#she treats herself like my peer instead of my parent

[theiceandbones]

A while ago I saw a reel that said “I should be crying to my mom about a guy not crying to a guy about my mom” and it hasn’t left my mind since

[homicydlgoth]

you know what makes enid such a lovable character? she’s deceptively complex, and the specifics make her so fucking precious. LET ME PROVE MY THESIS.

when enid is first introduced in the show, we might be inclined to think that she’s merely a shallow representation of the polar opposite of wednesday—colorful, peppy, social, loud. but she’s so much more than just wednesday’s antithesis. and you see that from their very first interaction.

enid, clearly excited and optimistic about meeting her new roommate, rushes up to greet her with a huge smile and outstretched arms (already, a sign of her kindness). but the very second she realizes wednesday doesn’t want to reciprocate, she holds off. this might not seem like a big thing, but it’s extremely telling. for one, it shows us that before everything, enid respects wednesday’s boundaries. wednesday, who she doesn’t even know yet. and she continues to honor wednesday’s disinclination to hugs, repeatedly, until the final scene. it also indicates that she’s not ditsy or cluelessly abrasive like some other characters who share her disposition. enid is genuinely, thoroughly kind, and it’s striking.

however, as the scene continues and enid gives wednesday a tour of nevermore, it becomes clear that even though she is kind, she isn’t a one-dimensional people-pleaser. she doesn’t hesitate to give wednesday’s attitude right back to her. like when wednesday expresses annoyance over the name of the quad and enid tells her that “the whole snarky, goth-girl thing might’ve worked at normie school, but here, things are different,” and when wednesday shows disinterest in “participating in tribal adolescent cliches,” enid tells her to “use it to fill your obviously bottomless pit of disdain.” is enid sweet? yes. and is she (not so) subtly trying to impress her cute brunette roomie with her knowledge and interests? also yes. but what she’s not about to do is let wednesday sass her without matching her energy. it’s almost a playful kind of banter (i would say borderline flirtatious), and it’s one of the reasons wednesday is instantly drawn to her; enid isn’t afraid of her, or uncomfortable around her, or put off by her unfriendliness; instead, she’s able to interact with her in a way that keeps wednesday on her toes. this, combined with the way enid continuously respects her boundaries, is a dichotomy that wednesday finds irresistible, and it’s why she can’t not treat enid differently than everyone else. and it’s a big reason why she falls for her.

enid’s complexity only deepens when we discover that she can’t wolf out. we find out that she’s terrified of being alone, and as we get to family weekend, we see the dysfunctional dynamic she has with her parents. it becomes apparent that enid herself is a dichotomy; she presents herself to her peers as confident and bubbly and full of optimism, but the second she’s alone with her family, we see a glimpse of her truest self, who she is behind the mask—weary, sad, almost demure, responding to her mother’s criticism with a tired kind of acquiescence, “that’s me, a huge disappointment.” enid isn’t at all what we might have initially thought her to be, and to see her deal with not measuring up to her family’s standards makes her all the more authentic and relatable.

considering all of this, enid’s duplicity contextualizes her delicacy with wednesday in a way that is uniquely captivating. because enid has every reason to close herself off to other people, especially to her roommate who doesn’t even seem to like her, but she doesn’t. in fact, she goes above and beyond trying to befriend her—promising to keep her secret about nero, seeing her off with tyler at the harvesting festival, inviting her to multiple social events, expressing an interest in “bonding” when she took her dress shopping, organizing a birthday surprise for her, knitting her a snood in her signature colors, and even pulling one over on weems so that they could have a girl’s night out. so when she finds out that wednesday has deceived her, she’s rightfully upset and extremely hurt. during the fight scene, all of this comes out, and for the audience—much like for wednesday—enid’s anger is pain-inducing. we see the strength of her vulnerability in that moment, we see her reach the end of her rope, as it were, because deep down enid is just plain exhausted. and that’s what makes her really real. i see the humanity in her so clearly, and it makes me want to cry. it makes me want to reach through the screen and comfort her like wednesday couldn’t in that moment.

but as we know, enid comes back for wednesday. why? because even after everything, even after the betrayal and the snide remarks and the silence, she still wants to take care of wednesday. she still wants to be there for her, to protect her and be her friend. without waiting for an apology from the person who wronged her, she came back. and if that doesn’t make you love enid sinclair with all of your heart, nothing will.

[cowgirlcherrie]

after the storm. ⚡︎ florist! abby drabble

╰   * a/n: no plot for this either but rather a spin off on my headcanons ! just a little treat for my patient babis who were waiting for more ♡ in simple words this is about happy accidents. . .

song(s) — after the storm. kali uchis & tyler the creator , falling in love. laufey

3:40pm new york. 

Abby didn’t do love.

Although it would be nice and she yearned for it. She wished with the very small penny that she would find in her sage dickies, somewhere blanketed with an old mint gum wrapper and her brown leather wallet in her pocket. Tossing her very last penny into the Washington Square Park fountain wishing for a lover as considerate or even more than her. One to build flowers for and be her muse. 

One to make stockings with around the holidays where she would plant mistletoe around the house, using it as an excuse to merge lips with her lover; and to make floral centerpieces for the family dinners.

Was it too much to ask for?

Abby felt like a late-bloomed flower in comparison to her peers. They were going to wine and dining events with their partners, fancy yachts in the summer, and getting engaged. Everyone was falling in love around her whilst she fell behind and was tormented into watching. 

On this typical, almost mundane Saturday,  the rain flooded down the crevices of the tall buildings hugging the wood and brick of the apartments and offices. Golden Canary taxis beeping as passengers let out screeches rushing to the nearest hut under the rain. Abby stood frozen in her floral shop. Figure in front of the window pane, as she let out cracked whistles through her dry lips, hands in her pockets. The jingling of her keys almost matched the sound of how hard the rain came down. Rocking on her toes, to and fro. Abby being alone for the evening took a number. It was vacant around the shop, the smell of roses, chrysanthemums, and daisies merged together itching at her senses — she could feel a faint sneeze drifting up her nostrils from the dust in the vents. 

She liked the glass windows. Largely panned giving everyone a wide view into the small business, including herself who had gotten nosy at strangers on the concrete. She admired the different people that she would see. The couple where the girlfriend would beg her partner to buy them a bouquet or a rose; The children dug in the crates begging their parental figure for dandelions to make wishes. It was all too pure for Abby, making her heartache at how the flowers brought unity to everyone around her. It was innocent, lovely and made her love her job even more. 

Abby itched at the nape of her neck, swinging her braid to the back as she bolted outside in a hurry to bring the cart of flowers inside as the wind picked up; business was dying down now that people seek shelter instead of enjoying nature. Abby stuck her left foot out kicking the wooden stopper in the door, door chimes ringing as her hands gripped the cart of the flower display. 

Abby underestimated the rain, her body was instantly covered in droplets her black t-shirt clinging to her chest almost becoming uniform with her skin. Providing a roughed, sloppy kiss to every curve and outline of her tender body. Abby let out grunts as she pushed the cart inside having to do it all alone until she heard footsteps. Not slow ones, but rather rapid, almost like the sound of the motorcycles against the pavement, bikers revving up at the stoplight. 

You were in a hurry, and it seemed as though the day couldn’t get any worse. You wanted to cry and bawl up into your bed, holding the sheets so tightly as sobs flowed through you as the serotonin in your body decreased. Tears weld up in your eyes as you run through the city streets, an oversized blazer above your head with some distance as you used it to shield you from the rain. Why me? – you would cry out, thick lashes sticking to the sunken skin of your eyelids as your face grew puffier in tears. That was all you wanted to do. But naturally, you couldn’t find a way to win. Not only was it raining, wet wind smacking your face, but you were going to miss your train because you weren’t moving fast enough. You were through for the evening. Briefly, your running slowed down in front of a flower shop catching your breath, heaving as your hands lowered letting the rain wash over you like a fresh cold shower.

You lost.

And to confirm it, a black Sudan drove by; hitting a pothole, splashing murky rainwater onto your work outfit leaving you drenched and soaked furthermore. Blinking rapidly, a loud gasp echoed behind you, followed by a falling ceramic flowerpot that collided with beige concrete, the sound echoing like an ice machine. Making your head snap to your left seeing a just-as-wet figure, cursing under her breath as her hands gripped the edges of the table.

She seemed just as stressed as you were. Considering the flower pot on the floor with dirt smeared and washing away into the city drains like mascara on a wet face made you wince. Picking up the still intact flowers surrounded by the broken glass.

She looked like she could use some help.

“Hey!” you shouted, but your voice was low compared to the rain that was drowning you out, the girl didn’t answer steadily pushing the cart in between the long rectangular door. “HEY!”

She stopped moving the cart, lifting her eyes up from the cart in front of her. Her lashes were long – her face free of any makeup, a light dusting of rose across each cheek, contoured and sculpted edges, giving her a bronzy look under the summer solstice. It didn’t help that the rain was making it hard to see turning your vision into endless mush. The flowers behind her almost popped out and came to life…full bloom and kissable touch. You were stuck, still breathing…but heavily of course; you zoned out somewhere lost in her ocean of eyes, before snapping out of it at the sound of someone’s car alarm going off on the street.

her tattoos and soft face almost mocking each other at her inquires as a floral shop owner.

