#it really got me on my lesbian lydia bullshit

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

which romance novels have you liked the most and also which ones have you disliked the most??

YEAH LET'S GO!!!

Helen Hoang is my absolute #1 ride or die, anything she writes I'm here for forever. I do think that Kiss Quotient is the weakest of her books, which isn't shocking from a first novel, but the sex is solid and she got SIGNIFICANTLY better for the Bride Test and the Heart Principle. those were the best romances I read in 2023 and the competition is not close, Bride Test in particular is just a heap of fun.

Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke is also pretty excellent, just really dreamy trans woman historical romance with the most #woke and fuckable 19th century duke who ever lived. yes the duke gets over his alcoholism and laudanum addiction way too fast. yes there's an insane shoehorned Wickham-running-off-with-Lydia style plot at the end that comes out of nowhere and doesn't really make the story better. no there's no enough sex. but who cares? just have fun with it.

I also really really enjoyed Lauren Kung Jessen's Lunar Love but like... entirely because I was reading the protagonist, Olivia, as like a Rachel Bloom Crazy Ex-Girlfriend type who's so obsessed with the Chinese zodiac because she has an undiagnosed personality disorder. that's definitely not what the intent was but I think Olivia should have been allowed to be way MORE unhinged, tbh. I think Olivia should be allowed to kill.

as for the dishonorable mentions... god.

Tessa Bailey's Unfortunately Yours is ATROCIOUS. unbearable characters and dialogue that feels like listening to a garbage disposal and sex scenes that almost ruptured my spleen because I was laughing so hard. also the premise was just. very dumb. I Cannot Handle fake relationship books where the characters are stupid about it. the only part of it I like was the female protag's mom, a frigid evil milf who could keep me like a purse dog.

speaking of fake relationships, Chencia Higgins' book D'vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding was also a huge letdown. the premise of two strangers having to fake a relationship on a reality tv show is good silly fun but Higgins just seemed like... DEEPLY uninterested in the reality tv aspect except as an excuse for how the characters met? when camera crew politely agreed not to film D'Vaughn coming out to her family, that was some bullshit. the whole book is just really sloppy, it's very disheartening that this is like THE #1 Black lesbian romance that I see recommended because it sucks and Black lesbians deserve soooo much better.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun has been one of the hardest books to read because the protagonist/POV character is just soooo whiny and insufferable. she's supposed to be a very #relatable smol bean but god she was exhausting, I couldn't stand her.

[bericas]

so i’ll wait for you.

[spitefulinamillionways]

i had an idea that was beej finds out Lydia is being bullied at school and is a very over protective older brother about it and wants to murder them

yes yes yes!! i love that trope of beej just being way too overprotective when it comes to bullies

(also sorry for answering this so late!)

(oh yeah, tw, there are some lesbian and gay slurs here, oops)

god this one gets a bit edgy

-

“They did what?” Beej shot his head at Lydia, his eyes widening.

“No, it’s not that bad, plus it’s happened before. So like, I’m used to it.” Lydia mumbled, grimacing when he slammed his fist on the table.

“Those bitches!” He shouted, before pointing up a finger and shaking it, whispering, “I’m gonna ffffFUCKING kill them. Just you fucking watch me.”

“Beej, no! You can’t do that! What if you get in big trou-”

“Lydia, I’m gonna be honest with you I’ve killed so many people since you’ve summoned me and not one body has been found. That I know of, at least,” He counted on his fingers until 23, mumbling a name under his breath every number, “Oh, no, that one Smith guy was found..I think...and, uh...the other guy too, I forgot his name..”

Lydia sat there in pure disbelief as he literally counted how many people he’d killed. I mean, he’d obviously killed some people before but now? When he was with them? That was just...who was she kidding, it was inevitable something like this would happen, but she didn’t expect so many. How much did he count, 23? 24? He’s basically a serial killer at that point.

“Beej- You know that,” She blinked a couple times and stared at him, “You know that makes a serial killer, right?”

“Oh, shit, does it?” He looked surprised and stopped counting.

“Yeah...”

“Because that’s cool as FUCK!” He grinned, “Anyway, about those girls, want me to kill them for you?”

Lydia sighed and took her backpack, putting it on and opening the door.

“Look, do you want to come to my school or not?” Lydia groaned, looking back at him.

“Yeah!” He rushed out the door, grabbing Lydia’s wrist and dragging her with him, “Wait, which way?”

“That wa-”

“That way!” He shouted, running left, the way Lydia pointed. She giggled at how fast he was, and how weird this would probably look to other people. Just two people, one just slightly taller than the other speeding down the street. You’d think they were about the same age until you heard Betelgeuse’s smoker voice.

All of a sudden, they were at the bus stop.

“This is it, right?” Betelgeuse looked around, and spotted a bus heading their way, “Oh, look, just in time!”

