#but i also want libby to have friendship

[witchwretch]

“if i can’t have love i want power” no because this is the galdur women curse and i want to talk about how this was and is margaret’s downfall and libby will fall prey to that intoxication but ultimately they have love like their mother never could and at the end of the day margaret despises her daughter for that most of all

[jasperxkuromi]

Play ideas for chronically ill, disabled, or otherwise bed bound/low energy littles

Hi all! I am chronically ill. I am not comfortable sharing my specific diagnosis, but I am more than okay with talking about disability in general. Everything below is based on my own personal experiences and activities I like to do while stuck in bed. Everyone's body and experiences are different. I may list some things that just aren't an option for you, and that's okay. You are more than welcome to add on to this post with activities you do too!

🐛 Open the curtains and cloud watch! I like to look for clouds that remind me of animals or characters and day dream a story about them. If the weather is nice, consider opening your window a little bit and letting some fresh air into your room.

🐦 Bird watch! I have a bird feeder outside my window that I painted myself from a kid's kit. There are also bird feeders that have suction cups that can be stuck right on your window. You can also make your own seed ornaments. You could pick yourself up a kids book or two on learning to identify birds.

🌷 Get a window planter. You may need someone's help to set one up, but once they are in place they are fairly easy to care for. I like pansies and marigolds because they remind me of childhood, and they are low maintenance and do well in containers.

📖 Audiobooks are great for middles who want to read chapter books. If you have a library card you can borrow tons of audiobook, ebooks, and comics through hoopla and Libby for free. There are some audiobooks for younger kiddo books, but honestly I think YouTube is better for that.

🖼️ Scrapbooks and journals! Being penpals with another little is also an option, but I do recommend using basic internet safety and common sense. (I don't think you should do this if you are under 18). You could always scan/take pictures of your letter and send it digitally to your penpal instead.

🛏️ If you spend a lot of time in bed, and have the money to do so, I really recommend getting items to make your time in bed more comfortable. Extra pillows, or even a reading pillow can be helpful. Lap desks or bed tables can give you space to color or set up play scenes with small toys.

🌟 You can also decorate the area around your bed to make it more child like! Fairy lights, glow in the dark stars, bed canopies, posters, and the like.

🪑 I have a floor chair I use for times I am playing outside of my bed. Being close to the floor helps me feel small, but not having back support hurts after a short while. I have an adjustable one that I can lay flat on the floor as a sleeping mat. Very helpful for the times when I need a quick nap after playtime.

🎨 Check the seasonal and kids sections at dollar stores and Five Below. I usually find fun craft kits that can keep me occupied for a bit for really cheap.

🧶 Do your own crafts! I like the knit and crochet. Some people can do them in bed, but I find it difficult to find a comfortable way to do that. However making friendship bracelets in bed works out pretty well. They make great gifts, even for non little friends. Or you could make matching ones for you and your CG or favorite plushie!

🪀 Make your own sensory bin! You can find tons of tutorials and ideas online. Bonus is you can get most of the items you would use at the dollar store. There are tons of other DIY sensory toys you can make as well if you look around. Glitter/shaker bottles are pretty popular too.

🐇 Cuddle with your stuffed animals. Tell them stories. Play pretend. Read to them. They will appreciate all of it.

🎮 If you have an old 3DS stuffed away in a drawer somewhere, pull it back out. 3DS are fairly easy to install homebrew and there are toooons of kiddo friendly games you could get (check 3ds.hacks.guide for this, do not follow tutorials on YouTube or random websites as they very well could be outdated)

💊 Decorate your medicine organizers with stickers. If you use mobility aids you can decorate them as well! Fake flowers are great for decorating mobility aids and there are tons of ideas you can find online.

🍼 I have stomach problems that makes it hard for me to eat enough. I often drink Ensure to make sure I am getting enough calories/nutrients. I get the strawberry flavor and sometimes put it in my sippy cup and pretend it is strawberry milk 😋

😴 If you need rest, rest! You deserve to get as much sleep as your body needs. Babies and toddlers take naps all the time! Trying to just exist with chronic health issues is difficult enough. You don't need to push yourself.

[libby-for-life]

Hey Libby! I was debating to send this or not, so I just thought what the hell. How about instead of just yandere Lucifer, we could also have yandere Adam? Couple that kills together stays together, lol.

Here's the scene: It's late in the night and everyone, but Adam and Lucifer, had called it a night. The two of them are cuddling in the lounge room, with a bottle of wine on the table in front of them, talking about anything and nothing. When Angel Dust came stumbling into the open area. Adam notices right away that Angel winces with every step he takes. But when asked what's wrong, Adam gets some bullshit excuse that just made him even more concerned. Before Adam could questioned him again, Angel Dust is already walking pass them and up the stairs, with a hurried good night over his shoulder. Adam in disbelief just stared at where Angel Dust use to be, debating with himself into going or not, wondering if it'll make Angel Dust even more closed off.

Before Lucifer's voice brought him back, Adam, My Love. Go to him

Adam glanced down at him, surprised, before glancing towardthe almost emptywine glass. Are you sure?

Lucifer smiled softly, before bringing himself closer to Adam and giving him a soft kiss. After pulling away he said, I'm sure, My Love. I'll see you in our bedroom once you're done.

Adam smiled softly before kissing Lucifer again, before getting up towards the stairs and heading to Angel's floor/room. Once he gets in Adam sees him shaking, curled up on the middle of his bed. Adam joins him on the bed, and cuddle up to him. He doesn't say anything, just softly combing his hands through Angel's hair, until Angel was ready. And when he does it's just awful.

Adam knew Valentino wasn't the.. best boss to his employees and he always seem to have it out for his.. Top Whore. Adam felt a snarl bubbling in the back of his throat, but he swallowed it down when Angel Dust whimpered in pain at the slightest movement.

Adam pulled away slowly and got up softly grabbing Angel's wrist to bring him up as well softly speaking him, Let me get you bandaged up. A few soft words later, Angel is bandaged up and snuggled back into his with Fat Nuggest cuddling into his fluff.

Adam quietly left, his soft smile instantly dropping into a sneer as the anger and the rage and the pain, he was holding back from escaping was fully boiling inside him.

He quickly made his way to his and Lucifer's shared quarters. Once he opened the door he was met with Lucifer's knowing red eyes. Adam didn't need to explain what he was about to do, he just said, What you like to join me Luci~?

AAAHHHH!! I'm sorry for this long message I just need to get this off my chest and HOLYDUST friendship has me in a chokehold for the time being. Anywho what do you think?

Lucifer smirked at his beloved little lamb. So cute! Especially when he got in a murdering mood. The King chuckled before gulping his wine in one go. "Of course, I want to join you." He purred making Adam shiver. He always made Adam weak in the knees when he used that voice.

Getting everything they needed was easy. Lucifer was backing up Adam with his presence so all he needed to do was get themselves in the Vee tower.

They had a roach to kill.

The next morning, Angel walked downstairs in a shaky manner. Apparently, he felt the soul contract break the moment Valentino died. They had burned the three Vee's in their tower.

"I just don't understand. Who could be powerful enough to do that?" Angel said in a slightly scared tone. Adam smiled behind his glass of coffee as he snuggled close to Lucifer who was reading the paper.

"Who knows~?"

[they-stare-i-ship]

I finished reading the atlas paradox

and now you're subjected to my SPOILERY thoughts.

Parisa Kamali: I love Parisa, I have loved her since the first book. I LIKE HER SO MUCH she's funny she's mean she's cool she's kind. She's incredibly powerful. She's so interesting and I really enjoyed how she slowly became "her royal softness". Whenever we have her pov it's so fun. I love how she's not scared of Atlas and how she challenged him. I can't wait to see what she does in the next book. I'm actually excited to see how Dalton has changed and how she reacts to them in the next book. Her relationship with Nico makes me so feel so nice. I also need her to be kiss Reina sometime in the next book.

Nico de Varona: he's been my annoying lil baby since the first book. I loved how he became more fleshed out in this book. I loved how lonely he got, his relationship with Reina and Tristan really intrigues me. HE'S SUCH A CHILD sometimes and I love him for it. Obviously I have spent the two books insane bc I knew he was in love with Gideon, I just knew it and they're just *chef's kiss* also speaking of his relationship with people, I think him and Libby will be stunning as besties, I truly cannot perceive them as romantic. They act so sibling like or even just asshole bestie like.

Reina Mori: when we started with this series I actually had more hopes from her. I feel like she didn't do much (especially in book 2) and my girl really doesn't understand communication. If she just talked to people sigh. But honestly her God thing, I am down. Go off, I'm excited to see her go off the rails bc people didn't talk to her the way she could have understood. I am low-key in love with how funny the duo of Reina and Callum is, tbh. I also get major ace vibes from her.

Libby Rhodes: honestly she was my second least favourite amount the six when we started. She desperately needed the corruption arc we got in the later half of the book. I think I will like her a lot more now. Her crush on belen was stunning to read. I can't wait for Libby to fuck shit up, literally fuck everyone up. And I genuinely truly deeply want her relationship with Nico to just be friendship. Friendships are equally as important and the fact that the universe made them parallel to eachother is my favourite thing.

Callum Nova: honestly I didn't really like him much during the first book, he was fine but we had more interesting characters. BUT DAMN CALLUM NOVA POST HEARTBREAK?? ~~ exquisite ~~ he's so fucking funny and hopeless and sad and pathetic. he is so desperate for love and so upset that he was denied it. He's my pathetic lil meow meow. Also I would LOVE to see him use his powers more in the future. As we keep learning about it, I keep loving him. Also I need Tristan to beg Callum to take him back.

Tristan Caine: actually I didn't enjoy his povs at all in the first book, I couldn't wait for them to be over. He is still my least favourite among the six but in the second book he was more interesting and fun. I'm a lil anxious of how Atlas is gonna use him and his powers. I don't care much of him but I want him to beg Callum or regret it for the rest of his existence. Also I hate LibbyTristan as a romantic permanent thing, they can fuck around and have fun but pls end at that.

Gideon Drake: I have loved him since day 1. He was the softer kinder balance to Nico's aggressive and abrasiveness. He is so interesting, his origin and his powers. I spent both the book wishing we had more of him. Now that we are out of the library maybe he'll get to play a more active role in the book. I am obsessed with Gideon (bc Nico is obsessed with Gideon) I love the tidbits we learn about Gideon like how Libby always liked him more or how max travelled with him for the rescue of the "prince". I want Gideon to have everything he wants, that's all.

Atlas Blakeley: I have been thinking of Giancarlo Esposito as Atlas the entire time. There's no explanation it's just vibes

Ezra: I'm glad he's dead 💖

[the5n00k]

An observation about TGAMM The End

Big big spoilers ahead, click away if you aren't caught up

This is also my first NEGATIVE TGAMM analysis post! Wowie! So if you don't want to see me bitch, also click off now

The End and how Molly McGee's character was disrespected

The End is. An episode. I have many MANY thoughts about it but it would be far too long to put in one post so I'm going to explore one of my more reoccurring opinions. This episode recontextualized a lot of things but I'm going to talk about how it recontextualized Molly as a character. Most importantly as a MAIN character. A TITLE character. A character with her own past and personality and feelings. All of which this episode completely stomped all over, handed her the check, and said "figure it out"

I want to apologize to my friend who called this so SO much earlier into the series and that he had to listen to me watch this show on lethal amounts of copium. You were right but I knew neither of us wanted you to be.

