#definitely looking-too-deeply-at-a-kid-cartoon right now but in *some* ways. a world where the majority of people think its easy to like an

[godsfavoritescientist]

Biting the bars of my enclosure about autistic ford tonight. There's something about him using vocabulary and turns of phrase that seem "outdated" or "pretentious" that feels so painfully genuine to me. When people say he talks like that just to "try to sound smart" I wish I could explain what it's like to be so ostracized from your peers growing up that you spend all your time reading instead, to the point where you pick up your way of speaking from books instead of from people. And then what it's like for people to call you out for "talking weird" over and over again, not able to wrap their heads around why the fuck you would choose more archaic or technical or formal words than the simpler ones that surely come to everyone's minds first. What it's like to have to dedicate a sizable chunk of attention to filtering through every single word you say out loud in real time before you say it, to make absolutely sure that it isn't a word people will judge you for using or make fun of you for using, just so you'll have a chance of being taken seriously. Learning through trial and error how to filter out the words that other people don't think are normal or casual enough for the conversation, even though for you, the word choice that's "natural-sounding" enough for them is the third or fourth word you came up with when searching for the right way to phrase something in your head. I wish I could explain just how long it takes to say fucking anything after spending a lifetime doing that during every single conversation, and how repetitive and long-winded you end up being when you spend so long coming up with alternative ways of saying every little thing you ever think. And I wish people realized that, at the very least for autistic people and autistic-coded characters, speech that's seen as pretentious is really just the way they talk when they're not putting in the extra effort to filter through every word they say just so others will take the time to listen.

#ford meta #actuallyautistic #everyone go read the wikipedia page for 'stilted speech' right now #long post #ford isnt very good at masking. he doesn't have the kind of (unintentional) autistic coding that is Palatable To Neurotypicals. #definitely looking-too-deeply-at-a-kid-cartoon right now but in *some* ways. a world where the majority of people think its easy to like an #-understand ford is a world that would feel safe for me to unmask in. #i truly truly hate that fully explaining my thoughts on ford requires me to say so much about myself. but god is it such a crime- #-to use a fictional character as a lens through which to try and explain to people how to be more understanding and accepting- #-of things like this. #making fun of stilted speech is so normalized that people don't even realize they're making fun of someone for being weird. #people think its Someone Thinking They're Better Than You but its something people lay awake at night wishing they could stop doing. #and yet they still end up using the Wrong Words and being labeled a Pretentious Asshole just for talking differently than the norm. #maybe there really are people out there who deliberately use big words to try and sound smarter than everyone else. I don't know. #all I know is. in a world where its pretty obvious that people who use a discongruently complex vocabulary get made fun of for doing that. #why would someone deliberately trying to impress people do something that would only get them laughed at. #sorry for being genuine on main. as if its my fault </3

[assbuttyourlife]

When We Were Young - Chapter Twenty-Six

Pairing : Misha/OFC

Warnings : Language, Fire, trauma, PTSD, family members death (including child), therapy, flashbacks (not in every chapter), injuries, cheating. Sexual content. Violence. Non Con/Threats of rape. Long fic. Angst, fluff, Smut. Mention of suicide.

Words : 5376

Summary : After her grandmother’s funeral, Lily must return to the place she lived in when she was young and has to confront the ghosts of her past. She will run into an old friend that she thought was lost forever.

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AO3 link

Tags : @jhudawnareeves

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CHAPTER 26 - Complications

“You WHAT?” Lily almost screamed, the panic obvious in her high pitched voice.

“It's just a couple of days, we have to wrap this scenes, you won't even notice I was gone.”

“Of course I will notice! You can't leave your kids with me just like that, I'm not... I'm not good at that, I'm not ready for this!”

Sure she had spent a lot of time with West and Maison, they all spent a lot of weekends together, Misha even transformed Lily's practice room into a kid's bedroom, but she never had to watch them both at the same time without Misha or Vicki around, and she was scared to death to mess this up.

“What are you so afraid of? You know them, they know you and they like you a lot, what's the worse that could happen?”

“Where do I start? What if they keep crying because they miss you or Vicki too much? What if they feel abandoned? What if one of them is sick? Or worse: both of them! What if someone fall down the stairs, you know how dangerous those fucking stairs are! What if my apartment catch on fire?”

Misha chuckled. “Stop it, drama queen. It's only two days and it will be absolutely fine. If you need anything you can call me or Vicki, she will be here if you need her.”

Lily sighed deeply.

“You can do this.” he hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

“No...” she whined and Misha chuckled again.

“You definitely can do this. I trust you.”

“You shouldn't.”

They were interrupted by two little arms circling Misha's legs. He looked down to meet Maison's pleading eyes.

“Daddy I wanna hug too.”

Lily pointed a the girl “See? She's already jealous, she will hate me...”

Misha took his daughter in his arms and she instantly hugged him.

“Daddy has to go now, will you be good with Lily?”

“Yes!” Maison smiled looking at Lily who almost melted from the cuteness of this little girl.

“Good.” Misha kissed her. “Where's your brother?”

That's when they heard an awful high pitched scratchy sound coming from Lily's bedroom.

“He's playing the violin!” Maison ran toward the deafening sound.

Lily's terrified eyes widened while Misha ran behind his daughter.

“West... we've talked about this, stop touching what's not yours!”

“I just wanted to try...”

