#at least rachel didn't choose to leave

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

you're a god on earth but you don't know how to get Her back and you never even knew who She was even though her absence tugs at you like a sucking wound but at least people seem to like it when you wear Her old stuff.

[mj0702]

Whatever she wants 🔞

Minors do not read - SMUT

Follow up to "Whatever she needs"

“Cari... sit down” Alexia said calmly before she lifted her coffee mug to her lips

“But Ale...” you whined quietly your leg bouncing nervously

“The plane won't land any quicker the more often you race to the arrival board looking at it...” the blonde replied calm “... it's bad enough you made me drive here two hours early”

“But what if...” you started again your eyes flickering to the board with the flights again

“She lands when she lands Cari... calm down... you want a sandwich? Jamon Ibérico?” Alexia kept her whole demeanor calm not to fuel your nervous energy even more

“No...” you said quickly glancing past your blonde girlfriend again

“You haven't eaten all day...” the blonde mused “... what do you think Jenni will say when I tell her that?”

“She won't like it...” you mumbled ashamed

“So... what would you like to eat?” Alexia looked at you expectantly

“Jenni” you blurted out making the blonde snort into her coffee

“Later Cari... I meant actual food” the blonde smirked amused

“Can we go to La Pepita when Jenni is here?” you asked hopefully

“Cari... you know Pepita doesn't open until 7 at night... it's 1PM now... there's no way I will let you run around without any food until then” Alexia now getting serious

“I'm not hungry” you whined again

“Cariño...” the blonde warned you and you huffed “Either you choose or I'll choose and you'll eat whatever I put in front of you”

“Patatas?” you asked quietly

“They don't have Patatas here...” Alexias voice turned soft again “... pollo o Ibérico?”

“Pollo...” you mumbled feeling like a kid getting scolded by its mother

“Gracias...” the blonde smiled getting up before bending down whispering in your ear “... if your ass leaves this seat I'll make sure you won't be able to sit on it for at least a week”

A few minutes later a chicken sandwich gets put down in front of you a bottle of water with it. You immediately started to start eating now noticing how hungry you in fact were. Alexia just rolled her eyes smiling watching you how you absolutely inhaled that sandwich. Her and Jenni found out quite early in the relationship that you were the perfect sub. You didn't want to have to make decisions – you were happy with whatever they two decided on. It also put some pressure on Alexia and Jenni making sure you were looked after. The only time you didn't need them was when you were on the pitch. If it was for training or at a game didn't matter – you were a beast on the green. You played defense but you could also pass as a midfielder. You looked up to Lucy Bronze your whole career and even to this day a praise from Lucy let you smile light up a whole city. You came to Barcelona before Lucy but at the time the two of you were playing on international level for quite some time – even frustrating the spanish team together with Millie and Rachel. So when the english defender joined you in Barcelona with Keira following too you were ecstatic. Up to the point where Alexia REALLY had to stay calm and not let the jealousy she felt take over making the new signings feel welcome and treat them like everyone else. It was so hard for her – for weeks she only heard “Lucy here” - “Keira there” - “Can't we sign Tooney too?”. Jenni only just laughed when Alexia called her to vent as she was waiting for you to finish training. The moment she saw how you jumped into Lucys arms picking them up (making Alexia pick them up since you lost your license for six month because of speeding) the blonde excuse herself quickly speeddailing Jenni the second she turned around. Of course the Madrista just laughed tears when Alexia ranted about how easily Lucy caught you not even looking just catching you – to Lucys defense.. she had years of training. Alexias mood turned instantly when she learned that Lucy and Keira were dating and you were basically their adopted kid. You helped them settle into the spanish lifestyle and the spanish play. It was mesmerizing to watch the connection Lucy, you and Keira had on the pitch. Lucy pushed you to put yourself more out there on the pitch to make yourself available and get more into plays. Keira tickled that last piece out of you that everyone knew you had in you but were too shy to commit to it. But the second you sit down in Alexias Cupra the door closed behind you you immediately fell back into letting Alexia taking control letting her making decisions like dinner, planning the rest of the day or movie choices.

Just as yo were about to bite into your sandwich Alexias phone pinged with a new message making you look up with a mix of excitement and deer caught in the head light. The blonde on the other Hand decided to take another sip of her coffee before picking her phone up reading the message humming in acknowledgement.

“Jenni here?” you asked your excitement visible in your voice

“Eat Cari…” was the only thing Alexia said after she put her phone back down

“Alexia” you whined not satisfied with her answer

“Cariño” the blonde warned and you begrudgingly took a bite of your chicken sandwich

“You really are a child sometimes” Alexia rolled her eyes smiling as she reached over the table removing some sauce with her thumb from your cheek

“And you are annoying” you shot back your mouth full

“And if YOU don’t watch it Bebé” the blonde raised her eyebrow at you

“Lo siento” you mumbled

“Hm” Alexia hummed again seeing how most of the sandwich was gone now so she decided to let you of the hook

“Jenni landed safely in Barcelona sí” the blonde said calmly knowing the second you would hear her confirmation you would run

Of course she was right. She wasn’t even finishing talking before you shot out of your chair weaseling your way through the tables that were between you and the arrival area before jumping over the cafés rails ducking through the sea of passengers. Alexia huffed lightly as she watched you dodging a group of Asians by basically jumping over their luggage dancing around the people. She knew she’ll find you pressed against the barrier between the luggage claim and arrival area later – if not the police would be her next stop. Wouldn’t be the first time you’d be get picked up by the airport police. The first time Jenni came back from Mexico you jumped over the barrier before Alexia could get a hold on you and you got tackled to the ground resulting in two games on the bench because you got a concussion. Since then you only leaned so far over the rails that you glance inside the baggage claim area whenever the automatic doors opened. Just as she thought Alexia found you standing up on the second rail to get a good glance inside when she finally made it over to you.

“Cari… get down” Alexia scolded you glancing around if anyone noticed you

“But then I can’t see…” you grumbled

“You’ll see her the second she gets out here” the blonde said firmly

“Ale… I’m 1.60… I don’t see shit if I’m not having a higher point of view” you grumbled as your girlfriend gently but firmly pulled on your shirt signaling you to come down again

“I know Bebé…” Alexia chuckled pulling you into her side

You were by far the smallest in the whole squad but that didn’t stop you from being an amazing hotheaded football player. You often used your height to your advantage zooming around the bigger players (Alexia herself including) or simply slipping through their arms (or legs in Jennis or Wendie Renards case). Jenni often teases you by using you as a bar table easily leaning on your head with your standing there huffing and puffing and pouting. You also never backed down from a challenge or a dare. Which mostly resulted in Alexia having to step in and either pull you away from an opponent or get in between you and the ref when you decided to “voice your concerns” once again.

“I think I see her” you exclaimed excited starting to jump and your blonde girlfriend had to step in once again by grabbing your shoulders holding you down as she saw the police glancing over

“Cariño… if you can’t behave I’ll look you in the car” Alexia grumbles not wanting to attract more attention that you already had

Your answer was a low pitiful whimper knowing that Ale would pull through with it. Alexia could feel the excitement radiating off you so she just pulled you flush against her front starting to whisper sweet praises into your ear

“Be good Cari and I promise Jenni and I take care of you later…” she whispered getting you to calm down immediately “… that’s it…. I know it’s hard but you’re such a good girl if you want to be”

After what felt like forever for you you saw that familiar silhouette and black hair of Jenni who had a backpack over her shoulder pulling a suitcase after her. Alexia kept hold of you until Jenni exit the baggage claim area stepping out to the public space. The second you felt the blondes hold loosen you shot forward jumping into the dark haired ones arm koala hugging her while she easily caught you with one arm.

“Missed you” you mumbled into her neck where you pressed your nose into her skin inhaling her sweet scent

“Yo también te extrañé bebé” Jenni chuckled while Alexia followed you gracefully

Jenni let go of her suitcase holding her arm out for the blonde to step into the embrace. Alexia pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of her girlfriends mouth smiling knowingly

“Someone missed you” the blonde smiled letting the older one pulling her into her side

“At least one of you” the lanky spaniard teased kissing Alexia softly feeling how you tighten your hold on her frame

“Didn’t want to spoil you” Alexia smirked “Your ego is big enough as it is”

“Not only my ego” Jenni smirked wriggling her eyebrows making Alexia laugh

“Pervertida” the blonde punched her partner playfully

“Only for you” the older one snorted “Cari… come on… let go so we can go home”

“Nu uh” you sighed into Jennis neck completely happy with where you were

“I can’t…” Jenni started but then just groaned knowing there wasn’t any use in arguing “… fine”

“Softie” Alexia mumbled under her breath as she grabbed the handle of Jennis suitcase pulling it behind her not leaving Jennis side

Getting you to let go of Jenni was a task on it’s own. You fought tooth and nail when you should get in the backseat while Jenni was about to get into the passenger seat. THEN you complained that Alexia got into the drivers seat until the blonde snapped at you that someone HAS to drive but you just quipped up that there were always Taxis. Jenni had a hard time hiding her laughter her body shaking quietly while Alexia and you argued over how to get back home. It got to the point where the dark haired one had to step in seeing how both of her girlfriends got frustrated with each other by just fishing the car keys out of Ales fingers pointing to the back seat where you and the blonde climbed in.

“Cariño” Jenni said once the door was shut behind you three her her voice stern making you flinch “… down”

You immediately sunk to your knees hanging your head low making Alexia turn around in surprise as she was walking in front of you two

“What?” the blonde asked confused

“You really think I would let her behavior slide? Acting like a brat in public” the dark haired one growled as she walked passed you “…. I also won’t let tolerate your behavior… so you better strip and be bend over the bed when I make my way into the bedroom”

With that Jenni was gone. She walked through the living room into the kitchen smirking to herself when she heard Alexia scrambling down the hallway. She made her way back to you a cup of hot tea in her hands

“What should I do with you Cari….” the older one mused “… you know I actually wanted to reward you for being so good and well behaved the last two weeks… Alexia and I share everything you know… a house… a life… you… she told me how good you were doing… that you DESERVE a reward… but you just had to act up again didn’t you…”

She circled your kneeling form while she touched you lightly teasing you trying to get a reaction from you – but you knew better. You knew the second you’d react she’d strike like a King Cobra striking at it’s prey.

“Hm…” Jenni hummed surprised “… nothing to say?”

The lanky one waited three seconds until she spoke again “Vale… you’ll come around at one point – I’ll check in with you once I dealt with Alexia”

You whimpered quietly when you heard Jennis feet padding down the corridor.

The next hours where pure hell for you. You heard everything since Jenni left the bedroom door partly open. You heard how Jennis hand connected with Alexias ass over and over again. How the blondes pained grunts turned into pleasured pants and moans. You heard Jennis quiet murmurs not understanding what she said but just hearing her mumble things to Alexia not you pained you. How the blonde reacted to the older ones words. The quiet moans the louder groans. You heard the handcuffs click shut you heard the harness buckles snap close. You knew what Jenni was doing with and to Alexia. It was the usual re-establishment of Jennis dominance. The dark haired one made sure both of you knew who was calling the shots. Her. Jenni Hermoso. Alexia might be La Reina. You might be called La Duquesa. But Jenni was the one making both of you kneel.

You heard Alexia whimper and whine. You heard her begging for more and for Jenni to stop. It came to the point where you were teething on the edge of it getting too much. You knew you were allowed to make yourself known if it really was getting too much but you weren’t sure how. You knew the second Jenni pushed the head of the strap into Alexia. At the guttural moan that left the blondes throat you even knew WHICH strap the dark haired one used. The way the blonde screamed Jennis name when she came told you it was the last orgasm for the time being for Alexia.

A few minutes later you heard the low squeak of the bedroom door getting opened

“Look at that…” you heard Jennis voice “… looks like you can behave after all”

You still didn’t dare to move a muscle not knowing if the older one was testing you but she got you out of your misery quickly

“With me” the dark haired spaniard said simply already on her way back to the bedroom

“Jenni” you whispered quietly looking up carefully

“Hm?” your girlfriend turned around and eyebrow raised in question

“I think my knees died” you admitted shyly

Jenni needed a second to process the information before she turned around again

“Then crawl” you heard her as you entered the bedroom again and as humiliating as it was – you knew you better get in that room quickly otherwise she’d make you pay for it.

“Took you long enough” Jenni said once you made it inside your shared bedroom “… bed”

You winced slightly your muscles arching from the uncomfortable position she left you in as you ungracefully got on the bed. You didn’t know what to do so you just settled next to Alexia whose body was covered in a thin layer of sweat her hair in a messy bun some of them sticking to her forehead. The blonde had a satisfied smile on her face her breathing still a little bit labored. You could see Jennis marks on her neck her chest even her thighs. You could see that Alexias ass had a nice shade of red and that scared you of what would happen to you.

“Don’t worry Cari…. I know it’s not your thing” Jenni pulled you out of your thoughts like she could read them “… you asked for something the last time we spoke about sex… would that still be something you’d be interested in?”

You looked at her with wide eyes like someone was holding you t gunpoint

“That’s a no then” the black haired woman mumbled

“I just…” you stuttered but then didn’t know how to voice your feelings

“Uncertain? Scared?” Jenni tried to help you out

“Yes… no… yes” you whined getting overwhelmed

“We’ll revisit the topic later…” the older one said calmly starting to pull your shirt over your head unceremoniously “… now… we still have some boundaries to set”

Alexia watched interested how Jenni got you out of your clothes before she push you face forward into the mattress

“Since you love talking back to Alexia so much… use your mouth” Jenni grumbled pushing you towards the blonde again

“I…” you stumbled over your words and before you found yourself in between Alexias legs her glistening pussy centimeters away from your face

“Get to work” your girlfriend growled from above you her hand between your shoulder blades while Alexias hand found the back of your head

You wriggled forward as much as the restraining of your girlfriends let you move so you could press a soft kiss to the blondes pubic bone making her growl

“Stop it and do what you’re supposed to do… didn’t you hear Jenni?” Alexia growled darkly knowing that you find it quite turning on

“Sí La Reina” you mumbled quickly before you started to push your tongue inside her warm wet pussy

“Fucking finally” the blonde moaned and you knew thanks to Jenni it wouldn’t take long to make her come if you did it the right way.

