#alden vacker sucks

[im-cool]

k but why is sophie hogging all the good parents. Like among her friends they have a total of 2 good parents and one okay one, meanwhile she has like 37.

[clarissaweasley-10]

Here's my analasis on the character of Fitz Vacker aka Wonderboy(even tho no one asked)He's sadly one of the most disliked characters in the entire series and though l get why you guys may hate him,let's try to understand...

The fact that Fitz was born into one of the if not THE most influential family in the lost cities has a LOT to do with his character.Plus,he was the golden child of the family.His parents obviously favoured him from the start.He was perfect...or so he hoped.Growing up the way he did,he HAS to be perfect.Be the perfect child,the perfect student carry the family's legacy and make his family proud.That was what mattered the most to him it was part of how he was raised as the golden child.Now,in Stellarlune during the Cognate Inquisition,Fitz himself has admitted to Sophie about how he often feels a little jealous of her.Well not exactly "jealous"but yk he used to be the best in everything before Sophie came and now she is always better than him and he is left to be the second best.Like imagine being the best in everything,with everybody looking up to you and then suddenly it all just goes down especially after Alvar's betrayal.That would suck so hard.There are two events which are the turning points of his character development:Alden's mind breaking,and Alvar's betrayal.You may ask why l put Alden's mind breaking here(the other one is obvious),the answer is, it was the beginning of events leading to total chaos in Fitz's life.His father who he looked upto,the one who shaped him and has a lot to do with who he is,one of the strongest people he ever knew..broke.lmagine how that would feel,especially to elves who are just not in terms with the idea of loosing someone close to you,and Fitz just lost his father all of a sudden with no prior explanation.And the explanation is his father had gone to Exile with a girl he knew for a few months at most(tho he and Sophie were very close)without taking his own son with him,and the guilt of seeing the son of a guy he had helped arrest and whose life he had virtually destroyed,finally broke his mind.Imagine how incapable,unworthy and angry this would have made Fitz feel.So he took out his anger on Sophie,though he had no right to and blamed her when HE WAS IN FACT BLAMING HIMSELF.Yes.If only his father had trusted him enough to share this information with him,then maybe Fitz would have made him understand or he and Sophie together could have saved him.But now Alden was gone and who was to blame?But Fitz also knew the consequences of the guilt he was feeling,saw it in the form of his father.If he lets the guilt of not being there get to him then,soon he too would be in Alden's position imagine how hard it would hit Della,Biana and....Alvar(strictly Fitz's pov.)So he did what he could and used his anger as a shield to protect himself and the rest of his family.

I also want to talk about the whole matchmaking thing because that's one of the most controversial aspects of Fitz's character.As l've said the fact that Fitz was born into one of the most influential families of the lost cities has a lot to do with his character.He was trained to uphold his families reputation.And we've all seen how bad matches are treated in the Lost Cities.Sophie who has literally spent her whole life outside the Lost Cities couldn't completely accept the fact that she was unmatchable,so what do you expect from Fitz who has spent his entire life being treated like royalty.Ofc he would be upset.Now l am not justifying all the rude and jerky things he said to Sophie l want to give him a solid shake for that,but he is only human(well no but yeah figuratively yk)and his perfect family was basically a broken sandcastle now so let's try to be a bit kind to Fitz too yeah?Now you may say that,Keefe also spent his entire life in the Lost Cities but had no problem from the start about Sophie being unmatchable.Well for this(and a lot of other things)Keefe deserves a LOT of extra points for the whole Sokeefe vs Sophitz thingie but he and Fitz had very different upbringings and characters.Keefe doesn't give a f abt what others think,the only thing he cares about is how Sophie feels,so get yourself a man like him...He had raised himself to be a rebel and went against common norms.And hence has no regards for what the society thinks.He only wants Sophie and if people scorn upon them for being a bad match then they should remind themselves that they would never get a relationship as good as Sokeefe.And he is THE man for this.

