#i wish i had started writing stuff she says earlier bc she is

[wooftphr]

going to start posting shit my marine biology teacher says bc shes probably one of the most interesting people ive ever met. i dont even know how to describe it. here are some actual things about her and that ive heard her say:

-her accent is very noticeable, but equally as hard to place. at first, i thought it was bc i had just never heard or clocked it, but it did feel familiar. i just couldn’t figure out where it was from. when someone finally asked her where her accent was from, she told us “i don’t know, i just pick things up from places ive visited and lived.” which is a very long list, and you can hear the influence that every place on it has on her speech.

-“over spring break, im going to climb mount kilamanjaro!”

-the first or second week of school, she told the class that “if you need to reach me this weekend, i wont be able to answer any emails. it’s not that i don’t want to, but ill be deep beneath the earth exploring cave systems so i wont have service.”

—bonus: she shared photos of a strange Bug of some sort, greater than the size of a hand, that she had to crawl around in a very tight cave system when it wouldnt move. she also got covered in ants on this same trip, saying that “only her fingernails were visible”

-“i’ll be out of class next week, i’m going to be in a remote cabin. im planning on getting snowed in and ill be completely cut off from the world”

-“im so close to the treasure i can feel it i bet on a book at an auction and i can smell the answer, i know it has a secret that will help me get closer”

-“i used to have a t-rex jawbone but i had to leave it behind, i couldnt transport it”

-“i want to visit my friend who lives in alaska, but its so remote that i have to take a helicopter and its such a hassle not having any access to the rest or the world”

-“later on in the year, i may have to zoom to teach you all since i applied to be a part of a landmark research voyage and i am one of the final selections.”

-“i watched someone get stung by a stonefish. thankfully he survived but it was nasty stuff”

-“i was stung by several fireworms during a study. it was 2am and there was no one around, so i had to figure out a way to treat myself. for 3 years after, the hospital called ME for fireworm stings”

-she mentioned having more than 1 car, and when a student asked how she could afford multiple cars she told us “im a treasure hunter!” and DID NOT ELABORATE FURTHER!!!!!!!!!

-shes a big one piece fan because shes a treasure hunter, which is crazy because she is also the sort of woman who seems like she has not even a drop of free time she is so busy Doing Cool Shit

-“if you saw my closet, you would think i was a paleontologist”

-she is part of the explorers club, which i didn’t know was a Real Thing. like you see something like that in media and its like “oh thats an antiquity and used to emphasize the eccentricity” but no they have meetings and everything.

-“hong kong’s customs/mail system HATES me. i was the reason for a new law or two haha” its necessary to note that i dont remember this exactly, but i do remember her telling us that there is a government office in asia that has a bias specifically against her. its also necessary to note that she once again, did not elaborate.

-“and NO ONE else wanted to go into the steel cage being circled by a great white!”

-“i had to stop visiting a dolphin i was helping study because it got so excited to see me it caused problems. it kept throwing itself against the glass when it saw me because it was copying all the kids who would tap on the glass i think? it was so sad”

more to come. im obsessed with this woman ngl.

[langernameohnebedeutung]

what did you think of the izombie ending?

I thought the resolution of sticking all the zombies on a segregated island was not great, and I kinda wish blaine and don e had a better ending than just dumping them in a hole and leaving them there together, but what do you think? also if you could change the ending what you make happen instead? sorry for autismdumping izombie thoughts on you,,, have a good day !! +also sorry if you’ve already talked about this one

!! I mean, we're...I think in year 2 of my absolute hyperfixation on this show and me rambling about it so you have nothing to be sorry about!! I love talking about iZombie!! (and I don't think I've talked about the ending before bc...I only watched it one single time, went 'duly noted' and then...proceeded to care a lot more about everything that had been going on before that. So it's also that part of the show where I'm the least immersed)

(Which, in the defence of the show, isn't entirely their fault. I have a way of trying to repress the fact that my favourite shows are over by not thinking too much about the endings).

And I also know there were some budget issues, personnel issues, CW issues so I also cut the show some slack for all that stuff affecting the writing. I also think that with everything that happened since the season 3 finale and season 4 only beginning to set up New Seattle, it would definitely have taken more than season 5 to unwrap all of those plot-points in a really all-around satisfactory way. Especially since s4 also spent a significant amount of time on the whole Brother Love plot which then ended with the season finale, meaning it gives season 5 barely any material to build on BUT also stealing a lot of time they could have invested in starting to set up a satisfactory finale in s5. I heard a lot of people say that the ending was rushed ...and yeah IT WAS - but honestly, I don't see how you resolve a zombie-Seattle under the control of a mercenary army being threatened with nuclear destruction in just 12 episodes without breaking a few eggs.)

What I don't understand is that they knew they had this time problem and then...spend a lot of time introducing so many new plot points and focussing on new ideas and elements. For example, I think the whole Dead-Enders plotline was not very compelling, rushed and...I don't know, I just didn't feel particularly intrigued. Especially since it was introduced so late in the show.

Or Liv's father being Beanpole Bob - for one, I didn't really care about Liv's father up to that point bc...she never really seemed to care. I didn't even really take much notice of the fact that she didn't have a father around and it didn't feel like something we were supposed to be invested in. Honestly, up until that point, Liv didn't seem to care much about her father at all. There was no significant journey to find him, and I wished they had dedicated more time to exploring her relationships with her actual relatives and their falling-out after the season 1 finale. Maybe even really dedicate an episode just to the Moore family. Hell, give me Evan Moore as a narrator, talking about his feelings over the last few years. It would have been better if they had delved into those dynamics earlier instead of cramming them into the last season.

And perhaps this is a personal preference, but as someone who is also fatherless and okay with it, it's a bit irksome from a feminist perspective how just HAD to give us a father to Liv. It feels as though we were suddenly supposed to care deeply about the identity of our female protagonist's creator and rejoice in this revelation. Like they thought we were watching this entire show wondering desperately where Liv's father is and why she doesn't have one around. Especially since the Moore-family is very well-situated and successful and is clearly managing just fine - while the media often likes to make deadbeat dads look like a problem specific to precarious living situations. I think it would have been good to show a family that is well-off, successful without a man around and no, you don't have to ask where the father is, just be normal about it. And yes, Liv's mom is toxic in many ways - but I genuinely think that this is something that never really is resolved, for better of for worse because suddenly we have a father for Liv to care about. They spend so much time on Blaine and Angus horrible father - son dynamic that it feels a bit annoying that they never fully explored the disturbed mother - daughter dynamic between Liv and her mother.

Also, the whole twist of discovering that Liv, who became a zombie simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and had no involvement in drugs or related activities, happens to have a father who was connected to the creation of the zombie virus and the Boat-Party Massacre felt just too contrived. It didn't sit well with me; it felt forced.

(sorry, I know this isn't really about the ending itself but I got carried away)

As for zombie-island - I feel like pretty much everything has already been said about the issues with that entire solution. The biggest problem I see is...with eternity. It doesn't really feel like much of a resolution to me.

Take the idea that you now have terminally ill people getting infected and living on the island. This is going to get very crowded very soon - not to mention the rise in brain demands - this would mean over time, it would really difficult to keep this place working without once again giving power to brain dealers and brain smugglers (also, again: eternity. Islands aren't exactly getting bigger these days, with the oceans rising). And if the good-will and brain donations depend on people being a lot more pro-zombie because they're helping sick people, then this sentiment can also turn sideways very quickly when they start rejecting people because they cannot feed them anymore. It would be the same problem they had in Seattle. Moods change, governments change, problems change. It feels unrealistic to me that just because there is a cure now, people are just going to be fine with this for the rest of time. (This is part of the reason why I at least made it a government secret in one of my fics)

Not to mention what it means for the main-characters. Again, this is a bit of a personal opinion but...I never really liked stagnant endings. The kind of endings that are 'well they're living in small house in the countryside now and have 5000 kids and don't work anymore'. That kind of Peter Fox Haus am See ending. Especially not if it's for all eternity. Because that's...not really a happy ending to me, unless e.g. that person was always shown to have really longed for that or maybe they spent their entire life without having peace like that. For example, Liv and Major taking care of kids together is something I enjoy because this was something they both wanted - Liv wanted kids and Major was a social worker who lost his job because of this situation. But especially Liv was always an extremely driven person - she was always in motion, always chasing that feeling of accomplishment. And a big deal in the show was her realisation that she was chasing things that weren't actually making her happy and that she wasn't doing what she did because she believed in it. She had to learn to do what she thought was right and important over what others thought was right and important. She had to learn that she wasn't taking the time to rest and look around and take in the sights and live.(In fact, one of the many things I consider zombism to be a metaphor is - at least in the early days - Liv suffering from burn-out). And the ending feels like it's going into the opposite extreme and I don't think she would be happy, spending literal eternity living in secret on an island. Like...what's going to happen to her? It still hasn't really been answered.

(don't get me wrong! I'm excited that Major apparently got to live his dream of building outdoor furniture like he said in season 1).

The problem was never that Liv WAS a driven person or active person - the problem was that she applied it to the wrong things in the wrong measures. Her drive is one of her best traits and while she certainly deserves a few decades of peace and vacation and relaxation after all the events of the last 5 years, I don't think that would work for her for the rest of eternity. What will become of her? That question still hasn't been fully answered for me. The lives of the other main characters went on. I like that - even though I'm a bit sad that their group is kind of separated now and to be back together, they also have to live in stagnation.

So yeah, this is kind of my biggest reason why I'm not over the moon enthusiastic about the ending. I'm also not like...super-angry about it but I'm also not thrilled. It just wasn't one of those endings that are brilliant, for me. It's just...an ending.

As for Blaine and Don E:

Honestly, I'm going to out myself here ... I think it's a fitting ending for them. On the one hand, I think it is intentionally a somewhat ambiguous ending. Blaine and Don E were fan-favourite characters but they were also pretty awful people AND especially Blaine also had some parts of the audience that really, really hated him - so it's a bit hard to find an ending for those two that works for everyone (and I mean, this one also clearly doesn't work for everyone).

But...the well-ending, even more so than the zombie-island ending, leaves room for speculation. Maybe they're down there for the rest of time, going Romero. (something that would be a giant fucking biohazard btw). Maybe the main gang just leaves them down there long enough to scare the shit out of them, before having someone fish them out, cure them and put them in prison. Maybe they climb out on their own (they're not weighed down like Angus was and it IS a pretty narrow well) and kill each other. Maybe they escape and play some Catch Me If You can and finally make up again. Maybe one of them kills the other and gets away, maybe they both kill each other, or maybe they were killed by the fall. The opportunities are basically endless so everyone gets to have their cake and eat it.

Another reason I'm fine with the well-ending is that I'm a bit obsessive about the symbolism of the well (I'm going to make a really long post about this one of these days and will be legally declared insane) but long story really, really short: I think the well is a symbol of how Blaine never managed to truly define himself outside of his own upbringing and trauma. Despite how much he resents Angus, he also defines his own worth by the way Angus defined his (lack of) worth as a son: Angus is all about power, selfishness, capitalism, how feelings and compassion are weak and pathetic etc. Après moi le déluge. And his entire life, Blaine ran after those values, trying to accomplish something in this framework. His efforts to do something else were very brief and dishonest (like the amnesia-thing where he tried to live a lie with Peyton).

His only idea of changing was being seen differently by others - but never to actually work on himself. He could never bring himself to commit to the idea that if his father is such a horrible person it doesn't matter if he thinks that Blaine is a failure - that it is, in fact, a badge of honour for a guy like Angus to consider him a failure. (I think this is at least partially because Angus is the only person left from Blaine's childhood. He could never even really bring himself to kill him, he just freezes him or dangles him in a well and talks to him).

Blaine never found friends of his own other than Don E, never went to therapy, he could easily have moved to a new city, found a job there, gotten married to someone or done whatever the hell he wanted with his life that WASN’T mass-murder and become a fully self-actualised person. And sure, he would probably always have carried that trauma and pain with him - but we can't change the pain we carry within us. But we can do is decide whether we're going to do something about it and grow - or whether we're always going to venerate what was done to us and try to climb into a shell to keep that from happening again. A very important aspect of Blaine's storyline was always that he felt entitled to act the way he does in order to get rich and reclaim the privilege he was born into and that he feels he's owed. And for me, the well and his relationship with it, his talking to the well, throwing his father in there (even instead of killing him!) really symbolises how much he's a prisoner of his own pain and of his own stunted self-image and that's why in the end - he ends up being devoured wholly by the well. The more unhinged he becomes, the more he becomes part of the well.

And...as for Don E - and I know this is probably the even more controversial point bc I know a lot of people wanted a redemption arc for him: As it stands, I'm also fine with him going down the well. The reason I stand with that is specifically the exchange he had with Peyton when he found out that Blaine had killed Darcy - he was absolutely fine, even amused with everything Blaine did UNTIL he learnt that it affected him this time. His response to learning that Blaine had killed some girl was literally "well we all have our hobbies". And that's really always been his thing, honestly. Yes, he did less genuinely awful things than Blaine - but he also never really spoke up against them. He was always happy to profit from Blaine's bullshit and sit on the bandwagon as long as it got him forward. So him getting the same ending even if he's not directly as bad as Blaine - I feel fine with it.

Now, mind you, I'm not entirely against Blaine and/or Don E getting a redemption arc if it had been done right (and it would have had to be done early enough). However, in Don E's case, it would have required more than just falling in love and caring deeply about another person like he did with Darcy. I think it should have required some initiative regarding something that isn't just him protecting something or avenging something or someone he cares about.

I understand that many people view Blaine as beyond redemption, but honestly, the point of no return for me would have been if he had simply become friends with the main gang, especially if someone like Peyton or another female character did all the work to fix him (as he intended with the amnesia arc). If he had shown personal growth and started establishing moral boundaries on his own at some point and chosen something like compassion or idealism or morality over profit and personal power, and if it had been handled intelligently and with care, I would have been okay with that. Nevertheless, I'm not upset or saddened that they didn't go that route, because it's a delicate matter that could have easily gone awry, and I prefer him not being redeemed over a poorly executed redemption arc that mishandles his character.

