#Not mysterious Benedict society related

[fruitytulip]

This isn’t Mysterious Benedict society related it’s Bugsnax

You know when you had to get Chandlo hunnabees before he asked he said that he can’t fly and he’s tried before…

Just imagine snorpy finally going outside to see Chandlo jumping off the roof probably screaming “IM GONNA FLY DAWG” and then falling face first on the floor (I imagine buddy has tried doing that aswell)

[lemondropletters]

- oh boy ! It’s le drop the curtain ! -

@its-flame-art (aka my art blog)

[phtalogreenpoison]

which of the MBS kids did you/do you relate to most?

hihi! probably Reynie the most when i was growing up. i don't have coherent words exactly right now, but it's like being expected to fix things and control things so they go correctly, ya know? now, i still relate to him (particularly in Riddle of Ages), but Number Two also gets an honorable mention for being irritable and a little unhinged and still a baddie. :))

ALSO honorable mention to Constance for when i was younger. she just is so small and angy, much like me as a child. or feeling like she was ignored. she just was very perceptive and didn't know how to handle big emotions, but she's still valid as a person, ya know?

[personinthepalace]

favorite characters tag game!

I was tagged by @myfairkatiecat and @meiloorunsmoothie - thanks! :)

rules: make a poll of 5 of your favorite characters and see which one gets the most votes! and then tag five people

tagging @inked-out-trees @incendiaglacies @taran-wanderer @ravioliet @reallyhardy and anyone else who would like to do this :)

Character images below the cut:

Oona

Ezra Banks

Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway

Emmett Forrest

Kate Wetherall - art by @greatkatewethermachine

[mvshortcut]

If this is a weird question, feel free to delete, but in the midst of trying to follow all the Maren/Milk Divorce/Marriage drama lore, I have to ask: why is your nemesis a turkey and how is he (or she or it, does the turkey even have a name? idk...) involved in this? Do you and this particular turkey have a deep complicated backstory of betrayal and hate that has been building to this fight or did you and the turkey just see each other one day and declare yourselves enemies?

I attempted to tell the abridged version of this tale. I really did.

The long and short of it is, despite going to college in a relatively urban environment, I have been haunted and stalked and vexed day and night by a gang of turkeys. Yes, a gang of wild turkeys that live in the city. No, I don't understand it either. They're like oversized pigeons at this point.

The turkeys have been a background presence in my college experience for some time. But, towards the end of last semester, I became aware that the turkeys appeared to be honing in on me specifically.

It started with one turkey, whom I have dubbed Victorian Maiden Turkey because the turkey looks very ill for some reason? very grey and scrawny and rumpled feathers and constantly seems confused about where she is and what is going on. She looks like a fainting waif of a Victorian maiden that needs to be sent to the seaside for her health, where she will magically be cured by the sun and fresh air. (No relation to the fact that she's been moved out of her city home, which is at least composed of 35% asbestos.)

ANYWAYS. so. Victorian Maiden Turkey seemed to like. follow me when I went to class? or at least wait for me? I had a long walk to class, and it was kind of through a residential area, and she'd just be like. hiding out in someone's driveway, staring at me as I walked past? On the way home from class I walked an entirely different route through a different part of town, and she was there too? (I know it's the same turkey because, again, none of the others resemble sickly waifs.) She was literally hiding in the bushes waiting for me to go past. I only noticed her, in fact, because I nearly tripped over her.

This continued for the next couple weeks. I kept running into this turkey, along with a few others, in different parts of town, going to class or the store or on my walks. I spoke to friends and my roommate and none of them reported being tailed by turkeys all over town. Only me. My roommate and my mom both agreed with me that there was only one possible explanation: someone had put out a hit from the turkey mafia on me, and this turkey was sent to scope out the scene and learn my routines, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

Now, I’m getting nervous because the end of the semester is fast approaching. If these turkeys are gonna make a move, they’re gonna have to do it soon, right? Mentally I’m counting down the days until I can get the hell outta dodge. My days are numbered. And, on top of fearing for my life, I still have to study for finals, since I don’t believe any of my professors will accept “I’m being stalked by the turkey mafia” as an excuse.

Sunday. Last day before finals week begins. Trying to entice myself to push through the home stretch, I grab my picnic blanket, pick up some Chipotle, and bring my work to the park. First big mistake on my part - big open area. No shelter. No witnesses.

Second big mistake: I wear sneakers with laces. I remove my shoes and socks and spread out on my blanket under a tree to better enjoy the warm day. Chekhov is cocking his gun as we speak.

