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seriouslyhooked · 4 years

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Feels Like This (Part 1)

Emma Swan is a once lost girl who is now making good. She has made a way in the world for her and her young son, Henry, and after years of hard work, Emma is in her last stretch of schooling for the career she’s always wanted. Unexpectedly, she finds herself in a tiny nation no one’s ever heard of for her last year of study. She knows nothing about the place except that it’s beautiful, has a world-renowned child life program, and is filled with possibility. Meanwhile, Prince Killian is hardly happy with the title he received at birth. As the second in line for the crown, Killian has long tried shaking his royal duties. He built a career in the royal navy, and has stayed out of the limelight, but his ship has been called to port indefinitely at the request of his brother, the King. Fate (in her many forms) brings Emma and Killian together and the resulting fic is a cute, fluffy, trope filled romp featuring heart felt moments, a healthy dose of insta-love and an assured happily ever after. Story rated M and will have 12 parts. Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.

A/N: Hey everyone! So months back I hinted that I was working on a few new AUs. I have been wanting to write this fic since the moment it popped into my head, but I held back, knowing I had two other great stories that deserved their happy ending and a proper send off. Now though both of my other fics are done, we are on to one of our first new fics. To all of you that have begged for another CS AU where someone is a prince or princess… this is for you, and for me. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be writing this. I have missed this kind of world since I finished When Love Reigns, and this time the script is flipped – it’s Killian who is royalty. This first chapter though, is building a bit of our back story. It’s from Emma’s POV and it puts us on the path to change. So without any more delay, I hope you guys enjoy the story and thanks so much for reading!

“Goooood Morning, New York! It’s that time again – WAKE UP CALL!”

The sound of sirens and clanging that blasted through the clock radio next to her bed echoed through the once silent room, slamming into Emma with a force that gave her no choice but to wake.

“Crap!” Emma screeched as she jolted from the bed, woken from an incredibly sound sleep. On instinct her body moved quickly, trying to jump from bed like she would when Henry was little and called to her in the night, but she wasn’t totally coordinated yet. Instead of landing on her feet, she tumbled, hitting the ground hard and letting out a groan. “Double crap!”

A knock sounded at the door and two seconds later her son’s voice filtered through. “Mom, did you fall out of bed again?”

“No comment,” Emma replied, checking herself for major injuries. Thankfully she would be fine, but this was not a good look.

It’s temporary, she said to herself as she stood up and stretched, willing her limbs to let go of the tension and the achiness that a fall like that would cause. The semester is nearly over. I’ve only got one summer class. One not three. One not three.

She chanted the mantra that had gotten her through this spring over and over in her mind as she went through her morning routine. It was a rushed, frantic situation, as it normally was on weekdays, but somehow, just like always, things came together in the end. She was showered and ready, dressed for her admin job in the financial district. Henry was also totally geared up for school, proving once again how self-sufficient he was. Having a son with as much maturity as Henry was a blessing on mornings like this one where she was dead on her feet from studying all night and still had to be up bright and early for the office. He was eight going on thirty-eight. Honestly most days it felt like Henry had it more together than she did, but as she walked into the kitchen to press a kiss on the crown of his head and he smiled genuinely at her, Emma couldn’t seem to care. She might not be perfect at being a Mom, but her kid was happy and well, and that was all that truly mattered.

“Someone seems chipper this morning. Did you sneak those powdered donuts I hid or something?” Emma asked as she made herself and Henry some sliced fruit. Henry, meanwhile, measured out their cereal, liking to be a part of their prep process as much as he could. He handled things with the ginger care and attention of someone trying their best, focused on the task with so much purpose and precision.

“No, I didn’t, honestly Mom, I promise.”

Emma stifled a laugh at how adamant he was. She knew the truth: her son was too good for stealing, even just a few treats. It was amazing how much of a moral compass he had. Sometimes she wondered if it was too much for a boy his age. He should be getting into a little trouble, causing mischief, doing… something, anything that wasn’t picture perfect. But Henry wasn’t like that. He preferred stories to anything else, and the look on his face told Emma that a story was exactly what had him so animated this morning.

“Well if it’s not a sugar high then it must be a good book. What’s on tap for today?”

Listening to her little boy talk about his newfound tale made Emma so happy, because his own enthusiasm was infectious. Reading had always come easy to Henry, and he was on pace for the level of a sixth grader though he was only in 3rd. It was amazing to behold, but also a little overwhelming. Emma herself had never had that yearning to read, probably because the only books in the group homes she grew up in were ripped up and torn to shreds. By the time she was old enough to go to school and use the libraries they had, Emma was jaded. Thankfully she’d been quick to learn and always got by, but by high school she’d skipped town, never to look back.

A few years later she was barely surviving day to day and her heart decided it would be a good time to give the whole love thing a chance. She met a man who claimed he loved her, but, in the end he was nothing but a tough lesson made flesh. Neal taught Emma that it wasn’t enough to love someone. You had to love someone good, someone kind, and someone who loved you enough to care for you and fight for you too. Instead of meeting that marker, Neal stole a bunch of shit, tried to let her take the fall, and, to add insult to injury, skipped town and never looked back. Nothing ended up coming from the charges made against her – the judge threw the case out when he heard about her background, only asking that she commit to a hundred hours of volunteering, and in the meantime the only good thing Neal ever gave her was her son. But, despite her rocky beginnings, and thanks to a little luck and more than a couple of miracles, here they were. Nearly ten years had gone by since she’d seen Neal and Emma and Henry were good. They had each other, now and always, and though their family was small, and at times Emma wondered what it would be like to fall in love again, she didn’t want to rock the boat or jeopardize all the good she and Henry were lucky enough to have.

“Mom, did you hear me?” Henry asked and Emma’s mind shifted back into her room instead of where it had been, skipping down memory lane.

“Sorry, kid. Coffee hasn’t hit yet,” she said with a shrug. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m almost done with my final project for Ms. Harlow’s class.”

“Almost done? But you’ve still got another month of school.”

“I know, but it’s just reading and writing. My favorites.”

