#the girlfriend: this is terrible but in a really funny way. respect.

[maddie-grove]

Best/Worst Books by Category So Far This Year

YA

Best: Call Me Ruth by Marilyn Sachs (1982)

Runner-Up: Out of Control by Norma Fox Mazer (1993)

Worst: The Girlfriend by R.L. Stine (1991)

Romance

Best: The Marquis Who Mustn't by Courtney Milan (2023)

Runner-Up: The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson (2024)

Worst: Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery (1910)

Other Fiction

Best: The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage (1967)

Runner-Up: The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin (1972)

Worst: The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020)

Nonfiction

Best: Toxic by Sarah Ditum (2023)

Runner-Up: Meet Me by the Fountain by Alexandra Lange (2022)

Worst: Pathogenesis by Jonathan Kennedy (2023)

Rereads

Best: Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)

Runner-Up: How to Be Good by Nick Hornby (2001)

Worst: If This Is Love, I'll Take Spaghetti by Ellen Conford (1983)

[emmcfrxst]

Imagine being a teacher at the X mansion and every students tease both you and Logan because they can tell something is going between the two of you to the point that Logan get so flustered when one of the students call you his partner / girlfriend

he doesn’t want them to call you that, because you’re not his partner and he doesn’t want to impose a title onto you like that, but he also doesn’t want them to not call you that because he’s scared you might think he’s not into you (which. oh my god is he into you. it’s laughable, really) so he does the only thing his brain can think of through the haze of panic and he tells the kids to shut up— which, in retrospect, really is a terrible idea when you’re a goddamn teacher— and that sends him directly into charles’ office, the latter raising an eyebrow expectantly at logan as he awaits an explanation because “logan, you cannot tell our students to shut up. you’re a teacher, you’re meant to respect them and be a role model, blah blah blah”— logan stopped listening halfway through the lecture, embarrassment simmering under his skin at the thought of having to explain to charles exactly why he told the kids to shut it— he’s sure the man already knows the reason behind his slip up anyway. the whole ordeal makes him want to crawl into a ditch, really, because the students weren’t even close to being offended by the outburst, used to logan being a little rough around the edges, knowing he means well despite his gruffness, but scott fucking summers had to be walking down the hallway when it happened, the little cockroach immediately turning on his heels to tell on him to the headmaster (if there’s one thing scott loves, it’s getting logan in trouble, he’s like an annoying little brother logan can’t seem to get rid of) and now logan has to acknowledge his feelings for you out loud not only to himself, but to charles as well, and it makes him grit his teeth in discomfort. you do end up hearing about the ordeal— minus the feelings part, because while scott is a pest, he’s not a complete moron and won’t expose logan like that (the unpleasant prospect of getting stabbed by adamantium claws also contributes to his silence)— and you find it funny despite yourself, playfully scolding logan before erupting in a fit of giggles that ends with you having to lean into his side for support, and that small moment alone where he gets to not only feel the warmth of your body against his, but to rejoice in the delightful sound of your laughter and admire the way happiness sweeps over your features so beautifully, logan decides that getting scolded by charles (and then scott, then storm, then jean…) is more than worth it.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for "unknowingly" cheating on my girlfriend?

🤍🍇 so i recognize post

preface: yes i am, theres no excuse, i just want to hear more ppl's thought because different ppl in my life have very different opinions on this??? even though i think cheating is cut and dry?

earlier this year, i (20nb, tho i was 19 at the time) was in a purely monogamous relationship with my ex (19f). there were ups and downs, i had some issues that i really shouldve talked to her about, but overall it was the best experience. id never dated anybody before. she's the only person who ive ever loved in that way. i think shes the best person, funny, smart. i was really lucky to have her.

i have another friend, who i'll call H (21f), who has been my friend for years. we're really close, and we've shared a lot with each other. i also love her deeply, though in a different, entirely platonic way. she has told me that she loves me, and has loved me in romantic ways, even though i've never reciprocated (im fine with that, everyone in my main friend group is a little bit polyamorous).

there were two main incidents that happened between me and H. the first, i didnt really understand what was going on or that it was entirely wrong. we were cuddling, which i do with all of my friends, and she started getting really into it and getting on top of me. she asked if she could kiss me (on the lips) and i said no, partly because, well, i had a monogamous partner, and partly because i hate kissing on the lips. i probably shouldve entirely cut it off at that moment. my only excuse (which is pretty flimsy) is that, im kinda aroace so physical affection and the difference between platonic and romantic have always left me a little confused. i kinda thought this was normal, especially because H is polyamorous and in several relationships that heavily blur the lines between platonic and romantic.

then, about two weeks after that, H and i hung out again, but this time we were smoking marijuana. weed makes me highly suggestible and also incapable of remembering anything past about five seconds. not that im blaming the drugs, just describing the situation. basically, H and i were cuddling again when she decided to move on top of me and got flirty, with a lot of touching sensitive places for the purpose of getting a reaction (all above the belt). i went along with this because i respect H, ive known her for a long time, and i didnt want to say no to her. again, not an excuse, because she didnt force me to do it.

in the moment, i didnt think this was cheating. we werent doing anything explicitly sexual, we weren't making out, but we were definitely frisky and i know H was horny at the time. a couple hours later, when i sobered up, i suddenly realized what we had done and asked H if i had just cheated on my girlfriend. she also seemed to realize what had just happened and we agreed that i had cheated, that it was entirely wrong, and we should never do it again.

i decided to tell my ex about this immediately, because i thought she should know. i asked if she was in a position to hear bad news, and when she was, i was completely honest. she obviously didnt take it well, mentioning how she felt like she could never trust me again despite being the person she trusted most in the world. she loved me but this was unacceptable and a huge violation. i agreed, and after a bit of thinking, i told her that i thought we should break up. i had terrible guilt about what i'd done and assumed that we'd never recover, and it didnt seem like she could pull the plug, so i did.

she proceeded to get even more mad at me because of this, which in hindsight is completely understandable. from her perspective, i had just dropped two emotional bombs on her, and maybe i was implying that i liked H more than her. i wasnt, and i dont, but i know why it came across that way.

my other friends agreed with me that i shouldve broken up with her after that. in hindsight, i dont know if it was the right choice. i miss her dearly and wish i had worked more on the relationship.

we've since talked about it. i told her that i still loved her (bc i do, very deeply, and i dont know if i'll ever get over her) but said that i dont expect anything, dont expect a relationship, etc. she was okay with this because, in her words, she trusts me to not make it a big deal or awkward. we hang out frequently now, we watch anime together, and we get along well as friends. i feel so lucky that she is willing to spend time with me, that she still enjoys my company even a little bit.

the confusing part is that i told my dad about this and he basically said, "you were 19yo in a long distance, online-only relationship. this was inevitable and you shouldnt feel too bad about it. it was wrong but not the worst thing ever." i dont really agree with that, because it was a pretty serious relationship despite being online. we even met up at a convention and spent several nights together in a hotel. it was the happiest weekend of my life. i thought i could marry her maybe someday. and i dont think being 19yo justifies it. 13yo maybe, but i was old enough to know right from wrong, even if my knowledge about romantic and sexual relationships was underdeveloped.

basically, im looking for nuanced opinions. i fully expect the results to be YTA. im hoping ppl can give me any sort of insight in the comments.

