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gb-patch · 3 years

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Ask Answers: June 6th, 2021

I’m back with more ask responses! You can also check our Frequently Asked Question sheet if there’s something you’re wondering that’s not answered here.

FAQ Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

Thank you for the patience with these questions ♡

Hey in very beginning of step 3 in the scene where Mr.Holden had a thought dancing on the tip of his tongue but he kept it to himself after MC and Cove were being cute (idk if it makes a difference but this is when they're dating)... Can we know what he was thinking/ wanted to say? It's been bugging me lol

He would’ve gone into a “look how much you’ve grown”, “your dad is so proud of you”, “I’m so glad things worked out with the MC”, and etc spiel, haha. But he resisted the urge to fawn on his baby boy, at least for that scene.

If we planned to move away for college/future plans in step 3, is it implied that MC and Cove would have a long distance relationship for sure? Could MC have convinced Cove to come with them? How is the dynamic of their relationship going to be addressed in Step 4, if that makes sense?

Cove is willing to follow the MC where they went after everything is settled for them there, and if they’re sure they want him to come! You’ll get to decide how things shook out during those transitional years just by making choices about it during the opening prologue of Step 4.

Hi! First off, how does it feel to have created one of the best games when it comes to inclusion for lbtq+ peeps? I've never felt as validated with my identity and sexuality when playing a game and I'm seemingly not alone ♥ Second, and this might be a little too specific, but what kinds of drinks does Cove like as well as dislike? Thank you, you're the best ♥

Thank you for very much! It’s really nice to hear the game felt inclusive. Cove likes regular water and fruit juices/smoothies most! He dislikes coffee and cola, and he’s not super into most teas either.

Hi, may i ask what gb patch stands for? Specifically the gb part lol

It stands for my old, silly username I used in places like Neopets as a kid, aha. The company name wasn’t super thought out since it was originally just me making VNs as a hobby. Luckily, “GB Patch” kind of seems like it could mean something reasonable, so I didn’t have to rebrand when it did become a more serious, commercial group.

If we chose to not propose to cove in the step 3 dlc would he propose or would the mc propose in step 4 or the wedding dlc?

Yeah, you or Cove can propose in Step 4 if you’re not already engaged! The Wedding DLC takes place after the engagement so the proposal scenes aren’t there.

will you guys announce if the early access for the new game is out on patreon ?

When beta builds of Step 4 or whatever start coming out on the Patreon we will mention it here on social media too.

Heyy I just had a quick question about Baxter if that’s okay :)?

I saw in an ask+answer that it’s possible to casually date Baxter In step 3, but what leads up to that? I have the step 3 dlc and I’ve tried playing them In a different orders and ways but it doesn’t seem to get anywhere ^^;

The Step 3 DLC is Cove-based because he’s the default guy. There’s a separate Baxter romance DLC that’s not out yet. That’s where you can get him to date you. I’m sorry for the confusion!

Will we ever get any LI's or side characters with physical disabilities or deformities? I think your games would be a great place to have them in since they're always so accepting and safe!

Yeah, we do hope to have representation for that in future projects ^^. Thank you for the confidence in us.

Is it possible to get Cove to take the bed and MC to sleep on the floor?

Not in Step 3, I’m afraid.

So, I have played the prologue of Our Life countless times and I haven't gotten the [Your Life] achievement, why is that?

Steam sometimes isn’t connected properly when an achievement unlocks and so it remains locked on your account. If that happens, unfortunately getting the scene again won’t unlock it. The achievement becomes inaccessible because the game thinks you already have it. Playing with the same Steam account on a different device or fully deleting your game data (more than the only the save files) are the only work arounds we’ve found.

Since when you talk with Jeremy in step 3 it's mentioned he goes on dates with someone (which assume is JB because who else would take this boy on dates) that makes him happy, does that sort of make JB and Jeremy the canon relationship in the first game?

The default for XOXO Droplets is that JB casually goes on dates with each of the jerks! Shiloh would’ve been harsher if Jeremy was the only guy getting her attention, haha. But the player can change that default by dating just one person the whole game for their own story and who she ends up with for real has no default.

Hi, hello! Huge OL fan, thank you so much for the wholesome content, it was very much needed during these times. Managed to get several people to join team Cove, so that's very exciting, I always have people to fawn over him with. I have a little question and I'm sorry if it was asked before, but does it ever come up in the game what Cove has told his mom about us? (who knows, with so many options, one can miss it) Or, alternatively, will it come up in the Step 4 DLC?

Thank you very much for sharing the game with people <3. It’s really great to hear people are liking it. Right now that doesn’t come up in game. Kyra is willing to keep her mouth shut and Cove isn’t gonna have that conversation either. At least not when he’s younger, but yes, perhaps when he’s a fully grown big boy in Step 4 you can ask him about it.

I’ve been thinking about this ever since it has been confirmed that there would be two love interests for OL2, would there be the possibility of forming a polyamorous relationship with both love interests? I’m sorry if you answered this previously, I’m just curious.

We are considering it, but it’s not a guarantee yet. It’d be really great to have but it’d add so many extra alterations that’d need to made, aha.

Hello! You mentioned how Cove would be uncomfortable with kids at 23, but how old would he be when he’s comfortable with having/adopting kids? (Same goes for the other LI’s.) btw, love your game!!

He’d want to be at least 25, but even older would be good. Derek would want to have kids when he and his partner could reasonably support them, the age itself wouldn’t matter. If they were doing good at 22 and wanted kids, he’d be up for it. Or they could wait until their 30s or whatever. Baxter is also more of a “when it feels right” guy rather than having a specific age requirement. Cove is just especially wary of being a young parent because of his own parents. I’m happy you like the game!

does step 4 immediately play after you press "end summer" in step 3? or is there another button/transition (like the story text thingy) before the epilogue begins? what happens after the epilogue? roll credits? 😂

Step 4 will have transition section always and there will be an extra button, if you own the Derek or Baxter DLC. By default the Cove-based version of Step 4 just plays once Step 3 is over. However, having the other guys’ storylines will mean you get to pick which version of Step 4 plays; Cove Step 4 (the basic one), Derek Step 4, or Baxter Step 4.

Happy pride, thank you for all you do for us🥰

I have a quick question though, I recently got a MacBook after my old windows computer broke, and now steam says I cannot download it, but it has no issues with other games, what can I do to download it?? I’m sorry if my English is bad

Happy pride month! Unfortunately, Our Life isn’t available for Mac on Steam right now. To be an approval application Apple requires having special notarization and we as a small group haven’t gotten that. Itch doesn’t care and lets us release the game for Mac there anyway, Steam does care so we’re locked out of putting the Mac build up on their storefront. Feel free to email us and we can try to help the situation out further!

[email protected]

Hello! I was jus wondering if the Baxter and Derek DLCs are still happening? I haven’t heard anything about them on here or patreon in a while so I just wanted to make sure ^^

They’re still coming and we just released a new sprite sketch on the Patreon for the Derek DLC c:. But right now Step 4 is still much more of a priority. Once that’s closer to being done we’ll focus way more on sharing previews for the other guys.

is it possible to tell cove you love him (platonically) at step 3 fondness/selecting him as basically family? i just love the mc and liz sibling interactions and it got me wondering about it (especially if you've selected that option)

You and Cove can be as close as family, but there’s not a specific scene in Step 3 where you say “I love you” in a family context. But there’s always Step 4~

do you intend on ever adding a collectors mode to Our Life? Like a way to collect achievements and CGs for the gallery without it effecting any save files?

We weren’t considering it before. But if a lot of players would find that helpful, we could start thinking on that!

Sorry if it's a silly question haha, but (in crush/love) is Cove really aware of how cute and cuddly he seems to MC? If so, what does he think or do about it? Or does he just ignore it?

He isn’t particular aware. Cove never truly stops being surprised that the MC is interested in/attracted to him, haha.

Would you say that the alone ending of xoxo droplets is worth playing again to get?

Nope, haha. The goal is to make friends/get a boyfriend and so the alone ending is kind of the bad ending for the game. Though there is a consolation prize if you get it by accident.

Is there any possible situation which would ever prompt Pran to bake for his girlfriend? Like I know it's unlikely I mean even if JB broke her leg somehow I'm pretty sure he'd still be like "I considered baking you a cake and doing the frosting the way I think looks interesting but you don't deserve a cake, no one does." right but also ahhh it would be super nice if some day he just surprised her with baked goods one day out of nowhere. JB would be so shocked it would be cute. So is there any possible situation where that could/would be a thing that he would do?

He might bake out of spite, like if he felt he had to prove her wrong on something. Or if JB used some good reverse psychology on him. Or he might do it in a relatively nice way if he could make his GF so shocked by the kind gesture that his amusement with that overrode his insistence on not being sweet. Pran is very difficult in high school, aha.

Is the "one route (where) it can be seen that Everett will drop his seemingly eternal waging with Jeremy pretty easily and can start getting along without thinking much on it" the Lucas route? I'm curious!

Yep! Everett will side with Jeremy if it’s between him and Lucas.

Hi I hope you guys are having a great day :) I just had to ask how Cliff would feel about Cove's partner/fiancé Mc calling them dad whether it be accidental or otherwise and secondly I also wanted to ask how he would feel about being asked to be the one to give the mc away at their wedding.

He would be very touched and excited! I hope you have a good day too :D

Hello! I saw an ask relating to whether Cliff "moves on" after Cove's grown up and stuff (and he stays single), but what about Kyra? Will she be with anyone else or will she stay single?

She does start dating again, but she takes it slow.

Hi! I absolutely love the art for characters in OL and I wonder is this fine to draw my MC in same drawing style and upload online later? Is this something artists would be okay with? Thank you!

Yeah, you can certainly do that C:

Hey there!

I wonder if I'm just being stupid here.. Is Step 4 a DLC? And if so, where can I find it? I can't seem to find it on Steam :< Thank you!

Step 4 is a free epilogue! It’s not done yet, but once it is finished you’ll just update your game file and Step 4 will be there after Step 3 ends.

hi! are step 4 and the wedding dlc two different things?

They are. Step 4 is a free epilogue that’ll be a default part of the game once it’s done, the wedding DLC is an optional paid expansion that takes place after Step 4.

Why did Baxter not receive a step 2 sprite seeing how he shows up later

Sprites are time consuming to draw and take money out of the budget that could’ve gone to other things. His tiny appearance in Step 2 wasn’t worth all the effort to make a sprite, aha.

I just realized, what happens if if you get the patreon exclusive moment but at a later date, when you don't have the membership anymore, it's updated (like a bugs fix update for example)? Would you have to get the membership again?

You would have to get the membership again to redownload the build. But there’s very little chance there’s going to be an update once it’s been out for over a month. If a build gets released with errors, players catch/report them within the first few days. So by the time the first subscription period ends, any problems that were noticeable would already have been fixed. And we’re certainly not gonna be adding new content to it once it’s been released for a long time. There’s no need to worry about missing out on something worthwhile in the future if you cancel your membership. It’s being made with the idea in mind that many players are gonna be getting it and then going.

Hello! Wanted to ask about gaming choice in step 3? Once upon a playthorugh I got the option to buy Cove a bracelet for his graduation present. I played the same basic character again and that option wasn't there anymore. I'm not sure where I went wrong. My Cove wears a bracelet on each hand and my MC is into fashion and jewelry. Do I need to put an earring on him or? Sorry, love your game so much.

He also needs to have liked bracelets in Step 2 for that to be considered a good gift option for him. Sorry for the confusion! I’m happy you love the game :)

Is Step 4 being released at the same time as the Wedding DLC or will the first come before the latter? Thank you!

I’m not sure. Ideally they’ll come out at the same time, but the wedding DLC has a lot of art to get done and we may have to release it after Step 4.

Can mc still get confession from Cove at the end of step 3 even if mc casually dates Baxter in step 3? Such as in crush mode?

I don’t think so. Maybe that’ll change, but generally there’s differences to the Step 3 ending if you were dating Baxter and those differences likely will conflict with getting the Cove confession.

For the patreon moments/dlcs, will it be available for all tiers?

It’ll be available for tier 2 (Fans) and up!

#our life #xoxo droplets #gb patch #ask #gb patch games #Our Life Beginnings & Always

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sleekervae · 3 years

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Suck It And See [0.2]

Masterlist

"So, what's it like?" Rose asked. Jade laid flat out on her bed, staring at the cracks and stains in the ceiling while her best friend was on the phone.

"It's cold," she said, "Even for post-summer in England, it's cold,"

"What do you mean by cold?" Rose asked again, "That don't make no sense,"

"It's just very isolating is all," Jade replied, "None of these cousins have even come over to say 'hi',"

She hummed from the other end in thought, "Well, perhaps they're waiting for you to come out of your room?" she inquired.

"That'd be fine," Jade said, "If they too weren't locked in their own rooms. Rose, the only sounds I hear are the odd car driving by or the birds in the trees. It's eery, there's no life here whatsoever,"

"They're a suburban family, s'pose. Suburbans do things differently," Rose said, "Remember my next door neighbour? The brownstone that always reeked of meat?"

"Rose, that whole neighbourhood smells of deli meat. You're round the corner from the artisan markets," Jade said.

"Don't matter," Rose said, "Fact is that we lived in a suburb and every single person in that bloody square-radius was whacked,"

Jade sighed, "I think I'd rather be in a Newcastle as oppose to this," she said.

"Well, what's this Auntie all about, then?" Rose asked, "You said she was rich?"

"That's the only cool thing about her," Jade mused, "She married into it. Think she's put out a pound for my mum's treatments? Think again, kid,"

"Perhaps taking you in is her way of chipping in?" Rose said, "You know, take the emotionally-distraught-teenager out of the equation?"

Jade rolled onto her side, staring glumly out the foggy window that overlooked the neighbourhood. It looked more like a still-life than a reality, with silent streets, strangled grass, nobody about on the streets. It was depressingly glum, a place that no emotional teenager could possibly withstand in her circumstances.

"As far as I'm concerned, I should be at home instead,"

➿➿➿

Right at seven-fifteen in the evening, Jade was refreshed and redressed, this time in a simple white t-shirt and a pair of comfortable jeans. Her long, thick brown hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, showing off her gorgeous, youthful face. The wonderful smell of roast meat and steamed vegetables filled her nose, and it suddenly dawned on Jade that she was starving. She hadn't eaten anything since she had left her house this morning. She had had a cup of coffee and a scone with her dad in a local cafe by the station, a little father-daughter time before she would have to chug off. It wasn't the most pleasant bonding time for Jade, she still had mixed feelings towards her father and his actions.

Aunt Joy looked to have her head in the oven, a cynically amusing concept to Jade as she entered the kitchen. It was twice the size of her kitchen back home, with jade marble counter tops, clean wooden cabinets, a big, beautiful stainless steel fridge, and a state-of-the-art oven and stove-top set. A few feet away was a grand dining table covered in a green and yellow patch table cloth. And in two of the seats were her younger cousins, Charlie and Noah. The boys were fraternal twins, both eleven years of age with dark bowl-cuts, pudgy and pasty faces, with a thick rimmed glasses sitting on both of their noses. They seemed to be fighting over who's turn it was to play with their video game console.

"Charlie, it's my turn!" Noah whined as he tried to make a grab for the gameboy, "Yeh said yeh'd let me play after yeh killed the dragon!"

"Yeah!" Charlie sneered back, "But now I 'ave to kill the mutant lava monster!" he exclaimed. Noah continued to whine at him and kept grabbing for the console. Soon afterwards, a little, wispy-haired boy came running into the kitchen, yelling for his life.

"AAH! Mummy!" the little boy ran and hide behind Aunt Joy. Jade watched with confusion as another boy, taller than she was, came running after the little boy. He had a gremlin mask on over his head, but the young boy wasn't old enough to understand. Alfie, he was. He couldn't have been older than seven or eight.

"Mummy! Oliver's tryna' eat me!" he yelled. The older boy, sixteen-year-old Oliver, ripped off the deformed, ugly mask and started to laugh.

"Oh, take a joke, Alf. I was only kiddin'," Oliver said to him. Aunt Joy refrained from rolling her eyes as she pulled the roast beef out of the of oven and set it on the stove top to cool.

"Boys, did you say hello to your cousin?" She asked in a diminutive sneer.

The shenanigans in the kitchen came to a sudden stop as they all turned around and focused on Jade. She suddenly felt as though she was being glared down by a pack of wild hyenas.

Oliver, being the oldest, made his move first as he slung an arm around his cousin, "Long time, no see, cuz,"

Out of all her cousins, Jade tended to gravitate towards Oliver most. Perhaps because he was older, perhaps because he was good looking? Jade would never have any romantic kindlings towards him, he was her cousin after all. Regardless, Jade could appreciate his high cheek bones, shaggy but combed back hair, and well-chiseled body. He was a top player on the school's lacrosse team after all.

Uncle Cosmo entered the dining room soon after and had the boys set the table for dinner. He kept calling for Flora to come down from her room.

"Flo! Yehr ma 'as dinner on!" He shouted down the hall.

Jade took a seat at the end of the table, unsure of what else to do as Oliver and and Charlie set the table. He had ripped the game boy away from them and placed it on the spice rack whets neither of them could reach. Flora eventually came down and took a seat on the opposing side to Jade, between Oliver and Alfie.

They all sat down and Aunt Joy placed the roast and veggies in the middle of the table. Noah sat to Jade's left and Uncle Cosmo to her right. They both suddenly grabbed her hands. She was confused until she saw the rest of the family join hands and she realised they were going to say Grace.

"Do yeh say Grace before dinner, Jade?" Charlie asked her, clearly sensing get unease.

Aunt Joy replied before Jade could even open her mouth, "No dear, your Aunty Ruth doesn't believe in God," she said.

"So... Do you not believe in God, Jade?" Charlie asked.

"Erm... not really," she replied.

"Why?" he asked, "Yeh're not afraid of Him?"

"Charlie!" Uncle Cosmo suddenly cut in, "It's none of the business wha' Jade believes in. Now 'old yeh brother's 'and,"

Jade let out a small sigh of relief. And with that, Aunt Joy proceeded to say Grace:

"Dear Lord, thank you for this food we are about to eat. We are grateful for your provision. We ask that you would bless this food and continue to guide our family along Your path. In the name of Your son Jesus, amen,"

"Amen," the whole table said. They all suddenly turned to Jade, who had stayed silent up until that point."

"... Oh. Erm -- a-amen,"

➿➿➿

Dinner passed as quietly and uncomfortable as possible for Jade. The younger boys kept asking her why she was here, why her mum was sick, why her parents separated. Uncle Cosmo and Aunt Joy steered the conversation away as much as they could, but even Aunt Joy made little attempt to ease Jade into her family. Oliver then went on to tell Jade about the school she would be attending with them -- Stocksbridge High School. Flora meanwhile stayed silent, occasionally throwing a dirty look Jade's way. She couldn't for the life of her understand what her problem was.

Jade helped the five children -- well, four, Flora chose not to help -- clean up afterwards, then they all separated into their own rooms. Jade was at a loss for what to do with herself, so she sat on the couch with Uncle Cosmo as he lit his pipe and watched the evening news.

"Yeh excited for school tomorrow, Jade?" He asked her. Jade nodded slowly, more focused on the puff piece the news channel was doing on a bird sanctuary in Ireland. She had hardly spoken a word all day, and Uncle Cosmo didn't take it lightly. He couldn't begin to imagine what heartbreak was being thrusted upon this young girl.

"Jade, how are yeh doing? Wif all of this?" He asked her. Jade shook her head and looked up at her uncle with those big, sad hazel eyes.

"I'm fine," she replied quietly.

Cosmo sat forward on the couch and looked down the hall, finding the door to the den closed with light flickering from under the door. His wife wouldn't be able to hear him, then.

