed by spending the rest of her days working in a dingy old shop. "And that's why your grandfather brought you here?" He questioned, the topic piquing his interest. "You told him of your dream to teach?" "I guess you could say that." She agreed, not wanting to raise any more questions than necessary. "He didn't bring me from America though, if that's what your meaning. I was already here. My mother sent me to school in America to protect me, with all that Wizarding War carry on and what with me being a Dumbledore, she didn't want to put me in any more danger than I already was. She remained here with my father however and I visited on the holidays." Snape raised a single brow at the mention of her mother and father but changed the subject completely, seeing the woman being to shy away slightly.

"It's getting late." Severus observed. "I should walk you back to the castle before it gets too dark."

"That would be nice" Aria smiled, rising from her seat.

The couple made their way back to the beautiful lit up castle as the sky turned a deep shade of blue above them. They continued to speak all the way down to the dungeons, this time Severus participating just as much as Aria. The Potions Master escorted his apprentice to the door of her quarters, the two of them swaying awkwardly not knowing where to go from here.

"You can come in for a drink... if you'd like." Aria hesitated to ask. "Although I'm not sure I have anything alcoholic, so tea might need to suffice."

"I appreciate the invitation, but it's been a long day for me, I'm afraid I must retire for the night." Now they were back in the familiar castle grounds Severus felt as though he had suddenly returned to his body, and the events of the night lingered at the forefront of his mind, a deep feeling of regret developing in his stomach.

"Very well." Aria agreed, feeling slightly uncomfortable herself. "Good night, Professor Snape."

"Good night, Miss Dumbledore." He spoke softly, rocking anxiously the balls of his feet, waiting for the woman to disappear into her quarters. With a simple nod and one final smile from Aria, she vanished from his sight. The sound of the door closing echoed through the halls, ringing in Severus' ears, and suddenly he felt more alone than he ever had before.

Aria stood with her back to the door, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. As much as she enjoyed the evening with her mentor, the intense awkwardness that occurred at her door, got her thinking about the man on the other side. Her intention was to get to know the man better, and though he did not confide in her much, she felt she had achieved that, maybe more than anyone ever had.

Why had he allowed her to get close to him when he claimed to distance himself from the world?

This thought circled her brain for the rest of the night.

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@ayamenimthiriel

#severus snape #severus snape imagine #severus x oc #severus snape one shot #Harry Potter #harry potter and the goblet of fire #harry potter fanfiction #severus snape fanfiction #severus x reader #severus x y/n #alan rickman #potions master #potions masters apprentice #dumbledore #dumbledores granddaughter #severus snape x reader #severus snape fluff #severus snape smut

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ambiguoslyambitious · 3 years

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Chapter One: A Second Chance to Live A Life Worth Living

Author: ambiguoslyambitious (me!)

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 2,402

Summary: Getting a job at Joja Corporation was supposed to be Bela Rivers' big break in the business world. Anyone who wanted to be successful in Stardew Valley dreamed at working in one of their corporate offices. However, life inside a cubicle is not what it's all cracked up to be, and the company that she is working for is harboring some deep secrets. A mysterious envelope gifted to Bela by her recently deceased grandfather might hold the key to a second chance to live a life worth living.

“M-Ms. Rivers? Hello?” a desperately cheery voice called out, a twinge of annoyance hiding just below the surface.

Bela pulled her eyes away from the harsh white light of the computer monitor in front of her to meet the even harsher glare of her supervisor, Mary Boerhen. Mary was a miserable woman cloaked in grey, both in personality and attire.

“Apologies, Ms. Boerhen,” Bela forced a smile to hide her hatred for pleasantries. “What can I do for you?”

Bela had just spent the past three hours aimlessly staring at her monitor, dreading spending yet another day updating spreadsheets. Every once in a while she glanced up at the menacing green light signaling that she was unfortunately still on the clock. The words, Join us. Thrive, seemed to be mocking her every day she was forced to sit in her corporate-issued personal hell. Bela had once held excitement for her job inputting data for Joja Corporation, the nation’s leading industry in just about everything. Everyone knew that if you wanted to make a solid living in Zuzu City, you just had to get a job with Joja.

However, that excitement soon faded once she had been squeezed into a tiny cubicle, condemned to spend her entire nine-to-five repeatedly going over numbers, day in and day out. She had thought that her recent degree in business administration, paired with her relation to the governor of Stardew Valley, would’ve given her the upper hand amongst her peers for a more “hands on” job opportunity within the company.

Unfortunately, she was still stuck crunching numbers like the rest of them, an insignificant cog in the corporate machine.

“Well, Ms. Rivers,” the woman sneered, “you could actually do the job you were hired to do.” Ms. Boerhen pursed her lips and turned away sharply, presumably to bark at anyone else who appeared to be slacking off.

Bela let out a small sigh, her fingers gravitating towards her desk drawer where a letter from her grandfather was resting. Once again, Bela felt her thoughts wander as she sadly remembered her last visit to him.

It had been ten years since Bela had last been to Pelican Town, a quaint little farming community located in the heart of Stardew Valley. As a child, Bela remembered spending each summer frolicking in the fields of Riverland Farm, a massive expanse of farmland spread out on a vast variety of small islands. However, her last visit wasn't so happy.

Bela remembered being thirteen years old watching from the train window, the city fading into the countryside. Harsh lights were replaced with the glow of fireflies and cement gave way to worn-down dirt paths. Her parents were tense the entire train ride, her father especially. She remembered the way his jaw was clenched and the tight grip he maintained with her mother's hand. Unbeknownst to Bela, this was going to be the last time that she was going to see her grandfather alive.

Walking into the farmhouse, Bela remembered how frail her grandfather looked in his cot. He lifted his head and offered her a weak smile.

"My dear, Bela," his voice was barely above a whisper. Bela desperately tried to prevent any tears from escaping, but seeing the ghost of a man she remembered as being vibrant broke her young heart. Before she could break down, her father's voice boomed angrily.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?!" Her father's voice shook slightly, though Bela could not tell if it was from rage or sadness.

"What difference," the old man responded coolly, "would that have made?"

Bela's mother placed a hand on her father's shoulder, a desperate attempt to calm him down.

"I do not wish to argue, Jacob," Bela's grandfather said, meeting his son's furious gaze. "I know that I've made mistakes. I just wanted to tell you goodbye and give you the chance to say the same." Suddenly, he bent over in a violent fit of coughing, forcing Bela's father's gaze to cool into concern.

“...and for you, my special granddaughter, I want you to have this,” he managed to choke out, handing Bela an envelope enclosed by a vibrant purple seal, bearing the Rivers family crest, a pair of swans facing each other with the phrase, a flumine perduraverit, written between them.

Before she had a chance to open it, Bela’s grandfather blurted out, “No, no, don’t open it yet...Have patience, my dear.”

Her grandfather smiled weakly before continuing on, “Now, listen close...There will come a day where you feel crushed by the burden of modern life, and your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness. When that happens, my child, then you will be ready for this gift. Now, let grandpa rest...”

A few weeks went by before her grandfather finally passed. Bela's father quietly had him buried on the property without a funeral and refused to go back. Or at least, until now.

While Bela sat at her desk bored, her parents were currently boarding a train to Pelican Town in order to find the proper documents to sell Riverland Farms. They planned to use the money to fund their retirement and help Bela get her own apartment.

I wonder what’s in the letter that Grandpa left me, Bela mused, swirling a pencil between her fingers. She let out an exasperated sigh and decided that it was finally time to begin her work. Not even five minutes into crunching numbers the phone on her desk began to ring.

“Good afternoon from Joja Corporations, this is Bela. How can I be of assistance?” Bela answered perkily, rolling her eyes at the spiel she was taught to spit.

“Bela Rivers,” a serious voice responded, “you are wanted in Mr. Jameson’s office.”

Bela immediately straightened up in her seat and her heart rate quickened as she realized that she was being summoned to her superior’s office.

Damn it, she cursed to herself. Ms. Boerhen ratted me out to the big boss.

Bela took a quick breath before replying calmly, “Of course, I’ll be right there.”

She quickly placed the phone back on the receiver and stood up, mentally preparing herself for a scolding for her less than desirable performance. As she walked down the hallway to Mr. Jameson's office, she silently began to berate herself for wasting such a golden opportunity. Her heels clicked loudly like the hands of a clock, counting down the seconds until she was out of a job.

As she stood outside of Mr. Jameson’s door, Bela closed her eyes briefly and knocked raptly.

“Ms. Rivers, you may come in.”

Bela pushed the door gently, surprised to see the amount of people in the office. At the giant desk made entirely of glass, sat Mr. Jameson, a stocky man dressed in a sharp, yet dull grey suit that matched his seemingly lifeless expression. Next to him, sat a meek looking woman in a similarly bland pantsuit who avoided looking in Bela’s direction. Across from them sat two men wearing long black coats over simple business casual wear. When she entered the room, the older of the two gentlemen stood up, clutching a gold badge in his right hand.

“Hello Ms. Rivers, my name is Detective Hanlon,” the man then gestured to his more youthful companion, “and my partner Detective Gaumond.”

“Detectives?” Bela questioned, wondering why the hell the police were getting involved with her lack of productivity. You can’t be arrested for being lazy, right?

“Yes, unfortunately Ms. Rivers, there seems to have been an accident on the tracks near The Mountain.”

Bela’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe what the detective was saying. “W-what? What happened?”

The younger detective briefly made eye contact with Bela, a genuine sadness in his eyes before he ducked his head.

“I’m afraid that your parents, Mr. Jacob and Mrs. Kiera Rivers, were both killed in the rockslide on their way to Pelican Town.”

The young detective stood up and gave her a pitying look, “I’m deeply sorry for your loss, Ms. Rivers. This has been an unfortunate accident. These types of natural disasters are completely unpredictable.”

It was as if Bela had been sucker punched right in the chest. She stood there in complete disbelief until a faint whisper of a memory tickled the back of her mind.

“Wait,” Bela said coldly, moving her eyes over to the two behind the desk who refused to meet her gaze, “hasn’t Joja been mining in The Mountain?”

Mr. Jameson quickly looked over at the woman to his side, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple. The woman sheepishly looked up, desperately trying to avoid Bela’s cool glare.

“Yes, they have,” she admitted, glancing over at the two detectives, “However, it is too early to say whether Joja’s mining directly contributed to the rockslide, seeing as that is a natural disa-”

“Bullshit!” Bela interrupted, her voice steadily raising in anger. “You KNOW that you killed my parents!”

