#trying to ring parents about their kids not progressing on reports

[dontwanderoff]

oh toilet cry, i have not missed you

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Suzanne Moore

Published: Apr 9, 2024

The alarm bells have been ringing for some time, but now the entire narrative around adolescent gender dysphoria is breaking apart

I remember as a teenager reading about a strange disorder called anorexia. I had never heard of it – and then I noticed one of my best friends cleaning her teeth several times a day and exercising manically. And it wasn’t just her that was acting weirdly. Several girls I knew were clearly suffering. Then came bulimia, which turned the school loos into sad places in which certain girls spent worrying amounts of time.

Then, as a mother of daughters, I remember reading about an epidemic of cutting among teenagers. Surely this highly unusual behaviour was not rampant? Well, the internet told me it was and an NHS psychiatrist informed me about self-harm circles in certain schools. 

These thoughts occur because I am trying to understand how we started talking of “trans children” and thought this was somehow some kind of “progress”. This, after all, is a new phenomenon. In 2010, for instance, with the Equality Act, which made gender reassignment a protected characteristic, the intention was surely to avoid discrimination against adult transsexuals. This is a laudable aim, but no one was talking about children then. The phrase “gender dysphoria” was not bandied about. It was rare to come across a child who had such severe gender issues they needed specialist services. Indeed, in that year, only 75 children were referred to Gids (the NHS’s Gender Identity Development Service, based at the Tavistock Centre in north-west London). By 2021 it was 5,000.

Now we are in a situation where celebrities wear T-shirts saying Protect Trans Kids and where schools, even primary schools, are colluding with the idea that children are whatever they say they are, that their bodies are somehow wrong and that they can change their names without parental consent.

The alarm bells have been ringing for some time about Gids. What was most alarming was this sudden spike in girls presenting with gender dysphoria and the increasing evidence of the harms of puberty blockers.

When Dr Hilary Cass was commissioned to report on standards of care within the NHS, it was as if finally an adult had stepped into the room. She and her team have looked at the evidence and practices that had recently evolved the affirmative model (designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity) and found much wanting. She also signalled the high levels of comorbidities with gender dysphoria. A high proportion of these girls who did not want to be girls were autistic. Many had troubled childhoods or had been in care. Many were gay. All of this resulted in the unravelling of Gids and a ban on puberty blockers.

In the full report, which is due to be published this week, Cass is not only concerned with medical intervention (puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, surgery) but is also expected to come out against “social transition”. Though this is not something that happens within the health service, it is, she says, an “active intervention because it may have significant effects on the child or young person in terms of psychological functioning. There are different views on the benefits versus the harms of early social transition… it is not a neutral act and better information is needed about outcomes.”

Some believe that socially transitioning kids will lock them into a gender identity and medical pathway that is detrimental. Cass emphasises that gender expression is indeed fluid and changeable for adolescents and that many may take till their mid-20s to settle. In other words, leave these kids alone.

Indeed, faced with this huge increase in kids saying they are trans, many schools have acquiesced. Yet teachers are not clinicians, nor are they there to diagnose children. Do they understand what they are doing? The entire narrative around trans children has been imported from America, but it is breaking apart.

Those who want to see themselves as compassionate and modern have embraced some seriously dodgy ideas. The evidence against puberty blockers, which were sold as “a pause” and reversible, mounts up. The Mayo Clinic has suggested that these drugs can lead to cancer. There is a court case coming up in Italy, and many predict that once the dam breaks, many who have been prescribed these drugs will sue their doctors. 

This has all been allowed to happen because children have been lied to. They are told they can change sex; they are told that puberty will be awful; they are told they will feel suicidal. Anyone who challenges this has been deemed a pariah. So we end up with newly qualified English teachers now deciding that they are doing the right thing by keeping a child’s fantasy identity secret from their parents.

Many are terrified of this issue and go along with what they must know to be dubious. We have yet to see where the Labour Party will go on this, because it too quakes in front of its own activists. Yet any serious person must address the issues around safeguarding. The gender dysphoric child must be protected, of course, but so must the other kids in the class who have a right to single-sex changing rooms.

Now is the time to step back and ask ourselves how we got here. The trans child is a manifestation of a recent story that the culture has told itself. This is a story of social contagion combined with the genuine distress of mostly young girls.

Children cannot be blamed for acting out, but the adults who have encouraged this, while patting themselves on the back for their progressive views, still need to be challenged. Cass is but the start. 

[usergreenpixel]

Frev prompts, Part 4! 🎉

21. The protagonist is a high school student with a knack for drawing comics but they’re also the favorite target of the bullies at school.

One day the bullying gets so bad that the protagonist is unable to cope with reality anymore and, as a means of escapism, writes themselves into their new comic about their favorite topic - The French Revolution. With their favorite pen they had inherited from their writer grandfather, no less.

However, what was supposed to be a harmless little self-insert quickly becomes a reality when the protagonist is magically transported into their comic book and now has to navigate their own story and finish it in order to return to the real world, as well as figure out the mysterious powers of the magical pen.

22. Despite the fact that the days when the Bastille used to be packed with prisoners are gone, a handful were still trapped inside its gloomy walls by the time the infamous prison was taken.

The protagonist is one of the few prisoners who are sentenced to imprisonment inside the Bastille until they and the rest of the prisoners are set free by the revolutionaries.

For the first time in a long while, the protagonist is free but not all is sunshine and butterflies because the revolution is only beginning to escalate and the protagonist has long forgotten how to function in the society outside the prison.

With no other options, the protagonist decides to try and rebuild their life from square one, all while the events of the revolution are unfolding in the city of Paris.

23. Two friends, the protagonists, were raised together by a noble family as adopted wards and used to be close as children, but drifted apart when one of the two went abroad to get a good education.

Nevertheless, the childhood friends find themselves reunited by a pure coincidence during a meeting in the Jacobin Club, which both of them joined mere days ago.

All seems well, until it becomes apparent that the protagonists don’t exactly see eye to eye when it comes to politics in France nor the methods of solving the multiple issues plaguing the country.

This new rift between the protagonists only widens as the revolution progresses and the Jacobin Club gets split into groups on the basis of shared political beliefs.

Will the two protagonists be able to restore the friendship they used to have or will their new differences prove that maybe friendship isn’t always as almighty as people say?

24. The protagonist is acutely aware of the multiple injustices of the French society but they are not too eager to change things personally, hoping that maybe the government will find a way to fix things.

The protagonist, meanwhile, would rather focus on keeping their small family business (a bookshop) afloat and renting out an apartment in the house to make ends meet.

Soon, however, the protagonist ends up getting roped into the events of the revolution regardless when they accidentally overhear their new tenant discuss his plans in a hushed tone with a few other people.

The protagonist has all the evidence that they had unwittingly rented out an apartment to a revolutionary and now they have the evidence to turn that rebellious youth from Blérancourt in along with his buddies.

At first, the best course of action seems fairly obvious. Just report them to the authorities and be done with it.

However, perhaps these youths are more than just stupid kids playing at freedom fighting and maybe they can actually help the country.

When faced with the dilemma of either ratting the young rebels out or joining their cause, the protagonist makes a choice that ends up changing their entire life.

25. The year is 1811. Located near Saint-Petersburg, The Imperial Lyceum is a place where boys from noble families of The Russian Empire live and study. Perhaps the most famous Lyceum of all, it was home to plenty of those who would become prominent in Russian society of the time.

This is where the protagonist, one David de Boudry, teaches French to these boys.

Monsieur de Boudry knows that most of his students are blissfully unaware of a certain secret of his and likes it that way. It is best if they don’t know that he happens to be a younger brother to Jean-Paul Marat himself but changed his last name to avoid the associations.

Keeping this particular tidbit of his biography secret used to be fairly easy, until his older brother, Jean-Paul Marat, appeared in David’s life again on a snowy and frosty January day.

Marat is inexplicably alive, but he is also half-frozen and extremely disheveled when he shows up, not to mention the fact that he arrives with his wife and a very young child in tow. They all need a place to hide from the authorities, and fast.

Being a loving brother, David de Boudry hides his family and is now determined to keep them safe for not even a new name can sever family ties.

But, having made this difficult choice, will Monsieur de Boudry be able to reconcile his love for his family and the devotion to his adoptive home country? And will Marat be able to keep his loved ones and himself safe from the agents of police who lurk nearby and are quite hellbent on proving that the man they are pursuing is indeed the infamous Jacobin?

26. The protagonist is a sophomore who became a member of a Drama Club during their freshman year of high school and they are quite happy to finally have a friend group where they belong. Here nobody judges them for their stutter, their crossdressing and their fear of dogs.The protagonist is even allowed to play roles that would be normally reserved for the opposite gender just so they have an excuse to crossdress.

The upcoming play about the French Revolution is no exception and the protagonist is quite overjoyed but also frustrated that something just doesn’t ring true whenever they read their lines. Frustrated, they sneak into a time machine built by their parents and transport themselves to Paris of 1794.

They soon see that the city is in chaos and rumors about a traitor who had supposedly escaped the guillotine and went on the run with his family spread like wildfire. Moreover, the protagonist soon finds themselves in a bit of a pickle because of their name and physical appearance.

Even a man whom the protagonist saves from a mob advises them not to reveal their name and to lay low as soon as the protagonist introduces themselves. The protagonist is naturally confused but they do want to stay alive and free.

In order to survive, the protagonist decides to do what actors do best - improvise. It’s not easy, of course, but the protagonist tries to stay optimistic.

They hope that they will make it. They know they will. Giving up is not an option. After all, a Desmoulins never gives up. Right?

27. The French Revolution is not an easy period in history. It should be fairly obvious why.

The country is drowning in chaos and the future is uncertain, no matter how hard The Committee of Public Safety tries to maintain at least some semblance of order.

Meanwhile, in the heart of Paris, lives our protagonist whose main concern was not the revolution, but rather the fact that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep their inn’s doors open.

And then, one day, the unthinkable happens. A guest is found murdered in their room. Naturally, all the other guests are now suspects, and so is the staff. A diverse bunch of people with their own agendas, secrets and ties to the victim has gathered in the inn.

Sensing that something isn’t right, the protagonist decides to become an amateur sleuth and get to the bottom of the situation.

A “whodunnit” murder mystery is about to take place in the inn and the protagonist is determined to solve it.

28. A few years passed after the betrayal of the Thermidorians. The Revolution is destroyed and all of the enemies of the new government are dead… Except for one.

The protagonist is a patient in a mental hospital on the outskirts of Paris. Here the treatment of the patients is becoming more and more humane than it used to be before. That being said, the living conditions still leave a lot to be desired. Moreover, the protagonist feels isolated and lonely due to their personal issues and the trauma that caused them to become basically imprisoned in the facility.

Luckily, the loneliness disappears when the protagonist secretly manages to befriend another patient, a mysterious young man who is kept in isolation from the rest of the people at the facility, is forced to wear a mask to hide his face and is treated far worse than the others.

Horrified by the extent of the abuse that their new friend has to endure, the protagonist teams up with him to escape to Avignon, where the protagonist’s relatives live.

Little do they know, their new friend and partner in crime is an outlaw and a Montagnard, the last of them all, so when the two finally escape the police quickly catch wind of the situation.

Can the duo get to Avignon and avoid recapture? Will this unlikely friendship help them heal from their respective trauma? And will the revolutionary’s plan to avenge his executed friends be successful?

29. (Crossover with Greek mythology) When Adrestia, a minor Greek goddess, is banished to Earth from Mount Olympus for causing too much trouble, she assumes a human disguise and travels to France of 1789, where great changes are just around the corner.

Finally finding herself in her own element once again, Adrestia (whose human name is Adrienne) decides that she has no right to miss all the fun and joins the forces of the revolution. She is a goddess of revolt and a daughter of Ares, after all.

One would think that having a goddess on your side will make fighting easier, but things are not that simple and the other gods don’t exactly take kindly to troublemakers who go against authority.

Nevertheless, Adrestia is more than willing to try and help her new allies to win in their fight for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

30. When the protagonists first meet up in real life, they’re ecstatic. After a few years of chatting on the Internet, the two French Revolution enthusiasts have finally met each other face to face and now they decide to set an old plan of theirs in motion.

The duo wants to perform a time travel spell invented by their witch ancestors and change the way the French Revolution ended. The spell is successfully cast, but in the process the warlocks run out of magic and are now forced to wait in the past until they are strong enough to cast the spell again to return home.

But hey, at least while they’re waiting they can do what they always wanted to do - prevent the Thermidorian Reaction, and they are going to try to do just that, even though preventing a coup d’état is far from easy, especially for two college kids from the future.

31. It’s 1815. Joseph Fouché is the Minister of Police but his days in office are numbered and he knows it.

What’s more, rumors spread about the incompetence of the police as nobody can catch the culprit behind a new string of murders. Fouché hopes that cracking the case would restore his reputation, but something isn’t right about these murders.

So far, every single victim was a participant of the Thermidorian Reaction and it simply cannot be a mere coincidence. This pattern makes Fouché fear for his life and his reputation, as in addition to the murders the sins that he and his allies had pinned on their enemies begin to resurface.

Fearing that he is next and that his own crimes are about to be exposed as well, Fouché becomes obsessed with catching this mysterious vigilante. He even has a prime suspect in mind, but he can neither track him down nor prove that it was him.

Meanwhile, the time Fouché has to rehabilitate the police force is running out. Soon he too might face the music at long last, as well as learn exactly why sparing one of your enemies while killing the rest is considered to be a classic mistake.

Will the vigilante get to Fouché? How much time does the Minister of Police actually have left before karma knocks on his door? And why does the youngest police inspector in history, who is Fouché’s beloved protégé, turn against his mentor?

32. When the protagonist decided to sneak into the Catacombs of Paris for “shits and giggles” with their buddies, the last thing they expected was a sudden time travel to a closet in an apartment of a prominent revolutionary, whose skull the protagonist was holding in their hands seconds ago.

Naturally, the protagonist gets caught by the housekeeper and promptly accused of breaking and entering at best, and an assasination attempt at worst. It doesn’t help that the protagonist has strange pills and a baseball bat on their person.

But when they’re about to get prosecuted, the inhabitant of that same apartment suddenly speaks up on their behalf and defends the protagonist, claiming that it was a mere misunderstanding. Later, that same revolutionary visits the protagonist, reveals that he knows about the existence of time travel and promises to help, as long as the protagonist goes along with his plan.

Despite suspecting that the revolutionary has an ulterior motive, the protagonist does want answers so they agree to play along...at least for a while.

33. After the Revolutionary War in America, the protagonist follows his friend and mentor, Marquis de Lafayette, to Paris as he is the only family the hero has at this point.

At first, when the French Revolution rolls around, the hero still stays by his mentor’s side, never questioning his opinions and decisions and admiring him as a hero.

But after the September Massacres reveal Lafayette’s...less heroic side the hero is utterly broken and disappointed that he trusted the wrong person yet again. This revelation prompts the hero to switch sides and become a double agent, working with the Jacobins while pretending that he is still loyal to Lafayette.

Is this the correct choice to make or will the hero’s naïveté and a simple desire to belong betray him once again?

34. Maximilien Robespierre finds himself in a difficult situation. Somehow, everyone who crosses his path keeps going missing, only to turn up brutally murdered.

Moreover, Robespierre keeps receiving notes with rather...stalkerish messages written by the culprit. The stress and the crippling paranoia are slowly taking a toll on his frail body and he collapses altogether after finding out that Camille Desmoulins and Antoine de Saint-Just got attacked as well.

Fortunately, Saint-Just and Desmoulins manage to survive the ordeal and decide that enough is enough. After a long recovery, the two men decide to set aside their differences and track down the mysterious stalker before other people close to Robespierre get hurt.

Who knows, perhaps this buddy cop-esque adventure will even help Saint-Just and Desmoulins resolve their rivalry once and for all, now that a mutual friend of theirs needs both of them.

35. An immigrant enrolls into a high school in the country where they live now, a country located on the other side of the planet, miles away from their homeland.

Isolated from the rest of the students, shunned for their Eastern European accent (feel free to pick the specific country) and their Socialist beliefs, the protagonist has very few friends and even they are imaginary - three French revolutionaries whom the protagonist admires the most.

However, things change when a classmate bonds with the protagonist over their fascination with the French Revolution and the two decide to team up and write a novel about their favorite topic, all while the three imaginary friends, who may or may not be something more than a simple product of imagination, are guiding these kids on their quest to rehabilitate the legacy of the revolution.

P. S. The Fouché tag has been graciously lent to me by @frevandrest , the tag’s inventor. This needs to become an official tag imo.

[fadedseas]

lessons.

nick amaro x fem!reader

summary: you get held hostage during a confrontation with a serial rapist - feelings ensue

tw: guns, violence, mentions of rape, cursing

(gif not mine but good lord, that expression...)

you knew there was an intrinsic reason you hated school. you knew it was a mistake to ever return to a classroom again. you knew this notion was affirmed as a serial rapist pressed his gun deeper into your skull so hard that you could feel the metal ring of the barrel.

there was something about the stuffiness of a classroom, the monotonous drone of an underpaid and overworked public school teacher (or that of an overpaid and underworked tenured professor) and the unrelenting stiffness of academia that made your skin crawl and your muscles twitch. it was probably why you had tried to get out as soon as possible. college as a scholarship kid with the four years passing quickly in a blur of all-nighters, coffee hangovers and then sweet relief during graduation. you had signed up for the police academy before the ink on your degree was even dry. and now you’re here. 

“now let’s just stay calm,” you closed your eyes at nick’s voice, trying to allow the deep tenor of his voice permeate your bones and calm your trembling. you hadn’t allowed yourself to make eye contact with him ever since the perp had grabbed you right when you had walked in. 

“i know you don’t want to do this.” nick moved slow, his muscles deceptively relaxed under his white button down as he moved slowly towards you and the professor. 

it was supposed to be a cut and dry case. a student from hudson university had walked into a squad room on a wednesday morning reporting a rape, her arms around her middle as if she were holding herself together. you and nick had pounded the pavement, interviewing classmates, boyfriends, administration officials that seemed less than pleased to have the nypd scaring off prospective students and donors. and one name kept appearing time and time again. professor daniel hershaw. english literature. tenured for the past fifteen years. 

