#fitz answers shit

[sillygreenrat]

angel hare characters meet the smiling critters (cartoon)

dude she'd think the bigger bodies are sooooooooo fucked up..............

[becca-e-barnes]

I need more of needy Bucky who loses control from the feeling of being inside your pussy. I need him to fuck me like a rag doll and to carry me over his shoulder around the house like his personal flesh light.

Fuck, this has always been one of my very favourites to write. I really like to imagine that he struggles to last but he can keep going after he finishes 🙈 it's my lil filthy fantasy

But imagine spending the morning in bed with him. You both wake up around 6am and you spend the first little while just touching and chatting before a couple of hours of sex. Now it's maybe around 11am and after lying there together for a while, you're both in the mood for something to eat.

You pull a robe around you and that's just about as much as you manage before Bucky's scooped you up, carrying you to the kitchen.

"You don't need to carry me everywhere!" You tease, remembering that he'd carried you up the stairs to bed last night too.

"I know. But. Carrying you means. I. Can put you. Exactly. Where. I want you." He peppers kisses over your face and neck, tenderly capturing your bottom lip between his before he sets you up on the kitchen countertop.

There's no point arguing with him so you sit there quite happily. He makes up a quick pancake mix, washes some berries from the fridge, preps the coffee machine and sets the little dining table for the two of you.

Somewhere in between, you got a little distracted, perched on the counter scrolling on your phone. You hadn't noticed the way he's looking at you.

He's so caught up in the little things; the way the light hits your shoulder, the curve of your hips, the way the silhouette of your nipples are visible against the satin robe.

"Look at you, sitting there all sweet like your cunt isn't so fucking full of me."

That's got your attention.

You squirm a little, your body fluttering at how shamelessly vulgar he's being but nothing's stopping you from doing the same.

You spread your legs, exposing the slick mess coating your inner thighs. It's a mixture of your own arousal and Bucky's cum, dripping out of your sensitive cunt.

Your fingertips trail lazily over your exposed sex, your skin glistening in the natural light before you bring your fingers to your own lips, sucking them clean, giving him a little bit of a show.

"Tastes amazing, sweetheart." You groan, noticing the growing bulge in his thin pyjama bottoms. "But I lost track of how many times you came inside me this morning. You came so deep, most of your cum won't have dripped out yet. Bet I'm still totally stuffed full."

He sinks to his knees in no time, settling his head between your thighs, breathing in the faint smell of your arousal. His tongue presses flat to your sex, trailing from your hole to your clit and back, gathering as much of your combined release as possible.

He groans, low and pathetic, allowing his tongue to dip inside you as deep as he can bury it. He savours every drop of cum he earns back from your body.

When his tongue alone isn't enough, he slips a finger into you, followed quickly by a second, curling them against your sensitive inner wall.

"Bucky baby, please don't make me cum again." You groan, your fingers tangled in his dark hair but you know he's not giving you that choice. Not when his free hand is furiously stroking his own cock, desperate to ensure that when he's finished licking his cum out of you, he can flood your cunt with another load.

[bravevolunteer]

@comfrtcrowd asked: ❛ you owe me a dinner. a very nice dinner. ❜ fitz lmfao // a meme i don't want to go find

"THEN I'M NOT MAKING IT," Michael chuckles, a dig at his own cooking skills rather than any denial that Fitz has a point— all things considered, Fitz has put up with much more than what one dinner could make up for. "You prefer going out or ordering in? 'Cause if I try and do it the stove's blowing up in flames." Their choices may be limited depending on what he can cover with the kind of checks he gets from shitty security jobs, and even though Fitz may have said it in retaliation to his most recent stunt... Michael likes the idea. Something normal, a night where they don't have to WORRY about the trail that Michael can't bring himself to stop chasing down and the ghosts that haunt their pasts.

"... And I'll call out." A bit worried over the idea of the company calling someone ELSE in to fill his absence, but they won't get the chance if he simply doesn't show up. They can go one night without a security guard. Shoving away the lingering thought that he shouldn't allow himself this kind of relief, his expression pulls into a smile "That enough to get me outta your debt?"

[ahoyimlosingmymind]

how is Keefe airing out Sophie's emotions somehow less invasive than telepathy? (keep in mind- i haven't read the books in a fatty minute)

I get he can feel her emotions without having physical contact. but why does bro announce them to the room? why does he throw them back in her face whenever she's like "hey I'd really rather not talk about it."

like is their connection really that deep or is Keefe just overly aware and invasive... ? people be like "he always knows what she's feeling!" like no shit??? she doesn't have to tell him? this isn't built on trust??

she often ends up telling him things bc he's like "I already know. I can feel ur emotions remember? and they're heavy ones, so you need to talk to someone (me)"

he never gets any criticism for this.

but if Fitz wants to ask and be a bit interrogative about her thoughts and feelings *without reading her mind* he's overstepping boundaries and should just take no for an answer? he doesn't know how she feels all the time, that's why he has to ask more directly than Keefe.

how does this reasoning not apply to both? am I missing something?

[stellar-jay]

also I fucking. ok. while I'm here I gotta mention Amber's being wistful. bc. my god

I was HOPING this whole time for amber to say some shit where altheas like "have you ever loved anyone amber?" and amber like. smiles wistfully and is like. "once.... but thats all behind me now...."

but I was WAITING for what I thought was most likely which is amber just like. telling althea some shit like. "oh Althea, youre so strong willed. you... remind me of someone, sometimes... no matter..." or just some like "I had a friend once who liked cheap brandy best," or some other vague little thing and I was like man that'll be enough I'll be happy. I'll go nuts

I was ALSO really wanting althea to go get boy advice from amber bc it'd be very very funny.

and I was ALSO wondering hey wait. didn't fitz leave the fool with his earring?? yeah that was a pretty significant thing that happened. and the fools not wearing it, prolly cause it's very identifiable. oh what if it's in his dragon earring? that'd make sense. that'd be crazy actually.

NOTHING COULDVE PREPARED ME

FOR THE WAY AMBER FINALLY BRINGS UP FITZ

to be Althea going "idk amber is love real or am I doomed to give up my dreams for someone else" and amber going "well... sometimes people are in love and have the same goal and it works out"

and Althea being like "idk is that even POSSIBLE"

and amber going "well... yes... but it costs a lot. bc you have to accept that he has a life too and it might lead him to a different direction. and like... maybe he has needs you can't fill and maybe you have to leave him for a while and it's painful and you miss him everyday and it costs loneliness and longing and doubt and"

LIKE. MY GOD. INSANE

NOTHING COULDVE PREPARED ME

I got my talking abt boys and I got my amber mentioning fitz and he TOUCHES THE EARRING SO FUCK FITZ'S EARRING IS IN THERE AND THE FOOLS BEEN WEARING IT THIS WHOLE TIME BC OF COURSE HE IS I MEAN FUCK OF COURSE HE IS

and the way it gets brought up is them talking abt boys and Althea going "idk love isn't real" and the fool going "well actually love is very real but its hard bc like with that kind of love you have to respect his life and that like you cant be a part of it and idk sometimes like he's only into women and wants to be free and roam the woods with his wolf and that's a life u can't give to him and like hypothetically you have to leave him for a long time and he thinks you're gone forever but you have to do this and it's not up to you and he doesn't know that and like you miss him every day and every day you wonder if youre doing the right thing and every day you wish you could be falling asleep next to him and" AND THEN ALTHEA INTERRUPTS HER AND JUST DOESNT ASK FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS AND ITS FANTASTIC OH MY GOD

btw I love these new liveship guys but I do miss my boy fitz, and ofc I got excited whenever the six duchies were mentioned and whenever amber got wistful but honest to God the excitement I got from wintrow going "wow what a well illustrated herbal.... the plants colors are so accurate... whoever made this had a real talent for painting and herbs..." was unparalleled like HOLY SHIT FITZ'S HERBAL!!! YEAAAH THATS MY FUCKING BOY!!!