"Listen, I won' lie to yeh and say 'I know wha' yeh're going through'. I will tell yeh 'owever tha' it will get better. Yehr mum is a lil' fighter, and she will pull through. If anything, she'll do it fer yeh. As fer yeh dad, 'e's gonna 'help yehr mum any way 'e can, yehr ma won' be alone,"

Jade blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill over and wiped her nose on her jumper sleeve, "Jason's in jail, Uncle Cosmo. Jack's living with... Her. And I'm up here. How is she not alone?" she said. One of her older brother, Jason, had been hauled into juvenile detention last year on a drug charge, while her younger brother, Jack, was living with their father's new girlfriend, Winona, for reasons Jade could not see as logical.

Uncle Cosmo shrugged back and sighed, "Well, yehr ma knows she ain't alone because she knows tha' 'er children are thinking of 'er. She don't want yeh to see 'er in her treatments because she don't want yeh to remember 'er like that. Yeh understand wha' I mean, dear?" he said. Jade, again, nodded as a snail's pace, still keeping her eyes trained on the television.

"Things are gonna be strange for the next lil' while, I know. But yeh 'ave us to lean on fer support," he assured her, "Yeh ain't gonna be alone, Jade,"

Jade forced herself to swallow the growing lump in her throat as well as her uncle's articulations. She wanted to believe him, but the homesickness she felt was too fresh in her mind to give in to the ease her uncle was offering. She quickly wiped away the tears that slid down her face before Cosmo could notice and she turned back to the television, not uttering a word for the rest of the evening.

➿➿➿

Morning came faster than Jade would have liked.

After a sleepless night of tossing and turning, Jade grimaced as a loud pounding thundered on her bedroom door.

"Wake up, Jade!" Noah called from the other end, "Mum says we 'ave to get readeh fer school!"

Oh yeah, school. As if she weren't having enough troubles.

Jade groaned and shoved the blankets off her frail body. The floor was cold against her feet and she shivered as a draft whipped across her skin. She did a little stretch and went to the suitcase she hadn't yet bothered to unpack. Unlike her school back home, Jade had to wear a uniform to Stocksbridge -- and ugly one at that, consisting of a button down shirt, a black skirt, and a scratchy grey jumper, and an ugly tie.

If her friends back home could see her now, they'd never let her live this down. Jade had gone to a school where if you dressed like you were on your way to a business meeting downtown, you'd be robbed of your lunch money and locked into the janitor's closet within a span of ten minutes. She missed those ugly, drab classroom walls and rusty lockers that would clatter as you would walk by.

Jade -- now dressed in her new uniform, went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and comb her hair. However, as she tried to turn the bathroom knob, she found it was locked. A shrill voice hollered from the other end.

"Occupied!" Flora shouted with aggravation.

Jade was overcome with a sense of awkward being, unsure of just what to do. The only other bathroom in the house was her Aunt and Uncle's in their bedroom, and the powder room downstairs. Was it appropriate to brush her teeth in there? In this house especially?

"Erm -- i-it's me," Jade called, "Can I come in? I just wanna brush me teeth!"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence before Flora finally replied with an expected "No!"

Jade was beginning to get annoyed with her attitude, "I'll just be thirty seconds, I promise ya! I just really need the sink!"

She heard Flora groan back, "I'm using the sink! Use the loo downstairs!" she exclaimed. Jade bit on her bottom lip nervously, eyeing the corridor to the flight of grandiose stairs. Reluctantly, she took her toothbrush and toothpaste and skittered down the stairs, then headed right for the powder room. As if my a stroke of misfortune, Aunt Joy had spotted her from the kitchen as she was brewing a fresh pot of coffee, and she called after her.

"Jade, dear!" her voice slithered through the air with the grace of a snake, "I certainly hope you're not planning to use the powder room to brush your teeth!" she said, "It's unbecoming, you know,"

Jade refrained from rolling her eyes. It was the powder room, people use the powder room to freshen up. And she needed to freshen up for school so she wouldn't be mistaken for a zombie on her first day.

"Well... Flora refuses to get out of the bathroom... so what do I do?" she asked.

Joy sighed with exasperation, most likely at how petty and ridiculous her daughter was being. Or so Jade had hoped. But by the look on her face, Jade was weary that some of that exasperation may have been directed at her.

"Alright. You can use the powder room this morning. But I will have a talk with Flora," she said. Jade thanked her graciously and hopped into the powder room, feeling as though she had received an indirect warning from a prison warden as oppose to her 'loving' aunty.

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dawniebb · 4 years

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Closure

So...back again with another marathon I’m hosting (?) with @healing-winston-pratt <3! about our canon divergence because canon is for the weak :) however, this time you’ll only see me so...yeah, guys, I’m sorry, bEAR WITH ME LMAO AFSGHJADFGSHJA :’)))

I thiiiiiink this is...the last marathon we’ll do about this I think, and it’s a series of four fics called “Closure” which is...basically, what the name says :’) it’s about people finding closure for the ones they lost throughout the books AND before the books this is about Georgia hello darling you’re wonderful im sorry mm killed you because we thought it was..necessary after that half-assed Supernova epilogue uwu. So yeah. The first one in this Closure series is Georgia :’)

You can use this post as a masterlist for backround bc we don’t have one yet

And the tag list (If you want to be addedOR removed just notifiy us pls): @novadreamer95438 @idkimbadwithusernamesandstuff @novas-tunnel-of-anxiety @obsidianfr3sk

ALSO I NAMED THESE AFTER SONGS :) So the link will be in the lyrics I hope

Georgia

I Kill Giants

Heavier heels His mourning concealed On the saddest of days Why couldn’t we save you?

A couple days after the supernova, once all the funerals had passed and things were going back to normal, Adrian went to visit his mom.

Georgia Rawles was buried inside a very ostentatious mausoleum, located in Gatlon’s cemetery.

Nobody had ever confirmed that, but rumor had it, it resembled the structure of Pops’ old house, by the edges of the city, close to the abandoned train rails; it had similar dimensions and structure, but the décor was a hundred times better, with white pillars, stairs that led to the entrance and a wooden gate with a carved R; at some point in time, all members of the Council would be there.

Right now, it was only Mom and Evander.

The mausoleum was always surrounded by gifts that people left there. And right now, since Gatlon was grieving Blacklight, the fence was open to the public.

Though…

Well…

Whether the fence was locked or not wouldn’t have mattered under normal circumstances because, obviously, Adrian had his own copy of the key, though he rarely went to see her. Not because he didn’t love her (he did. A lot. And he missed her every day despite having been torn from him when he was just a kid), but because…

Because he liked to remember her as what she had been, not for the fact she wasn’t here anymore; he liked to see her in family albums and draw her, but the mausoleum was a very…sad place for him, almost depressing.

It was also a place where he liked to be alone with Mom. And sometimes talk to her. After all, they lived in a world where people had powers; everything was possible. Which meant that, deep down, Adrian still had faith she would answer someday.

But she never answered.

Not really.

But it wasn’t like that made Adrian mad, because maybe she was too busy doing something else; maybe she was very comfortable…wherever she was. And that made him feel rather happy.

To know she was at peace.

So, slowly, Adrian walked up the stairs, and then opened the gate.

The smell of candles and flowers greeted him, for the two headstones were being visited more often these days.

The Renegades’ slogan was written on top of the wall where the headstones rested.

Bold. Valiant. Just

Written in shining silver, so they didn’t take much attention from the spots where the two fallen Council members laid.

Right now, the bottom of the wall was upholstered with Blacklight and Lady Indomitable plushies, photographs, and tons of flowers.

So many flowers, that Adrian had to, manually, remove some of them to make his way to the wall; first, he left the bouquet he had brought for Evander; he had put some snacks in it, because it had seemed…funny in a bittersweet way at the moment, and also tons of polaroid photos Adrian had taken with him some years ago, when he was trying to entertain him during a Christmas dinner.

Evander had always been Adrian’s favorite Council member, because he…was young enough to treat him as brother; of course, Evander was an adult, but that didn’t change the fact he was younger than 14 when Adrian was born, and they had always shared a rather close relationship. He was annoying at times and, during the last months he was alive, he had fallen into a bottomless pit of madness, which deformed his personality until he almost acted like a dictator.

Of course, Adrian didn’t condone that, but he still had good memories regarding Evander and he doubted he would ever get rid of those memories. Mostly because…somehow, he didn’t want to.

“May the light guide your way.”

Evander Wade. Blacklight.

Brother, husband, father, friend and hero.

Adrian supposed the right thing to do would’ve been saying something, but he hadn’t come here today to talk to Evander, so he didn’t have anything to tell him. Not really.

So he just touched the headstone, but then he moved on to his mom’s, which was to the left of Evander’s.

And there she was.

There was Mom.

“When in doubt…fly.”

Georgia Rawles. Lady Indomitable.

Sister, mother, friend and hero.

And also gone too soon, like Evander, but nobody ever wanted to say that, because it was depressing.

Gulping, Adrian placed the bouquet of white and pink roses on the floor, and ran his fingers through his mother’s name.

“You can’t see it…but I have a lot of bandages beneath my clothes.” He told her, barely able to laugh. “…because I got a ton of tattoos. I don’t know if you would’ve approved that but…yeah. I already took them off, though…in the most violent way you can imagine. But I’m doing good.”

His sentences, like it always happened, were met with cold silence, as Adrian ceased caressing the name and hugged himself, feeling the bandages that were wrapped around his body; the wounds barely hurt anymore, though. After all, they had been treated by a prodigy healer; the process was supposed to be this fast.

“I hope you’re doing good too.” Adrian said, taking a deep breath, before staring at his feet.

If he had to find a word to describe what he had been feeling since the battle of the cathedral, that word would’ve been “shock”. Because, there in the cathedral, it had been the first time somebody had told him what he had done. And his heart had been feeling heavy ever since , and Adrian didn’t know how he was going to get up from this one.

Maybe he wouldn’t.

Maybe it was something that would torment him forever unless he got help, which didn’t seem so unlikely, given that he had his dads were supportive and also willing to help him go through the process and everything.

But everything was way too heavy, just…

Knowing what he had done, even if it hadn’t been directly his fault.

“Something that seems…extremely weird, in the good sense…. Is that…” Adrian coughed. “I crossed paths with the little girl you were trying to save, and you would be happy to know she’s an amazing person…and…well…she’s my girlfriend now so, you know…she…she’s just amazing, and I love her; I guess you would’ve loved her too...”

His voice was starting to break, but Adrian chose to continue, adjusting his glasses using his pinky and sniffing.

“She’s also very broken. But she’s trying to get better, and forgive…” He said. “….I like to believe you would forgive me too, you know? Because I…I don’t know. We both know what happened. And I…”

I’m sorry.

“I loved you so much. I still do. I’m sorry my fear of losing you was bigger, until it took you away. You didn’t deserve that.” Adrian had no longer control over his shaking hands. “You were supposed to be here; to meet Nova; to be with me and I’m…I’m sorry I…I’m so sorry, mom.”

He shook and shivered, but he didn’t cry.

Not yet.

Because when he touched his mother’s headstone again, he just remembered the texture of her skin; it was always soft and warm, although her hands were a little calloused, and she smelled like violets and sun (even if people tended to insist on the fact that the sun didn’t smell like anything); he remembered how he wrapped his legs around her waist as she held him into her arms and danced with him around the apartment to Have You Ever Seen the Rain, although Adrian didn’t understand the lyrics back then and he was yet to have the guts to listen to the song again; he remembered how Mom spun around, kissing his nose, and at some point she got so lost in the moment, that her feet lifted up from the ground.

That had been a good day. And those had been a good 6 years. And while Adrian rested his head against the headstone, he almost felt the fabric of her pants, as he saw her taking out her Lady Indomitable costume and begged her to stay at home, just for today.

Now that he was older, he had grown to accept that had been her job, and he was her legacy, although not everything that was left of her.

This world. The whole twisted yet powerful everything this world had, was what was left of Georgia Rawles. And Adrian would forever be proud she was his mom, just like he was proud Hugh and Simon were his dads. Because he had fallen in the safest place he could think of.

Adrian remained like that for a while, pressing his forehead against Mom’s headstone until, through the thick blank noise, he heard knocking; three gentle knocks on the gates by the entrance, which made him jump.

And, when he turned around, all he could see was Hugh.

Which…didn’t surprise him at all.

He was wearing a jacket and jeans, but Adrian could see that his blue shirt was the one he often wore to sleep; besides, he was fidgeting with the car keys between his fingers, which only confirmed what Adrian had been thinking before leaving the house.

He should’ve had notified his dads he was leaving early; he had risen with the sun, only to be here in the cemetery before everyone else could. But he hadn’t told Hugh or Simon.

And, lately, Simon had been having trouble to sleep, so by the time the sun was rising, he often went to Adrian’s room and slept on the couch; he supposed he had tried to do that, and then he hadn’t found him, which led to immediate chaos.

Yet, Hugh didn’t seem mad.

In fact, once he put the car keys inside his pockets, he smiled.

“Mind if I join you?”

Adrian didn’t answer, but Hugh understood it was a positive answer anyway, so he went ahead; the sound of his steps created a faint echo, and when he was next to him, Hugh wrapped an arm around Adrian’s shoulder, gently.

Then, they both stared at the headstone in silence, as if they both were having their own private conversation with Georgia, in a crowded, yet very intimate scenario; a phenomena that went on until Hugh scoffed, laughing at his own thoughts, and looked at Adrian, saying:

“When your mother was pregnant, her baby bump remained hidden for quite some months; she only had a small bulge in her lower stomach…and we would always tease her about it saying that was just her abs..” He laughed. “…which would make her mad, of course. Georgia was such a mom. I feel like she really wanted to have a child, despite having acted as mom towards all of us…and she wanted to have a pretty baby bump, because she wanted to remind herself you were there….that, and cute maternity clothes, I guess.”

In response to the sudden comedy break, Adrian snorted, adjusting his glasses again.

“We can’t judge her.” He told Hugh. “We’ll never be pregnant, but we gotta admit maternity clothes are cool.”

“Oh, they were cool. And pretty expensive also. Geez, Adrian, thanks for forcing us into involuntary fasting.”

“Dad!” Adrian chuckled, punching him in the ribs, despite knowing Hugh hadn’t felt anything.

Hugh laughed with him, but his laugh, suddenly, became inexistent, and Hugh scratched his own chin, staring at the headstone. Smiling at it, and probably waiting for something that would not happen.

So he decided to speak again, although his voice sounded more hesitant, and the most…insecure Adrian had ever perceived it.

“Your dad was going crazy.”

Adrian already knew that, even if nobody had told him.

“…but I told him to calm down, because I just…knew you were here. It’s where I always come when things are rough.”

To that sentence, Adrian stared at his feet, but not yet pulling away from his father’s touch. He knew Mom and Hugh had been pretty close but, if he wanted to be honest, he had no idea he liked to come here to visit her.

“Adrian, you see…” Hugh didn’t stare at him either.

“Your mom was amazing. She was…one of the most amazing people I’ve ever meet, and I don’t think anyone that I happen to meet in the future will top her…she was an outstanding mom and just…the coolest best friend I could ever ask for.”

As Hugh’s body seemed to grow weak, Adrian felt the burning need to hold his hand, but it was far.

“…and I miss her every day, just like you; and your dad, and Tamaya, and Kasumi, and…” For a whole second, Hugh’s lips quivered when he came to the realization he had been this close to list Evander, before noticing he was also gone, so Adrian remained staring at him.

And Hugh stared back, his blue eyes looking vulnerable and just…

Weak.

So, so weak and tiny.

“You were her son. And she loved you more than I’ve ever seen a mother love her child…and I know how much you’re hurting, because I know Simon and I will never be able to fill the space she left…believe me, we’re not trying to replace her…but we’re doing our best to be enough.” He said.

“….and I understand your pain…and your grief and all the awful things you might feel when you realize you’ll never see her again…because, Adrian, I…” His lips quivered again, but this time Hugh didn’t mind to stop him.

However, Adrian could see he was choking and stumbling on his pride, which stood stubbornly in the way, until Hugh decided he was stronger, let go of Adrian and held his hand instead, tightly.

“…I need her too.” He said, almost relieved, as if a secret of a lifetime had slipped from his mouth.

“I need her so much, and I miss her so much…because she was...like a sister. She was my best friend and she’s gone, and I have to live without her and…Sometimes I feel so lost…and I just know...” As tears streamed down his face, Hugh sniffed and looked away.

“…I just know she would’ve known what to do; she would’ve known how to stop this world from falling apart… and if she were here, Evander would’ve met his baby.” Hugh stared at him again, hiccupping.

“And you look so much like her, Adrian. And I miss her so much.”

Unable to see through the fog in his glasses, Adrian removed them, as his own chest went up and down, and he barely had time to process this was the second time he had seen Hugh cry.

“I miss her too.”

And as they wrapped their arms around the other, they mourned Adrian’s mother in the most peacefully painful way possible, just the two of them, in a mausoleum full of flowers, in front of her headstone, coming to the realization that they were damaged; far too damaged, but since they were still sane enough to admit it, it wasn’t too late for them to get help; maybe they would get help, and things would finally get better when they escaped the stunted grief and all the pain Mom had left behind.

He hugged Hugh tightly as he could, feeling as if this was the first time he had ever hugged him, or hold him close.

And he felt something.

Through the dread and the pain, Adrian felt as Mom let go of his hand, leaving a cold emptiness on his wrist, which later turned into warmth due to his own temperature, and Hugh’s hold.

“Simon and you are enough.” Adrian sobbed.

“You’ll forever be enough, and I’ll never be able to put into words how much I love you.”

He meant it. Because, again, Adrian felt safe right there where he was; he felt safe in Hugh’s arms, just like he felt in Simon’s… but there were some things that needed some talking.

Things that needed some type of resolution.

Things that were awful.

Things that were broken.

Things that were shattered.

But when the world crumbled down, as long as people had the willingness to do it, it wasn’t too late to build it again.

And, after all, the first step into fixing something, was accepting the fact it was broken.

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nobody-wants-ice-cream · 4 years

Text

Everything Wrong With The Umbrella Academy. Episode 7, The Day That Was.

We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals

Run Boy Run

Extra Ordinary

Man on the Moon

Number Five

The Day That Wasn’t

Disclaimer: This is all in good fun! I wanted to do a really nitpicky re-watch of the series and found some really cool and interesting things I didn’t notice before. This is meant to have a Cinema Sins-esque tone. However, I did take off a lot more sins than Cinema Sins would have because I do genuinely like the series and the people that made it possible. So all of the good things got one sin off and all the bad things got one sin added. This is a really long post, so grab some popcorn. If there’s anything that I missed, feel free to add it!

I would also like to add that normally you wouldn’t watch a show this way. I am purposefully looking for mistakes, easter eggs, and other things that we’re not supposed to notice. I am watching not with the goal of entertainment, but for analysis. So most of the things that I sin, I am seeing for the first time.

Also, no I can’t do better. I am in no way qualified to give this level of criticism about anything.

[Look out for the fic challenge at the end! I’m tagging @tehmoonofficial @seven-misfits @princenewton @tua-koffee and anyone else who wants to try it. Tag other people if you would like!]