“you really think it might be him? he’s the image of a family man. mentor. i mean the guy makes model planes for godssake - he’s a walking cliche.” you mused 

“one thing you learn on this job - most of the time, we’re not pulling rapists off the street. they hunt where they’re trusted.” nick said as he handed you a coffee from the coffee cart with his lips curved into a sad smile. your heart jumped as your fingers brushed. and oh. yes. that was another thing that was happening.

liv had assigned you and nick as partners given that you were the newest recruit and he was one of the senior members of the team. it was late nights, terrible coffee, greasy chinese food and floods of case notes that turned stagnant work chatter into deeper, more revealing conversations. you learned about his tendency to dance to the cuban music station on the radio (”we can work on your moves rookie”), his secret love for musicals, his divorce that had ended a year ago with an aggressive custody battle and long negotiations for weekends and holidays with his daughter, zara. you had learned more about his family, about zara’s obsession with anything disney, about his mother and her fretting, about his father and his tendency to communicate with his fists that made nick’s rage swell whenever your team handled a case involving women with black eyes and voices weak from sobs. 

and he learned of you. of your love for terrible reality tv shows and home cooking blogs that made you way too optimistic of your own cooking skills (”damn rookie, you burned water? i’ll have to teach you how to cook some ropa vieja someday - we’ll work up to it”); of your nightmares about each victim you’ve seen from your years in homicide and how their last expressions have been etched into your memory; of your parents and their incessant pushing for college and their disappointment when you joined the force. 

and you learned about the strong curve of his arms as he held you in his arms the first time you had shot and killed a perp who was raising a gun at you. the smell of his cologne and old spice filling your lungs as you tried to steady your breath. the flutter of his lips against your ear as he whispered that it was going to be ok. you learned about the roughness of his voice when he called you, late at night after drinking away his sorrows of his previous marriage at the bar and you learned about how he nursed his his hangovers the subsequent day when you curled up with him on his couch, not quite touching, after you had come over the night before to make sure he had gotten home safe and didn’t choke on his own vomit. you learned about the unfamiliar pressure of your chest as you realized that somehow, somewhere down the line of cold morning rides around the city, warm coffee, inside jokes, and progressively lingering stares across the squad room - you were in love. 

and now you were learning about his hostage negotiation skills.

it was a mistake to have spoken to the professor’s wife before you arrived at the classroom. she seemed entirely too calm about the matter, methodically pouring you and nick tea as she answered your question in short, snipped sentences. you made sure to note the gun cabinet as you left through the front door. you didn’t note the cell phone in her hand as she closed the door behind you. 

“stay back or i swear i’ll shoot her.” professor hershaw’s hand trembled as he kept pressing the metal into your head. 

“ok! ok! i’m staying back.” nick stopped his progress towards you. you could see the slight shake of his legs from the tension. 

“put your weapon down!” the professor barks behind you. 

 nick lifts his hands and your breath caught in your throat as he slowly kneels places his gun on the floor. he wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest. you hadn’t expected a confrontation like this. he was completely open and exposed to a man with a gun.

since you had worked closely with the dead prior to this position, you had often thought about how you would die. you knew it was possible you could die in the line of duty. hundreds did every day. but you didn’t think it would be here. in front of nick. in front of the man you’ve been in love with for the past year. you didn’t think it would be before he taught you how to dance or cook or whether he would ever fix the radiator in his car. before you ever felt his lips against your and whether that would feel as slow and passionate as you had often fantasized it would. before you even had the chance to tell him how you felt. so many plot lines unfulfilled. so many questions left unanswered. but at the moment, all you could think about was how you wanted to look into his eyes once more before you died.

“you’re a good man. you got kids - good ones. i’ve met them -” nick’s tone was placating, slow.

“don’t talk about my children!” the professor jerked his gun, knocking your head a bit to the side, “i know they’re good. i raised them. better than the whores that walk through these halls. in these classrooms.”

“yea. yea i understand professor. it’s unfair - all of them just get to walk around like they own the place. like there’s no consequences for them -”

“exactly,” you could feel his spittle on the back of your head, “i showed them the lesson they deserved.” 

nick’s eyes moved from the perp to meet yours. and a shudder of warmth flowed through you as you saw fear, anger, determination - and something else that as more than you could process at the moment. but you did catch his slight nod. “that’s right. you punished them. rightfully so. because - it’s like you wrote about right? ‘Vengeance comes from the individual and punishment from God.’“

"you - you read victor hugo?” the professor stuttered, his arm slacked slightly in shock and there it was. you immediately ripped yourself from his arms as he staggered back in surprise. you dived for the floor as you heard the professor’s shout echo on the walls of the lecture hall and a gunshot. and then silence. 

you scrambled up, drawing your weapon quickly, your heart in your chest, terrified at what you might see. 

“call a bus!” you felt your entire body relax as you saw nick towering over the professor with his gun drawn and a bullet wound in the professor’s shoulder. 

later, much later, after you had been subject to medical exams by ems (albeit quite reluctantly) with nick hovering behind the paramedic’s shoulder like an unfriendly poltergeist that radiated anxiety, after liv had ordered you to take a few days, after you had returned to the squad room to fill out some paperwork in nick’s car as the both of you sat in heavy silence with too many things left unsaid between you two. you finally had a moment alone with your partner. 

most of the team had left with liv retiring to her office to have a quick call with the babysitter and say goodnight to noah. fin had clapped you on the shoulder and amanda had stopped by with coffee and an offer to let her know if you needed anything before she left to take care of the kids. the night shift had transferred in and you were finishing up the last words of the report when you sensed a presence and looked up. nick was standing by your desk, his lips in a firm line and brow furrowed. 

“can we talk?” he gestured towards the bunks. your heart flipped as you nodded, scribbling your signature onto the paperwork and shutting the file.

nick closed the door behind you. and you waited until the silence between you became unbearable.

“thank you for everything today nick. i mean - you saved my life. i could have died today and -”

“i know.” his voice seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet room. nick paced the floor, his hands gripping at his thick, dark hair. “i know you could’ve died. and i can’t stop seeing it. there’s just - i can’t describe how i felt watching him touch you. seeing how afraid you were. and how f**king helpless i was when all i wanted to do was just take your place - and when i finally got him away from you - i just wanted to -” he collapsed on a bunk and covered his eyes with his palms. 

you moved towards him, placing your hands on his shoulders, feeling the crisp fabric of his shirt crinkle under the heat of your hands. 

“you just wanted to what?”

nick lifted his head to meet your gaze, “you know you’re my partner. and there’s nothing i wouldn’t do to protect you. you’ve been there through everything this past year and i kept telling myself that i didn’t deserve everything you’ve been doing for me - didn’t deserve you.”  

you inhaled sharply, “nick - “

“i love you. there, i said it. and that was all i could think about today. losing someone else in my life that i love.” he sighed, rubbing his hand across his face, “i’ve been in love with you since that christmas party when you walked in with discount boy george - “

“kevin,” you automatically corrected the name of your old friend from college that you had brought as a date. 

“and you were just so beautiful. and i know that i don’t deserve you. but i just couldn’t stop wanting you. hoping for you. and it’s so selfish -”

he never got to finish his sentence. because by that point you had fully processed his words. you framed his face in your hands, bent down and pressed your lips against his. 

and suddenly all you could think, feel or taste was nick and his mouth moving against yours - warm, firm, steady - just like him. you were pushed back as nick got up from the bunk, his hands gripping your waist. you separated for a moment, drawing back to look into his eyes. beautiful brown. just like you never thought you would ever see again. 

and then nick pushed his body against yours, pressing you against the wall of the bunk room, his lips sweeping the corners of your mouth before exploring down your neck. 

“f**k - i thought i was going to lose you.” he growled, puncturing each word with a kiss and a nip at your neck. you gasped, your fingers diving deep into his hair. 

“never - you’ll never lose me nick. i never want to be apart from you.” 

nick dragged his face up to your, pulling you into a ferocious kiss, dominating you as his tongue swept through your mouth. his hands, large and seemingly burning, explored your back, and you shivered his his fingers played with the hem of your shirt. 

“everything about you,” his lips were everywhere, your hair, forehead, cheeks, “i cannot lose - do you understand me mi alma.” he closed his eyes, muttering in spanish as he held you close.  

you nodded, feeling intoxicated in his presence, his smell, the feeling of his body against yours. your hands gripped his shirt pulling him to you, anchoring yourself in the storm of his affection, “i got you. i love you too nick. i’m ok. i’m going to be ok.” you repeated the last sentence as nick’s body slowly went lax. 

he pressed his forehead to yours, and your breath caught at the vulnerability in his expression. “i know you’re going to be ok. it’ll just take a while before i get the image of you held at gunpoint out of my head every second of the day.” 

you smiled, pressing your hand against his cheek, “then i’ll be right beside you. reminding you that i’m right here.” his lips twitched as he grasped one of your hands from his chest, sweeping kisses across his knuckles.

“i know quierida.” 

you both stood in silence for a moment, basking in the presence of each other and the feelings you had just released. your heart felt lighter than it had in a very long time, and the butterflies in your stomach settled as nick’s body heat calmed you. 

“i’m tired, and i want to go home. come with me?” your request was bold but you trusted nick more than anyone to keep you safe. and you weren��t looking forward to the nightmares you knew would be resurfacing.

“i wouldn’t be anywhere else.” nick pressed kisses across your hairline. 

you both exited the bunks, and tried to suppress the red that bloomed across your faces. liv was exiting her office with her coat on and her bag slung on her shoulder. she raised an eyebrow as you both approached her.

“well i expect not you see you here for a few days,” she reiterated to you, “good night guys - try not to stay too late.” she turned and then paused, “and i expect the paperwork about your relationship on my desk by the time you get back from leave.” without another word, olivia exited to the elevators.

“oh god.” you placed your head in your hands, unable to stop the burning in your face and neck. nick strolled over to your desk, chuckling. 

“well she’s captain for a reason. you really can’t get anything past liv.” 

you rolled your eyes, “great, more paperwork to do then.” 

nick smiled as he swooped down for another quick kiss when no one was watching, “it’s all for a good cause. c’mon, let’s grab your bag and go. it’s late.” 

you laughed and nodded. grabbing your coat off the back of your chair and putting it on. as you and nick walked out of the station, hand-in-hand, a thought occurred to you - 

“when did you read victor hugo?”

[tcm]

The Golden Boy, John Garfield By Susan King

Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire was Marlon Brando’s signature role. It made the then 23-year-old Brando an overnight Broadway sensation in 1947, and he electrified movie audiences and earned his first Oscar nomination for the classic 1951 film version. But he wasn’t the first choice to play Blanche’s earthy brother-in-law. Producer Irene Selznick had her eyes on Hollywood star John Garfield, who frequently took time out from movies to return to the Great White Way for limited runs.

In fact, writer John Lahr reported in 2014 that on July 19, 1947, Selznick drew up a contract for the 34-year-old actor, “one of the few sexy Hollywood stars with a proletarian pedigree. The Selznick office leaked the big news to the press. The contract was never signed. On August 18 the deal with Garfield collapsed.”

One of the reasons bandied about was that Garfield turned down the role because the contract would have kept him away from Hollywood for too long. Though Brando is considered the performer who ushered in the more naturalistic style of acting (known as “the Method”) both on stage and in film, truth be told it was Garfield who was the catalyst for Brando, as well as Montgomery Clift, Paul Newman, James Dean and Steve McQueen.

Just look at Garfield’s first feature film, FOUR DAUGHTERS (’38). Directed by Michael Curtiz, the cast includes Lane sisters Lola, Rosemary and Priscilla, in addition to Gale Page as the four musically inclined daughters of a widower music professor (Claude Rains). Enter handsome boy-next-door Jeffrey Lynn as a budding composer named Felix who endears himself with all the daughters, especially peppy Ann (Priscilla Lane).

The household is put in an uproar with the arrival of Garfield’s Mickey Borden, the original rebel anti-hero. Unkempt, slovenly and possessing a massive chip on his shoulder, Mickey is an orchestrator who has arrived at the house to work with Felix. You can’t keep your eyes off him especially in this early monologue where he explains his anger to Ann:

“They’ve been at me now nearly a quarter of a century. No let-up. First, they said, ‘Let him do without parents. He’ll get along.’ Then they decided, ‘He doesn’t need education. That’s for sissies.’ Then right at the beginning, they tossed a coin, ‘Heads he’s poor, tail’s he’s rich.’ So, they tossed a coin…with two heads. Then for the finale, they got together on talent. ‘Sure, they said, let him have talent. Not enough to let him do anything on this own, anything good or great Just enough to let him help people. It’s all he deserves.’”

There was a sexuality and eroticism to Garfield’s performance that was 180 degrees different from Lynn’s durable and safe leading man. He was so natural; it was almost like someone found Garfield walking down the street in the Bronx and asked him to star in the movie. “He was the prototypical Depression rebellion youth,” actor Norman Lloyd told me about Garfield for the L.A. Times in 2003. They first met in 1937 and worked together on Garfield’s final film HE RAN ALL THE WAY (’51).

“He combined all of these elements of darkness and rebelliousness with the charm and the poignancy and he became the prototypical actor of that time. He never changed as a person. He remained just as a wonderful guy. He was a man of great charm, a good fellow, very likable.”

There was a lot of Mickey in Garfield, who was born Jacob Julius Garfinkle in 1913 on the Lower East Side of New York to poor Russian immigrants. Julie, as he was called, had a rough and tumble upbringing. His mother died when he was seven. “He hated his father,” his daughter Julie Garfield noted in 2003. “His father was awful to him. He was torn away from his brother.” In fact, Garfield once said that if he hadn’t become an actor, he would have been “Public Enemy No. 1.”

Unlike Mickey, the fates and destiny were looking after him. First, it was educator Angelo Patri, who became a surrogate dad to Julie at P.S. 45, a high school for troubled students. With Patri’s encouragement, he joined the debate team where he discovered he had a gift for acting. That was further nurtured when he received a scholarship to Maria Ouspenskaya’s acting school. He was all of 18 when he made his Broadway debut in 1932 in Lost Boy and became the youngest member of the progressive and influential Group Theatre, appearing in Clifford Odets’ early masterpieces Waiting for Lefty and Awake and Sing. 

Odets wrote the play Golden Boy for Garfield in 1937, but director Harold Clurman decided to give the lead role of boxer Joe Bonaparte to Luther Adler and cast Garfield in a minor role. His unhappiness with Clurman’s decision pushed Garfield into signing a contract with Warner Bros. And FOUR DAUGHTERS made him an overnight sensation. He earned a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, but lost to Walter Brennan who picked up his second Academy Award in that category for Kentucky (‘38).

The following year, Garfield, Rains, the Lane siblings, Page and Curtiz reunited for DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS, in which the actors played different characters from the prior film. It was probably the best film Garfield made that year. But Warner Brothers put him in a lot of movies that were unworthy of his talent including BLACKWELL’S ISLAND (’39) where he was typecast as a gangster. He made some good movies in 1941, including THE SEA WOLF, which also starred Edward G. Robinson and Ida Lupino and reunited him with Curtiz, and also Anatole Litvak’s atmospheric noir OUT OF THE FOG also with Lupino.

Because he suffered heart damage from scarlet fever, Garfield couldn’t serve during World War II. But he entertained the troops on USO tours and opened the famous Hollywood Canteen with Bette Davis so the troops could be entertained and be served by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Both Davis and Garfield appeared as themselves in the hit 1944 film HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN. Garfield also fought the global conflict on screen, giving one of his strongest and grittiest performances in PRIDE OF THE MARINES (’45), a poignant drama based on the life Al Schmid who was blinded by a grenade during the Battle of Guadalcanal. He returns home to his wife (Eleanor Powell) a bitter, doubting man who has a difficult time trying to deal with his new life.

The year 1946 saw the release of two of Garfield’s most enjoyable films HUMORESQUE and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. HUMORESQUE was his last film under his Warner Bros. contract. It’s a delicious melodramatic wallow with Garfield playing a poor New York kid who becomes a famous concert violinist. Joan Crawford, coming off her Oscar-winning triumph in Mildred Pierce (’45), plays a wealthy patroness who sets her sights on Garfield. Garfield went to MGM for POSTMAN, which was based on James M. Cain’s best-selling thriller. Garfield turns up the heat with Lana Turner as illicit lovers who brutally murder her husband only to turn on each other when they are caught.

The actor teamed up with Bob Roberts to form an independent production company, Enterprise Productions, and their first feature was the boxing classic BODY AND SOUL (’47), for which he earned his second Oscar nomination as Charley Davis, a boxer who loses his way when he gets involved with an unscrupulous promoter. Not only does he have a strong chemistry with leading lady Lilli Palmer, but also African American actor Canada Lee as Ben, a boxer with brain damage. And Garfield gets to utter one of his greatest lines in BODY AND SOUL: “What are you going to do? Kill me? Everybody dies.”

Though his next Enterprise production wasn’t a hit, FORCE OF EVIL (’48), co-written and directed by Abraham Polonsky, is a terrific film noir with a hard-hitting Garfield as a corrupt attorney trying to save his numbers-racket brother (Thomas Gomez) from his gangster boss. Garfield returned to Warner Bros. and Curtiz in 1950 for THE BREAKING POINT, which was based on Hemingway’s 1937 novel, To Have and Have Not. It’s an outstanding film noir with a superb performance from Garfield as well as from Black actor Juano Hernandez who plays his partner on the fishing boat.

THE BREAKING POINT was Garfield’s penultimate film and was not a hit because The Blacklist was engulfing Hollywood and the actor, despite the fact he wasn’t a Communist. His film career was over in 1951 when he refused to cooperate with HUAC at his hearing. Before his death of a heart attack in 1952 at the age of 39, Garfield did appear in a short-lived Broadway revival of Golden Boy, which also starred Lee J. Cobb, a young Jack Klugman and Joseph Wiseman.

Though she was only 6 ½ when he died, Julie Garfield recalls seeing her father on stage in Golden Boy where he introduced her during the curtain call. “When he smiled at you it was like being in the sun,” she noted. “He was funny and sometimes he would like to dance and kick up his legs. I remember him adoring me. He used to take me to the merry-go-round a lot in New York. He was so strong, so handsome and he loved to kid me. He would give me this mischievous smile. I wish I remembered more about him…”

[markleesthighs]

Can you make another jaemin x BOY reader? Since he looks so good and badboyish with his new raven black hair, can you make one where jaemin is the only son of a mafia leader who gambles, drag races, and other reckless underground stuff and the boy reader is a pure, fragile, and perfect ballet dancer and honor student, an only son of an ambassador. Like a dangerous boy meets a delicate boy or like romeo and juliet? Thankieeeeeee!🖤🤍

-aw this is so cute this concept... *chefs kiss*

Forbidden Moonlight

You attend one of the most prestigious art schools in the country. Everyone there had to go through rigorous testing, students needed to be academically and artistically smart and creative. You and your peers were the top 5% of the country where you’d all grow to be famous artists after you graduate. But there was one student who you were confused about was Na Jaemin. Apparently he got into school because of his amazing graffiti art and gambling skills. You got into the school from your amazing ballet performance and you being at the top of your class with perfect grades. You were the only son of an ambassador so your family had high expectations for you. Specifically, they support you for dancing but they push hard for your academics. Every grade you receive you have to report to your parents so they can keep track of your progress. You arrive to dance classes early, always volunteer for every club or in class, and keep up the best grades in the grade.

You were perfect as people say, and you got asked out by several guys in your class but you always kindly reject them simply telling them you don’t have time for a relationship. Jaemin on the flip side was just as popular as you, getting confessions from guys and girls but he also rejected them always saying his catchphrase, “you couldn’t keep up with me.” Rumors spread that he was a mafia leader and already had a spouse and kids but you didn’t know what to believe. Your parents would have scolded you for being distracted by silly things. Yet you still found yourself intrigued by him, he was everything you weren’t, a troublemaker, laid back, and competes in drag races instead of doing any work. You always wondered how he stayed in your school, despite his work ethic.

One night you went out to pick up a study snack from a local restaurant with a sweet old lady who would always give you extra of whatever food she sold. When you walked home you were staring at your phone, listening to music when you accidentally bumped into someone.

