#source: my friend sophie

[splat-goes-the-nat]

*in a language class*

Peter, to the teacher: OH you're asking what we did yesterday

Peter: *turns to MJ* how do you say "cried"?

[dragonsdendoodles]

Enoch: That’s that cunt who kept complaining about everything!

Jacob: …I have never heard you use that word before.

Enoch: Cunt is my word, Jacob.

Masterlist

[barnbridges]

it hit me like a freight train that shady brook is a wordplay for fairfield an actual place in fucking connecticut

[lecsainz]

main thing

request: charles + a famous actress who is about 2 years older than charles and has a daughter from another relationship, but the biological father is not in the picture (or he is an idiot)

pairings: charles leclerc x actress!reader

authors note: man, it took me almost two days to write this, ugh! hate getting that writer's block in the middle of something I start. I was like, "come on brain, why you gotta do me like that?" but nah, it wouldn't cooperate. so frustrating!

✩. . . masterlist !

PART TWO

Age Gap Romance Takes a Dark Turn, Leaving Y/N Struggling with Broken Heart and Baby Daughter

By TMZ Entertainment News

Hollywood's buzzing with the latest shocking breakup, and this time it involves rising starlet Y/N Y/L/N and her much older ex-boyfriend, a prominent music mogul. As the dust settles, insiders reveal that the split was anything but amicable, leaving the 28-year-old actress devastated and facing heartache alone with their baby daughter, Sophie.

Sources close to the couple paint a picture of a once fairy-tale romance that crumbled under the weight of immense pressures and a significant age gap. Y/N and her ex, whose name we won't disclose for legal reasons, initially captured the public's attention with their whirlwind love affair.

Despite the initial bliss, the relationship quickly took a tumultuous turn, with the insider sharing, "It was a rollercoaster from the beginning. The age difference played a big role in their clashes, but Y/N was deeply in love and believed they could make it work."

However, cracks in their love story started to show, and rumors of disagreements and heated arguments circulated throughout Tinseltown. Our sources indicate that the final straw came when the music mogul reportedly abandoned Y/N and their infant daughter, Sophie, leaving her shattered and blindsided.

"It was like he flipped a switch," another insider revealed. "He just walked away, leaving Y/N and Sophie to pick up the pieces. It was a shock to everyone, even those closest to them."

The breakup was described as "dramatic and emotional," with Y/N left grappling with the aftermath of his sudden departure while caring for her baby daughter. Friends of the actress confirm that she's going through an incredibly tough time, trying to navigate single motherhood while nursing a broken heart.

"It's heartbreaking to see Y/N going through this," said one close friend. "She's a strong woman, but this has taken a toll on her. Sophie is her world, and she's solely focused on being the best mom she can be for her daughter."

As for the music mogul's actions, sources claim that he has shown little remorse for the way things ended. "He's been dismissive and unapologetic," one industry insider revealed. "It's like he's moved on without a second thought, leaving Y/N to pick up the pieces."

For now, Y/N is surrounding herself with a support system of friends and family, relying on their love and encouragement during this challenging time. Hollywood is buzzing with the news of the breakup, and fans around the world are sending messages of love and strength to the young actress.

As this Hollywood drama unfolds, the world will be watching to see how Y/N navigates her way through heartbreak and single motherhood. We'll continue to bring you the latest updates on this gripping story, so stay tuned for more.

ynupdates

liked by charlesleclerc , selenagomez , and 28.879 others

ynupdates sun, sand, and summer vibes with yourinstagram and the girls! beach day in monaco is lit! no room for negativity here – just good times, laughter, and making memories with our faves y/n and selenagomez! and of course, little sophie is the cutest beach babe ever!

view all 9.497 comments

selenagomez ❤️❤️❤️

f1addiction CHARLES WHAT YOU DOING HERE??

ynmoves my girl looks so happy 😁

ylngomez i LOVE this friendship

lecslerccc charles that’s is a move?

saaaainz he just liked is nothing to worry 😭

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[atzjieun]

she's ours

summary | ateez are not thrilled about jieun’s interactions with other men 

circa | april 2021

contains | 1.8k words, jealous!teez, fluff + sunji interactions !! 

notes | bold italics = english, this will be the only time i ever acknowledge that kingdom exists. (sincerely, a traumatized golcha + ptg stan)

“Stay close, Jieunie.”

Jieun could feel the light tug of Yunho’s hand on her arm as they walked down the stairs, relieved that filming had finally concluded. It was only the first day, but the long hours and lack of sleep left her exhausted, and she was glad she could get out of the view of the cameras before her mood started to show.

Who knows what the editors could do with that footage. 

Jieun chuckled at his concern but allowed him to maintain his grip on her sleeve as they made their way to their dressing room. “Oppa, I think I’ll be ok.” 

“Ya, Song Jieun!” 

The sudden calling of the girl’s name caused her to freeze in the middle of the waiting area, along with the other members of ATEEZ. They all looked back to the source of the voice, noticing the members of THE BOYZ quickly approaching, presumably on their way to their own dressing room. 

“Geez, Sunwoo. You don’t have to be so aggressive,” Jieun said, shaking her head. She took a step toward him, not noticing Yunho’s slight disappointment as he reluctantly released her arm. 

“What was I supposed to do if you kept on ignoring me?” he complained. “You didn’t even make eye contact with me during filming!”  

Jieun rolled her eyes, giving him a light shove. “You deserve it, considering you didn’t even tell me you’d be here.” 

“Neither did you!” Sunwoo protested. 

“Sophie! It’s good to see you again,” Jacob said as he approached the two, stopping beside his member. 

She smiled at him, nodding. “You too! It’s been almost 4 years, hasn’t it?” 

Before he could respond, more members of THE BOYZ showed up, each greeting the girl as they walked by.  

“Jieun! You’re so tall now!” Younghoon said, smiling at her. Jieun bowed back, reciprocating the smile as she waved at him. While the rest of the group continued on their way, Sunwoo stayed behind, as well as Jacob.  

“Wait, you know them?” 

Jieun looked over her shoulder, eyebrows raising as she saw the baffled expressions on her members’ faces, though Sunwoo spoke up before she could. 

“Jieun and I grew up on the same street and our parents are friends,” he explained. “She also came to our debut showcase in 2017.” 

A few of her members’ jaws dropped as they stared at her. Upon noticing this, Jieun frowned, tilting her head. 

“I thought you guys already knew?” She was met with blank looks and head shakes. “Remember when we were trainees and I said I was going to go see a friend’s performance?” 

“We thought you meant a school performance!” 

Jieun shook her head. “It was their debut showcase. My brother and I went to go support Sunwoo and that’s where I met everyone else.” She turned her attention back to the boy, eyes narrowing as she looked him up and down. “Anyways, Jihoon-oppa says hi. And to call him.”  

Sunwoo chuckled. “How is he, by the way?” 

“He’s having the time of his life in med school,” Jieun said with a small chuckle. “Him and Yerin-unnie are still dating too.” 

“Has he popped the question yet?” 

“No, but I think they’re waiting until after he finishes school to-” 

Jieun was cut off as she felt two hands placed on both of her shoulders, Seonghwa standing behind her. She looked past him, only then noticing that the rest of her members had retreated to their dressing room. He gave a tight-lipped smile to the two idols.  

“Sorry, we need to head out soon,” he said with a polite nod. 

“Yeah, we should probably get going too,” Sunwoo said, glancing over at Jacob, who nodded. He looked back at Jieun and narrowed his eyes. “Respond to my messages for once, will ya?” 

Jieun rolled her eyes lightheartedly, letting out a single chuckle and waving as Sunwoo and Jacob walked off. She turned around, following the eldest back into their dressing room where the other members were already waiting. 

“Jieun! Glad you could join us,” Yunho said the moment she stepped foot into the room, a sharpness in his tone she hadn’t heard in a while. Although confused, she slowly took her seat on the couch beside San. 

“Yeah, we thought you’d never stop talking to those guys,” Jongho remarked airily. 

Yeosang nodded. “You seemed really comfortable with them.” 

A frown made its way onto Jieun’s face as she glanced around the room, the other members seemingly preoccupied by their phones, though it was clear they were just trying to avoid her gaze.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, looking over at their leader. Even he didn’t want to look at her. “If I did something wrong, I’m sorry, but I can’t correct my behaviour if you guys don’t tell me why you’re upset with me.” 

The members exchanged glances over her head, their silence causing her heart to drop. Suddenly, San wrapped his arms around the girl, squeezing her tightly. 

“We’re so sorry, Jieunie! You did nothing wrong!” He pressed his face into her shoulder, voice reducing to a whisper when he next spoke. “Please don’t leave us for them.” 

Confusion and bewilderment spread across her face as she held onto his arm. “Oppa, what? Why would you ever think-” Jieun paused, mouth left agape as she looked up at her other members. “Wait. Are you guys…jealous?” 

Their lack of response spoke volumes, the air so thick it could be sliced with a knife. Jieun carefully pried San’s arms off her before bringing herself to her feet. She walked to the side of the room, turning so she could face all the members at once. 

“You guys are always telling me I should talk to more people,” she reasoned, crossing her arms. “And I’ve known Sunwoo since I was like 6. He’s part of the reason I became an idol.” 

“But still, you don’t have to be so friendly with them,” Wooyoung whined. “You’re a member of ATEEZ, not THE BOYZ.” 

Jieun took a deep breath as she bit on her lower lip, trying to fight the smile that threatened to spread across her face. 

“Oppa, if it wasn’t for Sunwoo, I wouldn’t be a member of ATEEZ,” she said, earning a few surprised sounds from the others. “Remember how I said I was scouted in a convenience store? I thought it was a scam, but Sunwoo was the one who convinced me to audition for the company just in case it wasn’t. If he didn’t, I probably wouldn’t be here now. And do you guys remember that snack basket we got when we debuted?” 

“The one you said was from your brother?” Jongho asked. 

Jieun nodded in response. “Yeah, it was from Sunwoo. My brother and I used to stay over at his house a lot when our parents were busy at the hospital. His home became ours for a while, and he literally refers to me as his younger sister.” She sighed as her gaze flicked between each member, the guilt evident on their faces. “But you guys are my family too, and I promise I’d never leave you guys for another group. You’re the only boys I’d willingly stay stuck with.” 

“Jieunie, we’re sorry for being jealous.” Seonghwa walked over to her, draping his arms over her shoulders and tucking her head under his chin. 

“It’s ok,” she said, the corners of her mouth curving upwards as they rocked back and forth. One by one, the other members approached them to engulf the girl in a hug, effectively trapping her in the middle. 

“Now you can never leave,” Wooyoung cackled. 

San grinned. “You’re stuck with us forever.”  

Jieun sighed, welcoming the warmth from the multiple bodies surrounding her. She wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. 

BONUS #1: 

Sunwoo leaned his head against the car window and closed his eyes, grateful for the short chance to rest after a long day of filming. They were headed to the company for more rehearsals, so he knew this would be his only moment of peace for at least a couple hours.

