#(so hopefully it never will happen that way But You Know . PPL)

[utilitycaster]

The thing that gets me abt the framework of downfall and the way Ludinus(and some ppl in the tags who seemingly are trying really hard to roleplay Ludinus) read it is that they're like "look at how the gods meddled and laid low to destroy this bastion of human achievement, they had no right and should have let themselves be systematically exterminated/have the world burn instead" when. Setting aside the revelation that the gods who struck down Aeor made themselves mortal to do it-- as in, they were on the exact playing fields of humans when they made their move and it wasn't some huge peacocking of power against upstart humans to strike them out of the sky-- the Divergence is going to happen. We KNOW the Divergence is going to happen. The gods are going to create the divine gate and remove any chance that they can ever do something like this again. "Blaugh, look at them meddle and plot-" and? Whatever they do, we know that the sun will shine once more. Melora, as brutal as she is as the starved Asha, will plant a tree of hope in the most destroyed wastes of Wildemount. And they will ensure that the suffering they wrought in the calamity, in Aeor, can never ever repeat the same way they had done it. Which is a HELL of a lot more than can be said for Ludinus who is actively reviving every cycle he can

first off "some ppl in the tags who seemingly are trying really hard to roleplay Ludinus" took me OUT so thank you for that.

I just reblogged a post with a quote from Cooldown that I think is really relevant in understanding the whole story of the gods and how we got to this point but like, just to summarize (and debunk a few things, hopefully) from the beginning of the episode to the end re: the life of the gods:

Gods (possibly aspects of the Luxon?) crash-landed on Exandria BECAUSE of what is all but outright said to be Predathos.

As far as I can tell, no deals were made between the gods and the Titans. The only person who has said this from what I can tell is Asmodeus, who I would not consider a reliable source of truth. Or rather: one might have been made but there's no corroboration that I know of.

They created the people of Exandria and sealed away Predathos both prior to the Schism

The Schism occurred when the Titans decided to attack the people (which to be clear - the people had been there for long enough to build that weird ruin on Ruidus with a portal, like, I would love to know what prompted the fight of the Schism since it had pretty clearly been millennia of coexistence).

The Betrayers decided the move was to leave and start over, and the Primes felt that was a dereliction of duty to the people. That's what the quote is about - it's about the fact that Erathis's motivation for being a Prime Deity isn't "mortals are my blorbos!" it's "we have an obligation to our creations" and more generally that the Prime Deities are invested in their domains for the overall good of Exandria but not necessarily the specific good of Aeor. (Taliesin follows it up with (as Melora) "You'd have to tear me from this fucking planet" w/r/t the idea that you cannot, in fact, destroy your bad first draft simply because it would be more convenient to you.)

Betrayers get sealed, unsealed, events of EXU Calamity occur (notably: the titans are all dead. you can fight about whether this was just or right later but they're gone and killing other people won't bring them back; the titans are largely used as a pearl-clutching prop by people with no arguments that are perhaps actually relevant to the current situation), and perhaps 50 or 60 years into the conflict the gods call a truce re: Aeor's Obtenebrator and commit to decades of living as mortals (and therefore limiting themselves considerably)

And so here we are

And I think this really gets to the point. Because ultimately, the argument in favor of leaving Aeor be is "when someone points a gun at you, lay down and die" and the argument in favor of the Betrayers is "when someone tells you to abandon your (living) obligations for them, do so." The former is despairing and nihilistic and the latter selfish and, well, a betrayal.

There is something profoundly nihilistic about Ludinus, for all he talks about freeing people and a better world. He's destroyed a city of innocents. He's indoctrinated hundreds if not thousands of people and many of them have died in his service; he's the architect of an empire and many wars in its name and is actively working with a second one. He's been killing fey and he's even physically given himself over to the cause. There is no crime or sin people attribute to the gods that he has not done himself in measures beyond nearly every other mortal. Like, I really think he's at a point where he just is unwilling to "lose" even though he has a friendless life and a legacy of violence and has destabilized the entire world and the weave of magic itself. I think he has to believe there's something on this Occultus Thalamus for him because if there isn't, he, like the Prime Deities, probably can't just pick up and start over. All he has left is to give in to just letting the world burn in the hopes that at least he gets the satisfaction of what he hates burning with him.

Basically, sounds like a rough time to try to roleplay him in the tags.

Something else you (and others) bring up is that amid all the "history is written by the victors" the story of Aeor and of the gods has actually painted them as far harsher. The story doesn't say that they were first chased to Exandria unwillingly and did not come in conquest; the story, as this post notes, evokes vast divine might striking down a city from the heavens and not like, living in fragile mortal forms during one of the most dangerous times in history and arguing amongst each other over how they can save both themselves and Aeor and if that's even possible. Like, even if you see the gods as the victors of this story rather than simply the survivors, the "unedited" version of the story makes them far more sympathetic.

You also mention the Divine Gate and that's a really interesting thing to me because the existing status quo of Exandria is actually remarkably nascent if you think about it. The Founding had gods, titans, and mortals. Post Schism had the Prime deities and mortals (and it is worth noting this is when the people of Exandria became the most technologically advanced; you want to talk about the Titans and Betrayers, you need to cover that the price of the wonders of the Age of Arcanum was that they were not present). Calamity had all the gods and mortals again, and the current era is the first where the gods are behind the gate. It's kind of a compromise between all the things that have tried to destroy one another - Betrayers and Primes are separated but all are free within their realms and can indirectly contact mortals; technically, so can Predathos. None can directly be on Exandria. Is it ideal? No. It's a compromise, and the sealed can become unsealed (which, consistently, goes very badly) but it's the option that doesn't involve the total annihilation of anyone. Ludinus seeks, by setting off this horrible cycle again, to undo that fragile imperfect compromise with a goal of wholesale slaughter. He provides no option for the gods other than "die by my hand" when even some of the gods were desperately trying to find other options for Aeor as of a day prior to its destruction. He's simply wallowed in his trauma for centuries, becoming colder and more unfeeling and less empathetic and more arrogant than the gods he accuses of the same flaws.

[iatnen]

daniel and sebastian defo the type of couple to explosively break up at breakfast and be making out sloppy style at dinner, people ask ominis whose side he takes when they argue and he threatens to avada himself

Exactly

I’ve let my inbox pile up for long enough I NEED TO GET TO THEM NOW SO HERE I GO

Oooof I had a hard time with this one���.. I was stuck between pride and greed. I mean if you push Daniel’s character to the veerrryyy extreme he’d be a success hungry guy who craves recognition and validation 😅 And Daniel’s main flaw would be his short temper LOL

Doesn’t like being seen as less than > goes out of his way to be the best > gets mad when he doesn’t reach his own expectations/what he thinks other people’s expectations are + insecurity of his own abilities = anger issues…… does that make sense 🤔😰 hopefully HAHAHA

What makes Daniel laugh? Sebastian 😙 NAAAHHHH but fr pretty much just anything that makes the average teenage boy laugh….. like skibidi toilet (ironically) 😸 Sarcasm, irony, anything that’s funny bc of how unfunny it is, I think that describes Daniel’s humor in a few words

For his laugh… hmmm

Well first he’s not the type of guy to really laugh out loud or cackle, when something is funny it’s usually more like one of those short little exhale laughs yk ??? But I mean if he’s really going to LOL he would be sorta airy, breathy, starts with a wheeze kinda laugh that just goes silent and then broken by a sudden gasp for breath YK??? Likeee I suck so bad at explaining but those out of breath laughs is what I’m imagining

Ominis is both of their friends but it’s a little complicated 😅 ofc Ominis would be conflicted cuz of the dark arts stuff yk still he doesn’t hate either of them. Daniel and Ominis had a very rocky start, in the end they respect each other on their own choices and views. Ominis separates Daniel from Sebastian’s actions, so he isn’t angry at him for whatever happened with the relic and Solomon etc. (even if he lowkey enabled Sebastian 😰)

I like to think that Omini would take on the role of the “responsible one” in the group when they’re together, while Sebastian is the one coming up with the crazy ideas and Daniel is like “ok!!!”. He’s still closer to Sebastian than to Daniel just bc of how long they’ve known each other but yah they’re all good friends and hang out yay !!! 😙

HI ANON ! TYSMMMM it’s so shocking to read that people like Daniel too…. Like THAT’S MY OC GUYS !!! 😦 WHAAATTT !!!??!!

