#little miss 23andme
Text
STORY TIME
Why did Pedro Pascal go quiet on socials?
Well, let's hazard a guess. Maybe he saw what his shitty "fans" were getting up to.
If I've left anything out, please dm me. And if you'd like to threaten me, my receipts are all in order🖕
What have Pedro Pascal's shitty "fans" done in this fandom?
Stalked him and used it for clout in order to gather more information. (Ms * and Ms Peacock)
Tracked his and his friends' activity. The person got blocked by the friend and used the news for clout. Mega lols all round on that one, not🙄. It gave them something to talk about on their trip, I guess🤷♀️ They were quiet after, though, right?! (Ms Green)
Created a private group chat and used it to gather information on his whereabouts. (Ms Peacock)
Moved in order to be closer to his house. When he mentioned he moved, they openly enquired about moving to a neighbourhood close to his new place. (Ms Wrestlemania)
Supported a friends project and made themselves the biggest donor yet publicly complained about their financial situation. Weird, right?! The friend was going through a really tough time. The fans used the access they gained to the friend to manipulate the friend into giving them access to him. The friend closed their project. (Ms Wrestlemania)
Made professional moves in order to work with another one of his friends in order to gain access to him. (Little Miss 23andme)
Bullied and harassed another fan for having limited access to him. They then doxxed the victims' family members' funeral. When they were called out and tried to defend themselves, they were caught owning an account that had supported the harassing messages. (Ms Wrestlemania and HideandSeek)
Stole photos from independent photographers and shared as their own, which he then shared so the photographer got paid. (Col Mustard)
Shared a stolen photo of him and another actor so he was forced to share his own so he owned the narrative. (Ms Peacock)
Had multiple genuine fan accounts deleted and suspended out of hate and jealousy. (Ms * and Encarni)
Sent d**th threats to other fan accounts. (I'll just pretend not to know who did this because it's under federal investigation💚)
That would definitely put me off going online. No wonder he went quiet.
I'd like to add that I was a total scumbag too once. Checked his personal info, thinking it was ok to do so out of interest. I shared bits and pieces because I didn't realise the ripple effect. Then I realised his info was being traded for people's personal gain. People were being manipulated into providing more and more. People were being ripped off for someone selling pics without a licence (you know who). I stopped. I made amends. I know I made a difference, so thank you to everyone who has helped right the wrongs.
Thank you to the people who helped provide tips.
Thank you to the people who had their lives affected but still stuck around to keep the good in the fandom.
Thank you to the people who listened.
Thank you to the people who took action when required.
Thank you to Pedro💜
And a giant FUCK YOU to the ppl who are still doing that shit and negatively affecting people's lives, including Pedro's and his friends' and family's.
Why did Pedro Pascal go quiet on socials?
Canada
Deuxmoi
Clue
The Meandering Response
The Counter Perspective
The Old Ladies
Buying Followers Pt1
The Fandom Stain Pt2
#pedro pascal#pedro pascal fandom#fandom#storytime#pedro pascal stalker#little miss 23andme#ms Wrestlemania#col mustard#mrs green#ms peacock#story time#stalker reddit#crazy fans#fandom bullshit#deuxmoi#pedro pascal deuxmoi#stalker
293 notes
·
View notes
Text
23andme is crazy because it's like, they know that i have blue eyes, wavy fine and blonde hair, freckles, really bad motion sickness, a fear of heights. they guessed my weight literally within 5 pounds of how much i actually weigh and guessed my average wake-up time with freaky accuracy. they also think i'm unlikely to be lactose intolerant (i am so lactose intolerant that lactaid barely helps and this is a HUGE issue in my life) and don't think i can match a musical pitch (i literally taught myself piano by ear at 7 years old)
#genetics is soooo cool#especially the things they got wrong. like is it because their results are based on self reporting? is it ~*~ epigenetics ~*~ ?#every time i go thru my 23andme results it makes me miss doing bioinformatics research. just a little bit tho lmao#m.txt
1 note
·
View note
Note
i forget if you’re still doing the prompt list, but if you are and haven’t done #13 it would be really cool :) you’re a really great writer so i think it would be interesting but anyways i’ll leave you be now bye :)
Alex is already getting ready for bed when her phone chimes in the dark. She picks it up from the nightstand--it's Ruby.
1 new message.
RUBY <3: AUNT ALEXX!! HAVE U SEEN THIS??
And no, she has not seen it.
There's a Youtube link attached with Kara's name mentioned. She fires off a quick, 'no, checking it out rn.' before clicking on it.
More press junket for Kara’s film, no doubt. Her sister is still in Asia promoting the film, they haven’t seen each other in months. They call each other every single day though, but still, Alex misses her so much she would willingly watch Kara's latest Youtube video near midnight if only to see a glimpse of how she is.
The link opens, and it’s one of those CatCo celebrity vids.
"Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions"
Oh.
Oh, no.
Alex can already see where this is going, if the thumbnail of Kara laughing with her hand on Lena's thigh is anything to go by.
She braces herself and presses play.
******
"Hi, my name is Lena Luthor-" Lena says, smiling brightly at the camera.
“I'm Kara Danvers-" Kara's grin equally as bright.
"And today we're here with CatCo to answer the web's most searched questions."
Somebody hands Lena a little board. "Is Lena Luthor—" the board reads.
"Wait, wait, here, let me hold it for you, I'll read. You answer," Her sister instructs, grabbing the board from Lena's hands ever the considerate gentlewoman.
Kara peels off the white sticker and reads the first one, "Is Lena Luthor Irish?"
"Hm, as you all know, I'm adopted," Lena tells the camera, "which- thank God, I'm not genetically linked to Lex Luthor."
"I don't know," Kara interrupts, "I think you can rock the Bald Lena Luthor look."
"Shhh, don't give the internet any ideas." Lena hits her lightly on the arm.
And okay, it's not too bad. Yet, Alex thinks. Not too bad yet.
"As I was saying,” Lena pointedly says, "before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm adopted. But I haven't really looked much into it. So, I don't? Really know?" Lena shrugs. "Maybe I'm Irish, maybe I’m not. We'll see."
"Ohh, maybe we should take one of those 23andMe kits!" Kara exclaims, eyes lighting up.
"Oh, yeah," Lena nods, "I've heard of those. We should do that. That sounds cool."
"Stay updated guys," Kara announces, pointing to the camera, her silent audience. "We'll let you know if Lena really is Irish or not."
Turning back to Lena, she asks, "Wait, but where'd you get the accent though? I think that's why people are asking. You have an accent you know."
"Oh, that's easy," Lena says, "I went to boarding school in Dublin."
"Oooh, hear that guys? Lena Luthor is a preppy."
Lena rolls her eyes fondly, and ah, there it is; the smitten look Alex had seen one too many times.
God, they're so fucking stupid.
******
"Is Lena Luthor villain?" Kara squints, and then raises one finger. "A villain," she corrects, "'Is Lena Luthor a villain?' Come on guys, grammar."
Trust Kara Danvers to be annoyed about improper grammar in web searches.
"Yes," Lena confirms, nodding slowly. "I am, in fact, a villain."
"A very hot villain, if I might add," Kara chimes in.
This makes Alex groans loud enough that she feels Kelly shift next to her at the noise.
"Kara, shut up," Alex hears Lena quip, dragging her attention back to the screen. "As I was saying, yes, I did in fact play the antagonist in 'Trinity'. Directed by the one and only Cat Grant. Without whom, we would not be here. So, thank you Cat Grant."
"She played the really super hot evil dictator there. You should totally watch it guys."
"Oh my god, Kara!"
Oh my god, Kara.
Alex manages to suppress her groan this time. Even though what Kara says next sickens her further.
"What? It's true!" Kara protests as Lena shakes her head, tries to shrink away and die quietly. "You used your boobs for evil, Lena" Kara whispers.
"Oh my god." Lena looks so exasperated and embarrased. A bright blush painting her cheeks.
"Please just edit that out," Lena pleads with the camera.
God, why did nobody edit it out? Alex shakes her head, the secondhand embarrassment dripping through the screen and seeping into her bones. Jesus Christ, she can't believe this is her sister. She stares at the red line at the bottom; 3 minutes down, 12 fucking more to go.
******
"Is Lena Luthor vampire?" Kara reads before bursting out into loud laughter. "I'm sorry- I'm sorry this is just so funny. God, Lena, are you a vampire???"
"Is this what those 'ma'am bite me' tweets are about?" Lena asks, eyes widening, and Alex makes a mental note to bombard Lena with as many thirst tweets as possible tomorrow morning.
"Yes," Kara answers her, still laughing. "Sorry this is so freaking funny. I can't-"
The shot cuts and transitions to the next question.
******
"Is Lena Luthor MIT?"
"Did I go to MIT? Yes, yes I did."
"Yeah, guys, don't you know we're in the presence of a genius."
Alex shakes her head. Good God, Kara, could you be more obvious?
"I have a BioChem degree that I don't use, because, and as my mother loves to put it so very eloquently, 'I went and ran off with the circus.'."
"Hey, Lillian is nice though," Kara argues.
Of course, Kara would say that.
"You're just saying that 'cos you want to suck up," Lena counters as Kara pouts.
Exactly, Lena, exactly, Alex agrees.
"No, I'm not!" Kara defends herself, before turning away from Lena and facing the camera. "Okay, Lillian, please don't listen to your daughter. I genuinely think you're lovely, and we will see you next Friday dinner.”
Great, Alex thinks. This interview will no doubt awaken their thousand sapphic shippers. God, she really wishes she could just smack Kara on the head sometimes.
"Is Lena Luthor sister of Lex?"
"Yes, unfortunately," Lena answers. "We’re siblings. I grew up with a monster. Anybody with a brother knows the feeling." She turns to the camera, voice dripping in sarcasm, before smiling and shaking her head. "No, I'm just kidding, I like Lex well enough to bring him to my premieres."
She runs her fingers through her hair and Alex can already see the hundred gifs resulting from that tiny slip of habit.
"Oh, and might I add," Lena continues. "if you're a really gorgeous model attending one of my movie premieres, I'm so sorry if my brother had hit on you."
"Lex is-" Kara tries to interrupt. Again.
"Kara, stop sucking up to my family," Lena cuts her off.
Yes, Kara, stop being an idiot, Alex adds in her head.
"I was gonna say, annoying," Kara clarifies, throwing a pout in. And the way Lena lovingly looks at her caught in 4k makes Alex want to retch.
"Oh, oh okay, fair. Lex really is annoying."
******
Kara hands off the board to someone off-cam as Lena reaches for another one.
"Okay your turn, now," Lena says, peeling off the first white sticker.
"Is Kara Danvers Supergirl? Mmhmm yes, yes she is," Lena asks and answers in the same beat, a dreamy look playing in her eyes.
"Lena, I'm supposed to answer the questions," Kara reprimands with playful eyes.
"Sorry, yeah go ahead." Lena shakes her head and Alex watches her flush.
"Yes, I did play Kara Zor-El in Supergirl," Her sister confirms, "One of the best times of my life."
"And you did a very good job with it too."
"Thank you. That is very high praise coming from Lena Luthor."
The amount of goo-goo eyes this video contains is just-
Safe to say, the sapphic community is feasting on content right now.
******
"Is Kara Danvers abs?"
Oh God, why is Alex still watching this?
"Wait, are they asking if you have abs or- Kara what are you do- oh. "
She watches Lena stutter her way; watches her sister stand up and pull up her shirt high enough; watches Kara reveal her abs; watches Lena thirst after her sister on record.
"Yeah.” Lena gulps, clears her throat. “Well, as you can see. She- uh- Kara Danvers definitely, definitely has abs."
Is this what hell is like?
"Is Kara Danvers..." Lena clears her throat, after she recovers from the stunt, cheeks still a little pink. The sticker slowly comes off. "Gay? Is Kara Danvers gay?"
