#he was a real shrimp as a kid and even though he eventually grew up to be a beanpole he might still find the extra height appealing

[capri-ramblings]

Hi! Can I get some hcs about Leech twins, Ruggie and Jack's S/o who have good physical health? They can outrun their lovers or catch up with the boys while running, can do parkour and stuff...

imagining their s/o just going "I'm fast,I'm real fast" 😂 was all that ran into my head while writing this lmao, anyways, I'm slow on asks atm cause some of them are long and specific so I must align my braincells properly, but in the meantime I'll work on the shorter ones! Hope you like these Headcanons! (◕ᴗ◕✿)

Jade Leech

- He's incredibly pleased

- And dare I say extremely aroused by it?

- The fact that his s/o can outrun even the Savanaclaw students means they're capable and not someone he has to look after 24/7 (although he wouldn't mind if he had to)

- With their athletic skill, it also benefits Octavinelle, so Jade sees this as an important asset

- He tends to ask for their help in catching any wayward deal breakers who thought running was a good option and of course his S/O gladly lends a hand

- Jade makes sure they take good care of themselves though, going as far as monitoring their diet and sleeping habits, and if they show signs of being slightly sluggish, he doesn't hesitate to act, which means he sets limitations for them.

- And if they're stubborn about it?

- Well, that won't be a problem. He'll just have Azul trick them into a contract, being one of his slaves is the last thing they want to end up as after all.

- "Don't think you'll be able to run from me just because you're faster,___"

- He'll laugh whenever they try to fight him into submission and often time teases them for being so easily cornered

- However, depending on his moods, Jade will some times let them have their way, pushing their bodies limits, because a little chase from time to time is good sport, isn't it?

Floyd Leech

- He's thrilled and frankly amused.

- An S/O who can outrun him and has no problem jumping over difficult obstacles with ease? Sign him up.

- He just adores how fast they are and it never fails to excite him

- "Nee, Koebi-chan, I'll give you a headstart,okay?"

- Daily games of cat and mouse isn't an odd sight at all from you both since Floyd sees this as a chance to satisfy his slightly sadistic nature and get into good shape

- He also gets a kick of seeing the other Dorm students lose to them in most physical activities

- Although unlike his brother,Floyd doesn't know limitations.

- They're tired? He'll give them a twenty minute headstart then. That's more than enough to rest and run from him, right?

- Eventually,his S/O might have to tell him directly that they're human and need enough rest which results in him getting annoyed

- Because of this, his s/o and him tend to have small episodes of fighting where Jade has to break them up and tend to his brother's partner before they end up passing out from exhaustion

- Floyd doesn't like it when Jade has to care for his s/o but surprisingly enough,when Jade gets involved, he doesn't seem to intervene.

- Afterwards, due to frustration and a hint of jealousy, the next time his s/o reaches their limits again, he'll make sure Jade isn't around to help them when he corners them.

- "Koebi-chan,since you're so tired, why not let me give you a quick squeeze? It's not like you can fight back anyways,so stay still and be a good shrimp for me,okay?"

Ruggie Buchi

- He finds it impressive but also troublesome

- "With naturally coded genes like that and their stubborn attitude,trouble is all they'll be stirring up..."

- He'll teach them a few tricks about running around small places or how to get rid of people in large spaces, since he grew up in a neighborhood where being nimble and agile were key points to survive, he makes sure his s/o has the upper hand too.

- "I'm fine with you being thick headed and all, but at least your body won't get in the way of that talent"

- He has a slight competitive attitude to it as well but it's nothing so serious, he just wished he was born as naturally fit as that since in his case he had to build his body into the same state out of pure survival instinct.

- When he overhears people compliment them for their physique, Ruggie feels a sense of joy and pride, though don't expect him to say so aloud of course.

- "If compliments is all I give you, I'll be unleashing hell on everyone.... especially on myself"

- He gets them to help him with Leona obviously, things like tracking down the second Prince and cleaning or getting the other Dorm students into one place. It helps a lot when he doesn't have to run around all by himself

- Whenever a semester ends and he goes back home and they wanna tag along, Ruggie loves it when he sees them playing around with the other kids and never fails to tease them about always losing to kids when it comes to running through the narrow alleys.

- "Heh,I guess even with your skills you still can't catch up to a bunch of street kids, huh? You keep glaring at me like that and you're gonna end up losing to me too,dummy!"

Jack Howl

- He admires it and doesn't shy away from pointing it out in public

- Especially when they're always working hard to maintain their stamina and endurance.

- With a s/o like this, Jack has them join him in his training regimen and sees it as quality bonding time because physical interaction is better than any other kind isn't it?

- When he says that he doesn't really get why they laugh at him, not really realising how most people would interpret it.

- Surprisingly enough, he isn't as agile as his s/o and whenever he sees them twisting their body and doing all sorts of risky Parkour stunts, he just has this fluttering sensation in his stomach

- Ace teases him about it and says that it's like seeing a small kid admiring some kind of epic hero, and Jack just goes, "Well, they're pretty amazing, aren't they?"

- Cue the blushing wolf boy when Ace tells Cater and Trey about it and the Heartslyabul boys taking advantage to make fun of the usually stiff Jack Howl

- Jack's reaction to this kind of s/o is similar to how he feels towards Leona, admiration minus the frustration of course

- They motivate him to always give it his best and to take care of his health along with theirs as well and whenever he feels like something is impossible his s/o becomes his focus point

- A bit cliché but with a s/o like this the relationship would probably start off with them being close friends with Jack before both confessing their feelings and becoming a couple

[curewhimsy]

As I was saying, I made one of my Neru/Haku stories into an original work and made the characters into OCs.

The tall one with red hair is Mildred, nicknamed Mila. She has Haku’s personality and is French and German. She is 16 years old. She is the tallest girl in her class. She lives with her single mother who is usually not home due to work. She is shy and has a reputation as a crybaby. Bea is her only friend. She has a plush cat named Marshmallow who eventually comes to life as her animal companion.

The short one with green hair is Beatrice, nicknamed Bea. She has Neru’s personality and is Thai and Filipino. She is 16 years old. She is the shortest girl in her class. She lives alone. She is lonely often and is misunderstood due to her temper. She has a reputation as a tough, scary girl. Mila is her only friend.

They have old lady names on purpose. Also a running gag is Mildred being mispronounced as “Mild Red”, and Beatrice as “Beat Rice”.

They both become witches and go on an adventure and meet lots of friends along the way! The plot is that witches usually have to be mean, in order for nobody to get close enough to them. This is how they keep their secret. When witches are found out, a curse is put on them. They have to train whoever found  them out into a witch too, so they can break the curse.

However, Bea and Mila don’t want to be mean as witches, they want to become nice witches, and they want to use their magic to help people, albeit in secret.

The story starts here, under the cut.

Once upon a time there were two girls who couldn't be more different. Though instead of being apart, they were best friends. Each other was simply all they had.

Beatrice, nicknamed Bea, was the shortest girl in her class. She was the kind of person to feel one emotion, and destroy twenty different things with her fists just to let it out. Messy and unrefined, and quite emotional to boot. When she couldn't take it anymore, she would be overcome with rage. But underneath it all, was actually a nice girl who would never hurt an innocent being. She was misunderstood. She just couldn't help it.

Mildred, nicknamed Mila, was the tallest girl in her class. She was the kind of person to feel one emotion, and write twenty different sad poems just to let it out. Wishy-washy, sentimental to a fault, and quite moody as well. Such a forlorn being, always thinking negatively, seeing the worst in situations, and crying at the drop of a hat. Deep inside, Mila was a girl who wanted to be a hero. She was misunderstood. She just couldn't help it.

These two girls, born on the wrong side of the bed... even with all their foibles and hiccups... could they really save the universe?

------

At the ages of sixteen, the two lived in small houses located on opposite sides of the town from each other, facing opposite directions. The sun would rise in Bea’s window, and set in Mila’s window. None of that changed the fact that both of them were equally deep sleepers and were constantly late for class. Being in trouble together was a pastime for both of them. Mila was lazy and unmotivated, and Bea, well... she was a problem child.

"Mila, you're such a good kid." Bea said one day. "Why do you always let yourself get in trouble like me?"

"Well..." Mila answered, her voice quiet and hollow. "Mr. Kerry doesn't like us. He doesn't like me either, I guess..."

"Well... at least we have each other?" Bea said. Now that her fit of anger from before cooled down, she was in a depressive state. She sighed and put her knees to her chest.

"Bea, you know what?" Mila said, sitting down with her, "I... don't think you deserve to get in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Bea said, with a regretful sigh. "I'm nothing but trouble. I break things, get into fights... I'm not like you."

"Well... You're not a bad person. You're the nicest person I've ever met!" Mila said. "I admit at first, I thought you were scary. But then I got to know who you really are. You're a great friend and you're always there for me... Thank you."

Bea took in Mila’s words in disbelief. Those words...

"Is that for real?" Bea asked her friend. "Well... thanks. That was the nicest thing anyone has said to me. I never thought I deserved those words..."

"It's true." Mila said, bashfully. "Um... how about a hug?"

Bea gave a nod and then they hugged once before returning to their initial stiff, separate positions. The empty classroom was turning orange as the winter sun was setting early outside.

"Mila, you know..." Bea said, "I want to thank you too. Without you, well... I don't even know what I would be doing right now. You're the reason I can control my anger better."

Bea, who usually didn't say words like this, grew flustered and couldn't face Mila directly.

"So I don't want you to be sad, Mila. You're great and don't deserve to doubt yourself... I'm sorry I've never told you this before, but your friendship is important to me."

"Bea..." Mila, who was touchy-feely, took her best friend’s hand in hers and looked at her fondly.

"I'm a little embarrassed." Bea said. But she was smiling.

"How about we do something... fun?" Mila suggested. "Because when we're together... I don't feel as bad. It's strange..."

"Same with me." Bea said, quietly overjoyed to see a smile on Mila’s face. "You're my best friend. I guess I feel calm when I'm with you. Well, detention's almost over."

"Then let's go to the mall." Mila said, getting up and walking to the door.

"I love the mall!" Bea said, following. "The food court has the best food. Wanna grab a bite?"

"Sure." Mila reached out for Bea’s hand as they walked out the school. Bea wasn't used to holding hands with people, but she didn't mind doing it with Mila.

