kotlc-oneshots

[kotlc-oneshots]

Believing (Blind!Keefe AU pt 2)

Word count - 3551

A lot of soliditary between keefe and my other bbys

God I can’t wait to write from Tams perspective, next chapter y’all!

Anyways I hope you like it and that it’s not Bad™️ considering how tired I am

~*~*~*

Pt two

Keefe

The next morning, I wake up and go through my simplistic routine again. Get dressed, brush teeth, message Fitz, eat. When I hear the honking of Fitz car outside, I carefully grab my cane and walk out the doors, tapping my way yard and to the street.

“How goes it?” Fitz’ voice calls, and a smile splits across my face at the inside joke.

“I don’t know,” I reply, laughing at the memory it brings. “I can’t see.” Fitz laughs in response.

“You’re sitting up front today; Biana took Sophie to get coffee early, so it’s just us boys.”

“Dex sat in the back?” I questioned, as he normally was quick to jump on shotgun. I reach the car and pop the door open, and am greeted by the familiar smell of Fitz’s car.

“More like laid in the back,” Dex pipes up, while I thud my bag to the ground and shut the door. I shake my head.

“You’re supposed to be the responsible one, Dex. Shame on you.” I chide, and Fitz peels away from the house. I roll my eyes and laugh; they’re so dumb. We’re so dumb. And I’m grateful for it.

“We're here—part two!” Fitz exclaims in the seat next to me. “Well, for half of my classes this’ll be my first day. I missed a lot yesterday—freshman presentations are ass,” he grumbles as he parks the car. I chuckle and shake my head.

“Your fault, man,” I taunt him, and he scoffs as a response. “Hey Dexxxxx… wanna walk me to class?” I say, fumbling around in the back, trying to hit him.

“Hmrrghh. Yeah.” I hear him shift around, and we step out of the car together.

As soon as we're both out, Fitz locks the car. “See y’all later!” he calls, jogging off- likely to some lifting or meeting or something. I chuckle; whenever I think of Fitz, I imagine he’s either very ugly, or really attractive. From what I heard, it’s the latter—he's the epitome of perfection to the entire school, and many other schools as well. I, however, know better—he’s a complete and utter dumbass. He once chugged half a gallon of milk on a dare, and another time got himself locked in a dog kennel—and that list can go on. I don’t quite understand how he keeps the guise of perfection and stability when he’s oh-so-clearly not. Him running off to a meeting or club isn’t a surprise, but it’s hard to imagine, knowing what he’s actually like.

“How the hell does that man manage all that shit?” Dex grumbles, also acknowledging that Fitz is definitely insane. I shake my head.

“A very, very large amount of crack,” I state solemnly, as if this is a sad, but true fact. Dex laughs loudly.

“I don’t doubt it. Better not let his coach find out,” He replies, just as sincerely. “What room number are you in, by the way?” He asks, just as I detect the curb with my cane. Gently stepping up, I tell him. “Nice—we aren’t that far from each other- you’re going straight there, right?” he asks, and I nod.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you—is there anything new with the Stina situation?” I bring up the topic gently—Stina Heks was Dex’s early on bully. Before Sophie brought Dex into the group halfway through their Freshman year, she would nag on him relentlessly—he was attending the school on a partial scholarship, and his family has a bit of bad history of being… odd. His dad runs a small pharmacy, and it’s mostly alternative medicine. She used to take any opportunity she could to point out anything about him that wasn’t strictly ‘normal’. I absolutely love it there with Dex. Mr. Dizznee is the kindest, most loving person ever—a huge contrast to my barely around, statue of a father. Plus, it always smells really nice in the store.

“Oh… well, we have precalc together, but she hasn’t said anything to me. She hasn’t said anything all summer—I feel like she's matured, a bit. Probably.” He sounds fairly put down, and I use his voice to guide me in the direction to wrap him in a one armed hug.

“Sorry I brought it up. But let me know if anything happens,” I say and he chuckles and pushes me away. From those few moments, I can tell he’s almost taller than me—which doesn’t feel right.

“No worries. Let's get you to class,” he says, and I can tell he’s being honest—it doesn’t bother him. Which is good, in my opinion. He’s growing up. Sometimes I feel like such a dad.

We walk into the main doors of the building and make our way down a few hallways. I use my photographic (ha) memory to make my way, but Dex still stays close to me, not letting me bump into kids or trip. I appreciate it, because I don’t have to use my cane—I might not be able to see them, but I can feel the people staring at me when I have it out.

“Well, we're here. We have, like, 15 minutes before class starts, though,” Dex states.

“I know- I always show up early,” I reply. “I mean, the other option is sitting in the cafeteria.” I shrug.

“Well, I might as well go to my class then. Brech told me yesterday I should come in if I had questions- and she assigned a couple starter worksheets. I gotta deal with that.” Even though I can’t see it, I can practically hear his frown.

“No worries,” I tell him, and he gently pats my shoulder before walking off. I pull out my cane, letting it guide me into the still unfamiliar classroom. The milky blobs of color offer little help as to finding a seat, so unfortunately this tends to be necessary.

“Hey! You should sit here.” A familiar voice says from the back corner. I rack my brain—Linh!

“Oh! Hey,” I reply. “Umm, where are you, exactly?” I ask, sounding really cool, I’m sure. I hate needing help.

“Just back here- this chair would be great.” She knocks on what I presume is the chair next to her. I use the sound to guide me, as well as the cane.

“Thank you,” I say, smiling. “You know, it's really hard to find a seat around here. Like, I literally can't see any! Must be budget cuts,” I say, grinning. There's a pause, then a small laugh.

“Some private school. They can't even afford chairs.” I chuckle.

“I mean- where’s the proof that there's even a building. Or classrooms! You gotta see to believe, and I certainly don't see, so…” I trail off and nod seriously. She laughs- I’m grateful. Blind jokes don’t go well with everyone. “Anyways, how are you?” I change the topic with a grin. “Long time no see.” This pulls out another laugh.

“Well, I’m ok. My schedule has been pretty stressful—but other than that, good. I’m still trying to make friends. I didn’t mention it yesterday, but this is my first year at Foxfire,” she says. I nod in acknowledgment.

“So, kinda on your own then? That’s not easy,” I reply, wondering if I should introduce her to the group. She seems nice enough, and, I hate to admit it, but half of being a part of our group is not being a piece of crap about me being blind. And all of us secretly being idiots.

“Well, there’s my brother—we’re twins. But other than that, yeah.” She sighs softly.

“Oh! You have a brother. That’s always nice,” I say.

“Well, yeah. He’s super over-protected. We got sucked into the foster care system, because… of some things, and there was a lot of bad things, which he always felt he had to keep me from. But we found a really great family now! They’re very nice, and actually acknowledge me and Tam’s ability. We’ve always been considered smart, but nobody really cared. They we're just in it for the money. Our new parents, however, have money, which is nice. So when they found out our test scores, they sent us here.” I nod in acknowledgement—Sophie went through some similar things before she got adopted by Grady and Edaline.

“Oh. Well, I’m sorry you’ve been through that,” I say, trying to find the right words. “It’s really good that you’re here now. Even though I’m pretty convinced there isn’t an actual school, I’ve been told that it’s nice.” She laughs at this.