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Desert Planet 2

Frank Herbert: hey man Fitz James O'Brien: hey Herbert: so uh Herbert: you got any more of that Herbert: special stuff? O'Brien: maybe O'Brien: why don't you sit down and play some mariokart with me for a while

[later, at space coven] Frank Herbert: [manic, nose running] so there's a special drug that makes you hallucinate so hard you can fold space Herbert: its made out of worm shit and it will turn you into a salamander

Herbert: also they have to use the space cocaine to fly cuz computers are haram Herbert: hey is anyone eating this san pedro cactus? Jules Verne: what? no Herbert: anyone mind if i…?

Verne: you know, frank, people usually process that before they eat it Verne: you know to get at the Herbert: [chomping san pedro cactus] yeah the mesaline i know Verne: maybe take the spines out at least Herbert: no no the stabbing gets it into your system faster

Herbert: everyone wants to own this drug Herbert: cuz whoever controls the spice Herbert: controls the universe Herbert: shit, that's pretty good Herbert: quick, someone hand me a pencil, i gotta write that one down

Jules Verne: alright hot shot Verne: so you say whoever controls the spice controls the universe Verne: well answer me this Verne: this spice Verne: does it flow? Herbert: [desperately patting pockets] for the love of christ someone hand me a pencil!!

Herbert: so like everyone is fighting over arrakis Herbert: to get the spice, you know Robert Heinlein: yeah! Yeah!!! fighting!!! yeah! Herbert: that's right Herbert: POLITICAL fighting Heinlein: Herbert: ooo there's so much intrigue Heinlein:

David Lynch: the dark in the deep, the eyes in the snail Herbert: really? a movie of my book? Lynch: the dark in the deep Herbert: oh yeah it's called dune

Herbert: you know, arrakis, dune, desert planet Herbert: and here's the important thing-- Lynch: the eyes in the snail Herbert: exactly! Herbert: NOT A DROP of water Herbert: NOTADROP!!!

Lynch: the dark in the deep the eyes in the snail Herbert: thanks for all coming to this screening of lynch's dune movie Herbert: i'm sure you'll all- Jules Verne: SHOW US THE WORM! Robert Heinlein: WE WANT THE WORM! HG Wells: WORM! WORM! WORM!

Herbert: everyone just wants to see the worm Herbert: maybe they'll be more tuned in to my vision over at midnight society [at midnight society] Poe: WE WANT WORM! King: GIVE US WORM! Lovecraft: WHERE'S THE WORM? Barker: SHOW WORM, COWARD! Koontz: [banging pot] WORM! WORM! WORM!

[mrs-prentiss]

Mellies Scandal

Summary : We all know and love Fitz and Olivia’s affair and quarrel. However most of us wanted some sort of justice for Mellie, and one person in particular had every idea to give Mellie just that.

•••••••••••••••••

‼️Warning : Cursing - Light Violence ‼️

Authors Note : I know we all hate when people put their Ocs in a tag for “X reader” but since there is no “Mellie x Reader” fics I am going to put this there to help boost it and find people. If it goes well I will make “x Reader” for Mellie Grant! Until then enjoy! It’s short for now the next ones will be longer

————————

• Nicknames •

Eleanor Prentiss ( Nellie or El sometimes Flo)

Melody Grant ( Mellie or Mells)

Olivia Pope (Liv)

Fitzgerald Grant (Fitz or Fizzy)

••••••••

We all know FitzGerald Grant and we all know the lovely Olivia pope. Who doesn’t love this pairing? Mellie of course and the infamous little sister of Fitz, Eleanor Florence Prentiss. Eleanor is the younger sister to Fitz, she’s the Chief of the FBI office in Washington. She’s married and sort of separated from her lovely wife…sort of ex wife Emily Prentiss who is also working in the Washington office with her.

Eleanor was notorious for flirting with Mellie, who wouldn’t? She was completely and utterly infatuated with the woman and she couldn’t keep her eyes off of her. Something about Mellie just sparked and lit fire works inside of Eleanor. She was always in Mellies corner, despite being the Presidents sister she was a Mellie supporter til the day she died. So upon hearing about her brother affair she was one of the first people inside of the Oval office after getting several calls for her to come there “Melody sweetheart you look beautiful as always. Fitzgerald you look like a fool and so does your common whore here” she said loudly as she walked into the office kicking the door shut behind her.

She stood beside Mellie who sat on the couch and arched an eyebrow at the mistresses in front of her “Is there a reason i’m here? I’m a busy woman I don’t have time to come gossip about your recent screw up” there it was that agitating voice she hated the sound of her voice. She knew Of Olivia Pope they’d cross paths plenty of time and every time Olivia got in her way she had blackmail and the government knees deep on her side “I called you here. We need your help and you weren’t answering his calls”

Eleanor turned to the right slightly and smiled with a low chuckle following past it “You don’t not beckon me anywhere. You don’t ask for my help, as far as i’m concerned nothing at all is stopping me from kicking your ass Olivia. You tell your team to stop ringing my lines i’m busy i don’t have the time to play phone tag” she placed a hand on Mellies shoulder gently squeezing it and giving her a give glance with an apologetic smile and soft eyes. She sympathized and she wanted nothing more then to give Mellie everything she wanted, but it wasn’t an easy task.

Mellie would be lying if she told herself the way Eleanor looked at her and touched her simply didn’t just send a tense feeling down to her core. She picked the wrong Grant that was for sure and she didn’t know what to do from now “I told you it was a bad idea Fitz. Eleanor is working and she hated this as much as I do. You should know that.” Mellie tried to reason with her husband on her sister in laws behalf. He wasn’t listening though and neither was Olivia they’d both decided for Mellie that they would all convince Eleanor.

“Mellie we need her to help us. She has resources and connections we don’t. We all agreed to this” Olivia expressed in a broad tone. Eleanor for one didn’t agree with her brother running for president she hated the idea but she was also a good sister who would support what he wanted even if she didn’t like it “Hey Olivia? Shut the fuck up and let her speak. God do you deal with this every day Melody? This is ridiculous. If i’m helping any of you this piggy backing to defend each other shit is stopping now.” Eleanor snapped at both Fitz and Olivia pointing at the with the hand she took off Mellies shoulder.

Fitz took a sharp breath and groaned loudly “SERIOUSLY NELLIE! You can’t behave for five minutes and play nice! Olivia hasn’t done anything and you’re already insulting her. We need your help! I need your help, my presidency depends on it” he exhausted said in a sharp tone to his sister. Fitz and Eleanor don’t yell at each other and they don’t fight, so the room was so quiet at the moment you could hear a pin drop. Eleanor smirked slightly and set her bag and keys down beside Mellie sending her a wink before she moved past the couch.

A loud slap echoed through the Oval office and left Fitz with his head snapped sideways and Eleanor shaking her hand off as she lowered it “Do not ever raise your voice at me again. You two have done everything wrong, you have ruined her life. Just so you know Fizzy i’m not here for you, i’m here for Mellie. You want my help you find a way to speak to me because next time i’ll make sure you hit the floor and you know I will” as her brother mumbled an apology to his sister rubbing his cheek as he lifted his head to look at her she started speaking again “I’ll talk to Emily. I’ll see what we can do okay? Until then you two don’t go making this harder for me to clean up”

“Wait; you’re still with her? You told me you two got divorce Eleanor. Are you guys still married?” Mellies confusion and jealous was obvious to Eleanor just by the look in her eyes which made her shift in her spot as the first lady stood up with her eyes challenging Eleanor. Eleanor fumbled over her words for a second before she scrunched her nose as she spoke and relaxed it “No…yes? I don’t know we’re— It’s complicated. It doesn’t matter. What matters is i’m fixing this mess and i’ll be here tomorrow and the rest of the week to help” she grabbed her bag and keys from the couch, mouthing an i’m sorry to Mellie before she made her way to the door “and..when i come back Olivia you better be here and on a short leash i know how you get when you get power hungry” she pointedly spoke. She waved goodbye to the secretary and made her way through the white house halls calling Emily to figure out how the hell she’d clean this up.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

I made this Agents of SHIELD poll a few days ago about AUs that would’ve been interesting to see. Currently, the winning answer is that Leo Fitz made a deal with Ghost Rider to destroy AIDA. Now that I think about it, I think this would’ve been the stronger storyline. My reasons:

1) There’s no real reason why it had to be Coulson who destroyed AIDA. It feels like he was only made Ghost Rider because he’s the lead character and the showrunners needed an excuse to kill off Coulson at the end of season 5. But even then, the choice to have Ghost Rider be the one to kill Coulson feels wrong since that’s not really a thing in the comics. The deals with the Ghost Rider turns the person into a host, it’s not supposed to kill them.