------

The good part about the town they lived in was that everything was in walking distance. Their houses, the school, the mall, the park, and many other places for a teenager to be. Even the beach, when it was warm enough! That way, they could wander free during the day without anyone having to drive or supervise them.

"This will be great! We can sing karaoke, buy trinkets for each other, and hang out!" Bea said. Mila was overjoyed to see her friend so excited about the day, and was eager to spend time with her as well.

When they got to the mall, Mila noticed that her cousin Sherry was working part-time at the food court.

Sherry went to the high school down the road from Mila and Bea’s. A cheerleader and a shining star in the chorus, she was apparently one of the most popular girls in the school. She was like an idol. And she was nice and cheerful, to top it all off.

She was nothing like Bea and Mila, who were at the bottom of the barrel in terms of popularity...

"Hey, it's Mila!" Sherry waved.

"Ah, Sherry!" Mila waved back. Bea waved as well.

"Bea, that's my cousin Sherry." Mila said. "She goes to a different school."

"Our special today is the popcorn shrimp!" Sherry chirped cheerfully.

"I'll get some then!" Mila said.

"Me too!" Bea said.

"How about you both sit next to my friend Io?" Sherry suggested. "I bet she would love to meet you."

Io was a girl who sat alone in the corner, doing something on her phone. She had on heavy make-up and was humming to herself.

"Um... hello." Mila shyly approached her and murmured shyly.

Io had her eyes closed. She opened one eye, saw Mila standing there, and turned her head coldly.

"Humph..." She said snobbishly, before going back to playing with her phone.

Bea got a bad feeling about this girl.

"So... um, how long have you known Sherry?" Mila politely tried to start a conversation as she meekly sat down next to her.

"None of your business." Io said, turning away.

“Oh... ok.” Mila said, beginning to tremble a little.

Bea’s initial hunch was confirmed. She felt anger drip inside of her like a slow trickle of lava.

“She was just asking you a question, Miss Attitude. Sheesh.” Bea said.

“Oh my gosh. Could you two dorks kindly get out of my sight? I don't associate with people like you." Io said, louder.

There was a bout of heavy silence. Bea was in too much disbelief to even respond.

"But I, um... I..." Mila spoke up, but couldn't utter another word until she started choking up with tears. She buried her face in her long sleeves. "Never mind... I’m sorry."

"Hey!" Bea stood up and furiously slammed her fists on the table at Io. "Just who do you think YOU are?"

"Ha, is the little gremlin is getting mad?" Io said condescendingly.

"Listen, you." Bea said, threatening to hold Io by the collar. "Shut your mouth or I'll make you regret ever saying those things!"

"So, what are you going to do? Tickle me?" Io scoffed.

Bea screamed in rage, hit Io’s face on impulse and pushed her as she was blinded by the shock.

The people in nearby seats, mostly teenagers, began to turn their shocked and amused faces as a fight began to unfold.

"No... please don't... don't fight..." Mila began to cry harder. She felt so helpless.

Suddenly, a security guard stepped in. In the midst of the commotion, nobody noticed at first. He scooped little Bea up as if she were a small cat and carried her away from the scene.

"Hey! Put me down! I need to get at her!" Bea yelled and squirmed, "Didn't you hear what she said? She made my friend cry! I'm not going to forgive her!!"

------

Bea got kicked out of the mall that day.

It was a cold day, so the friends sunk into their hoodies as their breath rose as white puffs into the air. The lively lights from the mall reached the two girls barely, as they sat in the dimness.

"I'm so sorry again, Mila." Bea sighed, as they sat on a bench away from the mall, in the cold dusk. "I did it again. If only I could've controlled my stupid temper, I wouldn't have dragged you into all this mess..."

Mila sighed, and then smiled a bit.

“But... I appreciated that you wanted to stand up for me." Mila said softly. "We all have flaws we need to get over. For example, I wish I didn't cry so easily..."

"I guess..." Bea said. "But I’m awful. Yet I couldn't stand the fact that she said those things. I mean... what a cold-hearted person. She doesn't even know us... It makes me so mad."

"She seemed to have a problem." Mila said. "So thank you, for caring about me."

"Still..." Bea said, "I should've just ignored her instead of getting all furious."

"I think you're okay. You stood up for me." Mila said. "So... what should we do now?"

"Go to your house I guess." Bea said. "If you don't mind. I like it there, it calms me down."

Bea lived on her own, and often got lonely. However, Mila’s single mother was at work most of the day, and sometimes only got home after Mila was asleep.

"Okay!” Mila said. They both got up off the splintery bench and began to walk down the path choked with forest, dry fallen leaves crunching under their feet.

The path to Mila’s house was a little bit unsettling in the dark. Especially when there were seldom leaves on the trees and the ghostly late-autumn chills loomed in the air.

"Bea, when did it get so creepy here?" Mila asked.

"I don't know..." Bea said, "But something just doesn't feel normal."

"Yeah." Mila said, putting her hand in Bea’s, so she could keep calm.

Neither of them couldn't explain it, but something about the aura just didn't feel normal. The full moon was unsettling, especially since Mila somewhat believed in superstitions. She couldn't help it.

A wolf call was heard in the distance. A bunch of dark flying creatures took off to the sky from a nearby branch. Bats? Or just birds?

That's when they saw it.

"Alright, Kuro." A voice said.

A pair of bright glowing eyes could be seen amongst the murky darkness.

"We should get back before it becomes pitch-black."

The faint silhouette then began to crouch down on the broom. Was this real?

Bea and Mila didn't know what to expect would happen next. Was the broom going to fly? But... that would be impossible!

But to their surprise, the figure on the broom lifted up into the air with a gust of wind that kicked up the leaves, and flew upwards towards the full moon.

It sent shivers down their spines and their mouths gaping open.

"M-Mila...?” Bea said.

"Bea, what... what just... happened?" Mila stammered.

"Apparently, witches are... real." Bea said. "Y-you saw it too, didn't you?"

"I did." Mila said in a small voice. "But... it can't be..."

"I'm creeped out now." Bea said, "Let's just get to your house now, Mila."

Both of them concluded that it was probably only someone testing out special effects. After all, it was only what would make sense.

------

The interior Mila’s house was dim and empty. Her hardworking single mother wouldn’t return home until the middle of the night.

Bea turned on the light in Mila’s room. It flickered for a few seconds before it shone steadily.

"Let's go on the computer?" Bea asked.

"Sure." Mila said.

In a few minutes, both were eating cheap packaged hamburgers while sitting in front of the computer desk, wrapped in blankets because the room was cold. It was oddly cozy in a way. Mila was going to go to her favorite website.

Mila’s virtual kitten Marshmallow popped up on the screen and greeted her. Mila petted Marshmallow with the cursor and got swept into the magical world on her screen.

Even though Marshmallow wasn't a real cat, she comforted Mila when she felt lonely.

Today, Mila got a special gift for logging in. The gift was special cookie mix. Of course, it was only virtual cookie mix. If Mila followed the directions, she would be able to decorate star-shaped cookies for Marshmallow.

Mila then gave Marshmallow a bath using galaxy bubble bath and played a game with her. When she was tired, Mila put the kitten to bed.

But all of a sudden, something popped up on the screen that neither of the girls had never seen before. A pitch black figure on the screen snatched Marshmallow up from her bed and began to fly away with the kitten in her grasp. Marshmallow was being taken away by a witch!

"Meow!" Marshmallow’s distressed cry came in through the speakers.

"Bea, what's that?!" Mila felt surprised. Bea was creeped out. It couldn't have been an actual part of the game. The witch looked much too realistic. In fact, it looked way too much like the silhouette that Mila and Bea just saw earlier. Could it be? Could it be the doings of a real witch?

The witch on the screen was dressed in a black tattered gown, with raven hair flowing from underneath her pointy hat. She began to fly into the distance, becoming smaller and smaller on the screen until she was just a pixel. Then she vanished, along with Marshmallow.

Mila checked her game again. Her adorable cat was nowhere to be found. Bea was too bewildered to speak.

Mila began to worry. Was her virtual pet gone? Marshmallow’s room was empty. Mila clicked all around, but none of the clicks did much of anything.

Mila bit her lip and shook, and Bea knew she was about to cry.

"Mila?" Bea said her name softly.

A tear slipped down the taller girl's face. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

"Mila..." Bea wrapped her arms around the shaking girl and consoled her the best way she could.

Most people would find it unexpected, for such a tall girl to be crying. But Bea understood Mila, and was frankly used to it. Bea knew how important Marshmallow was to Mila.

"Mila, Marshmallow isn't gone." Bea said. "She'll come back... don't give up hope."

However, Bea was hiding the doubt in her own words. She felt sympathy for Mila.

When Bea looked back at the desk, however, there was a note written in very intricate cursive. So intricate, she could barely make out the words.

"Mila, look." Bea was once again bewildered. A note came out of nowhere?

They read it together.

"If you want to save Marshmallow, head to the abandoned house on top of the hill by the school."

That was all it said. Mila turned the paper over in case it said any more, but that was everything.

"What the...?"

Bea and Mila’s curiosity got the best of them. The next thing they knew, they had put on their scarves and were headed out the door.

"Should we really be doing this?" Mila asked.

"You want to save Marshmallow, right?" Bea said, trying not to shiver.

"Yes, but... it could be a trap or something..." Mila trembled.

"I've got your back if anything happens." Bea said.

Mila appreciated Bea’s words, but deep inside she wanted to be the brave one for once.

As they left the neighborhood, it began to drizzle. A cool autumn wind kicked up.

The path to school looked different at night. For one thing, it seemed much longer.

When they got there, Mila looked at Bea one last time.

They have seen the abandoned house from afar many times, but being up close to it felt so different.

"Well, this is it." Bea said. She felt like she wanted to go back, but then she remembered how special Marshmallow was to Mila.

Mila looked at Bea and began to walk forward. She wanted to be brave.

Bea followed behind.

Opening the creaky wooden door, its hinges made a long creaking sound as it was slowly pushed open.

The interior smelled old. There was one lit candle in the corner, lighting up the entire place.

In the center of the room, a white, black, and orange calico kitten was tied up over a bubbling cauldron. Marshmallow?

Mila was terrified and reached for Bea’s hand. Bea’s hand began to squeeze Mila’s. She was trembling.

