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princessbrunette · 4 months

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as ironic as it sounds, being shy was not for the weak.

sure, there was the obvious things like finding it difficult to make friends, feeling like you might pass out any time you have to order your own food, feeling deathly embarrassed for just doing simple things like wearing a new item of clothing or using an umbrella. all of those things accumulated from an amalgamation of anxiety ridden experiences that kept you awake at night — but the worst thing you found about being incredibly shy, was being unable to stick up for yourself.

it’s not like you didn’t have things to say, lord knows if you weren’t shy you would have torn these girls to shreds. however, any time you wanted to say anything, it was like you were frozen. like an evil villain from a storybook had stolen your voice box and left you defenceless against a huddle of evil stepsisters. you were convinced the girls in your ballet class were born evil. never taught right from wrong whilst you were forced into the corner of each session hot in the face and trying your hardest to concentrate whilst they loudly comment on you like you weren’t there.

“you know pope heyward pays for her dance tuition because she’s a pogue.”

“seriously? i’d be too embarrassed to even show my face if someone else had to pay my tuition for me. it’s not even that expensive.”

“right? imagine being poor, can’t relate. my friend said she saw her stealing from sephora last week, it’s like people don’t have shame anymore.”

“no offence but she shouldn’t even be in here with us.”

the catty laughter that followed only added insult to injury, and it continued on this way for the rest of the two hour session you were stuck with them for. by the end, you were ready to just leave that place and never return. perhaps you could simply find a way to pay pope off and go back to whatever it was you were doing before you joined the dance school.

a flood of relief washes over you when you finally return to popes student apartment, using the key he’d offered you to let yourself in— body slumped from exhaustion and sore from carrying your bags. you could see on the forecast there was a fifty percent chance of going non verbal tonight, just to recover from the day you’d had.

for a second the negative thoughts slip away when the door opens and one third of your trio is stood there bouncing a football off the wall. jj maybank, one of your two lovers turns his head and beams at you — and you don’t realise you’re crumpling into a sob until you recognise the crease in his brow and the way his smile slides off his face as quickly as it arrived.

“hey? woah, uh— let’s close this door yeah sugar? lemme get these bags. why’re you crying? c’mon tell papa j.” he’s doing everything at once — closing the door behind you whilst catching your trembling body and removing your bags from your grip.

“can’t do it. can’t do it anymore.” you wail into his chest as he pats your back in disorientation. jj was never the best at this kind of thing, but he was learning. at the commotion, pope comes strutting into the hallway in his rich-boy cardigan and slacks and you can’t even look at him. he’s everything you’re not.

“jj, please don’t tell me you made her cry two steps into this damn apartment.” pope deadpans and jj’s eyes widen at the accusation.

“wh— dude it wasn’t me! she just… walked in and started crying.” his voice softens and he cradles the back of your head, watching the way popes demeanour falters and he furrows his eyebrows, stepping closer.

“hey… did something happen? we need to know.” pope tries to get through to you, but you wrap your arms around jjs neck, hiding yourself from the world. the academic boy sighs, before nodding his head to jj to gesture to bring you into the living room. “i’m… gonna make you some tea. okay?” you feel the gentle touch of his hand on your back before he departs, leaving jj to lovingly wrangle you to the couch.

before long, you’re nestled between the two with your knees to your chin, allowing yourself to be coddled by your boyfriends.

“and — and then they said i’m poor and they saw me stealing… said i shouldn’t even be in the same room as them.” you tremble, staring ahead as pope mops up your tears.

“those little prissy bit—”

“jj.” pope warns before turning to you. “look, please don’t listen to them pretty girl. you belong there just as much as anyone else. more— even.” he shakes his head with wide eyes.

“no they’re right. i feel like a fraud even existing in the same space as them.”

“you got the whole shoplifting thing under control anyway so what’s their deal?” jj stands up, restless as he rips his hat off, running a hand through his hair before beginning to spin his cap around his fingers.

“i should have been more careful.” you squeak and jj sighs, coming back to you to stroke a hand lovingly over your head.

“forget these stuck up kook assholes, okay? no offence pope.”

“none taken.”

he cups your jaw, forcing you to look up at him. “you’re our little ballerina — and like, the best one i’ve ever seen. trust me, they’re mad ‘cus they’re jealous. i know that for a fact.”

“exactly. total case of jealousy.” pope chimes in, a hand resting on your lower back.

“so you’re not quittin’. you’re gonna go back to that studio tomorrow, with your head held high, and if you don’t tell them all to fuck off — i’ll come n’do it for you.” jj announces, loud and proud. you let a sniffly giggle slip, which relieves the two of them.

“jayj y’can’t do that.”

“okay — so i can’t come n’ tell them to fuck off but…” he leans in closer, suddenly dead serious. “i find out any of these chicks have brothers or boyfriends? they’re gonna have to answer to my glock. that should shake ‘em up.”

“yeah that’s smart. get kicked off campus.” pope sarks, the two of you knowing he would never actually do something like that — purely speaking out of emotion.

“for our girl? anything, dude.”

“okay well. more productively,” pope pats his thighs decisively before leaning forward to the coffee table and grabbing your mug of tea, placing it in your hands. “you’re gonna drink this, and then me and this thug are gonna make you feel all better. okay?” whilst you take a sip, pope presses a kiss to your forehead.

“feel better how?” you pout once you’d swallowed, holding your tea a little firmer as you feel jj drop carelessly into the seat beside you.

“i’m gonna massage out any aches and pains you may be experiencing from your dance class, and trust me i am well versed in the human body so i can really get in there.” pope explains, wrapping an arm around your waist and bringing you closer.

“mhm…” you encourage him to continue, already melting into the relaxation.

“and then, me and jj are gonna make you cum. a lot. many many times.” he states matter-of-factly, shooting a tingle through your body like he did each and every time he made a filthy promise like that. although you’re not looking at jj, you feel his hand raise in the air as he leans back on the couch.

“now that i can get behind.”

maybe you’d be okay after all.

#mouse!reader #kook!pope #jj x reader x pope

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unfortunate17 · 16 days

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(wilmon.) Shivers run down his spine when Wille's fingers draw lines across his back.

another university!au - apologies that this isn’t the greatest, I’m currently on a train to Naples and exhausted LMAO

thank you for the prompt 💕

Shivers run down his spine when Wille's fingers draw lines across his back. Normally, Simon would be embarrassed about letting some rich boy from class he’d only talked to a handful of times press him up against a wall during the middle of a crowded party, but inhibition seems to leave him entirely when faced with Wilhelm’s warm eyes and hands.

Simon still remembers the first morning of the semester. He’d been late, blearily squeezing into a seat and trying to make sense of the syllabus already projected up front, when someone had tapped his shoulder. When Simon had looked up, it’s had been like all of his senses had come alive at once. Suddenly, he was wide awake, blinking back at deep, dark eyes and tumbling, soft-looking hair.

“Sorry,” Wilhelm had whispered to him, discreetly trying to hand him a phone. “Is this yours? I saw it fall.”

Simon had hastily checked his pockets, flushing when he came up empty handed. “Shit,” he’d cursed, “yeah, fuck. Thanks.”

And the rest, as Ayub often jokes, had been history. Slowly, as the weeks passed, Simon begins to enjoy quick hellos, the thrill of their shoulders brushing in class as he pretends to pay attention, and the sizzle of something more sparking in his chest whenever Wille meets his eyes.

All said and done, Ayub thinks he has a crush. Simon, however, vehemently disagrees. Wilhelm is smart, pretty, and funny - it’s only natural that Simon enjoys his company even if the Rolex on his wrist costs more than Simon’s entire tuition and Wille’s second cousin and brother lord over the university rowing team that Simon had tried out for last year only to be brutally cut despite being better than half the people there.

“Don’t feel too bad,” Wilhelm had tried to reassure him once. “Everyone that made it is a family friend. Erik and August can’t really cut them without it being awkward.”

“Then why do they even have try-outs?” Simon had grumbled, crossing his arms as Wille snickered beside him, his own rowing team t-shirt stretched distractingly across his shoulders.

It was always these little details that remind Simon that Wilhelm is not like him - that his family has millions upon millions of kronor, multiple summer homes - Wille had once mentioned a chateau in the south of France - and an aristocratic group of friends that look at Simon like he’s nothing more than the dirt beneath Wille’s expensive shoes.

Which is why he’s still stunned that he’s here, on a random Friday night, in the large penthouse that Wille shares with Erik and August, with people that have never spoken to him in his life.

Begrudgingly, Simon admits that maybe, just maybe, Ayub is right about that crush after all. It’s not like Simon can really deny it when Wille has him up against a kitchen wall, his mouth hot and slick as it works its way across his pulse point and down the length of his throat.