PS: H is partially to blame bc she knew i was in a monogamous relationship but please dont hate on her too much in the comments, we've had a lot of talks about this and what happened drastically changed the way the both of us see relationships and each other. basically, she learned her lesson and she was never trying to be a bitch or a homewrecker. i know her well enough to know shes a good person at heart. she's also not on tumblr to see any of your comments. direct all of you criticism towards me, please.

What are these acronyms?

[brownwomanisland]

Like clockwork, I'll see some notable members of the "radfem" movement or really just the "against AGP" movement from the global west and I'll go searching their tweets and they don't actually give a fuck about Palestinian women, Congolese women, Sudanese women.

Yeah, no wonder you have so little allies. You're too busy blaming people for their death. Their liberation of women actually just ends at the borders of their country lmao. That's why I would quicker follow nameless anonymous rad fems who mention women around the world when they can vs the ones with their names and faces on it because they only care about their little paradise not turning into something they hate.

Funny how women and girls everywhere want that. And if you bring up their silence or they're gonna say you're in support of grooming gangs or something like that. Because if you're against war mongering, you must be in favour of ... smaller scale war mongering?

Why cannot I be against genocide and also religious backed grooming gangs? Can I not be against torture against a dispossesed people (which are almost always women and children because they bare the brunt of war) and the trans nonsense of taking up women's spaces? Can I be against religious persecution and also the right for people to practice their religion humanely?

It's then when you realize we do not see the source the same. They do not see the problem of male behavior, male violence, male depravity. They do not see it as that because for them, Islam is the worst thing. And pornography. And I agree.

I also think all religion gives a backing for terrible men to abuse women under a system of respectability that so many people have not recognized. They are so caught up in what faith is their biggest enemy they're inadvertently running cover for terrible men in the faith they see as respectable. How many women and girls go unseen by them?

I wish they would stop calling themselves terfs and just call themselves TE. I don't see what's so radical feminist about knowing your sisters are dying somewhere but not caring because they happened to be indoctrinated into the wrong religion.

Sorry if you don't want to hear me talk about the blindness of our movement. We can't be against male violence everywhere and then go some exclusions may apply™️.

It's the same principle where I find women who push and enlist girls for Only Fans extremely dislikeable and yet the moment they say they want out, I will support their posts. The same way I find phallic obsessed lesbians (calling your girlfriend "boyfriend" lesbian, gagging on strap tweets, obsession with "top" double mastectomy surgeries) gross but I will help them call out an injustice that has occurred. The same way I find the bloodthirstyness of Zionist women appalling and yet I will never believe that she deserves to be raped.

We're either in this together or we're not.

[sugurufic]

What are your thoughts on the reader and teen nanami attending an improv comedy show…

Oh this is so interesting! I am not funny, like at all, so please don't judge my terrible jokes T^T as always, its not proofread

Nanami, Haibara and you had a lot of fun planned for the weekend, but Haibara had to return home to his family. His sister had gotten a bad fever and he was worried sick about her.

So you and Nanami still went about the plans, going to the mall for some shopping and to the city center to eat, and then return to your respective dorms. The two of you hadn't hung out much without Haibara, his absence weighing you down. With Haibara it was easy to ignore how Nanami's presence made you feel, but now it was practically impossible, with him walking beside you in the mall, dressed in normie clothes.

"Hey ma'am, hey sir!" an attendant at the mall greeted you cheerfully. "We have a free of cost improv comedy session going on, would you care to join us?"

You have always loved improv comedy, watching videos on the internet, but you've never seen one in person. Besides, how bad could it get? It's not like you were wasting any money this way.

"Nanami, can we go, please?" you plead, batting your eyelashes at the blond man, who doesn't even argue.

"Thank you for joining us!" the attendant yells behind you.

"I really hope that it doesn't turn out to be a waste of time," Nanami says as you sit beside him. The room still has some empty seats, but it's a great news that there are people to see a new comedian.

"I don't think it will be," you say, scooting a little closer to him as the air conditioning sent a shiver under your skin.

The empty seats fill up quickly, and the lights are dimmed, waiting for the comedian to take the stage. You are unfamiliar with the man who comes on the stage, viewing his audience with a smile on his face. "Hey everyone! Thank you for being here. You really are helping me convince my parents that maybe I can pull this comedy thing off," He starts of with a jolly voice. "You know, after I wasted four years of my life on an engineering degree."

You chuckle, having heard something similar from plenty of comedians. the man looks over his audience, eyes flickering to a stop to someone on the other end of the room. "Oh, I have a young crowd with me. I really hope you don't get influenced by me. it's not my fault if your mum slaps you with a slipper for not wanting to go to college."

"How old even are you?" he asks the same person. "That young! Now I will feel guilty about making the jokes I had planned." The man shakes his head. "Anyways, you know I am not entirely upset that i did college. I now have more things to make jokes about. Anyone who did CS and now everyone is suddenly asking them to fix computers?"

A surprising number of people raise their hands, and you chuckle once again. Nanami fixes his bangs beside you, trying to hide his rolling eyes. But you know him too well to know what he's doing.

"My parents forbade from speaking to the opposite gender all throughout school. And now that I'm an engineer by degree, they want me to get married." He sighs. "You are too young to understand this. How many of you have partners?" a good number of people raised their hands. "And how many of parent's know?" most hands went down.

The comedian's eyes fall on the pair of you and he asks Nanami, "Hey, blond guy! Is that pretty lady your girlfriend?"

Your face heats up and you can barely look at Nanami, who has gone pink. "N-No," he manages to say.

"Your face tells me otherwise," the comedian laughs. "For those of you who cannot see, Mr. Blond Guy has turned red. The lady seems flustered too. You two did come together, right? Or did I just embarrass two strangers sitting next to each other."

"We go to the same school," You manage to say, despite your flustered state. "And we're friends."

"Miss, maybe you should ask blond guy. He seems very shy." the comedian chuckles.

"I don't think I'm her type," Nanami mumbles in a small voice, and you give him the biggest side eye you have ever given to anyone.

"Judging by the lady's reaction, I'd say you are wrong, buddy." the man laughs. "See people, please tell your friends I helped set up a relationship. If any of your friends need a wingman, please join me on my next shows."

When you leave the mall, you walk together in silence, not even getting the courage to look at him. But you bite down your fears and say, "What gave you the impression that you aren't my type?" You still don't look at him, but your hands are in front of you, trying to grasp the air. "Because then I'd have to fix that. You are exactly my type."

