#big thanks go out to jocelyn

[tiredandoptimistic]

TSC Fandom Survey Results

The time has finally come for me to share my data! For those unaware, I've spent the past week running a survey in which people ranked TSC books, characters, and ships. In the end, 50 people filled out my survey, which is way more than I expected! About 23% of the people who looked at the survey filled it out, and everyone who started finished it.

First off I'll post the simple rankings from each category, and below the cut I'll show the more complex results with explanations for why people voted the way they did.

Best series: 1. The Infernal Devices 2. The Mortal Instruments 3. The Dark Artifices 4. The Last Hours 5. The Eldest Curses 6. The Wicked Powers 7. The Secret Treasons

Best main girl: 1. Tessa Gray 2. Clary Fairchild 3. Emma Carstairs 4. Cordelia Carstairs 5. Dru Blackthorn

Best main couple: 1. Will/Tessa/Jem 2. Will/Tessa 3. Clary/Jace 4. Jem/Tessa 5. Julian/Emma 6. James/Cordelia 7. Dru/Ash

Best side couple: 1. Magnus/Alec 2. Simon/Isabelle 3. Thomas/Alastair 4. Kit/Ty 5. Kieran/Mark/Cristina 6. Charlotte/Henry 7. Sophie/Gideon 8. Gabriel/Cecily 9. Helen/Aline 10. Grace/Christopher 11. Gwyn/Diana 12. Lucie/Jesse 13. Ari/Anna

Best side character: 1. Raphael Santiago 2. Lily Chen 3. Maia Roberts 4. Ragnor Fell 5. George Lovelace 6. Catarina Loss 7. Livvy Blackthorn 8. Jessamine Lovelace 9. Luke Graymark 10. Jocelyn Fairchild 11. Maryse Lightwood 12. Eugenia Lightwood 13. Jordan Kyle 14. Robert Lightwood 15. Jaime Rosales 16. Michael Wayland 17. Amatis Graymark 18. Camille Belcourt 19. Nate Gray 20. Charles Fairchild

Best younger sibling/child: 1. Max Lightwood-Bane 2. Rafael Lightwood-Bane 3. Mina Carstairs 4. Max Lightwood 5. Tavvy Blackthorn 6. Alex Lightwood 7. Zachary Carstairs

Best villain: 1. Sebastian Morgenstern 2. Valentine Morgenstern 3. Annabel Blackthorn 4. Malcolm Fade 5. Axel Mortmain 6. Asmodeus 7. Shinyun Jung 8. Benedict Lightwood 9. Tatiana Blackthorn 10. Belial

Best side book: 1. Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy 2. Ghosts of the Shadow Market 3. The Bane Chronicles 4. Secrets of Blackthorn Hall 5. An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld 6. The Shadowhunter's Codex 7. Better in Black 8. A Sea Change

Huzzah! Putting this all together has been so much fun for me, and I want to quickly thank everybody who participated! I also want to remind everyone that this was just for fun, and no reason to get mad at anybody. We're obviously never gonna agree on everything, we just need to respect each other's opinions.

If you want to know the nitty gritty of how every character was ranked, how the different series measured up against each other across categories, and why people like or dislike various books and characters, then keep reading below the cut! I made a spreadsheet, please come gaze upon my beautiful spreadsheet.

Here we go, time for the real shit!

Be warned, you will probably read mean things about characters you love and nice things about characters you hate. Angry rants about how you can't believe anyone would think that way belong in DMs to your friends, not the notes of my post. I do welcome discussion, just nothing that's targeted at other people. Also, I will be doing my best to explain people's opinions, that doesn't mean that I agree with them. I'm just trying to document. If I'm sharing my genuine personal opinion on anything, I'll make that clear.

You'll be seeing screenshots from my big spreadsheet throughout this thing. Here's your key: Columns represent characters/ships/series, rows represent a ranking. Each cell shows how many people assigned that rank to that character (for example, the intersection of 3 and Sizzy will be the number of people who voted Sizzy as their second favorite side ship). At the bottom there will be the average rank this character received, which was calculated by the program I used for the survey. I have all the columns color coordinated by which series each character/ship belongs to, and each column will have one box outlined which shows the rank that character received most often (as in, the intersection of Sizzy and 3 is outlined because Sizzy got more #3 votes than #1 #2 #4 or #5). Some columns have multiple boxes outlined, in the case of ties.

Make sense?

Alright, let's go!

First off, it's everyone's favorite series. As you can see, TID was significantly ahead of all the others. TMI and TDA were neck and neck, frequently switching back and forth for that #2 spot. TLH was a bit lower than the other three, and TEC, TWP, and TST all ranked dramatically lower.

To explain why they liked TID, people talked about finding the series nostalgic, enjoying how the characters are woven into the plot, the historical setting, and how it expands the worldbuilding of TSC while still working as a contained story. People also mentioned enjoying specific characters like Will, Jessamine, and Gabriel. By far the most common comment though was just that people love Herongraystairs. The only negative comments came from people who said that they didn't find the concept interesting, and were disappointed by the lack of their favorite modern characters.

Talking about TMI, the most common positive comments were that the series was fun, nostalgic, and had the best cast of characters (specifically Alec, Magnus, and Simon). People also enjoy the modern setting, the interpersonal relationships (especially Malec), and how the world is seen to develop from where it was in the historical era. TMI has the fewest haters, but some people said that they just didn't find it as captivating as later series, or that they were put off by the incest plotline. I also received the criticism that the characters are annoying, and that the story could have been compressed into fewer books.

For TDA, a lot of people mentioned finding the characters relatable, enjoying the plot, and liking the Blackthorn family dynamic. The characters and ships who got specific shout-outs were Blackstairs, Kierarktina, and Mark. People also like the modern setting, found it to be emotional, and think that it effectively juggles a large cast of characters. Plus, people appreciate getting autistic representation from Ty. It has a solid number of detractors too, who say that they don't like Blackstairs (especially Julian), Thule, the Cohort, or the focus on Faerie politics. They also say that it has too many plotlines, takes itself too seriously, and that the last book (Queen of Air and Darkness) made them drop the series.

While TLH was ranked last of the main series, I'd like to point out that it has the same number of #1 votes as TDA, signaling that it has a similar number of intense fans. The difference really comes in with the lack of #2 or #3 votes, showing that people don't tend to be casual fans of the series. By far the most popular thing brought up by TLH enjoyers is the characters, and how they build an interconnected web with lots of fun dynamics (including developed family dynamics). People also like the number of queer and POC characters, the cozy vibe, the historical setting, the drama, and the ships (especially Herondaisy). The most common critiques all come back to the plot; that the main story is weak or even incoherent, and the series is stretched too thin across a number of side plots. People also dislike the lack of communication, and think that the characters don't feel like friends. Another complaint is that the world doesn't feel like a natural extension of TID, especially because the characters are so invested in mundane social structures like balls and reputations.

TEC is our first truly controversial series, and the main divide seems to be between people who think it's unnecessary fan service, and fans who feel serviced. The reasons I was given to like the series are the additional page time for Malec and the TMI gang, and that it fleshed out the TMI timeline. On the negative side, people say that it feels like a cash grab and that LBOTW didn't live up to the expectations set by RSOM. Overall though, the biggest reason that people ranked it so low was just that they hadn't read it.

Here's where we get into the series that were doomed to fail in the rankings because none of us have even read them. While TWP has a solid number of prospective fans ranking it in their top three, most people left it at the bottom because it hasn't come out yet. The people who expect to enjoy the series are the ones who enjoyed Dru, Kit, and Ty in TDA, and the ones who expect to dislike it are the ones who didn't enjoy those three in TDA.

So, TST was probably not fair to include in this list because I got a solid number of respondents who hadn't even heard of it, but I'm convinced that if it were ever to come out it would be in my top two series overall, and I want to see what the people think. While it didn't get anybody voting it #1 based on potential like TWP did, there were still some people saying that they would be excited to read it because of Waywood, the Luke/Jocelyn/Valentine drama, and the morally gray characters. On the other hand, there's the people who just don't care about the Circle and don't want to read about them.

For main girls, Tessa, Clary, and Emma were all pretty close in the average rankings. Cordelia and Dru fell a bit behind, but also had their share of committed fans.

When talking about Tessa, people brought up her intelligence, maturity, and their nostalgia for her character. They also like that she's a book lover, has cool powers, isn't annoying, starts out messy before maturing, and is strong-willed. By far though, the most common comment was that they found her relatable. The downside to this relatability is that her detractors say she feels like an obvious reader insert, and is overshadowed by more interesting characters like Will, Jem, and Jessamine.

Clary had the most positive comments, and people love that she's funny, creative, blunt, fearless, iconic, and handles all the bullshit the world throws at her. (My personal favorite comment was the person who called her "my beautiful unhinged princess"). More than anything though, people love Clary for her development. She starts out as a relatable 15-year-old, but over the course of six TMI books and all her later appearances, she grows into a hero. She's also of course incredibly nostalgic, since most TSC fans were introduced to the world by either her or Tessa. On the downside, people say that she works better as a side character than a protagonist, and that she's overshadowed by the rest of TMI. They also think that she made bad choices throughout the series, and find her annoying.

What people love about Emma is that she's strong, funny, complex, badass, and a bit of an asshole. They like that she's allowed to have an attitude and still be treated as a cool and compelling woman by the narrative and the other characters. Plus, she comes across as having a clear voice that makes her feel like somebody they could be friends with in real life. Most of the people with specific complaints about her either didn't like TDA overall, or thought she was treated as an extension of Julian who never fulfilled her individual potential. Some people also found her badass bad bitch persona to be more exhausting than endearing.

Cordelia is probably the most controversial character in this category, with long lists of both positive and negative traits given by the fandom. On the bright side, she's fierce, badass, kind, and relatable. People also like to see a woman of color thriving in 1903 London, and how she embodies the concept of a warrior. Looking to the negative, people largely just don't find her particularly engaging. They say that she's inconsistant, flat, and had no development after Chain of Gold. They also complained about her making bad decisions and having a weak relationship with Lucie.

Everybody had the least to say about Dru, and most people said that they ranked her last just because they don't know enough about her to like her more than the established characters. What her fans do enjoy is that she's relatable, blunt, sassy, and a fat goth girl who's giving 2015 tumblr emo. The only real complaint people had was that they found her annoying in TDA, but everyone who left comments like that also acknowledged that she was 13 in TDA and will probably be more engaging once TWP gives her time in the spotlight.

Moving into the main couples, TID continues to sweep as Herongraystairs takes the top spot (and came incredibly close to taking the entirety of the top three). After that, the couples are spaced out pretty equally and follow the same pattern established by the previous two categories.

Now, Herongraystairs received arguably the most bonkers majority in this entire survey. Nearly half of respondents ranked it as their #1, and only a couple outliers put it in their bottom three. What everybody loves about this ship is the angst, how willing they were to sacrifice for each other, the raw emotions, how perfectly the three balance each other, and the ideas about fate. They also like how all three of them are compelling characters on their own, have unique relationships in pairs (Wessa, Jessa, Heronstairs), and work even better as a complete unit. Will and Jem already loved each other, but they could only fully develop once they had Tessa; creating this tragic yet beautiful cloud of possibility. People also like the polyamorous aspect, and wish that they were a canon three way relationship. More than anything else though, what was commented again and again was simply "they loved each other so much." What else can you say? Well, I can say why a couple of people dislike the ship. The only reasons I was given was that the person didn't like TID overall, and that they prefer Jem and Will with a purely platonic parabatai bond.

Moving on to Wessa, people like their banter, the crazy build up to their relationship, and how they bonded over books. They also love how gutwrenching the relationship is, especially once you get to the epilogue of Clockwork Princess. The only complaint anybody had was that they aren't Herongraystairs, and the relationship is incomplete without Jem.

People of course love Clace for the nostalgia factor and how it's the relationship that introduced them to TSC, but most importantly people like how the two of them are just so horribly down bad for each other. They're cute, fun, and have good chemistry; forming the heart of the TMI gang and of the Shadowhunters world. What people don't like is that they're basic, getting overshadowed by other couples in their own series. The upside is that they get better in their appearances that came after TMI. There are of course also the people who don't like the incest plotline and felt uncomfortable reading about that era of their relationship.

Jessa was solidly in third for most of this survey, but Clace pulled ahead of them in the last day. Though they came in behind the other TID ships, they're still beloved by the fandom. People like their dynamic and enjoy Jem as a character. The downside is that the ship makes them sad because of the tragedy of their situation, doesn't include Will, and gets overused in the modern series.

As for Blackstairs, people see their relationship as beautiful, a good example of friends to lovers/forbidden romance, and worked in well with the plot of TDA. People also like the soulmate aspect. Their haters sure had a lot to say to counterbalance that though, and complained about how the relationship is melodramatic, overly intense, toxic, and codependant. I also got a few respondants who said that they just dislike Emma and Julian as individuals, and that Julian's behavior towards Emma is alarming.

Herondaisy is continuing TLH's grand tradition of coming in near the end while still maintaining a dedicated team of fans. The good stuff is how much James loved Cordelia, and that he spent so long unable to say anything, but once he was free from the Gracelet he never let her forget his devotion. Their love was powerful enough to break a hellish enchantment, but still felt like a friendship built on a shared interests like books and stories. The most common complaint about this relationship was miscommunication, dislike of James or Cordelia as characters, and not understanding why the two like each other (other than mutual attraction). There's also people who just don't like TLH and generally aren't invested in their story. The other main complaint was that the James/Grace and Cordelia/Matthew subplots felt unnecessary and overly drawn out (which of course connects back to the miscommunication issue).