“Well don't. Now I really have to go, if I come back and Lily says you were bad, you'll both be in trouble. Okay?”

“Okay...” West pouted.

“Good. Now out of this room.”

Misha led them out of the bedroom and met a very not serene Lily in the living room, leaning against the dining table.

He cupped her face to kiss her.

“It will be okay, don't worry.”

“Yeah...” she replied not convinced.

“I love you.” he kissed her forehead and let go, grabbing his suitcase.

“I love you tooooo!” West and Maison screamed back at the same time, knowing it was Lily's next line.

Misha smiled widely and Lily chuckled “I love you too.”

The kids giggled loudly and ran to their room.

Misha walked out of the apartment and closed the door behind him.

“I'm not gonna survive this...” Lily whispered to herself.

***

“Stop moving! You're soaking the whole bathroom!”

Lily wiped her sweaty forehead, trying desperately to wash Maison's sticky hair. Misha was gone for two hours, and she already tried to style her hair with maple syrup...

“It hurts!” the little girl cried.

To be honest, at that same exact moment, Lily wanted to cry too.

“Your eyes sting because you won't stay still when I'm trying to wash your hair, you have shampoo in your eyes, just... just... please stay still.”

“But I hate water in my eyes!”

“The water won't come in your eyes if you close them and stay... Still!”

Maison cried even more but finally closed her eyes, allowing Lily to rinse her hair. She then dried her face with a towel.

“You can open them now...”

Please... no stinging... please...

Maison slowly opened her eyes and looked at Lily with her huge reddened orbs. She didn't scream, she didn't cry... she smiled and Lily's heart melted a little more at this cute sight.

“See? You're fine. Can we go out of the bath and go make dinner with West?”

“Yes!” she jumped in Lily's arms to go out of the bathtub.

Lily dried her and put her pajamas on before getting out of the bathroom with Maison in her arms, meeting West and Katie in the kitchen, busy preparing pizzas for dinner.

“I'm exhausted.” Lily plopped down on a chair next to her friend.

“It's only been two hours...”

“I know! Told you I'm not gonna survive this.”

“Eh... this little chipmunk is kinda cute.” Katie nodded at West.

Dinner happened without major accident, and while Katie went to read a story to Maison before going to bed, West wanted to watch his favorite cartoon on TV.

“You know I don't have a TV...” Lily reminded him, and West looked at her like she was an alien again.

It wasn't new for him since it was not the first time the kids spent the weekend at her place, but everytime West had to ask her the same question.

“Why don't you have a TV? Everybody has a TV...”

“I told you a million times, I just don't watch TV. Why would I buy a TV if I don't watch it?”

“Are you poor?” West asked bluntly.

“What? What kind of question is that? You don't ask that to people, it's rude!”

“Daddy was poor.”

Ouch...

Lily tried to find a way to avoid that conversation, it was not her place to talk about Misha's childhood with his son, and it made her very uncomfortable. Who knew what Misha told his kids?

She looked at West who was still holding her gaze expectantly.

“Did he tell you that?” she asked not sure where it would lead.

“Yes. He told me he was living in your house with uncle Sasha and Bumble Bee because they were poor. And he said you had a TV in your house...”

Smartass...

“My parents had a TV, yes. But I don't. End of the conversation. Do you want a story too?”

“Will you bring us to your old house?”

“Why would I do that? It's broken and dangerous because of the fire.”

“Daddy said it was his favorite place in the world, I want to see it.”

She really needed to have a conversation with Misha to know what he said to his children about his childhood...

“Oh... he said that? What else did he say?”

West looked up and put his index fingers on his chin to think about it.

“Mmh... He said he met you when you were kids just like me. And now you're old but you’re still friends. ”

Lily chuckled. “We were a little older actually. We were nine. And we’re not old, we’re mature. Big difference.” she corrected almost vexed even if she knew Misha said that to his kids only to joke.

“He says it’s important to find good friends like you and uncle Darius because we always need our friends.”

“And he’s totally right.” Lily smiled tenderly.

She stood up and walked toward the kid's room.

“Alright, come on, it’s time for bed now. Sorry for the TV.”

West followed silently and Lily was surprised when he climbed in his bed without protesting.

“Do you want a story?” Lily offered.

“Yes.” West and Maison answered at the same time.

Katie crossed her arms pouting. “I just told you a story!”

“It's for West now.” Maison replied innocently, making both women chuckle.

“Alright...” Lily walked toward the book case. “What book do I read tonight?”

“I want the story of when you met daddy.” West replied remembering their previous conversation.

Lily stopped in her track to look at him.

“Didn't he tell you that story already?”

“No. He says I have to ask you because you tell it better.”

Lily chuckled and looked at Katie who was sitting on Maison's bed. She stepped forward and sat on West's bed.

“I'm not convinced it's the truth but um... okay... I'll try.”

************************

Litchfield CT, Spring 1983.

Lily's small fingers were dancing along the grand piano in her grandparents' house. After five years of practicing, she was getting pretty good at it.

She loved spending her free time in Litchfield with her grandparents. They were always taking the time to make lots of things with her and it was refreshing to spend some time away from the farm. Her grandmother was cooking a lot with her, and she was teaching her how to take care of the garden, while her grandfather taught her pretty much everything else, his favorite activity being crafting cute animals in wood pieces, and going for long walks to study the nature. She could listen to her grandpa talking about flowers and insects for hours without being bored a second.