Everything got louder almost amplified. Obnoxious noises match your heartbeat. Her lips were parted as she eyed your wet figure up and down. 

“Let me help!” the both of you shouted at the same time. Followed by sweet sweet laughter amidst the rain. 

“No, seriously let me help” This time the woman in front of you was whispering, almost merging voices with the pellets of rain hitting the metal of the table. Blonde hair sticking to the sides of her face.

There was a silent agreement. You put the jacket you were using as an umbrella back on your arms, followed by locking your purse over your shoulder as you reached to the other end across from Abby lifting up the table with the count of 3. The two of you carry the table back inside, this time no spills.

You weren’t sure why but she was like a breath of fresh air, beautiful and in her own world almost as if the heavens planted her there for you to see. It was purely an accident that you stopped in front of the flower shop. Hell, you could have chosen Mimi’s Bakery or that’s vintage! Threading and clothing warehouse but your body chose  Lovestrung Florals. How glad you were that you did, new feelings brewing inside of you as your brain struggled to find the right words. 

The broken flower pot remained, in unity with the concrete hugging each and every crevice of the holes in between the rocks. Going unnoticed by both you and Abby as the two of you worked together, not even catching the single cream-colored rose that was deteriorating under the harsh application of rain. Drowning in water as the petals peeled off and ran down the sidewalk into the city drains, tainted with dark mud; changing like the seasons. The sun begun to peak out embedded through the grey clouds casting a bright glow haze on the busy Soho streets.

“Now let's get you inside, don’t need your beautiful self getting sick now do we?”

[theealluringstoryteller]

Against the world around us

The rewrite

Chapter 1

They say being happy over someone’s death says a lot about how you were treated by that person or it gives away what type of person you are. As Omorose sat at the head of her family’s table watching as the servant of her family’s estate sat around in the grand custom made chairs that lined the polished white marble table positioned in the middle of the spacious dining room. All talking with light expressions, no care in the world, no stress, no judgmental overbearing eyes peering harshly down at them with harsh comments and demands following close behind. Omorose thought herself to be cruel sitting there at the head of the table-her father’s seat without any one of sadness, remorse, or any feeling of lost. It’s been a week since the imperial navy knocked on the Fentress estate to give their condolences over lost parents that never loved her. The news of her parents being lost at sea never to be found shook her to her core but that feeling soon left like a sudden chill going down your spine and was replaced with the overwhelming weight of her parents standards and expectations lifting off her shoulders. The now official Baroness felt lighter. So much so that everyone has been commenting on how brighter she looked.

So as she Sat at the head of the table eating her second plate of what the chef prepared- a simple act that would’ve had her mother scowl and unapologetically torment for- the Baroness found herself in pure joy and contentment because instead of sharing the massive table with two cold hearted people she shared it with people who made her feel warm and safe to be who she really is.

“I don’t know how you’re going to survive the memorial tomorrow, Rosie.” Omorose’s old nanny commented after the head butler joked about how many suitors visited in such a short time span to give the same regurgitated ‘sorry for your lost’ speech hoping to be invited in to stay and comfort the ‘grieving’ gorgeous noble woman. No doubt those suitors would show their faces hoping to win over the Baroness.

“Suffer and wish for the day to end,” Omorose joked digging her fork and knife into the spot buttery scallop potatoes that side dishes alongside garlic roasted Brussel sprouts to the main dish: blacked salmon.

“There was a time when flirting with someone while they were in mourning was heavily frowned upon.”

“Back when morals were in standard practice” comes the house keeper to the stable hand.

“The younger generation!” Scoffed the head butler Malcolm who rolled his eyes as he brought his glass of wine to his lips.

“Don’t know what from what but always thinking they’re running the show”

“Don’t know what from what not always thinking they’re running the show”

The table chuckled at the duo as the Baroness smirked amused after she mocked the man who was somewhat a father figure when she needed it most.

“I don’t think we’re all that helpless,” added Omorose pushing her not finished plate away so she could rest her chin on her palm.

“Thanks to Nina,” Malcom pointed to the elderly lady who took care of Omorose soon after Amara gave birth “You were raised with morals and sense! Can’t say the same for the rest of your generation,”

“Hey! Exclaimed the Rhodes triplets. Mouths full of food causing the table to groan in disgust.

“Proving my point exactly - and under 5 seconds too."

“The older generation I tell ya!”

“Always so damn judgmental…” The second born continued.

“And their heads are always up their—”

“No respect, no dessert!” Nina scowled pointing her fork at the three boys who are thick as thieves among themselves. Her simple threat settled the trio quickly.

“Let me guess Ceci made their famously delectable cheesecake?

“The only way I knew how to calm everyone before tomorrow’s…festivities,”

Nina quickly follows the Baroness into her room asking “How are you really feeling, little rose?”

Omorose rolled her honey brown eyes at her fussing nanny

“My parents are gone and I’m officially the youngest Baroness in the imperial court. Expected to continue the support given by my parents to a war I never supported. On top of that I’m prey—more so now than ever to a bunch of ‘hungry’ men and women who only want to climb the empire’s social ladder while gaining a pretty little trophy wife they can have on their arm,” she listed of everything that plagued her while she kicked off her shoes and threw herself on the soft cushions of the sofa in her junior master bedroom.

“And because I’m an imperial woman I have to marry one of those oafs who doesn’t care about my brilliant mind and everything I stand for,” the gleaming light in her honey eyes faded as she meant on.

“No! They concern themselves with how to persuade me into their beds because they only care about how attractive I am in their eyes—it’s humiliating! Like I’m nothing more than my body,”

Sensing the sudden mood change Nina made her way over to the sofa moving Omorose so her head could lay in her lap. “You’re more than just beauty …You know that right?” Nina questioned tangling her thick callous fingers into Omorose’s thick soft curls.

“Well of course! But I don’t want to be with someone who is only satisfied because of my beauty but I must. It’s what we nobles do! Get married to people who doesn’t give a damn about us, become an alcoholic, have a child and then years down the line get lost at sea…”

“You’re not going to end up like your parents,” Nina assured

“Being in a loveless substance abusing marriage is the imperial way.”

Dinner plates classed as they were removed from the table. In the low light Rhett grabbed a hold of Aurelia’s hand stroking the back of it gently with his thumb. Seeing the soft gesture the ‘play boy’ of Intacia ‘awed’ before downing the rest of his drink. Rhett looked away from his wife towards his best friend,a soft smile on his face “what?”

Castin shrugged his shoulders pouring himself another drink “Nothin’… just wish I had what you two have …seems warm and I don’t know …fulfilling,”

“You?” Rhett began with a chuckle “You want to settle down? With a wife? Committing to only one person for the rest of your life? You?”

“Don’t think I can?”

“Honestly brother, you’ve built quite the reputation. I don’t think any Intacian woman would entertain you with the thought of marriage,”

Castin rolled his eyes at the mention of his infamous reputation “so I’ve had a load of experience and practice! At least she won’t ever be left unsatisfied ,”

“I think the fact that you’re the commander of the first army at your age trumps your…reputation. If anything you can marry one of those…what are they called?” Aurelia tapped her chin pretending to think. “Trash chasers!” She calls out with an amused smirk.

“Tag chasers? Nah they aren’t the marrying type,”

“And you are?” Aurelia retorted scoffing.

“Yes and I probably would’ve been if I wasn’t dealing with your fellow imperials—”

“We aren’t all bad—”

Yeah right! They only got lucky with you,”

“Castin!” Rhett cuts in with a warning tone.

“No Rhett,” Aurelia said quickly

“He has every right to feel that way. This war has made a huge impact on your’s and his life.”

“Glad one imperial can admit that—”

“I have a friend!" Aurelia cuts Castin off “she’s now officially an imperial Baroness who has spent countless hours and money in dedication of being a humanitarian for both her people and yours despite her parents—her late parents supporting the empire’s war with Intacia and despite all the negativity she faces from other imperials—”

“So she’s a decent human,” Castin shrugged not impressed.

“She’s given money and aid to Intacian villages—”

'

“The least she could do!”

Rhett grumbled under his breath knowing he couldn’t argue with Castin because he knew it was true. After the horrific things the Empire has done to Intacia money and aid was just touching the surface of what anyone of the empire could do.

-later that night-

“I’m sorry for Castin’s behavior tonight, my love,” Rhett apologized taking off his shirt.

“With this was I believe joking is a way he copes with the stress,”

Aurelia nodded silently accepting her husband’s apology.

“I want to invite Omorose here,” Aurelia stated talking a seat at her vanity.

“Imperials tend to be inactive during events like deaths. I just know she needs a breather,”

Rhett thought it over for a minute whether it was a god idea or not for a noble of her status to visit.

“Is it wise to have her here?”

“It can be for diplomatic purposes …please? We haven’t seen another in such a long time,”

The king couldn’t simply say no to such a simple request his wife made to see an old friend

“Wait until after this upcoming battle is over. I have a feeling this war is going to end soon.”