2) Narratively, it makes sense. AIDA was targeting Fitz and forced him to become her lover. Fitz destroying AIDA would’ve been poignant (if that’s the right word).

3) You can argue that Fitz becoming Ghost Rider to end the LMD/AIDA threat was his atonement for helping Holden Radcliffe build them in the first place.

4) The fun irony of the character who didn’t believe in the supernatural/magic becoming the character with the strongest ties to the supernatural/magic.

5) Continues the devil theme. Fitz was the Devil in the Framework, then he makes a deal with the devil in the real world.

6) IMO, this would improve the Doctor subplot in season 5. Instead of the explanation being stress or a split personality, the Doctor is now a manifestation of the Ghost Rider. Even though the Rider is still bound to Robbie Reyes, the Rider can still speak to Fitz since Fitz made the deal. The show could explain this as the Ghost Rider becoming permanently bonded to its hosts, even the ones it left.

7) Fitz not being in control of his body, the Doctor taking over —> Ghost Rider took over Fitz’s body and performed the surgery on Daisy Johnson. Also, it’d be in line with the Rider since the Rider is the kind of character that “gets shit done”, if you know what I mean. I can imagine this as Fitz not wanting to go through with the surgery, then the Rider taking over because it got tired of Fitz’s indecision.

8) Fitz’s overall character being a bit darker in season 5 —> Ghost Rider’s influence on Fitz

9) The show could explain “Fitz Rider” as a reference to the comics in which comics!Fitz became possessed by Mephisto.

10) It lowkey continues the rivalry between Daisy and Ghost Rider. Because season 4 started with her fighting Robbie/Ghost Rider. Now, the rivalry continues, but this time through Fitz. The rivalry would also makes sense substance-wise since it’s still about morals/doing what is necessary. Daisy disapproved of Robbie killing evil people, Robbie said they deserved their fates. Daisy disapproved of Fitz operating on her, Fitz believed that it was the only way to deal with the Fear Dimension problem.

11) The episode where The Doctor returns is called “The Devil Complex”. I mean…it’s RIGHT THERE. It’s like the show is taunting you that Fitz should’ve been the 2nd Ghost Rider. Technically 3rd, but whatever.

[the-way-astray]

Ok just saw that your asks are open

Ik that you do not like Keefe (for valid reasons)

But here's something for you to analyze/think about

Not necessarily to change your mind about him bit if it does it does

Ok so

At the end of neverseen Keefe said "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better"

Yes he was referencing to him running away and for lodestat Yada Yada what have you

But I FULL heartedly believe that it was foreshadowing for the entirety of his chara arc throughout the series

Cause as of stellarlune he is at his lowest of lows

However you want to classify that us he's there

The way he treats his friends, his relationships with them, his mental state, ability state, common sense

All of it

And do I think it's gonna get worse than what it already is

YUP

But here's what that quote implies

It DOES get better

Never says when or how

But just that it does

I fully believe that after he gets past the roughest patch (whether that's him currently or even him in book 10) that he'll slowly start to realize how he's been and start trying to be better and get the help he needs

And tbh

I don't think it'll be anytime soon

I feel like he needs to have the (inevitable) argument with Sophie to finally realized it

Cause trust me as much as I ship sokeefe I really do believe they need to have an argument

Maybe even not speak for a book

But it'll be good for him in the end and hopefully he sees how he's been acting these last few books

Thoughts on this?

okay, sorry this took so long to get to. every time i try to answer it, it doesn't come out quite right. but here's my best shot.

i would agree with the idea of "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" as an arc for keefe. that would be cool. and obviously, since at the time of this writing, the series is unfinished, there's always a possibility shannon could turn it around for herself. i've talked about this briefly in some post from a while ago, but there is a chance shannon will execute a flawless character arc for keefe in unraveled. is it likely? not really. but i wouldn't say it's impossible.

what makes me think this will not happen? in short: the fact that his flaws, the real flaws, not "cares too much about sophie" or "is too willing to self-sacrifice", have not once been villainized or called out as something seriously wrong in the series.

here's a list (referencing this post, where i list out all the things i dislike about keefe, there's more than just what i listed here, but these are the character flaws):

"i hate the way he manipulates, gaslights, extorts, and pressures sophie (and other people) into telling him shit they wouldn't ordinarily." this is never made out to be a bad thing. the person on the receiving end usually just grumbles something like "empaths", then after five seconds it's dropped. you don't see it affect keefe's relationships, you don't see people become uneasy around him, keep their distance from him because oh, that's the guy that's going to spill my secrets, it never feels like this affects keefe's relationships in any negative way. there is no long-term damage. it is completely swept under the rug, and it is never, ever seriously villainized. if shannon wanted to execute a "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" type arc for keefe with regards to this flaw, she'd have to start by having it be a negative thing. then only can keefe work toward a better place. but shannon skipped that crucial step. so how can i assume that she's trying to develop keefe out of this, even if the development goes forwards and backwards and all over the place?

"i hate what a terrible friend he is." there are so many examples of this that i can't remember exactly what i was referencing when i wrote that. in any case, basically the same as what i said above applies. keefe needs to first be villainized for his toxic behavior if he's to grow out of it. take his comments toward fitz in the famous healing center scene, as an example. yes, the scene is told from keefe's perspective, meaning obviously he's not going to hold himself accountable. but maybe elwin steps in and reprimands keefe for what he said. maybe keefe detects sophie's anger toward him for the comments he made toward fitz. maybe he's even told off by fitz himself. there are a variety of ways to make it clear that this is not a good person to be. only then can keefe's journey even begin. if shannon is to do a "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" type thing for keefe with regards to this, then things have to get worse for him. he needs to feel the consequences of his actions, which he never does.

"i hate the way he simultaneously pedestalizes and infantilizes sophie." once again, this is never made out to be a bad thing. if anything, keefe's pedestalization of sophie is meant to endear the audience to him. his infantilization is disguised as """"""witty"""""" jokes, so that is also probably supposed to make us like him. shannon actually managed to take keefe's toxic traits and sell them to the audience as good qualities. could be a masterclass in writing if she did something with this, but it's very clear she actually believes that these are good things. once again, if keefe is to develop out of these things and find a better place, even if he makes a few mistakes and "gets worse", so to speak, at various points along his character arc, that would still require his arc to actually like. begin. shannon hasn't even reached that part. so once again, how am i supposed to expect that she'll write any kind of arc with regards to this?

"i hate the way he's so jealous, so passive-aggressive, so toxic to his supposed friends." i've talked about this very, very briefly before, but i'm almost certain that we're supposed to see keefe as being "in the right" during the healing center scene, at least as the way shannon intended for it to be taken. one second . . . okay i found the post where i said it. here's what i said verbatim: "#i really feel like. shannon genuinely did not mean for him to come off so mean#she was definitely banking on the fact that everyone hates fitz#it's FITZ that's the one that's the butt of the mean joke by KEEFE so nobody will care! right? right guys? guys?#and honestly she's probably correct about that because most of the fandom DOES like keefe and hate fitz so like". now obviously i cannot be 100000000% sure, but from years of reading and rereading these books, i've become pretty confident that shannon genuinely wants us to perceive keefe as an otherwise-perfect angel whose only flaw is recklessness and his tendency to self-sacrifice. so those are the only flaws for which she writes a proper arc. and once again, if she wanted to write any sort of arc for him, even one that isn't perfectly linear, she would first have to start my acknowledging that keefe is the possessive, jealous, toxic friend here. but she doesn't.