The Day That Was

The use of “One is the Loneliest Number” by Three Dog Night implies that this is Luther’s birth. I know that that isn’t what they’re trying to convey so this is a very weird song choice. It would be way too on the nose if it was Luther, but it would fit so well. In fact, before Pogo said that it was the culmination of a normal pregnancy, I thought it was Luther when I was first watchin it.Point is, scoring is important. +1

No one is attending to this mother which is why she dies. Seriously, if just one person in that room was with Harold’s mother then any problems would have been noticed far earlier. I know this show likes to kill off women to further the plot, but this one happens to be excessively stupid. +2

There’s a woman in scrubs who doesn’t appear to be sterile in the room. Even Harold’s father is sterile. For those who don’t know, I’m talking about a lack of germs. +1

Harold playing with the Umbrella Academy action figures is adorable and makes sense. However, why the hell would his abusive father buy these for him? Something doesn’t add up. Where did he get these from? Did he steal them? In that case, stealing is bad. Sin still stands. +1

Dr. Terminal better appear in season 2. -1

Ben’s action figure includes the horror. This makes sense, but then how did Ben pose for this? Did he just sort of stand like that and let the sculptor take liberties with what the horror looked like? How were these modeled and designed? +1

“Put those stupid dolls away and go get me a beer” obvious abusive father is obvious. +7

Also, abusive fathers. +7

I didn’t notice that Harold’s house is the same as Leonard’s house when I first watched it because of the change in angle and lighting. This is clever. -1

Has anyone taken a good look at the Klaus action figure? That thing looks ridiculous! +1

Harold stops to look at a comic now and not later when his Dad isn’t demanding a beer. Then again, I am questioning the logic skills of a thirteen-year-old. So this sin is once again for the abusive dick for for not letting Harold be a child. +1

Seriously, where did Harold get all this stuff? Merch is expensive. And so are suit jackets. And tape. And a whole bunch of his supplies. +1

Seance seems pretty popular. Good. I love Klaus. But there is no indication that he did anything during missions, so why do these people love him? Show me his charisma or something? Give young Klaus a scene that shows why the people love him. +1

Are these barriers only there after missions? And if this is normal enough that there are barriers, then why aren’t there more people hounding the academy when Five runs away for example? How famous are these kids? +1

Harold you poor child. He even packed a bag and everything. Reggie is not better than your abusive father. Sin for Harold’s father and for Reggie. +2

No one stops Harold from jumping over the barrier. Not even the other fans saying something like “dude don’t do that”. Nothing. Who is enforcing these barriers? +1

Luther walked out of the car first and now he’s behind Allison. Since when does Luther have Five’s power?+1

Allison looks really uncomfortable. How many grabby fans has this young girl had to deal with? +1

Eden Cupid plays this really well. -1

How many grabby fans has Eden Cupid had to deal with?? +1

Reggie orders Harold behind the barricades. So is it Reggie enforcing it? Or what? +1

If it’s the academy enforcing it through Reggies orders then why didn’t Diego, Klaus, or Ben stop Harold? Or does this not matter because Luther was in front of them? This is confusing. Where is everybody? +1

Reggie is a dick. “You have no power”. Is that really the best way to deal with the situation? A better man may have said something like “You may not have powers but that doesn’t mean you aren't special. Run along now.” But then again, this is the same dick that drugged his daughter because he couldn’t control her powers so yeah. Fuck you, Reggie. +3

In the wide shot, Harold’s suitcase disappeared and some policemen magically appeared out of thin air. +1

Why are all these people laughing at Harold? After what Reggie just said there should be outrage? What the hell, people? +1

Some of these people include grown ass adults. +1

Reggie manhandles Harold and no one questions this. +1

Second hand embarrassment and shame. I really feel for this kid. -1

Where are the little umbrella mounts that the action figures are supposed to be standing on in this establishing shot of Harold’s collection? We see them on the collection in the academy. Is this supposed to imply that Harold stole them? I am confused. +1

We can see a piece of paper that has the words Klaus and Harold written on it in different colored crayon. Set designers, you win this one. -1

Why are the action figures going by their names instead of their hero names? It’s been established based on the posters the people had behind the barricades that “The Seance” and “Spaceboy” exist. So why the real names? If it’s because Harold is desperate for friends then the sin also applies. +1

In a close shot we can see that Harold must have taken those platforms off and glued them to this construction paper based on a weird deformity on Five’s foot. Sin still stands because Harold ruined those. In fact, I’ll add another sin, because this doesn’t explain how he separated them. If it was an exacto knife then sin for letting a child handle that. +1

Harold makes collages of the academy kids faces. Cute and a good set design choice. -1

You can see the moment when Harold decides to kill his father. That is some great acting, Jesse Noah Gruman. -1

You know, for all we rag on Harold for killing his abusive father, there are a surprising amount of fics in which the Hargreeves siblings kill their abusive father. Either we’re cool with killing abusive fathers or we aren’t, fandom. +1

Speaking of, we often use “cool motive, still murder” to describe this scene. But no one has a problem with the amount of people Five killed. +1

Harold got twelve years in jail even though there were signs of abuse. He had a bruise on his face! Any lawyer should have been able to get Harold out of jail. Even a public defender can’t deny this evidence. Harold should have pled guilty and he would have gotten a lighter, if no sentence at all. [I am not a lawyer, do not take this as legal advice. This is based on various crime shows and some law youtube channels. Also, don’t kill people.] +1

Why was Harold following Klaus? Popular theories include wanting to kill him or use him the way he uses Vanya. I am sinning this because it remains unclear. +1

The Leonard/Harold reveal is beautifully executed. This is how you do a plot twist. -1

Reggie refers to Klaus by name and by 00.04 in his journal. Why the inconsistency? If you know his name, why not use it all the time, Reggie? +1

In 2001, the kids were twelve. Reggie locked Klaus in the mausoleum as young as 12 and probably younger if the credit for 8 year old Klaus is anything to go by. +4

Reggie’s notes say that Klaus is resistant to this. No fucking shit, a child is resistant to facing their greatest fears with no support. +4

Title screen is on the umbrella in Reggie’s journal. Classy. -1

Five tosses Allison’s coffee behind him when he’s done with it. This goes back to his Apocalypse days, but you would think that sort of thing was frowned upon in the Commission. Or was really obvious during any missions he had as an assassin. Why is he doing this? +1

At the end of episode 6, Five slurps the coffee but here there is no slurp after “Who the hell is Harold Jenkins?”. +1

Leonard hears Five saying that he [Harold] is responsible for the apocalypse. This does not alarm Leonard in any way and he continues stealing Hargreeves’s action figure. +1

Also, Harold Jenkins happens to be in the academy right now as they’re talking about trying to find him. Choke on that irony. +1

Repeat scene shows no indication that the information Harold just got changed his reactions in any way. You would think that he would show a little fear or something? +1

Five isn’t treating his injury despite the fact that it’s causing him obvious pain and he has access to Grace and an infirmary because plot? They could easily have this chat in the infirmary while Five is getting stitched up. Five has been shown treating his injuries and does seem to possess more than half a brain cell, so not taking care of the shrapnel wound is a weird deviation in his character. +3

Speaking of brain cells, thank goodness Allison has one because she is the one asking relevant questions here. -1

Klaus and Diego are still pissed at Five for getting drunk while Hazel and Cha Cha attacked the mansion. Good job with the consistency in character motivation, writers. -1

“Temps Commission.” Maybe season 2 will give us the Temps Aeternalis. +1

Aidan Gallagher’s delivery is okay, but not stellar. I think it’s the tone that’s off. I think I’m judging him too harshly. This is hard to deliver because it’s an exposition dump seven out of ten episodes in. So this sin goes to the writers for making these paragraphs- not lines, paragraphs- that deliver information the viewer already knows. At this point, cut the scene short or show Vanya and Leonard again so we can skip the second Commission lecture. +1

And the reactions that Diego, Allison, and Luther have are so varied because they have such different levels of understanding. Allison, who knows the least, asks “What do you mean, protect time and space?” This level of info dumping this late is dumb. +1

“I look like a thirteen year old boy.” No you don’t. Real thirteen year olds do not look like fifteen year old Aidan Gallagher. For example, look up what Gallagher looked like when he was actually thirteen. +1

“Klaus talks to the dead” oh so we’re just stating the obvious now. Who wrote this scene? +1

How does Five know Claire’s name? Just one shot of a magazine in his apocalypse bunker was all we needed. The magazine that says Patrick and Claire are doing just fine without Allison would have made perfect sense. +1

If we don’t get Five and Claire meeting at some point istg. Sin until they meet.+1

Once again, Luther the moon and the apocalypse are connected, just not in the way you think. Reggie, you suck. +1

“Klaus you’re with me.” Diego and Klaus make a great team. -1

Five’s face when Klaus says he’s feeling under the weather. Considering Five’s injury, this makes sense for the character. -1

Five gives that look to Klaus. Five, you’re hiding a life threatening wound for no reason. You don’t have room to judge. +1

The old man walk looks ridiculous. Five is so obviously injured and Allison and Luther, who watch as Klaus, Diego, and Five walk away, don’t notice this odd walk. +1

We follow Hazel instead of Cha Cha because their story in this episode isn’t affected by Five’s time travel decision. However, the only part of this story we need is the part at the end of the episode. +1

Diego is driving, Five has shotgun, and Allison is in the back. They totally fought over who would sit where. That scene would have been way more interesting than the Hazel and Cha Cha repeat scene. Also, I kind of want to write about that fight now. You know Five wanted to drive. And that when Diego insisted on driving so he and Allison wouldn’t get in trouble for letting a minor drive or something like that, Allison and Five fought over the passenger's side seat. Well adjusted or not, fighting over that seat is what siblings do. +1

Allison, you could just waltz in there and ask for it. Don’t suggest that plan if you aren’t going to do that. +1

Five’s power or Allison’s power would be very useful, yet Diego choses to get the file himself. This wastes valuable time. And Five is okay with that. +1

Five refers to his powers as “blink” not “jump” which is what the fandom has been calling it. +1

Five has not slept at all in a couple days. And he’s making decisions about the end of the world. +1

Diego “made a call. That’s what a leader does.” But the call he makes is fucking stupid. This is a grab the thing and get out mission. Two people in the academy have powers that would work wonderfully for this type of mission. And they happen to be right there. Even with Allison refusing to use her power, it’s stupid to not have Five just blink in and grab it. Diego is a shitty leader. +1

Beeman just tells Diego that he is the prime suspect in Patch’s murder. This is so dumb on so many levels. Sigh. +1

Beeman has already said shit that would make him lose his job. At this point he’s arguing with Diego to pad the episode’s run time. +1

Whoever did Emmy Raver-Lampman’s makeup for this scene screwed up her brows really bad. Or maybe just her brow highlight is messed up. Or the blending on her eyeshadow. +1

Five is just sort of standing there and leaning against the wall. This is supposed to be another hint that he’s injured but it just looks stupid. +1

Allison’s heartfelt message to Vanya shows remorse and a genuine want for connection. -1

See! This cut where Allison doesn’t explain to Five and Diego who Leonard is because the viewer already knows and this can therefore happen off screen is good! Use this more if you’re going to do episodes like this. -1

Luther turns to alcohol because he doesn’t feel like he has any support. I’m sad now. Poor Luther! -1

And my sympathy disappears when Luther starts choking Klaus. That is some fucking bullshit. +1

I understand that Luther is drunk and not capable of complex decisions right now, but this seems excessively cruel. I think this is on the writers and not necessarily on Luther himself. +1

Why isn’t Ben seeing this? Later on, it’s like Ben didn’t see what Luther did here. This sin makes more sense later on in the episode. +1

Klaus is genuinely trying to make Luther feel better after Luther just choked him. Klaus is a good brother. -1

Klaus suggests going to find Allison. It’s like he knows what happened last episode. Oh, show. And yes, you can argue that Klaus knows that Luther and Allison were close. Then my counter argument would be that Klaus knows Allison is off saving the world. Yes, helping Luther is important, but Klaus can do it. Klaus needs more faith in himself. +1

Luther’s smile when Klaus calls him Number One and starts quoting poetry at him. “O captain, my captain.” -1

This immediately transitions into crying. My poor babies. +1

Klaus attempts to say “that’s not true” but can’t because he knows that Reggie is the type of person to send someone to the moon so he doesn’t have to look at them. Reggie is a dick. +7

Luther looks so lost and broken and sad. Tom Hopper, you asshole. I am actually crying a little bit. I’ll take a sin off because Tom Hopper made me feel emotions. -1

Robert Sheehan is an excellent actor. -1

Luther shoves Klaus out of the way with no regard to where he lands. What if Klaus’s head hit that furniture! +1

The Hazel and Cha Cha scenes would have been stronger if we left them in the last episode. Maybe one or two establishing things to show that they aren't affected by the time change and that’s it. All we needed was the order to not terminate Five and one of the messages. That’s it. +1

Hazel has a birdwatching book which shows that he wants to learn about Agnes’s interests. Cute. -1

They are trying to imply some kind of relationship between Hazel and Cha Cha! Cha Cha having feelings for Hazel doesn’t make sense. +1

“So do most serial killers and mass murderers. I mean look at him” “Thanks.” The delivery of “thanks” always bothered me. It could have used a little more sarcasm. +1

Diego doesn’t wait for Allison or Five to open the door. Nor does he let them offer suggestions. +1

Diego doesn’t even test the doorknob. Dumbass. +1

Diego seems like one of the competent siblings until he does this mission with Five and Allison, who have the family brain cells. This is amusing, but also makes me question the badass Diego moments. +1

If we don’t get more Five and Allison in season 2 imma riot. These characters work so well together. +1

The way they make fun of Diego together is peak sibling culture. -1

“You need to see this.” Please just stop giving Allison these bullshit lines. +1

Five’s run is weird. He’s lifting his knees really high. This is one of those things that I shouldn’t have noticed. +1

Bottom left poster. Klaus hit the woah sixteen years too early. +1

Harold had time to scratch their faces before going to jail or Leonard did this at some point as an adult. Creep. +1

He also mangled the action figures even further. +1

Five isn’t looking so hot because the plot demands it right now. He was perfectly fine cracking jokes with Allison earlier. +1

Looking closer at the wound, we can see that Five not taking care of it right away is total fucking bullshit. That looks serious and like it could get infected easily. Five, who grew up in an apocalypse, would know to take care of shit like that. If he didn’t then he would have died in the Apocalypse.+1

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Diego would be excellent at cinema sins. +1

Five doesn’t answer this question because the answer is “The writers needed a convenient way to get me out of the picture for a couple hours.” +1

Harold’s father took him fishing. I don’t want to know why. +1

“We don’t have to stay here. We can just get a shitty motel or something.” Or ya know, go back to your apartment, Vanya. Or is Vanya’s apartment like Five’s injury in that it only exists when the plot needs it. +1

Off topic, but why is Vanya talking about chord progressions with her beginner violin student. Chords and violin don’t go together when you first start learning. This is a weird example. +1

Leonard is a manipulative bastard. He knows exactly what to say to make Vanya bend to his will. +1

We aren’t even halfway through the episode and I have been doing this for over two hours. This says a lot about the kinds of sins this episode has. Right now we’re at the end of page 6. +1

Vanya followed Leonard to a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere. They’ve known each other for less than a week. I wouldn’t trust some of the people I’ve known for years the way Vanya trusts Leonard. +1

Hazel has known Agnes for less than a week and now he wants to run away with her. +1

Agnes is willing to run away with Hazel despite knowing him for less than a week. +1

Hazel and Agnes are using the “Life is short” thing, which it is, especially with the impending apocalypse, but that doesn’t change that they’ve known each other for less than a week. +1

“Her job’s her life.” so why don’t you show that, show? Cha Cha’s motivations make no sense. +1

Hazel and Agnes theme! I love that piece. -1

The way Hazel is holding her looks really funny. I am amused. -1

Ben pressuring Klaus to help Luther despite all the physical harm Luther did to Klaus. I am sinning this again. Why didn’t Ben see this? Or does he just not care? This is either a sin for the show for not remembering where Ben is or a sin for Ben for not caring about his brother. +1

Ben creates a shadow but he is supposed to be invisible. I don’t think that’s how light works. Is Klaus the only person that can see Ben’s shadow? Is Klaus sober enough that he’s starting to make Ben corporeal? How does this work? +1

Right now if anyone looked in that alley, Klaus would look fucking crazy. +1

The guy walking past doesn’t care that Klaus is talking to nobody right now. +1

“You weren't ready to die violently at a young age” yeah. Seventeen, based on the portraits. Why does Ben’s ghost not look bloody? And why does he look like he’s in his late 20s? Ben should still look seventeen right? If Justin Min, age 29, is meant to be playing a 17 year old, then I have some issues. +1

Can Ben sweat? +1

The “if you were in trouble” line is delivered really well. Nice. -1

Ben’s tough love is more of a pep talk now. I like this version of Ben. He’s a little misguided, but he sort of gets the spirit. Heh spirit, Ben, get it? -1

“We should have taken him to the hospital” Allison would be excellent at cinema sins. +1

“We gotta get the shrapnel out.” Yeah, but that is not priority one right now. Is there any pressure on the wound right now? +1

This repeat scene with Diego and Grace makes sense because it’s at a different time. -1

“Seven bars, three strip joints, and a laundromat.” Why the laundromat? +1

Ben’s shadow is even more pronounced now. +1

Convenient rave girl talking to herself about Luther with a good description is convenient. +1

“Holy Shit” said in unison. Nice. -1

Ben and Klaus wouldn’t know about Luther’s monkey transformation, so the reaction checks out but not the description. Maybe “big” was why they decided to check it out? +1

Rave girl thinks Luther is a furry. This is funny. -1

Luther offers Klaus drugs. That’s nice, I guess. -1

Offering your newly sober brother drugs. +2

Ben is honestly a life coach from hell. “Stay strong don’t give into temptation.” Remember your mantras. Meditate. Drink lots of water. +1

Though, that does make sense. A dead guy would be a shitty life coach. +1

What’s with the weird light on the pill that Klaus threw? Is that a secondary power? Being able to find drugs? +1

No one steps on or trips on Klaus, who is crawling around on the floor in a room full of high/drunk/whatever people. +1

Klaus’s flashbacks. Putting my boy through trauma. +1

Dave turns into the pill because the pill symbolises everything holding Klaus back from summoning Dave. Symbolism. -1

Grace is treating Five’s shrapnel wound in his room instead of the infirmary. +1

“Receptionist at her music school” wait. Vanya has another job teaching music? She has three jobs? How in the hell did she have time to do any of this stuff? +1

Allison’s face when Diego says Luther was right. That was amazing. Emmy Raver-Lampman, you genius. -1

The City has no people around right now other than Diego, Allison, and the cops. +1

“Why would you ask that about me?” because you carry pointy things and throw them into people, Diego. That’s why Allison asks if the police are right about you murdering someone. +1

Allison would be excellent at cinema sins. She reiterated my last point. +1

Why did they send that many cops to go arrest one guy? Did they expect the entire academy to fight them? +1

“You killed a cop, asshole.” Rodriguez did the police academy teach you nothing? You can’t say shit like that to a suspect? +1

Finally, someone reads Diego his Miranda rights. Doing the bare minimum is impressive for these cops. +1

Diego, you edgy bastard. Spitting on the ground? Great. Make these people even more pissed off then they already are. +1

Vanya’s power is mostly destructive and Leonard should know this based on the book. So why is he trying to get her to summon a boat? Or destroy a boat? This doesn’t make any sense. +1

“I watched everything my brothers and sister could do ruin their lives.” The Umbrella Academy in a nutshell. +1

Also, if you saw this, then why the fuck did you want powers, Vanya? +1

“Do I stare really hard? Am I supposed to point my fingers?” Actual conversation Ellen Page had with the director somehow made it into the show. +1

This scene is so underrated. It’s so funny watching the music swell and nothing happen. -1

“I look and I feel ridiculous. I have no idea how they did this stuff with a straight face.” -1

“You are so invested in this.” Yeah, girl. Red flag. +1

Convenient burning not obscuring the words of the “terminate Hazel” message is convenient. +1

Do we really need the repeat of Cha Cha getting the message? +1

Cha Cha doesn’t notice Hazel behind the curtain despite being a trained assassin. This is why Five was the best. +1

Hazel doesn’t kill Cha Cha. +1

Netflix subtitles have Ben saying “Oh shit, Luther” when it’s clearly Klaus saying that line. +1

Klaus’s desire to help his brother is stronger than his need for drugs. -1

For whom the bell tolls? The bell tolls for Klaus. +1

Little Girl on a Bike God takes her lines directly from the comics. -1

She plays the pronoun game with Klaus despite Her being all knowing. Or She does this to be an asshole. +1

The barber shop looks like a little barn from the outside. Clever misdirection. -1

“Nite Owl Barber Shop” -1

“Barber banter may offend” no kidding. With Reggie working there, need I say more. -1

The pictures of Luther, Diego, Reggie, Dave, Five, and possibly young Ben on the wall. -1

Five’s hair looks really dumb in the photo aslkdj;gaf. -1

Artful close up shot of Robert Sheehan’s face. -1

Reggie is a dick. “What in God’s name took you so long?” Maybe he didn’t want to see you, asshole. +1

Was Colm Feore actually shaving Robert Sheehan? +1

I am going to sin Reggie being a dick in advance here so I don’t have to sin every line. +20

Klaus brings up an interesting point. How did Reggie know about the apocalypse? +1

Klaus is crying when Reggie says that he killed himself to bring them all back together. On some level, Klaus cares for this man. Empathy. -1

Just as Reggie starts to say something important, he disappears because of course he does. If the characters actually spoke to each other about important things then there would be no plot. +1

Klaus was dead and now he’s not. Why didn’t he wake up in the apocalypse? +1

Kenny’s mom sighting. She’s at the rave. +1

Leonard pays these guys to beat him up. Did he also give them a script? +1

Vanya’s powers activate when the rain starts but only become visible when she fears for Leonard’s life. Good choice. -1

Hazel doesn’t kill Cha Cha. Killing her would help him out in so many ways, yet he doesn’t do it. Or remove his tracker. Or her tracker. Or anything. +1

“I’m in love” You’ve known her for a couple days at best. +1

“Wake up and smell the coffee.” This is part of the reason why I headcanon Five’s coffee addiction came from the Commission. +1

Hazel can’t bring himself to kill Cha Cha after she threatens him and the woman he “loves” because of years of friendship in a job he hated? That she loved? I’m confused. +1

Allison is going after Vanya alone. She is going to this cabin in the woods alone. Horror Movie 101, Allison. +1

Now Ben looks concerned. All it took was Klaus’s literal death. +1

Luther and the rave girl are both too high to consent? I don’t like the vibes. +1

Diego is in jail because of his own stupidity. +1

The police didn’t give him back his sling. The man is walking around with a gunshot wound, assholes. +1

The shot of the eye before the camera focuses on Five symbolizes Five putting the apocalypse before everything. -1

Vanya looks so scared in the hospital. Excellent acting. -1

The shot of the eye also reminds us that the eye exists at all which makes the eye reveal more dramatic. -1

Overall Review:

Okay, so if episode 5 is where the viewer truly learns what’s going on, then episode 7 is when everything truly comes together. All the loose plot threads fit themselves together in this episode. In fact, you could argue that the Leonard/Harold eye reveal is the most important reveal after the whole Vanya has powers reveal. The eye makes sense now.