“Yeah, so have I. Oh! I almost forgot. I’m in your stats class. Frer was just being rude the whole period, so I didn’t have a chance to say anything,” Linh says. I grin.

“Nice! Now that I know, you officially have to help me prank him at least once this year.” I tell her, very seriously.

“Oh…I don’t know about that.” she sounds apprehensive.

“I mean, you don’t have to. But I’m going to do it, so you may as well help.”

“I’ll think about it.” She says, and the door opens.

“Oh! Hello, you two. Early again?” A feminine voice—our teacher’s—says.

“You know it,” I tell her, smiling.

“Alright, well. You have a little bit less than five minutes before class starts, so go ahead and continue what you we’re doing.” Based on her tone—the bright, too cheery one that I hear a lot- I can tell she’s a little annoyed. I try not to let that affect me.

“Hey—I’m gonna work on some AP physics stuff,” Linh says, and I can tell she doesn’t really want to talk with the teacher there- even if its casual conversation. I nod, and let my thoughts be my own for the moment.

At least I’m used to it.

*****

Not much happens the next couple of periods—Fitz and I work on English together, and Dex and I use morse code to ‘pass notes’ in AP physics. He’s really good at science (like, really good), so he skipped a year and is in APP2 as a junior. I appreciate it- he’ll be a help for when I actually feel like studying. During Lunch, Dex and I sit at our table and Linh came to sit with us, introducing herself to Dex. In Government, I sit on my own and listened to the online assignments. In Stats, Linh manages to find a spot next to me and helps me out with the worksheet.

I find myself needing to go to the bathroom, so I ask to be excused. On my way there, a familiar voice calls my name.

“Keefe! Hey. Um.”

“Foster! Uh… what’s up?” I ask.

“Oh! Nothing. But, hey, do you think that you could come over tonight? There’s… there’s something I really want to talk to you about.” Just from her voice, I hear she’s slightly frazzled. Nervous.

“Are you ok, Sophie? Is someone bothering you again?” My mind jumps back to when she was first adopted by Grady and Edaline, and all the crap other kids gave her.

“No! It’s not like that. Just, something I wanna talk about. I need advice.” I smile.

“Ah. You need the wise old Keefester to help you out. Well, no worries, m’lady, I will do what I can. You want me to come over?”

“Yeah. I’ll just have Fitz drop both of us off at my place, Biana can ride on her own—sound good?”

“As long as you have food, I’m okay with anything.” She laughs softly.

“Of course. See you.” I hear her walk away, and smile to myself—I think back to when I had feelings for her, and can’t help but think about how they’ve changed- she’s like a younger sister to me now. It’s odd.

I go to the restroom and return to class, thinking about what Sophie might have to tell me that made her that nervous.

Stats class ends (for me), and my minds swimming with Frer’s stupidity as I go to Latin. I get there around when the bell rings to dismiss everyone else, and I find a seat close to the door. People filter out and in the classroom, and then someone speaks.

“Dude! Keefe, I forgot you we're in this class.” Fitz says, and a grin spreads across my face.

“Yeah, you had that Freshman help thing yesterday. You know there’s only one AP Latin 2, dumbass.” I respond, and he chuckles. I hear him put his stuff next to me.

“How was this class yesterday?” He asks, and I shrug.

“We barely did anything. Got a list of vocab and grammar to review.” I tell him, pulling up my bag to get my computer.

“That’s valid. Not gonna lie, I’m glad I missed it.” This makes me laugh.

“Oh, no—Wonderboy didn’t want to go to class? That’s a fuckin abomination.” I reply sarcastically, and the bell rings. I can hear Fitz scoff, but our teacher starts talking so he can’t respond. We get a reading prompt, and I have to go into the hall and listen to it. The teacher doesn’t let Fitz come out and help me, which sucks- but I have to consider the situation. Which also sucks. I hate having to be worked around.

One thing that really bothers me about our teacher, Sam, is she never lets me leave early. So Fitz has to help me through the crowd of people. The kids don’t really acknowledge me, but having so many people around that I can’t see, don’t know, that don’t care sends massive spikes of anxiety through me. Fitz does a really good job at helping me, his steady hand on my shoulder the whole time, making sure we both get through the crowd.

I’m so damn grateful for him sometimes.

We finally manage to get out of the building and to Fitz’s car. He unlocks it, and I climb into his car carefully. I can hear as he types on his phone, likely texting someone.

“How’s shit at home been going?” He asks, somewhat startling me.

“Oh. Well, not much has happened, really,” I admit with a shrug. “He’s been out a lot lately- I don’t have to interact with him much.”

“Good. We’re not gonna let him give you shit this year, got it?” I laugh.

“You’re so overprotective, Fitzy. I can handle my dad.”

“I’m serious, Keefe. None of this is your fault. Especially now with your mom gone… we-”

“I get it, Fitz. I know.” While I do love Fitz with my whole heart, he can be… overbearing. I reach out and search for his shoulder. “I’ll be okay.” I give him (what I assume to be) an award winning smile. “Besides, I got this year in the bag. All my pranks? Planned out to the t. I won’t get in trouble all year, I swear.” Fitz scoffs, but it’s lighthearted and followed by a chuckle.

“All right Keefe. I’m sorry.” He sounds genuine and I lean into him, letting my head rest on his shoulder. He can be a stubborn little shit sometimes, but he’s… a good friend.

“Oh my god, that’s fucking adorable.” The door crashes open and Dex steps inside. “You guys are gross, though.” He adds.

“PDA is not the Foxfire way.” Sophie says, jokingly.

“I will kiss him, right here, right now. Fight me,” Fitz says, joking but aggressive. Protective as ever. I laugh and push away, settling back into my normal seat.

“I think once is enough, isn’t it?” Dex laughs, but there’s something in his voice… I ignore it, and grin.

“Not when I’m involved. Trust me, even Fitz Vacker wants a piece of this.” I say, grinning and indicating myself.

“Not that you would know,” Fitz responds, ruffling my hair.

“Dude, I don’t even have to see to know how incredibly attractive I am,” I inform them.

“No need to argue with that.” Dex chuckles.

“Oh!” Sophie popes up. “I forgot to mention. Keefe’s comin over, could you just drop us both off at my place? I can get him back, Edaline normally doesn’t mind.” I’m actually the only one of the group that lives in town- everyone else lives in the country, because their parents needed or liked having the land.

“That makes it easy for me. Let’s go, brethren.” I don’t know when Fitz started referring to us at that, but I still think it’s hilarious. I snort at his idiocy, and we head off.

“Dex, are you doing debate this year?” I pipe up. I’m EXCITED for debate season.

“Yeah. I’m actually writing some stuff right now, on how to not be a little bitch.” Dex says, laughing.

“Dex, PLEASE. You’d do really good,” I argue. “Just write an oratory on veganism or something!”

“Dude, you’ve been trying this for the past two years- the meetings clash with robotics. Besides, why would I want to right an oratory when you’ve placed first twice now.”

“Not that that mattered,” I contest. “Considering my dad didn’t let me go.”

“Pleeeasseee. For me.”

“FINE. I’ll go to one meeting. Only because there’s no robotics and Sophie’s going. No offense Keefe, but you suck.” I stick my tongue out at him, but grin happily. I’ve been trying to do this for YEARS.

