#so. a lot to think about. blair i mean. they should think about that

[hsslilly-blog]

i like that blair is a masculine name in blair's second language. i wonder why they were named like this

[lazylittledragon]

what do you mean youre technically a detransitioner cause of terf bullshit?

it's a v long story but i detransitioned for a couple of years when i was 16/17, for multiple reasons but mostly because i fell into the blaire white/kalvin garrah chamber of "you have to be This way to be trans otherwise you're not real".

i was already Deeply insecure about myself and my 'passing' and i was led to believe that i couldn't want to wear makeup or skirts, and i couldn't choose not to have bottom surgery, and i couldn't do anything but bind for 12+ hours a day to the point that my ribcage is still misshapen. basically i thought that if i wasn't suffering enough doing 'feminine' things, i couldn't really be trans, so i should just go back to being a girl and suck it up.

the terf bullshit is because i'd seen a lot of terfs/detransitioners talking about the 'dangers' of testosterone and how it would turn me into a horrible ugly evil monster and how there was nothing worse than wanting to be a man. which combined with 'you need to fully medically transition to be valid at all' creates some very dangerous and upsetting feelings to cope with.

it also came from trying really hard to put myself in a little box before i realised that my sexuality/gender are very fluid and it's FINE for me not to have a label and just do whatever i want. when i was 19 or so i went back to using they/them (and eventually he/him) and changed my name again because even though i like doing 'feminine' things, i don't want to be seen as a woman.

tldr: i was conditioned by transphobic/terf rhetorics to think that i was being trans the 'wrong' way so i couldn't be trans at all, so i believed i must actually be a girl if i still wanted to do 'feminine' things. nowadays i am a transmasc who does feminine things because i don't give two shits about what any transmed prick thinks of me anymore.

[shippingmyworld]

Youtuber!Danny AU

Don't think I have the creative energy to expand this brainworm into an actual fic so ya'll just have to read a wall of text instead.

After a few close encounters where Danny's halfa identity almost gets revealed, Sam suggests the trio start a Youtube channel where they go about investigating all the so called "Ghostly Encounters" around Amity Park. Their goal would be to debunk as many ghost sightings as possible and establish themselves as well-known ghost deniers. After a bit of debate they eventually settle on naming the channel Chasing Phantoms.

Tucker really gets into it and eventually becomes the face of the channel. With Sam's coaching he learns how to play devil's advocate extremely well and figures out exactly how to craft his questions to manipulate people's responses. This way they can make these supposed "witnesses" discredit themselves within just a few minutes; Tucker will make them get worked up, angry, and confused about what they saw and trick the witnesses into making contradicting statements. This way they can throw out the witness statements as shoddy evidence because they're nothing more than a stress-induced hallucinations brought about by a gas leak. (They accidentally lean into the gas leak story a little too much in their early days - Danny uses his ghost powers to safely break piping in the places they're investigate to create evidence to back up their claims - thus triggering a mild panic in the citizens of Amity Park because one town should really not be suffering from this many gas line breaks.)

Sam is the director and editor, and has them film everything like it's in the style of found footage (she got the idea after watching The Blair Witch Project). They’re constantly making the "Looks directly into the camera like they're on The Office" joke whenever they interview someone who claims to have been attacked by a ghost.

Danny is the cameraman for the channel, but never shows his face because every time they tried to filmed him, his eyes would flash green in the lens flare and cause them to have to scrap the footage. He's still pretty chatty and viewers latch onto his sassy and sarcastic nature. They love his one-liners and the top comments of each video are usually just a repost of something witty he said (Sam leans into it and start naming the videos after lines that Danny drops while filming). Fans of the channel are constantly asking him for a face-reveal in the comments section. In fact, there's a whole subset of viewers that are dedicated to figuring out what he looks like. They have a poor quality jpeg file that's passed around and updated whenever a glimpse of Danny's appearance is reflected in a puddle of water or broken glass (which means Sam has to comb over the videos about ten times before they post them to make sure she didn't miss anything while editing).

Any time Danny ends up fighting a ghost and there's a witness, the trio will break into the site of the fight the next day (using Danny's ghost powers off-camera of course) so they can do an overnight stakeout. It always just amounts to the three of them goofing off and finding no evidence whatsoever. They do all the standard ghost hunting stuff but have to fib the data because Danny’s presence alone triggers the EMF reader and if they try and take the room temp anywhere near Danny it’s always like 10 degrees colder.

As time goes on, the channel starts to really kick off as people latch onto their goofy energy and start to get invested. However, they've also made themselves a lot of enemies within the student body at school, as most of their classmates have become discredited witnesses on their channel (with a few unfortunately souls even becoming trending memes for a few days). This also means Jazz learns about it and keeps volunteering to tag along or help out. She even gets Mr. Lancer to recognize the four of them as an official school club (she took initiative and made herself a part of the club AND club president without asking them), which he gladly approves since he doesn't believe in any of this ghost nonsense either.

Jazz is just really happy that there’s finally someone else in the family that is willing to stand up to their crazy parents' belief about ghosts, so she wants to be the supportive older sibling. However, she literally will not give the trio any space to deal with the ACTUAL ghost stuff. There are several pieces of unedited footage that lives on Sam's computer of Jazz showing up unannounced to an overnight stakeout asking Tucker and Sam “Where’s Danny?” and the camera would catch a glimpse of local menace Inviso-Bill getting his butt kicked by Skulker in the distance.

To get her off their back, Danny ends up publishing an hour long video essay about how ghosts ARE real, but that everything happening in Amity Park is just people making up bullshit for attention. He has to really commit to the act at home, but Jazz will eventually drop it and leave the trio to their own devices. This backfires however, as Danny's parents now believe he’s interested in ghost hunting and try to join him as well. Thankfully Danny is able to deter them by suggesting that they should all do their own research and compare notes later. You know, the more data the better, right? However, this means that in addition to his chores, homework, ghost fighting as Danny Phantom, and ghost hunting as Chasing Phantoms, he also now has to peer review his parents work so he's constantly exhausted. Tucker and Sam will usually let him copy their homework when the time crunch becomes really bad, and they will let Danny conk out for a much needed nap whenever the group gets together to brainstorm channel content or edit footage.

Following one of his encounters with Plasmius, Danny decided they should follow up the "Ghosts ARE real" video with a clickbait video titled “Top 10 places in Wisconsin that are ACTUALLY haunted!!!” They make Vlad’s Castle is #1 on the list and offer a reward to anyone that can bring them proof of a ghost haunting. They include a photo of Plasmius (that's been edited to look like bigfoot photos) so that people know what to look for. This means Vlad now has to hire extra security because the video triggers a mass influx of people that are constantly trying to break into his house and find evidence of this ghost for the reward.

Eventually Valerie and her dad end up on Chasing Phantoms as well, but as some of the discredited witnesses. It pisses her off so much that she starts up her own ghost hunting channel, Ghost Hunter Grey. She's constantly discrediting Chasing Phantoms in her videos and is very vocal on social media about how they give actual ghost hunters a bad name. Every time Chasing Phantoms uploads a new video, she stakes out the same place they did and uploads a video of her own a week later that includes all the evidence they clearly missed and a genuine, uncut interview with witnesses. She doesn't reveal her face (because of the reputation Chasing Phantoms has within the school) and uses a voice modifier when she edits her content.

Grey's videos aren’t nearly as popular as Chasing Phantoms content because Valarie tries to keep her videos more grounded in facts and backs everything up with proven science (unlike the trio’s videos which are just a constant barrage of ghost-themed brain-rotting jokes and funny reactions). It only frustrates her more and so she leans into the Popular Kids clique in order to low-key bully them as an act of revenge. 

When the trio catches wind about Ghost Hunter Grey's channel, they will film a fake video and wait the next day to see if someone shows up. Sure enough, Valerie makes an appearance shocking all of them. Sam holds the braincell and say that since they know, they can just be careful and the group shouldn't try and provoke her anymore. Tucker agrees, but Danny has other ideas and starts greifing her as Phantom. At first he will purposefully reveal himself to her when he knows she doesn't have a camera on her, but once he starts getting a little more bold he will start to photo bomb her with the dumbest expressions and just being an overall annoyance. It basically boils down to him doing shit like saying "Nobody will ever believe you." or "It's been five years, you have to let me go." before slowly turning invisible and flying away.

[riansdiary]

EMBODY A BOSS OR A QUEEN WHEN YOU MANIFEST/DECIDE YOU HAVE YOUR DESIRES

What do these four characters have in common? Let me introduce you to the four girls that you should embody when you're manifesting. You can pick one, whoever feels right for you. Watch their videos and embody that energy when you're manifesting. I'm also gonna give more character examples that I know have this boss or queen energy as well.

They always get what they want. Everyone follows their orders and command. The world is their oyster.

First, Hong Haein from the K-drama Queen of Tears. Let me tell you about her.

HONG HAEIN (Queen of Tears)

Hong Hae-in is a third-generation chaebol heiress, a large South Korean business association controlled by one family, of the Queens Group. She is the owner and the BOSS in that department store meaning she always gets what she wants. She is the boss and everyone follows her commands. I think you already know why it's good to embody her while manifesting. She is a boss and she slays at that! Let me show some clips of her!

Next, we have the Queen B, Blair Waldorf herself.

BLAIR WALDORF (Gossip Girl)

It should be self-explanatory by now as soon as I mentioned her name. Blair is introduced as the Upper East Side's beautiful and popular QUEEN bee. She is the daughter of Eleanor Waldorf, a famous fashion designer. She is dating Nate Archibald, and is best friends with Serena van der Woodsen.

Blair is known for her strong-willed and determined personality, which often leads her to pursue what she wants with great fervor. Blair is influential and commands a significant presence among her peers, she always gets what she wants and having everyone follow her commands.

She exudes confidence and self-assurance. In manifesting, having unwavering belief in one's abilities and the certainty that one's desires will materialize is essential. Throughout the series, Blair demonstrates persistence and determination in pursuing her goals. Blair Waldorf faces various challenges and setbacks but always manages to bounce back and stay focused on her aspirations. Despite the drama and complexities in her life, Blair often maintains a positive mindset and outlook.

She has a lot of inspiring manifesting quotes! Let me give you some examples!

"If you really want something, you don't stop for anyone or anything until you get it."

"We make our own fairytales"

Nothing’s holding me back anymore. I know what I want, and I’m gonna get it."

Serena: "Not everyone wants to be Blair Waldorf."

Blair: "Not everyone can be."

I had to include two videos for Blair! You'll see why you need to embody her for manifesting or life in general! She knows she's the best and she's the Queen B, her minions follow her every command.

CHANEL OBERLIN (Scream Queens)

Chanel Oberlin is the QUEEN bee of her own sorority called Kappa Kappa Tau. Her "Chanels" always follow whatever she fancies, they follow her orders and do what she commands them to do. Throughout the series, Chanel's character is shown to have a dominating presence, and her minions, whom she refers to as the Chanels, generally comply with all her demands.

She didn't even bother to remember the names of her best friends nay her minions. Chanel always gets what she wants. She is known for her unwavering self-confidence and belief in her goals. She often dictates the course of events through her actions and decisions. Here are some clips of Chanel!

Chanel was literally affirming in that mirror scene! So iconic! That scene when she was a prisoner and wearing orange in the courtroom, she's rejecting, dismissing and disregarding what's happening in her 3d. She knows it doesn't mean anything. Why? Everything always works in her favor and she always gets what she wants.