Things that I would change:

Small thing I think about a lot: I would have made Al Bronson the relative or former teacher or friend or maybe a girlfriend (I guess she's a little too old for that) of one the kids Blaine killed in season 1. I liked that he got his comeuppance for what he did to those kids and that he got outed as a child murderer but I feel like the fact that she's the niece of Mr Boss cheapens it a little. For one: Al Bronson is the one who manages what no one else previously could do - she really brought down Blaine. This would be a lot cooler if she was e.g. the sister of one of the kids from season 1. By making her Mr Boss niece, her accomplishment kind of falls onto a male character and Blaine's punishment suddenly becomes more about the gang war he started in season 2 rather than the kids he exploited in season 1. He openly admits that he killed those kids because no one was going to notice or care or investigate for long - so someone genuinely caring about them and THIS causing Blaine's fall would have been great. But now it's just...part of another scheme in the endless scheme-war these guys got goingand Mr Boss gets away with everything and doesn't receive his due punishment despite also being pretty awful.

In the grand scheme, I would have avoided introducing so many new things in the finale, like the Dead-Enders.

I wouldn't have introduced Liv's dad. I genuinely don't care about meeting Liv's dad. Instead, I would have wanted more episode with her established family.

I really didn't like that they killed Michelle

maybe an ending where the main gang is a bit closer together

and I mean, if I had all the power ever to make changes, I'd have...maybe dropped a few cases of the week in order to stretch the resolution over a few more episodes.

Heck, if I had all the powers in the world ever (and budget, I'd just have made a season 6)

[mantleoflight]

is there a muse that not a lot of people roleplay with?

if you HAD to choose, who’s your least favorite muse?

which one of your muses have you been playing the longest?

which one of your muses has the most ships?

what is each of your muses otps? notps?

1 - //Well, Echo is the main muse of this blog so most everyone else fits that category. Misraaks has been getting a bit more attention on Discord but I really wish people would take up thread musings with Darius. He's such a cool character and I really have so much I want to share about him. Kesivik doesn't get a whole lot of love either, but I understand why - I mean, I haven't been able to give him a whole lot of love -- him or Yyventriz, both of which I still need to finish writing up their profile and timeline stuff! (They have such neat timeline verses, especially Darius and Yyventriz -- they have such rich histories for their long lives!! )

2 - //At this point I think Ashven or Yyventriz. Ashven because he really is more like a background villain character whose badguy effects ripple down through the ages even if you don't know it's him. He's a Setting character not an easily RP'd character. Yyventriz has been, well, difficult in rping too since I've been revamping her. I know that character-children ocs aren't really looked highly upon so I've been kinda trying to separate her from Eramis. (Who, I will tell you, does canonically have kids somewhere in the galaxy with her wife, Athrys. But again, canon-child oc stigma. )

3 - //Well, for this blog, I'd say Echo. She's the guardian that started it all on this blog. Though my oldest active muse is actually a tie between Baribus ( @leerofthevinegaroons) and my boy Bonely ( @pawnshopsouls). But yeah, on this blog Echo-17 is my oldest bab!

4 - //Echo. Echo has the most ships. Namely with @raifer-vayne and @legacyfirst. She had another one but that one ended after some bad drama earlier this year. The only other muses with ships on this blog are Yyventriz & Jorvek ( @aurea-fide ), and a discord ship with Misraaks and Sundog ( @peachtiiime ) which we are still exploring.

5 - //Hhhh I actually don't have an otp for Echo bc she is so open to relationships. My otp for Yyventriz so far has been her and Jor (tho for a while I thought her and Misraaks would be a neat pairing buuut Jor and Yyv were fun). I haven't really thought of notps for them since they haven't had a chance to experience more relationships.

[dynamicspacebud]

was just doing my moms dishes bc i felt bad for her when i just really started to dwell on how she is as a mother like WOW is she a SHIT mom and i mean that like my god she is awful. I don’t like to remember stuff like this or hold it in my head like how i really have to dig deep to re-remember all the ways my father is horrible but right now with her i don’t know i want to write down what i was thinking about. How less than a year earlier we had to change the locks on the door because he threatened to come even though she said no and i got really scared and started having terrible nightmares about him coming in and killing us and then she just surprise told me he is was coming over one day and completely disregarded my concerns and feelings about how i told her i felt uncomfortable and unsafe with him around she just did not care and was so selfish even though this was supposed to be my home too. Or how that night she was like I’m an adult i can have casual sex when i simply asked if he was staying the night and she was like i’m just being honest when i went wtf as though a year prior she didn’t blame me for him financially/ sexually abusing her for getting money for sex and she blamed me because i was using her credit card and not paying bills as though i wasn’t a teenager who didn’t even know any of this was happening i just got blamed. How could she even put that on me i knew then and now it wasn’t and had never been my fault but that’s such a sick thing to say honestly it makes my stomach curl. Her asking how and why my relationship with my father has to reflect and effect my relationship with her as though i didn’t write a whole fucking peer reviewed essay about how it does like how is she so fucking awful as a mother like i’m very glad i was born but god she should have never been someone to take care of someone else or anything else like how she also abandoned her cat when her boyfriend wanted her too. It’s so sick i don’t and never did deserve the terrible parents i have. I don’t want them. I cant wait to get to a place when i can genuinely never have contact with them again. Seeing and being reminded of it all holds me back i know that. I don’t want that. I cant have that. And every year in close and closer to breaking away. I’ll get there i know i will and i’ll never have parents i’ll only have s** and a***** but i’ll still watch bluey and cry cry cry because someone has those parents and that makes my heart warm enough. And maybe i’ll even be that parent one day. Mine are so beyond awful i will and can never be them it’s not even possible. I’m very lucky i got out i mean look at my shit brother that hateful bigot. Good for him tho he barley talks to them i wish i were him in only that way. They hurt him more than me and because he’s cishet and grew up in a rich highschool i think that’s why he turned out that way. I don’t know i want to say maybe he has changed but as a cop i know it’s impossible he has. I won’t have any contact to my immediate bio family. My uncle today asking me how long it’s been since i talked to my brother and me saying years. I mean often i genuinely forget i have a brother which is funny in a way because we lived together until i was like 19 it’s not even like we didn’t grow up together or he left when i was young. My mind just has such a strong way of blocking everything out. It’s for my own protection but i don’t know how good that is honestly. Like with hannah it did the same thing. Nes being like I REMEMBER how do you not ??? you were so close and i have to really think about it or see pictures or texts to remember and when i do it’s strong and im sad. I guess my mind doesn’t want me to be sad. But i don’t know i don’t think that’s a good thing. Not entirely. Ok funny enough im rewatching the 100 and they have kind of touched on this subject with raven not remembering finn and jaha not remembering his son but them being “happy” because they can’t feel the pain of losing them even though they don’t remember the happy and good stuff either. I think that’s kind of what my mind is

[bibbykins]

Yo, I hope you're good and feel free to answer this whenever coz I feel like world's working against us and just dumping anything to not let us rest (with that said, my university is currently speed running it's way to finals, bro we only had like 2 fucking weeks after our prelims and then bam. 3 am here and at 11, my first exam starts :)

With that said, I'm thirsty for some toxic fiction. In silhouetted bonds, if things didn't work the way Namjoon wanted it to be, what would change? What would happen? Like I'm imagining the mc still agreeing to the plea and going back to that place but I'm imagining her that within two months, she'll suddenly ask to visit him and say that he can do whatever he wants, he can get his pricey attorney whatever, but she's done and that she wish that he'd live a happy life away from her then walk out.

Thanks for indulging me miss ma'am. 🥴😘

Ugh literally you're so right😩 im slowly finishing the other stuff I need to finish to free up some writing time and I'm like vibrating with excitement lmao! I hope things slow down for you too!! And good luck on your exams pls get some rest or promise yourself an immaculate nap after!!!

Also LMAO toxic fiction is just fun to read so I get it! First off, very bold to assume SB!MC would wish him a good life, she is violently vengeful on a good day, buuut her not falling in love with him was a very real possibility for them. If Namjoon hadn't thought of every possible word to say and every possible way she'd react and absolutely fumbled, here's how it would go down:

-He'd take a deep breathe, silence would fill the air until he speaks, "Fine. I'll never force you into anything. I'll leave you alone." They bargain back and forth until he's promised to not meddle in her life more than once. He gets one chance to make an impact on her and that's it. It all ends with him saying a simple, "You know I'll always love you, right?"

-Namjoon would, as a result of the plea bargain not being held up, get out of prison almost immediately

-And then.... nothing.

-A year, maybe two, would go by. Enough time for MC to start to feel comfortable in living life again. She might even make some friends from work, maybe even go on a date here and there because it's been nothing but crickets from Namjoon.

-She would be partially disappointed (bc she's also p unhinged) that he didn't love her as much as she said, but either way, she would move on and get a really great job as an editor for a popular newsite

-Then, only when the time is right, only when she's really found a friend that she loves, only when she's found a friend group both in and out of work that bring her joy, only when she feels like she's found a real life of her own to lead, all hell breaks loose.

-She wakes up on a Monday way earlier than usual because her phone is buzzing like crazy. Something's... wrong.

-That friend she loves so dearly? Hates her now. Their partner is lying and saying MC came onto them, and her friend believes them.

-There's nothing else MC can say, she's blocked before she can get a word in, and everyone else in the friend group feel the same. After all, she never talks about her past, how do they know anything she's said is the truth?

-She had no choice but to face them at work- well, what was her work afterall.

-Turns out, the other slew of texts were that her huge newsite company is filled to the brim with corruption. All around MC she's seen CEOs and politicians drop like flies, she knew something was going on but didn't know what, and she had hoped her workplace reporting on all these scandals just might be safe.

-Protestors scream at her and employees trailing behind her as they walk in to work. Not that she's met with anymore warmth inside with her fellow coworker friends turning their back to her.

-Her whole life in one morning and one haphazard meeting, has fallen apart. The higher-ups want her to lie, to sign off on blatant lies, to pretend nothing is wrong, but she can't. Of course, her coworkers have no problem with it. She's the only fool who walks out of the building.

-She's alone, jobless, and lost in a city that knows her better than she knows it. Once again. All of a sudden, she's 18 again. All by herself, betrayed by the people she cherished.

-A couple months go by and she can't find a job in her industry. She's been predictably black listed after writing an op-ed for a rival paper about the corruption at her old newsite. The hype for that story came abd went and now she's on her way to look at a new, cheaper, apartment to live in when she bumps into... him

-Namjoon looks her up and down, genuine surprise on his face as he greets her with a shy smile on his face.

-He insists on walking her to wherever she's going and well, in her fragile state of solitude, it's like no time has passed at all.

-The pieces fall into place pretty quickly and in no time, she's right where she should've always been. Right by his side, as his Queen.

-He doesn't lie to her when he says the only thing he did in their time apart was ensure she got an interview the first job she applied for... He decides to omit the fact that he knew it was only a matter of time before that corrupt newsite was going to suffer from the change to his leadership. He decides to omit the fact that he knew you were going to be placed on a team with a ton of liars with their own baggage. He decides to onit that fact that he was only genuinely surprised when he saw you again because he didn't expect everything to fall into place so soon 💖

The end lmao I hope this made sense???? Idk im a mess and all the couples I write are too 🤪 Thank you for the ask and good luck again!!!!!

[jaaankiey]

What do you like most in your writings about Pin and/or Leafy? Tropes, Settings, Cliches, Et Cet R Uh.

god therfe is too much for me to say (without sounding utterly garbage brainrot vomit on a tumblr post)

how do i evne start? also a mystery, anon. i might as well put this under some kind of cut

i think in some earlier ramblings, i might haaave touched upon smth like this on my own because god knows i have the Most Specific, Unknown Headcanons known to Humankind (tm).

ig what I liked abt both Leafy and Pin from the canon materials is that their actions had potential to be more gray on the morality compass? Thinking specifically abt Leafy trying to steal Dream Island (which, to my head, registers as "you know what? she can commit crimes"). Also when Pin apparently tries to murk Leafy that other time about it (which, to my very single organism brain, registers as "yknow what, she can also be capable of coldblooded murder").

also enemies to lovers moment. It's not my top tier favorite (I'm kind of soft and like friends to lovers) but it can hit so hard if written well!! i wish i may have included it a bit more, but i'm a little rusty on my BFDI lore (gotta make room for the EXPANSIVE warrior cats lore i contain) so i might have ended up... forgetting that part oops. i'm not too mad about it and i do my best to kind of recreate that friction when the plot calls for it. yes, girlies so deeply in love but they're kind of so stubborn in their ways that when they butt heads, it can be pretty intense.

other tropes? i'd say the way i write Pin is in the sameish vein as that yandere trope/cliche but it's not something I've type out loud. Personally, I think it's too strong of a word but she's somewhere in that... shakes hands at area, ya feel? Also, I kind of want to leave it up to whoever reads my leafpin stuff for interpretation. If anybody thinks she's unhinged enough to be dubbed a yandere, go for it (it tells me I'm writing her right). I still keep her canon traits but maybe dial them up to 12. She's a prideful, egotistical, power-hungry manic that really shouldn't be left in charge of anything and that's the way I like 'em.

Leafy is uh VERY experimental when I write her and I think that's the coolest part of my edition of her in writing. I'm very familiar with stuff like passive aggressiveness which is often meanness coated in sugar and it's the biggest thing I rlly like writing about her. It LOOKS like she cares but, unless ur Pin, she puts her own needs first. Her character in my writings is more about building up social trust to the point where others look at her and say "Oh! Leafy wouldn't EVER do that" when she very well can. It can allow her to do things that can be swept under the rug bc she would be the last suspect. Kinda a wild card and even though she's maybe not as physical as someone like Pin, she can still ruin someone just as easily.