Emma listened in on his update about his project, and it didn’t surprise her to hear Henry was ahead of his class. This had been happening since he entered kindergarten. Every year the teachers set objectives and every year Henry met each one, most of them pretty early. It was a great thing in one respect, because it meant Emma didn’t have to worry about him. Henry was brilliant and gifted and would clearly go far in life, but it did make Emma wonder: was she doing enough for his son? More than once she’d been told that a private school might suit him better and might challenge him more. But she simply didn’t have the money. Hell, she’d worked overtime for years just to get them in this tiny apartment in this district which was one of the nicer ones in the city.

Henry continued to tell her all about school as they left the apartment and headed out, and their whole commute in was filled with his updates about the things he’d learned and still wanted to know. Emma noted that there were very few stories involving other kids and she knew that was probably because Henry didn’t have an enormous amount of friends. Oh the other kids liked him, of course, who wouldn’t love her son who only had nice things to say and a friendly smile to offer? But he wasn’t tied to any of them closely. Instead he preferred the company of books, and of Emma and their favorite friendly neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard.

“All right Henry, so you know the plan, right? Today’s Wednesday which means…”

“School, then library club, then Mrs. H will pick me up and watch me until you get out of class. I wonder what she’ll make for dinner. I hope it’s spaghetti.”

Emma agreed, knowing that her neighbor’s spaghetti was legendary. Mrs. Hubbard had years of practice, cooking for her own family over the course of many years, but her kids were all grown now and it was just her and her husband living in the city. Her husband, though well past retirement age, loved his job down at the docks, and still went in for a few hours every evening to manage the shift change from day shift to night. Mrs. H, meanwhile, was desperate for the chance to mother people again, and she did so often with Emma and Henry. At first Emma tried to protest, but it all fell on deaf ears. Not only did this wonderful woman help care for Henry, she was always helping with the cooking and the cleaning. She was also pretty much a built-in therapist for Emma, and every time she met a challenge in her parenting she couldn’t face, Emma called Mrs. H. That woman was the closest thing she and Henry had to family, and Emma knew Mrs. H felt just as strongly for them in return.

“Whatever it is we’re going to love it and we’re going to thank Mrs. H so much for her help, right?”

“Of course,” Henry said with a nod. They’d finally arrived at his school building and now was the time to say goodbye. Last year parent drop off was in the class room, but this year they moved the kids to drop off at the door. Most kids took that as a sign to stop hugging their parents when leaving for the day, but not Henry. Instead he gave her a big hug which warmed her through and made her feel so blessed and reassured. Henry was truly the sweetest, and when he finally let go and ran into the building Emma let out a sigh, thinking to herself how damn lucky she was to have Henry as her son.

Her day from there was just about as crazy as she expected. The time she had to get from Henry’s school to work was minimal, but she managed to slip into the office just under the radar. For eight straight hours she was moving, and she barely had time to devour the sandwich she’d packed for the day while running to and from errands that the office staff needed help with. She couldn’t take lunch though, not when she had to leave early to run ten blocks to class this afternoon. Again, her ability to get there was nearly undermined, this time by a broken subway car that caused more congestion than ever on the street as people tried to walk instead. But in just the nick of time, Emma made her way through the wrought iron gates of her university, and was in her assigned chair in the Mills Center Auditorium, listening attentively to the lecture her favorite professor had lined up today.

Since having Henry, Emma had needed to work and pay bills and figure things out. At first she tried to do that with just her GED, but soon it became clear that she needed to go back to school. Thank god there had been online classes, and she’d managed to find enough scholarships for ex-foster kids to get her an associates degree. When that was done she went to the state school in the city and started taking more classes and in four more years she had her bachelors. She was so proud of herself and so glad for the bump in pay that a simple degree had earned her, but somehow school had called her back again, this time for a masters degree in childhood development and social work. It was a very focused degree, without any ties to her current financial job, but it was the work her heart wanted to do. With her MS she would qualify for a number of jobs, all aimed at helping kids in the system, and again, thanks to some hard fought for scholarships, she was managing it all at virtually no cost but time.

The two-hour seminar she sat in today was engaging and interesting, honing in on a case study of one particular city – Sacramento. Their public programming was a beacon for the American model and through partnerships of government, schools, companies, and community activists there was a significantly lower rate of teenage runaways and kids who graduated from the system with ‘bad outcomes.’ Emma noted all the policy choice that were implemented to help these kids and she applauded the effort of these experts, but she knew there were still more things that could be done. She took just as many notes on the lecture as she did her own ideas, and by the end of class, her pages were full and her mind was equipped with a few more answers and a lot more questions.

When their time was up, the rest of her cohort dispersed. They were younger than Emma and most of them were friendly with each other. They always were nice to Emma too, saying hi and asking about Henry, but Emma didn’t linger long after class. She had to get home to her son, and to get back to working on all the things she had to face tomorrow.

“Emma, would you mind coming with me to my office? I have something to give you. It’ll just take a moment.”

“Sure, Professor Hopper,” Emma agreed, not thinking much of it. ‘Doc’ Hopper was a great lecturer and a helpful teacher and there’d been many times when he gave her a book or some other sources for her work. She assumed that was what was happening today, but when he asked her to take a seat as he moved around his desk Emma started to get worried.

“I’m sorry, professor. Is something wrong?”

“Not at all, Emma. In fact, quite the opposite. The department has selected the JR Foundation Fellowship recipient this year.”

“Oh?” she asked, wondering which of the people in her class was getting the chance to travel abroad and learn from some of the best minds in childhood development and psychology. She thought maybe Ayana or Jade might be good choices. They were both bright and determined. Matthew was a wild card. But she imagined he must be up for consideration given his often out of the box ideas.

“It’s you, Emma. You’re our chosen fellow.”

“Me?”

Emma whispered out the clarifying question, not understanding what Doc Hopper was getting at. The connection to the JR Foundation Fellowship was one of the biggest selling points of this program. Students from across the world came here just to be considered for it and to say she was not lobbying for the possibility would be an understatement. Most of the time she felt she was barely scraping by. Everyone else in her program was younger than her, none of them had children, and those who had a job worked part time or entirely for the school. Emma was always on the fringes of her cohort, but all the late nights studying and reading had paid off. She learned a lot and did well when it came to grades. Still, she never imagined this would happen, and for a fleeting moment she felt pure excitement.