“Oh, I’m so sorry...”

You looked up to see a man at least a foot taller than you and had a huge build, he could definitely crush you would his fingers if he could.

“HEY watch where you’re going twerp!”

“I’m really sorry, I’ll just go-“

“Oh no you’re not! You need to learn your lesson!”

He grabbed you by the collar and brought you aside to the alley where he pinned you agains the grimy brick.

“You’re going to regret bumping into me-“

“Let him go...he’s worth a lot to this city.” A voice called.

“Boss??”

“Jaemin??”

“How do you know the boss??”

“That’s none of your concern, Sebastion, now go back to work.”

“Come with me y/n, you’re coming.”

“Wh- I gotta go back-“

Before you can say anything you were suddenly on his motorbike riding to his mansion. You got off his bike and were fathomed by his luxurious lifestyle, you expected him to live in a messy apartment for some reason. You walked in as you were greeted by a bunch of maids taking off your jacket and giving you heated slippers and a face towel. You kindly thanked them as Jaemin plopped down on his couch. You shyly walked over to join him.

“Here’s the deal, y/n, you’re dad owes me something of mine, and I need to keep you here as leverage got it?”

“Are you seriously expecting me to the calm about this? Jaemin this is crazy, my mind is circling...”

“Well...” He moved closer. “There’s no chance of me letting you go...willingly at least.”

Your face heated up smelling his light cigarette breath.

“But I assure you that you will be treated like a king here since you are my guest, so you might as well get comfortable.”

Jaemin got up and grabbed your hand giving you a tour, from olympic sized pools, bowling alley to shooting ranges and torture rooms. The tour ended at the bedroom, Jaemin’s bedroom.

“You’re going to be sleeping in my bedroom, since I don’t trust the other guys in the house if you’re alone in the room, all of them are horn dogs. I’ll leave you alone to refresh yourself.” Jaemin left and closed the door.

You were freaking out having a meltdown in the bedroom pacing back and forth. You decided a shower would calm you down, you undressed and stepped in the shower. You smelled the musk of Jaemin, it was warm and comforting, the complete opposite of his appearance. You dried and realized there were not pajamas for you. So you threw on one of Jaemin’s shirts and sweatpants. You opened the bedroom door to let Jaemin know you were done.

Jaemin turned and saw you, barefaced, raw, and he thought you looked breathtaking. It was a different look, and he liked what he was seeing. He went to shower and when he walked out he saw you staring at the night sky while sitting on the bed. He admired you looking at the moonlight the bright moon gleaming against your skin, the light shining though your irises and the reflection of the moon in your eyes. He snapped out of it and asked you if you were going to bed. You quietly nodded and tucked yourself in facing away from Jaemin. You didn’t know what to think, you were speechless about the situation.

Jaemin sighed and joined you in bed but he couldn’t fall asleep. He just keep watching you, making sure you were asleep and sleeping well. Despite the plush and lavish sheets you were shivering, from the cold room and a bit of anxiety. You didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow, your father is the type to send a whole army after you, you didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Jaemin snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Cold?”

“Y-yeah a bit, but I’m fine.”

You felt a warm embrace, Jaemin’s wrapped his arms around you tucking his head into your neck. It was comforting, warm, and nurturing. Your shivering calm down and you felt yourself drift off to sleep. While you were asleep Jaemin kissed you temple

“Goodnight, y/n.”

You woke up to some giggles by the maids cleaning up Jaemin’s room. Your vision was blurry but you noticed you were facing Jaemin as he was holding you in a warm embrace. You stared at Jaemin for a minute, his face was calm and serene, and his hair was a little messy. You smiled playing with his hair as he groaned in pleasure. A maid came in a rang a bell as Jaemin woke up confused.

“Master Jaemin, it’s time for school.”

He got up and sighed as he collapsed back into bed. You tried to get out of bed but Jaemin kept trying to pull you back in.

“Get up sleepyhead, you gotta show me your closet.”

Jaemin lazily got up and opened his finger print locked closet. It opened up to dozens of racks and shelves of designer clothing. Jaemin walked over to two bags one from YSL and one from Fendi.

“I asked one of the maids to pick an outfit from you I didn’t know which one you liked so you can pick one.” You peeked in each box and chose the one from YSL, putting it on in the dressing room and you walked out to see Jaemin shirtless. You apologized but he told you to stay and brought you closer. Your eyes traced his body.

“Take a picture it will last longer baby.”

You blushed hard and looked away. Why did he make butterflies appear in your stomach? He put on the rest of his outfit and sprayed his cologne and you were still looking away from him. Jaemin grabbed your chin and pecked your cheek.

“You have a beautiful face don’t hide hide it from me.”

You pecked his lips

“Well if you didn’t make me so flustered I think I’d look at you more often.”

That made Jaemin’s eyes go wide in shock.

“Don’t test me now baby, or will I have to show you how to play nice?”

You rolled your eyes as you walked passed him. He chased after you as you both ate a light breakfast and walked outside together holding hands. He gave you a helmet and he held your hand and made you wrap your arms around his waist. You arrived to school with a bunch of eyes all over you two. You were averting gazes but Jaemin held your hand as you both walked. You smiled at him as you walked together. You got gazes of jealousy and shock. You walked into class and Jaemin held you close squeezing your hand in reassurance.

“Would Mr. y/n l/n please come down the the front office please.”

You looked at Jaemin in confusion but he let you go alone to the office. You walked in and saw your father and mother standing there next to the principal. They led you into the principals office.

“y/n as you know you went missing last night according to your parents, once we were notified that you arrived on campus we contacted your parents. If you don’t mind, would you mind explaining to your parents where you went?”

“Did they drug you? Did they harm you?” Sobbed your mother

“Were you threatened? Do you know how worried we were how reckless are you?!” scolded your father.

“Well, I was with Na Jaemin, he helped me that night after I was being harassed. Is there anything you need to explain to me, dad, regarding Na Jaemin? Does that name ring a bell?”

The principal stepped out by simply saying that he won’t be involved or eavesdrop on family affairs and he shut the door.

“y/n, the Na family is the most powerful mafia family in the country right now, I have to meet and do deals with them to maintain the safety of this country. Last night I made an offer to Jaemin, and he accepted it saying he would return you to school the next morning.”

“How’d you know where I was?”

“I received intel from a mafia member who saw you with Jaemin.”

“What did you offer Jaemin?”

“That’s none of your concern, from now on I want you to stop affiliating yourself with him, he’s too dangerous for you. I forbid you from seeing him off campus, y/n.”

“WH-“

“As your father and guardian, I need to do what’s best to protect you and keep you on a clear track. No more boys no more mafia business.”

You felt as if you were going to cry, how were you going to tell Jaemin? What is he going to do? What if him and you father go to war? You couldn’t have that you’d have to choose. So who will you choose?

part 2

[mithrilhearts]

Spill all the juicy details about the dad squad scene in Dragonhearted.

Dragonhearted - Chapter 8 Dad squad scene, you got it! (Bungo, Bard & Thranduil)

- First time doing commentary on anything ever. Enjoy my rambling because I have no idea what I'm doing.

Commentary & scene under the cut

Bard pushed his way through the doors of the Prancing Pony, noticing just how quiet it was. The entire pub had been cleared and there in the middle of it all sat one regal-looking Elvenking. With Thranduil came a few other elves, and Bungo was already present as he sat quietly fidgeting at a table by himself.

“My lord Thranduil,” Bard greeted carefully. “I appreciate your patience while our guest here recovered from his cold.” Giving Bungo a small wave, Bard just took the opportunity to stand before the seated elf with a goblet of wine in his hand.

“I do not take threats against my kingdom lightly, but your request was hardly difficult to appease.” Thranduil tapped his fingers against the table at his side, the small clattering of rings barely grazing wood sounding like hammers in such a quiet pub. “Tell me of this dragon.” Thranduil looked so calm and cool that it was hard to get a read on the elf. He sat tall and proud and didn’t seem to show a single ounce of concern, but remained serious in tone. Any good king would take the threat of a dragon seriously.

I had a vague idea of how I wanted to introduce Thranduil into the story. I knew that he was going to be something of a key player when it comes to the conclusion of our story - no, he's not Gaston, and neither is Bard! Though let me tell you, Luke Evans was a DREAM for the live action. Anyway!

Thranduil was going to be more dismissive, I think in my original plan. Which, I don't plan a whole lot (which has changed a little bit over time), but I also have something of a backstory as to his interest in the dragon threat - which we will come to later in the story. I wanted to stick true to his character as being this regal and calm creature, a leader willing to listen to the concerns of others as it would impact his people. I know some people give Thranduil a lot of hate or depict him as a dick, but hey, not in here. Not TODAY.

Bungo burst from his seat and moved to stand before Thranduil, just in front of Bard. “To the north of your forests, sir! There lays a lonely mountain, and within is a beast! A hideous dragon with sharp teeth and claws and scales-”

“Bungo,” Bard interrupted, reaching forward and landing a hand on the hobbit’s shoulder to try and calm him. “Take it easy, Thranduil is here to listen, you need not rush. Just tell him exactly what you remember.” And hopefully, that sickness that had been plaguing Bungo didn’t muddle everything between reality and falsehoods.

One thick eyebrow arched slightly, bright blue eyes drifting between Bungo and Bard as Thranduil shifted in his seat. “I do hope you aren’t implying I am not aware of what lies at the borders of my realm,” Only slightly offended in tone, Thranduil eyed the halfling carefully while taking another sip from his goblet. “There hasn’t been a dragon in these parts for decades, Master Hobbit. I’m afraid you are mistaken-”

“He has my son! I am not mistaken, and if you, sitting there on your high horse, can't be arsed to look into it...I…” Bungo’s bold tone dropped, almost settling into something of a whimper. “Bilbo is all I have...please, you have to help me save him. The dragon is real.” Belladonna would have just marched upon that mountain herself and dragged that dragon out by the tail to fish out Bilbo safely. Bungo was not that brave, he wasn’t a Took, but he would do everything in his power to ensure he got the help he needed to save his only son.

Thranduil pondered this for a moment, eyes flashing between Bard and a few of the other elves who had accompanied him. He had a soft spot in that heart of his and considering he too only had one son in his life, a heartstring had been plucked by this hobbit. “Legolas, Captain,” A younger blond elf that resembled Thranduil stepped forward, alongside a redheaded elven woman clad in green. “Take a few of the scouts and head to the northern borders of Mirkwood. Report back on everything you see, but should danger be in your path, do not engage. If there is indeed the threat of a dragon, I will not have you face it alone.”

Oh, Bungo. Poor sweet Bungo. I remember when I first started this story that I was going to have Belladonna be the surviving parent, but then I figured the story would end as soon as it started. Can you imagine? If Belladonna had been the one to try and take a coin and Thorin got snarly with her, she'd just tear him in half. I knew I wanted a "softer" parent, less adventurous. Plus, I don't think we see a lot of Bungo in fics! Or so I've been told. He's been fantastic for me.

His pleas to Thranduil and Bard trying to ease him are just...ugh. All three of them in this room are single dads, they know the importance of their kids and care for them deeply in their own way. Bungo being desperate to start raising his voice to the Elvenking??? I have to think that that's the turning point in Thranduil's mind. Whether the accusation of a dragon is real or not, to ease the nerves of a panicked parent, how could Thranduil turn away?

This also gave me a great excuse to introduce Legolas and Tauriel, by the way! Will we see more of them?? Perhaps.

“My lord?” Bungo squeaked in disbelief.

The Elvenking was off his seat, the goblet out of his hand as he faced Legolas and Tauriel, stern in expression but not overly emotionless. He wasn’t made of stone, after all. “Do have care.” Raising a hand to his chest and clenching it into a loose fist, Thranduil bowed his head slightly, getting the same gesture in return from the two younger elves who had accompanied him. That was their dismissal, and despite how ridiculous this all sounded, it wasn’t as if Legolas or Tauriel would waste much of their energy in simply stalking the northern borders.

“Have patience, Master Hobbit. My son is quick on his feet. If there is a threat, we will know in due time.”

Bungo and Bard both looked a tad perplexed, but the hobbit fell into some grateful mumblings before grabbing a seat, leaving Bard a moment to pull Thranduil aside.

“Are you simply humoring him?” Bard asked lowly. It wasn’t his place to question Thranduil, but this wasn’t his first time dealing with the Elvenking either. “What if there is a threat-”

“Darkness looms in every corner, we deal with the shadows as they pose problems. I don’t see there being a dragon hiding up north all this time unbeknownst to me. However, if I can ease some of the halfling’s worries…” Thranduil trailed and Bard kept his mouth shut. It seemed there was a silent understanding within the room.

Thranduil only had his son, Bard only had his three kids, and to put Bungo’s worries at ease for his only child? The common theme was that any parent would do whatever they could for their child.

“Let’s hope your son comes back with good news,” Bard muttered, a sigh escaping his lips as he felt a large dose of uncertainty well up in the pit of his stomach.

Something bad was coming and he could feel it in his very bones.

Okay, we know how the story of Beauty and the Beast goes, so OBVIOUSLY, someone's gonna have some nervous feelings about this dragon talk of Bungo's as being real, right? Who better than the Dragonslayer himself? While he might not outright believe it all one hundred percent, he is more inclined to believe in Bungo than he is to humor him.

This is also the segment where, yeah, dad squad. All single dads just trying to make their way in the world. I've already made commentary to Monica (the requestor!) that I imagine Bungo has further interactions with these fellas even after the story is over. Dads gotta stick together, right?

This scene turned out a lot nicer than I had envisioned. I had originally planned for like, a straight up dismissal, not for Thranduil to even humor Bungo, but I feel this adds a little bit more something to the story as things progress - and it brings out a kindness in Thranduil, and puts all three of them on the same level. No one is more superior or inferior than the other at this moment. I love it. #DadSquad

[trashcankitty12]

Prince Sky Headcanons

He’s Prince Charming. The Golden Boy. The Hero we all need.

(I’m trying so hard to not be sarcastic dudes...)

Meet Prince Sky Grant of Eraklyon, The Future King. (Probably. We’ll see.)

(All of these are headcanons based on my main fics... But if you like them, by all means, borrow them. He’s so bland.)

-Prince Sky doesn’t exactly have a… Typical princely story. At least, not with how he came to be born. (There was no sweet prince fell in love with a princess story. His parents were arranged to be married… And found a little late that there was something they couldn’t do as rulers…)

-So they hatched a plan with Samara’s willing older sister… A secret surrogacy. (Sky is Erendor’s son… Just not Samara’s. Well, not biologically anyway.)

-But to keep up appearances and to keep others from finding out, Samara faked being pregnant so that no one would no any differently. (Even with his blonde locks, she could just say he inherited it from his grandmother… Which wouldn’t be a complete lie. Her mother was a blonde.)

-Sky grew up pretty sheltered, not allowed to leave the castle grounds until he was enrolled into Eraklyon’s Preparatory School. (Alongside Diaspro and her older brother.)

-He had a few other ‘chosen’ playmates, mainly children of nobility and his older cousin Thoren. But the only friend he was truly close too was Brandon.

-(That friendship was actually an accident. Brandon’s mother is one of Samara’s guards and his father works the main stables.)

-(Young Sky, about 8-ish, had went to check out the stables by himself because he was so sure he could do anything his guards could. He ended up running into Brandon who basically showed him how to saddle a horse and how to make friends with them, not really knowing that Sky was Prince Sky.)

-(Erendor was upset that Sky had left his lessons, but had been impressed that he and Brandon worked so well together and seemed to genuinely enjoy each other’s company. So with Brandon’s parents’ blessing, he made Brandon Sky’s squire and personal body guard. Putting him into school with Sky and putting him to training.)

-Sky really does enjoy horseback riding, something he seldom gets to do after he starts to really dig into his prince and warrior training. But whenever he’s home, he does try to take his favorite horse for a ride. (Her name is Delma, after his favorite childhood movie hero.)

-He’s fluent in about 13 languages and conversational in 2 others. (He really enjoys speaking Solarian. It makes him feel a bit more, airy and relaxed.)

-Yes, he’s trained in most traditional dances. No, he doesn’t enjoy it. (Yes, it does have a bit to do with Riven’s shit-talking.)

-Sky and Diaspro actually used to be friends as kids. They knew they were arranged to be married, but it didn’t really matter to them at first. That all changed when Diaspro left for a summer with her mother and came back… Very different. (Sky did worry about her, but he had his own issues to deal with.)

-Those people who came after Layla on Andros and who threatened Radius and Luna about Stella? The leftover Ancestral Coven members? Yeah, they sort of started targeting Sky after he turned twelve.

-He and his older cousin Thoren were having one of their adventures away from the palace, (something Thoren hated to do because he hated seeing his uncle pissed off, but Sky couldn’t be allowed to just run off like that).

-Two elementals showed up and started to attack the boys. Thoren’s weapon wasn’t much of a match and Sky was just starting to really get into training. They were nearly killed.

-In fact, if it hadn’t been for Thoren’s quick thinking with a smoke bomb, he and Sky would have died. He told Erendor about it, and that put Sky on lockdown. (He still blames Thoren for that, even though he now realizes as an adult that he would have been no match for a Coven trained assassin.)

-This was when he got Lady from Samara. Normally she hated having animals around inside the castle, they’re so messy you know, but for her son’s sake… She felt he needed a hound that could protect him. That was Lady.

-(Which is why Lady went to Red Fountain that first year with Sky and Brandon… And why Brandon and Sky had their switch.)

-(Honestly though, Red Fountain almost didn’t happen for Sky. He had to beg and reason with Erendor for two years straight before he and Brandon could go.)

-(His reasonings? “Think about it, Dad, I’ll learn different survival skills. I’ll learn combat, about different weapons and vehicles. I’ll learn how to be an effective leader with others from different realms. And I’ll be able to learn first-hand about other cultures, which could come in handy during diplomatic situations. And I’ll learn a bit how to take of myself, which is something we all need to learn, right?”)

-He got to go, but Saladin and his teachers were instructed to keep an eye on Sky and to send progress reports back to Erendor. (Any missteps, and he was supposed to be sent home.)

-Sky thrived at Red Fountain. He managed to make friends with people other than Brandon. (Not that he doesn’t love Brandon, but sometimes he needs other people’s opinions… Not someone who sort of follows him into the depths.)

-Timmy was one of the first friends he made. The two really bonded over the weaponry tech Red Fountain had and different tactical plans. (And Timmy introduced him to video games… Which was so much more fun than he had imagined them being. He loves co-op games the most, and has a thing for RimSky, an rpg game that lets him be a real hero.)

-Riven was… Challenging. It was great having someone who could actually (and would at every step) challenge Sky and his approach to situations. He really made Sky have to think things through and up his game when it came to training. (And Riven may have been the one to introduce extreme sports… And old fashioned’ alley fighting. And they both have a thing for their dragons and levibikes. You just have to get passed the surliness.)

-When Helia joined, Sky was unsure how he’d fit into the group. But he knows without a doubt Helia has their back. (And if Helia gives the best romantic advice? Who has to know…?)