Now let's get into the meat of it, shall we?

All throughout season 1, Molly's history and relationship with the concept of friends is always treated with complete sincerity and the emotional pause it needs to sink in with the audience that she's been through it. Moving away and leaving friends is why she put so much importance on the "forever home" in the first place because she's had to leave so many people she loved. She had a rocky beginning with Scratch during the early season but quickly became on equal footing with him as they began to understand each other and their boundaries. Because she genuinely cares about him. Similarly, season 2 explores the boundaries of their friendship and shows Scratch more willing to participate in whatever Molly is doing, even begging sometimes to be included. And Molly is very patient and kind with him all throughout trying to help him regain memories of his past. And Scratch actually reciprocated a few times like helping her learn Thai and working with Libby to set her up with Ollie. They're the closest they've ever been and something I can confidently call true best friends, possibly the closest and healthiest friendship I've seen portrayed in media. Season 2 showcases how far either of them are willing to go to help each other.

Then The End happened.

Molly is the same understanding and supportive friend as she had been all season, almost to a fault. She encourages scratch to go back to his life, knowing the risks that come with it. Why did there need to be the risk of forgetting her when his spirit didn't immediately forget his living life? Don't know. Something to do with an unreleased episode although I doubt the rest of season 3 would have sweetened my opinion of this episode. Only she knew he was about to do this, she didn't talk to any of his other friends or family before he went out to Todd's house. They only found out after the fact and the next morning is when he left. None of them had any time to process that they just lost a family member, especially not Molly.

The scene where he's talking to her on the bench breaks my heart. Knowing your friend is no longer there and is replaced with this stranger. So much of this episode would have been fixed to just let him keep his memories. Considering how hard it was to pull his living memories out of his spirit, it's very likely that even the small fragments of her he remembers will slowly fade away. She had to do the one thing she never wanted to do again and repeat the same pain that's plagued her for the entire series. And it sucks! Why doesn't she get a happy ending? Hell, I'm not even convinced this was a "happy ending" for scratch since he can't remember any of the people he just spent the last two years with.

The biggest slap to the face is when Libby, Geoff, and the McGees come up behind Molly and just act like all of this is fine? They're treating scratch like this wild animal that deserved to be released into the wild because he could never fit in with society when he was PERFECTLY HAPPY with the McGees. He proudly displayed to the entire ghost world that he was an "honorary McGee" and told a ghost hunter to his face that him and Molly would do anything for each other despite their differences. Was all of that completely pointless? Because it sure feels that way. He had this entire new "life" he just completely abandoned because oh I guess I'm not really dead. Guess I better go reconnect with my childhood friend I haven't seen in person or had any meaningful conversations with in decades!!! See ya, chumps, hope you weren't attached to me or anything!

It's so disrespectful to the audience's investment in Molly and Scratch's friendship, the themes of friendship overcoming all odds and lasting forever, and Molly as a character. And to a lesser degree, it's even disrespectful to Scratch since most of the season he spent brooding over the fact that he didn't remember his past! Now he's forgotten a large portion of his "life" all over again. Now he's going to have to live with this nagging itch at the back of his mind that he's forgetting something until he manages to completely repress it too. And to rub salt in the wound, the credits don't have near sight nor mention of Molly McGee outside of a painted portrait of her and (spirit) scratch. All this does is tell me a LONG time has passed and neither of them have managed to successfully contact each other. The dream team is gone, this is a story about a girl and a ghost and none of it meant anything.

"he'll remember when he dies again!" Where does it say that

"he didn't forget, he said Moll! That means something!" The longer he spends away from the McGees and Brighton, the more likely he is to completely forget them altogether. The vague memories will eventually fade away and every "forever memory" will be worthless.

"it doesn't matter, this is Scratch's story" then why isn't it called 'scratch and the human girl'? Or 'the scratch show'? Why is Molly a title character if she's nothing but a plot device for his character development.

"Molly had to learn how to say goodbye." No she didn't. She's been doing that her entire life. She's pretty well aware of how to say goodbye. Making her relive 13 years of trauma from the other side of the vehicle doors is not a useful life skill. Pain is not necessary to grow up.

I don't care what the excuse is. This was a terrible ending for both characters and no amount of "he's happy now!" coping from both the fans and the writers is going to get me to see this any other way. If you enjoy the episode, great! I'm happy for you, there's a lot to love in the music and voice acting and breathtaking animation. But none of that could save me from this abysmal attempt at a series finale. I was so viscerally disgusting by this as a finale that I spent a good two days completely nauseous thinking about it. What a disaster. The sad part is I like the story potential! Him reuniting with Adia is what I've wanted for him all season so he could get closure. Molly and Scratch having to say goodbye is heartbreaking but understandable, a lot of shows nowadays end that way and I half expected it. But him completely forgetting the girl he owes his new lease on life to? My gosh it's just a deal breaker. It is such a cruel end for these characters and I cannot wrap my head around why they thought it was a good idea outside of cheap angst.

I wanted to like this episode and I still do. But they just did so much wrong when one thing could change and it would have completely flipped my opinion on the episode and series in general. But what do I know, I'm just a negative nancy.

Anyway idk how to end this off, justice for Molly McGee, Scratch deserved to be called Scratch McGee, kill Todd Mortenson, peace out

[tornrose24]

I’ve been rewatching The Ghost and Molly McGee and have concluded watching season 1. These are my thoughts and observations:

-I love how Scratch slowly warms up to Molly across the season and it is easier to catch when you watch the episodes in order. From going to a complete jerk, to valuing her friendship, to caring about how she views him, to not wanting to lose her.

-I also love how this show’s art style is like a storybook come to life in every shot.

-It makes even more sense as to why Scratch haunts Adia’s old home. Todd’s soul gravitated to the one place in Brighton that held happy memories for him, where life had yet to turn him into an anxious, fearful adult. It was a safe space for him, and he was mad when a family managed to move in and invade it. Especially Molly specifically moving into his personal room/the safest spot in the house for him.

-Molly and Scratch are BOTH horrible liars. It’s funny how similar they are in that detail, and it’s even funnier if they call each other out on it.

-Scratch is an absolute asshole to a lot of people and enjoys seeing them suffer during this season, but I think that partly stems from a ‘I was/am miserable so I like seeing others suffer.’

-I’d say Molly’s worst episode is the Snow Day episode (not listening to what everyone else wants to do) and Scratch’s worst episode is the Internship episode (taking advantage of an intern to do basic, unhelpful tasks and being a bigger asshole than usual).

-Molly nearly dies 4 times (the machine during ‘Friend off,’ was willing to catch hypothermia in order to have fun in the snow, was almost hit by the truck, and was nearly sliced in half by Jinx).

-Scratch, Mr. ‘So afraid of dying that I never lived a day’…. Gets trampled by animals, eats poison berries, gets hit by a tour bus, gets blended by the machine from ‘Friend off,’ and is sliced in half by Jinx among all the possible things that WOULD have killed him in this season if he hadn’t been a ghost at the time.

-In ‘Very Hungry Ghost’ Scratch doesn’t get to eat any of the food intended for the ghosts. Because he wasn’t fully a ghost, that feast was not meant to be eaten by him.

-I admit I have yet to catch Scratch’s ‘nervous habit of scratching his arm’ during these episodes.

-There’s a recurring theme of the adult characters regaining their passion for something they once loved in a few episodes.

-However I also appreciate showing very realistic struggles, like financial concerns and how you can’t magically restore your community and town to its glory days without some effort put into it.

-Libby’s mom can be seen as an early cameo during ‘The (Un)natural.’ Of course, she would be there for her daughter ^_^

-I’m not a huge fan of the Christmas episode (never rewatched it until now) but GOD do I love the pink sky they use against the Christmas decorations and snow.

-In Pete’s news article in ‘Twin Trouble’, it mentions that other city planners mysteriously disappeared. However, I don’t think the show EVER addressed that, because such a story fascinated me and made me wonder if there was more to Brighton than meets the eye.

-There was a wasted opportunity in not discussing who or WHAT The Chairman was. Was this mystery meant for season 3?

-Scratch mentioning that he is dead throughout the show hits differently now that we know its quite the opposite. So does seeing him having to do mandatory things for the ghost world that he technically shouldn’t NEED to be doing at that moment.

-So does his interactions with Geoff. Oh boy.

-Was Scratch specifically assigned to scare Brighton? What about the other ghosts from there, like the Tugbottom siblings? Howlin Harriet? Sonia? Why don’t we see them doing their job as much as Scratch has to?

-The sheer irony of Scratch believing that he didn’t have any fears in ‘Scaring is Caring’ only for fear to be the reason WHY he was a ghost to begin with. Once again, there’s a hell of a difference between ‘Scratch as a human being afraid of everything’ and ‘Scratch as a ghost being afraid of losing Molly and would do anything to save her.’

-No seriously, it gets to a point where Scratch risks his existence to save Molly in this season and in the next one-if he had been human, he would have been willing to die for her.

-‘All Night Plight’ is an episode I hadn’t rewatched until recently. And it hits a LOT differently this time around. Molly wanted to form a forever memory with Libby and Scratch by seeing that comet and she managed to win over Scratch who went above and beyond to ensure that was possible. While that memory is now somewhere hidden in Scratch’s mind as a living person, this episode likely was one of the events needed to push him into becoming someone who would take chances and embrace life upon coming back to life.

-Considering the number of times Molly almost dies, it would have been one thing if Scratch didn’t take it too well if he failed to save Molly. But if he learned that he was the one who had the chance to come back to life and not her? Yeah, that would have seriously wrecked his mental state.

-That moment when you realize that it was TWO souls hovering on the edge between life and death that changed everything in the Ghost World. Also I could be wrong, but I caught that Molly AND Scratch both have a brighter glow compared to most other ghosts in the Ghost World. Was this stealth foreshadowing, or just a coincidence?

-Scratch’s declaration that knowing Molly was the highlight of his afterlife. That moment when you realize Molly brought him joy after years of being miserable as both a ghost and as a human. This girl reached out to him and was able to get him to open up when no one else did. This girl who is showing him how to truly live once more. This girl who he openly declares to be his friend no matter what others will think.

-When I see Wraith!Molly hugging Libby and Scratch, I just wonder ‘WHY DOES MOLLY HAVE 3 ARMS?!’

-As good as this show is, a lot of folks who watch these Disney Channel shows are likely used to the more story-oriented shows. While the ‘slice of life’ style for TGAMM did pay off, the slow pace and length it took for the episodes to release likely worked against it and I could see why it didn’t attract more viewers at the time.

Stuff relating to Todd:

-Scratch possesses people a lot in this show, but especially in season 1. I’m reminded of someone who talked about the wraith theory on YouTube and he had this guess that Scratch might someday possess Todd and then realize something is different this time. I think that having Scratch use the possession trick so often was building up to that one moment in the last episode because it WAS a matter of time until he possessed Todd.

-As I said in a previous post, I caught Todd in the stands during The (Un)Natural, which was his ACTUAL debut episode. It was easy to miss the first time, but its a noticeable establishing character moment since he’s the only audience member who is visibly NOT happy despite that the team is winning.

