#which I think makes sense when I say it bluntly but IDK how much I'd need to explain it in actual writing

[the-temple-of-light]

*clasps hands*

...So do I need to actually introduce this AU or can I just launch right into it-?

[symeona]

Hi! I was wondering if you knew where the post (I think it was replying to an ask) that you made about how Heracles is black was? I mentioned it off hand to a friend, and I'd love to be able send your post to her! Also, if you have any extra tidbits or resources about people of color in Greek mythology, I'd love to hear them! It's all so interesting, thank you for talking about it!

Okay lemme start with,

Greek people aren't a race. We've never been that, I don't care how much the Renaissance has whitewashed our history. Greek people have never looked one way or the other. I just like to debunk white supremacists and their theories because

1. I'm not a mulatto nor a g*psy

2. My cousin is a black Greek man and this whole thing started because I wanted to show him that his heritage is his: success.

3. Greek culture does not belong to the Romans nor white Europe, die mad. Sami ppl can have it if they want, cause I said so.

4. I like to piss off Nazis

Going as far back as Homer, dark skin was regarded as healthy and beautiful amongst us. White skin was associated with weakness. Λευκώλενος for example, means white-armed which meant weak.

Pharos is a good source that I think talks about the dark skin part of it all

Now

Heracles is painted in most cases with dark skin. So, it's safe to say that he was seen as a dark skinned man. (Look up paintings on amphoras, look up the terracotta statue of him and Apollo, etc.) Dark skin is associated with strength because, to put it bluntly... White people would faint and die if they ran around ancient Greece without sunscreen. Rip.

I went the extra mile and said he was probably a black Greek man because of Andromeda, who was the daughter of the king and queen of Ethiopia. Andromeda was Heracles's great-something grandma. And Zeus, well.. I'll get there in a bit.

A little about Ethiopia, most sources will say it's just Africa. But in some ancient texts it's described as the East and West. This might be a wonderful little hint, that said Hey. Black people were just living life all around us. I can't prove it but hey.

Memnon is another character who is either dark skinned or black. He's been portrayed as both in antiquity. Here's an article.

Achilles is a funny story. Most fanart will portay himst as a blond man.

Now. Allow me to go off a bit.

Achilles has never been described as white nor blond in the actual texts. Ξανθός doesn't mean blond. I call my sister that, she's absolutely not blonde. But she does have lighter hair and skin than me. Do with that what you will. His hair was also described as pyrros (red). Idk how to tell white people this... But your concept of blond and red hair? Very different than ours. Ξανθός can even mean glistening, the ocean was described as that, I don't think the ocean is yellow, do you? Another source, Aristonicus, says that Ξανθος meant angry (ξανθοχολοι). It doesn't help that Achilles's hair is described like that only two times, at Patroclus' death and his funeral. Both times he was angry. Aha! A clue perhaps, Sherlock.

Idk what else to tell ppl, Achilles was not blond.

In fact, Achilles has more in common with Memnon than any other character in the history of Greek epics. Does that mean that my ancestors were like "Woaah look at the light-skinned man! He can actually run in the sun without dying!!" Or was he dark skinned. I can't say cause it's just a story.

Odysseus, when Athena made him look like a "god", darkened his beard and his skin (Od. 16.175: μελαγχροιής, melanchroiês, which is a compound of melan, “dark,” and chroiê, “flesh”).

Zeus was portrayed as a black man by Sophocles. Not just dark skinned. Black. (Read Inachus)

I focus on the black history of it all because had Europeans not been racist towards black people I would have never been racialized and experienced violence because I'm a "mulatto". It's personal vindication to look at the history of my people with a critical eye. Idk if that makes sense but

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

Cabin in the woods really freaked me out so weirdly but I'm curious did Quaritch make Spider or Miles wear like baby clothes or use baby stuff like Idk the name but like something they put in baby's mouths to shut them up or like use diapers or something? Sorry ik this is weird

So I contemplated whether I wanted to answer this at all and decided to answer this bluntly while also giving you my respect and empathy. This question is very weird and uncomfortable for me. Anon I'm willing to bet that wasn't your intention so I will give you the befit of the doubt.