[myfairkatiecat]

QUALDEN IS AN ACTUAL SHIP?? Alden Vacker????? and Quinlin??? Alden vacker sucks he doesn't deserve quinlin

YEAH THATS AN ACTUAL SHIP

like you do you but that is sooooo not for me 😭

[aphelea]

save yourself tonight

Once again I'm a day late but shh. We'll ignore that. Anyway, here's my fun little fic for @tiertice-week-2023 day 3: AU.

@gay-otlc @cogaytes y'all get tagged for all my tiertice bullshit

Summary: In an alternate universe, Tiergan is there when Alden and Quinlin come to arrest Prentice. Desperate to save his lover, Tiergan throws himself into the fire instead.

Ao3

“It was me.”

The room was pin-drop silent, and Quinlin and Alden shared an indecipherable look. Slowly, Tiergan stepped in front of Prentice, holding Alden’s gaze all the while. 

“What?” Quinlin asked after a moment. “Look, Sir Tierg—”

“Don’t call me that,” he snapped. 

Quinlin huffed. “Tiergan, then. We’re not here for you.”

“You could be,” Tiergan replied, and he could almost feel Prentice’s eyes boring into his back. “If I said that I was secretly a rebel sympathizer, and that I had stolen, classified Council documents sitting in my office, you’d have no choice but to take me instead.”

“We’re perfectly capable of arresting both of you,” Alden replied coolly. “I’d advise you to watch your words, Sir Tiergan, given the severity of these charges.” 

“You have no evidence but some hunches and a handful of odd—but not incriminating—registry records.” Tiergan said. “Your accusations are unfounded.”

Alden’s carefully neutral expression twitched slightly, and Tiergan allowed himself a smidgen of satisfaction at having annoyed Alden Vacker enough to break his emotionless facade. “I’d argue that we have more than enough evidence to arrest the both of you, now. But I’m feeling generous, and I’d rather not do so today.”

“Generous?” Tiergan scoffed. “You’re ripping a man away from his family, his wife, his son. I’d hardly call that generous.”

Quinlin clicked his tongue. “There are always consequences for those that break the law, regardless of their familial relations.”

Tiergan opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as Prentice laid a cool hand on his shoulder and stepped forward. “Gentlemen,” he said, “I’m afraid there’s been a few misunderstandings, here.”

“On the contrary, Mr. Endal, I think this situation is quite simple. We only have a few questions to ask you, and after that—”

“He’s innocent,” Tiergan cut in. “Don’t drag him into this.”

Tiergan, what the hell are you doing? Prentice’s voice appeared in his mind. 

I’m doing what’s right. What I deserve, and you do, too. 

Prentice let out a sigh. This is part of my job, Tiergan, you know that. I’m the Keeper. 

Exactly, which is why you should be out here, free, with Cyrah and Wylie and protecting our secrets. All I am is another spy. Our world can survive without me. 

Tiergan–

“I confess to the crime of treason and rebel sympathies,” Tiergan blurted out. 

Both Quinlin and Alden froze in their tracks and locked eyes, no doubt sharing a matching telepathic conversation to his and Prentice’s. “I have spent my life actively working to undermine the Council and any institutions over which they preside. I am also guilty of having intentionally altered registry records of myself and others, which you will find to be the reason behind the oddities in Prentice’s records.”

“Are you crazy?” Prentice hissed, and Tiergan made his best attempt at an overdramatic sigh. 

“My love,” he said, turning and grabbing Prentice’s hands. Alden sucked in a breath at the words. “I apologize for betraying you.”

“What–”

Tiergan had read enough romance novels in his life to know how this situation should go, how he should go about convincing Quinlin and Alden that Prentice was simply an innocent, deceived lover, unaware of his partner’s treasonous actions. If Tiergan could seem dramatic and devastated enough, the Cognates might actually believe that he felt guilty over almost framing his lover. 

Plus,  Tiergan had more than enough experience painting himself to be someone he wasn’t. 

He forced tears to his eyes—which, unsurprisingly, wasn’t particularly difficult—and threw his arms around Prentice, pulling him into what seemed from the outside to be a mournful hug between hurt lovers. Instead, he used it to lean next to Prentice’s ear and whisper, “I’m sorry.”