“Papa?” she looked up at her grandfather sitting next to her on the piano bench without even stopping to play “Do you think I can play another instrument and be good at both?”

He leaned down a little to kiss the top of her hair.

“You can do anything Babygirl. Are you bored of the piano?”

“No... but I'm fascinated by people who plays the violin and I really want to do it more. It's beautiful. I don’t know if I can be good at both though. Violin is much harder.”

Simon smiled at his granddaughter and rubbed her back.

“You should definitely persist and practice more then.”

“Pie in ten minutes!” Lily heard her grandma calling from the kitchen. She looked at her grandpa again with a wide smile, so proud for baking a whole apple pie by herself for the first time without any help from an adult.

“Can't wait to taste that delicious gourmet dessert!” he winked at her. “but first, you need to finish that sonata because it's beautiful.”

That's when they heard the doorbell ringing, interrupting their practice session.

“I got it!” Simon screamed to his wife.

“Keep playing, honey, I'll be back soon.” he said while leaving the room.

Lily focused on the music sheet in front of her and resumed playing the Moonlight Sonata. A few minutes later, she saw the familiar shape of her grandfather's silhouette coming back in from the corner of her eyes, noticing he wasn't alone.

She stopped playing to look at the boy standing next to him. She had no clue who he was and what he was doing here.

“You should keep playing honey, he liked it a lot.” the old man winked at her with a smile.

She stared at her grandfather with an amused look, being so used to him bringing strangers home.

“Does he have a name?” she asked playfully.

“Misha. He brings the papers to us everyday and I’ve never thanked him properly, it’s a shame isn’t it? Misha, this is Lily, my granddaughter who will make the honor to finish that sonata for you.”

“Hi...” the boy greeted shyly making her chuckle.

“Hi Misha!” she replied with a smile.

She cleared her throat and straightened on her seat, placed her fingers back on the keys and started playing again. She was so absorbed by the music that she didn't even notice her grandpa approaching her and placing Misha right next to her on the bench, where he had been a few minutes ago.

She opened her eyes after the final note resonated in the living room and saw him staring alternately between her fingers and her face.

She turned her head to smile at him.

“How was it?” she asked content.

Misha kept staring at her with awe.

“Beautiful.” he almost whispered and Lily's smile widened.

“Beethoven will do that to you.”

“I wish I could play like that.” he admitted weakly.

“You can! You just have to practice! Would you want me to teach you a piece?” she offered sincerely, making her grandfather laugh.

“Sure... but I don't have a piano to practice.”

“You can practice here!”

“Pie is ready Babygirl, your grandmother is giving me the look, we better hurry...” Simon interrupted the kids.

Lily jumped from her seat and took Misha's hand to lead him toward the kitchen.

“You have to taste it! I baked it myself! We can have icecream too!” She was obviously very excited about it and Misha's mouth watered just thinking about icecream.

They both sat at the kitchen table, waiting for their plate.

“Oh we have a guest! I'll need another plate then.” Bethany noticed happily.

“It's Misha the paperboy! I'm sure Papa forgot to pay again... didn't he?” Lily laughed.

“Guilty!” Simon admitted while sitting next to her. “he'll have apple pie with icecream, that's good enough to forgive me, right?”

They all took their first bite at the same time and Lily's face fell a little.

“It's... not as good as yours Nana... But I followed your recipe...”

Bethany glanced at her husband with an amused look.

“Honey... I think you forgot to put sugar in it...”

Lily frowned and pouted, but when she looked at Misha's empty plate and content expression, her face lightened.

“You liked it?” she asked him hopeful.

“A lot.” Misha almost burped. He ate really fast...

Simon and his wife shared a suspicious look.

“Where do you live, Misha? I've never seen you around before.” Simon asked first.

“Bantam, not far from the lake. We've not been here for a very long time.”

“We?”

The old man couldn't help it... he sensed something was strange with that boy and being the caring man he's always been with kids in this town, he wanted to know more about Misha and his family.

Bethany looked at her husband with a meaningful look. Lily could almost hear their silent conversation.

“My mom, my brother and me.” he sipped on his orange juice.

“Oh... where's your dad?”

Bethany flashed her wide open eyes to Lily's grandfather. He couldn't do that again, he was retired!

“He doesn't live with us.” was all Misha replied and he looked down to play with his fingers.

“I think Misha needs another piece of pie!” Lily offered playfully.

Her grandparents shared an amused look and Bethany stood up to serve the kids again.

“I think I'll pass...” Simon answered when she offered another piece for him too and Lily's grandmother had trouble keeping a serious face.

*********************

“That's how we met... I almost poisoned your dad with unsweetened apple pie.”

West and Maison giggled in their beds.

“Alright, time to sleep now.” Lily stood up to join Katie who was leaning against the door-frame.

“Another story!!” Maison screamed.

“No Maison, I said one. You sleep now.”

“Kiss!” the girl extended her arms.

Lily sighed but walked toward the beds and leaned down to kiss Maison on her forehead. She wrapped her little arms around Lily's neck to keep her from walking away.

“Goodnight Maison.”

“Goodnight Nessy.” she kissed her cheek.

God that little girl is just sweetness on legs.

Wait... what???

“What did you call me?”

“Nessy! Daddy said he calls you Nessy because you stink.”