-The memorial-

The beach was decorated lavishly for the service of Baron and lady Fentress. The late couple’s daughter dressed pristinely as she was expected to do. A blank expression on her face as she sat front row zoning out at the speeches ‘closes’ friends of her family gave. Nina sat left off her as Lord Reyes sat right, the rest of her friends along with the families that knew her since forever sat in the other rows behind her. Omorose could only hope that once the funeral was over she could escape from the fake condolences and prying questions, back to her safe haven. Their gaze felt like spiders crawling all over her and she was forced to sit as they explored.

“Only an hour left bookworm,” Reyes mumbled slipping his hand into hers. Squeezing his hand trying to will herself to ignore the feeling of their eyes.

“Through Baron Kendrick and lady Amara are tragically gone they won’t be forgotten. Baroness despite being so young I know just like everyone who personally knew your parents know that they raised you to take over your family’s legacy,”

“Please! That girl is the down fall of the Fentress legacy. So covered with the welfare of those uncivilized pigs,” an elderly nobleman grumbles to one of his shared friends of the late Baron Kendrick.

“We need to gain control of it before she does something stupid,”

“I don’t see how! You mention the word marriage and she instantly ignores you,” The other old man rolled his eyes before saying “Shame she wants to be an old maid,”

“Ew!”

“I know!”

“Imagine! Anree scoffs loudly gaining the attention of the two and those close by " two men gossiping as if they are two bitter housewives jealous over the Baroness! Its like you've switched places with your scorned wives who know they lack your attention because it's on the Baroness. Wait—”

“Anree here isn’t the place—”

“That’s why you’re really upset! The Baroness won’t entertain the thought of ever being with you geezers …”

“You’re disgusting!”

“And you lack respect and decency,”

As the sunset flowers were passed around to toss into the ocean to say their final good byes.

Omorose stood right where the tide waves kicked her feet waiting a moment to toss the bouquet in so it appeared to the others that she was grieving how she was expected to. She let out a sigh as she threw the solid white flowers into the salty waters before retreating. She didn’t care to stay and watch the others toss their flowers in, she wanted to get back on her estate to have a moment to herself before she had to host the dinner for all who attended her parents watery funeral.

“You know you could just stay in your room. I’ll just tell everyone your not feeling well enough to host,” lord Reyes offers after catching up with Omorose.

“You know they don’t care about any of that, Rey. There’s no point in even trying to attempt that,” Omorose huffs climbing into her carriage, Reyes following close behind.

“It’s sick…them using your parents death to get a leg up.” Reyes sighs settling into the luxury seat he took. “Our society…”

“Makes you want to run away doesn’t it?”

“Actually I’m planning on going to Steelgate. Explore the city, maybe apply to their university …learn something you don’t already know!” Reyes teased.

Omorose cracked a smile “Impossible!”

“I know but it won’t hurt to try,” He jokes

-The Fentress estate-

A deep heavy sigh passed through Omorose who stood in front of her locked bedroom door snitching out the dress she changed into after arriving home. She knew 30 minutes was all she had upon arriving and those 30 minutes slipped by quicker than a rat in an ally.

She has to be back in front of everyone like she was expected too and she dreaded it.

The war and the death of her parents were the topics on everyone’s lips and she was tired of both. Like the smaller they were they found away too make both topics the reason what she should marry them.

“You’re young! 24 years right? With this war going on you need to be protected especially now that your parents are gone,” another one of her fathers close knit friends stated. “Rotten people have no problem manipulating someone as young and beautiful as you! You’re like a little kitten abandon in this world. I’m offering shelter,”

“So my family’s wealth, my title, my youth and beauty for your ‘protection’ and to be your trophy wife you get to dote on-sorry brag about to your friend who have already offered me the same?” Omorose questions raising a brow.

” Did you all have a meeting where you copied each other’s speeches?” The Baroness questioned unamused. The older man’s expression dropped from the faux sympathy and hope to the stoic demeanor Omorose one ask her fathers friends to have.

“Truth is no one believes you can run what your family built. They start quiet waiting for you to realize that beauty doesn’t room companies and estates.” He takes Omorose’s hand which she snatched away without a second thought.

“I’m the best option here! I’m richer than the others and still can produce heirs–”

“I want to be with someone around my age not my fathers,”

“Foolish! No man around your age has a quarter of what I have,”

Ignoring him Omorose’s turned on her heels moving towards the crowd and away from the secluded space one of the snakes caught her in.

“Are you okay?” Lana asked witnessing the whole thing.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m use to this by now,” The Baroness assured paying her friend on the shoulder as she passed by.

It wasn’t long until dinner was announced ready and the chairs in the dining room was filled with mostly unwanted guests. As they all settled and the elaborate dinner was being served an elderly woman, the mother of a middle aged screw up began complementing the Fentress estate “seems awfully lonely being alone all by your lonesome,”

“I’m not alone. I have Nina, Malcolm, the triplets –”

“How sweet! She thinks the help is viable company!” The woman snickers, her eyes sweeping the room to see if anyone else found it funny.

“You need your own family. The Help won’t do!”

“They are my family! Have been since forever,”

“They are servants! Most from Intacia! You need to make a proper family! Pure blooded imperial family.”

Rolling her eyes Omorose picked up her glass of wine before calmly demanding

“For once can you all stop trying to pawn yourselves or your degenerate adult children on me? My parents were just ‘laid’ to rest! Have some respect,”

The night continued with whispers of disapproval and praises of her parents. Soon as the last unwanted guest left Anree cheered loudly as everyone else let out signed off relief. With a tired smile Omorose stares “now that they are gone, let us eat cake.”

So as the small group lounged in the family room slumped in chairs and laid out on couches and plush rugs eating the morning fresh cake, Intacian and imperial entered the last battle between each other. Castin standing in the front line staring menacingly at Andrei an imperial noble commander who looked on in disgust. By morning one country world be the Victor of the war. By morning everything would change.

Months later

Omorose’s stepped out of her carriage nervously running her hands over the course of her warm brown dress. Her eyes studying the palace of Intacia noting the stark difference between that one of the empire’s -what was once the empire’s. The two countries were polar opposites in many ways but, knowing the empire was the reason why Intacia looked other worldly made her sick. The trip over was nothing but slums and torched lands, discarded belongings and displaced families picking through it to see what they could salvage. For her to see up close what her people did only inspired her to quickly figure out what she could do to aid those way less fortunate than her.

“Rosie!” Called Aurelia from the top steps.

“Aurelia! It’s been years! Hectic and crazy years since I last saw you!”

“I know! Let’s never allow another war to separate us ever,”

“Let there’s never be another war,”

Rhett smiled at Castin who was grinning still high on the victory was winning the war.

“Coming to join another party, Rhett?” Castin asked bumping into a lower ranks drunkenly.

“You could say,” The king leaned aunt the wall watching as his soldiers drunk copious amounts of liquor and danced horribly “Aurelia’s friend is visiting- the Baroness and while Aurelia is getting her settled in the palace I wanted to visit you…see how you were doing after a few months,”

“On top of the world,brother!” The commander shouted leading his fellow soldiers to howl in agreement.

“Good …” Rhett trails faking a smile.

Snagging a cup of the strong brown liquid from a passing soldier and offering it to his friend, Castin let out a sigh knowing something was wrong “what is it Rhett?”

“Resistance…”

“Already?”

Nodding Rhett downed the drink before getting everything on his mind off his chest

“I have to figure out how to get the coastal empire and Intacia to become peaceful with each other—"

“Never going to happen!” Castin cuts in shaking his head at Rhett childish dream. “To much bad blood,”

“We have to try! If not there will be another war,”

Scoffing Castin rolled his eyes before spitting out his outlandish suggestion “how about we arrest all the empire military, their nobles and the rich and allow the poor to remain free and equal to us?”

“No Castin that wouldn’t be wise,”

“Worth a shot,” Castin huffs leaning into a chair that was open.

“So Aurelia’s friend …what’s she like?” He asked curious about the imperial Rhett welcomed into their country after years of war with her’s . Castin thought it was stupid! The idea of having an imperial stay in the palace as if the war never happened.

She’s kind, respectful , introverted—she reminds me of you,”

“What?!” Castin wrinkled his brows offended.

“Younger you! Before you joined the military. When you were just a boy in our village —”

“So boring?” Castin mutters under his breath

“Hmm?”

Oh I said I should come to the palace to meet the Queen’s friend. Who knows maybe I can charm her before I leave to fight the resistance. Never been with an imperial especially not a noble one,”

“From what my love has told me about the Baroness the only way you can bed her is in your dreams,brother”

“Oh please! I’ll have her feeling like she’s dreaming!” Castin snickers saving up the nearest man while a few female soldiers that heard rolled their eyes in annoyance.

Rhett cracked a plastic smile a laugh slipping past his slight chapped lips at his friend’s antics.

“You can’t take take every woman to bed, Castin.”