Tbh, I haven't settled on settings, anon. Don't tell anyone 💀

I have more thoughts but like STARES AT THIS ANSWER. I did not mean to lITERALLY POST AN ESSAY SORRY ANON. the brainrot was too powerful.

[hyunrun]

mommy issues below 🐱

me when I'm third wheeling my mum and sister 😔 like ok I alr knew she was the favourite child you didn't also need to make me walk behind you on the very wide sidewalk 😂😂

my mum also got mad at me for being a considerate person 😶 apparently I'm acting too 'righteous' and asking her to not be in the way of old people is annoying her BC 'they can walk around us'

If I tried to explain to her that my social awareness is so high strung because I feel constantly anxious I know she'll shoot me down because she has diagnosed anxiety and she doesn't feel like that (let's forget that these things are not the same for everyone 😋)

and then once we pick up my little sister I have to watch her hug her and kiss her and whatever when a few hours earlier she shook off my hand for trying to hold her hand while we were walking 🐱

i know she loves me but sometimes she makes it really hard to believe that the love she holds for me measures up to the love she holds for my sister. i feel a little more like a failed experiment.

I don't want to feel bad because her period is starting soon so maybe she's just snappy because of that. I'm not even angry at her I'm just sad and mad at myself for being stupid and always getting on her nerves (I am a little mad at her but I don't want to be because we'd only get in a fight if I am and then I'd just feel worse when I lose it because I'd never try to win a fight w her because she'd probably kick me out on the streets for a night 😼😎).

sitting across her on the verge of tears at a restaurant and she hasn't noticed yet because she's too busy doing something (literally idk what they're on her phone) w my sister but to give her credit I'm good at looking like I'm not crying when I'm crying

sometimes I feel like it's just a bit of retribution for me causing her hell before and after I was born but sometimes I want to disappear from this earth just so my family has an easier time I'm really tired of feeling like a constant burden and annoyance.

i always want to be like my sister too and it sucks but she's so cool for being 11. she's so self assured and strong and literally everything I'm not which is so embarrassing. whenever we meet Anyone all my mum cares to say about her is positive in comparison to my negative and I hate it so much because I just have to smile through my teeth. but I also love my sister too much to condemn her for it BC she's so talented and pretty and amazing and deserves everything she has but I just wished I had it too. even socially she's so graceful. i love people so much and I care too much and I run after them and stick to them and act like a leech just because I love them but I feel like everyone slips between my fingers but on the other hand my sister is so chill and doesn't need people around her but somehow is so magnetic and wonderful that people flock around her anyway.

my mum always jokes about the fact that she had to put so much effort into knowing kids' parents when I was younger BC she had to arrange playdates n stuff for me and I feel so bad and disgusting but I know it was just the reality but idk.

i feel like I'm about to hyperventilate and cry but my mum wants me to give her a leg massage and my dad wants me to video call him so I'll be back later ig 😋 (future me - my mum yelled a time for taking too long to give her the leg massage (I wasnt going to her because I was about to cry) and my dad was too sleepy to see I was upset (not his fault) so that was fun) anyway I'm tired of writing this post because I seem so annoying so if anyone reads this far then 🙏⁉️ this is embarrassing but ty for sticking around haha

[letstevengrantsleep]

Sex - Corroded Coffin

Eddie Munson x f!bestfriend!reader

summary: you surprise Eddie at one of his concerts, but he surprises you first

word count: 1,586

warnings: swearing, angst?, mutual pining, confessions, not much to warn about really, let me know if I missed anything

a/n: I was listening to Sex by The 1975 and couldn't get it out of my head that Eddie would so write something like that about his best friend (pls let me know if you'd like a part 2 to this bc personally I'd love to write a spicy pt2 to this)

masterlist

You were late, obviously, when were you not. The venue was already packed with bodies pressed against each other, making it very difficult to manoeuvre yourself through the crowd and over to the shitty bar over the other side of the room.

It was exciting, truly, to be seeing Corroded Coffin somewhere other than the dingy little Hawkins bars that you were used to. Somewhere finally deserving of them and their talent. You couldn't be prouder of them or the fact that this was their first ever sold out show. It was also pretty exciting since you planned to surprise them backstage later on.

"Vodka soda, cheers." Someone bumps into your shoulder as you order, making you turn to be faced with a girl, thick black eyeliner and short, short skirt.

"Oh, sorry," she starts, taking in your appearance just as you're taking in hers, "oh shit, is that new merch? I've never seen that t-shirt before." You look down at your t-shirt, smiling as you look back up at her.

"No, no actually this is old. Me and the band go back a bit, I uh, we made these in my garage when they first started playing shows. We never sold any so we kept them for ourselves."

"No way, you know them?" She practically screams at you as you grab your drink.

"Since middle school, yeah. I knew Munson back when he had a buzzcut." You laugh, hitting it off with the girl. You talk back and forth for what seems like forever, slowly being encapsulated by the hazy fog making it's way through the room from both the smoke machine and from the unreasonable amount of people smoking in the room.

"So are you, like, his girlfriend then?" She asks, raising her eyebrows at you with a smirk.

"Me, no no no, just friends. Best friends. I- he's not interested." You're going to say more when you're interrupted by the dimming lights which leave the room soaked in a warm orange glow from the back-lit stage. The room erupts into loud applause as your best friends make their way onto stage, swinging guitars and drumsticks over their heads. Always so dramatic.

The concert is absolutely insane, everything you could have ever wished for them. Fans hanging on their every word, screaming the lyrics to songs that you've known since they were just scribbles on scraps of paper. It's almost too much, to see them living their dream, but you stick it out, screaming along with the crowd with, admittedly, some tears in your eyes.

"So, this next one is going to be our last song." Eddie mumbles into his mic, earning pretty enthusiastic disapproval from the crowd. "I know, I know we're fucking bummed about it too but we can't stay here all night." He pauses for a second, turning to Gareth to give him a quick nod and thumbs up. "This might make you all feel a little better, we're actually going to play you something completely new tonight to end the show. You guys are getting the real VIP treatment, yeah?" This perks the crowd up, obviously, and you feel a tap on your shoulder: the girl from earlier.

"You heard this one?" She asks, referring to the new track.

Shaking your head, you lean in so she can hear you over Eddie, "nope, I'm just as in the dark about this as you." It's exciting, knowing that this many people get to hear their new stuff, it's a far cry from sitting in Jeff's garage and hearing their demos.

The guitar kicks in and you realise this is nothing like anything they've ever done before.

And this is how it starts You take your shoes off in the back of my van...

The song is good, really fucking good, and you find yourself moving along to it, watching the crowd start to pick up and dance along, loving it just as much as you.

There's only minutes before I drop you off And all we seem to do it talk about sex She's got a boyfriend anyway...

As you listen to the lyrics your heart starts sink to the pit of your stomach, and your left standing dead still, unable to move, unable to think about anything other than the implications behind what Eddie's singing about. You don't want to assume, because it could look really bad if you did, but...

Surely not, surely he can't be talking about what you think he's talking about.

Does he take care of you Or could I easily fill his shoes Do you say no...

You're starting to feel hot, not knowing what to do with yourself as you carry on listening. Last time you saw Eddie (or any of the band for that matter) was about four months ago, when you were dating Steve. He was lovely, caring, kind, but you drifted. No biggie, it happens sometimes.

And I'm not trying to stop you love But if we're gonna do anything we might as well just fuck She's got a boyfriend anyway...

The sudden feeling of guilt and dread that Eddie is up there singing about how he could do a better job than Steve, god it makes your skin crawl. But maybe it wasn't about you, maybe you were being presumptuous. It doesn't help that Eddie looks so fucking good up there in his ripped jeans and cropped t-shirt. Singing with all his heart into a crowd absolutely tailor made for him.

You've got your tongue pierced anyway You in your hightops anyway You in your skinny jeans anyway...

Fuck.

Well. There's definitely no denying it now.

It's you, the song is about you.

-

The lump in your throat didn't leave when the lights went up, or when you said your goodbyes to the girl you'd spoken to all night, and it definitely didn't go away when you presented your ID and pass at the backstage entrance to go and see them.

Hovering at the "bands only" sign which shrouded you in a red light, you second guessed whether it really was a good idea to see them tonight. After all you had just heard a song dedicated to how your best friend wanted to fuck you in the back of his van (you were paraphrasing, yes, but that was the gist of it). And that wasn't even the worst part, you'd let him. It was hard to deny that you hadn't thought about it before. I mean, the lyrics did have some credibility to them.

Unfortunately the decision of whether to stay or go was made for you when the door swung open, revealing a sweaty, hot Eddie only a foot away from where you stood.

"Oh shit... you're here."

"Surprise." You say meekly, trying your best to sound lighthearted an not entirely nervous about this whole situation. You're about to speak when he starts rambling at you.

"Listen, princess, I-"

"Eddie no, don't do that-"

"No, no honestly, go and get Steve and we can-"

"Eddie-"

"I'll explain if he wants, I don't want-"

"Eddie!" That stops him right in his tracks, eyes wide as he stares, waiting for you to storm off to Steve, he presumes. "We broke up, Steve and I. It didn't, uh - we're friends." Taking a deep breath, you look him in the eye, something you avoided until now. "I came on my own. Wanted to surprise you, and the others, obviously."

"Well, fuck." He's itching to move, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Yeah, fuck." There's a beat of silence before Eddie dares to speak again, he really didn't think he'd be doing this tonight. Having this talk with you.

"Well, either way, for obvious reasons, I'm sorry about what you heard. I was going to call you, tell you... eventually... I just-"

"Did you mean it?" You cut him off, trying to figure out whether your hope in him is misplaced.

"What?" Eddie's taken aback, for once he's fucking speechless.

"Did you mean it, the lyrics?"

There's another beat of silence before he answers.

"Every word."

It feels like your entire world is collapsing in on itself, everything you thought you knew about him now shrouded in the knowledge that Eddie fucking Munson has been down bad for you for god knows how long.

"Since when?"

"Ninth grade. You started wearing that smudged eyeliner and those big fucking boots that you could hardly walk in. I was hooked."

Nothing could have ever prepared you for this conversation. The one you convinced yourself you were never going to have. The one where you tell him you're madly in love with him.

"You didn't say anything."

"You had Harrington."

"I wanted you."

"You- wait what?"

"Surely you know, Eds. It's always been you."

He shakes his head, running his hands over his face. "Don't say that, princess don't say shit like that if you don't want me to jump on you right fucking now." It takes him a second to process the dead serious look on your face. "You mean that?"

"Every word."

The silence between you has your ears ringing, he's taking longer to respond than you'd like and it's making you nervous.

"Come back to my hotel tonight. I want to - we need to talk. We need to... fuck," he's distracted, coming forward to place his hands on either side of your face to force eye contact, "princess you have no idea how long I've been waiting for you."

[bloody-wonder]

the game of kings: a queer reading

hello, tiny fandom! i bet you thought you'd seen the last of me :D but nooo i have been quietly re-reading gok once again which brings the total amount of the times i’ve read it to an impressive 3.5 (0.5 is bc this last time i read it in russian but then re-read all the lymond scenes additionally in english bc i couldn’t help myself🙈). i have also read laura caine ramsey’s guide as well as every piece of secondary literature on the lymond chronicles i could get my hands on which makes me a nerd an expert and today i decided to grace you with a kind of post i honestly wish someone with a degree in literature and queer studies would have written instead but since such a person hasn’t volonteered so far we’ll have to make do with what i’ve scribbled in here. this post was inspired by my irl friend who has been buddy reading gok with me almost entirely out of free will and who informed me that she “doesn’t see the homoerotic subtext”. we then had an enlightening conversation that revealed differences in understanding of what subtext actually means and provoked many thoughts which i just had to write down somewhere. i’m fully aware that by posting this on tumblr i’m preaching to the choir but please bear with me, especially given that i’ll be talking not only about lymond’s relationship with one pathetic maladroit nincompoop but with mixt and subtle christian as well.

i tried to keep this spoiler free for the rest of the series but one or two vague things might have slipped through. also, i couldn’t be concise if my life depended upon it so it’s basically a whole treatise, you have been warned😬

sooooo i do hope it is a truth universally acknowledged that lymond cronicle gay. but in what way is it gay exactly? especially the first book which doesn’t have robin stewart, gabriel, jerott and marthe, not even danny hislop, and is very subdued in its references to same-sex love and desire in comparison to the later installments - where does it store its queer subtext? in this essay i will undertake the noble mission of finding out :D

a couple of introductory remarks before we start: first of all, i’m fully aware that assigning modern labels to historical personalities and fictional characters in historical settings is Bad and so i tried to refrain from it as much as i could, except in cases where i do it for comedic effect. but secondly, i do hope you will grant me some licence since i’m not doing historical research but instead something more akin to literary analysis (the horny kind). in that sense, while we can’t assign a label to lymond since those didn’t exist in his time and the very understanding of what we call queerness was entirely different, we can however compare him to a number of similar fictional heroes and see that some of his behaviors are far from typical, they are pretty queer in the broadest sense of the word, and to me this quality constitutes a very important part of lymond’s appeal. which is why when i say stuff like “a straight man would never do that” i am only half joking😏

part one: will scott and gay subtext 

fine so let’s read queer, let’s look at the textual Evidence. firstly, one of the most entertaining things about lymond in the earlier books is his flirtiness and in gok will is his primary target

sure lymond does it in order to tease and provoke but one doesn't prevent the other. besides, flirting and pointing out will’s good looks including his red hair (for which lymond clearly has a thing and you can’t convince me otherwise) as a teasing strategy is. a choice. not to mention all the petnicknames and terms of endearment with various levels of innuendo which are so manifold and suggestive i had to compile them into a separate post

secondly, there are some. ambiguous scenes and phrases, such as

this is right after lymond figuratively brought will to his knees after the hume caste mission and maybe it’s just bc i find power dynamics hot but i think that this passage is worded in a *certain* way and once you see it you can’t unsee it. i admit this one is a bit of a stretch but the other ones are absolutely not.

