#Instead of being a decent human and idk introducing herself to me she's just been weird af since. I left at lunch that day
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somethingaboutvampires · 10 months ago
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To the assholes in my office: I'm not 12, can't relate.
#de work#community seating no assigned desks right? been legit bullied out of 4 seats in 5 months#im the youngest person in here i think and most of these out of pocket ppl are in their 60s. i knew i hated gen x for a reason#so i took the largest desk in the area. in the back away from them. if it gets worse or a mirror of yesterday then im thinking of reporting#damn get a life we're not even in the same reporting tree. I got heated then i reminded myself some ppl don't grow out of middle school#not 12. can't relate#and in case you were like 'de how tf you get bullied out of a seat?' lmty. Seats 1&2: ppl assign themselves seats & you can't do#Shit ab it. Seat3: the b next to me loudly declared to her team that she didn't know who i was and wasn't comf sitting next to me#Instead of being a decent human and idk introducing herself to me she's just been weird af since. I left at lunch that day#To wrk from home. seat 4: I've been there a few months. there's a dude who uses this desk sometimes. i left a hello note in the cube#telling him he could use my tissues and whatever and introduced myself. he never wrote back. yest he tried to sit in the cube but#I was there. He didn't introduce himself or talk to me just made a deal ab having to sit behind that cube. then he & this other#dude who literally refuses to say hello or good morning back to me came in my cube and started talking ab what was on my screen#which was a meeting. rude af. not okay. at fucking all#I've complained to my mgr 3 times ab this shit but my team's in another state and they dgaf. Im in my 5th seat rn and just trying not#to care. My boss did say she's heard my office is clique-y. I've been told there's theft here. I'm just trying to get my check#i don't play these games#2024
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cyberfairyblog · 4 years ago
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Some more stuff about Vanessa Marbles or marble idk XD
Contains spoilers for a 30+ year old show ft. My fancharacter Vanessa Marbles-Whittaker. Rambling, oc x canon (romantic and platonic), some meddling with canon events, and j*ll*an m*rsh*ll bashing
- i'm thinking about her placement in Odyssey & I'm entertaining the thought of having her "debut" be in 1989 bigbrainmeta
- She arrived in town like right after Connie and Eugene got fired
- So that makes her older than Jason in terms of episodes; she appears a whole 3 years before him 😂
- That first year she did genuinely like her nunnery but didn't really interact with her fellow nuns much keeping them at a distance
- It wasn't until year 2 she started having doubts. Nothing bad happened it just that there was a nagging feeling that she tried to stifle
- Vanessa is afraid of heights that's why she travelled by train instead of plane. She gets nervous by bridges & mountains even a tall hill is enough to make her stomach churn
- She got the job at Whit's End to help herself learn to befriend people & because the show needs more responsible adults lol
- For a time there was rumors about her being a vampire which she took in stride because having sensitive skin she walks around with an umbrella
- Eugene helps her with technology and how to operate the Imagination Station
- "Is that a time machine?"
- "No it's a holographic imagery generator meant to emulate time periods from prehistory all the way to even the future! Well not the future future, still has to figure out how to predict outcomes but I'm working on it."
- Vanessa dead ass got lost at the generator part
- She legit said that she was surprised they didn't blow up Odyssey given how powerful that machine is this around the Novacom arc
- Jason was a total enigma to her like 'who is that crazy fellow' and someone tells her that he's Whit's son & she's like oh. OH John didn't tell me he had kids smh
- They didn't get along at first and had poor communication though Vanessa really did try to be fair
- The funniest moment was when Jason accidentally revealed himself to be NSA and Vanessa revealed herself to be a Blackgaard - THE Blackgaard's daughter
- "Wait so you're mad at me for being a spy but yet you hid THIS from us?"
- "Well yes but actually no, at least you have the entire government on your side everyone literally hates my family jason!"
- Vanessa is very protective of her mother and Uncle Edwin
- She's a somewhat decent actress, she has stage fright sort of but swallows it in order to help her uncle get his play off the ground
- Despite switching to Protestant she still upholds a lot of Catholic values since she was raised as one
-She doesn't have much contact with her mother's side of the family due to strain from her parents divorce again divorce frowned upon in strict Catholic families
- She did give jason a gift for his engagement to Tasha but after that fiasco he tried giving it back to her and she told him to keep it
- In an alternate universe (let's call it marbleverse for future reference) jason proposed to her (having already broke up with Tasha years ago) and she declined not ready for marriage. they hurried up after novacom tho lmao
- Vanessa inherited a Blackgaard Castle located in Connellsville which she retooled as "midnight manor" a haunted house/vacation home
- Vanessa prefers Eugene with his hair down because seeing his eyes creeps her out
- "Six feet apart j*ll*an, six feet apart." Vanessa like everyone else with a brain dislikes villain marshall
- "Hello again it's me Vanessa! Double-S Vanessa, Double-T Whittaker!" She jokes this after she meets j*ll*an the second time
- Vanessa doesn't interact with child characters all that much but a part of her character arc is becoming a cool aunt to jason's cool uncle
- Some kids and connie helped set up a date for jason/vanessa totally not suspicious they knew what was going on and decided to play along; discovered they actually enjoyed each other's company
- During his time as The Stiletto Jason left roses and candy and other tokens around for her to find, which she eventually figured out was a sign of him being alive
- She was mad, relieved, overjoyed at his presence & the rare time you see her cry
- Only other time she cried was when Tom Riley passed because she admired the man
- Meta-wise Vanessa prefers jason's old look though she likes all of his designs
- Vanessa did get her own public access show which was crucial to the novacom arc
- Afterwards she suggested the idea of reforming the boxes into teaching tools, using them as art projects
- Vanessa was so sus of Monica Stone like "you think im not watching you lady?? Think again! I know you, i am watching you!"
- Vanessa and connie are like sisters considering she's an only child; in fact connie waa another close friend she made in odyssey
- If Chris (the narrator) gets sick or unavailable Vanessa fills in for the intro and such is introduced in her workshop painting
- She canonically has a guardian angel named Mariposa who sometimes appears; Mariposa works under Malachi and her human disguise is Posie
- After leaving the nunnery the first thing she did was buy a trendy wardrobe like miniskirts, boots, she was happy she didn't have to were ultra-conservative attire anymore
- She has a pet doberman named angela who ironically hates everyone in town
- If vanessa wasn't with jason her next choice of love interest would've been Richard Maxwell
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imagines-all-day-everyday · 7 years ago
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... Dam!
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Requested by: Anonymous
“Hello, I'm not sure if you're okay with writing a Billy Hargrove imagine, but I had this idea about him. I think it was in 2x08, when his dad forbade him from seeing his date. So I thought the girl could actually be *yn*, who'd be like shy or not interested in him at first. There could be some build up and then the date that Billy had to skip, which he would feel really bad about later, since he really cares about her, maybe tried to make it up to her? Idk, just an idea, love your writing 💕”
“Here goes a request girl: billy hargrove finding y/n sassy attitude funny and teasing her with jokes till she goes mad 😂”
Warnings: Swearing (it’s billy), fluff, slight angst (again, it’s billy), homophobic slurs, abuse
Notes: THE TITLE ISN’T A TYPO, YOU’LL UNDERSTAND BY THE END
“*yn*! *yn*! Did you hear?”