“Settle down, Bela,” Mr. Jameson snapped, “This was just an unfortunate accident. You can take the week off to settle your affairs.”

“Take a week off?” Bela’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Is that all my parents’ lives were worth? That’s all I get? Not even an apology?”

“Ms. Rivers,” the woman quipped, “Joja Corporation is not liable for natural disasters. And as a Joja employee, you should remember that your contract states that you are not allowed to speak negatively about the company in any way.”

“I-Is that a threat?” Bela retorted, in shock at the audacity of this woman. “Are you threatening to sue me for telling the truth? That YOU killed my parents?!”

She shook her head angrily, not able to process the barrage of emotions hitting through her at that moment.

“You know what?” Bela spat, “I quit.” Bela turned on her heel, storming back to her cubicle.

Once there, she began grabbing all her personal items and shoved them into a cardboard box. When she finally got to the desk drawer that held her grandfather’s letter, she hesitated for a second before tearing the envelope open. Inside were two pieces of paper, the top one decorated with her late grandfather’s handwriting, saying:

Dear Bela,

If you are reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.

The same thing happened to my grandfather, long ago. He had lost sight of what mattered most in life; real connections with other people and nature. So, he decided to drop everything and move to the place where he felt like he truly belonged.

I’ve enclosed the deed to that place, my pride and joy: Riverland Farm. It’s located on the southern coast of Stardew Valley, between Ridgeside Village and Pelican Town. It’s the perfect place to start your new life.

This was my most precious gift of all, and now it is yours. I know that you will honor the family name, my child.

Good luck.

Love, Grandpa

P.S. If Lewis is still alive, say hi to the old guy for me, will ya?

Bela’s eyes welled up with tears as she glanced at the second paper, the deed of Riverland Farm. She rushed to gather the rest of her belongings and walked out of the corporate office for the last time.

Before Bela knew it, she was gazing out the window of the bus she was on, heading to her new home. The trees blurred together in a sea of green as Bela allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts.

Maybe, Bela sighed, this fresh start is just what I need.

The bus slowed down to a stop at a small crossroads. Once Bela exited the bus, she was approached by a cheerful redhead.

“Hello! You must be Bela,” she smiled warmly. “I’m Robin, the local carpenter. I don't know if you remember me, since it's been a few years since you've last visited, but I'm Sebastian and Maru's mom.”

Bela smiled back hesitantly, before memories of an awkward, spiky-haired emo wannabe flittered into her head. “Hi, Robin, it’s nice to see you again, though I was expecting Mr. Meyer.”

“Oh, Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He’s tidying things up for your arrival.” Robin turned, and began walking down the dirt path, gesturing for Bela to follow. “The farm’s right over here, if you’ll follow me.”

Bela listened intently as Robin began to relay different stories of some of her most difficult jobs. After a few moments they approached the dilapidated Riverland Farm. Bela was astounded at how unkempt the land was, littered with overgrown patches of grass and rotting crops.

“Yeah,” Robin shyly rubbed the back of head, “this farm has definitely seen better days. However, there is still good soil underneath.”

Suddenly, the farmhouse door opened, and a kind older man stepped out with a head full of grey hair and a matching moustache.

“Ah, our newest farmer!” he chuckled lightly, “Welcome back, Bela! In case you've forgotten, I’m Lewis, the mayor of Pelican Town.”

His eyes twinkled mischievously, “You know, everyone’s been asking about you. It’s not every day that someone new moves in. And it's even rarer when someone comes back. It’s quite a big deal!”

Robin nodded in agreement. “With the increased taxes, more people have been leaving Pelican Town than staying.”

Mayor Lewis shot Robin a warning glance before continuing his welcome speech, “So, you’re moving into your grandfather’s old cottage.” He sighed deeply; eyes lost in thought as he remembered his old friend.

Bela offered him a gentle smile, “He mentioned that the two of you were old friends.”

Lewis returned the smile, “Yes, we were. Well, you've inherited a good house...very ‘rustic’.”

Robin chuckled, “Well, that’s one way to put it.”

“Oh, don’t be rude,” Lewis shook his head, “Don’t listen to her, Bela. Robin just wants you to hire her for upgrades.” Robin rolled her eyes playfully in response.

“Well,” Lewis directed his attention back to Bela. “You must be tired from your long journey. You should get some rest. Tomorrow, you ought to explore the Town Square and reintroduce yourself to some folks. The townspeople would appreciate that.”

With that, both Robin and Lewis took their leave of Riverland Farm.

Now, Bela thought, gazing at the acres of overgrown land. What the FUCK am I going to with all of this?

#stardew valley #stardew valley fanfic #stardew valley fic #sdv #sdv fanfic #sdv fic #ambiguoslyambitious thoughts #stardew lewis #stardew valley lewis #stardew robin #stardew valley robin #sdv lewis #sdv robin #mayor lewis #archive of our own #ao3 #ao3 story #ambiguoslyambitious fics

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kuramirocket · 3 years

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Sandwiched between private properties in Southeast Austin sits a little-known cemetery off Hoeke Lane, just west of U.S. 183. From the outside, there’s nothing that indicates the site is the final resting place for a number of Mexican and Mexican-American residents who died decades ago.

It’s a wilderness. The headstones, many of which date back to the 1940s, are easy to miss. The weeds are overgrown, and trees and shrubs cover much of the 4.5-acre plot.

The cemetery has been called a couple different names over the years — the Montopolis Cemetery and San José II. But no sign will tell you that. In fact, there’s scarce information available about the cemetery’s history at all.

But members of the community and a team of researchers are trying to change that. They want to trace back its history and ensure the cemetery, along with its sister site in nearby Montopolis, is preserved.

Diana Hernandez is the lead researcher for (Re)claiming Memories, a research group out of UT Austin that seeks to restore and preserve missing histories in communities of color. She and her team have been collecting death certificates and reaching out to descendants of those buried at the cemeteries to help piece together the history.

“Once we start to research the people that are buried here and start to find archival documentation for each person, we start to see the community come to life through the cemetery,” she said.

The History

To understand San José II, Hernandez says, we have to start about 2 miles north at San José I. This historic Mexican and Mexican-American cemetery was built around 1919. It sits between two churches off Montopolis Drive, though neither of them own it. The site is believed to be unclaimed, or orphaned, meaning no one is responsible for its upkeep in any official capacity. But neighbors and community members have taken care of it as best they can over the years, mowing the lawn, pulling weeds and cleaning off gravestones.

A metal archway stands at the entrance and reads “San Jose Cementerio.” The cemetery was founded by a mutual aid society called the Union Fraternal Mexicana, and it served the migrant sharecropping community. This was during segregation.

“Mexicans weren’t necessarily allowed to be buried in white cemeteries,” Hernandez said. “In some cases I've seen where there's a white cemetery, and then right next to it is the Mexican section … In this case, it was just a completely different cemetery."

When Cementerio San José started to get full, the second one was created in 1949 in Del Valle. Over the years, the cemeteries changed hands. The original San José hasn’t had a known owner for several decades. San José II has an owner, but she’s believed to be in poor health and unable to maintain it, according to Hernandez. KUT reached out to the owner for this story, but did not hear back.

Based on their research so far, Hernandez and her team estimate San José I and II have more than 350 burials combined. But understanding how many burials are at each individual site is a challenge. That’s partly because on death certificates, the name Montopolis Cemetery was often used interchangeably for San José I and II. And not every burial has a gravestone.

Many people buried at the cemeteries died during concurrent epidemics, like influenza, tuberculosis and pneumonia.

“They were getting so many bodies that they were burying people in layers on top of each other, and they stopped documenting who all was getting buried,” she said. “Because there's no documentation for the number of layers for the people that were being buried in these mass graves, we're just never going to know. There's going to be layers of people that we're never going to be able to identify.”

Hernandez began researching the San José cemeteries at the end of 2019, just before the area was hit with another outbreak of a deadly disease — COVID-19. And again, this predominantly Latino neighborhood was hit harder than others.

“These histories repeat themselves,” Hernandez said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why this work is important, because it kind of sheds light on these pasts that weren’t acknowledged the way they should have been. We can use this knowledge to improve our present.”

The Descendants

Frank Monreal remembers the days when Montopolis Drive was just a dirt road. He and the other neighborhood kids, some 50 years ago, would play on the giant oak tree that stands in the middle of Cementerio San José. Instead of bicycles, he and his friends had horses.

“Everybody rode horses back then,” he said one day while at San José I. “We used to come out here, and they were our lawn mowers. They let them eat the grass and keep the grass low here.”

Monreal has relatives buried at San José I and II. From an early age, he understood death was a natural part of life. He often helped out with funerals. He remembers one burial happening at Cementerio San José when he was a kid. But it’s been a long time since anyone was buried there, he says. Most gravesites appear to date back to the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

There were more gravestones back then, he says, but some have weathered or broken over time. He used to walk through the cemetery on his way to school. He’d often see people putting flowers on graves, something he doesn’t see much anymore. Now, many relatives have died or left.

“That’s inevitable, you know, because generations change,” he said. “People move away.”

Preserving the cemetery, though, is important, he says, especially as gentrification has altered the landscape of Montopolis over the years.

“[The cemetery] is sacred ground to us, from our ancestors,” he said. “I don’t want to see it gone.”

Micaela Johnson, a 19-year-old artist and activist, can trace part of her family tree back to the Cementerio San José. She’s a member of the Limón family, one of Austin’s founding families whose descendants now number upwards of 3,500.

Many of her family members grew up and had businesses in Montopolis, like the Limón Bakery. She said her grandparents probably have connections to at least a quarter of the people buried at San José.

In her family, passing down stories from generation to generation is a common tradition. She remembers hearing stories about Aurora, her grandfather’s sister, who died in 1940 of pneumonia when she was 11 months old. She was buried at Cementerio San José, and her gravestone was decorated with marbles. But Johnson hasn’t been able to locate it.

She also remembers stories of Concepcion Trevino Garcia, her great-great-grandmother who died in 1939 from tuberculosis and was buried at San José. She left behind her husband and five young daughters.

“She was one of the strongest women that I have ever heard my family talk about,” Johnson said. “She was very driven and very loving.”

