Project R au except Danny is not the clone.

Instead Danny gets Ras Al Ghuls attention after overhearing that the baby in the tube was made from a bunch of "Robins/detectives" and a little of Phantom himself and looks the guy in the eye before using his intangibility to grab the baby-still not breaking eye contact- and saying, "Mine now." before disappearing.

Danny comes home and explains the situation to his sister and parents and they welcome the new baby into the family with open arms. When asked why they took dna from Danny, Jack immediately jumped in with, "Because we're Fentons!" As if that was all the reason needed.

Elsewhere Ras tells the bats about the clonenapping, conveniently leaving out the part about Phantom also being one of the babys dads. The bats go a little crazy trying to find out where thier baby is and why some no name villian (cause thats what they believe he is due to what little media coverage Amity Park has on him) wants with thier baby.

Then they learn about the ghost thing and then the research. At first they didn't believe it because they had dealt with ghosts before and they were nothing like that. But the more they looked the more they realized these weren't the kind of ghosts they were used to...

45. “let’s just cuddle forever.”

“I’m sorry Mr and Ms Han, your baby did not make it.”

Bad news followed bad news, so much so that they found they may never see the light again. First, an earthquake put Buck in a critical condition, took out Hen’s house, blocked off the school where Christopher was. In the chaos, Maddie had fallen once, and not thought much of it, pushing it off to help the other. They needed help, and she had to provide it. Until she started bleeding did she stop, and Chimney immediately rushed her to an ER.

Where there was still more bad news to come.

Maddie could feel it rushing back to her, the first time she had lost her baby. It had been almost a relief, although she mourned the loss of a life that she could raise, it was a bad place to raise a child, and it could be reasoned that the child had escaped. But now? In a loving home, with the biggest extended family they could have, she had lost the child.

The car ride was silent, Chimney nervously glancing over at Maddie as she stared out the window blankly, eyes unfocused. He knew what was going through her head, or a pretty good idea at least. He had been through the same thread himself. He didn’t speak to her until he let them into his darkened apartment, switching on the light as she sat softly on the couch, almost scared to move too quickly.

“Maddie, no one blames you.”

“No one but me.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

Chimney sat beside her, gingerly placing an arm around her, settling his hand by her waist. She tensed, but didn’t move away, so he took it as a good sign.

“I just keep playing it back in my head. I..I hit the ground and I swear I caught myself on my hands, but obviously I didn’t, because I got back up and later…”

Tears she thought had dried themselves out returned, fresh and painful, and she could only remember the fear from the first time, when he had punished her for failing again. She remembered none of the happiness, from the first ultrasound to the first kick, it all faded to darkness, another hidden corner of her mind.

Chimney didn’t say anything. Nothing he could say would magically make everything better.

“Maybe if I had been more careful, if I took a break after the fall, maybe she wo-”

“Shhh.”

He cut off her train of thought, willing her mind to shy away from blaming herself.

“It doesn’t matter what you did and didn’t do.”

“But what if it did? What if I hadn’t done something, would that have changed the outcome of this crappy day? Would we be sitting here, overjoyed that we survived the day instead of trying not to fall apart?”

“We made it through the day, Maddie, that’s what matters right now.”

“But you were so excited to be a dad.”

“Maddie as long as I have you, we can try again. When the sun rises and the morning comes, we can have a fresh start, as long as we’re okay.”

“I’m sorr-”

“Nothing you need to apologise for.”

Chimney pulled her into his lap, holding her close and tight as she wept, body shaking in sobs. He shed tears of his own, quietly letting them fall.

“Let’s just cuddle forever.”

Until the pain gave them a break.

2018 in Review

I, along with the masses, feel the need to reflect on the year behind us as we move into a new one. All in all, it was a long and hard year for me, but looking back there were many, many good moments. I went through them today via photos on my iphone, to jog my memory of all the things I did, saw, and took in this year. While likely very boring for you, you can read my write-ups by month further down. I also wrote out the accomplishments I’m proudest of this year. What I most want to share, though, is that this exercise made me feel better and infinitely more grateful about the year that I had! It is OK to feel bad about the year, of course, but picking out the good stuff, the memories and accomplishments I will carry with me — that really helped me see 2018 for what it was and feel prepared for 2019.