Morgenthorn suffers from the same issue as the other TWP representatives, and largely got low marks because their books aren't out yet. Some people think they're shaping up to be iconic though, while others still aren't sold on the premise.

The side ships are where things start to really heat up. Based on their average rank, the pairs form a couple distinct tiers. First, is Malec, Sizzy, Thomastair, and Kitty (the fan favorites), next is Kierarktina, Chenry, Sophideon, and Gabrily making up the middle of the pack, then we have the less popular Haline, Gracetopher, Gwynburn, and Ghostwriter, and in dead last with by far the lowest score there's Arianna. (Sorry to the u-haul lesbians). I think it's quite interesting how most of the ships are clumped together with other ships from the same series.

I'm guessing we all knew that Malec was gonna come in first. People love the nostalgia factor, of course, and they also love how the ship is queer, iconic, and just generally sweet. It's a case of opposites attract where the two of them help each other grow and reach for things they never thought possible. Both Alec and Magnus believed that they'd never be truly loved for who they were, and yet together they were able to create a life and family. Not a single person had a bad thing to say about these two.

Continuing the popularity of the TMI gang, Sizzy came shockingly close to beating Malec for first. They didn't get as many #1 votes as the other top ships, but they were still voted highly by more or less everyone. On the surface this couple is cute and funny, but what people really love is how perfectly they match each other. While they look like opposites at first, they're actually incredibly well-balanced. Everyone expected Isabelle to break Simon's heart, but he's able to stand up to her without being a dick and he sees her for who she really is under all her defensiveness. Plus, they're great individual characters and encourage each other to grow. They only negative comment they got was one person who finds them annoying.

Next up, Thomastair comes in to prove that there are at least some parts of TLH that are pretty universally adored. People like how Thomas saw the good in Alastair from the start, and watching his schoolboy crush develop into a mature romance. They like how Thomas helped Alastair accept love into his life, and Alastair encouraged Thomas to become confident in himself. The two of them were able to create their own world in Paris, which allowed them to escape the roles they felt trapped in. The characters are of course loved as individuals, and people got especially attached to Alastair and think that he deserves good things. People also like their communication skills, in contrast with other TLH couples. The only real complains people had with the ship was that it's connected to a series they dislike overall, and falls into the bully x victim trope.

Kitty is another ship that anybody who spends any length of time in the fandom will not be surprised to see in the top quarter of this list. They're beloved as characters, and even people who dislike TDA say that they were some of the best stuff in it. Fans enjoy how Kit understood Ty from the start and Ty felt truly comfortable with Kit. They also like how Kit can't make amends with Ty but still keeps his secret (shout-out to the person who described them as being in "doomed yaoi purgatory"). People also say that they have great chemistry and a lot of potential. What people dislike is really just that they haven't had time to fully develop, since TWP hasn't actually come out yet.

The next top ship is Kierarktina, which is where we exit the "pure adoration" tier of this list. People like the characters and all their different dynamics, and think that there's a lot of potential for growth with them. They also like the fact that they're a canonically polyamorous ship. The complaints I got were that the relationship feels rushed, and that Cristina seems to fetishize Kieran and Mark's relationship.

Getting into the TID ships all nicely chunked together in the middle of this list, people like Chenry for their arranged marriage setup, where both of them love each other but saw their feelings as unrequited for years. They also like Charlotte and Henry's combined autistic swag. What makes people hesitate is their lack of pagetime.

For Sophideon, people of course love the individual characters, and especially appreciate how Gideon adores everything about Sophie. The only downside is how little of them we get on the page.

Gabrily came in lower than Sophideon but did receive more #1 votes and fewer #13 votes, proving that they have a higher number of committed fans despite being less popular overall. Those fans like how the two of them loved each other for what they were and always had each other's backs. Nobody had any negative comments about them.

Haline is another mid-tier ship that didn't get many comments. What I did hear is that people like how their struggles were worth it because they had each other, and ranked them low because of their lack of page time.

Gracetopher is probably the most controversial ship on this list. If we were just going off of who received the most #1 votes, they would be fifth overall (that order would be Malec, Kitty, Thomastair, Sizzy, Gracetopher). Unfortunately for them though, we are also factoring in all the people who ranked them dead last. As this form received more and more submissions, I watched this couple gradually climb from second-to-last to the dizzying height of fourth-to-last in the overall rankings. First off, what people like is how they truly see each other. Christopher was overlooked by his friends for his intensity and Grace was only ever treated as a weapon and a seductress, but they genuinely respect each other and bond over their shared enthusiasm for science. Looking at the negatives though, most people saw their dynamic as underdeveloped and unnecessary. Lots of people dislike Grace and don't believe that she should have received any redemption, and even people who are sympathetic towards Grace still dislike that Christopher was so quick to forgive her after how she treated one of his best friends. A few people also said that they like Grace and Christopher's dynamic when it's platonic, but ranked it low as a romance. People were also upset by Christopher's death, and feel that it ruins the relationship for them.

For Gwynburn, the only positive comment I got was a couple people saying they're cute, and the only negative one came from somebody who didn't like Diana because they felt she was an irresponsible guardian to the Blackthorn kids. Most people ranked them higher than the other ships at the bottom of this list, but unfortunately they just didn't have enough extremely high votes to pull them ahead.

Ghostwriter didn't get any specific positive propaganda, though some people clearly do enjoy them. Most of the negative sentiments came from people who just found them uninteresting and generally didn't enjoy TLH. They also see the pairing as having wasted potential, and felt frustrated by the lack of consequences for Jesse's resurrection. They saw Lucie as boring and dislike Jesse for his mistreatment of Grace.

Despite being ranked last, Arianna fans still came in to share what they liked about the couple. They enjoy the characters and Anna's butch swag, and some people who don't like them together still enjoy the concept. What people largely dislike about the two is Anna as a character, and how she treated Ari and all the other women she had flings with. While not everyone was ready to give up on them because of Anna's flaws, they were frustrated by how she didn't resolve her issues or try to be better by the end of the trilogy. There were also people who thought that the ship didn't get enough page time, or who didn't connect with Ari as a character. People were also disappointed in how Ari was punished by the narrative and by Anna for not being ready to come out of the closet when she was seventeen and dependent on her bigoted parents.

Oh boy, time to dig into the biggest category (which still feels incredibly cut down, my original list was over 50 characters). Side characters are obviously a point of hot debate, since everybody has their favorite guy who the narrative forgot about. The most popular overall characters were all old favorites introduced in TMI, then there's George, Catarina, Livvy, and Jessamine (who all swapped around a fair bit), before we get into a large chunk of characters who either inspire mixed feelings or get forgotten entirely, and bringing up the rear is two of the most hated characters in TSC.

First up, we have what I think is the biggest sweep of the whole survey; Raphael Santiago. He got about a third of the #1 votes, which isn't quite as dramatic a majority as Herongraystairs in their bracket, but far more impressive when you consider the sheer number of characters competing against Raphael for the top spot in this section. People think he's funny, iconic, and relatable. They love his sarcastic and grumpy sense of humor and his begrudging responsibility for the people around him. They also like his relationship with Magnus, as explored in "Saving Raphael Santiago" in The Bane Chronicles. The most common comment I got though was that people appreciate him being canonically aroace, and they remember him as their first experience seeing an aspec character in media. He received no negative comments (and few people left him out of their top ten).

Our second place goes to Lily, who got points for her iconic sense of humor, haunting backstory, and compelling relationships with both Alec and Raphael. She received no negative comments.

People like Maia but apparently don't have much to say about her. The only comments I got were that she's hot and a bad bitch, plus she overcame her difficult past.

Ragnor is appreciated how grouchy and melodramatic he is, and how he fits into the warlock friend group with Magnus and Catarina. I'd also like to shout-out his friendship with Raphael, since I love seeing them bond over their haterism. He received no negative comments.

George also didn't get many comments, but people grew attached to him very quickly and felt strongly affected by the tragedy of his death in TFSA, except for the person who said he felt like he got killed off for shock value.

People like Catarina's relationships with the other warlocks. I also want to point out her incredible selflessness and how she's even committed to helping people who hate her. She received no negative comments.

Livvy got the second most #1 votes after Raphael, and yet she's only #7 overall (ranked choice voting strikes again), and it looks to me like people either love her or don't care about her. What they love about her is the tragedy of her death and her relatable sense of responsibility towards her siblings, plus the continuation of her story in TWP. The only negative comment I got about her was from someone who didn't feel sad when she died.

Jessamine is seen as a fascinating and tragic character with a lot of potential depth who deserves more love. She got some low marks from her lack of page time though, and from people who found her attitude annoying.

Moving into some TST characters, Luke is noticeably higher than all the rest of his high school/fascist cult buddies. People like him for his dad vibes, and dislike him for his holier than thou attitude towards other members of the Circle. (Shout-out to my IRL friend who called him a DILF this morning).

Jocelyn didn't get many comments, and none that were positive. I'll chip in to say that I like how fierce and strong-willed she was when she decided to betray her abusive husband and raise Clary alone in NYC, and appreciate that she always tried to do what she thought would protect her daughter (even if it often wasn't actually what Clary wanted or needed). The people of the survey think she's a bad person and don't think that Clary should have forgiven her so easily for the way she lied to her. She moved up pretty far in the last day of this survey, but that was mostly due to other characters dropping in the rankings.

Maryse was behind Robert for most of the time this survey was gathering data, but her fans came in at the end to bump up her score. They like her relationships with her children, especially Jace and Alec, and are curious about her life before TMI when she had to deal with a loveless marriage and losing her brother to the mundane world. The only negative comment I received for her was someone who disliked how she treated Jace while he was being unfairly accused of working with Valentine.

While Eugenia is generally liked by TLH fans because she's funny, feisty, badass, and has a compelling relationship with Thomas; she scored fairly low overall because most people don't feel super attached to her due to her lack of page time.

The only positive comment I received about Jordan was that it was funny when he spent time with Jace and Simon. Mostly, people think that he was a toxic boyfriend to Maia and an awful person overall. They especially disliked that he and Maia got back together, even though he'd previously assaulted her after their breakup. Despite that, he's managed to make his way up from the bottom five of this list.

Robert is more controversial than his ex-wife, receiving more negative and more positive votes than her. People like his relationship with Michael as explored in "The Evil We Love," and how his personal issues with queerness bled into his relationship with his son. They enjoy both the angst of his difficult relationship with Alec, and the hopefulness that comes from his ability to grow as a person and try to be better for the sake of his kids. Folks who are less compelled by the angst just flat dislike him for his bad parenting. His ranking dropped dramatically in the last twelve hours, since I guess the people who can't forgive shitty parenting all showed up at the end.

People who like Jaime enjoy his attitude and see him as complex, and all the negative comments were about the age gap between him and Dru.

Michael is a character who seems to suffer from being nobody's favorite. No one had anything negative to say about him, but the only positive comments were in regards to his relationship with Robert, and the highest anybody ranked him was #4.

Amatis is somebody else who I believe suffered from not having any real fans. The only comment I got about her was that they ranked her low because they don't know much about her. The highest anybody ranked her was #6, and only one other character on this list has a highest rank that's lower than that. Nobody got mad at her like they did with Jordan or Jaime or Camille, but no one loves her like they love those three, so she ended up lower than them overall.

Camille got a fair number of high votes from people who enjoy her dramatic diva energy, and a lot of low ones from people who think she's just an awful person.

And here we have the first of the two most hated characters in this list. While he was dead last for almost an entire week, Nate finally managed to claw his way up to 19th place. Nobody had anything nice to say about him, and nobody ranked him higher than #7. I'll say that I find him interesting as an extension of Tessa's character and arc. People didn't have particularly complicated complaints, they just think that he's selfish, mean, awful, a traitor, a liar, an asshole, and completely irredeemable. Oof.

Even though he ended up in last place, Charles is distinct from the rest of the characters ranked this low because he actually does have a handful of fans who put him at #2 or #3. They think that he's an interesting character to study, even if he's an awful person. They also find his relationships with Alastair and Matthew to be compelling (though unhealthy) and relate to his place as an older sibling burdened by high expectations. As for the negatives, there's a whole laundry list. People see him as gross, annoying, selfish, awful, and boring. They hate his predatory relationship with Alastair in-universe, and which he was handled better by the author out of universe. I got one comment that said he felt like he was written by a straight woman, and in general people don't like how his arc was written.

Now that we're through with two of the largest and most controversial categories, let's move onto the one nobody cares about. I will admit that I included the children in this survey purely out of an interest in hearing if anybody had reasoning for preferring one small child over another.

Also, since we have two Max Lightwoods, I differentiated them using their middle inititals; Max M for Max Michael Lightwood-Bane, and Max J for Max Joseph Lightwood.

Okay, so what I have in the positive column for every single kid on this list is more or less just their association with their parents. People like the Lightwood-Bane siblings because they like Malec, they like Mina because of Jessa, Tavvy because of the TDA Blackthorns, Max J because of the TMI Lightwoods, Alex because of Gabrily, and Zachary because of Cordelia and Thomastair. Negative comments were also often linked to parents, like ranking Mina low because they dislike Jessa, or disliking the Lightwood-Banes because their existence feels like fanservice and they don't believe Alec would be a good father at age 20. Rafe did get the positive comment that his story in GotSM made the respondant cry.

Positive comments for Tavvy focused on people feeling like they know him better than other kids on this list, and being excited to see more of him and his relationship with Dru in TWP.

Max J got comments talking about how much more character he has compared to the babies, and how the tragic end to his story strongly affeced people. People got attached to him from his love of manga, and appreciate how he symbolized the innocence that Alec, Isabelle, and Jace needed to fight for.