This question seems like an age play question to me (if that wasn't your intention I do apologize for putting words in your mouth). Age play between two consenting adults is one thing. It's personally not my thing but I would never judge consenting adults for partaking, because other adults lives are truly none of my business. I'm not writing a story about two consenting adults though. I wrote a story about a father and son. The things your asking about frankly cross a huge line for me.

Again I will give you the befit of the doubt and acknowledge that some of my wording choices mixed with ambiguity in other areas probably lead to you questioning this. There is a level of infantilization there but in my mind it was much more clinical if that makes sense. I was thinking of people who are bed bound for medical reasons and need assistance just to survive. From what I've seen and heard from patients like this it's demoralizing. They feel completely helpless. My intention was that Quaritch would be artificially creating this kind of demoralization, creating a situation where Spider would be utterly powerless, and he could step in as caretaker.

As for some of my wording choices I know there a line in there where Quaritch says something along the line of "i did all of this for you when you were a baby. there nothing for you to be ashamed of" or something like that. That was my easy way of explaining away the bathroom situation (which again I imagined it as strictly medical. from my understanding bed bound patients use a bed pan. I just felt gross writing that so I didn't.) but I guess I can understand how that can be interpreted differently. Word choice wise this is along the lines of things my parents have said to me. Like when your parents catch you in a vulnerable state, and you might be embarrassed but your parents are like "you've literally thrown up on me. There's nothing you can do that I'd find disgusting or embarrassing." That was my intention with that line.

I know I also use "baby boy" as a term of endearment a few times and that was honestly inspired by my dad, who kinda talks like Quaritch. My dad still calls my older brother baby boy from time to time and he's almost 31 so I didn't really think anything of it.

Clothing wise I did have a line in there about Spider being in a hospital gown, again keeping things strictly medical. There is definitely no baby stuff in that house at all.

Anon I don't want you to be ashamed of asking your question if it was asked with good intentions.

This next part goes out to any fan of my fic that might be reading this. The rise of Quaritch/Spider fan fics and art has really made me defensive particularly of Cabin in the Woods because I know that fic can be misconstrued. Cabin in the Woods in a psychological horror story and that is it. Shipping Quaritch/Spider or frankly any family members or minors with adults disgusts me to my core. I will never support it, tolerate it and I will most definitely never write it. If that is what someone is wanting please do not read my fic, and do not interact with me. I want none of it.

I've actively been writing more Cabin in the Woods, but the rise of Quaritch/Spider has majorly put me off of it. To the point where I contemplated not posting more at all even though I've got like 40 pages of story written. After a week of concentrating more on my other fic I just got back into writing Cabin in the Woods a few days ago but I am thinking about editing things out just to make it safer.

Again anon I dont want you to feel bad/guilty if you asked your question with good intentions and your not a Quaritch/Spider shipper. I'm really sorry if any of this seems like an attack on you personally, I promise you it is not. This little end rant is something that's been on my mind for a long time and like I said I've gotten really defensive over this fic due to recent events in the fandom.

[mdverse]

Hey! So your Furtana art (and art in general) always brings me such joy and I think I feel similarly about Finn as you do, i.e. can't really love canon him but I do like aspects of his character and therefore like my headcanon of him. So I just wanted to ask, what would you change about canon Finn to make him more easily likeable? What do you think are the best things about him, and do you have any headcanons you'd like to share? :) (could be Furtana related haha, or not)

hi!! am glad my art can make u happy (especially the furtana stuff, they really have become my comfort trio haha).

i do want to warn you that i'm not great at analysing characters (or anything else ngl my brain is often very empty), and i'm even worse at putting my thoughts into words, but i'll do my best for u :)