You can’t go, her inner voice said suddenly. You’ve got Henry to think about. How would you afford it? You could never take him out of school. You can’t move him halfway across the world just to nickel and dime things. We’ve had enough ramen to last a lifetime.

The reasons why this would never work mounted internally as Emma cleared her throat and fidgeted in her chair. She was about to turn down the most prestigious offer anyone at her level could receive and the pain of that was sharp. To know she’d earned this but that it wasn’t meant to be hurt her, but she would not allow herself to linger in the sadness. Nothing had changed from this morning – she was still a very lucky woman, with a roof over her head, food on her table, and an incredible son who filled her life more than any stop in her career ever could.

“Professor Hopper, I’m truly flattered to be chosen. But -,”

“Wait, Emma, before you turn this down, please know that the faculty is aware of your unique circumstances and we’ve made some adjustments to the fellowship terms. It’s all spelled out here,” he said, handing her a folder with papers and admission offers.

Emma opened it up, and within the bolded headlines of the first page there were all sorts of add ons. A housing grant that would cover her and Henry for more than six months, additional ‘cost of living’ scholarships, and more. Tears formed in her eyes at she looked at the stipend she would receive if she accepted this appointment. It was more than she made at city hall, and she knew already that her good standing with the city would allow for her to take this opportunity if she chose to. She could request up to a year of leave where they’d hold her job if she gave enough notice, and she had just enough time to do so. Still there was one concern – what about Henry? What about his life? Would it be right to spring something like this on him? They had only a month before the fellowship was set to start. She couldn’t do that… could she?

“I realize that you’ll need time to consider, Emma, but as you can imagine time is rather limited. I can wait a few days, but we’ll need to know by the end of the week if you accept.” Professor Hopper looked at her with a transparent sense of honesty and empathy. It was always clear why this man studied child psychology and counseling. He was quiet and patient but adamant in wanting to help. But when he looked at her like this, Emma remembered her own childhood and how little there had been by ways of help and guidance. “For what it’s worth, Emma, I really hope you’ll take the appointment. In all my years at this school, I’ve never met a student so well suited to this job. Your experience is one thing, but it’s a gift unique to you. You have a way with these kids, Emma, and a fellowship like this can help you make the most of your degree come graduation. It opens all kinds of doors and you know what that can mean.”

“Helping so many more kids,” Emma admitted aloud, and that was ultimately what she wanted more than anything. Yes, providing for her son was the most important thing, but there were so many more children out there who didn’t have nearly enough. Without family or money or hope, the world was a sad and scary place and Emma wanted to fend off some of that fear for as many kids as she could. Doctor Hopper’s point was undeniable, and people who had previously taken this fellowship had gone on to do so much, like launch successful non-profits and run whole government departments for children in need. It was a chance to learn, to grow, and to meet people who knew how to make things happen, and Emma was enticed by that, so much more than she should be.

“Take some time, Emma. Mull I over, talk to your son, and if it’s right, it’s right. You know you’ll always have my full support either way.”

Emma thanked Professor Hopper and collected her things, heading out of his office and away from school. It was a short commute back home, but riding the subway at this time of day meant being a part of the last big rush of people. She was squished into the train car, but she didn’t think much of it. Instead she read over the more than generous offer of the package the school was giving her. Usually the fellowship was generous, with the chance to go to Montenaro (a tiny European country she’d never once heard of outside of this) and a small stipend to live on with placement in student housing. For Emma, however, other arrangements had been made, including a small house that was still at least triple the size of where her and Henry lived now. The stipend was also larger (to cover the cost of any needed ‘childcare expenses’) and Doctor Hopper had written a note – he had a good friend who had a connection to a private elementary school near the University of Montenarro. There was a spot for Henry available for the fall semester, which was still a few months out, and a space for him at the University’s summer camp. Emma actually cried at how kind this offer was and how much time it must have taken and how many favors must have been called in. People had moved mountains for her and in the process they’d pulled down so many of the blockades that might keep her from saying yes.

Her heart began to believe that this might actually be possible. The timing was actually kind of perfect – her term would start in six weeks, in the middle of June and her lease on the apartment was set to end at the end of that month. She was planning to renew, but it didn’t make sense to keep the place for six months while they were away. That was money she could save for a rainy day, and when all of this was over she’d be done with her degree early and would be looking for a job anyway. Maybe they weren’t strictly bound to New York. They could end up anywhere. The possibilities seemed endless. Still, as she made her way back to her apartment Emma tried to get herself in check and school her features. The last thing she wanted was to get her hopes up. This would come down to what was best for Henry, and she’d never want to pressure her son into doing something for her that he didn’t really want. But at the same time it was such a great opportunity. The money, the living arrangement, and the work experience. It all seemed so perfect.

“Anybody home?” She asked, as she opened the door to her place and walked in, dropping her coat and taking off her shoes in the front walk as she headed to the kitchen.

“Hi Mom!” Henry said, barreling into her with another big hug and a huge smile on his face. “I missed you today.”

“I missed you too, kid,” she said, ruffling up his hair. “Hey Mrs. H. Something sure smells good.”

“It’s spaghetti Bolognese, and it’s very near ready. How was class, dear?”

“Great. Actually about that, I got some news today.”

��Big news?” Henry asked excitedly and Emma shook her head and smiled.

“Huge news. You know that fellowship I told you about? The one in Europe?”

“I remember. It’s in that tiny little country on the coast. What was it? Monta… Monta…”

“Montenarro,” she filled in and the light in Henry’s eyes burned bright with recognition.

“Oh right – you know their national fruit is called a montacari? It’s like if you mixed a strawberry, blackberry, and a raspberry. They only grow in mild mountain climates and before the berries grow the plants make flowers that are pink and red and white. Every August they have a festival there to celebrate the harvest.”

“How do you know that?” Emma asked, amazed at her son’s seemingly endless memory and then she filled in at the same time Henry did. “Let me guess: you read about it?“

“I read about it,” Henry echoed and they laughed. “So who won the spot?”