Simon gasps at the slight sting of teeth, tangling his fingers into the short hairs at the nape of Wille’s neck. He tugs weakly, trying his best to angle them back into a kiss.

Wille makes a sound of protest at the interruption, but when Simon tips his head back to wordlessly ask for a kiss, he leans in immediately, crushing their mouths together.

The sounds of the party - pounding bass and the tittering of the crowd - all fade away under the boom of Simon’s heartbeat.

“Wille,” he murmurs, relishing the feeling of Wille’s firm, warm grip tightening around his waist, “can we - ”

A gaggle of people walk by, one of them jostling them hard enough that Wille has to pull away. “Yeah,” he replies, voice delightfully breathless as he pushes his mouth to the crown of Simon’s head, “my room’s down the hall.”

Simon swallows, heat flaring in his stomach. He nods, taking Wille’s hand in his own. “Okay,” he tucks in close enough to smell Wille with every inhale, dizzy despite the lack of alcohol. “Let’s go.”

Wille kisses his forehead again before he turns, half dragging Simon out of the kitchen. Just before they reach the hallway though, he freezes, turning back to Simon with an odd expression on his face. “You want this right?” He asks, eyes searching. “With me?”

“Yeah,” Simon breathes, pressing their bodies together. It’s hard to imagine anything he wants more. “Please.”

“Okay.” Now, Wille looks a tad uncomfortable, “I just - I need to know that you’re not just doing this because you think I’m going to like - give you money.”

Simon feels like he’s been dunked headfirst into ice water. He takes a shocked step back, flinching. “What?”

“I mean like, like,” Wille squirms, “my family’s - you know who they are. And I’m supposed to be careful about the people I associate with because everyone wants - ”

Simon rips his hand away, humiliation making his face feel hot. “So you think because I’m not - I have a job, Wille. I don’t need your fucking money.”

Wille’s expression is blown wide open, his eyes rounded with horror. “That’s not how I meant it,” he insists hotly, “I just - I wanted to make sure.”

“Don’t worry,” Simon shoves his hands in his pocket, turning to blindly push his way in the direction of the door. He’d been a fool to come here in the first place. A fool to think someone like Wille would ever take someone like Simon seriously. “We’re done here anyway.”

“Simon, wait,” Wille scrambles after him, tugging at his shoulder, “please don’t leave. I didn’t mean to - ”

“You did,” Simon sneers, the beginning of mortified tears burning at his eyes, “this never would’ve - I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Forget I said anything, okay?” Wille grips him tightly, spinning him around. Simon watches as neon lights play across his lovely face. “Let’s just - come on, Simon. Please.”

And Simon wishes desperately that he could - aches to even. But his pride is burning almost as much as his face is, so he shakes his head wordlessly, resolutely forcing himself away from Wille’s intoxicating presence.

The last thing he sees before he shuts the door behind him is Erik and August coming up to each sling an arm around Wille’s neck, steering him back in the direction of the kitchen. For a moment, he irrationally hopes that Wille will shake himself free, that he’ll follow Simon out into the night and back to his house. Instead, he watches, stomach sinking, as Wille only smiles in response, leaning into Erik’s side as the crowd swallows them up.

#ask #my writing #young royals

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t-lostinworlds · 10 months

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hello! gosh, i honestly have no idea what else to do anymore. i've been such a huge ball of anxiety these pass few days and i feel like i've got no other choice ://

so, enrollment for the next semester is this Monday (in 4 days), and idk why my school decided to do it during this time when most ppl don't get paid until the last day of the month/next month. as if that isn't enough, enrollments are also on a time limit and now that we get to decide our own schedules, it's also a race on who gets the subjects first. and if you can't pay for a percentage of the tuition fee upfront, you're going to get delisted so you have to pick your subjects again. the later you enroll, the fewer timeslots. so i could end up having a 6-9pm which isn't safe for me in this city especially when i commute alone. even worse, our tuition for this semester is much higher for some reason and we weren't warned about it.

i can't ask for financial aid from my school yet bc it's required to have at least finished 1 year before you're able to. i'm still trying to look for student/personal loan options bc most i've seen so far require a monthly that i just can't afford rn and it only covers 1 term instead of a whole year so it's not really that sustainable :(( (i don't live in the US btw so it's not a "start paying when you graduate" thing. taking out a loan means i still need to pay monthly while in school on top of other expenses, which as you can imagine, feels more like a burden than it is helpful.) i've also tried looking for scholarships but most only support stem/business courses bc this country isn't nice to artists so that sucks.

i honestly have very little money saved and with the sudden increase in tuition, it's hard to cover half of it even with my parents' help. and again, nobody is getting paid until next month so money is already tight as is with it being the end of th month.

so long story short, i need some help. the first installment for the fee (converted from my currency) is about $600. BUT. NO PRESSURE. i'm only asking those who have extra to spare. and any and all amounts are welcome. it's already going to be such a huge help. hell, even just a simple reblog to boost this already helps a ton.

but also, my commissions are open! so if u want to have a lil story in exchange for just a tiny bit of help, that'd be great too <3

here's my kofi and my pypl

again, no pressure! even a smallest amount already helps a lot. and also, pls do reblog to boost. i really appreciate you! i hope you're having a wonderful day <3 don't forget to take care of yourself too. sending you wonderful people love always ❤️

tagging some mutuals under the cut for a boost bc sometimes this doesn't show up in the tags anymore (but also you don't have too!! you can ignore this if u want alskalks)

@selfcarecap @hollandsmoose @shellshocklove @tanaka-drew @agaritas @userholland @thecodyexpress @annab-nana @hollandweather @annathesillyfriend @cumholland @jasntodds @quethekillerqueen @worldoftom (ily guys, i hope you're all safe and well ❤️)

#financial help #mutual aid #financial aid #donation post #signal boosts #signal boost #gosh i really do get nervous doing this #my classmates tried to ask for like #a promissory note #asking to pay at a later date #but they won't budge :///#i've honestly exhausted my resources #i've also emailed them asking if i could just pay even a tiny bit of it #like leave a balance #they still haven't responded #idk what to do anymore ://#ramblings

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twistedminutia · 2 months

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A Million and One Minutia: Currency

Read the previous chapters here: Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3

Gray and Octavinelle discuss currency differences between worlds.

If you’ll recall, I mentioned that, while I don’t necessarily like him, I appreciate that Leona is an out-and-out ass, as opposed to unnamed parties who will act all friendly, then stab you in the back at the first opportunity. Remember that? Well, Azul would be that unnamed party.

Jade could also be included in this category, but his smile tends to be so threatening that it destroys the ‘acting friendly’ pretense. Floyd is, at least, the most honest of the bunch, but his mood changes so randomly that it’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking anyway. So, while I don’t like any of them, I avoid Azul the most.

Unfortunately, that’s just not always possible.

We don’t see each other much in classes (benefits of being a year below him) and I don’t visit the Mostro Lounge (benefits of having no money to spend) so ignoring him should be easy. He doesn’t seek me out either. Possibly because of the aforementioned ‘no money’ situation. Or maybe he’s still just embarrassed about the whole overblot incident. So why, might you ask, am I deliberately heading toward Octavinelle dorm with the express purpose of seeing them?

Why, the same reason I have to do so many things I don’t want to do at this school: Crowley told me to.

Getting summoned to his office is relatively common for me. Most of the time, I’m running errands for him. Checking up stock in the school store, sorting out an ungodly amount of paperwork, or bringing reports to the professors. It’s all usually stuff I feel like he should be able to use magic for. But I suppose it’s a bit like working instead of paying tuition, even though I’m not really learning anything here since I can’t do magic, so I try not to complain too much. Even though the last two major errands involved me facing down some inky housewardens. But he owns my house and my food money, so when I’m summoned, I go.

“Here.” As soon as I stepped into his office, Crowley thrust a three-ring binder full to bursting at me. It landed in my arms like an iron brick. “You’ll need this.”

“What is it?” I asked, trying to open it. Unfortunately, both my arms were occupied just trying to hold the thing, so I had to shimmy it awkwardly until the cover flopped open. The pages beneath are covered in numbers and dollar signs.

“Finance reports for the Mostro Lounge,” Crowley said. “As the location remains on campus, Ashengrotto is required to send the school a copy of his finance statements every quarter, and then a member of staff goes over them with him to ensure his records are accurate.”

“Okay,” I said. I could already see where this was going, but I was sort of holding onto hope. “Do you need me to take this to someone?”

Crowley narrowed his eyes at me. Or, I think he did. The little yellow lights where his eyes should be got narrower, anyway. “You are going to go to the Octavinelle dorm and go over the financial reports with Ashengrotto.”

“I’m not an accountant!” I protested. “Or even a staff member, technically!”