So. As an unsuspecting naive college student, I get straight to work enjoying my Chipotle and ignoring my studying. Then, just as the “ah shit, finals start tomorrow” reality begins to settle in and I finally buckle down on my work, I hear a rustling from over yonder.

Emerging from someone’s driveway and entering the park is—a turkey. Not Victorian Maiden Turkey—he looks entirely too well-fed. In fact he’s a rather hefty-looking fellow. The turkey slowly wends his way over to me; and, as I’ve seen turkeys several times around the city before, I assume we’re cool and proceed to ignore him.

Except—the turkey keeps approaching. We’re gonna call him Turkey Number One. (In the moment, I did not call him “Turkey Number One” for the same reasons that people in the early 1900’s didn’t call The Great War “World War I,” but we’ll get to that later.)

Turkey Number One continues to approach. As he approaches, he gradually becomes larger by puffing himself up. At some moments he simply seems interested in investigating me and my Chipotle and my water bottle. But at other times he begins to make a variety of unhappy turkey noises, but refrains from outright gobbling at me thus far. At this point he’s within 6-10 feet of me. Mildly annoyed—why is this turkey going to act all huffy at me if he’s the one choosing to invade my space? When he has a whole park’s worth of space in which to ignore me?—I stand up, grab my laptop, and make to step away from my blanket for a moment to let the turkey cool off for a moment.

Now, here's where Chekhov begins to chuckle ominously at me from the audience. Remember how I took my shoes off earlier? Well, as I now discover, the tree above me produces some rather sharp variety of seeds, which will easily stab the bottom of my feet if I attempt to step on them without shoes. The whole ground is covered in these seeds.

Not a problem, right? 

Think again, Milk. The turkey is impatient and unhappy with me bending down to tie my shoes. As soon as I stoop down, he begins to approach my blanket, gobbling furiously at full volume and fluffing up his feathers. He backs off when I stand up, but every time I attempt to bend to put my shoes on, he resumes his approach.

Okay. This is fine. It’s gonna be just fine. I mean, I’m actively texting good-byes to my friends and mother and roommate, but it’s gonna work out just fine.

And to be honest? It does. Turkey #1 and I go back and forth for a few minutes. He begins to calm down, seems unsure of whether to perform a mating dance at my water bottle or not. Eventually he decides against it and takes his leave and I, with a sigh of relief, resume studying, thinking that the ordeal is over.

The ordeal is not over.

About an hour later, Turkey Number 1 returns from a different angle of the park. And—he’s brought his girlfriend this time, Turkey Number 2! (She is also well-fed and bears no relation to Victorian Maiden Turkey.) I’m still unclear as to whether Turkey Number 1 wanted me to meet his girlfriend, or if he thought I was encroaching on his territory/relationship and was like, “See? I have a girlfriend, man! Back off!” yada yada.

All in all, the second wave goes rather smoothly. Turkey Number 1 is all puff and no bite. Turkey Number 2 is visibly embarrassed by the antics of her boyfriend’s posturing (I’m not a bird behavioral expert but I recognize The Expression. It is universal). She occupies herself with eating seeds for a few minutes, I have some more Chipotle, Turkey Number 1 gradually cools off—it’s nice. After a moment Turkeys Number 1 and 2 exit the park and I, once again, return to my studying.

Lulled into a false sense of security by the last turkey visit, I don’t bat an eye when Turkeys Number 1 and 2 return to the park an hour later. They were fine last time, right? No big deal.

Then, over the horizon, a challenger approaches.

At long last, my friends, allow me to introduce you to my nemesis. Turkey Number 3 is the largest turkey I’ve seen in my life, though I believe he’s at least 80% ruffled feathers and air. And he is mad.

To be perfectly honest I’m still not sure what he was mad at. I believe it was a combination of 1.) mad at Turkey 1 for having a girlfriend he wanted, 2.) mad at me for invading what I now realize is clearly His Park, or 3.) mad at me for being a potential challenger for Turkey 2, which. Isn’t actually his girlfriend. She’s Turkey 1’s girlfriend. But it’s whatever, yknow? 

(My mom has offered a potential fourth explanation, which is that Turkey 3 viewed ME as a potential turkey girlfriend, despite the fact that I am neither a girl nor a girlfriend nor a turkey nor a turkey girlfriend, or any combination of these. My mother believes he was attempting to woo me through impressive displays of force. I have henceforth refused to entertain my mother’s suggestion for my own sanity.)

So. Despite attempting to rationally and calmly explain to Turkey 3, my soon-to-be nemesis, that I am not interested in stealing anyone’s turkey girlfriend, he refuses to be placated. He puffs up larger than I thought possible for a turkey and charges directly at my blanket. Not only does he make deafening enraged gobbling noises that can certainly be heard halfway across the city, he also emits a variety of enraged puffing and huffing and squawking noises. Did you guys know that turkeys can extend all of their feathers at once, creating a “blast-off” sound effect that simultaneously propels them forwards? Neat, right? I didn’t know that either! 

