#It is fully because she's a tory
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flailingangel · 10 months ago
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I hope all of the tma characters are living the lives they would've lived were it not for the horrors™. I hope they're all happy and fulfilled... except for Helen
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alice-in-hotel-land · 2 months ago
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Oct. 15th, 2024
I was a little too high when I got to work tonight and my manager (whom I'm pretty sure thinks I'm cute and/or has a crush on me cause she lowkey acts flirty with me) was wearing a hella attractive fit with a new top that I haven't seen her wear yet & tbh she was serving hot eccentric corporate femme realness. I literally was just so focused on how good she looked & practically tuned out the work stuff she was filling me in on. All I could think was "She looks so fucking good I'm such a fucking lesbian oh my god...."
"Ok good to know," As soon as it was my turn to talk I didn't even bother addressing whatever work thing she was conveying to me and gave the blouse a quick look up, saying, "I just want to say I love that shirt btw! You look.....really nice in it." (had to pause for a second because my high ass opened my mouth to say like "you look good as hell/you look hella good" which i knew would be a little too inappropriate to say, especially considering one of the pm desk girls, May, was standing like 4 feet away from us at the other desk, and she hates Alice and is also a gossip so...) After i said that, her face immediately lit up with a beaming smile, she started saying 'thank you' and other stuff while sputtering, then she goes "I could kiss you for that!"
When I tell you it shocked me so hard and was so unexpected that my face instantly turned into the 😳 emoji, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. I could feel my face getting flush (I turn pink really easily when I'm too warm, doing extraneous physical work, anxious, embarrassed, flustered etc. so its not like i could hide it from her.) Like exCUSE ME??? What was that, ma'am??? What to run that by me again?
I think she noticed my shock and the fact that it got quiet for like .5 seconds and she laughed loudly, backpeddeling, saying like "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!!! I'm so sorry, no seriously, I'm just joking. You're face was so funny though haha 😅" I'm just standing there shocked and trying to recover from that curveball, but in hindsight like.....it's ok girly, if you're gonna say it then say it with your chest. Like I'm sorry, what was that? I don't think I heard you very well. You're gonna have to speak up, don't be shy lmao. When she started apologizing I actually opened my mouth to say "It's ok even if you weren't joking haha," but I clamped my mouth shut because, again, gossipy coworker just feet away from us and I'm not trying to get Alice or myself in trouble. Needless to say that's what it took for me to finally be aware that like, oh shit maybe she actually has been flirting with me for months??
#im pretty sure shes het though. like she gives bi vibes but ive never heard her talk about women or her sexuality or anything lgbtq so idk#she also talks off & on about finding a rich husband/finding a husband to settle down and have a family with. so maybe bi but comp het idk#anyway more stories to come because ive written them all down & ever since that instance its just gotten more obvious#i will not/nor do i want to pursue this in any way though. shes too young for me (22) & im currently dating someone i really really like#i mean we're only casually dating but we've both established that we're only talking to each other atm. we dont have a label though#we both are in agreement that because our schedules only allow us to meet up once per week (sometimes less) we can see/talk to other people#if we feel the need to as long as we communicate that. i talked to my best friend if i should tell Tori or not & they strongly suggested no#because the way they put it is Tori has verbally established with me that they dont want to label us/make anything official yet#since we can only see each other few/far between. so if i ask tori about this it'll force them into a position where they HAVE to label us#and theyre obviously not ready for that & i dont want to make them feel pressured because i do genuinely click with them#and i fully enjoy the time we spend together & we've both established that we're really attracted to each other. we just dont have the time#and the 3rd/4th reasons i wont actually pursue Alice is that 3. she's my manager so thats very much so not allowed#4. i know neither of us is going to quit/transfer properties just for a fling. i dont mind flirting but thats as far as im letting this go#but anyway yeah. this is what kicked all this off & ultimately led to me making this blog#so im officially the token lesbian at work that the straight girl flirts with lmao#text
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domjaehyun · 5 months ago
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the boy is mine (l.dh) — part six
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PAIRING. haechan x fem!reader GENRES. smut, angst WORD COUNT. 8.6k CONTENTS. infidelity, alcohol & weed consumption (MC is a non-smoker if that matters to you), explicit smut (dirty talk, fingering, finger sucking, oral (receiving), rimming (receiving), groping/frottage, marking, spit play, (brief) ear play, breast play, creampies/unprotected sex (if you explicitly need me, a stranger on the internet, to tell you not to fuck raw, you are not responsible enough to be reading this. move along now), snowballing, public sex, car sex, riding, bratty dom-leaning switch!haechan, bratty sub-leaning switch!reader, sweet dom!jeno, face riding, handjob, overstimulation (receiving), praise kink (receiving), light degradation kink (giving), mating press, morning sex) NOTES. here’s part six! thank you so much for reading this far!!! i hope you enjoy it!! please leave feedback if you liked it :) i would also greatly appreciate tips if you really liked it :3 THANK YOU LIKE THE HUUUUUGEST THANK YOU TO BRI (@jalitepng) FOR BETA READING THIS BIG OL FIC :D  PLAYLIST. the boy is mine - ariana grande // fantasize - ariana grande (unreleased) // lowkey (feat. erykah badu) - teyana taylor // agora hills - doja cat // pussy is mine - miguel // softest touch - khalid // cut - tori kelly // seatbelt - josh levi // often - doja cat // surrender - nbdy
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You wake up abruptly to the sound of your phone ringing, and you reach over to answer the call, bringing the device to your ear. “Hello?” you rasp out, groggy as can be.
“Thank God you finally woke up! Listen, Winter’s on her way to your house.” Chaewon says in a panic, and you yawn, shrugging.
“Okay?”
“She’s on her way over there because Haechan broke up with her.” Chaewon says slowly enough for it to process in your freshly roused mind, and you sit up straight in your bed, now fully awake and alarmed.
“Oh, shit. Did he—”
“He told her about you two.” she confirms, and you curse under your breath, messing with your hair anxiously.
“What exactly did he tell her?” you say slowly, and from the hesitation on the other end, you know it’s not good. “Chae, tell me.”
“He told her you two have been fooling around for a while and that he can’t hold back anymore and keep pretending and he said he doesn’t want to be with her anymore.” she blurts out, and you gasp.
“When was this? What the fuck? Why wouldn’t he run it by me first—” you mutter, worriedly stumbling out of bed and starting to fix your appearance in the mirror of your vanity.
“It seemed like it was eating away at him, honestly.” Seulgi pipes up from the background, and you sigh in defeat. “He must really like you.”
“Yeah, or really not like her.” you mumble bitterly, flinching harshly at the sound of a fist pounding on your front door. “I gotta go—she’s here—”
“I know you’re in there!” Winter shrieks through the door, and you freeze mid-stride, not sure what the best course of action might be. “Why would you do this to me?” she cries, and your heart twists painfully as regret swims through you.
You silently pad to the door, placing your hand on the doorknob before retracting it and shaking your head to yourself. You already know what Winter looks like when she cries; an adorable kicked puppy, and you have no desire to see that face when you’re the one who caused it.
“I should have known by the way he looks at you.” she sniffles, and you swallow a thick lump in your very dry throat. “He never looked at me like that.”
You try to speak, but your voice is so hoarse from just waking up and the remorse practically clogging your throat that the sounds barely register as a faint squeak. Thankfully for you, Winter doesn’t seem to hear your attempt at a remark, the heartbroken girl crying softly on the other end.
“Now you won’t even answer me? That’s just great.” she remarks bitterly, and you look at the doorknob as if you’re expecting it to unlock itself magically and let Winter in to unleash a can of whoop-ass on you.
“Y’know, I really thought you were my friend.” she says softly, her voice cracking on the last word. “If it wasn’t obvious, I don’t ever want to hear from you again.”
You quietly rest your forehead on the door, eyes sliding shut as a hot, guilty tear threatens to slip past your closed lids.
“I hope you two are happy together.” Winter scoffs, a thud from the other end telling you she’s kicked your door in frustration. After what feels like ages of silence, you peek through the peephole to see her entering the elevator at the end of your hall and let out a tortured sigh of defeat.
You slowly start to drag yourself throughout your apartment, the guilt weighing you down like shackles as you get ready for work, only to be interrupted by a hesitant knock on your door.
When you look through the peephole, your heart speeds up in panic as you see a dejected-looking Jeno standing on the other side of your door. 
You take a deep breath and pull your door open, offering a feeble smile that, you notice with a pang, he struggles to return.
“Hi,” Jeno greets, despondent as he shifts to lean against your doorway.
“Hey,” you say slowly. 
“I heard.” he explains, and you nod, swallowing thickly. “I noticed Winter left the group chat, then when I asked her why, she told me I should ask you.”
You wince in anticipation of his next words. “So you came to ask me what happened?”
“No, she told me what happened.” Jeno clarifies. “I came because I have a different question.”
“Oh,” you mumble, moving back to let him into your apartment. “Well, do you want to come in to ask?”
He seems to think about it for a moment before shaking his head with a sad smile. “I’d rather not.”
Ouch. You try to hide your saddened expression by scratching at the side of your nose, but you’re not sure you were successful because Jeno’s expression shifts to guilt for a moment and you hate it. You hate that even when he’s coming to you from a place of hurt, he’s found it in himself to be selfless and care about you. 
“That’s fair,” you say too quickly after an awkward pause. “I respect it. What was your question?”
He looks uncomfortable now, shifting his weight from foot to foot before finally asking, “I was just wondering if, um… if you entertained me, I guess, as a distraction from him?”
Your eyes widen. “Jeno, no.”
“Was it to get back at him?” he asks hoarsely, and you shake your head vehemently.
“Not at all.”
“Did it mean… anything to you?” His voice cracks on the last word, and he averts his gaze, thumbing at his nose.
“Jeno, I always had a little thing for you, even before I met Haechan. I did—do like you, I really do! I just—” you rush to explain, but Jeno cuts you off with a hand raised in a silent request for you to stop talking.
“You just… like Haechan more.” he says with a sad sort of acceptance and understanding that breaks your heart.
“Jeno, I am so sorry.” you whisper. “I don’t expect you to forgive me—”
“But I want to.”
“But you don’t have to.” you assure him. “It was never my intent to make you feel used, so I am so sorry I did.”
“It’s o–” he starts, but you shush him.
“Don’t say it’s okay until you’ve had time to think about it.” you insist.
“Yeah… yeah, I think I do need time,” he slowly agrees. “I just need to, like, get over this because,” he lets out a humorless laugh, “I really liked you.”
You’re not gonna lie; the past tense hurts you to hear. You do your best to take it on the chin with a small nod and apologetic smile, but look away to prevent Jeno from noticing the glassy shine of your eyes.
“I’m sorry, again, and I’m even more sorry for this, but I kind of have to finish getting ready for work.” you say carefully, and Jeno’s eyes flash with realization before he’s nodding and backing away from your door. 
“No problem, I’ll, uh… see you around, I guess.” he says with an awkward wave before turning and heading to your elevator and pressing the button. 
Shutting the door, you take a deep, shaky breath before wiping the single tear that you failed to hold back and continuing to get ready.
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Apparently, there really isn’t any rest for the wicked, because as you’re now rushing to get ready for work after your horrible start to your morning, your doorbell rings.
“With my luck, it’s gonna be some goons Winter sent to beat me up,” you lament sadly as you walk to your door and peek through the peephole.
To your surprise and sudden onset irritation, Haechan is standing at your door, hands clasped behind his back and teeth nibbling his bottom lip nervously.
You fling open your door and stare at him, incredulous and outraged with your hand on your hip, and he winces.
“I’m guessing you heard the news,” he says sheepishly, and you just stare at him, slowly simmering in your fury.
“You… ruined… everything.” you say slowly, and he frowns. “You—I—first of all, Winter and Jeno have already stopped by here to give me a piece of their mind, so I really feel like the Worst Person in the World right now.”
His eyes widen. “You talked to Winter?”
“She talked at me through my front door because I was too much of a coward to open it,” you mutter bitterly, and he frowns deeply. “She hates me now, as you might imagine.”
“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he says quietly, and you scoff.