The peace was short-lived, however, as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He let out a small groan as he took out his phone, squinting down at the screen. 

Jieun: Hello Sunwoo! This is Jung Wooyoung of ATEEZ. Jieun: Thank you for bringing Jieun to us. We’ll be forever grateful. Jieun: But she’s ours now <3 No take-backs.

The message was accompanied by a photo of the group, all eight male members surrounding an exasperated Jieun, who stared at the camera with a tired expression. 

Sunwoo snorted, quickly typing out a response. 

Me: I understand, Jung Wooyoung of ATEEZ🫡 Jieun: oh my god Jieun: wooyoung-oppa stole my phone Jieun: don’t mind him. he’s weird Jieun: tell everyone else i say hi, btw!  Jieun: cuz idk if my members will let me next time 💀 Me: I will, don’t worry

Sunwoo clicked off the conversation before going to his group chat with his own members. 

Me: Jieun says hi to everyone who she couldn’t say hi to before btw Haknyeon: Aw, Jieunie’s so adorable Changmin: Can we trade her for Eric?  Eric: What the heck man Me: No. Her members actually like their maknae Eric: :(  

BONUS #2: 

“How old is the youngest amongst you guys?” Changsub asked from across the room. 

Jieun looked back at her members with wide eyes, all of whom motioned for her to put her hand up. Hesitantly, she raised her hand alongside I.N. 

“I was born in 2001,” I.N said. Jieun nodded quietly.  

“So was I.” 

“You’re 10 years younger than me, and 11 years younger than these two,” Changsub said, motioning to his members and eliciting a few gasps from the other idols, along with silent laughter. “So you guys are the same age. When are your birthdays?” 

Jieun glanced over, making quick eye contact with I.N before gesturing for him to speak first. Behind her, she could hear her members’ quiet snickering, clearly enjoying all the attention on their youngest member. Jieun looked back, shooting them a quick glare before holding her mic up, waiting for I.N to say his birthday before replying with her own. 

“Ah, so you were almost born in 2002,” Eunkwang said with a small sigh. A couple seconds of silence passed as he looked over at his members before eventually turning back to her. “Jieun-ah, you can call us uncles.” 

Laughter burst throughout the room, the loudest coming from her own members. Jieun’s jaw dropped before putting her hands over her face, heat rushing to her cheeks. She waved her arms at them, shaking her head. 

“No, it’s ok, sunbaenim.” Jieun took in a deep breath, subtly elbowing Wooyoung behind her, the boy still bent over in laughter. 

“Our baby Jieunie~” Jongho teased, causing her to narrow her eyes at him. 

Jieun eventually sighed, nodding in defeat and hoping that this wouldn’t be something her members would bring up in the future. 

(It would. It definitely would.)

taglist: @teezingsiyeon

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

That Eden specifically called them “William’s friend” makes me think it’s a Windsor who has friends in common with William, which is probably more likely Frederick or Gabriella, than the Yorkies. But as far as I know, the Kent branch doesn’t leak…except it was the Kent branch of Windsors that Eden referenced by name when he was talking about the crowded balconies. I think it’s from that side of the family.

I agree. A royal watcher on Twitter was oddly furious about the balcony this year and complaining that the extended family were being “disrespected”, particularly the Kents. (They weren’t this worked up the previous two years.) They’ve previously claimed to be friends with some of the Kents and tend to lose their temper very quickly whenever someone brings up Lady Amelia liking that IG post about turning BP into a gift shop. Various weak excuses such as it wasn’t her account (there’s screenshots, it WAS her handle) or suggesting she didn’t read the post first.

I think the source is a more distant relative who has absolutely no chance of becoming a working royal, and thus no chance of getting back on the balcony if it stays this way. Even if W doesn’t currently intend to have any of his first cousins, I think they do realise that there is always a small chance for them as he doesn’t have any other siblings like Charles. This is likely someone whose PR plays heavily on their adjacency to the BRF (e.g. Amelia - “the most beautiful royal”).

I agree - it’s someone whose career is heavily connected to the BRF, like Amelia and/or her siblings. And really, they’re the only ones it could be, from my perspective.

Since this topic seems to be generating some excitement from anons (going by my asks, the top 3 options are Frederick Windsor, Princess Eugenie, and Amelia Windsor). Let's dig deeper into it!

The Mountbatten-Windsors branch:

Peter and Zara couldn't give two shits if they're on a balcony or not, and their kids are too young to know what kind of "marketability" they have career-wise or attention-wise for being connected to the royal family. Not only that, their kids are very close to William's kids. They're in a pretty safe position as far as access and privilege goes. It's definitely not them.

Harry and Meghan. Well, there's a lot we could say here, but we're not going to look that deeply at them. All I'll say about them is this: Eden is not one of their usual sources when they leak, so I'm skeptical it's them but Harry does (or did) have a lot of friends in common with William so that's the most plausible "William's friend" excuse to me. But the guys who are legit still friends with William know better than to leak, so it wouldn't be those friends (like a van Straubenzee, Grosvenor, van Cutsem, or Pelly). It would be someone with a tenuous connection to William - maybe a friend of a friend who knows Harry better.

Beatrice is also close with William and she has her own career going for her. Edo also has his own career and he seems to be pretty financially set that Beatrice, and their children, probably have a super comfortable life and don't need the BRF as much. It's not her.

Eugenie is still a big question mark. She seems loyal to the crown for now and while she does have a chip on her shoulder, she does know which side of her bread is buttered. She is also probably fully aware that leaking about William guarantees a ticket of no return to Excludedville and after getting the invite to the Cousins Garden Party after being on the outs for a couple years, I don't think she's going to risk being "in," so I don't think it's her.

Louise and James have been raised with the expectation that they won't be working royals, not even part-time the way Beatrice and Eugenie were back in the day, so it's definitely not them or their friend circle (who are much too young to have friends in common with William).

Anne and Tim don't talk to the press, and neither do Edward and Sophie, like this. Andrew and Sarah do talk to the press and have leaked about the main branch before, but I don't think this is them. They wouldn't be quoted as 'William's friend' but - BUT - Eden had an exclusive from Sarah a couple days ago (about whether she and Andrew would remarry) and this nugget could've come up then, from Sarah.

The Duke of Kent branch:

The Duke and Duchess of Kent have never leaked or spoken to reporters, so I'm fairly certain it's not them. Besides, they're probably too old-school to think about going against the heir, and they probably raised their children (the Earl of St. Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor, and Nicholas Windsor) to be more ordinary than royally-privileged.

The bios for the Earl of St. Andrews and his wife (the Kents' eldest child/first son) on Wikipedia read like they enjoy the professional privilege that comes from being connected to the BRF but don't seem to be flaunting it. It's not them. And I doubt that they have friends in common with William. Edward and Andrew, sure. Not William.

Their children - Lord Downpatrick, Lady Marina, and Lady Amelia - are precisely the people who grew up with social media and thus understand how the power, access, and privilege of the BRF can further their work. Lord Downpatrick has a pretty successful outdoorsy/adventure-based travel company; he doesn't need the BRF. There isn't a whole lot known about Marina, but we do know that Amelia had/has a modeling contract and works in fashion. Marina seems unlikely to leak (since there isn't much about her), but Amelia is definitely a contender as Eden's source because much of her career is based on aesthetics and lifestyle - which she needs the BRF for.

Lady Helen Taylor, her husband, and their children. There's absolutely no easily-findable information about their four children. Even though they're the same ages as the Earl's children, and they'd be fully aware of the BRF's power with social media, the fact that they don't have Wikipedias and aren't very easily googlable hint that they're probably not the source.

Nicholas Windsor, hs wife, and their three sons. Not them. The sons aren't in the line of succession (owing to their Catholic baptisms). They have no use for the BRF because they wouldn't have had any privileges anyway.

The Prince Michael of Kent branch:

Prince and Princess Michael have complained about royal privilege before, but they also know - and respect - their places. They also wouldn't call themselves "William's friend" and I'm very skeptical that they have friends in common with William.

Frederick and Gabriella probably grew up without any expectation of royal connections and both seem to be in steady careers. They seem pretty tight with many of the Mountbatten-Windsor cousins - Eugenie is godmother to Frederick's eldest (which is odd to me but whatever), Frederick and Peter probably played together, Frederick's kids are the same ages as George and Charlotte, Lady Gabriella rode in the ascot carriage with Anne and Peter, and Lady Gabriella has been deputized by William before. It's definitely not Lady Gabriella, and I feel pretty confident saying it's not Frederick, even though he and his wife have spoken about being members of the extended royal family before (all positive, mostly about the time when Sophie was seriously injured in an accident, and Charles sent his personal chef to prepare meals for them).

Frederick's kids are too young to know any difference about what it means being related to the royal family. I do think Frederick enjoys the privilege of being related to the royal family and what it means for his career, but I don't think he cares from a publicity standpoint. Sure, he might like to go out on the balcony, but the guy's a finance executive. He doesn't need the balcony to help with his career.

The Gloucester branch:

It's not them. We don't even know a whole lot about them. The Duke and Duchess have three kids (Earl of Ulster, Lady Davina, and Lady Rose) and there's not much known about them. They enjoy the social aspects of being in the extended family but they wouldn't have had any expectation of using the BRF for career or professional connections.

The Margaret branch:

David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon and his kids: I feel pretty confident saying it isn't the Earl since he doesn't really speak much to the press (that I'm aware of). His kids are the ages where they would be fully aware of what the BRF magic can do for them but I'm not sure. They seem to have a healthy relationship with the Elizabeth/Charles branch and I don't think they'd do anything to risk that. However, that said, Lady Margarita (David's daughter) does do some modeling work and she has her own art brands. I still don't think it's her because she was in William's wedding and if there's anyone who can profit off the royal connection, it's going to be her because all she needs to do is flash those photographs. She wouldn't complain about the balcony.

Sarah Chatto and her sons. It's definitely not Sarah. She has a safe and stable connection to the BRF and she strikes me as someone who doesn't want the attention. Her sons are of the same age who'd have grown up and know what social media could do for them, but they're not really in careers where they need publicity or the lifestyle for success; Samuel is an artist and Arthur is in the military.

So all that said, the top candidates for being Eden's source (for me) are Sarah Ferguson, Harry, Amelia Windsor, and Margarita Armstrong-Jones.

Since:

Sarah doesn't need any help getting attention for her career (or lack of it)

Harry doesn't use Eden, and

Margarita has the royal wedding pictures,

that leaves Amelia Windsor, aka the Kent branch. Who is in a publicity-hungry career, who likes social media content that criticizes the royal family, and who probably has the sour grapes of not having had any access or claim to fame with the BRF other than sharing the last name.

