#official statements. || MEME REPLY

[carriesthewind]

Good evening everyone! As I said in an answer to a previous ask, there wasn't a public call-in line to listen to the Show Cause Hearing in Mata v Avianca (the ChatGBT lawyer case) today.

However, while we are waiting for a transcript of the hearing (because there was a court reporter! yay!) and a written decision by the judge, we did get this absolutely anxiety-inducing live tweet of the hearing:

(Caveat: this thread was not an official transcript of the hearing and should not be taken as such. It is possible the actual events and statements made in the hearing differ significantly from this report - i.e., take this with a grain of salt and reserve final judgement for the actual transcript.)

I'll put the full thread with some (light) commentary below the cut.* But the overall impression I am left with is that the judge seems to feel this pair of attorneys are treating their duty of candor toward the tribunal with the same seriousness with which they are treating their duty of competence to their clients. (And in this case, that's a very bad thing.)

*The full thread except for a soon-to-follow part 2 because I ran out of space for images again.

(All of the following screenshots are from the above tweet thread by Inner City Press @ innercitypress on twitter, made on June 8, 2023.)

Normally I would overlook that "you, personally," but in this case, you really get the feeling that the judge is concerned that LoDuca might just start talking about what Schwartz did again.

Establishing LoDuca's base of knowledge - he should know how to look up cases and check if they are real; he should know what a real case looks like.

The March 1 submission was the plaintiff's opposition to the motion to dismiss, where they first cited the fake cases.

How bad this answer is depends, I think, on LoDuca's wording here. Best case scenario, his statement about Schwartz was a specific statement about what inquiry was reasonable for him to do under the circumstances (which - for that first filing - I think is actually a reasonable argument. You don't expect your colleague to just make up cases). Worst case, this reads like him trying to wiggle out of his obligations. I will withhold judgement until I see the official transcript.

Rule 11, by the way, refers to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Rule 11(b) states:

(If you remember the Order to Show Cause, we are dealing with a Rule 11(b)(2) issue here. Rule 11(c) allows the court to impose sanctions for violations of Rule 11(b))

Oh no, bad answer. (If anyone reading this is good at photoshop, I cannot express how badly I want a version of the "this sign can't stop me because I can't read" meme with the sign being the quote from defendant's reply where they say, "The undersigned has not been able to locate this case by caption or citation, nor any case bearing any resemblance to it.")

Oh that is not a good way of characterizing those orders. (Those were the orders, remember, where the Court said, "By April 18, 2022, Peter LoDuca, counsel of record for plaintiff, shall file an affidavit annexing copies of the following cases cited in his submission to this Court: as set forth herein. Failure to comply will result in dismissal of the action pursuant to Rule 41 (b), Fed. R. Civ. P.")

I would simply perish on the spot.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention in my original attempted summary of "Varghese" - the first paragraph states that it is a wrongful death suit by the widow of the passenger. Then the second paragraph states that the passenger was denied boarding on a flight due to overbooking and thus missed his connecting flight and therefore incurred additional expenses. The case was such nonsense that I legitimately forgot about that inconsistency by the time I got to the end.

Your honor I plead "2 stupid 2 sanction."

(I believe the "different fonts" is in reference to the April 25 affidavit, in which the case names - and some of the surrounding text - are in a different font from most of the text in the affidavit. It seems like this is because they may have been copied straight from ChatGPT. See e.g., #3 below. It's hard to tell just based on this twitter thread, though.)

A short and simple answer! You did it!

"I have all the answers I need" is not a good sentence in this context.

Very genuinely: shorter is better here. At least I don't think he hurt himself with that statement.

Judge Castel: How do you conduct legal research?

Schwartz: I research cases.

Judge Castel: Do you read them?

Schwartz: Well, I may have once upon a time, but after hearing you ask that question in this context, I have decided to retire from the practice of law forever and also possibly sink into the ground and die. Also, by answering "yes," here, I just realized that I'm either admitting that I read the cases I submitted and therefore must have known they were fake, or else I just possibly committed perjury. Oh shit oh fuck.

Oh god I'm cringing myself into a pretzel just reading this.

Hey, by the way? You can actually use google (esp. google scholar) to do legal research. (It's not a good tool and you will miss things, but it will do in a pinch.) But. Um. If you know that...why didn't you double check your cases at very least on google when you were told they seemed to be made up?

So, once again, I am going to withhold judgement until I see the actual transcript. That said, if Schwartz did say this, I would like to compare it briefly to a part of the chat transcript he provided to the court. Here is the first question asked about the Montreal Convention in the provided transcript:

"analysis"

Oh god. I can't even provide commentary on this one. I hope this is worse than the actual transcript will prove to be. I'm reading through my fingers like I'm watching a horror movie.

"Misperception" (or "misconception") doesn't work once you have evidence that should cause you to doubt - like not being able to find a case that was supposedly published in the Federal fucking Reporter.

This is overshooting "2 stupid 2 sanction" into "too stupid to function."* You either looked for "Varghese" or you didn't. If you looked for "Varghese," it is not credible that you continued to have a good faith assumption that ChatGPT couldn't lie. If you didn't look up "Varghese," you just lied to the Court under oath.

*Just to be clear: for an ordinary person, this would be a very understandable lack of knowledge issue. A lawyer has no excuse not to know this.

Judge Castel: Mr. Schwartz, I think you have the fucking audacity to try to lie to me to my face in my fucking courtroom.

Honestly at this point I'm surprised he could still talk. I think screaming, "I'm melting, I'm melting!" as he vanished into steam, leaving his crumpled suit behind, would be an appropriate response.

NO.

Oh no, oh honey.

Ok. Two options here (again, assuming he actually fucking said "They said they couldn't find them," in response to the Court asking, "When Avianca said you cited non existent cases?"):

Schwartz is once again trying to purposefully downplay what the defendant's reply brief actually said and dodge responsibility.

Schwartz honestly, truly believes that when the defendant filed a reply containing the line, "The undersigned has not been able to locate this case by caption or citation, nor any case bearing any resemblance to it," they were just asking for assistance with their legal research?!??!

I honestly don't know which is worse.

Oh no....

Oh man, I haven't gone over it here yet, but I think that "I looked up the judge" is a panicked attempt at bringing up a talking point the Professional Responsibility Lawyers raised in their memorandum of law. (Again, I'm giving this reading of his response with the caveat that it is based only on this thread, not the official transcript, which might read very differently and contain different/more info.) The Professional Responsibility attorneys noted in a footnote that two of the judges listed in the "opinion," including the "author," were actual 11th circuit judges, and the other is an actual 5th circuit judge. My read of this footnote was as an extra little detail tossed in by the Professional Responsibility attorneys to try to dress up their argument that the "opinions" had various "indicia of authenticity."

But here's the problem. If Schwartz is telling the truth - if he was reading carefully and critically enough that he bothered to look up the judge (why would you do that if you didn't think the case might be fake?!) there is no way he could have missed that the case was gibberish. Again, if this is really what he said at the hearing, he either lied in the hearing, or he must have know the "opinions" were bogus when he gave them to LoDuca to file.

"Did it cross your mind" - if the court actually said this, oh my god.

Hey, that's the point that I made in my original post(s)!

This whole thing about the "+h" to "th" with the notary date is from the recent affidavits filed on 6/6/23, you can read them about them if you want, I'll be honest, I don't really care as much about the notary stuff so I'm going to skip it for the moment.

....and I've run out of space for images again. Part II to follow shortly!

[hotnsweetnprimrose]

Who am I? Well,

I'm part boy part girl, boygirl, the protector and mayor of transgenders! Well. Not that last one, that's not an official position nor would I claim it in a non-joking manner. I'm just a silly t4t slut :P

If you see this blog in sfw areas or engaging with sfw blogs, I’m just there to shitpost and I cannot be bothered to do a main blog switch thing lmao. But if it makes you uncomfortable, that’s okay too! I will also probably reblog sfw memes and such too. A laugh is a powerful thing.