Oh no, you think. You may have spoken to much. "Please ignore what I just said if you don't like me back."

"I do," Nanami softy says, and you whip you head towards him, seeing a rare smile on his face. His cheeks are still dusted a light shade of pink and he looks so cute you could kiss him. "I never thought you could like me like that."

"OH you blind man," you sigh, intertwining your fingers when his hand reaches for yours. "Let's just do this again later, okay?"

"Okay," Nanami says, the smile not leaving his face.

[fandomwe1rd0]

How not to and how to write an asshole protagionist

Honestly I know asshole protagonists are sadly more common now, but I think Rick and Morty did it best (Wowwww shocker, I think Rick and Morty did something better than other tv shows?! Wow it's not like I'm constantly singing Rick and Morty's praises or anything…)

Now, first what exactly is an asshole protagonist? Now, I feel like the title itself is kinda self-explanatory. An asshole protagonist is a protagonist that…is an asshole. They don't portray the usual likable trait most protagionist have, and are usually prone to being assholes, hence the name. Now I assume most tv shows add asshole protagonist(s) are either so they can be unique, make the character feel more human, or for comedic purposes. Sometimes it can just be one, multiple, or all of them.

Now, first let's look at a tv show that did this poorly…sorry to everyone, I know everyone is probably glad to have forgotten this, but I'm gonna bring up Velma. Now Velma, is an asshole protagonist. She's mean, snarky, sarcastic, and is all around just an asshole and an insensitive jerk to her friends and girlfriend.

Ok now, a character who has these faults, can still be likable in a way. Now if a character gets called out on these faults and try to work on them, complex, or at least if they are actually funny when showing a character being an asshole, Velma is neither of these things, none of the jokes are funny, and everyone treats her like she's some great person when she's just a horrible person, she isn't even complex, just annoying.

Now, let's look at Rick, another example of an asshole protagionist, he's cynical, sarcastic, rude, manipulative, abusive, and just an overall asshole, but here is how Rick and Morty does it right, Rick is more than just a mean old man, he is incredibly complex, struggling with the trauma he had when he watched his wife and child blow up TWICE. And there's actually a reason as to why he's an asshole, he feels like if he cares about people, they will either die or leave him, that's obviously no excuse, but it adds reason to his actions (Meanwhile Velma was just always an asshole…)

He also gets called a lot for being an asshole, and even insults himself when he does something especially shitty, like in season 4 episode 10 after he cloned Space Beth and Beth and watched the mindblower where he shuffled them and didn't look because he didn't want to answer Beth's question on whether he wants Beth to stay and be apart of her life or if he wants her to leave, he says, and I quote

"Holy shit I'm a terrible father."

And he couldn't even go out and see them, and just sits down in the garage alone and thinks about how big of an asshole he's been in general, this is not only a powerful emotional momebut…butttt a good segueway into his redemption arc!

Now Rick in the later seasons in genuinely trying to be better, he goes to therapy, is nicer to Jerry, gentler to Morty and insults Morty a lot less, really just is nicer to Morty in general, treating him a lot more like an equal partner, treats Summer with more respect, and learns to control his anger a lot better. Now it doesn't make up for all the shitty things he does, and the show acknowledges that, but it's definitely a start, and he is not the same murderous maniac he was in say, season 4, where he just couldn't resist traumatizing Morty every 2 seconds. Meanwhile in season 7, he actually treats Morty like…gasp a person! And is actually acting like a grandpa, even spoiling Morty which is adorable.

Also…he's just funny y'all! He has a sense of humor and it's genuinely really funny, I mean ik humor is subjective but c'monnnnn

Rick is a good example of an asshole protagonist because he's funny, complex, and wants to be better, Velma is just…nothing.

[pruneunfair]

" My feelings on" part 3, today's episode: For my derelict favorite and how it fails at being a feminist empowerment story.

So this OI had an interesting title and a ML that didn't have the same cold Duke of the north look, some characters named after Greek gods, and it sounded relatable at first since I'm sure all of us had a fictional crush we obsessed over.

Dear God how this one flopped. Put some respect on the true Hestia, the actual goddess of the hearth in Greek mythology mostly known for staying out of conflict as one of the kindest goddesses because this version of Hestia is the absolute opposite.

The plot is basically Hestia is a rich woman possessed by another transmigrated soul who was a big fan of the story she read in her first life, she is obsessed with the 2nd male lead Caelus and fangirls over him whenever she can but Cael is going through severe depression after the og fl Diana rejected him even after he gave her so much including murdering 2 people for her, he's so distraught by this that he kills himself and Hestia places the blame on Diana and her fiance Helios for not doing enough and makes it her goal to ruin them for Cael.

So first of all, Hestia goes from a little funny to flat out grating to follow as the lead. She's basically a manhwa insert of those OI commenter's who shit on every woman who is too feminine or emotional and thinks they can do better by being a badass or the white lotus villainess who purposely provokes the lead and damage her reputation by acting like Diana was the aggressor. A flawed protagonist would be amazing but it becomes clear that the narrative claims Hestia in the right for all the times she purposely provokes Diana for numerous sins but it mostly centers around not getting with Caelus.

Here are some examples of Hestia being a dream girl for an Andrew Tate fan.

Honestly can't tell if she was written by a pick me girl or by a loser who's butthurt that he got rejected and Hestia is just his ideal girlfriend.

Caelus is not nearly as terrible but the way they try to make him sympathetic just feels like an ass pull you'd see in a 2018 depressing gacha life video

I like his design since we really need more long haired male leads but ehh.. that's it. As I said above Cael gives up a lot for Diana including land for a temple and killing 2 former villains for her even though she never asked. Naturally Diana did not fall for him just because he did great things for her especially after he killed 2 people. Not knowing what to do without her he falls into depression and kills himself in one timeline. Despite the common agreement that suicide is no one's fault, The blame is shifted onto his ex and her fiancé for cutting him off. While Helios and Diana are no angels Cael is treated like he can do wrong and while that it is the point since Hestia is his biggest fan, the narrative plays into this as well, mostly in shitting on Diana for "leading him on." And playing him for not becoming his bride. Feels straight out of a nice guy subreddit. His suicidal arc also just feels so weird.. it's there for sympathetic points and it's immediately solved when Hestia blows money on a title so she can marry him, no real work, just the good ol power of the boss babe to cure depression and suicidal thoughts. Frankly if I were him, I'd be extremely uncomfortable and upset if my current partner made it their entire personality to attack my ex, I feel like most people would rather continue their journey with their new partner if they want to go on a healthier path, and your ex constantly being brought up by the current partner for petty revenge would make that harder.