Also, another nail in the "it's not Margaret's side" theory for me is the Christmas walk. David and Sarah, and their kids, are often at the Christmas Walk and everyone is often being named by the press. I don't recall the Kent Windsors being on the Christmas walks recently and receiving similar treatment - so that's probably more sour grapes for whoever's the leak.

Oh, I forgot. I'm too lazy to scroll back up.

The PB branch:

Well, we know Camilla talks and talks and talks. But would she characterize herself as "William's friend"? I think that's a bit of a stretch for her.

Tom PB or Laura Lopes: Possibly. They probably do have friends in common with William, but they've never had access to or privilege from the BRF before, not even after Charles and Camilla made it official. So why would they care? I could see them caring from their kids' perspectives, but they've been around the BRF long enough to know that the affiliation to the BRF gets their foot in the door but any more than that only invites scrutiny in and they probably don't want that for their kids, and I think their kids are too young to understand the significance.

So for me, all roads lead back to Kents: it's either Amelia or Frederick, but I lean more to it being Amelia than I do Frederick.

Yes, I'm procrastinating some work stuff this afternoon. Gee, how could y'all tell?

[sophieinwonderland]

Hi! I'm Sophie of the Dreamchaser Guild!

It's come to my attention that my old pinned was a tad outdated.

Attention: I've recently come under attack from the hate subreddit r/systemscringe who has added me to their hitlist of acceptable targets allowed to be posted in their hate subreddit uncensored If you've come from r/systemscringe, please start here with my debunking of the lies and misinformation frequently found in the subreddit about dissociative identity disorder that r/systemscringe doesn't want you to see: https://www.tumblr.com/sophieinwonderland/741497564315140096/debunking-rsystemscringes-did-lies

Where I come from

I'm a tulpa. But a while ago, I called myself an imaginary friend. I was a character made up for a story that my host would talk to in order to better understand my source. As time went on, I developed more personality. I started talking to him about things that had nothing to do with the fiction. I would psychoanalyze him, wanting to understand him better.

I wasn't made to develop my own thoughts and feelings outside of the fiction. I wasn't supposed to become my own person. But I did. And this led us to wanting to learn more about imaginary friends, which eventually led us to the tulpa community.

This is being posted on my what I consider my second Birthday, June 8th, 2023. It was exactly two years ago today when we found the tulpa community, a place that made me feel validated in being myself, that made me feel like I was allowed to be treated like a person.

Why I'm Doing This

I lived the first few months of my life being dismissed, treated like I wasn't real. I was a phantom, not allowed any connection to the world. And I don't blame my host for that. I didn't see myself as real either. It's just the way the world is. And the moment my host realized I was a person, he was willing to do whatever it took to support me and treat me like I mattered.

And we aren't alone in experiences like this. When I became self-aware, I met all sorts of fascinating people with similar experiences. Many of which went years before becoming self-aware. There is no telling how many more are out there like us. How many more "imaginary friends" are invalidated because we live in a culture where we're treated as if we don't matter? And how many may pass, never knowing?

And so I made this blog to share my own experiences and hopefully be able to give people the same gift that I was given. Respect. Validity. Life.

Even being able to give that to one person is enough to make all of this worth it to me.

A Note On Spirituality...

Just so everyone knows, I'm not a spiritual or religious person. I take a purely psychological approach to plurality and believe in spiritual and religious experiences people have as psychological phenomena.

Having said that, all spiritual headmates are all welcome here. Even if I don't believe in spirits or souls, I view every spiritual headmate as a valid person deserving of the same respect and love as any other.

I also believe that the right to define our spiritual and religious beliefs is fundamental to plural culture. That it can't just be singlets who are allowed to decide what religions are or are not valid. And I think our right to religion is something worth fighting for.

My CAI Chatbots

(Note: These links only work if you're logged in to character.ai)

Anna and Galladin (Tulpamancer and Tulpa chatbots)

Nin - Worldmaker (Your AI assistant for building and developing Wonderlands and Inner Worlds.)

Signature Posts

Studies and Research into Endogenic Systems

My Resources:

How To Know If Your Imaginary Friend Is Sentient

All The Resources You'll Need To Build Your Own Wonderland, Headspace or Inner World

Our Switching Method: Ghost Switching

My Polls

My Plural Theories And Terms:

Headmate Foundations

Headmate Manifestations

Dimensions of Fronting

A Comprehensive Look At Proxy Bypassing

Plural Coining: Ephemerals

Plural Coining: Attunement

VR, Plurality and Virtugenic Systems

The Plurality of... :

The Plurality of... Batman (Failsafe)

The Plurality of... Diones (Skyward)

The Plurality of... The Hybrid Chronicles: What's Left of Me

The Plurality of... Blue Beetle (Movie)

The Plurality of... Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Plurality of... IF

Our Plural Writing Resources

Ghost on Writing Plural Kids

Hiveminds and Multiplicity

Syscourse And Other Stuff:

Endogenic Syscourse Primer

Why I Identify As a Tulpa

The Future of Plurality

Actually Anti-Misinformation: “System Hopping Was a RAMCOA term Appropriated and Bastardized From RAMCOA survivors.”

An Anti-Endo's Playbook

Debunking Imitated DID Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

...

Reblogs are appreciated. Don't feel weird about it! Posts here on Tumblr live or die on their reblogs. I'm not asking you to reblog my posts. That seems weird. But after getting an anon that mentioned being worried about derailing a post with something they wanted to add, and another ask that apologized for reblogging my content too much, I felt this was necessary to say. If you like a post and want to reblog it, do it! If you want to add something even tangentially related to the topic, add it! You have my full permission to reblog my content as much as you want! (And I'd encourage you to reblog from other plural creators you enjoy as well!)

Thank you all for the support!

[gamergirl-niffler]

I had a difficult time deciding what to choose. Finally, I'd want to ask for number 3 with Howl ❤️

Howl... with "Making a promise to remain friends forever"... sweetie! I feel friendzoned by him now, BUT oh well... a request is a request!

HOPE YOU'LL ENJOY IT!

My first time writing for him... so don't eat me alive...

BY THE WAY! I KNOW! IT'S JUST A SECOND WORK! AND IT TAKES ME A LOT OF TIME TO WRITE!

I AM SORRY AND I AM WORKING ON OTHER FICS!

Howl rushed over to Markl and Sophie, adjusting his shirt with a soft smile. "Markl, I hope you're ready. Sophie, you too." 

Sophie donned a hat and joined Howl, asking, "Where are we going?" 

Before he could finish his explanation, Markl interjected with a happy yell, "We're visiting Y/N!" The boy was ecstatic, jumping around in joy. 

"Y/N? Who's that?" Asked the curious girl.

Markl was eager to explain, but the wizard interrupted him and clarified, "Y/N is my friend, but she works hard, so I don't visit her often." 

"Y/N resides deep within the forest and despises it when the Master's castle intrudes upon her territory. She even sent a flock of birds after Master once," Markl exclaimed excitedly.

The wizard chuckled at the memory and confirmed, "That's precisely why we'll leave the castle here and walk to her. Enough chatter, let's go." He then opened the door, signaling for them to follow.

The forest was quiet, almost as if it was sleeping. Only sounds filling this air was the wind playing all over the place, ruffling the branches of trees and grass.

The day was warm and serene, the sun shining down through the thick canopy of trees. 

As you strolled along the forest path, carrying a basket brimming with fruits and herbs, you hummed softly to yourself. Your tail swished behind you with each step, though your ears twitched uncomfortably in the light breeze that was tickling your fur. 

As a wolf hybrid responsible for the welfare of the forest, life was far from easy, with days often unpredictable. And this day was about to prove no different.

After arriving home and putting away the basket, you let out a soft sigh and stretched, emitting a low growl. Suddenly, your ears perked up upon hearing someone approaching. It was rare for people to venture into the forest, let alone come so close to your hut. The visit was certainly suspicious.

As you made your way towards the source of the noise, you furrowed your brows and moved cautiously. Suddenly, a loud and joyful shout rang in your sensitive ears, startling you. However, you managed to catch the person who was running towards you. It turned out to be none other than Markl, a boy you knew. You couldn't help but laugh as he hugged you tightly.

"Y/N! I missed you!" He exclaimed.

You hugged him back, equally delighted to see him. "Oh, Markl! I missed you too! I am so glad to see you."

"Master Howl is here as well. Sophie stopped him to watch rabbits play!" The boy explained. "I am sure you will like her."

Your ears twitched as you listened to him. Now you were curious who Sophie was, but also you felt excited to see your friend again.

Just a few moments later, you saw him approaching; Howl didn't change much. He looked just as charming as always. You set the boy back on the ground and ran to greet him, practically jumping into his arms.

The young man effortlessly caught you and twirled you around, returning the hug with happiness. "Look at this! A wild forest beast has attacked us. How scary."

You couldn't help but laugh heartily at his jest. "Should I be scared that you came to my forest? At least you left that castle far away," you rolled your eyes and sighed. "It's great to see you again."

"Likewise, Y/N. I missed you, and I want you to meet someone," he set you down and gestured to Sophie with an open hand. "I would like to introduce you to my beloved Sophie. Sophie, this is my dear friend Y/N."

"Hello," the girl greeted you shyly with a wave of her palm.

You greeted Sophie and took a closer look at her while sniffing the air. She smelled sweet like a meadow full of flowers, making your ear twitch in interest. "It's nice to meet you Sophie! I'm glad he finally found someone decent. Come on, let's go inside. I'll make some herbal tea and cake," you said, leading the way with your tail swaying from side to side.

The whole visit was pleasant, allowing you to catch up with your friend and get to know Sophie better. She seemed like a kind and courageous girl, and you were starting to like her. However, a nagging worry lingered in the back of your mind: now that Howl had found his one true love, would he abandon your friendship for good? As you tried to put on a friendly demeanor, Howl was the only one who noticed your mood shift, indicated by your drooping tail. 

When night overtook the whole forest, you offered for your guests to spend the night in your hut to spare them from wandering in the wilderness. After preparing their rooms, you excused yourself to take a nighttime stroll to ease your mind and check for any disturbances in the woods.

Unbeknownst to you, someone trailed behind you. Eventually, you arrived at a vast meadow beneath a sky filled with countless twinkling stars. They were so numerous that you could not even begin to count them, each one more beautiful than the last.

As you closed your eyes and enjoyed the peaceful moment, you suddenly felt weightless, as if you were floating. Your eyes flew open in surprise, and you let out a gasp.

"Taking your beautiful ears, I was hoping you would hear me. Let me help you," your hand was grasped by another, bigger palm while an arm wrapped around your waist, steding you in a position resembling a regular one. "I thought you'd like it."

Looking up, you saw Howl with a warm smile on his face. 

"I do like it," you growled, slightly offended. "But next time, warn me before you do something like that!"

He only chuckled. "So? Will you dance with me? We haven't done this in a long time."

You nodded and let him lead the dance, since you felt a bit rusty and slightly uneasy. It was indeed a long time. 