“Doesn’t really matter now, does it?” you huff. “You weren’t supposed to tell her you were dumping her for me! You were just supposed to break up with her without bringing me into it! Why wouldn’t you run this by me first?”
“Well—I didn’t think about that,” he stammers.
You scowl. “And this is why you should have brought it up to me first. So I wouldn’t have woken up to being blindsided by being blocked and verbally dragged through the mud by your rightfully scorned ex-girlfriend and my ex-friend—and then being guilt-tripped to the maximum as I apologize profusely to the absolutely wounded sweetheart that was Jeno Lee in my apartment earlier for, essentially, leading him on and breaking his little puppy heart.”
Haechan looks pained. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Really, honestly.”
You pinch the bridge of your nose and breathe in and out deeply. “What possessed you to do that?”
“It just kinda… blurted out. I felt like I couldn’t stop, and once I’d started talking, it was too late to take any of it back.” he says hesitantly.
“I should have known this would end badly,” you moan in anguish, and you miss the look of hurt Haechan shoots you.
“End?” he asks, but you’ve already moved on to your next topic.
“I should have known when you met me and your first instinct was to lie to me—”
“I explained myself back then!”
“—and pretend you didn’t have a girlfriend. You didn’t seem to have a hard time withholding that information, did you?”
“That’s not fair,” he replies hoarsely, and you can’t bring yourself to look at him.
“She told me she hates me, I’m a terrible friend, and she never wants to see me again.” you whisper sadly. “And she’s right! I am a terrible friend, and she should hate me and never want to see me again.”
“In your defense, you were only a bad friend to her; you’re not a bad friend overall.” Haechan adds in an attempt to be helpful, but he balks when you glower at him.
“‘Bad friend’ might be subjective, but you know what’s not? ‘Homewrecker.’” you counter. “I might as well have the words ‘dirty man stealer’ written on my forehead because by the time word gets around, that’s all everyone’s gonna know me as.”
“Please stop catastrophizing,” Haechan tries to comfort you, reaching forward to take your hand, but you pull back slightly, folding your arms over your chest and looking down at your feet to avoid the wounded look you know Haechan’s sporting right now. “Listen,” he says firmly, and you huff. “I didn’t do all this—didn’t come this far just to lose you. I broke up with her for you. I broke up with her to be with you. You think, after getting to know me, that I’m just gonna stop trying to get you to let me in?”
“This is just—Haechan, it’s too risky—I’m so scared—” you whimper, and he places his hands on your shoulders, drawing your attention to his concerned expression.
“This is the type of risk you should be taking!” Haechan insists. “Give me time to gain your trust.”
“Haechan, you’re the most risky part about all of this! You cheated on your last girlfriend!”
Hurt flashes across his face for a moment, but he doesn’t release you. “So are you saying ‘once a cheater, always a cheater?’ Are you saying that I sealed my fate as a cheater and don’t deserve a chance at love and happiness?”
“Well, no, I’m saying this is all just… a very high-risk situation… that I’m not sure I can handle.” you say carefully, but apparently, you weren’t careful enough, because he steps back in surprise, recoiling almost as if you’d slapped him.
“I’m too risky.” he says slowly, realization and hurt creeping into his expression.
You hate to see him like this, but you can’t take back anything you’ve said, and, unfortunately, you are very much in a time crunch, as an alarm on your phone reminds you, ringing loudly to give you your warning to head out.
“Haechan, I— I have work in like an hour, I have to go—” you plead, pushing between his shoulder blades to usher him out of your apartment. When you’re both standing outside, Haechan turns to look at you with an expression not unlike that of a kicked puppy, and you’re starting to get a little fed up with everyone having that expression when it comes to you..
“So we’re not gonna finish talking about this?” he pleads, and you shake your head vehemently, inching closer and closer to the elevator door.
“We’re gonna talk about this,” you promise him, finally pressing the elevator button once you’re in reach of it, and he frowns deeply. “Just not right now.” 
The door opens a moment after, to your relief, but Haechan just remains rooted in place, you would guess due to being frozen with shock.
“Are you not coming?” you ask slightly impatiently, pulling up train times on your phone and sucking your teeth before opening the Uber app.
“I’m trying to figure out whatever this was that just happened.” Haechan responds loudly enough that you can hear him, but not so loud that he’s blasting your conversation to the ears of all your neighbors.
“Is that a no?” you stress, trying your best to emphasize the fact that you’re holding the elevator door open for him.
“It’s a no,” he confirms, a hint of sadness and defeat in his voice, and your heart pangs as you release the “Door Open” button on the elevator and the doors slide shut.
As the elevator descends to the ground floor, your heart makes a similar journey, sinking to what feels like the pit of your stomach and leaving you feeling desolate and almost hopeless as you fidget impatiently waiting for your Uber.
Even as your Uber driver pulls up in a sleek white Venza and you climb in and exchange pleasantries, you keep thinking about the look on Haechan’s face when you told him you were leaving. 
You will talk it out with him—you’ll make sure of that. But first, you need to clear your mind and organize your thoughts, and that can’t happen with him standing right in front of you.
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“I just want to know what exactly you were thinking,” Seulgi sighs disappointedly. “Like, the whole time—did you just think you could keep seeing him behind her back forever?” she asks, and you wince.
“I wasn’t thinking about her.” you admit quietly, and Seulgi scoffs.
“Clearly! What you did was selfish—reckless—irresponsible, stupidly inconsiderate—”
“I get it.” you cut in gruffly.
“I don’t!” Seulgi exclaims, throwing her hands up in frustration. Yunjin catches your eye from her arm chair and something about the sympathetic gaze in her eyes brings you closer and closer to breaking down. “You weren’t thinking about her, obviously, so what were you thinking about?”
“I don’t know—”
“Yes, you do.” Seulgi says sternly.
“I don’t—”
“You do!”
“I was thinking about him, okay?” you snap, and she pauses, stunned. “I can’t explain myself, but the whole time, all I thought about was him, and how much I—” your voice catches in your throat and you stop talking to collect yourself.
“How much you… ?” Chaewon asks, and it’s the first time she’s spoken, a cursory glance in her direction revealing that she’s looking at you just as gently as Yunjin is, making the backs of your eyes hotter than before.
“How much I like him,” you confess in a wail, and Yunjin moves from her seat to sit beside you, pulling you into her embrace as you sniffle. “I like him so much, guys. He walks into a room and I, like, can’t look away. It’s like he’s magnetic or something, or like—like—” you stammer and Yunjin places her hand on yours gently.
“Like you might be falling in love with him?” she asks softly, and you freeze before fresh tears well up in your eyes and threaten to spill over.
“Like that,” you agree pathetically, tucking your head into her neck sadly, and she tuts sympathetically, resting her cheek on the top of your head as she continues to hug you. 
“I just—” Seulgi starts before taking a deep breath and restarting with a significantly gentler tone, “I don’t understand when this started exactly.”
You take a deep breath and look at Yunjin, the two of you exchanging meaningful glances.
“You know the welcome home party we had when I came back from Oxford?” you attempt to jog her memory, and she looks thoughtful before nodding. “Remember my party crush that disappeared?” you continue, and she nods again, her eyes widening at your expectant expression as you wait for her to put two and two together. 
“It was him?” she asks in a whisper, and you nod.
“I didn’t know at first—”
“I had to tell her,” Yunjin butts in, coming to your defense, and your heart warms with gratitude for your friend. “She didn’t want anything to do with him, but I guess he wasn’t done with her.”
“Well, don’t paint him as this cunning, evil mastermind,” you say carefully, frowning. “We connected. He couldn’t shake the connection. I should have pushed him away more.”
“But you liked him from the start,” Yunjin points out, still defending you even from yourself. “And he knew. You two didn’t really stand a chance of this ending well.”
Seulgi looks between you and Yunjin with a heavy sigh before turning to Chaewon. “What do you think?”
“I think,” Chaewon says slowly, “in spite of my sapphic lifestyle and ways, I can tell why you like him. And I can see why he likes you. You two are cute together—Seulgi, don’t make that face, because you know it’s true. It’s sad it happened like this, but I think everything happens for a reason.” 
“So you think I should be with him or something?” you ask, surprised and confused and just a bit hopeful.
“I think this shouldn’t be the way to end it, if you do choose to end it. I think you should talk to him again.” she says wisely, and you nod thoughtfully.
“I guess I understand.” Seulgi finally chimes in, and you could practically faint with relief. “You’re basically, like, in love with him. And based on his behavior the other day—y’know, breaking up with Winter—he must love you, too.”
“Well, let’s not jump the gun.” you chuckle hollowly. “I already told him we couldn’t talk about it when he showed up at my place, and I think he thinks I was ending things.”
“Well, were you?” Chaewon asks, and you pause to think before shaking your head slowly.
“I don’t think I was.” you realize in surprise, and Yunjin lets out a low whistle.
“So, how are we going to get your little lover boy back?” she asks, and you shrug hopelessly.
“He probably doesn’t even want to see me,” you sigh.
“We’ll figure that out later,” Seulgi says comfortingly, sitting down on the carpet in front of your knees. “I’m sorry for coming at your throat like that earlier,” she says with a sad smile. “I thought I had an idea of what was going on, but I was wrong.”
“It’s okay,” you reply with a small smile. “You were just making sure I wasn’t, like, a terrible person and a homewrecker.”
“You know what I wonder?” Chaewon says out of the blue. “If the guys are comforting Haechan.”
“I hope they are,” you reply immediately. “I hope he’s not alone in this.”
“Well, why don’t you ask them?” she supplies helpfully, and you think about it before nodding in agreement.
“I can do that,” you say resolutely, and she squeezes your hand with an encouraging smile. 
“Good,” she hums, “now can we talk about something less dreadful? Like girls, perhaps?”
“I agree on the topic change,” Seulgi adds immediately, and you snort. 
“We could watch a movie?” Yunjin suggests, and you sit up slightly in your spot.
“We could watch a classic movie about girls,” you add on, and it’s almost like everyone’s mind syncs up at once. “Like—”
“But I’m A Cheerleader?” Seulgi finishes hopefully, and you laugh before nodding. “I’m in!”
As Yunjin and Seulgi start to bustle around the kitchen and living room to prepare for your movie viewing, Chaewon scoots closer to you and rests her head on your shoulder.
“We’ll make it through this, you know,” she comforts you gently. “This feeling definitely isn’t permanent.”
Her words linger in your mind the whole night as you hope and pray she’s right.
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“So,” Chenle remarks loudly, folding his hands over his omelet and regarding you carefully. “Let’s recap, shall we?”
“Oh, God,” you groan, putting your face in your hands.
“You knew it was coming,” Mark says with a sympathetic smile.
“In the past week,” Chenle recounts to your table, “Winter has gone completely AWOL, Jeno’s sulking, and Haechan is in the middle of a depressive episode.” He sits forward and eyes you intently. “How do you feel about all of this? What are you gonna do about it all?”
“I already talked to Jeno,” you point out.
“Yes, and may have worsened his sulking.” Chenle counters, and you scowl.
“Who invited this guy?”
“I think what he’s trying to say is that, except Jeno, the ball’s kind of in your court in both situations.”
“I think Winter’s final message was perfectly clear and, frankly, she deserves to have the last word.” you raise your hands in surrender, and Chenle rolls his eyes.
“Don’t you think she deserves an apology?” he butts in, and you frown.
“Of course she does,” you say, “but I didn’t think she wanted to hear from me again, so I’m probably never going to speak to her again if I can help it.” Chenle shoots you a disapproving look, and you continue with, “I’m not going to ask her to unblock me because I deserve it. I did a bad thing to her! I betrayed her!”
“Okay,” Mark relents on that front, choosing a new angle. “How about Haechan?”
You pause, considering your words carefully. “I… I really like Haechan. Like, I really like him, but I’m scared, because I feel like if he cheated on Winter with me, who’s to say he won’t find another me in someone else later down the line? It’s just a very… high-risk situation.” you sigh, not yet noticing the look your friends share before sitting forward.
“Did you happen to say that during your talk with Haechan?” Mark asks, and you cock your head to the side in confusion.
“Say what?”
“High-risk,” Chenle presses, and you think back before nodding. “That explains that, then.”
“What are you talking about?” you ask, confused.