A ‘pshh’ pushed through Castin’s mouth “women can’t keep their pretty little hands off me,”

“More like you can’t keep your hands off them,” Rhett points out voicing the gossip he’s heard about his close friend.

“They’re irresistible… I’m irresistible . It’s a dilemma,” Castin chuckled

Rhett roll yes his eyes “I’m just saying Castin coming home to someone who actually cares and loves you beats spending countless nights at a brothel,”

Waving him off Castin turns in his seat waving down someone to bring him another drink.

“You deserve love Castin… before it’s too late —”

“I deserve to celebrate winning a war I put my life on the line for, Rhett! Loosen up!”

“This isn’t my type of scene anytime ,Castin. I’ve grown.”

“To a prude!”

“To a king!”

“Don’t try to get all up with me. We grew up in the same village, Rhett!”

“And it’s sad that you no longer want to grow! We can’t start rebuilding with our head commander being a drunk hound dog when he’s not in battle!”

“Let’s not do this here,” Castin hissed not liking the attention they were gaining.

“You’re right! We’ll have words when you’re sober.”

The room watched as the king marched out of the room bet everyone turned to their commander.

“We beat imperial asses! Drink to that!”

Authors note: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of the rewrite and excited for how the fanfic is going to be told! Please leave feedback in the comments and or repost! I love reading your thoughts!

[doodlegirl1998]

Oh my god...

I just realized something about how some characters are treated, so I'm gonna quote Joshscorcher from one of his fails videos

"You aren't a person, you ARE a disability! You're not a human, you ARE a skin color! You're not alive, you ARE a checkbox!"

Doesn't that just fit some of the characters in BNHA to a T?

We got the crazy yandere! The hotheaded rival! The hardass teacher with a heart of gold! The black guy!

And of course! The disabled kid who magically gets cured to be like everyone else!

Hori seems to believe that if he just adds pieces of representation or tropes that people like, they will just eat it up without question.

Not even considering or bothering to think about actual backstory, personality, goals, likes or dislikes.

You know, things that make a character an actual character!

Hi @theloganator101 👋,

This fits how MHA treats it's characters to a T or at the very least they develop from Nuanced characters to a stereotype which is never what you want from a series. Also Hori even fails at fitting these characters into the cookie cutter molds he tries to contort them into at times.

Let's give a few examples based on what you have said above:

"Crazy Yandere and Token Bi" = Toga (which the LGBTQ fans of MHA should be offended by, because having a Yandere who is coded very creepily (yet also not condemned for her creepy behavior in general or how she groped Uraraka without consent) as prominent representation is not good...

"Sweet generic shonen love interest" = Uraraka (well this is what Hori intends for her with IzuOcha endgame even with how weakly its built in the series. And Uraraka herself denying her feelings for Izu and freely simping for Toga. I feel so sorry for Ocha fans, how she has been written with Toga is a complete mess.)

"Hardass Teacher with a heart of gold" = Aizawa (or this is what Hori intends for him realistically a lot of his actions under a critical lense read as malice at worse and negligence at best but go off about how he cares about his kids, Hori. Despite dropping a building on them and making them believe their parents are kidnapped by villains. Or the fact that he expelled tonnes of other students prior to 1A without a care - what makes 1A so special?)

"Hot headhead rival" = Bakugou... (Well this is meant to be him, narratively speaking, but rivals are meant to inspire and respect each other. Bakugou doesn't respect Izuku, Bakugou abuses Izuku and acts as his parasite. Bakugou brings Izuku down at every opportunity.)

"The 'token black/ blasian' characters" = Rumi and Rock Lock. (While I'd say Rock Lock is good black representation. Rumi... She's not my favourite. I like strong female characters but the way she's so aggressive and violence hungry as a hero - that rubs me the wrong way. Realistically, I could see her killing a villain by accident through use of excessive force. And I can't ignore that she's used as a stick for Hori's gore porn fetish which isn't a great look as one of Hori's few Blasian characters.)

"The disabled kid who gets magically cured to be like everyone else." - Midoriya Izuku. (You could say this is the case for All Might and Aoyama too but Izuku is the most prominent example as the main protagonist.) Izuku's story and the lack of how his backstory is touched on is one of the one that's the most upsetting parts of MHA to me. Personally, I have a disability and mine can't be fixed, while I accept and embrace it now, I didn't when I was Izuku's age. I would daydream about getting "fixed" and being like everyone else so I could fit in. As an adult, I have now achieved many things that I was told that I could not hope to ever be able to do - and I didn't need to be "fixed/ made normal" to do it. Instead, I worked my ass off to achieve those things.

Izuku's story would have been way more powerful if he trained relentlessly with All Might, stayed quirkless and achieved as much as his quirked peers.

OR, if he had to gain OFA, the cognitive dissonance between how he was treated then in his backstory vs now should heavily influence him. Either way, he should have grown out of "Kacchan" and told Bakugou, his bully and abuser, to fuck right off.

The fact that Izuku isn't allowed to think of his backstory or one negative thought of Kacchan severely limits him. And it's one of the things that has stunted him as a character. All Izuku is now is OFA 'generic shonen protagonist' who will save Shig and destroy All for One. What a waste.

TLDR - developing good characters is like nurturing a particularly fussy plant, you can put down the right soil (backstory) to get readers hooked but if you get lazy and don't water it regularly (develop plot points, think through what is in character rather than what you as the Author want them to do, have them show up regularly) it (the characters) will never grow.

[paisholotus]

Background

-Narrative-

Lavender Brown, the oldest of three children, was born in Houston, Texas, in 1763, to devout parents. Many people despised "our kind." As a result, her people were treated horribly. Lavender's family, on the other hand, was well-known in the African-American community. Because of her mother's role as a stay at home mom and her father's role as a doctor.

Lavender was frequently humiliated as a child due to her skin tone and the fact that she was a little chunky. She attended an all-black school and had a close group of friends, but when she returned home from school, the white kids would terrorize her.

Her mother had always told her not to worry about it, so it didn't bother her as much. "God made you special. Don't ever lose sight of how lovely you are." Lavender would smile as she recalled her mother's words of encouragement.

Lavender spent the majority of her time with her cousins. She was thankful for them because they allowed her to be herself.

The second-oldest cousin was Lavender, followed by Beau, Cassie, Mikayla, and Mariah.

They loved being around each other and would visit each other's homes every day after school. Weekends were her favorites because she spent the nights with them.

Lavender was feeling off one day, feeling a pit in her stomach that something bad was about to happen. She began to walk home when it suddenly began to rain.

"Dammit, now my hair is going to get wet." She grumbled under her breath. She jogged home and found the front door cracked as she approached the porch.

Lavender suddenly began to feel uneasy. Since Lavender had a key, her mother NEVER left the door open. So she slowly walked up the stairs and pushed the door open, her heart picked up, and she began to hyperventilate as she looked at the blood trail leading to the kitchen and upstairs. 

Lavender threw her things down and cried for her dad. Tears streamed down her face when she saw her father and brother laying dead on the tile floor, surrounded by their own blood. Her heart dropped in her stomach.

She sat on the floor, hugging her knees, and stared at nothing through blurred vision before a thought occurred to her, and she quickly wiped her eyes.

Where were her mother and sister?

She stood up and followed the blood trail to the stairwell, where she came to a halt with one foot on the step and the other still on the floor. Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest when she looked up the steps and raced up them.

Her mother's room was where the blood trail had come to a stop. She pushed open the door slowly, only to be confronted with the devastating sight of her dead mother cradling her baby sister.

Lavender sobbed as she held her mother in her arms. Lavender had no idea who could have done this. Why did she have to lose her family? Why did this have to happen, and who was to blame? Lavender had been lying on the carpet floor for what seemed like hours, in her mother's blood, before deciding to call the authorities. But I decided against it; no white person was going to be concerned about a "nigger's dead family." So she decided to call her aunt instead, but when no one answered, she walked back downstairs and out the door. She decides to walk to her aunt's house.

Lavender marched down the rocky sidewalk with tear-streaked cheeks and a bloodied school uniform, emotionless. As she continued to walk, she received horrified looks from those around her, but she didn't care because the last vestige of her former self, along with her family, died in her home.

She arrives at her aunt's house and knocks on the door, but no one answers. Her aunt was usually home at this time, so she and her cousins were certainly there. So she peered through the tiny window and saw furniture turn over. She then pulled the door handle open.

This was unusual for Lavender because her aunt wasn't married; it was just her Aunt Vanessa and her cousins. Lavender felt a sense of deja vu as she entered the house, and she shook with fear as she realized if the same thing had happened to her aunt and cousins. However, there was no blood, and the area had been strewn about as though there had been a big brawl.

Lavender ran into the room, shouting wildly, "Aunt Vanessa!!!!!! Mariah!" "Beau!" But no one replied, and she sobbed on the floor, unsure what to do. There was no one at home.

At least, that's what she thought when she was wallowing and a figure crept up behind her. She heard a creek on the floor, but before she could turn around and yell, a blunt object struck her in the back of her head, knocking her unconscious.

[symphonic-scream]

⭐️ for persona 5 aus?

Gotcha!

