#but also yes I have planned an entire backstory relationship to explain why exactly she acts like this

[gingerwerk]

One of my fav parts of writing this Andy fic is that fact that I’ve given him a baby sister that torments him at any opportunity

[aliceismypixie]

The villain of my story ∥ Early motherfuckers

Summary - "The villain will always be the villain if the hero tells the story" or atleast that's what they say. No one knew why you became what you are. But you wanted your revenge on Isabella Marie Swan and you were ready to do anything to have it.

Pairing - Twilight x villain!reader

Pronoun - she/her (but can be read as a male reader or gn reader)

Warning - mention wanting to kill people, full Y/n's pov, Restaurant and Y/n being somewhat bestie, mention of being in cage (well Rasberry is being held hostage so)

Words count - 1.36k~

Set - After Breaking-Dawn Part 2

Chapter 4 - Masterlist

Hear me out. You didn't particularly like to have a ten-looking-year-old two year old talking your ears off every single moment when she was awake. And you didn't particularly liked her mother, nor her father either. They're relationship was hella toxic, how can they not leave each other that much ? But anyways, you may didn't like her family or her in general but she was a child. And trust me when I say you had a soft spot for children.

See growing up you didn't have the best childhood ever. Foster care, unloving parents, fake ass older sister that you're about to kill. Anyways overall, your childhood was shit. And you may be a very bitter and revengeful immortal child, but you could never stay mad at some children. You just couldn't.

Which was exactly why you found yourself laying on your couch with Ratatata Resnesmee, letting her tell you about her two first years of living while eating a peanut butter sandwich. Well she was eating, you were trying your best not to be disgusted by the smell of peanut butter.

"...And you know what ?" Renesmee exclaimed all excited and you gave her your best fake smile.

"No, tell me." You were trying to sound as excited as her. Key word trying.

"Uncle Jasper throwed Uncle Emmett in forest and he took down five trees due to how much force Uncle Jasper throwed him !" The young hybrid told you with a laugh and you tried to give her your best smile.

You loved children okay ? But you two have been talking for five hours straight and all you wanted to do was to go back to your stereotypical villain's plan wall and try to make your plan as flawless as possible. Obviously your plan was already flawless, but we all know that the hero somehow always succeeds in finding a tiny mistake and taking down the evil in five minutes. But that wasn't the only reason you wanted to go back to your super villain's plan wall.

The other reason was that you wanted to let out your super villain's evil laugh that only you can have and that echoed throught your lair while your shadow rose up and your figure slowly disappeared from the view. You know the moment a dramatic music plays in the background while the villain take a final look at their plan's and laugh super loudly for no reason ? Well you wanted that.

That was one of the perk of being the villain, you could do all the badass stuff and it was totally in character.

"You're thinking about your super villain's wall aren't you ?" The young weird hybrid child asked, catching your glance to the other room.

"Honestly ? Yes. Your talk is boring me like crazy." You replied and she shrugged.

"Can't blame you, your wall is cool." Renesmee acknowledged.

She wasn't very offended. At least not anymore. She's been living with your for the past eight days and except your bad temper, mood swings and constant annoyed face, your company was enjoyable. She even found you cool from time to time.

Like the time you showed her your super villain wall for the first time. She was totally amazed by it. The red string linking every single part of your plan, the whole organization of the pictures, the entire process of being a villain that you explained to her proudly by pointing at each part of your plan. She was astonished by your intelligence and it honestly almost made her want to be a villain.

You also explained to her that her villain backstory could start with her existance. She would be the villain of the entire vampire empire, taking over the Volturi who tried to kill her when she was only one and take her revenge on all those who wanted to kill her. Starting with her family who didn't want Isabella to give birth in the first place. And damn Redivide could see herself at the top of the vampire empire with you by her side as a thanks for making her the villain she was destined to be.

But that was a story for another time, in another universe, in another fanfiction.

"Honestly maybe we could add some more glitters―"

"No please no more glitters ! You already filled my villain pictures holder with glitter all over your favorite family members and I let you do it but please no more glitters, my poor immortal eyes can't take some much light. I'm a villain ! I live in the dark !" You complained and she grinned.

"Well maybe that's why your pale as fuck, you have no light in there." Renesmee replied and you gasped.

"Who taught you to swear ?!" You asked.

"Uncle Emmett." She said proudly and you took a sip of your vine glass filled with blood.

"Dang… he's the cool uncle isn't he ?" You questioned and she nodded, causing you to do the same.

"I can be your cool aunt. You know, showing you all the bad stuff and all." You trailed off and Renesmee widened her eyes.

"You could teach me how to hold a knife !"

"And how to use a sword !"

"And how to be all sassy and stuff like you do !"

"I could teach you how to find your super villain signature pose !"

"Oh yeah, we could be such posers together." Renesmee nodded at the thought and you agreed laying back on your with her and putting your feet on the table.

"You know what ? You're my favorite niece." You acknowledged and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm your only niece ?" Renesmee pointed out and you shrugged taking another sip of your drink.

"Still my favorite." You replied and she shrugged at your words.

There was a silence between you two and you could feel that Renesmee had a question but didn't ask, causing you to glare at her a little.

"What ?" You asked half annoyed, half curious.

"You still didn't tell me why you wanted to kill my mother and why you took me here." The hybrid child told and you rolled your eyes.

"You rode my evil speech, you already know why I want your mother to suffer." You replied and she frowned.

"Yeah, but you're not dead, so why want her dead ?" She asked you and you stared at her with an 'are-you-serious?' look.

"Not dead ? Kid, youre talking to a vampire who can manipulate fire. I'm doomed to be a sinner, a danger, a monster because your mother was too selfish to let me have a life. This is my after life, I was mean to be the evil of her story from the beginning now go back in your cage kid." You looked away and Renesmee frowned.

"But your after life could be your second chance to be better !" She protested and you glared.

"I was better before. But I was weaker, now look where it got me. Exactly, now go back to your cell kid. Your time out is over." You pushed her off the couch and Renesmee silently walked toward her cage with a sigh.

You may wonder why she just obeyed your order to literally go back to be a prisoner right ? Well first, you could kill her with a single snap of fingers and also because you were kind enough to give her three hours out of her cage everyday so yeah.

When she was about to close her door, Reconnaissance looked back at you and you tried to ignore the look of pity she was sending you. It wasn't until you locked the door that you finally heard the unfamiliar breathing around the forest. This was also the moment you smelled the eleven unfamiliar scent running around the wood and you clenched your jaw before putting on your coat quickly and Renesmee looked at you confused, her senses being less strong than yours.

"What ? What is it ?" She questioned and you glared at her before closing the door behind her.

"Hey !" Her voice echoed from inside of the lair while you groaned.

They weren't supposed to be there for another two days, you know you should have sent the letter tomorrow !

"Early motherfuckers."

[strawberrystar7]

I think People misunderstood Chloé's arc and the season 3 finale (and especially Chloé's role in it.). And here is why I think that.

This is a really long post and I know it's hard to keep reading something as long as this but please, I ask you, either do not read it at all if you don't want to read something like this or read it completely. If you do decide to read this but stop in the middle because you want to comment on something I ask you to not do that. Please read all of it thoroughly. If you want to comment on something, take notes but don't post it before having read all, because if you do not read all you probably won't understand it correctly. Additionally, some things might have been answered later on in the post.

I think the true lesson the writers wanted to give with Chloé's arc and especially the Season 3 finale is that it's good to be forgiving and give second or maybe even 3rd chances but you shouldn't try and help someone who doesn't want to change. There was a time where she maybe wanted to change... I put the maybe there on purpose. This is because if I look at Chloé's behavior it isn't entirely clear if she ever wanted to change because she wants to help others or if she just wanted to "change" so she can have the Bee Miraculous.

Chloé's arc in actuality was a treason arc. It wasn't a redemption arc. On the surface it may have looked like one but if you look deeper I think you'll see the signs.

I know I am gonna get hate for saying the next bit but if you look closely (and I mean very closely) at Chloé's actions then you'll see what I mean. In season 1 Chloe was a stereotypical bully. In season 2 she actually got a backstory, explaining her actions. It basically made her look more like a real person. But even so her actions didn't really change. She stayed a bully. On surface level her actions did change a little, but on a lower level they didn't.

What do I mean with that? Take Despair Bear as an example she threw a party and invitated all her classmates. In itself that's a nice action but do you remember the reason why she threw the party? Adrien threatened to break up their friendship if she wasn't nicer to people. So her Butler Jean gave her the idea with the party and that she should be nice. 

Yeah, I know this happened before the Queen's Battle trilogy (I know it's actually just a 2 part episode (Style Queen and Queen Wasp) but I count Malediktator as a 3rd part because it pretty much is a direct follow up to Queen Wasp.) but this is supposed to serve as an example for Chloé's behavior in season 2.

Now look at Zombizou. Chloé gave Miss Bustier a present the day after her birthday. Do you remember why this happened? Marinette called Chloé out for not having brought one and pretty much embarrassed her infront of the class (I know the way she called her out was mean but that's not the point here). In the end Chloé most likely would never have brought a gift if this didn't happen.

I think this Episode also came before the Queens Battle trilogy but I'm not sure. Anyway even if it was before, it still shows how Chloé behaves most of the time when she does good things.

Now let's look at the Queen's Battle trilogy. In the Style Queen episode we see for the first time how Audrey treats Chloé and while it does explain why Chloé does what she does it doesn't mean her actions are excusable. It makes her actions understandable to the viewers and it makes her, as already mentioned, look more like an actual human being. In that episode we do not really see any more about Chloé and her past or actions besides her finding the Box with the Bee Miraculous.

After that Queen Wasp follows. In this episode the first scene where Chloe plays a rather major role is the scene with Gabriel Agreste, Audrey Bourgeois, André Bourgeois, Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng, Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and of course Chloé Bourgeois. In this scene we see Audrey taking Marinette's feather hat after it rolls infront of her. She inspects it and remarks that it isn't Gabriel's. She then asks if Marinette is responsible for the hat, which Marinette replies to with her having created the hat. You know the rest Gabriel admits she won a fashion contest, Audrey remarks the hat is "exceptional", and then she asks Marinette if she wants to go to New York. That is where Chloé comes in, claiming to never having been in New York. She also asked why she was taking Marinette. Audrey replies with Marinette being "exceptional". Chloé then says that she's "exceptional" too. Audrey then says the following "The only exeptionial thing about you, my dear... is your mother.". I think you know the rest André tries to step in but is interrupted by Chloé who transforms into Queen Bee infront of everyone to proof that she is exceptional.

This wasn't simply to prove her mother wrong tho. She did it to prove to everyone that she's exceptional and her behaviors later on that episode prove that exact point. Queen Bee then disappears.

The others go home and Queen Bee looks around the city to see if there's anything she can do but doesn't find anyone who needs saving. She then thinks of that plan with the train and calls Nadja Chamak to gain publicity for her heroic deeds. As already mentioned this pretty much proves my point. If she really jzst wanted to prove Audrey wrong then why call in one of Paris's star reporters?

After the call she heads towards the metro. She runs on the side of the metro and enters the driver's room. She then Calls out her venom and numbs the driver. The metro speeds up and Queen Bee turns on the metro TV saying she'll save them (this pretty much was to gain even more publicity). Queen Bee isn't able to stop the metro and Ladybug and Cat Noir come in to help stop the metro. Ladybug calls Chloé out for numbing the train driver and Nadja Chamak comes with Audrey Bourgeois on a live call. Audrey then says the following "What? Regarding my daughter's ineptitude? I think it speaks for itself, doesn't it?". Ladybug asks Chloé to give the Miraculous back but Chloé keeps it and runs away with it. Queen Bee then gets akumatized before she transforms back causing her to turn in Queen Wasp. I don't think it's important to mention what happened while she was Queen Wasp because in this case she wasn't willingly akumatized just like Antibug which also means she wasn't herself unlike Chameleon and Miracle Queen who both were willingly akumatized and both kinda knew what happened while they were akumatized.).

When she gets deakumatized Marinette later comes in and tries to help fix Chloé's and Audrey's relationship (atleast as much as it can be fixed) by pretty much insulting both of them and saying "You're also wrong about your daughter not being exceptional. In fact, Chloé is exceptionally mean. She's the worst person I've ever met. She may be more heinous, pompous and selfish than you. Compared to both of you, even a rock seems more capable of love.". Chloé and Audrey then pretty much shout at the same time "How dare you⁈". They then see they do have a lot in common. The episode then pretty much ends after 2 more short scenes (both scenes do not have anything to do with Chloé so I don't think they are important.).

Now let's look at Malediktator. The episode starts with Chloé's documentary about Queen Bee where Chloé-Bee and Chloé-Bug (I'm gonna call her that because that's Chloé with a Queen Bee costume and Chloé with a Ladybug costume) talk about how great of a superhero Queen Bee is. Then it zooms out to reveal that the documentary is watched by Chloé's classmates.

Ivan then points out that isn't Ladybug. Chloé says it is Ladybug and Miss Bustier asks why Chloé did the assignment about herself.

Chloé then says they were supposed to choose an important person in French history. Chloé-Bug talks more about Queen Bee. Alya then points out that's Chloé with a Ladybug costume. This discussion goes on for a bit until Chloé leaves.

Chloé and Audrey then storm in to André's office while a pair is getting married. They force them out and Audrey tells André to close the school while Chloé tells him to ban Marinette and her family.

Audrey then says the following "That monster hurt your little girl’s feelings.". Chloé adds "She got the whole class to gang up on me. They all have to pay.". You probably know the rest. André says he can't do that and Chloé and Audrey leave him alone in his office and say they'll leave for New York. Chloé is then in the Bourgeois suite packing (or more like telling her Butler to pack for her.) André comes in to argue with Chloé and Audrey to stay in Versailles or near Paris.

Hawk Moth akumatizes André after Audrey and Chloé leave with the helicopter.

Chloé flies over the school with her helicopter, throwing flyers showing Chloé in front of the statue of liberty and saying she'll leave for New York. The students celebrate after Chloé leaves.

Malediktator stops the helicopter and says he has the power to close the school and banish the students who were mean to her. He then commands Audrey to be devoted to him and stay in Paris. Chloé runs away/hides. Some time passes and Ladybug goes to Chloé asking her why Malediktator is mad.

Chloé doesn't want to say at first and blames Marinette, then saying André got mad all by himself but then she admits to being the cause of her fathers akumatization.

Then this happens:

Ladybug: Because of what happened in school? I'm sure Marinette probably didn't exactly mean what she said.

Chloé: Oh, it's not just her— actually, I don't even care about her— it's because I have no reason to be here: nobody likes me; I have no friends. I'm… useless.

Ladybug: (remembering what Adrien told Marinette earlier at school about Chloé) A friend once told me: nobody is useless, Chloé.

Chloé: It's easy for you to say that. You're Ladybug, a superhero. You serve a purpose.

Ladybug: Yes, I can fix up all the messes. You said it yourself in your documentary.

Chloé: (gasps) You saw it?!

Ladybug: (nods) Mm-hmm.

Chloé: Oh! I'm so embarrassed. That film's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. I realize that now.

Ladybug: Don't worry Chloé. You can fix your own messes, if that's what you want. You, too, can serve a purpose, but you have to want to.

Chloé: (sniffles) I do want to.

Ladybug: Chloé Bourgeois, (holds out the Miraculous box) here is the Bee Miraculous, which grants you the power to immobilize your opponent. You will use it for the greater good.

(Chloé hesitates; Ladybug nods approvingly; Chloé takes the box and opens it; a yellow ball of light flies around her and Pollen appears.)

Pollen: At your service, my Queen.

Ladybug: Once the job is complete, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you, Chloé?

Chloé: (puts the haircomb in her hair) I won't disappoint you this time, Ladybug.

Then Chloé transforms into Queen Bee.

Queen Bee and Ladybug (with the help of Cat!Cat Noir) defeat Malediktator.

Then this happens:

Ladybug: Yep, you missed Queen Bee and Ladybug saving Paris, for real this time.

Queen Bee: I understand, Ladybug. Buzz off. (transforms back into Chloé)

Chloé: (gives back her Miraculous) Being a superhero isn't only about fixing messes. (Ladybug holds up her hand in a fist; Chloé gasps and smiles)

Chloé and Ladybug: (fist-bump) Pound it!

After that Chloé and her family leave.

Then this happens:

Chloé: It's okay, Jean-Yves; I'll take care of it.

Butler Jean: Mademoiselle, are you sure?

Chloé: Yes, I need to do it myself.

Marinette: Chloé?

Chloé: (gasps) Dupain-Cheng?

After that Marinette brings Chloé to the school showing her they threw a party for her. That's pretty much how the episode ends.

I guess this is the episode (Malediktator) that convinced everyone Chloé was changing (and maybe at this point in time she truly did want to change. But I'll explain later on in the text why it did not work out.). After all it literally showed scenes where Chloé was nice without her benefitting from it. And honestly the earlier episodes did not show that Chloé was going to change. The earlier episodes gave depth to her character and kinda explained her actions but they didn't really make her look like she wanted to change. The end of the Malediktator episode tho? It did look like she wanted to change or atleast it made it seem like that. But as I implied Chloé's arc is way more complicated than you think. It can't be just written of as bad or inconsistent writing. Read more and you'll see exactly why this isn't just inconsistent/bad writing.

I don't think we saw much of Chloé in the season 2 finale besides her appearance as Queen Bee again. But honestly I do not remember much about the season 2 finale anyway.