-Molly stopping at Todd’s house during the song montage in the bandshell episode hits a lot differently now after the series finale. But then I laughed when she smacked him in the face with a flyer upon stopping by the house a second time in the same episode.

-We have confirmation that Scratch (as Todd) knew the mayor when they were kids and that is a tale I’m very curious about.

-I caught Todd in the audience during ‘Citizen McGee’ when the mayor bestows the honor of being mayor for a day to Molly. I admit a cynical side of me thinks that this is how he actually remembers her name in the last episode…. But at the same time he was so on auto-pilot during that time that he likely wouldn’t pay much attention or remember those events that well. (Plus, you can’t be expected to remember someone’s name once all the time). I refuse to believe that he remembered this event and that Scratch’s memories were what actually triggered the name.

-Todd’s actual lines are very limited (I don’t think he gets many in season 2 compared to this one). While Dana Snyder was voicing him, Snyder lowered his voice so much that it’s really hard to tell that he’s the one voicing Todd. I keep putting my ear to my computer to listen, but Todd barely sounds like Dana. I think they did this on purpose to avoid making it too obvious that Todd IS Scratch. (And that’s probably why he doesn’t talk as much in season 2…. Until the last episode of course).

-The Internship seems to double as foreshadowing, and not just because Todd appears or that his ‘junk’ held some very crucial clues. Molly believes that the pawnshop is where happy memories go to die while Weird Larry assures her that it’s where memories can be reborn into something new. So… is the pawnshop a metaphor for Scratch’s own depression causing his ‘death’ and how he’ll be resurrected into a happier person?

[reputationbarbie]

❝the thunder❞

A/N: thank you to everyone for sticking beside me and my foolishness this past month. i just had to see it through. I've had this idea for a while of a tandem read with two of my fics so here you are. This fic starts 4 months before all-american bitch and there will be crossover chapters and characters once they're on the same timeline. this also isn’t edited so ignore any mistakes. enjoy ★ ˙ᵕ˙ liv

Chapter Summary: welcome to new york.

Chapter Warnings: sexual assault & r@pe (mentioned), revenge porn (mentioned), language, alcohol and drugs (there's a party), symptoms of anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia.

Key Tags: frat boy harry styles, fratrry x college f!oc, harry styles x f!oc, frat boy x sorority girl, fake dating, revenge, fish out of water - f!oc, ugly duckling - f!oc, golden retriever x black cat, instalove, fluff, flirting, angst, friendship, eventual established relationship, eventual smut, original character, no y/n.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖  series masterlist, harry masterlist ⋆ Spotify Playlist. ˖ ݁ 𖥔.

⋆ word count: 6.5k ⋆

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay at the penthouse?” my mother murmurs disappointingly as our butler, Joseph, fluffs the pillows on top of my new mattress for the next 10 months.

I shake my head before putting my hand on Joseph’s arm. His kneading halts and takes his leave. “No, Mom,” I repeat. This woman has been trying to get me to live at home with her since I accepted my offer. “I need to have the full college experience,” I remind her.

She sighs and the click of her heels fills the room as she walks over to me. “You can have the college experience down the hall where we can keep an eye on you,” she pleads with puppy dog eyes.

“Exactly,” I tell her with a smirk. How am I going to get into shit if my parents are within earshot? After all, that’s why I’m moving away. They didn’t get me the justice I deserved originally. “This is my first taste of freedom. Aren’t you guys glad that I live 10 minutes away instead of jaunting around the country?” I bring up the fate of my best friend, two years my senior.

My mother licks her scarlet-painted lips. “I still don’t know how she does it,” she sighs as if it’s displeasing to her.

Just when I’m about to scold my mom for judging Libby, I feel my back pocket vibrating. “Speaking of the devil,” I hold my phone towards my mom, displaying her contact poster on the screen. “You can go, mom. I just need to get acclimated, alone,” I gesture to my perfectly decorated room.

My mother made sure to get the keys days before moving in, only allowing me to pay the deposit when the room was renovated to her liking. I wouldn’t be surprised if she brought a whole inspector crew in here before I even saw the building.

She bites her lip and I pray she doesn’t start crying. “Okay. Don’t be afraid to come home if it doesn’t work out, Rowan,” my mother gently reminds me before pulling me in for a hug.

I allow her to squeeze me before she pulls back, fixing my tossed hair. Although my casual appearance today sends my mother up the wall, she’s grateful that my hair is at least brushed. “Got it,” I tell her, not having the strength to argue this topic once more.

I press the green accept button on my screen, waving to my mom as she exits into the bustling hallway. “Hey,” I answer.

“Hey, freshman. How are things?” Libby pokes at me. If it weren’t for her mother’s campaign, she’d be on campus with me. But she’s taking online classes while making her daily TV appearances.

Now that I think about it, it’s been months since I walked past a newsstand without Libby on the cover of a magazine. “Oh, fuck off. You’re only two years older than me,” I quip.

Libby cackles before adding, “And wise beyond my years. How’s room two?”

Room two is the biggest double on each floor and the bathroom doesn’t have to be shared with another room. I pace around the spacious space, before responding, “Perfect, thanks for suggesting it.”

The room is covered in lavender with a fluffy duvet and decorations that are far too girly for my liking. Not a singular band poster transferred over from my room at home, so although the space is cute, it lacks my personality. 

“Of course, it’s the least I could do after…” she trails off and I’m assuming she doesn’t want to bring up my past. Even she wants to remind me that I shouldn’t have gone without her.

I feel frozen, teetering a fine line of retraumatization. I take a deep breath before changing the subject. “Anyways. How’s the campaign?” I ask.

“It’s fine. Mom’s working me to death, for free of course. But hey, if she loses I’ll be right back at Columbia with you by November 6th,” She jokes and I feel bad for wishing that was her outcome.

This would just be so much easier with her. “Dear god, please. I don’t know how I’m going to go through with this,” I confess, feeling anxiety brew in my stomach.

“We talked about this, you have a plan. Just stick to it,” Libby reminds me.

She’s right, Rowan. Step 1. Join a sorority, Step 2. Become president of the sorority and a part of the “Machine,” Step 3. Ruin each and every one of their lives.

Libby clears her throat, snapping me back into reality. “Have you met your roommate yet?” she asks.

“Oh my gosh. Hi!” I hear someone chirply squeal behind me as if she spoke them into existence.

My body quickly turns to face the mystery voice and I mentally prepare myself for a long year ahead. I’m met with a pearly white smile, straight blonde hair, and blue eyes. She looks like a perfect Barbie, and I feel a pang of jealousy in my stomach.

Her front collides with mine, and she wraps her arms around my body. “Hey, Libby. I’ll call you later,” I grumble into the receiver before I hear my best friend end the call.

The stranger drops me like a hot pocket. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Where are my manners?” she rhetorically asks, extending her hand for me to shake. “Audrey Koch,” she chirpily introduces herself.

At the mention of that name, my mouth twists. The Kochs are a wealthy republican family and have nearly the same values as mine. But since I don’t follow my family’s political views, I hope she doesn’t as well.

I lock my hands with hers, shaking it lightly to not break the goodie two shoes. “Rowan Bouvier,” I politely return the greeting.

Her eyes snap down to my hand, twisting it around. The black ink almost glows on my skin. “Cool tattoo,” she compliments the large snake.

“Thanks,” I blush before pulling my hand back. I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with this girl. I’ve only known her for two seconds and we still have 9 months together. “Koch as in The Koch Brothers?” I lightly dig.

She smiles and nods quickly. “Yeah, they’re my great grandparents,” she bashfully admits. “But don’t worry. I use everyone as my personal paypigs,” she states nonchalantly.

My head tilts listening to her rant as she pauses to take a deep breath. “I only talk to my cousins. They’re the only ones who aren’t racist,” she defends herself. Oh, thank god she has a brain.

I peer behind her at the residential aides pushing 4 carts full of belongings into the room. We’re only permitted one, but she doesn’t seem like the person to be told no. “Well, do you need any help unpacking?” I offer.

She turns around, looking at the heap of her belongings before waving them off. “Later. I heard there’s a party tonight and I have nothing to wear. Let’s go shopping,” She suggests, bouncing over to her white Hermes Birkin.

She plucks it off the top of the pile, before turning to face me. “Coming?” she asks, looking up and down at me frozen in place.

My gaze drifts down to my fishnet tights and a tattered band tee. “Umm, maybe I should change first,” I think out loud.

“No way. You look great!” She compliments, dramatically holding her arms open.

Scarlet creeps onto my cheeks and I nod, grabbing my purse. A party is arguably step one since I need to get intel and this girl seems like she’d dress me in the perfect sorority image. “Shopping it is,” I conceded.

“What’s your favorite color?” Audrey asks as we shift through a clothing rack.

My brown eyes meet her ice-blue ones and I respond, “Purple. Yours?” before returning to the array of textured fabric.

“Pink! That’s so great. Every pink friend needs a purple best friend,” she beams and I smile. I feel like I’ve known Audrey my whole life and it’s only been an hour. Her personality draws you in like a magnet and you never want to leave her side.

I’m about to pull a dress from the rack when I remember, I don’t know what I’m shopping for. I haven’t been to a party since the incident, not that I could bring myself to go if I wanted to. I’m pretty sure the only way I’m able to go tonight is because Audrey will be with me.

I groan, releasing the metal hanger. “This is useless. I haven’t been to a party since high school. I don’t even know what to wear,” I complain over the rack to Audrey.

The corners of Audrey’s lips twitch and she leans forward slightly. “Do you want my help?” she asks excitedly and I know I’ve woken a demon.

I nod and within seconds, she’s on my side with an arm full of clothes. She begins rapidly holding things up toward my torso and I wonder if she’s utilizing her fashion expertise. She should be a business major or a fashion designer the way she’s quickly categorizing what she’d like me to try on.

After she’s got a pile of garments for me, she starts putting the discards back in their place. As I watch her, I decide to ask her, “Hey, Aud. What are you studying?”

“Poli sci. What about you?” She returns as she walks back over to me. Her blonde hair cascades perfectly down her back and I admire this woman on a mission with a bow in her head.

Political science makes sense considering her family’s background. It’s practically in her DNA. “Bio,” I tell her. My eyebrow raises as I watch her begin to grab some of the clothes from the pile. “Please tell me you’re trying something on too,” I hint.

I take some items from her hand, lightening the load. “Of course, I am. I just want to put your stuff down first,” she snickers before turning towards the dressing rooms.

We pick the biggest room, hanging my stuff on the wall hooks. “Be right back,” Audrey says, pulling the curtain closed behind her.

My body turns to face the mirror slowly and I realize I haven’t seen myself since this morning. My appearance is fine, but I have been avoidant of mirrors for a while. The sight of myself has my stomach gurgling and an unpleasant feeling washing through my bones.

My feet carry me backward, away from the staring contest with the monster in my reflection. I reach down and pull my shirt over my body before quickly peeling off my tights until I’m left standing in my underwear.

The first outfit is on my body before Audrey comes back, but I’m met with instant disapproval. “I don’t like that one. Next,” she commands, pointing towards another outfit.

I follow her lead and she joins me, trying on her first outfit. The pink dress she’s picked has ruffles and it screams Audrey, but it’s a bit too dressy for the occasion. “What do you think?” she asks, striking a pose.