Now I do.

Having failed on Potential Reason Turkey Is Mad Number 3, I move to Potential Reason Turkey is Mad Number Two. I attempt to explain, again calmly and rationally, that if the turkey will just allow me a moment to put on my shoes so I don’t stab my feet on the seeds and roll up my blanket, I will gladly vacate his park. 

Despite clearly wanting me to leave, Turkey 3 resists my each and every attempt to do so. He maintains a respectful 6-foot social distancing if I remain standing. The second I bend down and reach for my shoes, however, he puffs and gobbles and charges at me. And so I straighten up, my nemesis backs off, and the cycle repeats. 

Friends. My absolute bastard of a newfound nemesis holds me hostage there for thirty minutes like this. And he’s good at it, too. Sometimes he’ll give me false hope too, wander off to fight Turkey Number 1 for his girlfriend’s hand/wing (said girlfriend is still munching seeds off the ground, clearly disgusted with them both.) I’ll take advantage of his distraction, bend down and reach for my shoes—and my nemesis will come charging out from behind a tree or materialize out of thin air, squawking and gobbling and puffing with the force of a thousand suns. (I still have no idea how he knew when I was reaching for my shoes. He must’ve had some ingrained sort of nemesis-sense.)

Now, you might be asking, Milk, how on earth did you escape? Did you pull off some clever and daring maneuver? No. It was because someone else happened to be stupider than I was. 

We’ll call him Baseball Cap Guy. Baseball Cap Guy enters the park, sees the turkeys, and decides it’s a really smart idea to attempt to PET Turkey Number Two on the head.

That went about as well as you would expect. 

Turkey Numbers 1 and 3 immediately put aside their differences to tag team Baseball Cap Guy. Inspirational, really. Turkey Number 2 resumes eating berries and seeds, supremely unbothered and supremely disgusted.

And I, Milk, take advantage of the commotion to jam my shoes onto my feet, snatch up my blanket, and hightail it out of the park. I use the remaining 5% of my battery to inform my mother and friends and roommate that I have not, in fact, been murdered by the turkey mafia. Then I made straight for home, hoping against hope that Victorian Maiden Turkey wasn’t tailing me or hiding behind a bush waiting to trip me and suchlike.

Now, it would be easy to think that the Baseball Cap Guy was an absolute idiot for trying to pet a wild turkey. I’m not saying that’s an incorrect conclusion. However, there was a point during the first wave where Turkey Number One was approached by an older lady on her afternoon power walk. I was hoping against hope I wasn’t about to watch a sweet old lady get mauled by a turkey. She, delighted, whips open her phone and begins to coo—actually coo— at the bird like she’s his auntie, like ohh, what a handsome little man you are! Your feathers are so soft—and how puffy you are, mister! and all that.

And—Turkey Number 1 absolutely eats that up. He struts back and forth, posing for her and clucking at her and letting her take her fill of photos for a solid 5 minutes.

So. My current hypothesis is that there is a Continuum of Turkey Vibes, ranging from Old Lady (preen for photoshoot) to Milk (???) to Baseball Cap Guy (attack on sight).

And uh. That’s the story, folks. I survived finals, returned home unscathed, and have spent the summer anticipating a rematch. I’ve also spent some time reflecting—it’s strange, having a nemesis. I’ve always wanted a nemesis. I didn’t quite picture them as a turkey, per say, but for some reason it just feels right, yknow? I think we’re compatible. I both dread and oddly look forward to our next meeting.

You’ll be pleased to know that the first thing I did upon returning to school this fall was go back to the park, ya know, like a fool. The first trip was pretty quiet. I introduced Turkey Number Two and some of her besties to my mom. I went back once to study at the park. That time, I met no less than 12 turkeys, many of which were little turklings. I think I introduced them to my mom, so I get to meet the family now? Unsure. Anyways. 

I also witnessed a man, with a golden retriever and a turkey sitting side-by-side in front of him. The man tossed dog treats one after another to the golden retriever and to the turkey. (Spoiler alert: this one ended with a pack of five turkeys chasing the man and his dog down the street once he ran out of treats.)

Fun fact! Did you know turkeys can fly? No, really—not just “hold themselves aloft for short distances” but like “fly up into extremely tall trees, making a colossal ruckus as they beat their wings rapidly and gobble and yell?”