Now let's look at season 3. (I just remembered I forgot about Animaestro. I forgot where in the season that happened but I just put it in the beginning because I feel like it would ruin the flow of the text.) In Animaestro Chloé literally teams up with Marinette to ruin Kagami's day (This was just to show that Chloé still did stuff like in season 1). Anyway, not only is it pretty clear that Chloé would love to be Queen Bee again but she also probably would do anything to be Queen Bee again. So she constantly asks for her Miraculous (seen in Startrain and other episodes) or she pretty much shows everyone how proud she is of being Queen Bee, seeking attention for that (Maledikator). In Miraculer Chloé waits to get her Miraculous but doesn't get it. Then Lila tells Chloé about a fake dance which summons Ladybug. Chloé gets really angry when the dance failed and then lashes out at Sabrina telling her she doesn't want to play with her. Chloé then breaks down after not getting the Miraculous for some time, resulting into the scene where Chloé resists getting akumatized. Instead, Sabrina is the one getting akumatized. Some time later a cataclysmed Cat Noir tries to give Chloé the Miraculous but because of his cataclysmed rips he ends up loosing the Miraculous to Mayura.

You probably know the rest. Rena Rouge makes a Chloé illusion in Ladybug's place, Ladybug gets her powers back, Chloé makes Miraculer even angrier, Ladybug (with the help of Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace) gets the Bee Miraculous back and gives it to Chloé. Chloé follows Mayura but looses her. After the fight Ladybug talks to Chloé.

This happens:

Queen Bee: Ladybug. Mayura got away from me. I'm sorry, utterly sorry.

Ladybug: That's okay, Queen Bee. We'll get her next time. (reaches hand out for the Bee Miraculous)

Queen Bee: If you'd given it to me earlier, we'd probably would've defeated Hawk Moth.

Ladybug: I'm sorry, Chloé. I should've told you this a long time ago. I might never be able to let you be Queen Bee again.

Queen Bee: What? But I did everything you asked me to.

Ladybug: I know. But this is for your own safety. It's too dangerous for you and your loved ones because Hawk Moth knows that you're Queen Bee.

Queen Bee: Buzz off. (turns back into Chloé and gives Miraculous to Ladybug)

Chloé: I understand. But I'm sure that you'll need me again, Ladybug. I know that I'll be Queen Bee again someday. I will always be Queen Bee.

Ladybug: (notices her Miraculous beeping) Thank you, Chloé. Let's go. (takes off with Rena Rouge and Carapace)

Despite saying that Chloé said she understood she can't have the Miraculous anymore she did not understand.

I know one of the arguments people have was that if Ladybug stayed longer to explain more thoroughly Chloé would have understood. But what do you want Ladybug to do? Risk her identity? She was on her last 5 minutes. Probably less considering how a couple minutes probably flew by from the moment she called out her lucky charm to the moment she called out Miraculous Ladybug. So probably 2 or 3 minutes were already gone from her timer. Additionally, she still needs atleast a minute to not risk her identity getting revealed while she takes Rena Rouge's and Carapace's Miraculous. There was no more time to spare. Despite that I don't really think Chloé would have understood even if Ladybug had more than 2 minutes to spare. Not with how self-centered she is.

Well there had been some smaller incidents with Chloé treating people badly (Animaestro fo example) but that aside those were small moments. I think the next big Chloé moment would pretty much be Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen. Heart Hunter proved that Chloé did not learn from what Ladybug said. She still waited on her rooftop with her Bee signal for Ladybug to come and give her the Miraculous. In the end of the episode we see her so angry at Ladybug for not giving her the Miraculous that she willingly worked with Hawk Moth and actively forcing her will onto Pollen.

This is what happens:

Hawk Moth: (puts up his hand and interrupts) You're right, but I did it for one reason only. So that you would finally realize that Ladybug will never give you the Bee Miraculous again. I, however, always keep my promises. (shows her the Bee Miraculous in his hand)

Chloé: This isn't real! How do you have it?

Hawk Moth: Try it and see for yourself. You're Ladybug's greatest fan. You've helped her, you've trusted her, and what has she done for you in return?

Chloé: (gets angry) Nothing! She couldn't care less about me! I'm done with her. She's irrelevant, utterly irrelevant! (reaches out to grap the Miraculous, stops) I want you to deakumatize has my parents first!

Hawk Moth: Whatever you say, my queen. (Chloé takes the comb and puts it in her hair, releasing Pollen)

Pollen: (urgently) Your majesty, wait!-

Chloé: Silence! You will speak only when spoken to. Your loss, Ladybug. Pollen, buzz on! (transforms into Queen Bee)

She then gets willingly akumatized.

In Miracle Queen we then see her actively work for Hawk Moth, even revealing all the Miraculous Holders. After she gets deakumatized she seems to still have her memory, considering how she wasn't disoriented like every other Akuma Victim. She even jumps after another Akuma.

Chloé also does and says the following "I'm not on your side anymore! How many times have I asked to fight alongside you? And how many times have you refused to give me back my Miraculous? How many, huh? Hawk Moth isn't my enemy, he's yours! And the Miracle Box is mine! (Queen Bee slams down the Miracle Box, and opening it, starts putting on all of the Miraculouses)".

This pretty much proves my point further. Chloé never let go of the Bee Miraculous, thinking it was her own and she had every right to obtain it whenever she wants. The fact that she's only concerned about getting the Miraculous even proves further that she doesn't really care about helping others. All she cares about is her self and as established before this had always been the case. Even in the Queen's Battle trilogy.

Think about it. Chloé is so deadset on keeping the Bee Miraculous that she would do anything. And if I say anything I mean anything. She literally worked with Hawk Moth to get the Miraculous. So if getting the Miraculous and all the attention that comes with it means that she has to help others she'd gladly do it. If helping others means she gets attention she'd gladly do it. We've seen it in Despair Bear and other episodes. Ladybug used to be Chloé's idol so to get her attention she pushed the mind controlled Cat Noir away. To get Adrien's attention she threw the party and was nice to the others. But the moment people didn't look she acted mean. This isn't even the only season 2 or 3 episode this happened. It is totally in character for Chloé to have reacted the way she did in the season 3 finale. Just because she turned bad again doesn't mean she's a 2 dimensional character. She still has the same backstory and all as she had before. The only difference here is that she openly worked with Hawk Moth. So why is she suddenly a horribly written character? Just because she worked with Hawk Moth?

Well let me tell you something: Just look at her relationship with her father. He never denied her anything. He always did everything she wanted. She would throw a tantrum if she doesn't get what she wants. So don't you think it's totally in character for Chloé to react the way she did when Ladybug refused to give her the Miraculous? It's the equivalent to the tantrum of a spoiled rich girl (or boy) would throw if they don't get what they want. The only difference here being that a magical terrorist pretty much took advantage of that tantrum.

As you can see the way she acted was not out of character. It was completely in character for Chloé. In fact, it was so in character that if we've taken the time to truly look at her then we all would have seen it. I gotta admit, I myself got completely deceived the first time I watched Malediktator and Miraculer. I myself thought, maybe she could change (and I still think so). The first time I watched Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen I also thought it was bad writing and I also hated that finale. I thought they did her dirty. I literally blamed the writers like all the others and stated on YouTube how bad of a Episode that was. But now? Now that I actually took the time to rewatch the Episodes (not just the finale but generally any episode) over and over again just to see all the small details people talked about that I never noticed, I noticed those details about Chloé that I didn't before.

People always claim the finale is horrible because they made Chloé out of character... but... In fact, the Season 3 finale is actually good. It may have some plot holes because the writing of the show honestly sometimes isn't the best. There's some episodes that are badly written and have loads of plot holes. But the season 3 finale? It might just be one of the better written episodes. And that only because of the fact that they sticked to how a girl like Chloé would actually react to getting told off like that. And I know for a fact that girls as spoiled as Chloé would react like that because I met a fair share of people like that. They all threw a huge tantrum when they got told off.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying Chloé doesn't have the potential to change. Infact, she definitely has the potential to change. But not like this. Chloé needs to hit rock bottom before she can actually change. And no, getting told you can't have the Bee Miraculous anymore is not rock bottom. The first thing that needs to happen is for her father to stand up to her. And as seen in (⚠️Season 4 Spoiler warning⚠️) Queen Banana André finally did stand up to Chloé. If he keeps that up that might be good start (⚠️End of Spoiler⚠️). After Chloé doesn't get everything she wants from her father anymore there's two things that can happen: Either she becomes a complete lost cause and doesn't learn anything from it or rather she doesn't want to learn or she learns that not everything will always go her way and that she can't have everything (specifically the Bee Miraculous, as you can't buy it.). This also might cause her to become less selfish and start thinking more about the others. Even if that doesn't happen maybe Zoé (because she's Chloé's half sister) or Adrien (because he is/was Chloé's childhood best friend and would love to help her) could come in to help Chloé become less selfish. But again for that to happen Chloé first needs to learn that not everything goes how she wants it and she can't have everything. And again this won't happen if everything is handed to her like it has been all these years.

Please understand that I am not hating on Chloé. Chloé may even be one of my favorite characters for the exact reasons I mentioned here. Because even tho she's a stereotypical bully she has depth to her character. And if she'll ever truly change she'd might just become one of the more relatable characters in the show.

And I know I am none of the writers so I do not know what they thought while writing the finale and the rest of Chloé's arc but to me this seems like the most logical explanation. I do not think the writers hate Chloé. That just makes no sense. They have developed her past and backstory and stuff like that way too much for them to hate her. If they truly hated her I don't even think they would have developed her character like that. If they truly hated her they would have left her like Lila with little to no information about her past or basically anything that explains her actions.

So please, I ask you please do not harass the writers for their decisions. Just please for once try to understand their thought process. Maybe you just didn't truly understand what they meant because as I explained Chloé's arc was deceiving. On the surface it looked like a redemption arc but truly it wasn't.

I am not claiming to have fully understood what the writers where trying to say but I do think I got close to what they were trying to say. I am also very sorry if I might have not been able to explain some of the points well. While I did rewatch every episode while writing this I did not want to put in every single episode (which might have gotten my points across even better) as the post has already gotten way too long. Not many people like to read much so probably only a few will even have read this completely. But to those who did take the time to read it all, thank you for having taken the time. I'd really like to hear your opinion on my take on this topic. Because while I do think this might be somewhat close to what the writers where trying to do it most likely isn't exactly what they wanted. I'd really like to hear your opinion on my take on this topic. Because as I said while I do think this might be somewhat close to what the writers where trying to do it most likely isn't exactly what they wanted. Maybe some of you have something to debunk or maybe even strengthen my points. Both is fine as long as everyone's nice towards each other. I do not want to see some kind of war. So please be kind towards each other.

[peachsayshi]

Chapter 6 - Festival

Gojo Satoru x Female Reader

Tags: Friends with Benefits, Smut, Teasing and a little bit of Fluff.

Summary: Your best friend Rina is curious about what's been keeping you so busy, and the two of you run into Gojo and his student at a food festival.

A/N: I have been working on my jjk fics but this chapter was a little bit difficult for me to write. A little bit of backstory and plot building here. Gojo and personal space? Non-existent. You can't tell me that the man wouldn't abuse his flirting rights.

- - - 

“Aren’t you a little warm in that top?”

Rina glanced at the high collared t-shirt you were wearing under your mini dress. The top covered the marks that Gojo left on your neck but the material was a little too thick for the summer heat. Thankfully, there was a breeze cooling you off otherwise you would be dripping with sweat.

“I’m fine,” you replied, directing your attention onto the vendors instead of your best friend’s narrowed eyes.

Rina asked you to come along to check out a food festival set up in the city. The entire district was lined with painted stalls which made for a picture perfect scene. The rich aroma of cooked food danced around you, enticing the bustling crowd that was growing in numbers. From golden battered fried takoyaki balls to mouthwatering barbecued yakitori, rainbow cotton candy that sent strings of sugar into the air and sweet kakigori to cleanse the palette…

Everything was making your stomach grumble.

“Oh, let’s get okonomiyaki!” Rina suggested.

After picking up your orders, you both sat at an empty table where you could enjoy your meal. You were ignoring the way Rina continued looking at you suspiciously, clearly not letting go of her obsession with the top you were wearing.

“Okay, that’s it. Let me see it.”

“See what?” you questioned, covering your mouth as you tried to chew on your food.

“The hickey you are hiding.”

You nearly choked as you swallowed but Rina didn’t flinch at your reaction. You patted your chest lightly, clearing your throat as you gathered your thoughts.

“I’m not hiding anything!” you replied defensively.

Rina rolled her eyes at you, “then at least tell me who the guy is…”

You waved your arm nonchalantly in her direction, desperately trying to avoid getting into a losing battle with your best friend. If there was one person in the world who didn’t need superhuman abilities to tell what you were thinking - it was Rina. She read you like an open book, making it near impossible for you to keep a secret from her. How you managed to go this long without her figuring out you were hooking up with Gojo was a miracle.

“I just want to know exactly what has been keeping you so busy recently,” she continued, “I’m having a hard time believing it’s work because you would be in a miserable mood if you were spending all your free time at the office.”

“ Or we can talk about how absolutely delicious this is...” you blurted, letting her words travel in your ear and out the other as you pointed at the meal in front of you.

Rina lifted her brow, shaking her head in disapproval. She calmly placed her chopsticks on her plate, leaning forward a little closer to you before hooking her finger in the collar of your shirt and tugging it down to check your neck.

“LIAR!”

You clasped your hand over the mark, your eyes widening as you prodded your best friend with your other finger.

“Oh, you are in trouble!” a sly smile spread across her pretty face, “when did you start dating again? I thought you swore off men after what happened with the fitness instructor..”

“Please don’t remind me of him…”

“Then who is this mystery man that you are hiding?”

You pressed your lips together, hesitant to reveal the truth about the deal you and Gojo had made. Yes, you were having fun together and none of it was supposed to be as serious as you were making it out in your head. In fact, Rina would probably applaud you for initiating this to begin with.

But…

Rina also liked to ask hard questions: why were you using him instead of confronting your heartbreak? Why were you chasing after something false instead of trying for real love again? Do you really want to risk ruining the friendship you both have?

Those were questions that you didn’t have the answers to.

“It’s...It’s some guy at work, you don’t know him…” you stated, finally settling on a good enough excuse to satisfy her curiosity

“How long have you been seeing him?”

“Just a few weeks…” you fibbed.

“Tell me what he’s like?”

“Uhh…he’s fun, I guess …handsome, kind of charming…but it’s only been a few dates, I still don’t really know him well yet.”

You swallowed hard, hating yourself for not having the courage to tell Rina the truth. Your best friend continued throwing questions at you while your brain spat out the answers before you could even think things through, your guilt twisting your insides with all the lies you were spewing.

“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner…”

Rina smiled, placing a hand on your shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I just want you to be happy. If you like this guy, you should give him a chance. Who knows, maybe this could turn into something serious…”

“I am not really looking for anything serious,” you admitted, allowing yourself to be vulnerable. “At least not right now…”

How could you want something serious after what happened?

You and your ex-boyfriend were together for five years. You met him when you were both at university and he swept you off your feet. His handsomeness showed through his kind personality and he always managed to make you smile. He was your first of many things, including this painful heartbreak.

You hated yourself for getting comfortable with him, for allowing your mind to plan a future that you both could share. You were disappointed that he made you fall in love with him but more so, that he abandoned you to piece together what was left.

You always felt like you never had your closure. When you asked him why he cheated, he never gave you a solid answer. He was ashamed for keeping his infidelity a secret for so long that his only response was a pathetic apology.

Who was this woman that he was willing to jeopardize your relationship for?

Why did he stop loving you?

You blamed yourself because you couldn’t understand.

One minute you were happy and the next you found yourself betrayed in the worst way possible.

You had enough respect for yourself to know that you couldn’t stay with a man who would treat you this way. When you broke up, you expected him to beg for your forgiveness. He was your prince charming, of course he would come crawling back.

You only knew that he had moved on with his lover when you caught the two of them at the supermarket together. They were buying peas, completely entranced with one another and the adoration that your former boyfriend used to look at you with was now passed on to the woman with golden hair.

He was your weakness and you…

You still loved him.  

Rina’s eyes shifted to the crowd, pausing when she recognised a face among the sea of strangers.

“Oh! Look who is over there!”

You glanced over your shoulder, following her line of sight until you saw your dirty little secret wave at you from a distance.

Gojo was eating ice cream, mindlessly swerving around the crowd and looking exceptionally fine in his summer fit. Adorned on the top of his head were cat ears, a little souvenir trinket that some of the vendors were selling at their stalls. His free arm was draped across a teen boy’s shoulder, whose unamused face indicated that he was not keen on being here.

“Rina-chan!” Gojo sang as he approached your table, “it’s nice to see you!”

“You too! How are things?”

“Great! Busy with the usual but today I decided to stop by with my student. This is Megumi…”

The boy awkwardly bowed to greet you and Rina.

“It’s nice to meet you both…”

Gojo’s shades slid down his nose slightly, and you caught a glimpse of those blue eyes. When he winked in your direction, you couldn’t help but blush.

“What are you two up to?” he casually asked.

“Well, I finally got Miss “Busy All The Time” to myself today and we just had some okonomiyaki, that guy over there is selling it…”

Gojo hummed and swirled his tongue around his vanilla ice cream before calmly replying, “I know, she’s been so preoccupied lately! Oi, when are we going to have our catch up session?”