Garcia's grandchildren still visit the cemetery on Mother’s Day and leave flowers, Johnson said. Her family’s connection to the cemetery has inspired Johnson to get involved with (Re)claiming Memories and help ensure the San José cemeteries are well kept.

“It’s not just a place where people are buried,” she said. “It’s the life and the heart of a lot of our ancestry.”

One of the more recent headstones at Cementerio San José belongs to Augustina Rosales, who was at one time believed to be Austin’s oldest living resident. She died in 1994 at age 116. Near the back of the cemetery, she’s buried next to her husband Marcos, who died in 1951.

Rosales had 13 children and raised several others who were relatives or orphaned as if they were her own. She liked to dance to conjunto music and cook for her family, according to an Austin American-Statesman article about her death. Rosa Moncada, Rosales's great-granddaughter, says “she was awesome.”

Maintaining The Cemeteries

Moncada has several other relatives buried at San José, including grandparents and two older sisters who were born premature and died. Growing up in East Austin, Moncada would go with her mother and siblings to visit the cemetery. But they went less frequently over time, in part because the grass was often so high they couldn’t easily walk through it.

When they heard about the work Hernandez and her team are doing to help maintain the cemetery, Moncada and her sister Juanita Moncada Bayer started visiting again. And now they’re trying to keep it maintained, bringing relatives together to mow the lawn and clear out dead tree branches.

But maintaining the cemetery consistently isn’t an easy task. San José I is 2.5 acres.

“We thought, well, let's do what we can,” Bayer said. “But unfortunately, our mind tells us we can do it. But our bodies — like, that's hard work.”

(Re)claiming Memories and members of the community hosted a cleanup for San José earlier this year and hope to host more. They have been reaching out to city and county leaders, asking them to allocate more resources to the cemeteries' maintenance.

The more challenging endeavor will be cleaning up San José II. The site is difficult to access, making it hard for people to visit and maintain it.

Monreal remembers going to San José II as a kid to visit his grandfather’s grave with his dad. Back then, San José II had a proper entrance and was easier to get to.

Now, a locked chain-link fence blocks the main path that leads to the cemetery. Several sources told KUT the fence was put up by the property owner next door, perhaps to keep people from trespassing. KUT reached out to the law office that owns the property and was told it didn’t have anything to do with the gate. Hernandez and the research group are trying to get to the bottom of the issue and hope to create a proper entrance, so descendants can visit.

The area has long had problems with people dumping trash and gravel. A mound of dirt and debris now presses against fencing on one side of the cemetery.

And warehouses are being built on the southeastern side. This worries Hernandez because the cemetery hasn’t been surveyed; some burials could be outside the perimeter and could be disturbed. Community members have expressed concern that debris from construction is impacting the cemetery.

When KUT reached out to the construction manager for the company that’s developing the site, he was surprised to learn there was a cemetery next door. (“That is a jungle,” Brent Ramirez said.)

The cemetery itself is zoned for warehouse and limited office use, which some are concerned could make it vulnerable to development. (Re)claiming Memories is working with Council Member Vanessa Fuentes to get the proper zoning for it and a historical designation. Fuentes toured the cemetery earlier this year.

“It’s sad to see because it looks as if it’s been neglected and dismissed, especially with the development that’s right next to it,” she said. “Those are families and families’ history and legacies and relatives that are buried there. Those are stories that need to be told.”

Currently, pink marking flags stick up in various spots within the shrubbery of San José II. That’s the work of Joaquin Rodriguez, an Austin resident who has been going out to the cemetery to remove litter and clean off and mark gravestones that have been covered up over time.

He first learned about the cemetery late last year while researching his ancestry. Rodriguez, who was adopted, had taken a DNA test and learned he had relatives buried at cemeteries throughout Austin, including San José I and II. After seeing how neglected San José II was, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

The (Re)claiming Memories team wants to eventually create a digital map or database where people can upload information about the people buried at the cemeteries. Hernandez hopes this crowdsourced online resource will help bring the stories of the deceased together and shed light on the history of the Mexican and Mexican-American community in Montopolis.

The team is also putting together an exhibit on the cemeteries for the Mexic-Arte Museum in September. Johnson plans to perform a poem called “We Are Lost History” and sell shirts she designed, the proceeds from which will support the cemeteries' upkeep.

Johnson said she recognizes that Austinites who are not directly connected to the cemeteries may not see a reason to care about them, but she thinks they should.

“They might just see it as another gravesite or another old ancient Mexican burial ground, and they might [think] it doesn’t matter because it’s not a part of them,” Johnson said. “But it is a part of them. It’s a part of the history of Austin.”

And as development continues to alter the look and population of the Montopolis neighborhood, she says, it’s urgent to keep conversations about the cemeteries going.

“If we’re not actively trying to be like, ‘Hey, this matters,’” she said, “it’ll get washed away.”

#🇲🇽#usa #united states #texas #texan history #mexican history #cemetary #cemetaries #montopolis #mexican #mexican american #austin #austin texas

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brideofcthulhu10 · 4 years

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Hi! Uh so Billy aka Dwayne and I have the same birthday (June 23). I don't really like my birthday because I've never gotten to celebrate. I haven't had a party since I was a kid and now I just always spend the day sad and with no friends. If you wanna write something with the lost boys celebrating Dwayne and reader's birthday together, I'd really love it. (No pressure tho. I really love your blog and hope you'll have a great day ✨)

Aw, I’m sorry to hear you’ve not been able to celebrate your birthday for such a long time. Hopefully I can give you a little taste of a great birthday with the boys, and a very special (belated) birthday to you from myself and all of my readers, you are an honorary Fang Babe which makes you a part of a community that’s there for each other! If you ever feel sad, I got my DMs open 24/7 if you ever need to just vent up a storm! All are welcome.

Happy Birthday to You Both

Dwayne x Fem!S/O

Today was supposed to be special, yet the entire day everyone was so preoccupied with their own little lives that no one had even bothered to remember it was your birthday today. It was absolutely miserable. All the while your boyfriend Dwayne was currently tucked away at the abandoned hotel hiding away from the sunlight. Bursting into flames was certainly an occupational hazard. By this point the whole vampirism thing had come and gone, and while it did frighten you, nothing was more frightening than being without your dark crow.

Rather than stay at home to be ignored you opted to go out for the afternoon, browsing shops for a special occasion. No, not yourself. See, as luck would have it, June 23rd also held significance to Dwayne. Marko, one of the younger members of the coven, had told you two weeks prior it would be Dwayne’s birthday as well. You had to keep your own secret. Not at their request, but your own. Overshadowing his birthday would be dreadful, you hated the idea of taking it from him. Besides, no one remembered anyways.

Weaving through brightly lit shops, you pondered each piece wondering what would suit him best. Clothes were out, maybe a new skateboard? Just looking at the little white tags stuck to the back of them made you cringe. Okay, so that was out. You weren’t made of money.

There was an old mystic shop selling a handful of oddities, somewhere called Madame Medusa’s Mystical Boutique. A few interesting necklaces caught your eye, but one seemed to be directly calling you. It was a crow skull attached to a leather cord, bordered by two carved red beads on either side. Two thick black feathers were wedged between the beads. Gently you slipped it off the hook, running your thumb over the chilled, smooth surface.

“It’s a lovely item, isn’t it,” an elderly woman asked. Truthfully she startled you from behind the counter, almost making you jump a few good inches.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see-”

“Don’t worry dear, hardly anyone does,” she chuckled, tenderly plucking the skull from your hand. “Shall I wrap this up for you?”

“Oh- Well I wasn’t, I mean it’s nice but-,” you stuttered, but already she was shuffling towards the counter again. Boy pushy woman. You didn’t even know how much it cost, you weren’t exactly on a budget but you couldn’t be going on any big spending sprees.

“Hush now. He’s going to be waiting for you, somewhere nearby. I can guarantee that this is the one you’re meant to give him,” she insisted, wrapping the necklace under aged brown paper.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’d like it but-,” you couldn’t help but trail off. How- How did she know?

The woman pushed the little baggie your way, giving a tender smile before she began to hobble towards a curtained room behind the counter.

“W-Wait, I didn’t even pay for it!”

She waved off your concern, looking behind her shoulder while she parted the curtains in her path.

“Consider it a present from those who neglected you. Take it to him, you’ll see..” And with that she vanished behind them, leaving you stunned where you stood. Silently you glanced down at the small plastic bag, almost jumping in place when a dusty old grandfather clock began to ring through the store. One, two, three, four, five, six. Oh! It was already six o’clock. Crap the boys would be up any minute!

It didn’t take too long to spot the gang of vampires sitting on the worn, wooden banisters talking amongst themselves. Dwayne was just as eager to spot you, sweeping between the boys and lifting you up in his arms. “Happy birthday, princess,” He gushed, planting tender kisses all over your cheeks.

“How did you know? I didn’t-”

“My bad,” Marko spoke up. He leaned back from behind Paul to wave your way, as if he were waving a flag of defeat. Damn. You weren’t even sure how Marko figured out your birthday in the first place, there was just no keeping secrets from that guy!

Dwayne set you down, although he carried a much more concerned expression this time. “Why keep it a secret in the first place, Y/N?”

You fiddled with the bag still clutched in your hand with eyes cast downward towards your feet hoping a good excuse could get you out of just admitting you’d rather play backseat. But, you didn’t. Not that you couldn’t come up with any excuses. Rather, you didn’t want to be sidelined even for your boyfriend’s birthday. It was yours too, and for the past several years it seemed like you were constantly being set aside so that other things could happen. Your sister’s wedding, that trip to Colorado your parents took, grandma and grandpa visiting, your brother’s soccer games- everything seemed to take precedence over the celebration of the day you were born. And worst of all is you never got your Sixteen Candles happy ending. No one would really recognize they screwed up. You wouldn’t be apologized to with tearful shock when your parents realized they forgot your birthday, your friends- if you could even call them that at this point- wouldn’t try to cheer you up, and there was no handsome crush ready with a birthday cake to make it all go away. It’s like Dwayne already knew your feelings because before you could get a word in he pulled you into a crushing hug. Your head pressed against his chest. Sometimes you forgot he had no heartbeat and instead only listened to him rumble when he spoke to you.

“Just because today is for me, doesn’t mean it isn’t for you too, princess.”

Those words hit you harder than you anticipated. Your throat felt as if it were swelling, dry with each labored swallow, and a tight pressure squeezed the bridge of your nose. Inevitable tears eagerly rushed down your while burnt cheeks.

