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#Stanford's middle name is his father's first name

marcelllyn · 21 days

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Daughter of vampires.

This is the first part of a short fanfic about Dean and a vampire's daughter. Synopsis: With several cases of something that looks like vampires, Dean and Sam turn to an old friend, perhaps for Dean she was more than an ex-friend. But most importantly, she is the daughter of a vampire. Warnings: Blood, sexual content, do not read if you are underage! English is not my first language, vampires, light and heavy anguish.

Author's note:I was dying to write a tragic and vampire story, so I took Dean (my great love) as a guinea pig. As I said before, this is the first part, today (I think) I will post the second part.

In the middle of the cold winter, there were two idiots standing in front of his front door. After all, her life was at a standstill, following a normal pattern and Dean felt it like a trained dog sniffing out drugs.

It was three o'clock in the morning when the doorbell rang. She was afraid to answer it, but something inside her made her wrap the blanket around herself and go downstairs.

When she saw Sam and Dean standing there, she felt her blood boil so much that she didn't even need the blanket.

- What are you doing here? - His jaw tensed as he awkwardly moved the door.

- We need a place to stay for the night, and we've heard that someone here is in trouble with... - Sam was trying to explain himself, but Dean was already walking in.

- Nice house, it's just like you. Pink everywhere, it looks like Barbie's house. - Dean said sarcastically. - We need a little help. You know, with vampires. - She threw herself on the sofa.

She was amazed at the man's cluelessness, but she still made room for Sam to come in.

- Would you like some tea, water or coffee? - I said in a quitting tone.

- Beer. - Dean smiled. - Three, please.

Sam slapped his brother hard on the shoulder and smiled embarrassed. And said:

- Tea, if that's all right.

She put her Scooby-Doo print blanket on the arm of the sofa. She walked to the kitchen, filled a teapot with water and put it on the fire. She sighed deeply, trying to put away all the sorrows that were trying to surface.

- I thought you'd prefer puppies. - Dean's tired voice acted like a lever for hurt. - Sam went to the car to get our backpacks.

She looked at him indignantly, her mouth hanging open as if she wanted to say something. But she didn't, she just stared into his green eyes with hatred.

- Cats suited me better. - She took three cups with kittens printed on them from the cupboard.

- It fills me with pride to see that you've managed to build a life. As an artist.

“It fills me with pride” that little phrase numbed her body. She turned her face away with a shy smile. She wasn't exactly happy with him, but she didn't want to be rude.

- Unfortunately, I can't say the same, you haven't learned anything over the last few years.

There was an uncomfortable silence, they both wanted to talk, but they couldn't, trapped in their own egos.

Dean opened the fridge and took out a bottle of beer; before Valkyrie could intervene, he was already drinking.

- Sam should be at Stanford. - You shouldn't be taking him down the same road, you should be being a good big brother and protecting him from this mediocre life your father made you both live for so long. - The hurt was spewing out.

- Don't start talking about what you don't know, cute? - He replied harshly. - He's not a child, he knows very well what he's doing.

The two of them glared at each other. She wanted to take one of the cups and smash it over his head, but that would only remain in her mind. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

- I see you've adopted three cats, what are their names? - Sam appeared in the kitchen.

She turned to pour an equal measure into each cup of water.

- The black cat is Romeo, the orange cat is Flor and the mixed cat is Juliet. - She replied, pouring the tea into the cups. - Vampires, then?

- Yes, there have been many cases of people being killed with their necks cut open and teeth marks. And others who survive the attacks are spreading it like some kind of virus. - Sam picked up a cup.

It was true, there had been a few cases of the dead in the newspaper, and one of them was even an acquaintance. A man she had painted, a beautiful picture, but the news was not that he had died but that his body had disappeared from the morgue. She didn't bother to do any more research or think that this could be a case of vampires.

- What do you two want from me?

- Help, you know, your father was a great vampire, and you're, you know... - Sam gestured with his hands, trying to find words.

- A decoy. - Dean joked. - We think it might be your father again, and as well as being his daughter, you're half vampire. - Sam and Val looked at him in confusion. - In a less literal way, of course. Anyway, are you going to help us or not?

- Dean, my father died six years ago. - He snorted.

- That's what you think, we've never seen his body. - Dean said, agitated. - And he could very well be doing these things to get your attention. - His accusatory tone infuriated her.

- He's dead. - She took a deep breath. - I'm sorry, I've retired from this hunting business.

- You coward. - Dean muttered with a feigned cough.

- What did you say? He raised his voice and approached the man with his finger pointed at him.

- I said it! - Dean shouted, then Sam stopped in front of them.

- Dean doesn't want that, I'm sure. And we really don't have time for these silly fights. - Sam covertly stepped on his brother's foot. - Please, Valkyrie, think about the people you're protecting.

The woman sighed deeply and then had an answer.

- I will help you. But everything has a price. - She hummed. - I want a ride in the Impala and a free pass to slap and pinch Dean whenever I want.

- Done. - Sam held out his hand.

Dean tried to say something, but Sam gave him an ugly look and thought it best just to hold out his hand. She shook the men's hands.

- Well, I've got a sofa and a guest room, you can make yourselves comfortable.

- Thank you very much, Val. - Sam hugged her tightly. Picking her up off the floor. - It's good to see you again.

- It's really nice, now put her down, Sammy! - Dean said impatiently.

That done, Valkyrie patted him on the shoulder three times and smiled in gratitude. She loved Sam like a best friend and that never changed even after many years.

- Make yourselves at home, but no mess, no unknown women, no porn.

- You heard Dean, no porn. - Sam sneered softly at his brother.

- Shut up.

- I'm going to bed, good night to you both, and I'll wake you up tomorrow.

- Good night, Mom! - Dean shouted as she ran up the stairs.

- I'm not dead yet! - She shouted back.

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sarah-cam · 8 months

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What do you think Belly and Conrad’s relationship would be like when they get married? Also, considering how family oriented they are, how do you think they would be as parents? Personally, I think Belly and Conrad would be good parents; however, I think Belly would fear her kid making the same mistakes she made when she was young and Conrad would fear the growing pains that occur when their kid becomes a teenager. Plus, if they have a girl, I like the idea that they’d name her Susannah Beck Conklin-Fisher to pay homage to their middle names and Susannah.

i feel like it would be so supportive and healthy, and part of the reason why is that they spend some time growing apart before growing together again. conrad clearly has a lot of unresolved issues surrounding the loss of his mother and his relationship with his father, and one of the reasons they broke up was the lack of communication. i feel like communication would be his top priority going forward, both with belly and with their eventual kids. belly has more issues surrounding trust but it would mostly be the same thing — communication!! i think that she would also be more cognizant of showing her kids a healthy, loving relationship. she told conrad about how she wasn’t surprised that her parents got divorced because they were never romantic, so i feel like she would make sure that her children grow up with parents who obviously love each other. we saw that belly helped conrad with writing essays/applying to stanford and helped him study for his exam, and we saw how he helped tutor her in trig, so i feel like that shows how supportive and encouraging they are together. the biggest thing as parents would be to not make the same mistakes that they felt their parents did.

tbh giving kids the same first name as a dead relative makes me sort of uncomfy?? like i would not want to call my child the same name as my dead mom, it would make me sad — but that’s just me!! maybe if they call her by a nickname like susie but i also just am not a fan of that name sorry 😂 i prefer paying homage with middle names

#the summer i turned pretty #tsitp meta #bonrad #answered #anon #also he ain't a cheater 🙊#and that's why conrad fisher will always be famous 💅🏼

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vedantxdasari · 18 days

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INTRODUCING . . . VED DASARI

full name: vedant gagan dasari

nicknames: ved, nani (by his family)

age: thirty-seven

date of birth: june 15, 1986

gender: cis male

occupation: bouncer/bartender at soundwave

neighborhood: midtown

IN A NUTSHELL . . .

parental death tw, cancer tw, hostages tw vedant was the second of two sons, born on a rainy day in delhi. his life was marked by loss within hours of his birth when his mother passed away due to complications in the delivery. his father, while unwilling, was compelled to remarry by his family. they moved to the united states shortly after, and his step-mother showered both him and his older brother, santosh with love and care. while they saw the relationship between his father and mother was nonexistent, the children never felt the strain of her marital relationship impact her maternal love. when his brother was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, vedant was the presumed donor for a bone marrow transplant. the fact that he was not a match and therefore could not help his brother haunts him to this day. his younger sister was brought into the world with the hope that they would be able to save their oldest son. but within a few years of her birth they said goodbye to santosh as well. grappling with their grief, they moved to wilmington soon after, where ved threw himself into school. after graduation, he attended georgetown and then received an mba from stanford. he began to work with the fbi in hostage negotiations. within a few years he had excelled at work and was handling international negotiations. one such mission took him to syria where he disobeyed instructions in saving mahira yoon-castillo. upon returning to the us, he was put on probation and after a few more episodes of poor performance since returning, he was asked to take a break. he returned to wilmington to be with family and work through the demons that caused him to buckle under pressure for the first time.

IN THE WEEDS . . .

Born during the monsoon season in Delhi, Vedant’s very first moments in the world brought tragedy with them. He was only minutes old when his mother passed during child birth, leaving with him little more than her name as his middle name. And thus began Vedant Gagan Dasari’s series of loss and trauma. His father tried to raise his two sons on his own but family pressure and lack of much needed support led him to marry once more. Where Gagan had been the woman he loved, his new wife was the one who could love his children. And he did not need more than the memories of his late wife and the maternal instinct of his new life partner. Soon after the marriage, they moved to the United States to their first home in Iowa. Vedant grew up knowing only his step-mother as his own. And she absolutely doted on both him and his older brother, Santosh. But it was no secret that she showered her oldest son with the most love given his vivacious personality.

Yet his childhood too was marked by struggle. With a rare and aggressive form of cancer that required a bone marrow transplant, the obvious choice was Vedant. After all, they shared the same blood, who could be a more perfect match? Unfortunately, it was discovered that Vedant was not a match and once again he was faced with the possibility of losing a family member. And it would once again be attributable to him. The thought alone haunted him as he grew even more withdrawn despite the family never voicing such sentiments to him. And it was with the desire that another child would be a match that Abhilasha Dasari was brought into the world. With her she brought the very hope that her name represented. What Vedant could never be for his family, his younger sister became. He was immensely grateful, though a part of him continued to feel as though he were a bad omen, bringing destruction and loss wherever he went. They had a few years of absolute happiness. Then once again, Santosh relapsed and this time, there was no treatment that could succeed in prolonging his life. The Dasaris said goodbye to one more family member and plunged into misery immediately. The light and happiness of their house vanishing with their oldest.

To get away from the memories and to honor Santosh’s wish, the family moved to Wilmington to be closer to the beach. It took years to heal, and even then the emptiness could be felt throughout the family. Vedant, having always been introspective and closed off excelled in his academics. It was the only thing he could do to keep himself sane. He ended up attending Georgetown University soon after leaving Wilmington, studying psychology. Thinking it were better for his family if he were away from them, things improved slightly in his absence. Or at least, he was not privy to the ways in which his sister carried the burden of ensuring the family stayed intact and afloat. He continued his education, pursuing an MBA at Stanford University a while later. Vedant was hardly made for business, and it was perhaps for that reason that his career path took a far more dangerous turn. Feeling as though it was hardly fulfilling to work as a consultant or banker like many of his classmates, Vedant instead ended up working at the FBI as a hostage negotiator. Driven by a desire to actually be the source of happiness in the lives of strangers, he quickly rose the ranks as his negotiation skills were unparalleled.

His career soon took him from D.C. to international conflicts. With a few years of training under his belt, he whisked off to negotiate higher stakes situations. His entire career was marked by success. Unlike his childhood, in which he lost two family members, Vedant this time around managed to reunite a number of families with their loved ones. He was all primed to work his way up the ladder. But it all changed when he disobeyed orders in Syria. They were two journalists. A woman and a cameraman, caught in the middle of a hostage situation. Vedant was stationed nearby with orders to wait for further instruction. The tensions were high, as were the demands. Ones that the United States government would have to comply with if they were to rescue their own. The crushing guilt of his childhood came crashing back when after nearly 18 days of hostile negotiations, they were no closer to success. It was then that the thought was floated. Perhaps they had never intended to release the hostage at all. With negotiations at a standstill, it seemed that the government was growing less and less inclined to give into the demands and bring the two journalists back to their family. The thought was unconceivable to Vedant and, for the first time, he went against the orders he was given and sought to save the two himself. He could not watch yet another person lose their life because of his failings.