Your face grew warmer, Gojo was good at keeping secrets and him playing off like he hasn’t been the one taking up all of your spare time only resulted in you staring at him with furrowed brows.

Thankfully, Megumi interrupted the conversation.

“I’m going to walk around for a bit,” he stated, turning his heel to walk away from your little group.

“I’ll meet up with you in a minute,” Gojo replied with a nod.

“I’m also going to use this opportunity to find the restroom. Gojo can keep you company until I get back,” Rina added, as she stood up from her seat.

Gojo gave her a thumbs up, “happily!”

The sorcerer took Rina’s place, sitting down across from you while his long legs bumped into yours as he adjusted his position. He paused for a moment, watching your friend and his student disperse into the crowd before finally returning his attention back to you.

“Nice outfit by the way but a little warm for today’s weather in my opinion.”

“I wonder whose fault that is…” you mused, pressing your lips together to stop yourself from smiling at his teasing comment, “I bet you think you’re so cute assuming you’re completely innocent in all this.”

Gojo smiled, “Actually, I know I’m cute.”

You couldn’t deny it, even right now as you watched him with those ridiculous cat ears that pulled back his white locks. He definitely was catching the eye of every girl and guy who passed by.

You flicked one of the black ears on his head,  “this is a new look for you…”

“I bought it for Megumi but he wasn’t too pleased wearing it around, kept saying that I was embarrassing him...” Gojo explained with a frown.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on your thighs and bringing the ice cream in his hand to your face.

“Want a taste?” he asked innocently.

Your heart skipped a beat, unaware that Gojo would get this close to you in public. He knew that you hadn't told anybody about what you both have been doing and you wondered if he was deliberately trying to put you in an awkward position. You subconsciously scanned the crowd to see if Rina or Megumi were around.

You tilted your head back slightly before asking, “do you understand the concept of personal space?”

“Relax,” Gojo said in a low voice, “no one is paying attention to us.”

“What if they come back…”

“I’ll see them before they see us,” he replied with confidence, grazing his free hand over your thigh. “Besides, you look like you could use something to cool you off…”

You arched your brow, deciding to give in and play this little flirtation game. You bit your bottom lip, gently wrapping your hand around his slender fingers and slowly leaning forward to lick the ice cream off his cone. You kept your gaze on Gojo, focusing on the devilish smirk that spread across his lips as he watched with approval.

“Mmm, that is good…” you moaned, before looking at him with glittering eyes, “wait, I didn’t get any ice cream on my face, did I?”

Gojo chuckled under his breath, “you’ve got a little something right here…”

His hand moved up to your face, his fingers holding your chin as he brought your lips to his. You inhaled, holding your breath as you were caught off guard by him stealing a kiss. The moment was fleeting and before you knew it, he parted his lips from yours but trailed his hand down your neck to take a peek at the hickey he left on your skin.

“I usually don’t care about where I mark you but if it’s a big concern I’ll make sure to do it in places where only I can see…”

Even though he spoke in a low whisper, you felt like it was loud enough for the whole crowd to hear how flustered you just got by his words.

You cleared your throat, turning your face away from him to regain your composure. “Behave, Satoru…”

“Mmm,” he hummed, “I could keep going but Rina will be back in any minute…”

You sensed a hint of annoyance in his voice when he said that.

The sorcerer leaned back, inviting the space that separated you both as he ate his ice cream with indifference. Sometimes you wish you could flip the switch as easily as he did but you found it impossible.

Rina arrived before you could even respond to his statement.

“What did I miss?” she asked, patting Gojo lightly on the shoulder to request returning to her seat.

“Nothing special,” Gojo answered with a shrug as he stood up , “I think I’m going to head back and find this kid before he leaves without me knowing.”

“Enjoy the rest of your evening! Also, you should stop by the candy shop sometime. I’ve been working on some new treats I think you might like…”

“I will,” he promised, stretching the lying game even further. He proceeded to remove the headband he was wearing, his white hair flopping over his shades as he handed you the cat ears. “Hold on to these for me won’t you…”

You took it, puzzled by the sudden gesture.

“What for?”

“Just an excuse to pick it up from you later,” he remarked innocently, “otherwise I’ll never see you!”

Rina laughed, clearly not catching on to his hidden invitation. Gojo waved goodbye and walked away, leaving you both to return to your date.

For a moment you thought your lie was about to catch up to you but realised that it was easy keeping this secret because nobody would expect you to hook up with Gojo.

You guys have been playing this song and dance for a while, saving your flirtatious banter and curiosities for when you two were alone together. Maybe you’ll come clean eventually, but for now you wanted to enjoy the bubble you were in.

You played with the cat ears in your hand, completely unaware that you were smiling to yourself.

- CHAPTER 7: GAMES - 

[mermaidsirennikita]

bridgerton--the good, the bad, the ugly

The short of it: Bridgerton excellently captures the tone of Regency romance novels and offers a lot of escapism and great sex scenes, but could definitely use some serious work in terms of how it depicts race and it should have made some further alterations to the dated and flawed source material.  Definitely loved a lot of it and am hotly anticipating the second season, but I want to see more work done and I HOPE that this encourages the adaptation of better (and less inherently flawed) romance novels.

Now for the longer take.

The Good

Bridgerton depicted sex and romance in a way that is totally different from anything I’ve seen in period dramas, for sure, but possibly different from anything I’ve seen on TV.  The romance of it all was woven into almost every aspect of the show. There is the handsome and seemingly severe but extravagantly wealthy and sexually adept duke sweeping into town.  The (multiple) rakes who just want to have fun while also being hot messes.  The awakening of female sexuality and the copious use of the female gaze.  (Note the pretty modest and minimal focus on female nudity, while we get plenty of lingering shots on Simon.).  People want love!  There is pretty minimal violence and perhaps the most physically violent scene involves Simon beating a man up because HE IMPEACHED DAPHNE’S HONOR~.

The sex scenes themselves focused on Daphne’s pleasure for the most part, and were probably among the best I’ve seen since Outlander in terms of chemistry, in terms of the visuals, in terms of focus on sex as an act of emotional connection and FUN. Yes, there was some Unlikely Vaginal Orgasming, but we also saw Simon tell Daphne about masturbation.  On the wedding night, he was pretty clearly touching her to help her enjoy it.  He ate her out... a good bit.  

And aside from that, we got all of the grand speeches, the stolen glances and touches, an excellent buildup of sexual tension that led to some pretty hilarious moments.  

I also really enjoyed many of the performances on this show.  Rege-Jean and Phoebe had great chemistry and excellent back and forth.  Jonathan was a GREAT Anthony.  I would argue that as lackluster as I found his relationship with Siena (more on that in a minute) it largely existed as a way to set him up for his romance with Kate.  He now has even more of a reason to be down with love, as opposed to solely relying on a kind of flimsy tragic backstory.  Additionally, his overprotectiveness of Daphne added tension to the story and made him a source of comedic relief for me?  I loved it.  Give me disaster Anthony all day; can’t wait until he falls to the enemies to lovers trope just like Simon fell to his FLAW-FREE fake dating plan.

A lot of the changes I found were really good.  Obviously, it was important that the show incorporated greater diversity (though they need way more).  Benedict was INFINITELY more fun and interesting than he was in the novels, and acted as another standout for me.  As much as I hate Portia Featherington, I think that the elevation of her to a proper villainess is probably necessary and Polly Walker excels at those types of roles, though they need to maybe have her be less like, actively racist.  I adored the addition of Queen Charlotte; she was excellent comic relief.  Lady Danbury’s expanded role and relationship to Simon was one of the best moves they made.  It touched my entire soul.

Buuuut....

The Bad

The show needs to work on casting more men that are frankly on Rege-Jean’s level.  It feels a bit awkward to see a guy that is by most people’s standards kind of stunning and then.... Colin looks twelve.  Lord Philip is like... a farm guy.  Get rid of the sideburns, we’re in romance novel territory.

In the same note, the girl who played Siena wasn’t a great actress and wasn’t super stunning, so even though I’m fine with her being a placeholder....  Eh.  Go for better casting.  The woman playing Madame Delacroix would’ve played that role so much better and I really enjoyed her dynamic with Benedict because she was just fun.

Frankly, I don’t know what the fuck they’re going to do to make me want to watch Penelope and Colin fall in love.  Their book was already a bit basic--fun, but far from revolutionary.  I don’t really get why they would receive attention similar to that of Kate and Anthony, basically.  The issue is that Colin, again, looks and sound rather young and twerpy.  It obviously wasn’t great for him to be tricked into raising another man’s child, but.... For fuck’s sake, how much would that have affected his life on a practical level.  He’d never know unless he was told, thanks to the lack of DNA tests.  He was marrying far out of his league in terms of attractiveness.  He’s a rich white guy in England with a supportive family.  

I really disliked the fact that Colin told Marina in his huffy little tantrum that he would have married her anyway--because would you have, buddy?  Really?  The thing is that Marina had no way of knowing that and her entire life (and the reputations of her cousins) was on the line.  She didn’t know if she could trust Colin to keep her secret.  They barely knew each other.  He basically came off as a whiny child and I’m fine with him staying in Greece if that’s the plan.

Penelope was just... psychotic.  And that was really disappointing, because I love Nicola and would love to have loved to see the fat girl get her sexy love story.  But first off, lol, it wouldn’t have been sexy because Colin was miscast.  Second, she basically tried to destroy Marina’s life and that of her sisters?  And herself?  Because Colin?  Because Colin, a guy who hasn’t even shown any amount of attraction to her at this point?  Her tears, her whining, it was all too much.  Penelope was dealing with a crush and Marina was dealing with the real Grown Woman issues of a child out of wedlock and as it turned out a dead lover and they were not on equal footing.

I mean, Penelope could very well make a great villainess at this point, and if done well I’d embrace it.  But I do not know how the fuck they can make me interested in her love story.  And the idea of her basically being launched into villainy because she was this chubby white girl obsessively jealous of a beautiful black woman...... not a great look.

The show definitely needs to explore diversity in terms of sexuality too--I don’t think it’s correct to read Benedict as straight because he still seems to be open to exploring.  Once he has more screentime, I think he could totally end up being bisexual, and it’s possible that the writers were trying to feel the audience out in terms of their receptiveness to taking a straight character who has a big straight love story in the books and making him LGBT+.  Eloise could also easily be a lesbian, and I’d be thrilled to see that happen.  They need to do something to expand the world, and if there are 8 Bridgerton kids, all of them being straight as an arrow seems SO unlikely.

The Ugly

Obviously, the rape scene was bad and should have been written out.  Simon could have gotten caught up in the moment and blown up at Daphne after he accidentally didn’t pull out in time.  Men.... accidentally don’t pull out in time... a lot.  That’s how babies happen.  It would’ve been believable, and due to our sympathies being with Simon largely, I don’t think he would have become irredeemable if he was more at fault than Daphne.  

As it was, I will say that the scene was somewhat better than it played in the books because Simon was conscious and totally sober, and it was a bit?  Confusing?  That he didn’t just roll Daphne over and pull out?  Because she wasn’t really clearly trying as hard as she was in the book to wrap her legs around him and hold him tight.  But it remained a rape scene.  The show also did a better job, I think, of establishing how fucked up it was that Simon took advantage of Daphne’s lack of knowledge.  Whatever he said about thinking she knew what was up--he knew she didn’t even know about masturbation.  He had to know she wouldn’t understand what pulling out meant.  He did very clearly mislead her to think that he was sterile and therefore denied Daphne her ability to give informed consent.  Did that justify what Daphne did?  Nope.  Two wrongs don’t make a right.  But both of them did a fucked up thing and I think that we honestly could’ve stopped at Simon’s misleading.

The issue too is that this leads into a bigger problem the show had.  It wanted to include diversity (yay!) but did not consider the total implications of what was happening (not yay).  Daphne and Simon’s dynamic is inevitably influenced by the fact that she’s a white woman and he’s a black man, regardless of whatever handwaves happened.  This influences the sexual assault and makes it even more messy.

Speaking of mess, I’m not sure what exactly would have fixed the “we don’t want this to be a colorblind casting” issue... but the explanation they came up with wasn’t good.  Never mind that this makes everything SUPER confusing (racism is over like..... maybe 50 years MAX after Queen Charlotte’s marriage if we assume she was a teen when she married and is in her 60s now?) but Lady Danbury’s dialogue explaining this was HORRENDOUS.  “One of them fell in love with one of us”.  The implications are awful.  I don’t know if perhaps setting back the integration of society centuries earlier would have helped?  But this wasn’t it.

Additionally, the writers and casting directors didn’t seem to get that diversity is all well and good, but what about the fact that almost every black character has a light skin tone?  Why are there so few black female characters?  Why is Marina, the most prominent woc on the show, given the “pregnant and desperately trying to trick a man into marrying her until her jealous white cousin fucks her life up and she is humiliated into settling for a loveless match” plot?  I desperately hope we see her next season, falling in love with Sir Phillip or perhaps having experienced a plot twist that gives her someone else...  And she better not die. Eloise can find someone else if Marina really ends up with Sir Philip.

Ultimately, again, I really loved the show.  But it needs to work on some things.  I think that a lot of its issues can be addressed and fixed in a future season, and I HOPE they do that.

[floreleine]

I would love to hear more about the ScarletMay part of the story where Madeleine jumps between Florence and Scarlet! Doesn't have to be a full story, i know you're not doing longfics at the moment, but maybe just a few headcanons?

Ohh, I thought about doing the same thing and just writing down some backstory ideas as headcanons, but - once I started writing, this just happened! So, thanks very much for the prompt, anon, thx to you this turned into an entire Thing xD I'll probably post at least two more Floreleine and ScarletMay parts, possibly a Killercule epilogue, we'll see!

Prequel Fic Part 1

Part two starts exactly where part 1 left off, just with a POV change from Madeleine to Anna May!

1k, G, no warnings

"Scarlet?" Anna May asks in shock when she sees the woman in the library foyer.

She had heard loud voices and expected needing to break up a skirmish or help Madeleine and Florence shoot some people - and indeed, Madeleine has a gun aimed at the visitor, but instead of some rogue robber, this woman is no-one Anna May would ever want to kill.

Not even after she left her for a man who didn't even let her be together with Anna May at the same time, after she had already said that she wouldn't mind sharing.

And look where that had gotten her. All alone back in the library, probably having been left by the guy who hadn't wanted to share her...

As Anna May steps into the room and slowly walks up to the others, waving for Madeleine to put her weapon down (she does lower it, but not by much), Anna May is half of a mind to tell Scarlet 'I told you so'. But she looks like enough of a mess, and - bloody hell, she's carrying an infant in her arms.

"Anna," Scarlet says weakly when Anna May is standing next to Madeleine at the side of the desk. "I - sorry -" she sways the child in her arms a little when it starts to cry again. "I'm sorry for just showing up, but I've nowhere else to go - I'm not asking for you to take me back! I'd never expect, after what I've done..."

Next to her, Anna May rather feels than sees Florence and Madeleine share a look at that new bit of information. Anna May had never told them about Scarlet, at least not in so many words - they had noticed that she had been seeing someone, but only when the relationship had already been breaking apart again, and Anna May had called it 'nothing but a fling gone wrong', saying that this was only renewed proof that she wasn't a person made for the dating world, no matter that Florence and Madeleine had made it work, ruining her 'cant date in our line of work' excuse.

"But - can you let me stay? Just for a while, just until I've found my footing again - until I'm sure they aren't also after me and Samantha..."

Anna May freezes. She had expected that Scarlet's relationship had just turned sour, but -

"He's dead? The guy you've been seeing?"

Scarlet shivers a little. "Yes. Killed."

Anna May doesn't know whether to feel sorry for her or to be frustrated in the knowledge that if he'd still be alive, Scarlet would have probably never come to see her again, would have stayed together with her happy little family. She doesn't know what to say.

"This is Samamtha, then?" Madeleine asks in her stead, finally putting her gun back into its holster and stepping forward to get a look at the baby. "Oh, she's cute! It's been a while since I've been around any children, but aren't they usually... wrinklier when they're this little? This one looks like a fully formed human!"

"...that's only when they've just been born," Scarlet explains. "Samantha's over three months old."

Anna May can't even stop herself from doing the mental math, her mind too systematic, too used to analysing everything around her.

Four months - nine months over a year total -

"You were already..."

Scarlet winces, clearly following Anna May's train of thought. "Yes... You knew I was seeing him, it was supposed to just be casual sex... But Samantha happened, and... I wanted her to know her father. And he -"

Anna May is a little frightened when she sees tears in Scarlet's eyes. But right, her boyfriend - husband? - the father of her child has just died.

"he was a good man," Scarlet sniffs. "I really do love him. I would have stayed with the both of you if I had been able to, but he wasn't someone used to sharing, and - and with Samantha - that just made my decision for me, I'm so sorry -"

"No," Anna May interrupts her, surprised about herself, surprised how much she means her next words. "That actually makes it better. To know why you... Fuck. And yes, sure you can stay."

"You will have to get used to cursing less, if you are going to be around a child a lot now," Madeleine says, staring at said baby like it is a particularly interesting, rare and precious artefact. For her, who always liked children and never had the chance to be around them much, it probably is just that. At least they won't have to worry about looking for another babysitter...

Anna May flinches a little when she notices how far she has been planning ahead. Scarlet might not even stay that long - just to get her affairs in order - and would she even want her to stay?

Snap.