Even Bea got scared sometimes, Mila thought...

In the corner, was a familiar-looking girl.

"Well, you two showed up after all." She said.

"Who are you?" Bea shouted.

"You haven't forgotten me already, have you, gremlin?" She said condescendingly.

"Io..." Bea said, her pupils dilating. It was her. "What have you got against Mila!?"

"Your wimpy here friend had exactly what I needed to complete my curse. Once I lower your stupid cat in my mixture, it'll become an elixir strong enough to put the entire town in despair!"

What?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bea said. "You're some kind of witch?"

"Give Marshmallow back..." Mila trembled.

The tension in the room rose to a crescendo.

“Meow!” The small multicolored cat hanging over the pot yowled in distress.

“Ha! You’re acting tough now?” Io said. “It’s no use, because I know you’re just a wimp.”

“I-I said, give her back!” Mila shouted louder than she ever thought she could, lunged towards the dark-haired girl and pushed her back into her wall of potions. A transparent bottle of bright pink fluid fell from the row of potions, and shattered on Io’s head. The liquid began to drip all around her.

“Oh no...” Io grumbled. “Why you little...”

Not another word could be uttered by Io before she started to shrink to the size of a doll.

Bea, who was terrified at first of what was happening, slowly began to laugh.

“Heh... not so menacing anymore, huh?” Bea said. “Now you have no choice but to give Marshmallow back!”

“I believe you’re mistaken.” Io said. “You’re the ones who have no choice now.”

Mila was already untying the rope that held Marshmallow over the cauldron, feeling the touch of her soft fur in her hands as she held onto her.

It was so surreal. Marshmallow was now a real cat. Mila knew it was Marshmallow because her meow sounded exactly the same. Her shiny green eyes looked at Mila as if she was meeting an old friend.

Once Mila tied Marshmallow free, the kitten began to purr and lick Mila’s face.

“What do you mean, we have no choice?” Bea said. She had a lot of questions to ask, but this one seemed to be the most urgent.

“You two unleashed a curse on me by accident.” Io said. “It was my strongest potion, and there’s no antidote for it. I’m too small to use magic now! So I’m stuck like this forever unless you two train to become witches too, and reverse the curse!”

Bea and Mila looked at each other.

“And what happens if we don’t become witches?” Bea said.

“You two will shrink to the size of molecules.” Io said. “You’ll be so small, life won’t be worth living!”

“Are you... serious?” Mila said.

“I’m being completely serious! The curse you put on me will backfire on YOU, and become ten times worse! Also it’s not like I want to tutor you to be witches either!”

“So if we become witches, we’ll have magic?” Mila asked.

“Of course, clueless!” Io said, “This is why I hate explaining these things to normal humans.”

“Sorry.” An apology slipped out of Mila’s mouth.

“Hm, if we become witches, we’ll be able to fly on brooms and use magic...” Bea said, intrigued by the idea.

“Yeah...” Mila said.

“Well, I guess there’s no choice anyway. We’re going to have to become witches if we don’t want to shrink.” Bea said. She was already very short, and didn’t want to become any shorter.

“Alright. I’ll let you keep Marshmallow as your familiar.” Io said to Mila. “Now you two, go into the attic and you’ll fin extra hats and magical robes. I guess you can use them.”

Mila and Bea did as they were told, and went into the old rusty attic of the creepy house.

———

TO BE CONTINUED 

[ellanainthetardis]

It’s Father’s Day in France! What better way to celebrate...

[ff] or [ao3]

69. 11 months & 8 Days

Haymitch had troubles crossing the front yard to the front door with the geese honking and flapping their wings all around him but he pushed through, careful not to step on any of the birds.

“Looks like you’ve got a welcoming committee, jellyfish.” he chuckled, glancing down at the small baby wrapped up tight so he wouldn’t get cold that he was cradling in his arms. “You think Mama’s gonna like her surprise? I think she will…”

He couldn’t stop smiling.

He didn’t even care that he had caught a few flashes in the corner of his eyes while he was slowly making the walk from the hospital to the Village. His phone call to Plutarch on the day of Effie’s release had been enough to clear most of the press out of Twelve but there were some journalists desperate for a scoop left. The former Gamemaker claimed he couldn’t do anything about those but everyone knew better. Plutarch just liked to feed the news cycle with what he liked so he could burry the real matters at the bottom of the pile.

Haymitch had been spending his nights at the clinic while Effie took most of the day’s shift at their son’s side. And that morning, Larcher had surprised him by declaring the boy was free to go. There would be home visits for a few more days but they were finally allowed to take him home. Maybe he should have waited for Effie but the moment he had heard he was allowed to bring Aidan home, he had been desperate to do so at once.

And now there he was, struggling to juggle between the bag of baby clothes that had gathered at the hospital and that he had tossed over his shoulder and the precious bundle in his arms.

It was early enough that the front door was still locked. He grumbled under his breath but walked around the house, still mindful of the growing gaggle, to the back door. That one was ajar. Snowball was lying half inside and half outside and he lifted his head when he spotted his approach, barked twice and rushed over with that same puppy enthusiasm he had never lost.

“Good boy.” Haymitch praised. “Sit down. Sit down.” The dog obediently sat down but kept wriggling, clearly dying to give him a proper hello. Just like he had done for April a year earlier, Haymitch crouched down and carefully presented the baby. “Look at that… That’s your new buddy. Name’s Aidan. You’re gonna take care of him too, yeah? Just like the shrimp…”

Snowball sniffed the baby all over and then sneezed twice, shaking his head. Haymitch figured Aidan must still have smelt like the hospital but the dog came back to sniff him some more, eventually, looking up at Haymitch, his tongue hanging out…

“You’re gonna have to give those stuffed toys back now.” he warned, standing up. The Samoyed tilted his head to the side. “Yeah, I’m not buying the innocent act any more than Effie does.”

He went straight into the kitchen, the dog following close by, and was first puzzled to find April alone in her high chair munching on an apricot – and he purposefully didn’t wonder how their daughter had gotten there given that Elindra had moved out of the house and to the inn to have some time with Tadius and that Effie wasn’t really supposed to lift heavy things yet. They didn’t leave her alone as a rule, and certainly not with the door open…

“Dada!” the baby gurgled happily, dropping the apricot to wave her arms in the air. Haymitch’s arms were already full though and he barely had time to open his mouth to greet her when Effie’s voice drifted from the utility room.

“Yes, my darling, Papa will be here soon!” she promised. “Just let me get a head start on this laundry and we will play until he gets here…”

Transferring Aidan into his left arm, he pressed his finger against his lips for April’s benefits. The meaning wasn’t entirely lost on her but she giggled so much she almost gave it away anyway. Still, he planted three silent kisses on her cheeks on his way to the laundry room where Effie was busy stuffing the washing machine.

Snowball darted past him and sat at her feet, barking a couple of times. That woke up Aidan who had so far been a trooper about the trip. His wailing didn’t show any sign of becoming any less piercing with time…

Effie startled but not as badly as she might have if he had just appeared behind her – and maybe he should have thought that through. Her wide blue eyes fell on Haymitch’s face first and then on the baby in his arms… For a second, she was clearly confused and stunned but then she beamed and almost tore him out of his arms.

“Easy.” he reminded her, more worried about her mending wound than she was.

“How… When…” she started asking, gently rocking the baby. “Oh, you should have said! We would have been ready for a proper welcome and…”

“Larcher released him this morning… Couldn’t wait, sweetheart.” he shrugged, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“No matter. No matter.” she dismissed, her whole attention on their baby boy. After a minute, she looked up at him, all teary. “I cannot believe it… I…”

“I know.” he smirked, leaning in to plant a long kiss on her lips.

It seemed like they had gone through hell to finally get there.

“Mama!” April called from the kitchen and Haymitch quickly left the laundry room to lift up their daughter and cuddle her close, nuzzling her neck with his nose until she laughed.

“Did you have a good night sleep, princess?” he asked. “Did you take good care of Mama for me?”

“She took excellent care of me.” Effie hummed, smiling at Aidan, gently clucking her tongue to make him stop crying. April was straining her neck to see what all the commotion was about so Haymitch stepped closer. Effie leaned against his side, pressing a quick kiss on their girl’s hand. “Your little bother is not really happy, is he? He does not know his home yet. Do you want to give him a tour, sweetie?”

Haymitch didn’t think April had really understood the baby thing yet. They had showed him to her at the hospital but she hadn’t been very interested, more captivated by the stuffed toys than by her brother.

Right then, she wrinkled her little nose and rested her head on Haymitch’s shoulder.

“No.” she said very clearly.

“New word.” he commented, amused.

“Mama.” she demanded, her lips wobbling, outstretching a hand. Her voice increased in volume to match Aidan’s wailing. “Mama!”

“Mama can’t carry you right now, shrimp, you’ve gotta learn to share. But that’s alright. I’m here, yeah?” He tried to appease things. “You’re with Papa, that’s the same…”

“Mama!” April screamed, so hard she got red in the face.

It only made the baby cry harder and Effie rocked him a little harder, at a loss for what to do. “Perhaps we should switch?”

“Ain’t sure we should indulge that behavior.” he grumbled.

“It is only the first day. We knew it would be an adjustment…” she pointed out.

Switching wasn’t as easy as it seemed. It required him putting April down to take the baby and then Effie lifting her up – even though, as he insisted, she wasn’t supposed to.

Their daughter didn’t calm down once she was in her arms though.

“Dada, no!” she screamed, now reaching for Haymitch from her mother’s arms as he tried – and failed – to calm Aidan down.

“Your brother is here to stay, April.” Effie chided her gently. “And truly… Ladies do not shout so. Hush, will you? Hush little baby don’t you cry…”

The lullaby seemed like a good idea so Haymitch joined in and, for a miraculous handful of seconds, both April and Aidan grew quiet.

A handful of seconds.

Then the baby started wailing again and April threw her first real temper tantrum. Obviously Snowball must have felt he had to join too because he was soon howling – prompting the geese outside to honk like crazy birds.

Haymitch and Effie exchanged a spooked look.

“Why did we think this was a good idea again?” he asked, forced to shout to be heard over the noise.