“He, um. He keeps saying that. That he’s too high-risk to be with and what’s the point of it all anyway, and—” Mark says, but you hold your hand up to silence him. 
“I’ll talk to him,” you promise quietly, trying to hide the way your heart is breaking. “I never meant to hurt him. I’ll talk to him soon.”
“And Winter? You never meant to hurt her either, I’m guessing.” Chenle asks.
“I’ll talk to Winter if she can manage to look at me without attacking me.” you sigh. “But we don’t live near each other, don’t work together, and it’s not like we’re gonna run into each other in the middle of the street or anything.”
“That’s fair,” Chenle shrugs. “But you might. It’s not exactly a small city, but it’s likely.”
“Pfft, okay.” you scoff. “Can I finish my waffles now?”
Chenle gestures at your plate with his fork invitingly. “Dig in.”
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The universe has a funny way of making you eat your words sometimes.
You’re walking around at the farmer’s market in search of fresh produce for you and Yunjin, when a familiar head of strawberry blonde hair catches your eye and makes you freeze.
“Oh, no,” you whisper to yourself, ducking behind a cart of mangoes. The man running the cart peers down at you curiously but, at the sight of your pleading expression, doesn’t protest. “Please keep walking,” you say hopefully, peering over the counter of the cart.
To your complete and utter dismay, not only is Winter in perfect eyesight of you still, but now you’re in perfect eyesight of her.
You two lock eyes and, frankly, you don’t know what to do. Recognition, then pain, then a flash of anger passes over Winter’s face before she settles on indifference and turns, walking away.
You stand up slowly, embarrassed, and smooth out the invisible wrinkles on your sundress, nodding gratefully at the still confused older man who you’ve joined behind the counter. “Thank you.”
“Welcome,” he replies, voice kind of gruff. “Would you like some mangoes?”
You pause, thinking. “Actually, I would.”
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The universe must be feeling silly again, you think as you contemplate your current predicament. 
You’ve been walking around the farmer’s market with a general sense of anxiety and wariness, flinching at every redhead you see, and you’ve just finished checking over your shoulder to make sure she’s not about to run up behind you with a spear when you run directly into the very person you’re avoiding, Winter stumbling to the side from the impact before you steady her.
“Thanks,” she says with an awkward smile, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder.
“No problem,” you reply with a small smile, nodding uncomfortably. You two stare at each other and Winter opens her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately seems to decide against it and turns to leave. She gets about five feet away before you’re blurting out, “I’m sorry!”
She pauses mid-stride, and you take a deep breath. “I’m not asking for forgiveness because I don’t deserve it,” you say carefully, “but I want you to know that nothing about this was personal. It was selfish and horrible, but it was all about me and had nothing to do with hurting you. I can’t explain what happened because I don’t fully understand and I suspect you don’t want to hear it, but I really am sorry and it’s over now.”
She turns to face you finally, her brows raised in surprise. “It’s over?”
You nod resolutely.
“I mean—you’re right. I’m not gonna forgive you. I am gonna say, though, that from seeing you two together, like even when I had my suspicions, I… I get it.”
It’s your turn for your brows to shoot up in shock. “You get it?”
She nods with a small shrug. “Your connection is, like, electric. Like, it hurts for real, don’t get me wrong, and I definitely don’t forgive you, but I’d rather he break up with me to be with the love of his life than break up with me for no reason, y’know? Am I making sense? I guess what I’m saying is: you already did the bad thing… so you might as well reap the benefits of the bad thing and have a whirlwind of a relationship whether it ends well or not.”
You nod slowly, in a daze but still unwaveringly focused on one part of her response. “He said that?” you ask quietly, stunned.
Winter tilts her head to the side in confusion. “Said what?”
“That I’m the love of his life,” you repeat, awestruck. “He said that?”
Winter shifts her weight from one foot to the other, but nods. “Yeah.”
“Like those were his exact words?” you press as you move a bit closer.
Winter coughs uncomfortably into her fist, looking pained. “I’d rather not rehash every intimate detail of my boyfriend dumping me for my ex-friend… and I’d rather not do it to said ex-friend.” she explains, and you nod immediately, stepping back slightly in a silent apology for overstepping. 
“My bad,” you mumble, embarrassed.
“You’re fine,” she replies quietly, adjusting her bag strap again. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m saying it because, unfortunately for me, I still care about both of you. Give him another chance? I just… you two could be really good together and I don’t want to have suffered for nothing.”
Your nodding starts slow and builds until you feel more confident in your decision. “Thanks, Winter. I really am sorry.”
“Yeah,” she nods dismissively in response, and you purse your lips awkwardly. “Um, I’m gonna—” she gestures with her thumb over her shoulder.
“Sure! Yeah, me too. Take—um—take care, I guess.” you mumble, and she smiles slightly.
“You too.”
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You think over Winter’s advice for about a week, really considering and weighing out your options. The whole time, though, your mind keeps wandering back to Haechan because, honestly, you miss him. You’re trying not to let that color your decisions, but at the same time, how could it not? 
You’re home with Yunjin, both of you sprawled out on the couch watching some mindless reality television show in an attempt to distract yourself from the internal debate you’re having, when the doorbell rings. You both turn and look at each other, confused.
“I’m not expecting anyone,” you say slowly. “Are you?”
“Nope,” she answers, brows furrowed curiously. “I’ll get it, though.”
“Thanks,” you sigh, trying once more to become one with the upholstery. She gets to her feet and walks to the front door, the sound of it opening catching your attention just in time for you to hear her call your name.
You stand and make your way over to the front door only to stop short at the sight of Haechan standing in your doorway.
The three of you stand there, seemingly frozen, before Yunjin breaks the silence.
“I’ll, um, be in my room if you need me.” she says, squeezing your arm gently before turning and heading to her bedroom.
You two just stand there, still frozen, taking in the sight of each other. Seeing Haechan makes all your feelings from the past week multiply tenfold, but one thought pushes to the forefront: you really did miss him.
“Hi,” he says with a small wave, and you offer the beginnings of a smile.
“Hi,” you reply, waving back awkwardly. 
“How are you?” he asks softly.
You shrug half-heartedly. “I’m okay, y’know—living, I guess.” you answer, and he nods slowly, drumming his fingers on the sides of his thighs.
“Well, that’s, um, good. I’m happy to hear that.” he says carefully, and it’s your turn to nod.
“How are you?” you ask, and he looks you directly in the eyes.
”Bad.” he answers simply, and your brows raise in surprise. 
“Oh—?”
“I feel like I’m not living when I’m not with you.” he admits plainly.
You’re not really sure what to say. “Oh… that’s not good?”
Despite his admission, Haechan still manages to chuckle at your flustered state, stepping forward and asking, “Are we gonna have this whole conversation with me standing outside of your apartment?”
You shake your head and move back to let him in before you even realize you’re doing it. “You can come in,” you offer, and he takes the invitation immediately, stepping closer and into your apartment. He walks straight to your living room with you following after him and stands in the middle of it, running his hand through his hair.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he whispers the confession, and your eyes widen slightly. “I like you so much. You make my day better when I know I get to see you.”
Your face softens. “Haechan—”
“I’m not intentionally being selfish, either!” he defends himself, and you stop speaking, waiting for him to finish. “It was just… eating me up inside not to be with you and show the world how much I like you. It just felt so wrong to me, like, what was I doing in that relationship?”
You wait for a minute. “Is that all you wanted to say?” you ask gently, and he shakes his head, taking a deep breath before continuing.
“I know I’m a cheater and I’m pretty dangerous in terms of being in a relationship with me because I literally just dumped my girlfriend quite abruptly after cheating on her with you, but—”
“Haechan, I wasn’t saying you’re a cheater. Like, yes, you did cheat, but that doesn’t define you, I don’t think.” you say slowly, not willing to hear him about to beat himself up, and he relaxes slightly, looking over at you hopefully. “I just… I know I have a hard time trusting people, and I’m having a hard time right now because you’re one of the first people I’d like to trust again, which is terrifying to me.” you say with a slight shake to your voice.
“I would never hurt you on purpose,” he assures you. “Like I would never do anything like this to you.”
You wrap your arms around yourself in a tight hug in an attempt to comfort yourself. “How do I know that’s true?” you whisper, and he gives you a small, sad smile.
“You’re just gonna have to trust me and find out. And I know that’s a big, high-risk situation, but—”
“It’s worth it, though,” you interject softly, and he stops short, looking at you with eyes swimming with hope. “Like, you’re worth it. I think.”
The beginnings of a smile tug at his lips. “Yeah?” If hope was a light, he’d be glowing from every orifice of his body as he tentatively steps closer to you, smiling wider when you don’t step back.
You nod with a smile curling your own lips. “Yeah, the risk is worth the reward this time, I think, because… I really like being with you.”
Haechan’s eyes hold a playful twinkle as he leans closer, a mischievous grin on his lips. “Yeah? You like being with me?”
“Yeah, I do. A lot. That’s why I was so upset,” you admit. “I wished… still kinda wish… that things were different. That it was me from the beginning.”
“It was you, baby,” he says with an incredulous laugh. “Winter and I were done for the second I laid eyes on you, truthfully.”
“I mean, I wish that we had met when you were single and we could have gotten together without compromising our morals.” you explain, and he nods in understanding before tentatively reaching a hand out to you. When you take it, he beams and pulls you closer to wrap his arm around the small of your back.
“Well… it can be you now.” he suggests, hope glowing from him once more. “You can trust me.”
“That’s a risk I’m gonna have to take, I guess.” you say with a growing smile, and he doesn’t waste another moment before wrapping you in a tight embrace that feels like coming home after a long day. “I missed you,” you confess, voice muffled by the hug, and he pulls back to regard you with shock all over his features.
“You missed me? I was about two days away from doing some grand gesture to get you back or crashing out horrendously if you said no.” he laughs, and you giggle, looking up at him with bright, happy eyes.
“Oh, really? Actually, that does sound about right.” you tease, and he narrows his eyes at you playfully before leaning in closer.
“Shut up,” he chuckles before bringing his lips to yours in a sweet kiss. It feels like warmth floods your whole system, not a warmth akin to desire, but a warmth unlike one you’ve experienced or find yourself able to identify, and you wonder, for a moment, if this is what it feels like to be in love. “Missed you so much,” he groans against your lips, and you pull back slightly to give him small, soft pecks that leave him chasing after your lips for more. “You know what?”
“What is it?”
“I wanna say something.” he decides, and you regard him curiously.
“What’s up?”
“I would really, truly, never ever cheat on you or do anything to break your heart.” he promises you, and you nod with a warm smile.
“I think I believe you,” you say slowly, almost surprised at yourself, and his eyes light up.
“Really?” he asks excitedly, and you nod, draping your arms around his neck.
“I guess I just figured that you wouldn’t do that to the… love of your life.” you say with a teasing smile towards the end, and Haechan stiffens.
“Who told you that?”
“Winter.” you answer simply, and he gapes at you.
“She told you I said that?” he says hoarsely, and you nod, your eyes twinkling with delight. “Why would she do that to me?”
“Possibly her final act of revenge.” you suggest, and his mouth twists awkwardly as he looks away from you with his face reddening. “Hold on a minute. Are you—” 
“Don’t,” he groans, but you ignore him.
“Are you shy right now?” you giggle, and he lets out a small, adorably pathetic wail before burying his face in your neck, the force of his actions knocking you off your feet and sending you both falling onto the couch with a shriek slipping from your lips. “Aw, poor baby,” you coo patronizingly, running your fingers through his hair as he wraps both arms around your waist tighter and nuzzles into the space between your chin and shoulder.
“Don’t be mean,” he whines, and you can’t even stop laughing even if you tried, truly delighted at this new side of Haechan.
“I think you kind of like it when I’m mean,” you remind him through your giggles, and he nods vehemently against your skin, only making your laughter grow.
“Yeah, so quit it before I get hard and make it your problem.” he grumbles, and you scoff.
“I’m not scared of your little friend, Haechan.” you say, and he pulls back to look at you incredulously.
“Little?!” he practically squawks before his fingers are dancing up and down your sides to tickle you mercilessly. 