Alex and Zachary were ranked last by almost everyone, though they all made it clear that they bear no ill will towards these kids. Zachary did get one committed fan who loves the way he brings Alastair's arc to a close, and is excited to see more of him on Thomastair's BiB story. I think it's noteworthy that they have the same number of #1 votes, Zachary got more #2 and #3 votes, and Alex got more #4 and #5 votes; showing that once you discount the people placing them in the bottom two, Zachary is in fact more popular. (I'm assuming that most people who put them in the bottom two don't actually prefer one over the other).

The villain category was particulary interesting to me, because reading everyone's comments made it clear that many of us are working off of different definitions of what makes a good villain. The biggest question was whether a character being sympathetic made people see them as a great villain or a terrible one. The other cool thing about this category is you can see that almost all the villains from the same series stayed next to each other in the ranking.

For as high as Sebastian ranked, he got relatively few comments. What people do like about him is that he was more relatable and redeemable than other villains because of how Valentine raised him, and yet he still went on to do unjustifiable things. They also think he was funny. The main complaint he got from several people was that the demon blood storyline made him a boring and badly constructed villain, since he had no free will in his own evilness. Also, y'know, the incest thing.

Valentine may not be ranked as highly as his son, but he did get far more specific compliments from people. They love to hate how logical, strategic, and pure evil he could be; as well as the way the story built up to him by showing the impact he had on the world. He was a skilled manipulator who convinced people to sacrifice everything in the name of his twisted values, and worked as a chillingly accurate representation of fascism. He also served the greater themes of TMI by allowing the leads to deny the violence and hatred passed down by their parents. Some people also just enjoy the Circle era characters. The only bad thing anyone said about him was that he's generic, one of a million bigoted middle aged white men in fiction.

Annabel and Malcom switched back and forth in the rankings a couple times while data was being gathered, since most people voted for the two of them as a unit. People like how tragic their storyline was, and how they served as foiled to Blackstairs because they too were people who loved each other enough to burn down the world. Ultimately, it was their sympathetic anti-Clave motivation that got most people to love them. The two points people held against them was that they're too sympathetic and thus not really villains, and that Annabel's potential was wasted in Queen of Air and Darkness. The folks who dislike TDA also dislike them on account of their association with the series.

Mortmain is our solidly mid tier villain. People across the board saw him as a simple pure evil force that the heroes had to win against, and the main question was whether people loved him or hated him for that simplicity.

The only reason anybody gave for enjoying Asmodeus was his association with Alec. The few negative comments he got were all about either his lack of page time or how his motivation being centered on his inherent evil made him uninteresting.

Shinyun is a more complicated character, and her reception was complicated as well. People like that she's associated with Alec through TEC, and that she showed how evil she was by rejecting redemption when it was offered to her. There were also some mixed feelings expressed about her place as a cult survivor, since that's a very human trauma that was not given enough dignity by the narrative. Negative opinions all came down to her lack of page time, and people who either never read or actively disliked TEC.

Benedict Lightwood might be the lowest anything from TID scored in this entire survey. People who enjoy him mentioned how he created realistic angst for Gideon and Gabriel, as a manipulative father they needed to learn to rebel against. What people think makes him a bad villain is that he's not a villain at all, just a generic shitty dad. Also, multiple people commented "worm" with no explanation.

Sadly for the villains of TLH, this isn't the way they were supposed to be the worst of the worst. While some people enjoyed Tatiana for her chaos and irredeemability, especially the way she abused her own daughter for years, overall she was seen as a boring letdown who could have been interesting if the narrative didn't treat her as pure evil. Maybe she could have had potential if she was allowed to be the main villain or if the story acknowledged the ways in which she felt abanoned by the Clave, but that's not the story we got.

As for Belial, nobody had anything positive to say about him. They thought that his plan was stupid (especially for a Prince of Hell), and that he was boring, annoying, and just generally underwhelming. He also received the same complaints as Asmodeus about how demons are uniniteresting villains because their only motive is their own inherent evil.

And here was have our final category: the side books! It's no surprise to me that the short story collections came in first, and that the unreleased books don't have a lot of fans yet.

Our most popular pick was Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy, which people love because of how it followed up on TMI storylines while also expanding upon the world. It gave readers a look into characters they enjoy like Alec, Mark, and James, and of course the most popular comment I got was people gushing about getting time with Simon. They love the Sizzy moments too, as well as Simon's friendship with Clary and the rest of the TMI gang. It also got points for George's heartbreaking death, and for how much fun it was to read when it was serialized in 2015. The two stories people mentioned as their favorites were "The Evil We Love" and "Nothing But Shadows," showing how people enjoyed getting to look at points in the TSC timeline that aren't explored by other series. The only negative comment it got was from a person who finds Simon and Isabelle annoying.

Coming in at a close second, Ghosts of the Shadow Market is beloved mainly for its connection to Jem and Jessa. People enjoy that it served a purpose in the overall TSC plot, and showed how love can be born of tragedy. The stories people brought up were "Every Exquisite Thing," "The Land I Lost," and especially "Cast Long Shadows." It received no negative comments.

While The Bane Chronicles was the least favorite of the anthologies, it still clearly won the love of the people. They enjoy it mainly on account of Magnus, especially for his friendship with the other warlocks and his romance with Alec. They like how funny it is, and feel like it has the same charm as the early TMI books. The only negative comment I got about it was that it's boring.

Secrets of Blackthorn Hall got points for the wholesome and iconic vibes, and the interesting format of being published through tumblr. Someone also described it as a home renovation show in a haunted house, and people brought up being glad to see characters like Mark and Mina and ships like Kitty and Blackstairs. Some people just didn't find it interesting though, and others disliked it because it had so much Julian and Blackstairs.

An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld probably got the fewest comments in this category. The people who love it appreciate the stunning art and interesting details about the characters, and all the low votes came from people who haven't read it.

The Shadowhunter's Codex is the oldest companion book on this list, and clearly didn't hit like the later additions to the canon. The only positive comments I got were from people who enjoyed Simon, Clary, and Jace's comments written into the margins. Generally people just didn't find it interesting, and saw it as a textbook that didn't even provide new information about the the world of Shadowhunters. There were also people who either didn't read it or couldn't finish it.

Better in Black of course hasn't been released, but people are excited to see their favorite couples back in action. In this survey, I got specific comments from people talking about Herondaisy and Thomastair. It still ranked pretty low overall, mainly because none of us have read it yet.

A Sea Change was most people's bottom pick, just because it isn't out yet. (My theory is that it ranked lower than BiB because BiB got everyone hyped through fandom engagement when we all debated which couples would be included, and that BiB appeals to fans of ten different ships while ASC only has fuel for Matthew fans). Predictably, the people who expect to love ASC are the ones excited to see the next chapter of Matthew's journey.

And with that, we're done! I'd like to once again thank everybody who participated, especially the folks who gave long or detailed comments. I had to simplify and summarize a lot in this post, but I truly enjoyed reading everything you all had to say.

I also want to take some time at the end here to address some questions I got about why stuff in this poll was set up the way it was. First, I got a lot of people saying that Kitty should have been considered a main couple, either in addition to Morgenthorn or instead of them. I get that we (so far) have a lot more Kitty material and that most of the fanbase is far more invested in them, but I'm counting the "main couple" as the one that includes the main girl. I also got some people confused by my choice to include unpublished works like TWP and Seasons of Shadowhunters, and while I understand that perspective I still stand by my decision. I know it's not fair to the series and that people can't accurately rate things they haven't read, but I wasn't trying for that kind of accuracy; I was curious about how much people love or hate things that aren't out yet. I'd love to see how TWP and SoS factor into these rankings once we've all read them, but for now I'm happy just hearing what people expect to think about them.

Also, everyone who left random silly comments or told me their favorite characters and scenes, y'all are the real ones. I did this whole project out of my love for this series and my interest in learning why people think the way they do, and I've been amazed by the positive response. This series and world is so incredibly expansive, and I love that all of us are able to find the different niches of TSC that make us happy.

If you actually read through all this, you're awesome and thanks for supporting my passion for turning emotions into numbers. If anybody has any additional questions, I am here to chat!

Taglist:

@edwinspaynes @helenofblackthorns @whaliensdream @iovelaces @darcyolsson @sankta-wraith @magnus-the-maqnificent @blue-silver-hammer @ineedmoremalec @kingslayerzzzz @thevagabondexpress @cara0765 @uncertified-shadowhunter-14 @elytrianemrald @thomasslightwood @starrieshq @blackthornobsessed @alastaircarstairsismybff @angeldaisies @dissapointmentsrus @bananacakepie

[valentiyne]

Ashton with a tattoo artist! Love interest. Maybe he goes in to get a tattoo then immediately takes interest in them, going back fo stupid reasons like touch ups, recommending anyone to get tattooed there, just being down bad in general

𝗀𝗋𝖾𝗒𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 ꕥ 𝖺𝗌𝗁𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗋𝗐𝗂𝗇

Ashton Irwin x Fem!Reader Summary: Requested! Ashton makes a last-minute booking with coffee made just right. Warnings: N/A Word Count: 1.4k Copyright © 2024 Valentiyne. All rights reserved. This original work is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format.

"Are you guys still open?"

It was a cacophony of sounds, with the buzz of the tattoo guns overlapping with the hum of conversations. The other artists' voices were raised over the noise, and the air was thick with the smell of ink and antiseptics. I could hear the sound of the machine moving, the soft thud of the needle on the skin, and the occasional gasp of surprise from a customer.

My boss, Jocelyn leaned over to me with a smile, "I'm off the clock, you're up."

I look up now, trying my hardest to not mean mug the person who ruined my chances of an early freedom tonight. He stood in the doorway, his messy brunette hair pushed back behind his ear and his hands fiddling with the sleeves of his white sweater. His hazel eyes scanned the room before they landed on mine.

"What were you looking to get done?"

"Oh!" he stutters and reaches into his back pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. From the looks of it, it was worn down and ripped in a few places but he hands it over proudly nevertheless.

I inspected it for a while, nodding to myself, "Is it a.... dog?" I quirk an eyebrow, looking up to match his eyes. He nods, a loose strand of hair falling down perfectly on his face, "it's a greyhound, yes"

I nod my head and hand him a clipboard to sign in, inspecting the loose piece of paper once again before heading to the printer. I printed numerous sizes, unsure of how big he wanted it to be.

After all was said and done, he was sitting in my chair and I was nervous checking to make sure I had everything I needed.

Tattoo gun, ink caps, gloves, tattoo gun, ink ca-

"I like the room", He speaks up, motioning to the shelf of miscellaneous items hoarded on them.

He slips the white sweater up and over his head, bundling it in a ball next to him. I make an effort not to stare at his tattooed body, my cheeks flushing up as I keep my back turned.

Obviously I was never like this with any of my other clients, but something about him made me lose my focus. It was unprofessional and unlike me- but god is he hot.

"Thanks, this is basically my second bedroom since i'm here so much" I took a deep breath, sliding my gloves on, and turning towards him. His stencil was already prepped and on his arm, and I stepped towards him slowly.

"You're here often?" He questions, watching as I dip the needle in the ink.

I nod, stretching his skin with my free hand "Yeah, all seven days of the week, unfortunately.... It'd be a little easier if I had any coffee today"

He's silent for a while, my eyes wandering up to see him staring off at the shelves that littered the walls surrounding us.

"Any reason you chose a greyhound?" I attempt ti make conversation, suddenly embarrassed of my trinkets. Not that there was anything wrong with them, I just didn't want him judging me for my childlike interests.

I laid the needle to his skin, hearing him take a deep breath before speaking, "it's for my new album"

I nod in response, dragging the ink down as I trace the stencil. "looks like we're both artists in a sense" I tease, earning a chuckle from him.

Over the next two hours, I learned many things about the boy in my chair. His name was Ashton, he was a musician, he owned a lemon tree and he could hold his breath for a minute and a half. He apologized throughout the course of the night, telling me he wouldn't have stopped in and got a tattoo if he knew we'd be closing soon. I reassured him numerous times, telling him it genuinely wasn't a big deal. He was nice and a great person to talk to.

But after all was said and done, I wrapped his arm and after leaving a hefty tip- he was gone.

I didn't see him for two months after the fact, every time the door would jingle, I found myself snapping my head up to see if it was him

Each time it was not...

"I'm telling you, he came in here and left me a $500 tip, Joss. it was bizarre! I couldn't even find his stupid profile anywhere" I groan, smacking my head down on the desk dramatically.

She giggles at my hopelessness, her hand patting my head kindly, "Maybe he has a girlfriend?"

The door swinging open made me groan louder, lifting my head up with half-lidded eyes and a fake smile.

"Hi sorry we're closing soon, you can book an ap-"

"Closed so soon, sweetheart?" His voice rings out, a stifled laugh following after. I open my eyes quickly to see him standing there, his journal tucked under one arm and two coffees in the other.

I giggle loudly, standing from my chair and walking towards him. "Ashton! where have you been?"

He hands me the coffee, giving me a side hug before pulling his journal out from under his arm. "i'm looking to get another tattoo, and who else would I trust but my sleep deprived tattoo artist"

I try to hide the blush creeping up my face, turning around to show Joss who I've been talking about for weeks. Her mouth is hung open, eyes wide as she looks between the two of us. "That's Ashton....?" She takes a deep breath before shaking her head quickly, "Miss Y/n has been talking my ear off about you since your last visit"

I turn around quickly, shooting daggers as I give her a nice tilt of the head to get lost. She raises her hands in defeat and snatches her coat from the chair I was previously in before waving goodbye. Ashton waves back with a smile before I cover my face in embarrassment.