Stepping into the mini skirt, I pull it over my thick thighs. “I haven’t been to one of these in a while but would you be mad if someone spilled beer on that?” I ask.

Her lips purse and she nods, reaching for the spaghetti straps. “Yes,” she answers while shedding it.

Once I have the next set on, I slowly spin with my arms out for Audrey. “Am I pretty yet?” I half-joke.

Audrey takes a shirt off the hanger, preparing to try it on. “You’re always gorgeous, but that outfit doesn’t scream hot party freshman,” she observes.

My head falls back and I let a groan slip through my throat. “Audrey, I’m trying to scream hot sorority girl, not hot party freshman,” I cry.

Audrey’s jaw drops and she gasps, “Oh my god, you’re rushing?”

Audrey’s completely frozen in place and she looks like she’s processing the information. “Yes,” I deadpan.

Audrey giggles before resuming her movements. “I’m sorry, you just don’t seem like the type,” she apologizes.

My whole body suddenly feels heavy recalling the reasoning behind joining a sorority. I succumb to the feeling, collapsing onto the velvet green bench.  “Yeah, it’s not for the reason you think,” I breadcrumb her.

Audrey’s forehead creases. “What reason is it for?” she digs.

I nervously pick at my fingers. “I have a plan, erm. It’s a lot to go into now,” I start, not wanting to bring down the mood during our bonding session.

Audrey sets her top down next to me before joining me on the bench. “Well, I’m pretty sure this is the only time we’ll be alone all year. You might as well now while we don’t have ears,” she foretells.

My brown eyes meet her blue ones and I grab her hands. “Okay, this stays between us,” I emphasize, hoping I can trust her.

Her hand slides under mine and she locks her pinky with mine. “Roommate pinky promise,” she wears.

I nod before taking a deep breath. “Okay. A couple of years ago I was at Heron and I was dating this guy I liked. His name is William. He invited me to a party with some of his friends while my best friend was out of town, so I went alone thinking it would be chill. Will told me he would take care of me the whole night and make sure nothing happened to me. Little did I know the bad thing that would happen would be him,” I explain my story.

Audrey’s eyes sparked with fear. “What did he do?” she asks.

“Will gave me a red solo cup and dared me to chug it. The rest of the night is fuzzy. He took me upstairs and took my virginity before letting his friends have a turn,” I explain, feeling the retraumatization run through my veins.

I subconsciously squeeze Audrey’s hand, using her as a grounding force to Earth. “Oh, Rowan. I’m so sorry that happened to you,” she apologizes profusely.

I shake my head. It’s not her apology to give. “It’s fine. It’s not fine, but you know what I mean. They’re going to get what they deserve. I’m going to rush, become a part of the machine, and ruin all of their lives once everyone is on my side,” I tell her.

“Whatever I can do to help you, I’ll do it. We’re roommates now,” she urges and I smile.

Her words spark an idea in my brain. For this to work, I need to be perfect to them. I’m not currently stereotypically sorority pretty right now. “Give me a makeover. Make me perfect to their image,” I blurt out.

Audrey releases my hands and raises her brow. “Are you sure?” she asks.

I nod with fear that if I don’t commit, I’ll go back on my word. “Positive,” I say.

“Then try that on,” Audrey demands, pointing to a purple lace set.

I pick it up, examining the fabric. “Are you sure it’s the vibe?” I skeptically question her choice.

“Yes, try it on,” she pushes me towards the mirror. I follow her directions, shedding my current outfit and quickly dressing myself in the purple garments.

I slowly turn around, allowing Audrey to get a good view of the outfit. “You look like the next Regina George. The entire study body is going to eat you up,” she predicts kindly.

I silently thank her with a tight hug, squeezing the life out of her. Once we’ve repeated the same steps with her outfit and we’re both dressed, I ask her, “What’s next?”

Audrey leads us toward the checkout counter, stopping in her tracks to look at jewelry. “Shoes. You need to look like the brunette Sabrina Carpenter,” she asserts.

My fingers brush against the gold rings. “I’m not going to pretend to know who that is,” I mutter under my breath.

I’m nearly knocked over as a group of people rush past me, up the steps of the dimly lit brownstone. As Audrey and I ascend the stairs at 11:30 pm sharp, I can literally feel the railing vibrating. When we reach the halfway point I immediately see that the house is crowded.

We stand in line as a man not much older than me acts as a bootleg bodyguard, stamping people in one by one. With each being that stands in his presence, he scans their body, quickly determining their worth. Some girls are turned away and sent down the steps in tears.

My eyes narrow as I watch the cutthroat process and my grip on Audrey’s hand tightens. “It doesn’t hurt but you’re sweaty,” Audrey leans over and murmurs owly so only I can hear.

“Sorry,” I quickly apologize, releasing her hand and wiping it on my mini skirt. I haven’t been this nervous since graduation.

“You’re fine. You look great. Just hold your head high and fake it until we’re inside, at least,” she advises as we get closer and closer to the front of the line.

My legs begin to wobble each inch closer to the large wooden doors. When we get to the front, I plaster on my most flirty smile, courtesy of Libby’s training. As if I’m a robot, my arm raises for the man to put a stamp on my hand.

His jaw drops and I can’t decipher if he’s stunned by my appearance or my confidence. He answers my question the moment his skin caresses over mine. “Girls like you don’t have to wait in line, gorgeous,” he flirts through his menacing grin.

He applies the stamp right next to the head of my snake tattoo. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” I flirt back, shoving the sensation of vomiting back down my throat.

Audrey steps forward, putting her hand out in the same manner. After stamping her pale skin, the man lingers for a bit keeping her close to him. “I hope I’ll see you in there later,” he smirks before bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it.

Oh hell no. We haven’t even gotten inside and creepy men are proving the exact reason for my revenge plot. My arm slides underneath Audrey’s, looping around her bicep. “Come on. I need a drink!” I quickly blurt the excuse, pulling her towards the door.

When we enter the house, you wouldn’t be able to tell a party was happening if the floor wasn’t shaking with every beat of the music. We follow the movement of the crowd through the basement door, passing several drunk patrons as we descend the steps.

As soon as my heels touch the concrete floor, I have to sidestep out of the way to avoid getting smacked in the face by a football. The music is so loud that I can’t focus, let alone hear my own thoughts. I guess this is what college parties are like.

I’m whisked through the hoards of students, straight toward the dance floor. My senses are so overwhelmed that I’ve forgotten why I’m here. Make it known that I’m the number-one pick for rush this year.

Audrey picks a spot smack dab in the middle with a spotlight practically beaming on us. “We’ll dance for 3 songs so everyone will see you in here, then shots in the kitchen so everyone will see you in there,” she explains.

My head subconsciously shakes, no. “I don’t think I can do shots,” I confess, already feeling uneasy from the sea of red solo cups. The room feels like it’s swallowing me whole and now, I empathize with Libby’s claustrophobia.

Audrey smiles, seemingly unphased before spinning me dramatically. “Don’t worry, I brought shooters,” she informs me once we’re facing each other again. She spins herself under my arm, lightly shaking her bottom to show off two tiny bottles sticking out of her back pockets.

My shoulders relax and I begin vibing to the music again. “You’re a real girls girl, you know that?” I shout over the bass.

She wraps her hand on my waist, pulling me closer. “I try,” she suavely husks and my head falls back with a giggle. I haven’t laughed this hard since Libby left and even then, it didn’t feel genuine. I was just trying to make sure she didn’t keep me on suicide watch with my family.

We sway and lose ourselves in the beat, matching each other’s energy. The UV lighting covers the room, highlighting the beautiful streaks of gold in Audrey’s hair. I reach out, twirling a soft piece around my finger before slowly swirling my hips. I definitely needed this.

Once our allotted number of songs pass, Audrey leads me towards the kitchen. As soon as we’re in the small space, I’m hit with a cloud of weed smoke. I fight the urge to swat the thick smog away from my nostrils, quickly moving through the puff-puff-pass session.

Audrey finds an empty spot on the island and she reaches into her back pocket, cracking open the shooter with her teeth. I cringe at the sound, watching her methodically prepare the beverages.

She passes me a shooter before clinking her plastic bottle with mine. “Cheers to 4 years together,” she loudly announces and I lift my shot of tequila to my lips.

The Don Julio doesn’t burn as it goes down, but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I search the counter for a lime to get rid of the sour sensation in my mouth. Once I find one, I bite down on the lime letting the juice seep onto my tongue.

I don’t miss the feeling of a billion eyes staring a black hole into my head. Audrey warned me that once I became the it girl, people would watch me like a hawk. But I had no idea it would be this bad.

My eyes slowly scan the room, silently connecting with every individual to ensure they remember me. Every single pair darts away after a few seconds, but one sends chills up my spine.

The moss green irises cut through the lavender haze, silently observing me. My skin crawls when a feeling of nakedness washes over me. I feel completely bare to this individual who’s looking right through my skin and into my soul.

As if my body was made of glass, I allowed the emeralds to crack me with each flicker of movement. My spine begins to squirm and I finally allow myself to break the gaze to assess the face of my distant admirer.

My eyes drink the tall man in. He’s dressed casually with his tattoos on full display and a headband holds his unruly curls away from his forehead, showing off his pristine face.

Fuck me. God took his time making this one. I want to drag him into an empty room and ride him until I’m sore. I want to lick him from his abs up to his neck. I want to see his tattooed hand wrapped around my throat while he fucks me.

Okay so, sex drive is still in tact I see. “Let him come to you,” Audrey whispers, interrupting our staring contest. My eyes dart down to the still-empty shooter in my hand, now crushed by grip.

I abandon the plastic on the countertop, unable to bring myself to find a waste bin now that my legs are jello. “I don’t think he’s interested,” I admit. There’s a plethora of girls in here and a majority of them look better than me, including Audrey.

Audrey’s brows knit in disbelief. Okay, so she felt the vibes too. “I know it wasn’t the plan but, I don’t think a little flirting would send us completely off track,” she hints, nudging me with her elbow.

I open my mouth to decline again when the words get caught in my throat. Behind Audrey appears the handsome man who was across the kitchen just moments ago. “Off track for what?” the stranger asks.

My breathing hitches and I allow his gaze to rip my heart out without even touching me. I know that if I lie, he’ll see right through me. My hand lightly smacks Audrey, hoping she’ll understand and step in. She coughs lightly before muttering, “Ummm, studying.”

Nice fucking save, Audrey. My eyes dart around the room for anything to ground me and I tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “Gorgeous and smart. I have to know your name,” I hear the stranger flirt and I don’t miss his British accent. He could read me a bedtime story and I’d be asleep in seconds.

Audrey clears her throat and my eyes snap up to meet his again. Oh shit, he was talking to me. My body turns to mush as I extend my hand, trying to patch up my ego. “Rowan,” I introduce myself.

His soft hands slide beneath mine, gripping it lightly to shake. “Harry,” he smirks and I almost droll. I could write mathematical theories based on his dimples and plump lips.

Instead of letting my hand go, he lowers it, stepping closer to me. He smells of tobacco and vanilla, and I want to bury my nose in his body and inhale his scent. Before I do, Audrey speaks up, “Audrey, who needs water,” she tells Harry like he’s nothing but a servant.