“What the hell are you doing? They came for me, because of my mistakes—”

“They came to find a Black Swan operative. And they did. Me. I’m just one person, Prentice, I’m nothing unique to this cause, but you? You’re our Keeper, our light, our most dangerous weapon.” Tiergan paused, then added. “Go live a happy life, love. You deserve it.”

Alden cleared his throat, and the two broke apart. “Sir Tiergan,” he began, and Tiergan wanted to slap him just for the name. “I’ll admit, this new information certainly alters our hypotheses. In any case, if you truly are confessing to this…long list of crimes, it will certainly warrant a Tribunal.”

Tiergan scoffed. “Well, I’m sure you’d be overjoyed to see me Exiled.” 

Alden shifted uncomfortably, and Quinlin, ever the knight in shining armour, jumped to his rescue. “Watch your words, Mr. Alenefar. Your apparent protection of Mr. Endal is certainly noble, but I don’t think you’ve quite considered the severity of the consequences to come.”

“Prentice doesn’t need me to protect him from shit,” Tiergan snapped. “I’ve told you what you wanted to know, so you can either fuck off right now or drag me with you in chains. And, trust me, I’m well aware of the consequences.”

Prentice frowned. “Tiergan...”

But Alden stepped forward and locked the magisidian handcuffs around Tiergan’s wrists, and he didn’t resist. There was no point in resistance; what was done had been done, what was said had been said, and now Tiergan only had to pay the price. 

A Tribunal. A mind break. Exile. 

An awfully high price to keep Prentice free, but Tiergan would never let Wylie and Cyrah be abandoned because of his and Prentice’s foolish attempts at fairness in the Lost Cities. Yes, Tiergan was willing to die for an impossible ideal, and that was fine—he had almost nothing to keep him from rashness, nothing except Prentice. But Prentice? Prentice had everything to lose. He had status, a wife, a son—and neither Cyrah nor Wylie deserved to be collateral damage from his and Tiergan’s idiocy. 

“I’m sorry, love,” Tiergan said, as the Cognates dragged him away. “I’m so sorry.”

But Prentice could only stare back in shocked, betrayed silence. 

[send-up-my-heart-to-you]

sooooo im 75% done w the first book of kotlc, here are some thoughts i had / theories i came up w while reading (the links to my thoughts for 25% and 50% are here and here respectively)

starting off hot, i did not like keefes dad. ik thats like obvious that hes bad, but hes giving lucius malfoy (i can imagine him w the black swan. not theorizing, but saying that i wouldnt be surprised). i swear if i find out hes touched a hair on keefes gorgeous head—

another thing, the pyrokinetics. that book was obviously planted by someone from the black swan, and i think i know who (i say it in one of the next points.) but i wonder what happens if someone is a pyrokinetic ? i think someone mentioned earlier that abilities can form on their own, so what do they do w someone who just like spawns that ability. also wouldnt it be funny if dex or marella was a pyrokinetic.

speaking of dex, can i just say i love him. i feel like hes sidelined by sophie n i know she doesnt mean it n hes her best friend but hes so left out cmon i feel so bad. also the way hes so jealous of fitz "you just like seeing wonderboy. please dont tell me you have some stupid crush on him" JSWJSHSHEHD I CANT

i can also now honestly say that i like sophie as a mc. like. a lot of books have bland mcs but not kotlc, shes a good person, she has a strong moral compass, hates attention cause she gets so much of it (esp sucks since this seems to be a chosen one trope). i wanna see more depth to her character tho cause a lot of this is just surface shit. but then again this is a middle-grade series n im only on the first book, so ill be patient

okay, look. about the black swan. i get that theyre planting information into her head. she knows abt elementine, she knows the word 'suldreen'. but some things i dont get how they planted. its too broad to be planted all at once like. she can understand a whole new language n she doesnt know it ?? she can read a whole new alphabet (the cipher runes) which is extremely rare to be able to read ?? she knows how the eternalia castles look like ?? howd they plant that in her head? might be a plothole but idkkk

the allergy when she was nine HAS GOT TO HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANCE. i mean, it was thrown in n she mentioned that they never discovered what its cause was ??? real suspicious shit im telling you