Anyways, once it was growing quite dark and impossible to make out anything other than the silhouettes of no less than five gigantic birds looming high in the branches above me, ready to launch themselves directly on top of my head at a moment’s notice, I decided it was time to exit the park for the evening.

I still haven’t run into my nemesis yet. That’s okay—I think I’m beginning to infiltrate the turkey ranks a bit. And I know he hasn’t forgotten about me. He’s just out there, biding his time.

Please admire these photographs of my nemesis as well as his magnificent ass. Thank you for your time.

[nobodysdaydreams]

Click here for Round 1

[sophieswundergarten]

Alrighty, I don't think we talk enough about the fact that S. Q., as something around a sixteen year old/older teenager, immediately latched onto an eleven year old as a friend.

Now, this isn't to say anything negative about either S. Q. or Reynie, but it speaks a lot to their respective situations.

S. Q. has had basically no friends his whole life; he doesn't have anyone who he can talk to. He's been isolated from all of the other children on the island, either by Curtain or because of his strange personality. In some ways, this means that he is emotionally stunted, because he has had no one to practice social skills with. Now, some of this can just be how he is, but a lot of emotional maturity and mental health that is developed during childhood which is strongly rooted in creating relationships.

Reynie is in a slightly similar space, seeing as he doesn't have any friends, but he does have Miss Perumal. He's still struggling, and he is still going to have a hard time dealing with some of life, but he's still pretty young, and Miss Perumal is looking out for him. She, as the perceptive and caring adult that she is, is aware of what's going on with him and works to get him interacting with other people and children his own age, when possible.

But, the thing is that S. Q. is, again, in a much worse state than Reynie. He seems a potential friend and instantly clings to Reynie. This isn't to say that having friendships with age gaps is bad; I have had so many myself over the years. However, the fact that S. Q. reaches out to Reynie with such desperation, as if he's a peer; an equal in maturity, makes it really sad.

This isn't a kid who recognises someone he can form a bond with for any rational reason. It would be totally different if he had met Reynie and gone "Oh, this kid likes art" or "He seems pretty nice" or even "This kid really gets me in a way that others I've been around don't". This is a kid who will cling to any sliver of kindness he is shown because he doesn't have the ability to discern who has true intent and who doesn't. He's looking for a friend and will accept any facsimile available to him, regardless of anything else.

It makes me so sad, because they could have a truly wonderful friendship (And, in many people's imaginations, they do!): Two kids who connect to each other just because they do, and are able to enjoy a genuine relationship. But that isn't really what we see on-screen in the show.

[asexual-juliet]

hey… hey… trans reynie muldoon

[fictionadventurer]

Potential July Reading

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley (may sub in different Cinderella retelling)

Old Front Line by John Masefield

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis or The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton

A Golden Age mystery

A Shakespeare play (a movie counts)

Something Robin Hood related (movies can count)

[alaydabug2]

Okie dokie

Gonna get sappy/personal on here

I'm pretty sure the reason I'm so attached to kotlc is because it helped me through a tough time in my life

When I first read kotlc it was the summer before I went into seventh grade

Some important background information

I was in a trio group in late elementary school and in sixth grade we had a fall out

One person was being a jerk and narcissistic so me and the other friend broke off in our own little duo (my best friend kaylee)

Well end of sixth grade Kaylee tells me she's moving schools and going to public school (we were at a private school at the time)

The thing is I had other friends....kind of

Tbh I'm pretty sure I was the pity friend in that group

It's not like they were mean to me or anything, but I had zero in common with them

Not the same humor, same sports, same interests

Nothing

I was also the friend that got pushed to the end of the table so I usually didn't participate in the conversations much (and if you know me irl I love to talk)

But that summer I had just finished The Mysterious Benedict Society before school ended so while we were in the city for a doctor appointment we went to the bookstore so I could find something else to read

I was in the middle grade section and was just browsing when kotlc caught my eye

Idk what it was but i was just DRAWN in by it

Like it was a black hole or smth (sometimes I think it was God giving me what I needed at the time)

Read the back looked at the series

I told my mama this was the one I wanted

She asked if I wanted tk look some more before choosing

I said it was this one I wanted

So we went home and I read the first book

Fell in LOVE

Continued the series and just got immersed with the characters and the story

Then of course unlocked cliffhanger made me want to scream

But I went into 7th grade with that freshly in my mind and idk.... I think my brain just kind of... latched onto it

It was my comfort when I was the friend who had to walk behind the rest of the group on the track because their wasn't enough room

It's not like I could just easily get new friends

Like I said I was in a private school at the time

There were only 11 people in my GRADE in 7th

I had pretty slim pickings and that was the best I was gonna get

Then of course I moved schools and went into public school

But at thus point it's 8th grade

Everyone pretty much has their established groups and it's hard to REALLY get included