Last Updated: Nov 14 2024

My name is Prim or Clark (switch 'em up when it's been a while). I'm 22, I am trans, non-binary, and bigender (androgyne flavor), and I'm here to fuck and get fucked, at least in what ways are possible over the internet. I'm interested in all genders, but have far more fondness in my heart for my fellow trans folk. :P

I'm a HUGE switch and vers! I am 5'1" and a tad fragile. This makes me better at domming too as well as subbing, I promise.

I prefer they/them pronouns from people who aren't close to me, but once you get to know me, we'll figure it out further :P. I might use it/its for myself while in subspace being a toy, don’t change any of your language in response unless I ask, please!

I strongly believe in trans joy and t4t joy. Transmasc transfem transneutral trans [fill in the blank] we are all so hot and cool. <3 It brings me joy to lend aid whenever and wherever I can. This blog is focused on trans 4 trans first and foremost. Cis people are an afterthought, almost always.

Send me asks if you want! DMs even! I love meeting people! Don't be shy! Unless you're cis, then I have high standards so yes do be shy. And if you’re cis and heterosexual? …. Sorry, if you’re attracted to me, you absolutely cannot be both of those things! I have a discord available after I get dm'd because tumblr dms my behated.

Please don't interact if you're a minor or don't have your age in your bio. I will block you. Immediately. Be patient and you'll have a chance to explore when it doesn't endanger yourself or others.

I also just block liberally if you aren't firmly on the side of t4t solidarity and mutual support. We're all having a hard time out here. (I also will not hesitate break mutuals if you post content that damages my mental health that I can't filter for. This is my safe haven.)

Top Surgery (No Nips!!!! Wahoo!!): 10/16/2024 [if you're seeing this in less than 3 weeks after that date, know my sleep is probably still in disarray and my ability to reply/exist is impaired.]

Anatomical Terms:

clit, tdick, tcock, cunt, pussy = GOOD!

boygirl + any term that's deemed good already= GREAT!!

hole = fine. a bit boring

vagina = BAD! too technical

If I'm dominant in your scenario, call me mastress, mixtress, or captain. Sir is on the table for those who earn it. If I'm submissive in your scenario, call me toy, pet, diminuitive names, or kitten (but only if you make jokes about it :P).

I tag my original things "Prim/Clark~" + [type of post] (space in the middle). My reblogs are tagged by kink/focus when I remember and rambling/my thoughts no matter what. [for specific tags I use for post types/original content, check under the cut for the list] I tag reblogs "primclark rbs" so I can sort them.

More stuff under the readmore including limits, kinks, and other tidbits.

Due to me being bigender (androgyne edition), I try not to reblog posts with "men dni" or "women dni" on them as I feel like that's denying part of my identity. Also out of principle so maybe people will be less broad with those kinds of statements OR remember multigender folks like myself exist. Please don't binarize me, that sucks.

I call the rp/kink fiction/pretend element "kayfabe" because wrestling is y'know. somewhat analogous to kink in some ways!

Setting up my queue to post all the reblogs I drafted then forgot about!!!! Please be patient!!

Not Planning on Going On T Please Don't Act Like I Am [I use tcock and tdick with the t meaning trans or t4t, not testosterone <3]

List time!!!!

g = giving, r = receiving

BIG YESES!!

body worship [g+r]

praise [g+r]

tentacles & monsters [...g+r] (used to be this blog's main theme, but I'm revamping! might still post/rb it though)

bondage & restraint & shibari [g+r]

hypnosis [g+r]

bimbofication & dumbification genre [g+r]

creampies [r+g but that requires a strap and/or imagination]

overstim [g+r]

edging [g+r]

Objectification in the sense of being a toy, a tool, something with a function that does a job [r, unsure about g]

petplay [g+r I am a kitten thank you not a puppy sadly]

gentle gender affirming genderplay/forcemasc/forcefem!!!!!! [g+r]

size kink [I'm so damn short I gotta sexualize it]

DEFINITELY MORE I DON'T REMEMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD

CONTEXT DEPENDENT (not always a big yes but the version eithout context is a no)

anal [giving ONLY, and only with gloves or a strap]

intox [giving/domming ONLY]

Consensual non-consent but ONLY if it's clearly established as such with the post/fiction (I know I'm rare in that I find the prep and negotiation hot but hey, I love communication and trust!)

Painplay [giving/domming ONLY]

Breathplay [giving/domming ONLY] (picky about this one because safety but also I got asthma so I need to breathe normally)

NOS!!!!

Any kind of pregnancy or pregnancy focused kink

Any sort of inflation (cumflation is case by case)

Breeding with the INTENT of pregnancy (see creampies above, I do love the raw sex and being cum in but pregnancy still makes me dysphoric)

Nipple/breast focused content and/or kink (don't have those anymore and they gave me dysphoria) [except if you want to do like. breast theft. then we can talk about it but I'm super picky it's basically a no] {okay I’m cool doing it for others tits but not Mine}

Detrans kink and misgendering kink (I respect you but not my thing and usually makes me dysphoric. More power to ya though!)

Kinks involving urine, scat [shit], or filth [literal] in any large capacity

Consensual Non-Consent when it's in-universe just non-con

I respect y’all but no f4uxc3st and please tag it!!!! I have it blocked because my brain goes “you want ocd symptoms abt this? Okay!” I don’t even have full ocd just traits n trauma 😔

Nudes. Not without my express and enthusiastic agreement (rare)

[all of this is subject to changes and updates when I remember things not listed here or I learn more about my tastes!]

Original Writing/Pictures Tags:

#Prim/Clark~ Says = non-horny posts/writing/updates (that's what this is tagged as)

#Prim/Clark~ Whimpers = horny writing (submissive focus)

#Prim/Clark~ Smirks = horny writing (dominant focus)

#Prim/Clark~ Moans = horny writing (generally)

#Prim/Clark~ Reveals = if I ever do post suggestive pics (probably no actual pussy in it, tasteful museum style) this is the tag for that. we'll see how I feel.

There are two sideblogs off this blog but they’re both secret. Thank you <3

[unhingedkorean]

House MD 2024 headcanon

Wilson divorceposts on reddit and Chase divorceposts on twitter. Taub divorceposts on both.

Cameron has jennifers body girblog lana del rey Pinterest and Amber has gaslight gatekeep girlboss legally blonde that girl Pinterest and their pins have significant overlap but neither of them will ever know

Kutner has a silly YouTube or Twitch channel that has little to do with medicine and his subscribers don’t even know he has a day job

Chase is on TikTok making videos about medicine, Taub sometimes guest stars, and House cyberbullies them into deleting but they doesn’t know it was House until later

House manages to access PPTH official social media accounts and posts insults and Cuddy has to release an apology. He quotes the statement when he refuses to do his clinic hours.

The team has a Discord server or group chat. Cuddy demands to be invited but isn’t. Wilson is in it against his will. It’s not for work; House shitposts on there and Kutner sends memes and cute animal pics. Others only make exasperated replies. Thirteen rarely sends anything but when she does, it is an absolute banger of a phrase or sentence.

House regularly makes funny and embarrassing gifs of everyone and uses them as reaction memes when they least expect it. They don’t know how he gets the videos for the gifs and they’re constantly paranoid about it

Foreman has a Tesla car and House will not stop making fun of him for it

A child gets sick from his sad beige mom painting his toys white with unsafe paint (he gets better though)

Park is on tumblr and is a swiftie.