The kids came running in at that point, clothes in disarray as if they had dressed in a hurry, worried look on their faces… Peeta smiled when he spotted Aidan but Katniss shook her head, grabbed his arm and dragged him back to their own house, muttering all the while about how they were not getting involved in this madness. She, at least, closed the door which cut them from the racket the geese were making.

The babies, on the other hand, didn’t seem to want to shut up.

“Haymitch, what if we cannot do this?” Effie started to panic, shifting her weight from one foot to the next, clearly feeling the strain of carrying their one year-old daughter. “What if two was too much? What if…”

“Okay.” Haymitch snapped, cutting her off. He nudged the dog with his foot first thing, not hard enough to hurt but giving a good enough shove that Snowball stopped his antics. “Be a good dog and shut up. Now, you…” He turned to Effie. “Go sit on the couch.”

“But…” she argued.

“Trust me.” he interrupted. “On the couch.”

She hesitated but relented, struggling to keep hold of the enraged girl in her arms. He wasn’t even sure what April was screaming now. She was hiccupping, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks, shouting for her Dada, Snowball, Mama and saying no in between.

Effie couldn’t hide her relief once she was sitting down. She placed the screaming girl next to her so she could press her hand against her stomach, watching with wide terrified eyes as April rolled and hit the cushions like an infuriated beast.

Haymitch loved his daughter to death but he didn’t want her to become a brat, one year old or not, and he wasn’t going to tolerate that sort of tantrum.

“Enough.” he roared, load enough to cover everything.

It must have frightened the girl because she stopped screaming mid-hiccup.

Haymitch carefully handed the baby over to Effie and lifted April under her armpits, flopping down on the couch and placing her on his lap.

“The fuck are you trying to pull, uh?” he grumbled.

“Language.” Effie hissed. “Do not dare talk like that to our daughter.”

He tossed her an annoyed glance but turned his attention back on April quickly enough, leaving it to Effie to deal with their son.

“Listen to me, princess.” he said seriously. “Mama and Dada love you. But we love Aidan too. Yeah?”

“No.” April stubbornly sulked.

“Yes.” he insisted. He also snorted, even though he probably shouldn’t have, because she looked far too much like Effie when she was sulking. “And you’re gonna love him too ‘cause he’s your brother. You know what that means?”

“No.” she repeated stubbornly.

“I swear she did not know that word last night.” Effie complained. She had been humming and Aidan had grown a little quieter. Less tears and more gurgling. “Do you think he might be hungry?”

“He ate before we left the clinic.” Haymitch shook his head. “We have a stock of pacifiers, yeah? He might like one…”

“I will try that.” she decided, extracting herself from the couch with the baby to fetch it.

April watched her go, her sulk deepening. Haymitch poked her in the tummy, tickling her under the knee until he got her attention again.

“Alright, sweetheart.” he whispered. “Now, this little guy here… Screams a lot, makes a lot of noises… He’s gonna be your best buddy in the world.”

“No.” April insisted.

“Yes.” he retorted just as Effie sat back down, a blissfully quiet Aidan sucking on his pacifier. “Now you’re thinking we’re replacing you with him, that there won’t be room for you anymore… But that’s bullshit.”

“Again. Language.” Effie hissed.

“Look.” He placed her between him and Effie. “See how this works? Room for everyone… And the best thing…” He gently reached out to take the baby. Effie let got but only very reluctantly and she kept her hands ready to intervene when she understood what he had in mind. He put Aidan on April’s outstretched legs, keeping a hand on the baby’s back. “He’s yours too now, shrimp. Your own jellyfish.”

April watched the baby warily. Eventually, she grabbed the tiny hand that was waving around at random.

“Be careful she does not squeeze too tight.” Effie worried, ready to snatch Aidan away.

“Let them get to know each other.” he told her.

“She is a baby herself, Haymitch.” she argued. “She doesn’t get…”

Aidan’s fingers closed around April’s hand and their daughter laughed as if it was the best thing. Next she patted his head…

“Easy, he’s fragile, sweetheart.” Haymitch chuckled, making sure she wasn’t hurting him. “See? He’s not so bad, yeah? You like your jellyfish.”

“Eli…” she babbled and when Snowball padded over and rested his head on Effie’s lap, April wrinkled her nose. “Bowl, no. Mama… Dada… Bowl, Pil…”  

He wasn’t sure he really got whatever rant she was on but he figured she was trying to tell her brother she was willing to share everyone but the dog.

It figured.

Sometimes it felt like she loved that dog more than she loved any of them.

Effie stretched her arm on the back of the couch and Haymitch turned his head so he could rest his cheek on it, smiling when she distractedly started playing with his hair, her eyes on their children.

They did make the most beautiful kids.

[aleatoryalarmalligator]

Life Story Part 46

I found it harder and harder at the end of my life in public school in 10th not to get into a physical altercation with other students. Throughout my entire life, spanning as far back as I can recollect, when there were people standing about and chatting and I happened to need to get by, I would ask politely if they would let me passed. And people ignored me. I never understood why people did this. I have always done my best to be accommodating, even with people I can't stand when it comes to opening and shutting doors, handing things, or helping in any practical way. It seemed like a foundation to society that everyone really should uphold, no matter what. So for people to disregard me, It felt like they literally didn't think I should exist. I can't explain how this affected me, but it always gave me this notion that I somehow was not valued or worthy of consideration by society as a whole. I grew to really resent it, but ultimately it went hand in hand with my father's abuse and my already poor sense of self worth so I internalized it instead. I built my life meekly and silently abiding by the rules of others who would not do the same for me. This personality trait is so deeply ingrained in who I am that it effects my ability to function in the presence of anyone.

I guess I just snapped. One day that spring I was trying to get through this crowd of about six other girls in the hallway. My backpack was heavy and I needed to go sit down, and I was waiting expectantly. They looked at me and wouldn't move a single inch. I stopped and asked if they could let me go on by. They looked at one another and then at me, and they kept talking. I gave the alpha girl named Jamie one straightforward glance, and something in me said 'fuck it' and I pushed right through the girls. I shoved Jamie out of my way, not to violently knock her down or anything, but to demonstrate to them all that I wasn't fucking around. This girl shoved me back as I was walking away. I could feel this rage building up in me to turn around and just start beating her face in, but I held it back. I wasn't quite ready to go about beating people. As angry as I was starting to get, there was a very strong urge for me to not get into it and to step back instead.

And then there was this moment in school where I was in this class with a girl named Michelle. She was in the grade below me, and I really had gotten a strong sense that she was a very cruel person. For instance. There was this other girl also in the class below named Karen. Karen was always attempting to get attention in a very degrading fashion by asking people out who called her disgusting, talking about her body functions, and cried very easily. No matter how mean people were to her, she just went further into it. Her father was an abusive creep. She would dress outlandishly strange, and sometimes talk about self harm, and talk about things in class like her parents sex life, even when nobody wanted to hear it. Teachers should have stepped in, but they didn't (of course).  And she wasn't very bright. Not a day went by where kids would not pick her apart. Boys called her a dog all the time. Everyone knew that Karen was a confused and suicidal person.

Personally, she was annoying to me on the surface – what bothered me is that even jellyfish me had a backbone compared to her – which isn't good, and I didn't have much in common with her otherwise since it has always been a tendency for me to use analyzing and intimacy to get to know my enemies rather than crying like I child – but at the same time I could identify a little bit. It annoyed me to see weakness because it reminded me of my own weaknesses. And really, I was too nervous to step up for her – though Sarah did a few times to her credit. I wanted to see her destroy her tormentors or ignore them, but she always gave them all they had wanted and more and it disappointed me to no end. And of course the other kids were sick and cruel and I have trouble imagining they ever got better from that. It made me sick. It was like the whole school, teachers and all were attempting to push her to suicide in some kind of subconscious way as a group. It got harder and harder to look away from her situation.

One day, the teacher left the class, and Michelle started telling Karen that she was hideous and worthless that Karen should, speaking very in detail 'slit her wrists, or jump off a building'. And then all the other mindless cogs started getting in on it. Everyone had something ugly to say to her, all of them ranting over one another. They were all stupid and mindless and that was in many ways the real evil, but Michelle was someone that I actually believe would have enjoyed hearing about it after the fact. I was a coward however and I said nothing even though I knew I should have, afraid perhaps that if I let a little rage I was dealing with out, I wouldn't know where to end, and maybe a little cautious that Karen would then see me as some kind of protector – something I absolutely didn't want in any way shape or form. She was incredibly vulnerable. I felt this loathing rage for all of them – but particularly Michelle, since she knew exactly what she was doing.

Karen ended up leaving the school eventually because she was just too bullied to even function. I hope she got the help she needed.

So, we were sent into the gymnasium at some point by the end of the year to watch a projected anti-drug video that everyone in the school had to go see about drug use. The whole thing was incredibly insensitive to drug users as people who need help, instead pointing them out as menaces to society, and didn't paint a realistic light to what the war on drugs was actually about. It had a lot of music that played over the documentary, giving the viewers a strong undercurrent of sinister and fearful feelings of what the propaganda machine wanted them to feel. They painted drug users to look like – well me – with dyed hair and band shirts and all that. Of course, like most anti-drug propaganda, it focused on the kids who listened to alternative forms of music rather than the football jocks who were far more likely to get into a car accident. They painted the occasional pot smoker like they were the equivalent to a heroin user.

So after I was made to watch this insulting video, we were asked to explain what we thought about it. I stood up and explained that it was unrealistic garbage. Michelle then interrupted me and spoke to me. She said I was pathetic, had never had a bad thing happen to me in my life, and that I was obviously a heroin addict so nothing I said was accurate. I remember feeling like some kind of demonic freakish liquid was running through my veins, and I in that moment, honestly could feel myself mentally rising from my desk, walking over to her, punching her in the face three times and then grabbing her by the hair and dragging her down the hall. Of course, this was not what I actually did. Instead I glared at her and then looked down at my desk.

And then there was this little fuckface named Zac (not my Zack), who was in the class below me that I had to sit next to in math. Whenever I sat down at the desk, he would knock all my papers and books off my desk onto the floor. It kind of shocked me. I was more accustomed to being sexually harassed or toyed with verbally. I wasn't used to violence, be it from a tiny little shrimp of a boy younger than me or no. I foolishly would get down and pick up my books. I felt this building humiliation and rage growing in me. Fortunately, this was put to an end when Mrs. Rush saw him do it one day and she made him pick it up, gave me three detentions and made him sit against the wall. Had she not stepped in, I would have eventually clocked him. He was also an incredibly cruel person who tried to coax unhappy loners to commit suicide. I had heard him as well at times.