I stuff a snicker down my throat as Harry lets go of my hand, quickly taking a couple of steps toward the water bottles. He picks one up, handing it to Audrey gently. “Nice to meet you both,” he charms before turning back towards me. “Haven’t seen you around. You a freshman?” he asks.

I nod before replying, “Mhmm, you?”

He shakes his head, shifting on his leg. “Junior,” he answers.

Disgust brews in my stomach. I haven’t been here for long, but I know what goes on in this frat house. And I also know that this is the frat my targets joined. “And you’re in Sig Nu?” I explore.

Harry frowns and I feel like a boulder dropped in my stomach. I don’t ever want to see him make that face again if I can help it. “God, no. They’ve got two active title ix’s. Sig EP,” he hisses.

I nod, gnawing on my lip out of nervousness. “Oh,” I grumble.

“But it sounded like you were disgusted,” Harry inquires, taking a step closer to let a partygoer pass behind him.

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry. I just mean, you have an accent. What’s so appealing about Greek life?” I stammer glancing ever so slightly behind me at Audrey moving around the kitchen like a perfect social butterfly.

“Oh good, I thought you were judging me,” Harry chuckles and I smile. He runs his hands through his hair, tugging at the roots and shifting his headband a bit. Suddenly, I have the urge to reach up and fix it for him. “My roommate frat rushed freshman year and I joined for shits and giggles. Little did I know, as president, I can’t leave,” he continues.

When the words president slips through his lips, my jaw drops. “You’re president?” I clarify.

He nods, eyes glistening in the dim light of the room. “Mmhm. Brownstone’s close by if you want to see,” he suggests, tilting his head towards the door.

I nearly choke on my spit realizing what he’s just hinted at. He wants to fuck me. Am I ready for that? I don’t think I’m ready for that. You’ve been silent for too long, Rowan. Say something! “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I just met you,” I choke out.

Harry’s eyes widen in surprise and he puts his hands up. “Oh no, that’s not — I wasn’t trying to hook up with you. You just seem on edge here. I was giving you an out, darling,” he suavely rephrased.

He seems sincere and I feel safe enough to hold my own alone with him. On top of that, he’s perfect and he fits seamlessly with my plan. We’d be the hottest power couple at Columbia, and I should be making that happen. Just go for it, Rowan. What’s the worst that can happen? The worst that can happen already happened. Twice in one lifetime is rare.

I smile before replying, “Oh, oh. Well, in that case lead the —”

“Harry!” a high-pitched voice interrupts me and I watch as manicured nails slide across Harry’s chest. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” a short brunette girl flirts with my green-eyed crush.

His hand wraps around her wrist and he lowers it away from his body. “Gabe. Didn’t know you were coming tonight,” he returns a greeting disappointingly.

Gabe scoffs, putting her hand on her hip. “Of course, I am, silly. I missed you this summer,” she flirts.

My eyes flicker back and forth between the two of them and my suspicions are confirmed. They’ve fucked and have arguably been fucking before the summer break. The last thing I need to ruin my plans is a love triangle. “Okay well, thanks for the offer, Harry. I’ve got to go,” I excuse myself.

I stand on my tiptoes, searching for Audrey. After a couple of moments, Harry finally notices my plans to leave and he says, “No, wait. She’s not my—”

His explanation fades into the background as soon as I find Audrey. “I don’t care. Enjoy the party, it was nice meeting you,” I cut him off before turning on my toes to reach my friend.

Getting over to her feels like I’m in the Triwizard Maze; ducking and dodging joints and blow being passed around. “What just happened?” Audrey instantly asks once I’m in earshot.

“Nothing. He has a girlfriend,” I respond, feeling slightly dejected. When will it be my turn to have a hot green-eyed hunk?

Her brows knit and confusion washes over her face. “Gabrielle?” she asks and I nod. “That’s not his girlfriend. They fucked once and she’s hooked,” she continues.

My eyes drift back over to the two I thought were a couple. Every time Gabrielle tries to touch Harry, he leans back ever so slightly to dodge the contact. “How do you know that?” I ask Audrey, unable to peel my eyes from them.

“You can see it all over her body,” Audrey states, motioning towards them with her palm open. “And while you were busy flirting, I was getting intel,” she snips.

Harry exits the kitchen in a fury with Gabrielle trailing behind him. Her words cause a lightbulb to go off in my brain and my focus is back on her. “Intel?” I inquire.

“Yeah. On who to mingle with; the top people in the top houses,” she explains and I nod.

“So what did you find out?” I press her to spill the beans.

Audrey links her arm with mine before we begin walking out of the kitchen. “Well, Theta is the top house, followed by DG. Gabrielle is the president of Sig Delt so you’re definitely not getting in there after tonight. But that doesn’t matter because the president of Theta is primed and ready for you,” Audrey begins to reveal.

I allow my friend to lead us up the creaky steps and we silently pass far too many drunk girls. I hope they’ll wake up in their own beds tomorrow. “Primed and ready?” I ask once we’re at the top of the stairwell.

We open the door, returning to the main level of the brownstone. The polarity between the party downstairs and the chill ambiance upstairs is jarring, and I find myself rapidly blinking. “She’s looking for someone to replace her,” Audrey elaborates and I jump hearing the door slam behind us.

Audrey pulls us down a hall towards a sitting room area full of people. Sitting in a circle are Harry, Gabrielle, and about 8 other strangers. They all seem extremely familiar with each other, occasionally laughing in between sips of their drinks. “See that girl over there?” Audrey asks, pointing towards a beautiful brunette with beautiful doe eyes.

“Mmmhm,” I confirm.

Audrey leans against the wall, still out of sight of the group. “That’s D.Q. Vanderbilt, President of Theta. The girl sitting next to her is her little and president of recruit, Olivia Astor. They’re both super rich and have hella influence,” she recites.

I take a step back, abandoning my stalker-ish gaze on the girl. “Okay, so why can’t Olivia replace her?” I ask Audrey.

“Rowan, look at her,” Audrey grabs my face, turning it back in the direction of Harry before releasing it.

I watch as Olivia awkwardly slinks down into the leather couch. She looks like she’d rather be anywhere but here, talking to people. “Felt,” I empathize with her. I hate socializing too.

Audrey smacks my bicep with the back of her hand. “That’s not the spirit of someone who wants revenge,” she scolds, with her hand on her hip.

My eyes look her up and down sassily before stating, “You’re right, it’s go time.”

“That’s the spirit!” Audrey whisper-cheers. I grab her hand, pulling her from the safety of the shadows. “Wait, what are you doing?” she frets.

My heels click against the hardwood floor that looks like it’s never been renovated. “You’re coming with me,” I demand.

Before she has time to protest, I’m standing right next to the curly brunette boy who stole my heart 5 minutes ago. “Hey Harry, I was wondering if I could still take you up on that offer?” I lean down and ask him loud enough for the group to hear.

Gabrielle leans closer to Harry, attempting to claim her man. “What offer? Who is she?” she snaps.

“Mind your business, Gabe,” a freckle-faced girl adds and I silently thank her for defending me.

A blonde girl leans forward, plucking her cup from the table with two fingers before asking, “But seriously, Harry. Who is she?”

An attractive young man bounces his leg excitedly. “You brought us pretty fresh meat?” he articulates every syllable like a vampire.

“Fuck off,” Harry grumbles, still focused on getting away from Gabrielle. When he seemingly realizes there’s no more space, he awkwardly clears his throat while standing from the couch.

Harry slides behind me and Audrey, using us as human shields. “I’m Rowan and this is my roommate, Audrey,” I answer the blonde.

Audrey murmurs a hello to the group before taking a step back with Harry, leaving me at the front lines of battle.

“I’m D.Q., that’s Liv, Gabe, Kier, Em, Parker, Sienna, Connie, and looks like you already know Harry,” D.Q runs through the names of each group member, adding a little spice to Harry’s name.

My brain starts doing backflips, repeating each of their names in my head. “Don’t worry, it took me forever to get all the names down,” Kier seductively flirts across the circle.

“Rowan… last name?” Em asks and I curse myself for not waiting until they’re drunk to introduce myself.

I take a deep breath before sighing, “Bouvier.”

“Bouvier, where are you from?” Parker fires off a follow-up question and I have to keep myself from staring at her pristine pearl necklace sitting high on her chest.

“New York, born and raised,” I say with a smile. I feel like I’m tap dancing for a hello right now.

“Bouvier… as in the Kennedy’s Bouvier?” Connie asks a follow-up to Em’s question.

I nod, ready to break the news that will have them looking at me differently. “Yeah, Jacqueline Kennedy is my grandmother,” I boast.

This is the first time I’ve ever brought up the relation and now I know why. Every single face in the room twists, each with a different reaction. “Holy shit, you’re New York royalty,” Sienna finally points out.

I may be New York royalty, but they’re interested in what I have to offer politically. I haven’t been involved in politics in years, not that I could give a shit. But, I might as well lean into it. “Yeah, I just got off the phone with Liberty Washington. She’s my best friend,” I name-drop the presidential candidate’s daughter.

Olivia gasps, leaning forward. “Oh my gosh, she’s so cool. I saw she was front row at the Dior show during fashion week. What’s she like?” she presses.

I smile, casually stepping over Gabrielle’s outstretched legs to sit next to Olivia. “She’s a great friend. We talk 24/7,” I tell her as I sit.

Olivia smiles, scooting a bit closer to me. “You’ll have to bring her to meet your new friends sometime,” she says, gesturing to the group.

I nod, seeing another way to solidify my place in the group. “She’d love that! As long as I can bring Audrey,” I attempt to include my roommate who is now deep in a conversation with Harry and Kier, but mostly Kier.

“Yeah!” Olivia beams before asking the question I hoped one of them would inquire about, “Are you rushing Greek?”

I purse my lips, adjusting in my seat a bit as if I’m unsure of my answer. “I was thinking about it. Only if Audrey does it with me,” I smoothly articulate. Hell yeah, Rowan. That was totally believable.

Olivia nods excitedly and D.Q. joins the conversation, “Well you should, and not to toot our horn but Theta is the best.”

“No dirty rushing,” Gabrielle leans over and interjects.

D.Q. rolls her eyes, sitting back on the couch. “We’re not dirty rushing by stating facts, Gabe,” she scoffs.

I like these girls already and can definitely see myself calling Theta home if the rest of them are like this. “Yeah well, we have to go,” I murmur before standing. My skin sticks to the leather seat, causing me to scratch my thighs while turning around. “It was nice meeting you all,” I say to the group.

Kier pouts, taking a strand of Audrey’s golden locks between his fingers. “But, I was just getting to know all about my beloved’s favorite book,” he grumbles.

After inhaling deeply, he releases her hair, letting it flow back down in place. Audrey turns maroon and she looks like she’s about to faint.

“Fuckin hell, you’re dramatic, mate,” Harry bellows, smacking his friend on the shoulder.

I shake my head at the boy’s antics before Harry steps toe to toe with me. “Can I have your number?” he shakily requests.

My eyes search Harry’s to find nothing but burning desire. I nod, stepping towards Audrey to grab my phone that she’s been holding in her pocket all night. I unlock it before passing it to Harry. 

He takes it from my hand, quickly typing his contact in before passing it back to me. “You’ll text me?” he asks with a tone of insecurity.