Dwayne only held you in place. He never let go until you were the one ready to release him, wiping away those pesky droplets of emotion staining you. “Now, I was saving this for when we took you to the hotel…,” he began with his hand jammed into his jacket pocket, rustling around for whatever it was he needed. “But, I figure maybe you need it now.”

A thick banded ring of aged silver sat in his calloused palm, an oval cut of turquoise clasped in place by a weaving border. Veins of black and copper split through chunks of blue-green paths. Rather hold it out to you, Dwayne tenderly took your hand into his own to slip the hefty piece over your ring finger. It nestled perfectly in place and you couldn’t help but let out a breathless laugh, slinging your arms over his neck. He already knew what to expect. Iron arms engulfed your waist and lifted you up. His stubble scratched the edges of your mouth when you crashed your lips into his. The sensation was overwhelming. It wasn’t just that he got you this, it was what he had gotten you.

Dwayne had often told you myths and lore on lazy nights when the hunting grew slow and the hours were long. Once you found yourself admiring a very similar cut of jewelry decadently adorned with many fine cuts of turquoise, finding your curiosity piqued when asking him what the significance was to all these pieces. Why was it such a commonly used stone in so much jewelry, especially with Native American tribes.

“From what I can remember,” Dwayne thought back at the time, leaning over you to admire the pricey baubles kept protected under a thick sheet of glass “, my grandmother told me that every tribe has always valued it. I mean, they all have their reasons. It’s a powerful gem that carries protection, life and strength. I’ve even seen it change colors depending on where you find it. I hardly ever saw it though when I was alive, even back then it cost a fortune.”

But now, through one way or another he’d remembered how you admired them from afar, yearning to have a ring like that of your very own. The one to five hundred dollar price tags always scared you off whenever you’d come to find them in stores- at least, the real ones. For once you didn’t care how Dwayne had acquired your gift. Gift! Oh!

“Oh, hold on,” You interjected between kisses with the little bag presented before him. “I um, got you something too. From that crazy lady in the mystic items shop!”

A warmth spread through your chest watching him lay the necklace over, the skull placing perfectly atop his many others. It suited him perfectly.

The whole night was just perfect. You spent the entire time going on rides with the boys after they spoiled you for dinner, later dragging you to the hotel where you realized what Dwayne meant earlier. There were streams of colored paper hanging off the rafters and old piping, red balloons tied to the furniture, and a banner of paper reading out “Happy Birthday Dwayne and Y/N” written in big, red marker letters. You couldn’t even make a wish when they brought out a cake for the both of you. After all, what more could be asked? They had already given you the most perfect birthday you could have ever hoped for.

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cocomaxley · 5 years

Text

What's Left of Us - Part 2

This is a part of a TRR A/U called Cordonians Gone Wild, a collaborative effort by @ao719 @speedyoperarascalparty @leelee10898 and yours truly. Catch up HERE.

Summary: Genevieve has to decide if Rashad deserves another chance.

Rating: Angst, I'm sad

Tag List: @fullbeaumonty @brightpinkpeppercorn @alj4890 @zaffrenotes @annekebbphotography @carabeth @moneyfordiamonds @give-me-ernest-sinclaire @3pawandme @indiacater @ooo-barff-ooo @ownworldresident @tornbetween2loves @perfectprofessorherokid @stopforamoment @editboutique @wannabemc2 @enmchoices @lauradowning29 @lodberg @smalltalk88 @gibbles82 @heatherfilliez @drakesensworld @nikkis1983 @sweetest-marbear @classylady1234 @daniv2278 @jlouise88 @jared2612 @liamxs-world @notoriouscs @blubutterflyy @captain-kingliamsqueen @lynne1993

Rashad left the office and joined Anitah, Pam, Liam and Drake in the living room. He spotted Genevieve across the room as guests offered their condolences. He noticed three men approach her that he recognized. He watched Thomas and Julian hug her and kiss her cheek before stepping aside. Rashad’s eyes narrowed when Christian stepped forward and hugged her longer than he liked. His hands clenched into fists when he saw Christian wipe a tear from her face.

Anitah noticed Rashad’s tense posture and looked to where he was staring. She smirked, “There’s someone who would treat her right if he had the opportunity...” Pam added, "Old habits die hard, eh Rashad?"

Liam frowned, “Anitah, Pam...please don't start. He already feels like shit.” Drake grumbled, “That’s his own damn fault, Liam.”

“Excuse me…” Rashad stood up and walked out the front door. He sat down on the porch swing, relieved to have a moment alone. He knew he needed to talk to her so he could beg her not to take the job and to come home instead.

The front door opened, and Thomas, Julian and Christian walked out of the house. Thomas and Julian shook his hand and headed to their car. Christian turned to him and said, “Take care of her...she's really hurting.” He extended his hand and Rashad shook it. Christian got in the car and the three men left.

The door opened again. Genevieve stepped out and stood in front of him. He got up and smiled weakly at her. She shook her head as tears streamed down her face. “You hurt me...a lot. But I think you know that, otherwise you wouldn't be here.”

He pleaded with her, “Gen, I’m so sorry. My job, my company, nothing will ever be more important than you. I was angry, and I took it out on the one person that didn't deserve it. I will never forgive myself for that. Please, don't take that job. Please come back with me. I will never hurt you again.”

She whispered through a sob, “I don't think I can give you another opportunity to hurt me again. Please go home, Rashad.” With that, she walked back inside the house leaving him alone on the porch. He slumped down on the porch swing feeling like he was just punched in the stomach. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he didn't even bother to wipe them when they finally fell down his face.

The two couples said goodbye to Genevieve and met Rashad on the porch. Anitah and Pam didn't even acknowledge him before getting into the waiting limo. Once the car was on the road, Rashad cleared his throat and looked at the two women, "Did she tell you she's not coming back to Cordonia, and that she accepted a job offer here?"

Drake and Liam shared a shocked look but didn't say a word. “Yes,” Anitah stated still staring out the window.

"I love her....and I want her to come home." He was trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

“Rashad...do you really love her? Or did you just not want to be alone...or maybe she was good for your ego? Looked good having her on your arm at events?” Anitah sat forward looking at him. “Because I’m seriously questioning whether or not you ever loved her. You don’t destroy someone you love, Rashad. Breaking a woman’s heart goes way deeper than you guys may realize, and this goes for all of you,” she eyed each man in that limo. “We may be able to walk around with a smile, we may be able to act as though it doesn’t bother us, or in Gen’s case, we maybe able to act as though we can just up and move forward...but the truth is, you just destroyed her outlook on love. You ripped her self esteem to shreds, for you to make her think that she wasn’t enough for you, that she was a ‘mistake’ as you put it. And you very well may have just lost the best thing that ever happened to you, Rashad. And if that’s the case, I’m sorry, but you have no one to blame but yourself.” Anitah sat back and crossed her arms.

Rashad stared at her with his mouth open. “I do love her...with everything in me. I'm not going to act like I know how she's feeling. I'm sure it's far worse than what I'm feeling and I feel really fucking horrible. I just want the chance to fix it and make it right.” He choked up before continuing, “But she told me that she didn't want to give me that chance. And you're right, it's all my fault.” He could no longer hold back his tears. He pulled his gaze from Anitah and looked out the window.

Liam gave his friend a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, “Rashad...just give her some time...she has a lot going on right now with everything.”

Anitah gave Liam the side eye, glaring at him as she looked over to him. He silently motioned to a now crying Rashad giving his wife a look in return. She widened her eyes shaking her head as she shrugged her shoulders. Liam shook his head knowing he lost this silent argument.

Pam glared at Rashad and was about to say something when Drake put his hand on her knee, “Baby, I know you wanna yell at him. I’d very much like to see it, but maybe just wait. I really don't think he can handle much more. He knows how you ladies feel.” Pam crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. But she remained silent.

When they arrived at the hotel, Rashad let the four of them walk ahead of him. He watched as Liam wrapped his arm around Anitah’s waist, pulling her tight against his side. Drake draped his arm around Pam’s shoulders and pulled her close. Before going into his room, he looked down the hall at the two couples as they reached their hotel room doors. Liam was standing behind a giggling Anitah. He leaned down and kissed her neck. Drake had Pam pinned up against their door, lips locked in a passionate kiss.

He went into his room and removed his suit jacket and tie. He threw both items onto the bed before raiding the mini bar. His phone rang and he rifled through his suit jacket to find it, hoping it was Genevieve. When he saw it was his business partner calling, he threw it across the room and watched it shatter against the wall.

Genevieve sat on her bed in her childhood bedroom, hugging her Sunshine bear. All the guests were gone, and she was finally alone. She opened her phone and went through the texts and voicemails from Rashad. The messages from the day before were more desperate than the day of the fight, his voicemails more frantic. She wiped the tears from her face. She was sick of crying. She felt like that's all she's been doing for the past few days. There was a knock on her bedroom door. She looked up as her mom, Carla, walked into the room.

Her mom sat on her bed and cupped her cheek, “Baby girl, I know you're hurting, and not just because of grandpa. That poor man looked so lost when he was here. But when the two of you saw each other, it was like the world stopped. I've never seen anything like it. You know I'd rather have you close to home than some foreign country but...your heart knows where it calls home and I don't think that's here anymore.”

Genevieve looked down as more tears streamed down her face, “He hurt me, mama. He made me feel so unimportant and disposable. Like I was...nothing.”

She pulled her daughter into her arms, “Gen, sometimes it's easier to hurt the people we love than the people that actually deserve it. It's a sad truth. I don't think he meant what he said. I think he regrets all of it, and I think you know that.” Carla tilted Genevieve's face to look up at her. “You are my daughter. I love you with all my heart. You are beautiful, intelligent, and resilient. But you are equally sarcastic, facetious, and infuriatingly stubborn. Baby, if you decide to stay, I'll be so happy to have you here. But will I have all of you or will your heart be elsewhere?” She kissed Genevieve’s forehead and left her with her thoughts.

The following morning, the five friends met in the lobby. “You guys ready to leave? We can decide who rides in which jet when we get to the airfield,” Liam said to the group.

Pam shook her head, “Actually, why don't the three of you go ahead in Rashad’s jet. Anitah and I are going to stay for a couple more days. Today is the first day Gen hasn't been surrounded by people, so I think her grandfather’s death will hit her hard...she needs us since her boyfriend is probably eager to get back to work.”