Samantha ended up losing her patience with me. For years upon years I had come to class unprepared come rain or shine, I drew on all my lined paper before I had the chance to use it for any actual homework, and I always lost my pencils in the back of my locker. I think there was a point where my locker actually had something extremely moldy growing in it, and I didn't dare go in there to reach for any possible writing utensils that might have fallen down into the abyss of the locker. And maybe I can kind of understand why that might be frustrating for one such as herself who always did everything perfectly, and was severely punished for even the slightest mess up. I didn't ask her for pencils or paper anymore. She just would angrily tear out a page from her notebook and throw a pencil at me. When I tried to give it back to her after the class, she would refuse it. I didn't want to make her mad, and it seemed like if I went without by my own choice she would become enraged, but if I also asked for something she was mad too. If I tried to give her the pencils back, she would be angry, but the same would work if I just kept it for myself without a second thought.

So one day, we were in class, and I didn't have paper, and she saw it. I didn't ask her for any. She just turned around, screamed at me, and shoved a desk violently at my desk. The whole class was looking over at us. She went to the bathroom, and came back in a calm mood. But I was thoroughly freaked out. For the short remainder of school I avoided even showing that I had no paper or pencils in order to prevent a repeat, and honestly, it was weird because we had literally been friends in some form or another since the very first day of kindergarten, but we never really talked after that event.

I mostly was in another world. There was a strange month there in March were I randomly decided that I wanted to become really invested in weed culture. I have no idea what spurred this, since I didn't smoke weed, and didn't really borrow heavily or know anyone who wore weed based things. I started listening to a lot of Sublime and thought about buying a bunch of tye dye so perhaps people in the new school would think I was more alternative and cool and I could find more acceptance among other artists and musically inclined students. But then I started feeling kind of phony about it, because it was phony. I didn't actually even like Sublime.

On one of my father's trips down to Boise, he came back with a Radiohead album I wanted from a music store down in Boise. It was OK Computer, and for whatever reason nobody stocked it in town. I listened to that album hundreds upon hundreds of times. Between David Bowie and Radiohead I was completely entranced in a different world completely. Whenever I was in school or near a computer, I would get on the Radiohead website where there was this strange postmodern page set up with hundreds and hundreds of pictures by the artist Stanley Donwood – the artist that Radiohead often times employs to decorate their album covers. You could click at random on the page, and it would take you to another art piece. Sarah and I, instead of sometimes even doing our ISATs, would instead spend the day clicking away, lost in the artwork of Stanley Donwood.

On the last day of school, I couldn't believe it was finally over. I could finally move to a new part of my life. I wanted to let go of everything, but there was still Zack. I seemed to be growing as a person, but him I would never get over. The more I thought about what we said to one another over a year ago by that time, the more I became convinced that he had loved me – I had had a chance. I should not have given up on him, or on myself. The way I saw it, I had still been a childish girl. I was becoming more and more ready to be someone worthy, and engaging. I beat myself up everyday for having failed to write him just one letter back. I angered myself all the times I should have suggested we skip class together, or all the times I should have given into him instead of continuing to resist. I had been afraid of being rejected, and now I didn't even have the privilege to even get the chance to be rejected. He was simply gone, and yet he was still the first thing I thought of every morning when I woke up. I could almost see his face in my mind. The thought of him could change everything around me, and I thought about the things he had told me very seriously. And some part of him still did love me, wherever he was. Surely he had not forgotten me. I could feel him so strongly at times that I had troubles breathing. And even though I couldn't let Sarah know at this point, I still very much loved him. It was really what compelled me to care about all kinds of things, even my grades. Zack made me want to be a better person. He made me want to live up to my real potential and to grow. I really could never imagine loving again. I had given up that much of myself.

Our health class was taken out to a football field to practice stretches, and I didn't feel like participating, so instead I decided to lay down under the bleachers. As the rest of the class moved back to the school room, I just decided not to go with them. They all marched away, and I saw them enter the building in the distance and then I was alone in nature. Even though the sky was blue, I had never realized how ominous it was. The trees seemed to speak silently. I could hear a semi rolling down the road a mile away. I just laid there and thought of transcendence and how it seemed that the older i became, it felt like there were so many worlds in me building from the past, to the present, to all the possible futures, and some worlds that never were or could not ever be. Each year that I grew and grew, it became some kind of juggling act. And now this new self was emerging and i had to be ready to do what i needed to in order to reach that whispering promise of something that always seemed to linger just out of consciousness that i was always longing for, but was never quite sure what it was or what to even cal it.

PART 45 - http://tinyurl.com/y94784tz

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PART 1 - http://tinyurl.com/l8xbvg8

[perspectives-otherwise]

A Skeptic’s Certainty: How is He Certain of His Beliefs?

The first time I witnessed my father cry, he was standing at death’s door.

I have been raised on the bread and butter of a political household. For the many years that I sat in front of the television, forced to flip to the news channel, dear, my father has appeared behind the tempered glass screen more times than I could count as my age today. Not once did he ever waver in his conviction, nor his voice. His chocolate brown eyes held a steadfast – our family would call it hard – look that could shoot an eagle dead; once his eyes became glazed over in that way, all of us knew there could be no persuasion and negotiation entertained.

I inherited this very look from my father. Eyes that, at first glance, are colored a boring dark chocolate brown, but then one notices them to be a clear, soft almond as the light hits my face at the right angle. When defiant, I could bore holes into another’s pair of eyes. Most of the time, my parents were on the receiving end of it. Though I had never actually went out of my way to stand in theirs.

Everyone at school knew me as ‘the kid with a scary but famous dad’. This was, admittedly, an extremely helpful deterrent for those who loved picking on the timid, puny ones along the corridor – not that I was a shrimp, but small nonetheless. Acquaintances greeted me by my family name, but close friends call me Jo. My real name is Jean, but who likes to be named after an item of clothing?

The memory of books crowds my mind whenever I reminisced about childhood. The four walls of my father’s study room were lined with heavy bookshelves made of oak: each lacquered slab of wood that groaned under the weight of hardbound, leather-bound books had handwritten labels stuck on carefully with tape. Most of the spaces on the shelves had been filled even before I was born, but when I turned 7 and read as much as I breathed, my father called me into his room one day and faced me to the shelf closest to the French windows. He looked at me and said:

“This belongs to you now. Fill it with the knowledge you truly wish to have.”

Together, we began removing the books long untouched by human hands, and the air soon became choked with dust.

As a child, I devoured fairy tales and fictional stories. As a middle and high school student, my teachers unearthed and enthusiastically cultivated in me the love of nature and science. This naturally led me on to pursue environmental studies later in university, which also spelt disaster for the relationship between my father and me. In the years leading up to the falling out, however, I relished the joy in collecting books on geography and philosophy, amongst various classic literature novels that only encouraged my idealism and naivety.

~

“Excuse me, Ms. Brooks, I think the textbook is wrong…and I don’t understand this paragraph.”

It was in the middle of my favorite 6th grade lesson when I pointed out an error in our still crisp, plastic-wrapped textbooks.[i] At home, I had read a little about climate change – something about rising sea levels and melting glaciers – that these were the effects of human activities, such as industrialization and carbon emissions. However, the school textbook printed vague, ambiguous statements that eventually led to the conclusion that climate change is natural, and not at all caused by mankind.

Being the nitpicky student that I am, my hand shot up in the air during quiet reading time.

“Nonsense, Jean, the textbook is never wrong! Just follow the arguments and you’ll understand.”

Being the determined individual that I am, I went home and consulted my father on the matter.

“Jean…your teacher is right. Do as she says and you’ll do well in school. Anyway, you should stop reading whatever it is that is getting you all confused. Trust me, it will bring you no good – because they are WRONG. For every day that I am at the office and campaigns, all I hear about is the same damn thing: that climate change is truly happening and that we are the cause of it, blah blah blah. My colleagues and I are up to our eyeballs in work trying to rebuke these claims and keep the higher-ups happy, so the money continues rolling in for us. Please don’t be an additional worry on my mind, girl!”

I left the room in much greater confusion.

~

Politics never used to interest me at all. Since the textbook incident, however, I began paying more attention to environmental campaigns broadcasted on the news and searched the web for old speeches by my father. Amidst the name-calling and dramatic pauses, I realized the shocking mindsets many politicians had towards climate change, and how deeply rooted their beliefs are.

To them, climate change is a lie.

Besides accusing the activists of hurting the economy in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the ‘conservative’ politicians refused to make any further comment or argument by concluding that “I’m not a scientist”, and this statement effectively renders them immune to any scientific discussion or opinion requested.[ii] On the surface level, they claim to have no scientific and thus, expert knowledge on the issue of climate change, but in reality, they simply wish to avoid getting their hands dirty and putting America’s economy on hold. Evidently, they are much more concerned with earning profit than saving the Earth, though they would rather die than admit so.

As an amateur holding a Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, I could still understand and empathize with some of the senior politicians and the general public; the phenomenon of climate change can be bizarre and its technicalities difficult to grasp, such that even the world’s leading experts are still racking their brains over finding a solution.[iii] If even the scientists are uncertain about the whole issue, then perhaps the average individual should be allowed to entertain a little skepticism!

Total skepticism is pushing it a little too far, however. The research I did online was baffling: one in four Americans were completely skeptical of climate change, and they believed that it is a natural process that humans had nothing to do with.[iv] Most of the time, the skeptical politicians had monetary backing from corporations vested in economic interest, such as the fossil fuel and oil industries. With a cap on carbon emissions, these corporations would face much loss in business and thus, revenue; with profit as the ultimate goal, these companies were little inclined to agree to such restrictions.[v]

Following the campaigns sickened me to the stomach, but I continued to do so in order to be updated on the progress of climate change mitigation. Little was achieved.

~

“You have no right as a daughter to lecture me!”

2009. That year, my father and I contested against each other at the 15th Conference of the Parties. At that point in time, I was considered one of the most established experts on the field of environmental science, global warming in particular. To everyone, I was greeted as Dr. Ernie, and my name was well-respected worldwide, but spat on by climate change skeptics.

My father was one of them.