It was only when he entered the compound that he realized that they had already lost one. He had already failed one family. Throwing his life on the line, he made sure to bring Mahira Yoon Castillo out with him. And while the rescue was a success, it also cost him his promotion. It cost him the work that he was doing and that had gained him such accolade. When he returned, he began to work on smaller cases. They were all local, nothing nearly as high stakes. Added to that was the trauma that returned. The years of wickedness and desperation that he had seen in his life. The worst of human kind and the worst emotions one could feel. They came crashing down and the agency appointed therapist suggested that he take some time off. Reorient himself. He returned to his hometown of Wilmington, wondering if surrounding himself with his family, the people with whom he had first experienced loss, would allow him to heal from within.

#wnc.intro #( m: vedant dasari )

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wilsonthemoose · 1 year

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Thursday's Child

(Stanford Era) ~1400 words, Sam/Jess. (Link to Ao3)

He's almost normal, for a while.

Okay so maybe he's never been quite normal.

Maybe he plays card games and laughs in the middle of the circle and maybe he holds himself still when his elbow rubs against the person next to him, huddled as they are in the back benches of the class in the introductory lecture when the professor hasn't shown up yet. Maybe he wins and shrugs and feels out of place. Maybe he thinks it takes time and he'll belong here one of these days.

Okay so maybe he knows he's full of shit.

(Funny isn't it when life knocks the rose-tinted glasses off your face?)

Unreasonable, how much you miss something you swore you hated.

The rumble of the car, the legos knocking around in the vents. Back country roads and a sheaf of maps sprawled on the tables.

His father.

Diners, the same in every town and slightly different each time they walked through a door. How it didn't matter all that much that no one liked him at that one school in Des Moines or that he wrote too much of himself into the essay in fourth grade. How every new town was a place to exist for a few weeks before leaving and hitting the road with news channels distorted on their radio or AC/DC loud in the speakers.

Dean's music.

He gets a walkman and a couple of cassettes and can't listen to a full song, stops trying.

She wears her hair loose, it curls around her neck and stands out golden against his canvas jackets when he forgets to brush the stray strands off his clothes.

He sells his bicycle to buy her a lamp the first time she invites him to a birthday. She cries, two years later, when it breaks.

It scares him sometimes, how she cries out in pain when she cuts herself chopping spring onions for soup and how tears spring to her eyes when she needs stitches for a small cut on the back of her arm.

He never knows what to say, scared of insensitivity and his brother's brand of brusque comfort. Sometimes she looks at him like she's wondering if he even cares at all and he lifts his chin like he's sure of himself and says "It'll be okay."

He never knows why she sticks around.

When she tells him he'll crash and burn without her, he nods affirmation and knocks on wood. It makes her laugh because she doesn't know.

It scares him, all the time, how much he's got that he could lose. How she doesn't know how to protect herself from all the things out there in the wide world. He carves a rune into a pendant and conceals it behind a mood-stone for her and he never has to ask her to wear it.

"Why do you keep so much salt?" she asks, balancing on her tippy-toes on a stool, leaning into the cupboard over the counter, tossing a can of salt in the air like a cocktail shaker. He tells her a half-truth about how, as a kid, he'd make ice-cream out of milk, cereal, and marshmallow with ice from the ice machine. "Salt melts the ice," he says, "It chills faster."

"Here," he says and grabs the salt out of the air before she catches it again. He mixes a bowl of coffee flavoured ice-cream, worse than he remembered and better than he hoped.

Does it say something about them? That he lies all the time about his life and she lets him. That she says she'll never be her mother and he sets a framed photograph of his own parents on a corner table in their apartment as if he'd like to be his father.

He's a freak, a loner with a scholarship, a great GPA, and a shitty wardrobe but he's sincere and maybe that counts for something because there are people who let him hang around.

Brady who copies off his notes and complains about the way Sam writes ts and hs. Rebecca who changed her major twice and misses her family almost as much as he does.

He never stops feeling like if he stood up to throw his cup away and never came back, no one would notice.

Too much sun in California. Too many people who know him by name. He still trips over it sometimes.

He makes spare change making fake IDs, makes up stories for what he's doing over Christmas, where he's going in the summer, picks up jobs on campus and off; shoots pool, sometimes, just for the nostalgia. He doesn't need to hustle to win anyway.

When she introduces them, her father calls him son.

It's probably a catch-all term, used indiscriminately for delivery boys and Walmart tellers. He hates it anyway.

It's a good life. She makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the world and manages to burn the milk every morning without fail (coffee starts tasting off to him if the milk isn't burnt).

She always says it twice, "I love you, I love you," like he might not have paid attention to her the first time.

Maybe it starts to feel a little bit like normal, switchblade tucked into the seams of his bag and an iron poker leaning against the wall behind the fridge. Mementos on the tables and pictures on the wall, her neat little notes "Knock 'em dead xoxo" tucked into his notebooks like placeholders and in his wallet like he needs to save them. Like she wouldn't call him a dork and write him another hundred if he asked. Like she wouldn't be smiling thinking she was the luckiest girl in the world.

He's homesick, incurably and suffocatingly homesick. There is no home. A door thumping closed behind him on a damp-cushioned latch and a warning not to come back.

Morbidly sometimes, he reads obituaries. It's a relief, an obsession, and an itch.

Sometimes he wants to go back.

He studies a little too much and works a little too hard. She spends a bit too much of her parent's money, and when she's drunk, talks about her little sister almost drowning in the lake the summer they were learning to swim.

He thinks about fires and drowning and assignments and stops sleeping quite so well. She's pinned to the ceiling in his dreams every night.

He drinks a little too much and hustles a game too many and she types his essay while he flexes his bruised knuckles and holds an ice pack against his jaw. He's more amused than anything else, that she makes such a big deal of it, even when the liquor's worn off, he's a little bit off. Not entirely himself, whoever he's supposed to be.

A freak and a loner, a little too good at hustling and a little too quick on his feet. Far too good at playing a part, fitting into a decent role. Sam Winchester, son of an ever-wandering father, with an ascent coloured with Louisiana and South Dakota and all the other places he's been, a map of more near-escapes than he has a right to.

Sam Winchester, misfit wherever he goes. On the fringes, the sidelines, dead center and still out of place.

She teaches him how to tie his tie and sits with him when he's trying not to cry.

He dreams of his father as a young man, bloodsoaked and lifeless, his mother crying, hair curly like Jess but fierce too, like Dean.

He wonders why he cares so damn much. The closest he's ever got to her is a few pictures and a few stories. A single dream.

When Dean tells him their father's on a hunting trip and hasn't been home in a few days, he wonders if he should put more stock in his dreams.

Sunday evening with smoke in his throat, he knows he picked the wrong dream.

(Lightning too has been known to strike the same place twice.)

They call it an electrical fault.

Of whatever little survived the fire, he doesn't keep anything.

In another world, they might've learnt to be happy.

He'd go to law school, she'd be a doctor. He'd practice opening statements in front of the mirror, she'd learn anatomy tracing her fingers along his spine. He'd try to make her laugh, she'd try to make him forget. They'd be safe.

He just missed his brother. Wanted to find his Dad.

#sam x jess #sam winchester fic #supernatural fic #jessica moore #pre series #canonical character death #fic #Fic tag

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sarah-dipitous · 1 year

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Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 22

We're at the Season 1 penultimate episode for both of these series (and I guess the next Sherlock episode I watch is ALSO the Season 1 penultimate episode, but like...that's a three episode season. We won't even SEE Jim til almost March :( )

"Salvation"

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: If the first five minutes are just sitting through a recap of the last 20 episodes? I can survive sitting through that (but I won't be happy about it). Nevermind, seems like we're getting a real first five minutes. Know what? I'd let Meg kill me. If she's gonna do it anyway, might as well make it my choice or something.

I relish Winchester infighting. There's been so much of it this season and it's so good even if a little pointless. And now there's three to fight with each other??

What a wonderful name for a midwest town to wrap this season up in: Salvation, Iowa. Damn.

So, I think I'd be more...invested in this whole "Pastor Jim is dead and that's hitting too close to home for the Winchesters" if, you know, the first time we met him it wasn't when Meg slashed his throat open.

It's kind of convenient that Sam has psychic visions at just the right times.

I'm. No. SIR! NO. Disrespectfully, no. You fucking DISAPPEARED, you don't get to tell Dean that if something weird starts happening with Sam, that you need to be told IMMEDIATELY. Fuck that noise. Stop it. Do not make me laugh. I'll fucking do it.

I paused before Dean got his say in, and OH MAN. YES, Dean!!! Nah, bitch, you don't get to abandon your kids and OCCASIONALLY leave cryptic messages, but then tell them you don't like the tone they're taking with you. Nu uh.

Oh. Okay. Her picking off John's friends one by one is, frankly, delicious. I should not be this attracted to her right now. I really do just love when villains

I...am truly heartbroken over what John wants for his sons. He wants Sam to be able to go back to school, which is nice and fine. He should get to follow his dreams. But then he says "I want Dean to have a home." And that's one of those moments you realize how much Dean has lacked for so much of his life. Sam had Stanford for all the time he was there, and he would have likely had a settled life, but DEAN? (I'm shifting into my "Being Broken Hearted Dean and Touya At the Same Time For Similar Reasons" mode)

I *DON'T* like the boys (*coughsamcough*) trying to say good bye "in case something happens," even if I do get it.

John IS smart though. Smart even if he's reckless. The boys, a little less so. Or the father of the family they're trying to protect is also...very protective, as he should be. Two guys in their mid-twenties just broke into their house in the middle of the night. Usually, they build a better rapport with whomever they're trying to save. Guess they didn't really have the time today.

Oh shit. Dean got that baby out not a moment too soon.

I mean, we had to know they weren't going to get the demon tonight.

Dean just doesn't want to lose the only two people he has, and those two people seem to be a-okay with just throwing their lives away, sacrificing themselves for this cause. I'm distraught.

"Been On My Mind...": No. And I didn't expect to with all plot that's happening

"Bad Wolf"

This is such a fun and weird way to enter the episode: the Doctor being sucked into some future form of the show Big Brother. And Rose is on The Weakest Link (does that even exist anymore?? Does it have actual new episodes on the Game Show Network or is it just reruns? Do they even have reruns of it anymore?)

You gotta love Jack's confidence "Ladies, your viewing figures just went up"

I think this bit would have been maybe funnier back in '06? Now it's just...I dunno. It's not hitting like it's probably supposed to. It's probably supposed to be a mix of funny and horrifying? But the whole Weakest Link part is now just horrifying....seventeen years later.

Don't tell me she gets vaporized too...wtf.

Finally. Some development.

(I feel bad because I remember liking this episode a lot more in the past.)

I shouldn't laugh because it's not actually funny (or it is in a grim way). But the actual news getting shut down and then governments collapsing because of that and the rise of all of these inane yet extremely dangerous game shows and reality tv shows...feels poignant for some reason.

Rose's disintegration doesn't hit as hard when you know she's not actually dead. Or at least she comes back.

I even SAW the daleks in the preview the other day and forgot they were coming back for this episode.

This episode was what would have been a lot of confusion in the first half (if this weren't a rewatch) and set up in the second half, so there wasn't a lot to say, sadly.

#hellsite nostalgia tour 2023 #in which i (to my surprise still) have much more to say about spn again

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commoninfected · 2 years

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Adrian Dawson

The Gist: Adrian is currently trying and failing at not becoming his father, like some sort of grotesque, slow-motion bodyhorror sequence, a la The Fly (1986) He's the jock in every bad D-Com, but instead of making people afraid, his stagnant, cheesy meatheaded personality is a weird, sad façade that's obvious to everyone including him.

He is mean, avoidant, and sycophantic.

About

Name: Adrian Stanford Dawson

Nickname/s: Adrie (Eddie)

Gender: Cis Male

Pronouns: He/him

Orientation: Biromantic Bisexual

Birthday: September 8th

When not playing football or panicking about potentially not being able to play football, Adrian is bullying Hadley, or attempting to bully Eddie or Violet.

Adrian Dawson is, first and foremost, Eddie's rival. And he takes great pride in this! Most people find this tragic, as it seems to imply Adrian, at age twenty one, has nothing else going on in his life worth being proud of.