“Yeah, how come we’ve gotta do this stuff?” Grim complained from my feet, stomping one of his little paws. “It sounds boring!”

“Other members of the staff are… engaged,” Crowley said. I deduced from the pause that he’d been soundly rejected by everyone he’d asked. Probably because going over finances with Azul is like covering yourself in ground beef and walking into the lion’s den. Or maybe into a tank of piranhas. “And, of course, I have many things to take care of as headmage of this illustrious school.”

“Of course,” Grim and I muttered in the same breath. Yeah, no way Crowley was going to take care of it. So, the task had fallen all the way down the totem pole until it hit the people who straight-up couldn’t refuse. Us.

“I’m certain you’ll do fine! Just make sure Ashengrotto’s records match with the ones we’ve been given and ensure that any business expenses he signs off on are legitimate.” Crowley practically shoved Grim and me back out of his office. “Oh, and under no circumstances are you to sign anything that would allow an increase in budget or dorm renovations.” And then the doors banged shut in front of us.

With no further recourse, I turned, made sure Grim was following me, and set off toward the mirror portals to the Octavinelle dorm.

Stepping through the mirror was slightly disorienting the first time, but pretty normal every time after. It wasn’t all that different from stepping through a doorway, really, except for a moment where the air felt heavier than it should. I pop through the mirror to Octavinelle and pause to glance around. It’s a pretty place, and the underwater theming makes it seem serene. I want to stop and just soak it in. Or maybe I’m just trying to delay the inevitable. Who knows.

I can’t stay there forever, though. Eventually, Grim gets impatient and I grudgingly head to the Mostro Lounge. There are a few students milling around outside. Several of them give me curious looks as I pass by. Not for the first time, I wonder if it would have been more advantageous to just pretend I was a guy. Living as a girl on an all-guys campus is more attention than I want.

Jazz music plays lightly in the background as I step into the Mostro Lounge. It’s a nice place- easy to see why a lot of the student body spends time here. Grim catches sight of a mixed seafood platter on someone’s table and immediately starts drooling. I pick him up, struggling to hold both him and the binder. The last thing I need is him grabbing for food and leaving me with a bill for the damages.

“Hey! It’s shrimpy and baby seal!” The voice makes my hackles rise and a tall shadow falls over me. Floyd Leech saunters over to me, mouth turned up in a lazy grin. “Have you finally come by for a visit?”

“I’m here for Azul,” I say, fumbling with Grim as he tries to make an escape. “Crowley wanted us to go over finances-”

“Oh.” Floyd’s expression falls. “Boring.” Without another word, he turns and walks away into the restaurant. I can’t tell if he’s going to get Azul or if he’s just gotten bored and left. It really could be either one.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, there’s already another tall, teal-headed eel-boy heading my way. The only difference between him and his twin is the dark side-bang-thing is on the other side and his expression is marginally less unhinged. “Gray,” he says as soon as he’s within earshot. “What a surprise to see you here. It’s rare we have the pleasure of your company.”

I can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or not. “Crowley asked me to come here and go over some finance reports with Azul. If you could just show me where he is…”

Jade’s smile gets wider. My stomach drops. “Ah, I see. Well, Azul is working on something right now. But it wouldn’t be hospitable to leave a guest waiting.” He turns and gestures for me to follow him. “Perhaps you’d like something to eat or drink?”

“Yeah!” Grim yelps with enthusiasm. I let him scramble away to follow Jade. I can’t keep hold of him and the binder anymore, and if Jade’s leading us straight into a trap, at least Grim will fall into it first. It’s not a charitable thought, and it’s not like I want him to be hurt, but he’s got magic, so he’s at least got a better shot of getting out of it than I would.

Jade leads us to the back of the lounge and gestures to a small table. “Can I get you a menu?” he asks, that incalculable smile always on his face.

Grim opens his mouth, but I cut him off. “Water is fine.” I’m immediately subject to Grim’s infuriated glare, but I ignore it. While I wouldn’t put it past Azul and his lackeys to charge for water, it’s gotta be the cheapest thing on the menu, and pinching pennies is a necessity.

If that bothers Jade, he doesn’t show it. He just dips into a small bow and walks off toward the kitchen. Before he’s even out of earshot, Grim starts complaining.

“Why’d ya have to tell him we’re just having water? I wanna try this place’s grub!” He sniffs at the air and a bit of drool gathers at the corner of his mouth. “I was never allowed to when I worked here, but it all smelled so good!”

I give him an exasperated look. “Do you really think Azul’s going to be giving us anything for free?”

“Maybe,” Grim huffs, but he doesn’t look much like he believes it. “We could’ve just paid for it.”

“You got thaumarks?” I ask, completely unperturbed. Grim’s ears fold back.

“I would, but you won’t tell me where they are!” he huffs, fur fluffing along his spine. “It’s supposed to be our stipend, so I should have some say in it too!”

“You do,” I say. “I bought you ten cans of tuna last weekend. That was all your portion of the money.”

Grim stomps a paw. “Just lend me some! I’ll pay you back!”

“No,” I say. I feel bad being so stingy, but I have to save at every opportunity. I’m not sure what the living situation’s going to be like for summer, so I want to get a decent nest egg so we’ll at least have something to eat then. Thinking about money gives me a gnawing pit in my stomach.

Grim grumbles under his breath and shoots me dirty looks. I ignore him. Another server drops our water off before hurrying away to other customers. I page through the binder. It’s a lot of printed documents of various transactions, each page meticulously dated. The entire thing is overwhelming.

“Hello, Gray, Grim.” I look up. Azul has materialized next to our table, a smooth, customer service smile on his face. Jade and Floyd are behind him, both looking a little too eager. “I was told Crowley sent you to discuss finances?”

“Yes,” I say. “He said everyone else was busy.”

“A shame,” Azul says, pushing his glasses further up his nose. The way he says it makes me wonder if he had something to do with that. “I was thinking Crowley might have to cancel, but I’m of course pleased he was able to find a suitable replacement.”

Somehow, that feels like an insult. Grim fluffs up at my side, but says nothing. He won’t admit it, but I think ever since his forced work stint, he’s been wary of Azul. Not like I’m not, though. “Yes,” I say, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. “We should get started.” I don’t like to give much away when I’m with Azul. Anything I say can and will be used against me.

Azul slides into the table next to us and Jade and Floyd vanish. I’m not stupid enough to think they’re gone, though- they’re somewhere close by, waiting for their boss’ word to swoop in.

I flip to a page marked with a green sticker and start at the highlighted line. “This says that total income for the week of…” I squint at the date. “Of… 4/45/57 was…”

Azul is clearly practiced at this sort of thing. He rattles off dates and figures and pulls documents seemingly out of nowhere to explain the occasional discrepancies. There are a couple of times where it seems suspicious, but I’m not getting paid enough (or paid at all) so I simply make a note of it for Crowley. If he wants the money, he can hunt Azul down for it himself.

While Azul is practiced at this, I am not. I can’t stop stumbling over the dates, and I especially can’t stop stumbling over the prices. Grim’s no help- the only dates he knows are yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and the only money information he has on hand is the price for a can of tuna at Sam’s. Azul doesn’t show too much in the way of irritation, but when I have to keep pausing to correct my math and figure out exactly when certain dates are, he lets out a little huff.

I’m supposed to be showing no emotion and not giving him anything to work with, but I can’t help my annoyance. “Something wrong?”

He shrugs. “I’m simply wondering how it’s possible for someone to miscalculate the amount of sorcents in a thaumark three times in a row.” There’s a stifled laugh from somewhere behind me, but I can’t tell if it’s Floyd or Jade, and neither of them are there when I turn to look.

“I’m doing my best,” I mumble. Admittedly, these are probably very simple mistakes to be making. It’s just that there are only fifty sorcents per thaumark, instead of one hundred cents per dollar, and I keep screwing up the addition by not taking that into account. I feel like an idiot. An embarrassed idiot. “It’s not a monetary system I’m used to, and this is the first time I’ve ever seriously looked at finances here.”

Azul clucks his tongue. “You only have yourself to blame for that. I memorized the conversion rates for all the land kingdoms before I even left Atlantica.” I’m sure he did. It sounds exactly like him.

“Well, sorry. They don’t give you a study guide before they shove you into an alternate universe.” My voice doesn’t come out with as much sarcastic bite as I want it to. I’ve never been much of a fighter at the best of times, and I’m tired. Why is pretty much everyone at this school a huge dick?

Azul sits back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. “If you require assistance learning about the monetary system we use here, I’m certain I could find the time to help you.”

I frown. “In exchange for?”

A little smile, one that is most definitely unfriendly, turns up the corners of his mouth. “I’m certain we can work something out.”

Yeah, right. There is no way in hell I’m writing him a blank check. “I’ll figure it out on my own, thanks.” Grim nods firmly and sticks out his tongue at Azul for good measure.