“Hear what?” She asked, turning her attention from the hallway in front of her to Susan, her best friend, that was now bouncing beside her with so much excitement, it looked like she was on a trampoline. 
“About the new senior at school! Katherine saw him getting out of his car, which she said was real spiffy by the way, this morning and saw him heading to the principal’s office! She said he was the most handsome guy she had ever seen in her life! Oh I just hope he’s in at least some of my subjects so I don’t have to wait until lunch to see what he looks like....”
Rolling her eyes in amusement at her friends behaviour, *yn* just turned her attention back to getting to class on time as Susan continued to chew her ear off about this fabled new kid. Whoever he was, he was not going to get in the way of *yn*’s final year studies. That was for sure.
Billy’s footsteps echoed in the vacant hallway, his brown boots squeaking on the polished floors as he cracked his knuckles mindlessly. Of course he had to move to this stupid fucking shit town, in the middle of fucking no where, with his stupid fucking parents and his stupid fucking stepsister. Billy’s only hope that had kept him from going insane was that the town of Hawkins, Indiana would be somewhat decent.
It wasn’t. It was a complete and total shit hole. For fucks sake he hadn’t even seen a single hot bird. Billy’s only consolation was that it was quite clear he had no male competition around. If he was going to be stuck here, he was at least going to be the King of Hawkins High School.
“This is your home class, Mister Hargrove, I’ll let your teacher take it from here.” The principal explained as he stopped outside a door.
Not saying a word, Billy simply shot him a glare before pushing the wooden door open loudly and stepping inside the classroom. The buzz and hum of teenagers talking ceased the second he entered the room. Billy couldn’t help the sense of satisfaction that ran through his veins when he noticed the way the guys stared at him in awe and the girls stared with total lust.
His eyes flitted over the class, pausing when he noticed there was only one pair of eyes in the room that weren’t focused on him. He couldn't clearly see her face because she was leant over her textbook and feverishly taking notes. Billy studied her intently for a few moments before he noticed out of the corner of his eye that her friend was elbowing her furiously.
Finally, she looked up from her notebook and her big doe-eyes, framed by thick lashes, locked with his. One look at those eyes, her plump lips and the long hair that framed her face, Billy decided that maybe there was actually one hot bird in Hawkins. A really hot one at that. 
He watched as her nose crinkled in what seemed to be disgust when he shot her a wink, before she returned her attention back to the school work in front of her. The girl’s reaction made a smirk appear on his face. If there was one thing Billy loved, it was a challenge. Yeah, she was the one. 
Ignoring the teacher that was currently introducing him to the class, Billy ran a hand through his hair as he sauntered over towards her. Finally coming to a stop at her desk, he leant back on the spare one beside her and studied her intently.
“Mind if I sit here, princess?” 
There was a few moments of silence as she blatantly ignored him, twiddling with her pen nonchalantly as she kept her eyes fixed on the paper in front of her. “Uh I-I’m sure *yn* wouldn’t mind if you sat here Billy-” Her friend began to gush, clearly panicking that her friend wasn't answering. *yn*, that was a name he could definitely get used to.
“Actually, I’m saving this seat for Steve, Suzie.” *yn* finally spoke up as she glanced at her friend, her soft voice taking Billy by surprise. Yeah, he wouldn’t mind that voice screaming his name all night long.
“Sorry, seat’s taken Bob.” She answered, finally turning her attention to Billy, her face void of all emotion.
Billy chuckled lightly, his tongue poking out of his mouth to glide across his bottom lip before he flashed her his signature smile. “It’s Billy, Billy Hargrove. A name I’m sure you’d like to get acquainted with.” He replied as he winked at her.
However, instead of swooning like he’d expected, she just raised a brow at him in pure confusion. “Right... seat’s still taken though.” 
Maybe this was going to be harder than Billy thought....
Tapping her pen against the hard wooden desk, *yn* chewed on her bottom lip and furrowed her brow as she read her biology textbook intently. There was a mid-term exam in two days and whilst it only counted for 15 percent of their final grade, *yn* needed to ace it. 
Luckily, she’d managed to avoid any more run ins with Billy Hargrove, but in the three weeks he had been here, he’d made quite a name for himself. However, his antics hadn’t seemed to dissuade from every single girl in the school, including all of her friends, from fawning over him like love-sick idiots.
All she could do was hope that the mass attention from those girls would distract him enough to not bother her again. But who was she kidding? He would have forgotten all about her anyway, she was just the first girl he had seen on his first day. Now, he had dozens of options. Yeah, Billy Hargrove was definitely not going to be a problem, she told herself as she bobbed her leg up and down anxiously. 
“Wow sweetheart, you look tense....you know, I can think of a few ways to help you...unwind,” Called out a voice she had heard far too many times in the hallways. 
So much for Billy Hargrove not being a problem....
Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she inhaled a sharp breath before flickering her gaze up. Sure enough, approaching her table was Billy and although she had a strong dislike for him, she couldn’t deny that he was annoyingly handsome. Today he was wearing his signature white tank top with his denim jacket and far too tight jeans that showed off his perfectly shaped a-
*yn* shook her head slightly and forced herself to remove thoughts of Billy Hargrove’s arse out of her mind. When she looked back up at Billy, he was wearing such a knowing smirk on his face for a split second she wondered if he was reading her mind.
“I’m busy.” She spoke, her voice cracking slightly due to the fact that she was caught so off guard.
“I can see that.” He mused, and before she could even open her mouth to protest, he had pulled out a chair and taken a seat beside her. 
“You know, I don’t see you around much. Don’t tell me you’re caged up in this shithole every lunch?”
Gritting her teeth, *yn* said nothing and instead continued to scan her book,  even though now she wasn’t even reading the words printed in front of her. She was just desperate to avoid Billy’s piercing gaze.
“Not much of a talker, huh?” He continued. After a few moments of more silence he let out a sigh and leant back in the chair and much to *yn*’s annoyance, he kicked his feet up on the desk. 
“That’s alright darlin’, I can just keep talkin’ to pass the time. Maybe I’ll start off with my daily workout routine, you know I can bench-”
“I said, I’m busy!” *yn* hissed loudly, snapping her neck to look at him and sending him a glare. 
“Shhh!” The librarian hushed from the corner of the room. 
Billy just smirked proudly, seemingly finding the fact that she was actually looking at him to be an achievement. “Well if you’re busy studying, I’ll just study with you, doll.” 
“You do biology?” She queried in disbelief as she eyed the jock. 
“Sweetheart, I’m in your class.” He answered, and for the first time *yn* detected a trace of annoyance and disbelief in his voice. But that was quick to vanish, as his eyes lit up with mischief and he slid his tongue over his bottom lip.
“You know if there’s a chance to study the human ‘anatomy’, I’ll take it.” He answered before sending her a wink. 