SHARPAY EVANS (High School Musical)

Sharpay Evans is the QUEEN Bee of East High. She is first shown to be a popular and self-centered drama queen who loves to be, and often is, in the spotlight. She is co-president of the drama club, alongside her twin brother Ryan. The Evans twins have starred in all school productions since kindergarten, and she craves the spotlight. Previously, she hadn't had to try very hard to keep it; anyone else shown auditioning was never very good. She has an overwhelming desire to be the best that often dictates her actions. Because of the rigid clique system established in East High at the beginning of High School Musical, Sharpay is very defensive of her position as star of all school plays, and she refuses to tolerate that anyone could take it away from her. She's a diva who is accustomed to getting her way.

She often envisions herself achieving success, whether in her performances, relationships, or personal aspirations. Her determination and persistence in pursuing her goals resonate with manifesting. She is known for setting high standards for herself and those around her. She uses her charisma and assertiveness to steer situations in her favor.

Time to show you some Sharpay clips for inspiration and you know I couldn't possibly pass on not giving you her song Fabulous as well!

In conclusion, it's really good for you to pick one of them or anyone/any character (doesn't even have to be a character. Could be a real person.) to embody and help you manifest. I recommend watching their scenes or videos on TikTok or YouTube so you could properly learn how to embody them (their good manifesting qualities) and act like them when you manifest, affirm of talking to yourself about your desires. They also are very persistent and have amazing self-assurance. These queens don't take no for an answer. They always get what they want period.

Whenever you affirm/assume/decide/command your subconscious, (whatever is your favorite method) embody their boss and queen energy and be firm with your decisions and affirmations. Say that it will happen no matter what. Your reality and your subconscious mind are literally your minions and employees! Our subconscious mind is also us but it wants to give you everything you want. You just need to tell it/yourself what you want when you see something you want. It will already manifest that for you in the 4d first then trust it and it will materialize in the 3d in no time but again, it's a natural thing and it's just the cherry on top. You already have it in the 4d/imagination.

What helped me stand firm in my affirmations and decisions is literally this! I picked who I wanted to embody. I chose Hong Haein and Blair Waldorf. Hong Haein is a boss and her employees follow her every command or order so I knew it would come in handy. I then started thinking like I'm the boss of my reality. Blair Waldorf thinks she's always the best. Again, her minions always do what she says. She's the Queen Bee so I also started acting like the Queen B. You're the boss/queen, it is what you say it is. What you say, goes. Know that your reality has no choice but to follow your orders. Treat it like a minion or employee. Don't go back on your decisions.

I did this yesterday and I'm even more assured that my desires are now mine and it's already done. I commanded my subconscious mind to lock in my decisions, assumptions a.k.a my affirmations that I've always said. Just naturally a few times in the day deciding and affirming to remind myself that they are facts already. I asked it to lock that in. Meaning, now my mind would never be changed no matter what I'm feeling or thinking because I told it to lock that in.

I got this idea from a game show. The hosts always say "lock in your answer" or "lock that answer in" so I took that and used it as a powerful tool or method so my subconscious mind knows and locks my answer in. I'm persisting and saying that it will be my answer or decision and I don't wanna ever change it so I'm locking that in no matter what I'm feeling or thinking. No matter what is going on in the 3d. This is basically my defense weapon. I asked my subconscious to lock that in and that I will never change that answer. They are facts now and it's final. Period. All of those decisions and affirmations I said are now facts in my reality.

So choose your character and embody them.

Now, it's time for what I promised! I said that I would list some characters or people that you could choose from other than the perfect four examples I have above. Don't worry if who you want is not in the list! You can whoever you want!

The bosses/queens/kings you could embody:

Elle Woods (highly recommended 🩷👑😎)

Enola Holmes

Nancy Wheeler (be a badass like her)

Max Mayfield

Steve Harrington

Regina George

Veronica Lodge

Cheryl Blossom

Serena van der Woodsen

Jenny Humphrey

Tom Holland

Zendaya

Ariana Grande

Nate Archibald

Chuck Bass

Dan Humphrey

Tori Vega

Do Do Hee (My demon)

Penelope Bridgerton

Eloise Bridgerton

Benedict Bridgerton

Queen Charlotte

Emily Cooper

Hermione Granger

Rory Gilmore

Spencer Hastings

Mia Thermopolis

Troy Bolton

Ryan Evans

Gabriella Montez

Mal (Descendants)

Evie (Descendants)

Miranda Priestly

Fallon Carrington

Cher Horowitz

Fiona Pembroke (Princess Switch)

Princess Elodie (Damsel)

XOXO Rian 💋

Thank you for reading and have a nice day! Remember, your desires are already yours and it's already done. 🌈

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

actually i think its transphobic to say „transwomen are women“ when they are transwomen and „transmen are men“ when they are transmen - because its erasing their trans experience, them being trans.

i know this sounds like a joke but im serious.

for example, yesterday i saw a video where couples did lie detector tests together and there was one couple that was a man and a transwoman; i clocked her immediately (which is not a moral judgement of any kind she seemed like a cool person honestly). anyways one of the questions the man had was if she saw him as a straight man? and she said yes. and he made some other comments that showed clearly that he was struggling with his sexuality because he is with a transwoman but considers himself heterosexual. i know that for example blair whites partner is also vocal about how hetero he is.

and i genuinely feel sorry for trans people who are in a relationship with someone like that because they are so clearly uncomfortable with them being trans? and i feel like its very counterintuitive to reassure them theyre heterosexual, which in this context means „its okay to be with a trans person not because being trans is okay but because they are actually the opposite sex“. do you know what i mean? instead of saying „there is no shame in being bisexual“ and „there is no shame in being with a person who is trans“ they say „there is no shame in being with a trans person because they are actually the opposite sex“.

just something i noticed. trans activists call out trans erasure when the whole claiming they are the opposite sex is erasing trans experiences. we should work on the acceptance of trans people as they are and make it accepted to be with trans people instead of telling the people who are attracted to but uncomfortable being with trans people that them being trans does not matter and reassure them theyre still heterosexual. its bi erasure too lowkey, and a whole lot of homophobia.

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello lovely fandom and happy Wednesday. We are cruising along with 6x09. Can't believe we're already on the second to last ep. Not a ton of Chenford or Tim in this one but what we do get is GOOOD. It's an all around good episode though. Let us begin.

6x09 The Squeeze

Recap of 6x06-6x08 got me all in my feels before this one even starts. Poor Tim killing me right off that bat. Always be floored by Eric and his ability to convey so much with a look. How it just makes me wanna hug his hurt away. No wonder Lucy always pulls him in for hugs. How could she not? I’m sure he hasn’t even begun to process how he feels. It’s a lot what just happened to him. It all unfolded in the blink of an eye.

Someone who he used to work closely with killing himself in front of him. Doing so because he’s a dirty cop. Not only that but taking all his secrets with him. Only thing Tim got out of it was Dr. London being dirty too. Grey shows up to the scene and startles Tim out of his thoughts. He debriefs Wade letting him know Mad Dog confessed to being dirty. That he believes Blair to be apart of it as well. Now we all know he didn’t mention her by name.

BUT it was pretty damn implied. With the awkward interactions in the hospital and the rooftop scene. Wade asks if he used her name specifically? Tim tells him no….But it was clear she was who M.D. was speaking of. Grey reminding him to be careful of accusing without any evidence. As amazing as his cop gut is that’s not evidence unfortunately. Loving the hat on Wade btw. Very fitting.

It’s not too long before the accusatory Detective Pearson shows up. Not loving him from the jump. Couldn't stand him for couple reasons. One because douche bag just comes off him in waves. Two the way he comes at Tim makes me wanna knock him on his ass. This guy coming in way too hot for my liking. Far too eager to pin this on Tim.

Makes my protective Sicilian side emerge and she’s not happy. I do love Grey being quick to Tim’s defense. No one better to have his back in this moment. Lucy would be great of course. But Wade is the superior in this moment so his 'back off ' holds more water. Gotta love this man. Always protects his people.

Wade can tell Pearson wants to have a slam dunk case against Tim. It’ll further his career to get such a high-ranking officer tangled in a dirty mess. It's why Grey tells him as such. Ugh. What a schmuck. Kudos to the actor though. I instantly dislike him so well done sir LOL The way Tim watches the body get wheeled away breaks my heart. Damnit Eric you’re too good at your job. Expressing so much in that look I just want to hug him. But that’s Lucy’s job later…

We join Celina officially moving in. This will be an interesting dynamic for s7. Especially after they get back together. I’ll be intrigued how that is all handled... But I’m getting way too ahead of myself. It's hard not to when we don’t know anything. It’s easy to daydream and speculate about the unknown. Anyways John is there and sadly not as a friend but to check in on Celina. She says he’s just making sure she’s not late for her shift.

Nolan commenting would reflect poorly on him and his performance review is coming up. Not selfish at all John….His review should be ‘Needs work.’ But we all know how I feel about him as a teacher. He asks Lucy how she is? I don’t think he expects the epic rant he receives. I mean she has healed some but not nearly enough. Her words sounding like she’s trying to convince herself. Makes me sad. Doing her best to flip all this upheaval into a good thing.

Our girl feels really lost in her life right now. All the turmoil that I don’t know she’s really dealt with. I think part of her having Celina move in is she doesn’t have to deal with it as much. To not have to be alone and sit in her feelings. Because I am the the same way. If left alone too long with my thoughts they eat at me. This scene just being more proof she hasn’t dealt with much of it at all IMO. I know the prevailing theory of the season for Lucy was she was alone. Isolated. I mentioned this in my mini too.

I think a lot of the isolating is self inflicted. Her and Tim are very alike in how they handle emotional distress. At an arms length and solo. Other than Jackson, Tim is the only one she’s really allowed close to her. Tamara yes but that's always been more maternal and not like what she has with Tim. And even him she doesn’t tell everything to and vice versa. It’s very in character for her to do this. I know people thinks because she’s bubbly, optimistic and outgoing this isn’t the case. But it is. Just like how people who are depressed don’t come off that way. When there a signs of it despite their ‘happy or sunny’ demeanor.

She was isolating herself before the breakup even occurred. Rewatching this season she was doing so from the very jump of s6. Their fight in 6x01 being proof of that isolation. She felt herself overloading and shoved him away with her accusation. That was just the start. 6x04 and her rash decisions with Jeff Budny is a huge one as well. She didn’t include the one person she should’ve in that ep. It's how we ended up in that hospital room with her. I’ve said this many times before. But her and Tim are quite alike in how they handle their emotions.

Tim’s is showcased more especially this season. It's easier to detect. If you're really looking you can see her's. Lucy’s were screaming through out this entire season as well. She is a control freak just like Tim in the way she shuts people out. Even her person couldn’t get in and vice versa. They have the same fatal flaw. It’s why their lack of communication became their downfall. Our girl has as much growing to do as Tim does. I’m hoping all this is a setup for s7 for her. To me her explosion here is an example of her not dealing fully with what happened still. Shall see how s7 is handled for her. I'm hopeful.

Their convo is interrupted by Angela calling Lucy. First off I love her looking out for Lucy. Just like she does with Tim. There was a great parallel set for this and 2x12. Angela providing comfort to them both when the other is in distress. Our on-screen cheerleader for them both and I love it sfm. Even knowing what a weird place they’re in, she knew Lucy would wanna know from her than anyone else. We love you Angela Lopez. You’re a real one.