I’m truly motivated by such messages when I get them 😿😿😿 I know I don’t answer every single one like this but I NEVER DELETE THEM !!! I keep them in my inboxes and read them whenever I need a little push to draw so THANK YOU ALL

HAHAHA well I hope you’re being careful when opening my posts at school….. some of them are uhhh 😳

I honestly had no idea what OTP meant for the longest time, I just saw it everywhere BUT YAY THAT’S SO EPIC YET STRANGE TO HEAR LIKE…. I CAN’T BELIEVE PPL LOVE THE QUIDDITCH BROS ???!! (I think I’m just gonna call them that now)

And finally thank you to these two for the sunflowers 🙏 I was surprised to even get one THANK YOU 🌻🌻

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

horse girl charlie morningstar, her partner in a cool hat and eye patch vaggie, and the Hazbin Horse Rehabilitation Ranch- where shit people are introduced to horses no one else wants and hopefully no one get trampled to death (niffty this means YOU)

other key features include

vaggie riding a small working horse and ppl keep calling it a pony and she keeps telling them It's Not A Fucking Pony

charlie and her beloved mule, who never listens to her

angel dust wanting to learn dressage bc it looks like "fancy sexy riding" and also he was banned from mentioning the words "bare back" or "bucking bronco"

husk constantly found drunk and asleep in his horse's stall while said horse nuzzles him

niffty obsessing over grooming all the horses down to their individual hairs, yes even the bad tempered horses, yes she likes it when they shmoosh her against a wall or step on her foot

alastor looking calm collected and in control on his horse as he wanders off from the group and never participates in activities bc his horse won't listen to him either and he's too proud to admit it

sir pentious keeps trying to make his horse look and preform the best using his own new designs for tack and gear and it always backfires but he's the go-to one if your saddle needs adjusting or fixing

his egg boiz are a flock of chickens

his horse keeps eating the chickens' eggs and he keeps crying over it, even when charlie tells him they wouldn't have hatched into chicks anyway

lucifer lives in a shack somewhere around here with his collection of customized my little pony brushible toys

the locals in the nearest town still talk about lilith's incredible horse whispering skills before she up and vanished

charlie gushes about these stories a LOT but laughs nervously if asked about her own way with horses

she tries.

her way of making sudden loud squees and eeeks and excited yells and wild energetic movements doesn't fit well with most of the horses

she also slips up and gets flaming mad at anything that threatens her family's ranch or anyone who mistreats a horse

angry charlie is Scary Charlie

her mule doesn't care tho it knows she's a pushover treat giver

when vaggie first figured out what was happening she spent weeks with her own horse slowly getting it used to all sorts of weird charlie-related things, including stealing charlie's jacket a few times to flap it wildly while chasing her horse around the paddock singing loud show tunes

vaggie's horse is the only one that'll let charlie ride it without being a nervous wreck

charlie maybe cried a little when she went for that first ride

vaggie has a shot gun

she spends a lot of time checking on things riding far out and alone and keeps the gun with her just in case

she's never actually threatened any of their human boarders with the shot gun but she does have an unnerving tendency to check and clean it whenever she's pissed and trying to keep some shred of her patience intact

every week there's at least one night set aside for an evening dance after dinner and yes chaggie was doing it long before any other ppl showed up

valentino showed up once and charlie chased him off the premises with vaggie's shotgun

the ranch used to have a television

now it has a radio tower

no one except alastor is happy about it but his radio commercial revenue is paying for most of this so they all keep mostly quiet about their grumbling and record voice lines for ads when he looms over them with a script

vaggie swears the time she shot out the radio tower's windows while arguing with alastor over her and charlie's voice lines was a complete accident

razzle and dazzle are ranch dogs who keep track of the horses when they're out grazing and both are COMPLETELY in tune with charlie, been with her since childhood, the three can basically read each others' minds and watching them all work together is like watching magic

(vaggie also knows how to work with them but has to use more obvious signals instead of just tiny changes in body language)

vaggie keeps trying to gently remind charlie there are events for dog handling she could enter in

but the ranch was lilith's passion and rehabilitating rejected horses her dream and charlie is not not giving up on that OR on the rejected people her mom always was so proud of and charlie is NOT letting herself think for one moment that her mom isn't coming home

speaking of coming home

chaggie met when charlie was out riding after a storm looking for a lost horse and found it staring curiously down at a half dead lady lying in a ditch with a freshly gouged out eye and burns on her back

the half dead lady claimed she shot out her own eye by accident and got hit by lightning

or maybe fell asleep on a campfire uhh

charlie was way too busy figuring out normal social interactions again and also how to patch up a pretty lady without being a complete fool about it to question vaggie's super realistic tale

vaggie was planning on staying just long enough to get on her feet again- especially after she started catching feelings watching charlie being sweet with all the stubborn horsies- and seeing how much charlie was struggling with the ranch without having someone else to look after

she was even gonna steal a horse on the way out

and got caught by charlie in the act

charlie just smiled sadly, told vaggie she was glad she wasn't heading off alone, told vaggie's horse to take care of her, and then went back to the daily chores

vaggie caught up with her an hour later

she'd had to properly put her horse away and get breakfast started first, for after they've finished up the morning stuff

they've been running the ranch together ever since

keekee the cat is the actual boss on the ranch and got her name from how doors always open for her (bc she bothers whoever's around until they drop what they're doing to obey her)

cherri bomb stops by once just to laugh at angel dust and ignore pentious but ends up being the only one who figures out why the new horse is spooking at everything- it's got hearing loss, and she's got it too from doing endless unlicensed fireworks shows, and she's totally just sticking around until the horse gets used to things here. totally

[penny-anna]

podiatrist adventures

⬇️gross medical stuff down here

one of my new year's resolutions was to get rid of my corns. have had 2 of them for uhh probably several years? not really painful just unsightly. want 'em gone.

try out corn plasters for a week or so. if you've never used corn plasters before well they have acid in them. the acid is visibly burning the skin around the corns but leaving the corns themselves intact.

look into seeing a doctor about this. i can go on a months long NHS waiting list OR pay about £50 to go and see a private specialist in a week's time

fuck it i want 'em gone

go to the appointment. mention to the podiatrist that i've had corns before that were definitively caused by badly fitting shoes but i've never been sure what triggered these 2 as they're in a weird location (sole of foot). she agrees that it's unusual but says all sorts of things can cause corns.

she starts removing the corn & the acid burned skin. confirms that corn removal plasters just don't work very well on the soles of your feet bcos the acid 'splooshes out'. figures.

a good way into the procedure she comments that she's seeing 'black dots' inside the corns and will need to properly examine them once the dead skin is all off. hopefully nothing.

she finishes up & gets her microscope

'hm yeah these are verrucas'

'say what?'

'sometimes you get a corn on top of a verruca that's what's happened here'

o_o

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S A CORN ON TOP OF A VERRUCA

tells me i have three (3) options:

wait for verrucas to go away on their own (not keen as it's already been several years)

go to a pharmacist and buy her recommended product

Cryotherapy.

we can do the cryrotherapy right now today but it will be 'a bit sore'.

i have no idea what 'a bit sore' means in real people language but based on previous experiences i suspect it means 'it will hurt like a bitch'

ask if there's an extra charge for that. she confirms it's included in the £50 fee.

'you don't have to get any treatment if you don't want to & you can go away and think about it if you want.'

as ppl who've been paying attention to my blog will be aware i've had a lot of uhh pretty brutal dental procedures so im honestly not really all that fazed at the idea of it hurting. main concern is that she mentioned it'll be painful for a few days afterwards and i'd prefer to avoid that if possible.

but u know. fuck it. i want 'em gone.

sign the consent form.

'ok we're going to do 10 seconds on each one and that should kill them. we'll do 5 seconds at a time.'

starts the procedure. 'oh this hardly hurts at all this is weaksauce - OHH OK'

actually hurts worse after she stops. based on my reaction she suggests that we stop at 5 seconds on each.

no. fuck that. i want 'em gone.

wait to see how long the stinging lasts. it's about half a minute. tell her to get it over with.

its bad!!!

she gives me an information sheet about what to do if i get a Blood Blister (there is a risk of Blood Blisters) and tells me to take some paracetamol

in six weeks time i'll know if they're actually gone 👍

[axkirak]

Could you do one where f!reader is an albino and has CIPA? search it if you don’t know what it is! 😋

She lives in Zaun, they grew up together..sorta, but during their teen years they helped each other invent random shit! They grew apart after he went to Piltover and haven’t seen f!reader since

It’s kinda like a sad reuniting, but at the bridge and they were apart with others throwing stuff at the enforcers for cutting off the bridge. Forgot the episode but hopefully you get it!

Ppl luv angst 😼🙏

Hi, I just wanted to say that your plot is genuinely amazing. I love writing angst too, and your story has so much potential to turn into something longer. I think it would be really interesting to dive deeper into the relationship between the two characters.

But I have to inform you, I don’t think I can write a reader-insert fic with the kind of specific traits you mentioned. It’s not because I don’t want to, but because of a past issue I had with a Viktor fic I wrote.

Back then, I posted my fic Kiss and Make Up, and another writer (who also wrote Viktor x Reader fics) left a comment on my fic and started harassing me because I had mentioned the reader’s hair length just once in the whole fic — literally just once — and she was extremely upset about it. She said that I shouldn’t even call it a proper x Reader fic because of that.

On top of that, she didn’t just come after me. She also targeted other readers who come to show their support and encourage me, and it turned into a big argument. Even though she deleted her comments later, the whole thing really stayed with me. (You can still see part of what happened in the comment section under Kiss and Make Up)

To be honest, I’ve never been totally sure where the boundaries are when it comes to x Reader writing. I’ve read lots of x Reader fics from different fandoms on Tumblr, and many of them include specific traits like race (Black or Latina), height, or body type. I’ve never seen anyone get criticized in the comments for that

Still, in my own work, I’ve never really described the reader’s appearance. That one line about hair length in Kiss and Make Up was the only time I ever did, and it was totally unintentional. I admit that was a mistake on my part. I just felt like the sentence sounded too blunt, so I added a little detail to make it flow better. And honestly, I’ve seen fics that describe the reader way more specifically than I ever did, so I didn’t think that one small thing would be an issue. But it turned out it was, and I have no excuse for it.

That whole experience really shook me. I panicked, cried for hours, and it seriously messed with my mental health. Since then, I’ve been scared to write x Reader fics because I don’t know if I’ll get harassed again if I write something that someone doesn’t like.

To avoid going through something like that again, I’ve decided not to write fics that describe the reader’s physical traits or any other specific characteristics. (Since you specifically want the reader to be albino and have CIPA , I can't write it, even though I really love your plot😭)

I'm so so sorry and I hope you understand.