You know what? I challenge all the fic writers who read this to write a “watching the show” style fic, but only using this episode. Drop this episode on them in the middle of one of the early episodes and then have them try to stop the apocalypse based on it. Tag me when you’ve posted it and/or gift it to cherriesareneat on ao3. I will probably be writing my own version of this at some point.

There are a ton of great moments in this episode. The important beats being the Harold/Leonard reveal, Five’s injury, Luther at the rave, Klaus’s death, Reggie’s reveal, Vanya’s powers reveal, and the eye reveal. These were mostly well executed with the exception being Five’s injury.

Also, let me know if you prefer the long sins/short analysis style I’ve been trying out recently.

Total: 152

Sentence: What is character motivation? Where am I? I am confused.

#The Umbrella Academy #all in good fun #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #Allison Hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #leonard peabody #harold jenkins #show warnings apply #especially in this episode #take care of yourself

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overlyobsessedgaygal · 5 years

Text

Subjects

Virgil was strapped to an operating table, his whole body tried to buck away from the searing chemicals that had been poured onto his body. Screams of torment left his mouth. This was hell on Earth, this was Virgil's life.

At least he go to share this life with his brother and brother-in-law. In fact as he writhed in agony he could hear his family reacting to their youngest member’s pain from the birdcage they called home. Patton sobbing loudly as Roman tried to convince the humans to let Virgi go. “Please! Please, the serum isn't working. Just let my brother go. Please.”

Virgil sucked in a breath through his teeth as the chemical finally finished pouring onto him. His skin was still bubbling with what would, no doubt, be welts and blisters. The scientist picked up his recorder and spoke into it, as if Virgil wasn't on the verge on unconsciousness.

“Subject 09 shows verbal signs of pain upon first contact with the substance, physical symptoms seem to indicate severe burns. No lacerations or deformities,” the human continued to speak into the recorder as Roman struggled to shake the bars of their cage and free himself.

Virgil attempted to pull in a deep breath without crying but he couldn't seem to pull any air into his shaky body. Panic set in. He began to thrash around violently in his restraints, tears falling from his eyes, blood gushing from fresh blisters being popped, eyes darting everywhere as he tried to find an escape.

Roman called out to his little brother as Patton screamed for the scientist to do something. “Virgil, please! Just listen to my voice, Virge!” Roman coaxed. Virgil's blood creating rivers of scarlet that spread across the steel surface, his screams multiplied by the echo of the spacious lab and his tears reflecting the spotlight aimed directly at him. Roman couldn't bare to watch.

As Virgil became slower the scientist began to describe the display he had just witnessed into his recorder. When Virgil dropped limp onto the table the only reaction from the monstrous human was a simple, “possible death of subject 09.”

Roman felt his world spin as everything came crashing down around him. His baby brother couldn't have left him. He promised he wouldn't. They were supposed to be together forever. Patton threw his arms around Roman's neck and the two of them collapsed into the bars.

Sound seemed to flicker in and out as Roman’s sense of time seemed frozen. Patton was sobbing harshly, muttering pleas to any God that would hear it.

“Subject…signs of pulse...alive...test two…” the scientists words faded out again. Patton kissed Roman, it was lacking the love they often shared, it was harsh. A distraction. At first Roman couldn't figure out why and then it clicked into place with his brother's screams.

Virgil wasn't dead. The scientist was continuing his tests.

Virgil never spoke again. When he was returned to the cage with the two older tinies, three days later, he stared at them with wide haunted eyes and said nothing. No matter how they coaxed or pleading Virgil refused to say anything, he just buried himself deep into his patchwork hoodie and remained firmly planted in the far back of the cage.

The burns decorating his throat and marring his face may have been a valid reason but the tinies had no way of knowing if there was any permanent damage done to the teenage boy physically, or if it was only mentally.

Eventually Patton became the victim of the same product, Virgil was no longer showing verbal responses so he couldn't represent the symptoms accurately. Patton only had eight days of testing before the company sold out.

The new company was owned by Dr. Logan Berry. The old scientist, a rival of the new owner apparently, threw Patton and the others into an airtight glass container and disposed of them in the dumpster.

Patton was shaking from exhaustion as he let himself lay back against the wall, pulling Virgil into his chest he called out in a raspy voice for his lover. “Roman, Dear, please stop banging. We won't be getting out of here. Come cuddle with us, let's let this happen peacefully.”

Roman paused in slamming his fist against the glass wall for a mere second before hitting it again, with all his might. His fists were bruised and his breath was short.

Behind him Virgil whined. Roman spun to see his lover and his brother looking at him with dull eyes, acceptance painted across their features. Roman couldn't protect them from being tortured but he had to protect them from this. He couldn't just let them die like this. All that pain for nothing but to end up dying, surrounded by black plastic and rotting food as starvation slowly claws it's way through their stomach.

“Roman, please,” Patton said as soft his his scratched throat would allow. “Just come to sleep with us. Going to sleep together, the three of us together, it can't be all that bad.”

Roman slowly walked over and then dropped to his knees beside them. He wrapped his arms around them both and witnessed Virgil bury his head into Patton's chest while pressing back against Roman.

Patton offered Roman a defeated smile. “We promised to never leave without each other, that promise is going to be kept.”

Roman smiled at his lover and down at his brother. “Wherever I go, I'll have you two in my arms.”

Virgil made a noise of contentment before he let his head fall against the solid wall. He was the first to let his mind slip into the blank darkness that awaited them.

Logan examined each new room thoroughly to be sure they were all supplied like promised. His assistants, Thomas and Dee, followed behind him in a much happier mood than the critical scientist.

“This place is great Logan! Think of how many projects we can start here!” Thomas cheered. Dee agreed enthusiastically.

The two assistants ran into the next lab room and began to search around. Logan glanced at his checklist before looking around. “Hmm,” Logan made a noise of confusion and both the assistants stopped to look at him.

“Uh-oh,” Dee commented, “what is it?”

“There are supposed to be three test subjects homed in this lab,” Logan glanced around once more. He spotted an empty birdcage and walked over to investigate.

“It seems as though they've been removed. Curious,” Logan debates in his mind. It wasn't odd that people want to take most of their projects with them, however he had been sold three test subjects as claimed by the paperwork.

“Ah, who cares?” Dee shrugged. “We don't need them anyway.”

Logan nodded sharply. “That is true. They didn't increase the value of the building so it's no great loss. Thomas take this cage to the trash, it's in to poor condition to be used any further.”

Thomas took the cage as Logan handed it to him. The cage had rusted over in many parts and had paint flaking off. The assistant made a disgusted face at it as he found the back exit. He hoisted the lid off the dumpster and tossed the cage in.

Just as he let go of the cage he noticed a glass tank with a mass of flesh inside. Horror washed through the human as he screamed for his associates. He didn't hesitate to haul himself halfway into the dumpster and reach for the tank.

“Thomas, what is the iss-” Logan began to ask as he opened the door, only to cut himself off as he seen his assistant throwing himself into the dumpster.

“Why are you in the trash?” Dee asked with a raised eyebrow.

“There are living creatures!” Thomas explained, not elaborating enough.

“Yes, Thomas. Rats and other living creatures make their homes in or around trash, it allows them to scavenge fo-” Logan had began to educate when Thomas cut him off in an exasperated tone of voice.

“They're not rats and they're locked in some sort of tank, now help me.” Thomas demanded. Dee and Logan shared a look.

Dee walked over and peeked inside of the dumpster only for his eyes to widened in surprise. “Dr. Logan, you might want to see this.”

Logan took note of the worried tone on his assistant's face and walked towards him with great haste. He reached them just as Thomas leaned back over the edge with an aquarium in his hands. Inside the aquarium were three tinies, huddled together.

Two adults and a child. The two adults were asleep, or at least Logan hoped it was sleep, but the child was staring up at them with empty eyes. If it wasn't for the blinking motion Logan would have sworn the child had passed on.

“Bring them inside the lab, quick. Get them out of there, Dee take my keys go buy some food they can eat. Thomas set them on the counter and take the lid off of that container,” Logan barked out orders. The other two scrambled to follow.

Logan looked inside the dumpster and seen a tape recorder and a few scattered papers that he leaned in and fished for. He gathered them and brought it all inside, setting in on the back table of the lab Thomas was in. It was the lab where they had found the birdcage, Logan wondered if his two colleagues had put the clues together yet.

Thomas reached in the tank and picked up one of the limp adults first since their bodies were guarding the younger one. As Thomas gently supported the adult tiny, Logan observed the kid jerk and reach towards where Thomas was moving the adult.

“It's alright, little one, Thomas will not cause any harm to your friend,” Logan spoke softly. The tiny sent him an icy glare that shocked Logan. Once the tiny had raised his face all the way Logan was able to see chemical burns going from his mouth down, the scientist couldn't see how far they went and he questioned if he wanted too.

Thomas hesitated before putting his hand back in and reaching for the other adult. The kid angrily tried to shove his hand away. Thomas gave the kid an apologetic look as he scooped the child up instead. The kid whimpered and whined as he tried jerk off of the hand.

“Please, calm down. We wish you no harm.”

The reassurances fell on deaf ears. Thomas was able to safely get the tiny to the table and quickly retreated as the tiny began to thrash around, letting out what appeared to be screams.

Logan and Thomas shared heartbroken looks, a rare occurrence of Logan Berry showing his emotions. They eventually sat themselves down, realizing that the Tiny wasn't going to respond to any reassurances they could come up with.

The small Tiny had moved to lay on top of the adult, the adult responded by curling his arms around the kid. Dee eventually returned with a tray of hot food. Thomas and Dee cut up the chicken into small pieces to put with a small portion of rice. They made three small plates and brought one over.

The kid looked at the plate suspiciously. Dee spoke next. “It's not drugged. We have no need to test on you, currently. So just relax and eat for a moment.”

The tiny accepted Dee's explanation. He crawled off of the adult and over to the food. He glanced up at us before quickly digging in with his hands. Logan ignored his urge to scold the boy and tell him to use the small fork provided to him.

After the boy ate he went back over to the adult and fell asleep rather quick. Thomas carefully moved them back into the tank, since they didn't have anything more comfortable at the moment. As soon as they were sure the Tiny had fallen back to sleep and they checked the pulses of the adults Dee and Thomas left.

Logan took the chance to read through the paperwork. The child was Subject 09, he wasn't a child as he had turned eighteen a few days ago. He had suffered severe burns to the throat, along with trauma, that rendered him mute from one test. He was the brother of Subject 08.

Subject 08 was twenty-two years old, he hadn't suffered any physical symptoms from tests but he had suffered some mental defects from new brainwashing technology. He seemed to have a sexual relation with Subject 010 which was being studied, as gay relationships only present in the human race. He showed parental tendencies over subject 09.

Subject 010 was twenty-three, he had several scars from dissections and practice operations when he belonged to a medical school. He is claimed to be obsessed with subject 08 and show parental instincts for subject 09.

Logan set the papers aside and looked at the three people who had huddled back together. Logan may have bought a new lab but somehow he inherited three people with it, it may not be what he signed up for but Logan was always up for a challenge.

And these three would certainly cause that.

#patton sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #sanders sides #sanders sides g/t #g/t sanders sides #sanders side fic #kaytikittyfanfics

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emperorsfoot · 6 years

Text

Can we talk about how Kevin has never had a stable Father-Figure

Seriously.

Kevin Levin has never had a stable or consistent (or even really very positive) father-figure or male role model in his life. Don’t believe me? Lets take a look at his life!

Harvey Hackett

Kevin’s step father.

Admittedly, very little is known about Harvey since he only appears in one scene in one episode. But what we don’t know of him first hand, we can infer from dialogue.

In Harvey’s exchange with Kevin in “Ultimate Power Part 2″, we learn that even though Kevin was an 11-year-old child when they lived together, Harvey was afraid of him. Imagine what they must be like, to be a child that young and one of your two main care-givers, one of your parents is afraid of you. That would totally mess with a kid’s head. And -clearly- it did when in the exact same conversation Harvey says that Kevin destroyed the house and ran away from home. And before any of you say “well, doesn’t that just prove Harvey was right to be afraid of Kevin?”, let me remind you that KEVIN WAS A CHILD AT THE TIME!

He was only 11-years-old (or younger, we don’t know how long he was living on the streets). Children that young need care, understanding, encouragement and support! Especially special needs children. Say what you will, but a pre-pubescent kid with superpowers counts as a “special need” child. Children like that need their adult care-givers to understand them, or if not understand them, then at least make adaptations for them to better thrive. Not only did have clearly NOT do that for Kevin, but he also went one step father to openly admit to rejecting Kevin.

To a child that young, being fearful of them is indistinguishable from rejecting them. Kevin picked up Harvey’s fear and only saw a parent who didn’t want him.

So, he had a mental/emotional breakdown, used his unnatural super-powers to destroy their house, and ran away from home.

Or, from Kevin’s perspective based on what he told Ben in “Kevin 11″ from the Original series, his parents threw him our because they didn’t like having a “freak” for a son.

Kevin would see Harvey’s fear of him as a rejection and might run away from home imagining they would kick him out anyway. While Harvey would interpret Kevin’s destructive tantrum and running away as Kevin proving how “bad” a child he was instead of the cry for help that it actually was.

Both characters’ stories are true.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Harvey was a terrible parent and father-figure to Kevin.

Now, lets look at his second male role model and father figure.

Kwarrel

The inmate whom Kevin met in prison and took him under his wing.

I could argue that Kwarrel is Kevin’s most positive male role model. Because, honestly, in the short time that they knew each other, Kwarrel did more for Kevin than any other adult figure he ever met.

When Kevin first met Kwarrel he was newly trapped in the Null Void and newly sentenced to the prison Incarcecon. He was physically deformed by the Omnitrix and -as far as Kevin knew- permanently disfigured. Understandably, Kevin was angry, resentful, even hateful. One of the first scenes in the flashback that introduces Kwarrel is one of Kevin beating the crap out of other inmates and then asking for more.

Seeing through Kevin’s rage and hostility, Kwarrel approaches him and strikes up a friendship. Through their friendship Kwarrel helps Kevin, not only, let go of his anger, but also helps him learn how to better control and use his powers.

In the entire franchise, Kwarrel is the ONLY adult who works with Kevin constructively to develop and control his powers.

We also see that Kwarrel is the one who taught Kevin to absorb matter so that he wouldn’t have to rely on absorbing energy and rest madness, or disfiguring mutation, or both.

Sadly, Kwarrel was only with Kevin for less than a year before he was shot in the back and killed.

All of this can be seen in “...Nor Iron Bars a Cage” in the Ultimate Alien arc of the series. I highly recommend you go and give it a rewatch. It is one of my favorite episodes.

After Kwarrel dies helping Kevin escape from Incarsecon, he ends up running headlong into the path of our next terrible father-figure, and -quite possibly- the most toxic of all...

Proctor Servantis

A power-mad Plumber with much too much influence and privilege compared to moral fiber.

I could write chapters on this guy. But for this post, I’ll try to be brief.

When Kevin first meeds servants, he’s a ordinary human that’s employed by the Plumbers and stationed on the Null Void. He rescues Kevin from a pack of Vulpimancers that attacked him when he was wandering the Null Void an unknown amount of time after escaping Incarsecon (it could not have been that long since Kevin looks to still be between the ages and 11 and 12).

Saving Kevin’s life was great and all. I would not like the Ben 10 franchise nearly as much as I do if Kevin stopped being a character after the age of 12.

But almost immediately after meeting Kevin, Servants started manipulating him and using him. First just using his powers to conduct inhuman experiments on other children and aliens. Using Kevin’s Osmosian powers to graft alien DNA onto the genes of otherwise perfectly ordinary human children.

That quickly escalated into sending Kevin and the other children on black ops missions that would have been dangerous even for adults. He basically turned Kevin into a child-soldier and used him to make other child-soldiers.

Then, when Kevin and his team failed in one mission (the mission to kill Ben) Servants threw a juvenile tantrum and used the powers that Kevin gave him to wipe everyone’s memories and then ABANDON them to wander the Null Void alone.

Oh, but wait, not only did Servants wipe Kevin’s memory and abandon him to the equivalent of a Turkish prison/space Australia, but Servants ALSO created false memories to replace Kevin’s real one. There by erasing part of his past and part of his identity in the process.

And that leads me into our next weak and inconsistent father-figure...

Devin Levin

Our super-sexy space daddy that I just wanna... uh...

Anyway...

If you only ever watched Ben 10 up to the end of Ultimate Alien and nothing past it, then you would know Devin as a pure-blood Osmosian from planet Osmos V, whom married a human woman, Mrs. Levin, and had Kevin. And, from all appearances, did manage to live and be present in Kevin’s life for some time.

At least, there is a photo of Kevin with Devin in Kevin’s house. Its always hard to tell cartoon ages since they’re cartoons, but Kevin looks to be about 4 or 5 years old. That’s old enough to have vague memories of his father.

From the ONE and ONLY flashback we get of Devin, he appears to deeply love his son and wife and is not only willing to die for them, but in fact DOES die for them. He dies protecting Earth from total planetary destruction, and as Devin dies in Max’s arms his last words are to tell his wife and son that he loves them.

That sounds like a really great father-figure, right?

Except that he died when Kevin was 4. So, its not like he was ever actually present or active in Kevin’s life.

But worse than that, if you DO watch beyond Ultimate Alien and into Omniverse you will see that they ret-con Devin. They ret-con him OUT! Now, Devin never existed in the first place. Instead, he was a false memory constructed by Proctor Servants and implanted into the minds of Kevin Levin and Max Tennyson. In Kevin, so that the Osmosian would have a motivation to become a Plumber, team up with Ben and Gwen, and become a sleeper agent poised to spring when Servants reappeared. And, in Max’s mind so that Max would accept Kevin on the team without question and look out for him.