Okay since you gave me a star and asked for P5 and I've gotten a feel for the kind of AU's you like based on when I see you in my notes (HI BESTIE!!), I'm bringing back my first ever arcana swap

And for the first time ever, I'm gonna talk about the Beta Version

//

It all started with Chariot Makoto and Lovers Haru. I'd just read an unfinished fic with Lovers Makoto and World Haru, and well, I wanted to try something like that

At first it was a Fool Futaba, so it was goober first year with their only friends being the gayass third years. Magician Akira, for the hilarity of sassy cat

Yusuke became the Fool when I got attached to the idea of Yusuke and Haru being friends, from another fic again. This one had them get legally married to give Yusuke groceries before staging a divorce. So. Foolsuke

Cap, my bestie, of course suggested the brilliance of Devil Akira, so. I needed a new Magician, someone to be the straight man to the chaos I'd created. So, Goro

Anyways that's the history of it lemme go off a bit

So it's Foolsuke, his Thief name is Jester. He's not as strong of a personality as Joker, but he makes up for it with his drama, his poses, his long speeches of Justice and Rebellion. He wears the Shujin uniform normally for the most part, but his blazer is always open

Magician Goro is a bird in the real world, but human in the Metaverse. His Thief name is Crow, though his bird form is a robin. He has the prince outfit Goro has in P5, and instead of the Monabus, there's a white limo, a bird emblem on the hood

Chariot Makoto is tired of being told how to feel, what to do, how to live. She's stepping out of her sister's shadow, since she's already been cast out after lies spread by a certain teacher. Top grades, low attendance, leather jacket and uniform pants. Her Thief name is Knight, and at the end of the day, she's perhaps a little too self-sacrificial

Lovers Haru feels alone for so long. When her dad calls, it feels like he's not really listening. Would he even believe her, if she told him about how a certain teacher treats her? She's tired of not standing up for herself, but to gather the courage, she just needs someone, anyone, to hear her call for help. Or, for her to witness an extreme... Her Thief name is Eros, and she hates seeing good people hurt

Emperor Futaba has been lied to her whole life. She thinks her foster father Madarame is a good man, who just needs a hand with programming sometimes. She thinks her mom died naturally. She thinks she doesn't need anyone else in her life. Only when forced to witness the bloody truth, does the rage within burst free. Python, that's her thief name. She'll make sure those that cloud the horrible truth are paid what they're due

Priestess Hifumi plays Shogi, attends student council meetings to improve her reputation, and trusts her mother isn't up to anything. Then, weird things happen to the students around her, and the nicer items in her home disappear. Kaneshiro's strings control Shibuya like a puppeteer, and it takes her too long to see the strings lying across the Shogi board, pulling at her peers and mother. She goes by Rook. A great planner, she's more than eager to prove she earned her wins after all

Hermit Ryuji lies awake, remembering the smell of booze, the shouts of a bastard man, the pained scream of his mom. He feels the phantom pains where his right leg used to be, and is now a stump that ends at the knee. On good days, he streams video games, with a digital avatar. On bad days, he can't forget that he's the reason his mom isn't around. He asks for help from people he's never met, and opens up for the first time since Tae Takemi first took him in. Compass guides them from his floating ship, his prosthetic a cool ass pirate peg, and he feels helpful when he shoots canonball boosts at his friends

Empress Ann is the face of teenage beauty, both in Europe and Japan. She, hates the flashing cameras. Her parents are up to something behind the flashes, and she's ignored it for too long. Though, her deadline approaches fast. They want to scurry back to Europe, take Ann from school and have their doll of a daughter model for the highest bidder there, escaping their sins in Japan. Ann becomes Puma, a thief who wants to bring back the passionate parents she remembers

Justice Yuuki shoots two palace leaders. His podcast is toxic, and his audience grows by the day. Behind the scenes, he's an attack dog, a chain wrapped around his neck, held tight by Shido. He tricks the Thieves, has them call him Gamma. On November 20, he looks Yusuke Kitagawa in the eyes and pulls a trigger

Faith Kasumi Sumire is a dancer. She's a Shujin for ballet, moving with such grace and delicate passion that she's destined for greatness. Only, something's wrong... But that's not a big issue, Dr Maruki is helping her recover after she lost her sister.

Kasumi makes a decision. Puts away the glasses that don't help her, ties up her brown hair. When the Thieves ask her what she wants them to call her, she answers with Scarlet

Okay I'm sorry about the long paragraphs here's some little bits for the other arcana

Hierophant is Tae Takemi, with her experimental coffee shop, and her adopted son

Fortune Shinya. He stands in the shadows at the arcade, tossing a few coins. Says he knows a way to change your future. He never messes up the script given to him by his mom's strange boyfriend.

Strength Morgana. He starts human, and when he finds himself again, he becomes Monster Cat

Hanged Man Kawakami. She got into some bad stuff after believing she led to a kid's death

Death Lavenza is a recent med school grad, who's younger sisters call themselves drug dealers, when really they just help Lavenza with some basic pharmaceutical stuff

Temperance Sae. A teacher, who didn't believe her sister over her coworker. She feels like a failed teacher, and failed sister

Devil Akira! He runs the school newspaper, known as the Tea Party, it's. Unofficial. He hangs out at the gay bar, Crossroads

Tower Kaoru Iwai. He posts an ad looking for a high schooler to teach him how to be more sociable. He says it's to get girls, but he's building up the courage to try to reach out to his dad

Star Yoshida. He sits in the park, playing chess with anyone who will sit and talk with him. He has many regrets, and honestly just wants to meet someone who will talk with him

Sun Ohya. A reporter who feels like she's lost her voice, doing what she's been told, not reporting what she believes. Teaches Yusuke better ways to phrase his wording and shit

Moon Shiho! Local discord mod notices the weird kids in her class being extra weird, and decides to be their social media manager. She's the one that asks them to help save their Empress, her girlfriend

Judgement Sojiro. Still working as, an agent of sorts, he's highly trained in interrogation. He feels weird about using his skills on a high schooler...

I love this swap so much,, I miss you Chaos Arcana Swap

[pynkhues]

Okay here is my argument for Kim Possible being satire so sorry for how wordy this is in advance. This is based off of the four techniques of satire being exaggeration, incongruity, role reversal and parody. I think Kim Possible uses exaggeration, parody and a little role reversal within those.

Kim Possible would be parody of most superhero shows with slight role reversal in the parody. Most superhero shows with teenagers have them being much more adult than the average teenager. Kim Possible is very rooted in her being a regular teenage girl. Her power is that she’s an insanely good cheerleader and smart which is implied to be a genetic gift from her neurosurgeon mom and rocket scientist dad. Typically these teenagers are plagued by emotional turmoil by feeling the weight of saving the world, often in secret, while a running joke on the show is Kim seeming to find the insane things she does not a big deal or emotionally damaging. Kim relies on emotional support from her parents and talks out problems with them. She doesn’t keep it a secret and asks for understanding from her family, friends and squad when saving the world interferes with her life. She attends school which also never seems to actually happen in superhero shows. Kim isn’t treated any differently by her peers and is even consistently fighting to be seen as cool by Bonnie. She doesn’t fit the weird nerd (Spiderman comes to mind) or effortlessly always on trend (Alisha from Misfits) that teenage superheros often seem archtyped into.

There’s also an episode where Ron gets studied bc they think his “Ronness”is the key to Kim’s success. They don’t believe that Kim could just be that competent without a secret advantage which they first think is Ron and later Rufus. It shows that adult professionals are literally more willing to believe in the skills of a naked mole rat than a woman.

They also exaggerate the typical male/female hero dynamics with Kim and Ron’s relationship, as discussed earlier. I think their relationship really showcases how often we force women into being the mature ones by making her so competent and him so goofy. However, they also subvert this by having Ron be genuinely emotionally supportive and intelligent. There’s episodes where he encourages Kim to be more authentic to herself. He also never belittles her achievements and is truly her loudest and proudest supporter. He frequently sincerely compliments her. He listens to her issues and is emotionally vulnerable with her. There is some role reversal here with Ron almost playing a typical damsel in distress by needing saving from Kim, being her biggest hype man and by being the person that in many ways keeps Kim grounded. I think the episode where Ron moves to Norway shows how much Kim depends on him to meet her emotional needs and without him doing so she’s unable to focus as completely on the mission at hand.

Anyways. I may be completely wrong or off base. I’m in no way an expert on heroes, narratives, gender, satire, tv or even Kim Possible. Just some high thoughts that I really hope somebody out there will enjoy, lol! Very sorry if this was dumb or disappointing but I love your blog so much and always enjoy your takes on everything. 🤍

(x)

It's not dumb or disappointing at all, anon! I loved this analysis, and particularly loved the way you unpacked a range of superhero tropes and looked at how Kim Possible subverts them. You're really making me want to rewatch the show, haha.