She also knows Lucy well to tell her right off the bat he’s ok. You know her heart stopped when she began that sentence. We watch Lucy instantly go into wifey mode. Both in her body language and tone of voice as Angela explains. How she turns her back to the others when it’s about her person. Needing a moment to herself as she absorbs this information.

Melissa crushing it in this scene with everything she does. From closing her eyes taking in the severity of this situation. To the concerned wifey tone she switched to quickly. We all know she has a million and one thoughts rushing through her brain right now. Mainly was he ok? Does he need her? The worry for him settling into her soul and growing rapidly by time the call ends. Once Angela hangs up she finally turns around and updates them. Concern flooding her tone.

The wifey vibes continue when John gets a call shortly after. Tim has called him to be his union rep. (Only reason he would ever call Nolan in a personal matter...) We watch as anxiety all but pours out of Lucy. Worried wifey mode has activated and it’s not going away. Despite everything they’ve been through. Everything he’s done. Her number one instinct is worry and concern for him. It's deeply rooted. It's who she is.

She loves him so much still. That is written all over this scene and her reaction. That instinct to be there for him coursing through her like a powerful current. I love her stopping Nolan before he goes. The worry seeping out of her tone. Asking how he sounded? Nolan just replying ‘Tight.’ Which is apropos for Tim in situations such as this tbh. The reason she asked this was that she could gather everything she needed to know about his state of mind from that information alone.

When she hears Nolan’s reply her worry increases tenfold. Melissa is killing me in the best way in this scene. Props to her and Eric once again for this season. I can't praise them enough honestly. It hurt so much but hot damn if they weren’t giving their A game and more every single episode. Holy hell. Not that they don’t always. Just with such limited episodes they did really good with the material. Writing was superb for them. They rose to the occasion and then some.

Tim is so anxious waiting for Nolan it’s making me anxious. He is wound so damn tight right now. Not that I blame him but we can feel the anxiety just seeping out of him. The tapping of his feet, hands, and whole body is tense before Nolan arrives. He pops right up the minute John enters the room. He doesn’t look at all prepared for what Tim is about to thrown down at him.

Nolan tries to ask him questions but Tim doesn’t have time for it. Immediately let's him know what’s going on. That they’re going to want to hang this on someone. Now that Mad Dog is dead their scape goat is gone. All that is left is Tim. He’s STRESSED they’re going to hang this around his neck. That he needs Nolan to take over the investigation. I said this in my mini and I'll say it now.

My first thought was I don’t trust Nolan with this….That I wouldn’t have chosen him to spearhead this whole thing. But Tim doesn’t have a ton of options atm. So he’s gotta go with what he’s got. And that happens to be John Nolan right now. He asks Tim who to investigate? Tim tells him to look into Blair London the rookie police department shrink.

That he’s been seeing her and so has Aaron. That he thinks she had leverage on M.D. and that’s why he jumped. I wanna pause here and say how proud I am of Tim in this moment. Look at him reaching out for help this time. Not trying to quarterback this alone. Handling this completely differently than how he handled Ray. Not isolating himself and trying to figure this out solo. He’s going through the proper channels this time. Not wanting to do a OP and segregate himself from everyone.

To say it sucks Dr. London is dirty is an understatement. Because my greatest fear would be what she does in this episode. BUT I am forever grateful to her in the same vein. Because despite her being dirty she truly helped Tim in short time he had her. Look at the growth in this moment right now. I’ve said this many times already but I truly hope we continue his therapy journey. The results are astounding and I need more of this growth. It’s just like Chenford ship crack to me. Tim growth is my other drug of choice haha Give it to me writers LOL

We see Pearson is under Dr. London thumb. (Monica’s really) It leads up to this next scene that makes my blood boil. I hated watching this scene the first time and I didn’t love it any better second time around. It makes me sick to my stomach to watch unfold. How Pearson comes after Tim like a dog with a bone. The way he uses Dr. London to solidly his reasoning makes me all kinds of angry. I'm seeing red.

I HATE them using his sessions and twisting them for their own gain. It was like I said earlier this was my biggest fear of her being dirty. This right here. Gotta commend Danielle Campbell though. She does a really good job in this scene. Even though this was her idea you can see the conflict raging in her. Because she is the one who convinced Tim to go to therapy. For pure reasons actually. To help him out. Which she did. We know that’s why she’s under Monica thumb.

She used her need to help people against her. That she is only doing this because she is being coerced. Doesn’t excuse a damn thing, but explains her hesitation and almost tortured look in this scene. Especially when Pearson comes at Grey. Accusing him of favoritism. Saying he cares more about that than this city. You can see the restraint on Wade's face not to knock this punk out. How very dare you come at him and Tim like this. Makes me wanna rage so much.

This scene right here is why love Angela Lopez so much. That fiery passion she has for those she loves. How she is unwaveringly loyal to those she holds dear. Tim being that person in this moment. Not gonna lie that’s why I love this moment so much. Calling her husband. Love her of her life to chew him out to defend her brother. Her first instinct just like Lucy is to protect him.

To make sure if he’s charging Tim that she better know first. Hot damn Angela. Tell us how you really feel. haha This man is so lucky to have this fire ball in his corner phew lord. Telling Wes she stands by Tim a thousand percent. That he’s family. Ugh my heart. Gonna make me cry. I love their friendship so much. Give me more of them in s7. Their dynamic is fantastic and I need far more of it in my life.

We arrive at the best part of the episode. After nearly fifteen minutes filled with tension…We need this hug as much as these two do. My god. I adore her being so attuned to him. Lucy sees him and knows she needs to go to him. She can see how tense he looks. The clench in his jaw very evident. Her look damn near mirroring the worried look she had in 5x19. That same longing look to reach out to him surging through her. Worried Lucy is a fav of mine and we got to have that a lot in this episode.

This time she doesn't stop herself and we all love her for it. She worries about him, regardless of the state of their relationship. It’s what drives her to go after him before his elevator closes. That magnetic pull she can’t explain nor describe. All Lucy knows is she needs to be near him and comfort him. That even from afar she can tell he needs her. As I said earlier Lucy is so attuned to Tim and what he needs. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.

To say Tim is shocked when she keeps the elevator from closing is an understatement. Not only that but stopping it so they aren’t interrupted. Wanting to ensure they have a moment alone. Even when she says to be clear she’s still mad. That this doesn’t change anything. He’s still clueless as to what is going on here. You can see it all over his face above. He has zero idea why she is in here right now.

Because in his mind there is no way she’s thinking about him. Let alone wanting to be there for him in this moment. Which breaks my heart. The last thing he ever expected was for her to care for him. Or about him in any way shape or form. Also the 4x09 vibes coming off this hug had me losing my friggin mind. This hug is everything. It showcases their bond, the intimacy that still exists between them, the vulnerability has me reeling and how they are each other’s safe place still. *happy sigh*

The way she pulls him in reminiscent of the 4x09 hug. Tim standing there not expecting this moment of comfort and getting it. It’s the way she draws him into to hide in her arms. Just like she did in ‘Breakdown.’ I’m fine….Only difference in this hug from that one is the way he just melts into her arms. The face smoosh into her shoulder. Once again mirroring that infamous hug. We watch all that anxiety and stress just drain out of him. The tension he was carrying into the elevator leaving his body once he's in his happy place. Closing his eyes and surrendering to the comfort she brings him.

He immediately wraps his entire body around her. Melding into her. Easily falling into this hug and her arms. Like two puzzle pieces that are meant to be together. Fitting back together so effortlessly after time apart. Encasing her back in his hands and snuggling in for good measure. Clinging to her like she is his emotional life raft. Because. Well she is. Holding her as close as he physically can. Cherishing this moment. Because I’m sure he never thought he would experience this again. Holding her in his arms like this. Feel her comfort and love.

These two make me insane in the best way. Also let me once again point out Tim's growth. He didn’t even try to fight her like he’s done in the past. He sees this for the gift that it is and absorbs this moment. Savoring it really. The peace you can see on his face floors me. Eric at it again. You can tell this is first time in long time he’s felt whole. This hug is beautiful on some many levels. You can feel the raw emotion coming out of them both.

The concern that’s been building up in Lucy since this morning coming out in waves. She is tucked in TIGHT to him. Clinging to him as much as he is clinging to her. I'm not ok. You can hear the immense worry in her voice as she asks him if he’s ok? Despite everything she felt the draw to be there for him. The way she looks like she can finally breathe as she asks him that question is EVERYTHING.

We get some good hands hands hands in this hug. I can’t stop staring at her thumbs in that gif either. The soothing way she is running her thumbs up and down on his back and arm. Methodical in her soothing of him. Gah I cannot you guys. Her remarkable empathy shines through in this moment. This was a balm my soul needed so much. That all of us needed. We all know how much our boy longed for this.

Can't get over her face pressed so tightly into his neck. Doing this, as she asks him what she’s been dying to since she received that phone call. Like she couldn’t breathe until she knew the answer to this question. Look at the concern on her face when she does. I’m reeling and sobbing. Lucy looks on the verge of tears herself. Their hearts are just starting to mend in this glorious hug. You can feel it. Ours too.

No one does hugs like our ship does. They’re always top tier goodness. Holy hell. They’re just breathing each other in. Calming one another down. The anxiety that was raging in both of them cooling down to a simmer in this embrace. He has melted into her like butter at this point. Reveling in the comfort and empathy she's providing him. The way he says ‘I am now.’ Reminiscent of 5x21 and their phone call in the alley. How he wasn’t ok till he heard her voice.

Song remains the same in this moment. He wasn’t ok until now. Until she had her arms wrapped around him for this hug. Didn’t know he was holding his breath till she released it for him. It’s how he sways with her and sinks even further into her arms. Smooshing his face even farther into her shoulder. It’s so sincere his reply back that I am just a puddle of emotion. He’s so vulnerable in this moment with her.

Letting her know he wasn't ok until she was there. Imma scream at how much I love this growth in him. If there was any more doubt in Lucy’s mind of his feelings for her, this hug and his reaction to it should clear that right up. That is a man who is still so in love with her. Letting her know he wasn’t alright until she came and found him. I’m not crying you are…. Find you a person who knows what you need when you need it. Even when you’re not in the best place. That’s Lucy Chen for this man. Reigniting him falling in love with her all over again in this moment.

Lucy picking up on this growth reflects in her reaction back. Gah it’s the way she tightens her arms around him after she hears this. Closes her eyes and tries to bring him even closer. Trying to wrap him up in her arms even tighter. Absorb any stress he is carrying right now. The sheer relief written all her face. The way she shuts her eyes knowing he’s ok because she is there. *sobs*

Just melting into this man as she holds him as close as she can. Clinging to him as much as he is to her. I’m not ok in the best way. I remember thinking this hug would feed my soul into the hiatus. Just gonna scream into a pillow how much I love this moment. Their chemistry is insane and with a hug? Even more so my god. We are blessed to have a ship where our hugs are this amazing.

I love this faraway shot of their hug. They are in-sync as they part. How do they do that? We can see how deeply entangled they are. Nary an inch between them. You can see how they were just clinging onto each other for dear life. Look at Tim’s arms/hands. How gentle and intimate his are placed.