“You guys are such nerds,” Fitz inputs, and I hit his shoulder. “Oh, you know it’s true.” I scoff.

“Says the president of the chess club.” Sophie states, laughing.

“We don’t talk about that.” Fits says, and I feel the car pull to a stop. “We’re here, Sophie. Keefe, you too. Dex- get up here you little shit.”

“Hey. Don’t disrespect my son like that.” Sophie tells, and I hear Dex grumble a bit.

“Fitz, if you’re not busy, wanna do something? Like, I dunno, egg some annoying blondes?” I snort. Dex has learned well.

“Um, yes to the first part, no to the second. That’s a lot of work. Also, aren’t you vegan?”

“Oh! Yeah, that.” Dex says casually. I laugh, and step out and away from the car carefully.

“Have fun, nerds!” Sophie calls as they drive off, and I grin in her direction.

“So, Miss F, what was it you wanted to tell me?” I ask, and I can practically feel the shift in her mood.

“Oh. Um. Yeah. Come inside?” I nod, and she guides me to the doors.

“Sounds serious,” I tell her.

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Just… something that’s been on my mind for the past few months. Especially… I dunno.”

“Wanna go to your room first?”

“Yeah. Um…” I can tell she’s nervous, and likely picking at her eyelashes- what many people have told me to be her nervous tick. We walk over to her room in moderate silence.

“What’s the sitch?” I ask, and Sophie laughs- and replies with the Kim Possible beep. “Seriously though, what’s on your mind. Unless you wanted me over just to admire how incredibly handsome I happen to be.”

“Well, um, no… uh.” She sighs. I search around for a chair and sit down.

“Hey. It’s okay. Whatever it is, I’m here for you.

“Well, I. I think. I’m gay, I think. Like, maybe not full gay, but pretty gay. Like, girls are cool gay. Really cool. But maybe not, I don’t? Know If I’m Actually Gay Gay. Maybe I’m just thinking and stuff, but I’m probably gay? I think? I don-”

“Sophie. Hey. It’s okay.” I interrupt, to keep her from going insane. “Take a few deep breaths.” I hear her do so. “You know none of us will judge you. Right?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I guess, I just don’t want to make a big deal of it.”

“I get it. I’m glad you told me, though.” I smile at her warmly.

“Well. That’s all I really wanted to tell you. I guess.”

“Wanna play Smash?”

“Yeah.”

****

That night I get home relatively late- Sophie feeds me and we play video games for quite a while. We didn’t talk about what she told me- I want to respect her space.

“Where have you been?” My father, voice stern, says. I haven’t even closed the door yet.

“Sophie’s.” I respond, automatically pulling on a calm expression and heightening my posture. I shut the door softly.

“And what, may I ask, were you doing?” His voice is condescending.

“We were playing video games and I lost track of time- I’m sorry.” He scoffs.

“I’m sure. Do you have any homework?” There's the implied ‘that you didn’t do’ at the end.

“Not really. I have some reading I can do, though.” I admit. I’ve learned that lying to my father doesn’t work. Ever.

“You better get on that.” He sneers, and I try to keep my expression respectful and blank.

“Of course. I’m sorry.” I say, and walk in the direction of my bedroom. “Debate starts Thursday, by the way.”

“Convenient. The day that I have off.” He scoffs back.

“I’m sorry dad. Do you want me to come home? They won’t mind if I miss the first meeting.” I try not to yell, or say anything that will anger him.

“I don’t care. Go finish your reading.” He says. I can tell that he’s not lying- he doesn’t care.

I bite my tongue and nod. Then I go finish my reading.

[kotlc-oneshots]

Blind!keefe au

Hey all!!! Sorry I’ve been dead, but writings block kills lol. Anyways I got this idea off of some lame discord convos and uhhh I hope it’s good. Also it’s late and lmao I have no motivation to edit my own writing uhhh here u go. Some mild swearing. Will be Kam if I keep going w it. Lov yall.

*~*~*

Pt.

one

Keefe

I’m lying in bed, of course, when the shrieking of my alarm goes off about four feet away from me. I blink my eyes open until they don’t feel sticky and gross, then grab my alarm clock. It’s a simple thing, a brick with about 5 buttons total on it, probably.

I pushed the button on the bottom left corner, and the loud wail finally ends. I groan and rub my head, wishing the colors and blobs that cloud the center of my milky vision would just come into focus.

However after years of hoping for that, every morning, I know nothing is going to happen. With a small sigh, I go into my ultra-specifically organized dresser.

Today is the first day of my senior year. Even if I wont be able to see myself, I want to know that others will appreciate the way that I look- or, at least, am dressed. There’s not a lot I can do if there’s anything wrong with my face or hair. I wish I could, though- even though I’ve been blind since birth, I still always want to look presentable. In order to do that, my friends help me once every other week to organize my outfits for the upcoming 14 days. It started in sophmore year, when Sophie got the wonderful idea, and it's been a tradition since. And thanks to my ‘photographic (ha) memory’, I always know what clothes I’m wearing. Always.

I’m about halfway dressed when hear a beep from the direction of my bed.

“New message from Fitz.” The automated, robotic voice of Siri tells me.

“Hey siri- read message from Fitz.” I respond, then finish putting on the rest of my clothes.

“Ready for your first day as a senior?” she reads back to me. I automatically change the sound to Fitz’s deeper, more human voice in my head. It’s pointless, but necessary.

“Hey siri- text Fitz ‘hell yeah brother.’” After a quick confirmation of what I’m sending, I go into the bathroom next to my bedroom. I carefully feel my way around for my toothbrush and brush my teeth, then proceed to run my hand through my hair. For a short moment, I wish I could see myself as more than a blob of milky, too bright color, but it fades quickly. I’d rather not think about it. So I finish up in the bathroom, then return to my room for my bag. With a quick ‘hey siri’, I manage to find my phone as well.

After a few more voice commands, I receive the news that Fitz will be here to pick me up at 7:30, which gives me about 20 minutes. I hop over to the kitchen and make myself a quick, hearty bowl of cereal. Being me, I choose the healthiest kind- Lucky Charms. When finished, I smile to myself and set the bowl near the sink- I know my dads at work by now, so I don’t have to worry about him. Sometimes there’s good things about waking up early. As I slip my bag on and go to the door to wait, I remember how lucky I am to have such a good memory, and such a constantly cleanly household. Otherwise, I’d be as clumsy in my house as Sophie is. I grab my cane and walk outside, chiding myself for thinking so much about the little things.

Fitz is there, honking his horn, about 5 ish minutes after I get outside. Sophie yells at him for being annoying, and I chuckle a bit. A window rolls down, and Biana’s voice comes through hollering to go to the back passengers side. I use my cane to help me a little bit, then grab onto the ledge made by the open window. I proceed to find the door handle, then carefully step into the car.

“If any freshman gives you crap today, you have full right to hit them with your cane.” Dex, who must be on on the other side of Biana, says.

“Thank you. I’ll definitely do that,” I respond with a laugh, and I can practically feel the worry in the air as Sophie warns me not to.

“We really don’t want you to get suspended on the first day. So just wait until tomorrow, and give them an extra hard whap on kneecap.” Biana adds cheerily.