A muscle jumps in Azul’s jaw. “I assure you, I wouldn’t ask for anything too much. Why, that would go against the spirit of benevolence, which is the very cornerstone of this dorm!” He does some kind of grand gesture with his hand. I think Floyd snickers somewhere in the background.

Grim mutters something about ‘spirit of benevolence my paw.’ I shush him.

Azul continues. “I’m sure I could find some conditions you would agree to. Perhaps we could exchange information?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What kind of information?”

Azul smiles like a fisherman that’s just hooked a trout. “If you’re from a whole other world, I’m sure there’s plenty of information that you could give. Perhaps you would be open to discussing the currency of your own world?”

It’s definitely not what I thought he would ask about, and that only makes me more suspicious. “Why do you want to know that?” “I have it on good authority that our headmage is looking for a way to get you back to your world,” Azul says. “Being knowledgeable in that world’s money and business system already would be a great boon to anyone looking to possibly expand their business, wouldn’t it? And, given that your world has no magic, it would certainly be benevolent to reach out and create opportunities for them to utilize the powers of magic, don’t you agree?”

Translation from Azul-speak: If Crowley manages to make some kind of stable portal between our worlds, he wants to know the money system so he can be the first to set up business there. It’s not actually a bad idea, though I think that he’s betting on an outside chance. At this point, I’m not even convinced Crowley will be able to get me home at all, much less set up a way for people to go back and forth. Also, I don’t necessarily want to inflict Azul on a defenseless world. But all things considered, I can’t say it’s likely things will work out the way he expects, so…

“Fine. I’ll tell you about it.” Azul breaks into a massive grin. “But there’s a lot of different currencies, and I can only tell you about the one I know about.”

Azul narrows his eyes for a moment. “How widespread is the currency you know of?”

“Pretty widespread, I think? The country I’m from is a pretty big economic power, so…”

Azul brightens immediately. “Very well, then.” He settles in with a notebook and looks at me expectantly. “Go ahead.”

If I had a poorer opinion of Azul, I definitely wouldn’t be giving away information before he’s actually handed over his part of the bargain. But, for all my griping about him, he’s at least fair. I’ve never heard from a single person that he’s welched on a deal he’s made- he might weasel his way into giving you as little as he can manage, and he’ll do everything in his power to back you into an unbalanced contract, but once the terms are set, he’ll give you exactly what you asked for. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got the moral backbone of a squid, but he doesn’t break his word, and that’s at least something.

We take a break in the finances so I can give Azul a basic rundown of American money, the different bills and coins there are, and even the material it’s made out of when he asks after it. He asks a lot of questions that are harder to answer, like exactly how much certain objects cost. I think he’s trying to figure out what the exchange rate from thaumarks to dollars is, but I’m pretty unhelpful in remembering the specifics of how things are priced. It’s a bit of back and forth until I tell him that a triple A video game is about sixty dollars, which he says he can ‘work with.’ Once that impromptu lesson is over and Azul has exhausted his well of questions, we switch over to me.

“It’s all quite simple, really,” Azul says. “Much like your world, we have bills in intervals of five- so a one-thaumark bill, a five-thaumark bill, and ten-thaumark bill, and so on. Coins only come in twenty-five, ten, or five sorcent pieces.”

“I suppose that makes the math easier,” I say. “What if you have something that costs, like, six thaumarks and forty-nine sorcents?”

Azul gives me one of his ‘are you stupid’ looks. “No one would price something that way. Potentially it could work with a digital transaction, since they’re not limited by the coin amounts, but pricing something that way would certainly cause complications. Not to mention it would make the books harder to balance. Why would anyone want to price something at such an awkward number, anyway? It requires the customer to carry around a specific number of one-magus pieces, which would be otherwise generally useless, or the register would need to stock the one-magic pieces for change, which would be generally inefficient.”

I shrug. “I dunno, people have been doing it for a long time. I think it’s supposed to be a business psychology trick. People see the six at the beginning of the price and their brain only processes that part, so they think it’s closer to six dollars when it’s actually closer to seven, so they’re more willing to spend-” Azul’s grin becomes sharklike and I realize at that exact moment what a bad decision I’ve made. All the prices at the Mostro Lounge are neatly rounded. I have a sneaking suspicion that the next time I get a look at the menu, they will not be.

“Now that is interesting,” Azul purrs. “Perhaps you should come by more often. You’ve clearly got some fascinating ideas about business.”

I press my lips together and do not answer. I will not give Azul more ideas. I will not give Azul more ideas. I will not-

Azul waves his hand toward someone and Jade virtually materializes out of thin air next to him. “I think we should fetch our guests some food, don’t you?” he asked. “Certainly, it would only be right to feed them before we continue this very interesting discussion.”

“Oh, I think we’re going to need to be going soon,” I say, making to stand out of my seat. Unfortunately, Grim has already heard the word ‘food’ and is a lost cause.

“What? No way I’m leaving without some grub!” He glares at me, puffing a little bit of fire out of his mouth.

Azul smiles and I realized he must have anticipated that exact reaction from Grim. Slimy octopus. “Then please, order anything you’d like.” He turns his gaze to me, all smug and satisfied. “I’m certain that, while you’re waiting, Gray would be happy to fill me in on any other insights she has. As… thanks for the generosity.”

He smiles at me, still sharklike and self-satisfied, and I decide to never take on any task from Crowley ever again.

Read the next chapter here.

#twisted wonderland #twst #a million and one minutia #twisted wonderland fanfic #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #floyd leech #yuusona #twst OC #Grim

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luverofralts · 7 months

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Hey, Eero. Did you want to dance? I don't see anyone else worth dancing with here."

"Uh, thanks, but I can do better than some consolation dance from a newbie," Eero shot back, still eyeing the newcomer. He was fairly handsome, if you ignored his attitude.

The Arkhelios Academy of Magic's mixer was more of a success than the students had hoped. With new arrivals settling in Arkhelios and signing up for school, Eero and Despina Darktide finally had enough classmates to be picky about their dance partners.

"You are cute though, I guess I could give you another chance."

Eero smiled flirtatiously at the boy in front of him. There were only so many people in Arkhelios and the guy was pretty easy on the eyes.

"What's your name?"

"Malik," the boy replied.

He was casual about his answer and confident in himself, which Eero found irresistible. Too many students here lacked confidence or were just trying to coast through school to get it over with. This Malik guy was different. Eero didn't even know him, but he could feel something different about this guy.

"Well, Malik, let's dance."

"This was such a nice thing to do for your cousin," Theo gushed, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and smothering him with kisses. "Aunt Wanda's probably thrilled about the turnout too. Bringing our friends to this lame dance gives your cousins and their classmates a chance to meet cool people."

"That's surprisingly elitist of you, Theo. You're sounding like a Bellamy with that kind of talk. It's not flattering."

Adam detached himself from Theo's grasp and shot his boyfriend a nasty look.

"Just because we go to an expensive school doesn't mean that my cousins are any different than I am. It's not their fault their parents died and my mom can't pay for their tuition for our school."

"Sounding like a Bellamy?" Theo repeated, utterly confused at what prompted the words. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Just your family's attitude. Eero says that Wanda is a tyrant about the Bellamy name and how powerful it is in Arkhelios. Same with your dad. It's no secret that he boasted about his family when he went to school in Pleasantview. People remember things like that. Plus those kids over there haven't shut up about the Bellamy family since we got here. It's getting annoying."

"Kids?" Theo turned around, looking for the alleged kids, but only saw the familiar faces they'd brought from their own school. There was no one else that he recognized as Bellamys. "I don't know who you're talking about and Wanda's always like that. You've seen the mausoleum she built for our family, right? The thing that blocks most of the sunlight from my parents' lawn? I don't sound anything like Wanda. If you don't like my family, Adam, then I don't have to be here. It's not like your family is any better. At least mine hasn't dragged you in for a formal confrontation about joining bloodlines."

"Theo, that's not what I meant! I just wanted you to be nicer to my cousins. They're more sensitive about things than they sometimes show to people. All everyone talks about here is how great the Bellamys are and it's not fair. They don't have anyone else here."

"And that's my fault, how exactly?"

Bronwen watched Theo argue with his boyfriend with interest. Those two hardly ever fought, at least not in public. The party was too loud to hear what they were arguing over, but it was intense enough for Theo to storm off.

"Theo! Over here! Do you want to dance?" she called, but received no reply. Theo simply kept walking, completely unaware of his friend's offer.

"Theo! You came."

Despina waved at her cousin's boyfriend like he was the only person in the room. Theo shot an annoyed look in Adam's direction and headed over to talk to one of the cousins they'd been fighting over.

"Excuse me," she said, quickly brushing across the crowded room to greet the demon hybrid. "I didn't think you'd actually come. I appreciate it."