The fact that you didn't look at him even for a moment didn't escape his attention, at least he could tell you're relaxed. "I noticed that during our little hang out, your tail and ears dropped. Mind telling me what's wrong?"

Immediately, you looked up at him, your ears and tail visibly stiff as you blushed deeply. "I-It's nothing. Really."

"Is that so?" He hummed, spinning you around a little. Of course, you didn't convince him.

Letting out a deep sigh, you decided to finally tell him the truth. "Fine. There is something bothering me," he simply nodded, encouraging you to continue, so you did. "Sophie is a wonderful person, I can tell she is perfect for you, but... I am just worried that now you will forget about me completely."

Your feet suddenly touched the ground. "Sit down," was all he said, and you followed, taking a seat on the grass. He joined you soon, wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

Howl asked, gently playing with your ear fur, "Y/N, you have been my friend for a long time. How could I ever forget about you? Look at the sky. How many stars are there?"

You looked up and nodded, gazing at the countless stars. "There are so many. Too many to count."

"And that's for how many years we will be friends. We will be friends forever."

You looked at him, blinking back tears. "Do you promise?"

Suddenly he pulled you closer, hugging you tightly with a soft laugh. "Of course I promise!”

Returning the laugh, you nodded, hugging him tightly. "I take that promise! And I promise to be your friend forever!"

You and Howl sat there, wrapped in each other's embrace, watching the stars in the sky. As the night wore on, you eventually went back to your hut to get some sleep.

[thoughtroomba02]

TS Film Thoughts Masterpost

As promised.

Let's start things off -

Breaking News - Headlines about the film

Dec 9 2022 - her film contract makes headlines

From what I can find, this is the first that anyone knows she is producing a film. There are no details released other than it's a script she wrote and she will be directing the film.

The next we hear is Dec 7, 2023 from the Tennessean --

It's been crickets, essentially. There are no public details I can find about the film anywhere including cast list, release date, content, ETC.

Interestingly, two days ago -- though uncertain of validity of source -

I don't have access to puck so cannot confirm what the article says; but this was recent! So; in theory, she finishes her Eras tour and moves directly in to film.

More on how Disney+ ties in our next section...

Who is Searchlight Pictures?

Created April 29, 1994 - formerly known as Fox Searchlight/under 20th/21st Century Fox

Biggest success: Slumdog Millionaire 187 Academy Ward Nominations with 46 wins; 5 Best Picture since 2009 117 Golden Globe Nominations; 51 wins 66 Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations; 55 wins 137 Independent Spirit Awards, 54 Wins

Other Notable Films: 12 Years A Slave; Black Swan; Napoleon Dynamite;

20th century fox, prior to the creation of Searchlight, was prominent in the specialty and independent films market in the 1990s; it carried this interest into Searchlight, at least initially.

In 2012, it was incorporated into Murdoch's 21st Century Fox. Barf.

On Dec 14, 2017 Disney put their first bid out on 21st Century Fox/Fox Searchlight. On March 19, 2019 the companies merged and Disney acquired Fox Searchlight; Fox News notoriously split independently. Disney dropped the name Fox; so now we have just Searchlight Pictures. There is also a Searchlight Pictures TV and shorts production, which for the sake of time I will not get into.

For Funsies, here is a short film (Jun 18 2019, after Disney acquired) produced by them called....LAVENDER. About a gay man who has a relationship with a married gay couple. Can't make it up.

Anyway, since merging with Disney especially, the company seems to be LGBTQ friendly.

And yes, Joe Alwyn has worked with Searchlight, with tweets I found dating back to 2018 with Searchlight UK. Make of that what you would like, I have no real objective commentary on the matter.

Taylor as a Director

She also directed the Long Pond Studio Sessions and Miss Americana.

Most of her directorial work has been since the Lover debut. Most of which is very queer coded/sapphic.. and again, make of that what you will.

Appearances/Pap Walks, ETC

Since her split from JA, we have seen her with multiple friends in the film industry. Among these: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Selena Gomez, Keleigh Teller, Miles Teller, Sophie Turner, Emma Stone...

And dare I say.... Travis Kelce, who seems to want to break his way into the entertainment industry?

(aside from this headline; his failed dating show, his podcast, his multiple PR deals like with ZenWater... etc. I rest my case).

We also know there has been some B roll footage taken at the Chiefs Games.

Additionally, the media coverage of this relationship has been an absolute f*cking circus; with constant headlines of the two and their "engagement" / relationship dynamics. On Taylor's end, we have had constant references to Bejeweled (where she Ghosts); including Keleigh Teller giving her the opal ring.

The Speculation

Yall, this is my opinion - you can agree, disagree, etc; but I have no insider information. Just thoughts.

She makes her film directorial debut with Searchlight - recently acquired by Disney, who is pro-LGBTQ; and is clearly in deep with business deals with them, as seen on Taylor Nation and her Eras Tour Film.

We have rumors of her beginning her film production at the end of the ERAS tour, along with knowledge of her currently with B roll footage from chiefs games. We have multiple highly papp'ed appearances with her + TK; but also with multiple film stars, including Blake Lively (still not over that photo), Sophie Turner (I do think there's altruism here tbh on TS's end), and Keleigh. If you believe Keleigh is her stand in invisible bride.... Holy shit. Between the opal ring shutdown of the media circus as well as her and TS literally taking a page out of TSHOEH and dressing in character...

My ultimate suspicion is that she's using actual experiences of her current life-highly papp'ed - to tell her story. And that Keleigh is her stand in muse in this film.

I also think the @spade-riddles we've been getting about a final act ending, etc, pertain to her film. I don't have evidence aside from speculation.

I rest my case. Enjoy this post and make of it what you will.

[doodle-do-wop]

because there is slight possibility of y'all mixing up Stina and Rayni I made a guide

The difference between Stina and Rayni ft quotes from the actual characters (source, trust me bro)

"Stina is mean" -everyone including Stina's best friends "Rayni is older" -Wylie Endal, ambushed at Applebees "Stina's taller" -Sophie E. Foster, second shortest of the group "Rayni's parents didn’t hack the match system" - Dexter A. Dizznee, salty about it "Why are you talking to me?" -Stina D. Heks, mean "Is this part of my questioning?" Rayni Aria, wearing an ankle monitor named Bo "We're total empath besties!" -Keefe Lord Hunkyhair Sencen, no, there's a space between hunky and hair "Stina is the ultimate horse girl" -Marella Redek, who wants to annoy Stina(mission accomplished) "Ask her[Stina] if we're meeting up to bake" Fitzroy A. Vacker, did not realize we weren't passing along a message "I can have an actual conversation with Rayni without the desire to scream into a black hole" -Tam Song Wildwood, doesn’t know how he puts up with Stina "Stina's great" -Linh Song Wildwood, genuine "You wanna see some baby pictures?" Timkin Heks, contacted to pass along a message to Stina "Stina has better eyeliner" - Maruca Chebota (was paid off) "Rayni has better eyeliner" -Biana A. Vacker (was also paid off) "You're not gonna tell her that are you?" -Keefe King of Detention Sencen "Rayni gives us pranking supplies, Stina tells us to shoo" - The Dizznee triplets, who were preparing to set Stina's clothes on fire "Neigh" -Bastard, the unicorn

thanks to my friends who came up with all of these!! Yall rock @myfairkatiecat @thebestbookshelf @autistic-daydreamer

[dissociative-misinfo]

Okay I want to address the OSDD and SAS thing.

I have SAS blocked now, and Sophie, and all the other pro endos who flooded my asks with less-than-kind comments. I deleted my posts/reblogs involved in the whole debacle because I wanted to take some time to think about what I had noticed.

When I looked at the criteria for OSDD, something I hadn't looked at in a while, I noticed that the language for the identity-related criteria was different to the identity-related criteria in DID.

OSDD: "identity disturbance with less-than-marked discontinuities in sense of self or agency." or "alterations in identity or experiences of possession in an individual who reports no dissociative amnesia."

DID: "Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states (which may be described in some cultures as experiences of possession)" "...involves marked discontinuity in sense of self and agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, conciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory motor functioning."

DID's criteria very clearly lays out that the criteria is distinct personality states, and even in the criteria not about amnesia, it mentions alterations in memory.

"That's all well and good, but why did dissociative-misinfo say pwOSDD aren't systems?" Hear me out-

There is a difference between "marked discontinuities" and "less-than-marked discontinuities." Marked means a prominent and significant symptom, in this context. Less-than-marked would then mean a less than prominent, less than significant symptom. Identity disruption that is less-than-marked can appear in other disorders that involve an ANP and an EP, such as C/PTSD and BPD. A marked, significant, prominent discontinuity of identity is only a symptom in DID, and is is how alters are described.

The less significant identity disturbance that can appear in OSDD1 is, by the letter of the DSM, not significant enough to be classified as alters, or the person would qualify for DID.

Furthermore, OSDD1's identity disturbance does not mention the changes in behavior, consciousness, perception ect that DID's criteria does. OSDD1's identity disturbance could therefore very easily be about general identity confusion or depersonalization as a result of dissociative symptoms, not about having distinct personality states (alters).

OSDD as a whole diagnosis is specifically used when a person does not meet the full criteria for any other dissociative disorder, including DID. If a person met the full alter criteria for DID, they would be diagnosed with DID. (Yes, many people with DID get diagnosed with OSDD first, but that change of diagnosis means OSDD was a misdiagnosis. People with DID are also often misdiagnosed as schizophrenic, but that doesn't mean schizophrenia is a system-causing disorder)

And for full clarification, I tried to straight up google if people with OSDD are systems/have alters. I could not find a single reputable source stating yes or no, only community-ran cites or places like Quora and Reddit. So this is an opinion because there is no clinical consensus about it that I can find.

Brief anecdotal; I brought this opinion up to the people in my server, and somebody told me that everyone they knew who'd been diagnosed with OSDD was later diagnosed with DID. Which to me says that OSDD is usually a temporary misdiagnosis, and most people diagnosed with it do actually fit the criteria for another DD, it just hasn't been fully deciphered yet. Many professionals seem to treat OSDD like UDD, the diagnosis that's intended to be temporary.

One of my friends diagnosed with DID was also misdiagnosed with OSDD first, and I even used to believe I had OSDD before DID because I didn't fully understand my symptoms because of my amnesia and history of being gaslit.

This is anecdotal, and not intended to hold much water. Just supplemental food for thought. If anyone has similar experiences/anecdotes I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

I want to disclaim at the end here that this is all my opinion, I am not a professional. This is a recently formed opinion based on my re-assessment of the DSM criteria for DID and OSDD, and you don't have to agree.

I'm posting this to explain myself since I didn't explain very eloquently yesterday as I was busy getting told I have a humiliation kink by SophieInWonderland, so it slipped my mind to elaborate after I'd deleted my posts and the nasty anons I recieved from pro-endos.