“This is why you’re my favorite.” I awkwardly try to wrap my arm

around her head, but fail miserably. My peripherals are even worse than the center of my vision- there’s almost no light visible towards the edges. So I end up hitting her on the head, and play it off by messing her hair up. This, of course, causes her to whack my arm and call me a jerk.

“Alright, dumbasses, knock it off,” Fitz, my best friend of the

past 6 years, yells. “By the way, Keefe, we’re pulling in now.” A knot forms in my stomach. Man. First day of senior year at Foxfire. I can’t believe its so close to being over. The beginning of the end.

We pull into the parking lot and step out of Fitz’s Volvo. I turn towards the building, and take a deep inhale of the crisp morning air. My friends and family always like to comment on how pretty the building looks. Foxfire is a really prestigious private high school, and I know that they put a lot of money into the architecture

and the grounds. It's a pity that all I see is a building shaped blob of its beige color, and the faint blobs of green and other colors that I know are trees.

I try not to let myself think about it.

We walk into the building, and Fitz automatically splits off. He's supposed to help some teacher set up the presentation that the Freshman go to. I love him, but it's the first day of school and that man is already busy. This year is gonna be rough if we wanna keep up our hangout sessions- although, we both did take the same 6 AP classes. We’ll probably study together, when he’s not with his million other commitments.

After a few hugs and highfives, and a few debate friends greeting me, I go to my first class. I’m /not/ getting caught in that crowd, especially with the idiotic freshman pretending that they own the place. Off to AP music theory it is. C118 is easy enough- no stairs, and it's a pretty straight shot to the classroom. Again,

I thank my perfect memory to get me around. I may not know what the building looks like, but I basically have the blueprint downloaded in my head. Good times, man.

First period doesn’t result in much. We all get a copy of the syllabus, and a short introductory reading. I can feel a tinge of annoyance when the teacher acknowledges my inability to.. Uh, read it, but a girl named Linh volunteers to help me out with it. She seemed nice enough. She had a bit of a Canadian accent, and when I asked about it she confirmed that she was from… Minnesota. She was really sweet, and I’m genuinely hoping that’ll become a friendship.

The next couple periods go uneventfully. Fitz is in one of them, and Dex the other so I don’t have to worry about another situation like in first period. And the teachers always let me go about 2-3 minutes early, so I can avoid the crowds- that is, until lunch. I’m on my way down to the cafeteria when I run into… someone. They must have been very quiet- I didn’t realize they were that close to me and coming around the bend. So when they did, we kinda collided. I hear a soft curse when they thud to the ground, and from the shape and sound I know its a guy. I put the cane in my left hand and offer to help him up. I’m not sure what it is, but he doesn’t accept it.

“You good man? I didn’t see ya there.” I laugh a little, because

duh. He doesn’t. I can’t really make out any of him- his hair is /probably/ black- and this agitates me, because he doesn’t respond. And then he practically runs away.

I have no way to identify him- probably a dumb freshman that didn’t want his ass kicked by the blind senior. Trying to shake off the interaction, I roll my eyes and start on my way to lunch again.

//

“Honestly, today was AWFUL. The second half, at least.” I’m now at Fitz’s house, along with Dex. “I already told Dex about that one guy that ran into me, but Stats teacher was awful. She probably heard something from Michaels about last year- just because I rarely showed up doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing! I got along in that class fine.”

“Keefe, I taught you like half of that course.” Fitz replies, laughing.

“Because you actually know how to do math! Michaels is an awful excuse for a pre calc teacher. Dex, be glad that you got Hex.” I retort. It’s not wrong- Mr. Michaels had been very incompetent. If not for Fitz, I would have gotten the worst grade I ever had in my high school career.

“You know I am.” Dex agrees. “Even Hex hates Michaels, but she won’t admit it. Outright, at least.”

“Ok, enough about horrible teachers. Tell me about the guy who ran into you.” Fitz pipes up, not wanting to be apart of a conversation dissing his soccer coach. I let him divert the conversation, even though I really wanna rag Michaels to the ground most of the time.

“Well, that's the thing. There’s nothing to tell- I ran into him and he fell. Then he ran away, without saying a word,” I say. “I wanna know just as much as you do.”

“That’s cute.” Dex comments, and I shake my head.

“You know what I mean.”

“Suuuuureee.” The tone of his voice makes me hit him, which starts a wrestle between the three of us that lasts for about half an hour. By the end of it, I’m sure I have multiple bruises from falling, kicking something wrong, and getting hit, but I don’t care much. We fall into a panting heap on Fitz bed, and we through half hearted punches at each other that hold no intention. Needless to say, I’m sweaty and gross, and when Fitz informs me that it's almost 8, I ask to go home. A man's gotta shower- and get his beauty sleep.

So Fitz drives me and Dex home, the three of us having pointless conversation about classes and plans we should make. I get dropped off first, and they wait as I carefully make my way to door of my house, not leaving until I get inside. I hear the thrum of his engine as Fitz drives off, then make my way to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, I brush my teeth and head off to bed.

I drift off, and my thoughts are filled with a mysterious blob with probably black hair and evil math equations.

[kotlc-oneshots]