Lydia felt dizzy all of a sudden. She couldn’t process what was happening due to how fast he was being.

“Uh...yeah..” She stumbled onto the bus and finally gained composure. She showed her bus pass to the driver and sat down, Beej soon following but being stopped by the driver.

“Hey! Kid, where’s your pass?” He asked in a stern tone.

Betelgeuse stopped and stared at him, before slowly walking to a seat next to Lydia, not breaking eye contact. He realised the bus wasn’t going to move, so he simply possessed the bus driver and began driving. He didn’t know how to drive. He almost crashed many times. Lydia found it fun as fuck though.

“Please become our bus driver.” Lydia begged while walking the ‘secret way’ inside the school. (It was just the back school entrance.) The two walked through the school, Betelgeuse disguised as a normal-looking, brown haired student. He looked as if he was in the grade above Lydia, and he did get a bunch of weird looks for that, but he didn’t really care. Her school was way more boring than he thought it’d be.

“Kids don’t get hit by their teachers anymore?!” He shouted in the middle of the hallway, Lydia eagerly trying to shush him.

“No, that’s illegal.” She whispered, “Let’s go somewhere else, okay?”

She walked him over to the back of the school, and began lecturing him.

“I told you your name is gonna be Dewey!”

“Dewey is a dumbass name! What kind of person is called Dewey?!” He shouted, raising his arms and shoulders.

“WHAT KIND OF FUCKING NAME IS CALCULATOR?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A CALCULATOR IS?!” She screamed, shaking him.

He started at her and shrugged his shoulders before quickly turning around at a girls voice calling his ‘name’. Lydia stared at her, pissed off.

“Hey! Calculator, was it?!” The girl snickered with her friends, “Who’s your mum, some druggie alcoholic?”

Oh, little did she know.

“It’s actually - ohmygod - It’s actually, uh, Dewey..” He rolled his eyes and looked at Lydia, before whispering to her, “Who is this bitch?”

“Look, Mackenzie, I’m not dealing with your bullshit right now. I’m talking to my friend.” Lydia groaned and flipped her off.

Mackenzie and her friends giggled, then all of them looking back at the two almost in complete sync.

“Whatever, Lyds-”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” She stepped forward, angrily. She was tired of this girl and just wanted her to go away.

“Awh, I’m so scared! Is the little baby gonna have a tantrum?” Mackenzie teased, looking back at Betelgeuse, “So, ..Dewey.” She couldn’t help but laugh at the name, “That’s a new one.”

“Hey! Dewey is cool as shit! Mackenzie sounds like a god-damn fuckin’ car brand!” He yelled, crossing his arms.

“Whatever. You’re probably just as much of a f*g as she is a d*ke.” She rolled her eyes and walked off.

Jesus, that escalated quickly.

Lydia opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and bit her lip. She looked to the side and crossed her arms, it was obvious this wasn’t the first time she was being bullied or made fun of for her sexuality, or just the way she acted in general.

Betelgeuse stared at the girls laughing and walking away in pure awe. He looked at Lydia, then back at the girls, then Lydia, then the girls. He thought about what he was going to do (for once) for a second. How everyone would react. Was he gonna kill a child?

Lydia was holding back tears, thinking about all the things she had been told in the past, she seemed to be breaking.

He was gonna kill a child.

He stomped towards the group and picked Mackenzie up by the collar, strands of his hair already turning red.

“Listen here, you absolute fucking son of a bitch. I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but if you think you’re gonna get away with saying shit like that about my best friend,” He laughed and looked at her friends, “You better fucking think twice.” He brought Mackenzie up to throw her down, but was interrupted by Lydia’s voice.

“Stop! Beej, please! I told you not to do this!” Lydia’s voice broke.

He groaned, glaring at the girl before looking at a non existent watch on his wrist, then looking back at her, smiling.

“Well, would you look at the fucking time!”

Betelgeuse looked at her again for a second before dropping her to the ground and grabbing Lydia’s wrist, walking off. He stopped and went back to the girls for a moment and flipped them off with both hands. Lydia just wanted to go home. She hated this. Of all things, why did this have to happen?

Betelgeuse went out of his disguise and teleported her back home, three hours before school was supposed to end. He let go of her wrist and hugged her.

“I’m sorry, kid..you don’t deserve that. Mom would call me stuff like that and, uh, I reacted basically the same way you did, believe it or not.” He tried to sound soft but the gruff voice remained. Lydia wipes her eyes and sighed, hugging him back.

“It’s okay.”

-

JEsus this was a rollercoaster. uh it got a bit over the top and edgy near the end, but i like writing things like that so i hope you don’t mind it too much

thanks for sending me this ask! that’s two angsty one shots in a row, which i honestly didn’t expect

i don’t mind writing either fluff or angst, i’m just not the best at angst and there are probably so many people who are way better at writing that me (i’m still surprised because are actually sending me asks in the first place! i thought people would just ignore my posts about it, y’know?)

beetlebabes please fuck off xx

🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤!!