Katie snorted and hid her mouth behind her hand.

“That's a lie. Your dad sucks at telling stories so he’s jealous and he’s a brat. Don’t listen to him.” Lily crossed her arms.

“You smell good!” West protested and extended his arms to welcome Lily's goodnight hug. “But daddy’s good at telling stories he makes funny voices.”

“Yeah whatever. I’ll practice and I’ll do it too. Goodnight Westy.” she kissed his forehead and walked out the bedroom with Katie.

The two women plopped down on Lily's couch with a glass of white wine.

“We earned it.” Lily breathed out.

“They're cute.”

“When they sleep...”

They both laughed.

“Did you and Misha become friends right away?” Katie asked all of a sudden, still thinking about Lily's meetcute story.

“Not really... I mean we got along right away and he was coming often to hang out with grandpa and I was just following but I can't say he was my friend right away. I was so used to it, grandpa always brought new people in our lives, it wasn't new for me to just be nice with a new neighbor he decided to help.” Lily explained sipping on her wine.

“What was different with him then?”

She thought about it a moment and Katie saw a small smile slowly curving her lips.

“I don't know... there was a strange... passion mixed with a hint of sadness in his eyes, but he was still goofy and fun to be around, I was curious about him just like my grandfather was, and the more I've learned to know him, the stronger our relationship became I guess. You know how hard it is for me to consider someone as a true friend... Misha proved he was mine several times, I understood that clearly especially when my dad died.”

Katie looked at her best friend “Your dad died when you were ten... you met Misha when you were nine. It took you a whole year to figure it out?”

“Like I said, I couldn't call all my grandfather's lost boys my friends. I knew they were just passing by and they would go. I always try to not get too attached to people who just pass by. But Misha kept coming back in my life.”

“What happened when your dad died that was so strong for you that you finally qualified him as your friend?”

“Oh that's a story for another night. I can't talk about that without tearing up so... not now, I'm way too tired.”

“Okay grandma! I'm gonna go home then.”

“What? You're not leaving me alone with the kids! I have a free spot in my bed if you wanna crash.”

“Oooh I'm gonna sleep in Misha's spot with his smell all over the sheets... hello wet dreams!”

Lily playfully slapped her. “You pig, David will be damn happy to know about that!”

“Oh he knows... he knows.” Katie winked at her friends before walking in the bathroom to get ready for bed.

***

“MOMMYYYYY!”

Lily's eyes popped open when she heard Ryan's voice calling.

“MOMMYYYY!!!”

Katie whined and looked at the alarm clock. “What the fuck?”

When Lily realized where she was and that it was actually West's voice, now followed by Maison's sobs, she got out of bed to go check on them.

Of course they would scream through the night... she was that lucky.

“West, what's going on? It's 3am you need to sleep.” she sat on his bed and her chest clenched when she saw the tears in his eyes. Katie walked to Maison's bed sleepily and sat too.

“I saw something... I want Mommy.” the boy confessed shakily.

Oh no...

“Your mom's not here baby... can I do something?” she glanced at Katie who saw the panic in her eyes.

“No I want mommyyyy!” he sobbed.

Lily started to panic a little seeing him crying like that.

“I’m sorry sweetheart but that’s not possible right now. Mommy’s too far to come in the middle of the night.”

“I hate it!” he yelled.

“Hate what?” Lily frowned.

“Being here without mommy! I don’t want you I want mommy and our house! I HATE IT!”

Lily swallowed the heavy lump that suddenly appeared in her throat and tried to hold her tears back.

So this is how it feels to face one of your biggest fear… She knew it could eventually happen when she agreed to settle with Misha, but watching West crying huge tears and admitting he wasn’t okay with this situation was unbelievably painful, and the guilt that raised in her chest at that moment almost chocked her.

She turned to look at Katie who was holding Maison, also crying because she probably was scared now, and her heart broke into a million pieces.

She was helpless and didn’t know what to say or do to calm them down, and she started to regret all of this, hating herself for ruining Misha’s kids life in the process. They were innocent, and then here they were, hurting because of her selfish choice.

“How about we all get up to drink some hot chocolate and chill out a little?” Katie offered, feeling her best friend was losing control and was visibly overwhelmed.

“Yay chocolate!” Maison jumped.

Lily sighed and threw a grateful glance at her friend with relief. She definitely owed her one.

West followed them in the kitchen still pouting, but eventually he stopped crying and sat still on the sofa to sip on his hot chocolate.

Lily didn’t speak that much, she was too shaken for making conversation. Katie took care of everything and after they finished drinking, she went back in the kids bedroom with Maison to put her back to bed.

“It’s very late West, you need to get back to bed now.” Lily ventured when they were left alone in the living room.

“Can I sleep with you?” he asked hopeful.

Katie snorted from the bedroom “Like father like son!” she teased and Lily's eyes rolled.

“Alright...” Lily sighed and got up holding him.

“Hey! Where am I gonna sleep if he takes my spot?” Katie protested. “Plus I'm afraid I can't sleep without Misha's delicious smell on my sheets anymore...”

“Katie! Kids!”

“Alright, alright... I'll take West's bed then...” she crossed her arms and pouted.

“YAY!” Maison exclaimed, happy to welcome her in her room for the rest of the night.

Lily put West in her bed and walked around it to lie in her spot. The boy slid next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist for comfort.