This year I: walked a whole lot, with a daily average of 5.4 miles this December; started Couch-to-5K (lol) and can now run almost 2 miles without stopping; met my yearly savings goal; started a regular volunteer gig at Tenants Together and volunteered at the Women’s Building during tax season (hmu with ur housing/tax Qs, folks); fulfilled a years-old dream of traveling to Chile and Argentina (and somehow have now visited 5 continents!); spent my first full calendar year at a full-time job; completed my (albeit measly) reading goal of 12 books in 2018 (my favorite was The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes).  

My resolutions include: new savings goal to meet; run a 5k; cook more (lol); write more.

2018 was a long year for a me, a bit of a slog, really. In looking back at the highlights, I also want to be honest about the downsides and the ruts. I experienced a fair amount of depression this year, more than I ever have; I tried to make big life changes that ultimately fell through; and I cried a lot. If you know me well you know my whole life is an existential crisis, but turning 25 I entered a new phase of it and I’m still grappling with finding my place. But I do believe moving through the rough stuff is important and necessary (as Bright Eyes sings, “your eyes must do some raining if you’re ever going to grow.” A little trite, a lot true). I am so, so grateful for my friends and family who have supported me, listened to me, and reminded me of my strengths when I’ve had a hard time reminding myself.     

Onwards and upwards, 2019 <3

January

Rang in the new year with Leah and Sarah in DC and kissed some macaroni and cheese at midnight. Went from SF to DC and back again for family business (and saw all of my cousins together for the first time in years)— on a connecting flight, witnessed the magic of flying into LA at night. Saw so many DC/Maryland friends at a Mags-in-DC happy hour. Women’s marched.

February

Had a wonderful surprise visit from my dear friend Nacho from Chile; had a magical Dolores day that ended with free empanadas from our new friend Paula. Went back to Big Sur for the first time in 10 years (bless Nacho for supporting me in the most difficult driving I’ve ever done, in Matt’s car no less (thanks Matt!)). Went back to LA and visited the Figure 8 wall, the Museum of Death, and LACMA. Started happy hour tradition with Meredith at the Lake Chalet; sliders and lavender lemonades (lemony snickets). Got my first budget through the Port Commission.

March

Pisco party with Will. Celebrated Pi Day with Katie. Made an Irish soda bread for St. Patrick’s and celebrated with the Stones. Took a while to close out my tab because I was not the only Doyle in the bar that night (ha!). Watched the entirety of Six Feet Under, briefly considered career shift to funeral director.

April

Turned 25 and was overjoyed to be joined by my brothers for their first trip to visit me in California. We went to Land’s End and to Santa Cruz. Peter cooked a delicious salmon dinner for us before my party. Special out of town guests at my birthday included Jacob and Pablo (wow was I lucky!). Got the best haircut & highlights of my life (thanks Ms. Siobhan!). Walked to work on walk to work day. Easter morning mass with Gregory. 

May

This was the month I went to Olive Garden at the Stonestown Mall by myself and sat alone at the bar. They treated me like a queen. Discovered internal family systems with my therapist and reached a turning point in learning to value myself. Was featured on SFGOVTV while my boss presented to the Board of Supervisors and I looked beautiful that day. Biked to work on bike to work day. Started volunteering at Tenants Together. Ate a tacro, it was weird.

June

Baby’s first camping trip to Arroyo Seco with Maddy, Vinnie, Gabi, and Joey. We swam in a gorge and I got a sunburn. Then we went to In-N-Out and camped a second night in the Byrne’s living room because we didn’t get a campsite for the second night. Tradr Sam’s with Gregory (he has far too much video evidence of the debauchery of this occasion). Pride at Dolores Park, someone bought me a rainbow jello shot, I vigorously reapplied sunscreen but drunkenly missed the same spots every time.

July

Freezing SF summer. Enjoyed Mamma Mia 2 (here we go again!) with the biggest Cher fan in existence (love 2 Sabrina) and Molly and Filipa. Got some summertime weather in Sacramento with Leah, where we went to a country club to play in their pool and went to the state fair. Elotes and deep fried cookie dough.  