[stylinsoncity]

sharing a snippet from my 35th fic, which i'm very slowly working on... for context, this is a famous h/non-famous l, alpha l/omega h fic... louis is also in a band, but for fun and the ppl mentioned at the end are his bandmates...

h/l haven’t kissed before this scene.

hopefully the rest explains itself D:

+

“Is this getting weird?” Harry blurts. “Us, I mean. Have we…crossed a line?”

Louis seems to sober a bit, then. Because he doesn’t blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. He sucks eagerly on his cigarette for a moment. “I think it’s up to you to decide,” he finally says.

Harry is just about to comment on how unhelpful that is when Louis adds:

“But I don’t think it’s crossing a line to admit I like fucking you. Or that I think about it when we’re not together.”

Harry crosses his arms tight over his chest, tucking his sweaty hands up under his armpits. “Yeah. I do too, yeah,” he admits after a long, tense silence. “That would explain…you know…what just happened.”

“What just happened?” Louis asks, his smile growing.

Harry gives him a look he hopes is withering. But it’s Louis. And Harry doesn’t know him that well yet, but he knows Louis withers for no one, for nothing.

“The blowjob,” Harry says. “Are you implying it was forgettable?”

“Oh, yeah, that,” Louis says. “I just wanted to hear you say it.”

“Arsehole,” Harry grumbles.

“I’d say sorry in advance for this, but it’s not the most forward thing I’ve said or done all night…” Louis begins after another drag of his cigarette, the flame setting his face and eyes softly aglow. “There’s nothing forgettable about the way you suck cock. There’s nothing forgettable about the way you smell, the way you taste, the way you feel. You’re the best I’ve ever had, if I’m honest. I don’t think it’s crossing a line to tell you so.”

Harry can’t really do anything but look at him afterwards, which is a mistake because of the way Louis looks. Not just the look of him — with his hair messy from Harry’s fingers and his low cut shirt torn at the shoulder — but the way he looks back at Harry. Like if they were indoors, in private, they would’ve devoured each other already. Again.

Harry’s gaze is glued to him. He feels like his whole being is glued to Louis. He manages to at least unglue his tongue and says, unsteadly, “I think you’re still really drunk.”

“So are you,” Louis says, tossing his cigarette to his feet. “After this, I’ll make sure you get home in one piece.”

“After what?”

Louis steps forward, backs him up against the car and presses their mouths together. Harry doesn’t think about it. He reaches up to cup Louis’ face and licks into Louis’ mouth as Louis licks deeply into his. It’s Louis controlling the kiss, leading Harry’s tongue, giving him chase. It’s Louis deciding when Harry has had enough. He pulls away, leaving him panting, and presses his nose into Harry’s neck, breathing in deeply. He licks up the length of Harry’s jugular, his tongue and lips just brushing the shell of Harry’s ear.

Harry shudders and feels himself grow wet all over again. Or wetter, if he’s honest. He feels his knees buckle, but he’s pressed so firmly to the car, there’s nowhere to go. Being anywhere else is the least of his concern.

Louis brings their mouths together again, his kiss searing, almost punishing in its intensity. And doing anything else but kissing him back has never appealed to Harry less. He’s not sure he’s ever kissed someone or been kissed like this. He’d remember. He might never have stopped. He never wants to stop.

They hear a bit of commotion over to their left and it finally dawns on Harry where the fuck he is. His panic must be palapble because Louis immediately steps back, though his hands are still on Harry’s shoulders.

“Was that okay or…?” Louis asks, trying to catch his breath.

“Feels like an understatement.”

“Are you okay, then?”

Harry is a mess. He’s paranoid. He’s needy. He can’t take his eyes off Louis’ mouth. He doesn’t know why they’re not still kissing, but they also can’t kiss here. “I’m… yeah…”

Louis squeezes his shoulders and then, lets his hands fall to his sides. And Harry can’t help it. He doesn’t whimper aloud, but he feels another shudder run over his body at the loss of Louis’ touch.

Jess steps out of the building then and spots them from the top of the landing. “You boys ready to head home?” she asks.

“Depends on if you’re sober enough to get us there,” Louis says.

“Yes, I’m sober. I take being a designated driver very seriously,” Jess says, taking the first step down to the pavement. “Get in the van.”

Harry climbs into the van after Louis and endures the small wait until Ian comes sprinting down the steps and clambers inside. It’s because Jess and Ian are betas that they can’t smell what Harry smells — the rich lure of Louis’ scent, of arousal. It’s everywhere in the car, clinging to Harry’s clothes, to his own skin. He asks Jess to lower the window at one point, which is when he happens to catch Louis’ gaze — and realises for the first time that he’s been avoiding it.

Now, they look at each other and in doing so, Harry confirms what he already knew.

It’s getting weird.

[cripplecharacters]

Feel free not to answer this question as it's more a research-type question, I'm just not sure how to go about finding what I need: do you happen to know any fiction books with portrayals of medium to high support autistic people that are considered realistic and positive? All I can find is rep of low support autistic ppl (unless it's in semi-educational children's books) and it's making it harder to figure out how to write medium to high support autistic ppl myself.

Hello!

When I was diagnosed, it was before the levels were used (Or at least before they were used where I lived). I suspect that I would be considered 'level one autistic' today but would likely have been 'level two', bridging into 'level three' as a child. This is all just to explain my perspective with this.

That being said, here are some of my recommendations:

A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern

I just finished this book earlier today and while it isn't specifically about autistic characters, it does feature several autistic characters with high support needs as well as other disabled characters. The book is written from the perspective of two characters, one of which is developmentally disabled (Belinda). Although her disability is never specified, I do see a lot of autistic traits in Belinda. The premise of this book is a bit heavy. It's about two characters (Who are not disabled) who end up volunteering at a centre for adults with developmental disabilities. One of the things I appreciated about this book was how well rounded the characters are. Each of them has their own stories, interests, and ideas. I also like how it discussed sex and relationships in the context of people with developmental disabilities. Something to note is that this does have some sensitive topics such as ableism, sexual assault, and bullying. It is also written by a parent of an autistic child but, as far as I'm aware, the author herself is abled. I did have some conflicted feelings about specific parts of it but I'll leave that for you to make your own decisions about. Target Audience: Young Adult

How to Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby

I also read this book recently and I personally really disliked it. There were several scenes that made me feel very gross and I found that the autistic character was dehumanized very often. One line that stuck with me was another character about a blind character, essentially saying, "I thought she was going to drown herself. If I was blind, that's what I would do." Although the character does get to know the blind character and changes her mind, it really felt awful to read and seemed so unnecessary -- especially given the target audience. The way it talks about blindness in general bugs me. That being said, I have seen several autistic people recommending the book (Which was why I read it in the first place) so I'll include it here anyways since my opinion seems to be in the minority around this book. Target Audience: Elementary/Middle Schoolers This is a brief review from another autistic person. [Link]

Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos

This book centers around Nova, a young autistic girl with high support needs. Nova is a foster child who is missing her older sister and the story is told through a mix of narrative, letters to Nova's sister, and flashbacks. It's been a while since I've read this book but I remember really enjoying it (And maybe crying a little bit too). The author is autistic herself and also consulted many other autistic people with a variety of experiences, which I appreciated. Target Audience: Middle Schoolers This is a more in-depth review on the book from a reader who (I believe) is also autistic. [Link]

These are also a couple books that I've seen recommended but can't personally recommend as I haven't read them myself yet:

Real by Carol Cujec

Remember Dippy by Shirley Reva Vernick

I know it's not very much but hopefully it's enough to get you started! If anyone has any recommendations for anon, feel free to mention them in the notes.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[zombiecowboy65]

saw someone on the other social say that if jeremy really cared about jean he wouldn’t be sleeping around and my feed refreshed before I could fight them but I need to get this off my chest with someone who will understand!!!!! pls help me explain that jeremy thinks so lowly of himself and so highly of jean that as much as he likes him he can’t even entertain the idea of anything happening between them bc he doesn’t feel worthy of him…. I’m gonna jump

I also saw a few posts on there being mad at Jeremy and tbh it all comes down to that savior character role they gave to him. He never really was, but he was vague enough about his own issues that it was easy enough to pretend he didn’t have any, and now that we know he’s a mess™️ everyone’s being forced to shift perspective.

The best start I can give to this is the line where Jeremy says that he’d been waiting to hear I love you from someone for so long, that when Cat said it to him first, he was upset. Now we know his fam sitch but we also know his only real established “lover” traded him for a car. And then that lover said he’d do it again, and Jeremy STILL comes to see him.

On top of that, there’s also the whole faser fiasco. That is prob the best example of him using sex as self harm considering we see him decline the offer, and then only accept once his past comes back up. Jeremy tells us he blames himself for what happened, and he tries to drown that pain/ punish himself thru sex. (He literally ignored the guy choking him out??)

I also don’t believe he believes anyone can truly love him for who he is. Examples for this are when he tells us his mom was right and he’s a “soft spined failure” , when he makes a rude comment and he’s upset that Jean might like the real him, and that line about the Trojans where he says “if he couldn’t be their anchor, what use was he?”.

Jean is loyal to a fault, and Jeremy knows that. He also kinda pushes aside the fact that Jean ran after Bryson for him (Laila too, but literally directly for Jeremy : “it is my place to assess and handle threats to you”) and instead says “thank you for defending her”.