"Seems like i'm the talk of the town?" He teases and I grab his forearm, leading him to my studio.

He hops up on the chair, sliding off his cardigan and showing me his healed greyhound. I analyze it carefully, smiling up at him. "It looks amazing!"

"Wonder who did it?" He teases, poking my side playfully. I roll my eyes and flip through the notebook, passing by song lyrics, doodles, and other random scribbles before I pause at a drawing on the last page.

It was a scribble of me hunched over tattooing his greyhound. my tongue poked out to the side with a look of pure concentration spread across my face.

My cheeks grow red and I look up at Ash, a look of confusion and admiration painted. "Wha?"

"To be fair, I came for a touch-up on a few older pieces but... Also to ask if you'd like to come to dinner with me tonight?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, internally I was squealing like a little girl.

"I would love to."

[tinabelchersjournal]

Happy Tinimmy week!

As a first-time "fanfic-er", I only wrote a little something, but I had a lot of fun!

Thanks @tinimmyweek for organising the event, I'm excited to share with the fandom

I couldn't post it on ao3, (I'm new to all this), so here it goes!

Day one, Party/Drunk:

  Tammy has been talking about this party for months, telling us her parents are going out of town and she invited over everyone in our grade. She told us we were going to «Dance our Bs off». Picturing Jimmy Jr. in that situation was the main thing that made me excited. When I woke up today, I was feeling daring, so I decided to pull out my most dashing outfit, sure to get the most attention. I've never worn it before, afraid of standing out and being judged, but I'm tired of that fear, so I wanted to finally face it and overcome it.

Highschool Party

It seemed like such a good idea this morning! Have a grand entrance, dazzle everyone, and look like a new Tina. Now that I'm here though, I don't know.

  Now that dad dropped me off, I'm looking in Tammy's window and see so many people I've never spoken to before and think, what will they think of me after tonight? Will anyone even recognize me? I mean, me in a pink skirt, AND a glitter bracelet? I've never been so bold before. Do I really want all these people looking at me?

  I stand at Tammy's door for a few minutes, thinking of all the ways tonight could go wrong and then hear a familiar voice.

  «Hey, Tina! Wait up» Jimmy Jr. was coming up the street in a hurry. He met me at the doorway. «You're late too? I wanted to stretch before the party, but I ended up getting distracted. At least I'm all loosed up, so now I can dance with twice the usual power to make up for the time I lost!» He was so excited I forgot all my worries.

  I smiled back at him «Let's go in then. You can't waste any more time!» I said. He knocked many times until Jocelyn finally opened. He then took my hand and led me inside before we could even say hello to her, going straight to the dance floor. I was right, there were a lot of people I didn't know, dancing and chatting, but I focused on Jimmy.

  We reach the middle of the living room, and he lets go of me to get in the "dance zone," as he calls it. When a new song starts, he lets it all out, dancing left and right. I, however, move awkwardly, trying not to bump into anyone. It's difficult when you're in the middle of a crowd, though, so I decide to stand still. Looking around, it feels really awkward, maybe I should go sit down, give everyone more space.

  «Tina?» Jimmy had stopped dancing «Are you leaving? I wanted to dance the next one together» he reaches for my hands and it makes me smile. We walk back and he leads us, swaying back and forth. Even with my bad coordination, dancing with him is so much fun. So much so, I loosen up too. Before I knew it, we were both dancing like crazy and everyone else in the world was irrelevent. We kept it up for four more songs and then we had a break. Sitting down on the couch, he tells me «Your dancing is getting better!»

«Thanks!» that's a big complement coming from Jimmy Jr. He's nice about everything except dancing.

  «Yeah, your spins are getting better, but you still have to work on loosening up your hips. If you hold tension there, you can't move as fluidly» he's always looking for dance perfection. It's really cute.

  «Wait here» he gets up again, «I'll get us some drinks»

  That's nice of him. Hope Tammy has low sugar soda, I'm trying to make healthier choises.

  He comes back with two beers, and I do a double take.

  «Jimmy Jr, I thought you didn't drink alcohol. You said it bothers your troublesome bladder» I use the exact words he said last year.

  «Yeah, but we're in high school now! It's a tradition. Besides, one won't hurt me. Do you want to try it?»

  Do I? I did want to try new things and get out of my comfort zone.

  «I guess I'll try it». I take a sip, but it was too much at first and I cough. Didn't expect it to be so bitter. I try a smaller sip and it tastes alright.

  «What do you think, Ji-» I turn to him and I'm surprised to see he has already had half of his.

  «Love it! Makes me want to dance, but then if I go dance right now, I can't stay and finish it, and I should definitely finish it before I go dance because it's giving me extra energy and I want to give my all out there since every opportunity to dance is a gift that I should take full advantage of kind of like spending time with you, which we don't do as much anymore, so when we do get the opportunity, I want to take full advantage of it, like tonight, I had a lot of fun with you and I'm glad we're here together-》

I have no idea what's happened to him, but at that last part, I blush so much I can't pay attention to the rest. He keeps talking for the rest of the night, even when we start dancing again, and I don't know if that was beer or truth serum, but he doesn't hold anything in.

  We end up sitting on the stairs and he tells me «So you know how, in the begining of the year, we decided to just be friends?» ouch. It still made me sad just thinking about it, but I can't say it was the wrong choice. Last year, we were together so often it didn't leave room for much else. This year, I told him I wanted to get serious about babysitting, and he said he wanted to take more dance lessons, so we agreed to give each other space. And even though I miss him, I've now done enough jobs to buy a ticket to the B4N concert this june, so I know it was the right call.

  «Well, sometimes friends kiss each other, it's kind of another high-school-party tradition, and I for one think we should respect tradition. Like eating turkey on Thanksgiving or buying a christmas tree on christmas, and there's also chocolate on easter, costumes on halloween, all sorts of good stuff» I guess he's even more of a dork when he's drunk.

  Would kissing ruin our agreement? We've stayed friends throughout the year and I don't want to change that.

  «By the way», he says «I really like your bracelet . t'looks great on you»

  Never mind all that.

  I lean over and kiss him. Afterwards, we smile awkwardly at each other, and it made me so happy. It also made me realise that coming here was a very good idea.

[i-am-trying-my-best-okay]

Back On My Next Generation Shenanigans

Angeline "Andi" Jocelyn Herondale: The first Clary and Jace child. She has curly blond hair, freckles, and green eyes. She's very charming, but she's also been going through this life long crisis that the Shadowhunter's are in a never ending battle with the demons that will never end through the generations, only ending when the demons win; she's a bit of a natural pessimist. She thinks a lot about society and such, looking into the mundane forms of government, hoping it would be better then the Shadowhunter ones and was just like these all kind of suck, society sucks, I should make up my own form of government. She fights demons with knives, like a strange amount of knives; she'll hold like seven at once and slice away, she'll throw them and then pull some more out of nowhere. Thanks to this existential dread for her and the future generations thing, she ends up coming up with theories on how to just kill all demons forever, doing all kinds of research and experiments. With this, things get kind of messy. She also is kind of thinking about starting a coup, to overthrow the Shadowhunter form of government and implant a better one, which also gets kind of messy. Like I said, she's very charming, so she forms a whole group of people. Honestly, since she's so ambitious and willing to do many things to fulfil those ambitions, I think she might end up as a sort of antagonist, which should give an interesting dynamic with her family and friends. I can also see Shadowhunter's being like 'is it really surprising considering her grandfather' even tho she has a completely different set of ideals.

Jasper Robert Herondale: The second clace child. He has curly red hair, freckles, and black eyes. Much to surely everyone's surprise, he's a very quiet person, and to nobody's surprise, he would rather die then share even a hint of his true feelings. He gives big gentle giant vibes; man's just over here looming in the corner freaking people out, but the people who know him are just like 'nah, he's fine, he's just happy to be here'. He's the only one that got the tall genes, standing tall over all his other short siblings. He fights demons with a sledgehammer. When he was little he got kidnapped, but instead of pulling a Mina, he actually got traumatized. It was a mundane that kidnapped him, which is why it took a while to find him because nobody thought it was just some random mundane that took him. The mundane was going to sell him and some other kids to some rich buyer, but when the Shadowhunter's stormed the area to get Jasper they freaked out and started killing the kids as some sort of last minute cover up, not wanting to be caught with ties to the market cause then they'll just be assassinated in prison. But his parents got to Jasper before they could kill him, now the last survivor. This resulted in Jasper having a bit of a savior complex, feeling like he needs to save everyone since he feels like all those kids died because of him and he couldn't do anything about it, him, a Shadowhunter in training. It didn't help that he was naturally protective to begin with, now it was just twice as intense. This complex should lead to interesting thing when Andi goes all rouge.

Samuel Lucian Herondale: The third clace child. He has curly blond hair, freckles, and green eyes. He's the artist of his siblings, often drawing made up, disturbing looking creatures, along with other strange looking things. He's got this ever growing, hard to understand imagination, and it makes him come across as a bit strange and awkward, but he does have a lot of cool comics he's drawn but never published, though he wants to. The way he ends up fighting demons is sort of unusual; turns out, some of those creepy looking creatures he draws he can make come to life to fight alongside him, his parents angel blood coming through. Though he does have a weapon as well, that being a seraph blade. Despite it being angel power, and despite everyone literally knowing his parents whole Angel deal, Shadowhunter's are still side eyeing him for how demonic his creatures look. They're literally pulling out his family tree like 'oh wow Tessa the warlock is your great great great great grandma I bet that's those demon powers' or whatever. He's basically gaslit into thinking he's a demon, despite his parents being like 'it's probably just our angel powers but even if it's demon powers that's okay too'. But Samuel was already insecure, and this just fed into it. But ironically enough, he can't hate this power, making friends with the little creatures he makes; he just hates himself. I think out of all the Herondale kids he understands the most of why Andi went rouge.

Marigold "Mae" Celina Herondale: The youngest clace child. She has curly red hair, freckles, and gold eyes; kinda looks fox like now that I think about it. She's very quick witted, can talk on and on for hours and never run out of quips. Super competitive as well; whatever she gets into she will work herself to the bone to be the best. Although when she gets competitive, it just feels fun to her really, something to get passionate about, but then most people end up taking it wrong and get all heated about it or feel overwhelmed or something of that like, and she doesn't know how to correct it, especially in the moment. She fights demons with dual machete's. Mae often struggles with that connecting to people thing, but then there was the time when she actually connected with a demon more than a person. It was some random demon that could talk, and they were fighting but they both got sort of competitive about it and one thing led to another and now she and this demon are sort of besties. This led to her having a bit of a crisis of her befriending this demon so easily when she can't do the same with people, wondering what that makes her and if she's even worthy of being a Shadowhunter. Then there's the whole sneaking around to see her demon friend and worrying about when it came down to it what side would she be on. Honestly, she's more worried about what Andi will do to her and her demon friend then the Clave.

Noelle Rebecca Lightwood: Simon and Isabelle's first child. She has black hair and brown eyes. She's very much a poised, calm person. She's an introvert to the point where people think she's rude, but really she just can't handle socializing for very long, making her words seem clipped in dismissive, which she always ends up feeling guilty about. But she has a bunch of random, niche interests, that if you get her going on one of those she'll talk your ear off. She fights demons with a bow and arrow; Alec taught her. She's a bit of a glass child really, as her two siblings prove to be a bit of a handful, and she's seen as the 'easy to handle one'. Simon and Isabelle of course don't do this on purpose, they just have their hands full with the other two, and Noelle ends up festering in this. This leads to her physically unable to ask for help, not knowing how or if it's even allowed. She has all these insecurities and feelings she desperately needs help sorting out, and other people are always like 'wow your so put together and independent', making her feel this expectation and driving her into further isolation so people don't know she's not put together or think she's too needy.

George Maxwell Lightwood: The middle sizzy child, who definitely thought his name was inspired by 'George Lucas' before they told him about George Lovelace. He has brown hair and blue eyes; Will's eyes live on once again. He tends to feel things very deeply, doesn't know how to take things causally. Everything makes him feel these intense emotions, and people tell him he needs to 'calm down', or even think he's faking it, but that's just how he feels. He's also big into movies; he remembers every detail of every movie he's ever seen, researching the background of the movies as well. He has a multitude of screenplays he has written that he thinks aren't good enough to go on to become an actual movie. But his ability to feel things deeply assist him in writing these screenplays, able to insert such feeling in his characters and the presentation of situations. He fights demons with a seraph blade. George secretly doesn't really want to be a Shadowhunter; he wants to go off and make movies and such. But he feels guilty about it, what with feeling like if he takes irf he's betraying all of humanity. And there's also the stigma of his dad, Simon, being originally a mundane. People would say things like it was in his 'blood' to be a mundane, and that attitude would also go to his siblings, so he keeps quiet.

Lorelei Maryse Lightwood: The last sizzy child. She has brown hair and dark brown gold eyes. She's very much a free spirit, always running off and getting into shit, always disappearing and coming back after some strange misadventure. She just could never find it in herself to stay in one place. Girl will literally be missing for like a week and show up with jar of blood or whatever and is like 'I can explain'. She's a drummer, a very good one, hoping from band to band because she always seems to get involved in the shittiest bands who she insists 'have potential' but then they always end up falling through. That's how she gets into a lot of her misadventures really; she gives people the benefit of the doubt way too much, she looks for and finds people's best selves, which while sweet, can get her involved with bad people. She fights demons with this spiky baseball bat. Like I said, this trusting nature of hers gets her into trouble, but the biggest trouble she's gotten in is when she accidently got involved with some small that worships the demons and think they should take over the world. Now she knows way too much about this strange, ridiculously over funded cult, and is trying very hard to stop them while not telling anyone she has ties to such a treason. Worse yet, she ends up falling in love with someone in this organization, which makes things all the more complicated.