now, this ones a lil far fetched n it goes off of barely anything except for my writer instinct but bear w me, at first when sophie started getting notes in her locker n they suspected it was someone from the black swan (i suspect the book was also planted by that someone, tho i suppose its kinda obvious), i thought it was a student or teacher who could get easy access. heck, i assumed it might be keefe for a hot sec bc we know he broke into her locker before. but then he said that he found it opened, n alden said it might be a vanisher... and then alvar, a vanisher, showed up during that same conversation. now, i could be wrong, but wouldnt that make for an insane plot twist? esp since sophies gonna move in w the vackers, n itd make for a cool thing to notice if you go for a reread knowing hes the vanisher alden speculated abt. idk, just a thought

thats all i have, the next one is gonna be a post when im 100% done, n ive found a pdf of the second book so imma start reading that prolly immediately after im done w this one. lmk if i should do posts like this for 'exile', too (i wonder why its called that btw?)

tagging: @tastetherainbow290, @that-multi-fandom-hijabi, @aylin-hijabi

[the-one-and-only-aroace]

He’s good you’re broken

He’s good, Biana thought as her father screamed at her. She felt the spittle shower her face. He was the definition of a Good Samaritan. He was the council’s right hand man. He followed their orders, always loyal.

He’s good, she thought as he dragged her to her room. His grip leaving bruises on her scarred skin. He looked for the moonlark for twelve years. He was so dedicated to stopping the rebellion, he was willing to sacrifice his sons. He never gave up, always stayed dedicated.

He’s good, she thought as thundering footsteps exit. The noise pounded in her ears. He was willing to take in abandoned children. He gave Keefe a home, opened his to Sophie. He was the father they never had, always willing to care.

He’s good, she thought as she heard the lock click. She felt the room start to shrink. He supported the black swan, he knew the council made mistakes. He was willing to let his family join. He saw the truth, was willing to admit his mistakes.

He’s good, she thought as her shaky knees gave in. She fell to the cold, hard floor. He wanted the best for his kids. He always pushed them to be better, always giving them second chances. He tried to make them better, how he loved them so.

She was the one who disobeyed, the disloyal daughter. She always gave in, the punishments too harsh for her weak mind. She didn’t care enough to listen to her father, the selfish girl. She was too stubborn to admit her mistakes, always arguing. She didn’t love her family enough, always making them look bad.

He’s good youre broken

[crymeariveronceagain]

I'm curious - what made you hate Alden? When did you start hcing him as abusive?

For me, it was probably when I reread the series and started relating to Fitz a lot more. Having Fitz as your favorite character makes it hard to like him.

it's... a lot of things.

but the catalyst for me was that scene in Flashback.

It made me sick.

First of all, Alden knows exactly what Keefe Sencen's family situation is like. And without question or hesitation, for his own purposes, he turned that against Keefe. Used it as a weapon. Called him a son to hit him in the face with the knowledge that he doesn't matter as much as his other kids. That at the end of the day, Keefe is still just a pawn to every single one of his parental figures.

Secondly, I understood something. Crappy people are crappy people. If you're crappy in one area of your life, the crappy-ness is infectious. It bleeds. It seethes. If it's in one area of your life, especially in the way you handle your relationships, it's probably going to be in other areas. More than that. Moreover, in my personal experience, crappy parents are often very nice to kids who are not theirs. This is how Alden treats a kid who is not his. So, bearing all that in mind, I went back and I looked at his kids.

Biana is invisible, hiding in the shadows of her older brother, she's there but she's not, silently held to an impossible standard, and declaring that her scars are a part of her now, like someone told her that she needed to be ashamed of them. Fitz is so perfect there are cracks and he breaks down screaming, unable to handle the pressure. Alvar fricking abandoned everything his family stood for with no remorse and ditched everything to join a terrorist organization. All I see in this are huge, huge, huge red flags.

Thirdly, after this, I looked back on Alden's behavior. And I just. I noticed things.