Sorry this is getting long and hopefully this makes sense but also, Jeremy’s desires for Jean seem to be very physical only. Almost as if he can’t fathom the idea of Jean wanting him any other way. I truly think Jean being this loyal and his ability to love even the worst ppl (the ravens) scares Jeremy, and I don’t think he thinks he deserves something like that.

[kralierror404]

SIT DOWN CHAT. ITS RANT TIME.

What do you mean Alex started making his actual film when he was aroud 20 and then at age 27-28 he fucking dies. I cant. He was so young and it ruins me man, i gotta rant about my fave.

Alex seemed so determined and happy about making this movie, it had auditions, a trailer, a few recorded takes that never released, his “best” friend literally got cast as the main character for it!! - bro was so excited for ppl to audition for his project (you can hear it in his voice when hes talking to Brian abt asking Tim to try out). Alex also literally declined going to dinner so he could work on things for Marble Hornets. He had such a nice like friendgroup too Brian, Tim, Jay.

Like Alex pre-operator was probably the sweetest guy imo, he was proud of the people working with and for him, he cared about them (he says hes very proud of Jay and also asks Tim abt his like coughing), he was also quite patient i believe.

Then yk shit hits the fan over the 3 months Marble Hornets is being shot and he changes so so much its so insane - he gets paranoid and irritable and his passion isnt all there anymore :C which probably was really upsetting, and maybe caused some internal confusion and conflicting feelings in himself of: “Why cant i just be normal!?” meaning he’s kinda at war with himself. Also not to mention he was going through the operators effects alone at the time so its not like he could just bring it up without sounding crazy, he probably felt so alone and that no one would understand.

As we know he moves away, probably to hopefully escape whatever was happening to him and to put things behind him, to start over in a new place, where its safe and thats with Amy!. Now ive brought this up before but idc- he says on the phone to her

“Im gonna come visit you soon okay?”

“Okay.”

“And while im up there we might actually film a few things for Marble Hornets”

“Good i could use the company.”

“Actually uh..ive been thinking, i might try to transfer there after im done shooting all this.”

(That to me is Alex already planning to stop shooting it, already making plans to move with Amy but hes still unsure if he’ll be putting her in danger)

“For real?”

“Yeah, i mean the film program is better the one im at now so..i mean well thats what ive heard at least”

“Also i just dont like being this far away from you.”

(He says that so ominously but hes definitely like sure of himself and obviously Amy sees nothing wrong with it, she’s probably just happy that her boyfriend is going to come see her for the first time in..however long. Alex probably thinks he can keep her safe too)

MY POINT WITH THAT PHONE CALL ISS: His solution of escape was to 1. Burn the tapes and 2. Go to Amy to be safe but also to make sure SHES okay

Literally he thought that the operator and him murdering Brian would magically go away if he just left the area to be with someone who loved him, it was probably also his way of ignoring those things which all in all was a HORRIBLE coping mechanism (yk ignoring it) but heyy its Alex, he is not healthy. So, for 4 whole years he lives with Amy, away from everything and then WHOOPS Mr pale tall and skinny is there again to fuck up his day.

I honestly dont even wanna go in depth about how Alex mustve felt, how bad it must have hurt for his past to come back on him and find him somewhere he was meant to be okay. Also the way he probably killed Amy, did he make her feel secure then did it as she died in his arms? did she fight him? Amy does seem confrontational in a way- then he had to leave her behind, start anew AGAIN.

Except this time, he finds Jay has gotten himself involved and there is Alexs new goal, his new task that continues to drive him throughout the series that absolutely turns him into more of a horrible person: STOP THE SPREAD OF THE SICKNESS AND ‘SAVE’ EVERYONEE…except for that one guy he just killed while he was going insane.

One person i doubt he was trying to save eventually, was Brian, given that apparently Brian has been killed multiple times, instead Brian became like a pest getting in his way which makes sense. SO OVER THE COURSE OF 3-4 years, all this shit his happening and it gets to the point where Alex admits he thought HE was the problem (which in a way, he is), he shifts that blame onto Tim, then the big fight happens where they’re ultimately trying to kill eachother.

Alex is dying but as he is, he seems sorta sad, he fully believes he was doing the right thing and now, the only “right” thing to do, is die.

God its just his transition from making a silly student film and then 7 or 8 years later, dying due to an Eldritch being really messing up his and everyones life.

[heyidkyay]

And I'm petrified of being alone, now |

Part Fourteen

Matty Healy x reader

Summary: She’s just trying to get by, really. What with being a single parent to her four year old son whilst simultaneously trying to kick start a successful career as a radio presenter. She’s got everything she’s ever wanted though, friends close by, a mum who’s merely a phone call away, and of course her baby boy. What else is there to wish for? But then, it’s not long before her relatively normal life gets upended and turned on its head, and she’s suddenly forced to deal with situations she’s never even thought to imagine.

What happens when one mention of a certain controversial singer on her show sends a flood of unexpected challenges her way? 

Authors Note: First bit is a lil messy! BUT it's just a way of moving through time whilst letting you know what's going on. Apologising anyway, tried to make it as simple as possible! Idk how I’m really feeling about this series atm ngl, hopefully I’ll find some more inspiration soon x

> Just a reminder! We left the last update with Mouse and her mum talking about Matty:) You can look back here if you'd like!

Masterlist

Mirror

14:04, 26 Dec 2023

For Christmas Denise Welch reunites with..

LOOSE Women star Denise Welch had a fun-filled Christmas this year with her two sons and...

*picture: family gathering featuring Matty Healy in red beanie*

comments:

@/user1  Glasses and beanie combo>>> @/user2 He was wearing that yesterday too @/user3 I wish my family was chill enough to take a xmas pic😭

[HOMESCREEN] 11:12

Facetime now Matty:)!! Incoming Call

Messages 4m Finnleyyy So will I be seeing my best mate this nye??

Instagram 11m Trumanblack mentioned you in a private story

TWITTER: ‘75 updates @/75updateacc Matty spotted out in Manchester!  *picture: long trench and red beanie*

Ugh! @/user1 Matty on new years! *with old friends // red beanie tucked into a jacket pocket* > Loveme @/user2 The beanie is spotted again.. >> Saidhello @/user3 @/user2 Been all over his ig stories too 👀 friends? @/user4 I'm sort of obsessed w it and the fact it's stirring up so many questions💀 ppl, @/user5 it's so nice to see him actually happy!! lemmebepartoftheband @/user6 WAITING ON THE NEXT ALBUMMMM

Instagram

Trumanblack Story today

The Sun

23:47, 31 Dec 2023

MATTY HEALY SPOTTED OUT FOR NEW YEARS CELEBRATIONS AFTER 'SUPPOSED' SOBRIETY

The 1975 frontman was seen out in London this evening with friends and other members of the band celebrating a...

*picture: Matty Healy all dressed up and sporting a red beanie*

comments:

@/user1  shit like this ruins people @/user2 That hat again! Was it a Christmas present? @/user3 another celeb trying at sobriety, another bullshit article @/user4 Where in London even was this?

TWITTER: ‘75 updates @/75updateacc Band's interview with Variety today, click here for the video! Will be updating later on today:) *boys all pictured: George/shades, Matty/beanie&longtee, Ross/hairdown, Adam/leatherjacket*

[HOMESCREEN] 13:52

Messages 3m Matty:)!! Just wrapping up now, should be able to call in 10 x

Youtube 9m Recommended: The 1975 - Talks of tour? | VM Radio Uk

Instagram 21m Trumanblack just added to his story

AdelineWells sent you a direct message

23 New Notifications click to open

TWITTER: Partoftheband @/user1 Talks of tour??? Are they trying to kill me? Gotabf @/user2 The beanie!! It's back!! Milk @/user3 You reckon he's washed it? People! @/user4 He wears so much designer shit, why's he wearing a hat that looks like it was knitted by my nan??

--

With January, came sleet and heavy rain. Forcing us all indoors and making quick regrets over arduous New Year’s resolutions.

I had half a dozen interviews lined up in the first month alone, which was a promising start to the year but also incredibly nerve wracking. I’d spent the majority of the wavering days between Christmas and the 31st fretting over each and every detail, beyond thankful that my mum had stuck around a little longer after the festivities to help keep Teddy preoccupied.

Adi, thankfully, was stuck in the exact same boat, which meant that we could both bear the burden together. Leading to a whole lot of time being spent on the phone, making plans, or down at the studio, where Teddy could roam free. We were moving up in the world, as Matty now liked to claim, and so that meant more of our time being taken up by mundane tasks such as asking Hozier’s PA what kind of drink he preferred and avoiding a couple of Podcaster's sudden opinions on us.

Still, we were forever grateful.

Though it wasn’t just the radio show getting shafted with a shit ton of toil either, it appeared that work had Finn headed off to the States for a few gallery openings, and Matty pulled in all sorts of directions whilst the band sorted out their upcoming album.

I hadn’t heard a word of it, although the singer kept on endlessly chattering away about how much he loved the songs they were now producing, suddenly leased with a newfound life. Which always left me feeling happy, even if I did have to wait alongside the rest of the world to listen in. It was nice knowing that he was enjoying it all once more. Seeing as, music made Matty and Matty made music. And all that.

So anyway, what I’d been getting at there was that the last few weeks had been all too trying. Enough so that Matty and I had hardly seen hide nor hair of each other, and our Facetime calls had been fair and few. Which was something that didn’t just sadden me, but Teddy too it seemed, who’d come to quite like the musician and all of his odd quirks.

That fact in itself had almost sent me running, in truth.