He'd like them to know that they are dead wrong. Tormenting dweebs, nerds, and sentimental basement-dwellers like Eddie and the Rocktopus crew is his secondary love, falling just behind football. Football has always been his passion, and one of the few interests he and his father could share. He has a lot of fond (or, maybe bittersweet) memories of watching games with his dad over TV dinners. He played throughout middle and high school, currently plays on his college team, and has dreams of going pro. He also has to throw himself into it, as his sports scholarship is the only thing getting him through college and paying for his dorm room, as his grades are just abysmal. The only problem is that he has inherited the same genetic condition that has robbed his father of his sight, and Adrian is slowly but surely going blind.

This has all been happening very fast, starting not long after he was accepted into college. At this point, he has lost vision entirely in one eye, has minimal vision in the other, and has absolutely no depth perception. To make matters worse, he CANNOT let anyone know, as if he gets kicked off the football team and loses his scholarship, he will be forced to drop out, leave the dorms, and move back home. Though native to the city he is going to school in, the idea of returning to his father's house, and being stuck there, his progressive loss of vision slowly stripping him of his independence... terrifies him more than anything.

Adrian is frantically bluffing his way through physicals to stay on the team (and in school), and so the only remotely not stressful activity for him to partake in is antagonizing Eddie and co.

But deep down, he knows it. He's a fucking loser, just like his dad always said.

Appearance

Height: 6"0

Build: Fairly muscular, but slowly losing it due to lack of exercise

Eye Color: Cognac brown

Hair Color: Cedar brown, but going prematurely grey at the temples

Species: Human

Ethnicity: Caucasian

His bourbon colored eyes look normal, barring their striking but ordinary color, I stylize the left one to be a pin prick. His temples are prematurely greying due to the stress he's recently found himself in. He has freckles, and is broad shouldered and muscular.

Relationships

Eddie Creek - Rival - She'd help him if he ever needed it, but he's too prideful to apologize or ask, despite her forging abilities and willingness to lie, cheat, and commit misdemeanors for her friends being something that would absolutely help him get out of the mess he's found himself in. He'd also have to apologize to and stop picking on Hadley to earn her help, and he is NOT about to lose access to his personal stress toy.

Hadley Puggs - Victim - They can't stand each other, for obvious reasons, but Hadley is easy going enough to accept an apology from Adrian if he ever offered in. In exchange, of course, for some payback. Another thing Adrian wouldn't be able to humble himself for. If Adrian even looks at Hadley funny around Eddie, she will pick him up and throw him, as Hadley is her little pogchamp. This is great news for Hadley, but makes Adrian frothing mad at both of them.

Violet Nightley - Rival - Violet views Adrian as a sad little worm, which he is. And Adrian hates that she's right. That disgusting way of being seen makes him especially vicious towards her, but she enjoys making everything worse by playing up her deafness around him, leaving him like a rabid dog as he tries and fails to get under her skin.

Horace Mann - Frenemy - God Adrian is so jealous of Horace. Horace is ugly, weird, and uncharismatic. And yet, so much more popular and well-liked than he is. Whadda fucgke......

Ivy Kohen - Cousin - Because he picked on her growing up, the two are by no means close even if she is polite to him when approached. Adrian feels terrible about this, but lacks the ability to articulate it. Ivy, like Adrian, is blind. She'd offer him resources, but he denies having any vision issues vehemently, despite them running in his family.

#artists on tumblr #Adrian Dawson #Rocktopus #St Agatha City

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wiseoldowl72 · 2 years

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I just posted chp 1 of my first multi-chapter story on ao3.

All that I’m after is a life full of laughter

As long as I’m laughing with you…

~ Life after You; Daughtry

21 Years ago

Dean and Cas Novak-Winchester were both quite aware that their twenty year wedding anniversary was coming up. Turning back the clock to 2001 would see their original wedding in a small church in California, where they both had gone for college. They had agreed to marry right after their undergraduate graduation on the 28th of June. They did a traditional service just like the “industry” sold them: tuxes, flowers, music, groom party, vows, and reception, but on a tight timeline and miniscule budget. They didn’t have a honeymoon as they were thrown right back into life with preparing for the next phase of their lives, more school and then pursuing jobs.

They each had chosen Stanford, neither knowing the other before the beginning of their freshman year. By chance the two were put together as roommates. Neither knew it was going to be the beginning of a friendship that would progress to being lovers over the course of their four year undergraduate life.

Dean Winchester was full of life, ready to take on the world, 18 years old from Overland Park, Kansas. Even though the city was on the western side of Kansas City, a large metropolitan area, he was looking desperately for a new chapter after high school out of the middle of fly-over country. Stanford offered him a full ride for academics and a place in their engineering department based on his application. He was completely surprised because of the low acceptance rate the highly selective institution had. Dean jumped at the chance to move west without a second thought.

He had been tinkering with everything he could get his hands on trying to learn how it worked or improved its function. He learned how to take cars apart and put them back together by the time he was in early high school. Mechanical Engineering was a role he had set for himself once he had mastered restoring cars at his Uncle and Father’s garage, Singer-Winchester Automotive. Dean had made a small name for himself of being able to solve just about any technical problem presented to him. He wanted to have a career in design and testing either in automotive or aerospace. He soaked in the sun, sea and opportunities the West Coast presented to a gay young man who had come from a Red State that looked unkindly on his sexual preferences.

Castiel Novak followed in the footsteps of his family into the medical profession. He hadn’t decided what he wanted to do, but an undergrad degree in biology or chemistry would be enough for now. Castiel moved from Naperville, Illinois, to the coast as well. He attended a top high school in the bedroom community of Chicago. It offered him many opportunities other high schools didn’t, resulting in his graduating in the top two percent of his class with a GPA well over 4.0 due to taking multiple Advanced Placement courses.

He had received several enticing offers due to his class standing. His father was a heart surgeon at Edward Hospital and while he didn’t see his father much, the family enjoyed the fruits of his work. Castiel had his choice of schools and didn’t have to worry about paying for it. What he did know is that he didn’t want to be a surgeon like his father. He wanted more out of life than working all the time. Stanford won out because it was on the coast, had a medical school, and was consistently ranked at the top of national universities.

When both fresh-faced teenagers moved into the dorm of the historic school for their first quarter as Stanford freshman. Stanford worked on a quarter system rather than the semester system most universities and school districts used. The school used three main quarters, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Summer was optional, but it could be used to get a foot up on the next year, finish the previous year’s requirements, or be involved in a special session or internship. Unlike more traditional schools that started in August for their undergraduate programs, Stanford started their Autumn quarter in September and it finished December.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They quickly found that they had very opposite personalities. Castiel knew he was in for a big change from his room in Naperville when he walked into the dorm room to find one side already filled with another’s belongings and a man laying on the bed with headphones. This was his first impression of his roommate for the next year. Cas came from a family and area that was welcoming of queer people. His choices were never met with hostility or homophobia. When he saw Dean laying on his bed, his first thought was that he was very lucky to be given such a handsome roommate. It was quickly followed by wondering if his attractions were similar to Cas’ own, very high on the Kinsey scale.

Dean was out-going, always busy, loved cars (especially muscle and race cars), military aircraft, and was not a neat freak. He didn’t bring very much with him to move in. Just the basics: clothes, a couple Vonnegut books, a record player and vinyl spanning the late 60s to the 90s, cassette tapes with a Walkman, and only a couple of photos.

His only prize possession was his parent’s 1967 Chevy Impala, named Baby, that his Dad had given him the keys to upon high school graduation. It was the one thing that Dean kept immaculate and constantly in top shape. Since Dean loved to drive and didn’t want to fly (why be trapped in a tin can, when people weren’t supposed to fly anyway?), he thoroughly enjoyed the trip from Kansas City to Palo Alto. The first thing he did after putting his things away was clean and wash Baby to get the dirt off her.

Castiel started bringing his things into the room in boxes labeled to make unpacking easier. “Bedding”, “clothes”, “books”, “desk supplies”, and “family” were among the Sharpie-written names Dean could make out before he closed his eyes to go back to his music. Castiel wasn’t always completely orderly and neat, but he wanted to know where everything was at any given time.

Castiel quickly found that Dean liked to talk, he narrated to himself even when he didn’t have anything to say to anyone. He, himself, was taciturn, more formal in his speech and attire, kept to himself, and wasn’t into music or movies, preferring to read the classics. He spoke and read fluently in French and Spanish, and enjoyed books in those languages. He appreciated Greek and Roman works, which he read in English translations. He also made his bed every morning.

Dean was lucky to make his laundry hamper or make his bed. The only thing that stayed organized was his music, books, and he remembered to hang his towel up to dry every night.The only thing he meticulously kept clean was his Impala. That was drilled into him from his Dad with military diligence. John had been a Marine and never lost his training or mindset. He was also Dean’s reason for interest in military mechanics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the year wore on Dean and Castiel, or Cas, as Dean had started calling him, found that they both were savagely protective about their study time and supported each other in getting the best grades on their work. They ate in the dining hall, walked to the library and classes together as often as possible. They were two Midwestern kids, who didn’t really fit in with the usual college kids at an upper class institution.

By the end of their freshman year, Dean had declared a major in mechanical engineering with the Bachelor of Science. Cas decided on a double major in biology and chemistry. Dean knew he wanted to go all the way and work with the Design school. By the time he was interested in graduate school the Mechanical Engineering degree would be integrating with the Design school. Which fit Dean perfectly because he wanted to create and see the fruition of his work. Just like in the old days when he was working on cars, he could see the product of his work by the end of the project.

Back in their room, while down time was minimal, Dean usually listened to his music, rock usually on vinyl or cassette, and watched movies on his laptop. Cas preferred his mp3 player with the soft tones of Mozart and Bach while he read either in his reading nook or on his bed.

Even though their personalities were radically different, they found they really liked each other. What started as a friendship based on mutual desire to be the best at their studies and enjoy what college offered, turned into mutual desire for each other by the end of the year.

It began by walking closer to each other on the sidewalks and paths, then their hands started brushing without knowing it, and they held eye contact for longer than necessary when talking. Dean was able to pull out more of Cas’ dry wit and the two found themselves quite compatible. Soon, they were staring at each other hoping the other wouldn’t notice the sense of longing.

The next development came when Cas agreed to watch movies with Dean after the New Year. They picked a bed and alternated movies. Dean chose Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, sci-fi and adventure movies. Cas was drawn to the Golden Era of Hollywood, movies with Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, etc. He also found he liked Film Noir. While they were watching their hands found each other, to hold or slip around the other’s shoulders or waist, and many times they’d wake up in the morning finding that they’d end up cuddling overnight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting for hours in the library, class or desk didn’t do much for maintaining the fit shape Dean and Cas were both in. Dean had spent hours at the garage physically working with engines, body work, or anything else car-related back at his relative’s shop back home. Cas had chosen to run to clear his mind after studies at home. They both had their life turned upside down by school, so a new routine was created around full classes schedules, assignments and studying.

When they weren’t otherwise occupied the two Midwestern boys tried to get to the beaches, boardwalks, hiking and biking paths. Both visited used bike shops to get cheaper mountain bikes in good condition to ride to help burn off excess energy and keep in shape. While it wasn’t their old routine, it was better in some ways because of the variety and views.

They had found several favorite rides and hikes by the end of the year. Land-locked Dean found he enjoyed being in the ocean, even though he didn’t know how to swim. Cas always stayed near because he had been a stand-out athlete on his high school swim team. Through the college gossip network the duo had found several different places around Palo Alto that were within 20-30 min driving time. Since Dean loved to drive, he never minded a chance to get Baby off campus and open her up on the highway.

The time in the sun, sea, and other joint activities gradually changed both young men. Dean’s hair, which was more light brown than blond when the school year started, turned more honey colored from the sun that brought out the gold flecks in his green eyes. Cas’ hair remained dark brown, almost black, and unmanageable. It also curled more on the ends from the humidity. Dean didn’t care if it stood out like Einstein’s as long as the sun, time away from campus, and laughter brought out the mirth in his velvet blue sapphire eyes. The long hours of studying turned them to a pale, cornflower color, a color Dean found reminiscent of the flowers on his mother’s cookware.

It was spending so much time together, mostly because they were the only Midwest kids either of them took to, that changed their affections for each other. Dean couldn’t believe somebody else knew where Kansas was and there weren’t cows roaming the streets of his hometown. When the relationship moved to a more romantic one at the end of their Spring Quarter in June, it was Dean who hesitated. He didn’t know Cas was out of the closet and had been for years. It just had never been discussed. Dean’s years back home taught him to be reserved and careful about letting anybody see his true preference to be with a man. Homophobia had not been expressly discussed, but Dean knew his Dad well enough to know that he didn’t approve. Cas though had no such apprehensions.