Our relationship had steadily soured ever since I decided to throw his advice out the window and follow my instincts. Rationality kicked in as I dug deeper into the underworld of politics and environmental science, and I forced myself to stay level-headed whenever my father’s face drifted to mind, his threatening voice commanding me to leave the entire matter alone. Counter-intuitively, as I grew knowledgeable of the subject, his inability to understand my most beloved passion only encouraged my inability to understand the inner workings of his mind.

I worked through years with a single motivation: to persuade my father that climate change is, and has been ongoing for decades. Personal scientific reports were painstakingly simplified and rewritten countless times, complicated models reduced to layman diagrams drawn by hand in order to illustrate the very reality of it all.[vi] Every single time I handed him the papers, he tore them up into shreds before chucking them at my feet.

We had just returned home from the conference before I walked out of his house for the last time. He had ripped every single beloved book of mine from the shelves and set them on fire in the backyard.

~

2015.

I was about to leave my home for a jog when the telephone shrilled through my briefcase. A frantic female voice asked for my name, and I answered yes, speaking. It turned out to be my mother.

She told me that my father was dying.

~

“Hi, Dad.”

The house had remained its exact, spotless appearance. The midday sun illuminated his bedroom, washing it down with clean and golden-yellow warmth.

Blanketed and cushioned by stark white, sterile cotton sheets and pillows on his bed, he wheezed heavily and paused often to catch big gulps of air. My father beckoned me feebly nearer to his side.

Some formal exchanges on how are you, what have you been doing, before we lapsed into an awkward contest of staring each other down. Then he spoke.

My father lamented on the years wasted on preserving his own pride and self-image, instead of embracing new knowledge and making up for his lack of education. Something about cognitive dissonance theory, he waved his hand impatiently. To put it simply, denying climate change completely was the easier choice compared to conceding that his commitment in opinion is flawed; with scientific authorities directly challenging his belief system, the unconscious psychological inclination was to react negatively towards the rejected option, or reduce its initial appeal. In this case, my father was faced with the dilemma between altering his entire belief system on climate change to allow the appropriate decisions in mitigation, or to condemn the scientific consensus as a pack of lies and continue his anti-campaigns.[vii] Also, there was growing economic pressure from the corporations to deliver results and ensure that carbon emissions levels are not restricted.

As an uneducated and conservative man, he could only invest faith in human innovation and technological advancements to reduce the effects of climate change, rather than swallow the overwhelming scientific evidence that condemned everything he supported. Naturally, he sought discord with the latter and picked at any uncertainty that the scientists reluctantly revealed; this he did so especially with climate modeling, which are far from accurate and complete in their analysis and prediction of our climate.[viii]

“I’ve watched the world gradually progress into the technological age, a complete makeover that occurred over a few mere decades. There is so much more potential for the future, and I so believed in humans to conquer anything that stood in our way.[ix] Climate change, to many of us, was just another trivial matter that the government and certain goody-two shoes fussed over in order to gain more funding and support from policy makers. We didn’t want to relinquish any monetary control to them…[x]

Your growing passion in environmental science did nothing to persuade me in changing my mind. I had secretly admired your fierce determination in not letting the matter rest, but this old man of yours was never going to admit to his daughter that he is wrong about something he had devoted his life to fighting against. And I wish to apologize for that now.”

Never once did he let go of my right hand – clasped tightly in his icy cold own, I could only interpret this long abandoned gesture as his final way of expressing affection and regret, perhaps mingled with a little pride. There was no hardness this time, only a single tear clinging on desperately to the corner of his right eye.

 Endnotes

[i] See Singer, Merrill. "Anthropology and Climate Change." AnthropologyNews.

[ii] Atkin, Emily. "‘I’m Not A Scientist': A Complete Guide To Politicians Who Plead Ignorance On Climate Change." ThinkProgress RSS. October 3, 2014. Accessed March 8, 2015.

[iii] Dunlap, R. E. "Climate Change Skepticism and Denial: An Introduction." American Behavioral Scientist 56, no. 6 (2013): 691-98. 691.

[iv] Saad, Lydia. "One in Four in U.S. Are Solidly Skeptical of Global Warming." One in Four in U.S. Are Solidly Skeptical of Global Warming. April 22, 2014. Accessed March 8, 2015.

[v] Dunlap. “Climate Change Skepticism and Denial: An Introduction”, 692-694.

[vi] Dunlap. “Climate Change Skepticism and Denial: An Introduction”, 691. Refer also to Atkin, Paragraph 3.

[vii] Gelfert, Axel, “Climate Scepticism, Epistemic Dissonance, and the Ethics of Uncertainty,” Philosophy and Public Issues (New Series), Vol. 3, No. 1 (2013), 167-208, edited by S. Maffettone, G. Pellegrino and M. Bocchiola. 189-194.

[viii] Gelfert. “Climate Scepticism, Epistemic Dissonance, and the Ethics of Uncertainty,” 179-181.

[ix] Gelfert. “Climate Scepticism, Epistemic Dissonance, and the Ethics of Uncertainty,” 183-184.

[x] Dunlap. “Climate Change Skepticism and Denial: An Introduction”, 694.

[fanfic-inator795]

WoY Twoshot: The Dadsome, Part 2

Plot: Awesome actually never held much resentment towards him, in fact he pretty much understood why he left. He also didn’t think he’d ever see the guy again… Funny how the universe sometimes works out.

((Part of the Awesome Arc. Enjoy!

Part 1 of ‘The Dadsome’ here!))

It was about sunset by the time Awesome stepped out of the Skullship’s ‘jaw’ and onto its long tongue. From high above, he could still see a few stragglers left on the beach, wanting to enjoy just a few more minutes on the sand or in the water. 

Most of the tourists and locals however were on the boardwalk, either grabbing some supper or heading home. Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few Watchdogs among the crowd, eager to enjoy their few extra hours of downtime on Baroceon.

Not that he could really blame them though. Going out somewhere was always better than being forced to stay inside a stuffy ship all the time. But before he could go and join them, Awesome made sure to take one last look at himself. Sure, this wasn’t exactly a first impression moment, but his dad had already seen him in one sorta lame outfit that day, Awesome didn’t want him to see him in another one. But thank Grop for Handy and teleportation mail delivery (even if the shipping price was a bit outrageous). 

With his uniform left behind in his room, he was now wearing a tank top with blue and pink paint splatters on it (perfect for a sunny and colorful setting like a beach), bright purple pants and silver fingerless gloves. A gold chain with a smaller yet still shiny and cool charm version of his ‘A’ medallion on it hung around his neck. Finally, he had finished off the outfit with a pair of white heeled sandals. Of course, he had also decided to go with the purple lipstick, just to mix things up a bit, as well as a dark blue eyeshadow.

Smiling in approval of himself, Awesome headed down the tongue and stepped onto the boardwalk. He only had to wait a few minutes or so before he spotted a grey dorsal fin above the heads of the crowd. “Hey!” he shouted, giving a small wave, “Over here!”

“Oh, hey.” The older shark-man quickly maneuvered through the sea of tourists, and gave Awesome a smile once he could fully see him. “There you are, kiddo.” He was still wearing his homemade shark-tooth bracelet and dark grey tank top, though now he was wearing a opened, dark blue jacket over it. His swim shorts had been traded in for a pair of faded brown pants, and on his feet were black sandals. It wasn’t that cool of an outfit but it still looked pretty good - definitely not lame or dorky. 

“Heh, yep, here I am,” Awesome replied coolly, grinning back at him, “So Dad, do you know where our first awesome stop of the night is going to be?”

Makoto nodded. “Sure do,” he said simply before turning to the left and leading the way down another path of the boardwalk - this one being a lot less crowded, but also more thin and not quite as exciting. 

“Huh...” Maybe it was an exclusive place? Shrugging, Awesome followed him, and glanced around at the smaller shops and stalls as they walked. A few of them actually had candles or small lanterns hanging above them, glowing warmly and lighting the way as the sky grew darker. “...Sorta like the lights on the surface back home,” he mumbled.

“Hm?” Makoto glanced back at him, “Your mom actually let you go up to the surface?”

“Well, sometimes.” Like the times when she had no idea he was even visiting the streets and boardwalks of the surface - or, as the island was called in her words at least, the ‘Surface-land Swamp-Pool’. “It’s a really cool place, you know? Definitely a lot different from the towns and cities below it.”

“Yeah, I know,” Makoto nodded, “I visited the island a couple times, and I had a good time. It’s probably changed a lot though, since the last time I saw it.”

Awesome smiled. “Definitely,” he replied, a bit of pride slipping into his voice.

Turning another corner, Awesome could see that they were reaching a dead end, where the stalls were a bit more separated and a couple tables and benches sat at the end of the path. It didn’t really matter though, since his father had stopped walking, and was instead standing at one of the ‘restaurant’s’ front counters. 

“Ey, Mako!” The chef - a man who sorta looked like a starfish but with hair and an extra pair of arms - greeted, “Haven’t seen you in a while!”

“I’ve just been busy,” Makoto shrugged, giving a small smirk as he sat down on one of the bar stools near the counter, “Just a couple of the usual along with whatever he-” He gestured towards Awesome, who still hadn’t taken a seat and was instead just sort of staring at the two of them, as well as the stall. Honestly, the place looked so old, how the grop was it still standing? “-get him whatever he wants too. And, maybe we could add the friends discount onto that bill~?” He asked as he flashed a charming smile at him.

The starfish chef rolled his eyes. “You’re lucky you’re my best customer, Mako, otherwise I would tossed you out on your tail fin before you could even think the word ‘discount’!” Despite the harsh words though, Makoto just laughed it off, with the chef soon joining him. However, once the chuckles died down, all eyes were on Awesome. “So kid, what are you havin’?”

“Oh, uh-” He looked up again, but couldn’t see any real sign or menu anywhere, “I guess I’ll have whatever he’s having?” He couldn’t do better than a local recommendation, right? “Oh, and Blue Smawaii. Haven’t had one of those in a while.”

“Sorry kid, can’t make a Blue Smawaii,” the chef replied bluntly as he got to work, opening up the cooler behind the counter, “Only bottled drinks here. But, I can still get ya the two grilled shrimp kebabs.”