Tucking my phone in my back in Audrey's back pocket. “I think that’s the point of me getting your number,” I jest, lacing my fingers with my friend’s to tug her away. “Bye, Harry,” I say over my shoulder.

Audrey stumbles over her feet behind me, calling over her shoulder, “It was nice meeting you, Kiernan!”

“Farewell, my love,” he sweetly returns the goodbye. I’ll never understand love at first sight, but those two clearly have it.

Once we’re outside on the sidewalk, I begin swinging our linked hands as we make the short walk back to the dorms. “Did you get everything you needed?” Audrey voices lowly.

I nod with a smile, even though it feels taboo. I know I shouldn’t like revenge, but god does it already taste so sweet. “Yup. Day two starts tomorrow,” I inform her of our plans.

“Good,” she responds as we turn right into the courtyard.

But what the hell have I gotten myself into?

lets try something! if you want to be on the taglist, comment your reaction to the chapter + "add me to the taglist please!" and I'll put your name below. thanks again for all the support!

taglist:

[bardic-tales]

Good morning, fellow creatives. Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the first week of this event. As I mentioned in my taglist post, the Creators' Club is to foster a community between like-minded individuals.

Every day, there will be a theme: such as Blorbo Blursday where it is encouraged you go into each other's ask boxes or even a post on your blog asking about each others' weekly project or muse.

This project is not to promote your work -- even though that will happen organically -- but to support the other Tumblr members. It's to foster a community. You don't need to participate every day, as I know how it's important to focus on your health, but please try to interact with each other.

Also, please remember to be kind to everyone and their characters / WIPs. No drama in the creative pool.

Our Tuesdays are on rotation. There are two events for this day. The first one is Trivia Tuesday. The second one is Tender Tuesday.

For this week, we are going to focus on relationships. While Tender Tuesday does encompass love interests, romantic ideas, and shipping your OCs, there is another side to it, too. After all, the love for a sibling and friend can be considered tender, as well.

How to particpate: Send an ask to a fellow member starting with “Happy Tender Tuesday” and ask them about a platonic friendship, a romantic relationship, or general love life of their chosen OC that they want to talk about this week.

Also, feel free to talk about your character's relationships or share a snippet with us about the topic and remember to tag @bardic-tales in all of your responses, as well as posts, so I can share it on this post.

Please refer to our 'Meet the Character / Project' post we did yesterday. There is a list of everyone's desired talking point this week under Creators.

If you have your asks open, you will receive an ask by @bardic-tales today. However, I know some of you don't for various reasons. You are welcome to use one or all three of the following questions and tag me, so I can reblog it.

Daily Question

How do your character show love in small ways that their partner finds meaningful?

What is a small gesture your characters do for each other that expresses their deep friendship or sibling bond?

What is a pivotal moment in your WIP where a character shows unexpected tenderness, changing the course of their relationships?

Member Answers

please make sure you read all warnings on the answers.

@sliceoflifeshepard: original work: gordon and chaos

@megandaisy9: 13 reasons why & dying light: libby mason

@watermeezer: original work: dani sharling

@bardic-tales: Final Fantasy 7: bianca moore

@pinkevilwriter: original work: Theories and AUs

@nightingaleflowlibrary: naruto: holly reed

@kricketbee: avatar: last air bender: Princess Dai Yu

The following are the current members of our club:

@watermeezer @nightingaleflowlibrary @megandaisy9 @sliceoflifeshepard @themaradwrites

@serenofroses @kricketbee @pinkevilwriter @asirensrage

To sign up for the Creators' Club, please see this post on @bardic-tales' blog about it:

Creators' Club Tag List

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward in getting to know you and your works.

[littlemissmentallyunstable]

Hi! I have some questions for you. First, Rank the Hawthorne brothers:

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

4th:

Now, your most favourite character from the whole series :

Your least favourite character from the whole series:

I really want to know whether or not we think on the same wavelength about these characters or if I'm the odd one out. Last question, who are the characters that you wish had been mentioned more in the series, as in, their relation with Avery?

hello!! sorry it took me so long to reply but I have been heavily debating my answers. these were such good questions and it was so hard to decide!! but I feel like my answers are gonna bug you…

Hawthorne brother ranking: I CANT DO ITTT, I ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY CANTTT IM SOOOO SORRY

like genuinely love them all the same and I cannot choose, I had tried (hence why it took me so long to reply) but it was impossible 😔😔

I mean if you’re talking boyfriend wise: Grayson would be my first choice but I would not mind any of them, literally if they existed I’d be lucky to get a side glance

favourite character: you know what this is so difficult for me because it literally changes daily 😭😭 and it is so dependant on my mood but I’ll give you a top five

Gigi is my babyyyy, I love her to pieces!! she’s so bubbly and cute and sweet and I literally just want to hug her to death, but at the same time her character is so much deeper than that and she hides all of her pain. (and I’m a sucker for an emotionally traumatised character that’s trying to bottle everything up until they have to break).

okay this might get me hated on but I’m allowed to have my own opinion… I personally love love love Savannah… WAIT NO ONE KILL ME YET… I just think she’s such a girl boss, I love a strong independent woman who fights her own battles. also I love her pure confidence and how she also bottles her emotions in a more cutthroat way than Gigi, I love her coldness (I probably sound like a mentalist), idk I just love her and her intensity, it’s just so alluring!!

oh also tell me why nan Hawthorne is my literal idol?? idk I just love her. her energy is everything, she’s so cool 😭😭 idk I have an emotional attachment

I know I said five but we’re counting the Hawthorne brothers as a whole here (one whole split into quarters so it’s like 0.25 each). Grayson, Jameson, Xander and Nash are all spectacular in all different ways and I could sit here and book on why but I won’t bore you…

I know I literally just named half the characters in the book but overall if I had to give one answer I would have to say that Avery is my favourite character, call me predictable or clichè but I worship that woman and she’s such an amazing character

Least favourite character: this is the one I feel like I can give a straight answer on. I mean it’s the obvious E*e, Em*ly and Tob*as, like ew hate them.

oooo okay hottakes now (yay)

I feel like we don’t get enough of Libby and Avery just being sisters, like I need more. me and my sister are super close and I want to see that in those two. they have so much potential, I know we get snippets but after the first two books it kind of fades a bit…

obviously I want to see Lyra and Avery become besties because I feel like they’d bounce off of each other, like they’re both super smart, both (practically) dating a Hawthorne brother and I think they’d have such a cool friendship

idkkk but I loved the Avery/Xander dynamic from the hawthorne legacy (I think that’s when those two bonded more, but I might be wrong) so more of that would be amazinggg

and I know this isn’t about Avery but honourable mentions bc I want to see more Gigi and Xander being plutonic besties and also more Gigi and Savannah moments. I would also LOVEEE more scenes of just the four Hawthorne brothers bc those are always hilarious and they just gel so well together.

but now I’m practically naming everyone in the series, sorry for my waffle and not-straight answers 😭😭 but thanks for asking <33

[hascalwrites]

I could be the only anti of Nash and Libby in this fandom but I just don't get it! Like the vast majority of their friendship and relationship happens off the page! All we get is some attraction at the beginning from Nash (and if I remember correctly, his checking her out only happened in Alisa's presence right? Kinda like "see I'm over you" thing?), him rightly being a good man and being concerned for her with the abusive ex (and as was said, Nash has a strong need to save anyone in trouble. Anyone. So this wasn't really a point in their ship you know?), next thing we know shes jetting off to see his dad with him, and a few more random "jumps" put in to show how close they are. Now they're engaged which also happened off the page... I just ain't for the whole relationship progression thing. I've read many books with better side ships than this tbh. If JLB actually gave us more then I'd be for it but I just love their characters themselves!

Now Nash and Alisa I could get behind lol. I have a thing for former lovers reuniting and falling in love again. But seriously, they have history, chemistry, a good amount of on page interactions, and of course they used to be engaged. And if I read TBH right, Nash ended things because he thought there was something wrong with him? I think there was something about Alisa not wanting to ditch their family as well. Anyway it would've been cool to have them reunite, both be hurt/angry at first but still giving each other "I love you" looks, Nash calling her Lee Lee but softly and her giving the Alisa Look but secretly LOVING it, her actually being part of the family like im sure she was before the books (she had to be! Her and the Laughlins were the only girls they got super close with!), Nash going all Rip Wheeler when she gets kidnapped!! And a steamy kiss scene like the one Avery caught Thea and Rebecca in because they just couldn't take the distance anymore!! And then being the awesome Big Sibling team and protecting the kids together! Just so many great possibilities that we didn't get but should've. I might even write something myself actually.

[noys-boise]

okay Felix's ocs big infodump post

featuring picrews made with this maker because I don't have the energy to draw

Seth (he/she/they/xe)

Seth is completely removed from society by choice. They ran away from home when he was 16 because their father was not a very good person at all. Xe moved into an abandoned garage and got (stole) a motorcycle. She makes money by running a not exactly legal piercing/tattoo shop. Xe has a snake named Libby who they care about more than anything else. They're generally really passionate about snakes and have a snake tattoo. He believes being authentic is the biggest virtue someone can have and lives by it. Basically this is my weird child, I found them in a trash can and I love her. They're 19 years old. Oh and she plays the guitar.

Lena/Lemon (she/her)

Got the nickname Lemon as a child and it stuck. She loves organizing things. She has an extensive collection of different plants and stuff. She's planning to go to college later, but is taking a year off. Her parents are kinda rich, which is how she was able to move out as a 19 year old and own a house. She's endlessly positive and caring to a fault (doesn't really prioritize her own needs which is how she's ended up in multiple toxic friendships and a relationship with a guy she doesn't really like). She has a cat named Honey. She's really scared of snakes.

Irene (she/they)

She always manages to be the weirdest person in the room no matter what and is proud of that. They have an original character named Luna who's basically the personification of the moon and then fell in love with her. She constantly paints Luna and wants to become a professional artist. Very strong moon theming going on for her for obvious reasons. Their parents divorced when she was young so she lives with her mom. They got a few tattoos secretly from Seth without her mom knowing about it. She strongly identifies with the three weed smoking girlfiends (yes she smokes weed. no she doesn't have a girlfriend though. she wishes.) Their pseudonym is Pygmalia because of the whole fell in love with her character thing. She's 18. Seth and her are best friends/sometimes friends with benefits

Mike (he/him)

the thing about Mike is that once upon a time he used to be the main character but now I prefer to focus on Seth so he got significantly sidelined. He loves music and writes some of his own sometimes. He's depressed, but working on it. He has a crush on his best friend Dom who also got sidelined somewhere along the line (or more accurately he's too similar to another oc I used for another story which i actually started writing but then discontinued). His parents and Irene's parents are friends, so they've known each other all their life. He's 17.

Christine (she/her)

it's her, she's the problem, it's her. Lena's best friend since high school. Very manipulative, but deep down also very insecure. She has problems and she's definitely not a good friend. She's always wanted to be a singer or dancer. Loves being the center of attention. Gets jealous very easily.

Ella (she/her)

Lena's other best friend since high school. She's the enabler. She sometimes realizes Christine isn't a very good person but is too afraid to say anything and even goes along with it sometimes. She wants to be an author, although she didn't realize that for the longest time because she made Christine's goals her own goals too. She's just trying to find herself mostly.