Which meant constant pressure even if your jaw hurt or cramped. You knew you only had a small window of getting it just right otherwise Alexia would get impatient and then you would spend literally hours in this position. What you didn’t expect was that this time Jenni wouldn’t just watch like she usually did. No, this time she decided to get involved too. Her weight still held you down her hand still between your shoulder blades but her OTHER hand – you forgot with your task that both your girlfriends had two hands. So the second you felt Jenni hand in between your legs you jolted forward into Alexias cunt making her groan.

“What Cari … you didn’t forgot about me did you now?” the older one teased you feeling how wet you already became “… so wet…. I presume that’s for me this time?”

You moaned against Alexias middle making her groan deeply her hand tightening in your hair as Jenni started to draw light circles on your outer lips

“That’s my good girl” Jenni smirked “… make Alexia come – then I’ll decide if and how often you’ll come”

“Jenni” you heard Alexia keen above you feeling how close she was – tasting how close she was

“It’s okay Ale…” Jenni said softly “… come”

Alexias nails digged into your scalp holding you in place as she rocked harshly against your face. You held still and let the blonde use your tongue making herself come on it.

“Bona noia” Jenni praised Alexia softly and even you could hear the Madrid accent when she spoke catalan “… was she good to you? Does she deserve the reward we talked about?”

“Sí” the blonde panted out

“Bueno… you’re lucky Cari” the dark haired smirked “Don’t you want to thank her?”

You didn’t know what Jenni expected from you so you just stayed still while she continued to gently tease your entrance. Alexia was the one showing pity on you in the end pulling your face away from her cunt gently coaxing you upwards so you laid on top of her as she kissed you gently

“You trust Jenni and I sí?” she asked you softly in between kisses

“Mhm” you confirmed enjoying the change of pace

“Bueno…” the catalan smiled “… I promise you’ll enjoy it”

Alexia distracted you just long enough that Jenni could strap up again know kneeling behind you her large Hand on the small of your back

“First you gonna come on my strap Bebé…” Jenni said her voice low “… you still acted like a spoiled brat… so you’ll just take it”

Jenni saw and Alexia felt how you immediately tensed up. The catalan started to kiss you again trying to sooth your anxiety while the Madrista started to gently stroke over your back

“You can take it Cariño” the lanky one said softly “… I wouldn’t even consider it if I had any doubts… if you feel too overwhelmed – you remember your safe word sí?”

“Mhm…” you nodded breaking the kiss to lean your head against Alexias collarbone

“Words Cari…” Jenni urged you

“Pine” you mumbled

“Good girl” the older one said leaning down pressing a kiss to your spine “… what if you need a break?”

“Dallas” you whimpered your mind already started racing again

“You can take it Bebé” the Madrista said gently caressing your back pushing her hips forward nudging the tip of the strap inside your tight heat

You whimpered trying to move forward and away but Alexia held you in place by your hips not letting you get away

“If you need to…” Jenni smirked finding the blondes eyes over your shoulder “… just bite Alexia”

The blonde quickly flipped her girlfriend off before she started to praise you while the dark haired spaniard pushed steadily forward stretching you to the point where you were about to break when Jenni finally bottomed out

“Mierda Alexia…” Jenni groaned her voice dark with lust “… fuck she looks so good… so so good”

Alexia was more occupied with making sure you were okay pressing kisses to your temple as Jenni stroked over your back giving you a minute to adjust. The second the older one felt your muscles relax under her hands she started to move. Pull out. Thrusting back into you. This was the Jenni you loved. The Jenni who used you to her satisfaction but still was looking out for your well-being and your satisfaction. In the beginning her thrusts were slow but powerful. The more she felt you relax, the more you accepted her the faster and harder her trusts became. With each thrust Jenni pushed you forward to the point where Alexia basically got fucked through you the whole bed moving. The Madrista lost herself in the sensation even more when even Alexia started to moan while you just tried to hold on somehow.

“Jenni” you begged feeling your orgasm approaching

“First me…” Jenni growled “… then you”

“Por favor” you begged pitifully

“First ME” the dark haired one growled darkly

“Ale” you cried out

“Ssssshhhh Cari….” the blonde tried to sooth you “… you can hold it… you did it for me… you can do it for Jenni too”

“I can’t…” you’re voice breaking “… I can’t… I can’t… I…”

Suddenly Jenni stopped. You were so close and she just… stopped

“Oh so you can for her but not for me?” Jenni asked her voice on the edge of angry

“I…” you tried to get some air into your lungs

“Cari…?” the Madrista asked now concerned

“Jenni….” you panted gripping blindly onto anything trying to ground yourself

“Come” Jenni demanded searching for solution to your misery

“Ale…” you begged

“Come Cariño…” the blonde said softly kissing every inch of your face she could reach

With the permission and the extra trust Jenni provided you with you came. You came hard. Not the black out squirting hard – that Jenni and Alexia definitely could provide – but hard.

“Buena chica” the older one said gently seeing your body trembling between hers and Alexias

“Jenni” your blonde girlfriend said lowly “… you really want to…”

“Let’s try it…” the black haired spaniard answered just as quietly “… she let go… she got all the bottled up feelings out”

“Are you sure?” Alexia asked again

“Yes… lets give her a minute” Jenni said calmly before carefully pulling out making you subconsciously groan

You came back came to it feeling Alexia draw lazy circles on your back

“Hi” you mumbled against her skin

“Hola” the blonde chuckled “Back with us?”

“That felt really good” you murmured and sighed deeply

“Hm…” Alexia hummed “… we noticed”

“How long…?” you asked ashamed

“A few minutes… Jenni’s still in the bathroom cleaning up” the catalan answered softly “… do you want to try anal Cari?”

“I’m not sure…” you mumbled

“What makes you question yourself?” Alexia asked trying to see if it was something solvable or if you just weren’t ready

“What if I don’t like it?” you started to get uneasy

“Then we stop…” the blonde answered easily “… anal isn’t something you get… used to… either you like it and explore it more or you don’t like it”

“You like it…” you said as a matter of fact

“Not always… I enjoy it some days and in general yes…” Alexia answered honestly “… but there are times where I’m just not in the mood”

“Can you…?” you asked carefully

“You don’t trust Jenni with it?” the catalan asked surprised having spotted Jenni already leaning in the doorframe

“I do…” you said quickly

“But…” the blonde pressed the matter a little bit

“You… know how it feels” you admitted

“You think Jenni doesn’t?” Alexia chuckled after a minute

“No?” you looked confused

“Cari…. Believe me… she knows” the blonde pressed a loving kiss to your forehead smiling against your skin

“What… how…. What?” you got even more confused

“You think I don’t enjoy some experiences as well?” now Jenni made herself known smirking

“You never let…” you stuttered

“You just don’t pay enough attention Cari…” the older one snorted “… I don’t particularly enjoy getting fucked but I do enjoy some anal play”

“Oh…” you said embarrassed hiding your face

“If you don’t like it we stop okay Bebé” Jenni said gently after she laid down next to Alexia and you pulling you in between the two

This time it started out slow and sensual. Both of them wanted to make sure you were completely relaxed and comfortable. Four hands started to explore your body again. Soft strokes. Gentle kisses. You felt yourself falling deeper into this completely relaxed state of body and mind. That was until you felt Jenni grab your ass cheek not roughly but firmly

“Relax Cariño” Alexia whispered against your lips “Trust us”

You sagged back against Jenni silently confirming that you indeed trust them . Again the Madrista grabbed your ass cheek and this time you flinched a little but didn’t jump like before. Jenni kissed and nipped at you shoulder blade letting her hand wander around inching closer to were she wanted to be since the moment you brought it up. She gathered some of your juices up gently spreading it around your virgin hole. She repeated the action over and over again until she felt you relax under her hands.

“Ready Cari?” Jenni mumbled against your back Alexia claiming the front of your body

“I think so…” you said in awe half coherent state

“Ale…” the older one murmured and immediately the blonde pulled your leg over her hip holding it there opening you up for the Madrista

“Relax Cariño” Jenni pressed kisses to your skin while she gently but firmly pushed her index finger into your tight hole

You grunted when you first felt Jennis finger breach your tight muscle ring not knowing if you liked it or not

“Ssssshhhh… you’re doing so good Bebé” the dark haired one hushed you gently pushing her finger further into your tight asshole

“Feels weird” you grunted

“That’s normal Cari…” Alexia smiled softly “… but still okay sí?”

“Sí” you confirmed

“Bueno” the blonde kissed you again still holding your leg over her waist

You felt Jenni pull her finger back a little bit before she pushed back in every time a little deeper. After a while you felt how you started to enjoy the things that your girlfriends did to and with you so you let yourself fall letting them take care of you

“There we go…” Jenni whispered the praise into your ear feeling how you relaxed

She tried a second finger when she felt you getting lose but quickly decided against it feeling you tense immediately. You let your girlfriends manipulate your body into a deep state of white mind that at some point you were so far gone that Alexia stopped Jenni convincing her to just let them enjoy the moment. You floated on the cloud of submission that wasn’t new to you but it was extremely rare that you reached that level.

Jenni and Alexia made sure you could enjoy that state for as long as possible. The transition from your submissive state to sleep was blurred and your girlfriends decided to just let you sleep instead waking you up to talk about the new experience. You just slept through the night just feeling happy and save in between your girlfriends.

[genericpuff]

The Elephant in the Room - Queer Erasure and Westernization in Lore Olympus (and all its horrid stepchildren)

This is one people have been asking me for a while now, and I've been waiting for the right inspiration to hit, as is required for my ADHD hyperfixation-fueled rants. After recently watching a video that did an objective review of Cait Corrain's Crown of Starlight, I felt now was the time, because Crown of Starlight effectively proves exactly what Lore Olympus - and other Greek myth interpretations like it - has issues with.

And I want to preface this post with one question - why do we keep getting these Greek myth adaptations written by queer women that still wind up perpetuating toxic heteronormative culture?

Buckle up, because this one's HEFTY.

In that aforementioned review of A Crown of Starlight, there were a lot of points that came up about how Cait wrote the female protagonist - Ariadne, wife of Dionysus - where I immediately stopped and went, "Wait, this sounds awfully familiar."

It should be mentioned briefly for anyone who's unaware - Cait Corrain is an author who was recently (and still) under fire for using sock puppet accounts on GoodReads to intentionally sabotage the ratings of other debut authors, many of whom were her own peers or from the same publishing imprint as her (Del Rey), and most of whom were POC. I mentioned in that previous essay that I just linked that Cait Corrain is a fan of Lore Olympus and decided to give it 5 star ratings from these alt accounts, not just de-legitimizing the reputation of the books she bombed, but also the ones that she praised (including her own book, because of course she had to leave an obvious calling card LMAO). I felt it necessary to tie Cait into my discussion of white feminism in LO and its fanbase because people like Cait are exactly who we're talking about when we dissect the intent and consequences of LO's writing - much of its brand of "feminism" seems to only be catered to a specific kind of woman (i.e. white women who fetishize queer people/relationships) and seem to encourage/embrace violence towards women if those women aren't "behaving correctly" or just aren't fortunate enough to be white and rich - and so Cait choosing to give Lore Olympus 5 stars in her hate-raiding and even have it visibly in the background of her headshot photos was... not exactly disproving my argument that these are the types of people LO caters to and encourages, to say the least.

But then I watched Read with Rachel's "Did It Deserve 1 Star" review of Crown of Starlight and it cemented my assumptions and concerns regarding Cait's intentions and influences even more.

As a brief tangent, I've read A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Claire. It very obviously is using Lore Olympus as its blueprints, but it's not super obvious that if you didn't read Lore Olympus or weren't aware of it, you probably wouldn't notice. It's still not a great book on its own, it's riddled with writing problems, but at least it can call itself its own thing to some degree.

Crown of Starlight is just blatant Lore Olympus fanfiction pretending to be original, even down to its marketing (which I'll get to shortly) but swapping out Hades and Persephone with Dionysus and Ariadne, and setting the entire story in space. Why is it in space? There doesn't seem to be any actual necessary reason for this, it just is, go with it. I'd be willing to accept this because changing up the setting of pre-existing stories can be fun (god knows I loved the premise enough of Lore Olympus being a modern day Greek myth retelling that I had to go and make my own version of it that's still in that modern setting) but as RWR says in her review:

"... we're told that it's the 'island' of Crete, but then we talk about commbands, airlocks, [holo-shields] and it wasn't really written in a way that I felt meshed 'Greek retelling' and 'sci-fi' in a cohesive way."

Needless to say, Crown of Starlight unsurprisingly suffers from the same problems Lore Olympus does, where it will try to "subvert" the original myths by changing their setting and characters and then doing absolutely nothing interesting with them to justify those changes.