Dex's point of veiw

I totally didn't cry while writing this. Summary: well, it's basically Dex's point of view. Obviously many details were spared, so I didn't have to write five books that are like 500 pages each. Warnings: like one swear words, lots of sarcasm, some memories of the torture scene, LOTS OF ANGSTY FEELS. Word count: 2,026 ******** My name is Dex Dizznee. If you know who Sophie Foster is, you know me. By default. Or as the one guy who happened to be with her when she was kidnapped. (When that's mentioned, everyone seems to forget that I was there because I was the only friend that was willing to go after her- and knew where she'd be.) Either that, or I'm The One Guy With The Bad Match Parents And Rebel Mother. I've never really been known as Dex. But it's who I am and I'm sick of keeping it all to myself. There's more to me than people think. More to me than the circlet that "I made Sophie wear because I made it even though I didn't know that was what the council was going to use it for." It all started when I was born. Obviously, it happened before- not that I'd be able to remember. I didn't really realize it at first. Why my parents hugged me so close to them when I was public. The glares that they'd get shot, the whispers and fake smiles that were meant towards me. And my parents. The first time I heard the term "Bad Match." It was from a very snotty man with an overdone, fancy cape- the kind my parents weren't allowed to wear- and a small kid, around my age, that looked exactly like him. He had looked very sad- I had walked up to him in attempt to cheer him up, and his dad yelled something about my family not being "the kind his son spent time with." I stopped approaching people in public after that. I didn't really make friends- for obvious reasons. The only people I spent time with were my parents, and when they were born, the triplets. My aunt Edaline and Uncle Grady, as well. I avoided people at all costs- either at slurps and burps, helping my dad or at home. Reading. Preparing myself to be good in school- I didn't tell my parents this, but it definitely wasn't because I was afraid I wouldn't manifest. It clearly wasn't because if I was going to Foxfire, I'd have to prove my worth by being good at it. When I turned 11 and finally was ready for Foxfire, I was so excited. Maybe... maybe I'd have a chance. Not everyone could know me as the offspring of a bad match. Not everyone would dispose of me like the trash I clearly was- maybe they'd like me. I was determined to make them like me. Not to say much, but that backfired. On the first day of Foxfire I approached this girl. She's was really scrawny, and about my height. I talked to her and some of her friends for a bit- then she told me her name. "I'm Stina Heks." She said proudly. I grinned. Stina. My first friend. And in that moment, my only friend. "Aren't you going to say yours?" She asked, giggling. I blushed. "Yeah! Sorry." I didn't really know how it worked. "I'm Dex. Dex Dizznee!" I beamed- but Stina's expression went sour. "You're a Dizznee? Aren't the most recent ones a bad match? The one with the triplets?" "And that really weird alchemy shop? With all the bright colors?" I gaped at her and didn't respond. She rolled her eyes, and she and her small group of people left. I remained there until everyone left for their classes. Away from everyone else. Especially the ones with the blue eyes. I made it on my own that year. I ate lunch in the corner of the room every day before one of my teachers approached. "Hey. You're dex, right?" She asked, in a voice that was much kinder that what you would assume from all the hate she gets. "Y-yeah." "You know, you could take your lunch up to my room. I could let you use some of the chemicals, and get you into some of the more advanced alchemy. You're skill is obviously far better than an average first year. Besides, your alchemy session is right after this." I accepted her offer, because I had wanted to do more alchemy. Not because I was sitting in the corner, on the verge of tears because all the tables were taken and I was too afraid to ask to sit at any of them. Just for the chemicals. They're better than friends anyways. I don't think I talked to anyone in that first year. Except for one guy. His eyes were teal and made me question a lot of things. LIKE if I could make a serum for that color. Nothing else, duh. He introduced himself. To me. Because we were somehow put together in a splotching match. No one went with Fitz... he'd beat them immediately. Even the older ones. Not even Keefe Sencen, his best friend, would be with him. And of course, no one wanted to be with me. "I'm Fitz Vacker." Like I didn't know that. "I'm Dex." I replied, very quickly. The match starts, and I wind up on the floor, covered in green. In like, two seconds flat. The older boy smiles at me, helps me up, then goes off to the next round. I'm not sure what to feel, so I go sit on the bleachers. A couple days later, I tried to approach him. I swear. Not like he remembered me without the green paint everywhere, so that hello ended quickly. Nothing. All year. I shoved out every memory of the teal eyes- And continued ignoring Stina. She grew like 5 inches, and apparently becoming tall made her attitude even worse. She taunted me every day. Perfect world my ass. The first little while of the next year went the same, for the most part. Then Sophie came around. And... I had a friend. A real friend, who... didn't care that I was a bad match child, or that I had siblings that were triplets. And I loved her. There was no questioning that. Sure, now I know that maybe my love for her was me trying to convince myself that she was my soulmate. Or, probably me not knowing what it felt like to have a friend- so I over exaggerated the feelings I did have for her. But that doesn't mean that I didn't love her. Then, Fitz came into the picture. With his perfect hair and perfect blue eyes and perfect family. And... I couldn't handle losing my best friend. The way she looked at him- i knew how she felt about him. I couldn't handle losing her. And I definitely didn't want to admit that I was offended he forgot my name. I shouldn't have been. I wasn't all that noticeable. Even covered in neon green paint. Not that I wanted him to notice me, of course. It didn't take long for things to escalate. You probably know the story from there- Biana and her friends, blah blah blah. Terrible at alchemy, blah blah blah. Keefe. Yep. And then... Stina. Back at it again with her snide comments. And Sophie... she handled it the same way I would have. She ran. I was the only one with the decency to follow. Well, I was also the only one who knew where she'd go. Then the kidnapping. I'm sure you've heard about how bad it was for her. The sedatives. Maybe I sound apathetic here, but god I wish I had sedatives. Imagine being trapped in a tiny cell. Now imagine who you believed to be the love of your life was in the next room, possibly being tortured. You know that the people here could easily kill you both. Most of what I remember is them telling me not to move as they burned my arms. And my stomach. Them telling me they'd hurt her if I made a sound. A ragged voice laughing at me when I showed the fact that I was in pain. A thumb searing my skin. The smell of my own cooking flesh. The constant knowledge that I most likely wouldn't make it out alive. But we did. We made it out together, and it was because of her. Because of Sophie. I mean, the melder wasn't fun. And the fact that Sophie almost died (again) to protect me isn't fun. But hey! I manifested not long after that. And I've learned to love my ability. The next year... well, you know what took place. Alden, Alicorn, Exile, cave, another ability, cave, Kenric, the list goes on. Then there was the request. From the council. I was surprised. And so I did it. Because finally, I was going to be something. Someone. I was going to get something out of my talent, I was going to be recognized for... something other than being the child of a bad match. I was going to be appreciated by the society that showed me nothing but hate. I was going to prove them wrong- that I was better than they're expectations. Or... maybe I wouldn't. As soon as I realized who the circlet would be for, I knew... I regretted everything. Sophie didn't deserve that. The pain in her eyes was enough to break my heart. Shatter it. Burn it in everblaze. Then repair it just to stomp on it again. Sophie... she was in so much pain because of my selfishness. And to make matters worse, she still blamed me for it. I'm not saying I didn't deserve it, but it didn't make me happy. She didn't jut blame me, though. She hated me. I'm surprised she forgave me. I didn't really deserve her forgiveness. I took it off so she could warn the others, and boy was I excited for what the council would say about that. Not that I cared. I didn't need their acceptance. I didn't need to change- the society did. And after that we left for The Black Swan, so I didn't need to worry. I hate to admit, but I constantly felt I the background. Out of the picture- except for when convenient. Like when I had to hack into the files. Meeting Tam and Linh was nice. They understood that the way society treated people wasn't right. I needed that. Sophie didn't really put a lot of acknowledgement into things she couldn't fix. I continued to sneer and pretend to hate Mr. Perfect though. Wondeboy. He stole my best friend. The one I thought I loved. He took her and left me in the background. That's obviously why I hated those beau- teal eyes of his. And his perfectly styled hair. And perfect teeth, skin, body, jawline, etc. Then he was impaled by a giant bug. And I... couldn't hate him anymore. I was so sick of it. Admitting that to a sweat and puke soaked Fitz wasn't easy. Apologizing to a Vacker... wasn't easy. But I did it. Keefe left and came back. Sophie forgave him, even though he didn't deserve it. Forkle died. And long after that, the Neverseen did too. The Council realized a lot of the ways that the society was broken. Released the ban on pyrokinetics. Stopped discriminating families who chose to have multiple children, and families who had twins. I kept getting pushed to the background, until I realized that I needed to use the voice I didn't think I had when I was younger. It completely stopped after others realized that I was stronger than them considering me "the child of a bad match". There's nothing wrong with being the child of a bad match. What was wrong was them saying my parents were a bad match. I say I'm married because I am. I say I'm short because I am. I say my parents were considered bad match because they were. They're fixing the system now. Love is no longer discriminated by genetics. You can still get your list, but it's merely a suggestion now. That discrimination will take a long time to change, but it will. Especially if me and my husband Fitz have anything to say about it.

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Remember:

Sophie went to high school and was able to read everyone's mind. Just,,, think of the implications of that for a second. Some of those days were probably rough, man. So many secrets. HOW IS SHE STILL INNOCENT?!?!?!?

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There was an actual sex scene in kotlc

#neverforget

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The world

Literally anyone but Shannon: I can hold the world in my hands.