“I did,” Emma announced and for a beat there was complete silence. She watched as her son took in the news and then he was moving, jumping up and down and hugging her all over again.

“You did it, Mom! You did it! You did it! I knew you could do it!”

“You thought I’d win?” Emma asked and Henry nodded fiercely.

“Absolutely! You’re the best, Mom, everyone knows that!”

Emma laughed as she looked over to Mrs. H who had a huge smile on her face. “Congratulations, honey. But I think I must have missed something. What exactly is this fellowship?”

Emma explained the circumstances surrounding the placement. It was a six-month appointment, for two terms – summer and fall - and in that time the recipient worked for the J.R. Foundation. J.R. was an international charity with an impeccable reputation focused on helping vulnerable youth populations around the globe. They worked on literacy outreach, education initiatives, disaster relief and more, but this fellowship appointee would work with the counseling division, focusing on children’s health, wellness, and mental resilience strategies. That six months of work counted as her two semesters of full time interning which she needed to graduate, and for Emma, it would mean cutting down her time to graduation significantly. At the end of this six months, if she added in an online class or two, she’d be ready to graduate, finishing up eighteen months earlier than she previously expected.

Halfway through her explanation, Emma watched Henry leave and head to his room. She heard a lot of movement inside and she frowned, worried about what he was up to. “Henry? Everything all right?”

“Are you kidding? Everything’s awesome! We’re moving to Montanarro and I’ve got to get packing!”

“Henry, wait,” she said and her son popped his head out before she motioned for him to come closer. “We still have to talk about this. This is a really big change. It would mean you miss the last few weeks of school here, and that next fall you’re not with your friends here. We wouldn’t be back until just before Christmas. Are you sure you like that idea? I won’t be mad if you want to stay here. This is our home.”

“Home is where we are together, Mom. You know that,” Henry said, reciting a line she’d said over and over again to him, especially back when times were tougher and they really struggled to get by. His assuredness made her throat tighten. Again she was on the verge of tears but she fought them off. “Besides – every hero has a special journey, Mom, and their special journey usually starts with a new place. Think of the adventure we can have together. It’s gonna be awesome!”

“Henry it might not be that easy. Moving can be hard sometimes. Things will be different there. I know they speak English, but there’s other languages and customs too. It might not be the easiest adjustment.”

“I can do different!” Henry replied eagerly with a smile. “I’m great with different. Different is my middle name.”

“Henry, you don’t have a middle name,” Emma teased and he shrugged.

“Well now I do, and it’s Different. So can we go, Mom. Please? I promise I’ll be so so good.”

“You’re always good, kid.” Emma said softly, running her fingers through the hair that was shadowing his brow. “Are you sure, Henry? It’s a really big step.”

“Can’t you feel it, Mom? Don’t think with your head. Use your heart, like you taught me.” Emma was quiet for a moment as she took in her young son’s sage advice. “You feel it too, I know you do. This is right for us. It’s our path.”

“Why don’t I sleep on it, okay, kid? In the meantime you go wash up for dinner all right?”

Henry seemed to accept this non-answer, though he muttered under his breath about always having to wait for adventure. Emma smiled despite herself and then looked to Mrs. H who was watching her closely.

“So what do you think? I know we’d be leaving you and Mr. H in a bind. You weren’t expecting to have to look for new tenants and -,”

Mrs. H interrupted Emma by taking her hand in hers and silently commanding her attention. Emma looked up and listened carefully. “Honey, you don’t worry about that at all, you hear me? My Horace and I are golden. We don’t need to rent this place out, but we took one look at you and Henry and we knew you were going to be like family. And you know what family does, Emma? They support each other always. This fellowship sounds like everything you’ve wanted. You can make a difference and you and that darling boy of yours can see the world a little. In the meantime we’ll keep this place here for you. No one else is renting it and you don’t need to worry about paying anything at all. The payment has been getting to know you two these last few years. That’s better than anything money can buy.”

“Are you sure?” Emma asked, half wondering about her generosity but also asking if she should go at all. She was excited, to be sure, but she was also terrified. What if she failed? What if something happened? What if –

“I am, Emma. And deep down you are too. Henry was right, this is an adventure, one you should meet and embrace every step of the way.”

Emma appreciated the counsel and though Henry came barreling back in soon and the conversation shifted, Emma had all evening to think about the choice in front of her. She grappled with her options – to take the safe path and pass up on a once in a lifetime opportunity, or to take a little risk and have a taste of adventure and fulfillment with her son in a brand new place. By the end of the night, as she was drifting off to bed, Emma knew she had her answer: this was going to happen. She was going to take this step and take a chance, and somehow, despite her less than stellar origins, she trusted it would all work exactly the way that it should.

Little did she know how true that was, and just how much purpose and hope she would find in a tiny country halfway around the world.

Post-Note: So there we have it. Just in case anyone is curious about the title, I actually got a creative burst in conceiving of this AU plot line when I heard the song ‘Feels Like This’ by Maisie Peters. If you haven’t heard it before, you should definitely listen, as it’s a lovely one with all kinds of feels. Anyway, I know that this chapter was all from Emma’s POV, but as you might have guessed, next chapter we will see Killian and where he is at when we begin this story. I’m so excited for this AU and to build this dynamic and I am hoping to share the second chapter with you all next weekend. In the meantime, I would love to hear what you all think, what you might like to see in this fic, and what your general thoughts on this kind of AU are. As always I appreciate you all so much, I hope that you’ve enjoyed, and I wish you all well and happy! Thanks again!

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waterloou · 5 years

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Welcome to the second OC EXTRAVAGANZA SATURDAY!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who shared and was featured in the first one!!

Every Saturday, the five ocs that are submitted/I pick are made into a banner and given lots of love!!!

OCs:

Drea Lynn Jones created by @thecaptainsgingersnap

Character Introduction

Playlist

Fics: Cinderella , pop the question , art fic

Asks

Drea is a mama bear with a snarky side and she’s great fun! Go give her some love!!