Eleanor Jia Penhallow: Helen and Aline's first child. She has black hair, freckles, and blue eyes. This was a planned adoption, a Shadowhunter orphan whose parents died fighting demons, now in need of a home. She's a bit of an actress, being able to disguise as different people as well as characters of her own creation. She really throws herself into these roles, using it to find out information and such, a bit of a spy in her own right really, pulling information for the Clave and for her allies. She's quick and able to read situations and people quickly, adding to her ability to act in difficult situations. This also leads her to know more then she probably wants to know, even of her friends, which can make her feel like she's being intrusive even when she's just looking at them. She fights demons with a double edged blade. A lot of the time she has trouble pulling herself out of said roles, sometimes feeling like she doesn't have a true personality and that even when she's not in a role and she supposedly 'herself' that it's not really her, that she's still acting. This leads to a bit of an identity complex, not really sure who she really is at a 'default', if the way she is is just another role or if it's natural, because she doesn't know.

Edmund Liam Penhallow: Heline's next child. He has curly black hair and brown eyes. This was more of an accidental adoption, a Shadowhunter abused by his parents that ran away to the Los Angeles institute at the age of only 9, of whom Helen and Aline get very attached to. He's very cautious and observant. He likes research; he knows every bit of Shadowhunter history and Mundane history, he knows how to fight with weapons he doesn't even wield, he learns about random things that one would think would never come up in a situation but when it does he's ready to info dump much to everyone's bafflement; guy's just a bundle of knowledge about basically everything. He fights demons with this hammer and nail thing, both using the hammer to hit the demons and for hitting the nails at a long distance at the demons. His parents were very much not careful with him. They put runes on him too young, they threw him in front of demons too young saying that was his training, and so on. The final straw that caused him to run away was when they had somehow got it in their head that he had the potential to talk to ghosts. His parents had heard of the Herondale's connection to ghosts, and one time they saw Edmund muttering to himself so they were like 'clearly he has the potential to talk to ghosts as well'. Edmund tried to correct this, as he very much could not talk to ghosts, but they just threw him into some sort of morgue for 'training', refusing to let him out until he made some sort of connection to a ghost. He tried to lie, say he did, but his parents saw through the lie every time. Two weeks passed before he gave into hunger and began eating the only thing edible in that room; the dead bodies. Another week passed, and at that point he thought his parents weren't ever going to let him out, but then they did. It was then that he ran away, the taste of dead people never truly leaving his mouth. Honestly, the way he saw it, his parents jumped the gun a lot on him, doing things to him without properly understanding, being so reckless with him. So this sort of fed into his obsessive 'I must know every detail before doing anything' thing he does, as he doesn't want to be like them, and he thinks this will prevent people from being hurt. I also think the whole eating dead people thing definitely led to an eating disorder of some kind, unable to eat a lot of foods without tasting dead people.

Andrew "Andres" Blackthorn Rosales: Eldest kiearktina child, born from Cristina and Mark. He has curly black hair and golden eyes. He adores the forest life, wants to explore every part of it. Though, the forest didn't naturally like him back at first, as he didn't have that natural connection to it like the Fae. But he learned the ways of the forest, able to navigate it like no one else, and now the forest likes him back. He wants to travel the world and explore all sorts of different terrains, map them out, understand them all. The guy has crazy survivalist skills he's both learned about and discovered through trial and error, and he can and will go on rants about them at any given moment. He fights demons with this mysterious sword the forest gave him as a gift that definitely won't lead to any sort of plot line don't worry about it. The Fae disapprove of his entire existence, looking at him in a sort of 'what is he even doing here'. He's only partially Fae, and they don't consider that to be enough, even though Andres feels more connected to the Fae then he does with Shadowhunter's. They don't even really consider him to be Kieran's son, despite the many, many times Kieran has made it very clear he is. They pick on him and do cruel tricks on him a lot, nothing to permanently damage him physically, since he does have that amount of protection from Kieran's name, but it does take it's toll on him mentally. His parents know what's going on, but he never tells him who did it.

Juniper "Junie" Kingson Rosales: Youngest kiearktina child, born from Cristina and Kieran. She has curly blue hair and silver eyes. She's very much attracted to the city life, lowkey hating the forest life, not vibing in their cottage core lifestyle; very much the opposite of her brother. Girl is super into architecture, learns about the different styles from all over the world, she's obsessed. She has doodles of her own architecture, and she wants to make them a reality someday. She fights demons with a three balled flail. She isn't considered to be a true heir, as Cristina is considered a consort. But that's good for her because she didn't want to be the heir anyway; life in the fOrESt? Forever? No thank you. Give her that industrialization. But there does need to be an heir, and Kieran very much does not want to have a child with some other Fae woman just to have one, so as time wears on it's looking like an illegitimate heir is looking better than no heir. That would skip over her brother and to her, because even though Kieran of course sees them both equally as his children, she has Kieran's blood in her, so the Fae would consider her first. Of course, Kieran has siblings it would go to first, but even the slight possibility of it ever going to her puts her on edge. She feels it in the other Fae's eyes, that they hate her, but they'll take her as a last resort. She feels it in the way they talk to her, like they want to hurt her so bad, but don't just in case she does end up ruling over them. As such, being around most Fae make her uncomfortable, and would rather be with the Shadowhunter's.

Benjamin "Benji" Livia Blackthorn: The only blackstairs child; I'd imagine after raising all of his siblings, Julian might opt to spend all his energy into one kid rather then several. He has curly brown hair, freckles, and blue green eyes. He has a love for making weapons, not just weapons that already exist, but ones he thinks up himself. He'll experiment with new ideas and even fashion to better suit the individual person. He's very passionate about it, leading him to come off as very intense. He'll go out and actively seek out demons to test his prototype weapons on alone. It's a very dangerous thing that Emma and Julian have desperately tried to stop, but Benji is incredibly stubborn and tenacious, a consequence of having Emma and Julian's genes. But when he's fighting with other people, he's less likely to just test something he hasn't before, as he doesn't want to put other people at risk, so when he fights demons with other people he switches between a multitude of weapons he's tested before that were successful. People are very wary of Benji's weapons because they're breaking tradition; he's mixing metals that have never been mixed. People call it a disgrace to the Angel's gifts, saying he's basically spitting in the Angel's face; so as you can imagine, Benji isn't very popular. There was this one time when he was younger that he was told some kids were going to meet up, so he met up with them without telling his parents because he didn't think it would take that long, only for to be locked in a closet in their house for like a day before Emma and Julian found him. The kid wasn't trying to kill him, the kid was planning to let him out after a few days, but he didn't tell Benji that. It was a very traumatizing event, and he became rather claustrophobic and suspicious of people who are nice to him after that.

[jocelynships]

What was Baron Draxum and Jocelyn first kiss story like?

Thanks for the ask! I’ve kind of talked about it before, but I’m gonna go into a bit more detail here!

Putting this under a cut bc it’s probably gonna get a lil’ long despite me summarizing things by A Lot lol

So long story short, Jocelyn ends up getting some powers she struggles to control and it’s a big plot point in her season 2 arc. Eventually she gets to the point where she can’t control them anymore and they blow up.

I call it her “Elsa Moment” since it’s very similar to how Elsa reveals her powers and runs off

But when her powers finally blow up, she accidentally hits Draxum with them, and hurts him in the process. Now it isn’t severe, he recovers from it pretty quickly.

But after they all find Jocelyn and bring her back, they have a run in with the Foot Clan and she fights them off, overexerting herself and causing herself to pass out. Draxum catches her and is the one watching over her while she’s still out, and is the first one she sees when she wakes up.

She has a breakdown, upset that she hurt him, and for how she had been acting (before this she got into a fight with everyone it’s a lot of drama but we live for it!)

And Draxum is the one to comfort her. He’s not great with words, but he offers to help her learn to control her powers. She just needs to stop bottling up her emotions first.

And thus comes the confession. Jocelyn admits she developed feelings for him, and she’s quite honestly terrified of it. He was the bad guy at one point, and while they’ve become good friends a part of her is still super hesitant to fully trust him!

But Draxum shushes her and pulls her into a kiss, admitting he’s fallen for her in return.

It’s a very emotionally charged moment, both of them allowing themselves to be vulnerable after both of them having their guards up for so long.

It is cut short due to Splinter and the turtles coming in to check on Jocelyn, and wanting to take her back to the lair to keep an eye on her.

But after Jocelyn and Draxum reunite, they finally sit and talk about their feelings in depth, and agree to take things slow and see where the relationship takes them!

They don’t put labels on it and try to keep whatever their relationship is a secret, until the turtles burst into Draxum’s apartment needing his help with some mystic artifact and catch the two of them being all lovey dovey while making breakfast together lol

[that-genloser]

REPAIR DRONES CHAPTER 4

A week to chill

It was one of the many weeks where there were no tasks so the repair squad had the entire week off, which meant no tasks, no matter what. A group of team members decided to gather and hang out during their break. Jocelyn, Holly, Zenix, T, and Racket were having a game night and decided to venture outside the bunker to check if any drones were stuck living outside.

As Jocelyn walked with Holly and Racket, Zenix and T went off in a separate direction and ended up running into H and W, who were searching for something W had lost on his last mission. After a bit of wandering, the seven drones reunited and decided to explore farther together to ensure no one would get lost.

While they were walking, W, who was next to H, noticed that H looked very uncomfortable. "Are you okay, H?" asked W with concern evident in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just feel like I’m being watched,” H said, glancing at one of the many abandoned buildings, all covered in snow from the nuclear winter. He could have sworn he saw something moving as the seven drones moved farther away. Meanwhile, Jocelyn stumbled upon a door in the ground, but it didn’t play out as she expected. Instead, she tripped over it and face-planted into the snow. Holly burst out laughing. “I guess that’s one way to let us know there’s a door there,” Holly said as she watched Jocelyn stand up and dust herself off. “It’s only because I have awesome skills.” She shot Holly a look that clearly said, "Shut up."

Holly then walked over, opened the door, and descended into the bunker. “Guys, we might have hit the jackpot… this is an old lab!” Jocelyn crossed her arms and replied, “Yeah, sure, just take all the credit for my work, I guess.”

Five drones followed down into the bunker. Just as W finished walking down, something jumped out from the building next to H and slammed the bunker door shut before H could get inside. The figure then pushed him to the ground.

“Don’t scream; it won’t help you,” a familiar voice said. The figure bent down to get a closer look at H, pausing in recognition. “It’s you…” they revealed themselves.

H’s eyes widened in surprise. “L, it’s you!”

“You were the one watching me?” L nodded. “Sorry for separating you from your group… here.” L opened the bunker door. “You can go back with your group,” she said, glancing at H.

“Thanks, L, but I want you to stay with us,” H replied, a hint of hesitation evident in his body language.

“You're joking, right?” L asked, taken aback.

“I’m not joking at all, L. Come on, follow me.” H got up from the ground and started to descend into the bunker. However, he paused and turned to L, curious about her decision. “Hey L, why are you so far away from your base? Aren't you supposed to be with O and B?” he asked, a note of confusion in his voice.

Just as L began to answer, Jocelyn shouted from inside the lab, “Guys, you might want to come see this!” H looked at L before heading down into the lab, with L following closely behind. As they walked through the lab, they entered the room where all the other drones were stored. There, they encountered a massive beast-like drone, featuring huge purple hands, each equipped with three ten-inch-long claws that were covered in purple eyes.

H’s eyes widened. "That's a lot of eyes… 19 eyes!?" H screamed at the top of his lungs. Jocelyn moved closer to the drone and asked with a gentle tone, "What's your name, big guy?" The drone paused before answering, "I'm SD-K, and that one over there is J0M," it said, pointing to a disassembly drone dressed like a pirate. The drone then looked back at the group. "He was the first model of a disassembly drone to exist, and I'm an experiment," it explained. H walked over to J0M, who looked at him curiously. After a while of looking at H J0M then said "you better back off before I cut your head clean off"

H stepped back. “A little aggressive, much?” he said, gesturing towards J0M. Some of the drones in the group glanced over at H and noticed L standing behind him. Racket spoke up, “Who is she, and when did she get here?” He looked at L.

H paused before responding, “That’s L,” a slight smile appearing on his face. W, Zara, and Holly exchanged glances as they recognized her. “She’s the one from your old squad,” W said, directing his gaze at H. L met W’s eyes and nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, SD-K cleared his throat, prompting, “So, are you going to help us or what?” W hesitated for a moment before looking over at SD-K. “Yeah, sure,” he replied. W then walked over to the chains that were holding J0M and SD-K to the ground and wall. After some discussion, the group of drones, along with J0M and SD-K, began making their way back to the bunker.

As the group walked back to the bunker, L and H lagged a little behind. H turned to L and asked, “What were you going to tell me earlier before you got interrupted?” When H posed the question, L looked up at him.

“Oh right… I was actually trying to get to you before O and B found you, but during our most recent meeting, they mentioned wanting to track you down and make you pay for the damage you did to their reputation,” L said, her face showing signs of stress.

H suddenly stopped walking. “Of course, they would do that. I was never as good as they were, no matter how hard I tried. I used to wish I could be as good as them,” he replied.

“I'm sorry for dumping all that information all at once; I just really wanted you to be aware,” L said. H clenched his fists and started walking again, his tail lashing back and forth. “Let's just get back to the bunker, L,” H said, glancing ahead without looking back at her. L paused for a moment before rejoining the group.