“What did you see?” Lily whispered to West when they were finally lying in her bed.

“A ghost.”

“Ghosts don't exist.” she tried to reassure him.

West moved up a little bit to look at her “A monster then?”

“Nope. Don't exist either.” she booped his nose trying to lighten the mood.

“Yes they do! Daddy says he fight monsters at work.”

Maybe she needed to tell Misha kids don't understand sarcasm...

“No... Castiel fight monsters, and Daddy pretends to be Castiel. Monsters don't exist, Castiel doesn't exist either. He surely explained that to you, right?”

“Maybe... I don't remember.”

“Sleep.” she gently ordered and West became quiet. She thought she won that round until...

“Can we go to the place you grew up with Daddy tomorrow?”

*Sigh*...

“No. It's too far.”

“How far?”

“Very. Sleep.”

“When can we go?”

“One day. Sleep!”

“What day?”

“The day you'll be quiet. Sleep!”

It surprisingly worked and Lily finally heard West deep breathing after a few minutes.

She sighed in relief but thought about what he'd asked.

She wasn’t very fond of the idea to come back in Northfield.

She tried to fall asleep again in vain, haunted by West’s painful words and his huge tears.

I’m definitely responsible for this…

***

As soon as Lily pushed the door of Misha’s house that afternoon, West and Maison spotted their dad and ran into his arms screaming, happy to see him after two days.

“Hey my two little monsters! I missed you!” he kissed both of them. “How was it? Did you have fun with Lily?”

“Yes!” Maison answered right away. “We went to the zoo and we made pie!” her little blue eyes were sparkling with joy.

“Oh? With or without sugar in it?” he teased putting his daughter down and walking toward Lily to kiss her too.

Lily welcomed his embrace and kissed him back quickly. “Ha ha very funny. FYI it was delicious and we didn’t left any for you because you’re mean.”

“Who’s mean now?” he winked. “So… you obviously survived and everybody is in one piece. Told you it would be fine.”

“Yeah…”

She pulled away from his arms and went to grab her bag, ready to go upstairs settling her stuff in their room for the weekend.

Of course Misha noticed her distant behavior and he knew he would have to talk to her later, but right now he just wanted to spend some time with his family.

“How about we play all together before dinner?” he offered turning to West who was already heading towards the TV.

“Yes I wanna build a fort!” Maison jumped on the sofa.

“Fort it is then… we need our tools.”

He stood at the bottom of the stairs to call for Lily. “Lily can you bring the box of crap I keep in the spare room down please? We’re waiting for you to build a fort.” Misha winked at Maison.

“Yep, coming!”

After a quick check in the bathroom, Lily went to the spare room, which was actually Misha and Vicki’s old bedroom, and opened the cabinet to search for the box. Problem was… There were too many boxes and she had no idea which one she needed.

She rummaged in the cabinet for a while, and her eyes suddenly fell on a smaller box, rusty and dirty. She frowned and took it, noticing it was a metal box that probably were damaged and blackened by fire, and it picked her curiosity because it was definitely not their time capsule.

It used to have a lock but it was broken. When Lily opened the box, she was surprised to find a lot of letters, all coming from mister Adams, the guy who owned the farm next to hers in Northfield, and they were all addressed to her mother.

“What the…” she frowned and her heart jumped in her chest when she heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

She put the box back in the cabinet and faked searching for the tool box when Misha entered the room.

“Did you find it? Kids are kind of hyper right now we better hurry before they start moving furniture.” he joked.

“Umm, no it’s a mess in here I can’t find it.” she cleared her throat. She wanted to read those letters before asking Misha why he was hiding that box.

He knelt next to her and looked for a few seconds before spotting the kid’s tool box.

“Got it.”

Lily smiled innocently and walked toward the door, but Misha ran before her and closed it behind him before grabbing her wrist.

“Everything okay?”

“Sure. Why do you ask?” she started to feel a little nervous, she was so not used to hide things from him!

“I don't know… You seem a little upset.”

“I uhh… something actually happened with West but we’ll talk about that later. It’s no big deal I guess, don’t worry it can wait.”

Misha’s eyes wrinkled “With West? Was he bad with you or something? He can be a little tough sometimes.”

Lily smiled weakly and shook her head. “Later. They’re waiting. Don’t worry we’re all fine.”

“Okay…” he replied suspiciously ans stared into her deep green eyes.

When she just stared back at him and didn’t move, Misha closed the distance between them, gently pushing her against the door, and crashed his lips on hers. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss and soon found his way to her neck.

“I miss you” he moaned between kisses.

“I’m right here…” she whispered, closing her eyes at the delightful sensation of his mouth exploring her neck.

“You know what I mean.” he declared, not stopping in his task.

He finally looked up when he felt her hands pushing on his shoulders.

“The kids are waiting. We’d better hurry.”

She looked down, took the tool box back and got out of the room followed by a very suspicious Misha.

*****

“When can we see mommy?” West asked his dad after he finished reading him to sleep.

“In two days, why? Do you miss her?”

“Yes.” the boy looked down sadly.

Misha sighed and stroked his son’s forehead tenderly.

“I can drive you back tomorrow if you want to see her so bad you know?”

“Okay.” he simply replied and closed his eyes to sleep.

Misha didn’t answer, stood up and walked out of the bedroom carefully closing the door being him before going downstairs to join Lily.