“You’re vile.” She snapped back, turning her attention desperately back to her textbook. 
“That’s not what your friend said last night... what’s her name...Sandy? No, no it’s Susan, isn’t it?” He spoke, grinning as he waited for his words to sink in and her to take the bite.
“Susan what!?” She exclaimed, turning her body to fully face Billy.
“Shhh, last warning!” The librarian disciplined. 
“You and Susan....together?” *yn* whispered, stealing a glance at the librarian before staring intently at Billy. “’course, you of all people know how hard she was diggin’ me-” He paused as he took a moment to enjoy their intense eye contact, biting his lip lightly before continuing. “-and what kind of a man would I be if I simply ignored her?” He grinned, chuckling lightly at her disgusted face.
“I can’t believe her...” He heard her mumble under her breath as she once again turned her attention from him. 
“I think you’d believe her if you heard her last night. God damn the way that bird was screaming-”
“Would you just-just shut up!” She snarled. “All I wanted was to study for this exam alone and in peace. I most certainly don’t want to hear about you...boning my best friend, or about your stupid workout routine, or how you’re top shit and rule the school and if I have to take one more look at that stupid earring I’m going to scream.” 
A silence engulfed the pair, as Billy watched her chest heave up and down in anger as she tried to calm herself. *yn* swallowed and inhaled a breath before looking back down at her book, now determined to completely ignore his presence. 
Billy stayed quiet for a few minutes, grabbing a tooth pick from his pocket and sucking on it as he watched her. Finally, *yn* was beginning to get back into her study and had almost forgotten that he was even there.
“You know, I meant it about the whole tense thing. I mean we could even get some practical learning about the human anatomy while where at it. I could even ask Susan if she wanted to-”
“I told you to shut your mouth!” She shouted at him, her eyes blazing with anger. And as if to goad her further, Billy simply starting chuckling.
“Alright that’s it, you two out! And I think an afternoon detention will teach you to keep your mouthes closed in the library!” The old librarian snapped crossly as she rose from her desk.
Billy watched as *yn*’s fists clenched before she slammed her book shut and grabbed her things, all the while attempting to keep herself from clawing his eyes out. 
“I hope your happy, Hargrove.” She hissed, sending him one more murderous glare before shoving past him and storming out of the library. 
He smirked as he continued to play with the toothpick in his mouth at the thought of spending a whole afternoon in detention with *yn* *yln*.
“Oh, you bet I am.” 
Silence filled the classroom apart from the deafening ticking of the clock on the wall above the supervising teacher. The mood in the room could only be described as totally and utterly miserable. There were only two other students in the detention, one was asleep and drooling onto the desk whilst the other was etching something into the wood with a knife.
The only positive for *yn* that Billy was yet to turn up, and maybe she’d be lucky enough that he would ditch the detention entirely. 
But when the door burst open, she knew she’d been kidding herself. 
“Mr Hargrove, you’re thirty minutes late... again.” The supervising teacher who also happened to be *yn*’s biology teacher, Mr Thomas, drawled. 
“Sorry sir, I was...preoccupied.” Billy smirked, flashing *yn* a shit-eating grin to which she simply rolled her eyes. 
“Just take a seat, Billy.” Mr Thomas sighed, clearly too drained to bother disciplining him. 
*yn* resisted the urge to gag, the smell of cigarettes infiltrating her nostrils as Billy slumped into the chair beside her. However, this time she was not going to give him the satisfaction of annoying her. Instead she kept her gaze totally fixed on the book in front of her. 
She somehow managed to last twenty minutes without snapping. But the feeling of his eyes burning into her skull was becoming too irritating and making her feel uneasy. “What?” She finally whispered to him, turning to meet his intense gaze.
“Nothing, I didn’t realise it was a crime to admire a work of art.” He answered, sending her yet another wink. 
“Go find another work of art to ‘admire’ then, you’re distracting me.” She hissed back before hurriedly glancing back down at her notebook when she noticed Mr Thomas eyeing the pair. Billy glanced over at Mr Thomas and once he’d turned his attention away from them, he moved off his chair to tower over her.
“Oh doll, you have no idea how distracting I can be.” He murmured into her ear, his lips brushing over the shell of her ear as he spoke. 
“You wish, Hargrove.” She spat, shoving his ridiculously toned chest off her. As he moved away from her, his eyes darted down to her wrist and before she could pull away in time, he had gripped it tightly in his hand.
“Now, what do we have here?” He grinned as he studied her squirming wrist. *yn* felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment as his eyes fixated on the small tattoo that was usually hidden underneath her sweater.
“None of your god damn business.” *yn* answered as she finally freed her arm from his hold and pulled her sweater over her wrist to hide the ink permanently etched into her skin.
“I gotta say princess, I didn’t think you’d have it in you. I thought you were daddy’s little girl, I’m sure he wasn’t too pleased when he found out his angel like daughter got a-”
“You don’t know what the fuck your talking about Billy.” She growled, the mention of her father becoming her final breaking point. “So take my advice, shut up and leave me the hell alone!”
Silence rung out between the two teenagers as they eyeballed each other before a small cough made them jerk their eyes away. Mr Thomas had rose to his feet, his arms crossed as he glared at the pair. Out of the corner of her eye, *yn* could see that her outburst had caused the sleeping student to awaken and the other one to stop carving and stare at her dumbfounded.
“I think we’re done for the day.” Was all Mr Thomas said. The second the words left his lips, the two students scrambled to get their things and hurry out of the class room. One glare from Mr Thomas made Billy begrudgingly pick his things up and exit, not before glancing over his shoulder at *yn* one more time.
“Mr Thomas I’m sorry but Billy is just-”
“I know exactly what Billy Hargrove is like, Ms *yln*. But, I have to say I expected more from you. You are still planning to attend Harvard Law next year, yes?” 
“Yes I am Sir but-”
“Then you know the grades you have to achieve. I hope you understand that if you continue to associate with people like Mr Hargrove that the chances of getting those grades are quite slim.”
“Of course Mr Thomas, but Billy won’t-”
“That’s all Ms *yln*, I’ll let you off with a warning this time. But if it happens again I don’t know what I can do to protect you.”
*yn* resisted the urge to huff and simply shut her mouth, knowing that there was no point in trying to explain herself. Instead, she simply sent him a small nod, grabbed her things and hurried out of the door.
“Your house, this weekend?”
“I knew you’d give in eventually, *yln*.” Billy winked.
“For the project, dumbass.” She snapped back, making his brow furrow in annoyance. “Why can’t we go to your house?”
“Because my parents would have a meltdown if a boy came within the vicinity of my house, especially one that looks like... well, you.”
Billy let out a huff as he mulled over her words before begrudgingly nodding, “fine, my house this Saturday at 10.” He spoke to which she nodded in agreement. “I’ll see you then, sweetheart.” He winked before stalking off down the halls.
That conversation replayed in *yn*’s mind as she stepped out of her car and hesitantly made her way towards Billy’s house. Never in a million years did she expect that she’d ever be going to his house.