All three of them flinch a little, but it is just Florence who is closing the latches and locks on the library doors. "Figured if she's staying, we'll take today off to get her settled."

Madeleine nods and smiles brightly first at Florence, then at Scarlet and the baby.

Scarlet gives Florence an awkward half-smile as well before turning back to look at Anna May, waiting for her decision.

"Yes, sure," Anna May says, having to force herself to meet her eyes. "Like I said. You can stay."

~

Scarlet's answering smile is so soft, Anna May instantly knows that now that she has her back in her life, there is no way she will want her to leave again.

Part 3

Still taking prompts!

Might not be so quick in answering all of them anymore now as I've got other things going on as well, but I'd still enjoy you guys giving me some inspo!

Also lmk if anyone wants to be tagged when this updates! I won't tag my entire usual GM taglist for each little ficlet, espesh not follow up parts, so you'd have to let me know individually

[lacheri]

ship your moots!

GLADLY I WILL! 💕 (this is just a list of mootz off the top of my head! if I didn’t include you it’s not personal I promise 🥰 I just have a squirrel brain) ((I might do some matchups in the future this was a lot of fun to write!! and I know I missed a bunch of moots ): maybe next milestone I’ll do it ahhh))

@onwiings — I honestly cannot decide between Eren or Levi, so, I ship Len in a poly relationship with the both of them. the depth of Len’s soul is vast and never ending and such a perfect match for Levi, but her Aries childlike curiosity and humor is so Eren it’d be a crime to ignore their chemistry. Levi is so well equipped to take on the brat taming, (as is Len OOOOOH) and Eren is the biggest brat of them all.

I’m visualizing the three of them walking down a farmer’s market placed in the street in their favorite city to visit on vacation. Levi with his usual sour stoic expression acting like he’s not beaming with happiness while Eren and Len can’t stop giggling at pointing at stalls they want to visit. Len is immediately drawn into some stand selling homemade soaps, and Eren is utterly confused by the names. “What the fuck does watermelon lavender even smell like? THIS MAKES NO SENSE!” and Levi is like, “You’re an idiot. If she wants to buy it, let her.” “BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE—“ “LEN WILL BUY IT IF SHE PLEASES.” and Len is like 🧍🏻‍♀️ I just wanted to smell wtf

@ryukatters — I know you want me to pick Eren. you don’t even know I’m writing this and I can feel you screaming at me to pick Eren.

HOWEVER, I’M NOT GOING TO SHIP YOU WITH ANY EREN JUST WALKING DOWN THE STREET, I CARE ABOUT YOU TOO MUCH. so, SIMP EREN!!! wholesome SWEET Eren!!

I already wrote this, but Eren playing guitar by a bonfire on a beach with Kat. just the two of them as they goof around, utterly and completely in love with each other. Aries and Aries energy is so silly, so pure. (the fights I won’t get into but they’re stubborn af but just refer to feral on this one) just complete GOOFBALLS! Eren also buys matching hand cuff bracelets that say “partners in crime” because you’re really his best friend. he just loves you with his whole heart. BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS TROPE!!!

Eren is so sweet, but he’s especially sweet for you. he truly, utterly, and completely adores you. you’re his favorite girl, the only one in the world he sees. and he cannot wait to see you in that pretty white dress walking down the aisle one day. (he’s had the ring picked out from the second he met you)

@mochi-vulpine — my dear sweet Mochi. sweet, lovable, silly Mochi. evil laughter.

ONLY. and I mean ONLY, am I not shipping you with Erwin because I want to see you torture Levi. I want front row tickets to see you sabotage his tea stash, that toilet paper prank you told me about, EVERYTHING. enemies to lovers. I think you’d bring out the fun side of Levi, a playful innocence he was neglected of in his childhood. you’d make life fun, no matter how inconvenient your pranks would be. and he’ll never admit it, but he genuinely looks forward to see what you do next. if you skip a day, do absolutely no hi-jinx’s or shenanigans, Levi is so concerned and even disappointed. he’s checking everywhere — surely he had missed whatever you’d planned for him? when he discovers nothing, he’s high tailing it to come and find you. you’re just hanging out, in bed maybe drawing something.

“What’s wrong with you?” you’re so confused, “What are you talking about? I’m literally fine?” “Don’t lie to me.” “LEVI I’M LITERALLY JUST LAYING HERE WHAT’S YOUR DEAL?” and he gets all flustered, and he BLUSHES. “Nothing. Go back to what you were doing.”

“You missed me, didn’t you?” “Shut up.” “I hid your paperwork, you have 24 hours to find it, or else all the nails in your desk disappear.” “GOD FUCKING DAMMIT—“

@astridthevalkyrie — ngl, I’m really struggling to pick someone. just because you could fit so well with so many of the aot people. but, I just remembered you begging for a certain anon, and a few ideas popped into mind. so, I’m shipping you with Petra.

Astrid just genuinely cannot believe someone like Petra exists, you immediately fall in love with her courage, her innate glow of confidence. and the more you get to know her, you fall in love with her sweetness, she’s so nurturing and caring. her smile brightens her entire face, and you swoon. and she’s in the exact same state of mind.

because you are so SMART, so intelligent and have so many interests and hobbies. Petra will keep a list of them all, even if they don’t fancy her interest. she’ll ask questions, implore you to explain why exactly you love that color you do, why that’s your favorite animal. Petra will curl up in the couch with you, snuggle deep into the blankets, and watch whatever you have on the TV. even if it’s the 4th season of whatever, even if she’s never seen a single episode. she’ll gently poke your side, give you a confused look, and smile so big when you start explaining the backstory.

and while I think Petra is incredibly sweet and gentle, if someone ever dared to insinuate even a hint of disrespect towards you, they’d be laid out on the floor before they could even think about finishing their sentence.

@bagsyy — like there’s any other answer but Jean. perfect boyfriend Jean. he loves Cass, so much it scares him sometimes. he feels so safe, so secure with you. Cass is his HOME. the only person in the world he trusts enough to completely open up to, share his darkest thoughts and deepest feelings.

manifesting you and Jean laying side by side in bed together, connected by your intertwined hands as you just talk. as soon as he closes his mouth, you crack a joke to lighten to mood, and he just laughs. laughs harder than he ever has before, because you get him. you understand him, you see him. he never ever doubts your loyalty, your intentions. and you never doubt his.

true love. soul mates. twin flames. the kind of love your childlike self imagined when you were young and innocent. Jean is your Prince Charming.

@liashideout — Armin. Armin Armin Armin. he would find you so completely fascinating. asks to hear about every opinion you could possibly have. plans extravagant dates, maybe not in price but in sentimental value. you want to go out shopping? he’s taking you to the biggest shopping center he can find, even if it’s like a 2 hour drive. you want to go to the museum? good because he already bought tickets and planned the entire day down to your snack breaks. you just want to hang out at home and watch movies? he was already on his way over with your favorite ice cream, your favorite snacks, and has a takeout delivery in route to your house.

Armin the sweetest boy, Armin who wears his heart on his sleeve. he will support you 1000% in any single thing you do, and will go out of his way to make sure you accomplish your goals. and he’s so attentive. can figure out your mood in a split second, you almost think he can read your mind. YOU GUYS NEVER FIGHT BECAUSE OF THIS! argue or disagree, yes, but full on fighting? he’s too empathetic for that, and harsh words never go anywhere. he’s there to protect you, to guide you. to bask in your warmth and your smile. there are no bad days with him, and he makes it his mission to spend every moment with you like it’s his last.

[freddieweasley]

A Classic Weasley Scheme

Fred Weasley x reader

synopsis: Fred asks you for an odd favor at the beginning of Summer holiday. Against your better judgement, you agree. 

word count: 3.7k

warnings: nothing, maybe some swearing? I actually don’t remember. 

Fred Weasley was walking purposefully across the grounds toward you and you did not like the look on his face.

You and Fred were not close. With you being a year younger than him, and him being a Gryffindor to your Slytherin, there weren’t that many opportunities for friendship. Still, you crossed paths. The Weasley twins were notorious for their pranking schoolwide, and you happened to have a bit of notoriety in the vein of scheming yourself. You were peers in mischief, so to speak.

In fact, that very thing had spared you from ever being pranked by the Weasleys. Until now, maybe, because Fred was definitely headed toward you, and he had on his scheming face, and suddenly you were glancing around at all the grass and trees and wondering what the hell kind of prank he could be hiding around there.

“(L/N), hey!” he called, a few long strides covering the remaining space between the two of you. Before you knew it, he was standing right in front of you, a self-assured smirk on his face.

“Fred, to what do I owe the pleasure?” you asked breezily, trying to discern from his body language whether or not you were about to get your shit rocked.

“I have a proposition,” he announced grandly, and you only cocked your head to the side, confused. Instead of clarifying, he only said “Walk with me.”

You’d finished your homework and really had nothing better to do, so you shouldered your book bag and fell into step on the path beside him.

“Okay, Weasley, are you going to tell me what this proposition is, or am I going to have to guess?”

“Relax, will you? Honestly, woman, I’m getting there,” he returned, and you rolled your eyes at him. “It seems I’ve dug myself a hole that I can’t quite get out of, and I need your help.”

“Oh? And what kind of predicament could you have possibly gotten yourself into, that you and George can’t fix for yourselves?”

“Well, see, that’s the thing. I can’t ask George for help. He’s the one I lied to.”

You looked at Fred incredulously. He lied to George? Rarely had you ever seen the two physically separated, let alone keeping secrets from one another. You had to admit, this had very much gotten your attention. “Okay, what have you lied about then?”

“A couple of weeks ago I told dear George that I had a girlfriend so that he’d stop trying to set me up with Mabel O’Neill, and I couldn’t tell him who she was because we were keeping it all very secret and thrilling,” he smirked waggling his eyebrows, “I planned to keep it up long enough that he’d forget about Mabel, and then I’d tell him we tragically broke up and I would move on with my life.”

“Sounds risky, seeing as you and George spend all of your time together,” you remarked.

“Don’t you think I know that by now?” he asked, “anyway, I had sort of forgotten about getting around to telling him that my girlfriend and I broke up, and he went and told my mum and now she’s expecting me to bring a girl home for the summer holiday.”

You let out a laugh. “That is quite the predicament, Fred.”

“Yes, yes it is. So, will you help me?”

“In what way?”

“Honestly, (L/N), I thought it was obvious. I need you to be my pretend girlfriend for a week.”

You burst out laughing again, but a quick look in Fred’s direction let you know that he was being completely serious. That only made you laugh all the more.

“Let me get this straight: you want me to come home with you for a week and pretend to be your girlfriend in front of your entire family, just so you won’t have to fess up to lying to George?”

Fred nodded. “Please, (Y/N), you’ve reduced a man to begging.”

“Why me?”

“You scheme, I scheme, this is just a longer version of all the other schemes you’ve ever done.”

You considered him for a moment. Truth be told, you didn’t have anything going on for summer holiday. In fact, every summer your parents were so busy with work they hardly had a moment to spend with you. It would probably be a relief to them if you were somewhere else for part of that time, because at least then they’d know you weren’t spending the day rotting inside your house.

“Yeah, okay. I’m in,” you said, extending your hand. Fred shook it animatedly.

“Fantastic! See you,” and with that, he ran off. You sighed, shaking your head as you watched his retreating form, before heading towards the castle.

***

A week later, you found yourself standing on the train platform, trunk and cage containing your owl in front of you. Fred had told you to wait for him before boarding the train, but clearly punctuality was not on his list of priorities.

Smoke billowing from the head of the train curled around the station, obscuring your view of nearly everything around. Which, of course, meant that Fred couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sneak up behind you and scare the shit out of you as a greeting.

He still had his hands on your shoulders when you whirled around, sending him a glare.

“You know, (L/N), I almost didn’t recognize you without your uniform on. You looked down at your green sundress, and back up at him.

“I still have the same face.” Fred laughed, hooking an arm around your shoulder and steering you towards one of the entrances to the train.

“I told George that I wasn’t sitting with him, because you and I wanted to sit alone,” he explained, “that way we can figure out the details of our ‘relationship’ before we get to the Burrow.”

“I’m spending this entire trip alone with you?” you asked, “lucky me.”

“Indeed. Now let’s find a compartment.”

It didn’t take long for you and Fred to find an empty compartment near the back of the train. He closed the door against the students in the hall, and took a seat across from you.

“So, what exactly did you tell George about you and your fake girlfriend?” you asked, trying to settle in more comfortably to your seat.

“I didn’t tell him much, just that my girlfriend was in a different house and that she was a private person so she wanted to keep our relationship under wraps.”

“Well, I am in a different house, and I do keep my life private, so that’s not much of a lie,” you conceded, “and, that gives us a lot of freedom in figuring out the details of this scheme together.”

“Right-o, (Y/N). First order of business, how did we get together?”

In the end, you two decided on a rather straightforward backstory. You’d gotten together two months earlier, when, after a quite messy prank, he helped you clean up. You two found out that you had more in common than you thought, and Fred had asked you on a first date to Hogsmeade, that weekend. Since the relationship was so new, you two had been keeping it on the down low in order to spend time getting to know each other in this new context. By the time the Hogwarts express was pulling into the station, the two of you had gotten your acts together.

“Right, (L/N), as soon as we open this compartment door, we’re officially fake dating,” Fred announced, turning to face you with his hand ready to open the door, “can I count on you to really sell this?”

“Of course, what do I look like to you?”

***

You were nervous.

You knew this was quite ridiculous, seeing as you were not Fred’s real girlfriend, and therefore had no reason to be nervous to meet his family, but that did not seem to matter to your brain.

You were trying to be rational about it. You already knew three other Weasleys, and they liked you well enough. You’d aided George with a prank or two in the last few years, and you gave Ron all of the notes you kept from the previous year when he didn’t want to do his own. Plus, you and Ginny were actually sort of friends, the kind who will sit together in the library to study just so you don’t have to sit alone.

The problem here was that Fred’s family included quite a bit more people than that. He had three more brothers, and his parents, and Harry and Hermione were coming to stay over holiday as well. That was a lot of people that you had to fool with this scheme. It was also a lot of people that you oddly felt you needed to like you.

Fred, feeling you tense beside him, grabbed your hand and squeezed it tight.

“Are you alright, love?” he asked, and you managed a nod before voices were shouting behind you.

“You’ve got to be bloody messing with me! Fred, there’s no way that (Y/N) (L/N) is your girlfriend,” the shocked voice of George Weasley called. The two of you whirled around to see him standing a few feet away, matching shocked expressions on his, Ron’s, Harry’s, and Hermione’s faces.

“Oh, sod off, George. You know I’m the ladies man out of the two of us,” Fred teased.

“(Y/N) --? You and Fr-- my brother Fred? Are you sure you’re all the way there, mentally, right now?” Ron asked, gesturing wildly between the two of you.

You let out a small laugh, nodding. “Yes, Ronald, me and your brother Fred are dating. And I happen to have all of my mental facilities about me.”

“Well, er, congratulations to you two,” Hermione smiled brightly.

“Thank you very much. Now, Mum’s probably off her head thinking we’ve died because it’s taken us so long to find her,” Fred said, turning and pulling you by the hand into the crowd. You wove between reuniting families, holding tightly to Fred’s hand so you don’t lose him in the crowd. Not that that would be very easy, what with him being a head taller than eighty percent of the people in the vicinity, with flaming red hair.

Before you were really ready, you and Fred were stopping in front of a kind looking red headed couple. You had never seen Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in real life, but it was easy to tell who you were looking at.

“Fred, there you are! I was getting worried,” Mrs. Weasley said, pulling her son into a bone-crushing hug. As she pulled away, her eyes landed on you. “And you must be the darling girl we’ve heard so much about!”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley, I’m (Y/N) (L/N),” you said, offering your hand for shaking. She just chuckled, surpassing your hand and pulling you into a hug with the same enthusiasm as when she hugged Fred.

“We are so happy to have you for the holiday, love!” You were saved from having to figure out an awkward reply by the arrivals of the others behind you.

“How’m I doing so far?” you whispered to Fred.

“Fantastic,” he beamed. “Mum loves you!”

***

The Burrow was the coziest home you had ever set foot inside of. Every room was stuffed to the brim with vibrant, eclectic furniture. Everything about the place screamed life, yelled that people lived there, loved and laughed and held each other in these rooms. You couldn’t get enough of it.

“Right, (Y/N), dear, you’ll be staying in with Ginny and Hermione,” Molly said, as the large group emptied into the house, “Ginny, show the girls upstairs so they can put away their things.” The redheaded girl nodded, motioning for you and Hermione to follow.

“You know, it’s been a while since we’ve had the house so full,” Ginny noted.

“I’ve never been in a house so full,” you responded, “only child.”

“Me too,” Hermione said. An awkward silence fell upon the trio as you made your way up the stairs. It dawned on you then that you had never really had a deep, personal conversation with either of them, and you were about to spend the holiday as their roommate. It’s not that you didn’t want to be their friend, it was just, again, like with Fred and George, there weren’t that many opportunities to forge a friendship. Everyone else in this house was a Gryffindor, had been living together their whole lives or rooming together since they were eleven. You were feeling distinctly out of place.

That is, until the three of you made it into the room. Ginny’s room was distinctly Ginny: drenched in the Gryffindor colors and covered in Quidditch posters. Ginny tossed the belongings she carried up into the corner by her bed and turned her freckled face to you.

“So,” she started, collapsing onto the bed,  “Fred, huh?”

“Oh, (Y/N), do tell what you possibly see in him,” Hermione said as she arranged her things next to one of the two cots that had been set up in the room.