Rashad hung his head, “I deserve all of this, and I've taken everything you've given, the yelling, the anger, the hurtful words...but I can't listen to it anymore. It kills me that I've lost her. I was devastated when my ex left me. Losing Gen is a million times worse than that. Don't you see? She is my world, my everything. You both are with the love of your life. How would you feel knowing you fucked up so bad that you lost them? So please stop...I can't take anymore right now.” He walked out of the hotel without another word.

Everyone got into the limo. The men were dropping off Pam and Anitah at the Sanchez home. When they pulled up, Carla was outside throwing salt down on the slick sidewalk. She walked up to the car and greeted them. “Good morning! Is anyone hungry? I just got done cooking breakfast. My crabby little princess is inside eating right now,” she said with a laugh.

Liam shook his head, “Oh we couldn't impose, Mrs. Sanchez.”

“Nonsense! I insist, everyone inside right now.” She pointed to the house, and everyone did as they were told by Mama Carla.

They walked into the kitchen, and Genevieve smiled until her eyes fell on Rashad. Her face turned into a scowl as she grabbed her plate and walked towards the stairs.

“No food upstairs, young lady!” Carla shouted after her daughter.

“I am almost 30 years old! I will eat upstairs if I want to, especially when you invite unwanted visitors into our house,” Genevieve yelled back, stomping up every single step.

Anitah giggled as she yelled, “You’re grounded!” Just as the door slammed shut.

Carla let out a hearty laugh, “My daughter is amazing in the morning. She made me understand why wild animals eat their young. Now, there's only one rule in this house, if it's there, it needs to be eaten. So help yourselves.”

Carla arched her brow as Liam loaded his plate with bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes and French toast. “Does no one feed you?” She pushed the plate of pancakes closer to him. Liam just smiled as he ate.

Genevieve's dad, Roberto, stood up from the table and looked directly at the men, “You better be careful...she makes you fat so you can't run away.” They all laughed as he walked into the living room.

The older woman noticed that Rashad remained quiet during the meal, barely eating. His eyes kept darting towards the stairs. She walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder, “Just give her some time. She's stubborn, you know that. But she will come around.” She gave his shoulder a squeeze. He smiled at her, “Thank you, Mrs-...” she gave him a warning look, and he cleared his throat, “mom.”

“Now, Drake, all this closeness is probably killing you. Roberto is probably sleeping by now. Go ahead and take the remote from him.” She winked at Drake who stood up and kissed her cheek, “Thanks, ma.”

“I've heard a lot about you, Anitah. Tell me more about yourself,” Carla inquired. Anitah cleared her throat, “Uh, I grew up in New York, literally met Prince Charming and fell in love…” Anitah giggled and Carla smiled. “Where in New York?” She asked with a thoughtful expression on her face. “I grew up in Long Beach, and I went to Fordham in the Bronx. I worked at a bar while in college. Then met this group of goons there one night.” Liam feigned offense, “Hey!”

Pam finished her plate of food and joined Drake in the living room. Roberto was asleep in his recliner when Drake took the remote from his hand. Genevieve’s dad woke up with a loud snore once Drake changed the channel. “What are you doing, boy?” Drake’s mouth fell open, “You...you were sleeping...mom said I could…”

Pam giggled and took the remote from her husband. “Drake, never touch another man’s remote.” Pam handed the controller back to Roberto as she said, “Sorry, dad. Don't mind him.”

Once Liam had his fill of food, the men said their goodbyes and left for the airport. Pam decided to check on Genevieve leaving Anitah in the kitchen with Carla. Once Pam convinced Genevieve that the boys were gone, the two women went downstairs. Anitah wiped her face when she saw her friends walk into the kitchen. Genevieve was about to say something when she saw her mom shake her head, so she kept her mouth shut.

The next day, Genevieve asked Pam and Anitah to go apartment hunting in areas near the city. She knew they were leaving the following morning. She wanted some company looking for a place close to the hospital since she no longer had a car. The girls met her realtor who took them to an Evanston apartment. Genevieve walked around the tiny living space and stopped as soon as she saw the kitchen. “Nope, not gonna work for me. I can't open the oven door all the way because it'll hit the cabinet handle.”

The realtor took them to another Evanston apartment that was only a ten minute walk from the hospital. Genevieve immediately said no because of the outdated bathroom. After several apartments, the realtor finally found one that Genevieve couldn't pick apart. Pam and Anitah stayed in the living room while she looked through the master bedroom when she heard a crash. Genevieve and the realtor came running out and saw a light fixture broken on the floor. Anitah pointed to the broken glass, “Gen, this place clearly isn't constructed very well. Do not sign the lease on this one.” The realtor stared at her with her mouth open.

The next apartment was newly renovated with a view of Lake Michigan. “I love it! This is it girls!” Genevieve squealed. “Gen, there's a giant crack in the wall. This may have some structural problems.” Pam said pointing to a large crack in the wall. The realtor was about to say something when Anitah pulled her into the hallway. “Ugh, I guess I'll have to keep looking,” Genevieve groaned.

On the ride back to Genevieve's house, Anitah asked, “Gen...are you...are you sure staying in Chicago is what you really want to do?”

Genevieve arched her brow, "What do you mean? A job like this doesn't just get handed to you every day. Some people would kill for this opportunity.” She sighed before continuing, “Besides...what's in Cordonia for me? You guys are married and you'll be starting families soon...maybe this is where I need to be."

Anitah gave her a questioning look, “Are you going to try and talk to him?”

She shrugged, "There's nothing to talk about. I told him to go home and he did...so that's that. He knows I'm taking the job...I just need to send in the offer letter."

Anitah continued to question her friend, “Well is there a reason you haven’t submitted it yet, Gen? You’ve had plenty of time to do so...yet it’s still sitting at your house...”

"It's been a busy two days with the wake and the funeral...this is the first day I've had to even think about it." Genevieve replied.

Pam couldn't hold her tongue anymore, "You're full of shit, Gen. You haven't sent that letter in because we both know that stupid asshole, who is actually a really sweet guy, who fucked up and knows it, still owns your heart. I know you're mad, but it's time to be honest. You love him..."

Genevieve fought back her tears, “Well, sometimes love isn’t enough, Pamela.”

The next day, Drake and Rashad walked into Liam's office. He finished his phone call and hung up. “The girls will be landing shortly. I sent a car to wait for them,” Liam gave Rashad a compassionate smile. “She could have changed her mind. She might be on the plane, Rashad…”

Rashad gave him an unconvincing nod. Even Drake had simmered down and started to feel bad for him. A little while later, they saw the black SUV pull up in front of the palace. The three men went outside and watched the driver open the rear passenger door. Pam, Anitah and Brad exited the vehicle. Liam and Drake greeted their wives as Rashad stared at the open door. Rashad’s heart broke when he watched the driver push it shut. She didn't come back with them.

His voice cracked as he spoke, “Welcome home, Pam, Anitah. I’m going to head out…” He wiped the tear that rolled down his cheek. Pam and Anitah gave him a sympathetic smile.

After he got into his car, another black SUV pulled up blocking him in his parking spot. He groaned, knowing he was stuck until the vehicle moved. Looking through his rearview mirror, he watched the driver get out and open the rear door. When the door shut, he saw her. He turned around in his seat and looked out of the rear windshield to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. He fumbled with the door handle and got out of his car. There she was, standing in front of him.

“You...came back…” He took a few tentative steps towards her. She smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks, “No, I came home.”

He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. Unable to hold back his emotions, he broke down crying. She held him tightly as she sobbed in his arms.

“God, I missed you. I love you, Gen. I will spend every single day showing you how sorry I am and how much I love you. Your happiness will always come before anyone or anything. I can't live without you.”

“I missed you too, and I love you so much, Rashad. But we need to talk. We have a lot to work on...together...” she managed to say through sobs.

“Whatever it takes, sweetheart. I just never want to be without you...ever again,” He replied wiping the tears from her face.

“Oh my god! Kiss her already!” Anitah shouted.

The pair turned to their friends. Liam and Drake were grinning from ear to ear while Pam and Anitah were crying. She smiled up at him, and he leaned down capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss. She closed her eyes relishing the feeling of his lips on hers.

After they broke apart, Rashad walked up to Anitah and Pam, “You guys put me through the ringer...but thank you for being such good friends to her, and having her back when I didn’t.” The two women threw their arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. “We forgive you, cinnamon roll!”

“Let's go home,” Rashad grabbed Genevieve’s hand and led her towards his car.

A Few Weeks Later…

Rashad and Genevieve were hosting dinner in Domvallier. The friends were laughing and talking during their meal. Demetrius walked in with an envelope in his hand, “Rashad, son, what is this bill from Chicago?”

Thinking it was a bill from the hotel from when threw his phone, he took the paper from his father. “This is a bill for damage to two apartments in Evanston. This must be a mistake.”

Anitah was drinking her water when she choked on it causing her to spit it out. Pam tucked her lips between her teeth to keep from laughing. Genevieve noticed the two women turning red, “Oh my god! You two broke that stuff in those apartments so I wouldn't sign the lease?”

Rashad questioned her, “What are you talking about, sweetie?”

“Before I decided to come home, I was looking at apartments. In one of them the light fixture ‘fell’ from the ceiling, and in another there was a huge crack in the wall.” Genevieve snorted, “And then you told them to bill Rashad? That's brilliant!”

The three women burst out laughing while Liam glared at Anitah. “You're welcome, Rashad! You're welcome.” Anitah said through her laughter.

Rashad chuckled, “It's a small price to pay, I suppose. I'll take care of it, Father.”

#this is ao719's fault #cordonians gone wild #cordoniansgonewild #cgw #rashad x genevieve #the royal romance #trr au

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joannalannister · 6 years

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Hi there! I've been meaning to ask this for awhile now, but I was just wondering what you think Jon's reaction to finding out Daenerys is his aunt will be? I mean, in my mind, it *could* go either way ... he could just not care bc of the whole Targaryens wedding family all the time, but I'm not entirely sure. I've been waiting SO LONG for my ship to sail, and tbh, I really don't care that they're nephew/aunt, but yeah. I just wanted to get your take on it!