Diana is honestly more suited to be the protagonist then Hestia, ironic considering she was og fl

Shes everything the average "baddass babe" would hate, feminine, graceful, and dainty. She's a saintess who used to heal the common folk before she gets engaged to Helios and becomes the crown princess, from there she stops helping the commoners and works to be a noble. That would honestly be a better reason to call her out instead of "You didn't throw yourself to my baby boy Cael!!" Regardless she isn't as evil as described by Hestia. She's definitely not a perfect sweetheart but rejecting a man is not on her. Imagine if she stayed the protagonist and she had an arc dedicated to her betraying the people to be a perfect noblewoman where she is called out and learns to find a balance or make things a little more fair. Diana needed to be called out on a lot of things but shitting on her for not accepting a man's feelings is just stupid. Diana barely even knew Hestia and already this woman who married an ex friend of hers is making her entire life into being a dick to her.

I can't really see how I'm supposed to hate her when Hestia is just as much of a hypocrite. Here she judges Diana for wearing a fancier dress at a ball

Hestia aren't you throwing money everywhere you go to satisfy your own superficial goals? You seem more concerned about using that money to buy a title and marry a man you fanboy over instead of being the saintess you think you are. The pot calling the kettle black indeed.

they do try to explain why Hestia hates Diana so much aside from Cael but even then.. it's not really Diana's fault, just the rude priest who kicked her out, for all we know Diana was busy or never even told that Hestia showed up to be healed

That sounds more like a problem with the kingdom and not a single woman.

But ofc, the comments are dumb and see everything through the lense of what they would consider a "trashta" as the one true gospel, here's one comment that really got me.

Damn, I guess that means secret Santa or donations must be canceled since you don't share feelings for those random people who give you gifts.

I feel like if this one was surrounded about the biases we feel about the characters we like and how to actually move on and grow, you need to work on yourself instead of focusing on shifting the blame, this could be a great story on how all the characters better themselves with their own arcs.

Conclusion: For my derelict favorite claims to be a feminist alternative of a typical story when it's basically just taking the usual two faced obsessive villainess, not bothering to add some nuance to said character to make her likeable, putting her in the protagonist seat, and pushing the narrative that her pathetic revenge is totally right, with the plot basically being a self insert fanfiction you'd find on wattpad.

[slashthrashandcrash]

Do... do you think Legion ever tried to do some version of a shovel talk to Meg? Like, not in a "break his heart and we break you" way, but in a "if Ghostface is going to date a survivor, he's going to date the Best Survivor, SO GET READY FOR SURVIVAL TRAINING: LEGION EDITION!!!!" way

The advice could be genuinely helpful, absolutely terrible, or somewhere in between. Not sure which is funniest. The training is mostly just the four of them taking turns chasing Meg around, while the three not running are yelling tips at Meg: ranging from survival tips to random facts they know about Ghostface.

What do you think?

GOD BLOB AND I HAVE LITERALLY TALKED ABOUT LEGION BEING SO NOSY IN GHOSTFACE/MEG'S RELATIONSHIP

I very much love the idea of them trying to be like "So, you wanna date our not-dad, huh?" when Ghostface first shows interest in her, to which Meg responds "No, actually. I very vehemently and explicitly do not want to date this freak of a man. I never want to be within 300 yards of him again for the rest of my life." But much like Danny, they're not taking her no for an answer, clearly she thinks she's too good for him then and this will not stand.

It's a no-win situation for her anyways. If she tells them she doesn't like him, they think she's being stuck up and how could you not like someone as cool and epic as Ghostface, you should be honored!! If she starts reciprocating for Danny, they tell her she's not good enough and to stay in her lane with the other Survivors. When Legion is alone with Danny, they call him a cringeass old man. Buncha sourpatch kids, honestly. Nosy as all hell because they don't like the idea of having to share Danny's attention (even when most of it is negative attention because they're lil shits) with someone else.

BUT...I think Legion coming around and trying to help out Meg in their own kinda useless, kinda dumb way would be a "sweet" bonding moment between them all. They sort of become a middle man between Danny and Meg since they're so insistent of inserting themselves in their relationship -- They tell Danny about the things Meg says she likes so he can cater to those, and they tell Meg about the things that can make him rant for hours if she ever needs a quick distraction for when she's not in the mood to deal with his antics.

I also think it would be really funny if Legion is much more well behaved and mannered with Meg compared to Danny, not necessarily because they respect her, but because it's hilarious watching him get pissed about it. Ghostface tells them not to do something and they'll look him dead in the eyes while doing it anyways. Meg tells them not to do the same thing 5 minutes later and they're like "yes ma'am, sorry ma'am [puts thing back how they found it]". They're getting along with your girlfriend man, you gotta pick your battles and also understand you're going to lose every single one when pitted against teenagers.

Bonus: Legion only found out they were "dating" because they caught Danny sneaking off between trials to go to the survivor camp and assumed he was cheating the system or something to be the Entity's golden boy. Until they opened the locker and found him making out with Meg. It was extremely awkward. Legion cornered her during the next trial they had together for all the hot gossip.

Bonus Bonus: Every time Legion snags Meg to interrogate and/or train her, it's eventually interrupted by Danny (because those brats have been quiet and out of sight for too long and he's getting suspicious) who slings Meg over his shoulder and tells them to stop harassing her. They do not agree to these terms and conditions.

[burr-ell]

seeing some say that orym fans coddle orym and he should be held accountable and should apologize to Dorian for saying what he did about his brother and I was wondering what’s your thoughts on that? It’s funny that the same people who say fans coddle orym are the same ones who coddle the witches, especially imogen.

I think it's a bit rich to be mad about Orym saying something unkind to make a principled point if you've spent a year and a half pretending it's perfectly normal and healthy for Laudna to be genuinely okay with Imogen contemplating siding with Otohan—the person who killed Laudna in the street specifically to provoke Imogen—because god forbid Miz Very Capable isn't told how powerful and important she is by her eternally soft and wholesome helpless victim girlfriend every fifteen minutes.

By now the people who have been accused of coddling Imogen have seen that criticism, and their response to it has largely been "um, just because we don't think she's a selfish manipulative bitch doesn't mean we're coddling her"—which is funny, because for a group of people quibbling about being misrepresented, they certainly don't have a problem misrepresenting the arguments of the people they're swiping at. There are some folks who just dislike Imogen because they think she has Main Character Syndrome or some other nonsense, and as I've written here, I think those people are being willfully obtuse.

But the people actually writing meta discussing Imogen's self-focused perspective and the way she treats people have consistently stated that they don't think she's a terrible person and that they find this to be a narratively interesting flaw to have, and that Imogen wants to do the right thing in the macro but doesn't always treat people well in the micro. I think the only way to interpret that as hatred or a moral condemnation of Imogen is if you're looking for reasons to dismiss someone who's saying things you don't particularly want to hear.

Don't get me wrong—I think it's valid to think that, from a moral standpoint, Orym should apologize. The thing is, most of the people I've seen who have criticized Imogen but are accused of "coddling" Orym aren't really interested in criticizing him morally to begin with; they want to watch a good story and they want the Dorian/Orym relationship to have conflict and tension. The two camps simply are not going to agree because these are two fundamentally different perspectives on how to engage with fiction—treating it like it's a narrative whose actors should be judged on how they advance the story versus treating it like a projection of personal wish fulfillment. I know which view I respect more.