So, not only did Devin die, not only did Devin not exist, but Devin was just some little flourish to further nefarious schemes, a conspiracy, and an assignation plot.

So... fuck Kevin. Am I right?

But I’m not done. I saved the best for last. Are you ready for number five?

Max Tennyson

That’s right, Max mother-fucking Tennyson!

Now, before you all get angry and rage replay that I’m just a hater who hates Team Ben, please remember the Original Series. Please remember Max’s backstory. Please remember how they develop Max’s character of the course of the franchise, all the way from the OS, through AF/UA, to the end of Omniverse.

Max raised two children of his own. He is helping raise three grandchildren. He has LOTS of experience with children.

Max is a Plumber. He’s a space cop. An alien police. He has lots of experience with people with extraordinary and super-human powers. He knows how to deal with them, how to de-escalate situations with them, how to keep them from using their powers to hurt others. (Or at least, one would assume he knows these things since that’s a Plumber’s fucking job!)

So, what does Max do the first time they meet?

Abandons him! That’s what!

At the end of the episode “Kevin 11″ the first episode where we ever meet Kevin, the fight between Ben and Kevin doesn’t “conclude” so much as it just ENDS. There’s an explosion and -at first- Kevin is buried under a bit of rubble, which gives Ben the opportunity to return to Max’s side. But Kevin craws out pretty quickly after that. He’s conscious and ambulatory. Ben, Gwen, and Max SEE him. He’s just on the other side of the train tracks. Its not like its impossible for anyone to get to him. So, what does Max do?

He takes his own children and WALKS THE FUCK AWAY! He -literally- turns his back on Kevin the first time they met.

At this point in the franchise, Kevin is a homeless, rejected, unloved child with special needs, that no one in his life has ever tried to understand.

Max is a grown adult who has experience with both children and people with extraordinary powers. He is the best equipped person (possibly in the world) to be a care-giver to Kevin. But Kevin’s not his, so why the fuck bother!? Right?

Even when Kevin keeps showing up.

In “Framed” when Kevin is stalking Ben, posing as Ben, and committing crimes to frame Ben (which is, by the way, a cry for help), Max has another opportunity to help Kevin. And he wouldn’t even have to take care of the kid himself.

In “Framed” there was this other group tracking Kevin. Some kind of SWAT team that specialized in extraordinary cases. All Max had to do was tell those guy that “hey, this monster here is really just a disfigured child, you should take care of him” and then be on his way. But Max didn't even do that!

Just mentioning to that group which was clearly well funded, well equipped, and well trained, that this one monster they were trying to subdue was an unbalanced child who needed help would have been doing the BARE MINIMUM to help Kevin. Literally, the absolute minimum.

But Max wouldn’t do even that!

In fact, Max didn’t begin to give a rat’s ass about Kevin Levin until Proctor Servants had to alter his fucking brain! and give him fake memories of a partner who never existed.

Even then, Max STILL agreed with Ben when Ben decided it was better to kill Kevin than rehabilitate him during the Ultimate Kevin arc.

In short,

ALL OF KEVIN’S FATHER-FIGURES/MALE ROLE MODELS ARE TERRIBLE!

Its actually amazing he managed to become as well adjusted, helpful, constructive and GOOD, a person as he has.

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bakudekuficlibrary · 5 years

Note

hi! do you guys know of any good love triangle fics? maybe with bakugou and todoroki crushing on deku?

Hello! Here’s the link to our One-sided Todo/Deku + Jealous Bakugou mini-list. Below are the rest of the love triangle fics out there. Some aren’t confirmed as to whether or not the endgame is BakuDeku, and so I’ll make a note of which ones those are 😊 There are no repeats of the fics in the other list in this one, and this one is separated based on the one-sided ship.

-Ellie

24 Works.

Todo/Deku & BakuDeku & Kiri/Baku

The Other Side Of The Door by Dontmindme9 ( G | 130,129+ | 49/? )

Izuku becomes Prince Shouto’s personal servant. Because Izuku has to follow him around every day, they get really close. When Izuku gets lost while on an errand, Shouto does everything he can to find him again. Meanwhile, Izuku is saved by a wild Bakugou. Inside the angry teen, Izuku see’s a side of Bakugou that no one has taken the time to see. Both take a liking to the innocent green haired boy, and refuse to give him up.

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

Whatever It Takes by casschad ( M | 46,458+ | 15/30 )

Shoto and Kacchan are the sons of the Head of the League of Villains, and next in line to succeed when he retires. When they’re assigned a mission to spy on the All Might-led Hero Coalition, they set off with a few other villains to train alongside those with the best quirks in the hero capital undercover.

Enter Izuku Midoriya- a gifted trainer with a passion to find the best heroes to defeat the League of Villains. Meeting two very talented brothers with insanely powerful quirks has been nothing but a chore so far, but the three will come together to change the world as they know it, and maybe make it out alive.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence | Emotionally Abusive Parent]

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

[Abandoned] "Yeah..." I turned back around and he was waiting for me ( Not Rated | 1,180 | 1/1 )

“Sorry.” I hide my head from his face which was slowly turning into a smile.

“Did you think I’d believe that?” He questioned.

“No.”

“I didn’t, I know you Kacchan.” My heart ached. Was this lie bringing us closer together?

Fuck yeah.

I just nodded, my face red. He’s the only one who can call me that.

{ Curator’s Note: No endgame cause abandoned & orphaned }

Todo/Deku & BakuDeku

Wildfire by Tenkku ( E | 117,868 | 19/19 )

With his family in dire straits, omega nobleman Izuku is sent to marry the strongest alpha warlord, Katsuki Bakugo. But Bakugo wants nothing to do with him, and the marriage is for political and military purposes only. Izuku doesn’t see himself as a weak omega and wants to fight on the battlefield side-by-side with Bakugo. Izuku will find friendly comfort in Shouto Todoroki, the prince of the Western Territory, and Bakugo’s prisoner of war. Todoroki will see the qualities in Izuku that Bakugo refuses to see in a Dom-Omega mate, but Bakugo doesn’t like to share, especially when Izuku belongs to him. Izuku will do whatever he can to ensure that he stands beside his alpha mate on the battlefield and help to bring change to the hierarchy world of alphas. Izuku will have to choose between happiness with one alpha or duty with another; he can’t have both.

Go to Bed, Dumbass by sunsetsundae ( M | 37,128+ | 17/? )

"What the fuck are you doing here at two in the morning?" The blond male asked in a voice that was closer to a growl as he curled the weight he was holding.

"I could ask you the same question," Izuku replied with a small smile as he headed for the bench press.

[Internalized Homophobia]

Dreams Can Become Reality by KingKagura ( T | 140,679+ | 25/? )

Just as a quirkless young girl is about to give up on her dream, her destiny changes with the meeting of her idol, All Might.Midoriya Izuku is able to become a hero. After gaining the One For All quirk from All Might, Izuku embarks on her own action-packed adventure, full of friends, rivals, enemies, and romance.

Full House by Hana ( G | 12,881+ | 6/? )

"Izuku, honey you must endure it. I am sorry your mother is weak, but this is the only way I could support us since your father's death." Midoriya Inko says as she caresses her daughter's tear stained cheeks.-------------------------

It was so many years ago that Izuku and her mother had to work as maids for the Bakugou family. For her mother,she endured endless years of bullying from her master, and loneliness from her distant coworker who she could never confide in. Never in a million years would she think that they would both fall for her. Not only that, who would have thought a butler would have turned out to be an heir to the Todoroki company?

[Abandoned] Artifical Feelings by FujoshiKingdom ( T | 4,199 | 2/? )

Bakugo Katsuki was created for one reason: Protect Izuku Midoriya. Nothing Else.

Katsuki, a stubborn and prideful Demerian would not simply obey a timid human lacking self-preservation, yet he can't help but experience an unknown presence whirling in his stomach when he first laid eyes on the green-haired omega.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

{ Curator’s Note: Endgame unknown }

the green-eyed leviathan by amphitryte ( E | 21,904+ | 7/? )

Izuku Midoriya is a respected pirate who has voyaged the seas for years, creating a life for himself that was both fulfilling and satisfying. The crick in the neck for King Enji, Izuku finds himself with a bounty on his head to be brought back to the unruly tyrant dead or alive. However, another King, much younger and volatile than the one aforementioned, sinks his claws into Izuku first, and he has his reasons to keep the young buccaneer at his side.

Even better is the fact that the Crown Prince, Enji’s son, has also been taken by this hot-tempered King. Thrown into a rowdy mix of politics, drama, and scandal, Izuku will fight to obtain his life again. That won’t be easy, however, when he has two sets of royal stares tracking his every move with interest, curiosity, and lust gleaming in their eyes.

omegaverse | pirate au

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

Gifted with a Curse by JunNoAce ( E | 29,371+ | 5/? )