They headed out to the beach before heading home for a quick visit before the start of the summer quarter in twelve days. As they were putting their beach things back into the Impala, Cas lifted his hands up to gently hold Dean’s jaw and kissed him solidly, but gently on the lips. Dean reciprocated with a steady, soft kiss of his own that slowly deepened until they were in a locked embrace. The energy and buzzing in his heart and gut told Dean that there definitely was potential there that he wanted to explore. But only if he could do it in the open. No more trying to hide his true self.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cas flew home to Illinois, while Dean drove Baby back to Kansas for the short visit. The long drive gave him plenty of time to think about the kiss and sort out his feelings. He would drive anywhere if it meant he didn’t have to fly. Even airports made him nervous to an extent, mostly because he’d never been in one more than half-a-dozen times that he could remember before agreeing to be Cas’ ride to the airport.

With the Impala opened up on the highway and roaring east, Dean contemplated his current situation. Baby was the car his father bought when his mother was pregnant with him. It was the car he learned to restore and keep running at top condition. Honestly, it was the reason he became interested in getting an engineering degree. While he thought the car was perfection, the pinnacle of motor development when it came off the line April 21, 1967. He pondered the major changes in car design in the last 50 years and thought how much he wanted to be involved in that world. Even without air conditioning, 2 speed automatic, cassette player, and legos in the radiator Dean couldn’t bring himself to make any changes to his Baby. It was perfect just as it was.

Cas had told him before he went through airport security that he was interested in pursuing a relationship with Dean. He had actually been attracted to him all year, but wasn’t sure how Dean felt about him. Cas asked him to think about their talks and how he felt about being together when they returned to school. Dean thought about the kiss, how slowly all year they gradually became closer, holding each other, and falling asleep together. It all culminated in that kiss. The energy, desire, longing, affection infused in it, honestly told Dean what he needed to know about how Cas felt about him. It was clear how he responded and wanted for them once they returned to school. Now it was dealing with the time at home and not losing his courage.

Dean spent the majority of his drive and the several days at home feeling like he was missing part of himself. He caught up with his family and spent time at the family garage. He told them all about his classes, the campus, what he did for fun around the city, but only told them surface level details about Cas.

Even though his family knew he wasn’t really into girls, they hoped he would find someone someday. If anything they thought he wasn’t really interested in anyone. Though they weren’t homophobic, the idea that Dean was homosexual was something they didn’t want to consider of talk about until confronted with it. John’s manly views were well known in the family. Real men were patriotic, liked cars, football, and enjoyed the ladies. Mary was more open than her husband. She understood that love is love and comes in many forms. As always, she was the mediator between her husband and the boys.

Dean’s devotion to Cas didn’t waver though on this break and they texted every night. He really didn’t have to think about how he felt about the blue-eyed beauty. He wanted to be his boyfriend and see if he could finally have a relationship with someone he felt deeping, emotionally drawn to. One text really stood out to him and he kept it safely archived in his messages. Cas had been telling him how he missed him as well and had him listen to a song by Rachel Platten called ‘Stand by You.’ Dean was extremely lonely while they were parted, missing his best friend and new possible boyfriend. Cas had written back the lines,

“Love, you’re not alone

‘Cause I’m going to stand by you”

Those couple of lines solidified Dean’s desire to do his best to have a romantic relationship with Cas when they returned for Summer quarter.

Cas had been quite open with his feelings in the time after finals until it was time to fly home. He knew how he felt about Dean. How he’d felt about Dean all year. He felt his attachment grow between completing all the Frosh requirements, knowing he was going to go for two majors and planning his next 3 years. He still wasn’t sure how long it was going to take him, but he hoped to graduate with Dean in the spring of 2001. He just knew he wanted Dean with him as his support and alternately to support him through his desire to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Engineering.

All year he slowly tried to feel out Dean’s sexual preferences by brushing up against him, letting their hands touch and he couldn’t stop taking in the green eyes of the knockout he hoped would date him. In June, knowing finals were coming he looked back at their year and took in all the positive responses he’d gotten from Dean when it came to affection. Cas never regretted taking that chance to kiss him at the beach just before they left for break. It led to honest discussions about their mutual attraction.

Cas finally understood why Dean hadn’t been forthcoming about his preferences. He explained it was because of the only “just tolerated” acceptance of gays in his part of the Midwest. Dean didn’t have the best self-esteem due to that and his family’s unenthusiastic support of him. Dean also told him about his father’s more traditional views and his mother’s mediation. Cas made a point to tell him how different his life had been and that other parts of the country, including California were quite different. He hoped when Dean picked him up from the airport before summer quarter their reunion would be unequivocally positive and a step forward for them. Cas missed Dean more than he’d missed anyone before in those few days between quarters. The texts they shared felt like the only tether he had during that time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Dean picked Cas up from the airport right before the start of summer term he greeted him with a swinging hug and hungry open-mouthed kiss in which he swept his tongue over Cas’ soft lips and gently inside his mouth to show his boyfriend-to-be that he had made his decision. Cas acknowledged Dean’s response with eagerly accepting his kiss and hug with as much excitement as he could. It was more than he ever expected out of Dean, knowing how the entire year he had been shy about showing affection in public, much less as a gay couple. That was the beginning of what became a very profound bond between the two men.

For the next four years as they steadily worked through their requirements for their degrees they stayed steady by each other through everything during University. They were able to move into an apartment-style residence in one of the school neighborhoods. That allowed them more privacy, while still staying close to classes and their departments. Testing and assignments were rigorous, but each quarter they got the grades they needed, their mentors were pleased with their progress. Cas did eventually apply for a double major, a BS in Biology and Chemistry. Their professors helped them get ready for Graduate School in Dean’s case, and Stanford’s University of Medicine for Cas. Dean was on a long-term path for a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering with emphasis in Design and hope of a career in automotive or aerospace design. Cas still planned on being a doctor. He didn’t have to decide on a specialty yet. He had until his third year when he started looking for residency programs.

In the Autumn of their undergraduate Senior year, both men were thinking of marriage. From everything they experienced together, fights over laundry, fights over study time, and lack of private time their relationship continued to blossom and mature. Dates on the beach, candlelight dinners in the apartment on the sofa, and sticky notes found inside class notebooks were little things that kept them going. The lines of Rachel Patton’s song, ‘Stand by You’ continued to be their mantra for the last three years of schooling. They had their eyes on matriculation in June of 2001, but they also knew they wanted to spend their lives together. Cas and Dean had discussed the pitfalls of being a couple trying to complete the goals they each had, they never once questioned the loyalty and commitment of the other. Those two lines of lyrics Dean had archived in his home from his first summer visit home always reminded him of his promise to Cas. Each had probably played the whole song on repeat a thousand times to remind them they were not alone in this endeavor and get them through the tough times when they felt lonely.

And hey, if you wings are broken

Please take mine ‘til yours can open too

‘Cause I’m gonna stand by you…

We can find a way to break through

Even if we can’t find heaven

I’ll walk through hell with you…

And the lyric that choked Dean up the first time Cas texted it to him and set him on this course…

Love, you’re not alone

‘Cause I’m gonna stand by you

It was their anthem. There was no denying they metaphorically wrapped their wings around each other. They developed an intimate home in their apartment from Stanford housing and shared one room, while turning the second bedroom into an office. The school still considered them roommates, but they had created their own bubble. Their physical relationship included as much gentle touching and reminders that they weren’t alone as they felt they were at times. Dean was not as intimate as Cas would have liked, but Cas had more experience. Making out, sleeping together in one bed, showing love by gentle caresses carried him over as they slogged through their classes. Dean became bolder as the years moved on, but he never took that final step of climaxing together. Cas was willing to wait for his love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was Dean who surprised Cas at the end of the Autumn Quarter in December with an unassuming proposal beneath the stars at their favorite beach. They had taken a picnic dinner and beach towels with the idea of just laying and watching the stars in the peace and quiet after the hell week of finals. They both were headed into their last quarter of their undergrad year and stress was at an all time high.

Under the stars, while sharing a piece of apple pie and a beer, Dean secretly pulled out a simple silver titanium band with a blue lapis insert all the way around. Ideal for the doctor-to-be. Dean wasn’t very good at expressing his feelings, but the years with Cas had taught him that honesty and words from the heart meant more to him than anything a wordsmith could create. With a trembling heart, Dean asked Cas in the most sincere way he could to be his husband. To stand with him and by him through all the years and seasons to come. Cas started crying immediately when he figured out what was going on and said yes. He accepted the ring with a shaking hand and very overflowing heart.

Dean shyly told him he’d already bought his own ring in the hopes Cas would say yes. It was nearly a match to Cas’, but instead of the Blue Lapis insert in the center of the band, his was black Tantalum insert that had been textured inside the Titanium. Both rings were extremely durable and meant for men that worked with their hands. Dean’s Tantalum was corrosion resistant, which was a huge plus given his work with chemicals, engines, simulations, and other activities that were required by his profession.

Cas slowly took Dean’s ring and put it on his hand and they celebrated their engagement by enjoying a private beach that allowed them to take the time to cherish, caress, and enjoy each other’s bodies until they both came to completion for the first time in only the way a soulmate pair could. In the early morning hours they cleaned up, dressed, and went back to their apartment relishing the fact they were now fiancés.

Both of the men had decided to stay in Palo Alto on Campus for the holiday break. Too much work to do for school and prep for moving on to post-grad choices had made the decision easy for them back in November. Now with their new relationship status they spend part of the time enjoying each other intimately without the rush of school, and the rest talking about how to coordinate life after their graduation. Cas planned to go directly into Stanford’s medical school and Dean had already taken the appropriate prerequisites to continue on with his mentors.

Christmas was a quiet affair since there wasn’t isn’t a big reason to celebrate. Their engagement was enough of a surprise to both of them and kept their spirits light until the next academic quarter started. They caught each other looking at their hands as if they couldn’t believe they were actually engaged. Three years of being together, two and a half as an official couple and something each of them had wished for had happened. Dean didn’t even intend on proposing that night. He just felt right about it and apparently it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At New Year’s while they were kissing and holding each other on the beach watching the fireworks light the sky with their multitude of colors, out of the blue Cas asked if they could have the marriage after graduation that summer. It seemed logical to him to cap off two important parts of his life with memorializations. June 12th was the graduation date and only the important family would be coming in for it. Cas’ parents and his brother Gabe. The other brothers and sisters were otherwise occupied with their lives. Dean’s parents, brother Sam, and his Uncle Bobby and his wife Ellen had already responded they would be coming. Cas figured if the family was already coming in, then maybe they could stay a couple weeks more for a wedding. Nothing big, but special enough for the two of them. Dean easily agreed knowing that they had six months to plan it.

The last quarter flew by in what seemed like a month between papers, end of year projects, tests, finals, Cas’ first MCAT test, and formal applications to their chosen post grad schools. They made sure they had their educational needs settled according to an ever growing list kept in the kitchen. All the things they needed to do and dates to make sure applications were turned in by the appropriate date, scholarships applied for, student housing applied for, academic mentor meetings, finals week dates, and final senior project dates. Late in the quarter both received the letters they’d been waiting for that they’d been accepted into their prospective schools. Cas got his place in Stanford’s Medical School and Dean into the Graduate program in Engineering. They applied for spousal housing and were accepted. Living in on campus housing made getting to all the places they needed easier and much less expensive.

While Cas had money he could have used, Dean didn’t. They tried to keep the differences between their social strata as unrecognizable as possible. Dean had worked on campus to earn spending money and pay extra expenses, while Cas holed up working on his double major with his allowance. It was true that Stanford was known as having one of the most wealthy student populations, but that wasn’t the case for everyone. Dean bought everything he needed, like their rings, without any help from his family. In fact neither of them had told their family about how far advanced their relationship was or that they had gotten engaged. Both families knew they were living together and were best friends. Cas’ family knew more than Dean’s because of how accepting they were of his homosexuality. The Novak’s knew that Cas was extremely smitten with Dean and they suspected more than what they were told due to how he talked, smiled, and acted. When Cas would talk about his time with Dean and their adventures they knew enough not to ask for more than Cas was willing to tell.