[intergalxtic]

I Thought You Were American

 a fun lil Lesbian Lydia story that I thought I could put on here instead of AO3 because why not?? ya know.

I really hope you guys get this reference,,,

Let me know if you want more Lydia stories, and more of this OC!

*beetlebabes dni*

Lydia is worried. Not just a simple worry, like a difficult test coming up. She wants to come out to her friend Adeline. She has only been at the school for a few months, and she only has one close friend. Naturally, she doesn’t want to ruin it just because she’s gay. 

Lydia doesn’t really think that Adeline is homophobic, but there is still that fear lurking in the back of her mind, waiting until she’s about to come out, then she retreats. And it’s not like Lydia’s scared that Adeline will out her, because she’s already out to her family, and they obviously accept her. 

She has discussed this thoroughly with the Maitlands, and they said that if she wants to do it, and if she is ready to do it, then she should. They both tell her their ‘coming out stories’, and even though Barbara’s made her feel good about it, Adam’s gave her doubt.

So she talks to Delia about it, and Delia gives her lots of random, oddly specific advice. Fortunately, she did throw some good advice in, including: “Have a backup plan! You know, just in case.” “Don’t come out in a room with lots of known homophobic people,” “If they love you and care about you, they won’t care if you’re lesbian,”

If her mum was here, she would know exactly how to help. She would rub her back and tell her it’s okay, or punch any kids who were bullying her. Sadness nags at her, but she’s old enough to punch the kids that bully her.

Lydia lays in bed, her thoughts trapping her from any kind of sleep. Her body aches with exhaustion, but her mind is wide awake. Lydia laughs to herself as she thinks my brain just drank five energy drinks. Yup, tired and absolutely delusional. So she calls Beetlejuice from across her room. 

“Hey BJ!” She whispers as he uncurls himself from underneath the blanket she gave him, as they are yet to give him his own room. 

“What!” He whispers back. “I can’t technically sleep, but I’m enjoying having my eyes closed here!”

“Bullshit.” Lydia sticks her tongue out, then pulls her mouth into a tight line. “I’m thinking of coming out to my friend tomorrow.”

“Well, if she doesn’t take it well, I’ll set her mum’s car on fire.” Beetlejuice crosses his legs, then floats over to Lydia’s bed. 

“BJ! I’m fifteen!” Lydia exclaims louder than she was meant to. “I can her car on fire myself! And no, I won’t be doing that.”

“Damn. Anyways I’ve met Adeline. She’s the one with half-pink hair, right? She’s to… nice to be homophobic.” He points out. “She told me she liked my suit. It hasn’t been washed.”

“Gross, and there’s still that… doubt?” Lydia groans, dragging her hands down her face. Oh my god, why does it have to be so hard? 

Her and Beetlejuice stay up even later talking about possible ways of coming out, and plans for if it goes badly. But by the morning, Lydia regrets falling to sleep so late. 

As she walks into school, she holds her breath, her hands shaking with anticipation. She just wants it over with, fearing the worst. She opted for the simple plan of just saying it to her, instead of making it a big deal. 

The instant she got to her locker, she shoves her bag away and hauls her books out. They aren’t all that heavy, but Lydia’s so worn out purely from worry. As if the bags under her eyes weren’t enough. Lydia places her books on the window sill outside her classroom, falling against the wall and sliding down. She rests her head on her knees, her eyes open. 

After a few minutes, she sees Adeline’s beaten up Doc Martens racing towards her at full speed. Lydia slowly lifts her head, to see only her and Adeline in the hallway. It’s time.

Lydia heaves herself off the ground, looking everywhere except for her eyes, which fall onto the pleats of Adeline’s skirt. 

“Are you okay, Spooks?” Adeline asks, her voice high pitched, and Lydia chuckles a little at the nickname. Adeline imitates Lydia by putting her books onto the window sill and crossing her arms against her chest.

“I have to tell you something.” Lydia finds it in her, to look in her eyes. They are serious, yet caring, and a little confused by her announcement. Come on Lydia. It’s now or never. 

“I’m Lesbian.”

There is a pause. Adeline’s face is deadpan. It is only a moment, but to Lydia, it feels like forever. Just when Lydia’s about to go “Just kidding!” a huge smile breaks onto Adeline’s face.

“I thought you were American.” She says through held in laughter. Lydia’s jaw drops to the floor, relief and shock filling the space where anxiety had taken residence. Adeline bursts into an uncontrollable fit of giggles, and much to Lydia’s dismay, she joins in.

“Did you just pull a vine reference on me?” Lydia laughs, clutching her stomach to keep her from toppling over.