To really drive my point home that Crown of Starlight is undoubtedly Lore Olympus fanfiction, Lore Olympus was literally used as a comparison point in Crown of Starlight's marketing which is a fair tactic to use to advertise to a specific niche or demographic, and while some have argued that Cait isn't technically the one to come up with that marketing jargon, it's made much more clear that she used that comparison herself when writing and pitching the book because it is quite literally just Lore Olympus with a different couple in space, right down to the main female protagonist being part of a purity cult. And of course it wouldn't be a bad Wattpad romance if it didn't have our main female protagonist Ariadne talking about how inconvenient her MASSIVE BREASTS are and of COURSE Ariadne is a poor innocent uwu babygirl who needs a man to come in and rescue her from the evil purity cult and of COURSE it hints at them eventually having raunchy sex just for it to wind up being milquetoast bondage and of COURSE it all just winds up taking traditionally queer characters and stories and turning them into this sanitized Disney-esque plotline where the boy and girl were always meant to be together and nothing else matters except their love-

And that, at its core, really just screams "this is bad LO fanfiction". From the stylization of the book's writing which never outgrew its "adorkable fanfiction writing" phase-

"Realizing that I'm being gaslit by my entire world doesn't make it easier to deal with, but hey, at least I still have some part of my soul!" - an excerpt from Crown of Starlight quoted from RWR's review timestamp 13:03

-to the "creative" choices made to turn Ariadne into a chastity cult girl whose resolution is obviously going to be to have what's implied to be dirty raunchy sex just for it to be like... the most tame level one bondage stuff;

-to the classic "she breasted boobily down the stairs" focus on Ariadne's body and breasts and sex appeal that's being kept in check by that pesky purity club.

And that's really disappointing because I had seen people say, "Yeah, Cait did an awful thing and deserves to be removed from her publishing schedule, but it's a shame that that book was written by Cait because it's actually a really good book!" because now it's just making me even more sus of people's Greek myth adaption recommendations (I'm still mad at BookTok for convincing me that A Touch of Darkness was worth reading). All I could think while listening to some of the excerpts quoted by RWR was that if I didn't know about Cait Corrain and read Crown of Starlight blind, I'd undoubtedly assume it was being written by a heterocis guy... but it's in fact being written by a queer woman.

And this is where I segue into talking about the root of this problem, where the calls are really coming from - Lore Olympus and its erasure of queer identities and relationships, despite also being written by a queer woman who should know better.

I could think of no better character to help carry this essay than Eros.

Unlike many of the characters in LO that Rachel has managed to straightwash by changing their motives entirely or straight up changing their identity from the source material (ex. Zeus, Apollo, Crocus who was turned into a flower nymph, Dionysus and Achilles because they're both literally babies, the list goes on), Eros has largely remained the same on paper who had zero reason to not be queer within the story.

Eros is still the god of love in this, he's still a guy and presumed to be an adult, but we NEVER see or explore him having relationships with anyone other than Psyche, aside from a brief mention of organizing orgies in the beginning that's used as a quick joke and then promptly never mentioned again.

Just like with Crown of Starlight and A Touch of Darkness and all these other "dark romance" stories, it's that brand of "pretends to be sexually liberating but isn't actually" writing, where they'll briefly mention orgies or sex-related things and then beat around the bush or avoid involving them entirely like a kid at Sunday school who doesn't want to say the word "penis".

(fr out of all the corny and awful slang for genitals I've seen used in stories like this, "a certain part of my anatomy" is definitely one of the most boring and stupid, like for god's sakes Hades you're both adults and at the beginning of this comic you thought she wanted to bang in the kitchen, why are you suddenly talking like a 7 year old boy LOL)

All that aside, while Eros might still be hinted at being queer and sex-positive, it's only as vaguely as possible so that the story can quickly move on to focus on him and Psyche or, better yet, Hades and Persephone. When Eros isn't deadset on finding Psyche, he's being the gay best friend for Persephone, who he has NO right having a friendship with when he introduced himself by intentionally getting her as drunk as possible with the intent of dumping her in Hades' car as per his mom's command. It's brushed off later as "well Aphrodite maaade him do it, for Psycheee!" but Eros still agreed to potentially put Persephone in danger over a relationship that had NOTHING to do with her and was also mostly his fault in its fallout (which Artemis calls him out for, but of course, like all the other times characters have called out the actual issues in the story they're inhabiting, they get brushed aside so that Persephone can talk about Hades):

Now, the Eros and Psyche plotline is one I've talked about before here and not the focus of this essay so I'll keep this tangent brief, but it's absolutely wild to me that Rachel took a story about a woman going to the ends of the earth to prove her love for someone whose trust she broke (a common theme in a lot of Greek myth stories, such as the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice) and turned it into... woman of color gets turned into a nymph slave for Aphrodite to 'test' Eros, a test that isn't clear at all in what it's trying to achieve, and wait hold up, didn't Eros actually fail that test by kissing Ampelus while completely unaware that it was Psyche-

This is just that episode of Family Guy where Peter justifies emotionally cheating and eventually physically cheating on Lois because "well you were the phone sex lady the whole time so no harm done!", isn't it? (×﹏×)

Anyways. It's all very convenient that the comic will hint at queer rep just to either have it be a constant question of whether or not they're actually queer (ex. Morpheus) OR to have it be promptly swept under the rug to make way for other characters/plot points. It's like when mongie tried to be "inclusive" by writing a stereotypical vaguely Asian character with no specific ethnicity just to get angry at her fanbase for calling her out on this that you can't just call a vaguely Asian character "representation" of anything (because Asia is MASSIVE and covers so many different ethnicities and languages and cultures).

Eros is only as gay as he needs to be to fill the role of "gay best friend" for Persephone.

Krokos is no longer a male lover of Hermes but a flower nymph created by Persephone because... apparently we can't dare imply that Hermes would be into anyone besides his unrequited childhood love, Persephone.

Achilles is introduced as a baby even though it makes no sense in the comic's own timeline where Odysseus is presumably already a well-known hero in Olympus, so much so that he was invited to the Panathenea.

Apollo is turned into a flat-out rapist who's only concerned with getting Persephone at all costs and when that doesn't work, he tries to get ANOTHER flower nymph (Daphne) who's actually genuinely interested in him (contrary to the original myth, there's that "swap it subversion" Rachel is known for) to cut her hair so she'll resemble Persephone more because we can't have a single plot point not resolve around Persephone.

Despite there being loads of genderbent characters already, Morpheus is supposedly the only one we're supposed to assume is specifically trans and not just a gender-flipped version of a Greek myth character. Why? Not because Rachel stated so explicitly, not because the comic has actually explored her identity as a trans woman, but because the readers just assumed it in good faith and Rachel was clearly fine with taking credit for trans representation that's only there via assumption (and only confirmed via her mods in Discord, which is... not how you establish canon information in your comic, Rachel.)

Hestia and Athena are part of a chastity club, until uh oh how convenient that they're secretly in a relationship with each other even though it further vilifies them and their morals, particularly Hestia who was promptly called out for being a hypocrite for taking Persephone's coat gifted to her from Hades while secretly being in a relationship the whole time. Not only does the Hestia and Athena relationship manage to commit queer erasure - of two gods who are considered icons in the aroace communities - but it also makes the only two lesbians in the story come across as assholes AND ON TOP OF THAT ALSO manages to somehow invalidate queer sex and relationships as being legitimate due to the even deeper implication that breaking their chastity vows "doesn't count" because it's not a male x female relationship. It's the 'ole poophole loophole all over again.

And then there's Artemis, who has MORE REASON THAN EVER TO BE IN THE PLOT but keeps being conveniently ignored. Her finding out about Hestia and Athena doesn't get any more screentime than her going "oh you're in a relationship, okay" , we never see her question the true intentions of TGOEM or what it means to her, we never see her have any opportunity to carve out her identity beyond just being Apollo's twin sister (it tries to at times, but then immediately goes nowhere with it, amounting to just poetic word salad), and she really just comes across as what a lot of people assume aroace people to be - alone and standoffish, because obviously someone who's nice and a good person would be in a relationship, there has to be a reason they don't want to have sex or fall in love, and that reason obviously has to be that they just hate everyone and want to be alone forever (￢_￢;) Then again, like many of the queer characters in LO, I don't know if I can definitively call her aroace because it's kept as vague as possible, and - going by Rachel's answers to these questions way back in her Tumblr era - apparently people can't be gay and ace at the same time-

There are undoubtedly loads more examples that I could cover here but that goes for practically any essay I write about LO - the more you peel it apart, the more you start unearthing some really questionable and frankly mean-spirited stuff. Queer people feel largely ignored in LO, alongside many of its derivative offspring such as A Touch of Darkness and Crown of Starlight, and it really speaks to how so many people - queer women, no less - have somehow managed to bastardize and sanitize what were traditionally very queer stories with queer characters. It's like these people think "olden times" and can only get as far as "women were slaves and men were rich assholes". Like, yeah, okay, that was the case for many cultures, but not all of them, and for some of them it wasn't as clear cut as that, many had misogynist power struggles in them while also still celebrating women and queer people in their own way. Greek myth is full of stories of women being forced into marriage or being made the victims of assault, but many of them are supportive of women and their struggles, unlike works like LO that somehow manage to be less feminist and sympathetic to women and queer people than these works from thousands of years ago.

This is another topic that's surely meant for another post, but it really speaks not only to the straightwashing and whitewashing of Greek myth, but also the Westernizing of it. That's not to say Rachel Smythe and Cait Corrain and Scarlett St. Claire are intentionally trying to whitewash another culture's works here, but if you're raised predominantly on Western media, you're undoubtedly going to absentmindedly adopt ideas about society that are primarily molded around Western beliefs .

And this is apparent in LO, while Rachel is from New Zealand, you can tell she grew up on a lot of Western media and its influences are sorely showing through LO's worldbuilding, character designs, and narrative choices. That "modern setting" that I mentioned before is much less Greek and a lot more adjacent to The Kardashians which lends to the theories that most of the media that Rachel consumes is American. Rather than actually going to the effort of doing her research on Greek culture, she seems to just prefer defaulting to the easiest assumption of how modern society is across the board - a generic Los Angeles clone with big glass skyscrapers and pavement walkways. She rarely ever draws food or clothing from those time periods; despite this story being about gods she's spent so little time on the people who passed on the stories about those gods, the mortals, and the gods themselves rarely feel like gods, rather just like Hollywood celebrities covered in body paint. The clothing feels very generic and uninspired with often very little Greek influence, even though Greek clothing is designed around Mediterranean living which you could do a lot with, to such an egregiously Western degree that Hades and Persephone's wedding was Christian-coded. The food... well, there ISN'T any because as we've seen, like the stereotypical American child, Persephone apparently only wants chicken nuggies and Skittles for dinner, so we never see her eat; and not only do we not see Persephone eat, but Rachel weirdly tries to use Persephone's vegetarianism as some kind of anti-capitalist characterization when much of the Greek diet is predominantly vegetarian. It's NOT HARD or uncommon to be a vegetarian in Greece!

(it looks like they're literally all eating the same thing so IDK what Hera is referring to here, it looks like they're all eating toast and lettuce LMAO)

All that's to say, much of LO - and the books like it that I've gone over here - are written with this idea that every culture - including the one that it's trying to adapt - was subject to the same ideas that Western culture lives by in the modern day - that being a vegetarian is "counterculture" in every culture, that the notion of sexual purity is enforced in the same way it's enforced in the Western education system (cough Christianity cough), that queer or otherwise "unconventional" relationships should stay inside the bedroom and not be seen. As much as Rachel claims she wants to "fight the patriarchy" and "deconstruct purity culture", all she winds up doing is reinforcing it through a Westernized lens, which is, as I've talked about before, very indicative of right-leaning white feminism and what it embraces and promotes - being a "good woman" who follows the rules and willingly becomes part of the system that's oppressing them because that's what "good women" do. Women who are confidant in their sexuality are evil and should be shunned for being "sluts". Women who are in relationships with other women "don't count" as real relationships the same way heteronormative relationships do, and cannot be trusted because they're likely trying to spread an agenda that's designed to brainwash heterocis women. Women should only aim to achieve marriage and their entire personality has to be built around their true love. Women are allowed to be kinky, but only as kinky as roleplaying the exact same gender structures that puts the man in a position to dominate a woman, and it should always and only ever be with her first love who she marries immediately, no one else.

This is exactly what the critics are getting at when they hold LO - and its creator - accountable for the messages it's been sending for five years to its audience of middle aged women and young girls. Having a demographic is fine, if this were just a comic for girls it would be fine, but it becomes a lot more problematic when that demographic is being fed toxic power fantasy stories based on a culture that's being gentrified and sanitized of all its original messaging and characterization right before our eyes. It feels blatantly misinformed from the very beginning in its intention to be a "feminist retelling" of Greek myth, because somehow Lore Olympus manages to be less feminist than these stories drafted and written by men from 2000+ years ago.

I opened this essay with a question: why do we keep getting these Greek myth adaptations written by queer women that still wind up perpetuating toxic heteronormative culture?

I think cases like these really highlight how deep the heteronormative brainwashing from childhood onward goes. That, despite these writers being queer or women, still manage to reinforce the same ideas and tropes and harmful predisposed notions that were designed to be used explicitly against queer people and women. These are things that we can't ever stop challenging, and asking, and truly deconstructing, because it runs deep in many of us who grew up on popular media even as innocent as Disney. Learning about more complex social concepts like sexism and misogyny and queerphobia doesn't automatically absolve us of those very same biases that have been both blatantly and subtly ingrained into us since childhood. All that said, Rachel being bisexual does not mean she's not capable of straightwashing; Cait Corrain being a queer debut author with a POC main character didn't stop them from targeting other POC debut authors at their own imprint; being part of any minority group or identifier does not automatically protect you from perpetuating the cycle that you, too, likely had enforced upon you at some point or another in your life. The fact that these creators and writers are still perpetuating that cycle to begin with is indicative of why it's a cycle at all - it takes work to break on a subconscious level because those cycles are specifically designed to target and hijack the subconscious.

At its worst, do you really think Lore Olympus can claim to be a feminist retelling that's "deconstructing purity culture" when the creator herself admittedly never fully identified or understood sexism until her mid-30's and has the audacity to say her audience is "harsh" on the female characters that she constantly vilifies through her own narrative?