In the books, I think that Jon is going to find out about Rhaegar and Lyanna in TWOW, before he meets Daenerys. So I don’t think “Daenerys is my aunt” is the familial relationship he’s immediately going to focus on, although I’m sure he’ll figure that out eventually. I think Jon has to grapple with the fact that Ned isn’t his biological father, along with the fact that his biological father Rhaegar disappeared with his mother Lyanna, who was underage at the time of her disappearance. And then this disappearance ignited a chain of events that caused Jon’s Uncle Brandon’s and his grandfather Rickard’s deaths. Not to mention a war.

Quotin myself:

idk if I would be so quick to dismiss Jon’s feelings. I think the emotional impact is kind of the whole point of the story. GRRM says he’s writing about “the human heart in conflict with itself”. It’s the emotional struggle that we relate to, more so than wielding a magical sword and slaying ice zombies. It’s R+L=J that is going to play a significant part in Jon Refusing the Hero’s Call. Jon has created a fantasy about Ned and his mother, and the pain of having that fantasy ripped away, of finding out he was Rhaegar’s design, a piece of Rhaegar’s prophecy, is gonna be a really big deal to him. Jon has to work through these feelings, and decide to save the world because he chooses to, and not because it’s something on Rhaegar’s survivalist checklist. Rhaegar was doing things because he thought it was required (”it seems i must be a warrior”), because some dusty prophecy said so. Jon’ll do it because it’s right and it’s what he chooses, and his emotional journey is gonna be the whole point of twow/ados.

See also. Also also: #r plus l equals j

So that’s. A lot of stuff for Jon to work through in TWOW.

And I don’t actually think that Dany is arriving in Westeros until near the end of TWOW, and I think that she’s going to be in the King’s Landing / Dragonstone area.

Perhaps Jon will meet her there idk, perhaps not. I personally like the idea of Jon going south trying to find the Tower of Joy and spending 40 days and 40 nights wandering the Dornish desert (I would like to learn more about Dorne), but instead GRRM will probably opt for a metaphorical desert of the heart. Regardless of whether it’s a physical desert or a metaphorical one tho, I think the problem remains the same: the rejection of evil. Instead of Satan appearing to Jesus Jon, it’s indifference and despair that Jon must reject.

To quote Elie Wiesel,

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference. Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies.

Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil.

What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor but the silence of the bystander.

This is what I think ASOIAF is all about - having the courage to speak out and oppose what is wrong in the world. (This is why that theory about Tyrion losing his tongue is so heinous.) We see people speaking out when Tyrion stands up for one little girl, in Jon saving wildlings and letting them through the Wall in spite of the bigotry that will get him killed, in Dany freeing slaves, in Sansa speaking on Dontos’s behalf, and the stuff all the other heroes do.

And we see a lot of evil happen in ASOIAF when people stand by and look the other way and do nothing - like the Kingsguard.

(Remember Rhaella. Remember the men of the kingsguard who looked away. Remember Daenerys, who “dare not look away” when people are being raped or mutilated or murdered.)

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

Remember the call: “ARE THERE NO TRUE KNIGHTS AMONG YOU?”

“Only silence answered.”

That’s really what I think Jon is going to be dealing with in TWOW - the temptation to sit it out and do nothing as the War of the Five Kings resumes and the Wall falls, and the ice zombies invade.

The temptation to answer all this with silence.

(Like, if you asked me to describe how I think TWOW’s going to be like … I think it’s going to be like that moment in a movie when you’re holding your breath in anticipation and horror.)

I have a tendency to resort to Wheel of Time quotes when I run out of ASOIAF quotes, but I honestly think of these two series as sisters in the epic fantasy genre so anyways. In WOT there’s this prophecy related to the salvation of the world, “The grave is no bar to my call.”

When ADOS asks, “ARE THERE NO TRUE KNIGHTS AMONG YOU?” Zombie!Jon has to choose to answer the call, despite his death, despite everything that happened to him.

So anyways … The temptation to answer all this with silence … while I think Dany’s story is going to parallel Jon’s throughout TWOW, I think the very earliest they’re going to meet is at the very end of TWOW, and maybe not until ADOS.

So by the time Jon actually meets Dany, I think he knows full well who she is, and who he is.

Sidenote - I do not think that Rhaegar and Lyanna got married in the books because

I believe Jon’s story is about coming to terms with who he is, and that includes being a bastard - just not Ned’s bastard.

I do not think GRRM would undermine and sideline Dany’s claim to the Iron Throne like that, when Dany’s story centers around a choice between her people vs her throne. It would make her final sacrifice at the end that much bigger, if it includes the throne that she must give up.

So when Jon and Dany finally meet … I think it’s all going to be very chaotic and desperate.

Also. Jon will be an undead fire zombie in the books, so let’s.

Let’s not forget that.

Because I think that is going to be Very Important.

I would say that death … or zombification … or whatever word you would like to use for the experience of being murdered and resurrected … is going to be a much bigger issue for Jon and Dany’s relationship than simple incest.

I think throughout GRRM’s body of work – not just ASOIAF, but everything – there’s this theme about … about … the boundaries of love, but more importantly, the breakdown of those boundaries that stop us from loving each other. It’s A Song for Lya. It’s the spider loving a human woman in Tower of Ashes. It’s Vincent in Beauty and the Beast.

It’s GRRM saying that love is boundless.

So with Jon and Dany … I’m hesitant to speak here because GRRM has so much left to write … I think that Jon has to realize, with Dany’s help, that death doesn’t stop you from loving.

Think about what Jon’s been through.

He was murdered. Betrayed by his own men.

Murdered because he wouldn’t leave the wildlings to die on the other side of the Wall. Because he let them in, in his love and his compassion for humanity. Murdered because he loved a wildling girl. Murdered because he loved his sister, and he wanted to go save the girl he thought was Arya.

Like, you can get into all the political reasons behind Jon’s assassination, but in the end? I think it was about love. Bigots like Bowen Marsh lack that kind of love.

And Jon died for it.

I think Bran’s AGOT vision is a metaphor for Jon in TWOW: “Jon sleeping alone in a cold bed, his skin growing pale and hard as the memory of all warmth fled from him.”

Warmth is love.

Remember, “The real enemy is the cold.” The cold is slavery, abuse, murder, cruelty. The cold is all the ways that people hurt each other. The cold is indifference, despair. The cold is the absence of hope. The cold is death, dehumanization.

So in TWOW, I think Jon’s going to have a lot of problems letting people in.

I think Undead Jon rejects love. I don’t think he’ll remember what it is, and that’s what will make him initially reject his savior role. That’s why he’ll initially be indifferent to humanity’s fate. Zombie!Jon just can’t find it in him to care anymore imo.

You can’t step up and save humanity if you don’t love humanity.

I think Dany has to warm Jon up, so to speak.

Because humanity is fire (life) and the Others and their army of the Undead are ice, and the song of ice and fire is the war between humanity and the Others. With Jon zombified and, worse, indifferent … refusing the call … he’s an (unwitting) agent of the Others, and Dany has to save him. I mean, Dany has to save everyone, but she has to save Jon first. She has to make him remember what it means to be human.**

Like, Mel is going to bring Jon back pretty quickly imo, but … what is life worth, “when all the rest is gone?” Being back isn’t enough. Dany’s going to make Jon live again, as she never could for Drogo. (That’s gonna be a nice bookend, @GRRM, if we ever get to read it.)

Like, ASOIAF is about second chances. Samwell failed to release the ravens on time in ACOK, but you can bet he’s gonna release them on time when it really counts. Dany couldn’t make her Sun and Stars live again in his undead state … but you can bet your ass she’s gonna make Jon Snow live again.

I don’t know exactly how that’s going to happen, but I really, really, really don’t think Jon and Dany bang until they’re beyond the curtain of light, in the Other World Faerie Realm Lovecraftian Parallel Universe of Nightmare and Death.

If Westeros has a version of Adam and Eve, two people alone and in love at the birth of the world … well, I imagine Jon and Dany as the inverse, two people alone “at the end of all things”.

Imagine Belle’s magic mirror, Galadriel’s basin of water, Saruman’s palantir … the Sony JumboTron … whatever far-seeing device the Others can use to demoralize Our Heroes … imagine Jon and Dany watching all the dead and dying as Winterfell’s outer curtainwall falls. Imagine them watching when … I don’t know … someone in a critical defensive position betrays them. Imagine Grey Worm dying. Imagine idk horrible things. Disheartening things. Imagine Our Heroes losing heart. (The human heart in conflict with itself!)

(I think the Others are smart and I think they understand psychological warfare. Look how they play with people.)

Jon: “I am glad you are here with me, Dany. Here at the end of all things.”

Not a happy conversation, maybe, but a human one. Both of us needed someone, and we reached out. […I] made love to her as fiercely as I could. Then, the darkness softened, we held each other and [pushed] away the night.

–Dreamsongs

Did it matter to Adam, that Eve was born of his rib? That’s why this issue with incest is so irrelevant to me when it comes to Jon and Dany - I think the circumstances are going to be so weird, so wild, they’ll make that fish-fucking movie look normal.

Jon is a zombie. They’re going to be in a Lovecraftian Universe. It’s the end of the world. Dany and Jon being related is not going to matter.

In this Other World, this alien Lovecraftian dimension, I think Jon and Dany are the only two humans in this whole Other universe (with the possible exception of Tyrion, but Tyrion’s really a wildcard, more morally ambiguous than either Jon or Dany imo and therefore much more difficult to predict).

And so Jon and Dany reach out to each other – they have sex – as a celebration of their humanity, an act of defiance against an alien species that wants to destroy humanity.

And this act revitalizes them, gives them their second wind … and they can go do … whatever it is they need to do … to defeat the Others.

Love, life, salvation … there’s so much bigger stuff at stake here than “She’s my aunt”.

So no, I don’t think it will matter to Jon.

I have more Jon/Dany thoughts here, if you like: #jdmeta

**When Aemon gives Jon that “Kill the boy” speech, I think the mistake Jon makes is that he thinks he must kill his humanity. He pushes his friends away, he becomes isolated, he heartlessly steals Gilly’s baby. It’s cold and cruel … almost Tywin-esque. And I joke about Tywin being a golden cyborg, but that’s what toxic masculinity is … it’s a denial of humanity. I think Dany will have to help Jon remember what it’s like to be human.

#asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #princesspudding #replies #lannister thoughts #jon snow #jon x dany #dany x jon #jdmeta #endgame #asoiaf themes #the meaning of asoiaf #daenerys targaryen

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lvlsrvryhigh · 7 years

Text

LVLSRVRYHI-050: The Dance Pit | The Levels Are Very High

Hi Anuradha, how's it going? I usually start these things with a bit of an intro, so for anyone who doesn't know: who are you? Where are you from? Hi! It’s 3am and I think I’m finally done answering all these questions!