"i hate the way sophie has to constantly babysit him because she doesn't know what stupid thing he'll do next and i hate the way he doesn't care about that, despite claiming he's doing half the things he does for her." this is the last one i'll mention in this post, promise. his stupidity is the flaw, by the way. i would say it's acknowledged. so congrats, shannon, you've reached the first step. better than i can say for the last four points. but that's where it ends. it's never developed from. keefe doesn't know how to work on a team and is incredibly stupid, something i ran into the ground while writing my rant. and come unlocked, 8.5 books into the series, he is still incredibly stupid and doesn't know how to work on a team. he consulted exactly zero people before running away to the forbidden cities, and while you could argue that it was ultimately his decision, i do think he should've at least gotten other people's opinions. this decision was so monumentally stupid, i cannot wrap my head around it. i'll talk about it more in my part two rant, but in my opinion, it's his stupidest move yet. now, what about the "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" arc idea for this? doesn't this mean that this could just be a low he's hitting in his arc? well personally i'd say no. because he never reaches a point where he feels like he's working towards not hijacking plans because he wants to genuinely be better and stop. the famous nightfall scene comes to mind, and as i've mentioned before, the reason this, in my opinion, isn't indicative of his arc progressing is that he apologizes entirely out of a desire to appease sophie and win her back to his side, and not because he actually wants to change. so that doesn't count. in legacy, sophie thinks to herself that if she doesn't go with keefe to london, he will find a way to get there himself, once again showing that he has no desire to consider other people's opinions. sophie actually only agrees to go because she's scared of what stupid shit keefe will get into if she's not there to babysit him. she caves to his hijacking, instead of nipping it in the bud, the way she tried to in nightfall. so i'd say there isn't any spectacular moment before unlocked where keefe is getting better with regards to his hijacking plans because he thinks he knows better than everyone else.

okay, now that i've hopefully sufficiently proven that keefe's arc is not a "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" arc, at least not in the way it's executed in canon, i'll move to the rest of your points:

"as of stellarlune he is at his lowest of lows/The way he treats his friends, his relationships with them, his mental state, ability state, common sense" (sorry for formatting this like the lyrics of a freaking song, but i wanted it all in one paragraph lmfao.)

i disagree with this. i actually think his arc is looking up, with regards to his flaws, at least, in stellarlune. he seems like, to put it very, very bluntly, a morally better person. like he did some thinking in the forbidden cities and decided to get his shit together. this is why i say that i have to read unraveled before making my mind up about whether keefe's arc truly sucks or not. because if shannon has him acknowledge all the things i mentioned and make an effort to be better for himself, because he wants to be, then i can see how i could be swayed to the "keefe has a good arc" side. i do still think the chances of this are incredibly slim, though.

i would tentatively say the way he treats his friends is better in stellarlune. he certainly seems like he mellowed out a bit. he also only has like a couple hundred pages of that book to himself, and even less to showing what he's truly thinking on the inside, so it's difficult to tell for sure. his ability state and mental state are as shit as ever, agreed. but i'm not really talking about that? i'm talking about his arc and the flaws that i dislike about him, that i believe should be developed or at least called out for him to be a decent character.

"And do I think it's gonna get worse than what it already is"

same, but i think that low will be hit in unraveled. i think what we're seeing in stellarlune is actually him getting better from some major low he must've hit in unraveled. but once again, none of this has anything to do with why i dislike keefe. i dislike him because his flaws are never acknowledged or developed out of as the series progesses.

"I fully believe that after he gets past the roughest patch (whether that's him currently or even him in book 10) that he'll slowly start to realize how he's been and start trying to be better and get the help he needs"

one thing that i absolutely despise when it comes to writing character arcs is when like 90% of the development happens in the last like 10% of the series. it always feels incredibly rushed and incredibly forced, and it can be done well almost never. it's my opinion that arcs, and all the major progress and setbacks, need to happen evenly throughout the series so that you really feel like the character at the 25% mark is a different character than the one at the 75% mark, with regards to the thing being developed. i don't see that with keefe. he's a toxic friend in everblaze, he's a toxic friend in legacy. he's stupid in everblaze, he's stupid in legacy. he's manipulative in everblaze, he's manipulative in legacy. there hasn't even been a realization on his part.

having said all that, i do think there is a way to write his arc in unraveled that could at least make me tolerate him. and i do agree that there's a slim possibility that shannon could magically decide to develop him in book ten. but also keep in mind that book ten or book eleven is the last book. so there's a strong possibility that i'll still consider it too little, too late. but they are future books. i'll have thoughts when they come out for sure, but for now it's hard to tell what i'll feel about them.

"I feel like he needs to have the (inevitable) argument with Sophie to finally realized it/Cause trust me as much as I ship sokeefe I really do believe they need to have an argument/Maybe even not speak for a book/But it'll be good for him in the end and hopefully he sees how he's been acting these last few books"

i agree. i've actually talked about this briefly in my keefe rant, except i've talked about how i wanted them to fight in nightfall, not in book ten. here's that part, copy-pasted verbatim:

“Sometimes I still worry that some tiny part of her holds it against me. That she’ll never fully trust me. That she’ll always see me as the guy who betrayed her and stole from her and ran off with the enemy.” (Unlocked, Keefe's diary entries, 494) This would be really cool to explore if it was actually done. Sophie holding this against Keefe and struggling with that in the aftermath of Lodestar would be an awesome way to develop their relationship and have them overcome that hurdle and give them both some much needed development. But we know that aside from a single line at the beginning of Nightfall, Sophie never really blames Keefe. She just immediately forgives him for his time with the Neverseen. It’s pathetic writing. Something like that should have consequences. But it doesn’t, because then our poor Keefe will have to be *gasp* villainized. There could be this whole arc about how Sophie doesn’t trust Keefe the same and it impacts their relationship subtly and both of them feel it but don’t want to talk about it and it’s this giant, gaping hole. Then finally there’s a climax where Keefe confronts her about it and maybe she yells at him and he agrees that he’ll do anything to get her trust back. Then he does it. He does the smart thing, takes the smart advice. And he learns. He understands what he did was wrong and is truly a different person now. Honestly, the fact that Shannon explained this out shows me that she’s aware the possibility of this arc exists, but unfortunately, didn’t actually put it into action. Would it have been the most original conflict ever? No. But it would’ve been much better than whatever this dumpster fire of a lack of an arc she actually wrote is. I think I might’ve genuinely enjoyed Sophie and Keefe as a couple if she’d just made them have some distrust that they overcome through genuine work and growth.

anyway, if i didn't answer your question the way you wanted, feel free to shoot me a follow-up ask. i think i got it, but if i misinterpreted, tell me.

tldr: the reason i don't buy keefe's arc as a "sometimes things have to get worse before they get better" kind of arc is because that would require keefe's flaws to actually be acknowledged and villainized by the narrative, and for them to have actual consequences that affect him, which they do not. this leads me to believe shannon doesn't see these things as flaws, and therefore will never give keefe the development he needs to have a good arc.

[matthewmoorwood]

The cycle of abuse that all the Farseers go though oh I'm ILL.

horrific of Robin Hobb to make me suffer through the agony of Fitz's childhood of trauma and pain and then show me Fitz trying to help Dutiful navigate HIS trauma and pain. Fucking fuck.

Both of them had their first Wit bond be one of the worst things to ever happen to them.

Nothing breaks my heart like how much the cat earnestly loves Dutiful like she just wants to hunt and get her fur brushed :C

It's so sick how ultimately Nighteyes and the cat are so similar because Fitz and Duitiful are so similar, both of them want equally to be beasts and also be loved yet because of who they're bonded to they are forced into a life in which that can never be possible.