For instance. He constantly shuts down Sophie. Treats her a bit like a pawn as well. He condescends to her, treats her like she's too young to handle anything, when he is the one who brought her into this. He constantly tries to control situations. He takes on roles that should not and do not belong to him. He is very respected, and has a ton of power at his fingertips. He sent his six year old son into the human world(need i mention all the crap we pull every single day?? how many car accidents??? kidnappings? armed robberies? no??). Labelling Fitz as "the perfect golden child" is like a major red flag. Like uhm hellooo i has questions. His whole family keeps this aura of perfection that the lost cities tries as a whole to embody. Perfection does not exist. But the Vackers are perfect. Who keeps them all in line?

I honestly have more questions than I have answers about this man.

But when I look at him, all I can see, in my head, is--

“No, it’s the definition of caring.” Alden stood and made his way closer, wrapping an arm around Keefe’s shoulders. “You may not be my genetic son,” he said quietly, “but I’ve long considered you part of my family.”

Yeah, screw off, old man. I can see straight through you. Don't treat your kids like that, don't treat Keefe like that, don't treat anyone like that.

And so yeah. It's disgusting behavior, and it shows that Alden will sacrifice people to get what he wants.

If Alden was a good person, and had good relationship ideals and dynamics, this would never have been something he'd have done.

It just wouldn't have been something he'd have done.

So why did he do it? Does he think that it's fine? Does he think that it's normal? Kind?

What else does he think is normal?

*grumbles*

[synonymroll648]

something i just Don't Get is why no one ever thought to just levitate over everglen's gates. like, fitz is not the only elf out there who can levitate so high that it's hard to see the ground. and in inner cover art for the barnes and noble edition of flashback, shannon drew average sized trees that were taller than the gates. and while fitz and sophie do look kinda small in comparison to gates, they're not that small. people could totally levitate over.

[imaramennoodle]

kotlc au where everything's the same but Della realizes that Alden is a horrible person and divorces him

[slozhnos]

Isn’t it fun making in-depth theories that make no sense whatsoever simply because you despise Alden Dedrick Vacker and think he should be tossed to the rats?

[confusedamphibian]

I wonder if Quan, Cassius, and Alden all had a meeting together and where like “how can we be a terrible father to our amazing children and make them hate theirselves? Should we disown them, neglect and pressure them to the point of turning evil, or verbally abuse them? You know what? we can do one of each!”

[magicalwalrus]

Biana. Because she is beautiful and I love her.

[winterfireice]

Rating the Kotlc family’s because I was feeling sentimental and re read cute Sophie and parents parts (all my own opinion if it’s different then yours that’s ok) (also spoilers)

The Ruewen-Foster family 10/10 (that doesn’t mean there perfect)

There just so sweet and they need each other every time Sophie calls one of them mom or dad I get so happy because she has parents that care for her and she doesn’t have to keep herself a secret (like her telepathy) and they make her feel like she belongs and there just amazing

The Vacker family 5/10

The woman are pretty good (not that they haven’t made mistakes) the men tho, alvar with the whole never seen thing fitz is a good person just needs to find some better coping skills and work on how he acts when angry (again is a good person fitz is a very controversial topic) and Alden I think is manipulative and just kinda an ass (and not just because of that short story)

The Dizznee family 7/10

There the least complicated family I think except for that black swan squall thing. There an awesome family no matter what a bad match says. There’s not a lot written about them and to be honest I don’t think about them that much but there a good family

The Endal-Alenfar family 8/10

I know it’s not canon but prentice and teirgain are in a relationship and are great parents Wylie is the oldest of the “kids” I think he’s like 21 now and it sucks that prentice missed out on so much of his life. And when cyrah was alive she seemed like a great mom

The Sencen family 0/10

I don’t think I need to explain terrible father somehow even worse mother

[gay-otlc]

Unlocked Recap

Everything I'm saying is accurate you can trust me bro

Sophie's registry file misgenders them :(

Being mad about the series' portrayal of trichotillomania, part 420

The council is either deliberately misunderstanding the Moonlark Project so as to not acknowledge they suck, or Shannon forgot her own character's motives. Hoping for the former.

Bronte listens to Foxfire gossip. Does he walk up to students and demand they spill the tea? What happens here? Shannon what?

Let Elwin punch Bronte 2k22

Elwin Does Not have time for alloromantic bullshit.