for example, the famous scene at the ostrich is brilliant bc you can interpret it either way - will expects to have sex either with one of the girls OR with lymond (or both? does our boy willy expect an orgy? do i underestimate his kinkiness?), the ironclad arguments in favor of the latter being 1) it’s much more fun and juicy and 2) i don’t think will’s a virgin at this point (he just came back from his study sojourn in paris and i doubt all he did there was study) and his inner monologue in this scene indicates he’s about to do something new and exciting such as gay sex with a man he has an angry crush on. in any case, his disappointment at not getting laid is cute and lymond’s sarcastic reaction is hilarious bc he clearly can read will like an open book and so he intentionally pranked him bc toying with people is his love language.

another example of "dunnett didn’t have to write it like this but she did bc she wanted us to ship them and who am i to disagree” comes up during their fight after the margaret lennox fiasco

interesting... why did you need to stress that, lymond? once again, you can interpret it as lymond being self-deprecating and ironic (”i’m such a lousy cavalier that i only fight women bc they’re the only ones i can hope to win against”) OR you can look at this sentence in the context of the scene in which he and will are quarelling like an old married couple and lymond even draws a parallel between how his bitter ex margaret gets on his nerves and will’s bitching AND lymond explicitly points out that will’s “admirably pretty” for the umpteenth time (in his defence, he’s as drunk as a sailor) - in which case the meaning of the phrase may be something along the lines of “i get involved only with women” - which would sound like a confirmation of lymond’s heterosexuality if it weren’t pointed out so entirely unprompted and in such defensive a manner. the gentleman doth protest too much

and that, my children, how subtext feeds on ambiguity. but i’m not done

bc sometimes the carefully composed subtext can in a way become text if the characters acknowledge it in-universe. the way this happens in gok is characters drawing parallels between will scott and all the women lymond allegedly seduced. richard does it

lauder & co do it multiple times during lymond’s trial accusing him of cultivating “associations both natural and unnatural”, “enticing” and “corrupting” will in the same manner as they believe he did with christian and mariotta and forcing lymond to defend will by describing him as “a normal, lively youngster” (lol i wish will had been there to hear this insightful assessment of character)

hell, even will himself does it after lymond is captured and brought to threave castle and christian reveals their acquaintance in an attempt to save him - and in such a petulant manner too

stop being jealous, will! the master has two hands! 

this Evidence is already vast even without me going into will’s complicated and ever-evolving feelings towards lymond, including but not limited to admiration, hero worship and desire to surpass, envy and frustration, anger and disappointment, mistrust, lots of confusion, remorse, and finally, in their last scene together, “enslaved eagerness” and delight (big Gay). lymond dismisses all of it as a kind of teenage idolization which will is going to outgrow (although the readers who continued with the series know that that’s not true) bc lymond firmly believes himself unworthy of love and interprets every kind of love people show him as some other convoluted emotion. as for myself, i think this intricacy, this ambiguity and openness to interpretation are qualities dunnett put there on purpose and they are meant to intrigue and invite us to make connections. if gok had been written today it would’ve definitely been accused of queerbaiting of some sort, but since it wasn’t we can just live in peace and enjoy the homoerotic subtext. speaking of which.

the aforementioned friend said that in her opinion lymond has nothing but “fatherly feelings” towards will which led me to believe she must think my gushing about the homoerotic subtext of gok must mean that i think lymond lusts after will or smth. and like, no? i mean i do ship them bc dunnett left me no choice but. this is not what subtext is about?

are will and lymond gay / bi? was lymond attracted to will sexually or romantically? did will want to have sex with lymond? these questions miss the point bc they are too direct and the beauty of subtext lies in its subtlety - the art we’ve started to lose in recent years as queer rep far too often takes the shape of throwing around labels but not depicting experiences they’re meant to represent with any subtance or nuance - which is why dynamics that can’t be described in one word like that of will and lymond are fascinating to me and i think the liminality of this relationship, its inherent ambiguity and resistance to being defined are part of the appeal. if you don’t reduce the queer aspect to the surface-level observation that their tension didn’t result in anything explicit (which like, people in general and these two people specifically have many reasons not have sex even if the attraction is there) thereby proving them to be straight once and for all, you can interpret what they had in any way you like and that’s what makes it compelling and fraught with meaning and queer - as in “peculiar” but also potentially as in “if lymond didn’t automatically friendzone everyone who might develop feelings for him he and will totally would’ve banged” or “i don’t wanna assign modern labels to fictional people in historical settings however not in a million years would i believe lymond isn’t queer”. in conclusion: it’s about the vibes👌

that being said, despite the possibility to interpret lymond and will’s relationship any way you like which is sufficiently provided in the text, the interpretation depends entirely on who’s doing it. like, i’m sure my esteemed colleagues on tumblr caught each and every nugget of gay subtext dunnett wrote or alluded to or thought about briefly in the summer of 1960 but my friend, my mom, some (many?) og lymond fans just don’t see it or choose not to. this is not the case with lymond and christian’s relationship which is universally understood as romantic - on the one hand, bc we live in a heteronormative society and have been taught by media to think that any relationship between the opposite sexes must be romantic by default and any woman in a male-dominated story can only occupy the role of the love interest, and on the other hand, bc dunnett did rely on certain tropes that date back as far as chivalric romances and the very invocation of those tropes signals to us the presence of a romantic relationship regardless of whether it’s actually there or not. all this to say, i personally believe dunnett only invokes those tropes to subvert them.

part two: christian stewart and platonic love

during lymond’s trial harry lauder sums up his and christian’s relationship in the following way: “an honest, gentle and virtuous girl, a young girl of open and innocent years, betrothed to a fine man, who fell into the power of a practiced and powerful seducer, appearing to her in a guise both insinuating and irresistibly romantic”. now, the readers know that this can’t be further from the truth bc christian isn’t naive or excitable and lymond is a gentleman, but what i’m interested in specifically is how jarring the difference is between what lymond stands accused of and what his and christian’s relationship actually was like - as compared to the case of will who after all was, in a sense, led astray, who did display that “emotional instability” bishop reid describes so vividly, who, even if he wasn’t seduced and driven to anything “unnatural”, still in the broadest sense corresponds to the narrative the prosecutors present in court. christian however doesn’t bc her and lymond’s relationship wasn’t anywhere near what people are led to imagine when they find out about the manner in which their secret meetings took place.

by virtue of being a relationship between two people of opposite sexes set in the 16th century lymond and christian’s interactions are much more ceremonialized and less casual than, say, between lymond and his brothers in arms. at the same time, since lymond believes christian doesn’t know who he is, he doesn’t feel as much need to perform a certain identity in front of her which leads to a much more honest and genuine relationship - one that is entirely chaste, devoid of innuendo and filled with banter which, while not lacking in intensity compared to lymond’s banter with will scott, is much more amicable but definitely less passionate. an affair of minds, if you will.

in a different story our romantic leads would’ve fallen in love as soon as they met but in this case there are few indications that they develop anything resembling romantic feelings towards each other at all. we aren’t privy to lymond’s true thoughts or feelings but even from outsider pov he doesn’t strike me as a lovestruck man. there’s no pursuing the lady in order to have the pleasure of her company nor are there any melodramatic love confessions at the deathbed - a trope that one could expect these characters to engage in in a different story.

does lymond flirt in a similar equivocal way he does with will or maybe even make advances? in fact, there’s only a handful of times in all of their dialogues where romance is touched upon at all. the most evident of these few instances in my opinion is the following exchange after agnes herries’ wedding which is obviously conducted in a humorous tone

the rest are mostly implications of the poetry lymond quotes - and very subtle implications at that. for example, this is how the author of nowyouhavedunnett blog interprets lymond quoting a single line from the clown's courtship to christian during their inchmahome meeting

The whole poem is a proposal of marriage. Francis would not have lightly chosen to quote this poem at this moment. He is the clown, the fool, as he says, and this is as close to courtship as he can allow himself to come. He is telling Christian, obliquely, that if he were free to come every day to woo and win her, he would. But he cannot and he will not. (x)

and this is how they interpret lymond referring to himself as a "joyless jeweller” during christian’s death scene

Lymond is in full self-flagellation mode, saying he has been a "joyless jeweller up to the last, exquisite drop from the crucible." The phrase "joyless jeweller" comes from a medieval English poem, Pearl. It expresses the deep despair of a man who lives while the one he loves resides "glad and bright/In Paradise, of strife unstrained...." (x)

while i wouldn’t presume to contradict any of these interpretations, i have to say that last time i read gok along with ramsey’s guide and even then i could hardly understand the connections. do you see what we’re required to do here? we’re invited to interpret the romance into lymond and christian’s relationship (if it’s something we’re interested in doing, that is) much in the same manner as we’re invited to do it in will’s case (although i must admit the stuff lymond quotes to will is much more explicitly flirty and doesn’t require an encyclopedia to comprehend). the romantic hints are there but they are buried deep under all the references and require lots of rigorous interpreting. the difference between will and christain in this respect is that with will the romantic subtext is much more obvious but, depending on the reader, much more readily ignored, whereas with christian it’s hidden very deep and yet we still view lymond and christian as lovers by default bc of all the reasons i’ve cited above. i would argue however that the subversive value of gok lies in the fact that there’s plenty of room for them not to be viewed as such.

during the trial lymond says that there was nothing but friendship between him and christian (whereas his line of defense in will’s case is “this youngster is entirely normal and not gay at all”) and that it was enough for him to be ready to sacrifice his life in exchange for her freedom, no matter how ludicrous it may seem to lauder. obviously, lymond would never claim anything else publicly bc christian’s virtue is at stake, but even so i don’t think he’s lying. it’s said multiple times that christian would go to the same length for any of her friends as she did for lymond and it’s stated at least once that lymond would give himself up in exchange for any of his men should they be captured bc of him (to say nothing of friends and family). i think this allows for a much more noble understanding of their charactes than if either of them did what they did just bc they were in love.

as lymond remarks, lauder and the jury might find ludicrous the fact that his actions were inspired exclusively by friendship - and that is ofc bc the society we live in is not only heteronormative but amatonormative as well, which means that in the hierarchy of human relationships romance is placed at the top and all the most profound and overwhelming feelings and noblest gestures are associated with romance. many people subscribe to this view, either consciously or not, and i, for one, firmly believe that we should strive to deconstruct it in any way we can. christian indeed has feelings towards lymond and the more their relationship develops the more intense those feelings get - but the thing is, intense feelings aren’t always romantic in nature. as an aroace person i can assure you that you can experience all the spectrum of what christian felt towards her mysterious friend without being in (romantic) love with him. her emotions could very well reside in the realm of agape and philia - a kind of heavenly, altruistic love that becomes more and more personal as she gets to know lymond better. and i think ascribing a romantic sense to lymond calling christian “a woman with a familiar spirit” would be very limiting.

that’s what i find alluring about their relationship - it is a High Romance but not as in “a tale of romantic love” and instead as in “a fascinating story about a marvellous adventure” that happens to be centered on friends instead of lovers and elevates friendship in that imaginary false hierarchy of relationships by being just as grand and dramatic, sweeping and beautiful as often only romances get to be. 

so. can lymond and christian’s relationship be described as a romantic involvement? would they have married if christian had survived? just as in the previous case, these questions miss the point in my opinion bc they try to force what they had into a box - specifically into a heteronormative one - whereas their actual relationship is much more undetermined and ambiguous and, if you look at it through the aspec lens, queer.

this ofc is not to say that there’s not enough evidence to interpret their relationship as a good old traditional romance and to answer those questions positively, but merely to draw your attention to the fact that dunnett wrote these relationships in gok in such a way that, once you think about them outside of the  constraints of gender roles and sexuality norms, leaves plenty of room for interpretation and queer reading - not just in the case of lymond and will scott but also, despite it not seeming as intuitive, in the case of lymond and christian.

i’d hate to end this on a serious note so here are some selected suggestive quotes from the one and only prosecutor for the crown

if wishes were buttercakes, mr. lauder, beggars might bite :)

[gredandforgesmischief]

long story short - f.w

title: long story short

pairing: fred x female slytherin reader

summary: fred has been in love with y/n since they were fifteen, but the universe was never really on their side. (idk i'm bad at writing summaries but basically best friends to lovers. this takes place during gof in the spring.) this is also vaguely inspired by "long story short" by taylor swift bc i'm obsessed w her (see if you can find the lyrics)

other characters/pairings mentioned: adrian pucey/y/n, fred/angelina, george weasley, harry potter, ron weasley, neville longbottom

content warnings: its all fluff, some parts can be construed as angsty?? maybe probably not. sad fred at some point. sad y/n at some point. fred and y/n are both clueless all the time for no reason.

a/n: i wrote this with my Head Empty, but I hope you enjoy (feedback welcomed) also this wasn't proof read so ignore any grammatical errors

“... right Fred?”

“Yeah that’s cool, whatever,” Fred grumbled as a very irritated George hit his side.

The pair were having breakfast at the Gryffindor table, and the two were supposed to be brainstorming shop ideas, but it was apparent that Fred’s mind was off somewhere else.

Regardless of how hard he tried, Fred’s mind was often clouded with his feelings about Y/N. The two had been best friends since third year, and it took him a long time to realize that he wanted to be much more than just her best friend. But just as expected, right as Fred realized, Y/N had gotten into a relationship.

“Dude, Y/N is with Adrian now, you need to get over it,” George said. While he did feel bad for his twin, there wasn’t much that either of them could do about it.

Fred nodded, but just as he was about to respond to his brother, he noticed a flustered Y/N get up from the Slytherin table. In all honesty, if Fred hadn’t been staring at her he wouldn’t have noticed how distraught she was. Without another thought, the ginger boy got up from his seat and followed her into the corridor.

“Y/N, wait up!” Fred called out, not quite sure what he was going to say to her. The Slytherin girl slowed down, waiting for her friend to catch up.