i think the main thing i would change isn't even an aspect of Finn himself, honestly. if anything, the most important change i'd want would be for the characters around him to hold him accountable for his actions. bc let's face it, Finn gets away with saying a lot of things. he's the only character i can think of rn who used two different slurs, in addition to the entirety of mash-off/ikag, and probably more things that i can't remember off the top of my head, and the only time i know that someone for sure made him actually think about the consequences of his words was Burt. also santana slapping him, but idk if that really counts. i know u just watched ikag so i don't really need to go into the fact that pretty much no one tries to knock some sense into him (the kurt/klaine aspect of the outing really irks me and i don't feel like getting into that here but ugh). with the r-word i think he did realise immediately that he was wrong to say it and i think he regretted it, but my point is. most people around him didn't hold him accountable for the hurtful things he said and did, so he was able to get away with doing things without really thinking about the gravity of his actions. and that's really frustrating, bc we see that burt yelling at finn does actually have an effect - it's clumsy but he does try to support kurt after that. and i think we see it in s4 with him defending unique when she is dead set on playing rizzo; he knows there are risks in letting her do so, but he is 100% willing to protect her to the best of his abilities. he's capable of growth, and i think he's also willing to learn, it just seems to take a lot for him to get there sometimes. which actually leads pretty well into why i like vb au furtana! the thing about santana is that she just,, doesn't take people's bullshit. she's stubborn and won't shy away from a fight, even if she stands no chance of winning, which means that growing up together, santana would've always been ready and willing to throw finn's mistakes in his face. very bluntly. it most definitely also means that finn and santana fought a lot as children - usually over dumb stuff bc, yknow, they were kids. but regardless of what it was, finn would come out of the conflict with a new understanding of what he did wrong and most importantly, why it was wrong for him to do x thing. which isn't to say that vb au santana had a fantastic moral compass as a child, bc she did also treat kurt (among others) like trash for a while, but her constant presence and bullshit detector play a big part in preventing vb au finn from turning into canon finn.

in terms of what i do like about him... i think it's kinda similar to your recent post about santana and how you like that she's cruel and messy (i do too! wasn't sure how to respond to that post bc words are hard but,,, its sth i enjoy exploring in vb au... just letting her be harsh and defensive at times... but that's a whole other thing lmao anyway back to finn). i like that he's flawed. i like that he's confused, that he doesn't really know what he wants in life, especially after high school. i like that he's insecure, that he lashes out at people (though sometimes his anger issues worry me and make me think that he needed therapy. tbh a lot of the glee characters needed therapy but that's a whole other post again), that he feels like the (stupid) high school hierarchy is extremely important, that he struggles to merge that part of his life with his love for the glee club. he feels grounded, yknow? i love me some character flaws that make them instantly relatable. but i think what i love about him the most is how kind he can be. it feels weird to type that right after bringing up some of his worst moments on the show, but he really does have some incredibly sweet moments with people. to me, his growth shows the most in s4, bc teacher!finn had some moments where you could just tell that even if he didn't know what he was doing, even if he was scared to be leading these kids by himself, he still cared about them so much. things like helping artie make grease happen, helping ryder with his dyslexia, trying to help the s4 newbies bond with each other, making sure the club didn't fall apart after their sectionals. i am still judging him for deciding to do gangnam style but that's unimportant rn. idk i'm really losing my train of thought now so i'll just finish with this: finn is a sweet but dumb boy. he has golden retriever/dumb ginger cat energy written all over him and i just desperately wish he had been given more chances to properly grow from his mistakes, instead of pretty much everyone (except burt hummel, king, icon) glossing over it.

one more thing tho! i am once again shamelessly self-promoting but i know that watching ikag was a struggle for u and i humbly offer my version of santana's coming out in hopes that it's a more pleasant experience for u...

[tommytranselo]

Jesus Christ on a fucking bicycle your asks are. scary

Anyway tell me why you love the characters you love, y’know, for positivity’s sake -rottingmanifesto (my main)

oh my god is that a nice normal ask i see? incredible. this is about to be so long

vito partly because my favorite character archetype is sad, gay, doomed mobster with a complicated relationship with his father, and partly because the way he conceives of masculinity & maturity & financial security & success as essentially the same thing a) is... Oh Boy It Sure Is and b) screams trans to me, and partly because he's a very unique and well written protagonist–at first glance he might come off as a typical Cool Crime Guy™ (which a lot of fans mainly outside tumblr seem to read him as anyway, for some reason), but a closer look reveals...he is very much not. he lacks any real control of his life, he's very obviously joe's sidekick and not vice versa, he's so strongly coded as gay i cannot read him as anything else, he genuinely respects women (something i've found to be rare in the genre), he's been hurt over and over and yet he's so full of love for his friends no matter the risks, he has just...awful luck. he's naive, he's repressed, he's very emotionally damaged, he's stuck in a cycle of family tragedy, his downfall comes ultimately not from pissing off the wrong people but from trusting them. he doesn't know how to say "i love you" without saying "i'd kill for you, i'd bleed for you." that, i think, is his fatal flaw–he has all this love, yet he's unable to do anything good with it, either due to circumstance or because he doesn't know how.