 But I guess, she also didn’t expect that just a week after their shared detention, that Mr Thomas would announce they would have a biology project to complete in pairs. She also didn’t expect that when Mr Thomas pulled names out of a hat, he would call her name and Billy’s, much to her horror and Billy’s delight.
Plus, despite her desperate pleading with Mr Thomas, he refused to budge - claiming that it wouldn’t be fair on other students and to quote “maybe it’ll give you two a chance to work out your...issues”. 
Sucking in a breath with the realisation that she couldn’t delay this any longer, she moved her arm up and knocked gently on the door. Taking a step back, she bit her lip as she fiddled with the books in her arms. 
Eventually, she heard footsteps approaching the door and sure enough it flung open, but instead of revealing Billy, a short girl with flaming red hair was standing there. 
“Oh...hi.” *yn* spoke, surprise evident in her voice. “You’re Max aren’t you? Billy’s sister?” She realised, suddenly remembering that she had seen her with Billy a few times in the car.
“He’s not my brother.” Max answered bluntly. “Right of course, sorry. Well...I’m *yn*.” She introduced herself, shooting her a friendly smile which was definitely not returned.
“*yn* *yln*?” Max asked curiously and when *yn* nodded she let out a scoff. “Yeah Billy’s only mentioned you like a thousand times.” Max grumbled which made *yn*’s cheeks flush.
“Actually, is your bro- Billy in?” *yn* asked politely. “Are you going on a date?” Max queried to which *yn* let out an involuntary snort.
“God no, I’m stuck with him on a biology project unfortunately.” *yn* sighed, rolling her eyes at the thought of it. To her surprise, Max let out a small giggle and flashed her a smile for the first time.
“That’s good. You seem nice, Billy doesn’t deserve someone nice.” 
Before she could answer, heavy footsteps could be heard approaching and Max’s smile instantly vanished. “Max I thought I told you not to answer that bloody door until-” Billy cut himself off when his eyes fell on *yn* standing expectantly at the door. She couldn’t help but notice that he’d taken his earring out.
“Beat it.” Billy demanded, sending Max a glare. “Bye Max.” *yn* spoke kindly, but Max didn’t even glance at her before she scurried off towards her room. 
“What did she say to you about me?” Billy asked as *yn* made her way into the small home. “Nothing, she was very nice.” She spoke, her forehead creasing at the way Billy talked about his sister. 
Billy just scoffed and mumbled something under his breath as he lead her to his room and closed the door behind him. *yn* made it her mission to avoid his bed and instead took a seat on the floor. 
“Doll, why don’t you come up here-”
“This project is important to me, Hargrove. We’re here to study and that’s it. If you can’t manage that then I’ll go home and do it by myself, got it?” *yn* snapped firmly before he could even get his flirtatious comment out.
To her surprise, instead of answering with a snarky mark Billy just shut his mouth and moved to sit on the floor. “Fine.” 
“Thank you.” She sighed, already feeling drained from her interactions with him as she opened her book to begin working. 
About twenty minutes passed of the pair silently working before Billy finally spoke. “Why do you even care about school so much?”
There was a pause as *yn* glanced up from her book to see him staring at her intently. “Because my parents want me to get into Harvard Law.” She drawled sarcastically. 
“Is that why they don't let guys ‘round your house?” He asked to which she nodded. “My step dad reckons they’re too much of a distraction. Even guys that are friends because apparently ‘friends’ is just code for having loads of sex.” She answered, her mind immediately flashing back to the memory of her step dad screaming at her for being friends with Steve Harrington.
“You have a step-dad?” 
Before *yn* could even reply the sound of the front door bursting open made them turn their attention away from each other. “Who- Billy are you ok?” She asked when she turned to him to see that his face had visibly paled in fear. 
“Billy! Get your ass out here you faggot!” A deep voice bellowed before Billy could even answer.
It was like Billy was completely frozen as he sat there beside her. *yn* had no idea what to say or do, never in her life had she seen Billy Hargrove like this; scared.
She jumped slightly when the door to his room suddenly burst open revealing a tall man who *yn* could only assume was his father, with his fists balled at his sides. His gaze softened slightly when he realised that Billy had female company.
“Who’s this?” His father asked, turning to his son. 
“I’m *yn* *yln*, Mr Hargrove. I just came over because Billy and I are partners on a biology project. I can leave if-”
“No, no it’s fine. This idiot needs all the help he can get with school and you seem better than the whores he usually brings home.” 
*yn* glanced at Billy to see that the fear had now turned to anger, as he stared furiously back at his father. “Son, I’d like to have a word.” His father continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm and distain. 
The next few moments were some of the most tense that *yn* had ever experienced. She watched Billy and his father eyeball each other until finally Billy caved and rose to his feet. *yn* felt completely helpless as she watched him trudge out of the door, the last thing she saw was his father gripping him by the collar before the door slammed shut.
*yn* sat there, air caught in her throat as she held her breath. The seconds seemed to tick by at a excruciating pace as she waited for something, anything to happen.
Then the yelling started.
She couldn’t quite make out what his father was saying, but she managed to hear something about Billy not taking Max to the arcade and a mixture of insults, most derogatory. Her face screwed up and she involuntarily curled into a ball when she heard a very distinct thump and more shouting.
Maybe she should have done something, interrupt them or maybe even call Hopper, but she was completely frozen. As she sat there on the moth eaten floor, Billy Hargrove suddenly made a lot more sense. The temper, the overly confident attitude and the indulgence in girls. It was all to compensate for the dose of self-loathing that his father injected into him regularly. 
The sound of a door slamming shut made her jerk out of her thoughts and when she looked up a few moments later, Billy was there. The two teenagers stayed in complete silence as he took a seat beside her and opened a book. He was clearly trying to act like nothing had happened. But the way his knuckles were bone white from gripping it so hard, his chest was heaving up and down with sweat coating his tanned skin and the small abrasion now forming on his bottom lip suggested anything but.
“Billy...” She murmured quietly after a few moments.
He said nothing.
She swallowed and moved her hand and placed it gently on top of his, “are you ok?” It was like her words were a gun and had just shot him in the hand as he ripped his hand away from hers.
“Don’t.” He snapped.
“Don’t wha-”
“Don’t give me that fucking sympathy bullshit, *yln*.” He growled. 
“I’m not-”
“Everyone fucking does it, every time they find out they treat me differently. They act like I’m some poor victim, they don’t see me as the Billy Hargrove anymore they see me as some fucking pussy that-”
“I’m not giving you sympathy you dick. You think the way your dad treats you is an excuse for how much of an asshole you are to everyone?” She asked him imploringly. He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off before he could even get a single syllable out.
“Of course it’s not. But you know what it does? It makes you more human, Billy.  No one can go through what you’re going through and not have scars and issues. Of course you’re going to be angry and of course you’re going to want to act like some big tough guy at school because you feel the exact opposite at home.”
“You don’t know me.” Billy answered, his voice wavering slightly as he stared at her intently. The way his eyes were growing more and more glossy made her gaze and voice soften.
 “I know I don’t.” She murmured gently. “But I do know what it’s like to deal with shitty parents, dads especially.” 
