#first the mothers bond over being latinas

[everythingwasnormalhere]

One of my fav things about TaTI is how 3 of them are the little siblings of the main kids

Imagine Karen and Ike meeting because Kyle invited Kenny to a sleepover, and the McCormicks were being shitty at that time so Kenny brought Karen with him, and she talks to Ike and they watch streams and become besties (which neither of their brothers expected since they're pretty different)

Meanwhile, Tricia and Karen meeting at school because they're both loners in their new class, finding out their brothers know each other, and organizing them a playdate (just so they get distracted and Tricia and Karen can hang out for longer lmao). And Craig and Kenny like "oh, so you're my sister's friend's brother-?" because they used to play together as kids and didn't expect that, but then they catch up and end up hanging out pretty often too (the girls are so glad because their brothers hanging out means they get to hang out too :3)

[sevensoulmates]

i wonder if people would be okay with eddie being bisexual. shannon as the only woman he fell in love with and buck as the only man eddie fell in love with. bisexual people also suffer from catholic guilt (i'm bi, latina and my family is catholic), but i don't think 9-1-1 would give us bi4bi romance. i just hope that, if eddie is bi, fans don't get mad and say things like 'it doesn't make sense'

Oh goodness, now we're getting into some iffy territory here. So, WARNING, if you follow my blog, you may already know that I personally headcanon Eddie as a repressed gay man, and not bisexual. And I have very specific reasons for that. HOWEVER, if the show DID want to go with Eddie also being bisexual, I would 100% accept that, because you're right bisexual people 100% also experience catholic guilt and comphet as well. All of that could definitely fit into the bisexual experience too. It would also make sense to the story...to a certain degree. So here's my warning again, I'm going to dive into my headcanon here, so be warned this is just MY opinion and is not indicative of all queer experiences real, fictional or otherwise.

Here's my reasons why I feel the story aligns closer to repressed gay than bisexual for Eddie. I simply don't believe that Eddie really ever was in love with Shannon. Loved her as his best friend, yes. Deeply loved her as the mother of his child? Yes. Loved her as a person? Yes. In deep romantic love with her? No. Nothing I've seen from their relationship, not the sex, not their "sweet" moments, or the vulnerable moments, nothing has ever made me ever believe they were in love love. I totally realize that that's my personal opinion and other people see it differently, I understand that, and I respect other people's personal opinions on the matter. This is not a knock against Shannon as a character, but just my individual feelings on their relationship. This was my opinion back when season 3 was still airing and I saw the show for the first time, and it's still my opinion now.

However, back in season 3/4 I actually still believed Eddie could be bi, for sure. And I would've been absolutely THRILLED with a bi4bi story from Buddie.

After all, just because Eddie wasn't in love with Shannon didn't mean he couldn't fall in love with another woman (or man), right? But then came Ana Flores....and then Vanessa...and then came Marisol....and the pattern kept going and I simply COULD NOT justify any of his behavior as actually really being attracted to/wanting/loving ANY of these women.

I understand that plenty of heterosexual and bisexual men also have this kind of avoidant-attachment relationship style, and that it could also stem from trauma, the way he grew up, patriarchy, etc, but the way he FORCES himself to be in a relationship with these women. The way he NEVER allows a genuine bond with a woman to just grow naturally and always has to force it to start, and then desperately cut it off when he's finally reached his limit, truly feels like he's torturing himself. And I'm so sorry, but I feel like if you were a person who genuinely wanted to be with a woman or a man, or anyone, in any capacity, you would not be torturing yourself over being with them.

Especially when I look at him in comparison to Buck, a canon bisexual man. I never once doubted that Buck actually loved Abby. I never once doubted that Buck was actually trying in his relationships with Ali, Taylor, and Natalia. When he was interested in these women it didn't feel forced. Unhealthy? Sure. Not the right fit for him? Absolutely. But forced? Like he was only doing it because he thought he had to? Never. Sure, maybe Buck held on longer than he should've because he didn't want to lose them, but that's because he still wanted their love even if it wasn't healthy for him.

I don't see any of that with Eddie. Shannon, and Eddie's relationship with her, has always felt like a crutch for Eddie, like an excuse, before she came back, when she was present, and long LONG after she died. So the argument that "well Ana and Marisol just aren't Shannon" will never work for me.

I also think Eddie being demisexual would be a better fit narratively at this point than bisexual as well. But then again, there's overlap and it's all very subjective and yeah--just a lot of queer theory to get into that I'm not an expert on, so I'm just gonna reiterate again. This is just my opinion.

If the show really wanted Eddie to be bisexual, and stated it as such, I would be fine with it, and I would accept it graciously and happily. But I do honestly feel like it wouldn't really fit well into the story they've been telling. At this point in time, with everything that we know, and everything we've seen, the only thing that I believe truly fits with the narrative is that Eddie's a repressed gay man and/or demisexual.

But if real-life bisexual people see themselves in Eddie, that will ALWAYS be valid, regardless of what the show says in regards to his sexuality. Fuck, they'll probably just leave him unlabeled regardless, in which case, any and all headcanons are valid.

This is a nuanced topic, and I do admit that IN REAL LIFE (remember I'm just discussing FICTIONAL characters here based purely on what a NARRATIVE has shown us which is all we can truly take as fact) someone in Eddie's position could for sure be bisexual and have this exact same experience.

I just think in my personal subjective opinion that with all we've seen in canon thus far, it would feel most organic to the story (and doesn't make Eddie look like a fucking asshole who chooses not to care at all about the women he's dating) if he realized he was a repressed gay man.

[luvly-writer]

"But of..cara mia"

Ch. 9 I'm not yours

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Dick Grayson x Latina! reader

Warnings: None

Status: Ongoing

Author's note: Writing these two chapters was tough af! But we pulled through. This is more of a filler chapter to get the story going. ENJOY!

Taglist: @lorosette @nanas-teatime @prettyacademia00 @mxtokko @sarahkaliii @w31rdg1rl @Eurydicegrimes @writing-for-the-hell-of-it

Series Masterlist:

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You had grown hopeful the last few weeks. Dick was different with you, almost softer. Caring looks and warm touches, suggestive quips, and loving actions, anyone would have gotten carried away right? But once he announced that he was traveling to Jump City per Kory's request that hope had been squished. He would always run back to her. It wouldn't matter how far he was, she asked and he answered almost automatically. When he mentioned her name, Barbara and you exchanged looks. Her eyes were full of sympathy and yours full of sadness. You both kinda saw it coming. You had decided you needed a break and took a Zeta tube to Diana's place. You would be staying there for a few days, wanting to wash off the bitter feeling Gotham gave you with Dick's departure. You finally arrive. The tube always led straight to your childhood bedroom. You look around and walk towards the living room, calling out to her. "MOM?" you say and hear ruffling in her office. There you see Diana get out, face lighting up when she sees you. "My beautiful warrior, you are home!" she says as she brings you into a warm hug. Over the years, you had begun calling her mom. She had taken you in and loved you as her own. It took a while to get used to at first, seeing as your mother was one of her best friends and you still were fresh out of your parent's death, but with time, that mother-and-daughter bond was formed between the two of you and she had legally adopted you by the age of 11.

Once you both pull away, she brings you to the couch where you both caught up. Sensing that you are not telling her the entire truth about how you feel, she asks, "Little dove, what is wrong? You know I can tell when you don't feel alright" and you sigh, telling her everything that had happened ever since you arrived. Diana listens closely and hums in response. She waits until you are done and asks you, "Why are you insecure, child" and you flush. You don't know what to answer and she lifts her eyebrow and smirks at you. "You are an amazon, you have just enough standing and worth as Starfire." and you roll your eyes at her and answer, "Half- amazon, mom. I am not like Artemis and you, who are fully Amazon, or like Cassie, who is a demigod." Diana scoffs at you and you shrink under her mom's gaze. "Nonsense! I was sculpted of clay and given life by the gods, so you having a human father doesn't make you any less worthy of being an Amazon. You are a child of Themyscira. Our powers flow through your veins and the gods gave you their favor and blessings when you were born. You have trained under Amazon command and I have taken you there enough times for you to be considered a citizen. You are an Amazon whether you like it or not" she winks, teasing you with her last sentence, "You have just enough value to be considered just as beautiful, amazing, strong, and talented as an alien princess" she finishes and you smile at her. She brings you into her arms and you tease her one last time by saying, "yeah mom, exactly, she IS a princess" to which Diana pinches you arm softly making you giggle and says, "You are royalty as well. Before she retired, your mother had been my royal guard for years, which grants you rank in Themyscira. Aside from that, you are my daughter, Yn. Me being the daughter of the Queen of Themyscira, and heir to the throne, grants you the title of princess. Gods forbid you to speak so lowly of yourself in your grandmother's presence, or in the presence of any of the gods. They ought to give you an earful about you wasting your titles and gifts with self-doubt. Especially if it's over the affections of a man, Athena wouldn't stand for it" she responds teasingly and makes you laugh. You remember your days, running around Themyscira with Artemis and following Hippolyta around. You both decide to order some takeout and watch some movies. Spending time with your mother truly soothed your mind and you felt refreshed after the tornado of emotions you had been feeling the last few days.

The rest of the weeks went uneventful. To say you were anxious about Dick's arrival was an understatement. A big part of you didn't want to be there when he arrived because it would sting a little. You knew that there was a high chance that he and Kory fell back into the same habits as before. They probably slept together and shit. Thankfully, Diana had called you so that you could take a trip to Themyscira the same weekend he had arrived. She was going to take her armor to be inspected and cleaned and suggested you'd take your suit as well. Both had been crafted there and although you were great with technology and design, godly armor and magic were things you weren't going to mess with. You had kept your phone with you during your stay and would constantly text Babs asking her to give you the details when he arrived. What you received was something half expected and hoped wasn't true. Dick and Kory had gotten back together. Not only that, Dick had brought Kory to Gotham to be his date at the gala. The same gala you thought you'd be his date for because of how he had been acting before he left. You felt your heart drop. You should have seen it coming though. For all of the teasing comments, shared smiles, flirty looks, fond touches, and moments insinuating that something would happen, were all for nothing, because with Kory around, we all know Richard John Grayson was never going to be yours and nothing could change his mind.

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A little Author’s note:

This is to give you a references for yn’s armor/suit.