-Nabu helped Sky learn to challenge his own teachings. Nabu, a prince like Sky, made a point to remind Sky that they are their own people too. That they way they’ll rule will not be exactly like their parents and that they need to learn and embrace their own styles of ruling. (“What legacy do you want to leave behind Sky? One of greatness or one of strife and hatred?”)

-Out of the girls, aside from Bloom, he hangs out with Layla and Musa the most.

-They’re both down to try new sports or new foods, and they are fantastic workout buddies. (When Musa bothers getting up on time…)

-He does identify hard with Layla and Stella though… It’s the royalty and expectations thing…

-At Red Fountain, Sky quickly realized he had a lot of unlearning to do.

-Like, he had to realize that not everyone views Eraklyon as the best place ever to live. Yes it stung. And yes, finding out why people felt the way they did about Eraklyon also stung. But it helped him open his eyes to the truth.

-(It’s a bit of a more… Controlling realm. And they are always looking for ways to expand/colonize in other places. Usually while looking through loopholes in the Council’s mandates.)

-He also had to unlearn prejudice against dark realmers/people with dark magic. All his life he’d heard about the Ancestral Coven and how evil all dark magic is… While at Red Fountain, he had to learn that it’s the people who make magic evil, not the magic itself.

-(And he sort of had to unlearn that he’s entitled to certain things because of his royal heritage. That was a bit hard, considering he grew up a bit spoiled…)

-His favorite classes at Red Fountain had to deal with tactical maneuvers, combat training, and beast taming. (His dragon from season 1? Yeah it’s at Eraklyon. His name is Bruno and he is Sky’s baby. Okay?)

-His skills with a bow and arrow suck and his blaster aim isn’t much better, but damn does he know how to work a sword.

-(Saladin says its because he’s Erendor’s son. That blades remember who wields them best.)

-Sky isn’t a good cook. Period. But he does enjoy trying foods from other places. (And attempting to try and recreate foods he loved best… Usually in disaster and with Brandon giving him the ‘seriously dude?’ look.)

-While he may seem like a goodie-goodie… Sky has done his fair-share of pranks in the Red Fountain halls. Usually against other squads. And with prompting/backing from Riven.

-Pranks he was part of: the Great Caffeine Heist (which they promptly fixed because of Timmy), the Great Egg Swap, the Gryphons’ Great Escape, the Simulation Switch, and the Great Bubble Wars.

-(In retaliation, Sky has had his fair share of punishments… Including one where some of the school’s wizard students cursed his hair to become like a mood ring for a whole week. And one where the other squads pretended that his squad had missed a whole weeks’ worth of lectures.)

-After graduation, Sky had started on his transitional lessons/responsibilities from Prince to King. However, they were put on hold after he left for Earth. (Which Erendor allowed because Bloom and the realm of Domino were wanting to help with the Last Fairy situation and he felt he owed them that much considering how he fucked up in the war.)

-(Sky had a huge moment of culture shock with Earth. Like who the fuck still uses gasoline-based vehicles? Or lead using guns? And the homeless and sick people? The education disparities? Like yeah, Eraklyon has a class issue, but even the lowliest people on the Eraklyon hierarchy gets a good education with new books and supplies. How behind is Earth?)

-(But thanks to Codatorta’s medieval vehicles’ training courses, he and the guys can handle this.)

-Also, he really does enjoy getting to see where Bloom grew up and learning more about how Bloom became who she is.

-(Yes there was so much he screwed up about in the beginning… But he’s doing his best to make up for it with her.)

-Sky just… he wants to be a great ruler and change the direction he sees Eraklyon headed in. He wants to be a better person than his father and be a more understanding King. He just hopes he isn’t too late.

[bewitching-elizabeth-olsen]

Press: A Thorough Breakdown of All the Marvel Easter Eggs on WandaVision

POPSUGAR: WandaVision has finally arrived, and it’s chock-full of hidden goodies for Marvel fans to devour! While the series is built upon a mystery that we’ll be spending a reported nine episodes trying to figure out, the smallest details in each episode provide clues on where the show is heading. From supermarket banners to foreboding commercials, viewers have an abundance of references and callbacks to classic comic lore and pivotal MCU moments. Are they setting the stage for a big reveal at the end, or are they just fun details included for fans to enjoy? While we try to figure it all out, scroll through to see what we’ve gathered! And check back every week for an episode-by-episode breakdown as WandaVision progresses.

WandaVision Episode 7 Easter Eggs

The episode opens the morning after Wanda has expanded the border of the Hex, finding the Avenger hiding from the world under her comforter. The comforter in question has a hexagon pattern, which is both a nod to the overall theme of the show as well as a metaphor for how Wanda is literally hiding away under a hex.

Billy and Tommy run into the room to reveal that their video game console has been messing up. Everything in the house is glitching, trying to transform back to earlier versions of themselves.

Billy also tells his mother that his head hurts and things are “noisy.” Since the twin inherited his mother’s ability to read minds, it seems he’s able to hear the thoughts of everyone in the bubble (and near it on the outside, since he was able to hear his father when he was dying). It’s a sign that Billy’s powers are growing, which means we could see the little boy reach his Wiccan potential before the end of the season.

Wanda wanders into the kitchen as the news drones on in the background. The news station is called W.N.D.A. or Wanda. The newscaster makes pointed comments, noting that there’s “not a thing weighing heavily on your conscience,” and that they “hope your little ghosts arrived home safe last night. It’s always such a treat to see those creepy kiddos out and about once a year.” The comments refer to Wanda’s building guilt at her actions in the previous episode and the rare appearance of children during the Halloween episode.

As Wanda makes her breakfast of “Sugar Snaps,” a nod to the big Snap of the universe, her milk carton reverts from its modern design to the old school glass bottle and back. The carton has a missing person’s ad on the back with a picture of a little boy on the back. This could be a reference to the oft-mentioned absence of children of Westview, and what could have happened to them.

Wanda and the twins “break the fourth wall” frequently to talk to the camera in the same vein as Modern Family.

This week’s theme song sounds similar to The Office’s, which also usings talking head segments like Modern Family. The opening credits are similar to the show Happy Endings and allude to the show’s focus on Wanda, even attributing the creation of WandaVision to her with the title image. Vision is notably completely absent from the opening credits, but there’s a clue that someone else is watching in a message that reads, “I know what u are doing Wanda.”

Agnes stops by to take the boys off of Wanda’s hands, which the exhausted mother is exceedingly grateful for. The twins are visibly uncomfortable with the idea, with Tommy asking Wanda if they have to and Billy telling his mother that someone has to stay to take care of her. It seems like they can sense that something is off with their “kindly” neighbor.

Wanda sends them off with Agnes, but once they’re gone, her magic goes incredibly haywire. All the furniture begins glitching again, with the stork from the painting in episode three making a reappearance. “I don’t understand what’s happening,” Wanda laments during a talking head segment. “Why it’s all falling apart and why I can’t fix it.” The off-screen interviewer responds, “Do you think maybe it’s what you deserve?” which visibly unnerves Wanda, who notes that they aren’t supposed to speak. It’s another sign that Wanda does not have as much control as she’s been led to believe.

Cue the sixth commercial, and it’s even more pointed than any of the others have been. It’s an ad for the antidepressant Nexus, for “when the world doesn’t revolve around you. Or does it?” The drug allows people to anchor themselves to the reality of their choice with side effects that include “feeling your feelings, confronting your truth, seizing your destiny, and possibly more depression.” Whew, the pointed commentary is even making me sweat. Nexus is a nod to two things: Wanda’s crippling inability to deal with the trauma she’s been through and her depression that’s pushed her into the creation of Westview, and two Marvel comics concepts. The first is the Nexus of All Realities is a kind of gateway point between dimensions from which all universes in the multiverse can be accessed. (Remember, Wanda’s next reported appearance is in Multiverse of Madness.) The second concept is the existence of Nexus beings, people who have powers that can alter reality, probability, and the Universal Time Stream. Guess which two Westview residents are considered Nexus beings? That’s right, Wanda and Vision! The commercial can either be just a cheeky nod to the couple’s seemingly infinite power or an allusion to the bigger picture that WandaVision is leading to.

While Darcy and Vision are attempting to make their way to the house, the doctor gives the synthezoid a brief rundown of his origin story, explaining how he died twice in an attempt to save the world. Vision points out that it seems like someone is trying to keep him from getting home, which spurs him to fly off, leaving Darcy behind in the blocked truck.

Billy and Tommy are watching Yo Gabba Gabba in Agnes’s lowkey creepy home. (It tickles me that Yo Gabba Gabba is more canon in the MCU than the X-Men or Fantastic Four right now.) While Billy pets Agnes’s bunny Señor Scratchy, he notes that he likes being around the older woman because he’s unable to hear any of her thoughts. “You’re quiet inside,” he says, an allusion to the idea that Agnes can hide her thoughts from him because she has magic.

Back outside the Hex, after the super-rover isn’t able to penetrate the field, Monica decides to run through it again. As she struggles through the barrier and we watch her, a montage of dialogue from Captain Marvel plays. The voices of Maria, Nick Fury, and Carol play over Monica getting through, and as Captain Marvel says “when they were handing out little kids, your mom got the toughest one,” Monica she pushes through to the other side. She lands in the stereotypical three-point-stance of all Marvel heroes, and her eyes glow, showing that she can see energy. We just witnessed the rise of Photon, folks! (Or Spectrum or Pulsar.)

Monica confronts Wanda in her home, and as their fight spills onto the lawn, the residents of Westview watch from their own homes. The delivery man is wearing a “Presto Delivery” uniform, a reference to the magic words said by magicians before they pull a magic trick.

In the first blatant show of Agnes’s ulterior motives, the older woman stops the fight when she realizes Monica is getting through to Wanda and pulls the young mother into her home. But when Wanda gets there, she notices the green bug and rabbit in the living room and the lack of her sons’ presence. When she asks Agnes where the boys are, she’s told to head to the basement, where the big showdown occurs. The scene hints at the eventual disappearance of Billy and Tommy.

Wanda notices a book on an altar, which could be the Darkhold, also known as The Book of Sins, The Shiatra Book Of The Damned. Originally a collection of papers known as the Chthon Scrolls, the book contains all the spells and ideas of the evil Elder God known as Chthon. The book is a conduit for Chthon’s power and can open a doorway from Earth to Chthon’s dimension. If that book is in Agnes’s basement, it stands to logic that she may be working with the evil god. The Darkhold emits an orange glow, which is a distinctly different color than the purple of Agatha’s magic.

Speaking of magic, Agnes finally reveals herself as the witch we’ve known her to be. Although the show tells us that “it’s been Agatha all along,” it still doesn’t ring completely true. There’s definitely more at work than just Agatha’s magic.

In the mid-credits sequence, Monica is caught snooping in Agnes’s backyard by Pietro. Her eyes seem to glow purple, the same color that signals Agatha’s magic. Does this mean she’s now under the witch’s spell?

  WandaVision Episode 6 Easter Eggs

The opening credits for episode six seem to be a tribute to Malcolm in the Middle, which ran for seven seasons between 2000 and 2006.

The entire Wanda and Vision family wear their comic book character costumes for Halloween.

There’s another reference to Thanos’s snap as Director Tyler Hayward talks about dealing with the repercussions of all the people “who left.”

The terrifying Yo-Magic commercial seems to foreshadow Vision’s future. Even though Wanda was seemingly able to bring Vision back to life, it looks like he won’t stay alive for long as it’s implied that he can’t exist outside of the Hex later in the episode.

Blink and you’ll miss the fun Disney movie Easter egg on Westview’s movie theater. The sign outside the theater shows a double feature of The Incredibles and The Parent Trap. Connecting right to Wanda’s family, The Incredibles is about a family of superheroes, while The Parent Trap is about a pair of long-lost twins reuniting.

Wanda’s changing accent has been brought up countless times by fans, and in episode six, Pietro makes a slight reference to it when Wanda asks, “What happened to your accent?” to which he quips, “What happened to yours?”

There is another reference that Agnes is actually Agatha Harkness as she is spotted wearing a witch costume on Halloween.

It appears that Vision has no memories pre-Westview, as a conscious Agnes tells him he’s one of the Avengers, and he has no clue what she’s talking about.

The episode further hints at Monica’s powers as Darcy confirms that the Hex rewrote her cells on a molecular level.

A few interactions between Pietro and Wanda have fans wondering if he might actually be Mephisto in disguise. Not only is he fully aware about Wanda creating Westview, but he makes several references to the devil and hell throughout the episode.

  WandaVision Episode 5 Easter Eggs

Wanda and Vision’s brand new house, suitable for a family of four, is reminiscent of homes in ’80s sitcoms such as Full House and Growing Pains.

When Agnes comes in to offer her babysitting help, she refers to herself as “Auntie Agnes,” which is eerily close to her comic counterpart’s nickname, Auntie Agatha.

An uncomfortable break in conversation leads Agnes to ask Wanda if she wants her to “take it from the top.” Though Wanda appears confused for a moment, she readily smoothes the conversation and carries on. Vision is visibly perturbed, though Wanda attempts to redirect his attention. It seems like the facade is fading all around.

To the surprise of their parents, Tommy and Billy age up five years while the two argue over Agnes’s break in character.

This episode’s opening sequence shows Wanda and Vision growing up, which we know didn’t happen in real life for the synthezoid. The theme song sounds very similar to those from Family Ties and Growing Pains, and consists of lyrics noting that “we’re just making it up as we go along.” Sounds pretty close to how things are going with Wanda and Vision!

When Wanda’s scans come back, they’re inconclusive and show up blank. Considering Monica gains her powers due to bombardment by extradimensional energies in the comics, it’s entirely possible that the blast from Wanda back in episode three, coupled with passing through the forcefield around Westview twice, have given her those abilities. We could be seeing the rise of Photon!

While Jimmy Woo is explaining Wanda’s backstory to the agents of S.W.O.R.D., Director Hayward asks if she’s ever used a “funny nickname” like the other Avengers. She hasn’t, in fact, she’s never been referred to as Scarlet Witch in the MCU ever. Since her powers are different from her comic book counterpart, there’s never been a reason for anyone to call her a witch.

That never-before-seen post credits scene from Infinity War has officially made its debut. Director Hayward reveals footage of Wanda entering S.W.O.R.D. headquarters to steal Vision’s disassembled body. The video harks back to a moment in the comics where Vision was kidnapped and taken apart — but still very much alive. Much like that Vision, the one in Westview has his memory wiped and doesn’t remember anything before he woke up in his new world. So, the question is whether Vision is actually alive or not. Wanda’s hallucination from episode four might suggest he’s a walking corpse, but there’s more to the story.

Jimmy mentions that Wanda’s stealing of Vision’s body violates the Sokovia Accords, which haven’t been mentioned since Captain America: Civil War. Unfunnily enough, the Accords were a direct response to the mission gone wrong in Lagos where Wanda lost control of her powers and caused the death of many civilians.

Darcy mentions that Vision is playing “Father Knows Best in Surburbia,” referencing the ’50s sitcom.

Tommy and Billy find a dog that, with the help of Auntie Agnes, they name Sparky. The Vision family has a dog with that exact name in the King and Walta comics, but he’s green. Sadly, he meets a similar fate as his live-action counterpart.

Wanda blatantly uses her powers in front of Agnes, who has seemingly handled the magic around her with ease. It’s almost as if she’s used to magic.

Darcy calls the Westview anomaly the “hex” because of its hexagonal shape. Although the magic has been taken out of the phrase, Wanda’s powers are known as hexes in the comics.

Jimmy, Monica, and Darcy try to understand how Wanda can revive Vision and control the Hex, which takes much more power than she’s ever displayed before. Monica notes that Wanda has always been powerful, being the only Avenger who was close to taking down Thanos singlehandedly, which Jimmy interjects to note that Captain Marvel could as well. Both are empowered by Infinity Stones, with Carol’s Kree biology giving her a power boost.

When Jimmy brings up Captain Marvel, Monica is visibly uncomfortable and changes the subject back to Wanda. What happened there?

Vision’s office mates learn about the sweet glory that is dial-up internet! But when he and Norm open their first bit of electronic mail, it’s a transmission picked up from S.W.O.R.D. talking about the Maximoff anomaly.

Vision breaks through Norm’s conditioning, revealing that he’s under the control of a woman (alluding to it being Wanda). He directly references his family, a conversation that Jimmy mentioned in his notes in the last episode.

The twins have aged themselves up to 10 by this point and are seemingly completely aware that Wanda has control over certain aspects of life, like time. They point out that it was Saturday when they woke up, but Wanda says it’s now Monday. She apparently changed the day to send Vision to work. Is their awareness because they also have magic or because she doesn’t control them?

Monica sends an ’80s drone into Westview after working out that Wanda’s Hex is rewriting reality to suit each era occurring in the bubble, and the drone would need no era-appropriate change. Though she attempts to speak with Wanda through the drone, Director Hayward commands agents to fire a missile at Wanda instead — directly ignoring that Monica said she doesn’t see Wanda as a danger. The action results in Wanda leaving the Hex and confronting the S.W.O.R.D. agents outside. She’s wearing the suit we last saw her wearing in Infinity War and Endgame and has her accent back, although it’s much thicker than it’s been since Ultron.

Episode five’s commercial is more pointed than any of them have been. Lagos brand paper towels directly reference the city in which Wanda accidentally killed several people in Civil War by blowing up a building. Thus, the Sokovia Accords were born.

While Wanda and the twins are searching for a missing Sparky — with no one calling out the fact that Wanda disappeared for some time — the mailman tells the boys that their mom “won’t let him get far.” It seems almost like a dig at how no one can leave Westview, like the doctor mentioned during episode three.

When Agnes reveals that Sparky died after eating too many azalea bush leaves, the boys ask their mother to reverse his death. Agnes seems particularly surprised by the idea of Wanda having that ability despite having seen other displays of her power and watching the twins age up rapidly twice. Wanda tells the twins that they can’t reverse death as there are still rules to things, which almost seems hypocritical considering her circumstances. Is she trying to say that she hasn’t revived Vision? Or is she simply trying to keep her boys from expecting too much from her?

Later that night, Vision reveals that he unearthed Norm’s repressed memories and demands to know what’s going on. He tells Wanda that she can’t control him, which she cooly responds asking him, “Can’t I?” Although the credits start rolling, their argument continues as Vision unleashes his frustration with not knowing his past and his confusion over their circumstances. Wanda tells him that she doesn’t control everything, saying, “I don’t even know how all of this started.” Vision believes it began subconsciously, but chastises Wanda for letting it get that far. Wanda reiterates that she isn’t controlling everything, which gives weight to the theory that there’s someone else behind the scenes. But who could it be if Wanda isn’t the “she” that Norm was referring to?

Mid-argument, the Vision family doorbell rings, which Wanda states she didn’t do. I’m inclined to believe her because when she opens the door, she is genuinely shocked speechless. At the door is her “brother” Pietro, now sporting the face of Evan Peters. Darcy asks the question we were all thinking as the episode closes, “She recast Pietro!?”

  WandaVision Episode 4 Easter Eggs

This episode opens with the heartbreaking reveal that Monica Rambeau was one of the people lost to the Snapture from Infinity War. She returns from Endgame’s Reverse-Snap in a hospital where she had been awaiting news after her mother Maria’s surgery.