Shannon: no you can't that's imposs-

Literally anyone but Shannon: *holds up scenes where dex gets appreciated*

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hi could you do anything with kam? thanks ily

Heskkdkdkff d u hI warn you it's 1:30 in the morning and I always have ideas((This is gonna be a lil shopping spree thing))Warnings: uhhh some innuendoes that's all Keefe bounded into the mall, dragging his grumpy boyfriend along with him. The slightly older boy rolled his eyes, but was secretly entertained by the blondes adorable antics."Soooo, Bangs Boy, where to first?""As long as it's not Dicks, anywhere is fine. OR VICTORIAS SECRET. WE ARE N O T GETTING ASKED THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS AGAIN.""THAT WASN'T PLANNED- YOU K N O W I JUST WANTED TO SMELL THE PERFUME." Keefe says back, face going red at the memory. "Yeah, I know. BUT THEN YOU BROUGHT ME INTO SPENCERS, MAN!!" Tam cried. "S P E N C E R S.""It's the only place with good queer merch and you know it." Tam rolls his eyes."That's not the only kind of gay things they have there, keefe.""You're the one that went in the back!" Tam scoffs, giving up. He knew that it was his fault."You're cute when you look defeated." The blonde teased, and Tam gave him a prompt smack on the head. It wasn't hard, of course, but enough to get him to shut up.Keefe pulls him into the candy store, and Tam sighs in relief. "I'm safe." He says dramatically, putting a hand on his chest and reveling in his distance from what didn't belong in a store kids were allowed to go in."Hush." The blonde pulls him around. "We should get a bag of M&Ms." he suggests, looking at the rows of candy."Only if we get the ones with peanuts in them." Tam says sternly- it's sounds so childish, that they both have to laugh."Of course babe." Keefe grabs a small bag and fills it with peanut m&ms. Tam grabs a twist tie and puts it on, taking an extra few as well. It's always important to take extra twist ties."Let's get these really gross looking sodas- oh my god ew it's pimple soda w h a t I s t h i s.""They look interesting- why not." Keefe grabs one off the shelf."Ew, no, we're not getting this." Tam states, tone final. Keefe rolls his eyes."Were going to hot topic now." Keefe grabs Tams hand and buys the candies. They walk out the store- still hand in hand- and down the hall to hot topic.Keefe looks around the room, taking a deep breath. "It smells like you- goth an-" before he can finish, Tam interrupts him."It's emo, Keefe." He says, rolling his eyes. "I've said this... how many times before?""Plenty. And you didn't let me finish." Keefe grumbles. Tam shakes his head."Well, lets go see if they have any flower crowns that you'll look good in."They end up buying a lot more than flower crowns- with little regret, even though they spent almost all of their money.The boys stacked several bags of hair products (purple hair dye for Keefe- this was gonna be interesting, t-shirts, flower crowns, jewelry, and other things into the back of their car. They stopped by an Arby's, using the last ten dollars on some curly fries and a shake to share between them.And even later, before they went to bed, Keefes breath minty and fresh from brushing his teeth, he noticed that Tams lips tasted like chocolates and peanuts.He forced the raven haired boy to brush his teeth again- but secretly? He enjoyed it.((Plz send me more of these I love the challenge))

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Friendly reminder

Friendly reminder that Linh is deathly afraid of being in water because when she was young she caused a flood in a giant underwater city and was banished because of it.

Carry on.

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Hello Keepers!

I am dedicating this post to you today because I need to call as many of you here as possible. If you have been in the KOTLC fandom for long enough, you would have remembered that @fyeah-kotlc (Sabrina) had created a masterlist of all the blogs who reblog and/or post KOTLC content. The thing is, that was around a year ago, and many blogs have joined our fandom since then. Some blogs have also changed their urls or have been deactivated.

I have taken the initiative to update the masterlist, and I hope Sabrina doesn’t mind. 

I would like all Keeper of the Lost Cities blogs– no matter whether your blog is your main blog or your sideblog, or no matter whether you just reblog KOTLC content or actually create new content– to reblog this post, and in the tags below, provide your main blog url (if your KOTLC blog is a sideblog, if not, there is no need to provide any blog url) and your first name (if you are not comfortable with disclosing your name you can either leave a nickname or choose not to leave any name at all).

While leaving comments may suffice too, I encourage all of you to reblog this post so that more KOTLC blogs can see this and leave down their blog urls as well! I hope that you all can help me complete the updated masterlist so that we can have a perfect record of all the members of our fandom. Thank you for your kind understanding and cooperation!

I’m tagging: @badkotlcideas @crispyninjadonut @dexdizznee @dexdizz @doctor2-lizze10 @elwinshouldgetpaidmore @fitzcouldreadhermind @keefetheshimmerbooty @keefeswife @keefe-and-sophie @l004p @keeperofthelostcitiesgivesmelife @wylieendal @kotlctrash @vacker @panakes @dexsexual @k-o-t-l-c @linhsong @sing-swan-spring-swan @wanderlingwoods @xylia-neo @thewanderlingwoods @wonderboythecognate @fosterkeefe @glitterybuttsandalicornwings @imaginativeauthor @mallowmelt @sparkly-stuffed-dragons @keeper-of-the-lost-cities-fanart @keefewhymustyoubreakmyheart @keefe-of-the-keefe-speaks @dragonwinnie-kotlc @sophiexfitz @sophie-and-her-harem @sophie-sencen @sophieelizabethfoster

Feel free to tag other people that I have missed.

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Kex/deefe (more gay ships for the soul)

I wrote this a long time ago on Fanfiction.net, and sooooo,,, eck here y'all are. (I'm like 88% sure it was the first lgbt fic on the site for keeper and,,, I don't know weather to be proud of myself or disappointed in others) Keefe I don't know what to do. I see him every day, and my heart flutters. We laugh, we talk we prank... but there are so many other things I WANT to do. I feel ashamed. Like I'm doing something wrong. My feelings overwhelm me, and I don't know what to do. The feelings... I'm not supposed to have them. I see his dimpled grin in my dreams. His periwinkle blue yes hunt me, yet all I want to do is stare into them and get lost forever. I just don't know what to do. At first, it was just the pranks, the jokes, the teasing that connected us. Now, it's something much deeper. He can make me laugh. Not just smirk, or chuckle, but full-out laugh, to where I can't breath. He always knows the right thing to say... weather I need a consoling word, or something to laugh at, or just someone to confide in. I see him on the grounds, I see him at Havenfield, and Everglen, and we have even gone to each other's houses. He's one of my best friends- maybe even my best friend. That should be enough. I should be satisfied. I should be happy with the position that we were in together. But then why did I want more? I've been avoiding him recently. We haven't been to each other's houses in almost a month. I don't talk to him much at school, or at Fitz's or Sophie's. I'm just afraid that my feelings will show. I use Foster to hide it. I'm overly flirtatious with her- as well as any other girl- so that they don't realize the true chemistry burning beneath my skin. It's almost painful to me. Every day I anticipate seeing him. Although I'm avoiding him, I can't seem to help it. I've memorized his schedule- I try to intercept him on the way to class as often as possible. I will walk past the class that he's leaving just in time to catch him and say hi. Every time, he will flash me a dimpled grin and gaze at me with his periwinkle eyes, and I feel like melting in my shoes. All of this- it's such a terror to me. It makes my skin crawl, and I feel like I'm doing something wrong. But if it's wrong, why does it feel so right? It's been three months since I first noticed the feelings stirring in my chest. Two since I realized what they might mean. And one since I had acted on them. I think I'm finally ready to admit it. I am in love with Dex Dizznee. "I am in love with Dex Dizznee. I AM IN LOVE WITH DEXTER DIZZNEE!"