"I feel like female characters in general, people will be a little harsher on them and sometimes way harsher on them, and I used to be like.. before I started writing the story and like making a story I was like yeah, sexism is not that bad, and [now] I was like oh it's bad. It's quite bad [laughs], so like, I don't know, I feel like the female characters in the story don't get so much of a pass. But this isn't consistent across the board, it's not all the time" - Rachel Smythe, in an interview with Girl Wonder Webtoon Podcast

If Lore Olympus truly was just a series meant to be for fun "no thoughts head empty" drama and spice, that would be fine. I've said it time and time before on this blog and I'll say it again: I wouldn't have an issue if Rachel was just writing a story exclusively revolving around heterocis men and women. I'm just frustrated and tired and annoyed that she keeps lying about it, and doubly so that this comic and its creator who claim to be "feminist" have inspired other people in the same headspace to continue to perpetuate that cycle through works that are clearly inspired by LO and never challenged the things LO promoted - violence towards "unconventional" women, violence towards POC, and erasure of queer people. And worst of all, for writers like Cait Corrain, it's more than just writing a really bad book with really bad messaging, it's going so far as intentionally targeting those same groups of people that are regularly vilified in works like LO - people who are just existing, who don't pose a threat to anyone, but had the misfortune of becoming the target of a white woman's insecurity.

I don't know what the answer to this problem is. I don't know what form the solution will come in, if any, to address the ongoing issues with Greek myth adaptions that are being sorely written through an "America as the default" point of view and praised for "rewriting the script of Greek mythology", quite literally cultural appropriation happening live right before our eyes all for the sake of cheap entertainment. Maybe it'll take the failings of works like Crown of Starlight to really get people talking about it. But so long as the roots of these works - such as Lore Olympus - are still being protected and marketed en masse by the same kinds of people who don't see the issue in Americanizing other cultures and their stories, then Lore Olympus and Crown of Starlight will not be the last ones to cause harm to the source material - and the cultures that source material is born from and a part of - they're taking from.

I opened this post with a question, and I'm going to close it with another to really leave it as food for thought. That question comes from another video that I'll link here for you to watch at your convenience that spends even more time diving into and discussing the nature of works like this that have seemingly attempted to "deconstruct" the very dogmas that they still wind up reinforcing all the same.

Does the romance genre have a white supremacy problem?

(yes. yes, it does.)

[hed-romancer]

andy's really giving "guy who has never learned to live with his his fear that people dislike him"

the tribe didn't cheer for you when you opened up your coconut? rachel doesn't want to talk to you alone when it'd be seen as suspicious? they probably all hate you!

the thing about fear is that sometimes you're right, and trusting yourself to correctly interpret the vibes you're getting from other people is important, in real life but even more so in survivor.

learning to live with this fear is realizing that if people don't already like you, whining to them about how they don't like you or asking them for reassurance that they do like you will never make them like you.

so you're picking up signs that people don't like you, at least not as much as they like each other or someone else? can't get out of the situation entirely because you're on survivor (or in your workplace, or at school and can't just leave)?

take a deep breath. remind yourself that it's okay that sometimes other people don't like you. that the people you choose to spend time with and choose to spend time with you do really like you. and then try to be as normal of a person as you possibly can be until you can get out of the situation. it's the only way.

[amber-jinx]

Hey! Long time, no see!

How have you been? How do you feel about the new Life Is Strange game, Double Exposure? And were you surprised that Max and Chloe broke up?

Hey pal! How are ya? I'm doing good, currently travelling in London for a few days. I haven't really watched footages from Double Exposure extensively, just a few clips of Max telling Safi and her diary on Chloe and Rachel. Because from the trailer it could be seen they broke up, it didn't came as much of a surprise, albeit the fact that the choice was really direct -- "we broke up" vs "she died", instead of making it more nuanced. Seems like Deck9 really wanted nothing to do with Chloe.

I could understand the split though, people "process things differently" with different views and life working its way, it's possible at they didn't last forever. But they should at least still be good friends checking up on each other every now and then, since heyve been through so much together.

It also seems to me that in the bae ending, Chloe has become this future-looking person -- almost as if Rachel rubbed off on her ("I'm a Leo, we never look back.") when in fact she hasn't really moved on. Max might be trying to move on in her own way, but it's not the same as how Chloe chooses to deal with all of it.

However though, I've heard people's say the bay ending is much more satisfactory-- at least they didn't make Chloe so.. resolute on leaving.

[polorizetheory]

Like Mother Like Daughter

I never noticed this before, but it's interesting how in a way, Joyce and Chloe both found different people who helped them move on from the people they loved and lost. Joyce lost William, and Chloe in turn lost both William and Max. William and Max were part of a happy life, an era where while things were not exactly perfect, they were still memorable and good. So good in fact, when William died and Max had to leave for Seattle, Joyce almost immediately began dating another man while Chloe was spiraling into self destruction. Going into dangerous places and associating herself or getting into trouble with dangerous people.

Chloe, for the life of her, could not understand how or why Joyce would practically run into the arms of another man when her own father's funeral wasn't that long ago. How she could betray William, a good man, like that over David who is a total stranger.

Which makes so much sense as to why Chloe never made that comparison with Rachel, a total stranger at the time became who Chloe fell head over heels for. To Chloe, at least she had reasons. Max abandoned her (granted Max was 13 and had no control over the situation and in theory was afraid Chloe was the one moving on without her.), and in addition was not even feeling comfortable in her own household. Rachel gave Chloe reasons to keep going forward in life, she came to her like an angel ascending in to the darkest period in her teenhood.

Chloe never once thought that was probably why Joyce did what she did. For Joyce, it felt like what Chloe felt about William all this time.

"HE CHOOSE TO LEAVE ME!"

Joyce might have been angry at William for dying, as irrational as that sounds. "Why didn't he just took the bus to pick me up? Why couldn't he leave home earlier? How could he do this to me?" This of course does not excuse Joyce for choosing a man over her own child and make excuses for his actions instead of being understanding of what her daughter was going through. But it does show that in some ways, Chloe did get her irrationality and a desperate need to move forward as a coping mechanism from her. With David, he gave Joyce a reason to be happy, and like Rachel to Chloe, he showed her that she could find love in her life again. Unlike Chloe, maybe Joyce saw that comparison too, and was at least grateful that while Chloe was still a delinquent, Rachel was there for at least a distraction.

And it couldn't be just a coincidence that after the anniversary of William's death, that's when Max popped in to Chloe's life and saved her.

[chloe-caulfield94]

Do you think Rachel Amber is manipulative like some people say?

Rachel is a very interesting character because of her wildly different portrayals in Season 1 and Before the Storm, especially when we look at her from the perspective of her relationship with Chloe. In BtS, she's just as interested in pursuing Chloe romantically as Chloe is interested in her, if not more. Even if Chloe chooses to say at the junkyard that she sees Rachel as a friend, Rachel tells her later under the tree that the thing between them is "intense" and that "maybe she [Chloe] sees it as a friendship", clearly implying that Rachel sees it as something romantic.

However, if we go just by what is shown and said in S1, the dynamic between Rachel and Chloe seems to be that while Chloe was deeply in love with Rachel, Rachel "only" saw Chloe as a best friend (I put the word "only" in quotation marks, because I would never want to imply that platonic love you have for your close friends is something worse than romantic love - it's obviously not, but it is different, or at least it's expressed differently).

While these two portrayals of Rachel are wildly different, it is possible to reconcile them. People change as time goes by. Especially young people can change very fast. Some relationships do not withstand the test of time. So one could imagine the BtS Rachel, who loved Chloe and genuinely dreamed of leaving town with her to begin again somewhere far away, slowly turning into S1 Rachel, who lost her love for Chloe along the way, but didn't bother telling her that, letting Chloe live a dead dream.

While the above interpretation is certainly the more comprehensive one, since it bridges both games without leaving any plot holes or discrepancies and it is realistic (time grinds down everything, sometimes even love - that's a sad reality), I don't follow it personally. I just don't want to.

The thought of someone holding the love and devotion of another person in the palm of their hand but choosing to throw it away is soul-crushing to me. The only thing worse than that is someone holding the love and devotion of another person in the palm of their hand, but not even bothering to throw it away, instead just letting it slowly drip between their fingers, neither reciprocating the feeling nor releasing the person who offered it from the spell the holder has over them.

So I choose to look at BtS Rachel and S1 Rachel as two different persons. Or maybe two wildly different portrayals of the same person, of which it is impossible to say which is the "real" one.

I don't think that BtS Rachel is "manipulative". I think that players who try to portray her as such are missing the point of that character. Just like players who claim that Chloe in S1 is a bad person or that Daniel in S2 is an annoying ingrate miss the point of those characters.

Rachel is not some secret villain. Just like Chloe and Daniel, she's a complex and imperfect character. While she's not the playable character, her relationship with that character is the main axis of the game, just like it is with Chloe and Daniel in their respective games. The point of those characters is that while sometimes relationships can become challenging, it's worth fighting to preserve them. That sometimes people deserve not to be given up on. I think that turning Rachel into some sort of "master manipulator femme fatale seductress" who took advantage of unsuspecting Chloe completely warps and taints the message present in all Life is Strange games - one of empathy and understanding, not of prejudice and condemnation.

I don't think that Rachel not telling Chloe that their escapade to the park had a hidden goal of spying on her father is proof of some wrongdoing on her part. Firstly, she told Chloe the truth. She needed company. Someone to support her. She simply didn't tell a girl she's just met her family's dirtiest secret. I think that hardly makes her dishonest. Secondly, she didn't force Chloe to go with her. Chloe made that choice herself. While Rachel must've had a general idea that Chloe wasn't doing well at school, I don't think she could've predicted that principal Wells would react so harshly. And thirdly, don't you think that if she had told Chloe the real purpose of their trip, Chloe would've been MORE, not less inclined to go with her? Chloe felt drawn to Rachel. She would've grasped at an opportunity to gain Rachel's trust by helping her in an hour of need.

I don't think that Rachel pulling Chloe into the school play was "manipulative" either. You could say it was a stupid prank or that her forcing Chloe to leave her comfort zone was not okay. But Rachel's intentions were not malicious. She wanted Chloe to take part in something she liked, anticipating that Chloe would like it too. And wasn't she right? Chloe crushed it on scene.

And yes, by asking Chloe to investigate Sera, she asked for A LOT. But isn't this what you have friends for? If you're in need of help, who are you going to ask for it? Your family and friends. In this instance, asking family for help was out of the question, for obvious reasons. And I don't think Rachel's preppy friends would be willing or able to help in that regard. Chloe was the only person she could count on. Rachel asked for a lot. Chloe was under no obligation to help her. She didn't owe her anything. But she chose to help, because she cared about Rachel. Asking your friends for help is not a sign of being manipulative. It's a sign of you trusting and needing them.

S1 Rachel most certainly didn't do right by Chloe. But I wouldn't call it being manipulative. Manipulation is a way of getting people to do the things you want them to do. And it's clear that in the months preceding her murder, Rachel wanted very little from Chloe. S1 Rachel hurt Chloe in a different way - by not being honest with her. Rachel didn't owe Chloe her love. She didn't owe Chloe a new start together. But she owed her the truth. Once she realized she no longer wanted to leave town together with Chloe, she should've told her that, instead of letting Chloe live a false hope for a better tomorrow that could never come.

[gaynfl]

(((I remember that the last time I sent you on of these, it was the beginning of May and now here were are at the last day of July sooooo...!!)))

✨🌈Good News!!🌈✨

-My siblings and I grew up listening to lots of 90's & early 2000s country music, which includes one of the all time greats, Mr. Alan Jackson!! Anyway, he recently announced that he's gonna go on one FINAL tour before retiring from Tour Life so OF COURSE I HAD to get tickets for the three of us to go see him in concert!!! He's not performing in our state but...!! We are gonna have such a fun lil' sibling roadtrip to get to the neighboring state that he is performing in 🤩🔥💯💞

-Recently, I bought myself the Barbie version of Monopoly!! 💖🛼🎲🏠

-I also saw this SICK light up Razor scooter and was like, "Well, why not?!" and so I decided to get it!! I've been busy and have yet to assemble her, but just know that she's silver & fuchsia and has a LOT of lights!!

-Last Friday (July 26th) when I was getting ready to leave work and go home, I discovered that my car had a flat tire!! 😩😭👎🏻 However, I called my Aunt who has a portable air compressor and she came to assist me!! She then drove behind me to make sure that I was gonna make it out to my car guy and I did!! :D

-On top of that, the car guy was able to find the nail in said tire and repaired it all in the same day, even though he was busy and mine was an unscheduled drop off!! 🙌🏻🤩💯🔥💗

-Julian Edelman's podcast, Games with Names, always releases new episodes on Tuesdays. Well on Tuesday, July 2nd, Julian and his production team released a special Q & A episode, where they listened to various voicemails left by fans of the show. You already know that I have called their hotline to ask a bunch of short, random questions!! ❤️💛💙

-One of the questions I asked was if he (Julian) thinks that he will ever make movies & shows with Rob (Gronkowski) now that they are both officially retired. I never ever thought that they would pick one of my goofy ass questions BUT THEY DID and that's the one they choose!!! 😱🤯😳🫡🤩🥳💓

-So!! That was very cool and because I didn't say my name, they identified me as an "Acting Coach", which made me chuckle <3 Also!! As soon as my question got done playing, Julian IMMEDIATELY answered, "Well, I sure hope so!" before saying a little more about how much he loves & wants to do more projects with Rob. 🥺🥹😭🤧🥰

-Now, on a completely different note: I've been pushing myself out of my comfort zone with my writing lately, which is great because it's good to explore different aspects of storytelling!! My format/structure has basically stayed the same, but I've decided to try different perspectives and get more into other areas that are just as exciting to me what some of my old faithfuls have been!!!