Transmasc Fitz rights

Biana has an ✨exceptional accent✨ hoot hoot

"when it comes to emulating Biana's style, the most important element is staying true to who you are" queer coded Biana confirmed?

Queer coded Dizznees have been confirmed from the beginning but always nice to see more of it.

Tiergan and Prentice got majorly sappho and her friend-ed by the Council.

Marella registered for the match, what's up with that?

Horses are only for girls now. But the Lost Cities don't have gender roles.

RUMOR HAS IT THAT MARELLA AND LINH DO ADDITIONAL TRAINING TOGETHER

Little Miss Perfect Della propaganda- unlikely the Matchmakers are good enough for the number one match to work out perfectly, she chose Alden for the image.

Marella has a stuffed kelpie named Sir Splashyhugs pass it on.

Exillium is a neurodivergent metaphor.

Elwin's nonbinary, it's canon now.

Sophie knows about the stallion. She just tries very hard not to think about it, which is fair.

Sophie's accusation that Tiergan lied to her is unfair. He shared way more than he was probably supposed to and when he did lie by omission he did so very badly.

Moral ambiguity!! :D

Oralie is arospec, it's also canon.

The FANCY VACKER ACCENT HOOT HOOT

Keefe hates the idea of making the matchmakers happy, sounds perfectly straight to me.

Fitz has unresolved feelings for Keefe and Keefe is like "hmm I'm wondering who all that romantic tension is meant for." Figure it out dumbass

We will never have enough of Sophie calling Edaline "Mom"

Similarly, we will never have enough of Dadwin.

Ro's still a bitch, but now she's a queer coded bitch.

Keefe got to flip Ro off! Slay.

Biana runs laps every morning hmmgngggjdlkf I am gay

Solreef family angst potential regarding Glimmer + Wylie kidnapped by Neverseen ???

Glimmer and Biana were definitely flirting with one another.

Tiergan has officially joined Grady in the protective anxious father squad <3

I think Keefe and Grady should bond over having a power that allows them to manipulate others and makes them fear themselves. As a treat.

[archived-and-moving]

Can I Borrow A Pencil?

Read it here on Ao3

TW: Minor Verbal Abuse and ableism, but I think that’s it.

Word Count: 1.7k

Summary: Biana Vacker is having a terrible, horrible, no good, day.Ae couldn’t tell what it is that makes it so- awful. But it fills aer with boiling annoyance at every moment that ae has to suffer through.

Notes: It’s Bianuca week, bitches. I pulled this one out last minute, so if it’s royally bad, that’s probably why.

Biana Vacker is having a terrible, horrible, no good, day.

Ae couldn’t tell what it is that makes it so- awful. But it fills aer with boiling annoyance at every moment that ae has to suffer through.

First, it’s aer teacher’s nasally voice that makes Biana want to deck him in the face.

The way his head tilts upwards, and the smug look on his face when ae gets a question wrong. And the way that he writes his notes, making his movements as dramatic as possible, just so that Biana knows what he’s doing.

He’s writing to aer father.

Because that’s what Alden had asked him to do after all, to tell him what he needed to teach his daughter. But all of them knew that wasn’t the case. Biana scowled at the thought of going home.

Aer father would yell at aer.

The pencil that ae had been holding against the table with a shaking fist snaps, the extra graphite chipping off and falling onto the floor. Aer professor snorts, tapping his hands to the desk as he scribbles down more of Biana’s failures.

Then it’s the noises of the hallway.

The bright bubbling laughter and the sound of conversation and the jostling of shoulders and the slam of lockers. It makes Biana’s head want to explode and ae hates it here. More than anything in the world. Ae would give up everything to trade positions with Fitz right now, wherever he is.

Ae’re not even to lunch yet, and everyone in aer immediate vicinity is giving aer a headache. Especially aer “friends” who chat away about something. Ae can’t afford to focus on what it is right now, or else ae might actually lose aer cool.

Biana also manages to bump into Marella, who gives aer a withering glare that makes the back of Biana’s neck burn in shame. Ae drop aer eyes to the ground, and all of the bubbling anger turns to heavy shame, that weighs aer down like a rock, deep within aer stomach.