Like you're in the group....but not IN the group if that makes sense

I've always had a pretty tough time fitting in

You guys have seen how I act

I act like this irl too

And that's obviously going to be hard to find someone who acts like j do without being weirded out

My personality is just loud

So again I fall back on these books

Cause the characters aren't going to leave me

The characters aren't going tk stab me in the back

The characters aren't going to tear me down

They aren't going to exclude me

So I hold onto these characters and find comfort in them and relate to them and just hide jn the world of the Lost Cities cause THATS where I want to be

Yeah things aren't perfect there

But heck at least I can have friends there that care about me and have sparkly flying horses and dress in ball gowns just to go to the store and I won't feel as lonely as I do now

I can just escape the world here and pretend nothing else exists except the sparkly castles and go fight bad guys and feel like I'm doing something useful instead of just sitting at home with no social life cause I'm never invited to birthday parties and I don't feel close enough to these people to invite them anywhere else myself

Going into high school this year idk if it's going to be better or worse on that end but I just know that these charach are able to take care of me when no person irl can

Of got these characters I've got this amazing world and I've got this fandom

Sometimes that in itself makes me feel less lonely than I am

[worth-this-and-more]

๋࣭⭑⚝ hiii i'm sukanya and welcome to my blog yall!!! ‹𝟹

age: 18 (doesn't give you permission to be weird) sexuality: bisexual pronouns: she/her favorite colors: red, black, purple favorite flower: roses my hobbies: reading books, listening to music, reading books while listening to music, learning new stuff because of the aforementioned books, obsessing over fictional characters, cooking, dancing, stargazing at night by sneaking out at 3 am because my parents don't allow me to go at night as i will "catch a cold", slaying my enemies in a brutal show of blood and glory, coding.

fandoms i'm part of: the legendborn cycle, percy jackson, shatter me series, artemis fowl series, lord of the rings, the inheritance games, folk of the air series, sea of ink and gold series, six of crows, a good girl's guide to murder, divergent chronicles, the secrets of immortal nicholas flamel series, harry potter series, fantastic beasts and where to find them, twilight, the mysterious benedict society, married to magic series, miss peregrine's home for peculiar children, the gilded wolves series, royal secrets series, royal lies series, the splintered series and more

fictional characters i would sell my soul to at a discount the discount being free because i would never make them pay: briana matthews, selwyn emyrs kane, alice chen, juliette ferrars, aaron warner, nazeera ibrahim, kenji kishimoto, jude duarte, cardan greenbriar, inej ghafa, kaz brekker, avery kylie grambs, alexander hawthorne, jest, artemis fowl, holly black, hermione granger, ginny weasley, credric diggory, newt scamander, rosalie cullen, noor pradesh, jacob portman, josh newman, sophie newman, pip fitz-amobi, ravi singh and probably more but you get the point

things i absolutely adore: people becoming so excited when they talk about their favorite things, loving the absolute shit outta my friends, cooking anything and everything for those i love, listening to our shared playlist and explaining in great detail which part of the song is your favorite things i absolutely hate: anyone's opinions that disrespect someone's existence, identity, or interests, people forcing their beliefs and ideals over me, sexist and homophobic jokes in the name of "dark humor", people shitting on my fav book series after they dropped them halfway through, people who listen to jojo siwa

this is a blog for the legendborn cycle, i hope you enjoy your stay here!! i usually post theories or headcanons about the characters, and a few case studies too, all in all you will find a lot of posts about legendborn so here's a masterlist more for my preference than anyone else which i will keep updating time to time

-how do the legendborn highschoolers look like while studying -theory/analysis of bree's powers and emotional connection -found family in bloodmarked -my theory to why merlin's succumb to their blood -why do i think bree did not cheat on nick -me crying over faye's speech for bree -my expectations for oathbound -my love for sarah griffiths -questions about silver wall because why not -cestra vs tor analysis because i hate them both -how i imagine they all sound like -bloodmarked hot take -bloodmarked hotter take -shipwars in fandom when there are like 10 of us -my breesel specific playlist -an unnecessarily funny selwyn appreciation post chain

feel free to send me asks about anything legendborn-related, and if you just wanna talk we can talk on my sideblog @squirrel-in-the-woods ‹𝟹