Updated to Explicit for future chapters. There will be sex and some possible deaths and possible trolling to readers. Main ship is KatsuDeku, some others may be present.

~~~~~~~~19 year old Izuku and his mother moves in a new village in the country side.Izuku has the strange hobby of studying and learning about the mysteries behind magic, curses, and so on.He meets Shoto a traveler who seems to have been on many adventures. Izuku is very curious about what stories the boy may have to tell but feels embarrassed by how nice the other treats him.One day his mother leaves to visit a shop in their old town and doesn't make it back home on time. Izuku worried goes to search for her and comes across an old castle.Here is where he meets him, a cursed Lord Katsuki filled with rage and with the appearance of a beast.

Meteor by kxro_2 ( E | 5,523+ | 2/? )

Midoriya didn't remember the meteor that hit Japan 10 years ago and injured him, nor did he realize his body was changing in complex ways due to it. Worry not! A prestigious school had recently opened up and only accepted the victims of injury of the meteor, due to the blood deformities it caused.

Katsuki realized how toxic he had been towards Midoriya when they were kids, which is why he pushed him away and refused to talk to him. He wanted to make things work out, but he was horrible at it.

Todoroki was just interested in the pleasant smelling boy and wanted to maybe court him. Maybe not, since all he got were death glares from a jealous Katsuki

A/B/O AU No superheroes

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

He’s Mine by TheCommonPerson ( E | 1,364+ | 1/? )

Izuku was a rare nine-tailed fox, one of the last of his kind. His parents were killed when he was only three, and soon after the renown eight-tailed alpha lion, All-Might found him. A few years later when Izuku turned ten, he experienced his first heat and presented as an omega soon after that All-Might was called away and Izuku, was then left in the care of Shoto Aizawa, a four-tailed beta lone wolf. For five years Izuku lived in the central mountains with Aizawa until one harsh winter forced them from their home, they traveled into the eastern territories until they reached the cusp of the thick eastern forests where the beginnings of the eastern plains began.

The Bakugou pack controlled the Eastern forest while the Todoroki pride controlled the Eastern Plains, settled in the disputed land where the plains and the forest meet, Izuku encounters Katsuki the Six tailed Alpha wolf heir to the eastern forests pack and Shoto the Seven tailed Alpha panther heir to the eastern plains pride. Both Shoto and Katsuki view Izuku as their mate to be, and both intend to take him by whatever means necessary.

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

Autumn Leaves by aftermath24 ( T | 28,713+ | 6/? )

It was a comfort that not many people had – to be able to pinpoint the exact moment their brains decided to go insane. For Izuku Midoriya, he'd be able to point at this moment with great confidence - the moment he saw nothing but empty clothes, and, instead of the classmate or even that loud blonde boy that he'd accidentally fallen on, a rat and a cat glaring at each other.

The fruits basket AU, where people turn into animals on physical contact

SeriesPart 1 of Nightbird

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

[Abandoned] A Poppy in the Field by Midnight_Solstice ( M | 8,540 | 4/10 )

Shouto gets a glimpse of his future with the help of the future-seeing quirk from one of his father’s sidekicks, and finds out he dies protecting the person he loves the most at the age of eighteen.

He doesn't know what to make of this information, so he simply turns a blind eye towards it.

After all, Todoroki Shouto doesn't... "fall in love".

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

[On Hiatus] Witch's Heart by Xyerose ( M | 5,953+ | 2/? )

Midoriya was fortunate enough to be a survivor of the Witch Hunt, one that wiped nearly the entire population of witches. He lives his life in complete solitude with his mother and his childhood friend, Bakugo Katsuki, encompassed within a world of false security and comfort. Within a flash, it all changes when the humans find him.

Right in front of his very eyes, his mother is burned at the stake.

...Enter Todoroki Shoto, the Witch Hunter with a wish he'd be willing to risk his own life for.

[ TW: Mentions of rape/non-con elements. I don't condone rape in any way nor do I support it. There is no actual rape within the story and there never will be. ]

[Graphic Depictions of Violence | Rape/Non-Con | Dehumanization]

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

Dramatic Love by AsakuraHannah ( T | 2,428+ | 2/? )

It’s more than just triangle love. It’s something your heart decides who you should stay with, even through hard time.

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

Summer Breeze by CapersAndPines ( T | 5,293+ | 5/? )

Summer AU! Todoroki and Midoriya were childhood friends separated by distance and time. Summer has come and a mysterious boy has appeared. Is this what they call fate? Where does the summer breeze intend to take them?

{ Curator’s Note: Unclear endgame }

Izu/Ocha & BakuDeku

Of What ifs and time machines by Maru_Chan ( T | 47,765+ | 7/? )

Because the harsh reality was, that Izuku Midoriya was getting married tomorrow afternoon, and that no matter how Katsuki felt about it, there was nothing he could do to change that fact.

Or maybe there was.(Or: in which Bakugou Katsuki gets the bad end, and later gets another shot at rewriting it.)

Not Stated

You get a heart by Nephel_Cloud ( E | 35,486+ | 6/? )

At four years old, Izuku was deemed quirkless and useless for the world, his one close friend that he had trusted left him.His confidence and hope dimnished little by little as the years passed, the bullying adding more damage to him than only the physical scars.On a day, where everything seemed to happen at once, his life suddenly turned around. His hope had dimnished, but not the still colorful and detailed dream of becoming a hero. Unexpectedly, he finds help on his way to his dreams, and a rekindled relationship between two childhood friends ensue. How will the road towards heroism play out, for both of them?

[Graphic Depictions of Violence | Underage | Sexism]

{ Curator’s Note: This work has the “Love Triangles” tag, but I can’t find where it states who is involved in the love triangle. }

His Kingdom by ElopeToTheSea ( M | 15,462+ | 4/15 )

"The kingdom or him?" Ochako asked. Her voice was low, full of disdain. "What will you chose?"

Izuku smiled, there was no fear in him. There was nothing he could ever regret in that second.

"My answer hasn't changed, princess," he responded. "And it never will."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Pitiful."

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

{ Curator’s Note: Same thing. Love Triangles tag, but unclear who is involved. }

The Dragon King's mate by twilightwings ( E | 23,424+ | 7/? )

Izuku decides to go after a rare flower that only grows, on a mountain in the Dragon King's territory. She discovers someone from her past living with the dragon, she is plunged into his world where she fell in love with him all over again. however there a noble knight who wants her hand in marriage. But However, there something sinister in the wake, when is a threaten force from the past is threating to return.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

{ Curator’s Note: Same thing. }

HypoThalamus [Hiatus] by ToxicPooPoo ( Not Rated | 41,131+ | 7/? )

Coming across old friends wouldn't cause you to discover more about the global mass murderers, an unusual dreaming ability, and the problem of seeing too much, yet Izuku Midoriya found himself in these conditions. The boy is driven by his concealed passion to rescue the innocent despite how illegal it is. With four hours of sleep every night and a hidden power that no one has acknowledged, he manages to complete vigilante duties at midnight. Izuku soon realizes that secrets aren't permanent, tragedies are the future's best friend, and that you should never ever play with fire.

Going on a hiatus, I'm not really motivated to continue this at the moment. I have another fanfic idea involving cool lookin' creatures and I wanna do that first since I'm more into that. When I get ahold of that fic, I'll also try to write these chapters and then post them every week when I feel it's where I want it to be.

{ Curator’s Note: You already know it babey. Read the notes above. }

Todo/Deku & BakuDeku & Shin/Deku

Why Me by Nonstopshipper ( T | 1,196 | 1/1 )

“Will you go out with me!!!”Izuku found himself surrounded by 3 people all asking for the same thing.

{ Curator’s Note: No endgame }

Todo/Deku & BakuDeku & Kiri/Deku

[Abandoned] We Found Love in a Hopeless Place by rap_cinna_mon ( G | 1,698 | 2/2 )

This is an AU where myths and legends exist.Forbidden forests, magical creatures, special abilities, curses and cure.

Adventure, fantasy, and romantic comedy.

This story is really slow paced.

{ Curator’s Note: No endgame because it was abandoned }

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asiawrites · 6 years

Text

The Ramblings Inside My Creative Mind: My Daddy’s Gone

Father’s Day 2018 marked the two year anniversary of my father’s death. That was a double gut punch. A day dedicated to him and the day that he left all in one. That day I spent in bed. If not for work that Saturday I would’ve been in bed the whole weekend. The anticipation leading up to that weekend was nerve-racking and by the time Saturday hit I was emotionally exhausted. At work I couldn’t stop the tears from randomly falling. I finally got fed up and went to our break room just to take a breath and cool my mind. Not 5 minutes after I’m called to the front where my Uncle just decided to randomly pop in because he was in the area. It was as if my dad sent him. When he hugged me I became a blubbering mess. Like an idiot I apologized for having emotions and he reminded me that I’d see my dad again, the healthy him, and that he was proud of me. Which was the perfect thing to say to make me cry harder. Father’s Day I hardly left my bed. I didn’t want to see anyone. I didn’t want to talk. I just wanted to be. Even now 10 days later I still feel emotionally exhausted and just spent. 2018 seems to be a harder year than the last, dealing with his death. I think the reason for that is that my boyfriend reminds me so much of him. The fact that they’ll never meet makes me sad. I feel like I’m finally on a path to somewhere and he’s not here to see it. If we get married or start a family, he won’t be there. That hurts.

Today I saw my therapist, the first time since that weekend and we broke it all down in a way that I’ve thought about in fleeting, but never unpacked it the way I did today. She took me back to the feelings I had when he died and how our relationship was before that. I didn’t realize all the feelings I had about him, his later life, and his death until today. I also barely thought about how he must’ve been feeling all that time too.

From 2008-2012 I was living away from and most of our interactions were through phone because I could barely afford to visit in those years I were away. When I returned late 2012-2016 my feelings about him changed. I got to see first hand his drug abuse (that I’ve talked about several times before). I saw how his body was breaking down and how he truly wasn’t the man who had raised me. He was in there somewhere, but his soul was weak. A few years before he passed I remember completely losing my shit on him. I caught him actually doing drugs in our home and all of the anger of seeing dealers come to our house, his total disregard for the safety of his family, and just the overall feeling of “this wasn’t supposed to happen to our family”. One day overhearing him deny his activities to my mom, I lost it. I came in screaming, hollering, crying, and cursing. I’d had enough. Everything bubbled to the surface. I don’t remember everything, but I do remember saying “I wouldn’t care if you died.” Yeah, those words still ring in my ears. I carry a lot of guilt because of it. I wonder if when I said it, he thought “I don’t either.” Although that happened a few years before he passed I wish I could take it back. I don’t know if those words stuck with him as long as they stuck with me.

When I was much younger, around four or five, I think, he had an accident at work. He came in contact with some chemical that really fucked him up. No, he wasn’t deformed or anything like that, but he’d have times that his hands and feet would swell tremendously to the point where it would break the skin. There was lots he couldn’t do for himself. Even toddler me would comb his hair because he couldn’t so much as grip a comb or brush. I was so young at the time that I had no concept of the possible severity or time. I can’t tell you if this went on for months or years and I can’t honestly tell you how much pain he may have been in because I don’t remember him showing any signs of being in pain, ever. As I told my doctor, it wasn’t until my sophomore or junior year of high school that I noticed something was off. He never had any money, always behind on bills, gas tank forever on E, and would always borrow money from me as if I had a job, so essentially just asking to borrow my allowance back. It wasn’t until I was about 24 that I knew for certain something was going on. My dad had frequent trips to the ER and on one of them the doctor let it slip that he found cocaine in his system. There it was. The truth laid out in front of me. Not until today did I wonder, did this start when I was five? I remember around that time always going to the doctor with him and getting scripts. Did it start with the pain meds from all those years ago, and by the time I was 16 he was into a full addiction, and by the time I was 24 he was in a I don’t give a fuck phase of his addiction?

While I was still living in Chicago, maybe around 2010, he had to be rushed to the hospital again. I didn’t rush home because my mom told me it was just more of the same. She told me that he had finally admitted that he was doing heroin. I look back on that reveal of the cocaine and think was he doing cocaine and escalated to heroin? Was he just taking what his dealer had available? Or in true Dayton, Ohio fashion when it comes to these sleazy dealers, did he maybe by weed or pills and it happened to be laced with something? At the point of his heroin reveal I didn’t really care because in the end of the day he was still an addict. That time I wrote him a loving letter letting him know how proud I was of him for taking that first step. I wonder if he truly absorbed those words I wrote. One time my mother told me he admitted he thought he was depressed. If so maybe it’s possible my words felt like lies or just blank words on notebook paper. That’s what depression does, after all. It turns love into lies. We never really discussed it and naive me thought the best was ahead of us instead of the worst.

In those final years his health was completely shot. In 2011 he had a stroke. He had developed COPD as well as congestive heart failure which lead to him getting a pacemaker in 2014. The following year after that he was on oxygen, and followed a diagnosis of an aneurysm in his stomach. Looking back it was a miracle he lived as long as he did. As my doctor said, with the COPD and congestive heart failure alone he had to be in constant pain. By then were the drugs to numb the pain, out of addiction, or both? With my begging him to quit was he afraid that if he did the pain would never stop? In the end even if it did numb the pain the drugs only accelerated the damaging of his health.

Today I looked back on how alone and helpless he must’ve felt for years. I remember when my mom told me about his self diagnosis of depression and I didn’t know what to say because I was trying to understand my own. I can’t imagine what it must’ve felt like to be a man, and feel like if he were to reach out for help he might of been seen as less than. Not only just having it not make sense because he was of a generation who definitely didn’t talk about depression. It was just suck it up and get on with it. I can’t imagine being so lost that you become something that is the complete opposite of yourself. My dad was creative. He loved to draw, build things with his hands, and play music. He taught me a lot. He was very in tune with his culture, black empowerment, black knowledge, black history, etc. He drilled these things into my head, that at the time, I didn’t want to hear or didn’t understand, but I completely get now and plan on drilling into my kids heads. He was the epitome of black excellence so to see him deteriorate the way that he did doesn’t make sense to me and makes all of the sense at the same time. It is unfortunate. I see that he was a complex human being. He wasn’t always strong. That’s the image I always had of him. Strong, but he was human. He had weakness. He had emotion. He did hurt. If only he had opened up, but perhaps he was too busy trying to be strong. But good or bad, strong or weak, he was my father. I loved him then. I love him now. And I will love him forever.

-Asia Aneka Anderson, 2018(c)

#By: Asia Aneka Anderson #amwriting #writing #my ramblings #Inside My Creative Mind #My Daddy's Gone #personal #death of a parent #death #loss #Father's Day #drug addiction #heroin #family

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argylemikewheeler · 6 years

Text

not adopted (mike & richie twins) - PART 4

Richie decides to take the bait and learn about where the hell he came from. Turns out he might have more than one parent in common with the Party back in Hawkins. Part 1 |Part 2 | Part 3

Richie was thankful Derry had a very forgiving nature when it came to suspicious behavior. He was able to go directly into three different hotels and ask point-blank the room numbers of guests, and no one asked any questions. He was able to find Will and Mike’s room within the hour he left Eddie’s house and was standing outside of it, hand raised to the door, running through every possible thing to say before even knocking.

He thought he had finally figured it all out when the door swung out from under his hand. Both he and Will jumped at the appearance of the other.

“What are you doing?” Will gasped, clutching his chest. “Jesus, Richie.”

“I was coming to talk to you guys… Hi.” Richie waved awkwardly at Will, like they needed a new introduction. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah. I guess.” Will said, stepping aside. “Mike? Your brother’s here.” The bed sheets began to move and a matted head of hair rolled towards them on the pillows.

“Richie?” He groaned, eyes squinted. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” Richie said, stepping inside. He shut the door behind him. “I’m ready to listen. To all of it.”

“Are you sure?” Will said, looking at Mike. Mike sat up further in the bed and ran a hand through his hair. It was just as unruly and mad-scientist as Richie’s. It was strange seeing himself in someone else; he was used to staring at his parents and seeing straight, bleached hair.

“Yeah. Family shit aside.” Richie said. “What do you think it-- they-- need me for?” Richie wasn’t even sure who he was talking about. Was it even a who? He watched his own fear of disappearance manifest before his very own eyes; a few weird conversations were going to be nothing.

“A-Are we really the people to explain all of this?” Will said, Mike considering the question and chewing his lip. He groaned, the two of them sharing thoughts without words.

“Maybe we can call everyone in the morning, but I think we know enough.” Mike said. “I don’t want to wake El and ask her about it this late.”

“Is that Eleven?” Richie asked, remembering the name. A number was hard to forget. His brain bounced to the idea that having such a name could be pretty fucking metal, before he yanked himself back to the topic at hand. Focusing was even harder when he didn’t want to do it. “Who the fuck is that?”

“My sister.” Will said, pulling a chair out from the hotel desk and offering it to Richie. As Richie sat, he sat next to Mike on the bed. “Well, step-sister. But she’s not even related to her dad.”

Richie blinked at them. “How the hell does that work?”

“Kind of how you do.” Mike answered, rubbing the back of his neck. “But like, not really.”

“Oh. Adopted.” They weren’t even going to say the word.

“Stolen, actually.” Will said. “She was used for science experiments.”

“Oh shit.” Richie said. “That’s fucked man.” And not what Richie went through. Well, actually it would probably explain a lot--

“She’d probably agree with you.” Will laughed, although he ended with a heavy sigh. “She was basically forced to open the gate to the Upside Down. And then close it again.”

“So she’s… an alien?” Richie was trying to follow, but comic books could only make him so smart. “Or like, what?”

Will and Mike exchanged a look. “Uh, we’ll get back to you.” Mike said. “But, she’s one of the only ones we know that can go between here and the Upside Down.”

“Except for me. But that isn’t a power. That was a fluke, kind of.” Will shrugged.

“Possession. Not a fluke.” Mike corrected.

“Yeah, I guess--”

“I’m sorry. Rewind: possession?” Richie repeated. “Please don’t tell me we’ve got a whole goddamn Exorcist plot line in here too. Dude I fucking hated that movie.” Will sat silent, rolling his lips inward. “Oh fuck.”

“We figured it out though. We fixed it.” Mike insisted. “Will’s fine now.” He placed an arm around the boy and grinned. They leaned their heads together and Richie couldn’t help but want Eddie there with him. He wanted his own comfort, but he also knew bringing him along for this ride wasn’t fair to him. His mom already hated him and Richie together as it was. Going MIA for an undetermined amount of time wasn’t going to help anyone. Maybe Richie should have asked Bill; both their parents would have just shrugged at their children's empty beds.

Richie began to wring his wrists, fingers running over familiar protruding bones and scars. Richie never remembered any of them, but his parents--foster parents-- said he was a trouble child and his entire body was aching proof.

“Will and El are pretty much the only two people who know what it looks like. And then there’s you.” Mike explained. He grabbed Will’s hand and Richie never felt more alone, sitting and having to hold his own.

“And you.” Richie said. “I’ve never seen it before you. I’ve never seen any of that shit before in my entire life.”

“Not once?” Will asked, eyebrows furrowing. “Nothing with lights? Radios? Static?”

“What do I look like? A defective Radio Shack? No. My life has been relatively normal for the most part. Some weird things cropping up, but nothing like that.”

“Why can’t I see it?” Mike sounded deflated, like he was missing out. “That could have saved everyone.”

“Blame Mom and Dad.” Richie scoffed, crossing his legs on the chair. He placed his arms over his legs, still twisting his wrist between his thumb and forefinger. “Why did they do that, anyway?”

“They said you were sick. Taken to a foster family to be taken care of. I don’t remember anything from then, but the stories are all kind of vague. A lot of doctors and stuff. But by then, mom said you had passed.” Mike shrugged. “Or else I would have come looking for you.”

“I don’t remember any goddamn doctors.” Richie said. He remembered eye doctors, ones treating his broken arm when he was younger. He must’ve seen others for all his cuts and bruises, but not a single one stuck in his mind. Any memories was of white rooms, but that could really be anything. He assumed he just had a very boring daycare. “Not one.” He continued to twist his arms.

“I don’t want understand, Richie. I don’t know why they gave you to them if you weren’t sick. I don’t understand.” Mike sighed, shaking his head. His curls flopped around and Richie had to laugh; they were identical to his own. He could think of at least one person who had the same hands as him; he could pretend he was holding his brother since he technically couldn’t without transporting dimensions. “I can’t believe they did that.” He leaned his head on Will’s shoulder, and Will leaned back, but his eyes were focused on Richie’s arms resting on his lap.

“What happened to your arm?” Will asked, pointing at it bluntly. There was a lot to question.

“Uh, I don’t know.” Richie muttered. “They’ve been there so long I thought they were birthmarks as a kid.” Some were new and Richie remembered putting them there, but he was willing to lie. “Void Mom and Dad said I was a fucking tornado. Which I believe.”

“That... That looks like a burn, Richie.” Will said, leaning forward and touching the rough, red skin.

“Okay, Unsolved Mysteries, get back to answering the questions at hand.” Richie yanked his arm away like it burned but the skin had been numb for years. “I’ve had that since I was a kid. Mom said I burned it playing with matches.”

“Your arm? Not your hands.” Mike raised the question with a raised eyebrow. “Sounds like shit to me.” Richie glared and tucked his arm against his chest.

“You know,” Will said to Mike with a chuckle. “It reminds me of El’s new tattoo. Same place too. God, why didn’t we bring her?”

“Because this was a couple’s vacation?” Mike responded. “And I’m done dating your sister.”

“Wait. El has one just like this?” Richie pointed at his burn. First someone with the same face, now the same deformities?

“No. She has a tattoo-- a little butterfly. She won’t tell any of us what the hell it means, but she really loves it.” Mike grinned. “It’s covering her number. Her name.”

“Eleven.” Richie repeated. “It was tattooed on her?”

“There was obviously more than one.” Will said solemnly. “They kept track of each one.”

“What the fuck.” Richie breathed. “And she was made to... what? be a liaison for all this weird shit?”

“Listen, that whole lab is… it’s messed up.” Mike said roughly. “Stole her from her own mother.”

“Huh, know how that feels.” Richie was barely wrapping his head around the idea, but he already had the feeling he’d have a lot in common with that Eleven kid. Although it sounded like she had a better grip on her world than Richie did at the moment; he was too busy twisting his wrists to hold it correctly and with steady hands. Will was still staring. “Dude, would you fucking stop staring like that. You’re the strangers here-- I shouldn’t feel like this is freshman homeroom for fuck’s sake.”

“Sorry.” Will distracted himself by looking at the ceiling. “Sorry.”

“Can I ask a question now?” Richie said, crossing and then recrossing his legs. “What does The Upitty--”

“Upside Down.”

“Yeah. What does it do?” Richie asked. “Like. What does seeing it mean for me? What do I do with this fucking second pair of eyes?” Will and Mike looked at each other with half-finished sentences passing between the two of them. “That’s not comforting.”

“It’s just the opposite of this world. It’s dark and and controlling and vengeful. The fact you can see it from here has got to be a good thing.” Will offered, his eyes still trying to admire the room’s decor rather than that on Richie’s arms.

“A good thing?” Mike echoed, staring at him. “How can you say that? That’s my brother. I wouldn’t wish--” Brother. Already, Richie had been absorbed into Mike’s life, something he considered an extension of himself. He came to his defense. He didn’t even know Richie’s last name.

“It’s okay. I--I don’t mind.” Richie wasn’t sure what he was excusing, but the explosion of feelings seemed imminent on either end of the conversation and he was eager to reserve that for himself. “I can be a mutant with powers, I guess.”

“El will be able to explain things so much easier.” Mike said. “We’ll call her tomorrow. She can tell you her whole story beginning to end-- she can do that now.” He sounded proud. “She picked up curses from Hop so she tells the ‘Papa’ parts very well now.”

Richie grabbed his arms and felt himself become exposed, even under his clothes. His skin felt tight and itchy. “Papa.” The word had been hiding under Richie’s tongue for years, unfurling and flying from between his teeth involuntarily.

“Yeah.” Mike said. “Papa.” He looked at Richie with narrowing eyes. “Richie, you good?”

