Regrettably, I am dealing with yet another visitation by
mice. On the plus side, this one seems far more limited
than in previous years and may very well be wrapping up.
But it always zaps my energy both from the resulting cleaning
that has to be done but also just the emotional aspect. It
would be really convenient to not find mice unbearably
cute! And my emotions are high probably especially this
time around since Chai, the last of my five mice, passed on last
month. Every time I release one, there's a little voice
that says "But maybe you could keep them..." but Leo (my dog)
has been wanting a cat for years after having had one in his
previous home and I'd really like to make that happen for him in
2024 (and me... girl who has wanted a cat since she was little
but couldn't have one cause her brother... now a very proud cat
dad... was allergic at the time). And I also really think
I need a break from having pets who, at best, only live for
three years. So, anyway, the result of all this is that I
am decidedly NOT in a creative mood. Thus, it's possible
that the Christmas story may need to come out in installments
during the 12 Days of Christmas. We'll see. I'd
really love to just be able to send it all at once and then
relax but, at this point, I only have one scene written.
So who knows!
Anyway... PSA time! If anyone tells you or if you read
anywhere that mice need a hole/crack of at least the diameter of
a dime... DO NOT BELIEVE THEM! This whole situation is
happening because I believed that. But apparently a more
accurate measurement is the width of a standard pencil.
And that certainly seems to be the case because I have searched
my house and found nothing as big as the circumference of a
dime... but I did find a handful of holes/cracks that I could
stick a pencil into... including one spot I actually saw a mouse
come out of so I assume that spot is the culprit. Nothing
a little copper mesh, caulk, and pink duct tape won't fix now
that I know the "rule." Just wish I hadn't initially been
misled...
With all that said, moving onto character updates!
Apparently I didn't do this before last Christmas so these cover
around April 2022 to the present.
I hope you're all doing well and enjoying the festive season!
God bless,
Jenni
PS- Sorry for any typos or nonsense below. I only got to
read through this once whilst dealing with an impatient dog and,
ya know, the mice thing.
Dyeland/Asteriana and Friends Character
Updates
Firstly, here are all (I think?) of the babies conceived and/or
born during the relevant period. Also, I'm going to be
putting people's ages because it's kinda shocking to me.
Emeth Al-Mitra- On August 9, 2023, Behnam and Isra (both
30) and their kids, Aiyla (13), Omar (11), and Aurora (7), very
happily welcomed Emeth, their surprise baby. Emeth's name
means "truth" and he is named after the C.S. Lewis
character. While he is adored by all, Omar and Aurora are
especially taken with the little guy since Omar finally has a
brother and this is the first time Aurora is getting to experience
having a younger sibling. This isn't Aiyla's first rodeo and
she's also a very cool teenager now but she still thinks Emeth is
pretty darn cute. Behnam and Isra are in love with their
newest addition who, happily, is a very good sleeper, eater,
etc. Emeth is a chill little dude.
Saoirse Crocetti- Her name means "freedom" and she was born
on August 18, 2022 to Isolde (528) and Marco (527) Crocetti.
She is their second child after they welcomed big brother Bram in
2019 following Joshua's healing of their vampirism. The
entire pregnancy and birthing experience was much more pleasant
for the couple this time around since being a mum has aged Isolde
a bit so she looked a lot less like a teenager impregnated by her
twentysomething husband this time around (owing to the fact she
was turned into a vampire at age 15 while Marco was turned years
later by which time he was in his 20s). Thus, the couple
faced a lot fewer concerned, squicked out looks. The family
of four still resides in Asteriana, not too far from Willowveil
Castle. Marco and Isolde are already talking about baby
number three and are in preliminary talks with Andrew about
expanding their cottage. Isolde stays home with the kids
whilst Marco runs their Italian restaurant in NYC.
Noelle Hansom- As some of the Friends suspected during the
2022 JCS season, Neela Hansom (36) was, in fact, pregnant.
Noelle is the first child she and Eric (35) have together so Neela
really enjoyed having his support during her pregnancy and the
birth. Older brother Zane (13) is in seventh heaven.
Having always wanted a younger brother or sister, he cried and
clung to his baby sister the first time he held her. As soon
as he found out his mom was pregnant, he signed up for infant and
child first aid classes and attended religiously. Between
that and his own past battles with gastroschisis, Zane thinks he
wants to become a pediatrician. But for right now he's just
happy being able to help care for his sister. Between gigs
at St. G's, Eric continues to work at a bank while Neela remains a
hostess at Eric's dad's hotel.
Michael Turner St. John- On September 13, 2022, Mick (101)
and Beth (43) became the proud parents of a second son following
the birth of Joe Turner St. John in 2019. The couple is very
grateful for Michael as they knew their chances of getting
pregnant had decreased and then Beth struggled some with her
second pregnancy. Mick continues to work as a private
investigator though he's become much more selective in accepting
cases given he's just a regular mortal these days. Beth is
an independent journalist though she took some time off to
recuperate after Michael's birth. Joe is thrilled to have a
little brother even if he does sometimes fuss about not having his
parents' undivided attention. Though the portal comes in
very handy, Mick and Beth are tentatively discussing a move to New
York so they can be closer to the kids' Uncle Josef (424) and Aunt
Amber-Marie (45) and cousin Daisy (13). We'll see what they
decide!