It’s a shoutout to one of my favorite Wonder Woman suits in the DCAMU. The only difference is that the dark blue is black, the silver is white, and the red is dark yellow. Instead of a star she has the wonderbat logo, representing both of her mentors.

Present day suit:

Suit:

suit pt. 2:

suit pt. 3:

Suit from her younger years:

Suit pt. 4

<3

[punkbxt]

dime the takes. por favor.

*gets real close to the vending machine* quiero pepsi

okay all seriousness tho imma try to do this in a way thats like idk semi respectful towards janeway but i also need yall to know i do NOT reallyf fuck with her. idk if ive explained why before but i guess here we go

unlike most people that enjoy star trek i didnt really get into it till 2018 and then the demmy hit n i had nothing but time to consume every star trek imaginable and thats how i found voyager. yeah sure make fun of me for not knowing what star trek is but i need YALL to know that it is white and usamerican culture to be raised on trek and I DONT CARE. the only reason i got into star trek is bc a white friend introduced me. all this to say i was introduced to janeways actress through oitnb red ilu so much red best evil white lady <3

anyways i know janeway gets hate for having been the only lady captain and i always preface anything i say about her with this so yall understand that this is not the reason i dislike her but in reality it doesnt help either

also its tiring as fuck to include my opposing argument but it has to be done bc ppl are like “what about- pkay but you didnt consider how- yeah but- actually youre wrong bc-“ like fuck man im doing my damndest i literally hate voicing my opinions bc yall INSIST people of color dont actually get it n its tiring

if youve followed me since i started voyagerposting you may have noticed ive only actually drawn janeway twice and its cuz as a person she rubs me the wrong way for so many reasons

janeway gets put in this impossible position of being the top of the hierarchy pyramid to a crew that doesnt think theyll ever make it home again. shes deemed a mother figure by a LOT of characters but im gonna talk abt her dynamics with b’elanna, and seven because if i were to talk about the dynamics between janeway and harry thatd have to be its own post

when i get into a show, i loooveeee knowing what was happening behind the scenes because i love it!! i love set design i love character design i love costume design i love seeing what the actors are like outside of the show and how they feel about these characters bc these things ARE important. (writers too pero i have beef) behind the scenes is the biggest influence to the final product bc its the reason the final product exists in the first place and behind the scenes so many things went wrong. and when actors are mistreated or dont get along with eachother it becomes pretty apparent. well at least if you analyze things the way i do

so heres my issue with janeway seven and b’elanna. b’elanna is typecast to be the ugly character. klingons gave always gotten the short end of the stick and the case with her isnt as harsh bc her actress is a mixed puerto rican (information that has actually only recently been revealed bc when i tried to find out what roxan’s ethnicity was in 2019 i literally could not find anything definitive except for shes latina) but she STILL gets a lot of shit

one of my favorite things about voyager before the introduction of seven was how b’elanna and janeway actually got to bond a lot over science and when seven took on the roll of pretty girl on the ship, b’elanna and janeway suffered a LOT for it. we have an interesting dynamic between a maquis engineer and a federation captain genuinely not getting along bc b’elanna doesnt see janeways as an authority figure. not until chakotay has something to say about it and also until b’elanna and janeway actually talk about shit n get over their differences. the issue is when ppl purposely skip the earlier seasons to get to seven and then a lot of important interpersonal character building is missed I SAY THIS BC PEOPLE OFTEN FORGET THAT VOYAGER HAS BEEN ASSIMILATED BY THE BORG BEFORE AND EVEN THE WRITERS LET IT SLIP THEUR MIND N ITS LIKE BRO U HAVE GOLD TO WRITE WITH N U JUST LET IT COLLECT IN THE CORNER

seven is a unique and interesting character when she is first introduced. seven looks like any other borg and is so COOL. and then immediately all the cool interesting things about the way seven looks is basically negated to a few shiny parts. and yes janeway is partly to blame

BUT! what is the easiest way to gain the trust of people who already have bad history with who you once were? assimilation of course! seven goes from being one of many to the outcasts outcast

but punkbxt! what does any of this have to do with why you dislike janeway as a character? if anything it sounds more like you dislike seven. as long as the character is white ill always hold a lil disdain for them in my heart <3

janeway symbolizes the best of starfleet. she is an accredited officer and an extremely capable scientist. she is a beautiful white woman in THE position of power something that was revolutionary for her time. the issues with white women being put in positions of power is they they have NEVER had the interests of black and brown people to heart. “yes they-“ SHUT UP and let me speak before you decide to comment on this goddamn post

feminism throughout the centuries has focused on white women and while a show is merely a fraction of the lived reality of its time the effects are still extremely clear. white feminism JUMPED at the character of janeway and celebrated her and rightfully so! the issues came about when women like b’elanna got attacked and pushed to the side. this directly affected janeway within fandom and she got and still is recognized for accomplishments SHE DID NOT DO. she got put on a pedestal and once that happens to a character they suddenly can do no wrong. except she does because shes a human and shes white and shes a character with writers behind her

b’elanna has never actually been a super popular character and the wave of love for her is actually pretty fucking recent and not to toot my own horn but i definitely was a big part of the b’elanna love resurgence. when i got into voyager and these dates ARE important, i used to scroll through her entire tag easily a couple times through a DAY. fans occasionally created art for her and yeah! she got fics but nowhere in comparison to her other peers. surrounding yourself with people who also love her and want to create for her does help with recognition of b’elanna but its super recent stuff. and to add onto that any white fan that has an opinion about her will always be biased because they just do not understand what it is like to exist as a latina woman of color

this is where me myself and i come into the story because wowowowowow star trek is so cool! star trek preaches on and on and on about diversity love acceptance hate oppression and all that good stuff so who wouldnt love it??? and then??? OMG THERES A LATINA CHARACTER IN ONE SERIES OMG OMG OMG. imagine my disappointment when i found out that she a main character barely was getting any love. it hurt. because even within a narrative of inclusion somehow characters of color just seem to always be pushed to the side. especially when a fandom has such a majority percentage of white people

watching her story was SO personal to me. i could see myself in her struggling with living in america. i lived my childhoods in puerto rico and in many different parts of usamerica, surrounded by family and people like me until that wasnt the case anymore. i spent my life living as a nomad with no place to call home for on average no less than a year and no more than three. i could understand b’elanna with her struggles of living in a klingon monastery and then being thrust into an unforgiving and unaccepting world where humans/white people are the most important. the internalized racism that i grew up with was horrendous and to this DAY i am still trying to learn and better myself and connect with my culture in any way i can. because in a black ans white world, where is the space for those of us that dont fall under either? we are ignored and erased and with b’elanna is has been the same

the rejection b’elanna had to her klingon side was something i could relate to incredibly. but it still isnt enough. because even though i could connect with her through her klingon-ness, her latinidad is simply a label. throughout the show you see her change and grow and assimilate to the federation standard and it HURT. the narrative that i was directly picking up from her story was yeah you can be a part of the club but only if you do it how we want you to do it. and dont you EVER even talk about being latino unless its to shit on your deadbeat of a father. and i did. i learned how to adapt at an extremely young age. ive been told its one of the things i do best (sad isnt it?)

and okay how do seven and janeway have anything to do with this? well they are the white women who we literally have to conform to and for. thats it period

seven as a character had an amazing opportunity to challenge gender and sexuality because of her story (one that would have been better suited had she been an indigenous woman which ive spoken on before but thats for another post too) and then the people in charge decided that she just HAD to be the sexywoman instead of leaning into just how much she was no longer human and how humanity itself doesnt actually have one right way to be

this narrative is given to us by janeway time and time and time again correcting seven and telling her that seven simply is not himan enough and still has to learn. (things autistic ppl can suuuuuper relate to which is a reason i could connect with seven at all). no matter how you want to look at it (whatever canon you want to decide isnt canon anymore for the sake of a fucking ship) janeway was directly written to be a mentor and mother figure to seven. janeway is there to help her learn when in reality she can never understand what its like to be an outcast within the federation and to take it a step further be part of a eace which is treated with hostility by humans. something b’elanna CAN understand and relate to because at the time of voyager shits still om the rocks between klingons and humans. janeway pushes seven to accept and embrace humanity as if thats the only option seven has to become a better character but its just not true. the story woven between janeway and seven is one of white women and femininity and how to be the perfect white woman and how to be a good lover. by actively ignoring the help and influence b’elanna could have provided for seven to learn and adapt to a majority human world they put all that weight on janeway. something that affects ALL three of them negatively and results in a narrative of “well b’elanna could never understand and relate to seven in a way that matters” which is beyond true because they are so interwoven even unintentionally so. it simply just wasnt taken further and its a true shame

and this isnt even touching on how badly seven’s actress was treated by janeways actress for being the pretty new doll at the time of filming and how that affected how i felt about janeway/seven as a ship (similarly how castle and beckett did not get along behind scenes i could no longer enjoy that show anymore)

i simplified this IMMENSELY and this shit is already long enough as it is so im sorry about that but yeah thats it. also sorry if things got repetitive ive been told i tend to do that when i write. these are my feelings and i am a real human behind this account so keep in mind how you react to this post. i have recieved countless hate anons most of which ive deleted throughout my short lived time as a fan of this franchise. i used to be MUCH more vocal about representation within star trek and people got mad so i left. but im back because the people that love b’elanna and that love that i have things to say about her matter so much fucking more than any angry person ever will

[dadbodbobby]

RBALC Dreamshow Challenge 2023!

Show Name: It Takes A (Working) Village

Assigned Cast:

1. 9-1-1 - Angela Bassett (64)

2. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - Jeremy Renner (52)

3. Gilmore Girls - Keiko Agena (49)

4. Family Matters - Jaleel White (46)

5. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Chris Pine (42)

6. Star Trek Beyond - Zoe Saldaña (45)

7. Baby Daddy - Melissa Peterman (51)

Added Cast:

1. One Day at a Time (2017) - Justina Machado (50)

Show Bible:

A neighborhood full of hard working people and their families from different walks of life have become unlikely friends. It’s these friendships that help everyone get through the triumphs and tribulations of life.

The main focus is on mixed race Latino parents, played by Jeremy Renner and Justina Machado, as they try and navigate their biracial family in tough times.