[morninkim]

What's your favorite example of an underdeveloped relationship/dynamic from the show that you put a lot of thought into for Rise? c:

Ooooooohhhhh good question good question

I think the relationships between the Rangers specifically were pretty well explored in the show, and I'll have to do a proper rewatch at some point to really get a feel for what could be missing from some interactions BUT I have a couple

Rise Tommy and Zack are so important to me. Like. They both love their mothers, Zack's a lot more open about it than Tommy since he's known his WAY longer. They encourage each other with their respective girlfriends - the S1 ep where they team up and Zack gets the dragon shield is so so good, that influenced a lot of my thoughts about them - and, especially when it comes to trans stuff, they feel like the other just gets it. They're T4T friendship goals fr

Kim and Trini, while I think is very cute and fun in the show, is another relationship I LOVE in Rise. I mentioned in the series outline post that Trini's there to let Kim cut loose when her parents get divorced, since hers did the same thing years ago, plus similar with Zack/Tommy, they both love their dads so much (idk if I'll design parents but I imagine that Trini's dad has obvious smile lines and Kim's dad's forehead is permanently wrinkled from Business Man Things) - Trini's also there to help Kim with queer stuff when she realises she likes Tommy, since she's never liked a girl before!! But she's excited about it!! But nervous!! And through Kim's excitement for discovering herself, Trini's able to get more and more comfortable with coming out to everyone

Skull and Billy's childhood friend thing from GGPR was something I wanted to carry over to Rise, difference being that they were friends in kindergarten until Billy's parents took him out of public school to teach him at home. Now in High School Billy sometimes lends Skull a hand with schoolwork (Autistic to ADHD Communication) and while Skull does get frustrated and they clash sometimes, they're good friends at the end of the day.

Similarly, Jason and Kim were friends in early Elementary School but went to different Middle Schools, so they're just kinda friendily floating around each other at first. But by the finale, Jason's like the older brother Kim never had but always wanted and acts like the biggest goober in the world around her to keep her smiling, while she's. Very Loud at football games to support him and Zack, and eventually Tommy as well she joins the team.

OH OH OH OKAY ACTUALLY REAL ANSWER Richie, Tommy and Curtis as a friend group are SO IMPORTANT. RISE SEASON 1 NEW KID TRIO. Richie and Curtis are lot more extroverted than Tommy and help her get a lil more comfortable around school, Curtis introduces her to Zack, which obvs leads to her meeting the rest of the Rangers and becoming friends with them. One of my fave things has been taking these two characters who really were just introduced to be White Ranger red herrings and making them MATTER. Richie sees Tommy getting close with Kim and is like "oh like, y'know, Kim's friends with Trini right? And you're also friends with her? Think you could,,, hook a butch up?" and Tommy just. Is terrible at being a wingwoman and is like "woahhh y'know Richie's preeeetty cool, she once saved a cat from a tree without using a ladder. Just fully flew up there. Ain't that neat, Trini? Don't you think that's sick?" and Trini's like. Ah. I know what's going on here. Curtis is sweet, but he does get insecure about being stuck as the "funny haha friend" no one really takes seriously but Richie and Tommy are like No dude. We love you. Let's go see a movie. Plus he's just so helpful and will drop anything to lend a hand, so Richie genuinely appreciates his un-asked-for-but-desperately-needed help at the Juice Bar

[gamesception]

These tweets are both true, at least of comic Scott, at least for a certain segment of the audience. Comic Scott Pilgrim is a shitty guy, and deliberately invites readers who are also shitty guys to identify with him in the opening half by presenting him as a sort of wish fulfillment ideal of a shitty guy - all the same toxic behaviors but he's popular and girls like him anyway because he can skateboard and he's in a band. But then the story spends it's back half calling Scott, and by proxy the readers who did identify with him, out on his/their bullshit - saying even though he's cool is in a band, his selfish behavior and poor treatment of those around him, especially his girlfriends, drive away everyone who gets close to him.

Sadly the Edgar Wright film, while it did an amazing job translating the tone and aesthetic of the comic to live action, opted to cut out most of the core element of the comic's criticism/deconstruction of Scott as a character. And while the film pulls some punches in terms of cutting out or glossing over some of the shittier things comic Scott has done, film Scott still ends up more hate-able than his comic counterpart ime.

Partially because it cast Michael Cera doing his meek passive pitiable thing, which leaves the audience wondering why anybody puts up with his shitty behavior in the first place. This isn't a problem in the comic because comic Scott, for all his shittiness, is depicted as having a sort of infectious confident outgoing energy that makes him believably fun to be around. Unlike film Scott, you totally buy that people would overlook comic Scott's faults until they were personally impacted by them.

But mostly it's that movie Scott never gets properly called out. Comic Scott's sins are both greater and more numerous, but he's forced to face up to and accept that he's been a shitty person and start changing for the better, and in doing so he starts to earn back some respect from both his friends and the reader. In comparison film Scott is validated in his shittiness. He's 'not that bad', he only needs to learn 'self respect'. His lack of respect for others is left largely unaddressed.

The difference is most clearly seen in the Nega-Scott subplot of the comic and the film. In the comic Nega Scott represents all the terrible things Scott has done to his friends and especially his girlfriends over the years that he chooses to either remember wrong or not to remember at all in order to preserve his own self image. The only way for Scott to escape Nega-Scott is to merge with him, symbolically accepting that he really did all those things, that he's basically been a bad person up to that point and he needs to make fundamental changes to his attitude and actions going forward.

Film Nega-Scott on the other hand is the exact opposite - representing film Scott's poor self image, the bad things he thinks about himself but that either aren't true or aren't really that bad, and the subplot is resolved by film Scott having a friendly conversation with his shadow self and realizing that they, and by extension he himself, were never really that bad in the first place and he just needs to cut himself some slack. Which is a cute and funny subversion of the evil opposite trope, but is absolutely disastrous for the story and the audience's relationship to Scott as a character.

If time constraints or differences in directorial vision were the main reason that this narrative thread got inverted in the film, then hopefully an animated miniseries with O'Malley at the helm should be able to do the comic better justice in this regard. I'm certainly optimistic in that regard. On the other hand, seeing a version of Scott in full sound and color and motion who is more true to the comic - in that he treats the people around him even worse over a much longer run time - could make for a pretty hard watch, even if he is eventually forced to face up to the reality of his behavior and start to change it by the end.

[simpotat]

Very much unable to draw rn bc head is pounding (and I know there is no in-universe way to justify the occurrence of the following) but I just know Malaise would be the most frustrating sickie. Joy might go up to her like:

"Hey May-May! How're ya feeling?"