“Oh... Well, that’s cool,” Awesome said, trying not to look too disappointed. Instead, he gave a small smile as he sat down. “Heh, guess I’m gonna get to try one of those awesome kebabs that one of the guys who was stationed here told us all about.”

“Oh no, that place is always packed,” Makoto told him, giving a dismissive wave, “If we try to go now, there’s no way we’d get in. Besides, the kebabs here have the same taste for a cheaper price. Even for not having any fingers, Reg still knows how to make a good grilled shrimp.”

The younger shark-man’s smile faltered, but he didn’t say anything as the two silently watched Reg wash the shrimp before beginning to stick them onto the skewers. 

“...So, why don’t you tell me some more about the stuff you’ve been up to,” he heard his father say after a few moments, “We still have some stuff to catch up on, right?”

Awesome glanced over at him, his smile slowly returning. “...Heh, yeah, totes.” So, he started telling him about some of the sweet parties he’d thrown, the various victories he’d had, some of the people he had met, and he even told him about some of the things he had done as a kid like becoming the star of his dance class and eventually developing his own style. And, as an added bonus, since his dad didn’t know about them in the first place, he wasn’t forced to mention any of his failures or any incidents involving her. Definitely a great added bonus.

There weren’t too many questions or even much excitement from Makoto’s side of the conversation, but there wasn’t any signs of boredom or disapproving glares (things he was more than used to getting from his other parent) either, so Awesome took it as a good sign that he was enjoying the conversation. And honestly... Awesome was too, even if it wasn’t anything too exciting or cool. It was still admittedly just sort of... well, nice!

Although, there was one instance of disapproval from his father, and it was right after Awesome had finished sharing the story about a certain party...

“Wait-” Makoto quickly swallowed his bite of shrimp, “So, ou destroyed her whole house? And you didn’t tell her about it until after she came home?”

“Yeahhhh...” Holding back his laughter, Awesome just gave a sheepish smile, “I mean, I didn’t know the party would get THAT crazy! ...Well, okay I did but I didn’t think it’d be that big of a deal! I mean, like, it was at her summer off-planet home, so she still had her winter off-planet home that she could crash at!”

“Still, I can kinda see why she would be pretty pissed at you for that one,” Makoto lightly argued, not exactly looking too pleased about the incident either. Awesome however just rolled his eyes. Sure, maybe he did feel a bit awkward about some of his other destructive parties when he thought back on them, given that lots of planets in their Galaxy were destroyed not too long ago... But this party? He didn’t feel too bad about it at all. 

Thankfully, Makoto didn’t intend to scold him too much on the matter. “Trust me, I know she’s not the easiest person to deal with,” he said as he turned away slightly, “But Odie’s not the worst. Difficult to please, but not the worst.”

“If you say so,” his son mumbled, pausing for a moment before quickly finishing off the rest of his kebab. 

Soon enough, their meal was finished, the bill was paid, and the two shark-men were back on their way. The sky was darker now, with a few stars managing to twinkle bright enough to be seen. The boardwalk was a lot emptier too, but thankfully this was just one part of the planet. 

“Huh,” Awesome started to say casually, putting his arms behind his head, “This place practically looks deserted. Guess everyone’s just out doing their own thing at clubs or bars or whatever.”

“Guess so,” Makoto shrugged before glancing over at him, “So, anything else you’ve got to tell me?”

While it was kind of nice to know that he really was interested, Awesome shook his head. “Nah, not really. But hey, I’m sure you’ve got TONS of stuff to tell me. Your own rad stories, cool people that you’ve met over the years, maybe even some awesome places that you’ve been to here on Baroceon? Heck, I bet there’s plenty of fun things to do here!”

Makoto paused, and after a moment, he smirked slightly. “Yeah, I guess there are some pretty fun things to do here, and some guys I know that are pretty cool. Think you’d be up for it, kiddo?”

“You know it~!” Awesome replied, practically shouting his answer.

“Heh, alright.” With that, Makoto continued, once again leading the way while his son excitedly followed, grinning the whole way. 

()()()()()()()()()()

Needless to say, where they ended up going wasn’t exactly the place Awesome expected. 

After fifteen minutes of walking, the two had traveled from the boardwalk, to a street, to a small neighborhood that sat on a small hill, giving a somewhat decent view of the ocean. 

“Most of the other guys should be here, since it’s a Friday,” Makoto said as he knocked on the wood of the sliding door. A muffled voice answered, and he slid the door open. Almost immediately, he was met with several greetings. “Hey Mako!” “Wow, you’re actually here this week? Thought maybe you forgot about us.” “Or maybe he just wants to get his pockets emptied.”

“Heh, you wish, Brock,” Makoto smirked, making his way inside. Of course Awesome followed him, and was glad to see that the living room of this house looked at least a little bit bigger and newer than the house looked on the outside. Still, there wasn’t much to it. Just a few dudes sitting around a table, a bowl of chips, and some playing cards. There wasn’t even a radio there to play background music. 

If there was any consolation though, at least the guys there looked kinda cool, along with looking just as chill as his dad. “So who’s the kid?” one guy - a green alien with three eyes and a shell on his back - asked.

“Guys, this is Hersch-” “Awesome.” “Ah, right. This is Awesome, my son. He’s here visiting for the night, and I just figured we could both have a pretty fun time here.” Not having any problem with that, most of the guys scooted over to make room while the three-eyed man went to go get a couple more chairs. 

In return for their welcome, Awesome just gave them a small smile and a ‘S’up?’. “Heh, I can see the resemblance between you two,” another man - one with eyestalks and tentacle arms - commented.

The man next to him however - a dark grey guy with small, black spikes along his back and limbs - didn’t look nearly as impressed as he looked up and down at Awesome’s outfit. “Kawarini musume o tsurete kita no wa tashikadesu ka?“ he muttered. 

Unfortunately for him, it was just loud enough for Makoto to hear it, and in one swift movement, he had hooked his hand under the guy’s arm (making sure to avoid the spikes). He then lifted him up, high enough so that he could see Makoto’s very unamused look. The guy cringed, wincing at the pain. “H-Hey, come on, Mako! It was just a joke!”

“Yeah well, how about we keep these ‘jokes’ to a minimum, alright Mori?” Makoto told him before promptly dropping him back in his seat. Awesome couldn’t help but give a small smirk at the incident, though it quickly fell once he saw the cheap looking chairs that he and his dad would be sitting in. 

However, when he saw that Makoto had no problem with them, Awesome swallowed his complaints and sat down next to him. “You guys up for a drink?” Brock asked. 

The younger shark-man grinned. “Tc’ch, always, bro!”

The others chuckled a bit at that. They could still remember when drinking was fun and exciting for them, even if it was a long time ago. “Pick your favorite, kid,” the man with the tentacles said as her reached under the table and pulled out the various bottles they had to choose from. Once again, Awesome was met with total disappointment.

Cheap beer. Nothing but cheap, generic, barely worth drinking and totally lame beer. Grop, they didn’t even have Thunderblazz! Who didn’t have Thunderblazz?! Still, he was a bit thirsty, so he just picked the best of the worst and forced himself to take a small sip, holding back a grimace. What he wouldn’t give for a margarita or a pina colada or, heck, even just a few jello shots right now...

Once he had finished collecting all the playing cards (as well as a bit of cash from everyone except Awesome, who was allowed to have a ‘freebie round’ since it was his first game), Brock began passing them out to everyone, allowing both the game and any remaining conversations to continue.

Awesome tried to listen and add to their conversation, he really did! Because hey, maybe these guys were just taking a break, and before long they’d break out the good stuff and do things that were actually fun to do on a Friday night. There was still a chance of that, right?

...Well, after several minutes passed, it definitely didn’t look too likely. And, once the conversation shifted from just sharing what had happened to you recently to discussing the prices of fishing nets and boardwalk food, Awesome completely tuned out...

()()()()()()()()()()()()

“A pretty good last game, huh?” Makoto asked as he walked out of the house about twenty five credits richer. Nothing too big - their pots and the amounts they put in them each round, never were - but it was still something.

Awesome, who was in the middle of yawning, quickly replied, “Uh, yeah, totally. Heh, didn’t know you were such a card shark...”

“Eh, I think I was just lucky tonight,” Makoto shrugged, still smiling a bit, “But I’ll admit, I still know how to play my cards right. You know, once I actually have the right cards in my hand.”

The sky was already starting to lighten up, with Baroceon’s nights being a couple hours shorter than most thanks to its placement within its system. The sky was sorta cloudy however, so any sunlight that was starting to appear was mixed with plenty of shadows and shade. The air was cool, and Awesome could hear a few gulls chirping in the distance (far in the distance, thankfully). Despite his night turning out to be completely and utterly boring, he could admit that this moment at least was pretty peaceful.

After a moment or two however, the mood was ruined a bit when he picked up on the scent of smoke, his snout scrunching up a bit in response. Glancing over, he quickly found the source of the smoke, and couldn’t help but stare at it. “...You smoke?”

“Hm?” Makoto met his gaze as he blew out another smoke cloud, “Yeah. ...Is that ‘not cool’ or-?”

“Oh, no it’s cool. I mean, I’ve got nothin’ against it,” he replied, though he still had a bit of a confused expression, “It’s just - I don’t really remember you smoking before. ...But, I guess I was only a couple years old at the time and, like, we were living underwater so-”

“Yeah...” He sighed, “It’s not something I do too often but, hey, it makes a pretty good substitute for the heavier stuff.” 

The heavier stuff... If he had been surprised by his dad smoking, he really should have been even more surprised by that. However, all Awesome could focus on instead was the second set of implications behind those words: That his father actually did live the exciting, partying, wild life he’d always imagined he did, at least at one point. 

...So, what had happened to it? 

Finishing off his cigarette, Makoto gave another sigh and tossed it onto the old, wooden boards. Awesome made sure to step on it, crushing it as he walked forward. A bit of sunlight landed the side of his face, warming it for just a moment before disappearing, blocked by another purple tinted cloud. 

“So, you have a good time tonight, kiddo?” he asked as they turned a corner. The Skullship was still floating above the boardwalk, mouth opened despite it still being an hour and a half before Awesome’s set returned time. 

“Uh, yeah. It was... alright,” the younger shark-man answered, barely able to force a smile. For a moment, he wondered if his father would even notice.

But, whether it was considered a good thing or a bad thing, Makoto did notice. “Just alright?” he asked as he glanced back at his son, “Well, did you actually have a good time or not?”