It's an interesting one to look at too, because there have been a lot of superhero parodies and satires out there, but they tend to lean hard into a really mean humour. Like stripping the polish from characters like Superman and Batman can only be done through exploring the toxicity of fame and power, and I love your point about how in many ways Kim Possible does it by instead exploring the space for emotional vulnerability and honesty in a way that most traditional superhero narratives eschew. It makes it feel a lot more unique and in many ways more original than shows that have even come after it, and it'd be a really interesting exercise to compare it broadly to other parodies.

Thanks for sharing!

[fanfic-lover-girl]

I wish I loved Korra and Hermione

I want to pause my negativity for a bit and be a bit more open about my feelings about Korra and Hermione. I know I rag on these 2 characters but part of me genuinely does want to like them. I really do because I see myself a lot in both of them. Which is why the handling of their characters frustrates me.

Like Hermione, studying and school was my main source of self-worth. I was the brightest girl in highschool. This is why when I went to college, I found it hard to cope with being around peers so much "better" than me. For a while, I felt worthless. Like Hermione, I am not very girly. It's only recently that I have begun wearing dresses to weddings and such. I don't like makeup and I find it hard to care much about my hair. Like Hermione, I found it hard to make friends in school and usually had a small circle.

Same points with Korra. I was very sheltered growing up. I was a good student in STEM but struggled in subjects like the humanities and hated them because of it (like Korra with airbending). I was naive about the world in many ways. I never had big crushes but it is disappointing to find yourself liking a guy only to find out he has a girlfriend or sees you like a sister. I could not relate to Aang but I could relate to Korra's louder personality and tougher nature. And I am black so there's the skin factor too.

Like both, I was kind of violent towards boys growing up, especially in primary school. I remember chasing boys with sticks and even hitting a classmate over the head with a book. I was an emotional kid for real. Thank God no one ever hit me back. And this is why I am against female violence against guys being treated as a joke in media.

I find Krum's interest in Hermione very inspiring. This famous senior likes her even though she's average. While Ron can be a jerk, mostly due to teenage boy immaturity, for the most part, Ron is very caring towards her. Sometimes I feel self-conscious because the only guys who have ever had interest in me have been random guys off the street in Jamaica. The friendly newspaper guy calling me 'princess'. A grown man with yellowing teeth who insisted on walking with me. A highschool dropout guy who also insisted on walking with me. In the US, another grown, sloppy black man trying to get to know me on the bus. Ugh. I wonder if any guy in my circle would ever find me desirable and Hermione is a nice representation of hope.

I just hate how Hermione and Korra's flaws are hardly acknowledged by the narrative. I don't like how they treat their love interests. I don't like how them being jerks to the people around them makes them badasses or girlbosses.

I wish we could have gotten an arc for Hermione where she discovered that she did not need to get top grades to prove herself. Because Hermione deserved better than 'oh you're smart, Neville is dumb so you're ok for a muggleborne' from Hagrid. Hermione should not have to be smart to be worthy of her magic. All Hagrid did in that scene was justify pureblood supremacy logic. I wish we had seen more of her relationship with her parents. It's sad how she obliviated her parents and it's treated as inconsequential dialogue. I wish she had more female friends. Hermione acts like a 'pick me' type and I dislike how JKR used her and Ginny to demonize other types of girls. Maybe she could have had an arc where she learns that there is more to being smart besides being booksmart. A lot of her brightness is really due to memorization. So many possibilities with a Hermione and Luna friendship. Just imagine!

As for Korra...sigh. I wish everything was not handed to her. I wish we could have seen more of her struggling with airbending and her spirituality. I know Bryke had issues with pacing due to how LOK was produced at Nick but still. I wish she was called out for her bad decisions and she took responsibility. Now that I think about it, it would have been so cool to see Korra have to use her wits instead of her fists against a spirit foe like Koh after she left the portals open (dying from wasted potential!). I wish she went on a real Avatar journey so that through her we could learn how the cultures outside the water tribe have changed. I wish Korra did not perpetuate the stereotype of the angry/obnoxious black woman. Korra had the potential to be a way more interesting avatar than Aang and have a healthier romantic relationship but Bryke blew it. The relationship drama with Asami and Mako was disgusting and I hate Bryke's torture porn fetish with Korra. They treated Ozai with more dignity than Korra! The worst Ozai got was a drooling scene while the Gaang cracked jokes while Korra literally thanked her enemy for her trauma!!! The injustice! Bryke really hates women!

I am just rambling but I realized there are almost no female characters that I resonate with that are like me in the media I know. I wish Korra and Hermione had better writers :(

[brightstvrlights]

STELLA CASTILLO - A BRIEF HISTORY;

❥ welcome to marina, stella castillo ( cisfemale, she/her ) ! they are a thirty two year old who has lived on the island for five years. word on the street is they’re currently living in hyland park and works as a publicist. everyone also says they look a lot like shay mitchell. what do you think?

Full Name: Stella Grace Castillo

Age: 32

Date Of Birth: 13 January 1991

Zodiac: Capricorn

Parents: Emilio & Angelina Castillo

Siblings: A younger brother and sister

Orientation: Heterosexual

Occupation: Publicist

Languages: English & French

Positive: Ambitious, passionate, bold, determined

Negative: Defensive, neurotic, insecure, assertive

CONNECTIONS | PINTEREST

BACKSTORY

From the time that Stella was a little girl, all she ever wanted to be was perfect, and considering the family she was born into, it wasn’t difficult to see where she had gotten the inspiration from. Emilio and Angelina Castillo were picture-perfect examples of the great American dream. Meeting young and marrying soon after, the couple wasted no time settling down in a cosy town in Arizona; quickly becoming neighbourhood locals. While they knew that some residents may have been standoffish and wary of a young migrant, Emilio and Angelina managed to win most of the town over with their kindness, generosity, and most of all, Emilio’s charisma. Within due course, the pair became town favourites and when Stella was born, she was doted on and fussed over every minute of every day; a factor of her life that the brunette quickly became dependant on. She loved company and attention, and for a while, it came to her in abundance, until her siblings were born. Stella hadn’t known what it was like to feel alone until the Castillo family extended, and while she adored her siblings in her childhood, she couldn’t quite figure out how to adjust to this new arrangement. However, she never cried or threw fits for obvious attention, deciding instead that she would earn recognition from her parents by doing things worth praise. And so, the perfectionist was born.

As an adolescent, Stella took it upon herself to attempt as many different activities as she could; begging her parents to let her sign up for anything she could find. She was involved in everything from dance to sports and (to the dismay of her siblings) music. She had a yearning to perfect any skill that she tried, but none of it was for her. The only thought running through her head when she was studying or practicing late at night was, I hope my parents are proud when they see me. A thought that would consume her for years to come.

By the time Stella was in her teens, her father was heavy on the campaign trail to become a senator in Arizona, and while Emilio did his best to make sure their lives remained the same, Stella started to notice a change in people. Her peers began to treat her differently. Little by little, people whom she thought were friends started distancing themselves from her; making plans without her. She couldn’t understand why, and this made her frustrated; the isolation forcing the resentment she’d allowed to lie dormant in her bones to seep through her skin. She guessed that people assumed she was obnoxious and self-entitled because of her father’s newly elected status and her pre-existing obsessive work ethic. So that’s what she became. She pushed all her remaining friends away and developed a chip on her shoulder; wearing her new attitude like armour. It was futile though, as it did nothing to mend the hole that loneliness had eaten into her heart. By the time senior year rolled around, Stella looked out for no-one except herself and her family. She threw herself harder into her work, figuring that if people didn’t like her, then they would just have to respect her instead, and when she made her valedictorian speech, she felt satisfied knowing that she’d finally earned some acclaim.

After getting accepted into NYU, Stella studied Public Relations, securing a job in publicity upon her graduation. She matured with time and most of her twenties living the New York dream before she was offered a job on Marina Island. She'd started to feel a touch stagnate in the big apple, and while she'd never heard of the island, she saw it as an opportunity for a fresh start and decided to accept the offer and move her life there.

HEADCANONS

When Stella was growing up, she was convinced she was going to go into politics like her father. She’d listened to a lifetime’s worth of speeches and debates and was convinced she knew just about everything there was to know about the career. However, when she got to college, she soon found out that it was nothing like she had expected to be. She was afraid that if she told her father she didn’t like it that he would be disappointed in her, and because she craved his approval, she stuck with it for a whole year before finally caving.

Stella has a tattoo of a single rose on her hip as an homage to her mother, who took pride in the beautiful flowers she grew back home in Arizona. It's Stella's way of keeping herself connected to a small part of herself and her humble beginnings.

As bold and confident as Stella comes across, she has an incessant need to be liked, and as a result she is often cripplingly paranoid about what people think of her. She needs constant validation from people that she is valued and wanted, and if she doesn’t get that in a satisfactory way, she can become moody and upset and either withdraws inside herself, or lashes out.

Stella has previously found herself falling easily for people, however, she finds relationships incredibly difficult because she has a need to control things and doesn’t want to put herself in a situation where she knows she’ll end up controlling someone she cares about without realizing. She has also had some crash and burn experiences in the past that have made her keep potential partners at an arms length, and delves into her job to keep herself occupied instead.

Despite all of her flaws, Stella is deeply caring and will go out of her way to do anything for her friends and family.