"Terrible. *proceeds to list off all her symptoms and grievances in fine detail*"

"🙂"

She couldn't make up her mind on whether the hot or the cold is better, whether she wants a drink of water or soup, whether she wants to eat at all, where to be, how to sit, if she's grievously uncomfortable with the proximity of people or will die this instant if she doesn't have someone to cuddle to sleep- and she doesn't want to be pushy and annoying, she just needs to figure it out. But at the same time, everything hurts or feels icky in some way, making her not really want to move, and if you dare to ask her she will vent it to you.

Very unfocused and slow and kind of has to be nudged around and taken care of, which some other emotions will do because they feel bad leaving her to it. (Good thing Anxiety's specialty is multitasking... burning herself out in the process and eventually following suit, probably.) Disgust and Fear are in various levels of COVID protocol levels of protective gear (Fear might put on a Hazmat suit) because no they will not leave an opening for those dangerous germs they weren't even aware of existing as a threat until yesterday thank you very much. Thought of Anxiety possibly wearing a mask too but... look at her. How would she do it. She'd look muzzled

En.nui could not give any less shits about Malaise getting close, at most warning her verbally in a monotone. She will probably not kiss her on the mouth but let herself be cuddled by the poor girl if Malaise so desires.

(Her also catching it eventually is a funny idea to me solely because of what she's already like. Someone just chiming in "uhh guys En.nui hasn't moved in twenty hours" and she's just behind the couch in the Family Guy death pose suffering. She couldn't even get to the couch that morning. Alternatively, illness can make me feel a little fidgety since I literally want to crawl out of my skin and flesh and rather frolic in the woods as a skeleton, so what if she attempts to do her usual cool and mysterious couch reclining routine for the day but she just can't. Get. Comfortable. Squirming and turning incessantly, which becomes extremely frustrating as well as even more tiring. She can suffer a little bit if I have to as well)

Joy is incredibly irritating support I'm sorry but she would be. "Chin up, buddy! You'll be better in no time!" Wow, that is incredibly helpful, Joy. I totally wouldn't be strangling the excessive vitality out of you if I could make it to the console without wobbling.

Malaise would be stressed out by causing people inconvenience, as "that's all she ever seems to do", but contrarily be quite willing to help without snapping or complaining if she had to care for her girlfriends afterward. If accused of struggle or exasperation she would admit to it, but add that doing all this for a loved one that's precious to her makes up for the cost. She just wants to see her GFs happy and well. (I imagine she already has to look after Anxiety often even within canon's realm of possibility since she tends to push herself (or Riley) too hard sometimes. And she's very caring and attentive about it. She respects Anxiety a lot and as well as all her hard work, but knows when she should be reeled in and is happy to do that part of the service.)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being petty and refusing the answer a proposal?

Me and my girlfriend (both F late 20s) have been together for over two years and we have talked a lot about marriage. She was the one who officially asked me to be her girlfriend, so since we started talking about marriage in a “eventually” way a few months into the relationship I told her that I would like to propose, because she had already asked me once, it was my turn. This was mentioned many many times in our relationship. A few months ago, we started talking more seriously about it and I started seeing rings and stuff. She also started seeing rings and we both knew all of this because we’re terrible at secrets. I reminded her that we agreed that I was going to be the one to propose and she said she could give me a ring after I proposed, so I didn’t worry.

Another point is that I always said I hated public proposals. This is something that everyone around me knows because I say whenever I see it happen. So she knows, we had talked about it.

I bought a ring online and it hasn’t arrived yet, which I actually had let her known because I was very frustrated about the delivery.

And then on christmas, she gave me a ring together with my presents. Right in the middle of the living room, with my whole family present. It was not a public proposal - no one was paying attention, there were a lot of people talking and exchanging presents - but it was still a little too public.

But what I’m most upset is that she proposed before I got to ask, when I had everything planned and I had specifically asked her to let me propose. When I saw the ring (there was a little paper together asking me to marry her), I got really angry and just said “I can’t believe you did this”. And then put it aside and focused on other presents and other people.

She didn’t seem to mind much, and mentioned in our friends group chat that she had proposed and I hadn’t even tried the ring or said if I liked it. Later in the night, when we went to bed, I said I was upset and she said she just thought it would be funny (for reasons to long to explain) and that she was an anxious person and couldn’t wait.

I didn’t answer, but I also didn’t wear the ring and told my friends we were not engaged when they asked, as I did not say yes.

My gf doesn’t seem very upset about any of this, but she’s also good at repressing her feelings, so I think she might be more upset that she’s letting on. I’m feeling like a big asshole now, because she DID propose and I didn’t say yes, which I know would hurt me a lot if it had happened the other way. It’s petty, because I want to marry her and she wants to marry me, and we’re both aware of that, the proposal was just a formality, it’s dumb. But I still can’t bring myself to be happy about it, because she just ignored what I asked. It was just a matter of waiting a few weeks more top, and she knew it, and couldn’t respect my wishes enough to wait. So am I the asshole for not just letting this go and consider us engaged?

What are these acronyms?

[bb-dot-move-daisies]

im waiting for a thing to export, i'll answer a few---

1. What made them attracted to each other at first?

KYLIE: "Devon's sister :0! We never met! How mysterious!" Devon was one of Kylie's friends in college, and Kylie only has good things to say about that boy, so naturally, they assumed that Daisy would at least share some of those traits. And come to find out---she's literally his mother figure, so she's the SOURCE of a lot of Devon's good traits, AND she has this like---freaky, antisocial science girl aspect to her that Kylie's really fascinated by, so. (Also her boobies are bigger in real life and it's like hummuna hummuna hummuna)

DAISY: Daisy likes that Kylie is kind. That they're a good listener. That they---respected Daisy's position in the family. That she felt safe around them despite being strangers. Daisy totally sees why Devon is friends with Kylie now.

2. What do they find attractive in each other now?

This took me a while to find, embarrassingly enough, but I feel like...

FOR DAISY: She likes Kylies big, generous heart. Kylie's not really the kind to pick favorites, or cut someone off. Also, Kylie's the type of person who— even if you've treated them wrong, she will still have love for you saved within a portion of her heart. To a degree, this frustrates Daisy because it means that they will often keep awful people in their lives, but on the other hand, it's kind of commendable, and reassuring that it was that big heart that welcomed Daisy into THEIR life.

Also, this is a side-tab about Kylie: Subconsciously, I think that Daisy likes that Kylie is one of the few people on earth that she can treat like her equal. Like, yes, she's about the same age as Daisy's little brother BUT, what differs Kylie's relationship to Daisy, and Daisy's relationship to Devon, is that she first saw Devon as a helpless little baby, and so, for the rest of his life, Daisy positioned herself as someone who takes care of him. Kylie, on the other hand— in Daisy's mind, is just as capable as Daisy is, so, in that way, she's happy that the person she's raising her kids with is someone she can depend on indefinitely.