Gabriella Rush created by @purple-and-red-ribbons

We were Merely Freshmen (fic rec!)(here’s the link to ch 1 on tumblr)

Not Like That

I’m Trying

We Shouldn’t Do This

The War at Home Fic (can be found under ‘fic: the war at home’ tag on tumblr)

Gabby x Jason

Oc month: southside!archabby northside!archabby

Cruel Intentions (Jason Blossom x Gabby)

Descriptor

I highly recommend taking some time to scroll through the oc:Gabriella Rush tag on their page bc it has many many more things there and are all a fantastic read!

Gabriella is an extremely likable character and she has just the right amount of snark. You’ll fall in love with her instantly! So go show her some love!!!

Mabel Harlow created by @vannahsunshine

Character Introduction

Ask

Mabel is one of my favorite OCs that I’ve encountered! She’s such a breath of fresh air and got a lot of spunk! She’s cute and adorable and happy and just wholesome. (Also her relationship with Reggie made me love him so much). Go give her some love!

Olivia Mantle created by @melton-my-heart

Meet Liv Mantle

Liv and Reggie Growing Up

Sweet Pea and Liv backstory

Liv is sweet and her love for science and space is absolutely adorable! Go give her some love!

Uma Fogarty created by @humangrumpycat

Character Moodboard

Character introduction

The Swosie Project: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Uma Blurb:

‘I always hear such positive stories about you, Mrs. Fogarty,’ Weatherbee comments. ‘I don’t understand the hostility towards me.’

Uma scoffs. ‘You don’t understand?’

Weatherbee nods, gesturing to continue.

‘You don’t understand the hostility towards you,’ Uma starts, placing her hands on the armrests. ‘When you’ve been terrorizing every Southside kid, especially young Serpents, in your school? When some snobby rich kid told you about them “tagging”, and you believed it without any doubt? When you’ve made them wear school uniforms, making them stand out from the rest? Or when my son was almost attacked by some of your students after Midge’s murder when the news came out that he had a fling with her?’

Weatherbee purses his lips, turning to his right to see if the secretaries are listening in before he turns back to Uma.

‘My son was shot,’ she croaks. ‘He was pushed against the lockers, pushed onto the ground, falsely accused of murder, he was offered no protection by the police when he was released, and then someone shot him.’

Weatherbee moves forward, resting his elbows on his desk, opening his mouth to respond as Uma’s wiping her tears from her face.

‘You have no right to lecture me about the way I’m responding to you right now,’ Uma hisses.

‘So please, for the love of God, tell me what consequences you have in mind for Sweet Pea.’

Laurien always creates amazing ocs (and about the same or more than me lol)

Uma is the ultimate mama. She adopts(not literally) p much every kid she encounters that looks like they need a good parent. She’s sweet but she won’t take any shit. Her love for her kids is amazing and she’s just a lovely woman. Go give her some love!

#oc #riverdale oc #riverdale ocs #serpent ocs #ocextravaganzasaturday #mabel harlow #uma fogarty #gabriella rush #liv mantle #drea lynn jones #riverdale

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fibula-rasa · 6 years

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Cosplay the Classics: Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo was one of my very first favorite actresses. That perfectly magnetic face was a force even on a television screen. I set my VCR to tape every movie she was in as they appeared on TCM, then bought them all on DVD as they were released. In high school, a few of my friends even crafted Garbo-themed doodads for me because she wasn’t plastered on all manner of goods like Audrey Hepburn, James Dean or Marilyn Monroe were in the early 2000s. Though I didn’t put voice to it at the time, seeing a woman whose romance so clearly knew no gender was formative for me.

Garbo is by no means obscure, but even more people need to be watching her films. Don’t fret! Filmstruck to the rescue: Greta Garbo is their star of the week!

No time like the present to try my hand at a wearable Swedish Sphinx look. I aimed for late-silent Garbo, a la The Kiss (1929) and The Mysterious Lady (1928).

Taken and collaged by photographer Clarence Sinclair Bull in 1931, this photo spurred on the sticky nickname.

The Face of Garbo

The face of Garbo has inspired odes in spiritual, philosophical, and psychoanalytical terms over the past century and, yeah, it would be way above my pay grade to contribute to that canon. In lieu of that, let’s learn a little bit about how Garbo’s image was constructed.

When Greta Garbo made the trek from Sweden to Hollywood in 1925, she had all the raw ingredients to be a screen star. A face with no bad angles that still and film cameras can love alike is rare. All Garbo needed was a bit of polish to marry her outward appearance to the languid grace of her performance style.

Off screen, Garbo was often reported as wearing unassuming baggy trousers, loafers, and oversized sweaters. A thoroughly uncomplicated person. On screen, Adrian collaborated closely with her to style and design fashions that would follow her every move in seventeen of her feature films.

While I didn’t do a full-body look this time around, I tried to choose a top that would slouch with my posture.

Garbo’s makeup is beautifully consistent across her fifteen years in Hollywood. The application evolved as camera and projection technology advanced, but the shapes remained the same. Starting with Torrent (1926) and her first few silents, her makeup was drawn in higher contrast with heavier lines. In the late silents and her first few talkies, the lines were softened with more gradients in her eyeshadow and lipstick, and film cameras and lighting rigs began to capture more subtle gradations of light and dark. Throughout the rest of the 1930s all the way to Two-Faced Woman (1941), the lines were thinner and more delicate and paired with further shading, but still with a graphic effect.

from Torrent (1926), The Mysterious Lady (1928), and Conquest (1937)

The theme of her iconic look was a dreamy sensuousness, and I personally love that her makeup design is so simple. If applied properly it could be flattering on any face.

Read on after THE JUMP

Garbo wore a heavy line across her lashline, usually the darkest drawn element on her face. If you had the eyelashes of a mortal this line would be too heavy, but we’re talking about Garbo here. I put on a full strip of falsies.

The line elongates the eye, much like a cat-eye flick, but it extends down and out to create a sultry-but-kind look. (Note: this liner style is currently en vogue in Japan right now & I think it’s overdue for a comeback on this side of the Pacific.) On the outer edge of the lower lashline a lighter line is drawn from the end of the upper line to the lower lashline, forming a small triangle. This finishes off the elongation of the eye. To make it more striking, you can fill in the triangle with a lighter nude liner.