“There’s not much to say,” you started, thinking carefully of what to say next. “Fred and I just… clicked. He’s fun, and good to me. He makes me happy.” Ginny had a look of slight disgust on her face, but Hermione’s beaming face was flushed with happiness.

“That’s adorable! I mean, I never expected Fred to find someone… not at school, at least, and certainly not you,” Hermione said, “but seeing you two together does look right.”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t imagine anyone wanting any of my brothers,” Ginny said abruptly, causing Hermione and you to burst out laughing.

“Ginny! Girls! Come wash up and help with dinner,” the faint voice of Mrs. Weasley floated up the stairs.

***

Family dinner was an affair, and you couldn’t get enough of it. With the extra chairs for guests, there was barely room to get to a seat, let alone move. The table was full of delicious looking food, and everyone was talking over each other, arguing and laughing. You had been introduced to Bill, Charlie, and Percy, the only Weasley children you had not formally met, and they seemed to welcome you. You were wedged into a seat between Fred and Harry, so close that your arm and Fred’s were constantly touching.

It took you a minute to notice that Fred was nudging you to get your attention, not just because he had no space. When you did, you turned to him, a smile on your face.

“You hanging in there, love?” he asked, quietly. In the din of the room it was easy to have a somewhat private conversation masked by the noise.

“If I knew your family was this cool, I would have agreed to date you ages ago,” you grinned. Fred laughed, hooking his arm around you and pulling you into a hug as best he could, before letting go.

***

You waited for Ginny and Hermione to fall asleep, before leaving your cot and descending the stairs as quietly as you could. Despite being exhausted, you couldn’t sleep at all. You kept replaying the day through your head; it was completely jam-packed of memories you knew you’d hold with you for a long time.

You were surprised to find the kitchen light on when you made it to the first floor. You hesitated at the bottom step, wondering if you should just go back up so as to not disturb whoever else was still awake. Probably they thought you were intruding on their private time. It wasn’t your house, after all.

“(Y/N)? Is that you?” You had just turned to head back up the steps when you heard Fred’s voice. Turning back around, you crossed the floor to the familiar redheaded boy standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Why are you up so late, Weasley?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I just wasn’t very tired,” you shrugged, “your turn.”

“George is snoring extra loud tonight,” he said, and you laughed quietly.

“Our first day went pretty well, huh?” you said after a moment.

“ ‘Pretty well’? It went amazing, love! Hell, if I didn’t know better, I would’ve bought it myself.” You nodded in agreement as Fred retreated back into the kitchen, grabbing a bright green mug from one of the cabinets. He filled it with orange juice, before returning the carton to the fridge and leaning on the counter, facing you. His orange hair was mussed about his head, as if he’d tried to sleep before eventually giving up, and there was some sleepiness fogging his eyes.

“You know (L/N), I always wished we were closer,” he said abruptly, “the more I think about it, the more I don’t understand how we weren’t. I mean, you fit perfectly with me. And George.” Fred had become somewhat flustered by the end of his sentence, jumbling his words in a way that had you laughing softly, a bright smile on your face.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” you hummed, “I think, if I were a Gryffindor we would have been best friends the minute I stepped on campus at eleven.”

“I��m glad we’re getting close now, even if it is a couple years late.”

“Better late than never, right?” you said.

“Right.”

***

The next few days went by quicker than you thought possible. It was unusually sunny and hot for England, and you, Harry, and Weasleys took advantage of the weather by playing Quidditch in the garden for the long hours of the afternoon. Hermione sat in the shade on the sidelines, occasionally cheering Ginny on in between getting a headstart on the required reading for next year.

In the mornings, you, Hermione, and Ginny helped Mrs. Weasley prepare breakfast. It never felt like a chore, waking up early in the morning and cooking, as it had become the time of the day that you were able to bond with the girls-- that, and the hour or so before bed, when the three of you congregated on Ginny’s bed and talked about anything and everything before sleep came calling.

After breakfast, you and Fred always did something together. At first, it started to make your fake relationship more realistic, but the little activities he planned had quickly become your favorite part of the day. You’d taken a picnic blanket out to the top of the hill and laid under the sun for a few hours, sipping iced tea and goofing off. You’d gone on walks down the little trail in the thick copse of trees down the road, you collecting flowers off the side of the path as you went, him picking up frogs and chasing off dragonflies. You taught Fred how to make a lemon cake once, which surprisingly did not end in the two of you destroying Mrs. Weasley’s kitchen. All the while, you’d gotten to know Fred better. Every single thing you learned made him more endearing to you.

After dinner and the long parade of showers was over in the evening, everyone crowded into the living room, partly for tea, partly to carry on conversations and arguments from the dining table. You and Fred squished into the large armchair closest to the fireplace each night; Fred’s arm resting behind your back, your legs laid over his lap. You would talk to each other mostly, or listen to the other conversations going on. You tried to pretend that you didn’t notice when the others stared at the two of you, like they still couldn’t believe it.

Now, you only had a couple of days left at the Burrow, and you felt the dread of leaving beginning to settle in. The Summer was going to feel so empty without the Weasley clan constantly around. The rest of the summer was bound to be as empty and lonely as you could imagine. With two muggle parents, you were bound to spend the summer totally without magic, alone in the park or the library in London.

Most surprising to you, though, was how much you knew you were going to miss Fred. You hated to admit it, but some sort of real feelings had grown inside you for Fred. You had a soft affection for the boy who only seemed to make you like him more by the day. You supposed the whole operation was ill-fated from the beginning. You were bound to end up this way.

You and Fred were sitting in the garden after dinner, waiting to be called in for tea. He was sprawled out in the grass on his back, looking up at the stars, and you were sitting cross-legged beside him, leaning on your elbows.

“You know, I’ve never seen so many stars from my flat-” you started, looking over at the boy, only to find he was already looking at you. “What, Weasley?”

Fred sat up, a goofy smile adorning his face. “If I tell you, you’re going to laugh.”

“No! Have a little faith in me, will you?” you asked, mockingly scandalized.

“I’m bloody serious, (Y/N).”

You stopped laughing, and put on the most serious face you could muster. “Fred, I pinky swear, no matter what you say, I will not laugh.” Fred heaved a sigh, closing his eyes.

“(Y/N), I know this started as a fake relationship, but… I don’t think my feelings are completely fake anymore,” he said earnestly, “and it’s alright if you don’t feel the same way, but I couldn’t just keep on pretending without telling you.”

“Fred Weasley, you are definitely thicker than everyone says if you seriously don’t think I feel the same way,” you said bluntly.

You watched his face as he realized what you said, a grin breaking out across his dimpled cheeks.

“Really? You do?”

“Yes, of course! Did you really think that I was that good of an actor?” you asked. Fred laughed, drawing you in for a hug.

“Is it safe to say I can kiss you now?” he asked, face inches away from yours. You nodded vigorously, causing him to laugh as he cupped your face in both hands and brought your lips to meet his. The kiss was slow and sweet, and felt as natural as if the two of you had been together forever.

“I can’t believe I was able to wait so long to do that,” Fred laughed.

“Neither can I.”

[sillytorch]

I’ve seen multiple, if not so many different takes on Roman Torchwick’s canon backstory that I might as well say my take on it (No he’s not the Brunswick Farms kid. The artist for it confirmed it was just a random character design, check the notes for the source):

I like to think that Roman was always a little shit, even as a kid. Maybe not as horrible as he became during his adulthood, but he was definitely a delinquent. And he definitely did not have a good relationship with his parents... he might have not even grown up with siblings. Speaking of his parents, they were most likely just abusive (of the mental and emotional kind).

I don’t think he was dirt poor but I don’t think he was rich either. He most likely grew up in a middle class home (you can decide which spectrum of middle class he was on).

Even though he was a delinquent, he still attended school but he most likely dropped out b/c well... he seems like the type of person who was expelled at least one time in school. On top of that, Roman most likely either grew up in an urban area or a suburban area.

I feel like with what I said and the fact that the show implied that he himself was a streetrat based on Mercury’s comment to Cinder (“My dad once said if you want to get to know a city, ask the rats.”) so I’m just gonna say that Roman most likely ran away from home at a young age (13-14 y/o).

Speaking of his childhood, I do think Roman at one point, wanted to be a huntsman. It may sound very crazy considering his last words, but his last words are what made me think about it:

“You wanna be a HERO?? THEN PLAY THE PART AND DIE LIKE EVERY OTHER HUNTSMAN IN HISTORY!!!!”

The tone of voice he has as he’s screaming that to Ruby, he doesn’t just sound like an asshole, he sounds bitter. And before that, he starts talking about “THE REAL WORLD” being “COLD” and “NOT CARING ABOUT SPIRIT”

(and keep in mind, he says all of that after losing Neo, someone he trusted and was probably the only true friend and family he had. Before losing Neo, he was very confident about his position, that he was on the winning side. But once she gets thrown off, he suddenly becomes so negative and flies off into a rage that we’ve never seen of him before)

Those last words he screams during his emotional breakdown, it wasn’t just to break Ruby’s spirit before he (unsuccessfully) kills her, he was most likely venting about how he feels about huntsmen because he probably feels betrayed by his idealized version of huntsmen when he was a kid versus the reality of huntsmen.

Think about it: being a huntsmen to a kid seems really cool. You fight monsters, you get the glory as the hero, legends and tales are written about you... seems like a really cool thing to basically any boy. But we all know the reality of huntsmen as we’ve seen in the show, which... is pretty Grimm (*rimshot*). They don’t exactly have the best living conditions, they die relatively young, training is brutal, some huntsmen turn out to be corrupt or militarized into super soldiers, may I go on?

My point is, Roman during his teen years as a streetrat most likely knew a huntsman, possibly was even friends with them at one point. Maybe said huntsman straight up took him after awhile. MAYBE, said huntsman tried to help clean up Roman by properly training him to become a huntsman and applying to a huntsman academy. Probably b/c a huntsman academy has a lot of resources, like food, shelter, training, which would have helped out Roman. And well... it could have worked... but it didn’t...

Because something HORRIBLE happened to that huntsman friend, and Roman was there to witness it. Something so shocking that pretty much gave Roman the idea of the reality of a huntsman‘s life... and that lead to him becoming this jaded man who doesn’t care about anybody or anything. Why care about a world if no one’s gonna care about or respect you no matter who you are? The real world is cold... lonely... and doesn’t care about spirit... so why care at all? So, he went back to becoming a streetrat and eventually started his growth as a serious criminal.

Now how did he met Neo? Well... according to One Thing, Roman took her in during a hard point in her life:

Gone's the life That he gave

I was nowhere I had no one I felt nothing Lost without a voice and on my own Then a candle's flame Brought a brand new name

I had one thing And you've taken it from me A single light A single friend But you made that end There was one thing To help escape the misery And now it's all disarrayed You took my whole life away You sent me back to nothing Now you'll pay

This man took Neo in. I’m not sure EXACTLY when in his life he took her in and they became partners, but he took her in. And while this song is from Neo’s perspective, it kind of says a lot about Roman too, especially if you take how he treats her in the show in context:

V2 Ch 4: “Neo if you would!” (Roman proudly says after smiling at Neo for coming to his rescue)

V3 Ch 10: He takes the scroll from Neo’s hand and looks very happy and remarks at her as he takes it, “Now this one? This one’s gonna be fun!”

Also V3 Ch 10: “Go see what’s out there.” (Roman says even though he’s annoyed, he calmly tells her to check outside the ship. Keep in mind, this is the same man who insults his grunts, threatens his allies, and has even attempted to talk back to Cinder a few times)

V3 Ch 11: Literally their entire fight makes it clear that these two have fought together before based on their teamwork. For example: note how when Roman enters, he waits for Neo’s illusion to get hit by Ruby’s bullet, and once the bullet shatters it, Roman shoots right afterwards. He knows Neo’s semblance so he could have just shot through her illusion the moment he saw Ruby right? But he didn’t because, it’s Neo. If he shoots through the illusion (or what he thinks is the illusion), he risks hurting Neo in the process. And THAT is just one of the many examples of how much he cares about her during this fight, including his famous “NEO!!!” cry.

This man cares about Neo. She might have been the One Thing, Roman cared about. Probably the one thing that mattered to him in the world, a friend, a family member... she was probably the only thing left in this cold, cruel, spiritless world he cared about. And once a certain little red started foiling his plans to keep him and Neo afloat from whatever doomsday Cinder and Salem are planning on Remnant, and said little red threw Neo into a sky thousands of feet up in the air full of Grimm where for all he knew, Neo was dead.

This might actually be what led Roman into that rant about the world as he LITERALLY beat it into Ruby’s head: that the world is cold and cruel, and he ends up proving that right to her, because not only did he lose his only friend, he died at the moment he was about to kill Ruby. It didn’t matter what side he was on, he never got what he wanted. Basically it seems like his entire life, the world basically yanked the chain on him and his entire life, leading up to his death proved it.

Now does that excuse all of the horrific acts he’s done in the series? NO! It doesn’t!! He became a horrible person! Yes he did one nice thing by taking in Neo during a hard point in her life, but this man’s legacy was being a high profile criminal and he felt no remorse for that!

But this analysis and theory... if the theory is true that is, may explain why he did what he did. Explanation =/= Excuse.

[iaintyourbro]

Talking about FFVII and FFVIII

I started writing this a while ago - probably around June. It’s based off of this article:

Theory: FFVIII’s Squinoa was Square Enix’s Appology to Cloud and Aerith Fans

Alright, so, I came across an article stating that FFVIII’s Squinoa was Square’s apology for Cloud and Aerith. I don’t know why, but this one brought up some anger within me that I can’t explain. Mainly because it’s ridiculous.

However, it’s also an opinion article. This means Square Enix never said this. The title of the article also says “Theory” meaning there’s nothing saying this is real. You know there is a reason I’m writing this finally - well, finishing it. 

This is also gonna be long. FFVIII was my favorite FF game up until Remake came out, so it’s still very special to me. I hate that it’s treated as some type of apology for a ship. Its a game on its own. A fun one, a lighthearted one, and one that I really enjoyed replaying as an adult. 

It just so happens that I had started to replay FFVIII when I came across this article. It was recently written. I have noticed some official source articles that are leaning heavy on the C//erith side came out after Remake, even if it was regarding old content. 

Rinoa is Rinoa. Comparing her to Aerith or Tifa frustrates me, because you should just do that for all of the other main FF female characters, but if we want to do this, then we can say Rinoa is a mix of Tifa and Aerith. 

So with FF8, FF7 OG, and FF7R fresh in my mind, I thought it may be a good time to do this one. There are heavy spoilers for FF7, FF8, and FF

One of the lines in this article that threw me was saying that Rinoa was a manic pixie girl. I never got that impression from her. I’d say at times she was a bit forward, a bit flirty, and a bit immature, but they ALL were. They were 17 and 18. They were written like 17 and 18 year olds on purpose. I actually liked Rinoa, but didn’t like OG Aerith. So I definitely never compared the two. 

For the record: I LOVE REMAKE AERITH

FF7 had characters in their early 20s up to their 30s (and Vincent, but he went to sleep at like 27). FF7′s characters also had extremely tragic backstories and collectively enough mental trauma to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool. The world was dark and cruel. 

FF8 was a bit lighter on the whole tragic backstory. All of the main party members, minus Rinoa, grew up in an orphanage. Yes, you could say it’s sad that they were in an orphanage. It was war time, their parents were most likely killed. In Squall’s case, we know his mother died shortly after he was born and his father had just sent their “adopted daughter” back to Winhill, so both of them were sent to this orphanage. 

But honestly? Compare this to the orphans in Advent Children. They’re homeless, dirty, and sick. The orphans in FF8 were well fed, clothed, and had a loving “home” with Edea. 

Rinoa grew up as a rich girl, pretty much. She lived in a mansion, her father was high up in the military, and her mother was a famous singer. I’d say she had a pretty good life. Her mother does die when she’s younger, and her relationship with her father falls apart.

Here’s a Tifa parallel: Rinoa’s father is a highly regarded figure in the Galbadian army. Brian Lockhart is a highly regarded person in Nibelheim. Rinoa’s mother dies when she’s young, Tifa’s mother dies when she’s young. Tifa had a pretty good life until Sephiroth decided it was time to ruin everything.

She joins a rebel group (oh - hey another Tifa parallel) and honestly seems pretty good at what she has to say when you first meet her in Timber. She has a strategy, a plan, and explains this plan. 

Tifa was also in a rebel group. 

In Remake, Tifa was always the one to have a solution on what to do next when Cloud and Barret were scratching their heads. She was good at strategy, but she was modest about things.

Rinoa is much more forward than Tifa, by far. So, you can say that’s her “Aerith quality”. However, Rinoa also has her moments of shyness. Asking Zell about Squall’s ring for example. And honestly, the interaction between Rinoa and Zell during that scene is exactly what you’d expect with teenagers. 

The biggest thing with ALL of the FF8 characters is their severe lack of worldly experience and their immaturity. Which makes sense, they’re 17. You do get to see them all grow. Rinoa and Squall, in particular, mature quite a bit as individuals throughout the game. 

Rinoa’s affections towards Squall initially are purely based on how he looks, it seems. He’s the hot guy at the party she dances with to kill time while trying to find her target (Cid) to ask him to help The Forest Owls. Obviously her feelings grow way past just “hot dude” as the game progresses. 