Theo shrugged, suddenly wary of Despina's interest in him. Clearly this invitation had been given with some kind of agenda, but he was determined to be as supportive as he could just to show Adam how wrong he was.

"It was Adam's idea," he replied cautiously. "I'm just his date. It's quite a party, you've got here."

"You don't have to lie to me, I know it's nothing like your school's parties. Wanda tries her best, but building a reputation takes time and probably more money than she has access to. We don't have a lot left over for parties. Eero's happy here, I think," Despina sighed. "He probably the only person who loves the weather in Arkhelios. He says it reminds him of Strangetown."

She paused for a moment, trying to choose her next words carefully.

"Look Theo, I'm miserable here. I know my aunt is doing her best for us, but her best isn't fair. Why do her kids get to go to the best schools in the area, while Eero and I have to stay here, far away from her sight? I know she hates my parents, but she can't be mad at us for being their kids. I never asked to be born into this messed up family and I know I can do better given the right resources. Can you please help me get into your school? Maybe I could get sponsored by someone so my aunt doesn't have to worry about the tuition either. Please. You don't know what it's like to have a dream of doing better, only to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. I know I can pass the entrance exam. I can do the work if I get the chance."

"I know all about being stuck here," Theo replied sympathetically. "I didn't think I'd ever get out of Arkhelios and learn real magic when I was younger, but I was lucky. My parents and grandma pay for my schooling even though it costs them a lot of money, probably more than they're comfortable with. I can try to see if there are scholarships or something, but there weren't any when I applied. Sorry."

Despina nodded, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Of course, that would be amazing if you could. Excuse me, I'm going to grab some more punch."

The girl walked dejectedly towards the refreshments and Theo felt terribly for her. He did know what it was like for money to stand in the way of one's dreams. What would his life be without his education? He'd probably be dead and he'd definitely not have Adam in his life. He was a completely different person with extremely different prospects in this reality than any other reality where he stayed enrolled in Arkhelios.

Well this was just the opportunity to prove to Adam that he was wrong about Theo's perceived family entitlement. Despina had come to him, a fellow scholarship student without the means to pay for his education, and not Adam, who was born into a rich, powerful family. Adam could talk all about these so called Bellamys at the party until the end of time; Adam's own cousin had turned to him for help. Now that he had proof that Adam's worries about his cousins feeling offended was completely unfounded, Theo practically skipped back to Adam's side so that he could gloat about winning their argument.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #adam darktide #eero darktide #despina darktide #malik bellamy #sim: bronwen traver #bronwen traver

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cinewhore · 9 months

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a few things from today and just general musings because this is a blog and I shouldn’t be afraid to post these things on a blogging website:

- i made a parfait for the first time. It was really good. I was skeptical because for whatever reason it’s hard to find a yogurt that’s non-diary in the bigger sizes but I stumbled across one that’s made from goats milk so why not? It’s nasty on it’s own but very tasty when you add stuff to it. I used blueberries, strawberries, honey and honey nut granola.

- speaking of food, i realize that while i enjoy grocery shopping, Im not really good at it. I decided to meal prep and found it sooo helpful. Now I know what im eating so I knew what to buy. I also made chicken gravy from scratch which seems mundane but very cool. I used too much flour but it just means that it’s super thick and that’s ok. I think doing this will help cut my grocery budget down but groceries are just fucking expensive.

- I started a new screenplay and it’s exciting. I really want to do more with my writing this year and a great writing fellowship opened up but it’s for features only. I hate long forms of writing but was willing to write a feature in a month because I wanted to do the fellowship. I realize this was wrong and will now take my time with the script.

- it’s tentatively called financial aid and it’s about three students coming together to pull off a heist to pay their tuition. It’s heavily based on me (minus some of the crime, haha) so that makes it scary but worthwhile. I tend to stick to hard comedy but I want to try my hand at drama. The tone is similar to the bear. Characters are great, it’s funny but also wildly fucked up and everyone should see a therapist.

- i bought kimchi for the first time. I had a great pork kimchi rice bowl in LA and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. I couldn’t find pork belly in my store so I’ll have to do without. I hope it turns out ok.

- i could be really good with social media to the point of becoming an influencer but I don’t care enough and I’m lazy. My mom thinks I’m wasting potential. I like posting little tiktoks of my outfits and doing mini vlogs of my life. Why must i monetize that?

- I’m sure we’re just in a lull period but I find my job kind of boring. I spent an hour answering emails and then just sat there for the rest of the day. Only two other people came in. I could’ve stayed home. I like it because I make more than a lot of people and it’s easy and i only work in office three days a week so i can do whatever on the weekend.

- i really want friends and I’m tired of trying to use endless apps or whatever. I can’t help but to think about how much fun this city could be if i had people to hang out with.

- i think i need to buy a nightlight and I’m trying to be brave about it because sleeping with the tv on isn’t helping but for gods sake I’m 26 and developing a fear of the dark!

#idk enjoy this for whatever it is #now that’s what i call blogging

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0xo · 10 months

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i know my uncles have their reasons for distancing themselves from their parents. valid reasons. but leaving my mum, eldest daughter, firstborn, to shoulder every bit of expense and labor for their parents, for their mother, over the last 25 years is insane. they are entirely spineless and selfish and cowardly. tw: abuse / domestic violence mention

my mum's probably paid four years of ivy league tuition to keep them alive. and as of yesterday they're both dead. both my maternal grandparents. these men couldn't find a shred of compassion for their mother because she didn't "just leave" her abusive relationship when they were kids. be mad at your dad and fuck i guess even be mad at your mom but she lived in fear for her life for so long. she genuinely believed she had to stay or you'd all be killed by him. it was a credible threat. she stayed to try to keep you alive, and you blame her for this.

and the eldest daughter, the one who got it second worst next to your mom, you let her pay for everything and take care of everything and suffer it all over again. not a penny towards her end of life care. not a visit or even signing her birthday card. just signing it. couldn't be bothered. five 3d printers and new bike parts all the time, a hundred rolls of filament - can't just cut a check, even. you hate your mom for being abused and in turn "letting" it happen to you, okay. i get it, you're mad she didn't make the "easy, clear" (impossible, DEADLY) choice to leave, you hate her for that. you hate your sister? the one who did everything for you? it seems like you must because you couldn't even do anything for your mom just to make it easier on your sister. too annoying, too inconvenient. too emotionally taxing to sign a birthday card.

good god, grow the fuck UP. i was kinder to my mum when i was fourteen and actively dying of sepsis. i could barely see because my body temperature was literally cooking my brain and i was still nicer to her than you've ever been in your entire adult life.

and now grandma's dead and you didn't go see her, didn't speak to her, the last thing you said to her was "stop annoying me about calendar alerts" before you went to facebook to bitch about how technologically illiterate your DEMENTIA RIDDEN MOTHER was. and when you were rightfully called on it, you proceeded to act like even more of a bitch.

you can't see anything those women have done for you all your life, you only see what they didn't do. you only see how they failed you. you don't understand anything about what either of them put up with just to give you the chance to get out of there. and you did get out, and fucked up your life of your own accord, and now you're bitter they didn't make it better for you. you've never tried, actually tried, to make it better for them.

maybe this entire family is going to hell for our collective sins against each other and maybe that would serve us all right!

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obscureobsidiandraws · 2 years

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MY OWN BOY MEETS WORLD REBOOT - WHO'S WHO (III)

Characters who are related to the main cast, excluding teens who also attend John Adams High or any other high school at the start of the show.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (I) - TOPANGA’S FAMILY

Chloe ‘Rhiannon’ Curtis. Topanga’s mother, when she was still a kid her mother left her father and took Chloe and her sister to live in a hippie commune where Chloe was renamed Rhiannon. As she grew up her sister and her left the commune, and Rhiannon got involved with several men, having two daughters, Nebula and Topanga, that she raised on her own without any involvement of their respective fathers.

Nebula Curtis. Topanga’s older half-sister.

Prudence ‘Prue’ Curtis. Topanga’s maternal aunt, in later seasons she becomes her legal guardian so Topanga can stay in Philadelphia. She works at the local public library.

Wade Lawrence. One of the three men who might be Topanga’s biological father. He works as a public defenderwhich allows him to be introduced earlier than the storyline about who’s Topanga’s father, as Arthur’s family’s defense attorney in the case against the college frat boys who caused the accident that left Arthur in a wheelchair. After meeting Rhiannon again, the two rekindle their relationship, although Rhiannon is initially hesitant about it.

Jebediah Svensson. One of the three men who might be Topanga’s biological father. Of the three, he’s the one who still lives like when he was a hippie the most, owning a food store for vegans.