Dominica is Instagram famous and goes on a reality show (theres a Real Housewife pun in there somewhere) and when asked talks about how her dysfunctional ex-husband lied to her and House watches every episode she’s in without ever admitting to anyone else he would ever watch reality tv because he is proud of her and happy for her

House tells Thirteen she should do OnlyFans one time. He tells Adams to do it a few times, just for the hell of it since she doesn’t need the money. He tells Cameron to do it all of the time. Cameron pretends to be upset but secretly likes the implication that House considers her sexy.

Masters has a video essay youtube. It’s only sometimes about medicine but she does mention she’s a physician.

[blackbird-brewster]

What you said about harassment is so true. I’m not in the CM fandom but I see it with my own fandom. The cast (mostly women) can tweet something innocuous about their dinner or their pet and people will be in their comments being really nasty and sexual. I get that there’s a certain level of invasion that comes with being a celeb especially an actor, because some people blur the lines between person and character but it’s a lot. Social media lets people be wild in ways they’d never be irl too. And for CM specifically watching the the whole JJ plot I felt like the writers were almost calling out fans but I didn’t really know the fandom dynamics so I thought I was reaching and maybe they were trying to make a roundabout statement on fan art/fanfic. Now though, maybe I think it’s more than that and about certain creeps idk. Whatever it is weirdos like that deserve to be called out it’s sickening and creepy!

[Replying to this post]

And for CM specifically watching the the whole JJ plot I felt like the writers were almost calling out fans but I didn’t really know the fandom dynamics so I thought I was reaching and maybe they were trying to make a roundabout statement on fan art/fanfic.

AHHHHHHHHHH!!! I am SO glad someone else felt this way, Anon. Because that's exactly how I took that storyline too. I talked about it a bit [here] when the BAU-gate episode (17x03) first aired.

Now, IF it had just been the JJ plot alone, I would have been like 'Okay, this is a heavy-handed bit of meta to pointing out fans online behaviours irl.'

But two days before 17x03 aired, the CM official IG account posted this meme:

Notice how they have put FANART on here. The implication is that fanart, fan cams, edits, and fan commentary are ALL the same. The other implication here is the team looking at these things as evidence while building a profile on an unsub.

To me, this implies the CM showrunners (or at least the social media team) consider all fanworks and commentary to be vile (in the same way the evidence on the table is documenting vile murders and such)

When this was posted, I felt like it was a threat. It was saying 'Hey fans, we not onlu see all your fanworks, but we're seeking them out now, and we think they're inappropriate.' Which, tbrh, didn't surprise me. CM/CBS has had a LONG history of pulling fanmade merch designs off sites like Cafe Press and Redbubble, because they protect their IP so much.

THEN, 17x03 aired. So the BAU-gate plot in context of the above post a couple of days prior made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to not interpret BAU-gate as being CM's way of simultaneously shaming fans who are sexually awful to the actors online AND any fans that make explicit fanworks for this show.

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER!!!!! I feel like the show runners do not see the line between IRL fan behaviour, and fans drawing the characters fucking -- yanno? Which is just another drop in the bucket of the current uptick of purity culture nonsense.

[bread--quest]

[ID: The Destiel confession meme from Supernatural. With teary eyes, Castiel says: "I love you." Dean, looking unruffled, replies: "The Writers Guild of America is now officially on strike, bringing the US entertainment industry to a stop. The things they are fighting for, like restrictions on the use of Al to replace workers, will affect not just film/TV, and not just the US, and they are holding the line for all of us.

Please make sure to vocally show your support online, be wary of articles and only trust statements from the union's official social media, and stop using Al tools like ChatGPT, even for fun, as they help develop the tools these corporations are using to put people out of jobs and devalue the creation of art. #WGAStrong". End ID.]

For more information and to support the WGA please:

Follow their official social media on all platforms and only trust statements from the union itself, and articles they promote (be wary of other articles).

Read up on the issues being fought for (there are articles supported by the union in their linktree)

Be vocal in your support and inform others in your communities.

Stop using ChatGPT and other AI tools, even for fun.

[msclaritea]

Barbenheimer Tweets Criticized By Warner Bros Japan; U.S. Company Apologizes – Deadline

UPDATED: 10:59 PM: Warner Bros U.S. has responded to the criticism it has received from its own studio branch in Japan and from many on social media over tweets of Barbenheimer memes featuring atom bomb images.

The Warner Bros. Film Group sent us the following statement: “Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology.”  

We understand that the offending tweets are being deleted.

PREVIOUSLY, 1:04 PM: Warner Bros. Japan has issued a statement in which it criticizes what it describes as “extremely regrettable” Barbenheimer tweets shared from the official Barbie Twitter account in the U.S. 

The statement, posted on Japan’s own Barbie account where it has been liked 75,000 times, reads after translation: “We consider it extremely regrettable that the official account of the American headquarters for the movie ‘Barbie’ reacted to the social media postings of ‘Barbenheimer’ fans. … We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the U.S. headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologize to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions. Warner Bros Japan.”

Warner Japan’s frustration stems from the Barbie account’s positive responses to Barbenheimer images, including one to a viral fan-made poster shared by the film account @DiscussingFilm. 

The fictional poster features Oppenheimer actor Cillian Murphy carrying Barbie star Margot Robbie on his shoulder in the foreground as nuclear flames engulf the background. In response to the post, the @barbiethemovie account replied: “It’s going to be a summer to remember.”

https://twitter.com/barbiethemovie/status/1682208852874526723?s=20

Twitter, which has recently rebranded to X, added a community note to the post highlighting the historical context of the image.

“At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945 (Showa 20), an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima for the first time in human history. The particular nature of the damage caused by the atomic bombs is that mass destruction and mass murder occurred instantaneously and indiscriminately,” the note reads. 

The initial post and its response has drawn ire from Twitter users in Japan.

One #nobarbenheimer post, viewed seven million times and liked 34,000 times, reads: “The official Barbie movie account is completely on board with the atomic bomb and mushroom cloud memes, so Barbie is a no-go as well”. 

Need more proof that Oppenheimer was made deliberately to try and embarrass America by causing problems between us and Japan? I'm not even sure if this outrage is real, since it's coming, after all, from Warner Bros Japan. But the point still stands.

Am I really also supposed to ignore the fact that an openly rightwing studio made a film about a doll that has rightwing, German origins? Barbie, the whole idea was ripped from a doll named Lille, sold through a Murdoch type of newspaper in Germany. Then there's the UK activist running around who calls herself Nazi Barbie. Brits don't do coincidence.

So far now, SIR Christopher Nolan has been caught in a lie over the use of VFX

the people who DID the effects were left out of the credits

the story that New Mexico was desolate and empty of people was a lie

now this.

[cosmoscourge-a]

Gonna answer these two together because they’re similar.

I think more people need to accept that people have their friend groups among their mutuals and those friend groups aren’t necessarily cliques. I’m fairly free with who I follow back; I mainly say I’m selective because it’s an easier way for me to put up a boundary when I encounter the rare individual with something really off-putting in their muse bio or their rules page. But. I have so many followers it is impossible for me to give equal time to everyone, and everyone else with any degree of popularity in the RPC is in the same boat. 

Rarely do I ever flat-out accuse someone of excluding me or being cliqueish toward me, because I understand that this sort of thing happens. We can’t all be everybody’s best friend, and that’s just a fact of life. I would only point the finger if there is a repeated pattern of concrete behavior, such as someone ignoring me over a period of months every time I try to interact, especially if they try to string me along saying they’re “interested” in interacting but never actually putting forth the effort. Otherwise, I’m perfectly fine with the fact that I’m not everyone’s favorite.