-And finally, last but not least: Tom (Brady)'s 47th birthday is this Saturday, August 3rd!!! ♌🦁 It's gonna be fun to see what kinds of things people post about him, especially after all of the things he's been through this summer (the roast, his Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, etc.). 👀🎉🎂🎇🎁🎈🎊🎆

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Alright!! That's all for right now ☺️💜

I hope that this message along with the others have lifted your spirits a little and that you find at least one thing to be happy about on August 2nd. (: 🫂🌻💞

rachel next time you do this can you PLEASE tell me how long it takes you to do all of the colors this is so impressive every time

also my car ALSO has some tire issues it's so frustrating i need to get mine fixed s;lakjdf

[greatwyrmgold]

Comparing Animorphs to Worm

The first comparison is my relation to the series. (Serieses? How do you pluralize that word?) I was obsessed with Animorphs in grade school, starting younger than my parents probably would have allowed if they were familiar with the books. (I knew the name "Scholastic" from these books before my first Scholastic book fair, which should tell you a lot, if kids these days still have Scholastic book fairs.) I was obsessed with Worm immediately before and during college, shaping the way I engage with fiction and fandom to this day.

That's one of the reasons I'm comparing the two series, but there are plenty of other comparisons. Their teenaged protagonists, their heavy subject matter, the stories framed in an almost YA format that slowly peels away like old paint over rusty metal, the planetary threats from outer space...

And of course, the characters.

The Heart

This might sound weird if you're used to the fanon versions of Cassie and Taylor—the former being a weak-willed hypocrite who's constantly whinging about whether they're doing the right thing, the latter being Chuck Norris if he was a war criminal and controlled bugs. But they're very similar characters.

Superficial stuff out of the way: They're both unpopular introverts with unusually strong connections to animals, and end up in a messy interracial relationship with their team leader.

Now onto their shared core. They both have a powerful moral compass, which slowly warps under the pressures of the violent plotlines they're involved in without completely vanishing—even when they commit acts of shocking brutality.

Cassie's character arc is relatively simple. She's reluctant to hurt anyone, even Yeerk soldiers and especially their Controllers. She's so reluctant that she leaves the team in the first third of the series. But she also comes up with a lot of really concerning ideas for the group, including David's fate (I'll come back to this).

As for Taylor? She starts out joining a villain team to help the local superheroes, and becomes the voice of caution and moderation pretty much immediately. She also comes up with some pretty brutal ideas for the Undersiders, albeit mostly ones she implements herself.

As far as this aspect of their characterization goes, the big differences is where their moral compasses go in the end. Cassie becomes more comfortable with the moral compromises required by war, but not completely comfortable. She's always at least a devil's advocate, but she doesn't start arguments every time the animorphs need to premeditate their violence.

On the other hand, Taylor falls face-first into moral decay, whittling away at her moral beliefs until she finds the unbending core that she refuses to compromise. And a big part of that is critiquing inaction as strongly as action. People who could have stopped something but chose not to are as culpable as people who actively choose to cause it. That's part of why Taylor is as ruthless as she is, in the "seeing the bright clear line that goes from motive to means" sense.

Both of them also have strong self-sacrificial tendencies. Taylor's are front and center (our girl is practically jumping at martyrdom from her first night in costume) but Cassie is also willing to sacrifice herself for her beliefs. She traps herself in caterpillar morph to prove her conviction to a Yeerk, which is a pretty serious sacrifice since she didn't know she could demorph after metamorphosis. (...yeah, for all its darkness, Animorphs is still a YA series.)

Oh, and they also have a strong friendship with the team's pretty blonde extrovert and its violent butch bitch. But for Cassie, they're the same person.

The Big Guy

Rachel and Rachel are both the most violent members of their teams, but their arcs go in different directions.

Rachel Berenson started as the pretty popular mall-loving cheerleader gymnast type, but started sliding into blood knight territory as she adapted to the war.

Rachel Lindt, on the other hand, starts out antisocial and violent, and she only starts getting friends and finding a more comfortable, less violent life after meeting Taylor (and, to an extent, the other Undersiders). Rachel climbed out of the pit that swallowed Rachel whole.

This comparison is a pretty obvious one...probably the only obvious one.

The Leader

We're getting to the part where it's hard to compare Animorphs to Undersiders; I don't think I have any substantive comparisons to make between the other halves of their team. (You could make comparisons between Marco and Lisa, or maybe Alec or Aisha or Taylor; Tobias turning into a bird is kinda like Taylor's cape escapism but they go different directions; and Ax is too literally alien to have a clean parallel with the earthly Undersiders, except maybe Alec.)

But I think there's something between Jake and Brian, beyond their shared status. For starters, neither one wants to be a leader. Jake chafes at the title of Prince, and Brian stubbornly refuses to take sole responsibility for the Undersiders. In both cases, this flattens their team's hierarchy. Jake and Brian help set the agenda and direct discussions, but they don't force their will on the group if they can avoid it.

They also care strongly about their family, especially their siblings, Tom and Aisha. They're putting their lives in danger in large part for those siblings—rather more directly for Jake, whose brother has a Yeerk in his brain, but Brian explicitly says he became a supervillain to provide for his kid sister. (Which is a lot funnier from an outside perspective, since both of their parents are alive.)

The big differences are age (Jake is 13-16; Brian is 17-18 pre-timeskip) and the scope of what they care about. Brian is very clear; he cares about his family, he cares about his friends, but the rest of the world can sort itself out. Jake, on the other hand, knows he's on a mission to save the world and acts accordingly.

But if Brian was a few years less jaded, and given the nearly sole mandate to defeat a threat to the entire human race...I think he could end up a lot like Jake. War crimes and all.

The Traitor

David and Cherish were both trapped just offshore by the team they betrayed, and their screams can sometimes be heard by people on the shore.

David's fate is a bit less nightmarish (he's a rat on an island instead of a brain in a box) and his screams are less deadly, but the fact that I'm comparing something the Animorphs did to something the Slaughterhouse Nine did should indicate how dark the books can get when they aren't engaging in instant maple-ginger oatmeal shenanigans.

If I reread the series, I could probably come up with more comparisons. But for one Tumblr post, I think this is enough.

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 18: A FRIEND SAYS GOOD-BYE

Nico took the book with a pinched throat. If the pattern had continued, it would have been Rachel's turn. Some part of him still waited for Percy to turn and blame him for that, his actual friend missing while he was still hanging around in here.

He didn't though, of course, he was never on Percy's mind long enough to even get his anger. Somehow the nothing of it always bothered him more than if Percy would just flat reject his dark wish. Clearing his throat sharply to scram away such feelings, it worked rather in his favor as his voice came out appropriately uneasy to read the chapter title.

Nobody had any quips for that. There was still one line of the prophecy unanswered for.

We landed at Crissy Field after nightfall.

As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and gave him a huge hug. "Dad! You flew... you shot... oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

"And I didn't even get to see it!" Alex groaned, falling back into her seat as if shot herself.

"I bet if you ask nicely Artemis will beam the image into your head," Thalia grinned, though Percy winced with unease if gods could really do that.

Alex looked ready to drool at the prospects and he was very grateful when Nico kept going before Thalia could expand on the idea.

Her father blushed. "Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose."

"But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you get those?"

"Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you... left."

Magnus still squirmed uneasily in his seat, never having gotten the story for that. Uncle Fredrick had come to the rescue, but he still didn't even know his own aunt's name. His cousin never talked about them, and love didn't solve every problem of choosing.

Not to mention the ominous question if the wolves would find him if he did dare to haunt any other families doorstep. Even Uncle Randolph didn't deserve that.

Annabeth looked down, embarrassed. I noticed Dr. Chase was very careful not to say ran away.

Percy had never considered running away, leaving his mom to deal with Gabe alone. He wished Annabeth would talk about what she'd be running from when she was at Camp. Was going into the arms of the Hunters her answer?

"I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings," he continued. "Just a little experiment."

"I imagine a sentence exactly like that is what made Annabeth exist," Jason said, clearly his fascination with Annabeth existing at all still a touch new if he thought about it to long.

He said it like it was no big deal, but he had a gleam in his eye. I could understand all of a sudden why Athena, Goddess of Crafts and Wisdom, had taken a liking to him. He was an excellent mad scientist at heart.

Percy hadn't often imagined a 'dad' replacement for Gabe when he was younger, he spent to much time wishing the waste dead to hope his mom found anyone better, or possibly worst.

This probably would have been a cool contender though. His mom was kind and patient and had the most loving heart. All he'd needed really was someone to help him with his homework.

He couldn't forget the fact Annabeth had run away from this guy, but he hoped if they managed to make peace they could at least build an exploding volcano together or something. It would go a long way towards Percy starting to forgive this guy for making Annabeth feel so unloved.

"Dad..." Annabeth faltered.

"Annabeth, Percy," Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She and Artemis were kneeling at Zoe's side, binding the huntress's wounds.

Will leaned forward in his seat, his hands fidgeting in place. To assess the damage, to know what tool would be best, or to ascertain if it was beyond mortal help and get her nectar.

He already knew it was to late. The prophecy would not allow otherwise.

Annabeth and I ran over to help, but there wasn't much we could do. We had no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help. It was dark, but I could see that Zoe didn't look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.

Nico was leaning as far back into his seat as he could. He was surprised Percy, or anybody wasn't throwing him accusing glares. Thalia in particular.

Even if they hadn't gotten on well, he'd expect Artemis's lieutenant to be like anybody else back at Camp when death came up and give him a pointed look, like he gave Thanatos a ring every time someone mildly annoyed him.

Instead she sat there in quiet respect and made an odd motion. One he instinctively recognized as a blessing. He could only guess it must be one among the Huntress's, and he mimicked it with a pain that never felt any less as he thought of Bianca.

Had she felt nothing upon her death? Had she laid in Talos's body and known what was coming, watched her own hand lose the grip on her bow as her glow faded?

Even knowing every intricate detail of her death didn't save him from his never ending questions about her.

"Can't you heal her with magic?" I asked Artemis. "I mean... you're a goddess."

Artemis looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try."

Percy's mind felt barred from that kind of answer. A wound even the gods couldn't fix?

His hand crept to his hair, he touched the side of his head and as his mind lingered on his dad again, Poseidon, a place in his life no mortal could ever fill. Was that why he was down here? Had he gotten a wound even the God of the Ocean couldn't fix, and his memory had been the price?

She tried to set her hand on Zoe's side, but Zoe gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.

Nico licked his lips nervously for a moment. He was worried Bianca was right about him, and he was holding a grudge against Zoe for being even a small part in convincing his sister to join this group that had gotten her killed. If he read Zoe's last moments, he'd just sound like a bitter, resentful jerk when she'd been a brave warrior and grieved his sister just like he had.

He wanted to be better than that. Hades was the God of the Underworld, no matter how the souls came to him, he knew how each should be treated. Nico tried to read with nothing but respect.

"Have I... served thee well?" Zoe whispered.

"With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."

Zoe's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."

As much as Nico loathed to be the one to read this, he kept his voice level.

They all heard the words with a sort of grandeur he didn't even seem aware of, like how a bugle could only sound in particular hands.

"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."

But in that moment, I knew it wasn't just the poison that was killing her. It was her father's final blow. Zoe had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would die by a parent's hand. And yet she'd taken the quest anyway. She had chosen to save me, and Atlas's fury had broken her inside.

Percy rubbed his fingers together, but the blood on his hands was only in his head. First Bianca, now her, he glanced nervously at Thalia and clenched a fist. Their sacrifice for him would never be forgotten again, his guilt wouldn't allow it. He would not allow the same thing to happen a third time to one of his friends.

She saw Thalia, and took her hand.

"I am sorry we argued," Zoe said. "We could have been sisters."

Thalia brushed her hand through the silver circlet in her hair. They were now, if only in spirit, but she remembered whenever she looked at the stars and promised she was doing her best. The only time the open sky didn't bring her dread.

"It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men—everything."

Then of course Percy's hands fell into his lap and he gave her the most tragic of looks like a street performer had robbed him.

"Shush you," Thalia said without looking over, but she was finally fighting off a smile again.

"Perhaps not all men," Zoe murmured. She smiled weakly at me. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?"

"I don't think it leaves him, it's kind of gawking him," Alex offered. She wasn't mocking the dying girl, just trying to bring some levity to those she'd left behind.

I couldn't speak, but I brought out Riptide and put the pen in her hand. She grasped it contentedly. "You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like... like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword."

A shudder ran through her body.

"Zoe—" I said.

"Stars," she whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady."

A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight."

"Stars," Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again.

Jason gripped the coin in his pocket too tight, like he was trying to leave an impression on his skin. Crissy airfield had no attachment to him, but her wound had happened on Mount Tam. The place reeked of death in his memory, and he moved without thought to place a gentle hand on Thalia's shoulder for her having to feel the same. Not even getting his memories taken away was saving him much from the pain, the weight that mountain always made you feel when you descended.

Thalia covered his hand with hers and gave such a strange smile he didn't know how to place. Another woman came to mind, a woman with elaborate blonde hair, but the same smile.

Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders. I watched as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoe's body shimmered and disappeared.

Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished.

For a moment I didn't see anything different. Then Annabeth gasped. Looking up in the sky, I saw that the stars were brighter now. They made a pattern I had never noticed before—a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl's figure—a girl with a bow, running across the sky.

"Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars."

Magnus was to busy trying to clear his throat without getting caught to marvel to much at that yet. How completely insane such an ability was to exist didn't matter right now.

His mom deserved that. A quiet, peaceful death with the person she loved most at her side and being honored for all time.

It wasn't easy saying our good-byes. The thunder and lightning were still boiling over Mount Tamalpais in the north. Artemis was so upset she flickered with silver light. This made me nervous, because if she suddenly lost control and appeared in her fully divine form, we would disintegrate by looking at her.

"Now where's that line of warning in the Prophecy?" Alex scoffed.

"Can you imagine coming all that way and finishing your grand quest just to go out like that? I'd be pissed," Jason agreed, but he held it under better control of a passive observation. He had more faith the gods had better control of themselves than to kill their own hero's.