Eliana Edwards- When last we heard of them in "The
Advocate," Mason (34) and Renee (35) were showing off their baby
nursery to Loreena and Roger in anticipation of their daughter's
arrival. Little Eliana ("gift of God") was safely delivered
on June 10, 2022. Mason and Renee love being parents to
Eliana and dote on her. However, finding himself as
co-protector of a vulnerable baby did re-awaken some of Mason's
trauma. He struggled with allowing his parents to babysit
since they didn't (at the time) believe him about his own abuse as
a teenager. So they're all attending family counseling which
Mason has found extremely helpful. Thankfully, Mason and
Renee also have a lot of support from all the Friends but
especially Loreena and Roger along with Mason's brother, Toby, and
Toby's husband, Paul, who have a toddler. Mason's boss,
Doug, continues to be very benevolent and allows Mason to work
from home as needed.
Alma Griffen- Though not yet born, Alma is living up to her
name which means "nurturing/soul." Zelda (28) is now 23
weeks pregnant and she is excitedly awaiting her early April due
date along with proud papa Logan (51), big sister Nova (4), and
Grandma Beverly (81). Given the tragedies the family members
have faced in their past (Logan and Beverly lost their dad/husband
and brother/son in a car accident and Zelda was trafficked), the
promise of another new baby gives them all a lot of hope for the
future of their family. Zelda, Logan, and Nova still live
with Beverly and will continue to do so when the new baby
arrives. If Mick and Beth do move, Joshua will relocate the
L.A. portal to the Griffen residence. While Logan continues
to largely work from home as an ethical hacker, Zelda runs a
boutique with the proceeds benefiting a local L.A. shelter for
people in need. She employs other trafficking survivors
there. Beverly helps care for Nova during the work day and
some evenings when her parents need a date night though they are
largely homebodies. Zelda regularly visits El-Chanan to
spend time with her bestie, Salma.
Angelo Romano- Edward (33) and Zadie (32) had a really
wonderful Halloween and were left with a souvenir who is currently
the size of a blueberry. Little Angelo is due to make his
appearance in late July. Because it's still fairly early,
only their adult family members know at this point. While
Edward and Zadie had some concern about how the news would impact
Caleb (33) and Lacey (30), they felt a little wistful but are
still so enamored with their adopted twins, Marisa and Gianni (21
months), that they're mostly just looking forward to seeing what
the two think of a baby cousin. Etta (4) doesn't yet know
she's going to be a big sister but has been asking for a baby so
will be thrilled. She'll be told on Christmas when her
parents give her a stocking to hang for Angelo.
And now for the one I'm most excited about...
Isaiah Wilson- I'm always thrilled when a kid who exists in
a flash forward is born into the present story line! Isaiah
("salvation of the Lord") Francis ("free man") Wilson was born to
Ivy and Sy on November 6, 2023. Obviously, both Zeke and
Diana and Doreen and Mark were ecstatic about welcoming their
first grandchild and great-grandchild, respectively. Hailey,
Sy's older sister, also declared Isaiah to be the best birthday
present she ever received as he was born on her 27th
birthday. Kendra and Manny were also thrilled to become an
aunt and uncle as was Violeta who supported her friend Ivy
throughout her pregnancy. Ivy has been documenting her
journey as a new mom as she hopes to one day publish a book about
being a Christian mom who wants to raise her son in her and Sy's
faith but avoid the pitfalls that left her with a lot of internal
religious conflict for many years. Sy, meanwhile, continues
to help Andrew with carpentry projects and work with his dad
around True Light while continuing his pastoral studies.
Currently, the family of three and their pets continue to live at
Serendipity in Dyeland City though they plan to move to New York
when Sy becomes a pastor. For right now, Ivy and Sy are
loving being parents though very grateful for all the help that
allows them to get at least decent amounts of sleep!
And that's it for the babies! So moving along...
Andrew , JenniAnn, Violeta, Shelby, Belle, and Avi (and Marty)-
Things are going quite well at Willowveil. Andrew (way
old... but looks 45) and JenniAnn (41) are quite content and
happily being Daddy and Mama to all of their kids and an array of
pets (dog, mice, donkey, horse, goats, sheep, and possibly some
other critters that I've forgotten). Outside of his family
responsibilities, Andrew continues to divide his time between
being an angel of death and a carpenter. As with prior
years, he directed St. G's production of JCS in 2023 and is
putting together a Christmas revue. JenniAnn still teaches
religion Below once a week. She also still co-hosts a weekly
support group for angels with Aziraphale at Willowveil. And
starting in April 2022, she began working with reluctant demons
who are seeking redemption. Violeta (26) and Shelby (19) are
enjoying their room that Joshua helped redecorate and arrange
during the events of "The Advocate." Shelby has started
writing short stories with Violeta acting as her editor.