“I’m sorry!” you shriek through your uncontrollable laughing, and he stops abruptly, bringing his face to yours and studying your expression carefully.
“That’s what I thought. I mean, little? Really? Did you actually forget so soon, baby?” he says with a mocking pout, and you swallow thickly as you gaze up at him. He leans closer so your noses are touching before he says, “I think you might need a reminder.”
“Can you remind her in her bedroom and not defile our lovely couch?” Yunjin’s voice appears out of nowhere, and you jolt in surprise, trying to sit up (in vain, as Haechan has you pinned down). “Love is a beautiful thing, but cum stains aren’t.”
“Amen, girl.” you agree, patting Haechan’s chest to let you up, which he does. “Come on.” you stand and offer him your hand, which he takes readily, and lead him to your room. It’s not until you two are safely in your room with your door shut that you say, “I do too, by the way.”
“You do… what… too?” Haechan asks, puzzled, and you smile secretively, collapsing onto your bed.
“Love you.” you answer simply, and his eyes look like they could pop out of his head at any moment. “Don’t freak out.” you warn him, and he jumps onto your bed, climbing on top of you with a wild, exhilarated look in his eyes.
“The love of my life just told me she loves me back and you expect me to stay calm?” he says incredulously, and you nod. 
“Precisely.”
He dips his head down swiftly to kiss you before sitting up and pulling his phone out of his back pocket. “No can do. Gonna text all my friends the news right now and tell my boss I’m not coming to work later.”
“Now why would that warrant calling out of work?” you say with a snort.
“Hush, lady, I’m posting on my Instagram story.” he silences you with a focused look on his face.
“Can I see when you’re done?” you ask, and he nods, turning his phone to face you. “…Haechan.”
“Yes?”
“‘My girl said she loves me, crash out postponed’ is a crazy thing to post.” you snicker.
“It’s true!”
“Your crash out should be canceled!” you exclaim incredulously.
“I’m never truly not at risk of crashing out.” he confesses, and you make a worried face and start sitting up, pretending to get ready to leave. “Oh, no, you don’t.” he mumbles, wrapping his arms around your middle and pulling you back down to him. “You’re stuck with me, I fear.”
“Mm, I guess that’s okay.” you say with a grin.
Truthfully, you don’t think you could be happier.
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“What are we watching tonight?” Chenle asks as he plops down on the other end of the couch you’re sitting on.
“I vote Aquaman,” you pipe up, reaching out to Haechan as he approaches with a plate of pizza rolls for you two. When he offers the plate to your outstretched hands, you shake your head and wave the plate away, reaching out again to make it abundantly clear what you’re reaching for. He grins, setting the plate down on the coffee table in front of you before collapsing into your waiting embrace with a pleased sigh.
“You just wanna drool over Jason Momoa,” Chaewon jeers, and you shrug.
“That’s my God-given right.” you defend yourself casually, and Haechan nods in agreement.
“You do know she’s gonna lust after him the whole movie, right?” Chenle points out to Haechan, who just shrugs dismissively.
“Then when she’s all pent-up and frisky, who’s she gonna come to?” he answers smugly, and you beam, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
“He’s playing chess, y’all, not checkers.” you remark.
Haechan snorts in amusement and grins proudly before jerking his chin towards the television. “Exactly. Now someone put it on.”
“Bossy ass,” Yunjin mutters jokingly under her breath. 
“What was that?” Haechan puts a hand behind his ear. “Couldn’t hear you over there.”
“No, you can’t fight Yunjin.” you whisper to him, putting his hand down. He looks over at you confused and you continue, “I can’t pick a side.”
“Pick my side?” he replies slowly as if the answer was obvious. “I’m your boyfriend.”
“She’s my best friend, though.” you reply with a wince, and Yunjin nods from the armchair she’s curled up in. “And she knows where I sleep at night.”
“Both are true,” she confirms proudly, and Haechan sucks his teeth but backs down with a roll of his eyes. 
“Fine. For now,” he relents with a brief glare shot in Yunjin’s direction. “Can we put the movie on now?” he complains, and she rolls her eyes exaggeratedly before starting to navigate to the movie on the television screen.
Haechan laces his fingers with yours, curling them into his palm as he brings your linked hands to his mouth. You watch with rapt attention as he kisses the back of your hand, then each knuckle, all the while maintaining heavy eye contact.
Your cheeks blaze something fierce and you look away with a nervous, shy giggle that makes Haechan chuckle.
“Look at me,” he murmurs insistently, moving his head so it’s more in your line of sight. When you swallow and look away again, he coos fondly, pulling your chin so your face is angled towards his once more. “There’s my pretty girl.”
“Haechan,” you whine quietly, and his gaze darkens.
“What is it, baby?” he murmurs with a sympathetic lilt. “What’s wrong?”
“Stop looking at me like that,” you mumble, placing your hand up between your faces so he can’t look directly at you. “It’s making me nervous.”
He snickers, moving your hand to your lap and regarding you carefully.
“How am I looking at you?” he asks with a raised brow and a devious little grin. 
“You know how you’re looking at me.” you gripe, pushing his shoulder slightly, and his eyes flash with mischief.
“Well, it’s not that I’m looking at you like you’re the only thing on my menu for tonight, is it? Because I look at you like that all the time.” he thinks aloud, slowly pulling you onto his lap and winding his arms around your waist. 
“God, Haechan,” you half-laugh, half-gasp, and he grins. 
“No, it can’t be that. Is it because I’m looking at you like I love you?” he asks plainly, and your throat closes up slightly in shock from his bluntness. 
“Well—yes, a bit.” you mumble, shifting in your spot slightly. 
“I don’t know if you realize this,” he murmurs by your ear, “but I’ve been looking at you like that from day one.”
“It’s way different now,” you counter, frowning as you explain yourself. “Before it was like… fascination more than—”
“Understanding?” he finishes for you, and you blink in surprise before nodding. “So I could look at you like I love you when I didn’t know you, but now that I know you, I can’t look at you like I love you? Even though now I have more reasons to love you?” he says slowly, looking at you with his brows raised. “Do you see how silly you sound, baby?”
You can’t help but laugh fondly, reaching up to run your fingers through his hair. “I kinda do, yeah.”
“Good. Now gimme a kiss before you let me look at you any way I want.” he huffs playfully, pressing his lips to yours with a pleased hum.
“Can you two get a room?” Chenle gags, and you break apart, a sheepish smile on your face while Haechan rolls his eyes. “Man, what’s Jeno gonna do when he comes back to hanging out with us and has to watch you two practically going at it all the time?”
“He’s a big boy, he’ll manage.” Haechan grumbles before pecking you on the lips again.
“Speaking of Jeno,” you ask, shifting to sit up slightly. “Do we really think he’s gonna feel comfortable being friends with us again?”
“He’d be silly not to,” Chaewon answers in confusion. “It’s not like you two were a thing for real.” 
“Speaking of people and forgiveness and that kind of stuff…” Haechan trails off, his voice softer as he shifts his target audience to you alone, and you turn your head slightly to regard him suspiciously. 
“You’d better not ask what I think you’re about to ask.” you warn him, and he frowns.
“I was just wondering if you think Winter would ever forgive us?” he asks hopefully, and you shake your head resolutely.
“No. And she shouldn’t, frankly. We did a bad thing.” you explain, and he nods slowly.
“I just feel a little guilty.” he muses quietly, and you can’t hide your small snicker of amusement.
“You should, actually. But it’ll pass with time hopefully.” you assure him.
“What are you two lovebirds chatting about?” Seulgi calls out from across the room.
“Wondering if Winter would ever forgive any of us.” you answer for Haechan, and Seulgi, Yunjin, and Mark shake their heads immediately, Chenle straight up laughs, and Yunjin shoots you both a sympathetic frown.
“I doubt it. She blocked all of us when she found out we knew.” Mark points out, and you nod slowly in understanding.
“Actually, she didn’t block me,” Yunjin corrects, “but I think that has more to do with the fact that we’re kind of coworkers.”
“Have you seen her since everything?” Chaewon asks curiously, and Yunjin thinks back for a moment.
“I saw her the other day because she was working with a client that stays on the same floor as Mrs. Rothschild. She gave me, like, that reflex half-smile that you give people when you don’t wanna seem rude, y’know?” 
“Oh, I know that one.” you reply with a solemn nod. “We’re doomed.”
“Can we stop moping around and watch this movie, please? Also, can we order pizza or something, because I’m starving.” Mark complains, clutching his stomach, and you snort loudly in amusement.
“Yeah, moping session over. Let’s press play and figure out the food situation.” you announce, and Yunjin nods once before starting the movie. As the starting credits roll, you all decide on the pizza order (three medium pizzas, one with extra cheese, one with pepperoni, and one with half pineapple, half chicken and tomato) and place it for delivery before you settle further into the couch on Haechan’s lap in an attempt to get comfortable.
When the doorbell rings, you all look at each other in a silent standoff before Haechan sighs loudly and clambers off of the couch to get the door. You all wait with bated breath until he returns with three boxes of pizza stacked on top of each other before you start cheering.
As you all scramble to get your slices of choice, Haechan pushes Chenle out of the way none too gently, the male squawking indignantly before muttering something about favoritism and revenge and Haechan’s toothbrush, and tugs you closer to the boxes. “Take your pick, baby.”
“Aren’t you a gentleman?” you coo fondly as you take your desired slices.
After he takes his, the two of you make your way back to the couch and settle down in your spots from before. 
“Y’know, I’ve been trying to convince you I’m a gentleman since, like, the first day I met you,” he chuckles. 
“It was a lot harder to believe when you were literally dating You-Know-Who.” you reply in defense, and he rolls his eyes.
“I’ve been yours from the beginning, though. I told you that.” he reminds you, and you gaze into his eyes for a moment before reaching up and gently cupping his cheek.
“Yeah, but now I actually believe you.” you say softly, almost surprised by your own revelation, and his eyes widen slightly before a smile starts tugging at his lips.
“Oh, yeah? How’s it feel, then?” he asks in a murmur, and you tilt your head to the side in confusion.
“How does what feel?”
“Knowing I love you,” he answers, and there goes that arrhythmic thud of your heartbeat starting up again. “That I’m yours.”
the boy is mine. watch me take my time. i can’t believe my mind. the boy is divine—
In lieu of a verbal response, you cup his chin and pull him in for a slow, deep kiss that you hope conveys all the feelings you can’t put into words. When you pull back, his eyes are heavy-lidded and he’s gazing at you with blatant adoration in his gaze.
“Like that,” you whisper back with a smile, and by the sheer radiance of his responding beam, you know he understands. 
—the boy is mine.
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TA DA!!!!! i hope you enjoyed your read! this is the final installment, so thank you so so much for your support with this fic! it was a Lot to write but i’m proud of it! i really love positive feedback and also, if you’re able, i very much appreciate tips!! 
if you’d like to read the bonus scene, it’s available on my patreon here :) it answers a couple of questions you might have had, and down the line there will probably be more bonus scenes to come, exclusive to patreon members!!
LINKS: KO-FI // VENMO // CASHAPP // AMAZON WISHLIST // (if you’d like to support via paypal, let me know off anon!!)
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toriaanin · 7 days ago
Text
Slingshot Loosed
This is a true (from my perspective) account of my recent interaction with Tif. I encourage you to read to the bottom of this post because I make a demand of Tifaine, supported with a statement of action should the demand not be taken seriously. It's a long blog post.
Some of you may remember that back in my December 23rd post "Peace before..." I promised to share a story that could quite possibly ruffle someone's feathers. A story that pits a Goliath in our Lukola/Jakola world with little ol' David-esk me. Until now, I haven't used my slingshot to strike at the giant. I certainly planned on doing so right away (Dec 23rd, in fact), but decided to sit with everything through the holidays because who wants to go into battle when Joy's North Star is shinning in the night sky?
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The easiest place to begin is at the almost beginning
Two weeks ago tonight (Friday, December 20th), I was gifted with some "fun" cyber bullying and intimidation at the hands of Tif. Oh... and there was also some lovely bashing by her and her Minions that night on her Discord.