“I’ve been waiting so long to use that, spooks.” Adeline gains control of herself as the teacher gives the two of them a strange look as they walk by. Lydia smacks her forehead at Adeline’s silliness. 

That night, she lays awake in bed, a smile tugging at her lips. Looking back, she doesn’t know what she was so worried about. Adeline clearly was going to accept her, and her little joke is something that they will laugh about in the future. 

Lydia’s phone buzzes on her bedside table. Lydia sighs, her curiosity taking over her brain. It’s a text from Adeline, reading:

I was going to tell you this today, but you kinda beat me to it...

I’m bi

So yeah

Gn spooks x

Lydia smiles, a warm feeling spreading through her chest. She isn’t alone. She has her family, but she also has a friend who understands. Not that everyone else doesn’t, but it’s good to have someone her own age.

[blairwaldcrf]

I am definitely obligated to ask Shadowhunters for the game! ;)

IN DEPTH FANDOM QUESTIONS

oof you really went for it, huh! haha

Top 5 favourite characters: Simon, Magnus, Clary, Maia, Jace

Other characters you like: Izzy, Sebastian, Raphael, Meliorn, Luke

Least favourite characters: Valentine, Maryse, Alec

Otps: Simon/Jace, Clary/Izzy, Clary/Maia, Izzy/Maia, Raphael/Izzy/Simon, Raphael/Simon, Jace/Maia, Jace/Simon/Maia, Magnus/Ragnor (that’s book influenced though, haha), Clary/Simon

Notps: Magnus/Alec (i said what i said), Jace/Clary, Camille/Simon, Victor/Izzy, Simon/Faerie Queen

Favourite friendships: lightwood siblings (that includes jace), clary/izzy, clary/simon

Favourite family: Lightwood Siblings, but the Garrowfray+Simon family was done dirty and could have been so much more

Favourite episodes: Don’t know what this really says about me, but the one where Valentine is torturing Jace on the boat, because it really points out the trauma he grew up with and doesn’t disclose (which the show did horrible of showing the aftermath of btw ugh), and then obviously the episode where Jace sacrifices himself to save Simon and lets him drink his blood a little too much........ I haven’t watched most of s3/4 so I haven’t seen the later Jimon scenes but I’m sure those too

Favourite season/book/movie: lol, none of the show is a fav, necessarily, but i do like some of s2. my fav book is the City of Lost Souls

Favourite quotes: Can’t think of specific ones, but pretty much anything Simon says

Best musical moment: Simon singing Fragile World. I downloaded it and listen to it still

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: jimon blood feeding

When it really disappointed you: i was mad about them not exploring jace’s trauma after the boat. i was upset they didn’t let the malec breakup last longer for alec to grow as a person before they got back together. just so much. so so much.

Saddest moment: Um, I don’t know about sad but the most poignant was when Simon was talking about his Bubbie having been through the holocaust and that was why he wasn’t about to do the shadowhunter bullshit tracker thing

Most well done character death: they did Jace’s okay. I think Simon’s was good too.

Favourite guest star: Lydia the Lesbian

Favourite cast member: Alberto 100%, although Kat is a sweetheart too. And Isaiah is hilarious.

Character you wish was still alive: Um, Jocelyn, I think. She deserved the Maryse “redemption” storyline more than anyone else after the abuse and manipulation she went through as Valentine’s wife imo

One thing you hope really happens: well the show has ended, but I guess I hope Clary/Jace break up just to break up Izzy/Simon and switch respective partners.

Most shocking twist: There wasn’t one, really, after reading the books. I guess the most shocking thing was the show actually incorporated Simon’s Judaism in a serious and respectful way? And that they let Maia talk about police harassment as a black girl vs shadowhunter harassment as a werewolf

When did you start watching/reading?: Um, reading the books would be circa 2012 I think? The show I watched when it first aired

Best animal/creature: any downworlder

Favourite location: Magnus’ flat

Trope you wish they would stop using: redemption storylines

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: showing Simon’s Judaism as a part of his life

Funniest moments: most things Simon or Magnus related

Couple you would like to see: see all above non canon otps

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: n/a

Favourite outfit: the little black dress Izzy puts on Clary because gayyy

Favourite item: Stele

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: nope

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: in this world, weirdly enough, I think vamp

Most boring plotline: haahahahahahahahaha

Most laughably bad moment: Valentine’s “lair” being in Chernobyl for absolutely no reason

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: i don’t remember most of them, but I guess the lightwood siblings ones? or valentine’s? god it’s been too long. also this doesn’t count really but the alternate universe where Jimon are friends and Alec has a personality

Most layered character: if they had actually explored his psyche, Magnus

Most one dimensional character: Alec

Scariest moment: I had read the books, so really nothing?