And maybe that was silly of me, but Teddy was my everything and it killed me to see him upset over someone he barely even knew. But then again, I supposed he did know Matty in a way. Whenever Matty called, Teddy was there to tell the man about his day, whenever Matty texted he never failed to ask after Teds, whenever he sent pictures and videos of the studio and whatever else he was doing they were usually for Teddy to see. 

I didn’t think Teddy had ever attached himself to a person so quickly. Which really did surprise me. Though oddly enough, what surprised me much more was the fact that Matty had just soldiered on and stuck with it, instead of running for the hills the first chance he’d gotten, like I’d expected. 

Which was perhaps a bit of an unfair assumption on my part, but it was something I didn’t feel too guilty over- I’d made that clear to Matty the very first day the two of them had met after all.

Saying that though, I was left to eat my words as I watched that same man galavant his way around a London Zoo with a four year old plopped atop his shoulders. Doing so without complaint, and thoroughly enjoying it too.

“There! There, Matty! You see?” I heard Teddy call out in loud excitement as I trailed my way on after them, his little fingers holding onto the red beanie Matty now often favoured. Something I relentlessly teased him about but which left me feeling all warm every time I saw it.

“Oh yeah! I do now. Wow monster, how’d you even spot him over there?” Matty replied, feigning obvious awe and grinning madly when Teddy leaned over the top of his head to poke his face into view.

“I eat carrots.”

I snorted at the simple answer Teddy gave and Matty, forever charmed by my toddler’s antics, nodded around a low chuckle of his own. “I’ll make sure to buy a couple on my way home then.”

Stepping closer, I found it strange to be in a zoo so lifeless. Which probably sounded even more peculiar, but then again, it hadn’t been my idea to go ahead and rent the entire place out just so that we could have a nose around at all the wildlife without Matty getting mobbed. What a diva, hey?

“I still can’t believe you did all this.” I murmured to him once Matty had set Teddy back down on the ground, leaving my son to run on over towards one of the caged fences, calling out to the languid lions that laid beyond it.

“It’s sick.” 

That had been Matty’s only defence since having arrived and me figuring this all out, it was as endearing as it was bewildering. 

“It’s mental is what it is, you idiot.”

He glanced over at me, hands tucked up in his pockets, a smug grin now painted on his face. I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to be charmed by him and his inane antics. 

“Admit it, you’re loving this. Not having to worry about losing the kid and actually being able to get a look in at this lot.” Matty argued, and if he were anyone else he’d be swaying back and forth in utter delight- Wilmslow’s very own Willy Wonka- but all he did was simply look back at Teddy with a prideful grin, who was now currently trying to lure a lioness in closer.

Thing is, he wasn’t wrong. And Matty was enough of a git to know it too.

I didn’t grant him a reply though and instead wandered over to drag my son away from the ever nearing lion. “Did you see, mama? She likes me!”

I had to grin and bite back my sudden hysteria, although Matty snorted from his place now back beside us. “I did see, lovely! How about we go look at the snakes though now, hey?” And with that, Teddy was eager to part from us (and thankfully the lion) , sprinting ahead in the direction of a lizard sign that stood not too far away, leaving Matty and I to trail behind.

“Where all the animals are locked behind glass, yeah?” Matty piped up after and I narrowed my eyes at him in return, refraining from giving him a right good shove.

“Shut it.”

He merely cackled and looped an arm around my shoulders.

–

“They should just get back together. I mean- the money alone!”

I chuckled quietly to myself, moving about the tiny kitchenette at the studio and rolling my eyes at the man propped up between a Guinness World Records book we had and the sugar tin.

“I’m not saying that they shouldn’t! I’m just saying that they won’t.” I argued back, still rifling my way through a drawer in search of a sharp enough knife. “Those are two completely different things.”

“So what?” Matty scoffed, his displeasure with the whole debate managing to seep its way through the phone. “Fucking pair of pillocks, can’t even imagine how the world would react, the industry alone!”

I smiled, all too familiar with the daily rants of one Matthew Healy. This particular tirade of his had been spurred on by a comment I’d made on today’s show, it seemed he’d been listening in.

“Oo, is there a brew going for me?”

I glanced behind me just in time to spot Adi making her way into the studio, a large duffle bag for tomorrow's shoot thrown over her left shoulder. 

“Who else?” I quipped back, grinning victoriously when I finally found the trusty blade I’d brought over from mine so many years ago now that laid between a wooden spoon and a jar opener.

“What are you even doing?” She asked me next, having already tossed the bag down onto the sofa and made her way over. She waved when she spotted Matty’s familiar face upon opening the fridge, used to his presence cropping up here and there by now, “Alright, Healy? Thought you had big meetings today.”

“We do. I’m currently hiding out in a bin.”

Adi paused to blink at the absurd reply and then shrugged, not seeing the point in questioning it any further. “And you?” She prompted me, plucking a pint of milk from the fridge and slamming it closed.

“So full of questions today, high inquisitor.” I sang, already moving to slice into the whole watermelon I’d brought on my way in, having right fancied it when I’d passed by the fruit & veg stall up on the high street. “And what do you think, Ads? Exactly what it looks like.”

“Yeah, but why?”

I just shook my head in answer and Adi seemed to take that for what it was, a blatant dismissal. Matty though, ever so sweet, must’ve felt a bit bad because I heard him pipe up again, “She’s gone and brought a whole watermelon. Paid five quid for the thing, you believe that?”

“Five quid! Did he ask if he could spit in your face too?” Adi all but exclaimed, eyes as wide as saucers as she looked over at me.

“Yes, five quid.” I stressed, having already heard enough of it from Matty, who didn’t have a leg to stand on here. “Now leave off, or I won't share.” I wielded the knife between the pair of them jokingly and Adi relented easily enough, already moving to skim a piece I’d just cut from off the counter. I cast a shrewd glance towards my phone, “And besides you can’t talk, Mr. Millionaire.”

Matty snorted.

“Is it really that much?” Adi wondered out loud, sweeping over to get a better glimpse at my screen and the man hidden within it.

I rolled my eyes and smirked, already figuring that she’d try her luck with just that thought alone. 

“Piss off, Wells.” Matty laughed, amused by the ever so sweet smile Adi had suddenly conjured up for him and the way she was now batting her lashes, “How the fuck did we go from watermelon to my networth anyway?”

“Extortion.”

“Nepotism.”

I stopped slicing to taste test a chunk of watermelon and heard Matty heave a heavy sigh.

Adi, though, just moved to ask, “Did you threaten the fruit & veg man then?”

“Fucking should’ve.” I muttered, but couldn't quite bring myself to regret the wasted fiver then, not when the fruit was almost heavenly.

“Can you stop eating? I’m in a crisis you know, and fucking starving.” I heard Matty complain, his voice practically petulant.

“Actually, you’re in a bin.” I corrected, taking another chunk, “So don’t be a drama queen. If you’re hungry, order a Deliveroo or fuck off home.”

Matty was almost pouting when I slid on over to join Adi by the phone, a plate overwhelmed with watermelon now towering between us. His frown deepened. “You’re proper evil, you know that?”

I simply grinned, “You love it.”

Only Adi noticed the faint hue that bloomed across the singer’s cheeks then. Seeing as I was already rambling away once again, talking about the weekend get-together we’d planned now we all had some time to spare.

“You’re still coming, right?” I then asked Adi, who was now smirking for some reason. I raised a brow.

She merely hummed around her next slice and dipped her head at me, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, babe.”

Matty’s eyes narrowed at that but I deemed it better to ignore whatever the two of them had going on, I found life to be much simpler that way.

–

It was almost gone nine and still no sign of her. 

She had texted almost half an hour ago now, saying she was headed out, but Matty still kept his phone in hand, spinning it this way and that, just in case she tried messaging again.

“You’re driving me mad with that, man.” George suddenly announced, drawing Matty’s attention back to the table at the overcrowded club they’d picked out. “Stop it.” He added, swatting at Matty’s forearm when he’d barely acknowledged him the first time round.

Matty’s brow pinched but he let the mobile go with a clatter to the tabletop, “Happy?”

George exaggerated his smile in the same sense Matty just had whilst he clasped his hands in mock prayer before him, “Incredibly.” Then he relaxed back in his chair once more, face softening as Matty’s eyes shot out across the floor for the umpteenth time, “God, you’re really fucking strung up on this one.”

“Eh?” Matty immediately asked him, his head spinning back around to spare a glance at his mate.

“Just,” George began with a slow shrug, his chin dipped against his chest now in the way that he’d leaned back making his eyes appear all the more solemn. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so invested, is all.”

“Invested, fuck’s that meant to mean?”

Goerge just huffed. “I don’t know, Matty. Just, you’re not usually the type to get so caught up on a girl you’re chasing.”

“I’m not chasing her. We’re mates.” Matty hastily defended and could feel the way his face had instantly scrunched up with the force of it.

He was gifted a short snort in return, “Yeah man, sure, and I can fly a shitting plane.” At Matty’s ever darkening expression, George sighed once more and moved to prop himself up on his knees, “Look yeah? I didn’t mean nothing by it, only curious. It’s weird seeing you all moody and pent up about somebody. Been a while.”

It had been a while since he’d last seen someone properly, but that didn’t suddenly mean that he and Mouse currently had anything going on. He’d been too focused on staying clean, working on the album, and trying to forget the last year and a half had ever happened. And Mouse… well, she had a kid and didn’t seem the type to take to anyone so easily. They were mates. Just, mates.