I'm so sick and ill and dying and suffering over these characters MAAAN.

Fitz is going THROUGH it watching Duitiful be abused for the singlular crime of being uneducated. If anyone actually cared about the fucking Farseer children beyond what they can do for the Six Duchies then they would've stoppped pretending like the entire bloodline isn't drenched in Skill and Wit like GUYS.

Time and time again we're shown that neglecting these truths leads to so much harm and yet everyone is like "haha what if it continued anyway"

Regal, Chade, and Verity you will ANSWER for your fucking crimes >:C

RAAH.

It's not even Fitz's fault that he wasn't a 'good dad' because my guy was literally sexually assaulted into having a son. Like fuck dude. I wouldn't want to live my life in Buckkeep trauma town either! Even if I wasn't fake killed!

Also horrible that Beloved who thinks he's to blame for everything that Fitz has ever been through is so content to die for the small reason that it MIGHT make Nighteyes live a little longer and thus mean he hurts Fitz a little less is SICK AND TWISTED.

Fuck you Peladine all my homies fucking hate Peladine.

OH YOU FUCKING FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKING FUCK

I KNEW I KNEW I KNEW THAT THE DOMESTIC FUCKING FITZ AND NIGHTEYES FUCKING MOTHER FUCKING SCENES WERE BECAUSE OF THIS SHIT HAVE THEY NOT BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH????

HAVE THEY NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH??? BROTHER!!!!!!

Also. Bro. Starling. I thought u were chill. Like not chill to lie to Fitz that was fucked but now. Ugh. I'm so exhausted I just. Ugh. I literally need to have a big sleep and probably a cry to process this fucking book.

I swear to god I'm gonna rip all my hair out. Like Fitz CANT tell my guy Duitiful who he is, but at the same time its gonna be shitshow when he finds out.

I'm actually so fucking diseased.

Though I will say it is a balm for the soul watching Duitiful try to interact with Fitz his weird fake magic dad and Fitz's equally weird nobleman husband. He's probably like Dang, two father figures for the price of one.

I don't even. What I do. I just need a a sleep.

[antispopausandstuff]

when you get into a series and then stupid shit happens.

.

so, i got into a podcast from 2019 called 'The Two Princes', and i love it. it's very charming, basically like a show in audio form, and full of queer. listen to it frequently, got into the tags on my socials, found some fanart and fics and a bit of inspiration.

but during my searches of fanart, i came across two things.

people calling the main relationship ( rupert x amir ) an EtL

some people comparing it to c//a

both of these severely bothered me, and i'm gonna explain why.

for the first one, it's very simple. rupert and amir were not really enemies, in terms of their actual dynamic. according to this red herring of a prophecy, though, they are 'meant' to be enemies.

however, rupert lies about not being the prince of the west ( amir is prince of the east ), saying he's a thief, that his name is fitz, and that he wants nothing to do with his kingdom. this isn't because he holds any ill-will to his own kingdom, but because the east and the west are hostile and he didn't wanna get killed by amir leaving him behind in the forest.

so, their actual dynamic was more of 'unfriendly strangers to friends to lovers'. because amir was a bit uppity and micromanaged, while rupert was more soft(?) and tended to overreact // overly panic. that, and the span of the first season is 3 days. you can't really go from being enemies to lovers in 3 days. in most cases, i guess.

anyway, moving onto the even more frustrating point.

the princes are nothing like catra and adora. absolutely nothing alike. not even a little.

i'm guessing part of the reason is because amir asks rupert to stay. but the context of that situation vs catra repeatedly demanding asking adora to stay is entirely different.

amir asks rupert to stay because, despite being prickly, rupert saved his life and continued being kind to him. he doesn't ask him to stay because of any self-importance, or because he wants rupert to do dirty work, or for any other reason but because amir likes him and wants them to be friends.

that is entirely different from why catra kept demanding asking adora to stay. she kept asking because she couldn't take no for an answer. because adora's ideals didn't align with hers. because she wanted adora for herself, and took any other options as a personal attack.

and another reason this comparison exists, i'm guessing, is because of the whole "they saved the world // universe // kingdom // wtv by kissing and being gay", which. that's still. no. but okay.

the prophecy in 'The Two Princes' is a red herring because it's misleading. it's not intending to be, but it is. everyone thought it meant that the two princes would fight to the death and one kingdom would rule over, when it actually meant for one kingdom to unite the east and west.

and amir and rupert figured that out by kissing and later on deciding to get married ( that's a general way of saying it, but it's cute, aight? they're very cute ).

in the final episode of spop, there was no actual reason or explanation for why any of that happened. it just happened because the show wanted it to.

why did a viral infection go away the moment catra kissed adora? THE FUCK IF WE KNOW!

why did that activate she-ra? 'CAUSE- LOVE! EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE SISTERS, BUT WHATEVER!

why did the heart get destroyed by that? WHO CARES? WE DON'T!

final assumed reason is, again, because of the whole EtL thing.

like i said, 'The Two Princes' is not an EtL story.

and spop was never supposed to be an EtL story. but it is one, so there's that.

anyway, the writing isn't perfect, but if you like podcasts and wanna hear a cheesy-ass queer show with a disaster gay prince, disaster bi prince, a badass lesbian knight, a bi diva, a feral gay twink, a pathetic flirty gay twink, and a dragon and a dog, then give it a listen.

and there's a goat unicorn.

[sillygreenrat]

Doobie doodles

Get them high, I don’t care who, Them™️

this is one really fucked up blunt rotation

(i know who you are)

[renren-006]

The thought keeping my mind running at the moment is a Sierra Six x Sierra Seven blurb/quick one shot that's these two internationally known killers/spies/however we want to categorize them who can take out anyone flawlessly with no trace struggling to help Claire on some algebra homework or something. Like imagine these two trying to figure out how SAT prep works and how to use the quadratic formula, because I'm pretty sure there would be more frustration and absolutely confusion shared between the two of them than in this little teenagers mind.

Homework Problems | Sierra Seven x F! Reader

Word Count: 955 A/N: I really hope you like it! feel free to send me any request for myre Sierra Six stories id love to write them!!!

You were an international spy, not many things puzzled you. Today was when you learned that math was the one thing that would puzzle you. As you sat at the kitchen table next to Claire the numbers scribbled on the page were like a foreign language to you, and you knew many. 

“This...Claire what the hell is this” You asked, eyebrows furrowed together. Claire looked up at you with the most amused look on her face.

“Seven, this is...this is math,��� Claire said, giving you a questioning look, “you do know..”

“Yes, i know what math is...I just haven't done it in a very long time”

“So you don't calculate an angle before you shoot?” Claire asked. 

“Claire be honest with me, do I look like I calculate things,” You asked. Claire thought for a moment before responding.  “When it comes to Six, yes,” She told you, glancing outside to the x-spy patiently waiting in the yard for Claire's dog, Fitz, to go to the bathroom.

“Besides Six,” I asked her, still looking back at the puzzling numbers on the page. 

“Umm I don't know, I mean when you and Six saved me it seemed like you did,” she told you, referring to the time you saved her and shot a guy just by looking into a mirror. You shook your head. 

“Honestly Claire Its muscle memory now, I fight because I know how to fight, this domestic life it’s different, its a new thing ill have to learn,” You told her honestly, “But this, me you, and Six that I know how to do that, but math and homework and school its all-new”

“I know,” She told you, “Thank you for being here for me”

“oh sweetheart, of course, I'm uh your mom now so I have got to take care of my family, and don't think Six doesn't check the house three times before we go to bed, just to make sure you safe,” You told her, “Now, tell me how to do this math”

“Well it's for this test called the SAT and I have to like solve it and find the answer” Claire explained after the smile left her face. 

“Textbook?” you asked. Claire nodded her head. 

“I have one” She exclaimed.

"Why don't you grab it,” You told her calmly

“Right,” She said and marched off to her room to find the math textbook. 