Bad time to run into an ex, Biana realizes as ae rushes off to ability detecting. If today had started off as a bad day, then it had progressed into the worst day. Biana feels like absolute shit. Aer legs hurt from tackle bramble and ae don’t smell good because of gym and aer teacher hates them and aer friends don’t care and it’s aer fault that Marella’s mad and now they have a pop quiz in ability detecting of all classes and Biana just broke aer last fucking pencil.

Ae groan, gently plopping aer head down on aer desk to let the smooth wood cool aer down.

Biana gives aerself three deep breaths to completely break down. Ae can feel the tears burning at the corners of aer eyes, and aer breathing get shallower as ae fiddle with the bottom of aer cape, brushing aer fingers against the rough blue fabric.

Then suddenly it stops.

Not aer mental breakdown of course, that will have to wait until Biana can release it at home, but all signs of physical distress are gone, and Biana lifts aer head up from the desk, plastering a smile on aer face.

Nothing is wrong of course, because Biana is a Vacker, and Vackers are perfect.

The teacher is passing out the pop quizzes, and the world goes on as if nothing happened. As if Biana isn’t suffering, as if it doesn’t care. (It doesn’t.)

Before the teacher can get to their area, Biana pokes the person sitting in front of aer, waiting for them to turn around so that ae can ask them if ae can borrow a pencil.

After two taps, the girl turns around, her braided hair whipping behind her as she turns to look Biana in the eye.

As soon as they make eye contact, Biana freezes, looking down at aer hands.

Shit.

Ae cannot do people. Ae suck at talking and looking people in the eyes. This was a very bad idea.

           “Biana look at me while I’m talking. Chin up!” The ghost of a hand grabs aer chin, wrenching aer head up high.

           Vackers stand tall.

           “Spit it out! If you want something, you have to tell me.”

           “Speak up, child! I can’t hear anything when you mumble like that.”

           Vackers speak clearly.

           Biana focuses on the tone of aer voice, hoping it carries over the noise of the rest of the class. Ae try to make it smooth, like it’s nothing out of aer day to ask a simple question and receive and even simpler answer.

           “Can I borrow a pencil?”

           Biana stops breathing for the millisecond it takes the other girl to respond.

           “Sure.”

           She turns around in her seat and starts rummaging through her bag, looking for her pencil case presumably. Biana smiles, at least ae can do one thing right.

           After a moment, the girl turns back, her brows a little lower on her forehead as she hands the pencil off to Biana, giving it up with fragile fingers.

           Their hands touch while holding the pencil, and red alarm sirens go off in Biana’s little brain. Knock it off. Ae think to aerself as ae take the pencil, shifting it to aer left hand.

           “It’s a Raptors pencil, from one of their games. I hope you don’t mind.”

           Biana’s face lights up. “Really?”

           The girl nods enthusiastically, her braids bobbing up and down with her head. “Do you like ‘em?”

           Like them? The Raptors are Biana’s favorite bramble team of all time. Ae had been trying to beg aer parents to take aer to a match for years now. Ae could name all of the team and their positions in aer sleep.

           Ae open aer mouth but shut it again. “I-my brother. My brother really likes them.”

           The girl’s smile drops a bit. “Oh.”

           Biana feels aer stomach drop with it. Why were ae so bad at life?

           The girl turns around without another word, and Biana tries to focus on the test in front of aer, but how can ae think about the properties of being a froster when ae could be thinking about fast-paced bramble games?

           Ae had wanted to join Foxfire’s bramble team ever since ae first attended, but it was only there for level three and up. Biana’s parents would never let aer join anyway however, since Bramble was just a silly pastime to stay active.

           But Biana could dream.

           Ae rein aer thoughts back in toward the paper instead of aer future.

           Ae got this. Piece of cake.

           Ae stumble aer way through the quiz and finish the last question right as the bell rings, gathering up aer stuff and turning in aer paper at the door.

           Staring at a piece of paper for so long is starting to make aer eyes throb, and the florescent lighting really isn’t helping the pounding behind aer head. But just before ae make another turn, ae feel the weight of something in aer left hand.