“Yeah, sure,” Awesome shrugged, his eyes now on his feet, “I mean, it was, like, a pretty good time. So, yeah.”

Makoto stopped. Turning around, he crossed his arms and gave his son a flat look. “You don’t have to worry about hurting my feelings, you know. So come on, what’s wrong? What didn’t you like about it?”

“...” The younger shark-man sighed, forcing himself to look up at his father. “Okay, like... it wasn’t a terrible night or anything! I can promise that I legit enjoyed some parts of it. But, like... I guess I was just, you know, expecting more?”

“...And why’s that?” Makoto asked, more out of curiosity than accusation.  

“Why not?” Awesome retorted, “Like, I just figured that when you started talking about great places and hanging out, I thought you were talking about going to clubs and partying and doing stuff that’s actually cool and fun! Because honestly, why wouldn’t you want to spend your life doing that? That’s the stuff that’s worth doing, and that would actually be worth leaving for so that you could do it all, not just-!”

He stopped, his voice dying in his throat as his body froze. Grop... did he really just say that? His dad was staring at him, his eyes widened slightly. As the few seconds of silence passed, the air was so tense that not even a crashing asteroid could tear their eyes away from each other.

“I... I didn’t mean it like that!” Awesome said quickly, “I swear I didn’t! I mean- I totally understand why you left! I totally get it, and I’m not mad at you for it or anything! Cause, like, who wouldn’t want to live their life partying?! That’s WAY better than just being stuck on your boring home planet with lame losers your whole life! I can’t blame you for wanting something cooler! And I mean, flarp, that’s pretty much the other reason I left home too! Not just to make the kingdom bigger, but so I could have the freedom to live an awesome and epic party-life! It’s what I did before, and it’s what I’m going to do again once I’m done with my training!”

He paused, taking a moment to give his dad a small smile. “So, like, don’t think that I’m mad at you or hate you or anything, okay? We’re still cool, right?”

Unfortunately, his son’s words did nothing to reassure him. In fact, Makoto just looked more upset now. “...What?” Awesome asked, not understanding, “I said-”

“I know what you said,” Makoto replied as he finally turned away. Awesome’s frowned deepened as he clenched his fists.

“...I’m sorry,” he said simply, his words still sounding small even if they were genuine.

“You... You shouldn’t be the one apologizing.” Makoto still wasn’t looking at him. Really, it almost seemed like he wasn’t looking at anything. He was just staring into space as his thoughts raced, though one thought rose above them all: If there was any moment where he had to actually be a dad, this was it. “Hey, Awesome...”

“...Yeah?” his son asked cautiously. 

“You want to know why I live such a simple life? Why I live such a ‘boring’ life?” he asked as he looked up - his face almost looking like it had aged another decade in just a few seconds. “Well, it’s ‘cause I learned something that’s pretty important: You’re never as cool as you think you are.”

“...” Awesome could feel his heart start to feel like it was sinking, but as much as part of him wanted to just completely ignore this, another part couldn’t help but listen as his father continued talking.

“You’re never as cool as you think you are... Even if you feel like you’re on top of the Galaxy, there’s always people cooler than you. Better than you, happier than you. So you try to feel better than them. Do stupid grop, force people to stay by you, do whatever you can just to feel the excitement and the high and the applause and the freedom. But it’s never enough... And before you know it, you’re stuck in your spotlight all alone and trapped while everyone else has moved on...”

“I, I don’t-” Awesome tried to say, his body shaking slightly, but he felt too stunned by all of this to try and argue. 

“It’s just the facts of life, unfortunately,” Makoto told him, glancing up for just a moment, “It doesn’t matter what we try to be, or even what we do. If we don’t eventually stop, we end up dooming ourselves. Make more mistakes, more regrets, until we’re at a completely dead end.” 

Awesome winced as flashes of his attempted come-back party, and even all the mistakes before it, were brought to the front of his mind. He clenched his eyes for a moment, trying to push them back. Those failures didn’t matter, he just had to forget about them and just be even more awesome to make up for them!

As if he could tell that this was what Awesome was doing, he older shark-man then looked his son straight in the eye, once again getting his complete attention. “And as long as you keep living this life - the cool, epic, awesome life that you want to get back to? - you’re just going to keep hitting that same dead end,” he finished simply.

“...” Even if his chest was still heavy, Awesome managed to glare at his dad, growling under his breath as he shook even harder. “Are... Are you serious...? Are you serious right now?! You’re calling what I love to do, what I am, a MISTAKE?! I mean, really?! Seriously, what gives YOU the flarping right to just throw shade on the way I live?! To call me a failure just because you made some mistakes?! I’m-!” 

Almost immediately, he was silenced when Makoto stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder, gripping it firmly and steadying Awesome’s shaking just a little. Another ray of sunshine passed over them like a small wave, lasting for only a few seconds before the shadows of the clouds pushed it along. 

“...I know we still don’t exactly know each other that well, and... I’m sorry about that,” Makoto said quietly, “But... I don’t want to see you end up in that spotlight alone, chasing something that you’ll never reach and that’s just gonna leave you behind in the end. ...But there is another option, you know.”

“...A-And, what’s that?” Awesome asked as he tried to keep his voice steady.

“You can keep partying, and keep enjoying yourself. But... When people start to leave, and you know it’s slowing down, don’t try to stop it. Don’t try to force them to stay, or force it to continue, or wait for new people to join you. Instead, just leave with everyone else. Don’t let them leave you behind, and don’t choose to stay behind. Just let the party end.”

“...” Once again, Awesome found that he couldn’t say anything. He had things he could say but, at that moment, he just had no words. Makoto kept his grip on his shoulder, the two standing there side-by-side, feeling like they were the only two on the planet. But finally, Awesome did manage to say one word: “...Okay...”

It was hard to know what he really meant by that. ‘Okay, I’m going to follow your advice’ or ‘Okay, I heard you’. Honestly, Makoto wasn’t even sure that Awesome knew himself. Still, he accepted it, giving his son a small nod. “...I’ve made plenty of mistakes since I left home. Plenty of regrets, too,” he told him, tightening his grip just a little, “But, for what it’s worth... I don’t regret running into you again.”

Awesome said nothing. No agreeing, no arguing... but he didn’t try to pull away either. 

The minutes seemed to pass like ages as they continued to stand there, words and thoughts and even memories continuing to echo around them. Eventually though, Makoto glanced up at the sky. He gave a small hum. “Looks like it’s gonna rain a bit today... I guess I should probably get back to my stall, just to set things up.”

“...Yeah...” Awesome replied, his eyes locked on the floorboards below. Slowly, he felt his father’s hand loosen, staying just long enough to give him a small pat or two on the shoulder before disappearing. 

“...Hey.” The younger shark-man managed to look up. Makoto was already looking at him, managing a small smile, even if he did look pretty unsure. Still, he continued. “So, if you need to talk or anything... I don’t really mind if you decide to call me. Alright?” 

It took a moment, but Awesome did actually nod back at him. “Alright... Later kiddo.” 

“Yeah, later...” Makoto turned around and walked away, sticking his hands in his pockets as he kept his head forward. After a couple seconds, Awesome turned around as well, heading down the short rest of the way towards the Skullship. ...It wasn’t until he reached the tongue that he realized he had never even asked his father for his phone number. Still, he made no effort to try and catch up with him, and instead just sat down.

He didn’t really keep track of how long he sat there, but he knew it had to at least be 5:30 when he heard two pairs of footsteps walk down the tongue behind him. “...Uhh, Awesome?” Hater asked, “You know the ship’s open, right?”

“Yeah, Hater. I know.”

“...Then, why are you just sitting out here?” he asked as both he and his commander raised an eyebrow at him. When he didn’t answer, Hater asked another question. “...Did your dad turn out to be a huge jerk or something?”

Awesome thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Nah...”

“Well, did he not show up at all?” Peepers asked, trying his hardest not too sound too accusing. 

Awesome however still managed to give a small scowl at the implications, just for a moment. “No, he still showed up, and we spent the whole night together.”

There was a pause. Even more curious now, Hater and Peepers stepped of the tongue and moved to in front of the shark. “Then... What did happen?” Peepers asked, actually looking a bit concerned.

Awesome gave a small sigh, wrapping his arms tighter around him. “...Let’s just say that my old man just finished laying down some harsh truths for me and... I’m just trying to process it, alright?” Closing his eyes, he moved his hand up to rub his eye, not caring about ruining the make-up. 

“...I’m probably gonna stay out here a bit longer,” he told them, “Just, like... Give me five minutes or so. Or, I mean, if you guys gotta leave now, I can just catch up with you later or whatever...” 

The two looked at him for a moment before looking at each other. Not really sure what else to do, they simply moved out of the way and back onto the tongue and up to the jaw. Not too long after this, Awesome felt a raindrop or two land on his snout. The sun was fairly high now, providing a bit more light, but there were still plenty of thick clouds. “Guess he was right about the rain,” he mumbled, using the back of his fingerless glove to wipe the water away, only for three more drops to land on his face. 

With no point to it, he put his hand back down and continued to sit. A couple more drops landed on the top of his head. A raindrop or two here, a few more there, and then- ...Nothing. 

Blinking, Awesome glanced up, and saw the rim of a light red parasol hanging above him, easily blocking the drops. 

He felt Hater sit down next to him, offering an only-slightly awkward pat on the arm while Peepers stood at the former emperor’s other side, still managing to stretch and hold the parasol high above Awesome’s head. “...You’ve got ten minutes,” the commander told him. 

“...Yeah,” he nodded, briefly glancing over at each of them before facing forward once more, “Got it.” Maybe he wouldn’t exactly start to feel great after ten minutes, but it would be enough. 

And so, that’s what the three of them did. They just sat together, staying silent and staying close as they watched the rain lightly fall. 

THE END

((For those wondering what that one guy’s ‘joke’ was, he said “Are you sure you didn’t bring your daughter instead?”. Yeahhh, you can see why Makoto didn’t exactly appreciate that comment. 

Anyway, thanks for reading! Ever since I started writing the Awesome Arc, I knew that I wanted to write a story about Awesome running into his dad, and I also knew that it’d probably be one of the more interesting Awesome Arc stories to write. So, I really hope you all enjoyed it! ^v^))