“Six?” You asked, Six strutted over to you his face lazy and he finally looked calm.  "Yes," he answered, a questioning look on his face.

“Do you know algebra?” You asked. 

“Not really, haven't done that in a few years,” Six said. 

“Well, Claire is studying for..the SAT I think and I have no idea what math is involved with it,” You told him. Six scratched his head.

“Shit i knew this was something we would have to do” He said.

“And this just slipped your mind?” You asked, He nodded.

“I was going to mention it but she never came to us...” Six replied a hand ran over his face and an exaggerated sigh left his lips.

“Wait, you're telling me, essentially our daughter didn't come to us for homework help?” You asked, “We are failing as parents Court,” You said. 

"Hey, y/n we are doing perfectly well under these....did you just say, parents?" He asked you.

"Well, I mean yea? Look at us Court? I care about Claire so much and all I want is a normal life for her and to not have to look over my shoulder anymore." you told him.

"I want that too," he said pulling you in. "Now, let's try and figure out these math homework things so that we can better help her," he said laughing and pulling away. Claire re-entered the room, with a knowing and happy look as she sat between the two of you.

"Now I have to solve this thing called the quadratic formula," Clair said flipping to the page with the unknown language you still wouldn't decipher.

"what the....Claire do you want my head to explode?" you asked her.

"haha I don't think Seven can comprehend math," Court said, laughing with Claire.

"And you can?" you ased your counter part.

"...no," he said, the silence before his answer made Clair bust out even more in laughter having tears spill from her eyes.

"Omg if I had known asking my parents to help with math would lead to none of us knowing I would have just gone to get tutoring," she said in between bursts of laughter.

"I'm sorry kiddo, I mean really I don't remember much math from that far back," you said, thinking back to the years when you were her age. You had been convicted of arson before graduating and math was the last thing on your mind in prison. You had met Court not too long afterward being around 20 or so, and math was the last thing on your mind at the academy.

"y and b.....wait why the hell are there letters I thought math was all numbers and shit?" Court asked Claire breaking you from your thoughts.

"oh...yea I guess they have letters as substitutes for numbers"

"that is not logical," Court said, he pushed the book away with a grumble, "You said you could go to tutoring?"

"Yea they have a tutoring center at school," she said.

"I think they will be better helped than us with this...quadrophonic equation shit"

"It's quadratic," she said snarkily.

"Whatever, it's bullshit," Court said with a grumble.

"Okay why don't we stop with math and move on to something else," you said directing the conversation away from the frustrations of math.

[everyonehasthoughts]

❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🖤💖💔💕📖🏳️‍🌈🏳️💀

hi cas. pls answer my questions

To preface this I have only been on the outskirts of this fandom for a hot minute but because you asked me so nicely to reblog this I will give my two cents

❤ mischaracterized by the fandom

I'd I had to say that anyone was most mischaracterized it would have to be hm. Dame Alina. They hate to see a woman winning. She's very much written to seem like a bee eye tee see ach but like. If my boyfriend dumped me for a girl 100 years younger then me I'd be pissed too.

🧡 popular theory I disagree with

I don't actually know any current theories you'd have to send me some and I'll see if I agree with them

💛 popular ship I can't get behind

I've seen a large amount of Fitz and Marella shippers right now (lavacake?) And you know I respect the hustle but they're gay girlbesties to me I just can't see them dating. Otherwise I was literally the pioneer of every poly ship ever back in the early days. Multishipper Supreme

💚 what does everyone else get wrong abt your fave character

That Fitz is well adjusted. Or that his attitude problems somehow manifested out of nowhere and he was definitely not affected by his tumultuous childhood and borderline abuse but you didn't hear that from me

I would need to take a deeper look but if it's anything like it used to be probably everything the fandom thinks abt dex.

💙 - not as hot as everyone thinks

I would have to say uhmmmmmm kenric (pun not intended) I never vibed with him

💜 - hotter then everyone thinks

Bronte. He could get it

🤍 - not as morally bad

This is a difficult thing I would have to say uh. Idk do Sophie antis still exist? She can do whatever she wants forever. Fitz and probably Linh as well based on how she acted in the last book. Alina also since I said that before

🖤 - more morally bad

Literally every adult that isn't Grady, Edaline, Juline, Kesler and Della

��� - unpopular opinion

Apparently thinking Alden is a bad father is unpopular atm so there's that. Also disliking forkle maybe he's always given me rancid vibes. Also I would like to say i think alden being a bad or not great guy would be a fantastic writing decisions

💔 main character you would remove

Lol. Forkle. Either one of them. Or both

💕unpopular ship you like

Is there such thing as an unpopular ship? I was pretty sure we were a great multishipping fandom. I like sofitz! And Fitz and Linh

📖 book you would take away

This new one that's coming out lol. I really don't care abt whatever Keefe got up to

🏳️‍🌈 fandom thinks they're queer but you don't see it

It's impossible for me to not see the possibility of queerness in everyone

💀 who should die

I'd say forkle but he's technically dead. I also don't want alden dead because I think the story would be really cool if she leaned into him being a bit nefarious. Lady Gisela probably cuz like. Idk how she keeps surviving this shit. Mostly for the dead to stay dead this isnt supernatural

Welcome to discussion abt any of this but BE NICE it's a book series. I respect your opinions, please respect mine

[squish36-writes-and-draws]

10 November: Unraveling

Word count: 700

General Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @faggot-friday @kamikothe1and0nly @nyxpixels @florida-preposterously @poppinspop @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @corruption-exe @rusted-phone-calls @when-wax-wings-melt @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125 @hi-imgrapes @callum-hunt-is-bisexual @callas-pancake-tree @hi-my-name-is-awesome @katniss-elizabeth-chase @sillyguy-supreme @void-kill @thefoxysnake

Unraveling Project Specific Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed/upgraded): @cutebisexualmess @crippling-pages @daizythegreat @sophiefostersno1stan @iggydancebreak @theleopardstalker @you-will-meet-your-downfall @multi-fandom-lunatic

TW: significant Keefe angst. Creator chose not to use archive warnings.

On Ao3 or below the cut!

First (3 November) / Previous / Next

Keefe Sencen's Journal

  Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. 

    I fucked up. 

    A lot. 

    I don’t think I can stay here anymore. 

    How am I going to tell Taylor? Am I going to tell Taylor? I don’t know if I can I don’t know if I should—all I know is that I fucking saw Gethen across the street and that means that somehow, some way my mother has managed to find me. Was it something I did? Did I get into the newspaper by accident? I know that’s how Fitz found Foster, but why would anyone ever bother to run an article about some random guy who recently started loitering in the park? 

    I am going to explode. 

    I don’t know what to do. How the exile did she find me in all these fucking people? No, Keefe, don’t start crying. You don’t have enough handkerchiefs to clean your sinuses out. 

    If I leave, I’ll never see Taylor again. It’s not like I can just disappear and accept that she’s going to be fine with me being halfway across the planet for potentially years but she’s my everything and I love her so starsexile much and I know it’s irrational but dear stars I can’t do this anymore. Any of it 

    I should just turn myself in to my mother. I can’t put myself through this again and I know for a fact that I will. It’s just a matter of time, and not even that much of it, considering just how recently I met Taylor. 

    I’m never going to meet anyone as wonderful as her again. Sure, there might be other people in the world, but she’s perfect which is why it hurts so much to be forced to leave for her own safety. If Gethen knows where I am, it’s just a matter of time before mother dearest uses her against me. 

    I have to go. I just don’t know if I can. 

    Maybe my real ability is to just leave a trail of decimated lives in my wake. That’s probably even more useful than the ability detector or command shit and that’s mostly just a consequence of my personality. 