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Detz (coffee shop AU) ch. 1

Dex drops his hands from the steering wheel of his parents car, a tired sigh escaping his lips. Keeping up with school, helping at his dads shop, his multitude of clubs, and work was beginning to take its toll on Dex's ability to sleep. He pulls out the keys and puts them in his pocket, trying to rub the the tired feeling from his eyes. At least he had managed some sleep the night before- the triplets had been at a friends house for a sleepover, and despite Bex being the only girl, the family she spent the night at had been cool wth it. As Dex walks into the small cafe, he waves to his coworker, Sophie. She smiles back at him, and he can't help but feel his face warm at the memory of how much he thought he liked her. It was actually sort of ridiculous- she had been his friend, one of his only friends, and he had done what he could to convince himself that the feeling of warmth was more than friendship. It never was. He'd just... never had friends to compare it to. The strawberry blond clocks in, grabbing an apron and putting it on, to add to his uniform. He takes Sophie's place behind the register, and she goes to the back to help with the drive through. A few casual customers that he sort of recognized walk in, and order a few things. He smiles politely at a pair of girls who were paying with all change, patiently counting out the money for their hot chocolate and mocha. A few of the other workers, he knew, would be immensely agitated, but he was patient. Money was money. There was a couple more customers that came in, groggy and just waking up to get ready for the weekend. Dex could relate, honestly, but most of these people were quite agitated and rushed. He refused to let it get to him, and took each order with patience. None of these people, ordering their lattes and mochas and cupcakes, were memorable. Just people ordering coffee, and that didn't really mean anything to Dex. That was, until a pair of siblings came in. He recognized the girl from his class. Biana Vacker- she was probably the most popular senior at his school- and her brother, well, he was a legend. Even for going to a private school, Fitz was amazingly smart, talented, athletic, and everything in between. And- although Dex would NEVER admit it- he was impossibly cute. Even more so than his sister, and that was saying quite a bit. So no one could blame Dex when he failed to realize that the siblings had ordered. He was too immersed in impossibly pretty, teal eyes. "Uh...?" Crap. Dex clears his throat, trying to ignore the look that Biana was giving him. "Oh, sorry. What can I get you?" He tries, and fails, to pull his work persona mask on. Every single nerve was on end, and he knew his face would be bright red, based off of the heat covering it. "Erm... I'd like a Carmel mocha, large and with whipped cream." Biana says, clearly aware of what was going on in Dex's head. C r a p. Fitz is quite for a second, eyebrows scrunched up as if thinking. "I'll have a medium hot chocolate." His voice is quiet, and soft, and holy cow Dex didn't know that a voice could sound that pretty. (No. Shut up. It's not pretty, it's just... accents are cute on anyone, it doesn't mean I like him...) Dex nods, face still red. "That'll be $7.68." He tells the brunettes, trying not to think, barely able to breath. (You are not attracted to this kid, he's a rich jock that's probably stuck up and is definitely way out of your league.) Thank the lord, Sophie came over and saved the day. "Oh! Hey Fitz, Biana." She nods, setting a hot cocoa onto the table. The mocha was most likely still being made in the back. "Hi, Sophie! Sorry we didn't get around to visiting you at work sooner." Biana says, smiling brightly. "Fitz doesn't like coffee, because he's dumb, and it took me like two weeks to convince him to come." She pouts, and Sophie giggles. "Nah, it's fine. You can stick to your Starbucks." A small smile creeps onto Fitz's face, as well as Biana's. "See Biana? Told you she'd see through it." The boy says, and Dex definitely WASN'T thinking about how adorable that smile was, and how he really wished that it had been him putting it on the older boys face. "Hey, it was worth a shot." Sophie giggles. "You didn't have to drive out here, you know." "But we wanted to." Fitz claims. Biana agrees with him. "Ok, ok. Well, while you're here, I figure you've met Dex?" She indicates the boy at the register, who was standing there awkwardly. "H-hi." He doesn't look up in fear of his face setting fire. "Oh! Hey, I think he's in some of my classes. Chemistry... yeah! He's actually really smart- the best in the class. And this is AP, man!" Fitz chuckles at the way Biana states this, and a flutter of warmth travels through Dex's spine. "Well, say something Dex." Dex groans, rolling his eyes. "You're pretty smart too." He deadpans, avoiding saying anything to Fitz. "Why don't you introduce yourself to the one who doesn't know you?" Biana suggests, clearly indicating her brother. There was something far too knowing in her tone. Far, far too knowing. Dex wearily looks up at Fitz. The height difference was striking, and Dex can't help but... N. O. "Hey..." "Hi. I'm Fitz, and... you're Dex." Dex nods, and Sophie has to run off to get the mocha, for someone had called to her that it was done. "Yeah... you're Fitz." He doesn't add anything about how he already knew that. "Hey, since you're Sophie's friend, would you like to go with the three of us to the pool tomorrow? It's just opening for the summer, but being a senior I would understand if you can't go. It took me weeks to clear my schedule for this." Biana smiles innocently, but oh, Dex knows that she's absolutely evil. All he has to do is turn it down... but the chance to befriend the most popular girl in school, and the most liked guy ever go to his school, that was hard. Especially when all he had planned the next day was sleeping and studying. "Actually, yeah, I'm not doing anything tomorrow, I could go for a couple hours." He claims. That didn't mean he couldn't take a nap and crash early- besides, school ended in just a week and a half. Sleep would be easy in the summer, and studying could come another day. "All right-" she grabs a napkin, writing her number and Fitz on it and handing it to Dex. "Here's our contact information if you have anything to say. Just say it's Dex, I'm sure we'll remember you." She leans in, and says under her breath in a way Dex knew only he could hear, "Especially as the one that was too distracted by my brothers eyes to hear our order." Dex face goes from red to as hot as the sun. He chokes out a response, but Biana was pulling her brother out the door with their drinks before his tongue was capable of working again. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. //darn it, Sabina, this was supposed to be a one shot. A ONE SHOT. NOT A CUTE FULL DETZ STORY. Anyways if you like this I'll have a new chapter soon but here ya go. This is unedited and on a whim, by the way, so sorry for any mistakes.//

