#bhquirks

[thaliablackwood-blog]

Thalia, ten years ago,was a soft edge girl with smiling lips and a void in her chest. Today, the void remains but her edges are no longer soft and she keeps smiles like secrets, of which she has many.

I. The perfect life Alaster had given her was charmed to start with, those long ten years prior. Thalia did feel a dart of guilt any time she saw a remnant of her old life but she couldn't say the new one wasn't at least somewhat enjoyable. She owned an estate and could afford the education she had dreamed of. Even if the sisterhood that was the furies wasn't wholly inviting, she was a part of it. The satisfaction Thalia thought she would feel wasn't there though. She had everything and it wasn't enough.

II. Thalia had breezed through college. It had been one of the few things that kept her sane, from slipping into a dark place of thought. New life or old, cooking was always a comfort for Thalia and now she had a degree in it. Her hands had become rougher from the constant whisking and kneading and accidental burning. Callouses on her hands felt like some kind of accomplishment.

III. Head chef was definitely a title Thalia could get behind. Ordering people around the kitchen wasn't easy to begin with but she got used to it. If people called her bossy, well, it was a small price to pay to have the job of her dreams. This sentiment made Thalia think back to when she had first used this logic five years ago. She nearly burned her hand on the stove top as she wondered as she often did if it had been worth it.

IV. Money became something for common people years ago. It didn't seem important when you were practically drowning in it. Thalia’s first year as head chef, though thrilling, didn't fill the black hollow in her chest. She sought out some new thrill, found it in the people who desired to be around the almost plastic perfection of her life. Thalia welcomed them in with open arms, happy to have the company, for a price. Tell me your secrets, she would whisper, and you can have whatever you wish.

V. She kept a book of them, the secrets. The pages were filled with ink black looping script. Out of kindness, Thalia left the names out. There was no intention to use them for blackmail or anything of the like. Having these secrets had produced closer relationships in Thalia’s life, a thing she had craved since childhood. And when the house was quiet and the loneliness and guilt came knocking, Thalia would pull the book from under the mattress and read it. It was a reminder that she wasn't the only one who had done whatever it took to get what she wanted.

[milokatz-blog]

Although Milo did not have good luck with school the first time around, he eventually enrolled at BHU and went back to school. He graduated after three years with a double major in Business Management and Art.

For two years after he graduated, he worked in his uncle’s shop, working no his own comic book and managing the store. 

Upon the eve of his twenty sixth birthday, he told his uncle he had bought space up in New York to run his own comic book store.

Business was slow to start, but Milo never gave up. After years and years of experience, Milo knew that it would only be so long before his business was up and running. 

When Kira graduated from college, he offered her a room in his small apartment which was up above his shop and she agreed. He and Kira lived like they had back in Barton Hollow. 

Milo continued his life of being a “real” superhero. Meeting up with more of his online friends, they continued to fight crime in New York. 

While owning the shop he managed to jump start his career in comics. He worked for three years with another artist on a comic series called Fortune, which was quite a success. Although Milo was waiting for the chance to submit his own ideas.

To his surprise, Milo’s comic was picked up by Marvel two years ago. The fandom is growing quite large and he only has himself and his team of trusted superheros to thank. 

Rumors have said that the movie rights have been picked up by Sony, but nothing has been confirmed or denied by Milo Katz yet.

[siennasaldrich]

Despite her efforts to fight against it, she continues to bring men to the lake and drown them, silent tears always lurking behind her sweet eyes. 

She spends much of her time swimming in the lake, one of the few places where she truly feels safe and at peace in Barton Hollow.

She’s taken up knitting as an idle hobby, and, although it makes her feel like a bit of a grandmother at times, it distracts her from thinking too much about what she’s done.

Her time not spent knitting and swimming is spent reading by the lake. She’s developed a love for literature in the past few years, but shies away from love stories most of the time, not wanting to think of James or any of the other lovely boys that she ended the lives of.

She wants desperately to become someone happy again, to don the mask of a sweet and cheerful girl, and she does sometimes, venturing out into town in her brightest of sundresses and strappy little heels and smiling until it hurts. It always fails, however, and it’s rarely more than an hour or two before she comes across a boy who reminds her, however distinctly, of James, and has to fight back tears as she excuses herself to head back home and curl up beneath the covers of the bed and think of everything she’s ruined for those boys, for James.

[matron-marilyn-blog]

  It was a stormy night when Emilie rushed into Marilyn’s shop—the sign obviously denoting that at this hour the store was closed—but the girl had something she needed to tell Marilyn. Something desperate, and something that would change the course of Barton Hollow forever.

  Alaster Whyte was no longer King, all due to this young girl’s valor.

  She was blubbering and going all over the place as she explained it to Marilyn, but with steady hands, she calmed the girl down and led her into the back for a cup of tea, promising that everything would be okay.

  And everything would.