“Your dad hurts you?” He asked, a look of anger crossing his features as his fists once again clenched.
“No.” She shook her head as she leant over to place her hand over his balled fist, and this time he didn’t pull away as he felt himself relax under her touch. “Not physically anyway. But my stepdad controls me, he barely lets me out of the house except for school, keeps me locked away to study. And the way he controls my mum...” She trailed off at the thought of it.
“He doesn't let her parent me, I mean she might let me go out but then he’ll manipulate her to change her mind. You see, he’s good with his words, my stepdad. He knows exactly what to say to make you feel worthless, to feel guilty even though it’s not your fault...” She mumbled as she glanced back at Billy.
“The tattoo? Is that-”
“Cause of my step dad? Yeah.” She nodded as she glanced down at the small dove. “It’s to remind me that one day I’ll be free, be able to go wherever I want whenever I want-”
“Like a bird can.” Billy murmured in realisation. 
“I know it’s not as bad as what you’re going through but-”
“Don’t say that.” He said adamantly. “Our problems may be different, but they still effect you just as much as they effect me.” 
*yn*’s lips parted in surprise at his oddly kind words and she suddenly found herself unable to think of anything to say to him. It was then that her eyes fell on the clock on the wall and she felt her stomach drop.
“Fuck!” She cursed, leaping from her spot to hastily collect her belongings into her arms. “I’m so sorry Billy but I was supposed to be home ten minutes ago and my step dad is gonna kill me and- shit!” She cut herself off to devote all of her attention to grabbing her books. Finally she looked over at Billy as she hastily brushed her hair behind her ear. 
“Again I’m sorry but- just uh- just call me if you need anything ok?” And with that, *yn* was out of the door.
Billy grinned to himself as he lightly rubbed his bruising lip, *yn*’s lingering touch on his hand still filling his body with an unfamiliar buzz. Suddenly his asshole dad didn’t seem so bad.
Would Billy Hargrove still be as big of an asshole if his dad didn’t hurt him? Surely not. Surely his dad has shaped what kind of a person he was...but was he a good person under all those scars? Or was he still an asshole deep down? And more importantly, why did she even care?
These were the questions and thoughts that had been filling *yn*’s brain ever since she’d gotten home from the Hargrove’s. No matter how hard she tried to read her books, or stare up at her fan, she couldn’t get the image of Billy’s pained face out of her head. Or the way his skin felt against hers.....
No! She shook her head and rubbed her eyes as if to scrub the memories out of her mind. What was wrong with her?! She hated Billy Hargrove, he was a totally arrogant and smarmy douchebag. But he was also broken, hurt and always nice to her, plus one of the most attractive humans she had ever laid eyes on....
Letting out a dramatic groan she rolled onto her stomach and buried her head into her pillow. Just as she felt herself nodding off, a tap on the glass window pane made her jerk her head up.
11:53 pm. The digits glared back at her as another tap sounded on her window. She was just about to dismiss it as a bird when yet another noise echoed in the silence. 
Swallowing, she rose from her bed and edged over to the window. 
“You have got to be kidding me.” She mumbled to herself when her eyes fell on none other than Billy Hargrove standing on the grass below her window, a bundle of rocks in his hand.
“Are you out of your mind, Hargrove?” She hissed as she opened the window and poked her head out into the cool night air. “What are you doing here?”
“You said call if I needed anything!” He answered back and she winced slightly at how loud he was talking. 
“Yeah, call. Not show up at my window at 12 in the morning dumbass!” She whispered back.
“You didn't give me your number.” He shrugged before shooting you an innocent smile that a few weeks ago would have made her roll her eyes, but now it made her cheeks flush.
“What do you want? If my stepdad wakes up and sees you-”
“Relax, sweetheart. I’ll be quick. I just wanted to ask you something.”
*yn* sighed as she stared down at him, why couldn’t he just wait till school? Glancing over her shoulder to make sure no footsteps were approaching, she turned back to Billy defeatedly. “Fine, what is it?” Her answer made his grin widen even further before he swallowed and he suddenly went serious, which made her even more nervous.
“I’m just going to ask you this once, if you say no I’ll leave right now and leave you alone forever, I promise.”
“Ok...” *yn* trailed off breathlessly, suddenly finding herself a little short on air.
“Will you go out with me? On a date?” He asked her, a rare look of vulnerability making itself present on his features.
Her lips parted in surprise as she stared down at him. She was completely speechless. All of those questions she asked herself now come flooding back and she realised that she’d have to decide what those answers would be if she was going to give him one.
Her first instinct was to say no.... but did she really want him to leave her alone forever? The thought of him never giving her cheeky remarks that she could roll her eyes at didn’t sit well with her, or never seeing the way he smiled at her when she snapped back....
“Yes.” The word slipped out before she had even realised she’d made her mind up. “Yes, I’ll go out with you. This weekend, because my parents are away. But I swear to god Hargrove, you better not make me regret this.”
Glancing at the clock, *yn* couldn’t help but feel slightly giddy. Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes until that all too familiar blue camaro was going to pull up and Billy Hargrove was going to take her on a date.
Shaking her head, she chuckled to herself at the fact that a month ago she would have laughed at this concept. She had just begun to apply her lipgloss when the phone rung loudly, causing her to smear the pink liquid across her cheek.
Cursing under her breath she rose from the chair and hurried downstairs as the ringing continued. “Hello, *yln* residence.” She spoke politely into the phone as she tried to wipe the lipgloss from her skin.
“Cute greeting, princess. I could totally picture you as a sexy receptionist.” The sound of Billy’s voice made her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she was caught so off guard, she didn’t notice the waver in his tone.
“Billy sorry I-I wasn’t expecting you.” She stuttered ,internally face palming as she did so, oh god pull yourself together *yn*!
“What’s up?” She asked, this time making sure her voice was calm.
There was a pause on the other line and he heard him inhale a breath before speaking. “Listen princess, I’m sorry but I can’t take you out tonight.” 
His words were like a weight, causing her stomach to drop so violently she thought she might be sick. “Oh.” Was all she could think to say as she felt tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. 
Billy clearly picked up on how upset she was and cursed under his breath. “Babe, trust me cancelling was the last thing I wanted to do.” He reassured her, and this time it was *yn* who sensed that he too was on the verge of tears.
“Is everything ok?” She asked quietly.
“Yeah it’s just my-”
“Billy! Get off the phone to that whore and go find your sister!” She heard the familiar voice of his father shouting in the background. 
There was a pause before - “Yes, Sir.” 
“Did you hear that?” Billy questioned softly. Another pause. “Yeah.” *yn* admitted tentatively. “But it’s ok-”
“No, no it’s not *yn*.” Billy cut her off, this time anger evident in his voice. “Listen, I gotta go and find Max. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“Do you want me to help look for-”
“No, I need to do this on my own.” 
Before she could even open her mouth to tell him to be careful, a loud beep rang in her ear.
 The line had gone dead. 
Six days. It had been six days since Billy Hargrove had cancelled on their date. Six days since the pair had even spoken. She wasn’t mad at him, she truly wasn’t. She knew that his dad was a monster and he couldn’t help it if his sister had run away. What she was upset about was that he hadn’t even tried to speak to her since. 