           Ae look down, wondering why ae didn’t put the pencil in aer bag, when aer eye catches on the blue bird symbol.

           It wasn’t aer pencil.

           Biana’s head whips upward, aer gaze scanning over the mess of students excitedly heading to lunch. Even though ae’re in the First Level wing, the bustling activity makes it hard to pick out the one that ae’re looking for.

           Just as Biana’s about to give up, the bobbing of dark brown braids catches aer eye, and ae take off in the direction of the girl, weaving through the throng of students as ae run, going against the flow of foot traffic.

           Ae try to apologize to the strawberry blond ae bump, but instead decide to keep moving, forcing aer way through groups in the bustling hallways until ae finally make it to the girl’s locker, where she’s already started putting her stuff away.

           Her crest pops out against the dark color of her uniform, and she’s about to close her locker door.

           “Wait!”

           Biana rushes forward, aer hand outstretched toward the other girl, who’s just about to slam her locker shut.

           Her face reads that of confusion for a second, frozen by the half-desperate call in her direction. Biana holds out the pencil to her, and her face lights up with recognition.

           She takes the pencil, shoving it into her locker without another look over her shoulder.

           “Thanks, that would have sucked, having to open it again.”

           Biana nods. “Especially with it being Elwin’s choice today.”

           The girl’s nose crinkles as she thinks about it. Reekrod probably wouldn’t be pleasant to taste right before eating, Biana thinks to aerself.

           But ae don’t say anything out loud, for the fear of making something awkward.

           The girl smiles. “Uh… thanks for giving it back to me.” She turns, holding her lunch bag in her hands and starting to walk away.

           “Kora Logner,” Biana blurts.

           The girl stops.

           “Kora Logner is the best on the Raptors because of her speed and accuracy, which increases because of her ability to phase through walls. She’s not the most popular by any means but that give her a good advantage if you ask me.”

           By some miracle, the ramblings make the girl turn around, and Biana can’t believe it. No one has ever really… know that and listened. Fitz had known, but he didn’t listen, laughing and ruffling aer hair at what she thought, telling aer that bramble wasn’t aer thing.

           But the girl? She turns around, with a dazzling smile plastered onto her face.

           “Is that so?”

           Biana meekly nods, gulping as the girl takes one step closer.

           She throws her head back and laughs, and Biana’s scared for a second, thinking that she’ll make fun of aer.

           “I thought I was the only one that thought that.”

           The girl sticks out her hand, “Maruca Chebota.”

           Biana smiles, taking it. “Biana Vacker.”

           “Well, Biana, would you like to sit with me at lunch? I’d love to hear what your brother taught you about the Raptors.”

           Biana giggles at the way Maruca wiggles her eyebrows.

           Maybe today isn’t the worst, Biana thinks as Maruca excitedly tells aer about her tackle bramble strategy. Maybe ae just need someone to listen.

[ley-musica]

WARNING CUSSING

ok, i gotta say something

WHY TF DO THE VACKERS SUCK SO MUCH (except Biana and Della tho -well Biana used to suck but not anymore-) I MEAN LOOK AT THIS

Alvar: VaCkEr LeGaCy like fuck off dude when fitz tries to kill you is prob the only time i will agree on anything with that asshole

Fitz: do I even have to say anything...

Alden: 1st of all "No rEaSoN tO wOrRy" YES THERE IS A FUCKING REASON TO WORRY YOUR KIDS AND THEIR FRIENDS KEEP ALMOST DIEING YOUR OLDEST IS A (probably ded) PSYCHOPATH YOUR SECOND GOT IMPALED BY A GIANT BUG AND YOUR YOUNGEST GOT THROWN INTO A MIRROR AND NOW HAS SCARS EVERYWHERE. 2nd THE WHOLE LET THEM BE HAPPY THING yo i used to love u but now i would like you to kindly go jump off a cliff thank you very much.

i don't have the time nor energy to list all the vackers i know and what i hate about them so in conclusion

BIANA AND DELLA ARE THE ONLY VACKERS THAT I ACTUALLY LIKE

(oh ya and the whole goblin experiment thingy)

>: p