Character Description:

Jeremy Renner-Joshua Prescott, husband of Pepa Sarto-Prescott, is a 9-1-1 dispatcher who comes from a very loving but broken family. He must readjust to life after a horrible accident nearly killed him. He juggles this with raising his kids, supporting his wife in her endeavors, and dealing with past traumas in therapy. Joshua is biracial, primarily German, but has Irish and Panamanian on his mother’s side. He speaks fluent Spanish, and happens to be Hard of Hearing.

Justina Machado-Josephina (Pepa) Sarto-Prescott. A seamstress and Joshua’s wife, who is his number #1 supporter in his recovery. She juggles this with running her sewing business, raising her kids, and her life outside of work and family. She’s a first generation Puerto Rican-American, and speaks Spanish fluently as well.

Angela Bassett-Lenora Wilde. Pepa’s closest friend and confidant, who reminds Pepa of Clairee from Steel Magnolias. Charming, intelligent, loving, yet almost high with how she acts. She has no children, but it’s by choice. They go to the same support group for women (particularly women of color), and bond over their experiences. She is also a seamstress, working at Pepa’s boutique.

Zoe Saldaña-Megan Perez-Carter. George’s wife. She is a proud Afro-Latina woman, who passes on her Dominican traditions to her kids. She’s a pharmacist.

Jaleel White-George Carter. Megan’s husband. He is an ER nurse at the local hospital.

Keiko Agena-Violet Matsuda-Waller. Wife of Jesse. Japanese American. She and her husband helped the Prescott family a lot in the time after Joshua’s accident. She’s Joshua’s boss, and an experienced 9-1-1 dispatcher. Godmother to the Prescott children.

Chris Pine-Jesse Waller. He is Agnostic Jewish. Husband of Violet. He and his wife helped the Prescott family a lot in the time after Joshua’s accident. He is a chef at the town diner. Usually the mastermind behind neighborhood potlucks. Godfather to the Prescott children.

Melissa Peterman-Betty Geller. Kooky single lady who is man crazy, and knows she’s quote unquote “hot stuff.” Best friends with Pepa and Angela Bassett’s character. She works as Pepa’s assistant, but mostly cleans. She loves to gossip.

The Prescott Family:

Rory Joshua Prescott-14, eighth grade, the oldest son of Joshua and Pepa. He’s a talented soccer player who has a budding interest in journalism. He’s the spitting image of Joshua, including being left handed and needing reading glasses. Rory might not have the most common sense, but he does alright in school. However he’s painfully shy, and ends up getting diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Marisol Josephina Prescott-13, seventh grade, the oldest daughter of Joshua and Pepa. She is in the process of converting to Judaism, and an excellent dancer. She sometimes struggles with her school work, but nothing a little tutoring won’t help. Definitely more street smart than her brother. She’s her daddy’s girl all the way. Dreams of becoming a professional mermaid.

Boy-6 Shares Joshua’s childhood passion for astrology.

Boy-4 Typical adorable four year old. Innocently says “Hi,” whenever he enters a room.

Girl-6 months. Traumatic birth because she was an unknown pregnancy.

Series Opening Theme: https://youtu.be/15gT9HByEN4

Season One: 25 Episodes

Pilot: “Starting In 5, 4, 3,…”: Rory joins the school paper and Marisol is accepted to the varsity dance team. Joshua and Violet deal with a batch of new recruits at work.

Of Dresses and Lunches: Pepa and Lenore take on a wedding party. Jesse decides to open a part time catering business.

Working Man: Joshua and Pepa must work overtime to pay for higher expenses. George must deal with racism from a transfer doctor at the hospital. *Features “Working Man” by Imagine Dragons. https://youtu.be/vi2vBDVEYyY

Megan’s Choice: Megan must choose between the rules and her morals when a disabled woman is unable to receive insurance help on her medication. Features “Dreams” by The Cranberries. https://youtu.be/Yam5uK6e-bQ

Watch Your Words: Betty creates quite the ruckus when she spreads a rumor about Pepa’s father and the mayor. Lenora and Jesse try pot brownies.

Notable Scene: {Opening of the pilot: Shot of the exterior of the Prescott house, sunrise. Cut to the master bedroom, where Joshua and Pepa are in bed, asleep. The alarm goes off, earning groans from both. Pepa rolls over to shut off the alarm, and they both sit up. They take a moment, then stand up to start the day. Pepa goes to wake the kids and Joshua starts his morning PT. This segment is set to XTC’s “Work Enough for Us.” https://youtu.be/QeDDQqO9kWo}

Costumes:

Character Pictures:

Sets:

[jerzwriter]

Meet my MC: Zoe Rivera

Book: Wake the Dead

Faceclaim: Adria Arjona - (I don't intend to use an FC often. I will mostly use the sprite and art commissions for this series.)

Full Name: Zoe Liandra Rivera

Love Interest: Eli Sipes

Age: 25

Date of Birth: May 24th (27 days before the solstice, if we go by canon.)

Born: Sun Valley, Nevada, USA

Raised: The Tower Colony

Heritage: Her father was a first-generation Mexican American. All she knows about her biological mother is that she was half-Latina and half-European. Her adoptive father was a fourth-generation American of Irish and Swedish descent. (More on this below)

Meet Eli Sipes (Elsa's Version) Wake the Dead Masterlist

This is much more extensive than my standard "Meet my MC." It also goes into greater detail on other characters important in Zoe's life.

I did this purposely as some of my readers who have expressed interest in reading these works have limited exposure to Wake the Dead, so I thought a little more background would be helpful. Also, it helped me connect with Zoe a little more. Some things described below are canon, but my own HC is woven in.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Zoe. As I develop her character more, I'll be making updates or creating additional "Meet My MC" style posts. Thanks for checking this out!

I am tagging my Perma All list - again - if you do not wish to be included in any WTD fics, please let me know, and I'll be happy to create an OH-only list if needed.

Parents: Daniel Rivera (Papa) and Samuel Conners (Dad). Daniel was Zoe's biological father. He was married to her mother, who told him she wanted a divorce just before learning she was pregnant with Zoe. When she learned she was pregnant, she agreed to carry the child to term, but then she was surrendering her rights to the newborn and her older sister, Ana. While Ana had some memories of their mother, she left when Zoe was just one-week-old and was never heard from again.

Just before Zoe was born, her father met the love of his life, Samuel Conners. He helped Daniel find peace during that unsettling time, and shortly after Zoe was born, they were married, and Samuel adopted both girls. They lived a blissful life together before the zombie parasite destroyed the world.

Zoe knows very little about her fathers and even less about her biological mother. Daniel had told Ana he would share more about their mother when they were older, but he never got the chance. Dad was bitten by a zombie, and Papa refused to kill him, believing his husband was still inside. But as the infection spread, Dad attacked Papa, who ordered Ana to take Zoe and run. Ana shielded her sister from this story for over twenty years.

More on heritage: Post-apocalypse, people's loyalties tended to be to their colonies, not to their ethnic background, so it wasn't as focused on as it is today. However, Ana did her very best to incorporate the traditions of their Mexican heritage into their life. Since she was so young herself when they were still celebrated, the end results aren't as authentic as they could be, but it still gave the girls a sense of grounding and belonging, and it helped them understand who they were.

Sibling: Ana Rivera was four years older than Zoe. They shared a very close bond, and Ana felt the need to look after and protect her sister from a very young age. As such, she shielded her from some of the harsh realities of their childhood, as well as of the sinister ongoings at The Tower.

Ana was a Scout. Desperate to see the outside world, at 18, Zoe wanted to become a Scavenger, a group that went into the outside world to bring resources back to the colony. But Ana had her transferred to Pest Control so she could spend the next 7 years being trained in fighting skills and weaponry to join the Scouts at 25. Zoe was angry at being held inside the colony for another 7 years but did not fight her sister about it.

Ana helped facilitate Zoe's escape from The Tower when she learned she had been ordered to be sacrificed to the zombies by Blackstock. But on the night of their escape, she was shot multiple times. In a turn of events, they ended up at a loner's cabin (Eli), and when it became clear Ana was not well enough to escape the onslaught of drones attacking the cabin, she remained behind to give the others a better chance at survival.

While Zoe is able to move on, Ana's death had a profound impact on her and will haunt her for the remainder of her life.

Personality/Traits: Zoe is a skilled archer and a fierce fighter, but she views these as skills necessary for survival, it’s not who she would choose to be if she didn’t have to. She is a warm, funny woman with a flirtatious personality who longs to understand more about the world that disappeared when she was just a toddler. Though she accepts the world for what it is today, she would have preferred a simpler time where being a warrior would not have been required. Nevertheless, she tries not complain or lament; she merely does what she must do.

She is fiercely loyal to those she loves, and she has compassion for all. Some feel this causes her to make decisions that are not always in the best interest of many, but she feels there is power in the community and forms numerous alliances to fight the zombies and other enemies.

With her wit, charm, negotiation skills, and wisdom beyond her age, she becomes the de facto leader of Olympus, the colony she and her friends founded. It's not a job she longed for but one she assumed with grace - at least in public. Behind closed doors, those closest to her know the fears and uncertainty that can rattle her to her core and the memories that haunt her. I hope to explore more of these issues which are not mentioned or glossed over in canon.

Her found family: When Ana died, Zoe lost all she knew of her family. But she was fortunate to create a family of her own with her friends.

Troy Hassan: Troy has been Zoe's best friend for many years. When Zoe was escaping The Tower, Troy was escaping on his own after learning that he to was also about to be sacrificed. Troy is charming, funny, and lighthearted. Though he rises to the occasion, he often brings a touch of whimsy to the difficult events they encounter. Zoe loves this side of him. He is portrayed as a potential love interest early on in my headcanon, but they never cross that line. (Though, he may have him as an LI in AUs.) Troy understands Zoe and is extremely loyal to her. I believe Troy is 2 years older than Zoe, so 27 at the start of the story.

Shanon Fox: Zoe meets Shanon on her first mission as a Scout (and on her 25th birthday). She warns Zoe of an approaching zombie and is later saved by the group and brought to Olympus. A researcher, she has years of experience with medical procedures and the zombie virus, but she is not a skilled fighter. This leads her to have feelings of insecurity when compared to the others. She is levelheaded, kind, nurturing, and caring. She is an LI in canon but only a friend in my HC. (Though, like Troy, she may be an LI in some AUs.) Shanon understands Zoe's compassion, and she can be a great comfort to her. In my HC, Shanon is 27 years old.