The Winchester’s were more in the dark because Dean played his feelings close to his chest. The only one to know a bit more was his younger brother, Sam. Sam was graduating from high school this year and planned to start at Stanford in the fall on a full ride with the intention of going into Law. He knew his brother well enough to know his tells. He never had any of the hang-ups the older generation did and accepted Dean for who he was. Love is love, and whatever made Dean happy was his opinion and nobody could tell or persuade him any different.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam wasn’t at all surprised when, in March, Dean and Cas called together to talk to the family and ask them to stay two weeks longer after graduation. The couple took the plunge with Dean’s family first telling them about the engagement and a small ceremony on the 28th of June for family only. The phone call was mildly tense, mostly because of the new information and being kept in the dark for so long. They also realized they were dealing with their oldest boy, who had always been taciturn when it came to talking about emotions. By the next week though, all three of Dean’s immediate family, his uncle, who was his Dad’s partner in the automotive garage, his wife, and daughter all agreed to stay through the end of June. Sam took it all in stride and was happy to have some extra time to look at the campus and prepare for his own move later in the summer.

The phone call with Cas’ family went a bit more celebratory. Even though they were meeting Dean through a computer screen, none was surprised at the request to stay longer and be a part of the wedding. Michael, Hannah, and Gabe were home at the time of the call and the fiancés heard them talking about who won the bet that it was with Dean that Cas was in a relationship with. When Cas’ parents offered them money for the ceremony, they turned it down saying they had everything handled. What they did do was allow them to buy a meal at a nice, but not too nice, restaurant for both families.

The list for the wedding slowly got crossed off too. They found their location early in the year, one of the rooms at Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto that would hold only a dozen or so people. They rented their tuxes, bought boutonnières from the florist to be picked up before the ceremony, asked Gabe and Sam to be their best men, secured an officiant for the ceremony, decided on the order of service, and started a playlist for the wedding and wedding dances. They also chose to use traditional vows because they knew they wouldn’t be able to come up with their own with all the other stress on them. As for a bachelor party, neither was really interested, but they did plan on a rehearsal dinner and reception. After much discussion they let Cas’ parents pay for it. The Novaks also took care of gifting the church a donation in lieu of the usual wedding rental fee. The couple was okay with that because Unity did good works throughout the community and was interfaith. They knew the money would be used wisely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day of graduation seemed like just one of many. As each dressed the other in their suits the fiancés took a bit of extra time to kiss and explore each other’s bodies. The school work was finally completed and they would graduate today. Then it was time to turn their attention to the highly anticipated wedding. Same-sex marriage had just been passed and they were taking advantage of California’s new lar. Once the afterglow had passed, they straightened their suits, took their robes and drove to the event location. Putting on their robes, it struck the men that they had made it over one hurdle together despite so many obstacles. They would meet their families after the event was over for a quiet individual get-together.

The time between graduation and the wedding flew by. The night of the rehearsal was the first time the families really had time to talk to each other. The Novak’s were very relaxed and knew that eventually this day would come. Their son would find the love of his life and marry him. They were jovial all evening and Gabrial was the proud older brother, very happy to be standing up with Cas. Becky and Chuck, Cas’ parents, were chatterboxes at the table over their excitement for the next day.

The Winchester family was more reserved, they had resolved that their son was not heterosexual or even asexual, but gay and had found the man he wanted to spend his life with. While they didn’t show it as much on the outside, they loved Dean very much and wanted him to be happy. If that was with Cas, then so be it. They would accept the marriage with graciousness and make a point to get to know Dean’s love and the Novaks. Sam was just like Gabrial, proud as he could be to be showing his support for his older brother by standing with him.

The official, a minister from the Unitarian Universalist Church, called the evening to order and the rehearsal went smoothing and quickly. The family was seated, Dean and Cas walked down the aisle together, the order of service was recited. Dean and Cas used the same rings that were their engagement rings. The minister said she would pronounce them married, the traditional kiss and recession. There wouldn’t be a reception, just the families going out for a joint dinner and then meeting at a bar for socializing so Dean and Cas could leave when they wanted. After the rehearsal, they all retired to Vaso Azzuro, a top Italian restaurant in Palo Alto, for dinner. It had a romantic vibe and since it was a beautiful night they chose to eat outside. Soon enough it was time to end the night with the expectation of a busy wedding day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cas and Dean’s wedding day was a clear, sunny day with wispy clouds. The kind of day that is dreamed about. Not too hot, nor too much humidity. It seemed like a dream. While there were the expected nerves, both men got ready at home and helped each other into their tuxes, with sensual touches, kisses and promises of the night to come. They met their family at the Universalist Church at ten in the morning for an eleven am wedding. The boutonnières were put on the men by their mothers, the best men, fathers and uncle Bobby by Dean and Cas. The men also gave hand corsages to their mothers, aunt Ellen and cousin Jo.

They received words of encouragement from their family and tears from everyone. Anyone who tried to deny the validity of the love in the room was gone as soon as they saw the love shine from both men’s eyes at each other. The minister said it was time for the family to take their place. Cas’ family on one side and Dean’s on the other. There were only a dozen people in the room total, but at the end of the day, the men would still be as married as those that spent tens of thousands of dollars on their wedding day.

The men walked into a portion of ‘Open Arms’ by Journey, then the minister began the traditional Universalist marriage ceremony. After the commitment and blessings were finished, the readings were said, one by Gabe and the other by Jo. The vows were then recited, rings exchanged to the left ring finger, and the unity ceremony completed. Dean and Cas signed the marriage register, received a blessing from the minister and she pronounced their marriage by her vested power by the Church and the State of California. She asked them to seal their vows with a kiss and both men brought their hands up to gently cradle each other’s jaws to put everything they felt on this day into the soft, loving sensuous kiss. Dean reached around to put one hand on the back of Cas’ neck to feel the curls at the top of his shirt collar and pull him in closer, making the kiss deeper.

Closing words were said and she pronounced Dean and Cas for the first time as Mr. and Mr. Dean and Castiel Novak-Winchester at 11:20am. It was a simple, but traditional ceremony. There really wasn’t a recession, but they enjoyed listening to their chosen recessional song, ‘At Last’ by Etta James. Since there were only a dozen in the room, when the newly married couple greeted their family they took the opportunity to dance to this vintage love song. There wasn’t an inch between them as they kissed, held each other, and enjoyed finally being each other’s forever.

Once the marriage license was signed and witnessed it was time to retire to each family’s place in the city before gathering for a late lunch to celebrate the wedding. This time everyone had changed into more comfortable, but still business casual, clothing for a late lunch at and socializing at Off the Rail Brewing. They had booked a private room so the families could really finally spend time together, eat and drink in a more relaxed atmosphere, but also let Dean and Cas leave when they felt ready.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a couple of beers, thoroughly fulfilling dinner, and a couple of hours of conversation and laughter with their families The newly married men retired back to their home for their own celebration. They had spent much of their money on the “stuff” that went along with the verbal ceremony. It hadn’t left much for their evening at their apartment. But they had candles in their bedroom, clean sheets, an inviting bed, and most of all each other.

Slowly, they undressed and hung the rented tuxes. Each took in the other’s bodies as they stood looking at each other like they were newborns. After sensual touches, open mouth kisses and nibbles on the mouth, neck, shoulders, and collarbones, it was determined that instead of physical sex what they most craved is to lay spooned up, soaking in each other’s love. They got under the comforter, enjoyed the flickering candles with the curtains drawn to keep out the afternoon sun. Cas was the big spoon and pulled Dean close to him, draped a leg between Dean’s knees, kissed the nape of his neck, and they held each other’s arms on his waist. It wasn’t long until they both promptly fell asleep feeling complete in a way they hadn’t before.

When they awoke a couple of hours later Dean felt rutting against his cheeks. Their lust hadn’t been put out, just dampened by the activity of the day. The candles were still burning and Dean turned over to kiss Cas, pulled him closer by a hand at the small of his back. The buzzing in Dean’s but meant one thing, he needed Cas. He needed to feel his body, to feel them together. Precome was already gathering at the slits of both their hard members. Dean was ready to take one step further, he took the precome and slid it around both of their shafts and took them together in one hand. Cas gently added his hand to Dean’s and they started to pleasure each other, together this time. They kissed every part they could reach of the other as they built to a mutual climax and spilled over both of their hands with moans of pleasure.

They took a shower together to clean up. They enjoyed taking time to soap each inch of the other up and rinsing the sandalwood smelling body wash off. Dean started washing Cas’ hair with his clean smelling shampoo. Cas’ reciprocated and slow kisses and compassionate touches were exchanged until the water turned cool. They weren’t ready for a round two, but craved each other’s company. After drying off they decided to eat leftovers for supper and spend the rest of the night curled up with nothing they had to do for hours.

Cas murmured to Dean, “I can’t believe this day finally came. I am so exhausted, but I am so in love with you that even I can’t find the words.” Something Dean would tease him with in the years to come. The wordsmith couldn’t find the words to describe his own feelings on his wedding day.

Dean laughed softly in response, “Welcome to my world sunshine. I love you with everything I have.”

It was the first time since they decided to marry on New Year’s that they had completely free time for an evening. Soon enough the real world would come barreling back in like a Nebraska thunderstorm. But for one night, they relished being married and alone.

#writing #destiel #ao3 #au story #my writing #fic writing

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chainsawgirlfriend · 2 years

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Lets Talk About... Adrian Dawson!

The Gist: Adrian is currently trying and failing at not becoming his father, like some sort of grotesque, slow-motion bodyhorror sequence, a la The Fly (1986) He's the jock in every bad D-Com, but instead of being afraid of him, his stagnant, cheesy meatheaded personality is a weird, sad façade that's obvious to everyone including him.

He is mean, avoidant, and sycophantic.

About

Name: Adrian Stanford Dawson

Nickname/s: Adrie (Eddie)

Gender: Cis Male

Pronouns: He/him

Orientation: Biromantic Bisexual

Birthday: September 8th

When not playing football or panicking about potentially not being able to play football, Adrian is bullying Hadley, or attempting to bully Eddie or Violet.

Adrian is frantically bluffing his way through physicals to stay on the team (and in school), and so the only remotely not stressful activity for him to partake in is antagonizing Eddie and co.

But deep down, he knows it. He's a fucking loser, just like his dad always said.

Appearance

Height: 6"0

Build: Fairly muscular, but slowly losing it due to lack of exercise

Eye Color: Cognac brown

Hair Color: Cedar brown, but going prematurely grey at the temples

Species: Human

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Relationships

Horace Mann - Frenemy - God Adrian is so jealous of Horace. Horace is ugly, weird, and uncharismatic. And yet, so much more popular and well-liked than he is. Whadda fucgke......

#my art #adrian dawson #rocktopus

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swimmingsirenindierp · 16 days

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full name: Willow Crane age: 49 occupation: Owner of a Women's Basket Ball Team zodiac sign: Leo hometown: London United Kingdom gender: Cisfemale sexuality: Bisexual/polyamorous pronouns: She/Her

Biography (tw: emotional abuse, divorce, emotional manipulation)

Willow Crane has lead a pretty incredibly life. While she did play sports as a child, it wasn't entirely where she saw her career going professionally. She grew up in a upper middle class home with a mother and father who were terrible at communication but very into presentation. No one was allowed to know that they were struggling, and that was a lot of pressure on a young Willow Crane.

Willow couldn't wait to go away for university. She traveled to the USA to go to school at Stanford. Which was where she met her first husband. He was her T.A. in her economics class. He was her first adult boyfriend and the two moved fast. They got married before she had even graduated. But the romance and marriage were short lived. Her first husband had been interested in having Willow work full time and help him pay his way through grad school. While Willow wanted to get to work, supporting her husband through grad school while she was a freshly budding adult was not something she was ready for. Two years later she filed for divorce.

Willows second husband she met when she was 26 years old. Once again, they fell hard and fast. He was an accountant, and truthfully the only of her husbands she still has any relationship with. In part because they share a daughter, and because he had treated her the best. They were married for seven years, and divorced when their daughter was four. The marriage ended amicably, he had been offered a job in London and Willow's job was in Chicago. Their daughters time is split between the two of them.

Willow is very much in love with her job. It makes her feel confident and powerful to be successfully running a team that is successful. She also loves being able to help mentor and support young woman on the team and on her payroll. She is always trying her best to be a firm but good boss.

Her third husband, was the worst. Once again, Willow fell fast and hard for him. They met when she was 35, and were married for 14 years. He was incredibly jealous and manipulative, always making her feel that her age was something she should be ashamed of. A laundry list of other offenses hit Willows self esteem hard. It wasn't until he had tried to keep her daughter from visiting that Willow had enough. She filed for divorce. He tried to take everything from her, thankfully Willow had been married twice before and knew how to keep herself, her business, and her money protected.