Days passed, and L had to return to her squad's bunker. H felt stressed every time he reminded himself of what L had told him. From the moment he learned what was going to happen, he had felt just like his old self—before he was found by W.

[majormiles]

for the year end fanfic game, 12, 18, and 24?

fanfic end of year asks (thank you!!)

12. favourite character to write about this year

I wrote a lot of McKirk this year, so honestly, it has to be Bones. But! I really enjoyed how I wrote Jocelyn in the way things unearth (explicit), that was so much fun, I had an absolute ball writing that version of her. 10/10 best fic I wrote all year

18. current number of wips

Three! aisle three and The Sky Atrium (both explicit) are both on the go. I wrote of lot of different things in Nov and burnt myself out a little bit, but I literally just posted a short one shot, so hopefully I'm back on the writing grind 💪 I really want to get the next (and hopefully final) chapter of The Sky Atrium wrapped up asap. I also have an unposted One Piece fic on the go too.

24. favourite fic you read this year

Omg... so many. I've got a fic rec friday going on (shameless plug) that people should definitely check out - every friday I rec a fic I liked! I am all for sharing the love for fics, big or small.

I re-read my favourite fics all the time, so I'm torn whether those count or if you want something new...

Okay, I'll do both because I can never pass up an opportunity to rec my favourite McKirk fic of all time (yes, all time): To the Sea and the Sun by perhapsoneday (rated teen).

Otherwise, fics I read for the first time this year: I really really enjoyed love is an afllication by WerewolvesAreReal. It's McSpirk, rated gen, just hilarious please read it.

And I should probably shoutout a non-Trek fic so totally from left field, I also really liked Tea is for Teacher by Recipe which is rated mature and also has a major character death warning. It's Fire Emblem: Three Houses, I know, I know. (Female)Byleth/Claude I'm weak okay maybe the straights are valid this time

[shesthespinstersimmer]

Fiesta (9)

Previous / Next / Beginning

ISAMAR: You enjoying yourself, Jocelyn?

JOCELYN: Are you kidding?? If it wasn't for us having to go back and take care of the shop, I would stay here until y'all kicked me out!

THALLI: From what you told me, Esmeralda is a lot like Isamar. Interestingly enough, she's employed her to help with her garden and she has a real knack for it. What I'm trying to say is, Es is welcome to stay here as long as she likes, regardless of what happens with everything else.

VETTE: Yeah? Thanks - that's good to know.

LUPE: Oh my god - could you imagine all of us living here??

JOCELYN: That would be amazing! We could all be cowgirls!

JUDE: Uh oh.

CORA: Maybe we just take it one day at a time for now, huh?

LUPE: What? What's wrong with that?

ISAMAR:

Don't worry, Jocelyn. You're always welcome to visit.

I should probably turn in; me and Licha have to take y'all back to the airport by 10. I won't kid myself into thinking you girls will get any rest, though.

JUDE: Wise woman.

ISAMAR: As for the rest of us, Thalli will be making a big breakfast.

JUDE: Breakfast?? My stomach has enough food in it to last till I get home.

(Jocelyn snickers)

CORA: (To Lupe) I'm relying on you to make sure Jocelyn gets up; I know y'all are gonna be talking all night.

LUPE:

Promise.

Y'all old heads can go to bed, but us youngsters have a lot of catching up to do.

CORA:

We're gonna remember you said that when the alarm clock goes off.

Hi Mami - You enjoying the ranch? You good?

FERNANDA: I'm good baby. Just enjoying being here with all of y'all.

[tyfinn]

Flippity-Flop

Thank you again @mallpretzles for orchestrating this Summer Word Challenge. This weeks word: Flip Flops (And thank you for helping me come up with Roland's apron name!)

----------------

“Ding Ding!” Stevie looked behind her to make sure no one followed her, even though she knew she came in alone. Patrick ran out from the back room and met Stevie by the register. She was holding a brown paper bag. 

“Are those it?” Stevie nodded. 

“Where is he? I need to give Twyla hers, but if he’s over there, I don’t-” Patrick cut her off mid-sentence.

“I sent him to Elmdale to pick up some receipt paper and other office supplies.”

“And you got him to do that, how?” Stevie smirked.

“I told him it was his turn.”

“No. No way. What did you promise him, and if it is something gross, don’t tell me.” Patrick blushed. “Jesus, aren’t you tired of each other yet?”

“We are not. And you were the one who asked, so-”

“Ugh! Change of subject. I’m pretty sure I remembered everyone. I just saw Ray, Ronnie, and Bob. I still have Twyla, Roland and Joceyln, Darlene, and a few others, and then we’ll be set. This is going to be great!”

“I can’t wait to see his face!” Patrick chuckled. “You’re coming over for dinner, right?”

“What do you think?”

****

That Saturday was the Schitt’s Creek End of Summer Soiree. Everyone was going to be there, the Jazzagals were going to sing, and of course, there was going to be the big barbecue, complete with a smattering of side dishes. Mutt even came home to celebrate and help hang lights all along Main Street. 

David checked the time. “Okay. I think I’m ready.” Patrick wrapped his arms around David’s waist and kissed him on his neck, and inhaled. 

“Mmm, you smell so good. And you look amazing, too.” David leaned back into his husband’s arms. 

“No. Nope. You can’t do that. I just spent hours getting ready. You’ll just have to wait until later!”

“Okay, David. Stevie is meeting us there.”

They were halfway to the cafe when David noticed what Patrick was wearing on his feet. 

“Um, what are those?”

“What?”

“On your feet.”

“Oh! These are from Stevie! I haven’t worn flip-flops since I was a kid! And I wore these all the time during summer. And since this is a summer party, I thought When in Rome!”

“Okay, that is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. There is absolutely no arch support! None!”

“They’re fine, David. And it’s only for one night. Unless I really like them, and then in that case-” Patrick teased.

“Ugh!”

Jocelyn waved to them as soon as she saw them approach the cafe. She ran over to meet them.

“Oh my God. Jocelyn is wearing pink flip-flops!” David whispered as he smiled at Jocelyn.

“Hey, boys! So glad you could make it! There is a drinks station up ahead, and Rollie already started the grilling!”

“Thanks, Jocelyn. And I love your flip-flops!” Patrick grinned. He rubbed David’s back as more people started to arrive. David smiled and exchanged pleasantries before he pulled Patrick aside. 

“Okay. What the fuck is going on?”

“Huh?”

“Out with it.”

“Out with what? Can you be a little more specific, David?”

“Everyone is wearing flip-flops!” He pointed at everyone’s feet. Roland caught his eye and waved. In addition to wearing his Grills Just Wanna Have Fun apron, he, too, was wearing flip-flops. 

“Huh. Look at that. They are,” Stevie snarked. 

“Fuck, Stevie! Give a person a heads-up when you barge into their conversation!”

“Please. It’s not like you guys are discussing highly sensitive government information! Oh, wait! Are you?”

Just then, Twyla walked by and mouthed, Thank you! to Stevie as she pointed to her own yellow flip-flops.

“You? You did this? What on earth would have possessed you to provide the entire town with that despicable footwear?”  

“Sorry, David, if I had known you were feeling left out, I would have brought you a pair, too! Oh, wait. I did!” She threw a brown bag to her best friend. David pursed his lips and took out a pair of black flip-flops. He tucked a small smile into his cheek. 

“Fine! I’ll wear these! Just this one time! But, I would like to have it noted that flip-flops will always and forever be incorrect.”

“Noted!” Stevie and Patrick said in unison. 

David shook his head as he put on his black flip-flops, knowing full well that only his best friend and husband could ever make him wear that particular summertime footwear. 

And he would not have it any other way.    

[backjustforberena]

Mothers of house Targaryen are interesting and seem to span all ages. Helaena for example having her twins at 14, where Alysanne had children 'far past the age for it'.

Aemma is said to have suffered multiple miscarriages before finally giving birth to Rhaenyra at 15 years old, while Rhaenys had her first two years prior at 18, her second at 20.

Do you think Alysanne and Jocelyn had a lot of input in those first years of Rhaenyra, Laena and Laenor's lives? Do you think Rhaenys, still in good standing with everyone, was close to Aemma then or trying to help her much younger cousin when they had babies the same age?

Or was she left to just figure things out on her own?

Thinking of Aemma, Daella, Gael, all of them are painful, and all lost very young and because of their babies.

Wow! Big ask! Thanks for sending it in. You're right, they do seem to span all ages, and motherhood seems to span all kinds of styles as well, even when the mother remains the same. So Alysanne was very different, depending on the child. There's a wide range of numbers as well (number of babies), within the family tree and a wide range of recorded stillbirths/miscarriages etc. All down to different reasons or no reason. Some have heaps of children, others have one. Some are apparently very fertile, others are not. Some are largely successful, others are not.

To me, I don't particularly subscribe a pattern or any grand theory to this - the narrative does what GRRM wants and needs it to do. If there needs to be a succession crisis, you're going to have Rhaenys be an only child. If you need there to be less Targaryens, then suddenly everyone is being less productive. If you need a woman to die young, the best way to do that is in childbirth. If you need a woman to be tragic, then the easiest way to do that is to give her tragic experiences. I don't think it's that deep. I may be wrong. But that's where my head is at.

But anyway! That's not what you asked. Back to what you did ask: do I think Alysanne and Jocelyn had a lot of input in those first years of Rhaenyra, Laena and Laenor's lives?

No. I don't. Certainly not any sort of... overwhelming impact or extraordinary impact, and nothing pressurising or overbearing that would make any set of parents do something different or be forbidden to do something with their own child, if that makes sense? I think they were just grandparents/great-grandparents. Unless Rhaenys/Corys or Aemma/Viserys specifically asked for something, I think you leave them to it.

Especially Alysanne, though I know she'd dote on them accordingly, it makes me think of Boremund and Jocelyn. When they were born, Alysanne had little to nothing to do with their upbringing, until Rogar brought Jocelyn to court and asked. With Aemma, we don't know that she wasn't brought up in the Eyrie until she was "old enough" (yeesh) to marry Viserys. So, despite those all being born of close relations and, in those cases, born into tragedy, Alysanne does not do anything exceptional. With Rhaenyra, Laena and Laenor, they have living, breathing, capable parents and are surrounded by people willing to help.

Second question: do I think Rhaenys and Aemma were close when it came to children? I hope so and I certainly adore fanfiction that goes down this route. But again, it's hard to say because we have pretty much zero information on Aemma's childhood so we don't know how much they interacted before it all hit the fan.

And, when Viserys and Aemma are wed (93 AC)... Rhaenys is at odds with her family. She would be wed and on Driftmark and freshly disinherited (her father dies in 92 AC) and concerned with her own children when Aemma starts her journey that consists of many miscarriages and a dead son before (?) producing Rhaenyra in 97 AC. Aemma and Viserys consummate the match in 95 AC.

By the time Rhaenys is free enough or reconciled enough to give any advice, Aemma would have had all the advice she could stomach, I imagine. There's nothing Rhaenys can specifically give her that wouldn't have been told to her by midwives or her grandmother or others within the Red Keep, which is where I presume they live.

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

THE IDOL 1x05: Review

The big winner of this episode is the song “Like a God” by the Weeknd.  And I liked some of the cinematic shot of this episode. C’est chiadé.

The big loser of the entire series are the make-up and the cloths (I’m laughing at Natasha Newman-Thomas the so-called “Costume Designer”). 

This final episode unveils the casualties from Jocelyn and Tedros’ fallout, which leads to a massive struggle for power and control. 

But it’s absurde to say that Tedros is Jocelyn’s victim. 

If there are some victims, it would be Dyanne and Leia for sure! 

First thing first, for the first time, Jocelyn called him a con man and a fraud in front of everyone, while Tedros is still high on drugs (after so many days). We also learned that since forever Tedros has this crazy plan to meet with Jocelyn and make her fall in love with her. Why during this entire conversation, Chloé is wearing the costume of the Devil?

Also, what’s up with Xander who is now living in the basement with the rest of Tedros’ family knowing that he’s got a big bedroom upstairs. Oh and apparently no one is working at the night club anymore, right? They are all hanging at Jocelyn now.  To this point, I still don’t understand the purpose of the character “Head”, the guy covered with tattoos, can he sing too haha. Oh sorry, we now have a name: His name is Mitch.

The way they are treating the poor cleaning ladies again. 

It was so fucked up to watch a room filled with grown up people watching “kids” almost naked and sexually dancing for them, especially Chloé, who is supposed to be underage. Her outfit was so disgusting and didn’t highlight her body, nor her ass. 

Yes, Sam Levinson has especially something with young lady’s ass. At least, we didn’t have sex scene in this episode, thank god! 

At the beginning, Jocelyn rallies the cult together and offers them something Tedros could never: a chance at true stardom and sharing their art with the world. It wasn’t just a victim in distress trying to remove a toxic presence in her life, but also a power move on Jocelyn’s behalf to secure the credit and ownership over the Family, and this new era of her career. Throughout all the chaos, Jocelyn blows away Nikki, Finkelstein, and Chaim with her four new artists as well as her three new singles. Jocelyn proved to herself and those in doubt that her artistic instincts and her ability to play the Hollywood game is unmatched.

Watching Nikki try to win Tedros’ favor in order to claim ownership of the new talent while Chaim and Destiny were discussing working as an independent label really underscored how, at the end of the day, this is a business and money is at the forefront of their minds.

While Rob career is destroyed and no one give a fuck about it. They even want Jocelyn to have no part in it. 