As Monica is waking up, we hear familiar voices echoing in her head. It’s Captain Marvel calling her by her childhood nickname, Lieutenant Trouble.

As Monica weaves through the chaos of people reappearing in the hospital post-Reverse-Snap, she finally locates someone who recognizes her. Although Maria survived the surgery five years ago, she died from cancer three years ago in real time, having not been blipped with her daughter.

We finally have some information on S.W.O.R.D.! The acronym stands for Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division, rather than the meaning in Marvel comics, which is Sentient World. It sounds a little more ominous, right?

Maria’s badass legacy continues well past her friendship with Captain Marvel; according to S.WO.R.D.’s acting director, Tyler Hayward, Maria helped build the agency during its inception. She was the acting director until her death.

Tim gives Monica a mission to help out the FBI in the town of WestView, NJ, where something super freaky is going on with a missing person’s case. This confirms that WestView is, indeed, a very real place.

Welcome back, Jimmy Woo! Monica’s FBI contact is none other than Scott Lang’s parole officer and semifriend, Agent Jimmy Woo.

Jimmy reveals that a person in witness protection has somehow dropped off the map in a town that no longer seems to exist where no one recalls anyone who lived there. In an attempt to figure out what’s going on, Monica sends in a S.W.O.R.D. drone that vanishes inside the forcefield. It’s revealed to have transformed into the retro-style helicopter that Wanda picks up in episode two! We can only assume that since it’s an item from the outside world, it gained color when it entered Wanda’s reality to show that it doesn’t belong.

Darcy Lewis is back! Now a doctor in astrophysics, Darcy is called to help figure out what’s gone wrong with WestView. She’s the one who figured out a signal for the broadcast and is the owner of the hand we saw watching Wanda and Vision in episode one.

The mysterious beekeeper from episode two is revealed to be S.W.O.R.D.’s Agent Franklin, who journeyed through Westview’s sewers to investigate. His hazmat suit became a beekeeper’s uniform, and the cable around his waist becomes a jump rope as he travels through the tunnels.

Darcy explains that the sitcom that’s become Wanda and Vision’s life is literally being broadcast through the signals that S.W.O.R.D.’s viewing, with an audience and everything. There’s no explanation for how this is happening, but Darcy and company watched those first three episodes just like we did, credits and all.

Darcy also points out that Vision is supposed to be dead-dead, which leaves his presence in WestView still unexplained.

While Darcy and Jimmy can identity a majority of the neighbors we’ve met in WestView to their real-life counterparts, Dottie and Agnes are the only ones who are missing real information.

It’s revealed that Agent Woo was the voice behind the radio disruption, just as we suspected! But while we can see Wanda and Dottie’s reaction to the call, Darcy’s broadcast didn’t show the same thing. She explains that someone is “censoring” the visuals they’re receiving, which means someone knows they’re watching.

Back in the sitcom WestView, we see that Monica’s slip-up resulted in Wanda blasting her through the house and the energy field. It’s the first time we physically see Wanda using her powers again, so she still has them. But the lapse in her facade has consequences — when Vision returns from his talk with Agnes and Herb outside, Wanda hallucinates him as she last saw him in Infinity War, a corpse with his head crushed in.

It’s important to note that Vision seems to become more aware of the strangeness of their world with each episode. It makes sense because no matter how human he may seem, he’s still a synthezoid who has always been able to see beyond the superficial. It harks back to his “birth” in Age of Ultron. He’s omnipotent and always learning.

When Monica lands back in the real world, all she says is, “It’s all Wanda.” That seemingly serves as an answer to what’s going on in WestView, but it’s not a whole answer. Wanda seems just as confused and unaware as everyone else, but she is willing to stay in her “perfect” world. The question is, who put Wanda in the position to have her perfect world?

  WandaVision Episode 3 Easter Eggs

Much like the comics, Wanda magically becomes pregnant! But this time around, things are progressing much more quickly, and her doctor isn’t Dr. Strange.

The first of the episode’s weird glitches happens with Wanda and Vision’s neighbor Herb, who is attempting to saw through the brick fence separating the two houses instead of trimming his hedges. When Vision points out that his aim has gone a bit askew, Herb’s detached reaction is a bit creepy. He thanks Vision but keeps sawing through the wall! And unlike the previous weird behavior, there’s nothing that triggers the moment, especially not from Vision or Wanda.

Wanda and Vision contemplate what to name their baby boy, with Vision suggesting Billy and Wanda throwing out Tommy. (The argument becomes moot when they have twins!) These are the names of the pair’s sons in the comic, who later become members of the Young Avengers. In the show, Wanda chooses her name because it’s “all-American,” which is also a fair indicator of why her perfect reality is framed around sitcoms. Vision cites William Shakespeare as his inspiration and uses a quote from As You Like It that seems pretty on the nose. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” seems like a pointed reference to the fact that WandaVision is, in fact, all a show.

Wanda decorates the nursery using Simser brand paint, which is most likely a nod to Jeremy Simser, a storyboard artist for Marvel Studios and WandaVision.

The second glitch appears when Wanda says the residents of WestView always seem “on the verge of discovering our secret.” Vision has a moment of sobering clarity where he notes that something is wrong in WestView, citing the incidents with Mr. and Mrs. Hart and their neighbor Herb. A second after his says this, reality glitches and the scene starts over with Vision seemingly worry-free. The last time this happened with the beekeeper, it was clear Wanda was the culprit in turning back time, but in this case, she doesn’t seem to do anything to force the change. This suggests someone else is pulling the strings.

Wanda mentions that their child could be human or “synthezoid,” a term that originates in the comics. Although fans like to joke that Vision is an android, he’s technically a synthetic human. He’s not made of metal or machinery — in the comics, his body is composed of the bioengineering tech of Dr. Helen Cho, while in the MCU, he’s made of organic tissue mixed with vibranium and “powered” by the Mind Stone.

Vision jokes that Billy will be just like his mom, which is funny because, in the comics, Billy has magical abilities similar to Wanda’s powers. Tommy ends up having superspeed abilities like his uncle, Pietro.

It’s time for the third commercial! Much like the previous episode’s watch promotion, this break references Hydra — though a tad more directly. It’s all about Hydra Soak, and the message is decidedly more pointed than we’ve had before. “Escape to a world all your own, where your problems float away,” the announcer says. “When you want to get away, but you don’t want to go anywhere: Hydra Soak.” Marvel: Agents of Shield fans will recall that Hydra Soak HAS been mentioned on the show. During the series’s Framework arc, Phil Coulson claims that Hydra is brainwashing people using soap, so he makes his own. Is the commercial another sign that Hydra is behind the mystery of WestView? Is it a warning that no one in the town will be able to get away? And what’s that about finding the goddess within?

The actors in this ad are the same ones as the previous ones, Victoria Blade and Ithamar Enriquez. Their recurring presence might mean they have some significance in Wanda’s life. Maybe they’re her parents?

In what feels like an ominous follow-up to the Hydra Soak commercial, the doctor reveals that he and his wife won’t be taking their trip away after all. “Small towns, you know, so hard to escape,” he mutters, pointedly. I think we’re starting to get the hint, folks! Wanda mentions she is a twin and that her brother was named Pietro. It’s been a hot minute since anyone has talked about MCU’s Quicksilver — he made his debut back in Age of Ultron, the same film in which he was shot and killed.

When Geraldine lets it slip that she knows about Pietro’s death at the hands of Ultron, Wanda interrogates her and discovers her necklace bears a familiar symbol — it’s that damn S.W.O.R.D. logo, and Wanda is apparently not a fan.

In another sign that something is UP, Agnes and Herb seem to warn Vision about Geraldine. They note that she’s “brand new” to town with no family and start to say that “she came here because we’re all —” before they’re cut off. It’s worth noting that the two figures that may be MCU versions of formidable Marvel characters are the ones who seem to understand that strange things are going on in WestView. If Agnes and Herb are the MCU’s Agatha Harkness and High Evolutionary, they would definitely be the ones in the know. But why would they try to warn Vision about Geraldine if WestView is a trap?

Agnes is wearing her infamous brooch as a necklace that could be referencing an MCU supervillain mentioned before. The necklace has three figures close together, with the center figure holding what looks like a giant scythe. Is it another clue that the Grim Reaper is on his way?

Wanda literally throws Geraldine out of town — though she tells Vision that she had to run home — and Geraldine passes through what seems like a magical forcefield. While fans have been assuming WestView is a fake town, this shows us that physically, it’s a very real place. But it’s currently bubbled off with a barrier that Wanda can apparently allow people in and out of. And the song that plays as Geraldine finds herself outside the barrier? “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees. It seems pretty appropriate for a situation that feels like a surreal dream.

When Geraldine lands on the outskirts of real WestView, she’s instantly swarmed by cars and agents all bearing the S.W.O.R.D. logo. Since we know Teyonah Parris is playing the adult Monica Rambeau, it’s safe to assume Geraldine was an alias she used to go undercover in WestView. Combined with the mystery agent watching the show within the show from episode one, we can conclude that Wanda and Vision are being closely observed by S.W.O.R.D. for some reason. But they clearly aren’t the ones in control, since Monica is so easily forced out. What will they do next?

While the opening credits of this episode are a reference to The Brady Bunch, it’s the end credits that give us another clue about the big bad coming our way. Just like the previous episodes, Wanda and Vision are framed in a hexagon as the end credits roll. The symbol is so important because it’s the preferred shape of the creators at Advanced Idea Mechanics, or AIM, who are last seen in Iron Man 3. Remember the beekeeper suits that resemble AIM agents’ clothing? It seems like the evil organization might be making a comeback.

  WandaVision Episode 2 Easter Eggs

The opening credits for this episode aren’t just an adorable homage to Bewitched but a whole bevy of Marvel Easter eggs! The illustration of the moon happens to be surrounded by six stars, and we can’t help but be reminded of the Infinity Gauntlet.

When Vision phases through the floor, there’s a dark shape that looks exactly like the helmet worn by Marvel supervillain Grim Reaper hidden in the space. In the comics, he’s the brother of Wonder Man, whose brainwaves were used in Vision’s creation.

When Wanda goes to the supermarket in the opening, three references hang above the aisle! Bova Milk refers to Bova, the humanoid cow who raised Wanda and Pietro on Mount Wundagore. Auntie A’s kitty litter is a witchy reference to Auntie Agatha or Agatha Harkness, whom we’ve discussed before, and her cat-like familiar named Ebony. And Wonder Mints is most definitely a cheeky reference to Wonder Man, aka Simon Williams, the superhero who Vision’s brainwaves are based on in the comics!

When animated Wanda and Vision settle on their couch, the small figure on their side table is a statue of the Whizzer. Featured in 1982’s Vision and the Scarlet Witch, the Whizzer thought he was Wanda’s father but later discovers he was wrong. Whizzer and his wife were offered the chance to adopt Wanda and Pietro when they were kids on the mythical Mount Wundagore, but they declined.

When Wanda hears a crash outside the house, she heads out to the front, where she finds a colorful toy helicopter in an otherwise black-and-white world. Not only does the red-and-yellow helicopter have the number 57 stamped on it, but it also bears the S.W.O.R.D symbol! The number is likely in reference to Vision’s first appearance in Avengers #57, while the symbol hints to the presence of S.W.O.R.D outside Wanda’s perfect world.

The creepy, cult-like refrain spoken by the fundraiser organizers of it all being “for the children” seems to be a reference to Wanda’s involvement in the comic event The Children’s Crusade. The story follows her son, Billy, who’s trying to gain control over his reality-warping abilities by looking for a missing Wanda.

Well, here’s another blast from the angsty past! The Strücker timepiece is a very obvious callback to Hydra and Baron von Strücker. The watch bears the unmistakable octopus skull symbol of Hydra, and Strücker is the Hydra leader who recruited Pietro and Wanda for the experimentation that gave them powers. He was later killed by Ultron in his prison cell. Does anyone else hear that ticking noise? Remember good ol’ Herb? In the comics, a character named Herbert is also the High Evolutionary who runs Mount Wundagore, the very same safe haven where Bova delivered the Maximoff twins. Time will tell if the super-scientist is the same character, but it can’t be a coincidence.

Wanda and Vision’s magic show has two gems that we’ve noticed! First thing, the literal Mind Stone happens to be the design on the doors of the Cabinet of Mystery that plays a huge part in their act. Second, Wanda and Vision use the names Illusion and Glamour for their actor, which are also the names of the magicians that Vision goes to see in an issue of The Vision and the Scarlet Witch.

Though we all enjoy a good jam, The Beach Boys’ “Help Me, Rhonda” gets interrupted by someone asking, “Who’s doing this to you, Wanda?” And doesn’t that voice sound an awful lot like Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo?

While it may seem weird that Wanda shows her pregnancy in an instant, it’s in line with what goes on in the comics. Wanda uses magic to help her have children, which checks out since her husband is a synthezoid.

Oooh, that mysterious beekeeper! Not only does their presence lead to the reveal that Wanda has some control over the reality they’re in, but it also sets off some alarm bells. Even though the beekeeper’s suit bears the S.W.O.R.D logo on the back, the costume is reminiscent of the yellow costumes worn by A.I.M., a military science organization founded by Baron von Strücker. Could this be a sign that Wanda is being watched by more than one organization? And is this a hint that Hydra is back!? (Obviously, it is.)

  WandaVision Episode 1 Easter Eggs

When Wanda accidentally smashes a plate into Vision’s head, he jokes about his wife and her “flying saucers,” and she comments back about his “indestructible head.” Considering that Vision died after having the Mind Stone ripped from his head, it’s a dark joke to kick off the series.

Vision’s work tie has a visual reference to his comic-book alter ego! In Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s Vision, whenever the character dresses as a human, he wears a tie clip that emulates the diamond pattern on his chest.

Vision’s boss, Mr. Hart, is likely named after comic creator Steve Englehart, who created 1985’s The Vision and the Scarlet Witch with Richard Howell, a miniseries that heavily influenced WandaVision. It’s been heavily implied that Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes is the MCU’s Agatha Harkness, a witch who helped train Wanda’s magic back in the ’70s and ’80s.

When Wanda magically saves dinner, the bottle of wine she pours from is Maison du Mépris, which translates to house of contempt or scorn. As fans have pointed out since the trailer drop, this seems like a reference to the House of M comics storyline in which Wanda bends reality into a new world ruled by her family.

The Stark commercial break refers to two things: Avengers icon Tony Stark and his part in Wanda’s dark past. As Wanda and her twin brother, Pietro, explain in Avengers: Age of Ultron, their parents were killed by an explosive Stark Industries device, leaving the twins trapped under rubble. The Maximoffs were trapped by a Stark Industries shell for two days, expecting it to detonate before they get rescued. Even though Wanda eventually fights beside Tony in the future, there’s still some trauma from that experience and her brother’s death. If it weren’t for the Starks, Wanda could have been a completely different person.

The episode closes with a mysterious observer watching the “show” and taking notes on a pad with the logo of S.W.O.R.D. on the cover. For those who don’t know, S.W.O.R.D stands for Sentient World Observation and Response Department and is a subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s a counterterrorism and intelligence agency that deals with extraterrestrial threats to world security. Expect to see them around more.

  Press: A Thorough Breakdown of All the Marvel Easter Eggs on WandaVision was originally published on Elizabeth Olsen Source • Your source for everything Elizabeth Olsen

[adiwriting]

Sunday Mornings 12/?

So this started out as a cute little fic of the boys being doggy daddies... and quickly it turned into phone sex. So... heed that warning. 

If anyone has any prompt fills for this, let me know. I’m slowly running low on my own ideas for domestic bliss fic! 

Gif by the lovely @manesalex​

Week 12

The phone rings so early in the morning that it’s still dark outside. Of course the sound causes the three littlest ones on the bed to jolt awake and start barking. Michael groans, reaching out to grab his cell phone off of the nightstand without moving too much. He’s worried if he sits up that John will go tumbling off of his chest and to the floor. It wouldn’t be the first time. His smallest child really is an uncoordinated mess. 

When Michael is able to pull his phone to his face, he smiles when he sees an incoming FaceTime call from Alex. 

“You woke up the children,” he playfully admonishes Alex in lieu of a formal greeting. Alex has been away on a training for the last several days and isn’t due back home until Tuesday. 

“Sorry,” Alex says, not looking sorry in the least. “I have to report in thirty minutes and I didn’t want to leave for work without seeing you guys.” 

Michael smiles at that. Or, he would, but Peter, little shit that he is, climbs over his face in order to see his daddy properly. 

“Hey baby!” Alex says, his entire face lighting up. “Are you being a good boy for your old man?” 

Michael rolls his eyes and Peter literally sits on his face. He most certainly did not agree to being called ‘old man’ and every time he says as much to Alex, Alex makes sure to use it that much more. The fact that Peter is also a little shit is one hundred percent Alex’s influence. 

Michael lets Peter say hi for a minute before he reaches up and grabs him, moving him to his chest so that Michael can breathe properly and Alex can see more than just Peter’s nose. Wendy and John squeeze themselves into the frame as well to say hello. 

Alex spends a solid minute greeting each of them personally and Michael has to bite back a goofy smile at the way they all get excited to hear their name and attempt to reach Alex through the phone. 

“So we’re letting the puppies sleep in our bed now?” Alex asks, amused once he’s done saying good morning to the littles. 

“They missed you,” Michael says defensively, not bothering to mention that it is indeed Michael who misses Alex and he’s been letting the puppies sleep in the bed so it won’t feel so big and empty. 

“That’s very sweet,” he says. “If they pee on the comforter I’m gonna be mad.” 

He has a fair point. Which is why Michael had thought ahead and stripped the bed and replaced the linens with the cheap sheets they only ever use on laundry day.

“Aww, come on babe, you can’t be mad the dogs are in the bed. Look at our girl,” he says, flipping the camera around and pointing it at Bell, who is currently under the covers next to Michael with her head on Michael’s pillow, eyeing the entire thing skeptically, but not running away, which is progress. 

“Oh my god, when did this happen?” Alex asks, his hands coming up to his mouth as his eyes water. 

Bell has been home with them for three whole weeks and has spent most of her time under their bed. So much time, in fact, that Alex and Michael have taken turns hanging out under the bed with her so she wouldn’t be alone. She would only ever leave to go outside during the day. They’ve had to keep their master bedroom door open at night because the only time she’d venture into the kitchen to eat is during the middle of the night when the entire house is asleep. 

“Two nights ago, I woke up to her crawling under the blanket from the foot of the bed. I was gonna text you, but I didn’t wanna jinx it,” he says. “She still goes under the bed when anyone knocks on the door, but otherwise this is her new spot.” 

Michael flips the camera back around as Peter tries to lick the phone and Michael has to hold it above his head and out of reach. 

“Well that’s certainly progress,” Alex says with a smile and Michael agrees. 

Wendy barks at the blanket when Michael moves his foot and pounces at it and John stands up to egg her on. 

“Jesus, it’s too early for this shit,” Michael says with a laugh even as he moves his foot around and watches Wendy jump around at the foot of the bed trying to attack whatever beast she assumes is under the sheet. 

“I feel bad leaving you with all four of them yourself,” he says. “I know they’re a handful.”