Angel Savage: The group finds Angel when they go to the Black Bear Mall in search of food and supplies. She has been living there alone most of her life and has become skilled at setting traps and making homemade weapons, with a special love for explosives. She doesn't trust easily, but once she does, she is very friendly. Quirky, sometimes to a fault, we learn it is a coping mechanism to deal with the trauma she has experienced. She is a potential LI in canon but a friend in my HC. I imagine her to be 23 years old. Like Troy, Angel brings levity to Zoe's life, but her fearlessness and unique way of viewing the world also play a big part in Zoe's admiration of her.

Eli Sipes: They meet the night Zoe and her group escaped The Tower when they end up on his property when attempting to escape drones and the Tower guards. Eli saves Zoe's life by killing a zombie about to attack her, then takes out another half dozen drones. But when he is done, he threatens to kill her if she doesn't leave his property. Only after seeing the extent of Ana's injuries does he allow them to stay at his cabin for the night. He and Ana appear to be kindred spirits; both smart, skilled, no nonsense, protective, older siblings.

Eli can be described as a survivalist. He and his family were prepared for the apocalypse, and after the parasite, their daily lives revolved around keeping drones off their property. When Eli is out hunting alone, he returns to find his family was attacked by zombies, and he is forced to kill them before they turn. This leaves him broken and unwilling to become close to anyone ever again. He is a loner and feels it is best that way.

An extremely skilled marksman, he is fearless and focused in battle. He assumes leadership of the group after Ana's death, but his lack of people skills ends up making Zoe the de facto leader. He had great admiration for Zoe's bravery, but he is terrified of the attachment he feels to her from the start. Zoe feels it too, and she refuses to let him push her away, driving him mad at times. Nevertheless, he cannot tear himself away.

Eli is Zoe's LI in my HC and may be one of her LIs in AUs as well. The two are very alike in many ways - they are brave, loyal, and fiercely protective of those they love, and like most others, they have both suffered painful loss and trauma. Eli copes by turning inward and shutting down, whereas Zoe attempts to find the reasons to connect and go on. He learns to open up and live life again through her, and she learns how to not let her emotions blind her when making important decisions from him.

Both tend to appear strong and brave in public, but as the walls come down, they know each other for who they truly are in private, with scars (both physical and emotional) and all.

Some trivial facts (I'm sure this will expand in the future):

Zoe loves to read books and magazines - basically anything she can get her hands on - especially if it is from before the parasite. She loves learning about the world she never got to know but also takes comfort in imagining a life where every day was not about survival. When people were obsessed with seemingly inane things like sports team rivalries, getting into a perfect school, and this thing called television and the internet. When she was in the Tower, Troy, who had a habit of finding and collecting things from the old world, would always provide her with any materials he came across. He found her obsession endearing. Troy tends to scoff at it at first, as he found the old world had plenty of problems of its own, but he comes to see it as a part of Zoe's personality, and it makes her who she is, and for that, he is grateful.

She struggles to find a balance between being prepared and living a life that is not solely based on fighting/fear.

She enjoys dancing and swimming, and when Olympus is established, she takes time to get to know each person, picking up new ideas, hobbies, and knowledge from each.

Back to her love of reading. She particularly loves romance novels of all kinds. When she discovers some post-apocalyptic novels written in the past, she feels a kinship with the heroines depicted. She has a romantic heart underneath it all. The only person that knew of her love of these types of books was Troy (her supplier, lol). Not even Ana fully knew. She thought her obsession was with books in general. In time, Eli learns of this as well. He tends to roll his eyes about it, but in time, realizes it's probably one of the reasons she never gave up on him, and he's grateful. Sometimes, he reads some himself - and some are just nausea-inducing, but others touch him too. Though he keeps that very close to the vest.

Perma All: @a-crepusculo @aishwarya26 @animesuck3r @annfg8 @annoyingmillenialnewbie @bex-la-get @binny1985 @bluebelle08 @bluerosesbloom @cariantha @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @danijimenezv @different4strawberry @differenttyphoonwerewolf @doriopenheart @fayeswiftie @forallthatitsworth @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lilypills @lucy-268 @mainstreetreader @mysticalgalaxysstuff @ofmischiefandmedicine @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @peonierose @peonyblossom @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @schnitzelbutterfingers @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @toadfrog26 @trappedinfanfiction @uneravine @youlookappropriate @zahrachoices @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations

[mermaidsirennikita]

Any modern Marriage of Convenience stories?

Ooh, this is difficult to get right, but when it's good it's good.

Possession by A. Anders--one of my favorite reads this year. An erotic celebrity romance. The hero is an A-list actor who entered into a PR marriage of convenience with the heroine, who's an up and coming America's sweetheart type. She's also Latina and plus size, as a side note. They don't have sex at all, and don't plan to. Then he gets caught on camera having very kinky sex with a woman who looks a LOT like the heroine; and it's obviously this huge scandal. He basically runs away to this camp his friend owns where people can basically play with pretty immersive, hardcore kink. And though he tells her not to... she follows him. It's VERY sexy, it's very emotional, it's quite creative in terms of kink and sex. Highly recommend.

The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur--F/f romcom, one heroine is a works at a bookstore and basically in a stressful situation claims this romance novel cover model is her heroine. Turns out that model knows friends of friends of theirs, and she needs to get married to inherit her family's publishing empire. Sooooo a marriage of convenience it is!

Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez--another favorite of the year! Mexican self-made lady billionaire offers to bail a small nation out financially... As long as the nation's prince, who's super hot and also incredibly smart, agrees to marry her long enough to get her pregnant. Because she likes the idea of her kid being royalty and having a genius level IQ, lol. If you like the idea of breeding at all... This book is very "put a baby in me", and it's super hot, and it kicks off immediately. Like, these two are fuckin' within the first couple chapters. And they HATE each other.

Marriage for One by Ella Maise--it's been a good while since I read this, but I remember liking it. The heroine is another one where she needs to marry in order to secure an inheritance, and for SOME REASON, this grumpy rich guy offers to do it

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang--hero is on a virgin on the autism spectrum, and is super uncomfortable around people and comes off as very brusque and cold; his family is from Vietnam, and his mother travels home and convinces a struggling single mom to marry him... and brings her over without his consent. Love how sex in this book is explored.

If you're open to fantasy that is partially set in our modern world, with a modern heroine, Wed to the Wild God by Ruby Dixon is, well, quite wild. The heroine is a contemporary girl, but she basically ends up bonded to a god from a parallel fantasy realm. He's a literal wild god who's incredibly hedonistic, literally inspires lust in people--he and the heroine fuck like, immediately after meeting lol. But then, in order to seal a deal, they end up in a marriage of convenience. She's very "I SWEAR I WON'T FALL IN LOVE" about it. Also: has pegging!

[toulousewayne]

Batsis Headcannon pt. 1

Batsis is the oldest sister, she a year younger than Dick but two years Jason’s senior.

She was never,nor has she ever been a vigilante. But Bruce trained her and she also got additionally training from Alfred, Wonder Woman, Black Canary and Superman.

I believe she would be half Latina.

Her mother was killed when Joker first appeared in Joker, though he didn’t directly do it himself. She still passed away due to his Joker gas.

Bruce tries to be a good father, especially when she came into his life. He tries his best to be well educated on her culture as he can be.

One of the many things he tries to learn his how to do her hair.

Bruce prides himself that he knows the proper products to use, and how to at least braid her hair in two plats or a slick back ponytail.

He wishes he knew more but it doesn’t turn out right and Batsis just gets annoyed so by the time she goes to grade school she learns to do other hairstyles herself,but she at least show her dad how to do them in hopes he’ll learn himself.

When Dick moved it she and him bonded over their different heritages. She would teach him Spanish and her favorite holidays and customs. He shares about his heritage and about the little he knows from his parents about his homeland and what life was life for them.

Dick loves her hair, he likes it when she teaches him how she cares for it. He even takes some ideas from her about taking care of his own curls too.

When Dick leaves home he reminds that she can always visit him in Bludheaven whenever she wants. And on Spring Break and summer vacation she does just that.

I saw somewhere the fandom like Jason to be either Hispanic or Italian. I think either is fine with me. But for this post let’s go with Italian.

Jason took a liking to his new sister. Even though she doesn’t fully understand what his life was like before being adopted she actually takes the time to listen when he actually opens up.

Jason teaches her the few family secret recipes he remembers from his Nona. She loves Bruschetta and Cacio e pepe. He makes them for her with Alfred’s help.

When he died Alfred would make either dish out of the blue for her but even though she was grateful it wasn’t the same as when Jason use to do it.

For his last brithday before his untimely death she got him a copy of ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, he read most of it before his death and when was dead she would go every Sunday afternoon around 3 and read a few of the remaining chapters to him.

When Tim came along they didn’t get along the best. She didn’t want what happened to Jason to happen to Tim.

Tim felt it was important for Bruce to have a Robin and even asked why she wouldn’t do it.

She explain why. 1.) Because Robin was something Dick created and she felt it would wrong to just become Robin with out his blessing. 2.) She never wanted to go out and fight crime, after what happened to her mother and now Jason it only made her not want to do it even more.

Tim respected her for giving him the truth, something he hadn’t been given most of his life.

It was Batsis who told Bruce to go see Tim after his father forced him to quit being Robin and that night they fought out his father had been killed.

When Tim moved into the manor she welcomed him with open arms.

When Tim first started messing sleep she made it her mission to get him to sleep even if it was for only a few hours.

Switching all the coffee in the house to decaf,shutting off the Wi-Fi putting a weighted blanket on him where some of the ways she got him to sleep.

He was great-full he handed experienced that type of care in years even from his own parents.

Out of all the boys Batsis and Tim would classify as the typical little brother and big sister relationship.

Not excluding the others, but Tim for sure acts like the bratty younger brother who does not want his sister to mess with his hair, or tease him about his crushes,and she will for sure tattle on him to Alfred if he doesn’t not comply with her about getting sleep.

Damian was a big adjustment, for everyone. But Batsis took it the easiest. She learned quickly that she can’t treat Damian like a little brother they way she does Tim. She treats Damian just as if they were the same age and it works for their relationship.

Damian shares his drawning with her, he even made some artwork for her to put up around her townhouse.

Every other Friday afternoon after she gets him from school she takes Damian to the park and they feed the duck bread.