That's the almost beginning. The actual beginning was me. Yes I started this fine mess by sticking my tongue into my own cheek and calling a hypocrite a hypocrite in an IG story. Not cool on my part, and not my usual style. I'm a "working in the background to mobilize the forces" type; not a "shout across the playground and shake my fist" kinda Chickie.
So what exactly did you do, Tori and why?
Why. Like you all, I'm sick and tired of the Jakeholes... the Minions who live and speculate in Tif's discord chat, with Tif fully engaged in, feeding and encouraging the delulu-ness. Many of you know that I've moved my Lukola live streams off of TikTok because over there, the Minions would descend and cause mayhem. Those participating in chat didn't deserve the crap the Jakolas' would drop! It is my opinion (shocker) that the Jakolas should stay on their Arctic Ocean and let us Lukolas enjoy our Caribbean Sea. In my lives I'd encourage everyone to bask in our sunshine while ignoring side-characters and Jakolas. In my chat groups we collectively did the same. Yet the Jakolas continued to troll, tag Nicola in "N loves her boyfriend J!" type posts (tags she removes - tags she no longer allows, btw!), and make stupid comments on her friends' posts. Poor Louisa spent hours cleaning up the comments after sharing her 2024 photos!
Why continued. A couple weeks ago a screenshot from Tif's discord chat came to my attention. In that chat, Tif laughed at herself for playing both sides of the fandom. She said something like "Here I am saying cute things to you Jakolas, only for me to go over and say cute things to the Lukolas". I was furious that she could be so cavalier in her hypocrisy and that no one called her out for it! Everyone I know grumbles about how two-faced she is in the fandom; about how she has this unwitting group of followers who need to learn (if they didn't suspect already) who she is and how she is playing them. Like a fiddle.
What. Obviously I wasn't able to take my own advise to ignore her. I used that screenshot, added my own thoughts on the image encouraging people to not follow hypocrites, and posted it to my IG stories. Not my greatest moment.
Do I regret posting that image to my story? As a method of trying to influence and change a mindset in the fandom about her role in the divisions in our fandom; yes. And for that I extend an apology to Tif. Like I said, I prefer to work within the collective openly and honestly, sharing thoughts and opinions - making clear that they are MY thoughts, shared as information for others to make an informed opinion of their own. Throwing stones isn't useful, really. The proof is here, in this post.
Do I regret my why? Absolutely not! Tif is a hypocrite and everyone should be talking about it and unfollowing all of her platforms. This is definitely a counterproductive statement after my simple apology above. Oh well.
Needless to say, I wasn't all that surprised when Tif responded. I expected her to. What I was surprised about, however, was the gaslighting and lies she told. And that's why I'm here now, NOT working in the background within the collective... why I've decided to shout in the playground and shake my fist... why I've decided to tuck a stone into my slingshot, stand ready like David, swing that piece of leather, release the stone, and see if I can bruise Goliath enough that she'll provide me with the apology I deserve.
Below you'll find the set of IG stories that Tif posted on that Friday night, two weeks ago, along with commentary where appropriate.
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On the right is my IG story post. Please note that the white block sentence at the top starting "Me..." is what Tif added. She starts her "story" by gaslighting her IG followers saying that the comment I circled (pink) is really her "being happy for Nicola and her relationship" while also saying cute things on the Lukola channel. Sure. Whatevs. But do the Lukola channel members know you're over in the Jakola chat making fun of being cute in both places, like a hypocrite? Probably not.
The next three images go together, starting with Tif circling my "don't follow fakes & hypocrites":
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In order to paint me as a hypocrite, Tif finds that waaaaayyyyy back when I first started my TikToc account, in the middle of August, I followed her account. She's dredging up a follow from 4 months ago as proof that I'm a hypocrite because I follow her, one of the most popular creators (at the time) in the fandom... the person who's edits likely motivated me to even create a dreaded TT account just so that I could see them. You too? I bet so!! I've heard from many people who tell me they joined TT for edits from creators like her. And the image to the right? That's her emphasizing the "follow back" that TT automatically includes with every follow... as though I specifically ASKED her to follow me. How stupid does she think her followers are if THIS bit of gaslighting works on them?! Don't answer that in case you fell for it.
"So embarassing" Tif says.
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For her perhaps. She's the gaslighting fool, and she's been caught.
Now the most important part of her stories... THE LIE
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Above she states, and I quote:
...this is coming from a lady who admitted to be at the origin of a very mocky troll account about Jake.
"Admitted to"; "origin of"; "troll account about Jake".
NO. I AM NOT the creator of, or at the origin of, ANY mocky troll account about Jake. About anyone for that matter!
Just writing about this bold ass lie brings tears of anger to my eyes. Who the fuck does this woman think she is that she can blast this kind of shit all over her hugely followed IG account and not be held accountable?! A fucking hypocrite, troll, fake, cyber bully... that's who!
Who's exposing the "nonsense" now?!
Tif finishes off her harassment of me in her IG stories with the following:
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This liar, this bully, says she doesn't encourage hate. Right. I have Discord screenshots that say differently. Check out this one posted in response to Tif (poster's name is blocked... for now):
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Tif says not to come to her defense... but that's what her followers do, and she seems to love and crave the attention. She comes into her IG stories and laments about how everyone beats up on her, and her Minions all respond: "We love you Tif!" "They're all horrible, Tif!" And she eats up that underserved devotion like a fucking emotional vampire.
In her last story post she says all the reasons you should unfollow her. Like a typical manipulator well versed in gaslighting, she sounds very reasonable. I could almost believe her if I didn't already know that she lied about me in her IG stories, that she didn't herself say - in her own writing and words - that she plays both sides all cutsie-like, that she didn't gaslight everyone by suggesting that I requested a follow from her when TT does that automatically with every follow one receives. She recommends that those of us who feel the way I do should unfollow her. That is the most reasonable thing I've seen or heard her say, ever!
Where does that leave us? Here:
Tifaine. You owe me an apology for the lie you told about me. A loud one in your Discord. A loud one in your IG stories. Immediately. You must make haste!
If you don't offer that apology I will do everything in my power to connect with agents of Nicola and Luke to advise them that you've used their images - as evidenced above - to bully and intimidate on social media. It won't necessarily be easy for me to do, but believe me I'll make it happen! You don't deserve to share their images if you're going to do it in such a disrespectful manner! I recommend that you take this statement very, very seriously. If you don't, the result could be a cease and desist order from the pair you claim to "love".
There's a good chance that Tif won't see this post. If you know her, make sure she does. She doesn't want me to act. She really doesn't.
Tori
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boundless11 · 19 days ago
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Anonymous this is for you- your Ask-I had drafted a post but I have no idea what happened to it.
The imbalance in Cobra Kai’s portrayal of characters is one of the most significant flaws in its storytelling. The trauma experienced by the LaRussos, particularly Daniel and Sam, is often overlooked or downplayed, while other characters are given far more narrative sympathy. For instance, Daniel is still clearly haunted by his experiences with Terry Silver, which is why he’s so strongly opposed to Cobra Kai and what it represents. However, the show often frames him as overly rigid or out of touch, failing to fully explore the lasting impact Silver had on his life. Instead, Daniel is depicted as someone who just doesn’t “understand” Johnny’s intentions, further fueling the tension between them. This dynamic is especially frustrating because much of the conflict in the earlier seasons stems from miscommunication—whether it’s between Sam and Miguel, Robbie and Johnny, or Johnny and Daniel themselves.
Similarly, the show has a tendency to diminish Sam’s trauma while elevating Tory’s struggles. Her hardships—such as her unstable home life, her mother’s illness and her predatory landlord—are rightfully explored in a way that makes her a sympathetic character. However, Sam’s equally harrowing experiences are rarely given the same attention. She was physically attacked by her, witnessed Miguel being kicked off a balcony and struggled with anxiety and PTSD. Yet, when Sam lashes out or stands up for herself, she is quickly labeled as “problematic” or “lacking understanding.” For example, when Sam organised a car wash to raise money for Miguel’s surgery, Cobra Kai members hijacked the funds—a cruel act that was brushed off as just another “cool” move by Cobra Kai. Later, when Sam fights back against Cobra Kai and tensions escalate, she is unfairly blamed for Dimitri’s broken arm, even though it was Hawk who broke it, egged on by Tory.
Season 3 particularly highlights the show’s mishandling of trauma. While Tory is given depth and understanding for her actions, Sam is often vilified or dismissed. The same can be said for the show’s framing of Cobra Kai overall: their morally questionable actions are excused as part of their “edgy” nature, while Miyagi-Do and the LaRussos are held to impossibly high standards. This imbalance is frustrating for viewers who grew up with the clear moral lines of The Karate Kid. While morally gray characters can add complexity, Cobra Kai takes it too far, often undermining the heroes and giving too much leeway to the villains.
At its core, the original Karate Kid story was about good versus bad, with clear lessons about standing up to bullies. By muddying these waters, the show risks alienating fans who appreciated those distinctions. The LaRussos, particularly Sam and Daniel, deserve a more balanced portrayal—one that acknowledges their struggles and humanity rather than constantly casting them in a negative light for reacting to the challenges they face.
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miriadalia · 2 months ago
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Alright so, by now in part 2 we have:
People flying to the other side of the globe faster than Flash and with no jetlag consequences apparently 🙄
Robby being SA but everyone treating this as some kind of infidelity or fling (even him, wtf??)
Demetri being unfaithful to his girlfriend (though I was not exactly surprised by this 🙄) Yasmine you deserve better gurl...
Spanish team representation being SO WRONG. And I know because I'm Spanish: we don't say "Ándale" like they were saying when hyping Diego before his fight. That's a Mexican word 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ and Maria's surname should have been Álvarez and not Àlvarez, we don't have this accent (`) in Spanish. Please it's really not that difficult to make accurate representations... Especially because THEY WENT TO FREAKING SPAIN!!! Study a little bit for goodness sake!
Korean Cobra Kais being 2D bad guys that apparently don't have any more personality than being violent and ruining everything for Miyagi Do. Seems like only Americans are allowed to have a complex backstory and profound motivations to win. Like: even Axel got the "abused athlete" foreshadow... and he literally had 2 lines of dialogue.
Speaking of Axel, my guy really fell head over heels for Sam in 2 seconds like... That is some other level of crushing here 😳 creepy...
And speaking of the Korean team: wasn't Kwon like the outcast rebel of his class? Now why is everyone suddenly super friendly with him?? Especially Yoon! What happened? Because I understand they respect him now as he earned his place as captain (violently ofc). But they were giggling all over the place wtf...
Tory's mindset and trauma after her mother's death being treated SO LIGHTLY that I want to scream 😖😖. Do you think she would really be in the right headspace to argue about "stealing my boyfriend, bitch"?? Haven't you ever lost a loved one?? I have, and let me tell you: you don't have the heart to suffer for anything else than your loss... Especially not after just one or two weeks.
And then she even had to watch a teammate fucking DIE right before her eyes. Thank you writers for another trauma🤮🤮
And of course, we arrive to Kwon's death... Listen, I don't have anything else to comment rather than: yes, some people are such psychopaths that can't even see how their actions may result in hurting themselves, and they decided to make Kwon a lost cause (I get it, would have preferred some backstory scenes of him to fully understand it, but I get it).
What I don't understand and really gets on my nerves is how ridiculously stupid the reason of the brawl was in the first place. Are you telling me there was not a single sensei apart from Daniel, Johnny and Chozen that would have stopped the fight?? They were like: fuck, yeah, let's allow these kids to fight until they get seriously injured. Let them run up the stairs and kick each other as if they were made of rubber and they wouldn't die if they fall.........
I know that in the professional sports' world there's so much competition and substance use. And that was realistic. But it's teens we are talking about. Really anyone had a good sensei??? Anyone?
Because if that's how it is then I don't see how Cobra Kai might end in part 3 other than banning karate in every country.
That's all for now...
I was really enjoying the season until the end of episode 7 or something...
I hate it when the shock factor wins over the emotional and coherent plot...
That "strategy" has ruined so many good series, and now I don't really feel like watching part 3 😔
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charliewinter60 · 3 months ago
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Why the rugby lads where not at Nick's birthday party - Heartstopper Season 3
I''ve seen people question why Charlie invited "his" friend group to Nick's birthday party and not the rugby lads, despite them being Nick's friends and Charlie being cool with them.