Grossest moment: Sebastian going in to kiss Clary. Incest isn’t a good look...

Best looking male: Isaiah, but Alberto is up there. Dom.

Best looking female: all of them

Who you’re crushing on (if any): Alberto and Kat. I miss Kat’s red hair too much

Favourite cast moment: all the stupid cute domberto videos

Favourite transportation: portals

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): Alicante

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: no one has time for that list

Best promo: n/a

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: the show? the minute I saw Simon’s smile and him changing his shirt. Also the part where Clary and Izzy are actually friends but also check each other out up and down while changing clothes.

—Send me a show/fandom and i’ll answer

[brownqueerandfulloffear]

i’m a dumbass

SO ends up my AP Lit teacher actually read EVERY SINGLE LINE of my notes (which were pretty analytical overall, but once in a while I would insert some super candid and informal thoughts) on The Handmaid’s Tale and I had no idea he would, so here is a compilation of things I wrote that I regret writing:

“As with last chapter, we see how the Commander is not the ‘sex machine’ Aunt Lydia says men are- Offred was expecting kinky sex but instead she got games of Scrabble, showing that he is not generic, but at the same time, there is a chance he has darker motives” kinky sex. KINKY SEX.

"[Moira] disapproves of Offred’s loving Luke due to his status as a married man, and says that it’s stealing, yet she thinks she’s justified in the fact that she ‘steals’ or ‘borrows’ women, due to it being an ‘even-steven transaction’. As a lesbian, let me just state that this is not a belief a good majority of us have." so yea i just came out to my middle-aged catholic ap literature teacher

“However, I’m not gonna lie, that women-only enclave is so tempting.”

“[Offred] has next to no sense of independence whatsoever, and maybe it’s because I grew up raised on feminist ideals, I think it’s kind of pathetic. It’s frustrating for me to read this, because part of my mind is screaming at her to, just for once, to get a grip and try to do something about what’s happening to her- to take risks, especially if it means freedom. As usual, the gays prove to be powerful (“some of the gays can take over our numbers and buy us things we need”, also this point is a joke and should not be taken too seriously)” 

“Mr. Lopez, if you’re actually reading each and every line of these long paragraphs, here is where I say I really hope not every book we read this year deals with suicide because I am tired of it, just from reading The Awakening and The Handmaid’s Tale. Back to the point, I think this is the one time Offred’s passivity doesn’t frustrate me at all, for obvious reasons. I’m not going to elaborate.” this is the quote he cited to the CLASS and made me realize that yes, he had read every damn line of my notes

“Also, let me tell you, as someone whose parents’ and uncles and aunts’ marriages were arranged- what the Commander says- ‘Arranged marriages have always worked out just as well, if not better’- is absolute bullshit“

and this is only around half of it!!! 

[mousedetective]

A Return Home (1/? - A “Miss Fisher's Modern-Day Adventures” Story)

So I had started to write this for the a ficathon and just got stuck so I decided to post it on it’s own. In this series, I’m planning to rewrite at least series 1 & 2 of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries episode by episode and set them in the modern era. This is the first chapter of the “Cocaine Blues” rewrite. The fic is set roughly in 2016/2017 in the same months as the show (I haven’t decided what year yet).

A Return Home - Phryne Fisher returns to Melbourne after an extended absence to make sure the man she is sure kidnapped and murdered her sister stays behind bars, but in the course of fashioning a new life for herself there, she falls into the most unexpected career and meets the beginnings of her found family.

Read Chapter 1 | Series Page | Buy Me A Coffee?

Her mother had said it was old-fashioned to sail from England to Australia, but she wanted time to think. Time to plan.

Time to mourn all over again.

Murdoch Foyle was being released. It had been far too long since she’d given thought to the man, keeping his face and the whole thing with Janey in the back of her mind ever since her father inherited the estate in England. It was easier that way. Safer for her sanity, too. If she thought about it too much, it started to drive her mad. As a child, she dealt with it by getting into scrapes with boys who were rough and tumble. As she got older, if it came to her mind, she either reached for something alcoholic or reached for someone to shag.

Either way, she buried herself in something else until the memories went right back to their rightful place in the darkest parts of her mind.

And yet here she was, on a cruise ship heading towards Melbourne. She was going home to keep that monster at Her Majesty’s pleasure for as long as she possibly could. Most of the other people on board would spend their time looking at the sights and then head back to England and off to...wherever they came from. She hadn’t much cared for her fellow passengers while she’d been planning. Polite conversation at mealtimes had been about all she had given them. The rest of the time she’d been holed up in her cabin, either reliving memories or making plans, using a satellite phone to finalize certain things.

The more she could plan, the better she’d felt. The more hopeful she was it would all work.