Duke is her newest brother and her and him have and unbreakable friendship.

Duke likes to visit his old friends from his neighborhood and she takes along.

The little kids love her she’s so fun and she pushes them on the swing too.

Before they leave they buy them all ice cream.

While he’s on day patrol she’ll make him a lunch to-go and he swings by to grab it everyday. When she’s not busy with school and work she’ll make him something fresh but she’s busy she’ll give him her leftovers from her dinner and he’s just greatful to not eat Bat Burgers everyday.

[because-i-am-barely-even-human]

So, Ana heard about annual Diaz family gathering and pushes Eddie to let her go with him. She brings it up so many times, so to shut her up he reluctantly took Ana there. He wasn’t sure it was time to meet family since they have been dating only a few months. It wasn’t serious. And he already was having doubts about their whole relationship because of her behavior: calling him “Edmundo” despite him asking her multiple times to stop doing that, trying to interfere with his (and Buck’s) parenting of Chris, constantly complaining about him spending time with his “coworkers” when he should be hanging out with her. Not to mention that she and Buck are not getting along at all, and Buck refuses to hear about her ever since the uber incident™. Christopher’s not a fan too.

Eddie tries to invite Buck with him for moral support and because he’s Buck. Then promptly finds out that he is already invited by Pepa, Abuela, Christopher and… his parents? Turns out, Ramon and Helena have been keeping in contact with Buck since the Texas wildfires, because how could they not? He’s such a sweetheart and apparently charms every Diaz he meets (what else is new😏).

Helena hears Ana complaining about Buck being here, about how many people are there and “I won’t even see the half of them again, why bother remembering their names? “. And in the first few minutes of the introduction she just knows: she won’t like this arrogant brat. You won’t be dating my boy for long, not on my watch.

Helena strongly dislikes Ana and is not hiding it at all. Ana tries to bond with Helena because she’s Eddie’s mother and her future mother-in-law (ha, in your dreams, lady😂), but Helena is having none of it and outright goes past her and straight to Buck. She wants to catch up with him.

Meanwhile, Eddie have a talk with his dad. He’s thinking he’s doing the right thing by dating a woman, a Latina woman (you poor repressed bi-boi). Ramon is not impressed:

“Mijo, what gave you the impression that we want you to have only Mexican partner? Are you aware that your mother is Swedish, not Latina? All that matters is that they are a good person and you’re happy with them.”

Eddie doesn’t miss the fact that his father keeps saying “they”, not “she”. He points it out. Ramon confesses that they suspected that Eddie is, in fact, not straight since before he was in high school. But because it was Texas they understood why he never came out. Eddie is shooketh.

Back to Buck. Ana tries to eavesdrop on Helena’s conversation, but alas, no such luck: Buck talks with Helena in fluent Swedish.

Eddie saw Ana eavesdropping on his mom and Buck, and got angry, he went to tell her off, but when he nears he sees that she looks constipated and like she has no fucking clue what are they talking about. Then with a jolt Eddie realizes they are speaking Swedish. He knew that Buck speaks Spanish (he lived in South America after all) but Swedish?

Helena and Buck are ✨talking shit✨about Ana right in front of her (you think we didn’t see you?), because they can and no one can call them out on it, except Ramon and Eddie, but those two are too busy swooning over listening how the loves of their lives speaking Swedish (those Diaz men, you sure know how to pick 'em 😄).

Bonus:

Christopher understands a little bit of Swedish (he lived first few years of his life with his grandparents after all, it was bound to happen) and having a blast over what his Abuela and his Buck are saying.

If someone's interested in writing this, please tag me when you're done.

[queenofanime]

BNHA x Transfer Student

How would the boys react to a new student (Latina Edition) 

Bakugo:

He is not happy that a new transfers student is coming

More extras to deal with

As soon as you enter the room, all eyes are on you

I mean what skin, those round eyes with long eyelashes, your curves

You are so different from all the girls he knows

Still and extra 

Until you show your fighting skills

Then he's head over heels with you

You are quite small but feisty non the less. And have no problem putting people in place.

The first time he realized he liked you was when you cooked your famous Aji de Carne  (a very typical soup from Ecuador, sorry I wouldn't know how you say it in English) with extra spice. 

Bakugo and you have had many spicy ramen competitions. I believe, to be exact one-hundred thirty-seven, which of course you have won 90 times :)

Did I mention you have screaming matches at 11:30 pm, every single time. 

When you came along, you spiced everything up. Not Iida or Kirishima could put you two in place

One time you were studying with the Bakusquad and your mother called

As soon as you opened your mouth and started ranting in Spanish, everyone looked dazzle 

What the hell were you saying???

Mamá estoy bien, si si me acorde de ir a misa. No mamá no tengo novio y no voy a darle a ninguno de mis amigos con la chancleta. No! NO me PasEs a LA Tia!!

(I'm fine, yes I did remember to go to church. No I don't have a boyfriend, and no, I'm not going to hit my male friends with a shoe. No! NO don't pass me with my aunt!!)

Get the idea?

He is studying Spanish in secrecy. Not that he would ever ask you to help

Of course being the tsundere he is, Bakugo would never say he likes you, but you have a good idea by now that he'll do anything for you, so get advantage (*^^)v

Midoriya

Oh boy, he is very excited

I mean over the moon ready to explode excited

Who are you? Why did you came so late into the school year? From what country are you from? Female? Male? How do you look? Are you strong? What kind of quirk do you have? 

His head is going 100 miles per hour

As soon as you enter the room, he becomes red as a tomato 

I mean LoOk aT YoU!!!

Curvy, big ass, big boobs, lovely skin color. That chocolate brown silky hair

And you look soo good with that uniform

Not that looks matter to this cinnamon roll, but boy do you have the looks

Iida is the first to stand up to shake your hand, but because you are from Colombia you don't get the memo and right there and there you kiss his cheek as a hello

Tenya just freezes while everyone else gasps

That second you realize you did invade his personal space and start shaking your head like crazy telling them it is just they way people say hi in South America

Turns out that just like Izuku, you can ramble and talk and apologize very quickly and at the same time you get lost in your own little world

After the little incident, everyone gets used to your kisses and hugs

Quite the touchy girl  ♱♡‿♡♰

Izuku is very nervous around you. It's like you take away his confidence just by looking at him

Y/n is so sweet, smart, loyal, funny and so pretty and... What the hell Izuku? Compose yourself

Yeah it doesn't take a genius to figure he has feelings for you. In fact it is almost painful how awkward he is around you

Unlike Bakugo, he asks you how to learn Spanish (just another reason to be near you)

But it will be a long time before he has the courage to ask you out

Todoroki

Awkward dense boy

He doesn't know how to feel about a transfer student

Good? Bad? Upset? Exited? Neutral? Should he even care? 

Hi my name is Y/n. It's so good to finally meet you. I hope we can all be friends!

At first he is quite skeptical about you. And what's with that accent?

Although he has to admit it is quite cute how you stumble and struggle with your Japanese 

It takes a while for him to fully accept you, but seeing as everyone else loves you (even Bakugo) He thinks he should give you a chance

The first time you actually bonded was when you taught him how to cook. (You know, so that his sister Fuyumi wouldn't cry (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧)

He loves how you are so passionate about small stuff and how your eyes light up, specially when you talk so dearly about your mother and family in general

He thinks that your devotion to family is the best quality you have

One time you were singing El chico del departamento 12 by Selena at full volume so you really didn't see or hear Shoto coming from behind and he was shocked 

How you dances at the rhythm of the music. Only a Latina could have that amount of rhythm and grace while dancing with so much passion 

Although he didn't understand a single word from the song, he felt his mouth spread into a beautiful smile

Why? he has no idea

Remember DenSE BOy

He doesn't understand why he feels butterflies in his stomach or why his heart pumps each time he sees you

But after a long talk with his mother, he gets it

he loves you and he wouldn't allow himself to lose you 

@bsd-hq-writer @thesweetestkimberry @myherowritings @zukupets @ultimate-astridwriting

[camillejeaneshphm]

Henry Johansson’s profile:

BASIC INFO

Quote by Character: “You’re not going to get hurt again. Not under my watch.”

Full Name: Henry Jess Johansson

Nicknames: Pain in the Ass (by Ben Copper)

Gender: Male (trans)

Sexuality: Omnisexual

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Species: Wizard

Blood Status: Muggleborn

Date of Birth: 2 December 1973

Race/Ethnicity: Latino (Honduran)

Nationality: British

Short Bio: Henry is from a muggle family and never suspected he was a wizard. His sister studies at Stanford in America.

Personality: Loud, cheerful, kind, loyal

Languages: English

Likes: Quidditch, Duelling

Dislikes: Homophobes, transphobes, the dark

Greatest Flaw: Pride

Greatest Strength: Charm

Place of Residency:

Hogwarts, Scotland

Liverpool, England

Future Career: Seeker for Puddlemere United

APPEARANCE

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Gray

Skin Tone: Pale

Height: 5’7 by Year 7

Weight: 140 lbs

Physique: compact and muscular, slightly wiry

Style Choice (what they like to wear): leather and denim, usually combined with his multiple piercings

Accessories: several rings, jewelry for all his piercings

Inventory: Wand, extra potions bottles, quidditch gloves

Scars: crooked nose from his first time on a broom, failed piercings

Face Claim: written description, Vico Ortiz

Voice Claim/description of what they sound like: none

MAGIC

Wand Description/Picture: Cedar, Ukrainian Ironbelly heartstring, 11 ½ inches, rigid

[Whenever I meet one who carries a cedar wand, I find strength of character and unusual loyalty. My father, Gervaise Ollivander, used always to say, ‘you will never fool the cedar carrier,’ and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I would go further than my father, however, in saying that I have never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom I would care to cross, especially if harm is done to those of whom they are fond. The witch or wizard who is well-matched with cedar carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them.]