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2 am rant

Ok I've been considering this for a while now but it's something that needs to be said. KEEPER is by fAR my favorite books series, maybe ever, but like,,, OH MY GOD THERES SO MANY THINGS -the world is shit. Like, it's this perfect place of happy magical wonders, and like,,, NO. It feels like there's too little culture, too little developmental errors that's have just become general flaws in the society, etc. it's bland, and there's so many flaws and plot holes- like if they live all over the world how do time zones work????? I understand that "oh hehe they're basically magic but it's all SCIENCE" is supposed to fix everything but really, take some more time to develop the society as a whole. We see way to little of that already with Sophie being who she is and like,,, it needs so much more development and culture and ugh. The universe is like a huge building that towers way to high for its crummy foundation and broken windows. -Sophie. Oh god I could go on for hours. HOURS. About how terrible of a character she is in general. Not a terrible person- character. She's undeveloped, COMPLETELY. We have almost no information about any of her past and that's boring. We literally know more about Dex and the way he's lived than we do about pre- first chapter of keeper Sophie. And that's NOT good for a main character. I may be a tad over exaggerating but if we dont know more about Dex then we definitely know more about Tam and Linh. Like- I know we might get more with the next book, and we most likely will get a LOT more. But the thing is- WE HAVE FIVE BOOKS OF CRAP ABOUT WHAT MAKES SOPHIE SOPHIE. GOD, THATS AGITATING. Her past is so empty and all i can remember off of the top of my head is she had a tradition of having alfredo once a week (I think it was Thursday???) and that she beat a fifth grader in a spelling bee in kindergarten. ((Idk maybe it's cuz she read the whole encyclopedia by then and had a photographic memory.)) Not only that, but she's,,,, BORING. CLICHE. OP. HONESTLY, I hate it. Giving her two powers? That was enough. Oh wait there's anoth- anot- fuck more- DAMN IT PLEASE NO. I swear, she pretty much got a power a book. Like,, no. She's cliche af bc EVERYTHING SHE DOES IS SO PREDICTABLE. It feels like Shannon is trying to mash this perfect being into an anxious and fearful meat suit and like,,, I get the anxious and fearful but in general her personality is more bland than uncooked spaghetti. She's not INTERESTING. Shannon tried fixing it with humor but it doesn't working on Sophie. When she made that joke? With the stark flower stew? I cringed bc THAT WAS SO UNNATURAL GOD. I'm sorry but personality= negative 0. She's legit my least favorite character bc I can't relate to her, I can't connect to her, I can't see myself in her, I can't feel empathy for her (for a smart elf she's a freaking dumbass a lot of the time) I'm not able to connect with her. Sure she was put down a lot in education and has been through some crap but like,,, it's hard to reflect on that and see myself in her bc she just kinda,,, ugh. Honestly if I was put in a room with her, hitler, and Joseph Stalin, I'd shoot her then myself. GOD. -WHERE THE FUCK IS THE DIVERSITY. And I'm not talking race- wait yes I am. It feels like there's way to few poc for a species that's so bent on diversity that they ruin marriages and destroy families to achieve it. Then there's the fact that there's no mention of LGBT. SOPHIE LITERALLY LIVED IN SAN FRANCISCO. g o D HAVE MERCY BC IF THE BOOK IS SUPPOSED TO BE DIVERSE AND ACCEPTING SHOULDNT IT AT LEAST HINT AT SOME LGBT STUFF. -"you can wear whatever you want ya just for beauty blah blah blah" my ASS. Sorry della, but if that were true why the fUCK isn't Keefe going around wearing dresses and nice ass makeup??? One of the things that points that girls are degraded is the fact that guys aren't expected/ allowed to wear feminine clothes. It's not just about what girls wear, it's about it not being looked down upon to be 'girly'. GOD. There's so much more but I've been writing for over half an hour and it's 2:21 am so,,, yeet. /also why is Keefe and Tam teased at one point for wearing more hair product than Biana? Is it because it's... *gasp* gIrLy!?!?!?!?!? NeVeR!!!!!

[kotlc-oneshots]

Ace/aro kotlc

Linh sets down her brush and pulls her hair back into a ponytail, rushing her way through her actions. She grabs her purse and leaps to the small cafe Dex had asked her to meet him at. "Darn it I'm so late!" She thinks, nodding at the waitress while she speedwalks to the table Dex was sitting at. A blush rests on his cheeks, and he smiles at the girl. "Linh! Hi." He looks nervous, but excited and hopeful as well. Linh cocks her head at him, wondering what he was up to. "Hi, Dex. Um... so why'd you ask me here?" The boy in front of her bites his lower lip and looks at the floor. "I uh,,, just kinda wanted to ask... you out? Like dating and relation ship stuff." The boy stutters out. Linh can feel her heart sink. "Oh, Dex. I'm sorry, but I'm really not interested." She can see Dex swallow, and nod. "I-I get it, I'm sorry, I really- Sophie said- I dunno what I'm doing..." he looks flustered and won't meet Linh's eyes. "Dex, it's not that I'm not interested in you. Well I'm not, but the thing is... I'm not interested in anyone. I'm aromantic, and asexual. I'm sorry Dex, but I'm not interested in a relationship." Linh takes a deep breath. She had openly told Tam, but there'd never been a reason to tell anyone else, and it felt good for someone to know the information. "Oh! I'm sorry. That... actually makes sense. I um- actually am asexual as well." Linh's head snaps up. "Really?" Dex nods and Linh beams at him. "Wow! So... I'm sure you understand." "Of course I do. I'm not going to make you do anything, and I can always just be your friend. I would never be offended by that." The feeling Linh had had earlier leaves, and she beams. "Thank goodness! Not everyone is understanding like that." Dex nods, grinning right back at Linh. "Of course, I understand. So... friends?" "Friends."

[kotlc-oneshots]

Tam in a dress

Tam looks at himself in the mirror, his fingers grazing over the black lace. He looks down at his legs and smiles, surprised that, for once he was confident enough in his body to do this.

It’s not like he’d be judged, of course. Their world was all about beauty- and never would it degrade a person wearing feminine clothing, or makeup. But Tam never could suck up his insecurities and try it on.

He sweeps his hair to the side and steps out, smiling at his sister. Linh practically squeals at the image her brother creates.

“Tam!! You look amazing. I’m so glad you decided to go to the ceremony in a dress.” She beams at him, clearly proud of his confidence. Tam smiles, warmth spreading from his heart to his stomach to his toes. His sister was proud of him, and that’s all he needed in life.

“I- thank you. So much. You look… absolutely gorgeous too, Linh.” She beams at him. “Lets go to Everglen. I can’t wait to see everyone.” He and his sister hook arms as they walk down the marble hall to their leap master. This would be their last day living together, and the thought of it choked Tam up.

Linh called out the name of the Vacker household, and the fluttery, light feeling under Tam’s skin ended up matching the one in his heart. Within seconds they were at Everglen, surrounded by people that Tam knows, and cares about, and loves. (That’s a change of tense I know but it has to be present tense because Tam will never not love these people gahh I’m emotional)

He looked around and saw several other classmates wearing dresses and makeup, and it’s definitely not just the girls. In fact, Keefe was wearing a gorgeous blue dress that went down to his mid thigh. Dex was wearing a stunning romper. Fitz and Sophie wore matching tuxs. (Despite it not being their coming of age ceremony, Dex Biana and Sophie had all been invited)The entire yard was full of tuxs and dazzling dresses and sparkles and warmth.

It didn't take long for the gate to open; they’d made it just on time, evidently, for the whole party to begin. And Tam watched, leaning on Linh with warmth in his heart and a tear in his eye as all of his friends- even Keefe- step up to the stage and claim their graduating certificates. And Tam momentarily forgets about the reason that the Vackers volunteered their dazzling yard, and the destruction and damage that had come to Foxfire because of the Neverseen battle.

All he can think about is how lucky he is to have made such wonderful friends.

And how happy he is to have Linh next to him, and in each of their hands a Graduation Certificate from Foxfire.