She was busy writing a partition for one of her student tomorrow, seated outside on the patio table.

“West wants to go back to Vicki’s tomorrow.”

Lily looked up from her sheet while he sat next to her.

“Oh… actually I can’t say I’m very surprised. ” she confessed.

“What happened?”Misha asked softly, careful not to sound too harsh. Last thing he wanted was Lily to feel like he was accusing her of something.

She sighed, put her pen down and leaned back in her seat.

“He woke up screaming the first night. When I went to check on him he told me he saw something and he wanted his mom. Of course I said it was not possible to call her in the middle of the night. He cried so hard… I thought he would never stop.”

“I see…” Misha calmly replied.

“No you don’t… He told me he hated being at my place. And he meant it.” her voice started to shake.

“He woke up from a nightmare of course he cried and he was lost, and it's normal for him to ask for his mother first.”

“Yeah first maybe... but he still wants to go home now.” she looked down at her fingers.

“I'll talk to him and see what's wrong. Whatever it is I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with you, don't take it personally. We knew they would have to adjust and it could take some time. Is that okay?”

Misha gently took her hand in his and caressed her knuckles with his thumb. She smiled weakly.

“Sure.”

Misha chuckled “Wow you could be a little more convincing.”

“You'll tell me? I mean... if something is really wrong.”

“Of course I will, what kind of question is that? Since when do you think I could hide something from you?”

Since I found a box full of letters addressed to my mom in your closet...

She sank into his pleading gaze. “Right... Sorry. It's probably nothing.”

He gave her a warm smile. “Exactly. And you know what we need right now?” he stood up. “Ice cream! I'll be right back with your order miss Hagen.” he took her hand and bowed to kiss it before disappearing inside.

Lily stared at her music sheet absentmindedly, and all she could think about was that box waiting in the second floor. She would have to wait for Misha to leave for work and she would take the box with her before going back home.

Tomorrow, she would read those letters, and she would know why the person she loved and trusted the most in her life decided it was clever to hide it from her.

#misha collins #when we were young #fanfiction #young misha #misha/ofc

[brianobrienny]

What Marketers Can Learn From “Avatar: The Last Airbender”

If you’ve been spending some extra time binging shows on Netflix these last few months, you are not alone.

In fact the #2 most popular show in July 2020 is an animated series called “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” In fact, I’ve watched and re-watched this show with each of my 4 kids. And now that it is getting some recognition for great storytelling, I thought it could offer some lessons for marketers as well.

So whether you’ve seen it or not (it’s pretty good!) I’ll use the storytelling framework from the show to offer lessons for marketers on content marketing and brand storytelling.

Quick Takeaways:

Content marketers can learn a lot from the best storytelling examples.

Great content marketing is really nothing more than a story that makes your customer the hero.

Understanding storytelling structures can help us connect more deeply with our audiences.

Content Marketing Is Just a Conversation

The best definition of marketing is “a conversation between your company and your potential customers.” At least that’s what it’s supposed to be. And this is even more true in this age of tremendous disruption.

The goal of Content Marketing is to start that conversation with someone new. And to draw your target audience into a deeper relationship with you and your brand.

Why do we even call “Content Marketing” something different from “marketing?” Because unfortunately, many brands are still on a chaotic path of blatant self-promotion and advertising. They aren’t energizing their audiences or providing them value. They don’t make the customer the hero of the stories they tell. It’s all product marketing.

That’s why Marketers must learn many vital lessons from some of the best shows. By using these conventions, we can begin to connect with customers and grow our business.

In this post, I’ll share why the animated Avatar series is compelling storytelling and how it can help you execute meaningful content for your audience. Then we’ll look at some other storytelling templates.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the basic storyline, here’s a quick summary.

Is Avatar One of the Greatest Shows Ever?

Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz actually claims that Avatar Is One of the Greatest Shows Ever. She notes the plot and story go far beyond a typical cartoon.

The story has political metaphors and highlights racial complexity. It’s great for kids but not just for kids. It takes on significant themes. It raises questions that the world is grappling with right now. It draws parallels to 1939 and 1984 and is impactful 15 years after its debut.

That’s what great stories do. They push boundaries. They have a point of view. They wrestle with big ideas. All of which is relevant to content marketing as well!

This approach sets you up to become known as a thought leader and a brand storyteller in your industry. You have experts in your organization and within your customers. Tell their stories with authenticity and purpose. When you do this, content marketing can help you reach your goals of higher traffic and revenue.

Avatar Has Staying Power

Many people think this animated show from a few years ago is one of the greatest animated series ever! Right now, Avatar is in the top 10 on Netflix according to Forbes, DigitalTrends and others..

This show is not only NOT new. It’s from Feb, 2005. That’s the same month YouTube launched! Twitter was still a year away. Instagram and Snapchat didn’t exist.

However, the story seems to be timeless. The writing and animation are top-notch (even for 2005). There are over 60 episodes. So not only is the quality there, the quantity is much higher than a standard TV series season.

The show is a great choice for families in quarantine. It attracts the attention of a wide audience. Even I will admit to enjoying each of the 4 times I’ve watched the entire series with my kids.

So just like great content marketing, the show includes writing and visuals that are of high quality. And like the Avatar’s 60 episodes, Content marketing is also a long game. We sees the best results when our quality content is consistent and frequent.