Wand reaction when chosen: henry created gold sparks

Boggart: his father

Riddikulus Form: his father wears his grandmother’s clothes

Patronus: fox

Patronus Memory: his sister’s face

Animagus: hummingbird

Amortentia (what they smell like): leather, popcorn, butter

Amortentia (What they smell): clean linen

Mirror of Erised: being accepted for who he really is

Misc. Magical Abilities: windless magic

Favorite/Created Spells: Expecto Patronum

SCHOOL LIFE

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Ilvermorny House: n/a

Organizations Joined: Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore’s Army

Apprenticeships: None

Professions: Seeker, Quidditch announcer

Best Subjects: Flying, Herbology, Transfiguration

Worst Subjects: Charms, Potions

Favorite Teachers: Sprout, Hooch

Least Favorite Teachers: Snape, McGonagall

Extracurricular (Clubs and Sports): Duelling Club, Seeker for Hufflepuff Quidditch

Class Proficiencies (OWL grade, n /10 or ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆):

Astronomy: 7/10

Charms: 8/10

DADA: 9/10

Flying: 10/10

Herbology: 8/10

History of Magic: 6/10

Potions: 5/10

Transfiguration: 3/10

Care of Magical Creatures: 8/10

STATS

Power (magic): 8/10

Power (physical strength): 8/10

Intelligence: 7/10

Skill: 5/10

Teamwork: 8/10

Speed: 9/10

Defense: 4/10

RELATIONSHIPS

FAMILY:

Father: Lucas Johansson, an American military man who retired to Great Britain. His parents were Honduran immigrants.

Mother: June Martinez Johansson, military wife and waitress, originally Texas Latina

Siblings: Amelia Johansson, studying psychology at the University of Stanford

Friends:

Closest In-Game Friends:

Ben Copper

Diego Caplan

Nymphadora Tonks

Closest MC friends:

Orion Houston (@my-secret-hphm-blog)

Adel Young (@adellovesrowan) -> both henry and adel identify as trans, and bond over it! whether it’s trading clothes after the celestial ball or starting the Super Secret Trans Club (tm), they will always support and care for each other.

Love interest:

Ben Copper

Dorm mates:

Nymphadora Tonks

Chiara Lobosca

Rivals:

none yet

Enemies:

n/a

Pets:

none

OTHER

Family Background/History:

Henry is from an American military family, who have never accepted him as transgender. His sister is the one person he’s close with.

Miscellaneous:

Henry, much like his closest friend Diego Caplan, is a massive flirt.

[bellakitse]

You had to know this was coming — “Can you keep holding my hand, please?” 🥰

of chicken flautas and intimidating mothers

“I know we saw each other just last night, but I already missed you.”

Carlos' heart flutters at TK’s words and touch, but he can’t forget the tiny force to be reckoned with, not forty feet away. “That’s really sweet, and I feel exactly the same way,” he continues. “But my mom is here, and she’s watching us – no, don’t look around!”

*

It’s the annual first responders’ cookout and Carlos is about to introduce his boyfriend to his mother.

30 days of Tarlos - Day 7

It’s the annual first responders’ cookout. Every year at the start of summer, every available Austin Police, Fire and EMS gathers at Zilker Park for a barbecue as a way to bond with the community, and every year since he joined the force – whether he’s free to attend or not – his mother Carlota has been there with enough food to feed an army.

Carlos can’t deny the pride he feels from having his mother always participate; everyone loves to comment on her incredible cooking. There truly isn’t anything more adorable than his tiny mother smiling happily as people eat and enjoy her food. This year he’s lucky enough not to have a shift while the cookout is happening and gets to attend much to his mother’s delight. She’s happy to have an extra pair of hands to help serve.

He’s in the middle of doing just that, handing a sweet little girl and her mother a plate when he spots the 126 firehouse making their way across the grassy field towards him and the tables of food. He starts to smile, remembering how sad TK had been the night before because he had a shift, and wouldn’t have the chance to stop by and check out the cookout after he, Judd, and Mateo had talked the event up so much.

“Hey!” he shouts out happily as the crew gets closer. “I thought you guys couldn’t come today?” he asks, taking in the fact that they’re in their uniforms.

TK comes around to his side and wraps an arm around his waist, hugging him close. Carlos returns the embrace, shivering slightly when TK uses the moment to brush his lips softly right under his ear.

“Hi,” TK whispers, giving him an extra squeeze. It’s been four weeks since the solar flares, and Carlos is still basking in the change in his and TK’s relationship – in actually being in a relationship with the young firefighter. He’d known TK was sweet since their first kiss, it’s what had driven him crazy from the start, how underneath all that passion was a gentleness to TK that not only made him crave more, it also made him want to protect TK at all costs.

“Hi, cariño,” he whispers back, enjoying the way it makes TK turn a little pink. He stares at TK, quickly getting lost in his green eyes and gentle smile. He reaches out and takes TK’s hand; the same thrill he feels at being this public with him makes his stomach flutter.

“Are you two just going to keep staring at each other like lovesick teenagers?” Judd interrupts their staring, and when Carlos turns towards him, he finds the other man giving them an unimpressed look, while the rest of TK’s crew members smirk in their direction. “Cause we’re hungry,” Judd continues. “And cap said we could only stay until our next call. That can be any second, and you two have proven that you can stare into each other’s eyes for eternity.”

“Judd,” TK hisses at his friend, his face turning red, it’s probably almost as red as his feels.

“Yeah – ah – sorry,” he mutters, still hot behind his ears. “Please, grab a plate, there’s so much food. Everyone really outdid themselves this year,” he continues, waving at the four picnic tables they pushed together to put all the food on. There’s a little of everything, barbecue, more sides than they knew what to do with, fruit and a whole table just for desserts.

“Carlos, man,” Mateo starts, his plate is already half-full as he grabs some potato salad. Marjan and Paul each are grabbing some roasted veggies. “Please tell me we didn’t miss your mom’s chicken flautas.”

Carlos lets out a laugh at the younger guy’s pleading face and the way Judd perks up at the mention of his mom’s flautas. They’re legendary at the cookout. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, letting them sweat it out before he uncovers a platter full of them.

“Yes!” Mateo shouts excitedly, while Judd is already leaning over to grab one. “Marjan, Paul, you guys have to try these. Carlos’ mom is a cooking goddess.”

Carlos rolls his eyes at the comment, it’s true, but it’s comments like this that make his mother so smug. He’s not done thinking that, when he feels eyes on him. Doing a quick scan of the park, he’s not surprised at all to find his mother, a few feet away sitting under a tree watching him. When their eyes meet, she raises an eyebrow at him, her gaze going down to his and TK’s linked hands and then back up to his face. His stomach drops, and he feels like a teenager again, getting caught with his first boyfriend, when she crooks her index finger motioning him over.

“Shit,” he swears softly.

“What’s wrong?” TK questions, he’s half-way through a flauta. The rest of his team has walked away to find somewhere to sit and eat. “These are really good by the way.”

“Okay, so I’m really happy you’re here,” he begins, earning another smile from TK.

“Me too,” TK says softly, he leans in and brushes his lips across Carlos’ cheek. “I know we saw each other just last night, but I already missed you.”

Carlos’ heart flutters at TK’s words and touch, but he can’t forget the tiny force to be reckoned with, not forty feet away. “That’s really sweet, and I feel exactly the same way,” he continues. “But my mom is here, and she’s watching us – no, don’t look around!”

TK stops from turning his head, keeping his eyes on him, waiting for him to continue.

“She saw you greeting me and just now signaled for us to join her,” he says quickly, and he can’t deny, nervously.

“Okay,” TK says slowly, and Carlos can hear the hint of nervousness in his own voice. “Okay, well – I mean, I don’t have a problem with meeting your mom; it was bound to happen sooner or later now that we’re dating, right? And besides, you know my dad, and that went fine.”

"Yeah, but – and this isn’t to crap on Captain Strand,” he rushes to say. “He's an impressive guy, but he's not intimidating like a 5' foot no-nonsense Latina mom.”

TK chuckles at his comment, the amusement clear in his eyes. “It’s going to be okay, I promise,” he says as he gives his hand a squeeze. “What do you need from me?”

“Can you keep holding my hand, please?” he asks, getting a soft smile from TK in return.

“Easy,” he says, bringing their linked hands up to his mouth, pressing a kiss over his knuckles. “One of my favorite things to do. Now be a big boy and introduce me to your mother.”

Carlos rolls his eyes at his boyfriend’s teasing, but it loosens the ball of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. It’s not that he doesn’t think that TK and his mother aren’t going to get along. The opposite actually, he’s sure that his mother is going to spend five minutes with TK and then mentally start planning their wedding. It’s just that his mother is one of the most important people in his life, and TK is quickly climbing up that list.

Hand in hand, he and TK cross the distance between them and Carlota Reyes, who is now standing up from her seat, waiting for them with a glint in her eyes that spells trouble for him.

“Mami,” he starts, swallowing hard when she just raises an eyebrow at him. “This is TK Strand, my boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” TK says, holding out a hand. His mom stares at TK for a moment before one of the corners of her mouth lifts.

“Carlota Reyes,” she says, finally taking his hand. “Strange, this is the first time I’m hearing about a boyfriend,” she looks over at him, her other brow going up too. “Carlitos?”

“Mami – “ he says again, not being able to hide his wince.

“We only just made it official a couple of weeks ago, Mrs. Reyes,” TK jumps in to save him.

“Hmm,” Carlota makes a sound in the back of her throat that only moms can make as she looks at him up and down. “You’re too skinny, TK,” she says with that glint in her eyes again. “Maybe stop walking out on my son’s dinners, that should help.”

TK snaps his gaze to him, his eyes wide as his face starts to turn pink again, and he wants to reassure him, but he’s too busy staring at his mother in disbelief.

“How did you know about that?” he asks, rearing back when his mother rolls her eyes at him.

“You and your sisters like to think I’m deaf,” she says, pursing her lips. “You told them about the failed dinner when you came home and asked me to sew the buttons on your nice blue shirt.”

Carlota looks at TK again. “Your doing, I presume.”

“I – ah,” TK stammers, and Carlos can’t help the whine that escapes his throat.

“Mami, por favor, para de asustarlo,” he says, begging his mother to stop scaring TK.

Carlota narrows her eyes for a moment, making TK squeeze his hand tight before she finally lets out a chuckle.

“You never let me have any fun, mijo,” she scowls playfully at him. She turns towards TK, now more welcoming.

“It’s very nice to meet you, TK,” she says with a grin. “I would apologize for teasing you and my son, but I would be lying, it was a lot of fun, and I’m not sorry.”

TK looks over at him helplessly in the face of his mother’s amusement, but all he can do is shake his head.