Well, as expected, Dyanne was chewed up and spit out of the Hollywood machine just like a million other aspiring idols. You see, Nikki, only presented Dyanne with an offer because of her doubts regarding Jocelyn’s career. Now that she has seen the true potential of Jocelyn’s new era, all of the support and power they were willing to give to Dyanne has been taken and given back to Jocelyn. I know some of you may think Jocelyn requested to screw over Dyanne, but, again, I think the true villain is the record label. They made Dyanne sigh away her life and rights away to the label, and I’m assuming she cannot release music without their direct approval or oversight. Given that the World Class Sinner lawsuit is most likely a lie to cover up their renewed interest in Jocelyn, Dyanne’s career is over before it ever even started. 

I’m wondering what Leia wrote to Jocelyn in her letter. Where did she go?

This leads to Tedros reputation, which wasn’t much to begin with, to be completely smeared in the public eye, which was quite terrible to watch when the three of them where laughing because they ruined him entirely knowing that he is the one responsable for this entire world tour. This effectively kills the interest in his night club and causes him to shut down his business. And, none of his cult members desire to be attached to him or known as his students of art, because of the horrendous controversies surrounding him. What’s truly interesting about this sequence of events is that it’s somewhat hinted at from the beginning of the show. Some of you speculated that a character was going to die at the end of the season, and you all were right for the most part. However, it was not a literal death but more so an ego death. The idea and concept of Tedros, something that he prided himself in crafting, was completely killed and destroyed by the power and might of Jocelyn’s will. In the end, he is just the failed con man, Mauricio Jackson (reference to Mickael Jackson of course). Does this mean that Jocelyn was the mastermind all along? And was everything she told Tedros, and everyone else, a lie? Let’s start with what I believe to be true: I think Jocelyn was definitely in a dark place grieving the death of her mother, and that she hadn’t processed her trauma in a healthy way. We hear about and see her having mental breakdowns as she copes with her loss, which also manifests itself as self-harm during her darkest moments. Being surrounded by these feelings that weigh her down and cloud her vision, I do think it affected the way she felt about her music on a deeper lever. Now let’s go into what I don’t believe to be true: I don’t think Jocelyn is a victim of the people around her, and I don’t think she is without agency or power. The title reference the source of her power: she can sense that others will idolize and follow her. We see at the beginning of the series how Jocelyn can reflect what other people want or believe to be true about her, and she uses that to her advantage. She will allow people to exploit her to a certain point, but she will always come out on top. Remember, it has been alluded to that she has been in the industry since childhood (btw how old is she now??), and you can’t remain that famous and relevant by being complacent or a pushover in the Hollywood system. I mean Dyanne was in it for two seconds before she became a nobody in the blink of an eye. I believe that is why, when Tedros asked about the hairbrush, he realizes that part of her background was made up in order to give him this illusion of power over her. While I’m not saying she wasn’t abused by her mother, because their relationship did seem toxic and all-consuming at times (just listen to the lyrics of “Like a God”, I feel as though she may have taken some liberties about how it all happened. We’ve seen Jocelyn’s history with self-harm, so maybe the bruises and scares she spoke about. We’ll never know, because no one bothered to step in and intervene, which I believe to be true, so only Jocelyn and her mother know the truth. In the end, Jocelyn got what she wanted: inspiration for her new era of music and a wildly successful comeback. So much so, that she sold out a world tour in three weeks, all of her new singles were massive hits on the charts, and the honestly around her life and trauma created a ride-or-die massive hits on the charts, fanbase with undying loyalty. And, to the confusion and anger from her team, she reveals to them and her fans that the man who inspired her, and whom she loves, Tedros, even though Vanity Fair’s article destroyed him and she is indirectly responsable for it. This goes against everything now that everyone knows who is Tedros, Mauricio Jackson. How people/her fans will accept that Jocelyn’s boyfriend was a pimp and a criminal. How could they forget that. 

That’s why Destiny wasn’t surprised when she saw Tedros invited backstage. She was the one inside the house watching everyone and everything during a week. I think she was smart enough to realise who was in control during all this time.   

I love the mirror scene with Jocelyn coming from them. The symbolic of it. 

It took me a moment, but it started to click when I realized this was another facet of Jocelyn’s utter control of her situation and the people around her. She needed to lean into the idea that Tedros was nothing but trouble to the people in her inner circle, so that she could ask them for their help to strip him of his power and everything he had when the moment was right. That way, despite his ego and manipulations, she was always 10 steps ahead of him and the one in control all along. 

I’m wondering if she will even think of opening her own music label with Tedros’ artists. That would be very interesting. 

I honestly thought the show did a fair job at layering the different perspectives of exploitation in the music industry and raised a lot of provocative questions regarding the creative process and digging into the source of what inspires art that resonates on a deeper level. I hate to break it, but not everything inspired comes from a place of rainbows and sunshines, nor is it a smooth and linear process. On the contrary. Similar to Jocelyn’s story, it may take a journey into the darkness in order to find the light that may connect to and inspire others. And, at the end of the day, whether you watched it out of love or you watched it out of hate. The worst thing art can do is exist without stirring some sort of an intense emotion, regardless of what that emotion may be. Anyway, I’ll be listening to the full music album of the series on repeat starting tomorrow, for the next week or so. 

Tedros, be careful for what you wished for. 

ps: What happened to the publicist, Benjamin, he ran away with the audience? hahah

[taelovesjohnny]

Time traveled and fell in love ( the outsiders ) Bullied

Jocelyn’s pov 

“ get your ass up and get ready for school” my mom yelled at me.

I ground I hated school, I always get bullied by Jackson and his two friends Mason and Sam , I did nothing to them they were like the flirty kind of bullies I don’t know it’s hard to explain. I pushed the covers off of me and took my slippers off, I grabbed my outfit for today a jean skirt and just a regular black shirt, I didn’t really like dressing in girly cloths but my mom always yelled at me for not wearing something nice, I groaned at the thought why can’t I wear what I want to. I went to the restroom and took a shower it felt nice and warm. Wants I got out I put on my cloths, brush my teeth and hair, and other stuff, and grab my book bag, my dad punched me in the stomach and I winced and ran out of the house, I skipped breakfast not wanting to throw it up.  I saw Alicia and ran up to her, sense I was holding onto my stomach I let go she already knew what my dad did and mom as well, but she doesn’t need to worry about me.

“H-hey Alic” I said 

that’s what I call her, she doesn’t let anyone but me call her that. And I have always had That stutter. 

“ hey Jock” she smiled 

I nod and we soon arrive at school, it was kind of big, I took out my phone and showed it to her.

” i-i call you d-don’t worry” I said.

” you know me to well jock” she laughed.

she always makes me either text her or call her when those boys bully me,we separated and she went to her class sadly we do not have every class together, I put my stuff away in my but before I could put my history book away the locker door was slammed shut, and I turned away and saw Jack towering over me with one hand above my head. 

“ now, I’m going to ask you one more time, be my girl friend” he smirked.

” N-No” I said. 

I didn’t get why he kept asking me this i mean he always bullied me, I tried pushing him away but he wouldn’t move, he pinned my arms to the locker and I was freaking out, he tried kissing me but I turned my head away, he signaled for Mason to hold my head still and that’s what I did I glared at Mason but he only smirked. I looked back at Jackson and he winked at me.

” J-Jack leave me a-alone” I said.

” no, never” he said.

He leaned in and kissed me and my eyes widened he let go of my arms and left holding my hands up to Sam, he was more of the kinder one and he gave me apologetic look, and held my hands up. Jack pulled me closer to him, I refused to kiss back and that got him mad so he bit my lip,I yelped and that only gave him the chance to stick his tongue in my mouth, I mentally yelled at myself for that. Suddenly I heard yelling.

” Hey get off her!” Alic yelled 

The boys ran off, it’s a long story to why they are scared of her, basically they wouldn’t leave me alone so they beat the shit out of the , I so happy to have a friend like her. She gave me a hug and I hugged her back, I’ll only let her hug me.

” are you okay “ she asked.

” n-no, he kissed m-me I don’t like him!” I said.

I was almost in tears and she hugged me tighter.

” I’ve got you, next time I’m beating his ass I promise” she said.

I couldn’t laugh or smile, I haven’t done that in years. So I just thanked her.

” thanks Alic your the best” I said.

“ I know girl” she said.

I went to class then after a bit the first period was over, and now it was English I was happy I love English class, we get to write and read books I love doing those things ( sorry if I didn’t put that in intro, I’ll do that). Good thing Alicia has this class with me she likes it to, what makes this day an okay day is that we get to read the outsiders it is me and Alicia’s favorite movie and book! My favorite character is Johnny Cade! He is like me in some way our parents both abuse us and we are both very shy. I hated the way his parents yelled and beat him and when the soc’s beats him and left a scar that set my blood boiling. I know he’s just a fictional character but I don’t care. Alicia waved at me and sat down.

” hey I’m so excited” she said.

” m-me to!” I said.

I watched the teacher come in and take a seat grabbing her own copy of the outsiders.

” okay class open you books to page one please” the teacher said.

I had already turned there, I couldn’t wait to read this book.

” I’m going to call on people to read, so pay attention” the teacher said.

I was definitely going to pay attention to this. But as soon as I looked down at it I felt dizzy for some reason, I look at Alicia and she looks pale as well, was it because I didn’t eat breakfast this morning. I asked myself, I heard aloud thud and I hit my head on the desk, that loud thud came from me because next thing I know I’m laying on the ground and blacked out..when I woke up I saw Alice laying next to me and I was cold, I looked around, how did we get hear and where were we. I go over to Alicia and try to shake her awake.

” A-Alic wake u-up” I said.

she groaned and got up, I felt something trickle down my head and I touched it feeling liquid, I was blood I must of hit my head on a table when I fell but I don’t really remember any thing.

” where are we” she asked.

“I-i have no c-clue” I said. 

Suddenly I was picked up my the waist and my eyes widened. 

“ hey baby wanna come have a good time with us” the guys smirked.

”n-no thanks” I said.

” hey you leave her alone!” Alic said 

suddenly I hear rushed foot steps and I was pulled away from the boy.

” leave her alone!” One of the boys said.

And they beat the other guys up, wait a minute they….oh my god those were the Curtis gang! I felt like I was going to pass out, I look over at Alicia and her eyes were widened to. 

“ hey are you okay” ponyboy asked.

I gulped and shook my head yes, and walked over to Alicia 

“ o-oh my g-hid he talked to me” I said 

I almost screamed a real outsiders boy talked to me. But I stayed calm, I rubbed my arms I was cold. They motioned us to follow them and we did I stayed behind to shy to walk by them, but Alicia made me walk with them, we ended up at the Curtis house. We all walked in, it was a really nice house.

” A-Are you okay, are y-you cold” Johnny asked me.

I almost fainted the one and only Johnny Cade just talked to me.

”i-I’m okay, and a-a bit” I told him. 

I saw Alicia smirking at me she new he was my fictional crush, well now I believe he is real. I looked down and blushed a bit, suddenly I felt someone put something on my shoulders and I felt warmth, I looked up to see Johnny no longer had his jean jacket on him. And I looked down and saw it was wrapped around my shoulders I blushed even more. 

“ you pretty girls can take a seat we don’t bite” Dallas smirks.

I saw Alicia’s face go red and we both sat down. 

[writemarcus]

REVIEW: A One-Act Jamboree At The Black Theatre Troupe Of Upstate New York

By Jess Hoffman

To close out their season, Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York is producing a collection of one-acts, playfully titled One Act Jamboree. The one common thread among these plays is that they showcase, in one way or another, the Black experience. Many of these plays are by emerging local playwrights, and BTTUNY has taken on a commendable challenge producing such an eclectic collection of works.

As with most one-act festivals, the show is a mixed bag. There is no shortage of talent among the cast, crew, and writers; but some of the pieces come together much more successfully than others. As a White person I may not be the most qualified to speak to “the Black experience,” but as a theater and literature expert I am all too familiar with the novice playwright’s desire to take on big ideas when they would have more success diving deeply into something smaller and more familiar that hints at other, larger things at play. Ten or Twenty minutes is not enough time to thoroughly interrogate race relations in modern America; it’s barely enough to thoroughly interrogate a single moment or person. It is therefore unsurprising that the most successful pieces in this show are those that endeavor to encapsulate a brief slice of life (such as one fateful night in a segregated hospital or an awkward encounter between a Black deliveryman and a concerned White man outside a luxury apartment building) or those that take a cheeky sketch-comedy approach to one aspect of life as a Black person (such as the absolutely stellar “Natural Hair Helpline”).

Before the lights even go down, this show starts out strong with some excellent pre-show music courtesy of sound designer Chad Reid. The funky, upbeat pre-show soundtrack seems to promise the audience that they are in for a good time. But when the show opens, it is with the off-putting “No God in the Streets” which is a slam-poetry-adjacent, interpretive-dance-like piece that tries to express too many broad ideas in too short a time–and does so in a way that neither introduces a thought that any member of the audience hasn’t already had nor manages to evoke any emotion that any member of the audience hasn’t already felt. This off-putting beginning is immediately followed by a more cohesive piece about an interracial couple going to their school’s first integrated prom. While this seems like an excellent moment that could shed light on larger issues, the Black teen character Keshawn spends most of that play waxing philosophical and bemoaning his station in life in a way that is unnatural, jejune, and annoying; ultimately this makes him hard to listen to, even when his ideas and feelings make perfect sense. 

