Somewhere a therapist is trying to get people to "live in the moment" while this girl is already three levels deep into a made up game that only exists in her head and involves real trains.
The world needs more pointless whimsy.
My brother brought his new girlfriend to meet the family and she asked to see the basement within five minutes.
Not casually.
Specifically.
Her: Do you have a basement?
Mom: Yes, why?
Her: Can I see it?
Mom: Right now?
Her: If that's okay.
Nobody knew what to do.
She went to the basement.
Alone.
Stayed for twelve minutes.
Came back up.
Her: Nice foundation.
Dad: (confused) Thank you?
Her: Poured concrete. 1970s probably.
Dad: 1974.
Her: Thought so. Good drainage slope too.
Me: (to my brother quietly) What does she do?
Brother: Structural engineer.
Me: So this is professional?
Brother: She does this everywhere.
Me: Basements?
Brother: Foundations specifically.
Me: At family dinners?
Brother: At all buildings she enters.
She spent the rest of dinner commenting on load-bearing walls.
Her: That column is decorative.
Dad: It's not.
Her: It's not carrying anything.
Dad: How can you tell?
Her: Vibration. I tapped it.
Dad: When?
Her: While you were getting drinks.
Mom: (to my brother) She taps things?
Brother: Professionally.
Mom: And socially?
Brother: Sometimes the lines blur.
After dinner she asked about the attic.
Mom: Why?
Her: Roof trusses.
Dad: What about them?
Her: I want to see if they're original.
Dad: Does it matter?
Her: Only if you care about your ceiling staying up.
Dad: (pause) I do care about that.
Her: Then show me the attic.
She found a minor issue with the bracing.
Recommended a contractor.
Dad called him Monday.
Problem fixed by Friday.
She's invited to every family event now.
Not for the relationship.
For the structural assessments.
Brother knows.
He's fine with it.
For the record, you learn more about Greek Mythology from the game Hades than you do from 98% of the right-wing history accounts, and Hades is a dating sim where the only thing that matters is getting the attention of the cover of a Duran Duran album.
I would seriously recommend BlueSky to people who want Twitter vibes without the baggage. @dog_rates is already there, and that’s all that really matters
So I already know that this is meant to be constellations representing Percy and Thalia… BUT HOW AM I JUST NOW REALIZING THAT THE ZOË CONSTELLATION IS ON THE EDGE CROSSING THE MIDDLE OF THE VENN DIAGRAM
#PercyJackson#percyjacksonseason2