“But I wasn’t lying about you being skinny,” she continues easily. “Come on, I’ll fix you a nice big plate of food,” she says before walking away back towards the tables, expecting them to follow.

They watch her go in silence for a moment before TK lets out a deep breath.

“Okay, you were right,” he says, still looking in his mom’s direction. “She is definitely more intimidating than my dad.”

Carlos lets out a laugh, and with the hand holding TK’s, he pulls him closer until he’s pressed at his side. “You did well against her.”

“Nope, not yet,” TK shakes his head. “But I will. Before this cookout is over, I’m going to make sure she loves me, you’ll see.”

Carlos grins against TK’s temple after pressing a kiss against it. They start to make their way toward his mother, who is watching them with a smile on her face. “She won’t be the first Reyes to fall head over heels for you.”

TK stops in his tracks, looking at him shyly. “Yeah?” he asks, hopeful.

“Yeah, baby,” he answers, the smile he gets in return fills every inch of him with warmth.

“Well then,” TK starts, smile firmly in place. “I still want to win her over, she’s your mom after all, but knowing that I already won over the most important Reyes,” he says, tapping a finger over Carlos’ heart. “That’s already good enough for me.”

[i-am-parsec]

                                                                                                              11/02/2020

Hey, so...I had a bit of a crisis a couple days ago and now I’m here, writing again. I think I can still picture your smug look whenever I’d admit I was “wrong”, even if my memory is very unreliable these days, I can still see it and I know for a fact that’s the look you’re giving me right now. You little shit.

Um, they are probably not gonna like reading that. They don’t like it when I “pretend I can actually communicate with my missing, most likely already dead ex husband”. Weird, right? Like I don’t see how that would disturb them, ha.

I suppose I now should explain to you who “they” are. I’m talking about my doctors, Dr. Richard Willson and Dr. Alexandra Freias, who, little fun fact, my sister hired solely on the basis of her being 1. A woman and 2. Latina. I guess she thought I’d “bond” better with someone who looked more like, but the funny bit is that Dr. Freias’ mother is Russian and she looks like a photocopy of her mother. What I’m trying is that, not only was my sister’s idea dumb, she also did a terrible job at executing it because my doctor looks white as hell. She is nice, though, and I’m grateful about that. And no, Dr. Freias, I am not writing that just so you’ll forgive me for destroying your brand new phone yesterday but yes, I am very sorry about that, or at least as sorry as I can be these days and I promise my dumb sister will replace it as soon as possible.

I’m gonna have to get used to the idea of these letters having a bigger audience than before. In the sake of my little agreement with my lovely health professionals, I’ll be open and honest and admit...I don’t like it, it makes me uncomfortable to share this, my only safe space, with people who are basically strangers to me, but I am aware this decision was taken for the sake of everyone's peace of mind. When I’m writing, I’m focused, more relaxed, less prone to spiral down after Dr. Willson gives me a mocking look and sighs at the mention of your name, Chase, so this is a good thing: I get to talk to you and my doctors get a bit of insight on what’s going on inside my mind without me losing my shit and breaking everything around me, something they claim to desperately need.

I am a woman of my word, so I will continue this little daily exercise if that is what everyone thinks is best for me, even if I can’t help but laugh at the idea that this might give them any kind of extra data about me or you or anything related to this mess our lives have been for the past couple of years. I’ve already told them everything, from the very beginning. They refuse to listen, I refuse to give in and spew the nonsense they are trying to feed me instead of the truth I already know, then we all get frustrated and eventually...we start the cycle again. Circles, we are just going on and on in these fucking circles and it does annoy me, but I guess I have accepted it to a certain degree - I’m stuck. This is my life now, an eternal retelling of the hell I’m trapped into, while being trapped within said hell. 

I am lost here, Chase, lost and blind. But I keep moving, even if I know how it is all going to end, I still walk. I walk towards you, mi amor. You are my North, my compass in a world without poles, paths or direction. Ever since we were kids I’ve been doing that. You gave me purpose in a pointless world, a home in a deserted land, a glimmer of Hope among absolute darkness...so I’ll do my part, I’ll take my medicine, I’ll go to my appointments, I’ll write my letters. I’ll be good, I swear, for you, for the kids, for my sister - who bends over and backwards for me, even if I can’t seem to forgive her-, hell, even for my doctors, who refuse to actually listen to me but also refuse to give up.

Oh, before I go, in case you were wondering why I had the mental breakdown: I was telling the doctors about our wedding and it hit me that it was the 31st. I got quiet for a second, a bit teary and informed them that that day would have been our ten year anniversary. I laughed when Dr. Freias pointed out that we got married on Halloween and told her it was on purpose, that you love this holiday so much that you begged me for months to let you proclaim your undying love for me in front of our few friends, both of us being in full costume in our tiny backyard.

That’s when it all went sideways. “Undying love”. Dr. Willson just had to remind me with a smirk that we are divorced. I would like to explain in more detail what happened after that but truth be told, I don’t know. Last thing I remember was staring at him, my whole body shaking and then, dropping under water. It's a familiar sensation by now, but it never gets less disturbing or less violating. When I was back in control of my body, the room was a mess, I had three men holding me down and Dr. Willson’s forehead was bleeding.

I do not forgive him for the unnecessary remark about my civil status but I do regret, greatly, ever hurting him and I appreciate him not quitting. I don’t know why he wouldn't, I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with a new smug asshole who thinks they have the right pill and therapy combination to fix my unfixable brain. At this point in my life, I will always rather stick with the devil I know than the devil I don’t, and besides, Richard is no devil. I should know.

It’s late now, almost 8, so I’ll send this to Dr. Freias and be on my way to bed. See you there, my love.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Link to all the chapters in chronological order, here. Link to the last chapter, if you can even call it that, here.

Well. Here’s the thing. I am too broke for therapy and too uninspired to write anything original that could probably be more nurturing to my soul than a fanfic that I started 2 years ago...so I’m here, back to my bullshit. And also, Sean is finally dropping some new crispy fresh ego content so I guess...I’m doing this. I’ll be posting daily, the quality will be shit, there might be no actual progress to the plot and it is going to be mainly me just using Stacy to vent. I have little to nothing going on in my life right now, and I vaguely remember I used to get joy from writing so in order to get even the slightest bit of serotonin, I set myself the goal of writing everyday, no word minimum or special prompt in mind, I’m just going to write, and if it’s good, great and if nobody reads, fine. I’m just trying to get back whatever pieces of myself I can find, which I think is a feeling this character can very much relate to. That might be why I’m returning to her.

Or maybe it’s the fact that I was very invested in her before I fell in love and then I was so engrossed in my relationship that I completely forgot about her and then I had my heart broken in a million tiny pieces, losing any kind of sense of self or purpose in life and now, almost six months after my first real breakup, I’m trying to rebuild myself and I secretly hope that going back to Stacy, a character that was very dear to me, I can find whatever it is that I’m looking for. Maybe, but who’s to say?

Anyway, if you read all of that bullshit (and I mean the whole post, not just my after-chapter ranting), I feel like I owe you some kind of reimbursement for emotional damages. Sadly, I’m poor, so all I can offer you are memes. You can slide on my DMs for your payment of memes. Do not feel the need to ask me how I’m doing, I am doing Fine...in the sense of I will not be yeeting myself from a rooftop any time soon, no matter how sad I might sound, I’m just a whiny bitch using writing as a coping mechanism. I’m okay, like not really, super mega hyper ok but I’m ok. If you’re concerned, I appreciate you but don’t be. I’m writing to deal with my feelings, that’s like, healthy, right? So yeah, we good. 

see u tomorrow

❤️Tag list❤️: @amyxmiaplay @beckofthewoods @closedworldofmathiel @darktrash-drash @fanfictionrecommendations-com @flyingfishflopsthings @fruitycasket @hiimizzyxoxo @hishex @scarlet-mangata @mcomegalletas @mijako98 @mysterious-cupcake-ninja @mysticalanimallover @novasingalaxies @plutoandpolaris @probablyghosting @randomartdudette @saltyweirdbi @scarlet--raven @septicuniverse @skyewardlight @thevampireauthoress @youllnevertaketheskyfromme @rats-this-username-is-taken

[all-the-heart-you-cannot-see]

I do believe I (Latina) also feel more connected to Eskam and Skam It because culturally we are not really that different from them. Don't get me wrong, there are differences, after all we live in different continents but we have a similar character and a shared history. And funnily enough we also get hate from our own continent but are used as their holiday destinations.

Are you argentinian? Lol my neighbour moved to argentina at 19 to marry her now husband, he is lovely.

Yeah, i feel like they are warmer, greeting with two kisses and hugging and stuff, from personal family expirience other europeans like germans tend to be more distant. Also few of us can relate to family being so not in your bussiness, latina mothers and grandmothers would NEVER let you go out more than two weekends on a row.

Idk, now that Eskam is back and the first clip was so good i just want a latam skam, i can already see the bunch of us confused when a character says a word that means something different in our contry, or bonding over third world problems lol. Also, are you really a teen in latin america if you haven't been to at least 1 anti-goverment march? That would be nice to see.

[stephadoodles]

DOAFP Episode 1x01 Review - “Hello World”

I’ve fallen in love with this show, and I don’t think I’ve ever been this early to a fandom before, and I decided that I wanted to review the episodes. I’ve always wanted to do reviews, but I usually enter fandoms too late. So, I’ve decided to do reviews of DOAFP! I’m hoping to catch up before season 1 ends so that my later views are based on my initial reactions.

The introductory episode is just that – introducing us to the characters and what’s going on in their lives. However, the show flashes forward first and we see Elena as an adult on her first day as President of the United States.

The whole concept of this show – a female, Latina president – considering the current political climate, is truly fantastic. In the opening scene, we get a few details that I’m sure will come into play later. It’s mentioned that Elena was a civil rights attorney before becoming president, and it seems like she’s not married either – no ring, and she has the same last name. I don’t know if that will be relevant later on down the line, but it’s interesting to note.

A large chunk of the episode is introducing the characters and catching the audience up with what’s going on. Elena’s dad having died is mentioned very early on, and we get to see her relationship with her mother and brother. The drama with her friends at school is also set up as one of the overarching themes of the show.