Firstly, the Paris Squad is both of their friend group.
In season 1, it's Nick the one that gets closer to Tara and Darcy. Charlie befriends them when they go cheer him at his first rugby match, but Nick is the one that opens up to them and gets to know both as the three get vulnerable and talk about their past. (That's not to say Charlie isn't close with Tara and Darcy, because Charlie has had his moments with both later down the road.)
Imogen started out as Nick's friend. She joined the group because of the sleepover in season 2 and the friend group saw the real Imogen, compared to the facade she puts on to fit in with the "cool" kids. (Hence why Tara, Darcy and Elle weren't really cool with her in season 1.)
Tara in particular is Nick's safe space second to Charlie. He confides in her, is the one that talks stuff about Charlie before taking action with him, and is the one that helps pick back up Nick when he feels down. (Something he doesn't do with Charlie, since he wants to be the one that picks Charlie back up and he can't afford to be down in front of him to be ready for Charlie whenever he needs it.)
And while Tao, Isaac and Elle come directly from Charlie's friend group, he grew a bond with each one of them and isn't just friends with them because "they are his boyfriend's friends.". Tao and Nick particularly, have a beautiful friendship, very similar to Nick and Tori's.
(All of this applies to Charlie as well. He befriended Imogen and developed their own bond and is not just friends with her just because it's his boyfriend's friend, but that's not the main thing here.)
And secondly, the reason the rugby lads aren't there is because Nick still cannot be his authentic self with them. Not because they wouldn't accept the real version of Nick, but it's because of Nick's anxietys. Similar to Imogen, he still feels the need to put on the mask of this tough guy. They don't know half of Nick's personal issues, whether it be his sexuality, identity or even the non-queer issues like his complicated relationship with his dad. He may appear confident on the outside, (And while he still is.), he is still full of insecurities but cannot let his guard down due to the fear of what could happen.
In the end, Charlie wanted Nick to feel safe and at ease on his birthday. He wanted "the perfect day for him" so he invited the Paris Squad, the only people where he can let his guard down and feel supported whenever his anxiety gets the best of him, which unfortunately is something the rugby lads, despite knowing Nick for longer, don't let him do.
I'm sure that in an alternate timeline, where Nick is fully open with them, Charlie invites the rugby lads to the birthday party. Because while the friend groups could clash and it be somewhat awkward, Charlie would be the bridge between them, since they are pretty friendly towards him. Also, except for Isaac RIP, they were all coupled up so they were in their own worlds. 🍂
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theodoraflowerday · 3 months ago
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ok so im seeing quite a bit of upset people over the changes to the ferris wheel scene, and while i understand why people are upset (because like, duh, we all want ace tori and pan michael), i think from the show's perspective it makes a LOT of sense and i liked the change:
one, because it gave good closure to tori's storyline of the season: she is allowed to have close relationships with people who aren't her brother. I think she'd been so worried about charlie that she needed him to remind her that she's her own person and she doesn't have to neglect her own life for his sake. and also I think because she was SO focused on charlie she genuinely thought the lack of "feelings" she was experiencing were entirely because of her stress over the charlie situation and now that he's finally given her the "out" (as a manner of speaking) she can actually think about her life and her feelings for michael for what they are instead of through the lens of a worried sister. so I think it was necessary for her character development.
two, because the events of solitaire did not happen in the show while in the comics michael is already an established character and we know him, in the show he's been there for approximately 5 scenes. so of course he's not going to show up as a fully realized character. remember in the comics how tori is like "surprised neither you nor nick have noticed, bro's kinda obnoxious (affectionate) about it"? yeah well he's interacted with nick once and charlie like three times on screen. and also, he and tori just MET on the show. and this season was also a little busy with darcy, isaac and imogen going on their own sexuality and gender journeys so in my opinion, dropping a michael reveal in the ferris wheel scene would've felt kinda shoehorned (especially because it wouldn't even be michael saying that to charlie, and that tracks in the comics because of their background and bc tori assumed charlie knew, but not in the show bc they barely know each other and tori would essentially be outing him)
i hope hope HOPE we get a season 4 because tori and michael need and deserve a little more breathing room (and again, that's not a failure of this season at ALL, but solitaire not existing in tv verse DOES inform the way their joint storyline was written), and I want nothing more than a full season where they get to know each other better, learn about themselves and each other, and come out to the important people in their lives in their own terms ((and also I just honestly want a sprolden spinoff because I will always be first and foremost a sprolden shooter))
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stars-irises · 29 days ago
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My Cornley Drama Society family headcanons:
Warning: Their parents suck and none of them have good relationships to their families.
Chris:
Starting off with the man whose parents canonically suck. They were definitely very strict and conservative (*cough* tories *cough), and I mean they canonically didn't show Chris affection. But I feel like Chris is probably in denial about this because whenever you hear him talk about his parents it's very clear that they suck but he just talks about it like it's normal (ex: "my mother, like all mothers, abhors any physical contact"). Most of the others have picked up on the fact that Chris's parents suck but whenever anyone talks to him about it he gets really defensive really quickly. I think that somewhere deep down he knows that his parents are bad but he just forces himself to believe that they're not because he can't deal with the idea that they are. He also gives me major only child vibes.
Robert:
Robert canonically has a sister, but I feel like he probably has another sibling as well because he really gives me ignored middle child vibes. I get the feeling that his parents were kind of neglecting towards him and discouraged anything he did so now he is just desperately trying to prove himself to them, or at least prove their low opinions of him wrong. Sibling wise I think he probably has a younger sister and an older sister (the older one being the one who briefly dated Chris, and the younger one being Lucy's mother). When it comes to Robert's relationships with his sisters I feel like he's probably a bit closer with his younger sister.
Dennis:
A while ago I posted about the fact that I believe that Denise, the female variant of Dennis, is his sister and I still stand by that. He's probably the younger of the two. I think his parents got divorced when he was quite young and he doesn't really see his dad nor has a very strong connection to him (a big reason for why he seems so fine with calling Robert dad). From the small details that we've heard about his mum I don't think she's a good parent either, considering that the bits of information we've been given about her are:
She dated Robert. I hope that most people can agree that dating your sons friend and co-worker (and also future roommate, which I just want to mention cause I think it's funny) is maybe not the best thing to do.
During a performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor she straight up got up and left
When Dennis thought that Vanessa proposed to him he called his mum who said that she didn't believe him because she thinks that Vanessa is a solid eight and Dennis is a two. Which, surprise surprise, is a really shitty thing to say.
So yeah I don't think she's great either, but just like Chris, I think that Dennis is a bit in denial about this. But whilst Chris is kind of actively trying to convince himself that his parents are good, I feel like for Dennis that has never occurred as a possibility. It's so deeply engrained in his brain that this is what parents are supposed to be like that he's never even entertained the idea that his parents weren't actually that good at being parents. He just thinks that this is how all parents act, and to be honest being in the Cornley Drama Society hasn't really proven this theory wrong.
(Also Rennis exists. Do I know much about him? No. But he's important. Trust me.)
Max:
Max's family gives me "uptight old money family" vibes, and I feel like growing up he didn't fully feel like he fit in. I also headcanon him as being/having (idk) AUDHD and considering that I once again don't feel like a strict family was perhaps the most comforting and supportive environment. But still he tries to be around his family as much as possible in hope that it will make them closer, but honestly he is probably closer with his aunt than his actual parents. Sibling wise I think he has two older siblings, on sister and one brother, who are both probably a lot closer with their parents than Max is. When they were quite young they behaved quite similarly but as they grew older both of Max's older siblings stepped into a more responsible role and they grew apart from Max.
Sandra:
Sandra definitely strikes me as one of those girls who grew up in a household with just brothers and felt like she kind of had to fight for attention. I think she's probably the youngest, or at least like second youngest since I think she probably has like five brothers. Growing up I think she kind of had to fight quite a lot for her parents attention and that theatre was kind of an attempt to get that attention. Like if she succeeded she would finally be given just a sliver of that attention that her brothers basked in all of her life. And this has resulted in her not being very close with her brothers, and actually resenting them a bit which is something she feels quite bad about cause she knows that it's not their fault. Her and her family still meet quite a lot, but even as an adult Sandra tends to feel quite ignored. I think that this is 100% a thing that she and Robert, and also subconsciously Chris, bonded over.
Jonathan:
I'm kind of pending a bit between two ideas when it comes to Jonathans relationship to his family:
Jonathan is an only child but who is and has always been very neglected by his parents to the point where he often wonders if they even remember that he exists
He has an insane amount of siblings, like six or seven, and is one of the middle ones. Once again this leads to him being extremely neglected by his parents and once again wondering if they even remember his existence.
But either way I don't think his parents were all too good.
Also if we go with the second headcanon I think that that would have led to a similar relationship to his siblings as the one that Sandra has, where he kind of resents them for getting all of the attention growing up, and this was probably something he and Sandra bonded over.
Vanessa:
Vanessa strikes me as the type of person who endlessly defends her parents even thought they weren't the best. I feel like they were quite absent, both literally and metaphorically. When they were there they were "okay", but that was honestly so rare that it's not enough to attribute them the title of "good parents". But nonetheless Vanessa still defends them, and when someone tells her that they weren't good parents she kind of dismisses her experience and says that "others have it worse". She just in general strikes me as the type of person to ignore most of her issues because in her opinion she doesn't have it bad enough. Also gives me major only child vibes. I think her whole family relationship was something that she and Chris really bonded over, cause they had a lot of similar experiences but they're also both too deep in denial to accept that their parents are actually in the wrong. So instead they bond over their "normal" family experiences and the fact that they think it's weird that everyone else thinks that their parents suck.
Annie:
I think Annie's parents got divorced when Annie had already moved out, and her dad then got re-married and had a new kid that is now like twenty years younger than Annie which she finds quite strange and a bit uncomfortable. I think they probably still care a lot about their half-siblings and is very caring and nurturing but does find it quite odd to be so much older. On top of that I don't think her dad was there a lot when she was a kid so she feels quite distant from him and doesn't have a great relationship with him, and this got even worse when he got new kids and she saw how much more present he was with them in comparison to her (just thinking about the quote/monologue in The Good Place when Eleanor talks about her mum, "I just wasn't worth changing for"). So I think Annie probably has a lot more close relationship with their mum. Sibling wise she only has one sibling, her half-sister, who is really young (I don't know what age the Cornley Drama Society members are so I'm not sure what's reasonable).
Trevor:
Sibling wise I think Trevor is probably the oldest of three, one of his siblings being his younger sister named Tessa and the other one being his younger brother named Dale (who was mentioned on the in-character twitter account that Rob Falconer had for Trevor). His parents got divorced when Trevor was like twelve and his dad left a little while after that and none of them have seen him in years. His mum was pretty strict when they were growing up and Trevor essentially tried rebelling in a quite constricting household by striking out and doing things that he actively knew that his mother disapproved of. It's also canon that his mother cut contact with him and I feel like this is a consequence of Trevor not fitting into her box, and I think she probably cut contact with her other children as well. Then as she got older she developed several different medical conditions that resulted in Trevor and his siblings having to check in on her quite a lot, which is something she resents and actively tries to avoid so she'll sometimes just disappear and essentially runs away so she doesn't have to see her kids. Long story short: He doesn't have good parents either.
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pepperf · 8 months ago
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Whilst I fully get tumblr's bias towards artists, I've been side-eyeing the whole Jonathan Yeo speculation--because yes, on the whole, people in the arts DO tend to be lefty, good people, etc, but it's not always the case. Official portraiture, in particular, tends to be the most Establishment-friendly of all the arts, attracting the kind of artists who are technically very talented, but who also have no inclination to rock the boat and are very happy to schmooze with those in power.
I know next to nothing about Jonathan Yeo, but on a little digging, I found:
He's the son of a Tory MP and is good friends with the Earl of Snowdon.
He's known for a painting of Tony "war criminal" Blair that made him look as tragic and sympathetic as possible.
He's also done chummy portraits of David "pigfucker" Cameron, Camilla (when she was still Duchess of Cornwall), Prince "massive racist" Philip, and Rupert Murdoch.