random facts about myself because this is my blog anyways: ♡ when i was 8 my pinky finger was unfortunately cut into half by a door that slammed really fast because of a storm at that time, and my cut off finger was joined by inserting a rod in it. the rod is taken out but now i have a funny pinky finger that does not bend. ♡ i am multilingual, aka i can speak marathi, hindi, english, spanish (i cant get the accent right but rest is okay) and korean (beginner level, just enough that i can understand kdramas mostly without subtitles). ♡ i have a fear of heights despite that i am unusually interested in roller coasters and bungee jumping, however my parents refuse to take me to any of these because i will "fall". ♡ my mother is scared shitless of water, so i once made a joke of how i would love to drown in the ocean and was immediately enrolled in a swimming class and that is how my dreams of dying among the phytoplankton and starfishes were destroyed. ♡ i love all types of fruits but banana tastes boring to me now and i also do not like watermelon for some reason. mango, kiwis, muskmelon, apples, oranges, and pineapple are my absolute fav. ♡ i used to have waist-length hair, very wavy and very thick, it was gorgeous but i hated having to maintain that so i cut it off and got a boycut. after that it has grown to a small dora the explorer length hair and it makes me look really innocent so i like this look.

and ofc you cant forget the lovely moots: @napoftustar @thejudeduarte @you-are-my-king-now-cariad @isthataraccoon @technicallyeldritch @ackerbabezzz @batzswrld @archerons-elain @ficnoire2 @sweetestblacktea @bloodmaarked @okeyisenough @thevoidhasarrived @goosemeggs @gewoonaardig2 @massiveladycat @infamouslyclumsy @literally-mariah @simzmil @tum-naam-sochlo-merese-ni-hora @refreshinglyemodemons @sweetdeerart

༊*·˚hope your day is as pretty as your smile ;)

[isfjmel-phleg]

choose 4 of your favourite characters from 4 pieces of media as poll options and let your tumblr pals decide which one most suits your vibe, then tag 4 people.

Tagged by @incomingalbatross. Thank you!

I decided to go for characters that I have found personally relatable, to make answers less obvious (there are a lot of characters that I love that I'm pretty sure wouldn't be viable contenders in a poll like this!).

Oh, and I don't know who has or hasn't been tagged already, but if you haven't and you'd like to do this, feel free!

[lemondropletters]

man I don’t want post things unrelated to TMBS because then it won’t be a 100% TMBS blog but I also want to talk about my interests rawhhh

I need to find a way to pretend like I’m making AU crossover thingys between my interests and TMBS…

[phtalogreenpoison]

Reynie Muldoon part 1

Soooo. I have posted about literally every other kid of the main four except for Reynie. Now why may that be? Do I hear projecting wildly onto this character? (yes.) (not that I don't also project onto Constance and Sticky) (not so much on Kate, though I still love her)

Now I have so so many points to cover for him, so where to start? First off, as someone in the fandom here on Tumblr mentioned, Reynie is pretty easily seen as both the Heart and the Leader of the group. And while I agree that he is indeed the Leader, I would argue that the Heart is shared between him and Constance, further contributing to their especially strong sibling bond. Which is why any discord between the two, like in Riddle of Ages, becomes one of the main internal conflicts of their group. Because yes, he cares deeply about his group member but also can sometimes see them as important players (though sometimes necessary), BUT Constance provides that grounding force for him, reminding him WHY their group is so important in the first place as well as what lines should and shouldn't be crossed.

Now, Reynie as the Leader. This is pretty clear throughout the series, though books 2-4 definitely explore having a more horizontal power structure to their group as opposed to more of a vertical power structure that kinda occurs in the first book. This means the others tend to report to him more in the first book, while in the later ones, they report to him yes, but they also have more equal say and pull. But why does Reynie become the Leader in the first place? I would argue that it stems from his years in the orphanage because of the hard to avoid neglect he encountered there. Additionally, he canonically has no lasting friends before the Society, so he most likely felt it necessary to maintain the appearance of control and reasonableness so that he would be trusted as well as the ability to fade out of the vision of bullies. (Which brings up a fascinating parallel to Curtain that I'll get into later.) But the important thing is that he doesn't fall prey to the trap of power because he remembers WHO he wants it for, which is to protect others (as well as himself). His ability to fade in and out of the background as someone completely average versus someone very unique also plays into how he leads. He is both a wallflower who listens and picks up on things people might not always pick up on, and he is a force of personality, cleverness, and kindness as well. He is very human, shaped by his circumstances, but in a way where he learned how to survive, and eventually, live.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

You Have My Attention: The Polin Fic 'Verse First Lines

Fanfic is no less valid in terms of the craft of writing than trad or indie published authors; we all have the same 26 letters to work with, and we all play with the same set of tools and narrative structures and devices. Which, naturally, includes first lines. So I had to catch readers too. How did I do it?