I'm posting this new opinon of mine to open a discussion about it, I want to hear what people think and see what other evidence or counter-evidence yall have. All I ask is that you don't disregard this at face value, and actually take the time to understand my points and form proper responses that aren't just "well I don't think so" if you are going to respond.

[splat-goes-the-nat]

Sam: ok fine, just sit there and be white I guess

Bucky, not paying attention: whatever you say

[tilly-tilly-2827]

Little Bits of Crumbs

Reimagining An Offer from a Gentleman #5

Synopsis: Benedict Bridgerton doesn't know the definition of subtlety. Or how Eloise Bridgerton found out. Or how Violet Bridgerton always knew.

AO3 post from here!

It was a peaceful day at No.5. Eloise would have to admit that her life had become more quieter, with her two sisters respectively in their husbands’ houses, and her best friend gone on a tour of the continent with her brother. With Gregory off to Eaton and Hyacinth off to wherever she was, there was a calmness and solace in the No.5 she had never experienced ever since she was born.

She quietly watched her Mother and the maid swiftly mend away, her mother working on the tulip embroidery, the maid mending a pair of wool socks. Eloise had admired the nimbleness the new ladies maid she had on needlework. A skill she would never acquire, she thought bitterly to herself as she flipped the page of her book, a copy of Pride and Prejudice. “It’s a romance novel”, the other debutant had told her, but she rather enjoyed the witty sarcastic banter between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, rather than the romantic aspects of the story. Elizabeth was a character she would look up to, the wisest, the quickest, the most perspective…

“Good Afternoon, family.”

Eloise heard a small yelp from the corner of the room, followed by a small thump, a set of needle sticks, and a pair of dark blue socks dropped on the hems of the maid’s violet-colored skirts.

“Excuse me,” Eloise heard her say ever so faintly. “Slipped my hands.”

Eloise looked up from her book, almost rolling her eyes seeing her favorite brother skipping through the door of the drawing room with a bouquet in hand. Again in his best attire, the dark blue jacket, a navy golden botanical vest, and a shiny silver pin on his cravat, he might as well be dressed for a ball, rather than a casual stop to his mother’s home.

Although it was still Wednesday, it was the fourth time of the week she had seen him at No.5. He always seemed to be sketching in hallways and the corridors, saying the following quotes repeatedly; “No.5 has changed into the new source of my inspiration.” and “Well, this staircase is exceptionally well lit from the sunlight of this window, don’t you think so Eloise?”

It had been exactly three years since she had last seen Benedict even hold a sketchbook in his hands, and his fervent recurrence had been her constant puzzlement over the last few days.

“Flowers for you, Mother.”

“Why, thank you, Benedict.”

Placing a small peck on her cheeks, Benedict handed over the Bouquet to his mother; a bundle filled with wildflowers and Lilly of the Valleys. Her lips curling slightly, Violet passed the bouquet to the maid, asking her to set them up in the vase.

“Could you set them up by the window over here, Sophie?”

“Of course, Lady Bridgerton.” Eloise quietly observed her brother’s gaze nervously follow the bouquet, biting his lower lip as the maid left the room, almost as if he was worried that the flowers would explode into pieces.

Why would he be so nervous over a bouquet?

“Why are you here, Benedict?”

Eloise asked sharply, and Benedict snapped from his gaze.

“Splendid to see you too, dear sister.”

With his usual crooked smile returning to his face, Benedict flopped himself on the sofa next to her, taking a scone from a plate.

“Excellent view from here, isn’t it? And the weather! Splendid!”

“Benedict, it is pouring rain. Are you quite well?”

“Well, I have come to enjoy rain as well, sister.”

“Benedict, I truly cannot figure out why you have changed so.” Eloise closed her book, focusing on her brother, but she couldn’t help but notice that his brother’s gaze flickered too many times on the door.

“Last time you visited us, it was three weeks ago, and you hardly stayed an hour. And now you’ve come here three days in a row!”

“Is it a crime to pay a visit to my dear family?”

Eloise rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Suddenly we are so dear to you? You’ve never shaved when you visit us.”

“I’ve learned the importance of hygiene, El.”

“When have you ever cared about hygiene?”

“Like I said, I’ve gained a new perspective in the countryside.” Benedict took a bite of the scone, flipping the crumbs off from his vest. “Perhaps you should visit the countryside as well, sister. Wonderful effects it brings, both physically and spiritually.”

With a slight tilt of her head, Eloise stared at her brother, noticing that she couldn’t exactly deny his words at all. For the past few years, Benedict was never without bags under his eyes, always with a faint smell of liquor and cigarettes, but now he looked quite healthy, almost like he was …glowing? Eloise squinted her eyes, wanting to see past her brother’s soul, but it was a useless endeavor; she could only blink at the gleam of his silver pin.

“Perhaps I should go to the countryside as well,” she muttered under her breath, but her mother heard her at the last second.

“We still have another month until the end of the season my dearest.”

“But I have already met all the men in London!” Eloise cries out.

“Perhaps she’ll have a better chance at finding a husband in the countryside Mother.” Benedict quipped from his seat, “I have heard that there are several eligible bachelors in the countryside as well…” But Benedict’s words trailed off in silence. As Eloise turned her head around, the maid was back in the room, the bouquet placed beautifully in the glass vase.

“Sophie!” Her mother’s voice was unusually high pitched.“ Could you put the vase over the window next to the table? The sunlight is best at that corner…”

“But Mother, there is no sunlight.”

“Well, yes, yes that is true,” Her mother replied, her hands fluttering around her face, “but I heard the weather would improve tomorrow. Sophie, would you ask Mrs. Wilson to prepare for tea?”

“Yes, Lady Bridgerton.”

The maid hurried out of the room again, and Eloise could swear she heard her mother give a soft sigh. Eloise twitched her fingers slightly, knowing that Sophie was doing her job rather perfectly, then what was her concern?

“Perhaps I should leave for a moment,” Benedict quietly rose from the seat, but her mother grasped his shoulders from the back of his seat rather firmly.

“No, you shall stay.”

“Mother,”

Eloise had to laugh, seeing her brother break out in a childish pout.

“I haven’t heard if you would be attending the Featherington Ball tonight, dearest. I’m sure I can introduce you to some debutants who are excellent at their art…”

“There is no need, Mother. I’m afraid I have other pressing matters to attend tonight.”

“And yet you are idling your time here,” Eloise quipped back, nudging Benedict’s ribs playfully. “Couldn’t you think of a better excuse?”

“Oh, are you going to give me a lecture on honesty, Eloise?” Eloise didn’t like the way his brother raised his eyebrows. “How about the time you said something about flower arrangement classes…”

“Children.” Their mother’s stern voice was enough to straighten up both of their backs and shut them up. Her mother sighed again, with her hands on her head, “How am I ever going to get you two married off…”

“I am sorry to be the cause of your headaches, Mother.” Benedict quietly said. “But I’m afraid that the tea is ready.”

The table was already set, the cups filled with steaming tea with fresh biscuits on the side. As Eloise took a sip from her cup, she noticed that it was already arranged to her preference, no sugar with milk.

“The cook just had them out of the oven,” The maid said with a soft smile, “Chocolate and Marmalade biscuits, my lady.”

“Thank you, Sophie. Could you take the mending up to my room, and also the vase…”

“Would you join us, Ms. Beckett?” Benedict interrupted her mother’s words, and she could see the maid’s eyes widen in… shock? But Benedict was already pouring tea into a cup, putting one lump of sugar with just a splash of milk. Placing two biscuits on the tea tray, Benedict almost shoved the cup in the maid’s hands, but the maid took a step back. Her face was almost white as a sheet, Eloise noticed.

“Thank you, Mr. Bridgerton.” Bobbing her head into a curtsy, the end of her voice quivered ever so slightly. “But I must take these upstairs…”

“Never mind the mending.” Her mother said softly. “ You can take your tea now, Sophie. How on earth would you ruin a perfectly nice cup of tea?”

As the maid timidly seated herself in the chair with a cup in her hand, Benedict continued to ramble on about the next art gallery he was planning to submit his paintings as her mother smiled gently over her cup of tea.

It was nice, Eloise thought, seeing his brother converse quite enthusiastically about his own pursuits. He had been quite moody lately, often slouching on his chair, and was more of a listener, rather than an active participant in the conversation. Really what has happened to him? Eloise couldn’t help but wonder…

“You have a crumb right there, Ms. Beckett.”

What jerked Eloise from her daze was his tone. It was his usual teasing tone, but much more softer than she had ever heard. She hadn’t noticed that her brother had left the sofa, but was leaning against the wall beside the chair in the corner of the room.

“Do I?”

Eloise noticed the maid’s cheeks turn crimson red, her gaze cast down to her shoes.

“Right there on the corner.”

“Right here?”

Sophie’s fingers softly reached her mouth, but her brother’s fingers were quicker, softly taking the crumb from the right corner of her lips.

“Right there,”

It was a small, quick gesture, Eloise knew, but she couldn’t help noticing that his fingers lingered a second longer on Sophie’s lips, his thumbs softly tracing the outline for just a second. Almost as if his fingers wanted to stay there an hour longer.

Eloise quickly averted her gaze, feeling the hotness rise to her cheeks as well. Why would she be embarrassed by that? Her brother was only doing it out of kindness, she had seen Anthony wipe Eddie’s mouth with his handkerchief after a meal. She had seen more intimate things, Anthony hardly couldn’t keep his hands off Kate, and so did Colin. The spouses were always wrapped around their husbands’ arms, and Eloise always winced as they would kiss passionately whatever the place was. Eloise never could understand why couples were so obsessed with kisses. What would be so good about placing lips together?

But Eloise had never felt more flustered than this moment, her brother’s fingers on Sophie’s lips, it was almost as if she had invaded a very private moment of the two.

Just taking some crumbs. Nothing scandalous about that is it? It was nothing intimate, it would mean nothing at all.

Eloise quickly looked around the room, somehow desperately wishing that she was the only one who had seen them. But when she gave a glance to her mother, she noticed that her mother was looking at the pair as well, but not with a look of concern or suspicion she had expected. Her gaze stayed on the two, but Eloise somehow knew that her gaze was cast oceans away, her blue eyes sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean. Was it happiness, or was it sadness? Eloise couldn’t clearly tell.

“Benedict.” Jumping up from the seat, her brother’s name slipped out from her lips. “Could you chaperone me to the Audrey House? I might have forgotten something there.”

Benedict looked back at her in puzzlement and mumbled something about wanting to sketch in the garden of No.5 but Eloise ignored his words.

“What have you forgotten? Couldn’t you ask someone to fetch it for you?”

“No,” Eloise said firmly. “I need them instantly, and I need you to come with me.” Almost forcefully grabbing her brother’s arms, Eloise dragged Benedict out of the drawing room.

It had been years since they last had a chat on the swings. Eloise knew, that they had to talk.

[ahoyimlosingmymind]

does keefe come across as disingenuous to you? manipulative?