"I must go to Olympus immediately," Artemis said. "I will not be able to take you, but I will send help."

The goddess set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right."

What was right for her though? Percy swallowed a Titan sized lump in his throat no matter how much he agreed with Artemis about that. Whatever happened, he would not panic and fling himself at her feet, begging her to stay. He was better than that, he wanted what was best for her...

Then she looked quizzically at Thalia, as if she weren't sure what to make of this younger daughter of Zeus. Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but something made her, and she held the goddess's eyes. I wasn't sure what passed between them, but Artemis's gaze softened with sympathy.

Thalia's camo attire seemed to glow extra bright for a few moments as she fiddled with the zipper of her jacket over her black punk clothing. She'd never regret her time in the Hunt, but she had questions now she wasn't sure Artemis would give willing answers for. She wouldn't trade Jason for Annabeth if given a chance though just to appease anyone.

Then she turned to me.

"You did well," she said. "For a man."

I wanted to protest. But then I realized it was the first time she hadn't called me a boy.

Percy sat up straight in his seat, clearly delighted that had worked out already! She hadn't called him a brave man, but he'd take it!

She mounted her chariot, which began to glow. We averted our eyes. There was a flash of silver, and the goddess was gone.

"Well," Dr. Chase sighed. "She was impressive; though I must say I still prefer Athena."

"He is truly a smart man for waiting until she left to say that," Will snorted.

Annabeth turned toward him. "Dad, I... I'm sorry that—"

"Shh." He hugged her. "Do what you must, my dear. I know this isn't easy for you."

Percy had wanted to hug her so bad. It had been the first chance to breathe, sit around and look about to see her just standing there casually beside him again like she'd never left.

She'd looked so comfortable next to her dad though. Percy had a suspicion this might have been the first time they'd had an alone moment in a long, long time, so he was glad he'd kept his hands to himself, to give Dr. Chase a chance to say what Mrs. Chase had told him to.

His voice was a little shaky, but he gave Annabeth a brave smile.

Then I heard the whoosh of large wings. Three pegasi descended through the fog: two white winged horses and one pure black one.

"Do you punch Percy for getting the cool Pegasus?" Alex grinned Thalia.

"I do not," Thalia said with a strained smile. They were gorgeous creatures of course...and still not ones she wanted anything to do with.

"Blackjack!" I called.

Yo, boss! he called. You manage to stay alive okay without me?

"There were several close calls," Percy said like they weren't there for every single word.

"It was rough," I admitted.

I brought Guido and Porkpie with me.

Nico made such an adorable, annoyed little frown so different from his previous serious expression before as he wondered which Pegasus it was that complained about carrying him Will had to look away before he did something really stupid.

"Who names these guys?" Alex asked in delight.

"Not sure, I think they pick for themselves, or Salina does. I've never asked," Percy shrugged without concern.

How ya doin? The other two pegasi spoke in my mind.

Blackjack looked me over with concern, then checked out Dr. Chase, Thalia, and Annabeth. Any of these goons you want us to stampede?

"I would kill for a Pegasus that would stampede on command," Alex somehow grinned even brighter.

"Hopefully no one we know," Magnus frowned.

"Nah," I said aloud. "These are my friends. We need to get to Olympus pretty fast."

No problem, Blackjack said. Except for the mortal over there. Hope he's not going.

I assured him Dr. Chase was not. The professor was staring openmouthed at the pegasi.

"He can see them?" Jason asked dubiously.

"Told you that Mist stuff is not as reliable as you seem to think it is," Percy seemed much less concerned about the implications of that and more smug his point was finally proven.

"Fascinating," he said. "Such maneuverability! How does the wingspan compensate for the weight of the horse's body, I wonder?"

"I've been wondering much crazier shit than that since the beginning," Magnus was smiling again for, finally, someone else around here questioning the absurdity of this world. Then he frowned to himself even this mortal was reacting better than he had, but he did have a child with a god first, so this wasn't his first interaction.

Blackjack cocked his head. Whaaaat?

Percy went cross-eyed too and looked at his hand, just like he had then. "Wait, our brains don't know how we work automatically?"

Thankfully Annabeth had been distracted talking to her dad to notice.

"Our brains are piles of mush laced with electricity and a drop of ichor, we're lucky we're functional," Thalia shrugged.

"Why, if the British had had these pegasi in the cavalry charges on the Crimea," Dr. Chase said, "the charge of the light brigade—"

"Dad!" Annabeth interrupted.

Dr. Chase blinked. He looked at his daughter and managed a smile. "I'm sorry, my dear, I know you must go."

He gave her one last awkward, well-meaning hug. As she turned to climb aboard the pegasus Guido, Dr. Chase called, "Annabeth. I know... I know San Francisco is a dangerous place for you. But please remember, you always have a home with us. We will keep you safe."

Magnus wasn't sure how much he believed that anymore than Annabeth did. Going there for a job felt like one to many mistakes no matter what Uncle Fredrick said. She had a home and family at camp, she might be able to travel the world safe in a group of sisters with the Hunter's.

Yet this mortal family who clearly loved her at least enough to try even on the smallest level was still waiting in the wings even if she didn't want either of those options. Magnus swallowed jealousy and quickly went to studying his frayed and patched clothing as he asked and answered himself for the thousandth time why his cousin had never seemed to consider finding him all these years. She had more than enough.

Annabeth didn't answer, but her eyes were red as she turned away. Dr. Chase started to say more, then apparently thought better of it. He raised his hand in a sad farewell and trudged away across the dark field.

Thalia sighed as she thought back on that moment, her regret of blaming all of her problems on Percy feeling even more selfish than ever in the darkest part of the night before dawn. Annabeth hadn't glanced at her or Percy, she didn't need anybody to help her make that decision, though they'd spoken about it in the coming weeks with multiple Iris messages. That little seven year old in her mind had long since grown up, and Percy had been more a part of that than she'd been. She never should have resented Percy for that.

She still felt like she'd lost Luke and Annabeth that night. The people who she kept hoping they'd be.

Thalia and Annabeth and I mounted our pegasi. Together we soared over the bay and flew toward the eastern hills. Soon San Francisco was only a glittering crescent behind us, with an occasional flicker of lightning in the north.

Thalia was so exhausted she fell asleep on Porkpie's back. I knew she had to be really tired to sleep in the air,

Thalia tried to deny the blush nobody was laughing at anyways. She'd never told Annabeth about that, but the child of Athena had figured it out after a few weeks together when she always avoided the window whenever they'd hide out on anything higher than the third floor. Her soft blond head would curl up in her lap and whisper they'd keep each other safe from everything, and Thalia's arms had held her tight as she slept peacefully.

Her mind flickered to Percy readjusting the golden fleece onto Annabeth's sleeping form on the back of that Hippocampi as they kept each other safe now.

despite her fear of heights, but she didn't have much to worry about. Her pegasus flew with ease, adjusting himself every once in a while so Thalia stayed safely on his back.

"Maybe I just wanted to close my eyes and pretend I was on a normal horse," Thalia still made a half hearted denial.

"And the snoring was obviously just there to drown out the wind and give Annabeth and I some privacy," Percy nodded seriously.

"I don't snore!" She yelped.

"Must have been thunder, my bad," Percy grinned. It was a miracle she hadn't spooked Porkpie.

Nico quickly kept reading before Thalia got to enthusiastic with reminding Percy of what always came after thunder.

Annabeth and I flew along side by side.

Jason's mind automatically supplied them holding hands before he shook himself and remembered they weren't actually dating yet. It was just the way Percy's face lit up at having her back again and the way his hand always tried to curl around nothing in here that made it seem obvious they would have been.

"Your dad seems cool," I told her.

It was too dark to see her expression. She looked back, even though California was far behind us now.

"I guess so," she said. "We've been arguing for so many years."

"Yeah, you said."

"You think I was lying about that?" It sounded like a challenge, but a pretty halfhearted one, like she was asking it of herself.

"Memories can change and warp with age," Will agreed gently. He didn't think about his mom much, but when he did he mostly remembered the nothingness of their time together. How she'd always been on stage singing as far away from him as she could be while he'd been a lonely kid sitting around at bars with just a glass of water for company. It took effort to remember the littler moments he knew must have happened, her singing the seat belt song as she buckled him in, her always stopping at his favorite restaurant any time they passed no matter what time of day.

Sometimes he wondered if he went back to Texas to see how she was doing if she'd even remember him at all. Probably depended if she hit the big leagues yet or not.

"I didn't say you were lying. It's just... he seems okay. Your stepmom, too. Maybe they've, uh, gotten cooler since you saw them last."

"It definitely had something to do with meeting you Percy," Alex cheerfully mocked. "Everybody always gets ten times cooler just being in your presence." She kept the disparaging tone out well enough how she felt about Percy trying to rekindle a flame that should have been left out when it came to family affairs.

"The cooliest you say?" Percy chuckled while Alex groaned and rolled her eyes at him.

She hesitated. "They're still in San Francisco, Percy. I can't live so far from camp."

I didn't want to ask my next question. I was scared to know the answer. But I asked it anyway. "So what are you going to do now?"

The smile slipped back off his face and he shivered at all the possibilities before her that didn't involve him. The salty ocean water was of little comfort, but he'd swear the longer he thought of that kiss with Annabeth, she'd been underwater too, her blonde hair swaying around them. He'd know when it was coming, whatever the answer.

We flew over a town, an island of lights in the middle of the dark. It whisked by so fast we might've been in an airplane.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But thank you for rescuing me."

"Hey, no big deal. We're friends."

Nico said completely deadpan, "he just defied every god possible and traveled across the continent to take on a Titan and his army. No big deal at all." Percy had been taken by the Gods this time, and he was powerless to help him get out of here. Annabeth would probably bust through that door any minute to fix this, proving once again why they were better for each other. He'd never fit into Percy's life in a way that mattered.

"Isn't that what you do for friends?" Will agreed cheerfully.

Nico wouldn't know. He'd never had any.

"You didn't believe I was dead?"

"Never."

She hesitated. "Neither is Luke, you know. I mean... he isn't dead."

The rainbow of emotions that colored Percy's face would have made Rachel's day as an artist. Alex got a good appreciation out of it too as a way to sculpt about twelve facial expressions at once.

"He what?" Anger, shock, disbelief, and jealousy were definitely the top four that showed as he snapped. Nico quickly kept reading before he had to deal with them or any others. He was rather proud of himself, finally not sitting around longing to see any emotion on Percy just to get a small hint of what it would be like to have them directed onto him.

I stared at her. I didn't know if she was cracking under the stress or what.

"I mean, she spent enough time holding up the sky I expect a few cracks in her bones to be there, but her mind seemed to come away in tact..." Magnus didn't sound so sure himself. This wasn't exactly the first thing he thought he'd hear the two of them talk about their first alone moment together, and his stomach was already starting to clench painfully again at what the next trick was Annabeth was going to fall for from Luke's ghost.

"Annabeth, that fall was pretty bad. There's no way—"

"He isn't dead," she insisted. "I know it. The same way you knew about me."

That comparison didn't make me too happy.

That was now the number one peeved look on his face. He was scowling and muttering all kinds of things Thalia was leaning away with no wish to hear, even if she'd called Luke all of that and then some at one point.

The towns were zipping by faster now, islands of light thicker together, until the whole landscape below was a glittering carpet. Dawn was close. The eastern sky was turning gray.

And up ahead, a huge white-and-yellow glow spread out before us—the lights of New York.

Percy now looked apocalyptic with fury.

The fact that he was frustrated with Annabeth in mind meant that, for once, he wasn't affecting the ocean around him. "Are you telling me Blackjack could have flown us straight to Mount Tam without all that crap that happened down there!"

They wouldn't have lost Bianca! They could have skipped the confusing, exhausting days and barely saved the world with maybe an hour to spare, again!

"We would have never won without the journey," Thalia reminded, and she looked so miserable for having to remind him of all they'd had to go through to get there and everybody they'd lost for this fleeting win it didn't sound like much of a victory at all.

Percy slammed back into his seat and looked pretty annoyed Annabeth had suffered for days longer than she'd had to if just one god had told him where to look! Thalia wasn't wrong though, and that made him more mad than anything.

How's that for speedy, boss? Blackjack bragged. We get extra hay for breakfast or what?

"Hay with no frosting," but the quirk of Percy's lips promised he was just grumpy, he'd still sneak a whole box of donuts in.

"You're the man, Blackjack," I told him. "Er, the horse, I mean."

"You don't believe me about Luke," Annabeth said, "but we'll see him again. He's in trouble, Percy. He's under Kronos's spell."

"That he summoned," Percy said through gritted teeth. Annabeth had never seemed to hear that part, and he'd never liked sitting around arguing with her about it. It still stung though, a lot. She'd saved Luke's life and he'd laughed at her and walked away, leaving her to die under the sky! She'd saved his life and he'd rescued her! They weren't comparable! 

I didn't feel like arguing, though it made me mad. How could she still have any feelings for that creep? How could she possibly make excuses for him? He deserved that fall. He deserved... okay, I'll say it. He deserved to die. Unlike Bianca. Unlike Zoe. Luke couldn't be alive. It wouldn't be fair.

"Fair," Nico echoed with a wet scoff. "What is fair?"

Percy gave him a sad, commiserating smile, and Nico smiled back. He looked away first too. He was tired of waiting for Percy to give him more than that.

"There it is." Thalia's voice; she'd woken up. She was pointing toward Manhattan, which was quickly zooming into view. "It's started."

"What's started?" I asked.

Then I looked where she was pointing. High above the Empire State Building, Olympus was its own island of light, a floating mountain ablaze with torches and braziers, white marble palaces gleaming in the early morning air.

"The winter solstice," Thalia said. "The Council of the Gods."

Nico exhaled in relief and passed the book to Will without a second thought, so he was still surprised to feel a warm brush against his skin when their fingers overlapped for just the briefest second before the purple spine exchanged.