But now it was time to disembark, and she stood at the railing, looking down at the throng of people on the docks. It didn’t take her long to spot Mac, not with her red hair as flaming as the setting sun. Though if she really wanted to be pert, she could say Mac’s red hair was as flaming as she was, but honestly, Mac was rather low-key about her choice in partners. Much more than she was, at least, but even though it wasn’t as frowned upon to be a lesbian as it might have been in, say, the 1920’s, Australia still didn’t allow same-sex marriage and there was still homophobia in certain areas.

Honestly, it was the modern era. People should be more open-minded, in her opinion, and yet they weren’t, and that bothered her. She believed people should love who they want to love, marry who they wanted, live the life they wanted. It would make the world a better place. And yet people fought vehemently to make sure that that wasn’t the way it was.

Utter bullshit, nothing more.

Though Australia was making strides. She knew people there were being more open-minded in some ways, and there was the talk of a real push for same-sex marriage to be made legal. It was a bright spot in the future and definitely made her more optimistic than she had felt since Brexit happened. Dear Lord, that had been an utter nightmare, and she’d fought more than her share of arguments fighting for people who couldn’t fight for themselves. In fact, now she always made sure to have a scarf on hand and adhesive bandages, in case things got physical. The scarf could be used as a tourniquet, a sling, or given to any Islamic woman who had their hijab taken off.

The current scarf in her handbag had been used for a few of those exact situations, unfortunately.

It was much better to focus on small scale and large scale injustice than it was to focus on her own past. Oh, her past was fraught with more than she wanted to think about, truly, but it had hardened her spirit and softened her heart and, perhaps, that wasn’t a bad thing.

She spotted Mac in one of the tailored suits he knew she favoured, a fedora perched on her curly ginger hair. Truthfully, Mac was a sight for sore eyes. They’d known each other since Phryne had been sent to her first boarding school in England, and it was one fight with a prat who kept pinching their arses and she knew they’d be best friends for life. Mac was one of the few who knew why she was really coming back to Melbourne, and she was one of the fewer people who hadn’t tried to talk her out of it. The only one, actually.

Once people were able to disembark, she made sure her luggage was pulled behind her and went down the gangway to her waiting friend. Giving Mac a wide grin, she let go of the handle of her carry-on and gave Mac a warm embrace. She was a good head taller than Mac but Mac had the stronger grip between them and almost lifted Phryne off her feet. “It’s good to see you, Mac,” Phryne said when they let go.

“Good to see you too, Phryne,” Mac said. She held her arms out still, giving Phryne a good look. Phryne had always appreciated vintage clothing, antiques and things with history, and so today she had on a women’s sailor style dress from the 20s. Then Mac glanced behind her at the stack of trunks and matching luggage being brought over by the porter. “Traveling light, I see,” she replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, that’s rather the point of sea travel, isn’t it?” Phryne said with a laugh. “Better than sending it across on its own boat trip, and you know airlines have a two suitcase limit.”

“You and your extravagant fashion,” Mac said, shaking her head. She pulled away and then moved next to Phryne, linking their arms together as Phryne picked up the handle of her carry-on again. “So, have any plans?”

“You know my plans,” Phryne said, her smile faltering a bit.

“I meant other plans,” Mac said in a soft tone. “I know why you’re here, but if you’re planning on staying long term...”

“I have a few things I’m considering,” Phryne said.

“Any chance you could help at the clinic?” Mac said. “I could always use another set of hands.”

“You just want the chance to boss me around,” Phryne said, her good mood at seeing her friend coming back fully. “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Better for our friendship if you aren’t the harsh taskmaster I know you are.”

“I am not that harsh,” Mac said.

“Yes you are,” Phryne said, nudging her shoulder into Mac.

“Alright, maybe a little,” she said. “But you’ll do something more than just keep him out of public?”

Phryne nodded. “I will, I promise.” A moment later a chime came from her handbag, and Phryne let go of Mac’s arm to dig out her mobile phone. She got it and opened her emails. “Oh! An invitation to lunch with Lydia Andrews. How lovely!”

“I suppose I can share you with others,” Mac said with an exaggerated sigh.

“Oh, and Aunt Prudence,” Phryne said, frowning.

“Shame I have to go perform an urgent medical procedure of some sort.”

Phryne rolled her eyes. “Ever the drama queen.”

“Are you talking about me or your aunt?” Mac asked.

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure,” Phryne said, eliciting a laugh from her friend. “I just need to get to the Langham Hotel, change into something more sophisticated than this, and perhaps have a drink to steel my reserve before dealing with Aunt Prue.”

“I’ll join you for that drink,” Mac said. “Though nothing overly strong. I am on call.”

Phryne nodded. “That works for me.” They linked arms once Phryne put her mobile back in her handbag and headed to Mac’s car. For a grand return to Melbourne, so far, it was going well. Hopefully, it would continue to go well...if she had luck on her side.