joe because he served as such a fantastic co-protagonist and counterbalance to vito, and also because he's very well-rounded imo. despite coming off as the dumb muscle, he essentially operates as the brains of the main duo, he's clearly pretty street-smart and knows how to manage money, and he seems to have his shit together much better than vito or even henry–his plans are definitely better thought out than henry's (other than the marty incident oops) even if they get tripped up by random variables like the bomb going off early or brian o'neil...driving through a fucking window. he's definitely much more aware of and much less ashamed of his emotions, and he knows how to actually communicate them (there's an exchange i always think of where he and vito are on the phone at the start of ch 14, and vito says something snarky and joe bluntly tells him to quit it bc he's not in the mood, and vito immediately apologizes–i always liked that detail bc it makes it very clear their joking around is friendly and they do respect each other's boundaries). he's much more practical and can see the silver lining cause he's expecting clouds–it's his realism that makes him an optimist, which is basically the polar opposite to vito (his need for things to be perfect makes him incredibly pessimistic bc he's constantly getting let down). he's such an openly caring friend both to henry and especially vito, and he's by far the most openly physically affectionate of the three. both his fashion sense and interior decorating are incredible, and i like how he kind of serves as a symbol of success and by extension masculinity & maturity (from vito's pov at least) while having this very flamboyant style–he's really just out here doing his own thing and i respect that immensely. in terms of protagonist as in character who moves the plot forward, i'd say he fills the role more so than vito.

henry...idk man henry's just my boy. i love how they play him up as a role model and this super cool gangster who knows the business and then he's just a fucking idiot who screws up everything he touches. like the aloof wiseguy thing is such a facade. he throws a tantrum when he gets shot, his plans are really just "we'll do the thing and it'll work probably," he's so awkward (it took him a month to work up the nerve to talk to vito! come on), he dresses like shit! he clearly cares very deeply about his two friends in the entire world–he spared leo bc he couldn't stand breaking vito's heart, for crying out loud. and he's definitely a cold son of a bitch when he wants to be, but he's also a goofball in vito and joe's company and that's just endearing to me. he somehow strikes a balance between naive and disillusioned ("my father was a...man of honor," "if [falcone] can do it why can't we?" etc) and it ultimately bites him in the ass. he's terrified of being in other people's debt, something i assume came from the clemente family being Like That.

luca LISTEN I KNOW THAT'S WEIRD. i think he was a really solid villain and i say this all the time but "guy who is generally repulsive as an individual and definitely up to something but is ostensibly on your side for at least the time being" is such a good kind of character and i wish they'd done more with that! his reaction to vito's "people the president pointed his finger at" comment is extremely telling–he's laughing not bc he's impressed by the tough talk, but bc he sees how ridiculous it is (it's a "get a load of this guy" laugh). he sees straight through vito's naivety, he doesn't even remember his name in the slaughterhouse, and he makes both joe and henry visibly uneasy (the way henry shrinks in on himself when luca approaches their table in ch 4...telling). he's honestly kind of hilarious ("what, is captain shitbag here to save the day?") and whatever he had going on with clemente was super interesting. idk. i wish they'd done more where he was still on the player's side despite being obviously horrible.

tommy angelo my friend tommy angelo from the computer screen...he was my intro to the series, he's very calming, he's gender tbh, he's a good friend to paulie and a good husband to sarah (and no doubt a good father to his daughter).