Matty must’ve been quiet a little too long though because when George spoke again his voice had softened, as had his face. It almost looked pitiful now, enough that Matty wanted to force him away from his line of sight. But he didn’t, only glanced back out towards the floor.

“Matty, mate. I really didn’t mean to piss you off, you know that. I’m just saying it how I see it.” Matty rolled his eyes but George only continued to talk, “It’s obvious that you like her, man. Whether it’s just as friends or something more. But do me a favour and just have a long think about it, yeah? She’s nice and all, but I don’t wanna see you hurt.”

Matty bit back the scoff that lodged itself in his throat, “If anything, G, it’d be me hurting her. Wouldn’t be that unexpected though, would it?”

George’s hand came to grasp his shoulder at that and with a firm but gentle grip he forced Matty to better face him, he leaned in so his voice would carry over the music, his forehead now furrowed. “You’re not a bad person, man. Not everyone’s expecting you to fuck up all the time.”

Didn’t that feel like a fucking lie.

The hand pressed further and George shook Matty a tad, wanting him to comprehend his words. Take them in. “You’re doing good, mate. Really good. And we’re proud, alright? We are. All I’m saying is, have a think about what you want. Make sure you’re happier for it, make sure… that you can deal with everything that comes along with it. Understand?”

Matty’s mouth felt a little dry as he stared up into George’s eyes, seeing the genuine care held within them. Almost immediately Matty felt his walls crumble down around him and he struggled to find the right words to respond with. They were proud. So instead, he just nodded and George’s hand clapped the back of his neck with a winning grin.

“Good. Now, go get her, yeah?”

Matty frowned at the words but before he could think to question it the table was moving to welcome in a couple of newcomers and he turned in his seat to meet the eyes of a smiling Squeaks.

“Hey you.”

“You made it!”

She grinned back at him, beamed actually, and Matty felt his eyes flicker down to her lips for a second, then down further to the lovely little dress she’d decided on. He hastily stood up to greet her, wrapping her up in a hug- something that had come more and more naturally to them in the last few weeks- and rocked slightly. “Get all dressed up for me, did you?”

Mouse pulled away with a laugh, her head thrown back a tad before her glistening eyes set themselves back on him, she squeezed his arm, “You wish.”

He did wish. But he didn’t voice that passing thought out loud, filing it away to stress about later, and instead shuffled nearer to whisper, “You do look gorgeous though.”

The skin by her ear prickled with goosebumps and Matty pulled away before he could get too caught up in what that might have meant. He graced her with a slow smile, “Drinks?”

She let go of a breath, then smiled brightly back at him with a dip of her chin, “Drinks.”

–

“I haven't heard a word of it!” I said, pushing my drink down onto the table. I was currently on my fifth of the night, but the guys were forever getting new rounds in and so I knew it wouldn’t take me long before I was handed another. 

“You said you didn’t like our stuff!” Matty immediately answered back, his voice a tad bit higher now.

I gaped at the claim, “I did not!”

“Yes, you fuckin’ did!”

The rest of the table was watching on in ever growing amusement, Ross’s eyes were dancing back and forth between Matty and I, whilst Adi wore a grin that could probably help power Blackpool Tower. 

“I said I loved your earlier work. I didn’t say I hated the newer stuff!” I rebuked, desperately trying to think back to that first show I’d mentioned Matty in. Had I really said that?

Matty went to speak but Hann cut in before he could, “You two are mental. All I asked was whether she’d heard anything we’d been working on.”

George snorted, managing to drag his eyes away from his fiance to smirk at the pair of us. “Remember she claimed the band looked spent.”

Matty jumped to point in George’s direction, pleased, whilst my eyes widened, “I wouldn’t!”

“You did, love.” George laughed, looking more amused than hurt which was the only thing keeping me from being physically sick. “It’s alright, no harm done.”

I fish-mouthed, but even with that having been said, Matty was still grinning victoriously. “Fucking told you.”

Wrinkling my nose, I turned to neck the rest of my drink. “Yeah, well. I do love your songs, alright?”

Matty’s brows upturned, as if he was about to deny the claim and accuse me of lying, but Adi cut in, “No it’s true, she's been listening to your shit nonstop since you two met. Like it’s grating at this point.”

“Harsh.” Ross dragged out and Adi gave him a coy smile when she went to pat his chest, “You try listening to his gob on repeat and then we’ll talk, yeah?” She retorted easily, dipping her head towards Matty, whose face scrunched up unhappily.

“Careful, Wells. Starting to sound like you might not like me.”

Adi flashed him a toothy smile, “Who claimed I ever did?”

I was quick to reach out and grab Matty’s wrist when he frowned, ready to open his mouth once more. The motion seemed to grab most, if not all, of his attention because he wavered in his stance before letting himself be pulled over.

“He’s fragile, Ads.” I chuckled to her, hand cradling the back of Matty’s head when he leaned in to press his face against my shoulder. “All the big rockstars have delicate egos.”

Adi snorted and I watched as she let Ross drape an arm over her shoulders, her hand finding his.

“Not fucking fragile.” Matty said, but the heat of it was lost in the mumble against my skin, I laughed.

“Sure, babe.” I murmured fondly, smiling when I felt the curve of his grin against my neck. I started to run my hand through his hair almost unconsciously, letting the alcohol dim the anxious worries that would typically cloud my mind. “You’re a real man.”

“A real fuckin’ man.”

I rolled my eyes with a shake of my head that must've disrupted Matty’s newfound peace because he pulled away slightly, hands falling to rest on my hips, keeping us close.

“You’re proper nice, you know?” He mumbled in contradiction to our previous argument, his head falling forward to press his forehead to mine. His eyes appeared so much darker in this light, the little space between us had me holding my breath. “So nice.”

Instantly I was reminded of one of the first conversations I’d had with Adi about Matty, he’d been nice then too. “Thanks.” I chuckled before swallowing, eyes trailing between his before I voiced the thought. “You’re nice too.”

He smiled, one of those lazy ones where his eyelids drooped and the skin around his mouth wrinkled. His stare dropped ever so slightly and my mouth parted on instinct.

Matty licked at his lower lip, teeth grazing it ever so slightly. “I’m glad I met you.”

My heart stuttered in my chest, squeezing in on itself so tightly that I thought it might just give out, before it finally let go. “I don’t think I’ve ever been told that before.”

Matty tilted his head at me causing the tip of his nose to brush against mine, I struggled to remember to keep breathing. “I’m glad I met you, Squeaks.” He repeated with an air of finality, either unaware or uncaring for the reaction it drew from me as he raised a hand to drag his thumb across my jaw.

I looked up into his eyes, unblinking. Aware that I’d never felt quite like anything this before.

“I’m glad I met you too.”

–

Metro News

Feb 2024 06:21

SETTLING DOWN? | ‘75 SINGER CAUGHT IN CLUB WITH SINGLE MUM

Last night it seems our local heartthrob was back out on the town again after a few weeks of silence, only this time he wasn't alone! Read more...

[HOMESCREEN] 07:59

Facetime now Finnleyyy Incoming Call

Messages 7m Adi x Babe wake up, shits going down over on twitter!! Also (very much related) did you shag Healy last night???

Twitter 11m You now have 378 notifications

TWITTER: ‘75 updates @/75updateacc The Band spotted out in London last night with the MouseOnAMic girls! *picture: a story from Adelinewells instagram//blurred group photo*

backofmyvan @/user1 Is this real?? *picture: blurred Matty and Mouse in a dark club* Funnyface @/user2 Is that the radio host? she has a kid?? Saidhello! @/user3 I woke up to chaos. On another note, how are my matty girlies doing today?

[captainwinterrsoldierr]

Ok guys I finished Lightlark and …. Got some thoughts. Yes I bought the second book might as well read it

• how tf was isla trained her entire life by her mentors but still bad at everything

• why was she always needing saving until the very end like you set her up to be this badass with no powers but she ends up being quite literally a damsel in distress every time

• also not consistent with story telling. At one point Celeste and Azule were paired up I think (they legit never fckn mention whose paired up or even mention what happens once leaders are paired even tho trials were set up for more than half the book to set these pairs) and I know it’s mentioned that if two leaders are paired up you can’t harm each other…. So then why tf did they even believe azule poisoned Celeste? Like I feel like it would’ve been obvious he wouldn’t have done it…..

• again a huge waste of time to do all these trials when again it hardly was mentioned once ppl were actually paired off.