"I'm pan, guys."
"And just a little note,” Lena cuts in, “celebrities don't owe telling you their sexuality alright? Just a little reminder they are humans too."
"Yes, that's true. That's important. Listen to Ms. Prep school guys. She's smart."
******
"Is Kara Danvers beefcake?"
"I don't even wanna know what that means,” Kara murmurs and Alex can’t help but agree.
"No, wait but now I wanna know,” Lena says, fumbling for her phone, “wait I don't have my phone with me."
She turns to somebody off the screen, "Hey, can anybody google it? Does any of you know what a beefcake is?"
Somebody, who suspiciously sounds a lot like Nia Nal, answers, “According to the Urban dictionary, ‘Beefcakes are usually good-looking and enjoy showing their muscles off.”
Lena’s shoulders are shaking so hard in silent laughter, but she manages to wheeze out, “Oh, god, yes. You are a beefcake, darling.”
Kara blushes up to her ears, and Christ this is just so fucking gay.
Alex will never recover from the fact that people on the internet, open their browsers just to type in the question, Is Kara Danvers beefcake?
******
"Is Kara Danvers dating?"
"I don't know, am I?" Kara evades smoothly. A conspiratorial look passes between the two.
Then the shot cuts and it’s Lena’s turn again.
"Did Lena Luthor kiss Kara danvers?"
"Oh, wouldn't you guys like to know," Kara quips, "Buy tickets to our movie and maybe you'll see us kiss. Premieres on October 22.” Kara winks to the camera and Lena flushes next to her.
Alex already knows they’re going to kiss. Kara had a massive gay panic the day she received the script. Guess who had to calm her down enough to get through the scene?
******
“Did Lena Luthor Andrea Rojas?"
"Are they asking if I did Andrea?" Lena asks, in an uncharacteristically high pitched voice.
"Yes," Kara affirms, eyebrow quirking. "Did you?"
"I refuse to confirm nor deny anything." Even from Alex's tiny screen she can see Lena's pixelated form blush.
"You totally did."
******
“Did Lena Luthor break arm?”
Ah, Alex remembers that one. Especially after finding out that Kara filled Lena's hospital room with flowers for an entire month. Talk about a simp.
“Unfortunately, yes," Lena tells the camera, fingers running through her hair. "I did break my arm, yes. The injury wasn’t that bad though, it just looked like it was.”
“You had to wear a cast for three months," Kara points out, scoffing. "It was bad, Lena.”
“Well, I mean 'No Boundaries' was an action film. Sometimes things go wrong, you know." Lena shrugs as Kara shakes her head. "What? It's true," Lena defends. "It comes with the job. But I’m better now, and now I take extra precaution in filming scenes like that.”
“It was a great film though, not gonna lie,” Kara admits, her hand finding home on Lena's thigh again.
“Oh yeah?” Lena smirks, raises a brow at her.
“Yeah, Lucy and I saw it," Kara tells her, "and like, it was a spy movie. An intense spy movie. But she cried at that one scene with you and it was Sam Arias, I think?”
“Oh, oh yeah." Lena adjusts her collar and Kara's eyes follow. "The scene at the lab?" Lena clarifies and Kara nods dumbly. "Yeah that was a whole thing. Sam was amazing in that.”
“She was," Kara agrees, gulping, clearly struggling to drag her eyes away from Lena and back to the camera. "She really was. Both of you, actually. Imagine making Lucy Lane cry.”
“Wait.” Lena raises a hand to lay on Kara's arm. Her sister stops mid-peel. “I thought you saw that with Alex though?”
“I did with Alex, too.”
“Oh, you saw it twice?”
“No, no uh- I saw it four times.”
“Oh.”
Alex just had to pause the video at that, lest she throw her phone across the room.
Deep breaths, Danvers. Deep breaths.
******
"Did Lena Luthor get oscar nomination? Yes, yes she did!" Kara exclaims, squeals to be more accurate. "And not only that, she won too."
"Kara, I'm supposed to answer the question,” Lena reminds her. Kara just smiles sheepishly, gestures at Lena to continue.
"Yes, yes I did win.” Lena turns back to the camera. “I never expected that to happen, and every time I look at the golden man on top of my fridge, I cry."
"You- It's on top of your fridge?" Kara asks, turning away completely from the camera.
"Yeah."
If anybody asks Alex when she knew Kara had truly fallen in love with Lena, she’d play them this clip. Never has she seen Kara look at another human being like that.
The golden man atop the fridge, who would’ve known?
******
“And that’s it for the Web’s Most Searched Questions.” Lena claps her hands together, and god, Kara isn’t bothering at being subtle at all, just openly staring at Lena now.
“Hope you enjoyed watching that as much as we enjoyed doing it. Gal Pals out in theatres on October 22! Save the date!”
It’s a miracle that Alex made it to the end. She sighs a breath of relief as the next video plays, she exits before it could continue.
why are they so dumb? Alex types out to Ruby.
Ruby <3: COS THEYRE GAE!!!
Well, Alex can't argue with that logic. Before she can even type out a reply to Ruby, her phone pings in rapid succession.
Kara: Good morning from Japan! Ohayō, Alex!
A picture of Lena comes through.
This Lena is a thousand worlds away from the Lena Alex just watched on her phone screen mere minutes ago. This Lena is wearing a messy bun, thick black glasses perched on her nose, chopsticks raised by one sweater paw, a bowl of noodles in front of her, smiling without reservation, no doubt at her sister behind the camera.
Kara: she’s just so pretty!!
Kara: its like 7 in the morning here and she looks like dat alex!
Kara: kawaii!! thats what the fans here say
Kara: r u asleep already?
Kara: call me later i miss u
Oh, yes. Alex will definitely call her later. There are words that need to be said.
#in an alternate universe the luthors are nice and they occasionally make fun of lena thirsting after kara during premieres.#the gays totally made so much gif sets of this one particular video tho#the reckless writer writes#a prompt#a long overdue prompt at that#pls forgive me#if u see any typos no u didnt#this has been stuck in my drafts for a thousand years.#supercorp#supercorp fic
298 notes
·
View notes
Text
Mexican Matt Murdock Headcannons
Yay my meta was well received thank y'all. Here are some hc as a treat :)
Jacobo "Jack" Murdock is from Monterrey 🤠🇲🇽 Super Norteño, he sounds like a cowboy. Has the thickest accent, it embarrass Matt so much
Jack never went to high school and tells Matt to copy how the people on TV talk. They speak "proper" Spanish.
Dad's great great great... granddad was an Irish soldier in the Saint Patrick's Battalion. Hence "Murdock"
He was boxing in Mexico when he met Roscoe Sweeney. Sweeney promised he'd sponsor Jack's work visa and help him immigrate to the US
Sweeney never followed through with the sponsorship. He'll get around to it, don't worry. But as long as Jack's undocumented, he can't box for other promoters/organizers
He would go back to Mexico but he's making more money here than he could back home. Plus he met someone.
Margarita "Maggie" was training to be a nun until she saw him
Baby Mateo Murdock takes after her. He has her eyes, red hair, and pale skin Maggie worries will burn in the sun.
(TW Intrusive thoughts/Post Partrum Psychosis) Maggie worries a lot. About Matty choking on his blanket, about SIDS, about how she betrayed God, about how her child carries her sin, about how the devil possessed her husband, how maybe she should borrow Mario's car with Matty in the back seat so she can drive them off a bridge so at least one of them gets the change to go to Heaven
She nearly kills him.
Jack calls Father Lantom and their marriage is annulled. Maggie leaves to get help and doesn't come back.
Jack still misses her. Matt never knows.
So many nicknames: Matty, Canelo (Cinnamon), Chiltepin (Small Peper), Rojo (Red), Tomatillo (Tomato), Chapulín Colorado, Diablito (little devil), Irlandés (Irish. Later takes a 23andme and finds out he's only 5% Irish)
Jack doesn't speak a lot of English. Matt becomes his personal translator by 1st grade
After the accident, Matt even has to translate what the nurse says for his dad. There's an interpreter when the doctors need to talk to his dad. It hurt hearing about his diagnosis and treatment from the doctor. It hurts all over hearing the interpreter repeat it to his dad.
Matt feels so guilty he can't help translate documents for his dad anymore.
His dad's funeral is the first time Matt meets his extended family. One of his Tia offers to take him in but that would mean leaving New York/the USA and going to Mexico.
He says no. New York is his home.
Sister Maggie is one of the few nuns who speak Spanish. And the only one who will read him poetry. She reads him Jose Marti, Juana Inés de la Cruz, Miguel de Cervantes. Matt likes her. Even if she's strict and doesn't tolerate his sass.
Nina Rosario from In The Heights Kinnie
Almost cried the first time he heard "Breathe," no song has even spoken to him more
NINA: They are all counting on me to succeed
I am the one who made it out
The one who always made the grade
But maybe I should've just stayed home...
When I was a child I stayed wide awake, climbed to the highest place,
on every fire escape, restless to climb
....
I got every scholarship
Saved every dollar
The first to go to college
Takes a 3000-level Spanish for Elektra. Should have thought this through, Elektra speaks it with an Ethpañol accent. Cringe.
But the class is interesting. So he takes another. And another. And soon enough he has enough credits for a Spanish language and literature major.
Eavesdrops on a lot of conversations. Both because no one assumes he knows Spanish and because of his senses
Foggy: Do you have health insurance?
Matt: of course *pulls out his Vick's Vaporub*
Can't eat spicy food. This face turns as red as his hair :( The other Defenders/HFH tease him for this
Dislikes Spanglish because text to speech/screenreaders don’t recognize it
Calls La Virgen de Guadalupe Mom
Drinks Corona :D
#daredevil#matt murdock#matthew murdock#netflix daredevil#marvel#mcu#charlie cox#foggy nelson#karen page#usaigi speaks#mateo murdock au
55 notes
·
View notes
Text
Welcome to the Family
There were more cars than usual in the driveway when he arrived at his dad and Grace’s house for the week. He was still getting used to the fact that he had a dad. And a Step mom and sister. There had always felt like something was missing from his life, and when his biology teacher had brought up DNA testing with companies like 23andme, he thought it might give him the answers his mom hadn’t been able too.
He knew that she had always felt guilty when she wasn’t able to give him a specific answer when he asked who his father was. She had always told him that he was a man that she had met one night, and afterwards when she found out she was pregnant, she decided to just go it alone. She hadn’t even been sure where to look, or anything beyond the fact that his brothers had called him “J” which in Texas, wasn’t much to go by. Wyatt wasn’t mad at his mom about the lack of information, but he also hadn’t been willing to go his whole life without knowing where the rest of his DNA came from.
He hadn’t been prepared when he had met his father for the first time, in hindsight confronting him at work was probably not the best idea, but he had thought it would be better than surprising the man at his home. Especially when he wasn’t sure what Judd Ryder’s reaction or current family life would be. He had been both scared and impressed with the man when he immediately told his wife who the teenager standing in front of him claimed to be. He didn’t really blame him for the reaction either, finding out you have a child that is almost an adult would be a bit jarring and even unbelievable. He had been surprised when his father’s wife asked for his phone number so that they could contact him.
He still couldn’t believe that after that less than awesome first meeting, Wyatt felt like he was truly a member of the Ryder family. He loved getting to know his dad, Grace, his little sister Charlie, and his grandpa Stuart. He wasn’t sure who all the cars belonged too, but he did spot his grandfather’s truck as he walked closer to the house. He was soon able to hear the laughter of the Vega twins who were being chased by a big furry dog, he had to quickly jump out of the way when he was almost barreled over by them.
“Sorry Wyatt” was shouted by both of the twins as they ran back towards the crowd of people.
Grace happened to look up as he turned the corner “Wyatt, so glad you are here. Your sister has been waiting for you all day.”.