I mean, she hadn’t seen him around school which had her worried too, but wouldn’t a normal person ring their date up and assure them they were ok? Had he changed his mind? Did he even want to go out with her in the first place? Had he found someone else better?
All of these ridiculous questions niggled in the back of *yn*’s mind constantly and now she was getting frustrated at herself for caring so damn much about Billy bloody Hargrove.
These thoughts plagued her as she trudged home from school on Friday afternoon. She’d ended up staying late to talk to her english teacher about their approaching assignment and as a result she’d missed her ride from Steve home. 
The screeching of tires and a rumbling engine made her jump from the side of the road and clutch onto her bag tightly. Her body relaxed slightly when she saw the blue camaro. Heavy rock pumped from the speakers as the car came to a stop in front of her.
“Hey princess, long time no see.” Billy grinned as he rested an arm on the window frame. 
“That’s putting it one way.” She answered, raising a brow as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. 
“C’mon, get in.” He motioned to her. “Where are we going?” She spoke warily.
“You’ll find out, now c’mon move that cute butt of yours.” He insisted.
“But my step dad is expecting me home and-”
“Just tell him you were at the library, we won’t be long. I promise.” He persisted, shooting her a puppy dog look so perfected that she found herself nodding before she could think about it anymore.
“Fine, just as long as we won’t be long.” She agreed as she opened the door and slid onto the leather seat. “There’s the spirit, *yln*.” He grinned, waiting for her to buckle her seatbelt before pressing his foot on the accelerator. 
Thankfully, Billy decided to drive at a relatively normal pace today and soon the pair were making their way out of the town centre. As they drove, *yn* finally had a chance to study Billy’s face properly.
A part of her wish she hadn’t.
An involuntary gasp slipped through her lips as her eyes soaked up the cuts in his eyebrow and lip as well as the yellow and greenish bruising all over his face. “Jesus fucking Christ Billy what the hell happened to-”
“I don’t wanna talk about it.” He answered softly. 
A moment of silence passed before *yn* nodded quietly, “ok”. Because really, *yn* already knew what had happened. Neil Hargrove had happened. 
Leaning back in her chair, she glanced out the window before turning back to Billy and smiling. “So now you’ve successfully kidnapped me, where are we going?” She asked him in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Billy chuckled at her response as he took a left turn before glancing at her. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out.” He answered, sending her a wink before leaning down under his chair to grab something.
“Here.” He spoke as he pulled out a blue bandana. “Put this over your eyes.” He instructed as he handed it to her. “Why?”
“Do you trust me?” He asked her, flickering his eyes to her briefly as he extended his arm towards her. 
“Yeah.” She nodded, not missing the happiness that lit up Billy’s features at her answer. “So trust me and put this on!” 
“Fine.” She huffed and tied the bandana around her head so she could no longer see. 
With that, the pair sat in silence and listened to the music playing through Billy’s speakers. *yn* wasn’t sure how long the pair drove, she guessed about 15 minutes before she heard the car roll to a stop. 
“Are we here?” She asked excitedly as Billy’s door opened.
She could hear him laughing as he moved around to her side and opened the door for her. “Yeah, we’re here princess.”
She jumped slightly when she felt his skin against hers, one hand guiding hers and the other settled on her waist to ensure she didn’t fall as he helped her out of the car. She felt her feet hit dirt and wind brushing against her exposed skin, but she still had no clue where they were. 
“So you know how I said I’d make it up to you for bailing on our date?” Billy murmured and she felt her heart hammering when his lips brushed against his left ear as they walked.
“I think I vaguely recall it.”
“Well, I wanted to show you something. I found it on the first weekend I arrived here and ever since then it’s been my place just to relax and escape from all the shit going on around me. So, I wanted you to see it too...” And with that Billy removed the blindfold.
A small gasp escaped *yn*’s lips at the view before her. The two were on a small cliff, overlooking the Hawkins dam. The sun setting caused a beautiful pink tinge to reflect on the rippling water below them, and the sound of a small waterfall could be heard in the distance. 
“Billy... it’s beautiful.” She whispered in disbelief. And she meant it. *yn* had lived her whole life in Hawkins and yet, she had never seen this. 
“I’ve never showed this to anyone before, you know.” He admitted which caused her to turn around to look at him. Once again, there was a look of vulnerability on his features, one that she’d only seen the night he had asked her out. 
“Well, thank you for showing it to me-” *yn* cut herself with a small yelp as her foot slipped on a loose rock and she fell back. Billy reacted quickly, gripping her hips tightly and uprighting her before she could fall flat on her butt. 
“Jesus, always keeping me on my toes aren’t you *yln*?” He chuckled as she laughed breathlessly. “Someone’s gotta, Hargrove.” She smirked back and she couldn’t help the way her heart hammered in her chest when she noticed he was yet to remove his hands from her hips. 
“You’re really beautiful, you know that?” He spoke breathlessly as he studied her face intently, causing her cheeks to turn a deep crimson red. 
“You’re not too bad yourself, but I’m sure you didn’t need me to tell you that.” She replied which made him laugh softly. Their laughter faded as Billy brought a hand up to brush a strand of hair out of her ear.
“I really am sorry for bailing *yn*. I don’t think you understand how excited I was to finally take you out.”
“Billy, you don’t need to apologise, it’s not your fault that-”
Neither *yn* nor Billy ever found out what wasn’t Billy’s fault. Billy’s lips pressed against hers so tenderly it was like he thought she was going to shatter in his arms. Her eyes fluttered closed as she sunk into his hold, her arms wrapping around his neck to pull their bodies closer. 
“Does that help make up for it?” He asked breathlessly against her lips once the two had pulled away. 
“Mmhmm.” She nodded as she smiled at him.
“But I think you’re gonna have to make it up to me just a bit more.”
FIRST STRANGER THINGS AND BILLY IMAGINE AND I GOTTA SAY I LIKE IT!!! don’t forget to give this story positive feedback here!!! xx
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thatsjustsupergirl · 8 years ago
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ur post about fic & racism in the supergirl fandom really got me thinking (especially about my own biases so thank you) but also like, how there’s this incredibly pervasive but subtle new form of racism I haven’t seen b4 in other fandoms? Like on one hand u have this loud condemnation of how racist monel is & how he was a slave owner blabh blah but no corresponding attention given to the existing Black characters. 1/4
I get wlw not wanting to write m/f fic but a lot of the fandom doesn’t reblog (or make) any of the gifsets, they don’t meta for him they don’t call for more screen time for Mehcad. Same for M’gann. SO many posts talking about how awful monel is compare him to Lena and strangely don’t mention the Black female character who also came from an oppressive society to become a hero? And there are like, idk, 4 people? Who write or post wlw fic with M’gann in it? 2/4
Same with Maggie. A huge segment of fandom decided Floriana is white (even tho hollywood clearly won’t cast her in roles for white women) so they use that as an excuse to exclusively stan the very light skinned white wlw. And the way it carries over to the characters, like, okay Flo is white? but Maggie is absolutely treated like a woc in how parts of fandom aggressively ignore her & find ways to demonize her character while overtly supporting lighter skinned characters ¾
And that same part of the fandom doesn’t ever seem to create content for Lucy or Vasquez either. IDK this isn’t something u can probably explore with stats but ur post really got me thinking and it just feels really gross now bc I see all these posts condemning racism but there’s still this extreme perpetuation of privileging white characters at the same time? & I haven’t seen this particular trend in fandom b4 4/4
Oh, anon, this made my day. I have a bunch of notes waiting in a doc to address the whole Mon-El thing with regard to the racist undertones and the rhetoric used by the show to frame his storyline, and I will do my best to write it before the season comes back again, because I genuinely think they tried to aim high and just … missed completely. (But I make no promises because my thesis defense is on Tuesday.)