• not enough of the other leaders this book is long as hell and it was mostly spent searching for things and then failing at finding said things like I would rather know what other rulers are doing

• you cannot expect me to believe this deadly DEADLY DEADLY centennial game is DEADLY when none of the leaders realistically want to kill or anyone has died in the centennial game before bc again no leader really wants to kill

• I like Grim I do but he gives off watered down Cardan Greenbriar vibes. ….. not to compare but def those vibes

• Oro and Isla had no good reason to be romantically involved other than to cause a love triangle I’m sorry but there

Some random thoughts. Idea was good it can be executed way better tho. Some stuff needed to be dropped so it wasn’t crammed I know world building is hard but…... Hopefully the second book is better

[mrgladstonegander]

MORE BOOTLEG DUCKTALES ‼️team science (oops! all identity issues!) edition

team magic here

archimedes gallas / gyro = more like other versions where he's nice but this man is carrying SOOOO much guilt. insane amounts. his entire character is focused on how much his self-worth is down the drain (also hes being haunted by the narrative (phoebe/della)). also he's half japanese. based off the onagadori

cherry pekin / huey = has a similar problem to archie where she has overwhelming feelings of needing to seem mature, and responsible, where she overworks herself

sydney eggtooth-diazi / fenton = REALLYY wants to seem like a Professional Normal Dude. repressing EVERY urge to wear silly ties. sees morality in a black and white sort of way and it WILL cause problems later. he puts archie on a pedestal and its super obvious and it just makes archie more mentally ill

salem milly / gandra = planning to really lean into how she joined fowl bc they were the only ones that supported her. mainly the contrast with how the Main Family supports each other with unconditional love, the love she has is purely conditional, and she's constantly convincing herself that she Wants to do bad things, and that she doesnt care about these people, because despite how she says she only listens to herself, shes stuck to FOUL, and thats her 'family'. based on mille fleur d'uccle

frankie loon / fethry = IT IS PART OF TEAM SCIENCE‼️ after getting back to mainland after being alone at sea for four years, he joins as a janitor. pulling back the marine biology in the sense that he is interested in EVERYTHING. man of a 10000 copies. winning the idgaf war (DOES care abt how his family is disinterested in his interests but its FINE because HE cares its fine its fine. he's accepted he'll be alone). its presence WILL send everyone else into a shock about their identity. hopefully it'll happen vice versa as well

widget-time-tech / widget / gizmoduck / lil bulb = theyre being consolidated and also theyre lil bug guys now!! i dont care if you hate bugs theyre cute as shit!! widget is Usually in the little ball, but also helps control the suit with sydney. it still has anger issues so it'll make things harder for sydney rather than just silly incompetence. and it was DEFINENTLY made to be a superhero ai. no other purposes. at all. certainly not messing with the fabric of time. just helping the ppl of the town :)

mad clucktor / mad clucktor = iwhile he IS a villain he isn't necessarily a bad person. hes a physical manifestation of the part of archie that WANTS to be alive! that KNOWS his worth! he doesn't have to work himself to death to make up for his guilt!

and he's the reason why toby is even active. why he's back

toby / boyd = cannot be normal abt this sorry

he was made to be archie's idea of the "perfect boy". the perfect kid. what he wants to be what he WISHED he would be growing up. hes happy, he can do everything right, he's intelligent, he's strong. his existence is free of human doubt and anxiety, he's the perfect boy and if he was in archie's place everything would be fine

but it isnt! he gets used! toby's used for evil through no fault of his own. but he becomes a symbol of things that are "wrong" about archie. toby didn't resent anyone or be upset with how people treat him. toby doesnt have his own needs. he can do whatever people need him to do. toby was his symbol of hope but becomes a symbol of how everything with him goes wrong. he becomes an unachievable goal that archie is trying to be to make up for the existence of toby!!

and so the only way for either of them to be "truly human" is when archie learns that he doesn't have to be perfect. he never had to be. even if he's made mistakes, he still deserves to LIVE!! he doesn't have to hide his pain and discomfort for anyone!! and its okay for toby to be toby!

[icycoldninja]

Can you write the DMC boys watching their s.o doing the Geisha makeup on herself:

She’s just sitting there, 7am in the morning, applying her makeup for work, wearing her clothes to get ready for work (There’s a common misconception that leads to a lot of ppl thinking Geisha can be hired as a “sex worker” but in reality reader is only hired to entertain like singing, dancing, conversing, etc)

And the boys are like: 😚 U look good

(She works as a geisha during daytime but work as a devil hunter during night time and I’d like to imagine her wearing her makeup before hunting like the Kyoshi Warriors in Avatar The Last Airbender)

Oh yes, please enjoy!

Sparda boys + V x Geisha!Reader headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante has never seen a Geisha before, but he has heard of them from clients and the occasional traveler he meets at the ice cream parlor.

-He happened to be passing by the bedroom at 7 AM doing God-knows-what when he saw you applying your makeup, getting ready to go to work.

-He thinks your super white makeup is super cool, and has stolen some of it on occasion to dress up as a ghost to mess with Vergil.

-Thinks you look absolutely beautiful all dressed up like that, though he is wondering how you get your hair in that shape--and how it stays that way.

-Would love to "hire" you for a night so he can see for himself what Geisha like you actually do. He's broke, so hopefully you'll let him pay in kisses.

-Accidentally used one of your hair ornaments to eat microwave ramen. How that even happened is beyond either of you.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil never even knew what a Geisha was until now. When he first saw you all dressed up and stuff, he thought he cut a portal into the wrong dimension and time traveled to Tokugawa-period Japan somehow.

-He happened to catch sight of you doing your makeup one morning as you prepared for work and was stunned for two reasons. 1, you were beautiful, and 2, what was that pasty white stuff?

-He became very interested in observing the process, hovering over you every second until you had to ask him to move because he was in your light.

-He liked watching you get into your kimono, too, and even helped you tie some of the sashes and ribbons.

-He loved the way your hair looked too; watching you put it up into such an elaborate hairstyle so easily was so cool in his eyes.

-He insisted on accompanying you to work because someone so beautiful should not be on the streets alone. Bad things can happen.

□ Nero □

-Nero heard stories about Geisha and was a little confused as to what exactly they did because people had mixed opinions.

-You quickly clarified all that though; you're just an entertainer, no sexual practices take place between you and your clients.

-Nero didn't expect to have to watch you put your makeup on one day, but here he was, standing in the doorway, captivated.

-You were just so freaking beautiful he couldn't take his eyes off you! No wonder you were making such big bucks doing this stuff, the whole town must want you to attend their events.

-He keeps messing with your hair accessories, playing with them, poking himself with them, and such. He is fascinated with them, and sometimes he won't give them back till you forcibly take it from his hands.

-He would love to go with you to work to watch you dance and sing, but that would be rude and unprofessional, so he will simply wait for when you get a day off and ask for a "private show".

● V ●

-V was literally born yesterday, so of course he has no idea what a Geisha is or what they do.

-He does like your kimono, though, it's very beautiful and the floral patterns are visually pleasing.

-He loves to help you tie any ribbons or sashes that need tying because his deft fingers love to work.

-Adores watching you apply your makeup because the process is truly mesmerizing. He might not know what that weird white paint-like makeup is, but he loves it.

-Your eyes are already beautiful, he thinks, but when you put on that red eyeshadow, he thinks you look even better.

-V is a little bit jealous other people get to see you looking like this. He wishes you could stay home longer so he could keep you to himself a little longer.

[justafeweggnoodles]

I watched arcane. While watching ep 2 s2 I was thinking about how cool it would be if Sevika and Jinx ran the lanes after Silco's death. We have seen what the lanes / Zaun look like under both Vander's and Silco's leadership and I think it would look very cool under Jinx's (the whole reason I began to think of this).

The main plot elements that would need to be changed for this is Jinx / Sevika's reaction to Silco's death and Vander / Warwick's ... thing. Do you see my vision???

After Silco's death, Sevika and Jinx begin to rely on each other more. I think that having them work together because they know that Silco trusted the other. It would start off how they kinda acted in the prison break but hopefully by the time that rolls around they are more friendly than what happened in the show. Of course up to this point Jinx wants nothing to do with running Zaun and that is mainly falling on Sevika who can't really run it by herself.

Jinx still doesn't show up to the meeting at Vander's statue (maybe watches from afar?) and the people get captured. Sevika and Jinx go on a mission to save Isha & the other people. When opening the cells Isha does open with the others (why the fuck did it not????), which means after that scene they can carry Isha out and go back to Zaun. I think this would show Jinx that like, she is kinda a hero and push her towards helping Zaun.

BUT WHAT ABOUT WARWICK??? Honestly fuck that guy. I didn't really like him going to the prison. It does imply that ppl don't bleed ever, which is funny, ig periods aren't a thing. You can make the case that it had to be Singed's blood but stillllllllllll anyway he either a) doesn't come at all or b) is late so the girls have already gotten the fuck out.

From then on i think the story would be pretty different. I have no clue what would happen to Vi in this AU but she can figure that out. The cult thing will still be destroyed by Jayce but Isha wouldn't be there so she wouldn't die or something. If Warwick does happen then it would take a lot longer for Jinx to realise that he is Vander because she doesn't get that initial scene with him. Either way I think it would be cool.

For the final ep of act 1 and all of act 2 I was rooting for Sevika and Jinx to go be the girl-bossing leaders of Zaun but like it was never gonna happen sooooooo Im put all my ideas here instead.