Having her as close as he can. It’s the hand gently wrapped around her lower back that has me losing it. It’s just so intimate I can’t get over it. Lucy is retuning the favor in kind. She too is just as intertwined as he is in this moment. Arms clinging to him and her face buried in his neck. Their chemistry on massive display here.

You’d think the hug alone would be enough to make me squee to death. Lucy follows it up with fixing his collar. I’m dead. The most wifey move of all moves. Reminded me of the lint picking from 5x12. Such an intimate coupley thing to do. I’m losing my damn mind over it. Wife energy coming off her in waves. Just seemed so automatic and natural when they part.

Also she touches her arm before reopening the door. She can’t keep her hands off him and I’m here for it. Tim looks like he’s going to cry in that elevator. I also love Tim putting his hands in his pockets right after. Because if he doesn’t he’ll never let her go. They’ll never get off this elevator. He could've stayed in that hug all day.

Basked in the comfort she had to give him. So he puts his hands immediately in his pockets after they part. Ugh my heart. They miss each other so much and this hug is screaming that. Also screaming how they didn’t miss a beat. How natural and wonderful it was. *happy sigh* This hug giving me true hope for the first time.

They re-open elevator to find Angela and Harper waiting for them. They look like they’ve been caught. Like they didn’t just have this deeply emotional embrace. The looks they share before Lucy leaves are LOADED. The expression on Angela’s face... She knows they interrupted something. I adore her saying she can get him extradited if he needs it. Love this woman so much. We know just like Lucy she is willing to do anything for this man.

Makes my heart so happy. All these women in his life want is to support and protect him. You can tell Angela wants to be tagged in so badly. Tim telling her won’t be necessary. He didn’t do anything wrong. That she had his back last time. He has different forces at play this time. Adore her saying 'Different isn’t me.’ Not it’s not ha Sadly last of Tim for this ep. *pouts*

Another telling scene for Lucy. Really really need s7 to clear these things up for her. Because despite being wonderfully empathetic human to Tim. She is still lost in life and not sure who she is. I NEED UC and some other things clarified for her next season. I really do. Just because she’s amazing at UC (and she is) doesn’t mean it’s her path. I do love this scene because it’s just Lucy being Lucy.

Having EIGHT covers ready to go. Our little nerd in action here. I adore it so much. It’s the most Lucy Chen thing she could do. Telling them it takes twelve off duty hours to grow. I love her so much. It’s not a mystery why Tim is so damn gone for her. Their faces as she explains cracks me up. Tim wouldn’t be shocked in the least. Hell I’m sure he was there while she was growing some of them.

The detective line is just another stab at our hearts though. Hoping for clarification and goodness for her career in s7. Manifesting it. As much as I need their reconciliation.(and I need it bad) I need her path resolved just as much tbh. For her to find her purpose and grow. Because once her and Tim do this. That reconciliation is gonna be even sweeter because of it.

I will say I was impressed with Nolan. Enjoy this it won’t last ha He handled investigating Blair really well. Rattling the cages of the potential dirty cops she was seeing just by showing up to her office. I forgot seasons 1-2 Nolan was a good cop. He just got really annoying after s3. LOL Also roping Smitty in was hilarious. He was already there for the food so might as well use him.

It’s the first time in what feels like a long time I enjoyed John. He enlists Nell too to help him with data from dispatch. Maybe it’s Bailey that makes him extra irritating to me. Lmao Sorry Jenna....lol Anyways quite the miracle Nolan pulled off in this ep getting me to like him. Not only that but commend him on the job he’s doing. Helping out Tim in a major way and I can’t deny that.

Nolan’s plan works out like gang busters. He went to her office to rattle a dirty cop into revealing himself. Pearson does it perfectly. Losing his mind about finding out they were in Mad Dog's apt. Like I said earlier I commend John on his work in this. Had Tim’s back and then some with his investigation. If they wrote him like this more wouldn’t dog on him so much lol

The other part that is so great is Grey. He is a papa bear ready to devour anyone messing with his work kids. This part was so cathartic to watch after earlier. Watching him dismantle Pearson like the schmuck he is. Was sick of him stomping around the station. Acting like he can just be top dog when he's really on a leash.

Rubbed me the wrong way being disrespectful to Tim and threatening Wade. Watching him attack Nolan/Celina is Grey's final straw. Puts that turd in his place. We watch him visibly shrink as Grey tears him a new asshole LOL All but telling him to stay in his own lane. Get em’ Wade! Nolan putting together the connection of Pearson and Blair due to this. Was fun to watch them piece this together.

Scenes like this give me agita like no other. My heart was beating in my chest for her. Lucy did a really good job despite the toy. Unfortunately it’s one of those loud musical ones. That not only gives away her position. But possibly her cover in the process. He find it’s on the floor. Looking menacing af. This man gives me the creeps on so many levels. I hated this mission for her on so many levels.

Unfortunately they’ll need her going back into the house. Now that Monica is in play it’s crucial she is there. Especially with Batista investigating who tried to kill her. Lucy is worried they’re going to blow her cover faster with her involved…But it’s a risk they have to take. If Tim knew about this he would be feral. Oh Feral Tim how I miss you. I need more 2x11 feral Tim in my life. That's a wishlist for s7 I suppose.

The ep ends with Nolan making a deal I’m not sure he can make lol But he was good in this episode so I’ll give him a pass. You can see how panicked she is. I am impressed John got her on this bench I will say. Getting her to almost spill her guts to him. Saying she didn’t think anyone would get hurt. That's what they all say....

I will say I missed Tim a lot in this ep after he was gone. That's my man. But it was a good episode. Reminded me of what a good ensemble cast we have as a whole. That's all she wrote for this one.