It has been some time since her third marriage ended. Willow is working on repairing the relationships that were damaged along the way. This would include the relationship she has with herself.

Personality

Willow is confident when it comes to her work. She can also hold herself incredibly well, but when it comes to being vulnerable and tender, that side of herself is very hard to come by. She can also be a know it all. She has lived a full and busy life and often thinks she knows best. Willow is extremely protective of people in her life she cares about.

#muse #muses #muse:willow #bio #biography #bio:willow #tw: divorce #tw: emotional abuse #tw: emotional manipulation

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mystcryshcck · 1 month

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About the muse / Rules / Verses

On the surface, Stanley is conniving, money hungry, and appears to have little regard for other people. He runs the "Mystery Shack", a self proclaimed "ninth wonder of the world" in the middle of Gravity Falls, Oregon, but it's nothing more than a tourist trap and a front. Assuming the identity of his twin brother after his disappearance, he goes by the name "Stanford" and has, unfortunately for his brother, committed many crimes under this persona such as fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering. Good luck flying anywhere, Stanford.

General Information

Name: Stanley Pines

Nicknames: Stanford, Stan, "Grunkle", Old Man, Lee (reserved exclusively for his brother(s) (Ford is on thin ice if they're fighting)/mother/significant other, if anyone else calls him this they're getting punched)

Pronouns: he/him

Sexuality: closeted bisexual

Family: Stanford Pines (older twin brother), Shermy (younger brother), Mabel Pines (great-grand-niece), Dipper Pines (great-grand-nephew), Filbrick Pines (father, estranged), Margaret Pines (mother, estranged)

Underneath his gruff exterior, Stan would protect the people that he loves fiercely, including both Mabel and Dipper, and his employees Soos and Wendy. Found family means everything to him, and if you're lucky enough to be part of his found family (blood related or not) than he and his brass knuckles have your back.

Rules: (subject to change as I think of more)

1. Shipping is fine! Stanley is a closeted bisexual and might not openly admit feelings for other men, but he has absolutely had crushes on them in the past. It could even be unrequited love.

2. I am semi-selective and happy to write the following: with crossover characters (as long as I know the media they're from at least OR we are friends), original characters + self inserts

3. I am a very spontaneous writer. Plotting can happen! I'm just not as good at replying to plotted threads. If you have ideas/I get an idea, let's talk!

4. Stan might not be very nice to your character at first (unless you're a cop, then go fuck yourself). But befriending him has it's perks! He's more likely to be nicer to kids/pretty women + men

Verses:

Good old days. v (childhood verse)

Turbulent weather. v (teenager verse)

Sinking ship. v (early adulthood verse, specifically after he gets kicked out and attempts to prove his dad wrong)

Cloudy skies. v (takes place during the course of the show)

Clear skies. v (good ending, he sails the seas with Stanford)

Stormy skies. v (bad ending. this fucker never remembers what happens/the bait and switch plan doesn't work and Bill wins/ ect.)

#Good old days. v (childhood verse)#Turbulent weather. v (teenager verse)#Sinking ship. v (early adulthood verse)#Cloudy skies. v (main show)#Clear skies. v (good ending)#Stormy skies. v (bad ending)

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october-writes · 11 months

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Pandora - Chapter 8 Sneak Peek

If anyone asked her (and they never did) Ada wasn’t looking for a Prince Charming. She didn’t believe in grand romantic love.

It made great fodder for popular songs and drippy novellas, but there’s the rub. Wherever that word popped up, you could be sure that someone was selling something whether it be a disappointing box of chocolates or the idea of marriage itself. At its best, love was the sticky output of a chemical that told the human brain it was time to reproduce.

Ada looked from her mother to her father. They were hardly an epic romance for the ages. Gayle Wong, originally Gayle Lee, had been a PhD student specialising in education and child development when she’d met Alan Wong. He’d worked his way up the ranks of a successful dental practice on the East Coast. She’d come from a wealthy, upper middle class family of good Chinese American stock with solid investments in retail and residential developments. A perfect match.

They’d slept in separate rooms for the past four years. Ada’s father spent days off catching up on paperwork or sequestered in his den watching softball games on a widescreen TV.

Now that her daughter was grown, Gayle spent her days working with charities for ‘unfortunate children’ as she liked to call them.

Were they happy? Ada had no idea. But the fact is they were stuck. Stuck with the hand they’d played. Stuck with each other in this house. Stuck with the same routines day in and day out.

Ada couldn’t wait to cut herself free from it all; she’d wield her college diploma like a scythe.

‘I’ve been helping my microbiology professor with his lectures,’ Ada told them suddenly, sliding her knife and fork together on her empty plate, ‘He’s been keeping me busy.’

That caught her father’s attention. He turned to her for the first time since they’d sat down for dinner.

‘Is that so?’ he asked, folding his napkin and dropping it beside his plate, ‘What’s his name?’

‘Professor Jon Howe,’ Ada replied, ‘He’s a visiting lecturer from Stanford. He’s worked with National Geographic and Scientific American. His docu-series is airing on PBS in the spring.’

‘Ah, a celebrity,’ Alan Wong shook his head and smiled into his wine, ‘Does everyone want to be on TV these days?’

‘Is he married?’ Jocelyn asked with a snort of laughter.

Dejected, Ada stared at her lap and willed the conversation to shift. It did, this time to her cousin William and his move to Wisconsin.

‘Ignore them,’ her grandmother whispered, dipping her head to catch Ada’s attention, ‘Too many mouths and not enough ears at this table. So, tell me about this professor.’

Ada couldn’t tell her everything of course. Not how he’d kissed her in the lecture hall where they’d first met, how he’d taken her to coffee and looked at her like she was the centre of the universe, or how he touched her with a deftness and a confidence that none of the boys she knew could hope to possess.

No, this secret was the only thing in this house that felt like it belonged to her.

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readingforsanity · 1 year

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The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell | Robert Dugoni | Published 2018 | *SPOILERS*

Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; God’s Will is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam perservered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends.

Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls.

Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design - especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open - bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters.

Sam Hill was born with ocular albinism, turning his eyes a subtle shade of red from birth. The story is told by an adult Sam between 1989 and 1999, retelling the story of his extraordinary life that his mother promised he would have, but one that he didn’t believe until he was in his 40s.

His parents, devout Catholics, were his strongest advocates in life. When it was time for him to start first grade at the local Catholic school, he was initially denied by Sister Beatrice, the principal of the school. She believed that Sam’s eye condition would take away from the other childrens education as a distraction, but his mother would have none of it. She took the story to the local news, and the next morning, Sam was able to start.

He spent a lot of the first few months as a lonely child, until he met Ernie Cantwell. As the only black child in Burlingame, California and at the school, the two became quick friends. Ernie, however, was popular due to his ability to play all types of sports but that didn’t stop him and Sam from having a lovely friendship. Together, they were able to overcome the school bully, David Bateman.

After spending an afternoon together at Ernie’s home, Sam was attempting to ride home when he encountered Bateman and his two henchmen. Sam was beaten to a pulp by David. That evening, David’s family and Sam’s family were told to meet at the school. The parish priest, Father Brogan, expelled David from the school for lying and his parents attempting to cover it up for him, mostly his mother. The two friends with David told the truth to their parents, who then told the school. Sam did not see him again until he was much older.

Ernie, Sam and a female student by the name of Mickie remained close friends throughout middle school and high school. The night of Sam’s graduation, his father suffered a paralyzing stroke in which he was unable to return home and began living in a care facility. Sam took over his father’s drugstore, and after a year’s deferrment, Sam went to Stanford University to begin college.

He opened his own practice, along with Mickie and remains close friends with Ernie. Mickie is also a doctor of optometry, like Sam, and Ernie took over his father’s computer company after spending time with the NFL as a professional football player. Though Sam’s father was unable to return home after his stroke, he was able to regain some of his speech and his mother still spoke with him nearly everyday.

When a young woman named Trina Crouch brought her young daughter in to see Sam after an accident left her with an eye injury, Sam comes face to face with his childhoos bully, as David Bateman is Trina’s ex-husband and the father of her daughter. Sam knows that the injury is not the result of a bike accident, but instead was given at the hands of her own father. David, now a policeman, threatens Sam. But Trina is ready to stop hiding from him, and begins the process to have his parental rights taken away. She comes clean about all of the abuse her daughter is suffering at the hands of her father. On the day of the hearing, Sam is told that David went to the hotel where Trina was staying, shot and killed her before killing himself.

Sam blames himself for this, as he felt he was responsible for Trina attempting to take back her life. He ends up leaving the country all together, traveling the world to help the disadvantaged with their eye problems with something similar to Doctors without Borders. But when Mickie calls and tells him that he needs to return home because his mother has an aggressive form of breast cancer, Sam does and decides he is not leaving.

He confesses his love to Mickie, who does the same to him. They have always loved each other but life and other circumstances have kept thema way from each other despite a brief period of time when they had slept together as teens. Sam also confides to Mickie that he is starting the process to adopt a young boy from South America who also has the same eye condition as him, and that he wants to marry Mickie.

Together, Mickie, Sam and his parents fly to a religious area in Lourdes, France, a pilgrimage that his mother has always wanted to take. There, somehow, Sam regains his faith after losing it. But, his mother’s condition quickly worsens and they rush back to the United States, and shortly after their return, his mother succumbed to her illness. Six weeks later, his father passed away to unable to live his life without the love of his.

Though Mickie and Sam have gotten into a routine, Sam is still wanting to marry Mickie, but she is hesitant. After she leaves for a conference in Mexico but then seemingly goes missing, Sam is devastated. He thinks that she is leaving him, but then she returns. She tells him that she and his mother had the adoption process escalated, and that Fernado is going to be their son. Sam asks again if Mickie will marry him in which this time she agrees after confessing that she will be unable to give him any biological children after having a hysterectomy.

They are able to begin their life, the three of them, together. And Sam feels his faith returning to him slowly.

Discussion Questions

1. Samuel Hill was born with ocular albinism, which makes his pupils red, causing children to tease him and call him Devil Boy. Throughout his many trials and tribulations, Sam’s mother consistently assures him, “God gave you extraordinary eyes, Samuel, because he intends for you to lead an extraordinary life.” Parents work to shield their children who are different. What did you think of her choosing to deal with her son’s condition this way? She was doing exactly what every mother would do. We love our children unconditionally. She felt God sent her Sam for a reason, and she wholeheartedly believed that. Sam did not ask for his condition, nor did anyone else for that matter. His mother loved her son, just as she would have loved him if he had any other sort of disability or ailment.

2. David Bateman becomes Sam’s nemesis in grade school. Can you recall a bully from your youth? How did you deal with him or her? What do you think of Sam’s handling of David? Sam handled David the best way he knew how. He fought back, got beat up for it, and then never had to deal with him again until he was an adult at which point he was no longer afraid of him. But, I was bullied as a child as well, though I can’t recall just one or even two. Yes, it hurt. But, I just moved on with my life. My bullies were never like David.

3. Ernie and Mickie prove to be loyal friends to Sam. What is the thread that bonds the three? Think of friends from your own childhood. Why do those particular friends stand out? They were all misfits in their own way: Ernie for being black, Sam for being born with red eyes and Mickie for being considered promiscuous. None of them fit the bill of a Catholic in the eyes of the church to the people of the school(s) they attended. But, they were, after all, God’s children, therefore they were accepted into the school(s) until Mickie ultimately had to go to the public school for being expelled from the Catholic school.

4. Sam describes how the kids are divided at St. Joes: “kids were lumped into groups. You had your jocks, the nerds, the dorks, and the stoners. I straddled the line between nerds, dorks and jocks, with jock being the most tenuous.” What group did you belong to in high school? Thinking of those who were in particular groups when you went to high school, where are they now? Do you think that what happened with them in high school had an impact on the people who they are now? How was high school changed since Sam’s school days, or has it? I didn’t belong to one particular group. I was friends with everyone and anyone. I mainly hung out with the same friends that I had in middle school, as we attended a smaller school than the others we joined in high school, so we were tight, the majority of us having gone to the same school together since Kindergarten. But, I didn’t discriminate against people. I was friends with anyone who wanted to be friends with me.