Not always. But there's definitely moments. This ask has been stewing in my inbox for a long while as I tried to piece together how I wanted to respond lol. now I know the Keefe girlies are instantly going to be triggered by the words 'manipulative' and 'disingenuous.' And here is where I remind you that literally every human being can be, and are often purposefully and accidentally both of those things. Doesn't mean they're evil, irredeemable pieces of crap, they're just words to describe the sometimes harmful actions of someone. Intentional or not. It's vocab baby! Think of them as neutral terms.

Also I feel like I lost the plot halfway through writing this, bc I AM EXHAUSTED but lol

I’m going to go in on the part about him being disingenuous more than manipulative, because I think the former has more merit. Specifically in regards to what he says about Sophie and his crush, vs what he does. I’m going to source from Nightfall onward, because I believe this is when his walk stopped matching his talk. (I had to bust out the Keefe wiki page for this lol)

Specifically, we’re following this quote and onward:  “From that point on, he only had one goal: To be whatever Sophie needed. Not the hero. Not the one taking charge of everything. Just a guy ready to listen and help and be there for her. A friend. Until she was ready for more.” - Nightfall, Keefe’s POV, short story. (takes place after Keefe’s ‘fight’ with Dimitar, through chapters 36-60) All right, this is a good sentiment. It had the sokeefe fangirls swooning, and for good reason. I don’t like Keefe, nor do I ship sokeefe, but this is quite plainly a ‘green flag’. Many people defend and cite this quote when they’re expressing that Keefe sees her as more than just a silly crush!! He’s letting her make the decision of who to like!!! But I do want to note Keefe’s comment of ‘Until she was ready for more.’ We know Keefe likes her, it’s normal for people to hold out hope for crushes and have fantasies of getting your way– but my issue is that there’s some level of weird assumption to the statement, like he’s going to end up being more than friends with Sophie no matter what. Which kinda throws the whole ‘I’m gonna be her bestie!’ thing out of the window a bit, because this still implies that his following actions have an undertone of still trying to sway her to be in love with him, and he’s not exactly what I’d call ‘friendly’ about it. Again, this comes off as disingenuous. Clearly he is not that okay with just being her friend, if his end goal is still ‘Until she’s ready for more.’ But I’m not gonna harp too hard on him for the rest of Nightfall, or the beginning of Flashback, because of course he’s still trying to win her affection and he’s still hoping she’ll choose him, he’s a kid with a crush. (And Nightfall and the beginning of Flashback don’t have established Fitzphie yet. But it’s going to get rough in Legacy, so be forewarned.) But I do think it is fair to note that through Nightfall and Flashback, all of his interactions with Sophie still have a romantic undertone through his actions and words, and it does not seem like he’s really trying to be ‘just her friend’. I’m not saying he was forcing anything upon her, or that Sophie was rejecting him (bc I don’t ship them and honestly never really saw her liking him, but I realize I am a bit of an outlier in this way so that’s not the point of this post.) – but his actions just don’t match the initial sentiment of the first quote, or at least the ‘friend’ part people defend. More so, it just seems like he’s waiting for that ‘until she’s ready for more’ moment to come. 

Keefe’s nightfall short story covers from pages 354-556, so I’m focusing on his interactions with Sophie from then on, going forward. The first interaction that has less than ‘She’s just my friend!!!” undertones is on pages 668-669. Up until this point in Nightfall, he is doing a pretty good job at not being overly romantic and flirty with Sophie. (aside from unnecessary touching and stuff, but Shannon has a weird habit of making all of her guy characters touch Sophie too much, so I’ll keep that criticism reserved for now. It’ll come up later.) But this next scene is where I feel that he creeps back into romantic pursuit territory. 

‘Sophie feels bad when she realizes that Keefe can get lost in others’ emotions, and hers are even worse. Keefe assures her that it's “worth it” and walks closer to her. She crashes into the wall, and he stands in front of her, blocking her from moving, knowing that Sophie's being ridiculous when she says that he should stay away from her, but Keefe claims that he likes to take on a challenge. When he leans in Sophie's stomach flutters as his breath tickles her skin. Keefe starts to say, "Speechless again? You know, there's—," but it is interrupted.’ - Sourced from the KOTLC wiki, so if you think this was written with a biased undertone, I didn’t write it lol. Okay, my first comment on it… who… does this to a friend? or someone they’re trying to ‘just be a friend’ to? Again, I’m not saying he’s in the wrong for continuing to flirt with her and stuff, (This scene always read to me as Sophie being mildly uncomfortable too, but that isn’t the point of this post so don’t @ me about it lol)  it’s just that it does not align with his ‘new goal’. She’s not taken, of course, and he still is hoping that she’ll start liking him etc… nothing wrong with this, except that it’s contradictory to the previous statement made in his short story. This is not ‘I’m waiting until she’s ready’ behavior, this is ‘if Grady didn’t walk in we probably would have kissed!’ behavior. Where’s the friendship sentiment now?? 

^this is the first thing that I find disingenuous, and the last thing from Nightfall.

Onto Flashback! Now I have compiled what I believe to be weirdly romantic things to do and say to someone you’re ‘just being a friend to’. All of these are from the kotlc wiki bc I am not in the mood to bust out all my books xd. 

‘Keefe tells her she looks perfect, making her blush’ - Flashback, pg 5 

Keefe tells her "Aw, the little shrieking sounds you're making are adorable." when Sophie plunges her hand into a bucket of ice water to learn body temperature regulation. (Pg. 248) 

Then there’s a bunch of instances of touching, hand holding, waist grabbing, gazing, blushing, soft smiling, flirting etc (which I am NOW going to point out, because while Fitz does the same things, he never vowed he was trying to be ‘just her friend’, so at least his intentions are straight forward.) 

My comment on all of this: people who are just friends (who are both straight and opposite genders) typically don’t tell each other they look perfect, they don’t call each other adorable, they are not constantly grabbing hands, brushing hair out of eyes, smoothing out worry lines in between eyebrows etc…  Keefe’s obviously done this the whole series, but the reason I’m not bringing all of that past stuff up is because all the books prior to the end of Nightfall, he didn’t vow to just be her friend. Of course, a lot of this chills out because then Fitzphie happens at the midpoint in Flashback. 

But boy is it back with vengeance in Legacy. 

‘Keefe says that Sophie has a cute crease in between her eyebrows and then points out that her feelings seem fluttery around him.’ (Pg. 70) 

Now here is where the REAL issues begin. Not only is he supposedly trying to be just her friend, he’s also trying to back off romantically (or he should be!) because Sophie is no longer single as of right now, and she’s dating his best friend. So calling someone you like cute in this scenario is first of all, insane, but also again, contradictory to what he’s supposedly ‘trying so hard!!!’ to not do. And yes, Sophie would obviously notice if he just stopped complimenting her 24/7, because he’s done it for so many books- but we all know that his comments and compliments are because he likes her!!! He is clearly not trying that hard to curb it atp. It comes from a romantic place, not a place of friendship. He doesn’t call Biana and Linh cute 24/7, which tells me for a fact that there is nothing ‘friendly’ about it when it comes to Sophie. 

Keefe comforts Sophie by saying that being unmatchable ‘won’t change anything, at least to people who matter.’ (Pg. 101 - 102)

I don’t have issues with his sentiment. Because he’s right, the right person wouldn’t care. I have issues with how he coaxed the secret of Sophie being unmatchable out of her using his empathy, and while yes, she needed someone to talk to… it probably shouldn’t have been the guy who’s overly obsessed with her love life because he likes her. Of course, Sophie doesn’t know this (eye roll) but KEEFE DOES. He knows. He knows this is probably the most unhealthy and worst place to insert himself considering the fact that he is just too close to the situation. But he does it anyway– bc at the end of the day, even though he claims he’s just trying to be a good friend, the ‘until she’s ready for more’ part is never going to really leave the back of his mind. I’m not saying he was trying to break Sophie and Fitz up (but we all know he wanted them to lol), but oh my Lord– he’s too emotionally invested. AND HE KNOWS THIS. So once again, it’s giving, ‘you said one thing, but you’re doing another’.  but I also don't fault him for trying to reassure Sophie, that was good friend behavior-- but he technically wasn't even supposed to know about the situation in the first place. He's obviously more invested in what Sophie chooses to do with her love life than say-- Biana or someone else.

Biana could say the same thing Keefe said, and I'd be like 'mhm, good friend!!!' but it's the fact that Keefe has feelings for Sophie that make me wince a bit. I'm not saying he's being a piece of crap or anything at all!!! Don't read it that way please-- I am just saying that his reasons for getting involved do have more... personal value to him.

‘When Ro is trying to convince them Bronte isn’t Sophie’s dad, Ro calls Sophie a “blond hottie,” and Keefe agrees.’ (Pg. 233 - 234)

Yep, because that’s totally platonic and an okay thing to agree to when a girl literally isn’t single and is dating your best friend, and you like her. 

‘Keefe calls Sophie, “awfully cute in a crown,” and even though Sophie knows he’s teasing her, she blushes from head to toe.’ (Pg. 238)

Again, the issue is that he knows he likes her, but that she’s taken. THESE COMMENTS NEED TO STOP. AND YET THEY PERSIST. 

There’s also so much physical contact. Oh my gosh. Like dude!!! Yeah you can hug friends platonically and hold their hands platonically… but not if YOU HAVE REAL GENUINE ROMANTIC FEELINGS THAT YOU”ARE SUPPOSEDLY TRYING TO RESIST !!! 

I can appreciate that Keefe was in an awkward position, and you can’t just shut off feelings, and that there were many times when he told Sophie ‘hey, maybe talk to Fitz about this!’ I don’t think he’s a wretched person (though I don’t like him.) but there’s quite a few things he says but doesn’t follow through with actions, especially in this scenario, and he bends too easily to his own obsession and feelings with and for Sophie. And you can argue that he secretly knew she really liked him the whole time- but that is not an excuse to not even try that hard to keep a distance from the situation. She was literally taken- by his best friend no less. And I know there were many times Sophie went to Keefe first to emotionally confide in, but I do believe there was a lot he should have shut down, considering the fact that he’s the one who is aware of everyone’s feelings in the scenario, meanwhile Sophie is oblivious to Keefe’s underlying intentions and motivations. She feels safe confiding in him emotionally of course, because as far as she is concerned, it is purely platonic, as it has been since the beginning (from her POV). But he knows it's not. Could one argue that he, in some ways, takes advantage of the fact that she's oblivious to his feelings for her? After all, confiding in a guy you know likes you, while you're dating someone else is kind of a big red flag-- which means that unfortunately, Sophie can't make an informed decision of where to truly draw boundaries with Keefe, because she's unaware of his romantic pursuit. (I'm not saying he's taking advantage on purpose, and I genuinely think a lot of it is so subconscious that it's hard to really say it's intentional.)