When it came to his and Y/N’s relationship, there wasn’t a lot they wouldn’t talk about, but Y/N’s relationship with Adrian was a conversation that was often avoided. Y/N knew how Fred felt about Adrian, so she made an effort to keep the two as separate portions of her life.

“Hi, Fred,” Y/N’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes glossy.

Fred winced. Up until she had started dating Adrian, Y/N always called Fred by his nickname. When Y/N started dating Adrian she pulled away from Fred quickly. He could tell she tried to make everything seem normal, but it wasn’t.

“Is everything alright? You walked out of the Great Hall a bit fast.” Fred said. The pair were now sitting on a bench in the courtyard.

“Just… some stuff with Adrian.” Y/N said, knowing that there was no way that Fred would allow her to leave it at that. There was an ever growing vendetta that Fred had against Adrian, and him hurting Y/N would probably be the worst thing that the Slytherin could do.

“Listen, I know I’m not Adrian’s number one fan, but I’m still your best friend.” Fred said, hoping that Y/N would talk to him. It had been months since the two had chatted about anything of substance and he feared their friendship would fall apart if they kept avoiding each other.

Y/N went silent for a moment, weighing her options in her head. After a short while she looked at Fred and started, “Have you ever been in love?”

The question completely caught Fred off guard. He wasn’t exactly sure what he expected Y/N to say, but that wasn’t a question he was prepared to think about.

Sure, Fred had dated around during his time at Hogwarts, but the only person he had ever really loved was Y/N. It wasn’t something he had ever wanted to talk about with her, particularly because he didn’t know how great he would be at concealing his emotions. How terrible would it be for him to confess it to her while she was in a relationship?

Fred nodded, “Yeah, I’ve been in love before.”

“How did you know? What did it feel like?” Y/N asked, looking genuinely curious. Was Y/N truly asking him about this?

Fred looked at her incredulously, speaking once more, “Honestly, love, I think it's different for everyone,” The look on Y/N’s face was unreadable as Fred continued, “for me, I just knew.”

Y/N let out a deep sigh, “I feel like it’s all moving too fast.” There she goes again without any elaboration.

As Fred continued to give her terse answers, Y/N decided she had to describe what she meant. She had never really been great at putting her feelings into words, but she’d try.

“Adrian told me he loved me last night,” Fred’s face faltered, “and I didn’t say a word back.”

Fred wasn’t shocked by the idea that Adrian loved Y/N. The pair had been together for nearly five months, and Fred knew from experience how easy it was to fall in love with Y/N. If anything, it was more of a shock to him that Y/N didn’t say it back.

“But you do love him, right?” Once again, Fred hoped that Y/N would say what he wanted to hear. It was cruel of him to wish that Adrian and Y/N wouldn’t work out, but he couldn’t help it.

“I do,” Dammit. Y/N continued, “but I don’t think I’m in love with him. You know?”

Fred understood completely. He had loved a few of the girls he had dated, but he never felt in love. There was always some sort of hesitation that he had.

“I... just feel like I’m trying to force something that isn’t there,” The frustration was evident in Y/N’s voice. “And I thought that maybe I just needed more time, maybe we were moving too fast, but honestly I just can’t feel the way that I want to about Adrian.”

“Do you think there’s a reason why you can’t love him? You wouldn’t stop talking about him during Christmas break.” Fred said, recalling Y/N’s happiness after Adrian had asked her to the Yule Ball.

“What do you mean? I don’t think I acted any differently about Adrian during break.” Y/N was confused. If anything, Fred was the one who had acted strangely during Christmas break.

“No, I definitely recall you acting funny,” Fred said as Y/N shot him a glare.”You ignored me for two weeks Y/N.” Y/N frowned, shaking her head.

Fred remembered the two weeks in vivid detail. Up until six months ago, Fred and Y/N were attached at the hip. That’s why Y/N’s sudden absence in his life stung. In some way it felt like Y/N had picked Adrian over Fred, but he didn’t know why.

“Fred, I did ignore you, but do you really not know why?” Y/N said.

Once more, Fred tried to remember the events leading up to Y/N and Adrian’s relationship, but everything seemed normal. Adrian and Y/N had always been friends. It wasn’t strange for friends to date.

Fred shook his head, prompting Y/N to tell him what had happened.

-

It was a week before the Yule Ball, and the cheeriness around the castle was gleaming. The Great Hall was decked out with garlands of tinsel. Mistletoe was hanging in all of the corridors. It was nearly impossible to be unhappy with how much light was around., but as Y/N had watched what felt like the fiftieth person get asked to the Yule Ball, she was feeling less than cheerful.

“Y/N!” Fred greeted, earning an adoring smile from the girl in front of him. She was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, as she had just been working on an herbology project with Neville.

“Hiya, Freddie, what’s up?” Y/N was excited. She and Fred had been spending a lot more time together recently, and she was convinced that he was going to finally ask her out.

Fred smiled, “I need advice. ” Y/N nodded, encouraging the ginger boy to continue, “if you were to get asked to say, a ball, how would you want to be asked?”

Y/N was practically exploding with joy at this point, but alas, Fred still needed an answer.

“Well, for me personally, I’m not fond of the huge gestures. I feel like if you really like someone then you should just… ask? I know that’s a bit boring, but I wouldn’t want everyone to be involved in my business, so public gestures aren’t for me.” Y/N was getting rambly, a clear sign of her nerves.

Before Y/N could ramble anymore, Fred was marching up the dormitory stairs, calling out a short, “Thanks, Y/N!” over his shoulder.

Although Fred’s behavior was strange, Y/N brushed it off as Fred being, well, Fred. The boy often did things that were unexplainable. It wasn’t until dinner that day that Y/N had realized why Fred had asked her about the ball.

-

“Y/N, c’mon what’s on your mind?” Adrian asked, poking his friend in the side. Y/N was staring down her plate, pushing around peas with her fork. After her encounter with Fred earlier in the day, she had been on edge. The ball was coming up quick, and at this point it was now or never.

“It’s nothing important, don’t worry about me.” Y/N had finally put her fork down, flashing a sad smile at the boy. Adrian looked suspicious, but as he opened his mouth to talk, the pair noticed commotion at the Gryffindor table.

George was ruffling Fred’s hair, and Ron and Harry were laughing. Fred had a smirk on his face, his cheeks tinged a pink color. Just as Y/N was about to approach Fred to ask what the deal was, Fred walked out of the dining hall.

“I’ll be right back,” Y/N told Adrian, before walking to the Gryffindor table to ask George about what was up.

“Hey, George, what was that all about?” Y/N asked as she sat.

“Oh, Freddie boy just asked Angelina to the Yule Ball!” George replied, causing the two other boys to start to laugh again.

Y/N muttered a “thanks” to George before heading out of the Great Hall. She nearly sprinted to the Slytherin common room, not wanting to have a meltdown in the middle of the hall. Y/N was convinced that Fred would ask her to the ball, and it stung like hell to know that he had asked someone that wasn’t her.

When she arrived outside the common room, Adrian was waiting outside for her. Without any question, Adrian outstretched his arms, embracing the teary-eyed girl.

-

“You wanted me to ask you to the ball!?” Fred asked, mentally slapping himself for being so clueless.

Y/N nodded her head yes, clasping her hands together. She thought she had been very obvious about how she felt about Fred, but it was clear he truly didn’t know.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I never meant to make you upset. Angie and I went as friends anyway.” Fred apologized. He hated seeing Y/N cry, and to think that he was the reason made his insides churn.

While Y/N had cleared up her pre-Yule Ball behavior, there were still a few questions that Fred had.

“Okay, but what does any of that have to do with Adrian? If you wanted me to ask you out, why did you start dating Adrian?” Fred asked, despite knowing how forward all of those questions were.

Y/N sighed, this wasn’t the part of the story that she was particularly proud of.

“Other than you and George, Adrian is probably my closest guy friend. After I heard about you and Angie, Adrian was the person who comforted me while I was crying. I think somewhere along the lines I got my feelings for him all confused…” Y/N trailed off.

“Adrian was sort of an escape from everything. I thought that if you were dating Angie it would stop whatever friendship we had going. It felt like I got knocked off of some weird pedestal.” Y/N’s explanation made some sense, but it didn’t explain why she wouldn’t just talk to him.

“Why didn’t you just talk to me, Y/N? We’re best friends.”

Y/N let out a soft laugh, “I sort of went down a rabbit hole when I stopped talking to you. I was embarrassed, and Adrian was sweet. But after it all, I think I was trying to emulate whatever feelings I had for you with him. I thought clinging to another person would stop my feelings. Clearly it didn’t work. It was just a bad time.”

From what Y/N was saying, Fred was hoping that this meant something for the two of them. But right now, Y/N was still with Adrian, and neither of them would ever do that to them.

“Y/N, you need to tell Adrian how you feel.” If the two were going to date, it had to be proper. Fred didn’t want to be some sort of secret.

“I did, that’s why I ran off actually. We broke it off yesterday, it was just a lot for me to be sitting with him today…” Y/N was slightly embarrassed.

“There goes your excellent communication skills again, why didn’t you start with that?” Fred teased, earning a groan from Y/N.

“Hey, the knife cuts both ways. If you had just said that you were asking Angie to the ball I would have never gotten my hopes up!” Y/N quipped back, intertwining her hands with Fred’s.

Fred sighed happily, “Is there any chance that you still feel the same way about me?” Fred was sure he knew what she’d say, but this situation had proved the two needed to talk more.

Y/N laughed, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “I’m all about you, Freddie.”

[lloydskywalkers]

Heyo! Hope your doing exceptionally well, wonderful and ur staying safe! I was reading ur little oneshots for the movie! Verse and instantly fell in love! Think u have anymore for Kai and Lloyd? (But u don’t need to listen to this, obviously hehe) Have a splendid day!

ahhH thank you, I hope you’re doing well too!! :D oh man it’s been so long since i’ve written something for movie-verse, but I’ve had this little snippet in my head for a while so I guess it’s as good a time as any (and it is, of course, about kai and lloyd bc when is it noT)

it’s a little different than what i usually write, for movie-verse? but i hope it fits the bill! (takes place pre-movie, btw)

Of all his friends, Lloyd thinks Kai is most like the sun. Not just for his codename, and the enthusiasm with which he brings fire to the team, metaphorically and far too often literally, but for how bright he is. Kai reminds Lloyd of the sun at full force, strong and blazing and staunchly refusing to let anyone hide from his warmth. An endlessly combusting ball of stubbornness and passion.

Kai also reminds Lloyd of the sun in the way that he possesses about the same amount of brain cells the sun does, which is zero, because the sun has no brain — much like Kai.

“Hey, ru—de, ow, stop—”

Kai’s petulant response strangles off in cracked pain as Lloyd hushes him, simultaneously pulling the alcohol-soaked cloth from his arm with a sympathetic wince.

“Sorry, sorry,” Lloyd murmurs, wringing the edge of the cloth. “But I’ve gotta — it’ll get infected, if you don’t—”

“Nah, s’okay,” Kai says, breath hissing out through clenched teeth. He gives Lloyd a wavering smile that could almost be encouraging, were he not bleeding over Lloyd’s faded bedspread. “Just caught me off guard, I’m good now. ‘Sides, the — the stitches are gonna be worse, so—”

“It won’t be that bad,” Lloyd promises him, cleaning the rest of the deep slashes that run across Kai’s arm as quickly as he can. The lower ones aren’t so bad — he could get away without stitches, maybe. It’s the uppermost one that scares Lloyd, cutting deep enough into Kai’s skin to pose a threat. And Lloyd has no intention of leaving Kai anywhere near in danger, especially with the reason he’s hurt in the first place.

Lloyd swallows against the thick lump that suddenly forms in his throat, trying to banish the flood of emotions that have been rising since the battle against his father’s forces earlier. Surprise, shock, gratitude—? A swirling maelstrom of a deep-seated kind of aching warmth Lloyd is utterly unfamiliar with. It leaves him off-kilter, and words don’t come easily as they usually do.

Not that words ever come easily to Lloyd, but normally he isn’t quite this stuttering. Maybe. He hopes not. Maybe he’s just hyperaware right now, after everything, and he always sounds this embarrassing.

“I promise,” Lloyd continues, yanking himself from his thoughts as he busies with the needle. “I’ve got a lot of experience, and I’ll be gentle.”

Kai watches Lloyd threading the needle with a thinly-veiled fear, but he nods, the bravado Lloyd’s more familiar with making its way across his face. “Nice,” he says. “I trust you, Dr. Lloyd.”

Lloyd’s hands falter with the needle for a moment, before he resumes sterilizing it, ducking his head. Kai sounds like he means it — Kai sounds like he means everything he says, but the way he says trust hits differently, for Lloyd.

They’ve only been a team for few months, now. Not very long at all, to form any kind of trust in the son of your greatest enemy. Lloyd’s been going to school with some of the same people since kindergarten, and they’ve never looked at him with anything kinder than hatred, much less trust. And yet Kai is here, offering him his bleeding arm in Lloyd’s tiny room, trusting him to repair the damage he only took because he was protecting Lloyd.

Lloyd doesn’t understand. He doesn’t — people don’t — but his team—

They listened to him. Actually listened to him, to Lloyd. They actually listen to him in general, have since they were all thrown together in this odd little grouping, but it hasn’t quite hit home in the way it did tonight, when he’d snapped orders at them in barely-restrained panic, Kai’s blood staining his fingers as he’d staunched the knife wounds meant for him.

They hadn’t flinched back at his raised voice. Lloyd never raises his voice — he’s learned to keep it quiet, soft, unassuming. Even the slightest slip of frustration is enough to send anyone around him murmuring in suspicion, eyes narrowing and hissed whispers of just like his father filling the air.

Lloyd’s voice had been sharp and strained, barking across the rooftop, and they’d listened. No one flinched back, no eyes widened in fear — they’d just listened. They’re still listening, carrying out Lloyd’s orders without question, and it’s — it’s dizzying, if Lloyd had to put a word to it.