He followed her gaze to the blanket that was on ground next to a chair holding his father. Charlie must have heard his name, because she turned her head towards him, shrieking with laughter when she spotted him. He loved it every time she did that, like he was one of her favorite people and she was happy to see him. He walked over to the duo, leaning in to hug his dad before he sat on the blanket, causing Charlie to waddle over to him. “Hey dad. How is the leg?”
“Still there.” Was the deadpan answer from his dad, one he really should have expected at this point. “Just kidding, its not too bad, just itches like crazy. Your sister sure is happy to see you” Judd noticed with a smile.
“Yeah, I am happy to see her too. Who is all here? I saw grandpa’s truck, and obviously the twins, but I didn’t recognize any other cars.” Wyatt asked as Charlie settled in his lap.
“We wanted to have a cookout to officially welcome you to the family, and everyone at the 126 was dying to meet you, so here we are.” Judd answered with the pride for his family clear in his words.
“Wow. Thanks. So, who and where is everyone?” Wyatt asked as he looked around, spotting a couple holding hands as they walked around the side of the house.
“Right there is TK and Carlos. You will rarely see one without the other, unless they are on shift that is. TK was a firefighter that came to Texas with his dad, Captain Strand. He transferred over to being a paramedic awhile back. His boyfriend is Carlos, he is a member of the APD. We are all placing bets on when they get engaged, but no one has won yet.” Judd informed them, then pointed out the foursome heading towards them from the inside the house. “Right there are Marjan, Paul, Mateo, and Nancy. Nancy is TK’s paramedic partner at the 126, and the other three are firefighters with me.”
Wyatt watched as the two women shook their heads at whatever the two men were arguing about, as they got closer to the trio at the blanket, Wyatt was able to hear “Seriously Bro, corn chips are a necessary ingredient for chili.” Come from Mateo.
“For the hundredth time Mateo, no they aren’t. I had never even heard of that before moving to Texas, where people are strangely obsessed with corn chips.” Paul objected.
“They literally have this argument at least once a week, more if we actually have chili at the fire house.” Judd confides as the others sit down.
“We aren’t that bad.” Paul challenged with a grin.
“Yes, yes you really are Dude.” Nancy breaks in.
“I met you and TK when we went to that radiation zone right?” Wyatt asked Nancy.
“Yeah, never a dull moment with Captain Strand.” Nancy answered.
“Or his son” was added by Carlos with a smile for his boyfriend.
“Oh, you love it.” TK retorted as he poked Carlos in the side.
As the six new arrivals officially introduced themselves to him, Wyatt had laughed at the comments the other members made as each person spoke. He had heard his dad talk about how the 126 was a family, but now he could see it. He could feel it in every joke, shriek of laughter, and every offer of friendship.
He had been sitting there with the group for almost thirty minutes when he heard the booming voice of Stuart Ryder.
“Where is my grandson hiding himself?” Stuart asked the group, acting like he couldn’t see Wyatt sitting there with Charlie still on his lap, causing Wyatt to smile.
“I am right here grandpa.” Wyatt told him as he handed his sister off to Carlos so he could stand and greet the man.
“I wouldn’t know it since I hadn’t seen you yet. I thought to myself that there was no way my grandson would forget to come say hello, he wouldn’t do that to an old man, now would he?” Stuart asked with a raised brow before adding “Then I see that you have that little princess in your arms, so I will forgive you this time.” Finishing with a wink and a bear hug for Wyatt.
He could hear his dad laugh as he told his grandpa “Sorry grandpa, but Charlie is the boss around here.” Causing the rest of the group to laugh.
“The food smells so good, I can’t wait to eat.” Mateo told the group as Grace walked outside again.
“Food is ready. Babe, I will get your plate in a moment, do you want me to take the little monster?” Grace asked with her signature smile.
“Probably a good idea, otherwise no one will be able to eat, Charlie will go around and try to steal their food.” Judd answered his wife.
“Are you comparing our daughter to a dog Judd?” Grace asked.
“Uh, no?” Was all his father was able to come up with on the fly.
“I will grab her portable high chair, that way she is happy and not stealing our food.” Wyatt told his dad and Grace.
“Thank you Wyatt.” Grace told him.
He quickly stepped into the garage to grab the chair, then got in the food line with everyone else. He was shocked at the number of vegan items available. He had noticed that since that first dinner with his father and Grace, they always made a point to have multiple vegan items for their meals. They had gone above and beyond any expectations that he could have had each time he has been with them. Now, meeting the other part of their family was just as special to him as when he had met his grandpa, he just hoped that this outing didn’t result in any injuries.
Once everyone had finished eating, the twins took Charlie to play in the sandbox while the rest of them recovered from their food coma. Wyatt looked around at the assembled group, Mrs. Vega with Grace and his dad, Nancy and Marjan were sitting on the top of a picnic table with Paul and Mateo sitting on the bench seat in front of them. Carlos was leaning against at tree while sitting on a blanket with TK and Owen. TK was laying down with his head on his boyfriends lap. Captain Strand was trying to convince Buttercup that he didn’t need to try to steal the cookie that was sitting on Charlie’s high chair. His grandpa was setting up the fire pit for the smores that were on the menu for later, along with some vegan skillet brownies that Captain Strand had wanted to try.
As the night wound down, Wyatt truly felt accepted, not just by his father, but by all of the people that love his father. These were all people that would do anything for each other. He remembered his dad telling him that TK and Mateo were like the annoying little brothers that he never wanted until they chose him to be their big brother. He recalled how close he had become with Paul and Marjan when the 126 had been closed for close to a year. He had heard so many Vega family stories that he felt like he knew Charles Vega as if they had really known each other. He loved watching Nancy tease TK and Carlos for being “that couple”, the one that could communicate without words, always holding hands or touching in some casual way. He had noticed his dad and Grace communicate in the same way many times.
He still couldn’t believe how lucky he had been. He had really only hoped to introduce himself to the man that shared his DNA, maybe even a dinner or something. He hadn’t expected to be taken in so completely. He also loved that his mom and Stanley were developing a good relationship with his dad and Grace, he loved that he was learning new things about himself each day.
He had learned that he loved cooking with his dad and Grace, he was happy to be the human jungle gym that his adorable sister climbed all over. He loved that he had another grandpa, one that was so happy to have another grandchild that he had welcomed Wyatt with open arms. He had learned that while he and his father might not have a lot of the same interests, his dad will do anything to make the best of their time together, the alien hunting being a prime example. He liked that he was getting to know new parts of himself, seeing what similarities he had to the other man. With this introduction to the remainder of his dad’s family, he felt like he had always belonged. He couldn’t wait to get to know each of these people better, they all seemed so nice and fun.
He loved the family he had with his mom and Stanley, he felt that he would have been content it the DNA test route hadn’t worked, but he was so grateful that it had. He was done being mad about the time he had missed with his dad, he just wanted to focus on their future. Today was the first day of the rest of his life, this one with a dad, step mom, and baby sister & all the rest in addition to his mom and Stanley. As they watched everyone head to their cars, Wyatt realized that he couldn’t wait until the next time they all got together.
*Also on AO3
23 notes
·
View notes
Text
149
Wednesday and 5 videos of women applying makeup in front of a ring light and telling the worst stories you’ve ever heard. “Get ready with me while I tell you how my hand was ripped off”, says one, dabbing foundation under her eyelids. (With the other hand, naturally). My throat and lungs have felt strange for 24 hours now, slightly tight, slightly irritated. It’s similar to when a cold is nearing its end, except I didn’t have a cold. I check the UK’s allergy weather report and it says cypress trees are going absolutely mental vis a vis pollen per cubic metre. A smoker can never blame trees for respiratory ailments, of course, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try. I wonder whether my luck is bad enough that I get very sick mere days before a romance trip, whether this sickness is even a psychosomatic reaction to the prospect of intimacy itself, in which case there is absolutely no inhaler for that
Pilates is fine but I’m too distracted by hypochondria to feel present for the first half hour, and by the time I am enjoying the concurrence of friendly chatter and burning obliques, the class is over. Every couple weeks a fellow painter attends, largely to show off her ability to perform the splits while hanging upside down. This bitch brings her own fingerless gloves. Now that we have admitted we know each other’s work we are free to discuss our industry, gossip a little. I am in the middle of a side bend on the “wunda chair” when she asks me a question about joining another gallery that only someone who knew I’d met with this other gallery could ask. It unnerves me, but not beyond belief, largely because there’s no there there - I didn’t enjoy spending time with the owners of this other gallery and won’t work with them. And also because said gallery owners and I walked into the lunch we shared together last year and were immediately spotted by the biggest-mouthed Zwirner employee in London. “I don’t want any more galleries”, I tell the painter, who is upside down by the time I tell her this. Her head rapidly fills with blood and we meet gazes. More horrifying than having my exploratory career moves aired during Pilates, perhaps, is that this painter makes and prepares all her own canvases. “No wonder she makes so few works a year”, V says later
V and I talk for a couple of hours, we have been cracking each other up more than usual lately and I love it. We laugh so much in the afternoon that I forget my confusing symptoms and almost forget to make it home on time to collect my dry cleaning and receive my medication delivery. I am already dreading the next 25mg step downwards in SSRIs, since I’m told things only get worse the nearer to zero one gets. There never seems to be a good time during which to dedicate my life to managing withdrawal. Do I want to be mentally ill for the spring, when A and I are spending more time together and I’m rehearsing for my next concert? Do I want to cry in front of my band? Do I want a mentally ill summer? Do I want to be psychologically flailing in Shanghai in the fall? Why, exactly, am I coming off this medication anyway? Are timely orgasms and authentic emotions really worth the hassle? I suppose I will find out, namely by fucking around
On FaceTime A hears a knock at his door and it’s a giant gift basket from his management, a bribe so that he will forego his passions to work more with the K pop star and a non-binary singer who recently became female again. He shows me each item in the basket over the course of an hour, and then tells me a story about how his personal trainer found out he had a child via 23andme. We have rescheduled Disneyland since there was rain forecast on the Monday we were supposed to go. The new day is Friday, which means missing a Beverly Hills Shabbat that a collector invited us to. “We will light candles at the Blue Bayou”, A says, “the food is C+”
0 notes
Photo
MEET SHEPHERD,
FULL NAME › Shepherd Aiden Parson
AGE › twenty four
GENDER › Cis male (He/Him/His)
FROM › Chicago, Illinois
LODGING › Copper Cactus Motel
PRIOR EMPLOYMENT › Grad Student
NOW PLAYING › Lying Has To Stop by Soft Hair
BIOGRAPHY,
trigger/content warnings: none
11:37… 11:38… 11:39… Time was moving at a glacial pace, slowly but surely ticking past midnight as Shepherd finally neared what seemed to be the only blip of civilization in all of Arizona’s desert. Blinker flipped and gas eased, the cloying sensation of déjà vu oozed into his bones as he rolled off the Southbound highway. He couldn’t say how long it’d been since the GPS gave out. He wasn’t sure when he’d last hopped out at a rest stop to stretch his legs and he certainly didn’t remember seeing an exit sign for Boot Hill, either, but this was where he’d wound up – for now. For the night, Shep thought to himself as he wordlessly exchanged cash for a room key and stalked back to his car under the heavy glare of the moon. Duffel and mini-cooler retrieved, he headed to his rented room with his head down, naturally beaming smile wiped out by the weight of exhaustion and uncertainty. An uncertainty that was only growing, combating the sense of déjà vu that still niggled at the back of his mind. Something felt familiar as he dropped his things in the room. Something warmed him from the inside out as he slipped off his shoes. Something felt complete as he fell like deadweight onto the rickety bed. But, rolling onto his side to watch the off-white motel door, the comfort that wrapped around him cinched tight in a nervous jerk. It wasn’t right – it wasn’t even possible, and yet the thought clicked into place. A realization descended upon Shepherd that made his tired eyes squint and brow furrow; arriving in Boot Hill felt like coming home.