From there, we jump into what is more of an extended monologue than a play. But as the exceptionally talented Jocelyn Khoury tells the story of her brother’s premature birth in a segregated hospital, she takes the audience on a journey that evokes heartbreak and sympathy, and successfully touches on how the ripple-effects of segregation are still felt today (without having to lecture the audience about it, as the two previous plays were all too eager to do).

1 / 8

Scene from the One-Act Jamboree produced by the Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York in the Lauren and Harold Iselin Studio at Capital Repertory Theatre.

The fourth and fifth plays in the line-up finally bring in the energy that the lively pre-show music seemed to promise. “Nice Day” tells a humorous story about a delivery man struggling to get inside an apartment building to deliver groceries. Thanks to cleverly subverted expectations, a great ending, and very funny prop work with a carrot, “Nice Day” is a stand-out piece in this collection. “Wookies in the Wilderness” follows with what is probably the most compelling story of any of the one-acts, but it ultimately falls into the trap of trying to do too much in too little time. In the course of a two-man, one-act play, “Wookies in the Wilderness” tries to fit in backstory for both of its characters; an examination of emotional toll that a hate crime can have on surviving family and friends; a cultural critique of the way People of Color are represented in Science Fiction; and the overarching plot of one friend discovering another friend’s plan to carry out a revenge murder, grapple with the discovery, and decide whether or not to take part. I would love to see playwright Marcus Scott adapt “Wookies in the Wilderness” into a full length play so that all of his excellent ideas and well-written dialogue may have the time and attention they deserve; but as a one-act it is rushed and shallow.

After intermission, One Act Jamboree continues with a play about two former convicts at a dive bar discussing their place in the world and the unjust circumstances that led to their current lot in life. This play starts off strong with excellent stage presence from all its actors and some entertaining sass from Dawn Harris as Stella. But as Harris struggles with her lines and the other two actors begin monologuing to the audience rather than engaging with one another (despite their excellent chemistry when they do engage with one another) the intensity is lost and the play begins to drag.

One Act Jamboree ends on a high note with Kyora Wallace’s “Natural Hair Helpline,” a fun and energetic play about an employee at a call-in helpline for natural hair and a woman with particularly difficult hair in the midst of a hair emergency. Thanks in part to its script, but also to a talented cast and expert direction by Jean-Remy Monnay, “Natural Hair Helpline” is the strongest piece in this collection. If anyone is on the fence about whether or not to see One Act Jamboree I must recommend they come see the show if only to experience this truly excellent one-act play.

This collection of short playsis far from perfect, but its stand-out moments are well worth the ups and downs in quality that any collection of one-acts is bound to suffer. I was impressed with many of the playwrights showcased, many of the actors involved, and especially with Sheilah London-Miller, who handled the costumes, hair, makeup, sets, and props for the entire production. Anyone interested in Black theater, in local rising talent, or in the art of the one act play is encouraged to see One Act Jamboree and experience all of its high points and its problems for themselves.

Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York presents One Act Jamboree, featuring plays by Yetunde Babalola, Cris Eli Blak, Kathryn Grant, Matthew Sheridan, Marcus Scott, and Kyora Wallace; directed by Jean-Remy Monnay, Hettie Barnhill, Tony Pallone, Aaron Moore, and Hasson Harris Wilcher; runs from June 1-11, 2023, at the Rep, 251 North Pearl Street

Albany, NY 12207. Produced by Jean-Remy Monnay. Cast: Shannell West as Fula, Theo Rabii as Aham and Jill, Gabriel Fabian as Keshawn and Smokey, Aaliyah Al-Fuhaid as Martha, Jocelyn Khoury as Rita and Toya, Gregory Theodore Marsh as Black Man and Latrell, Chad Reid as White Man, Susan Katz as Old Woman, Luis Lowery as Bishop, Alvin Kershaw as Clive, Dawn Harris as Stella, Wisdom Johnson as Manager, and Earth O. Phoenix as Gia. Production Stage Manager: Jacqui Anscombe-Waring. Assistant Stage Managers: Q’ubilah Sales and Alexandra Walters. Lighting design by Maya Pomazal-Flanders. Sound design by Chad Reid. Lightboard operator: Willie David Short V. Costumes, hair and makeup, set decorations, and props by Sheilah London-Miller.

Performance dates are Thursday-Sunday, June 6-16. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday curtains are at 7:30pm and Sundays are at 4:00 pm. Tickets are $22.50; senior, military, and veteran tickets are $17.50; student tickets are $12. Runs approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with a 10-minute intermission. Contains discussions of racism, incarceration, and hate crimes, and a gunshot. Recommended for ages 13+. Tickets are available online at https://attherep.org/, by phone at 518-346-6204, or at the door for any performance. For more information, visit https://www.blacktheatretroupeupstateny.org/, email BTTUNY518@gmail.com, or call 518-833-2621.

[johnathanandrewcade]

Time traveled and fell in love ( the outsiders ) Bullied

Jocelyn’s pov 

“ get your ass up and get ready for school” my mom yelled at me.

I ground I hated school, I always get bullied by Jackson and his two friends Mason and Sam , I did nothing to them they were like the flirty kind of bullies I don’t know it’s hard to explain. I pushed the covers off of me and took my slippers off, I grabbed my outfit for today a jean skirt and just a regular black shirt, I didn’t really like dressing in girly cloths but my mom always yelled at me for not wearing something nice, I groaned at the thought why can’t I wear what I want to. I went to the restroom and took a shower it felt nice and warm. Wants I got out I put on my cloths, brush my teeth and hair, and other stuff, and grab my book bag, my dad punched me in the stomach and I winced and ran out of the house, I skipped breakfast not wanting to throw it up.  I saw Alicia and ran up to her, sense I was holding onto my stomach I let go she already knew what my dad did and mom as well, but she doesn’t need to worry about me.

“H-hey Alic” I said 

that’s what I call her, she doesn’t let anyone but me call her that. And I have always had That stutter. 

“ hey Jock” she smiled 

I nod and we soon arrive at school, it was kind of big, I took out my phone and showed it to her.

” i-i call you d-don’t worry” I said.

” you know me to well jock” she laughed.

she always makes me either text her or call her when those boys bully me,we separated and she went to her class sadly we do not have every class together, I put my stuff away in my but before I could put my history book away the locker door was slammed shut, and I turned away and saw Jack towering over me with one hand above my head. 

“ now, I’m going to ask you one more time, be my girl friend” he smirked.

” N-No” I said. 

I didn’t get why he kept asking me this i mean he always bullied me, I tried pushing him away but he wouldn’t move, he pinned my arms to the locker and I was freaking out, he tried kissing me but I turned my head away, he signaled for Mason to hold my head still and that’s what I did I glared at Mason but he only smirked. I looked back at Jackson and he winked at me.

” J-Jack leave me a-alone” I said.

” no, never” he said.

He leaned in and kissed me and my eyes widened he let go of my arms and left holding my hands up to Sam, he was more of the kinder one and he gave me apologetic look, and held my hands up. Jack pulled me closer to him, I refused to kiss back and that got him mad so he bit my lip,I yelped and that only gave him the chance to stick his tongue in my mouth, I mentally yelled at myself for that. Suddenly I heard yelling.

” Hey get off her!” Alic yelled 

The boys ran off, it’s a long story to why they are scared of her, basically they wouldn’t leave me alone so they beat the shit out of the , I so happy to have a friend like her. She gave me a hug and I hugged her back, I’ll only let her hug me.

” are you okay “ she asked.

” n-no, he kissed m-me I don’t like him!” I said.

I was almost in tears and she hugged me tighter.

” I’ve got you, next time I’m beating his ass I promise” she said.

I couldn’t laugh or smile, I haven’t done that in years. So I just thanked her.

” thanks Alic your the best” I said.

“ I know girl” she said.

I went to class then after a bit the first period was over, and now it was English I was happy I love English class, we get to write and read books I love doing those things ( sorry if I didn’t put that in intro, I’ll do that). Good thing Alicia has this class with me she likes it to, what makes this day an okay day is that we get to read the outsiders it is me and Alicia’s favorite movie and book! My favorite character is Johnny Cade! He is like me in some way our parents both abuse us and we are both very shy. I hated the way his parents yelled and beat him and when the soc’s beats him and left a scar that set my blood boiling. I know he’s just a fictional character but I don’t care. Alicia waved at me and sat down.

” hey I’m so excited” she said.

” m-me to!” I said.

I watched the teacher come in and take a seat grabbing her own copy of the outsiders.

” okay class open you books to page one please” the teacher said.

I had already turned there, I couldn’t wait to read this book.

” I’m going to call on people to read, so pay attention” the teacher said.

I was definitely going to pay attention to this. But as soon as I looked down at it I felt dizzy for some reason, I look at Alicia and she looks pale as well, was it because I didn’t eat breakfast this morning. I asked myself, I heard aloud thud and I hit my head on the desk, that loud thud came from me because next thing I know I’m laying on the ground and blacked out..when I woke up I saw Alice laying next to me and I was cold, I looked around, how did we get hear and where were we. I go over to Alicia and try to shake her awake.

” A-Alic wake u-up” I said.

she groaned and got up, I felt something trickle down my head and I touched it feeling liquid, I was blood I must of hit my head on a table when I fell but I don’t really remember any thing.

” where are we” she asked.

“I-i have no c-clue” I said. 

Suddenly I was picked up my the waist and my eyes widened. 

“ hey baby wanna come have a good time with us” the guys smirked.

”n-no thanks” I said.

” hey you leave her alone!” Alic said 

suddenly I hear rushed foot steps and I was pulled away from the boy.

” leave her alone!” One of the boys said.

And they beat the other guys up, wait a minute they….oh my god those were the Curtis gang! I felt like I was going to pass out, I look over at Alicia and her eyes were widened to. 

“ hey are you okay” ponyboy asked.

I gulped and shook my head yes, and walked over to Alicia 

“ o-oh my g-hid he talked to me” I said 

I almost screamed a real outsiders boy talked to me. But I stayed calm, I rubbed my arms I was cold. They motioned us to follow them and we did I stayed behind to shy to walk by them, but Alicia made me walk with them, we ended up at the Curtis house. We all walked in, it was a really nice house.

” A-Are you okay, are y-you cold” Johnny asked me.

I almost fainted the one and only Johnny Cade just talked to me.

”i-I’m okay, and a-a bit” I told him. 

I saw Alicia smirking at me she new he was my fictional crush, well now I believe he is real. I looked down and blushed a bit, suddenly I felt someone put something on my shoulders and I felt warmth, I looked up to see Johnny no longer had his jean jacket on him. And I looked down and saw it was wrapped around my shoulders I blushed even more. 

“ you pretty girls can take a seat we don’t bite” Dallas smirks.

I saw Alicia’s face go red and we both sat down. 

[bollywood143114]

Sirat will lift the mask of Gary's false face, Angad will slap him

Teri Meri Doriyaann Next Episode: The drama in 'Teri Meri Dorian' serial is increasing day by day. While Gary's wedding ceremony was going on at Brar's family, Sahiba along with her sisters Seerat and Keerat came to add drama to the wedding celebrations. Where Sirat exposes Gary's lies in front of the entire Brar family. At this point, Sirat not only stopped Gary and Shanaya's Roka ceremony, but also revealed Gary's true identity to the entire Brar family. Seerat reveals Gary's secret Talking about the latest episode of Teri Marie Dorian, Shanaya will reveal the whole truth about Seerat Gary in front of her mother and the entire Brar family. Seerat will reveal how Gary ran away with the organs on her wedding day and how she pulled off the whole speculation. Jasleen Bua, Angad's mother Manveer as well as Dar Jio will be shocked to hear the whole truth from Seerat's mouth. Jocelyn will be shocked to hear Gary's truth As Sirat reveals Gary's truth, Josleen Bua's face turns pale and Dar G is also seen questioning Gary. If Gary doesn't answer, it's clear that your silence tells the whole story. In the show, Seerat will also be seen questioning Gary about marriage for the last time. And after this whole drama will be seen the explosive avatar of Angad Singh Brar, who will slap Gary after hearing the whole truth of Sirat. After Gary's whole truth comes out, what happens to the Brar family and what happens to Gary and Jocelyn Buar? To see all this, you have to watch its latest episode, where you will also know what happens next in Sahiba and Sirat's relationship… will Sahiba and Angad's relationship continue like this… or in the show? There will be some new twists. DISCLAIMER Thanks For Visit Our Site www.bollywoodofindia.com . We’ve taken all measures to insure that the information handed in this composition and on our social media platform is believable, vindicated and sourced from other Big media Houses. For any feedback or complaint, reach out to us at bollywoodofindiaa@gmail.com Read the full article

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CORA: ¿Que que?

LUPE: Esmerelda. Shit.

CORA: Hey - Don't worry; I'll explain everything. I'll figure out a way for y'all to talk when it's safe.

LUPE: I wrote Jude a goodbye note; give it her for me, 'kay?

CORA: Yeah. 'Course.

Come here. *sighs* I love you, Little.

LUPE: *sniffles* I love you too.

[AT CONNE & LORNA'S]

JOCELYN: I thought you was gonna see tia Fernanda. Ca'I go?

FERNANDA: I'm just getting some stuff together. And no, you can't.

[BACK AT FERNANDA'S:]

CORA: So, they're gone.

FERNANDA: Good.

(Fernanda breaks down)

CORA: Mami??

FERNANDA: We were supposed to get ready for prom and graduation.

CORA: Don't worry; I'll get her set up to finish school online. We'll throw a big party for her and Es when this is over.

We gotta go meet Lo. Call us if you need us, Mami.

FERNANDA: Thanks, baby.

JUDE: You okay, babe?

CORA: Yeah. Just ready to get out of here.