Cole and Zane are taking care of clean-up — something Lloyd will have to thank them for later, profusely. Neither were particularly happy about letting Kai out of their sights, but Cole and Zane are better at keeping each other steady than anyone else. It was the right call, Lloyd knows it was. Hopes it was.

But Lloyd hasn’t been having much faith in his calls, tonight. Not after Kai went down.

He swallows, focusing on the sounds reverberating from behind his closed door. Nya and Jay are talking with his mother, Nya’s louder tones easier to hear as she laughs. Lloyd knows her well enough to catch the strain in it, but he knows it’ll fool his mother. They’re distraction — Lloyd’s house was closest, and he’s got the best supplies stashed there. No one questions why he’s the one with the fully stocked medical kit, but Lloyd suspects they’ve all drawn their own conclusions.

He wishes they’d believe him, when he says it’s because he’s worried for them. He grew up with Wu as his uncle, who picks fights on a daily basis — with Morro as his cousin, who picks fights on an hourly basis. Lloyd knows the importance of having the good kind of medical supplies.

He finishes prepping the needle, squeezing Kai’s wrist briefly in warning. Lloyd’s not usually a tactile person — not that anyone would let him be — but he knows Kai soaks up touch like a starved sponge, and Lloyd’s desperate to give any kind of comfort he can before he starts with the needle.

Kai swallows, fixing his eyes firmly on the faded glow-in-the-dark stars plastered across Lloyd’s ceiling.

“Okay,” he says, his voice tight. “Bring it on.”

Lloyd swallows, steels himself, and sets the needle against his skin. Kai flinches at the first prick, eyes squeezing shut briefly, but otherwise he doesn’t move, jaw set stubbornly as Lloyd moves quickly. For his part, Lloyd keeps his eyes locked on the stitches, his hands steady. For all that Lloyd’s made up of bouncing nerves half the time, his hands rarely shake. Never when patching wounds up. He’s always been proud of how steady he can hold a needle, and tonight is no exception.

It’s the least he can do.

Kai suddenly tenses up, a broken-off noise strangling in his throat. Lloyd’s heart twists, but he stays steady, rallying himself. Conversation — Kai likes talking, right? Distraction, he can do that.

“So, um,” Lloyd stutters. On second thought, he’s awful at small talk. But — for Kai. “The way you took down that last guy was, it was really cool. Where’d you learn that?”

Kai bites his lip, exhaling shakily before he answers. “I train too, you know.”

Lloyd’s mouth quirks, despite himself. “Not like that.”

“What, a ninja can’t — can’t get creative,” Kai replies, through half-gritted teeth. Lloyd doesn’t say anything, but Kai rolls his eyes, continuing. “Fine. When I was younger, I ah…might’ve taken a few dance classes. For Nya! ‘Cause I couldn’t let her go alone, y’know, but they were — they were kinda fun, I guess, and maybe they slip into fighting, sometimes.” His cheeks darken, and Lloyd bites back a quiet laugh.

“Nothing like Cole, obviously, ‘cause he’s an actual dancer, but — that’s where I got it from.” He pins Lloyd with a glare, that’s somewhat dimmed by the scrunched expression of pain on his face. “Tell anyone and you’re dead though, okay?”

Lloyd hums his agreement, too focused on the stitches to reply immediately. After a moment, though, he speaks up again. “I did some ballet, when I was little.”

“No way,” Kai says, sounding delighted.

“Yeah, way,” Lloyd says. “I’ve heard from a very reliable source that dancing backgrounds are useful, with ninja stuff.”

“Very reliable meaning your uncle,” Kai grins.

Lloyd shrugs. “Maybe,” he half-smiles. Kai suddenly sucks in another pained breath, but to Lloyd’s relief, it’s likely the last one. He finishes off the stitches with a well-practiced hand, snapping the end of the thread and exhaling in relief.

“There. All done.”

Kai’s eyes widen. “Seriously, already?” He glances down at his arm, his other hand moving up to touch the stitches. Lloyd smacks it away, glaring at him.

“Don’t touch. You still have to watch out for infection. I’ll text you instructions for taking care of it, and everything. Just don’t do anything, ah…”

“No ninja-ing?” Kai finishes for him, crestfallen.

“Probably a good idea,” Lloyd says, apologetic. “But it’s not too bad. Shouldn’t take long, and you can be out, uh, ninja-ing again."

Kai is quiet for a moment, regarding his stitches. Then he turns to Lloyd, who is immediately staggered at the bright smile that stretches across his face.

“Cool. Thanks, Lloyd. You’re good at this.”

Lloyd can’t answer, his throat burning. He forces the welling moisture back, looking away. Kai’s only hurt for him, and that is layered with so much more meaning than Lloyd can comprehend right now.

“No problem,” Lloyd mutters, focusing instead on the voices outside his door in an attempt to find footing again. He can hear his mom laughing at something Nya’s said, open and relaxed in a way his mom rarely is. Lloyd’s heart twists into knots.

He doesn’t deserve them, any of them. Not really.

If Kai reminds Lloyd of the sun, then the rest of the team reminds him of stars. All bright and shining, bursting with warmth in their own way. Maybe not quite at the blazing heat that Kai does, but Nya is a north star if Lloyd’s ever needed one. Jay’s a blinking constellation, scattered stars that form a complex whole much larger than you’d thought. Cole’s the kind of star you see first pop up over the horizon, blending with the oranges and purples of the sunset, like a painting you’d see in soft watercolors. Zane’s the early-morning kind of star, the ones that stay stubbornly after the night’s left, dotting the pale morning with a calm steadiness.

Lloyd would be a planet, he supposes, caught in faithful orbit around the five people who have somehow, for some reason, given him a chance. It’d be generous, though. No, Lloyd is content just to be a moon — with no light of his own, reflecting only the brilliance others give him the best he can.

Kai’s finger taps the edge of his forehead, snapping Lloyd from his thoughts, and he blinks in confusion.

“Lost you there, again,” Kai asks, words mangled through a yawn. “Where’d you go?”

Lloyd shakes his head, turning his attention back to the bloodied thread leftover in his hands. His stomach turns, and he quickly sets it aside. “Just thinking.” He pauses, momentarily lost for words. He settles for jerking his head toward the window, where the smoke trailing from their hard-won battle is still visible against the dark sky, and gives Kai a wry smile. “How much do you wanna bet the cheerleading team comes up with a new song tomorrow?”

It’s been an inside joke for them, the ridiculous songs Chen and his gang keep coming up with to throw at Lloyd, and normally it gets a laugh from Kai. This time, though, Kai is silent, his eyes searching as he stares at Lloyd. Lloyd shifts under the attention, caught off-guard again. He doesn’t know what kind of look this is, that Kai’s giving him.

“They shouldn’t talk about you like that,” Kai finally says. His voice is quiet, but Lloyd can spot the brewing anger in it. Kai’s always got anger to spare.

“Sticks and stones, remember?” Lloyd shakes his head. He’s learned, after a while, that anger changes nothing. “Words will never hurt me.”

“Words hurt when people are throwing sticks and stones at you while they yell about your dad,” Kai grumbles.

“No one’s thrown rocks since second grade, actually.”

“Hm.” Kai’s tone is a mix of thinly withheld anger and mild amusement. Lloyd tilts his head, confused, and Kai gives a huff, anger tugging loose.

“Y’know, people say that if kids throw rocks at you in second grade, it means they’ve got a crush on you.”

Lloyd knows well enough it’s a joke, but he flushes red anyways, heat spreading across his cheeks. “Yeah, sure,” he stammers. Kai laughs at his reaction, though, the odd kind of anger departing, and Lloyd feels he’s found his footing again.

They’re quiet as Lloyd finishes cleaning up the medical supplies, Kai nodding sleepily on his bed while Lloyd carefully washes the needle in the bathroom sink. Maybe he can convince his mom to let Kai spend the night, he thinks. Jay and Nya , too — their apartment isn’t very big, but it’s awfully late to make them walk home, and Lloyd is fine with taking the floor, if he needs to.

Lloyd nods to himself, resolving to ask her once he’s finished hiding the evidence. His mom’s been so thrilled about him having people over at all, he can’t see her saying no. A smile pulls at his lips as he listens to the conversation outside his door again. Jay’s rambling on now, bright and excited without any of his usual reservation. He feels a pang, wondering if Jay’s the same as him — wondering if they’re all the same, playing at muted caricatures of themselves, too fearful to let whatever lies beneath shine through.

He wonders what it means, that they’re the ones with the city in their hands, that weight on their shoulders. Wonders what it means, that Lloyd feels safer with bullets strafing the air around him and his mask on, than he ever has with it off. That Green Ninja will always, always sound better than Lloyd in his ears.

“Hey, uh.”

Lloyd starts at Kai’s voice, twisting the sink off as he turns to face him. Kai looks half asleep, but the smile he gives him is bright as ever.

“Thanks, seriously. Not just for this, but for looking out for us. You’re a good friend.”

Lloyd’s heart skips a beat, his brain latching onto the word friend and holding on tightly, tucking it somewhere safe inside his chest.

“So thanks, Lloyd,” Kai yawns, barely awake at all now, but still stubbornly clinging to the threads of awareness.

Lloyd’s got his own thank you to give back, twisted and strangled behind whatever lump’s formed in his throat, but Kai’s snoring before he gets the chance to say it. So Lloyd tugs the edge of his comforter over his friend — his friend — instead, and runs the words over in his mind again and again, like a treasured line from a book.

On second thought. Maybe Lloyd isn’t so bad. He’s only ever liked his name the way his mom says it, without any of the snapping, harsh emphasis others give it. In others’ mouths, Lloyd’s name is a curse. In his mom’s, Lloyd’s name belongs to a person.

But he thinks, maybe, he likes the way it sounds when his teammates use it, too.

[nukenai]

idk just some shower thoughts ranting about my experiences with my gender identity & body growing up and how Weird it was. I try very much not to be like Listen To My Cis Feelings About Shit! but, idk maybe it’s stupid to say but I deeply struggled with my body for most of my life so it’s just kinda about that

growing up I always had long hair because I was told I looked like a boy with short hair. I was into typical “boy things” and people would wonder why I wasn’t More Of A Girl.

This will get only slightly TMI but I like. Did not hit puberty?? Idk. Like when I was 15 or 16 I finally got my period, and my face started breaking out absolutely nonstop until earlier this year, but I literally never experienced Body Changes. I am completely flat chested. I don’t have wide hips. I never “developed”. ~*Biologically*~ I’m female but I always felt ugly and misshapen because I never got an Adult Body like everyone else around me.

I was... bullied a lot for it. Kids in my one science class in high school hand-wrote me a letter telling me that my clothes were ugly and there was something wrong with me for wearing them (a t-shirt and jeans). They asked me, graphically, if I was secretly a boy because my body didn’t look like a girl’s and I didn’t have boobs. My own mother bought me padded bras because “You need to have a little something”, and would angrily ask why I didn’t want to wear makeup to “look better”.

I felt so awful about my scrawny, non-shaped self that I only wore t-shirts and jeans with light hoodies for my entire school life. A couple times I would wear dresses at dances and stuff and people were shocked that I even owned things like that.

I didn’t NOT want to be a girl or anything. The opposite. I wished I was prettier and could wear nice things, but nice things didn’t look good on my body. I wanted to be a beautiful princess but I just wasn’t beautiful and no one wanted to look at me. I never had any boyfriends or anything in school because no one was interested in me, remotely. Not a single person ever expressed real interest in me and while I didn’t particularly WANT a relationship, it really... hurt my feelings that no one would even be interested. My mom told me she felt that I “missed out” for not having boyfriends in school and pressured me into a “relationship” with a friend that expressed a crush on me post-high school, that lasted for 2 weeks bc I was miserable. We are still good friends and everything is fine now. [I am also still good friends with every person I was in a “real” relationship with as an adult but I have realized it is Not For Me because I am unable to really reciprocate Romantic(tm) feelings and I really, really hate being touched a lot of the time! I like hugs! But skin-on-skin contact, even like, hand-holdilng, is extremely uncomfortable to me and being kissed repulses me! Even on the cheek, man. Even by family. I’ve really offended family members my entire life, mostly my mom, because of this. She would always touch me and kiss me without permission and it has just ALWAYS upset me. Sorry mom.]

Only in college did I start trying to wear clothes that made me feel nice. I wore a floor-length skirt to a writing class one day with a nice blouse I had. My professor got distracted in the middle of saying something because he was so surprised to see me dressed nice - it was a nice day out and he said I was dressed like a “spring flower”. Everyone in the class started very kindly commenting that I looked really nice and seemed happy and they hoped I’d wear clothes like that in the future because I always seemed gloomy when I wore just hoodies and jeans.

Idk when the switch really happened. After my mom died I guess. I cut all my hair off and now I can’t stand it being past my shoulders. I realized that I wasn’t in high school anymore so nobody gave a shit if I looked weird in clothes, I should just wear what I wanted. I started wearing shorter and shorter skirts and dresses on hot summer days, and I realized it was really nice to wear clothes like that. I didn’t just have to stare at them in the store anymore.

I have the same body I did when I was 15. I weigh the same. I never got any boobs or hips or anything. But something changed when I became an adult and I started buying cute dresses and short-shorts. I’m 30 now and I still wear my tiny dresses and skirts. But also I wear my graphic tees with my jeans and either way I feel great. I sorta came to terms with this being My body and it doesn’t matter what other people think. I don’t love it... not yet. But, I finally actually love being a girl.

I’ve seen “gender euphoria” discussed as exclusively a trans topic and I never want to overstep. But I’ve endured 15+ years of severe, what I could really call dysphoria, over just... what my body was. I didn’t know what i wanted it to be, but it wasn’t THIS mess. And now, at almost 31, I’m finally kind of happy in my skin. I finally got treatment for my breakouts - at 30 - and even though I’m covered in scars, I feel like I’m finally taking ownership of my body.