This Vice article explains why Avatar has staying power — its “emotional authenticity.” With this concept, children have exposure to heavy subjects, but they also build a foundation for understanding them.

A major reason for the staying power of this story, and any memorable and lasting story is our ability to feel empathy for the main characters. We expect stories to have some aspect of empathy. Avatar does this incredibly well. Children alone in a crazy world. Villains. Tyranny. Inequities. All these things are on full display. Again, these are complex issues.

The empathetic storytelling moves the narrative along in a way that engages the audience. I’ve talked about the value of empathy in content marketing. I even wrote a book called “Mean People Suck,” that focuses on empathy, or the lack thereof, in businesses.

This is another key lesson to take from the series. Empathy matters, no matter what the story is.

Avatar Is Awesome Because of the Diverse Worlds It Portrays

The New York Times even covered the shows popularity and also how relevant it is to some of today’s hot social issues.

The author points to Avatar’s success in a world where sameness is absent. Diversity is a huge part of the charm. The story focuses on four different nations, each rulers of an element. There is the earth, fire, water, and air kingdoms.

The only one who can bring balance between them is the Avatar. But he is just a boy and he must master all four elements to bring peace to the world in a very short period of time.

The New York Times sees this diversity and drama as a strength:  “there’s a whole wide world of narratives and traditions that resonate because of, not despite the alternative view they represent.”

How does this impact content marketing and brand storytelling? It should be a reminder and a tenet that stories aren’t about talking about yourself to people just like you.

Having a unique perspective can be very valuable to buyers, simply because it’s authentic and different from what everyone else is peddling.

What Content Marketers Can Learn About Storytelling from Avatar

In B2B Marketing we often see case studies touting “why I bought this product” and product marketing that makes you wonder “who approved that piece of content?”

One of the main reasons so much marketing content fails is the lack of realistic relationships. In fiction, readers turn off when the portrayal seems to be stereotypical. That’s true in content marketing, too. You write stories that speak to real relationships, challenges and struggles. I like to advise my clients to allow us to “marinate in the pain” of real people.

Another thing Avatar teaches us is that the villain isn’t always who we think it is. In the story, a character named Zuko is the villain for most of the series. But later we learn his destiny is to help the Avatar defeat Zuko’s own evil father, the Fire King.

The fact is antagonists are complex. Remember Darth Vader? He saved my good friend Luke Skywalker. The antagonist of your story might be fear of change, or a specific problem your customers have told you about. The important thing is that the antagonist has layers. It shouldn’t just be an opposition.

Additionally, your audiences want to see the characters of your story change and grow. They do this with experiences, and they are not always linear.

You can use that same concept in content marketing. If the hero is your audience, paint a picture of their journey. Taking your time to reach the climax helps it to resonate. Most movies don’t reach their conclusion until the last 5 minutes of a 2-hour production. Avatar took 60 episodes to get there.

The conclusion of your story isn’t when your audience selects your product or solution. The end of the story is when they achieve their goals!

I love to look at great stories like Avatar and also from my favorite show Game of Thrones to uncover storytelling lessons for marketers.

The Pixar Storytelling Formula

Pixar is considered to be one of the greatest movie studios of all time. They really don’t have a single flop based on box office revenue. And their approach has some parallels to Avatar – The Last Airbender.

What’s their secret? They use a specific formula with the same structure.

“Once upon a time ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.”

Avatar – The Last Airbender uses this convention very well. Even just in the opening sequence:

Once upon a time, there were four nations.

Every day, regular people and benders co-existed.

One day, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Because of that, the Avatar had to go on a journey to figure out how to learn about all four elements.

Because of that, he had to go through lots of challenges, turmoil and learning.

Until finally, he is able to defeat the Fire Lord and bring balance to the world

That’s a simplification of the story, but you can see that it follows the pattern. It’s a winning one that engages audiences.

Is it possible to use this for content storytelling?

Applying the Pixar Formula to Content Marketing and Storytelling

Let’s put the formula to the test to see how you can use it. Along with the method, you should have these points as a complement:

Understand the context of the world your customer live in

Know their everyday struggles and challenges

Be clear about the villain. Every great story has a complex villain.

Understand the journey your buyers must go through to achieve their goals

Guide them on how to get there

Celebrate their success in achieving their goals

How can you change from where you are to this?

Using Storytelling Principles — An Example

To take you through the path, we’ll use an example of why a company should rethink their digital marketing budget during a disruptive and chaotic time.

Once upon a time, marketers bought ads and hired creative agencies to create campaigns

Every day, they spent money and created eg0o-centric ads and product content that executives and sales people loves

One day, the world shut down because of COVID-19.

Because of that, Marketers had to rethink how to drive growth in a world without events and where ads seemed like pandering

Because of that, they looked at the needs of their customers and found they were just looking for help

Because of that, they decided to help their customers with the expertise they already had

Until finally, they started showing real business results in the form of traffic, leads and sales they had never seen

Hopefully you can see that with this approach to brand storytelling, you can see how to focus on what’s essential in the journey of your customers. It can also help you eliminate the self-serving stuff that doesn’t work.

Other Storytelling Templates — Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey”

As an English Literature major in college, I was fascinated to learn about “The Hero’s Journey” and the power of myth.

Joseph Campbell studied great stories from different cultures from all over the world. People who had no contact with each other thousands of years ago. And yet he found a common formula to every great story.