Violeta accompanies Andrew on some of his less complicated
assignments. Belle (9) continues to attend school in the
Tunnels where Avi (5) also started Kindergarten. Both kids
are doing really well though Belle sometimes struggles with not
being able to read as quickly as her peers. Thankfully, her
Appa Vincent is there to help her as do her parents. Avi
remains devoted to Evie who he is intensely protective of when she
gets over-stimulated due to her empathetic abilities. And
while Joccy and Takoda got their own place back in 2022, Marty
(way, way old) continues to spend lots of time at Willowveil and
is committed to working through his Eden complex. He
regularly helps JenniAnn with her demon reformation project.
Marty's twin, Sandy, has become a more frequent visitor as he
likes to keep an eye on his elder brother.
Max, Rose, Landon, and Amelia- Max (34) continues to be
dedicated to his work as a psychiatrist specializing in combat and
related trauma. One blessing of the pandemic is it at least
semi-normalized virtual therapy. Some of his clients found
that easier than in-person and have stuck with it so Max has more
time at home. Rose (33) continues to teach history in the
Tunnels. They usually have their weekends free and with the
kids now three (Amelia) and five (Landon), they get a lot more out
of outings so they've been enjoying various festive events around
the Sibling Cities.
Peter, Emma, Sawyer, and Mercy- Peter (41) and Emma (35)
are still co-owners and managers of St. G's Community
Theatre. After a busy 2023 season that saw them putting on
four musical productions, obviously including JCS, and hosting
some smaller, community-based showcases, they're ready for the
winter lull. Sawyer (4) has happily settled into life as a
big brother to Mercy who is now 16 months old. Mercy is very
vocal and loves to move which has her parents imagining she'll
take after them and go into song and dance. Peter's parents
try to visit 3 times a year while the Garcia-Campbells make their
way to Texas once a year for family time.
Joccy and Takoda- The happy couple are loving living on
their own. As promised, they still visit Willowveil at least
once a week to host the kids' Bible study group. Takoda (34)
continues to do caseworking under Wahkan's watchful eye.
Though Joshua was the couple's first house guest, Wahkan is their
most frequent one. He's loved seeing his protege so happy
and content. Joccy (23) is still helping out with classes in
the Tunnels. However, she's since branched out to giving
arts and crafts classes at the Chrysalis.
Roger and Loreena- As planned, the friends-to-lovers wed in
2023 at Loreena's church. I won't say too much about that
because I think I may want to cover it in a vignette or
something. Roger (37) continues to work as Archbishop Tony's
personal assistant. As Tony turned 80 this year, Roger has
begun to focus more on ensuring he doesn't over-commit himself and
run himself ragged. Roger and Loreena ensure that he has
regular weekend trips to Albany to recharge. Loreena (35)
has participated in a couple of other St. G's productions since
making her debut. Outside of that, she remains an
administrative assistant at a legal aid office. Roger and
Loreena have connected with Arthur who keeps an eye out for queer
teens and young adults who might fare better in a more long-term
family environment versus a shelter. So the couple are
keeping their apartment ready for anyone needing help.
Catherine, Vincent, and Jacob- Catherine (66) has retired
from running the Phoenix Inn but continues to volunteer there as
needed. She devotes most of her time to assisting Vincent
(68) with meeting the needs of the Tunnel community. He's
proven to be an empathetic, wise, and forward-thinking
leader. In particular, he's very keen to listen to the
younger Tunnel community members' thoughts... which wasn't
something Father/Jacob the elder always excelled at. Nearly
sixteen now, Jacob is one of those young people that his father
seeks input from. He's continuing to work on his art and has
begun entering assorted showcases.
Christina and Perry- I don't recall their exact ages and
will be assigning them birth dates upon completing my re-read of
"The Advocate." I should really start assigning birth dates
immediately upon first mentioning a character.
Anyway... They're happily settled into life together as
granddaughter and grandfather. They regularly spend time
with Christina's adoptive grandparents, Chuck and Camilla, along
with Christina's high school friends; Raven, Rory, and
Austin. That group, along with Roger and Loreena, were
especially pivotal in helping Christina get through the trials of
her rapist and her former parents. And, of course, Joshua
was there to lend his support, too. During the latter half
of the 2022 season and throughout the 2023 one, Christina helped
with painting sets for St. G's. She's also befriended a
professional organizer who is letting her shadow her.
This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye for
inspiring me to create/adapt so many characters... enough that I
spent most of today on this and didn't even get to everyone
(like Steve and Ed and Aziraphale and Crowley... but no
worries. They pop up frequently in the stories to
come. As does Joshua who simply did too much to be covered
in a brief paragraph.)
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(Photo
Credits: The photograph used on this page is from Touched
by an Angel and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline
Productions, and Moon Water Productions. It is not
being used to seek profit.)