“Yeah.” Richie couldn’t tell from where that word had uncovered itself. He was on a first name basis only with his foster dad; Wentworth was just so much cooler sounding than Dad. “That just sounds really familiar... Guess I called Wentworth that before, well, Wentworth.”

“You call your dad by his first name?” Will asked.

“Yeah, I never felt like Dad worked, and he never corrected me.”

“Wentworth.” Mike echoed. “Sounds like a mad-scientist.”

“He’s a fucking dentist.” Richie laughed, wondering what his real dad did for a living. Fuck, what if his real dad was worse? “Although, after all the shit you were saying, growing up in a lab doesn’t sound half bad.” After so many doctor’s appointments, Richie kind of felt like he did. The two boys were obviously well-loved boys, blinking at Richie with concern. Richie shifted the conversation quickly, clearing his throat. “I can’t wait to meet El.”

“You’ll love her.” Will smiled, his excitement bubbling as he reached over and touched Richie’s knee. Mike reached over too, but placed his own hand on Will’s, careful of contact with his brother. “God, you’ll have so much in common.”

...

as requested:

@theres-no-going-home @byersoul @pigfartsranger394 @mayfernandar5@imadeanitblog @thescaryflower @rrichiettozier @babyblue-eddiespaghetti @enbybabyboy @elphiegoescraycray @trashmouthdiangelo @tobzier @welctothelosersclub @littledancersun @sarah-cat-and-the-doctor @christmaslightsandredballoons @purple-dinosaur-rex @lizzyleaves @nagggy@noahclapp-reddie @nutellalester @imnot-reddieforthis @tj-the-magical-ginger @tiny-bean-35

#mike and richie twins #it and stranger things #not adopted #mike wheeler #richie tozier #prompts

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pines-troz · 7 years

Text

New Middle Name

**Ford used to associate family with high expectations, selfishness, betrayal, and mistrust. But over the course of that fateful summer, Ford learned many valuable lessons from Dipper, Mabel and Stan; that teamwork would accomplish the most difficult of tasks, how trust should be given to those who earned it, and that second chances are possible in this world.

Now he wants nothing more than to show his family his gratitude for them.

Based on a headcanon of mine that I shared on tumblr with @a-million-chromatic-dreams**

April 11, 2013

Aboard the Stan O’War II gently sailed the cold waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean. Stan and Ford Pines recently completed their supernatural mission on the Arctic Ocean. They come across a threatening Kraken, some buried treasure and no babes (much to Stanley’s dismay). The two brothers had finished traversing the Bering Strait and were a day’s trip away from Nome, Alaska, which was the perfect place to stock up on supplies.

Since there was a low amount of food on the ship, the seafaring brothers had to make do with what little food they had in the cabin for dinner. Stan indulged himself with a tub of ice cream, while Ford was rummaging through the cabinets for something to satisfy his sweet tooth.

The twins were glad to have gone on their dream trip together. They were able to make up for forty years of cold shoulders, betrayal and separation of a terrifyingly cosmic scale. Though Ford and Stan learned to make up during the end of the world, it would only make sense that they would continue to mend their relationship by embarking on an abnormal expedition.

That’s not to say that their time sailing the world was a walk in the park. Both brothers had their fair share of bad days on the boat. Stan would be revisited by painful memories of his years on the run from the authorities. Other times it would be during the ten-plus years spent as a homeless grifter, a hapless prisoner, or a desperate man trying to fend himself from the vicious men he owed money to. Ford was also haunted by his past. Most of the time it was the horrific abuse Bill Cipher had inflicted on him after refusing to open the portal. But there were instances in which both men remembered a dark figure that loomed over their childhoods: their father Filbrick Pines.

To say that their Pa was a stoic man would be a massive understatement. Filbrick was the type of man who rarely smiled and was never amused by sentimentality. Hidden behind his dark sunglasses were the eyes, constantly on watch for any misstep Stan and Ford would make. He also cast Stanley out on the streets and threw an already packed duffle bag at him, banning him from the Pines household before the poor teen had the chance to complete high school. The disgruntled father also channeled his disappointment into Ford, who expected their son to make millions after completing college. When Ford decided to pursue a career in studying anomalies, Filbrick was angry with his son’s decision and the two never spoke since.

Worst of all, his father would always be attached to Ford by namesake. When Ford and Stan were born, their father had lazily named both of their sons Stan, mainly because the couple never planned to have raise twins in addition to their older son Shermie. In addition, the man had the ego to insert his name as the middle name of the eldest twin.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eye! Stanford Filbrick Pines! My old pal!!”

Ford shuddered. The old man refused to revisit those horrible memories again. He needed to find a way to take his mind off of his past.

Shuffling through a couple empty boxes of crackers, he noticed a crumpled bag of jellybeans. Ford immediately retrieved the bag of his favorite candy from the cabinet and closed the door. The researcher inspected the item within the palms of his six-fingered hands. A close glance at the crinkled bag of sweets sent his mind back in time...

The summer sun shone on the grassy hill near the outskirts of Gravity Falls. Ford had brought his nephew Dipper near the town border to answer his biggest question: why the heck are there so many weird things in Gravity Falls is a magnet for all things weird. The scientist took out a handful of the jellybeans from the bag, including an oddly-formed one, and threw them down the hill. As the normal beans tumbled down the hill without issue, the deformed bean bounced upwards by the force-field surrounding the town.

Ford turned to his nephew, whose eyes widened with curiosity and fascination at the bizarre oddity. The boy had realized that Gravity Falls was a magnet that attracted all things strange and unusual. Everything from gnomes and leprecorns to people like Dipper and Ford, born with unusual anomalies such as weird birthmarks and polydactyly.

Ford put his hand on his nephew’s shoulder and smiled. “You and I are some of the strangest beans this town has ever seen, Dipper.”

“Mason,” The boy blurted out. He was shocked by what came out of his mouth. After a moment of silence he looked up to his great uncle and repeated what he said.

“My real name is Mason. Dipper is just a nickname. But everyone got used to it, and now it feels too late to tell everyone the truth.” He explained with an almost apologetic look on his face before casting his eyes downwards. “And it’s kind of a dumb name anyway. Don’t tell anyone.”

Ford was in awe by Dipper’s admission. He didn’t know what compelled the boy to tell him of all people the truth of his birth name. But the researcher’s heart swelled upon realizing that his nephew, the one person whom Ford held great admiration for and trusted the most had decided to confide in him.

Ford beamed at his nephew while gently tousling his hair. “Your secret’s safe with me, Mason.” He told Dipper. “And I think it’s a great name. The Masons are a great secret society, you know.”

Dipper gazed at his uncle and smiled. Seeing the look of joy on Dipper’s face made Ford realize how much his nephew had come to love him, something he had not received in an awfully long time. Not since his days with Jheselbraum the Unswerving had someone given him the trust and compassion he desperately needed.

Ford would forever be grateful for Dipper’s presence and companionship.

A warm smile appeared on his face.

Ford had learned to utilize his deformity as calling card, a badge of honor he could proudly showcase to the world. When Ford returned to Gravity Falls from the Nightmare Realm, he learned to become more comfortable with his polydactyly. Mabel complimented him on his fingers when she introduced herself. Dipper also looked past his physical flaw as the two spent time together. After Ford reclaimed his three journals, he read Dipper’s entries in his third book and was surprised to learn that his nephew’s nickname stemmed from his unusual birthmark.

Ford used to associate family with high expectations, selfishness, betrayal, and mistrust. But over the course of that fateful summer, Ford learned many valuable lessons from Dipper, Mabel and Stan; that teamwork would accomplish the most difficult of tasks, how trust should be given to those who earned it, and that second chances are possible in this world.

Now he wants nothing more than to show his family his gratitude for them.

“Earth to Ford!”

The researcher spun around to find his brother smirking at him while clutching onto his tub of ice cream. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

Ford looked over at Stan. “I’ve been reminiscing over the summer.”

Stan put his ice cream on the table and approached his twin, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Thinkin’ about the kids again?”

Ford gave his twin a knowing smile. “Every day.”

“Same here.” Stan agreed, smiling at the shared sentiment.

The researcher pushed his glasses upwards as he continued to speak. “But I’ve also been thinking about changing my middle name.”

“Really? You gonna change it to Isaac Newton or some other nerd name?” Stan joked. “At least then it would be a step up from Filbrick.”

“No, no.” He dismissed with a wave of his hand. Ford then placed his hands behind his back, his face softened. “I want my middle name to be Mason.”

Stanley’s eyes lit up. He had not heard that name in a while. Back in September, a while after Dipper and Mabel left Gravity Falls, Stan found an aged photograph in his wallet of his younger self holding two precious twins with a tearful smile. One look at the picture created a spark in his mind, reeling back to the day the niblings were born. He broke from his trance and ran to Ford. Stan showed his brother the picture and told him everything he could remember of that day; Mabel punching the doctor in the jaw, Dipper cheating death after the umbilical cord was removed from his neck, how Stan was able to hold the precious twins before Shermie had the chance. He also told Ford how the twins were named Mabel and Mason so that they were even more special. From that day on Stan would never allow himself to forget that special day.

Stanley looked to Ford and chuckled. “You actually have a great idea for once poindexter.”

Ford rolled his eyes before giving his brother a wry smile. “So you think Mason would be a good alternative.”

Stan lifted up his arm and playfully pulled Ford close to him. “I think it’s a great middle name Ford!”

Ford gratefully smiled back at his brother.

Mabel and Dipper were mindlessly watching a rerun of Cash Wheel at home when they heard a small buzzing sound. They looked around the room only to realize that it came from Mabel’s cell phone.

“Hello?” Mabel answered.

“Well hello Mabel dear.” Ford warmly replied on the other line. “How are things back home?”

The girl was surprised to hear her Grunkle's voice. Normally the Pines had set up their long video chats over the weekend, but it was a pleasant surprise that Ford had called on a Thursday.

“Things are going well.” Mabel happily answered. “Dipper and I have been busy with school and all of the clubs we go to. I’ve been enjoying Art Club and Model U.N., and I’m sure Dipper will tell you all of the stuff he’s been up to with Band and Gaming Club.”

“All of that sounds wonderful sweetheart.” Ford said.

“We’ve also been thinking about you and Grunkle Stan a lot.”

Ford’s heart swelled. “I’m touched to hear that from you. Stanley and I are always thinking about you and your brother.”

“D’aww, Grunkle Ford…” Mabel cooed. She looked over at her brother and decided that he should have a turn speaking with their Grunkle. “Oh, you can talk with Dipper now if you want. I gotta finish working on my sweater for one of my friends.”

“Okay, well I enjoy hearing your voice again dear.”

“Love you Grunkle Ford!”

“I love you too Mabel.”

“Alright, here’s Dip-Dop!!” Mabel announced as she passed her phone to her brother.

The teen held the pink phone against his ear and spoke up. “Hey Grunkle Ford!”

“Greetings my boy.” Ford answered. “So Mabel informed me that you’re busy with school.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a truckload of stuff goin’ on, but I’m glad to have Mabel around during my down time.”

“Yes, having a sibling you can count on is always a blessing indeed.” Ford agreed. “So Dipper, I wanted to speak to you about something important.”

Dipper’s ears perked up and he went into the kitchen to better hear what Ford had to say. “Alright, you’ve piqued my interest.”

“So I’ve been thinking during my down time with Stan on the boat.”

“Careful Grunkle Ford, I heard that’s a dangerous pastime.” Dipper joked.

The researcher chuckled at his nephew’s jest. “Stan would tell me the same thing.” Ford laughed. He cleared his throat before getting back on topic. “But as I told Mabel, you and your sister are always on our minds. You kids showed a foolish old man such as myself how important family is...and I have another confession to make.”

Dipper cupped the cellphone closer to his ear to better listen what his Grunkle had to say.

“My original middle name was Filbrick, after my father...”

Dipper cringed. From what Stan had told him and Mabel last summer, great-grandpa Filbrick Pines was anything but great. “That’s...that’s awful.”

“I know, which is precisely why I’m going to change my middle name when Stan and I return to Oregon.”

“Really?” Dipper asked.

The teen imagined that Ford would probably decide to have his new middle name based on one of his idols in the scientific field, like Nikola Tesla or Carl Sagan.

“So I’ve decided to change my middle name to Mason.” Ford announced.

Dipper’s eyes grew wide. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

When Ford heard the silence from the other end, he was afraid that he had reopened an old scar by planning to adopt the boy’s name as part of his own. Ford ushered an explanation. “I know that you’re sensitive over the name, but I wanted to ask for your permission before doing so. If you don’t want me to, I completely understand.”

Dipper remained speechless. His great uncle, the man he looked up to last summer, wanted his middle name to match as his nephew’s true name.

On the other end, Ford began to feel anxious. Perhaps Dipper’s birth name was a sore subject for the boy and was too uncomfortable with his uncle using it as his middle name.

“Dipper? Did I upset you?”

“No, no. Not at all.” Dipper admitted. He let out a joyful laugh as tears of joy ran down his face. “I’m honored...I’m absolutely honored that you would do that Grunkle Ford.”

Ford heard his nephew’s voice cracking with such raw emotion. The researcher wished he could magically teleport to Piedmont so he could give his nephew the biggest hug imaginable.

“I want my middle name to reflect the love I have for this family. To do away with the past and move forward with the people I can trust. And I feel changing my middle name to Mason best reflects that.”

Dipper’s smile grew wider after hearing his great uncle’s explanation. “I’m happy for you Grunkle Ford. Mabel and I will absolutely support your decision.”

Ford smiled. “Thank you my boy.”

Back in the living room, Mabel overheard her brother’s sniffling. She dropped her knitting items and immediately got up to check on Dipper. The teen was about to approach her twin when she noticed that he was still on the phone with Ford. After impatiently waiting for some time, Dipper bid Ford good-bye before ending the call. Mabel carefully walked over towards where Dipper stood as he wiped away his tears.

“Is everything okay bro-bro?” Mabel asked quietly.

“Yeah, everything’s great actually.” Dipper replied with a reassuring smile. “Ford wants to change his middle name to Mason. Mabel, he wants my name to be his middle name!”

Mabel shrieked ecstatically before wrapping her arms around Dipper. The boy laughed joyfully as he accepted his sister’s embrace.

June 1, 2013

Stan stood outside of the Mystery Shack as a beat-up pickup truck rolled down the dirt road. When the vehicle parked outside the tourist trap, all four doors immediately flung open as Dipper, Mabel, Soos and Wendy emerged from the car. The four young people noticed Stan standing by the steps.

Dipper and Mabel ran towards Stan as they tackled the old man into a playful hug. After sharing their first embrace of the summer, Stan and the twins slowly got up from the ground.

“Where’s Grunkle Ford?” Mabel inquired.

“I’m here.”

Dipper and Mabel turned to see Ford stepping outside the Mystery Shack in an almost dramatic flair.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself.” He announced with a soft baritone. “My name is Stanford Mason Pines.”

The twins graciously beamed at their great uncle. Ford sprinted towards Dipper and Mabel, scooped them into his arms and lifted them up in the air. The young twins laughed as they returned the warm embrace.

The love Ford felt for his family had truly changed him for the better.

#gravity falls #ford pines #stanley pines #dipper pines #mabel pines #grunkle stan #stanford pines #pines family #gf fanfiction

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faithandfairies · 7 years

Video

youtube

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9Izu2hcnmA)

I believe

We did actually get a bit of an explanation as to why Peter Pan took children. Neverland was originally a dreamworld, meant as a positive place, that children traveled to in their sleep, only to return home afterwards. Which tells me it was actually a place in their mind. Everyone’s version of it was different so everyone could get there. They just had to imagine what their version looked like based on the visual passed onto them through stories. It was never meant to sustain actual life for an extended period of time. I think the only reason Pan and Rumple could travel there for real is because they believed they could. Thoughts become things, right. And magical beans take you wherever you wish to go. They can even bring you back from a realm created by a wish.

But when Pan went to live there Neverland had to sustain him. Or he sustained it. But he couldn’t do it on his own. The land was built and ran on belief. In magic, in the existence of Neverland itself. And maybe because it was Pan's version of Neverland it also depended on children believing in him, his existence. So he could reach them. I keep thinking about Jack Frost in the Dreamworks movie Rise of the Guardians. And how he started to fade when children stopped believing in him. That is what Pan was afraid would happen to him. You only exist in someone’s world and carry meaning, value, to them, if they believe in you. Whatever that belief is. The worst thing someone can feel toward something or someone else is indifference. That is why Emma’s belief in Regina as good and kind is so important. Because it allows her to shed her Evil Queen image. The story she and others have been telling her about herself for the longest time.

In order for Neverland to continue to exist it needed more of that belief. Enter Henry. Pan started collecting boys because he was looking for a specific one. Somehow he came across the information that there would be a boy that fit Henry's description who would have the heart of the truest believer. The power of which could sustain Pan and with it the island.

I feel like when Pan arrived the place stopped being every child's dreamworld, however they imagined it, and just became Pan's dreamworld manifested as an existing thing. But it made it unable to be entered by children in their sleep. Maybe that's also why the shadow had to physically bring children to Neverland. Stealing them away from their families forever which ended with Pan getting them hurt in his games, instead of helping them to escape from their lives and having their imaginations run wild for a little while. So basically, Pan's arrival turned something that was inherently good into something inherently bad. He basically turned every child's dream into a literal nightmare. Sure sounds like that could be the origin of the Dark Realm. A woman trying to turn a little boy’s dreams into nightmares. Break his spirit, making him grow up too fast, which in that realm manifested as a adult body in a short amount of time.

Because that was the kicker to Pan’s Neverland wasn’t it? Neverland was originally meant to make children happy, to keep the child in them alive for as long as possible. It wasn’t meant to make adults run away from their lives. But Pan changed the meaning of Neverland. He ran from his adult responsibilities and then took children and made them grow up too fast, made them lose hope and gain despair and unhappiness, all while they still looked like children. These kids essentially became cynical, jaded adults trapped in children’s bodies that had the visible scars and deformities that spoke of a hard life. And they could never leave nor did they die, unless they were killed. That sounds like a curse to me.

But what they never told us was how Pan came across the information on the boy, a sketch of Henry. I mean, it does make sense given that Henry's the grandson of the son Pan gave up so he (Pan) could live the life he wanted to. A son that I imagined stopped believing in him after he was abandoned. Even Bae, Rumple's son, spent time on the island. A boy Pan also really wanted. It also makes sense that it's Henry because Henry believed so much in his own biological mother that she went from the woman that abandoned him to his and an entire town's savior. Emma may have become the savior because Regina was the Evil Queen. But I think Regina was only the Evil Queen because Henry believed her to be. And Emma became the savior because Henry believed he needed one from the Evil Queen. This is Henry's story, Henry's world. Henry's Neverland, if you will. It’s also why only his heart could power Neverland. And that is the one thing Pan couldn’t force. It had to be Henry’s choice to believe. It always comes down to him.

Regina only "remembered" she was the Evil Queen when she came across Henry's book which "reminded" her she was the Evil Queen. Or at least that that was how Henry saw her. In the entire first season Regina denies she’s the Evil Queen and repeatedly says that she doesn’t understand why Henry sees her that way. While we see stories of the Evil Queen play out so we believe it too. It isn’t until Emma literally violently lets Regina know she believes it too that Regina agrees.

What I think it really was was that she was the Evil Queen to her son and since he was her world, his opinion was the only one that mattered to her at the time. Well, his and Emma’s. Because every villain needs a savior. People had probably told her crap about herself all her life and she had tried her hardest not to believe any of it and failed. And then her son had been the only one who believed in her. Until he didn't. Kids are like that, but if you hate yourself and base your self worth on how much your kid loves you and how well he turned out, because he’s the one thing you feel you got right, then your kid making you think they hate you is the last thing you need. And usually not something you know how to handle. Now we find that Henry is actually the author of the book. It's like having a diary in which you make up horrible stories about your mom because you hate her. In his case because she was strict and hard on him and not good at expressing her emotions, including love, and so he secretly believed she didn't love him. And then when he found out he was adopted that gave him a reason for why she didn't love him. And a reason not to love her back (for fear of not getting it returned). And because he had someone else to find and love. Someone he believed would return that love unconditionally. Henry wanted Emma to be part of his world.

Regina became the Evil Queen to Henry because of what she was like and how he interpreted her behavior. And then he eternalized her that way in his writing. The Evil Queen flashbacks we keep seeing, probably partly based on what Henry knows about Regina’s life and how he interpreted events using his fairy tale world. For instance, Regina probably having a knockdown drag out fight with a boyfriend (that had maybe, possibly, started to develop feelings for a comatose patient and maybe, possibly even tried to act on those feelings as Regina walked in?) leading to her showing him the door, firing him and threatening other aspects of his life, being portrayed as her violently crushing his heart.

Emma became Henry’s savior because he needed one and who better to save you than your "real mom"? Emma started believing she was the savior when Henry got sick and she needed to figure out how to get him back to health. And when she started to think he wasn't safe with his adoptive mom and started thinking about getting him away from her. Emma was never "the town's savior", she was Henry's. Trying to save Henry from his mom, only to realize that maybe Regina was the one who needed to be saved from the negative image and opinions she herself, her son and everyone else seemed to have of her instead.

But I think the secret of being the savior is really that only you can save yourself. No one can do it for you. People can help you, guide you, hand you the tools, the advice, they can believe in you, but they can’t do it for you. Or they’ll have to keep doing it forever. And it never ends. It has to be you.

(So the show’s world would be a combination of Emma’s wish world, what she wished she could do and be to this little family of hers and the people she wished she had in it, combined with Henry’s written world (his hopes, dreams, wishes, but also his interpretation of real past events). Not to mention Regina’s stories told to Emma about her actual life and her own wishes. And of course, actual reality. All blended into one on-going, messy, confusing story.)

It’s also interesting to note that the only other author we’ve ever met on the show is Isaac. I think his name was Isaac? I always feel like his name was Sebastian. Anyway, he was originally a guy looking for a sensational story. Like say, a reporter? He also said he loved writing for (not about) Regina, she was his favorite character to write for. And he also did recreational work on her story. So making stuff up. I’m starting to think that at one point in time when Regina was younger some reporter wrote a piece on her and/or her mother, most likely with her help. A piece that didn’t place her family in a positive light. We’ve seen how manipulative Isaac could be to get the story (to go) the way he wanted it to. I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow influenced/changed (the facts of) Regina’s life the same way to fit his narrative. So that would make sense as being the first written record on Regina. Aside from Disney’s version of the Evil Queen, where I’m guessing Henry drew inspiration from. I think Cruella’s story also gives us some insight. The most important thing I believe being that Cruella was believed to be a cold-blooded killer until the end, only she eventually couldn’t actually hurt a fly. Everyone just believed she could. But we also know while Regina can and has been manipulated repeatedly, she can also manipulate like the best of them. So what is the truth?

The Dark Swan wasn’t kidding when she told Hook that the truth is tricky. You have to look for it.

They also never told us about the shadow Pan encountered when he first went to Neverland. Where did it come from? Was it truly Pan's shadow? Or not? Why did it help Pan after clearly telling him that he shouldn't be there? We also never found out why shadows were pulled from adults. In order to kill them. And why when Emma was in Neverland the shadows went after people like Greg, Hook and Neal. Not Emma.

#ouat #neverland #peter pan #rumple #swan queen #swan mills family #emma swan #regina mills #henry mills