5. Coach Moran is on the horns of a dilemma concerning Sam and the basketball team. Do you agree with the way he handled the situation? How did this turn out to be a positive thing for Sam? I do agree with it. He knew that Sam was the hardest working player on his team, despite not being particulary good at it. He left it up to Sam to decide if he wanted to play or to write on the paper. It worked out for him, as he was able to still attend Ernie’s game, but he was able to write for them while being able to bring in some extra cash to help him save for college. It was a win/win for everyone involved.

6. Who are Sam’s mentors? What sort of impact did each have on young Sam? Who do you think had the most impact on him? Do you think that Sam also had an impact on his mentors? I don’t recall him having anyone in particular; maybe Dr. Priedmore, his opthamologist. He ended up walking in his foot steps and becoming an eye doctor after having to visit him every year to have his eyes checked.

7. No stranger to hardship or disappointment, Sam is heartbroken when he loses out on being chosen valedictorian, despite his excellent grades. Do you think his reaction was justified? Why or why not? And was Ernie right to town down the honor? I absolutely think his reaction is justified. It was something that he was looking forward to, and had worked very hard for, and because of his condition, felt that it was taken away from him much like a lot of things that happened in his life. Despite it being a great honor for Ernie, Ernie knew he hadn’t earned it the same way that Sam had, and his decision to turn it down was unsurprising.

8. Sam tries to be pragmatic: “reality could be painful...my reality was that I was not going to live some extraordinary life, as my mother fervently believed, and prayed for.” Do you think that Sam feels betrayed by his mother’s staunch faith in him? No, I don’t. He wanted to believe her, but despite nothing happening in an extraordinary fashion, he would never have felt betrayed by his mother. Their bond was too strong.

9. The stroke that Sam’s father suffers tests Sam’s faith in a myriad of ways. Can you recall a time when you faced a crisis of faith? I’m not particularly religious in any way. I attended a non-denominational church as a child, but we stopped going though I can’t recall why. My kids are not baptized or christened, and neither was I. I believe in a higher power, something that I can’t explain, but I don’t believe in organized religion.

10. After high school, Sam finally decides to get colored contact lenses. Talk about this as a decision for him. How are they a mixed blessing for him? He will be able to leave a relatively normal life without having to explain his eyes to people. But, at some point, it will come up again to someone he is seeing, like Eva.

11. Years later, Sam has to decide whether or not to be the doctor for the daughter of David Bateman. What are your feelings about his wrestling with this? What would you have done in his position? I understand his reservations. If he helps her, David Bateman isn’t going to be grateful but if he doesn’t, he’ll try to use it against Sam. But, he took an oath to help those in need, and ultimately decides to help her despite those reservations he had.

12. How has Sam’s life come full circule after meeting young Fernando in Costa Rica? Why is it important to him to stop wearing his contacts? He realizes that he wants to show Fernado that having an eye condition isn’t something that he needs to be wary of. It’s about accepting yourself.

13. The novel easily could have been called Have Faith, Samuel. What do you think the novel says about faith and forgiveness? How does each character struggle with faith? Everyone has their struggles. Mickie ultimately didn’t believe in religious and lost faith after his parents divorced. Sam lost his faith after his father had a stroke, and he realized that all the praying that he and his family did meant nothing after that. Ernie’s faith isn’t really discussed but Ernie was particularly blessed in terms of his sport abilities and how he was able to play for the NFL.

14. Sam Hill has seen his share of life’s highs and lows. Do you think his life was truly extraordinary? I absolutely do. This book had a hold on me that doesn’t happen very often. It was like watching a movie play in my head, and I really wish they would turn this book into a movie. It would do the world some good to see this on a big screen, I think.

Definitely 5/5 stars for this one!

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bleakfated · 1 year

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INTERACTIONS. HEADCANONS. VISAGE. IISMS. WISHLIST. OPENS. SC.

STATISTICS

BASICS: name: kyle terrance moore age: 40s-50s gender & pronouns: male, he/him sexuality: heterosexual faceclaim: timothy olyphant occupation: linguistic professor, art gallery owner location: palo alto, california

PERSONALITY: positive traits: compassionate, intuitive, gentle, intelligent negative traits: idealistic, impractical, sacrificing, credulous

APPEARANCE: scars: none tattoos: none piercings: none

VERSES

BIOGRAPHY

TL;DR

Kyle Moore was born to an affluent family in San Francisco, California. The youngest of four sons, the boys were always urged to pursue their true passions. Kyle's were art and language and he became fluent in nine languages and proficient in many others by the time he was 25. Kyle met the love of his life Clarissa Mattson early in his sophomore year of college when she pulled him aside to discuss a charity fundraiser with the art community on Stanford University's campus. He proposed during the middle of their junior year and they were married shortly after graduation. The two welcomed two daughters, Jessica and Alyssa, into the world and lived a rather picturesque life. That was until Jessica died in an apartment fire on Stanford's campus. When her boyfriend fled town and the FBI started asking questions, Kyle was always quick to defend the young man. He felt he could read people well and anyone Jessica trusted with her heart had to have a good one themselves. He and Clarissa followed Alyssa to Stanford, where Kyle is now a linguistics professor and owns an art gallery that showcases young artists, dedicated to Jessica.

FULL BIO

Kyle Moore was born to an affluent family in San Francisco, California on February 19, 1961. The youngest of four sons, there was rarely a dull moment in his household. His father, James Moore was the cofounder of a successful brewing company and his mother Cheryl Moore was a well respected psychiatrist. Kyle and his siblings James Jr, Mark, and Steven had plenty of time to explore the city they called home and pursue any hobby they set their mind to. From the second he stole a paintbrush out of his mother's hand when he was three, Kyle's hobby had always been the pursuit of art. Additionally, he picked up a love for linguistics from his father who had dual majored at Stanford University in both business and linguistics. His mantra was that he wouldn't give up the things he was most passionate about for the pursuit of money. Therefore, a lot of his father's free time was spent translating and teaching college courses around the city. Kyle was a quick study and always bugged his father for lessons on various languages until he could learn on his own.

Excelling in high school, he played soccer and ran track in addition to playing saxophone in the band and being involved in student council. He volunteered at retirement homes throughout the area on Saturday mornings, helping activity directors incorporate arts and crafts into their programming. All of this with the goal of getting into his parent's alma mater -- Stanford University. All of his siblings had went for various careers and being the unplanned runt of the litter, Kyle felt that it was duty to follow in his sibling's rather large footsteps. He got a part time job at a grocery store to help him save up for college. Juggling everything was extremely taxing, but he pulled through with nearly perfect grades. The very limited free time he had was immersed in art, studying the greats and developing his own style with his favorite medium: paint. Stepping out of high school with the valedictorian title and stepping on to Stanford's campus for the first time as a student with a full ride was well worth it.

From a young age he had agreed to live by his father's mantra. But he wasn't the same man. While his father enjoyed beer, business, and the languages Kyle enjoyed art, the languages, and teaching. His ultimate goal was to become a college professor of some of the nine languages he was mostly fluent in (with many others he only knew moderately well). In addition to that, translating scientific papers would be flexible money. The rest of his time would be spent devoted to art, with the hopes of opening his own gallery some day far down the line. He rushed Sigma Nu, the oldest fraternity at Stanford, his freshman year. Kyle couldn't deny the benefits of being involved in such a great, involved organization and was sure the association would help him throughout his life. It seemed well rooted, rather than an excuse to party, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He had no idea going in that he would meet the love of his life through its affiliation with Pi Beta Phi. At this stage of his life, having a wife and a family of his own was not yet on his radar.

That was until he met her. Greek socials were a great way to strengthen ties and brainstorm joint events that would make the university look good, which would in turn benefit the Greek organizations. This had been one of those events, a small social with a little bit of purpose that would dissolve a little bit throughout the night. Clarissa Mattson, he had heard the name tossed around a few times but hadn't gotten the chance to meet her. Not until she walked up to him and nearly dragged him out of a conversation he was having with his fellow brothers. Always determined, she had an idea for a charity fundraiser with the art department and Kyle took at least one class a semester and was president of the art club -- the obvious point of contact in the fraternity. The two ended up planning the bulk of the event together on their own. It didn't take very long for Kyle to ask her out on a date. After that, the two were basically inseparable. His more flexible schedule allowed him to find time amidst her countless hours of studying for her premed courses.

Kyle and Clarissa got engaged during their senior years at Stanford and married just a few weeks after he graduated with his degrees in linguistics and education. The pair had had many discussions over the past few years and decided that it was a good time to start their family. They wanted to start their family right away instead of lose the opportunity for a whirlwind of years while she was in medical school. Ultimately the decision was made that she would take a gap year before applying to medical school. The stress and unpredictability of making the pregnancy work out perfectly so that the baby was born during the summer wasn't something they wanted to risk her having to quit in the middle of a year. They soon discovered that they might have been able to swing the timing just right when Clarissa got pregnant nearly right away. Only ten months after their wedding, their first daughter Jessica Lee Moore was born on January 24, 1984.

Kyle was able to teach high school German and Spanish while he worked on his doctorate degree primarily through night classes. Clarissa spent her year off helping balance the schedule their infant and continuing to gain medical experience as an EMT and assisting one of her professors with research on campus. Before they knew it Jessica was out of diapers and Kyle was nearly finished with his doctorate while Clarissa embarked on her residency journey. It wasn't until Jessica was about to start kindergarten when the subject of more kids became more serious (partly due to their daughter's incessant begging). They wanted a bit of the craziness to die down with their own educations before adding another child to the mix so that they would be able to work around Clarissa's schedule. Her second year of residency seemed to be the best option because she had one with an awesome preceptor that would allow her to adapt her schedule more than most would.

Alyssa Rae Moore was born prematurely on December 28, 1989. Born at 31 weeks old, she was in the NICU for over a month and a half. That meant carting Jess back and forth whenever he could and sometimes fighting Clarissa home to get some sleep on a decent mattress or let him stay with her for the night. It was a challenge, but their little fighter came out of it strong with no health problems. With a great family beside them, Kyle and Clarissa were able to live out their aspirations and spend time with their children. Jessica took to art and had some great raw talent from a young age. Alyssa was more into dancing and soccer, both of which Kyle could admire since he was pretty sure he had stepped on Clarissa's feet every single time they had danced together. Both of his daughters excelled in school despite never getting pressured to do so by their parents. Perhaps they felt pressured on their own but Kyle liked to think that it was in their blood.

The family did everything together. Very outdoorsy, the couple was never afraid to use their vacation or sick days for hiking trips throughout the west coast where they had settled in San Francisco into their first home given to them by Kyle's older brother Mark, shortly after Clarissa finished up her residency. Trips to Stanford weren't uncommon either. They were decently charitable and would never miss the CalU football game (or the first home game if CalU wasn't played at the Stanford Stadium). This caused both Moore girls to fall in love with the campus, making it their goals to attend just as Kyle had at their age. It was an extremely proud moment to help Jessica move in in the fall of 2002. Pursuing the career of a pediatrician like her mother, Jess also vowed to stay involved in the art community on campus which prompted Kyle to give her his most enthused tour of the campus. Unfortunately, Jessica's admittance to Stanford would ultimately lead to the greatest tragedy for the Moore family.

At the tail end of Jessica's sophomore year, she started to date a boy named Sam Winchester. From what he gathered from Alyssa, he was 'the cutest boy on campus' that was a bit mysterious but was very sweet. They met Sam a few times on Stanford's campus and he had come home with Jess for one of the breaks due to Jess insisting that he couldn't spend the time off alone in his apartment. Instantly, Kyle could sense his kind soul and how desperately he cared for his daughter. Despite wanting to be critical, he liked talking with the law student and approved of him greatly. Nothing prepared Kyle for the call he got late at night in November 2005. Jessica had perished in an apartment fire that Sam was able to escape. The boy skipped town and never returned to Stanford, which Kyle could understand. It was difficult as hell to keep on living in the house he had raised his daughter in.

The family was lost in grief for over a year. Alyssa worked hard to keep going, always distracted herself. When she kept her stance to stay on track to Stanford, her father reminded her resolve. Maybe all of them were chasing ways to get closer to their Jessie. Shortly after Alyssa was accepted early decision into the university, Kyle and Clarissa resolved to leave San Francisco behind. Kyle gets a job teaching linguistics and languages at Stanford and Clarissa was hired at Stanford's Primary Care Office. Somehow, this wasn't enough. Kyle saved up for a couple of years and was able to open an art gallery that would display the art of young artists from the University and the general public in honor of his daughter. Currently, Kyle still teaches at Stanford and runs his art gallery, hoping to find something to fill the hole losing his daughter left in his heart and dumbfounded by the images of Sam Winchester floating around the news.