On the lid, Garbo’s crease was emphasized sharply. Across the makeup eras described above, first it was a deep line that met the eyeliner in the corners, then a more natural gradient still with a cut crease, and then back to a distinct line, but applied with a much lighter hand.

from Flesh and the Devil (1926), Anna Christie (1930), and Two-Faced Woman (1941)

Her eyebrows were plucked and drawn thinly, as was the style at the time. Regardless, Garbo usually followed her natural brow shape.

Garbo’s skin was described as remarkably flawless; Louise Brooks called it “petal-like.” So, a good powder is a must. Reportedly, she used a Max Factor foundation with a silver tint so the light would reflect strongly off her face. (This also probably explains why in a few of her films her face is so much brighter than her usually quite tan neck and shoulders.)

For blush, I used a simple dusty pink because her cheeks are much fuller than mine--so I didn’t want to add dimension. Dusty pink was also her favorite color. Like really.

Garbo’s New York apartment was decked out ceiling to carpet almost exclusively in rose pink!

Her lips were lined in a single tone following her natural shape. My lips are fuller but not as wide as hers so I drew them out a bit at the edges with a lip brush and filled in the shape in this method:

from The Kiss (1929)

Over the past year or so, I’ve experimented a lot with wet-set curling to improve my vintage chops. Many 1930s styles are difficult to achieve and Garbo’s is the least fussy hairstyle I’ve attempted from the period. So, even before the effortless long bob Garbo sported for much of her life, her styling was simple.

There are some accounts that she was a little erratic about working on her image but it must have been some relief that Garbo had close collaborators ironing out the glamor to accentuate her own art. Garbo took acting very seriously without much interest in being a movie star. Time has told that with Adrian as a costumer, Max Factor as a makeup designer, Clarence Sinclair Bull as a portrait photographer, and William H. Daniels as a cinematographer, an adequately sublime, timeless image was created to match her sublime, timeless performances.

Garbo’s Reach

Often when people talk about Marilyn Monroe’s predecessors, they can’t seem to get past her fluffy blonde hair. They draw endless parallels to Jean Harlow, with whom she shares little more than a hair color. Monroe herself idolized Garbo. And it shows if you’re looking for it.

All together, the lazy/sexy ideal is embodied by both women. Where Monroe usually infused this spirit into dizzy comedic roles, Garbo primarily put it to use playing women of mystery. Suffice it to say, both stars have reached an iconic status at least in part because their roles were intertwined so cleverly with their respective public images.

I look to Monroe’s eye makeup as the dead giveaway. Monroe and her makeup artist, Whitey Snyder, created much the same shapes but with gentler lines.

When Garbo first emerged with her long bob, it was admired by fans, but magazine writers were quick to point out that this was unflatteringly long and advised that only Garbo could pull it off. Likewise, Monroe was put down in the press for her too-long unstylish hair--some journalists even comparing her to a dog. (The ideal then being closer to Elizabeth Taylor’s neatly coiffed short curls.) Funny that both styles are considered almost universally flattering today.

According to Katharine Cornell, when Garbo was considering a return to the screen she wanted to star alongside Monroe. Garbo confided that she wanted to play Dorian Gray with Monroe as Sibyl Vane. If you’re queer-hearted like myself (and Garbo) it’s devastating that we never got that film.

I suppose I’ll sign off now with tears in my eyes for what could have been and for the mutual appreciation that Marilyn Monroe probably never knew about.

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orbemnews · 4 years

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Meet Andy Jassy, the next CEO of Amazon Though not as public a figure as Bezos, Jassy is an accomplished executive in his own right — having grown Amazon’s cloud segment, Amazon Web Services, from its inception into a $45 billion business and the company’s biggest moneymaker. Now, he will take over leading the broader company as it builds on a year of massive growth caused by the pandemic. “Andy is well known inside the company and has been at Amazon almost as long as I have,” Bezos wrote in a letter to employees Tuesday. “He will be an outstanding leader, and he has my full confidence.” Here are three key things to know about the new leader of the e-commerce giant. Jassy started at Amazon (AMZN) in 1997, just about three years after Bezos launched the company in his garage and three weeks before the company went public at a valuation of $300 million. It was his first job after graduating from Harvard Business School. “I took my last final exam at (Harvard Business School) the first Friday in May in 1997, and I started at Amazon the next Monday,” Jassy said on “The Disruptive Voice” podcast last year. “I didn’t know what my job was going to be and what group I was going to work in and what my title was going to be.” He first worked in a marketing role, and then was placed on a “SWAT team” project exploring other potential product categories for Amazon beyond books. Jassy pitched entering the music business as part of the project. Jassy also spent time in the early 2000s in a position referred to at the time as Bezos’ “shadow,” a role similar to a corporate chief of staff, which was designed to train promising young execs, according to Ann Hiatt, a former executive business partner for Bezos during Amazon’s early days (where she sat at one of Bezos’ now-legendary “door desks.”) Now a tech-leadership consultant, Hiatt said she worked closely with Jassy during his time as Bezos’ “shadow.” “If you’d asked me yesterday what I thought the timeline would be of Jeff stepping down as CEO, I would not have guessed now. But if you’d said, ‘Okay, he’s stepping down, who will he choose?’ the first, instant name out of my mouth would be Andy Jassy,” Hiatt said. “I watched him blossom into this beautiful complimentary executive to Jeff, where he learned to anticipate the questions Jeff would ask, the things he would hate, the things he would love, his leadership style,” Hiatt said. “While Andy, of course, has his own fantastic version of executive, he was trained with those instincts, to prioritize the things that Jeff would and make decisions the same way Jeff would when he’s not in the room. Obviously, he’s taken that on to great heights in his role as CEO of AWS.” Jassy was there when Amazon decided to launch AWS and operate it as a separate company that served Amazon.com the same way it would any other customer. “From the very start of AWS, we made a decision that if we wanted to be able to serve a lot of Amazon’s consumer competitors … that we had to make AWS its own separable business with a different leadership team and where Amazon’s consumer businesses were an important customer but just one of many important external customers,” Jassy told CNN of the decision in an interview for a 2019 CNN documentary on Amazon’s history. “We treat Amazon’s consumer business as an external customer.” At the time, many were skeptical of the decision, given that the computing business was a far cry from Amazon’s core online retail activities. But Jassy has since overseen the growth of AWS into the backbone of much of the internet — something he managed despite not having much of a tech background. “He brings quite a degree of humility; people didn’t quite realize who he was until recently,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale School of Management professor. “He’s definitely very humble, he’s not a self promoter, which is sort of unusual to be at this level in the tech space.” How much does he earn? Jassy’s base salary, like that of several other top execs, was $175,000 in 2019, according to Amazon’s most recent Proxy statement published in 2020. In 2019, his total compensation was $348,809. But a year earlier, his pay totaled more than $19.7 million, thanks to a nearly $19.5 million stock award that vested that year. By contrast, Jeff Bezos’ base salary was $81,840, and total compensation in 2019 was nearly $1.7 million, though Bezos owns a larger share of the company’s stock (nearly 15% of the total, as of the 2020 Proxy statement). It is unclear whether Jassy’s compensation will change after becoming CEO. The succession plan CNN’s Poppy Harlow asked him about his CEO ambitions in an interview for a 2019 documentary about Amazon’s history. At the time, Jassy said he didn’t expect Bezos to leave his position in the near future. “I feel very fortunate that Jeff is not going anywhere anytime soon, and none of us want him to. He’s just such an unusual leader and so much part of the culture that I think he’s going to be here for a very long time.” While he was coy about his plans — telling Harlow, “It’s kind of hard to imagine life without Jeff running the company” — analysts say Bezos has been planning for the transition for years. Yale’s Sonnenfeld, who authored a book on CEO transitions called “The Hero’s Farewell,” recalled a conversation with Bezos at a tech conference about seven years ago during which the Amazon chief said he’d studied the Bill Gates-Steve Ballmer transition process. “This has been his plan,” Sonnenfeld said of Bezos. “He wanted to pass this thing on as a healthy business, and this is the ideal time to do it.” Source link Orbem News #Amazon #Andy #CEO #Jassy #Meet #Tech #thenewAmazonCEOtakingoverfromJeffBezos?-CNN #WhoisAndyJassy