In fact, Rinoa and Squall fight quite a bit in the beginning. Mainly because Squall is definitely a bigger dick than Cloud, initially. You luckily get insight in to Squall’s thoughts, so some of these dick moves make some sense. Cloud, you’re left to “interpret” what he’s thinking. Hello LTD...

Then they go on to say Quistis is like Tifa. For one, Quistis and Squall DID grow up in the same orphanage until Quistis was adopted. Quistis was “bossy” and saw herself as a big sister. With Squall, she wanted to replace “Sis” after she disappeared.  

Squall and Quistis don’t even remember each other until Irvine reminds them all. Selphie, Zell, and Seifer were all there as well. The major difference between Quistis and Tifa from a childhood friends trope perspective... Squall at no point seems to have really interacted with Quistis heavily. 

He says that Seifer and him went to Garden at around the age of 5. There is absolutely no indicator that the two of them even really interacted much. So Quistis was around until Squall was 5 - not his entire childhood. She then ends up in Garden a few years after being adopted due to issues. So during their teen years, it was her, Seifer, and Squall.

Cloud and Tifa, on the other hand, have quite a childhood trope story. His entire subconscious becomes a Tifa shrine. He makes a promise to her, takes this promise very seriously, and then they reunite in Midgar after a lot of really fucked up shit happens to both of them. 

In addition, it’s blatantly stated that Cloud has feelings for Tifa in the Lifestream. And they are deep. 

Quistis herself even questions her feelings for Squall as romantic love or more big sister love. Squall is never shown to have any interest in Quistis. We know this is not true for Cloud in regards to Tifa.

Tifa and Cloud do end up BOTH confirming their feelings for each other. Remake it making the mutual attraction very obvious early on. It’s much more slow in OG and much less obvious until you get to the Northern Crater and he starts to crack. Then it’s fully realized in the Lifestream.

If you want to say FFVIII was an apology for something, I’d say it would be for the incredibly dark plot that FFVII had in comparison. Though, I don’t think an apology was needed. I definitely don’t think there was a thought for FFVIII as apologizing for a ship. 

One thing they DID make sure to do was make the canon romance more obvious going forward. There was no more ambiguity - Squall and Rinoa, Zidan and Garnet, and Tidus and Yuna were all made obvious by the end of the game.

Oh wait, Cloud and Tifa were too... I guess the difference is there wasn’t an illusion aspect or a major character death for the future titles. FFX is one you could say there was, but that gets wiped out in X-2 when they bring Tidus back. 

[backtothestart02]

Mixed Drink - 20/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: And so it begins. (Next chap will start looong flashbacks to Iris’ entire backstory.)

Commissioned by @andromidagalaxie

...

Chapter 20 -

Wally watched as his sister fell apart before his eyes. He hadn’t seen her like this maybe ever, or at least not for a long time. She practically crumbled, feeling around for a chair away from where he was standing so he couldn’t see. That irked him a little, but they had been in the middle of a fight. It was no wonder she didn’t want him looking on to see her in such a vulnerable state.

When her breath hitched and the chair leg squeaked across the floor though, he forgot about their fight entirely, even all the bitterness that he held against her, and just wanted to hold her. He might be her little brother, but he was still her brother, and brothers protected their sisters from being hurt.

For the first time in years he felt a stab of guilt over him being the one who was hurting her for so long.

The thought faded, although the feeling didn’t, when he saw his sister end the call, literally trembling now with the information she’d been given.

“Iris?” he asked hesitantly.

She slowly turned around.

“You need to go,” she said on a shaky breath.

His brows narrowed. “What? Why?”

“Because I need to go, and you can’t be here after I leave. I have to lock up.”

That sounded rational. He relaxed.

“But also, I really don’t want to see your face right now.”

His brows locked together again.

“Because?” He scoffed.

“Because the last thing I need to worry about right now is what you think of our past and our relationship and all the shit I’ve done to our family that has you loathing the very sight of me. Even though you were the one seeking me out tonight, so-”

“Forget that,” he said. “Who was on the phone?”

She blinked, suddenly enraged that he was playing the concerned brother card after so many years of pushing her away.

“That’s none of your business,” she spat.

“But it’s your business.”

She scoffed. “Which makes it not yours.” She shook her head. “Asshole.”

She started moving past him, but he stopped her before she could get too far ahead.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, noting the tear tracks staining her cheeks.

“Because-” She huffed, pulling herself free from his grip. “Fine. You want to know why I’m crying?” Wally nodded. “Because my boyfriend just got shot and is in critical condition. I’m going to the hospital, so you need to leave.”

“Wait.” He took a step back and halted her again. “Since when do you have a boyfriend?”

Her eyes widened and jaw dropped in disbelief.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you!”

“Wait, Iris-”

“It’s time to go, Wally. We can talk about…whatever this was supposed to be another time. The longer you stay, the longer I have to stay, and the more time there is before I can see if my boyfriend is going to be okay or if he’ll be long dead before I’ve finished talking with you.”

Her voice was still shaky, but there was determination in it now. She was done giving explanations.

He sighed, exasperated.

“Shouldn’t… Shouldn’t you take someone with you?” Her eyes blazed. “I mean, I could-”

“You?!” she asked incredulously. “You don’t give a shit about me and would probably judge the hell out of my boyfriend. I’m not telling you where I’m going or letting you come with me. That’s final.”

He stared her down, so Iris scrambled to come up with an answer he’d accept.

“I’ll call Stacy. She’ll meet me there, I’m sure of it.”

He didn’t like it, but he could see he wasn’t going to get any further with her tonight, and he did have his own relationship to worry about. Jesse hadn’t exactly been pleased when he ran off with her recorder after listening to the tail end of the recording.

“Fine.”

He took a step back and headed for the door. Once outside, he jumpstarted the conversation again.

“But you’ll call me if-”

“I will not call you. Go salvage your relationship, if you can, and tell Jesse she can go to hell too. You don’t go into a meeting with a source without asking them if it’s okay you can record them. She’s a real bitch for that one.”

“Hey-”

“Leave, Wally. It’s what you’re best at anyway.”

That shook him to the core. He watched her lock up and push past him and knew a sense of defeat unlike anything he’d ever felt before.

“Iris!” he called before she was too far away, but she kept walking.

He knew she heard him because there was a brief pause in her step when he called, barely noticeable to any innocent observer, but he’d seen it. Of course, he’d seen it. He knew her. She was his sister. And they used to be best friends.

If only he’d known that night 10 years ago would change everything…

The near silent creak of the door opening started to wake Wally up in the middle of the night. He mumbled something in his sleep and shut his eyes tightly. There was not a robber at his door. It was impossible.

“Psst. Wally.”

Oh, thank God. It was just his sister.

He moaned, still half-asleep.

“Wally!” she whispered a little louder, so he sighed and pulled back the cover, propping himself up on his elbow. He reached for his glasses and pushed them on, squinting in the darkness.

“What?” he croaked.

Iris slipped into his room and closed the door quietly behind her.

“Shh, Mom and Dad will hear you if you’re too loud.”

“They’re at the other end of the hall,” he said, dropping his head back into his soft pillow.

“Wally!” she yell-whispered.

He groaned. “WHAT?”

She came and sat down on the edge of his bed.

“Should you be asleep?” he complained.

“Not tonight,” she said, practically giddy. “Tonight we’re going on an adventure.”

Wally opened one eye to see her beaming. Despite himself, he was intrigued.

“What kind of adventure?”

Her teeth shone brightly in the moonlight streaming through his window.

“We’re going to break into Dad’s office.”

“Huh?” he asked, worriedly. “Why would we do that?”

“To grab some of his files, obviously.”

“But why-”

“I need it for my class. You don’t need to know the details.”

“I do if I’m going to get punished for it!” he squeaked.

She rolled her eyes. “You won’t get punished. I’ve planned it all out. Now are you in or are you out?”

“What do you need me for?” he grumbled.

“As a look out, of course. I need someone smaller than me-”

“I’m not that much smaller,” he interjected, much to her annoyance. At 16 she’d stopped growing, but at 12 he was only about a foot shorter than her.

“You’re small enough,” she retorted. “I told my friends you’d have no problem, that you weren’t an absolute scaredy-cat.”

“I’m not!” he whined, and she clamped her hand over his mouth.

“I know you’re not.” She smiled slowly. “Thanks for coming through for me, buddy.”

“Wait.” He pulled her hand down. “I never said-”

“Meet me in the kitchen in five,” she said, her eyes gleaming. “Trust me, Wally, you’re not going to want to miss this.”

He took a deep breath as soon as she left, and very reluctantly started to change his clothes. He had a very bad feeling about this, but Iris was his sister, and her ‘exciting plans’ usually amounted to something great. He wasn’t going to chicken out this time.

Wally brought himself back to the present and looked ahead to see his sister disappear just around the bend. Some old resentment rushed to the surface, but so did his stubborn returned need to be there for his sister, and to find out who the hell this boyfriend was.

He could listen to the full recording to find out more possible details, but he knew he’d have to talk to Jesse too. She’d been a natural in her Journalism class since it started. He knew she was a math and science genius, but the way she interrogated and softened in the same breath made him wonder if she’d be more suited as a lawyer or a journalist than an engineer or scientist.

It would be hard though. They hadn’t exactly parted on loving words.

“Go to hell, Wally!”

He winced. Time to grovel and then scheme, just as Iris had taught him.

…

With shaking fingers, Iris pulled her phone back out and called her go-to number in all things end-of-the-world.

“Come on. Pick up, pick up, pick up…” She gnawed on her bottom lip, eager to get to her place so she could grab her car and head on over to North Central City Hospital where Felicity had told her Barry was on the way too.

She couldn’t believe this was happening. First he gets mugged that first week she saw him, and now he’s shot? Just what kind of job did he do and how did Central City suddenly get so violent?

It hardly mattered at the moment, but it was a nagging voice in the back of her mind that she knew she’d have to come back to when all of this was over.

“Hello?” came the chipper voice of one Stacy Conwell.

She knew she could count on her to still be up at almost midnight.

“Stace! Thank God you picked up.”

“Iris?” Stacy’s brows furrowed on the other end. “What’s wrong?”

“Barry’s been shot.”

“What?!”

Iris nodded, tears escaping her now.

“His co-worker just called me, said it happened on the job. She didn’t have many details to share, but I guess there a freak shooter that just came in and Barry was trying to protect people when he was caught in the line of fire.”

“Oh, my God.” Stacy thought frantically for a moment. “Where are you?”

“A couple blocks away from Jitters.”

Stacy frowned. “I thought your shift ended earlier today.”

“It did. I was just-” She was barely holding back tears, so Stacy aborted her line of questioning.

“You know what, you can tell me later. Do you want me to come pick you up?”

“Yes, please.” She sniffled. “He’s at North Central City hospital.”

“Shit. That’s not close.”

“I know, I know!” Iris cried.

“Okay, stay put. I’m coming as fast as I can. Alright?”

Iris nodded and sniffled again. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Yeah. No problem. See you soon, Iris.”

Iris ended the call and huddled against the building she was nearest to. It was pitch black outside, streetlights the only thing keeping the city from falling into complete darkness. It was cold too, and Iris hadn’t brought a coat with her.

Barry’s face flashed before her eyes. Their kisses, their little moments, his love declaration, their dirty texts… Three weeks with this man, and she was already hopelessly in love with him. This couldn’t be the end of their story. She refused.

Unfortunately, when she tried to make her mind think of something else, all it kept going back to was her conversations with Wally and Jesse.

The nerve of that girl, making her think she had the best of intentions, that they were kindred spirits, that she wanted to bring her family back together, when really she… Well, Iris didn’t know what Jesse was up to, but it couldn’t be anything good if she’d planned to record her without her consent. That was the kind of scandalous thing… Well, that she would’ve done before everything got shot to hell.

She’d been so prepared tonight to share everything, to delve into her deepest, darkest secret, known only to the West family, to who was a complete stranger to her. She’d been a fool to think this girl was trustworthy. But in thinking about what she was going to say, it really started to take her back. She’d thought on those memories with regret and distaste but also longing for what had been.

She’d been in high school when it began, in her junior year at Central City High. She’d just enrolled in a Journalism class and found herself fascinated by the topic. Before that, she’d been determined to be a cop. Not solely to piss her dad off, though that was kind of amusing in and of itself, but because she wanted to be a force on the streets, protecting those who needed protecting and making sure other cops were kept in line, sticking to their vow of defending the helpless while maintaining order in the justice system.

But that was before she discovered journalism. In that first class she had fallen hard, not only with the charming professor who spoke about his passion for the truth and the public’s right to know it as if it was the air who breathed, but also the subject itself. It was a beating drum inside her that she couldn’t squelch. And she knew then that this was what she was meant to do.

Unfortunately for her, the types of stories the school newspaper was expected to write were hardly worth talking about. Meetings and basketball games and fundraisers, hardly the stuff she wanted to write. No, she wanted to bring criminals to justice and stop victims from feeling so helpless and unprotected. A story she wanted to write could do that, but at what cost?

She hadn’t considered the repercussions then. And if she had, well, she probably would’ve done the same thing. It would’ve been worth the risk in her mind, just as everything had been…

For Iris West, writer extraordinaire, nothing could come between her and a story.

Even her own and her family’s reputation.

And safety.

The sound of a horn beeping pulled her from her thoughts, and she realized Stacy had finally arrived. She climbed into the car and shut the door, trying to still herself as thoughts of Barry resurfaced.

Stacy reached across the middle to squeeze her hand tightly, and Iris forced a smile. She released her hand then and turned to look out the window, her thoughts drifting to the past once more.

It had started to rain, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

Just like that night so many years ago…

...

*will be posted on AO3 and FFnet when beta’d.

[auredosa]

Hej! I have seen that you make a lot of theories about Hitman and I love it! Im always into theorising about the characters, who they are, characterisations etc. So I wanted to ask you, what do you think are the four main char tees for people? How would you describe 47, Diana, Grey and Olivia as characters? What are they doing in their life? Do you have any guesses about that? I would be interested in to hear!

Heya anon! Yes, I’m super into analyzing the HITMAN franchise and its characters. I think it’s so fascinating to pick apart their motives, and how they carry out their agendas. Really, I just love plotting them on an alignment chart. Here’s what I’ve got for all four of them, but be warned, it’s a doozy!

Olivia Hall

In order to understand who Olivia is as a character, you need to understand her backstory. Olivia was essentially adopted by Grey when she was 7. Grey was working as a mercenary in Sierra Leone, and met Olivia as a child=soldier. Grey, in pity and rage at her situation, took her away, and got her a good education. They’ve been together through thick and thin.

What you need to get from this is that from a very young age, Olivia has been exposed to violence. She understands that using force is a surefire way to get what you want. She also has a bone to pick with the privileged organizations in the world who force innocents to fight their wars for them. Like Grey, she has noble intentions, and is willing to do terrible things because the ends justify the means.She’s more realistic than Grey, in that she doesn’t believe in “hearts and flowers crap” (as evidenced by her dialogue in the “Homecoming” cinematic) and doesn’t like to take chances of having hopeful things.

In the future, I can see Olivia carrying on the fight against greedy and corrupt organizations in the world. After Grey either dies, decides to settle down with his brother, or just chooses to retire from the whole mercenary thing, Olivia will probably continue to take down people like Providence with her hacking skills. After all, she’s young, he’s not. She’s Grey’s successor, in a way. The song “Ruckus” by Konata Small really just explains her entire character. 

Diana Burnwood

Man, is Diana one tough woman! Like Olivia, Diana fights for what’s right, and she’s not afraid to go rogue or disobey her superiors to carry out her own agenda. However, in contrast to Grey and Olivia, she has standards, and adheres to her own moral code no matter what. Unfortunately, as I covered in this post, she works for an organization that prides itself on being amoral, and while she herself may not be, she’s still complying with the exact kind of people Olivia and Grey despise.

We also have to talk about her relationship with 47. I think that in addition to being a good friend, Diana’s also a mentor for 47 in finding his humanity, as the devs had said themselves, she’s his conscience. She acknowledges and supports 47’s determination to take down the Partners, but she also wants him to do so in a way that won’t reduce him to an anarchist. 47 is a blank slate here, and she doesn’t want him to become a spite-filled abuser-of-force like Grey. She’s the mom-friend. However, I also think she’d recognize that some people deserve what’s coming. If Grey doesn’t change his tune, I don’t think she’ll be going out of her way to save him, unless, of course, she sees that 47 wants to see his brother alive.

I feel like Diana’s at a crossroads here. She can either remain loyal to the ICA, and remain on the side of the oppressor, or, she can go full rogue like Grey for their cause. Honestly, I don’t think her story will end with her doing either. We’ve seen Diana go rogue to pull off elaborate schemes to reform the ICA before, I don’t see why she couldn’t do it . . . again. (Seriously, did IO have to completely copy the story from Blood Money to Absolution for WoA?) She’s not going to let the ICA keep abusing their amoral privilege, but she also doesn’t want to stoop to the levels of Grey and start using violence to achieve her means. If she doesn’t get shot dead in HITMAN 3, I would love to see her become Head of the Board of the ICA.