But home was a thousand miles away.
Home for Shepherd was Chicago. He knew it for a fact, even when he first attended prep school, tuning out his sister’s giddy comparison of their lives to the Gilmore Girls in favor of leaning into Maman while her thumb rubbed against his temple. Home was found in sibling-invented telepathy and private conversations conveyed solely via eyebrow movements. Home was the feeling of being enveloped in a hug by both of his mothers after a long day. And, to hang tight onto those reassurances, Shepherd didn’t stray outside of Illinois when it came time for college. He studied biology in Rockford and always made time for weekend visits. His sister, however, two years older and therefore infinitely wiser, had already bounded away in a flurry of confidence and grace to learn while on the run. She took a little chunk of their home along with her, but Shep couldn’t bring himself to mind it so much, instead feeling at peace whenever he visited Aubrey’s chic Santa Monica apartment.
So, it worked. Recognizing that his home was stretched between people – a web of family members who loved him so deep that they’d chosen him and never reneged. And even with that, with the freedom and luxury that came along with successful adoptive parents and caring relatives spanning as far north as Québec, Shepherd couldn’t stop the longing that would periodically rear its ugly head. He’d never been very good at putting it into words, but Aubrey always seemed the closest to understanding. She offered him sympathy and a contemplative sort of quiet whereas any hinted curiosity about genealogy only served to make his parents worried. He’d get stuck watching their features that looked so different from his own, tentative concern scrunching while they stuttered over nonanswers. Equal parts anxiety and guilt, Shepherd always found himself walking back whatever innocuous question he’d posed, flashing a smile while changing the subject.
Staring down the decision of grad school, Shepherd finally gave into the longing. He spit into tubes and shipped them off, using the following weeks waiting on results to craft the perfect excuse for needing to take a gap year. Although, he should’ve expected it when his parents were perfectly accommodating. They encouraged him to travel like Aubrey had and Shepherd agreed to keep up with his readings, giving him a year free of academic obligations. It meant that he had all the time in the world to glare at his computer, obsessively pulling up 23andMe to scroll through his DNA matches. There was no jackpot hit of a long-lost sibling or his biological parents, but there were plenty of cousins to pick through. He took to Facebook first, copy-pasting names to stalk veritable strangers until he finally gathered the courage to message the most promising matches. Most never responded, but the people who did offered small nuggets of info packaged in hope. There was a chance that Shepherd could get in contact with his biological mother and that was exactly what had dragged him to Arizona in the first place.
Boot Hill was not meant to be his final destination, though, and he knew that as an undeniable fact. He’d double-check in the morning, but Shepherd had the given addresses committed to memory already, and a place that sounded like it was ripped straight from a Spaghetti Western wouldn’t have been so easily forgotten. He was just tired. Loopy from spending too many hours on the highway. He nodded to himself, sure and steady as he ignored the tantalizing tingles of déjà vu and shifted on his shoulder to roll over. The headboard quaked and Shepherd let his eyes close for a half-second blink, but as he settled with his back to the motel window… Was that his shadow on the opposite wall? Was it already sunrise? He stretched for the bedside table to get a better look at the alarm clock, the digital numbers mockingly displaying 7:49 in glowing red. Shepherd groaned. He must’ve been more exhausted than he realized to fall into a blink-and-you-miss-it type sleep. Maybe it’d be worth it to find a caffeine source before he hit the road again…
❝ you are trapped on earth so you will explode. ❞
CENSUS,
FACECLAIM › Rome Flynn
AUTHOR › Brenna
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
If you believe you have been a victim of human trafficking, due to social status of a high economic or of a military status Please do contact an above link for a DNA kit.
Or if your child became pregnant and the children's infants went missing or died and you did not have a body at the funeral please contact.
If you knew anyone named Jeremiah Jenkins, Thomas White, Travis Lamar Phillips, Debbie Jennings, Jesse James (Jr), Junkyard Nate/Mate, Mike Breedlove, Chad Worthington.
Oklahoma and Arkansas was the poorer areas that were victimized.
However, California and NYC was a mix. NYC was a high prostitute area that was picked from.
Alabama and other southern states was military for punishment for losing the civil war.
Drug addicts were also candidates due to their willingness to keep the drugs growing.
Thus any one was accessible and wanted, nearly.
We have over 16,000 missing in the United States alone. Many people were reported dead whom weren't and some went willingly and its a huge mess.
Those that know of their families will be contacting their families very soon. Hopes people are home for the first day of Hannhakh. Myself included.
If you registered your moves with the US postal system then the system will be updated to your current address. So there's no need to contact if you have not been contacted as of yet.
Military troops and tovern agents will bring the surviving victims of human trafficking and kidnapping home. Escorted, blowing horns down the street. You will be notifed in advance via telephone if available. Upon entering the home. Immediately agents will do a DNA kit which will be processed in only 15 minutes max. Usually 2 to 3 minutes.
Then the homecoming can begin, officially.
Its just a gentle cotton swab but if you feel uncomfortable with unknown people putting unknown objects in your mouth, THEY Will provide you a napkin and the ability to spit your sample there to be swabbed. It is preferred that additional identification is provided, however your genetic person match belongs to you.
Cases with husbands and wives, children will be matched to them. If no children are available then it is up to the survivor to stay. The research will be done to locate you, also a survivor to find you. Thus we will feel the information provided by the survivor to be valid. However due to brainwashing, extra caution will be provided. And identification will need to exist. Now its up to each individual country. So if a country does not feel comfortable to release to a non kin, they may decide to take both to a mental health facility to do simple and unobtrusive observations.
Then a medical professional will deem the safety of both parties.
A letter for your job will be provided by your home country to allow you off time and compensation for lost wages will be given as well.
Again it is up to each individual country to protect both the individual in their country and the kidnapped person.
However, someone like Jeremiah would lie and say I was his wife, knowing I do have amnesia and admit to it. So i could say I don't feel comfortable permitting him in my home and ask for alternative arrangements.
And the country will abide by that yet allow us a comfortable and safe place to visit.
....
For DNA kits. Contact someone from the above links. They will have information as to how to get a kit to you and mostly to FWD your information to the teams working in that department.
They will respond to you as to what to do with the kit. Likely it will be sent to your local law enforcement whom will contact you to to go their office to supply your spit sample.
They will have information how to return the kit. Which is Likley to mail it to Washington DC. Or your country's capital ---
I apologize, i know the USA system most so this is based off us here. But many countries are similar.
By Christmas there will be an available website to further expedite this. And have each specific country listed (or grouped) to help assist you there.
When contacting someone from the above websites (yes any one from any country may do so at this time) please list your and your family's names and aliases and city and states of which you have lived since you had a missing person. And include all current methods of contacting you. Include any missing people links from the databases found in Google (only use a free one. I use namus.gov). And names and aliases they have used in the past. Please request first before sending any photos as the email may not go through due to restrictions on email accounts for hazardous viruses. So offer to provide additional photos if you have them available in an additional email.
*take a photo with your cell phone of the photo then email it.
There is a database available to input that information. This can help the process along, and also if they have deep brainwashing or amnesia. It will take a considerable amount of time to match you --- mail the DNA kit then you have it mailed back and then processed.
They have been swabbed and out in the database so the actual matching Wil be 2o minutes most.
We just ask you wait a few weeks until the television reports their release and you have not had contact with your survivor.
I regret to inform you that not everyone survived. DNA of remains will be taken.
Please understand this is only one Iraq area we are releasing. There are more farms all over.
Also if you have taken an online DNA kit, nearly all have allowed the use of the DNA available to match. One popular one has not, Ancestry.com so if you have done 23andme for example, then we will find you once we find your person.
Knowing there is over 16 Thousand missing people in the USA alone, i know this is a horrible time for many of you readers.
So please understand that we are working as fast as possible to do what we can.
Currently only 1,556 people will be relocated this Christmas.
I am sorry. I truly am that the number is so little. There's probably more than 100,000 people that will be sad this Christmas And without hope/faith and you will be in our thoughts and prayers.
But I hope knowing that this small number being rescued and returned home lightens your heavy emotional burden and gives you hope in the years to come that your loved ones will return home to you.
We will work and strive to return all missing people, even if they have passed away.
So you will finally have answers and peace.
So if you don't hear from us, please do enjoy your holidays and then come the beginning of 2020, please do send in for your kits.
It will take only one hour of Your time or less, depending on traffic. If the local law enforcement takes up 45 minutes of you sitting there waiting in the lobby. Contact the person who had it sent there and let them know you're being further victimized and not being treated in a humane manner. And accommodations will be made for you.
Happy Holidays, as best as you can make them. And those of you waiting for your loved ones, know we care that you are.
Prayers for you all.
9 notes
·
View notes
Text
Chord Progressions
Summary: In the post-apocalyptic world, you find music to be the only thing that makes living in an underground bunker with a bunch of spoiled rich people tolerable. The time finally comes for your interview with the mysterious Cooperative member, Langdon. Will you find your way to salvation? Or will there be more questions than answers?
Word count: 1,723
Author’s note: I’m still very new at posting AHS pieces, so feedback is always appreciated! Let me know if you’d like to see more of this type of writing!
Eighteen months had passed since bombs had been dropped and the world descended into a nuclear winter. Although you’re grateful that some combination of your genetics were deemed worthy enough to secure you a spot to survive the blast, after eighteen months, you wouldn’t mind taking a nice walk outside and being devoured by cannibals.
When the other survivors of Outpost 3 have their mandatory cocktail hour in the library to complain about the current conditions and spread petty gossip, you partake in your favorite activity. Although you’re physically in the outpost, your mind is in far-off worlds, dreaming up wild scenarios and storylines. You know that dissociating as often as you do probably isn’t healthy, but it’s one of the only things you’ve found to manage to stay alive.
During this time, you find yourself thinking about the things you miss. There’s the big ones, of course: Your family, friends, being able to go outside and see the sun. But there’s also the little things. You miss watching the seasons change, memes on social media that would have you laughing for hours, and actual food. You long for the days where you would be able to go and get ice cream on a whim because you felt like it. Sometimes, you can almost remember what is was like to go hiking and feel the wind through the trees. Ice skating, finding new music, reading a really good book for the first time. The list goes on and on.
You’re knocked out of your reverie by Gallant nudging your shoulder. Of all the people trapped with you, Gallant’s the one who you connect with most. He reminds you of an older brother, in a sense. The other two inhabitants who are closest to your age are too infatuated with each other to hang out with you, and you can only have conversations with your favorite Grays when you’re sure that Venable and Mead aren’t lurking around.
“I’m sorry, what?” You ask, flushing as everyone looks at you.
“A few of us were just wondering if you’d like to play some songs for us on the piano?” Dinah, a kind woman whose face you’d seen on the TV at every doctor’s office for a year prior to the blasts, smiles at you. You nod, standing and making your way to the piano. On nights where everybody’s getting along, you’re often asked to play everyone’s favorite songs from the old world. You’re not the best pianist by any means, but you know enough about chords that you can usually find the tune of almost any song requested.
“What are we thinking tonight?” The room erupts then, everyone throwing out their requests. You love these moments, where the group of survivors can come together and reminisce. Lots of times they’ll sing and dance around you, and it almost feels like you’re not in an underground bunker.
“Adele!”
“Coldplay!”
“Oh my God, can you do Imagine Dragons?”
“The Beatles?” You point at Timothy, calling out his suggestion of The Beatles. Groans fill the room, but you know they’re just joking. You run your fingers along the keys, trying out a few different songs before deciding on one you like. The beginning chords of ‘Something’ fill the air, and you smile as the group visibly relaxes, swaying along to the music.