paulie's just a funny little guy how could you not like paulie. he's a genuinely caring best friend to tommy and MDE gave him a lot of depth in terms of motivation and being haunted by his decisions (including, imo, bringing tommy into a life of crime). his plans are well thought out and he has a lot of big ideas but still no one takes him seriously, and his friendship with tommy is so strong bc tommy does listen to him. anyway. tommy angelo's malewife honestly

lincoln is a super well written protag and he strikes a good balance between being ruthless to his enemies and caring to his friends (and even to strangers). he has a lot of the same "violence (whether inflicting it or enduring it) as an act of service/love" stuff going on as vito does, but i think he handles it better. teddy bear that could kill you. the whole angel/devil on the shoulder dynamic going on with father james & donovan is super interesting too.

nicki...gay, rough relationship with father, hardass with a heart, the whole "fuck this town" thing...of course i love her. and fuck burke but that one quote where he mentions nicki being out quail hunting and says "for her kind they're always in season," idk...i think i see what he means and i like that about her.

alma's a badass tbh and her shirt is awesome (and she's funny; "do you think i could fit a shotgun under my pillow?") it's also touching that she definitely cares about vito despite complaining about him a lot.

[punkscowardschampions]

Nancy & Rio

Nancy: You're with him right now, aren't you? Nancy: With how that convo just went you're gonna need to be Rio: Oh Rio: No, I'm actually at work but I can go back if I need to Nancy: It's me giving fair warning, it's up to you Rio: I don't know what to say Nancy: Me either Rio: This isn't how we wanted this to go down Rio: but I guess there's no speech that would prepare anyone, yeah? Nancy: Unlikely Nancy: You're the only ones who had any time to prepare and you're struggling, like Rio: It's just Rio: if it was anyone else, we wouldn't have to make this big thing of it, it feels awkward Rio: I know it isn't anyone else and that's the point but it doesn't take away from that feeling Nancy: Well, I'm glad you feel awkward too 'cause it's fucking weird Nancy: And he doesn't care at all so Rio: It's just hard for him to hear that Rio: it doesn't feel it Nancy: I literally don't understand this Nancy: You hate him Rio: Well Rio: I don't Rio: It's a headfuck, I know Nancy: Do you? Rio: Yeah Rio: This is why this is the last way we wanted this to come out Nancy: Like there's a better one Nancy: It's still Rio: You can say it, whatever you want Nancy: I've slagged him off to you so many times and the whole time you've Rio: It's not like I've been repeating it, I promise Nancy: That's not even the issue Nancy: God, this is so strange Rio: What is? Like, your main issues personally anyway Nancy: I don't have words for any of this Nancy: We grew up together, all of us, and then me and him drifted but it was okay 'cause so did you and him Nancy: You understood what he was like instead of falling under his spell like everyone else Rio: I still do Rio: I've not been fooled into thinking he's something he's not Rio: but yeah, I've seen other sides of him too Nancy: He told me why you two really stayed away from each other Nancy: So no you don't Rio: It's hard to explain Rio: it doesn't strictly mean I bought into all that Rio: and I did still see what you were saying, regardless Nancy: I don't get why you'd do this Nancy: You're so much better than it Rio: I know it's unconventional, and lots of people are going to have lots of opinions Rio: but I care less about how hard it might be because I love him more Nancy: I don't care that you're cousins, I care that he's him and you're you Rio: Like I said, I've seen different sides Rio: and you've got to admit, he's been getting better Nancy: You don't think I've seen every side? Nancy: That's how I know which one wins out Nancy: I love him too okay, but any change has come 'cause the Chloe thing scared him straight for a while Nancy: He doesn't know how not to revert to type Rio: It's just a different relationship Rio: no one is entirely themselves with any one person really Rio: he's not always been that, he wasn't before, he doesn't have to stay it Nancy: He's been a prick way longer