FOR KYLIE: They like Daisy's resourcefulness and creativity. The way that she's able to spin whatever it is that they have into something useful for the kids and the household as a whole. But I also feel like, they like running the bath for her, cooking for her, and waiting for her to come home so that they could rub her feet. Because Daisy pushes herself way too hard, and Kylie wants nothing more than to be useful to someone that she respects. (I think ultimately, in general, she secretly wants to hear some sort of godly voice in the sky say, "Good girl. Thank you.")

5. What’s something that could make them break up?

Honestly? Everything about themselves, as people. I think my favourite thing about Daisy and Kylie is actually the fact that they—They're not Terrible People, they just Shouldn't be together. Like an old marriage.

6. What’s keeping them together?

How much they love the kids and want to watch them grow, together.

7. Do they have mutual friends?

Daisy has like...Three Friends, and two of them are her brother's girlfriend, and Kylie. So— I guess in that way, yes, they do have mutual friends.

8. Do their families like each other?

Yeah, I think so. But also Kylie's never met Daisy's parents, so.

9. How does being around each other make them feel?

Tired. Exhausted. But also like there's no one else you'd rather fall asleep with.

10. How does being separated make them feel?

Unsure. Like— Let's say, Daisy's in California, and Kylie's in Florida with family. I think they'd be happy, but at the same time, they would feel like this phantom pain in their stomach that something that was constant in their lives is supposed to be there, but it isn't.

11. How long can they go without seeing each other before starting to miss the other one?

This is so funny. 6 hours, each, gradually. That's a work day.

12. How much time per day/week/month do they spend together?

Like, the hours in which they are sleeping is about the most time that they spend together. But AWAKE...maybe like...3 hours per day, generally, and then a little more on days when one of them ISN'T working.

14. Has their relationship ever been long-distance?

N,,,,No...Maybe before they dated, yes. They'd talk over the phone a whole lot despite both living in the city.

15. Is one of them way more invested in the relationship than the other?

Yeah, but the matter of Who depends on the day.

16. How happy are they about their relationship?

Like.........60% happy?

17. How good are they at communicating their needs and preferences to the other?

NOT VERY jajdmdmfmdmfmg

Daisy's very self-sufficient, so she's typically very quiet about her struggles. She's the most capable person she knows, so in her eyes, there's no better person to fulfill her own needs than herself; and besides, doesn't want to bother the people around her.

For Kylie— she's a people pleaser. Grew up with parents who expected them to be perfect and unproblematic at all times— and then, in college, got broken up with for being too depressed for the average person to handle, and then now, a service job worker. So she applies the same rules in a romantic/sexual/domestic context as well, she doesn't really like to voice her needs and preferences.

18. How good are they at respecting each other’s boundaries?

Generally, they stay out of each other's business, but I feel like, when push comes to shove, they could be rather intrusive toward each other without intending to be.

OTP questions #4:

1. What made them attracted to each other at first? 2. What do they find attractive in each other now? 3. What would they never want to change about the other one? 4. What do they wish they could change about the other one? 5. What’s something that could make them break up? 6. What’s keeping them together? 7. Do they have mutual friends? 8. Do their families like each other? 9. How does being around each other make them feel? 10. How does being separated make them feel? 11. How long can they go without seeing each other before starting to miss the other one? 12. How much time per day/week/month do they spend togather? 13. Do they live togather? 14. Has their relationship ever been long-distance? 15. Is one of them way more invested in the relationship than the other? 16. How happy are they about their relationship? 17. How good are they at communicating their needs and preferences to the other? 18. How good are they at respecting each other’s boundaries?

[lonelyangelonlyangel]

So idk why I'm sending you this but your blog is kind of a trigger. And anyways I think it might help you understand why all these men are acting the way they are. To make things short a few years back, I fell hard for this girl I met at work. I was mid 20s and a virgin. She was 21. Looking back it was clear she was gaming me for her benefit. But I genuinely thought she liked me. Her friends who were definitely mocking me behind my back were edging me on and pretending to be my friend. But when I asked her out it was "Oh I'm seeing someone" and "can't we just be friends." People told me to keep trying. And I did, because I wanted to believe I was good enough. But then she blocked me and when I barely did anything, her ex came at me making threats on insta and being alpha (the ex who cheated 7x btw) Dude. I literally would've fallen so hard for this girl. And I wanted her to be the one. My only thought is why she pretended to even like me? Was it purely narcissm. Or her own insecurities? Why not do it to a fuckboy who deserved to be treated like that. Not some insecure dude who thoughr he had a chance. And wanted something genuine. So when I see you post about these guys who are so in love with you but you want this dude who treats you like trash it just idk makes depresses me. Like why do men have to be absolute dirtbags to get what they want? She had no respect for me the minute I made a move and probably never did. I don't know why she had to make me feel so insecure about myself when she could've just literally let me live. And being like casual. Love is hard to give now. I've had 1 relationship in my whole life. I don't even hook up even tho I want to. I just feel like women gatekeep from me. And you can think I'm so gross guy. But women are always trying to flirt and get my attention and all I can think about is how they're gonna use me and waste my time. When I actually wanted something beautiful and genuine. And she wasn't some ratchet gir eitherl. She literally looked like the innocent sweet type but she was just awful. I mean I feel like her friends were a give away. But I ignored it to believe she was better. Always trust gut feelings man. I'm serious. Whatever. Ignore or hate on it. Thats the experience for most guys who aren't egocentric trash. Imo.

hi, it’s difficult to reply fully to your whole message but i would like to say sorry, i never want or intend to trigger anyone with my blog in any way, i just use it to express myself mostly.

secondly i just wanted to say i understand heartbreak very well (i have it tatted on me) and i’m very sorry someone was so careless with your heart. there’s no excuse for anyone to be cruel like that, and none of the people mentioned sound like very good people. having others make fun of you or threaten you was also terrible.

i think a lot of us fall in love with the potential of someone; they’re sweet and funny and caring for a bit, or they pretend to be, and then they show us that’s not really their character, but we’re stuck thinking they have the potential to be all these great things and the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend if only they would go back to how we originally saw them.

so i’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that, and i hope you heal.

[lollytea]

Darius n willow dynamics hc please

Hunter stayes at darius s place quite often (post canon) so they have small talks while willow waits for Hunter to get ready etc

(obsessed w her as darius s equivalent in dana s art)

Ohhhhhhh I have SO MANY Darius and Willow dynamic headcanons

I think it's so funny to imagine Darius and Willow having a frenemy-type relationship. Partly because Darius is just Like That with all children cuz ew children and partly because Willow is literally never going to get over their first meeting and refuses to let Darius forget it either.

She frequently reminds him of just how terribly he handled that whole situation. She's mad about how many hours it took her to wash his stupid abomination goo out of her hair. She cannot BELIEVE a grown man seriously botched what should have been such a simple task to such fantastically idiotic proportions. All he had to do was employ some basic communication skills. HOW did he fuck this up so bad? Willow isn't even all that angry. She doesn't really hold grudges (anymore) but she's so just astounded by his audacity that she can never let it go.