As always thank you to everyone for reading, liking, commenting and reblogging these means more than you’ll ever know. Shall see you all in the finale with 6x10 :)

~~~

Side notes-non Chenford

We get more insight in how Dr. London is being leveraged. Of course it’s a Monica connection because she is the absolute worst….

It’s great to see Pearson get nailed to the wall at the end of the ep. Prick.

[peachhcs]

macklin asking only like a week after they see each other again to hang out and they go to the beach or something, something calm and quiet but something they missed

this was actually so so cutie to write :))) adding in more lore about blaire’s relationship with her brothers, so expect that to be a pretty big plot point and the way blaire is the way she is being so closed off and reserved sometimes

au masterlist

mack didn’t really know what too soon was but a little over a week after they saw one another again, they were going to the beach to hang out on one of mack’s days off. he figured the beach was good because they didn’t have to talk if they didn’t want to, but there were always good conversation starters around as people walked by. either way, blaire agreed to going to the beach with him and the brunette couldn’t be more excited.

he saw her in her car when he got there. she quickly waved when he pulled in next to her and the brunette flushed, returning her cute little grin. they met around the back of their cars after climbing out, “hi,” macklin smiled softly.

“hi. i haven’t been to the beach in so long, so i’m glad you suggested this. it’s such nice day,” blaire kicked her back hatch open to grab her beach bag and beach chair.

“i know, i can’t believe how nice it is for october,” he followed her lead down the beach.

“how was your game last night? i saw you guys finally had a win,” blaire glanced back at him and the boy’s face flushed at the idea of her watching his game.

“it was really good actually. our first win of the season, so it felt really nice.”

blaire found them a spot halfway down the beach where there weren’t a lot of people around. the two set their chairs up next to one another. blaire dug into her bag to find her sunscreen. “you want any?” she asked mack.

“i should probably put some on,” he laughed a bit.

“right, you burn so easily,” a giggle slipped past her lips making mack blush. she remembered so many little details about him that he thought she would’ve definitely forgot after two years.

he watched her (not in a creepy way) apply her sunscreen. when she reached her back the boy flushed thinking she was gonna ask him to help get her upper shoulders and he was right because she did, “i can’t reach the awkward middle. can you?”

mack, who tried not letting his nerves show, stepped forward and gently rubbed it into the girl’s skin. it was kind of strange to him being so relaxed around one another after literally not talking or seeing each other for two years, but mack wasn’t complaining. he was actually glad blaire still felt so comfortable around him despite them literally breaking up (and possibly finding their way back to one another.)

“i think i got it all,” the brunette mumbled, dropping his hands back to his sides.

“thank you. want me to get you?” blaire quickly offered.

now rubbing her sunscreen in for her was one thing, but her doing it for him was completely different because mack didn’t know if he’d be able to even function properly when her hands touched his bare skin.

“sure,” he said nonetheless and pulled his shirt off.

the cream was cool against his skin, he squirmed at first, but relaxed the more blaire eased her fingers into the divots of his back.

“so what else has been new with you besides becoming a big shot hockey player?” her tone had a teasing edge to it like how they used to talk to one another when they were 15. it was a good thing she couldn’t see mack’s embarrassing red blush.

“not a lot, i guess. hockey’s been taking up most of time since august,” the boy shrugged lightly.

“yeah, same with figure skating. we have competitions every weekend. when i’m not doing that i’m studying,” the girl agreed.

“you were really good the other day, by the way. i mean you’ve always been good, but..wow. i was impressed,” mack confessed and he wondered if blaire was blushing because she didn’t respond right away.

“thanks, celly. that means a lot,” blaire finally responded, her voice soft.

she moved her hand away from his back and he took that as her cue that she was done. he spun back around, meeting her soft gaze as she handed him the rest of the sunscreen.

“because we’re here you have to play mermaids with me later,” blaire grinned widely and the hockey player laughed.

“okay, deal. i love mermaids,” they shared a laugh and macklin applied the rest of his sunscreen.

for now, the two just sat out on their chairs tanning and people watching. they’d occasionally point out people walking by, but for the most part, they just caught up. the conversation flowed like they never spent any time apart. macklin talked about his year at boston university and blaire told him about her freshman year at santa clara. it sounded like both had really good years.

that feeling macklin’s had since he first saw blaire last week continued growing as the day went on. his chest tightened and exploded each time her eyes lit up when telling him a funny story from freshman year.

it was pretty obvious he’s never been over her. as much as he tried moving on and finding other girls, something always drew him back to blaire like maybe they’d reconnect one day and reconcile whatever happened between them—and surprise, surprise, he was getting that chance. the young rookie was not letting her go this time.

“how are your siblings?” blaire shifted the subject to him, feeling bad she’s done so much talking about her life and hardly asking him about his.

“they’re good. aiden’s playing hockey at boston still. rj’s playing for a little league team and charlie’s doing tennis still,” macklin explained his siblings’ whereabouts.

“i’m glad to hear they’re all doing good. carter and mason are pretty good, too. carter’s finishing high school and mason’s a senior at university of washington,” blaire hummed and macklin could hear the crack in her voice. he always knew she never had a very close relationship with her brothers because of everything that happened with their mom.

“wow, a senior already?” the rookie chuckled.

“tell me about it. he’s moving to ireland once he graduates. he found a crazy good job and he wants to be abroad for awhile,” blaire continued.

“ireland? that’s crazy. good for him.”

“yeah, it is crazy. carter’s pretty sad about it, but he’s gonna do good,” the dirty blonde hummed, her fingers tapping against the armrest of the chair. even though she didn’t say it, mack knew her better than that. he knew she was also sad about it.

“how are you feeling?” he dared to ask.

there was a pause and the boy quickly worried her overstepped by asking. “okay..i guess,” she was vague which mack expected. he wondered if he should push for more, but he didn’t wanna test his luck considering they just started talking again.

blaire kept talking though, “it kind of feels like he’s leaving because he doesn’t wanna be around us anymore though. even though our mom dying was like seven years ago, it still really affects all of us i think. mostly because none of us really processed it right, but i don’t know. mason’s never been the same since. he like hardly wants anything to do with carter and i. me specifically.”

“shit, i’m sorry. that really sucks,” mack sympathized but blaire shrugged. “it’s fine. i can’t really do anything about it. i just try not to think about it.”

a silence fell around them after that discussion. macklin stared out at the beach, suddenly grateful that at least his siblings were somewhat close even and family was still together even though attention got really divided sometimes.

“hey, i think i wanna get in the water now. you up for mermaids?” blaire stood up, clearly trying to break the tension she just created. mack smiled.

“of course,” he grinned and threw his towel off him.

he watched her slip out of her tank top and shorts, his breath hitching when he saw her in nothing but her bikini. he adverted his gaze when she looked back at him, a blush coating his cheeks. “race you?” she smirked.

macklin didn’t even get a chance to respond before she started racing towards the water. he quickly chased after her, some of the other people on the beach giving them a side eye for being so rambunctious. blaire had a pretty big lead and successfully made it into the water before mack could catch her. she dove right in, the cool water feeling good on her warm skin.

mack dove in after her. they came back up at the same time, shaking their wet hair out. “it feels so nice. i miss coming to the beach,” blaire grinned and dipped her head back.

she pushed back so she was floating on her back like a starfish. mack admired her again. the sun was reflecting off the water and onto her skin perfectly that it looked like she was glowing. she hadn’t even changed a bit—still looking like the same girl he fell in love with when they were fifteen.

they played mermaids for a good half hour which just consisted of them splashing one another and diving under the waves. they hurried back up to the beach with pruny skin, grabbing their towels to dry themselves off.

“so what are the chances you could get me tickets to your next home game?” blaire wondered as she squeezed her hair out. mack’s gaze flicked to hers, a look of surprise on his features.

“you wanna come to one of my games?”

“well, yeah. i wanna see you on the big rink with the big guys,” blaire grinned and mack was pretty sure his heart exploded right then and there.

“i can see what i can do, but chances are high,” the boy smiled back.

“good because i really wanna come. i already have an outfit in mind,” she cheesed and there was no way mack wasn’t getting her back.

the two packed up their things for the day and trudged back up towards the parking lot. mack helped blaire load her chain into her car before the two awkwardly stood in the parking lot wondering when their next hang out would be and what this was going to mean for their friendship moving forward.

“this was really fun, thanks for coming,” blaire said first.

“of course. i had a lot of fun too. we should do it again,” he smiled.

“literally just text me, i’m freeish..well, i’ll just tell you when i’m free, but it’s been really good getting to see you again. i’ve missed this,” the girl admitted shyly.

“me too. i’ve missed seeing you. i will definitely text you and let you know about the next game,” he opened his arms for a hug. blaire quickly reciprocated, stepping into his embrace that smelled like sand, salt water, and remnants of sunscreen.

“get back safe,” mack said when they pulled apart. blaire nodded and they finally got back into their cars where mack couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot.

[riptidewaters]

Part 4, Lipstick

Nate Archibald x fem! Reader (named)

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

In the days that followed the white party, Charlotte couldn't get Nate out of her mind. She tried to focus on her new relationship with Dan, but it was clear to both of them that something was off. One afternoon, she found herself wandering the streets of the Upper East Side, her thoughts in turmoil.

"Hey, Charlotte," a familiar voice called out.

She turned to see Nate jogging up to her. He looked a bit hesitant, but there was a determined glint in his eyes. "Hey, Nate," she replied, forcing a smile.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, leading him to a nearby bench.

They sat in silence for a moment, each unsure how to start. Finally, Nate took a deep breath. "I've been thinking a lot since the party. About you, about us... And I realized I was an idiot not to see it sooner."

"See what?" Charlotte asked, her heart pounding.

"That I've always had feelings for you, Charlotte. I just never had the guts to admit it."

Charlotte felt a surge of emotions, a mix of hope and fear. "Nate, I've liked you for so long, but I thought you only saw me as a friend."

Nate took her hand. "I was scared, Charlotte. Scared of ruining what we had. But seeing you with Dan made me realize I can't keep pretending. I don't want to lose you."

Charlotte's eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to lose you either, Nate."

He leaned in and kissed her softly, and it felt like everything finally made sense. Pulling back, Nate smiled. "So, where does that leave us?"

Charlotte laughed, wiping her tears. "I think it means we should give this a real shot."

A few weeks later, Charlotte was getting ready for another party, this time a more intimate gathering with just close friends. She was in Blair's room, trying on different outfits.

"I still can't believe you and Nate are finally together," Blair said, grinning as she adjusted Charlotte's hair. "It took long enough."

"I know," Charlotte replied, smiling. "But I'm glad it happened."

Blair handed her a tube of lipstick. "Here, try this. It's my new favorite shade."

Charlotte took the lipstick and applied it carefully, noticing the rich, deep red color. "I love it," she said, turning to face Blair. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Blair replied. "Now, let's go show everyone how fabulous you look."

As they walked downstairs, Charlotte felt a wave of happiness. She was finally with Nate, and she had her friends by her side. Everything was falling into place.

At the party, Nate found her almost immediately, wrapping his arms around her. "You look amazing," he whispered.

"Thanks," she said, smiling up at him. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Dan approached them, holding two glasses of champagne. "To new beginnings," he said, raising a glass.

Charlotte clinked her glass against his. "To new beginnings," she echoed.

Nate smiled and kissed her, and for the first time in a long while, Charlotte felt completely at peace.

Epilogue

Months later, Charlotte and Nate were still going strong. They had become inseparable, their relationship growing deeper with each passing day.

One afternoon, as they were strolling through Central Park, Nate stopped suddenly. "I have something for you," he said, reaching into his pocket.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?"

Nate pulled out a familiar tube of lipstick. "This," he said, holding it up, "is the lipstick you wore the night we finally got together. I wanted you to have it as a reminder of that night."

Charlotte took the lipstick, her eyes filling with tears. "Thank you, Nate. This means so much to me."

Nate smiled, pulling her into a hug. "I love you, Charlotte."

"I love you too, Nate," she whispered back.

As they walked hand-in-hand, Charlotte knew that their future was bright. She had found her place in the world, and it was right beside Nate Archibald.

@esposadomd

@littlepadfootmoony

@baconistherealmvp

@mochminnie

[mot-hesbian]

I'm back on my Lily bs, especially with my headcanons

Ttpd is so Lily, Blair, and Jenny coded (some Serena but I feel like she's Evernights in a way I can't explain)

Here is my list from The Anthology

Fortnight- it's Dair, I have literally nothing else to say

The Tortured Poets Department- this is either post breakup derena or maybe dair