than he wasn't and we both know it Nancy: Harsh but true Rio: He's got his reasons Rio: don't we all? Nancy: I don't want you to get hurt, alright? Rio: I know Rio: and without sounding disingenuous I am glad you care Rio: but it's too late to go back Rio: I don't want to Nancy: Gross Nancy: Don't give me any more details, like Rio: 'Course not Nancy: Did you really have to come for my parents entire relationship dynamic and repeat it with your own spin? Nancy: I'm joking but like also not Rio: I know Rio: the parallels were not lost on me Nancy: If you break up I'll have to move countries again Nancy: Lord knows what you'd have to do Rio: Yeah Rio: It is scary, not gonna lie Nancy: I literally can't and won't pick sides Rio: I'm not going to ask you to, can't promise he wouldn't but you know Rio: hoping it's not gonna come to that, call me an optimist Nancy: Okay that's cute Nancy: Don't make me a believer this fast, thanks Rio: Sorry, like Nancy: Can we like call him by a code name or something? Nancy: This is just Rio: Only 'cos I'm dying to hear your suggestions now Nancy: Don't make me laugh right now Rio: Soz again Rio: I promise I'm never going to come to you with the kinda info that'll have you wishing you were deaf Rio: Never have, 'cos ew boys, yeah? Nancy: I was literally gonna say Nancy: I'm too gay for that whoever it is Rio: Exactly Rio: I know it's going to be weird for a while for all the other reasons but aside from that, just another straight boy right Nancy: Yeah Nancy: Some of your exes have been even bigger pricks too, but don't tell him I said that Nancy: He'll take it as a trade up Rio: My lips are sealed Rio: Though if anyone's trying to deny that then they got bigger problems Nancy: I can't believe you've used those lips on him after how the first time went Nancy: I'm dead here Rio: He was like, what, 9 Rio: Again, the eternal optimist Rio: but hardly with how much he bragged on all his practice so Nancy: Don't Rio: My bad Nancy: Did you like him then? Nancy: When he was 9 I mean, not when he was bragging Rio: I mean Rio: Not to the degree we've been keeping the secret that long Rio: I guess I had a crush on him Rio: pass you the sick bucket, like Nancy: Lord Nancy: I know he did on you, he told me Nancy: Unprompted, which is another level of gross, thank you Nancy: It's like he was in the closet over this in place of me ever being Nancy: So dramatic, like Rio: I'll save my 'cute' for him, don't worry Rio: well you know, do anything for you, like Nancy: Can I come and see you? Nancy: Like I know it's gonna be so awkward in person probably and I wanna get it over with so we can just Rio: Of course Rio: I'd like that Nancy: I miss you Nancy: Even if you do have rubbish taste in boys Rio: I miss you too Rio: all of you Rio: but I don't miss being there, you know Nancy: I get it Nancy: I feel the same about London Rio: Yeah Rio: I thought you would Nancy: I know it's Drew and I really shouldn't expect him to be anything other than the worst but I can't believe he outed you like that Nancy: So fucked up Rio: Yeah, I really hoped he wouldn't but Rio: guess he had no reason not to now Nancy: But like did he ever? I don't understand why he waited Nancy: It must've given you so much false hope that he'd actually keep his mouth shut Nancy: That's cruel Rio: I guess 'cos he wanted to fuck me himself Rio: put it bluntly Rio: couldn't really be talking shit and doing it at the same time Nancy: That makes sense but why not tell everyone after the baby shower, you know Rio: Yeah, I don't know you know Rio: Buster reckoned maybe he was trying to keep Indie on-side a bit but Rio: that worked well for him Nancy: I don't want my brother to be right about anything right now but Nancy: Could be true, I guess Rio: Kinda makes sense Rio: or he just wanted to fuck with us with false hope and sense of security, like you said Rio: Idk, but I'm relieved in a way, like you said, when would ever be the 'right' moment? Nancy: I can relate, obviously not exactly Nancy: But when I finally kissed Sian after wanting to for such a long time it was like Nancy: Not the best example considering what happened after though Nancy: Try not to crash and burn, like Rio: Noted Rio: At least you had the balls to, good idea or not Rio: decidedly not but Rio: maybe we'd have never done it without being forced, idk