[ihatesoillore]

Fucking hate this guy and his pencil sharpener head. I bet he spends 28 hours a day googling for posts that are critical of the Biden administration, its policies, and its members. If he sees one that's CLEARLY a joke, like this one, he'll go "UMMMM ACKSHULLY", and then spend an hour drafting a reply to explain that a statement was taken out of context, or that a government official doesn't go onto the stage to make one obvious statement and then leave. It's as though he has some misguided belief that anyone actually cares about government policy beyond being able to post memes making fun of headlines.

This post isn't even critical of the Biden administration, nor its policies, if you think about it. It's just a shitpost making fun of the headline's choice to phrase a quote.

[themoralgoats]

W. what happened in the moral orel discord ........

Ok for a little anonymity (and to lighten things up for myself) I’m referring to everyone involved other than myself as Moral Orel characters and said characters’ pronouns. Insanely detailed explanation below

For context of what you’re about to read, I’d like to mention that

“Dottie” and “Agnes” stan Clay, like Danielle, hate Bloberta, make these things very clear (like the way they are about it could peeve someone who doesn’t necessarily disagree with them on those feelings) and as you might guess have been what’s been on my mind during multiple posts here complaining about clay stans.

This server was taken off Disboard and had invites turned off due to constant raiders in every public Moral Orel server. They’ve stopped but the owner of the server officially vanished off the internet beforehand. This helped kill the server notably, which probably contributed to the length of the following drama. At the moment any member is allowed to get invites to give friends, and as of today it would be back on disboard (and probably open) if we were technically able to.

Ok so Reverend Putty suggested for defenders of Danielle (the character; to avoid confusion I’m not nicknaming anyone after him, Clay, Shapey, Orel, or Bloberta) that Danielle “did everyone wrong”. Dottie replied saying that he did that “and slayed”. Agnes agreed saying he’s hot too, and the two had a back and forth about how cool Danielle is.

The next day Reverend responded to Agnes saying that he’s not that great, especially compared to a certain background character that’s somewhat of a meme in the server. Agnes said said character is an overhyped background character with no lore, unlike Danielle who does and is also attractive, blond, queer, and mustached with the latter statement having a lot of emojis. She and Dottie had another, shorter back-and-forth of agreement about how Danielle is awesome and the bg character sucks.

Five days later Joe replied to Putty’s message with (and I quote) “L opinion argue wit ya grammy + Danielle did nun wrong in my eyesight 😍 😍 🤭 🤭”.

A day or two later (aka yesterday at the time of me writing this) Reverend Putty responded to Joe by saying he must be blind to not notice him manipulating Bloberta, Clay and Orel on top of every other shitty thing he’s done. Agnes replied with a gif with an L + ratio caption and Dottie said Bloberta deserved it. Agnes and Dottie had their third described back and forth about how blobs sucks, particularly in that she cheated on Clay and forced him into marriage. Reverend Putty said he still stands by his statement that the background character is superior to Danielle and that all the latter’s “lore” revolves around his relationship with Clay.

I argued (on Reverend’s side) that by the logic that what Danielle did is ok because Bloberta “deserves” it, Clay also “deserved” to be manipulated by him and since he still manipulated Orel, pretends Shapey (his son) does not exist, and set the Figurellis’ house on fire, Danielle “deserves” to be labeled inferior to the “godly” (my quote) background character. Agnes and Dottie had their fourth and final recorded here obnoxious back and forth. I was having an incredibly bad day and am an insecure pussy in general so I didn’t get exactly what they said, but I do know they were being assholes and at the end genuinely suggested the fans of the background character (who, I reiterate, is little more than a meme to most of us “fans” of him) wanted to seem 🤩unique🤩.

A mod I’m naming after censordoll came in a while later (a few hours into the next day in my timezone) telling people calm down and be nice. Florence came in and said that she loves Danielle but he sucks and then listed some shitty things he did, and concluded you can love a character and acknowledge they suck. Dottie came back saying it’s true after someone responded to her comment about bloberta forcing him into marriage with “erm”. Censordoll then reiterated that Dottie was being an asshole about it and the way she voiced her opinions could be interpreted as ruse, partly thanks to a concerned message she got. Agnes turned it into what Dottie was suggesting about them once again supposedly getting attacked and censored for voicing an opinion and (her own idea) that the mods were gatekeeping the server. Censordoll said she’s the only active mod and she doesn’t know how to put things on disboard. Cue some arguing between Censordoll and Agnes. Florence called Agnes out for twisting the story and Dottie for again claiming people are getting angry at her for just expressing opinions on characters. Some Danielle Morality and General Character Discussion later things have finally calmed down.

A few hours later (this afternoon in my timezone) people get their last arguments out and Censordoll announces a warning system and there was a bit of discussion about someone else hopefully gaining ownership of the server. That’s all for now and I hope for the next few months.

[fureliselost]

First of all, love the art.

Second of all, I have more thoughts :)))))

Most twin fics I've seen have the backstory be that Danny was either not as good as Damian and was frequently rejected by Ra, or that Danny was as good but refused to kill, or that Danny simply failed a mission (or one of the two first with the last); so Talia fakes Danny's death and gives him up for adoption.

Consider this, though: Danny just wanted to chill.

Like, yes, he was good, but he also did the bare minimum (tbh mood, good for you bestie). Kid wanted to be a kid, that obviously frustrated everyone 'cuz everyone knows he's good, he just doesn't wanna do shit.

Damian, being Damian, adopted a raccoon at some point. Damian, being Damian, did not have time to take care of said feral raccoon. So Danny took take of the Raccoon (let's call it Alraaghul) and subsequently observed said raccoon's fighting style instead of training.

Danny was good before, but now he's got feral shit under his belt. Does Ra approve? No, he does not recognize that technique, wtf is the kid doing. Does Danny kick ass with it? Yes.

Let's say shenanigans happen and Talia gets Danny away from the LOA (I say she was like "if you really don't want to be a part of this, I can arrange to get you away").

Fast forward a few years, Danny is 14/15 ish, is a vigilante. Bruce is invited to one of Vlad's parties in Amity, so he takes Damian and whatever other batkid is available. Maybe the Mansons are invited and Sam takes Danny as a plus one or maybe Damian see Danny on the street, but the point is that Damian sees Danny and Danny gets the fuck outta there cuz he knows he's about to get the living shit beaten out of him (lovingly, of course). Damian still catches him, but whatever batkid is there (I'll say Dick cuz I like Dick) and stops him from proceeding to throw hands with Danny.

"Damian, I thought we talked about not fighting people we hate," said Dick after saving Danny's bitchass.

"That's not the case at all." Damian replied, crossing his arms.

Dick sighed, turning to Danny to apologize. The apology never came. Instead, Dick looked back at Damian, then at Danny, then at Damian again. "If there's an explanation, I'd like to know it."

Before Damian was able to, Danny bolted tf outta there. Not that that would solve anything cuz the bats are the bats and they found out who he was and where he lived in two minutes. Now, of course, Bruce and all the batkids were invested in the surprise long lost twin, so it's a big montage of them trying to contact Danny to talk and him running away like the one meme, which turns into the batkids trying to catch Danny.

Then, one of them (I say Tim) saw Phantom and he's like, "Damian, why the fuck are you wearing a wig." Because Tim was sleep deprived and Damian and Danny were identical.

Damian, of course, is listening through the comms, "What?" He said at the same time Danny did.

Tim started saying something, probably to make fun of the wig, then he realized that couldn't be Damian. As Danny is still starring at him and processing the fact that Damian somehow managed to get himself involved with fucking Batman and co and realizing he gotta get tf outta there, Tim started to say: "Tell B that vigilanstism might be a family thing."

"Are you that sleep deprived that you can't think that he knows that already?" Damian asked through the comms with a scoff. "Literally, go to sleep, Timothy."