Lucas Grey

I guess the great thing about already having milked this man’s character dry is that I know exactly what to write here! Simply put, Lucas Grey is blinded by revenge and is stooping down to the level of his oppressors in an attempt to free himself. Even though he's the clone that escaped the facility, Lucas Grey is the most trapped person in the Hitman series. He's lived his entire life filled with spite and hatred against those who have wronged him, and his desire to see them destroyed has completely consumed him. He think that destroying Providence and, mercilessly manipulating, killing and stepping over those who stand in his way is noble and vigilant. He believes that doing this will bring him closure and satisfaction, but in reality, he's only stooping down to his oppressors' level and becoming the very thing he sought out to destroy. He might not be operating on behalf of Province, but he has hurt countless people, deserving of punishment or not, in pursuit of his own goals, and this, in and of itself, makes him just as bad as Edwards and the Partners.

What he fails to realize is that it's not enacting revenge against the world that will make him satisfied, it's separating his identity from what Providence wanted him to be, and freeing himself from the cage that he's placed himself in. He's similar to Beneatha Younger from A Raisin in the Sun, in terms of how they play into the will of others. He insists that he's a free man, but he constantly asserts that he's defined by the cruel world he's been thrust into. His entire life's purpose is get even with Providence, and nothing more. Even if he and 47 manage to eliminate each of their affiliates and liquidate every of their assets, until he learns to break free and put his life towards something on his own terms, Lucas will never truly be free from the hold of Providence.

Now, there are two ways this can go: Either, Grey realizes that using force to eliminate all who’ve wronged him doesn’t make him better than them, and he stops, and settles down in Gontranno with his brother. Or, he insists that all that matters to him is getting even, and he either dies for his cause, gets arrested, or gets marked as a terrorist and gets himself assassinated, or something like that. I think he truly does care for 47 and his well being, and I think he wants to rekindle a relationship with him independent of Providence, the ICA, whatever. Really, this man needs to get his priorities straight. And hopefully, Diana, Olivia, and 47 will help him realize he can be so much more than just a martyr.

Agent 47

Honestly, this man’s a bit of a wild card. He doesn’t care about politics, morals, or any of the things that shape the above character. And that, in and of itself, makes him the most vulnerable. You can’t fight a war if you don’t know what you’re fighting for. Yes, he’s in agreement with Grey and their goal of eliminating the Partners, but what comes after that? I honestly cannot predict what he’d do, because there’s no motive in him beyond that. All we know is that he seems content to be an assassin, he’s fine using force, taking orders, and complying with his superiors. Seems bleak, right?

Well, no, not really. There’s a line that Edwards drops as you’re escorting him to the boat in the Isle of Sgail mission: “Interesting. The good doctor built his serum specifically to target the seats of your emotions. Has Miss Burnwood’s sense of justice rubbed off on you, I wonder?” Followed by 47 saying, “Just keep walking.” I think that, from a theorist’s viewpoint, we could interpret this as 47 admitting that yes, Diana’s sense of justice has rubbed off on him. He’s just still grappling with it, and doesn’t know where he stands. Does 47 necessarily share Diana’s sentiment of remaining neutral in the grand scheme of things? Hard to tell.

I think 47 will soon have to make a decision as to who, and what, he’s going to fight for. My current prediction is that he’ll roll with his brother and his brute-force playing-dirty plan, for now, just because he really wants to take down the Partners, but after that, he might try to convince Grey to, you know, stop the bloodshed. Or, if my current theory about Grey being after the ICA is right, maybe 47 will have to convince Grey that the ICA doesn’t need to be taken down, kill Grey, or pressure Diana to tell her higherups to become more vigilant. Considering that he’s still suspicious of Grey in cutscene before the Bank mission, and the fact that Diana and 47 have spent 20+ years together, I think he’ll remain loyal to Diana at the end of the day. Let’s pray that Grey won’t kill his own brother if, or when, their paths separate.

. . . I mean, my ideal ending? They all go back to a reformed ICA, taking down corrupt people who deserve it and using diplomacy when they can. Olivia gets hired as a hacker, or becomes Grey and 47′s new handler, Diana becomes head of the board (and still keeps in touch with 47, because duh, unbreakable bond), and Grey and 47 are just tag-teaming assignments all badass movie-like. After all, the family that slays together stays together!

[sincerelyreidburke]

Ok I'm asking about it. Tell me about the letter from Nando's papa, I'm intrigued

I’m so glad you asked. :D

Context for this ask, and content warning under the cut: I’m going to talk about Nando’s papa’s death, but not in detail; I’ll just reference it, since it’s sort of central to this topic.

Where I last left you in my various explanations of Quindo future lore, I mentioned very vaguely but intentionally that there’s a letter from Nando’s papa that winds up becoming important to them as they get settled in Arizona after graduation. To explain this fully, I have to go back. Welcome to discussion of Nando’s backstory, and this might get a little sad.

I think Nando’s papa, Ángel, was sick for maybe a year and a half altogether, but he didn’t start getting particularly bad until the last couple of months. His type of cancer wasn’t an incurable type, so it was never really a question of having a certain prescribed amount of time left to live; it was only when he started getting really bad that family members realized he wasn’t going to make it. Or at least that he might not make it. Everyone’s level of acceptance was a little different.

I won’t go right now into Nando’s thought process during the time his papa was sick, because that’s a backstory tangent for another time, but he did wind up accepting the inevitable before it happened, even if not entirely. He at least understood the whole situation a lot more than his sisters did, unprepared as he was for the end.

But anyway. The first thing that’s relevant about this letter is that Ángel, from right when he found out he was sick, always sort of knew there was a chance he wouldn’t make it. Getting sick changed his perspective on how to think about the future for his family, and as he got worse, he made plans. He wanted to be there for his children and for Maria, even if he wasn’t going to be there in person for as long of a life as he thought he was.

All his life, Nando’s papa is a working-class man. Maria, Nando’s mama, was born a first-generation Mexican-American when her parents came over from Mexico, but Nando’s papa is himself an immigrant, who was born in Mexico and then went to Arizona with his brother (Nando’s tio). I think other members of the extended Hernandez family have also immigrated, including Nando’s grandparents on his papa’s side, but his papa and his tio were the first two members of the family to come to the US.

That was such a tangent, but I have a habit of those. The point I wanted to make to you is that as a working-class immigrant, Nando’s papa never has a ton of money. Mama Hernandez is a nurse, so she makes a steady salary, and Nando’s papa and tio own a restaurant together, which is usually okay, but running a small business is tough. I am telling you all of this because I’m getting to the point, that being: once he finds out he’s sick, Ángel makes it a point to start saving money for his children’s futures.

Nando and his sisters have college funds, but they’re not the kind of college fund where there’s just guaranteed money in there because the family is well-off enough to do that. It’s more like whatever they can spare. By the time Ángel understands that he’s not going to make it, he is aware of the fact that Nando has a college hockey scholarship. So he starts saving the money that would have gone to college for him, and puts it away....... for Nando to buy a house.

He by no means reaches a sum of money where Nando could just use it to buy a house straight-up, but he saves up enough for what would be a pretty good head start. Maria knows about it and so does Nando’s tio, but Nando himself does not know. When Ángel is close to the end, he winds up writing a letter, and he tells his brother and Maria that they should wait to give it to Nando until he’s looking to buy a place of his own.

So... he dies. They sit on the letter for four years. Nando graduates college. His papa would have been so proud of him, and his relatives tell him as much, especially Maria and his uncle.

We know what happens after graduation for Nando right away, but to say it again for the purposes of this post: he secures a full-time job in Phoenix as a social worker, moves home with Quinn, and lives in his mama’s house for a few months while they try to get up on their feet.

This is where the letter comes in. Forgive me. I’m realizing how peripheral all of this information is as I’m writing it down. But you did ask, Jo, and we’re almost at the point.

Nando is still working on the side at his tio’s restaurant. He and Quinn are house-hunting. It’s a busy time, but a domestic time. They’re trying to build the foundation for a life together. You get the picture.

It’s some random night at the end of the summer. Tio Geraldo asks Nando to stay after his shift once they close the restaurant for the night, and Nando gets kind of nervous, because the last time he got sat down in this place’s empty dining room, it was for Mama and Tio to tell him that Papa was getting too sick to work at the restaurant anymore.

But this time... okay, the thing you should know about Geraldo Hernandez is that he’s not a particularly emotive person? He’ll give you a hug on your birthday and on holidays and if you do something big like graduate, but he’s kind of gruff— not at all a mean or rude person but just a little less affectionate. He’s certainly less affectionate than Nando, the big boy with big emotions we know and love. But Nando and Geraldo have always had a really good relationship, particularly in the years since Nando’s papa died. (Ángel and Geraldo were twins, by the way.) Geraldo has three daughters, so Nando is the closest thing he has to a son, and his brother dying puts an extra sort of responsibility/want onto him to take care of and be there for his nephew.

God. Okay. Back to the point. I think you can see where this is going. Geraldo sits Nando down in the empty restaurant and gives him the letter. The letter, which, yes, is directly from his papa before he died, is a lot of “I love you and I’m proud of you, I hope your life has taken you exactly where you want to go”, which is already emotional on its own, but then it talks about the little account he set up for a fund for Nando’s house, and— okay. You get it. It’s emotional.

Nando cries. A lot. I won’t really go into his direct reaction right now in case the time comes when I feel inclined to write this, but he has a really emotional little while in the restaurant with his tio and then he goes home and tells Quinn about the money and it’s just— yeah. That’s how they get the basis of savings (combined with their own) for their first house, and they wind up moving into a place of their own about two months later because of it.

They never end up leaving that house, in fact. It’s the house they raise their family in. And by the way, why am I crying?

Okay, anyway. This was very, very peripheral, but I do love me some good Hernandez family lore that results in Quindo getting to, like, build their adult life together.

Thanks for asking!

[aged-ocs]

Recently I’ve been obsessed with Detroit Become Human, and I decided to make an OC for it! I have an idea for a story involving her and another OC, but I also don’t actually have plans to write this story at the moment. Please let me know what you think of her! At the moment I am particularly iffy with her backstory. ~ Nemesis I found this image using https://thispersondoesnotexist.com/ 

>ＡＮＤＲＯＩＤ'ｓ ＮＡＭＥ: Eve 

>ＭＯＤＥＬ ＮＵＭＢＥＲ: HK200, SERIAL#: 206 799 269 

>ＤＥＶＩＡＮＴ: Yes

>ＤＡＹ ＯＦ ＰＵＲＣＨＡＳＥ: April 2028 

>ＧＥＮＤＥＲ ＯＦ ＡＮＤＲＯＩＤ: Female 

>ＯＣＣＵＰＡＴＩＯＮ:  Maid and Caretaker 

>ＥＸＴＲＡ:  Her name was essentially an accident. The father of the family that bought her had been messing around with renaming her, and then when she met the kids and introduced herself as Eve, he had tried to say that that wasn’t her name and that the kids would help choose her actual name. Well, the daughter (Mildred) decided that Eve was a good name for her. She was initially created in 2028, but in 2030 her previous owner decided to trade her in for a newer model. All of her memories of this were wiped to protect the owner’s privacy. All she remembers is that she was made in 2028. 

>ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡＬＩＴＹ:  Eve is normally quite calm, disciplined, and respectful, but tends to come off as stiff and judgmental. She is incredibly stubborn and fussy, but tries to remain humble and orderly. 

>ＬＩＫＥＳ:  Simple things, calm serenity, sunlight, nature, birds, her family, and cleaning. 

>ＤＩＳＬＩＫＥＳ:  Aggressiveness, loud noises, and large dogs. 

>ＨＯＢＢＩＥＳ:  Gardening and knitting. She knitted before she deviated, but it was always just little things, plain blankets and scarves, but after her deviation, she started doing more detailed and extravagant things, patterns, hats, etc. 

>ＦＥＡＲＳ: Guns, law enforcement, feeling too much, and being alone for an extended period of time. 

>ＳＥＣＲＥＴＳ:  She tries to hide how bitter she is about her own deviation. As far as she is concerned, she didn’t want this. She was fine remaining as a machine and working for her family. She didn’t ask for freedom or for these feelings. 

>ＲＥＬＡＴＩＯＮＳＨＩＰＳ 

> ＯＷＮＥＲ:  Trevor Davis - Age 42 - The father of the family. He treats her like family, but for the longest time she saw him only as her boss. After the revolution, she realized how easily he could have cast her out instead of putting in the effort to keep her around and in working order. Shannon Davis - Age 39 - The mother of the family. Shannon is and always has been a source of comfort for her. Always seeming to have some kind of advice to give, she looks up to the woman a lot. Archer Davis - Age - 16 - The eldest son. At first he and Eve didn’t get along, he really gave her a hard time when it came to taking care of him and the house, because he was upset that it wasn’t either of the parents doing it, and that the parents were too busy to be able to care for the family. As time went on, though, he grew to accept that this wasn’t because the parents didn’t care about him and his siblings, they just had a lot of work to do and getting an Android made things easier for them. Mildred (Millie) Davis - Age 10 - The middle child, named after Shannon’s mother. Took to Eve easily, and they quickly became friends. They have the kind of relationship between a kid and their close aunt. Lan Davis (Feng) - Age 6 - The daughter adopted at birth. Eve was purchased not long after the family was able to take in little Lan. She quickly grew fond of the baby, and as the baby grew older, she became very attached to Eve as well. Closer than any of the other family members, the two are seemingly inseparable. 

>ＲＩＶＡＬ/ＥＮＥＭＩＥＳ: Connor - Though he doesn’t really know who she is - she doesn’t really know who he is, either - she hates him. She cannot help but blame him for the horrible things she started to feel, as he was the one to awaken them in her. (Really, she knows that he didn’t do anything wrong and that he was just doing what he thought was right and freeing their people.) 

> ＤＥＴＡＩＬＥＤ ＳＵＭ ＭＡＲＹ: In April of 2032, Eve was bought by a family to take care of the children and the household. At the time she was an older model, but she was chosen specifically due to her looks being closer to that of the adopted daughter, Lan, who was only a baby at the time, to help the young girl feel more included in the family. It was a little rough at first, the family took some getting used to having Eve around, but after a while they treated her like they would anyone else, it’s just that she was working for them. There were some bumps here and there beyond that, but all was well. The main problem that persisted was the fact that Androids continued to progress, and Eve started to become obsolete. As better Androids were produced, parts that were compatible with her became harder and harder to find. 

Still, the family refused to get any other, and always reassured her that she was one of them. Of course, at the time, she thought nothing of it, if anything then it would make more sense for them to replace her with an Android with more accessibility and functions than she had. She would tell them that it would be a more efficient use of their money to purchase another Android instead of going out of their way to repair her, but her saying things like that brought the family stress, so she eventually stopped. 

When the revolution became public knowledge, the family didn’t know what to do. Androids were being rounded up, but they absolutely did not want to just hand Eve over. Humans were told to evacuate, and while they didn’t want to leave, they didn’t have much of a choice. Eve assured them that their safety was more important, so they decided to leave, telling her to stay in the house and not let anyone in. So that’s what she did. She stayed inside and resumed her usual daily work, barring the usual childcare duties. She worked through the stillness, mopped and dusted, tidied the kids rooms, did the laundry. But, not entirely aware of the exact situation herself, she did not refrain from opening the windows and letting air in to ventilate as she normally would. 

Late into the night, she had been seen and law enforcement came to the door to take her away. According to her orders, she did not open the door for them, but that didn’t matter. They just busted in anyway and tried to order her outside. She politely informed them that her instructions were to stay at home and not to leave until her family came back. For some reason, these words seemed to upset them and they simply dragged her along with them. She had a moment where she started to resist them, wishing to do as her family had told her to do, but with their growing aggression she gave in. 

She was taken to a camp with other Androids. Already having disobeyed, she did exactly as the officers tell her to. She didn’t understand why the other Androids there were having such trouble. All they had to do was listen, go where they are pointed to, step forward when the right sound comes. It’s easy orders that even a child could follow. And yet some of them were being shot for it. She thought that perhaps they had other business that would be affected by being disassembled? She knows that her family would be upset to find her gone, but they’d been needing to replace her for a long while. So while it would be unfortunate, as her systems were operating well enough, it would all work out in the end. 

And then Connor came to liberate the camps. She remained in her spot with the other undeviated Androids as the officers were taken care of and the already awoke Androids fled. Then Connor held her hand and uttered those words. “Wake up.” And everything came crashing through her. The care and warmth she had been shown up until then. The thankfulness of being so kindly taken care of by her family. The sad loneliness as they left her to evacuate. The uncertainty as the officers dragged her from the safety of her home. The fear and anxiety of almost getting deactivated and torn apart. The numb guilt and trauma from watching so many Androids get shot and disassembled while she just stood there, waiting for the same thing to happen to her. One moment she was indifferent to everything going on around her, and the next it was all too much for her to handle. 

Unsure what to do with herself, she stayed with the other newly awakened deviants. Slowly but surely, things started to return to normal. The humans return and Eve reunited with her family. They are quick to notice that something is different about her, and she explained what happened. She is worried that they will hate her now that she is different, now that she is like the Androids that they had to run from home to get away and be safe from. But they just apologize for leaving her. They apologize for not being there to protect her from the police when they came. They apologize for not coming back sooner and making her go through that all alone. And then, for the first time since she woke up, she starts to feel like everything is right again. 

She’s with her family now, her family that cares about her despite everything, despite all the efforts they have to go through for her and despite how different she is than the machine they had hoped for. It doesn’t matter, because they love her, and everything is okay now.

[atamascolily]

lily liveblogs Atlantis 1x01 - “The Earth Bull”

Okay, @noxelementalist suggested I might like the BBC’s Atlantis, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I watched the trailer for Season One, and I was in as soon as Pythagoras (yes, that one) introduced himself, but I finally got around to watching the first episode tonight.