Nico studied his fingers curiously for a moment before trying to catch Will's eye, who was acting like nothing happened as he flipped to the next chapter. Maybe it wasn't Will constantly trying to heal him? Maybe Nico had just forgotten what a human touch felt like after to long and he was still getting used to it?

[stereopticons]

Top 5 Schitt’s Creek moments?

Oh, I see. Just going straight for the hardest one, huh? Well joke's on you because I am incapable of choosing between open mic and olive branch so you get 6. It's my blog, I make the rules.

6. The car conversation with David and Stevie in Start Spreading the News

This conversation is so important. David finally has someone to tell him, hey, it's fine that what you thought you wanted out of life has changed, you're allowed to want something different. I imagine he's said this to Patrick as he comes to terms with learning he's gay in his 30s, but I think for David here, it had to come from Stevie, someone he knew wouldn't bullshit him. If it came from Patrick (and it kind of did earlier, in the Premiere), David would always feel like Patrick was just sacrificing what he wanted to make David happy (which is fair, because this is a thing Patrick does. Look at his face at the end of the Pitch!). This conversation with Stevie made David actually examine what would make him happy.

5. The entirety of the David/Patrick/Alexis/Ted storyline in Housewarming.

I adore this episode. Patrick is getting to live out the experiences he missed out on in high school! He's going to a party with the hottest boy! He's feeling jealous! I imagine that other guys probably did hit on Rachel when they were together because I mean, look at her. But I expect that Patrick didn't really feel jealous about it, at least not in the way he would expect to. (He probably *did* feel a bit of "I wish that guy was hitting on me instead" sometimes, but didn't have a name for it). So he thought he was just a chill, secure dude. And then Ted comes in looking hot and kisses David and suddenly Patrick is feeling both "HEY only I can do that, that's MY hot boyfriend" and also "man I wish that hot man was kissing me", which he now has a name for, and these are experiences he didn't get to have!!! Plus David is just having a blast getting to be the popular one at the party *and* have a hot boyfriend that he can tease. Yeah.

4. The scene in Patrick's apartment in Meet the Parents

There is so much that's so good in this episode. So much. Though I do wish we'd gotten to explore a) David confronting that Patrick lied by omission again and b) that Patrick didn't really get to come out on his own, I know that's too much for the show (and that's what fanfic is for). Even so, this is still such a moment of growth for both of them, and I love it so much. David is getting to be the supportive partner he's always wanted someone to be for him. Patrick is getting the best of all worlds, everyone knows now and loves him the same as they always did. It just makes me very soft.

3. The Kiss in Grad Night

As if I could make a list about SC and not include Grad Night on it. This scene is perfect. No notes. (except for the fact that David does not have the gift bag in his hand when he leaves but does have it when he enters the motel room).

2. The Face in Open Mic. You know the one I mean.

David is letting himself be loved!!! Patrick is putting himself out there and David is standing there taking it, not trying to run away, as much as he badly wants to at the beginning. It makes me so EMOTIONAL.

1.The Olive Branch This time, David is putting himself out there!! "You know people can see you, right?" That's the whole point, Patrick!! It isn't about making up for not talking to Patrick early enough. This is about showing Patrick, hey, I trust you completely. This is how David shows that. And it's just. so. much.

Anyway I didn't mean to make this top 5 moments of growth for David and Patrick but that's what it turned into and I'm not sorry about it.

Ask me top 5 anything!

[cogentranting]

Here's the thing, season 8 of Suits is easily the worst one. Watching that season put me to the point of "I'm kind of sick of this show but I want to get to the ending and I want to see Harvey and Donna get together so I guess I'll keep going". And then season 9 bounced fully back and I was enjoying it a lot again.

The problem with season 8 is they didn't adequately make up for losing Mike (and Rachel).

To make up for losing Mike, they brought in Samantha and expanded the roles of characters like Alex and Katrina. The issue is that while I ended up finding all of those characters interesting, it didn't make up for unbalancing the show.

Part of Mike's role was to be the (mostly) Good Guy among all the shady corporate lawyers, and to (usually) stand up for what's right. And that part of Mike's role was missed somewhat, but they did do some work to make up for that, because you pull the right strings and you can get Harvey or Donna or really any of the others into the position of being the one who cares about doing what's right (at least for an episode) and they passed around the role enough to tide the show over.

But more important is that Mike and Rachel bring the levity to the show. They're the heart of the show by making up the linchpin relationships. Mike and Rachel, Harvey and Mike, Rachel and Donna. And it's the relationships like those that make the show fun and not a miserable slog of shady people being awful to each other over power and obscene amounts of money.

And adding Samantha and Robert didn't replace that heart and levity, it did the opposite by pitting everyone in the firm against each other for the majority of season 8. It's not that Samantha is a bad character, it's that you needed to bring new relationships to the forefront to replace the ones that were lost, and instead they fractured a few of the remaining ones and put the new characters at the old ones' throats.

It didn't have to be that way though. Because the second (or third, depending on your preference) most important relationship on the show was still right there: Harvey and Donna. And yet season 8 has remarkably little in the way of Harvey and Donna, and even though season 7 ended with Harvey leaving his most successful relationship to date in order to choose Donna over her.... up until the end of season 8 there's almost no movement in that relationship.

They SHOULD have gotten Harvey and Donna together at the end of season 7 right after Harvey left Paula. He chooses Donna over her, he sees Mike and Rachel get married, he thinks about how he's losing Mike and how he can't lose Donna and finally decides to go be with her. Would have made perfect sense. THEN season 8 could have still had the name partner's fighting, and Alex and Samantha in their death match and all that, but it would have been juxtaposed with Harvey and Donna having this joyful new relationship and it would have flowed so much better. It would have given the series more space to explore how that relationship grew, and season 9's stuff about the relationship could have played out essentially the same way anyway.

[charmquarkstrangequark]

This or That Tag Game

Thanks for the tag, Rachel. These are tough questions!

Opening or Closing Chapter

For me, both reading and writing, the opening chapter. While reading, I love the adventure that is starting. I get book hangovers really easily because I get so invested, so closing chapters can be melancholy. When I'm writing, I always worry that my closing chapters aren't final enough.

Light & Fluffy or Dark & Gritty

When reading, I prefer dark & gritty. I read a lot of dystopian novels. It's cathartic to watch the growth of the characters and to see them triumph. I do like them to triumph though. If I read a whole book and everyone just dies in the end, I'm not a fan of that. When I write, though, I write light & fluffy better. I always feel like a sham writing dark and gritty. I use too many adjectives or something.

Animal Companion or Found Family

Definitely found family. Animal companions make me anxious because I'm afraid something will happen to them. Plus I'm a big believer in the family you make rather than the one you're born into. Often they overlap, but the don't need to.

Horror or Romance?

I spent a lot of time in the zombie genre in my teens and 20s, and I love the suspense and drama of horror. The best horror novels are the ones where it's super tough to turn off the bedroom lamp at bedtime. But fanfics, I mostly read romance.

Hard Magic or Soft Magic?

So I didn't really understand this question...Is it like hard science and soft science? I'm using Rachel's answer as a guide.... I insist on hard magic. I hate when magic doesn't follow rules and at least attempt to align with how our world works, because I can't subsume myself in a world where I can't make at least a few logical predictions. If I understand the differentiation correctly, soft magic feels like cheating.

One Project at a Time or Juggling Two or More?

So, conditionally, I will say two or more, but it's not much more. Things that are unfinished are deeply anxiety-inducing to me. Sometimes I'll have another idea looping around my brain while I'm finishing the previous one up, but usually, I like to have my own stuff sorted. Like, my second novel is mostly complete now; I'm just waiting on my illustrator to get his stuff done. My first long fanfic is complete and releasing a few chaps at a time while I start on my next one.

One award winner or One bestseller?

I'm going to break from the trend here and say one bestseller, as long as it's still true to my style and concepts. I think having a bestseller helps people to connect to your lesser known words. But honestly, I'm a total junkie for anyone who reads my work and then interacts with me about it. I especially like when people quote sections of what I'm writing that struck them.

Fantasy or SciFi?

Oof, I do like them both. I started reading SciFi when I was very young, but I read more fantasy now. I really enjoy both of them. But I am one of those pedants who differentiates Science Fiction from Science Fantasy. I like Fantasy and Science Fiction, but not Science Fantasy.

First Draft or Final Draft

Final Draft by (as Ali Hadji-Hashmati would say) a country mile. I love, love, love the dopamine burst of finishing something. I do this manic phase of editing, editing, editing! once the story is on the page, so it's a relief to sit back and look at my finished product.

Love Triangle in Everything or No romantic arcs?

I love reading love triangles. Love them. As long as they're not too repetitive, and the conflict doesn't feel too manufactured. BUT, in my own children's novels, I specifically chose to leave out a romantic arc, because my two main characters are male and female. I hate the trope that male and female friends can't deeply love, nurture, and care for each other without there being romantic feelings or sexual tension. That's why I write Georcy as friends.

Constant sandstorm or rainstorm?

OK, who chooses sandstorm? Like, sand gets....EVERYWHERE. It'll be in your scalp, the corners of your eyes, inside your ears, inside your pants....For sure rainstorm. I love the rain. I love it's vibe, and the sound and smell of it. I love green and verdant spaces. BUT I am also very affected by a persistent lack of sunshine, so I'd need a UV light or something to keep my mood up. And when does one mow the lawn?

So many of my people are already tagged! Let's see who I can find. How about @wellgoslowly @hailqiqi @neewtmas @givemea-dam-break

No pressure to any of you; I know some of you are very busy with new jobs, etc, but I love feeling like I get to know more about you!

This or That Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @jerzwriter

Historical or futuristic?

- Historical fiction was one of my first (reading) loves!! But I do love sci-fi, so futuristic is also awesome! Can I choose both?

Opening or Closing Chapter?

- As a writer? Closing. I love the feeling or wrapping a series up! As a reader? Opening! I'm sad when I have to leave a book world.

Light and Fluffy or Dark and Gritty?

- You know what? I'm gong to steal Elsa's answer because I couldn't have said it better:

Dark and Gritty, I love light and fluffy, too, but I really like things that delve into human emotion. Stories that show people triumphing over trauma and hurt, learning, losing, growing - that doesn't happen in fluff.

I'm just going to add that, for me, happily ever after is better when the angst and darkness came first. Obstacles were overcome and/or they had to fight to be together, etc. makes the ending better.

Animal Companion or Found Family?

- Found family.

Horror or Romance?

- Again, I don't want to choose. I used to be a huge horror fan and have really only come around to romance when I started writing in here.

Hard Magic or Soft Magic?

- Hard, no question. I like things to make sense, even in fiction and especially when I'm being asked to suspend disbelief. Make it make sense within the framework of the fictional world.

One project at a time or Juggling 2 or more?

- So...I currently have 11 ongoing series, a round-robin I'm running, and a writer's group I'm about to launch. That's not counting any of the one-shots I'm currently working on or the trr visuals blog I recently launched. So I guess that answers the question. Although to be fair, it's just about too much. I strongly need to finish several of them and get back to something more reasonable.

One award winner or One bestseller?

- I guess out of those two choices, bestseller. But here I again agree with Elsa's answer about the best thing being when someone tells me that my writing helped them through a tough time. I've had a couple of different readers tell me something similar and it is the best feeling in the world to know that I helped someone like that in any kind of small way!

Fantasy or Sci-fi?

- BOTH and I refuse to choose!

First Draft or Final Draft?

- So....this is difficult. They both give dopamine hits in different ways.

Love triangle in everything or No romantic arcs?

- Love triangle Always!

Constant sandstorm or rainstorm?

- Rainstorm. In the words of Eddie Rabbitt, I love a rainy night!

Tagging the following people and pretty much anyone else who wants to play!! @karahalloway @harleybeaumont @alj4890 @aussiegurl1234 @nestledonthaveone @bebepac @dcbbw @walkerdrakewalker @tessa-liam @kristinamae093 @kingliam2019 @twinkleallnight @twinkle-320 @peonierose @lovingchoices14 @secretaryunpaid @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @indiacater @tinkie1973 @queenmiarys @amandablink @differenttyphoonwerewolf   @bascmve01 @aallotarenunelma @inlocusmads @hannahsrambles2  @little-mouse-gardens @brieflyinfatuated

[amber-jinx]

Hi, it’s me again (:

What was your favorite character traits about Rachel Amber?

Hey! Happy to see you and boy what a great question, thank you! Loaded answer ahead; TLDR, see the good in Rachel Amber.

Rachel's many things. Pretty, hot, charming, stylish, not to mention her lovely voice, these physical traits are already a great start for many. Then you have functional traits-- ambidextrous (can I just say that's hella cool, omg I want that too), social genius/people skills, straight As student, drama queen, masked with a layer of mystery, many people would've already fallen for her, in-game and out, me being one of them when I first got to know her as a character (so pretty much those were my fav traits of her).

But if we strip her physical beauty down and shove aside her fascinating skillset, who is she really? We may never know 100%, but some character traits can still be found.

Here are some of my favourite (&underrated) Yangs to Rachel Amber's sides. aka why Rachel Amber should get more love & less hate from the fandom

Ofc there are exceptions, but those are not relevant in this post; assumptions & headcannons are added

1. A good heart

Kindness to me will always be one of the most important character traits to have for anyone. With all that powerhouse of a Rachel Amber can accomplish, she chooses to use them with kindness.

With her social skills she chooses to lift people up, saving Hayden from a quickly-escalating scolding from Mr Keaton in ep 1, asking Chloe in a nuanced way if she's "taking (getting kicked outta Blackwell) this a little too well", kinda guiding her independent thinking rather than directly telling her what's right or wrong. (There'd be constructive criticism between Chloe & Rachel, which I stan in a relationship/friendship.)