So idk like I said this is just ranting about my own personal experiences. Again I absolutely don’t want to overstep or be like “yeah I totally get what it’s like to be trans” bc I don’t and never will. But it makes me just sort of think, I’ve come to really be able to like myself and my expression of myself. Why wouldn’t I want that for my trans friends? And even people who aren’t my friends? I think it’s an amazing feeling that took way too long for me to find, and everyone should be able to feel like this, whether they’re wearing dresses or jeans or short-shorts, man who cares.

I also don’t get periods anymore due to the birth control I’m on for a medical condition, so I get so extra weirded out by fucked up TERF shit degrading ~*Womanhood*~ down to biological functions and body structure. Like, I don’t have breasts, or wide hips, or a menstrual cycle. But I’m a woman and I know I am. This whole “Define a woman” shit is so bizarre because why should we have to? How about we let people define themselves?? I don’t feel threatened by transwomen because I think everyone should be able to enjoy finding themselves like I did. I know all TERF shit is just lies and posturing and making shit up because they’re insecure psychopaths anyways. And I might be a slight psychopath but I’m not insecure about who I am. And someone defining themselves as a “woman” in a way that’s different than me is kind of none of my business! I just. I guess I literally don’t care how other people are defining/presenting/etc themselves because it’s not? Me? I just want other people to be happy in themselves because I know what it’s like to be MISERABLE in myself, and it’s feels like being trapped in a nightmare. And having other people torment you because you’re not Their Idea of whatever you should be... it’s awful. Fuck it and fuck them.

Too many people have asked me “have you gotten your hormones checked?” when I tell them I’m AroAce, and I don’t feel like explaining that lack of sexual attraction =/= lack of sex drive and my sex life or lack thereof is so profoundly none of their business. Sometimes I wonder, maybe I DO have some kind of hormone issue. But I also could not give less of a shit! I don’t care because I’m happy in who I am and my gender/sexuality stuff. I don’t care if there’s something “wrong” with me by dumb medical standards from boring people who think I should have 3 kids by now and ask me things like “are your parents sad you aren’t giving them grandkids?” Well, my mom died 11 years ago and my dad told me a while ago that he “doesn’t think marriage and relationships are for [him]” so maybe he’s Aro too! Bottom line: who cares mind your own business

Anyways I guess the tl;dr is. I can’t wait until the warm weather comes back, so I can wear my super short slutty little dresses that people would love to tell me I’m too old to wear. Sorry, can’t hear you over all the compliments I’m getting on my sick-ass Wind Fish tattoo! And my legs look fuckin nice, hell yeah! They’re nice legs! I ride horses and have moderate muscle definition exclusively in my legs! WHOO!

Also if you ever compliment my appearance, my clothes, or anything about me, I will remember it absolutely forever, and you have no idea how much it means to me. If you’ve ever said I looked nice or I’m pretty or you love my outfit, I remember it and it is such an important memory for me.

[purplylinos]

hiraeth ♡ lee minho

♡ genre; angsty, vv angsty

♡ pairing(s); gn!reader x minho ft. comforting chan

♡ word count; 1k

♡ description; hiraeth (n.); a homesickness for a home you cannot return to, or that never was.

♡ notes; i cried multiple times while writing this. lino is my baby don’t touch me:( starts below the cut! i don’t expect this to do well bc it’s so old but hhhh

“again?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. 

“y/n, i’m sorry. i really am, i can’t make it tonight,” minho’s voice came through the phone, a pang hitting your chest. you inhaled quickly, holding your breath before sighing quietly.

“it’s okay,” you mumbled softly, leaning back against the couch. “don’t overwork yourself.”

“of course. i’ll see you later.” a soft click hit your ear, signaling that minho had hung up. you let your cell phone fall from your hand, this was the third time that he had to rain check a date within two weeks. you understood that he was a busy person, but you had to admit it was a little annoying. he came home late, and left early. it was like you were losing him, and that wasn’t something you wanted to happen. puffing your cheeks out a bit, you sat up and grabbed a water bottle and a small box, filling it with random snacks your boyfriend could snack on while practicing. slipping into your shoes, you grabbed a sweatshirt off of the coatrack along with your car keys, making your way to the company.

the receptionist at the front desk greeted you warmly, “here to see him?” she questioned, tilting her head slightly. you nodded with a smile, giving a small wave before making your way down the hall, and into the main practice room. 

“min, baby? i-” you called out, pushing the door open. however, what you saw was far away from what you expected. instead of seeing your boyfriend focusing intently on the dance he was talking about only minutes earlier, some girl was sat on his lap, holding his headband in her hand, peppering kisses on his forehead. “minho?” you called out quietly, quickly catching the attention of the boy.

“love,” he started, panic flashing in his eyes.

“don’t fucking ‘love’ me,” you responded quietly, throwing the water bottle and box of snacks at his shoes. “what the hell is this?” you asked, eyes flickering between him and the girl. “this isn’t what i would call practicing,” you muttered through gritted teeth. “i really thought you were busy, that you had something to do with the boys. not sit here and cheat on me. to think that you told me ‘don’t worry’ or ‘my eyes are only set on you.’ i really bought that shit lee minho!” you could see him flinch at the usage of his full name. “to think that you’d stoop so low like this.” tears threatened to fall from your eyes as you backed up to the door. “don’t even bother coming home. your shit will be outside the door.” you threw the girl an icy glare before leaving the room, slamming the door behind you. you gained the attention of chan, who was coming in the front doors.

“y/n? are you okay?” he called out, brows furrowed. you turned to look at him, allowing your face to soften.

“channie,” you mumbled quietly, looking down. before you knew it, chan was making his way towards you, gently squeezing your shoulder.

“hey, come talk with me, yeah?” he offered, nodding his head towards his studio with a soft smile. you nodded and hid your face behind a sweater paw, hoping not to run into any of the other members in such a disheveled state. chan pushed the door open to his studio, guiding you inside with a soft sigh. “what happened? do you want to talk about it?” you immediately shook your head, fighting back sobs you knew would draw attention to chan’s studio. he closed the door behind him as he stepped inside, puffing his cheek out.

“and that’s okay. you know i’m here to listen to you, and if you don’t want to talk about something straight away, that’s okay too.” he smiled gently before reaching into his bag, offering you a water bottle. “sip on this and breathe. whatever it is that’s going on, it’ll all blow over eventually, and everything will be okay.”

“i wish i could say that i agree with you, i really do,” you mumbled, taking the water bottle from his hand and cracking it open. chan gave a sad smile before sitting down, pulling out his headphones. 

“if you need something, just tap my shoulder.” you nodded, laying on the couch behind him, staring at the ceiling. what did you just see, and why did you have to see it? your eyes burned with dryness, making you close them, and with that decision, you fell asleep rather quickly.

you could hear a faint knock on the studio door, waking you. yet, you stayed still and kept your eyes closed. you could hear chan move to open the door, minho’s voice instantly filling your ears. he sounded raspy and tired, as if he had been crying. you sat up and checked the time, realizing how late it was. pulling your sweatshirt down and rubbing your eyes, you got up and gently squeezed chan’s shoulder. “thank you for letting me chill out with you.” chan nodded with kind eyes, moving to let you leave the studio, yet you were stopped by minho.

“y/n, i’m so so-”

“no you aren’t,” you interrupted, sighing quietly. “did you really love me in the first place? did you ever cherish our memories, the countless nights we stayed up late? did you ever think about how many times i’ve stayed awake waiting for you to come home because of how worried i was about you? all of this has gone to waste because you were fucking around with another person.” minho’s ears were beet red, staring down at his shoes. “i can’t do this anymore. i can’t say ‘i love you’ to someone who doesn’t feel the same way.” you finished quietly, pushing past him and leaving the company.

you left his stuff outside of your apartment along with the promise ring he had given you months back, and resorted to hanging out with the other members separately rather than all together in a studio or practice room. you didn’t want to see his face ever again, and although it pained him to do so, minho silently agreed with your decision.

[floweryavenue]

Ugh, so, I don't even know if anyone is actually gonna read this, and I'm not really the one who would participate in fandom very actively (I was always a passive observer, liking other's people content), but the stuff with the leaks of the extra 8 pages of snk ending has been really bothering me for the last few days, and I really need to get a few things off my chest.

I really wanted to wait till 9th June to form my full thoughts. However, since basically all pages have leaked anyway and quite a reliable source confirmed there is basically no additional context to them whatsoever, I decided I might as well write this anyway and vent somewhere to clear my head so I can finally move on with my life to focus on other things I like and with other important irl stuff. Moreover, since Tumblr seems like a reasonably safe space to do so (comparing to one hell of a Twitter...) I might as well do it here. So, let's go.

So, basically, my main problem with those pages is simply that... you just don't do that. No. You don't release an ending, make people think it's really the end, then say you're gonna release a few additional pages that won't change anything but simply clarify some things, and then, two months later, release these pages indeed but not only they don't actually clarify anything, but in fact, create even more plot holes. Furthermore, as a cherry on top, they change the ending quite completely. If those pages had been included in the original release, most people, myself included, would've moved on by now. But noooo, make us go through this hell again. Great :))))

And as for the content of those pages, well... I can't help but feel they really did quite a disservice to Mikasa, one of my favourite female characters ever. My biggest problem isn't even that she 'moved on' (whatever that means at this point, coz I feel like fandom has been successfully managing to butcher that term ever since 139 has dropped) and started a family on her own because I'm fully aware that falling in love again after you first love died is an entirely normal thing irl. But ffs, we're not talking about irl here; we're talking about snk and Mikasa. And the thing that MAINLY bothers me, is the way it has been presented.

I'm not going to delve into the husband's possible identities, 1) I'm not interested at all in participating in any ship wars, 2) because we don't even get to see his face and sources say we indeed don't get any direct confirmation in that regard. Not that this matters anyway, because we get presented with Mikasa on the one hand staring her own family, but on the other, still continuing to visit Eren's grave repeatedly throughout her life and in the end, getting buried with a scarf on, her dearest remembrance of Eren, and maybe even getting buried next to him (even tho, the latter is still not 100% confirmed, bcs here sources are contradictory, but judging by the general mood of those pages, I'd not be surprised at all if it turns out to be the case).

That makes me think the whole family-stuff was used only to present the passage of time and the fact that Mikasa never fully got over Eren, bcs we don't see the family in any other context besides the visits to the grave. And that leads me to my other question - was introducing the family really NECESSARY, then? Couldn't Mikasa simply visit the grave with Armin, and maybe even with Armin, Annie and their kids? Idk about you, but that would make 100% more sense to me. Also, don't get me even started, how much in the wrong way it rubs me that Mikasa, the character who, as we know, always deeply cared about others, even strangers (Gabi, etc.), would just drag her husband, her children and grandchildren to the grave of her first love on which she had written 'my most beloved, my dear'? Do I really need to elaborate on how WEIRD that is?

But I guess that's on me for believing a male author would write a satisfactory conclusion to the main female character (not Mikasa touring around Hizuru, not Mikasa playing with kids at the orphanage, no! Forced family plot, instead! Take that!)

As of Eremika, aka my most cherished paring ever since 2014... I guess the only good thing in that mess is that at least it doesn't invalidate them. If anything, it validates them even more, because the stuff I've mentioned earlier prove their love was eternal and Mikasa never truly got over it. So, all in all, I'm gonna still cherish them forever. There are still many unexplored aspects of their bond, so I believe we, as a community, have a big room to explore (pls, I'm begging you, explore with me all the possibilities of their four years in the cottage in the mountains, I swear, that sh!t has so much potential it's unbelievable).

As of Paradis getting destroyed, well, that leaves me bitter, even though after doing some thinking, that really might be the least out of place thing in those pages. At least according to sources, it happens when Mikasa is already dead, so at least Eren's wish of giving his friends long, secure lives came true. However, that would be it.

And as of titan's power still being there and some kid apparently finding the source of it... this just screams 'sequel-baiting', AND I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT. That's it.

To end my definitely too long rambling, I just wanna say, I really would have liked to wait till 9th June to publish my thoughts, but as I've said, those last few days have been driving me crazy and I really wanted just to get all of it off my chest and move on. I want for now to just focus on my irl things, like working on my master's thesis and other stuff giving me joy, like Eurovision next week coming back after 2-years-absence due to pandemic. Eurovision is one of the few things that I love, and I intend on fully enjoying it next week, not sulking on those leaks too much. And if by some completely unexpected miracle I get pleasantly surprised on 9th June (even tho I truly doubt it at this point) - that would be only a win for me, I guess.

Anyway, please remember, all that I have written here is ONLY MY OPINION, and if you disagree with anything, that's valid, you're completely entitled to that. I'm not publishing this to argue with anybody, only to clear my head. That's it.

If anyone has read this too long personal rant of mine - thank you, I'm kissing you on the forehead right now. 

Oh, and remember - EREMIKA IS CANON. And always will be (no, that one is not up for discussion). 

Also, we have that official High School AU, and Eren right now is quietly snoozing on Mikasa's shoulder during another Twilight marathon she made him to take part in, and Armin and Annie are dissing people together on reddit while bonding over their pretentious taste in music. That's canon, Isayama told me after I had phoned him to ask wtf.

PS To think I was almost sure those extra pages will be about Mikasa's reunion with the rest of the alliance... I guess it's time to put that clown make up on. 