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys: controversial take: this isn't 🪑. The vibes are wrong, it's Lily and William during their marriage (if you've read my fics you know what I mean by that. I have many feelings about them.)

Down Bad: Rufly??? Dair??? Serenate vibes??? 🪑???? Jagnes??? Who knows? It fits them all so well

So Long, London: it's 🪑. That's it. She tried so hard to hold on but he kept drifting away.

"You say I abandoned the ship, but I was going down with it, my white knuckle dying grip holding onto your quiet resentment. And my friends say it isn't right to be scared, everyday of a live affair, every breath feels like rarest air, and you're not sure if he wants to be there"

"You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days"

"you swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? I died on the alter waiting for the proof"

But Daddy I Love Him: Rufly, pure and simple.

"I'm running with my dress unbuttoned, screaming but Daddy I love him"

"I'll tell you something right now, I'd rather burn my whole life down than listen to I've more second of all this bitching and moaning"

"I'll tell you something about my good name, it's mine alone to disgrace"

"there's a lot of people in town that I bestow upon my fastest smile, scandal does funny things to pride but brings Lovers closer"

"now I'm dancing in my dress in the sun... I'm his lady, and oh my God you should see your faces. Time, doesn't it give some perspective? And no, you can't come to the wedding."

Fresh Out The Slammer: the 🪑 and Louis to Dair pipeline. She knows who her first call will be to. And so do we.

Florida: I saw someone say this song is Ivy and Lola, and yeah, that's them if they had a decent storyline. Also, Jagnes. Jenny and Lily. Serena. Blair would never go near Florida outside of spring break.

Guilty As Sin?: I saw an edit of Rufly to this song and now all I can think of when I listen to it is them is season 1 (pre hook up) and season 2 (pre relationship). Lily and Serena's talk in season 1, the Thanksgiving episodes, the winter dance episode, the whole PI bs, everything with Allison tbh

"what if he's written "mine" on my upper thigh, only in my mind"

"without ever touching his skin, how can I be guilty as sin?"

Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?: It's Jenny.

"I am what I am cuz you trained me"

"you caged me then called me crazy" "I'm always drunk on my own tears, isn't that what they all said?"

"I was tame, I was gentle til the circus life made me mean, don't you worry folks, we took out all her teeth"

"I leap from the gallows and I levitate down your street, crash your party like a record scratch as I shriek "who's afraid of little old me?" You should be"

"At all costs keep your good name" "Is it a wonder I broke? Let's hear one more joke"

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can): 🪑

"the smoke cloud billowed out his mouth like a freight train through a small town. The jokes he told across the bar were revolting and far too loud."

"Your good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger, I can fix him. No, really, I can. And only I can."

Loml: Season 1 and 2 Derena

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart: Lily, Jenny, Blair, and a hint of Serena.

"All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting "more". I was grinning like I'm winning, I was hitting my marks, cuz I can do it with a broken heart."

"Cuz I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit. They said "babe, you gotta fake it til you make" and I did."

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived: Lily and William. I'm obsessed with them and the psychological ramifications his existence alone has on her, your honor. Like, I hate him, I hate them, but I'm fascinated by how horrible their relationship is. Also, Eric and William to a degree. Serena never seems to reach this point.

"Was any of it true? Gazing at me starry-eyed in your Jehovah's Witness suit. Who the fuck was that guy?"

"And I don't even want you back, I just want to know, if rusting my sparkling summer was the goal"

"you hung me on your wall, stabbed me with your push pins. In public, showed me off"

"you didn't measure up, in any measure of a man"

"And you'll confess why you did it, and I'll say "good riddance," cause it wasn't sexy once it wasn't forbidden. I would've died for your sins, instead I just died inside. And you deserve prison but you won't get time"

"You kicked out the stage lights but your still performing"

"and in plain sight you hid, but you are what you did. And I'll forget you but I'll never forgive"

The Alchemy: Lily and Blair in gen tbh, but specifically with Rufus and Dan.

"cuz the sign on your heart says it still belongs to me"

"he jokes that it's heroin but this time with an 'e'"

"what if I told you I'm back? The hospital was a drag, worst sleep that I ever had, I circled you on a map. I haven't come around in so long, but I'm coming back so strong/to where I belong"

"so when I touch down, call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team. Ditch the clowns, take the crown, cause I'm the one to beat."

Clara Bow: it's the Cece (Clara) to Lily (Stevie) to Blair (Taylor) to Jenny (the new gen) pipeline for me. I can't explain how Cece fits, but she does. (Serena being told all the fresh air bs her entire life can be applied here as well)

"This town is fake, but you're the real thing. Breath of fresh air through the smoke rings. Take the glory, give everything. Promise to be dazzling"

"You look like Clara Bow in this light, remarkable. All your life did you know? You'd be picked like a rose."

"You look like Stevie Nicks in '75, the hair and lips. The crowd goes wild at her fingertips, half moonshine, a full eclipse."

"You look like Taylor Swift in this light, we're loving it. You've got edge she never did, the future's bright. Dazzling"

"the crown is stained, but you're the real queen, flesh and blood amongst war machines. You're the new god we're worshipping. Promise to be... Dazzling"

"Beauty is a beast that roars, down on all fours demanding "more." Only when your girlish glow flickers just so do they let you know, it's hell on earth to be heavenly. Them's the breaks, they don't come gently."

The Black Dog: Lily and William

"and so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog and pierce new holes in my heart"

"And it hits me, I just don't understand, how you don't miss me. In The Black Dog, when someone plays The Starting Line and you jump up, but she's too young to know this song that was intertwined with the magic fabric of our dreaming. Old habits die screaming."

"And I may never open up the way I did for you. And those best laid plans. You said I needed a brave man and proceeded to play him until I believed it too."

"now I want to sell my house and set fire to all my clothes. And hire a priest to exorcize my demons, even if I die screaming"

"Six weeks of breathing clean air, I still miss the smoke"

"I hope it's shitty, in The Black Dog"

imgonnagetyouback: Lily and William and 🪑, Serena during her one-sided pining for Dan era.

"even if it's handcuffed I'm leaving here with you"

The Albatross: help, it's so Lily coded I can't

"Wise men once said, "Wild winds are death to the messenger," a rose by any other name is a scandal. Cautions issued, he stood shooting the messengers. They tried warning him about her."

"wise men once said "one bad seed kills the garden" "one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen". Locked me up in towers, but I'd still visit in your dreams, and they tried to warn you about me."

"devils that you know, raise worse hell than a stranger. She's the death you chose, you're in terrible danger."

"cross your thoughtless heart, only liquor anoints you. She's the Albatross, she is here to destroy you"

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus: Serenate or platonic Eric and Jenny works too

"if you want to break my cold, cold heart, just say "I loved you, the way that you were"

"I changed into goddesses, villains and fools, changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules all to outrun my desertion of you and you just watched it."

"could it be enough to just float in your orbit?can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses? Cooler in theory but not if you force it to be, it just didn't happen"

How Did It End?: Blair and Louis, more specifically Blair after the accident

"guess who we ran into at the shop, walking in circles like she was lost"

So High School: Rufly and Eleanor x Cyrus, I will not accept criticism

"I feel so high school when I look at you, cuz look at you"

"and in the blink of a crinkling eye, I'm sinking, our fingers entwined. Cheeks pink in the twinkling lights, tell me 'bout the the first time you saw me. I'll drink what you think, and I'm high from smoking your jokes all damn night, the brink of a wrinkle in time."

I Hate It Here: Lily and Jenny, they chose this life, regardless of how that choice was made, and it made them feel worthless. They both need to escape, they disappear into their different vices to help them cope.

"tell me all your secrets, all you'll ever be is my eternal consolation prize"

"if comfort is a construct, I don't believe in good luck, now I know what's what. I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind, people need a key to get to, the only one is mine"

"I will go to lunar valleys in my mind, when they find a better planet only the gentil survived. I dreamt about it in the dark, the night I felt like I might die"

"I'm lonely, but I'm good. I'm bitter, but I swear I'm fine. I'm save all my romanticism for my inner life, and I'll get lost in purpose. This place made me feel worthless."

thanK you aIMee: Jenny and Blair in high school

"all that time you were throwing punches, I was building something. And I can't forgive the way you made me feel. Screamed "fuck you, Aimee" to the night sky as the blood was gushing. But I can't forget the way you made me heal."

"I built a legacy you can't undo, but when I count the scars there's a moment of truth. That there wouldn't be this, if there wasn't you."

I Look In People's Windows: it's Bart era rufly

"what if your eyes looked up and meet mine one last time"

The Prophecy: Jenny and Blair

Cassandra: I cannot explain it but this is Lily

Peter: Carter and Serena?????? Is that you???? She's Peter

"are you still a mind reader? A natural scene stealer? I've heard great things Peter"

"the goddess of timing, once found us beguiling, Peter was she lying? My ribs say she did"

"lost in the lost boys chapter of your life"

The Bolter: Oh look, new Lily song just dropped. And Serena. To quote @strideofpride it always comes back to mothers and daughters

"with a quite bewitching face. Splendidly selfish, charmingly helpless, excellent fun til you get to know her."

"then she runs like it's a race, behind her back her best mates laughed and they nicknamed her "the Bolter""

"she's been many places with men of many faces, first their off to the races and she's laughing drawing aces but none of it is changing that the chariot is waiting. Hearts are hers for the breaking, there's escape in escaping."

"all her fucking lives flashed before her eyes, it feels like the time she fell through the ice, then came out alive"

"and at first blush this is fate. When it's all roses, portrait poses, central park lake row boats... That's when she sees the littlest leaks and just knows, she must bolt."

"ended with the slam of a door, then he'll call her a whore, wish he wouldn't be sore but if she was leaving it felt like breathing."

Robin: Eric, this is legit Lily and Serena when literally anything involves Eric

I can't even draw up lines, it's the whole song

The Manuscript: any relationship involving Blair

"all that's left is the manuscript, one last souvenir from my trip to your shores. Now and then I reread the manuscript, but the story isn't mine anymore."

[patiann345]

I'm gonna be honest; I don't think it's fair to blame a single game (BATIM in this case) for the state of Modern Mascot Horror...

That's giving Bendy WAY too much credit hj/

But seriously though; to say that BATIM is at fault for the state of mascot horror and that it started/popularized all the overused trends is just. really really unfair to it. And that's coming from someone who is extremely critical of the series, I WISH I could blame Bendy for everything but alas, I am unable 😔

I think my biggest issue with blaming Bendy, or really any big horror like Fnaf or Poppy, is that.. so many of those trends aren't unique to those games? Bendy takes SO MUCH from games like Bioshock, but we're not blaming Bioshock for mascot horror trends, are we? And yeah, you can say "Well Bioshock isn't indie and it's not mascot horror" but,, where do you think people are drawing inspiration? Yeah, a lotta games may be inspired by Bendy, but a lot of others, INCLUDING Bendy, are inspired by the classics before it.

To talk about some arguments I've seen; saying Bendy popularized "exploring an abandoned facility" feels almost silly considering how many popular horror games and media have done that before. It's been a horror staple for forever, so of course a lot of mascot and/or indie games would follow suit. There's the first Resident Evil, I think Silent Hill COULD count, RPG maker games such as Ao Oni.. And as for film; technically The Blair Witch falls into this category. And the same goes for "cute mascot turned scary" like.. I'm sorry but plenty of games alone were doing that before Bendy. Ever played Tattletail? You could argue FNAF has done this too. Spooky's jumpscare mansion perhaps? And if you wanna look past just games; Gremlins. And yes, I'm counting Gremlins as horror. If you don't, then consider Chucky or Annabelle (though maybe Annabelle is to a lesser extent since she's.. pretty freaky looking before the possession stuff in the film) I'm not. even going to address "free roam gameplay" because. I mean, do I have to? I should not have to go over a list of free roam horror games to tell you why that's 1. not even a trend? and 2. not.. Bendy specific.

All this also isn't considering a lot of other media you could take inspiration from; Creepypastas and ARGs and Books and so on and so forth. A lot of those have contributed to Mascot Horror, ESPECIALLY creepypasta.. Most of the popular ones do fall under the "cute-to-scary" trope such as Cupcakes, Sonic.EXE, the Tails Doll curse, and a lot of lost episodes and haunted gaming creepypastas. You can't tell me some of the big games now aren't slightly inspired.

Also also, a lotta popular mascot horror recently has followed certain tropes and trends, yeah, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily good or bad. People hear "Cliche" and think negatively, but you CAN do a cliche really REALLY well, you can put a super strong spin on it if you try and make it feel new and fresh, even if it's been done over and over before by other pieces of media. Yes, BATIM has "cute-to-scary" mascots, it has abandoned location exploration, and it released in chapters, and so on and so forth. But we're not considering HOW it uses these tropes and if they're done well. We're just saying "Well, it has them so.. blame Bendy ig" and that's, again, not fair! It's not fair to BATIM and it's not fair to other horror media, some of which has served as big inspirations and the sort of "building blocks" for modern horror.