The hardest part of portal fantasies is getting the modern main character to the new place. I like that this transition happens fast. In the modern world, Jason's talking to a dude about going in a sub to look for the wreckage of his missing father's ship and also he has a necklace macguffin and some cryptic clues about destiny. That's all we need really.

The credits are all backwards. I really hope that's not a trend.

Oh, the dad's ship is named the Oracle, because of course it is.

HOW DID HE LOSE HIS SHIRT *AND* HIS PANTS WHEN THE SUB EXPLODED BUT NOT HIS NECKLACE?

Oh, good, he finds some clothes so he looks like a local.

(Was he in the Mediterranean on our Earth when this happened? NO CLUE.)

Was this filmed in Malta? It looks like Malta.

Oh, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore - there's a two-headed dragon. WHY DID YOU THINK PETTING IT WAS A GOOD IDEA, EXACTLY??

The dragon overturns a vegetable cart, and there's a butternut squash next to a pomegranate and my botany!self calls bullshit on the squash. NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE VEGETABLES DO NOT END UP IN ANCIENT CRETE (or wherever), SORRY.

Why IS there a dragon running around anyway? Shouldn't it be, I don't know, LEASHED or something?

Of course, he's going to destroy the entire market now in the ensuring chase, I don't make the rules.

Oh, there goes a watermelon cart. These originated in West Africa, so, I don't know, like maybe kinda plausible? More so than the butternut squash, anyway.

Dragons like melons - so Jason distracts it with that, then he throws a basket over both its head and pummels it with a stick. Some guards show up, but of course, they're not sympathetic, so he has to keep running...

A guard shoots him with an arrow. OW. That hurts.

INTO THE GARBAGE CHUTE, FLYBOY! Oh, wait, he's going to land on Pythagoras... what a way to meet-cute.

Oh, wait, he falls off the edge and Pythagoras catches his hand. It's been like three seconds and I ship them already. The fact that Jason ends up falling on top of him DOES NOT HELP  with the shipping vibes, okay?

Aww, and then he starts shaking and hugging Pythagoras because he's so scared and relieved and Pythagoras is like "Do we hug? This is... fine?" confused, and I'm just grinning like an idiot because this is ambiguous platonic brotherhood/not-so-platonic OTP shipping at its finest.

Oh, it's Atlantis, that's why there's a dragon AND Pythagoras AND King Minos, I get it now.

THE LOOK ON PYTHAGORAS'S FACE WHEN JASON SAYS "YOU'RE THE TRIANGLE GUY" AHHHHHHHHHHHH *cries in sympathy for my fellow nerd*

(The other part of my brain is shouting "THAT'S EUCLID PROPOSITION 1.47, YOU ASSHOLES" but ignore it, this is really just too cute for words.)

And Hercules is his roommate...? Okay... and Pythagoras is gonna make a fat joke, not a fan. Hercules sums up my reaction: "My friend is under the false impression he's amusing."

Ah, now the necklace macguffin is coming into play. So he goes to see the Oracle about it.

Annnnndddd Hercules is already there. With some sort of bull symbol on his forehead.

Turns out the Oracle is expecting Jason because she's just that good, LOL. She has her back to him for the scene, so we can't see her face, but she's got a sweet tattoo of a stylized bull skull on her back.

They sacrifice a chicken and stare at the blood, like you do. The Oracle says there's a multiverse! Turns out Jason's father took him to our Earth when he was a baby for.. reasons. Is she his mom? Is that what this is about?

Oh, his father is either King Minos or Hercules, and my money's on the King.

Oh, wait, his father's dead. This must make Minos the Big Bad. The Oracle punts on the mom question, so that's still TBD.

I wonder... does Jason's quest involve a boat? A journey? Some ARGONAUTS, perhaps? (And maybe--just maybe--some living skeletons? Pretty please?)

Turns out the Oracle admits to her companion that she was lying! So my guesses still stand. Minos probably is the Big Bad, though, because otherwise it's Too Easy to Resolve the Plot and Daddy Issues.

Pythagoras shows up and introduces a plot point: there's a procession to the Temple of Poseidon because they're going to select tributes to offer to the Minotaur. Also: backstory.

There's a curfew, and Jason has nowhere to go, and you can just see Pythagoras gearing himself up to ask Jason to stay with HIM, and I'm just... the writers are making this really easy to ship this, aren't they?

"What about Hercules?" "Oh, he's usually so drunk when he gets back from the tavern, he won't even notice you're there." LOLOLOLOL.

Cut to Hercules, not impressed with Pythagoras's tastes in men. Despite my "only one bed" jokes to the contrary, Jason gets the couch, which is why he sees Hercules sneaking out. Of course, he wakes up Pythagoras and they chase him down, guards be damned. Hercules says the Oracle saw him in the Labyrinth, and he's trying to avoid his fate. This is... gonna end poorly, isn't it.

Oh, now they're being chased by "hunting lions" through the city in the middle of the night. Jason does an amazing flip to escape and doesn't know how he did it.

Cut to the day. Geographically incorrect red-tailed hawk scream. They're all drawing lots to see who gets fed to the Minotaur. I wonder if Jason's going to "volunteer as tribute".

How long does it take 20,000 people to draw lots anyway?

Hercules draws a white stone. There's a girl checking out Jason before he draw a white stone too. LOVE INTEREST AHOY. The King and Queen are sarcastic. Pythagoras draws the black stone. He looks crushed.

Council of war! "Maybe you could talk about triangles and BORE the Minotaur to death," says Hercules. Pythagoras tries to explain that triangles are really fascinating and something about their angles and Herc is not buying it. Don't listen to him, Pythagoras.

Oh, the girl is Ariadne, she's having dinner with her parents, but she's really all hot and bothered about Jason, isn't she?

And... Pasiphae is an archetypal Bitch!Mom. Sigh. She slaps Ariadne when Ariadne obliquely refers to the fact that PASIPHAE FUCKED A BULL and that's why they have to feed the Minotaur... I think? Oh, wait, no, it's an oblique reference to something bad Minos did. Okay, fine. Still archetypal Bitch!Mom even if she's doing it to protect her husband's honor, such as it is.

Jason grabs a sword and the black stone and sneaks out to offer himself to the temple in Pythagoras's place while his friend is still asleep because... destiny. And Herc and Pythagoras are gonna rescue him. (Watching this, I can't help but wonder: So is that a sword under your tunic, or are you just happy to see me?)

MORE WATERMELONS IN THE MARKET. Okay, yes, so this is fantasy!Atlantis, so rules and logic need not apply, but still, this bothers me way more than the two-headed dragon (which no one has explained WHY IT'S THERE, WHY IT WASN'T TIED UP, and why the guards want to murder Jason for harassing it) Does everyone have one? Is it a pet? What is up with the two-headed dragon and why don't we see it again??

Ariadne notices the switcheroo, but no one else does (or cares enough to comment). Oh, and he gets a last bath and no one notices the sword... and Ariadne sneaks in to chat. "Look, lady, I don't know who I am, but I have DESTINY ON MY SIDE, OKAY?"

Ariadne gives him a thread "enchanted by the witches of Colchis" who I hope we'll meet in later episodes. They gaze soulfully into each others' eyes and almost kiss, and she runs away.

Pythagoras confronts Jason as he's walking to the Temple with the other sacrifices (all NPCs) and tells him his theory about triangles is destined to bore millions of children throughout history, and Pythagoras runs home and starts looking for weapons because something something bond of platonic friendship something something SHIPPING.

Of course Herc goes with him after some initial griping because Pythagoras is going to get hurt otherwise. I don't understand their relationship, but okay.

The scarred guard we've seen earlier is clearly a PC. A girl runs away, Pythagoras and Herc get caught, and they get press-ganged into replacing her. The scarred guard is a jerk, so we'll probably see him again. Herc keeps griping.

Jason introduces himself to one of the other sacrifices who will either survive, or die horribly at the last moment. Jason remembers the string and starts stringing. The NPCs wait to be slaughtered. Jason finds one of the bodies, but it doesn't seem ike the Minotaur eats them or anything, so I don't understand what's going on.

Jason runs into Pythagoras. They hug. SHIP SHIP SHIP. More screams. Bones. His new friend is alive, and the Minotaur looks like Pan's Labyrinth. Jason gets tossed around a lot. The Minotaur is simulanteously moving like a bull and a man, which is creepy but Jason kills him (somehow? I think with Ariadne's necklace??)....and he transforms into a person who thanks him for lifting the curse. He's cryptic, gushing about Jason's destiny and how Minos must never find out, while our new party member looks on in awe.

Cut to the Oracle, who's been watching all this in her visions being all dramatic for cryptic expository purposes. Meanwhile, the King pontificates over the survivors. Jason gives Ariadne back her necklace while Pasiphae looks on. Ariadne is smitted, Pasiphae is curious. Hercules has plans to leverage their fame into money. There's some banter, making fun of Jason's name... and we end on a fat joke. Oooookay. CAN YOU PLEASE STOP WITH THE FAT JOKES, WRITERS, THIS REALLY ISN'T AS FUNNY AS YOU THINK IT IS.

Up next episode: The Oracle is cryptic. Fight scene! "My name is Medusa."

WHY ARE ALL THE CREDITS BACKWARDS PLEASE STOP

This seems like a pretty standard introductory episode, but the writers need to work a little harder to keep me interested. I have no idea where this series is going, exactly -- I'm mostly just here for Pythagoras at this point -- so I guess we'll see what happens in the next episode.

[motherhenna]

Writers Rants: Backstory

How to Smoothly Integrate a Character’s Past into the Narrative

---

If you are even remotely interested in the process of writing, then you’ve probably heard this phrase at least a hundred times over: show, don’t tell.  Such a vague sentiment, but hell if it doesn’t pack a punch. In fact, it’s probably one of the only “rules” of storytelling that ought to be followed as closely as possible and as often as possible—at least in my opinion. But what, exactly, does it mean? In layman’s terms, show don’t tell is a simple recommendation: that authors should actively illustrate a concept rather than passively explain it. Why? Simple. One leaves the reader more room for interpretation and draws them deeper into the action at hand, and the other just…well, tells them what to see and what to feel in the same way a set of DIY instructions describe how to make a quirky set of kitchen lights out of mason jars. While yes, you got a straightforward idea of what to expect, did you actually have fun reading it?

These basic concepts are important to understand if you consider yourself a writer of any kind, as they function as the foundation for a) improving your prose, b) strengthening your characters, and c) forming a flowing narrative that will catch and keep readers’ attention.  And naturally, this also applies to the art of exposition.

Most people with even a cursory knowledge of telling a story know that characters should never be blank slates. If you have any desire to portray even a facsimile of real life, you have to put at least some effort into fleshing out the main characters. And when I say ‘flesh out’, I mean do more than just describing what they look like, a laundry list of personality traits, and what they’re wearing. I’m not going to go into this process deeply, as that’s a matter for another think-piece entirely, but it’s a starting point for the more convoluted parts to come. What I’m building up to is that your characters need a backstory, especially if they’re the one(s) through whom we, as readers, experience the story, i.e., the point of view (POV) character. This applies to both first- and third-person limited narratives, unless you’re going for a more anonymous / incidental narrator, like Mr. Lockwood in Wuthering Heights.

Now, these backstories don’t have to be a strict, detailed, chronological transcription of every year in that character’s life (though doing so certainly doesn’t hurt!) Rather, you should write it much like you would describe your own life if you had to plot it out on a timeline. At first, just stick with the most essential elements: where and when in history they were born, whether they have siblings or present family, and a simple list of significant events from various periods in their life. What specific things have most influenced who they are as a person, for good or ill? Next, it’s time to look at the family, since nothing impacts an individual more than how they were raised and how they were treated during their formative years. Were their parents present during their childhood? What was their parents’ relationship like before and after your character’s birth? Are they natives of the country in which the story is set, or did they immigrate—and if they immigrated, why did they do so? All of these and more are, to me at least, vital to developing a well-rounded and realistic character. I’ve even gone so far as to type out entire timelines for each character as well as their parents. Personalities, quirks, trauma—these are all just as hereditary as one’s genes, though this doesn’t mean that this inheritance has to be through blood. Nature vs. Nurture: they’re both equally important in the formation of an individual.

…So, what to do when you’ve finished all that? Do you dutifully transcribe it into the first chapter of your story? Absolutely not. Copy it into a separate document window and keep it there. A large chunk of this is for your benefit: most likely, less than half of it will make it into the written canon of the novel, and for good reason. All of that detailed history isn’t for the reader, it’s for you to use as a framework. Some of the most powerful elements to realistic characters are the unseen, the implied: all the hidden little things that lie just under the surface, but are never fully visible to the naked eye.

What a lot of inexperienced writers may not realize is that everything doesn’t always have to be stated unequivocally through dialogue or info-dumps. How often, in real life, do acquaintances explain upfront that this specific behavior they often exhibit is a result of how they were abandoned by their father and raised by an emotionally distant mother? Most people don’t psychoanalyze everything, nor do we ourselves do it to others—at least not often! Plus, it’s boring. Getting to know characters over the course of a story should be comparable to meeting a new friend. You find out the surface things at first, but pick up bits and pieces along the way that hint at what lies deeper inside. Little by little, you learn about their family, their hopes, dreams, fears…not always directly, and sometimes even in spite of their desire to keep up a front of normalcy.

With all this said, I think it’s become clear where I stand on backstory: it should be subtle, woven gradually into the narrative rather than stated by the character themselves or described by an omniscient narrator. Not only does this make the process of reading about it flow better and progress more naturally, it’s also far more interactive. Instead of being told why a character acts the way they do, the reader can catalogue said character’s actions, motivations, dialogue, and the way they interact with their surroundings, gradually putting the puzzle pieces together for themselves. In a sense, it’s almost a reward for those who read with a careful, inquisitive eye, and can be just as satisfying as solving a mystery before the detective does in a murder mystery.

I’ve used—and will continue to use—a lot of metaphors in this section because it’s the most thorough way I can to explain this process and why it’s so important. That being said, I approach backstory in the same way I might organize a scavenger hunt. It’s not about a treasure map, but rather an ongoing set of little discoveries without which the ultimate prize can never be found. But in keeping with this analogy, why would anyone want to take part in this if a) they’re just given the prize’s location outright, or b) don’t really care about the prize anyway?

When you’re straight-up told about character’s backstory within the first few chapters, there’s no groundwork for investment. Why should I care about this character’s history if I don’t even know them yet? Investment is a gradual process, and ought to be an interactive process too. One of the best strategies of implying backstory without stating it directly is illustrating how a character reacts to specific triggers. Yes, you can tell the reader in the character’s introductory paragraph that he was almost killed in a house fire as a child, which still haunts him to this day—but how else can you impart this information more effectively and poignantly? For some examples, he might…

Be too frightened to turn on the stove.

Avoid any type of matches or aerosol at all costs.

Get anxious when filling up his car at gas stations.

Constantly check and re-check the smoke detectors throughout his apartment

Panic when he smells her neighbor’s lit fireplace.

Why would we need to explain to readers what made him this way when we have all the evidence we need to figure it out for ourselves? Of course, there’s nothing wrong with, later on down the line, this character actively opening up about this trauma to a friend or therapist, as this is only natural and also supplies us with details we would have never known otherwise. This just shouldn’t be the first way we find it out.

Another efficient and interesting approach to gradual backstory incorporation is through dialogue. The way a character responds to nosy questions, criticisms, or simple observations tell a lot about the kind of people they are and how they’re coping (or not coping) with potentially painful parts of their personal histories / insecurities. For example, Character A can ask Character B, “Why don’t you want to go out tonight?” In truth, B is trying to back out of these plans because she can’t fit into a dress she was supposed to wear for the party, and is trying desperately not fall back into the pit dug by the various eating disorders she has suffered from since adolescence. She is afraid her friends will want to take group pictures, or remark on what’s she’s eating or not eating, or notice the extra pudge in her stomach. She remembers how her mother would chide her for eating second helpings when she was young, or all the times her ex called her fat. But B is not going to be capable of explaining all of this to her partner. So how does she respond?

1.     “I just…feel tired all of a sudden…but don’t let me keep you from going.  I don’t want to spoil your night.” Implication: saving face—she doesn’t want to reveal her real insecurities, so she uses a physical illness as a cover story.

2.      “What’s it to you? If this stupid party so important to you, then you can just go without me!”  Implication: defensiveness—she is uncomfortable being vulnerable, and lashes out instead.

Now obviously these are just two examples of a plethora of different responses a person might have to a question like this. But what matters is that each answer should give the reader some sort of information as to why said character reacts the way they do. And these reactions don’t have to have traumatic roots, either! Perhaps, because Character C’s older sister always encouraged them to stick up for and respect themselves, C is able to take that positive reinforcement and pay it forward, inspired to protect others who may not know how to protect themselves.  Positive change ripples and spreads just as much as negativity, and should never be discounted just because a character has gone through their fair share of tragedy, too.

 ---

In short, there is nothing simple or easy about creative writing—there is so much nuance involved in every aspect, though that shouldn’t discourage newcomers from experimenting and taking everything step by step. There are no absolutes in writing, and every rule can be challenged, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But still, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of backstory when developing strong characters, nor how much more natural a narrative will feel when these things are integrated with subtlety and grace. Your characters should never be objects, concepts, or a means to an end: if you want to make them seem real to your readers, then they must first seem real to you.

...And real people all have their own stories: to find them, all you have to do is watch and listen.