Leo (he/him)

Local prettyboy. Also went to high school with Lena and her friends. Most girls had a crush on him and he ended up dating Lena, because he genuinely liked her and she felt pressured by her friends even though she really would've rather stayed friends with him. He has a strong interest in reptiles and is a bit of a nerd but he's conventionally attractive enough for that to not bother people. He's actually a pretty decent person.

Okay now some story:

as I mentioned Seth lives in an abandoned garage. They knew the house it belongs to isn't in use, but figured he doesn't need more than the garage itself (he decorated it and everything). But then Lena moved in without Seth knowing about it, because Lena didn't use the garage and Seth didn't use the house attached to it, they just kind of lived next to each other without knowing for a few days.

Then Lena, being the "queen of road safety", almost got hit by Seth's motorcycle, because she may have crossed the road at red light. Seth managed to turn in time, but drove right into a tree, wrecking her motor completely. Yeah this is their first meeting, romantic isn't it? So after Lena apologizes a few hundred times (over apologizer), Seth is about to head home when they finally realize their accidental cohabitation. Since Lena still feels guilty about her recklessness causing Seth to lose his motorcycle, she agrees to let him stay anyway. Though she probably would've either way because she's a people pleaser and like she doesn't need that garage either way. Cut to slice of life sitcom shenanigans of two VERY different people trying to live together. Spoiler alert they fall in love. Which leads Lena to the soul crushing task of breaking up with her boyfriend who she didn't even like. Except he's actually fine with it and they stay friends and he even gives her advice once she later admits she's catching feelings for Seth.

Also Seth introduces Lena to Irene at one point and they don't initially get along, since Irene is somewhat overprotective of Seth and doesn't trust people easily and Lena is slightly creeped out by her chaotic nature, but they come around to each other.

Seth also helps Lena become more confident, which leads her to finally stop being friends with Christine and Ella after realizing how unhealthy their friendship is. Although Ella later apologizes and they'll rekindle their friendship eventually but that still takes time. Also Ella and Leo might end up dating, idk.

Meanwhile Lena helps Seth be slightly more adjusted and to work through her trauma. Plus xe does start to love her which forces him to learn a kind of vulnerability he's never shown before.

Overall I'm just kind of obsessed with all of these depressed bitches ✌️

[thechaseofspades]

An essay about the best Disney TVA shows today

So Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is Disney TVA's newest hit. If you follow me, you know how much I love this show. There's so much good about it that I couldn't possibly cover all of it. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how similar it is to another relatively new DTVA show that just happens to be premiering its second season soon...

Now, I recognize the irony here. The LES and Brighton are probably the exact opposite settings. I should know. I live in a town just like Brighton. There's lots of corn here. Please help.

But beyond that surface level contrast, these shows hit a lot of the same concepts, but take them in different directions to fit the tone and setting. Let's discuss...

Spoilers for both shows. The spoilers start out light but by the end I'm just spilling all the beans. Please watch the shows.

continues under the break

1. Regular girl meets unlikely non-human best friend and that's literally the title of the show

Probably the most obvious comparison. Heck, you could probably boil down any Disney property ever to that description if you try hard enough.

But, the similarities between DD and Scratch might as well end there, as they bring completely different characters to the table. Still worth getting out of the way here. I promise the rest of this post has more substance. Wait where are you going come back

2. Human best friend(s)

I've talked already about how I'm a big fan of Casey. As far as I know, she's a completely original character not found anywhere in the comics. She might be an amalgamation of other comic characters but I'm not sure. Either way, huge props for nailing it with her and making her feel like a natural fit.

So what do we know about Casey? Her biggest fixation, something we see the second we meet her, is her social media savviness. While Lunella can invent an app that warps space and time, Casey works best with the apps that already exist. Remind you of anybody?

Now, I'm not on the Andrea bandwagon quite yet. She's definitely had her positive moments, namely the Christmas episode, but overall I don't categorize her in the "best friend" tier quite yet.

I bring her up because we can bring in another contrast between elements and how these sho was use similar concepts for different results. While Andrea's social media exploits are all about herself, Casey cares more about getting Moon Girl on the map, both helping out her best friend and doing a good deed. I'm glad we've gotten to a point where the social media savvy tween/teen can be a positive trait finally.

But I want to highlight the other side of Casey, and the part that makes it so intriguing to me that Lucase has been a central focus in this show. She may have the skills of Andrea, but she reminds me so much more of another of Molly's friends...

Who did Molly McGee meet to become her first real friend and de facto best friend who she then spent the rest of the show developing that friendship??

"Mazel Tov, Libby!" is my favorite episode of The Ghost and Molly McGee, and it's gonna be hard to top. Libby is my favorite character in that show and seeing her struggling and eventually breaking just hit me so hard. So when Molly and Libby came out of it better than ever, it proved how strong their bond truly was.

Casey blends Andrea's social media savviness with Libby's irl social awkwardness and difficulty at making friends. And Lunella to an even greater extent as seen in the sleepover. But together, Lucase bring out the best in each other, the same way that Molly and Libby do in their own show.

Also shoutout to Libby and Casey for being Jewish Latina DTVA girls with hyphenated last names and Bat Mitzvah centric episodes. Maybe should have led with that parallel.

To be continued in a reblog so don't go anywhere... (link to part 2 if it's not already attached to this post)

[tenjiiku]

i recently read strange weather in tokyo per your recommendation and oh my god!! a book has never articulated my inner dialogue and jumbled brain as well as it did! do you have any more book/song recs!?

Hello!! I am so very happy to hear that!! Hmm let us see.

Book Recs;

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn. I remember borrowing this book on Libby and never getting around to it until I had like 2 days left until the return date lol. Anyway I am glad I did end up reading it. Yunjae is my baby… you feel so many things reading his story and yet it is never portrayed the way you want it to be which makes it as enticing as it is painstaking. His and Gon’s friendship is so bittersweet and slowburn which makes the turn of events the novel takes so rewardingly emotional.

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa. Has similar themes to Almond, I would say. As you can most likely tell, I love love love love love human connection being written in its most intimate forms in literature. If you are like me you will enjoy this novel as well!

Significant Others by Zoe Eisenberg. I actually read this novel per Jennette McCurdy’s book recommendation lol (who is another wonderful author and person btw, her memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died left me thinking for days on my own familial relationships). Friendships are soo important and yet rarely delved into in a particularly meaningful or tasteful way to me. Female friendships especially. The older I grow and the more people whom I continue to fall out with and meet — this book does a wonderful service to detailing all of the intricacies of platonic relationships.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. I read this book on a whim. The premise of a therapist receiving therapy sounds like something the average person would probably not connect with as much but I was happily surprised to find that this book was not like that at all. I read this in one setting on a two hour train and cried at the end.

Artists/Songs;

Hanroro. Recently I have been really into Korean Rock music lol. So random but anyway. I really love her voice. Her lyrics are also very teen spirt-y but her vocals and instrumentals bring it in an entirely new form to me. I really like Mayfly, Don’t be afraid to fall and Even if you leave,

PJ Harvey. Idk how to explain this one tbh. I just like feeling sexy!!! Idk what to say. Her album Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea has been on repeat for the month of February for me..

Riize. Literally talk saxy idk. Sohee I want U.. Seunghan I miss u 😓

[the5n00k]

Character analysis essay: (kind of, it's mostly me just rambling)

The Ghost and Molly McGee and the concept of unconditional love and acceptance

‼️Spoilers ahead for both seasons 1 and 2!‼️

The Ghost and Molly McGee is one of the most special animated tv shows I've ever seen for several reasons but none quite as special to me as this. A ton of shows, especially on Disney channel, boast of their friendships between the main characters and their hijinks they get into but none have quite impacted me like the friendship between the two titular characters Molly and Scratch. I mean when I first watched this series in July after the season 1 finale, I expected to have a brief period of obsession, a few drawings, and then I'd move on. As you can tell by my blog, that did not happen. (For better and for worse)

People dismiss this show because of the more grounded slice of life episodic approach it takes but honestly I feel like that's it's strongest aspect. It allows the characters to have more moments where they can just slow down and connect. There's no urgent threat (save for a few episodes) that needs to be addressed or the world will end. The characters get to talk, react, and grow because of its slower pace. I say slower loosely because this show will also throw jokes at you harder and faster than an automatic tennis ball server but it knows when to take a moment seriously when it needs to. (This is also why season 1 Amphibia is my favorite and y'all can fight me for it.)

Now onto my main point; Molly and Scratch's relationship.

They start out rough. REALLY rough. They're not good for each other in the slightest. Scratch is mean and constantly trying to sabotage Molly and Molly is controlling, dragging Scratch along on her daily tasks even if he expresses how much he does not want to come along. But no matter how terrible they treat each other, there's still a level of care.

Take First Day Frights or The Unnatural for example. Scratch is more than willing to watch Molly fail until he sees her getting picked on, something he's experienced almost every day of his afterlife, possibly his living one too. He has this connection to her early on, he has this empathy. He'd never expressly admit it and he still tries his hardest to make her give up MANY times throughout season 1 either for his own amusement, thinking the effort isn't worth both of their time, or simply because he has to keep Brighton miserable. But seeing her upset always sets something off in him. And while he doesn't verbally admit he cares about her until the season finale, he does eventually acknowledge her as his best friend (although in that instance it was more to spite Libby) and acknowledge himself as part of her family. The most notable episodes that highlight their more stable relationship are season 1, 18-20 (for those unaware, that would be Out of House and Home/Home is Where the Haunt is, Scaring is Caring/All Night Plight, and The Jig is Up/Molly Vs the Ghost World)

Moving onto season 1 Molly now, she was controlling and seemed to enjoy annoying Scratch in almost a sibling-like behavior, poking him, teasing him, playing with his "hair" but the further you get into the series, the less annoying these feel and the more endearing they become. She also begins to respect his boundaries more, summoning him less and kind of letting him do his own thing in the general area while she has her own plot going on. (Goat Your Own Way and gags ... The Internship) And even after the curse is broken, she seems willing to let him move on away from her if that's what he really wants. She's more interested in his happiness now than her own. Letting go of that control is HUGE for her considering how much emphasis she put on him being her first forever friend. She didn't even expose him to Libby until she got his permission. I brought it up once and I'm bringing it up again dammit.

These two broken, mistreated, flawed people who found each other by complete coincidence would do anything and go to the ends of the earth for each other. And they did.

Moving onto season 2 I was terrified they would regress in some way from this. It was such a high note and a perfect end to their arc all throughout season 1, but now there was this new status quo. They were used to each other now. They could feel like completely different characters at this point. But they weren't, in fact they're even better.

They fight, they argue, they disagree on A LOT of things, but at the end of the day they're even more supportive and loving of each other than ever before.

They're not tearing each other down anymore, they're actively building each other up. Making the other a better person. Cheering them on. This even extends to the B characters like Libby and Darryl, they feel like a close-knit family. Even when they argue, the first thing they see when they say each other again is "I'm sorry" which is HUGE for Scratch, acknowledging fault was (and still is to some degree) really hard for him. They love each other no matter what. They've still got their issues, Molly still feels like she needs to burn herself out to make others happy and Scratch is still calloused and mean towards new additions to his social circle but that just makes them feel more authentic. I don't want them to be perfect. Watching them improve yet still struggle with the same issues they had at the start of the series makes them feel so real. For being a show that's mostly episodic with loose continuity, the development its characters go through is so slow burn sometimes you don't even notice it just binging the series. But if you jump back and forth between an early season 1 episode to a late/season 2 episode, it is STAGGERING.