To your first point re: fandom attitudes – I was surprised in the early half of S2 when so many people came out of the woodwork making posts in the main tag like “wait, why did they get rid of Kara/James??” because, oh right, nobody acted like they cared for almost twelve straight months. If y’all were so okay with this ship, where were you to acknowledge its social significance when it was canon? Where are you now? Why hasn’t there been an outpouring of tweets week after week at the execs and the writers for sidelining an interracial couple in favor of what we’re getting, especially since the storyline literally handwaved away human trafficking and slavery as minor plot points?
Not only that, when there’s unrealized potential for a non-canon ship there is typically an outpouring of fic in response, and while there’s been a statistically significant amount of new Karolsen fic in S2 because it’s pretty easy to top zero percent, the writing there is not keeping pace with any of the other dude-involved pairings. 
And you’re right, anon: it is not possible to prove anything with stats. HOWEVER, thanks to the addition of these new characters for S2, I *am* at the point now where it’s possible to see correlation between character race and fan engagement with different pairing choices. And the bias is there, whether it’s in the het pairings, the femslash, or even the m/m pairings. The whole reason I started tracking fic outputs in the first place was that any attempt to have this conversation last year devolved into yelling and finger-pointing because “you have no proof!” that racial bias is a thing. Except, yanno, all the POC who live with it daily saying that it’s a thing. Well, congratulations y’all: your choices leave digital footprints behind that are pretty easy to follow and chart for everyone to see.
This isn’t actually a new problem, by the way – racism and preferencing of white pairing happens a lot, in almost every fandom. The only difference maybe is that I’ve experimented with quantifying it, which is not something that people usually do when they study fandoms or fan behavior.
It pains me to no end that M’gann has been so overlooked, because her story has just as many dark character beats to it as Lena’s, if not more, plus the added bonus of her sharing a sense of “otherness” with Kara in a way that few other people can. And there is no way the disinterest in that pairing isn’t about race, because there are a whole bunch of ships from S1 between white women who’d never even met each other in canon that have more romantic fics than M’gann/anyone.
And the nonsense about Floriana, which I’ll remind everyone again was started by a white girl, had a demonstrable chilling effect on interest in Sanvers as a pairing. Like. I can actually show that on paper. And you’re absolutely right with what you said above, which bears repeating: Maggie is absolutely treated like a woc in how parts of fandom aggressively ignore her & find ways to demonize her character.
There’s also a treatment of Floriana herself that reminds me uncomfortably of how people went out of their way to demonize Naya Rivera’s personal life whenever she reminded the world she was black instead of just “very tan.” And a lot of the rhetoric people are using to talk about Floriana’s racial heritage is almost verbatim the same as what you’ll find on white supremacist discussion boards about Italian people. I’d love to think this is an accident, but I’ve made some people pretty angry for pointing this out in the past, so I suspect it’s at least partially deliberate.
Lucy was another case that drove me insane, for two reasons:
The vast majority of femslash fans flat-out ignored her as a romantic choice even though there were a whole lot of good reasons to ship her with either Kara or Alex, and a whole lot less negative reasons not to. (And it’s not like Supercat was already dominating the scene before Lucy’s character was introduced. That ship only became popular after the movie Carol came out during the winter hiatus of S1.)
People had the same fight last year about whether or not Lucy counted as a WOC and ultimately insisted that the answer was no. But then people kept on ignoring her anyway like somehow dubiously legal boss/employee relationships, potential treason, and incest were more logical bases for attraction.
Also, to the people who have been like “oh yay we could’ve had Dichen as Maggie, a real WOC” like somehow this would have made the fandom love her more – you’re full of shit. If you mean that, why has there been so little fic about Dichen as Roulette? Like, last year there were a whole bunch of shipfics featuring Livewire. There was Kara/Siobhan. And yet … no dark scenarios of Supergirl/Roulette? No Alex ones? There were even a bucketload of those for each Danvers sister + Max Lord, and this fandom isn’t even that into dudes. You’re telling me no one is interested in this kind of hero/villain dynamic with the Asian chick and somehow that’s not also about race?
tl;dr I suspect that a decent chunk of this problem is the result of subconscious bias, but some of it’s not. And what’s really sad about it is that, for all the talk on Tumblr about representation being important, we’re really doing no better as media producers than Hollywood when it comes to race. If anything, we might actually be doing worse.
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vapaus-ystavyys-tasaarvo · 8 years ago
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Revenge Sandwich Week 1
Okay I’m here to attempt to participate with actual words rather than just maps. I can do this. By the way I haven’t read any other posts yet because I wanted to make mine first! (Because I’m worried that if I do read other people’s posts they’ve already said everything I was going to say and then I don’t have anything. x) I mean, literary analysis really isn’t my strong suit.)
Turns out this book is still such a page-turner for me. :p It’s really reminding me why I loved Dumas books as a kid. I’m already a bit ahead of schedule because I just couldn’t stop reading. But I’ll just talk about this week’s part now.
So yeah, I did vaguely remember some of what happened here but there were a lot of details I’d forgotten. And even things that don’t count as “details”: SOMEHOW I managed to COMPLETELY forget that this was all about politics and Napoleon. I literally read the part about them stopping on Elba and went “hey wait is this a Napoleon thing?” and yes, turns out it was a Napoleon thing.
Anyway.
This story... or at least the beginning is kind of hilariously unsubtle, isn’t it? The book doesn’t exactly make you wonder who are the good guys and the bad guys. (At this point at least. I have the impression that this is going to change.) And Edmond is kind of boringly perfect and like EVERYBODY LOVES HIM except the couple of guys who’re jealous. Although he IS at least kind of charmingly naïve, the poor guy, so he does have at least one fault...
Well also he has a bit of a temper because of course he does, he’s a Dumas protagonist isn’t he? And btw that bit where he’s all like “yeah Danglars and me once had a row so bad that we almost had a duel over it (on Monte Cristo no less, that sure isn’t foreshadowing anything at all) but I’m sure we’ll get along fine from now on and he definitely would never betray me” rhat is EXACTLY the kind of thought process Dumas himself would have. Like I’m 99% sure he’s just outright calling himself out here.