[softranswolves]

👏👏👏

I APPROVE (also thank you bby for the tag!!) and chihuahua Derek zgmxykdlu

Hmmm for me knowing I've got zero expectations and won't let myself get my hopes up I will saaaaay:

1. I would love to see Cora and Isaac again, my loves!! Not like as a couple bc my girl is a lesbian in my head but both of the characters back?? Pls 🥺

2. I really don't want Stydia still together. Not in mentions/passing, and especially not in canon. Let them have broken up and realize they function way better as friends. I also do not want Arden to have to deal with the bullshit they pulled on her again, much as I'd love to see Kira - let them mention her but don't force Arden back.

3. Scydia or Lesbian Lydia! They're too hung up on her being straight and changing character development to make her fall for Stiles, but homegirl bats for the other team let her be with Cora or Malia you cowards. If she has to be in a m/f relationship let it be with Scott, open the movie with them snuggling.

I'll tag @luulapants and @smalls2233 and @fanfictionfridge aaaand uh @wolfflock! Idk much of anyone in the fandom anymore so take it or leave it (┛ಠ_ಠ)┛彡┻━┻

Not sure if this has been done yet, but let’s get HYPED about the movie!!

1. Something you hope is in the movie. Could be a character, a plot line, a destination, anything!

2. Something you don’t want to see in the movie. Unpopular opinions are welcome!

3. Something you know they would never put in the movie, but you would absolutely DIE if they did.

For me it’s

1. Kira

2. Stiles as an FBI agent … (acab..)

3. DannyxScott!!!!! I would drop dead!

What are you all looking forward to? And tag your friends so we can all share our movie predictions and wishes! @sassyfoxunknown @a-gir1-has-n0-name @marenara-sauce @heythereimpax @indrarose @scilessweetheart @spikeface @notthebasementt @mariedawn @imdreamingwiththestars @voidsouralphas @heylilyhilily @fearlesslykj @thesewordsareallihavetogive @thelittlewerewolfoven

[suckitsurveys]

What motivates you to do what you do? Money. What was the weather like the last time you went out? Fucking COLD I hate this fucking bullshit fucking transitional weather please just be fucking WARM thank you. This weather puts me in such a fucking shitty mood idk if you can tell or not haha. Do you go for walks often? I should. What color shirt are you wearing? Navy blue.

What is your favorite type of youtube video to watch? Vlogs.

Do you need any new clothes right now? I’d like some dresses for the summer. What’s the next project you are excited to start? I just got done with my garden/yard upgrades I wanted to do. I don’t have anything else planned right now unless planning my niece’s birthday parties counts. Do you collect anything? If so, what? Panda things. ^and if not, what would you like to collect? $100 bills. What was the last disappointing thing that happened to you? I stopped being friends with someone I’ve known for half my life. What is something God has healed you of? Lol nothing because that’s not real. Have you ever experienced a miracle? Eh. What was the last thing you ate? Pumpkin loaf. Do you ever eat food that’s intended for kids? Um. Like, baby food? No. What other foods are intended for kids exactly? What was the last stupid thing you did? Overslept. Do you get embarrassed easily? Yes and no. Are you wearing pants or shorts right now? Pants unfuckingfortunately. What are your top three names you like for a daughter? I’m not having kids. Would you ever film a vlog of yourself giving birth? Not having kids. Do you like getting caught in the rain? If it’s warm. Do you think your hair looks best straight, wavy, or curly? Wavy but I never have the patience to do that. What was the last craft project you completed?: haha no idea. Name 3 youtubers you would like to meet in person: Bunny Meyer, Mamrie Hart, Jess Skube. Has anyone ever spread an untrue rumor about you? Oh I’m sure. What’s one rumor you’ve heard about yourself, and is it true? That I was a lesbian. Not entirely true. I’m pan, if anything. What color are your nails painted currently? They are SO chipped it’s embarrassing. Do you use a pill box? No. List 3 people you know who were loving and then turned cold: Lydia, Kayla, and an ex. Have you filmed a youtube video today? I don’t do that. Do you leave the house when you’re on your period? ..................................................................what? Have you ever felt threatened for your life? Ehhhhhhhhh. What are you behind on? Lol. Do you get enough sleep each night? Apparently not. Which did you like better: high school or college? No thanks. Which year of your life stands out to you as the most significant so far? 2013. …and why? I was at my lowest with my mom dying and then my highest with my first niece being born. What was the last store you shopped at? Jewel. Do you have a favorite pharmacist? Rosaria. She took care of my mother’s many prescriptions when she was sick and she’s a sweetheart. She recently got moved to a different pharmacy location and my sister and I were shopping there once and we split up to gather out groceries and my sister was at the pharmacy talking to Rosaria and didn’t know who she was until I showed up and she was like “Hi Hannah!” and it was really sweet that she remembered me and funny that she was talking to my sister and didn’t even realize it! Do you have a favorite cashier at the grocery store? There’s this one older lady who is hilarious everytime I check out with her. What was the last thing you ordered at Starbucks? Currently drinking a match green tea latte with soy milk. What’s something you discovered recently? That someone who I thought was my best friend is a fucking stone cold bitch. What makes you more creative? I’m not sure what you mean. What’s the last magical thing you experienced? My niece turning one on Sunday. What is the theme of your bedroom? Blue. Have you ever lived in a dorm? No. Who is someone whom you admire, and why? My sister. When was the last time you stepped outside of your comfort zone? Texting my ex friend and ending the friendship. Where would you like to travel to next? Mark and I wanna go camping. If you could win three dream vacations to anywhere, where would you go? Hawaii, LA, a week-long stay at the Wilderness Waterpark Resort. Would you rather ride a camel or an elephant? Neither.