If she didn’t have to get another edition of Whistledown out this week, Penelope would have feigned illness to avoid attending the queen’s ball. Colin’s proclamation to Fife and the other eligible young men of the ton still rang in her ears. Are you mad? I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington. Not in your wildest fantasies, Fife. To be in the same ballroom as Colin—not to mention Eloise, whose fury practically radiated from her person to such an extent that Violet Bridgerton had yet to introduce her to any eligible young man that night—was nearly unbearable. And yet Penelope was now secretly the sole earner of her household after Cousin Jack’s betrayal. Which was why she was glued to the wall of the queen’s ballroom near the table filled with refreshments, studiously avoiding looking at Colin or Eloise while she listened to the footmen murmur to each other about the sudden European trip on which one of Miss Goring’s younger sisters had embarked. The poor girl was not even out in society. Pen sighed to herself; this was not something she could print.

I Could Have Told You 'Bout The Long Nights (23924 words) by SometimesSheWritesLongIntoTheNight Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: Bridgerton (TV), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington Characters: Colin Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington, Anthony Bridgerton, Violet Bridgerton, Lady Danbury (Bridgerton), Original Characters, Daphne Bridgerton, Eloise Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Portia Featherington Additional Tags: Medical Procedures, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Trauma, Mild Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending, No beta we die like Edmund, Polin, Colin Bridgerton Being an Idiot, Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington-centric, Lady Whistledown - Freeform, mild violence Series: Part 1 of The Polin Fic 'Verse Summary: Colin and Penelope have yet to make up after his careless comments about courting. But when Lady Whistledown's identity places Penelope in a perilous position, Colin must sort out his own feelings for Pen…before it's too late.

Penelope jerked awake to the sound of watchmen’s bells and shouts, which were quickly echoed and amplified by the voices of their neighbors and servants. The bed flexed beneath her, and she shivered as the warmth of Colin’s bulk lifted from the mattress. She waited beneath the covers as she listened to the rustles and grumbles of Colin pulling on breeches and a shirt; if their butler didn’t knock to wake them, she wouldn’t need to— A sudden flurry of polite knocks sounded at their bedroom door.

Of Fire and Featheringtons (54838 words) by SometimesSheWritesLongIntoTheNight Chapters: 10/10 Fandom: Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn, Bridgerton (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington, Colin Bridgerton & Penelope Featherington, Polin - Relationship Characters: Colin Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington, Original Characters, Anthony Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Simon Basset, Kate Sheffield | Kate Sharma, Daphne Bridgerton, Violet Bridgerton, Portia Featherington, Will Mondrich, Gregory Bridgerton, Lady Danbury (Bridgerton), Eloise Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton, Hyacinth Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte (Bridgerton) Additional Tags: Fires, Fire-Related Injuries, Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington-centric, BAMF Penelope Featherington, mild violence, Lady Whistledown - Freeform, Protective Colin Bridgerton, Unhinged Colin Bridgerton, a bridgerton mystery, No beta we die like Edmund, Some Mild Blood, Mild Gore, fire deaths, children in peril, child fire deaths Series: Part 2 of The Polin Fic 'Verse Summary: When house fires threaten to bring Mayfair to its knees, Queen Charlotte puts Dame Penelope and Lady Danbury on the case. But twists, turns, questioned loyalties, and family ties will change Penelope and Colin's life once again--if they can survive the summer.

Penelope gasped in delight as Colin lifted her above his head and spun her, sending droplets of the Aegean Sea flying in an ever-widening circle about them. Each droplet sparkled red-orange in the sunset, embodying the ultimate marriage of water and fire. Between the scent of salt, silky texture of air against bare skin interrupted by the patter of warm water droplets, and rush of air through her loose curls, Penelope could have been flying through heaven. And yet as she fell and was crushed to Colin’s chest in a bear hug, both giggling helplessly, she listened to his heart beat in his chest and knew that should paradise call her then and there, she should rather be exactly where she was.

Lady Whistledown Returns (60424 words) by SometimesSheWritesLongIntoTheNight Chapters: 15/15 Fandom: Bridgerton (TV), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington, Colin Bridgerton & Penelope Featherington Characters: Colin Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington, Anthony Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Violet Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte, Daphne Bridgerton, Simon Basset, Eloise Bridgerton, Hyacinth Bridgerton, Gregory Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton Additional Tags: Blood and Violence, Threats of Violence, Aftermath of Violence, Torture, Aftermath of Torture, Mild Gore, Polin, Bridgerton, Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington-centric, Protective Anthony Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington - Freeform, Penelope Bridgerton - Freeform, Lady Whistledown - Freeform, Lady Whistledown Identity Reveal (Bridgerton), BAMF Penelope Featherington, carriage crash, injuries, some blood, Character Death, No beta we die like Edmund Series: Part 3 of The Polin Fic 'Verse Summary: Penelope and Colin have faced many challenges as a married couple, but few have been as persistent, pernicious, and perilous as the feud between Lady Whistledown and Queen Charlotte. As Charlotte's power begins to visibly wane, she will do whatever it takes to claw it back. When lines are crossed, Colin and Penelope will face their greatest challenge yet. This feud must end, but at what cost?