You cycle through a few more requests, watching as people start getting up to dance. You finally give in to Coco’s whines about hearing ‘Hey There, Delilah’ when the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupts the quiet chatter. Your hands inadvertently slam against the keys when you see Langdon standing at the front of the room.
Langdon, who holds everybody’s lives in the palm of his hands, confuses you. He claims to be seriously considering who to accompany him to the Sanctuary, but to you he seems as if he’s playing a game of cat and mouse with all of the survivors. At this point, you’ve started to think that there might not even be a Sanctuary.
“Having fun now, are we?” He addresses the room in his smooth tenor, and you can’t help the shiver that takes over you. “Miss (Y/L/N), I believe it is time for your interview.” You can’t see it, but you’re sure that your face goes white.
“Oh, um, okay.” You stutter, mentally cursing yourself. Langdon looks at you expectantly, watching you with predatory eyes as you stand and move towards him. He turns on a heel and leads the way, his impeccably groomed hair swishing behind him. You glance behind you one last time, feeling comfort in Gallant’s thumbs up before the doors swing closed.
You follow Langdon in silence, not sure if there’s anything you can even say to the most intimidating man you’ve met in a long time. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about being the first to speak.
“So you play the piano?” He asks, his voice cutting through the silence of the many winding halls around you.
“Not very well, but yes, sir.” He glances back at you, a smirk on his face.
“Nonsense, all of your fellow survivors seem to enjoy it very much. Ms. Venable tells me that you give lessons as well?”
“Yes, sir.” You nod. “There’s not much else to do here, and it’s always nice to get to have some variety of music.” You reach the doors to what can only be assumed as his office. With a simple wave of his hands, the doors slide open, causing you to wonder if there is some electricity in this place.
“Have a seat, please.” He gestures to two seats in front of a large fireplace. You slowly sit, keeping your eyes on the fire the whole time. “Are the flames more interesting than our conversation, (Y/N)?” Langdon questions, sitting down in front of you with a glass of what looks to be bourbon. You’re mildly jealous at seeing the alcohol in his hand before shaking your head.
“No, sir, I was just thinking.” His ever-present smirk widens as he leans back.
“Please, call me Michael.”
“Michael.” You repeat, watching his eyes twinkle at hearing his name. “Do the other inhabitants get to call you that?” He raises an eyebrow, daring you to find an answer to your own question. “Or do you just want free piano lessons?” He laughs then, and you’re pretty sure that if angels were real, their laughs would sound just like Michael’s.
“Let’s get started with your interview.” His eyes go steely in a split second, and you find your breath hitching. “If you lie to me, I will know. If you hedge, I will not hesitate to end this interview and leave you here to die. Do you understand?” You nod, eyes wide. “I need you to answer me out loud, (Y/N).”
“Yes, Michael.” You breathe out. He hums, satisfied, before picking up a file.
“You’re one of the few here with superior genetics. Do you know how we got your information?”
“My friends and I had decided to do one of those 23andme genetic tests, where you can find out where your ancestors came from? I’m guessing that your organization somehow had access to that information.” Even though you know you’re telling the truth, you’re still nervous that he’ll think you’re lying. It reminds you of the past, when you would be driving and you’d suddenly get nervous when you saw a cop, even though you weren’t doing anything wrong.
“Why are you scared of me?”
“I’m not!” You argue. He glares at you, sitting up.
“I told you not to lie to me, (Y/N). You don’t want to find out what happens if you try that little stunt again, do you?” You jump and shake your head slowly, and he doesn’t bother to correct you. “Good. Let’s try that again. Why are you scared of me?”
“You intimidate me.” You answer quietly. He’s obviously intrigued, which scares you more than his rage did.
“Why is that?” You pick at your nails, trying to formulate a proper answer.
“You seem very...powerful, but not in a good way.” He quirks an eyebrow, but leaves it at that.
“Very well then. Tell me, who do you believe deserves a chance at salvation? Who, out of all your fellow survivors, should accompany me to Sanctuary?”
“I think everyone has qualities that would make them very useful at your Sanctuary. Gallant’s got a heart of gold, and he’s a very good hairdresser. Evie’s lived a life most only dream of, and Timothy and Emily are so young. They deserve it.” He looks confused at this, which in turn confuses you.
“There’s nobody that you don’t want to make it? Not even those like Coco, who bought their way in here and continue to rub wealth in your face?” You smile slightly.
“Coco’s the type of headstrong that could put the pieces of the world back together.”
“And what about you? What makes you a good candidate for the Sanctuary?” You shrug at this question.
“Honestly?” Michael gestures for you to continue. “I’ve resigned myself to dying here. What use does a new world have for me? I’m just a people-pleaser who knows enough about music to make it through the day without pissing people off.” Your eyes are drawn back to the fire, where you attempt to find shapes in the dancing flames. You used to play this game as a child at your family cabin, all of the cousins laid together in the main room, finding figures and pointing them out until they were all lulled to sleep.
A cool hand grips your chin, and you find your face inches away from Michael.
“There are such great plans for you, dear heart. Plans you could not ever imagine.” You’re wildly confused at this, but Michael’s pulling you up with him before you have the chance to question him. “I believe that’s enough for now, (Y/N). We’ll finish tonight, perhaps in the library? You can play me some of your favorite pieces while we talk.” You smile.
“Tonight, then.” Michael nods, confirming what you just said.
“Until tonight.” He lets you pass through the open doors before sliding them shut, leaving you standing in the hallway wondering what the hell just happened.
#michael langdon#michael langdon imagine#michael langdon imagines#michael langdon x reader#Michael Langdon x you#Michael Langdon fanfiction#American horror story#american horror story imagine#ahs#ahs imagine#ahs apocalypse#American horror story apocalypse
305 notes
·
View notes
Photo
I chose last week's closing credits as this week's featured image. This is meant to be a statement.
Welcome Back Everyone!
As I was not the biggest fan of last week's episode and had every intention of wiping it entirely from my memory, this week, we are going to do something a little different. Instead of a recap of last week, we are going to focus on:
Briefcap Frybo
Consolidated lingering Questions
The Steven Universe World
Characters
Places
Things
Likes and Dislikes So Far
Briefcap from Steven Universe: Frybo (S1:Ep5)
Frybo opens with Steven looking for his pants. Pearl comes in looking for a missing crystal shard. She explains to Steven why the shard is important, but he is too busy thinking about other things.
Pearl leaves to go to town and look for the shard. Steven finds his pants running around on their own and catches them and puts them on. Then he discovers the shard in the pocket and goes out looking for Pearl.
He runs into PeeDee in a Fry suit getting hammered by some birds. After some discussion, he decides to use the shard to animate the Fry costume. PeeDee tells the costume to go make people eat fries, and he and Steven go to hang out in front of the arcade. Existentialism ensues.
There is screaming from the fry place. Steven and PeeDee run to see what's going on. They find a super-testosteroned fry costume force-feeding people. There is a moment when PeeDee's dad, believing the costume is still on PeeDee, apologizes to PeeDee for forcing him to be Frybo and tries to have a touching moment with him. Then the costume attempts to force-feed him fries too.
Pearl shows up and tries to fight the costume, but is beaten by ketchup shot from the costume's eye. Steven takes matters into his own hands (clothes) by animating all his clothes with the other 8 shards. When he adds his underwear to the fighting garment army, Frybo is at last defeated.
They have a Viking style funeral for Frybo and send him off to sea. PeeDee and his dad talk.
Episode Over (thank goodness)
Episode Random Noticings
There is a picture of Rose Quartz on the wall in Steven's house. I don't recall having seen it before this episode. Her gem was her belly button, as it is now Steven's.
I like the whole father/son relationship building plot line. These types of plot lines are far less cheesy once you've seen them play out in real life.
I would like to have heard the story of the armor, the infantry, and all the death that Pearl told at the beginning, but alas it was not to be.
I think this is the first episode that does not have an appearance by each of the 4 Crystal Gems. Both Amethyst and Garnet are missing from the episode.
I am a huge norse fan. I have been my whole life. I love Norse mythology and have always been enamored by the Viking's exploits and amazing feats. I had a 23andMe ancestry test done a while back. According to the test, I am likely descendant from Vikings. I realize this is irrelevant, but the 'Viking' `style send-off was a plus for me. So I thought I would explain why. And I told you guys at the beginning that I love lore and history, and you are reading the blog anyway, so I must assume you don't mind too much.
Consolidated lingering Questions
The Gems:
Where do they come from?
How is power derived from them?
Are all the gems the same, but act differently according to. . . something?
How is magic embued to the gems?
Who is chosen to wear them and why?
Why is a pearl considered a gem?
How is the body placement determined?
by the gem?
by the bearer?
random?
based on the attributes of the user?
What about the gemmed enemies? How do they get gems? Or are they created out of gems?
Rose Quartz:
Why does Rose have to die to give Steven his superpowers?
Is Rose even dead?? I don't remember that explicitly being stated
What would make her choose that?
a prophesy?
desire to give Greg a kid?
gonna die anyway?
Did she give up her gem to HAVE a kid or to EMBUE a kid with the gem?
Did she get to KNOW Steven?
The Crystal Gems:
Assumption: each has unique powers, i.e., Garnet doesn't shapeshift like Amethyst, Amethyst can't project a plan from her gem_
If the above assumption is correct, what exactly is Garnet's superpower?
How old are each of them?
It's suggested that Pearl is over 100.
Amethyst acts a bit like a teenager.
Is she that much younger than Pearl?
Where does Garnet fall?
Why is Steven the only boy? How many boy gems are there everywhere?
The World:
The Lunar Sea Spire was known as the Oasis for Gems on Earth, so I know it's Earth, but. . .
Is it in the same Earth that we are in, but hidden from us, or some sort of alternate universe
Are the gems ONLY on Earth? This would make the nomenclature Oasis for Gems on Earth redundant, so probably not
So far, everything seems to be happening in this town. . . are there other Gems in other towns?
Like every town has a team of Crystal Gems protecting it?
Or is this town some center for universal negativity, so the Gems are focused here?
The House on the Beach:
This is more a curiosity, but I wouldn't mind seeing the fight that took off that statues hands
What is up with the living temple inside the house? Beating hearts, waterfalls, a pool for getting rid of evil spirits. Need much more history and understanding here.
The Steven Universe World
This is just a quick list of things that make this place unique. . . no explanations.
Characters
The Crystal Gems
Pearl
Garnet
Amethyst
(dead) Rose Quartz
Steven
The Townsfolk
The Donut Girl
The Fry Man
Lars
PeeDee
PeeDee's brother? (same hair assumption)
Greg
mailman (I know they mentioned his name, and he mentioned a woman's name. . . darn my memory)
Monsters/Creatures
Centipeedles and their mother
Red Eye
(offscreen) A giant bird with a giant polka-dot egg
The Spirit from the painting that possessed *Together Breakfast*
The Crystal Shrimp
(deceased) Frybo
Places
Around Town
Big Donut
the fry shop
the arcade
the boardwalk (home to fry shop)
Greg's van
the car wash
the storage facility
the Crystal Gem's house on the beach
Mystical
The Temple with a beating heart
the storage unit? Greg said it was magical
(destroyed) The Lunar Sea Spire
the teleporter thing in Steven's living room
Things
Gems
Rose Quartz
2 Garnets
Amethyst
(not a gem) Pearl
Centipeedles' Mothers gem
(pants animating) Gem Shards
(maybe? pretty sure) The Lunar Goddess Statue
Mystical Items
Summoned Weapons
Laser Light Cannon
Red Eye?
Lunar Goddess Statue
Cursed Painting
Food (as it's seemingly important to our little hero)
(discontinued) Cookie Cats
Fry Bits
Together Breakfast
(offscreen) Pizza
(unmentioned) Cupcakes in jars
(not food) Cheeseburger backpack
Likes and Dislikes Far
Dislikes
Not a fan of the important role junk food plays in the show
Haven't found much in the way of music I like, outside of arcade sounds (which I dig)
I don't relate to Steven much. He mostly annoys me.