A handful, they certainly are. But that’s not the reason that Michael is annoyed that Alex had to go away this week. Despite his loud protest for weeks about getting a dog, Michael is completely satisfied with their crazy brood. 

“I feel worse about you being gone on a Sunday.” Michael pouts at the camera and Alex lets out a groan. 

“I know, why do you think I called you so early?” he says. “I wanted to at least pretend that we woke up in bed together before I had to go through another one of these long ass days.” 

Michael wants that too. It’s crazy, in a matter of weeks, Michael has completely forgotten how to sleep alone. 

“Next time the stupid military decides to send you somewhere, I’m throwing the kids in the airstream and we are coming with you,” he says. 

Alex’s soft smile tells him that he wants that too, even as he questions, “And give Bell a nervous breakdown? Wouldn’t that make us bad parents?” 

“We’ll train her up,” Michael says, he’s about to say more, when John starts circling around, doing his potty dance. 

“Nope!” Michael yells, grabbing John and shooting out of bed. He rushes to the back door, letting him out, before he can poop in the house. Unsurprisingly, his siblings run after him and head outside as well. Perfect. The kids are officially up, everyone’s out of bed except for Bell, and there’s no way Michael is getting back to sleep. It’s not even six in the morning. 

He sighs, pulling the phone back up. 

“Sorry,” Michael apologizes. “I should probably let you go or something.” 

“Wait,” Alex calls out before he can hang up. Michael gives him a questioning look. “I just want to look at you for another minute.” 

Michael blushes at that, stepping out onto the patio to take a seat at one of the chairs, watching the kids run around the yard, distracted for a few minutes. 

“Is that all I am to you? A pretty face?” he asks in mock outrage. 

“Basically.” 

“I want to be loved for more than just my beauty you know,” he teases him. 

“Oh, I appreciate your mind as well.” Alex’s eyes darken and he licks at his lower lip in the way that always turns Michael on. He reaches down to rub at himself through his sweatpants, and he doesn’t have to be able to see all of Alex… The look on his face tells him that he’s doing the same thing. 

“My mind was it?” Michael asks, as he starts to get hard. He flips the camera so that Alex can see the tent in his pants. 

“I hate you,” Alex groans and shifts around on the bed until he’s resting back against the pillows. 

Michael can just picture him, laying out, feet on the mattress, knees spread, and touching himself. He glances around to make sure the puppies are still distracted before he slips his hand under the waistband to touch himself properly, letting out a moan as he does. 

“Fuck, Michael.” Alex bites his lip and it does things to Michael. 

“Yes please,” he says, not even embarrassed by how breathy it comes out. “Hurry before the kids want my attention again.” 

Alex laughs, but angles his camera down so that Michael can see his hand pumping himself slowly under the thin sheet. Michael slows down his own pumping to match Alex’s pace, trying to picture it’s Alex beside him, touching him. 

“You say the sexiest things,” Alex says. 

“You love it.” 

His breath catches as the sheet covering Alex drops and he can see him in all of his glory. Alex lets go of his dick to lick at his palm before returning back to touching himself. Michael practically whines. Alex paints a positively filthy picture and if he hadn’t upgraded both of their phones with some military grade encryption software he’d be worried… But they are safe and Michael can enjoy this moment with zero guilt.

“I love you,” Alex says. 

Despite the fact that both of them are touching themselves, breathing heavily, and moaning loud enough for the neighbors to hear if they were awake, Michael positively melts at Alex’s words. Alex always makes sure that Michael never feels like they are just having sex. They make love every single time. 

“I love you, too,” Michael whispers, slowing his pace so that he is able to get the words out without sounding like a damn porn star. 

Alex changes the camera angle so that his entire face comes back into view and while Michael was enjoying watching Alex touch himself, he has to admit, he’d rather get off to this view instead. Alex is so fucking beautiful. 

“I should be the one touching you right now,” he says, and it sounds sad. 

Michael drops his grip on himself and sits up, watching Alex’s face carefully. Somehow, his tired eyes had missed it before, but he can see it now. The weight Alex is carrying in his shoulders. The stress around his eyes. Michael isn’t the only one feeling the distance between them. He wants to ask Alex about the training, but Michael already knows that whatever the military has Alex working on is classified and Alex isn’t allowed to say. And while Alex may disregard the military’s need for secrecy when it comes to anything alien related, he’s a stickler for it with everything else. 

“You’ll be home in two days and then you can do all the touching you want,” Michael assures him. 

Alex smiles, and though it doesn’t completely erase the stress, it’s something. “I’m gonna hold you to that.” 

“You can hold me to more than that, Baby,” he says with a wink that has Alex laughing again. 

“Are you gonna come with me or not?” Alex asks and Michael’s not a complete idiot. He flips the camera around, pulls his pants down, and gives Alex a show. After all, his soldier deserves to know what he’s coming back home to, does he not? 

Tagged: @callieramics​ @redstalkingdeath​

If anyone else would like to be tagged- let me know! 

PS- if anyone wants to see the inspiration photos for Bell in this fic, here you go:

[prorevenge]

A stranger scammed me out of $300 online. I tracked him down, called his dad's work phone, and got my money back.

Long post, TL;DR below. Early last year I was deep in depression, spending the Spring in my room (I work in a seasonal industry which pays just enough to live on during the off months.)

All I did was play video games all day which led to me getting into game marketplace sites and planning on starting a side hustle selling in game items and accounts in MMos. I was brand new to the "industry" and didn't have contacts to learn from, so I just went for it and posted my first listing. I got a few hits back early and found an interested "buyer" (I'll refer to him later as C) who told me he was ready to purchase.

The way these transactions are supposed to go is this: A reputable middleman (There were several known MM in the community that I joined) takes in the product and the payment, verifies both, then distributes both ways after taking a cut for their services. This circumvents the "you first" prolem where you have to trust solely in the other guy to not scam you. -Well.. They impersonated a middleman well enough to fool me. I admit that it was 100% on me, I didn't know what I was doing. I just wanted to start selling so bad and I was glad to see quick hits on my first listing.

So, the "middleman" (To this day I don't know if there was a 3rd person acting as middleman or if it was C all along) takes the buyer's money, then the product which was a high ranked account in a popular competitve game. Suddenly, the MM says there was a problem with the payment and it needs to be redone.

At this point I know game's over and I just got scammed, but I went along with it as a sad parting gift to my first "sale." I message C and asked him how this was going to go. He told me he'll just direct paypal me the $300 now and apologized, which didn't make sense to me (you already scammed me, why haven't you blocked me yet?) I gave him my paypal email.

Conversation goes like this: C- "Sent." Me- "repeats my email same email correct?" C- "F%@& I sent it to the wrong email. I'll call paypal." Me- 3 minutes later "Are you going to send me $300 or no?" C- "I only had $450 in my paypal account, they should be able to refund me over the phone." Me- 5 minutes later "Okay. Progress?" C- "On the phone with them." Me 10 minutes of silence later- ":D" Then he goes offline. I call the MM several times but he's standoffish and won't pick up saying "something something privacy.. you arent giving me a reason to pick up the call." It's clear he's not being real with me.

I don't know what to do at this point as I've never encountered a sudden loss of hard work like that. I'm not a drinker at all but that night when faced with that emptiness while trying to get out of depression, I hit the bottle hard.

The next day I woke up naked on my bathroom floor in the pitch black and sheepishly checked my PC to see if it really happened. Without any hope at all I started googling this kid's two usernames that I knew of. I scanned the internet for every site that had an account with the same username that he used, but only found more scam reports (yep, I wasn't his first victim.) So I gave up.

A week later I came back and did it all over again, but this time I thought to check his discord profile to see if he had any other profiles linked to it (steam, twitch, etc.) and the genius did. I checked his steam profile and wrote down each of his past usernames that looked unique and wouldn't pull a million results.

After hours of scanning each one, I had his name, age (teenager,) city, email, skype, knew he went to chess tournaments as a kid, liked neopets, and found a youtube channel with his class project videos on it. It still wasn't enough though. All the information got me was another two contact methods, and I didn't want to start harassing him.

He ghosted me and emailing him wasn't going to change that. If I was going to get my money back, I needed to contact his parents and I knew this all along. In a last ditch effort I googled his emails again, found his google+ profile, and saw that he had a public photo library (which was discontinued by google very shortly after all this happened.) It had 1 picture. A perfect view of his house, from the street. Street number in view. After some searching without finding much I clicked "More info" on the picture and the the geo-tagged coordinates attatched to the picture appeared.

So now I have the address which I google along with the last name, which leads to me getting the first & last names of both parents. I pop that into trusty whitepages and have everything I need to spring my plan into action. While all this was going on I was updating my friend who lives in the same area as C. He asked if I wanted him to call since he had the same area code. It lined up perfectly so I agreed.

At this point I realize it's March 30th, just two days before April fools and C could probably play this off as some elaborate joke played by his friends so I call my friend off. It was so hard to wait, but we did and we waited long enough that it couldn't be looked at as a joke at all.

Two weeks later in a discord call I give my friend the green light and he calls phone #1. The cell. After a little ringing it cuts to voicemail and we decide to try phone #2, the work phone. This time the phone rang for significantly longer but also cut to voicemail and the message before the beep confirmed we had the right dad. My friend leaves a message saying "Hello Mr. ______, this is _ ______ with (marketplace name's) collection department. We currently have multiple fradulent activity cases open with your son C, totalling x thousands of dollars (I added up all the reports against him which were posted on the site and it totalled thousands, even talked to a couple people who he targeted.) At the moment we're reviewing the most recent case which involved a $300 transaction. If you could please, get back to us between 9am-10pm to resolve these cases. Thank you" All that was paraprased but that was his message.

He was very professional and seemed legit, and even though the dad might listen to it and ignore it we didn't think that was going to happen. It's worth noting that they live in a nice area of a nice state, so there was less of a chance that this would be a financial burden and the parents would likely just want to clear this up.

Two days later, while playing video games (yeah I had a problem.) I get a contact request notification. MY BOY C!

He tells me that he's a good person and he wants to give the account back. I check it and he played 10 games and lost each one which deranked and devalued the account (at this point I pretty much knew his parents were standing over his shoulder watching everything that was said. I could've even been speaking to them directly.) So I told him the account devalued, and I either want what he stole from me (the account at a higher rank) or I want $300. He told me he'll give me the account AND $300 (Parents coming through in the clutch!)

We went through a lot of hoops, trying paypal which he couldn't get to work, a few others and finally got google pay to work after troubleshooting stupid problems which I attriubted to him stalling. It was clear that they were scared of me since I got their info (and regularly called him by his first name throughout the convo as a power move lol) but I assured them I wasn't a bad person and told them to be extra safe of what you upload, especially if you're trying to scam people because when money is involved bad things can happen (playing into his parents who were surely reading it.) I explained the public Google+ upload of their clear to see geo-tagged house which I'm sure his they weren't happy about.

After he sent the money he asked for confirmation that I received it. I confirmed saying "YOU F** DID IT! SO PROUD OF YOU, C!" and he immediately went offline. I danced up and down the hallway and it was probably embarrasingly bad but I didn't care. I don't think the smile was gone from my face for an hour. It was a month long process and with the help of my friend the money was back. I haven't seen my friend in person since then, but when I do I owe him a top notch steak. He refused when I sent him $ online.

Instead of trying to resell the account and start back up in the marketplace I abandoned it all and went another way. I'm currently training for the military and in a much better place, but still have a long way to go.

A lot was left out of this story but it was a long one. I have screenshots of our conversations and I surely won't ever forget it.

TL;DR - I tried selling a video game account to see if I could make a new side hustle and got scammed since I was dumb, inexperienced and decided to trust the internet. I got scammed and took it hard but the scammer left too much of his info public and after a little bit of elbow grease I was able to obtain his & his parent's info and left his dad a voicemail. Two days later the scammer contacted me and gave me the money and the account back, apologizing. I learned from it.

(source) story by (/u/dstrezzd)

[babywinkz]

The Four Month Sleep Regression

The Four Month Sleep Regression

As a professional sleep consultant, I hear the term “regression” used in regards to just about every imaginable circumstance.

Essentially, if your baby doesn’t sleep well for a couple of nights, parents start dropping the ‘R’ word.

Some people subscribe to the idea that there’s an eight month regression, a 9 month regression, a 1 year regression, as well as teething regressions, growth spurt regressions, and so on.

Others see these as simple hiccups caused by extenuating circumstances.

Is There Such a Thing as Four Month Sleep Regression?

But the four-month regression, everybody agrees on, and for good reason. It’s the real deal, and it’s permanent.

So to understand what’s happening to your baby during this stage, first, you need to know a few things about sleep in general. So here’s the science part, told in plain English.

Many of us just think of sleep as an on-or-off situation.

You’re either asleep or you’re not.

Sleep Cycle in Plain English

But sleep actually has a number of different stages, and they make up the “sleep cycle,” which we go through several times a night.

STAGE 1 – Initial Stage

Stage 1 is that initial stage we’re all familiar with where you can just feel yourself drifting off, but don’t really feel like you’ve fallen asleep.

Anyone who has ever seen their partner nodding off in front of the TV told them to go to bed, and gotten the canned response of, “I wasn’t sleeping!” knows exactly what this looks like.

STAGE 2 – True Sleep

Stage 2, which is considered the first “true sleep” stage. This is where people tend to realize, once woken up, that they actually were sleeping. For anyone taking a “power nap,” this is as deep as you want to go, or else you’re going to wake up groggy.

STAGE 3 – Deep and Regenerative

Stage 3 is deep and regenerative. Also known as “slow wave” sleep, this is where the body starts repairing and rejuvenating the immune system, muscles tissue, energy stores, and sparks growth and development.

STAGE 4 – REM (rapid eye movement

Stage 4 is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. This is where the brain starts to kick in and consolidates information and memories from the day before. It’s also the stage where we do most of our dreaming.

Once we’ve gone through all of the stages, we either wake up or come close to waking up and then start over again until the alarm goes off.

So what does this have to do with the dreaded regression we were talking about originally?

Well, newborn babies only have 2 stages of sleep; stage 3 and REM, and they spend about half their sleep in each stage.

But at around the third or fourth month, there is a reorganization of sleep, as they embrace the 4-stage method of sleep that they’ll continue to follow for the rest of their lives.

When this change takes place, baby moves from 50% REM sleep to 25% in order to make room for those first two stages.

So although REM sleep is light, it’s not as light as these 2 new stages that they’re getting used to, and with more time spent in lighter sleep, there’s more of a chance that baby’s going to wake up.

Waking Up Is Normal During Sleep

That’s not to say that we want to prevent or avoid baby waking up.

Waking up is absolutely natural, and we continue to wake up three, four, five times a night into adulthood and even more in old age.

As adults, however, we’re able to identify certain comforting truths that baby might not be privy to.

When we wake in the night, we’re able to recognize that,

“Hey, I’m here in my bed, it’s still nighttime, my alarm isn’t going to go off for another three hours, and I’m reasonably certain that there are no monsters lurking under my bed. I can go back to sleep”

And we do. Usually so quickly that, the next morning, we don’t even remember the brief encounter with consciousness.

A four month old baby, of course, lacks these critical thinking skills.

To a four month old baby who fell asleep at her mother’s breast, the reasoning could go much more to the tune of,

“OK, last thing I remember, there was a familiar, beloved face, I was having dinner, and someone was singing me a soothing song about the Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Now I’m alone in this dark room, there’s no food, and there’s probably at least three, possibly four, scary monsters in the immediate vicinity.”

That’s probably an exaggeration, but who knows what goes on in the mind of a four month-old baby?

Understanding Four Month Sleep Regression

Anyways, now that baby’s suddenly realized that Mamma’s not around, and they’re not entirely sure where they’ve gone, the natural response is to do a little freaking out.

That stimulates the fight-or-flight response and, next thing you know, baby’s not going back to sleep without a significant amount of reassurance that everything is OK.

The other major contributor to this 4 month fiasco.

I find, is that up until this point, parents have either been putting their baby to sleep with a pacifier, or by rocking them, or by breastfeeding them, or some similar technique where baby is helped along on the road to falling asleep.

Sleep Associations Don’t Help In the Long Term

Now that baby’s spending more time in light sleep, and therefore has a higher probability of waking up, this suddenly becomes a much bigger issue.

These sleep props or sleep associations can be very sneaky indeed.

Because although they may be helpful in getting your little one to that initial nodding off stage, the lack of them when they wake up means that baby’s not able to get back to sleep again without some outside help.

Cue the fight-or-flight, the crying, and the adrenaline.

When this starts happening every half an hour, parents can find themselves in a nightmarish situation.

So, the good news for anyone experiencing the dreaded Four Month Sleep Regression is that it’s not, in fact, a regression at all.

What is Regression?

A regression is defined as “reversion to an earlier mental or behavioural level,” and that’s actually the opposite of what your baby is experiencing.

This would be much more aptly titled the “Four Month Sleep Progression.”

So, onto the big question.

What can you do to help your little one adjust?

First off, get all of that light out of baby’s room.

I’m not kidding around here. You might think that baby’s room is dark enough, or that baby might not like the dark, and that it’s comforting to have a little bit of light coming through the windows or seeping in from the hallway.

Nope.

1 – Eliminate All Light

Baby’s room should be dark, I mean coal mine on a moonless night kind of dark.

Tape bin bags over the windows if you have to, or cover them with tinfoil. (Just be prepared to explain it to the police when the neighbours accuse you of running a grow-op.)

Newborns and infants are not afraid of the dark.

They are, however, responsive to light. Light tells their brains that it’s time for activity and alertness, and the brain secretes hormones accordingly, so we want to keep that nursery absolutely pitch black during naps and bedtime.

2 – Eliminate All Noise

The other nemesis of daytime sleep, (and nighttime for that matter, although not nearly as often) is noise.

Whether its UPS ringing the doorbell, the dog warning you that the squirrels are back and for sure going to attack the house this time, or something falling on the floor three rooms away.

With baby spending more time in lighter sleep, noises will startle them easily and wake them up, so a white noise machine is a great addition to your nursery.

“Wait, isn’t that a prop,” you’re asking. Well, in a way, it is, but it doesn’t require any winding, resetting, reinserting, or parental presence. It’s just there and it can be on as long as baby’s sleeping, so it’s not a prop we need to avoid.

3 – Create Bedtime Routine

Bedtime routines are also an essential component to getting your baby sleeping well.

Try to keep the routine to about 4 or 5 steps, and don’t end it with a feed. Otherwise, you risk baby nodding off at the breast or the bottle, and that will create the dreaded “association” that we talked about earlier.

So try to keep the feed near the beginning of the routine and plan the songs, stories, and getting into PJs towards the end.

The whole process should be about 20 – 30 minutes long, and the baby should go into their cot while they’re still awake.

If you’re noticing your baby getting fussy before bedtime, you’ve probably waited too long. Four month old babies should only be going about two hours between snoozes, and bedtime should be between 7 and 8 at night.

We Aren’t Perfect – Baby Growth Plays a Role

Now, there are going to be regressions, actual regressions, later on in your little one’s youth. Travelling, illness, cutting teeth, all of these things can cause your little one to have a few bad nights in a row.