[myfairkatiecat]

Kate Wetherall, Katherine Pulitzer, and your Keefe boy :)

Aaaaaahh yes yes yes these are really good ones ahdkdhsnbdjshssj

Kate Wetherall:

Ok so. The reason I say she works best as a part of a dynamic is because while she’s awesome on her own, she is MOST compelling with the rest of the mysterious Benedict society!!!the four of them together are so special to me

Also I’m a Kate apologist, she’s never done anything wrong and I stand by it :)

(And yeah if you see the way I write Kate you may see me projecting. It might have something to do with me being in sixth grade when I first read the books and going “omg we have the same name!!!”)

Katherine Pulitzer:

Look I relate to this girl SO MUCH you don’t even understand 😭

And the fandom has a tendency to villainize her or make her seem problematic simply for being complex, which… is a problem I’ve been seeing a lot of lately, actually.

I love her SO MUCH. She’s kinda scary but also she’s me

AND FINALLY

Keefe Sencen:

Once again flattered by your interest in hearing me talk abut my interests that you don’t share 🥹

Okay look. I LOVE KEEFE. And I initially colored in “they’ve never done anything wrong” cause I have tendency to be a Keefe apologist, but if I’m being real here he’s definitely done stuff wrong 😭 @phtalogreenpoison has heard me talk about his character in detail and knows EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

Why the tiny scribble on “too much screen time”? Well…….it’s technically true. He does get too much screen time, and for not being the MC, he’s started getting a lot of his POV in Sophie’s story. However, I EAT IT UP cause I’m a pretty standard basic Keefe girlie. So while I understand the side of the fandom that’s beginning to want more of some other characters, and I think that’s soooo valid, I also am totally eating up all the Keefe screen time. SO EXCITED for the Keefe book that’s coming out this fall. I love this boy. So much.

Also would I marry him irl?? uhhhhhhh if Sophie didn’t exist then YES he’s mine. But I’m a girl’s girl and he belongs to Sophie <3 they’re so cute together, too!!

Somebody is gonna come at me for saying he’s deeper than he seems cause we actually get quite a bit of insight into his character depth, but I think even what we do see doesn’t fully cover it. Keefe is more open with his friends than he’s ever been with anyone else… but he definitely has a LOT of defense mechanisms in place, which is why he has that cool-kid-doesn’t-care-doesn’t-work-only-flirts vibe going on in the first book, and the first time we REALLY get slapped in the face with “haha you knew he had a facade but here have a GUT PUNCH” is the quote in the beginning of book three when Sophie suggests they stop by Keefe’s house and he just sorta looks down and says “I…don’t bring friends home.”

Like. We knew his parents sucked. But something about seeing him vulnerable like that. Ahdkfhdjshdjdshs

I think the mischief making and flirting is also a real aspect of his personality, but a lot of the sorta bad-boy-ish reputation he’s got going on at school in the beginning books is a front to cover his ✨issues✨ and I don’t think we even see the full depth of how much the reveal of his mother as a villain and her constant attempts to make him “embrace the change” and have a “legacy” tied to her evil thoughts impact him. We know it’s hard for him and we totally see that, but even in Keefe’s POV he avoids thinking about it, and… honestly it’s up to us fanfic writers to really delve into that angst. Shannon sorta tells us it sucks for him, but doesn’t really show us (not fully, at least) cause Sophie is the main character, not him.

And do I project my issues on him? …maybe a little…his particular brand of the “using humor to cover up my problems” trope hits very close to home for me. I deflect with humor in the exact same flippant way, and just like with Keefe, sometimes it works and sometimes it gets me in trouble with my friends when I need to be serious.

(Yes I want to carry Keefe in a hand a like a tiny dog. Not elaborating.)

Wasn’t sure whether or not to say he gets done dirty by the fans. Historically, this fandom is head over heels in love with him, but right now there’s been a bit of a turn towards combating Fitz hate (another character that often gets pitted against Keefe unjustly bc of shipping discourse) with Keefe hate and saying he’s problematic when he’s really just complex.

So yeah I’m not normal about Keefe at all, if you couldn’t tell.

I managed to talk for a very long time about him

You can tell where the brain bees are buzzing rn can’t you