If you have any questions about this AU feel free to ask :D

[crunchycrystals]

i have SO many hsmtmts questions, hopefully it's okay that i'm asking all these

do you have a favorite ship???

how would you rank the seasons??

who's your favorite character??? who's your least favorite (if you have one)???

what's your top 5/top 10 songs (whichever amount you feel like doing)??

are there any songs you don't like???

what's your favorite production that was done in the show?? is there one that you didn't like??

is there a canon relationship you don't like???

do you have any unpopular opinions about the show??? or any of the characters???

which season has your favorite soundtrack??? is there a least favorite???

you can ask me some questions too if you want :)) i've been looking for more ppl that like this show :))

totally fine i love getting asks !!!!!!! this may not be what you're looking for though bc my feelings on this show are deeply deeply deeply conflicted this is gonna be practically an essay.

despite it all i am obsessed w rini. childhood friends to lovers????????? exes to lovers??????????? the whole idea of just for a moment????? i'm a sucker for when the lines blur between feelings and they hit THREE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THAT?????? ive never been over them. it probably makes more sense for ricky's character with letting go and all that and nini not wanting to be held down but. they developed them too well in s1 i fell too hard in love with them. i wonder a lot like if there was a way to keep their relationship andi think there is, the writers just didn't execute it to its fullest. and if they wanted me to ship someone else they didn't do a good job lol they made the rini dynamic too compelling to me just for a moment destroys me every time

2. my season ranking is exactly the same as the release order HJSFDGHJKDSL. ill keep my thoughts on the seasons brief bc if i give all of my thoughts this post will be 700 words long. s1 is so fun with a manageable cast, s2 has some really great bits but suffers from circumstance (pandemic mainly), s3 was also bad circumstance in a way (olivia leaving) but i think they just made bad decision at this point things that were easily avoidable, and i never watched s4 bc everything i heard ab it made me more mad (one exception being ashyln's storyline sounding kinda interesting). also during the s3 finale i got so pissed i literally walked out of the room GHDJSFJGHDS so yeah i didnt watch s4

3. yk i havent really thought ab this but i think it might be nini. i really love olivia's music and it means a lot to me as a south east asian person to see rep like that on tv. ashyln's also pretty great though. least favorite???? probably one of the new kids in s2 from the rival school i truly did not give a shit ab them if im being real. i dont care much for the new characters (though jet and maddox are fun) i am here for my original theater kid friends

4. im interpreting this as original songs so here we go in no order: just for a moment, wondering, i think i kinda you know, rose song, let you go. my rini lover is really showing in this lol but i havent listened to a lot of them in a while so my opinions will prob change if i listen to it again

5. oooooh good question. i cant think of an original song i dislike rn so as a cop out im just gonna say scream lol. i dont blame josh for that bc like why did the director allow that take for the final scream to be used. who allowed the sound mixing to be exported like that. there was so much that couldve been done to make it even slightly better....... and some of it is josh i wont lie (which makes me think what if they cast someone else as the lead like a callback to s1 w ricky taking troy from ej??? for lack of of better phrasing) just baffling decisions all around

6. FAVORITE ONE WAS HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL NO CONTEST. rewatched this and i thought it lined up so so so so so well with the story happening to the characters outside the show it was great. my favorite detail has always been the lockers still having the measurements on it bc it just adds to the high school production vibe. i dont think i disliked any of the productions (though tbf. i cannot remember much from the other productions its been a long time) i love live theater and i dont think i could truly hate any of their productions. maybe ill be proven wrong one day but rn i love live performance too much to hate any of them. im a shrek the musical defender

7. oh boy im gonna have to tag for this. i think its perfectly fine if you ship them im not gonna be pissed or anything but im not a rina fan. i fell hard for rini and i thought portwell was cool in s2 and while im open to most ships in this show, i really couldnt get on board w rina. it might have to do w the fact that i experienced s2 lurking on tumblr and a bunch of people were in the rini tag actively bashing the ship (to be fair. not unwarranted bc the story for rini in s2 makes me sad lol) and i just got really annoyed every time i saw someone putting down rini to put rina up. im not immune to this though ive done the same thing in reverse. rina just never gave me the ship spark and when they pushed them together during s3 my blood pressure rose every single week HDSFJGHSD yeah whenever i see a rina thing for s4 i get irrationally mad but thats just bc of the INSANE writing decisions. like why do you writers keep breaking up couples you just decided to pair up its BAFFLING i dont get it

8. not sure if any are unpopular opinions i have bc im pretty out of the fandom. i guess not liking rina is an unpopular opinion????? i remember when rini was the top ship on ao3 so i was genuinely surprised when i checked today to look for more fics and saw that they were top

9. now that i think ab it i think i really like the s2 soundtrack. i obviously love s1 deeply but if i answer s1 for all of this its gonna be boring. but i think olivia's voice sounds really great in s2 specifically and i think about a lot of the covers all the time. favorite covers are home, the climb, and if i can't love her. havent listened to any of these since i saw s2 but i think ab them often bc theyre that good.

re original songs: i think the characters leveled up their songwriting here shout out to let you go and rose song <333 and even when/the best part is pretty basic but i thought it was cute esp bc i play the ukulele and i learned i think i kinda you know after s1.

[felineverdure]

do u think the canon jean loves floch & riener? (not talking romanticly only, just generally. just basically what does the word "love" mean? the meaning doesn't always have to be romantic)

if "yes" for both, who do u think he loves more?

also idk if i said this to u before BUT i love ur content on all ur socials. i'm rly happy i'm not the only flojean passionate lover and there's other ppl like me and u. but UNFORTUNATELY i srsly fear on the flojean community from extinction from 2 things, the hate and not being a lot for the flojean shippers to enjoy arts or takes or fics or fanmade mangas etc. that's why i always say to flojean shippers who feel like they wanna quite for those reasons to see it from other flojean shippers perspective too. like u know, let's pretend i make flojean art plus fics etc but i don't see a lot of ppl who support the ship and i also get hate so that made me wanna quite BUT i see one die-hard flojean stan who also wanna quite bc his fav flojean accs are now gonna quite which means EVEN LESS flojean content than it ALREADY is; and since this one die-hard flojean stan wanna quite too, the flojeans fans of this acc wanna quite as well cause one of their fav flojean stan acc is now quitting too AND SO ON...until extinction (hopefully it won't happen)

sry for the rant but the point i'm trying to make is PLS DON'T QUITE bc ur art, takes, the sharing of other flojean posts, ur whole acc is a HOPE for new flojeans to exist and is a REASON for current flojeans to KEEP existing, so this way our beloved community is going to grow instead of dying.

LMFAO ik u might think i'm being sarcastic or being dramatic but i'm not, and for the delivery of words "ur whole acc is a ✨HoPe✨ for new flojeans to exist and is a ✨ReAsOn✨ for current flojeans to ✨KeEp existing✨" PLS i sound like my life depends on this ship LMFAO.

i didn't kno how to get the idea across other than this LOL also English isn't my first language. also ik u might wander why am i saying this to u because u might never have the thought of quiting BUT i just think u might feel like quitting in the future bc i KNOW all flojean accounts have came across these 2 things, the hate, the idea of quitting bc the flojean community is small. that's why i said all these things to u out of nowhere. also it'll be a good idea if u show this to other flojean shippers so they feel more motivated to continue. it'll be even better if u make one similar to this bc u have better choosing of words than me o b v LOL

anyways who jean likes more floch or riener? LOL

Awww thank you ♥️ It does get pretty lonely sometimes when the community is small, I wouldn't say it's the sole reason to get demotivated by that fact. I'll still draw or yap about FJ whenever I want, shamelessly too. 😂 I don't particularly care that it spawns hate or makes people uncomfortable. I get quitting as AoT has long finished so it's natural that the fandom fizzle out especially so if its for ships/characters that are less popular. I also encourage people to actively interact with each other! Go talk to people @ bsky/X. Make silly headcanon posts, polls, anything to make the fandom alive! As for the haters part, unfortunately it can be a strong deterrent from encouraging ppl to make content. I don't blame them for leaving tbh. It is mentally exhausting and especially so if you're in small communities which means having to deal with it alone.

Ok to answer the first part of your question: Canon Jean never actually says who he loves more, so I don’t think anyone can ever give a definite answer in regards to canon. Just a bite sized explanation on what I think of RJ and FJ:

Jean admired Reiner a lot during their cadet days, like most of the 104th. Reiner was that strong, dependable guy who everyone looked up to. So when the betrayal happened, Jean was completely appalled and it probably hit him even harder when he found out the full details later. In Shiganshina, like Connie and Sasha, he was struggling to accept that they have to end Reiner but ultimately learn that he has to. But by Reiner's luck, they failed. When presented with the opportunity to argue for Reiner's life, Jean took his chance. You could argue he was arguing for science and stuff. I chose to see it as that AND Jean trying to save his ex comrade life despite feeling betrayed.

Still, after everything, Jean managed to push those feelings aside to stop the Rumbling. He even saved Reiner multiple times. People argued that it’s just because they couldn’t afford to lose Reiner, which is fair, but Jean didn’t have to give him that pep talk mid-battle, risking his own life. Then there’s that banter between them near the end. Some people see it as joking around and getting comfortable with each other again. I have seen others taking it as serious insults. Personally, I think it shows they’ve reached a point where they can move past the betrayal and just be themselves again.

Now with Floch, he and Jean started out in pretty similar places, but then they were hit by their own traumatic event except they took completely opposite paths. Floch went full extremist, while Jean tried to stick to his morals. Jean was the only person we saw in canon who actually “comforted” Floch or is friendly with him judging by how Floch stuck to him during pre ceremony. Most of their interactions later on is of Floch leaving Jean speechless with his arguments because, as radical as they were, there was some logic to them and that spoke to Jean the practical guy. Jean understood Floch and how he came to be what he is.

I’m sure Jean was super disappointed and disgusted with what Floch did during the Rumbling, but he never wanted him to die! (People need to stop saying that!!) And it says a lot that Jean stayed by Floch’s side as he died, something none of the other Paradis alliances (except Hange) did. In the og manga, he was also seen stopping Floch from bleeding out. I also just realized that Jean showed sadness and was not shocked upon realizing it was Floch who was shot. That shows that Jean still cared about Floch, despite it all.

So, who did Jean love more?

Honestly, I don’t think it’s a matter of “more.” It’s about the different ways he cared for both of them. He forgave Reiner and respected him as a comrade again. With Floch, it was more about empathy and understanding, even if they ended up on opposite sides.

Jean trusted Reiner again.

Jean understood Floch.

Both mattered to him, just in different ways.

Also, I want to point out that even though I used canon events to explain my thoughts, it’s still not canon! Different people interpret these moments differently. In the end, it’s all a figment of our minds. 🙂