August

Attended the international dog surfing competition (!!!) in Pacifica. Had my first visit back to Ocean City in several years, ate crabs on my grandparents’ deck and Thrasher’s french fries on the boardwalk. Traveled to Chicago for a hot minute and then to Madison, Wisconsin to see two dear friends, Laura and Ryan, get married. Their song was “This Must Be The Place.” Deep fried cheese curds.

September

Another visit to LA, this time to see Maddy and Vinnie in their brand-new home. Ate so much delicious food (Little Ethiopia! Zankou! Tacos!), swam in the Pacific Ocean for the first time (really swam) with Vinnie, and almost got banned from Dodgers stadium. Runyon Canyon and Point Dume with Matt and Jacob. Met a dog who lives in a laundromat after one of Molly’s shows. Published my first budget book.

October

Hiked the Marin Headlands with Matt and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time (somehow). Dogsat Stella for the Byrnes. Bought cool new glasses for $15. Canvassed for Propositions C + 10. Saw Roma at the Castro Theatre with Sarah, and Alfonso Cuaron and Yalitza Aparicio were there. Fell three (3) times at a haunted house from being scared (Molly as my witness). Killed the Halloween costume game.

November

More canvassing and phone banking for Props C + 10 (C passed!). The seawall bond passed and I was proud to have given presentations to community groups about it. Beautiful, beautiful Dia de los Muertos in the Mission with Tyler. Incredible, incredible trip to Chile and Argentina — too much to write here — terrazando, carmenere and piscolas, la cordillera, empanadas and choripans, a million museums, amazing views, and incredible company in Nacho, Rodrigo, Santiago, Joaquin, Pipe and Paz and Pablo and more. Wow.

December

Clementime with Molly. Successfully recreated my favorite dish from Buenos Aires, pollo a la portuguesa (she cooked!). Visited Sabrina in Santa Cruz, hiked Buzzard’s Roost in Big Basin and attended the greatest Christmas/guitar factory store party ever. Macaroni Grill (!!!) w Mere. Parties and shows with Joe and Pete, the Building Museum with Maddy, drinks and dinners and lunches and brunches with old, old friends. Family festivities. Rewatched all 8 Harry Potter films in a four day span.

DEAR, MS. ( MEDALION HSIEH )

We are pleased to have you back for another year as a SEVENTH YEAR STUDENT at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We sincerely hope your classmates in SLYTHERIN treat you well.

tw: infidelity, child neglect, underage sex, drug and alcohol usage.

the thing about birthrights is that it’s usually an achievement one would want. something one would strive and perfect themselves so they could inherit and master. but medalion never asked for her birthright; a traitor. born into a powerful, matriarchy family full of purebloods, the tsai family all attended beuxbaton’s academy of magic in pyrenees, all excelling as witches. household names whether it be in academics, sports or social life, the tsai women were well-known throughout the school. it was their thing, of sorts, to go to beuxbaton and ascend over all. so nothing less was expected of medalion’s mother, jacquieline tsai. she took the academic route like some of her family members, proudly ranking in high numbers throughout her school. she had (however much a teenager really can) a solid grip on her life. she knew what she wanted to do after completing school, which was to become a professor at beuxbaton herself. the path ahead of her was clear and nothing could stop it. her vision came to a halt when beuxbaton was invited to hogwarts during the triwizard tournament, and her stop sign came in the form of damien hsieh.

damien was the tempest around the halls of the school. everyone knew he was trouble. born into a family of purebloods, the slytherin’s family had ties to the dark lord and death eaters. no one dared to cross his path, fear embedded into the eyes of students in other houses whenever him and his gang of troublemakers arrived. the exact details of how damien and jacqueline met was blurred during the nights of partying over the victories of the tournament, and their mutual attraction became quite evident the night the beuxbaton ladies had to leave. the love that flourished during the short period of time jacqueline was at hogwarts was real, and the two decided to keep in contact after she left, exchanging love letters to one another. coming from the family she came from, jacqueline’s future had already been predicted the moment of her birth. despite the choices she made for her own life, the one fact that would never change is her marriage. love didn’t exist for the tsai family, power and wealth did. marrying a man less than their aristocratic status and wealth was heavily looked down upon, to the point of pushing them away as an outcast. jacqueline, who basked in the spotlight other’s shined on her, couldn’t be an outcast.