Molly doesn't love Scratch because he stopped being mean. Scratch doesn't love Molly because she stopped being an overbearing ball of energy. They've loved each other in spite of that. They see past these flaws to their source and relate to the feelings they stem from. At their core, Molly and Scratch are exactly the same; social outcasts seemingly doomed to never having lasting connections. They just responded differently to what they had to go through, their two extremes are even similar in some ways with over possessiveness and insecurity. When Scratch was defending himself to Libby, he couldn't even name any of his redeeming qualities. And Molly still thought Scratch wanted to leave her in spite of everything. They're so torn from their experiences and that drives them closer together. I'm tearing up writing this.

They're broken but they're healing. They're best friends forever. One without the other would not be the same person. Although they aren't codependent, they've gotten along fine on solo adventures without the other needing to step in and solve their problem. They're healthy in their toxic behaviors because they call each other out. I don't consider a relationship toxic if there's noticeable improvement and growth. They're mature in their immaturity, their friendship is so simple and sincere. They enjoy each other's company and don't care who knows it. They're weirdos and so is everyone else they're friends with. Save for maybe Geoff. I don't think a single soul hates Geoff. I'm getting off topic but their friendship is something I always wanted.

They know they're broken, they know they're flawed and selfish at times. But they're trying. And that effort is sometimes all that one can ask for. The dream team for all eternity.

[tgammsideblog]

Tgamm S1 Ep 19-B ¨All Night Plight¨ Episode analysis

Molly, Scratch and Libby decide to stay all night late to watch a comet that passes every 50 years, the problem is that staying awake all night for the three of them is more easy said than done...

¨All Night Plight¨ episode is a bit hard to talk about since it has some pretty interesting things going on for the main characters as well as the theme of the story. It is an episode that give quite a lot to talk about in the fandom when it first aired.

The story starts with a quickly explanation in Molly's class about how there is a comet that passes every 50 years for people to being able to see it at night. The teacher explains that one has to stay up very late (4:00 AM) to be able to see it pass. She ends the class and the students leave school.

Molly, Scratch and Libby talk about the comet on their way back home. Scratch has a hilarious moment he talks about how he made a man cry once because he kept moving his keys (with Dana Synder's comedic timing great as always). Then Libby comments how this could be their only opportunity to see the comet together with ¨who knows how our life is going to be in fifty year¨, followed by a funny scenario of seeing herself as some sort of fantasy knight from her fantasy novels.

This makes Molly become very anxious for a few moments, as she thinks about how ¨everything could change¨ and suddenly decides that she wants to stay up night to see the comet, with Libby and Scratch joining her idea. It's clear that Molly fears the idea of losing her friendship with Scratch and Libby over the course of the years or how it could change. So, she decides she wants to make the ¨perfect memory¨ with Libby and Scratch.

It's worth of noting that the song sequence that plays while the Mcgee family are making the preparations for the night is very adorable. It presents the characters as your typical live action comedy sitcom, with their names showing up on the screen. There is also the detail of different moments being potrayed as it was a photo album, which itself has little notes and drawings made by Molly that are both funny and cute.

Once the night comes and Libby arrives to the Mcgees' home, she comments to Molly how there is too much light pollution. After a funny exchange between Sharon and Pete about how drives the trio, Sharon takes them to the country to be able to see the night sky better. (In the buffalo field from Episode 4-A, out of all things).

Most of the rest of the episode involves Molly desperately trying to keep Libby and Scratch to stay still in one place while Scratch protest not having eaten anything for all the night and Libby switching between falling sleeping and pretending to be a knight fighting dragons because of her trying to stay up late.

It becomes so ridiculous to the point Libby starts charging up against the buffalos thinking they are dragons and Scratch using Molly's phone to order a pizza while being in the middle of the country.

In all this, the night get worse and worse as Molly realizes that they didn't brought the snaks with them and Libby becomes more lost in her sleepy knight fantasy. Molly keeps pushing Libby and Scratch to stay to watch the comet together despite they both are tired and hungry. She is so determined to have this ¨perfect memory¨ that she doesn't consider how her friends are making at the moment.

When the sky happens to get covered by clouds, Molly tries to ¨blow¨ the clouds away. Getting tired of the situation, Scratch asks to Molly why she is so desperate to see the comet. That's when Molly explains that she is afraid of what is going to happen to the three of them over the course of the years and she is afraid of losing them as friends or their relationship changing. This shows that even after months have passed since they moved in to Brighton, Molly still has these abandonment issues of having to leave his friends behind for moving from house to house a lot before the events of the show. She is afraid that growing up she is going to lose Libby and Scratch as friends, which is probably the closest she has had to an actual long stable friendship.

I think the context of this episode is important as well since it takes place after the events of ¨Home is Where the Haunt is¨: The Mcgees almost lost their ¨forever home¨ in Brighton and Molly knows the curse that bonded her with Scratch was broken during the course of that problem. I think these two things brought these personal issues to Molly back, making her realize that not all things are permanent.

Noticing how important seeing the comet is to Molly, Scratch ¨eats¨ both Molly and Libby, shapeshifts into a hot air balloon and takes them above the clouds to see the night sky better. This moment is one of the most beautiful scenes from the series, both visually and emotionally. The animation of the comet passing by is amazing and the score is wonderful. It's worth of mentioning that Scratch cries tears of joy when he watches the comet pass by. It's a great example of how much the character has evolved since the start of the season.

Scratch moves back to the ground, releasing Molly and Libby. Molly thanks Scratch and Libby for staying all the night with her. They decide to go back to Mcgees home until they realize that they forgot about the angry buffalos, making the episode end.

In conclusion: ¨All Night Plight¨ is a great episode that shows how far the friendship between Molly, Scratch and Libby has grew over the course of the season. It acts as a celebration of their relationship so far, letting all them have both funny and emotional moments in the episode. It's also a good exploration of a side of Molly that hasn't been brought up for quite a while, which is her abandonment issues and hear fear of losing her freinds again. It is hearbreaking to see her breaking down while explaining to Scratch why she wants to make a ¨forever memory¨. In all, it is a beautiful episode and it isn't hard to see why it is considered one of the best from this season.

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s4 ep5: Revulsion

This one is quite the hodge-podge of totally disjointed stories. There's a horror story about a murdery hologram, an awkward comedy about Harry getting a crush on Seven, and little subplots about the Doctor wanting to go on more away missions, Tom having to fill in in sickbay, and Tom and B'Elanna deciding to get serious with their relationship. It's a lot, and tonally, none of them really fit together well.

From the first shot of the teaser, which is of a dead body being dragged across a ship by a hologram who's clearly just murdered the guy, it doesn't set a good tone. While it takes our crew the rest of the episode to figure out that the hologram who supposedly lost his crew to disease and requests their help is actually a psycho who murdered them all, the audience knows it from the beginning, which makes the whole episode feel slow, and makes the characters look kinda stupid for not being able to see it right away too. Especially since the actor who plays the hologram is so creepy and unpleasant to watch, and all the scenes on his ship are shot like a horror movie, with him looming ominously behind people in the shadows, while ominous music plays, it just feels way too obvious and heavy handed. (And I never like to see my girl B'Elanna getting put through crap- everyone needs to leave her alone, she puts up with so much!!) Knowing the whole episode that this creepy hologram is going to try to kill her at some point just feels so schlocky exploitation film-ish, it's not fun or interesting to watch in any capacity. I also don't buy that a hologram that's meant to do menial ship maintenance would have a sophistocated enough program that it could pass through some matter, and not others, at the same time, at will. That was just too convenient to be realistic given what we've already established about holographic technology. But luckily B'Elanna is such a badass that even with her injuries, she still managed to destruct his program like a boss. Queen shit, as always. I love her so much!!

And then there's poor Harry, who gets basically a teenage crush storyline over Seven of Nine. It's supposed to be funny, but mostly it's just a heap of secondhand embarrassment. Idk why they have Harry acting like a dumb kid whenever they try to give him a romantic subplot now- he's in his mid-twenties, he's not a kid, and he used to have a hot girlfriend back home, who he used to go to concerts with in his slutty mesh top, which nobody who was shy and awkward would ever wear. He couldn't be that clueless and inept about dating. (Also, I guess he finally gave up on Libby for good at this point! Sorry girl, you're no match for the hottest lady of all- the USS Voyager!) The worst part is that Harry and Seven are actually kind of cute together, and it would have been nice to see them form a normal friendship, but that possibilty was stifled by giving him the stupid crush plot. Tom at least tries to talk him out of going for a romance with someone who's only been human for basically a few weeks, but Harry doesn't listen, and it just gets more awkward. Ugh. why.

Why on earth they expect us to believe that Tom is the most qualified person to fill in as a medic, I have no idea- there's gotta be some science officer who has more medical training than a pilot, but at least they were giving one of the regular characters more screentime, I guess. And I do love to see Tom taking care of people, it's a nice counter to the weird mean version of him from Day of Honor that I still need brain bleach to recover from. (Why would they do that to my sunshine boy??)

One of my favorite scenes in the episode is Tuvok's absolutely lovely and sweet banquet celebrating his promotion. I love when the crew have sit down meals together, it's always the most heartwarming, adorable stuff. Tom and Harry telling a story about a time they pranked him, Janeway presenting him with his pip, and Tuvok's thank you speech are just so perfectly lovely. Everyone is so happy and having so much fun, including Tuvok, and I love to see it. Whenever I see gifs or screenshots of this scene, it's always of Tuvok saying 'in three years I've grown to respect many of you, others, I've learned to tolerate' like he's being bitchy or throwing shade, but in context, he's actually being affectionate- there's a lightness in his voice and a twinkle in his eye, and Tom and Harry smile at him when he says it. This is Tuvok being happy, and expressing his love for his crewmates with his dry Vulcan humor. It's so good!!! Tim Russ does so much with so little- he always manages to convey the full range of Tuvok's thoughts and feelings in the extremely narrow confines of acceptable Vulcan behavior. With the subtlest of intonations and expressions, he shows us his whole personality and his whole heart, it's really exceptional acting. Tuvok has been and will always be my favorite Vulcan character in Star Trek.

Tom and B'Elanna get a small scene at the end of the banquet, where we finally get to see them talk about what happened in Day of Honor. Once again, Tom is the one to break the silence after three days and say they have to talk about it- they give each other a chance to wriggle out of the whole 'I love you' thing, but B'Elanna admits that she really did mean what she said. Tom responds by kissing her, which is adorable, but still missing the crucial words- all they had to do was tack an 'I love you too' on the end of that 'shut up and kiss me'- would that have been so hard??? Tom is always the one who wants to actually talk about stuff, he would not be reluctant to say it! Certainly not more than she was! What gives??? Idk, but they agree to meet up in her quarters at the end of the episode, so I guess we just get to infer that they talked about it later. (But judging from their earlier kiss, they probably just made out the whole time and never came up for air lol)

Tl;dr: The main plots in this one were both pretty poorly executed, but the little character moments sprinkled in were wonderful and made it worth watching.