    I keep playing it over and over in my mind, trying to prove that it isn’t Gethen, but my photographic memory is either being an unreliable narrator or I saw the crescent=shaped scar on his hand. Each iteration I’m less certain, but the possibility means that I’m going to have to go anyway. If nothing else, I need to make sure that Taylor doesn’t get caught up in this any more than she has already.  I couldn’t live with myself if she were hurt. Exile, I can already barely live with myself for letting it get this far. You’re so fucking stupid it hurts. 

Letter from Keefe to Taylor, left on the chessboard.

    You don’t have to forgive me. In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t. I could give you a big long explanation about why I have to leave, but it would raise more questions than answers. I guess I could say that I’m hiding from my parents, but that feels like such an oversimplification that it’s almost worthless.  I wish—no, it doesn’t matter what I wish. It’d be great if things were different, but that’s never how my life has chosen to work out. 

    It was never my intention to show up in your life, fuck over your entire emotional state, and then leave from whence I came, but I can’t see any other way out. If I could, I would take it, but here I am, once again abandoning the people I care about in a last-ditch effort to make sure that they don’t get dragged down this chasm alongside me. 

    Maybe one day I’ll be back, but I don’t know when that will be and I severely doubt it will be worth it to you to wait until then. I don’t know where I’ll be going next, but it won’t be here. I’ll never forget you, Taylor. 

    If nothing else, I just need you to know: 

    I love you. You mean more to me than you could ever know. 

Keefe

[squishmallow36]

It's all I wish to hear tonight, and you're all I wish to be, and this is how we all fall - Chapter one

Summary: It's the Garvar fic! Wdym you want a summary? It's a retelling of the first chapter of kotlc from Garwin's pov. That's--that's pretty much it. We do have them interact which is pretty nice. There will be more loosely connected chapters to come but I don't know how many or how they'll turn out. Word count: 2730

TW: swearing, drug mention, mentions of kidnappings and murder in relation to the Sophie/Fitz interaction

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @gaslight-gaetkeep-gayboss @kamikothe1and0lny @nyxpixels @florida-preposterously @poppinspop @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @remember-me-in-another-time @rusted-phone-calls @when-wax-wings-melt @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125 @hi-imgrapes @callum-hunt-is-bisexual @xanadaus @callas-pancake-tree @hi-my-name-is-awesome @katniss-elizabeth-chase @arson-anarchy-death. Also @frogs-and-flowers-and-faeries @camelspit you two seemed interested

On AO3 (only to registered users because y'know, AI) or below the cut

   If there’s one thing universally agreed upon by high schoolers, it’s this: field trips are fun. Or at least they should be, in theory. 

    Instead of being locked in a classroom for eight hours a day, you get to go outside, cause some havoc, you know, the usual. 

    Your other teachers end up being nice because you cried to them that between all your classes and this field trip, you need an extra week on that paper that you’ve had assigned for three months and you haven’t started and is due tomorrow for a reason. 

    And, most of the time, as an extra bonus, you learn absolute jack shit. 

    The only problem arises when the teacher that is taking you on the trip seems to forget that part and forces you to actually pay attention with the threat of a quiz, and knowing him, he’s going to make it absolutely horrendous. 

    Yes, dinosaurs are badass but having to listen to your teacher read the plaques out loud makes gouging your eyes out seem like a good course of action. 

    Are we completely sure the teachers here have a 100 percent literacy rate? Garwin wonders, rolling his eyes as Sweeney struggles through another scientific name. I mean, knowing this school system, it would not surprise me. 

    There’s a couple of nerds taking notes but honestly there’s no chance. If there is a quiz, it’ll be the type of thing that’s “What year, exactly, did the cretaceous era end?” And the multiple choice options will all be around that 66 million years ago mark ingrained in everyone’s soul but you have to remember that science was able to determine the meteor fell on a Thursday and from that you have to extrapolate what the date would have been. 

    Can a meteor fall on us this today Thursday? That’d be great. No more AP exams.  

    And yeah, AP classes are supposed to have a curve, but with that little photographic memory of Dophie’s only half paying attention and half listening to MCR so loud it can be heard from three miles away, she’s gonna get a perfect score. 

    Case in point: Sweeney finally hears Gerard screaming and catches onto the fact that Sophie is completely ignoring his existence, per usual. 

    “Miss Foster!” He yanks her earbuds out by the cords. “Have you decided that you’re too smart to pay attention to this information?”

    Well, she can probably legit get a zero on the final and still carry a 93 in the class. So I’d probably say the answer is yes. I think we all know that little smartass corrects Sweeney on a daily basis. 

    Between the typos and the shit he gets plain wrong, it was entertaining to see him flounder at the beginning of the year, but at this point she doesn’t seem to grasp the idea that everyone’s given up on the lost cause of a man. 

    This entire class has all had to suffer through more school than she’s been alive. Other than the dumbass sophomores in the class. But it wouldn’t be surprising to find out they were smoking weed in the back of class for a “science experiment.” 

    Ah, the things you can get away with in AP Enviro Science and a teacher that doesn’t care. Except about the toddler in his class who listens to music but hey. Maybe he’s insecure because he’s stupid and he has to maintain control over some aspect of his life.  

    Sophie mumbles something, denying it as she attempts to retract into her shell like a turtle. Unfortunately, humans don’t usually come with a shell, so she isn’t very successful. 

    “Then perhaps you can explain why you were listening to your iPod instead of following along?” Sweeney dangles the headphones in front of her as she rips out an eyelash. 

     Now, Garwin may have only gotten a 2 on the AP Psych exam last year because he only paid attention half the time because those daily quizzes were ass, but that doesn’t seem like the healthiest of coping mechanisms. 

    Sophie simply stares at the ground to pretend like Sweeney isn’t harassing her. 

    “Since you’ve decided you’re above this lecture, why don’t you give it?” Sweeney asks, gesturing to the definitely-accurate reconstruction of an orange hadrosaur. “Explain to the class how the Lambeosaurus differs from the other dinosaurs we’ve studied.”

    You see, one of these was the Pteranodon family’s neighbor on Dinosaur Train. Larry Lambeosaurus was an endless pit that never seemed to fill with food, much like the average teenager. Unlike the average teenager, however, this may have something to do with his diet of tree and its caloric density, or lack thereof. 

    Instead of listening to Sophie rattle off dinosaur facts learned from a lifetime of being a fucking nerd, Garwin chooses to look at literally anything else for some scrap of entertainment. 

    Like, for example, the Albertosaurus. And imagining it coming to life and eating everybody à la Jurassic Park. That would be fun. 

    Sweeney gets increasingly pissed off as she keeps going. He really should’ve learned long ago to not challenge her ‘cause it ain’t gonna go well for him. He mutters something under his breath, and turns to go to the next increasingly stupid dinosaur. 

    Actually, Garwin takes that back. The dinosaurs themselves aren’t stupid. It’s the whole idea of having to get dragged to a place to forcefully learn about them instead of actually studying for the AP exam in less than two weeks. Not that he actually cares about that though. 

    “Nice job, superfreak,” he says to Sophie as she stands helplessly in the middle of the walkway. He pushes past her in an effort to appear engaged enough to not get another detention. “Maybe they'll write another article about you. 'Child Prodigy Teaches Class About the Lame-o-saurus.’”

    Garwin’s gaze lands on someone reading the newspaper with Sophie’s face plastered across it. Yeah, the guy’s kinda cute with dark hair and teal eyes flicking up at Sophie ever so often…but, like, he’s probably freshman-ish years old and that’s kinda weird in the middle of the school day, not gonna lie. 

    And he isn’t in this class, that’s for sure. So he’s probably ditching. Kind of a dumb move to ditch and then go to a museum but hey. That’s his life choice and it’s not Garwin’s fault it’s stupid. 

    Garwin rolls his eyes as he moves into the next room. The desire to cause large amounts of property damage by climbing up the statues is immense, but, alas, one cannot succumb to temptation. 

    Their resident curvebuster doesn’t follow, and, honestly, that is a choice. Maybe if she gets eaten by a dinosaur or kidnapped with the guy pulling a Ferris Bueller, this class might know peace once again. 