Campbell formalized that structure with three acts and 12 steps. Central to this is a journey to solve a problem, have deep characters, involved plots, villains, redemptions, and closure. Star Wars was written by George Lucas based off this very template.

Here’s a breakdown of each act and step and how it ties to the earlier content storytelling example.

Act 1: The Departure

The purpose of this act is for the hero to leave the ordinary world.

Step 1: Ordinary World

We meet the hero in the ordinary world. This step sets up what is “normal” for the protagonist. It introduces the hero in their environment. They have yet to begin a journey.

Content marketing example: A technology executive is in the status quo of digital transformation before the disruption occurs.

Step 2: Call to Adventure

Your hero must now leave their comfort zone. A problem arises. The hero must take action to reach their goals.

Content marketing example: The technology executive is now aware that outside forces are making it difficult to find success. The goal becomes to reimagine digital transformation in the context of novel threats and risks.

Step 3: Refusal of the Call

Your hero hears the call. So, they just go off to face down the issues. This story theme is probably familiar to you. (Luke Skywalker initially refuses Obi-Wan, if you’ll recall). The hero sees the perils to moving forward.

Content marketing example: The technology executive is fearful of change. It’s unknown, and they may want to sit on the status quo.

Step 4: Meeting the Mentor

The hero decides to go on a journey. But they don’t want to go on their own. They need support in the form of a mentor. The wise advisor enters the picture to prepare the hero.

Content marketing example: The technology executive is a decision-maker, but that doesn’t mean they don’t value sage advice. To weave in this element, you may address the accomplishments of others who have taken a similar track.

Step 5: Crossing the First Threshold

The hero now enters a new world. The commitment to the journey is sure. In this section, the adventure truly begins. There is no turning back at this point. This step may also include character development.

Content marketing example: The technology executive is now in new territory. They aren’t doing what’s safe. They are ready to create a new path to accomplish objectives.

Act 2: The Initiation

Step 6: Tests, Allies, and Enemies

The story gets interesting here. The hero is in a new world with tests, allies, and enemies. Your protagonist is getting their bearings in the new world. Heroes face things they never have before, and they need help. The cast expands with allies, but foes are here as well.

Content marketing example: The technology executive now has new tests because their world is changing. They must look at the challenges with fresh eyes. The allies here may be their peers or your company. Defining the enemy in this example would be about the risks and difficulties because of COVID-19. Enemies don’t have to be physical people.

Step 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave

In this phase, it’s not an actual cave but some dangerous occurrence. In fiction, this may be when the hero finds himself in the villain’s lair. The cave is where the quest of the goal lives. The hero has not made it to the cave; this is the prep.

Content marketing example: Approaching the cave in our example would be the hero looking at the architecture of their digital roadmap. Fears of change and disruption are present in this “cave.”

Step 8: Ordeal

The hero is now facing their biggest challenges. Campbell referred to it as the “belly of the whale.” It’s the point in the story where the hero confronts their fears. It’s not necessarily the climax of the story. It does create a scenario where the protagonist becomes a hero.

Content marketing example: The technology executive must confront the idea that their original plans are in ruin. The fear of being without a plan or having to pivot is real and scary. In this story, the hero must actually take on their outdated philosophies.

Step 9: Reward

The hero is now seeing the light at the end of the journey. This moment is an action the hero takes to save the day. The reward is keeping evil at bay or gaining the confidence to overcome internal struggles.

Content marketing example: The technology executive must take the step to enact change in their organization. With a new outlook and possibilities that your brand can provide, the hero seizes their reward. The reward is transforming a strategy into success.

Act 3: The Return

Step 10: The Road Back

You might think the story is over. Now, you’re in Act Three, and the hero must return to their ordinary world. The hero is not out of danger. Now, there are consequences for the pursuit of the goal. You kill the dragon, but there’s more to endure. The hero must rise to the occasion and find solutions to the remaining obstacles.

Content marketing example: The technology executive has a new concept of how to reframe digital transformation. But they still have to sell this idea to other stakeholders. This is the part where you provide them reasons to make the business case.

Step 11: Resurrection

It’s the last test. The enemy has one last stand. The hero must be resilient. Has the hero learned from their journey? If they survive the final battle, triumph is within reach.

Content marketing example: The technology executive’s culmination is taking them back through the challenges and solutions available. The finale is in making that decision to find the ideal partner to support a new approach. Your solution should be the resurrection.

Step 12: The Return

The hero comes home victorious. The hero has been through a significant transformation. They return with the solution or prize. It may not even be a literal win. It could be an internal win that makes the journey worth it.

Content marketing example: The technology executive is in the decision process, and the prize is your solution. They can now take this to their team and solve the problems that were present at the beginning of the quest.

Does your content have to include all 12 steps? No, sometimes they aren’t applicable. However, this template gives you one more tool to connect marketing with content storytelling.

How Can Your Brand Become a Storyteller?

Sometimes, you need help to tell stories that are consistent, impactful, and empathetic. That’s why I love to cover popular shows and movies I love to help you see how it all applies to the great work we do. But if you need more help, we are here…

Now tell me: have you watched any part of this show? Did you love it?

If you are ready to get more traffic to your site with quality content published consistently, check out our Content Builder Service. Set up a quick consultation, and I’ll send you a free PDF version of my books. Get started today — and generate more traffic and leads for your business.

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