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dgrayland · 7 years

Note

Hello again! What would an AU for hitmen be like, along if they have any sweethearts! Sorry if this is vague it's just that I love the way you write!

Hello again to you too ^_^.

ฅ(*°ω°*ฅ) Thanks for the complement. It fills me with strength.

Thanks for sending in this interesting request. I kinda have to break it up into two or three since I’m facing my midterms in a few days and it looks like it’s gonna be super long. But here ya go. I hope you enjoy it.

Part 1- Allen Walker & Lenalee Lee

In an alternate universe where Noahs and Akumas doesn’t exist but the death toll and crime rate is still as high as ever:

Set in the prohibition era (the era of underground speakeasies, moonshines, sweet, sweet jazz and flappers dancing through the night)

Hitmen found themselves in profitable business as gangs and head of businesses see it fit to eliminate their competitions

A tale of grey-black morality where humans vs. their own kind.

Allen Walker

AU Headcanon

“Don’t let the him escape!” Screams of terror and anger echoed behind him as Allen slunk deeper into the darkness, vanishing.

He had just eliminated the boss of the Riogelli (Idk. It just popped out from my mind) who had sent a hitman (Tyki…Who else?) to off him

He failed because Allen was still alive and he’s hungry for retribution

On the night of the Riogelli’s boss masquerade ball, a man in a silver mask and white cape exuding the very essence of a regal clown appeared in the night ending the boss’s life.

Everyone was shocked

And from then on, they called him the Crown Clown

The media went rampant

They uncovered the dealings of the Riogelli’s family (A certain white haired urchin dropped them a tip)

The boss of Riogelli was a high ranking official

but have all sorts of back door dealings

The police have their hands full

It was an unsolved case.

The Crown Clown was not found

Because by the time, Allen had already moved on to his next job.

Solo hitman

had no loyalties until he decided to align himself to the Black Order because they had put a kill order on the Millennium Earl.

Currently resides in the one of the many rooms of the Laughing Golems, a branch of speakeasy and one of the hideouts of the Black Order.

His sole motivation for existing in this world is to kill the Millennium Earl who carved the scar in from the forehead down to his eye to remind him of Mana’s death.

That the Earl killed Mana

And Allen could do nothing to stop him

His personality is closer to Red’s more than ever

White!Allen is only a facade he use on when dealing with clients or undercover

And only slips up around anyone who knew him too well or he trusts enough

And Black!Allen always comes up whenever he meets Kanda.

as usual

His trusty weapons is a gun and a carving knife

But he secretly love swords, especially the big ones (Buster Sword anyone?)

He prefers to deal with his job as cleanly as possible (no torture or underhand tactics)

“Let me rid you of your sins”

If the target have done some pretty sordid things, Allen would be more than willing to do the job

But if the requester is the more sinful one, he would regret ever coming

or rather, he would regret in his next life

“Hey, would you mind paying off my debt?”

Sometimes he would ask his target this

Allen’s really suffering because of Cross (The man who taught him all he knows of the trade but Allen can’t help but to want to put a hole in that man’s skull before he gets any progenies)

And he doesn’t understand how that no matter how large a sum he earned, the debts seems to be getting bigger and bigger?!

And have a bigger preference for body guarding jobs

The I have someone after my life, can you protect me schtick

Due to a slip up, Allen have Howard Link, an inspector trailing after him

getting in the way of his job requests

and trying to determine if he’s the Crown Clown or not

Still hides his deformed arm with gloves.

He’s able to use it due to Cross’s treatment and torturous rehabilitation

Sweetheart Headcanon

He have a few women/men crushing on him, but he had never had a sweetheart before

He had already fell sick watching how Cross and women mix.

He had no desire to become like his Master.

But he did fell in love with you…

He’s your bodyguard, maybe you’re the child of a very important politician (who hires him…really?) or a mafia/gang?

and you must be a decent person

So if you’re a child of a mafia/gang and the future heir of it

maybe you didn’t get to know of this until the head of the mafia/gang passed

and now certain underlings are gunning on you for your spot.

Anyways, the job might’ve dragged a long time

and slowly by slowly as you get to know each other, you fall for each other.

And then after a long series of fluffy events in between life threatening instances, the two of you confess (together.)

And if you’re the head of a gang/mafia, he might align his loyalties with you…permanently.

And then, the two of you as a power couple will use every resource to track down the Millennium Earl

And maybe help him pay off his debt (He will be sheepish about that lol. Since you’ve never seen anyone as deep in debt as him,

One day he came home, miserable and crying his eyes out while slamming his fist onto the wall.

The Millennium Earl was Mana? All along?

You comfort him and listen to him

Then a few days later, when he’s feeling better, he apologises

His actions puts you and your family/gang in the spotlight of the Noah, headed by the Millennium Earl

But he promises that he will protect you

And the two of you get married and live somewhat happily ever after? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Lenalee Lee

AU Headcanon

Part time hitman and co-owner of the Laughing Golems

She was recruited by the Black Order when she was young

Nearly the same as the canon except now, she’s forced to kill humans which are by far worse

Her brother is the one who keeps her sane

She’s aware that he sacrificed his future by becoming part of the Black Order, not as a hitman but as a bootlegger.

And her only goal is to protect her family

Her weapon is gun and metal strings

Her modus operandi is quick (she didn’t like to draw it out)

“Don’t worry, it’ll end in just a moment”

Sometimes even take a life before they even notice it

But don’t underestimate her physical skills though

she’s freakishly fast

And she has a pair of strong legs and can knock you out with a single kick (She wear heavy weighted boots most of the time. You wouldn’t want to know how fast she can be without them)

They call her “Dark Boots” (I seriously don’t know anymore)

Laughing Golems is like her permanent home, something that she lacks when she was younger

Above ground, it’s a small quite shop selling candy and homemade sweets

Underground, it’s a pretty famous speakeasies where many hitman and assassins frequents

Many likes the place because of the alcohol and moonshines

it’s brewed to the best quality

She bartends most of the time and are kind to her employees

Lala is the singer

Lavi is her frequent customer

and Allen was the new kid in the block

but Lenalee knew better than to underestimate him.

She loves dancing

if she wasn’t on such a path, she would’ve love to open a dance school

But it’s just a pipe dream

She couldn’t bear someone getting hurt because of what she is.

Rarely ever goes on jobs anymore

She’s honestly relieved

It felt better to take care of the Laughing Golem and let it be a safe haven for the members of the Black Order than to be out there taking a life.

Probably the only hitman with her sense of morality still intact.

Enjoys talking to customers

And somehow, they have a looser tongue around her

Making gathering information somewhat easier

Sweetheart Headcanon

You were a frequent visitor of the Laughing Golem

You were there for the songs, the spirits and of course the cute bartender

You had been silent every visit but she noticed your stared and flashed you smile and sliding over a free shot of whisky

For a moment, you though you heard some strangled yells from behind ( I won’t let you near my Lenalee-Ah! Let me go! Let me go!)

One day, you picked up your courage to talk to her.

and night and night, it goes on and on, the conversation never drying

And little by little the two of you grow closer

Your romance was like it was out of a novel…there were dates, romantic moments and slight bits of drama…all typical…except for one…Komui.

Everywhere you went, everywhere you go, you could’ve sworn there was someone glaring holes in you

and when you look back, you only see a white barrette or a red glint in the dark

and then, things started to get weird…

You found knifes embedded into the walls where your head had been if you haven’t dipped down to pick up a rolling apple

Ghost screaming in the night on the way to the Laughing Golem as you took a different route from what you usually did

Sounds of breathing under your bed as you tried to sleep

And nails in your socks

you were lucky to avoid that one

And a wrecking ball where you had been standing a moment ago

And one day, someone was breathing down your neck in a deserted alleyway

like any civilian with decent self defence skill, you took down your assailant only to find yourself staring in the face of Komui Lee, Lenalee’s brother

You know he’s a sis-con but you thought he will not go that far.

You tried many times to reason with him that you were harmless but he refused to listen

but thank God that he stopped trying to off you

Though his Komlins unit never fail to leave a mess in your house.

Lenalee assured you that she had scolded him many times

You said it wasn’t necessary but she wasn’t having any of it.

You smiled to yourself as you looked down at the ring nestled in the case.

You were going to pop the question.

But there was one last thing to do.

You seeked Komui out

“Oh, it’s you again…Came here to take my precious sister away from me again?”

You got down on your knees.

“WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?”

“Komui,” You snapped open the box revealing the ring- the crowd gasped, “I know you love Lenalee very much and I do too. And in respect to that, I tried to hold back my feelings…”

Gasp. Gasp. Gasp.

Komui pales. No, no way.

He can almost imagine Lenalee tearing up, her tiny little heart shattering into a million pieces

“Brother, how could you?” No. No. Lenalee…..It’s not what you think “I will never speak to you again.”

“I….” you started, eyes sparklingly earnest.

“NOOO!” He ran away “I can’t rip apart my precious Lenalee’s feelings like this!”

You blinked feeling stumped all of the sudden.

The crowd was silent.

“What?” You cocked your head to the side, “I just wanted to ask for your permission to marry her.”

The crowd broke into laughter.

“What? What happened?”

#dgm headcanons #dgm scenarios #dgm #dgm hallow #dgm imagines #lenalee lee #allen walker #hitman au #wow...#if i lumped lavi and kanda here #it's gonna be super long #i'm not sure if this is what you want #but somehow my au...esp the sweetheart section tend to be somewhat cracky #i just can't help myself #komui crying in shame is too tempting not to write #and lenalee's sweetheart have some potent good luck for a civilian #sorry for the crack #it might be the stress

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anonymoustalks · 4 years

Text

One that really always bothered me is that a lot of people assume that if you have some kind of physical deformity, it means you are mentally challneged

(6-21-20)) You both like politics.

Stranger: Hi

You: hiya

Stranger: Age?

You: 26

Stranger: 27

Stranger: Got a topic?

You: I was reading about humiliation

You: and hazing

Stranger: In frats?

You: mhm just in general

You: I was just on the feminism tag

Stranger: Ah

You: we didn't really talk about the it, but the other person mentioned: "Who are we canceling today?"

Stranger: Is that something that actually gets discussed?

You: which I assume is a sarcastic remark

Stranger: I always thought just one person like makes a post, and then everyone else just kinda goes with it

You: yup

Stranger: So, any interesting insight on humiliation and hazing?

You: not really, I'm just trying to understand it

You: I was on reddit today

You: and for my city subreddit

You: someone posted a screenshot of someone saying something on facebook

You: and owner of an auto repair shop

You: basically saying to boycot this guy because he's a white supremacist

You: anyhow I don't have a lot of interesting insights

You: anything that you care about in particular?

Stranger: What do you think about the declining birthrate in developed nations?

You: I don't really have a strong opinion about it

You: I think it's fine

You: although I think some people worry about the economy

Stranger: Do you think it plateaus around 1 child per woman?

Stranger: Or keeps going further down?

You: idk, I'm not super familiar with the statistics or literature

You: is there a stance you have on it?

Stranger: I think it will probably go down significantly further than 1

You: mhm and why is that?

You: and do you think that's a bad thing?

Stranger: Because I don't think the trends that are causing it are going to be abated at all. Its partly economic and party due to cultural shift.

Stranger: I'm not sure

You: I've heard people argue that it's worrisome from an economic standpoint

Stranger: If it continues, we better hope automation is coming along as strongly as people hope

Stranger: people*

You: but at the same time, I'm pro-environment, so I don't think it's all a bad thing if humanity decreases its footprint

You: I mean I don't support genocide or birth control policies

Stranger: Eh, I think technological innovation is more important for our environmental footprint

You: but I'm not complaining if there's less people on the planet

You: or well, I don't think there's anything intrisincally good about having a high world population

Stranger: Intrinsically no

Stranger: Instrumentally, there are advantages

Stranger: Also, it might be a natural consequence of other things that are intrinsically good

You: hm what do you mean?

Stranger: I'd hold that its intrinsically good if people are able to live out there aspirations, and their aspiration might include having kids

You: ahh okay

You: I believe in reproductive freedom

Stranger: I tend to think most people probably will be happier in the long run if they have kids

You: like if people want to have few kids, or more kids, it should be up to them

You: that said it makes sense that we're not at the replacement birthrate

You: like for me, 2 kids is ideal

Stranger: I think that ideal is a bit narrow

You: but you need a lot of people having 3 kids in order to balance the ppl who aren't having kids or 1 kid

You: but I mean, just imo, 3+ kids is a lot

Stranger: You are considering it from a standpoint of sustainable growth if we hold that having 2 kid families is as optimal for development of children as anything else

You: ohh, I just meant it personally

You: like from my own family standpoint

Stranger: Personally, I'm undecided

Stranger: I might not choose to have kids at all. But, if I do choose to do it, I'd prefer a large family

You: are you male or female?

You: just curious

Stranger: Male

Stranger: Yourself?

You: mhm I'm female

You: I think there's an age consideration too

Stranger: I think larger families have better dynamics if the money is there to support them

You: like I think ppl are getting married later

You: and having kids later

You: like I think 3 kids is maybe more reasonable if you start having kids in your 20's

Stranger: Yes, I think this is especially impactful with women

You: but if you start in your 30's there's just not as much time

You: in either case, I'd like to aim for 2

Stranger: Depends on the gender

You: well yeah, I was talking about for women

Stranger: If I do decide to get married and have kids, I'll likely marry a woman considerably younger than myself

You: mhm I think it's somewhat kind of random who ppl end up encountering

You: well unless you do like formal dating/matchmaking I guess

Stranger: I think that depends on the person. I have friends who are more picky and friends who just take the first thing that comes along

You: I just think it takes time to find someone haha ^^

You: your 20's pass by in a flash lol

Stranger: It really depends on your situation

You: for you, how long do you think it is good to date before marrying?

Stranger: At least 1 yeear

Stranger: year*

Stranger: Probably between 1-2 years

Stranger: I think if you aren't settled on it by the end of 2 years, then its probably not the right one

You: really?

You: I feel like I know a lot of couples who have been dating a long time

You: but haven't married

Stranger: I'm also someone who dates like that too though

Stranger: I give girls expiration dates in my mind. If I get to that date and don't feel like making it more serious, then I dump them.

You: huhh that's interesting

You: I've been in my current relationship for 8 years lol

Stranger: I've never been in one longer than 7 months

Stranger: How old are you again?

You: 26

Stranger: So, this is your only adult relationship

You: yup

You: first and only

Stranger: I'm kinda that complete opposite of you

Stranger: the*

You: yeah I'm aware that I'm kind of unusual

Stranger: I've didn't date all in my teens and early 20s

Stranger: at all*

You: mhm

Stranger: I got my first date, much less first girlfriend, at 23

Stranger: I've dated regularly since then though

You: so what are some reasons why a bunch of them didn't work out?

Stranger: But, never longer than a few months

Stranger: Oh, mostly just that I don't want to settle down

You: oh

Stranger: I'm open to the possibility that I'll fall in love to the extent that I decide I want to settle down with the person even though it doesn't fit my preferred timeframe

You: are you a very objective date-r?

Stranger: But, if that doesn't happen, then I'd rather not date a girl for too long

Stranger: What do you mean?

Stranger: Like, do I have a spread sheet of traits they have to match?

You: yup

Stranger: I have my preferences and dealbreakers like anyone

Stranger: But, I don't think mine are that precise or crazy

You: yeah

You: I guess I'm just unfamiliar with the dating world

You: I have one friend who did online dating (like the paid kind)

You: and it's just eye opening to see what it's like I guess

Stranger: Like, I don't date outside of a certain age range

You: mhm

Stranger: I don't date single moms

You: ohh why not?

Stranger: Because I have no desire to be a step father

You: mhm you sound like you care a lot about having kids

Stranger: Well, 2 things

Stranger: 1. I said if I had them I'd want a lot. I might just decide not have them at all. I'm ok with that

Stranger: 2. My own kids. Not somebody elses. I'd only raise a kid who wasn't my own if it was like a niece or nephew or godchild that was left to me after their parents passed

You: mhm and you wouldn't adopt, clearly

Stranger: Yeah, for me, having kids in large part is about making them, not just having a child to raise

You: hmm

You: I think I like the idea of kids in general

Stranger: So, you don't care if they aren't you own biologically?

You: although I think my parents have expectations

You: I mean I do, but at the same time, I think what I look forward to most is just having them grow up you know?

You: like I don't look forward to childbith lol

Stranger: I mean, if fate forced me to take responsibility for a kid, I'd treat like my own even if they weren't biologically

You: mhm

Stranger: I have a lot of respect for step-father/mothers and adoptive parents

Stranger: Its just not a burden I want to seek out

You: that makes sense

Stranger: I'd be fine not having kids and just living a free life

You: oh for me, if I was infertile or something, i would consider adoptin

Stranger: But, if I do have them, I'll take that burden in return for getting to have my own biological offspring

Stranger: If I found out I was infertile, I would just live the rest of my life for my own enjoyment

You: mhm I have a friend whose dream is to have kids and she's infertile

You: so it's like her goal to adopt

Stranger: It would be sad, but in a way, I think finding out I'm infertile would lift a lot of burden off me

You: even though she's not in a relationship

Stranger: I get that

Stranger: I'm physically handicapped, so I know what's it like to want something and have it taken from you

You: ohh is it okay if I ask how so?

Stranger: Marfans syndrome

Stranger: I have a lot of joint and skeletal issues

You: ahh

Stranger: Though, I'm not in a wheelchair or anything

You: is that the hyperflexibility one?

Stranger: Yeah

You: do you have a lot of joint pain or something?

Stranger: Except I had surgery on both my knees and my spine, so the flexibility isn't really there

You: ohh

Stranger: It causes your connective tisseus to be weak and loose

Stranger: Which is why it can make you more flexible

Stranger: But, your connective tissue also help shape your skeleton and organs while your growing as a kid

Stranger: So, it causes all kinds of deformity and malfunction

You: right

You: are you overall okay?

Stranger: Ok is relative. It still causes issues for me, but I've learned to live with it

You: mhm okay

Stranger: That is why I didn't date till 23

You: what is something that you wish other people knew about marfans that they don't?

Stranger: Its tough when you look weird

Stranger: I mean, I guess just what it is

Stranger: Its a very rare condition and most people have never heard of it

You: mhm

Stranger: I didn't start dating until I graduated college and started making money

You: right

Stranger: Before that point, I guess I was viewed as having nothing to offer

Stranger: Since I couldn't offer looks and social acceptance like other guys

Stranger: But, graduating from a good university and being financially independent puts you ahead of a lot of guys these days

You: Did you experience a lot of bias/prejudice?

Stranger: Oh, sure

You: In what ways?

Stranger: Harrassment, exclusion, physical and verbal abuse, condescension, humiliation, you name it

You: If it's okay, what you mind sharing some examples?

Stranger: Suspicion

You: *would you mind

Stranger: One that really always bothered me is that a lot of people assume that if you have some kind of physical deformity, it means you are mentally challneged

Stranger: And they will hold onto this belief even when presented evidence that clearly makes it impossible

You: ahh :c

Stranger: Like, people at my university said they thought I was mentally handicapped when they first met me.

Stranger: I went to a top 20 university

Stranger: There are no special ed classes there

You: oh my goodness

Stranger: And when I pointed out that out, they just said "Well, you could be like rain man"

You: rain man?

Stranger: Then I would say "you've heard me speak, you should be able to tell I'm not like rain man"

Stranger: Dustin Hoffman movie where he plays a man with severe autism, but he's a savant with numbers

You: ahh

Stranger: People just can't shake their ingrained associations like that

Stranger: Unless you confront them

You: yeah, I wonder what's the best way to debunk those assumptions

Stranger: That is why its annoying. The thing I had to do to prevent that from happening was to be aggressively intellectual when meeting people

You: right

Stranger: Which in turn makes a lot of people intimidated by you or think you are an asshole

You: aw :c

Stranger: And its almost impossible to explain to people

Stranger: Because they will just get defensive and claim that you were assuming things or that you are too sensitive

Stranger: Because for them this is a thing that only came up in dealing with me (most people hardly ever deal with someone in my situation, so I'm often the only one they know like that)

You: right

Stranger: Whereas for me this is somthing that comes up like half time I interact with people

You: mhm totally

Stranger: That's a really annoying one, but there is a lot more just garden variety stuff

Stranger: Like having people call me names. Think they can get away with physically assaulting me.

You: what?

Stranger: In high school the same group of like preppy well to do kids had monopolized every academic based after school club

Stranger: Like debate, model UN, school paper, quiz bowl, ect

Stranger: And they literally just refused to talk to me and would do things like throw away my sign up forms for events

You: that's so mean

Stranger: Good luck trying to explain that to a college recruiter when they ask why you don't have that many extra-curriculars

You: yeah...

You: I always wondering how it would come across

You: trying to explain bullying to a college recruiter

You: is it just something that never makes it onto applications?

Stranger: I actually know, because I tried

You: like it just disappears?

Stranger: He said "I hope you didn't put any of this in your application. Georgetown doesn't like people who play the victim"

You: mhm :c

You: in my high school

You: there was the girl with T1 diabetes

You: and I think a lot ppl saw her as lazy and as a complainer

Stranger: Yeah, people don't know

Stranger: When you are in chronic pain or fatigue and there is nothing you can do, it makes everything 10x harder

You: right

Stranger: And other people think they can understand it because they've been in pain or been tired before

Stranger: But its not the same when its chronic

You: yeah

You: I didn't understand any of that in high school

Stranger: Honestly, I hated high school

Stranger: And college

You: mhm was college just as bad?

Stranger: My life only improved when I was in a position to make money and apply my actual competency in way that was rewarded

Stranger: College was just extremely lonely

Stranger: I didn't make any friends at all until my very last year

You: yeah

Stranger: Even then, I think it probably had something to do with it becoming clearer that I had some kind of status in my future

You: was it a self-esteem thing as well?

Stranger: It all happened after I came back from a really prestigious summer internship

You: mhm

Stranger: Maybe, but I doubt it

Stranger: I've never been shy

Stranger: I've always been very confrontation in dealing with other people

You: right

Stranger: confrontational*

Stranger: That was my strategy rather than shying away

Stranger: Like most people in my situation do

You: mhmm

You: I'm not very confrontational

Stranger: I think most people aren't

Stranger: It would be nice to not feel like I have to be

You: yeah

Stranger: I've envied people who can just show up, relax, and get acceptance

You: mhm

You: does this relate to your outlook on politics as well?

You: since well, this is the politics tag?

Stranger: Perhaps

Stranger: Maybe I'd be more libetarian otherwise

Stranger: libertarian*

You: how do you identify?

Stranger: Just broadly liberal

You: mhm

You: is georgetown liberal?

Stranger: Basically, I'm close to being a libertarian except on welfare issues

Stranger: Yeah

Stranger: It has a catholic streak, but mostly catholic progressives

You: mhm

You: have you always been super into politics?

Stranger: Yeah

Stranger: That started with 9-11

Stranger: I'm half Pakistani and I grew up in the South, so my existence became politicized early

You: really? weren't you in elementary school

You: ohhhhhh

You: okay yeah

Stranger: That is probably where a lot of my libertarian streak comes from

You: like you were shoved into politics? or your family made a concious choice to partake in it?

Stranger: Like, all of a sudden I was the enemy identified by the government and everyone was mindlessly falling in line behind rhetoric that denied my legitimacy

Stranger: So, naturally I started trying to make sense of it all

You: right :c

You: yeah I don't know what to say

Stranger: It is what it is

Stranger: But, I do have to go

You: okay thanks for sharing

Stranger: Its been nice talking with you

You: mhm you too

You: have a great day

Stranger has disconnected.

#omegle #politics #population decline #reproductive rights #family #dating #marfans syndrome #disabilities #bias #college #georgetown university #pakistani

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