But when it comes to the four month “progression,” I’m happy to report that this is a one-time thing. Once you’re through this, your baby will have officially moved into the sleep cycle that they’ll essentially be following for the rest of their life.

Four glorious stages repeated multiple times a night.

Give Your Little One a Gift

And by taking this opportunity to teach them the skills they need to string those sleep cycles together, independently, prop-free, without any need for nursing, rocking, or pacifiers, you’ll have given them a gift that they’ll enjoy for the rest of their young lives.

Of course, some kids are going to take to this process like a fish to water, and some are going to be a little more resistant.

If yours falls into the former category, count yourself as lucky, take delight in your success, and go ahead and gloat about it on Facebook.

For those of you in the latter camp, I’m happy to help in any way I can.

Just visit my website or give me a call and we can work on a more personalized program for your little one.

The most common thing I hear after working with clients is,

“I can’t believe I waited so long to get some help!”

So if you’re considering hiring a consultant, now is absolutely the time.

I offer a free 15 minute evaluation so I can get to know the specifics about your little one’s situation, so book a call now and we can move forward as soon as you’re ready to get your little one sleeping through the night!

Read next >>>

Helping your baby to sleep – NHS

Is This the Right Time To Sleep Train?

Is Sleep Training Safe

Thank you so much for reading, please comment below if you have any questions.

[ohholyfanfics]

Daycare 0.2|T.Holland

Last Part: x 

Request here: x

Author’s Note: I went along and tagged everyone that commented on the last part not knowing if you guys wanted to be tagged or not. Also part 3 maybe? But please stay safe and wash your hand's guys, Love Ari xox

Liam’s first day resulted in numerous phone calls and text messages from Tom, followed by a string of apologies from Harrison. Evelyn, however, was used to this type of behavior from first-time parents, but it was safe to say she had a soft stop for Tom. His situation wasn’t easy, he was caring for a child that not only wasn’t biologically his but a child he had no prep for. Liam, however, proved to be a rather laid back child, not giving his classroom teachers a problem.

Each morning after dropping Liam off in his respected classroom, Tom always made sure to stop by Evelyn’s office to see how she was doing, and for of course thanking her for being so patient and kind. She had been so helpful during this transition, and he wasn’t sure what he’d do without her. Evelyn was always more than willing to answer any doubting questions Tom had about parenting, and just about life in general. He hated to admit it but he looked forward to those few minutes the two shared each morning.

He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but somewhere between Liam’s second and third week there, he noticed a change. Tom found himself texting her less about Liam and his day, but more about how she was. Sure, he stilled asked the usual questions about his son, but he couldn’t help but wonder about her. He wondered if the kids in toddler room six were giving you a hard time again, he worried if you got enough rest the night before. He wasn’t sure what it was but he felt himself slowly falling for her and it scared him.

It was a Wednesday morning, also one of your favorite days of the week. Upon walking into the daycare center he couldn’t help but notice that something was off, the Christmas decorations where no longer hanging around but it was in the transition to spring. Flowers built from children's faces were being hung up on the walls of the young interns from the local school. The usual receptionist was replaced but who he knew to be the co-director of the daycare, being Evelyn’s friend and co-worker Sophia.

She smiled brightly at Tom helping him sign Liam in before directing him to the room saying the teachers were waiting for him. Thanking her softly, he tugged along the hallway talking softly with his son as he entered the room. He couldn't help but smile as he watched him so quickly adapt to his surroundings before waving the teachers goodbye after giving them a quick rundown of Liam’s morning. He started making his way towards Evelyn office before Sophia called out to him.

“Oh, sorry Tom, she’s not in today,” Sophia mumbled softly as she nervously played with her wedding ring. It wasn’t that Tom scared or anything, he was definitely one of the more intimidating parents. Tom was the definition of success and power, not like Sophia didn’t know. She and Evelyn had exchanged a few words about Tom. It was clear that the single father cared for her boss.

“Oh.”

He couldn’t help the frown on his face as he fiddled with the sleeves of his suit. Evelyn was never absent, at least not that he knew of. He knew how much pride she had in her business much like of his own. He wasn’t sure what to do, he’s not seen her when he drops Liam off. It was strange to him to go on with his day without seeing her, without giving Evelyn a tight hug and having her assure him that whatever deal he was working on would play out alright.

He was missing that small little moment with her, a moment that meant more to him than he would like to admit. Since leaving the center this morning it was clear to everyone around him that he wasn’t himself this morning, yet he couldn’t bring himself to text her. What if she were busy, or what if she were with someone. He knew it was silly to even think that way but it was hard not too when he had blooming feelings for Evelyn.

It’s now Friday and he still hasn’t heard anything from Evelyn, she hasn't been into work since Tuesday and even then she apparently left early. It wasn’t that he was stalking her, no not at all. He had the pleasure of finally being able to pick Liam up from daycare that noon and ran into her at the parking lot. Evelyn assured him all was well and that you would be back to work bright and early on Wednesday morning. Clearly, that wasn’t the case.

Tom curled his lips as he tapped his pen on the stack of papers he should be overlooked but it was safe to say his concern was eating away at him. Sighing he reaches for his phone before a slight knock broke him. Cleaning his throat he gave permission fo the person to enter.

“Hey mate.” Harrison smiled as he walked in fixing the tie around his neck. Taken on look at his friend he frowned lightly taken a seat before him. “alright?”

He nodded his head knowing that Harrison would probably know what's going on with her. Yet, Tom wasn't sure he wanted to ask, he knew Harrison speculated that Tom had growing feels for the young woman and the last thing Tom wanted was to confirm to Harrison.

“Yeah, just a bit tired..”

“Oh sounds good, I just wanted to give you these progress reports,” he stated as he handed over the folder he had been holding. Tom thanked him before Harrison left not before promising to stop by later tonight for their beer night over at Tom’s flat.

That’s how Harrison and Tom had gotten to where they were now, Liam was safety tucked in his crib out like a light. The baby monitor was sitting near the table in view of both men as a random movie played not that either was paying attention. Harrison was going on about some random date he had been on two days ago, it wasn't fair for Tom to be laughing at his friends failed dates when he hadn't been on one since Liam’s adoption.

“Oi, you have no room to judge you twat.” he huffed throw a handful of nuts at his friend causing Tom to shake his head. “Plus, don’t you think you should maybe play the field?” he added testing the waters.

Tom couldn’t help but frown at the thought, it was hard enough not knowing people's intentions now he had a son to consider and the thought of dating scared him. He wasn't in the same situation as Harrison was, he didn't have a child to consider.

“I just don’t think I’m ready, plus I haven't found anyone.” he shrugged as he took a swing of his beer, what he said wasn’t a total lie. He truly didn't think he was ready for dating again, in fact, the mere thought had him itching.

“Not trying to pressure you to mate, just think it’ll be good for you to have some adult time with someone.” he smiled softly as Tom knew he was right.

“I’ll work on it.” was all he mumbled not wanting to have Harrison think of some crazy idea. That seemed to be enough as Harrison brought his attention back to the screen. Tom leaned back closing his eyes softly, that was when he felt the buzzing of his phone from beside him.

He pecked from one eye, his body going numb at the contact. The one person he had been secretly missing, not that he’d admit to anyone was calling. Quickly excuse himself he walked towards the kitchen answering the phone.

“Hey, darling.”

Evelyn eyes widen from the other side of the phone, that was most definitely not Sophia. She signed softly chewing on her bottom lip knowing she was gonna have to answer. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to call you..” she breathed out holding in the cough that was trying to escape.

He couldn’t help but frown at her voice, she sounded exhausted almost as if she hadn't been getting enough sleep. His chest tightened as he breathed out.

“No it’s fine, everything okay?”

“I’m fine, it’s nothing really.”

“But is it?” he questioned as he played with the beer caps laying on the. counter before him. “You haven't been to work these past few days, is everything alright?” he asked as her heart softened at his words.

“Sorry about that, I should’ve warned you,” she mumbled feeling guilty. She knew how hard it was for Tom, he’d express it to her every once in a while. With everything happening and how she was feeling and she completely has forgotten to inform the teachers to give him small updates throughout the day.

“I’ve just been ill is all.” she finally breathed out as a rather bad cough escaped her lips. Her body aching as her eyes closed a few tears escaping them from the pain she was feeling in her throat. Tom couldn’t help but feel a wave of worry spread through him. In a matter of seconds, he was searching his cabinets for coughing medicine his mum sworn on and the one lemon ginger tea he liked to sip on while ill.

“Do you need anything?” he breathed out as he reached for a small paper bag dropping everything inside. He knew it was crazy but he needed to be there for her. She was willing to handle him with his anxiety about Liam and he wanted to be there for her.

“It’s fine, I’ll call Sophia.” she insisted as he shook his head demanding that he go over and help her. He even promised that Liam would be in good hands. Signing she caved and asked him for some cough drops and maybe a few tissues and a bottle of ginger ale. Writing everything down, Tom ended the call quickly before rushing over to Harrison.

“Mate you think you can stay with Liam for a few?” he asked running a hand through his hair. Harrison studied his friend with a raised eyebrow. “I just have to run something to a friend real quick?”

Tom found the spare quickly as he quickly let himself in, toeing his shoes off, he smiled softly at the sweet smell of vanilla taken over as he studied the pictures on the walls. Sighing softly, he rubbed the back of his neck with his spare arm calling out her name. 

“Darling?” 

Evelyn held in a cough as she peeked down the hallway seeing a rather flustered Tom Holland standing there. He wore a simple pair of sweat pants and a light gray sweater, she couldn't help the soft smile that worked its way onto her lips as he walked inside the kitchen. Unlike her hallway, it was brightly lit, and extremely white. Her white. cabinets and white marble countertops gave off a homey feeling as he rested the bags down taken her in. 

Her cheeks and nose were red, her eyes looked tired as he took her in. Her legs were covered in black leggings while a snuggly looking hoodie was keeping her room. He couldn’t help the frown that worked its way onto his face, as he quickly walked over tugging her into his arms. A feeling of comfort washed through her body, his touch was familiar. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed it. 

“You didn’t have to come to Tom..” she mumbled softly surpassing a cough as he shook his head holding her closer. 

“I wanted to..” he breathed out as he pulled away just as she let out a nasty cough. He watched as one of her hands gripped the counter as she coughed into her hoodie, eyes watering making his heartache. “Oh honey..” he cooed softly as he rubbed her back gently. 

“I’m fine, I promise.” 

He couldn’t help but frown shaking his head, digging into the bag he pulled out the box of tea as he reached for her kettle. It wasn’t long before he had her snuggled into the guest bedroom downstairs, with a cup of tea. Her eyes took him in as a sense of appreciation flooded her. This man went out of his way, most likely leaving his son with his parents to come to the rescue. 

“Tom it’s fine really.” she breathed sitting up as he waltzed back in the room with two cups in hand. He waved her off, as he rested the two cups beside the medicine that he had brought over. 

“It’s no worries Evelyn..” he breathed as he placed a soft kiss onto her forehead, his next words making both their heads spin.

“Let me take care of you yeah?” he breathed out as their eyes locked, he missed her. God had Tom missed seeing her bright smile every morning. “We have to get you well again, Liam really misses you..” he breathed wondering if she was willing to read what he had been trying to say. 

It wasn’t Liam who had missed her, hell Tom didn’t know what he would’ve done if she hadn't called. He had slowly been losing his mind at the lack of communication between you both, not that you owed him anything.

“I miss him too..” she breathed out as their eyes met. “I miss them all..” she added hoping if he had gotten what she was saying and he had. He was a part of the all, she had missed him as well. 

It wasn’t long before Tom had her stomach full and a glass of water and ginger ale on her bedside table. She watched as he rushed off before coming back with the medicine he had brought along with a trash can, which she could only assume came from the hall bathroom. She watched with soft eyes as he set everything cup for her. 

“I want you to get a good’s night rest yeah?” he breathed out as he tucked her in and brushed the few strings of hair that had managed to escape from the bun her hair was placed in. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to check-in.” 

“Tom you-” 

“I know, I don’t have too but I want to.” he breathed out with a soft smile and a blush on his cheeks. “I promised I’d take care of you darling, and that’s just what I intend to do.” 

Taglist: @averyfosterthoughts​ @parkeret​ @obsessed-librarian​ @yourbiggestspiderfan​ @jackiehollanderr​ @starkerismysexuality​ @billysroses​ @cutiepiemimi13​ @fav-fan-fic​ @abschaffer2​ @rescue3000​ @xinsonyax​ @greenarrowhead​

[arctimon]

I would just like to add my two-cents to this discussion if I may. As a person who belongs to two cultures, I'd like to point out the cultural nuances when it comes to age-appropriacy. I'm aware this is an American-made show, but authors themselves, despite writing in English, may not subscribe to the same group of beliefs. Ages of consent differ wildly across different countries. Some cultures are a bit more loose with their distinctions between "kid" and "teenager," though I never- (TBC)

...see this addressed. I'm not condoning anything under-age personally, I just wanted to put this idea out there. What may seem inappropriate to one group, may actually be the norm of another. I personally quite enjoy your stories and how they take on a more-realistic aspect of coming-of-age sans the constraints of the show's canon and "for kids" parameters. And I'm a stringent believer of internet autonomy- if you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to read it. No one should pressure... an author to change their artistic vision. A lot of art is problematic, my goodness. It's also important for folks to keep in mind--in the case of fanfic-- that it is simply that- fiction. Fiction comes with a freedom of expression. A freedom informed by the cultural norms of the author. I appreciate and admire how mindful you've been with your responses on this subject, and I hope your work and your art will not be hindered by this upset.

1.) The age of consent in the state of California is 18. There are also no “Romeo-and-Juliet” laws in California.  This means that two minors between the ages of 14 and 17 cannot have sexual relations with each other without it being considered illegal. You know how I know this?  Because I did the research.  You bet your patootie that if I was going to get anywhere near that level, I was going to make sure to do the research first long before I got to that point. Yes, it is a fictitious California, but I’m not going to change the laws because “fiction”.  And you are correct that consent varies wildly from place to place.  The Philippines is 12 (yikes).  Cameroon in Africa is 21.  It just all depends on where you go.  And cultures also vary differently as to what is acceptable and what is not. But we’re in California, so I am going to abide by them. 2.) I have a love-hate relationship with the “Don’t Like? Don’t Read.” mantra.  I agree with the fact that anyone that’s just looking for stuff to get upset about and then find it is just asking for it. For example, I can go to Fanfiction.net right now, look up every single M-rated fanfic concerning Big Hero 6, and read every single one.  I’m not going to because that’s not something I’m even remotely interested in at all.  But there are people who do that and get upset that they’re reading M-rated stuff.  Like...there was a warning and everything.  Why are you upset? (In all seriousness, don’t do that.  I took the hit so you don’t have to.  There’s...some weird stuff on there.) This situation, where they’re reading something they enjoy (hopefully) and find a part that can be uncomfortable, is a bit different.  It’s not maliciousness on anyone’s part.  It’s just something that happens and no one is really at fault.  And again, that’s where the ratings system is suppose to work.  Sometimes, it doesn’t.  And sometimes, ratings can be skewed a little bit.  For example, I’m pretty sure any mention of blood is suppose to be an automatic M on most sites.  I don’t rate it M because I don’t consider that an M-rated thing.  I consider that a T.  But that’s just me. 3.) I do think (and I’m being careful here when saying this) that sometimes, people treat fiction as fact.  I’m not saying that in this case it was, but it does happen. My stories are fiction.  They are not real.  I can dress it up as much as I want and try to stay as canon-aligned as possible, but at the end of the day, my stories are not the show.  You are not going to see a situation where Hiro and Karmi are sleeping in the same bed as each other in the show (like in Overnight).

I still get people who say that I should write for the show, and while it’s flattering, I cannot begin to tell you just how much of a bad idea that would be.  Mark and Bob and Nick are not ringing my phone any time soon. And fiction does come with a freedom of expression...to a point.  I cannot post whatever I want on FF.net, DevArt, AO3, or even here.  The rules do tend to bend, but even the hardest metal eventually breaks.  I wouldn’t be able to post Hiro/Karmi smut (not that I would want to, anyway) because that would immediately get taken down on two of those three platforms.  AO3 is an archive where things are a little bit more lax; I know this because I have reported stories on AO3 without success.  And they pretty much used the “freedom of expression” thing as the reason why it wasn’t taken down. So I get what you’re saying, but I think it’s a shared responsibility of both the author and reader to make sure that things stay calm. 4.) Which leads to this. I haven’t been upset by anything that has happened today.  People often associated wordy diatribes with anger or unhappiness, but I can assure you that’s not true. There was a situation.  It was taken care of.  Some unnamed person wanted to continue causing a ruckus.  That was also taken care of. People, understandably, saw what I had been posting and was curious about my mindset on things.  I’m not going to fault people for that.  As someone who is “well-known” in the fandom, I’ve come to expect that.  And as long as people are willing to keep an open mind and ask things in a mature and polite way, I’m always happy to answer people’s questions.

I have never felt pressure by anyone to stop writing something, up to and including the Asks I’ve gotten today.  I am going to continue to write and work on my stories as I see fit.  There will be emotional things, like Hiro’s parents.  There will be progress in relationships (not just in Hiro/Karmi).  I’m not going to shy away from difficult topics.  But perhaps I can take a leaf from the show’s book and try to balance a little bit more humor into it. Thank you for your question.

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Dawn in Your Eyes Part 9

Summary: Alfie has little to no idea why Caroline ever gave him the time of day. The blind woman seemed far too sensible to even speak to him. But soon he finds himself falling helplessly in love.

Part 9: Caroline consults with a close confidante, Alfie considers the differences between raising a puppy and raising a child.

For @deaflikehawkeye​ because they’re great and I’m a doofus. Thank you for putting up with my dumb bitch self. 

         “How was Margate?” Elizabeth was instantly on Caroline’s case the second she entered the office.

           Caroline smiled and allowed the secretary to take her coat and hat. “Oh, it was lovely. Got a little chilly at the end but Alfie didn’t seem to mind much.” Pilot led her over to her desk that Elizabeth was perched on.

           “I’ll have you know that man hasn’t been on holiday for more than a week. And you managed to get him away from the bakery for over two weeks!” Alfie’s cousin exclaimed. “Truly a special woman, you are.”

           Caroline’s cheeks went red and she smiled sheepishly. “I think he was the one prolonging the honeymoon, he didn’t want to seem to come back to London.” She laughed softly and shook her head.

           “So, are you settled in? Did you forget anything at our flat? I told Richard to double-check that all of your things were moved in carefully.” Elizabeth asked, gently stroking Buck’s head.

           “Well, Alfie’s being a little cryptic.” She admitted. “Says that there’s no need to get settled so soon. I’ve no idea what he’s on about.”

           “Perhaps he’s making a move. Wouldn’t that be nice? He’s lived in that flat ever since he saved up enough to live on his own. Hardly the place for three dogs and a beautiful new wife.”

           “I think it’s cozy. Doesn’t get cold.” Caroline shrugged and sighed. “I’m afraid he feels like he’s got to spoil me at every turn. I’ve told him there’s no need but he insists.”

           “He’s got the money, Carrie, he ought to spend it on you!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Who else would he spend it on?”