Wyatt Wagner. The last of the three candidates to be Topanga’s biological father, he seems to be the one who has left his days as a hippie behind the most, working now for a bank. Despite this, he offers to pay Topanga’s college tuition alone, wanting to do something nice for her whether she’s his biological daughter or not.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (II) - SHAWN’S FAMILY

Chet Hunter. Shawn and Jack’s father. His own family considers him a failure. He’s a recovered alcoholic, and while he was married to Jack’s mother, he was also abusive, although she didn’t leave him until he had Shawn with another woman. Soon after he met Virna and married her, making Shawn believe Virna was his mother. Although no longer an alcoholic, Virna was also deeply miserable being married to Chet because of his inability to keep a job, resulting in her constantly leaving, with Chet following her in an attempt to take her back, leaving Shawn behind, which is only the most extreme example of his negligence in regards to raising Shawn.

Jack Hunter. Shawn’s long-lost older half-brother, he basically took care of his younger brother after he was born. At just eight years old he ran away to live with his mother and her current husband, who soon after got full custody of him, so Jack never returned to the trailer park, leaving Shawn behind. His stepfather explicitly sent him to Sherman Edwards High instead of John Adams High because he thought that he would get a better education in a charter school than in a public one, and Rutledge Academy’s tuition prices were too expensive even for him. Although he’s part of his school’s football team and he usually hangs out with his teammates outside school, he admits that he prefers to keep a certain distance from them, with most of them remaining unaware that he spent the first years of his life in a trailer park. Emilia starts dating him without knowing he’s related to Shawn, but as soon as she able to deduce that Jack is that Jack, the situation becomes too awkward for her to keep dating him. Shawn isn’t exactly happy to see him again, feeling a lot of resentment for leaving him behind, although encouraged by Audrey the two brothers try to rekindle their relationship, with Jack himself recognizing that he regrets not taking Shawn with him when he ran away and apologizing for it. Once he graduates high school and goes to college he becomes Eric’s roommate, and later on, boyfriend.

Stella Woodward (née Cacciatore). The stripper with whom Chet had Shawn, she left her son to be raised by Chet soon after giving birth to him. Although it initially seems like no one knows anything about what happened to her, in later seasons Brizzi and Stacey admit to Shawn that they did some digging and discovered her whereabouts. Turns out that, soon after leaving Shawn, she ran away to Cleveland where she got married and had more kids.

Mike Hunter. Chet’s younger brother, who owns a car and motorcycle repair shop, making him the go-to character every time someone needs their car or motorbike repaired as soon as possible. He’s the only one among Shawn’s family members who doesn’t live in the Pink Flamingos Trailer Park, which according to interactions Chet has both with him and his mother instantly makes him his mother’s favorite. But, as Chet points out, the repair shop is right by the trailer park’s side, and his house isn’t that far from it. Shawn calls him the warmest and friendliest of all of his uncles, although, judging by how cold and aloof he acts, this says more about how badly the rest of Shawn’s uncles might be.

Gertie Hunter. Shawn’s paternal grandmother, everyone in the family is afraid of her. Shawn frequently recalls at different points several “games” he used to play with her when he was a kid, which makes everyone concerned about how she treated her grandson when he was little. She also never refers to Shawn by his name, calling him instead a wide range of despective nicknames, included “this little piggy”. She’s not very fond of Chet either, considering him the biggest failure among her sons. Her son Mike recalls the day when she found out about how Chet got Shawn as the day she was at her scariest, which, as Mike and Shawn themselves recognize, says a lot.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (III) - EMILIA’S FAMILY

Patrick Barrett. Emilia’s adoptive father, he works as a lawyer in the same firm as Amy does. One of his frequent clients is Karl Jacobs, and he despises everyone who lives at the trailer park, including Shawn. Ironically, his father was also raised in a trailer park. As his adoptive daughter grows up, she starts to realize the only reason she was adopted was so Patrick can vicariously live his frustrated dreams of youth through her. Ironically enough, in the latter seasons he abandons Emilia, proving once and for all that he’s not that different from Chet.

Jeremy Berry. Patrick’s husband in the early seasons, who works as a lawyer in the same law firm as him. They married after Patrick divorced Suze, although it is strongly implied that the two of them were already sleeping together when Patrick was still married. Despite being married to Patrick, he’s not legally Emilia’s adoptive parent, and he does little to no effort to parent her or Cassie anyway. Patrick and him like to pretend they’re a perfect couple, but it’s heavily implied that they frequently cheat on each other with younger men, and by the time Emilia starts ninth grade the two have already divorced. He makes a brief comeback in the sixth season after Patrick leaves Philadelphia, when he reveals he still owns their house after their divorce, and he plans to sell it as a way to get back at Patrick, even if that means evicting Emilia when she’s still a minor.

Ted Barrett. Emilia’s adoptive grandfather, and alongside his wife the only members of her adoptive family with whom she has a healthy, loving relationship. He worked as a pediatrician until he retired, even having Cory and Eric among his patients. Unlike his son, he doesn’t despise Shawn because of his background, even becoming sort of a mentor figure for him during the later seasons because, like him, he was raised in a trailer park and looked down upon because of it when he was young. When he finds out that Jeremy plans to sell the house, which means that his granddaughter would get evicted, they both buy the house so Emilia can stay, and becomes her legal guardian alongside his wife.

Tovah Shriki. Emilia’s adoptive grandmother. Unlike her husband, she has a more outspoken and confrontational personality, but like Ted she shows care and affection for not only Emilia but also Cassie. Tovah is a reputed journalist whose work has earned plenty of admirers like Feeny as well as detractors like her own son, still being active occasionally, writing in later seasons an exposé on the Jacobs family’s numerous dirty laundry. When her son leaves the state abandoning Emilia, her husband and her step up to become her legal guardians, even buying Patrick’s house.

Cassie Barrett. Emilia’s older adoptive sister. The relationship between the two girls isn’t amicable exactly, with Cassie seeing Emilia as a weirdo and someone whose father adopted to replaced her, while Emilia has always felt jealous about her sister being considered more attractive, and well-liked among the student body. She’s the captain of the cheerleaders, and like almost any other popular girl at John Adams High, Eric has dated her, or more accurately, at least tried to at some point. Shawn also dates her at some point before he dates Angela, who we found out later is in the same homeroom as Cassie, but he broke up with her when she made him decide between Cory and her. Although Maggie Espinosa calls her her best friend, she hooks up multiple times with her on-and-off-again boyfriend Noah Jacobs behind her back. When Maggie finds out she ends her relationships with the both of them, and after it Cassie becomes Noah’s new girlfriend officially, with the idea of them being the school’s power couple getting it to her head very quickly, while Noah becomes incresingly annoyed by her. Despite this, they don’t finally break up until they’re in college, and for a while Eric and Jack let her live with them before moving in with Rachel.

Angélica Sánchez. Emilia’s biological mother, she’s introduced way before the reveal as Alan’s coworker at the store. Initially hesitant to be part of Emilia’s life again, she’s encouraged by her father to do so, with her daughter even managing to spend one night at Angélica’s apartment. Unfortunately, that time is cut short.

Michael Sullivan. Emilia’s biological father, he died before Emilia was born. Before he died he worked as a cameraman for the local news.

Augusto Sánchez. Emilia’s biological maternal grandfather, he lives with Angélica, the only one of his three daughters who stayed in Philadelphia. He takes a lot of pride in the fact that he only had daughters, He’s the one who welcomes his granddaughter with the most enthusiasm. After Angélica’s death, his oldest daughter Gloria takes him to live with him in Albuquerque, although in later seasons Emilia goes to visit him.

Antonia Sánchez. Emilia’s biological maternal grandmother. Although she died before the first season’s events, it’s revealed that she lived enough to at least see her granddaughter Emilia being borned.

Gloria and Esperanza Sánchez. Angélica’s older sisters, no one of them live in Philadelphia. Gloria lives in Albuquerque and works as a cook in a restaurant that her husband owns, while Esperanza lives in California, is single and works in a fashion and lifestyle magazine. After their sister dies, Gloria takes her father to live with her in Albuquerque.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (IV) - ARTHUR’S AND LEO’S FAMILY

Robert Dashwood. Leo’s father, his death deeply affects his first born daughter. He’s also Alan’s best friend since childhood, til the point that he and his wife are Kurt’s godparents, and in return Alan is Leo’s godfather.

Leslie Dashwood (née Cooper). Leo’s mother, and eventually after marrying William, Arthur’s stepmother. She works as a nurse. She also briefly dates Sebastian Sébillot’s father after she becomes a widow, also it doens’t work out.

Gia Dashwood. Leo’s younger sister, in the later seasons she has a crush on Kaede’s younger brother Junji, which turns out to be reciprocate.