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ghostryders · 7 years

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fall in love at least once

some Ryder family drabbles, mainly surrounding Ellen and Alec

warning this is the first fic ive ever written lmao its A Mess. minor spoilers, just about what happened to momryder but you find out early in the game anyway.

“I don’t want you to go.”

She is weak. Uncharacteristically frail. Vulnerable. Pale skin and eyes half closed. Speech slurred and tired.

But to Alec she’s still the strongest person he’s ever met.

Ellen takes his hand in hers, “Alec, it’s my time. Stop fighting it, please. They still need to have someone left by the end of this.”

He’s not ready to say goodbye. What’s the point in the years of work if it didn’t do the one thing you designed it to? What’s the good in spending so much time away from the person you love just to save her when you can’t? Was it all for nothing? To be a failed husband and a distant father? Questions. So many questions, but mostly anger. Alec was frustrated. With himself, with SAM, with the universe for allowing Ellen’s life to be cut short when it could have taken him instead. Everything felt like a joke.

“Alec.”

He scans her face, looking for the fight to live that isn’t there anymore.

“Please look after them. I know it may seem like they’re all grown up now but, they still need someone besides each other.”

He still hasn’t said anything. Doesn’t need to. Doesn’t want to. He turns his attention to the small widow in the hospital room, outlooking the hall, facing the responsibility avoided for so many years.

She was right. They did seem grown up. When did that happen? Alec was proud of them; but it was more than futile to tell them that now. His illegal workings in AI had tainted the name Ryder. Scott was stuck watching the mass relay, always out of grasp of the galaxy he wanted to explore. Sara was getting posted less and less, farther away and more dangerous low reward work than what she dreamed her entire life about. He did that. He ruined that.

Alec tried to imagine a life where he told his children he loved them and hugged them when they got home from school. He wished he went to their infamous laser tag matches, helped Sara with her science fair projects, and told Scott that there was nothing wrong with him when he got picked on, because kids are just mean.

Would things be different then? He tried to pinpoint where he went wrong. Backtracking to the day he met her.

For the first time his life, he was in love.

“Come here often, Doctor?” Alec somehow managed to be even more cocky with a needle in his spine.

“Oh, and he’s funny too.”

“I’m a man of many talents.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Ouch.”

Ellen Harlow was a patient woman, but Lieutenant Alec Ryder was pushing it, and she couldn’t figure out why. It was mostly playful, a bit of banter here, a bit of flirting there, but whenever he came into the labs for a biotics checkup, she found herself pulling at her clothes and fixing her hair all while asking herself why.

Ryder seemed like a good man, that god-awful smirk aside. Not to mention he was strong, an N7 in training. Very strong she found herself thinking. But not all brawns, he’s got brains too she considered as if she were weighing the factors for a pageant winner. Part of Jon Grissom’s team into that… thing; practically a hero if not a pioneer. Maybe it was the weight of her doctorate program and caffeine haze, among other things, that she didn’t notice when the monitor beeped, alerting her to remove the needle from her patient’s neck.

“Everything okay or am I just that distracting?”

“Oh! So sorry. I um...” She fumbled over her words immediately forgetting her current purpose in the world. Removing the needle a bit too quickly she scanned her eyes over the readings.

“Hey, I was thinkin’,” He nervously rubbed the back of his neck where the needle had been “maybe you could uh, join me for drinks sometime? I’ve got the weekend off for the first time in a while, would be a shame to spend it alone.” He rubbed his hands on his knees, the plunge taken and waiting for the water to hit him. It was the first time she’d seen Alec show any sign of anxiety.

“You’re blood sugars on the low side” Was the first thing she blurted out in response

What the hell is wrong with me

Ellen couldn’t remember the last time someone made her laugh so hard. It could have been the pure boredom only a road trip could provide, but seeing the normally serious Alec Ryder channel his inner John Denver as ‘Country Roads’ played on the local Sierra Nevada radio for the second time, followed by several Fleetwood Mac songs, and ‘Hooked On A Feeling’ (to which the only words Alec knew were the repeated ‘hookashakah’s) made her sides hurt.