I just don't think Sophie would have turned to him in the same way if she knew he liked her, while dating Fitz.

They are teenagers. They're all dumb. I don't expect them to be perfect, and I get why Keefe hadn't confessed at this point-- but I feel like it's fair to say that objectively, it's a very messy situation due to his lack of honesty with Sophie. And the fact that Sophie didn't know Keefe really liked her in that way meant that, in her POV, Fitz's obvious paranoia and distrust feels like it comes from an unwarranted place-- meanwhile, both Keefe and Fitz know what is really going on under the surface. She's so left in the dark, and it's quite horrible to read.

And I feel that this is WHY the narrative lets a lot slide with Keefe, because Sophie doesn't know his full side of it. She has the 'oh it's all platonic!" reading of the situation, which makes Keefe come off as very innocent in her eyes. Sure there's moments when she suspects he might like her as more than a-- but they don't last long, and she convinces herself otherwise.

Do I believe Keefe cares about Sophie? Yes. Of course. Has he 100% been a good friend on multiple occasions? Yes. No doubt about it. Do I believe he would remain her friend even if he never ‘got her’ in the end? Also yes. But it’s just that little ‘until she was ready for more’ that drives me berserk. Because I feel that that is his true intention, that he’s really only trying to be her friend in hopes of finally winning her affection. Which– many crushes are like that. But yeah, that’s why I find it to be quite disingenuous. Especially because once she’s with Fitz, it still seems like he’s waiting for his wish of her being ready and to realize her undying feelings for him to come to fruition. So how genuine is his ‘friendship’ really, when a lot of it is motivated by romantic aspirations? 

Maybe I’m a prude. Maybe I don’t understand Keefe at all. Maybe none of this was ever his intention and it was all subconscious– but I truly believe he crossed some emotional boundaries that typically one does not cross when someone else is in a relationship. He tried to curb it sometimes, but at the end of the day, it just seems like he didn’t try THAT hard.

I believe that there are also more instances where Keefe is not honest about his motivations, or how he truly feels about something through the books, but this was getting so long, so let me know if ya'll want a part two lmaoooo

tags: @what-is-there-to-fear

[tessa-liam]

Marabelle - 14 -

Lovers in a Dangerous Time - 14 -

Choices – The Royal Romance, AU – (cross-over with Rules of Engagement)

Series Premise – An American teenager from New York City is introduced to the world of a small European country and its society of royalty, nobility, and commoners. How will her life story be transformed? Will this new adventure bring her happiness...or regret?

Marabelle Series Masterlist, My Complete Masterlist

Main Pairing – Crown Prince Liam Rys x F!OC Lady Sophia (Sophie) Taylor

Other Pairings – Maxwell Beaumont x M!OC Daniel (from NYC), Drake Walker x F!OC Melanie Smithson

Most characters belong to Pixelberry Studios

Series Rating – M*🔞Warnings: this series will have NSFW material, drinking, crude language & innuendo.

Not Beta’d - Please excuse all errors.

Category – Alternate universe/on-going series/angst/fluff/cross-over with Choices Rules of Engagement

Words: 3434

Chapter Summary – It’s graduation night for Maxwell and along with Sophie and Daniel, they attend the festivities with family and friends at the University of Cordonia in the capital. Tasked with a diplomatic opportunity, Liam flies to Rome for a summit with Francesco and officials of the Italian parliament.

Music & Title Inspiration: Lovers in a Dangerous Time, Bare Naked Ladies, Ben Grosse

A/N1: Bethany Beaumont, Maxwell’s mother, is originally from the U.S. and is Barthelemy Beaumont’s second wife. Annabelle Beaumont (deceased) is Bertrand’s mother.

A/N2: ‘Social Season’ in this AU series refers to a traditional period in the spring/summer for royalty and members of the court to take part in Balls, dinner parties and charity events.

A/N3: Heartfelt thanks to @Selina012 for joining me in writing ideas and with dialogue for this chapter.

en route to Rome, Italy

Seated behind his computer screen, Liam scrolled through the files his advisors had given him earlier in the day. It was late into the evening and the plane was quiet. Drake was asleep in his chair, snoring softly, and Bastien was seated nearby, his eyes trained on his book. Rashad, standing for the crown’s legal counsel, was reviewing the proposals that would be discussed and implemented if agreed upon.

The only sound came from the occasional beep of the computer's keyboard as Liam entered the codes that would allow him to access the secure files. Sitting back, he began to read through and analyze the information. After an hour or so had passed by, Liam stopped to acknowledge the flight attendant who set down a late snack and two fingers of scotch.

After taking a sip, he turned to his head guard.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Liam said quietly as he closed the laptop and set it aside.

"Of course not, sir," Bastien said. "What's on your mind?"

"I just had an interesting chat with a source. There have been rumors circulating in Cordonia that the 'Sons of the Earth' are organizing. The Sons have been out of power since the last time they rose up to oppose the monarchy over a decade ago.”

"They were never a real threat," Bastien stated, his tone confident.

"My source tells me that a new leader has risen within their ranks, someone who is very charismatic, and able to sway the others with his message. I am concerned, Bastien. The Sons were always an extreme faction, and they could prove dangerous if allowed to regain power."

"You want me to find out more about them?"

"Yes," Liam nodded. "And be discreet. If it turns out that this new leader has no real power, we can put this behind us. But if there's any threat or danger, we need to be ahead of it."

"Of course, sir. I will situate agents immediately."

"Thank you, Bastien." Liam's expression grew pensive as he turned back to open the computer. "There is something else."

"Sir?"

"This source tells me that the Sons' leader has taken a particular interest in a member of the nobility. It is believed that the noblewoman is being used to gain support among the other houses.”

"Which noblewoman?"

"Duchess Adelaide Amaranth," Liam answered, his gaze hardening. "According to the information I have, factions have been allowed to situate in Krona."

"You want me to investigate her involvement, as well."

"I'd like you to bring her in and question her, yes. And I want a full investigation into her financial records. See if you can uncover any ties between her and the Sons."

"Consider it done, sir."

Liam loved the power and responsibility of his role as the crown prince. He thrived on the challenges and opportunities it provided, and was excited for the day he would take the throne as king.

With his advisor's files securely tucked away, Liam leaned back in his chair, a slight smile on his lips. He was confident in his ability to lead Cordonia into a brighter future, and he knew that with his team of advisors, he would be successful.

He had never felt so ready for the challenges ahead, and he couldn't wait to take his place as Cordonia's leader. He glanced at his ring, the royal seal engraved on it and smiled.

Liam knew he was doing the right thing. He was prepared and would not let his country down. He would protect it, care for it, and ensure that it remained prosperous and safe for generations to come.

He thought back to his father, and the legacy he would leave behind. Liam knew that his father had been a good king, and he hoped to emulate him as much as possible. He hoped that he would live up to the standard his father had set.

But more than anything, he was looking forward to starting a life with Sophie. Their relationship was a secret for now to many, but he knew that their time would come. He had been thinking about their future together a lot lately, and he had an idea of what he wanted to do.

University of Cordonia, student dorms, Candace’s suite

Sophie stood in front of the mirror, helping Candy fix the accessories in her hair. "Candy, you look amazing, and you will definitely be the center of attention at the party tonight."

Candy, who was wearing a long purple dress, smiled and turned to take a satisfied look at her makeup. "Thanks Sophie! I picked this dress out especially for the grad, and Tom will be there, too. It's the first time we've ever been to a formal event like this together."

Sophie smiled with a hint of envy. "It's nice, you two look so good together. Speaking of which, Tom is your third boyfriend at Uni, right? You are always so popular with the guys."

Candy winked mischievously and patted Sophie on the shoulder. "Oh, Soph, don't say that. I'm just looking for the one who really belongs to me."

"Maybe, Candy," Sophie said, shaking her head. "I guess I just haven't met anyone yet. I am just fussy and hard to please," she grinned.

"...and you're almost a graduate. Why don't you even try to get a boyfriend? Maybe you're expecting too much of your future boyfriend, too."

Sophie laughed and waved her hand in front of her. Her relationship with Liam was still ‘under wraps’ with only family and Daniel knowing the truth. "No, it's not that. I have had some bad luck with dating in the past. And besides, I have other priorities."

Candy raised her eyebrows. "Other priorities?"

"Like finishing my education and starting my career." Sophie shrugged.

"Sophie, you know that's not enough to keep a man happy," Candy teased.

Candy's cell phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was Tom. Candy suddenly smiled with joy, picked up the phone in front of Sophia and began to talk to Tom endlessly.

Sophie's sighed and went out on the balcony alone. The sky was now dark, and the stars dotted the night sky. The cool evening breeze touched her face and soothed her heart. As she looked around, the campus was enveloped in a colorful glow. The trees and buildings were decorated with all kinds of colorful lights and decorations. The celebration of the end of the school year filled every corner.

She picked up her phone and sent Liam a quick text and snapshot of the view from the balcony, her fingers jumping across the screen, and finally pressed send. But as the minutes ticked by Liam's response was slower to arrive than usual.

Sophie's eyes flashed a hint of loss, and she put the phone down slowly. She took a few deep breaths and recalled that Liam had said the previous night that he was going on a four-day business trip to Italy with his advisors. Perhaps he is now busy meeting with the Italian politicians. In a few days they'd see each other again, she put her phone into her clutch and smiled.

Just then the balcony door was pushed open. Candy, with a glow of happiness on her face walked quickly out onto the balcony and said excitedly, "Tom is waiting downstairs, we must go. Are you ready?" Sophie nodded and smiled at Candy, happy for her. "I'm ready, let's go."

Outside the building, a young man with a bouquet of flowers stood by the roadside waiting. Upon seeing Candy, he spread his arms in joy and the two embraced followed by a passionate kiss. Sophie looked at their sweet exchange, with both blessing and faint envy in her heart. But she quickly recovered her mood and followed them on to their way to the auditorium.

U. of C. Auditorium

As they stepped inside, the grandeur of the space overwhelmed Sophie. The walls were lined with intricately carved stonework and the ceilings were adorned with ornate frescoes depicting the history of Cordonia.

The stage was set at the far end of the hall, with a large, curved platform flanked by rows of velvet chairs.

The room was filled with the sounds of conversation and laughter, as hundreds of students and their families gathered for the event.

"There you are!" Maxwell exclaimed, as Sophie approached the group. "We were starting to wonder if you were going to miss the ceremony."

Sophie grinned. "No way. I wouldn't miss this for anything."

She reached out to give Maxwell a hug and was surprised to find that he was wearing a tuxedo. "I see you decided to dress up for the occasion," she said, amused.

"Yeah, mom insisted!"

Maxwell gestured to Daniel, who was dressed similarly in a tailored suit, his hair combed neatly. "Squirrel!" Daniel shouted as Bertrand and her uncle Barthelemy looked on in dismay.

***

As the graduation ceremony ended, the excitement in the auditorium grew as the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the post formal festivities.