To make something clear, and I know this may upset some people to hear; BATIM is not unique as a piece of horror media. The only thing that sets it apart is the artstyle, and even then, with the release of BATDR, we've been inching away from that rubberhose-1930s style for a more generic look and feel. Bendy is not special, and it's not special as a mascot horror, even by the standards of 2017 when it came out. There were other games doing what it was doing, and there will continue to be games that do what it did.

It is not fair to blame Bendy, and it's not fair to blame any one single game or piece of media. Tropes and trends and cliches come and they go, and whether or not you like the current state of mascot horror, if you agree or disagree that it's a problem (I personally don't think it is and don't. really care tbh?) You cannot blame a single piece of media for the problems you have with a genre.

(Sorry this is so ramble-y!! And if it's not super well structured, I just really wanted to get my thoughts out there akjagsdhljgadslh,, also, I'd love to hear other people's thoughts, if you agree or disagree or are unsure. Think it'd be cool to start a discussion ^^)

[gildedbirdcage-if]

Can i play an MC who is very oblivious but also extremely assertive? My MC is an INTJ-A (but very accepting in terms of affection) and Orion is ISTJ-A lol, this means arguments a lot, but also more angst, which is what I want!! MC (aware of how the real world works): "if you can't stand my demands or my position, perhaps I should reconsider your position as the chef, after all the kitchen is a part of the castle which is not "your domain", you're vulnerable in this position, Orion."

Orion can absolutely get what he gives lol There will be plenty of chances to snap back at him because he isn’t very… delicate? With words a lot of the time. He’s a say it now, think about it later at 3AM kind of guy. If an MC argues with him that will turn up the dial on things and they can escalate into shouting matches even if you want it to. If Alek is home though he steps in 100% of the time and breaks it up.

With Orion, a lot of how he feels especially when you’re young is deeply rooted in thinking that you’re some golden child and everything you want is handed to you on a silver platter and even when faced with the truth he doesn’t want to be wrong so then he can twist it in his mind that you still have it better than kids on the streets. He justifies a lot of things that way when he’s young and even in his teens. He’s kind of similar to Blaire in the way that they have the preconceived notions of who you are and what things are like that they almost can’t believe otherwise. Orion more so than Blaire because he struggles with being wrong

You likely won’t have the option outright mention that you could change his position but you would have opportunities to remind him you are the reason he is where he is. Instead of saying that you’re considering changing his position it would definitely be like a “then why don’t you just leave if I’m so awful” kind of a thing

[hsslilly-blog]

christmas gift-wrapping

word count: 1,3k | a/n: death talk. i can't offer much to prime's fandom, but i can offer you a perspective on grieving characters.

"Do you miss him every day?"

Distracted with gift wrapping, Blair almost didn't catch Autumn's question. They shifted their gaze to her face, mulling on her words for a few seconds. The lights in the art classroom were turned off and the weak winter sun made its way through the blinds. Coloured paper sheets were scattered around the desks. A big splotch of acrylic paint adorned the floor between the two friends.

"No."

Autumn was focused on the cardboard in her hands. She cut the tiny Christmas trees with practised ease. On the table, a pile with decorations waiting to be tied had taken shape. "Me neither."

"Why do you ask?"

"I'd been feeling guilty about it," Autumn told them. She joined her eyebrows, a little crease forming between them. "It's- I don't really think about her a lot these days."

"That's understandable… there's a lot going on."

"I guess 'miss' isn't the right word. It's not- It's not miss… Sometimes it feels like she's never existed. It's almost like it's always been just me and my dad, like things have always been like this."

"Do you forget about it, sometimes?"

"That she's dead? Yeah. I thought it'd... stop with time, but I still forget about it." She tilted her head. "And then... sometimes it's like there's never been a before. I don't remember life before her death."

Blair let go of the ribbon they had been trying to curl. "I don't remember a lot of things about him. I have these really strong memories, but they are blurry. And, yeah, everything else is empty."

"I don't really remember what we used to do together." Autumn pulled on her braid. "I know I used to arrive home around three, and she was probably in the kitchen… or in her bedroom, and, um… I know this, but I don't really remember it."

"I don't remember his voice."

"I don't remember hers either."

"I don't remember my last conversation with him." Blair fidgeted with the red wrapping paper. "It was in the car. I, um, we had passed by this… big park and I pointed something to him. I don't remember what it was. I think they were having an arts festival."

"Did it look fun?"

"Yes. I think they were projecting a movie in a wall… or it was a screen- Those really tall white screens. I think that's what I said to him."

"We should do that sometime." Autumn went back to cutting the cardboard. "There's a lot of empty space in the school. We could, um, do a film club or something like it. I have a lot of VHS tapes at home… we can ask Nishan to convert them- Well. I think he can do that."

"I think I still have his old projector. We can use it."

"Do you think he would've liked here?"

"California? Yes. He was excited to start university." Blair plucked their eyebrows. Autumn shifted her attention to their face, listening. "His dream school was Hollywood University. He had got into University of Glasgow, and he was happy with it… but it is across the Atlantic."

"Do you think he could've, like, transferred, maybe? After some time, I mean."

"No. He wouldn't have left me behind."

"What if your mom had still gotten the job offer? Then all of you could've come together."

"Maybe. I don't know. I think she only started applying to jobs after the divorce," Blair told Autumn. "And he had a really good scholarship, so perhaps we wouldn't have moved. My dad would have felt guilty about it."

Autumn nodded, thoughtful. "And I think… well, supporting four people in another country would've been hard. Harder."

"Yeah. It's a hypothetical, anyway."

They retreated into silence. Blair grabbed another box, this one addressed to Payton. While they measured how much wrapping paper they would need, Autumn moved on to another cardboard sheet.

"How do you think I should cut these?"

Blair lifted their eyes once again, frowning immediately. In light pencil sketch, Autumn had drawn very intricate snowflake designs. "I have no idea."

"Yeah, I didn't think this through." She then left out a coy giggle, admiring her work: "There's no way I can cut between these… wow, these very tiny spaces."

"Why would you do this? You should have used paper."

"I don't know! It looks pretty, though."

"You are wasting cardboard."

Autumn rolled her eyes. She threatened Blair with her scissors, "pay attention to your job. You're creasing Mia's fancy paper- Don't forget she only lent it to us."

"She's havering. No way she expects me to wrap all of these…- I'm not wasting time thinking of her. Whatever."

"She's gonna make you stay behind in practice again. Your, um, touch toe- Toe touch- Well, the leg thing looks awful!"

"Weesht."

Their giggles echoed in the empty classroom. A courageous little bird sang nearby the window, outbraving the cold. Many years ago, Blair would have been able to identify the species. The high, evenly timed chirps almost made them nostalgic, a song they hadn't heard in a while. A grimace covered their expression.

"My last conversation with my mom was in the hospital." Autumn's voice brought Blair out of their reverie. She pulled on the ends of her braid, her eyes distant and unfocused. "I had a test on the next day and I had to leave early to study. She, um, she was wearing those… breathing masks-? Oxygen mask. She told me she loved me and not to worry, so I, um, I didn't."

"Did she die too long after?"

"No, not really. She was put into a coma and they tried to… well, they tried everything they could, I think. I like to think this way." Autumn thought for a few seconds before continuing: "I talked to her every day afterwards. I'd tell her about my day and how we were doing and the things we still had to do together. I remember- Okay, I remember not telling her about this camera I had found in a thrift store because I wanted it to be a surprise. So I told her I had bought something very cool and she had to wake up to see it."

Blair smiled softly. "What did you do with the camera?"

"It's… it's somewhere in my room. She never got to see it so I kinda… I don't know, lost interest in it."

"I think you should start using it. It was interesting enough for you to want to show her."

"Maybe. It just feels like I'm- I don't know, letting her go. It was something for the both of us… using it without her is weird."

"I see."

"But I don't know."

"I was in a coma. After the accident."

"Were you?"

Blair nodded, cutting adhesive tape. "For three days. It's… a weird experience. It's like dreaming, but not really… it's almost like a really, really long dream where you're dreaming nothing."

"That sounds terrifying."

"A little. My father was by my side the entire time."

"Did he tell you?"

"No." Blair measured Autumn. "I heard."

Autumn measured them back, in silence. She gave Blair a short nod and didn't say anything else, returning to her decorations. Blair wasn't sure if they had said something they should not have, but they didn't ruminate on it for too long. They still had many gifts to wrap, and the conversation was only making them drain time.

After a few minutes, Autumn sighed. "Okay, I give up. There's no way I can cut these- Look at this!"

"No."

"No, really- Look at it!" She mourned: "It was so pretty! Now it's… well, it's less pretty… and choppy and… unusable."

"I told you to use paper."

"Okay, you did. And I didn't. Okayyyy. My bad." Autumn let go of her scissors, rolling her eyes. She then twisted her lips. "Let me help you with these gifts before Mia appears to complain about us holding her paper hostage."

Blair stepped aside to make space for Autumn, and the two spent the following thirty minutes cutting and wrapping the remaining gift boxes in comfortable quietness. They only stopped when Julian poked his head through the door and let out an excited exclamation about the height of the gift pile. After trying to knock it down, he was promptly chased out of the classroom.

[bethanydelleman]

Northanger Abbey Readthrough Ch 14

PEOPLE THIS IS THE BEST CHAPTER EVER!!!! We have reached the pinnacle of Tilney awesomeness...

my heroine was most unnaturally able to fulfil her engagement, though it was made with the hero himself. This always makes me think of Evelina by Fanny Burney, where the poor heroine always is taken places she doesn't want to go. Luckily for us, the country walk is actually happening! No Thorpes! No rain! Just charming Tilneys.

One of the best earnest quotes in Austen has happened!:

The narrator has taken more of a back seat at this point, but here we have the hero of the novel, openly admitting that not only does he read novels, but he loves them. Henry also seems to understand that Catherine has been mocked about this before, he's very overt in his appreciation of novels. And he calls on her to be proud of him for stealing a novel from his sister, which is just... 🥰🥰🥰 "I am proud when I reflect on it, and I think it must establish me in your good opinion.”

Now is Tilney a little pedantic? Yes. But I find it cute. Sue me.

"...But I really thought before, young men despised novels amazingly.” “It is amazingly; it may well suggest amazement if they do—for they read nearly as many as women.

Catherine has picked up a lot of language from Isabella and Mr. Tilney is subtlety (and not so subtlety) correcting it.

“Henry,” said Miss Tilney, “you are very impertinent. Miss Morland, he is treating you exactly as he does his sister. He is forever finding fault with me, for some incorrectness of language, and now he is taking the same liberty with you. The word ‘nicest,’ as you used it, did not suit him; and you had better change it as soon as you can, or we shall be overpowered with Johnson and Blair all the rest of the way.”...

“Very true,” said Henry, “and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk, and you are two very nice young ladies. Oh! It is a very nice word indeed! It does for everything. Originally perhaps it was applied only to express neatness, propriety, delicacy, or refinement—people were nice in their dress, in their sentiments, or their choice. But now every commendation on every subject is comprised in that one word.”

Henry is pointing out both overuse of the word nice and meaning drift. You see a lot of meaning drift comparing Austen's language to ours, words like wonderful, awful, interest, etc. Nice apparently used to mean something close to "neat" and now it means "pleasant" and Henry Tilney is in a battle to preserve it. Well sorry, Mr. Tilney, but you lost. He has a point though, the overuse of a word entirely dilutes it's meaning and can make it basically mean nothing at all.

I love Catherine's speech about history:

The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all—it is very tiresome: and yet I often think it odd that it should be so dull, for a great deal of it must be invention. The speeches that are put into the heroes’ mouths, their thoughts and designs—the chief of all this must be invention, and invention is what delights me in other books.

She's so right here!

Now while Catherine does spend a lot of time in awe of Henry Tilney and his wit, she does stand on her own opinions. She asserts that "torment" and "instruct" are synonymous and to borrow the phrase of another Austen woman, she will not be laughed out of her opinion! (Jane Bennet, P&P)

Eleanor and Henry soon begin to talk about the picturesque, and from the clues it seems they have opinions similar to Marianne Dashwood and her love of dead leaves. This section is the one I see most quoted by those who think Catherine is too stupid for Henry Tilney or that he is distasteful for wanting to marry an ignorant girl.

I will first point out that ignorance is not equal to stupidity, Catherine is eager to learn. Also, I doubt Henry would have anything to do with the vapid Isabella Thorpe. Catherine may be ignorant about drawing and have trouble with discerning motives, but she is in no way an idiot. If anything, Austen is mocking this sentiment:

Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well-informed mind is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.

But Catherine did not know her own advantages—did not know that a good-looking girl, with an affectionate heart and a very ignorant mind, cannot fail of attracting a clever young man, unless circumstances are particularly untoward.

Does Henry enjoy being admired by Catherine in all his wit and knowledge? Undoubtedly, yes. But he also loves hanging around Eleanor who is just as intelligent as him (riot fears aside). The chief attraction here is not the ignorance. It's primarily the honesty. Here again we have Catherine fully prepared to admit that she doesn't like reading history and that she knows nothing of drawing. She doesn't pretend, she is a creature of no disguise.