Tim, completely ignoring Damian's last statement, said, "I don't think I'm that sleep deprived. I meant it might be a blood family thing." He was starting to consider going back to their hotel to sleep, maybe it was a hallucination. No, he shook his head, he'd never hallucinate about Damian. "'Cause I'm pretty sure I just bumped into your twin and he's the ghost vigilante."

When they eventually manage to actually tell Danny they just want to talk and he's not about to get taken back to the LOA, Danny is meeting the batkids officially, shenanigans happen. Jason eventually comments on how he's shocked that 1) Danny's so successful as a vigilante when he fights like a raccoon, and 2) Danny was trained by the LOA yet still fights like a raccoon.

"He was the league's best." Damian refuted.

Jason laughed, "Yeah, when he was seven. He's okay for street fighting now, but I doubt he's gonna make it very far in vigilatism if he doesn't get some proper training."

Damian raised his eyebrows challengingly. When Jason didn't seem to back down, he turned to where Danny was laughing to some joke Dick had said. "Danyal," he called.

Danny immediately looked at him, "Mi?"

Damian didn't flinch at the old nickname (despite wanting to), "Jason would like to spar with you."

So Jason goes to spar Danny, thinking he was gonna have to take it easy on the kid -- he was much skinnier than Damian, had less muscle -- for some reason Jason felt like he had to protect him.

And then Jason doesn't last more than 4 seconds on the mat.

I love “Danny and Damien are twins!” AUs as they blatantly imply that Danny was taught by the literal League of Assassins and is making the active choice fight like a feral raccoon.

[merryhelps]

                  plotting etiquette : a players guide

                                            [ coming soon / an admins guide ] 

plotting is an essential part to writing together; whether you’re in a group, an indie blog or even a 1x1, you need to be able to communicate with your peers in order to build a story. and that’s why we’re all here, right? to create worlds, no matter what the context, and most importantly, to do this with others. roleplaying is a team effort - no matter what universe you’re writing in.  below the cut are some helpful tips, tricks and advice to remember when attempting to plot with others. if you’ve found this guide useful, please like and/or reblog to spread the word - and hopefully help out others along the way.                               ***a part two will be out next week for admins on how to promote and help your group with plotting. 

                             i. ‘i’m scared of bothering people!’

this is a statement i’ve seen the most often around the rpc - whether it’s from a various text post people reblog, or as an admin who’s been on the receiving end of messages like this. 

it’s important to remember that most of us get a little nervous about reaching out. while writing original pieces or fanfiction can give you some distance between the creating portion and the feedback process, there’s no real space for roleplaying. it’s an instantaneous thing - we put our words out there on the screen, and someone else has to reply to that in some capacity.

whether you’re an extrovert, an introvert or something in between, this can often be the beginning of the end for a lot of roleplayers. maybe  you’ve joined an established group, and it seems like everyone has set dynamics and you don’t want to shake things up. or maybe you’re an indie blog, but you’re too scared to talk to someone you’ve idolized and want to write with. 

the thing is, you can’t expect people to know what you want if you can’t verbalize it yourself. let them know you’re a little nervous ! chances are, they are too. we’re all on this platform trying to do the same thing, and everyone gets nervous about exposing themselves to strangers now and again. ultimately, we put a little piece of ourselves in every character we create, and that can be terrifying to show to people and expect them to accept. but a little effort goes a long way - making the first move can often help build a bridge to someone you might not have otherwise gotten the chance to write with.  you’re going to have to take a risk sometimes. while not everyone is going to be receptive, most people will be. and chances are, if you start with something as simple as “hi, i’d love the chance to write / plot with you,” you’ll be met with an extraordinarily excited new partner. understand that if they don’t, it’s not a bad thing ! some writing styles don’t mesh together, some people have a harder time talking freely than others, and so many of us regularly forget to reply to a message. know that if you’ve put yourself out there, that’s a huge step in the right direction, no matter what comes of it, and next time it’ll be even easier. 

                            ii. come prepared.

this is ultimately where a lot of players fall short. it’s one thing to say ‘let’s plot’, and another thing to do it altogether. you need to have some sort of jumping off point. 

some ideas include: 

a prompt / plot idea. 

this is especially important if it’s a new person you’re trying to interact with. it’s difficult to come up with things on the spot, and if you’re reaching out, you need to have something to reach out with. 

in a group you’ll want to take the time to read their biography / about / wanted connections if they have them listed. it’s a quick way to ensure you have a basis of what they want, and how you and your characters can then fill those needs. 

as an indie / 1x1 see if they have any ‘wanted plots’ or ‘prompts’ tags. check out their ask memes tags. ensure you’ve read their guidelines on both of these, and follow them. while most people have similar rules, you can’t know that for sure unless you’ve read through them. 

questions about their character(s).

everyone adores talking about their own characters - give them an opportunity to let them tell you about theirs! even if they’re playing a canon character, they’ll have their own take on them, with headcanons and quirks and hobbies that might not show up in the specific canon the character comes from. 

use ask memes if you need help coming up with questions - ask memes are extraordinarily helpful when it comes to fleshing out muses for developmental purposes as it is, and while they’re usually made for general tumblr interaction, they can be a great jumping off point for talking specifics. 

don’t be afraid to point out things in their bio / about / etc. this shows that you’ve gone through and read their pages, which shows that you care about them as a person and a character, and not merely another faceclaim. 

talk about your character(s).

it’s always good, especially in a group, to have a small statement of facts about your character. in business, this is called an ‘elevator pitch’ - a few concise sentences that can get someone else interested.

for example, merrick wood is a former cheerleader who would do absolutely anything for her sister, holly, has no real ambitions and loves the weird and supernatural. you can find her swimming, or listening to mix cd’s she makes for her own amusement, or even on the hunt for big foot. this now gives the other player a few things to pick through - what kind of music is she listening to? why is her sister so important to her? is cheerleading still important enough for her to mention it to someone?

                           iii. plotting is a two way street.

the above two points work on the basis that you’ve made the first move - but say you’re the one who’s gotten the message of someone eager to plot with you ! takes a little stress off of your plate, but adds to their own. no matter what, remember that there is a real person on the other side of the screen. be kind, and treat them how you’d want to be treated - even if you’re not interested in writing with them, let them know ! a simple thanks for the message! i’m honored you’re interested in my characters, but at the moment i don’t think we’d be a good fit is enough of a response that most people should leave it at that. if you get a message saying they’re not interested, simply say ‘thank you for replying!’ and move on. as stated above, not everyone will always click - respect people’s boundaries, and understand that you’ll find a new partner in due time. 

responding to plotting messages is as important as creating them; if someone says they want to plot and gives you ideas, play off of them. don’t simply say ‘okay!’ or ‘cool!’ - a habit a lot of people have had over the years. 

                example. if jenny says “i think it would be great if robert could surprise them with flowers,” reply wth “oh how cute!!!” and end there - expand on it, adding your own input - “that’s so cute! denise adores lilacs, and would be flustered to get them from someone she admires so much!”                     the latter sentence gives your partner something to respond to, something to work with, and may just end up being in the thread you write together! 

                          iv. don’t make your admins do all the work.

this section is primarily for group roleplayers. 

your admin(s) already do so much. behind the scenes, there’s constantly updating the main pages, queueing ads, coming up with tasks and events and plot drops to keep players entertained and happy. at the same time, they’re trying to play in the group with you - create their own stories, write their own characters. they should not have to spoon feed you plots. these are things you need to develop on your own and with fellow players. 

               example. in a town rp, and you have a social butterfly character ? throw a birthday party for a character, giving the other characters something to participate in without an official Admin Sponsored Event.                    you should of course ensure the admin is okay with you having ‘events’ like the above for various players, and you need to ensure you’re inclusive in them - don’t ‘throw a party’ and not invite half the group because you don’t want to plot with them. take the time to message players of characters who might not normally show up and figure out something else with them, or a reason why they would be there or even why they wouldn’t! 