William Kacavas. Arthur’s father. He used to work in administration at Karl Jacobs’ company before the show’s events, but he quickly became too uncomfortable with the company’s numerous unethical practices and quitted his job to reopen his family business, a bakery, which he reworks to also be a coffee shop and a book store, where both Mr. Turner and Audrey usually hang out outside school grounds, and that is on the same street where Alan opens his own business later on. He had to raise his two sons on his own after his wife Tracy unexpectedly left one day. In later seasons, after his wife came back and officially divorced him, he marries Leslie, becoming Leo and Gia’s stepfather.

Tracy Kacavas (née Stănescu). Arthur’s mother, she left her husband before the events of the first season. After Arthur gets involved in a car accident where he’s left wheelchair-bound, she finally comes back after years. Although Arthur as well as his brother Cooper are happy to see their mother again, William is less so, but in the end he decides to be civil with his ex-wife for their sons’ sake. Unfortunately, once William and Tracy divorce, she goes away again.

Cooper Kacavas. Arthur’s much more attractive but not so smart, at least in what academics are concerned, older brother. He tries to make a name for himself as a model while dreaming about becoming an actor.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (V) - LILY’S AND KAEDE’S FAMILY

Judy Ferguson (née Hutcherson, later on Murata). Lily’s mother. She used to be quite outgoing when she was younger, even hanging out with Amy, but she became a housewife after marrying Russell, who always liked to paint his wife as this wild party animal out of control that he rescued from the wrong side of the tracks. After her husband kicks her youngest daughter out of the house for getting pregnant, she finally has the courage to leave him and take her daughter back, getting a job as a waitress and pie maker at a pie dinner, where she meets Kaede’s father James, who’s a regular customer. Soon after they start dating, and eventually get married.

Russell Ferguson. Lily’s father. He works at a bank, and likes to pretend to be the perfect husband and the perfect father, but behind closed doors he’s actually abusive towards both his wife and his children. The moment he finds out his youngest daughter got pregnant he kicks her out of the house, even telling her to be grateful that he’s only doing that. Ironically this is what helps his wife to finally get the courage to leave him for good.

Russell Ferguson Jr. Lily’s older brother, who attends college at the University of Pittsburgh. Although he’s the middle child, his father shows clear favoritism towards him, being the only boy. Like the rest of Judy’s offspring besides Lily, he disapproves anyhting that his mother does once she leaves their father.

Fanny Fabray (née Ferguson). Lily’s older sister. Despite being born before Russell, her father never refers to her as his first born child. Instead of going to college she got married right away with a guy several years older than her, and lives as a stay-at-home mom, constantly preaching about how her decission was so much better whenever she appears. Joke turns out to be on her, when she later finds out that not only have her husband constantly cheated on her, but that he has gotten several of his mistresses pregnant. Despite the fact that it happened on live TV, she stays with him, no matter how much her mother insisted her that she can leave him if she want to, telling her that her door would always be open for her.

James Murata. Kaede’s father, with whom she has an estranged relationship at the beginning, because she puts part of the blame of her older brother’s death on him. He owns a funeral home that’s right next to the pie diner where Judy works, so he’s a regular customer. He eventually marries Judy, becoming Lily’s stepfather.

Cynthia Murata. Kaede’s mother. Although she got shared custody of her children after the divorce, she barely takes care of them. Her relationship with her daughter is especially hostile, partially because Kaede blames her for Mamoru’s death, partially because of how judgemental Cynthia is of everything her daughter likes and does. She works as an anchor for the local news. Despite the fact that she has been shown doing nothing but speak poorly of her ex-husband, the moment she finds out James is going to remarry, suddenly she wants to take him back. Both Kaede and her father quickly realize what’s going on.

Junji Murata. Kaede’s younger brother. Cory and Shawn think he’s a smaller, genderswapped but equally creepy version of Kaede. On the other hand Cat, Isra and Arthur don’t seem to find him creepy at all, although that might be because, if they’re not scared by the big sister, they won’t be of the little brother.Kaede actually likes to joke around about the fact that people find his brother creepy, even inventing crazy stories to scare people, with Junji going along with it most of the time. After Lily becomes his stepsister, Junji becomes pretty close to her, even teasing Kaede by calling Lily ‘his favorite sister’. In the later seasons he has a crush on Leo’s sister Gia.

Mamoru Murata. Kaede’s older brother, she was really close to him when she was younger. His death is the reason why she has an estranged relationship with both of her parents at the beginning. He loved to skate, which it’s why his sister keeps his skateboard despite the fact that she doesn’t know how to use it, although Isra teaches her later.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (VI) - ANDRÉ’S FAMILY

Abdoulaye Diop. André’s father, he’s a Senegalese immigrant and musician who owns the store where the main cast buys music sheets and instruments when they need them. He also works as a private music tutor. His store turns out to be in the same street where Alan opens his own store in later seasons, with the two of them becoming close friends as a result. He was also friends with Robbie’s father Dennis before he died, so he encourages his son André to befriend Robbie when he finds out they’re in the same homeroom class.

Joanne Diop (née Harris). André’s mother, who works as a hairdresser.

Carol Harris. André’s maternal grandmother who lives with her daughter and son-in-law because she suffers from dementia.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (VII) - ISRA’S FAMILY

Edward Beckett. Isra’s adoptive father, who adopted him when the biy was nine years old and he was already in his sixties. He worked as a teacher before retirement. After he retired, around the time his son was twelve, he decided to leave Montreal to return to his native city, Philadelphia. It is also revealed that Feeny and him were friends in college, with the fact that Feeny was the vice principal at the time being the main reason why Edward decided to send Isra to John Adams High.

Marie Beckett (née Szabó). Isra’s adoptive mother, like her husband she was already on her sixties when she adopted Isra. Unlike her husband, she was born in Quebec, and her family actually comes from Hungary. Before retirament, she worked as a NICU nurse. (Edward and Marie are @sometimesgrows OCs, used with their permission)

Barbara Beckett. Isra’s adoptive aunt, who’s trans and owns a local gay bar which during the weekends drag queens perform. She’s Edward’s younger sister, and unlike her brother she stayed in Philadelphia.

Ghulam Chokshi. Isra’s biological father, whose family came from Pakistan. The last time Isra saw him was when he abandoned him when he was only five years old.

Nazneen Chokshi (née Bakhshi). Isra’s biological mother. Her family comes from Iran. Because she died when he was only four years old, Isra doesn’t remember a lot about her, except that she was very beautiful. (Ghulam and Nazneen are also @sometimesgrows OCs, but the names are mine)

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (VIII) - CAT’S FAMILY

Lydia ‘Nonna’ Castro. Cat’s maternal grandmother. A Cuban immigrant who actually won several ballroom dance competitions when she was young, even opening her own dance academy at one point. Of all of Cat’s relatives, she’s the one with whom Cat has the most stable and functional relationship, being very close to him. Lydia even taught her granddaughter to sing. She eventually becomes her granddaughter’s legal guardian in later seasons.

Elio Calvino. Cat’s older brother. The more Cat tells her friends about his crazy shenanigans, the more concerned they are about Cat’s well-being. In later seasons he’s sent to a psychiatric hospital in Idaho, forcing his parents to move to another estate with him and leaving Cat in Philadelphia.

Raphael Calvino. Cat and Elio’s father. He works as a garbage collector. In later seasons his wife and him have to move to Idaho to live closely to the psychiatric hospital where his oldest son has been admitted.

Rebecca Calvino (née Castro). Cat and Elio’s mother. She tried back in the day to keep her mother’s dance academy open, but the academy was closed down, with Lydia herself pointing it out as the moment when the relationship between mother and daughter took a sour turn. She now works teaching ballroom dance to senior citizens.

Jacinto Castro. Cat and Elio’s uncle, he’s Lydia’s youngest child and the only male among his siblings. Even in a family like Cat’s, he’s kind of the black sheep, being a failed conman who has been, ironically enough, scammed several times already. Because of this he doesn’t live in Philadelphia, with his family being unaware of most of his whereabouts except when he makes sporadic returns, to then leave unexpectedly soon after.

Walter and Perla Ortega. Cat’s uncle and aunt respectively. Perla is Rebecca’s older sister. Cat isn’t very fond of them, as the fact that she rather live hiding at the school than with them demostrates; and judging by her reaction when she finds out that Rebecca left Cat with her, Lydia isn’t very much either.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (IX) - ROBBIE’S FAMILY

Imelda Vergara. Robbie’s paternal grandmother. She immigrated from the Philippines at a young age and earned a living as a back-up vocalist. She’s now Robbie’s legal guardian, and she has taught her grandson to sing since he was a toddler, as well as encouraged him to learn how to play guitar.