Nancy: Buster would Nancy: It was obvious how much he wants to be with you Nancy: Gross too but Rio: Yeah Rio: I lowkey stopped him a few times but pretend I didn't admit that he'd only be annoying Nancy: Of course Nancy: I get it now, why he trashed his room that day Nancy: I never did get the real story out of him but it makes so much sense now Rio: That was more about the Chloe thing Nancy: Yeah? Nancy: Oh so he wasn't lying Rio: Don't sound too shocked Nancy: Compared to earlier I'm positively zen Rio: Ha, I have that affect Nancy: You calmed him down that day, didn't you? Nancy: Oh god Nancy: I'm gonna go ahead and repress Rio: Unless you wanna rephrase, probably for the best Nancy: I need you to tell me the safe zones of both our houses so I can exist in there only Nancy: But I also don't wanna know Rio: ... Rio: I dunno if you want me to stay silent or if that says too much Nancy: Please tell me my room was off limits Nancy: I will die Rio: Of course Rio: Not a total animal Nancy: I'm too relieved to argue the pros and cons of what you just said so Rio: 🤐 Nancy: There is one thing I HAVE to ask though Rio: Go on Rio: Slightly concerned but Nancy: Don't worry I'm rolling my eyes at myself Nancy: But be nice to him, yeah? 'Cause I can't but like he's never been in love before Rio: I promise Nancy: He acts tough but I could take him easily Nancy: Especially with things like this Rio: I know Rio: let's not start singing no stranger to heartache though, yeah? Nancy: All I'm saying is, if what happened to me happened to him there'd be nobody left alive Nancy: He's the most dramatic McKenna there is Nancy: Worse than dad and nan put together Rio: I mean, not gonna argue Rio: you are handling it really well, you know Rio: even if you still feel the same mess now as you did then, it doesn't show Nancy: You're the only person who's said anything close to that to me Nancy: So thanks Rio: This family is just shit at talking to each other Rio: not coming for them 'cos well Nancy: I feel like mum is never gonna look at me like she used to Nancy: not to come for Buster's dramatic flair but Rio: I know Rio: She will, she's pretty good Rio: Assume Buster told you she worked it out Nancy: Yeah Nancy: I'd be more shocked if she hadn't 'cause of course Nancy: It's just she's never treated me like I'm stupid before, you know, not with the dyslexia stuff or any of it, but that was before this Rio: Feelings aren't logical though Rio: I reckon she's stinging that SHE didn't know, you know Rio: not for the 'I told you so' or anything but so she could've helped you deal Nancy: I don't know whether to be flattered or horrified that I'm better at keeping secrets than you and him combined Rio: Using all that closet angst you never got to, obviously Nancy: Which reminds me, I can't help wishing Chloe knew about this 'cause of how angry she'd be Rio: I have good news Nancy: REALLY? Nancy: did everyone know but me or what, like? Rio: awks 😬 Rio: but no, her obsession worked to her advantage and she was able to piece together us being at the same place enough times Nancy: Her and mum getting jackets now Nancy: Sorry Drew you missed your chance Rio: Honestly Rio: He did not put the effort in Rio: won't tell you the full deets 'cos you won't wanna know Nancy: umm? Rio: We'll leave it at he may as well have walked in it was that blatant Nancy: OH Nancy: oh my god have you and him ever....when I was there? Rio: Gurl Rio: don't ask Nancy: RIO I KNOW THAT MEANS YES Rio: Shh Nancy: That's despicable Rio: Well that's a bit steep Rio: it's hardly a war crime Nancy: I'm calling it a hate crime Nancy: I can Nancy: I'm gay Rio: 😂 Rio: You clearly didn't hear anything so count yourself lucky Nancy: Please I just assumed it was another posh blonde if I did Nancy: Been there, done my best to ignore that Rio: With this accent? I think not Rio: I was stealth Nancy: I didn't have a glass to the wall sounding out how you said vowels Rio: Trust, you'd know Nancy: CAN YOU NOT Rio: You brought it up! Rio: I'm not trying air my business or his Nancy: I have to go find some ground to swallow me brb Rio: 😏 okay babe Nancy: how is that a euphemism? Rio: idk, your mind, honestly woman Nancy: can you at least promise to keep your hands off each other when I visit or not? Rio: We managed this far, I think we'll be fine Rio: not PDA all the