                         v. stop bubbling.

at the end of the day, plotting together is the best way to stop bubbling from happening in your group. no one wants to be the player left out of everything - make sure to try and reach out to the others, especially if you think other players may be ignoring them. writing together - in a group, on an indie, anywhere really - is supposed to be fun and challenging and a different experience every time.  before you go to your admins about being left out / ignored, ask yourself if you’ve done the above. have you messaged other players ? asked them about their characters, and given ideas of potential prompts for the two of you to write ? if you have, and you’re still getting ignored, then absolutely talk to your admin team! but try and be proactive instead of reactive and you’d be amazed at how far you can go. 

                                    hopefully this guide will help you - remember, your roleplay experience is ultimately cultivated by yourself. you choose which groups to apply to, which characters to bring, and your attitudes and behaviors can affect your gameplay. being in a group, specifically, is about being a part of a team. become a team player, and you and your characters can find the roleplay family of your dreams  ♡

[destieldailynews]

Valentine's Day at the Roadhouse - A Recap

February 14-16, 2021 

By @desperately-human​​

TL:DR

Actors Chad Linberg (Ash) and Samantha Ferris (Ellen) made tweets to role play a Valentine’s Day celebration at the Roadhouse. Several of their comments seemed to be suggesting that they would celebrate the wedding of Dean and Cas, and fans took this idea and ran with it. On the fourteenth, fans held their own celebration across social media platforms by joyfully sharing writing, art, headcanons, and memes, getting #DeanCasWedding trending in the process. Ferris and Lindburg did not roleplay a wedding, and both actors became defensive when the subject was brought up, stating that holding a gay wedding would fail to “uphold the integrity & spirit of the show” and that they had never suggested anything else. Fans were hurt and frustrated by these responses, as well as Lindburg’s liking of a post that claimed Destiel supporters have been “gaslighting the rest of the fandom for 10+ years.” Other people associated with the Supernatural community including actor Kat Ramdeen, writer Eric Charmelo, and the official account for Stands merchandising, responded to fans in a more positive way. 

A more detailed account of events, including source links, is located below the cut.

Our post on the Roadhouse reopening

link to Chad Lindburg's twitter

link to Samantha Ferris's twitter

If you want to join us in commemorating Dean and Castiel’s wedding, submit fanworks using the guidelines provided here. (Deadline extended to February 28th, 2021)

Follow @destieldailynews and turn on our notifications for more SPN updates

Last week, actors Chad Linberg (Ash) and Samantha Ferris (Ellen) announced their decision to roleplay a Valentine’s day celebration at the Roadhouse. Lindburg and Ferris had already successfully liveblogged a birthday party for Dean Winchester on January 24 and the reopening of the Roadhouse bar on February 10 (Kat Ramdeen also rp-d this event.) (1)

Both Ferris and Lindburg mentioned “wedding season” in their posts, which piqued fan interest, and fans latched on to the idea that they might be planning a Deancas wedding. This theory was further supported by Lindburg’s own interactions with fans: [this one might be too confusing: at one point, he failed to like--or possibly liked and then quickly unliked, a tweet that read “don't like this reply if a deancas wedding is gonna happen at the roadhouse” (2). He directed fans with ‘questions’ to an account who was a public destiel shipper (3) He also responded to a tweet reading “people think you guys are celebrating a Destiel wedding, that isn’t the case of course.”  with “Um no sorry...you did NOT get the memo” (4)

On February 14 #DeanCasWedding trended on twitter as fans across the world staged their own, fan-created celebration by joyfully sharing writing, art, headcanons, and memes. Ferris and Lindburg wrote innocuous Roadhouse update tweets all day long, including a sequence where Lindburg got in a fight with Elvis, and concluding with the partial destruction of the Roadhouse by unknown forces. No mention was made of the wedding by either actor. 

However, partway through Monday February 15, Ferris and Lindburg began addressing questions as to why they had hinted they would hold a wedding and then not followed through.  

Chad Lindburg responded that he never intended to imply that he would hold a Deancas wedding, and issued this statement.  

“Yes, among other things, the Roadhouse does “weddings.” I had NO idea this would be taken out of context..If you thought you were sold something else, you weren't...this was a way to bring people together and have fun. State your views, however, I’ll be blocking any rude or nastiness today.”(5) 

Lindburg did go on to block multiple twitter users who tried to engage with him on this topic. Over the next few days, Lindburg’s tweets ranged from attempts to validate fan’s feelings, such as “No one is delusional. You're all validated. Remember, we're all just having fun with our imaginations. And actually, the Fandom has just as much weight as the actors. It goes both ways. We can't have one without the other. We're grateful for all of you.” (6) to hostile, such as replying “Thank you [hands clasped emoji]” to a tweet that read “Ironically the ones complaining about being gaslit by you are the ones that have been gaslighting the rest of the fandom for 10+ years.” (7) 

Samantha Ferris responded that they would never hold a DeanCas wedding because Supernatural is “a story about family, bonds, and supernatural power struggles. The direction has never included sexuality or romance” and that she believed that her and Lindburg’s “role is to uphold the integrity & spirit of the show” and that “it would be disrespectful to all the people who tried to tell this tale if we validated it [the Deancas relationship]” (8) Her full tweets on the matter read, 

“Ima say this once then move on. @ChadLindberg & I can’t follow you down that road. As part of the storyline, our role is to uphold the integrity & spirit of the show: it’s a story about family, bonds, and supernatural power struggles. The direction never included sexuality or romance. That was never what it was supposed to be about. So to honour the cast, crew, and creators, we respect their intentions. You wanna create your side story? Go for it. But it would be disrespectful to all the people who tried to tell this tale if we validated it…” 

Ferris and Lindburg have continued to roleplay their Roadhouse updates, although they have both lost followers in fan interest after the events of this week. 

Other people associated with the spn community responded more positively: Writer Eric Charmelo responded to the wedding posting by liking #DeancasWedding fanart (9). Actor Kat Ramdeen (Alex) tweeted on Valentine’s day 

“I love you #SPNFamily I see you” 

accompanied by a rainbow heart and a Social justice Pride Flag made up of hearts (10).  Stands, a company that sells fandom merchandise made in collaboration with the actors and gives a portion of proceeds to charity, sent out these two supportive tweets in response to the drama in the Supernatural community 

“I’ve just caught up and I’m sorry y’all are having a rough go. I love you. <3”  (11) 

and 

“It’s so rare I’m actually mad but to be clear- absolutely no one gets to define how you experience something you love.  Just go on with your bad selves and enjoy the things that make you happy.  As if the last two years haven’t been shit enough. Seize your moments, ignore the rest” (12)

our post on roadhouse reopening

link to Chad Lindburg's twitter

link to Samantha Ferris's twitter

If you want to join us in commemorating Dean and Castiel’s wedding, submit fanworks using the guidelines provided here. (Deadline extended to February 28th, 2021)

[cheerfulomelette]

[Image ID]

The Supernatural "I love you" meme.

Cas says "I love you".

Dean replies "The Writers Guild of America is now officially on strike, bringing the US entertainment industry to a stop. The things they are fighting for, like restrictions on the use of ai to replace workers, will affect not just film/TV, and not just the US, and they are golding the line for all of us.

Please make sure to vocally show your support online, be wary of articles and only trust statements from the union's official social media, and stop using tools like ChatGPT, even for fun, as they help develop the tools these corporations are using to put people put of jobs and devalue the creation of art. #WGAStrong"

[End image ID]

For more information and to support the WGA please:

Follow their official social media on all platforms and only trust statements from the union itself, and articles they promote (be wary of other articles).

Read up on the issues being fought for (there are articles supported by the union in their linktree)

Be vocal in your support and inform others in your communities.