[sicksadnurse]

this year has been a year of indulgence, discovery, and healing. i have read more in 6 months than i have since i was in high school. i have worked on learning more about myself and my passions… it’s really been starting from the ground up, like i was born yesterday. i have also been working on healing; setting boundaries with those around me and reframing my thoughts on myself and on my life.

indulging in my passions has really helped me to create joy in my life as of late. my passions have started to also intertwine with each other.

when i read, i apply various analytical approaches as i do with my patients at work. i look at their strengths and their weaknesses, and i determine what each protagonist is eventually searching for in their journey. it’s the same way i’ve been thinking about myself lately. i’ve had to step back and often treat myself like i treat my patients, determine what my needs are and what i’ve been searching for- what i need to be better. they say nurses make the worst patients, it’s true- but we make even worse psych patients. there’s no shame in needing medication, there’s no shame in going to therapy, there’s no shame in integrating holistic practices into healing. there is no shame in putting your mental health first.

i’ve always been drawn to crystals, ever since i was a kid. in the past six months i’ve grown more connected to the world around me and all the many gifts the earth has presented us. it started with tumbled stones in souvenir shops as a child, and it’s transformed into filling our home with various quartz and jaspers. since then things have been more relaxing in the home and having calming stones at my bedside has allowed me to actually sleep (albeit sometimes a little too much).

everybody needs some positive intentions in their life. including some of my favorite female protagonists. if i were to gift them crystals to aid in their journeys, here’s what i’d gift them:

Clover - a death doula who has deeper connection with her dying clients than with her thriving peers in nyc. she lives through her clients last words and wishes… i have selected charoite as her first crystal because she needs to let go of the negative and shift towards positive thinking. instead of recording the regrets of others, use it as motivation to avoid her own regrets. i’ve also selected rose quartz for her, as she not only needs to accept and love those around her, but herself and all she gives to the lives she touches.

Maggie - a young divorcee with an endless graduate thesis, life is pretty messy and directionless as she has to find herself again. maggie deserves labradorite for transformation as well as enhancing her self worth. during her lowest moments, she also needs motivation and the courage to express herself and her needs, so a little citrine would go a long way. this transforming combo reminds us we can always bounce back.

Zoey - our 19 year old protagonist takes over her late mothers apartment in a peculiar complex filled with quirky and eccentric neighbors. this wonderful novel of interwoven timelines and backstories tells a story of hope and growth. zoey deserves the trust stone of topaz, helping her to trust those that are giving her a hand as well as trusting herself and her journey. as well, loss of a parent, especially at a young age, is not complete without a spiritual connection, thus ancestralite calls to zoey.

Harriet - in Emily Henry’s latest novel, our strong, driven, surgical resident is thrown into an uncomfortable only one bed, ex-lover, summer vacation. a stone of new beginnings and growth, moonstone is beyond fitting for ex-lovers and the prospect of rekindling long extinguished flames. aquamarine activates and enhances the throat chakra, and in a novel of miscommunication, every little bit helps. our protagonist also deserves some peace and insight, especially in the presence of not only her ex-lover, but their best friends and the tumultuous life changes as well.

Katniss - my love for the hunger games has been reignited as of late. maybe it’s the fact that i’ve been finding the fire and rebellion within myself, maybe it’s the increase in banned books including Collin’s masterpiece… all i know is that Katniss is one tough woman. first and foremost, in the arena katniss needs obsidian: protection, protection, and more protection. second is moss agate, for her connection to nature, but to also help regulate her emotions both in and out of the arena. there are times where she loses herself in grief and empathy, and lets her guard down, and times where she acts too rashly out of anger and hatred. as a stone of balance, emotional regulation is key in protecting oneself and staying alive amidst rebellion. lastly i have danburite; the healing stone. at the end of mockingjay, our protagonist has endured so much pain, suffering, and grief- it’s time to work on healing.

it’s time to be the protagonist in your story. set your intentions, manifest, and ultimately take care of yourself.

feel free to join @artbyjac IG live sale, saturday 6/17 at 11am MST/1pm EST & 7pm MST/9pm EST. whether it your connection to crystals be metaphysical, placebo, aesthetics, retail therapy, or something inexplicable, all are welcome. this week there will be moonstone, moss agate, and periwinkle quartz. in the mean time, use my code below for 5% off all non-live sale orders 🤍

FLASHY5

all my love

[signs-of-the-moon]

hiya!! im here with some characters n emojis for the interview thingy.. sorry if its alot

Whitestar: 🥛, 🍨, 🍎

Moonpaw: 🍓, 🍯

Mistyleaf: 🍀, 🍵

Hazepaw: 🧁, 🍮, 🥭

also i just wanted to say that im really enjoying reading Moon High, your characters are very interesting <3

Hi there!! Tysm for the ask. And thank you for enjoying the characters in Signs of the Moon! It really means a lot when people take interest in them. They're my lil babies, my blorbos. I always hope that everyone else will think of them that way too <3

Whitestar:

🥛 [MILK] What is your OC's relationship with their biological parents like? What about their relationship with any non-biological parental figures?

Whitestar didn't get to be with her biological parents for very long . She and her sister, Firelily, were born outside the Land's Star to a cat named Sai. She died when the two were very young (maybe a moon or 2 old). Their father, Petalstorm, who was once part of Grassclan, decided to bring his kits back to the place where he was outcasted. (Petalstorm was punished for being with Sai, because he did not introduce her to his leader and medicine cat to get their blessing to take her as a mate. So instead of being treated like a traitor, he left to pursue his love). After ensuring his daughters would be taken care of, he left once more, realizing he liked the life of a rogue better than being a clan cat. So, Whitekit and Firekit were raised by the clan's Den Mother Posytail, and her mate Phesantstripe. Whitestar was very close with her adopted parents, admiring their hard work and dedication to the clan. They'd talk constantly, even long after Whitestar and Firelily had grown up. Posytail was great at giving advice, while Pheasantstripe liked keeping Whitestar sharp with her warrior lessons and battle moves through private practices together. Whitestar was deeply saddened when the two of them died in the Leafbare before Swiftcloud joined the clan. She misses them a lot. Whitestar was also very close with her mentor, Lightstar, who she saw as a third father figure. He was there to reassure her in youth when her peers tried to bully her for being halfclan. Whitestar cared for him so much that she named her daughter after him. 

🍨 [ICE CREAM] How does your OC compose themselves in stressful situations?

Whitestar's the type to try and meditate before acting on anything. She'll discuss the issue with others to ensure she does not make the incorrect decision, because of course she doesn't want to escalate things if it can be helped. In a situation that requires an immediate response, she takes a moment to breathe and think. She focuses on what she needs to say before allowing herself to give a response, and this is how she's usually able to keep up her composure. 

🍎 [RED APPLE] Who does your OC value above all else?

Her clan, of course. Whitestar is a leader, and she needs to make sure all that follow her are safe, well educated, and loyal. Grassclan are like her children, she would do anything for her clanmates. Whitestar also values thoughtfulness. A cat who's able to consider all the possibilities, or figure their way out of a hard situation, can instantly earn Whitestar's respect. 

Moonpaw:

🍓 [STRAWBERRY] How do they feel about 'cute' things?

Moonpaw loves cute things! Little bugs, kits, and baby chicks are some of her favorite things that could be classified as cute. Sometimes when she's sad she'll think about something cute to make her feel better. 

🍯 [HONEY] At what point does someone seem sickly sweet to your OC?

Sunpaw at some point tries to be incredibly sweet towards Moonpaw. Although it's in a bit of a cringey way. He tries to sing to her when they're out on a walk together, and presses his side to hers. He also tries to give her compliments, some of which come out sounding weird. But Moonpaw thinks it's silly. She knows that Sunpaw's flirting with her and trying to gain his affection. She thinks its cute. 

Mistyleaf:

🍀 [FOUR LEAF CLOVER] Would your OC spend hours looking for a four leaf clover?

If she thought it would have a medicinal purpose? She probably would. Mistyleaf is always looking to gather herbs to ensure the clan's health. Especially since her first Leafbare as a grown cat. She never wants to live through something like that again. If she can use finding a four leaf clover as an excuse to spend hours with Swiftcloud, though? She'd definitely do it!

🍵 [GREEN TEA] What's your OC's preferred flavour of tea, if they even drink it?

Mistyleaf would probably enjoy chamomile tea, if she were human.

Hazepaw:

🧁 [CUPCAKE] If you had to describe your OC using flavours, how would you (e.g., 'they're very sweet')?

Hmmm. Hazepaw could probably be described as salty. Or perhaps even something salty with a slightly sweet center. But the salt's mostly overpowering the other flavor

🍮 [CUSTARD] Expensive restaurants or cheap store-brand microwave meals?

Cheap microwave food. Hazepaw's the type to eat half cooked fish sticks from the microwave and cup ramen with barely enough water. Like he prefers it to most other foods. If he were human, obviously

🥭 [MANGO] What colours best represent them and why? Does this differ from their favourites?