Everytime she gets started on this Darius is like "Really? Really? We're still on this, are we? Haven't you ever considered finding something else to get riled up about? I hear they're raising the price of griffin eggs. Where's the rage for the failing economy?? Kids these days get abducted on an evil government airship once and its all they talk about for the rest of their lives."

Darius never admits to any mistakes on his part and insists he had the situation entirely under control. But if she weren't in such a hurry to abandon ship...Oh, this gets Willow hopping mad. Darius will dig his heels in further until they're having a full blown debate.

Whenever the conversation even begins to steer in this direction, Hunter desperately attempts to change the subject. If he doesn't, he knows this could go on for hours.

They're fond of each other, they really are. And they enjoy the passive aggressive quip battles. But they'd never admit it.

Darius absolutely uses the nickname "Little Princess" for Willow and he says it with a smile but god....GOD, so much bitchiness in his tone. Its wonderful.

"Darius." Willow will greet him in return, also smiling sweetly and her tone makes his name sound the way cursive looks. And he immediately knows she's calling him a bitch too.

Oh Willow loves to be a little shit and get under Darius's skin. She loves it so much. And Darius, in turn, likes to exaggerate what a pest she is.

Hunter will be staying at his place and Darius will answer the door to Willow.

"Uck. You again." He says, exasperated.

"Me again :)" Chirps Willow, delighted that she received such an On Brand Darius greeting. "I am Hunter's girlfriend after all :)"

"Yes, I'm well aware of that. You won't shut up about it."

"And I don't intend to :) Would you be a sweetie and fetch him for me? :)"

"Do I look like a butler to you?"

"No. You look like a maid :) I really like your frilly apron :)"

"Alright alright, give it a rest. I'll go get him."

"Thaaaaaank you, Daaaaaarius :)"

"You're a nuisance, little princess."

Darius loves to insist that Willow is a terrible influence on Hunter, though he doesn't actually believe a word of what he says. Darius puts a lot of value on spunk and rebelliousness and has never believed in that "kids should respect their elders" nonsense. No, kids should should always speak their mind. At least that's what he always did as a kid. Darius has never been all that impressed by manners and obedience.

Willow is wild. She's outspoken. She's got flair. She's tough. She's confident. Quite frankly, she reminds him a lot of himself. And he truly hopes her best traits will rub off on Hunter. He has no intention of ever saying it aloud (maybe some day. If he is talked into doing a wedding speech of some sort.) but he believes they're a perfect match. They bring out the best in each other.

Although that won't stop him from groaning loudly and being like "Must you do this now?" When Willow gives her boyfriend affection while Darius is standing right there. Come on!! Come on!!! He doesn't need to see this!!!

"Ohhhhh I'm sooo sorry," Willow says with a theatric pout, still cupping Hunter's face after smushing her lips to his cheek. "This is just what wicked girlfriends do. They kiss in public :( Can't be helped :(" Because she thinks getting called a terrible influence is the funniest shit ever.

Willow especially likes to roast Darius when Hunter is around because she loves making him laugh. And like. He will sincerely TRY to hold back giggles when she's joking at Darius's expense and Willow considers that a challenge. So the three of them will be having dinner together and Willow will be cracking jokes, Darius will be making the most ridiculously offended expressions and noises and Hunter will just be suffering. Just trying to hide his face in his hands, his whole frame buckling, desperately trying not to burst into hysterics.

Then Willow is like "What's the deal with your hair? It looks like a lava lamp." And Hunter completely fucking loses it.

Darius blinks. "What's a lava lamp?"

That only makes Hunter laugh harder.

"He'll suffocate because of you." He says dryly to Willow. "And then you'll be sorry."

But if Darius is being honest....he likes that she makes him laugh so hard. He might have been exaggerating his faces just to add to The Bit. He's pretty sure Willow had figured that out.

I'm recycling this as something we talked about on discord once. So, in the same vein that Willow won't let their first meeting go, Darius also has his own incident where Willow fucked up and he never lets her forget it.

At some point after she and Hunter started dating, she came down with the common mold. And you know how that is. She got super loopy and clingy. And when Hunter showed up at her place to check up on her (being warned by her dads to keep his distance) she was immediately "Hunterrrrrr!!! I love you!!! Kisses?? Can I have kisses??? I haven't seen you in a DAY and I MISSED YOU and I want to KISS YOU. I think if I don't get kisses I'll DIE!!!" And like. What was Hunter supposed to do? You think he has the willpower to say no to that? Really? Honestly?

Anyway it just so happened that Hunter was scheduled to stay at Darius's place that weekend. And so sick cranky moody disgusting germ bucket Hunter immediately became Darius's problem.

Obviously Willow showed up to see her lovely boyfriend and the moment she stepped into the house, Darius was like "YOU!!!!!!!!!!"

At least Willow had the decency to look ashamed. She actually gets really embarrassed when Darius reminds her of the time she wasn't in her right mind and got Hunter sick. So, of course, Darius brings it up constantly.

Darius hates sports. Always has, always will. Too barbaric, too much dirt, too much sweat. However, he now has no other option but to attend every match the Emerald Entrails plays. And he also has no option but to cheer the loudest out of everyone in the crowd.

("Out of everything in the world you could have seduced him with, did it have to be sports?"

"Yeah :) Have a nice day :)")

But the first game he attends is memorable. Because it's the first time in years he bumps into his old abomination teacher, Professor Hermonculous.

And of course Hermonculous is delighted to see Darius again. Why wouldn't he be? Not only was he the best in his track but he may have been one of the greatest students Hexside has ever known. He accomplished so much!! Invented so many new techniques in abomination magic!! He wrote a book!! He became a Head Witch!! (Back when things like Covens actually meant something. Some witches still saw them as status symbols.) In his old professor's eyes, Darius was everything he could have ever wanted in a student.

Darius, on the other hand, did not greet Hermonculous half as warmly. It was quite a short grape vine. A girl tells her boyfriend and her boyfriend tells his former co-worker/current weekend roommate.

Yes, Darius was a success. But he knew full well how Hermunculous treated students that disappointed him.

"Once the Emerald Entrails have annihilated the competition, I think there's something you and I should discuss." Said Darius icily. "Professor."

Willow is immediately on the defense when she shows up at school the next day and her former abomination teacher calls her into his office for a private conversation. But she is completely floored when she receives a completely unprompted formal apology from miserable old Hermonculous himself. She leaves the office in a daze.

However, once the bewilderment wears off, Willow begins connecting dots. She's no idiot.

"Darius." She whispers the next time she sees him, tugging at his forearm and beckoning him to come closer.

Assuming she has some confidential info to share, Darius crouches to Willow's height and is surprised when she presses her hands to his shoulder to keep her tippy toes balanced and pecks him on the cheek.

"You have a pretty big heart for a bitter old man." She says.

Darius squints at her witheringly. "Did you just call me old?"

Willow beams.