[shapeshiftinterest]

mao mao heroes of pure heart halloween gift exchange

for @super-un-stable

wish list: fanfic, sky pirates, monster kidnapping sheriff’s department

pairing: slight orangumao

i wasn’t able to write it because i can’t write sky pirates, orangumao, or mystery genre but i tried to draw the capture scene 

overview (bullet points) for what basically happened under the read more

sky pirates ambush PHV Halloween festivities only to find the stalls are set up but nobodies there

while looking around (and taking a bunch of food n prizes n shit obviously) ramaraffe and boss hoss notice that ratarang’s missing

the remaining 3 sky pirates start calling for him, hear a noise, and turn around to see BC and mao arguing with each other and running in a different direction

OS calls out to taunt them but mao dismisses him saying that they’re too busy and that they’ll kick their butts later

irritated, OS and boss hoss run after them, not noticing that ramaraffe hasn’t said a word 

BC, mao, OS, and boss hoss come across a giant hole around the outskirts of the town

OS attacks mao but somewhere in the middle of their short fight, BC yells and the other 3 see him get lasso’d by spider silk and yeeted down the hole

mao does a dramatic ‘badgerclops, no!!’ + hand reach out before he jumps in after him, OS and boss hoss follow

mao and the sky pirates get ambushed by spiders, separating because they ran away via the monster’s tunnel system

sky pirate POV where they follow a spider that had a scrap of mao’s cape stuck to it, leading them to the main cave hollow

sweetiepies are stuck everywhere, ramaraffe and ratarang are also captured, geraldine must have fallen from where mao's struggling because she’s embedded in the floor under him

mao was the most recent edition so he’s not fully wrapped up yet, he -ugh- chewed through the spider silk as much as possible but his movements alerted the queen spider

anyways OS and boss hoss snap out of it, OS distracting the spider while boss hoss frees BC, mao, ratarang and ramaraffe with his gross egg cannon thing

the 6 of them free the rest of the sweetiepies and defeat the spiders, causing a cave in that BC also fills with some cement

mao thanks the sky pirates, OS is grossed out and only says he did it so he could defeat a legendary hero later

boss hoss, ramaraffe, and ratarang are happy but also sort of weirded out by the thanks

everyone returns to see the ransacked stalls from the beginning of the story and mao, BC, and adorabat (who just got here) force the sky pirates to help put some of the stuff back together and return the prizes, but let them stay for the party and try to re-win them

bonus:

adorabat already trick or treated earlier and was taking care of eugene cuz he caught a cold

yes the spiders have like, 3 mouths (mouth in a mouth on it’s back)

yes part of the reason mao was struggling so much to get free was because he was next to pinky

[itsmeevie01]

Bio!Dad Bruce Day 9- Last Name (Wayne)

ok, so, if youve paid attention, the you know that i can’t write dialouge for the life of me lol.so today…i bring you dialouge in the form of texting :)

Marinette didn’t make a big deal about who her father was. Of course, when she had just met the man, she had relied on her friends to help her navigate the tricky situation. Since then, the teen had gotten good at only saying what she needed to. Chloe knew. Nino knew. Kim ands Alix knew. Max knew. They all knew and didn’t bring it up. They knew that she had processed it and moved on. To her, Bruce Wayne was just her father. She didn’t talk about the money, or all the work her father did. Marinette made a point to just be herself, and not worry about what names were attached.

At school, of course, she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. On her ID? On her ID, she was Marinette Cheng-Wayne. Only those who needed to know knew. That how Marinette liked to keep it, at least, if she could help it.

When Marinette was 14, a new girl joined her class. The girl was sweet, if a little delicate. She said she had a lot of different injuries and conditions, but who was Marinette to judge? When the girl started to cling to one of the boys, Adrien, Marinette got a little worried. It wasn’t the end of the world, if he had offered to help, but he looked uncomfortable. When she mentioned this to Chloe, the girl had snarled. “That leech has been worming her way into his head. If you could hear what Gabriel was telling him to do- “her friend shook her head. “If I step in, want to help?” Marinette felt a smile crawl its way onto her face.

“gladly.”

Over the next few weeks, the girls watched what their new classmate, Lila, did. By that point, Nino had brought up his own concerns at fit far too well with theirs. Finally, Chloe decided it was time to take action. The blond stormed into the class and settled into her seat with a scowl. When Sabrina hurried over to join her, Chloe shook her head. Marinette took pity on the redhead and tugged the girl to the back of the class with her, whispering a quiet “watch”. When Nino and Adrien came in, Nino made his to the back, where he plopped down next to Kim. Alix and Max sat across the aisle, and all of them were ready for the explosion that was bound to happen. As Lila and Alya slipped in together, chatting and giggling over some story, the others exchanged glances. They had all been pretty close for years. Because of that, it was hard for others to join their group. The newest addition was Sabrina, and that was only because of her tendency to hang around Chloe. A ding on Kim’s phone drew the groups attention, making them all glance down at their own phones. In the group chat, Alix had sent a video linked to the LadyBlog.

Alix: saw this, this AM. Might be worth looking into. (video attached from the LadyBlog, Titled The Secrets of the Wayne Family)

Mari: wtf

Mari: what is she trying to do

Mari: her ass will get lawyered so fast

Max: she obviously hasn’t thought this through

Kim: is she claiming to know them????

Chlo: oml

Chlo: SLANDER

Chlo: please Mari, please tell me that she doesn’t know your family?

Mari: I mean

Mari: she might? But I think her family name would have come up when Tim and I were planning world domination if she did.

Max:!

Mari: don’t worry, its been put on the back burner. Dad has a new kid that keeps trying to stab Tim w/ a Katana lol.

Nino: Mari, aren’t you supposed to go visit soon? Maybe you should just stay here, dudette.

Chlo: ITS SHOWTIME

The friends hurriedly stowed their phones away and returned their gazes to the front of the room where Lila had approached a confused Adrien. The boy had been deposited next to Chloe in the first row, confusion evident in his green eyes. The Italian girl leaned over the desk, trying to garner as much attention as possible. “Adrien, why don’t you come sit with me? I was hoping you could help me keep up with the lesson.” The dangerous flash of her eyes was so fast that most would have missed it. Marinette narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It looked like Chloe hadn’t been exaggerating about what was going on behind the scenes. Moving before things could get out of hand, Marinette skipped down to the desk.

“I can help, Lila! Literature is one of my favorite subjects!” the anger that glowed behind Lila’s eyes was worrying, but Marinette wasn’t worried. She grabbed the other girl by her elbow and tugged her towards the seat the brunette usually occupied. “I’m sure that Alya wouldn’t mind sitting next to Sabrina!” as Marinette settled into the new seat, Lila folded herself onto the bench and pulled out her notebook, shunning her new seatmate. As Marinette got her own supplies ready, she mentally prepared herself for an hour of clod anger directed at her.

After the bell rang, Marinette slowly started to collect her things. The girl next to her was moving faster than the noirette expected. For a girl who was supposed to a wrist injury, Lila sure wasn’t trying to avoid the pain. Shaking her head, Marinette finished collecting her stuff and went to join Chloe where she was waiting at the door. As they linked arms, Marinette realized that there was a sharp voice behind her, crying. “Oh Alya, it was awful! Marinette wouldn’t answer any of my questions, and told me that if I didn’t understand it, I should keep my mouth shut!” Chloe sniggered next to her and strode away towards the lockers, pulling Marinette with her.

“Honestly, Mari? I wish you had told the brat to shut up, maybe then she would be scared of you.” Marinette rolled her eyes at her best friend.

“your only scared of me, because you’ve seen me with Tim, and know that we already are on the path to world domination.” Chloe shook her head and closed her locked with a soft thud.

“Mari, you are worse than all of your brothers, simply because you don’t use your fathers name to back you up. If you did that, then you would have the same royal brat rep I do.”

Chlo: so, is anyone going to put a stop to the liar’s yapping?

Adrien: wait what? Chloe, who are the other numbers?

Chlo: Adrien, please.

Chlo: do you really not have these numbers saved already?

Nino: yeah dude, that’s a little mean

Mari: lol yeah, I’m insulted, Adrien!

Adrien: Wait, Nino?

Adrien: who…is in this chat?

Alix: Me!

Max: Markov and myself

Kim: and me, man

Adrien: that…doesn’t help.

Chlo: oh honesty!

Chlo: you idiot, its Mari, Nino, Max, Alix, and Kim.

Chlo: you are Ridiculous

Chlo: UTTERLY RICICULOUS!

Mari: Chloe, chill. I don’t think he’s been in one of our…unique chats before.

Max: affirmative. Adrien usually spends time with Nino, Alya, and Lila if he isn’t with Chloe and Sabrina

Chlo: back to the topic at hand!

Chlo: the brat has to stop

Mari: I mean…she hasn’t done anything we can stop her with yet.

Nino: we need solid proof

Alix: are we just going to forget this AM? (video attached from the LadyBlog, Titled the Secrets of the Wayne Family)

Adrien: is someone going to tell me what’s going on?

Mari: we can’t drag them into this, Alix. it’ll make it worse, not better.

Alix: M, are you sure? we could shut her up real fast. Your fam, mine, Chloe’s?

Max: theoretically, it would be the path of least resistance.

Mari: THEY ARE A LAST RESORT

Mari: I AM NOT LETTING JASON MOCK ME FOR THIS

Mari: bc that ass totally will.

Adrien: ok, but what’s going on?

Max: Lila is trying to use you to catapult herself to fame

Kim: haha yeah, its not going to work if we have anything to say about it.

Chlo: also, very happy Mari never brought Alya into the fold

Mari: fuck no

Mari: do you see the way that girl doesn’t research anything. She latches on and never lets go.

Nino: so, you’ve said, Mari. I still think your over exaggerating on that one, lol

Mari: lmfao

Mari: Nino, she thinks I have a crush on ADRIEN of all people.

Mari: sorry, Adrien, bc you’re my friend? But she latched onto something and won’t let it go

Alix: shit I remember that. She tried to get us to set the two of you up. Those plans SUCKED.

Mari: remember how I kept sabotaging them lol? She just thought that fate was against her

Max: logically, shouldn’t that be a sign that you two aren’t meant to be?

Mari: haha I wish. After that, she tried to set me up with Chat Noir.

Chlo: WAIT

Chlo: that’s what Lady Wi-Fi was about?

Mari: yesssssssss

Adrien: um…should I be concerned about this?

Kim: I mean…no? its normal at this point.

Max: Chloe, plan #3 might work for taking down Lila? We wouldn’t need Mari’s family to join in if we do that.

Mari: if that fails, I’ll call Tim.

Mari: but ONLY if #3 fails, and we can’t make say…#5 work.

Chlo: you got yourself a deal, Marinette.

When the group entered the classroom together the next day, Chloe and Marinette were chattering excitably together. Adrien and Nino were talking about something on his phone while Max was keeping sore for whatever competition Kim and Alix had going on. When Lila approached Adrien and tugged him over to her seat, the others tracked her movement wordlessly.

When Alya came in and found them watching, she smirked at them. “those two make a cute couple, don’t they? Lila was practically glowing earlier when she was talking about the date they went on last night.” The friends exchanged telling glances but otherwise brushed the girl off as they dispersed to their seats. As she made her way to the seat she had claimed at the back at the beginning of the year, Marinette paused by Lila’s desk.

“Lila, do you need help again today? I know that the topics we’re covering are a little difficult if you’re not familiar with them.” The brunette scowled up at her.

“sorry, Marinette, but you can’t really keep up with the help I need.” The smaller girl shrugged.

“I’m sorry that you feel that way, Lila. If you ever need help, feel free to ask.” as she made her way to her seat, Marinette could hear Lila say loudly

“She’s just jealous that I have connections like the Wayne’s and Jagged stone and she’s just a little miss nobody.”

Mari: fuck it, it’s on bitch. I’m calling Jagged and Clara. These are slander charges now.

Chlo: should I expect your family’s lawyers too?

Mari: hell no. Tim is a last resort.

Mari: dad’s friend tho? THEY are defiantly going to be getting a few phone calls.

Mari: hey Jagged, Penny. I have just a tiny question.

Penny: Marinette! We were getting ready to contact you! What’s going on?

Mari: what kind of slander would be bad enough to sue over?

Penny: why?

Mari: this (voice file attached. Label reads SeNd To JaGgEd ASAP)

Jagged: little lady…where did you get this?

Mari: I recorded it during class today

Jagged: this liar is your age?

Penny: Marinette, would you mind if I send this to our lawyers?

Mari: go right ahead.

Tim: so…

Tim: would you like to explain why Jagged Stone is ranting to B in the entryway about a “little lying brat” who is in his “favorite niece’s class?”

Mari: wat

Mari: idk what you’re talking about

Tim: Little Bit, you can’t possibly think he hasn’t name dropped you yet.

Mari: WHAT.

Mari: fuck

Tim: ummmmmm

Tim: WHEN DID YOU START CUSSING?

Mari: tim. Please remember who my brothers are.

Tim: OH neverminded

Tim: why didn’t you get me involved?

Mari: theres no reason for Marinette Dupain-Cheng to know the Wayne fam

Mari: also, we wanted to use #3 and #5 first. If they didn’t work (they are) we were going to rain fire lolz.

Tim: fine. When your ready for the power that comes with the name, lmk

Tim: aslo, I insist on being included in the planning.

Mari: also*

Tim: fuck off

Tim: I wan to be ready for whatever damage control might be needed with the press

Tim: also, I live the kind of chaos that you and Chloe create together lolz

When Adrien turned to Marinette during lunch that day, there was clear confusion in his eyes. “Mari?”

“what’s up, Adrien?”

“who was that guy…Tim? That Chloe kept mentioning?”

“oh? She didn’t tell you?” the blond shook his head, looking worried. Marinette smiled ruefully and sighed.

“he’s my older brother on my father’s side.” When Adrien furrowed his brow, Marinette elaborated. “My father lives in the United States and runs a big corporation. He spends a bit of time in the limelight, but he keeps us all out of the press.”

“the…Dupain family?” Marinette laughed before smoothing over her friend’s confusion.

“no, Tom is my dad, but Bruce is my Father. He lives on the east coast, and I spend most holidays and breaks with my siblings over there.” Adrien nodded and smiled at her.

“I guess that makes sense. Its really cool at you get to spend your time with both sides of your family like that. What is your father’s last name then? I don’t think I’ve heard it.” Marinette winced.

“My father’s last name is Wayne. Anywhere except school, I use the name Marinette Cheng-Wayne.”

ok, thats a wrap. for once, this could be read by itself with almost no context. this will fit intothe overall storyline, but i had to go back and set the stage (this) for when Mari is 15. here, its the begining of the school year that she turns 15. (her b-day is in April bc i want to mess wiht cannon even more than i already do.)