Alec was beyond excited to introduce her to his parents, bringing her up to log cabin far away from the metropolises of modern earth. What started as a workplace crush turned into him meeting his best friend; Soul mate if you’re feeling dramatic. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the ring in his coat pocket, and making that beautiful girl next to him smile until her face hurt.

This would only happen to them. A guy trying to enjoy his honeymoon with the most amazing woman on the planet (8 months in the works between both of their schedules) is oh-so-conveniently interrupted by aliens.

Fucking aliens.

Alec knew the world was changed by the discoveries on mars, and his discovery of the mass relays with Admiral Grissom, but the discovery of an entire intergalactic community that’s existed for thousands of years?

What. The. Hell.

And now LT Ryder, was being shipped off to fight them.

Half the battle so far was leaving. They stood in the terminal for the fastest hour of their lives just holding each other.

“When will you be back?”

“I don’t know.” There was so much unknown. As much as an explorer he was, he hated not knowing. Not knowing for her.

“Alec Ryder, you come home safe, okay? Or I’ll kick your ass.” Ellen’s eyes were still puffy and red, but she smiled for the first time in a long time, and so did he. Alec absorbed as much of her face as he could, taking a million pictures and mapping her freckles like stars. What if this was the last time he ever saw that beautiful face? He wasn’t going to take any chances.

“I’ll call you as soon as we’re in range of comms. I promise.” He squeezed her shoulders, still taking in every inch of her, just in case.

“Love you, Solider”

“Love you more.”

“Huh.” Was one of those things you never wanted to hear from a doctor.

“Is everything normal?”

6 weeks along in her pregnancy, any patience Ellen Ryder had was out the airlock. She was beyond anxious for any news, and knew Alec felt the same. He was sat in the corner of the ultrasound room, twiddling his thumbs as if he was expecting the doctor to tell them she was carrying the first turian-human hybrid child.

“Everything is normal. Double normal if you could say.” The doctor laughed at her own joke and turned the grainy screen towards the expecting parents.

“Congratulations, you’re having twins. Might want to double up on those saving funds.”

All Alec and Ellen could see was darkness and…. Two little somethings. Two of them.... Oh god… two of them? I mean that’s amazing but we’re fighting to pay citadel rent prices and feed just the two of us; No, four of us now. I need to start thinking in fours.

By the time Alec returned to the present, the gel had been cleaned off and Ellen was shaking the doctors hand, with several informational pamphlets about multiple births tucked under her arm.

For the second time in his life, Alec Ryder fell in love.

22 hours later, Ellen was recovering, soundly asleep and pain free. And the babies...

His babies were the two most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life. He was overwhelmed by the parental instinct to protect and provide for them. He even found himself getting antsy when the nurse handled them slightly rougher than he liked.

They’re perfect.

Alec craned over the two the two of them in awe, almost afraid to touch them. Sara came first and was smaller than her brother by a pound and a half, something about him stealing all the nutrients, but he didn’t care; she was perfect. Scott came shortly after, already alert and ready to see the world, eyes open and hands grasping at everyone who attended to him; he was perfect. They lay side by side, sleeping soundly for the first time since they came into the galaxy.

This is what he fought for. A bit ironic really, that only a little over a year ago he was fighting aliens, and now he was living on their space station. His children would likely grow up to be friends with them, never wondering if anything was out there besides humans. Alec fought for their future, and now all he had to do was preserve it.

“And then I asked, ‘what’s so bad about AI?’ and they all looked at me like I slapped them in the face. Apparently, its pretty illegal stuff out here; Shame, I think its fascinating.”

“I’m sure its for a good reason. They’ve been here longer than we have, they know the rules.” Ellen said as she removed her lab coat and badge, scooping up the nearest Ryder jr into a hug.

“I guess.” Alec decided to end the conversation there, but not ending the thought of it.

Their citadel home was cramped, A two-bedroom apartment with a modest view of the presidium. Growing up in the Sierras, Alecs childhood bedroom had been bigger than their kitchen and living room combined; but on a place like the citadel, it was the best they were going to get. It wasn’t bad when Scott and Sara were younger, but at the age of 4, it became apparent they would need to upsize eventually. They could barely run yet they could both be described as daredevils; jumping across the couch, box surfing down the stairs, intense action vid reenactments- the works. He wished he didn’t have to work all the time. Alec took the job as an attaché expecting normal hours and good pay, unlike his time served in combat. But here he was, coming home exhausted after 12 hour shifts because ambassador Goyle wanted humanity to have the place in the intergalactic community it deserved. Alec couldn’t argue with that but, it was frustrating. He missed his children’s first words, and then steps. He only hoped they still knew who he was when he got home.

“You mean…. You’re dying?”

Sara was always too clever for her own good. Scott just kept staring, brown eyes fixed on the coffee table, like maybe if he focused hard enough that all of this would go away. Alec was considering giving it a try himself.

The silence was deafening.

Ellen shifted in her place on the couch for a few minutes, unsure of what to say to a pair of 13-year old’s who understand what a terminal illness means for most people. Alec felt like he should step in but he didn’t know what they we’re going to do either, and he wasn’t about to expose his project before he knew it could work. Ellen wanted to move back to earth, which they both knew wouldn’t go over well with the twins.

“It’s a little more complicated than that, honey. I’m not going to drop dead tomorrow. I just-“ She sighs, wringing her hands, wanting to be honest but avoid scaring them. “Let’s make the most of the next few years, alright?” She gives a warming smile but Sara’s face doesn’t react. She sits still and stoic, still processing everything. Scotts line of sight has moved from the table to his feet, and Ellen wonders if he even heard what she said.

And suddenly to Alec, It’s no longer a matter of ‘if it works’-no- ‘when it works’. It has to work. It has to.

Maybe I’ll do more of this?? probably not cause im cringing while reading it over rip

#its so bad ajjshdlhfgjfdd #whats writing even #alec ryder #thanks god hes a country boy #me:a #ellen ryder #ryder family

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