Yellow, gray, and dark red I'd say suit Hazepaw nicely. Yellow just feels right. Gray represents how he is morally, both as a character and as a person. While dark red represents the dark side of himself, the part of him that loves to fight, the part filled with anger. Hazepaw doesn't have a favorite color though. Maybe pale green. That's a new development, though

[olaertes]

⌕   . ˚   ⅋.  「   DAVID CASTAÑEDA.  34.  cis man.  he/him.  」 ENRIQUE  CASTILLO,  otherwise  known  as  LAERTES,  joined  the  libertalia  nine years  ago  as  a  NAVIGATOR.  around  libertalia,  the  CANCER  has  a  reputation  for  being  GENUINE  &  OVERPROTECTIVE perhaps  because  they're  best  known  for  pulling a successful car chase during the mectozuma ii’s feather headdress heist  of   which   they  are  most  proud.  while  preparing  for  a  heist,  they  listen  to  BULLETPROOF HEART  by  MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE. makes  sense  considering  they  remind  me  of:  the roar of a car engine that goes with accelerating speed, an old pair of jeans stained with oil and grease, a family picture tucked safely in his pocket.

biography.

( cw: mentions of fire & parental death )

truth be told, enrique had been an accident. javier castillo & isabella espinoza were a pair of high school sweethearts who had every intention of marrying each others and building a family together. what they hadn’t planned, however, was isabella getting pregnant so soon after turning 20. needless to say, this was a huge surprise to the couple — a joyous one by their books, but also one that had changed the plans they had for themselves, especially when their parents had no interest in supporting their decision to keep the baby.

when enrique was born, both Isabella and javier had graduated from community college. yet, instead of going to university like they had intended, javier decided to start working full time at the mechanic shop he had been working at through college. meanwhile, isabella had gotten herself a receptionist job at a local pediatric clinic. it was rough to build a family when you had come from close to nothing, but they still tried their best to give their son what he needed.

if enrique had to describe his childhood, he’d say it was quite a happy one. he had parents who showered with affection constantly — his father, who always made time to play catch and later taught him how to work on cars when he said he wanted to learn; and a mother, who would get little treats after school when he got a nice score in a test and cheered the loudest when he hit a home run during his little leagues games. he was, for the longest time, an only child who received all his parents love. so when the family had find stability in all sense and his parents decided to have another child, they were concerned with how enrique would react especially with the significant age gap. yet when ariella was finally born, he had adored his sister from the moment he peered into her crib at the nursery. and so, a married couple lived with their two children in their small apartment in the bronx. like any other families, they had their fair share of rough patches & teenaged rebellious antics to go through — but for the most part, they had been happy.

the family went on a trip to celebrate enrique’s 18th birthday, and it had ended with a hotel fire that turned his life upside down. though he and his sister has sustained some degrees of treatable injury, his parents had succumbed to theirs and died, leaving the siblings with each other. while he had previously babysat for ariella, acting as her guardian had been an entirely different thing — one that essentially shifted him to act more as her parents than her siblings.

in another life, enrique would have been a freshmen at university that fall, eagerly starting his study in aerospace engineering. but in this one, he was working at the same auto shop his dad had worked at. it had seemed like the only thing that made any sense, considering he was good at tinkering and modding your own car. the job certainly helped to bring food to the table and kept a roof over their head. still, enrique knew he had to earn more for the sake of his sister’s future, especially when she her teachers were raving about how she has such a brilliant mind.

as much as he loved his sister, he would be lying if he said that the stress of being a breadwinner didn’t get to him at all. and when he was stressed, he fell back to the bad habit he had kept secret since his teen years — he’d sneak out at night in his car and drive, fast. you’d even go to meet up with your friends sometimes and race them, often enough that they’d try to drag you to the local street races happening around town. you had always said no then, but it wasn’t until this expectation to earn money did you start going. he had his fair share of losses, the cash he got when he won were enough to keep enrique coming back.

as he began building up his rep as a driver in the scene, enrique would sometimes get approached for offers that were even less legal than his racing. a driver, that was the only gig he’d ever willingly take, and that was the only capacity he’d be willing to serve during these time. none of the people who approached him had any issues with it, since it meant he’d get a smaller cut from the job. not that enrique minded much either, because he still got a decent enough pay.

to this day, enrique still had no idea how his existence had made it into the professor’s radar. but he supposed some of the small time robberies and heists he managed to pull off was enough to earn him an invitation to join libertalia. but enrique did decide to accept it, even if it was solely for the share he would be getting. his involvement in the libertalia was something he had kept secret from ariella, and he had promised himself he’s quit once she was through with her education. yet, as he got more involved in the heists, he couldn’t deny how much he enjoyed the fact that he could travel to all the different places and the adrenaline rush that came with each jobs. now that time was almost up… well, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hold himself accountable of that promise anymore.

char psd credit: MAGIC AND NIGHTFALL by notoriousgraphics.

[moon-ness]

more bravey notes

One of the things that really got to me regarding her thoughts on her Dad were her feelings surrounding being ungrateful. “The way I behave in certain moments doesn’t reflect how grateful I am for the things he gave me and gave up for me.” I relate wholeheartedly. Sometimes the way I behave doesn’t directly reflect how overwhelmingly touched I am. It just doesn’t always show through in the way I wish it would. It’s easier for her to remember the shitty moments when she didn’t live up to showing her own gratitude than the moments of gratitude. They would push each other’s buttons but he never, never lost his cool and sometimes she would push them just to see if he would react and he never ever did. I can’t imagine having a relationship with a figure like that. But I understand sometimes you want to push someone a little just to see if they push back at you. Maybe you want to see if you deserve them taking something out on you, I don’t know. Reflections on parental relationship are always difficult for me to read. It shines a spotlight on my own gaps when I realize for myself, just how truly isolating and alone my own childhood was. Who was I to call? The thoughts are anything but pleasant and I carry very few of my own memories with me and they cannot be undone no matter what. They are sewn into your skin. She says, “We revert back to our childhood behavior when we’re around our parents.” Maybe it’s that way for parents too. No matter time has passed we fall into old routines and histories because our knowledge can never be undone. I still think of how despite my best efforts, a hug from my mother makes me whole body seize up and cringe. The warmth does not feel safe and I don’t think my body will ever forget or undo that. She said the sadness hits us the moment we are born and realize that no matter what, we are grateful for our parents bringing us into the world and all they went through. The sad is not sad at all, it’s just love. 

You make your own cape. Two years of depression and injury after injury was an arduous trek for her. Her first race back was a marathon with a goal pace but she had little time to prepare for it due to the injuries. She was starting at almost zero, having ran for only a few weeks so her climb was conservative and not pushing hard enough to actually test herself. “First steps on dry land after months of cross-training.” She felt her injury ten miles into the race and made the decision to ditch her goal pace and simply finish instead of dropping out because she couldn’t hit pace. Her engine was strong but her wheels weren’t turning right. She decided to re-frame the entire thing for herself in order to avoid disappointment when she was questioned on her epic fail in a post-race interview. “Reframing your goals and rewriting your stories are powerful tools.” Adjustments. I know how powerful that is. I am currently injured and afraid to run again and in the meantime my goals and expectations need to change. My values need to be placed elsewhere or else I’ll drown in the pit of “oh my god, I can’t do this and I failed.” She knows just how much the negatives outshine the positives and for people like us we have to work that much harder at them. Well, for anyone I guess. Alexi did not grow up in a comfortable female environment. Most of it made her uncomfortable. She held onto one pair of shoes from her mother, Gucci slip ons and savored them. “As with so many feminine things I’ve experienced while growing up, I was on the other side of the glass— always outside peering in, imitating, adopting, projecting, but never inherently a part of it. I sensed power but had none.” And when she was in Italy she saw Gucci shoes and treated herself to them for the first time in her life, in honor of her mother and finding her own femininity. Growing up she had nightmares of her mother but never told her father because if she did he’d think she was traumatized and feel bad and there was nothing he could do about that. And then she met a woman, someone who she connected with as a mother figure, Maya Rudolph. It was pure chance. She was running on a treadmill in a hotel gym and here walks by Maya, her husband and their kids and a conversation began. She watched carefully as Maya interacted with her girls. “Often, a little girl’s understanding of the world revolves around her mother.” And there was a tinge of shame surrounding the things she does not know. Shame stems from a feeling that something is our own fault. That we are somehow responsible for the gaps or understandings we should already know. They talked about it and Maya had the same experiences as Alexi. Growing up like that effects how you relate to other women. “You are self-conscious but unrestricted. You are scrappy. You feel extra responsibility all of the time. You overcompensate. You grow up resembling someone you don’t really know. You are aware of your own mortality.” This must be true. I relate a lot to Alexi but sometimes I wonder how ours differ. She looked up to Maya. “I think of her as the sun and I’m just a small asteroid fighting to find my place in the solar system. I’ll bask in her warmth whenever I’m lucky enough to pass close to her orbit, but for the rest of the time, it’s enough to know she’s out there.” WOW I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I FEEL THIS IN MY SOUL. So much of this book spoke to me and I still have so many thoughts on the beginning of her book.