The notorious porn collage of George Bush was (allegedly) after a an official commission was approved and then withdrawn, so - fit of pique? Who knows. He also did a porn collage of Lucian Freud, which, given that he's often cited as Freud's natural successor in the world of big name British portrait artists, is a little rude.
On the other hand, if you know anything about Damian Hirst, you would know that he must have LOVED to be painted with his crotch in your face, looking like Henry VIII. Dude is a knob.
No one in Yeo's position is going to imply that a D-Day veteran is a war criminal. Just. Full stop. No.
Furthermore, his whole schtick seems to be to paint the background to match the outfit, in a kind of weird, matchy-matchy, interior decor style that I personally find meaningless.
Chas chose to wear his beloved Welsh Guards uniform, which is a lurid, bright red. Whatever else Yeo did, red was always going to be the dominant colour of that painting. The butterfly was apparently his idea, too, because he thinks he's some kind of eco-warrior.
Yes, Yeo has painted Malala Yousafzai, and Idris Elba, and Kristin Scott Thomas, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, and lots of other worthy people, too - it's his job, he's a portraitist.
If you want my opinion, the impression that Chas is swimming in buckets of blood or burning in hellfire is something the artist did not intend. Don't ask me how he didn't look at it and think, hmm, that's a little on the nose - maybe he'd thought too much about colour theory, too, idk. Judging by his past history, he's probably enjoying the attention rather than being mortified. Or maybe that was partly the intention. Just don't give him too much credit for being intentionally subversive.
But absolutely do keep reading into that painting as the indictment of British royal power that it ought to be; it's pissing off both the royals and the royalists, and I hope it burns, every time Chas has to see it.
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afinestoutlove · 29 days ago
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things i love about heartstopper 13/?
Jane Spring. Hoo boy I have Feelings about Jane Spring. This is going to cross over a bit with my post about Julio, so sorry but also I’m not sorry.
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Jane’s relationship with Charlie reminds me so much of my mother and me. When I was a teenager (6 million years ago), my mother was also strict, quick to anger, had high expectations, and had no way to understand what it was like for her struggling teenager (unrecognised autism and queerness ftw). But she also really, truly loved her kids and wanted to do right by them. She just didn’t know how, and that's how I read Jane. For a different kid, maybe Jane would have been an okay mum, but no one gave her the tools to be a parent to this kid - the sensitive, queer, mentally ill one, who struggled to get along in this world. No one gave her the tools to parent Tori either, and that's tragic in a whole different way. Jane's parents had hurt her in ways she was trying not to replicate, but she hasn't fully healed from it and it comes out in her parenting.
It's also true that, while Julio is gentle and kind, he also leaves Jane to bear the brunt of their kids' anger and resentment. She's the one making the decisions and he allows that dynamic. It's not that he can't - they clearly don't have an abusive dynamic or anything - he chooses to stay out of it. Julio gets to be the "good guy" (and he is, a lot of the time, but...), while Jane is left to try and carry the rest of the load - most of the load. Yeah, she's not great at a lot of it - but she also shouldn't be mostly responsible for all that. It's such a common dynamic in parents of that age, and it sucks. (I could write a whole other essay on parenting and gender just around this point, but I'll spare you guys that torture.)
It’s bloody hard being the kid that forces your parent to confront that in themselves. Tori clearly did this a little bit, but at least in the show, Charlie bears the brunt of it. He’s the one whose struggles are the most unavoidably obvious, he’s the one asking for help, demanding to be seen, forcing Jane to confront herself and her own unhealed pain. And she does, or at least she starts to. Because she does love her children. I think that’s clearer in the show than in in Solitaire in particular. She isn’t heartless, but it feels to her kids like she is, because she fundamentally lacks the skills and healing to parent them the way they need and deserve. It's not that Tori and Charlie are wrong in the novel, we just don't get the extra insight into Jane's character we get in the show. (Although this little story about Jane and Julio meeting adds a lot of context and I love it!)
Their story is so goddamn real to me. Just by being himself, Charlie forced his parents to confront all the ways they hadn’t measured up as parents. And that really, really hurt him. It really, really hurt Tori. They deserved better. And that doesn’t mean their parents don’t love them. We can see them - especially Jane - trying to change, confronting their failures. Because at the end of the day they do genuinely love their children, and want what’s best for them. But they need to be shown what that looks like, and they need help to heal so they can provide it.
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moreofaloner · 9 days ago
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When did cobra Kai truly lost the ball with the writing?
The easy answer must be after the school fight. Season 2 was the peak but the school fight made things so much more serious and cult-ish that dealing with bullying, and family cycles was not important enough to put on the ten episode schedule.
But truth is season 3 for me gave us so many good plots, and character development and growths. Season 3 is when I finally start liking Sam, even if she still makes stupid mistakes this is the season she leaves behind her childhood and is heading towards adulthood for me.
Then we have Cobra Keene.
This show couldn't finish before Robby joined cobra Kai, and the fact his father wasn't there yet again is almost poetic.
Johnny losing the dojo once and for all and trying to create something new and his (even with a name as ridiculous as eagle fang) was beautiful.
Hawk's plot in season 3 must be the highlight of the season. The kid who doesn't have parallels to the movies gets the sickest plotline he could get. We see him go fully dark, and make even Kreese flinch.
So season 3 is not the point where they lose control. Is it when Silver comes along?
Again no.
For me this show's main focus was to show that nothing is black and white, but there are grey areas. Johnny wasn't the villain. He made stupid mistakes.
Bringing back Silver, and the whole arc of the cobra husbands in season 4 could just be the redemption arc of John Kreese.
Maybe Kreese was the bad guy, but he doesn't have to be anymore. By breaking the cycle of violence with Tory at the all valley he could jump start his redemption arc.
For me they lost the ball at season 5. They forget what the core of this tv series is and they introduce world domination by cobra Kai...
The show about kids being bullied and finding their strength in karate is now a show about a karate cult taking over million of teenage minds...
Miguel (the main character in case you forgot cuz I did) has for some reason gone on a solo trip to find his father with zero leads... And then we see zero personality for him.
Hawk who is the champion and has just finished a beautiful arc is now nerfed.
Tory Nichols is carrying this season on her back. And Kreese's redemption is thrown in the non- recyclables.
What would I do differently?
Keep the Kreese in prison stuff and focus on him actually having a breakthrough with the doctor. Have him care about Tory at her visits and tell her to put herself first before the sekai taikai.
Scratch the whole Mexico storyline and focus on Robby, Johnny and Miguel building bridges by doing fun stuff like Johnny and Robby did in Mexico.
Have the Larusso focus on a legal fight with Silver until they realize what happened with Stingray.
GIVE SAM A PROPER STORYLINE. This girl has the same storyline in s4,5&6 and it's finding herself away and through karate. The most interesting thing that has happened to her besides Tory is now Axel. In season 4 we slightly saw her cobra side. Let her embrace that? Or idk give her another hobby, another friend. Make her get a job. Give this girl something to do so she can find herself.
Hawk in the first episodes of season 5 was showing great promise. They could develop this side of his character. He could become the protector of the geeks, he could choose to not have another mohawk.
Here's an idea, give Hawk and Sam a shared storyline.
Show us the friendships beside the main ones. For example in season 2 Demetri, Sam and Robby spent all their time together, in season 5 they don't even acknowledge that they train for the same dojo.
I'd still bring in Devon and make her a cobra. Her bond with Tory is the best thing to come out of season 5 probably. Oh well... besides protect the egg.
Have big Red crack a joke with a main character.
Get rid of Silver once and for all, give Kreese his freedom but he stays away from karate.
Because Sam embraces cobra Kai's style so we'll, Daniel is forced to realize and admit that cobra Kai has good versions and since all the bad guys are gone, Johnny takes over once again.
Stingray takes over the younglings class.
There's an adult class and Stingray makes appropriate friends.
Bert stays his ride or die.
Honestly cobra Kai's last season should be 5. They should tie all the loose ends, somehow bring to life a last big fight and leave everyone at a better place from where we found them.
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ananke-xiii · 2 months ago
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I've written somewhere that Team Free Will is actually Team Dean's Will but it wasn't, like, a criticism or something like that, it was what I personally got once the show was over (and I still have very legit concerns about Dean's choice during the last episode).
I don't think Chuck won in the end because he, as a character, wouldn't have wanted for Dean to die. As far as polysemy goes, Chuck does represent many things but, to be really honest, I don't really think he represents John Winchester on a cosmic level. Like, yeah, OF COURSE, we can definitely put them together in the "Shitty Fathers" box but when Chuck tells Dean that he's not like his father I think he's not that wrong after all. Chuck is much worse and not because he's a John Winchester on a gigantic scale, it's not about quantity. He's worse because he just is.
Leaving aside the many problematic aspects of their relationship, Mary and John can be totally seen as Amara and Chuck (the show does go there and I think it's interesting for many reasons) but it's also true that the one who lied in the couple was Mary, not John. Even if we know why she had to lie and it can be understandable, it's also true that both Sam and Mary are willing to omit a Very Important Thing about themselves that, eventually, gets their partners killed. But, unlike Chuck who's to blame for his omissions, lies and manipulations, both Sam and Mary are two characters that, even more than Amara, are ALWAYS stripped of any choice. So it's almost like no matter what they do, they can only fight for their free will but never fully live it (SPN final thesis: you can never get what you want).
So yeah, if we consider John as a person and, more specifically, as a partner (therefore not in his paternal role), Chuck's not like him at all. Chuck's in control of his narrative, John couldn't even choose his own car at the dealership (btw, in my fantasy John has a love/hate relationship with the whole album "Boys for Pele" by Tori Amos that he keeps hidden like Bobby's passion for Tori Spelling). John is very much mainly narrated by other characters, in this respect he's just like Mary, to be honest. We don't 100% know who he is because he's a character described by absence. So much so that Sam and Dean didn't even know he had a fucking SECRET family!!!
Chuck is portrayed to be less enigmatic. We know he lies because we are shown that multiple times even before "Moriah". He's a character without much depth and that bothers him So. Much. He's a God who wants to be like Keith Richards. LOL!
However, even if Chuck, to me, objectively doesn't win (I also have my own "Billie won theory"), he neverthless does represent the Dictorial Power of Shitty Fathers that some might call The Patriarchy (not me. I would NEVER!). In this way, yes, he sort of wins because, as I've said, the natural order wins in the end and, in SPN, the natural order is Absent, Shitty Fathers. The sugarcoated version of the bygone days, the bittersweet nostalgia for a golden past that inevitably leads to death.
And who, the show tells us, represents all of the above? The absence of John Winchester via the presence of his journal. A man who's become so powerful he's been morphed into a myth. Maybe he is the real tulpa of this story, after all.
What does this have to do with Team Dean's Will? I find that saying that what Dean did in the end is a "choice" is very troublesome. To me personally. But the show does imply that, not strongly enough because it leaves some room for doubt but it ultimately does that. So okay, I'll bite and will consider it to be a Real Choice out of Dean's Free Will. Fine. What about Sam, though?
S15 starts with Sam and Rowena and ends with Sam and Dean. Rowena and Dean both commit suicide that's not 100% framed as suicide. Among other things, it is framed as a sacrifice. And Sam's there with them and he doesn't want that. He says so. He tells Rowena to "screw the books" and he tells Dean that he doesn't want what Dean is asking for.
Rowena's act is framed as being done out of her own agency because she believes in prophecy and magic. To which I say bullshit, not to Rowena but to the show because this is a cop-out. Since S13 Rowena couldn't do what she wanted to do because it wasn't possible. Fine. But how come that prophecy seems to be working only for her? How come the "rules are rules" mindset only applies to her? Why do other characters' books change and hers alone doesn't? How come her sacrifice is both destined and out of her own free will? It means that it can happen then! That destiny and free will can coincide! This change in thinking about the question is so packed with possibilities that they could've done another 15 seasons about it. Unfortunately, destiny and free will seem to meet in Definite Death which meh. Story over.
And Sam? He's still there. Participating and not participating. Against his will.
With Dean things are a bit different because we do know that Chuck is obsessed with him. Once Chuck is out of the picture, we could imply, Dean's finally "free" to choose what he wants. Which is such a naive thought because if it were only the absence and/or presence of things/persons to determine our lives we, perhaps, wouldn't need therapy.