           She laughed but it faded quickly because it sparked something that she and Alfie had spoken about at Margate. “Lizzie…I hope I’m not being nosy or…” Caroline chewed on her lip and wrung her hands together.

           “Oh, darling, there isn’t anything you could say that would offend me. Out with it.” Elizabeth insisted. “We’re practically sisters at this point.”

           “Well…Alfie and I discussed-I mean it’s only prudent that we should discuss-” Caroline cleared her throat and felt her face heating up with embarrassment. “After all we were-it was our honeymoon.”

           Elizabeth smiled and hopped down from her spot on the desk. She sat down across the desk from Caroline and reached out to touch her arm. “It’s okay, I’m not here to judge you.” She assured her gently.

           Caroline laughed nervously. “We talked about children. I was just wondering if you and Richard ever talked about the possibility.”

           “It’s only reasonable.” Elizabeth agreed. “Being a married couple and all. My philosophy in life is that I’ll take things as they come. Should I become pregnant then I’ll take on the challenge. It won’t be easy for either of us but it doesn’t mean we couldn’t be good mothers.”

           “But to go our whole lives never seeing our own children.” Caroline decided there was no use skirting around her emotions. She could speak to Alfie about her concerns, but Elizabeth would know exactly what she was going through. With Alfie, it was tough to make him understand, although she didn’t fault him.

           “Is it any different from never seeing our parents? Our husbands?”

           “Well, I-no but I just thought since…” She sighed. “A child would be a part of us.”

           “Yes, but nevertheless we are good daughters and nieces and wives. Children would be just another adjustment to life. We’ve been adjusting to everything every day, haven’t we? Navigating the world differently than others. But we make it work because we have to. Now we don’t have to have children but dig down deep. Ask yourself this, if you gained your sight tomorrow, would you question your ability as a mother?”

           Caroline was quiet for a moment. Pilot rested his chin on her thigh. “I suppose not.”        

           “So why question yourself now?”

           She smoothed her hand over Pilot’s shaggy ears. “I don’t know. I just thought…”

           “You thought what others would think. Others who barely know anything about us. All they know is that we’re blind. So, they assume we’re not fit to be mothers. What do they know?”

           Caroline smiled. “You are truly something else.”

           “Lots of people say that about me.” Elizabeth teased. “Sometimes it’s good sometimes it’s bad. But I take it all in stride because that’s all I can do.” She stood up and grabbed a hold of Buck’s harness. “If you ever doubt yourself, go to your husband. That man would never lie to you.”

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

           Alfie was given the task of taking care of Apollo while Caroline was working. He brought the puppy and Cyril to the bakery. The older dog was starting to get used to the little guy. He tolerated Apollo chewing on his ears and trying to kick up a fuss with him.

           Alfie tried to get Apollo settled in his office but the mastiff wasn’t having it. He zoomed around the small space, trying to teeth on anything that wasn’t bolted down. He barked at any little noise and whined when Alfie wasn’t paying attention to him.

           “Fucking hell, you’ve got some energy, aye?” Alfie stood up and decided to take the pup out for a walk to try and get his jitters out. Cyril was content to stay behind and get some peace and quiet, so Alfie set out with the puppy.

           Apollo tugged at his lead so hard that Alfie was genuinely afraid he was going to choke himself. It had been a while since Alfie had scooped up Cyril off the muddy streets of Camden.

           Cold and shivering, he’d brought the bullmastiff puppy home and nurtured him back to health. Cyril was very subdued and a little wary of the big man so he didn’t act out too much. Alfie had gotten some tips for training from Julia and Cyril was a natural. A loyal dog to a strong and affectionate authority figure.

           Apollo, was very different. He had more than twice Cyril’s energy and didn’t seem to care if he disobeyed Alfie. He was a sweet pup but very naughty.

           Alfie, however, kept his patience and continued to remind the dog to heel. Eventually, they stopped to give Alfie’s arm a break.

           “Right, sit, Apollo,” Alfie spoke firmly and held up his hand along with the command.

           The mastiff’s entire body was vibrating with energy, his tongue lolling out as he panting excitedly. He danced on his paws, ready to bolt at any second.

           “Apollo.” Alfie gave him a warning tone. “Sit.”

           The puppy cocked his head to the side but seemed to understand well enough. They had, after all, been working on the command for a couple of weeks. So, he parked his bum on the sidewalk, his tail continuing to wag.

           “There ya go. Not so tough, is it?” Alfie nodded, impressed by the progress. “Just takes some patience. C’mon then, rascal.” He began to walk back to the bakery with Apollo.

           Ollie was waiting by his office when they returned. “I’ve got some telegrams from bookies. They’re saying Sabini’s men are getting worse.” He looked a tad worried.

           Alfie snatched the papers from his assistant. “Right, I’ll handle it.” He mumbled and let Apollo off his lead. The pup launched himself at Ollie, trying to get a bite out of the loose ends of the man’s apron. “How’re the little ‘uns?” He asked the younger man as he sat down at his desk, glancing through the telegrams.

           “Erm, alright.” Ollie batted the pup away but Apollo was relentless. It wasn’t strange for Alfie to ask about his children. But it was odd for him to ask when he just received news that Sabini was ramping up his violence. Usually, it was a discussion for when things were quieter.

           Alfie grunted in acknowledgment. He tossed the telegrams to the side and stroked his beard. “Caroline and I were discussing children. At Margate. What’d you think, Ollie, be honest then, could I be a father? I mean, fucking hell I never thought I’d ever be fucking married.”

           Ollie managed to get Apollo’s attention turned onto Cyril. “Why don’t you think you’d be a good father, sir?” He asked and hesitantly went to sit.

           He scoffed and shook his head. “You thick, boy? Look at who I am. I’ve got a fucking wop threatening to take me out by the canal and blow me brains out.”

           Ollie shrugged. “Weren’t you worried about the same thing with Caroline?” He reminded him as gently as he could. The young man wasn’t looking to get a smack upside the head for being honest.

           Alfie muttered something under his breath and scratched at his cheek. “ Not exactly…nurturing.”

           His assistant nodded towards the two dogs wrestling with each other. “You’ve got dogs.”

           “Yeah, I’ve got fucking dogs, I’m talking about human children, mate.”

           “Well…” Ollie’s lips quirked up in a funny smile. He knew that his wife would berate him if she ever heard what he was about to say next. “Raising children and raising pups. Not too different.”

           Alfie couldn’t help but bark out a laugh. “You fucking pulling my leg, Ollie boy?”

           “I mean before they can talk.” Ollie rolled his eyes. “All you really have to do is take care of their needs and they’re happy as can be. Then they start talking but by then you’ve got the whole routine down. I really don’t think you’d be a terrible father, sir.”

           His boss sighed and shook his head. “I think you’re just having a laugh.” He waved the man away. “Go on, fuck off. You’ve got work to do.”

           Ollie smiled slightly and stood up, adjusting the ties of his apron. “By the way, there was a telephone call from someone named Mr. Graves. I said you’d call back if you recognized the name.”

           “Ah, yes. I’ll give him a ring. Ollie, gather a couple of me strongest men, arm them, and have them report to me.”

           “Yes, sir.” Ollie nodded and closed the office door behind him.

           Alfie made a note to call Mr. Graves back about a property outside London. He chuckled when Apollo attempted to jump up onto his lap. “Raising kids is like raising dogs, fucking hell, that daft boy.” He shook his head and allowed the pup to curl up on his lap.

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[kimyoonmiauthor]

Myka and James Stauffer rehoming a disabled child--What more can you do?

I wrote this once, but then it wouldn’t post. So this is a second time, excuse it if it’s not as eloquent as it should be. I’m an international adoptee, so we’re more affected by this case than most because according to Reuters 2013 more of us are “rehomed” than others. Because of this, I’ve also been following the case since 2010. So all of the people “shocked” by this terminology needs to listen to adoptees. Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve been collecting resources and things YOU as non-adoptees can do to help. This has included listening to Birth Parents, Adoptees, Adoptive Parents, Former Foster Youth, and basically using my Anthropology training to collect a list. I have to remind you that going after the Stauffers alone isn’t enough. We have to go after the systems that enabled them to do this in the first place so this does not happen to another child. I get it. Vigilante justice feels good. It’s short, sweet and you get results and to see the face of the individual. A system doesn’t have a face you can gloat over. But if you really do care, you’d go after prevention and long term change, otherwise your outrage--and I’m including all of those youtubers I had to sort through (which was painful at best, but so goes advocacy), is empty. You only care about your own self-satisfaction rather than the long term cause or the people involved themselves. (My anti-Cancel Crew objections are along this line of thought.) Since I’ve been asked what this looks like and re-pasting it over and over is a pain, I decided to centralize the post with the levels of justification for the action. I get this post is longish, but take the part you need to make that change you want to advocate for.

If you want to take parts of this post, you can take the links without credit, but not the specific words. And don’t take credit for work you didn’t do.

What is Rehoming?

The often legal, but immoral act of placing a child without oversight of the state or government by placing them on the internet or doing backyard deals. We adoptees have been battling facebook pages for years to shut it down. I am not naming them, because I don’t want to encourage the behavior.

This is separate from dissolution of adoption. This is done with home study and legal oversight.

Why is this a Problem?

Adoptive parents go through a long, long process call home study this can take anywhere from a few months to a year. This has evolved over the years. Since this specific case involves international adoption, I’ll do a run down of the evolution of how home study has evolved in the International adoption community. I know it’s dry and boring, but it’s important to understand why the Stauffer case is egregious and why I am holding Holt responsible.

Home study used to be, “Are you Christian?” as done by the Holts. To be clear, social workers and his translator at the time objected to this. His reasoning? He thought all Christians are good people. (Though if you check the qualifiers for genocide by the UN, this is loosely on the list.) Adoptees were lucky to even get half a page.

This resulted in children being put into sex trafficking rings and child slavery. Social workers and Adoptees legislated against the Holts and the restrictions went up. (The whole list of immoral, yet not illegal crimes the organization has done as a whole, is a whole other story. I know it backwards and forwards as an adoptee with dates and countries since I’ve been in the adoptee community since roughly 1999.) This took 20 years from the first children in 1940′s and 1950′s. The home study in the 1970′s was still thin, but the amount of abuse cases went down. By the 1980′s, there was pressure to actually care about the children, so ESWS (one of the Korean agencies) and the other agencies in Korea started pushing for more extensive home studies (at the behest of Adoptees). The packet and requirements were thin. This included things like checking the financials of the family in question. Giving the parents language lessons, and then a packet usually about an inch thick. They would also get family statements and recommendations. A social worker would come and check the safety of the home. By about the 1990′s the packet has increased, and psychological evaluations started to be put into place. There were lists of books added to the list. (I asked Adoptive Parents to help me with this.) These were “suggestions” but no one tested if the prospective parents read them. So the packets given were about 6 inches deep, with the books about a foot. The in-class studies, several honest Adoptive Parents called “laughable” there was no race training at all and most of it was hanging out.

By the early 2000′s, they started to finally let parents of color adopt in larger numbers. (I know) The rehoming had gotten far more decent. The psych evaluations got deeper. They started to exclude criminal activity, do background checks on the parents, and do deeper psych evaluations, requiring deeper studies. But the Adoptive Parents I talked to said they were not getting the support they needed. The agencies weren’t listening on what they needed to parent their child. This is about the time I started collecting a wishlist and sending it to agencies. As far as I’m connected, nothing has really changed since then. The problem with rehoming is that it sets us back to 1950′s rules. All of this progress that Adoptees, Social workers, and well-meaning Adoptive Parents have fought hard for is done in an instant. There is no home study and the former parents get away with it because Adoptees and Foster Kids are not protected by the same laws that children from birth are.

What does this have to do with the Stauffers?

The Stauffers, a few years ago, decided to adopt a kid from China. They are social influencers. So they asked to fund their child’s adoption. They opted to have a child with special needs and by reports “checked 99% of them.” They paid zero for the adoption, and then used him to boost one of their channels and Instagram follower’s accounts. Their channel boosted by a ton of money, such that they could move into a mansion, their “dream home”, go on several large family vacations, made off of publicizing his story for their own “disability savior” points. Some of the videos, however, were problematic.

He was later said to have autism, and was in speech therapy, by Myka who wanted to “save” money on him by bringing him to a cheaper therapist. Despite this, the channel grew.

Then suddenly the boy disappeared from the channel. After months of pressuring her, they released a video saying they had “rehomed” him. The internet was enraged by this and went after her and James Stauffer. They tried to push Myka to receive all the blame to protect James Stauffer’s channel. All of the videos of this little boy were still up and monetized. They came up with a petition to force all of the videos down. The monetized videos came down and a new petition started: https://www.change.org/p/youtube-shut-down-myka-stauffer-s-youtube-account?signed=true

I also started a letter writing campaign to the governor to make sure it was getting investigated. Everyone else posting about it was trying to go after Myka Stauffer, but I wanted legal change. With me and my network, we worked three days straight to finally get an answer and make sure that the boy they had adopted and “rehomed” was safe.

Is Rehoming New?

Internet Amnesia is real. No. It’s been happening to public knowledge since 2010.

There was the NYC case which got turned into a Law and Order Special Victims Unit episode: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/svu-shines-a-light-on-the_b_4735153

There was the Justin Harris case.

There was the Hart case. (They rehomed once and were able to adopt two more times.)

And if you didn’t think it was covered before then there is also:

https://www.today.com/parents/it-takes-more-love-what-happens-when-adoption-fails-918076

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/11/children-who-have-second-adoptions/575902/

https://mljadoptions.com/blog/adoption-rehoming-disruption-dissolution-20140520

I’ve been riding my own state to institute laws against rehoming, and they finally did it, after the Governor vetoed it once, and I chased him about it. You could be a person that does this too.

So What Can I Do to be a Part of the Change? Here is a PDF of the current anti-rehoming laws. Press for the ones in your state to be cleaned up/invented. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/custody_transfers.pdf Here's contacts for the city where they live if you want to make sure they get justice for him. http://www.delawareohio.net/agendas-motions-summaries-meeting-recordings/meet-city-council-2/ You can contact Governor Mike DeWine and ask him to do something similar to this law https://www.writing.ucsb.edu/sites/secure.lsit.ucsb.edu.writ.d7/files/sitefiles/publications/2010_Sho.pdf which would give Huxley 90% of the earnings in a trust fund and protect the other Stauffer kids: https://governor.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/governor/contact The petition to take down their videos is here (They shifted their channels, but still have Huxley's content up.): https://www.change.org/p/youtube-demand-the-stauffers-remove-all-monetized-content-ft-huxley-from-their-youtube-channel?recruiter=1095019618

There is a more strict petition here: https://www.change.org/p/youtube-shut-down-myka-stauffer-s-youtube-account?signed=true There is a federal law that's been in the works since about 2015, when the Justin Harris case broke. Langevin has been trying to get it passed. It has bipartisan support.  https://langevin.house.gov/press-release/bipartisan-bill-will-protect-adopted-children-rehoming He is the one that said that cats and dogs have more protections than adoptees or foster care youth have. 

https://willbrownsberger.com/rehoming-of-adopted-children/

Send them love and support for working on this for so long. I think if people really, really did care, they'd call their Senators and make sure they are supporting this bill (It has bipartisan support): https://www.senate.gov/senators/How_to_correspond_senators.htm

Why and How to Hold Holt Responsible

Holt wasn’t responsible for the placement of this young boy. However, he is still their charge. When they absorbed the other agency, they should have checked on their charges and made sure they were doing well. But they didn’t.

This seems like a mild crime in most people’s eyes, but case after case, their failure to give Adoptive Parents support and check on them has resulted in a huge list of them saying, “This is unfortunate.”, but then not changing their contracts and trying to clean up the system they perpetuate. Since they are the largest of the International Adoption agencies, they also could set an example, by say, not enabling people to adopt on repeat from them if they’ve rehomed a child. (Shouldn’t their records show that?) and creating a network of adoption agencies to prevent abuse and rehoming so the Hart case doesn’t repeat.

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/nyregion/chinas-adoption-scandal-sends-chills-through-families-in-united-states.html https://books.google.com/books?id=ABEoAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA224&lpg=PA224&dq=Holt+International+abuse&source=bl&ots=3tvNla8X2x&sig=ACfU3U00GO4BzWMLUnU9dnI_EYqy1VwilA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi546nirOvpAhV3HzQIHWTwCow4ChDoATAFegQIDBAB#v=onepage&q=Holt%20International%20abuse&f=false And this is the complete list: http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/6194

Their contact:

https://www.holtinternational.org/contactus.php

But what do I ask for?

I compiled this list with the help of Adoptive Parents who have dealt with Holt before.

- Psych evaluations to take out the Narcissistic people (though stop selling it as a Savior Project would also help.) - Check their parenting styles--some styles do and some styles don't work for adoptees because of the initial trauma. - Minimum Foster Care training.

Many adopters go the rehoming route because they believe the Foster Care system is broken and listen to the news. It is, but they should work with Social Workers because Backyard deals are less than that. Obama (no matter how you feel about him) suggested Foster Care training for all Adoptive Parents which is more rigorous than home study for most states (though this also needs revision). - Make them learn the language of the adoptee they are adopting for at least one year (where it applies and they would have to pass with a C or better.) This is mostly so they learn the cultural standards of the country and it helps cement ideas about socialization as well that is hard to describe otherwise. - Holt specifically forbids Adoptive Parents from contacting Foster Parents after placement--reverse that.  Adoptive Parents had to work around them and those that did had better outcomes for their child. Often the Foster Parents were eager to help. - Adoption agencies would be required with any international adoption to give a run down from the foster parents of some basics of socialization (for the country), and maybe some basic training. This would be interactive. (as supposed to the next item)

- Give a basic rundown sheet of things to help the child transition from standard socialization practices. How to comfort the child? What specific foods was the child eating? Is there a brand of detergent that was used in their original home? Where does the child sleep? What are their sleeping hours? What type of clothes do they wear? Things people take for granted and think are universal. Anthropologists and Foster Parents could help with this. - For parents taking on disabilities, they should be required prior to encounter the disability and meet more seasoned parents currently dealing with the disability in question--especially adoptive parents. So they can ask questions, network and really, really see if they can handle it. Don't take their word for it. - Adoptees, PoC, etc and any other diversity labels involved with the child should be required to be in close contact with them. i.e. not the internet. Basic race, etc training should apply and they have to pass a test.

-Check on the Adoptee after placement.

After Adoption care. Several APs said they would have really liked this, but then they were left in the dark. In fact their agencies gave them zero support. And the baby would cry and cry and they were totally lost on what to do. They were lost on which experts to ask, and who they could contact. This is unacceptable. Dogs and cats get more checks and aftercare than human children.

On the consequences end,

Child trafficking and Abandonment--Holt should press for those laws. APs that care are for this. They said, why aren’t there these laws?

Also any adopters that rehome would be banned from adopting again, and they would be added to a general blacklist and spread that information to other agencies.

Through this dissolution of adoption should be the key.

If they break the contract, you can sue.

Lastly, don’t believe you are alone. Your anger can make change. At least let your anger last long enough to make this change to the laws so we adoptees don’t have to hear next year how people are shocked yet again by another rehoming case. Be the change the world needs. You aren’t helpless.