Now we get to see Henry making very suggestive statements that go right over Catherine's poor head:

"...Miss Morland is not used to your odd ways.” “I shall be most happy to make her better acquainted with them.” “No doubt; but that is no explanation of the present.”

No doubt! Eleanor is shipping this couple hard. Good for her.

It was no effort to Catherine to believe that Henry Tilney could never be wrong. 

Oh Catherine, you've got it bad.

We hear from an Isabella clone (her younger sister), who was left behind from the Clifton Scheme, she is with two of the sweetest girls in the world, who had been her dear friends all the morning and says:

“They set off at eight this morning,” said Miss Anne, “and I am sure I do not envy them their drive. I think you and I are very well off to be out of the scrape. It must be the dullest thing in the world, for there is not a soul at Clifton at this time of year. Belle went with your brother, and John drove Maria.”

Girl, your speech is dripping with envy so much that even Catherine Morland, our intrepid heroine, realizes that you spouting bullshit.

I will give like, 1 half point to Thorpe for actually helping Isabella out and driving his sister to Clifton. But I award it very begrudgingly.

[southparkhcsocs]

Could you please write the main 4 and butters having an s/o that has different religious beliefs (a norse pagan) that actually came to south park from Norway?

This was a challenge!

I hope it's okay I've only gave a quick read of Norse Pagans so I can't go into a lot of detail

---------------------------------------------------------

Stan Marsh

You don't know how it came up but you started talking about religion

"A Pagan?"

"Yeah"

"So, like sacrifices and stuff?"

"Not exactly."

You explain the basics of Norse Paganism

The holidays

the Gods

he stares at you blankly

"so, like Thor"

"Sure, Stan. Thor."

Kyle Broflovski

he reads up about it

He knows what it's like to have his religion disrespected so he's going to make sure that he never does

he adds to his calendar all the Pagan holidays you celebrate so he can either get you something for it or celebrate with you

Kenny McCormick

"you're a what?"

"a pagan."

"you're a wizard?!"

"n-no?!"

"oh."

You explain but you can't really tell if he's listening or not

"we should watch the Avengers!"

"dude?"

Eric Cartman

bro is so offended

like he's no need to be offended but here his is

"what the fuck is that??!!"

so you explain a little before he cuts you off

"you're a WITCH?!"

"what? No!"

he doesn't believe you

no point trying to explain anymore he's not listening

he buys you little witchy things

he asks if you know the blair witch

Leopold "Butters" Stotch

"oh.. does that mean we cant be together anymore?"

"what? no, of course not?"

"oh, good!"

This boy is too cute for his own good

he likes to listen to you explain your religion

askes you questions

tries to get you things he thinks relate to Pagenism

they don't

but that's your little secret

[sortyourlifeoutmate]

I am concerned about Simon Jenkins, Guardian columnist.

Recently he opined in a column that us letting Ukraine fire back at Russia would amount to reckless escalation, an opinion (and a column) so ludicrous it prompted me of all people to send the newspaper a snarky email. Nothing came of it, but still. Maybe the “Don’t shoot back it’ll only upset the enemy” approach is one that hasn’t been given a chance yet?

But yes, he’s now back with another banger: why aren’t ex-PM’s being given a second bite at the apple, given that they’ve got experience? Surely that’s worth something? Why are we going with non-entities, untried and untested, rather than men who’ve learnt a thing or two from their time in office?

Um. Because they’re all shit, Simon.

Why is William Hague not standing as Tory leader rather than mere chancellor of Oxford? He is hale and hearty at 63. Is David Cameron also over the hill at 57? Come to that, where was Tony Blair, then 66, when the Labour party chose Keir Starmer as leader?

As an opener he gives you a lot to unpack. It’s hard to know where to start. Their age isn’t really the issue, at least not to anyone outside of politics. The issue is that they had their chance, and they fucked it up. And we all saw it. We all lived through it. William Hague at least has the benefit of never having had a chance to fuck it up, but I very much doubt he’d want to go back in now, given what’s happened to his party in the interim. The other two? Whoof!

(This is leaving aside of course the perhaps delicate issue of Tony Blair being, you know, a bit of war criminal? More than most ex-PM’s, I mean. Or was going into Iraq one of those mistakes born of inexperience? Not something he’d do again?)

Yes they had all “failed” in some respect during their own tenure in government, but they know the ropes and have the wisdom of experience. We don’t sack a manager for losing a game.

Well, no, but they do get sacked for being consistently shit and, recall, you brought up Tony Blair and David Cameron as your examples. Ahem.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were leaders under cruel circumstance, in the form of Covid and its aftermath. Neither succeeded, but both, one hopes, will be wiser as well as older after the experience – and that wisdom is of value to the nation.

Not meaning to devolve so soon into ad hominem attack but are you high, Simon? Boris and Rishi? Older certainly, but wiser? Wisdom is relative, really, and if you start from a negative how far do you expect someone to get? These are men who should be kept far, far, far away from any significant office, not because their previous time was tarnished by inexperience and stricken with misfortune, but because they are both profoundly, obviously unsuited for it. Like, for real.

We did not evict William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, Ramsay MacDonald and Stanley Baldwin, Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson for losing an election. All of them went on to win their parties a return to power.

THE PAST, SIMON! THEY WERE IN THE PAST! When Gladstone was born (admittedly not when he got into politics) we still had slavery! Things have changed!

Most prime ministers after leaving office – like many holders of top jobs – speak of the same thing. It is: if only they could have their time again, they would do things differently. What they got wrong was almost always due to inexperience. Leaders should have no right to a second term, but denying them one denies the country the choice of experience over novelty.

Their experience isn’t worth shit given they’ll be confronting new challenges, new things for them to get wrong because it’ll be the first time they’ve run into them. A few years down the line they can be sadly pining for more second chances.

It is hard to imagine a corporation run by a board whose members have so little experience of what they are supposedly producing.

Um. I’ll just, uh – I’ll just leave that there… no comment needed. I think we… think we all know…

It is grim to think that the four candidates on offer as next Tory leader are really the best British politics can supply.

It might be! It’s also true! If your machine is a broken heap of shit it’ll tend to turn out garbage! Whoopsie-doodle, our political class are all self-serving morons! How’d that happen? Best get some more Oxbridge graduates in here, sharpish! That’ll sort it! More landlords! It has to balance eventually!

We might not wish for a return to the days of Blair or Cameron, Gordon Brown or George Osborne, John Major or Hague. But that is to assume they will have learned nothing from their experience, and therefore have nothing to offer.

That’s exactly right, Simon! They do have nothing to offer! Remember how Tony Blair recently tried to get us all ginned up for his ID card idea again? He has literally learned nothing.

Just…

A key element here is that these men are out of politics. Out of politics a lot of politicians start to sound alarmingly reasonable (some of them, anyway, at least comparatively). They start saying things normal people might say! Start saying things that make sense! Maybe that’s that wisdom and experience Simon is talking about?

No. That’s because they’re out of politics. The moment they got back into it, if they did, all of that goes out the window. The job is such that you cannot be like that. You are put back into a mould and you go back to being shit, because that’s what the job calls for. You are being pulled in a thousand directions at once and cannot make normal, reasonable decisions. You make what seems like the least-worst choice but only through the lens you’ve had stapled to your face by being inside government. It makes perfect sense to you on the inside, surrounded by other people on the inside, deafened by clamouring voices. From the outside, you look insane.

‘Knowing the ropes’ and ‘having experience’ are indeed very valuable things, but with politicians the problem is often that the only experience they have is of being a politician and knowing how politics works, a skillset entirely useless in the real world and, indeed, it could be argued a significant factor in why politics usually sounds like it’s happening on a different fucking planet.

Like, we’re down to the dregs. That’s especially obvious with the Tory leadership competition. That shit is cracked, those people are all insane and are caught in a death-spiral where they have all convinced themselves it’s a contest that’ll be won by the biggest lunatic.

At a local level you might find a handful of MP’s who aren’t terrible, who still have at least some awareness of the outside world. The higher up you go though, the longer they spend swimming around Westminster, the more detached they’ll get – it’s just how it is. You spend all day around those types of people while being one of those types of people, talking to them, having them talk to you, getting lobbied, you’ll see the world differently.

And so we ended up with this revolving carousel of men and women whose sole selling point was them having experience. Experience of anything useful? No. You’re Minister for Such-and-Such now! You know nothing of what you’re in charge of, of course, but you were Minister for So-and-So five years ago so you know how the system works. Chop chop. We have a plan to try and make work.

I’m not sure what the remedy might conceivably be, but there needs to be something to anchor politicians in the real world. Maybe have Keir pay for his own fucking glasses, I don’t know.

Oh, and Simon? Fuck off.

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - The Returnee Household

Evening talks

As the saying goes, "The full moon heralds disaster…". But this time there's no disaster overtaking the city. Cyclone has managed to reactivate the internet for everyone (or, let's say, almost everyone), but most people haven't even noticed yet. That's why he had planned to go to the meeting point the next day, where the other people spent their time from time to time. And he hoped, of course, that he wouldn't run into the Altos there.

It's getting late on this Sunday evening. In the meantime, the three returnees have settled into their new home relatively well. Blair is also getting on better in the house. And she manages to prepare something to eat. Even blindfolded. "be careful with the knife, darling"/ "my fingers are still on my hand, hnhn".

"It was such a great idea that they provided us with this stove. I was told that there was another one like it somewhere. I can use it to preserve lots of things in jars for a long time, so we'll certainly have enough for the winter: as long as I get enough vegetables. But this will make a nice lime marmalade for now. Blair listened to her carefully. "mmh. Oh, do you happen to know if there's any peanut butter here?".

"hm, I don't think so, sweetie. Maybe there's a jar in someone's cupboard at home and long past its expiry date…"/ "Oh, it doesn't expire that quickly, believe me…mmh, I managed that quite well…didn't I?". In fact, the salad turned out well for Blair, despite the fact that she couldn't see how much of the ingredients she was actually adding. Everything was prepared by feel and there was enough for everyone.

Emma looked over at Cy. "How's your cough?"/ "I think the antibiotic is starting to work. I've only been taking it for two days, but it's no more rattling around in my lungs"/ "You were really lucky that Morgana still had antibiotics in her clinic. But who knows for how much longer… If something doesn't happen soon, we'll be completely without medication at some point".

"Believe me, Emma, ​​times will soon change for the better." Emma began to ponder a little. "We can no longer be delivered by road, hm..."/ "Right. Now think about it, what would be the last option to get goods here from outside?"/ "phh... airmail?"/ "Oh come on, don't play dumb..."/ "I just can't think of it right now, sorry, Cy, I'm tired."

"O.K., little mouse, before you fall asleep… By sea"/ "Huh? Oh, soo, you mean by ship… But there's no port here…"/ "Believe me, there are always ways and means of getting goods from one place to another. They'll find a way in somewhere…". Emma closed her eyes for a moment. "phew, o.k., let's leave it like that for now, I finally want to sleep. "/ "All right… But believe me, I'll find out what's going wrong here, you'll see"/ "yes… you'll do it, Cy, good night". Her tiredness made her sound almost a little indifferent, but she knew that once he had set his mind on something, he would go through with it.

The doorbell rang late at night. Justine Keaton came by with her little son. Kenny should have been in bed by now. But the little boy couldn't sleep, so she took him for a little walk and combined it with a short visit. Blair was surprised, but very happy about the late visit from her former colleague. "Where are you… Oh here… Can I give you a hug?".

The little boy had no fear of contact. But he did notice something. "Are you ouchy?"/ "No, it's no longer ouchy… It's just… Temporary,. Soon the thing will be gone, but then you mustn't be afraid of me"/ "Afraid? our little one isn't afraid of anything. he even sits in front of the open fire and is happy as anything"/ "hopefully not alone"/ "no, there's always someone around. Do you think you'll be able to go back to work soon?"

"No… No, I don't think so, Justine. I've learned to appreciate life so much by now, you know? I just don't want to sit at my desk and file things anymore"/ "I understand that, of course. I would just do need some help now and then. You can think about it. It's nice to see you again,"/"I can say the same to you next time we meet, hn".

Cyclone let Justine and her son out the door again a little later and then turned his attention to his girlfriend. "So you're going to do it tomorrow?"/ "mhm. I finally want to see everything again, even if I know what to expect…"/ "It's scary and frightening at first, but when you see what people have already rebuilt here, you quickly get used to it. Let's go to sleep."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover 🙂

Small note about this episode: Justine's visit was spontaneous, I didn't expect anyone to come by so late, but it was a nice opportunity to incorporate it into the story 😊