Why is there not a main antagonist? Are we going to be playing monster of the week forever? Surely we'll get one antagonist we can loath. . .
Season 1: Episode 5 Frybo
Likes
I like that all the answers to everything are not conveniently packaged in an episode
I like Garnet. . . and sometimes Amethyst. . . and I often relate to Pearl
I like Greg and his super awesome van
I like that it seemed like we landed in the middle of a life, rather than the beginning of a story
I like the townspeople and their relationships with Steven
I appreciate that though there are some references a kid wouldn't understand completely, there is so far no blatantly adult humor or sexuality even in undertones
I like the whole living temple thing.
Frybo is, in my opinion, the worst episode so far. I consider taking down the star rating every time I think about it.
I just want to remind everyone, I write these recaps after having seen the episode once, a week ago, and often interrupted by my whole blogging thing. I mainly do it for myself to refresh my memory for the next episode, but since I post it, I thought I should ask your forgiveness if it isn’t exactly perfect (or even close).
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
Why I Started This Blog and the Unexpected Outcome
Journeys can be very interesting. You just never know where you could end up.
Part of my journey started with falling in love. A love that will probably prove eternal. I have a rather mixed up family: my mother was adopted and I don't really know her too well. Being born in Tucson, Arizona, I grew up wondering where her side of the family came from but she had no interest in knowing; my parents divorced when I was three. My single father and I moved to San Diego, California when I was five years old. My fathers side is Italian and Lithuanian, with the first family settlers taking root in Chicago, Illinois. I lived with a feeling of missing half of yourself and it is a strange and empty feeling.
An even stranger feeling is being contacted through social media by someone who says they are a sister you never heard of. That happened to me a little over 6 years ago. My mother was a bit of a rolling stone and she accumulated 5 children that I knew of. Turns out there was a 6th that she gave up for adoption when she was 17-18.
My eldest sister and I met when I was still living out in California. I met her, her son and her husband. We clicked right away and were amazed by how much we had in common. She lived out in Louisiana and a year later I went out to visit.
My first trip to Baton Rouge and New Orleans ended with me being enamored by the beauty and culture of the area. I'll be damned if it wasnt love at first sight. That's what started this blog and constant love letter to the great state of Louisiana. Sure it has its issues, but when you strip it down to its bare bones and get to the essence of it, it's just beautiful.
My sister is considered a Yankee from Chicago, though she has lived in Louisiana for about 15 years. When she was still in High School she made her first trip to the state and made it back as often as she could. It's almost like a vodoun spell that affects anyone who enters. I myself have tried to go back at least once a year since my first visit.
To get back to what started it all, I wanted to know where my mother came from and where half of me originated. I purchased a DNA kit through 23andme and became linked to people who didnt share DNA with my father or his side. I sent out a few messages to my cousins but no one knew how we were linked. Last year I gifted my sister with a kit as well since we don't share the same father and 13 years separate us.
My sister also sent out messages and after a few months one of the cousins finally responded and gave her some info to get started. She ran with it and dug and dug for months until she finally got in touch with the right people to find out who our grandparents are.
They came from Kentucky, bloody Breathitt County to be exact. A land where many children were given up or sent to live with cousins when times got tough. My grandfather was a womanizer and alcoholic, and my grandmother had an unknown amount of children whom she gave up almost all of them for adoption. We know of at least seven but suspect more.
Ultimately what this really did is open a whole treasure trove of family history. We had a great grandmother who was killed by moonshiners while they raided a jail in Kentucky to free their brethren. We found out that one branch of the family owned plantations in the deep south before the War of Southern Independence. Ancestors served in the Revolutionary war and the Civil war, on both sides. They came from England way back when.
Probably the most interesting member of our family was a man named Charles Rochon, my seventh great grandfather, who helped to found the current location of Mobile, Alabama back when it was still part of the Louisiana territory. He accompanied Henri de Tonti, the Italian explorer in service of France on many of his expeditions exploring the Louisiana Territory. The Rochon's owned town homes in the French Quarter of New Orleans after the great fire of 1788, and stayed there often.
We discovered that all along we had a connection to Louisiana founded in our family blood and were drawn back to the state in our own ways and along our own journey's. Life has a funny way of connecting people and you just never know where you'll end up.
#louisiana#cajunfrisson#cajun#nola#new orleans#swamp#creole#french quarter#southern#deep south#mardi gras#south#everbayou#bayou#vintage#tradition#vieux carre#french#frenchquarter#neworleans#cajun frisson#plantation#mardigras#carnival#baton rouge#southern louisiana#mobile#family#history#lit
30 notes
·
View notes
Text
Tomorrow, I’ll meet six of my siblings for the first time.
Sunday, December 30th, I’ll be on a plane to Las Vegas to meet my four sisters and two brothers. I’m at a loss for words as to what to type. This is definitely a rare experience and somehow I’m right in the middle of it. Everyone I relay the story to tells me to type up the whole journey, so here I am. And here you are, reading it. I’ll try to explain things to the best of my ability. I don’t have the greatest memory, so some of my details might seem a little out of place. I’ll correct myself as I go--sorry about that.
Back in 1999, my parents wanted to have a child, but due to some complications my mum wasn’t able to have a child of her own. My parents reached out to a hospital program to purchase a donor egg. I’m not sure if the donor selected the family or if the family selected the donor, but one way or another I was the lucky egg. I’ll find out which way it was later. The egg was removed from the donor, combined with my dad’s DNA, and put in my mum, who got pregnant with and later gave birth to me. I’m not genetically related to her, even though she was the one who gave birth to me. Kind of cool, right? It gets cooler.
Growing up my parents never sugar coated where I came from. I also knew there was a donor who I shared half my DNA with, and the other half I share with my dad. It was always in the back of our minds that there was a possibility the donor had donated other eggs, or had even had kids of her own, meaning I could potentially have half siblings. My parents never had another child of their own either, so I was an only child growing up. I always dreamed about having a little sister or brother, but it never came to be.
Due to security purposes, we weren’t legally allowed to know who the donor was. We were provided with little bits of information about her, like her background and her interests. All these details are stored away in a folder in our filing cabinet. I know she’s primarily Egyptian, Swedish, and Jordanian. She has dark brown curly hair, similar to my natural hair, bright eyes, and a big smile. She attended SMC, and was planning on attending either CSUN or USC in 1999. I have three pictures of her from around that time as well. There are some other details about her I’ll find in a bit after I dig out the file. I never knew her name, or her number, or anything personal. I basically had nothing on her to tell who she really was. One day I dreamed of meeting her, and getting a little more information on who I am and my background. It seemed like a loose dream.
In 2014, I was in my freshman year of high school. In our Biology class we could get extra credit if we signed up with 23andMe and demonstrated the DNA process and results to the class. I’ve always been super into family history, as are my parents, so they agreed to pay for half of it as long as I paid for the other half. So when my kit arrived, I brought the test tube to school, proudly spat into the chemical mixture in the tube in front of the class, and later sent the mixture in the kit back to the 23andMe facilities. I got results of my DNA ancestry after, and I learned I was 11% Italian, which I never knew.
The cool thing about 23andMe is that they constantly update you. I’m always receiving new bits of information about my health, my background, and more as time continues on. For instance, every so often 23andMe will connect me with some distance cousin three times removed (or something like that) who has also made a public 23andMe account.
I’d had this account for about five years, and I checked it maybe once to every few months. Since I was young when the account was made, it was connected to my mum’s email. It was late October of this year when my mum told me she had just received an email from the website, claiming they had connected me with a half-sibling.
Of course my mind went in a hundred different directions at once.
Was this a scam? Or a mistake?
Or was this real?
Who was this?
I immediately dove onto my laptop and logged into my account, only to discover 23andMe had matched me with FIVE people, all of which were supposed to be my half siblings. I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned into silence, and immediately began crying. I didn’t quite know why I was crying, or what about, but this seemed like it was the beginning of something big.
It was.
I noticed a notification on my screen. It was a message from one of the half-siblings the site listed, named Anna. This was the message:
“Lara, Hi. I'm sure you don't remember me (frankly, I don't remember you either) but we met through our parents at The Plaza Hotel in NYC when we were both very young. I believe we first met in December of 2003. I was 2 1/2 at the time. I think you may have been a year or two older than me. I'm 17 now and the oldest of 6 kids in my family w/2 dads. My younger sisters (Izzy, Addy, & Carrie) and brothers (Ryan and Henry) and I hope we have a chance to talk to you sometime soon. As always, take care of yourself. Anna“
I was immediately confused. The first time I had ever been to New York was in the spring of this year (2018), so that couldn’t be right. I was instantly worried that this was some sort of mistake, and that I had gotten my hopes up for nothing. Could 23andMe have screwed up? I clearly wasn’t the person Anna thought she was talking to, so was this wrong? But no, it couldn’t be. 23andMe had matched us by DNA. We literally had the same DNA. So there was no way this was wrong. I messaged her back, not sure what type of response I would get:
“Hi! I don't believe we actually did meet... I've never been to NYC until this year. I'm 18 now. I matched DNA with your sister Izzy and your brother Ryan, and two others Carrie and Henry. I was a donor child, so I only share DNA with my actual dad and a different woman. By any chance, were you and your siblings donor children too? Or was your mother a donor? Can't believe we share so much DNA! This is amazing!! Lara :)”
I eagerly awaited a response. Three days later I was in Davis, visiting a friend at her college. It was late at night and my friend, her roommate, and I were all sat around in their dorm on our laptops just relaxing. I had been checking 23andMe about once a day, looking for any sort of reply. I decided to check it again, and low and behold I had a new message from Anna.
“Hey Lara, I'm sorry I took so long to answer. It's so cool that we share so much DNA! My siblings and I actually have 2 dads. Our genealogy is shared from the same egg donor. We have information about her. But, my siblings and I think it would be best if our parents had a chance to talk about all of this before we continue talking. Do you think you could talk to your mom or dad about possibly contacting one or both of my dads? If so, one of my dad's names is Pete. His cell-phone number is (----------). He knows about all of this, and he thinks it's great that we connected! Hope to hear back from you soon! Anna :))”
Of course, I was absolutely elated. Silent tears burst down my cheeks as I reread her message over and over again. So this hadn’t been a mistake. I truly had half siblings. Real, living, breathing, siblings. This was so remarkable. I shakily turned to my friend, who was immediately concerned over my crying. I could barely get my words out as I was trying to explain to her what had happened, and that I was happy. I hugged my friend and sobbed into her arms. My life was getting crazier as the days passed, and I was barely keeping up. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
Once I composed myself a bit, I replied to Anna's message, telling her I’d tell my parents to give her dad a call as soon as I was home from visiting my friend.
About a week passed, and I was finally home. I had kept my parents updated with everything that was happening, so they were up to speed when they called Pete.
They spoke on the phone with him the office. I know their conversation with him was supposed to be private, but I couldn’t resist myself from listening in. I sat on the bathroom floor for the next hour, right outside of the closed office door. I know it wasn’t exactly “right” to be eavesdropping on their conversation, but could you blame me? This was one of the biggest changes in my life, and I definitely not going to miss any of it.
So I sat on the tile floor, my head resting against the wall. My parents spoke softly to Pete, causing me to strain my ears to listen. They spoke about his kids, how there’s six of them, all related to me. The oldest is 17, the next two are 16, next is 13, and the youngest two are 11. Pete told my parents a bit about their personalities, and my parents echoed back how my personality was so similar. I stayed on the bathroom floor silently grinning.