  Marilyn knew of Jeremiah, Emilie’s description of him jogged the memory of him spitting in her face with anger. In a way, she felt sorry for the girl. It didn’t seem she had any home to return to. Against better judgment, Marilyn offered her home to her, and Emilie has lived with Marilyn ever since.

  Sometimes, Marilyn calls her Adelaide—they are the same age, but Marilyn knows the difference. Adelaide died a long time ago, but Emilie is here, right now, in need of shelter and family after everything was taken from her.

  It was in Marilyn’s care that Emilie lived, as Marilyn was happy teaching her all she could about magic and the craft.

  As for Gabriel, well, it was hard to keep their relationship a secret for ten years, but with his permission Marilyn’s magic has worked wonders in making their affection innocuous, even to the trained eye. Both of them have grown together, and for all of his pestering for her to convert, she’s phased out certain unmentionables from her craft.

  From the moment of Adelaide’s death, Marilyn knew she didn’t want another child. There was no one like Adelaide—she was irreplaceable. If fate was so keen on blessing her for only a few short years, Marilyn preferred to make her own way in life.

  Yet, it was a child that was given to her. Well, adopted. Found at the doorsteps of the church, Marilyn assured Gabriel she’d take care of her for a few weeks. It was the weeks that turned into months, and months turning into years before Marilyn found herself with another bright, bouncing girl.

  Mania would surely drive her mad if she would ever lose her, but for the time being, everything is at peace, and Marilyn has never felt better.

[cordeliahathaway]

Cordelia has always been one to fall in love too quickly and fiercely, and, despite the years that have passed, this hasn’t changed a bit. She’s fallen in love with quite a few people all too soon only to find herself in volatile and intense relationships most of the time. It’s far too much for her, and she usually has to work up the courage to end her relationships after only a few months or even weeks. 

She’s found success in the field of photography, becoming a well-known public figure solicited by the rich and famous for photographs. Her true passion is photography with a more ethereal edge, but she does photoshoots for stars because the money’s good.

She moved out of Barton Hollow and to a studio apartment in New York City on her twenty-ninth birthday. It was too much for her, staying in the town where her mother and Jessamine still lived, and she had always loved the appeal of New York.

She’s been living with a sweet-faced, bubbly woman named Isabel Whitney for several years now. It’s sometimes a romantic thing, usually leaning more towards the platonic side, but Isabel is a wonderful friend to Cordelia and is always there for her.

She ran into Jessamine the day she left town - she had decided to stop at Fleur de Lily one last time before she went when she saw Jessamine there, admiring some roses and looking as gorgeous as ever. They barely acknowledged each other’s presence at first, but, just before she left, Jessamine said softly, “I miss you, Delia,” before smiling wistfully and leaving before Cordelia even had the chance to speak.

[keeganomalley]

 For the majority of Keegan’s first twenty some-odd years, she did not like herself. She fought with self-image issues, travelling from friend group to friend group, place to place, just trying to find a version of herself that she genuinely liked. She found that in Barton Hollow. Ten years after her 22nd birthday during the spring of her junior year of college, Keegan is actually living in NYC. 

The first year or so before leaving BH, Keegan’s mild crush on Kenneth started to become even more painfully obvious, resulting in her sometimes being at a loss for words around him despite the previous ease she used to feel around him.

She graduated from BHU magna cum laude, an English Literature degree in her hand, and actually went on to apply to law school. She missed the initial deadline, so she had to miss the first semester, but she used it to travel the west coast of the United States. She had always had an inkling she would end up teaching English somewhere abroad and so her decision to apply for law school shocked her. What shocked her even more was she chose NYU Law as her top option. When she got in, she packed up her apartment in BH and left.

She abruptly kissed Kenneth as they were saying their goodbyes, despite knowing he didn’t necessarily feel the same way. He’d been helping her pack up her car and she just... did it and then ran away to her driver seat. He was the last person she said goodbye to. She never was very good with romantic feelings.

She ended up crying on the drive out of town. She had found a home in Barton Hollow, but it was high-time for her to return to her birthplace.

Teary-eyed but resolute, Keegan strolled into her father’s apartment building with her back straight. Alfred was still the doorman. He barely recognized her. She wasn’t exactly the wild-eyed teenager she had been last time he had seen her. Nevertheless, he let her go upstairs.

“Hi, dad.” Keegan said as his eyes widened, with happiness or terror she wasn’t immediately sure. But then his lips quivered and he told the man he was on the phone with that he had to go because his daughter had just come home. And just like that, despite the years of emotional abuse Keegan suffered at his hand,s he forgave him because he was her only family and she needed him.

Keegan didn’t move back in with her father, and instead got an apartment a bit closer to central park. She wanted to have easy access to her favorite place to run. 

Keegan graduated from NYU Law after the standard three years, her course of law involving criminal prosecuting. She hadn’t ever thought she would become someone who fought to put criminals behind bars, but she loves her jobs. It’s hard, but she thinks she fair and open to every side of an argument. If someone is genuinely innocent or guilty, Keegan will find out which one. She’d incredibly good at her job.