Are you a free spirit? Sure. Do you want to lose weight? Yes. Which insects scare you, if any? Earwigs and centipedes. Do you think it’s silly to be afraid of a tiny insect? Yes. Have you ever experienced paranoia? Nah. Have you ever hallucinated? Yes. Fever dreams are REAL. Were you raised religious? Not even a little bit. Have you ever been abused? Yes, emotionally. Do you think the cops should do more about bullying? Fuck da police. Is there a coffee shop you like better than Starbucks? Eh. If you could afford to get your hair professionally done, what would you get? I get my hair professionally done by my cousin for the cost of whatever she wants for dinner :P If you had a lot of money, do you think you would use it wisely? Lol not at first. I have SO many things I want to buy. Do you know any rich people who are very irresponsible? Eh. List five careers that you’d like to have: Event planner.

List five far-out things that you’d like to do before you die: I can’t think right now. Do you dream big? Nah. What was your first imaginary friend’s name? Julia. What was the name of the first pet that you loved? Featherbrain and Lucky. Parakeets. What was the first work uniform that you had to wear? At Party City. Black shirt and Khakis. Do you like to go barefoot? Yes. Do you like the same colors now that you did as a kid? Yes. I loved blue as a kid. Do you have a blog? Unless this counts. Do you have a youtube channel? I do.

[amorremanet]

@bpdrussell : “i absolutely agree; the char in my icon is like that for me. part of it's having projected my experiences as a gay person w bpd but part of it's just hc, and then there's the fact that ships w girls tend to be SUPER boring and heteronormative and ruin the depth of him and whatever girl he's being shipped with ,,,,, you feel?” yeah, I feel, and like? more broadly, I have a lot of chars who I hc as bi or pan, often because I have m/f ships with them that I enjoy — like, I’m not really into Teen Wolf much anymore, but the characters Scott, Braeden, Kira, and Derek are all bi or pan to me, bc I dig Braeden/Derek and Kira/Scott (actually, most of the TW characters are bi or pan to me, except for a couple where I’m like, “nah, I don’t want Chris or the Sheriff on my team, straight people can have them, I’m nice like that :)” or a few I hc as gay — like, I dig “lesbian dealing with a lot of compulsory heterosexuality”!Lydia and lesbian!Cora. or there’s the character Parrish who I decided was aro gay before he got forced into a really skeevy romo plot with Lydia [when this is really not good for either of them] so… yeah, that is not part of the canon I accept, my Parrish is aro gay, and then there’s Camden Lahey and Laura Hale, who are basically OC’s with canon names anyway so who cares if I say they’re both gay, we know almost nothing about them — but that’s beside the point) anyway, yeah. it’s just like…… unless someone’s hc’s are actually Not A Good (e.g., “this canon lesbian character has not outright said the word lesbian even though she has said everything else that her show will let her say but I’m gonna hc her as bi so I can ship her with my fave dudebro”), I want to be understanding and open-minded and at the very least not an asshole ………but there are some characters I hc as lgbtq one way or another, and any time I see someone else writing them as straight, I have to like, take several deep breaths, count backwards from 1,000 by sevens, think of warm brownies, and talk myself through, “Kassie, no. Kassie, stop. Canon does not say one way or the other, you are not allowed to be a brat to them because it’s rude and you would be in the wrong. Get your shit together, it is not actually a personal attack on you for someone to hc [pick a fave] as being straight because canon. does. not. say. shit. about. shit.” (which is sometimes harder than I feel like it should be, which is embarrassing) (…………and now i am horrifying myself a little bit by thinking about whether or not hypothetical future readers will try to headcanon one of my few straight characters as gbq even though he’s straight and an objectively terrible person — like he is a member of a neo-fascist supervillain club and a victim-blaming emotionally abusive douchebag, and that’s just the tip of the bullshit iceberg, and……… okay, i am gonna stop thinking about this before i get too worked up to write)