#╰––– » 「 ⛦ 」 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁. ┊ kyle moore

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accuratepicuresofanthropologists · 2 years

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Renato Rosaldo

Via Chasers

Renato Rosaldo is well known as one of the most important Chicano anthropologists in the discipline's history, but he was born in a not-particularly Chicano place: Champaign, Illinois. His father, Renato Ignacio Rosaldo y Hernandez, came from a family of wealth cattle ranchers from Minatitlán, Veracruz. Renato sr. was a man of the enlightenment and supported the Mexican Revolution, but his family lost their land in the struggle and he went to Mexico City looking for opportunity. Following a friend, he then migrated to Chicago in around 1932, and pursued his education at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. It was there he met Rosaldo's mother, Betty Potter, an Anglo lady from Flora Illinois. Renato was born in Champaign in 1941.

Rosaldo's father, via UIUC

Rosaldo Sr. went on to earn a Ph.D. in literature, writing a thesis on the 19th century Mexican author José María Roa Bárcena. He then took a position at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Renato Jr.'s first memories were of the snow and being the only person in school who could speak Spanish. Later, the Rosaldos would move to Tucson, hoping the dry climate would help the health of Rosaldo's brother. Renato went to high school there and developed a tight-knit group of friends, The Chasers, that he later wrote a book about.

Rosaldo went to Harvard for college to study Latin American literature. He found himself in an introduction to anthropology class taught by Beatrice Whiting, and his TA was… Laura Nader! Nader was a fluent Spanish speaker who had been to Mexico, and she encouraged Rosaldo to pursue anthropology. He spent the summers after his his sophomore and junior years on a field trip to Ecuador, where took local life histories and got interested in the experiences of everyday people.

With Shelly in the Philippines, via NPR

Rosaldo in the Field, via The Day Shelly Died

Rosaldo graduated with an AB in Spanish History and Literature and then went on to graduate school in anthropology, again at Harvard. He worked with Evon "Voghtie" Vogt of the Harvard Chiapas project. He also fell in love with another Chiapas project student, Michelle "Shelly" Zimbalist, who became Michelle Rosaldo after they married. The Rosaldos then went to do fieldwork with Ilongot people in the Philippines. Renato received his Ph.D. in 1971, a year after he had been hired at the Stanford anthropology department. In the mid-1970s Clifford Geertz, another Harvard grad, came to Stanford as a visiting Scholar. His work on interpretive anthropology was dismissed by many at the time, but the Rosaldos found it very interesting. Renato attributes much of his later work as influenced by Geertz.

At Stanford, via their archive

Perhaps the most consequential event in Renato's life came during fieldwork with the Ilongot in 1981. On 11 October 1981 his wife Shelly fell of a cliff and died, leaving him grief-stricken and having to deal with their two children, Samuel and Manuel, who they had brought with them to the field. He spent years recovering from the event, eventually partnering with another Stanford scholar, Mary Louise Pratt. The world of anthropology was also devastated by Shelly's death, as she was a groundbreaking feminist anthropologist.

Middle Aged, via UT Austin

Throughout the 1980s Rosaldo spent much of his time mourning Shelly's death. He published as well, however, producing essays which challenged the highly scientistic view of anthropology which he was taught at Harvard. He participated in the groundbreaking 'Writing Culture' seminar which produced the book of the same name, which ushered in the age of, and reaction to, 'postmodernism'. He also became involved in the debates about 'multiculturalism' at Stanford. In the late 1980s Stanford revamped its Western Civilization class. Rosaldo was one of the people who taught the new version of the course, which replaced Great Books like Plato and Shakespeare with Zora Neale Hurston and Rigoberta Menchu.

Renato Rosaldo, via his ARA memoir

Politics at Stanford soon became even more stressful for Rosaldo. In 1993 he published Culture and Truth, his best known book. It collected essays he had written critiquing anthropology, including his most famous piece "Grief and a Headhunter's Rage", about the death of his wife. At the same time, the internal politics of his department was becoming more and more stressful. Stanford had originally been founded a Felix Keesing, a kiwi trained by Māori scholar Te Rangi Hiroa. The department has a social anthropological tilt. By the mid-1990s it had grown into a four-field American style department, but relationships between subdisciplines were fractious. After cultural anthropologists interfered in the hire of a biological anthropologist, the bio side of the department objected strenuously to the tenure of Akhil Gupta, who did not have a degree in anthropology. Rosaldo was chair at the time, and the politics were so intense that he had a stroke. The department split in two shortly afterwards, and would be united in 2009(?), after Rosaldo's retirement.

via Chasers

During his recover from his stroke, Rosaldo began seeing visions of poetry written in purple ink appear before him in a fine handwriting that was not his own. He soon began writing poetry. In 2003, he retired from Stanford and took up a position at NYU, where he teaches to this day. That year he also published his first volume of poetry, Prayer to Spider Woman. In 2013 and 2014 he published two more books of poetry, including Diego Luna's Inside Tips and a heart-rending collection of poems and photographs describing his wife's tragic death, The Day Of Shelly's Death. In 2019 he produced a volume of poetry-interviews and photography in which he memorialized The Chasers, his friend group from his childhood in Tucson. His most recent book is a 2022 volume of poetry, Into The World Outspread.

#Anthroplogy #Renato Rosaldo

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anitabyars · 2 years

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Title: A Perfect Lie

Author: Lisa Renee Jones

Release Date: August 9, 2022

ABOUT A PERFECT LIE

Secrets. Lies. A man. There's always a man. And there's always a truth to be told.

I'm Hailey Anne Monroe. I’m twenty-eight years old. An artist, who found her muse on the canvas because I wasn’t allowed to have friends or even keep a journal. And yes, if you haven’t guessed by now, I’m that Hailey Anne Monroe, daughter to Thomas Frank Monroe, the man who was a half-percentage point from becoming President of the United States. If you were able to ask him, he’d probably tell you that I was the half point. But you can’t ask him, and he can’t tell you. He’s dead. They’re all dead and now I can speak.

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EXCERPT

“Can I join you?” he asks, motioning to the table.

There’s interest in his eyes, the kind a man has for a woman, but who knows, maybe it’s real or maybe it’s not real. Maybe he knows who I am and sees a path to power and fame. The way Tobey wanted me for money and power, right up until the moment I’d called his number aka his agenda; thus, he has not called me since I left. Maybe Harvard will lie even better than Tobey did. Maybe Harvard will at least kiss better than he did, and the lies would taste like temptation rather than convenience. At least then, if I’m used, I’ll enjoy being used.

Whatever the case, it’s clear I might actually be angry with Tobey and that aside, the interest that Harvard has shown in me, must be controlled before my Denver sanctuary is destroyed. “You can join me,” I say, “but only because I’m trying to save the rest of the place from the attorney in the house.”

I am pleased when Harvard laughs, where Tobey would have scowled, proving that Harvard has a sense of humor, which is rare for those in my life. I’ve barely completed this thought when he moves forward and claims the seat next to me, not across from me, settling his briefcase on that chair instead. In the process, his leg brushes my leg and for the briefest of moments, I’m transported back to the place that I’m now trying to forget: to Austin, to Drew’s leg next to mine, his wink, and I do now what I did then. I jerk back. If Harvard notices he doesn’t react. “Since we haven’t been formally introduced,” he says, resting his naked hands on the table. “I’m Logan. Logan Casey.”

“Logan Casey,” I repeat trying to ground myself in the present, at least for now, but some part of me is still swimming in that memory, which naturally has me wondering if this man is a shark in the water around me. “Two first names,” I add. “Sounds like your parents fought over who got to pick your first name. Did they draw straws for which choice became your middle name?”

“You’re actually right on target,” he says, laughing again, and it’s a nice, masculine laugh, and oddly this thought feels familiar while Logan does not. “No one has ever guessed that,” he adds. “My mother won the name war. The women always win. Speaking of names. Do you have one?”

“Hailey Anne Pitt,” I say, “and in my house, my father won the name war.” Because in my father’s world, I add silently, the women don’t win the wars. At least, not that he knows, not in an obvious way. I’ve learned this well.

“Well then, Hailey Anne Pitt,” he says, “what’s a Stanford girl like you, doing in a place like this? You’re a long way from school.”

I’m smacked in the face with a lesson I’ve long ago learned and forgotten with this man; strangers do not always remain strangers and all offhanded remarks can come back to haunt you. “That was a joke,” I say, shutting the door connected to my real life, and a path that leads to my father. “I hate attorneys, remember?”

He narrows his eyes on me, and for no reason other than instinct, I believe he’s looking for a lie that he won’t find. I’m simply too well-taught from birth, too skilled at being more than one person to allow such a detection. Well that, and the fact that I really do hate attorneys, which is why I’ll be a good one.

“That was a joke?” he confirms.

“Yes,” I say. “Are you amused?”

“Yes, actually. I am. What does a lawyer-hating smart ass like yourself do for a living?”

“When not busy taunting those who went to law school,” I say. “I’m an aspiring artist.” Both honest answers, if you put a “was” in front of the “aspiring artist” which I’d thought that I’d come to terms with, but the knot in my stomach says I have not.

Logan motions toward the art room. “Your career explains why you ended up here.”

“I guess it does,” I say, as this place serves me well to reconnecting to the Pitt part of my life, which is a place I really need to be right now, for all kinds of reasons.

“Are you good?” Logan asks, as if he’s read my mind.

My father’s words answer him in my head. Art is useless unless you’re famous, he used to say often, because of course, it was inconceivable that I might be good enough to be famous. “Art is like movies and food,” I say, shoving aside that bad memory. “Good is subjective.” I don’t give him time to reply. I ping the conversation back toward him. “What kind of law do you practice?”

“Corporate,” he says, and this time he pings back to me. “Do you live in the neighborhood?”

“Yes,” I say simply. “Do you?”

“I bought a building a few years ago where I live and work which means this is my home turf, and why I know you’re new here.”

“I am,” I say and since he’s clearly going to ask for details, I quickly preempt with an on-the-fly story. Actually, it’s the suggested story, Rudolf included in my file. “I came here for a job, and my new boss owns a house he’s rented to me for dirt cheap.”

“And what does an artist do but create art for a living?”

“I’m working for a private art acquisitions firm. I now hunt for treasures for a living.” This lie is actually my dream job that I’ve never been allowed to entertain.

The horror flick loving waitress delivers my coffee and brownie. “Thank you,” I say, because every politician’s daughter has manners beaten into her.

“No problem,” she says, “but if you come to your senses and want a better version of that coffee, just shout.” She eyes Logan. “I already know you want a crappy tasting coffee, on endless pour and a chocolate chip cookie. Coming right up.”

“Thanks, Megan,” he says, giving her a wink that I don’t classify as flirtatious, just friendly, and Megan is gone.

“Obviously you’re a regular,” I comment, “and they even like you.”

“And they like me,” he confirms, “despite knowing I’m an attorney.

“Because you’re good looking and use it to your advantage.”

He arches a brow. “You think I’m good looking, do you?”

“Oh, come on,” I say, crinkling my nose. “Everyone thinks you’re good looking. I’m simply stating a fact. We use what we have and those of us that are smart, know what we have.” I move on from what is really quite inconsequential. “Why work here, not at home, or in the office?”

“I find I get a lot of work done with a cookie, coffee, and no access to streaming television,” he explains.

No one in my D.C. crowd would make an admission of being human and distractible. Some people in my situation might take comfort in that fact, but I don’t. Logan’s an attorney, and my gut, which I’ll confirm with research, says he’s a powerful one, the kind that radiates toward my father. Maybe that’s a coincidence and maybe it’s not. Maybe he’s testing how well I execute my cover story. The possibilities are many. Though in all fairness to Logan, perhaps I’d lean toward his innocence, if not for the laundry list of recent events such as Tobey being gay and the FBI agent, who is likely working for my father, that I slept with to prove I was a) still desirable and b) not a killer.

ABOUT LISA

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones writes dark, edgy fiction to include the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series and the crime thriller The Poet. Suzanne Todd (producer of Alice in Wonderland and Bad Moms) on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense.

Prior to publishing Lisa owned a multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine. She lives in Colorado with her husband, a cat that talks too much, and a Golden Retriever who is afraid of trash bags.

CONNECT WITH LISA

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Twitter ➜ https://twitter.com/LisaReneeJones

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Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/LisaReneeJones

#socialbutterflypr #lisa renee jones #a perfect lie #newrelease

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