But, as I've said, I'll be good and keep my promise: let's say Dean chooses out of his own free will. It should be cool for us, right? This is what Dean wants. The Big Big Bad is not dead but he's not the man behind the curtains anymore so hurrah! Free/Dean's Will wins. We should feel like we must respect that. And yet, it doesn't feel right.
And Sam? He's still there. Participating and not participating. Against his will.
It doesn't feel very "Free Willy" if the people just let the orca free. It's not very Free Will for Sam if the show tells us that it's Dean literally getting out of the picture that will "free" Sam. Brrrrrrr.
So what does this tell me? That the "destiny vs free will" discourse seems to be working only when there's a villain on the horizon, a commanding power that wants to tell you what to do, someone actually stronger than you whose actions can alter your life's story.
If you take that power out, what's left? Only people with their choices. And your absent, dead father's journal radiating The Real Power (the idea of power inside your mind that controls you). Is free will still in the room with us? Cause it starts to look like somebody's supposedly "free" will might be somebody's else constraint. As far as Sam is concerned, it seems to say: it doesn't matter whether there's a God, Death or that prophecy is real or not. What matters is that you can only stand there, participating and not participating. You don't want that? Too bad, 'cause that's what you got.
Maybe the finale really took the worst from my "Billie won theory" and the worst from the "Chuck won theory", i.e. an idea of natural order that upholds patriarchy. Or, since I can and will go there, that the natural order is the patriarchy.
So what about Free Will, is it an illusion? If it applies to only a few it certainly doesn't seem like something worth fighting for. And the natural order is indeed restored in the end. I don't think the show gives a real answer to that, by the end of S15 there are so many things that simultaneously mean 100 other things that everybody can take what they want from the show.
If you ask me, I think it was a moot question, to be honest. It made sense in S4-5 but once SPN goes full meta in S15 it becomes very superficial. Of course I know they're fictional characters and literally don't have free will, the premises were interesting because I wanted to see how these characters would react to stuff happening in the story. Once the story is revelead to be a bluff, though, what am I left with? Characters spiralling into crisis after crisis. This could be interesting in a novel but in a 15-seasons-long series you have to give me something ELSE as well, the "all die more or less happily" last-minute finale (knowing Heaven is a scam, by the way) is just... not having to deal with the consequences of the narrative choices that were made.
Or, perhaps, Supernatural is a show where one of its themes is "destiny vs free will" that ultimately tells you that there's no destiny but there's also no free will, there's only John's journal aka the Power of the Dominant Narrative. Which is the power of the people who write that narrative for us to believe in it. Perhaps, not even the people making the show were free to do what they would've liked to do. They were also there, like Sam, participating and not participating. Finding ways to cope.
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1mnobodywhoareyou · 3 months ago
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"I will always protect your family"
"why should I believe you?"
"because I care about you!"
For Andi/Victoria
Victoria storms into the office, a PA on her heels.
“I’m so sorry Ms. Parker, I couldn’t stop her!”
Andi looks up from her desk, raising her eyebrows as she realizes who’d just barged in.
She waves the PA away. “It’s alright, I’ve been…” she pauses as she tries to find the right words. “Expecting this. Thank you.”
The PA hastily turns to leave. They pause warily at the door in silent inquiry about whether to leave it open or to close it behind them.
At Andi’s nod, they pull it closed.
Andi looks up at Victoria and gestures toward the chair in front of her desk.
“Victoria,” she greets calmly. “It’s been a while.”
Victoria doesn’t move. Her hands are on her hips and she’s got the same look on her face she did all those years ago when she was lecturing them all on “falling into the gutter of life,” and how they could do whatever they wanted with their lives but they’d better not drag her baby sister down with them. That was before, well, whatever it was happened. And then Andi had to get used to different kinds of looks from her instead. For better and worse.
Andi savours the moment of silence as she braces herself for the tirade she knows she’s about to receive.
“Rosie wasn’t enough for you?”
And there it was.
Andi sits patiently as Victoria unloads all of her thoughts, fears, and feelings. Only ever coming just close enough to the root of it all before venturing down a new tangent. It’s nothing Andi’s never heard before. History repeating itself. Only this time, Julie has Ray. And everything Rose gave her. And a fully grown Victoria. And now, Andi. It’s not the same. But now is not the time to try explaining that to Victoria.
Andi waits the hard-learned and well-practiced 10 seconds after Victoria finishes speaking before responding.
“Tori,” she says softly. Gently.
Victoria’s gaze jumps up to Andi’s face. If Andi had to guess, it's probably been a while since she was called that.
“I get that you’re worried. But don’t you think that it’s better for her to have someone in the industry looking out for her? Especially now that-”
“Don’t.”
“Victoria, it’s been almost two years.”
“I don’t care. They are everything to me. Do you understand that? I lost my heart and where were you?”
A pause.
“And now. Now you’re here. You’re back. Guiding all I have left of her, down the same path? And I’m supposed to just be okay with that?”
“She is her own person, Tori. She’s not some piece of Rose that you can keep sheltered and protected for the rest of your life. And she’s good, Victoria. She’s so good.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Victoria snaps. “You don’t think I’m there? Front row? At every chance I get? You think I don’t know that she’s everything you all wish you could have been?”
Finally, Victoria collapses into one of the chairs.
“Rose made it through, Tori. We all did.”
“Not all of you.”
“You know what I mean.”
Victoria is uncharacteristically quiet so Andi continues.
“We lived very, very different lives. You know that. It won’t be the same. It can’t be.”
“You know she’s already been lying and sneaking out, right?”
“And? She’s 16. What do you expect?”
Victoria lets out a slow breath as she deflates.
“You can’t protect her from everything, you know.”
A resigned sigh. “I know.”
“So, let’s do what we can. Let me be part of the team, Tori. We can be there for her. Together. I will always protect your family.”
Victoria narrows her eyes at Andi. “Why should I believe you?”
Andi shakes her head sadly. She’s still not convinced that what happened 20 years ago was even her fault but it’s clear that Victoria’s not moved on. From any of it. “Because I care about you, Tori. That’s never changed. It never will.”
Victoria’s gaze meets hers, eyes glassy. “So where were you? All this time?”
“Victoria, you made it very clear that you didn’t want me around and I chose to respect that.”
“But. Rose.” Her breath hitches.
“Your wishes came first. You don’t know how much it’s killed me to stay away. I would have been there for all of it if you’d let me.”
Another pause. Andi waits. She’s used to waiting.
Victoria breaks the silence, her voice small. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“You should have been there.”
“I know.”
“I really loved you, you know.”
Andi nods once. “I know that too."
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fodenswhore · 6 months ago
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Cobra Kai Season 6 PT 1
(discussion/rant???)
- seeing as i did a rant over cobra kai season 5 on here, it’s only fitting that i do the same for part one of season 6!
🐍- as only one half of the season has been released, it wouldn’t really be fair to form a stalemate opinion on what i’ve seen so far. i didn’t hate it, i didn’t dislike it, i didn’t love it - it was just fine. in my opinion, it didn’t have the same exciting vibe as the previous seasons, not sure what it was but it just felt like something was missing. i’m hoping part 2 will feel different.
pregnancy storyline - my opinion on this storyline has and will not change. i still find it unnecessary, i still find it predictable and i still believe the trope ruins any book or movie that it’s worked into. however, that being said, it’s been interesting to see johnny’s character development this season. he’s fully embracing the whole pregnancy and baby vibe and it is pretty sweet to see.
johnny - like i said, it’s been interesting to see johnny’s characters development this season. i really liked the version of johnny we got to see. he got a job!!, he and daniel worked well together (in brief moments), he was supportive of both robby and miguel and he encouraged and supported devon. it was nice to see him getting his life together.
kreese - he’s a wanted man. how did he manage to travel to two different countries? UNDETECTED????
mr miyagi - i was a little baffled by the mr miyagi storyline. it’s so great that they still include him and talk about him because he was such a vital character in the karate kid movies, but i’m not exactly sure where they plan on taking this storyline?? i wonder if maybe mr miyagi used to train/work with sensei kim’s grandfather? we obviously saw that he entered the Sekai Taikai tournament so maybe they entered together?
daniel - ugh he was low-key irritating. miyagi do is supposed to be a partnership between eagle fang and miyagi do, however it just seems like it’s purely miyagi do. i feel they could’ve merged the names and become miyagi fang? i get he wants peace but he was basically causing rifts with johnny for the most stupidest of things. hoping he does better in part 2.
tory - the way no one ran after her when she walked out of miyagi do?? not even robby, her boyfriend?? everyone knew her mum was the only family she had (besides her brother) so i cant believe they just left her to fend for herself and grieve alone. honestly i don’t blame her for joining cobra kai again. it’s hard to say whether she would’ve won the female captaincy if she stayed at miyagi do but she definitely would’ve ended up hurting sam during the fight. i loved the friendship she and sam were forming so hopefully she comes back to miyagi do and they become friends again.
hawk - no WAY did the former all valley male champion not get into the final six for the Sekai Taikai on default. i was so shocked when hawk didn’t get into the group automatically with tory, sam, miguel and robby. and then he only got a place because tory quit like whatttttt! he’s one of the strongest fighters in my opinion, miles better than devon and demetri.
demetri - irritating. never stopped yapping about MIT. thinks he’s the shit. i usually like him but not this season.
kyler- nice to see character development from kyler because he was an absolute prick in the other seasons. he’s still cringe but was cool to see him getting along with miguel and the others.
devon/kenny - devon was annoying, i get the Sekai Taikai is a once in a lifetime opportunity but practically begging for a spot isn’t a good look. she needs to believe in herself and needs to stop worrying about how good others are around her. and the cheating to get into the tournament! like if she can’t win fairly at the challenge to get into tournament, how is she gonna be decent at the tournament at all. kenny deserved that chance to go to the Sekai Taikai, he’s a much stronger and aggressive fighter and it would’ve been perfect for him to show his real potential. i can’t believe the writers made him shit himself and look like an idiot.
so overall, i liked the season so far but i wasn’t overly amazed with it. as always the karate fight scenes were amazing! and this is not hating on the show or the actors this is just me giving my opinion.
find my season 5 rant here :)
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boundless11 · 13 days ago
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I think the other anon was referring to when Miguel said that Sam was making everything about her.
Oh yeah, that’s when Miguel said something like Not everything needs to be about karate,right? I can’t fully remember since it’s been a while, but honestly, Sam wasn’t making everything about her. The moment she answered his call, the first thing she said was, “Where are you?” She was worried, as was everyone else and rightfully so. Miguel left her at one of the most important moments of her life without even telling her. She had every right to ask if he was going to acknowledge what had happened at the AVT.
It wasn’t just about karate—it was about something that mattered deeply to her. Facing Tory meant everything to Sam and Miguel knew that, yet he didn’t treat it like the big deal it was for her. By the time Part 2 rolled around, when they were all in the locker room and frustrated from losing matches, Miguel seemed to finally understand how important karate was—not just for Sam, but also for himself, since it tied directly to his Stanford application. Hopefully, that helped him realise it’s always been important to her, too.
But let’s be real—the haters came out of the woodwork to badmouth Sam for daring to ask Miguel about it. When he said something like not everything is about karate- Hello, you’re watching a karate TV series! Of course everything is about karate! She was absolutely justified in asking how he felt about what happened and expressing her own feelings about the situation.
The double standard is ridiculous. Miguel leaves without telling her, doesn’t stay to support her and somehow that’s okay? But when Sam dares to ask him how she’s feeling or tries to talk about something that clearly matters to her, she’s the bad guy? Sam was already feeling down because of the tournament and the fact that they had to close Miyagi-Do. Even Daniel pointed out that they didn’t make it in the girls’ division and Sam knew it was because of her.
But no, apparently Sam’s not allowed to express her emotions or vent. She’s not allowed to feel hurt or disappointed. Fans act like she might as well be a robot at this point. It’s exhausting how people constantly find ways to tear her down while ignoring the bigger picture. Sam deserves better, both from Miguel in that moment and from the fandom as a whole.
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