My grandfather named me Anuradha, though I’m still not 100% sure on how to “correctly” pronounce my name. I was born in Bangladesh, a year before Maluma. My star sign is a Capricorn and I’ve been living in the South Bronx for the past 21 years.

What are some of your early musical memories? I remember hearing Usher's Confessions album everywhere in 2004; Burn, Confessions Part II, and Yeah on rotation. That and Gasolina. That’s when I remember paying attention to music more (I think I’ve blocked most memories of MTV’s TRL out of my head), and then came the emo phase of ’07.

I also remember, though this isn't particularly musical, enjoying the Spice Girls lollipops that came with the stickers which is earlier in memory.

Whilst you run parties and a mix series as The Dance Pit, my first introduction to you was through (I think) the second issue of your zine Club Etiquette and then I kind of worked backwards from there. What first pushed you towards organising a zine? How did the specific idea for Club Etiquette come about? Mungo asked me if there were any parties he could play when he came over in 2015. I told him if I couldn’t find any, I’d put one on, which I decided to anyway.

At the same time, I was going to the club pretty regularly and would see the same people and we would always talk about what annoyed us, both on large and small scales, so thought a guideline would be handy, to be more conscientious of one’s surroundings and others. My school radio station (shouts to WBAR!) used to create zines, so thought that would be the most direct (least-bureaucratic) method. Since it was a guideline on “club etiquette,” that’s just what I decided to call it, although I still think the name sounds a bit bougie and will probably change it at some point.

My background is in activist theatre, so I was taught that anything I take on has to have a greater social purpose, cause what’s the point otherwise? (Don’t @ me with “art for art’s sake” – it may be for some people, but I have no time for it when so many other narratives don’t get heard).

Whitney Wei's illustrations that adorn the covers and grow throughout the pages of Club Etiquette provide the zine with this homemade warmth that carries over even into its digital copies, something that usually gets lost in the move to screens and online spaces of discussion. Did you find that it was important for you to produce the zine with that physicality in tact? Yes, shouts to Whitney! And Carmela Tzigana (who drew the Vol.6 cover). All cover aesthetic skills and most illustrations are credited to Whitney, who, regardless of the landscapes or deadlines I throw at her, manages to create something grounded and finely-detailed.

It makes me happy that you say that the physicality carries over (cause there is def some blood, sweat, and tears in some of those physical copies). I also really don’t like reading on computer screens, so if other people don’t mind and get past that, that’s great!

Tangibility, in a larger sense, is super important to me. Being able to cross over what’s written in the zine and enacting it in physical club spaces (or everyday life) is the reason why it was made in the first place. Theory is cool and all and part of the process, but actually putting ideas in practice is how I grow, and know what works.

A lot of Club Etiquette's material is necessarily born out of very personal and difficult experiences, but you also focus on some of the more lighthearted or even mundane aspects of club-going - 4am foodspots, hangovers, health tips, tv picks etc. I tend to find that these are the parts of the zine that fill me with the most nostalgia (for faceless nights I've mostly forgotten). What was the idea behind including them? How do you find the balance between them and the more serious aspects of each issue? I love the mundane. I also think there’s often a glamorization of going out needing to be the “best, most peak, night” of one’s life, like having a couple of nights where things get hella turnt is chill, but for me to constantly be at that level, I couldn’t do that. My club schedule is pretty routine and focusing on how to make up for lost sleep, or what to eat after I’ve danced for five hours straight, or what I watch when I don’t go out is really necessary for my survival.

Finding a balance between having both serious topics and lighthearted ones can be a bit tricky; I definitely don’t want to trivialize bigger issues by talking about/placing something silly right after. However, I do think that joy is also an integral part of our lives, and humor can be a place of learning as well. It’s the whole “I am not bound to one narrative” idea (that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about in her TED Talk), that I am not defined by only my traumatic experiences, but my day-to-day comforts too.

I also just watch a whole bunch of children’s television, so I’m trying to learn from that how writers can discuss heavy topics but not bombard people with negativity. Also, a very much large shout-out is needed for everyone who contributes; their perspectives make up so much of the humor and joy in the zine, and I really am grateful for the club community here that practices what they preach <3.

New York sits at this juncture between North, South, and Central American dance cultures which, at least this is in the impression I got when I was there, in turn, maintain musical interactions with and influences from the UK. You yourself have relationships that spread throughout this geographical club axis (from the stuff you've done with Hiedrah Club de Baile to your Dance Pit NY parties and UK tour dates). How much has the influence of this environment bled into the zine, your sets and/or the parties you put on? Is there anywhere else you could see yourself living? I want to preface my answer by acknowledging the “first-world” privilege of made-up “border” (by this I mean borders are arbitrary in conception but have very-tangible effects) mobility that I have. I have been immensely lucky to have been able to experience Club Viral, HiedraH Club de Baile, and the Salviatek nights in Monterrey, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo respectively as well nights in the UK before that (with HDD and the Hub-before-it-was-the-Hub <3) and each journey has definitely bled into every aspect of my life, as seen through my sets (which are all over the place), with the different translations of the zine, and through the djs I book.

I grew up and still live in a predominantly Afro-Latinx and Afro-Caribbean community so bachata, reggaeton, and dancehall are what I’m surrounded by most and I think that influence is clear in what I play. I will say though that it is irresponsible to just play the sounds and not give anything back to the communities who create this music both locally and internationally, so I’m still figuring out ways in which to support producers, djs, and club nights that have taught me so much that goes beyond just promotions or social capital. I think it can be easy to fall into the trap of appropriating sounds, so it becomes really important to *listen* when people say it makes them uncomfortable when you’re playing certain music. I want to believe there can be collaborative exchanges in music, but ultimately, under capitalism, someone will always reap the benefits off of the exploitation of other cultures, so I have to just be hyper-vigilant about what I play, who I play it for, how it affects them, and how I can give back.

For me, people rather than place define what home is, so with the hope that in the future all visa requirements and borders will be abolished, I would very much like to go back to South America (back to Argentina & Uruguay, and to the western coast this time around, but also with a much overdue visit to Brazil) and the UK (further north this time!) for an extended period of time to hang with people I very much consider family and give back what I can.

There's a growing tendency at the moment towards abstraction and experimentalism in tracks and sets, attempts to push (or destroy) the boundaries of what a dance track can be or how two (or three or four) tracks should be mixed together. Feeling and hearing an artist's intent in a way that I've barely even considered before is exhilarating but there's also been times when I've missed a certain concreteness. Come New Years - when I caught up with you in London - I was really just itching to dance. Is it important for you to get that sort of physical reaction to a set or a blend? What does dancing mean to you? I started djing, or rather selecting music, for friends who loved to dance when no one else would. So every time I dj or make a mix, I always have someone I know in mind who I want to dedicate the set to, they all just happen to be people who dance a lot. Getting a physical reaction to a set isn’t necessary, people react to music in their own way, but dancing may just be inevitable :)

Dancing is how I show my gratitude to djs and other musicians (in addition to showering them with compliments :3). It’s only a small token of appreciation for the continuous experience of listening to their music.

Talk me through the mixes - how were they recorded? What led to the two parts? It’s been three months since you have asked me to do this(these) mix(es). About a month ago, maybe, I chose to split them because my temperament was changing so often (I blame the weather, the 2+ retrogrades, etc.) and also my attention span was/is decreasing daily.

The first mix is definitely for when I’m in one of my angsty moods, and am placing expectations on others, when I should just let them be. I also wanted to try constraining some parts in the mix to just highlighting certain instruments.

The second mix I made so I that when I play it on my monitors, my neighbors can listen to even more Bad Bunny than they have already been blasting onto the block on a Sunday.

Both mixes are heavily influenced by my travels at the end of last year.

I live-recorded these (way too many times) and added any extra effects on audacity.

What do you have planned for the rest of 2017? I’d really like to continue the translations series of the zines, and there are def a couple more zine release parties in store for this year. My annual tarot card reading said I’ll find a new skill which will be my life’s work in October, so hopefully that’ll happen. As I mentioned above, I’d like to visit all my friends if possible, maybe finally make that mixtape hehe.

But most importantly, curating netflix for my mom and volunteering locally to facilitate and preserve music, arts, and community spaces in my neighborhood when displacement is already happening.

Finally, if you had to pick something for people to listen to immediately after these mixes what would it be? Trick Answer: Go watch Steven Universe, give your eyes, ears, mind, and heart a treat. (That and Silver Spoon too please! - oh but also listen to Common Sense).

"Night" Tracklist

Sand Pact - Fervor w/ Nato - Cerita interlude Bad Bunny - Soy Peor (Axel Caram remix) DJ Nervoso - Djj Kala - Boriken Brazilian Percussion - Samba-Reggae 2 Cardi B interlude MC Lustosa_Shaded Pistola (MM edit) Gigi - Cah PayTay (Reply) Lechuga Zafiro - Suave Pero Rugoso (Diosa Tayhana remix) w/ TT The Artist - Worst Bday interlude Badgyal (Prod. Plata) - SMTHIN LIKE THIS x Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje Karaoke Version Aggromance - 1noche x Leokarlo - Intro ‘New Era’ x Dj Fofuxo - Raizes “Nu Guetto Qui Ta Bater” BAD$ISTA - Last night* Raman Saran - Dhak (Drum) Lechuga Zafiro - Orquídea T-Ney Kid Cala - Blue Magic (Loris Remix) Soda Plains - Espalho Meu Passo w/ Toshiro Masuda - Orochimaru’s** Theme interlude MC Linn da Quebrada - Mulher Totó La Momposina y sus tambores - Rosa FUNERAL - Cumbia futura Shivam Gupta - Durga Theme DJ Nervoso - Areia x Rebecca Sugar - Here Come’s a Thought Steven Universe - Rose’s Room dialogue***

*my phone# is on my last mix, call me up (thru facetime/whatsapp, bless) **i dont support/sympathize with orochimaru, they are a creep ***I hope Steven will be ok