    A not-small part of him could not give less of a shit if she disappears suddenly, and another not-small part of him can’t help but see the advantages. Maybe then we won’t all fail the class. It’s not like San Diego City College is going to miss her. Chances are, she’ll be the same to her unfortunate classmates there. 

    As the group shuffles around a reconstruction of a Triceratops, Sweeney begins droning on and on and on and on about the different types of ceratopsians, and it’s a damn fucking shame the one with three horns became famous instead of, like, the Kosmoceratops. 

    That fucker’s got fifteen horns and it’s common knowledge that an animal’s coolness is exponentially correlated with number of things that it has that can kill you. 

    In order to quell the rising tide of complete and total apathy, Garwin once again begins the search for something--anything--interesting to occupy his time.

    And don’t you know it? There’s a hot guy hiding in a corner trying desperately not to be seen. 

    Between him and the kid reading the newspaper in the other room, something weird is definitely going down. So the obvious course of action is to walk up to the guy and see what’s up. Maybe even flirt a little. As soon as he can escape from Sweeney’s torture chamber, that is. 

    In the meantime, Garwin can still stare at him. He has dark hair gelled to perfection and light blue eyes. His eyelashes are visible from this massive distance away, so they must be super long and therefore super hot. Garwin’s fingers ache to trace his sharp square jaw and his skin is a light tan with a dusting of freckles for good measure. 

    In short, he’s absolutely fucking gorgeous. 

    He’s way too far to be certain, but he kind of does look like newspaper boy…for reasons that are as of right now indescribable other than sheer vibes. 

   And he’s wearing a black batman sweatshirt--a foolish decision on a partially sunny day such as today--that hangs in such a way to suggest he’s got some muscles hiding beneath it. 

    The world would be improved in many ways if that sweatshirt was a little less on.

    Then, suddenly, by some miracle, some grace of god, Sweeney lets them explore for themselves. An argument could be made that he realized that no one was paying attention, but the more likely case is that he got tired of teaching and is now allowing them the slightest sliver of freedom to maximize his own laziness. 

    Garwin floats over to the guy in the corner as nonchalantly as possible as his traitorous heart is doing backflips in his chest. He was tall from a distance, but he’s even taller up close. 

    “Hey,” he says. Hey? Hey? That’s the most creative thing you could come up with? A cheesy pickup line would be better at this point.  

    “Hey yourself.” Guy-in-the-corner says with the slightest hint of a smirk. “I’m Alvar, what’s your name?”

    Garwin is almost too distracted by Alvar’s thick accent--almost British, but somehow crisper--to remember his own name. “I’m Garwin. It’s nice to meet you.”

    “Do you really think they looked like that?” Alvar asks. “The dinosaurs, I mean. It’s a little absurd, isn’t it?” 

    “Would you rather have the nerd answer or do you want the smartass answer?” Garwin replies. 

    “Who says I don’t want both?”

    “Ah. Well then. The nerd answer is that at least some of them should have feathers. They are the ancestors to birds, after all. The fact that none of them do is a little yikes. And as for my other answer, I’m not a paleontologist, but,” Garwin points to a fossilized sauropod…or at least a skeleton of one that may or may not be real, “that one might be a tad bit skinny.”

    Alvar laughs, a glorious sound. His eyes wander away from studying Garwin, focusing out of the room, landing on Sophie fucking Foster. 

    Ah, yes. First she gets into Yale without even trying and now she’s gained the attention of multiple people which depending on the intentions could be really fucking creepy. She’s literally twelve. This is complete and utter bullshit. 

    “Is that the kid on the front of the newspaper today?”

    “Yeah,” Garwin replies bitterly. 

    Alvar makes a thoughtful sound and looks back at Garwin, who has begun leaning against the wall. Yes, there’s a plastic fern between them but you do what you can. 

    “Come on, Fitz. Don’t be a total dumbass,” Alvar whispers as newspaper boy--Fitz--begins to step away from Sophie.  

    A swarm of kindergarteners barreled into the exhibit, nearly knocking both Sophie and Fitz off their feet. They hold their heads in their hands like their brains are physically getting stabbed and when they make eye contact again, Sophie watches Fitz in fear. 

    Why that is, Garwin can’t tell, but there’s something in Alvar’s expression that seems like he suspects something, and Garwin would give anything--except a full ride scholarship to Yale--to know what he does. 

    In the time Garwin spends studying Alvar’s features for clues and getting lost in his eyes, Sophie has magically disappeared. Fitz swears, probably loud enough to be heard all the way at the zoo across the street, as he runs after her. 

    Alvar rolls his eyes. “Life choices. Do I run after my dumbass of a brother or do I leave him be? Decisions, decisions,” he asks himself. 

    What the fuck? 

    Garwin looks back at Alvar to find him already watching him. “Would you like me to go tell Sweeney or just…let her skip class?” And probably get murdered just a little bit. 

    It takes a good few seconds for him to process this request. “Eh, I’m sure he’ll notice sooner or later.”

    Oh my fucking god this guy is fucked up. I don’t like Sophie, but I’d rather she not get kidnapped.

    …Is it bad that he's still hot?

        “Why the fuck are you two harassing Sophie?” The question comes out more forcefully than Garwin intends, but not enough to walk it back. 

    “That is one very long story and I don’t think you’d believe half of it. But let’s see--how simplified can I get this?” He pauses, formulating. “We’ve basically got a switched at birth situation going on here except we don’t exactly know who her actual parents are and well that’s a whole thing that I’d rather not get into right now. Also we don’t know if she’s actually the kid we’re looking for. And by we I mean mostly our dad but he isn’t here right now because he figured it would be less creepy for us to stare at children than he would be. And then Fitzy over there doesn’t know I’m here for extensive and even more complicated reasons. And he wasn’t supposed to interact with her. Problems all around.”

    Garwin considers this explanation for a moment. On the one hand, it leaves him with more questions than answers, and on the other hand, he doesn’t really care enough to ask for further elaboration. 

    “Just don’t murder Sophie. I don’t need to see her on the front cover of the newspapers that should already be obsolete two days in a row,” he decides. 

    Alvar smiles. His teeth are brilliantly white, and it’s ever so slightly crooked in such a perfect way that makes it seem practiced. His cobalt eyes fix Garwin to the spot as they turn toward each other. 

    “And, um, before I go, I do immensely apologize if I’m reading this wrong, but would you like to go out with me sometime?”

    “Why the hell else do you think I wandered over here? Absolutely.” 

    Instead of giving Garwin his phone number like a normal person by writing it on a sticky note or the back of his hand with a sharpie that doesn’t come off for a week or just directly typing it into their phone, Alvar comes equipped with a stack of business cards. 

     And honestly, it’s not even that surprising. Like, yes, he’s only known the guy for a grand total of fifteen minutes, but that tracks with what he knows so far…which isn’t much. But it still counts. Bitch. 

    Garwin smiles. “I’ll call you and set up details when I can look at my calendar and I’m not already busy with club meetings and shit.”

    “Sounds good.” 

    After a short pause, Alvar opens his mouth to say something else, but he’s interrupted by Sweeney’s nasal whining before he gets the chance. 

    Garwin rolls his eyes. “I guess I should get back to the fucked up reality that is the American school system. See you later.” 

    “Bye,”  Alvar replies, smiling. 

    Garwin makes his way back to the class reforming around Sweeney like a slime mold, taking his sweet time to not seem too eager to be going back to the hellhole that is occasionally referred to as a school but not dicking around so much he gets left, as making his way back there himself would be mildly inconvenient. 

    And we can’t have that, now, can we?

    Garwin looks back into the corner to sneak one more glance at the indescribably attractive boy who has for some reason asked him out only to find that he’s nowhere to be found. 

    Was he just a figment of my imagination?

    Garwin checks his back pocket, hissing as the sharp edges of a business card leave him with a paper cut. 

    Guess that solves that mess. 

    Now if only all the world’s problems could be solved so easily, we’d be onto something.