Stop using ChatGPT and other AI tools, even for fun.

[prxsperpina]

{{ So the reply to Kore’s meme prompt by @dreams-of-avalon ‘s Emet reminded me just how head over heels Kore is for this grump of a man.

Like, it wasn’t like that from the beginning, obviously. Emet didn’t see Kore as a living person despite the official statement approved by Hythlodaeus. It took a while for her to earn it and she damn well worked hard to prove herself to him, especially since he was on the Convocation AND was Daeus’ best friend (and with avalon’s Emet, it was also because they worked together to ferry souls to the Underworld). She proved herself time and time again and Emet began to slowly acknowledge her as a person. The moment he referred to her as ‘she’ instead of ‘it’ was forever cemented in her mind that day forward. It was the beginning of a blossoming crush, though she wouldn’t know it at the time.

It wasn’t just the smile either, it was the quiet moments too; the moments he’d let her in, just a little bit. The moments showing her his warm smile, his quiet laugh. She fell in love with Emet because of those moments and just how few and far between they were and that she had earned the right to see them. That Emet trusted her enough to show that side of himself, a side no one else saw save for Hythlodaeus and Azem. It was special to her, it made her feel warm and loved. She feels so strongly for him that even though she knows what he’s done in the last 12k years, she can’t find it in her heart to do away with her feelings. Because she remembers, because there’s still an old part of him in there, deigning to show a genuine smile and warm eyes in the briefest of moments. }}

[cosmoscourge-a]

Two Cents!!

      “It’s pointless to argue whether only Dragonbonded peoples such as Draconids and Dragon Tamers can become Dragon specialists. As long as Dragon-types willingly associate with NoBos, or non-bondeds, there shouldn’t be a problem. Whatever happened to the Draconid cultural value of letting dragons choose the humans they want to be with? Without allowing them the free choice to associate with whomever they please, all of our so-called ‘respect’ for them means nothing.

       “I understand the frustration of Draconids who believe that NoBo dragon specialists take opportunities away from them. I shared the same frustration when I myself was a teen. But to restrict a dragon’s partner means to restrict the dragons themselves, because if the NoBo can’t succeed, the dragons can’t enjoy the benefits of their success. I’ve literally been called a ‘pick me’ over the fact I think that if dragons want to support a NoBo specialist in their pursuit of becoming successful in dragon training, we should honestly just let that happen. Me. A pick me. The youngest Grand General of the Hellebore Draconid army, a pick me. Because I didn’t agree with an opinion, and one whose reception among us Draconids has been controversial at best. I have to be honest, I can see why some of those believers believe the way they do. But I’m never going to give my full trust to most of them, and I think they should be able to see why too.

      “Unima has honored the free will of sapient Pokémon since the moment of its founding. We  have many Pokémon among the ranks of our Gym Leaders, and we unanimously voted for laws that guarantee sapient Pokémon the same protections and privileges afforded to humans. We didn’t give them their rights--we affirmed them, because those are the rights they have been born with, and we are merely correcting the wrong that denied them actual access to those rights. And we have affirmed their right to liberty, to education, to healthcare, to employment instead of slavery, to cultural self-preservation and self-determination, and to free love in interspecies marriage. You know what other freedom we gave them the right to? The right to choose their Trainers, to leave their Trainers at any time for any reason, or to become Trainers if they so choose. To deny anyone the right to specialize in what they desire to would be to deny these rights to the sapient Pokémon on their teams--and so it would be a strike against everything we as a League stand for.”

[kalaluchi]

chapter 02: Rebellion

previous | next

Alya was going to lose her mind at any second. How did she become best friends with someone so damn stubborn?

“Girl, I’m telling you, there is no way that boy does not have a crush on you. It’s so obvious, please!”

“Alya. One: I think you are crazy. Two: he’s just friendly. Ok?”

It had been a little over a month since Adrien Agreste had joined their class, and yet he seemed to be getting along well with everybody. For Marinette, it had been hate at first sight and then love at second sight.

In her defense, she never intended to fall for him. Not when he was the best friend of her archnemesis-for-who-knows-how-long. Definitely not when he’d put gum on her seat on the first day of class, when he didn’t even know her. So, it made absolute sense for her to snob him back… except.

Except she’d been completely wrong.

It had all been a mix up… and as he’d smiled kindly at her, and she’d stared, really stared, into his eyes for the first time since meeting him… she’d realized she really wouldn’t mind getting lost in them and the way the fading sun turned them the most perfect shade of green.

That was when she’d realized she was in trouble. That was when she’d realized that despite her initial, intense hate for the green-eyed blond-haired boy, she’d fallen quite hard for Adrien Agreste at second glance… even though he was the best friend of her archnemesis-for-who-knows-how-long.

She continued to fall even further when she saw how cute he really was, how kind he was to everyone, how comfortable in his own skin he seemed, how he laughed softly at most anything, and a million other “how's” known only to her heart.

And then they’d started talking.

Of course, she’d always wanted to approach him, but never found the courage to, which was why she resorted to roundabout ways to catch his attention most of the time.

There was that one time she’d learned he loved macarons, so she’d stayed up nearly the whole night just perfecting a batch to bring to school. Then she’d spent the whole day loudly talking about them, waving them around anytime she thought he was looking -- in hopes he’d ask her for one, and they could strike up a convo. But to no avail.

And the time she’d heard that he loved cats, so she’d read about all the different breeds and their origins, even writing notes to remember the important parts. But she’d ended up forgetting to bring the notebook and getting a mind block in school, so that when he asked what her favorite breed of cat was, she’d replied, “Orange.” (She’d wanted to bury herself in a hole for days after that.)

And too many other instances, way more than she could count on her fingers.

Alya had quickly caught on to what her best friend was up to, and was highly against the plan. “Girl, just woman up and go talk to him yourself!” she’d said. “Adrien Agreste is literally the nicest boy I’ve met, and he won’t judge you or anything if you randomly talk to him! And anyway, if he does do that, then he’s not crush-worthy, okay?”

Marinette had seen the sense in her best friend’s statement, but knowing you have to do something and being able to actually do it are two different things. Because Marinette was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, not Alya Césaire, and as much as she’d wanted to talk to him, she just couldn’t bring herself to because she’d been scared, too scared of what he might say.

To her surprise, though, he’d actually reached out to her one day. And the conversation hadn’t stopped, like she’d feared it would. It had gone on for hours which turned into days, and it had felt good, felt right. And for a second, she could almost, almost believe that he could like her, too, despite their awkward beginning. But then she’d stumble over her words, and the fantasy would fade. Because how could he possibly fall for her when he was the most amazing person she’d ever met and she was just Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and there were so many other, better, more interesting people in her school -- in all of Paris for that matter-- that he could fall for? So there was absolutely no way he could like her back, could see her as anything more than a friend.

Right?

Marinette shook her head, clearing it of thoughts. Of course she was right. What could Alya possibly know anyway?

Alya gave Marinette the deadest stare she could muster. “Friendly,” she echoed monotonously. “You know what? I am officially appointing myself as your fairy godmother. And as your fairy godmother it is my duty to prove that Adrien Agreste has a crush on you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette sighed at her best friend’s antics. “Well, I won’t stop you, but I do still stand by my original statement.”

Alya pursed her lips. “Okay, how ‘bout this: if it turns out I am right, which I am, and Adrien Agreste does have a crush on you, you owe me an entire box of macarons.”

Marinette shrugged. “Fine with me. You do know this is a win-win for me right? If you’re right, it’s a win that my crush likes me back. If I’m right, it’s a win because I don’t have to bake a dozen macarons.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But I just want you to be happyyyy~!” Alya singsonged. “So, leave it to me. I gotchu.”

Marinette laughed and rolled her eyes playfully at the wink her best friend gave her. “Okay, then. Work your magic, please.”