It’s demanding work and it takes up a lot of her time, but she still makes time for her yellow lab, Bandit, and a good book at every opportunity. 

She is still an aficionado of languages, and since her completion of Spanish and Italian, has moved on to learn both Mandarin and Cantonese, as well as a number of phrases in French, German, and Russian.

Bandit is still her longest relationship, but she currently has a boyfriend named Alex. He’s a detective she met while putting one of his arrests behind bars. They’ve been living together for a couple of years now, but she’s in no rush to get married.

She’d like to adopt a child in the next few years and Alex in completely on board with it. Neither of them is quite willing just yet to give up or cut back on their career’s just yet though.

Keegan and her father have lunch together at least once a week; both of them love talking about their work and their budding personal lives. Neither of them was very good at opening themselves up to relationships, but their reunion broadened both of their horizons. 

Keegan did in fact end up keeping in contact with a couple of people from Barton Hollow, though she unfortunately lost contact with Victoria a couple of years back. Keegan often wonders how the girl who helped her get over the death of the blonde boy’s life turned out, but keeping in touch got too hard.

Keegan tries to make a trip down to Barton Hollow every couple of years, always loving to go back and walk the streets of her second home.

Just after the turn of her thirty-second birthday, Keegan is excited to be returning to Barton Hollow again. It’s been about three years since she went back, and she’s looking forward to (hopefully) seeing Kenny, Josiah, Drew, and Victoria. It’s been while since she spoke to most of them (she calls Kenny at least once a month, always needed his guidance), but she hopes their lives have all turned out for the better.

[lovely-miss-bishop]

  It was hard giving up the town, but Lorelai knew she needed to leave.

  When would she return? She did not know. In her heart she wished she could remain in the enchanting, delightful southern town forever, but the pressure of staying afloat was too much for her. Resilience was coded in her salt-water soaked blood, but the young mermaid was too homesick.

  It was a daring escape. It was one that she knew that could end her life if she was spotted.

  But what made all of the months of her pain bearable was finally seeing her mother again. Caught in her strong embrace, Lorelai had never cried more than she had in that moment. The fear of never seeing her mother again had tormented her, but to be with her family and away from the clutches of Barton Hollow—nothing could describe her euphoria.

  Barton Hollow had taught Lorelai the dangers of becoming stranded, and she was in the right mind to learn her lesson. The young mermaid uncharacteristically anchored herself to Florida, taking great measures to make sure she’ll be able to return to Barton some day without being trapped. In that time spent with friends and family, she told all sorts of stories of the flying alligators and the demi-gods who played American football. Everything was so vivid, and she decided to write down her experiences in an anthology. A heart-felt letter, if you will, to that strange little town.

  The ageless mermaid has returned with her finished book—filled with notes and details that even some of the residents aren’t familiar with. She’s determined to give the book to the town in a show of good spirits, but she’s right back where she was ten years ago.

  This time, however, the magic that surrounds Lorelai is destined to grant her safe passage in the open waters. Try what they might, there’s not much the sirens, or anyone in Barton Hollow for that matter, can do to harm the ethereal mermaid.

[deathly-dee]

  Graduation was spectacular.

  After winning nationals Dee couldn’t be more proud of her team. It was the perfect way to end her tenure at BHU, and turning forward to her career, Dee couldn’t be more enthused to make her mark on the world.

  Yet, there was something missing. Despite earning a prestigious internship with an international company in New York, Dee couldn’t shake the fact that this wasn’t what she wanted. Deep down, there was something exhausting about the suits and the formalities—the power she was accumulating meant nothing if she was alone in her shitty apartment. She wanted to travel, she wanted to see the world, but the company’s projections had her sitting in New York for years before she’d be granted any sort of work abroad.

  On a whim, Dee left New York. Where she was going didn’t matter: she was going to see the world no matter what it took. She travelled all over the continental United States, and back again, but by that point it had been two years since she left Barton.

  Two years had gone by, and as it happened, Miss Hunt was graduating BHU. The two had always kept in touch after Dee left for New York, and Nyx knew that she’d given it all up to live in her car and travel America. Yet, the fury didn’t know that Dee was waiting inside her apartment ready to ask Nyx something she’d always wanted to ask.

  “Won’t you come with me?”

  It was China to Australia, South Africa to Brazil, France to India, and everywhere in between. That’s what Dee and Nyx spent their years doing—travelling the world together like they’d always talked about. They did so much together, and Dee cherished every moment.

  From an awkward, shallow teenage romance to a lifelong partnership, Dee would do anything for Nyx. She’s the most precious thing in her life, and there is nothing anyone could do to convince her to let that girl go.

  The suggestion of revisiting Barton Hollow had always been on the two’s minds, and nostalgia had finally pushed them to fly back to the United States and visit the fabled town, if only for a week.