"Day" Tracklist

Dj Valet - O começo Dj Nk - Caipirinha Vany-Fox - Me vs World Bk(blackinhO) - Funana [Batucada] Badgyal - Dinero (Prod. FAKEGUIDO) Bad Bunny ft. De La Ghetto, Zion, Bryant Myers - Caile (Dj Arturex & Dj Kris Club Version) MC Katia - Arrocha Das Fiéis (DJ Xaropinho) Conejx - Parvada w/ Bryant Myers ft. Bad Bunny - Un Ratito Mas interlude* Yxng Bane ft. Kojo Funds & Wizkid - Fine Wine Gage - Throat (Street Mongrel Riddim Version X Talkdunsk Remake) DJ Spinall ft. Wizkid - Opoju Yandel - Encantadora (El Kechu DJ Cumbia base Remix) Anuel AA - Ayer (Elián Acapella Remix) Epic B - Wicked Riddim Javed Akthar - Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah Instrumental Vybz Kartel - Fever (Dj YaMtZa Remix) Florentino - Bloodline x Florin Salam ft. Denisa - Cineva Ma Suna Cu Numar Privat deejay jeff love c pikachu 2pekes (Pininga Edit) Sikuri - Aamado Murlo - Hunter Tina Savage ft. Don Jazzy - Eminado (DJ Yoko Champeta Remix) Superficie - Febre Do Vale Joha - Me Llama Glolaluz - Me Controlas FUNERAL - Reverberacion Antenas ———————————————— J Hus - Did You See x Sikuri - 0

*use condoms! + Special thanks to Callosum, Mungo, Becky, and Michelle <3

#The Dance Pit #Club Etiquette #the levels are very high #lvlsrvryhi #mix series #interview #words

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dannick99 · 4 years

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I just have to give a cheers to my dear Dad up there on Derby Day, who’s probably so thankful he’s exactly where he is today, knowing him and considering all things as they have been lately! Dogwood stable had a whopping eight horses in the Derby from 1991 - 2013. Second, third, fourth and beyond. My father never got that ultimate gold ring of horseracing. But he got closer than most in the history of the sport. We won the Preakness (Summer Squall), and we won the Belmont (Palace Malice), and a gazillion other important races with a continuous string of some of the top horses in the world along the way. Not only did he enter the game at a time when the old guard of American society and finance was well-ensconsed and befittingly claimed the Sport of Kings as their own. But Cot Campbell found an incredibly innovative way to break his way into the old game, initially much to the dismay of these old American families – the Vanderbilts Whitneys, Phipps, etc..- but that didn’t slow him down. He was a believer…. in his own dream. Not long after his idea was conceived and implemented and the green and gold silks were becoming a more familiar sight at the top racetracks around the country, the reality hit that he had actually changed the name of the game, and I dare say allowed for racing to continue as a modern sport that it is today. As he always said, necessity is the mother of invention! Cot Campbell therefore became known, for the span of his long prosperous career and for eternity in the horse racing world, as the “Pioneer of Thoroughbred Racehorse Syndication.” He always said to the press: I was the lucky one who stumbled into it! If I hadn’t, someone else surely would have. Second part may be truth, first part not so true. It was what he was built for. What he was made for - his destiny. His dad, another hero of mine for reasons I’ll go into another day, and his grandfather exposed him to horseracing back in the days of the great Kelso. Dad found his hero in the way of this big hearted, hard-trying beauty of a horse (look him up if you’re interested). With more exposure throughout his childhood, he fell in love with horses, and the risk and energy and every aspect of the classic romantic sport of horseracing that came with those powerful majestic animals barrelling down the racetrack. My beloved grandfather, Wild Bill Campbell, (Who I miss at times almost as much as my dad) had a horseracing stable for a brief stint called Shoestring Stable in historic Franklin, TN. When World War II broke out, there was a ban on unnecessary travel (um, how we all get that now in 2020 :-&!). He had just gotten his stable working on all cylinders and in full blown Go-mode - ready to ship these primed young racehorses off to the racetrack to do what they were born to do. Due to this poorly-timed government ban, Shoestring Stable went bankrupt before they ever broke out of the gate. But after experiencing days at the track with his grandfather and seeing his own father build and labor over his stable of racehorses (whether they raced or not), the love and passion for the sport was stamped in Cot Campbell’s blood from that time forward. A lot of history dots to be filled in after that in my father’s quite unorthodox life and early career, but one commonality for these two Campbell men was work in the fields of sportswriting, novel and guidebook and memoir writing, PR, and advertising. Believe me, there are endless (now funny)lesson-loaded stories between the two of them and their respective careers full of stunts and stints working in every possible kind of position and situation but I’ll continue on for now and revisit those on another interesting day. I was fortunate enough to work for my dad for seven years in the Dogwood Stable office (a beautiful white Victorian house with a wrap-around porch) in Aiken, SC as PR Director. My dad did not believe in nepotism. I had to deserve the job and got no special treatment or pay. And it was a highly sought-after job whenever it happened to open up. I called him 'Cot' when I was on duty, like the rest of his employees. This job was one of the most rewarding and most challenging experiences of my life. A lot was demanded and especially when we had an entry in a Triple Crown race, and even more especially when we had a favorite. Crazy, energetic bustling times. A bonus was getting to know so many members of the national sports press personally who have since become lifelong friends. That position as one of the Top 10 Horseracing stables in the country for a long time required it. EightDerby horses required it! My dad was a very smart businessman in everything that he touched....once he stopped drinking. At age 31. That decision changed his life. As it can sure do. That's another accomplishment of his I am inordinately proud of. He went on to help endless friends and strangers make that same decision for themselves. He only attended AA in the beginning of his sobriety but was a strong believer in and advocate for the program until he died, even saying he thought the best 'church' out there was AA. My dad was a sought out speaker at AA meetings his whole life, and I think he would say that stopping drinking for him was the thing in his life he was the most proud of. I've always said I wouldn't be here if he hadn't made it AA that dark night in mid-town Atlanta in 1957. He wrote about his drinking life (and all the rest of it) in his third published book called Memoirs of A Longshot - subtitled 'A Riproarious Life'. It's a highly entertaining read. Anyway, my job as PR Director in the 90's was selling Dogwood (although it was really selling itself at that point) to the assorted colorful lot of top-of-their-game Sportswriters. . I have never learned as much in the business world as I did as PR Director of Dogwood stable, and I’ve done a lot of things in a lot of varied and significant positions (In the worlds of writing, editing, photography, PR, journalism, and nonprofit management and fundraising). And I”ve never been exposed to a classier, more colorful interesting world than that of horseracing. The final truth of the story is that horseracing would not be what it is today if my father had not done what he did when he did it and how he did it. Yes, maybe/probably someone else would’ve come up with it eventually and run with it, but they didn’t. He did ...early on. And he knew what to do with it. And made the very bold risky decision to sell out of his thriving Atlanta ad agency - Burton-Campbell (googleable if you care) to start forming racehorse partnerships, when everyone in Atlanta thought he were crazy. Except for mom, as Dad was always quick to point out. He bought some horses at auction, bought some land in southern Georgia, built a race track on it, a southern black woman stewing up the absolute best of dishes, and houses for trainers and staff and their families, etc. etc.. Then he bought some high-pedigreed horses at auction and brought them back to Dogwood Farm in Greenville, Georgia. And then he bought another farm one a mile away to entertain guests after they’ve seen the horses breeze (85+% of their full-out ability) on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Cars and busloads from Atlanta would flock to the farm on fall and spring weekends. They would tour the farm, get to know the horses and then come out to the race track watching area with their cocktails where my dynamic dad would get on the megaphone to explain what was happening with each horse. Everyone was mesmerized. Groups of horses one set at a time flying by the crowd in all their majesty, hooves pounding, athleticism-at-its-best personified. How can you, If you were a guest for the day at the old Dogwood Farm in Greenville Georgia, not see these flashy powerful animals creating beauty in motion on the race track and not want in on that scene!! You start to picture your future: those well-recognized yellow and gold polka dot Dogwood silks worn by maybe Steve Cauthen.....or in more current days Irad Ortiz. You, with your Owner credentials, get to show up in the paddock, watch your horse get saddled, shake the jockey's hand and listen to the trainer give race instructions. Then you go to the Clubhouse to your front and center box seat, drinking a Mint Julep or a Belmont Breeze or Saratoga Sunrise and watch YOUR horse win their race, at Saratoga or Keeneland or Belmont or Churchill Downs that YOU were there and present for. And after the race, you run down to the track, congrats and high-fives along the route, to get your picture taken in the winners' circle. “Count me in!!! I’ll take two or three shares!” My father brought more than 1500 new people into racing, that (in most cases) couldn't have been in the game otherwise, through their being able to buy a share in a horse (or a group of horses in the beginning days). Dad was a straight shooter too. He was always known by his clients and people he worked with, the media and everyone in the industry as dealing with total honesty and integrity. It’s a reputation he died with. And deserved to, wholeheartedly. My dad was a man of truth. Whether raw and brutal or warm and fuzzy. He delivered it as it was. And I did and do respect the hell out of that and learned a lot of good things from it that continue to serve me well. In business, yes he was a salesman. He was selling a fun experience (albeit an expensive one), but there were no hidden costs in any Dogwood syndicate. Our clients were treated like gold. They were what made the Dogwood engines keep running, as any clients in any business can take credit for, so they were treated as they should be and most became dear family lifetime friends. These were investors who, win or lose at the end of the day, were in it for the experience. Period. Cot Campbell rubbed people’s noses in the fact that they very well WON’T make money! “Don’t get into it if you’re looking to make money” he was known to say. He sold the experience as Crepes Suzette. It’s decadent, it’s extra, it’s rich, you may lose something in the taking (or gain - weight!), but you’ll have a hell of a fun time in the interim! So every time Triple Crown season rolls around on this first Saturday in May, the memories come flooding back of our Derby experiences as a family, and the pride wells up in me to see these owners there (MOST of whom these days are part of a partnership) celebrating and cheering on their horse, and to know that the whole game was changed back in the early ‘70’s by one man – my Dad, Cot Campbell, allowing fans to own a piece of a racehorse and that has therefore allowed the great sport of horseracing to continue to thrive on the level it does. So, I’m raising my Mint Julep to you, Dad. (You always made me a good strong drink....vicarious pouring, i always suspected ;-)). He wasn't perfect, but he did life right in my book. And left an undeniable unusual legacy that stands forever. And provided his family with a fun, interesting as heck life, and I’m one grateful daughter. CHEERS, WCC!! On Coronavirus Derby Day and every other day..... Liloo -- www.lilacampbellphotography.com

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