way from here on out, like Nancy: Okay Rio: Thanks, Nance Nancy: For what? Rio: For still being normal with me Nancy: If it was abnormal to fancy Buster I'd be too busy judging half the female population to even speak to you Nancy: Besides, I'm saving my big reinvention for when uni starts, like you said Rio: Yeah? Is that warning me to expect my shade and silent treatment in the post, like? Nancy: Maybe Nancy: Depends what you do between now and then Nancy: You can't see my hair flip but its happening Rio: Oh God, don't become Chloe, like Rio: a misstep if ever there was one Nancy: 😱 Rio: You know, don't be THAT mad I'm with Buster, not goals Nancy: Wash your mouth out Rio: I'm sorry but you never gave me a codename Nancy: That Prick ™️ Nancy: But I meant the comparison between me and her Nancy: That was a deep cut Rio: Yeah, she wishes Nancy: If she tries to date me next just know I predicted it Rio: I'll pray for you Nancy: Such an unholy union what else is there to do? Nancy: I love you but I'm not taking the heat off you that way, like Rio: Not to be that bitch but Rio: kinda owe me twofold now so Rio: tick tock Nancy: BITCH NO Nancy: I also draw the line at boudoir photography Rio: Damn 😂 Nancy: I'll recommend you someone Nancy: They won't be as good obviously Rio: 'Course not Rio: I know my own angles, it's cool Nancy: And nobody loves himself more than him so he's bound to as well Rio: I mean, his feed is pretty poppin' Nancy: 🙄 Rio: 😂 that was just a normal compliment Nancy: How did I not know you're so disgustingly in love? My god Rio: Gay drama, probably Nancy: Sad but true Rio: At least you've got an excuse Rio: everyone else needs a word Nancy: Honestly Rio: Though I'm cool with most of mine skillfully avoiding 'cos I don't need to do this 10x over Nancy: oh no Nancy: imagine Rio: Lucky only some of them are highkey Rio: that's enough Nancy: Yeah Nancy: not that I can say anything 'cause about to excuse myself to cry over my brother having a girlfriend when I don't Rio: Awh babe Rio: wanna hit the town when you come? Nancy: To drink, definitely Nancy: anything else with my track record is a no Rio: Your track record of 1 1/2? Rio: Come to me when you've got at least half a dozen failures, like Nancy: You don't think that's enough mistakes to be making? Rio: Nah Rio: Need I remind you your track record with drinking is not flawless either Rio: but you gotta live, babe Nancy: I'm scared, okay? Rio: That's alright Rio: they won't bite 'less you ask Nancy: 😂 Nancy: What if I'm not ready, I don't wanna fuck anyone over again Rio: It's just the club Rio: harmless, meaningless flirting is the standard Nancy: Yeah? Nancy: Will you actually come with me? Rio: 'Course Nancy: Despite Buster's coffee shop masterclass, which feels like a million years ago anyway, I don't really know what I'm doing Rio: I can show you Rio: but you gotta do it how you would, you know, you can't go too hard with an act Nancy: 🙈 Rio: It'll be fun, been ages since I flirted with a girl Nancy: Don't tell my brother that he'll get bored 😂🙄 Nancy: Help me though I need it Rio: No danger, trust Rio: I will, bring outfit options Nancy: Obviously Nancy: When are we doing this? Nancy: In typical lesbian fashion I need to angst for like 4 years prior Rio: Whenever you can get over Rio: I work most nights but I've got plenty time banked so it won't hurt Nancy: Let's make it happen soon Nancy: Everyone's doing my head in here Rio: Whenever you want, babe Rio: your brother is only as busy as usual so Nancy: Is next weekend too highkey? Rio: Nah, sounds good to me Nancy: Okay Nancy: Anything 🍀 you're missing let me know and I'll pack that too Rio: Just some decent tea, tah Nancy: That ain't even London that's just our house Nancy: Full offense mum Rio: 😂 the real beef comes out Nancy: You missed a chance to say the real tea Nancy: Come on Rio: Damn Rio: really let myself down, like Nancy: mhmm Rio: Ah well, what can ya do Nancy: Do you think if I ask your mum to cat sit while I'm there I'll ever see her again? Rio: Your Ma or the cat? Nancy: Either or Rio: I don't think she's that cold Rio: but one of mine would defs go in and give her TLC Rio: the cat, that is Nancy: 😂 Nancy: I'll text you when my flight's booked then Rio: 👍 See you then babe Nancy: Until then, remember I loved you first 💋 Rio: 😂 Love you too silly bitch