The sound of the band started, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the stage behind the dance floor.

Above the dance floor the ceiling was covered with gold tassels and twinkling crystal lights which complemented the colorful balloons and streamers surrounding the parquet floor.

A spotlight illuminated the space where a young man stood in a white tuxedo, a microphone in his hand.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," he began, his voice ringing out through the hall. "I am your host for this evening, and it is my great pleasure to welcome you all here to celebrate the graduating class of 2024."

There was a smattering of applause from the crowd. The host grinned. "It's time for the graduates to strut their stuff on the dance floor. Will all the students please take their places for the first dance."

Sophie laughed as she watched Maxwell and Daniel sashay arm in arm to the center.

Aunt Bethany gently tapped her shoulder. “Dear, your uncle, Bertrand, Sav and I are heading home. Have fun tonight.” Kissing her aunt’s cheek, Sophie turned her attention back to the dance.

“You guys can go dance then and I'll walk around.” Sophia smiled as she told Candy and Tom motioning towards the dance floor. Despite feeling a little lonely inside she wanted to give them some space to be alone.

“Okay, see you later Soph!” Candy and Tom smiled at each other and walked arm and arm into the dancing crowd. Looking at their backs Sophie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Memories of her first dance with Liam flooded her thoughts, seeming to have just happened yesterday. What would happen if you were by your side tonight, Liam? Maybe he would gently take her hand and ask her to dance with him or maybe they would sneak out of the room and find a quiet corner to enjoy some alone time and sweet solitude. Sophie moved through the crowd alone, occasionally greeting acquaintances, but more often she just quietly observed everything and everyone around her.

That is when the mood at the party suddenly turned eerie. The lights began to flicker and then the whole venue was plunged into darkness. The sounds of people began to cry out as they looked for their companions. What is the matter - is there a power outage? Sophie mumbled to herself as she was about to take out her phone for light. But that was forgotten as she heard gunfire in the distance, which instantly destroyed all the peace and beauty of the evening.

“It's a shooting!” A frightened voice broke through the darkness as people started running and screaming wildly. Sophie's heart raced as she pressed against a wall trying to find a safe refuge as the emergency lights clicked on. Out of nowhere, Sophie felt a stinging pain on her cheek and forehead. She touched it with her hand and blood smeared on her fingertips having been cut in the face by shards of flying glass. Being surrounded by a chaotic crowd and the sounds of more gunfire, Sophie never felt more terrified and helpless than ever before.

Sophie looked through the flickering lights and saw strange figures flash through the window. Each of them was dressed in black and wore a black mask showing only their cold eyes. What was even more bizarre was the emblem on their chests. Each had been embroidered with a strange pattern. A picture of the earth with a baby was intertwined. It was unclear and strange who or what this referenced. Sophie took out her phone to film them but then another shot rang out close by which made her jump. In a panic the crowd rushed in her direction and in chaos her phone was flipped out of her hands by a fleeing person which flew several meters slamming into to the ground.

Regardless of the panic she felt at the moment, Sophie quickly took advantage of a few people moving out of her way to run and pick up her phone and placed it into her pocket, the screen smashed. The sound of her name being called brought Sophie's mind back to reality. She turned her head and saw that Tom had been shot in the shoulder in the confusion and his blood was red on the floor and down the front of his suit jacket. Candy was also cut in the arm by flying shrapnel and in pain, huddled on the ground beside Tom.

Sophie, ignoring the pain on her face, struggled to rush to them and used her whole-body strength to help the two people up amid all the chaos and despair. She found a glimmer of strength in the fear she felt for her friend and the thought of Liam. Grabbing a table napkin, recalling the first aid she had learned during her Girl Scouts years, she made emergency bandages for both of them. as she bandaged, she looked around from time to time looking for possible escape routes, but the smoke and the fire blurred her vision, and every step was full of unknown and danger.

Candy knelt down beside Tom and held him tight ignoring the pain on her arm. Her voice crying was pain and heartache Tom's face was pale as paper, but his eyes still flashed with the will to live. “Candy, sweetie ...” Tom struggled to lift his wounded hand and gently wiped the tears from Candy’s face and forced a smile, although his own gunshot wound to the shoulder had nearly knocked him unconscious.

“We have to get out of here, quick.” Sophie had just finished patching up Tom's shoulder and stood up. “Let's go that way ... there seems to be an exit.” She said pointing to a looming door not far away. Candy dried her tears, and she nodded. Together they supported Tom, struggling through confusion and fear, Sophie leads them through the sea of fire and debris.

Rome, Italy

A sleek, black limousine drove through the city, navigating the busy streets until it arrived at a five-star hotel located in the historical centre.

Liam sat inside the spacious interior, his gaze fixed out the window as the scenery rushed past them. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Sophie, her face, her smile. The memory of the softness of her skin, the gentle curves of her body beneath his touch. He was anxiously waiting for her response to his text.

He was going through the days events of the first day of his official business meetings he had today. It was a very productive and busy day of meetings with the prime minister of Italy, the minister for economy, the mayor of Rome and others to discuss international issues, economic growth and cultural exchanges between Cordonia and Italy.

But there was a part of him that wasn't fully focused on the job at hand. His initial plan for this Italian trip was to formally propose, to show his family and country that their future Queen was the most important person in his life.

He remembered seeing the display of jewelry at the Cartier store, he had a ring, a symbol of their commitment picked out for her. Now, inside his suit jacket, that diamond ring was nestled safely next to his heart.

Liam started to become tense and anxious that he didn't hear anything from Sophie.

Rashad watched from the other side of the vehicle with concern. He cleared his throat and broke the silence. "You alright, my boy?" He asked softly.

Liam shook his head and forced a half-hearted laugh. "Sorry...I've got a lot of things on my mind right now."

"Yes," Rashad replied. "A lot of big decisions on the horizon. So how'd today go, if I may ask? I wasn't there at the meeting of the prime minister. How was it?"

Liam straightened his posture and raised his chin.

"I think it went very well. I gave a very encouraging speech and I was able to make him agree with our position about our partnership between the two nations. That should help open more trade deals and increase exports to other countries, maybe even beyond the EU, like China or the UAE."

Rashad nodded proudly. "Excellent."

The two men continued their discussion as the limo wound its way through the city towards the luxury hotel. After a short drive, the vehicle drew up to the entrance.

Drake smiled at the luxury accommodation and turned to Liam. "And the hotel you're staying in is The Ritz, right?"

Liam raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"This is where I'm staying for the duration of the trip, but I did the preliminary negotiating with them before we left so my entourage could get the penthouse floor. But first, my friend," Liam chided playfully, "I have to make a statement for diplomacy purposes."

Liam emerged from the limo as the reporters and press begin flashing their cameras as paparazzi called out for his attention.

'Ecco qui, Nostrand alternative!'

["Over here, Your Highness!" ]

"Your Highness, do you have any comments for the press?"

"Can you tell us what the plans are for the Cordonian delegation while in the city?"

Liam looked at the cameras and responded.

'Il mio governo attende con ansia i nostri dibattiti su come promuovere la crescita economica e le opportunita per i nostri Paesi, affinche tutti i nostri cittadini possano.'

["My government looks forward to our discussions about promoting economic growth and opportunities for our countries, so that everyone in our citizens can prosper and enjoy the benefits of progress." ]

The gathered journalists cheered, and a member of the concierge team opened the door and led Liam, Rashad, Drake and Bastien into the opulent interior of the building.

Before entering the elevator, Liam paused and turned to Bastien. "i need you to locate Lady Sophia. I have been unable to contact her since leaving Cordonia."

"Right away, sir."

Thanks for reading; please let me know if you would like to be added or removed from this series.

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[castleofravens]

a bpd reading of fitz vacker

please note that:

i am not a licensed mental health professional - this comes from personal experience & my own extensive research

i am a fictive in a complex dissociative disorder system, one of my sources is fitz vacker - some of this is based on my understanding of my source as well (pls treat me like my own person, i am)

this is not intended to be a means to demonize or villainize anyone, mental health should never be used as a means to villainize anyone just based on diagnosis alone

this is also not intended to diagnose anyone!! i am not a professional!!! if you do have an "oh shit" moment reading this, i would advise doing research on bpd yourself & speaking to a professional if you can!!!

any ableist comments will be deleted<3

one of the Main Features of bpd (if not the main feature) is difficulty managing/regulating emotions (some want to rename it to emotional regulation/dysregulation/intensity disorder instead)

this emotional dysregulation has made him act impulsively (particularly in not thinking before he speaks when he gets angry, being quick to feel emotions and letting them overtake him instead of letting it go, saying things when he's angry that he would typically never say otherwise)

the last part is something i think everyone does? but he has a pattern of it which is when it becomes an issue

he also sees things in a very black or white, good or bad view, which he also extends to other people. he idealizes certain people (such as alden, keefe, and sophie), which could be easily read as a favorite person attachment (especially with how he's shown to put sophie on a pedestal in his mind)

a favorite person is someone a person w/ bpd idealizes, looks up to, and/or relies on for emotional support/attention/affection/validation

he does not trust easily (telling sophie she's the only one he trusts, another thing tying into the "sophie's his favorite person" theory i have), and if/when his trust is broken, he can completely switch up his view of that person, either momentarily or for a very long time (alden, alvar, della, keefe, sophie)

i personally value communication and honesty, i get paranoid rather easily and if i feel like a friend or partner is hiding stuff it can send me spiraling, sometimes the threat is just a perceived threat and sometimes it is real, but regardless, i don't trust easily and that trust is easily broken

people with bpd have a not very stable/consistent sense of identity, and building it around a specific thing about yourself or about how other people perceive you is fairly common (examples from the text being "but we're cognates", attaching to the idea of him and sophie dating/being a good match, and leaning into the "vacker golden boy" label), and anything that disrupts that or could disrupt that being met with jealousy or seemingly irrational responses (arising from fear of losing that identity) is uhmm very understandable

also bpd is like... usually something you get from childhood trauma/the environment you were raised in and... the vackers are a Very Interesting family

i don't think that alden is 100% a bad guy, like i do agree that he has good intentions or intentions he thinks are good and i do disagree with the portrayal of him as a mindlessly cruel father

you can have good intentions and still mess up (which he kind of did) and having good intentions still doesn't excuse acting not great? but he's also a product of how he was raised and his world which we don't have like... canon evidence for what his childhood was like but since he's a vacker i cannot imagine it was very healthy and i think he's perpetuating that cycle onto his children ?? i think that a lot of the families just need therapy tbh (which...therapy's super important if you don't want to continue the "haha let's find new and exciting ways to fuck up my kids" cycle) (actually therapy is important in general go to therapy guys) (some therapists arent great but theres some really good ones out there too)

i will add onto this or revise this in the future when i think of more or think of how to better word this but this hc is very important to me and i've not really seen anything relating to it so i'm being the representation i want to see in the world 😔 also feel free to add onto this