Pete talked about my donor, telling my parents more about her than we ever knew. He told us her name, and that she was happily married in Sweden. She is super outgoing and kind. She was artistic and intelligent, and my parents connected our similarities. I was grinning ear to ear, crying softly. Pete explained she had given eggs to two other families around the same time as me, which meant there are two more siblings out there. I have eight half-siblings total, as far as I know.
The funniest part of it all is that, Pete explained, he knew one of the families, and they had met before in 2003. The daughter that had been donated was the same age as me, and had the same name--Lara--spelled the same way. That’s why when Anna first contacted me on 23andMe she thought I was the other Lara she had already met.
I have a half-sister, who is the same age as me, who is named Lara.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?
Pete explained some things had happened between the families, and they didn’t speak anymore. I’m really hoping on this trip I can learn more about Lara, and maybe even contact her.
Moving on, Pete explained my donor didn’t want to have contact with the kids she donated. Of course, I’ve always imagined what it would be like to be able to meet her and thank her for giving me the opportunity of life, and for giving my parents a child. So I was a little crushed. Nevertheless, I have to respect her decision, and I do understand why she would want to keep her distance. Maybe one day she’ll change her mind.
I Skyped with the three oldest that night, Ryan, Anna, and Izzy. They were so kind and sweet, and I was overwhelmed with how many of the same interests we shared. We talked for hours, until they had to go to sleep because they had school in the morning.
Later in November, my phone had broken, so I couldn’t text them as much. I logged onto my Snapchat one evening on my mum’s phone, as I hadn’t been on in weeks. I noticed a message from Izzy.
Opening it, she told me her family was traveling to Las Vegas for New Years, and asked if I would want to join them. I couldn’t believe this. I immediately replied yes, and joyously jumped around the house while explaining to my parents what she had just asked.
Within a few days, my flight was booked for Vegas. I would leave on December 30th, and return home on January 3rd.
Tomorrow is December 30th. Tomorrow, I meet them. My suitcase is packed, and I’m lying in bed typing this. My flight is at 2:30pm. Tomorrow I meet my siblings. This is insane. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight.
Oh. My. God.
I’ll continue updating as things progress. For now, I’m just anxiously awaiting tomorrow’s experience.
6 notes
·
View notes
Photo
My mom was adopted when she was 2 days old. I don’t ever remember a time in my life when I didn’t know that fact and neither does she. There was never a big shocking revelation about it. It was just always a fact of all of our lives.
My grandparents, Harry & June (Pops and Mama), were two of the most influential people in my life. When I think about celebrating International Women’s Day, I think about Mama and all she accomplished in her lifetime. She was raised on a cotton farm in Arkansas and was one of only 6 siblings to have a career outside of farm life. She was educated, something rare for a woman born before 1920, worked for a time as a teacher, and then for the State Department. She met Pops after WWII (long after a woman of her time should have been married) while they were both working in China, and made him chase her for months before she agreed to go on a date.
Harry and June adopted my mom some years later after they could not have a baby of their own. They were back in the states and reached out to a lawyer in Reno who had been a WWII buddy of my grandfathers. He helped them arrange the adoption of a baby girl, and the rest, as they say, was history.
For the next 60 years, all my mom knew of her biological family was that her birth mother was going through a divorce when she decided to put my mom up for adoption. We did know that she was originally supposed to be adopted by another family, one that ended up wrapped in a scandal, but that the lawyer switched her at the last minute and gave her to my grandparents instead.
My mom was raised as an only child, completely adored by Harry and June, and was their entire world. When my parents moved to Texas for my dad’s job, they followed not long after and were everything we could hope for in grandparents. We have always enjoyed poking fun at who my mom’s people may be, buying her birthday cards in other languages, coming up with elaborate stories about how the Queen would be coming for us one day, celebrating “our people” with a variety of cultural holidays, and more!
We lost Mama in 2000 after many years of battling breast cancer, and I was devastated. She had been a warrior and had fought with every last breath. I had just graduated high school and she made it just long enough to ensure that I had my diploma and my college acceptance in hand. Her only granddaughter was going to get an education. Pops passed away at the age of 95 in 2015. He had dementia in the last few years, but we were lucky in that, until the end, he was still there, and my kids even got to know their great-grandfather for who he was. He and I shared a birthday and were always incredibly close. He was the kindest man I have ever known. We celebrated both of their lives for what they were: lives well lived to the fullest, and always with love.
Two years ago, we were thrown a curve ball. I was getting ready for bed one night when my Facebook Messenger went off. I looked to see that I had a new message request. Normally, I would ignore these, but I had just put a bunch of old stuff up on buy sell trade, so I figured that maybe someone was requesting information about something I had for sale. I could not have been more wrong! I opened the message to see:
I sent a private message to your mom, but I don’t know how often she checks it so I am messaging you too. My name is Debra and I am looking for my half sister and I think your mom may be her. I left a detailed message on your moms Facebook. Could you let her know so she can check it?
I quite literally fell out of bed! My mom’s adoption records were closed. Her birth mother had set it up so that she could not be found! I didn’t know what to do so I took a screenshot of the text and sent it to my brother! My husband immediately thought it was a scam. My poor brother replied with “OMG Pops had another family?!?!?!” forgetting that any biological children Pops had (he didn’t) would not be biological siblings of my mom, haha! I decided to reply asking for more information before I turned my mom's world upside down. We didn’t have a lot but we did have some specific details that would identify whether this person was legit or not.
Debra continued:
I was texting (the lawyer’s daughter). Her father handled an adoption for my mother and when I told her he also handled her divorce she told me her dad helped a WWII buddy adopt a baby girl which she thought might be in that time frame. I'm not sure when she was born but the divorce finaled in Jan 19**. She was able to give me your grandpa's name and I found his obit and you and your mom. I've been looking since my mother died about 5 years she only told me and my older sister a year before she passed. I've been disappointed a couple of times even went as far as having a sibling DNA test done. Was your mom born in Reno or does she know?
Mentioning the lawyer’s daughter by name and the city of Reno was enough for me to know that this woman was onto something. Pops had stayed very close friends with the lawyer throughout his life and my mom spoke of him and his daughter fondly. We chatted for a bit longer and she shared with me that she had two other living sisters and an older brother who had passed away. Debra, one sister, and the brother were older than my mom and the youngest sister was 12 years younger. The siblings had no idea their mother was even pregnant as she left the children with her family and went to work in Reno through her pregnancy to finalize the adoption and divorce. The baby was not her husband’s but conceived during an affair. The biological father had been in town for work and returned to his wife soon after his job was complete.
Debra’s mother, Marge, spent her left thinking the baby she gave up for adoption had gone to the other family, and had kept news clippings in a box of the stories of the adoption scandal. By the time she told her daughters of this missing sister, her dementia was well advanced, and so her recollection of the years was quite fuzzy. It was this box that helped Debra and her sister begin their search. There were several children adopted to this family in order for an heiress to secure her inheritance. When the scandal broke, the children were all removed to a children’s home and other families. They were able to find the woman born around the same time, and reached out to her first. When the DNA results came back negative, they tracked down the lawyer’s family (Bob had passed some years before as well). His daughter felt comfortable sharing the name of her father’s longtime friend because she knew my mom had always known about the adoption. Could you imagine if we hadn’t known?
I did the only thing I could think of to do at 11:45 at night. I attached the screenshots to an email, and sent them to my mom and dad saying “your biological family found me last night.” There was probably a better way to share that information, but at that time of night, I was not thinking clearly!!!
The next morning my mom called and said “I’m waiting for the punch line. Where is the large woman in a mumu?” No punch line this time, mom! We met for an early lunch to talk about it. Her head was spinning! We pulled up Debra’s Facebook account and started combing through her pictures, and clicking through members of her families. We could absolutely see a resemblance. They shared my blond hair and green eyes, one of Debra’s sons had very similar facial features to my brother, and then we saw the picture of Marge in her younger years. She did look a lot like my mom. It took my mom a few days to process everything, but she decided to go ahead and call Debra back and agreed to a DNA test using 23andme. If it was negative, at least she would be helping someone along their journey.
Weeks went by as we waited. I began messaging with Debra’s daughter, but otherwise, the two families kept a distance. They were careful not to get their hopes up, only to be crushed again. Then, finally, one day they received the email they had been waiting on. They were biological half-sisters. Debra and her family were elated to finally have found their missing piece. Our family was a mix of emotions. We were all excited to meet this new, extended family, however, the revelation started a new journey of rediscovering self-identity. My mom had always been Harry & June’s daughter. What did this mean now?
My mom and I decided to fly out to meet them in their home town a couple of months later. We met all three sisters, and two of their daughters, and had a wonderful weekend connecting. It was really a crazy experience seeing what characteristics are tied by DNA other than physical attributes. A simple mannerism or a laugh became little reminders of this new bond that has always been there. They showed us around their town proudly, introducing my mom to everyone who had a tie to their mother. My new cousins and I invented a drinking game: every time someone said how much my mom looked like Marge, we drank! I was drunk by lunch! It was a wonderful weekend of bonding and learning about the woman who made an impossible choice, sending my mom’s life in an entirely different direction.
The two years since have allowed us time to reflect and digest the new twist in our story. While we are now connected to these wonderful people on the other side of the country, we came to the realization that, when Marge gave my mom up for adoption and gave her to Harry and June, my mom became 100% their daughter. Our history is forever connected to them, their legacy, and the lessons they taught us. When I speak of my grandparents, it will always be Harry and June that I’m referring to, and always be them who I adore and miss. I will forever be grateful to Marge, and the choice she made. I wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t made it! I love my new aunts and new cousins, but differently than those who have been a part of my life since the beginning. I believe they feel the same, as some have reached out to connect, but others have not. Those who have not probably feel the same as a few of our family members in that they know who their family is, and to them, we are basically strangers, and that’s ok too. My mom is glad to have a connection with her sisters, but the bond will never be as tight as the one the three who were raised together share. She may be their sister but she will always and forever be Harry and June’s daughter.
1 note
·
View note
Text
My Relationship with my Ancestry
It’s not a great title for what this post is about, but I can’t think of anything else right now.
I may have mentioned on here before that I technically have native Peruvian ancestry. Now, this is to say that I do NOT in any way claim this in a way to make me seem cooler or to claim that I am Native American in any appreciable way. I was never raised to have any cultural ties with those ethnic groups (hell, I don’t even know what specific one) nor do I look anything other than a typical European-descended White girl. I say this because it is simply a fact.
So why am I saying that?
Because an opportunity fell into my lap and I’m going to Peru in December 2020 and it’s giving me a lot of conflicting thoughts and emotions that I’m trying to sort through. To understand why, I’m going to go into my family history and this opportunity. I’ll put it under a Read More since I’m on the computer now and can do that (because mobile is dumb and I can’t do it there). Normally for longer posts, I’d do some formatting so there are bold parts to make reading easier on the eyes, but I can’t be assed to do that this time. This is to get my feelings out here and MAYBE insight if anyone has any for my very highly specific situation.
I should start with my dad. He was born in Peru but grew up in New York City, joined the Navy, and settled down in Texas with my mom. His mom was the one who was born and raised in Peru and had come the US for college. I... honestly don’t know much about her. In fact, I only met her at her funeral.
She emotionally and verbally abused my dad throughout his childhood and I suspect that there was also potentially physical abuse too. She was a paranoid schizophrenic and didn’t have healthy coping mechanisms at that time from what VERY little my dad told me. He doesn’t like talking about it. He did mention that when his parents fought, his mother would put him in between her and his dad as a shield. That does a lot to a kid. He has a younger brother, my uncle, who my dad protected from the worst of it. So by the time they were adults and I was born, my dad didn’t want to have any ties to her but my uncle maintained a relationship.