Dennis Vergara. Robbie’s deceased father. He was a jazz musician and singer, but despite his talent he never became a recording artist, instead performing at bars and restaurants as well as working as a private music tutor like André’s father Abdoulaye, who was friends with him. Robbie’s fond memories of his father are part of the reason why he likes to sing and play music himself.

Erina Jang (née Watanabe, formerly Vergara). Robbie’s mother, with whom his relationship has become increasingly estranged since his father’s death and his grandmother became her legal guardian, mostly because of her own lack of action regarding how Robbie was treated by his sister and stepbrother.

Brenda Vergara. Robbie’s twin sister, she used to bully him when they were younger, especially after their father died and their mother remarried, which it is one of the main reasons why their grandmother became Robbie's legal guardian and sent him to John Adams High.

Steven Jang. Robbie’s stepfather. He works at the same bank as Lily’s father and is a Sherman Edwards High alumni, which it’s why he sent both his son and his stepdaughter there. Imelda doesn’t hold him in high regard, wondering what her former daughter-in-law saw on him.

Logan Jang. Robbie’s stepbrother. Like Brenda, he attends Sherman Edwards High instead of John Adams High, and the bullying he subjected Robbie to at home was one of the main reasons Imelda stepped up to become Robbie’s legal guardian so he could live with her. He’s part of the football team, like his father when he was his age, and he’s shown usually hanging out with Channing Pettyfer outside school.

Sylvia Watanabe. Robbie’s maternal grandmother, although she also cares for Robbie, she tends to act incredibly passively aggressive towards everybody by default, reason why Cat and her usually don’t see eye to eye. Like Imelda, she’s also not Steven’s biggest fan.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (X) - MÓNICA’S FAMILY

Frank Jones. Mónica’s father, who works as a dentist. Although he fancies himself as a good father, he tends to favor his sons while being unsupportive of his daughters. He’s also not happy when he finds out that his youngest daughter is dating a boy whose family lives in a trailer park.

Maribel Rosales. Mónica’s mother, who works at William Kacavas’ bakery/coffee shop/library. Despite the fact that she divorced her husband before the events of the show, she still calls him out from time to time, especially in matters that involve their children. She’s much more supportive of her daughter’s dreams of becoming a singer, but she also tries to help her get a more realistic and nuanced understament of what being a professional singer implies.

Michael Jones. Mónica’s oldest brother and Frank’s first born son. He works as a cop. His father tends to show favoritism towards him the most, although his younger siblings are not very fond of him.

Christopher Jones. Mónica’s another older brother, he’s in college thanks to a sports scholarship, although he’s becoming more and more disenchanted with the world of college football, something that he’s afraid to admit to his father. Like his father and his older brother, he initially expresses open dislike for Ethan when he finds out Mónica is dating him, although his lasts the shortest.

Tricia Jones. Mónica’s much more confident but less vocally gifted older sister. Despite her cocky attitude, she cares about her little sister and thinks that she has what it takes to become a star. Emilia even tells Tricia that she’s jealous of what Mónica has with her, because, although they bicker occasionally, it seems like they still care for each other, something that she feels Cassie and her don’t have.

Rosendo Rosales. Mónica’s maternal grandfather, who’s very close to his youngest granddaughter. The biggest focus he gets is in one episode where he expresses his concerns that all of his older grandchildren have grew up unfamiliar to their heritage, and how he’s afriad it’s gonna be the case even with Mónica.

Rosaura Rosales. Mónica’s maternal grandmother, who died before the events of the show. For how her husband talks about her, it is made clear that she had a loving relationship with his husband.

Sergio Rosales. Mónica’s maternal uncle, he’s openly gay.

Denzel Hornsby. Sergio’s partner and later husband. He works as a bartender at Barbara Beckett’s bar.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (XI) - ETHAN’S FAMILY

Keith Evans. Ethan’s father, him getting a job as a construction worker for Karl Jacobs’ company is the reason why his family moved from Missouri to Philadelphia. Unfortunately he gets fired as soon as the company needs to get rid of some employees, and his family has to move to the Pink Flamingos Trailer Park. Later on he gets a job at Alan’s business.

Miranda Evans (née LeBlanc). Ethan’s mother, she’s of Cajun descent. After her family has to move to the Pink Flamingos Trailer Park, Miranda manages to get a job waiting tables at the restaurant Corazzini’s so the family can have at least one source of income while her husband is unemployed.

Garth and Dolly Evans. Ethan’s younger siblings, they’re still in elementary school.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (XII) - SANTI’S FAMILY

Leopoldo López. Santi’s father, who works as a gardener. He’s a third generation Costa Rican immigrant who works as a cook in a restaurant named El Coyote. He’s also Deaf.

Sofía Mejía. Santi’s mother. She works as the Jacobs’ housekeeper. Like her husband, she’s Deaf, reason why her employers have always assumed she never noticed or can’t tell anyone the multiple crappy things they’ve done. As it turns out when Sofía becomes a powerful ally for Tovah to uncover all of the family’s dirty laundry, they were very, very wrong. There’s also one episode in which Noah, the Jacobs’ youngest son who attends the same high school as the main cast, attempts to humiliate Santi by telling everyone that Santi’s mother works for his family, right after finding out, but it backfires after Santi points out that it’s pretty telling that none of Noah’s family knew anything about the woman who has been employed by them for years, including the fact that she has a son that attends the same high than theirs.

Ramón ‘Ra’ López Mejía. Santi’s older brother, he’s a professional ballroom dancer who had won several regional tournaments already, even being nicknamed Sun God. Because of both his career and a personality that makes Eric look tame by comparison, Santi doesn’t like to talk about him, but Brandon is pretty fond of him. Of all the family, he’s the most welcoming and supporting of Santiago’s sexuality, although he still makes some snarky remarks about being goddamn time he came out and that he was way too obvious. There’d also be a B-plot in one episode about Eric becoming his dance partner’s last minute replacement for a tournament.

Concha Mejía. Santi’s maternal grandmother. Of all the family, she takes the news about his grandson’s sexuality the worst, even telling him that he doesn’t want to see him anymore, which it’s very painful for Santi because he was very close with her.

MAIN CAST’S RELATIVES (XIII) - BRANDON’S FAMILY

Teófilo ‘Teo’ Pitrè. Brandon’s father, who has achondroplasia and whose family comes from Brazil. Making fun of him is one of the few ways that can make Brandon angry enough to want to physically hurt someone. He works at the aquarium, which still is one of Brandon’s favorite places.

Adriana Pitrè (née Vieira). Brandon’s mother. Like her husband, she’s a second generation Brazilian immigrant. She works as a swimming instructor.

MAIN CAST'S RELATIVES (XIV) - JULIE ANNE'S FAMILY

David Vaughan. Julie Anne’s father. After getting a divorce and moving back to Philadelphia with his daughter, of whom he got full custody, he re-opens the comic book shop he used to own before he moved, which becomes one of the main spots where the main gang hangs out after school.

Amy Vaughan. Julie Anne’s mother. The fact that she didn’t recognize her daughter’s trans identity is one of the big reasons why not only Julie Anne’s father divorced her and fought for full custody, but also why they moved back to Philadelphia.

THE PINK FLAMINGOS TRAILER PARK RESIDENTS

The trailer park where Shawn’s family lives. A lot of them are families who lost their home, jobs or both because of Karl Jacobs’ company.

Virna Cordini. Chet’s wife, and until her husband’s death, Shawn believed she was his mother. Chet met her at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. She’s deeply unhappy in her marriage with Chet, oftenly leaving for increasingly longer periods of time.

Eddie Cordini. Virna’s son from a previous marriage, he’s mean to Shawn and likes to act tough and intimidating, by the moment he faces Brizzi or Little Nicky, he quickly cowers. He downright despises Chet.

Brizzi. A guy in the trailer park who has been willingly looking after Shawn after Jack left, and to whom Shawn looks up like an older brother, something that Brizzi doesn’t feel completely comfortable with, because of how he earns a living, and he wishes for Shawn to someday leave the trailer park for good and have a better life elsewhere.

Little Nicky. Brizzi’s younger brother, although he looks bigger and older than him, who works in the “family business” too. He kinda resents Shawn for what he feels is special treatment by his brother's part, referring to him regularly as “the prince” in a mocking tone, but at the end of the day he cares about him too.

Stacey Simonson. A girl in the trailer park who’s good friends with Brizzi, and like him she looks after Shawn whenever she can, becoming the closest thing Shawn had for a family in a while, ‘til the point that Cory thought she was Shawn’s older sister. Another thing she has in common with Brizzi is that a lot of humor comes from her trying to keep Shawn and Cory unaware of her job.

Shannon. Stacey’s friend and, as she says herself, “Yeah, let’s call it Stacey’s co-worker. Why not”.

#boy meets world #bmw #mr. feeny #mr. turner #jonathan turner #george feeny #shawn hunter

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