With her intelligence she tutors Justin & helped him improve his algebra from an F to a C I believe? That's pretty impressive, ngl

with her ambidexterity.. idk, she makes Chloe happy :> (yes i'm totally referring to doing graffiti with her left hand on Chloe's insistence *cough*)

This is why I'm inclined to believe that tornado was not Rachel's revenge. She'd never choose to put Chloe, her parents, her friends, at risk; if she wanted revenge she could've killed the men w her powers. Sure you can say some of these might be her trying to live up to her DA father / principal assistant's duties, but at least she chose to do them. She could very well be a kid who doesn't give a damn or fluff through some of these things that requires time & effort.

2. Sees the good in others!

One of the most underrated Rachel Amber traits imo. This girl literally has a reputation of "her friends are her friends", and does not discriminate in terms of friendship/who she hangs out with. She picked Chloe up from her lowest (saw her & praised her for backtalking the biker, defending Nathan, & "you're more of a hero than you think you realise", when Chloe didn't take Drew's money). Rachel stuck with Chloe when no one else did (puts up with her sh*t, which ofc Chloe does the same), literally chose Chloe to share her uncertain future outside Arcadia, did not take her chance to leave when she could in those 3 years, most likely cuz she wanted to leave with Chlo. She also hung out with Nathan (& Chloe when so many wouldn't), saw the good in Frank (yes. same as Nathan & Chloe his reputation is far from great and despite the unhealthiness of this relationship, she at the very least cared for the guy, & saw the humanity inside him), & very sadly fell for the portrayed "gone through some serious shit" act by Jeffers*n, all these showing her being an empathetic & sympathetic person.

I'll add non-judgemental as well, cuz it's why she's able to get along with so many people so well. Like what her VA Kylie Brown says in an interview, whoever you are, Rachel'd be like "hey you're a pretty cool person, let's talk!" It's inspiring. I love that about her. Gotta have more Rachels in the world.

3. Ambitious. Puts in the hard work. Persistent.

"One day, I'm gonna climb Mt Everst." says a 15 year old Rachel in Bts, who has posters of travelling in Asia (the green poster has Chinese words saying "go travel in China", amongst others), already speaks about her courage & ambition. And of course, leaving Arcadia with no one but Chloe for a better life. Yes you can say it's reckless, because it's a big idea for a teenager, but she didn't just give up on it. It stuck with her, and she worked hard for it. Doing photoshoots to get modelling jobs, maintaining her 4.0 GPA, finding opportunities to leave... she did those for 5 years. And in the comics universe, they made it out! Now they're over 22yos with an LA apartment, Rachel's in modelling gigs with her acting career kicking off... what could've been for game Rachel. (oh the things I'd do for Bts' ending to be Max appearing in the nick of time instead of that damn vibrating phone!) Also I wonder if in some universes, like the wheelchair Chloe one, a missing Rachel could mean she actually made it out without others knowing, instead of the darker end.

4. Caring & thoughtful & protective & passionate partner/friend/lover!

She listens to Chloe's problems (therapy session), she gives Chloe nice clothes to wear within the few days they'd met (what financially challenged Chloe needed, & in a way that wasn't awkward for Chloe), she sends post cards to Chloe while she's away (she thinks about her often), & "don't f****ing touch her". Passionate lover, I mean.. the way she kissed Chloe under that lamp (with high intimacy of course) is good enough an example. Chloe's the romantic one in my head. Rachel, the passionate.

*the way she puts her hand on C's shoulder after wiping her tears, OmO*

So far these are the character traits I can think of, and your question helped draw out Rachel's positive sides that are too under-recognised. Thanks again! :)

These links helped me understand Rachel & Amberprice better, here for people's reference:

Because I choose to see the good in Rachel, I'm her defender through and through. Join me, if you can.

Edit: damn I literally wrote an essay, maybe 1 day there'd be a video!

This pain wouldn't be for Evermore.

[itsatoyboat]

i finished true colors and i’m having a lot of thoughts that i NEED to talk about.

(if this is gonna be long idk, i apologize for your eyeballs)

1. i honestly didn’t like alex at all when i saw the trailer, i was thinking “hmm idk about this one” but as soon as i started to play the game i fell so in love with her, she is so freaking smart and funny, she genuinely cares about the people around her and her story it’s very different from the other characters from LIS anthology. i truly enjoyed seeing alex’s development throughout the game especially her realizing that her powers can actually help the people around her and not harm anyone, the way she controls it after her conversation with gabe was such an awesome upgrade from the alex who was so ashamed of her power to alex superwoman. i liked how the game explored her emotions and her mind about the past, the mine part where alex was struggling to feel everything she felt in those days and then embracing everything was one of my favorite parts. it shows a lot of growth.

2. this game has AMAZING CHARACTERS, every single one of the characters was well written, they had life, they had problems, they had their own emotions with private stuff that was going on in their lives and you could actually talk to them and meet their “layers”. mac for an example was an asshole but i couldn’t pretend i didn’t felt his concern and fear around typhon, the way he was terrified about everyone hating him, he was scared for his life and being very paranoid, i was concerned about him and the game giving you the choice to speak to him or leaving him was a tricking decision cause you could leave him alone suffering or try to help him out, maybe saving his life and this is a lot but he’s alive. the game makes him real and that’s what makes me INSANE about the characters. i know, i’m talking about a game where you’re supposed to feel the characters’ feelings but that could possibly go wrong as well if the characters were shallow and poorly explored and that’s not the case with true colors. they had purpose.

3. alex’s power it’s probably my favorite power. the choices in this game was way harder than the first two games, the craziest thing is you can choose if you want to take someone else’s feeling so they can stop feeling that way, saving them from themselves making alex suffer instead and that's selfish. don’t get me wrong, i’m not calling alex a selfish person but taking someone else’s feeling doesn’t make anything better, you’re taking their right to heal, to be alive and that is so fucking awesome. you have this power to help someone, to “take their pain away” and you will learn that people need to feel what they are supposed to feel so they can move forward cause if we don’t, we are never going to learn. we see that charlotte is pretty angry about gabe’s death, she blames everyone but mostly ethan, she is miserable. alex can choose between taking charlotte’s anger or leave her. if alex takes charlotte’s anger, charlotte is left completely empty, she doesn’t feel anything and when i say anything it’s anything. she is left emotionless and bitter, she doesn’t pass through her way of mourning for gabe and she doesn’t have alex’s back when alex confronts jed. if alex leave charlotte to her anger we have a nice moment between them on the festival, talking about what happened and charlotte gets alex’s back on the black lantern and that’s what i mean from being selfish, if we take someone else’s feelings we are being unfair to them, we are choosing for them and people are supposed to feel, heal in their own time or overcome. by taking charlotte’s anger we deprived her from healing, we are not helping her, we are just making an natural process even more difficult and slower. alex being able to hear what someone is thinking and enter that person’s world from what they are feeling at that moment it’s the best detail for me, everything changes, we get to see the world through that person’s eyes, we can understand them but we decide what to do with that, we can be selfish or actually help. of course, we can take pike’s situation for an example also, if we take his fear we can help him overcome typhon and we get to expose jed but pike’s fear was necessary to take and charlotte was not necessary, pike at least had the pendrive with the recorded calls on it so we had a chance for things to get better.

4. chapter 5 was an amazing ending. finding out the truth about typhon, jed was never a hero, alex confronting her past, the confrontation and seeing who was going to be on your side, alex’s final conversation with gabe and the end, it was better than i thought it could be. i truly loved seeing alex’s past, even with everything that went down she turned to be a good person who wanted to be loved (her passion for music being the thing that helped her connected to me in a lot of levels, that creep cover though i screamed so hard when she started to sing). the mine part was absolutely insane not just alex surviving that fall discovering that gabe was looking for his dad for so long, jed knowing it and all of this time his dad actually died because of jed, alex finding the truth by taking her mom’s necklace back from what was left of that accident it’s so heartbreaking, the confrontation was crazy, i thought no one was going to believe alex because jed was so loved by everyone there it would be so easy to doubt alex and just be on jed’s side which was what ryan did but it’s understandable, jed was his dad, his hero. alex’s speech on jed exposing him after everything was one of the best monologues on that game and man this game had AMAZING dialogues and monologues, everything felt so real and beautiful, the best part of it it’s to forgive jed that’s where alex break him, he regrets everything even more cause when we find out the truth. we find out why jed never enjoyed talking about being the hero of haven springs. at the end jed wasn’t entirely a bad person cause when we forgive him he gives back alex her dad’s jacket talking about how he wanted to give it to gabe but couldn’t, that’s something that made me love even more the characters even jed that was the “villain”, which i don’t think he is. what he did was terrible and he knew that, he tried to pretend nothing happened when alex started to talk but at the end he broke, that always haunted him and that’s the difference between him and jefferson who was actually the villain in life is strange he wasn’t forced to do those things, he killed rachel, he killed chloe, he manipulated nathan, he was going to kill max and if max didn't stopped him on the arcadia bay ending he would kill even more students at blackwell.

5. alex and steph relationship was the purest thing on this game, it was smooth, it was organic, it wasn’t something out of the blue, steph liked alex since the beginning. the plan to pick someone to flirt with diane and get her pendrive i chose ryan and afterwards steph started to feel something, she was so upset that alex used to think ryan was “hotter than her” (i only chose ryan cause i didn’t want to see steph flirting with diane but i saw the scene where we pick steph and omg i should’ve chosen steph cause that scene it’s hilarious), steph was happier around alex, every time she had an opportunity to flirt with alex she took it. seeing their love grow through the chapters was beautiful, i know we can choose ryan over steph but i don’t believe ryan liked alex the way steph did, you can literally see that no matter what alex did steph was going to support her and look at her with so much love and respect and that’s why i think alex and steph’s relationship it’s so pure and right. also they looked so good playing together it’s so cute that they have the same passion for music and THAT LARP SCENE FOR GOD’S SAKE MY HEART MELTED!

6. this part is exclusively to talk about LARP and the fight scenes, it reminded me so much of final fantasy it was so COOL, well thought and so fun. it was awesome to see everyone taking care of ethan and doing their best to make him happy.

7. talking about ethan, this game opened a conversation in my head about charlotte and ethan, i started to think a lot about what charlotte said about ethan how she felt happier when gabe was around and now she was stuck with only ethan again, it made me think that maybe charlotte didn’t want to have a child or if she didn’t had ethan she could have gabe again. that could open a conversation about women who didn’t want to become a mom but it doesn’t mean that charlotte would hurt ethan which makes total sense to decide to leave her alone and not take her anger, she would never hurt ethan. it was again another tricking decision cause we get concerned about ethan when charlotte starts to talk but we know deep down she cares so much about her son, she does everything for him.

life is strange true colors became my favorite life is strange, the story it’s different and great, it’s literally finding the truth about everything, when we understand people’s feelings we discover the truth about them and situations, we understand everything. this game actually made me cry harder and think so much even more than the first one and boy i love the first one so badly. it talks a lot about empathy and how we react to people’s emotions, your choices in this game are way harder than messing with time or moving things with your mind, it’s choices about things that could happen in real life eventually and that is what makes this game so important to me, it’s real.

and also it's the first life is strange to have happy endings like.. ok big steps for my non depression finally

[ginger-grimm]

All of the Heart emojis for either Celeste Morris or Carmen Bauman, please?

@dancingsunflowers-ocs 🖤

Why not both?

💓 BEATING HEART - what gets their heart racing?

For Celeste, it's either looking at the stars or looking at Rachel whenever she walks by.

Jonathan really drives Carmen wild in more ways than one. He makes her heart beat faster every time she sees him.

💘 HEART W/ ARROW - what traits do they look for in a relationship? do they believe in love at first sight?

Celeste looks for someone who is interested in the things she is, or can at least open their mind to it. She also looks for someone who will love her unconditionally. She doesn't think love, at first sight, is real.

Carmen looks for someone who will treat her with respect, no matter what. Someone who can hold her and someone who she can have fun with. She definitely believes in love at first sight.

💗 GROWING HEART - if they have a crush, is it noticable? what changes when they're in love?

For Celeste, it's not noticeable at first, but once she trips over words and starts to giggle like an idiot, you'll see it. Usually, this stops completely when she gets into a relationship.

Carmen always gets red in the face when she has a crush on someone, and she plays with her hair. This usually dies down when she's in love, but it does manifest from time to time.

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

Taking someone star gazing, holding hands, getting familiar with the things the other person loves for Celeste.

Carmen cooks for the people she loves. She also picks out flowers and makes bouquets using flowers with meanings she associates with the gift receiver. Also, hugging.

💙 BLUE HEART - do they miss their s/o easily? how do they act when their s/o isn't around?

Celeste misses Rachel a normal amount whenever she isn't around. She texts and sends cute selfies just to remind her girl of her face lol

Carmen really has to learn not to fall apart whenever Jonathan isn't around. Befriending Nancy and Vanessa, and then Robin really helps her with this. When she's not allowed to contact Jonathan while living with Murray, she writes him letters which she keeps hidden in her jewelry box, and listens to the mixtape he made for her often.

💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your oc feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food?

Applause for Celeste, weirdly enough. But also hugs and the stars.

Hugs, food, the feeling of dirt beneath her hands, having someone run their fingers through her hair for Carmen.

💖 SPARKLING HEART - are they a subtle or a showy lover?

Showy for both of them, for sure.

💌 LOVE LETTER - do they like love letters? what kind of messages do they leave for their partner?

They both like love letters. Usually, Celeste will leave Rachel something along the lines of "You're my one and only star."

Carmen will leave Jonathan some kind of note, letting him know she's safe and didn't run away.

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

For Celeste, it was Rachel choosing other people over her more than once. For a while, she didn't think she would ever actually get with her, but she couldn't not give it a try.

If Jonathan ever treated her with disrespect or hurt her, Carmen would be crushed. Not that he ever would though.