Actually, side note while I’m talking about my uncle, the thing that pissed me off about my uncle (besides his pretty sexist views on domestic roles but that’s a whole different discussion) was that he was trying for years to get my dad to reconnect with their mother despite my dad telling him no. I distinctly remember being shown a picture of her playing piano while my younger cousins (who were even younger in the picture) playing around her. I was asked if I knew who this was. I did not. After being told that it was my grandmother, he asked me if I wanted to know her. No. She hurt my dad. If she hurt my dad so much that HE doesn’t want to reconnect, I want nothing to do with her, myself.
I went to her funeral to support my dad who was, understandably having a really hard time with the mess of different conflicting emotions going in.
So for the longest time, when I thought of my ancestry beyond her, it still made me think of her and the pain she caused my dad. Like... obviously I knew that what was happening with her had nothing to do with the cultural past. At least not the stuff that ended up making the biggest impact (it seems that her mental illness wasn’t adequately being treated until at least much much later in her life if ever). But it was impossible to think about it relating to me personally without knowing that, for it to get to me, went through her. So my only way of being interested in say, Incan stuff was to completely separate it from any association with myself.
But it’s been a few years since she died and I think I’ve slowly been getting a sort of closure on the whole thing. This year in particular, I was getting a lot done on that front without realizing it.
In the Spring, the results from my 23andMe came in and confirmed that I was about 12% Native Peruvian. My dad’s dad’s side was always into genealogy and we have this really big book of everyone that updates every few years ago and goes back to at LEAST the 1700s. Then both my mom’s parents decided to try a genealogy service my aunt’s friend was wanting to get off the ground. My dad’s mother was the only missing piece and with that 23andMe result, it was kind of an epiphany that this IS indeed a part of me, for better or for worse.
Then last fall in my archaeology class, Incan examples came up quite a bit so that was reinforced. Also that same semester, I did a campus visit to DC and went to the National Museum of the American Indian. I didn’t realize it until I got there that they had an entire (well-made actually) special exhibit on the Inca. Then at Christmas time, apparently llamas were popular this year and I was seeing them EVERYWHERE. I don’t really believe in signs, but clearly it’s something that I’m subconsciously looking for or I’m finally noticing what’s already all around me. Like I’m ready to confront all of this.
Which all brings me to this trip. My aunt, specifically my mom’s sister, had always wanted to see Machu Picchu and found a family vacation package to go where the more people who went, the better deal it was. She offered to my mom and their siblings and one of my uncles with his wife are going, my grandparents, and my mom with my dad. My mom extended the invitation to my siblings and I and... I realized that with the amount of time I have to save up, it’s actually not that bad. I can actually go. My sister expressed interest as well and I hope she can go as well, but at least I’d be there with my dad.
While the rest of the family are going because “hey cool vacay” my dad and I are obviously going for more personal reasons, similar ones, though he is obviously much closer to the whole thing than I am. I’ll be able to be there. Be in the footsteps of my ancestors. It won’t be just some abstract thing anymore. It will be real and in front of me.
And I’m kind of scared?
I’m not at all scared of my well-being of course. That is no issue. But I’m afraid of what it would dredge up in me.
I have so many questions. Can I really call this part of my history if I’ve never been a part of it? I’ve had the luxury to have all of the privilege associated to being White because... I mean I am in every way. But that doesn’t change the fact that, at least genetically, I do have that Native ancestry in me and not an entirely insignificant amount either. Did I miss out on that because of what my grandmother did? Does that disqualify me, then? What right do I have to any of this? Am I just another White girl clinging onto whatever minuscule speck diversity I have to seem cool?
As an anthropologist, I’m very aware of my positionality. I know nothing and culturally I don’t belong and likely never will even if I fully embrace this trip. But personally? Where do I stand?
I guess I have to wait nearly two years to find out.
#personal#I've written a lot of personal things over the years being on here#and I've likely talked about some of these things in bits and pieces#but this#this is the most personal post I can recall making#also#if anyone genuinely does have any insight#or personal advice#I'd love to hear it#even if it ends up not being entirely helpful#since again#my case is a very specific one#and in the end only I can answer this for myself#but it would be nice
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
First post submitted via the ‘Future Innovations Submission Facility’ on Healthinnovations Tumblr!
Title: Blockchain in Healthcare: 11 Sectors That Could Be Improved
Author: Dusan Belic (@dusanb).
Blockchain is one of those buzz words you can hardly miss in the media these days. Yes, it was propelled to the public imagination with the rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but the technology can have many other uses cases beyond moving money from one side of the planet to the other.
In fact, it is now in minds of many tech giants and even governments which can clearly see blockchain’s power to transform how businesses operate by decentralizing business models, creating more efficient processes, and providing a more secure and reliable way to exchange data.
The healthcare industry is one of the sectors where blockchain can really prove its worth. For one thing, it can reduce the liability and accuracy concerns related to the exchange of medical data, while providing cryptographic security to protect patient identity “out of box.” Eventually, every patient will have its own “data wallet” to store and manage his/her medical records, and provide third parties with access to that data when needed.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, here are 11 sectors in healthcare that could be improved with blockchain (an excerpt from our “Blockchain in Healthcare” report):
1. Supply Chain Management
Blockchain and supply chain are seen by many as a match made in heaven. Major tech companies — such as IBM, SAP, Microsoft and Accenture — are already working on decentralized versions of their supply chain solutions, or are creating new ones from the ground up. Also, some of them are developing universal blockchain solutions that would be able to power a different kind of applications, supply chain management included.
In the healthcare space, supply chain management (SCM) solutions are employed by manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other healthcare supplies and equipment. Compared to regular, centralized solutions, the one based on blockchain improves traceability, contract enforcement & management, damage & mishandling management, oversight on counterfeiting, auditing, and at the end — consumer trust, with end-users being able to learn the ins and outs of an item they are looking to buy.
2. Health Records Management
Blockchain’s ability to use time stamping to authenticate changes to a dataset, even if more than one user has permission to edit a document, is said to be ideal for managing Electronic Health Records (EHR) data. In fact, current EHR systems were not designed to manage multi-institutional, life-time medical records. This in turn leads to the situation in which patients leave data scattered across various organizations as life events take them away from one provider’s data silo and into another.
In contrast, a blockchain-based system puts the patient in the driver’s seat, letting him/her authorize third parties such as doctors and nurses to access and modify their health records. Also, it is the patient who is able to let health systems share these records with other organizations.
3. Population Health
Generally speaking, on the other end of most EHR solutions is the population health “module.” And with a blockchain-based EHR, organizations across the healthcare spectrum can potentially get access to higher quality data, which should then aid their population health efforts while making sure patients get more personalized treatments.
4. Patient Matching
A blockchain-based system can meet the needs of master patient ID as long as there is consensus on what the requirements should be. And that’s arguably the harder part — for all the parties to agree on what constitutes a global or universal patient ID, and later implement it in their respective solutions. Then, once an agreement on a starting point for patient ID is reached, blockchain can meet those needs and be flexible enough to keep up with the pace of change.
5. Patient Engagement
When the patient data is stored in a blockchain, it can be easily and safely moved between existing physician and patient data silos, all while offering improved data management and security. In addition, because of the technology’s underlying structure, a blockchain-based solution could offer digital incentives to encourage patients/users to complete certain fitness activities and take charge of their own healthcare, with their efforts earning them tokens.
Depending on the partnerships the platform provider has established with third parties, these tokens can then be exchanged for real-life products, discounts, co-pays, coupons and even converted into money.
6. Care Coordination
The patient encounters with the healthcare system are seldom connected, especially if he/she moves from one state to the other (or even one country to the other). The same goes for any communication a patient has with physicians — even if it’s electronic communication, its record seldom leaves the premises (servers) of that particular hospital.
Blockchain as a decentralized ledger can play an important role to store not only patient data, but also all encounters a patient has with healthcare providers. Such, unifying solution could go beyond “basic” health records to include longitudinal data to the mix, linking and connecting all care provider encounters and communication through a single platform.
7. Genomics
Compared to the popular services like 23andMe and Ancestry, a blockchain-based system could include end users in the equation, allowing them to control their own genomic data and profit from sharing it. In this scenario, users would get discounted rates for whole genome sequencing if they agree to share their data to third parties. This in turn could lead to an increase in the amount of genomic information available for analysis from where machine learning algorithms would kick in to find correlations between genetic variants and diseases from these larger data sets.
Furthermore, as the genome data buyers (pharma companies) and genome data providers (individuals) would be directly connected, the buyers will be able to obtain more information about phenotypes and family histories, in addition to genotypes.
8. Insurance Claims Processing
The current system entails all brokers and insurers involved in an insurance contract independently running all of the checks, thus creating significant duplication and delay in the placement process which impacts the client. With blockchain, all the relevant data is stored in one place and available to those who require access, removing the need to check the same data multiple times.
Moreover, the system could be developed to use smart contracts to “tune into other blockchains” — such as the one with patient medical records (EHR) — to further streamline procedures, and shorten the application process from an average of 45 days to near real time.
9. Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are said to be among the best use cases for blockchain. For start, blockchain acts as an ultimate data notary, storing and securing data as it happens. It provides a safe environment that is virtually impossible to hack, infringe or steal — while making auditing that much easier.
In addition, a blockchain-based system can streamline patient recruitment, consents and use smart contracts to automate many of today’s manual tasks. For instance, a simple mechanism could be deployed to automatically move patients from one group or one phase to the other once certain conditions have been met.
In addition, blockchain could also be used to streamline the communication between doctors and patients during the trial, with specific smart contracts being used to endorse transparency and traceability over clinical trial sequences, as well as provide financial incentives for a patient’s participation and sharing of their data.
10. Fighting the Opioid Epidemic
A few experts have suggested that blockchain could be a useful tool in combating the opioid epidemic. For start, the technology’s ability to improve supply chain management makes it ideal for keeping a close eye on opiods (and any other drug for that matter), tracking them from production down to local pharmacies.
On the other hand, as blockchain enters the health records “space,” it could also aid in population health efforts of hospitals, health systems and governments; helping them better control the outbreaks.
Finally, the decentralized nature of blockchain makes it a great tool for researchers around the world to collaborate on development of opioid alternatives.
11. Security
Storing and securing data in a blockchain across multiple nodes could prevent ransomware attacks. If a hacker manages to get hold of one computer in the network, there are always others that contain the same data. And even with all the data from the blockchain at hand, a hacker could do little without private keys. That’s the whole point, to encrypt the data so it falls into the wrong hands — it can’t be misused, all while having reserve copies on other nodes in the network.
If we look at the infamous WannaCry attack, a blockchain-based system would make it ineffective by having continuously synchronized and secure backups of all personal information. Because all the data is encrypted and available on multiple computers, it would be extremely difficult for a cyberattack to hold a hospital to ransom.
Want to learn more?
We have just scratched the surface here. For more details, you can check our full report: Blockchain in Healthcare: Decentralized Computing Changing the Industry. It is readily available at DHbriefs.com, offering more details and links to the companies providing services and solutions in categories listed above.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Things I did today...
Bought my 11-year-old new bras. And died a little inside because wow. And missed my Mum because who else do I talk to about this?
Went to a thrift store, discovered clothing is $1/item all month. Found 2 formals for YaYa. $2. WOO.
Got her stocked up for camp next week. This year’s fun: “Do you have pads in there?”
Paid a deposit on a new tattoo to cover up the travesty on my ankle.
Donated some stuff to charity.
Discussed what exactly it is we believe in in light of YaYa heading off to Bible Camp on Sunday. (Newsflash: We are not Bible Camp people 50 weeks of the year)
Made a ridiculously unhealthy dinner
Helped YaYa pack for Bible Camp
Spat for what felt like 84 years into a 23andme DNA vial
Put my fockbox.ca rejects into the mail.
Did not work out.
20 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
fawnaura
♱
audientvoid13
Audient Void 13
yachtieworld
YachtieWorld
sslowly-giving-up
-Kayla-
beachhaus
Long live the new flesh