“Alya Césaire, Fairy Godmother, at your service!”

.

.

.

The first time Alya had to work her fairy godmother magic, she had to admit it wasn’t the best attempt. But she was still determined to give it her all, and prove her point, no matter what. Her pride as a credible writer depended on it.

(Or so she liked to defend to herself.)

Hence her half-brilliant idea to dress Marinette up for school one day.

There was nothing wrong with her best friend’s style, of course. It was just that it was so… Marinette. Soft and cute, but always hiding her full potential. She just needed a little shaking up, a change in routine, just once.

So there was Marinette, with her hair styled, and dressed in all the clothes she’d been hiding at the back of her closet that Alya had always insisted would suit her. (And they did. Splendidly.)

Alya liked to refer to her plan as half-brilliant -- brilliant because Adrien reacted the exact way she’d hoped, but not brilliant because Marinette reacted the exact way Alya had hoped she wouldn’t.

The moment Marinette walked in the door, Alya noticed Adrien’s head whip around so fast she was afraid he’d gotten whiplash. He grinned shyly as Marinette passed by.

“Morning, Marinette. I haven’t seen you wear that before,” he chuckled lightly, though a faint blush spread across his cheeks. “It really suits you, though. You look very pretty.”

Marinette blinked at that, a little offended at the wording. “Uh. Thanks, I guess?”

Adrien cleared his throat as Marinette started up the stairs to her seat. “Uh, no, I meant, prettier than usual, of course. You’re already naturally pretty, you see.”

Of course, Marinette chose that exact moment to turn beet red and walk into the edge of her desk. “You too,” she wheezed out, doubled over and clutching her stomach.

“I-- sorry? A-are you okay?” Adrien asked, bewildered.

“I said, thank you. And, yes, I’m fine.” Marinette forced a grin as she slid into her seat.

“Well,” Alya said as soon as Adrien sat back down, “what did I tell you? He thinks you’re pretty. He just needed a little push to come out and say it. Boy def has a crush on you.”

“Alya,” Marinette chided, though she was trying to hide how happy the compliment had made her, “what did we say about jumping to conclusions, especially when there’s no diamond solid proof?”

“Don’t,” Alya replied with a sigh.

.

.

.

The second time around, Alya was surprised she didn’t even have to do any work to find something to pick on -- Marinette practically handed her the proof on a silver platter.

It was not unusual for Marinette to come to school late, or with eyebags under her eyes, as Alya knew her best friend had a habit of staying up late the night before and oversleeping. (Seriously, though, with the amount of times this had happened in the past, did the girl have a secret double life or something? It’s not like the school gave enough assignments to lose that much sleep over. Alya was always telling Marinette she really needed to sleep earlier...)

But this time, something seemed different.

Maybe it was the way Marinette was typing furiously on her phone under the table, trying hard not to smile.

Or the way Adrien, with similar eyebags, was doing the same thing.

It could just be a coincidence, though. Alya had to remind herself to take it slow, not jump to conclusions. But still, her best-friend-senses were telling her something was up.

She was just about to bring it up when Marinette turned to her excitedly. “Look at this picture Adrien sent me of his cat. Isn’t he cute? That fluffy black fur and those green eyes, Alya, loooook!”

Alya raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly. “Wow, you guys chat now? That’s new.”

Marinette bit her lip. “Yeah, but it’s just your usual sending-memes and random-small-talk-about-your-life and i'm-drowning-in-acads-you-too? 4am kind of talks. It’s not the soft here’s-what-i-like-about-you 4am kind of talks, sadly,” she sighed, tapping her phone on her thigh.

“Wait. 4am?”

Marinette smiled sheepishly, and Alya knew her hunch had been correct. “Yeah. I don’t intend for it, obviously, but the past week it’s been like, we start talking, and next thing I know it’s 4am and I’m absolutely doomed because I haven’t started the assignment for Mme. Bustier’s class due at 8:30am.”

Alya laughed. “Okay, Marinette, there is something wrong with that last part, I’ll admit. But nevertheless, I’m so proud of you for holding a convo with the boy of your dreams for that long. And to think that he stays up the same? Damn. I really didn’t peg Adrien as the type to pull all-nighters. I guess there’s only one conclusion…” She trailed off dramatically, grinning at her best friend.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “I know what you’re gonna say, and I’m gonna reply-- it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just two people, talking, getting to know each other.”

“He stayed up. Till 4am. To talk to you.”

“Well… yeah.”

“The past week. An entire week.”

“... yeah.”

“Just for you.”

“You don’t know that. Maybe he was cramming homework,” Marinette argued.

“Girl,” Alya rebutted, “this is Adrien Agreste we’re talking about. When does he ever cram?”

Marinette shrugged. “This past week?”

“Girl, you’re hopeless. You’re lucky I love you. Go back to chatting your dream boy. But please start sleeping earlier.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

.

.

.

The third time was such a dead giveaway Alya felt like she’d been smacked in the head with a huge bag of “HELLO I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU,” and she could not for the life of her understand why her best friend could not see the truth shaking its butt in their faces.

It happened one morning, when Marinette walked into the classroom wearing the cutest cardigan Alya had ever seen.

“Girl!” she exclaimed once the blue-haired girl was seated. “I love what you’re wearing, it looks so good on you! How come I’ve never seen it before?” The brunette flipped her hair over her shoulder and huffed. “As your best friend, I’m offended you never told me this heavenly piece of clothing existed. I’d have made you wear it every single day if only I knew.”

Marinette bit back a smile. “I know, it’s kinda super cute, right? It’s super comfy, too. Adrien made it for me,” she added shyly.

Alya waggled her eyebrows. “Mm, you mean he had it made for you, right? Must be nice to come from an ultra-known ultra-rich family or something.”

“No, I mean, like, he made it for me… as in he made it himself…”

“Wait, what. One: why. Two: how do you know he made it himself? I mean, girl, no offense to your boy of course. But that’s some high effort shiz to do for someone who is just ‘a friend’” Alya pointed out, using air quotes.

Marinette rolled her eyes playfully. “Okay, one: I know he made it himself because he sent Nino videos of his progress as he was making it, which Nino eventually forwarded to me once I’d gotten the gift--”

(“Nino, that little brat, how dare he not tell me something as important as this,” Alya growled, glaring daggers across the room at her boyfriend.)

“--and two: are you really still doing that? I don't like how you used air quotes because I have absolutely no idea what you mean by them.” Marinette crossed her arms, in denial. “I mean, obviously, yes, Adrien and I are friends and we are doing things friends do, yes that is normal even though he is literally the cutest human being I have ever met but it’s obvious he’ll never feel the same way, so--”

“Marinette, there are heart patterns on the pockets,” Alya deadpanned.

“There are?!” Marinette excitedly began pulling up the cardigan to check. Then she seemed to remember her stand on the matter, and wiped the smile off her face, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in her clothes. “And if there were, it does not matter, because it obviously does not mean anything. It’s just a cardigan, I think you’re overthinking things,” she said nonchalantly, though her voice was an octave higher than normal.

Alya laughed aloud. “Just a cardigan, Marinette?! He crocheted you a whole freaking cardigan for your birthday! You love cardigans, it’s the most Marinette gift one could give you. Plus,” she continued, holding up a finger when it looked like Marinette was about to protest, “do you know how many days it would’ve taken to make that? And there’s the fact that you guys literally just started talking this month. Come on, you have to admit that means he likes you! Or maybe is just a little interested? Huh, how about it?” Alya nudged her friend, trying to knock some common sense into her.

For a second, it seemed to work. Marinette bit back a smile, took a deep breath, and-- “Maybe he’s just super super super friendly?”

Alya blinked once, twice. “Yeah, ok, I give up. Keep your macarons.”

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