I mean some of the characters do get some complexity already. M. Morrel is introduced as kind of a greedy bastard who just cares about his cargo rather than that his captain died, but then turns out that he genuinely cares about Edmond and is ready to even risk his own reputation to help him. Caderousse is an envious, selfish bastard but he’s also somewhat sympathetic. (Again, because he defends Edmond... this seems to be a bit of a trend here. Liking Edmond makes you more sympathetic. xD) And then there’s Villefort who’s... well he’s a really compelling character and I find him fascinating and I want to read more about him but I also hhhhate him as a person. :p Yuck, prosecutors. I feel like washing my hands. And I just see red when his only motivation to do the right thing seems to be just to please his fiancée and he like fantasizes about telling Renée about how nice he was. Ewww dude, you are the worst.
Renée is interesting because I kinda genuinely do like her but on the other hand she’s way too happy to marry Villefort which makes me side-eye her a bit. I mean yeah she’s an upper-class woman and probably doesn’t have endless choices about matters of love but still. (Also she doesn’t mind the death penalty apparently unless it’s for political prisoners. >__<) Well, we’ll see how things turn out. I hope she’ll keep showing up.
I do really like all the political stuff, even if it seems to be more about the intrigue and the plot than the kind of manifesto masquerading as a novel that Les Mis is. But I enjoy both kinds. :p It’s a fun contrast too, given that these are novels set approximately in the same era. (And Dumas still finds time to make fun of the Royalists which I appreciate.)
Oh but there seems to be quite a lot of class discussion too, right? Which is interesting. I’d really like to see where it goes.
Uh... that’s pretty much all the at least somewhat structured thoughts I had for now? Like I said, this isn’t really my strong suit.
Some random reactions and comments that I wrote down:
‘-- if it were known that you gave a packet to the marshal and spoke to the emperor, you might be compromised.’
‘How could it compromise me, Monsieur?’
Oh you sweet summer child...
‘I shall always have the highest regard for those who enjoy the confidence of my owners.’
That’s an interesting way to translate “mes armateurs”. (I had to check what it was in the original text, it felt so weird.)
- I love the bit about Les Catalans. It just appeals to me a lot, that kind of sense of a tiny community with an interesting history. I just appreciate it in a story (although I don’t really know how accurately they’re portrayed here and of course we only seem to get to meet two people from there.)
- Another thing is the strong sense of the era, it’s just very very 1815. I like it.
- Mercédès’s speech to Fernand is probably the most blatant kind of exposition dialogue ever lol
- Also at points it feels like maybe you don’t need to remind us that they’re Catalan like literally every time you talk about them? Especially with Fernand, omg. (And who says “with your Catalan knife” when they’re also Catalan themself?)
- So far I like Mercédès though, I don’t really have much to say about her otherwise. Fernand creeps me out, like he’s obviously meant to. He seriously doesn’t seem to care about Mercédès’s feelings AT ALL as long as she doesn’t kill herself. >___< 
- All the talk about it being bad luck to call a woman her fiancés name before they’re married and a man captain before he’s been formally appointed... there’s SO MUCH FORESHADOWING HERE OMG. I get it, everything is going to go horribly wrong! Stop reminding me!
- Danglars, why did you even talk in front of Caderousse? I don’t get it at allll. I mean at first I thought the novel was going to have Caderousse, Danglars and Fernand all conspire together against Edmond and I was so confused about Caderousse being there because he seriously didn’t have a good enough reason to hate Edmond... I’m glad it didn’t go that way but now I’m just baffled by Danglars.
- I don’t have much to say about Danglars in general, he’s probably the most one dimensional character so far. I mean I appreciate his twisted mind because it makes him a scarier villain but otherwise... I don’t know, we’ll see.
-  Btw isn’t it a bit weird how even though we get told that Edmond has all these friends and how all these people really love and respect him but they don’t really get named or introduced at all? Instead all the focus is on the three people who actually aren’t great friends. Just a thought. It’s weird.
‘a commissioner wearing his sash is no longer a man but a statue of the law, cold, deaf and dumb.’
Hah. :D
‘but, dammit, though he’s a Royalist and the crown prosecutor, he is also a man and not, I believe, a wicked one.’
‘No’, said Danglars. ‘Though I have heard it said that he is ambitious, which is much the same.’
Oh snap. Okay I really like that line even though it’s Danglars saying it.
- All the coincidences, like the foreshadowing and the character introductions, ARE NOT SUBTLE AT ALL. Buuuut then again what are you even reading 19th C. lit for if you don’t appreciate Poignant Coincidences....
- Uggghhh all the talk about trials is disgusting. Yuck yuck yuck. Hhhhate. The sheer lack of empathy in everybody except Renée. Also Villefort, HOW IS IT ANYTHING LIKE A DUEL WTF. Let’s make a list: a) duels are supposed to be agreed upon by both parties, b) it’s supposed to be balanced, not favouring one of the parties, c) both should be facing the same risks. YOU LITERALLY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE, YOUR OPPONENT HAS EVERYTHING ON THE LINE. ARGH.
- did I mention that I hhhate him?
‘Nowadays, the sword has been put aside and the gown is supreme: there is a wise Latin tag to that effect.’
‘Cedant arma togae,’ Villefort said, with a bow.
‘I did not dare to attempt it in Latin,’ the marquise replied.
Okay, relatable. x) (obviously I don’t like her either but)
‘So the guilty man has been arrested,’ said the marquise.
‘You mean, the accused man,’ said Renée.
Thank you, Renée, the only half decent human being in this party.
This restore to us had a revolutionary ring to the ears of the crown prosecutor’s deputy.
Fucking royalists, omg. (I do appreciate Dumas snarking about them.)
settled his features in front of the mirror into their grandest expression and sat down, dark and threatening, behind his desk.
Omg Villefort you dork.
- Also: interrogating a suspect while also thinking ahead to how cleverly you can tell people about it later: like this guy is simultaneously so relatable and so disgusting. It’s both hilarious and enraging. (Idk, it probably hits me particularly hard because he feels like such a real person.)
happiness makes even wicked men good.
Another good line.
‘To whom was it addressed?’
‘To Monsieur Noirtier, Rue Coq-Héron, in Paris.’
Oh shit... Suddenly it makes sense that Edmond ends up in prison. >_______<
- Aaaa poor Edmond has all the power here and he just doesn’t KNOW.
- I don’t have anything to say about the next chapter, just AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa
- This part has gotten so much harder to read as an adult tbh.
Villefort ran out but, on reaching the door, realized that the sight of a deputy crown prosecutor in such a hurry could upset the tranquility of an entire town, so he slowed to his normal pace, which was quite magisterial.
Omg this guy. I swear.
- Villefort is having his Storm Inside A Skull moment except he put HIMSELF into this situation and of course he turns out to be an Anti-Valjean if anything. It really feels like an echo of the same scene though, even to the point of being interrupted and pushed towards the final decision by someone coming to tell them that the carriage is ready.
- I don’t have much in terms of thoughts about the chapters with Louis XVIII. Mostly I just kept wondering how historically accurate this was. xD
Okay, that’s all I had. Time to read everybody else’s things!
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