Aside from that, the show jumps right in with the period story line. It’s a great example of the show being able to be a little bolder than what is typically shown on Disney Channel, but still age-appropriate for middle schoolers. Elena and her friends are at the age when kids have already gone through the “body changing” talk, and they’re experiencing it in real time. I don’t know if things have changed since I was in middle school, but while getting your period was a hot topic, it was never a competition, which these girls seem to be making it into. The debate over whether to use a pad or tampon is alluded to, with the mean girls acting like they’re mature for using tampons instead (and loudly bragging about it, which is a weird flex, but okay).

The period story line also starts the theme of growing up, which continues throughout the rest of the show. Elena and her peers are shown wanting to be grown up and mature but focusing on the superficial parts of being a grownup, like getting your period or drinking coffee. It looks like this will be a running theme and likely be the driving force for a lot of character development in the future as they realize that those things don’t actually make you grown up.

(Side note to that, but Elena makes a comment early on in the episode about having a mortgage by the time she’s 25, and I just had to laugh at that. The little she knows.)

Shifting gears to Gabi’s story line, there were a couple of things that really stood out. Sam’s introduced, and we get to know that he’s a dork who loves cheesy puns. They’ve set up her relationship with Sam, and there’s obviously a lot of complicated feelings there, since he’s the first guy she’s dated since her husband died, and she doesn’t know how to tell her kids.

We’re also introduced to her best friend, Camilla, who is the first LGBTQ character introduced on the show. We get a little exchange between the two, where it’s revealed that Camilla isn’t out to her parents yet, because they’re apparently homophobic. Considering everything that’s been happening with Disney and their history of LGBTQ representation, the fact that they’ve introduced an LGBTQ character in the first episode is a pretty big deal. No subtext, no beating around the bush. She’s dating a woman. It’s also the first time that anything Disney related has explicitly homophobia, as far as I know. Both Andi Mack and HSMTMTS alluded to it, but never really brought it out of subtext, so this is a new step. It makes me wonder if it’ll be discussed more in the future, especially considering the direction that Bobby’s story line is going.

Once the introductory stuff is out of the way, we get into the actual plot. Elena’s mixed up the dates of the assignment and starts panicking. At lunch, she calls her mom from under the lunch table (to avoid getting in trouble for using her phone, I would presume, because there is no other reason to sit on a floor as disgusting as a middle school cafeteria). She’s freaking out and quite dramatic, to which her mother responds calmly, and tells her that she’ll just have to deal with the consequences. I really liked this, because while her mom doesn’t yell at her (which is a response some parents might have), she does tell Elena that she’ll just have to accept it because that’s life. Once again, it’s hitting on that theme of growing up and having to deal with the curveballs that life throws you.

Elena finds out that Jessica was lying about getting her period and confronts her about it. They have a whole argument about being popular and why it’s important to Jessica. Despite everything, Elena agrees to keep her secret. Having seen more episodes already, I’m really interested to see where they’re taking this plot line with the friendship between the three girls. Having a best friend ditch you is a type of hurt that isn’t usually explored in media (with the preference being on romantic relationships and heartbreak instead), but it looks like it’s going to make for an interesting story line.

Elena somehow manages to pull together a speech for her history project, and not only does she do a great job, but she manages to throw a few shots in there at Jessica about the period thing. It’s a really great example of her skills as a public speaker, which is shown again in future episodes. She’s clearly great at thinking on her feet, and her public speaking skills are fantastic for a seventh grader. It’s a great little hint at her future as an attorney and politician.

The adult and kid worlds collide with Sam inadvertently being introduced to the kids. Bobby doesn’t seem to mind (it’s chill). Elena, of course, has a more dramatic reaction, but her feelings aren’t explored until the next episode. We see Sam and Bobby bonding fairly easily, and I’m interested to see where that goes in the future, especially with some of the hints we’ve gotten from plot synopsis for future episodes.

A few things I wanted to point out that didn’t really fit anywhere else:

Near the beginning of the episode, we see a kid chuck a drink at a wall and take off. It’s one of Bobby’s friends, and while we don’t know that at first, it may be a hint at the type of people he’s hanging out with

Elena corrects the pronunciation of her last name, which comes up multiple times later, and culminates in Bobby’s story line in a future episode

Before her speech, Elena is sitting in front of an Elizabeth Stanton poster (who was a leading figure in the women’s rights movement in the US, including fighting for women’s right to vote. It’s another nice little nod to Elena’s future career)

Overall, it was a really solid first episode. We’re introduced to the characters and the universe, and it’s refreshingly diverse. It has the feel of an old-school Disney Channel show but with a modern viewpoint. However, with it being on the streaming platform, it’s allowed to discuss more mature topics, and there’s even some light swearing sprinkled in. It’s age-appropriate for middle schoolers, but realistic at the same time. It gives me a mixture of Andi Mack, One Day at a Time and Lizzie McGuire vibes.

[gritsandbrits]

I talk a lot about Jo and Kendrix but I don't really talk about my other B10 & Cartoon Network OCs so here they are!

Slight T.W. for attempted suicide

Ginger T. Glass: A Gullah-Geechee Earth elemental from South Carolina. During the original 2005 series of Ben 10, she and her friend Patti were a pop duo who mainly used their powers for effects at their concerts. Later on they decide to become superheroes after having grown fed up with being in the public spotlight and was inspired by Jo to use their powers to help people. Ginger is very refined but also has a fragility to her. She can shatter windows, use glass shards as defensive weapons, and create some sort of stain glass shields. She can also manipulate sand, which is a stronger skill as she's basically harnessing unrefined glass. In terms of singing she is a soprano. Her name is a pun on ginger tea and tea glass.

Pattibelle: Jo's cousin and Ginger's best friend, and a fire elemental. She's the loud and obnoxious type and always flirts with guys. She has an interest in motorcycles and racing, and always finds the time to flaunt and show off. She thinks Ben is ugly and very overrated which is why she always try to upstage him. But during her stint as a superhero she learns to take it more seriously and starts to realise her own potential in being a role model. In terms of singing she's an alto. Her name comes from OUR QUEEN PATTIE LA BELLE!!

Emily Lewis and Alessandro Clarke: Two reptilian folks who are possibly descended from dragons and might be of Celtic descent, they oppose the Forever Knights and make sure that magical artifacts don't fall under their or anyone else's hands. Emily is kinda a mither figure to Kai Green and Sandy works as a street magician (using fake magic so his real magic wouldn't be traced). They initially showed up as seemingly potential antagonists but it's revealed that they're actually good people simply pissed off at their kind being exploited by greedy assholes. Sandy is sleek, sardonic, and wily, and has long whitish/blond hair and gold eyes. Emily is more serious minded and motherly, and has auburn hair and ruby eyes. Haven't made designs for them yet but their real forms are reptilian, with Sandy's form more snakelike and Emily's being an alligator. Named after Lewis and Clark (whom Emily doesn't even like lol). Kinda good friends of Jo's since they all bonded over being outcasts.

Azura: A geeky yet very snarky intern working. for the Saturdays. She's Afro-Latina and wears a lot of blues to compliment the Satrudays' iconic orange outfirs. She has a crush on Doyle but had been burned once by an ex and so she refused to make her feelings known. At first she was scared of cryptids but came to love them. Usually keeps tabs on public sightings of cryptids without actually tracking them down herself.

Gospelle: A shy African American woman desperately seeking a purpose in life who can really belt out a tune. One day she was singing to herself which ends up attracting the attention of resident God of Rock Valhallen. She doesn't like the attention at first but decides to give it a chance and pursued a singing career, and later kinda gets a crush on him. But she wants their relationship to involve other things and not because she has a beautiful voice. She's kinda based on Storm, and is petite and has long hair.

C.J.: Not the same character as the cloud, her name is short for Columbia Junior. She's Lady Columbia basically and Major Glory's younger sister. She's far more mature than her brother and hates how overprotective he is so she tries to prove her own strength. She's a pastiche of Wonder Woman only if Wondy speaks in a typical Valley Girl accent. She isn't interested in settling down so stop asking if she has a boyfriend Uncle Sam.

Jill: The Japanese-American/Scottish descendant of Samurai Jack she is kinda irresponsible and lazy but ended up inheriting his sword anyways. Since Jack is obviously long gone he appears as a spirit and tries to mentor his wayward successor. Jill originally lived in Townsville before leaving for another city and became CJ's roommate. She's also best pals with the Krunk and established to be aroace. She's based on Sailor Moon. Also one of her older relatives (possibly a grand or great grandparent) is related to THE SCOTSMAN however she doesn't particularly obsess over culture and lineage and wants to do her own thing.

Princess Ashi: SHE'S NOT ASHI but named after her. She was Jack's daughter and started a school for aspiring swordsmen. Her mother was the noblewoman. Jill's Japanese side of the family can be traced back from her I'd like to think one of her later descendants married into the Scotsman's family.

The Noblewoman: Her name is a placeholder but she Jack's technically second wife and Princess Ashi's mother. She came from a noble family who was slaughtered and taken over by a rival clan. Filled with despair she attempted suicide but Jack intervened. It is through her travels her mental health improved and she gained the strength to take back her family lands. Her story goes along with the message of dealing with grief and healing as well as evil doesn't have to come from magical deities. Sometimes humanity is capable of evil without science or magic. Also no she's not a reincarnated Ashi or anything as bringing her back would make her sacrifice pointless imo.

Arusi: The Xiaolin Dragon of Darkness/Shadows, she's a goth girl from East Africa who started out as a street performing puppet master who was scouted out by a monk. She didn't want to leave her town but her grandmother convinced her under the wish of giving her a better opportunity. So Arusi studied to the temple in Northern Africa and trained and later moved to the temple in China to join the canon young monks. She's the foil for Chase's apprentice Shadow and Raimundo's love interest. Arusi is tall and wispy, has deep brown skin and very short hair. She tends to wear long black dresses and simple yet intricate jewellery.

Cleo: An outgoing, headstrong and sassy girl, she has the power to activate cat based Egyptian armor but with the downsides of turning into a cat at random times. I want Irwin to have a tried and true friend as well as someone to match the Egyptian powers/motif without a love interest attachment. Also one of the few people to not be scared of Mandy, mainly because she doesn't care what she nor anyone else thinks of her. However Cleo can be too rebellious. Cleo is agile, has dark olive to light brown skin, black hair in a bobcut, and always wears her necklace in case she needed to transform.

Those are all my OCs for now. I just give them backstory and personality as I go along! 😂