after graduating and beginning her career as a professor, jacqueline was soon engaged to a man almost immediately. however, that didn’t change the fact she was in love with another and had been seeing damien since she left beuxbaton. the two are inseparable, shot by cupid’s arrow himself. jackie had always been used to comfort and safety, but for damien she was willing to throw it all away. life became miserable for jackie, but the times she was with her lover made it all right. the only time it became absolute hell was the day she found out she was pregnant, and she knew it didn’t belong to her husband. grateful, petrified and overjoyed all at once, jacqueline kept it a secret to herself, only telling damien when it was time. the tsai family eventually found out of her pregnancy and the true parentage. disgusted by the fact one of their own would lower themselves and lay with a slytherin, one who was associated with the dark side nonetheless, the tsai family threatened to disown jacqueline. deciding what was best for the family’s image, they lied and pronounced her husband as her baby’s father. damien had begged jacqueline to leave with him, to start their own family and raise their baby well. but she couldn’t. her family mattered too much, their words seeping into her brain. damien left, and never returned. he only visited his child a few times before it became too much and went off grid.

medalion was born into a family full of hate projected towards her. the product of wedlock and the fact her father was a slytherin of low-status, who came from a family associated with lord voldemort and death eaters, reminded her every day who she was and where she came from, and the fact she would always be beneath the rest of the tsai family. maddie tries her hardest to fit in, to shape herself so she’s nothing less than perfect. she aces in school, advancing far ahead of the other kids, and she familiarizes herself with multiple instruments. she goes out of her way to show she was like them, she was one of them. they all turned the other cheek. it continues until it’s time for maddie to head off to school, and although the family despises her, they expect her to carry the name and head to beuxbaton. they were more than taken back when medalion received a letter of acceptance from hogwarts and the young girl didn’t hesitate to pack her suitcases and leave. her heart was filled with disappointment and hope that life could get better now. thankfully, it did.

the young girl arrived off the train knowing nothing about how the world worked. her head had been full of lies by her mother’s side and she expects to get into gryffindor. maddie wants to be able to return home the following holidays and tell her family all about the day she got sorted into her house, using anything she could to possibly, for the first time, make them proud of her. the little girl’s world is crushed when the sorting hat is placed on her head and after a few seconds of deliberations, she’s cast into slytherin, the same house as her father. it would be a lie to say the young witch wasn’t hurt by it, but she didn’t let it control her life. at first. during her first years, maddie is enthralled by magic. she loves it. she’s excited to go to class and learn. she’s mesmerized during flying classes as a child and despite how difficult potions is, loved making the concoctions. she’s immersed into hogwart’s history and keeps her nose in a book at all times, wanting to gain as much as knowledge as she possibly can. she’s a sight for sore eyes as she grows up and becomes a bit of an ‘it’ girl. people knew her. despite all the good things in her life, maddie can’t help but think about her own birthright. is it to be beautiful, intelligent or athletic like her mother’s side? or is it to turn the other cheek and follow the dark and beaten path like her father? the thoughts plant themselves inside her pretty little head and medalion begins acting out, especially during her fifth and sixth years. she’s almost always in detention for picking fights and getting into heated arguments with others. she starts sleeping around and partying, drugs and alcohol becoming her best friend during most nights. maddie prefers having a good time over anything. and she becomes known for it, known for being a rebel and a bird that refuses to be caged. as she’s grown older, her tantrums with her professors reduced to nothing (she only bickers playfully with her favorite teachers) but she’s still being sent to the detention room for her temper and uncontrollable tongue. to her friends, she’s an angel. maddie makes sure the people she loves, truly loves and cares for, knows that and goes out of her way to make sure they are taken care of. coming from a family where love was nonexistent, the little bit she has in her life and allows herself to feel, she treasures. to the ones who looked at her from the outside, she’s the devil’s favorite. always wanting to cause some sort of havoc, unable to get rest if she hasn’t done something mildly chaotic. encasing her heart around solid steel, the girl inside is still very much broken, and putting the pieces back together has proven to become hard. most nights she’s too gone to care about her worries or she’s too sober and facing them all at once.